Happy un-birthday!

....to my dreadlocks! Haha! they are 1 1/2 years old tomorrow. Little babies, just a little younger than my son. 

To celebrate, I bleached the crap out of them. Gave them a little make-over. 

They are coming along quite well, with almost no maintenance involved now (save for a good LUSH washing!).

I've always wanted them, but I didn't put much thought into them... I got so fed up with the post-baby-hairloss that I just sat down one day and started back-combing.

(brand new!!)

(8 months along.)

Then they grew. And grew. And grew. Which was awesome, but heavy and hot and cumbersome. And about halfway down my hair the dreads stopped and it was just fluffy, sticky hair. So we (my friend Megan and I) chopped them off.  Then I was sad.

(but not SO sad.)

But it was for the best, they locked right up and there's been no turning back! 

Until the last couple of weeks when I desperately needed to chop them ALL off. I don't know why. Thankfully I didn't and my hair angel found me and talked to me today and made up my mind to keep them .  

Now, they are starting to feel like me. I know we will go through phases, but this is something I really wanted to do and I'm super glad I did it. But, satisfied as I am with them, I still need change. Hence the blonde. Possibly pink and orange soon. We'll see. 

I'm thinking this is a good way to stop trying to define myself to other people, or to myself. I like punk music, hot pink hair and mohawks. I like swing music and retro clothing. I like Jimmi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin and dreadlocks. I like depression-era values, fine art AND tattoos. I like hiking and skating and swimming and reading. I love reading. Especially Little House on the Prairie and the Little Prince. I don't know why I've always felt all of this could not co-exist. It can, and strangely my hair is teaching me how to allow it. 

Anyway! Happy unbirthday dreddies! You've grown on me. (get it? har har...)