Chopped it off for Love

I recently did something a little crazy...well crazy for me anyways.  I've been saying I wanted to do it for sometime, but was never brave enough to go through with it.  Alas, the time finally came, no more just talking about it.  I did it.... I cut all of my hair off!!!! YIKES!!

I know I know, it's just hair.  It will grow back.  But this was a big deal for me.  I really loved my long hair.  Let's be honest, I'm a little lazy in that department and it was so easy to fix (or most of the time not fix because I could just let it go).  But my cousin, Alli, and I made a deal to donate our hair to good causes.  When she chopped hers right before school started I knew I couldn't back out. 

Here we are before on the 4th of July....just look at those lovely locks!

 

Alli donated her's to the Pantene Project .  Here are her chopped locks :) 

 

And I donated mine to Locks of Love.  Here is my before and after....it's all gone!!

 

 

A little bit over a foot!!!  I'm slowly getting used to it (I mean I actually have make time to dry and straighten) but this was something simple that Alli and I could do to give to those who are going through some tough times.

Happy Humpday Folks!

Last one...I promise!!

One thing I got a whole lot of this summer was quality time with my family and friends.

One of my most entertaining trips was when two of my high school friends and I got together for a road trip to Arkansas.  Tana is a huge Miranda Lambert fan so for her birthday we all made the trip to AR for her concert.  As Tana says...sometimes Mama just needs a night off...

Now the trip home....we may or may not have been stranded on the side of the road in the 100 degree heat....and we may or may not have had to drive 55 with no AC and the windows down (in the 100 degree heat).  But us three together made it all the way there and back and I know three Mom's who were worried about, even though we are all 26 years old, sending us off without any supervision :)

Speaking of being 26 -- this is something that I just can't get over, at 26 years old (well really I was 25 when it happened, but I'm 26 now and they are still in) I had to get tubes put in my ears.  REALLY!!!

And yes, at 26 years old I still have my Mom and Dad come take care of me :)

Another thing I can't really get over is the fact that my Munchkin (my little, not so little cousin) graduated from high school.  It was fun to have the whole family together, but I still can't believe he is off to college!!

And now for just the random family fun shots I've accumulated over the past few months!!  Enjoy :)

Really, all in all, life is pretty good!! My parents are coming to visit next week and that's always fun!! We are getting closer and closer to fall and winter and those are truly my favorite times of the year.

Christmas Time

Christmas is and has always been my favorite time of year.  I love getting to spend time with family, especially now that all of my cousins are getting older and everyone is so busy, it's great to have this chance to spend together!

Before I post my few pictures from my Christmas Rounds, I want you to read a story on my Dad's blog.  I couldn't say it any better than he did, it truly was a special moment.

Tolle Christmas!!  Me, Andrew, Jessica, Grandparents and Parents woke up bright and early (like before the sun was remotely thinking of coming up early) to have our Santa gifts!  Then the Marletts joined us for lunch and to open more presents!

 

We also had ourselves a VERY intense game of Uno...apparently everyone in my family is a little competitive....Grandmother even tried to cheat us a couple of times.  Alli ultimately took home the win.

This past weekend we had the Ruffin Christmas! On Saturday we all went to Abilene to cheer on Alyssa at her basketball game and Sunday we had a big lunch and gift exchange.

And here we all are...Ruffin Family 2014!

I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years!  2014 should be an exciting year!!

Beyond Blessed by a Murder Mystery?!

As you all know, I'm going on a mission trip to Kenya Africa this coming July!! I had been trying to come up with a fun, unique way to help raise money for this trip.   One night I was having dinner with my parents, brother and sister-in-law when Jessica mentioned having a murder mystery party fundraiser!! I had never been to one before, but I'd seen pictures from ones my cousins had been to and always thought it seemed really fun!  Fortunately for me, Jessica had actually put one on before and she took the reigns.  She went all out and made this event amazing!!

We had a circus theme, fully equipped with peanuts and popcorn appetizers, a grown-up hotdog bar (that Jessica looked up unique hotdog ideas), and an ice cream bar for dessert!

 

I was truly blown away by the turn-out of such a great group of friends and family.  It was so fun to watch everyone let loose and fully embrace their characters.  I might add that our church may never be the same after this :)

Everyone was having a good time, hanging out and getting to know each a little better.....when the lights went out and........

That's right, I was murdered!!!

Now, to figure out who-done-it!

After everyone had spoken to the security and placed all the clues together...

We (well actually only 3 people guessed it correctly) figured out it was Ruby the clown!! I was wary of clowns before this party...but now!!

NEVER TRUST A SNEAKY CLOWN!!

Over all it was great time and I am so overwhelmed by the support and generosity of my friends and family.  Thank you to everyone who came out and played with us.  This mission trip is something that God placed on my heart many years ago and to finally have the opportunity to go and serve is such a blessing.  It would not be possible without the love and support from everyone!  I cannot thank you each enough for helping make this opportunity become a reality.

Big thank you to Jessica, Andrew, Mom and Dad for everything you guys did to make this evening possible!