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.