Happy Friday!

I know....I know; you want the sequel to the last blog post but, it's just not time. A lot has transpired but there's also lots of transitioning so once everything is in place, I promise I will give you all the juicy details. :) Have an amazing day!

Is it possible to love two people?

So this latest blog is about my messiness. In my own defense, unintentional messiness but messiness just the same. If you have been following my blog, you know that I'm recently in a relationship which has been going quite well....kinda, sorta. Don't get me wrong, he's great. He says the right things, does the right things and even makes me smile but I guess I need more than great. I need to be INSPIRED and he just could never get me to a place where I felt that way. I have always felt like the kind of fleeting love you see on tv can exist in real life and this just wasn't like that. I never posted pics of him and I love posting pics. People would ask me why and I would just shrug it off. They made jokes about him being make believe but I introduced him personally to anyone that asked. Maybe it was my subconscious mind? Along the journey my intuition kept whispering...something isn't quite right. But I could never figure out what it was. Until one day, it screamed! Like a scene in a corny romantic comedy I was taking a shower and I realized I actually was in love with someone else! This man and I have been platonic friends for years. He is always there for me, supports me in everything I do, inspires me to be the best me I can and makes me smile every time I see him, although I had never been physically attracted to him prior to that day...or at least so I thought. Something just happened inside of me. Then an immediate influx of questions. "Would he be surprised I had these feelings? What if he has a girlfriend? Would he feel the same? What if he doesn't feel the same? Am I crazy? Will this work? What about my boyfriend?" And on and on. I went to work and told my girls and they were shockingly.........elated. They said they had always wanted us to be together but since I said I wasn't physically attracted to him they let it slide. Crazy friends for a crazy girl!! They helped me come up with a game plan that involved me telling him face to face. He doesn't live locally so I drove up to meet him for lunch. The entire lunch is really a blur. It was sushi, that I remember but between all the small talk and me trying to get up the courage to tell him and wanting to back out but knowing I had to go back home and face these two chicks I call my best friends, I was pretty scatterbrained. So after he paid the check I had to get the lump out of my throat and spit it out. I said something like "What I'm about to say to you has nothing to do with anything we've discussed over lunch and I know I waited until the last minute of lunch to talk to you about this but, would you ever consider dating me?" His reaction.......... "WHAT?" Then everything in my brain just got discombobulated !!! We talked as he walked me to my truck (because I mean....I did wait until the last minute and he had to get back to work). He told me that he has had feelings for me as well but that we would need to discuss it further after he processed everything. I was relieved because I mean honestly, who wants rejection? On the drive home I was a little excited but then I thought "NO....you cannot enter into a relationship when you are already in one FOOL." So I had some things to figure out. I'll save that for a later blog. I thought several times about not posting this. First because it was kind of embarrassing and second, because as much as I share of myself, the other people in my life shouldn't have to be subjected to having their lives shared if they don't want to. But I'm posting it anyway because as embarrassing as it is to share, I'm sure I'm not the first or last person to have this experience. I will leave out people's names however to protect the innocent. ;) Feel free to share your thoughts. #spreadlove

Making mistakes

I used to be a person that hated to make mistakes. I felt like if I made one it was a way of people finding out I had flaws. And at some point in our lives we all have a fantasy of being perfect. I don't think it was until I reached 40 that I realized that that "fantasy" was just that.....a fantasy. I learned that making mistakes is not only inevitable but it's also absolutely fabulous! Why? Because making mistakes is a learning opportunity. When I was in barber school my instructor would say to us all the time...."Now is the time to make your mistakes while I'm here to help you." I think this should actually be a life motto. With a strong belief in God, I know it's ok to make mistakes and he is here to help. It's definitely ok to strive for perfection as a goal but I think true growth is knowing that you possibly may not reach it and that's ok. Once I began to acknowledge that and live my life accordingly things have opened up in so many ways. It's allowed me to become more secure in my insecurities and its allowed me to be ok with the fact that there are things I'm just not good at. So the next time you make a mistake don't beat yourself up about it. Instead ask yourself...."what can I learn from this mistake?"

