JUST IN CASE

Please find in this post the link to my consultant's web page. If you're in the Atlanta area and are interested in sisterlocks or need your natural 'do maintained, please check her out. Yours truly is also on her page, with 17 month old locs.


http://www.healthyhairconnection.com/index.html

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN...

...summer break- the time of year for family vacations, grilling on a regular basis with children running through the sprinkler, unwanted, acquired weight (for me anyway), lazy days and long nights and the $600,000 question...should i recolor or not?

Oh yes my fellow blogmates, this is the point of my annual color touch up that i ponder whether or not to do so. i love my color and how nicely it compliments my skin tone, but i kinda sorta wanna go back to my natural hair color. though trivial to most, it's quite a dilemma for me. i only dye my hair once a year (in september) for health's sake, but i ALWAYS struggle with this question during the summer. i really don't like the multi-toned look, which is what i would sport for a nice minute if it's not retouched. i'm also aware that the longer the hair, the longer to grow out the color. i'm thinking i may wait 'til my birthday in february. turning a year older is as good a reason as any to "update my look." boy i tell ya. choices, choices, choices. the decision to color is often decided by my "go-to-girl" aka "oldschool" but affectionately known as "mama." she's the groundhog for my decision to dye or not. i guess i'll just have to wait and see.

Muchas Gracias!

I've been out of commission, yet again, because of my camera's apparent desire to end its relationship with me - thus the absence of updates. But that's not the purpose of this entry, I just want to take this time to say thank you, thanks, many, many thanks for those of you who visit and leave comments upon visiting my blog. I may or may not comment back when they are left, but they are read. Comments are a cool way of letting me know you stopped by and for that you are appreciated!

(pic taken by 6 yr old with dad's camera, on loan til mine is stitched up)

"All of my love...peace and happiness...I'm gonna give it to DELTA!" OOO-OOP!!!

Knots celebrates yet another wonderful milestone!

On this day, 15 May, 17 years ago, my lifetime membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.was official. Check out your girl (#3) in this pic taken back in '92 with our DP and ADP. The more recent pic was taken with some sorors at our school's prom in late April 2009.

FOUR YEARS AND COUNTING !!!!!

I can still remember the days my locs were installed four years ago, May 13 and May 14 like it was yesterday. It would be the last time I would look like this:


It wasn't an easy decision. I'd grown accustomed to a certain "look". No other hairstyle (let alone a natural one) would work for me, until a former co-worker told me about Sisterlocks. After extensive research, following various blogs, signing in to the LockItUp Yahoo group DAILY, WITHOUT FAIL and consulting with my consultant, I decided to sacrifice beauty for the temporary "plucked chicken" look:



I must admit, there were a few times I asked myself what in the devil had I done, especially after the relaxed ends were finally cut and I saw how incredibly short my hair was:

So, to deal with my new look, I decided to add some color. Though apprehensive at first, I fell in love with my new 'do:


Some time passed and before I knew it, I'd been locked for 2 years:



Ok, starting to see some length. 3 years...wow. I REALLY can see a difference now.



And now 4 years...hard to believe. I remember thinking, I can't wait til my hair is down my back. I realized just how long my hair had gotten after I disconnected a portion of a loc from its body while hoisting my work bag onto my shoulder. WTHeck?!! All good, they were eventually reunited! ;-) Check out the collage below.



It's been a journey for sure, with some ups and downs, highs and lows with a lil bit of other stuff in between. And you know what, I wouldn't change a thing!

MAN OH MAN, HOW BUSY I'VE BEEN!!!




Oh my fellow blogger friends, how I've missed you all (LOL)!!! Seriously though, I have missed visiting and surfing the various blogs of some of my favorite bloggers, new bloggers and veteran bloggers. So much has been going on at work and in my personal life that I've kinda neglected my blog. My 6 year old started playing tee ball in early March and this dude's team was practicing like 3 days a week for and hour and a half to two before the season actually began! Twice during the week and on Sundays. Not to mention all the weeknight games they play. See, this is all new to me so I am still getting acclimated (and complaining less). And the folks (adults and children) at work have gotten progressively worse. It seems like there is NEVER any ending to the madness! Therefore picture taking as well as my beloved blog had been put on the backburner...until recently!

