I was an “athlete” in high school.

I use quotes because I tried my hand at every sport I wanted to, whether I had talent or not. I’m pretty sure my attempt at playing soccer was laughable. Every game held two objectives for me: run fast and elbow other girls. INSERT TEENAGE ANGST PHRASE HERE! Note that neither of those objectives produces a good footballer. Gah, I’m so European! Don’t let my Euro-talk fool you, I have NO idea what the rules of soccer are.

Yes, I loved playing sports in high school. And I will never forget my senior nights for cheerleading (totally a sport) and soccer (again, please don’t ask me to a pick-up game…my attempt to multi-task results in injuries). On said senior night, we had to write a little blurb about where we were planning to attend school and then include our major and future dreams. I thought long and hard about exactly who I thought I’d be by now, and this is the speech I came up with:

“Bekah will attend either College of Charleston or University of Georgia in the fall. She plans to major in marine biology. Upon graduation, she wishes to become a dolphin trainer. Then, she wants to meet her smoking hot husband, move to a private island, learn sustenance farming, and have a large family.”

Ten years later and two of those things happened: University of Georgia and sustenance farming (kidding) smoking hot husband.

Yes, my friends, the time has come for me to attend my 10 year reunion. Unlike most people in the United States, I AM SO EXCITED for this rite-of-passage. I cannot wait to get to spend time with the people I grew up with…and really, I did most of my growing in my small mountain town.

I learned how to talk to people who weren’t like me. I began to love others even when they didn’t love me. I tasted the bitterness of rebellion and consequences. I experienced heartbreak and grief. I hold the fondest memories in those mountains. When I arrived I was a little girl. When I left, I did so with the full intention of never looking back, but I found myself peeking every now and again. I became a young woman who was ready to see the world. Now, I’m just ready to enjoy those mountains for the weekend.

On a lighter and much more superficial note, I’m ready to get a little dolled up. A sweet mommy friend of mine saw my little guy’s 6-month photos and gave me a compliment on my effortless waves. I was extremely flattered, and thought it was perfectly appropriate. Those waves are pretty effortless as they only take 10 minutes or less. SERIOUSLY. I plan on abusing this hairstyle for our two reunion events this weekend. Here is my quick tutorial for how to achieve the perfect “homecomane” wave in ten minutes or less. That pun is forced AND intended.

1. Start with day-past-washing hair. Dirt don’t hurt. Truthfully, I just got my hair done last night, so please don’t think I wake up with my hair this pristine. Most of the time, it is still damp from my shower the day before or in a bun on top of my head. Keeping your hair a little dirty helps the wave stay..so don’t wash your hair before you attempt this hairstyle.

2. Use a 1 1/2 inch barrel curling iron and a small round or paddle brush. Here is an easy tip: the larger the barrel, the looser the curl. I’ve found that 1 1/2 inch barrels are the sweet spot for waves. Anything smaller and you resemble Shirley Temple. Anything larger and you just get volume. Don’t purchase a huge barreled curling iron with hopes of longer wavier hair.

3. Divide your hair in half. If I’m in a huge hurry, I just keep it down. If not, I divide it into two sections. This makes sure you hit every strand.

4. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. Grab a .75-1 inch section of your hair and begin to curl in the middle of the section. Don’t start from the end, unless you just want a small flip under. When you start in the middle, the wave holds in the middle. It is such a simple change that makes all the difference.

5. Continue to work your way down your hair with the curling iron. Keep the curling iron tip facing upward; You’ll be curling and re-curling your starting place.

6. Curl the 1 inch section for 30 seconds or less on medium-high heat. Don’t fry your hair. You shouldn’t see tons of some billowing from your strands. If you see that, you’ve cooked your hair for too long.

7. Continue this process for the rest of your head. I have lots of hair and timed myself. I spent no more than 30 seconds per 1 inch section and it took me under 10 minutes to complete the curling process.

9. Use your paddle brush to brush out your curls. I KNOW I KNOW! You just spent 10 minutes on your perfect waves…why do you have to brush them out? In my experience, the wave stays longer if you brush out the sections. Plus, no one wants to look like their hair just escaped a curling iron convention. This helps your curls become waves.

10. LIGHTLY spray your brushed out waves. Note that the only “product” I used to start was dirt. Don’t spray your hair until it becomes crunchy…not ONE person in the world likes crunchy hair. Crunchy leaves…maybe. Crunchy hair is SO totally eighties.

11. This hair is so NOT eighties. Easy processing makes for easy waves.