i'll wear white after labor day if i feel like it.

I fried my hair last week by putting blonde back in the ends--i don't know that i'll ever go back to blonde. I'm thinkin' it's time to chop the locks and dye it back to red. I've been pinning ideas, but if anyone's seen any really great haircuts, put the links in the comments. i have a pretty heart shaped face, so i don't know if short hair will exaggerate that or minimize it, i haven't had short hair since 3rd grade when i got my waist-length hair cut to my chin. 

when i got home i went up to my dad and kept tucking my hair behind my ears as i asked, "notice anything different?????" he looked out me for a minute before he answered...."did you get your ears pierced?"

ya, he wasn't the most observant of fathers, but he's grown a lot since then and we love him :)

Do anything fun for Labor Day?

We went to my cabin and enjoyed some glorious mountain weather!

<<what i wore>>

sunnies//oasap (buy here on sale for $17)

faux leather sleeved tee//kohls (buy similar here or here)

turquoise necklace//forever21 (buy it here $10!)

bull-head necklace//cents of style (buy it here)

starburst gold stud earrings//c.o. blue nile (buy here (another adorable pair here))

fringe bag//style lately (buy similar here)

striped watch//(buy similar here)

white skinnies//gap (buy here on sale $22)

fight fire with fire seychelles snake skin wedges//c.o. pb&j boutique (buy them right here!)

(aren't they the awesomest thing you've ever seen? i can't stop wearing them along with my new earrings! Yay for new Fall favorites!)

Are We There Yet?//a personal story written by my dad

i have the coolest dad.

he is good.

and he is handsome. 

and he is funny. 

and he writes the best, regular emails to his kids.

he archives them on a blog, and i will cherish those stories all my life.

this was the email we all got in our inboxes Sunday morning. 

it was a letter he sent to my nephew who is in his first few weeks of bootcamp.

those first few weeks are reputably the most challenging and family is encouraged to write letters to help keep their spirits up.

i think this letter from cowboy grandpa 'ought to do the trick.

it sure did it for me.

my dad (far left) with his brothers and dad after a cattle drive in Wyoming

"Dear Justin,

Years ago your mother was going to drive you boys to Utah by herself. I decided to go with you and help drive. I instructed her to bring you boys over to our house the night before because I wanted to get started about 4:00 A.M. It was our hope to just lift you all in the back of the Suburban while you were asleep and have you wake up in Flagstaff for breakfast at McDonalds.  The plan was working well for about two blocks. When I stopped at the light at University and Mesa Drive you appeared over the seat and asked, “Are we there yet?”  
We were not. 
We still had 600 miles to go.

You may remember the trip. We stopped on the reservation and walked over some of the moonscape type rolling hills. When we stopped at the Lake Powell dam visitors center you all got wet in the little pools outside the visitors center. Somewhere in southern Utah we saw an inviting stream so I stopped again and we all went wading in the stream. Your mother had to deal with wet cloths each time we stopped but we had fun.

It is not uncommon for young children to ask several hundred times on a long trip ‘Are we there yet?’  When you get my age you will find that you have asked that question thousands of times and it is not just about a long trip. 

It is about life in general and the answer is --No we are not there yet. We often think that our happiness will be at the end of the trip and that is only partly true. Happiness has to be found along the way every day or it will indeed be a long and boring trip. 

While you are in ‘boot camp’ I trust that you will be asking several times every day --‘Are we there yet?’. I am proud of this new phase of your life. We are all proud. It is OK during these few weeks to ask ‘ARE WE THERE YET DAMMIT?’  After that it is just ‘Are we there yet?' 

Enjoy the trip.  

Love,
Grandpa Bagley"

The Bagley Family Anti Milk Skimming Alliance...

oh what a trip up the mountains to a cabin full of all your favorite kinfolk can do for you.
it refreshes your soul and lightens your heart.

what a blessing a family is--makes me want to form a family compound.

what are you doing for your family reunion this year?

My Star Valley Cowboy Turns 68!

 Today is my dad's 68th birthday.

And this is what he's doing:

He's never been much for fancy celebrations, so it's not surprising that he said he'd come over and paint our house for us on his birthday, but it still makes me love him just a little bit more. 

My dad has always been quiet, but when he talks, everyone listens. He's like one of those presents you get to keep unwrapping, in each box, another box--always learning something new, always surprising.


As a kid, I thought I had my mom's personality, but as I've gotten older, and observed my dad, I can see more and more of him in me. I feel so proud to have a part of that in me forever. I hope someday to cultivate to best of them both.

It's been such a pleasure growing up, and getting to know my dad more and more. He's quirky, and hilarious, and giving, and now i'm crying so, i'm just going to end by saying, he's my favorite person to go boogie-boarding with, and he's my very favorite cowboy.

Happy Birthday, Pops! 

And here's to at least 18 more!