Wednesday, January 19, 2011

dannah bradel christensen. this afternoon, i will be getting on a plane and going home (hawaii) where i haven't been since i spontaneously moved away ten months ago. this morning, i woke up early and took my cousin, whose family i live with, to her early am water polo workout. i live in newport beach, ca and spend most of my time attending class at paul mitchell the school and working full time as a salon coordinator at images in corona del mar. let's rewind.

i was born on jan 28, 1987 here in newport beach where both of my parents grew up and all of my extended family resides. in 1992 my family packed up and moved to hawaii. it was a bumpy transition but one i am so glad they decided to make. i grew up on the north shore of oahu doing things most kids do: surf, eat, sleep, surf, eat, sleep. it was great! in high school, i did it all. i was on the soccer team, student council, debate team, cheerleading squad and somehow still found time for the surf, eat, sleep routine i had been programed for. it was in high school that i became a christian. i had known who Jesus was but i didn't establish a relationship with Him until my freshman year in high school. in the summer of 2004 i went to malawi for the first time. it rocked my world. going into my senior year of high school i had with me a whole new set of priorities and the world that i was once blind to had come to the forefront of big life decisions i was about to make. it was at this time i decided to go to westmont college in santa barbara, ca in the fall of 2005. i made another trip to malawi the summer before i started at westmont where my passion to love those affected by HIV/AIDS was reaffirmed. i attended westmont for three semesters before i transferred out to a local community college and got my AA in political science. however, school wasn't "clicking" for me. it wasn't too hard and i wasn't not doing the work. i just dreaded it. not normal dreaded, like felt purposeless kind of dread.

thats when i moved back to hawaii. i was determined to find my nitch. after a few internships, lots of introspection and lots of "getting out there". i think i found it. i started working as an apprentice at a salon. i LOVED it. i love the salon, i love doing hair, i love the one on one time i get to spend with the person in my chair, in an industry fixated on the outside i love the opportunities to remind myself and those around me that beauty is much deeper than that. i just love it. it all changed again when dave (my best friend from santa barbaras boyfriend) called. he had a ring and was going to propose and really wanted me to be there for it. so, i hoped on a plane and came back to cali, a trip that would be much more significant than i had anticipated. i ended up getting a job while i was here on vacation and didn't get on the plane home. it was a huge move. i've grown more in the last ten months than i have in a long time.

which brings us back to today. today, i'm going home. don't worry, i'll be back.

things i love:
doing hair - i prefer cutting over color but i love both
watching my cousins play baseball/water polo
frozen yogurt - tart with strawberries
the ocean - playing in the ocean
HIV/AIDS ministry - it is more than a statistic
malawi - i can't wait to go back
running - i've run 2 marathons
baking - cupcakes are my favorite thing to bake

things i don't love:
snakes - my family has a pet snake i named jake
when people don't use their turn signals - or when they leave them on and aren't turning
being cold - i'm always cold
shellfish - i'm allergic

7 comments:

  1. This was great! informative, funny, and thought provoking. Can't wait to hear stories about your time in Hawaii.

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  2. Thats so awesome you just moved to a new place like that. Great post, your personality really came out through it, really like it.

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  3. That was really well put together. I'm so horrible at simply putting huge stories that cover a huge span of time together, in a uniform way. You are brilliant. I know there are, of course, the under layers of everything you just laid out for us and I can't wait to see/hear the deeper "Jesus" experiences you have had. :)

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  4. Hi Dannah! looks like we have quite a few things in common =) I too just graduated from Cosmetology school and work at a salon in San Juan Capistrano! Took me a while to figure out that that's what I wanted to do...but since I made the choice I've loved every minute of it. Looking forward to getting to know you even more when you get back!!!

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  5. So...when will there be a cupcake party at circles?

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  6. This was so awesome to read and I admire your spontaneous and vibrant personality:) I wish I could have more of that spirit. I actually have a friend that is going to the paul mitchell school in costa mesa! Her name is jaya, if you know her haha I look forward to eating cupcakes if there is a party (Nick). Also, I would like some tips on how to cut my own hair so that I can save money. Last time I tried, I cut a big chunk out of the middle and it was not so successful.

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  7. I lived in Kailua :) but the north shore's my favorite.

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