11 inches...

I'm talking about the amount of hair I'm donating!

I love Lifebooker! It's a deal website that features beauty, health, fitness and lifestyle - with that, haircuts, etc.

Several months back, I had a terrible hair accident, where a section of my hair got either burnt/chopped/eaten off. I honestly don't know what happened, but I was missing a chunk of the length of my hair

Anyway, I was glad that it was hidden enough and nobody noticed it. You would see it if I pulled my hair up in a high ponytail, so I just avoided that for months. After I felt like it grew enough, I hopped on Lifebooker to check out the deals. I went through the hair category and noticed a conditioning treatment + haircut + style deal for $39 dollars at a salon that was walking distance to my job! Score!

I purchased the deal and scheduled my appointment for a week later! When I told and showed the stylist my problem, we evaluated that at least 11 inches would have to come off to even it all out. She could have worked around the "hair accident," but I immediately thought I would donate and go all-in, especially that I qualify!

Even with missing a portion, I still have a good ponytail to donate!

I've donated to Pantene Beautiful Lengths program in the past and decided I would donate to them again. It's easy to donate!

• Hair needs to be at least 8 inches
• No dyes, bleaches or chemicals on your hair
• You can't have more than 5% gray hair

That's it! Here are more instructions.

Anyway, hope everyone out there is having a happy halloween - and also staying safe! I celebrated last weekend and am staying indoors tonight, snuggled in bed. :)

NBA Opening Night at Madison Square Park

When I talked to my dad over the weekend, he asked me what happened to my Wednesday post. It was a pretty busy (and extremely boring) week to share last week. I was just working so much that I didn't have any time to think about anything else in life.

Also, it was a nice surprise that my parents read my blog!

Anyway, I've been having this weird face situation going on, so I scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist yesterday. (Don't worry folks, it seems like I just had an allergic reaction.) Because of my morning appointment, I went to work an hour later than usual - and stumbled on a big NBA promo thing going on in Madison Square Park.

As I was crossing the street, a large drumline began to play. It was so wacky! They built a basketball court and had lots of NBA stuff going on. I really had to rush to work, but I managed to sneakily take these photos while crossing the street!

The drumline was pretty cool! I found a little video of them here:

My Special Force: The warrior who taught me he meaning of life and love

When I was initially approached with the opportunity to review My Special Force by Heather Means, I was hesitant. To be honest, I didn't want to deal with the harsh reality of a soldier's death, let along your own husband. I've actually been avoiding anything that has to deal with the death of a military loved one.

Although my husband isn't deployed to an area of current combat, I can't help but worry. The odds of him getting hurt aren't high, but the fact I haven't seen him in a long while still puts me on edge. I can admit to you that I'm a baby sometimes.

What really resonated with me is that Heather's husband wasn't injured or attacked by insurgents and suffered from a battle wound, he was affected by something unrelated and something you can't really plan on dealing with as a military spouse.

As I read about Heather's determination and resilience despite all the difficult challenges, I had to read on. I felt like it was important for me, especially, as a new military spouse to understand. At the beginning, their relationship mirrored countless other military relationships, including my own. My husband and I spent a majority of our courtship traveling visiting each other and keeping in touch with phone calls etc. I was inspired by their love and devotion to each other through their written words. I enjoyed reading the dialogue between Heather and her husband, Ryan with the letters that were shared in the book. It gave me the opportunity to take a sneak peek at their relationship.

When Ryan began to struggle with his illness, my reading slowed down a bit. I can't even describe how I felt getting through the pages, but I really commend Heather for her spirit and strength. Ryan was also amazing because he remained a devoted and loving husband, while battling through a grueling disease.

This book definitely shows the power of love and the importance of remembering the legacy of a loved one. Not only will Ryan's family have something to read that carries his story, but countless other families will have the opportunity to learn from him too.

Here is Heather's book on Amazon.com.

NMSN Summit + everything else from the weekend

I had such an action-packed busy weekend!

After work on Friday, I went to the rental car place to pick-up my car and drove from NYC to Alexandria, Virginia. I left close to 8pm and walked into the hotel at around midnight. In my opinion, the drive to the DC-area was pretty quick! It took about four hours and I hardly hit any traffic. I only experienced a little congestion as I was leaving the city, but that was it!

As soon as I got myself into my hotel room, I went to sleep that way I can get up early enough for the start of the summit. The National Military Spouse Network summit started at 8am on Saturday. [Yikes!]

Luckily, the summit location was just walking distance from my hotel. It was easy enough for me to make it there with time to spare. I have to admit that I was extremely nervous on the walk over. I didn't know what to expect. I did have a goal in mind - and that was to meet and interact with military spouses. Also, I was eager to learn from the other spouses and looked forward to hearing their stories.
 
After I entered the door, all my nerves went away. Everybody welcomed me with open arms and were so kind. I listened intently and shared my thoughts too. I have to say that it was such a motivating and inspiring summit to me. It showed me that anything is possible, even with the transient and ever-changing life of a military spouse.

The biggest thing I've learned at the summit is that I'm not alone - and spouses are my greatest resource. I have so much to learn from my peers and look forward to building the friendships I've formed during the summit! I met some incredibly awesome women!! I'm sure I'll elaborate on more in blog posts to come! :)

The National Military Spouse Network is amazing. It is definitely a great network for military spouses that are looking to network and educate themselves to achieve personal gains. Whether you're looking to start a career or a mentor in a particular field, the NMSN is there to help! My next step with the organization is membership. I really think participating will help with my professional development, especially with my new life as a military spouse.

On Sunday, I woke up and headed to Fort Belvoir! I planned on seeing apartments in the area too. Overall, it was a very productive weekend! I'm more and more excited to move to Virginia now that I've had a taste of what it's like in the area! Bring it on!