The Style File

AUSTIN IS 18! What the? and his pictures from HOMECOMING.

So on Friday that my baby boy, who started out 10 pounds and 4 ounces and was 10 days late, who is now 200+ pounds and 6 foot 5 inches-turned 18!  I still can't believe it!~  His cute friend Caitlyn and he went to the Homecoming dance that night as well.  They looked so NICE!  They had their day date up at my parents cabin with Tyler and the little girls helping them out with a canoe ride and then they went into West Yellowstone.  They came home and got ready and I picked up their Cafe Rio for dinner and they ate at the school.  One of Austin's friends came also to the school and he played the guitar as Austin sang Caitlyn a song. (I don't think I was supposed to know that)  They wore Converse and Vans underneath their fancy clothes and I think that fits both of them perfectly.  They are such great friends!  I hope you had a great day Aus, I love you a lot!

STAFF RETREAT in the mountains of Idaho...

So it's been a couple of weeks since we went on this retreat, but I really wanted to post about it.  I have wanted to do a full staff retreat of some type ever since I had a staff starting at TAA.  It never seemed to work out and it is hard to do when your school is open 6 days a week.  So I bit the bullet and closed down the school for a Monday day, we left on Saturday after school and got back Monday eve.  It was SO MUCH FUN and SO WORTHWHILE.  Sometimes it makes the biggest difference to get away from your normal setting, laugh your guts out and eat TONS of bad for you food!  We stayed in on the evenings playing out new favorite game, "ninja" (photos to follow), exchanging a small gift, writing something nice about each person, talking and LAUGHING alot.  Every instructor came!  Amazing for them to give up their precious family time.  We also went into Yellowstone Park for the day and one of our cars had to stop for EVERY animal.  There was also a debate if a bear was seen or not, (it turned up not) but Kylee our instructor in training did see and take pictures of a cute boy, which I think she thought was just as good as seeing a bear.  Here are some pictures from our trip.  This will DEFINATELY be a yearly, or maybe bi-yearly event we do!

The gang!  But missing Teresa as she was taking the picture.  Left to right- Jana (the real boss, business director extraordinaire), Megan T., Niki, Heather, Megan D., Kylee (down by me), me, Mari, Breezy and Lindsey.  Hair and skin staff as one!

Heather and Breezy were the finalists inTWISTER!

 

NINJA!

Me beating Megan at leg wrestling!  Which she said previous to our match that no one had done.  Go BRUNT legs! (That's a family joke!)

Aw... the beauty of the Firehole River in Yellowstone Park.

Hot Pots of boiling water and mud!

It's ALWAYS the right time to play NINJA!

Waiting for Old Faithful to blow, she's give or take 20 minutes int the time range now, she went 20 after that.  She's getting old, less faithful and still amazing!

 A far left side view of Old Faithful.  And DANG it was COLD in the park that day!

So here is Kylee's cute guy and his dad.  If this is you or you know this person call Austin Kade and ask for Kylee E.!

THANKS Ladies!  It was so fun!  I truely have the most talented and best staff in the world!  Thanks to you and to your families for sharing your awesomeness with me and the students of Austin Kade Academy.
  
  

 

Guest Artist for TAA in UTAH

I will be heading to my old world at Taylor Andrews Academy next week to teach my very favorite "non-hair" class.  THE FOUR AGREEMENTS, based on the book by Don Miguel Ruiz!  I will be at TAA Orem Oct. 6th from 7:30p.-9:30p. and TAA West Jordan Oct. 7th from 9:30a. to 11:45a.  Anyone who would like to come is very welcome and invitied to attend!

Team Work Day at AKA

At Austin Kade Academy we believe that the only way to work is together!  We held a day/night at the local park and did team building activities, mostly lead by our wonderful student councils!  What a great team!

Here are a few photos from those days at the park!

 

CHER at the Fair...and her entourage

We had a fun day at the fair with CHER!  We also did the makeup and hair for Annie and Molly from "Annie" and Sandy and Danny from "Grease".  The amazing Kara Lyn Roundy is a celebrity impersonator that does an amazing "Cher".  She also was the Joan Rivers!  I had the pleasure of helping her achieve her transformations both days!  Working with Elite Talent and Kimberly Bronson and all her fabulous models and actors was such a treat this week, we had a blast helping out!

and then Cher took a BULLL RIDE!  It was very entertaining!

Last but not least...

CONGRADULATIONS KRIS!!!!!!  One of our fabulous instructors!  She and "Sweet Betty Sue" won the powder puff portion of the demolition derby!  We are so proud!

 

The "FAIR" Day 1!

So every year Blackfoot, ID hosts the Eastern Idaho State Fair!  I have been going to this almost every summer/fall since I can remember, excluding the years that we lived in Utah.  The fair is the melting pot of all that is good, crazy, fun, sometimes scary and definately edible in Idaho!  This year we are teaming up with Elite Talent here in Idaho Falls and are doing the hair and makeup for the celebrity impersonators they have booked for the "Hollywood" fair theme. 

I got to do the fabulous Kara Lyn Roundy's wig cutting and styling and makeup on Saturday as she reprised the hilarious Joan Rivers!  Let's just say that people didn't imbrace Joan very warmly that day.  But tomorrow Kara Lyn will be doing CHER and I will get to help her get ready!  I can't wait!

Here are a few shots of "Joan", "Glinda" and "Dorothy" from the Wizard of Oz and "Fonzie"!

