The rules are as follows:

* link to the person that tagged you : the other Dollface
* post the rules on your blog
* share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
* tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
* let each random person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

I don’t know about six non important things right now. I might have to let it marinate for a lil bit and get back to this. Just wanted Dollface to know I saw her tag.

***Edit***

Ok I got a few thangs here:

1. I got straight up issues with my hair. I’ve been doing the natural thing for about 15 months now and a sista is in need of the creamy crack in a bad way but honestly I really don’t want to go back to relaxing my hair but I’m kinda tired of this twist and shout stuff on top of my head LOL!!!

2. Yall all know I had w.eigh.t loss su.rgery and with that I have to take a boatload of vitamins but recently I had to stop taking the B.io.tin cause a sista was seriously growing waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy tooooooo much facial hair and that is so not sexy, unh uh, not in the least bit. So Imma just have to deal with raggedy, thin nails til I can find something else to help in that situation. The B.io.tin was not on my surgeons list either, so no I’m not being non-compliant. It was suggested from others suffering with bad hair, skin and nails.

3. My flat butt is getting flatter by the minute. So a friend suggested I go buy myself some booty *padded undies* from the beauty supply store. Hell it only costs $11.99 and she said it will change my life. Gonna look into buying me some booty yall!! Will mos def keep you updated as it’s looking awfully sad back there.

4. My tv show 24 is not coming on until 2009 and I’m not even trippin’ about it. TV sucks now, no really it sucks!!!

5. I am such a procrastinator when it comes to paperwork. I hella hate it!! I’ll open a letter, read it and know I have to respond in a timely manner and/or send the document back. What do I do? Put it back in the envelope and say I’ll get back to it later and then totally forget about it til goodness knows when!! It’s awful I really need help with that.

6. Before I get up in the morning I have to sit up in my bed, look around and daydream for an obscene amount of time about nothing in particular. I can never just wake up and get up. It takes me forever to get myself out of the bed. Ooh I’m so not a morning person, hell even if it’s in the afternoon I still have to daydream and stretch and contemplate what I’m going to do for the day.

Ok do it if you want to, I am not tagging folks, so consider this your blessing for the day LOL!!!

April 2008 has been good to a sista!!! I have been soooo busy these past few weeks and it feels good as hell!

The month started off good with my birthday of course. Me and a few of my friends went out for dinner to celebrate and that was cool.

My friend also came in from Houston and we kicked it for a couple of days while her daughter was here with her highschool orchestra and band. Then that following week I went to Houston and kicked it with her and the kids for a week! Big shout out to Lesley *met her through my online support group on OH* for showing a sista some real southern hospitality. *Love you girl* Lesley came and took me out and we had drinks and dinner. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much sweetie! Gonna call you soon if you are reading this!

I got home on a Saturday evening and on Sunday first off I went to church because I just had to give Him all the Glory, Honor and Praise because I am soooo grateful to be alive and doing well. Simple things that most folk take for granted like simply walking… huh, yeah well I had to go fellowship in His house, ya dig?

Then later that day I went to see the Alvin Ailey Dancers * a birthday gift from one of my bff’s*. Baby they were phenomenal!! Their bodies were a work of art for real, damn. I mean like plaaadowwwwwwww!!! This one dancer, his body was sooooo tight, you could literally, I mean honest to goodness bounce a quarter off his ass!!! TIGHT BABY!!!! I was in complete awe! They made that shit look effortless, ya heard? I am so gonna be there next year. Tickets are already on sale for April 1-5th for 2009!!!!

Then I have been running around with Dollface doing her afterschool activities and me with my swimming and jumping rope trying to get this flabby body in shape. The flab is crazy but hell it’s expected right?

Tuesday evening I went to another weightloss support group meeting and it was all good. This group is for patients that are a year or more out of surgery. I know I’m not quite there yet but next month on the 31st will be my year out. I done did the damn thang yall!!! Yep pattin’ my own self on the back LOL. This mess is hella hard, don’t get it twisted, oh no!!! The weight has come off but I still gotta work it or else it will be back on with a vengence and I am so not trying to put back on 170lbs for nobody!!! Hell I got a few more pounds to lose before it’s all said and done. It’s said that you should give yourself some cushion room to add a FEW pounds back. So my surgeon has a goal weight for me and I’m about 30lbs from that and I want to lose another 25lbs from that goal. It’s obtainable and that’s for sure. I can do all things through Christ that strengthen me…

Friday night I went to my friends daughter’s junior highschool play/musical. Once Upon a Mattress or the Princess and the Pea. It was cute, the kids were really cute. I love kids, yall know that already.

