First of all, I've been a traveling fool! Nothing vacation-y, just some trips to each coast for work.
April 4-6 I headed to the East Coast. I flew into Philadelphia, took the train to the suburbs, and was driven to New Jersey. We were literally on the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, having just the Delaware river to divide the state. I crossed the Delaware river at the same place George Washington did so long ago. I just did it over a bridge, rather than in a boat.
My friends Olivia and David got married at the Hollyhedge Estate in New Hope, Pennsylvania, which is what brought me out that way. Olivia and David actually live in California, but are originally from back east, so they had their wedding in Olivia's hometown. My friends Kate and Danielle made the trip out from California, so we got to hang out and support Olivia throughout the day.
I did hair and makeup for the girls, and then did something completely new, I officiated their wedding! I know, crazy, right? I think it went well, but I'm not adding wedding officiant to my resume. The next day I hoped back in the car to the train that took me to the airport and spent my day getting back to Austin.
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| David and Olivia had one of their dogs, Ceili, be their ring bearer, how cute is that? |
Five days later, I found myself back at the airport, this time heading to California! I booked a wedding for this past Saturday, then filled up a few days at the salon seeing clients and friends. I've had two full days in the salon so far, and have two more before I head back to Austin on Thursday.
I'm having fun seeing my clients and friends and getting to do the work I love so much! I did an extreme makeover haircut on my friend Michelle, snuck in a bridal trial for the wedding that is bringing me back to California in two weeks, and did a lot of refreshing and sprucing up of cuts and colors, with fancy blowouts to boot.
I've found ways to sneak in fun, because all work and no play makes me a tired and sad girl.
Saturday evening I headed over to Danielle's house for a girls night. We're a little unconventional in our choice of activities, but we had fun! We ate pizza and desserts, colored Easter eggs, watched Austenland, and had a great time just hanging out together. Danielle's two Maltese dogs are pretty wonderful also. 
I'm completely enjoying spring in California, from admiring the beautiful green mountains and wild flowers, to walking through downtown Campbell and visiting my favorite shops and restaurants when I have down time, as infrequently as that is with my packed schedule.
Today I realized that I can be both happy and sad about something that is so simple. I'm so happy to be back in California because everything here is easy. I know where everything is, I have a client base that is dying for me to do their hair, my family and friends are all here-- all of that makes life easy. I'm sad that it's not easy like this in Texas, where I call home. Sure, within a few years, Texas can become easy too, but I'm an instant gratification person. It's hard for me to look ahead and be OK with less than awesome right now. I don't like feeling like this, so I'm working on that. I'm making plans for how to meet more people and build my clientele, I'm figuring out how to keep myself both busy and happy, I'm actively going to look for more friends, I'll explore the Austin area until it's as easy for me to navigate as San Jose. It will take time, but eventually with work, I'll find that easy feeling in Texas.
It won't be California, but it can be close.