Thursday, May 29, 2014

A Tribute To Maya Angelou

In Loving Memory of...

When I think of Maya Angelou, I think of wisdom. This lady was a great woman of time. She had so much to share with us all and I think she did a perfect job of just that. So many of her quotes are used and reused to inspire people into action. Not many can accomplish that with their words, but this writer, activist, professor (and much more) managed to do that for decades!

Photo Source

If you loved her words as much as I do, here are a two jewels for you:

Hopefully we will continue to remember the life and legacy of Ms. Maya Angelou. She had a great impact on people and I hope that will never be forgotten. She inspired us all and if there's anything we need these days...it's inspiration!
#beabetteryou

In loving memory of Maya Angelou
April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014

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Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Summer Vacay

Orlando, FL

I have officially returned from vacation. If there's one thing I've learned from all my years of working, it's that a vacation is a must!! There's so much time and energy put into work and working that you have to be sure to make time for yourself.

I took a whole week off (without feeling bad about it!) and enjoyed myself!! I had an awesome time. I did a lot of hanging out and having fun. I spent a lot of time with my loved ones and SO MUCH MORE! I'm feeling very relaxed and my stress level is so low it's almost nonexistent (which is a hard feat to accomplish for me)! My coworkers have even commented on how relaxed I look! We'll see how long it lasts!! I'm definitely going to be working hard at keeping things this way!

We were in real vacation mode. You could tell by all the Putt-Putt that was played, all the Happy Hours that were attended, and all the late night dancing that was done! We even managed to sneak a piece of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta in...LOL!

 I don't have many pictures to share because I was too busy enjoying my vacation!

Like this quote says:
"Some times you have to step away from social media to actually live your life." -Mionna (on vacay) :-)
I was very off the grid during my vacation and I must admit that it's spoiled me a little bit. So, bear with me as I get back into the swing of things...it might take me a minute! My "ten day weekend" was a success!

Y'all make this short week a good one!

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Friday, May 16, 2014

Mother's Day Weekend OOTD

Cute Summer Outfits and Shoes

I got cute this weekend for Mother's Day and I wanted to share my outfit(s) of the day(s) with you! The main thing I'm showcasing with both of these outfits is the shoes! I'm in the process of revamping my summer shoe collection and I just so happened to have my attention immediately grabbed by these beauties when I saw them!

This first outfit is a freebie because the shirt and jeans are years old (unbeknownst to most who see them) AND I can't remember where I got some of these items from! Hey, I'm just being honest!! I'm not a fashion blogger and I don't do OOTD posts often so give me a break! Either way, I was fly, so I captured the moments and I'm sharing them!
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Wednesday, May 14, 2014

The Waiting in the Work

Wait On God

This spoke to me this morning, so I had to share it
via #SheReadsTruth
This is a such an on time Word. Have you ever wanted something so bad you'd do whatever you could to get it?! I was just talking with my sister about something I want to happen in my life so badly that waiting has become excruciating! She was drilling into me how patience is key, especially with matters that will affect the rest of [your] life. As much as I know I need to wait on Him, it still gets hard some times. I know this is His message to me.

God has prepared many things for us to do and see and be...so make no move without Him. Know that it pleases God to give us more than we could ever imagine to ask for. So be willing to wait on Him.
Amen!

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Sunday, May 11, 2014

Mother's Day

Mother's Day 2014

First, let me apologize now for the sparse blog posts. My softball season has started and I've gone home for the past two weekends so things have been busy. This weekend was Mother's Day, and I had to spend time with two very special Mothers in my life: my Moma and sister!

My mom has done so much in my life that I'm not even going to begin and try to write it all here!! I love this woman so much and there are many times I wish home wasn't so far away. My mom is my friend. I can talk to her about any and everything. I've always been able to do that and I'm grateful for that. She's inspired me to be the woman I am. She's fostered my independence and ability to take care and provide for myself by myself. She's encouraged my quest for higher education (and drilled the need for it since I was small). She's instilled in me respect for myself and others and I love her for that (because I don't play when it comes to respect)!! She's shown me how to take care of a household and a family. And she's always demonstrating her great strength! Me and her are very similar, in so many ways, and that makes me smile. If I can be half the woman she is, I will be more than happy with that!