The pictures in the collage were taken while on a family vacation in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at my son's birthday party and while playing with my camera a few weeks ago. My locs will hit the four year mark on 14 May and I plan to have a nice comparison collage or slideshow or something. Drop back by in a few weeks to check out the progression shots! :-)

IT'S BEEN A BLUR...
I didn't realize, honestly, just how much time had passed since my last post. I've been quite overwhelmed at work. So much so that when time does permit, I just wanna do the least amount of nothing possible - even update my blog. I mean let's face it, it truly can be a time-consuming chore. I'm not saying that I don't enjoy blogging, but recent pics have been far and few between because I simply have not had the time nor reason to take any. And my loc revival, it's still in a holding position. I will definitely take pics when I reattach them. I'm gonna try my absolute darndest to be a bit more consistent. Thanks for hanging in there with me my fellow blogmates!

WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO?? Part II

Wow! I'd like to truly thank those of you who took the time to read and respond to my question in the previous post...honestly. I gotta lotta straight-talk, informative and down right funny responses! I did "repair" two locs, but let me tell you...WHOOO-WHEEE! Either locs are hard to sew or I am just plain ol' slow cause I MEAN I had a TIME with those hairy strands! I haven't given up though. I have two more I'd like to do. I have even considered divorcing the married ones and transplanting them elsewhere, who knows! I don't drink but I think I may have to get liquored up (which for me is extra grenandine did i spell that right?syrup in my coke) to do it, I don't know. Once I finish with this "project", I will be sure to take pics and post them so you can see how they look!

WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO??

Let me first start off by wishing all my fellow lockettes and lockers (if they visit :-) ) a most
happy and properous 2009!

As I reflect, like many folks, about this past year, naturally I have to think about my hair. As I approach my 4th year (13 May), I marvel at the changes my hair has undergone. I've experienced growth and I've experienced

loss. The latter, to say the least is not cool...Not cool at ALL. I decided to go to my "stash" and see just how many locs I had actually lost. The picture below shows a few of my locs that decided to break up with my hair over the past two years. The two on the left are from the first two years as they are all black and the others have been over the past year and a half. There are two more that are unaccounted for (one was snatched off as i hoisted my heavy workbag onto my shoulder, pulling one out because I didn't realize just how long my hair is and a blonde one that i misplaced after it slipped off at work too!) My loctician has reattached some before, hence a few of the two-toned locs that appear in some of the pics on my blog.

Now, like many women who get Sisterlocks, one of MY main reasons is to achieve growth never experienced in my life - which has occurred. But when this happens to me, it's annoying and down right frustrating! My loctician often tells me "it's just hair" and to not worry about reattaching because it'll grow back but it's not quite that easy for me. I can tell you this, I've bought some color matching thread with the intention of reattaching them myself. I know it's my hair, and whatever I want, I should get, but though I am convinced about what I'm going to do, what are your thoughts?

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM KNOTS & THE BOYS WHO ROCK!!!

JUST BECAUSE

This post has no real significance. I just took a couple of random shots this past Monday (11.17) and decided to post them just because.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

(yeah, yeah, yeah I'm almost a month late, but we STILL ROCK!!)

It's Back, It's Back, My Baby's Back !!

And what joy! How elated I am to have my camera back! I can't begin to tell you the drama I went through in trying to get my camera! I started to believe there was a conspriacy against me on the part of Olympus to force me back to a 35 mm. I refused to let that happen. Once Kim (the Olympus rep who did indeed confirm that i provided proof of purchase thus 86ing the nearly 200 bucks they wanted me to pay to repair a camera under warranty no less AND who expeditiously sent me MY camera after they sent me the wrong, ow-budget, not-in-the-same-class-as-mine, camera)! WHEW. Anywho, I just had to see if the timer worked, it did so here's a view from the rear. My locs will be 3 yrs 5mos tomorrow. Was a braidout and still fairly cute! :-)

MY FIRST COLLAGE !! I..SO...ROCK!! :-)

Well, i found, i downloaded, i succeeded!! dear visitor, do you know how many collages i have seen out here in blog world? i know you don't, but suffice it to say a plethora! and for some strange, inexplicable reason, i've never been driven to create one - until now. how addictive and simple?! now, i am gonna have to resist the urge to create a collage every single time i post. ok, enough about that, on to the explanation of the pics.

the pics with me in grey and blue t-shirts were taken today (21 sept). there is one pic that i placed into the collage because it shows my hair, though not clearly, before the color was retouched. and while this is not my camera (it's still recuperating from its unfortunate incident...see previous post) i still decided to have some fun with it. oh and i needed pics for my cool and totally happenin' collage! enjoy!

