Single, Sexy, and Saved!

Swagger like us......

2008-10-03T09:56:00.005-04:00

Woohoo!!!!!!!!!! It is Friday!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know why but I am extra hyped on life this morning. Maybe it's because.......

I am feeling extra fly....

My footwork is clean....

And I got a full tank...it's the weekend baby....

I don't know, but this morning I woke up feeling shiny and new....Talib Kweli put it best...

Mama Page's B-day and J-settin'

2008-10-02T13:10:00.004-04:00

This weekend is my mom's suprise birthday party. I am so excited for her because this is her first birthday party in her entire 58 years of living. She grew up dirt poor and they didn't have money for parties and as she got older she felt she was too old for parties. So my Daddy Page and Little Sister Page got together and throw her a party. I will have pics galore on Monday.....but for now...a video!!!!!! I love the whole J-setting thing.....I wish I could dance like that.....gay husband...where for art thou?

Because I Feel Like It

2008-09-30T15:53:00.002-04:00

I just really feel like hearing this song....Montell Jordan looked GOOD!

2008-09-26T10:07:00.003-04:00

Lately I have been feeling a little down because I guy I used to date is getting....married. Arggh....This morning I woke up and something in my head told me to say the following out loud: "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it". After yesterdays post and the news that Bubbie* was getting married, I needed to say that. So that has become my new mantra. No matter what I am going through, this is the day the Lord made. There is no sorrow in it. Because nothing that the Lord made is going to be for our destruction. So all of the things happening to me are for my betterment. I have also come to realize that sometimes things are not the way that they seems. Depression and fear are all attacks of the devil so I am realizing that these things are principalities at work (Ephesians).

I don't know if I mentioned that I have started going back to school. In this blog I have gone back to school a number of times, but this time is different. This time I have switched to a major that interest me (not the one Mama Page picked for me 8 years ago) and I have child care ( no more excuses about where to put Miss Beasley). This time around I am studying to be a Licensed Practical Nurse. I love helping people and I miss being in the medical field. For the last couple of days I have been looking for the BOMB stethoscope for when I my clinical class starts next semester.

Since it is Friday I will hit y'all off with some music....check it out:

*I am always dating someone with a strange nickname.....

Inspired by Miss Von K...

2008-09-25T10:28:00.008-04:00

I am a regular reader of Miss Adei Von K's blog for all things fabulous, and today she talked about the economy for us quarter lifers. This is funny that I ran across this today because Miss Page is in the middle of a financial crisis, and it seems there is only one way out. Now, as you may all know, I have been in a struggle for the last 4 years to get up out of my mama's house. I love her to death but she can work a nerve. So finally in February me and Miss Beasley hopped in a U-haul van and headed to Chesapeake. I have been loving the freedom of having my own place for the last seven months. But the only thing with freedom is, there is a price. And this price has been being severely broke. For the last couple months I have not had any extra money and this has bothered the dickens out of me. The end result of my freedom? This week I was faced with a possible repossession of "Shelly" and since I need my car, the rent is gonna be late, late, late. So, as I sat in my car crying after talking with the credit union, I decided....it's time to come home. Freedom is nice, but so is eating, and being able to buy my child school clothes (this years school clothes were brought to you by Nana and Pop-Pop. So, when this lease is up (my mom is trying to get me to break my lease, but the ramifications from that would be horrific) I will be looking into the option of moving back home. I am praying that I can stay, but God's will is oh so much stronger than mine...so we shall see!

Feelin it....

2008-09-12T14:55:00.003-04:00

One more thing....I am really feeling some Hall and Oates and Joe Jackson....here's some videos........

I Can't Go For That (something I say on the regular...)

Say It Isn't So

Private Eyes

Steppin Out

'Cuz the Weekend is Work.....

2008-09-12T14:28:00.004-04:00

Woohoo! It is FINALLY Friday! I don't think I could express the joy that Friday brings me. I love my job, God knows I do, but I have some tips for folks calling into my job that would the lives of all parties involved, easier.

1. I said it once and I will say it again.....DO NOT CALL ASKING FOR A NUMBER WITHOUT A PEN AND PAPER HANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is oh so irritating to hear some one fumble around for 15 minutes trying find a pen and another 15 trying to find a piece of paper.

2. Don't interupt. Inturupting leads to you missing information that may help answer your question.

3. Just because you pay taxes on a house does not mean you own it. There is this piece of paper called a deed, and your name needs to be on it to claim ownership.

4. In reference to the tip above, it is not my job duty to referee family property disputes...take that mess to probate court.

5. Keep in mind what the Treasurer's office does. Think of the treasurer in an organization. Their job is to keep track of the money and collect dues and fees. That in mind.....that is the only thing we do in this office. We don't care that you sold your car and bought a new one....the comissioner of revenue does. We don't care you disagree with the asessment of your real estate....the assessors office does. In short, learn the branches of city hall.

6. This is my top pet peeve....learn how escrow works. If you pay escrow every month for taxes the mortgage company HAS to pay your taxes regardless of wheather they get a bill...THEY STILL HAVE TO PAY! They cannot hold your money and then not pay your taxes. If they do you could sue them and trust me...mortgage companies are having enough problems these days.

Now, that I got that off my chest....I am looking forward to my weekend! Tonight Jeff and I are going to a Diamonds and Pearls party on High Street and Tomorrow night we are going to a party for the Pop Warner team he coaches (adults only!). Then on Sunday we are going to Friends and Family day at his Mom's church. And in the midst of all this I am going to do my sew-in weave (doing hair relaxes me). This weekend is gonna be so much fun....and to give y'all my mood here's one of my favorite Black Eyed Peas song B.F (before Fergie).

It's Friday.............

2008-09-05T12:50:00.004-04:00

And I am so happy. I only worked three days this week because I was off yesterday with an asthmatic Miss Beasley.

So, lately I have been thinking of upgrading my wardrobe. I am turning 28 in November, and when I was looking through my professional wardrobe and "going out" wardrobe, I realized there are some things that have to go ASAP. So next weekend I will be playing a little "What Not to Wear" with myself.

I would like to announce that I am currently considering going into the Navy Reserves. Yeah, I know a big change in pace. The more I thought about it, I need to do it. I am not happy with the current state of affairs in my life and I feel like being in the Reserves would give me the boost that I need. I did think about joining the Navy active duty, but I am a single parent, and that would require me to sign over custody of Miss Beasley and my heart just won't let me do that, so the easiest thing for me to do is join the Reserves. It's just one weekend a month and how many people have a part time job that works like that. I will also get benefits so I am loving that.

I have also started seeing a psychiatrist to handle all the fall out from my dissolved engagement. I know it has been a minute since that happened, I feel like I never really resolved any of my feelings. The therapist put it well when she said, "It's like a garbage can that is full and instead of taking it out, you just push it down and add more to the pile". Well, my trash can is full and running over and it is time to take out the trash.

I am walking in the Out of the Darkness suicide prevention walk next weekend. When I was at my low point and considered hurting myself, I vowed that when I got out of my depression that I would do more to give back to those in the same predicament. This is a small step, but every little bit helps. If you would like to sponsor me, just hit this link up. You can donate all the way up until December 31.

Was I the only one disappointed in the last episode of The Wire? It just did not pack the bang that I was expecting. I know I am late in that comment, but understand a sister has no HBO money and getting the series at Blockbuster is the only way I was able to see it. That is all I have....Be Blessed!

Randon Thoughts

2008-08-27T09:34:00.003-04:00

1. I absolutley love those mini chicken biscuts from chick-a-fila! If you get the chance, try some

2. I don't think I am cut out for club hopping until the wee hours anymore. Why? Last weekend, I almost fell asleep on the couch at the afterhours club.

3. I am mad I didn't volunteer to work the snack table for the blood drive. Once a month I have made it my goal to give back by volunteering.

4. In lieu of volunteering, I am going to give blood today. They are low on O+ which I happen to be.

5. I am hyped up my sister is coming into town this weekend. I feel like I haven't seen her in years. But it has only been months.

6. Who stole a cookie from the cookie jar....who me?

I leave you with this video to describe my mood today!

Enough is Enough is Enough

2008-08-14T11:07:00.004-04:00

Yes, I love Donna Summer! Today I put my put foot down with Miss Beasley's father. For the last 3 years, we have operated without a formal custody agreement. So he comes and gets Miss Beasley maybe a total of 4 times a year to spend time with her. This has become unacceptable. I understood because she was a baby then and they can be a little rough to deal with. But Miss Beasley is damn near 5 years old. She is potty trained, she will communicate with you her needs, so I figure his job is easy at this point. My point being that he will be getting her rain, sleet or snow every other weekend. It by no means mirrors my daily life with her but it is a lot better than what he has been doing.

Last night I discovered the joys of blockbuster online which, I might add is a LOT cheaper than Netflix. Nineteen dollars versus fourty....um yeah. For some reason I am into the television show OZ these days. We didn't have HBO when I was coming up so I missed out on all these wonderful shows. Anyway, I love OZ almost as much as I love The Wire. And of course before I sign off I must leave you all with a video to commenerate this post.....roll it!

My Gay Husband.....

2008-08-13T10:34:00.001-04:00

I am so jealous that he can pull off those shorts, but my thighs won't let me.....hate him...lol.

I'm Feeling So Good

2008-08-13T09:36:00.002-04:00

Today I don't know what it is, but I am on cloud nine. And because I know I just declared this the devil will be trying to ruin it, so right now in the name of Jesus I bind up anything that is attempting to ruin my day, my week, my month, my year, and my life. Here's the anthem for the day

Running Past What You Need...Chasing After What You Want

2008-08-12T11:11:00.004-04:00

Ugh...the dating world is a very strange and confusing place. I never imagined a year ago, that I would be back in the dating pool. I would hear my sisters personal tales of Hell Dates and be so glad that it wasn't me. Well now I am back in the pool and, let me tell you, the water is so-so. I will not lie, I have a roster of guys that all serve different needs(get your mind out the gutter...lol). I have Taj who is my Mr. Fix-it. He makes sure things around my house are in order and that my car is in good running condition. Last month he bought me curtains and changed my headlight. He is warm, loves to laugh and we get a long well. Then there is Ron Mexico...remember him? Yeah, he's back. He serves as the excitement and eye candy. He is kinda like a himbo. He is nice to look at, but his conversation is all kinds of wrong. Last but not least there is Jeff. Jeff is the snuggle up, give me affection part. Want to spoon in bed listening to the latest slow-jam mixed cd? Jeff is the man, the problem with that is Jeff is so financially challenged(something I discovered after he came home to VA to live) that all we do is cuddle and spoon. I mean, I wish all of these men could form into one like Voltron. To be honest, my bets are on Taj. The rest of these jokers I could do without. Taj is nice to look at too, he is not financially challanged and he can spoon with the best of them. The problem is I don't want to be tied down at this time. Decisions, decisions. I dedicate these two videos to my journey of singledom.

Black Pearl

2008-08-05T10:37:00.001-04:00

I was listening to this on an old mixed CD my sister made for me. This was definatley a time you could listen to a female rapper and feel good about yourself. I am not a fan of the whole "Look Back at Me" trend....lol.

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-01T11:43:00.003-04:00

After asking the question, "When will Disney get a black Princess?" Disney finally has the answer. Trust and believe when the merchandise comes out Miss Beasley will have ALL of it. Check it out:

Back in the Day.....

2008-08-01T09:30:00.003-04:00

I found this on Fresh's personal site, Fly Cliche. It took me back to 96 when I was a sophmore at "The Run". Can it be that it was all so simple......enjoy!

Twitter

2008-07-31T13:14:00.001-04:00

I have discovered Twitter and I love it...check me out: socialite149!

I Am Not Dead.....just un-pregnant....

2008-07-30T16:26:00.002-04:00

Yeah, you read it right. In what would have been my 13 week I suffered a miscarriage. The one thing I took away from that experience was to count my blessings. I complained about morning sickness and my pants being too tight but a week after the incident I began to miss all of those things. Needless to say, I am in a place of healing right now.

So, I know you all are wondering what the Fabulous Miss Page has been up to. The answer? A lot. If I have not already mentioned it here, I have always wanted to be a beautician. It is what I do. Illegally. For all of you not familiar, I am a kitchen beautician. I have been trying to get legal for the last 11 years. Well guess what? I finally took the steps to get into cosmotology school. Starting September 22 I will be a student at the Rudy and Kelly Cosmotology school-a Paul Mitchell Partner school. When I went for the tour, I wish I could have stayed and just started right then and there. I want my specialty and focus to be cut and color. Especially haircutting. Some folks can style the mess out of your hair but can't cut to save their lives.
I just wanted to give you all an update and just to let everyone know that I am still alive. Be Blessed!

Sneakin' and Hidin'.....

2008-06-09T15:38:00.003-04:00

OK, I am posting this from work since the inna net is down at my house. Since I am at work, this will be short, but I just wanted to let all you winners know that I am doing fine. The Morning Sickness has FINALLY started to ease up. It has been replaced by heartburn, but I will take that over nausea ANY day. This Friday I will be 11 weeks pregnant. I can't believe I am almost in my second trimester.

So the big question is who is this child's father....it is not Rev thank God....imagine how awkward. The father of my child is my mentor's brother in-law. I think I mentioned him in an earlier post. He was shocked but happy because this is his first baby....yeah he's 35 and this is his first.....when I met him I felt like I met a unicorn. We are both hoping for a boy, and so far I can't complain about how things are going. I do sometimes get this anxiety about how things will be once "Butterbean" makes his debut. I worry about the economy and will it be worse in January. But I am not going to do too much worrying about tomorrow. I can only handle one day at a time or I will go crazy.

OK, I am going to cut this short since I want to continue being gainfully employed.....Be Blessed!

Mother's Day!!!!

2008-05-12T13:19:00.000-04:00

Ok, so you read it right. Miss Page is going to welcome another little person into this world. Um, let me just start off by saying that this was a complete shock to me, because as the Doctor was telling me I had a pamphlet for an IUD in my hand. So, to say I am caught off guard is an understatement.

Last week was a bad week. I was all aflutter with morning sickness. I am still a little sick, but I have learned what works and what doesn’t work. I cannot eat anything fried anymore it turns my stomach, but I am loving any kind of fresh fruit and hamburger helper. I know….hamburger helper….I had to go all into my “food for hard times” stash and made some HH last night and it was so good…I may make some more tonight.

My mother’s day rocked. Me and Miss Beasley watched Alvin and The Chipmunks in her room. Boy, that child has a lot of rules when you watch a movie in her room. First rule is you must NOT doze off. If not she will do the distinction of opening your eyes for you. I learned that the hard way.

****There was a long pause in my posting because I had to do a title search****

Ok, why did the title searcher just divulge to me him and his wife are into threesomes…..WTF?!?!?! Am I giving off the it’s-ok-to-tell-me-that vibe? I would just like to say that you never know what it is that people do in their personal lives, because as many times as that man has been in here, I would have never guessed…..

Um...Yeah....

2008-05-06T15:35:00.000-04:00

Just got back from the GYN…….and it is going to be a LONG 248 days…..until I have my baby….yeah went for the pap smear, stay for the babies…my momma is going to kill me…….

City Hall, GYN, and The Barber

2008-05-06T10:03:00.001-04:00

Ok, ya’ll posting is going to be a little light until Real Estate tax time is over……City Hall is killing me slowly. All my NC people get out in vote in the primary. I don’t care who you vote for just vote!

Today I have my dreaded annual visit at the GYN….yeah….fun times. My sister and I were talking last night about how it is the most invasive visit ever. It was for me, until I had Miss Beasley. It seemed that all of Virginia Beach General has seen my lady bits.

Ok, here is some REAL news!!!! I went on my first post-Rev date! It really wasn’t a date so much, but me and this gentleman hung out at my house watching “Weeds” (which is my new FAVORITE show!!!!). Let me give you the stats. Of course you know anytime there is a beauty shop, there is usually a barber shop in close proximity. Well, I met him when he came by the beauty shop to talk to my mentor about taking the state boards. When I say he looked good….he looked GOOD!!!! There are three things that I look at when I first look at a man: 1) Is the haircut tight, and is the beard, if there is one trimmed? He’s a barber so of course they are 2) Is he smelling good? He had on Diesel for Men 3) Pretty teeth. They were white and straight. We had a long talk about him getting his license some techniques that he had to learn in order to get it. So after a few visit between the beauty and barber shop, we decided to get together outside of “work”. Well, after a lot of hits and misses and busy schedules we finally got together on Saturday night. We drank Heinekens and after watching the show, we listened to the radio and talked to one another about music and the way we grew up. It was an enjoyable evening. We are going to do it again this Saturday, but it will be complete with crab legs. I can’t wait. Be Blessed.

Minor Irritations.......

2008-05-01T13:31:00.001-04:00

Why would you call and ask for a phone number and then tell me to wait, so you can “get a pen”. Did you not know that you needed one before you called?

If you cannot get an answer (meaning no one picks up) in a COMPLETELY different department, why would you continue to call my department just to tell me that they are not answering? That is no different than me calling the Men’s Department in Sears and asking the questions about the sale on Women’s clothes at JC Penney’s.

It is a sad shame that the National Day of Prayer only garnered a few people outside of City Hall at 12. I bet if some tragedy struck up in this piece, the first thing folks in this office would be calling for is prayer.

Rev. Wright…..enough said. You all know how I am feeling about Ministers these days (just playing), but really, I think he is going a little far….some people like fame.

The lack of decent television. I stopped watching TV after The Wire went off the air. Netflix represent!!!!!

My child acting the plum fool exactly one day after her father and I spent all evening putting our heads together on how we were going to afford her tuition and registration fee.

My co-worker all in my cubicle….I have covered this in another post, but I really need her to stop before I have a meltdown and tell her how I really feel.

The same co-worker feels the need to “la-la, la-la” along to the elevator music being played in the office……think of the movie Babe.

That is all….I love blogging….it gives me a release!

The Summer is Coming!!!!!!

2008-05-01T09:56:00.002-04:00

Ahhhhh summer is upon us. Reading Miss Stace’s blog, it got me thinking about what I was going to about my summer wardrobe. This year I am really trying to get my grown and sexy on (this is the MOST overused phrase known to man, but I couldn’t find another phrase to describe what direction I am going in). I do however, know what direction I am going in with Miss Beasley. Old Navy all the way. I love the way the clothes fit on her. She is tall but she has a small waist and the jeans and shorts at Old Navy always fit her perfect.

All is well in Miss Page’s life. Last night I was supposed to go to bible study, but I had to lay down some discipline on Miss Beasley and by that time I did not feel like going. So, I had bible study at home and I found some good stuff in the 3rd and 4th chapters of Hebrews. It was very calming.

Things at the beauty shop are a little rough right now. Yes, local hairdressers are suffering because of the high cost of hair weave. It sounds ridiculous when you first hear it, but I have notices the cost of hair weave going up, up, up. We are talking in the 40-50 dollars a pack range and you need about two packs just to get a good sew-in. Never mind the fact you have to pay the stylist another 80-150 dollars to put it in. I personally an hurting financially from this. The stylist that I assist used to do about 10-12 weaves a week and we had a system where she would braid the client up(yeah, I am a black girl that can’t cornrow) and then I would weave them up. I would yield about 50 per person from that. Well, I believe we are down to maybe 5 a week. Most of the people coming in are holding on to the hair they have and just having me tack up any loose tracks. There is no money in that. I am supposed to go to the shop tonight but I am starting to wonder if there is any point to it. Last Thursday I walked away with 5 whole dollars…..yeah.

As I sit here at work I am plagued by the fact that I REALLY want a grape Nantucket Nectar, but I think that drink is like 3 points on Weight Watchers and I am saving all my love for dinner tonight (steak!) , I will press on sipping water. Be Blessed!

There's Always One......

2008-04-24T09:46:00.000-04:00

There is always one person who is going to be bound and determined to work your nerve at your job. I have been working in this department for two months, and I have discovered the co-worker that has just worked my nerves. Let’s just go down the list. First of all, she feels it is her civic duty to tell me what to do and when to do it. Last time I checked she was NOT my supervisor. She is always on my desk telling me to straighten it up and the FINAL straw for me was this morning she looks over at my area and says, “You need to move those boxes, management really cringes on that.” So I turned to her and said, “Where am I moving them to?” The boxes had envelopes in them that I use to put tax bills in. I should have just put them on the roof. The second most annoying thing is her repeated practice of getting all in my cubicle when I am helping a taxpayer. If I need your help, I will ask. You are just in the next cubicle. I am capable of leaning over and asking. Jeez, let me exercise my problem solving abilities. What I really think this boils down to is she in under the impression that I have no idea what I am doing. Which leads me to my revelation for today: I need to get my degree. No, really. It is time. I have a plan. I am praying that it works. If it does, by July I will have my tail back in school full time. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.

Rev came by last night. Yeah. He wanted to get his soap. WTF?!?!? I don’t know what he is doing but is seems he is systematically moving out little by little. First a bar of soap, tomorrow one t-shirt. This is ridiculous.

Why is it when you are single, all the man candy of the world shows up? My God, I have seen some fine, fine, fine men this past month. But, the difference is this time around I am looking for quality over quantity. I am in the process of making a VERY detailed list of what I want in a man, and I plan to stick to it. I will not settle in ’08! Be Blessed

Pressing Issues......

2008-04-23T16:27:00.002-04:00

This weekend was very interesting.

True to form, when I got home on Friday I began the daunting task of taking out my sew- in. After scrubbing my scalp like a maniac and deep conditioning with a mixture of coconut milk and honey, my hair was like butter and IT HAS GROWN!!!!! When I got my first sew-in in February, my hair was mid neck….it now sits on the lower part of my neck. So, what do I do Saturday when I get to work at the shop????? Devise a master plan to press it (raise your hand if you can see where this is going). So, I blow dried it with the Conair Yellowbird ( I LOVE THIS DRYER….on other people’s heads…) then I pressed it using the CHI iron and Dudley’s Crème Press. Oh honey, it was long, thick, and blowing in the wind. Fast forward to Monday. It was raining and my hair looked a mess about 5 minutes after I stepped out the door. So, when I got home I got in the shower and washed my hair…..when I got out……I almost fainted…..why? A piece of my hair had lost some of its curl. I wanted to cry…..but I pressed on and braided up my damp hair and this morning? FIERCE BRAID OUT!!!!! I love and missed my natural hair, so for the duration, I will not be doing ANYTHING to alter the state of my hair.

Saturday, I went to work early at the shop and then I went home and made some steamed crab legs and had a “beverage” then I called it an early night because I had to go to church in the morning.

Sunday, I got up early, got dressed and went to church with my mom and Miss Beasley. Yeah, I am gonna need a new church home. I would get into all of the drama of “The Branch” but I am just going to leave that alone. When I got home, I threw down in the kitchen (I am trying to bring Sunday dinner back). I made a baked whole chicken, black-eyed peas with okra; cornbread and drum roll…….collards! I added the drum roll because I have never cooked greens before and I was afraid I was going to mess them up, but I did alright. I am slowly building my cooking skills and adding little recipes to my repertoire. I think I may try a banana pudding this Sunday. We’ll see.

