Wednesday 7 January 2015

Four-years natural

My four-year natural hair journey passed last month.

I don't think I have made much progress, but then I've not measured. I'm not feeling like I've made progress though. The hair in the middle of my hair feels as dry and as brittle as before.

Doing a length check tells me that my hair is no longer than my collarbone.

I'm also living with my in-laws so it makes it difficult to do hair stuff, particularly as I'm a little shy about them knowing about my blogging and vlogging.


Long time no blog

Gosh! It's been ages since I last posted an update. If you haven't already, subscribe to my YouTube channel, where I'm more likely to post an update first.

Lots of things have happened since, so I don't even know where to start!

I got married! Yeah me! and my new husband of course.

Erm....we went on honeymoon to Florida, which was super cool. We hired a car and and spent a few nights in various Florida cities. Tampa, was a busted flush. We stayed in the Intercontinental Hotel in the middle of the business district. A nice hotel, but not really tourist friendly. There is a shopping mall not far away which has a Macey's and a few other things.

Weird story. I went into Macey's to buy my dad a watch. Bearing in mind we had spent £000s on our wedding, I was not inclined to spend money I didn't have. Basically, I was on a budget. However, I was prepared to spend money on a nice watch for my dad. Anyway, after perusing the various glass encased array of watches, I was approached by a sales person who asked me what I was looking for. I said I was looking for a watch for my dad. The sales person made some suggestions - some at the high-end and then when they saw my eyebrows knit together in rejection, they recommended a watch at the very lower end. Affronted, I said I would come back later. To which the salesperson said, I could use an EBT card. Now, as I'm not American, I don't exactly know what an EBT card is, but I'm assuming it's something to do with welfare as I've heard and read about it in the context of welfare only. Even more annoyed, I politely said I was no longer interested in a watch and walked away.

Anyway, back to Tampa generally - I think we arrived at the end of the season so it was completely dead. We did go to Tampa zoo and I got to feed the giraffes. That was about the only good thing that happened in Tampa. It was also cold, so not great.

After three days, we left Tampa and went to Naples - a town more for the retired and wealthy and white rather than for a young interracial couple. I felt completely out of place. Our hotel was the Bella Sara. A perfectly nice hotel and not too far on 5th Avenue is a parade of shops, some selling  rather gaudy faux-Italian furniture and housewares. We came upon a cafe which was run by a Scot and had breakfast there every other day.

Next - Miami. I was completely underwhelmed. Firstly, it has plenty of glittering skyscapers, majestic and apologetically jutting into clear blue skies. Plenty of riverside homes, nestling peacefully and as  far away as it can from the poverty that mars the city and as far away as possible from the wealth on display and even more poverty to counter it.

Last on the list was the Florida Keys - Islamorada specifically. That was great. It's a typical sea-side town, a mix of hippy, old world and new.

Anyway, back to reality.
2015!
2014, we bought our first house and gutted it. So basically, we have no kitchen, bathroom, or livable space. Sounded like an excellent idea at the time to start from scratch, but I'm regretting it now. We moved in with my in-laws, who are super. I love them like I love my parents, but the toll of hemorrhaging money is really getting to me. The whole project take between 5-6 months and at the end, we have no money for furniture!

I'm trying to remember that at the end, we will have the house we want and not someone else's vision. And, that we have 3 properties, we're not in debt, we have a wonderful family and friends so life isn't bad. But I still feel in a funk.

I have made no resolutions because I failed to achieve any of the ones I made last year. I've lost my mojo and I'm annoyed at the funk I find myself in. Sigh, I really need a verbal slapping! LOL.

Anyway, that's my update.