Natural Beginnings

It has been over a year since my last post...yes an entire year! It has taken me some time to admit that through the work on my doctorate degree which gave me a new academic writing voice, I lost much of my creativity along with any time I might have had to post here. But.. I missed you. This time around, I will not promise posts every two days, or once a week, or twice a month. Instead, this year I want to do things more as I naturally feel they are right for me. So with that being put out there, I will post as I feel that the time is right. So to get started, and get caught up (as much as I can remember), here are some things that went down during my hellacious year of life in 2013!

1. I graduated from the University of Arkansas in May of 2013. It was a quick trip with my loved ones to the NWA mountains for a nice ceremony and lunch at one of my favorite guilty pleasure eateries The Catfish Hole! Upon returning to my beloved DFW Metroplex, my parents hosted a graduation dinner which turned out to be lots of fun.
2. Cohabitation- Yes, this lady who LOVVVED living alone and gaining more of an awareness of how much I enjoy my space and ability to decorate the way I want to, took the plunge and relocated with my man. The transition was anything but difficult, in fact it has not been bad at all. We love our new place, love fixing it up, love that it is ours, and love each other enough to know how to give each other some space to enjoy and relax.
3. Part-Time Blues- I am not sure why I called this the blues...but many people would think that it is. However as you know, I don't care what people think! In order to work on my finances and savings to put some of my longest held dreams and goals into action, I decided to take on a part-time job. From September - December I worked an extra 16-20 hours a week and needless to say, I damn near killed myself. I took some time to relax and think during winter break, and this year I am down to 8-10 hours per week. Although this has caused me to once again re-evaluate some financials, I have also learned a valuable lesson about my personal well-being, mental health, and that money isn't everything. I am now thinking about dropping the other gig all together, but will take some time to make the appropriate decision for myself.
4. Summer Time- Work kept me pretty busy from summer to fall, but I did have some fun along the way. This summer I...
1. Went to Maryland for an innovate work conference
2. Planned and Co-Hosted a family reunion in H-town!!
3. Traveled to San Antonio with my boo and a great couple of friends
4. Visited NOLA for a good friend's dirty 30 birthday weekend
5. Lived it up in New Braunfels and San Marcos shopping and visiting the amazing Schlitterbahn water park with my favorite lady, my mommy. 
6. And spent much needed time with family and friends all over the place
5. Two Best Memories- Again, the year was jammed packed with ups and downs, joys, excitements, weigh gain and loss, tears, and laughter. But I must say, that the absolute best part of it all were two of my favorite 2013 memories...
1. Attending the Inauguration of President Barack Obama in Washington, DC. It was a long trip, with expensive entertainment, food and travel, as well as some really cold weather. But nothing could compare to being there live and in person to witness President Obama being sworn in for a second time. This is a day and the weekend was an experience that i will never forget. I shared it with some great people, who I traveled with all the way from little ole BCS Texas
2. But even more so that Mr. Obama, was the best Christmas I can recall having....probably ever. Cooking, talking, laughing, eating, and playing games with family and friends was great, but even more so was the little event that happened after we toasted in celebration of my parent's 35th wedding anniversary... My Love Bryan got down on one knee and popped the question!! Yep, he proposed to me and the antique/unique/family ring and the experience were absolutely priceless

So I guess I can say that 2013 was a really eventful year, and even though I did not do all of the things I wanted to do, I did do quite a bit and I am so blessed to have lived to tell the story of another wonderful year. I cannot wait to continue to share the journey of what 2014 will bring for me and those I love. Thanks for continuing to stick around and put up with me. Laters! 

Wellness Recharge

Wellness Recharge

A new year brings new opportunities for change. In a fast paced world with political struggles, an economy still in need of much repair, violence, social media wars, weather disasters, and recently another flu outbreak, taking care of yourself and overall wellness is becoming increasingly important. One of my goals this year is to take an active stance in increasing and maintaining my overall wellness. That means more attention and intentionality in the way of my finances, career, physical and mental health, , spirituality, and in my personal life.

I recently read in article by Gina Roberts-Grey that included some great advice and tips on recharging the mind, body, spirit and maintaining wellness. Below are some of the tips from the article:

One of the first steps in recharging yourself, if getting a clear and honest understanding of where you are now. This means taking some time to assess your overall wellness. One way to do this is to create a personal roadmap by doing the following:

• o   Take four sheets of paper and label them with the following: “Relationship”, “Health and Wellness”, “Business and Finances”, and “Spirituality and Faith”. Make two lists for each of these categories. One list should contain things about that area that you do not love or things that need to change. From that list circle the first two things that you want to being making improvements on. It can be the two things that are most important to you. Then on the other list write down the steps that you need to take to help you achieve those goals.
• o   Find an accountability partner that you can trust to keep you on track. Share your roadmap with them and establish a system of accountability. Be sure that they know that no matter what, they are to help hold you accountable!
• o   Set short-term goals and checkpoints of the course of a quarter. Be very specific and realistic about these and be sure to inform your accountability partner.
• o   Remember that each time you accomplish one of your short-term goals or successfully pass through a checkpoint. CELEBRATE! It is ok to boast about your success. This will motivate you to continue.

Personally, I have decided to use the next week to create my road map and find an accountability partner. Then I will begin on my journey to wellness!

Source: Essence Magazine, January 2013. 

So... I've been baking

One of the ways that I have been relieving stress lately is through baking. I am truly enjoying researching new recipes, baking, and sharing the goodies with those that I love. Here are some pictures from my dad's birthday cake (for his 60th), which was a three layer devil's food cake with chocolate butter cream frosting and a layer of fresh strawberries and glaze. The other pictures are from a batch of chocolate chip m&m cookies!

Promise to myself

Instead of making a long list of NY's resolutions on things that I know I will not really do, or will do for a little while and then stop... I have decided that I will try new things and make some changes but instead of making resolutions, I will make one major promise to myself... I am determined not to be overwhelmed!! The most important thing to me that concerns me is my mental and physical health and well-being. Last year and in the past, I have immersed myself in whatever job, educational endeavor, relationship (when I was in one) etc. and left little time for myself. This year I simply Will NOT do this. If work is not done by 5pm at the latest, it will wait until the next work day. And on Friday... The work will wait until Monday. My job will have much less of my time that should be devoted to me. I will write my ass off on my dissertation as well as my book and work hard on building my business! I will also travel, have "me time", and just take time to watch tv and/or read books. I promise I will take much better care of myself and worry more about me! I know better, so it is time for me to act as though I do. Again, not a resolution. But a promise.

Life....What I'm making of it?

It truly is what you make of it. Mine is turing around :-)