A gift from my girl

Erin has been growing her long hair for months with the intention of donating it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, an organization that has collaborated with the American Cancer Society to distribute real-hair wigs to women who have lost their hair due to cancer.

We've been measuring her hair every once in a while, knowing she'd need a ponytail of at least eight inches to donate. She finally reached her goal (and then some) but was holding out until we had a trip to the US coming up, since we need to mail the ponytail to Pantene in Wisconsin (and don't trust it to get there through any Costa Rican postal service).

Finally, the time has come—we are traveling to Florida soon, and Erin has been beyond eager to donate her hair and have a fresh, shorter style. We visited Kathy, the sweet Colombian who does my hair at her salon, Broadway Beauty, here in Santa Ana for Erin's cut.

The staff watched as Kathy cut the ponytail and congratulated Erin on her adorable new hairdo—a little longer in the front, shorter in the back. Erin says her hair is much lighter and "swishy" now. I think it's a wonderful way for her to finish 2008—a pretty new haircut for a terrific cause (and from a terrific kid, if I do say so myself!).