What's In My Pocket?

There's a Wocket in my pocket...Dr. Seuss was such a talented rhymer! But that has nothing to do with anything I am about to talk about.

Before the night ends, I promised that I would post about some major hauls I have had since the year started. So here goes my Jan-Feb haul!

The shoes...
I have gotten 8 pairs of shoes, each pair under 15 dollars.
I will start with the black peep toe (on the right of the cream shoe) and go clock-wise!
Black peep toe-Rack Room Buy one get one half off-I paid 4.50 for those shoes
Gray peep toe- 11.99 from Ross
Cream pump-9.99 from Rack Room
Sandals-1.99 from Rugged Warehouse
Grey pumps-7.00 from Rugged Warehouse
Black Sandals-1.99 from Rugged Warehouse
Black strappy peep toe-boyfriend got them from Rack Room by one get one half off-paid 6.00 for them!!

The tops...

The Gold one is from New York and Company-I blogged about that one in my Bad Hair Day Blog. Got it for 11.99 on clearance.

This shirt, got from Ross for 7.99

The dresses...

This print dress came from Rugged Warehouse-paid 5.00 for it

This pink dress came from Ross-paid 5.99

This simple black floor length dress with a ribbon that ties around the back hails from Ross-7.99
And my most favorite purchase yet. I am exciting because I enjoy wearing blazers and finding them for good prices. I got this black blazer with a pinstripe inside from Marshalls. Paid 24.99! That is the most expensive item in my haul but WELL WORTH IT!
The blazer...

Now I didn't do all the math however I can be sure that I got 8 pairs of shoes, 2 tops, dresses, a blazer for under 100 dollars! I am proud of myself that I've evolved into a conscious shopper that knows how to catch a deal! So while you are out and about doing your shopping, look for those sales-It is possible to look cute on a budget!

Until next time...
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Edited to add...
I clearly forgot about my cute hats that I got for 5.99 and 7.99. A brown floppy hat, a white/blue floppy hat, and a cute fedora-that pushes me over my 100 dollars however, it completes my Jan-Feb. haul! That is all!

Last Day of the Month

Today is the last day of February. Again, this year is flying by...I have been fighting a battle in my life and it is because I have chosen to be an honest person and those around me continue to remain untruthful, despite efforts to get the truth to surface. But, I won't complain. I will praise God for allowing me to be able to show my true character this month and for allowing this situation to push me on to the next level of being a better me.

Character is usually measured by the actions that you perform when people aren't looking. It is what you do when you think you are alone. When you choose to do the right thing, regardless of what others think, you are doing as God will do. Last week, before I went into work, I prayed and read my Bible. I let God lead me to what He felt was a message that needed to come across my vision that day. So, I fell upon Proverbs 16. I read the whole thing, not thinking that it would have a major role in what was about to go down at my job...

I won't go into too much detail but the incident took place that day. I had this very bad feeling and I had major anxiety behind it. Now, I suffered from anxiety the entire time I was in school and that is just not a life I want to live. So I called my mentor/spiritual advisor and talked to her about the situation. She told me not to lie. To tell the truth and make sure I did it soon. So I made up in my mind that I would. The next day, after a sleepless night filled with anxiety, I decided to do what was right. Come to find out, there were already questions floating around about the situation. It is funny how God works. The situation could have turned out completely different and I would have been in jeopardy of losing my job.

Lesson from this situation: The truth is always better than telling a lie. No matter how bad the situation may turn out, it is better to keep yourself safe by being honest rather than letting a situation play out and you become a bystander who suffers. This experience showed me that I am a strong person who stands for what is right. I never knew what I would do in a situation such as this but I always want to do the right thing. Doing the right thing will result in having enemies but as I said in the last post, if God is for you, no man can be against you. I trusted God to take care of this situation and even though it is not completely over, I know that I will come out victorious because I was honest and obedient.

Let God's ways lead your life. No matter how hard it may be to make the right decision, God will have an answer and He will provide for you. Don't let your life be lead by the lacksadasical ways of other people. Just because they don't live their lives in an honest way, a way God would approve, doesn't mean you have to conform to their way of life. If you are a believer, always believe in doing the right thing...It is not always fun but living among people who contradict themselves daily, you will stand out and God will show favor for living by His plan...

