Donating Hair

It was time for summer hair cuts and Bridget's hair had gotten so long that she was looking forward to cutting a lot off. Her hair is very heavy and she had started complaining about her scalp hurting. I think it was so heavy it was pulling too much. She decided that she was willing to cut a lot off and donate it. I looked into different hair donation sites and their requirements. We decided that Wigs for Kids was a good fit. We went to our regular Great Clips and let them know our plan. The stylist was great and sectioned her hair into 4 pony tails then cut each off. I had brought rubber bands and a bag, so we tightly bound the pony tails and gently laid them in the bag. I felt like we were carrying precious cargo.

Bridget's new cut is fantastic and frames her face beautifully. Plus she can wash and brush it on her own and keep it looking good. We brought her bag of pony tails home and laid them out to dry for a few days. When her thick hair finally dried, we wrapped each in tissue paper and delicately packed them to be mailed off.

Bridget's sphere of positive impact is getting bigger.
I love her.

Summer Festivities

Summer is also full of fun times to get together. The Fourth of July in Catonsville is an experience that ties our community together and we make the most of it. We enjoyed the parade and the annual picnic at Becky and Erik's. And we added the evening with fireworks. The teenagers have gotten more independence at our Independence Day celebrations. Rachael and her friends walked around during the parade together and Emma met up with her friends. This year our groups of chairs in the back yard which are usually occupied by the older generations (mine included), were also occupied by teenagers. They got to hear a couple of funny stories about great great grandparents because of it. The integration this year made me smile. The teenage cousins also got to walk down to the high school to watch the fireworks in the mix of the crowd. Megan had been hanging out with 2-year old Ellie when they had left and was so sad they had left without her. But after a quick text. Joseph ran back to get her. Megan's relief was powerful. The fireworks did not dissappoint and we loaded up some very tired kids into the car.

Another July tradition is the Crab Soup Party. The past few years have been held at Patapsco State Park. We always have a blast hanging out with the Brink and Brohawn families. Jim usually makes a weekend of it, pitching in with the set up and clean up, sometimes even soup making. Jim also takes a turn at the grill. The kids do crafts, eat snowballs and play on the playground while the rest of us visit and eat crab soup.