Liberation

Dear God (and anyone else out there reading me...),

Over the span of three days, I retightened my own hair. Thanks to my consultant who showed me the process, I am FREE... When I got my hair LOCKED I never imagined that I would be able to maintain it so early in the process. I am so appreciative and blessed.



I love that I did not have to feel rushed. I opened presents with my children, cooked dinner, played with my children and their Christmas toys, visited family, and more. I was in absolutely no rush with retightening my hair. But once I was in the flow of retightening my hair, I had to force myself to stop. I did not want to stop, but all of these other events required some of me.



My only issue was that my thumb and pointer finger required me to rest because they ached from fitting my locked hair through the tiny slot on the Nappy Lock tool. I believe as I do this more that finger aching will be a thing of the past.

It was actually a therapeutic and spiritual process for me as I handled my own hair, my mind released thoughts and I felt unburdened. One of those days I did not turn the TV on at all, most of the day I played Christian Christmas and Gospel music. I took this long to post this post (1/2/08) because I was waiting to get the pictures back from my sister who took them with her digital camera. I did get an opportunity to visit my consultant Creyole and she said I was doing a good job with my hair. I lost my first Nappy Lock tool when it fell down my sink, and I could not retrieve it. So when I replaced it, I bought two, just in case.


Sis RJQueen10

Please feel free to share, let me know you were here by leaving me a comment...

National Body Challenge 2008 Countdown...

National Body Challenge 2008

I just want to thank all of you out in blogland who consistently come and visit my blog. My Locks are growing and changing progressively but photowise (I made that word up) they still look the same, so I am going to wait a little while longer before I post any photos. But one thing I learned that I really love is when I get My Locks retightened. I enjoy seeing my parts and how neat my hair looks. Thanks Creyole for EVERYTHING!

Okay, If anyone would like a FREE 8 week gym membership google "National Body Challenge 2008". Registration begins December 27, 2007. Every year in January they jumpstart fitness by giving free gym memberships and lots nutrition information. I've done it every year, since 2002. Last year I lost 30 pounds. It is just keeping the weight off, that is my biggest challenge. I believe 2008 will be my year!!!

RJQueen10

My LOCKS Lift Me…

Dear God, (and everyone else out there reading me…)

Since you are omnipotent, omniscience, and omnipresent you are aware that I have actually been in a state of DEPRESSION, but as I drove home from my workout at the gym this morning I felt HAPPY for the first time in about three and a half months, my JOY is starting to reawaken too! I believe the feeling of Happiness is an external feeling and is controlled by things going on AROUND one’s life. I believe joy is an internal feeling and depends on the spiritual things going on IN one’s life. Thank you, God!

I LOVE my LOCKS, they are so liberating. My baby LOCKS are now three weeks and three days old and I have already had them retightened by the lovely Creyole. She also provided me with a stress relieving massage shampoo. My scalp tingled with relief and my voice box involuntarily released gratifying moan sounds. What a great shampoo, especially since I had gotten used to shampooing my hair every other day when I was kicking my short afro.

Wow, I feel surprised that my hair needed retightening. This is because there is growth, about ½ an inch, my hair has never grown this fast before. Actually keeping all the hair products and hair tools out of my hair is favorable to my new growth process. I feel so much more confident now that my hair has been retightened. I think I am kind of weird, because I am actually attracted to the parts showing in my hair. Before I got my LOCKS I read how some people did not like their parts showing. I don’t like my “kitchen” area that is growing out to be LOCKED one day, because it “looks” unruly. However, I really do not worry about it much especially since it is in the back out my head and I have to go out of my way to see my curly, kinky, coily, napps.

My simple regime consisted for the first three weeks of a spritz with some water that I tricked out with some Rosemary Tea, I got the recipe from bottom of page 45 “Going Natural” by Mireille Liong-A-Kong. I also cover my head at night when I go to sleep. That all, folks. I did not workout for two weeks because I was concerned my LOCKS would slip. I was timid about working out because when I work out, I sweat so hard and intense every part of myself is drenched like I stepped out a shower, especially my hair. Now I am at the gym on a regular basis, three times this week already I have not needed to spritz my hair every morning.

