Be Prepared

Quite a few years ago I had an experience that really affected me (or is it effect?  I can never remember.....).

I was in the bathroom doing my hair, minding my own business, when WHAM!!!....my hairdryer burned out.  It was a Sunday.  I was running late for church.  Worst. Timing. Ever.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm pretty OCD about my hair.  It's a gift and a curse, and really, it runs so deep that even I don't understand it.  So you can imagine my frustration when I was standing there with a broken hairdryer and half-dried, frizzy hair with no solution in sight.  I couldn't scrunch it to make it curly because half of it was already straight.  I couldn't use my flat iron to try to dry/straighten it because it was too wet.  I couldn't just let it air dry because it wasn't Halloween and believe me, that is a scary sight.  There was no other hairdryer in the house that I could borrow and because I was running late, I couldn't go turn to friends or family for support.  I felt helpless.

I'm sure everything turned out just fine because I'm still alive today but the rest of that day is just a blur. I'm not sure if it was so traumatic I blocked it from my memory but I literally can't remember what happened next.

I do understand how shallow this sounds.

But this shallow experience has taught me a very important lesson.  Be prepared.

Fast forward a few years and I'm using a new hairdryer.  It starts acting a bit funny and I have to control my breathing to prevent myself from having a panic attack.  Tender mercy, I was able to dry my hair just fine.  But later that day I went straight to Costco to get a new hairdryer.  I just couldn't let it happen again and if the hairdryer decided to go out on me, I would have a backup.  No more hair nightmares!

Fast forward another few years and I'm still using the same hairdryer.  I still have the backup in the cupboard, just in case, but I haven't had to use it.  Even if my normal dryer starts to act up, I don't freak out.  I don't have an anxiety attack.  I don't have to figure out an exit strategy because I already have one.  I'm as calm as a summer's morning.

I still haven't decided if my good fortune of using the same hairdryer for this many years (which is unprecedented for me) is really the result of just that, luck, or if it's Karma rewarding me for my preparation of the worst.  Regardless of the reason, I have extreme peace of mind.

So I guess that is my message today.  Not about hair, but about being prepared for all situations in life.  We all get thrown curve balls every once in a while but when that happens, it's comforting to know that we did all that we could have done in regards to preparation.  And I do believe that we are rewarded and blessed when we do take the time to be prepared.

"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear."

I have a 72 hour kit in my closet that I haven't looked at or updated in years.  I put an alarm on my phone to remind me every Saturday to update it until it gets done.  It's been a month and I still haven't gotten around to it.  So the Apocalypse may very well come and I will be caught unawares.

But at least I'll have a hairdryer.

Let them eat cake!

Two weeks ago marked the beginning of the birthday frenzy in the Bryant family.  Within 3 weeks we celebrate 6 birthdays and since we are all (minus Becky Jo) birthday divas, it's been a big party!  It's kind of a blessing because it helps alleviate some of the anticipation and excitement for Christmas (don't even get me started on the maniacs we all become in December)!  The schedule can get a bit complicated but here's how it played out this year:  

Cade's birthday celebrated 2 weeks early, Cade's actual birthday (which most of us have forgotten about because of aforementioned celebrations), Halloween, my birthday (not to be overshadowed by Halloween), Brooklyn's birthday, Landon's birthday, celebration of my, Becky Jo's, Brooklyn's, and Landon's birthdays (and yes, we sang 4 times, to us each individually), Becky Jo's actual birthday, and we will close the birthday season with Logan's actual birthday and celebration.

Pretty crazy, huh?

We love it.  

Why?  Because what should really be birthDAY usually turns into birthWEEK or birthMONTH.  And who wouldn't love that?

I turned 33 this year and I feel pretty good about it.  Several people joked about me being younger (21, 23, 25) but I was a bit confused as to why.  I've been telling people I'm 33 for a few months now so I was glad to finally catch up to myself!  I don't know what the year will bring but I sure enjoyed celebrating!  I felt especially loved and appreciated and spoiled. 

I'm not very good about remembering to take pictures but here's a shot with my little buddies while hanging out at Jake and Becky Jo's watching the CMA awards.  It was a great ending to a great day!