Tuesday, June 26, 2012

AND SHE'S OFF..............!!!

 Busy week for Stevi.  She returned home from San Diego and her first day home, got herself into a bit of trouble.  Lost her phone and all summer privileges until she has paid her dues.  Earned the hard way.  $250 to be exact.  Her summer went from hanging with her friends  and sleeping in, to getting up with Mommy and going to work so she is not left alone with friends, and losing her phone.  I told her the only way to get her phone and privileges back is to earn them by getting a job.  No hands outs.  
 Today she started her first job at Pizza Reno, downtown.  As of now she is training and working 1-5, although today she worked an extra hour and she is also receiving tips.  She also finally got her drivers permit after 3 tries and went from a teenager going into her sophomore year to a young adult who now can drive (supervised), has a job, and is a Junior Cheer Coach for SYFL.  When you have more responsibilities, you tend to be more responsible.  I watched her grow up in a day.  I almost cried as they were taking her permit picture and as we drove down Kietzke Ln. in lunch traffic. (That was because I was scared to death!)
Her new boss Bob is amazing.  For those of you who have been in Reno for years,  he used to own the ShyClown, now Baldini's.  Great guy and very patient.  Been married 50 years with kids and grandchildren, trying to be retired......working more I'm sure than he has ever had to.  Sitting and waiting for Stevi, I watched a few young regulars come in and he knew them all by name and chatted away with them, serving them their usuals.  A small town feeling, with the comfort of knowing everyone.  For those of you that have never been to Pizza Reno, gourmet pizza, delicious and great service.  And an adorable girl making it for you and bringing it right to your table.  


Stevi will be decorating wine glasses for the upcoming wine walk which is the 3rd Saturday of every month.  Give the small businesses a chance and buy your glass there.  Also, he is looking for a girl bartender for evenings around UNR age, young 20's.  It is a young person hang out and atmosphere.  Check it out! 


PS.  The Baja Chicken Pizza is AMAZING!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Rough Year..time to take care of myself everyday....

 This has been a rough year for me and my family as well, emotionally and physically.  Still nursing my ankle, back , neck, you name it.  Somethings got to give.  This is my third day not waking up with coffee or artificial sweeteners , yesterday I had an iced tea so I didn't get a pounding headache going cold turkey from the caffeine and today I just had a water.  My body is working twice as hard to do half as much these days and I need to pay attention to that fact. I now need to adjust my workout habits from full speed ahead to slow and steady, my eating habits aren't too bad except for the occasional ice cream binge and my alcohol allergy has hit me in the face with a 2x4.  I can handle a glass of wine or 2 but any hard alcohol and it's over, which is fine, alcohol does nothing but damage on the body and soul anyways.  So here is a list of 10 things I am changing in my life so the next 44 years will be easier on me.

  1. No more coffee, soda or alcohol
  2. 6 hour work days 
  3. Make time for breakfast and lunch
  4. No more artificial sweeteners
  5. Walk don't run, in every aspect.
  6. Daily exercise for 1 hour a day 6 days a week, even if it is just a walk or using my bands
  7. Continue my Chiropractic care.
  8. Continue my therapy
  9. Continue Al-Anon once a week meetings and daily book readings.
  10. Continue to allow myself to be happy for me.

What are 10 things you can do to take care of yourself better?

Sunday, June 17, 2012

My Dad was Pretty Cool for Old School......

My Dad was old school, really old school for sure.  But he left behind a family that loved him for all his idiosyncrasies and frustrating habits.  He had children in the house for 50 years of his life....My oldest brother Blair is in his 60's and my youngest sibling is in her 30's.  We all got a different piece of him, whether young or old, he was a great provider and a hard worker.  He led with an iron fist but with 7 children under your belt, wouldn't you.  I remember the moment I realized he was pretty cool.  It was my 15th birthday and I spent it at Kings Skate Country with my best friend Lori.  Afterwards he took us to Denny's on Wells Ave. for Ice Cream and then surprised us by taking us downtown cruising for a couple rounds, our radio station with the music blasting out of my Mom's Honda, yelling at boys out the window and people were saying.."That's so cool he took you cruising!!"  It was, it was pretty cool.  I miss you Dad.  Here are some, just a few, fun pictures of some of the family you left behind that misses you everyday.  Happy Fathers Day.











