Curly Sue... er I mean Aubrey

I have natural curly hair. I used to hate it and would flat iron it EVERYDAY. I know, it was so good for my hair right?

Well, through time, I began to understand how to style my curls through experimentation, how-to websites, and friends' advice. I am now proud to say that I can make my hair do almost anything and I rarely flat iron it. I've accepted that I have curly hair. I've discovered I have the best sort of curls: thin hair, ringlet curls, easily flat ironed, and it's all one color... Brown.

The Benefits of Curls

• Natural body and volume

• A simple hairstyle takes 3 minutes to do right out of the shower.

• Buns just STAY in place... So easy to do.

• TONS of different ways to style a bun.

• You always look like you put effort into your hair.

• Rain, snow, sleet, or shine your curls stay in tact. No need to be afraid of the weather.
• However, I always check the weather if I'm going to flat iron it.

• It hides grease better! I've gone 7 days without showering and NO ONE NOTICED. In fact, I was complemented on how good I smelled. Ta Da!!!
• Baby Powder is my best friend.

• Your hair actually looks styled after swimming.

• When you curl your hair with a curling iron it stays... For Days!! Little or no hairspray needed.

• Styling your curls doesn't ruin your hair.

• Hides how long it actually is! When you flat iron it, people WILL comment.

Tips for Those Natural Curls

~ things I've picked up along the way ~

• Use leave-in conditioner! I use Infusium 23*. You don't want those curls to dry out!

• Cut off at least a 1/2 inch every 3 months. Split ends will weigh down your curls!

• Use Herbal Essences Totally Twisted mousse*. It's purple. Follow the instructions on the container.

• Big spider clips are now your best friends! They will actually hold up your hair.

• After using the mousse, blow dry your roots on low. This ensures that they won't get weighed down and your hair won't resemble a triangle. 

• Use flexible hair stray and spray your hair upside down it adds added protection against frizz.
• I use Aussie*. It smells great!

• Sleep on a satin pillow case. This will keep your hair from getting all frizzy during the night. 
• Cotton fibers catch your hair and frizz it out.

• Use the said spider clip to hold your hair on top of your head while you sleep. It keeps the curls fresh for tomorrow and it is out of your face!!!

• When curls seem lacking, wet your hands and dampen your hair then set hair dryer on low and slightly dry it upside down. Do not use too much water or too much heat, you're kill your curls. We want to keep them fun!

• Too much of anything is a bad thing... meaning too much gel, mousse, heat, water, and touching. These will weigh your curls down or frizz them out.

• Let your hair slightly dry while it is clipped up. Curls will come out better and your hair will be out of your face while you do you make up. 
• Keep it pinned up for at least 5-10 minutes.
• Feel free to spray it with flexible hair spray.
• If you're in a hurry, clip it in the back so it looks like a messy bun! It will look cute until it's dry enough to really look cute!

• Use clips to pull your hair up instead of elastics. They won't leave a weird crease! 
• Great if you're hair has to be up for work, but you're going somewhere after work.

• When clipping up your hair, don't twist it, bunch it.

• Avoid brushing your hair when it's curly, it'll break it. Just get into the shower with your curly hair and get it wet and wash it as usual. After you apply conditioner (and the conditioner is still in your hair) use a wide tooth comb and start at the bottom and comb out the tangles. Then run a normal comb through it to ensure you got out all the tangles.

• Don't rub your hair dry with a towel. It promotes breakage. Squeeze the water out with your hand or towel and then comb it through with the wide tooth comb then normal comb... this is where you would use the leave-in conditioner.

I'm no expert. I'm still trying out new styles and strategies! So feel free to ask questions or give suggestions! I'd love to hear them, answer them, and/or test them out!

I plan on posting different hairstyles I've come up with... so stay tuned!!!

P.S. I'm SOOO excited that there is a new Disney princess who has curly hair!!! Totally going to see Brave!

* Items are owned by their respected companies. I am not getting any kind of compensation for suggesting these products.

Through and Through

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

- Dr. Seuss  

Be You through and through.

I've worked with kindergartners this past year and I noticed something about them, they have their own personality!!! I'm sure some people out there are saying "well duh!" but think about it! For the longest time I thought that we develop our personality over time, which is true. However, I feel that we are WHO we are from birth. Different aspects about ourselves change, but I think that is just the process of trying to "find yourself" when you are young. You lose track of "who you are" in pursuit of "who they want me to be."

