Throwback Thursday Presents...

Happy Thursday! Ohhh on the TLC tip! I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some TLC, let me tell you! Those girls were my frickin' hero's back in the day when I was a kid. I remember my girls Laura and Angelita performed this song with me for the 8th graders at the school talent show. We practiced our little hearts out and it paid off. We killed the show and I recall receiving a standing ovation. Keep in mind that we were in 7th grade but those darn 8th graders were R.U.D.E. If felt like it was Showtime at the Apollo, but we were just in the center of the school gym. Lol. TLC was a force to be reckoned with. My husband says they were super weak, but he just doesn't understand that they were that deal. I have many favorite TLC songs. HisStory, Ain't to Proud to Beg, Scrubs, Baby, Baby Baby, and the list goes on. What was or still is your favorite TLC song?

Climbing the Success Ladder

 

There's nothing worse than working hard on a job where you feel unappreciated and unvalued. Especially when you notice those that are skating from month to month barely doing any work at all. It's down right unfulfilling and overwhelmingly frustrating. Don't be discouraged. There is hope! It comes a time in everyone's life when you'll have to make a serious decision to do what you love and love what you do. This is the true pursuit of happiness. Whether it's volunteering to help someone in need or to build your own empire, what counts is how much you enjoy the line of work. Otherwise, you're just wasting time. We aren't always clear as to which direction we should take our careers, but just working a glass ceiling job year after year is not the ticket. Many jobs are not designed for you to get stagnate because to most employers you are simply just a number. So you should always have a backup plan to keep yourself afloat. Over the years, I've heard this numerous times, but you don't always grasp the reality of a situation until it's staring you in the face. Figure out what type of work you would be happy doing. Set goals and work hard to attain them and position yourself for the change.
Pray and ask God for direction and it shall be done.

Make A Statement...

Freedom of expression is an awesome concept that establishes each person's individuality. How uber boring would it be if everyone dressed exactly the same way? You have the buppies, yuppies, eclectics, conservatives, and the monochromatics. Then there's the trendsetters and trendforecasters that set the tone and inspires the world. Whichever style personality you choose to embrace, it doesn't always cost a fortune to look and feel great. The value of your personal style is not determined by how much you spend. What counts is the rhythm of your pieces and how well they work for you. When I was a young buck, I could not live without name brand clothing. Back then, being fresh and clean was about matching designers from head to toe. Guess, Used, Damaged, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren and Girbauds were my end all and be all. I had no idea that I could be fashionable without rocking a name brand. Wasn't until I went to an HBCU that I found out that there is life without drowning yourself in name brands. So now that I have a blind eye to it all, I simply wear what I feel compliments me best. Other than to cover your unmentionables, that's really the sole purpose behind fashion. So I encourage everyone to be not afraid of exploring different styles and experimenting with colors. Before you open your mouth, you are judged on your appearance. So make your statement without saying a word.

Peace & Love

Throwback Thursdays Presents...

Here's another favorite throwback jam. Many people are sleep on Stephanie, but the girl is mean with the vocals. Happy Thursday.

Choosing Battles With Wisdom

The question was presented to me whether fighting all the time and making up keeps the spark in a relationship. Perhaps it can, but when those sparks blow a fuse then you'll have a whole new set of issues. It took some time before I truly understood that there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. When you're able to discern between the two, the better off you'll be. Let's face it. We ALL have issues and how we deal with them measures our level of maturity. If you decide that you must snap, crackle and pop about any and everything that bothers you, trust and believe - you will be miserable. Point, blank, period. Thinking before you speak and not allowing small things to effect you will benefit you much more in the end. For the good book states, "Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few" (Ecclesiastes 5:2).

Wedding Bliss

That's right! I am now a married woman and my heart is full of joy. My wedding was everything I ever hoped for and so much more! I'm just getting back into the swing of things, but I'll be back with more posts very soon. Stay tuned. Peace and love...

My Hair Story

                  
Most of the decisions made about my hair are thought out well in advance before execution. Like when I got bored with my long hair and cut it into a Halle Berry look (circa 1992 Boomerang). Shorty after, I decided to get it cut into a modern mohawk. When I got bored with the short hair do, I created a wig and began the process of me allowing my hair to grow freely without manipulation. Here's what I did. I glued tracks onto a stocking cap, cut and styled it, repeating this process for almost 2 years. There were many instances where I took better care of the darn extensions than I did my own hair. I know. I know. Shame on me. Little did I know, this behavior would cost me big time. 


One weekend in September 2010, I bought more packs of hair to create another wig. Taking my hair down took longer than usual, but at the time, I didn't think anything of it. My goal was to hurry up and get that old weave out so I could redo my hair and get on with my day. Soon enough I found a monstrosity of rubber glued dreadlocks chillin' at the top of my head! In slight panic, I drenched my hair in conditioner to help loosen the glue so detangling would be easier, but there was no use. I mean, it was quite a sight to see. I tried everything from vaseline, conditioner, and glue remover shampoo but that damn glue just wouldn't give. So I called my fiance and begged him to rescue me. I gotta give it to him, he tried detangling for a while until I made the executive decision for him to cut the glued dreads out of my hair completely. Since I hadn't relaxed my hair in months, I had two different textures of hair on my head. I had new growth and of course my ends were still relaxed. By the time he got finished, I was left with a teeny weeny afro and a single shead tear. Sweeping up all that hair was more painful than my big chop itself.


I vowed to myself that I would never neglect my hair again. The next time I took my hair down to refresh, I noticed this unbelievably coily hair texture that captivated me. Although, my hair was chemical free, I was still using hair products designed for chemically treated hair due to my lack of knowledge on how to care for my virgin hair. I grew pretty frustrated on wash days because, but I decided to be patient and do some research. It's baffles me how unfamiliar I was with my hair texture, but I was not backing down from this challenge. Today I am overjoyed because I've discovered a treasure that's been hidden for over 16 years.

I'm just a few months shy of being one year natural and I'm lovin it! This is one of the best decisions I've made in my life and I encourage you all that are thinking about it to do it! I am by no means knocking those that choose to do the opposite, because trust me I have done it all. However, there are certainly rewards when taking certain risks and I most definitely consider myself a walking testimony that it you take the risk you'll earn the reward.