Update Time

OK.....

I figured it was time for some comparison shots. So here we go:

The beginning - December 19th, 2008 and March 31, 2012 I actually forgot how BLACK my hair used to be. LOL!!

The pic on the right is from the summer of 2010 and the pic below is from today. Good change has taken place!! But I have to admit, it definitely takes a little more effort getting the locs into a pony because I have so many of them. My hair is still matting and this is the start of year 4. Most of my ends have completely matted up, but there are still some stubborn brothers and sisters in there that are taking their sweet time doing what THEY want to do.

Patience is definitely the key when dealing with locs.......constant change is the only normal thing that takes place with locs. Being impatient and over thinking the process will NOT get you where you want to go in the land of locs. Looking at other's pics for inspiration is a good thing, but constantly comparing you beauties to someone else's will ultimately lead to disaster because you will never truly embrace what the creator has given YOU.

June 2009 compared to March 2012.........and the band played on!!

I haven't retouched my color yet because I can't decide if I want to lift the color a little lighter or go to a deep rich red. Yep, I am a flakey DIVA!!

I'm still learning, changing and growing. But, I am comitted to letting it do what it do baby and I hope and pray that you are doing the same!!

Peace and Light Lovies!!

Afrolady

Everything Must Change!!

Lovies!!!!! I am just enjoying my life while letting my hair do what it do. Funny, I remember when all these people were BABIES!! Chasing them through the house yelling "NO" and "STOP THAT" now, these guys are in the process of going in their own directions, doing their own things, growing and learning and CHANGING. Now that we have a new addition to the family, things will forever be even more amazing than before:

We are very close knit little tribe. Our children are not perfect and

neither are we, but they bless us and make us proud because every day, they consciously decide how they are going to live, making a choice to grow positive. As parents, we couldn't hope for more than that!!!!!

"You is smart, you is kind and you is IMPORTANT"!!!!

Peace Lovies!!

Our Son Got Married!!!!!

THE BIG DAY!!!!!!
A very demanding GROOM plus a nervous MOTHER wondering how this hair do she dreamed up was going to really turn out.

The Groom declared 6 months before the wedding that he and his brothers a.k.a the Best Men would have their locs pulled back nice and neat. So, of course for Queen MAMA, a simple pony tail would never do for such an auspicious occasion!!!!!!

The Groom is on the right, his oldest brother in the middle and our youngest is on the left. All locs were nice and tidy just like the Groom decreed.

The Grooms Hair was FINALLY DONE!!!!

The Groom in the middle, carefully flanked with his big brother and little brother ready for the wedding. I call this Handsome times 3.

After all that hair doin' Queen Mama miraculously had enough energy to dress herself.

More pics to come.

Peace Lovies!!!

Afrolady

What's Up Lovies!!!

Man it's been a while.

I have been terribly out of touch and blogging has been almost impossible because until today, I have not had internet access in my home.

So, because of my very nifty hubby, who was able to navigate through complex instructions and get our internet up and running, Afrolady is back in effect.

What's been happening? Our family has expanded, I am proud to have a new daughter-in-law and a grand-god son!! Life has really been good to this 48 year old Sistah!!

Peace Lovies!!

AFROLADY!!

I remember a time when I hated my complexion................cursed my beautiful brown skin and absolutely HATED my hair. I am thankful for internal healing and the ability to fully embrace and accept myself and love myself unconditionally!!

"All Hail The Queen"!! At least that's what my husband calls this pic. He is in the process of launching his photography business and snapped this picture of me. Interesting because when we firist met, I didn't like taking pictures.

I am almost 3 years into my braidlock journey and it has been the best thing I have ever done for my hair. My locs and I get along GREAT and are having a wonderful time growing and changing together.

Are they all 100% locked? Of course NOT. It's crazy.......I have some ends that still have that curly braid thing going on, then I can look those same ends a month later and they will be all matted up. WOW!! It's like watching popcorn pop.