Although I was also afraid to touch my hair, I thought I would mess it up, I could not resist. I enjoy the course natural texture of my hair. I am not sure how to describe this touching sensation, but many of my hair strands in the back feel like what I image a LOCK to feel like.

I really like my spiked look and I look forward to the unknowns of how my LOCKS will behave as they continue to grow.

If anyone out there besides God is listening, feel free to share and post a response.

Sis. RJQueen10
Side Note to Self: I started with 3 inches of hair in the front and top, 2 inches in the back, and 1 inch and less near the nape of my neck.

My Locks are BORN!!!

I just wanted to say thank you for those who continue to come to my sight and check on me (or check me out). My goal in life is to be a positive person and lately I have not felt positive. I am taking it one day at a time and realize I have a lot to be positive for. For example, my 35th birthday just passed on September 9, 2007.

This biggest and hugest present to myself are my “LOCKS”. I was excited and apprehensive at the same time. My hair is oh, so SHORT—that is my only negative contemplation. I consider how for the last three months or so I have sported my SHORT afro (TWA), I want to carry this courage over into my ” LOCKS” hairstyle. My positivity was enhanced after I spoke with my consultant Creyole a week ago and she indicated that she has no issues with my hair length. So it is full forward ahead.

New Birth, New Beginnings... This is exactly what this process has felt like, conception and birth. After covering my natural hair up with braids for about four years. I started with two strand twisting my natural hair last December 2006. I learned to actually like the look, and texture of how my hair was made by God. Now I am ready to LOVE the freedom and joy God meant for me to experience with my own hair. I had an appointment to get Sisterlocks, cancelled because I wanted that "specific" person to do my hair. I started wearing my hair in a Tiny Afro, after a barber cut off half of my hair in an attempt to shape up my afro. I thought about dying my hair, adding the extentions back on, here I am approximately nine months later with LOCKS! Okay, they are not locked yet, but you know what I mean!

We started at 8:00 am and finished at 4:30 pm with a 30 minute lunch in between. So over all it only took 8 hours to birth my LOCKS! Creyole counted and I own 390 LOCKS, just as she predicted months ago. This woman knows her stuff, just as I knew she would. I am so proud, she is my IDEAL CONSULTANT!

P.S. Goodnapps blogspot was very encouraging to me as I wrestled with the shortness of my hair. She has her links to others blogspots catorized by short (TWA) starts, medium starts, long starts ,etcs. I went to the links with the short starts and I began to see that it was not only possible, but beautiful as well. Thanks Goodnapps!



Sis. RJQueen10

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I HAVE BEEN TAGGED...

Dear God, (BlackRussian and Choosen Vessel and everyone else out there reading...)

Now the rules: You have to choose 7 things to share about yourself. Then choose 7 people to tag. Now don't forget to post a comment on their blog informing the person that he/she has been tagged, so that they can join in on the fun. Okay, I tried to keep this FUN...


1) I was born with grey hair. I even have one strand of grey hair growing out of my right cheek. I always likened me having grey hair to mean that I was born with wisdom. So I am convinced when my whole head stats to grey, I will not cover it up to look younger or to hide my grey. Grey hair is such a beautiful sight to see.

2) Green is my favorite color, any shade of green. From the most uninteresting pale green to the deep luxurious hunter green, all shades of green. My man of God and my green wonder favorite colors are green as well. When I was growing up our grass was not green, it was kind of brown. So I thought if I wished hard enough then we would have green grass. Also money is the color green.

3) 10 is my favorite number. When I was younger and before I knew any better I wanted 10 of everything. 10 husbands, 10 children, everything in sets of 10. Then when I was the 4th grade the school showed us girls a video of a woman having a baby. That was the most effective birth control method ever; I did not get pregnant until I was 29 years old. Thank you God, for my double for my trouble blessings of twins—a boy and a girl.

4) I was debt free once before in my life. When I got divorced after 11 and ½ years of marriage, I assumed all but about $6,000 worth of our debt. Everything was in my name, except our house (it was in both of our names) and that one debt of about $6,000. Well in two years after my divorce, I (with God’s help) paid off $72,000 worth of debt. My $32,000 undergraduate student loans, various credit card debt (the most expensive credit cards had a limits and a matching balance of $5,000, $8,000 and another had a limit of $10,000), my automobile (it is a real nice thing to drive your vehicle and not owe anyone any money on it, except insurance of course). I am not currently debt free, but I can say in my lifetime: “I’ve been there, I’ve done that!”

