Serrano Love: That One Time I Was REALLY REALLY TREMENDOUSLY stupid........

Yes, I was REALLY stupid.

I have been growing my hair out ever since right after Kourtney was born. THREE FLIPPING YEARS!

Okay? So I found this box of hair dye stripper at Walmart and decided to try it because I have been wanting to lighten my hair for awhile now. The stuff actually worked. I put a shade of blonde over it and I was pretty happy with the results except that my hair was a little more strawberry blonde than I wanted it to be. So I waited a couple weeks and thought I would do the boxed highlights to lighten it even more. Oh that worked too.... A little too much. I ended up completely frying my hair. There were some strands that were like almost clear and some strands that were even more strawberry blonde. I was okay with the different colors. I wasn't okay with how my hair looked like I stuck my finger in a light socket and got electrocuted.

Think Doc from Back to the Future.

Only my hair was like 7 inches longer.....

So I read online (NEVER TRUST THE INTERNET-someday I will learn this), that if you just trim the split ends as you see them your hair won't look so dry. So I started to trim.

But then one side didn't look even so I'd trim over there and then the other side was even and this went back and forth until I had completely jacked my hair up.

Then my sister came over and said she was pretty sure she knew how to "blend" the hair so it didn't look so choppy. So she tried and then it was even worse. I was so sad. Like almost in tears because I realized there was no "fixing" my hair at this point. I was going to have to just chop it off and start over. My heart broke! THREE YEARS! My hair just doesn't grow. Never has. So here I am with my hair about 5 or 6 inches shorter and HATING it.

So the moral of the story:

1. NEVER BLEACH YOUR OWN HAIR. YOU WILL FRY IT AND IT WILL DIE!

2. NEVER TRY TO FIX THE PROBLEM BY TRIMMING YOUR OWN HAIR.

YOU WILL JACK IT UP AND LOOK LIKE AN UBER MORON.

3. NEVER LET SOMEONE ELSE WHO IS NOT A PROFESSIONAL TRY AND FIX YOUR HAIR. THEY WILL JACK IT UP EVEN MORE AND YOU'LL LOOK LIKE A GINORMOUS, UBER MORON.

4. DON'T BE A CHEAPO AND TRY AND FIX IT YOURSELF. SHELL AT THE DAMN CASH AND HAVE A PROFESSIONAL DO WHATEVER IT IS YOU WANT DONE OR DON'T FREAKING DO IT AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So that's my fun couple of weeks. I feel like an idiot and I feel like I look like one too because I hate my hair so much!

So here's the Before:

Before, I absolutely loved it.

AFTER:

I HATE it! I know it's really not terrible. I just hate it.

LESSON LEARNED!

Moving on.

I've been suffering from SEVERE congestion for a few months now. I've had 4 sinus infections in a matter of 3 months. NOT normal for me even with my terrible allergies.

I couldn't figure it out.

So this last week I went to the doctor and saw a different one in the practice and she specifically asked me if anything had changed. New animals, new (used) clothing, anything like that. I said no because nothing had changed that I could think of. The only thing I told her was that I had been feeling this way ever since my mother in law came to visit in October. I don't know if she brought something with her or if that was just a coincidence. She obviously wasn't sure. Gave me another round of antibiotics and sent me on my way with the prospect that if this didn't get better I would be looking at seeing an allergist and possibly an ENT.

So a couple of days later I'm laying in my bed feeling like poo and I turn over and look at the dresser. THE dresser that I picked up at my brother's apartment complex when he moved back in Oct. THE dresser that I cleaned up and stained because it was in such good condition and good quality wood.

It dawned on me.

THE DAMN DRESSER.

I picked it up in early October when my brother moved but it sat in my garage for 2 or 3 weeks while I stained it and waited for it to dry. We moved it up right before Berto's mom came to visit.

I shot straight up and went in the living room and told Berto I think my problem has been the dresser. I think I'm either allergic to the wood or something the previous owners had in it. So I emptied it, pulled all the drawers out and set them by the stairs and basically told Berto I wanted them gone by the time I got back from picking up Matthew from school. And he did. He hauled it down to the trash.

Guess what?

Congestion GONE!

I'm still going to finish my antibiotic just in case but I haven't felt this good in months. I went back on instagram and looked to see when I posted the photo of the dresser just to see how long I had actually had it and it was

17 WEEKS!

I have literally been suffering for 4 1/2 months! All from a dresser I thought was so great!

I could kick myself. I should know better. I have to be so careful with used stuff BECAUSE I am allergic to so much. Wood, All trees, grass, avocado, bananas, latex, pollens, you name it I'm probably allergic to it.

Again...

LESSON LEARNED!

Now if I could just get my sleep under control maybe my anxiety would slow down too. (I never get any sleep. Two hours on average)

So that's that.. My miserable few months. But I seriously am so grateful I found the problem because it was really started to make my depression worse. Never feeling good, never sleeping because I can't breathe, never being able to taste anything because my nose was so congested. It really takes its toll after awhile.

On a happy note some pictures: