this side of heaven.....what are we leaving behind?

Two and a half years ago I lost a friend........ I still think about her almost everyday. It has gotten easier as I knew it would, but sometimes the tears still come--but then so does the laughter when I think about something funny she said or did. We had some good times together, especially when I was doing her hair. I wouldn't take anything for those times.....I just wish now I had more of them.

Probably most people have fond memories of their grandparents and I'm sure a lot of people grew up living close to them, but I grew up next door to mine and that was the best! My other grandparents didn't live too far away either so I had the privilige of being close to all of them and I think that is very rare. Unfortunately I had to learn about sickness and losing a close loved one very early in life. My Mammaw died of cancer when I was 8 and I was devastated.......then 5 years later on the same day my Pappaw died of a heart attack. I always thought that was kind of sweet that he was missing her SO much that he went to be with her on that day. I loved them so much and still miss them but it was a different kind of relationship than I had with my other grandparents because I got to keep them longer.

Nannie and Papa got to see me grow up and celebrated all my milestones up to when I got engaged. Papa died before I got married which was hard but I think it was harder watching Nannie be by herself missing him. She was such a strong woman though....I spent several nights with her when Papa was in the hospital and after he died. A couple of days later she got up in the morning and made me breakfast...(wasn't i supposed to be taking care of her?) and announced that she was finished crying and then told me I should go home and that she'd be fine.

It was after that when our relationship started growing and I started really knowing her better and we became friends. She was always so interested in hearing about what I had been doing, which seemed boring to me but fascinating to her. I took her to all her doctors appointments and we'd do lunch. I rolled her hair every Saturday evening after work and I couldn't leave until we sat at the table and ate some chocolate covered mints. She was great cook and would make me a chocolate pie every now and then and so we'd have pie AND mints. One day we decided that I needed to know how to make this fabulous pie so I could enjoy it after she was gone. I got a pen and she started telling me her "recipe"....which I quickly found out was not going to work. When she cupped her hands and said, "put about this much sugar"....I said, "hold up Nannie, can you give me a measurement??" With a look on her face like I was crazy, she said "this much!" waving her cupped hands at me as if I didn't see them the first time. I just died laughing and said, "I don't cook like that! Heck, I don't even cook so i need step by step directions!" So then I decided we'd just make a pie right then and before she'd throw in her "pinch or dash" I'd get her to throw it in a measuring spoon and wrote down the closest recipe to Nannie's Fabulous Chocolate Pie as I could. I must say we got pretty close because I've made it a few times since and it was pretty darn good.....I just don't have "angel tears" on my meringue, and we never figured out why. I guess because I'm not Nannie.

She would tell me stories about her childhood although she really didn't have much of one because her mom died when she was 13 and she helped raise her younger siblings.(which is probably how she learned to cook so well) She told me the story of when she was little and spent her lunch money in a slot machine in the country store......about how she used to be really good at playing marbles with her friends.....about how she and Papa met. Stories about when my dad and his brothers were little....the story behind how she acquired the clock that I always admired--that is now proudly displayed in my bedroom. I loved hearing the stories but I regret not writing them down, I'm afraid that even now I don't remember them right.

One story I'll never forget is one that she didn't tell me, one that she had no idea of but it was a testimony of who she was and the legacy she left behind. It was a year after she died and my dad and I were visiting a friend's church and they had share time where people would just stand up and tell whatever was on their heart. A man I've always known got up and told of his Sunday school teacher he had when he was a kid....how that Sunday school teacher influenced his life and how SHE was the reason that he knew Jesus today. It was my Nannie.....I had no idea he even knew her..... That's when I knew that her life not only impacted mine but so many other people as well.....who knew.... but isn't THAT what it's all about? It's not the big things you do, but the relationships you have and the people you influence by how you live your life.

My Nannie didn't think she was anyone special and as she got older she worried about becoming a burden and wondered why in the world she was still here......but she had no idea that in spite of her seemingly ordinary life, there will be more people in heaven some day because of her-- and THAT is an extraordinary accomplishment. The ultimate legacy.

You never know who you'll see at the airport.....

Here's another repost from my old blog......one of my faves :)

We just got back from an anniversay trip to Jamaica. I had a great time just relaxing in the pool, soaking up my vitamin D. We found a lot of big starfish in the ocean and even saw a huge crab taking an evening stroll in the courtyard....(ok, I'm sure he was more lost and confused and searching for the ocean instead of the pool, but anyway...) My hubby went scuba diving everyday so he was in his element. I went snorkeling with him a few times because while I like to see the fish and coral from a distance, a scuba diver I am NOT. I have too many phobias to even try it, so for Hubby's sake it's a good thing I'm not his dive partner. If something unexpected happened (like an eel brushing up against me) I'd be outta there and leave him high and dry.

