the most valuable lesson i ever learned.

i didn't always want to be in the beauty industry. i grew up with very little, so beauty seemed like a fairy tale. but here i am at 27 years old laying smack dab in the middle of the industry. i take my state board exam to be a cosmetologist in 4 days and i work at the cosmetology school that i attended. i'm surrounded by it and, as happy as i am in the industry, i never quite felt like i truly belonged here. as if i were submersed in water but came out completely dry, untouched. still, it makes me happy.

a girl who currently goes to school there was also a classmate of mine. we weren't terribly close, but when we did hang out it was always a lot of fun. the first thing that drew me to here was the confidence she exuded. it was uncanny, unlike anything i've seen. i always admired her fashion, her makeup choices and her hair. everything seemed to compliment her.

and so time went by and i graduated and became an employee. we spoke even less though we still remained friendly. but one day she was walking in to school and i said to her "i really like your dress, you always look so precious!" and she turned to me and, before she even thanked me for the compliment, she told me the most valuable lesson i could have learned: "just wear what you want, that's what i do."

though i've heard that phrase many times, this was like the first time i've ever heard it. "just wear what you want!" i finally get it! she was so happy and confident because she was wearing what she wanted to. she wasn't trying to squeeze herself into something she didn't feel amazing in. in that moment, my entire wardrobe flashed before my eyes: all of the clothes that i bought because they were on sale or the clothes that i considered functional at best...i didn't own anything that made me feel beautiful. i hadn't been making any effort to find the pieces that spoke to me and fit my budget.

and so i learned that if i'm doing anything for any reason other than 'it really makes me happy,' then i shouldn't be doing it. life is too short to be anything but beautiful and confident and truly alive. and that is the lesson i learned from alex k-h.

the kitchen beautician

maybe you've heard the phrase or maybe you've known a kitchen beautician. these are the ladies and gentlemen who create the most fashionable looks of the decade...right from their kitchen. wielding no license but PLENTY of practice with perm rods, they keep friends, churches, and entire neighborhoods lookin fresh. but the kitchen beautician is all about the relationships. it's about keeping up with their friends and keeping the neighborhood close.

these are the ideas that inspired my future (fingers crossed) salon idea. though i will be licensed (which will probably work out for the best) the atmosphere will be that of community. and it will be called The Kitchen Beautician.

my decor idea is inspired by the 50's era kitchen. i chose the 50's because it's nostalgic (even if you weren't alive in the 50's), recognizable, and, of course, the women always looked fabulous in the 50's!

and there's so many fun ways to take pieces of the 50's and merge them with modern pieces to create an awesome vintage salon! not to mention the great colors of the 50's!

and to top it off: serve cupcakes and coffee! yum!

check out this salon's website, it's pretty much exactly what i want...it just needs the jenni twist!

give me the positive people.

i want to become a better person. i want to be a kind, loving, giving and selfless person. i want to work in a salon surrounded by team players, by people who don't talk about each other behind their backs but rather encourage, teach, and are kind to everyone they work with. i want to work in a salon surrounded by humans who might will mess up a time or two but are given a second chance...and who learn from each time they mess up.

maybe this is an idealistic dream but it's what i strive for. and i can't wait.

with these planted feet, i wonder.

i look at pictures of myself when i was 22 and think "things have changed. a lot." i miss traveling. i need to see something and have a sense of wonder soon. i've realized that traveling has been a huge part of my life since i was born and when i don't do it i feel unsteady and restless. i think that's happening.

picture me this...

one of my favorite things to do is use stumbleupon.com and just check out all the really cool pictures that are out there in the world. i like to save them and go through them every now and then in order to remind myself that cool things are happening in the world. here are a few that i've saved up.

so, i've been thinking about things.

i realize i have a lot of questions about science but i don't have anyone to answer them. if any of my 5 blog followers happens to be a scientist, please answer the following questions (in complete sentences):

1. where do ideas come from? i swear, one minute i can be sitting there thinking about absolutely nothing and then all of the sudden BAM! i have the most awesome thought. ever. where did that come from?!

2. how do cells know what to do? like...you got your lip cells and you got your mustache area face cells (i know there's a more scholarly way to say that.)  how do the lip cells know when to stop being lip cells and start being mustache area face cells where the lip ends? (scientist, i realize this may be a confusing question but if you and i are going to be friends, you're gonna have to let me explain a little bit more in real life. because i swear i know what i mean.)

ok, those are all the questions for now. i'll write down all of the other ones i have and post them later.

thank you, scientist!

<3 jenni

everything, everything will be just fine.

i never realized it until now but i'm a problem solver. i never really gave myself too much credit in that area because when faced with a problem, i never came up with solutions quickly or off the top of my head. i always considered that a flaw and i would clearly never make a good Commander in Chief of a country in the midst of a nuclear holocaust. luckily, i'm not applying for that job.

i'm the thinking type. the "give me a few days and i will solve the main problem and any other little problem debris" type. sometimes this is misunderstood as being lazy or careless but in reality my brain is going over every possibility. i think this commercial is a good example of how my brain works.

(haha, awesome still photo)

today was a great problem solving day. i decided to trade in my beloved Angus for an older model because i found that my car insurance is still pretty high (and yes, i've checked around...believe me!) and my car taxes are astronomical. i also needed some money to pay off school so i can graduate and take state boards as soon as possible. i found a great 01 honda accord that actually rides better than my ford focus and will probably last longer, not to mention i'm sure my insurance and taxes will go down AND i got back enough money to pay for school. BAM. problem(s) solved. 

"it just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride."

not that this is the end of all my problems...but it sure is nice to be able to breathe a little easier.