The ugly phase

So I think I have reached my "ugly" phase; the phase in your natural hair process when no matter what you do, every day is a bad hair day.  Today was bad hair day five.  My hair routine was working perfectly until this week: Co-wash, oil, gel and go.    You Tube has been my best friend these past few days viewing natural hair clips one after the other.  Nothing has worked.  The up side to all of this is that my hair is growing so quickly.  The down side is nothing that I do is preventing this frizziness.  Maybe it will quickly grow through this phase.  My fingers are crossed...

1st official bad hair day

Well it finally happened.  After 3 wonderful months of growing my hair, today was a bad hair day.  I know that every product won't work in my hair, but so far I have had great luck with every product I've tried.  I purchased a leave-in conditioner a few weeks ago and decided to try it this morning after watching natural hair blogs last night.  Oh man, all day my hair looked like those tennis balls that you throw at the pad with the Velcro on it.  My day was so busy though, that I didn't notice it until around 6:30.  All I could think was "really, I looked like this ALL day."  Bye bye leave-in conditioner!

A pain in my...

No not there, in my neck!  Yesterday I had the worst back pain of my LIFE!  It bought me to tears.  Even pain meds didn't help.  I was at my wit's end when my homegirl offered to give me some muscle relaxers until I have my chiropractic appointment on Friday.  I was hesitant, but the pain made me give in.
Yo, whoever invented these things I'm sure have been thanked a million times over.  It felt so great to be able to sit on the couch and watch TV instead of laying in the floor.

One pound down!

I know that may not sound like a lot but after 4 months of losing no pounds, losing one in 6 days has really put a smile on my face!  AND I cycled 22 miles today in spinning class!  That is all.

Gluten-free: Day three

Before I even touch the title, let me tell you how it happened.  After MONTHS of lacking energy, being moody and gaining weight despite working out (and not just ANY working out, taking spinning classes).  I was fed up to HERE (you know what that looks like) with my current state.  So after browsing the web and self-diagnosing, I was convinced that it was my thyroid.  I made an appointment with a primary care doctor that specialized in thyroid and diabetes.

I pull out my notepad and give her the rundown of my symptoms.  I mean I put everything that I have felt for the past few months.  She was so patient as I went through my list.  After I finished she checked my thyroid.  She then suggested that maybe I have a gluten allergy.  My first thought was, GYRL BYE!

How can I have a gluten allergy?  Does she not know that I love bread, crackers, cereal, beer, pasta and everything else that has gluten?  Is she trying to ruin my life?  I'm assuming she could read my mind because she began to tell me how many people have gluten allergies and that they can live a normal lifestyle and enjoy the same foods as before.  Then she told me to try it for 2 weeks.

So after three days I realize that I feel amazing! I have had energy these past few days that I have not had in about 2 years.  My mood is even different, I was so happy when I woke up this morning that I did a little dance for my cat.  Hopefully this feeling will last.  I'll keep you updated...

Don't sweat the small stuff!

I know that I let the small stuff bother me sometime, even when I should ignore it, it still manages to control my thoughts and sometimes my actions. Don't judge me, they say admittance is the first step to solving a problem right?

Well I have to admit that lately it seems that everyone and everything has been getting under my skin.  I mean, stuff that I did not EVER think would be a factor has been used against me.  How did this even happen?  My conclusion was that the enemy was trying to keep me down.  That was until I attended church this morning.  Pastor Parries said it best: God uses the enemy to PROMOTE you; don't let the enemy DEMOTE you. 

What an epiphany!  Whoever the enemy may be in your life (job, boss, spouse, cashier at Walmart that charged you twice for the same item) they are not the enemy; instead they are the way to promotion.  The Lord will always create ways for you to show your faithfulness and trust in Him.  These ways are oftentimes presented to you as an obstacle.  It ultimately is up to you to use the experience to build your character and faith instead of letting the enemy set you back. 

So with that said, I am actively changing my thought process. Others will not control the way I do me!