What I'm smiling about right now! :-)

Hello and welcome to the day before Thanksgiving!

Let's celebrate. Here's what I'm smiling about right now:

~ I woke up~ with all my senses, employment, & knowing that I’m loved and valued. God is good. Life is good!

~ The cute Thanksgiving Day parade animations floating in the upper left-hand corner of my screen on my yahoo page. Cute!

~ The sun is shining bright! Love that!!

~ I am leaving work at 1:45pm. YES!

~ We signed the contract for the venue for our “Special day” next May! Ahhhhhh, I’m breathing better already.

~ Jennifer Grey won Dancing with the Stars, YES!!! America is not as bonkers as I was beginning to think with the Palin craze. Lol.

~ Coupons! Borders just sent me a 50% off today only coupon. Whoo hooey! ;-)

~ Jasmine Green Tea. It’s keeping me warm right now.

~ Brookey’s blog, http://brookeybabysblogspot.blogspot.com/2010/11/oprah-haters.html. It was excellent yesterday! She is a terrific writer and good friend!

~ Music. Right now, When Doves Cry is playing and it’s making me smile because it reminds me of the concert I’m going to in 3 weeks!!!! Yeah baby!

~ My mom. She makes me smile by just being her colorful self! Love you momma! See you very soon. <3
~ My Maddycakes. I adore my goddaughter. She is such a ball of joy! I had fun watching her shake her little self on the dance floor at our cousin’s Sweet 16 last Sunday. When she smiles it’s contagious.

~ Having another day to share with you. I want you to know I appreciate YOU! Thank you for being a part of my life. Have a beautiful Thanksgiving. When you think about it, we all have overflowing blessings in our lives. I think that’s surely something worth shouting about. Get happy and keep spreading the love!

Sending gratefulness your way. Tag you’re it!

Too cute to boot! :-)

Happy afternoon time! Just taking a fun break. Today is beautiful. The sun came back out. She is smiling big and bright from the sky. I love feeling her warmth on my forehead during my lunchtime "city walks!"

So let's taking about too cute to boot gifts.;-) I found a few things that I am totally digging and considering as possible gifts for the holidays or a birthday or whenever. I think any day is a day to give.

Each day comes bearing its own gifts.  Untie the ribbons.  ~Ruth Ann Schabacker

***I'm really fascinated with maps and globes these days. I need a serious geography course. I'm thinking traveling slowly but surely to as many places as possible will help. In the meantime, so would a globe. This one is awesome!

http://www.worldglobes.com/world-globes/desk-globes/blackfloatingglobe.cfm

**As a kid, I simply adored stuffed animals. Even now, it does my heart good to hug a soft, cuddly animal. This cutey patootie is from my favorite store, Anthropologie. What's even better:"Each animal, handknit from locally grown wool spun on old bicycle wheels, comes with a card signed by the woman who made it, making these little guys heartwarming in more ways than one!"~ Anthropologie FB post

**I love a nice sweater. Totally digging this one for men from the Gap (Birdseye sweater). ;-)

 **Lastly, a good book is a treasure. I thumbed through this one in Borders this week.

Sending glad tidings your way. Tag you're it! Keep smiling!!!!

8 great things I love about NYC

Happy Tuesday night. What a full day! It's been awfully gray so far this week in Nueva York. In fact, it's raining right now. But, the sun will shine again soon. :-)

So, I was thinking about this big, crazy, delightful, strong, unique, brilliant city. This is a city that can make you laugh till your cheeks ache, scream at the top of your lungs, and feel like you're on the of the world all in one day~! Oh what a city. And yes, I do believe if you can make it here, you can surely make it anywhere. There's just no where quite like it. I've grown to appreciate the good, the bad, and ugly. :-)

Since 8 is my favorite number. I thought I'd share great things I dig about NYC ;-)! Here goes:
**Awesome skyline! Cool buildings. Interesting & talented artists.

**Access to rooftops. How neat is it to have bbqs on the roof and catch some rays?



**Street fairs. If you ever want to find unique, beautiful, even one-of-a-kind gifts, check out one of the many fantastic street festivals during the summer, fall, and winter. One of my favorites is the holiday bazaar @ Union Square.

