Peculiarly Classic

Well hello friends! 2019 is just around the corner and I can tell you with all honesty that I’ve never been more excited for a new year. Just when I was embracing the “just making it….´ or “status quo…..” mentality. I was becoming ok with my life and the way it seemed to be heading. Accepting that this is what life had to offer and that what I was offering was all I had. That kind of mentality will make you do strange things. Things usually out of your character. So sometime in the middle of the year, I decided I would start doing things just because. As long as it didn’t hurt anyone. Go see the play. Go on the trip. Read the book. Start the blog. That last one threw me. I’ve never considered myself a writer. Truthfully?? There are some teachers and professors out there that never considered me a writer either according to their grades and comments. I’m usually the math and statistics girl. Two degrees in Economics. The one that likes to be analytical. Writing won’t hurt a

At this point in my life it’s safe to say that I’ve missed the point in a lot of lessons big and small. This mistake however cost me hundreds of dollars, a lot of sleep and a lot of heartbreak.  Instead of digging deeper into my insecurities, my past hurts, or searching for something or rather The One that will really make me happy, I was crazy to apply to the same school AGAIN. I knew this was just a small hiccup in my life story. In my mind, I was working harder......”digging deeper.” I knew this was what I’m supposed to do. Retook exams, bought exam practice books, paid for application fees, which all helped make my application look better, only to get rejected again.  At this point I didn’t understand anything, and felt like a complete failure. I knew my family and friends were looking at me with pity..... “ We thought she would do better....” “Maybe she’s not as smart as we thought...” “She turned out to be disappointing....” My parents are thinking they’v

Hopefully many of you are Disney fans, or know of who can fill you in on the whole premise of The Princess and the Frog, but in the meantime, I recently found myself relating to a scene........animated movie of all things. In the movie, Tiana and Prince Naveen go to voodoo queen Mama Odie to help them to turn back into humans from frogs. To their surprise, Mama Odie has no trick, potion, or spell to bring them back to normal. In true Disney form, Mama Odie breaks into an elaborate song with animal backup singers and dancers and all of nature creating the perfect platform to proclaim.......that it all depended on them.   “Dig a little deeper. ” “ Don’t matter where you come from. ” “ Don’t even matter what you are. ” Tiana, who was depicted as a hard worker.....who often overworked herself concluded she needed to physically work harder to get the things she wanted. What she didn’t realize is that her view was misguided. That her sole purpose wasn’t in all the work she was doing

If you’ve been reading earlier posts you already know God has me on a diet. (Read “When God Answers Prayer....”) So I decided I would actually participate in my own weight loss journey and join a weight loss program.   I’m four weeks in and I’ve lost a whole three pounds!!!!! I know you’re reading this and rolling your eyes at the screen as we speak.  Me???? I’m ecstatic!!!! I, the “sweet tooth queen” herself, has TEMPORARILY given up sweets, and started eating much smaller portions than I’m used to while drinking more water than I can stand in a day. To see some progress.... any progress is an accomplishment on my part. Makes me wonder how much more I can achieve if I keep at it.  The hardest part of changing habits is obviously letting go of the old. I’ve already mentioned how I’m not the greatest leader of change. That, however, is changing in my life as well. I feel compelled to do things that hasn’t been seen or heard of in my family.  With a little over two mon

In the world we live in today, being single can be terrifyingly satisfying. You have the freedom to come and go from your house as you please. If you decide that fast food and/or brownies and ice cream is what you’re having for dinner, you get in your car and go get it. Whose going to stop you? And when you go to sleep at night, that entire bed belongs to you friend! However, with this satisfying freedom of your own house, car, and bed comes the never ending bills, the maintenance costs, and the responsibility attached to it. Terrifying isn’t it? It all becomes stressful which undoubtedly makes you weary working so hard in the long run.  In an effort to de-stress and still be considered good citizens, I imagine some singles turn to relationships, drugs, or who knows what to temporarily relieve them of the weariness that’s bound to come with life as a single.  They have the freedom to do whatever but as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “I have the right to do anything,&quo

“They.” “They” truly tear my nerves up. You know who “They” are. Bosses or co-workers at your job that think you don’t know much or can’t do much. Family members that think they know you, your life and your future all too well. People you automatically assume (through discernment or paranoia) are just not in your corner...don’t wish you well...don’t see anything special in you. “They” are defined as people who make you feel undervalued, undeserving, and unqualified. I don’t really like to acknowledge these people by their actual names...I just group them in a pile and label all of them “they.”  I think what I love most about Jesus is that He can relate on a human level. He had a group like that too. He understood what it was like to be underestimated. He took jeers from people that were considered qualified to speak on the Law and it’s meanings. I’m sure He was mocked from people who had no clue about His Father’s business but acted like they did.  I don’t know about you but that

