Self-Portrait Saturday: Cat Hat Edition

"What do you expect?" I said to a friend after bumbling through an answer to one of his questions. "I'm a 30-year-old woman in a Hello Kitty hat!"

And I look cute in it too.  Bam.

Wordless Wednesday: Cute Overload!

This cute li'l' chinchilla was hoping to be taken home from the Petsmart nearest to my house. Fuzzy fuzzy cute cute.

Self-Portrait Saturday: Totes Adorbs Edition

The Dorkabetic Herself, when she was just a wee dork, and not at all 'abetic.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

I was born blonde.  I have always been blonde.  I've had hairstylists tell me I have a hair color some women would kill for.

But I like to experiment.  I am rebellious (outwardly in some ways, inwardly in many more), and if I could get away with it, I'd probably have bright pink streaks or electric blue highlights.  I've never been brave enough to do anything drastic to my hair, though.  I've cut it.  I've highlighted and lowlighted, I even have done more golden blonde shades before, but I've never had a serious change.

So when my friend Shelaine, who is a fabulous hairstylist & colorist, said she thought I'd look good with darker hair, the gears in my mind started turning.  I'm 29, turning 30 in early 2012.  I have a good job where they know me pretty well.  It's not going to be anything technicolor and crazy.  Dammit, I was just curious about what it was like to be a non-blonde.  I've been feeling a little off in the self-esteem department lately, and what I really needed was some kind of pick-me-up.

But...change my hair color?

Hmmm.

This golden, baby-fine fluffy stuff that other women only wish they could get from a box?  Was I...ready?  I was excited and terrified at the thoughts.  What if it looked terrible?  What if it looked okay but I didn't like it?  What if nobody else thought it looked good?  What happens when you change a part of you that everyone finds recognizable?  Will it be like living in someone else's body?  Would I really be the same when all was said and done?

Yes? No? Maybe so?

You may know me as that silly, often sassy, blonde 'betes blogger.  Well, she's still here.  She just changed her hair color.  They say blondes have more fun, but don't redheads get into more of the good kind of trouble?  I guess we're going to find out.

Ta-da!

Coming Out a Day Late

I posted this to Facebook yesterday, but it is clearly worth repeating here:

Happy National Coming Out Day! Regardless of who you love, how you love, and how you choose to identify yourself, just remember to be yourself always. We here at Dorkabetic proudly support the LGBTQ community. If you don't like that, well, I'm sorry. I am who I am, and you are who you are, and it's all love to me.

Honestly, folks, I don't spend a ton of time talking about my personal politics and beliefs here.  It's mostly just snippets.  There are some things I probably will never discuss in depth here, but I am going to take this moment and come out to all of you.  I am sure many of you are not surprised at all.

I am a fag hag.  For these two fellows.  

L to R: David, Sam, some guy with beads who I don't know, Jess who is also way cool.  Photo credit: D. Mangini

If I were to ever explain the hows and whys, it may not be as straightforward a story as you'd expect.  But there they are.  I've always got their backs, and hopefully they've always got mine. 

If you are the type of person who refuses to be accepting of all the fabulous LGBTQ (and asexual, etc.) people in this world, could you do me a favor?  At least be tolerant.  Be respectful of humanity.  Even though Fred Phelps hates no one more in this world than homosexuals and their "sympathizers", wouldn't we all be happier if he kept his views to himself?  Dr. Keith Ablow of Fox News thinks that letting your children watch trans*man Chaz Bono on Dancing with the Stars will make your kids think about transgendered people as normal, acceptable people just like cis-gendered (the gender you were born as) celebrities!  The horror!

I don't think that God hates fags at all.  I am pretty sure that God hates hatred.  

I look forward to a time when we don't need a special day to declare our preferences or our secret identities to our loved ones.  Perhaps one day, telling your folks that you're a man who loves men , a woman who loves women, or you're just completely queer will be no different than telling someone you've decided to go to college to become an accountant.  I hope one day, acceptance will be universally common.

5 Years and Then Some

Did you know that the traditional 5-year anniversary gift in the UK is sugar?  [Well, that's at least what Wikipedia says, and Wikipedia is never wrong, right?]

One of the things that got me interested in blogging in the first place was visiting the forums at the American Diabetes Association and seeing moms there fretting that their Type 1 kids would never find love or happiness.  Maybe no one would marry their sons or daughters because of diabetes.  Somebody needed to prove those moms wrong and reassure them that everything was gonna be okay.

I was engaged when I started Dorkabetic, then got married a couple of months later.  Matt has never known me without diabetes.  We were together when I got my first pump.  While diabetes can cause some worries that I'm sure couples without diabetes don't have to deal with, it shouldn't stop you from being in love.  I mean, just look at how disgustingly cute we are.  I will give you a high blood sugar just by merely showing you these photos!

OMG. Best. Cake. Ever. Wish I could have it every year.

Mmm, carbs.  There we are, on our big day.  Matt is seriously my best friend, my favorite person in the universe.  I am so glad we found each other.  I couldn't ask for a better husband. 

He goes to the D-Meetups with me! (And Allison and Scott and Kelly and Gary and Betty)

Plus he's just so freaking cute.  I can't stand it.

And silly, too.  We are both very silly people.

Happy Anniversary, Matt!  <3