Two idealistic curly headed freaks embarked on a mother-daughter cross-country journey for over a month on this May 1st last year. And a lot has happened in a year! After our trip, I went off into the woods of Stokes State Forest to continue my camp programming and five other odd jobs while my mother jumped right back into the booty-shaking Zumba and massage client filled days.
The love of my mother’s life moved into the house, and on top of that we added another member to the family by adopting our sassy pug, Stella. Mom and her man went to Cabo, Mexico and every beach there was to see in the summer!
I’ve taken trips to Charleston, SC, Newport, RI, Burlington, VT, and Philly with my man and friends! I also took a solo trip to hike Sedona, Arizona in December, and trekked on to figure out which path would be my next… and I’m still trekking happily without a clue! (The travel bug never leaves). My brother is about to graduate, my boyfriend is happy and successful, my mother is happy and healthy, the house is full, the pug couldn’t get any cuter – life has treated us fair!
The summer months my mother and I spent apart were needed to let the trip sink in, in order for us to compile a collaborative account of writing about the trip and think how our mother-daughter relationship’s history can be interwoven in. Hearing what our blog posts meant to some women and their own families after our trip brought tears to our eyes and have furthered inspired us to write our story. We have been continuing the process of writing our book and hope to have the content finished by the end of this year. Next year we’ll figure out the publishing mumbo jumbo!
This was a more serious quick check-in and update but again, I just want to thank you for all of the warding-away-tornado-watch-vibes, the positivity, the support, the new friendships (and the endless Dunkin Donuts gift cards!!) and everyone’s overall love. Many mothers and daughters are estranged and lack a path to positive communication or acceptance. We hope our story can shine a little light on how we fumbled through our personal roadblocks and trekked on.
Feel free to get in contact with us through WordPress if you have any questions or inquiries about us or our dreams of finishing this book.
Happy May 1st everybody! Enjoy your month of May and let’s celebrate our Mothers!
Love,
Curly J
PS. Everyone send my mother and her man positive vibes for their big starring roles in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?!! (Stella is not the best at running lines.)
Hey strangers! (Happy 1st of the month!!!) It’s us! Yes, us! The Curly Girls! Remember?! The curly headed freaks that drove cross country in a month straight without killing each other?! Throwback Thursday for real. It’s been so long! Oh goodness it has been TOO long. What on earth have you all been up to all summer? What have WE been doing all summer? Well, I’m here to tell you that a majority of it did consist of recovering from each other. (I think Curly J required a bit more recovering than I did…but that’s okay!!!)
Being crammed in the front part of a Sante Fe Hyundai for 4 and a half weeks had the power to make walking into our small living room feel like galloping on acres of land. Seriously, being more than 2 feet away from my mother felt like I was in another state. (I actually missed Curly J’s drooly open-mouthed snore!!)
But speaking of galloping away on acres of land…
Right after our trip I had about 3 days to transition into going from one suitcase to another to go into the woods for two months. I kissed the love-of-my-life-wonderful-boyfriend goodbye AGAIN – seriously he’s a trooper – and off I went. I help program for a summer camp in Stokes State Forest. The seasonal job requires me to live there for the summer, eat a lot of s’mores, and be the most ridiculous human being I can be.
I’ve been going since I was 10 and haven’t missed a summer yet. We create a little weird safe haven for children of all backgrounds and ages where everyone lives by the two rules of respect and kindness. Sounds like a little strange utopia in the woods?
It is.
My mother on the other hand here has been busy drinking wine and cackling with joy with her man all summer long, hanging out with Luke, and hopping to the beach whenever she could.
I swear she’s gone to the beach more times this past summer than she ever has before. She’s a healthy and happy woman for sure. (Best summer ever!!! And I have the tan to prove it!!!! Also got to reconnect with the Lukester…I love that kid…we are actually plotting a much smaller adventure to London next year…he could NEVER handle that much alone time with Curly Mom!!!! )
But alas, our trip is over, my summer camp is over, Mom’s forever on-going beach vacation is over… transition back into the off season is upon us and I’m trying to adjust to home life again. But what IS exciting is now we can hibernate and write our book!
