The Hair Cut

Well, as mentioned in the previous post, I got a hair cut. The verdict is still out about whether or not I like it. Chris keeps telling me that he loves it and thinks it is "cute", but part of me doesn't think he is telling me the truth or that his opinion isn't worth noting (because, no matter how bad I look, he HAS to tell me I am the most beautiful woman in the world). Hmmm...

Just let me tell you, this hair cut was an experience, to say the least. It started off a good day. Tiffany called me to see if I wanted to hang out and, of course, I did. We ate a wonderful lunch at Chick-fil-a and wandered around Old Navy. Wesley (Tiffany's son) only smashed his fingers in the dressing room door once, so I would have to say, it was quite a successful shopping trip. I am proud to say that I did not purchase a single piece of clothing!

Tiff and I parted ways and I made my way to the hair dressers. When I entered the salon, I was glanced at and promptly ignored. From what I could surmise, one of the hair dressers sons had broken one of his bones and all the people in a twenty foot radius were concerned and asking questions. One lady was craning her neck around in order to stay in the conversation while she was getting her hair colored. It looked pretty uncomfortable to me, but it is amazing what people will do to hear the latest scuttle butt. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for awkward conversation with a total stranger, my new hair dresser.

There was a make shift desk that I stood by for a few minutes, but after realizing that no one was going to acknowledge my presence, I decided to sit down in a bent folding chair and catch up on my celebrity gossip. I am not sure how long I was immersed in "Peoples 100 Most Beautiful People" but I made it through at least 75 of them before a man poked his head over the "partition" wall and asked if I had an appointment. I said, smiling, "Yes. I have an appointment with Oscar. I think that may be you, since you are the only man in the building." He didn't seem to be amused and said, "Are you Emilie?" I said, "Yep, that is me!" Once again, he didn't seem to be amused and I could swear I saw him roll his eyes as I closed the page on a ridiculously good looking man that I had never heard of.

Once Oscar had asked me what I wanted and washed my hair, I found myself alone at his station while he chatted with the lady doing nails about whether or not Dolly Partons boobs were real. Weird. After he realized that I was waiting for him with a dripping head he sauntered back to me and began combing through my curling locks. And that is where the awkward conversation began. We talked about reality TV, the economy, Dolly Partons boobs (again), women who are beautiful but have no brains (his topic, not mine), and, of course, the classic "What do you do for a living?" Now, I expected such conversation and I had even prepared my answers if such topics came up. But what I wasn't prepared for, was the fact that he was bored with me. No really, I think he was bored with me. He walked away from me, mid hair cut, in the middle of my sentences, and started talking to other people in the salon. Weird, again.

Finally, Oscar was finished cutting my hair and all that was left was the style. I really thought that the worst was over, boy was I wrong. All of the sudden, I hear the tell tail sound of mouse being squirted into his hands. I glance in the mirror just in time to see that it wasn't just mouse, it was a mountain of mouse, that he was rubbing into my head. I am not even sure all of it was rubbed in when he started blow drying my hair, no defuser, BLOW DRYING MY HAIR!!! If you are a curly girl, you know just how bad that is. By the time he was done, I looked like a tumble weed. I kid you not, a tumble weed, rolling through the wild west, landing in the back yard of some suburban house, tumble weed, and it was as hard as a rock. Have you ever seen the tumble weeds that people spray paint and sell on ebay? That would be a good visual.

After all was said and done, the cut was $25 and I paid the man $30, told him to keep the change and walked out of the salon to him rolling his eyes at me and starting back up with the conversation about Dolly Partons boobs. When the coast was clear and I new I was out of eye shot, I threw my hair up in a pony tail and drove home defeated.

Here is the finished product, after I came home and washed and styled my own hair. What an experience.

Curly Sexy Hair

If there is one word that I think describes me it would be curly (well, maybe fuzzy). I think Curly describes my personality to a tee. I am a spaz and curls are kind of spazzy. I also have curly hair. I like curls, I really like curls. I just have a hard time figuring out curls, I also have a hard time figuring out myself.

For instance, the perfect curly products are almost impossible to find! It's kind of a guessing game when you are standing in the hair product aisle at Walmart and you have no idea what to buy. Knowing that the last product you bought was a HUGE waist of money. "Should I get this one, or should I get that one?..."

This is how it went for me, not even a week ago. I was doing my hair in the morning and the gel bottle made the ominous farting sound, indicating that I was on my last leg of my hair gel. Dang. Okay, I could handle it, I was going to the store anyway, so I could pick up some product while I was there. We all know that Walmart is a Mad House (I talk about Walmart a lot in my blogs...), so I had to give myself some major prep. Starbucks. Iced Chai anyone?

