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I did mention my birthday road trip right before I went last year. Then I was delinquent and never came back with any pictures or talked about it in any way. Smh. Well I went to the doctor the other day, the phlebotomist who had suggested a location to visit, jogged my memory about the trip. We discussed the place and how it touched both of us. She shared an amazing story about what happened to her and it inspired me to share details about my trip.

So my birthday trip was October 29, 2018 to November 4, 2018. My first stops were in the upper peninsula of Michigan. I actually had never went up that way before. The main goal of my trip was to see autumn colors. I am a fall baby and it is my favorite season. The first thing I noticed was the speed limit became 75 mph. I was excited about that at first because less chance of me getting a ticket since I was already going 75+ mph anyway. But the thrill started to go away because it was legal. Lol. Rebel at heart here. Well I discovered that Michigan trees shed their leaves more in the middle of October. Not a lot of colors to see, but I did get some good pics.

My first stop was Mackinac Island. Now I don’t really know what I was expecting but it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. It was a lot of hotels, I mean a lot. And what was weird is it look like they didn’t set them up to have good views of the water. What is the point of being surrounded by water and not taking advantage of that🤷🏾? I seen the lighthouse and had to make my way there.

Mind you this was in late October and people were still going out on the water in that cold weather. The water was so clear and beautiful.

The reason I went up north was to see the Cross in the Woods Shrine, so I didn’t linger on Mackinac Island for long. The Cross in the Woods had me speechless. It was such a beautiful and serene atmosphere. It felt as if it was separated from everything. There wasn’t any noise from the street. I happened to be the only person there at that time as well.

The cross is located behind a church. There is mass outside a few times a day. The church building also has a gift shop/store. I made it to the cross too late to be able to go inside the gift shop. I was in my anti-social mode so I did not venture into the building at all. Next time I will go in and see what it is like. Sorry I am not able to share insight on the inside.

There was fake candles that you could light in observance of someone. It was required to give a donation to light a candle. It would stay lit for the day. Or you could go inside the gift shop and pay for a longer time period.

Now to the story from the phlebotomist. Her name is Becky. She said that as a child she had cancer and her treatments were not going well. It was hard to find a vein to give her the treatments she needed and it cause her to miss treatments. Her father decided to take her to The Cross in the Woods. After visiting the cross, Becky came home and was one of the first people to get a port. A port is installed in the chest for people with bad veins. It allows the doctors/nurses to draw blood and also administer medication. She said after the port was installed she never missed another treatment and was able to beat cancer’s ass. She truly believed that the visit to The Cross in the Woods is what helped her. I believe it as well. That was an awesome testimony.

I love to explore and learn new things and visit new places, but I will definitely return to The Cross in the Woods again. If you like to travel, I recommend for you to visit the cross at least once. It is an experience like none other. Once I stopped back home, I headed south. I made stops in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. I will discuss the rest of my birthday road trip over the next couple of posts.  I will also share some amazing pics that I took with my Galaxy Note 8. It has a great camera. Until we meet again, be well and whole.

Sometimes I have thoughts that I write down with the intent of sharing on this blog. The issue is usually they are only a paragraph which would make for a short post. Before this point, they were just sitting in my Evernote app waiting for their day. Lol. Well I decided to combine a few of them into one post. There is no rhythm or reason. They are just my random and not so random thoughts. I will definitely be sharing more post like this.

1. I am the Road Rage Queen. I have gotten better though. I rarely ever flick anyone off or roll my window down to cuss them out. I still struggle with people doing stupid, inconsiderate things. They will get the horn or the evil glare as I pass by them. I believe that some people may not be aware of their driving mistakes and others just don’t really care. My suggestion for either group of people is they should be required to take the written part of the driving test at least every 10 years. This would refresh people’s knowledge about the do’s and do not’s of driving. Let’s be real, most people received their temps and/or driver’s licenses between the ages of 16 – 20 or so. Who and the hell truly remembers that information from so long ago?!? Nobody! I remember a few things, but if I had to take the test today, there is a good chance I may fail. I wonder who I need to contact to discuss this idea 🤔.

2. Here is another random car related thought. I wish that there was a device that allow us to call people in their cars and tell them things like your back lights are out, or their fuel door is open. Then of course, people like me would use it for bad as well. Like cussing them out or tell them to get out of my way. Lol. Nevermind, this may not be such a good idea.

3. This one time at Krogers I actually remembered to grab my Free Friday Download. It was some kind of Cheetos that wasn’t a Cheetos. Lol. They weren’t bad though. The bag was kind of little and I had to find a clip to close it because I wasn’t going to finish them. It hit me, why aren’t chip bags resealable like a Ziploc bag. Unless you are getting the tiny $.30 bag, chips have multiple servings. There is a chance that if not closed properly, chips can become stale. No one wants stale chips. So they would end up going to waste. If the packages were resealable it would preserve the chips for longer. I know this is a great idea, but the chance a manufacturer will actually do it is slim. I truly think any container that holds multiple servings should have a way to close/seal it to preserve freshness.

