New look for a good cause

Annabelle has been longing to update her look for a while now, but cutting off all that hair can be kind of scary. Hoping it would be easier to feel good about later in the unfortunate event that she hated her new 'do, she chose to donate her hair to Locks of Love. Locks of Love provides hairpieces for children who have lost their own hair for a variety of medical reasons.

Since today was a school holiday, Annabelle and I headed up to Louisville for a girls' day out. We hit all the hot spots--Starbucks, Macy's (huuuuuuge sale), Whole Foods--and then had lunch at our favorite Indian restaurants. Her hair appointment was at 2, and by 1:30, she was feeling more than a little nervous.

When we got to the salon, we took one last photo of her long hair:



Our stylist, Katie, measured 11-inch ponytails on each side of Annabelle's head, braided them, and cut them off:



Annabelle is thrilled with her new look and says she can't believe how much lighter her head feels without all that extra hair: