EPIPHANYI

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                                                               NEW BABY LOC

EPIPHANY: A sudden, intuitive perception of insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by something, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.

I was on the fence about cutting my locs. I realized that when I faced a life crisis, I always had the urge to drastically change my hair. After deep thought, I wondered what will happen to my hair if I cut off my locks. For five years and three months, I had not stepped into a salon. I did not have to wait for hours to get my hair done. I did not have to spend money on them other than my hair products (which are minimal) and perm rods.

 I awake each morning not worrying about whether I will be late for work because I`am having a bad hair day! To tell you the truth, I have not had a bad hair day since my baby loc days! When I workout , swim, or get caught in the rain, my locs stay looking the same.

Last week, at my new job, a surgeon and I had a conversation about how our people are so fixated on European beauty. We spoke about long hair weaves, skin lightening and the desire to be model thin instead of healthy thin. When I took my surgical cap off, she stated how beautiful my hair was. I told her that I started with SisterLocks. I gave her the SisterLocks information and a list of consultants. I also gave her a list of blogs of women with different types of locks and their journeys. Then she can decide what best for her,

I want people to accept me as  a Black Women! Not a wannabe. My husband says my locs are my trademark. They were one of the features that had attracted him to me. He said I wore them with confidence.


              TIGHTENED LOCS

I will continue to wear my locks in confidence. I will just chock it up as the five year itch! If God is willing, will continue to wear my locs for another five years! 

 "During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. he must be holy until the period of his separation to the Lord is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long" Numbers 6:5

TRANSITIONING TO UNLOCKED HAIR!

 Five years two month locked, I`am loosing my love for my locs! Five years ago, I was transitioning into myself. God was working with me. Through my locs, he has taught me to love my self. As a result I learned to love others. My locs have taught me humility, self control, and gentleness. I have experienced joy and I have inner peace! Those are all the fruit of the spirit. Galatians 5:22-23.

 Besides shampoo, conditioner, natural oil and a demi-permanent hair color,My locs are healthy.

 My husband loves my locs, but it is not enough to keep them. I `am still on the fence, but I still have a strong urge to cut them off!

 I blame Rihanna! I was on the net when I saw her with this cut. It reminded me when I use to wear my hair short. I loved it! I `am so obsessed with this style, I printed it and placed it on my mirror.


 
   
 

 I`am transitioning from locked to unlocked hair. I cut my locs to my shoulders. I will not re tightening my hair. I plan on picking the top of my locs out. By April, for my 52nd birthday, plan to let the locs go.
 




Trimmed Locs

  






New Growth











Cut Locs

Stay tuned!

 God Bless! 

TIME FOR CHANGE!

Happy New Year, 2013! This is my year for change!

In the last  two years, my life has had a lot of change. In February 2010, I started a new a job as a Nurse manager in a level one trauma center. In April 2010, I met the love of my life. A month later, I had a motorcycle accident that had me literally learning how to walk again. I did not brake any bones but I tore tendons that are just as important in ambulating than bones. During the first three months of recovery, my then boyfriend proved his unconditional love for me by nursing me back to heath. We were engaged by August. He moved in with me in November. We were married in December and still planning a wedding ceremony in September. 

During all this time, I had become a step mother to two beautiful teenagers that had to blend in with my household of two young adult college students. The teenagers when they visited every other weekend, had to learn my house rules. 

At work, my old boss was re-located to another shift in another role. My new boss was a delegator who provided little to no support system. 

Then through all of that stress, Mrs. Menopause decided to add some stress too! Because I did could not exercise because of my knees, I gained 20 pounds in less than a year. By the time my first wedding anniversary came, I could not fit anything from my honeymoon. As a result of the weight, I developed bone spurs in both heels and had to get steroid injections for the pain in the past year. On top of that, I commute an hour and a half to and from work each day. A total of three to four hours each day!

Under all the stress, my stomach began to hurt,I felt I had a lump in my neck. Sometimes it felt that something was pressing on my throat. My voice started changing. I went to my physician and he diagnosed me with something bogus. I talked to a gastroenterologist that I work with. She said I had silent acid reflux. I had no burning, but I got home late and I would eat and go to sleep without allowing my food to digest. The acid would come up and spill unto my voice box causing my voice to become hoarse. I went to a GI doc and I had a medical procedure to look in my stomach. I had gastritis, inflammation of the stomach and a hiatal hernia. A hiatal hernia occurs when part of the stomach pushes through your diaphragm, leading to heartburn.
This can be cause by excess weight that causes pressure around your abdomen. It is very uncomfortable. If I over eat or eat the wrong foods, I`am in pain.No more chocolate, coffee, pepermint  tea, onions, tomatoes, fried foods, spicy foods, citrus fruits or cinnamon on my oatmeal.

