Happy Thanksgiving To All

Many blessings to all...

can't wait for my fried turkey

Dear Valentines

Dear Love,

No matter the day, the hour, the second...I don't just love you on February 14th. I don't just love you on Sunday Morning. I don't just love you when you screwed it up badly. I love you everyday. I am always here and I'm always willing to listen. Trust me. Believe Me.

Love,

God

Celebrate Black History Month

It's here! The shortest month of the year! What do you have planned for this month? Do you do it all year? If not, then do EXTRA this month. Black History Month for our children is probably one day of talking about Martin Luther King Jr. and coloring a preprinted picture of him. It's time to remind them that we are GREAT, WONDERFUL, BRILLANT! We have contributed and influenced this country and not just with the stoplight (although it is amazing).

Remember that you can't depend on other people to educate our youth. If you can facebook, myspace, twitter and text then look up some facts and spread to our youth so they don't think we only set fashion trends and music.

Celebrate...and do it quickly the month will be over before you know it!

Christmas Craziness

I'm a sleeping bear that hasn't been to sleep yet. I'm slightly crazed from lack of sleep, my back is in pain, my pockets are empty, my nerves are on edge and my christmas shopping is one present away from being done!

This week has only just begun. Last week ended Friday with Twin A bombing his Final in history which means he will be seeing Semester 1 of Modern History again in summer school but still pulling out a fairly decent GPA. Not good enough in my opinion to earn his driver's education classes yet or double my insurance but good enough to earn his phone back for the Christmas break.

Twin B however finished great but still didn't pull the 4.0, I would have liked. When I caught myself jumping on his case about just missing a perfect GPA, I had to remind Miss Nesha that I was such a dingbat in school I didn't even have friends that got all A's, let alone get more than an A in PE myself so to have a son battling for it each semester and missing it for bombing his Geometry final was still reason to be proud.

Now back to Christmas Craziness. I'm still finalizing a few school and sports projects that I'd like to get done before I hope out of town and I have one more gift to get before I blow the joint on Saturday morning....oh did I mention I'm heading out to see my beautiful mommy and handsome daddy in Texas? I can't wait.

My twins will be 16 on Wednesday. Wow! I get a little teary each time I say that...what frightens me even more is that they requested a Red Lobster birthday dinner with 6 friends (are they all gonna order crab????) This is a triple date! Even my shy baby boy Twin B has a date. I'm not ready for this. While overhearing a conversation about the digs they will be wearing for the dinner, Twin A said we need to tell the girls to wears skirts. My mind..."filthy"...said WHAT!!! I leaned into the conversation and said, "any girl who shows up in a skirt in December to Red Lobster is getting sent home, just FYI". I kept a straight face, even when they both gave me and each other a quizzical "What's she talking about" look. Hmpf! I know what I'm talking about and ain't no damn skirts going on! I know I was born at night...(HINT - December 25, 1973), but not last. I'm probably wrong but the little hooches still need to wear jeans. (insert smirk here).

Why does it always feel like even when you are done with your shopping that you have one last gift that you forgot? I even find myself getting stuff like a box of See's, a gift card at Starbucks or a candle just in case I forgot someone and I can't gift wrap it quickly. Feels weird saying it's Monday and I'm done. I'm sure I'll have to grab something tomorrow.

Until then, I'm working on my list of things I've learned for this year. Hopefully it will be published by Christmas!

I wanted to catch up with long post but I'm seriously just wanting to lay it down.

Love and hugs to all

Turkey Time

I must admit that I don’t understand the motivation and rationale behind Thanksgiving. Of course, I understand that Thanksgiving is a day set aside so that we give thanks for the blessings of the past year, but I don’t really get the traditions behind the day. Indians and Pilgrims, blah blah blah.

So we give thanks by overindulging, by stuffing ourselves until we are utterly miserable? I have often questioned the rationale of showing thanks by engaging in a day of gluttony. Just doesn’t really seem to make sense. Wouldn’t it make more sense to show our thanks by spending a day of fasting and prayful reflection?

But who am I to go against this Hallmark holiday that kicks off the Christmas season? Who am I to ponder too much on good food? So I will spend Thanksgiving indulging myself in direct proportion to those blessings that have come my way this past year, and those blessings have been many. In other words, I am going to make a pig of myself again this year, and by late this afternoon, I will be cursing myself for overdoing it once again. By the way, I was extremely annoyed when I called to find out 24 hour fitness would close at 2pm. What exactly does 24 HOUR FITNESS MEAN?

But in all seriousness, I have plenty this year to be thankful for. I am thankful for having been blessed with beautiful family. I am thankful that we finish this year with a safe place to lay our heads at night and food on the table; there are so many others who may not be able to say the same.

I am thankful for the friends that have come into my life. I am thankful for the opportunities I have been given this year as well as the opportunities that are to come. I am thankful for a future that looks bright. I am so thankful that we are not going through the same injuries this Thanksgiving as last when I had a 4 year old with a broken femur and a 14 year old with a broken fibula and tibula.

I am so thankful my mommy and daddy continue to be healthy and happy and my sisters are well too. I am even thankful for each trial that makes me stronger and a voice if even through my blog that allows me to voice my feelings at times.
I am thankful for all those who continue to pray for me and my family and even when I am too foolish (or too arrogant) to pray for myself.