On a serious note, I have been trying to find my mode again. Since the whole purpose of this blog is to celebrate my emancipation (singleness) I am going to share some new things going on. First and foremost, I joined Weight Watcher at Work. I am excited to be back on the WW wagon and this time I hope to make PERMENANT changes in regards to my eating habits. The next thing is I have started hitting the gym at least three days a week. I just put some good music on my MP3 and I am starting out gradually. Each day I do 30 minutes on the elliptical machine followed by 30 minutes of targeted weight training and 30 minutes on the treadmill. This whole thing isn’t about losing weight it is just about feeling better and not sitting in the house watching Judge Joe Brown. The next upgrade is to my spiritual life. I am not going to get into all the details here, but let’s just say after the dissolution of my engagement, I backslid….and last night I prayed that God would reach way down and wrap me up. This morning when I woke up I felt new and engergized. And for the first time in a month, I felt peace and joy. My advice, don’t EVER lose your joy and peace. For a few weeks, I could not get happy about anything. And I discovered why. I had lost my joy that I have in Christ. I NEEDED the Holy Spirit like nobody’s business! And I got it! So I refuse to be depressed, sad, lonely, etc. because I am a child of God! Be Blessed!

I Miss My Hair.....

2008-04-18T15:17:00.001-04:00

Ok, so it is time for the sew in to go. I miss my hair. Rather, I miss the simplicity of my hair. For the first time last night I missed getting in the shower, scrubbing my scalp and braiding my hair up in little braids and brushing it out in the morning with my Denman. My sew in is beautiful, but I just can’t take it anymore….plus I am anxious to see how long my hair has grown since it has been hidden since February. So tonight after my mom gets Miss Beasley, I am going to take out my sew in. In commeration of this event, I bought some Cream of Nature Moisturizing shampoo. I am going to do the deep conditioning of the century with coconut milk and honey.

Today I went to lunch with my co-workers. It was nice, but that walk through Downtown Norfolk was crazy hot. Yes, it is 80 degrees here today. I ain’t complaining…..I hate cold weather. When I retire, I will be retiring to Florida where it is warm. On this pilgrimage to Tropical Smoothie Café, we came across McArthur Park, which may be my new hangout when I want to have lunch in the park.

This weekend I don’t have much planned….just a date with my hair. I am supposed to go to a party on Saturday. My best friend’s boyfriend is throwing a party for his friend who is “coming home” (from jail). I dunno. Last time I went to one of these coming-home-from-jail soirees, I ended up falling down drunk. That was the whole mood of the party. It felt extra high school…so maybe I won’t be in attendance. Be Blessed!

Fast Times at City Hall

2008-04-17T11:09:00.001-04:00

As you all may or may not know, I work for the City Treasurer’s office. We handle the personal property taxes for vehicles and real estate for the city. Lately, I have just had an issue with the public…..

Please stop calling me and telling me that you want penalties waived because you just “threw the bill way because you thought it was junk mail”….that is not my fault

If I am on the phone in my office…..dear title searchers…..do not just make yourself at home loitering around until I get off the phone. I don’t know how most people operate, but I want my tax business on the low……

The city is not and will not be issuing the rebate checks…..I don’t care what your hairdresser told you

Everyone’s tax situation is not the same…..just because your stickgirl got a tax bill last week does not mean the tax due date has changed….depending on when you purchase a vehicle, you may get a tax bill at a different time of year.

I just had to get that off my chest because the good people of this city are driving me a little crazy.

Everything in my cozy life is going ok. Miss Beasley is going to my mom’s house on Friday night, so I will be baby free this weekend. I don’t really plan on doing much. I have decided not to go on the aforementioned date. Why, you ask? Because I don’t think I am ready to jump back in the whole dating realm. Let me re-phrase that…..I am reveling in my “singleness”. I have been in a relationship for about 2 years and now I am getting a chance to see what it is like to be single and loving it! In the past I used to abhor anytime that I was single. That would lead to the great “any man will do” search. But this time around I am just going to fall back and just let the perfect man fall in my lap. But for right now, I am enjoying being single.

The Weekend is Work.......

2008-04-14T12:58:00.001-04:00

Well, I started my weekend early. I ended up picking Miss Beasley up early on Thursday and she didn’t go to school on Friday. So we ended up going to Garden Ridge Friday and getting the car washed. I worked a little bit at the salon Friday, didn’t really make all that much.

So I am sure we are all holding our breath in anticipation for the date night story. Sorry winners….there was no date night due to Miss Beasley being ill. We will try again this Saturday. But there was some shopping. I have not been to Marshall’s in a LONG time and I decided to go on Saturday evening. I found the cutest drop waist dress and fierce black suede peep toe pumps to go with it. Total cost….60 dollars. I just have to find somewhere to wear it.

I think I need to decide what I am going to do about working at the shop. I think it is time to hang it up, or at least decrease my hours. First of all, I don’t feel like I am spending enough time with Miss Beasley, hence that may be the reason for her bad behavior in school and second….money isn’t everything. Hell, money isn’t even real according to the movie “Blow”. What I mean is, I have fell into that trap of worshipping the almighty dollar…..and I just had a revelation this weekend that some things are more important than money. So, I am going to limit my time to every other Saturday and during the week ONLY if I can find someone to watch Miss Beasley. Another rule is I will only work on Thursday and Friday during the week. Monday through Wednesday is my time. The weather is getting nice and I want to enjoy it.

I finally got around to phase one of decorating my apartment done. On Friday, Gabby and I went to Garden Ridge and picked out some pictures and got new pillows for the couch. I did not know that I could get pillows at Garden Ridge. Usually I am rushing around, when I go there so I never have time to look around. I also bought some reed diffusers to go in each room. The pictures and the pillows made a BIG difference.

Sunday, I decided to cook some ribs in my slow cooker and they turned out wonderful. I love my slow cooker because it saves me the trouble of standing over the stove, which I hate. I also tried to make a cake, but that just fell to pieces. I tried to get all innovative and make a strawberry banana cake and ended up with something that resembled spiced ham wrapped in a thin layer of cake…..gross….so, I am scouring the internet trying to find a good cake recipe so I can make a cake sometime this week. Be Blessed!

Sick Kids and Date Night.......

2008-04-10T08:47:00.000-04:00

Miss Beasley is sick ya’ll…….I think it is strep…..and I did the worst thing in motherhood history……I sent her to school….hopped up on Motrin. I am going to ride it out until lunch and then I have got to get my child. I could tell she was miserable this morning, but I felt like my job needed me more…..being a single mother sucks……

So, I am supposed to be going on a date Friday (Miss Beasley’s health pending) and I am nervous as hell. What do I wear?!?! We are supposed to be having dinner and drinks at……..drum roll please…….SMOKEY BONES!!!!! I know it is probably not some folk’s idea of a date place, but I love ribs, it’s up the street from my house, and I wanted to be in a comfortable environment. I am sure your next question is, “Who’s the date?” Well, I was asked out by friend’s brother-in-law. He is 35, no kids, and works for a commercial HVAC company. I am not getting my hopes up or anything because I am just dating…..not really looking for anything serious.

So it is Busch Gardens season in my house…..I think me and Miss Beasley will be heading there this weekend provided the weather doesn’t act up. Be Blessed!

2008-04-09T10:42:00.001-04:00

Arrrrghhh…..last night was a difficult night. As my “woulda been” wedding date approaches, I get a little down. I think it was the wedding of Jay and Bee that just threw me over the edge…lol. But I am OK. I didn’t feel like cooking, so I just ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut and Miss Beasley and I just chowed down on that.

I am worried about Miss Beasley. She is not doing her work in school, and it is starting to show. She is only 4 and I really did not think I would be having this issue with her this early. Her inattentiveness in class is showing. I was going over sight words with her and she just kept staring off into space and trying to make me laugh. Ain’t nothing funny about illiteracy. So, to get her back on track, I have instituted a no TV rule. I am not completely cruel; she can watch TV on the weekends, but on a school night, no TV. Since I usually have to take her to the beauty shop with me after work, I have started packing a variety of workbooks (the Hooked on Phonics ones ROCK!) that she will be working on while I am working. I am an AVID reader, and I want her to love reading too. So lets just all cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Since I love my part-time job so much, my goal is to get into it full time. I was sitting around thinking the other day, that since I work for the city, I could be let go at anytime. This is a finance and election based position. The Treasurer is an elected official and his term is up in 2009. I keep hearing rumors of everyone being let go when a new Treasurer is elected. So to say I am nervous it putting it mildly. So, I have decided to get my cosmetology license so I will have something to fall back on.

I know in my previous post I said I was not entering the dating world for another 14 years, but as my luck would have it, I was asked out on a date by a nice gentleman, who will be known as J. We will see where this goes. You just KNOW I have to write about it here. Be Blessed!

Randon Thoughts

2008-04-08T15:20:00.000-04:00

I am really digging that song with Rick Ross and T-Pain

Blue Bunny Vanilla Ice Cream—I love the container, and some how the ice cream really stays soft. I will never buy another brand as long as I live….

Captain Morgan’s Coolers is my new favorite after work drink—it creates a nice little buzz…..
I love watching Cinderella with Miss Beasley. *singing* A dream is a wish….your heart makes….when you’re fast asleep…..

I am wrong for having a wedding supply garage sale a la “Waiting to Exhale”

I am in love with Smokey Bones restaurant.......

God is Good…..I just got this job in February and this month the city instituted a six month hiring freeze.

This getting paid semi-monthly is kicking my tail

I want to throw my first grown up dinner party…..

Reading X’s blog has inspired me to start saving for a cruise

I hope it rains Saturday….as that will be all the affirmation I need that Rev and I were never supposed to get married.

I will be mad as hell if it is nice outside.

I need that MJ that is on Stace’s page STAT!

I think I have become addicted to ringtones….I have the phone bill to prove it.

Why are ringtones that important….I are realize that I have more ringtones than people to assign them to….

The Questions.....

2008-04-08T14:43:00.001-04:00

Alright! I am back winners…..just giving everyone to suck up the shocking news....I digress….

I guess the big question has been what has been up with Victoria Page? Well, when I last posted, I was on the hunt for a more fulfilling and adult job….and I found it. I am working in the tax department in the City Treasurers office in Norfolk. It’s a nice job, the pay is good and the benefits kick ass.

The next big question is if I am dating again. Uh, no. I think I would like to take this time to just enjoy being single. I am going to flirt till I pass out and give out fake phone numbers until I can’t do it anymore. This is a time for enjoyment. Well, you know all of this singleness comes with some rules. First rule is I will be instituting the three month rule. If you have ever watched Girlfriends you know what that is….lol. The second rule or rather, new habit to take up is, I HAVE TO GET BACK IN THE GYM!!!!!!! Starting next Monday, I will be rejoining my gym and going every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night! I have about 20 pounds or so that need to be gone. I have already gotten my eating habits together in preparation.

Right now, I would probably call this time in my life the Emancipation of Vicky. There are about to be a lot of changes. For a while I have been struggling with what will become of my hair. For the last two months I have been wearing a variety of sew in weaves. I started out with a curly one and then I got all nostalgic for my straight hair and got one of those (by the way…..if you every buy any human hair, Model Model Dream weaver is the way to go!) and now, I am wondering what to do with my hair when it is time for the sew in to go (I am starting to miss scrubbing my scalp with reckless abandon). I think I may go back to the ‘fro for the summer. I just can’t wait to see how much my hair has grown…..which reminds me that my Big Chop anniversary is coming up on April 20th. I think that will be the day I take the sew-in out. Be Blessed!

I Was "This" Close......

2008-04-07T15:00:00.002-04:00

To getting married...that is.....March 2, 2008 Rev decided he didn't want to get married. Yes, you read that right. Invites were sent....dress had been altered...payments made....and he dropped it on my at 10:38 that night. He said he just could'nt do "this" anymore. I am sure the first question is "Why are you not in jail?" I have one answer: Jesus. I had to plead his blood to keep me from killing that man or myself. So.....I am.....

BACK AND SINGLE BABY!!!!!!!

After spending about two weeks crying into my Blue Bunny Vanilla Ice Cream, and watching Waiting to Exhale 50 million times, I decided I would focus on the good in my life. So.....this blog is about to get extra exciting.......venture with me into the Single Life!

Like You'll Never See Me Again....

2008-02-10T03:02:00.000-05:00

Well, we have finally moved into our place. Moving day went off without a hitch which is always good. Tonight Rev's son is staying with us. Look at the time at the post....go ahead, I'll wait......yup, I have been kicked out of my bed by a 4 year old. I totally understand his attachment to Rev, but in a marriage there has to be a line drawn in the sand. Is this how it's going to be for the rest of our lives? Every Saturday and Sunday night I am sleeping on the couch because his son refuses to sleep without his dad? How do you argue that? What do you say to that without coming off as selfish and heartless? I don't mean to be crass, but I am a woman, I have needs. Sometimes after a long stressful day, I want to just cuddle up with Rev and have "grown-up time". Don't get me wrong, I love children, I have one myself, and I am fully aware of their needs and their emotions, but at the same time, I have raised Miss Beasley to know that after a certain hour in the night we part ways so mommy can decompress from the day I have had, and it is time for the little people to hit the hay. And maybe that is because I was the textbook parent. When Miss Beasley was an infant, I didn't let her sleep with me because I wanted her to ultimately sleep by herself. That is the goal isn't it? I guess my parenting strategy has been to raise your children so that they can survive in this world on their own. I never wanted Miss Beasley to be overly attached to me. Some parents eat that stuff up. I never did because I know that children are just on loan to us. One day Miss Beasley will grow up and have her own dreams and ambitions that will have nothing to do with me. Not saying that she will forget about me and denounce me as her mother (though, that is known to happen), I am just saying that she will one day grow up and have her own life. You know what? That is alright with me because it says I did my job. Sooooooo....enough about that.

To bring in extra money to fund the wedding and the new-found rent expense, I have taken a second job as a stylist assistant (fancy way of saying "shampoo girl") to bring in extra money. I work for tips and it feels nice bringing home a little money each night. Saturdays are the best days. I have observed that beauty shops have a culture of their own. First off, if I hear the following songs one more time, I may just kill myself: Keyshia Coles, "Sad and Lonely", "Please Don't Go by Tank, "Like You'll Never See Me Again" by Alicia Keyes and that Justin Timberlake and Beyonce song. Don't get me wrong I loved these song.....until I heard it 50 million times in one Saturday morning on 95.7. I also noticed that every beauty shop has the following: a man selling oils, or a man selling clothes, pocketbooks,etc. I love it though because it would'nt be a beauty shop without it. Where else can you get a doobie wrap and a Juicy Couture handbag (which may or may not be real......but who really cares about that?) all in the same place?

The wedding is chugging along. I got fitted for my wedding dress last Saturday. Good Lord those alterations cost an arm and a leg. But from what I am told, I got away cheap because some alterations can cost up in $500 range. But usually for that price you are getting a fancy bustle or something else on the dress that is difficult to do. Can you believe I bought my wedding shoes at Tarjay? At first I had all these delusions of grandeur, and set the budget for my shoes to be $50-$80 and I wanted to wear a stilleto. Well, as time has marched on, uh, I decided I just want to be comfortable. So I ended up going with a simple low heeled strappy shoe. Hell, my dress is so long you can't see them, and I doubt anyone is going to be asking to see my shoes all day. This week is the week Rev and I mail out our invitations. It will be interested in the responses that we will get. I am actually looking for a small turnout to the reception because it is almost $18 per person for us to feed our guest and ourselves. Would it be tacky to charge a cover? I kid,I kid...maybe not...lol. Well, I am going to get back to the couch to watch season two of The Wire. Just living my dreams of seeing it on HBO until the cable man comes. Be Blessed!

What Part of The Game Is That?!?!?!

2008-02-04T20:21:00.000-05:00

Hey Winners! Things are looking up and up on the wedding front. I have 8 bridesmaids officially. Not too bad seeing that we started with nine. I wish I would have heeded Stace's advice of having a small wedding party. No really. It has been hard as hell trying to hand hold 9 grown women. So, now that is over, I was able to move on the business of having my dress altered. First of all let me just say this. If you are ever getting married: DON'T USE DAVID'S BRIDAL!!!!!!! They are the most dense group of people on this earth. When I made my appointment for my alterations they hammered into my head 50 million times that I MUST bring my own slip, bra, and shoes. That phrase was etched in my mind as I purchased a 50 dollar long line bra. Guess what the first question the seamstress asked me when I got there? If she could get me a bra or a slip. I could have beat her tail on the spot. Why did t go throught all the business of telling me I HAD TO have my own bra and slip. And you know what the real rub was? I didn't even need a bra because all she had to do was sew bra cups in my dress. Voila! Bra in a dress. Pissed? I was. So needless to say my dress will be ready on March 5th.

Work has been going OK. So OK that I am in hot pursuit of another job. To put it plainly, my job is depressing. If you didn't know I work in the Radiation Oncology unit in a hospital. I will say it once and I will say it again, I would not wish cancer on my worst enemy. I have seen that disease, cripple the strongest of the strong, and it has officially become too much for me to bear. I had an interview this morning at the City Treasurers office. I hope it went well. The lady who interviewed me is a "Carolina Girl" too. We were both in agreeance that the North Carolina fair in Raleigh is the BEST!

Friday is the day that I move out of my parents house. I have wanted this for a LONG time. Four years to be exact. I bought a used dinette set that is the business! All for 80 dollars. It was in primo condition. Well, I have to go and bathe Miss Beasley, because it is time for her to hit the hay! Be Blessed!

P.S. I will be back with some product reviews because I have found some things that every girl should own!!!!!

Brain Dump....

2008-01-19T18:15:00.000-05:00

It has been one of those weeks again winners. It started on Thursday when I got an email from one of my bridesmaids, informing me that she has had ZERO interest in organizing my shower from the other bridesmaids. Including my sister. And my best friend. She said they haven't even responded. All they care about is the bachelorette party(oh, I am going to get to that in a second). Weaze, had this great idea to make it Alice in Wonderland themed(one of my FAVORITE childhood stories) and the shower was going to be based around the Mad Hatter's tea party. Picture it: Little cupcakes with eat me, different flavor teas, tea cakes, finger sandwiches, mis-matched tea cups, the works! But she can't get it off the ground because the other bridesmaids are like, "Yeah, whatever." This just pissed me off! Rev's family, I could understand, but my sister and my best friend? Not so much. Then I decided to probe a little further and ask Weaze about the bachelorette party. She said they haven't gotten that off the ground either. The most she could tell me was there was a rumor about pole dancing classes and a hotel room. I know what it is. Add Bride, Liquor and stir. I wanted my party to at least have a theme. Namely one centered around Kanye West because he and I are getting married on the same day. I wanted the bachelorette party to have a theme of Touch the Sky/Drive Slow. The theme of the receptions is going to be Diamonds Are Forever. But all those two can think of is themselves so I guess the theme is Get Krunked Up. *sigh*
Today was my first dentist appointment in YEARS where I had no new cavities! Hooray for oral hygiene! Shoot, I wanted one of those Cavity Free stickers they give the kids. Shoot, I earned it. I have the 80 dollar Waterpik to prove it. Miss Beasley was supposed to get her teeth cleaned today, but I can sum that up in a few words. Bitewings, threw them out of her mouth, referred to a pediatric dentist, nitrous oxide. So, I have to take to a dentist where they can sedate her to get her teeth cleaned. Sheesh! Speaking of teeth my Bonus-Son Jay-Jay lost his first tooth. Right down in front. The one next to it is loose too. He is only four and I was wondering if it was too early for him to be loosing teeth. I guess not since these days the average age for beginning menstruation is 9.
Did I mention Rev and I were moving. Yeah, in three weeks. Ask me if I have packed anything. Nope. I am last minute to the bone. I will probably start this week. There is not much for me to move. Just books and clothes. I am sooooooooo happy I will not have to make that hour drive every morning. My bank account and my car are too. The apartment complex is right across from Miss Beasley's school and her dance school is around the corner. I have tons of decorating ideas. I will also have my very own first ever in house laundry room! It felt dayum good to read an article on organizing an laundry room----and it was news I could use. I am getting ready to browse Tar-Jay and see what they have in the way of closet organization because the new place comes with a---wait for it---WALK IN CLOSET!!!!!! I did not care about any thing else when I saw that! To say my closet at my parent's house is small, is an understatement. I was also sold when I saw the pantry and the pass through window in the kitchen. Well I am off to Tar-Jay.com where all my dreams can come true. Be Blessed!

Thank God I am Getting Married!!!!!

2008-01-13T19:06:00.001-05:00

Yeah, because I discovered last night that the dating world sucks harder than when I was last out there. The pickin's are slim, slim, slim.

Last night, me and a group of friends went to this new club called Encore in Virginia Beach. Now, mind you, I have not been to a club in about 2 years. So to say the least I was just happy to get out the house. Going to Encore made me realize two things: 1) I am getting older 2) Going to the club for us now just means and opportunity to take pics for your myspace or facebook page. The first point I realized when I stepped in the club. There were just too many hard wraps and outfits from Rainbow. And then of course you know there always has to be a broad that is almost damn near half naked that needs to get some attention. The second point I realized, because that is really all we did while we were there. And all night. Now, on to why I am happy I am getting married. I had about 50* guys try to come and talk to me with some of the most lame lines I have ever heard. And every single time I would just reply , " I am getting married in April. It was a good time though, and I enjoyed getting out with the girls! Be Blessed!

I'm Baaaaaackkkkkk!!!!!!!

2008-01-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

Oh Lord, I have not blogged in a month of Sundays. I will try to keep the updates short and sweet. Pay attention cuz it's gonna go kinda fast.....

Rev and I are STILL getting married!!!! April 12, 2008 at 4pm is the date and time. I am crazy happy and excited and all that right now!
I lost 5 pounds!!!! Right before dress fitting time!
I am still in the crazy choir but my last day will be when I get married. They will probably throw a party when I leave.
Shouts out to Jersey for keeping my blog warm!
My bridesmaids are acting the fool right now(well all except 3 of them)

So pretty much I have been busy with random stuff happening to me. Um, last week I had pnuemonia. Then today I discovered that I had a piece of plastic wedged in my pupil(VERY painful). The opthomolgist was super nice and she reccomened these contacts to me that you can throw away each day. I was looking at her like, "Thanks, but even if they are daily wear I will STILL wear them past the time I am supposed to". Yeah I know myself REALLY well. I am either really cheap or I am hell bent on being blind(I DID watch "Dancer in the Dark" 50 million times).
Wedding planning sucks. I could bore you with the crazy things that have gone down, but It is best summed up in a few words: New reception site, scaled down flowers, 6 bridesmaids without dresses, 200 dollar alterations, mystery bridal shower/bachelorette party. Now about the bachelorette party: My little sister is organizing this and I have not been asked any questions about what I want. I know how my sister can be. We will end up in an Econo Lodge, drinking Thunderbird out of those unbiquitous "Red Cups" watching "Ashy Larry" shake it for a couple of dollars. I just want to have fun! I am bothered by them having it on the Thursday before my wedding. I will work around it.
Rev and I are doing good. We hit some rough spots but we survived. I think it was just growing pains of our relationship. We are moving into our first place together on Febuary 8th. I am excited. Don't worry Winners, I will have internet AND a computer at the new place(yeah, We Comin' UP!) Well, that is all for now, and I will not be this lengthy in between post!

A Long Time Coming......

2007-09-27T22:15:00.000-04:00

I have not posted in a long time. I have been on wedding detail. This is going to go kind of fast, so keep up!