I'm a woman now

The other day I went to see my OB/Gyn. A common visit for women however this visit wasn't so common. I've been diagnosed with uterine fibroid tumors. (1 in 5 women have them and the cause is unknown. They are more common in black women) After my exam the Dr told me that my uterus is the size of a woman's 26 weeks pregnant and because of the size of the fibroids, if I want to stop the pain and heavy bleeding, a hysterectomy is my best option. He did give me other options but with me being 41 he offered in his professional opinion the best option and I respect that. I meet women on a daily basis that have had fibroid tumor surgery (there are several options when they aren't as large as mine) as well as women that have had full and partial hysterectomies and I've noticed it's kind of taboo. Most women talk about it in a whisper. Well, I'm not. I'm yelling about it. We need to talk about this topic. Let me start by saying that I don't have children and have no desire to have them (which some people can't fathom; totally different blog....lol) so a hysterectomy isn't devastating news for me but I could imagine for some women it could be. When I got the news, I sat in the parking lot and cried but I'm not quite sure why. Maybe because I felt bad about not giving my mom grand kids, maybe because my choice to have kids was no longer my choice, maybe because the thought of being incapacitated for weeks is crazy to me or maybe because the thought of surgery petrifies me. Either way, those tears didn't last long. I see this as a sort of freedom now. I've suffered from painful periods since I was 15. To have that pain gone will be a wonderful thing. No more planning vacations around "that time of the month" and I'll have a flatter stomach? Win/win for me. I definitely don't want to make light of the situation because I know this can be a horrible thing for most women but I have to come to terms with this the best way I know how and this is my solution. I also battled with natural alternatives and honestly, if I knew some of those alternatives years ago, I don't think I would have this issue now. The bottom line is that this is going to be a life changing event and as scared as I am, I'm also excited about it. Experienced a similar situation? I'd love to hear about it. Sharing is caring. :)

I can't sleep....

I'm not gonna lie....sometimes I go back and read my blogs and think "who in the heck wrote this?" Mostly because I only write when the spirit speaks to me and most times I'm surprised by what it says. Spirit moves me into an almost out of body like experience and it's always a good time. (In my John W. Love voice) Anyone that's ever experienced this knows exactly what I mean and for those that never have, there's hope for you. In order to hear God's voice/spirit/the universe....whatever you choose to call it, you have to first clear the clutter. Whether it's physical clutter (unclean surroundings, the tv, the radio, video games, etc.) or mental clutter (the million and one thoughts running through your mind) you have to do some cleaning to prepare. It's like a woman nesting before the birth of a child. You have to get things ready. And by allowing some clarity in your mind, it allows space for the spirit to speak to you. This can be done through prayer, meditation or just pure silence. Once you can connect with your inner self without interruption, you create ultimate opportunities for God to speak to you. God normally speaks to me consistently at 2 times. 1. Normally between the hours of 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. (and my physical self doesn't really like that...lol) or 2. While I'm in the shower. So whenever I wake up around 3 a.m., I get very still...I listen or pray and normally I'll get a blog (it's currently 3:20 a.m. as I'm writing this) or I'll get a great idea related to business. Normally if God speaks to me in the shower it's concerning someone I need to reach out to or simply pray for. And I do...with due diligence because I know someone is always praying for me. I love taking showers for that very reason. It allows me to really clear my mind and connect with God. When I have issues, I'll take a shower with no time limits. I don't even mind having a high water bill; it's well worth  every penny to have that connection. So the next time you're awake at some ungodly hour and you can't figure out why....maybe it's because it's not so ungodly after all. Maybe if you're still enough, you can hear his voice and he will reveal his plan for you. #spreadlove 

