Hair and Beyond

When I was younger, one of my first friends was a girl named Stacy. Her mom and my mom were best friends as teenagers, and in 1974 they both graduated from high school together. Before they knew it, adult life took over causing them both to go their separate ways. My mom stayed in Binghamton, New York, married to my father, while my mom's friend, Annette, moved to California with her military husband. They stayed in touch, and it wasn't long before both young women found themselves pregnant! Unbeknownst to each other at the time, both my mom and Annette chose the same name for their soon to be born baby daughters. As it would turn out, I was to be "Stacey" (with an "e") and Annette's daughter would be "Stacy" (no "e"). We grew up calling her Stacy Lynn, and I was Stacey Jean!!

That's me, with Stacy Lynn to the right.

My first memories of Stacy Lynn go back to when I was about 4 years old. My family had traveled to California on a vacation to visit. We went to Disney Land, Universal Studios, and the beach. Though I was little, and despite distance, I felt a kinship to Stacy Lynn and her family. Throughout the years, they would travel back to Binghamton to visit their extended family, and our mom's would make a date to take us to both Chuck E. Cheese's and the carousel at Recreation Park. Eventually, when I was in the third grade, Stacy's family moved back to upstate NY and we became close friends. Our mom's often hung out when we were little, so Stacy and I did almost everything together.

Annette, Stacy Lynn's mom, was a hairdresser, as was Stacy's grandmother. After a few years of being back in New York, I remember their family building a house with their very own beauty parlor attached to the front. One thing Stacy Lynn and I would do together was spend hours in the shop, playing with mannequins and doing their hair. I also remember playing Barbie dolls with Stacy, and while I would just brush and braid their hair, Stacy Lynn thought nothing of cutting it right off! Doing hair was in her blood, and years later, Stacy Lynn also became a hairdresser just like her mom. Eventually, Annette opened her own shop called Hair and Beyond on Robinson Street in Binghamton, and once Stacy was able, she became co-owner.

Hair and Beyond Salon

Fast forward many many years, and here we are now in 2010. The salon is still going strong, with a loyal clientele. Despite their success, Stacy Lynn and Annette have endured some trying times over the past couple of years. As a respite to all that was going on in their personal lives, they decided to focus some of their energy on an uplifting activity. They entered a national contest called Matrix Mannequin Mania . Again, Stacy Lynn found herself playing with mannequins! With the help of her co-workers, she created some fantastic designs. Her mannequin entitled "The Widower" actually became a finalist in this national competition! With lots of hard work, prayer, and intense rallying for votes, Stacy and Annette's hopes for winning were high! And lo and behold, they WON!!! Now, Hair and Beyond is known nationally, while Stacy Lynn and Annette, the shop's owners, are $25,000 richer!! I'm incredibly happy for them! They deserve it!!

Spirals on the wall!

Stacy Lynn's success inspired this post! As it is, a few years ago, I had the opportunity to give a little of myself to their shop, Hair and Beyond. Annette had opened the salon in the mid 80's, so the decor needed a little bit of a makeover. I was available and more than happy to help out. I spent numerous nights painting decorative work on the interior walls. Hot pink, black, and white were Stacy and Annette's colors of choice. I thank them for the chance to do a little artwork for them. I got a lot of positive feedback for my work, and wanted to take a moment to share. :)

Abstract Florals!

Checkered!

My photos aren't of the best quality. I had always hoped to take some more professional looking shots. But, you get the idea! I had alot of fun painting at Hair and Beyond, and hope to do some similar work in the future!! Wish me luck! Maybe some of Stacy Lynn's and Annette's good fortune will drift my way. :)

summerhill ranch.

laundry. packing. and last minute details. i'm getting ready for an adventure. tomorrow i get on a flight taking me from binghamton, new york to san luis obispo, california. from there i will be picked up and taken deep into the hills where i will stay at Summerhill Ranch for nine days. hundred year old oak trees and baby chickens will welcome me there. i'm excited for my stay.

summerhill ranch looks beautiful.

