And just like that...

I'm a redhead again.

That awkward moment when you have to tell a stranger you're wearing a wig...

So, here's a fun story from my actual life.

After my little daytrip last week, I'd been needing to put some gas in my car for a few days, so I ran over to Danny's (or what used to be Danny's, for the life of me, I can't remember the new name of that gas station) to get some gas. While I was there, I decided to let the staff wash the bug guts off my grill. And I figured I should buy some peanut M&M's while the car was getting wiped down. (Can I eat an entire package of M&M's in one sitting yet? No. But I'm working on it. And I'm currently up to eating six M&M's consecutively before my tongue swells and my mouth hurts. Dang these stupid mouth sores all to heck. I hate them.)

Aaaaaaaanyway, this is the conversation I had with the gas station cashier when I was buying my M&M's:

Cashier: I really like your hair.
Me: Thank you.
Cashier: No, I really like it. It's so pretty!
Me: Thank you.
Cashier: I don't know why, but I never do my hair like that.
Me: You have really pretty hair, too.
Cashier: So... how do you get the curls to stay like that?
Me: (pause) I don't know.
Cashier: No, really. Is it your curling iron, or is it hairspray?
Me: Honestly, I don't know.
*dramatic pause while she looks at me suspiciously, like I would lie to her about how I do my hair*
Me: It's a wig. And it was styled before she sent it to me. So, honestly... I have no idea what she did to make the curls at the top/front stay this perfect.
Cashier: But you have a part!
Me: I know.
Cashier: It doesn't LOOK like a wig!
Me: Thank you.
Cashier: It's so pretty!
Me: Thank you.

And then she handed me my change and my wig and I walked outside to sit in the sun and eat our candy.

Awkward wig moments are my new favorite.

Maybe the very best thing about my new removable hair? ... I can take it off my head and let other people try it on. Dinner at the Woods' house was very good times tonight!

Cili 

Maggie

Sally

They're adorable as blondes, no doubt. But if their blond ever goes to brown, I think they'll all be just fine.

Love these little ladies!

Me & my mini

One of my favorite memories of sweet Hazel was the first time I went to Kirk's, bald. It was the weekend in April that I had a chemo break, and I'd gone there for dinner... forgetting to grab a hat or a scarf before I ran out the door. I walked into Kirk's house, through the front room and into the kitchen, and Hazel grabbed me by the hand and asked if I wanted to go with her to take Cinnamon outside to go potty. No sooner had we gotten outside, then she put her hand on my arm and looked up at me and said, "Don't worry, Aunt Laurie. I'm already used to it. You still look like you to me." 

When the wig came in this week, and I had dinner plans at Kirk's again, I took it with me to show it off. And Hazy wanted to wear my hair.

She looks pretty good wearing my hair, right? Who's kidding who? She is always adorable. Love that girl!

My hair came home!

The wig came today.

I may or may not have lost valuable hours of this day to trying on the wig and then taking pics of me in the wig, and then taking more pics, and then... some more. It's basically been a selfie taking palooza over here tonight.

I have a photographer friend who suggested doing a photo shoot (which I will SO be taking her up on!), so at some point I'll have some pics from different angles. (You know, taken with a camera further away from my face than my arm can get it.) But for now, I give you a whole lot of self portraits. Enjoy!

The color is hard to define. It's a light brown, but definitely has red undertones. In some of the pics, you can see the blond in the top layers.

I love it! So much more than I thought I would, and I was expecting to LOVE it (in all caps)! I'm sure there will be more pics to follow, but I wanted to make sure I got some posted on the day it came.

You know, I really haven't minded being bald. It's just been another version of what I look like, but man... am I so happy to have my hair (and the hair of my peeps) back on my head!

Wig Update #6

It's done!

Merria emailed and texted Tuesday to let me know the wig was done, and to ask if I'd like her to root it (put lowlights in) before she sent it out.

As much as I really wanted to honor the natural color of the sweet girls and wonderful women who had donated to the cause... and as curious as I've been as to whether it's true that blonds have more fun... I just couldn't imagine myself sporting hair that's so light.

So, I asked her to keep it another day or two and work her magic. And work some magic, she did! These pics of the finished product came in this morning.

Isn't it beautiful?! (And look how long it is!) I love it!

She's shipping it today. The next time you see a pic of this wig, it will be on ME!

Wig Update #5

It's almost done!

Aaaaaaaaand, it's pretty blonde.

(I'm trying to come to terms with the blonde-ness, actually.)

There's just the front left on that one side, and then it'll be finished!

The best part?

The hair is wavy/curly!

