Leaping Leopards

Thanks to everyone for being so patient for the "after" pictures while I "lived" in the cut for a few days...  It has been a WILD and, disregarding puniness, Precious last month.  To all of you who walked beside me and supported The Pixie Project {click here to see all related posts}, I send you a million heart felt hugs and deep gratitude.  It would have been crazy fun to have all of you at the salon with me when I got the cut -- such an empowering event.  The encouragement and elation I felt falls short of only a few other events in my life... ranking under getting engaged, getting married, and giving birth to my sweet daughter.  So though you weren't there,... know that you were.  I felt it.  I put together this time-lapsey video of the experience -- from the first cut (done by David) to the final spin in the chair...

Its hard to come up with what to say to recap a month like August was.  What started as a flicker of an idea grew into something bigger than I knew to imagine.  The Pixie Project's original goal was to raise enough money to take three women off the streets / out of the sex industry of Ethiopia and put them through a year of holistic rehabilitation including counseling medical attention, spiritual guidance, job training, as well as support for their children.  The total need for three women was $1,200.  In just the first 10 days of the project we blew that amount out of the water.  The final total? $2,501!! Two Thousand Five Hundred and One!!!!!!... enough to fund SIX women!

And it's not just those six women.  When a second chance of life is given the way that Mocha Club and the Women at Risk program is able to give, that life fills to the brim and overflows into all those around.  Six women's lives have the power to transform entire communities, and dare I say it... the world.  That's huge!  My heart could explode.  

Lots of people want to know what reactions I've been getting to my hair.  I have some shocked middle school youth kids, but mostly they say that it feels like I've always had this cut or that it is the "cut your face has been waiting for."  My reaction?  I immediately liked it.  After a week, I love it.  There's still a lot to get used to and figure out, but it feels so good - both literally and figuratively.  I'm 100% glad I did it.

I want to take a couple seconds to thank Barrett, Marisa, Jordan, Emily, Matt, and the rest of the Mocha Club crew.  Thank you for teaching me, guiding me, cheering me on, and cultivating passion and change.  Thank you to Jordan (at salon N fuse) - my awesome rock star stylist who donated the cut.  Thank you for making me feel beautiful through not just your mad skills, but also your words.  THANK YOU to all who donated and spread the word -- who brought this project to fruition.  You left a permanent mark on my heart.  And lastly, thank you to my sweet love David -- I've never felt so beautiful, so cherished,  so believed in, and so loved.

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In the Tennessean:

Mocha Club helps Needy in Africa {written by claire gibson}

Switch to shorter hairstyle raises money

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About the outfit:  lucky jeans c/o langston's  //  sweater c/o conversation pieces  //  Steve Madden Croquet shoes in leopard c/o heels.com. What I love about this outfit is the mixture of stripes and leopard -- so fun to mix patterns.  I stumbled upon these Steve Madden Shoes on heels.com and fell in love.  So comfortable.  And leopard basically counts as a neutral this fall -- goes with nearly everything!

If you are into shoes like me, you've got to check out heels.com -- so much to choose from and so easy to navigate... Not to mention better prices than department stores!  They have the name brands and styles you love at more affordable prices.  All the trends + all the classics + quick shipping and great customer service.  I give them my stamp of approval!  {heels.com on: twitter  //  facebook  //  pinterest}