i'm embarking on my training to become a soul coach and past-life regressionist. this is my starting point. the beginning of my most authentic path in life. i've studied these themes for almost ten years now, since i was in a near fatal automobile accident. since i had my very own "out of body experience". and now it is finally time to incorporate all that i know, into my life's work. so yes, soon i will be a certified soul coach. and i will have the skills needed to regress others into their past lives. i can't wait!!

so wish me well. i'm happy to take this journey. :)

an introduction.

i've been doing a little thinking regarding the purpose of this blog. my ideas are expanding and growing. and i feel the need to encompass more of myself on these pages.

yes....i am an artist. i always have been. coloring with my crayolas. painting rocks. gluing styrofoam and glitter onto cardboard for miss macey in kindergarten. that's always been me. neat and controlled. talented. always staying within the lines. paying attention to detail. happy in my own little world. creating. playing with the rainbow.

and i've grown up in that world. i've grown up with that identity. stacey jean: artist.

but i'm more than just that. i'm a bohemian for sure. free spirit with a free mind. i thank my dad for that. he allowed me to wear boots in the summertime. and a feather adorned hat with my red strawberry sundress.

i was encouraged to read alot

as a child. books filling my head with ideas, words, feelings, and images. i loved amelia bedelia and miss piggle wiggle. dorie the little witch caught my imagination for sure. and ralph the mouse ran off with it on his little motorcycle. books were my way to escape from a chaotic household growing up. they were a centering force in my life. they still are.

so i guess you could say i'm fairly intelligent. i read alot. i philosophize alot. and i really like to think. i actually have a tendency to overanalyze just about anything. and then i

ponder over whatever it was that i was thinking about just a few more times. i come to conclusions. i learn more. my conclusions change. at least i'm open-minded....though, i can also be stubborn. i pride myself on having looked at an issue objectively and concluding with the "right" stance. i do know what i'm talking about. ;)

for example, let's take an issue like vegetarianism. i am a vegetarian. to me, this is the only way to live.....at least in a country like the united states. we don't need to eat the flesh of another living, breathing, emotional being. there is no reason for me, and no reason for you, to sustain life by creating misery in the lives of so many innocent creatures. vegetarianism is an issue in which you will not sway my opinion. go ahead and try, but i'm not budging. and dont think i'm a softy when it comes to defending myself here. i'm confident we'll be revisiting this issue in future posts.

so yes, i believe in living a life free of violence. a life filled with compassion. a life with a spiritual basis. i believe that there is a divine plan for everything that happens in life. i believe we've all chosen our path. we've chosen our challenges so that we could chose to grow. i believe in past lives. soul groups. and many dimensions.

and this three dimensional world is the one i know best. i love the earth. it is my school. and the people i am closest to are my classmates. we all learn from each other in this world. and i am grateful for all of the experiences i've had on this planet so far. i'm thankful for the people i can call my family, bonded to me by both blood and/or spirit. i'm thankful for my kitties too. tiger and bridget. they love unconditionally. and that's one of the greatest lessons in life.

i'm also thankful for my boyfriend, tom. he's my rock and my best friend. i know life is okay, because he is in my life. and i feel incredibly blessed. it feels wonderful to be in a healthy, loving, balanced, and respectful relationship. i've had bits and pieces of this in the past. now, i feel like something went right (thank you universe!), and all of those pieces decided to coincide so that we both could be happy. together, we're going to take on the world!! soon we will be moving to a new city. and traveling to the sunny beaches and blue waters of mexico, with all of it's mayan splendor!!

yes.... i looooooove to travel. so i plan on reporting about that in this blog as well. :)

so where does this all leave me? i guess you could say i'm an artistic bohemian type who loves animals, reading, and this grand spiritual cosmos. i want to see as much of this planet as possible, and i'll never eat an animal while doing so. i feel blessed. i'm happy. and i want to share it all with you!! my future readers. i also love taking photos.....so i'll be including many. though random and out of order at times, i hope you enjoy what i have to offer!!

offering you peace and many blessings.

goodnight.