Last week I was feeling TOO depressed about the lack of assistance I was getting from my bridesmaids and from Rev. So on Friday I was in the most depressed mood ever. No one had ordered their dresses, Rev would not communicating wedding plans with his family, and I got another caterer. It was just too much going on. So, by Friday, I just resolved to myself that the bride would stand alone, and I would just get done what I could. When I got home from work, I put on a movie for Miss Beasley (Curious George for the 50-11th time) and went down to the room over the garage to start painting the letters for my cake table. So, as I am painting I hear my little sisters voice say, "I thought I would come home early." I was too happy to see her. She said she wanted to surprise me by coming home so she could go to the bridesmaid meeting too. We ended up going to the revival at my church and going out to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays. The next morning we got up and took Miss Beasley to her first day at dance class. After that we headed over to David's Bridal and met with 3 of the other bridesmaids. At this point you are probably wondering where the other 5 bridesmaids were. One is a hairdresser, so you know she wasn't going to be able to make it, one lives in GA, one was MIA(later discovered she was in the hospital, she is my pregnant bridesmaid--due on April 15, the wedding is on the 12th) and two of them were out of town. So, when we got to David's it was quiet. This picture best reflects the calm before the storm.
Once everyone got their choices going, hilarity ensued. When looking at these pictures think of all the dresses in clover (or AKA green as my sister called it)

My Bridesmaid Stephanie

My sister Kim(Doesn't she look fabulous?)

Kim ensuring us that we can strike a jail pose in the dress

This one looks good!

When it all comes down to it, it is about the shoes.

Miss Beasley in her dress

Kim was not happy with this one!

My mom hitting her Diane Carroll/Willona Woods pose!

Marschetta trying on a dress.....yes those are slippers

Weaze trying on a dress

When it was all said and done, I left with 4 bridesmaid dresses ordered and paid for and my mom got her dress too! I don't have any pictures of her in it, but I will try to take one of it on the hanger. It's gorgeous. Rev and I took engagement photos a while back and those came in. I will put those in the next post. Be Blessed!

Oh the Humanity of it All!!!!!

2007-09-08T13:41:00.000-04:00

I just realized something as I sat here at Rev's house: I don't post as much as I should. This is definitely a time in my life that was meant for journalizing and I need to do it. So much has been going on it is hard to even know where to start.

I recently got a second job at Farm Fresh(I know, I am super crazy) to help with my wedding and living expenses. Trust and believe this is not a long term deal. I am going to work there until December, then I am out. I really am doing this so I can give my daughter a bomb Christmas and birthday(her b-day is 12/14). So far I like working at Farm Fresh. It's cool. It's just a little horrifying working with people who were born in the 90's. These children(yes, that is what they are to me) have no concept of the 80's whatsoever. It makes me feel older than old when they ask me questions like, "So, what high school do you go to?". All I can do is say, "Child please, I have had that season and I wish not to return." But it is cool though, none of the pressures of my other job. Just scan the groceries and don't come up short. I can do that.

Today Rev and I took our engagement pictures. It was perfect!!!! The weather was just right and City Center and we looked sharp. I did my own eye makeup!!!!!!!!! It looked great. I bought some ALMAY makeup because they had do it yourself instructions on how to apply the makeup. The only snag in the day was I was late to Rev's house and then we get in the car and get on the road and I remember that I have on flip flops and I left my bad ass heels in the trunk of the car. So all pictures of us are knee cap up. I can't wait to see the pics.

I bought my first First Lady ensemble(hat and suit). Them things are expensive as hell. So I did what most First Ladies do(psst this is a secret) I put it on layaway. I will get it out this Friday so I can wear it to either a) the fall revival b) Rev's preaching engagement on the 5Th Sunday. All I need now is some pink shoes.

Friday I had to cuss somebody out at David's Bridal. Let me just preface all this by saying customer service is dead. I called them to ask about their layaway policy on behalf of one of my bridesmaids. She wanted to know if she could put a dress on layaway that had to be ordered(meaning the color,size, and style aren't in the store). So I called up 30 minutes after they opened and this is what I got:

Lynn: Thank you for calling David's Bridal, how can I help you?

Me: Hi I just wanted to know if you can put a dress on layaway that needs to be ordered?

Lynn: No, you would have to spend 150 dollars and the dress would need to be in stock

Me: Oh OK, would it possible for you to check for me and see if you have this dress in stock so I can let my bridesmaid know?

Lynn: (agitated) Um, we are REALLY slammed with customer right now, all the phone lines are tied up and I really can't help you. Can you just have your bridesmaid call me back in 30 minutes?

Me: Let me speak to the manager.

Lynn: She is busy I can take a message and have her call you back.

See, there are few things that ticked me off about this exchange. I am a customer, I don't care that you are busy, that is not my problem. Matter of fact, I should have NEVER been informed of that. A simple, "I am assisting another customer right now, if you can just give me the style number and color I can check when I am finished. Is there a number I can reach you at?" I hated to be a bridezilla, but when the manager did call me back I politely told her what happened(wouldn't you know Lynn was SURE to tell her she tried to take a message---lies). I have a meeting with my bridesmaids at David's on the 22ND, and I am going to make a final decision on this shoe deal. I can't seem to make up my mind for the life of me. Be Blessed!

Wedding Mayhem......

2007-08-27T20:50:00.000-04:00

There's only about 6 months left.....yeah, feel the anticipation. I am in what I like to call bridal mayhem. I have decided to complicate this by doing what? Getting a second job. Yeah, get there. *sigh* I am starting to find myself overwhelmed by some of my planning, but I am too much of a perfectionist to let my coordinator completely take the wheel. Tonight I tried to make favor tags and by the third sheet, I just stopped. Shoot, I am tired y'all. Rev and I are getting our engagement photos taken next week. I am so excited. I am trying to figure out what to wear and the biggest thing--the makeup. Oh me and makeup have a bad history. I have never been one who always knew how to apply makeup. Oh I wear the basics, mascara, eyeliner, and lipgloss, but when we start getting into eyeshadow and foundations, it's a mess. I am going to have a MAC consultation this weekend so I can get my look together and maybe they can show me how to use eyeshadow responsibly. The photo shoot location is the business. Its City Center at Oyster Point in Newport News. It's a perfect location. Only downside is we have to be there at 8am. Yeah I said it 8am. Which means I need to get up around 5 or 6 am. Great.....Be Blessed!

Chu'ch!!!!

2007-08-19T22:07:00.000-04:00

Today I had a good time at church. Some real miracles happened and I am now a FIRM believer that God puts everyone in your life for a reason. Just give Him some praise on that!

Well, in the spirit X's post on some things that get on her nerves at her job in relation to customers, after the week I have had....I need get somethings off my chest:

When your card doesn't scan the first time, don't go running it back and forth all rapid fire, WITH THE BARCODE ON THE WRONG SIDE, just ask for some assistance.
No, I will not change the TV so you can watch what you watch everyday at this time. There at least 10 other people in this waiting room.
Coffee is a courtesy. If you see I am busy, do not come in the midst of all my confusion and ask me to make coffee. I will get to it a an opportune time.
Every time you come for a follow up, we have to register you and that means we need to see your insurance cards. Stop asking like I have asked you for your first born child. Just because they made a copy of your cards in Outpatient surgery 6 months ago, doesn't mean that we have them in Radiation Oncology. This may sound strange, but the hospital has *gasp* different departments that have nothing to do with one another.
If you don't want to list your medications you are taking, fine with me. Just don't call me at the front desk all frantic when your medication is interacting with the new one your just got. And for the record, no we don't keep a list of the meds you are taking "in the computer" they are in your chart in case, I don't know....the computer crashes.

That felt good to get off my chest. In the past three weeks I have worked that front desk I have seen some of the nastiest human behavior known to man. People these days really have a sense of entitlement. Jesus help them! Be Blessed!

My Jumping Broom Is Here!

2007-08-13T22:07:00.000-04:00

Rev and I will be doing the traditional "jumping of the broom" at our wedding. Well, of course, I need my broom to be fly too. So , I linked up with this lady named Moe from Chocolate Brides(great resource!) and she made my jumping broom. Here are the pics:

It turned out beautiful. It took her less than two days to make and I should get it sometime this week. Next up: Monogrammed aisle runner!

Bridal Brigade,,,,,

2007-07-29T08:44:00.000-04:00

Me and my bridesmaids got together last night and we had a BALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Details when I return from chu'ch!

OK, well I have finally returned to give you all the 411 on my bridal brigade get together. First let me preface this by saying I had not really been out "with the girls" in 2 years. Yeah, get there. So of course I was crunk when we left the house just to go to Olive Garden. When we(me and my sister Kim) got there my best friend Stephanie was already there getting the seating arranged. The first thing we did when we sat down was ordered a pitcher of tropical sangria(keep up with the drankin in this story...it's important). Next my old co-worker Marschetta showed up and then it was just us. I was getting irritated, because I know I emailed 4 of my other bridesmaids(Rev's 2 sisters, Birdie, and Weaze) and they said they were coming. First I called Weaze, she is my Mike Jordan of all bridesmaids so I was a little surprised. She thought we were meeting at the Olive Garden in Virginia Beach, since we were going to Town Center. Uh, I swear all 50,000 of my emails said the one in Chesapeake in front of Greenbriar Mall. So she said she was going to try to get over to where we were. Then I called Birdie and she was having some husband drama so she could not come. Then I called Rev and he informed me his sister had to work and the younger one did not have a ride. So it was just the 4 of us working on our second pitcher of sangria until.....WEAZE SHOWS UP!!!! Of course by this time I'm mildly tipsy so I am all emotional that she drove across town instead of just meeting us at the Funny Bone. So then she presents me with a photo album. The album was put together and it told the story (in fairytale style) of how I picked my wedding dress. Weaze and my other Bridesmaids were there when I bought it and she was taking pictures. I never thought she would make an album. At the end of the album was this BEAUTIFUL letter written by Rev about how excited he is about our day and how much he loves me(I know, you can barf now...lol). Of course there were more tears. But alas it was time for the Brigade to move on to see John Witherspoon at the Funny Bone.

Marschetta, Kim, and Stephanie

Marschetta, Me, and Kim

Kim, Steph, Marschetta, and Weaze

So, we all hopped in our cars and went to the Funny Bone. We were the first people there. No lie. I hate lines so I wanted us to get there as soon as possible. Oh yeah, the rain met us there too.

Steph and Weaze watching the rain

We had 30 minutes to kill before the doors opened, so Weaze came up with a brilliant plan: Let's go have a drink at Bravo's downstairs! And we went.....and...drank....a lot....in 20 minutes time.

Me and Weaze started it off with a shot of Patron each
2 shots of Patron, Lemontini, Wine, Appletini, 2 shots of Southern Comfort and Lime

Look how happy we are after the dranks!

So we proceed to go the the show and we took turns standing in line while we each visited the bar. Steph and I both ordered Rubber Chickens(don't ask me what's in them I know that they are sweet like kool-aid and potent as all get out). So we get in the show, while we are waiting for it to start and for Weaze's man to show up, I start ordering myself another drink. And another, and another. By the time Weaze's man and our food got there I was drunk, drunk, drunk. But I was maintaining. Every once and a while I would say something random, but I was maintaining. Well, they played Al Green's "For the Good Times" and I lost it. I was eating a chicken finger at the time and according to my sister, I held it up and shrieked(I don't think I shrieked...she's dramatic..lol) THAT'S ME AND REV'S SONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it is, but I don't think all those people cared. So John Witherspoon came out, and he was OK. In the words of Stewie, "He did, good". The show let out at 10pm and we were all still ready to keep the party going. He walked our drunk behinds(oh, I was not the only one drankin) over to Guadalajara's. Guadalajara's is a resturant by day but a club by night. They serve the BEST margarita's period. So we get there and Steph knows this guy, who knows the owner and he is like drinks on the house for you all. Um, two words you never say to me....Open. Bar. Not a good combo. So I ordered a rum and coke, and anything after that is a blur. Steph and I went to the bathroom, then I know I came and sat down and parked it for the night on this pretty white couch.

Me and Steph....FADED

Kim, just tipsy and happy
Trae and WeazeThe End....

So, that was my night. I had the best time every and I got home at 12am. In enough time to still be rested for church in the morning. Yes, I was hungover, because I forgot from my party days that it is a good idea to take a Motrin or Tylenol before drinking to help with headache. Drinking more water helps too. If our night out was like this I can only imagine what the bachelorette party holds......

How Sweet Love Is....

2007-07-22T21:40:00.001-04:00

Today Rev and I celebrated our one year anniversary! Any man that can put up with Miss Page's antics, deserves a reward. In the spirit of all things Rev and Victoria, we went to the place we had our first date: Busch Gardens. Well, actually we decided to make our season passes really work for us and we went to Water Country first. Fun, Fun, Fun! I have never been a water park person since I almost drowned at Ocean Breeze 16 years ago. We rode on almost everything and just had a good time. It was like the first date again. We headed over to Busch Gardens around 3 and we ate ribs at the Smokehouse and we intended to get on the roller coasters, but we had been spoiled by the super short lines at Water Country. We got back in the car and went BACK to Water Country where we spent the rest of the day. I would like to take this time to say that I LOVE MY NATURAL HAIR!!!!!! At the park I noticed a lot of ladies with conditioning caps on doing all they could to not get their hair wet. I looked at them and sighed......I remember those days. "I have to work tomorrow, and I cannot be up all night doing my hair" or "I JUST got a perm". It felt good. You know what I realized today? I do not like the way a man's nipple looks. There were just hundreds of them today and they just looked.....I have no words. I was so nervous because this is the first time I have EVER worn a bikini bottom(oh, you know there was going to be no display of the "mommy tummy" in public). I felt like I was just running around in my draws and tank top. I felt too naked. I will be investing in some boy shorts pronto.
The IT hoes at work have blocked Blogger, so I can't blog at work(I know, I shouldn't be doing it anyway...lol). I was really upset about that. I wish I knew more about Internet security because you know I would be jerry-riggin some stuff up.
At the end of this month the real grind begins.....my co-worker is transferring to another hospital and me and my other co-worker are going to have to work twice as hard and then I am starting my second job. This is going to be a true test of my strength. Be Blessed!

Sometimes It Sneaks Up So Fast the Silence is Deafing....

2007-07-21T09:04:00.000-04:00

Oh what a week it has been. On Monday Rev went to Grandy, NC, to see about getting some custody arrangements so he can see his son on a regular basis. Before this, the child's mother would get mad and then she would withhold Jayden until she needed a sitter, then she would let him see him again. After the last time she did this, Rev decided that he was getting a formal custody agreement. Well, I guess she was upset about getting a formal custody arrangement that she then decided to take him in for child support. Now, anyone who knows me, knows I am a fierce believer in hauling someone down to DCSE IF they are not helping out financially. In Rev's case, he was. She was getting 250 a month from him and any extra if she happened to come up short in the course of the month. This heffa had the nerve to ask for child support ALL the way back from the time Jayden was born. I'm going to need her to stop smoking crack rocks. First of all Jayden's first year of life, he lived with Terrance, her included. All of the second year she was getting her 250. So what is it she wanted back???? To sum it all up the mediator did order Rev to back a back amount of $2,000(to be paid in 50 dollar increments that would be added to his child support each month) and he would have to pay 300 dollars a month in regular support. So basically 50 dollars more a month than he was paying before. This has put a SERIOUS wrench in our plans to move out so, you know I am on grind mode. God is good. He is always on time. On Tuesday morning I applied for a job at Farm Fresh, Tuesday afternoon, I got at call for an interview. Yesterday I went to my interview and got hired on the spot. I will be working Mon, Wed, Fri and on Saturdays and Sundays after 2pm. I like this arrangement because I can still participated in the choir and go to chu'ch. Plus, I worked for Farm Fresh 10 years ago so I am kinda familiar with the process. Rev had an interview at Dillard's, they are going to let him know something on Monday. He has also decided to go back to playing for his home church. When God blesses...he blesses. Now Rev and I can rest easy. Lynette has done her worst. There is nothing else she can do. And I end up laughing on that one. The only other thing she could do is show up to my wedding, but I believe Rev's family wouldn't let her make to the parking lot in one piece.
Due to all this anxiety that has infiltrated my life, I have began taking Xanax. I knew this was not going to be a good look when I googled it, and 90 percent of the sites were about how to get off the stuff. I also saw it on the list of drugs on that commercial that they run during Intervention(how I love that show!) Well, it helps with the anxiety, but the side effects leave something to be desired. It makes me damn near comatose. Two days ago, I left Miss Beasley in my Mom's room to watch Rataouille (yeah the bootleg) and I just laid down in my bed to watch Law and Order next thing I know it's 8pm and my mom is trying to wake me up. I cannot take this medicine and parent at the same time. I will be giving the doctor a call on Monday. Be Blessed!

Love is a Losing Game......

2007-07-12T13:21:00.000-04:00

Rev has decided to get a second job. Good for him, I guess. I don't know how I exactly feel about that. I am sitting here at my job bored as all get out. I went to the gym last night and I took a class called Resist-a-Ball. I have been waiting for months to take this class because it is always later in the evening and since I was getting off work earlier I was not going to stick around just for one class. I am a get-in-get-out of the gym kinda girl. Anywhoo, that class is NO JOKE! I was thinking it would be a little mamsy pamsy because it was just working with the ball, but I was dead wrong. My hips and abs are sore as all get out. That is a good thing because I don't really feel like I have worked out until I am so sore that I can't move. That let's me know I am working something. Tonight I am going to boogie down in this new Hip Hop Dance class. I can only imagine what it is going to be like. You know I am going to have a story to tell.
I talked to my sister last night. She broke up with her boyfriend....again. We will see how long this last. Honestly, I think this is the last time but, I thought it was the last time when she caught him with the girl from the Czech Republic. That's the funny thing about breaking up. How many times have we heard stories of what some man did, and responding how we would never put up with that and why is she still with him, but when the time comes and we are faced with the same situation we can't walk away that easy too? I know I always said I would NEVER stay with someone who was verbally abusive. I always thought you had to be SUPER STUPID to let yourself fall in to that trap. Well, whaddayaknow, I stayed with Ron Mexico for a year when it was clear that this brother liked to say what he wanted to me, when he wanted. But the flip side of that was I never really got in his ass for saying some of the stuff he said. I just sat there docile and timid, afraid to say anything because I was afraid of losing him and being lonely(ha!). I taught him how to treat me. So both of us shared equal blame, I should have had more of a backbone, and he shouldn't have talked to me the way he did.
A lot of Rev's friends say I am aggressive and I treat him like a child. I can be a little sassy sometimes, but I think that is just something that was built into me from the Ron Mexico era. Ron treated me so poorly that I made up my mind the next go round, I wasn't having it. I was going to run the ship and dayummit let the man swab the deck. This is my show! But I am learning that since I am getting ready to enter a marriage with this wonderful man, I have to let him be just that-- a man. I was listening to a radio ministry program last night, it was a husband and wife and the wife was talking about how she had move out of the "I" and get into the "we". Moving into the "we" was a big stress reliever for her when she was going through something, because she knew she wasn't alone. I just need to let my defenses down. I cannot live the rest of my life in a marriage where I constantly running defense. That is no way to live. I have been hanging around a lot of older married couples and I think that is ruining my perception a little bit. Most of them are angry at their husbands(for whatever reason) or they are just in a catatonic state when it comes to their marriage--just going through the motions. This rubs off on my sometimes because I find myself mad at Rev for no reason. In order for us to make it we have to stay in our own lane and run the race that God has for us. Be Blessed!

Preacher's Wives Don't Dance No Mo'....All They Do Is This....

2007-07-11T16:04:00.001-04:00

This weekend was full of fun. I got a chance to meet Rev's family via his family reunion. They are certainly a different kind of family. They all seem very loving and welcoming. You know that just flew in the face of everything I am(introverted to people I don't know well). Of course my face lit up when I saw a DJ when we got to the banquet because I LOVE to dance. I shut it down! So the talent show(pics to follow) was over and they opened the floor to dancing. I was two stepping until........Beyonce's "Get Me Bodied" came on. That is a dayum anthem. I wasn't too crazy about it at first, but like all of her songs it kind of grew on me. So of course, I am out there tearing up the dance floor and you know the part came on about "dropping it". So of course I dropped it and on the way up, I felt my self being scurried away from the dance floor. Rev straight grabbed me off the floor and told me I could not "carry on" like that any more because he is a Minister. Wow. I didn't know it was that deep. I understand his point, but here is mine. I am still young. I am a young First Lady. None of my other friends are in the same position that I am in. On the ride home the reality of how my life was going to change slapped me in the face. I will never be able to have a drink of any kind at any place in Chesapeake. I am not talking about "get crunked up" drinking, I am talking about "have a glass of wine or a cocktail with the girls" drinking. In order to do this I have to go all the way to Virginia Beach and still watch my back that no church folks see me. It makes me sad because it feels as if my life is being dictated by other people's expectations. Rev even had a problem with my outfit of choice that night(pic to follow). I thought I looked fierce. Baby Phat Stretch jeans, cream cami, Beige short sleeve blazer, and cream peep toe espadrilles. He said I didn't look like a ministers wife. I am still young. Most First Ladies are in their late 30's and 40's. So sure, they probably don't dress like me. They shouldn't. I'm in my twenties. There are things I won't wear now, because they are clearly for the 18 and under crowd. With the exception of all that I had a good time.
Today is work out day. During the family reunion I lost my little laminated card with my perfect treadmill work out on it. I have decided to start kicking things into high gear by going for steeper inclines. And running longer. I don't think the 30 minutes is cutting it anymore. I brought my Mp3 player with me and I have a killer play list ready for action. Here is a sample:

1. Hyperballad- Bjork

I use this song to warm up. By the time she gets to the second chorus, I speed it up a little

2.Backstabbers- The O'Jays

Eddie LeVert.....nuff said

3. Freakum Dress-Beyonce

I just keep imagining my self in my old Freakum Dress

4. I'm Trouble- Amy Winehouse

Those horns and the context of the song really get me going

5.You've Got the Look-Prince

It's classic Prince, can't get any better than that!

Be Blessed!

Busy as a Bee!

2007-07-06T06:57:00.000-04:00

Shello all! I am sorry it took me so long to post something. So much has been going on I don't know where to begin. Well, first off, I have been unable to post at work, because there were complaints that I was on the Internet too much. Can I help it that these folks at my job are constantly acting the fool and I just HAVE to write about the foolishness. When I try to write at home, Miss Beasley is acting up in the background and I just can't focus.
My wedding planning is going along GREAT! Last Saturday, Me, Rev, My mom(I, know), and my two wedding coordinators went to meet with the florist. My coordinator Miss Sylvia recommended this florist in Portsmouth. She did forewarn me that his work "area" is messy and by first look I probably won't want to use him but she assured me he did good work. Messy was not the word to use when I got there. It looked like all the flowers of the world had exploded everywhere. He led us to this tiny office filled with Coca Cola Memorabilia. I was impressed because he had a plethora of floral books with all kinds of bouquets and boutonnieres. He went from top to bottom with what type of flowers I wanted for what. I have decided to use pink, jade, and ivory roses. The bulk of my flowers will come in the form of the altar arrangements and rose petals for the aisle and my reception and cake table. The florist is supposed to call me back this week or next week with a quote. The real problem is going to be Rev. Rev is in charge of the budget and I am in charge of the decor. Yeah, get there. He could care less what it looks like, he just cares about the price. I care about price too, but I am a firm believer of you get what you pay for sometimes and in the words of one of my friends on Chocolate Brides(think The Knot for African American women), "I don't want my wedding looking like the budget emporium". I am praying these flowers come in under 1,000 dollars because that is all Rev is willing to shell out. I have a small feeling that will not be the case. I really like this guy's work and will be destroyed if my "budget department" says no.
At work, they have decided to add a whole lot of new responsibilities to my job. I am trying to look for something else, but it's just not happening for me. This really just comes down to God's will. What is for me, is for me. When it is time for me to go, the Lord will move me. Until then I just need to stay still and pray. I heard something this morning while listening to Apostle Laquinla Hunter this morning. She said that when the enemy begins to attack you have to stand on God's promise. What the enemy is trying to attack is the promise. He's trying to get you to stop believing in God's promise for your life. But we all have to keep believing and hold on. That was really encouraging to me. Be Blessed!

