I know I'm a day behind with the posts. No worries, I'll be all caught up by Sunday.
Today is my parents' wedding anniversary. Thirty-five years and still going strong. They're high school sweethearts, which means they've actually been together longer than 35 years. From what they tell me, their relationship started out as friendship and progressed into something more.
Thirty-five years is a LONG time. Not all couples make it that long. According to statistics, only 50% (or some high percentage like that) of married couples stay together. I am so glad my parents are a part of the group that has stayed together. Although their mushiness is something kids - even grown kids - would rather not witness from their parents, I'm glad to see they're still in love. I must admit, their mushiness is kinda cute. But don't you DARE tell them I said that.
They've made mistakes in their marriage; some I know...some I don't know. BUT I still consider them to be models for what a strong, godly marriage is supposed to look like. Watching my parents, I learned how important it is for couples to put God first in their relationship. I learned how a real man treats his wife and how a wife can be submissive without being a doormat. My father treats my mother like a queen. He's very protective of her...of all his girls (Mama, my sister, and I). My future hubby has some big shoes to fill. My mother knows when she needs to step back, but at the same time, she'll let Daddy know when he's wrong. She knows when to submit, even when she doesn't want to. We joke and say Mama is really the one who runs the house, but make no mistake. My dad is the head of the household as God intended him to be.
I pray that, when my time comes to be married and have a family, my marriage is as strong as my parents. No, each generation is supposed to be better than the previous, right? So, I pray my marriage is even stronger than my parents'...and that's pretty strong.
I absolutely adore my parents and am so blessed God chose me to be their child. My parents are all kinds of awesome and they deserve every good thing that comes their way.
H is for...Happy Anniversary!
W is for Writing and Weight Loss Journey
Writing. I am a writer. I've been in love with writing, ever since the first time my parents put a pen in my hand and taught me to write. Journal entries, plays, stories, songs...you name it, I wrote it. I no longer write songs or plays, though, if I really wanted to, I can. I still journal and write stories.
Writing, for me, is therapeutic. Having a bad day? I write. Someone pissed me off? I write. Something awesome happened? I write. After I'm done, I usually feel so much better. It wasn't until about 6 years ago that I decided to write professionally. That was about when my first character started talking to me. SIDE NOTE: For all you non-writers, talking characters in my head doesn't mean I'm crazy, it just means I'm a writer. Anyway, when I sat down and listened to my character, I ended up with a book idea and my first page. Since then, I've never looked back.
Even after 6 years, I'm still not published, but I refuse to give up. I will become a published author. Of that I'm sure. Not only that, I'm sure kids/teens/adults will like my books. I don't say this out of arrogance; I say this out of confidence in God, who gave me this talent. I've asked Him to bless my writing...to let it give whoever reads it the same kind of enjoyment I got when I read as a child (and even now, as an adult). God gave me this talent and I know He wants me to share it, not keep it to myself.
We writers - or any creative person, for that matter - are a special breed and it takes special people to deal with us. My family is special. My parents; my brother; my sister; me; we're all a creative bunch, whether we're writing stories, drawing pictures, coming up with ways to make lessons fun, thinking of creative marketing strategies, or writing songs. My family so gets me! They're my biggest cheerleaders. They encourage my creativity. As a kid, I wrote plays for ever special occasion. They were long; very long (maybe a hint that novel-writing was in my future, perhaps?). And my parents, bless their hearts, sat through them all. I absolutely adore them for that. When I said I wanted to have a career in writing, my parents didn't shun it as an "unsuitable" career. In fact, they're cheering me on. When I do become published, and my books do as well as I'm praying they would, my family will be the first to benefit.
Weight Loss Journey. I am on a mission...a mission to lose weight. I've been going back and forth with my weight and I am tired. I'm ready to lose weight for good.