Saturday, June 16, 2012

My 15th year........

 In my 15th year it was 1983.  The Mayfair Market was the meeting place to find parties or hop in cars to cruise Main St.  I remember my best friend Lori and I would go to Dairy Queen and walk downtown until we found cute boys and we would catch a ride for awhile but usually we would all just be bundles of hormones and smile, yell at each other and run up to cars to give a boy our phone number if he asked for it.  We used to go to King Skate Country every Friday night because there really wasn't much else to do.  The really bad kids hung out at Circus Circus so that became a spot that was not a frequent hang out.  The summer of my 15th year, I started "going out" with a boy named Pat, more out of convenience than feelings and for some reason got pulled into a world of mental and physical abuse.  He was kicked out of his house for drugs and dropping out of school and my mom took him in, not knowing who he really was , Hell, I don't think I even knew.  I was young and dumb and had a broken heart over a boy named Eddie who repeatedly cheat on me, so it was a way to get over him.  It was also a learning process.  I was already a pretty tough kid, growing up in neighborhoods and with circumstances that created Bubba, but being punched, having your hair pulled  and head butted by a boy was a new thing for me.  It finally ended with a violent fight in the bathroom because I broke up with him and he tried to flush my head into the toilet.  Back in the 80's, big metal Boombox's where all the rage and I had one sitting on the back of my toilet.  I remember somehow grabbing it and hitting him in the head with it and once I got up, I swung it as hard as I could and hit him in the head again.  He finally got the point and went out to his Mini truck to leave but I wasn't done yet and jumped on the hood of his car and kicked his windshield in.  That day, the final break up, he was on drugs, cocaine I think was his drug of choice, and drove down Dandini Blvd. to go to his mom's house  where he flipped his truck.  I went to see him in ICU to say my final goodbye and break up for good, but his other girlfriend Donna had come down from Los Gatos, Ca. to be with him, hmm lucky girl.  Probably just as well, I guess I got my closure, but he never did.  Another day another story, but Jay and I have had the "pleasure" of running into him from time to time since he got out of prison for beating his wife and mother-in-law with a cast iron skillet.  Nice guy.  Learned a tough lesson at 15 and my daughter wonders why I tell her to enjoy being a kid and not try to grow up so fast.  

Friday, June 15, 2012

For my Friend..............

We bare the shame and hide our pain
hoping it will go away
unwilling to share
we hold it all
we love so much we take the fall.

We gave them life
and love them through
the worry and pain 
if they only knew.

Sleepless nights 
as tears will fall
we would take it from them
big or small.

We see them always 
as they are
our precious angels
our shining star.

They break our heart
as they grow
its hurts so much
to let them go.

So with all our might
we hold them near
and hope to God
that they can hear.

We'd give our lives
to keep them pure
but nothing in
this life is sure.

For now we hold them
in our arms
and love them completely
through Devil's charms.

We are their mothers
forever will be
and hope some day
the light they will see.

by Lisa Lynch for my friend........

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Should I stay or should I go?

 We finally decided that we are taking a weeks vacation.  From August 5-12.  No phones, no texting (business) and just being a family.  We haven't had a vacation other than a weekend here and there since 2005.  Now the money dilemma.  With Jayson's upcoming wedding and Stevi on the verge of driving, it's an issue.  Do we take a vacation or a staycation?  If we decide to stay at home, can we truly be on vacation?  Away from everyday life?  I found a cabin to rent in Bucks Lake for under $1000 a week, but then there is gas, food, other vacation expenditures so probably $2000 by the end.  Or we can stay home and save a lot of money and pretend we are here on vacation.  Can it be done?  We could go to Tahoe, Pyramid, Wild Waters, Six Flaggs, Truckee River, River Walk, GSR, Peppermill, Atlantis Day Spa, Genoa Hot Springs, Virginia City, Hot August Nights, Reno Tahoe Open.  We live in an area that is prone to tourism.  If you were on vacation here........What would you do and where would you go?

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Walk it off............

