Today’s very pointless Off-Topic Tuesday post: I finally broke down and got a new haircut/color, and it’s kind of fun! I’m one of those chicas who hates spending money on herself, and I always end up feeling really guilty when I buy myself something. Like, serious buyer guilt.

That’s one of the reasons I never go to hair salons: those appointments add up (NOT cheap), so I’ve always just done box color and kind of styled my own hair. But all that got me was about 7-8 years worth of box color damage, and some very split ends. Several inches had to come off to give me a fresh start, and I can’t wait to see how fast my hair will grow now. Gotta get it grown out to the length I want for Disney World this summer! 🙂

So as shallow as this Off-Topic Tuesday post is, I wanted to share that I finally broke down and spent the money to have my damaged hair cut off, my color extracted, and lots of miracle products put on my hair to help heal it…and if this cheapskate can spend the money to do something that will make me happy and feel better about myself, then you sure can! Whatever it is that you’ve been putting off doing for yourself, you have my permission to do it. This week. You’re worth it, my pretty!

Hello, dears. So, since I used last week’s Off-Topic Tuesday to talk about the pretty snow and try to convince you to not complain about it too much, I’m using this week’s post to list ten things that I’m desperately looking forward to about warm weather. Thinking ahead to these things is helping me get through this long, icy winter!

1. Disney – If you know me at ALL, you know that I’m a Disney freak of the highest order. This is the year that my husband and I have decided to finally buckle down, spend the dough (UGH so expensive), and go to Disney World! I’ve actually never been there, and that’s just a humiliation I can no longer endure. Dill (my better half, or so he thinks) and I are also both 30 right now, and this year marks 5 years of marriage, so why not treat ourselves? We’re planning on a June trip, but it may get pushed back a little depending on our schedules. Either way though, I’m over the moon! Disney, people!! Disney!

2. Beach – Dill and I also go to the beach once a year. These aren’t extravagant trips, mind you…we don’t stay in beachfront condos or dine in 5-star restaurants every night. But we do have amazing trips and the thought of our summer trip South gets me through snow and ice every single year.

3. Outdoor exercise – This is a biggie for me. I’m not very into exercise DVDs or YouTube videos. I’ve tried, and just can’t get into it. I much prefer hiking (we have great hiking trails/parks in my area) and I’ve recently gotten into running. This weather has thrown a MAJOR damper on my cardio, and I can’t wait to get back to hiking with my mom and sister and starting my running routine again!

4. Ice cream and FroYo – If this doesn’t make your list or reasons to love warm weather, we probably can’t be friends. I mean, c’mon. Frozen yogurt.

5. Enjoying the Riverfront – My town (Owensboro, Kentucky) sits on the Ohio River. (Well, not exactly on it. It’s not Jesus. But you get my drift.) Our downtown has undergone a major renovation, and it’s now one of the most fun places to be in the city. I can’t wait to get back down there and eat ice cream (see above) and watch people on their boats and smell that fresh air!

6. Clothes – Now I’m not going to lie: there are some fantastic-looking winter clothes. Sure, there’s nothing cuter than leggings and boots with a cute dress and a scarf. But….methinks I’m over it. Until next winter, at least. Come on with the sandals, shorts, tank tops, and sunglasses. Yes, please!

7. No sickness/colds – This, to me, is one of the two worst things about winter (I’ll talk about the other worst thing next.) – I’m so sick of being sick, and I’m sick of people I know being sick, including our animals. I’m tired of colds, mucus, coughs, sore throats, drainage, flus, bronchitis, ear infections, etc. I hate this part of cold weather.

8. Better driving/traveling weather – And here’s my other least favorite thing about cold weather: the freaking ice on the roads! Yeah, being snowed-in can be cozy, under the right conditions. But the right conditions do not include sheets of ice on the roads and drivers putting their lives in danger just by going to work. No thanks, Winter – and come on, Summer!

9. Festivals – We have some pretty kick-butt festivals in this area. Owensboro holds the International BBQ Festival each year, which is always a lot of fun (even though it RAINS. EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR.). We also have Bluegrass festivals, pumpkin festivals, apple festivals, and lots more.

10. Bad luck in winter – I have no idea if any of you guys deal with this. But every single winter my family deals with so much crap. Seriously, everyone gets sick, there’s car trouble, things break in the house, pets die, money issues come up, things get lost, health problems pop up, so on and so on and so on. It’s a long-running joke in our family that January and February beat the everloving snot out of us, but as long as we get through it alive, glorious Summer and Fall are waiting for us.

So those are just ten of the reasons I’m looking forward to the weather warming up. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of the seasons, and Winter has appealing aspects too. But I’m over them. 🙂 Feel free to share your thoughts below!