Freestyling at 5 Months

I am loving my hair!!!!!

One Week Old Sisterlocks

These pictures were taken about 1 week after getting my Sisterlocks installed.

My hair has changed so much since then. It's amazing how each day they look better than the day before. I am enjoying my sisterlocks as they mature.

My First Half Marathon!

I did it! I finished my first half marathon in 3:43 fighting strong 40mph winds. I battled a huge blister on the bottom of my foot and my cheap shirt digging into my right arm after mile 10 but I still kept on keeping on!!! I had to walk a little bit to cope with the arm pain because I wasn't used to that. However I was familiar with blisters so I just didn't even worry about that issue. The White Rock Half marathon course was not hard at all. Not really a lot of hills. Just strong winds. The weather temperature was around 60 degrees when we started the race and was around the 70's when we finished. What's funny is that there was a huge temperature drop that night after the race and now we are experiencing sleet and ice. In Texas we don't know how to deal with this type of weather so everything is closed down. I am so thankful to God that the weather was nice during the race. I am excited that I accomplished this goal in 2008 just like I planned at the beginning of the year. Now it's time to improve my half marathon time and move on to tackling 26.2 miles! After that it's time to improve my marathon time and move on to Ironman!!!!! I am going to have fun getting there and what's neat is that I am going to be slinging my beautiful sisterlocks all the way there!!!

Random photos - 4.5 Months

4.5 Months

My hair:

I set my hair with Lottabody diluted with distilled water. I like it but it does not last long due to my workout schedule. The two swim practices murder the curls. But in the middle of the week when I do not feel like rolling my hair with Soft Spikes I use the Caruso Curlers. I really like them. They straighten out my locks more but I need to get more large size rollers because my hair is getting thick.

My life:

Pray that I make it to the start line of my first half marathon on next Sunday. I have had terrible luck with completing half marathons this year. My knees were injured with the first one I signed up to do. My appendix stopped me from the second one I planned to do.

Right now I am in the best shape. I am running easy and smooth. It's wonderful. I just hope that nothing keeps me from making it to the start line. If I can make it to the start line injury free and healthy then I know I will be crossing the finish line.

I can't wait to experience one of the many sweet victories in my life at that start line on Sunday!

Oh yeah... and my sisterlocks will be holding up! I know I can always count on them not to let me down. I just love them!!!!

Gotta Take It Slow....

Well I tried to go back to work and I got so tired the first day back until I felt like I wanted to pass out. Tuesday I had an appointment with my surgeon to follow my progress. I was told that I came back to work too soon. So I am working half of the day until next Monday. It's weird because everyday I feel better but I literally pass out on my couch into a deep nap. I guess my age is starting to show. I can't bounce back like I used to!
My surgeon also made me wait another week before starting to work out again. It was suggested that I start with swimming.

I am going to do my best to listen to my body as I return back to working out.

I have been wearing my sisterlocks in curls this week. I got a lot of compliments when I returned to work. Everyone kept saying how much my hair has grown and how pretty it looked. I really have not noticed how much longer it has gotten but I have noticed how cute my curls are! Earlier this week I rolled my hair with the large soft spikes. My dry edges are going away. I try to drink more water during the day to stay hydrated. Also, I have been rubbing my scalp with diluted apple cider vinegar. It looks like it is ending the dryness pretty fast after my consultant gave my scalp a treatment last week.

Next week I start back swimming. I wish there was a way I could still keep my curls after swimming...

Interesting People Making a Difference...

I read about each of CNN's Heroes. It was really neat to read about what these people have done to make a difference in the world. It was hard to find one single person to vote for. I will definitely be watching Anderson Cooper "my boo in my head" on Thanksgiving night.

It's My Birthday!

Comments & Myspace layouts

Go Libras!!!! It's my birthday!