Once again, I must ask you to think about it! How did you act when you were little? Is it very similar to how you act now? Probably... unless you are fake now. :) Well, I did think about this! I was the little ray of sunshine. I was spunky, silly, loud, emotional, smart, controlling, and violent (we have footage of me hitting my older brother when he was teasing me... or I was just being silly... when I was 6... he didn't retaliate, which infers that it happened often.). Guess how I act now? The same. I simply have more life experience to help me relate to others around me.

Your kindergartner teachers knew you before you became you. Some of your self-destructing tendencies were evident when you were 5 and your teachers were trained to see them... and possibly warn your future teachers. 

:D 

What happened between now and then? Life. We all get to go through adolescence, it's a right of passage! Hopefully you learned something about who you don't want to be. I know I did. I'd much rather be confident, loud, and loving than insecure, quiet, and fleeting.  

Don't forget the things you used to love. 

Don't forget the things you used to want to do.

Don't forget the things you used to want to be.

Chances are they probably aren't "used to" still.

I used to love dancing at random happy moments.

I used to want to go to the Museum of Natural History.

I used to want to be a teacher.

I still do the walking man whenever something awesome happens.

I went to the Museum of Natural History 14 years after missing the field trip.

I'm two years away from getting my teaching license.

I used to love watching Disney movies.

I used to want to go to the Westminster Park.

I used to want to be a model.

I get more excited about a new Disney movies than anything else.

I drove by the park today and stopped to swing on the swings.

I get to model a winning outlook every day of my life.

In the words of Peter Pan

"If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree, I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!"

That's Really Me

I was looking at pictures of me and my friends or family and reminisced about all of the happy memories associated with them when I suddenly realized,

that's really me. 

I suppose I've grow up knowing what I look like in pictures and in the mirror, but how often do I actually have a sense of who I am and what I look like during the 99% of the day when I am not looking in the mirror. I have somewhat recently discovered that I forget how I look as I'm going throughout my day. I forget I'm not wearing make-up or my latest shopping purchase. I am me, Aubrey, through it all. Sure, some days I feel off. Although, it's not because I actually look "ugly," but it really stems from who I feel like. My friend actually named my insecure self as a way of secretly communicating that I'm not being who I really am. If you were hoping that I'd disclose the name of this "other" me, I'm afraid you will be disappointed. It's called secret communication for a reason. ;)

Something I have discovered about myself is that I'm at my best when I'm around children, followed closely by when I'm dancing. Children are the most wonderful thing in the entire world and I love them. I tend to have more patience with children than I have with my friends... or anyone for that matter. Nothing makes a day better than the love of a child! I went to the zoo recently and I found myself watching the children more than the animals. Their reactions to the creatures around them was so entertaining and pure that I was mesmerized with joy. The kindergartners I assisted in teaching this past year graduated a week ago today. I am so proud of them and I love and miss them terribly! Seeing the kids at the zoo eased the pain for a while. Although, I'm afraid that I will never get my kid fix. It's an addiction I never want to break.

The Spark

By Aubrey Nance

In a world that is so dull and dark.

There is, in fact, a little spark.

A spark to make the day less gray.

It tends to blow the blues away.

This spark ignites no tiny flame.

You may ask, "what is its name?

"This thing so pure at heart.

"The muse of so much art.

"An inferno you should never tame.

"Whose wielder would need no fame.

"A glorious thing more valuable than gold.

"You know its name, or so I'm told."

My next remark would gild the lily.

"It's the love of a child, silly."

Curiosity Killed the Cat

GOOD!!!

Curiosity is a good thing, cats are bad.

Obviously, I strongly dislike felines. I'm not sorry if that statements offends you. If something this stupid offends you Then you're dumb. Get over it.

Moving on, I do have reasons for disliking these creatures. Ready? Go.

1. They are mean.
2. They are creepy looking at night.
3. They are bad luck... Apparently just the black ones are... I still have my suspicions.
4. They are often running loose and come out of the bushes startling everyone out of their socks.
5. They are too stubborn to be trained.
6. They walk through their kitty litter and then jump on the counter. GROSS.
7. They use sandboxes as their litter box!
8. They eat birds.
9. They claw.
10. They are lame when compared to cool wild felines.
11. They destroy upholstery.
12. I'm allergic to them.

As Bob Barker would say: "Please have your [cats] spayed..."