Oops! I did it again!

Say goodbye to the old mop...


...and say hello to the new do!


I've been blessed with thick, fast-growing hair. So, for the third time, I'm donating a significant chunk of hair to programs that make wigs for cancer patients. [See here for the second time.] So far, I'm quite happy with my new look, and, Denaye, don't panic...it will be long enough to pull up by April. Promise.

Woodland Park Zoo

I know that we've been slack with posting to the blog. I know that we owe some photos and stories from our honeymoon. But first, I have to share with you some pictures from our trip to the zoo last weekend.

Although it was Labor Day weekend, we thought that a rainy Sunday would be the perfect time to avoid crowds and visit the snow leopard cubs at the Woodland Park Zoo. We were right! Here are some photos from our day:

Snow Leopard Cub

Snow Leopard Cub (hiding behind the pine branch and fern)

Kea, a New Zealand native

Ocelot

Jaguar

This trip was the most fun I've had at a zoo since I was about 5 years old. Thanks for a fun date, George!

We're back!

We're back from an enjoyable jaunt around the country. We had a great time visiting family and friends in Ohio, diving in the Florida Keys, relaxing in the spa in Miami, and taking in the sites and seeing friends in Washington, DC. As soon as we get a moment away from school/work, we'll share more details and pictures from our little adventure.

Becoming Mrs. S

As I mentioned before, I have chosen to take George's last name while keeping my maiden name as a second middle name. The logistics have been far easier than I anticipated. Since my change is not entirely standard, I decided to get a court order to make it all official; that took less than an hour and less than $150. I was even more impressed with Social Security; it took me 16 minutes from pulling into the lot to leaving the lot, including dealing with a cranky government employee. My health insurance change was somewhat amusing as George had to first end our domestic partnership relationship before then marrying me. With just a few random accounts remaining, I feel fortunate that everything has transitioned so smoothly.

I'm also transitioning into my role as wife. As a girlfriend, I was the fun sidekick charged with getting to know this character I called my boyfriend. As fiance, I was the wedding queen. Now that I'm wife, I feel a lot of responsibility...not just for myself but for both of us. Although I'm not necessarily traditional and George and I don't really believe in traditional gender roles, I do feel a certain pressure to keep a nice home while taking excellent care of George (not to mention being professional Ms. S). I'm new to this, so I don't know exactly what my particular brand of wife will look like, but I'm excited to take the example given to me by my many excellent role models, mix it up with our values, and see how the whole thing evolves over time.

Just yesterday I reread my favorite article of all time (clipped and sent to me by my mother shortly after leaving home permanently and moving to California). This time, I have a little different perspective on it. It's right: I have a heck of a lot of choices and options in life. In all the people in the world, I have been blessed with the most amazing, loving husband. I picked him, and I would pick him again each and every day if given the choice. I am both excited and overwhelmed that I get to spend the rest of my life figuring out my role as his wife while we build a life, a home, and a family together. Before I know it, I'll really be Mrs. S.

Little Things

I'm happy to report that we are back to reasonable summer temperatures, so I will hereby terminate my whining mode.

In other random news, we discovered last night that George and I married without first sorting out our Starburst preferences. As it turns out, we are perfectly compatible! George loves orange, hates red and pink, and is ambivalent about yellow while I love pink and red, hate orange, and feel ambivalent about yellow. Bullet dodged. :-)