As I was walking through the sliding glass doors of Wally World, I took a left and made my way to the "personal care" section. Low and behold, the aisle was packed! Everyone in Las Cruces decided to buy hair products. Isn't that so annoying? All of these people, with all of their carts, just sitting there reading labels like they are the only people in the world who need to buy hair product! I made a right and buzzed through the make-up area, then headed back toward to the aisle of doom. The crowd had dissipated enough for my skinny little body to fit in. I abandoned my cart (which is risky business at Walmart) and I began the hunt for a suitable hair gel. Okay, okay, I became one of the people sitting there reading labels...it takes one to know one. :) I kid you not, I was probably there for 20 minutes! I know, INSANITY!! I had finally picked out a gel (the same kind that was currently empty underneath my sink) and I spotted a bottle that I hadn't looked at yet. CurlySexyHair- I thought to myself , "I want curly sexy hair." And I snagged it (Mistake #1), totally disregarding the price of $15! When I had made the purchase, I immediately regretted it. What was I thinking? How was I going to explain this to Chris? Granted, it's just $15, but we have a pretty meticulous budget and he would HAVE to find that money somewhere. So I tried the hair gel out (Mistake #2) and I didn't like it. Dang. I kept using it for a few days (Mistake #3) and I still didn't like it, actually, I liked it less! So I returned it today and got all 15 of my dollars back. Moral of the story: don't buy a curly hair product just because the word "sexy" is in the name.

As if that was not enough, I need to get a hair cut too (cue the funeral dirge). It is SO hard finding a person who can cut curly hair. Bleh. Really, it's almost impossible to locate someone who doesn't mutilate your hair and condemn you to three months in a pony tail. There are a lot of hair stylist who SAY they can cut curly hair, but when they are done with me I know that I am going to have to break out my one and only baseball cap. So sad, right? I have an appointment with a guy named Oscar tomorrow, he is gay and apparently works wonders for those of us with curly quoffs. Erica got her hair cut by him and she really likes it, so I will take the plunge and see what he can do for me. It is going to require bravery, maybe even valor, because Chris' sister is getting married the beginning of June and I don't want to look like a spaz in the pictures.

I will let you know how it goes.


Here is a before shot for you. I am with two of my nieces, Samantha (in my lap) and Anna Kate

Needs to be done.

So I have come to realize that blogging is in fact therapeutic. For that I am very thankful. I like having a creative outlet.

I have decided that I need to document all the things that I am so very thankful for in this time in my life. Knowing that the only people who read this blog are people who love me (a.k.a mom and dad!), I figured I could use my blog as a platform to document the blessings God has showered on me. Here we go...please don't judge me :)

1. A God that is not human and sinful, who doesn't play favorites, no matter what I believe about Him, especially in my season of life. He hasn't given up on me yet and I know He never will.

2. A husband that 1) rocks my world, 2) who doesn't care, no matter how hard I try, that I always wake up on his side of the bed, sprawled all over him, 3) Loves me better than I ever imagined I could be loved by a person, 4) puts up with my "intensity", 5) tells me I am beautiful even when I know full well that I look like a hag (in the mornings or after I have cried all day), 6) laughs at me and with me. He is my best friend in the world and even if I never move out of this season, I am blessed and honored to do life with him.

3. My family. I know that no matter how complicated I get Mom, Dad and Anna will always love me. I married into an unbelievable family, the Sheehans. All of them are so great!

4. I have at least 8 people (outside of family) that I know will be devastated if I die (don't worry, that isn't a plea for help): Bryn, Jen, Megan, Suzi, Tiff, Erica, Merrily, Hannah. If I accomplish anything in my life, I know I have accomplished the blessing of having true friends and being a friend. These women truly do stick close than a bother, or a sister for that matter.

5. I have a funny dog. He makes me smile and crack up laughing at least 10 times a day. I like him a lot. Go figure.

6. Oreo's and cherry coke.

7. Walks with Charlie.

8. A great job and bosses that are so loving and caring towards me.

9. My favorite kiddo in the world. Wesley Morgan Etterling. He is such a hoot and he doesn't make me sad or unbelievably jealous. I am honored to call him my godson!

