1800

Welllllll..... today i hit my 1800 hour mark in school! This is huge, it means I have met and have fulfilled my hourly requirements to practice cosmetology in the state of North Dakota! Its kind of a crazy feeling, I mean there is still so much more to do like take and pass my state boards, but I'm honestly not that worried about it. This was a huge hurtle for me and I know that now that I've accomplished this the next 300 hours are a piece of cake! ;)

thanks if your reading this and supporting me!
XOXO

Christmas Eve Ramblings.

Does life ever slow down? Or is it that as we get older there's more and more to be in control of, more variables to hold down.  Well, today I helped Austin start moving into our new house, I'm so excited for this new chapter; but with all of this change I feel there's even more yet to come to a head. Of course school is still taking its toll on me, but  in a few short weeks that will all be done as well. Beyond all of that there's a guy, yes of course, i know your not suprised.

Charlie, or Charles, well he is one of the most interesting people I've met in Bismarck for a very long time. He's strong, interesting, mysterious, and fun. Did I mention how good looking he is? Or the fact that he has a job, car, is over 21 and not married? I'm going to be careful and not put all of my eggs in one basket so to speak but I'm not seeing anyone else either. I just want to take my time and go slow with this. Worse case scenario I want us to be friends. Best case scenario... white picket fence?

Austins is heading up to Garrison with his girlfriend Brooke, and my brother Nick is going to his girlfriends friend Amber's house tonight. Which leaves me taking grandma up to my aunt's for Christmas eve. It's honestly so overwhelming sometimes.... the traditions you grow up with, like your family being together for the holidays, well, they change as you get older. Its almost like a little piece of my heart is broken which sounds lame but this is going to be my first Christmas eve spent without a member of my immediate family. I'm 22 and I'm sure there are clearly worse ways to spend tonight, but this is also my family's first Christmas without my grandfather as well, which I'm sure explains why my grandmother is not in the highest of spirits.

Okay, time to pick myself up out of the gutter.

(Deep Breath)

So, the original thought behind this post was, of course relationship related. I was toying with idea of why we play games with the people were romantically interested with. Is it normal or rational to feel afraid to be the first person to send a text or call? Well I'm sure its normal but its definitely not rational. Maybe that's why dating is so frustrating and confusing, its been warped out of something beautiful like courtship into a irrational mind game.  Here this thing though, all games have rules, but not all rules apply to every situation. ---- moment of realization


I refuse to think of romance as a game. If I'm with someone who finds me genuine and interesting I'm not putting rules on it that aren't even there in reality. However I still will more than likely not have sex on the first date, but I wont be afraid to call or text them after having an amazing night together.

Why is it so much easier to think when your writing? I get caught up on these ideas in my head but the moment I put fingers to keyboard, I may as well eliminate half the garbled mess in my head.


Well if your reading this today, Merry Christmas, safe travels, and I hope you find your evening filled with love.

XOXO

Mike Helm - Ready or Not

"You be my William, I'll be your Kate"

So much has been going on, this seems to be a recurring theme in my life for some reason. But all joking aside, Its been insane for me, hair is like a fire burning inside me; sounds like an exaggeration but no. Its what I'm passionate about, everything about it. Its bad when your laying awake in you bed at night thinking about the fun new hair cuts/colors/styles you're infatuated with at the moment. I think its fair to say I Eat, Breath, and Sleep this industry.

Also i got to meet Mike Helm the other day, and he saw me doing hair.... If you know who he is, you would understand why this is a big deal to someone attending a PM School. If not maybe you should do some homework ;)

Mike was a great guest artist because he brought humanity into our school even if it was just a few hours of it, I can guarantee you it made an impression on all of us in the room.  He spoke to us about his dear friend Andrew Gomez and how he touched so many peoples life's while struggling in his own with bipolar disorder. Andrew Gomez took his own life on February 7th and honestly I believe our industry lost a great man that day. I want to be a day maker and Mentor like he was for so many. If I can help one person then I know I'm successful. Andrew was Mike's best friend, Now in his honor PM has the Andrew Gomez Dream Foundation. Mike is the CEO of this charity. Mike shared a touching poem with all of us and he struggled through reading it, we struggles through listening to it, there honestly wasnt a dry eye in the room. this is the poem:

The Race

by: D.H. Groberg 

"Quit, give up, you're beaten"
They shout at you and plead
"There's just too much against you
This time you can't succeed".