Saturday morning off to the thrift with Ang and Tricie, *hey gurl* then off to take my baby doll to swimming class, then to arts and crafts and now on Sunday (well it was Sunday when I typed this) evening, my behind is tired!!!! Good and tired and I’m going to bed EARLY too!!

PTL for all the blessings cause ya girl couldn’t do none of this last year at this time! I was a sit at home, look at the walls and count the tiles on the the floor, homebound mofo and now I’m living life again and damn yall it feels good!!!

The journey continues!

I just did a whole post on my trip with pics and e’rythang and the computer crashed when I hit publish. Oh well I’ll redo it tomorrow!! Needless to say I had a good time!

Later

I’m in Texas!!!!!

I was supposed to be going to Houston tomorrow, right? Well thanks to the debacle of A.mer.ican A.irl.ines it just might not be the best time to fly standby. My bff doesn’t want to discourage me from coming but at the same time she can’t guarantee that I will be on a flight. So your girl here is kinda bummed. I have options though. I could do any of the following:

A: Drive myself to the airport at the azz crack of dawn tomorrow and sit and wait it out and hope they call my name.

B: I could wait until Saturday and do the same thing again.

C: I could try again on Monday morning but none of these are a guarantee at all.

Shorty Boss said she was going see me on the news as one of those people who sleep on cots when they are stuck at the airport. NOT FUNNY MAN!! *LOL nonetheless*

Part of me is saying wait til summer but she says with the fuel surcharges and all the inner mess of the airlines, it won’t be any better, if anything it will be worse. WOW!!!!

So here I sit at 8:30pm on Thursday night, my bag is not packed, my confirmation is not in my hand and I should be leaving here in about 6 hours to head to the airport.

My head is cloudy for reals!!! I’m stress eating right now and that is so not good. I have been waiting so long to travel and my friend set this up right on time with my birthday and Dollface’s mom being on vacation all next week too. It ain’t lookin’ too good for me and Houston right now and honestly I’m bummed big time. I really could go in the summer and I could take Dollface with me (if her parents say yes that is) because right now she doesn’t even know I’m going. I couldn’t dare look into those eyes and tell her next time. She and I both would be a complete cryin’, snotty, mess!!!

No way, no how.

So right now my bff is at a sports banquet for her daughter and she said she would call me in about an hour so I could print up my confirmation but honestly I don’t think I want to go. I mean I do but then again… All signs are pointing to me staying here for right now. First off it’s raining cats and dogs and we are under a flash flood watch. Tomorrow it’s supposed to thunderstorm all day with the high being 60 and the next day it’s supposed to snow. Our airport is hella backed up when it starts storming *and I’m already flying standby*, they shut down flights like in a minute and they already are backed up with the AA mess. Hell I’ve waited years to travel so another couple of months isn’t going to kill me, I don’t think it will anyways!!

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Frustration ensues!!! I need a stress reliever right now!!!!

Man I am totally exhausted in a good way though!! One of my bestest girls came in from Houston on Thursday which was the day after my birthday. I picked her up from the airport early that morning and I have been on the go ever since up until early this morning. Ooh boy I took the best 4 hour nap after I cooked dinner earlier. My body was beat, TI-red, screaming for some rest. So I listened and laid it down baby lol!!!

My friend was here because her daughter was on a school sponsored trip with the Orchestra and band from her high school. They chartered a plane for the kids and chaperones so it was about 200 people in all maybe even more. They played at the Chi.cag.o Sympho.ny Orchestra and let me tell you those kids are simply amazing!!!

I got serious goosebumps when they were performing. The program lasted about an hour and I was awestruck. I was so proud of my friends daughter.

This little chica is in ninth grade, an honor student, championship swimmer *she made state as a freshman* and in the orchestra playing the violin. The girl got it going on, no doubt about it! She is talented beyond belief and my bff was beaming with pride!!!

She was saying this is so worth all the effort that she and her husband have put out over the years with all the early morning practices and late night rehearsals. It has manifested itself beautifully!

I had a total WOW moment that day too because I had to park a couple of blocks away from Orchestra Hall and yeah I was strutting my much smaller body down the Avenue and in my head I was like WOW MAN!!! I am walking and feeling so confident and my leg doesn’t hurt because I’m dragging a 40lb tumor on it. I was so dang happy!! I can’t even explain the total amount of freedom that I felt. I’m living life again and yeah it feels good y’all!!

Oh and possibly ya girl here might be in Houston by the end of the week if things go smoothly. Keep your fingers crossed for me!! I’m just delirious with the possibility *pinching myself* ouch!!!

God is good all the time.