5) I don’t advocate divorce. It took some deep soul searching and merciful help from God to forgive myself for not being able to hang in there despite all of the “stuff” my ex and I were going thru. My Ex is my first love. I also read a book by Dr. Miles Munroe "Single, Married, Separated & Life After Divorce". Because I did not give myself time to heal, my Man of God (my new husband) had to bear the burden of my hurt, pain, and unhealed heart. My recommendation is get yourself together before you get married and make sure your future husband has himself together otherwise, the marriage will be cloudy for quite some time like a bad storm. But remember, nothing is impossible with God. If we remain consistent and obedient to God’s Word eventually the clouds will give way to the shining SUN(SON). A marriage God’s way is the most ultimate ministry. So anyone out there considering marriage please take your time. You have the rest of your life. Go to a Word based church and get Understanding, and if marriage counseling is offered do not pass it up. Listen to the counseling you receive, if the recommendation is against marriage—DON’T GET MARRIED, WAIT until the healings manifest.

6) Even though I am 6 feet tall, 72 inches. I love wearing high heeled shoes. I currently have two pairs of 4 inch heels. I think they are sexy, Sexy, SEXY. I like that whoever made them, made the heel wide enough so that I don’t break my neck trying to walk in them. I feel like royalty when I have on my heels, almost everyone I encounter is shorter than me. My husband is even shorter than me when I wear heels. He says he does not have a problem with it, so I wear my heels with sass and confidence!

7) If I had my whole life to live all over again I would not change a single solid thing. For All of the pain and trauma I went thru that built up the character and compassion in me. For All of the happiness that makes life worth living. For All of the mistakes I have made, and for many of the things I did “just right”. I would not change nothing; I would not change anything. In my 34 and ½ years of life, I have experienced many of life’s highest highs and some of life’s lowest lows. I have had it all and I lost it all, because I got caught up and started thinking I had done this on my own. God simply wanted to refocus where my attention really should be, on HIM. God humbled me and help bring me back down to my knees, my head is still held high because I look towards the Heavens where MY help comes from. Now, God has given me back EVERTHING I lost in double portions. I have lived my life not KNOWING God (yet as I reflect back over my life, God has been here all along). I am living my life KNOWING God and it is the sweetest, Sweetest, SWEETEST joy I know. Thank you God for the life you have given ME!

If anyone out there besides God is reading, feel free to share and post a response.

Sis. RJQueen10

One Step Backwards --Two Go Forward...

Dear God (and anyone else out there reading my blog...)

I am not going to be hard on myself, but I sort of feel like I took one step backwards in my self-LOVE experience. I know, Know, KNOW wearing braids is not the better option for my hair! Yet, here I am kicking my braids for the moment! I am kind of reminded about this when I think of my natural wearing Friend and Sister in Christ. She said I can call her Porsha83. I want to commit to myself that when it is time to take these braids down, I am going to stay natural no matter what. Perhaps, if I "put it in writing" I will be able to ...

I am so late doing this, but here are a few of pictures of Porsha83 . She is my girl, and the “girl” in my graduate program that I wrote about on my first blog post dated Wednesday, February 28, 2007, “Being Natural is True Freedom and Internal Joy”. Her hair is so beautiful to me and so is she. Her hair is so full. It is so textured. I thank you God for the courage this lady has helped me capture. It is such an experience in self-LOVE to go from wearing braids in my hair, to confidently wearing my own natural, textured, short, kinky, coily, wavy, nappy hair. I am looking forward to the next stage (LOCKING MY HAIR).

She told me in class the other day; she is going to lock her hair in the near future too. I believe without a shadow of a doubt this will be so perfect for her, she will be PHENOMENAL!

She is a hair inspiration for me because she started her natural self-LOVE experience with the Big Chop, rocked her TWA and now two years later has abundant beautiful mass of lengthy, voluminous, healthy, natural hair.

Porsha83, if you are reading this, thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU for helping me get to the “next level” with your excellent support, your true compassion, and your great conversations. I am glad I KNOW YOU!