**Water. I love been surrounded by water. I mean, Manhattan is an island. :-) I like being near beaches, too. It's a nice mini getaway when I can't get to the turquoise waves of more distant destination.

**Food. This is a foodie's paradise! The choices are unlimited, from Carribbean to French to Ethiopian to Thai to Southern cuisine. And cupcakes galore. De~lish!

**People watching! If I'm ever bored, I can simply take a seat on any park bench and watch all the interesting folks pass by. Oh what fun to see the fashion of a "New Yorker." I love the freedom to just be yourself, take it or leave it. ;-)

**Awesome happenings! From free concerts in Central Park or Brooklyn or the Bronx to spectacular events like Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's eve to impromptu stints like Lenny Kravitz playing guitar in the middle of Times Square just because he was inspired to Spike Lee's Michael Jackson Birthday celebration. Ya gotta love it! ;-)

**Public transportation. The subway. Even with the daily hustle and bustle. I'm soooooo very grateful to have a train to take me where I need to go.

What do you love about your city? Talk to me.

Sending peaceful thoughts your way. Tag you're it!

Celebrate FRIDAY!

Yes. I've been anticipating Friday all week. This week seem long to me! The weekend is at hand and I'm forever grateful. It's a gorgeous day in Nueva York. I'm loving the sunshine with the chill in the air. Mainly because sunshine makes everything prettier. And because it's the kind of weather that I can handle (live, walk, commute in) with a simple yet warm scarf and jacket. ;-)

photo by way of Photobucket contributor

Ok, let's celebrate. I'm a thankful gal! What about you? I want to make special note of the following things I'm everso grateful for, here goes:

**Waking up feeling GOOD! ready to take on the day. Ready to live!!!!!!!!!!

**Finishing my grandma's photobook. Yay! It took hours of going through old photos and tinkering with the website and layout, but it was worth it. I can't wait till it arrives. I especially look forward to grandma's reaction when she unwraps it on her birthday next month!

**Drinking 2 huge bottles of water at work daily this week from my own water bottle! ;-)

**Joining the 29-Day Giving Challenge. Love it!

**Finishing a fun project at work!

**Finding beautiful boxes/paper at Kate's Paperie for grandma's presents.

**Laughing daily!!

**Feeling the warmth of the sun on my face as I walk to work every morning.

**Getting my ticket to go home for Christmas! whoo hooey

**Finishing one of the best books I've read all year~ Spiritual Liberation by Michael Bernard Beckwith.

**My sister sending me a sweet text about loving the electric blue pashmina scarf I left in Georgia, that she now owns. :-) It's a joy being a big sis!

Your turn!

Sending bursts of laughter your way. Tag you're it!

Two cent tidbits ;-)

Good Wednesday evening. The air had a slight chill in it today. Winter is around the corner and so are the holidays. I do enjoy this time of year in the Big Apple. :-)

So, I was thinking today about how amazing life is, even as I'm going through a few little uncomfy things. Life is still good. :-)

This weekend I came across a couple of diary pages that I wrote when I was 15 years old. Wow. I am so glad that I journaled back then. I cried and laughed as I read a list of what I wanted in a guy. The 3 with astericks included looks, sense of humor and easy to talk to. :-) I was happy to see that I got 15 out of the 16 qualities I wanted in a man --even if it is two decades later. ;-) Yay!

Ahh, life is so interesting.

I also found a letter I had written to God during that same period in my life. After asking that I meet Bobby Brown and New Edition; I was relieved to see that I ended my prayer stating that "most of all I want to be the best person You (God) want me to be, shine through me..."

This really struck my heart. It's something that I've been affirming all these years. I'm a tad closer...Learning to enjoy the journey and be alert to the lessons.

Reading what I wrote affirmed, for me, that what I put in writing has a much stronger chance of being realized than not.

Ok, now for two cent tidbits....not in any special order. Here's goes:

**Tis the season....to give, share, love a little more. I love giving gifts--not based on extravagance, but thoughtfulness. I love wrapping them. I love seeing them displayed. I love shopping for them , creating them, or designing them ( most of the time :-)). I believe a book is one of the best gifts you can give or receive. I came upon this one today. I like it even more because all proceeds go to the Avon Foundation for Women.