Now, don't get me wrong. I love being curvaceous. I love my hips. I love my big butt. I have no problem being "plus size." In fact, I don't want to lose my curves. My journey to lose weight has nothing to do with what society says I should look like. I could care less what others think of me. You may think I'm fat. So what? I'm trying to lose weight so I can lead a healthier life. I have high blood pressure and I HATE taking medicine. I hate how my ankles and feet swell up. I hate how I get so many HBP-inspired headaches. I hate having HBP period. Besides high blood pressure, my family also have history of diabetes, heart problems, cancer, etc. I'm not trying to check out of here earlier than I'm supposed to. Besides, I have little brothers and sisters, nephews and future nieces, future kids, and the youth that I work with. I want to be able to run around with them without having to feel like I'm hyperventilating.
I want to be in shape. I want to be in the best shape of my life, for the rest of my life. Though I do feel better now, at almost 35, than I did 20 years ago, there's still more work to be done. Therefore, I must do what I gotta do. I love working out...walking, Zumba, strength training, volleyball, I love it. Suprisingly, my problem is not eating too much. It's not eating enough. I tend to only eat once a day, which actually starves my body. That's no bueno at all. So, I'm slowly learning to eat 4 - 5 times a day. Old habits die hard, though, and I sometimes go back to the one-a-day meals. I'm a work in progress, though. I joined Weight Watchers about 7 weeks ago. I don't always count points like I should, but it has helped me with portion control.
So, here's the deal: I'm trying to lose 85 pounds. I'm not trying to lose my curvaceousness, so after the 85, I'll see if I want to lose more. So far, I've lost 5 pounds. I'll post updates here, just to hold me accountable. Think I can do it? I know I can.
Random Thoughts Thursday
Katsaridaphobia. I finally found out the name of my fear of roaches. It's actually a phobia! Katsaridaphobia. YAY! Not that I'm celebrating my irrational fear of cockroaches...just that I'm not the only one with that irrational fear.
Rae's Ultimate Career Dream. My ultimate career dream is to be a successful business owner who doesn't have to go in to work everyday (I'll have people who'll run things while I'm gone cos I'll be the boss chick); write books for children and teens full time; continue to research in reading and education...become an expert of some sort that people come to; and travel the world doing conferences and motivational speeches for girls and youth.
Fall Lineup. Shows I look forward to this fall:
Old Favorites. Dancing With the Stars, Castle, NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, The Good Wife, Glee (OF COURSE), Criminal Minds, Law & Order SVU, CSI, CSI NY, CSI Miami (OF COURSE), Desperate Housewives (only cos Vanessa Williams will be on it), and Grey's Anatomy (only cos cutie pie, Jesse Williams is on it).
New Must Sees. The Event, The Defenders, Law & Order Los Angeles, Undercovers, Blue Bloods, Melissa and Joey (um, 2 words...Joey Lawrence).
Of course some of these shows are on at the same time, so I'd have to choose. I so can't wait til the fall!
Rock Star Dad. My dad was a member of the group, Merge, popular in the late 70s/early 80s. He's the one at the top of the pyramid. This is one of their popular songs, Take it to the Top. Cool, huh?
Tickle-Me Tuesday
Here's a recent conversation between me and a nine year-old about our love for Disney channel:
Nine year-old: I like Sonny With a Chance and Good Luck Charlie. Do you like those shows?
Me: Well, I like Sonny With a Chance, but I haven't seen Good Luck Charlie. I don't have cable.
Nine year-old: *Gasp* You don't have cable? Well, what do you watch? You watch movies all day? (she says this like it's a fate worse than death)
Me: Nope. I sometimes watch regular channels.
Nine year-old: What's regular channels? (she says this with a perplexed look)
Me: You know. NBC...CBS...
Nine year-old: *Blank Stare*
Me: ABC...UPN...Fox
Nine year-old: *Blank Stare*
Me: Channels 2...11...13... (now I've got the perplexed look)
Nine year-old: *Blank Stare*
Me: Ay, forget it.
