Friday

And then there was 1...



How often does this happen? I'm the lucky girl who gets the trolley to myself...AGAIN! I should probably be worried about what people will think of me riding the trolley alone on a Friday night. I'm not. I should probably be worried about some thug snatching my purse. I'm not. I actually kind of like this. Not even the driver has mumbled a word to me. (My guess is that he likes being alone, too.) As odd as it seems to others, I like it this way. Only when I'm alone can I really appreciate myself. Being in the mix throws in added nuisance of insecurity & doubt. Who wants to party with those two Debbie Downers? In this moment, I love that no one can be dorky, charming, mysterious and passionate ME!

Growing up, we're constantly told that we're unique & there's no one else like us. Well, I can boast that's pretty accurate for me. See, I'm part of the 1%! Not just any 1% but THE 1% that wears the label INFJ! In moments like this, my INFJ is at peace & can rest but still relish in the moment. We like the chance to just be surrounded by space. For in that space, our creativity and intellect run wild. All the problems of the world are quickly solved once space exists. I love space & it loves me. We make a powerful couple that can take the world head on. So we'll finish this ride & things will be much clearer at the end. And then I'll step back into world as just one of many but my favorite ONE!

*I wrote this last night while doing one of my favorite things in the entire world - riding the Main Street trolley. In my perfect world, I can get in one Main Street visit a week. It's only $1 each time you get on and it pays for itself over and over again. This is where I get in the best people watching and conversations with strangers. My BlackBerry is full of these random thoughts which, until now, have never seen the light of day. Eeeek!

Wednesday

Imperfectly Quotable

"Allow us to build relationships with others who will fall in love with our destiny and not our destination."

George G. Tolbert II*

*My friend spoke these words last night & I couldn't help but share them with you!! Happy Hump Day!

Monday

i iz a winna!!

OMG! I don't want to admit this but I'm not having the best Monday right now. You know how us girls are...when our hair is not right; life is not right! I'm just going to put my big girl panties on & tough out the rest of the day. I'll go to the gym after work & take it all out on the treadmill. Anyways, I was just sitting here staring at my Blackberry when I got a message. (You know that never happens so it had to have been a good sign!) To my surprise, the subject line read "Giveaway Winner!!" *Dean Scream* I actually yelled outloud before I even read it to see what I'd won! Finally reading the e-mail, I realized that I'd won the Get Togetha giveaway that I'd entered earlier this month. I am so excited to be able to receive one of the Romi Ceramics pieces. I'm still doing the happy baby dance at my desk!

Be sure to check out Get Togetha & Romi Ceramics!

Here are some of the pieces listed on the Etsy site that I've been eyeing:







I hope you're having a great Monday! ♥ ♥ ♥

Sunday

Crazy two weeks...Let me show you it!




















Ok! Now that I've gotten the pictures up, could you forgive me for not posting like I should the last couple of weeks? Sad enough, this is only a small fraction of all the pictures that I took. I just cleared my memory card and it's finding its way back to capacity as we speak. I'm not sure what it is about the month of May but I have been moving like crazy lately. Well, maybe I do know what it is...Memphis in May. It's an annual celebration in which Memphis salutes a country. There's also the traditional festival things like concerts, art shows and our world famous Bar-B-Que Festival. All of this just gives me a reason to play relentlessly around downtown. Hopefully, you get some kicks & feel like you're here amongst the fun!

Photos taken at Cockadoos, Memphis in May International Festival, Memphis Farmer's Market, Cheesecake Corner, Peabody Rooftop, South of Beale, art under a hot tin roof, North Main Street. If you're ever in the area, you've got to check out these places!

Tuesday

'Every day that goes by is a couple more lines in her diary..."



LOVE! Maybe it's because I kept most of my diaries from college & I still catch myself writing in one now. Nothing like looking back to see how much you're changed & how you've opened up to life's possibilities.

*More posts coming later today or tomorrow. Crazy week so far but I have to show you a recap of the last few days!

Monday

The GEARS are turnin'!







This much mirror time can't be good for my hair! Is it time for change?

Sunday

Imperfectly Quotable

"To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are."

Drake via Twitter

There's Nothing Not to Love About Me!

Today has been a major chill day that can be best summed up by the following things:
Sourdough bread
Sweet tea
At-home mani & pedi
The Devil Wears Prada

Another bonus is that Beyonce finally released a video this week to her song Why Don't You Love Me! I've been waiting on her to release this since the drop of her last album. In my opinion, it was worth the wait. I love the distressed wife/pin-up girl vibe. Plus, I'm sure every woman has, at some point, gone through the same bag of emotions. Check out the video!

