My boy is gone. He is grown and off to college. Life has changed, and I am adjusting. I was excited for him, and sad for me when I drove him up to Laie and moved him into his dorm last Saturday. It has been a dynamic week. I'm not sad anymore. I miss him, would like to see his happy face sitting in the green chair watching King of the Hill, but I'm not sad. I am really happy for him, and grateful.
Our fridge is full of left overs that will never be eaten - unless I give them to the dogs. I am not sure how to adjust all the standard family recipes to be for 1 less person. How do you make tacos for 3? Ground beef doesn't come in 3/4 pound packages, and what am I going to do with 1/4 of a can of black beans? I have WAY too much chili in a zip lock that I am pretty sure will go straight to the trash in a few days.
Chester and Charlie look disappointed when they push their way in his room and find it empty. Chester vented his feelings by peeing in there the other day. I wonder what that meant exactly - "Dang it Ryker, you jerk, where are you?" or "Now that you are gone, I claim this space for myself!" Poor puppy doesn't understand.
Today in church when they released the priesthood to sit with their families, I started to slide over and make room. So much of parenting is automatic like that. If I should wake up in the middle of the night, my routine is to check on everyone, kids, dogs, and make sure all are as they should be. Now I do a mental check when I come to his door - Laie - check.
Ryker is exactly where he needs to be, doing exactly what he should. He is happy, and excited, and I love that. I am so grateful that he has this opportunity to be there this year. It is a good place. Spending some time on campus this week was great. It is a good school, with good people. The classes are small and the Spirit is strong. What a great environment for learning and preparing for his mission.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Gray, Brown, Orange, Red and Brown Again
In my birthday post a couple weeks ago I failed to mention something. It was intentionally left out. Now that things have been put to rights, I am ready to share my story.
I have been going to the same salon for about 4 years. I really like these ladies. They are about my age, their kids are similar in age to mine, and they have hair like I do. They have been in business together for about 20 years, and I admire their success and longevity. I have always been happy with their services. About a year ago they put highlights in and did some spot color to help me cover the grays. I hate those grays and in the end, pulling them out was only going to make me bald. So, I decided to let them do a little color. It looked great and grew out very naturally.
A few days before my birthday this year I decided that I wanted to go have that done again. I wanted to spend a few hours at the salon, relax, and come out looking fabulous. I called up and made the appointment for 11am. That would give us plenty of time to enjoy our breakfast celebration, and I would be home by early afternoon.
Arriving right on time, I was in the chair and on my way to looking great. I told her what I wanted, a trim and the same hair color as last time, subtle highlights with a deep reddish hue, no blond. A couple of hours later I was sitting with my head in the sink, trying to relax. My neck was killing me. The chair was too low or something. I squirmed and struggled, trying to get comfortable. I don't know why I was sitting in that chair, with my head in the sink for all that time. It was at least half an hour. Usually don't you sit with your hair under the hood, or just in the regular chair while the chemicals do their stuff?? I don't know, but I was in the chair, with my head hanging backwards and my neck killing me for way too long. I think she forgot I was there.
The noise of my struggling brought me back to her attention, and she was quickly over to me rinsing my hair and applying some other smelly goo. I then had the special treat of sitting in that chair with my head hanging and my neck tweaked even longer. I said something and she produced another towel to put between my head and the edge of the sink.
Around 2pm I am sitting in the normal chair, and she is cutting my hair. After a few minutes I realize that I am facing away from the mirror, and haven't seen my hair since the color process. As she is cutting, one of her friends arrives at the salon and comes over to chat. Apparently she is the next appointment and is on a tight schedule between picking up children from school. Yes, it is now the time of day when schools are letting out.
They are concerned about their friend that is also a stylist and owner at that salon. She fell and hurt herself the night before and cannot move her right hand. It is totally numb. The story of the previous night begins to unfold.
The 3 of them, all in their 40's, and now single, went out partying the night before. My birthday was on Friday, so they were out livin it up on a Thursday night. The one that hurt herself, was wearing a super short, skirt and very high heels. She was dancing and some man tried to kiss her legs. Her skirt was so tight that lifting her leg up caused her to slip and fall. The ladies were concerned for their friend, but laughed and laughed about the crazy man trying to kiss her legs.
Apparently they had been to 4 or 5 different clubs, drinking and dancing. They were all dressed to kill and had all the free drinks they wanted. They made it home some where around 4am. All I could think was -
She was still drunk! Or at best, really, really hung over!! Holy Crap - a drunk lady just did my hair!
