You Gotta Be Kidding Me!!

So as I've said before, I'm not cutting my son's hair anymore. It's not long enough for me to put cornrows in yet, so this weekend I experimented with comb coils. I think it looks cute. His dad thinks it's cute. Grandma still has issues & says the boy is no longer allowed in her house with that hair. WHAT!?!?! She says "He looks like a rasta boy" & his great grandmother must be turning in her grave. I don't get it. For a family straight from the island where locs are popular, why such negativity??

I'm glad to report by the end of the evening she had lightened up & was giving hugs & kisses again... but I don't understand why the natural hair styles is such an issue with her.

Yeah... I'd call those locs

On a chilly night here in Fl I finally took a chance... put my kids in the car & drove for longer than 40 min. to visit a friend. We met on the internet! A community board for moms, all of us had kids born in the same month of that year. We've been talking for 3 years now...2 of us live in the same state & never met. When a 3rd was coming to visit family & took the time to drive over for all of us to finally meet I jumped at the chance. So here we are with our youngest in arms... as you can see they didn't stop with the kids we had three years ago! It was a great St. Patty's day for me. The first time I ever 'celebrated' with some great margaritas! Good thing I didn't try to drive home that night! And you know I don't get to see the back of my head very often. Looking at it in this photo- YUP! Those are locs in my head.... & you can't even tell which ones were cut!

Old Friends.... New Friends... someone to talk to....

I don't know why, but people from my past have been in my mind in 1 way or another for a few months. It troubled me because I hadn't spoken to them in years. At this point I wasn't sure if they would remember me... if it would be worth the effort in tracking them down just to say "I thought about you... howya been?" or not. I mean people are put into your past for a reason, right? Sometimes bringing them back into your present is asking for nothing but trouble or confusion. But with certain people, I've felt...I didn't feel right not having them any my circle anymore. I really missed them.
So I searched. I Googled. I Zaba-searched. I even went as far as calling 1 person's mama to track them down ( don't you feel special!). So far the results have been ok...no one's been insulted by my dropping off the face of the earth more than 10 years ago. It was nice to know some had wondered whatever happened to me. Some had heard the rumor that I had died & were relieved to find it incorrect. It's almost like old times talking on the phone... but it's hard because I have to fill in so many blanks on the past. At that point I start thinking "What do I want to reveal & what should I just keep to myself"? But then a real friend wouldn't have to ask that question... would they?
I can say I have 1 real friend. She's been my best friend for more than 30 years & today is the day I celebrate her life... singing old songs & having a slice of chocolate cake or cookies. We can't be together because of the distance between us. But again, when we get on the phone it's like old times. You can't tell by eavsdropping that we haven't seen each other in over 5 years. Hopefully I'll put an end to that drought this year.
I think I missed out on 1 friendship... or maybe it wasn't meant to be. There was this guy.... let's call him "Kevin". I didn't get to know him that well. We worked in the same place, but different departments. Each weekend he would come in to say about 5-10 words to me. I'm so shy I couldn't really start a conversation with him....just an obligatory "Ok, no problem" or whatever was my usual response. One weekend I had M-TV playing in the background & was singing along with T,B, &H "Crossroads". I turned around to see his stunned face, like he was amazed I knew the words ( or at least that particular part...I don't know the whole song). I kinda waited for him to make the typical "Oh, she's a hood-rat" face.... but instead he started singing along w/me! I wish I could have seen MY face looking at this white boy rapping to this gansta-rap ballad. LOL. "Kevin" was cool in my book since then, but I still couldn't talk to him. I would have liked to have lunch w/him one day. Maybe go to a club & dance. Or just plain hang out & talk over a cheeseburger. I've Googled.....I've Zaba-searched....I've failed. I can't find "Kevin". I guess he'll always be the friend that could have been, but I'll keep looking.
NO...I wasn't trying to start an affair or anything....I wasn't able to confirm it cuz I didn't get to know him, but I believe "Kevin" was gay... wouldn't be interested in me if I tried!
With my life being as busy as it is now.... & as busy as it's going to be soon ( did I tell ya'll I'm thinking about going back for a Master's?)...why am I trying to bring more people into my life to be neglected? I don't know. A few years back, Janet Jackson sang "I get so lonley" & I felt the same way. I'm surrounded by people all the time, but I guess I still get lonely for certain friends I once had. I know that saying about people being in your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime...blah blah blah. The seasons repeat themselves, don't they? Looks like it's Spring again!

