This last week my family did a lot of really neat things. My little sister ran a 4:55 minute mile at a race in Seattle, my older brother, sister-in-law, and niece went hiking in Southern Utah, my mom made a 12 foot giraffe for my nephew's Valentine gift, my dad flew to New York to be on the floor of the stock exchange, my sister and brother-in-law began retiling their kitchen floor, and today Rebecca has a birthday.

So yeah. Pretty cool stuff.

And I'm here eating my 11th vanilla wafer cookie from a Christmas party held last December.
It's fine.

peace and snow
PRAY FOR IT GOSH DARN IT

rrw

For the first time in my life, I am about to venture into a sphere of blogging I have hitherto avoided at all costs. Recent experience, however, has enlightened me to my civic duty to all of you. So I leave the comfort of my usual useless rambling to give you my first ever beauty blog.

Is it Loud in Here?

How to Turn up the Volume, Hair Edition

Many companies would have you believe that their product is the only combination of chemicals that can give you the voluminous type of hair previously seen only on muppets. I'm here to give you an alternative, based on personal experience. it's tried and true!

STATIC

While exasperatingly trying to dampen and control my static charged hair, which clung to my face and neck like the many tentacles of an ocean dwelling creature, a small and peppy girl chimed in from the sink next to mine.

"Wow, you have beautiful hair!"

I looked at her, peering through the blockade of split ends which had created a cloud of dead cells around my head and obstructed my view.

"...really? I was just trying to get it to stop standing straight up."

"No way, it has such great volume."

My voice, now muffled and masked by the matted hair clinging to my mouth, responded with a confused expression of gratitude. And from that experience, an idea was born and a generation of lifeless hair was given hope. The answer to our problems: state electricity. 

Yep, this natural and free electricity will take your hair to the next level, making even Edison admire with envy. So forget the conditioners and the thickening sprays. Leave behind the mousse, the Argan Oil, and expensive shampoos. Instead, find your nearest balloon, trampoline, or fleece jacket, and rub it over your head.

Because why have hair like this?

When you could have hair like this?

Your choice is obvious. And you are welcome.

peace and fashion
rrw

I sleep and dress and read and live in a very small room. It's part of the joy of living with five other girls, as is the amount of food packed into the fridge and the amount of hair... everywhere. But being in the small room means that the drawers I use for socks are in a corner of my "closet" behind all my clothes. To get to my sock drawer is like getting to Narnia, minus the talking beavers. and yes, I am talking about my sock drawer in the post. Invigorating.

For Christmas I was gifted new socks from about 4 different people. I appreciate this because the socks I've been using since freshman year... aren't really that fresh anymore. The only problem that I've encountered with this gift is that the socks are color coordinated. In a pack of 8 pair, there are two pink, two red, two green, and two orange socks. This has proven to be a difficult trial in my life, for I cannot stand to wear an orange and a red sock, nor a green and a pink sock at the same time. In no other way am I obsessive about order, organization, or appearance. ...right? I mean, I'm wearing brown pants and a black top today. Something my junior high friends would never condone. But, if I wear two different colored socks at once, I literally feel as if I am off balance. The foundation of my being, my feet, are at odds with each other.

So, as I venture through the forest of clothes, in the dark of morning, I cannot simply grab two socks and be on my way. I must find one and seek out its partner. Every morning is a struggle which I strive through.

Every day I am a champion.

Ps. I read some sort of blog advice with prompts and suggestions online the other day. One was to talk about a challenge I have overcome. Hence this deep and meaningful post. You now know me on a much deeper level. We are like unto matching socks.

peace and sandals
you don't have to worry about matching socks when you wear those.




rrw

 

To be alone is a necessary thing. To be removed from the world, from technology, from the buzzing and the ringing and the whistling brings you back to life. Gliding through the snowy trees, with the sun warming your skin as it peers through the branches to watch you soar cannot be replaced by any video, song, text, email, or blog. When all you hear is your own laughter, the chatter of squirrels, and the scrape of skis on snow, each pressed heavy to your ears by the silence of the forest....

 

That is when you hear God, telling you that life is good.

 

To be alone is a necessary thing.

 

 

 

alaska, august 2014

by harry b williamson

 

peace and skis

 

rrw

 

 

 

 

 



There's an ice cream party that starts in an hour and all I can think about is how much I want that ice cream party to start right now. I am also contemplating when the next time I will wear makeup is, because everyone in my life knows it's been a good while since that stuff happened. Pshhh. This look was good enough in elementary school. and we all know what a babe I was in elementary school. It's good enough now.

Photos taken by him in Alaska last August. He doesn't like to smile for pictures. We're working on that.


peace and feminist writing
i'm going to have a lot of new opinions by the end of the semester

rrw

low expectations

I've been waiting for something really extraordinary to happen to me so that I could write about it and glory in my life. I was trying to keep my expectations realistic. You know, skiing under the silence of the Northern Lights with a pack of wild wolves running by my side through the dark pines, or being bitten by a snake and having my legs amputated but turning my misfortune into opportunity through paralympic participation. I was waiting for something simple.

Instead, my expectations were completely blown away. I commented on a picture on Instagram and won a $25 gift card to a local restaurant. The last time I won anything I think it was in 4th grade and I got a piece of paper that said I was a good speller. there so nise. 

So that's my life. Aren't you glad you stopped by for an update? Now you better chum up to me so I'll take you to dinner. Except for not really because I'm pretty sure I'm already taking someone else because I'm dating him and that seems like the right thing to do yeah?

See you next month.

peace and prize winners
rrw

School's out. 

The semester's ended.

We both celebrated birthdays.

And that's what's happened. 

rrw