If I were too continue with those things I am thankful for, this list would continue ad naseum; however, there is one more thing that I feel I must give thanks for. I am thankful that I continue to have readers to come over and read my pitiful commentaries and occasionally leave a comment or two. Thank you and I wish you and your family and love ones a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy "Act a Fool Day" Day

"Its close to midnight and something evils lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes, You're paralyzed"

- Thriller, Michael Jackson


It’s that time of the year again. Time to act a fool. Let me call it by its government name: Halloween. I don’t need a calendar to know when October 31st is approaching ‘cause the signs are clear. Houses decorated with jack-o-lanterns, witches, ghosts, and cobwebs. The specialty aisle in the grocery store is all decked out in orange and black. Every sitcom, drama, and other television series are airing commercials for their Halloween special. Every club in America is throwing a party, offering such prizes as $500 to the best Ice-T & Coco costume. And if I hear one more thunder clap on the TV or radio…

Who said thunder had a thing to do with Halloween anyway? The History Channel states Halloween's origins date back 2,000 years ago to the ancient Celtics celebrating their New Year, November 1st. This day marked the end of summer & the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the New Year (October 31), the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On that night they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, people wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes.

European immigrants brought many Halloween customs with them to America. In the late 1800s, Americans made an effort to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers, than about ghosts, pranks, and witchcraft. Now, at the top of the 21st century, this day has evolved into a celebration of assholery and buffoonery.

I’m sure most of you don’t give a darn about the origins of Halloween but I think it’s important to know your history. I witnessed a white man dressed as Superman stop in the middle of the street and yell “now watch me Superman dat hoe”. Acting a fool!

How do you explain what Halloween is to the kids? I’m trying to put together something coherent but it’s real hard. Here’s an idea:

Halloween is one of several “special days” created by our nation to incur a massive profit in a significantly short period of time thus fueling our economy and maintaining the value of the dollar. In other words sweetie, it keeps our country rich.

How was that? Oh you think I’m tripping? Going a tad too far? According to the National Retail Foundation’s 2008 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, consumers are expected to spend $5.07 billion this Halloween, up from $4.96 billion last year and only $3.29 billion two years ago. Other cool facts from the survey include:



The average consumer celebrating Halloween will spend $64.82 on Halloween, compared to $59.06 last year.


Halloween has become the third biggest occasion for adult parties after New Year's Eve and the Super Bowl


Halloween continues as one of the biggest decorating holidays of the year, second only to Christmas. 66.7% of consumers plan to purchase Halloween decor and 47.8 % plan to decorate their home or yard. Consumers will spend approximately $1.39 billion on decorations, an average of $26.59 for those planning purchases.


Because it is not a gift-giving or an apparel holiday, Halloween ranks lower than other annual holidays in terms of spending. Halloween remains the sixth-largest spending holiday after: Winter Holidays, Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, and Father's Day.

Keep that in mind the next time you put on your pirate patch, witch hat, or vampire cape. Think about that while you feed your children junk. When someone says to you "Happy Halloween", before you answer back ask yourself what the heck does than mean. Instead of spending $64.82 on some bull, deposit it into an account that will accrue interest, make a tax-free donation to a charitable organization, use it to buy someone lunch or another random act of kindness. But please don't buy into ignorance all for the sake of having a free pass to act a damn fool for the day. That is one storm I do not sanction.


Of course scary things happen every day, not just October 31st. And you know the freaks come out at night ;-)

Happy Birthday MLK

On this day that we choose to celebrate the great Martin Luther's King's 80th birthday, let us never forget that he had a mission to enter into the "promised land" many years before we ever thought it was possible. In the words of President Elect - Obama

We will couple the spirit of this inauguration with the celebration of the life of a preacher who once stood and shared his dream for America on the very mall where we’ll gather tomorrow. Martin Luther King lived his life as a servant to others, and today, ordinary citizens all across the country honor that legacy through the more than 10,000 service projects they’ve created on USAservice.org. And I’m asking the American people to answer the call and turn today’s efforts into an ongoing commitment to enrich the lives of Americans in their communities, their cities and their country.

Remember to give back to your community today. Happy Birthday Dr. King

p.s. I must add with all the news of the inauguration, Obama, the families making long trips to DC, the love I feel from a broken down country right now I am completely overwelmed and an emotional crying wreck so don't say "boo" to me or I'll start crying all over again.

Anniversary

So let me tell you a story...a story about a girl from originally from Texas , who had a strict grandmother who raised her and a boy from a small town in Louisiana. At age 18 the boy was drafted into the Navy and shipped out of the South. As a baby the girl's mother died and her and her siblings soon moved to California to be raised by their grandmother. Just as adulthood was setting in, their paths crossed in the small town of Vallejo, CA. After dating for some time, (dating consisted of sitting on her grandmother's porch as Gran sat near by), they soon fell in love and decided to marry. Now we are talking a black couple so of course you know there is some story in between this beautiful story...but alas they became The Mayberrys. Their first creation...well....me of course. Followed by two more sisters. Along the way they've traveled the world, been stationed from place to place via the military and finally my daddy retired in 1992 settled back in California. After 20 years of marriage they celebrated in a huge ceremony but now today 15 years later they celebrate an even greater history with 35 years. I thank God everyday for my wonderful parents. I couldn't have looked down from heaven as an tiny angel and chosen a better set. Together they have learned and taught each other and us over the years. They continue to compliment each other in every way. My mother's fire, my daddy's calmness. My mother's zest for life, my daddy's patience. My daddy's thirst for knowledge of all new things, my mother's ability to conquer any situation. Though I'm sure they have had their good and bad days their first priority never changed as we were growing up, to raise happy healthy children to be better than them. They have taught me how to teach my own. I've learned from their successes and their failures in life and love. The thing I disliked as I child I now adore. The things I loved about them, I've now tried to immulate. On this day I wish you both all the love and happiness in the world. I will continue this post on your 50th. All my love.