Where do I start? It smells AH-mazing here. Leaving the arctic tundra that we have come to know as home in the Northeast and landing in Santa Monica for a week of training has been beyond wonderful. I woke up on my first morning here and went for a run. On the beach. IN A TANK TOP. I stopped in the lobby of my hotel to chat with John Simpson (!!), Goldwell platform artist and color magician. And, in case you were wondering, we were both wearing t-shirts (can you tell that the novelty of 70 degree weather has not worn off yet?). As I type this, I sit tucked away in the patio area of a juice bar, underneath a pretty baller vertical succulent garden. Yet, I digress. Because the much needed get away from this cruel winter is not the reason I'm here, nor the best part. This week starts the next step in my career, as I train to become a Goldwell Technical Associate, which, in short is the first tier of educating for the color line that I live for in the salon!

After two days here, I am fried, in a good way. So much information is being processed in my head, so much so that I struggle to put into words exactly what I am experiencing. An in depth explanation and education on exactly what it is that makes Goldwell color the best? Absolutely. Skills to present myself in a confident, professional way, that will not only aid me in class settings, but in my everyday life? Totes. A 3 hour up close and personal session with John Simspon, leaving me feeling so excited to come back to Maine (snow aside) and take my clients' services to the next level? YES. I have so much to share, facts and ideas both new to me and just validated, and so many wonderful things to say about the level of education being offered. That said, I can not even begin to put them down yet. For now, it's off to day 3 of classes!