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!

Tonight I'm flying to DC to attend Crush IQ. What the heck is that you ask??? It's a social media conference. For those who know me, you realize social media is a huge thing for me. It has helped us to grow our business, Revolution EGO, but more importantly, it's connected me with some great individuals. Some I may have never met in any other venues. I attended the conference in Charlotte, became a groupie, HUGE supporter and participant so, in turn the Crush IQ group invited me to attend their DC conference as a VIP guest. OK....once again, those that know me know I love the letters V-I-P. lol Not because it means you are better than anyone else but because it means that someone thinks enough of you to pair you with an elite group of people with special levels of expertise. In the case of Crush IQ, this is an opportunity for me to mingle with the best of the best in social media and learn new and exciting things. So, I'm super excited about this opportunity and the fact that Kelley and Jessica (The other members of RE) are going with me. The Crush IQ crew has taken me under their wings and not only exposed me to some great information but has formulated some good friendships for me as well. Case and point.... Elizabeth Galloway who is currently attempting to assist me with finding a last minute room because everything in DC is either on lock down or 5 million dollars a night. ;) I feel compelled to use this as a way to send some other special shout outs to my #CrushIQ crew. First, Ty Downing. When I met you at the social media conference in Raleigh 2 years ago and you taught me how to use Facebook Pages to grow my business...I knew you were special! You have by far been one of my best social media instructors and have fueled my passion to get more involved. Skeeter Harris....your spirit is great. I appreciated you giving me one on one tutorials and teaching me about Social Cam. It has become an integral part of my business. Not to mention, our cupcake conversations are mouth watering. LOL

Tim Moore.....ummm, besides being a rival Jay Z fan competing for my title as number one "Stan", you totally rock. You made me feel very welcome at #CrushIQ Charlotte and your energy is inspiring. Kevin Dean.....you already know! I'm excited about our future projects together. I'm so humbled that you want to work with me. Josh Harcus; my #rockstar counterpart. It was wonderful meeting you and you keep me laughing with all your random tweets.

Love all you guys and I know that after this weekend DC will never be the same. Let's crush it!

Today was a huge day. My salon: Revolution EGO hosted a hair/fashion show at a local night spot called Re:Public. This event was AMAZING! The most amazing part was all the wonderful people that donated their time and talent to make the event a huge success. Models gave up their entire afternoon and evening to walk the runway. My favorite photographer, Mike Dickerson captured the evening on film. A local stylist named Davita Galloway donated her talented services as well as my makeup artist, Joy Randall. Several local poets delivered awesome poems, 2 local artist displayed unparalleled art work and the amount of natural hair wearers and other beauty/barber professionals that came out to support was just....overwhelming. I'm just so thankful. I'm passionate about what I do and to see it affect people in a positive manner is so rewarding. The event was such a hit that we've been asked to do it once a month. So....stay tuned!