I guess not having cable/satellite is a sin this day and age. smh
Random Thoughts Thursday
Ugly Betty. OK, I'm kinda over the demise of one of my fave shows, Ugly Betty...kinda. It was weird not watching it this past Wednesday. I liked how it ended, tho. Glad they left it with the possibility of a Daniel/Betty relationship and didn't just throw them together. At the end, the title, Ugly Betty, came up, then Ugly faded away which just left Betty. Could it be? A new show called Betty coming out in the future??? Am I the only one who noticed that? I get the whole "Betty isn't ugly anymore so she's no longer Ugly Betty, she's just Betty" deal. I guess it's just wishful thinking. And what's this I hear about a possible movie? It's only a rumor, but I would definitely be in the theater opening night if they decided to go with it. I'm SO gonna miss this show. *sigh*
Writing/Business. So, I haven't had the chance to really write much of anything these past few weeks. My family and I are starting a family business and the time has been spent mostly on researching and getting things ready for our business plan. I'm SO excited about this business. It's an awesome idea that God put on our hearts. When - not if, but when - Weakly Family Ministries officially opens, I just know it'll be a blessing. There's no doubt in my mind that it will be...we're in the will of God with this thing. Here's to making a huge impact on the kingdom of God.
It's time to get back to writing, tho. I miss it. I find that, if I go days, or weeks, without writing, my world isn't right. I have to write, whether I'm writing fiction, letters, or just journaling, I MUST write. Now that things are kind of settled with the business - we're waiting for word on our business plan - I can get back to my writing. This means that my novels and blog can once again become a focus. I can finally write/blog consistently. My poor Writing Wednesday story was pushed waaaaay back on the burner. Not sure if anyone was reading it, but no worries to those who were. It'll be back in June with a few changes.
Dancing With The Stars. I wasn't as excited about it as with other seasons, but I love DWTS, so I can't not watch it. I'm so glad Kate is gone. I have nothing against her, but she is not a dancer. Seeing as though this is a dancing show, I'd think only the best would win (but you never know with fans voting). Am I the only one annoyed by Pamela Anderson's 'sex kitten' poses? Who am I voting for? Hmmm. Nicole or Neicy.
And am I the only one who thinks Erin's dance partner, Max is a cutie?
Random Thoughts Thursday
Success! Two weeks ago, I mentioned the controversy surrounding Justine Larbalestier's book, Liar. The controversy stemmed from the fact that, Micah,the main character in Liar, is an African American teen with short hair. The cover model was not. People complained. Publishers listened. They changed the book's cover.
Boohoo! So, if you've read my blog for a while (is anyone really paying attention to me?) you know that I've wanted to go to Puerto Rico since high school. My sis and I'd planned on going this past Spring Break, but money - or the lack thereof - kept us from going. We shook it off and planned on going in December over the Christmas holidays. Unfortunately, the lack of funds is winning out once again. *sigh* I SO wanted to go. So, I'm thinking, I keep having to put my trip to PR off, which means, when I do get a chance to go...oh, you betta believe I'll have the time of my life. It'll only make my trip that much sweeter.
All's not lost, though. In December, we'll go to South Padre Island, a beautiful island (so we've heard) near Corpus Christi, Texas. Since SPI is about 6 hours away, we can drive, cutting out the high cost of airfare. So, here's a pic of SPI. Not bad, huh?
Spring break 2010, we're hoping to be in Hawaii. All we have to worry about is the flight there (have 4-days/3-nights free) , which helps us BIG TIME. Summer 2010 will see us worldly travelers...at least on this side of the world. Our fam (immediate + extended) is taking a cruise with ports in Grand Cayman and Cozumel. My sis and I are working on plans to travel quite a bit during that time (first the cruise, then Miami & eventually PR). We're still working on it, so more to come later. I'm actually excited about next summer. One thing I know, I won't be working. I'm determined to save, save, save. Looking forward to it!Research. In novel #2, Who's Got Tha Moves, the dance reality show that Treasure is participating in is filmed in Miami. Since I don't actually live in Miami, and I've only been there once, shouldn't I research it some more? Sure I do. So, what does that mean? FIELD TRIP! That is the reason we're going to Miami next summer...well, you know, besides the beautiful beaches, awesome scenery, and muy caliente men. I'm absolutely positive I'll be finished with draft #1 (and maybe @ least #2) by that time, but I can still research the city. It's quite possible I can be on final draft by then. So, yeah. I'm looking forward to "researching" Miami next summer.