In the meantime, life is great. I'm still constantly learning about this thing called life. I hope that God continues to show me how to be a better person (I'm not that bad, but there is always room for improvement.)

What are some things about yourself that you REALLY love or REALLY want to change? Let's chat about them below!

To Hell With It

I've had a hell of a day. I am two words away from finishing my resignation letter but I know better. Fighting a war on your own is ridiculously hard. I mean, when no one is in your corner, it is truly you against the world. I have one thing to tell you, when God is in your corner, and you are doing the right thing, not one person on this Earth can defeat you. Not one...

Keep that in mind...In the meantime, this video has reminded me to keep laughing throughout everything. So if you had a day like I did, get a glass of wine and watch this Ratchet Girl Anthem

I don't care if you have seen it 100 times. Watch it 100 more if you have to! I know I will!

P.S. If you are a praying person, pray a special prayer for me. That God be with me as I go to war for what is right. I'd greatly appreciate it!

New Week, New Start

It is Monday and well, the end of February. Wow, I am slightly in shock at how fast this month has gone by. I just wanted to write a quick post to wish everyone a great week and a great start to March! I will do a February update on what has taken place in my life this month, on Wednesday. Can I just say that I've been tested and for once, I have proven myself to be the person I portray myself to be. An honest person of good character and morals. The story behind it is coming soon! I also have a couple of hauls to report on. Until then,

Have a great week!!!

My New Hair Regimen

As I am fairly new at this natural thing, I think I have a routine regimen going-at least for the winter...I straightened my hair last Friday and missed my curls like crazy...Plus, I really didn't straighten it that well considering I was going to do an updo. Before I straightened my hair, I did a deep conditioning treatment with Organic Root Stimulator Mayonnaise. I sat under the dryer for 15 minutes, washed it out with warm water and continued on to styling. I used Ion's Heat Protectant on my hair. I like it, it provides shine. All that jazz...

So on to this regimen. I washed my hair with a clarifying shampoo. It was Organic Root Stimulator Uplifting Shampoo. A lot of cleansing went on. It is very invigorating too. I love that shampoo but I don't use it too often because it does have a lot of mint in it which means that it will dry my hair out if I use it too often. So I washed it with that. Got it all squeaky clean, then put the ORS Mayonnaise on my hair and continued my shower ritual. I rinsed that out. Let my hair hang without putting a towel on it. Then I put my Herbal Essence Hello Hydration on and massaged it in. I used caster oil to seal my hair. It was my first time using castor oil. Can I just say that my hair has stayed moisturized the entire week? I mean, I haven't had to re-rinse it like I usually do. I just do a light spritz of water and Profectiv Mega Growth Oil and put a little conditioner in. I put the Caster oil around my edges in the front and I keep it moving. I've never maintained a wash-n-go this long. I got it now...

So like I said, this is now my regimen. It sucks because I am pretty sure that my hair is going to change with the season so I am going to have to try this all over again in about 2 months. I am super excited though to finally not have to re-wet my hair every other day! I think it now has a good balance of moisture and protein and it is cooperating with me!!!! #Win!



Do you have a solid regimen going for your hair? If so, what are your staple products?

Happy Hump Day!

Oh yes, today is Wednesday and for me, that means two more days of work...Oh yes!

Today is also National Margarita Day and for me that means, after I get off work and study a little, I will be taking the tequila and the margarita mix to work...With a seriousness!

Did you know it was National Margarita Day????
What is your drink of choice?


That is all!! Happy Hump Day!

Let It Snow!!!

I love Boys to Men! Because of them, they got me expecting snow during the winter every single year. Since we in NC have been having this crazy warm weather for the winter, I was almost sure that I would not get a chance to see the snow fall this year! Well, just like all things, God had another plan! This morning when I woke up I had a weather alert on my phone. After a crazy tornado rampage in August, I get really anxious when I see my Weather Channel icon blinking on my phone. This morning I checked it and it said that there was a Winter Weather alert. Happy me started dancing and singing around the apartment in excitement because, I love the snow!