We actually just had our first official brainstorm meeting for a framework for our book! (And it was a very productive meeting!!! I have to say, Curly J and I work so well together, feeding off of each others strengths!! I am so excited to see where this journey leads us!!!) We will keep in touch with you during our writing process at least once or twice a month! Thank you for your support and for still following us! (Thank you to ALL of your wonderful followers who keep asking me when the next blog or book is coming out!!! You make my heart sing!!!)
Hey everyone!!!! As you know we have now been home for about a week. The drive home through PA was very very long!! With torrential rain. And fog. The good news from that is my forearms look like Popeye’s!! No, seriously, they do!!! We were happy to see that the house was still standing and was pretty darn clean!!! Thank you Luke!! The boys (Luke, Ted, Jeff) helped us unload the car and piled everything in the kitchen. I wish I had a picture of that!!! I took two days to hibernate…was feeling a bit sad about the journey ending. Not that I wasn’t excited to see Luke and catch up on Ted hugs…but this was an over a year in the making DREAM!!! And even though I know Curly J loved it, I think as a mom the meaning of it all just overwhelms me. I also have a problem with endings…maybe that’s why I don’t like just one period at the end of a sentence…
So, here are some random curly thoughts about our adventure…
A thought…this all started with a thought…and a dream.
Vision boards work!!!!
Coffee is a fabulous thing!!!!!
I love that Curly J inherited my goofy genes!!! We really could write a musical because we were always bursting out in song. It could be titled “Free Range Cows”.
Getting to read a love note from your boyfriend every morning was the sweetest and most romantic thing ever!!!!!
Be in the moment…learn to enjoy exactly where you are…whether it’s something spectacular like the Grand Canyon or just sitting quietly with a cup of coffee. It’s our choice to be happy!!
Watching the Kentucky Derby Triple Crown winner was awesome…but laughing with my family and friends and getting a sticky kiss from Baby J was the best part.
I love and cherish all the imperfect little nuances of others and the world. We are all works in progress. I must learn to do the same for myself.
My daughter is such a natural beauty. So comfortable in her own skin. I strive to be like that. One day…
Our country is soooooooooo beautiful!!! So many places actually brought tears to my eyes. Felt so very grateful to be an American.
I loved meeting so many friendly and different people. It breaks my heart that there is so much prejudice and hate in this world. From the tattooed goth innkeeper to the young cowboy from Texas who had never been out of his state, to the wrinkled old waitress serving our omelets to the weathered beaten down homeless man in New Orleans who cried when we talked about our journey…I just wanted to hug them all. Actually, I did hug quite a few!
Facing our fears…it is amazing what one can do if you just take that first step. And let someone hold your hand a little. This is why I want to do my JOY workshops. I am good at holding hands and want to help people discover their inner strength.
We really do need to put down our cell phones and look out the window. There is some cool stuff to see out there!!
Thanks again to Janie and Malcolm and Mary Kate for being the most amazing hosts!!! Definitely hi-lights from our journey!!!
I try to not have too many expectations from others…but I sometimes fail at that. I must remember that we all are just doing the best we can. And it’s not always about me…
I am not a natural at learning languages. I am not.
Music makes my heart sing!!! We heard it all!!! I so loved meeting Sons N Britches in Nashville (played your CD a lot!!!) and all the street musicians in New Orleans. And the country dudes in South Dakota. I love watching people express themselves…music, theatre, dance. It feels good to let out your song…or story.
Never underestimate how powerful a simple gesture can be!! I was so touched and overwhelmed by all the feed back that we received. Every single one!!!! Whether you wrote me a long private message or just said “cool pics” on the blog…it made me smile and know that you were out there!!! We were thankful and thought of “you” every time we used a DD or Starbucks gift certificate. We thanked you every time we used the coffee mugs or ate a yummy treat you gave us. Our car was stuffed with treats and cards and games and good thoughts from everyone and we felt you on our journey!!! We love you!!!!
Lots of things can be a little scary…do them anyway!
I can’t wait to plan the next adventure!!!!! Who wants to join me?
Wine tasting is such a civilized activity.
I want a buffalo.
I could go on and on and on….but will “tell all” in our upcoming book. Thank you so much for being a part of this journey. I have had so many of you tell me that you read our blog with your morning coffee and you will miss it. Do you know much that means to me?!! If you want to sit down for a cup of coffee or a glass a wine and talk more about this amazing adventure…I would love to share. Just give me a holler!!!!
