Well not really Toni Childs. Jill Marie Jones was one of my favorite actresses to watch weekly on the UPN hit show Girlfriends. I'm sure most of you are familiar with the show therefore, no explanations are needed. Starting tomorrow night, Miss. Jones will play the lead of the series within a series entitled Gillian In Georgia.
The mini mini-series will air during the commercial breaks of TBS' Tyler Perry'sMeet The Browns. Jill plays a Big City fashionista who visits her sister down south and gets sort of stuck there helping her through an injury. It begins tomorrow night, April 28, at 8:00pm. You can find out more about the show's premise and cast here.
You know, I was literally just having this conversation last night with the Chi-Town Stepper and Momma Stepper about Black actresses and the lack of opportunities for them. We'd discussed the fact that there are people who are out there creating roles for themselves no matter how large or small of a stage they get to play on. Tyler P. has truly opened a door and is continuing to create opportunities for others. Regardless of the thoughts on the quality of the content, he isn't beholden to anyone else's whims about whether or not he and the people he employ deserve a seat at the Hollywood table. I suppose that's something to cheer about!!!
In a previous posting, I mentioned how I had not previously invested in any way into making my apartment a home. However, after realizing that my home should be a reflection of me and it's where I spend the most important time, I'd decided to commit to this project.
I have now officially gotten into the swing of things with the apartment redesign. I've decided to take it one room at a time, only buying what I really love and want to live with for the next couple of years, and piece by piece as that's what my budget allows for. In case you're wondering, the bedroom is the first room to see a change. I hope to be able to show you pictures in a couple of weeks.
Being a renter put some limitations on what I can do. Most notably, painting is an issue. While I want a colorful and vibrant home, I don't want the hassle of painting the walls now and then repainting them when it is time to leave. So, I shall be leaving the walls white!!!!
While appealing to my laziness (don't want to repaint), my thriftiness (don't want to pay for painting), and my impatience (no time investment needed if they are left as is), the idea of leaving the walls white didn't really appeal to my creative passionate side.
Also, I believe wall color greatly affects the mood of the place. I was thinking white walls, no matter what else was done in the rooms, would leave the place feeling too spare and therefore, boring. But I couldn't be further from the truth.
Leaving the walls white can look crisp, glamorous, organized, modern or retro, and serve as the perfect backdrop for accessories and furnishings! Here are a few inspirational rooms with white walls.
In church on Sunday we had a fabulous message delivered by guest pastor Phil Pringle of the Christian City Church International entitled "7 Elements of Faith". It was a wonderful message and he is indeed an entertaining man of faith. While his message was insightful and engaging, there was one crossroads in the morning where he inspired a few say what now's or at the very least some shady side eyes. I don't recall now why he asked, but at some point in the service he requested that all the single people stand (please know that I can't utter the phrase single ladies without wanting to wave my hands about). That seemed a simple enough request. But was it?
Apparently, not! Upon his initial request no one stood (including me). After some lighthearted teasing from him and another request, we all stood. Some of us (yep, including me) sheepishly looked around to see who else was standing. For me, it wasn't that I was scanning the room for candidates so much as I was truly nervous about standing and putting my single status on blast. Por que?
Today is the 65th birthday for The Silver Fox. This is awesome. I'm so excited!!!! He's excited!!! We're all excited!!!! It's great when God gives you another year, but this is especially memorable and noteworthy because my grandfather and my dad's older brothers all passed away before reaching the age of 65. He was nervous he wouldn't see it. With heart disease being something that had done a large portion of the male members of his family in, The Silver Fox is an anomaly around this family tree. Even his younger brothers have had strokes or heart attacks. He hasn't had either!!
I love my dad and I tell him every time I talk to him. But today I told him I was proud of him. He has flaws like everyone else, but he's always there when I need him. Here's to 65 more years (I like to shoot for the stars) Daddy!!!!!!!! And yes, he's been silver since I was born:-)
Shopping in Service Merchandise
Backyard with my Favorite Person
Dancing in the man room with my Childhood Loan Officer
Note: They both think they shine on the dance floor ;-0
Dropping me off in Houston, TX for a summer internship at Six Flags
Family vacation at Universal Stuidos
Wedding of a family friend. I forgot what role the Favorite Person played as that would explain the dress Oh! Crochet braids and Shirley Temple spirals. God bless the '90s.
I confess to feeling like a sucker today! And why do I feel like a sucker do you ask? Well, because my last blog entry was 3 weeks ago and it was such a personal victory, that I thought "surely I should have followed it up with something really cool,"right? Right? Well, I didn't. And while I'm not proud of that, I shall carry on.
