Keeping Wonder Alive #2

+We have a new family member, which means another model for me to practice my photography on. Expect to see much more of this little guys.

This is Rufus, hes 6 weeks old and is a silver black pure lab.

+Second happiness is Sinister Haunted House is built!! and now the fun part, decorating!! Not many other haunted houses can say their actors build from the ground up and decorate their own haunt. We are really dedicated. :D My room is almost done and Im so happy opening day is almost here! 

+Also this has given me the the excuse to reconstruct some thrift store clothing and buy wool for new dreads! 

Rules and buttons for my Keeping Wonder Alive Challenge can be found at the bottom of *This Post*

How was your Monday? Did you find any wonder over the weekend?

<3,

Mer

Keeping Wonder Alive

The grass is not always greener on the other side, sometimes your grass just needs more water. We all need to be reminded from time to time, to stop and look at what we have a little more. Stop complaining so much about what we don't have or why what we have isn't perfect. Truly appreciate what we are given every day. I mean look at what you are doing right now, you are clicks and key strokes away from creating a relationship with some one on the other side of the world! You are most likely sitting under a roof, and if not you are outside on a lab top or phone right now. So no matter what you should at least have something right there to be thankful for. :) All I'm trying to say is it is a great feeling when instead of wanting, you realize how much you already have and can be thankful for it. I think its a habit that should be implemented into your daily life. 

(Finding beauty in weeds.)

I have always had a challenge for my self to find the beauty in things others don't. I some how managed to keep some of my childhood wonder. I call it 'Peter Pan complex'. But from time to time I forget to be thankful for this view. Especially on days I miss my mom, I need to remember what I do have to keep me smiling! 

I decided to create a challenge for it! At the very least three times a week I will post what I am thankful for, made me smile, filled me with wonder, or just plain made me happy! :) 

The inspiration came from when I was doing a reiki study at Shanti Time Yoga. I had about 6 reiki sessions and was asked to keep a journal during  The last question of the journal asked "What was the joy or hope of your day?" I loved this question. It always gave me a reason to remember and smile every day. The reiki and journaling helped me get over some fears and built up tension I was holding onto. I tried to continue writing down the happiness of my day in my calender but have failed at keeping up with it.

Than yesterday I read a article at Money saving mom's blog, which lead me to this post: How I'm Learning to Replace Whining With Gratitude by Crystal from Money Saving Mom. Which brought back the idea of writing down my daily happiness. :D

So today I am officially starting the "Keep Wonder Alive" challenge. Feel free to join in if you'd like!! 
Rules are simple. 
+When you have time, write, draw, or take a picture of what made you smile that day. 
+Post it in your blog, twitter, flickr, facebook, instagram, or however you share your love with the world. 
+If you want link back to me and leave me a message in the comments with a link to your blog, please do! 
+There is no end date to this challenge. Do it for as long as you want, when you want, how you want! 
+And most important just enjoy your unique adventure. 

Here are the buttons, if you would like one!


 <a href="http://lifeisbutaadventure.blogspot.com/2013/08/keeping-wonder-alive.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo keepingwonderalivebutton_zps011672fd.jpg" border="0" src="http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/ac191/MerMrh/keepingwonderalivebutton_zps011672fd.jpg" /></a>

<a href="http://lifeisbutaadventure.blogspot.com/2013/08/keeping-wonder-alive.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo keepingwonderalivebutton2_zps63612904.jpg" border="0" src="http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/ac191/MerMrh/keepingwonderalivebutton2_zps63612904.jpg" /></a>

***

Things that made me happy today... 

My boyfriend actually going in Joann Fabric's, with me. Patiently waiting as I touch and awed over almost every skein of yarn.. (I have a yarn addiction...) That's real love, when you are dating a car guy. lol 
&
I did the hair for a client, who was standing up in her mom's wedding today. So her hair was very important. I was very nervous, but in the end she said she loved it! 

<3,

Mer

August Break Day 23 - Sacred

Sacred... My mothers cats eye ring. Same color as her eyes. I hardly ever take it off my finger.

<3,

Mer

Join in, Theres still time!

Haunt Season - My favorite time of the year.

!!Warning this post contains links and pictures of haunted house actors, nothing in the pictures is real, just costumes, but it may creep out, scare, or disturb some! Parental advisory!!


Now let me explain about what "haunt season" is to me since it will be mentioned many many times and I want to try to explain why it's so important to me. Hopefully show you another side, that doesn't seem so dark and scary. Haunted houses are a big thing in South East Michigan. For the last 8 years I have worked at haunted houses, as a actor/ entertainer, scaring and entertaining all that try to make their way through the attraction.

