Me next to one of the art pieces at the African American Museum Dallas

Hey everyone!This "update" post is long overdue, but it's always difficult to figure out what exactly to write about when you've been away for so long! After procrastinating by walking to the store, cleaning the house, prepping dinner, and watching a few random youtube videos just for good measure, I think I'm finally ready to crawl out of my hiatus and get back to Think & Grow Chick! Now where to begin...The Big MoveFor starters, the main reason why I was so absent over this past summer was because I was away in Dallas, TX for a few months working on an internship. I had a blast during my first visit to the Lone Star state and I am excited to report that come Summer 2012 (which is *ahem* after my graduation!) I will be moving to Texas permanently! Let's just say the Tex-Mex food was so good that I couldn't imagine life without a regular supply of brisket tacos! :-) I've been feeling a bit burned out by the East Coast lifestyle for a while now, so I am extremely excited as this is really a welcomed change for me.I label this as "The Big Move" not just because I'll be physically moving across the country in 9 months, but because this signifies a big transition in my life. Those of you who have been readers of my blog since the beginning might remember a heartfelt post I wrote a while back about making some poor decisions with money and school, of which forced me to leave my former university when I lost my scholarship. During that time I thought (1) my life was over and (2) I would never get my college degree. I'm not sure if I explicitly stated on the blog what happened after that ordeal, but I was extremely blessed to enroll at a public university here in DC at a price that was affordable for me. Because I had a new mindset and was more serious about my future than when I first started school, I excelled right out the gate and worked hard to secure scholarships, internships, and all sorts of priceless opportunities. I'm am proud to say that I currently maintain a 3.72 GPA, I will be a 23 year old college graduate (better late than never!) in May 2012, and I've accepted a great job offer in Texas in the financial industry. God is good!Needless to say, processing and preparing for those life changes kept me away from blogging for a while. Nevertheless, I have a renewed passion for this blog based on a few things that I experienced over the summer.Fitness, Fitness, and more FitnessThere were many things that shocked me about Dallas, but the one that surprised me the most (besides all of the INCREDIBLY delicious the food all over the place) was how focused all the young adults were on fitness! Dallas is home to some legendary sports teams so this shouldn't totally surprise me, but I was really floored by how "sporty" all the 20- and 30-somethings seemed to be. Even in scorching 100+ degree weather, folks were outside jogging, biking, and playing tennis like it was just another day. Fitness "Bootcamps" seemed to be particularly popular as men and women alike participated in military-style group torture sessions all in the name of staying fit. All of the hard work appeared to be paying off for most people, as I also noted that the 20-/30-something women in particular all seemed well-dressed, fit, and generally "put-together". I was both in awe and jealous at the same time. Needless to say, I hit the gym hard while I was there and even managed to learn how to play tennis.With my passion for health and fitness totally awakened, I thought about how the same trend is emerging among African-American women like myself, especially within the natural hair community. It's been debated whether or not "going natural" gives way to a preference for a "natural" lifestyle in general including buying natural products, eating healthier food, and working out. I don't know if anyone can say the "natural lifestyle" is a definitive segue from a black woman choosing to go natural, but I will say that I personally have noticed (and participate in) this trend. With that in mind, I will now start incorporating my health/fitness journey into this blog as well. In fact, that leads me to my next point...Updated Blog DesignSince I came back from Dallas feeling all renewed and sophisticated, I wanted this blog to reflect the same :-) Yes, the look is different but I tweaked the functionality just a wee bit as well. Feel free to poke around and let me know what you think. While there's quite a few new tabs up at the top, I wanted to bring your attention to the "Hair Care Log" tab. I've chosen to implement this because...Yo-Yo Hair Progress...when I was in Dallas, I will admit that I did not do that great in terms of keeping up with my hair routine. If I'm honest, I was a little self-conscious about different natural hairstyles that I wanted to wear to the office, so I found myself manipulating and wearing it "out" more often for the sake of keeping it looking "done" and "polished" (a whole 'nother topic for future post...). On top of that...Dallas is hot ya'll. Like, really hot. Like, it never dipped below 100 degrees degrees the entire time I was there. You know when you blow-dry or flat iron your hair with really high heat and you can "smell" your hair? Yeah...I often experienced that just when walking around on the sidewalk. Needless to say I battled serious dryness all summer which did not help my length-retention situation.When I came home, I ended up having to trim off a full inch all over. It wasn't too bad because my hair is still about an inch or so past APL, but the whole situation just made me kinda mad because I feel like my progress is going a little too slow. To combat this, I figured if I kept a running journal—i.e.the "Hair Care Log" tab—I can better track (and stay accountable!) what I'm doing to my hair on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. I fully expect to at least reach BSL my graduation (May 2012) or else!***So that's pretty much what's been going on with me. Do I have any readers from Dallas or other Texas cities? You all have to give me the scoop...:-)