Being a girl...

I remember going through periods of time where I secretly wished I would have been born a boy. I remember being in Elementary School and admiring the simplicity they seemed to posses even then. Whether that's a compliment or not, I enjoyed being around it. I even vividly remember the moment when my mom had to tell me it was no longer appropriate for me to take my shirt off when playing with my brother and boy cousins. We had built a slide from a plastic exercise mat and found you slid much faster if you took your shirt off and sat on it....


I was devastated. Jenny prayed for God to make her a bird, I prayed he would make me boy.

Don't get me wrong, I was all girl. Make believe, dolls, horses, Prince Charming, you name it. Being a girl just seemed complex at times.

But I have truly grown to love being a girl and all that entails. I love feeling free to express and feel every emotion that flickers through my brain. I love that I get to love things just because they are pretty. I love that I am fully capable of killing any bug and taking care of any varmint I may come across, but if I prefer, I can scream for my husband to come and take care of it. I love that seeing wildflowers in bloom make me happy. I love that seeing a beautiful horse run across a field can actually move me to tears. I love that I can carry a 100lb backpack across Alaska for a month with no showers, but still pack fingernail polish for my toes and tweezers for my eyebrows. I love that I can actually be laughing, fighting and crying all at the same time. But my favorite thing?? The thing I love most about being a girl? The reason I can't wait to have daughters? You guessed it, the Dress Up.

Whether it's a princess dress, a rock star wig, a make believe costume, grandpa's army clothes, mama's shoes, my great-grandma's jewelry or my favorite... a hodge podge of whatever you feel like. And for me, as much fun as it was when I was little, I happen to still enjoy it. Steven's working late tonight...runway time! High heels with flannel pants? Stunning. Would these two dresses look good layered on top of each other? Interesting. Should I add these boots? Fantastic. Would I ever wear this in public? Hell no. But that is what I love. And I pretend that Steven loves that about me too. Will he come home to sexy diva housewife? Or homeless layered up bag lady? It keeps it fun, right?

Dress up is just another thing I love about spending weekends with my niece Maeve. She's just on the verge of full blown dress up (she's only 2). But it's amazing to me how innate it is inside every little girl to pretend. But more then pretend, the realization that what we put on the outside doesn't define who we are but it does allow us to experiment and express what ever whim we happen to have at that time. And THAT is fun :)


Does this hat go with this flashlight??


Swimming anyone?


It's not too big, it's perfect!


This is way cuter to play in.


This is me, starting young.


ULTIMATE DRESS UP!!

And last but not least, if you were going to take a stroll at sunset wouldn't you choose a turtleneck, white stockings, red galoshes 2 sizes too big, and mama's headband to wear?? Of course!