what it's all about

My photo
Charlotte, NC, United States
I am on a journey -like you, I'm sure. A personal journey, a spiritual journey. A journey about passions, growth, and living. I don't have a good memory, but I value my experiences. It's very strange when you realize that you are being shaped constantly, but ultimately only remember some of the reasons why you are the person you're becoming. I find that when things resonate within me, writing about them helps me to better develop my opinions about them, and to remember them. Sometimes, it's the simple act of looking back and reminding myself where I've been that is all I need to move forward with confidence. That's why I write. Thank you for joining me.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Summertime, Summertime!

It is heating up around here! I worked up a sweat planting some peppers and tomatoes the other day.   We also had a yard sale out in the sun. I needed to at least rinse out my hair every day this long weekend.  Plus,  because I haven't been retwisting,  my hair looks crazy when I wake up. Super flat in back,  and pouffy everywhere else.  On Memorial Day, we went out on the lake,  so,  my hair was soaked yet again. Here are the photos of my hair and how it held up to being wet pretty much the whole weekend.









Tuesday, May 24, 2011

did I ever show you

the before and after pics April took at the salon?
Here they are:




So.. yeah. That's it. I'm super tired this morning, so I am really not feeling up to writing much. My apologies. I am liking my hair better this week, lol. I guess it's a day by day thing. One of the ladies in my house church was telling me that my hair was looking so cute these days, which made me smile. I tend to agree. :) I'll give you a pic or two later in the week.

Let's see... was there anything else? Oh yeah! We picked out the interior options on our home last night without strangling each other! heehee. We actually did a great job compromising, and actually agreed on quite a few things right off the bat. I think our home is going to be lovely. :)

Friday, May 20, 2011

What the....?

Just pulled this out. This is probably the third time that's happened. Is this normal??


Thursday, May 19, 2011

Yuck!

I wanted to see what that irritated spot was looking like.  Guess I've picked at it so much that it's just red. Not too gross. But... all that skin is trapped in my hair.  I don't know what to do! First of all, I can't see back there.  Secondly, I don't even know where to start to try and remove all the flakes. I mean, I just washed my hair yesterday. I'm out of apple cider vinegar, but maybe that will do the trick.


redness









Thoughts? I'd love any help or suggestions. I feel really nasty knowing that the back of my head is so gross. Especially when I just washed it. Eeew,  eeew, eeew.

The morning after.

This  is my hair after the clips,  which I ended up taking out before my hair was dry. They were clipped for, like, 8 hours, and were still pretty wet when I took them down. Having them all on top of each other probably doesn't help the drying process.







And this morning. Still not loving them, but at least you can see the locs!   ....kind of.   :-\



flat... hey, I just woke up!




They still look very ringlety. I was gonna do the semi freeform thing, but I think I will have to wait a bit before I'll feel like I can stop retwisting. These locs just need to mature a bit before I will feel ready to move tat direction, I think. And I am doubting that the loose ends will lock up. They just look like curly wisps of hair. Right now, that patch on the nape of my head is very itchy. It was so irritated this week and last, and the skin was just coming off. Sooo gross. Will it ever stop? I mean, it's been almost a year since I put any chemicals on my head. I just... am frustrated. And growing impatient. I need to take some photos of the ones that actually look like locs to encourage me. And maybe if I show them to the front of my head, it will push the rest of my hair along too, lol.

Come OOOON! lock up already! Grrrr.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

All twisted up in the game

post fabulous wash

squeaky clean!

doesn't look like much, does it?


clipped in



still have ringlets



I'm about to hit the shower

But before I do that,  this is what my hair is doing.


up close
See how thrilled I am? lol. And yes, I need to do laundry like whoa.
I have dead ends/white tips. Can you see? That's so gross, and what am I supposed to do about it??







Can you see why I just am not feeling this look? I am, oh.. about 8 months in already, and just feel like nothing is happening up there. I am gonna wash and retwist without heat, so you may not see the results until tomorrow. Maybe this evening.

I am hoping someone joins us for dinner tonight, cuz I have a ton of chicken in the crock pot. I am experimenting with whatever I have on hand. Chicken breasts, OJ, ginger, garlic, white wine, mustard, curry powder. I'm adding some apples later cuz I have a bunch that need to be eaten. Serve it up over rice... what do you think? I hope it turns out ok. Anything I'm missing??

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

I have not been feeling my hair lately.

This mess on top of my head is just not doing anything for me. Doesn't look like locs, doesn't look like curls. It just sits there, a plump, frizzy mess.

I will retwist this week sometime, and hopefully it will make me feel a bit better about it. I am trying to reduce the cost of the regular salon maintenance my stre-e-etching out the time between visits, so hopefully I find my own maintainence routine works for me. 

On a separate, happy note, our offer on a new house was accepted! The permits are being ordered, design options being decided on, and building should begin in about a month! We also found tenants to rent our current house for the next two years!

Can I just tell you that we were really not sure if/how any of this was going to come together. Plus, my husband's engine blew. We prayed hard, and God came through for us! I guess the things we wanted, He wanted for us. The offer was accepted, tenants found, and car fixed all within 48 hours! I give Him all the praise. I am excited to see what He has in store for us on that side of town, and how we can use our new home to further His will. Our new tenants don't go to a church, and I hope we can be a positive influence on them for the small amount of time that we are in contact with them.

See, ending with that was a good idea. I already feel better. :)

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Latched up!

These aren't the best pictures of my hair, but they're the best I've got. This is post latching at the salon.
It's been a few days since the appointment,  and I'm already a frizzy mess.  Latching,  for me, really doesn't keep me looking neat, but I know it will help my slow to lock locs move along. Especially the ones in the front that I demolished during my towel rub incident.






There's definitely less scalpage this way.

I've noticed I am so much more locked in the back of my hair. And yes, I know that because I can't seem to keep my hands out of my hair. It's not like I'm twisting them, I just keep squeezing them :)

My brother graduates on Saturday. Will one week be too soon to wash and retwist so I am looking my best that day? I will have all my family in town. I mean, it's not like I plan on doing it weekly. It would just be this one time... I guess we'll see how my hair and scalp are acting as the week progresses.