Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a great end of 2011. It was a year of successes, setbacks, trials, and tribulations but we made it to another year. I hope 2012 is prosperous and amazing as we apply the lessons we have learned from our experiences. Happy New Year to all!

From my Family to Yours

Merry Christmas!
As we all get all rowdy and crazy for Christmas, let's not forget the reason for the season. I myself am a culprit of stressing out of gifting, not so much getting but giving. I am one of those people who has to always give but I have stopped to give myself the reminder that Jesus' birth was God's gift to us. In all honesty, that is all any of us need. That blessing was enough to keep me from losing sight of what Christmas really means. My last two posts have said "Happy Holidays" but let me be the first to say, I am a believer, a firm believer that God gave us the greatest gift of all by blessing us with His son, Jesus. With that being said, I am no longer worried about what gifts I will be giving this season because this season is not about any human walking on Earth (unless Jesus has blessed us with His presence in the form of person), it is about that special blessing that God has given us, His only begotten son. And that is enough to me. So let's not fall into the habit of taking Christ out of Christmas. Without Him, this holiday season would have no sustenance. I am truly grateful for Jesus and I would like to take the time to say, Happy Birthday, Son of God...


From my extremely grateful family to yours,
Merry Christmas

This Christmas!

25 days til Christmas. I saw this Target commercial tonight and it reminded me that I need to take in every single day and live it to its fullest. I half remember what the commercial is about but I do remember feeling like "hmm maybe I need to do something everyday to make my holidays greater!" Now people who know me know that I am an anxious holiday person. Not in a bad way but I bug everyone about Christmas gifts, talk about Christmas all the time, talk about what I want to do in the new year and what ever else is on my mind at the time. I get this feeling that just makes me all jittery during the months of November-March. But I will focus my attention on the now!

Today marks the last day of November and boy did it fly by! I am so excited to start December in a better position than most years I've had on this Earth and knowing my happiness will not rest on what gifts I get. I am one blessed young lady, as I shared on Thanksgiving but I am so blessed to the point that I am not even asking for a thing for Christmas. I tried that last year but of course my SO just had to go out and do something. But this year, I am serious. I have little nieces and nephews and one who will be born on or around Christmas Eve. I want to spoil them and make their Christmas holidays great as oppose to my own. This is a growing point for me. Never have I been a selfish person but who doesn't love a really great Christmas gift? On the subject of gifts, my plan from this day forward is to focus hard on my family and my SO and his family because I have to be honest, I have been wallowing in my own pity for the last few months and pushing my loved ones away. But no more! I am ready to love up on my loved ones because just three years ago I was preparing to say good bye to one and did not even realize it!

So this holiday season, I am making it my business and my mission to let my loved ones know just how much they mean to me. Do not let a day go by without letting your loved ones know that you care and love them!

In the meantime, what is on your Christmas list this year?

Time Flies By!!!

So this year has whizzed right on by! I wanted to do a blog for the 30 days of Christmas but umm, I missed a day or two or three on that! So I will start with today, that is all I have to work with. As we wrap up this year, what are some things you have experienced, learned, accomplished, or hoped to accomplish but did not as of now??? My list is as long as the Mississppi River but I will share a few...
1. I wanted to have some money saved and well, I am an impulse shopper so that has yet to happen. However, on this half of the year I have really reduced my impulse shopping as well as playing hero to those around me. I think that is a good start for 2012.
2. I learned to cope with my anxiety. My anxiety is the worst! It ranges from shaky hands while driving to sleepless nights to sleep-FILLed days. When I get stressed out, anxiety really disrupts my life. As the year has passed, I have not been so quick to resort to those coping mechanisms. I am still dealing.
3. I wanted to deal with my communication issues...Severely inept at communicating with my SO and others who are in my life. I pulled this hiatus from everyone and really hurt some feelings from not informing people about things that bother me...From here on out, my hope is to really get rid of my habit of shutting down and shutting people out when things aren't going well in my life...

That is just my short list of things. What are some things are you need to work on or really did well on this year?

By the way, Christmas is 27 days away...The new year is 32 days away...I just lost my breath whilst typing this...This year has gone by way too fast!

Giving Thanks.

“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks”. — Unknown
In light on the hectic travel that will get me to tomorrow, I would like to list a few things I am grateful for. I started a "gratitude" journal not too long ago but I want to share some things that make my world go round.
1. I am grateful for God, His mercy and His grace. Without these things, I would not be who I am today and I would be just another lost soul in the world. Don't get me wrong, I am lost right now but I do find solace in knowing that God has great things in store for me. That is what keeps me going.
2. My family
Even though I don't talk to them everyday and I have had plenty of issues, I am grateful for the family I have. They too have had a major role in who I am today. I love my family and I think of their impact on my life daily. My little sisters are the light of my life. My little unborn niece Savannah keeps me excited and my nieces and nephew, Jazmine, Jamaya, Angel, and Damonte keep me on my toes! They are an entertaining crowd. My parents are great and they work so hard to keep us all healthy and happy.
-Side note, my sisters are truly great. They are both growing and constantly trying to be the best they can be. My youngest sister just started college and my middle sister is in college and about to move out on her own! I wish them both the best and I am glad they are doing so well!
3. My boyfriend
I often refer to him as my significant other because we are way past "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" titles and are getting ready for that next step. He is the most awesome-est boyfriend any girl could ask for...Well me at least. He does any and everything to make me happy, he is smart, he is kind, he is important! LOL (if you ever saw "The Help). But he truly is an amazing guy who is after God's heart and my own. Funny thing, we met three years ago today! (I think or it was on Thanksgiving but I am in the ball park!) He is currently pursuing his law degree and even with all of the pressure from that he works extra hard to make sure I don't feel like I am getting the back seat. At this point, I've become pretty independent but he still hates for me to feel lonely! I love that guy!
-I must also shout out his family. They are great and they treat me like one of their own. Even though I have fought kicking and screaming, they accept me and love me none the less.
4. My friends who are far and few, but still growing...I never meet a stranger. Three friends I would like to shout out are my S, N, and K. These three ladies are the best friends any one could ask for. I have the best of everything if you haven't noticed! They are the most caring, kind, and hardworking people I know. My friend N is getting her Ph.D in Physics and I just graduated with my friends S and K. When I tell you they are awesome, I mean it. I met them both pretty randomly. 4 years ago when I was at a summer program, S and a high school friend were rooming together for orientation. Shamiso and I hit it off immediately and have been inseparable since! We even survived being roomies for two years! Crazy right?! N and I met in McDonald's last year. Her big natural hair is what sparked conversation between myself, my cousin and her mom. Every since then, I have enjoyed our friendship, conversations, laugh fests, etc. K and I go back to high school. We have survived our friendship throughout college and throughout moves across the US and back. I love that girl. No matter how much time passes between us talking, we always find ourselves right back where we left off. I love these girls!
5. My support system
This ranges from extended family to associates to supervisors to the kids I have babysat for. I love these people just like family. They have all been influential in my life and always showing support for whatever I do. When I went on my current hiatus and disconnected myself from the world, they knew where to look to find me and that is something special because it showed they actually paid attention.


I am really one blessed chica! I have a whole host of support factors in my life to make up for those who haven't been the best to me. They keep me grounded and remind me of my purpose in life. All of my blessings make up my support system. They let me know that no matter what, they always have my back! I am grateful to have them! This quote inspires me to continue to show gratitude daily!

-“You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.”
— Sarah Ban Breathnach

What are you grateful for this holiday season?