My sister!!!!! She's been my best friend since day 1! We've always had a close relationship even when we were younger. It makes my heart warm & I wish the same for my children (whenever they come). She's a very intelligent young lady. I just don't know how she was able to have a child in high school & still be valedictorian! Show me another teenager able to do that & I'll give you $5 (only $5 b/c I'm paying off debt!! I need my coins)!! I didn't have a child & I was good with just being in the top 10% of my class, lol! Then she went on to graduate with honors from the most prestigious university in the nation, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill!! She's a great mother to my nephew & a great wife all the while pursuing her MBA from ECU (yes, she's followed in her sister's footsteps). She's so ambitious & steadily reaching for the highest bar. I admire that about her. She instills the same values in my nephew, even though my parents have spoiled him rotten!! When my niece gets here, she'll have a wonderful role model in her mom, my sister!!

In all, my weekend was a great one. We enjoyed each other's company, shopped for the baby, and ate some good food!! I enjoyed my family and I miss those two very much. I catch myself trying to get homesick every now and again because all three of us are very, very close. Being 5 hours away has been tough, but we FaceTime often!! I LOVE these ladies!!

I wish all my family, friends, and acquaintances a Happy Mother's Day
and I hope everyone enjoyed the day with their moms
(whether biological, spiritual, or stand-in) and/or children!
Face this week with ambition and desire to get things done!! Have a good one!

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Saturday, May 3, 2014

Get Inspired!

Motivational Speaking

My boyfriend is such a great guy! He has a beautiful spirit and I want to share some that with you today. At his YouTube Channel C.Bake FlightSchool he talks about mostly fitness. Like me, he shares other pieces of himself and his life and this video showcases a motivational speech he did in 2007. He was asked to speak at a banquet for 8th grade athletes and the topic he chose was "Never Give Up"! It's a little lengthy, but it's well worth the watch!



The moral of this story...create goals AND stick with them!! Time is going to pass whether you want it to or not!! Why not fill your days doing things you want to do, investing in yourself/family, investing in your education/profession, investing money, doing whatever it is you want to do?! One of my goals is to become a better photographer. I've set mini goals to reach the main goal and I plan to work towards that over time. It's so easy to talk about the things we want to do. The harder part comes when it's time to take some action! Don't let doubt and fear win! It's going to take work, but I guarantee investing the time, energy, and resources into doing what you want to do will be fun when it's all said and done! Don't you want to be able to look back over your life and think "job well done"?? I know I do!

So take this beautiful Saturday to lay the groundwork for your future! Brainstorm ideas and take first steps. 

Live life!! It's so short.

Get inspired and stay that way!!!!!

Happy Saturday Loves! :-)

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Thursday, May 1, 2014

Modified Taco Salad

Healthy Taco Salad

My original taco salad post was the taco salad I've always made. The taco salad I'm talking about today is a healthier version of that...yes, I said healthy!! I'm excited to share. This post also reminds me that I need to update you all on how my diet journey to a healthier me is going. I'll be doing that soon, so look out for it.

Taco Salad


Ingredients
-Ground Beef (92% lean/8% fat)
-Ms. Dash Salt Free All Natural Taco Seasoning
-Rice (I prefer white rice, brown may be a little healthier)
-Low Sodium Black Beans
(which is what I prefer BUT you can also use
Fat Free Refried Beans which is just as good)
-Fat Free Shredded Cheese
-Light Sour Cream
-Medium Chunky Salsa
- Shredded Lettuce
Directions
1. Brown the ground beef
2. Cook the beans
3. Put the beef back into the pot and add the taco seasoning
4. Put the ingredients on the plate in the order you choose
(I stack mine in this order: rice, beans, beef, cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce)
& VOILA!!
My boyfriend actually introduced this healthy meal. He saw this Physiques of Greatness video and wanted to try it. I'm open to all sorts of healthy meal ideas, so we tried it. If you prepare your plate the way it's done in that video your macros will look like this: 61g of protein, 7g of fat, 121g of carbs. His plate was pretty huge and I used white rice so my macros look a little different. This has now become one of my go-to meals when I'm having a busy week and need something quick to cook! This video also introduced me to Roasted Garlic Salt which has become my favorite seasoning, for everything!
This meal will fill you up. You can eat it with tortillas; you can turn it into tacos; or you can eat it as-is, like I do! The main thing I want you to take from this post is that you should definitely give it a try...lol. It's kind of my home version of a Chipotle bowl. It's quick, very good AND it's a lot healthier than the other recipe!

Did you think a taco salad could be a healthy meal?

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