buy a hat. change a life.

I finally went skiing last weekend, which means I had a chance to whip out my awesome hat from Krochet Kids International! 

So anyway, Krochet Kids is pretty cool. For starters, I absolutely love that it's a not-for-profit organization originally started by 3 college-aged guys that had a passion for crocheting. Being an avid crocheter myself, I would've killed to have one of my college buddies teach me some pointers from a guys' point of view! And I'm sure my brother would have, too, being the sole recipient of all of my beginner hats... [sorry for the rainbow-colored, doll-sized beanies, Charlie] 

So yes, for starters, kudos to these men for pushing gender stereotypes.

These 3 friends learned to crochet in high school, got nicknamed the "Krochet Kids" by their local newspaper, separated ways a bit in college, and later found themselves brought together after one member of the trio returned from a summer in Uganda...

He told his friends about the need for empowerment through employment. How amazingly cruel conditions were for these individuals living in poverty due to over 20 years of conflict and reliance on the government and other outside sources for aid. These young men saw the opportunity of taking their "small" hobby and turning it into something that would eventually change the lives of so many people in the region of Northern Uganda. A "desire to see Northern Uganda transformed by hook and yarn"...

[find out all the details of their story here!]

I am inspired by this organization because they took a simple, average, everyday skill and turned it into a literal lifesaver for individuals experiencing extreme poverty. Krochet Kids International is now helping more than "150 people in Uganda and Peru work, receive education, and be mentored toward a brighter future." [http://www.krochetkids.org/who-we-are/our-story/] They empower women with this skill, which instills in them a sense of empowerment and self-worth, all while creating an idea of a global community that I believe to be so necessary for success.

More reasons why I love Krochet Kids International:

• "Every product is hand signed by the person who made it."

• This video.
• THANK YOU, Akello Welsy

• The appreciation doesn't stop there! You can look up the woman that made your hat, learn a little about her, and immediately send her a thank you note. How. Cool.

• Design! Not only are the hats super stylish, but so is their website! Check it out: http://www.krochetkids.org/
• Did I mention it 3 college MEN who loved to CROCHET started it? Yeah...

Listen, I know it's mid-March and we're all getting spring fever, but buy a hat. I know I'm planning on finally treating myself to the highly versatile 5207.5 once my next pay check roles around... 

a hairy situation

Warning: the post you are about to read may be very much like the warning given in my mission. You have been warned.
>(Has the word "warn" started to look weird yet?)

A favorite quote from one of my favorite movies. And it was all I could think about during my appointment at the hair salon today...

My hair has been driving me crazy for quite some time now. It's super thick, and I have a lot of it. So much so that I often feel like I'm dangerously close to being related to this guy:

So I was looking forward to my appointment tonight. As I was walking over to the chair, I was saying the usual to my stylist: it's too thick, has no style, feels like... well... like Cousin It [unfortunately I did not express that particular concern verbatim].

The second she unraveled my hair from my high bun, she burst out laughing. Actually, it started off as more of a snort [I think it was to protect my feelings?]. And just as quickly as the snort let out, she apologized to me for having such a horrible haircut.

What?! I've been wearing this "horrible haircut" for more than 3 months now! And why was she apologizing? I never met her before. Her salon wasn't the one that ruined my head. I guess it was really bad, and she was just sorry that I was living life that way. Not only did she apologize for my lifestyle choice multiple times, but she called over her other stylist friends to evaluate the situation. I was really embarrassed - my face red, palms sweaty...

BUT good news: I love my haircut. She turned the "worst haircut ever" into a totally manageable head of hair.

Which I guess is why I'm writing a blog post about this [still not sure if that proved my point yet...]. Believe it or not, I was not thrilled about being made fun of by an entire salon of gorgeous stylists with really pretty hair. I was even hard at work reconsidering what kind of tip I would leave her. But, I decided to laugh along.

I totally could've felt attacked and reacted poorly, or not at all, but I thought that that would've made for one long & awkward hair appointment, so I laughed, too. And we had fun, doggone-it.

I swear I have a point...

I think that we need to stop taking life [and ourselves] so seriously. Let's not be afraid to talk with people we don't know, laugh with them, even smile in their direction. From a young age, we're taught that strangers are bad - still something I totally encourage - but then we're never reminded at a later age of the possibility that they may turn out to be good. Laugh at yourself! Laugh at other people [but be nice...]! Maybe one of the coolest things about life is realizing that you're all in it together.