I didn't know when it would start but me and my girls went out to lunch and looked around at a local retail store before we gave up on being out in the ridiculous rain. I came back home with one friend and we sat around talking about the old days! We talked for about two or three hours when I looked outside and it was snowing. HARD! I was excited. She wasn't...She had to drive back in that snow. Lucky for her, she has a cute little Jeep that will get her home safely!

I am so excited to see the snow and I hope we are blessed to get one or two more before the winter season is over! I hate the cold but I love when it snows, it makes all of the badness of the cold weather disappear! So I will sit back and watch the snow fall tonight! Thank God this is such a beautiful sight! (We have mega delays tomorrow, I like that too!)

So this is a great end to the weekend!! I hope the weekend went great for all of you!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

I Show Up to Work Everyday. Now Hire Me!

What does your resume say about you?

In an attempt to update my resume, I was trying to figure out how to word my duties for the job I've been at since December. I am usually good at this but I've been out of the game for a little while and I fell off of my resume skills. So while we were out at Panera, having a "working date" I decided to ask my S.O if a phrase sounded ok. It went something like this "I assisted the manager with ----" I was excited about my phrase and about my duties since I am "assisting the manager" but he quickly shot that down when he said "Oh so you are somebody's B*&$#?" Excuse me? -neck roll and all- I know you didn't just call me what I think you did! My blood pressure started rising. I was getting angry until he said "All I am saying is, you are telling a potential employer that you do someone else's work for work." -Oh that's what I thought-(neck roll again)

So that got me thinking, when you are doing your resume, do your list of duties reflect what you do or what you do for someone else? Do your duties go above and beyond what your job title is?

That is what he meant when he asked me that question. So I revamped it to say what I do, not in reference to the manager but what I do. I knew this already but Blount Bobby had to be rude and remind me again that I don't just go to work everyday and do my job, I go above and beyond my duties and that is what needs to stand out on my resume, not what I do for others. Of course as employees we help the managers, I mean, that is basically a non-manager job, helping the manager meet a certain goal. But I will leave you with this, if the manager was not there, how would you function? Would everything fall apart or would you be the one to hold it all together? If your answer is yes, you'd be someone next in line for a promotion...I'm just saying!

So don't go to work everyday to just do your job. I know it is hard out there but I can assure you that if you are going above and beyond, it won't go unnoticed for too long. And always pray about it. Now if you have stubborn employers who make your life hard, that is a different story. But if you work in an environment where you can show the best you and be rewarded, go for it! It won't hurt especially if you happen to be looking for other jobs. Everyone takes notice at what you do, even if you don't see them looking. If you have a job that you don't plan to leave, this is not for you. But if you are young, or just starting out, putting your best foot forward at all times will get you further than you think AND faster than you think. Trust me, I know!

Sidenote-I did my hair last night. It turned out pretty cute. I ended up having to do an updo because I knew it would sweat out but it was nice and elegant after all. I resorted to YouTube and found a lady named "Lizbeth" who walked me through styling my hair! Whew, I dodged that one!
I will post pictures on Monday. Ours weren't ready before we left! -Sad face-
Have a great Saturday!

Rant: Fuming Mad on a Friday!!!!!

As great of a week as it has been, of course I had to have a moment where it was all thrown out the window for a few minutes. Life sometimes throws obstacles in your way to make you SOOOOOOOOO mad. Well, maybe not you, but definitely me. So I will tell you why I am mad...

Today I had to work. I was all joyful the entire day because my S.O got us tickets to the Barrista's ball, which is tonight mind you, and I LOVE to be dolled up. So he got the tickets and the next day I called the place I usually go to when I want to get my hair straightened and trimmed. So I called the place early Wednesday morning and made an appointment for today, Friday at 3:00 since I didn't get off until 2:30 and the latest the took appointments was 3:00pm. So after I rushed to leave work after they attempted to keep me there forever, I drove on to the OTHER side of town to make this appointment. After two phone calls, a missed exit and some high strung emotions, I finally made it. I jumped out of the car, imagined what I would look like after I left, and that calmed me down. I thought about how healthy and shiny it would be and how my ends would get a trim. Yes, I was going to be F-L-Y!

I get into the salon and check in. The receptionist asks for my name. I give it to her. I sign the check in sheet. She asks again. I say it again. Then she says the worst freaking thing you can say to a diva when she needs a hair do..."We don't have an appointment for you." Excuse me? What the hell do you mean you don't have an appointment? "The girl didn't schedule an appointment for you." Oh so you mean I don't have an appointment? I can't get my hair done????? Oh HELL NAW! I stomped out, fuming and in tears. I called my S.O and of course he had to calm me down. (I was secretly hoping he'd tell me to go get a new dress, to make me feel better but that didn't happen!) So he suggested I do my own hair. I hate taking this gamble because it is hit or miss when I straighten my own hair. He consoled me and said that I do a good job. It is HIS JOB to say that!!!! Ugh. So I mean, I guess I will give it a try. It is not like the idiot female who was supposed to take my appointment gave me any choice. I'm still mad but I am going to be fly tonight and I can't wait! I will try to take pictures but it is not a guarantee.

I hate hair salons but now, I hate them even more. I really need to learn how to do my own hair for real!

I am off to do this wig of mine now. I hope all of you have a great Friday and a great weekend! I am going to call this place first thing Monday morning and act up! Actually, I am going to make a visit!

Ugh!

It's Friday!!!

This past week has been great! Interesting and full of surprises. I won't complain. I will just share that God is just doing some amazing things in my life! He just keeps showing up and showing out and I am loving it! So this week I had a very bad day at one of my jobs. I mean, so much that I asked God to please bless me to be out of the within 6 months. It became an afterthought because well, I need the money right now so I am grateful to have a job, or two. Throughout the week, I really was contemplating getting another part time job but again, it became an afterthought.

Well, I wrote about my great news back in January where I said I was being trained as a manager for one favorite job! Well, yesterday I found out that there was an opening for a manager at another site and well, of course I am applying for it. I thought about letting my coworker go for it alone since she had already been passed up for the sub-manager training but then I started thinking and realized I wanted the opportunity as well. It was a good thing I didn't tell her I would be applying. She went behind my back and tried to say I was not qualified to be trained as a sub-manager because I had only been there a month. But whatever! So after talking with the S.O as well as the manager who hired me, they both encouraged me to express my interest in the position. My manager felt confident that I could do the job so if she thought so, I guess I am!

I am feeling so great right now. I asked God for His guidance and I prayed a prayer that simply said, "If it is in Your will, let it be done." Simple as that. I am putting in the work and praying that this lines up with His will and I know that whatever the outcome, it will be for the best. I will say though, the best part about it is the pay raise oh and the manager title. I am 23 and about to be a manager...23! That will do wonders for my career from here on out. There are about 2 other managers leaving as well so if this position isn't for me, I have 2 other chances to make it happen!

This has been the highlight of my week. God is doing some things in my life that I never thought imaginable. The funny thing is, as soon as all of this happened, I remembered the job before this and realized, there never would have been an opportunity to move ahead. God does everything for a reason and I am really getting on board with His will!

So, happy Friday to all and tell me about your week! What were some highs and lows of your week?

Hair Update: 16 Months Post Relaxer

So I am slightly obsessed with my hair. I am also a little length conscious because this is the longest I have ever been able to retain length and I am excited to say the least. So I am going to do a quick length check. Let me just say my hair is extremely curly. Kinky and curly but more curly than kinky. So here goes. I measured a piece of hair and it was 7 inches long!!! That is great because my hair just might be doing some serious growing! WHoooooooHooooo!

Sidenote-sorry for the poor quality. I took them on my webcam which is built in on my laptop. My camera is out of commission and my S.O won't let me get a new one just yet!