And as I start to hang my head
In front of failures face
My downward fall is broken by
The memory of a race

And hope refills my weakened will
As I recall that scene
Or just the thought of that short race
Rejuvenates my being

Childrens race, young boys
Young men, how I remember well
Excitement sure, but also fear
It wasn't hard to tell

They all lined up so full of hope
Each thought to win that race
Or tie for first, or if not that
At least take second place

The fathers watched from off the side
Each cheering for his son
And each boy hoped to show his dad
That he could be the one

The whistle blew and off they went
Young hearts and hopes afire
To win and be the hero there
Was each young boys desire

And one boy in particular
Whose dad was in the crowd
Was running near the lead and thought
"My dad will be so proud"

But as they speeded down the field
Across a shallow dip
The little boy who thought to win
Lost his step and slipped

Trying hard to catch himself
With hands flew out to brace
And amid the laughter of the crowd
He fell flat on his face

But as he fell his dad stood up
And showed his anxious face
Which to the boy so clearly said
"Get up and win the race"

He quickly rose, no damage done
Behind a bit that's all
And ran with all his night and mind
To make up for the fall

So anxious to restore himself
To catch up and to win
His mind went faster than his legs
He slipped and fell again

He wised then that he had quit before
With only one disgrace
"I'm hopeless as a runner now
I shouldn't try to race"

But in the laughing crowd he searched
And found his fathers face
That steady look which said again
"Get up and win the race"

So up he jumped to try again
Ten yards behind the last
If I'm going to gain those yards he though
I've got to move real fast

Exerting everything he had
He regained eight or ten
But trying hard to catch the lead
He slipped and fell again

Defeat, he lay there silently
A tear dropped from his eye
There's no sense running anymore
Three strikes, I'm out, why try?

The will to rise had disappeared
All hope had fled away
So far behind so error prone
A loser all the way

"I've lost, so what", he thought
I'll live with my disgrace
But then he thought about his dad
Whom soon he'd have to face

"Get up" the echo sounded low
"Get up" and take your place
You were not meant for failure here
"Get up", and win the race

With borrowed will "Get up" it said
"You haven't lost at all"
For winning is no more than this
To rise each time you fall

So up he rose to run once more
And with a new commit
He resolved, that win or lose
At least he shouldn't quit

So far behind the others now
The most he'd ever been
Still he'd give it all he had
And run as though to win

Three times he'd fallen, stumbling
Three times he'd rose again
Too far behind to hope to win
He still ran to the end

They cheered the winning runner
As he crossed the line first place
Head high and proud and happy
No falling, no disgrace

But when the fallen youngster
Crossed the line, last place
The crowd gave him the greater cheer
For finishing the race

And even though he came in last
With head bent low, unproud
You would have thought he'd won the race
To listen to the crowd

And to his dad he sadly said
"I didn't do too well"
"To me you won", his father said
"You rose each time you fell"

it was an extremely touching poem delivered in a very heartfelt manner.


On to a more happy subject, I found where I will be living after school I'm getting a house perhaps with some friends! The last two nights we've been hanging out there and of course casually drinking and playing hide and seek in the empty house... which is shockingly more fun than I would have ever guessed. If you ever have the chance I suggest giving it a try! I feel like im starting  a new chapter in my life and I am honestly more than excited maybe there will be some more romance in my future as well ;)

sorry there wasn't much about new hair trends just living my life in this industry, but if you haven't yet check out hairdesignertv.com !

XOXO

a grain of sand, a minute of sanity

Well, a lot has been going on as of late, 2100 is going amazing I feel like its completely changed the way I work with hair. I'm learning so much in the classes and being able to utilize it on the clinic floor. I honestly feel like I'm a very strong hair stylist now, I've learned a few new ways to "bring it",

SO much has gone on though, I got to meet Vivien Mackinder, She is a true legend. Right now she's based out of NYC but before that she worked in the UK and was the creative director for Vidal Sassoon at the age of 23. Her portfolio and range of work was so comprehensive I was honestly left speechless. (Which I'm guessing if you read my blog, you know that doesn't happen to me very often)

- One quote that sticks out to me from everything she said, and she said a lot. It was an full 8 hour day of training with her. is this "You can choose to be in the removal business, or the design business."  When I look at hair now I feel like its so much more than what I thought before, with Paul Mitchell Systems, you in the beginning learn cutting in a very precise geometric fashion, sometimes great fashion stems from art, art happens to live in design and we cant have one without the other. Hair isn't something where I can tell you that if you always do it one way you will always achieve the same result. Just like every person who sits in our chair is different and an individual so is their hair. They all want something different and unique, we want our external to match our internal, and theres nothing wrong with that. That's why as hair dressers we have two choices with our work, we can be in the business of removing it without a care in the world, not questioning if we are doing our clients a disservice, or we can be in the business of designing for them a custom piece of art, that is perhaps even more important than any painting or sculpture they will every hang or show. Their hair is a piece of art that they will wear everyday of their life. Its every woman and mans first accessory whether they choose to recognize it or not. 

Now as for a little bit of my personal life, does anyone know how to get balance? Like for real, this whole thing everything has been so overwhelming lately, school, friends, family, work, and not to mention love. In all honesty if their were a award ceremony for dating like there are for movies, I would most definitely be nominated in multiple categories.  The lions den seems to be going okay, all things considered, its funny how when you start seeing things for what they really are, sometimes you realize you were worried about something that shouldnt have even been on your radar.


here's a fun video hopefully i get a chance to do this cut sometime this week!