2 am

I read an email from one of my favorite writers, Danielle LaPorte and she asked a very intriguing question. Who can you call at 2am? If something awesome happens or God forbid, something horrible....whose the first person you call? I mentally went down a list and fortunately for me, my list was pretty long. So, I'll just give you my top 5. At the top of the list, my mom; of course! She still has a house phone and I know she will answer no matter what time it is. After her it's a tie between Jessica and Kelley because I'd honestly probably call them on 3 way IF they answer the phone. Since I'm newly in love.... no shade to my boo but he would come in as number 4. Because contrary to popular belief, you cannot diss your mama or your friends for your man. Number 5 will probably be surprising to my other close girlfriends but it's Tony. Because I know he will probably be up working on a world takeover and he's more likely to answer the phone. There are plenty of other people I would or could call but if they are like me, their phones on silent at night so they wouldn't answer anyway. Ha! Hmmmmm, maybe I should starting leaving my phone at night? One of you might need to call me at 2am. Have an awesome day. 

Beaufort is for Romance

So....me and my honey decided  we needed a getaway. Since we both love to travel there aren't many places locally that we haven't been. So initially I searched for hotels in Savannah, Charleston or Hilton Head because a beach was mandatory. On my search for Hilton Head I came across the website for City Loft Hotel. I immediately fell in love after reading all the reviews and seeing all the pics BUT it was in Beaufort, SC. Who goes to Beaufort I thought...and where's the beach? After further research I discovered Hilton Head was only a 45 minute drive so I discussed it with him. He's adventurous too and since neither of us have ever been we packed some bags and hit the road. Man....was I pleasantly surprised! First, when you drive into Beaufort, it's such a nice city. Mostly waterfront. It was very easy to find Cateret St. which is where the hotel is located. From the outside it reminds me of a vintage hotel....perhaps that's what it actually is...renovated. There's a small office for check in. The guy was super duper nice. There is a small gym and a quaint coffee shop that offers free coffee and tea to guests. When we stepped in the room, I was ecstatic. It was the cutest hotel room I've ever seen and I've seen LOTS of hotel rooms. King size bed with memory foam mattress, a mini fridge and in the bathroom...a slice of heaven. I love taking showers so when I saw the rainfall shower....I was hooked. They also have a nice deep soaking tub. I never got in but it looked inviting. They have nightly turn down service and wine upon request. I highly recommend staying at this hotel.  Adventures: We walked the waterfront and held hands while sitting on a swinging bench watching boats go by, found a cute beach closer than Hilton Head...a 20 minute drive to Hunting Island. There is a $5 per person charge to get into the park where the beach is located. We also went to Cat Island...no cats but it houses Sanctuary Golf Club. City Loft has a deal with them so you can use their pool for a fee of $10 per person per day. We had the pool to ourselves most of the day. There are actually 2 pools, a jacuzzi, tennis court and golfing available.  FOOD! On the way to Hunting Island, we stopped at a restaurant called Johnson Creek Tavern. The crab cake sandwich was delicious. My honey had the shrimp burger and said it was one of the best things he's ever tasted. Service was good and the meal was reasonably priced.  In Beaufort we ate at 3 different restaurants; Luther's Rare and Well Done (get the crab and shrimp dip that comes with bugles....yummy), Lowcountry Market and Produce (We both got tuna melts. Service was excellent. We had the nicest waitress who saw us holding hands and asked if she could hold hands with us because she needed some love too. Of course, we obliged.) And last but not least Papaya Thai and Sushi Bar.....OMG. I could eat here EVERYDAY! They have dessert flavored cocktails. I got a caramel apple martini and I wanted to go slap the bartender. I also ordered a lobster roll....I wanted to slap the sushi chef. The atmosphere was amazing. Sexy and quaint. The service, even more amazing. Our waitress Tasha was nice, knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend this restaurant. They have gotten several Tripadvisor awards for food and service.  Well.....that's my take on Beaufort! I absolutely loved it and we've decided to make it a tradition for Labor Day. 

Love and happiness....