In Those Moments...Pray

Life can be difficult. Extremely difficult at times. You get down and things in life just kick you, and continue kicking. When the turmoil in life happens, sometimes, it can throw you for a loop and really knock you off of your stoop. It just happens sometimes. Since it is just sometimes, how come those times seem to last so long and be so painful. So painful that you don't want to get out of the bed in the morning. You don't want to see the sun come up. You don't want...to. You just don't.

I've been there. Broke, jobless, hurt, confused, frustrated and all that! At the same time. I wanted to pray but, I just couldn't find the strength to get past the pain, the hurt, the tears. I just couldn't. But one day, I woke up... I wasn't so sad anymore. I wanted to move forward because that was the only thing I could do. I got up, cleaned up, showered, and went on the town to look for jobs. I may have applied to 30 jobs that week. I didn't even keep count. I do know that I went in though. I started feeling better, started feeling like I could pray again. When I felt like I couldn't, I would just say "Lord, your will be done." Then I would find peace for a little while. In my situation, I messed up. I probably could have been out of my situation long before I was if I had just simply prayed. 4 months of sulking and self-pitying. I could have been praying the whole time and asking God to help me come to peace with my situation. I should have been asking God to provide some peace over my life so that I could have been prepared to start moving forward sooner. I SHOULD HAVE trusted that God had a better plan for me. But I knew it all so I couldn't accept that I wasn't where I wanted to be.

Praying will never harm you. God will never harm you. He said in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." These are just the basics that God has promised to those who love Him. So when you find yourself in a down and out situation, remember that God will not forsake you. Stay prayed up and keep Him in the forefront of your life and I promise you will find peace in everything that life throws your way. Life can be tough and if you aren't prayed up, you will be prey for the enemy. If you are steadfast in your faith, you will falter in every obstacle that you encounter. Life isn't made to be easy, if it was, we'd all know how to live through the hard times. We'd have the innate skills to prevent bad things from happening to us. But we don't. And we never will. So the best thing for us to do is to just continue to pray through everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly of life. Because God will always remind you of His presence. He will provide peace of any situation.

So whatever you are going through, whether that is a job loss, trying to find a job fresh out of college, trying to pay off your debt, trying to simply make ends meet, you will get out of it. Just keep God first in your life and remember Jeremiah 29:11-He will not harm you.

-God Bless and I hope you had a great Wednesday!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope I am one in a number in sharing my life with an amazing significant other. I love my man. He is an amazing somebody. I hope all of you readers have someone to love or someone who is on your radar to share this amazing day of love with. My Valentine is truly the love of my life. After all of the frogs, I found my prince and I love him dearly. I wrote a post about him recently but I tell you, this guy is the man I have dreamed of since I was a little girl. He is not perfect but I can assure you he is perfect for me. All of his imperfections make him who he is and all of my imperfections find a way into his heart. He love unconditionally and loves hard. He has it all, smart, intelligent, cute, swagggggnificent, Son of God and a lover. I just had to say this because I truly believe this man was created, with a special purpose (Beyonce voice).

We went on our first date 3 years ago on Valentines day and I remember it just as clear as today. He took me to this secluded little cafe in my college town. I hadn't even heard about it! This dude did his research and was armed with some serious artillery. This quaint little place was an absolute dream place for a romantic date. In the woods, beautiful scenery, and coffee and lots of it. Did I mention it was cheap too? The person waiting on us made me a beautiful heart decoration in my latte and sent us on our way. We sat outside, in February, in the woods and chatted away. Even though we had gotten all dolled up the night before, something about this seemed different. I could feel that he was here for something more. So as we chatted away, he snapped picture after picture of me. I think he thought I was pretty or something! We were there for a couple of hours but he had to go back. I was sad but before he left, he replaced all of the Starburst's that he happily ate from my stash. I thought it was sweet. It was. And it was time for him to leave. I loved him from that day forward but of course I didn't tell him that! He told me first!

That was our first date and I have to say that 3 years later, we still have those first day moments. He is always introducing me to something new, even though he is in his first year of law school. He is always truly to one up himself and that is something I love about him. That is my Valentine's day story!