Somewhere towards the end of the drunken party story, she finished with my hair, and spun me around. I had been there for over 3 hours and this was the first I had seen of myself. There were large sections of nasty orange blond in my hair. Some near the front were small, narrow sections, and others, in the back were big chunks. The cut looked a little off too. It might have just been an optical illusion from the weird color - I'm not sure. She could tell that I wasn't pleased, (tears are a dead give away) and offered to color it again the following week if I couldn't get used to it. I wanted it fixed immediately, but I was late for a work appointment, and I had to get out of there.
Adding insult to injury, I paid for my torture and disfigurement, and left. My hair felt terrible, it was hard to run my fingers thorough and when I looked in the mirror I wanted to cry. Upon arriving home I immediately washed my hair, hoping that terrible straw-like feeling was not permanent. Thankfully, that was just product, and washed right out. Looking in the mirror I discovered a large chunk, with no color at all, dead center in the back of my head. Aghhhh!!!
After I finished screaming, I called the salon. I expressed just how unhappy I was, described the uncolored section on the back of my head, and asked what time she would be in the next morning. I was not going to get "used to" looking bad, and it needed fixed immediately.
The next day I was there and she recolored it with the requested deep red tones. I don't know what the heck she did, but it was really really red. I think she stripped my hair the day before and now the normal color that was usually subtle, was obnoxious. It was so much better than the blond, no color, that I felt much better, and considered it fixed. I thought I could get used to it now.
After a few days it started to fade. The large chunks and uneven distribution of the highlights still bothered me. It just wasn't done right. Sheesh - she was DRUNK, tired, hung over, and certainly not fit to be doing my hair! I talked to my pal Stacy that does hair. She said she could fix it.
I have been wearing my hair in a ponytail, and avoiding mirrors all week. It has been crazy week with getting Ryker off to school, and all the orientation events for families of new students. It has been such a fun week, but no time to go see Stacy for the fix. Stacy has a busy life and our schedules didn't jive.
Yesterday I went to Target. While trying on a shirt, I saw the back of my head in those crazy mirrors they have let you see yourself from all angles. Aghhh! It looked horrible! All those random sized and placed chunks of color, and worst of all - that spot, in the center of the back of my head, with no color, was back! It still had a faint reddish tint, but it was fading fast, and looking BAD! I didn't buy the shirt, I just wanted the heck away from those mirrors!
Last night Stacy fixed my hair, and I am so happy! It is all one color again, nice and dark, and normal looking. I am now able to walk by a mirror and not cringe.
There is an important lesson here. No matter how well you think you know your hair stylist, DON'T let them do your hair the morning after an all night drinking party. When you arrive at the salon, right off, ask what did you do last night?, how much sleep did you have? are you well rested? in pain? upset about anything? drunk? hungover? If they answer "yes" to any of these - RUN AWAY!!!!
I have been going to the same salon for about 4 years. I really like these ladies. They are about my age, their kids are similar in age to mine, and they have hair like I do. They have been in business together for about 20 years, and I admire their success and longevity. I have always been happy with their services. About a year ago they put highlights in and did some spot color to help me cover the grays. I hate those grays and in the end, pulling them out was only going to make me bald. So, I decided to let them do a little color. It looked great and grew out very naturally.
A few days before my birthday this year I decided that I wanted to go have that done again. I wanted to spend a few hours at the salon, relax, and come out looking fabulous. I called up and made the appointment for 11am. That would give us plenty of time to enjoy our breakfast celebration, and I would be home by early afternoon.
Arriving right on time, I was in the chair and on my way to looking great. I told her what I wanted, a trim and the same hair color as last time, subtle highlights with a deep reddish hue, no blond. A couple of hours later I was sitting with my head in the sink, trying to relax. My neck was killing me. The chair was too low or something. I squirmed and struggled, trying to get comfortable. I don't know why I was sitting in that chair, with my head in the sink for all that time. It was at least half an hour. Usually don't you sit with your hair under the hood, or just in the regular chair while the chemicals do their stuff?? I don't know, but I was in the chair, with my head hanging backwards and my neck killing me for way too long. I think she forgot I was there.
The noise of my struggling brought me back to her attention, and she was quickly over to me rinsing my hair and applying some other smelly goo. I then had the special treat of sitting in that chair with my head hanging and my neck tweaked even longer. I said something and she produced another towel to put between my head and the edge of the sink.
