Too Sophisticated For Photos

Well, I made it!  I traveled to and from New York City all by my lonesome with nary a scratch or a hitch or a snag.  I wish I could convey how UN-like me it was to do this whole adventure.  I mean, sure, 20 years ago I dreamed of living in a super cool, super fancy New York apartment with no ties to anyone or anything...no responsibilities or burdens. (How I was to pay rent for this fab lifestyle was yet to be determined)...but, as life became more reality than fantasy, I realized I did not want that city life.  I longed for the perfect husband, white picket fence, well behaved children.  Two outta three ain't bad! (We don't have a white picket fence.  What did you think I meant?)  Anywho...back to the point at hand.  Since meeting Jay (aka the Perfect Husband), I have not traveled alone, ever.  Well...I once took a flight from Pittsburgh to Virginia alone...but Jay was waiting for me at the VA airport.  And one other time I flew from Hungary to Pgh without him, but I was with another girl who's unfortunate air sickness and general air-headedness was a good distraction for me.

*I need to make it known that I did not take any blog worthy pictures while I was in New York!  I felt like it would have been the equivalent of holding a huge neon sign that read "Hey everyone!  I'm by myself over here!  So, if you see me trying juggle my huge bag and snap pics at the same time, come on over and take advantage of the situation!"  But!  I promise to make that hair collage blog!

Needles to say, I made it safely to New York via the Megabus. (which I highly recommend as a travel option)  As we pulled into the city, reality came crashing down around me!  I've never hailed a cab!  What if there's some unspoken etiquette that I don't know about and I get yelled at by the driver?  What if a cab never stops for me and I'm left standing alone with my luggage in the slightly annoying drizzle?  Why are there so many people out and about in the middle of the afternoon?  Should I be standing at the corner or the middle of the block?  So, I stepped back to observe for a few minutes...I spotted a couple of other people confidently stand at the curb and put their arm out to signal the cab.  So, I mustered up some courage and stepped forward.  Immediately a cab swept me up and whisked me off to my hotel.  As I got out, I paid the cabbie and even remembered the tip!  I threw in a little extra as a silent "Thank you" for not kidnapping me and making a shirt out of my skin.

Once again, have I ever checked into a hotel by myself?  No, no I have not, but the SoHotel check-in could not have been smoother.  What a cool hotel...it's like 100 years old, but has been updated so it has a modern feel but has held onto its older character at the same time.  Very cool.  Though, having never been in New York before I had only been told that hotel rooms were a lot smaller than what I might be used to.  Really?  I think 10 by 10 is the perfect size for a walk- in closet...oh wait, that's the size of my room!  And I loved it!  I certainly didn't need a ton of space, and it was clean and everything worked (well, except for when I blew a fuse drying my hair...but, it was fixed quickly)

In search of food, I sought out some help.  The bell hop was very friendly and reassured me that I could certainly walk to Little Italy on my own and not end up on the late news...he neglected to tell me that I would be totally overwhelmed at the sheer volume of restaurants to choose from...the maitre d luring tourists into Il Piccolo Buffalo won the day for me with his promises of fresh pasta and homemade sauces.  My Chicken Marsala was quite yummy and I texted with people the whole time because...can you guess?  I've never eaten in a restaurant alone before. 

So, Tuesday was THE day!!!  I woke up super early...way too early, but I was just so excited!  I walked to the Devachan salon on Broadway with plenty of time to grab some food from a cute grocery/deli/kitchen ware type place and people watch for a bit.  Once inside the (ultra cool, fancy, beautiful) salon, all the volunteer hair models got to sit and kibitz about our "curly girl" experiences.  And I'll tell ya, it was really refreshing to be in a room with other women who have similar hair horror stories and history as me.  What a relief!  Finally!  A salon where the employees won't shoot me dirty looks as I walk in the door...or openly talk about me as I sit under a dryer while my scalp burns (though in their defense, I did take a lip reading class in college so I kinda have an advantage)...or recommend that "maybe you need to find a different salon".  I kept waiting for a bright light and harp music to start playing.  The "students" who would be working on us were all very experienced hair dressers, so this was sort of an advanced class for them to further understand how to cut and highlight my type of hair (and not have it end in tears).  Evan From Columbus was my stylist. (Do you know him, Courtney?) He was super cool with his trendy slim fit jeans and fedora.  We set right to work...well, I sat and Evan From Columbus did all the work...cutting and turning and looking and consulting.  Then the REAL work began!  These highlights took FOREVER!  Not because of the procedure, but because of the amount of hair I have!  Poor Evan From Columbus!  I'm sure he was ready to throw in the towel (literally), but he didn't even complain.  Bless his heart. He was able to give me tips about how to use the Deva products I already have to get the results I really want and when all was said and dried...my hair looked fabulous!  So smooth (still curly, just not frizzy) and shiny!  I keep checking their Facebook page to see if they've posted any before and after pics!  What a great day!