Sometimes when you decide to give things up, it makes way for new things in your life. The past few weeks have truly shown me the power behind that statement. I gave up several things that I love so that I could gain clarity and insight in my life. I do a lot of things...and in the midst of doing all those things, I lose sight of what's really important. The simple things in life. A hug from my mama, a text message from my nephew or even a smile from a stranger. Life isn't difficult. However when we throw in all these unnecessary rules.....shoulda, coulda, woulda....it creates strife, tension and stress. The truth of the matter is that there is only one thing that matters and that's love. And while giving up the things that I love.....chocolate, cupcakes, tequila and Facebook, that's exactly what I found....LOVE. Or maybe it found me. Either way, even in my wildest imagination, it's more than I ever thought it would be. This dude is awesome. He is constantly asking me "what do you like most about me?" And every day the answer changes because he finds a new way to make me smile. I gambled, logged into match.com and I came up a winner. Yes, it's still new. He's constantly pinching me to make sure we're both real and I'm constantly looking for something about him that's going to get on my nerves later. So far, no dice. We've both agreed....the best part about our relationship is that it's easy. Nothing is forced. We just are who we are with each other and it works. We spent 8 hours on our first date and it's been a continuous date since then. I'm looking forward to all the adventures to come. 

Common Bond Episode 1

One more day...

Well......tomorrow is the last day of my 30 day fast. I have mixed emotions. On one hand, I can't wait to enjoy a cocktail with my dinner or have a cupcake for dessert but on the other hand, I love the way I feel, I've lost 8 lbs this month and the entire journey has been very interesting. As for my social media fast....that I'm ready to end. I'm looking forward to the many loving interactions I have with my Facebook friends, the antics on Twitter and my Foursquare check in points that sometimes get me free things. (Yay for free stuff!) Overall this has been an enlightening time period. I'm glad I decided to do it. 

Reality Star?

Soooooo recently I was asked by a wonderful young lady named Marsha Barnes to star in a YouTube based reality about 3 African American female entrepreneurs. I jumped at the opportunity. Marsha explained  that she was annoyed at all the negativity being displayed on reality tv and wanted to show that there are positive images out here doing amazing things. So far we've taped two episodes and I've loved the experience. I thought it would be great to be able to showcase all the things I love in such a great platform. I'm excited about what's to come. You can see the first episode here. 

Receiving....

Everytime I get a massage from my massage therapist who has also become a good friend, she says the same thing..."You are such a giver. The right side of your body is your giving side and it's very loose which is a sign that you are giving freely....your left side on the other hand is your receiving side. You need to learn to receive all the love you give out!" All this while she spends the majority of the massage on the left side, specifically my left shoulder where I carry all my tension. Everytime, I tell her the same thing...."Monique, I'm trying!" Her response...."try harder Ladybug." And we laugh.  The truth of the matter is I'm a giver....sometimes to a fault, I give and give and give until I've given my all simply because it makes me feel good. And the universe usually returns it to me twofold in ways I could have never imagined. I've been a control freak most of my life, and even as a past procrastinator, I love organization. I like for things to flow smoothly. And as I've grown older I've realized you can't control everything. Sometimes things are gonna be f'd up and that's just the way it is. Let it happen, work through it and move on. So in all the growing I've done....the praying, the meditating, the exercising, the yoga, the breathing techniques to try to maintain balance in my life, I've come to the realization that I'm unbalanced. The more I've tipped the scales to giving the smaller the window has gotten for me to learn to receive...truly receive everything God has in store for me. So this is going to be a learning experience. Learning to receive love on a deeper spiritual level. Learning to trust on a deeper level that it's ok for people to do things for me. At one point in my life, I would refuse gifts because I just felt "some kinda way" about it. Even though those days are gone I still feel a little overwhelmed anytime someone gives me something. One, because they thought so highly of me to give it to me and two, because I'm wondering if I truly deserve it. And then I wonder if I show enough gratitude for the things I've received. A tornado of thoughts all at one time until I have to mentally tell myself to just STOP. Today in less than 3 hours I received gifts from two people. One from my friend Wanda (a gift certificate to my favorite restaurant) and one from my client Jason (who must have been reading my mind because I had complained for 2 days how badly I needed a massage and he shows up with a gift card for Massage Envy!) I thanked both of them and told them how thankful I was but even as I'm typing this I'm wondering if they really know how much I appreciate them. I try to live my life as transparent as possible because I know I'm not alone in my thought process and hopefully by sharing (and giving) someone will be helped. But I'm going to challenge myself to learn how to truly receive.