Around 2pm I am sitting in the normal chair, and she is cutting my hair. After a few minutes I realize that I am facing away from the mirror, and haven't seen my hair since the color process. As she is cutting, one of her friends arrives at the salon and comes over to chat. Apparently she is the next appointment and is on a tight schedule between picking up children from school. Yes, it is now the time of day when schools are letting out.
They are concerned about their friend that is also a stylist and owner at that salon. She fell and hurt herself the night before and cannot move her right hand. It is totally numb. The story of the previous night begins to unfold.
The 3 of them, all in their 40's, and now single, went out partying the night before. My birthday was on Friday, so they were out livin it up on a Thursday night. The one that hurt herself, was wearing a super short, skirt and very high heels. She was dancing and some man tried to kiss her legs. Her skirt was so tight that lifting her leg up caused her to slip and fall. The ladies were concerned for their friend, but laughed and laughed about the crazy man trying to kiss her legs.
Apparently they had been to 4 or 5 different clubs, drinking and dancing. They were all dressed to kill and had all the free drinks they wanted. They made it home some where around 4am. All I could think was -
She was still drunk! Or at best, really, really hung over!! Holy Crap - a drunk lady just did my hair!
Somewhere towards the end of the drunken party story, she finished with my hair, and spun me around. I had been there for over 3 hours and this was the first I had seen of myself. There were large sections of nasty orange blond in my hair. Some near the front were small, narrow sections, and others, in the back were big chunks. The cut looked a little off too. It might have just been an optical illusion from the weird color - I'm not sure. She could tell that I wasn't pleased, (tears are a dead give away) and offered to color it again the following week if I couldn't get used to it. I wanted it fixed immediately, but I was late for a work appointment, and I had to get out of there.
Adding insult to injury, I paid for my torture and disfigurement, and left. My hair felt terrible, it was hard to run my fingers thorough and when I looked in the mirror I wanted to cry. Upon arriving home I immediately washed my hair, hoping that terrible straw-like feeling was not permanent. Thankfully, that was just product, and washed right out. Looking in the mirror I discovered a large chunk, with no color at all, dead center in the back of my head. Aghhhh!!!
After I finished screaming, I called the salon. I expressed just how unhappy I was, described the uncolored section on the back of my head, and asked what time she would be in the next morning. I was not going to get "used to" looking bad, and it needed fixed immediately.
The next day I was there and she recolored it with the requested deep red tones. I don't know what the heck she did, but it was really really red. I think she stripped my hair the day before and now the normal color that was usually subtle, was obnoxious. It was so much better than the blond, no color, that I felt much better, and considered it fixed. I thought I could get used to it now.
After a few days it started to fade. The large chunks and uneven distribution of the highlights still bothered me. It just wasn't done right. Sheesh - she was DRUNK, tired, hung over, and certainly not fit to be doing my hair! I talked to my pal Stacy that does hair. She said she could fix it.
I have been wearing my hair in a ponytail, and avoiding mirrors all week. It has been crazy week with getting Ryker off to school, and all the orientation events for families of new students. It has been such a fun week, but no time to go see Stacy for the fix. Stacy has a busy life and our schedules didn't jive.
Yesterday I went to Target. While trying on a shirt, I saw the back of my head in those crazy mirrors they have let you see yourself from all angles. Aghhh! It looked horrible! All those random sized and placed chunks of color, and worst of all - that spot, in the center of the back of my head, with no color, was back! It still had a faint reddish tint, but it was fading fast, and looking BAD! I didn't buy the shirt, I just wanted the heck away from those mirrors!
Last night Stacy fixed my hair, and I am so happy! It is all one color again, nice and dark, and normal looking. I am now able to walk by a mirror and not cringe.
There is an important lesson here. No matter how well you think you know your hair stylist, DON'T let them do your hair the morning after an all night drinking party. When you arrive at the salon, right off, ask what did you do last night?, how much sleep did you have? are you well rested? in pain? upset about anything? drunk? hungover? If they answer "yes" to any of these - RUN AWAY!!!!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Honey
I was on the phone with Carl taking the inspection notes,and thought he must be nuts to bring home a third dog. Heavens, two is quite enough! He whispered that he would explain later. As soon as they were in the truck, Carl began to explain. She was on a heavy chain, that was tangled up leaving her about 2 feet of length. She had no food or water. Before he could start the engine, she had found half a danish and gulped it down.
Honey now lives the life of a pampered princess. She sleeps on our bed, curled up next to her rescuer. She has gained some weight in the last week, but you can still feel every rib under her shiny black fur. She was so thin it made me want to cry when I first held her. It makes me sad to think how some people treat innocent animals.