"Why Don't You Love Me" - Beyoncé from Beyoncé on Vimeo.



P.S. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Friday

Nice Girls Don't Change the World?...WATCH ME!

The other day one of the pastors at my church mentioned that she'd been challenged to read the book Nice Girls Don't Change the World by Lynne Hybels. Shortly after, she called for all women that were dealing with all the weight society puts on us to be everything to everyone. This was one opportunity that I couldn't miss to have someone pray for me! She then read the most dynamic passage from the book that I'd ever heard. I had goose bumps as she basically read my soul out loud to the entire church. YIKES! That entire night & the next day, that book title was running through my head. I'm not sure if I believe it or not! Looking at all of the dynamic women in history, I couldn't believe that any one of them was not nice. Not a one?!?!?!

And the thought process begins...

And a little bit of quiet reflection...


And then, the consequential headache set in...

Really, I have no idea if they were all nice girls! But I do know one thing, I am a nice girl & I DO plan on changing the world!

SN: Being the nerd that I am, I immediately jumped in my car & headed to the closest bookstore to get the book. Of course, it was out of stock all over the city. Lucky for me eBay never lets a girl down. I'll keep you posted on how the reading goes. *squeal*

Wednesday

Living as the New Eve


Lately, I have been in the strangest place spiritually. The pull on me to be dynamic, bold & virtuous has felt like too much to bear at some times. None of the education I’ve received ever covered how to dream big, live up to those dreams but still be rooted. There have been days where I felt a big, gaping hole in me and knew all that would fill that space would be the manifestation of my greatest dreams. Realistically, I had to ask myself a few questions: How do you even start to fill that space when the dreams are so unnervingly large? Should you even try? Is it a mission that is sure to end with death before success? And the tummy swirls begin…

Shocking confession: Sometimes it scares me to close my eyes! Something happens when I give my mind time away from the present and it scares me sh*tless sometimes. The images are so vivid that they mimic a motion picture! Often times, afternoon naps are more tiring to wake up from because I’ve spent them in this endless world of possibility. Some are so amazing that I have to document them so I grab the first thing I can get my hands on to record this macrocosm of images and…NOTHING! I can’t get them onto paper! How am I going to map out this plan to get there if I can’t even get it written down? (This will definitely have to be tackled in another post!)

So the adventure begins with me as a modern-day Eve in a modern day Garden of Eden! Good news is that I’ve already eaten the apple. Bad news is that I’ve already eaten the apple! {insert profanity & head-banging} I can’t spend the rest of my life at that crossroad so I’m pushing forward (with my bag of potential). First things first, no one looking for a cameo is invited on this journey. If you don't want to be in for the long haul, don’t step up to the ticket counter because you will not be admitted on this train. Secondly, I am armed & dangerous! Really but not really…I’m definitely outfitting myself with “the belt of truth”, “breastplate of righteousness”, and “the shield of faith”. I guess that only makes me dangerous to those that seek to hinder me. (Yikes, did I just serve someone notice? If so, spare us both & just walk in the other direction!) Lastly, I must make the choices that lead me to a life of fulfillment not regret. Compromise on this is not an option! The challenge of my choice still scares me but I can’t afford to back away now. *closes eyes*


Photo: Magda by Brianna McCarthy via Passion.Fruit

Please stop my Brianna's blog & check out her awesome paintings & sketches. I'm constantly in a state of ah when I see the beautiful & powerful pieces that she creates.

Monday

I never said being a lady was easy!

So it's official that I'm currently going through the infamous Third Life Crisis! Don't be alarmed because I'll be over it in a few days. I went through this at twenty-five and I only remember that it was done right after it started. Good thing is that I'm now super obsessed with knowing more of who I am down to the core. We spend so many years obeying others' rules and norms that we suppress the very deviance that makes us an individual. (By no means am I advocating deviant behavior but I am encouraging self-reflection!) The best thing about his journey is that I've realized that I'm such a girly-girl at heart that it's unreal. I've played sports most of my life & have been "one of the guys" since I was little. Who would have thunk it! I can look at my closet right now & totally see the style evolution that has manifest over the years to back up this latest finding. And I'm 100% okay with that!

A couple of weeks ago, I was catching up on my blog reading and finally got to one of my favorite street style blogs Swagger 360. (IDK why I never start with this blog because it always has me grinning ear to ear after I've been on it 2 hours!) I'm not just a fan of all the pictures but I really enjoy the commentary that's sprinkled throughout the site. It's not too much but just enough to be thought-provoking. One entry in particular really had me snapping and yelling "Amen" the whole way through. Take a peek...On Being a Lady