Technology free...(Day 5)

Up at 8 again I really wanted to grab some rays at the beach but Evan wasn't feeling the sand. So I swam some laps in the hotel pool instead and soaked up the sun. We were packed, showered and on the road by 10:30. I must have worn him out. He slept almost the entire trip home. When he woke up finally, he thanked me again and asked if we could make this an annual trip. "I suppose" was my response but I'm sure he already knew that would happen. I learned a lot on my trip and I have a newfound respect for parents. He listened to me the entire time and didn't give me any problems but I noticed that when you have kids around, it's a constant. Like, there's no time to really be in your own thoughts. You're constantly concerned about their well being and your influence on them and making sure they have the tools they need to be an asset to society. Luckily, I think Evan has that sewn up. He's the perfect gentleman, mannerable, kind and friendly. But that took a village. I'm glad we took this trip. I leaned a lot about him, about me and about us. I'm looking forward to next year. 

Technology free...(Day 4)

Up at 8, checked out by 9 we drove an hour and a half to Myrtle Beach. I surprised him by going to NASCAR speedpark. He had been saying he wanted to go. When we arrived however, the arcade trumped the cars all together. Lucky for me. I spent $20 on tokens vs. $29.99 per person to ride. We played every token....all 80 of them and had a great time. One thing I love about my nephew... He is so thoughtful and thankful. He kept thanking me the entire trip for bringing him and kept saying how much he loved me and hanging out with me. That made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Nothing like a greatful kid. Especially a teenager. After we left there we headed to the mall to buy a souvenir for my mom. Can't forget her! We went to Pandora and in a joint effort, picked out the perfect charm. We had lunch in the mall food court and headed to Books A Million to check out some books of course. As we were walking through the mall, Evan held my hand. I told him I'd better enjoy it because soon he'd be holding some little girl's hand at the mall. He blushed. After all that we headed to our hotel. We stayed at The Hilton Garden Inn at Coastal Grand. Once again great hotel and staff. Our room wasn't ready so the front desk guy upgraded us and switched our room to a suite so we didn't have to wait. Evan loved that and said he just wanted to stay in the room the rest of the day. So, I obliged. We watched a special on Bullying. He asked if I ever considered suicide so we discussed that along with other random questions he asked. We watched The Mentalist marathon, The Closer marathon, Happy Feet Two and Speed and ordered room service. A great way to spend our last day. 

Technology free...(Day 3)

Today we slept in late again and decided to chill at the hotel. We went to the pool and spent most of our day there...swimming and reading. It took us about an hour to decide what we were doing for dinner. We chose a seafood restaurant called The Crab Shack. It was about a 25 minute drive from the hotel down 17S towards Ogden. Evan ordered a crab cake dinner and I order blue crabs. Don't eat here....the food was subpar. My crabs were undercooked. I had to send them back which was a total turnoff. Evan said he enjoyed his crab cakes. We drove back to the hotel where I had popcorn for dinner. I had another surprise for Evan...we were leaving in the am to head to Myrtle Beach for a day. I thought it would be fun to drive up the coast to another beach. When we got back to the hotel  we packed our bags and watched a Shark Week special on The Discover Channel until we fell asleep. 

