my second home

ninth avenue salon is my second home. seriously.

i haven't even worked there a month and i feel so incredibly blessed to have a job there. the feeling of looking forward to going to work every day is just absolutely amazing. this is the first job in a long time that i have had that feeling. 

the feeling i had when i walked into the salon for the first time was definitely different than any other salon job i applied for. it was a... warm fuzzy feeling. i felt like i had walked into someones home. i loved it. 

this salon is no ordinary salon. ninth avenue salon has been around for almost 40 years. we still have clients coming from when the original owner worked there. we definitely have a loyal clientele. i have met some amazing people over the past few weeks and can't wait to meet everyone else from the ninth ave family. 

i also feel so blessed to be working with such an amazing owner, brenda. i've never met anyone like her. she is absolutely amazing. she is so dedicated to that salon, she loves everything about it. and she is always so happy to be there. she is always so helpful, i love her subtle way of giving us advice on things such as roller sets (definitely need my practice with those!) i love that she wants me to succeed.

i feel like i have known her for forever. i'm pretty sure brenda and i could text all day if we wanted. there is never a dull moment at work and we can carry on a conversation for hours. she already is one of my very best friends.

i also am so grateful that i get to work with someone i went to school with, travis. i couldn't ask for a better co-worker. he is so amazing, and incredibly talented. he definitely livens up the shop when he is there. he is so fun to talk to and is absolutely hilarious. we have had fun practicing roller sets on each other and just chatting the day away with brenda.

i can't even begin to describe how grateful i am that i get to work at such an amazing salon. it's already been so much fun and i can't wait to see what my future brings me there. 

to team ninth ave,

i love you guys, and am so glad i know you guys and get to work with you both every day!

come on in and check us out, you won't regret it!

2013

in 2013:

nick and i moved to salt lake {our 5th move}

our friend pam visited from germany 

i participated in my schools hair show

went to the bon jovi concert with my friend sari

went to wendover with nick, my sister and her husband to see gabriel iglesias

went on many bike rides downtown

dressed up like an 80's girl and ran around salt lake valley playing spy games with my school

quit my job at sweet home chicago pizzeria 

i turned 24

i graduated hair school

i went to vegas for the first time with my bestie and my instructors from school

went to kentucky with nick and my parents {nicks first trip there!}

got a job at cookie cutters

nick quit his job at the rec center {hurray!}

got a letter from myself 10 years ago {i was in 8th grade, and wanted to be a hairstylist then too!}

had a friend from hair school pass away, i've never felt so close to my TA family {miss you all the time ashley}

left my job at cookie cutters, got a job at hip salon

did a service project in memory of my sweet nephew jack

chopped my hair off {its growing back super fast!}

nick turned 26

went to the relient k concert with my brother

helped my sister in law decorate her tree for the festival of trees for jack

went to the kurt bestor christmas concert with my family

got nick a gun for christmas

went to the hockey game for new years

and to top of the last of 2013, got a new job closer to home

i'd say, 2013 was a GREAT year! so excited to see what 2014 brings us!!

here's to a new year! bring it on 2014!

new salon, new start

well as i posted on my facebook about a week ago, i am leaving cookie cutters to go work at a full service salon in west jordan called hip salon.

i'm really excited to start this new adventure and start building a clientele, learn new things, and put my skills to use!

i would love to have you come visit me in my new salon :)

i will be working:

mondays

tuesdays

thursdays

fridays

and

saturdays.

message me for pricing, and the hours i will be working. if you want to set up an appointment, i will be starting november 1st from 12-7. you can call the salon at:

801-282-1576

i'm so excited to start working at this new salon :) although my time at cookie cutters was short, i learned a ton there and am glad i was able to start there. i know it's time to move on from cutting little kids hair and going into the big hair world at this new salon. i can't wait to meet new people, build a clientele, learn new products, learn new techniques, go to continuing education classes, and just have a new start!

i'm so grateful for the support that i have from my hubby as i start this new adventure, i couldn't do it without him!

be still my soul

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;

With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In ev'ry change he faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav'nly friend

Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

last night, one of my very best friends sang that song at a candlelight vigil. last night, i've never felt so close to my TA family. 

about a week ago, a girl i went to school with was in a tragic accident. she had been in a coma since. on sunday, her family took her off life support. i can't even imagine how difficult that must have been. but i know Heavenly Father has been with them every step of the way. and i know ashley has been with them.

last night at the school, we wrote messages on balloons and sent them up to ashley, had a candlelight vigil, told stories and memories of ashley. we laughed and we cried, but it was perfect. i know ashley was there with us.

i love my TA family. i'm so grateful for all the friends i've made there and all the memories i have there. 

i will always remember ashley. she was always smiling, always happy, and always trying to make everyone's day at the school. she would always tell you that you looked pretty, that she loved your hair, your outfit, anything. she was always positive. we all need to have a little bit of ashley in us.

rest in peace sweet girl. heaven got one amazing angel. enjoy paradise with that sweet baby of yours. can't wait to see you again and meet your baby. 

love you ashley :)

Ashley April Holtkamp
March 23, 1991 - September 8, 2013

the bluegrass state

so a few weeks ago nick and i got back from our vacation to kentucky. it was so much fun, and well needed.

we went back to visit my family, and so nick could meet the rest of my relatives! we've been married for 3 years so i figured it was about time i got him back to kentucky and meet everyone. and to also show him our redneck ways.