Hey everyone! I know it’s been quite a while since we last blogged. Who knew transitioning into reality would have taken so long?! We thank everyone for all the questions, well-wishes, and positive vibes. Judging by all the catastrophe in the US weather-wise, we made it out safely thanks to all of YOUR thoughts. Also, you have no idea how grateful we are to hear “every morning we sat down with some coffee and read your blogs” and even those who have said our trip inspired them to make adventures of their own!
So in attempt of a wrap-up blog before I go off to help run a sleep-away summer camp – Shameless Plug: Lindley G. Cook 4-H Camp in Stokes State Forest a.k.a. the best place on earth… contact me for details – I’ve attempted to sum up my MANY thoughts about the trip and what I’ve learned. These are very general – specifics will come out in the book!
22 Lessons Learned from the 22 Year Old
People should really be required to go barefoot one day a week.
Parents will over-do what their parents didn’t do, which will make you over-do what your parent’s didn’t do. Don’t fight the give-and-take cycle, be aware of it, and make positive changes.
MOVE, MOVE, MOVE! Sitting for too long in life makes your blood and lifeline turn to glue. Get your juices flowing and get out there.
Meditation is WAY harder than expected.
You CAN manufacture happiness and fun. If you fake a smile or force a laugh long enough, your body and brain will happily catch up !
The world is a patchwork of people. The same country can have 100 different cultures, accents, landscapes, and still be strangers to each other. Bridge the gap in any way you can.
Sometimes you have to agree to disagree.
Wear the same clothes for a week, it’s refreshing to not give a damn!
BE WEIRD. BE YOU. 9/10 times it’ll put a smile on someone’s face.
Small talk can go a long way.
Test your limits. Endurance of the heart is an admirable way to train.
SOAK UP YOUR SURROUNDINGS. Who knows when that exact moment will ever exist again? With the same people? With your same self?
Fighting is natural. Learn your fighting style and your partner’s or parent’s. If their style is incompatible with yours make an escape plan.
Don’t judge a soul by its wrappings.
Despite all the ugliness, we do live in a beautiful world.
Sometimes there’s nothing a good beer can’t fix.
PEOPLE NEED TO HUG MORE.
Family is such a loose term. Spread the love.
Every single person on this planet is just trying their best. Even if their “best” isn’t to your standards. Attempt compassion when it is hardest.
Practice what you preach.
Learn how to feel small. Giant animals, mountains, storms, stars, landscapes remind us to stay humble.
Tall, fat, short, skinny, black, white, rich, poor – there’s beauty in all walks of life. Find it.
Of course there was SO MUCH MORE LEARNED and experienced on this trip. That’s why we’re taking a year to write our book! Although we won’t be able to greet you with a blog every morning with your coffee, we will do our very best at keeping you updated with the Curly Girl’s book. We’re hoping to promote better mother-daughter relationships and share our past stories and how they tangled up and wound up popping up on our trip. I am so thankful for my mother who is incredibly strong and beyond inspirational. I could go on and on and on about how fabulous she is – but hey, we have a whole book to write. Stay tuned and thank you so much for all of your support!
Leaving Wisconsin was hard, we could easily have stayed a week there. Such a nice visit with friends and the countryside is quite beautiful. Curly J and I especially loved their free range cows!!! And cheese…spectacular cheese!!! So…off we go to Chicago…our last stop before heading back home. Originally we were going to spend two nights in Chicago, but we were both exhausted and a bit homesick. But I have a problem with endings so was starting to feel a little sad about our adventure drawing to a close.
We only had the afternoon so managed to find a great parking spot and bought tickets for the Architectural Boat Cruise. The wind was whipping and it was chilly, but with some hot coffee warming our hands and a very funny young gal who narrated the cruise…we both really enjoyed it. So much history in Chicago and the buildings are beautiful. A bit cleaner than NYC, but our hearts will always be with NYC! The cruise was 90 minutes and we had a little time for shopping the Millionaire Mile.
The last big treat on our adventure was to the famous Second City Improv Show. Thank you Ted!!! (SERIOUSLY THANK YOU IT WAS HILARIOUS!) I recently was accepted into the Improv Troupe On The Spot…so I particularly enjoyed the Improv Show. We laughed so hard we almost peed our pants!!! A great last hurrah!!! We drove out of Chicago about an hour and found a place to stay. We had about 14 hours of driving to look forward to the next couple of days.