What is yours? Who is your greatest Valentine? What was the greatest thing you've done on a V-day?"

Split Ends vs. Frizz

My lovely natural hair friend had a major hair issue this weekend. She had split ends from hell. I mean, they were horrible. Luckily for me, it was a learning moment. She has been natural for three years and she has the most gorgeous head of hair. (Hair envy is in works!) She fluctuates between straightening and twists every two weeks. Well, this weekend, she had her hair straight. She had just had a major trim session throughout the week and did a good job but something crazy happened. We were in Walgreen's and all of a sudden her hair ends felt all sticky and broken. Come to find out, her split in the front of her hair. Horrible split ends. She freaked out, and I freaked out with her!

This was an extreme teaching lesson for me. I had never paid attention to split ends because I can barely stand to examine it long enough to do it. As I looked at her search and destroy her split ends, I got a chance to look closely at what split ends look like. And how to recognize split ends as split ends and not frizz as split ends. Split ends are distinct. The ends are split and they are really split. Frizz on the other hand is just just untamed hair. Split ends can cause frizz but I can't say the frizz can cause split ends. Now this is what I saw with her hair.
1. The ends were actually split. Like, where the hair ends, it is split in two pieces instead of sealed into a strand.
2. If you have split ends, your hair can feel sticky, it will feel rough and not smooth if you run your hand across it.
3. If you have split ends, you need to trim them immediately. They can cause tangles which can result in more split ends.

Here is a picture of what split ends look like. There are several kinds of split ends that can occur.

It is so important to trim split ends as soon as you find them. There is no other way to get rid of them. However, there are ways to prevent or prolong the damage from occurring.
1. Low manipulation-it is important to keep your hands out of your hair as long as possible. Your ends are the most fragile part of your hair so the longer you keep them, the harder it is to take care of them. Low manipulation will keep your hair from constantly rubbing up against itself. It helps prolong the cuticle which protects the strand.
2. Keep your hair moisturized as well as balanced in protein. A protein treatment once a month will go a long way.
3. Keep your ends protected as often as possible-your ends are the most fragile part of your hair. As long as you keep them protected, you will retain length.

Frizz is a simple fix. Just some moisture and you are fixed. Split ends are just that, they are not going to fix themselves.
Have you had problems with split ends? What do you do to prevent them?

Fed Up With Facebook?

Yea, a NC parent was and he made sure to let the world know it. After several posts on Facebook from his daughter about her parents, he warned her about what would happen. You have to watch this video to see what he does in response to her irresponsible and disrespectful behavior! I am all for it and I would do it to my child if they were that crazy to disrespect me and my family on Facebook. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Watch Here

I Write What I Think: Love

So I truly do write what I think. I also visit a lot of blogs and well, they got me thinking. Thinking about love...Dum dum dummmmmmmmm!

I've been in a very successful relationship for 3 years now. Check that! Me. Three years. With. Someone. Else. He has to love me, I mean, I am not the easiest person to deal with. Actually, when it comes to what goes on behind closed doors, I am sure I am not the easiest. At ALL! But he loves me anyway. In the past 6 months, I have to say my life was a complete world wind. Losing my job, disconnecting from the world, fighting the woo's of life off, fighting off depression. Yea, it was horrible. But somehow I made it through. I was able to have the support of ONE earthly person who really showed me what unconditional love was and what it meant to BE THERE for someone. I rarely talk about my Sweetie but I think it is past due that I write a blog dedicated to him.