You Betta Learn It.....

2007-06-14T20:35:00.001-04:00

This past week I have learned a lot. Let's share....fun times....

I need to keep people out my business

Rev and I have been having our fair share of drama this week regarding people being all up in our pending nuptials. On some Days of our Lives shizz, my mama and my Pastor are conspiring with each other to get me to not marry Rev. My mom always imagined I would marry someone with a pile of money, but the older I get I realize that is not the most important thing(see any post I have written regarding Ron Mexico). From now, on, Rev and I are a united front. Solid as a rock baby!

Stop the cycle of getting paid, going out to eat fifty 'leven times, and spending 200 dollars at Wally World or Tar-Jay

I have a habit y'all. I love going out to eat. Why? I am too lazy to cook. I am tired when I get home, I have a three year old. Yeah, get there. I love Wally World and Tar-Jay. If I am feeling down or I am lacking something, like every last product that neutragena has ever made, I go to there. It is just something about those places that gets my spending juices flowing. I did a budget today and Rev and I combined have a lot of money left over when we pay all of our bills. I gotta let my fetish go. I guess I will take up another habit.....like smoking...I keed, I keed....

Exercise + Eating More does NOT equal weight loss

I know that combination sounds crazy.....I was just under the impression that I would just eat what I like and exercise more. Negative. Not a plan. First of July, I am getting a healthier lifestyle poppin'. It's not about being skinny it's about being in shape. I mean that.

I can sing a lil sumthin sumthin(at least the piano player at church thinks so)

Anyone who knows me, knows I have two big fears. I am afraid of public speaking and I am petrified of singing solo. Well, our musician seems to think my voice has a nice "texture"(his words not mine). He even gave me a song to sing. There is life after Rev and his choir dictatorship ( I still love you babe!)

Well, that is all for now, I am sorry this is so short. So much has been happening, and I just have not been able to verbalize it all. I did want to let everybody know that I have picked out a cake(it's jammin on the ones!) and my dress came Saturday(vision of loveliness). Thanks for reading! Be Blessed!

Pre-School Graduation, Neutrogena, and Flowers.......

2007-06-05T06:43:00.000-04:00

Hello, Winners! I am back with good news to report regarding the great acne breakout of 2007. The Neutrogena system worked well. The only downside was the excessive dryness and irritation. I read the instructions(probably something I should have done prior to using) and it said if dryness occurs cut down to every other day. But other than that my skin is starting to look 100 percent better.
Miss Beasley graduated on Friday. I will definitely post pictures yesterday. Her daddy showed up with his hood ass niece looking like she just got off the pole. Jesus Wept. In regards to pre-school graduations, I have to tell you all about the funniest thing I saw. There is a little girl in Miss Beasley's class who's mama said she was going to dress her up. I was like cool, I'm dressing mine up too. I am thinking something like you wear to church. We get to the graduation, that little girl was dressed up like she was going to the PROM! She had a little updo, complete with three spiral curls in the front, a prom dress that looks like it was made for a 4 year old, complete with shawl, pearl necklace and dangly pearl earrings. I thought I was making a big deal.
Last week at work, we got new file cabinets for the medical records office where I work. I swear some people are fascinated by little things. If I hear one more person come in my office and proclaim, "OH MY GOD!!!!! IT"S SO BIG......I DID NOT KNOW IT WAS GOING TO BE LIKE THIS........THAT'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF TURNING......" I am going to scream. Yes, people its a new file cabinet. No, I don't feel closed in. Yes, I know it's bigger than the previous one. Yes, you have to turn the handles to get to the year you want. It's a damn file cabinet not a spaceship. If that fascinates you, you need to get out, live life.
Wedding planning, is...going. I don't know what is going on. This Saturday at 2 we have an appointment for a cake tasting. I know I am going to have a story about that. Next week we are going to the florist. That is going to be the fun part. I love flowers. I am thinking about going with roses. I know they may be cliche, but I love the way pink roses look. I'll keep you posted. Be Blessed!

I Told You....I'm trouble.....

2007-05-31T20:47:00.000-04:00

Where to start, where to start? Memorial day weekend was nice. On Friday, Rev and I just hung out and watched Intervention. Drugs are bad y'all. They will lead you down a slippery slope of destruction. One man had a successful business as a chiropractor and then he lost it all by freebasing heroin. That is crazy. On Saturday, we did not do anything really. We went to dinner at Olive Garden and gawked at all the kids going to prom. Jesus, I'm old. On Sunday (the crux of this story), we went to a cook-out being held by Rev's uncle. My complaints? It started an hour late and there were bugs everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I know we can all run behind and yes since it was outside I knew it would be some bugs. But an hour late? In the heat? With flies and 'squitos abound? He had a real nice set up so it escaped me why he did not have the foresight to get some citronella candles. Finally Rev's Aunt Eunice came on the scene with some OFF bug spray and liberated us from the 'squitos. Aunt Eunice is gonna a get VIP seat at my wedding. I got a chance to hang with my mother in law to be. Let me preface this by saying, I LOVE my mother in law. I could not have asked for anyone better. From the first day we met, we clicked. She fell up in the spot with her cooler, and let the beer flow(thank God because I needed to be a little tipsy to deal with the heat and bugs). I had a good time.
Work has been an absolute beast. We are having a new file cabinet installed in my office and it has been the bane of my existence. Yesterday the man was drilling wood and my entire office was left covered with a layer of dust. Nasty.
On the wedding front, I had my first wedding-induced nervous breakdown. I have decided to cut cost, I would print my own invites and save the dates. My sister recommended to me that I use my old printer because if I use my Mom's and anything happens, she will be talking about that until one of us goes on to Glory. I broke out my printer and I remembered that I was missing something crucial. The install disk. Let me add here that the disk was probably lost during the Great Break Up of 2004. I won't even get into that here....I digress. So, I go through all these motions trying to download drivers and all this other mess and everything was just out of wack. I ended up sitting at my computer desk crying while Miss Beasley looked on. Rev was on the speaker phone trying to talk me down from the ledge. It was just a bad night. I emailed tech support and they are supposed to get back with me. It's in God's hands now.
To round out the stress in my life, my previously smooth chocolate skin is going through this breakout phase. I mean bad. I have this bad spot of acne sprouting up on my right cheek. It looks horrible. Every time I look in the mirror at it, my self esteem plummets another notch. I took some action today. I bought the Neutrogena Acne System, On the Spot treatment, and Astringent. I am attacking this with everything I have. I will let you all know my progress. Be Blessed!

P.S. Miss Von Kutiboots, if you are reading this.....thank you for recommending Amy Winehouse. "I'm No Good" is a dayum anthem!

Kickoff!!!!

2007-05-26T12:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Rev and I went to the opening of the Griffon at Busch Gardens. I know we went last weekend, but this was the real deal opening. We got to the park around 9:00am, making perfect time. As we were getting ready to get in line on the Loch Ness Monster, this guy from the park comes up and ask us do we want to be one of the first 30 people to ride on the Griffon this morning. Of course we do! I have a phobia of long lines, and our whole reason for coming on a weekday that early was so we could ride it and get it over with. So we stand with this group of 28 other people and we wait for the park management to escort us to the ride. We all load up on the ride and this time I got to ride on the very end. This is important because on the end of this ride you are straight up dangling off the track. This time around was much better. When the ride was over the park management asked us, "Do you all want to ride it again?" Hell yes!!! This was better than sex! We rode it a second time and it was even better. I misjudged this ride a little at first. I will be getting on it the next time we go provided the line is not all out of control. We had to cut our trip short because Rev got a call from his job that he needed to come back. You know my ass was pissed. I wanted to spend the day with my man at BG. But alas we went back home.
Everything at church is going good. Lately I have felt myself pulling away from some of my ministry work. I don't really know what the reason is. I have been reading my word and praying to the Lord for understanding. It is not that I don't want to, its just that I have loaded myself with so much that I can't find the time in the day. Rev told me he has been reading the book of Habbuk in the Bible and it deals with priorities. I think I may need to visit that book. I want to do all of these things in church (choir, usher board, newsletter, praise team) but I don't have the time for the other things that I need to to (homework, spending time with Miss Beasley, working out). I just pray that the Lord give me some guidance on what to do next.
Wedding planning is at a slow creep, though time is winding down(almost 9 months to go). I told y'all I was a procrastinator. I was gung ho on my favors, now them things are just sitting. I will get to it eventually. I was really excited to print up my Save the Dates. That requires ink for my printer and for whatever reason I always forget to pick some up when I go to Wally World(I am too distracted by the 50 million other things they have). I need to get on the ball in that area too. Be Blessed!

Funerals

2007-05-22T07:02:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I went to a funeral. The deceased was Nevada's daddy. She is in the hospital and asked for us(the choir) to sing at his funeral. After attending this funeral I have made an executive decision: I do not want those funeral arrangements with the ribbon and flowers designed in various shapes(cross, bible, etc). From where I was sitting in the choir stand, they did not look good. Please just use a simple flower spray for the top of the casket. That will be all.
After the funeral Rev and I went to Busch Gardens to ride The Griffon. I must applaud BG on their line control, as this is a new ride. We waited in line maybe 30 minutes at the most. That is good considering I waited almost 2 hours to get into Outer Limits Flight of Fear and Kings Dominion. Ultimately, the ride was a big letdown. I was not impressed. It was just like Apollos Chariot except you have a harness. The drop was steep but it could have been a little longer. The best part of the ride is right before the first big drop. You kind of just dangle there for a second then you drop. It gives the element of surprise. We are going back on Friday, we'll see how I feel about it when I ride it again.
My mom is going out of town this weekend.....fun times. Rev and I are just going to watch movies and I may even cook (gasp!). My little fro is growing. I finally have enough to use a little headband. I call it my little Pff....it's not big enough to call a puff. It's getting there. Be Blessed!

Work, Work, Work (update with pics)

2007-05-17T07:31:00.000-04:00

"Look at me I'm drivin'!"

Miss Beasley working on her Miss America wave

Gabby and Jay-Jay on the Balloon Ride

Me and Rev

The Parrots...made me want some rum!

I look pregnant(but I'm not!)

Gabby and Jayden on the horses

I have not been blogging like I want to because my job has been working me like a Hebrew slave. I know one thing, I am off next Friday and I am going to enjoy it. Last weekend Rev and I took the children to Busch Gardens(pic to follow). Mind you it was our first time taking them to BG. A good time was had by the children, but I needed a drank when we got back. It is crazy stressful taking two three year olds to an amusement park. We had a double stroller and let me tell you that not every place in BG is stroller friendly. The children had a good time and that was what was important.
On the wedding front, things are moving ahead. Its funny how time is flying. Its almost June and I have to get my save the dates printed and put together. I am still waiting on a hotel to call me back so I can block some rooms off for the out of towners. I may start printing them this weekend. I am a busy lady....paging the Bridal Brigade...you're needed on save the date duty.....STAT!
Rev and I are going to start our little church world tour next Sunday starting with my cousins church in Greensboro. This should be interesting. Christina has been a preacher since she was about 15 years old. You know I am going to have a story to tell. Be Blessed!

Folks Have Some Nerve

2007-05-07T07:38:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here at work and I am going to give you all an example of how selfish people can be. Every morning, the TV is set at channel 3. Personally I like Channel 3 and I like the Early Show. This broad(a patient's wife) comes up to the desk and ask if I can change the TV to Channel 10. Fine. This bitch(yes, I said it) then picks up the newspaper and says she going to read it. WHAT!?!?!?! Your ass just asked me to turn to a channel you aren't even watching. I want to slap her ass. I have mind to just change it. WOOOOOSSSSSAAAAAAHHHH.......
This weekend was nice. On Saturday I did not know what to do with myself. Miss Beasley was with her daddy and Rev had to work. I ended up loafing around at Barnes and Noble and eating a peaceful meal at Boston Market. I went to see Rev at his job and we decided to go to Busch Gardens (we are going to get some use out of those season passes!). For about two hours we were waffling on what we wanted to do because it looked as if it was going to rain. After an hour of debate, we decided to get on the road and go. For some reason we always end up there when there is some kind of high school competition. Since we were there kinda late (7pm) most of them were leaving. We weren't there for all of 20 minutes and it started to lightly sprinkle. We ate, walked and talked and all the while the rain was picking up little by little. At this point I was thanking God for my napptural hair since that was a worry far from my mind. After about a hour of rain, we decided to leave, but first I needed to ride some coasters. Here's a tip when going to Busch Gardens in the rain: Don't sit in the front row of the Alpengiest. The rain was pelting me and Rev like tiny BB's. I couldn't even enjoy myself because my face hurt. The second time we rode in the middle row. Much better.
Sunday Miss Beasley came back home. I think she realizes the grass is not always greener. When she came back she looked all sad and depressed. I knew she would get home sick. There's nobody like mama.
Weezy came over and she helped me plan my wedding. She is the most helpful bridesmaid ever. She even had a binder with dividers and a bridesmaid handbook. We got started on the design of the reception hall and she collected my bridal shower invite list. I thank God for her. My mom is zero help. Not to say she doesn't have ideas, she will give you ideas but she wants you to use all of them. This week Rev and I start counseling. I can't wait. This is where we get to the nitty gritty. Pray for us. Be Blessed!

Pastors don't Care About People With Natural Hair

2007-05-04T07:27:00.000-04:00

I was wondering when this was going to happen. I was wondering when someone was going to have the nerve to insult my new choice of hairstyle. As you all may or may not know, I did the Big Chop on 4/19. I am now sporting a TWA(the way it's growing I don't think it will be that way but for a couple more months). Yesterday I was talking to one of Rev's pastor-friends and he asked me why I cut my hair. *sigh* I explained to him I was tired of getting relaxers and since I had no patience when it came to my transition, I just cut the relaxed part off. All he seemed to be able to focus on is the fact I cut all of my hair off. He asked me if I had a haircut like a dyke. WTF!?!?!?! What does going natural have to do with sexual preference? That gets my vote for the most ig'nant statement I have heard. Then, the final insult...."If I was Rev I wouldn't have let you cut your hair like that." Again, I say WTF???? Rev is not my daddy. If I want to shave myself Britney Spears bald everyday, I will. I am not going to suppress my right to wear my natural hair that God gave me to fit some prototype of what a First Lady should be. I was more in shock by this man's comments because I considered him to be an alright person. He too is a pastor(I am holding sensitivity training for Pastors, I'll call it PFS--Pastors For Sensitivity). I am coming to the conclusion that Rev surrounds himself with people who are rude as hell. I don't go up to women with relaxed hair and start questioning why they straighten their hair. That is none of my business.
My mom is getting on my nerves. One of these days I am going to sneak and Prozac in her food. When it comes to my wedding she feels like she is the holder of all ideas that are great and I should take no one's advice but hers. Yesterday Miss T called me to tell me about some invitation wording she saw in regards to having a child-free reception(note: this is no longer an issue because Rev and I are gonna let people bring their kids, as we have children too) and she got a business card from a lady who does floral work. Cool. I love how the people I thought would be helpful(My mom) aren't and the people I least expected are(i.e. Weezy and Miss T). While Miss T and I are discussing the invitation wording, Mama is in the background repeating the. same. information. Didn't she see I was on the phone? Uh, Mama sit down. Miss T beat you to the punch. Deal with it. When I told her about Miss Dee getting the number for the florist, I could feel the jealously pouring out of her. I don't have time for all of that drama. If you are not helping don't get mad when someone else jumps in. As far as wedding planning goes, the next thing on my list is to get with the cake bakers(3) and the florist. I will start in June. It's going to be a busy month for me because I have to also help coordinate the Choir Anniversary. So I will have plenty to do. Be Blessed!

Not Drinking the Kool-Aid

2007-05-02T09:53:00.000-04:00

I hate when my higher-ups at work think I am not doing my job. I may appear to not be doing any work, but I am doing my work. Anyway, I am having a good hair day. My curls are doing what I needed them to do. I took it back to basics and used the mango butter and Castor oil. I promise pictures are coming. I need to stop being so lazy when I get home.
I started doing the Crunch Pilates tape. Let me just say that I thought pilates was a lot of stretching, you know, lightweight stuff. I am sore as all get out. That DVD is no joke. That's going to be a good look for toning up my body(Lord knows it needs it!)
Rev and I had the best weekend ever. On Friday, we drove to Williamsburg. When we got there, there was nothing for us to do but either eat and go to bed(lol) or go to Busch Gardens. We chose the latter. It was nice because it was half capacity and we were able to ride what we wanted. When we got back the room we got ready to go out to eat. My plan was for us to go to Olive Garden(one of his favorite restaurants). On our way there, we saw this place and we just had to stop and eat there. The food was good. The ribs could have been wetter and the beans did not need to have those jalapenos in them. On Saturday we went to Busch Gardens again and there was a cheerleading competition going on. Since I am a former cheerleader, I was all up in there. I have decided Miss Beasley is joining a competitive team. She needs something to do in the summer besides watching "Cars" and being grown.
On Sunday Rev and I went with my church to Union Chapel Baptist Church in Butner, NC where our pastor was the guest preacher. It was a long but pleasurable drive. Rev and I did not ride the bus because we have a "No Church Bus" policy. We like to be able to leave when we want to. After a OK service(see my previous post about my pastor's preaching style), we left and went to Cracker Barrel. That is my favorite place to eat. The drive back home seemed to go much faster and when I got home I fell slam out. You can say I spent my weekend in a car.
My momma is still trying to hijack my wedding. She wants some lady at her job to sing at my wedding. Hell no. I don't even know this woman. I want my choir director to sing. I had to break bad with her and let her know that this is my day and she and daddy can have a vow renewal service and that lady can sing till the walls come tumbling down, but at Vicky Page's wedding that lady will not sing.
I have been having some drama with my reception site selection. At first the plan was to have the reception at the Coast Guard Base Hangar 7. That is were just about everybody has their reception. I wanted it because I could use my own caterer and I would be able to cut a step without the church mamas throwing holy water on me. Well, after much struggle, I finally get in contact with the lady at the base and she informs me they no longer allow you to use your own caterer at that facility but you can at "35"(wherever that is). Well, I got the scoop about "35". In order to get to it there seems to be a mountain of stairs to climb. Sorry, not trying to do that in my dress. So at this point I want to scream because that means I am going to have to go back to having my fellowship hall reception where we all just sit and look at each other. I thought all was lost, but I was speaking with my caterer/choir director/soloist and she suggested a place called Knobbs Creek Recreation Center. It is next to the golf course(who knew that EC had a golf course?). Rev and I are going to take a look at it next Tuesday and see what the deal is. If it is what we want we are going to book that sucker and call it a night. I hope this is it because I totally want to get this part of the wedding out of the way. Be Blessed!

I usually dont do this.....

2007-04-26T11:17:00.000-04:00

Lately I have been reading a lot of different blogs and there were two that really caught my eye and have been good reading. This one and this one. The Southern Lovin blog is written by a young lady named Peach aka Tiffany. I found her blog via Crunk and Disorderly(I love that blog!) and on the particular day I was reading I caught myself missing Ron Mexico a little bit. Not one to give the devil any glory(I was not going back to my previously depressed state), I tried to focus my attention on something else. The first thing I saw on her page was The Detroit Chronicles. The name alone intrigued me. I began reading and I hung on to every word wondering if she would ever get away and what ever happened with the colorful cast of characters that floated in and out of the story. I had to remind myself I was reading a part of someones real life. I could identify with her because Ron Mexico was the king of all things verbally abusive. If he sensed for one second I was getting "ahead of myself" he would have the right words to cut me down. Reading her story reminded me there was nothing good about him and my life is SOOOOO much better now than it was when I was with him. I say all of this because, the author of that blog needs help finding her son's father. Anyone who knows me, knows I am a fierce advocate for all the Baby Mama's out there. I don't think it's fair that men get to shirk their responsibilities and we get stuck trying to parent a child we created with someone else. Not fair. She created a blog with his info so she can get in contact with him. Spread it 'round people.
All has been quiet on the western front. The place where I am having my reception is being rude as hell. I see the bridezilla hat needs to donned. I will be calling her back next week when I am off. This weekend Rev and I are going to spend a romatical(lol) weekend in Williamsburg. I can't say all we are going to do here because it's supposed to be a surprise for his birthday. I will be bringing the camera and I will have some pictures! I have so much to do tonight. I need to wash clothes. I am so lazy in that department. I think the problem is I have a lot of clothes so I can let that basket just overflow because I am not in need for clean clothes. I found a site for black brides. Yippee! I love The Knot and all, but I needed a more "ethnic"(as they would say on The Knot) approach to wedding planning.
Next weekend will be my baby's first overnight trip with her dad. Why did I agree? God told me to. Usually, I make up some kind of excuse, but I am just tired. I put all of my fears in God's hands. God won't let anything bad happen to her. Before she goes I am going to pray over her and have her step daddy to be anoint her. I ain't playing. Then I will need someone to pray over me all night because I will be missing my baby. I told Rev Saturday I will just sit in the house and cry all day. Sunday I'm trying to go to church all day until she comes home. Revival anyone? Just keep me in your prayers. Be Blessed!

Short n' Sexy.....

2007-04-23T14:34:00.000-04:00

Today I rocked the TWA at work. I won't even front, I was nervous as hell. Not everyone is progressive when it comes to natural hair or short hair. I was not so nervous about the short part (I had a short cut from 95 to 00) but more so the natural part. You know everyone was going to have a million and one questions. Anyone who knows me knows I don't like answering a bunch of questions. I must say.....I look fly as hell today. I am wearing my khaki and pink suit, tortoise shell glasses and cream colored espadrilles. Fly indeed. My hair routine this morning was outta control. It took me all of two minutes, if that. I sprayed my hair with Elasta QP H Two and followed up with Care Free Curl Gold. It defined my curl pattern pretty good. The easy maintainace is enough to keep my hair natural.
Not much went down this weekend. On Friday night Rev and I packed up the kids and we went to Wally World to work on our wedding registry. I had to give Rev some lessons in quality bath towels. I hate to sound bougie but, I don't want to use them rough 2 dollar bath towels. He could not seems to understand why I was in love with the 5 dollar bath towel. Duh, because it was much softer. I told him to make sure to use his 2 dollar towels when we get married. On Saturday I returned to The Look and got my new TWA trimmed up. Keep in mind I did my own hair cut the first time, and I ended looking like......mmmm.....you know when a crackhead has not been taking care of themselves and their hair just kinda grows willy nilly? That is what I had going on. It just looked bad all the way around. That is why I did not post any BC pictures right away. No mam you all won't call my new look a hot mess. The weather was heavenly on Saturday. I felt totally liberated when I left the salon. Saddiqa hooked me up lovely. She also charged me like 35 dollars to do it since she washed it to....um no...I was not feeling that part. My work day is almost over and for that I am happy. I hate to sound golddiggerish, but I hope my ch-sup comes tomorrow...I have some things I need to take care of. Shouts out to all my Secretaries! This is our week......Be Blessed!!