Back in Stride Again!!!


Man, where in the world has the time gone? It seems like i JUST entered this last post, but it's been well over a month, wow! Well, the school year has begun again and i have far more responsibilities this year than last year. My camera attempted suicide by falling off my table and separating itself from the shutter button, so i haven't been able to take any pics. But never to fear, my cousin / BFF is always near with a clickety-click in tow! We took this photo at our high school's summer reunion party at a local night club. It was nice, as they always are. These parties afford us the opportunity to see classmates from various graduating classes. i had just gotten my hair retightened that morning too (23 aug) so my hair wasn't really styled. The curls are from earlier in the week. Once i get my camera back from the psyche ward, i will take more pics of the actual length.

YOU WEAR THOSE WELL!!!

The picture on the left was taken this past Thursday (17 July) right before going to Club Verve with a friend. I get quite a few compliments on my hair, especially when it's been styled with curls or crinkles or even in my two pigtails (see below). But that evening, three relaxed sisters commented / complimented me on my "little dreads" and told me that "I wear those well". Now, it was once said by Sandy, the creator of the LockItUp Yahoo Group and highly respected sisterlocker, that many folk would often give her props ONCE it started growing. While my hair is not down my back, those initial naysayers and non-supporters are simply in awe of my locs now! Ain't it a trip? But for those sisters, I simply corrected them on the description (I don't use "dreads" but rather "locs" or sisterlocks) and I told them that they can rock 'em too. I almost always throw in the aside about not having to run for cover should it begin to rain (hehehehe) and I ALWAYS tell them that this has been THE best hair decision I've ever made!

I JUST LUUUUUV YOUR HAIR!

I once responded to a woman's experiences (in the Yahoo Group "LockItUp") about being approached by the curious and the amazed about my hair as well but nothing like this past April. I served as a hostess in a childhood friend's wedding and her photographer (who is absolutely wonderful) went gah-gah over my hair. He told me that he'd NEVER seen hair like mine and that he would LOVE to do a FREE photo shoot with me because he has no one with my look represented on his website. Needless to say, I couldn't resist! We went to Stone Mountain and took several shots before returning to his studio to complete the session. They were taken on a beautiful mid May morning. In all, he took 283 pictures! Though difficult, I chose a few of the better shots from our shoot. He took A LOT of great pics, but I tried to select the ones with good details of my hair.

THE BOSS, THE MAN...AFRO!!
This is Burt, AKA Afro! This is dude who owns and operates the gym where I work diligently (do I?) to maintain my weight and health via physical exercise. I have been a member of his gym, Ladies Only Total Fitness for two years this coming August. I joined initially to lose baby weight but then became accustomed to feeling good after a work out. I like this facility because it is small, intimate and members pretty much know one another there. Because it is a small, unisex setting, I don't get the "meat (meet) market, I'm-not-really-here-to-work-out-but-to-be-seen" feeling you can get from the larger gyms. I can't stand large gyms! The staff members at LOTF are great and take a lot of pride in working with us (and hurting us in a good way of course :-)). Oh, and access to personal trainers are included in the gym fees unlike some other spots. In a future post, I will include pics of Minerva, a seasoned woman in age, but far from it in physique! You guys ROCK!!!

POMP and CIRCUMSTANCE

This is my oldest son at his pre-k 4 graduation. I really didn't know that there was a ceremony or celebration for ending pre k education! Like Valentine's day, a pre-k graduation ceremony is just another branch of capitalism, but hey it makes the world go 'round right? Anywho, I was proud none the less and I held back tears as he came down the aisle to "Pomp and circumstance". If I managed to stave off the role of blubbering fool at this ceremony, is it safe to say that I'm gonna be a complete and utter basket case at his high school's graduation? You bet ya! Enjoy the pics!

This is a video, though poor quality, of a few of the faculty/staff at my school dancing in the homecoming pep rally back in Oct 2007. It picks up with us finishing Soulja Boy's Spiderman going into some freestyle. I am in center court and I lead a few of the lovely sorors of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as we do a strut to planet rock. Who says teachers can't get down. Check it out!