Thank You

I have had so many kind responses to my post about Gina's birthday.  I hope I responsed to each of you individually, but as I want to cover all bases I would really like to thank everyone who sent me a note, called or just thought about me and Gina this past week.  It is nice to feel  support and love from those you would expect that from and it's a sweet suprise when you get that same love from those you wouldn't think would think of you.  I hope that I can be in tune and sensitive to others around me to be able to "pay it forward".

Love to you all,

Allison

Happy Birthday Gina...

Today is my best friend, Gina's birthday.  I vividly remember a year ago Aug. 8th, the day she passed away and found it too hard to be able to post on that year anniversary even though I wanted to.  I took these pictures on the 30th as we visited her gravesite.  I honestly don't remember a year ago today.  I did a post that day as well, a memorial to her, but the rest of the day is erased I assume by the grief that I was feeling and still feel. 

Time marches on, life goes on but it is missing something for me that I won't get back until we meet again in the next life.  I got a good chuckle when I woke up on my 40th birthday a few weeks ago when the thought came to me " Ha ha, Allie, you are 40 and old and I will forever be 38!"  She had such a funny and dark sense of humor.  I could totally hear her saying that to me.  Today is also Gina's mom, Wendy's birthday.  She has said to me it was one of her very favorite things sharing her special day always with Gina.

One of my greatest joys and as I have found this week, one of my biggest in life reminders of Gina are her children.  Jack and Sidney.  But in particular, Sidney.  She was able to spend the week with our family and it has been so fun.  My oldest daughter Sammy and Sid are just days apart in age and have been best friends ever since birth.

They just love to be together!  In the week Sid has been here they have laughed, talked, facebooked, danced, sang and truely just enjoyed each other's company.  Never a fight or bad feelings.  They truely love and understand each other and I know how that feels.  As I watch them together it truely is like watching an old video of Gina and I.  Sid has so many of Gina's mannerisms and totally her good looks, her crazy sense of humor and the ability to laugh at herself.  I MISS THAT SO MUCH!  I am not proud to say but a small part of me has been a little envious and a large part of me has been so happy that they have each other! 

They wanted to have their high school experiences together, but Sid has been with her dad since Gina's death.  Sammy told me that she was so envious that I had that time with Gina like she wishes she could have with Sidney.  But they hope to start at AKA next summer to become stylists.  They are the better versions of ourselves.  I just love them both so much.  Sidney and Jack have always been and will continue to be a part of our family.

 

Gina's 19th birthday

 

I'm trying Gene to keep your memory alive and let your children know how wonderful you were!  I miss you every day.  There is a hole that will never be filled in me.  I love you. 

Thank you Sid and Sam for being the real life reminder of our friendship.

 

NAHA '09

Here are some of the pictures from our trip to Vegas for the NAHA Awards! (North American Hairstyling Awards)

My instructors, Mari, Heather and Megan along with my daughter Sammy with one of my very favorite hair Super Stars and one of my mentors, Kris Sorbie!

Mari, Heather, Megan and I with one of our new favorite Super Stars, Faatemah Ampey, winner of the Fashion Forward NAHA Award (my favorite category).  Faatemah really liked Mari, they became fast friends.  We hope to try to get Faatemah to the school soon to teach the students.

Heather, Megan and Mari with the FABULOUS Vivienne Mackinder reciepient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Megan and Mari with Heather Wenman.

Sunny one of my favorite former students and friend, myself, Heather, Sammy, Megan and Mari with the talented Ruth Roche!

Niki the Greek, Sammy, Heather, Mari and Megan with Shear Genius stars Nicole Obert and Charlie Price.  Charlie handed down his title of Hairstylist of the Year NAHA 19 that evening.

My bud Nikki Martin (rumored to be Ricky Martin's sister), Mari, Megan, Heather, Sammy and Sunnie with Babak, one of the world's most award winning and talented photographers.

The girls at Eye Candy, the afterparty for NAHA.  This officially makes me either the coolest mom or the worst.  Sammy 15, on a Sunday, in Vegas, at a club, with her mom.

Our good friends, my mentors and icons in the industry Mary and Phillip Wilson!

Nikki and Supa Sam!  With their mentor and friend, Phillip.

Mary and I.  I attribute our new adventure at Austin Kade Academy to attending the phenominal retreat facilitated by Mary and the amazing Ann Mincey.  I highly recommend Destination Rejuvenation!  It will change your life too!

Thanks to probeauty and NAHA for the inspiration and great time!  Next year we will be up there getting our own awards!  GO AKA!

40!

 

Last Thursday, the 16th, I turned 40.  I felt a little anxiety about that number initally, but the day turned out really nice.  The day before I got a wonderful back treatment from Vashti, one of our talented esthetics students, Brandi brought me black balloons and the cutest tennis gear.  My sis Julz took me to dinner and a movie.  It was a blast!  Then day of, the kids and Tyler woke me up with presents and handmade cards (my favorite!), breakfast in bed (truffles the girls made), Teresa, our director of esthetics and her girls brought me Cafe Rio for lunch and then we headed off to the school for an afternoon of pampering. (One of the many perks of owning a school!)  The staff gave me a gift certificate from TJ MAxx, excellent choice for me, the students all wrote me notes (so lovely), FILLED MY WHOLE OFFICE WITH BALLOONS and we had birthday cake along with tiger's blood snowcones (also a fav. thanks Brooke!).  I got notes all day long on facebook, text, voice message and email.  It was so great!  This next year is shaping up to be one of my best ever!

  Thanks everyone for making one of my bench mark birthdays so nice!