I’ve been writing all week.  I set a goal to publish something every Thursday about topics you shouldn’t talk about out loud.  I decided to wade into the blogging water slowly instead of diving into the deep end head first.  The good news is that I have some really good stuff to talk about, but I want you to get a feel for who I am first.

Hi, I’m Mel.  I grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles.  I never cared for the heat of California, mostly because our house was built in the 1950’s and had no air conditioning. My dad loved to fish in his spare time and my mom always cooked what he caught.  My family was lower, middle-class, so we made good use of everything.  To this day I have an aversion to the aroma of seafood.

I never felt like I belonged in L.A.  From a very early age I marched to the beat of my own drum, questioning everything.  At sixteen I took my high school equivalency and signed up for cosmetology school.  That decision came as no surprise to my family who watched me remove the heads from countless Barbie Dolls to cut, color and style their hair.  The legs and the outfits were worthless to me.  I would carry around my mom’s empty compacts and pretend to powder my nose at the table when she was having lunch with her girlfriends.  Beauty was in my DNA.  After graduation, and a few years of apprenticeship in Beverly Hills, I became tired of trying to keep up with the lifestyle. I drove a Volkswagen not a Mercedes and carried Guess not Prada.

I met a boy who lived in Seattle.  After a few visits, I decided that was where I wanted to be and who I wanted to be there with.  We were married and I got a job as a bank teller, continuing to do hair out of my home for several years and building up my clientele.  After several years we divorced and I was on my own for the first time in my life.

During that time I had helped my dad face his battle with Leukemia.  Unfortunately, Leukemia won.  Sharing that experience with him really forced me to re-evaluate my own quality of life.  By that time I had advanced my way up the corporate ladder and was absolutely miserable.  So, I quit!

I was able to take some time to figure out my next move and catch my breath.  The divorce and the death were weeks apart from each other, that was a lot to deal with emotionally.   About a year later, I felt the desire to go back home, to the salon.  Home is where the heart is, after all.

I started dating again and after a few years I met, “Mr. Wonderful.”  His name is Mike and he truly is wonderful.  We’ve been together for a decade this November.  We live in a suburb of Seattle with our two adorable Ragdoll cats, Moxie and Foxy.  Mike is a scientist and I own a small salon on the east side of Seattle.

In my spare time, I enjoy stand up paddle boarding, painting anything from walls to furniture to canvas.  I love exercise, music, going to concerts, movies, cooking, entertaining, interior design and wine tasting.  I’ve recently started studying astrology and plan to become a Reiki Master.  Our life is full and we are grateful.

I’ve been wanting to write for a while and I’ve been told that I should.  I love telling stories and have some really good ones that I hope to share with you here.  It’s a great outlet for me, I love to create things.  I’m looking forward to painting a picture for you every week with my words.  In turn, I hope I’ll make you laugh and perhaps think a little deeper about topics you may not have felt comfortable with in the past.

A few other fun facts about me:  Things I love…

• Tacos, or any food that I can also make into a taco
• The color orange
• Coffee
• Being clean and organized
• Glassy Baby
• Cats/animals in general
• Art
• Naps
• Being in nature
• True crime TV shows
• A good bargain
• Quotes
• Sunday mornings

And a few things I don’t:

• Our current President
• Seafood
• The color pink
• People that are pushy
• Technology (it doesn’t like me either)
• Air travel
• Traffic
• Baking
• Loud eaters
• Being interrupted
• Winter in Seattle
• Burpees

Is there anything else you would like to know or know more about?  Leave a comment!  Let me know what you would like to read about in the future.

Thanks for reading!

Mel