In March I got the best haircut ever from a woman named Karina who my sister-in-law introduced me to in Utah. Although I’d never met her before, I instantly trusted her and she picked a new hair color for me and gave me bangs. And I loved them. And I was highly attractive. And I knew it.
And then a week or two passed and the bangs grew out and I was back in Seattle so I tried to cut them myself and then I put them up in a clip indefinitely. And then a couple of months passed and it appeared that the roots of my hair had not gotten the memo. They started to grow in this revolting dishwater blond color. Random.
So I’ve been limping along, dying my own hair all kinds of colors and stopping at random salons hoping for a good cut and being disappointed.
Then I went to visit my parents in Montana. On Saturday night I was begging my sister to take a whack at my bangs. To give her the courage to proceed, I decided to tell her all about how Karina is the only one who ever cuts my hair successfully and about how no one else could possibly measure up. She did not seem encouraged but she promised to try.
The next day was Sunday and I found myself sitting in my mom’s church congregation with all 5 of my siblings pretending to pay attention while we passed our children back and forth across the pews. And then I saw her. Several rows up in the center section of the chapel was KARINA THE HAIRDRESSER FROM UTAH. Seriously. I drove down from Seattle only to find my favorite Utah hair dresser in my parent’s church.
I leaned over to my sister Heather and whispered, “That’s HER. My hairdresser from Utah I’ve only met once and haven’t seen in 6 months. We will stop her after the meeting and ask her to tell you the secret of how she did my awesome bangs.”
So I did stop her and, dragging Heather along behind, I tore her away from the family she was visiting, re-introduced myself, introduced my sister and asked her to do an impromptu hair lesson. Although a bit taken aback at first, she was too rad not to help and started tugging at my hair and explaining to Heather how to make a proper line. Then she stopped.
“Oh, just go to the library and get a pair of scissors.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I’ll meet you back here.”
So I went to the library and asked the cute ladies for the sharpest pair of scissors they had. They went through the drawer testing each set. “What are you gonna do, stab someone?”
“No… Um… I just need to cut something very precisely.”
I whisked Karina off to the bathroom where she cut my bangs with paper scissors while the rest of my family headed off to Sunday School. Heather stayed with me and stood in the bathroom with her hands cupped under my chin to catch the hair clippings as they fell.
Either she didn’t catch them all or I sprouted a unibrow in a way-too-short period of time. Luckily I was able to brush it away and my bangs looked fab and I flitted off to my next meeting.
I think next Sunday I’ll stop by the children’s nursery and see if anyone’s willing to minister to me in the form of a mani-pedi.
That’s totally awesome!!!
I have the same thing with my hairdresser. I sold her a cell phone about 10 years ago. She cut my hair for the next few years, and then I got married…byebye to my lovely haircuts. I flitted around to many, MANY different stylists trying to find someone that cut my hair as well as Sam, but everytime I left saddened. Then randomly years later, I met a girl at my sisters baby shower that happened to work at Sam’s salon (Sam had changed salon’s many times so I had no idea where she was)! It was heaven when we were reunited!
I think it is awesome that Karina cut your hair in the bathroom at church! Nothing beats a great cut!
What are the odds?
I have a hairdresser in Utah that I have cut my hair every time we go and visit. I don’t have her do anything like color it because I know that I may not be back for months. I have not found anyone to match her skill.
Why is it so difficult to find a good hairdresser? I thought I had a good one, but the last cut she gave me is stressing me out.
Where does this magical Karina work?
knowing both you and Heather, I was seriously ROFL! Glad you have great bangs again, THX for the laugh 😀
So after the terrific build-up, no photo?
What were the chances? Seriously. It’s like 1 in a million-gazillion. The haircut fates are really on your side!
i love this story! don’t you love it when (good) random things happen! hurray for great bangs :0) picture, please…
What a great story! What are the odds! By the way, I could sure use a Karina… I haven’t had a great haircut in years… I can’t seem to find a great hairdresser. I think you should post a picture of your cute haircut!!
So funny! I can just picture in my mind you tracking her down and then sitting in the bathroom and having her snip your bangs! ha, ha, ha! I hope that she taught your sister how to do it. I know how hard it is to find just the right person, the right color and just the right cut! It took me 32 years!
At long last I have a stylist I love. She cares for my entire family of 7–boys included. I willingly schedule our next appointments before l leave the salon; she’s that good. And as a testament to her skill, everywhere I go, women stop me in the grocery store, at church, in the library etc, “who does your hair? It is WONDERFUL.” (and believe me, without her my hair is thin, fine, and once blonde limp straightness, worthy of no one’s anonymous praise). Before that, I would go many months without a haircut until I couldn’t stand it anymore and then I would begin hunting, only to be disappointed. I would say, schedule your super heroine stylist for every time you’re in Utah. Make it happen! You can’t count on the fates of hair beauty to smile on you again in Montana!
I also know how hard it is to find someone who understands you & your hair. Sadly while I had one and lost her and found her again, now I have moved away. We like the woman just 2.5 blocks away and give her our business in an effort to support local and not use gas, but I sure miss Denise. The only thing that made me feel a tad better was to go on Yelp and Google (I found her business through map search) and write glowing, glorious reviews for her. Gotta give back, ya know?