I recieved a call from a hospital that I applied for a job about two years ago. The recruiter wanted to set up an interview. I had a interview with my old nurse manager. She was now a director at the new hospital. She had ask the recruiter to get in touch with me. I always though she was an angel. She and God was my saving grace.

God knew I was at my wits end! But I continues to be committed to my job even when I was crashing and burning. God knew I had enough! So he sent an angel to deliver me
 Now I will be a 20 minute drive to and from work. I`ll have time to eat properly and exercise. I can spend more time with my husband and hobbies. Most of all, I will have a piece of mind!

I will miss my staff dearly, but I`am no spring chicken. I have a few good years left and I intend to live them to the fullest! i`AM TO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!

Let go and Let GOD! 
 

                                                      SOME OF MY CREW

                                                     My Assistant and I

                         My going away cake.

   

Four and a half years strong!

Four and a half years strong!



It was four and half years since I  had my Sisterlocks installed. My locs were my rite to passage. I went from permed, unhealthy hair to embracing my natural hair, Stripping the Caucasian definition of beauty.

I discovered how beautiful my hair really was contrary to popular belief of American beauty. During my transition from big chop to locs, I realized how brain washed African American culture was. Men would not speak to me when my hair was short. Women would say, " Why did you cut your hair? You have GOOD HAIR"
 When I was baby locked, I wore a wig to a job interview. That day were a lot of compliments. I felt good, but I was living a lie. The wig came off and never resurfaced! 

GOOD HAIR? I found out GOOD HAIR does not lock well. It took 18 month to fully lock.  My hair is wavy. Its gets bone straight when its wet. It was prone to slippage and bunching. My locs would not seal at the tips. They would lock almost to the end and form a curly Q. I was constantly re tightening, taking locs down, re locking into pattern and cutting tips. I finally had enough! I let them do want they wanted to do! I began to wash and re tightened every 4-6 weeks. My locs are happy and I was not stressed anymore!

I remember when I said when they get long, I will style them. I do nothing! Once in a blue moon I do a braid out. It takes 20-30 minutes to braid and over an hour to curl onto rods or soft spikes. It`s easier to do a pony tail or leave it free. I `am becoming bored. I envisioned cutting them off and going Hailey Berry! That would require a perm and enslavement to a hair dresser, so that idea passed very quickly!

 

 Any how, If I did that, I could not have walks in the rain without an umbrella, enjoy sex with my husband or attend the gym without worrying if my hair is going to sweat out! Natural Chicks really have more fun! Any way, I love watching a perm chick eying my long beautiful natural hair from the corner of my eye! PRICELESS!!! 



 I have been re tightening my hair for 4yr and 5months. I saved so much money! I have settled in my own regiment. I have noticed in my smaller locs have started to atrophy at the ends. Three locs had thinned in the middle. My larger locs are OK. Since I color my hair with a semi permanent color, I have to condition my hair. Some of my locs began to unravel at the ends. I cut to where the unraveling stopped. I placed a pin drop of bonding glue in side the tip of the loc and squeezed the ends together. No more unraveling.

I use minimal product.I use Black earth Products. Since my hair is long, I find myself using more product on my locs. I do dilute my shampoo and conditioner in a spray bottle. I do want to try Carol`s Daughter Sulfate free shampoo. I find sulfate free shampoo to be dying to my locs. Does anyone know if they sell samples? I do not want to waste my money.

 

I think I rambled on  enough! All is well! Allowing God to work in you life is a blessing!

It is over! The wedding is over!

My mother and I went to bed at 5am on my wedding day. I manage to get 4 hours of sleep. I had a break down and locked myself in the bathroom. My best friend prayed me out of the bathroom. I was 1 1/2hrs late to my wedding. I discovered that the church was very warm when I entered. The air conditioning system broke down the night before.The ceremony was beautiful! It went according to plan!



I tell you! Planning this wedding was the most stressful year of my life! The last month was a killer! I had planned my wedding and had a wedding planner apprentice by my side! Not! I had to call her up to find out what happened? I said" honey? What happened to you?" The apprentice: " I thought you did not need me anymore! You did not leave me anything to do! Me: Did you read your book? Did it not say that for the Day of the wedding services, you are needed the month before?"



