Not Sure how I'll top this one

So after six weeks, 22 states, and 8,891 miles, I’m finally home. I know I’ve been behind on the blog due to lack of Internet service and driving, but I’ll go back and recap some of the salons I visited and people I met soon.

This turned out to be an incredible journey, and I experienced more than I have possibly imagined. Despite my early doubts that I couldn’t pull it off, I did it, and the experience was so much more rewarding than I expected.

Driving on the open road, I saw so much of what our county has to offer: beautiful green rolling hills filled with the bright green trees and some of the most vibrant flowers I’ve ever seen, endless miles of wild rivers, the magical sight of lightening bugs, incredibly constructed bridges, and fledgling wind farms emerging throughout the countryside.  They somehow gave me a peaceful calming feeling on a long day’s drive.

Don’t get me wrong, there were some downsides to driving cross country, but most were comical in retrospect. Going to the Laundromat, sleeping in my car when I was too tired to drive another mile, blisters from walking all over America’s biggest, greatest cities, and yes, even blisters on my hands from driving so much, were all part of the journey. And the bugs, yikes! Yes I saw bugs the size of my dog.

The highlight of my trip was the many wonderful people I met, who were so passionate about what they do, so willing to share their ideas and tolerate my many questions, and  so willing to share their knowledge with a total stranger eager to learn and be inspired. I truly had some really touching moments that will stay will me for a lifetime, and I’ve made many new friends that I will think of often. I’m grateful for all the encouragement I received throughout my trip.

I hope I have inspired other people to step out their comfort zones and not hesitate to live their dreams and strive to be better at what we do as hairstylists. There is always something new to learn and share with others.  I’ve promised myself this is only the beginning of my newfound love of continuing education. I’m already planning more classes in the near future, and looking into becoming an instructor so hopefully I share my knowledge and passion with others

This was not only the ultimate journey of education, but also a reminder that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. We do live in the land of opportunity; you just have to have a dream.