10. Great food and great wine, shared with great friends.

These are the things that I cherish and I am thankful for. These are the things that I need to remember on a day to day basis. Infertility is a real part of my life and I have a real tendency to dwell on the fact I am missing out on the one things that I truly want, motherhood. It's easy to forget all the wonderful things in my life when I am focusing on the dull ache for someone I don't even know or doesn't even exist. This is the real reason I need to document the things that I am blessed by and thankful for. I need to look back on this time and remember the ways that God blessed me not the way that I feel "un-blessed".

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4. Deal.

Going out with a blaze of glory...

Today was the day of doom for Charlie...yes, he was neutered...he lost his manhood...he lost his mojo...not a chance of procreating. But in true Charlie form, he didn't take it laying down (well at least until the drugs kicked in).

Charlies morning was as normal as any morning. He woke up and realized that he really had to pee and let out a little yelp to let us know. Chris took him outside and Charlie did his usually routine: run around, stretch, pee twice, drop a deuce and then whine at the door until one of us lets him in. He might have known that something was a little fishy when we didn't feed him breakfast, but he seemed pretty happy just to run around and squeak his squeaker bone. He might have been tipped off if he had notice me putting his kennel in the car...he might have been suspicious when I opened the car door instead of continuing down the drive way on our normal walking routine. Nope, he was clueless... until, we got to the vet. We walked into the office and I greeted the ladies sitting behind the desk. We got the usual "What a beautiful dog. I have never seen a dog like him before." and I smiled and said thank you on Charlies behalf. All the while, Charlie was putting two and two together. In the few short seconds it took me to get to the front desk, Charlie already had a plan. As soon as I stopped, he hiked his leg up and peed on the receptionist desk! Right there, with me holding his leash! I was SO EMBARRASSED. What do you say when something like that happens? "I am so sorry my dog peed on your desk." That doesn't sound good enough to me. Oh my.

After my face turned to a normal shade of blush, I took a clip board with paper work over to the waiting room chairs. All the while trying to keep an eye on Charlies back leg and tell him "NO!" if he even looked like he was going to hike it up. In the split second I wasn't paying attention and trying to read all the paper work I was initialing and putting my signature on (for all I know, it could have been telling me that they were not liable for dogs turning purple after a procedure!), I hear the lady behind the desk say (in a very sing songy tone) "Oops! He just peed on your chair." Dang. Two pieces of furniture permanently marred by Charlie. Well, I guess he knew that it was his last shot and he might as well make it count. How embarrassing.

Charlie is home now, and he is a he/she and sporting a lovely cone around his head. Pretty hilarious. Here are a few pictures to make you laugh.

Charlie stood in that position for quite awhile after arriving home...poor guy.

As time passed, his head began drooping...poor guy.

I had to bring the bed to him...poor guy.

After he ate, he got a little energy and started playing with his squeaker bone again! Notice how the cone makes a very convenient squeaker carrier.

He is almost back to his old self, minus the humping and peeing on everything. What a funny little dog. Poor guy.

My mom

Today is Mother's Day, a day to honor moms. Even Google has a special logo to commemorate this day. This is a day that you have to take notice of, everyone has a mom, even if they are not involved in the child's life or they are not the best of moms, EVERYONE has one and I think that is a good enough reason to celebrate moms. Life was made possible through them, we might as well give them a day, right?

I am blessed to have a wonderful mom who loves me and makes a very real effort to be a part of my life. It's so fun talking to her on the phone and sharing life with her. I really like my mom. She is a likable person! Not only that, she is a very strong and brave person. I have yet to meet another human being who is as brave as my mom. She would go to hell and back for her kids and husband, and in some ways she has.

One of my favorite memories of my mom is of her painting. She was working for a missions organization as an artist and would depict scenes in the Bible on canvas for people who could not read. She really is very talented when it comes to art. To this day, when I read stories in the New Testament, I still see in my minds eye the paintings that my mom created to tell the story visually.

I also remember that she had a knack for making me feel like a million bucks. One way in particular, was through the art of dress up. My mom put together the world's best dress up box! I remember digging through that thing and knowing that in a matter of seconds, depending on the dress that I picked out, I would transform in to a beautiful princess, a character from a Jane Austen novel, Anne of Green Gables, or, one of my favorites, a beautiful daughter. My sister and I would step into a completely different world when we would put on one of our dress up outfits. I remember that my mom was always on the hunt for new dresses to add to your collection. Whether we were at a thrift store, a flee market, or a yard sale my mom new how to sniff out the dresses that would make Anna and I feel like the most beautiful women in the world. She would continually tell us how beautiful she thought Anna and I were. When I was with my mom, I couldn't help but feel like maybe, in fact, I was a beautiful little girl. Actually, that was one of my criteria for my husband. He HAD to at least think that I was as beautiful as my mom thought I was (I would have to say that I think I got that criteria covered in Chris). No matter how awkward I was (and I will be honest, preteen years were excruciatingly awkward for me), my mom knew just what to say to make me feel like a super model.