 What's normal for me?  Go Go Go. Run. Cross Fit, Boot camp, Hiking and 5-10 mile walks around the block.  Since I broke my ankle doing Cross Fit back on December 6th, my body has taken a beating.
 My Cross Fit days seem to be over, I can't do anymore extreme hiking, or running and I may have re-broken my ankle.  Yes it was Guoda's Bachelorette Party , but sadly, it was because I so desperately wanted to be cute again and wear heals, that I bought a pair of platforms so I could wear a certain pair of jeans, and I rolled my ankle walking in Silver Peak to the bathroom.......BEFORE DRINKS!
Of course, Bubba didn't want to ruin her future Daughter-in-Law's Bachelorette Party, so she continued on as if she was okay.  That was around 9 pm and Thankfully the evening came to a crashing halt by midnight.  Yes, I kept my shoes on, yes I danced on it and yes I am back in my boot.

This is Jay's last week at work, I can't take any time off of work, I don't have paid leave and I am scared I possibly did more damage and may require some mending or rest.

I have the boot, and the pump and Advil, so as my Mom would say......"Walk it off!"  and I am........

Monday, June 11, 2012

Everyday is a learning process....

 Raising children is never easy.  No mother does it the same way.  Hell, no mother does it the same way with each child.  Raising Jayson was really hard, REALLY hard.  I was young, he was rebellious, well guess just a typical teenager and I held on so tight and pushed so hard it pushed him beyond my control.  Eventually he dropped out of school and I kicked him out of our house at 17 and our relationship suffered.  Now we are close again, thank God.  The growing pains are gone and all of that is in the past.  Fearing the same outcome with Stevi, and the fact that she is so different than Jayson, I have been a little too "loose" and now that she is in high school I am noticing that she is turning into a typical teenage.  I recently made a choice to allow her to be included in an adult situation.  Was it the wrong decision?  I'm sure it was.  I was torn because I was the kid that was held tightly and just went to my room and snuck out the window.  I put myself into some very serious situations that my mother never knew about because our relationship was far from open.  She still doesn't like to hear about my life as a child, but I am brutally honest and I feel no need to lie.  I am not perfect now nor have I ever been or claimed to be.  If I did something wrong or inappropriate I own up to it.  I don't pretend to be perfect or mother of the year.  I learned another lesson this weekend, a hard lesson, but a lesson non the less.  So don't judge me for making mistakes.  Life is about learning,  I guess some mothers prefer to live in the bliss of ignorance not knowing what their children are doing or even where they are.  I prefer to be open and honest, regardless of how it makes me feel and try to keep that line of communication open so I can see what is unfolding and protect my children as they learn lessons too.  This weekend my lesson is that it is time to start pulling in the reigns.  Even though the situation was a special day and a special situation, the outcome was okay but I was not okay.  Lesson learned.  I did the same things at a young age as did Jay and just about every other kid I knew, only if anything had happened, nobody would have been able find me to help me.  I will continue to be open and honest with my children, but as my youngest continues to grow up and is presented with growing challenges, this week with her gone will allow us to implement some soft lines and some hard lines.  It will be a battle but I'm up for the fight.


Good luck to all of you with young children, high school is the worst!

Sunday, June 3, 2012

I had the best day with you.......

 Some of my favorite days of my life have been in the wilderness, hiking.  It's the easiest, hardest workout you can do.  Today according to my calculator, I burned about 2100 calories in 4 1/2 hours.  And I relaxed the whole time.
 You lose track of time looking at all the beauty God has given us, the smells the sounds, the peacefulness.  It is such a wonder to me that we live in this area, especially when you drive from home to work every day, you end up with tunnel vision.
 Jay went with us today.  Something I have been asking him to do for so many years.  He has never wanted to go, but now he sees the importance of us doing things with each other we both enjoy.  Many times he has asked me what I like to do... my response is always, exercise, hike, be outside.  Many times we have stayed in.

This week he agreed to hike with us, thankfully because the Chiropractor said no to me carrying a backpack because of my neck.  So Jay came with us and it was so much fun.  I LOVED having him there with us.  
I really wasn't sure if he would enjoy it since it had been 16 years since his last hike with me.  I was 8 months pregnant with Stevi and fell down a hill at the top of Davis Creek coming downhill.  He did enjoy it.  He thought it was worth the hike to the top to see Wade Lake and the hamburger after a 4 1/2 hour ... 7 1/2 mile hike was well earned. I hope he continues to go with us.  I love my time with nature and to have time with him in a peaceful environment, away from home, work, worries is a double bonus.  


I always have fun with my Mom.