I guess the most unexpected thing that happened was when we were about to leave. We were standing in line waiting to get on the plane when a very tall black man starts passing everybody in line to get on first. Just when I was wondering just who did he think he was to be so special to pass all of us, people started stopping him to shake his hand and have their picture made with him. He was very nice and didn't turn anybody down and was right in front of my hubby and me taking these pictures with these fans. So naturally, I started taking pictures too! Hubby asked me if I even knew who he was and I said, "No, but he must be a sports icon because I know NOTHING about sports." (the only sports figure that I knew with braids was Pacman Jones and even I knew this was not him) Hubby seemed to think he was Ivander Holyfield but I told him not to say it too loud incase he was wrong....(he doesn't follow sports either)....and knowing how he is, I was afraid he'd go up to him and shake his hand and say "how'ya doin Ivander?" and embarrass himself (and me) so bad that we'd have to sit underneathe the plane with the luggage and animals! I finally asked someone who he was but I didn't catch the whole name, all I heard was 'Louis' and then he looked at me like I was SO STUPID for not knowing that I dared not ask him to repeat himself.....Louis Who? or Who Louis? Having boxing on my brain I thought, Joe Louis?? But then I remembered he was from a different era and dead.... Thankfully a flight attendant (who was flirting with him) set me straight and told us he was the great Lennox Lewis!!! I mirrored her proud expression and acted all impressed until we got out of earshot and asked my hubby, "who the heck is that?" A BOXER! I guess I should give him a little credit, he had the right sport anyway.

That was my first experience being close to a famous person (unless you count sharing an elevator with Loretta Lynn, which I don't).....and I didn't even know who he was--what a waste.

things you never knew about your hairstylist....

I've been a hairstylist almost 19 years and have worked for the same corporation for 18 of them. I've learned alot about the business through the years but I think I've learned more about people in general.....

It's funny how some people have these preconceived notions about hairstylists-- like that we always carry our scissiors around with us. How many times have I gone to a social gathering and been asked, "hey, can you trim my bangs?" Of course when I start laughing and the "joke" they just made, they do too...but they're serious alright. Some people even act like they are doing me a favor by offering to "let" me do their hair on my day off so i can "keep all the money"....really?? Even my hubby when we first got married thought he'd "help" me make more money by lining up some of his distant cousins for me to work on on my day off. Needless to say, that never happened and now if anyone asks him about me he gives them my work number. He was a farmer at the time so I asked him to go plant a garden for someone on Sunday......he got the message and never tried to "help" me again. What's funny is you may think these people I'm talking about are my family but they're not....my family is the best at respecting my time off and getting their hair done when it's convenient for me....that makes me glad to do it! Especially since they all think I'm awesome....I've never gotten a single complaint from anything I've done for them. Unfortunately for them, though , sometimes they go around with shaggy hair way too long before it gets done.

Another thing people think about us is the fact that we can do ANYTHING with YOUR hair.....when you're middle aged and have short thick straight hair and bring me a picture of Taylor Swift?? come on! really?? I love that Ashley Judd movie (i forgot the name of it) and she's in jail and doing the inmates hair and this ugly lady brings her a pic of a movie star......she say's "honey, the only way you're gonna look like that is if I staple this picture to your forehead!" hahaha--I LOVE IT!! It's flattering that they have so much faith in us but that corny little saying "I'm a beautician, not a magician" is very true.

All jokes aside, I must tell you that I LOVE my clients!! Many of them have become very good friends of mine. Sometimes they'll stop by the salon just to tell me something big that's happened in their life. I've had some move away (army town) for 3-4 years and then call me when they move back and we pick up where we left off. I have one that I gave his first haircut....now he's graduating. I have some that I've seen through chemo, shaved their hair off...and then trimmed it into a style as it gradually grew back in. I have some awesome christian clients that I've exchanged prayer requests with. I've had some clients who have passed away......Being a hairstylist is more than just a job--it's more than just a service I provide for people....I've become just as an important part of their lives as they have mine. I try to remember that whenever I start getting burnt out and needing a vacation.....all in all, I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing for a living so I guess it's my calling :)


P.S. don't call us "beauticians", we hate that...it's soooo 1950! ;)

Hey Soul Sister....

Yesterday, one of my clients and I were talking about facebook and she was all bummed that her sister that lives in another state and she rarely sees asked to be her "fb friend". At first I thought she meant her sister IN-LAW b/c it's kind of common to not care for your in-laws, or so i hear....(i love all mine, btw). As she kept talking I realized she was talking about her real, whole sister that she was raised with and I was shocked that she didn't even want to be fb friends?? Of course I don't know what happened in their lives that put this great distance between them and I didn't ask...(i'm not one of those gossipy hairstylists :D) but how do you get to that point?

I have 2 sisters, Alecia, the oldest, and Rachel the youngest, which naturally puts me in the middle. I don't complain about that though, I LIKE being the middle child! I don't whine about being forgotten about or try to claim the middle child "syndrome" because that just wasn't the case in our household. I have to commend my parents for that I guess, they were always fair and never showed favoritism. I am the only one of us 3 who has and older AND younger sister--and I'm the only one who IS an older and younger sister! That's pretty darn special if you ask me!