I am doing well on my new job, and I am a truly blessed woman because I didn't have to hide, camouflauge my locs or make a decision to cut them in order to get the job. My heart aches for those who have to make such a decision - but I will never judge because you really have to do what you have to do to survive these days.

Thanks for checking in Lovies!! Enjoy your time with your families this week and remember to spread plenty of love and good energy to all those you come in contact with.

HOTEP!!!!

OMG!!! Somehow I got locked out of my own blog. What's up with that? It took me about 3 weeks to figure out what inthe world was going on. WHEW!!

Well, I hope all of my lovies are doing well. I am fantastic. Have been on my new job about 5 weeks and even though my head is constantly swimming from being on information OVERLOAD, they haven't fired me yet!! LOL!!

Let me know how YOU are doing. I want to hear from each and every one of you! SERIOUSLY!!

I am touching up my color tonight and will post some brand new pics in a few days.

Peace and Light!!

Afrolady!!

Peace and Light!!

HELLO LOVIES!!!!!!

Whew!! There has been a lot going on in MY world, how bout yours??

I am currently getting ready to start a new job in a few days. YAY ME!!! So, out the door with all that, "You probably won't be able to keep those locs when you start seriously looking for a job" B. S. I am proud to say, I was able to find a job that I am excited about, it involves DANCE which is near and dear to my heart. I am back in full-time employment, in an office setting - yep, BRAIDLOCKS AND ALL!! WOW!! What a ride this has been.

Really, I was beginning to think my resume had COOTIES or something. I was applying for everything and wasn't even getting a nibble. For the last year, the only hits my resume was getting was opportunities to sell Life Insurance, which I really didn't want to do......really!!

I do have an insurance background and have mad respect for those in that field, but I just didn't feel as if it was for me. So, I kept searching, searching......................and did I mention SEARCHING!!....and out of no where, this job popped up on Career Builder and I applied with a quickness.

So, long story short, I am very excited about the new job, about returning to an office setting in a full time permanent position with a good salary and benefits! But, I am also very excited that I didn't have to make any drastic decisions about my hair in order to get the job.

Recently, I went with some friends to see "The Help" (A MUST SEE MOVIE). While watching the movie, I couldn't help but to think of the strength of our women (mama, auntie, god mothers, sisters,etc.,) you name it, our ancesteral women have had to do it in order to care for their families. I thought carefully about my own mother, who elected to take a job cleaning in a nursing home because the schedule would allow her to be there for us when we got home from school. Understand, my mother graduated high school in 1991, she was 57 years old at the time. She studied hard and got her high school diploma amidst the arguments from and lack of support from my Dad. She stood strong and proud with all of us cheering and cheering with her purple cap and gown on accepting her diploma like it was a million dollars. She was determined and she achieved a major goal for herself!! Watching "The Help" made me think of her and all the other women who did what they had to do in order to SURVIVE!!

I've read the blogs where some people think "The Help" is just another hollywood steryotype story depicting us as uneducated black women who bow down to whites and go home to good for nothing men, if they even have a man. If you have seen the movie and that's all you got from it, go see it again because you've totally missed the point.

My husband warned me that I might have to take my locks down in order to get a job back in an office setting. I wasn't angry with him because I knew of several women who had to do the same thing and I have much respect for their right to decide for themselves what to do. So, whenever I went out for an interview, I made sure my hair was in a neat style (my profile pic is an example of one of my "interview" do's).

Would I have cut my babies in order to get a job? I'd like to think that I definitely NOT, but when you have walked the road of constant financial struggles like we have done in the last 2 years, you never know. I may have made the decision to let them go for a while until I got in the door and then started them up again. Or, maybe I would have worn a wig to work for a while........who knows.

Cue India.Arie singing "I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am not your expectations NO, NO, I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am the soul that lives within"!!

I do know I am grateful that I didn't have to walk that path and find out.

Peace Lovies!!

Stay strong my sistahs strength is in your bloodline!!