Awesome and hilarious to boot! I love it, hair lessons in the bathroom!
Hilarious. I mean seriously, perhaps the funniest church story I’ve ever heard.
And I completely know what you mean. Good hair stylists are hard to find. You gotta catch them when you can 🙂
Like after sacrament meeting. Hilarious!!
Okay, this is AWESOME. What are the odds of running into this lady in Montana?
We ran into our friends at the Woodland Park Zoo on Friday and I think that was random. This is by far more random!!
That is hilarious!
I’m headed to Utah next week and need a good do – wanna reference her?
See the good things that will happen to you if you attend church. You were meant to be together!
So funny. I came across your blog for the first time today and really enjoyed it. I have tried hairdressers in 5 different states and STILL haven’t found one like Deanna in Utah 12 years ago. Maybe I just LOOKED better then and I need to get over it. Anyway, thanks for the great story.
it’s a small world in the lds church. i love the visual of her snipping your bangs with library acquired scissors while your sister tries to catch the falling hair! you rock. that’s why i can’t stop reading your blog!:)
The lesson yesterday in RS was about “serving the one.” She totally gets it. Camilla Kimball was quoted as saying, “never suppress a generous thought.” How lovely that the hairdresser would serve in such an unorthodox setting.
I love that you just went up to her, you’re my bravery hero! I totally agree that we need a picture of the bangs. 🙂
NO WAY! THAT IS TOO AMAZING!
and hilarious.
We miss you already!
E
Yes, a picture, please. And also her number. So I can move into her ward, and request that she become my visiting teacher!
That is a good story. Karma must be on your side.
That is hilarious! What are the odds?
And this is just one of the reasons I love going to church. Free haircuts!
I hear ya! I used to fly from AK to WA for my hairdresser. My husband worked for an airline at the time, so the cost wasn’t such a big deal, but I would fly down in the morning, get my hair done (she is amazing with color), have dinner with my mom, and then fly back to Anchorage. It was crazy and, of course, before I had kids! At least now I’m back in WA. 🙂
BTW, she is in Ballard. Mitzi 206.860.8883 Tell her Kristin sent you.
This is totally hilarious!!! What a great story.
What luck! If I EVER find a hair dresser I love she immediately moves, gets pregnant and put on bedrest, gets a job travelling with a rock band…
ROFL. That is AWESOME!!! We def. need a photo.
Wow!
That sounds like a fun thing to learn in church.
I hate finding a hairstylist! I bounce from one horrible haircut to another. I finally found someone who does a good job though!
Now I just have to make sure she never leaves.
Hey, I finally got my hair cut today and it looks marvelous. I went to Great Clips. Who’d a thunk?
Oh, and at first, I thought you said you would go to the nursery for a mini-pad. I couldn’t figure out the correlation, but I thought it was just me… My bad. Evidently I should have gotten glasses as well as a hair cut. One thing at a time…
oh such happiness!!
We all understand the importance of a good hairdresser who can “feel the force” and make us beautiful!!
Great story!!
Serendipitous. Only in church. Only in church.
lol…that is too funny… i havn’t had a great haricut in a long time!! i am in dire need!! i have been back reading here a bit and i must say…your blog is very enjoyable!! if its ok, i would like to add you to my blog roll. feel free to stop by anytime :
http://blog-diggidy.blogspot.com
i have to warn you….my blog is sometimes a little dark, like last nights post, but it’s not usually like that!! i am 33 years old, been married almost 15 years. i have two kids, my daughter will be 12 soon, and my son is in heaven. i am bipolar, suffer from OCD and borderline personality disorder. comparatively speaking, you seem pretty normal, but i won’t hold that against you, i promise!! take care, i will be back!! thanks for the laugh, i needed it!!
This is clear evidence that God even cares about your “do.”
This is a sign for all of us to get ourselves to church-who knows what could happen? What service!
Cutest story ever! Like I NEED a lesson too!!! (but for me I’d probably need several to even get close to figuring it out) 🙂
That was funny. The world is so small when your Mormon that I’m surprised you didn’t see Donny Osmond there too. And me!
Did the librarian really ask if she wanted the scissors to stab someone? That’s awesome! 😀
YOU’RE, I meant. Argh.
This is such a fun story! I’m laughing at the image, and esepcially the “cut something precisely.”
I’ve been reading you regularly for a while now and have mentally composed half a dozen replies to some of your entries – but this one I could NOT pass up. Simply. Awesome. Mormons don’t drink because we don’t NEED the booze. We are genetically gifted to be random and hilarious without outside help.
So, did you have to sign out the scissors?
Oh, that is SO DANG FUNNY! And fortuitous! I’ve been going to the same hairdresser for about 12 years now, but recently she decided she didn’t want to cut hair anymore and she fired me. She fired me! Now I’m afraid to go to just anyone to color and cut my hair, so it’s getting more and more dingy and dark. It’s supposed to be pretty and light blonde. Any chance this Korina magician needs a new client? I’m in Utah county.