Don't get me wrong, we had our share of fights growing up! Alecia hated sharing a room with me b/c we were like "The Odd Couple", she was neat and organized and I was messy and lazy....and there was that time we were playing with the Ouija board and she fussed at me for laughing and i hit her in the nose with it. Boy did it bleed!!! And of course there was little Rachel who was 6 1/2 years younger than me that got on my nerves sometimes because I was older and "cool" and she seemed to follow me around. We didn't get in as many fights but she STILL reminds me of the time I kicked her in the ankle with my boot.

Of course, there were the good times too, like when Alecia and I would walk to Nannie's on the trail from our house to go play--or Christmas mornings when we would wake up early and discuss exactly when we should go peek--or the day we got to meet the little red wrinkley baby that was our new sister. And then treating that sister like she was my very own baby doll--riding her on the go cart--having "sister bonding night" when I was in high school.....

Now that we're grown, we've become friends and although we have very different opinions on things, we respect each other......we may share the same parents but, come on, we're not clones! We've made a lot of great memories together since we were adults too. We went on several sister trips through the years that I wouldn't trade for the world.

Who but a sister can understand EXACTLY what your past was like...because they were there---who but a sister can you truly be yourself around? Who but a sister can you make fun of your parents with? :D Who but a sister can you talk to for an hour about absolutely nothing? Who but a sister will still be there when your parents are gone?

I'm sorry for my client that she doesn't have this with her sister. It is a special relationship that shouldn't be wasted but should be protected. I'm am very blessed to have my sisters, I wish we could all spend more time together but it seems like we get caught up in life and time flies.......maybe it's time to plan another trip?!

God has a great sense of humor!

This a repost from my old myspace blog, I'll be working some of these in from time to time, enjoy!

I love getting to know the Lord with every experience I go thru and I know He has a hand in it. There are so many aspects to His character and I learn something new all the time. One part of His character that I think people have no idea about is his sense of humor!! Yes, He does have one and I'll prove it to ya. When I was about to get married, all the stress was giving me the worst case of acne. I was SO afraid that I would have these horrible zits on my wedding day that I started praying fervently that my face would clear up for my wedding DAY and look good in my pictures. (I know it's vain and selfish, but come on, it was MY WEDDING!) Well He answered my prayer and just in time my pizza face cleared up and my complexion was great........until my wedding NIGHT, that is. I as getting ready for bed and the nastiest zit popped up right under my nose! GROSS!! All I could do was laugh because, after all, I didn't say anything about my wedding NIGHT in my prayer. That was my first awareness of His humor and have noticed it since from time to time...............especially today.

Today I had somewhere to be and not enough time to get there so as usual I was speeding--until I got behind a SLOW POKE!! "Oh great, I don't have time for this!" I mean, he was like going 40 for crying out loud!! So I was trying to figure out when would be a good time to pass when I saw a car coming. As it got closer, I recognized that it was a cop!! I thanked God profusely and thanked Him for sticking me behind that slow poke, because I know I would've been going 80 and gotten a ticket. After a few minutes I got antsy again and wanted to pass and actually said aloud, "I can speed now, what are the odds I'll see another cop?" Right then, what do I see but ANOTHER COP! "Ha ha, very funny, God" Finally that slow poke turns off and I'm free to go as fast as I want but I'm scared--although SURELY I wouldn't see another cop....would I? When I start to get a little faster a MENNONITE pulls out in front of me on a tractor! (oh come on!!) There was nowhere I could pass him so I just had to poke along behind, getting later and later.....when there goes his blinker, YIPPEE! he's turning! But he had to wait for an oncoming car before he could turn......I see it and don't believe my eyes, OH YES, it is yet ANOTHER cop!! (count'em, that's 3 cops in less than 3 miles) I DIED laughing, "OK big guy, you got me!" I swear I heard Him snicker.......

He cares about the small stuff and is always taking care of me. If you keep your eyes open, you can see Him working and even get a good laugh now and then.

Here goes nothin'.....literally

So here I am.......blogging.....yep. Why, you ask? I don't know, do I need a reason? I guess the real reason is because I accidentally created a blog account when I was trying to follow my sister Rachel's blog. I didn't know how to get to her page or whatever and the next thing I know, I HAVE ONE. Incidently, that's how I ended up with a facebook account too. All I wanted to do is spy on somebody and BAM! the next thing I know, I have an account--oops! I figured I'd never post anything on here but then I remembered that I have actually blogged before on myspace. That's actually the reason I won't cancel my "space" (i don't use it anymore now that i'm on facebook-hehe) because I don't want to lose what I wrote. I wonder if I can copy and paste those onto here.....hmmm. Anyway, since I've blogged before, suddenly it's not as intimidating- so here goes nothin'...literally!! I think my blog shall be like Seinfeld--about nothing, but highly entertaining. Also much like Rachel's phone calls to me....we can talk for an hour about, yep, you guessed it-nothing! but our conversations are very enjoyable and we laugh a lot! When we get off the phone and my hubby asks what we talked about and I say, "nothing", he thinks I'm being secretive when I'm really just telling the truth. I actually have a lot of things to say but I don't know where to start....who knows, maybe my next post will actually be about 'something', we'll see. :)