The End of the Blog, the Beginning of the Book

Well guys, it's been awesome. You've really kept me accountable, and the encouragement of seeing people's comments and looking at the visitor count on my Stats page helped me to complete this project and not wuss out (especially when I was trying to meet boys).

This post is to officially close the BLOG, but I'm working on a book about this. There is a tremendous amount of interest in this project, and I have a tremendous amount of passion for it-- and where the world's needs and your gifts intersect, the universe is pointing out your path! Also, I want to do this now, while the Experiment is still fresh in my mind. Who knows how this'll turn out, but I feel like I should do the work of attempting to synthesize all of this.

Thanks again for all your support, both online and in person (I'm talking to you, Candler peeps and various friends and family!). Remember:

True story.

One Year Later

This time last year, I was getting used to covering my hair, arms and legs, and (much harder) not wearing makeup.

This year, my "I need less stuff" crusade continues, because I still have a long way to go in simplifying my life. I just threw out three boxes of beauty stuff because I'm tired of it all. I have four things of eyeshadow, concealer, three blushes, mascara, and that's it; I threw away most of my hair products and lotions because after TME I never used them again.

So basically, the lesson I learned-- that I really don't need a bunch of stuff to look beautiful-- is an ongoing commitment.

My life just continues to get better, and I have to wonder if it's some sort of cosmic reward for getting beyond my vanity a little and taking a leap. (More likely, it's both TME and the changes I've been making in my life for the last few years, but whatevs.) Two nights ago I spent hours in the studio with a well-known producer (who's a neighbor of my partner's), having fun and making up vocals to a track he wrote; I was back in the booth for the first time in years, and I LOVED it. Remember this? That was what it felt like.

My cats are happy living with my partner and I out here by the lake, my grades were good (could be better, but that'll be next semester), my relationship with my grandma, who's in hospice, is good, the church I work for is growing, I had a great time with my family over the holidays.... OH! And by total chance, I was in the Atlanta Journal Constitution today:

More web users aim to thwart prying eyes

A year later, I have no interest in ever investing so much of myself into how I look. I still haven't gotten my hair cut-- I'm trying to learn to cut it myself, and when I hate it, I wear a headscarf like I used to. I occasionally get made up for fun, but I make a point of going out barefaced as often as I feel like it, just so I don't get overcommitted to it again.

Here's me, one year after the beginning of TME. I'm wearing pigtails, and the extensions are gone:

I am a smiley, smiley woman.