He is truly a man of good character and compassion. He is smart and he has a lot going for himself. But those are the secondary reasons why I love this guy. In 2009, my aunt passed away. I had met him the night before she was transported to a better hospital and this guy was there for me from that time until the day she passed on. I remember not being interested because I had just made a pact with my best friend at the time saying that we wouldn't date until we graduated. We were having too much fun being "Single Ladies" and we didn't want that to stop for anyone. Somehow, God laughed and had other plans for me. So on January 6th 2009, my aunt passed away. I was heart broken and devastated, it was the first death I had ever had in my family that was that close to me. To make matters worse, my grandfather died 5 days before her. Although we weren't close, it was still a hard pill to swallow knowing I had lost two family members in the same month. As devastated as I was, I remember distinctly being in the mall with two of my girlfriends at the time and he sent me a text message that said "You need to call me more." Me being the person I was, hopeless romantic thought "this guy is crazy but ok, I will see where this goes." After missing a week of classes, I was extremely stressed. I missed my aunt and I couldn't find the strength and motivation to keep moving. Despite my lack of interest, he sent me messages, called me and checked on me often every day. He used to call them "YoYo checks." He made me give him a number, 1 through 10 to let him know how I was doing. If I was below 7, he'd find a way to make me a 10 by the time we stopped talking. What a man, What a man, What a man, what a mighty good man. Yes he iiiiissssssssssssss! (I know I am not the only one who LOVES Salt-Pepa-and Spindarella

So I think back to those first months and the state I was in. I think about the last few months and how he has helped me get out of a hard place. And I find myself being extremely grateful that he alone, helped me get through by supporting me, giving me time to grieve, and pushing me past my own self-pity to get to where I am today. I can only say Thank you.

I can attest to these facts: 1)good men do exist. Love comes when it is least expected. 2)Don't go searching for it because the right guy will find you when he is supposed to. 3)It is ok to give yourself time to be you. Find yourself so that when Mr. Right does come along, you won't be confused about what you want and he won't be confused about what he is getting.

It's Thursday!

Today is Thursday and although it has been a busy week, it has been a great one. Not much has gone on but I've been rolling as usual. Today, is no different than most Thursdays I experience. I know that I have to go to work and tomorrow I will work only one job instead of two. But today just feels good.

While I am feeling so good, I want to delve into a subject that not many people talk about in a positive light. And that is what other people have to say. I believe that everyone has their own talents and gifts. That is why, I will never be a medical doctor, an executive in retail, or a bomb teacher. I can respect that. I don't have a negative thing to say about those professions...But. Why. is it, I can't have the same? I mean really? As stated before, I have recently started real estate courses and I have to say, I'm loving it. However, when I tell people, some who just met me, some I've known for months, some for years, I've gotten similar responses which are along the lines of "Why'd you do that? You that bored with life? The market is horrible. My momma failed the test when she took the class." So on and so forth. Now, in all of my years (all 23 of them) not once have I ever had a negative thing to say about people and the careers they choose. I can't say anything because that is between them and their God. So why is it that people can't be respectful of my dreams, my time and simply say, "Good luck" when they have nothing positive to say? This is nothing that will get me down because as I have said before, this is something that I prayed on and consulted God about before making the move. With that being said, no one, not anyone can change what is written for me!

I am writing all of this to say, not everyone will agree with what you do with your life. You could be running for president and someone will still have something to say. Everyone has an opinion about what you should with with YOUR life and frankly, they are not always in the best interest of YOU. So my message to you on this Thursday is to consult God about your decisions. People can give you advice but only God can advise you. He will put the needed counselors in your life to help you along the way but be discerning, not everyone is sent by God to help you out. Some people are sent by God so that He can use them as your stepping stone. You just have to learn how to listen to Him when He is guiding you. People will always have something to say, but if your decision is planted and firm from knowing that God has given you the go-ahead, you won't be phased by what people have to say about what you are doing!

So, with that being said, I hope you have had an amazing week and a terrific Thursday. Live each day with the best you've got and I promise you won't regret it!

Life's Short: Get Some

An old time family friend of ours passed away on Friday from a long fight with breast cancer. Upon arriving to my humble abode, I found out. It hurt my heart because I have known this lady basically all of my life and for the last 12 years or so, she has been a survivor to me.

Like most people, the death of those you know really makes you start thinking. Life is extremely short. I have been talking all year about pursuing my own dreams and I would just like to dwell in that place once more, in the month of February. Life is really short. Like for real. In a blink of an eye, your life can be turned upside and inside out. Those close to you can be taken, those dreams you hoped you would get to pursue have to be put on hold. It is a serious thing. But I can tell you that not only am I a testimony, I am a witness that if you just go for what you want, you will experience an unforgettable joy, something that NO ONE can take from you.