What an incredible journey this has been!!! It completely flew by!!! So many things we thought we would do while “resting” in the car…learn spanish, read 10 books, work on my workshops, lose pounds, etc. Most of those things didn’t happen. And that’s okay. (So okay, because – a lot else happened.) We will be each writing a “wrap up” and then a blog about “what now”!! We are so grateful to each of you who followed us, shared comments with us, supported our GoFundMe and the bountiful goodies bestowed upon us!!!! We love you all!!! (Also after our “Wrap Up” post, stay tuned ! We’ll make sure to keep blogging throughout the year occasionally to update you on our book process!)
Want to know how we’ve stayed healthy while traveling 4.5 weeks, almost 8400 miles, through temperatures ranging from 37 to 72 (sometimes in the span of a few hours), hiking strenuous mountains, drinking too much and eating a lot of fried food during our cross-country adventure?!! We owe a big thank you to our good friend and fabulous sponsor Pamela Beelitz, an Independent Distributor of Shaklee Health & Wellness Products for over 15 years. I have personally used Shaklee products for over 10 years. If you look at my medicine cabinet the only thing medicine is Aleve. And that usually expires before the bottle is finished!!! Julia and I used on the trip used Vita-lea Iron Formula multivitamins, Defend & Resist Complex, and Vitalized Immunity on this trip because the last thing we wanted was a lazy immune system. Shaklee is an all-natural supplement company committed to making products that are “Always safe, always green, and always work.” And the Energy Chews helped us hike the 15.5 miles down and up the Grand Canyon in 9.5 hrs!
Pam is a strong advocate for those who want to work towards achieving optimum daily nutrition, personal care, and indoor environmental quality. As a vegetarian, Julia needed more of an iron-rich formula because of the uncertainty of an on-the-road diet. And when we hit California she felt a small cold coming on, so took the Defend & Resist Complex tablets which use Echinacea and other natural herbs to pump up your immune system before a full-blown cold comes on. With that, a little rest and water – she bounced back in a couple of days. No time for sickness on the road!! The Vitalized Immunity kept my immune system healthy.
The Curly Girls also used Shaklee’s 180 Smoothee mix for our breakfasts many days on the road! These formulas are filled with the protein and vitamins we needed to keep going throughout the day. We brought our Nutri-bullet and almond milk (and some peanut butter) along with fruit to add to the shakes! Yummy!
Shaklee products don’t only cover nutritional supplements, but also come in the form of skin care products and environmentally friendly cleaning products. I LOVE these products, especially the enfuselle skin serum!!! It keeps me looking and feeling young (I hate it when someone asks if Mom and I are sisters.) The Shaklee bio-friendly cleaning products are awesome and non-toxic!!!! Also, many of their products are Kosher.
If you are interested in any of the amazing Shaklee products please contact Pam Beelitz! She truly cares about your health and would love to answer any questions you have. Pam is knowledgeable, stands by her products and is NOT pushy. Her business is about helping people create healthier, greener lives. Just ask the Curly Girls…the darn stuff works!!!!
Oh my goodness, and we thought our boozing was over for the trip. (More wine…yeah!!!) Malcom and Mary Kay were our fabulous hosts for our two nights in Wisconsin. As soon as we walked into their door after about 6 hours of driving through Minnesota monsoons, they greeted me with beer and Mom with a glass of wine (They make their own wine!!!). Their energy completely recharged us for our final leg of the journey (and the copious amount of wine, beer, and cheese had something to do with it too!!!) We soon experienced the reality of “a bar on every corner in Wausau.”
That night we went to our first Fish Fry at a bar, which is apparently tradition in Wausau parts. Totally not a bad tradition to have. The fried fish of Wisconsin is definitely in competition with the fried fish we had in Mendocino, California. Jersey really has to step it up in the fish arena. Also we had our first FRIED CHEESE CURDS!!! These things are AMAZING. (A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!!!) I know what you people from Jersey are thinking – those just sound like mozzarella sticks. BUT THEY ARE NOT. SO. SO. NOT. (I am drooling on the keyboard right now just thinking about them.) Wausau is the dairy capital of all of Wisconsin and they do it right.
