I have until Sunday to enjoy my pony tail.

I was born with a full head of hair. My hair has been so long that I had to pull it out of the way to sit down, and short enough for me to be mistaken as a boy from behind. My hair is naturally very wavy, but I’ve worn it super-curly and I’ve worn it stick straight. It’s been cornrowed and beehived, flat-ironed and pin-curled, ragged, ratted, braided, and bobbed. I’ve dyed it red, and I’ve dyed it black. Chunks of it have been green, purple, and blue. I’ve woven flowers into it, and spiked it into a mohawk. It gets frizzy when it’s humid, and goes lank when it’s dry. Most of the time, it’s so thick and long that it takes almost 24 hours to naturally dry.

I love my hair.
And at the end of this week, I’m shaving it all off.

A friend once told me that any time a woman shaves her head, she’s making a statement, and I love making a statement more than I love my hair. The statement here is a simple one: I care and I want to help.

Arabian Nights and I share a common goal: to work towards charitable giving every month of 2012. For the month of March, Arabian Nights and I are raising money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation for Cancer Research. St. Baldrick’s is an entirely volunteer-run organization that supplies grant money for cutting-edge research to cure childhood cancers and leukemia. While many charitable organizations get supporters to pledge money by running a 5k or walking for miles, St. Baldrick’s has its supporters shave their heads. The organization was founded on St. Patrick’s day, and the result of participation is baldness: hence, “St. Baldrick’s.”

Important Note: Only human manes are being shaved for this event!

I will be joined by nine other fabulous volunteers from the Arabian Nights’ staff and their families. Together, we hope to raise at least $2000 for this incredibly worthy cause. Some of us have families and friends who have been affected by cancer, and some of us just believe in the value of helping others. Either way, during the March 18th showing of The American Princess, the ten of us will be going bald in the arena before a live audience.

We would love to have our wonderful readers and supporters help us out. From now until March 31st, anyone who donates $10 or more to our St. Baldrick’s event is automatically entered into a raffle to win a Performer for a Day experience! Remember, your donation in any amount is tax-deductible, qualifies you for our raffle, and will provide grant money for live-saving cancer research. Please consider helping us out by clicking the icon below, and being a hero for children with cancer and leukemia.

Dark Storm, looking handsome as usual.

At Arabian Nights, we are extremely proud of all our performs – those with two legs and those with four. Our Al-Marah Arabians come from a long family line of beautiful, impeccably-bred horses, just as some of our human performers come from families with deep roots in the equestrian arts. However, while our human performers often have the chance to spot their families in the audience, it’s rare that one of our equine performers gets a note from mom and dad.Until last week.

The Princess rides bareback on Dark Storm.

Meet Dark Storm. Well, actually if you read this blog regularly, you already have. Storm is a fourteen year-old black Arabian stallion who has been performing at Arabian Nights since the summer of 2000. In that time, he has become a great favorite, both with our stable staff, and with our audiences. Storm performs at liberty and is also part of the special bareback finale in our new show, The American Princess.

Dark Storm performing at liberty.

Just like all purebred Arabians, Dark Storm comes with a pedigree documenting his Arabian lineage. Of course, we keep it on file, and can trace Dark Storm’s ancestry back for generations. So when we got a call last week from Stephanie, the fond caretaker of Black Storm, we were able to compare registration papers in a heartbeat and discover that her Storm is our Storm’s sire.

Black Storm, all saddled up and ready to go.

In our digital age, this exciting news meant one thing: photo fest! Stephanie and I happily exchanged photos of Dark Storm and Black Storm, and let me say that the resemblance is striking.  Stephanie was kind enough to allow me to share these pictures of Black Storm, who loves long rides and getting caught in the rain.

Black Storm looking just as handsome as his son.

Got a personal connection with one of our horses? Do you have pictures of yourself with a “relative” of one of our four-legged stars? We’d love to hear about! Tell us about your Arabian Nights connection in the comments. We’d love to feature more of our gorgeous horses gorgeous family members!

Black Storm, winning hearts. It must be a family trait!

Melody makes a cheery elf!

I have a confession to make: I love Christmas music. Every year, just after Thanksgiving, I’ll find myself bursting into an off-key but heartfelt rendition “All I Want for Christmas is You” or “Jingle Bell Rock” or even “Away in a Manger” while folding laundry or washing the dishes. At this point, my husband will look up from whatever he’s doing, roll his eyes, and brace himself for my very merry month-long serenade. Oh, have I mentioned I am completely tone-deaf?

Christmas Cowgirls and their "Reindeer"

Fortunately, for both myself and for my long-suffering spouse, I can now get my Christmas music fix every Monday and Tuesday when I’m manging the Arabian Nights Holiday Show. In addition to hearing it piped into the arena as ambient music before the show starts, the show itself features and amazing mix of Christmas songs. The soundtrack includes some of my all-time favorites, including renditions of “Winter Wonderland,” “Carol of the Bells,” “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and selections from “The Nutcracker Suite.” The finale is set to “Merry Xmas: War is Over,” a song to which I have a deep and abiding sentimental attachment. Fortunately, Princess Scheherazade and Santa have wonderful singing voices, unlike yours truly.

Csaba is "chilling" as Jack Frost.

Looking back over this post so far, it kind of sounds like I’m singing my own praises about my involvement in the Holiday Show, so I’m going to issue a disclaimer. I had exactly zero involvement in the planning of the show. Honestly. You can tell because if I had been in charge, it would have included twice as many musical numbers and required an intermission. The fact that so many of my favorite songs are featured is pure kismet, and it just might mean that I love the Holiday Show even more than the regular show!

Zach as the Candy Cane Man

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the other reason that the Holiday Show has a special place in my heart. Arabian Nights is running a special promotion from now until December 22nd. If you bring in a new, unwrapped toy to donate when you come to the show, you’ll save $20 off the regular ticket price. At the end of the promotion, we’ll be donating all the toys to the Baby DJ Drive, which distributes them to children who might not otherwise get anything for Christmas. Not only does our show feature Santa Claus, but we get to help Santa out by collecting all those toys.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go grab a hot cocoa and watch the performers rehearsing that “Winter Wonderland” act again. Snow falling, music playing, horses prancing in formation. That’s my idea of a winter wonderland in Central Florida, all right!

Prancing in a Winter Wonderland