thank you, mary...

so, as many of you know (or are about to find out), i'm currently enrolled in cosmetology  school & have been since last april. i've had quite a ride that will come to an end in november. other than the normal bookwork, testing, & time on the clinic floor playing with guests hair, nails, & faces, i've also had extracurriculars; including but not limited to plays, photo shoots, & fashion shows. i adore doing hair & makeup & look forward to starting my career.

among the  many opportunities, i was presented with one of my most favorite to date late last spring. it was a wig competition & the wigs were going to be donated to the south carolina oncology associates here in town. i was immediately intrigued. 

wait, i'd never even made a wig. could i make a wig? i sure wanted to try. for cancer patients? why, yes...i could help someone to forget for a brief moment in time about any hair loss from an illness & feel some sort of normalcy. & selfishly, i did it a little for myself...to test my comfort zone & to maybe learn & grow for the sake of my craft.

i would complete my mission of making a wig, compete in said contest, & win 2nd place. but this blog isn't about my victory of placing; i'd already reached that goal just by putting myself out there & creating something that i was truly proud of. no, this is way bigger than me.

a couple of weeks after the competition, we were notified that one of the local news crews would be visiting the school to interview the contestants about their process & inspiration for our wig designs. (mine was simply that i know & have known cancer fighters & survivors & that awareness is key, especially among my own age group.) a few weeks after that, they'd come back...this time with a cancer survivor & recipient of the very first wig. unfortunately, i was unable to come to school early due to last minute notice. i would soon find out that my wig was chosen! i was bummed that i wasn't there, but felt so honored & excited & knew that the other two winners were taking excellent care of her & the styling.

she introduced herself as mary haddon when she called to thank me that afternoon & i apologized that i was unable to meet her at the school. she called me...to personally thank me for entering this competition & giving her the convenience of long hair again! she said it'd been some time & she couldn't wait to show her daughter, who often pulled out old pictures that reminded her of her once flowing locks. you know how you can tell when someone is smiling over the phone? i did that for her. i was a blubbering mess all night because my heart was so full!

fast forward to tonight. as i'm getting in from school, shoving my face with leftover pizza, talking to the hubs, & reading emails, facebook, etc., i'm shocked to see that dear mary haddon had passed this evening. i immediately cry...& i can't even believe what i've read. & i mean sobbing...for a woman i've never met, but felt so connected to. i text a very close friend, who i suspect might still be up & know will have the right words to console my bewilderment...& she does. the hubs confirms the sentiment.

but, i'm a little teary-eyed still & a lot heartbroken for her family. i'm not sure why our paths crossed, but i'm thankful for it. 

life is so freaking short. & i have so many questions, but for now, i just have to continue to strive to do my little part in this big world. & here come the waterworks again...

thank you, mary, for everything!

back to school...

as the first week of school begins to marinate, i start to reminisce on summer (from a week ago), & how i was this “good guy,” the cool mom who allowed morning time ample room for ‘cartoon network’ & zelda…even a little minecrafting. all hail “me!” no particular schedules of waking up or going to bed or getting dressed…unless a spectacular occasion called for it. the only thing i would get were the occasional ‘mehs’ of few & far between…when the afternoons finally called for a “let’s go to grammy’s” because of my night classes. but overall, i was awesome!

now, let me fill you in on the non-summer routine…what is to surely come of my coolness points & momma street cred with the monkey. if memory serves me, it goes something like this…

miraculously, i awake to alarm clocks that no one else hears. i wish snooze was in my vocabulary, but most days it's not. i shuffle through the house like a disoriented zombie. the cat tries to kill me by zipping through my legs, because apparently we're racing? i spot the dog, who doesn't want to get up either, & pretends to not have made eye contact. i walk back to monkey's room & in my best june cleaver voice, announce "time to get up!"  i lay clothes out. i say " come on, sweet boy, time to get up"  i make breakfast. i repeat, " time to get up!" i make sure the lunch box has everything needed. i double check homework &/or pack book bags. i say "get dressed...go ahead & eat." i walk back to the bedroom to remind the hubs, "time to get up." i ready toothbrushes with toothpaste. i set shoes, jackets, whatevers out. i ask nicely at least 7-8 times (well, you know)...but no one notices. yet again, " c'mon, get dressed...go ahead & eat." maybe a little bit more stern this time. they notice. “where is your library book?” i ask questions & start conversations that aren't meant to frustrate, but seemingly upset sleepy ones. i attempt to read minds. i realize that i can't read minds. i still can’t find that library book. i change back to mary poppins, but to no avail. i remind  again, "time to go!" i disturb the otherwise happy, nothing to do today moods of the household. but there is stuff to do...it's a weekday of learning...& i found the library book, hooray! i become the enemy. i make husbands grumble & monkeys wrinkle their noses in detest!  i'm a tyrant, a monster, the mother. i plant smooches, wish a super fun awesome happy day & wave fanatically at the door like a big doofus trying to save face! all before i’ve had my coffee!!

eureka! i know what i’ll do different this year…drink my coffee first!

"children"...

one of the many housewarming gifts that i received when the hubs & i purchased our first home was a cute little sign from my sister that read "this place is a zoo."  it was quite the double entrende as hubs' job at the time was primary penguin keeper at the local zoo & also, that our love for animals, far exceeded that of the criminally insane.
but the meaning was appropriate, nonetheless, & still hangs in our house.


to have met someone, who fancied a multitude of beasts, & of all blood temps, was beyond my wildest dreams (yes, i said fancied). & at one time, the then not hubs yet & i had plenty of the food budget split accordingly. there was us (naturally), about 12 reptiles (i think 2-3 were not venomous...eep), a very scary australian trap door spider, 5 bengal kitties we were housing (we ended up with the only female, rita), a domestic shorthair found in a dumpster (or, miss sybil...my faithful tv companion & trip artist to this day). we babysat a tiger once & holy, nightmare...that thing would stalk me when people left the room, but hey, he was cute...ha! & oh my goodness, the two pygmy marmosets that we fostered until our friend set up habitat for them; let's just say, child rearing crash course for the future!


during our courtship/living in sin/i do's, the hubs & i have lovingly housed a ferret, turtles, salt water fishes, a chocolate & white (i know, right) skunk, poison arrow frogs, various reptiles, & have made shelter for numerous, i mean nu-mer-ous, parrots until their forever homes were found.


at the time of said housewarming, our new abode only consisted of a few family members; delia the border collie, sybil & rita, & paco, the quaker parrot. only sybil remains of the original lineup. the monkey loved & lost the other three along with hubs & me. it sucks to lose a pet...always. but, then to experience it with your child? heart wrenching!


sooo...we got the sybil girl & little beagle brother, scout. (who drive each other crazy) & we've added tarantula #1 (spiderus, r.i.p) & tarantula #2 (blue), 6 chickens (or, the girls), a corn snake, 2 red eyed tree frogs, & a fiesty bearded dragon (lula) to our little "zoo." i speak of goats & rabbits often, but get denied (they act like i'm not the one who'll take care of these new additions).


in the meantime, i break for squirrels (even though they steal my tomatoes & peppers in the garden), am in awe of all creatures big & small, love watching birds; even tolerate crazy bugs for the sake of monkey...except for our state (sc) bird, the mosquito...viscous little bloodsuckers...ouch!

i love my animals (yes, even monkey's tarantula), like...love them. maybe it's the momma in me; i've always had an affinity for critters & the need to not only yield to, but nurture them. we share that, the hubs & i...i own that…it's “our” thing.