Random Thoughts Thursday/Fitness Friday
Spring Break. Waaaah! Spring Break is over! *Tear* It went by way too fast! It's already Friday. Our next big vacation (summer) won't be for another 11 weeks. Oh, the horror! The pain! The agony of waiting...counting down the days. It's a good thing I love my job.
So, you wanna know what I did for spring break (you probably don't, but humor me, will you)? Ab-so-lute-ly NOTHING...and I loved it. Rest and relaxation - ain't that what it's all about? I mean, yeah, my sis and I were supposed to be in San Juan, Puerto Rico, lying on the beach, batting our hazels at the local cuties, BUT, we're in our own house! I'm in my roomy master bedroom with my equally roomy master bathroom. WE HAVE A HOUSE! I think Puerto Rico and the cuties can wait - besides, we're going in December. So, this spring break, we stayed home to bask in the awesome-ness of having our own house.
Mi Casa Nueva. So, I'm sure you can tell that I love my townhouse. I am so blessed! God is so good...He really is. The townhouse is roomier than we thought it would be. It's perfect for a first house. I have the master bedroom. It's not cuz my sister let me have it out of the goodness of her heart since I'm the oldest. No. I had to pay for it...literally. I bought her an iPod and promised to cook for a month just so I can have the master bedroom. It's worth it! I'm lovin the roomy-ness! We thought we'd be moving in with practically nothing, but when people - especially my wonderfully awesome parents - found out we were moving and needed furniture/dishes/food, they gave. Isn't that awesome? Here are pics. Our townhouse is the one with the cars in the drive.
Fitness Friday. After years of trying to lose weight using different methods, I've realized that the reason the weight keeps coming back is because my focus was on the weight, not on God. I take everything else to God, why not my weight/health issues? So, I bought a spiral. In this spiral, I have a scripture and affirmation to meditate on for each day. I exercise and eat right like normal, but I've just changed my focus. With this, I want to lose, not only unhealthy physical weight, but also unhealthy spiritual and mental weight. I want God to remove any access weight - both figuratively and literally speaking - that is keeping me from becoming the woman He intended me to be.Fitness Friday
I've decided to stop taking the Alli. Not because it doesn't work, but because I'm terrible with taking any kinds of medicine. There have been several times when I'd forgotten to take it when I was supposed to. So, needless to say, it's a hassle that I don't need right now. As far as pills are concerned, I think I'm just going to stick with trying to take my blood pressure pills faithfully like I should. Unlike Alli, or any weight loss pill for that matter, the blood pressure pills are for my health...kind of like a matter of life and death, so, I'm thinking these are more important. I do need to find out about vitamins to take, though. I've been so tired lately (but I think I may be coming down with something). Gotta get vitamins.
I'm still eating better. I've been eating breakfast (yay me), which is usually hard for me. I'm not a breakfast eater, but, every morning for the past 2 weeks, I've been faithfully taking the time to eat breakfast. I've also been eating a small snack (like yogurt) between meals so I won't get the munchies. I haven't been snacking on junk either. In my parents' house, there are 9 of us (3 children, 2 teens, and 4 adults), which makes it hard to buy ingredients for the healthy recipes. Starting next week, it'll only be my sister and I (we're moving into our new house), so it'll be much easier. That's one thing I'm looking forward to.