The Big Chop!!!

2007-04-20T10:05:00.000-04:00

After careful consideration and months of anticipation...............

I DID THE BIG CHOP!!!!!!

For those not familiar with hair terminology, the Big Chop is when you are growing out your relaxer and you cut everything off except the new growth so you can start fresh. I originally wanted to transition to natural hair with out cutting anything off. Yesterday, I sat in my office and asked myself why I was holding on to hair that would have to be chopped off anyway. I thought of my hair as a security blanket. I have had short hair before and every time I grow it out, the new long hair has a history to it. I won't get into the history of this hair, but it has had some special moments. This is the hair that was with me when my thyroid was acting up, the hair that blew in the wind when I was standing in front of the Barnes and Nobles in Va Beach, waiting on a chronically late Ron Mexico. This is the hair that I went on my first date with Rev in. All of the good and bad times of the last 2 years were in my hair. I sang a song last Sunday about walking into a new season in your life, and this is the beginning of a new season for me. Things in my life are changing and why shouldn't my hair? I felt liberation from a lot of the bad memories in my life as I took those scissors to my head. This wasn't just about getting down to my natural hair, this was about getting down to the natural me. When I was finished, I looked in the mirror, and I saw this new woman. My face looked brighter, happier. I felt like I was really looking at myself for the first time. I slapped on some of my fieriest hoop earrings and rocked that look like nobodies business. I am glad I did it. I am going to get my lil TWA shaped up so I can give up my half wig(some things are hard to let go of....lol).

Last night Rev came over(I am not sure how he feel about my new look.....he likes long hair) and we watched the atrocity which is called "I Love New York". That show is the reason we will never get ahead. My IQ dropped 100 points by watching that. That whole show is a collective evil side eye and eye roll. I will not go through the shenanigans here, but let's just say it is one of the most ignorant things on TV. I wish VH1 would stop running it. Shoot, stop running re-runs. That embarrassment of a show is over and for that my soul is happy. Be Blessed !

Happy Anniversary Blog!!!! (Belated)

2007-04-18T14:20:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I planned to REALLY slack off at work and devote a mass amount of time to my blog 1 year anniversary. But as the saying goes, "If you want to make God laugh, make plans." I had a little inclination on Monday morning that something was not right with Miss Beasley. She woke up at 5am(the time I normally wake up) and she seemed extra whiny(something I hate). She said she didn't feel well, but I know my child.....she is dramatic......like her mama! I just kept on getting her ready and strangely, she was knocked out asleep before we hit the end of the street. I got a call later on that day at work. It was Miss Silla, telling me to come pick Gabby up from the daycare, she has a fever of 102.00. That was all I needed to hear. I got my ass in gear. But let me sidebar here and let you all know that I learned an important lesson about procrastination. I waited ALL day to do my billing as it only takes me 30 minutes and it was going to cut into my morning "chill time". Do you know I had to finish that before I could pick my baby up because I knew I would not be there the next day and I did not want some HUGE uproar about how I am not doing my work. Hell, they already think I am lazy. So I entered in the billing all willy nilly(forgetting the nursing department) and got the heck out of Dodge. As I drove I felt guilty as hell that I didn't listen to her that morning. You never realize how much you love your kids until they get really sick. When I got to the daycare, Miss Beasley was shivering and they had her in blankets. I picked her up and held her in my arms. Her spirit did not even feel like it's self. Her crazy ass daddy was there(Lord, help me) tomabout, "They don't have my updated information" Negro, please. It is not my responsibility to update your information anymore. A parent would make sure that the daycare had their numbers if they change cell phones, or jobs, or say...move to Atlanta. I digress, we took Miss Beasley to the doctors office(thank God for after-hours appointments). After some poking and prodding and testing of my baby we find out she has strep throat. Gross. I know who the culprit was. My sister, bringing all them GA germs up here. She was sucking back Theraflu while she was here. Uh huh.... I am happy to report Miss Beasley is feeling 100 percent better. Yesterday we did nothing by sit at home and chill. Rev came by that night and we watched Charlotte's Web (for the fifty eleventh time) and later on, Jungle Fever(you know a sister had to buy that one for the collection!). I redid Miss Beasley's two strand twist, and I must say they were looking fly. I cannot wait until I grow the rest of this Chemical Fire Cream(CFC) out of my hair. I think that will be my signature style.
One year ago, I started this blog as an extension of my ramblings on MySpace. I have a passion for writing. If I could make it a productive career, I totally would, but I need to know where my next paycheck is coming from. When I look back from the beginning to now, I see a couple of things: 1)How far I have progressed in my Christianity 2)How scantily I used to post. Since getting back on the blog bandwagon, I this blog has served as a release. It is hard being the fiancee of a Minister, and one of the things I wanted to accomplish on this blog was to break the stereotype of the "First Lady". I am not a Stepford Wife to my Fiance. I am coming to realize that I may never be like those other wives. I still like to bump my slow jams in my car as I speed down the highway. I think 300 dollars is outrageous for a suit. I recently dropped out of the "If I am not there when he preaches, the world will come to an end" club. I am finally finding my way in "this life". Keep reading....the best is yet to come! Be Blessed!

The Reason We Can't Get Ahead.....

2007-04-16T11:59:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, I was that reason. I went to Dillard's with Miss Beasley before we headed off to my friend Birdie's baby shower. I was using the gift card I bought a long time ago for some ungrateful individual(too long a trifling to even get into) and I decided as the final nail in my coffin of memory of this person, I spent that sucker! My Clinique exfoliating lotion ran out and my skin was starting to look the fool. So, I enter the store on the phone with Boogie and carrying Miss Beasley on my hip and talking loud as hell. I was going on, and on about me and Rev's meeting with the wedding photographer (more on that) and how Rev as acting stank(more on that too!). Mind you, I did not realize that until I got home that night and I was washing my face with my new Clinique. I believe I probably set black folks back about 5 years. I had the nerve to wonder why the Clinique lady was looking at me crazy when she rung me up. *sigh*
Rev and I went to visit our wedding photographer on Saturday morning. When I first spoke to the man about meeting with him he informed us he was working out of his home. My first thought was, "Oh no....not another bootleg operation". But it was anything but. He was extremely profession and his office was a haven of all the latest equipment and beautiful wedding photos. I was really impressed with the DVD presentation and his no deposit policy(we don't have 650 dollars at this moment) and his overall professionalism. So this whole time I am visibly excited and Rev is sitting over there looking darn near retarded. So we get in the car and this fool is like, "I'll think about it". I could have slapped the tar out of him right then and there. Before I say what I need to say, Rev is cheap as hell. That has at times proven to be a good thing in our relationship because I spend money like it's water. To me higher prices=better product. Not always true, but it's a philosophy that works for me. You get what you pay for. When we first started looking for photographers, true I was a lil bougie and started picking these 2,000 and 3,000 dollar photographers. Rev had to put me in check and I went on the stalk looking for something acceptable. I soon realized that the prices I envisioned were too much and I had not considered the videography. So I happened to be loafing off at work as I do, and I found Visions Photography. 900 dollars for 8 hours of photography, my bridal shoot included and for an extra 400 dollars he will videotape the ceremony and reception and it will be on DVD. Total 1,300 dollars. Can't beat that with a bat. Rev is looking at me like the figure is too high. So, I had to put my Bridezilla hat on and give him the business in the car. After 3 hours I called him back and all was well. Mens is like chiren....you gotta let them know who has the upper hand. LOL! I'm playing, but he did come around to my way of thinking after giving him some figures. Anyone who is afraid we will go over budget need not be afraid. Rev is not going to let that happen at all.
Sunday I sang Seasons.....and the Lord really used me. Satan tried to stop me from singing my song all morning long. But I just prayed and asked Him for His will to be done. Just let the song come out the way He wanted it to. It went well. I am happy I did not give the devil any glory and back out of singing it.
I think my time at Sentara may be drawing to a close. I am going to have to have some serious private time with the Lord tonight and let Him speak to me about it. I am applying for three different positions with the city of Norfolk. I need higher pay. I may not have a degree but I have lots of knowledge and I think I have focused on the mediocre positions because I felt like that is all I can get. But my Pastor preached a sermon yesterday "Who do you Depend On?" I depend on God to get things done for me. If there is something that the Lord wants me to do, there is nothing anyone can do to stop it from happening. So if one of those jobs is for me then it's going to go down. I take my typing test tomorrow, wish me luck. Be Blessed!

Hooray it's Friday!!!!!!

2007-04-13T09:46:00.000-04:00

I am so bored sitting up here at work today. I am just happy it is Friday. Tonight is the church conference. You all know I am going to have some stories to tell. I am only going because the church is supposed to be voting on our new musician. After that gets done I am leaving because I have to do my weekly hair stuff(Aphogee tonight......so messy!) and I have to get up early tomorrow morning because Rev and I are going to meet with our wedding photographer. God has a sense of humor. Why does the photographer live right down the street from Rev's estranged Dad? I told him he should just show up. You know I like to be nosy. I want to know what his reasons are....but then again that's not my business.
In my department I usually work in the medical records office by myself. It's cool back there, I just hook up my little mp3 player and work away(read: play on the 'net all day). Due to my co-worker taking a lil vay-cay, I have been working the front desk all this week. Let me just be the first to say that I will be happy when Monday comes. I hate sitting up at this desk on display like a bear at the zoo. I am also not fond of people asking me a who bunch of stupid questions(yes, there is such a thing as stupid questions). I learned something this week though. Some people drink coffee ALL DAY. First let me start off by saying I am not a coffee drinker so maybe I can't understand. A patient comes to me at 2 o'clock in the afternoon asking me to make a new pot of coffee. Um no. It's 2 o'clock! You don't need coffee. Coffee is a breakfast drink. She had the nerve to look all offended because I wouldn't. I would not go to Burger King at 2 o'clock and ask for a sausage egg biscuit. IT'S 2 O'CLOCK!!!!! If you need caffeine go to the cafeteria and get a Coke.
I talked to my sister for a long time yesterday. It was very refreshing. I am so happy that we can finally have a conversation where someones feelings are not hurt afterwards. During our conversation she delivered to me a little bad news. One of our cousins on our mother's side has full blown AIDS. Yes, AIDS. That is really sad. I have only met him once in my life, but nonetheless, it's sad. My mom called my sister asking what he could do and of course in true Boogie fashion, "Nothing". I can't fault her for that. Two things could have saved this man's life. A condom and HIV testing. I say HIV testing because if he would have known a little sooner, the doctor could have given him drugs to help prolong his life. Now, unfortunately it's too late. He found out about his status because he got really sick and had to go into the hospital. He's a young man so I am sure they were in shock at how fast his condition deteriorated. My prayers are with him.
As I was typing this another reason why I dislike working at this desk occurred. The therapists are running about 30 minutes behind and this patient is all in my face wondering what the hold up is because they didn't bother to come out and let the patient know. Whaddayagonnado? I can't make them come out and get you. I can barely get them hoes to turn their billing in correctly. I hope this day doesn't start going down hill... Be Blessed!

Choir 'Hersal, Seasons, and Racisim.....

2007-04-11T07:05:00.000-04:00

Last night was choir rehearsal. Our musician is not going to be there Sunday, so Rev was so kind to step in. That was good for him. I am clearly convinced that Rev is going to heaven because he does a heap of nice shizz that I just don't do. Before Rev got there, Nevada and Miss T decided that I should sing "Seasons" by Donald Lawrence and the Tri City singers. I was hyped. I had been asking Rev all the live long day while he was our musician if I could sing it again because if I do say so myself, I walked it down. So Rev got there and we got started and when sang a few songs(our choir was NOT cut out for Uncle Donnie's "Church Medley"), it was time for me to sing. All hell began to break loose. First of all, I am not really a powerful singer in public. At home? I am loud and proud. At rehearsal? I am just trying to blend in with the group. So of course the first complaint around was they could not hear me and I needed a mic. This wasn't discovered until verse 2 and during verse 1 Ronald and John were openly discussing getting a mic, while. I . was. singing. While they were carrying on their personal debate, the sopranos were just half-singing, I heard no altos and about two tenors ( I will excuse Deacon because he had been driving all day so I know he was tired). I have never felt so insignificant and unimportant. So we get the mic and then I start singing the beginning of the vamp in like 5 different keys. One of those keys was "P" for pitiful. I don't know what happened! I sang the song perfectly months ago and now it just sounds horrible. I have just resigned to my self that I will just get up there and do my best.
I am so hungry sitting up here at work right now. I am trying to stay on the straight and narrow since buying my wedding dress but it's almost that time of the month and a sister is hon-gray! At least I have given up the swine in the morning. I think that will be a great help to my diet. I don't really want to get as skinny as I was last summer (129 lbs....all my hips were gone!). A nice 135-140 is fine. In time it will come, and I will GLADLY walk into that season...lol.
I know you all heard about that fool Don Imus talking about "nappy headed ho's" *sigh*. My heart goes out to those girls. They had a "crash" moment in front of the whole world. I was hurt because I have a daughter and I would have been madder than mad if someone made a comment about her and they don't even know anything about her. This should serve as an example to all black folks that racism is still alive and well in this country. I can't help but to feel as I walk through the hallways of the hospital if white folks are calling me a "nappy headed ho" in their mind. Probably. I know I am going to catch some shit for this, sometimes these days we bring the racist public opinion on ourselves. Flavor of Love? Pure coonery. I Love New York? Pure coonery. Just look at some of the music videos out today. I have stopped watching Rap City(a show that used to be my FAVORITE) and 106 and Park because it has turned into what was depicted in the Boondocks series. Bootybuttcheeks all day long. I have said it once and I will say it again, Black folks everywhere, we need to do better. For those of use still acting the fool, see how it is bringing down the accomplishments of Black people trying to bring some pride to our race. For every step we make forward into progress we seem to take two steps back. Just do better my people.....just do better. Be Blessed!

I GOT IT!!!!!!

2007-04-09T09:05:00.000-04:00

This weekend was very productive. This weekend I scheduled a meeting with my "Bridal Brigade" so we could get the bridal attire popping on a handstand. First of all let me say this: I want to publicly thank the three bridesmaids that showed up. Two of them got lost(?) and one did not show up(not cool). When we got there, David's Bridal was packed as all get out. I forgot that it was also prom season and all the Lil high schoolers were there trying on dresses. When I got there, Birdie, and Weezy were already there. I was greeted by my consultant. *sigh* When I imagined my bridal consultant, I imagined a fashionista who would be fashion forward individual with great hair and make up, etc. Well what I got was Rebbecca with this short spiky hair cut and this Christmas like sweater. She needed more training in her job. I told her to bring all of the dresses on my list. This broad came back with two dresses at a time like she was rationing them out, then she kept claiming she could not find the dresses that I wanted in my size. Bull. After trying out only 4 dresses out of 16, I sent my mom and sister to take to the floor to find the rest of the dresses on my list. Guess what? They came back with about 5 dresses on the list. *sigh* Good help is so hard to find. Well, ultimately I ended up picking out a GORGEOUS dress. I can't really describe it because I know a certain someone reads this blog and he will figure it out. Yes, THE DRESS has finally been purchased, and I am glad I did when I did because it is not scheduled to be here until June 30Th. Could you imagine what kind of drama and calamity would have ensued if I ordered that thing in October? The dress still needs to be altered too? Fuggitaboutit! Of course en route to Davids Bridal, Mama took a wrong turn and of course she went apeshit, but I am not giving anymore space on my blog about her rants. She needs medication.
Easter was fun. Weezy came to church with her and my pastor preached is typical sermon. Not too much to report just happy I finally got my dress(and could afford it!) Be Blessed!

You Can't Do That in the House of the Lord.....or so they say...

2007-04-03T11:53:00.000-04:00

This weekend was just drama and action packed....sweet Jesus.
Let me first start with the choir conspiracy of 2007. I was talking to Rev and I was just wondering out loud what was going to happen to rehearsal since our musician cancelled rehersal on Tuesday and we had to sing that Sunday and we had a Pastoral Installation service to sing for(oh there is a story there just wait for it..). Well Rev, who I might add doesn't even attend my church, tells me, "Y'all are having rehearsal on Saturday at 12." WTF?!?!?!? How does he know and I don't? Well, Miss T from our choir director(and his home girl) told him, I guess to tell me. I went slam off. When in the hell was Nevada going to call and tell me? Mind you, Rev knew on Wednesday and the day was Thursday. I waited, I waited, I waited on that phone call and it never came. I just showed my ass up on Saturday like, "Yeeeeahhhh thought y'all were gonna oust me!" But in a side note, Miss Luann and First Lady Sr.(I would like to think of myself as First Lady Jr.) had not heard about it either. It turns out Nevada was in charge of calling everyone and suspiciously EVERYONE'S answering machine or voicemail was malfunctioning that day, because no one got a message *side eye*. Once all that was straightened out, we got down into rehearsal. We had the type of rehearsal that I have been praying to God for since I joined the choir. It is my belief that you cannot learn a song and sing it with precision in 30 minutes. Some people can, but the majority cannot. We started at 1230(Black people, we must do better) and ended at 230pm. And you know what? We sounded cute, fabulous and wonderful on Sunday. There were some rough spots, but we sang with enthusiasm and confidence.
Later that night was the comedy show at the church. Oh you heard me right, a comedy show with Cortney Gee. I can tell you right now, that I have seen Cortney Gee on Comic View and I knew that this was not going to be a good look. Where I live most people haven't even to Virginia(real talk). They talk about Virginia like it's 5 hour away. It's only 45 minutes to and hour. The show started off OK, then the jokes about trying to be celibate and masturbation as relief(ain't nothing wrong with some getting to know 'me' time....your hand or jackrabbit can't get you pregnant or give you herpes), so on and so forth. He must have forgotten he was a) In a church b) In a room with a majority of older women. Needless to say, there weren't a lot of rave reviews on Sunday morning. That will probably be the last time we get to do anything 'non-traditional' at church. Grand opening, grand closing.
As I mentioned before, Sunday the choir traveled to Windsor, NC to witness one of our former associate ministers installation service as Pastor to a church. The whole plan all month long was for Mama and I to ride together. If you reference my previous blog when we went to see Tramaine Hawkins, I should have politely said no and rode with Rev. I thought this time I couldn't fail because I was not going to use GPS, just straight up Map Quest. I printed them up the night before and I made sure that she saw me put them in the glove compartment, lest I forget them and be accused of ruining her whole day on purpose. We leave the church, and go to Hardee's. In Hardee's she accuses me of rushing her and in the car she starts all this foolishness about Rev having a wife on the side(don't project your real life on me lady!). So in all this tirade, she misses the turn(she wasn't listening or paying attention). I tell her she's going the wrong way, this bitch straight up bust a U-way in the middle of the street. Then she hits the gas and goes from 0-50 in a matter of seconds almost hitting the Yukon in front of us. I told her to let my ass out right now, if she was going to act like that. I have my child in the car and we are not going to meet our deaths over a dumb ass wrong right turn. Her and my Daddy may be into acting crazy like that with each other, but I am not for the bull. So she tells me to get myself and my muthaflucking baby out of her car *gasp, shock, horror*. She continues what I like to call the "crazy mode" until I tell her just drop me off at the upcoming Wal-mart and I will call Rev(what I should have done all along) and have him come get me and Miss Beasley. So she swings in to the Wally World parking lot and deposits me and my child in the parking lot, car seat and all. Crazy Bus, pulls off and it's just Miss Beasley(who is looking so confused) and myself standing in an empty parking lot. As God as my witness Mama and I will ALWAYS,ALWAYS,ALWAYS, drive separate cars. Twice was enough for me. Rev picked me and Miss Beasley up and we got to the service in about an hour.

The service was nice, they seem to love Rev. Riverside. For the first time in the history of us dating, Rev was not on the organ. They asked, oh you know they asked but he declined(now if he can get some back bone when it comes to Pastor Say-anything-out-my-mouth, he'd be alright...). My Pastor preached the service and in the middle of all the hoopin' and hollering (I finally know what the phrase is all about), I realized that my Pastor doesn't teach the text or tie it in with daily living. He just gathers a bunch of 'preacher catch phrases' and says those. Some of his hits include:

"For God I live and for God I die"
"Be not dismayed whatever be tried...God will take care of you..( will admit I fell out a couple of times on that one)
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy...I said...joy comes in the morning. Anybody ever cried all night, pillow wet with tears?"
"I have two angels that travel with me all the days of my life....Goodness.....and.....Mercy"

There are more, but I realized all of this sermons contain about two paragraphs full of those. Jesus wept. That's why you have to be careful on who you pick as your spiritual covering. I know two other preachers, these two fools read directly from a piece of paper(got the never to have it typed up and in report folders to boot). There is nothing wrong with note cards but don't give me your Bible book report. Be Blessed!

Times of Refreshing Come from the Lord....

2007-03-28T07:46:00.000-04:00

I am feeling good this morning. I started my exercise regimen this week. I am on the Slim Fast diet and this is the last diet I am trying. On Sunday night I committed to REALLY do this diet right. That means no sneaking in my Hardee's chicken, no sneaking in my Chinese food. So far so good. I think Slim Fast modified the plan because you can have a half a sandwich with your shake. Only time will tell. This morning I got up at 330 and I hopped on the treadmill. I thought I would be dragging and tired, but it was the exact opposite. It was actually kind of invigorating. I have to work out in the morning because my ass is too lazy to do it in the afternoon. When I get off work, I just want to come home, play with my baby, watch my Netflix, and just unwind. Not sweat to death on a treadmill. At least in the morning, I have gotten it over with.
The Lord is beginning to deliver me from my issues I was having last week. I know one thing for sure and two things for certain, that the Word of God is stronger than any situation that you are going through. When you are going through you have to stretch out on His word to give you comfort.
After 17 years of relaxing my hair, I have decided to transition to natural hair. My sister and I had a long conversation last night about being brainwashed into thinking natural hair is unkept and unprofessional. Why should the hair the good Lord gave me be considered a bad thing? No one would tell a white woman with curly hair to keep hers straight ALL the TIME because straight hair looks more professional. I have been thinking about this all week and the final decision came after something I saw at my daughters daycare. There is a little girl in the Pre-Kindergarten class who had natural hair. Now, her mama wasn't taking care of it at all so it did look a little dry, but that was nothing that couldn't be fixed. She kept it in braided ponytails and she looked fine to me. Keep in mind this child is no more than 5 years old. I walked in the daycare on Monday and the little girl had a relaxer. *sigh* Yes, her hair was swinging in the wind and she could wear it out, but what bothered me was what this meant for this little girl. This was her induction into a society where you will be bound to that relaxer forever and ever. I remember my first relaxer when I was 11 years old. When I started getting new growth I was horrified at the new texture, I wanted that gone STAT! Now years later, I am trying to fight to get back the very thing that I ran from. I can tell you one thing, Miss Beasley is not getting a perm anytime in the next 15 years. First of all, I spent mass amounts of time showing her how to work with her hair texture and not against it. I wash it, I deep condition it and then I air dry her hair in four big braids, then I braid it in whatever style is suitable. Her hair is thriving. Its about half way down her back and she's only three! So, with all that said, I am transitioning. Hell, if I don't like it, my Silk Elements Relaxer is waiting with open arms. Be Blessed!