So the story goes I was born at 8:57pm on a Wednesday night 42 years ago. Mom was having complications early out and they put her on bedrest for a while but everything turned out cool and she was mopping the floors and felt that it was time. She called my father at work and then panic ensued LOL!!! She said my dad was a nervous wreck. He came home and picked her up and off they went to the hospital. Now when my mom is telling this story she always says when she first met my dad and they started getting serious she told him she had a hysterectomy. Now why would she tell this man that bold faced lie? Well because she had G for a child and he was a straight up demon child. My grandmother’s nickname for him was demon because he was just hellacious!!! So when my father was speaking with my grandmother he mentioned the hysterectomy and my granny was like, “Donald she didn’t have no hysterectomy.” My dad was looking like What you talkin’ bout Willis?

So my mom had to fess up that nope she didn’t have a physical hysterectomy but in her mind she had one because she did not under any circumstances want any more children. No way, no how, she wasn’t doing it. G was more than enough and she couldn’t handle another child that was anything like him. Sucks to be G huh? Anyways dad pleaded with her to have a baby and after months of saying that I would be the sweetest baby on earth and that he would be there to take care of me from the moment of conception til he took his last breath, she finally agreed.

Back to delivery day dad was itching to get the hell outta dodge LOL!!! He was sooooo nervous in the hospital with my mom. G was downstairs in the waiting room and my dad kept saying he had to check on G, he had to check on G. Mom just gave him the Brown look and was like dude you promised you’d be here for this crap. She actually didn’t use those words but you kinda get the drift, right

Mom was in full labor and dad was backing out of the room trying not to be noticed. Imagine the shock on the nurses face when my dad backed up into the closet thinking he was leaving out of the room. He stayed in there for a bit too then the nurse looked at my mom and my mom just shook her head like what a fool!!! He eventually popped his head out of the closet and dashed the hell outta the room stating he would be back. He went to take G to my grandmother’s house and by that time mom had delivered me. The doc called my dad at my grandmother’s house and he was elated. Mom on the other hand was ticked off!!! She didn’t want the doctor to tell my dad anything LOL!!!!

Once dad got back to the hospital he couldn’t take his eyes off of me. Now my mom had me on the 2nd of April but two of her friends also delivered on the 1st of April, both having girls too at the same hospital and my dad and one of the other dads were talking in front of the nursery. My dad was like she is soooo beautiful but I think they gave me the wrong child. Picture me a little bitty ass baby that was light bright and damn near white and my dad was a nice chocolate brown, brown skinned man. The other dad was light bright and he told my dad that I would darken up and of course I did LOL!!!!

When he got to the room my mom was in he was kissing all over her and exclaiming how precious his daughter was and how gorgeous I was. Mom took a look at me in the bassinette and said, “Oh lawd that’s that same little high yella baby” and she turned her head away like take that thang away from me I needs some sleep. I told her see that’s why we never bonded until I turned 18!!! I was a daddy’s girl through and through and mom, eh she was aiight.

All this to say it’s my birthday, bornday, whatever you want to call it and I’m so blessed to have a chance to live life again. I’m so much happier and healthier than I was a year ago and I owe it all to God.

Go Bunny it’s ya burfday, go Bunny it’s ya burfday!!

Gotta run now my friend is taking me to a gospel concert tonight!! Yea!!!

The green tea thing yeah naw it didn’t work. I’m still Ms. Dry ass scalp but maybe I have to do the tea thing more than once. Yeah I’ll give it another shot.

Dollface is sweet as ever for those of you who asked about her. She’s starting her extracurricular classes again now that I’m able to actively take her to and from. So it’s swimming and African dance. Let’s just hope this dance class is much better than the last one.

I’ve been going to the mall every week now and let’s just say I haven’t been to an actual mall for well over 2 or 3 years because I couldn’t walk that far. It’s been so joyful to me eventhough I can’t afford a single freakin’ thing LOL. Just to be able to walk and look and enjoy is a blessing!! Dollface baby on the other hand is like next time can we actually shop? *I created that monster so I can’t say a word*

Why the hell was the last gas bill $385.00???

And why in the sam hell was gas $3.26 a gallon last week and damn near $4.00 a gallon this week? That shit ain’t right?

Shorty Boss is dating y’all!! Whoo hoo!! I’m sooooo happy for her and dude was “The Guy” AGAIN for like 2 weeks then he had a name LOL!!! I love my friend, she’s a freakin’ nut, just like me!

My mom is doing well and the funeral, oh hell the horror!!! Let’s just say big ass family secrets and funerals do not mix. Several folks walked out because it was a disgrace and a slap to my grandmother’s legacy. I couldn’t begin to explain, trust.

Homemade broccoli cheese soup is the mofokin’ bomb!!! I put my foot all up in that there!!