There we met Mary Kay and Malcom’s sweet group of friends! They were so kind and we are so happy we got to meet them and party with them!! (All of you have a place in New Jersey to stay if you ever want to visit NYC!!! And Tommy and Chuck…when are we going to Alaska?)
Then we went to the Bull Falls Brewery after stuffing ourselves with alcohol and fried fish. Round 2! The Bull Falls Brewery had GREAT beer, (places like this I wish I liked beer) and everyone met up together for laughs filled with snorts and silly debauchery. The Wisconsin accents came out on full blast with long “oos” and “betchas.”
Mom and Mary Kay in no way had too much to drink. (Never!!!!)
The next morning Malcom and Mary Kay made us their famous thick oatmeal pancakes with their OWN tree-sap maple syrup to fill up our tummies to have something to soak up the wine we were about to taste. We then hit the road (thank you Malcom for driving!! We needed the break!!) We first stopped by this little gorgeous Boutique for some fun shopping. Even the boutique handed out wine slushies. (Wine and shopping are a deadly combination for me!!!)
In order to drive to the wine tasting, we had to drive through a lot of rural Wisconsin – which is gorgeous. Wausau itself as a place seems like it has so much to do, and Wisconsin definitely has a more spread-out feel us on the east coast aren’t used to. Wisconsin – at least all the parts we saw – really is beautiful! We pulled into DaySpring and spotted an Amish horse and carriage trudging along the roads to their fields. There was also a small lake! Too bad it was nippy out. (Or “nipply” as Mary Kay likes to say…lol) But the scenery was set perfectly. Inside we tasted their fruit infused wines and olive oil and balsamic vats. We loved their blackberry wine so much we split a bottle right then and there and bought a mixed case between the four of us! (Did I mention how much I LOVE wine tasting?!!!)
Then we decided to drive over to a more picturesque part of Wisconsin. Mary Kay’s niece was at their family’s little log cabin cottage right by a lake in the middle of a reservation. It was SO BEAUTIFUL! We went there with the intent of kayaking or boating, but the wind whipped us out of that decision.
On our way back from the log cabin we stopped at one more brewery before we made the long drive back home for the night. The sun dappled on the lake behind us. Then we got to the house we ended off the night with bourbon and some amazing cheddar (their 5 year aged cheddar…amazing!!!) and mozzarella whips. In the morning we left with lots of hugs and thanked our wonderful hosts for their hospitality. They were so good to us – we definitely have to come back! Thank you Malcom and Mary Kay! (Can’t wait to visit again!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!)
On our way to Chicago we bought our Wisconsin cheese for the road, and we were back on our way to Chicago!! (soooo tempting to eat it in the car…but we did not…we did not!)
Ba-ba-bad-bad!!!!! Ba-ba-bad-bad!!!!! Lands!!!! (Mom, that’s not a song.)
I was soooo looking forward to visiting South Dakota. I had such fond memories of when I did summer stock at the Black Hills Playhouse a gazillion years ago. I recall such an exciting summer of theatre, buffalo, new friends and beautiful country!! I couldn’t wait to share it with Curly J. Now, we had just come from Wyoming and the gorgeousness of the Great Tetons and Yellowstone. Even the long (VERY LONG) drive across Oregon did not damper our visions from Wyoming. So, we finally get to S.D. and our first stop was Jewel Cave. I love caves and was very excited about exploring this one. We get to the ticket office and they tell us the elevator to the caves is broken and all tours are cancelled for the day. Bummer!!!!! (The first actually noted ‘bummer’ in the trip!)
So off we go to see Crazy Horse. They charge us $11 each to enter and bombard us with everything touristy and cheeky. I did appreciate the Native American museum/artifacts area, but everything else was just crappy tourist stuff. (It sucked.) I know I know, I sound so negative, which is unlike me, but I have officially turned into a National Park Snob!!!! I am completely jaded after the Grand Canyon and Great Tetons, that I did not appreciate being bombarded with trinkets that are not even made here. So we finally make it to where we can view Crazy Horse, which you can hardly make out anything…part of the full face is done. I was not impressed. (We are in no way belittling its cause and what it stands for – it just was not at all impressive.)