A few years ago, I wanted to be an event/wedding planner. I read books and took some courses. I knew what to do. I did not need her to plan because I interviewed my vendors, negotiated my contracts and had signed on the doted lines! But girly girl, I still needed help with my details!

On my wedding day, my girls and I went to the venue to set up a table so my apprentice would visualize what I wanted. Months prior I had set up my kitchen table so she can get an idea of what I wanted! By the time she unloaded her truck with some of the decor, my niece, my best friends and I had already placed covers on 120 chairs, placed pink overlays and centerpieces on 12 tables before she came in with the boxes. I thought she went to Timbuktu. All she had to do is set up the candy station, put the framed menus and the favors on the tables. Tie the pink bows on the chairs.

Well when I got to the reception hall from the church, there were no bows on the chairs! I nearly had a fit! what! You just wasted $70! The bows went with my cake!
I should hired a professional wedding planner!



Our DJ was playing some kind of crap! My son, Music Mystro had to take over. Do you know he got mad and said this was a setup! My husband said " what the hell do you care? You are the one who got paid! Someone did not do his job and I`am fixing it!

My husband song "You Are So Beautiful, his band played, Everyone enjoyed themselves. They are still talking about the wedding and oblivious to what`s going on behind the scene!



I told my apprentice to stick to teaching and planning birthday parties. She does not have what it takes to be a wedding planner!
I decided to launch my event planning business the first of the year. No one should be as stressed out as I was!



I`am planning my nieces wedding, a baby shower and some church banquets. As long it is not my wedding, I can handle it! Thank God it is over!

Three and a half years and counting!

OMG! I have not posted in a long time! I`am soooo sorry!
I have 31 days until my wedding day! I have been crazy busy! I picked up my head piece today, but I have not the slightest clue on how I`am going to wear my hair! My hair is long! All that talk about styling my hair when it became long, went out the window! Free style, braid outs and an occasional high pony are what I wear!

I really need to make an appointment at Turning Heads in Harlem. I want an updo! I had my locs in a french roll. The style was really nice. I`am determined to have an updo just like the permies!









I love these styles above! The main reason I decided on small locs is to achieve similar styles.
One of my staff nurses ask if I was going to cut my locs off for my wedding. I looked at her as if she were crazy! I asked her what gave her that idea? She was speechless.
Come on girly girl! That is why my hair is thick and natural. Miss, you wear a wig! At 50, I`am locked for life unless God hs other plans!












Blessings!

MY SECOND BRAID OUT!

With my demanding job and my wedding planning, I have had not a lot of time for me! My hair is growing so fast, I can`t keep up with it! I`am constantly re tightening. It seems like I`am constantly trying to cover my grays. Now that the holidays are over, I`am trying to give it a break from the coloring until April when I turn 50! WOO! WOO!

Mrs Menopause is trying to take over! I have notice that I`am gaining weight around the middle and thighs. I have been between a size 10 and 12 for years! When I fit into a size 12 pants, it`s time to work out! As I stated in my blog, I`am recovering from bilateral knee injuries. I had not worked out other than PT since May. Sunday, I went to the family room to work out! I bought the Pussy cat Dolls workout. It was fun, but it was an equivalent to a warm up. I needed a step work out! Thank God for Kathy Smith step Workout! My old Flo-Jo workout still does the trick too!

It been HELL in New York! It seems like every 2-3 days, we have snow! The cold weather and the dry heat in my house has been drying out my locs! I really do not like covering my locs other than when I `am at work. If I`am going to keep them healthy, I better take some intervention. I have increased my intake of water and I keep them under a satin cap when I`am home. I have been shampooing and conditioning my hair every two weeks instead of three weeks. Between shampoos I spritz with an leave-in conditioner and water!

I love how curling my locs look, but it takes too much time to roll. Anyway, since my locs grew, the curl does not last long. After I wash my locs, I braid them. I then get underneath a cool dryer for 20 min or until they are a little more dry than damp. In the morning, I take them out. The braid out last until I shampoo my hair again! The braid out gives my locs more body!

Having 300 locs can be a pain. The reason I got SLs is to have versatility. To tell you the truth! I have done nothing with them now that I have some length. I have to experiment with up dos for my wedding. I guess that will be my next post!

Thank you all that have subscribed to me on Youtube and blogspot! May God bless you all!

"Blessed are those hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6