Chester thinks Carl brought her home just for him. They play and play and play. When she got outside without a leash, Chester came to get me. She put Charlie in his place a couple of times, and now he just leaves her alone. We now have a "pack" of dogs with a tiny cute thing in the lead.
Birthday Flowers from my Mom
Friday was a pretty terrific day. It started out with breakfast at Zippy's with friends - Cathy, Angela, Veda and Fono. Hot chocolate and bacon are a fabulous way to start a day and another year on this planet.
Carl and Ryker came home with a really cool gadget for me. I do love gadgets! It is the new Jabra Halo stereo bluetooth headset. Very cool indeed!
That night we went to dinner at Outback which we all thoroughly enjoyed.
My friends and family are awesome! Thanks for such a great day and making me feel so loved and special!
A Million Years or Three Hours
Here it is Monday again. The last 7 days went by as if they were 3 hours. Last Monday seems a million years ago. Last Monday I had an idea for a blog post. That was so long ago, I have totally forgotten all but the thought that there was an idea. It was a busy week, and I recall having several good ideas I wanted to write about along the way. As of this moment - my brain is completely blank.
It's a good thing I keep a note book with all my lists and notes. My son makes fun of all my lists, but he has much of his good life to thank for those lists. Over the last 18 years he has no idea how many times his needs have been on my list. It's been a pretty constant string of doctor, dentist, school, scouts, church, paper work and deadlines. All accomplished, pretty much on time, without fail.
Thanks to the notebook I can look back on this week and see what happened, and maybe I can reclaim a creative thought or two.
Well, we had 5 home inspections, 3 appraisal reports, 4 trips to the bank, 3 to the credit union, 2 to the post office, 2 dinners with friends, 1 breakfast birthday party, 1 new dog, 2 trips to Petco, 1 trip to Target, 2 visits to Costco, filled the gas tank twice, took comp photos, updated 2 spreadsheets a few times, scheduled 3 new inspections, logged new orders, drove Q to seminary 3 out of 5 days, went to the pool, got my hair done-twice, went to Outback for dinner, checked the mail, listened to Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, took Q to YM, went to the beach, bathed the dogs, mowed the lawn, vacuumed 3 times, spot cleaned the carpet, washed 10 or so loads of laundry, washed dishes, cooked dinner at least 3 times, finalized Ryker's financial aid documents for college, turned 41, took the dogs on a walk twice, fixed my broken car window, refilled the power steering fluid in my car, went to church, taught primary, took a nap, cleaned the bathroom, chased the new dog down the street in my bathrobe, and painted my toe nails.
So, there you go, that wraps up my last seven days. Sound like fun?
Whatever creative thoughts I had are not coming back to me. The next time one hits me, I will grab my handy dandy notebook and write it down.
Here's to a great week!
It's a good thing I keep a note book with all my lists and notes. My son makes fun of all my lists, but he has much of his good life to thank for those lists. Over the last 18 years he has no idea how many times his needs have been on my list. It's been a pretty constant string of doctor, dentist, school, scouts, church, paper work and deadlines. All accomplished, pretty much on time, without fail.
Thanks to the notebook I can look back on this week and see what happened, and maybe I can reclaim a creative thought or two.
Well, we had 5 home inspections, 3 appraisal reports, 4 trips to the bank, 3 to the credit union, 2 to the post office, 2 dinners with friends, 1 breakfast birthday party, 1 new dog, 2 trips to Petco, 1 trip to Target, 2 visits to Costco, filled the gas tank twice, took comp photos, updated 2 spreadsheets a few times, scheduled 3 new inspections, logged new orders, drove Q to seminary 3 out of 5 days, went to the pool, got my hair done-twice, went to Outback for dinner, checked the mail, listened to Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, took Q to YM, went to the beach, bathed the dogs, mowed the lawn, vacuumed 3 times, spot cleaned the carpet, washed 10 or so loads of laundry, washed dishes, cooked dinner at least 3 times, finalized Ryker's financial aid documents for college, turned 41, took the dogs on a walk twice, fixed my broken car window, refilled the power steering fluid in my car, went to church, taught primary, took a nap, cleaned the bathroom, chased the new dog down the street in my bathrobe, and painted my toe nails.
So, there you go, that wraps up my last seven days. Sound like fun?
Whatever creative thoughts I had are not coming back to me. The next time one hits me, I will grab my handy dandy notebook and write it down.
Here's to a great week!
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