Technology free...(Day 2)

We slept in VERY late. I decided I wanted to hit the beach to work on my tan. So we had breakfast, packed a beach bag, dropped the top on the wrangler and we were off. Since we visited Kure Beach the day before (it wasn't that clean near Fort Fisher), we decided to head to Wilmington Beach. It was only about a 15 minute drive from our hotel. We looked for parking. (Note: parking here is strange but good. You can buy a ticket from a pay station and use it all day. You can move from parking space to parking space anywhere near the beach with that ticket. Very convenient as we found a closer spot after we parked so we moved.) This beach was much better....very clean and not overly crowded. We parked near 26th.  We found a spot in the sand and made it ours. My nephew had a ball in the ocean. We jumped waves and watched minnows in the shallow part of the ocean. After a few hours, it started to drizzle. We made it back to the jeep in enough time to put the top back up and head back to the hotel. After we showered we caught a movie (The Campaign starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis-who is a NC native is hilarious!!!) I felt bad though because it was rated R and had crazy language! LOL. Then we had dinner at a little place called Tokyo 101 as we laughed hysterically while reliving parts of the movie. Day 2 was a wrap. 

Technology free...(Day 1)

OK....so what happens when a self proclaimed technology addicted 41 year old woman and a 13 year old boy go on a 4 day semi-technology free road trip? Good times occur. We left on Evan's birthday and headed to Wilmington. This was our first trip together with just the 2 of us, so I didn't really know what to expect. We were excited, that much I knew. We did have a GPS so we wouldn't get lost and his iPhone for phone calls and google.  We arrived in Wilmington early afternoon, checked into our hotel (our room wasn't ready) so we decided to start our adventures immediately. First stop...The Aquarium at Fort Fisher. We drove toward the coast to Kure Beach and arrived at the aquarium. We had fun looking at all the exhibits. Evan was particularly fond of the shark exhibit since it was Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. (Go figure) After several hours there, we headed back to our hotel, checked in and unpacked our bags. (We stayed at The Hilton Garden Inn at Mayfaire....excellent hotel and staff).  Since it was his birthday I told him we could go wherever he wanted for dinner. There was a Longhorn in the neighborhood so he decided he wanted to eat there and I think that was mostly because there was a Barnes and Nobles in the parking lot as well. Just like me, he loves book stores. We enjoyed dinner, he had dessert (I'm still on my fast) and we decided to walk it off by heading to Barnes and Nobles. We created our own antics in the parking lot...seeing who could jump the most without getting tired. Of course, I lost. We spent a couple of hours in Barnes and Nobles flipping through books and laughing. He told me he wanted one of those "dummy books". I asked "which one." His reply "you know...the dummy book." I then had to explain to him there was a dummy book on just about every subject known to mankind. He said "ohhhhh, now I get it." We split up for a while then he came back and said "I found the perfect dummy book for you." He pulled it from behind his back. How to Play Guitar for Dummies....Then he said with excitement, "There's even a CD." I laughed. I have a guitar that I have no idea how to play. He had me on that one. But I still didn't buy the book. Since our day started so early we were both tired so we went back to the hotel, showered and crashed. 

Evan's Birthday

For those of you that don't know me or are new to my blog, I have a nephew that's like a son to me. His name is Evan. He's turning 13 on August 12. In honor of this event he asked me to take him on a trip...just the two of us to... the Bahamas. He's a great kid and doesn't ask for much so I agreed. Financially however that didn't pan out on such short notice so I opted for the beach instead. So we are going on a 4 day adventure to Wilmington. He's been saying for the past 3 weeks that he's excited which of course makes me excited. :)  Today we decided that to make the trip more of a bonding experience, it's going to be a technology free trip. No MacBooks, no iPods, no iPads and no i...Phones? OK WAIT! We need one for emergency purposes so he's bringing his but we are only turning it on to check in with our loved ones. Otherwise, it's me, the boy, books, the beach and fun. Let's see how this goes. 