Today, I had to best day with you.......

Friday, June 1, 2012

 Boy do I need a vacation.  At least that is what my body is telling me.  I have been doing hair for 23 years.  How long can a person stand with their arms up and out in front of them for 8-12 hours a day before it starts to catch up to them.   Right now my neck is out.  That is not a new thing for me.  My Chiropractor said I had some sort of whip lash awhile ago and my neck is convex instead of concave.  The X-Ray's are weird, it is true.  I am off by about 2".  When I follow his advice and go in regularly I am actually 5'4"........hmmm who knew!
 This weekend we went on a weekend overnight bike ride.  My muscle cramps started on Saturday at Walmart, shopping.  My left calf kept going into excruciating knots that I would have to kneed through to keep walking.  My back has been sore, Hell it's always sore, I guess I am just used to it.  I stand and lean and bend over sinks for a living, so I deal.  My neck and shoulders always hurt, again. normal.  But we went on a quick "Get the Hell out of Dodge" ride and I don't know if it was sleeping on the cardboard bed at "America's Best Value" in Bishop, or sitting on the back of the bike with wind whipping my helmet back and forth for a total of 10-12 hours but I was exhausted when we got home Monday.  Slept for around 2 hours Sunday night (comfy mattress and forgot earplugs) and Monday night I slept like a rock for 4 hours because I had to get up early to go to work and start at 6 am.
When I woke up Tuesday morning, I almost called my people and canceled.  But no, I thought, I will work my 8 hours and get into the Chiropractor.  As I got out of bed and "walked" down the hall, I looked like I was in a "Thriller" video.  Between my neck out, my lower back and Asiatic nerve being pinched and my calf cramping......well lets just say... at 4 am, going to bed with my hair wet from my shower the night before.....bags under my eyes from not enough sleep.....it was not pretty.....AT ALL.


I went to the chiropractor, I was off by 3", I need to go back tomorrow.  I was so sore after my adjustment on Tues, I almost threw up.  As of now, I go back tomorrow, thank God.  I'm still "off".  I was supposed to start our hiking season with my Mom today, but no way in Hell could I carry a backpack and with my calves cramping for no reason here and there... no bueno.  We have another one scheduled for Sunday, maybe after my adjustment I'll be back to par.  The problem is I KNOW I need to exercise.  I have done a lot of walking and some running, but since my broken ankle, I have only gotten to CrossFit 4 times....Since Dec. 6 th.  I think I need to implement Yoga back into my schedule for Fridays for sure.  I know I need to work out to stay at the top of my game, and to be able to hold my arms up in 5th position, Russian style of course.


Last week I had a young client say.."Wow! You have really big muscles!"  Oh sweetie.  I thought, I haven't been working out, but then I realized that I have a lot of upper body strength and it is probably from working all day like that, Arms up, shoulder height or higher , constant movement.


A couple years ago when Jay got back to work, I cut back to 8 hour days.  I am at my clients mercy hour wise.  Yesterday I worked 4:20 to 11:40pm.  I had to stop at the bank on the way home and got in the door after midnight.  Some days I start at 4 am.  My ideal day would be 8-4.  Since I work such sporadic hours and my body is giving me an eviction notice, I decided yesterday to cut back to 6 hours a day.  I don't mind working 5 or even six days a week, but the longer hours are killing me.  I don't know the longevity of a hairdresser but you don't see a lot of older hairdressers unless it's working at Madges Pink Puff doing perms and roller sets.  Thankfully over the years my clientele has aged with me so they understand my aches and pains.  The younger ones don't.  I wish I had some fantastic story as to why my body hurts and my neck keeps going out.  I think its because I got out of bed and went to work, then repeated it for so long!  We haven't gone on a vacation, more than a quick or extended weekend, since I opened Salon Moxie in 2005.  I used to make sure, no matter what our family took a vacation every year, then we got to busy and started cramming in GO GO GO weekends.  Then money started to dwindle away.  After I pay for Jayson and Guoda's rehearsal dinner this month... I will save what I can and get away for a week.  Hopefully in August before Stevi goes back to school.  I found some cabin rentals in Bucks Lake that are affordable and that is one of my favorite places on earth...(many stories of younger years)  So I will... I need to... Or I will end up being a greeter at Walmart before I turn 50......... LIGHTS.......!