Perks of braiding my hair

Hey y’all. I hope everyone has more exciting plans than me this weekend. FYI- If you haven’t had the chance to catch up on my recent blog posts, I am currently back in Omaha due to my former serious bad-hair status. Thankfully, I have been able to work from home during the day and unbraid/braid my hair during the night.  Although I hate the process of sitting down for days while having someone constantly touching my head, there are some major perks. I’ve listed my top 5 below:

1.     Mama’s cooking- One of the things that I miss most about living in Omaha is having easy access to my mom’s cooking. I have tried to recreate her dishes many times but nothing compares to what she produces. Let me tell you, Mama can make a simple PB & J sandwich taste like something you’ve never experienced before. She is in the process of writing a book for me that includes some of our family’s favorite recipes. My father often jokes and says that her fine cooking is what led him to start dating her, in addition to her other great qualities.  Therefore, I better grab an apron, run to the kitchen, and learn a trick or two from my wise mother.

2.     My aunt’s updates on my family abroad- My dear aunt has been braiding my hair for more years than I count. Every single person who encounters her quickly discovers that she is a very lively person and she loves to tell stories. Considering that we are both sitting down for consecutive days (yes you read clearly, it takes DAYS to do my hair) braiding my hair, you can imagine that I have the opportunity to hear many stories. The stories can range from what’s happening at her work, her reaction to issues around the world, and reason number 456,975, 098,123 I need to find a good husband. However, most of the stories are regarding my family abroad. She always makes it a point that I am aware of what is going on with my cousins, aunts, grandparents, and old neighborhood in the Congo.  I love it because it allows her to do what she loves to do the most (tell stories) and it allows me to never forget where I came from.

3.     Catching up on all of the latest movies- When my aunt is not telling a story, we are watching a movie. My aunt refuses to let me pay her for braiding my hair but she expects that I always come to her house with a stack of movies.  Throughout the years I have discovered that a good ol’ Tyler Perry movie always motivates her to braid faster. So you better believe I am always looking for which new Madea movie is out.

4.     My “No Visitor Policy”- You’ll notice that in my last post I ended by stating, “See you never outside world.” I wish that I was being dramatic in that statement but it’s no joking matter. My sister, Kani, and I developed this policy when we were in grade school. We promised one another that we would never bring anyone around when the other was getting her hair done. No one needed to see us screaming and yelling when my mother was trying to detangle our hair that was in braids for months. Somehow over the years Kani and I have made an exception to this policy. We will allow my our best friend/basically sister, Sara stop by the house.  Don’t worry, Kani, I corrected myself and made it clear that Sara is “our” friend. As much as I tease Kani for always making it a point to tell the family how she is so thankful for “our friend Sara” every Thanksgiving, I am glad that we adore one another’s friends. Prime example: I didn’t scream at her when she brought KP over for dinner the other night when my hair was still in a crazy fro because it’s always great to see KP.

5.     Embracing Being All Natural- In addition to rocking my hair all-natural, I give my whole face a break. I go sans makeup for days!  It’s great not having to worry about what I look like because of my “No Visitor Policy” but every once in a while I will be forced to leave the house for one reason or another.  The other day my dad FORCED me to pick up my cousin at Panera despite the fact that I didn’t have the chance to get my hair washed, braided, and straighten yet. To all my fellow sisterfrans out there….you know how mad I was about this. No body likes to go out in public lookin a mess! To make matters worse, I asked my dad to lend me a hat and “conveniently” this is the only one he could find.

Once again, my life your entertainment!

So there you go, folks. You now know the perks of braiding my hair. I am off to eat another home-cooked meal courtesy of Mama and then my aunt and I are going to pull an all nighter! I know it's Friday so I am going to share a Youtube clip about hair to kick off your weekend. Enjoy!

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