Truth of the matter is, I hadn't felt very inspired to write anything. Not that I was upset, I just wasn't inspired. Then, today I recalled that I hadn't done a gratitude post in quite sometime. When I first started this blog, gratitude was (in addition to developing the regular habit of writing) one of my main reasons for doing so. I wanted to challenge myself to find reasons to be thankful everyday or at the very least a couple of times each week give intentional thought to the vast reasons I had to be more appreciative of my life. So here goes:
I finally kicked my apartment redesign into gear and have found some really cute things. I'm tackling the project one room at a time and will reveal photos of each room as they are completed. The bedroom is first.
After trying to sell my dining table on Craigslist, I was informed of a family who had lost everything in a fire and so, I donated the table to them. And since donating the table, I have all sorts of room to dance around my apartment (the table was too large for the space). Is it really necessary to have a dining table? I really don't want to lose the square footage again te he he!
Life Revolution Coaching, LLC is a registered business in the state of New York with a federal EIN, and it's own business banking account! May seem small to some, but it's a tangible manifestation of a long personal process.
I aced my Foundational Coaching exam and am expecting the certificate any day now!!! Owa Owa!!! I still have several more courses to take, but I'm well on my way to certification!!
The Songbird was entered into the Classical Writer Hall of Fame (I think that's the proper title)!!! She has been laboring (in love) for quite sometime to pursue her passion so, I'm pleased to acknowledge this accomplishment with her.
I just started working with a new coaching client and I'm pretty excited about the direction I think she is headed!!
The Tator Tot and The Boys all enjoyed their Easter gifts from TT Tracey:-) Who is the world's best aunt? Who? Say it louder please!!! Yep, that's right...ME!!!
Provision is continually being provided even when I'm certain I didn't deserve it. And even when I think I did, I probably still didn't. But oh so thankful anyway!!
I FINALLY went out and bought some yarn for my first knitting project. That's right folks, knitting!! And, Cajun Spice didn't throw me a side eye mean enough to be felt over the phone!!!!
I'm thankful that I'm comfortable enough with myself and my Source to honestly share my process with folks. I'm not perfect. I do make mistakes, but I've learned a lot and I'm trying to use that wisdom to help others.
IT'S SPRING!!!!
There are many more reasons I can think of, but I believe best of all is that while I started this entry feeling a little not so great, I'm ending on a high note. Just by simply typing reasons I've had to be thankful over the past couple of weeks, it's pepped me up from my sourpuss mood today!!!
Do you know what today is? It's my blogiversary...(sung in the tune of Tony!Toni!Tone!'s "Anniversary"). I'm pretty excited about this!!! I actually counted down the days this week until I could make this post!
Exactly a year ago today and around this exact time, I began the journey of blogging. It started out simply as a way to get me more focused on the continual act of writing. For someone who had dreamed for years of being a writer, I wasn't getting much writing done. It's been an interesting experience to say the least.
While I value simply being able to have an outlet for my thoughts, I also write to share those thoughts with others. I've long felt I could communicate better through my writing than with verbalizing my interests, concerns, annoyances, etc.
I'm thankful for the people who have continued to follow me throughout the year, the comments left by readers, and even the admonishments when I wasn't updating often enough (F. Beans, Favorite Person, Chi-Town Stepper, and Bronx Bomber are counted as my most vocal admonishers).
Although it started out as simply a creative outlet, it has grown into something more. Since the inception of this blog, I have fully realized my purpose in life and how to better use my gifts, talents, abilities, and resources in bringing that purpose to reality. As those who know me personally can attest, I am now a life coach!! And this blog now serves as a means for me to allow visitors and potential clients to see my personal spiritual process, struggles, and achievements, as well as the things and people I care about most.
It's not easy to put yourself out there and be completely transparent (even a seemingly simple entry is revealing something personal about me) because you never know how people will receive you. I don't know from one entry to the next if someone thought it was complete crap or if they sincerely enjoyed it. I believe this blog to be the most vulnerable form of expression I've exhibited in my life thus far. I'm extremely transparent and vulnerable with the people closest to me but this is different.
Different because as long as I can remember, I've felt misunderstood by most, accepted by a small few, and my biggest desire was to validate that I had been endowed with some form of talent. This blog forces me to come to terms with all of that. In fact, I get emotional writing about it now.
On a lighter note, I enjoy and feel fortunate to have someplace to release steam, share laughs, shake my head at the world, and wait expectantly for what's ahead. Over the next year, there will be more changes to the layout and content. I hope you'll continue to join me on this journey.
This has been stuck in my head all afternoon. There's actually a rather humorous story about this song and why I'm only now able as an adult to listen to it since I was semi-scarred by it in high school SMH! LOL!
