Answers: Part Two

Hello again! Comin atcha with more answers to your questions. :)

ps: I'm freeeeeezing! It's very cold here, my moccasins are my friends.

11. I am curious if you are a cosmetologist as well as a store owner?? if not, what inspired you to open a salon/spa? i think your salon is gorgeous by the way!

I went to Cosmetology school in 2005/06. I have worked in a salon ever since! When the owner of the salon I worked at told me she was selling, I didn't want anyone else to buy it! We took over in April '09, and have enjoyed the business so far. It's a lot of work, and Ryan spends a lot of late hours doing the books, and payroll etc. (thanks hunny!!) but it's been a great learning experience, and I hope we can have the salon for many years to come. Nothing necessarily inspired me to open the salon, the opportunity just came up for us, and we left it in God's hands if the bank would allow us to venture in the business world. Thank you for saying it's gorgeous! It's a very old building, and needed a lot of 'primping'. We'll be working on it bit by bit as we can, to make it beautiful. :)

12. I was wondering if you have suggestions on where to look for photos of more trendy haircuts like yours?

When I want to find a trendy look/cut, I can usually get inspired from the material that my sales reps give us, or from classes that we take. Right now we deal a lot with Schwartzkopf Haircare, and they are a company from Germany. Let's face it, Europe is waaaay ahead of us with trends and fashion. I can suggest some awesome European hair magazines. These are my very favorites. Totally full of fun and more trendy styles!

I find these at Chapters/Indigo. They are a cute purse size too, smaller than usual magazines. They're the best.

- i think it is amazing that you're only 22 and it seems like you're involved in so much!
you are very inspiring!

Thanks so much! It means so much to me that I can be some inspiration to others. :)

13. I want to know how you do it all?

Simply put... I don't! I start way more projects than I actually finish, and my house is always last on my list, it gets neglected. I try very hard to get 'it all' done, but it's hard. I work 4 days a week outside the home, and do business stuff from home the other days, and try to squeeze in blogging and crafting at night or when Simon is napping/sleeping.

14. where did you meet your lovely lovemuffin?

hehe, Ryan & I met because we both signed up to be part of a team going to an orphanage in Mexico with Samaritan's purse. We started dating a few months before the actual trip (which was in March), and we were engaged in July of the same year! Just less than 3 weeks after I graduated highschool, lol. It was amazing to see Ryan in a setting like the orphanage in Mexico when we were still getting to know eachother... I got to see the real him, and some very special places of his heart, when he was working there and spending time with the kids.

Here we are at my grad.

(from 05, when we were dating)

15. what songs/musicians inspire you?

Anberlin, Ingrid Michaelson, Madina Lake, Jeremy Larson, Lydia, Andrew Bird, David Crowder Band, Diana Krall... lately I've liked listening to Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson's album as well, Break Up.

I find that I don't listen to music as much as I used to.. but those bands/musicians are my current favorites.

16. I am looking to get a sewing machine. What brand do you have and would you recommend it??

I have a Kenmore (from Sears), and I really like it, a lot. Whenever it's got jammed, or I threaded it wrong, it's been easy to fix and from the projects I have used it for, it's been great. My mother in law is a much more advanced/experienced seamstress and she likes to borrow it too, so I guess that says something. I would definitely recommend a Kenmore. (Though I have not tried many other machines)

17. What is something from your own childhood that you want your own kids to experience (for example, when I have kids, I want them to see all the classic movies I watched and all the classic books..etc)

I have all the Disney classics on VHS too, and I want to watch them all with my kids too! Simon already loves watching The Little Mermaid, yesssss. :)

One tradition that I want to do with my kids is go for a 'leaf hunt' every fall. My mom would take me and my sister out when the leaves were the prettiest colors... we would collect pretty ones, come back home and make stuff with them (aka glue them to construction paper). Another fond memory I have is having a sleepover at my Grandma's place. She took us for pizza, and we rented movies, and stayed up late while she read us stories... it was awesome. I want my kids to have sleepovers with their grandparents too, it's a special memory for me.

18. Is cosmetology school more affordable in Canada (less than 15k)?

My cosmetology course was 10 months, and cost around $8,000. Trade school is definitely more expensive than going to university, it seems.

19. My question is what was your first tattoo? and could you tell us the story..

I mentioned it in the other post also.

My first tattoo was sort of unplanned... some friends from cosmo and I went to a place (mhm, walk ins!) and spontaneously got tattoos! I always knew I wanted a plumeria flower though, after our Hawaiian honeymoon. I definitely think it's smart to find a great artist and make appointments ahead of time, but it was a fun experience!

I'll leave the others for a Part Three. :)

ps. Totally tried out the macaroons today (recipe from Vanilla & Lace), and they did not turn out. But I didn't expect them too necessarily, it was like a trial... because I plan to bake with Jenna on Sunday, and we may try them them as well.

From my experience, the temp of 375F was too hot, so I'll turn the heat down next time. Also, I made the mistake of using wax paper instead of parchment paper, so they were completely STUCK... oops. So as much as they looked right, they smelled burnt and were hard as rocks! lol. It's an adventure though, and I can't wait to try again. I'm determined.