New Year's Eve!

So, as I posted about last week, Josh and my NYE plans didn't go as I had hoped. But, I had accepted the fact that we were going to have a good time whether we were in Royal Oak or not, so I set out to primp and prepare for a fabulous night. I decided, sort of last minute, that my hair needed to be trimmed. It's been awhile since I had a trim (my usual every 6 week appointments went out the window when I decided I needed to start saving more money) so I thought it would be a nice touch for New Year's. Plus, I figured it was a good way to get someone else to blow out my hair so I wouldn't have to worry about it :)

Of course, every salon in Ionia was booked or closed, so I was left with two options: the Wal-Mart Salon or nothing (now, if you're smart, you're probably thinking to yourself, "Ashley, that sounds like only one option, since a Wal-mart salon is never a good idea"). I debated for a while (actually about 3 seconds) before my vain and impulsive side kicked in and I decided that I could trust Wal-Mart with a quick trim. How hard can it be, after all? Well...

I walked in and asked for a trim. A ONE INCH trim. Sounds pretty clear, right? Well... after chatting with the girl a bit, and reiterating that I only wanted ONE INCH trimmed off, I thought we were on the same page. She turned me away from the mirror (something I hate) and started snipping. She asked me questions about my last cut: Was it cut on an angle? Do I want it evened out? Did I have layers? (Um, first of all, shouldn't she be able to figure out the first and third questions on her own? She's the hairdresser here!) and more and more questions like that. When she flipped me around and started blow drying my hair, I realized she had "trimmed" about 4-5 inches off of my hair! THAT IS MORE THAN ONE INCH! I was not happy. I made it work for the night, with the help of my super cute flowered J. Crew headband, but I was NOT happy about it.

But I made the most of my hair plight and got dressed in one of my favorite summer dresses. Paired with tights, knee boots, and a cardigan, it made the perfect NYE dress for dinner! Speaking of dinner, Josh and I ate at Flat River Grill in Lowell and it was fantastic! We started with drinks: a pink grapefruit margarita for me and Johnnie Walker Black Label for Josh (yeah... he splurged) and their amazing wild mushroom bruschetta for an appetizer. Then for the entrees, Josh had the honey black pepper brisket with sweet corn and bacon hash and I had filet mignon with blue crab crumbles and a bearnaise sause, with white cheddar chive mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was delicious! Dessert was creme brulee for me, of course, and a sky high brownie sundae for Josh. It was a scrumptious way to ring in the new year. Plus, Josh wore the new blazer I got him for Christmas and looked oh-so-handsome! But I didn't get any pictures :(

Then we went to one of Josh's friend's houses and chatted and let the puppies run around. Two of his friends got puppies from the same litter as Diesel so they played well into the wee hours of the night. After a few glasses of pink champagne I was ready to call it a night, and we headed back to Josh's house.

Although it didn't turn out like I wanted, it was still an exceptional way to spend my first New Year's with Josh. And... being cryptic like he is, Josh said that in 2010, "maybe we'll give everyone something to talk about"... whatever that means!