**This skirt our First Lady is wearing is perfect for the holidays. Loving it!

**I wish I could erase any pain anyone is feeling right this moment.

**It's nice to smile at yourself and say something sweet first thing in the morning. Really gets the day off to a bright start!

**Cousins rock!

**There's always room for improvement.

**Trampolines and boxing bags. Great stress relievers!

**I love remembering ole time gospel songs from when I was little girl. These two songs have been on my mind this week. Glad to be in the number one more time and Teach me Master teach me. Unfortunately, I couldn't find them on playlist.com to post here. Spiritual songs move my soul!

**Our kids, our parents, our nation, and our planet needs healing. Prayer. It starts with me becoming a better, stronger, healthier me.

**Last, but not least, I appreciate you!!!:-)

Sending good vibes your way. Tag you're it!

So here's to life...

Welcome to the end of the weekend. Happy Sunday night! It was good while it lasted. :-) I've been taking belly dancing classes for the past 5 Sundays. Each Sunday as I walked to class the sun has been glowing bright, the sky has been clear, and the air has been perfect. I appreciate that! Especially since I don't usually like to leave my humble abode on Sundays.  

View from former apt. taken by Xavier

I went to see For Colored Girls on Friday. Wow. I have been anticipating this film for years. I went to a fine arts high school and we performed the play. I could barely remember which lady I played. But, as I watched and listened to each character Friday night, memories slowly came to mind. The Lady in Green's monologues took me right back to high school (even though, that wasn't my part in the play). I was pleased with how Tyler Perry brought this very heavy play to life. Well done, Mr. Perry! This movie, these characters are so raw and real. Some scenes very painfully moving. The words written by the author/playwright, Ntokage Shange, shake my soul.

"I found God in myself and I loved her. I loved her fiercely!"~Lady in Brown

I could go on about the issues presented in the film, however, I think this single line captures the beauty of it all. Each woman, no matter what her color, is here to find God in herself, embrace her, nurture her, be gentle with her, adore her, with all of your being, always, no matter what.

The last song of the movie really stuck with me throughout this weekend. It's a song by Nina Simone called Four Women. It's #2 on my playlist here. I played around with the words and created my own verse. Here goes:

My skin is honey. My legs are long. My hair half-wavy. My heart is strong. Strong enough to keep on moving, even when things go wrong. What do they call me? My name is Moonlily. My name is Moonlily.  moon~lily. 

Your turn.:-)

Sending love your way. Tag you're it!

 

Laugh break :-)

Happy Thursday evening! Ahhhhhhh, less than 24 hours till Friday. Yay!!!! Anybody need a good laugh? I love to laugh. When I was a kid I used to be able to make myself laugh until my belly ached. I was just keep thinking of whatever made me laugh in the first place over and over and over again. I remember my best friend Janet and I used to sit on the bus ride home from school and just laugh and be silly little girls the entire 20 minute ride. It was exhilirating!
It's just so good for the soul. A good, hearty, cheek-stretching laugh! I hope you're getting at least 1 good minute of laughter daily.

So I thought of just 3 things from TV that always make me laugh. Wonder if any of these tickle your funny bone too. :-0)!
**The movie Knocked Up has a hilarious scene with comedian Craig Robinson as a doorman at a club. Two ladies want to get in and one is pregnant and her sister is maybe late 30s or 40s...so they are not the typical club gals. The entire scene is funny--minus the F-word about 30 times--but this line really cracks me up:  The doorman says to the older sister--"I can't let you in cause you're old as f---. For this club, not you know, for the earth." Maybe it's just me but when he said "for the earth" I laugh for about 10 minutes. It was probably his delivery. You gotta hear it. lol.

**The Color Purple is a superb film. My favorite movie ever. I like so many lines from this movie. So many made me think, cry, and smile. This one said by Buster in the juke joint, in regards to his lady Sofia aka Oprah, really made me laugh out loud. "I don't fight my woman's battles. My job is to love her and to take her where she wanna go." And the most delightful and funniest part about this line was his delivery. Buster was happy as a kid in a candy store. So content! This line never gets any props from the movie, but it so deserves some. Next time you watch The Color Purple, listen up for Buster's line. I'm sure it'll make you smile.