4. Men and women’s restrooms should be place in the same location at every place of business, church and school. Seriously! This happened to me awhile ago. I was at IHOP and went to use the restroom. I went right and walked into the men’s room. How did I know, well there was a man washing his hands. Thank God, it really could have been worse. I know that I am not the only person this has happened to. Well now I know the women’s room is on the left in IHOP. The other day, I was in J. Alexander’s and the women’s restroom was on the right. Ok picked a damn side and stick to it EVERYWHERE. Yes I realize that I could be more attentive, but why when restrooms could just be universally placed. Also, no matter how the establishment is set up, the women’s restroom should be first, period. This is not up for debate. Lol

5. I am so tired of people doing racist, stupid, ignorant shit and then apologizing like it makes it all better. If you have not studied up on another person’s culture, have a friend of that culture explain to you in-depth the importance of their culture and/or do not know the significance of your actions, DON’T FUCKING DO IT. IT can be anything involving another’s culture that is not your own. IT is blackface, calling people names that are degrading and disrespectful or acting like everyone in this country are not immigrants. Except for Native Americans, none of us are original occupants of this land. Whether we came here willingly or unwillingly as slaves. Others who are in need of opportunities, jobs, education or a safer environment, should be welcomed. There are lines and people seem to be crossing them every day. And then the first thing they say is, “I didn’t realize that it was offensive” or the golden line, “I’m not a racist”. Enough is enough! Get your shit together and get educated or sit your dumb ass down somewhere. Geesh! And if you are really racist, say that. It is best for people to know who they are dealing with. Quit hiding when the truth is found out. This country is truly showing its true colors and they are not pretty like a rainbow.

My mind is overflowing with these kinds of thoughts. I write them down, but I don’t share them too often. I guess because I figure no one really wants to hear them. I believe if you are reading my blog, that you are interested in hearing these things. I hope so at least. Or maybe just bored. Lol. I’ll take it either way. I hope your new year is going well and will continue to do so. Please feel free to share some of your goals or victories with me. I would love to hear them. Be well and whole.

I have always had hair and a lot of it. I ask my mom how did she do all this hair. She explained that it was not unruly like it is now. When I went from junior high to high school, I transitioned from a jheri curl to a press and curl, then to a relaxer. I will say that I had a pretty long jheri curl so my straight hair was a nice length. I got bored with that and decided to cut it off. I had what I called dog ears. The hairstyle that T-boz from TLC wore. Oddly enough, I did that style before she made it famous. I eventually cut the dog ears off and just had my hair short all around. It grew back out after that to its normal long length. My hair grows pretty fast which I am thankful for.

There have been times that my hair was not long and it was not by choice. I went through a period when I was first diagnosed with a thyroid condition where my hair got so thin. I made a decision to cut it in a short style right above my ears because it looked so bad. I kept it that length until it regained its normal thickness. I started to let it grow back. I also began to relax it myself due to my schedule and my beautician’s schedule not matching up. I liked taking care of my hair.

Now my natural hair journey is one that I wanted, but was too scared to embrace on my own. I was bored with my hair, as usual, and decided to add some color. As recommended I waited two weeks after the color application to relax my hair. As I stood over the sink washing out the relaxer, I also washed out gobs of my hair. It was like something in a movie. Yea…I felt my heart drop down into my basement. Screamed, cried a little. Had a small freak out session. What most woman would go through I’m sure. Thank God for thick hair. It was noticeable but I didn’t exactly have any bald spots. This prompted me to cut off one side. The thinner side. I loved that hairstyle 😍!

My hair was still falling out. I did not relax my hair anymore and allowed my natural hair to grow. I kept the shaved side low and maintained the other side as best as I could. One day I said enough. Went into Steve’s Sport-n-Cuts and relieved myself of all my relaxed hair.

Talk about freedom. It was really a change for me. My hair was the shortest it had ever been and I was finally natural. This could be a lesson. If you are not specific about what you ask for, you may get it, but not how you want it. Lol. I wanted to go natural, but this was never the way I wanted to get there.

This natural hair journey has been…a learning experience, adventurous, annoying and necessary.

I know that I will not relax my hair ever again, but I do like to occasionally have straight hair. That is when I would stop by Steve’s Sport-n-Cuts and have Sydona flat iron these curly strands into submission. This allowed me to check my length and gave me a break from my time consuming wash, condition and style sessions.

Then there are of course the times when I have gotten bored. Added a little color.

Bored again, 💇🏾‍♀️

Shaved my one side again. Still love this hair style, but I think this will be my last time doing it.

And then there is the time when I am just plain tired. Tired of the long wash, condition and style sessions. Tired of my arms and back hurting as I stand for hours taming my rebellious hair. Knowing that my hair would be so much healthier and longer if I gave a shit about taking care of it. Knowing that I don’t care or want to take care of it any longer. Despite all of the naysayers and protest, I did this…

I can’t explain how free I felt when I got up from Sydona’s chair. I looked in the mirror and it was everything I wanted. She is a rock star when it comes to hair and she met and exceeded my expectations. She gave me a look that was feminine and perfect for my face and head shape. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I made the right decision.

Here I am a week later without a regret and still in love with this cut. I have received looks of disbelief, anguish and even anger. But like India.Arie said, “I am not my hair”. I have mostly received compliments and statements to my bravery. I appreciate every compliment that I have received. But the real response I value is the one within myself. I am loving every minute of it. To the point that I may wait a little while before I allow it to grow back. This style is a true wash and go. Something that became an impossibility once I got a little length on my hair after the first big chop. I will enjoy and embrace the next phase of my natural hair journey. It will continue to be a journey for me because as boredom sets in, there is no telling what I will do next. As always, be well and whole.