Caper and more hair stuff!

So, you may have seen millions of posts by me during #caper15, but I just wanted to jot down some thoughts and pictures about my experience before I forget.  I drove with two other women from school early Monday morning. It took about 7 hours, but we made it! The first day we got to meet with representatives from different companies and network. We got some free stuff and got to shop a bunch of Paul Mitchell merchandise. I ended up with a new brush and some flea combs for the kittens. Ha. The next day we got to watch a bunch of stylists cut and style on stage and then take classes in the afternoon. I've found my new stylist mentor, Takashi Kitamura. He cuts hair amazingly. I want to cut like him one day. 

Do you see how amazing that cut is? He didn't section the hair or measure anything. He just took his shears to the head and cut a million miles an hour. 

We also got to attend a white party and take a picture with all the Paul Mitchell icons as a school.

Our final day was filled with motivational speaking and it was super uplifting. For many people it was probably the first time they heard that they were amazing and that they can be whatever they want to be. For me, it was a good reminder of things I already knew. I know I'm a child of God and that I am loved. I have been given so many blessings and such a great support system. It makes me want to share that love with everyone around me. 

This is Lizzie Velasquez. She is an amazing speaker and person. She has a documentary that is coming out in June, called "a brave heart." You should all watch the trailer!

Lastly, I've been in the CORE phase at Paul Mitchell for the past 8 weeks and I'm proud to say that after a long week of testing, I passed with flying colors and get to move on to the next phase of my learning, protégé. I received a perfect score on both my written and practical exams and I'm really happy and proud of the work I put in. I hope that all my hard work pays off when I start taking guests on the clinic floor! 

I'm 25!!!

Well, I made it to a quarter of a century!! It was a nice relaxing birthday season.  For my actual birthday I got to go out with my brother and sister in law to my one of my favorite places, BJs. We got pizza and pizzookies and it was awesome. I also got my first ever edible arrangement from Blake's dad!

Let me just say that being apart from Blake is the worst. It was a week long and by Friday I was counting down the minutes till he arrived. Blake was gone for my actual birthday but we celebrated it together on Valentine's Day. The day started with presents and birthday cake as usual.

We always open cards first and I thought this was a pretty cute one from the kitties. 

I have school every Saturday so I had to go after breakfast, but Blake picked me up and took me out to lunch at in-n-out, even though he doesn't really like it. He knows it's my favorite place for burgers. 

After school we went downtown and had a delicious dinner at Tresetti's and went to the Gallo Center for the Arts and watched Mamma Mia. It was a really amazing production and so fun to watch. With Blake since he's never seen it. We also bumped into my brother and sister in law at the show. Ha. We had no idea that we were both going to the show. Modesto is a small world. It was a great Valentine's Day and birthday and I'm really excited for this next year!! I'll have to post pictures and commentary on caper next time! Also, Jonathan and his wife are in the hospital at his very moment waiting for their baby girl to be born!!

Can't wait to meet my newest niece! 

Cats and hair

That pretty much sums up my life right now. A couple weeks ago, Blake and I talked about getting a cat because we are a little lonely here in Modesto. There certainly aren't as many young people in our ward as in Provo or DC. After school one Saturday, I met Blake at the shelter and we looked at all the cats. I saw these four adorable kittens that weren't up for adoption yet but I really wanted one. The woman helping us said that we could take them all home and foster them until they got bigger. I thought it would be such a fun project, so we took them all home and bought food and supplies and gave them all names. 

From top to bottom, it's Imelda, Alexandria, Jinkee, and Hinckley. They're all girls. I pretty much fell in love overnight and became an obsessed cat mom oohing and aahing every time they fell asleep or sneezed or yawned. I have a million cat pictures on my phone. When it was time to give them back, I couldn't decide between two kittens. So, I put it up to a vote on Facebook and Instagram. And after many people said to keep both, we decided to keep both. 

See? I'm a crazy cat mom. It's been so much fun and I've loved having them around when Blake is gone. It makes it much less lonely. 

