30 in 30: Music, Dance, and Gratitude
Ari Speakers!!!
Happy Hump Day!!! So here’s a few more of my life reflections as I approach my 30th birthday!
#20 Best advise ever given to me: Be who you are. I am young, a woman, and a preacher. Those three things alone means that society and my community have certain expectations of me: how I should talk, act, dress, who to date, who to befriend, and even what I should do for fun. But I’ve learned that there’s such freedom in just being yourself. Forget what others say. I am at a point in my life where I really want to live in the present, be who I am, be true to me–no matter how flawed I might be. I’m not worried about acting like a “preacher,” I’m going to just be me. If I have missteps or mishaps, I will grow from them. I will stay in communion with God and develop naturally in my own time, loving myself every step of the way.
#19 I love to DANCE. My 4th grade teacher told me years ago, that I would be a dancer when I grew up. I went to a performing arts school so Mrs. Thurman had certainly seen me dance, but it wasn’t my strongest suit. I was better at acting and singing, I thought. But the truth is I really enjoyed dancing then and I still do now. In fact, I judge the quality of a wedding by the dancing. If people just sat down and ate and did no dancing, I think to myself, “this is so whack.” LOL. I plays no games when it comes to dancing. No empty dance floors when I’m anywhere around!
Image Credit: rollingstone.com
#18 That’s MY SONG!!! This was something I said on just about every song as I rode in the car with my mom as a kid, Hot 103 Jamz playing on her car radio. Tony G and The Breakfast Brothers kept us jammin all the time! Whether mom and I were grooving to Karyn White’s “Superwoman,” or it was a new one by my favorite group of all time, TLC, I stayed singing out loud with my favorite R&B artists. To this day, mama still says, “Girl, every song is your song!” She’s right. I simply love music. And what’s great is that interest was nurtured from a young age. At school I learned to play piano, sing, write music, it was such a blessing.
#17 Symphony Credits One of the greatest musical achievements was having the opportunity to write two pieces for the Kansas City Symphony! Read more…
30 in 30: Best Childhood Ever!!!
My 6th birthday. That’s me on the bike, hanging with my cousins at the infamous Holy Temple Apartments (Granny’s house).
Hey Ari Speakers!!!
I’m pretty sure I had the best childhood ever! I had everything. I had great parents to love me, grandmas to spoil me, a fabulous elementary school full of excellent teachers who pushed me, super cool friends, and TONS of cousins to explore, play, laugh, and terrorize with! It was AWESOME!!! It’s really hard to put into words what life was like back then. All I can say is it was the 80s, and 90s, and I remember a world full of love, TLC and SWV, laughter, bright summer skies, and Kansas City’s unique blend of heat and humidity.
Here are my childhood reflections. I remember…
Don-Don, Vanecia, and I (l to r) on Granny’s front porch at Holy Temple. (look closely on the left side and you will see the “crystals.” **giggles**
#25 Holy Temple Apartments in Kansas City was the best place on Earth.
My granny used to live in Holy Temple Apartment Homes, along with her youngest daughter (S/O to Auntie Kim!!!), and my cousin Donnie (7 months my junior and my regular roll dog in those days). I spent countless summer days and nights there doing everything imaginable with Don-Don, as we affectionately called her. We wore cute little brightly colored short sets and white beads all over our hair. I remember when we were old enough to ride bikes (without training wheels), it was a huge deal when Granny let us ride them around the bend (the main road that weaved through the complex) and how we always finished big by flying top speed down the hill that led back to Granny’s house). I remember chasing down the ice cream man for orange push ups. I remember picking ”crystals” off the side of the house (colored rocks) and catching lightning bugs (fireflies). I remember riding in the passenger’s seat of Don-Don’s pink Barbie car on sunny days as she drove us from one neighbor’s stoop to the next. I remember eating salami sandwiches and Nacho Cheese Doritos (before they changed the recipe) for lunch. I remember red Kool-Aid, pickles, and Easter eggs. I remember Grandma’s bowling ball and Auntie Kim’s skates sitting next to the front door, her red escort parked out front. Most importantly, I remember her teaching us how to do “Da Butt” in grandma’s kitchen! (This really happened!) In all seriousness… I remember love, laughter, and life.
#24 Wendell Phillips Visual and Performing Arts Magnet Elementary School was the best SCHOOL on Earth
My elementary school was awesome! I had fabulous black women as my classroom teachers who made sure I did well. I was part of the performing arts program where I learned Read more…
30 in 30: Be Good To Yourself!!!
Makeup by Amber of http://www.BrownBombshellBeauty.com
Hey Ari Speakers!!!
I hope your weekend was fantastic!!! Mine certainly was! It was a whirlwind! One of my closest friends (linesister) got married, I was a bridesmaid for the first time, I got licensed to preach in my denomination, I hung out with my linesisters, and made a few new acquaintances! It was a complete blast. More details to share on these happenings along the way. For now, I’m going to jump into my 30 in less than 30 reflection series, beginning the countdown to my 30th birthday!