The earlier pics I'd seen looked like straight hair, and I had wondered how in the world all that curly hair had been tamed. Good news, it hasn't been! (It just looked straight because it had been oiled to put moisture back in the hairs. ... I know this, because I asked.)

The wig should be done and in the mail to me by Saturday. Which means... this time next week, I'll have my hair (and the hair of my friends and family) in my hot little hands!

Wig Update #4

You guys! Remember when I did the last wig update and I included the picture of the reddish colored wig and said I knew it probably wasnt mine, but I was fantasizing that it was and that Merria had tagged mskillerdiller in error when she meant to tag ms_muffett on Instagram?

Well, guess what... She didn't tag mskillerdiller in error. She tagged mskillerdiller because mskillerdiller's the person who's been doing the back of my head! 

Also, THE REDDISH HAIR APPEARS TO BE MINE! (Funny what happens when you mix several people's hair together.)

What a lovely surprise it was to get a wig update this afternoon.

It's been a hard day, but the wig always puts a smile on my face. (Also, I am pleased to report that I'm feeling a little better this afternoon than I was this morning. For example, I was able to stand at the kitchen counter and drink my entire lunch - chocolate Ensure and a raspberry yogurt blended into a shake - without having to take a break to lie down. I know it doesn't sound like much - either the standing or the "shake" - but I'm telling you, after this morning, I'll count standing for 5 minutes to down something that even remotely approaches a meal made of chocolate as a win.)

Wig Update #3

This morning, I woke up to an alert from Instagram that Merria Dearman had tagged me in a comment.

It's about a week out from being finished. Woot!

She also posted this picture. I'm not tagged in it, but I'm posting it anyway because a) I think it's interesting to see a wig from a different view, the prosthetic neck is fascinating to me, and also b) because I'm totally fantasizing that this, too, is my wig and that mskillerdiller person she tagged was meant to be me. (Listen, I've always wanted red hair. Don't judge.)

Wig Update #2

I am 98% certain this is my hair. (And you know, the hair of my friends and family.)

Merria didn't tag me in her Instagram post, but based on the color lineup (blonde to brunette, left to right) and the texture (how cute are all those natural waves/ringlets?), I'm pretty sure this is the last step before the hair will start to get tied into the wig.

Here's are a few samples of wigs in  process. (Yeah, more posts I took from her Instagram. Obviously not my wig, but it's kind of cool to see a wig in the middle stages. ... I'm SO hoping that she does the thing with the pins to set waves into my wig!)

Now that the hair has been culled and processed (cuticles removed and chemically treated, so it will stay smooth and not get ratty), it shouldn't be that long before it starts to come together.

Stay tuned!

Wig Update #1

So...

Yesterday, I had my first skype session with my new friend wig-making friend, Merria. It was super awesome!

Since my laptop is basically a dinosaur and was created before there were cameras installed in computers, and also because I knew I was going to need another body physically present to measure my head, I went over to Jo's for the call.

Jo and Dean and Sally and Maggie and I were glued to the computer screen for almost a solid hour. It was fascinating to get to see a little bit of the backroom in a wig shop. Merria showed us what the inside of the wig looks like, the super fine lace that will line my head, and the mesh that the hair will be tied through - strand by strand. I learned that I will still be able to pull my hair into a low pony, or back in a barrette. (Hooray!) And get this, you only have to wash a wig once every three weeks. Hello! That's even better than my old 5 day rule!

Oh, and Mom... you'll be pleased (albeit very surprised, I am sure) to learn that MY HEAD IS AN AVERAGE SIZE. ... It turns out that it really was my hair that made my head appear so unspeakably large. My noggin actually measures a little on the small side of average. (Who knew?!)

Anyway... the work on the wig will start next week, and it'll take about four weeks to finish.

And the best part?! She'll be instagramming the whole process, so I can see the work as it's taking place.

I totally told her I was screen shotting her every move and would be putting it on my blog. She didn't tell me that wasn't allowed, so... I figure it's alright. Stay tuned for future pics. (It's all just so fascinating to me, and not just because it's my wig. The entire process is so precise. There are so many painstaking details, and yet... it's something that's being created, by an artist who has a vision of what it will look like in the end. It's amazing to me.)

I'm so freaking excited that the wig is actually happening (RIGHT NOW!) that I can't even tell you how happy I am.

Again, many (MANY!) thanks to all the women and children who cut their hair for me. It means more to me than I can say. Thanks for making it possible for me to get my own hair back on my head, because as much hair as I had, it wasn't enough to make a wig on my own. This is something that, literally, never would have/could have happened if I didn't have so many people who loved me enough to give me their hair. Thank you.