And of course hair school is awesome. Last week was cutting week and I think  I really enjoy working with my shears. Right now I'm in Las Vegas for Caper, which is an event put on for Paul Mitchell Future Professionals to network and learn and be inspired. I got to meet Winn Claybaugh who is the founder and co-owner of Paul Mitchell Schools and I'm having a blast already. I can't wait for my rotations in cutting and color tomorrow!

And I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me and is supporting me as I achieve my dream of becoming a licensed cosmetologist. I couldn't do it without you all!!

Modesto Living

We've now been in Modesto for about a month! Blake still loves the job. He gets to interact with quite a few Filipino doctors and staff members and use his Tagalog, which I think is really neat.

As I said before, I decided on Paul Mitchell for school and I'm really happy about it. I don't think everyone knows this, but I've been planning to pursue cosmetology since I was in high school. It was always my plan to finish at BYU and then do cosmetology school, so it's been a long time coming. That being said, I've looked at A LOT of schools.

I looked at schools in Provo, Virginia, and now in California. After looking at so many schools and even starting school in Virginia, I knew what I was looking for in a school. Paul Mitchell had it all. Everyone and everything was really professional when I went to visit. There's a system for everything which is really great, because I felt like everything was really organized. We just finished styling week at school and it was super fun. Styling is probably my favorite thing about hair, so it was really great to work on those skills. Who needs cornrows? I'm open for business!

I'm hoping to revive the blog and document our adventures for this next year, especially as I go through my journey at Paul Mitchell. 

Blake and I are working on our health and fitness (as is everyone else this time of year.) We've integrated Whole30 eating into our routine which is proving to be difficult for us since we love rice around this house and baking and eating sweets, but it has made a difference in how we feel. To supplement our eating, I am training for my 4th half marathon and Blake is training for his first triathlon. I don't know anything about triathlons, but if you've ever had a desire to run a half marathon, YOU CAN DO IT. All it takes is dedication and sticking to a training schedule. I promise that every time I've done one, I've been out of shape and started at square one. At one point, I never imagined I could run 13 miles, but you really do just start one mile at a time. 

Last but not least, pictures of our new home! (I'm trying to get you all to come visit us! We have a second bedroom!)

Welcome!

We have quite a bit more kitchen space than our last place. And a pantry!

Here is our living room. We have a little porch with a storage unit which is super nice too. 

I love being able to cook and see Blake in the living room at the same time. 

I'm in love with our blue clock that we got from Ikea. Sad note: we had an entertainment center from Ikea that we loved. It fit our TV perfectly but it was 2 inches too long for this little alcove. 

Our bathroom felt awkwardly big so we had to buy some bathroom furniture to fill up the space. I'm kind of in love with how much storage space we have in there. 

Our bathroom connects to our bedroom which is convenient.

Here's the second bedroom. I promise if you come to visit, we'll make it real nice for you! After six years, I finally get to have my LoveSac in my house! And that's our Ikea entertainment center which is now housing all my craft supplies. 

And finally, our entry way. We're getting ready for the month of love around here! 

New Year, New Adventures

The last year and a half we lived in Alexandria, Virginia, right outside of D.C. Blake and I both worked in the district and had some good and bad experiences. I worked for a dermatologist while I was there and managed the front staff and Blake worked for the Republican Senatorial Committee. All in all, we made so many great friends, had so many fun weekend trips and will always hold a special place in our hearts for D.C.

After a year of working for the NRSC, Blake felt he needed a change of direction. After a few months of looking for a job, he made some connections with a pharmaceutical company and was offered a job in California as a pharmaceutical sales representative in Modesto, CA. We weighed all the pros and cons and here we are, back in my homeland!

We found a great apartment that we're loving. It's bigger and less expensive than our place in Alexandria and close to lots of shopping. Everyone in our ward was really welcoming yesterday and we're excited for new callings and to get ready to serve!

Blake is LOVING his new job and all the people he works with, which has been such a blessing. Blake's new job is allowing me to go to cosmetology school FULL TIME! I start tomorrow at Paul Mitchell and I couldn't be more excited and nervous. I started a program in Virginia, but when we found out we were moving, I put school on hold for a few months. As much as I loved Virginia and D.C., I've realized that I love every new adventure more than the last and as long as Blake and I are doing it together we'll be happy.