Monterey and How I Paid

So, just recently I got the chance to go to Monterey, CA all by myself to visit my parents. I hadn't been home for a long time and I felt the need to see my father again before his Alzheimer's progress too much further. My mom was so sweet and even helped to pay my way there. I got to fly out of Fort LeonardWood directly too. What a boon that was.....I had been a while since I had last traveled on such a small plane and it was reminiscent of a ride at a theme park. Luckily I don't get sick. Ha. Anyhow, my next leg(and longest one) was spent talking to the lady next to me, nonstop pretty much. I have to put in a side note that I am amazed at the people we will meet when we most need them. Her name was Anne and she works for a company called Mayer-Johnson and they make a lot of products for children with autism and other disabilities. She also had a masters in special education or something along those lines. She had a lot of great insights and shared tools and methods that would help not only Connor, but my father too. There were 2 children sitting behind up that almost constantly kicked her seat. It was pretty sad and good thing she had a good sense of humor. My last leg happened to be on another small plane that had a return missionary coming home to my mother's ward. Small world.......My next couple of days were full of shopping with my sister and 2 nieces, eating out, and just really enjoying being home with no responsibilities. It was good to see my parents but also sad to see how much more my father has changed since seeing him last. He is almost always smiling and laughing now, although, most of it is to cover up what he isn't catching or understanding. I was sad to leave a bit, but it was also nice to see my husband and children. Until I saw Laurel.......she had a new hair cut. WHAT???!!! Tim had warned me that Laurel had cut her own hair while I was gone, but the way he described it, I thought it wouldn't be that bad. She had butched herself pretty bad. Think of Cyndi Lauper circa 1980's and you have the gist of what it looked like. So a good friend came over and cut it for me. We had 2 options for hairdo's....either she could have sported a really bad mullet or a short pixie cut. We opted for the 2nd option. She was fine with the cutting until she saw the end result in the mirror. She cried and wailed that she didn't want to look like a boy. I don't think she will be cutting her own hair anytime soon. I know she misses her hair too because that is how she now describes girls from her class....by hairstyle and length. So in the end, although I had fun, I paid for it too. (Above: pictures of Laurel with her hair before and after self imposed haircut)