I want one of those cute little dogs again. So I better go grab the little dog purse, that’s right DOG SHAPED PURSE, Shorty Boss gave me last year and call it a day cause it ain’t going on for reals.

I need a job, man!!

Sweet potato pie oh yum!!

Current weight lost drumroll please…. 172 pounds!!!! OH HELLS YEAH!!!

***Edited to add I made an error on my weightloss. I recalculated and it’s 162 pounds. That’s still awesome as hell right!!!***

Random I tell ya!!

Ooh it’s almost St. Paddy’s day y’all. Aren’t you excited? Yeah me either but here in the Chi they makes a big deal out of it. I mean big parades and they even dye the river green too. Funny stuff. I had green beer once wayyyyy back in the 80’s. Hell I wasn’t even of drinking age, hanging out with my crazy ass high school Irish friends. Them girls was wild as hell boy!!

So I’m going to brew some green tea and wash my hair with it. They said on GMA that it will take away dandruff and every winter my hair gets soooo super dry and flakey. So I’m hoping this is going to do the trick.

I have been feeling so good these past few weeks and I’m on the go all the time now and that in itself is beyond awesome cause yall know how I was homebound like a mugg!! The weather is supposed to get cold again for the weekend but will gradually start to warm up early next week and I’ll be hittin’ the streets once again. I can’t stand this cold weather. A sista gotta wear 6 layers of clothes to be comfortable and that ain’t right LOL!!!

Still cooking and baking and lovin’ every minute of it. Did I mention I made Turkey a couple of weeks ago? Yeah probably did but you know I suffer from SAS (short attention span) and um can’t remember shit, so pardon me for repeating if I am, ya dig?? From that turkey I also made turkey soup and turkey pot pie and both were super delish and so yummy to my tummy!!! I tell you what though I can not make bread pudding to save my soul!! I tried this recipe from S.and.ra L.ee and baby yuck. I ate a teaspoon of it and threw that sucka in the garbage. Straight up nastiness, gives me shivers it was so gross!!! I’m mad I messed over my ingredients though cause that was 6 slices of raisin bread that could have been utilized in other ways ya know.

This weekend I’m trying out new cake recipes, all *Spl.enda* cause my burfday will be rolling around next month and ya gurl gots to have some cake for her burfday. Wish me luck and it’s a chocolate cake YUM!!!

I’m down 155lbs as of yesterday *Hey, Ho, Hey, Ho* and it feels incredible and I give all the glory to God because without Him it would not be possible. I am eternally grateful for the awesome gift He has given me and I’m loving my life again. The wound is almost closed, no more packing it. I’m just using bandages now which is soooo great!!

On a sad note though my mom’s sister passed yesterday which was totally unexpected and it happened so very quickly. She was suffering with pain but she was Chris.tian Scie.nce and she didn’t believe in doctors or hospitals and didn’t want to go when she had the intense pain but this past week it became too overwhelming and her son convinced her to go to the hospital. Once there they found three tumors in her body. The very next day they were transferring her to another hospital and she went into full cardiac arrest and never was revived. My mom is doing well with the news. I mean it happened so quickly that I don’t think she has had a chance to even accept the fact that she is gone. No plans have been finalized yet. Family members have to come from Vegas, Denver and Georgia so by tomorrow we should know something.

The one thing that I am really, really grateful for is that even though this Aunt didn’t believe in hospitals, she came with mom and stayed the entire day when I had my leg surgery in December. I loveded her for that man because I knew it was against her beliefs. When asked why she was doing it she said simply without fanfare or bickering, “You do what you gotta do.”

Big ups to my Auntie Burt, I love you lady and Rest In Peace!!

www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-niu-gunman_webfeb15,0,1760508.story

You always hear of these shootings but it hit too close to home today. My friend’s son attends NIU and his best friend/roomate was in the lecture hall that the shooter was in. When the story first aired on the news earlier this afternoon panic gripped me for a moment, then I said a silent prayer for Nick’s angels to protect him and then I went to call my friend. Before I could get to the phone my other friend called me to see if I was watching the news and then Nick’s mom called to say she had heard from him and that he was safe after not being able to get in contact with him for over an hour. Can you imagine the fear that she was feeling? I wanted to break down and cry when I heard they both were safe.

Thank you Heavenly Father for continually watching over and keeping our loved ones safe while they are away from us.

Of course classes have been cancelled indefinetely and Nick and his roomate are more than likely on their way home. I haven’t spoken to my friend G for about 4 hours now. She probably gassed up the Camry and went to get them.

I don’t know why these type of things have to happen and it seems as if they are occuring more and more as time goes on.

So what is the answer?

What do we do?

How can we stop the violence?

These questions are rhetorical I suppose but really do you have a clue cause I sure don’t.