One day praise... next day BLEH

After feeling good all weekend about finally hitting the 1 year mark with the locs, somehow today I want to grab the scissors & get rid of ALL the unlocked ends. This would leave me with about 2-3 inches of loced hair. I don't do short hairstyles very well. Seems like the simple solution would be to get them cutting ideas out of my head, right?
What's really bugging me is the ends that are bunched & flat. Then the loose end sticks out of it like a sore thumb. I'm thinking I can go ahead & cut, roll them up every night til I can invest in a set of soft spikes & then maybe I'll be happy. But there's no way to guarantee that.
It all started with cutting a few ends here & there that got on my nerves... & now I can't stop. Anyone else ever been through this?

Black Disney Princess

Disney finally created a Black Princess.

I'm glad Disney finally got it together to give us a princess thata finally looks like US. From this picture she's very pretty & I'd be happy to have my daughter owningthe doll, bedsheets, wallpaper, etc. but.... I may be alone on this... "The Frog Princess"?? They couldn't give us a more appealing name? I mean you think of Snow White & Cinderella.... even Belle was the Beauty in Beauty & the Beast...but I I don't see someone called the Frog Princess as synanomous with beauty. Guess I gotta see the movie first. I really feel like it was a "give 'em a black princess so they'll shut up" kind of thing & I'm feeling like "Oh wow. Thanks, but no thanks". No offense, but I'm not so crazy about the name either.... Maddy. It just doesn't ring "Princess" to me. No offense to anyone named "Maddy" of course....

Another 'DUH' moment in my life!

How on earth did I forget my loc-iversary! March 8, 2006 I got that girl down the street to put micro-braid size plats in my head with the intention of starting braidlocs since I couldn't afford sisterlocs.



Now a complete year later I've had to cut off those silky ends that just would not loc...well most of them anyway. I kept a few just to remind me where I came from.

If someone came along with about 2 weeks of free time & a straight pin, they could possibly undo what God has created. Until then I am proud to say my hair is LOC'ED! I just can't wait for more length so it'll be gathered into one of those pineapple ponytails! Thank you all for the inspiration & joining me on the journey so far...

It's been 3 years now...

I just found a post from Tre's mom... remember that preemie I asked everyone to pray for last year? Remembering how concerned I was for his frail life at that time reminded me of what could have been for my son. That reminded me of everything I was going through...almost 3 years ago today.


On March 1st I said goodbye to my husband... being shipped off to Iraq. I didn't know if I would get to look into his eyes again. I didn't know if he would ever get to see his yet to be born son.


On March 5th I woke up from my lumpectomy surgery surrounded by a bunch of strange & concerned faces... and it finally hit me. This was not just a little cold I was dealing with. It was not just being on the verge of getting cancer.... I had cancer... & something was wrong cuz they were trying to stop my contractions...my son wasn't due for another 2 months!


Then they told me we shouldn't hold off chemo any further. This was a fast growing, larger than previously anticipated cancer. In January I was told it was stage 0. Here 2 months later I'm told stage 2, then after a few more reviews it's stage 3. I get it now....this is serious. Of course I just want the baby to be ok. We let lil man develop til 34 weeks.



Suprise weekend.... March 25 I am told we will induce labor on the 29th. March 26th the Navy allows my husband to come home for that weekend since I will be induced...& he get's to meet his son a day earlier than planned! I actually went into labor on my own on the 28th.


So March 2004 was definitely a roller coaster month for me. Today I am amazed at how the boy that was once 4lbs 6 0z...small enough to wear his sister's baby doll clothes, is right now running around the house screaming for no particular reason & stomping his feet just to make more noise! I ask "Boy, are you crazy?" & those beautiful brown eyes smile up at me & screams "YEAH!" I look at my son's birthday as a lanmark to both my husband's & my survival. Happy Birthday Pooda-wooda! As for me, I started chemo 3 days later. Imagine coming to the cancer treatment center with that hospital tag around my wrist & a brand newborn in a carrier!

And since this is a hair blog, I'll talk about his for a moment. There's his dad. Dad likes to go bald. We would have liked that for sonny-boy as well, but he's not having it. Still mad about the 1st hair-cut 1 day after his 1st birthday I guess. Well we've decided to stop torturing each other with the kicking, screaming, & crying associated by the simple appearance of the clippers. Now he's sporting a low afro. It will grow out 'til it's long enough to braid, then he's going back to corn-rows. Unfortunately Grandma says he will no longer be allowed into her house with braids in his head. Love you mom, but you got issues!

Oh, & baby Tre? He's a big boy now! 1 year old & 23lbs. Whoever said prayer doesn't help is a liar!