I know its not your usual entertainment, but once a year I get to feel truly FREE! Free to explode, yell with all my heart in it and run around without real care. Its very therapeutic and extremely fun. Being 5'2 not many people are ordinarily intimidated by me. But when you are this creature with a mask, you can stand up to anyone, face the world with no fear, and no one will dare challenge you. It strengthens your will power, opens your eyes to a new way of being. You can become very animistic when doing this. Learning to step lightly, listen very intensely, and always be aware. By the end of haunt season I am free of stress, fears, and any sadness I was holding on to.
Another plus about haunt season is it comes in the beginning of fall. Fall in Michigan is a beautiful! The weather starts cooling off, the air smells amazingly crisp, and the leaves start changing color (at least in Michigan). Kids start going back to school and the world goes back into its quiet rotation. 

I highly recommend it to everyone. :) So here's my story...

To be honest before I ever worked at a "haunt" I was scared to enter haunted houses. I didn't like being surprised. But I loved hay rides! You are in a safe bubble of friends being pulled on a wagon. The actors have to come to you, its not very personal or in your face. I've never gotten scared by a haunted hay ride. They are just a very fun outdoor ride. Great for families. Haunted house on the other hand make you walk to the actor, they can be in your face, so you have to have the courage to move yourself through the usually dark corridors. 

My first gig was a haunted hay ride a half hour from my house, when I was 20. I loved it. Besides the cold night time temperatures that taught me to layer your clothes, it was the best job at that time. Even after a couple small injuries, rude people, and bruises, I loved everything, but the end of season chilly weather. The cold makes running around less sweaty but It also freezes up some of your motor skills plus I have asthma.  It is a lot of psychical work, but when you get those reactions its well worth it. :)
I joined ScareFest for a little bit, but again it was a hayride, long hours in the cold for few scares wasn't worth it to me after doing it for 2 seasons. So I went about my normal life... lol

But I missed the feeling it gave me.... When Scarefest closed for half a season, a group of us found Haunted Hallows in 2008. That's where are dreams of what haunting could be were truly born. We had a haunted hay ride AND barn. They gave us artistic input of the attraction and our characters.  It was on a large farm land, with chickens, goats, and peacocks, this is important because I love animals. It was a nice bonus! Plus I finally got to work inside! The barn was over 100 years old! and truly haunted (yes I'm one of those ghost believers lol). I worked in a small twisting hallway, pretending to be a mannequin and well, it worked. I loved peoples reactions, scared, surprised, some even laughed! I was once tipped $20 for scaring a guy so good. But all of them were entertained some how. Our rule has always been, "if you can't scare them, make them laugh." and well we found how to truly do both at once.

We became a family of haunters. The owners cooked for us every night we worked and let me tell you, food taste so much better when its home cooked and you really sweated for it! We would gather after around bonfires and tell stories our personal night. It never felt like work, and the money was just a bonus. I made the most amazing life long friends from this and a lot of my stress and tension from the craziness of life had lifted from my shoulders. I always feel so centered and at peace after... 

***

Than after second season, December 9, 2009, the barn burned down. What burned it down is still unknown exactly... We were devastated, it destroyed our dreams. We really put so much heart into that barn. the owners went separate ways and the family was torn again.

Than came Sinister. Where I reside now. We are small group of entertainers now. We all have many years of experience under our belts and what we have grown into is amazing. Many customers don't make it through, very few leave disappointed. We even have a decent following. We have all grown together, are characters are so unique and we promise to give every single customer that walks through our door a very interactive, personal, experience. This is out passion and there is a lot of heart and energy behind it. I have even found a ways to use my yoga and vertical challenge (being short) in my act. Exercising and entertaining in action!

In September 2011, my mother passed away. It was very hard on me, I lost all motivation, felt so lifeless, and alone. But I still felt that excitement for haunt season... not only would I be constantly surrounded by loved one, I would be able to scream, yell, get all the anger, sadness, and hurt out! And I really believe it helped on this long healing journey. I don't feel I would have made it through the beginning of my new journey as well Honestly I believe my mom hung on as long as she could and knew the perfect time was before haunt season and right after I graduated Paul Mitchell. She knew what it all truly meant to me. But that's just my opinion.

 Like I said I was originally afraid of haunted houses. I never really expected to fall in love with such a unique venture. But once you step into that world you see things very differently. A lot less scares me now. Haunting really built my strength, gave me a goal for keeping in good shape and healthy (you need all the energy you can get to do what we do), helped me find a great group of like minded friends, and helped me find a great release for my pain of loss. Everyone has their way of releasing it, this is mine. 