And then you can’t even hike close to it because of the blasting area, so to get close you have to pay extra to take the bus which will drive there. Now maybe if there was some blasting or something going on I would have enjoyed it, but it was a waste of time. Save your money. (Seriously just google it, or stare at these pictures we’ve posted.) Julia and I did share a moment when we were making a pit stop in the restroom before we left and the bathroom was just being cleaned. The two gentlemen cleaning it must have been around 40 and late 50’s. Both veterans. They were sweet and smiling and we shared a laugh about something silly. Seems I have seen lots of vets working at the national parks and memorials. My heart just swells a little and I wish I could take everyone’s hurt away. Maybe they have no hurt. Maybe I’m just feeling so grateful that they would risk their lives for me. So thank you…to all the brave men and women. I hope our country works harder at taking care of all the vets who do come back wounded…they deserve that. Okay, I digress…
Next stop was Mount Rushmore. Definitely more impressive and you get to take a nice hike up lots of stairs to get close. We both enjoyed that and the museum that explained how they actually did the carvings. Impressive. Worth the visit.
By this time we are ready to eat. So we find a hotel in Keystone, SD. Very touristy little town, but lots of fun shops to look around in. After reorganizing the car (we definitely packed too much stuff – my prediction of claustrophobia on the trip has fully revealed itself) and a quick work out, we went to search for food. It was 9:00 p.m. so not a lot open, but we found the Red Ruby Restaurant. A cute little country, western bar decorated with guns, animal heads and of course the waitresses had little outfits with fringe and a red garter. The best part was the two man band playing and singing some good ole country music…some Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and original tunes. True country redneck boys just singing their hearts out and we loved every minute of it. (Mom did, I just support the arts.) And looking around there were all these cute older couples just tapping their feet, fingers and nodding their heads to the country tunes. All smiling! So cute. Good food, good drink, good music!! What’s not to love!!!! (Maybe the creepy animal heads on the wall…)
The next morning we headed out to the Badlands. They were kind of like The Petrified Forest…we were just going to drive through not expecting much and POW!!!! We are accosted with amazing beauty!!!! More crazy curvy roads and the gorgeous rock formations and prairies!!! We see a field with tons of little dirt mounts and these cute little critters (they’re called prairie dogs Mom) scurrying all over the place!!! We drive through taking lots of pics and wowing at the mountain goats just hanging out on these narrow ridges of the rock formations!!! Finally we get to an area where we can hike. The trail started on the rocky dry desert rocks and mountains…then winds its way through and we are in the prairie. No one else was near us so when we stopped walking you could hear a symphony of birds chirping, frogs croaking, some kind of rattly thing (Definitely SNAKES), the wind blowing…. It was peaceful, warm (finally) and quite nice (except for the rattlesnake sounds). We hiked for a little over an hour and finally felt that South Dakota had redeemed itself!!! The Badlands are soooo worth the visit, but the state as a whole is not on my top 10 list.
Lots of driving to do on this leg of the journey. We are power listening through my 12 CD set of Mike Dooley’s Infinite Possibilities which has given us so much deep stuff to talk about. (I have no choice in the matter. We have shared the front space of a car for like three weeks, there’s nowhere to run.) I’m planning on teaching some workshops when I get home….about choosing the positive things in life…love, joy, fun, adventure. I hope some of you might want to join me. (All of you would be fools to pass on my mother’s inspiration.)
I can’t believe our Curly Adventure is coming to an end. I miss Luke and my loved ones and clients and classes and all….but the month has really flown by. Savoring all the last moments that we have. Off to Wisconsin to stay a couple nights with friends. Can’t wait!!!
I appreciate all of you following us out there…sooooo much!! And your comments and notes mean so much to us! (Seriously, it brings me to tears the comments and notes that have been given to us. We’re happy to have brightened some mornings!)
We’ve been making a lot of references to curly hair on this trip, so it’s only natural that one of our fabulous sponsors is in the hair business! MOPS provides wigs or half-wigs to all women for religious, medical, or fashion needs. My mother has known Rimona Hornung for several years and has witnessed her personal attentiveness. Rimona is a caring mother of four and a wonderful business woman, making MOPS incredibly sensitive to the specific needs of each of her customers.