I remember the first time that I realized that I looked just like my mom. I was graduating from high school and my mom and I were putting together a picture montage of my life so far. My mom pulled out a few pictures of me and her while I was a baby and it looked me holding a baby! From that day forward, I knew that I could be confident in my skin, because my mom IS GORGEOUS and it would never hurt to look like her!! Thank God for Puerto Rican genes!

Me, my sister Anna, and my mom

I hope and pray that one day I will be as brave and selfless as the woman I am blessed to call my mom. I love you mom, I really do.

You can't always get what you want

Pet ownership is definitely what I would call an adventure. I can never guess what Charlie is going to surprise me with from day to day, oh heck, from hour to hour. Although I wouldn't know from personal experience, I like to think that he is like having a toddler around, always into the very thing you don't want them to be into.

Wal-Mart had strawberries on sale this week. Now they weren't your normal run of the mill Wal-Mart strawberries, these things were huge and delicious! The moment I got them home I was eating them. So, when I was making myself lunch the next day, I was delighted to find that there were still three beautiful berries waiting in my frig for me. One berry in particular was large and in charge and I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it (if you can't tell, I LOVE strawberries). I went about preparing my lunch and heated up some left overs from the night before and placed my three strawberries in a special bowl (if you can't tell, I like to make a production out of eating strawberries). After I finished my "main course", I got up to put the bowl in the sink and tried to grab anything that Charlie could grab and tear up (i.e. napkins), walked the short distance to my sink, plopped the dish in and turned around to see Charlie grabbing the largest strawberry out of my special strawberry bowl...of course. I ran to where he was and he dodged me with his athletic precision and crawled under our arm chair and began to chomp down. Just to give you an idea of how big this baby was, Charlie couldn't even chew on it, he was kind of gumming it down. It was such a funny sight. I figured I could help him out, so I put my hand out in front of him and he promptly spit out the strawberry and began taking smaller bites out of it. It's like he knew he had ruined it for human consumption and that I wasn't going to take it away from him. It took him a good minute and a half to get that thing down.

Chris just walked in and informed me that we had to get Charlie "fixed". Poor guy.

Tuesdays with Bryn and Jen

God has blessed me with some amazing friends over my short lifetime. He (God) always has the perfect friendship ready for me at the time that I need it the most. Two, in particular, took me by surprise but have proven to be a huge example of God's grace in my life. Those two ladies are Bryn and Jen! Both are so down to earth and easy to be with. Never do I feel that they have expectations of me. We have coffee every Tuesday morning at "our spot". During this time we laugh, cry, tell fun and embarrassing stories, share trials and difficulties, and give each other the freedom to just be who we were created to be. One of the things that I am most thankful for is that Bryn has two older children and Jen doesn't have any children. I know that sounds weird, but after trying for a baby for almost two years and coming up with nothing, being around new mothers and new babies can be quite painful. It is nice to talk about things other than breast feeding and a baby's sleeping habits. Don' t get me wrong, I love new mothers and new babies, but it is nice to have two wonderful friends who are not in that stage of life right now. It makes it easier for me to not feel like the Sesame Street song that says "One of these things in not like the others, one of these things just isn't the same". It is a liberating feeling, having two girl friends like these two women. I am thankful for them and I know Chris is too.

Good Ol' Chuck

Chris and I did what we thought we would never do...we got a dog! His name is Charlie and he is a chocolate and tan dapple dachshund. I would venture to guess he is about 10 pounds by now and he won't get much bigger than 15 pounds. We like him, although he does have quite a "tude". Charlie definitely knows what he likes and what he does not like. He loves his squeaker toys and, if I let him, he would squeak them all day and night. Needless to say, I don't let him. Charlie has A LOT of energy, so we have to make sure he gets exercise at least once a day if not three times a day. His favorite game is fetch and he wears both me and Chris out with his enthusiasm for the game. However, Chris just threw his ball in the toilet and I had to dig it out with my small hand (wearing gloves, mind you). The ball is disinfecting as I type and Charlie is sitting below the sink staring longingly at the place he last saw me place his ball. Poor guy.

I started a blog...

This is supposed to be therapeutic...I am going to try it out. I am going to be honest, I am pretty non-committal to this whole thing, but I thought it might be something that I would enjoy. Maybe this will be an opportunity to keep people up to date on our lives? Hmmm...