4 Years Natural :)

I know I've been MIA for a while. I haven't been in much of a blogging mood. I've been feeling kinda blah this past month. But as usual, I've kept myself kinda busy with my hair.

I had mini twists for 2.5 weeks then I did another roller-set/blowout and dusted my ends. After doing a bantu-knot out, I decided to do a bunch of chunky twists. Twistouts on stretched hair don't usually come out good so this time around I used Curls Unleashed Curl Boosting Jelly for some hold and I loved the outcome. My hair was still light and fluffy with a nice wavy curl pattern.

After the twistout, I braided my hair in small sections using the Jelly and I ended up with 35 braids. I kept them in for a week and here's the outcome:

Fluffy goodness :)

When I first started my 6 Month Protective Style Challenge I thought it wouldn't be hard to stick to it. My problem was that I love playing in my hair. I like trying different styles and products so making a commitment to leave it alone was kinda hard. These past 6 months I've been breaking all my rules. I've used heat a few times and I haven't kept my hair in protective styles. When the colder months come back around I'll try to do another challenge and actually stick to the rules.

On a different note, today marks the fourth year since my BC. My hair isn't where I thought it would be by now but I'm not going to linger on the length issue. Here's my latest length check:

According to my Length Goal, I'm exactly where I wanted to be! I thought I might've been hopeful to think I'd get to Bra Strap Length by June but I'm basically there. Ok, I'm like 1/4 inch away but who cares? lol

Hopefully in a year from now I'll have Mid Back Length hair :)

90s Groove

I miss when songs had an extra minute of music to groove to.

Here's a few of my absolute favorites:

D'Angelo's "Lady" from Brown Sugar (1995)



Maxwell's "Ascension" from Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1996)



Raphael Saadiq's "Ask of You" from the Higher Learning Soundtrack (1995)



I could go on and on but I'll stop here.

Damn I miss the 90s.

I'm Not Ok

Temika Moore's "I'm Not Ok" from The End of Me (2012)



You ever hear a song and automatically wish you had written it yourself? I love when that happens. The first time I heard this song I had one of those moments.We've all had a moment when things weren't ok and nothing seemed to be going our way. There's no shame in admitting that you're not ok. When I heard this song, it was so easy to relate to and I knew exactly where Temika was coming from. Right now that is exactly how I'm feeling. I just need to not get stuck here.


I need to get it together...

I need to get back on track

I was looking through my unpublished posts and I came across this one from 12.4.12. I wonder why I never posted it...maybe I felt it was redundant? Oh well, here it is...



I've wanted to get a handle on what I eat for a long time. I know that I need to improve how and what I eat in addition to becoming more active. When I talk about wanting to lose weight, it is not just for aesthetic reasons. While I do want to look better, the real reason is because I need to feel better. I am 22 years old. I should not be getting winded easily or getting sore after barely being active. That's just not cool. I know that I've mentioned this mannyyyy times. But it's an issue that I haven't brought up in a while. And it is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

Here's a picture of me after my cousin's wedding in 2008:

Four years and forty pounds ago. I couldn't squeeze into that dress if my life depended on it. SMH. I was looking at this picture the other day wondering how I got to my current size and trying to figure out a way to get and stay motivated to lose the weight that I want to.

• I need to get up off my ass and get moving! I can talk about losing weight all damn day, but if I don't add any action into it, it is completely pointless! I need to suck it up and get busy. Soon!
• My diet is not anywhere near what I would like it to be. I don't eat enough fruits and vegetables and most days I feel heavy and unsatisfied after I've eaten. Right now I can't buy the food I'd like to so I feel a bit limited. I also struggle with my portions. 
• I need a support system. Maybe I should join an online weight loss community or try to find people that want to achieve similar goals as me. Sometimes it's hard to stay on track when other people in my house aren't on board with changes. It's also hard for me to discuss weight/weight loss with my friends because they don't see what I see plus they have no idea about how it feels to be my size. If I have to hear the, "Oh Shatera you aren't fat" BS one more time, I just might go off. Next time, I'm just gonna say, "Yeah you're right. Technically I'm not fat, I'm obese." Which is the truth. Sugarcoating shit and telling me I'm not fat might make you feel better but it damn sure isn't helping me. Anyway, back to my point - I need a support system...and one that works. 

I know for a fact that I am not taking care of myself. I need to be better at feeding more than just my body. All aspects of my life are lacking. My energy, my spirit and my mind are all being neglected. ....