A Saturday well spent

This was quite the Saturday. A good solid weekend day. A wonderfully balanced use of time. Nothing extraordinary, just of lots of happy things all bunched together.
Late Friday night I was contemplating what time to set my alarm for, and I made a snap decision to set it for just before 7 in hopes that I'd actually get up, bundle up, and walk up to the park near my house to capture the sunrise. This week the sunrises have been littered with clouds, making for a striking view. I was hoping for that this morning but the sky was crystal clear and crisp. The greenery underfoot though was all icy and gorgeous. I think it is fascinating how the ice forms a little bit differently on the different kinds of weeds, and how tiny and delicate it all is. I had my extension tubes with me (which allow me to take closer macro shots) and so my frozen fingers and I snapped away.

When Gracie and I got too cold we headed back come to defrost. I uploaded my pictures, ate a chocolate muffin, played around with the Lightroom app, and took and hour nap on the couch. 

When I woke up my family reviewed the plans for all our weekend adventures in the rest of January/beginning of February. After that we played a few hands of Rummy. 

Next was the Cedar Park High School Championship parade, a celebration for our marching band and football team which both won at state competion/ championship last semester. The parade featured our dance, cheer, colorgaurd, and football teams, all serenaded by our HUGE band. It was a great way to support our students and our programs. Also, seeing people I know in the parade was trippy because, like, I AM in high school too, not an elementary schooler looking on at all the big kids anymore. 

Then it was time for my appointment to go and get my hair cut! My hair was getting long- too long to handle. SO long that it was generally unmanageable- to the point where I was wearing it up 95% of the time. Now, not to sound conceited, but my hair is beautiful I want people to see it, so it was time for a haircut. 

I went in thinking that I wanted to cut off about 5 inches and then have some gentle layers, with my hair still pretty thick and fluffy and staight across on the bottom. Spur of the moment, I decieded to go for 6 inches, which, plus layering, is probably close to 7 inches off overall. 

I am so happy with it. Here it is wet-

And dry and fluffy- 

I love my haircut so much. It would not be an exaggeration to say that I am obsessed with it. This is only really the second time I've ever really had a substantial amount of my hair cut, usually I just go in for a little trim before school starts. My hair is so healthy and light and I can flip it so easily and it is so cute with the layers when I put it in a ponytail and AHHH I love it. Absolutely love it. When I run my fingers though it it feels like it is so short, just because I'm used to long hair, but I look in the mirror and it still looks long. 

After my haircut mom and I went shopping. I purchased some gifts for people, and got the cutest key chain for my adventure backpack. Mom and I also got lemonade from the new Hot Dog on a Stick that opened in our mall. I had forgotten how fantastic their lemonade is. We stopped into the optical shop to look, because I am due for some new frames and lenses, and I just fell in love with a pair of frames. Buying new glasses is always a bit of a struggle just because there is so much to consider, but these will be perfect for me. 

We then went to my grandparent house to watch the rest of the 8mm home movies that we've been watching for the last couple nights. The tapes range from about 1956-1985. They are such a special piece of my family's history. I got to watch my mom's first birthday, my grandma riding a go cart, and my aunts and cousins playing in pool and in my grandparent's backyard. We watched all their different cocker spaniels play with the kids thought the generations. We watched my grandma smile and laugh through them all. My favorite tape, though, had to be of my papa when we was 18 and stationed on an Air Force base in Tripoli, Libya. We saw him swimming in the ocean, sailing, and chilling with his "hang around gang". It was so sweet to see him young and adorable, just a year before he met my grandma. I was our video technician, I operated the old Bessel and Howell projector. I also felt like the keeper and facilitator of special memories and important moments, which is a special position to hold, believe you me. 

Even just the old cars and clothing and hair were fun. One video was taken in Disneyland, it it was so fun to see the old attractions which are no longer there, and to see how the park was changed. 

I am so grateful to my grandparents for taking all these home movies and keeping them and moving all the equipment from house to house as they've moved. These are priceless.   

I finished off my night with this capture of our alluring moon and a Dark Bordeaux from See's Candy. And a thought that had never completely occurred to me: I see the same sun and the same moon on a daily basis as everyone else on the planet ever has. I am part of a global group of people who are fascinated by things in the sky. This transcends all continents and borders and languages and ethnicites and time. The sun and the moon have always and will always be there, creating and reflecting light to all below them. They are 2 constants on earth. I can only hope than we never quit appreciating and exploring their beauty, no matter how technologically advanced we become. 

See what I mean? Nothing dramatically perfect, just lots of awesome things all in one day. These are the perfect days we wish to have more often.