Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Free Kittens

For the last three years Abby has been asking for a kitten. We thought that at 6 she was too young to take care of one, so we told her "not right now".

Well, like any kid determined to get her way, she didn't take no for an answer! She asked why and why not and how come, and my personal favorite "what if I promise to......." I coudn't keep up with the list of empty promises she proposed in order to get the kitten of her dreams.

I have nothing against kittens or cats, I love them. In fact I had one for about 15 years, his name was Rusty and he was one of the best pets I have ever had.

Abby was so funny in her quest to become a cat mommy that whenever we were driving down the road she would scout the intersections for signs and would always be sure to point them out. Look mom! Free kittens........F R E E, freeeeeeee. The're giving them away!!!!!

She was shocked that something so precious could be had so cheaply. What were people thinking?! This was a kitten for crying out loud. It would play with you and sleep with you and be soft and cuddly and sweet and and and......oh so many things that she couldn't name them all.

Well, yesterday while she was spending the day with her grandmother, Ray and I saw a sign for free kittens, so we called the number and went to see the little boogers.

Yes, we picked out a very cute little kitten for Abby. She was very surprised and they have been inseperable since.

For the record, since my trip to the store for the basic kitten essentials, our free kitten has only cost us a mere $56 and some change and mind you those are pre-vet dollars. Hopefully she will pulling her weight around here very soon, she can begin by finding the rouge hamster that got loose from it's cage last week.......

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Hair Today, Blonde Tomorrow

About nine years ago I met someone who not only became one of my dearest friends but she also became my hairdresser. She asked me just the other day if I had blogged about my hair yet, I told her no, I was still trying to decide whether or not I would. She just cringed and we laughed. I told her not to worry.

So for privacy sake I will only give her initials, T. R. I. N. A.

She is going to die (or should I say dye?) when she sees this so I better take my time and get it right. I count on her commenting if I leave out anything important.

Through the years the two of us have embarked on many adventures that began on the top of my head. The first time she ever cut my hair, it was just past my shoulders and all I ever did with it was pull it back in a pony tail or braid it. It was hot and just got in the way all the time. I also had this silver streak running through the right side that I thought was pretty neat looking.

At the time I was ready to cut the whole thing off and highlight the tips of my hair as light as we could, it was a very drastic change and she was not completely convinced that I knew what I was getting myself into.

Little did she know that before we had met I had gone from long to short to long hair many times before. Despite this claim she still insisted that I call my husband and get his okey dokey before she went to wacking away at my head. I obediently called Ray and asked if he cared if I cut my hair off. He said it was my hair, do as I wished. That kinda threw me off since he had always been so vocal in the past in regards to my latest and greatest do, hmmmm, what does he mean it's my hair, cut it if I want to? Is he trying to use reverse psychology on me?

Well, it did't work. I sat in the chair and she began to work her magic. The style was great and shorrrrrrrt. The color perfect. To quote Trina when her husband called during our little makeover she was striping me like a zebra. It was by far one of the most awesome do's we have ever done. Little did people know it was just a taste of things to come....

As time has passed I have grown it back out and cut it back off, permed it, colored it red, black and purple one time by accident, but always different. No sooner does everyone get used to one look and then I change it. For me this is a blast. In fact I am not happy unless my hair can be styled into at least 2 different looks per hairstyle. Not asking much am I?!

As time has passed that little silver streak has grown to cover most of the top of my head. I have worked overtime trying to keep my hair colored the dark brown I was born with and it is now getting to the point of ridiculous trying to keep up with it. So I decided it was time to cut it short, highlight the top and let the many applications of brown hair color grow out. It will be interesting to see what color my hair really is ---or not, only time will tell.

I call Trina, tell her the plan, she marks me down in her appointment book and we wait for D-Day. Little did I know we were about to embark on the adventure of our lives!

I arrive at her shop on the appointed day ( A Friday) and show Trina two hairstyles that I liked. She and I discuss the pro's and con's of each and then I choose the style I then like best and we move on to step 2, highlighting of the hair.

I should have know when she began her sentence with; "I've been thinking about your hair and ........ that the day was was going to be one neither of us would forget very soon.

She suggested that I go a little heavier with the blonde than just pulling the top portion through a cap and highlighting those few sprigs. It was apparent that I had quite a bit of white hair coming through on top and it might blend better if we went a little heavier with the highlights. In theory, that sounded great. In reality, not so much.

Trina had not been the one doing my hair color all this time. I was the one putting bottle after bottle of dark brown color on my head every 4-6 weeks for the past two or three years. She had no idea how much color there was to strip off of my noggin and I had no clue that it mattered. It matters.

Four hours and two bleach applications later I have a striking head of strawberry blond hair. In fact it struck me everytime I got a glimpse of myself. It was alot like having a baby, you don't get what you expect and you don't expect what you get. Trina tried to hold herself together for my sake but I could tell that things didn't quite work out the way she had planned.

She called the beauty supply shop and told them I was coming by to get a conditioning treatment for my hair and she put me on her book for a second attempt at blonde for the following friday. The style was good and my bangs were melting, but what the heck, worst case scenario I would get a few strange looks for the next week.

Did I say a few? I actually got alot of looks and many comments, but I have to say that it was such an out of the ordinary look for me that I began to have alot of fun with it. I went to the drugstore the following day and had a couple of people who couldn't control themselves and they just outright stared at me. I laughed and commented that it was hard to believe this wasn't my natural hair color huh! They would laugh and go about their business.

Trina called me later that day and said "Your not going to church tomorrow are you?" I laughed and said "No, not to my church anyway. I had decided to go visit her church and when people asked how I knew Trina I was going to tell them she was my hairdresser." She didn't see the humor in that at all.

Long story short, I went back to her shop that evening and she put a rinse on my hair to take the brassyness out and all was well with the world. It actually took a third trip to her shop to really get it to a more natural looking color. It went from strawberry blonde to banana yellow, to a nice ashy shade of blonde in three simple trips.

Trina's husband Michael suggested I put a Dole banana sticker on my forehead and go about my business. Your killing me Michael! I guess people are so used to my shenanigans with my hair that when something like this happens, they think it is on purpose. Trina did say though that a mutual friend asked her when she was going to fix my hair. That really cracked me up. Trina told her it was a work in progress. I thought that was a very appropriate answer!

Would I do it again? You betcha, but only if Trina is the one doing it with me!!! By far this was the best "hair do" I have had in a long time, but I am a little weird that way. I have to admit that a couple of days there my new look would go from being funny to me to not so much funny as freakish. But for the most part anything that can make me laugh I am all for and if you can't laugh at your self, well then you are taking things just a little too seriously!

Peace Out.