Today I spent a quiet and relaxing day celebrating my birthday. I got my hair re-tightened and my mom took me out to dinner to celebrate. I got many text messages from family and friends wishing me a Happy Birthday. :-)

I am still recovering from the appendectomy so I couldn't go out and have some fun with my friends. If I was not recovering from surgery I would probably be sleeping in to get ready for the mock half marathon my running club is doing in the morning. So either way I wouldn't be "shaking a tail feather" tonight. I am still kinda sad about not being able to run but I only have 2 days to wait and "technically" I can get back to swimming, biking, and running. I am counting the hours...

My consultant Ms. Elaine Hill said that my locks were on track with the way they are maturing. She's awesome! She gave me a scalp treatment and my dry edges feel a lot better. I can tell that my hair has thickened up too. I am loving this journey with my sisterlocks!

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head....

Today I got out of the house a little bit. I went to meet a good friend of mine that I consider my big sister for lunch at Pei Wei. Well it was raining and I did not have an umbrella with me. It rained on my new wavy hair! I was not too concerned. I thought well I would just wear my hair freestyle until I see my consultant on Friday for the re-tightening. I was very surpised that my waves stayed wavy after being rained on 3 times!!!!! Here are some pictures of my "rained on" sisterlocks.

Working Late

Well tonight I worked late and made up for being bored most of the day. I put my sisterlocks in braids last night and spritzed them with distilled water. This morning I took the braids out of my hair and I got a wavy look. I like this look more as my locks grow longer.
One thing that is annoying is the dry edges in the front of my head. I went through a phase where my hair was dry all over. That problem stopped after about 6 weeks. However the very front continues to flake up. I suspect I am experiencing this dry patch from the surgery and stress from being in the hospital. My eyebrows are even dry! I will be happy when it goes away. I would wash my hair but I am supposed to be getting it re-tightened on Friday. My consultant usually washes my hair everytime she re-tightens. So I will wait until then and keep spritzing with distilled water. I hope I don't spritz my waves out!

3 Months Progress

I am loving my sisterlocks! It has been 3 months and the time has flown. I started swimming twice a week with my swim team after having my locks for 3 weeks. After I get out of the pool I rinse my braided and banded hair and wear my hair freestyle to work like in the picture I have posted.

Some days I style my hair with Soft Spikes and get a curly look like the other picture I have posted. I wear my hair like this on days when I do not swim. Sometimes I use my Caruso Curlers if I am lazy and do not feel like rolling my hair. I prefer Soft Spikes because the curls last longer.

However on a different note... Last week I had to have an emergency appendectomy. I am working from home and kinda down because I can not workout. I am trying to train for my first half marathon (as well as stay in shape for triathlons). I ran 12 miles right before I had to be rushed into emergency surgery. My surgeon is a triathlete and he was really concerned about me running with an infected appendix. He said that I can return back to running, swimming, and biking next week. I am praying that my endurance is still where I can do 12 miles when I return back to running. I am sure it will take a minute to get back to where I was though. :-(

I am thankful that I got surgery before my appendix ruptured. I am happy to be recovering without issues. I can look forward to many more triathlons, half marathons, marathons, and other exciting new experiences in my lifetime!

Oh yeah... and my sisterlocks held up wonderful in the hospital!

My New Freedom!

Two years ago I went natural and fell in love with the texture of my hair. I had worn kinky twists for 6 months before deciding that I was making the move to go natural. I decided to cut the perm off myself so that I would have no one to blame but ME if ended up looking a hot mess. LOL
I never will forget it... July 15, 2006 around 1am in the morning. I became natural and free! I was so free until I became a triathlete! I could swim, bike, and run as much as I wanted without worrying about my hair. My lifestyle changed for the better. I have had to change my eating habits since I began training for triathlons. I have to get my 8 hours of sleep and get my water intake right to have a good workout (especially in the summer). It's amazing what natural hair can do for a sista!!! :-)
However....
I did not know that this was only the beginning of my journey to freedom. I did not know that I could experience a whole new level of freedom with my hair until July 21, 2008 when I got my Sisterlocks!!!!