Hopefully I opened your eyes a little to my world. This is a small taste. I plan to take many pictures and have many more stories for you very soon. Haunt season is almost upon us, September 13! If you live in the Detroit area I encourage you to come out to Sinister Haunted House!  Morel of the story, I highly recommend you work at one at least once. Make up a character, bust out the old clothing, get creative and create a alter ego who can't be scared, broken, or intimated!  There are also many family friendly ones if you aren't into the scaring aspect.

Tell me about your haunted house experiences, what do you dislike or love? I'd love to hear your opinions and stories!

Thank you for reading!

<3,

Mer

August Break day 22 - Midday

This is what a midday break looks like at my house.

Join in!

What does your midday look like?

<3,

Mer

Yarn falls, wool dread, Hair!

I absolutely love making yarn and wool dreads. I've been obsessed with braiding things in my hair since I was young. string, yarn, beads, feathers, and whatever else I could make stay in my hair. lol The first time saw synthetic dreads I liked them, but they felt so heavy and they didn't look real enough for me. 

I wanted something that I could wear to work (before I became a stylist and could wear my hair however I dreamed.) and would be believable. Something comfortable I could keep in for weeks at a time. Mainly I wanted to change my look with out messing with my real hair. because believe me I've really messed with my real hair bad. Before I went to school for hair, I was changing my hair color every two months almost and straightening it every 2 weeks! Not as bad as I've seen others do to their hair, but I wasn't very nice to my curls. I've since given in and I love my crazy messy curls sooooooo much now! 

The synthetic dreads have improved are getting better now and I see tons of fabulous designs for them now. but they just weren't for me. One day, when I was 18-ish I met a girl who head a head full of yarn. I was entranced. i asked her a million questions than went home and made my first pair of falls....

Eh, not much to them. but I wore them everywhere....

..and so it begin. My friends loved them, so I made many, many, many. lol
(Click on the pictures to enlarge!)

(There are many more that I have lost pictures for, over time..)

Now I feel I've mastered them. I know how to match your hair and make them look like real dreads or give you a totally radical change :D. I feel I've conquered them. So after a couple years of taking a break from creating them I am back at it again, with a small inventory in My Etsy Shop! I would really appreciate it if you took a peek, please! 

I'm really excited and hoping I can get more orders flying in, and create many more. I love making custom hair pieces, I custom them to the persons style and their life style. If you cant wear them to work I make some that go on elastic bands to attach to pig tails, or a pony tail. Or you can keep it simple and braid them in and avoid your hair for weeks (depending on your hair type.) You can wash your hair with them in easily. I have curly, curly dry hair. These were a life saver for festivals where Id be outside and staying the night with out my straighter and closet full of taming products(I'm a hair stylist I have every product for every hair type in my closet. Always prepared, lol)
Check out my hair board on Pinterest for more synthetic, wool, and real dread inspiration!

If you would like me to make you some custom wool/yarn falls feel free to leave a comment below with your email, or just send me a email!

If you have any questions about yarn falls, wool dreads, or hair in general feel free to ask as many questions as you want! 

<3,

Mer

August Break Day 19 - White

The most adorable white face I know!


<3,
Mer

Join in!

August Break Day 17 Touch & Day 18 Looking Down

Touch.... animals are so great at subtle touches. :)

Looking Down! Walking on water :)

<3,

Mer

Join in!

August Break Day 16 - Floral, and a small story..

More beautiful weeds.

Join in!

....
Story time~

Today was very awesome because I hung out with my "wife" Amanda. We talked mostly about how old we are getting, how time flies, and her daughter is starting kindergarten! (we've known each other for 13 years now.. whoa.) She told me some exciting news. I trimmed her hair than we decided to go to a bar and she talked me into something I've NEVER done before. Karaoke. It was awesome! lol I didn't even get nervous and mind you this was once one of biggest fears, singing in front of people. I love singing so this was a issue. So today I leveled up in life! I conquered a small fear. :D I feel very accomplished.

Now on to why Amanda is amazing. First she is Heather's(my soul mate & best friend) sister. Or as she would say, Heather is her sister. :) The last day I spent with my mom, at the hospital dying in front of my eyes, Amanda sat by my side. She helped me function when I couldn't, she tried to to trick me into sleeping and eating for my own good. I was a mess. I was destroyed. she kept the pieces together. She is such a amazing person and I never feel like I will ever be able to repay her for such a amazing task and I'm bad with expressing feelings. So I will shout it to the internet world.  :)

I hope everyone of you has someone like that, that will stand with you when you can't stand. Those are amazing people. Be one of those people for your loved ones if you can. I'm so blessed and lucky to have that kind of love in my life.

<3,

Mer