I'm Bringing Weddings Back......

2007-03-26T06:57:00.000-04:00

This weekend was totally productive on the wedding front. Rev, Mom, Miss Beasley and J.J all went on a mission for wedding favor supplies this weekend. Our first stop was Micheal's Arts and Crafts. Before I left the house, or really the whole time up until this day, I had a clear plan on what it was that I was going to buy. Hell, I even had a chart made up along with prices and materials. Of course since Mom was there, all of that went out the window. I had the idea to make 300 bubble favors, since those are the most popular favors. I know when I go to a wedding, I look forward to getting them. Also they serve as something for the guest to use in lieu of rice or birdseed when Rev and I depart to our after party. Mama didn't think so. According to her, bubbles are for children and there is not going to be 300 children at my wedding. *sigh* So of course, being the bridal wimp I am, I only bought 48 bottles of bubbles. But, Mama was nice enough to purchase a DIY book for weddings for me. That is going to be a help to me. Mama decided she was going to make favors consisting of votive candles wrapped in tulle. That's going to be fly. She wants to decorate the votives. Even flyer. After spending an hour in Michael's, then deciding that a lot of the stuff we put in the cart we could probably buy at Garden Ridge, we kept only what we thought was at the lowest price(tulle circles, Save the Dates, and bubbles). Before I take you to the next part of our adventure, I have to tell about the shenanigans that ensued between Miss Beasley and J.J. I keep telling my child she doesn't want a brother or a sister, and I think she got the message why I am always saying that. While Mom and I were embroiled in the "Nobody wants bubbles" battle, I turned and Miss Beasley says, "Mommy, J.J. hit me in my chest". My blood ran cold. NOBODY hits my baby! Rev obviously read the, "Get your belt" look in my face because he immediately says, "I took care of it." Uh huh. Usually when he disciplines(I use that term VERY loosely) J.J. he starts crying. I ain't hear any crying(I am going to prove this point in a minute). At that point I go on about my business, but I keep my eyes and ears more open this time around. I draw the line at my child. About thirty minutes later, I am standing in the aisle, and I SEE J.J. hit my baby on the side of her face. That did it! I told him to stop hitting my child, and told Miss Beasley to come stand by me. Rev turns around, grabs him and fusses at him, and he starts crying(see what I mean?). Rev needs to get that in check because I will not have my child in a home where she is being terrorized by someone who is bigger than her(even though her and J.J. are the same age, he is a foot taller and 20 pounds heavier than her). I told her the next time he does that give him "the business". Boys shouldn't be hitting girls. Period. After that drama we head over to Garden Ridge, where we should have gone in the first place, because they were having a major sale. We bought 18 tablecloths, plates, napkins, a unity candle, and ribbons. The napkins were only 50 cents per 50 count pack. That was a steal. It felt good to get some of the stuff out of the way. I also bought a glue gun. I started on my bubble favors that night and got just about all of them done. During this time, I discovered 2 things: 1) I am doing 300 bubble favors.....this is MY wedding. 2) I love my glue gun, I want to use it for everything.
Church on Sunday was cute, fabulous and wonderful. There was more praise from our "Praise Team" than there has been in a while. Pastor had some good advice for me. I think sometimes he is misunderstood, but I got a lot of my questions answered about his methods from our conversation. He answered a lot of my questions about himself without him even knowing. The most fabulous part of church Sunday came after 8 o'clock service. I went to Miss Felton, a lady I am supposed to interview for the Member of the Month to see if we could do the interview before Sunday school started, and you know what she said? She declined the interview because she doesn't want recognition, she just wants to work. That is beautiful. My church has a plethora of people that feel they should always be recognized for the things they do at the church. I have had some MOTM chase me down to get their interview because they want someone to see how important they are. It was so refreshing to come across someone who did not care about having their name in a church newsletter. Be Blessed!

Please Let Me Testify.......

2007-03-23T15:24:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh Friday. Gotta love it. It has finally gotten warm enough that I don't have to bundle up like an Eskimo. I hate cold weather. When I get a little bit more money I am transplanting my behind to Florida. I need 5o degrees or warmer everyday.
This week has just been a week of ups and downs. I am not going to get into all of that here, but it has been a doozy. I just know that tomorrow is another day and it will be another chance the Lord gave me to do it right.
Last night Rev and I celebrated our 8 month anniversary with dinner at the Japanese restaurant next to his job. I have been wanting to go here since I heard they were opening, because they cook on the hibachi grill right in front of you. You know I love a gimmick. The decor was really nice. It made me feel like I was in Kill Bill during the Showdown at the House of the Blue Tea Leaves. At any moment I thought I might have to throw down with Oren and her Crazy 88's. The food was nice too. The only thing they could have left at home was this soup made from tofu. Nas-tee. I tried it because I try everything at least once, but I will not be partaking of it again. If I wasn't driving I probably would have had some sake. Or maybe not. Last time I had sake I ended up drunk as hell in downtown Atlanta. Not a good look.
Last night, my sister Helen and I were talking about stalking people and crazy things that women will sometimes do in the name of love(or vengeance). What we concluded was every woman has some crazy in her. Every woman can get a little stalkerish at times. No one is exempt. My mind floats back to Astronaut lady who drove in an adult diaper to kidnap the woman who was having a relationship with the man she loved. I think she was just simply a woman on the edge. She had been reading e-mails between her lover and this woman(probably also obtained through stalkerish means) for weeks and then something probably just snapped in her that just said, "Oh hell naw!" Tell the truth and shame the devil, a lot of us could not tolerate reading steamy emails from another women to our significant other for weeks with out getting ready to catch a charge. I hope Astronaut Lady gets some healing for her soul.
I have a lot of work to do in relationship to school, and my latest set of drama(not to be discussed here...to trifling and confusing) has put that in the background. Not a good look. Chances are during my Moisturizing deep conditioner, I will be doing my Final exam on line too.
I am looking forward to this weekend. No meetings, no trips...just me and me. I love it!
Today I made the decision that I am not going to have anymore kids. Well, hell, Miss Beasley is the only one. When I had her, I was not prepared and caught off guard, therefore making it a not so pleasurable experience(being pregnant, taking care of a newborn). Don't get me wrong, I love my daughter to death, but she is enough. I count myself blessed that I was able to experience the love that fills your heart when you have children, but I don't need a repeat performance. I miss my life. I miss going to church and just listening to the Pastor without saying every 10 minutes, "Sit your ass down before I get my flip-flop". I miss getting off work, taking a shower and laying in my bed watching movies and reading, I miss being able to bounce out the house in a moments notice. My daughter is getting to the age I can ALMOST do all of those things. Why ruin the good thing we have going now? Plus to be honest, neither Rev or I make a colossal amount of money to warrant us having another baby(Rev has a son Miss Beasley's age). So that being said....Victoria Page will not dance the dance of the red shoes tonight or any other night....that's right, I am getting snipped, clipped, and stomped on. I will be discussing a Bilateral Tubal Ligation next time I go to the GYN. I will just die if I come back from my honeymoon and see a plus sign on a stick. Then my relationship with my new husband will have been robbed from me because I will have to focus all my time on 1) Making ends meet 2) My pregnancy 3) The new baby. Whole marriage shot down before it even got started. Be Blessed!

Weekend Fun!

2007-03-20T13:15:00.000-04:00

This weekend was cold, but fun. Rev bought a new car on Friday. A Ford Focus. The Escape was guzzling gas like nobodies business and the payments are lower on this car anyway. Live your dreams Boo. The buying of the new car came just in time, as we went to Busch Gardens this weekend. My advice to anybody that goes when it's not summer....don't. I enjoyed spending time with Rev and the ribs were off the hook, but it was too dayum cold for us to be at an amusement park. We got there right when the park opened and of course the first thing we jump on is the Loch Ness Monster. We rode in the first car. That, by the way is the ONLY way to ride a roller coaster. It's a totally different experience. Next, we head over to the Alpengiest and guess what? We were told they would have to wait until the temperature reached 40 degrees before they could start operating the ride. WTF? So of course like dumb asses, we wait in the line like little eager beavers as if its gonna warm up 3 degrees in the next 5 minutes. After about 30 minutes of that, Rev and I decide to cut our losses and hop on the Big Bad Wolf. Front car again....jammin on the one's. That ride never gets old to me. By this time it's RIB TIME!!! This ladies and gentlemen is what we go to Busch Gardens for. They have these wonderful smoked ribs(It's hick-ray...have some!). They were a little skimpy this time but good none the less. To make a long story short, we were cold but we had a good time together. I even convinced Rev to get on the "non-roller coaster" rides. He still thought they sucked....lol. There are things I MUST point out that just baffled me while I was there. First of all I could count on one hand all the black folks there. I felt like a stranger in a strange land. It was like colonial Williamsburg for real out there. Second, when will folks realize that the rules cannot always be bent for you? We were standing in line to get some fresh cotton candy(yum!) and this man in front of us had two borderline obese twins in a stroller and two other little girls with him, all I was assuming to be his daughters. Well, he orders two cotton candies for the two oldest then he wants the man to take one and put it on two cones because the twins, "Don't share good"(exact quote). The polite young man stated he could not do that. It was against company policy. He would have to charge him for two. Texan with the twins drawls, "I want what I wants and I want two on a stick" *sigh* Why can't folks just let people do their jobs? I am too sure that if they boy could have he would have given his selfish ass twins their cotton candy on two sticks, but because he is trying not to get fired on the first day he can't. Sweet Jesus.
I lost 3 pounds y'all! That was all the motivation I needed. I am straight up drinking water and watching what I eat. I knew I felt little slimmer yesterday but any other time the scale always says different. Be Blessed!

Thank the Lord it's Friday and Go Big Girl.....

2007-03-16T07:12:00.000-04:00

I woke up late as hell this morning. I literally threw the first thing I saw in my drawer on, washed my face, brushed my teeth and slapped on my wig. Simultaneously. I came into my daughter's room wielding a hot washcloth so I could wash her face and get her dressed. Simultaneously. Thank God I redid her braids last night because there wouldn't have been anytime to spray some Soul-Glo on the old ones. The upside to all this is I am not as tired as I have been this week. How could I have overslept? I swear alarm clocks malfunction at some point. Shoot, I have had that clock since 1996. Time for a new one you think? Hell, it comes with a cassette player.
I swear my self esteem is getting beat up from the fine folks at Rev's church. People think that being married to a Minister is glamorous but, let me just say this: You become like property to that church. They feel they can say what they want when they want to you. Yesterday, I was at Rev's job and his Pastor came up there( I won't even get into that). The first thing out his mouth was, "It looks like you're getting fat and Rev is getting skinny." WTF????? What in his mind told him it was OK to say that? What if I would have cussed his ass out? In my old day I would have, but I think I was in such shock and awe that I couldn't say anything. Then a couple of weeks Rev and I see one of the Deaconess from his church, and this broad doesn't say hi or nothing, just...."You look nervous." Hoe sit down. Keep that shit to yourself. For her information I was recovering from the flu and I am sorry I didn't look the way she thought I should. I think it is safe to say I will not be going to Rev's church anymore. If I wanted to deal with rude ass people I will stay at my church. At least I know when they say their crazy shit it's coming from a place of love. Be Blessed!

Let Me Upsell You......

2007-03-15T11:00:00.000-04:00

I went to the dentist yesterday for my deep scaling. My how times have changed. I have been going to my dentist for the last 17 years. I have watched him move from having one storefront office in Chimney Hill to several offices in the Hampton Roads area. God is good. When I got there yesterday I was tired as hell. All I wanted to do was lay back in the dentist chair and let them have their way with my mouth(that sounded sooooo pornographic). They take me in the back and my hygienist is this chick named Rosa* with a Spanish accent. As she is scaling my teeth she starts this sales presentation on teeth whiting. No, really. She gives me cost, types available and payment options. When did up selling dental services become apart of the program? All I wanted to do was get my teeth scaled so they don't fall out from gum disease or something horrible like that. If I wanted my teeth bleached today I would have totally signed up for it...mkay? While all the talk of bleaching was going on, the dentist noticed (thank God someone was paying attention to the important stuff) that they left #15** off my treatment plan, which happened to be the biggest cavity I have. Like root canal big. Of course this changes the ENTIRE finance picture that I had initially. You know what was really annoying as hell, Rosa was in the background, talking about, "Add the bleaching up there too so she can see what it would be like!" Hoe sit down. I DON'T WANT ANY DAMN BLEACHING!!!!! The finance lady comes back to the chair and she starts giving me some astronomical price. For one damn filling??? One filling? No ma'am I need to see the math behind that! So we go back to her office, and mind you, my whole left side of my mouth has been Novicained so I look and sound WAY touchdown. She starts doing all this talk about deductibles and limits etc. All I want her to do is explain to me how it cost $200 for a filling. Are you all filling it with platinum? Will it jump out of my mouth and do dishes? In the end her ass was confusing her self and I figured it out myself. What a waste of time. But I am happy I got my deep scaling done. My mouth was sore last night but my gums felt good this morning. The moral of this story is to go to your dental visits every six months like you should(Rev and Boogie) or this could be you. Except my mom won't be saying, "Serves you right." Gotta love her! Be Blessed!

*Not her real name
** I have no idea what that means, but they kept saying it to me like I knew what that meant.

Choir 'Hersal and Daylight Savings Time

2007-03-14T07:15:00.000-04:00

I am so tired. No, really. Why did we have to turn the clocks back? A sister just lost an hour of sleep. For whatever reason, I cannot seem to get to bed at a decent hour. It's probably because I am up watching these Netflix all night long. In the midst of all this sleepiness, I have so much work to do pertaining to me wrapping up the semester and I have not even scratched the surface. I am going to the dentist today to finish up the rest of my deep scaling. Fun times.
Since yesterday was Tuesday, of course there was choir 'hersal. We have a new musician now. He's the bomb! We learned two new songs. On of which I was dying to sing anyway(I Will Bless the Lord by Hezekiah Walker and LFC). But the real story to tell was when we moved on to "Do it For Me." My God. Miss Dee sang(yes, saaaaaannnnng) that song! The Spirit got so high in that place we could not move on. People began giving their testimonies, it was beautiful. We didn't just have 'hersal, we had chuuuuuuuuuch. I really needed that worship and fellowship time. I have been going through some things lately and I have just been asking the Lord to deliver me from myself. Yup, myself. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy.
I am so excited for me and Rev's trip to Busch Gardens this weekend. I hope the weather is not bad or too cold. But if so, I will make adjustments. Be Blessed!

My Wonderful Weekend....

2007-03-12T07:25:00.000-04:00

So much happened this weekend, I don't even know where to begin.....

On Saturday morning, my mother, Miss Beasley and I went to an event called "High Tea with Tramaine Hawkins". I will admit that before this event, the most I knew about Sister Hawkins, was from that Rough Side of the Mountain gospel commercial on BET when I was little. I got dressed up in my first lady finest and away we went. I was with Mama so you know that meant some draaaaaaaaaammmmmmmma. The church we were going to is in the Churchland section of Portsmouth. Anyone who knows anything about that area knows that it is VERY close to Suffolk. I mean, one wrong turn and you are in Suffolk. I decided to use my trusty GPS on my Nextel phone(that was a shameless plug for Nextel). First we ran into some slow traffic due to an accident. That is when all hell broke loose. She started hollering she should have just went through the downtown tunnel and that dayum GPS doesn't work. So she continues to fuss and carry on until the next blow up.....she sees a sign that says Newport News/Hampton. More hollering ensues. At this point I just tune her ass out, because she has reached a level I like to call, Bonefide Crazy. Needless to say after what was probably a big ugly scene in an Advanced Auto(I stayed in the car....I wanted no parts of that) a nice gentlemen told Mama to follow him to Tyre Neck road where we were trying to go. When we got to the church the first thing I noticed was the parking lot was not as packed as expected(Or rather how Mama proclaimed that we would not have anywhere to park). I remember when we went to see Juanita Bynum and we waited in line for almost 2 hours. We got inside and the inside was decorated beautifully in pink and green. Oh you know a sister was taking notes for her wedding. Sister Hawkins came out and gave her testimony which led to her discussing her new release. After her testimony I decided I would buy her CD because she went through a lot to get it released. Well, seeing that I am a Ministers Wife to be( I am learning there are some perks to this role...lol) I got an autographed picture and a free copy of her CD. Hello! Y'all know I like free. The food was good and plentiful, there is nothing I hate more than going to something and there isn't enough food. We had a good time.
On Sunday, Rev preached at my home church. The Lord really used him. But of course, when there is a guest preacher, there has to be someone to introduce him. Guess who that was? Me. Anyone who knows me, knows I don't do public speaking. I had on 4 inch stilettos and a girdle and I thought I was going to faint. I got up there at that podium and I introduced him the best way I could. I got a little nervous at the end, because I did not know how to wrap it up. I will ramble all day long if allowed. He did wonderful, though. He was not nervous at all. Rev preached from the book of Isiah. If I had my notes, I could give the exact chapter and verse.
Pray for me y'all, I have an interview at Sally's today. I hope I get it. I need the extra income.
This past weekend was a good one. I did a lot of soul searching and a lot of praying, and this morning I could feel the Lord turning things around for me. Be Blessed!

Scripture Time....Real Talk

2007-03-09T11:50:00.000-05:00

Last night I was talking to my sister, and we were both talking about how hard it is to forget a past love when the wound is still new. What we found funny is that you may get in deep sadness over that person and then in like 3 months, you can't even remember their name(figuratively speaking). I decided to dedicate this blog to some Word that can really get you through. It doesn't necessarily need to be a lost love, it could be any trial. We know as Christians that God is going to deliver us, but sometimes we get weak in faith and need to encouraged and God's word is the BEST thing to keep us encouraged.

Mark 14:32-36
"And they came to an olive grove called Gethemane, and Jesus said, 'Sit here while I go and pray.' He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be filled with horror and deep distress. He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me." He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. "Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine."
Jesus knew that his final hours were coming. When they stopped in the garden he became so overwhelmed with sadness that He had to stop and pray. When we are hit with great sadness and hardship that is the same thing we should do, stop and pray. Jesus then lay prostrate and prayed that the moment he knew was coming, might pass by him. Have you ever had a time where you were braced for the absolute worse. You cry and pray to God that some dreadful event doesn't come to pass. I know I have prayed many nights that the Lord wouldn't let me lose my job or that check wouldn't be cashed because the money wasn't there. But there is something interesting that Jesus says after asking for suffering to pass over him. He ask God to do his will. Often, we want to put God in this box. We want him to bless us when we want and how we want. It doesn't go that way. If God meant for it to happen it will happen. There is nothing that any man, can do to keep it from happening. This also speaks to the human nature to worry. We often worry about things that we think we can control. God is in control. "The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord." There is no need to worry. God is guiding you and your life.

Be Blessed!

Aggravation Galore....

2007-03-07T10:27:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post something else besides the product review on Monday, but I have been bogged down with all this work that has been thrown on me. And the laughable part is it wasn't even my work to begin with.
This morning, my mother comes into my room all hysterical about her "missing" Eucerin cream. I guess that is her equivalent to my wigs. I give her the evil side eye. Before I proceed. My mom has this propensity to flip out when something is missing. Instead of concentrating on locating the lost item, she instead starts focusing on all the wrong things. She will start saying things like, "You all probably got mad at me and threw it out", "You probably used it all up and just don't want to tell me"...etc. So she is getting ready to go into that diatribe and lo and behold, the cream is in the damn bathroom on the sink in plain view. Mind you, she was in the bathroom looking for it. I walked away flustered and the best part? She gets mad at me for being annoyed. Imma need her to get some counseling.
Sunday at church was interesting. First of all let me start by saying I feel like there is a conspiracy against me in the choir. Maybe I am being paranoid, but I feel some people had hostility toward Rev and now that he is not there, they feel that they are going to project that on me. They got the right one if they want to play that game. I will not hesitate to cuss you out. Nevada called me on Saturday night reminding me to turn in the Ministry report and all that good stuff and I agreed. She told me all that but she "neglected" to inform me that everyone was dressing in specific colors for the next day. Sopranos wear yellow, Altos wear Lavender, and Tenors/Baritones wear Blue. I came to church rocking a straight up white suit(it was 1st Sunday). I wasn't mad because I was clean as hell. Had a new wig on too...shoot. But she knew I was not at 'hersal. Why would she not share that? She shares everything else. I think she's still sore I didn't dress up like a runaway slave the 3rd Sunday in February. Shoot, I was dressed down....my ankles were covered. Then the final nail in the coffin was when Ronald(aka Mr Snaggles) comes up to me and ask, "Are you going to able to come to rehearsal on Tuesday at 6:30pm?" I know you all are saying calm down because anyone else could have asked the same question. First of all, it's the way he said it. He said it in this condescending tone and then who in world is he to ask ANYONE about coming to rehearsal. Hell, he barely comes to church. Hoe sit down.
Right now I am just praying to the good Lord for patience, because that is what I need right now.
This week I have been learning not to take every one's advice. There was this Evangelist that when I started going to Rev's church from time to time, that I befriended. Yessinia* would always go on these tirades that I need to be at Rev's church at all times and ministers cheat because their wives leave them uncovered and so on and so forth. Well I guess she left hers uncovered because his ass turned up at the strip club drinking a beer. Then I come to find out her life has been unraveling under the surface. What I am trying to say is, if she would have focused on her own home instead of what was going down in everyone else's, she would have been able to see some of that handwriting scrawled on the wall. I will keep her in my prayers for the Lord to see her through, and not only that but for Him to convict her heart when it comes to being focused on your own home. Be blessed!

*Not her real name

Monday Product Review!!!!

2007-03-05T09:27:00.000-05:00

I am currently in my 5th week of stretching. My question to myself is can I make it to 3 months? Since I have started this hair journey, I have noticed that I have become at one with my new growth. I remember a time when I would be shocked and horrified and would ask someone to pass the Motions STAT! But, as I have been baggying my new growth is crazy soft. The back middle of my hair is usually where my new growth is the hardest. But for the first time in years I ran a comb thru it(I know I need to leave these combs alone). If I can go 3 months I may just go 6 months. Who knows? All I know is I want healthier hair. It could never grow anymore than it has now, and I would still be happy. Just as long as it is not shedding and breaking all over the place. Last night I did my weekly "good" combing and when I finished there was nary a hair on my shirt. Good times.
I didn't do Sally's this week. I found some stuff to whip up at home and some co-wash conditioners from Farm Fresh. I think the theme for today is conditioners....

VO5 Moisture Milks in Strawberries and Cream and Peach Smoothie

I decided to give these at try for my co-wash regimen. On Monday night I used the Peach Smoothie. Two thumbs down. My hair was tangled and dry. I can go ahead and say now that this is going in the trash. On Wednesday I used the Strawberries and Cream. LOVE IT! It gave me the slip I was looking for. I don't know why the previous one didn't, but it doesn't matter because after using this one I was hooked. I will be buying a bigger bottle this afternoon.

The Verdict: I will keep the Strawberries and Cream, but the Peach smoothie is free to a good home.