#30 When I take care of myself first, I’m a much happier, pleasant person. This in turn makes me more productive. Unfortunately, I am notorious for overloading myself. And even though I’ve learned that the best way to resolve this is to simply say no, there are times when I’ve already committed myself and I have to get it all done. I recently started running, and I have a weekly goal of 10 miles. I am AMAZED at the difference running has made in how I feel. After a run, I feel great and I have a lot more energy. This improves my mood and keeps me going even when I should be totally exhausted!
#29 Just Say No. This is occasionally the best feeling in the world for me. It gives me a release to put myself before other people’s agendas. I’ve learned that it’s best to do what works for me than to stretch myself too far. I’m still not great at saying no, but I am doing better.
#28 Live In Intentional Community. We are Read more…
Guess who’s bizzaaaaaack? So yes, I went missing for a month or so. On May 1st, I wrote about the iMatter Experience, hit publish, and I was out…for an entire month (and 5 days lol). But I have good reason. As usual, my life went crazy! May was pure MAY-HEM!!! (See what I did there! LOL!) I cannot say I didn’t see it coming, but once I realized how many things I had committed myself to for the month it was too late to do anything about it! Just for fun, here’s a quick review of the craziness of my life for the last 30 days or so.
The month started off with my lovely linesister’s fabulous bridal shower (for which I prepared and led the games), a preaching engagement for my pastor’s appreciation service (this was a HUGE honor and was kind of a big deal!), I cooked Mother’s Day dinner for my mom, grandma, and entire family (ALL BY MYSELF!!!), worked with my kids at church to launch a youth dance ministry (SUPER EXCITED about this one!!!), attended my baby cuzzo’s high school graduation (get it “NAE-NA!!!”), and to top it off I was on the planning team for the first ever iMatter Experience! For iMatter, I helped to promote, fundraise, plan the program, lead a group of youth girls and parents from my church to attend, help my youth dancers choreograph a dance for the event, and facilitate a workshop for mothers for the event! I did all this while working overtime at my day job, trying to still have a social life, and planning the epic-ness that will be my 30th birthday party!!! It was NUTS! All worth it… but still NUTS!!!
And the fun ain’t over yet! Tomorrow I will attend Read more…
The iMatter Experience: Mentoring Our Girls!!!
Ari Speakers!!!
Heeeeeeey there! If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know that I LOVE GIRLS, and any and everything that EMPOWERS and INSPIRES women and girls. Well, earlier this year, I got the opportunity to be part of planning an event that would allow me to do all of that. The iMatter Experience is going to be an awesome interactive mentoring event for little girls ages 5-14 and their moms (or other parent/guardian/adult caretaker) that will encourage, educate, and empower all attendees, showing them that THEY MATTER!
Topics to include:
What little girls do you know that need to attend? What moms, grandmas, and others do you know that should attend? You? Your family members? Best Friend? Daughter? Niece? Little cousin? Spaces are filling up, so you’ll want to act fast. Get them registered today at www.imatterexperience.eventbrite.com.
Don’t live in Kansas City? Don’t know any girls in the age range? You can still help!
Consider donating $25.00 to sponsor a little girl to go!
Just visit www.imatterexperience.eventbrite.com
TRUTH IS…
We live in a society that is increasingly hostile toward women: the rise Read more…
The Process Of Success: Just Do It!
Ari Speakers!!!
Just a little image to get you thinking…Do you agree with this? I find it so helpful. I personally struggle with staying at the “idea” stage because I want to ensure success before I try it. So Read more…
Bout That Life: The DATING LIFE, That Is!!!
Please do not confuse this post with some desperate single girl’s attempt at drawing some male attention my way. The truth is that I do just fine attracting men without trying. On the contrary, I’m writing this post to affirm my singleness and make a statement about my current love affair with dating.
Believe it or not, not everybody wants to get married. I remember being shocked when I heard my aunt say this publicly. Now, just a few years, a few tears, and a heartbreak or two later, I can understand. I certainly am not saying I don’t want to marry. I do. I’m just not pressed about it. As I approach my 30th birthday (about 3 months away!), I don’t feel bad that I have not yet met “the one.” I’m truly happy living my life, exploring the world and my place in it, learning—and more importantly— loving myself.
This is truth. No cover-up of some deeper insecurity . No secret worries that “I’ll never have a man.” In fact, I know that’s not true. I get approached a lot. Sometimes more develops, and sometimes it does not. Either way, I will let things take their course. I feel no pressure. No worries. No doubts. I am a beautiful, intelligent, loving, confident, and fun person. Who wouldn’t want to marry me? LOL!!!
So why am I writing this post?
Simply to say that I think dating is fun! The whole thing is an adventure. It can really be cool to meet someone, become intrigued by them, hang out, get to know them, and decide if you want to move into something more serious. For me it’s not frivolous. I’ve learned so much about what I like and don’t like. For example, I cannot do men who do not keep their word. You MUST be reliable. (Thank my Daddy for that one fellas.) He showed me that a man can be relied on—period. So I don’t understand anything else. When I ran into a guy once that constantly had to change our plans, cancel, show up late; I was TOTALLY irritated. Could not take it. At all. Dating has also helped me learn how to detect someone’s love language and the ins and outs of my own. It’s been a great lesson for me.
I also reject the notion that dating should be overly goal-oriented. Like as soon as Read more…