**Finally, one of the TV sitcom scenes EVER was in the pilot show of The Cosby Show. Remember when Cliff and Theo were talking about how Theo was going to survive in the real world if he kept making poor grades. Here are the main lines that still make me laugh out loud -- over 25 years later:
Theo: "Maybe I was bron to be a regular person and have a regular life...if you weren't a doctor I wouldn't love you less because you're my dad adn so instead of acting disappointed because I'm not like you, maybe you can just accept who I am and love me anyway because I'm your son."

Cliff aka Theo's dad's response: brief pause "Theo, that's the dumbest thing I've EVER heard in my life. No wonder you get Ds in everything. now you are afraid to try.....Now I'm telling you, you are going to try as HARD AS YOU CAN and you're gonna do it because I said so! I am your father. I brought you into this world, I'll take you out!"
Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFY0HBkUm8o&feature=related

Bravo! This not only makes me laugh, it makes me proud to see a good example of parenting (yes, even on TV). It's real. It's beautiful. It's love.

Ahhh, now wasn't that nice. Just a laugh break!

Sending smiles your way. Tag you're it!

You have the power....really.

Happy Tuesday! Vote day. Make a difference day. Be heard day. It was quite chilly today in NYC. Reminds me of Red Foxx singing on Sanford and Son "la di di, la di dah, tis autumn!" :-)

I've been thinking a lot about my year so far. Usually as the end of a year nears, I begin to ponder about what I may have learned or what experiences really made an impact on me (big or small). I came across a text I had sent to my dear one on March 1st of this year that stated "I want to feel useful, appreciated, make a difference and have resources to live how I want to. Traveling, learning, creating. Constant selflove & mental peace." It's not odd that I'd have a text message from 8 months ago. I often save text messages, emails, or voicemails I want to refer to later or remember. So I began to think about how my year slowly began to unfold after sending that message. Bits of goodness began to ooze into my realm. One of the first things was actively starting this blog. I had thought about blogging for maybe a year, however, I was not confident enough to go for it. Then, I began reading a good friend's blog and mentioned to her that I loved what she wrote about almost every day. She responded by encouraging me to begin blogging too. Of course, I didn't immediately..but very soon after I sent that text.

The next thing I recall that was significant in my world was attending Oprah's Live Your Best Life Weekend. The truth is I'd been trying to go to one of these weekends for about 8 years. Each year Oprah has this special weekend in a different city. But this year was extra special because it was the 10th year anniversary of O magazine and Oprah was actually going to be part of the weekend (she was not always present at the past LYBL weekends). And to make things even sweeter, this year the LYBL weekend was held in NYC. This was the universe's sign to me that it was my turn to go. So, I went online as soon as tickets went on sale and made it happen. It was worth every penny of the registration. I had an amazing time. I learned more about myself, I attended a gala event with Oprah, I met Dr. Oz, raised money for a great cause, and I made a good, new friend. Actually 3 new friends. :-) Not only that, but I also got a free ticket to see Maxwell in concert as a result of simply being my silly self and chatting with another LYBL attendee as we sat in Radio City Music Hall waiting for Ms. Winfrey to come on stage. Basically, my "new" LYBL friend (who lives in St. Louis) had purchased tickets to the Maxwell concert in NYC and could not attend so she mailed the tickets to me and my friend, because in her words, she thought we were wonderful women who'd really enjoy the concert. WOW! I mean really. This was proof, for me, that what we deeply desire can (and most times does) become reality.

