Behind the Curly-Haired Toes (picture thread)

[Menolly]

I've seen a few of these pop up in other kingdoms and I love seeing people's faces! If you want, post a then-and-now, when you joined the plaza vs how you look nowadays.

This is me around June 2003 at age 16, about six months after I joined. Pretty sure those glasses weren't a good look even then!



This is about a year ago right after a change of hair color. I've since chopped my hair short again in quarantine, because I always get bored of the style/color before too long.



And just for added ridiculousness, this was a Calvin and Hobbes cosplay at comic con in 2014. My hair is this length again now, although generally not this style!

[Istya Alassea]

Here is a picture of me from the last year that I posted on LOTR Plaza before my long break (2011). I was starting to work full-time in retail then, so real life had started taking over.


Here is a picture of me from when my husband and I went on vacation with some friends (April 2019). We met in January 2016, and married June 2018.
Career-wise, I had changed from retail to working for our state's Health and Human Services agency in 2014.


And here's my pregnant belly from a few weeks ago. I've actually gotten a lot bigger since. It's amazing how baby grows in the last trimester!
(I was at my parents' house for a nice safe break from the quarantine, so if you have questions about that wine bottle behind me, I promise I wasn't drinking it, haha.)

[Menolly]

@Istya Alassea, you look the same! Except for the addition of that impressive baby bump.

[Dwim]

@Menolly, I love the different hair styles. :smiley8:
@Istya Alassea, great to see your story there. Congratulations on starting a family, and on getting out of retail!

As for me...

THEN:

I don't have any photos on my computer or phone from when I first joined in 2004 (when I was 15)... the oldest pic I have handy is from about 11 years ago (I think I was 19 or 20 years old), where I was obviously pretty happy about getting some alcohol for Christmas:



NOW:

Here's one from last year with my partner of 6-and-a-half years:



And a recent one of me being pretty happy on holiday in Croatia:

[Finduilas Faelivrin]

@Menolly I think I remember that first photo of you. The glasses are great. If you wanna see some AWFUL glasses, here's me on my wedding day - we made it to 35 years couple of weeks ago. We had to cancel our plans for a hotel and river cruise (dinner cruise) due to the pandemic. I should have taken them off for the wedding, but I wanted to SEE! I wore contacts for many years, but when I turned 60 I decided they were more trouble than they were worth and went back to glasses.


That's me a couple of months ago (age 63 - eeps!):


@Istya Alassea congratulations on your bump!!

@Dwim it's great to see your smiling face here!

[Menolly]

@Dwim you also look the same age throughout, except for the change of facial hair. Suddenly I suspect I'm the only one getting older!
@Finduilas Faelivrin The new glasses look better than the old ones, I will admit. You look so happy in both photos! I love the hat veil thing (showing off how very much I know about fashion) in your wedding photo.

[Dwim]

@Menolly, don't be silly you still look young! If I don't look much older I certainly feel older. I wasn't ready for the way my body would start to feel once I got into the thirties. Things just hurt now.

@Finduilas Faelivrin, they're both great photos! Congratulations on your 35 year anniversary. Hope you can celebrate with new plans once the pandemic settles down.

[Menolly]

I wasn't ready for the way my body would start to feel once I got into the thirties. Things just hurt now.

A truth so very truthful, I had to quote it. Also what did you do on holiday in Croatia? I'm honestly not sure I could point it out on a map and now I'm curious about things to see there.

[Dwim]

Menolly, Croatia is one of the most beautiful and relaxing places I've been to. I'm from Australia, but I have family in Austria, who holiday on an island in Croatia almost every year. They took us to that island (Cres) for two weeks and we relaxed by the water and explored old paths and tiny villages, and ate and drank. It was summer time when we went there (turns out Mediterranean summers are perfect). Probably the most famous place in Croatia now is Dubrovnik due to Game of Thrones (being where King's Landing was filmed), but we didn't go there or any of the major touristy places. I would like to go back and see more of the country.

[Finduilas Faelivrin]

@Menolly I wore my mom's wedding dress, but I didn't like the veil that came with it, so I decided to sew my own veil and attach it to a hat (very stylish then, but a bit dated now). I spent many hours sewing pealized beads to the veil. I also sewed the ring bearer's pillow, which our nephew walked all supercool down the aisle with his hand in the pocket of his teeny tinsy tux. He's over 40 with three little hobbits of his own (and he has played for the Harlem Globetrotters for many years now).

@Dwim yes, we hope to make up for that lost visit sometime in the future. I have always been an avid swimmer and we go to Harrah's on the Colorado River which has a pools, sauna, and also has its own beach. There's a riverboat there that does 2-hour dinner cruises in the evening. Heavenly!! Well, we'll see how long it takes to come up with a vaccine for this virus. Could be a while yet. Meanwhile, I may just have to dig out one of my swim suits and stand out on our back patio with the hose. It's 106 today in Las Vegas and due to get higher the next few days.