Day 11.....Celebration of Love

Day 11 of my 30 day fast......Today would have been pretty easy if I had not been met with a conflicting situation. You see this evening I went to a wedding to celebrate the union of my friends, Mike and Ashley. Mike is not only my photographer but he's one of the most awesome men I know....seriously. He is sweet, kind, giving and funny. His spirit is gentle and warm. I've never had an encounter with him that didn't leave me smiling. Most times he can be caught capturing the most amazing shots on film and if he's not doing that, he's probably cracking racial jokes about his part Asian heritage. I love this dude and I'm so happy for him and Ashley. They had a beautiful ceremony in a renovated rock quarry that now houses Carrigan Farms. They got married on a rock cliff overlooking a manmade lake...breathtaking. So here's the conflict....once we arrived at the wedding site we were greeted with 2 words that I did not need to hear...OPEN BAR! Awwwwwhhhh man! I had all these thoughts running through my mind but mostly...you can handle this. I made it through the ceremony and we headed over to the reception area where there was a...CUPCAKE BAR. Anyone that knows me knows that alcohol and cupcakes are my 2 favorite vices. So, it begins. I'm talking to my girls about how my next blog would just be about how I had to give in....I mean, it was in fact a celebration. They agreed as they had both succumbed to the Moscato at this point. I rationalized how it was OK and I was only human and people would understand. I mean how would I get past the toast? All of these thoughts raced back and forth. Then I stopped. I thought about all the other people who were looking to me to support them through this challenge and if I gave in to my own wants for a few minutes I would be letting them all down. And that's all it took. I watched everyone else drink and eat cupcakes and it was all good. I had a great time, I laughed so hard I almost peed on myself. Near the end, I made my way to the photo booth on site and grabbed Mike so I could capture a moment in time. As I look back at the pictures today, I smile. I smile for his happiness, I smile for our friendship and mostly I smile because I made it through.

Tires?

I know....who writes a blog about tires? But, have you ever gone somewhere and felt like one of the people from that show Cheers? "A place where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came?" Well that place for me yesterday was Speedy Tire Care on The Plaza. These guys are awesome! They always act excited to see me, remember the last time I was there and  just make me feel like they truly value my business. And in a declining customer service based world, that's very refreshing. Not only are they nice, they have the best prices on tires in town and will price match. All tire purchases also include free tire rotation for the life of your tires. And the life of my tires has been almost 3 years now and that's pretty major considering how much I'm on the go. If you get a chance, check them out. They also do car inspections. The owner is Mike Melton and the manager is Joey Christmas...tell them I sent ya cause that's how I roll. :) 

Day 5

.....basically sucked! Yeah I said it. It was one long "I want a cookie, or some pizza....I wonder what's happening on Facebook....man, I wish I had a cocktail.....I should just give up already" kinda day. I spent most of the day in bed....reading, thinking, praying and meditating. I knew that's the only way I would survive. I thought about how clear my mind would be after these 30 days. And in the middle, I watched documentaries about some pretty freaking awesome people as a reminder that greatness requires sacrifice. Mediocre is cool if that's your thing but I feel like God put me here to be more than just "ok". I want to be great. "Once you say you're going to settle for second, that's what happens to you in life." ~John F Kennedy  So... I endured what seemed like mental torture and guess what?! Yeah, I survived. On to day 6. 

5K

Last night I went to bed at 8:30 pm so I could be up and ready at 6:30 am for my first 5K run/walk. I prayed and listened to my sleep meditation app and fell fast asleep. I woke up at 11:30 pm. Wired.....a little nervous and concerned that I wasn't prepared because I have a bum knee and I haven't been training properly. I prayed again, listened to my meditation sleep app and fell back asleep. I woke up again at 3:30 am. This time I just started thinking all the positive thoughts I could and visualized myself crossing the finish line with a smile. I thought about how it was exciting to be doing something new. Some ideas for projects I'm working on popped in my head so I jotted those in my iPhone so I wouldn't forget. I always seem to be creative at crazy hours. Then I fell back asleep around 4:30 am and dreamed of a meeting with Jay Z and antics with my 2 besties. At 5:30 am my alarm clock went off.....damn! Right in the middle of some good sleep. :-) I got up, ate a light breakfast, showered and I was on my way to the race. I put on my number...255 and got the chip for my shoe that tracks your time. It was great to see the anticipation of the people racing. Professionals, kids, moms with strollers, elderly people and most inspiring.....even a blind man. I just wanted to finish. Nothing less, nothing more. No expectations of time. Just simply enjoy and be in the moment of doing something I've never done before.....and I did! It was fun, exciting and exhausting all at the same time. After all that.....Would I do it again? Probably so. I mean isn't that what life is really all about anyway? ;-) 

Day 1

Today was a piece of cake! Oh wait...that may not be a good analogy. LOL Seriously though, food wise, it was no sweat off my back but the social media on the other hand.....jeezy creezy! It was hard to pick up my phone and not be able to log into FB or check into Foursquare or look at pics on Instagram. I didn't realize just how much I really use and depend on social media on a regular basis. Very interesting. 