The word ‘Sheital’ is the Yiddish word for the wig or half-wig worn by married Orthodox Jewish woman as a part of a requirement of attending to modesty – but in no way is that the only population her business serves. Whether for medical reasons, alopecia, or fashion reasons, her personalized approach to finding the right hair for women is in a league of its own. MOPS will inquire about everything from migraines, to fashion style, to your line of work in order to find the right high-quality wig for you in a no-pressure environment.
Rimona’s wigs are displayed in her store in Hillside, New Jersey, just minutes from the Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth, NJ and her sister Karni Goldfield serves the Toronto area. The sisters make sure MOPS inventory is constantly changing and updating itself for a diverse selection to serve the NYC metro and Toronto areas. From beginning to end, and even following up afterwards – MOPS teaches their customers wig care and takes their customers through each step of the process. They share the concept that someone’s “old MOP” can be someone else’s “treasure” and that with that thought you end up with an extensive inventory of high-quality European Custom and Semi-Custom wigs and falls!
Thank you Rimona for supporting our Curly Girl adventure. We hope our followers check out and support our sponsors!
(Disclaimer: You might want to grab a coffee and donut for this one. It is LONG. To be fair, our horseback adventure was probably just as long-winded as my fabulous mother.)
After a fun morning of enjoying the stinky, but beautiful geysers…we took a lovely drive through Yellowstone NP. We were really planning on a big hiking day, but Yellowstone turned out to be more of a drive-thru park. Super duper curvy, but we were used to driving the roller-coaster curly-Q roads. And it was quite beautiful. Amazing how the trees change so drastically from one part of the country to another!
The highlight of our day was getting up close and personal with some buffalo!!! Goodness gracious these are majestic and HUGE animals!!! (H.U.G.E.) Their heads are sooo big that their eyes are actually on either side of their head. Apparently they can sprint three times faster than you can run!!!! So not an animal to be messed with. Our first buffalo sighting was in a field…we pulled over with the rest of the tourists and shouted “Oh my god…those are real buffalo!!!!” I had been face to face to them many, many years ago when I did summer stock at the Black Hills Playhouse in South Dakota. But this sighting was just as exciting. And Curly J was ecstatic!!! It was her big goal for the day, to see a buffalo! As we were safely in our car snapping pics, one of them slowly ambles our way. Julia was FREAKING!!! (As you can tell from the videos.) I wasn’t really scared because they had done that when I was in the Black Hills. They are used to humans and cars and mostly just ignore them. However, if they wanted to turn a car over or smash it, that could easily happen as well….so a little fear and respect is a good thing!! (Seriously, this big ol’ thing rolls up in front of our car, glances at us, then walks on.) Here’s some footage that Julia took….
Our adrenaline was pumping…so very very cool to be that close to these strong handsome creatures!!! We were lucky enough to see them at other various locations throughout the park and it was just as excited every time! We stopped to see Old Faithful and walk around and on our way out there was a buffalo just moseying across the parking lot. (STRAIGHT UP CHILLIN’) We didn’t see it till we were almost on top of it. Whew!!!! Julia and I are both now huge fans of the buffalo!!! Our Curly Girl mascot maybe?
We also saw some elk, moose, white tailed deer….sooo awesome!! Julia and I realized that hiking where you might run into a buffalo would completely freak us out so we were happy to be in the safety of our car. We did not see a bear, oh no we did not.
The next morning we took a short run – such a beautiful thing to do while enjoying the view of the Great Tetons!!! I MUST return to Wyoming just to explore them. The snow covered Tetons really drew me in. I’m finding some kind of weird spiritual connection with the mountains and I could look at them all day!!! After showering and checking out we went to take the scenic ski lift ride. Just an easy ride with incredible views. Julia was quite brave to go since she is scared of heights. Of course it started sprinkling on us as we took off. At least with curly hair, it just gets curlier!
Julia and I have found a nice balance between comfortable silence, pure silliness and discussing life, and all it’s complexities. We found ourselves talking about our relationships quite a lot which is kind of interesting that we are in the same place a bit, and pondered about our futures and the possibilities… we’ll save all that for another blog!!! So back to the ski lift…going up wasn’t too bad. We got off at the top to enjoy the view and take a few pics. Chatted with the guy at the top…he’s been in Wyoming most his life and loves it. It was a slow morning and it was apparent he was not going to let us back on the lift until he had told us ALL the stories he needed to. We smiled and nodded appropriately and finally I had to remind him that we had booked a horse back riding trip. This sent him off on another tangent cause it was in the town where he lives now. Finally he let us back on the lift. A lot scarier on the way down…Julia did her breathing exercises and managed not to hyperventilate. I just smiled and looked at the stunning Great Tetons!!