we took a red eye flight... i don't think i want to ever fly all through the night again. i was exhausted. luckily we had a layover in detroit. 
once we finally landed in cincinnati, we got our rental car situated and made our way towards mt. sterling kentucky. but first we had to hit up our favorite place to get breakfast, bob evans. while we were eating there my uncle dwayne texted us and told us to meet him at long john silvers for dinner at 5:30. it finally hit me that we really were in KENTUCKY!! i was so excited. 
 before we got all settled we went to  visit my granny. my granny has alzheimer's and is in a rest home. it was so great to see her. even though she doesn't know who we are, it was nice to see her looking so good, alert, and chatting with us a bit. nick and i hadn't seen her since our wedding so it was so great to see her, even if she doesn't remember. she's my granny. :)
   we finally met everyone at long john silvers for dinner. nothing is better than long johns, having ale-8 out of the fountain and enjoying being with my family. after dinner we got ready to go frog gigging. yup, you read that right. frog gigging.

this was nicks first time frog gigging. i was excited to go with him. frog gigging is serious business for the goldy clan. and it's actually pretty fun. so we waited for the sun to go down and to get to business. 

we didn't have a super successful night... we only got about 10 frogs. but hey, nick got to go frog gigging.
the next few days we had to just hang out with family. it was so nice to see all my family and just relax. on saturday we had a big fish fry with all of the goldy clan. and the fish fry included frog legs. mmmmm mmmmm!
it was so nice to see my cousins, aunts and uncles that i feel like i haven't seen in forever!

yummy frog legs 

hush puppies, so yummy 

later that night we all got together at the hotel my 2 aunts were staying at and ordered pizza and just hung out. i also cut some hair while i was there.

did i mention while we were there is rained basically the WHOLE time??

i love the rain. especially back east, cause when it rains, it really rains!!
but sunday we actually got some sun. so nick was able to mow grandaddy's lawn and i cut my aunt mary's hair on the back porch. 

the next few days we spent doing the "touristy" things. we went hiking in the gorge with my dad's friend tom. my mom, nick and i went to the kentucky horse park. and our last night there nick got to go frog gigging one last time while i went to the movies with my mom and aunt dee.

so the last 2 days we spent in ohio. early wednesday morning we got up early and headed to ohio to stay with my aunt and uncle. and nick and i were able to go to kings island. an awesome theme park! it was great and fun... til we got rained out.

so we left the theme park a little early so we could go to family bbq at my cousin tom and molly's house. i pretty much wish i could just pick up my things and move into a house just like theirs. in kentucky or ohio. i loved it!

and we ended our last night with watching a little bit of duck dynasty with the fam.
we had so much fun in kentucky, 8 days there was not long enough at all. i'm so glad i got to see all my family, stay at my aunt minnie's, relax, drive around and see the country (and the GREEN grass!) go frog gigging, eat long john silvers a few times, drink over a dozen ale-8's, and just be in kentucky. 
thank to my family for the great time, we miss and love y'all so much!

status: employed

so i graduated school a little over a month ago. i decided i wanted to take a little break after i graduated before i found a job. so nick and i had a vacation planned for 8 days a week after i graduated. the perfect break. 

our vacation to kentucky finally came, but went by too fast. (will blog about the vaca next) the number 1 question i got there was "do you know what you want to do now that you're done with school?" that was the last thing i was thinking about while i was on vacation. but i maybe should have thought about it a bit more.

when we got home it was time for me to search for a job. i was always looking on KSL, craigslist, driving around asking who was hiring etc. but when i would start making a list of salons to go look at, i never wanted to go. it didn't feel right. don't get me wrong i love doing hair, but working in a salon didn't appeal to me at all. sometimes doing hair in my kitchen is the best. so one night nick and i were riding our bikes and the salon cookie cutters popped into my head. so we got home and i looked up locations for cookie cutters. there was one in bountiful and salt lake, perfect! 

on tuesday 7/23, i had an interview at a cosmetology school for a receptionist position. i wanted to wait after the interview to go into cookie cutters, but instead i decided to go to cookie cutters first, and i went to the bountiful location. i walked in with my portfolio and resume, there were 2 girls working, so i just walked in and asked if they were hiring by chance. both of their faces lit up and the one girl said "we ARE hiring! as of yesterday!" so i handed her my resume and portfolio and she asked if she could set up an interview with me, so i said sure and she asked if she could interview me right now! so crazy!

so we went into their break room, and i filled out the application and she asked me a few questions, then she asked me about my availability and if i wanted to work full time or part time. so after everything was said and done, she offered me the job right there! and i was starting work the next day! wow! i was so excited, i ran out to my car and called nick, my mom, my dad, everyone! 

everything really does happen for a reason. i was talking to my co worker today, the one i am replacing. and she said she was wondering if she really did do the right thing about taking her new job and quitting cookie cutters. she told me she had prayed all morning that someone would come in and apply for the job... and that person was me! i know i'm supposed to be at cookie cutters. i know there were be some days that are hard, some will be slow, some will be busy, but i know i'm going to love it. 

so since i'm working at a salon that is focused on just for kids, i will still be doing "kitchen hair" too! just ask me for my prices and i would love to still do your hair! or bring in your little ones to cookie cutters and i can do a mommy or daddy cut for you!

we're outta here

after waiting for what seems like forever, it's finally time for nick and i to take off and go on vacation. for 8 days. i can't wait. nick and i haven't had a vacation like this in a long time. and nick can finally meet all of my family that is there. 

so tonight at 12:45 a.m. (yup, we get to take a red eye flight) we are off to kentucky for a week long trip, to hang out with family, drink ale-8's, go frog gigging, have a fish fry and whatever else this trip brings us. 

so see ya'll in 8 days and have a fun 4th of july!