My best friend since middle school is the person I have been able to witness God working on. My best friend has gone through the ringer since we graduated from high school. From great jobs to no job, health to bad health, engaged to not. Some of everything has happened to this girl and she has kept going. I met up with her for breakfast on Sunday and it ended 4 hours later. She had this glow about her. Something I hadn't seen since she gave birth to my beautiful godson who is now 4 years old. She has gotten a new job after a year of being out on disability and is planning to go back to school starting this summer. She is happily in a relationship and she has found God in herself. She has found GOD in her life. She has learned what happens when God comes first in your life. And that is again, something that NO ONE can take from you. Just last year I remember sending her inspirational text messages in hope that she would be in a frame of mind to take it in. Anytime I would see her when I went home, she'd never be able to tell me about what the Bible said. On Sunday, this girl was spitting it to me like she'd been studying for years. And I ate it up! She is growing into such an amazing woman and she is finally realizing that she is more than a validation from other people. She has started going to Bible study, she is a mentor for young mothers, and she is even starting to pick up where we left off with our plan for her part of our non-profit. I am amazed to see this happening before my eyes. She goes on to prove that when God is your pilot, you can't go anywhere but up! She is taking life by the horns and LIVING! I'm telling you, 2012 is going to be an amazing year.

In memory of all of those we have lost to breast cancer, take a moment to just pray for their family and friends.

Reflect on your life and where you want to be in 6 months. Every moment is valuable, spend it wisely!

Are you making it happen for you?

Those Stinkin' Nightmares

So I am so adamant about not getting a relaxer ever again. In my mind, a relaxer would be the worse thing I could do to my hair at this point. I don't think about it that often but apparently, it is still apart of my psyche and it literally scares me. I have nightmares, yes nightmares, about my mother putting a relaxer in my hair. I wake up crying every time!!! Now you may think I am crazy and that may be true BUT, I had no choice in relaxers for so long that I now can't see myself going back by being forced to do it. It is not an option anyway.

This post comes about because my mother, who hates natural hair with a passion, put a relaxer in my 6 year old niece's hair, without her mother's permission, she put a relaxer in my youngest sister's hair after my sister began to get frustrated with it, and she put a relaxer in my middle sister's hair after she failed to tame it after she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. When I first started transitioning, my mom kept commenting about how my hair would break off and how we couldn't go anywhere with her with our hair looking "like that," and a whole bunch of other rude and snide comments. Lucky for me, I was in my senior year of college and well, I just didn't give a doggone about her opinion, at all. However, it was very annoying having my own mother not support me in my decision but no matter what, I knew it was right for me. I knew I couldn't trust her opinion about my hair when it had never grown past neck length because of it being over processed by 6-8 week relaxers that were not used correctly either. But that is another story. So, my sister was unnecessarily defending her decision to relaxer after over a year, I jokingly told her about my nightmares. She looked at me like I was half crazy or something.

I started thinking, maybe my attachment to my hair is very mental and emotional. VERY EMOTIONAL. I wrote about my experience attempting a new style and how it failed. It brought me to tears. However, I bounced back from it. I have nightmares about my hair being relaxed at least once a week and it just breaks my heart to go back that route. My hair is so healthy and full and it is flourishing, I never had that when I was getting relaxers. Some people go natural because it is a fad to them and you can usually tell by how easy they give up when you go through a phase where you don't know what to do! I have had moments of frustration, especially lately. But I look at the brighter side and I can be sure of two things, my hair is healthy and my hair is growing. My hair may actually be longer than it has ever been, at least since I can remember. I know for a fact my hair is the healthiest it has ever been. I take pride in knowing that I am doing right by my hair and that is why I am so emotional about it staying curly. The best thing about my journey has been the versatility. I have been natural for 6 months now and while I transitioned, I could wear it straight, curly, wavy and all of the above. I think getting relaxers really scarred me and it is really crazy but it is true. I am coming into my womanhood and learning that regardless, straight or curly, I am beautiful!