Some shopping, coffee, then off to our horseback riding adventure!!! Now to keep this real, I have to tell you that Curly J and I had our third little tiff. Which I think is pretty damn good considered we have been inseparable for 26 full days…eating, exploring, driving, shopping and sleeping together!! This one was about me being over-sensitive blah blah blah and Curly J being too outspoken blah blah blah and just not getting where I was coming from. I pouted while Julia fumed. A curly sight to behold. (Our fighting styles are completely incompatible. Being in the car with someone for the amount of time we are, sometimes you have to agree to disagree.)
So, we drove in silence for the hour it took to get there. We pulled in to the ranch and it was rustic and very scenic. Cowboy Joe met us at the check in spot and had us fill out paperwork…the kind that tells you how dangerous it can be….so much small print…didn’t read it cause I didn’t want to think of any of those things. Our guide, Cowboy Case, pulled in with the his first group of riders. They spoke Italian and got off the horses rubbing their butts and limping. This looked like fun.
Cowboy Case was a sweet young man from Texas who was working as an intern. He was the well raised “yes m’am, no m’am” kind of kid. I was raised that way, but never succeeded in getting my kids to say that. (No, m’am.) He assigned us our horses. I got Prince…an over-fed dapper guy, and Julia got Whirly…a handsome stubborn gent who did not feel like following rules that day!!!
By the time we got on our horses…both of us scared as hell…we were smiling at each other and all was forgotten of the previous tiff. We headed out and almost immediately it started raining. Yes…rain…not sprinkles! (Then POURING). Case thought it should stop in a few minutes so we kept going. It did not stop.
(pre-down-pour-for-three-hours)
So we stopped to put on the big yellow slickers. Case helped Julia first and held her horse while she put on the rain jacket. Prince whinnied and started backing up…he was not happy with the big yellow slicker. Case then got mine out and Prince went crazy!!! I got off and Case tried waving the slicker around so Prince would get used to it. He did not and bolted halfway down the hill. (This was hilarious, by the way.)
I held the reins to Case’s horse while he chased after Prince. He apologized and I said it’s fine, I was wet anyway so could do without the slicker. In a true gentlemanly style, Case did not put on his slicker either. So off we go. Now I have always been afraid of horses, which pains me as a Kentucky gal, and wherever I go I always sign up for the horse tour thinking maybe this time I won’t be scared. But I am and somehow I still enjoy the thrill of it.
So, here we go up and down some steep muddy hills an over some shallow creeks…for over two hours!!!! It really was a lot of fun and Case taught us a lot about the area and some interesting facts. About halfway through I realized that I couldn’t move my hands due to the cold rain, shivering and holding on to the rein with super-human grip! Normally being cold and wet is a sure combination for extreme grumpiness for me, but I was having so much fun and the adrenaline was pumping!!! Julia’s horse, Whirly, decided he wasn’t going to move. He reminded us of our bulldog Boris who was super stubborn like that and if he didn’t want to move no one was going to make him!!!! So Case had to take the rope and pull Whirly along. Our ride was supposed to be 2 hours, but we were gone about 3!!! Such a fun adventure!!! We finally got back and there was no place to change except in our car or the porta-john’s…which happened to be cleaner than most bathrooms I’ve been in!!!! Somehow I peeled the wet clothes off which were wet through 3 layers!!! We put the heat on full blast and set out for a few hours of driving.
The next couple hours we were driving through the Great Teton NP on roller coaster roads and the temp went from 61 to 37 and snow!!!! The top of the Tetons were glowing and it was just such a beautiful drive!!! Then we caught something moving and saw 3 little deer mule goat like critters. They were hopping and skipping just like in a cartoon!!!! (Like big bunnies.) The cutest thing I’ve ever seen!!!!! Overall, we had a very adventurous and full day. And we still love each other! It’s all good here in our curly adventure.
Love,
Curly Mom
PS I know I’m much longer winded than Julia, but I just want you to feel like you were with us. Love me anyway…okay?
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Curly Girl Adventures 