Bridal Brigade,,,,,

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....

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....

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......

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....

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!

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!