Thursday, September 17, 2009

Memories...

Recently I changed salons, not an easy decision for me but I feel as though I have made the right one. Upon my departure from the old salon, I was embraced by an outpouring of care and true friendship.

I received a letter from someone who has been with me since beauty school, Holley. In the letter she expressed to me how much she would miss me and that it felt as though I were moving out of the state not just six miles down the road. In the letter she listed her favorite memories that we have shared over the years they follow:

-The "Jigsaw Incident" right before our first trip to LA. (I had black hair and decided I wanted to be platinum blond so I bleached my hair oh about 8 times in the course of a day. I received some chemical burns and an allergic reaction to the bleach. Steroids were prescribed, I looked like Jigsaw from the "Saw" movies. Not real attractive.)

-The fear that we wouldn't be cool enough for LA, but we dominated. (yes we did)

-The Institute of Courage - all that we learned, the haircutting in the hotel room with Rafe and Sarah, the plane ride with Quiet Riot, our date at PF Chang's, and our desperate need for crunch.

-The countless shared lunches at Cracker Barrel

-The emergency meetings at Starbucks

-Finding every MAC counter from Orlando to California ( she forgot that we know where every Sephora is as well)

-The long drive from Orlando.

-Our Sexy Hair auditions - the nervousness, J. Stacey, Jimmy, Rona, the panic, and we finished at the top of the class.

-Our first tribes of style and the woman from LA showing up.

-Halloween - all the many costumes, and parties, vampires, Little red Riding Hood, movie characters, and more

-Most of all, I'll remember the laughing, all the laughing - with reckless abandon.

-And perhaps COURAGE - we learned to find it, to use it and to keep it.

Those were her memories but the memory that stands out the most for me that she and I shared is one that I know she has forgotten. When my granny passed away as I have mentioned in a previous post I wanted to and did do her hair. Holley called me the morning that I was going to the funeral home, she said that she was trying to be a good friend and that if I needed her to she would go with me to the funeral home for the preparation for support. I told her that I would be fine and that I greatly appreciated her offer but it wasn't necessary.

On the first day this week at HALO Salon, I received a text from Holley. It read, "I am on vacation but remembered that your first day was today. I hope that it went well."

I hope that she realizes how much her friendship means to me...Holley.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

On your mark...get set...GO!

Let each finish line be a fresh start. Let there always be one more race to be run...one more rung to reach...the novel waiting to be written...a career change to be dared...a higher mountain to climb...unexpected love waiting to walk into your life...dance steps to be learned...the most daring adventure still to plan...another painting waiting on the palette. Let every safe harbor be a safe place to rest up, not rest on your laurels, before you set off again for unknown jeopardy and joy.

Ready, Set, Go!

I am approaching another milestone in my life, another chapter completed while another one begins. I am changing salons, Friday is my last day at the salon where I am currently employed. The new journey starts Tuesday when I begin working at Halo in Lake Carolina.

Leaving the old salon is bittersweet. I have known these girls for a lot of my adult life. Some of us went through the tumultuous stint in beauty school together. We have been through marriages, divorces, deaths, new loves, name it and we have been there for each other through it all. Some of the best friends I have ever had remain behind. I hope that we will keep in touch but I am aware that under normal circumstances that will not be the case. I will miss some of them more than others, they are like sisters to me.

New beginnings and fresh starts are accompanied by stepping out into the unknown. I know in my gut that this move is going to be positive for me. The salon is precious not to mention the financial bonus and the mere fact that Halo is closer to home. I am so fortunate to have some one come and ask me to work for them, how flattering.

Tomorrow closes one chapter, Tuesday opens one. I am excited, nervous but most of all I am looking forward to the new adventure that will be lying ahead as I step out of my comfort zone and one more time, rock the boat.

Courage is required and I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that my Granny is watching out over me. I have sensed her around me a lot lately. (Who knows maybe she can read my blog and knows just how much I need her.) In my mind she was running beside me on Monday and she will definitely escort me on Tuesday.

As Louis L'Amour so eloquently said, "There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning."

I am anxiously approaching my beginning...watch out world here I come!

On your mark, get set, GO!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Go, Go Go!

Approaching the venue, I was not nervous, a weird calm was over me as I just came to do what I had to do - run. "Chariots of Fire" and "Eye of the Tiger" were playing in the background. The air was chilly, well cold for September. And thank god for port-a-johns, the line for the bathroom was thirty deep inside the gymnasium. Then "The National Anthem" played, it always makes me get a lump in my throat, I knew it was almost time to start.

The start was very frustrating as I had to walk for about two minutes because the congestion of the start was incredible. I had to start passing on the grass, after a while though the runners and walkers began to spread out, so the crowding lessened and I could actually catch my rhythm. Mile one, mile two, mile three and the last stretch I hear go, go, go, it was my biggest fan, Nik waving me to the home stretch. I could hear him but I could not look at him because I just wanted to stop running. I had just finished the woods and dirt part of the course on my tip toes, so there was no "go, go, go" left.

As I crossed the line I saw 36 and some odd minutes on a timer and to me I was perfectly fine with that time. The Fitness Challenge Course was hard, I was thankful for those blasted Haig's Creek hills. However I was looking at the wrong timer, there was a 15K going on simultaneously and that was the clock for those runners. I had finished in under 30 minutes.

Yesterday was my second race. As I have mentioned in a recent post, when I race it is against me, my time, my own mentality. I am so hard on myself it is hard to explain and even harder to comprehend. I push myself until I cannot push anymore.

In my first race, which was a month ago, after only being back to running for a week, I finished it in 32 minutes and some seconds. The course was mostly flat at the first race. My second race, I finished 31 out of 116 in females and completed the course in 29 minutes. I placed 6th in my division!! I need to explain the course - all hills and part was through the freaking woods on sand, not smoothed out. I am so glad that it was not my first race because honestly I would not have done any more, seriously.

Next race, Saturday, September 26...