Plus, I made it home safe and sound...though I could have done without the mice skittering around on the sidewalk and into the big cement planters at Penn Station at 6 in the morning...but, none the less, it was such a success!  Jay handled the home front perfectly.  The children got fed and bathed and educated and loved even in my absence. 

I think another trip is in order...but next time I want my other half with me!

*Devachan may contact me for future "modeling" opportunities...so, this is (hopefully) not the end of the story!

If I Can Make It There...

I am so excited, I can barely contain myself!  I couldn't fall asleep last night until after 2 a.m....which is a rough start to a day that includes a Crossfit workout!  But it doesn't matter!!!!  I am to the moon and back excited!

Let me explain...months ago, I met Kelly.  Kelly went to high school with my husband, Jay.  I met her at their 20(what!!!) year reunion.  Kelly owns a cute little hair salon right here in our own community...so, I let her take a whack at my hair.  Now, I haven't blogged much about my hair...but it is both a blessing and a curse.  My hair is thick! Thicker than what you're thinking, too...like waaaaaaay more thick.  It's curly/frizzy/unruly.  I always have it pulled back.  Growing up, no one knew how to care for my hair, so I would be tortured daily by having someone pull a brush through my tangled mess.  That hurt so badly, that my dad took me to a salon and had them cut off all my hair.  That made it worse!  I hate getting it wet because of the frizz factor.  Praise the Lord that my arm was in a cast my Senior year of H.S. so I got to skip swimming!  Getting a hair cut at any salon always resulted in tears.  It's not soft and touchable...you cannot and will not run your fingers through it...ever.

But at the same time, if I take the time and energy to "do it", I receive compliments and raves.  To me it's a grass is always greener kind of situation.  I would love to know what it's like to have straight hair that can be styled in many different ways...or left down to blow in the wind.  If I could go back in time, I would feather the crap outta my hair!  The invention of ceramic straighteners has allowed me to slightly experience the joy of free flowing locks...but the damage it does is almost not worth it.

And can we talk about how much product I use???  Shampoo, conditioner, spray gel, regular gel, mousse, hairspray.  Yikes!

So back to point at hand.  When Kelly did my hair, she shared a book with me called  The Curly Girl's Handbook.  It was AH.MAZE.ING!!!  Everything I had ever felt or experienced about my hair was in these pages!  Anywho, the author's method for great curly hair is quite out of the ordinary....NO SHAMPOO!!!  NO HEAT!!!!  NO STRAIGHTENING!!!   DevaConcepts, of course, has their own line of products, which I was more than happy to dump my grocery store bought products for these rich, luxurious ones.

Now, fast forward a couple of months...and I LOVE the results.  I'm still learning techniques.  It's hard to break decades of bad habits...but I'm getting there.  And my hair is about 100x healthier!

The other day, I noticed on the Deva Curl Facebook page a call out for anyone willing to be a hair model participant in their (super fancy) salon in New York City.  After showing it to Jay in a joking way, he suggested that I send an email.  Why not?  Well....because it's in New York, it's in 2 weeks, we have 3 kids, school, work, volleyball, I'd have to go by myself, they probably received a million emails already....So, I went ahead and sent an email to the contact person.  Almost immediately, I received an email back stating that there was ONE spot left and to send a photo.  I did not hear anything back and the next day I saw on the FB page that all the spaces had been filled.  I assumed I had not been chosen, and while I felt a tinge of disappointment, I didn't lose any sleep over it.

Just last night, I received an email from the contact person stating that I HAD BEEN CHOSEN!!!!  I get to go to New York City, and get a haircut (specifically for curly hair like mine) and highlights valued at $300!!!  Plus a gift bag of hair goodies, their special micro-fiber towel and a video of the process!!!  I'm so thrilled...though, nervous, too, that I might cry (out of happiness) or maybe offer to adopt the stylist so he/she can come home with me because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Now there's a mad dash to make arrangements and plans and back up plans, get some books to read, figure out how to make this happen!!!  But, if I can make it there....

*When all is said and done, I'll create a photo montage of my hair through the years...