Summer Reading List

Summer is only 32 days away! You may recall my reading inventory from March which was diverse but a bit unfocused. With my newfound,post-graduation mental clarity, I've decided to take care of some unfinished business and take another look at my reading list:

Angels and Demons
You'll be happy to know that I finished Angels and Demons not a moment too soon before the movie was released last week! (That movie was phenomenal by the way! If you haven't seen it, go! Ron Howard is a true visionary.)

VIBE
Pretty sad - I'm still working on the February 2009 issue of Vibe with Kanye West on the cover. I did read some articles since March so I'm a few steps closer!

Real Simple
I did finish the 'Timesavers" mini-mag and the January 2009 issue. I am working on the April 2009 issue between typing!

Women and Money by Suze Orman
Sadly, not much progress with this one.

I believe that progress is relative and even slight progress can feel miraculous. With that being said, me being the person I am, you know I've picked up some new readings along the way! I'm keeping it pretty light and with focus, I can get through them in the next few weeks!

• Real Simple: Beauty secrets from the pros (May 2009)
• Real Simple: Get organized. Stay organized. How to control the clutter for good (June 2009)
• Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan: Keeping your money safe and sound
• Complex (with Kanye West on the cover) Yes, the one I asked you to read and yes, the one my friends Erica and DJ graciously gave me to feed my Kanye habit!!

My _______ is to finish these in the oh-so-very-near future....

Actually, I'm not really into using the word "goal" these days because once I reach one, I like to take some time to reflect on the work it took and how grateful I am to have done it as the final step. Goals are in no way an indication of finality for me so let's just say, I am committed to finishing these to make room for a new list and new opportunities to learn about myself and the world.

How are your lists coming?

Florida 2009

So now that life is becoming the sanctuary I've tried to build over the last few years, I've been able to spend time with friends and family and relax. During these times, people have asked me about my recent trip to Florida. I've answered their questions probably with a really weird look on my face until I realized that people still have questions about this trip because I never told them about it. So here you go!!


It was a bit more than brisk on the Friday morning we left for Florida but it was some of the most glorious sunshine I had seen in months when we got there!


We had a blast at a bar on the beach called Bukkets (yes with 2 K's) Enough fun to go twice in one day! We went to the beach every single day and it got better each time.


The hotel was pretty basic to be close to the beach but the pool was amazing and so serene. We spent some great time with Jamaal's family and a full day of games, Go Karts and Mini Golf at Adventureland. Jamaal beat me in mini-golf by 5 points but no worries, I will regain my title!

The food and drinks were phenomenal as always. Some of the best seafood in the world! We ran into some weird weather in Atlanta on the way back and the pilot had to circle for over an hour. It all worked out when our connecting flight was upgraded to First Class. There is nothing wrong with complimentary cocktails, free food and extra leg room! All in all, it was a relaxing precursor to a busy week of activity!

Check out the rest of our vacation photos here!

Time really is my friend!

For the past three years, I have been at constant odds with time. I think I have good time management skills however managing my time has felt like a series of battles in a neverending war.

Work, naturally, takes up your time. If you work full-time, you know that you spend about 25% of each week at work. If you work and have a family, another 30-40% of your time - gone. If you're like me and you work, attempt to attend school full-time, build a family or spend time with family and have a social life - kiss your time goodbye.

Because I felt that I didn't have the luxury of being able to focus on one thing at a time, I became an incessant multi-tasker. Don't get me wrong, multi-tasking is a great skill - to a point - but when you live your life that way, it is exhausting and creates undue pressure that there is ALWAYS something to be done. Is there always something to be done - of course. But do I need to be one doing it? Not so much.

As many of you know, I graduated with my Master's on Friday. For about two weeks up until that point, I would talk to people and they would ask me how I felt. I didn't feel that different and usually responded with something that seemed appropriate to the response they were looking for. "School" had become this overarching force - something to hide behind or a way to describe what I was doing with my life. And it was coming to an end. Where had the time gone?

It was not until Saturday afternoon around 3 p.m. that I truly understood what the wonderful, dynamic, inspirational Kenny Leon meant in his outstanding keynote speech at my graduation. "If you're constantly planning, you're missing opportunities to live in the moment." For that same two week period, I had visions of sitting around, no school to hide behind, feeling restless and not knowing what to do. After three years, the answer was clear - nothing. It was finally time to do nothing. The cleaning was done, the grocery shopping was complete, we had eaten lunch, things were organized and now it was time to do nothing - but enjoy the moment.

Standing on the bridge of my future, I am employing myself and everyone I know to do just that. It's time to slow down. Enjoy - the happy moments in your life because you'll miss them when you're sad. Enjoy - the sunny days because you'll for sure miss them when it's snowing. Enjoy - the positive, supportive, loving people in your life becasue you'll miss them like hell when they're gone.

I've made my list (a small one) of what I must accomplish today and now that it's done - I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day with my new best friend, Time.

Seriosuly, this time it's been way too long!

I apologize for the grandiose delay but I've been a busy lady! I've thought a lot about blogging, just haven't been quite sure what to blog about. The past few weeks have been full of activity from work and school - I even managed to go on a little vacay! (which I will blog about sometime in the near future)

I set up mobile blogging on my phone so I could make good use of that time on the train, waiting at the salon, etc. but I have substituted that potential blogging time for finishing "Angels and Demons" before the movie comes out next week.

Graduation is only a week away and it still isn't really registering. I had a dream last night that I was soooo busy trying to get my friends and family organized and prepared that I forgot my graduation cap - seems minor, but in the grand scheme of consistency with graduations, it can be a big deal. Although I CANNOT fathom writing another paper or doing an assignment, it's almost inevitable to have the sneaking hint of anxiety...about what to do next...

I'm not really sure what that should be as of yet but I think I'll start with the many organizing projects I started yet ever finished. Jamaal and I are committing to starting "Sundays at Borders" where we spend some quiet, quality time at Borders. I plan to write and he plans to read but some days maybe we'll switch it up! I sometimes wish I had actually been making a list over the past three years when I would say, "When I am done with school, I am going to...".

Who knows, maybe I'll find that list while I'm organizing?!?

Have a great Friday and Happy Mother's Day!