Molasses Conditioner for Breakage

I know what you are thinking. "Molasses is for biscuits.....and I know your hair was sticky as hell when you finished" SIKE! I mixed equal parts molasses and Silk Elements Moisturizing Conditioner with about 2 tsp. of EVOO and Castor oil and applied it to my hair. Please note, that this was a little runny once mixed with the conditioner and the oils. I put a plastic baggy on my head and sat under the drier for 25 minutes. I would have sat longer, but the conditioner was running every where. Oh yeah, this stains a little. I rinsed it out, my hair was soft as butter. As I previously mentioned, I haven't seen any hairs since using this either. I am impressed.

The Verdict: I will be keeping this on as a staple. I put the solution in an applicator bottle and will probably need to buy those little rolls of cotton to but around my head while I have it on because of the dripping. Welcome to the Family!

Suave Clarifying Shampoo

I know I said this would be all conditioner, but I just remembered that I clarified my hair this Friday. I usually don't use shampoo, except for once a month so my pores in my scalp doesn't get clogged. This week I felt I needed to clarify because I hadn't done it in two months and not clarifying leads to breakage. This came in a clear bottle and really did not have a smell to it. I lathered with it once and rinsed. I was pleased with the results. I thought clarifying would leave my hair and new growth hard but this didn't. My strands felt clean but not stripped.

The Verdict: I will be keeping this for clarifying when needed. I won't be using this to replace my Silk Elements Shampoo, because my hair usually will tell me when it needs some clarifying.

Fermodyl Leave-In Conditioner # 619

Since having a bad episode with some Infusium back in the day(maybe I did not know how to use it properly....mmmm...may re-visit this one), I have sworn off leave-ins. Naturally, there was some trepidation using this. I heard about it on the hair boards as a life saver for relaxed hair. I used the formula for relaxed and chemically treated hair. After I finished washing and conditioning, I applied this and moisturized and sealed. I guess this has been helping as well with the breakage.

The Verdict: I did not notice any kind of profound difference in my hair. This will be something that I will use if (heaven forbid) run out of conditioner.

CareFree Curl Gold

I am sure you all read about my mishap the last time I tried to "let my soul glo". But a young lady on the hair boards suggested that I try this instead of the S-curl. I got this at Tar-Jay for $2.50 on clearance. I thought to myself, "What the hell, I'll give it a shot, because that Mango butter is expensive". The first thing I noticed was it did not have that "jheri curl juice" smell. There really wasn't a smell at all. The second I noticed was that it was not all that greasy. I applied this with a little mango butter under my baggy. My hair the next morning was soft a manageable. This has a good mix of moisture and protein, which I think will be beneficial for my hair.

The Verdict: I am going to keep this product. When I did my comb out last night my hair was really soft. I am happy I invested in the large bottle. Welcome to the Family!

Like a Ship That's Tossed and Driven....

2007-03-02T07:42:00.000-05:00

I wish this cold would depart from me. Last night while watching Cars with Miss Beasley, I broke out into this fierce coughing fit, that lasted all night long. I hate being sick.
I hung out with Rev last night for a little bit. Not too much happened. We ate a little Subway and cut up(BTW, Chicken Teriyaki Sub....LOVE IT!!!). He has started sending me these sweet little poems via email each morning. They start my day off right. It's nice to know someone loves you, because you can get beat up by life so much that you sometimes forget.
More car drama continues to ensue. This morning it was raining and of course my windshield wipers started to act the fool. The wiper on the driver's side started acting real touchdown and wouldn't move and it was just a mess. I had to keep getting out of my car on Hwy 168 and adjusting my wipers. I know I looked ridiculous riding down the road with one blade wiping. On top of all that I couldn't see. But thank God that He gave me traveling mercies and got me and Miss Beasley where we needed to be.
My appetite seems to be getting on track. I know this sounds bad, but I have eliminated breakfast all together. It seems like that just gets the "eat you feelings" party started. I hope this helps me drop some weight. I have also discovered the joy of Diet Pepsi Jazz in French Vanilla and Black Cherry. You can barely taste the artificial sweetener. Zero calories too? Fuggitaboutit.
I am watching TV in the reception area at my job. The Early Show has a story about playing music to help patients recover faster after surgery. This lady is in the PACU playing the harp. Bullshit. When I had surgery two years ago, when I woke up the last thing I wanted to hear was a harp. My throat was dry and sore and my ass was shivering. They had to use a fry lamp(hee hee) to heat me up. If you are going to play me music, no harp please. Al Green all day. Be Blessed!

Don't Mess With My Half Wigs.....

2007-03-01T14:34:00.000-05:00

The theme of this week has got to be aggravation. Everywhere I turn someone is just trying me. Yesterday, all I wanted to do was get a new bulb for my low beam headlight. My bulbs are hard as hell to change, despite the fact the manual makes it look easy. The first call I made was one of my favorite places(when I become Oprah Jr. I am going to have a show called "Favorite Places")--Jiffy Lube. I read on the website that they change bulbs. I was greeted over the phone by a gentleman who clearly never heard of the phrase, "speak clearly". He told me that they did not change lights on my car because....you guessed it.....it's too complicated. Jesus. My next call was to the fine people at the car dealership, where I purchased this fine automobile I might add. They told me it would 50 dollars to change the bulb...parts and labor. WTF???? *sigh* It has to be done, so I leave work and head on out to the dealership. I get there and Cliff(not his real name....I just think he looked like a Cliff) tells me that they close in 30 minutes and he has a shop full of work and would not be able to get to it until Saturday. WHAT? So I went with the next available option. Go to the auto parts store and try to install it myself *sigh*. I was frustrated because I had choir rehearsal in 2 hours and I knew from the past experience with my headlights that this was going to be difficult. Last time I was fortunate that a store employee was kind enough to help me. It took his ass a long time. I called the parts store and the manager told me they have the bulb but because of liability and all that jazz no one would be able to help me put it in. Sugar honey iced tea. I get to the store and I am greeted by a lady named Jody. Off top, I knew there would be no chance of me getting any pretty girl-needs help-with her car sympathy. I asked her did she have a wrench set, because I was getting ready to go to town on my headlight. She asked me why I should need that, then she came out to my car and guess what y'all? Jody installed my light without removing the headlight and she showed me what to do for the next time. Talk about girl power! Thank God for her.
Rev bought me some molasses yesterday so I can make this conditioner that is supposed to stop breakage. You know I'll be letting you know all about it on Monday.
My mom wants me to help her clean for my sisters impending visit this Saturday. Do Jesus. I am tired when I get off work. I just want to come home and relax(read:do my hair). I am getting off early today and I am going to go home and clean the carpets and vacuum and then I want to be left the hell alone. I mean that. Shoot my Netflix will be here.....
I have been going through pure hell in regards to those two wigs I ordered from Hairsisters. After being sent to Nebraska the first time around they agreed to just resend me the wigs about 3 weeks ago. In this time I ordered another half wig from them(its fierce!) and I looked on the Internet saw where that wig has being shipped but the other two were still in processing! Why is everybody trying to try me? I called them and they informed me that my other two wigs will arrive from the manufacturer on Friday(they would have had them had they not sent them to Nebraska) and I should receive them by Wednesday. Jesus people...when was I going to be informed of this? If I don't have those wigs on my front porch via UPS by Wednesday I am going to be one angry black woman. You don't mess with my half wigs...or my Mango Butter. Get yourself cut.
Why is it some people can't just say what they want without a lot of extra talk? This woman at work feels the need to over explain every single thing she says to me. I am not touchdown...I comprehend. I don't recall her seeing me licking any windows. She gives this whole preamble to her general point. Shoot, when you come in my office you have 2 seconds to make your point or I am tuning your ass out. I don't have time to listen to your life story. Work on me Lord.

Why is Everybody Trying to Try Me Today???

2007-02-27T11:54:00.000-05:00

There will be no New Product Monday post, as I didn't get anything new from Sally's this Friday. Just the same ol' same ol'. I did buy some clarifying shampoo and some conditioner to co-wash with yesterday, but I will review those later. Moving on....
There has been an infinite amount of drama at the Page house. Where in the hell to begin. Well my sister Helen Van Patterson-Von Patton, has discovered her black revolutionary boyfriend has been dating a....wait for it....a white woman...excuse me, according to him she's Czechoslovakian. I have no problem with interracial dating....hell, I have crossed that fence a time or two in my day. But man, don't sell me some "Down with Whitey" line and you have a white girl friend. That is just wack all the way around. Also turns out that he is with her because he's in debt to her over some money. Can we say lame as hell? My sister deserves better and she should just be happy she found out about his true character before it went any further.
In other news, Rev and I are working on rebuilding our credit and it has totally been a learning experience for me. I used to obsess over other things but I watch my credit rating via http://www.truecredit.com/ like a hawk. What a difference paying some bills off will make. Finally after almost 5 years of struggle.....I will be loosed of the collection demon called Sears. I opened this account when I was 18 years old(what 18 year old shops at Sears.....lets you know how hip I was) and has been a thorn in my side since. Well today them hoes are getting paid. I can't wait to see what that does for my credit.
OMG! Why did Ron Mexico call me telling me all about his latest trouble? He got caught driving with a suspended license...again. I don't know about anyone else, but all it took was that one time back in '04 to convince my ass that I should not drive illegal like that. I am too pretty to go to jail. I am not a fan of anal rape either. I hope he...who knows ...I just hope he stops driving around illegally like that.
Update: Ron Mexico was caught again driving without a license in Chesapeake.....coming home from the club last Sunday morning.....Jesus wept....some people never learn.
I am sick ya'll. It started on Sunday morning. My throat was jammin on the ones. I am currently under the care of Theraflu warming liquid. Its been working pretty well for me thus far.
Tonight is choir rehearsal. I won't be staying long as, I am sick and I don't have time for a lot of shenanigans.
Rev and I bought our lil DIY wedding invitations on Saturday(Rev, I know you are reading this.....20 dollars please...lol). I am totally excited. I love making little list and this wedding has got me writing list galore.
I need to get my nails done....I look extra tacky. That will be remedied this afternoon after I go and pay the demon that is known as Sears. Be Blessed!

Hatin' Azz Bitches on Myspace*

2007-02-22T08:52:00.000-05:00

I think I want to delete my Myspace profile. Despite the title of this blog it's not for all the "Hatin ass bitches"(doesn't everyone under 20 use that phrase on their page?). I am just plain bored of it. It is interesting seeing pictures of guys who used to "have it" looking a H.A.M. and girls who everyone used to think were sooooooo fly looking like they have had a truly hard knock life, I just don't have a use for it. I am only on there when I get a message from someone I haven't talked to in a while. And on that subject, why do people who barely said three words to me in high school all of a sudden think that we should be bestest buddies now? Uh hoe please, we weren't friends then, its no need to be friends with you now. A lot of people in high school I simply tolerated and I counted down the days I could just erase some of them from my mental Rolodex as if they never happened. Simply put, if I haven't spoken to you in three years...lets keep it that way...mmkay
I got to spend a little time with Rev yesterday. It wasn't a lot of time, but I realized we haven't seen each other in a week. Which is OK with me because absence makes the heart grow fonder. Besides it was time for me to take a break from the Rev world tour. Shoot, I gotta get rested up for revival season, because I know I will get talked about if I don't have my face in the place. Plus, a bitch needs to be seen(I'm still saved...lol).
This weekend I am going on a trip to Raleigh to visit with one of our old deacons. I will not tell a lie. I am going for the outlet shopping that is to follow.
I got work to do...that is why they pay me. I will be updating this page a lil sumthin' sumthin' this weekend. Complete with pictures and all. Look for me getting into some book reviews too!

I Got Work To Do....

2007-02-20T13:22:00.000-05:00

I was off one day and now there is a mess of work for me to do....aw hell. I am debating whether or not I want to go to choir rehersal tonight. I bought Miss Beasley a bed that is being delivered on Wednesday and I need to take her baby bed down....sigh. Plus, I need to get something to put her clothes it, as the dressed was attached to the baby bed. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. I think they can survive a rehersal without me. I will blog more later, when I get some of this work done.

New Product Monday!

2007-02-20T12:52:00.000-05:00

You are in for a treat today. I have a few interesting products to review. Imma jump right into it!

Aphogee Intensive Treatment

First be warned of two things when using this product. 1) Use a GOOD moisturizing conditioner after this(I have one I'll be recommending in a minute) treatment. It's straight up protein so you will have dry hair if you don't get a good balance of moisture going. 2) It stinks. It REALLY stinks. Imagine if you didn't wash your female parts for a month. It was like that. I had to spray some Glade afterward because the scent just lingered.

This is a treatment that is used to stop severe breakage. I have been noticing the last couple days that I was seeing more broken hairs in the sink than usual. The directions are really easy. You apply the product to your hair. Now let me just sidebar here for a second and suggest you get a barber's cape from your local BSS. Aphogee is rather runny and it will get on your floor if left by itself. Another tip is to use a applicator bottle for more control. After applying, comb through making sure the hair is coated and then on to the "weird" part. Heat up your hood dryer and sit under it on medium until the solution hardens on your hair. Do not comb or brush the hair during this time. If you don't have a hood dryer, use a hand held one. After its hardened, rinse really well. Follow with a GOOD moisturizing conditioner.

The Verdict: This is a winner!! I immediately noticed a difference in my hair. I haven't had as many hairs in my hand as usual. I will be using this every 4-6 weeks as recommended on the label. Welcome to the Family Aphogee!

Carol's Daughter Hair Balm

I got this as a Valentine's Day gift from my little sister. I have heard a few mixed reviews about using Carol's Daughter on relaxed hair. If it didn't work for me, Miss Beasley(my daughter) has a head full of Au natural hair for me to use it on. I first fell in love with the smell of this product. It has a warm, almost sensual smell to it. It contains soy oil, corn oil, sweet almond oil, coco butter, and coconut oil. Since this CANNOT be used as a moisturizer, I have been using it in conjunction with my castor oil as a sealant.

The Verdict: I love it!!! The smell alone is reason to keep using it, but it left my hair feeling soft and not too oily. It has also given Miss Beasley's hair a beautiful shine. Definitely a keeper!

Elasta Qp DP-11 Conditioner

This is what I used after my Aphogee treatment. This conditioner promises to re moisturize dry hair. I applied it and of course, added my two favorite oils(EVOO and Castor). I slapped on a conditioning cap and sat under the dryer for the 25 recommended minutes.

The Verdict: Good conditioner. It did not give me the slip I was looking for. I will say that my hair still a little hard when I was air drying, but when it dried the next morning it was like butter. So it must have done its job somewhere. We'll keep it around and see what it does.

Update: I have learned through the hair boards that this is not a good product for slippage. However, it is great under a baggy, and I have had better results with it in that capacity.

Choir 'Hersal Re-cap and Miss Celie's Blues.....

2007-02-15T12:43:00.000-05:00

I totally wanted to post yesterday but blogger was showing it's natural behind.
Choir 'hersal went down on Tuesday night without a hitch. We have decided to sing A Capella. At first I was like, "Nah", but when we started singing it was like it was meant to be. You can really hear yourself better when you sing without music. Of course Nevada Jones was there. One of the Deacons is going to sing lead on John P. Kee's "I Believe". He was trying to learn it and of course here comes Miss New Teeth...."I can just jump in if you don't know the words." Um chello...he can't learn the words with you offering to jump in every five minutes. Good for Deacon, I think he should lead that song.
Valentines Day was good. Rev brought me a plethora of giffs(I'm hood today...lol). I got a Ion Hood dryer(y'all know I need that for my deep conditions), and GVP version of the CHI iron. I am on heat hiatus but, I might bust it out on one of my Human Hair wigs. He brought a bouquet of my favorite flowers(lilies and orchids) up to my job and the best giff.....CONVERSATION HEARTS!!!!!!!!! I love these. I am straight tearing down the bag as I type. We were supposed to end the night at Ruth's Chris, but I ate too much at the wedding reception. What wedding reception do you ask? No Rev and I didn't get married yesterday. Deacon(the aforementioned) and his bride, Noxzema Jones got married yesterday. It was a lil spur of the moment. The announced it on Sunday, and...and...that's it. But because I like Deacon and his daughter, I made it my business to be there. I didn't see the ceremony(hey, I gotta work) but I attended the reception. It was nice to be last minute. But some tacky stuff was still present to remind us how hood the bride "could" be. First off, she was wearing pure white. Now usually this is the part were people interject, if you pay for it you can wear whatever color you want. No ma'am. I am not getting married next April in a white dress. Miss Beasley will be 5 years old and it is obvious I am not anybodies virgin. I am not saying to wear funeral black, just ivory or off white. Secondly, her daughters looked like straight up tackheads. Both of them had on open toed shoes, no lotion in all this cold weather, no pantyhose either. They should have looked to Deacon's daughter for fashion guidance because she looked good(pink pinstriped skirt suit). One of them had on a dress that was cut kind of low in the back and....wait for it......her bra was showing in the back. It wasn't even like a cutesy bra that you could play it off, it was a straight up white Playtex 18 hour bra! It was in such plain view, I kept wondering what kind of mother would let her child go out like that? I would have slapped Miss Beasley upside her head. But a good time was had by all.
Once again, I have changed wedding colors. The theme I am going with is, "Preppy Wedding 101" and the colors will be Clover Green and Pale Pink. I am going to let my BM's pick there own dresses as long as the color is Clover and it came from Davids Bridal. I have too many other things on my plate than trying to be lord and emperor over my friends. I hate to see those women on Bridezilla who act like a bunch of crazy hoes just because its their wedding. Hell, the same people you are screaming at now, may be the same people you drink your feelings with when you're getting a divorce a year later. That's real talk.

***My sister bought me some Carol's Daughter for V-day....I can't wait to write the review***

Park Mamas, Tea Trucks, and Nebraska

2007-02-12T12:43:00.000-05:00

Last week was full with so much stuff I don't know where to start. I took my daughter to the pediatric dentist for her consult. They confirmed she had two cavities. Making me feel like a straight up "Park Mama". She goes back on March 29 for her actual fillings. I am nervous for her. Hell, I hate fillings.
This weekend Rev and I went to a pre-Valentines Day fun night at New Oak Grove. I had a blast. It was nice to see all the "older" couples still had that fire. Younger couples don't really have that nowadays. We just cheat on each other and treat each other mean. I know things had to be harder for those couples than it is for us. We have the benefit of education, better employment etc. but how is it they had more stress, but stuck together harder? Questions, Questions......
We have now booked the church and the fellowship hall for the wedding. Fellowship hall? Yup. I took inventory and with the wise advice from my pastor and a fellow ursher(that's how we say it in the EC) board member I realized I was only having it at the Khedive to accommodate any drinking that people wanted. Get drunk before you come....out in the car.....after the reception. Having it at the fellowship hall is saving us 800 dollars. That is no small piece of change to laugh at. If people want to drink they will make provisions. When I used to partake in herbal remedies(7 months clean!!!!!!!!! God is Good!), I didn't care if I couldn't smoke where I was going, I would do it before, or after I got there. Its called adaptation(straight busted out a "B" on my Psych mid term). Seeing that this important part of the planning has been secured, I will now get started on the details. This is where my coordinator, Donte comes in. I am not really a decorative person, so I need an out pour of ideas and suggestions. I am going to need everyone that suggest something to understand this is like suggesting the bake sale for your ministry. If it doesn't fit into what we are trying to do, thank you for your suggestion, but that is not the direction we are going in. I don't want any out pours of "You don't respect my opinion...etc" I am saying this because there is always one(ie my Mama).
The real crisis of this week was on Friday night. Rev bought me 3 new wig heads because he new my new "babies" were coming home on Friday and they need a place to live(don't I sound crazy...lol). I drove home all excited and just as I turn the corner to my home I get a call from a nice lady in Nebraska stating she has my wigs...WTF?????? They put her label on the package and my order in the box. Sheer foolishness. I wept like the Aunt in Crooklyn when that dog came flying out the couch. I was totally gonna rock those wigs Sunday and on Valentines day.....ruint..ruint...I tell you. It was OK though. I still have my "Kelly"(as in Kelly from Destiny Child...Beyonce who?) wig. I had to wash it. Using straight up cold water and fabric softener. I used too much though. My room smelled like a vat of Downy on Sunday. I called the wig place and they have agreed to re-ship it, praise Jesus. It gets hard sometimes, but I need my wigs!

Monday Product Review!!!!

2007-02-12T12:12:00.000-05:00

Oh baby! I went to Beauty 21 in my old neighborhood this weekend and had a BALL!!! I think I am turning into a die hard Product Junkie. Don't take me to the BSS(Beauty Supply Store)...we will be in there for hours. Beauty 21 was just rows and rows of products....heaven. The wig and weave section....hell. It was like wigs n' weaves just exploded everywhere. I didn't say they were perfect. Lets get it started.

Surge 14

I first heard of this product on the Black Hair Forum. I saw that a lot of girls had success with this in aiding hair growth. It's made from Muccopolysaccharide, which aids hair growth, and Biotin and Keratin that helps stop breakage. Lord knows I am always battling with breakage. Its really easy to use. I just followed the directions, parting my hair into sections and spraying my

scalp and spraying the ends. You have to make sure you MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE with this product, if not you will have hard hair from the protein.

The Verdict: I have noticed an increase in new growth, but I have also noticed some breakage too, but I think that comes more from my bad habit of combing my hair whilst wet(your hair is at it's weakest then). I am making a pledge today to keep that comb out of my hair. Duh...that's why I am supposed to be rockin' the half wig. This is definitely a keeper!

Profectiv Break Free and Healthy Ends

I have not heard much about Profectiv products on the hair boards, but for stopping breakage and keeping my ends moist I will try just about anything once. The Break Free is really light and it smells good, it just left my hair hard. I wonder if this has protein? The Healthy Ends is thick and also has a good smell. You use this strictly on your ends and it has really worked keeping my ends moist.

The Verdict: Healthy Ends will be my staple for my night and daytime baggying. The Break Free....not so much. I need to find out about the protein content of this product before I proceed. That mixed with the Surge 14 could be detrimental.

Update: This DOES contain protein. I stopped baggying with this by itself...not a good look.

Elasta QP Mango Butter

This is a moisturizing creme. I have been using this to baggy with at night sealed with EVOO. It is a heavy cream but when my hair dries from the baggy, my hair feels butter soft. I love the mango smell!

The Verdict: After baggying, this left my hair soft and I was able to get a little swing going on. I may just use this to baggy with all the time. Welcome to the Family!

New Product Monday... I know it's not Monday!

2007-02-07T11:42:00.000-05:00

This is running a little late, as I have had a hectic week to be outlined later.

This Monday's product wasn't really a product. It was a...(drum roll please...) HALF WIG! About two weeks ago, I decided that if I was going to be serious about the baggie method and such, I needed a half wig to cover up my hair because it is Rick James wet when I take the baggie off in the morning. I was afraid what it was going to look like because I chose synthetic(the cheapie in me). If you have any experience with tracks, wigs, etc, you will know that depending the situation, synthetic hair will look like shiny as hell. No matter how much oil, grease, moisturizer, gloss you put on your real hair it will never blend. The wig came Friday night, and I fell in love. It's not shiny at all! I bought the Sensationnel Instant Weave # HZ-7031. Well, now I am so addicted to this easy way of keeping my hair covered, I ordered 2 more. This may be the key to me growing my hair back healthy and strong. Welcome to the Jennifer Hair Care Family!!!!!

