HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH??

Let's hash this out once and for all. How much is too much to pay for a hair cut? My stylist is great (I think-please don't judge her by the way I style my hair.). I have been with her for 9 years and have moved with her 3 times. When I started going to her I was pregnant with Claremarie. We have gone through 4 pregnancies together and several miscarriages (hers). We have shared losses with each other as well. She knows my kids and husband and we are even friends on facebook and my space. We also share the same faith. As far as hair goes, she cares about what I want and never lets me leave the salon looking bad. I appreciate that because recently when she was on maternity leave I was sent out of the salon looking like a wreck! My hair is also very thin so she does certain cutting techniques with it to maximize the minimal!

When I started with her I think I paid $28.00 for a cut and style. Yes, I pay for the style even though I know I could do it myself. Now it is up to....I almost hate to say how much.....$50.00, not counting the tip. That is a killer. Since I have a short, very style specific hair cut I have to get it done every 4-5 weeks to keep it looking right and I can't just walk into great clips to get it trimmed. It needs texturizing!!

I understand that hair cutting is a craft and one that she has mastered quite well and I believe with every fiber of my being that people should be rewarded for their skill but it sure would be nice if there were some kind of grandfather clause!

So, am I paying too much (remember, this isn't a one length do that gets trimmed once a year) or is it worth it for everything I mentioned above? Does anyone out there pay almost as much? I'll ask one more time...How much is too much?

HAPPY THINGS

Tonight I was going to blog about how disturbed I am about all that is going on in the world and the idiocy that is constantly on display.....Nah, too depressing and dreary.

Then I was going to blog about how much work it is to pack for my small family, for a week long trip and how the mom has to do all the work.....Nah, I'll be thankful that I have a family to pack for and that we get to take a vacation this year.

I thought about blogging about the musical WICKED (we saw it last night), but most people I know have seen it or are going to see it so that would be repetitious now wouldn't it?

So how about this. I don't have a lot of plants in my landscaping that bloom but today seeing these beautiful flowers just made me happy. (They made my neighbor happy too. I made her come look at them. She now officially thinks I have completely lost it!!)

I love the deep, rich color of this clematis. (I know this picture isn't stellar.) Sam helped me rig it up so it is finally climbing. Isn't it beauteous? Notice all the buds so it will only get more beautiful, provided we don't have a bad storm or that Camden doesn't pour gasoline on it.

And, of course you can always count on the peony to brighten your day. Their sweet smell and cheerful (yes, I think they are cheerful don't you?) blooms are wonderful (yes I know they have a lot of ants on them but ants are God's creatures too and as long as they are on the peony they aren't in your house...am I right or am I right?). You really can't kill peonies either. I know because I've chopped them off and mowed them, yet still they live!!

NO!! I am not heavily medicated right now (just in case you were wondering).

MEMORIAL DAY

When I was growing up Memorial Day wasn't about a barbecue or going to the lake. It was always about honoring those who are no longer with us. My family made the tour to the different cemeteries where loved ones are buried and placed flowers on their graves. We learned early on how to show our respect in these sacred places by walking near the headstones and by being quiet. We also learned a lot about history by reading the engravings on the stones of both the young and the old and by the stories my parents told of uncles who fought in the wars and of a great grandmother who had died during the flu epidemic. During the different memorial day services, we would hear the speakers and the prayers. We would see the men with their veteran's hats on, haltingly and often times limping, lay the wreath on the unknown soldiers grave. We would hear the mournful sound of taps being played out across the quiet hillsides and then we would hear the shocking sound of the gun salute break that silence.

My brother (as well as an uncle, an aunt, and a cousin) is buried at Fort McPherson, which is a national cemetery at Maxwell, NE. We stopped to place some flowers on his grave and as I looked out over the rows and rows of white tombstones, I thought back to these times and realized that these services and rituals were where I began to develop my love for this country and also where I came to learn about the sacrifice so many have made for us. My children asked the same questions that I always asked when I was young and now they are learning the same lessons I did.

It is so important to teach our children what this day really means. It only takes an hour or two to attend a Memorial Day service. Not much of a sacrifice when you stop to consider what so many individuals and families have given up for each of us. There is not a better history lesson to be found!! I promise the barbecue and lake will still be there when you are done.

THIS AND THAT

It's disney, disney, disney around here as the time quickly approaches for our trip, but we have been up to a few other things as well.

Claremarie is officially a 4th grader. We are sad to see 3rd grade come to an end since it was such an awesome year for her. Mrs. Lessley was a wonderful teacher and other than the few learning experiences we had regarding friendships, it was a problem-free year. This is a picture of her from the last day of school (the sun was in her eyes). Her report card was good as were her SAT scores but I think the thing we were most proud of was the amount of Scripture she learned this year. Her teacher wrote the reference to a Bible passage on her report card (Psalm 119:9-16) and when I asked her if she knew the verses she recited them to me.

Aunt Arlene found time to cut both the kids' hair while we were visiting this last weekend. Claremarie got a lot cut off. She had been growing it out, saying how much she wanted long hair. That lasted until I started french braiding it. I think she got tired of me pulling it tight and decided to get it chopped. My baby got his head buzzed. Bye bye curls.

Sam has had a rough month at work with personnel issues and other things I can't really talk about on a blog (ask me if you want to know more). Also, the friend who he shaved his head for unexpectedly died in his sleep a couple weeks ago so that has hit the store hard. He is also working A LOT of hours during this busy time which means the kids and I are having A LOT of together time.

Both kids are doing the baseball/softball thing this summer so that will be fun (yes, I said that with a straight face).

That's the Park update. Nothing too exciting, just life.

ZOO

Camden and I squeezed in one more zoo trip together before CM gets out of school this week. We rode the tram (It is an awesome view but I found it a little frigtening.) and did all the other regular stuff. It was an awesome morning. I'm glad I have one more year with him before he goes to school.

When we first got there and were walking around the rainforest, Camden said, "Boy, I have to get down to this zoo more often to see the nature of beauty." I think we were looking at a mud puddle at the time.

A MOTHER'S FAIRY

Wouldn't it be nice if there were such a thing as a Mother's fairy? Kind of like the tooth fairy I guess. She (or it could be a he-I would not discriminate) would only have to appear on the days when it is just all so overwhelming (maybe 6 or 7 times a year). And there wouldn't even need to be any grand gestures on the fairy's part. Maybe just put the dishes in the dishwasher and wipe the crumbs off the table, after breakfast, while I am on the school run. Or perhaps empty the dishwasher. I don't mind filling it but I despise the repetition of emptying it. On the really bad days it would be nice if the fairy would clean the kitchen floor, my all-time, least favorite chore. OK, I guess that last one is kind of a grand gesture. Hey, it's Mother's Day! A girl can dream can't she.....................