Jesus’ return is described as something very sudden. It’ll be as fast as lightening. Angels sounding trumpets. Not knowing the day or the hour. At the blink of an eye. Like a thief in the night. A GLORIOUS occasion. HOWEVER.....I just find it unfortunate that it’s going to be so fast.  See if He would just let me plan it , it would be a much more dramatic entrance. Imagine a normal sunny day, and then the sky goes dark.......the angels blast the trumpets and all of a sudden Aloe Blacc’s chorus from his song “The Man” comes from nowhere........ “Go ahead and tell everybody...... I’m the man, I’m the man, I’m the man..... Yes I am, yes I am, yes I am........” While Jesus has His arms stretched out on each side, nodding His head as His face look towards the sky and His eyes closed just coming down on His big, white, fluffy cloud......it honestly doesn’t even sound like something He would do, but wouldn’t that be amazing!?!?!?!?! He didn’t ask me though so I’m not goi

This past Thanksgiving I gave myself the daunting task of making sides to go along with the Thanksgiving turkey for dinner. It was daunting because up until then I had only mastered desserts and thanks to Pinterest I was in hoping to become an impressive home chef. I cooked macaroni and cheese, cornbread dressing, pinto beans and some marshmallow topped sweet potato soufflé. I worked hard y’all....and IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!! I was so proud of myself that I immaturely assumed had a natural knack for cooking like a had for baking. I mean....it’s should be that simple right?!?!? I WISH!!!!!!!!!! My cooking skills took a turn for the worse. The food I’ve cooked since then has been burned, raw, soggy, dry, you name it........everywhere you turn something is wrong. I’ve called everyone I know for help.  The one person I wish I could call for my current cooking woes is my Grandma Doris. When I moved to North Carolina to go to college, she all too conveniently lived a few streets away wh

My all time favorite sitcom is Living Single. One of my favorite plots was Maxine Shaw and Kyle Barker’s on-again (head over heels)/off-again (despising one another) relationship that lasted the entire series. Just when you thought they would never get back together again, one instance would bring back feelings of love and passion neither one could control. They would pick up right where they left off. They truly struggled, but it made for an amazingly hilarious ride.  I can definitely say I had one of those moments, but it wasn’t hilarious to me. Around middle school, I was so excited to start dating and eventually grow up and get married and have babies. Waiting for my time, however, left me frustrated and my insecurities skyrocketed. I went through middle school, high school, college, AND graduate school never being in a relationship. No dates or boyfriends (and yes, my current status is the same). I started calling it my secret shame. Only my close friends knew. I either would

So I’ve been in a constant battle with my weight for over half my life. I’m sure you know and probably fight this battle as well. For me, I simply pretend there’s no problem until I’m suddenly unable to comfortably fit into my clothes. Well this summer I had to face the music.  It was bad. I had TWO large plastic containers of clothes that were perfectly fine in quality, some even brand new, but were too small to fit my body. Just shameful. SO....I did whatever a woman of faith with a little motivation (but still lacks willpower) would do. I bowed my head and said, “Lord, my weight is out of control...put me on a diet!” No joke. Straight and to the point. Nothing wrong with that, right?!?!? Of course not! Why, however, did it surprise me when God answered?!?!?!?  All of a sudden:  My drive thru order of Large fries would barely be filled to the top... Appetizers and extra sides I ordered would be forgotten by the waiter at sit down restaurants... I attempted to bake cornbread

I believe that every person on earth shares a similar idea of how life should be. You’re born, go through childhood, then become an adult and passes on into eternity while going through various experiences of life, love, and little hardship, but overall fulfillment. For the sake of this blog I call it having a “classic” life. Classic. Normal. Remarkably typical. As adults, the majority of us want to find a career that we love while finding a special someone to marry, have children, and grow old with....till death do you part right?!?!? Nothing wrong with that at all. It’s what I along with millions and millions of people have dreamed and prayed about for years.  I believe the Lord had (and still does) have wonderful plans for me in my life. However in my own personal life, and maybe in yours too, I didn’t account for the type of hardships I would have to endure in this life. Overall I am grateful because it always could have been worse, yet some of those interruptions throughout m