Chapter 01

The Fever

Hello, my name is Lisa, and I am a beauty operator, a hair designer, a hair architect, a color specialist, and a very cheap therapist. I can call myself talented…

Chapter 02

My Father’s Lineage

I am the great-granddaughter of Mary Porter Sesnon, a woman whose passion for art and culture would unknowingly set the stage for my journey in the world of beauty and style.

Chapter 03

My Mother’s Lineage

Growing up, my mother often recounted stories of her ancestors, particularly one figure who loomed as large in legend as he did in life, Charles Arthur Broadwater. Born on…

Chapter 04

OLD MONEY Noun: People Whose Families Have Been Rich for a Long Time

I am a descendant of Benjamin Porter, who was my great-great-grandfather. His daughter, Mary Porter, married William T. Sesnon—my great-grandparents. Their oldest son, Porter Sesnon, married Helen Freeman—my…

Chapter 05

Just Another Day In The Life

The day my father left, my entire world shattered into a million jagged pieces. Being a happy little girl? Gone. Sense of security? Vanished. The opportunity to be normal?

Chapter 06

If you are in a bad situation – scream!!!!!

When I was told to parent myself, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. How was I supposed to parent myself when I was in therapy trying to figure out why my own parents…

Chapter 07

Why Couldn’t It Be So Easy?!!!

I ask myself quite frequently why oh why was my life as a child so extremely dysfunctional – like didn’t anyone think of the tots? But as I learned later, we were spawned out…

Chapter 08

The Carne’s Arrival

I woke up like usual one morning for school, 3rd grade I’m thinking, but actually age doesn’t matter. It’s what happened – something that would make my Toys R Us bike…

Chapter 09

The Takeover of the Carne

Just to put this all into perspective, the Carne refers to the born-in-a-bar guy that my mother chose to introduce me to before school while she was sitting on his lap at 7:30…

Chapter 10

The Grass Was Greener At The Top Of The Hill

Things at first seemed ok. New town, new house, pinball machines in the garage and yes, it was like our own private arcade which made birthday party’s easy for my mom…

Chapter 11

The Carne and the Chaos

The Carne was without a job, it only took 8 months and he was jobless. My mother, who was never really the sharpest tool in the shed, gave up everything to move down…

Chapter 12

The Carnival

We were stuck in this new city with no real reason to be there anymore. My mother, in her infinite wisdom, had sold the house my father bought for us to live in. Did she not…

Chapter 13

Red Is Not “Just Red”

Grammy was my mother’s mother, and let me tell you, that woman was a piece of work. I loved her, sure, but sometimes I wondered what the hell was going on in that head of hers. Her hair was this fire-engine red, leaning more…

Chapter 14

The Camping Debunont

My mother was always angry—yelling every chance she had. I don’t blame her. After all, she was told one night her husband was leaving her for a blonde…

Chapter 15

Beauty School

Beauty School—well, every hairdresser has to go through that 1600 hours of school. As far as I was concerned, I’d been to beauty school more than, let’s guess…

Chapter 16

Computers Were Made by Therapists to Make More Money

Well, I just got off my computer with a bot that put me with Justin, who might as well have been a bot because there was no difference. I’m…

Chapter 17

WTF?

Surprisingly enough, I told my father that I wanted to live with him, and the Christmas before my senior year in high school, I was able to test at…

Chapter 18

Northern Lights

I always thought that you go to college, get married, have kids, and live happily ever after. Well, I should have known with all the adults in my life and…

Chapter 19

How Did I Not Know!?!

I moved to a beach town in my pre-beautician days. I knew my aunt wanted me to do something after I returned from University. I returned because, academically and socially..

Chapter 20

Upon Being a Springboard Diver

My mother turned into an angry woman, blaming it all on my father. Can’t blame her, but think of the children, people… am I right? Life simply flipped as…

Chapter 21

Tie Your Shoes and Quit Trippin’

Narcissism—Personality qualities include thinking highly of oneself, needing admiration, believing others are inferior, and lacking empathy. Basically, thinking you’re God’s gift to humanity while everyone else can kiss…

Chapter 22

Don’t Let Others Determine Who You Are

I met my ex-husband, my second husband, at that bar I was talking about before. I walked by him, and something just blurted out of my mouth. “Where have you…

Chapter 23

Final Word

But I know the show ain’t over till the fat lady sings or the pigs fly—right?!

Resilience, to me, is a big word. All living beings have it…