I did not purchase this next product, I kinda just made it up.
Moisturizing Conditioner
3 large scoops of Cholesterol conditioner of your choice ( I use Silk Elements)
1/3 cup of Castor Oil
1/2 cup of EVOO
Blend well and place on hair and cover with conditioning cap.
I did this and left the cap on for about 45 minutes. This Friday I will try it under the dryer. I will let you know how it goes!

Seasons Change...

2007-02-01T13:38:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to bible study at Ramoth Gilead. As usual, a good time was had by all. We studied out of the book of John, 4Th chapter. There was this young man who was there who was extremely learned in the bible. He looked like a young Immanuel....wow. We talked about sowing the seed of the word into someone brings them joy and it brings you joy too.
After stretching my relaxing for the last 9 weeks, tonight I will be getting a touch up. My hair is starting to break at the point of demarcation and sometimes you have to know when to say when. I will make sure I use lots of protein and moisturize like nobodies business. I just have to find out which one I want to use. Of course you know that means a trip to my favorite place....SALLY'S!!!!
Rev has quit his job as minister of music at my home church. I am a little anxious about this step that he is making, but I know that he always consults with God before doing anything. This time, I have to agree with his need to change. Two reasons: 1) God has called him to preach the Gospel, and that is what his mind needs to be stayed on 2) The choir at my church is just starting to get ridiculous. Maybe this is what they need. A little restructuring.
I have so many errands to run when I get off work. I have to get some money to pay my daughters day care, pick up my contacts and stop by Jiffy Lube and see what's the deal with this oil drip my dad says I have going on under my car. That's what I get for taking advantage of the 19.95 special. You get what you pay for.....

I Feel Like Going On....

2007-01-31T14:06:00.000-05:00

Last night was choir 'hersal. I don't even know where to begin. First, Nevada and Ronald were there, of course looking to get some mess started. Last week we agreed that we were going to open up with the Black National Anthem. Well, Rev played it on the organ this time versus the Clarinova, and all hell broke loose. Nevada started complaining that he was playing it too fast and it wasn't in the key he played it in last time. This is all code for her hindparts doesn't know how to sing this is the only person I know that claims they sing soprana(yes...soprana...that's how she says it), alta(yup!), and tenor. WTF???? So her and Rev got into it about singing the second verse. She felt is wasn't necessary. She was sure to let us all know that she had been singing this song for 50 years. Tell me this then Miss New Toofus....why aren't you able to sing the second verse...really, why are you reading the words out of the hymnal? Keeping the lie alive. As we move on to sing "Grateful" all hell breaks loose again about us not having words. Rev tells Nevada and Ronald if they can't remember some simple words to a song then they need to excuse themselves from the choir. Ouch. I don't have a problem with passing out words but dayum man....it looks extra tacky in the choir box when we are clearly reading the words from a sheet of paper. Why even bother coming to rehearsal, just pass out words and go for it.
I am getting tired of my church family. I love 'em to death, but they are backwards as all get out. In 2007, I made a resolution that I would seek the Lord in all that I do and anything I do will be for the Lord. My church is making that hard. I can't even worship comfortably because I go to a church were the majority show up for two reasons: 1) They have an axe to grind with someone and they want to be someplace were they can make sure that person sees them 2) It's tradition and that's that. All of that animosity messes with the spirit of the church and it makes it hard to praise and worship God. Effectively immediately, I will in attendance at Rev's home church in Chesapeake. I will be going to my church when the spirit of the Lord convicts me to. Until then I am taking myself and my child somewhere else.
I got an e-mail from one of my best friends this afternoon. We haven't talked in a minute and I was overjoyed to hear from her. She has started going to church and has the Lord in her life. If you would have told me a year ago either of our lives would have gone that way, I would have probably laughed at you whilst blowing some MJ smoke in your face. God is good.

Monday Product Review!!!!

2007-01-29T09:01:00.000-05:00

Friday night was "big" hair washing night. I do co-wash two other times during the week (Monday and Wednesday), but Friday is the grandaddy of all the nights. My regimen consist of:

Co-washing: I wash with either Silk Elements Cholesterol or Herbal Essence Hello Hydration(product review below).
Protein Treatment: I use Aphogee 2 minute keratin reconstructor.
Moisturizing Conditioner: My hair is loving Silk Elements Moisturizing Treatment. I mix this with pure Castor oil and olive oil and slap a conditioning cap on.
Hot Oil: I only do this depending on how dry my hair feels...I use Queen Helene Jojoba hot oil treatment. This has been great in cutting down in my breakage.

Then I roller set my hair and let dry for 45 mins-1hr, and voila! My hair is done!

This Friday I added three new products to the family.

Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Conditioner

My sister Helen Van Patten-Patterson-Page called me at 9:00am on Thursday to tell me about this product. She had to do her hair in a rush and used this to wash with and had wonderful results. She recommended the conditioner for me since I co-wash. Hello Hydration is made with coconut milk and lilac. I have read on the hair board that I visit that coconut milk is good for hydration. The product smelled good and came in a pretty bottle(I am a sucker for pretty bottles).

The verdict: It smelled VERY good, and it softened my hair some. Hello Hydration did it's job, but it did not leave my hair as silky as my Cholesterol conditioner. I will probably only use this as an alternate.

Update: This product left my hair dry as a chip after co-washing...into the trash it goes......

Silk Elements Moisturizing Conditioner

Before I give the review I must admit that I did leave this conditioner on for a LONG time before rinsing out. Long, like 3 hours. A big no-no. This product has a nice smell and is not greasy. After removing the cap, my hair rinsed easily, but when it came time for my roller set, my hair was a little hard, which leads me to believe there's a little bit of protein in this conditioner. However, I did leave it on for three hours, so that played a factor.

The Verdict: This one is definitely a keeper. The next time I will not leave it on as long and I will mix it with some oils(Castor and olive).

Castor Oil

I have been hearing about this as a favorite on the hair board as well for thickening up your hair. I was more than curious because I hate when my hair grows and my ends are darn near see through, and my hair seems thin(not balding thin, just....thin). I simply used this as a sealant with my ORS Olive Oil Moisturizing Lotion.

The Verdict: Love it!!!!! I could tell the difference in my ends already and it has given my hair great shine. Its also a thicker oil so it has sealed better. Welcome to the Fam, Castor Oil!

This Friday, I will be trying out setting lotions and foam wrap lotions. I'll keep you posted!

Eddie Cane Jr., Crack Pennies, and Coinstar

2007-01-25T08:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I am back after bloggers self-imposed maintenance. Tuesday was something else. If you refer to my previous post about S-curl, I was going to try it to keep my new growth soft while I try to stretch my relaxer. Disastrous. On Monday night before I went to bed, I was having a little problem wrapping my hair due to my new growth. Of course, I break out the Soul-Glo and begin spraying away on my new growth. This allowed me to wrap my hair, but I was going to pay for that in the morning. Fast forward to Tuesday morning. I get up and try to unwrap my hair. Wet. As. Hell. I had to coerce my hair out of a wrap and when it was all uncombed I looked like one of the two: 1) A drowned rat 2) Eddie Cane Jr. in the part of the Five Heartbeats when he has fallen off and is singing "Nights Like This" in the parking lot. I tried to fix it the best I could by bumping the ends under....hell, I though maybe I could fry off some of the grease. I still looked like hell. So all day my hair looked like someone who had a Jheri curl that the curls fell out of. I spent all day camped out in my office.
When I got off work I still had to go to choir 'hersal. I went by Rev's job first and of course he said. "You look good Bay". Yeah right. Keep the lie alive. But I noticed he changed his tune when I told him to feel my hair. He got this smile on his face that just said it all. I had let my Soul-Glo. I told him I was totally wearing a hat to 'hersal. So we stop by the house and I throw on my fatigue hat and away we go. 'Hersal went good we learned a new song by Hezekiah Walker called "Grateful". If you really sing it from your heart and know what it is like to be grateful for all the trials He has brought you through.....you can only imagine. Let me backtrack a minute from this point. When we go to the house to pick up the fatigue hat, I expressed the need to get some money from "The Penny Jar" I could discreetly take to one of the FOUR Coinstar machines that they have in Elizabeth City. As sisters tank was on E to the third power and I needed that money so I could get to work the next day. After rehearsal we go to the new Farm Fresh to use the Coinstar machine. Mind, you I have on a fatigue hat with wet faux Jheri curl hair and I am carrying around a gallon Ziploc bag of pennies. Jesus wept. When I go inside, I see the sign saying the maching is out of order. WTF???? They just got it like 3 weeks ago. So Rev and I move on to the Food Lion across the street (why is there a Farm Fresh and a Food Lion across from each other???). When we get there, I get out holding my crack pennies and all and this time there is NO Coinstar there. We regroup and we go to the other Food Lion which is down the street (yeah, I don't get that either) and I am standing in front of the coinstar machine holding my pennies reading a screen that says the machine need Managerial assistance. Now, when I came in there was this employee who saw me and she called for a manager. The manager came alright....came to help her ass on the register. So I take my hindparts over to the Customer Service desk and the same girl tells me, "That machine ain't workin'". I am looking at her like, "Bitch(yes the First Lady said bitch....I'm still saved) you couldn't tell me that when I was standing in front of the Coinstar???" So with what little dignity I left and got back in the car and began telling Rev I have lost all my dignity. (singing) Will I lose my dignity....Will someone care? After letting go of my pride (my dignity was already gone so what else was there to lose?) I let Rev give me 20 dollars and we went to the Chinese food buffet. It was there that I proceeded to eat my feelings. General Tso's chicken would never strip you of your dignity.

Choir 'Hersal, Lies and Deceit...........

2007-01-17T11:43:00.000-05:00

I tell yah.....no matter how far I have gotten ahead.....never mind....boys lie....remember that. It will be important later on in the post.

Well last night was choir rehearsal. When I got there, Nevada was sitting on the Deacon's pew, wide as all outside, holding court. I say my hellos, and then it started

Nevada: I need your number. I was going to call you and see if you had quit the choir and gave up your position.

Me: (giving her the evil side eye)

Hoe, please. Your ass didn't come to like 50-11 rehearsals and I didn't ask you if you quit. She irritates me to no end. So the choir discussed the fundraising requirements this year(they ain't having it) and color options for the Sundays we sing. I am sure you are asking where all the singing was in this. There. Was. None. Why? The musician FORGOT that he needed to come to 'hersal. Well actually its just a speculation that he forgot, the man never answered his phone. Que Serra, Serra.

A couple of months ago my fiance (who will be from this posting going forward will be know as "Rev"...'cuz that's what he is) asked my opinion on getting a laptop. Now something you must know is Rev is as green as the grass on a summer day. At times I swear you can just tell him anything. He is the type of person who believes in those checks that they send you for like 50,ooo dollars. Typical conversation:

Rev: (excited as hell) Bay, I got a check in the mail for $50,000!!

Me:(rolling my eyes) Rev, that is junk mail.....throw it away....

Rev: No it's not....its a real check!

Me:(thinking to myself) Next thing you know his ass will come home with magic beans....

I mean anything you name....if there is someone you want to scam....this is your man. So I advised him if he wanted a laptop, just save for it or get it around tax time because we are trying to buy a house in the upcoming weeks so no new debt would be really helpful. Well, he calls me a few weeks later and tells me that his uncle is going to "give" him a laptop and it was going to come via UPS in a couple of days. Now this is were the skeptic in me got the working.....

1. Why would your uncle who you just happened to see at your son's b-day party (which I wasn't allowed to come to.....another story for another day) offer to "give" you a laptop?

2. Why is your uncle, who I assumes lives in your neighborhood, UPS you a laptop that he is giving you?

But I thought to myself of course this all makes sense....this is Rev we're talking about. Well, I was in Rev's car this weekend and because he lacks any kind of order when it comes to his important papers....I saw a letter from QVC (ya'll see where this is going) on the floor. It was thanking him for opening up an account and listed the laptop he currently owned the amount it cost and the amount he was expected to pay monthly. I asked him about it and he claimed I didn't know what I was talking about...uh huh. Fast forward to this morning, I ask him for the 3rd time about the laptop. Finally in Jim Bakker (ya'll remember my stick man from PTL) fashion, he breaks down and tells me that his "uncle" (yes, that goes in quotes now because I don't even think that uncle exist) is going to pay two payment and he's going to pay the last 2 two. Lies, lies, lies. I should have just stayed with baby daddy. At least I knew he was lying 80 percent of the time. This just threw me for a loop, because I swear I told Rev when we started dating that I DESPISE LIARS! He claims he didn't tell me because he didn't want to hear me fuss about spending money. You dayum real I was going to fuss. I am trying to secure our future, somewhere for us to live when we get married and his ass is out here screwing it up! Did I get engaged to Gregory Page (my dad) or what? Who knows what the hell else he's lying about. He probably didn't get his babymomma's car off his credit either...I don't remember him going to Grandy for that transaction. But we are applying for this house in about two weeks and if I find out its not off there......everything he owns in a box to the left......if I wanted to be lied to I would have stayed with Baby daddy, Ron Mexico or Big B. But I wanted something different....and look, I got the same.....Negros (shaking my head in disgust).

S-curl, Wedding Receptions, and Choir 'Hersal

2007-01-16T11:55:00.000-05:00

Well, last night I went to Power Praise excercise class. Of course, held at church. We had a good time. I may actually start really working out again seriously. I think I have gotten discouraged because I am doing a little thing called "stretching" my relaxer. Instead of relaxing every 6-8 weeks I am going to stretch for 3 months....yeah....I know. But suprisingly my hair doesn't look the absolute foolywang(courtesy of YBF), because I wash with conditioner instead of regular shampoo. The conditioner keeps that new growth soft. I was reading that you can use S-curl to soften the new growth, but I keep hearing the theme to Soul-Glo in the background everytime I think of using it.But at any rate, it feels good to finally have a excercise regimine down pat.

Weight watchers is a b*tch. It has made me aware however, that I really eat entirely too much. I am not a big girl by any means, but I really don't need to eat all that I do. Most of the times I am not even that hungry. I just eat out of bordem. But luckily, being on this lifestyle has got me drinking more water than I ever have.

I have decided to change up the direction that I am going with my wedding. Yes, of course I consulted with dear fiance. I got the lecture of a life time about my "excecutive decisions". But to be honest some women could benefit from making an "excecutive decision" or two.....keep from being a doormat. But in any case, I am scrapping 2 things:

1. Tiffany Blue Inspired Theme

Its just too hard to try to match this. I am not Toni Braxton,

nor do I have her money. The flowers were the reason this was

not going to work.

2. The Menu

It was just entirely too much going on. Plus, I decided, "Why in the

"hell am I breaking my neck and wallet to feed all these negros?"

We will be having heavy h'orderves. If folks don't like it, McDonals

is down the way!

I have to put my foot down somewhere. Fiance and I trying to buy a house and to be honest, a wedding is only one day out of all my life. I can really live in my house all of that life. Plus I have seen too many people go for broke when it came to the wedding and they are just as unhappy....but that's another story for another day.

Tonight is choir rehersal. I will be laying down the law.....drama will ensue....evil side eyes will be cast....details to come!

God Bless......

And Wer'e Back!!!!

2007-01-15T12:20:00.000-05:00

Well, Happy New Year everybody. As you can see I have renamed my blog. This was mainly because my life has gone in a different direction since this summer. Don't get it twisted....I like to laugh and about 98 percent of the things I will be writing about will pertaining to the outrageous things that go down in chuuuuuch.

This past Friday I went to my first church conference. Now, this goes down every quarter and I have always heard that it is were folk from church come and lay down their religon. Oh how true this was. The first line of business was an alarm system for the church. We have a fire alarm already we just need to add on the security feature. Call me backwards, but isn't it more likely that someone would break in versus a fire? The church is in the middle of a block that resembles "The Wire" at night. Much to my dismay....nobody wanted an alarm system...too expensive. I guess getting burglerized is too--but who's counting? But these same people that hemmed and hawed about the alarm system, where ready to throw down 1,300 dollars for....wait for it....someone to come out a spread mulch on this "strip" of garden. They can pay me 1,300 and I will spread mulch, wash windows, and mow the lawn. In short the priorities are alllllll out of wack.

I love my church, but sometimes they can be a little backward in their approach. We desperately need to move into the 21st century.

This Sunday, my fiance(love how that sounds!) is going to preach at the church he's auditioning for(I am sure "audition" is not the church term, but hey, it's the best I could come up with). He preached there the first Sunday in the month. Now, mind you because I go to church with some haters....they all forewarned us that we would hate it and the people were mean and hateful like the ones at OBMBC. Well the devil is a liar.....those people were alright to me. We even went to bible study there and though we were small in number, we had a ball! I felt comfortable asking questions. At OBMBC...ask a question if yah want to....you are gonna get the straight up evil side eye from sister such n' such.

This Tuesday I am going choir rehersal. Apparently there were some people that were in an uproar because I chose to support my finance's preaching endevor instead of singing with them. First of all, I have a good idea who said it. I will now introduce you to two characters in the choir that are constant source of trouble and at time comic relief. I will call them "Nevada" and "Ronald". Teeth are optional for both of these people(well, Nevada just got new teeth about two weeks ago). They have their periods of time where they don't go to rehersal and that is just that. But I don't come to TWO rehersals....mind you I haven't missed one since I joined....Frick and Frack are hollering all over the place. I'm coming this Tuesday and I am laying down the law. Well, I will post later. I have some work today.....I knew I was here for a reason.

Happy MLK Day!!!

......You are not the Father!

2006-08-30T12:51:00.000-04:00

Well, I know it's been a long time since I have posted, but here I am! Well let's just get to the point. About two weeks ago I was offered a killer job at a local insurance agency. I would be making more than I make at the hospital. Well, there was one hitch in all of this. A hair analysis drug screen. Why is that a problem? Well, about 50 days ago I was a ragin' pothead. Well, 50 days wasn't long enough because they called me this morning to inform me I failed that test with flying colors. I can apply in a year, but I am sure they will remember this little incident so I won't be asked back. See how drugs can ruin your life? When people think of drugs ruining your life you often think of someone ending up homeless on the street, or selling themselves or wordly posessions for their next hit. Well your life can be ruined in other ways. Like this. Because of this indiscrection, I will be resigned to working this bullshit job for the duration. I cannot believe this shit....Lord I stretch my hands to thee......

Dope Fiends....

2006-08-11T07:57:00.000-04:00

Well, Good Morning World! I am going to acutually start doing some work around here. I just discovered (through my fight club) that there is a productivity report for this new fangled system. So appearing busy(shuffling papers, staring intently at the computer screen) will not cut it anymore.

On Wenesday my favorite movie of all time came on t.v. What's that you might ask? Jungle muthafluckin Fever. I don't watch that movie for the social commentary on interracial dating AT ALL. As far as I am concerned some black men, white girls can have. But anyhow, I love this movie for two reasons. 1) The Good Reverand Doctor 2) My man Gator. The Good Reverand Doctor speaks in straight scripture ALL the time. I always wanted to marry a man like that. Can you imagine?
Me: "Baby are we gonna hunch tonight?"
The Good Reverend Doctor: "Lord, I stretch holy hands to thee.."
I just love Gator because, yes America, I am intriuged by the antics of dope fiends. Here are just some of the things that I have noticed.

1) When there are two dope fiends on Cops...isnt it odd that the two people never look like they run in the same circle. For instance, there was an old black lady and a white girl my age getting arrested. Of course they both claimed the crack pipe belonged to the other one, and the older black lady claimed she was riding with her because she was concerned about the white girl's baby, who might I mention did not have on a diaper. Then shennanigans insued about the white girl walking up and down the street all night and smoking dope. Too funny

2) Often times they ask for odd amounts of money. For instance, my aunt Mary will ask for $1.67. A $1.67?? Why not $2.00? You can tell someone is straight scrapin up change.

That's all I can type right now....I need to go back to the business of being productive. Well, thats all for now!

*To any dope fiends I have offended.....I got love for yah!*

I'm Gonna Make you Love Me

2006-08-09T08:16:00.000-04:00

Good Morning Winners!

I got a call yesterday from Farm Fresh about some part-time employment. Alright! If it is in God's will I know I will get it. A sister needs some extra loot for real.

I talked to my sister yesterday about the craziness that is my parents. She helped me realize that I am way to involved in the inner workings of the dysfunction which is called their marriage. My dad came home on Sunday all proud of himself that he bought some new eyeglasses. He proudly announced he paid all of 168 dollars for these fly glasses. The problem? He has insurance, and if he had gone to an optometrist that took his insurance, then it would have only cost him a whopping 30 dollars. Well, my mother the insurance guru, frowned upon this, and who else does she unload this on? Me. Granted it was a waste of money, I have to look at her and ask, "Are you really surprised by this behavior, which is just one repeat of many incidents like this in your marriage?" I guess what I am trying to say is I am tired of people telling me the same problem over and over, and me giving the same advice over and over. After awhile you either deal with it or just continue on the hamster wheel. I love helping people but afterwhile it becomes redundant listening to the same shizz over and over. Well, I am getting ready to partake in some free food courtesy of the anesthesia department!

Work Folks.....

2006-08-08T08:19:00.000-04:00

Good Morning!

I am taking my time to write this before my third co-worker gets here. Why am I doing it before she gets here? Because this blog is about her. God knows I love all people but she is the most irritating person ever. When me and my other co-worker are talking she is ALWAYS butting in. She is always in my computer screen. For instance, I was applying for another job(I gotta get the hell up out of here.....) and this broad is like, "What are you applying for?" and I am looking at her like, "Hoe sit down." I swear she is like the Federales. If someone is late for something she just HAS to tell the manager. When it was just me and my stickgirl we looked out for each other. If she was late and the supervisor called up and asked where she was I would just say she's downstairs(God forgive me) because we just looked out for each other. But this broad is trying to be dayum employee of the month. I'm going to have to watch her.....

Well, last night I went to a revival with my Pastor friend. It was held at Little Piney Grove Baptist Church in Creeds. The revivalist was Pastor C. LaRue. The scripture came out of the Book of Matthews and the topic was "What are you Afraid Of?" Well, ya'll it seems that I am afraid of the present. That means I have laid all my plans just right and I am a afraid something catastrophic will come along and ruin everything. As, I sat there last night I realized that my fear of the present is what has kept me from leaving my parents house. When I moved back in it was supposed to be for just one year, but now one year has turned into two. And why? Because I am afraid that if I try to get back out there on my own I will fail. If I fail this time it will be even more detrimental because it will just be me and my daughter and I don't want to be solely responsible for our failure. I just pray that I grow stronger to step out on faith and do what it is that God has planned.

As for me and Pastor, we have been getting along GRAND. I never thought I would be involved with anyone decent never mind a preacher. He makes me feel like there is hope for all women that have been through the multitudes of losers. After my first date with him, I realized in all my 25 years of living, I had never been on a REAL date. Most of my dates up until this point have consisted of the following:

1. Hanging out with him and his boys partaking in herbal substances
2. Hanging out with him partaking in herbal substances
3. Going to Dinner on my dime

Dayum it feels good to be treated like a lady! I feel like Mary after she met her husband. It sounds corny but I may have found one of the last good, black, straight men on earth. There are plenty out there, it's just I think we as women today are conditioned to call the good ones corny and the ones that dress nice and treat yah like shizz the Bomb. Well I am here to tell you, if he has ugly shoes, we can get him new ones, if his teeth are crooked, we'll find an orthodontist, but there isn't anything you can do for a man with an ugly heart.