Could it all be so simple?

I'm a mixed bag of emotions today! Instead of going into it, I thought I'd leave you with this picture of a small indulgence from last night. Thank goodness for cupcakes & Sprite!

What about the way you love me?

This past Friday, I got to see one of my favorite singers in the ENTIRE WORLD! No, I seriously ♥ him like no other! (Well...maybe a few others but that's neither here nor there.) By him, I elude to the one & only Reverend Al Green! He was a part a concert series here that we have called Live at the Garden. When I bough the tickets, I had no idea what a great show that was in store. The event was sold out & the most diverse audience that I'd ever seen. Because it's outside & you have to get there early to jockey for prime position on the lawn, I forgot to get pictures. Here are just a few that I snapped on my BlackBerry while baking to a crisp in this crazy summer heat!

Our concert "neighbors" were some guys that drove from Nashville & they brought ribs!

Discreet photo FAIL!

If you know me, you know I'm anemic & keep a mean sock game for my cold footsies! LOL

Summer concert survival kit!

I've been on a bangles kick lately...these are my favs all stacked together!

Sweaty, tired, frizzy-haired & ready for Al to hit the stage!

Happy Hump Day!!

P.S. If you're an Al Green fan, then you recognize this post title as lyrics from his song Simply Beautiful! ;D

I D.I.Myself!

Last week, I was goofing off on the interwebz & catching up on Bloglovin' when I ran across an interesting D.I.Y by Leslie of FASHION du jour. Funny that I'd worn a skirt that was perfect for it just that day. Plus, I was attending a friend's engagement dinner this past weekend & it seemed like the perfect controlled setting to try it out. Check out some (unedited) pics I took after the dinner:

If you're interested in seeing how it's done, check out FASHION du jour's video here. My skirt/shirt was the AA interlock a-line skirt & was perfect for this. I added a tank underneath because I didn't want to flash anyone at dinner! Plus, it's hotter than monkey balls here and I hate feeling like I'm sweating through my clothes. Gotta keep it classy at all times!

*Trying* to hold my mule!!

I'm a love of all shiny things especially those that make you looked polished & proper! I've been wanting a [new] watch for so long and just haven't been able to find one that I would wear everyday...UNTIL NOW! I think I found the one that I really want. I blame it all on Cassie & her flouncing around Paris Fashion Week!

Eve & her apple tempting me!

Me test-driving the merchandise at Macy's

Now , I know that I don't NEED it but I sure as hell want it! It is an investment piece, RIGHT?!!?

Oh yeah, I'm not on twitter! Follow me!

Imperfect Prayers

Dear God,

It's me again! I left something out that last time we talked. Honestly, it probably wasn't really appropriate to mention it then. Let me stop rambling & get to the point of this because you're a busy man & I don't want to clog the main line. I was just hoping that maybe you could make sure that red lipstick is still hot once I get my braces off. PLEASE! I'm begging you! I've really tried to be good & stick to a nude lip with all of this shiny hardware in my mouth but it's getting really hard. I'm sure you remember my very first tube of red Fashion Fair lipstick. It was on point but definitely too much for a novice 7th grader like myself. Nontheless, I did by best to rock it even when I it was all smeared on my teeth & chin making me look like Courtney Love (post Kurt Cobain). And let's not even get started on how much of a disaster it was when it was time for band practice. Since then no other lipstick has captured my heart...UNTIL NOW! This is where Part Deux of this prayer comes in! Could you also make sure that MAC's Ruby Woo is not wiped off the face of the earth before I can get my grill completely in order? I know I'm not supposed to lust after things but I'm sure you would render this makeup marvel covetable! I promise that I will totally get it right this time & keep it classy with constant mirror checks. Ok, I'll let you get back to being your marvelous miracle working self! Keep it righteous!

Love Always,

T-Mack

The object of my affection! *sigh*

Links to some ladies that have pushed me over the edge & made me think my life is incomplete without this lipstick!

Mop Top Maven

addicted to all things pretty

~Tree Hugger~

The result of a cancelled lunch date & nothing else for me to do!

I'm always going to want to blow your mind!

A sporadic trip to Anthropologie resulted in some cool finds & unexpected smiles!

I picked this up for my little sister for her apartment back at school.

