About the name...

Coming up with a name for the blog was a challenge. I had lots of different ideas, most of which seemed too boring. I liked the "Confessions" part because it leads everyone to believe that I'll be spilling all kinds of juicy secrets (keep reading, I just may). But I couldn't find just the right word to complete the title. SO, I started thinking about things that I really like. The following is what I came up with.

Things Betsey REALLY likes:
- shopping
- bread
- yoga pants
- puppies and/or kittens
- stunning accessories

After coming up with these gems, I went blank. SO, I figured this was the list I should start working with. Well, Shopaholic was already taken (the book was delightful, but the movie was just ridiculous, if you ask me). Incorporating bread into the title may lead interested readers to believe that pita pockets might just be a common topic. Yoga pants? Well, they're incredibly comfy, but not really relevant to the posts I imagine I'll write. We all know that EVERYONE loves puppies and kittens (except maybe communists). What's original about that? Nada. And while I do love accessories, and am a (self-proclaimed) fashion diva, this will not be a fashion blog. So I had to nix all of those blog title wannabes from my list.

So I pondered some more. Maybe something that describes me? And BAM! That's when Ginger hit me. As a kid, I hated my red hair. Kids called me Carrot Top. (As a sidenote, thank goodness I didn't know then what I know now- Carrot Top is one SCARY looking man these days. He's made that insult 100 times worse for redheads the world over.) But as I grew up (and my hair grew less orange) I began to embrace my gingerness as being beautiful and unique. I eventually grew to LOVE being a redhead- just about the time that my red hair started to fade to an almost red. (When my most artistic student would draw pictures of me, he would use red, orange, AND brown crayons for my hair- heavy on the brown). So here I am today, rocking almost ginger locks.

I figured the "(almost) ginger" could also serve as a useful metaphor for my temperament, and therefore the tone of my writing. Redheads are known for their hot tempers and their firey attitudes, right? Well...I seem to lack those traits. So don't expect that kind of drama in my posts!

Now don't get me wrong, certain things have the ability to get me good and fired up! For example, spotting a man wearing black shoes and a brown belt (will men NEVER learn??), mean people, and J's ongoing (and going and going and going) quest for the perfect movie viewing experience in our home. But for the most part, I let my fire simmer just below the surface until there's a good time to let it out. No fireworks, no explosions. Maybe if my hair hadn't faded, you'd all know and (maybe) love a different me!

And for the record- back in the days when I was a Carrot Top, it would have been a mistake to cross me. My own grandmother once referred to my 5-6 year old self as 'demonic.'