Let's see how long it takes for this feeling to subside. 

30 days....

I'm constantly in a state of transition...constantly checking in to see where I want to go next, what I want to do. Normally the answer comes quick without hesitation and I just know. But this time, the voice said "be still and wait." Needless to say, that drove me bananas.....me? Be still? BUT I'm no fool. I'll listen. 

I need my mind to be clear so I decided to go on a 30 day fast. No fried foods, no bread, no sugar and what the hell?!?!?...no alcohol. (I like a cocktail, ok, love a cocktail or 2 or 3) I know this will not only challenge me but make me better physically. Then I decided to take it a step further. If I'm going to detox physically, why not mentally? So I decided to give up social media. *flatlines* because if you know me, it's pretty much my lifeline. Which is an even better reason to give it up. I need to get back in tune, meditate, come back to me. Let's see what happens. 

This is day 1. 

BATMAN SPOILER ALERT!

I went to see Dark Knight Rises yesterday. I'm someone who hasn't been to the movies in about 9 months and who watches TV MAYBE once a week. Even then I'll watch an old movie or documentary. First, let's address the obvious. The incident that happened surrounding the opening; horrible event. Did that affect my decision to see the movie? No. We are surrounded by crazies daily. If we are paralyzed by fear, it's stifles our soul. My decision WAS influenced however by my FB friends. LOL. Great marketing. I enjoyed it. It was action packed, well written and well produced. Well......except for one part....after he had the knife twisted in his leg, how did he continue on to save Gotham and not bleed out? Too deep on my part? OK, I digress. I don't know much about comics but I got the storyline. I've seen all the other Batman movies. So why am I writing about this? Because I'm a sappy sucka for LOVE. OK!!! I'm pretty sure this wasn't a love story but that's what is was for me. I love the passion Bane had for Miranda, how he cared for and protected her at any cost. (Yeah, I know they were bad! But bad people are capable of strange love.) I loved Bruce's determination to rise from the pit and yes I got teary eyed when they cheered "RISE" and he made it. Not because he made it but because of the satisfaction that showed in the blind man's face as he recognized the lessons he taught Bruce were absorbed completely. And I clapped with excitement (silently as my nephew looked at me strangely. HA!) when Alfred saw Bruce and Lily when he went on holiday. He loved that man as his own child and it was obvious throughout the movie. Just like a real parent, he tried to protect him from getting hurt in life and in love. SOOOOO, let's talk about the REAL love story......Batman and Cat woman! Good lawd! They both were sexy as hell. Intensity from the first encounter. Both were trying to protect themselves and their identities (literally and figuratively)....just like in real life. You try not to give too much. You have to figure out angles and motives...but when that Love Jones comes down on you, it's over baby! :) In a matter of time without a lot of dialogue even....they learned to let their guards down and trust in each other because they needed each other and shared common interests and goals. They were tied to each other at a deeper level that they both came to recognize. Not to mention, he made her want to be a better woman. And basically in real life, isn't that what real love is about? Ponder that, if you please.  Adiós! 

Whatever man....

I always seem to have these grandiose ideas about the fact that I have to have something profound to say everytime I blog. Something that's thought provoking and leaves everyone saying "a-ha". But I recently realized that's so unnecessary. The bottom line is I have a voice that people want to hear (judging from everyone saying "when is your blog coming back?") LOL. Sooooo, I'll just come here and say whatever I want to say whenever I want to say it. If nothing else, hopefully you'll leave with a smile. Have a fab day!