Originally, grabbed this coffee table book for a birthday/going-away present for a friend but snagged one for myself. Just too irresistible of a deal & cutesy factor!

And now the stuff that makes me tingly & gitty to read:

Found this in the Book of Birthdays & I couldn't have written it better myself!

And look at the fortune for my name (Tiffany)!

And just for the heck of it, here's a shot that I snapped of my outfit in the dressing room! Sadly, i didn't get the dress hanging in the background. Bummer but my hair is great!


This song always brings a smile to my face! I'd like to believe it was written especially for me!

Hey Good Lookin'...

To risk sounding conceited, I have to brag about how awesome my hair has been lately! I've been experimenting with a few different (and some old) products and techniques to see how I can change things up a bit. I've been very satisfied with the results. I've also started using more of the hair clips I have in my massive stash. I even added a couple of new additions...more on that later in this post! So here are a few shots of the moptop:

I'm pouting because it's super humid & I'm sweating like a race horse!

Here's a close-up of the cute flower clip that I recently bought from Alex of The "Good" Hair Blog. Check her out! She is so unbelievable cute & her curls is ADORABLE! She's got me back to my mixology roots. I'll definitely be stalking her Etsy store everyday & you should, too!

I had to throw in this picture that I snapped before church because this is my FIRST SUCCESSFUL braid-out since I have been curly! Every attempt ended in a tangled & dry mess. Today's results yielded very defined, luscious & springy curls! YAY ME!! My victory was short-lived because I was only out and about for church and breakfast with friends. Afterwards, I headed straight in to wash & deep condition. I'm hoping to mimic the same results for tomorrow as I could sure use more great hair days like this!

Bonus shot of how I keep my hair products & accessories organized

The world's most random side note: The good life is having smoked Gouda with crackers & apple juice...like I'm doing right now! *WIN*

Soul Food + Cross-Dressers = Winning Combo

This week I've definitely been getting in some serious guilty pleasures. The first being sleep! I've been getting anywhere from 8-11 hours of sleep each night. I don't know how people do this on the regular basis. It has required me to come straight home from work & start the process of winding down immediately...check e-mail, eat dinner & TV off by 7pm. If this is normal, I'm not sure that I'm ready to take that plunge. Nonetheless, my body has really been liking it so I'm going to try to stick to it (or an adaptation of this schedule) for a bit longer. Also, this has been my lunch for the last two days:

Mac 'n Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, Fried Okra, Squash Casserole, Wheat Rolls with butter & honey

Mac 'n Cheese x 2, Mashed Potatoes, Fried Okra, Wheat Rolls with butter & honey

Yes, I did get double orders of Mac 'n Cheese today! BUSTED, I know but it's so good! DON'T JUDGE ME!! This is a meatless week so I'm allowed to indulge a little bit. I have gotten in more veggies than normal and it's definitely making a difference in my energy level. Well, at least that's the story that I'm going to tell! On another note, the best part of the last two days was:

A couple of local groups are sponsoring a film festival and I won tickets to last night's showing of Some Like It Hot! I'm a secret lover of old cheesy movies. I especially love it because of Marilyn Monroe, the glitzy clothes, and it's in black and white. (Sidebar: Did you know this was not the original production idea but it had to be done to disguise the green makeup tint on the guys? Boy, have we come a long way in the modern technologies of makeup!!) I laughed at this movie as if it was a Will Ferrell comedy! Absolutely love it & I swear I've got a little bit of Sugar Kane Kowalczyk blood in my veins. I'm always trying to fix some guy's love wounds...go figure! And how could you not like the last line of the movie?!?

25 cool points to the first reader who can comment with the last line of the movie!!

Made you laugh!

As fate would have it, I've managed to catch ill! (I love to hear Southern people say that as if it was running loose!) Normally, I get a summer cold but this time it's a tad bit more serious and required a doctor's visit. I won't know for sure what plagues me until Thursday but I'm glad for the rotation of antibiotics from the doctor. My energy hasn't been the highest for the last couple of weeks & I thought it was just the insane schedule that I'd been keeping. Now I know that my body was screaming for a rest! I've been restricted to home & work which makes me sad because I feel like there are adventures out there to be had...without me! To kill the time during my isolation, I started going through my phone & camera to clear out any pics. I ran across a few gems that made me chuckle and reminded me of some good laughs over the past few weeks! FYE...

