highlights and wrinkles

I had a very interesting conversation with a friend last night about getting older.  She is in college finishing up her degree and is not considered a "traditional" student.  Meaning that she is out of her teens.  The professor was speaking to the class and mentioned that most of them would not understand what he was saying due to the fact that most of the students were born in '91.  My friend was appalled and rolled her eyes with this comment.

I started thinking back and took myself on a little journey to "Back When I was 17..."  Back when I was 17, I remember someone asking me why I didn't color or highlight my hair.  My response was an easy because I LIKE my hair, it is healthy, pretty, natural, easy to manage, and until that changes I am content with what I've got.  I will also admit to being a little nervous that it might turn a crazy orange color because I do have a slight red tent to my hair (or so I've been told).  Anyway, fast forward 8 years later (and several teaching years later) and this is the conversation I had with my hairdresser.  (Note that I began getting gray hair at the ripe young age of 25.)

Me: What do you think I can do to cover up these gray hairs?
Hairdresser: We can color and highlight it.
Me: I'm scared it won't look right for me and I'll end up with crazy hair all the time instead of just some days.
Hairdresser: It will look fine.  Do you want to do it or not?
Me: I guess, but let's wait until I come back in 6 weeks.  I need to work up the nerve.
Hairdresser: Can't wait!

6 weeks down the road ...  I've sat in the salon for 2 hours.  My hair has been colored, highlighted, washed, and rinsed.  I look in the mirror ...

Me: Oh my gosh, it's too blonde!
Hairdresser: No it isn't.  It looks great!
Me: No, too blonde!  We have to fix it.  What can you do?
Hairdresser: I can put a little toner in to soften the highlights.  It fades out over time and you will never notice it.
Me: Okay, let's do that because I can't leave here looking like this!
Hairdresser: Oh geez!

15 minutes later...

Me: I like it!  It isn't too blonde and I can't really tell like I've had anything done except now there is NO gray hair.
Hairdresser: It does look great.
Me: Sheeesh, I was nervous there for a minute because it was REALLY blonde!
Hairdresser: That will be $50.

Back to last night's conversation with my non-traditional college student friend.  We are discussing the fact that we are indeed getting older and there are changes being made all the time to our appearance.  I tell her that I'm not sure at what age I should start using wrinkle cream (because I have now realized just like I did when I noticed the gray hair on my head that I will definitely have to do some maintenance) and she then flatters me by saying that I have no wrinkles.  I respond with, of course not.  That's because I keep getting fatter and the wrinkles get filled in.  In my opinion, that was an amazing sentence.  She called me crazy and I then realized that I had discovered the solution to every woman's wrinkle problems.  Gain weight.  What a break through.  Now to those of you cynics that think I'm crazy, that is fine.  Just know that while you are spending money and years trying to preserve your youth, I will be dining out and enjoying time with family and friends wrinkle free.

:o)

Poker Face

You can't read my poker face, papapapapa poker face, papapapapapapa poker face, papapapapapapa poker face, papapapapapa poker face.  Don't be fooled by what you think you know because I have mastered the "poker face."

It's Just Me!

I could sit here and type all day about the experiences in my life that have made it amazing, but let's face it ... that would be awfully boring.  Instead, I am going to only tell you about why I have decided to start this blog and then spend the next, oh I guess 100 blogs, telling you about ME!

I have friends that say I am funny.  I have people who say that I am a good writer.  "They" have encouraged me to write a book and I have decided to start with a blog.  I figure that if I can't keep this up it will be a good indicator that I shouldn't ever quit my day job to write a book.

I settled on a title for a book a long time ago, Single in the Country, but when I went to title my blog just that, someone else had stolen it.  My first thought was OH MAN, I thought I was an original, but once again that is not true.  The fact that this other person also lives in a small town of about 700 people and moved there to find herself AND true love made me guess that I don't have the single in the COUNTRY mindset as much as I thought.  So with that being said, I had to rename my blog and the credit belongs 100% to my friend, Bill "Princess" Johnson ...

Bill and I have known each other for a very long time.  We met our first year of college (he says it wasn't until our 2nd year, but as usual he is wrong and I AM RIGHT!) and he is just one of those people that you want to either be around or make fun of the entire time you are together.  For me, it is a combination of both.  Anyway, he started a blog a long time ago and titled it Out of November because that is when he was born.  I asked him the other day if I could borrow his title and name my blog Out of April since that is my birthday month and when Sherylpalooza starts and he could barely contain his excitement as he was telling me yes, yes, yes you can!

So here I sit with just a short start to what I hope is a fun endeavor into the wonderful world of writing.  I will be seeing you guys on the flip-flop (that comes from my very funny nephew who doesn't take nothing off the mean kids on the bus).

:o)