I'm sure you may be thinking ok, so you got free Maxwell tickets. Whoopee doo! However, so many other little, beautiful things have been happening to me like this throughout the year.
Even blessings as small as constantly getting a free entry to the Path train, out of the blue at least 10 times this year. What is this? It is the power to use your mind and intention to receive what you deeply, deeply, deeply desire.(I say deeply 3 times because it's not just something you kinda/maybe want) I see it as building muscles. First you train and you can do 50 situps, and you're so proud, then you train some more and you are doing 100 in the same amount of time. It's awesome! The point is, the Maxwell ticket is my 50 situps, but eventually I'll be doing 100 sit-ups and the sky's the limit for what dream that will bring to life. Also, I had no idea how any of the things I needed or deeply desired in the last 8 months were going to come about, I just had the thought and let it go. Perhaps like asking and then believing it shall be done and not dwelling on the details of how it shall be. :-) Just having faith that if it's for my good, it will come to me.  It's even more fun when you start seeing little things happen that you deeply desire and/or need. I really try to stay aware and pay attention to all the things occurring so that I can always be grateful.:-)

My experiences this year have taught me that there is truth in the law of attraction and that my mind is my most powerful resource and tool. The challenge is understanding this and assessing that power and directing it in the best way possible, in order to live my best life ever. It's a daily exercise in learning, being open, and evolving.

We have the power to be who we deeply desire to be. We must never give up on ourselves or our dreams. We are here to manifest our truest selves and to be lights in this world. As Mandela said, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. So shine. Believe. Receive your good. Once you deeply, truly believe it, if it's for your best interest, it will be yours!

Meditate on this:

I believe that you're great, that there's something magnificent about you. Regardless of what has happened to you in your life, regardless of how young or how old you think you might be, the moment you begin to think properly, there's something that is within you, there's power within you, that's greater than the world. It will begin to emerge. It will take over your life. It will feed you. It will clothe you. It will guide you, protect you, sustain your very existence, if you let it.  ~Michael Beckwith

Sending light your way. Tag you're it!

Stick-to-it-ness. gotta.be.a.doer!

Happy November! The year is winding down. I'm a summer gal, but I have to admit I like November. It reminds me of my beloved grandfather Johnson. Whenever I think of November, his warm, joyful smile comes to mind. His gentle laugh, his southern charm, his integrity, and sweet spirit. I especially admired my grandfather's dedication to being of service in this world and his pure, overflowing love for my grandma Johnson. I could only hope and pray that I'd meet a man who exuded the endearing qualities granddaddy possessed. He'll forever live in my heart.
                                        
                                                                        Granddaddy & his beloved Lerle (grandma)

         

 Another thing I admired about granddaddy is his discipline. He was a military man. A deacon. An attentive father and a loving husband. He was a doer.

I've come to realize that I need to be around doers. There's nothing like a person who sets a goal or has a desire and makes it happen. But, I've also discovered that I can easily fall into the talking, talking, talking and not getting what I need to get done accomplished. So I'm now consciously making more of an effort to be a doer. One of the ways in which I can be more of a doer is to think less. Do you ever think yourself out of doing something your originally were totally gungho about? One thing I know for sure is that I have the ability to "think" myself out of doing practically anything. :-) Now, it is absolutely wise to be thoughtful about all decisions. However, there's a difference between being thoughtful and weighing the pros and cons, and finding every reason NOT to do something..that you really want to do or even need to do. Nike made a really great mantra/motto--just do it. It's so essential to just do it in order to get something done, sometimes.

So, now is the time to DO. Whatever it is, just go for it. Don't think too much about whys. Instead think why not? What's the worse that could happen? There's no such thing as failure anymore in my mind. There's simply doing and living this journey to the fullest or there's finding excuses to NOT do and just exist.

I've come up with a couple of tips, phrases & mantras to help me get with the program of just doing it--more often:
** Think less & just jump!
**Be consistent. Embrace stick-to-it-ness! :-)
**Surround yourself with doers. A doer is someone who says hey let's get together sometimes, and within one week or LESS you receive a phone call, text or email with a suggested date and time to make it happen! :-)

**Start small. Grow grand. Cleaning out your closet is just doing it, too!:-)
**Forget fear. Thrive off the action of simply going for something--no matter the outcome.

**Write it down. There's nothing like putting "it" in writing as well as put what you need or want to do on your calendar (blackberry, cell phone, outlook, anything with a reminder).
**Remember doing is living! :-)

Sending fearlessness your way. Tag you're it!