The latest in t-shirts as headwear chic a.k.a. hair washing day!!

Rooftop aftermath a.k.a goofing off at my favorite trolley stop!!

Photo behind the back just for the purpose of being goofy!

Hopefully, these dang blasted coodies will be over soon & I can get back to having some fun! The extrovert in me is really having a hard time being caged in. At least, I have my furry babies at home to keep me entertained with their antics & to snuggle!

I'm no good at being a robot. Teach me!

This heart of mine is such a curse! It feels each & every bump on this road of life. As soon as it's over one bump it's yearning for the next one. Each jolt brings a feeling of euphoria bigger than the last and taking me to another high to live on a few more days. The sad part about this heart of mine is that it tends to experience blowouts. It takes the blows hard and struggles to recover. The air seeps out slowly but painfully forcing me to see over top the rose-colored glasses that I love to wear. So what am I supposed to do? Do I challenge myself to go after the high knowing that I'll be scraping myself from the asphalt of the low? Am I really living if I'm in constant fear of crashing? My friend said that she prays to never get too high off the ground because she never wants to experience the lows of life. I can't fix my lips to utter a prayer like that for I'd being telling God that I want the easy way out. How can I be apart of the greatest story ever written if I can't feel the best and worst of it? How can I know how resilient and wonderfully crafted I am if I never get to know what it's like to pick up the pieces? From brokenness blooms greatness and in a painstaking way I want to feel every jagged edge. I'm not good at this disconnect! If you've figured it out, teach me but please show me the on/off switch so I'll know how to stop when I've flat-lined too long!

*pinky swear*

So, let's make a promise...I promise to be who I want to be today & you just do the same! Seems simple enough & I think I do a pretty good job of it but just not consistently. By that, I mean that I don't look in the mirror and make that commitment to myself each morning. Normally, it kicks in midday and then I'm racing trying to do something to satisfy that longing. If nothing else, I go to a place that I've never eaten dinner or sneak out of town to explore. Some of these moments do require planning but many just require a conscious effort. If it's nothing more than reading a book or taking an online course. Lack of money and other resources are not sufficient reasons to fall short of this. You do the same and we'll see where it takes us. And of course, we have to seal it with a pinky swear! Now get off the interwebz & go be you while there's still sunlight! *muah*


*All my friends know that a pinky swear from me is just as good as a check from Bill Gates

Random thoughts (captured in my BlackBerry)

I want to bottle this feeling up so I can come back here again everyday. There's nothing like being with a person that loves you just for you. Even if I can't have him with me all the time, it's nice to know he loves me in this moment. If only we could have worked it out back then. Who knows what would have happened? Regardless, I'm loving this feeling! As nerdy as I am, he likes me for that and allows me to be that way. He loves so many things about me that I can't even begin to understand why. His touch is different now. He really knows the kind of love that I need. It may be too late for us but I'm glad that he knows the feeling of loving me in a way that makes me feel warm & wanted. I want him in my life forever! This time around it's different though. We can be 100% honest & I have nothing to be worried about. We can't be together right now so the worst case scenario is that it'll stay that way. In my dreams, he'd be standing on my doorstep with all his things. I'd let him in with no questions asked & love him like I should have from the beginning...with no fear. We both deserve to know how that feels.

Found this in the abyss of my rambling that rarely make it out of my BlackBerry. Reading this takes me right back to that place when I had to hurry to get this out of my heart before it exploded all over the table. Even if it did, I don't think either of us would have really been opposed to it! Note to self: Love like the world is about to end & worry about the rest later!

Be the seed that'll keep the flame...

VH1 Soul's feature on live performances introduced me to this song. I love it & can't get enough of it! I guess the lyrics are a bit graphic but that's typical for The Roots.

Love is youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

As if I couldn't love Starbucks anymore, I have discovered the Via Ready Brew! This will definitely help reduce my daily $3 addiction. I will be heading back to pick up a couple more boxes of this.

**UPDATE** I stopped by my neighborhood Starbucks and picked up 3 more boxes. This should last me a few weeks!

Regular serious posting will continue shortly! *smile*