If anyone out there besides God is listening, feel free to share and post a response.

Sis. RJQueen10

My Blog Personality

Dear God, (and anyone else out there reading...)


I am in the process of reading TRAs blogspot from beginning to end (it is such rewarding readings). On it I found this link! I really agree with the interpretation, so I decided to post and share it on my blogspot! Now ya KNOW! I usually express myself daily with God, offline in a personal journal, now I am able to enhance this and share my relationship with God to people I will never meet in person and perhaps some I may actually meet. I do like to post pictures creatively, however I got a virus on my computer and I needed to stick to the basics so as not to put my computer off line. That is why recently I have not posted slide shows etc. I need to ask Blaq, has she had any virus problems and if so how did she overcome them. My computer had gotten really slow, locked up and then began to crash competely. Thank you God, my laptop it is under warranty, and everything is straight right now. Every subject I blog about, I think about it carefully and I try to completely express myself and learn more about who I AM and who I AM growing into! My blog is important to me, but I try to disicipline myself against it's addictiveness by controlling and limiting my blogging days and time. Once per week while graduate classes are in session. Classes start back for me Tuesday evening, May 29th. I am careful about who I share my blog with, I printed up some designhergal cards (I need to post a copy to my blogspot. I think it is so ME), but I have been real limiting on who I pass them out to. I am pretty open and transparent here on my blogspot, well about as open and transparent as one can truly be ONLINE, and if someone I know in "real life" wants to KNOW me, I kinda of want them to take that time with me and learn me. That is part of the reason why I take the time to read other people's blogspots from beginning to end. I am "taking the time" and I enjoy when people reciprocate that behavior with ME.

Your Blogging Type is Artistic and Passionate

You see your blog as the ultimate personal expression - and work hard to make it great.One moment you may be working on a new dramatic design for your blog...And the next, you're passionately writing about your pet causes.Your blog is very important - and you're careful about who you share it with.

What's" Your Blogging Personality?

Feel free to share your thoughts, comments, and opinions...

My IDEAL Consultant...

Dear God, (and anyone else out there reading…)

After I starting to read Cashana’s blogspot from beginning to end. I discovered something NEW about myself and my feelings about the IDEAL consultant for ME…

It is important to have a connection with your consultant. Well, it IS important to ME. Professionalism is key, but I want more than just a superficial, polite you are my customer-consultant connection. This whole process is new to me and I want to be coached, and to be trained on how to manage and understand my own hair. I want to be told things I would not even think to ask questions about, like lock sizing, or Wheatgrass Smoothies. Even though I am known to ask lots of questions, I may not know the correct ones or the specific ones to ask. I want to be able to ask questions that may seem "stupid" but were given respect and answered by my consultant, like what is my hairtype? If a person does not know the answer to a question, then it is NOT a “stupid” question. If she could not answer them at the present I would like to be told she would find the answers for me or something progressive like that.

I want to know that my consultant would be there for me throughout the whole process, until I became independent and able to maintain and retighten my own hair. I want to know that once I become independent and I need help with my hair and I need grooming or whatever, I want to be able to know that she will be able to fit me into her schedule within a reasonable timeframe.

Last but not least, I want a relationship. I want to be a reciprocal source of positive energy, and spiritual maturity for my consultant. If her day is cloudy or hazy I would like to add my SUNSHINE to it. I know, Know, KNOW I am not asking for too much!

Now that I have identified this about myself, I love knowing this is how I FEEL! Thank you God! Now that you have helped me defined this, In Jesus' name, I know and trust you will reward me exceedingly and abundantly above my request. Amen.

Sis. RJQueen10

P.S. The attached pictures are for Ms. Stella. At the time I thought my short Jheri curl was NOT working, I was 18 years old, my freshman year in college. We went to New York with the National Society Black of Engineers -- NSBE. Hindsight... I actually like that phase of my life. I wish I could have enjoyed it more as I went thru it. I loved the second picture the most, I was 17 years old, one of my high school senior class pictures. Wow! The third picture of me at 34 years old. Taking a picture of myself while I'm driving my husband's long truck!. This September I am going to be 35 years old, times flies when you are having fun with 4 year old twins!

If anyone else out there is listening besides God, feel free to share and post a response...