Can I see the fruits of my labor in pound loss? Not much. I only see a 5 lb weight loss. My clothes are fitting a little looser, which means inches are coming off, if not lbs. I'm still happy, though. I mean, it could be worse, right? I could've gained everything back and then some.
Random Thoughts Thursday
President Obama's Inauguration. Words that describe Tuesday: awesome, cool, inspiring...the list goes on. It was a historical moment and I'm glad I'm alive to witness it. Did I think America would really elect it's first African American president in my lifetime? Well, I'd hoped and prayed, but always had doubt.
Happy New Year!
Ah! 2009 is finally here. Did you have an awesome New Year's Day? Guess what I did...rested. That's right. I slept late, then spent the rest of the day watching TV and reading. I loved it! I haven't taken enough "Me Days" in my life. One of my must-dos for 2009 is take more me-days...don't be afraid to not work every once in a while.
2008 was a pretty good year. I mean, nothing overly exciting happened - besides my 5 week trip to Cuernavaca (Mexico) in June/July...my 1st real summer vacation since I started working in 1992. Still, nothing horrible happened either. Now, it's time to leave 2008 where it belongs - in the past - and move forward. Every year, or almost every year, my family comes up with a motivational slogan to live by. This year's slogan is: It's Our Time in 2009! Why? Because we feel that God's about to do some awesome things for our family. He's already started putting things in place for us. And the best thing is we're doing it together (did I mention that we're a close-knit family).
About 5 years ago, my parents started a business called Weakly Family Ministries, that, as the name suggests, focuses on bettering the family. They started out with marriage counseling, pre-marital counseling, family counseling, mentoring, etc. Now, WeaFam is expanding. They're looking into officially moving into an office building (they'd been counseling in our garage-turned-office). Also, now, WeaFam includes the AYM Enrichment Program, which is my sister's & my business (also looking for our own space), along with the urban wear store my brother wants to open, my children & teens novels that will published, and my other brother's poetry/spoken word books that will also be published (if you're a Houstonian, check out Freez.Eturnal's performances at clubs around Houston...my brother is a talented spoken word artist). So you see, God has given each and every one of us a talent to use to help others (and glorify Him, of course) and we're about to do our thang in 2009. IT'S OUR TIME IN 2009!
I leave you with a few of my 2009 goals:
- Complete Who's Got Tha Moves
- Begin/Plan novel #3 (not sure of title, but I do know what it's about)
- Move into own home (my sis & I are starting our journey of becoming home-owning roomies)
- Start journey to become debt-free & financially stable
- Complete my dissertation by June 1st (which means, I'll become Dr. Weakly & have my degree by July/August if all goes well, but I won't actually walk across the stage til January 2010)
- Become more confident in my Spanish (I'm basically a chicken when it comes to speaking Spanish...I know it, just too scared to speak it. I'm getting better, though, thanks to my sis, who speaks fluent Spanish)
- Concentrate on making AYM my full time job
- Go to more conferences for writers and entrepreneur since I am both
- Travel more
- Work on crossing more things off my list of things to do by the time I'm 35 (I've only gotten a chance to cross one off, while I'm working on about 3 others...my list is about 60 items long)
- Take better care of myself physically, mentally, and spiritually
Also, I've added more to this blog:
- Inspirational Sundays: I'll post anything that can be seen as inspirational, whether it be my own inspirational writing (like what I do on my myspace blog) or inspirational stories I've read online or heard about.
- Tickle-Me Tuesdays: This day is reserved for stories, pictures, jokes, or comic strips that'll make you laugh. We all should enjoy a good laugh every once in a while, right?
- Random Thoughts Thursday: Same as last year
- Fitness Fridays: My sis and I have started our journey to a healthier us last month. On Fridays, I'll chronicle my journey by posting any weight loss success, success in lowering my high blood pressure, great workouts, trials, triumphs, etc.
Random Thoughts Thursday
Jennifer Hudson's Tragedy. My heart goes out to Jennifer Hudson and her family. To lose her mother, brother, and nephew... I can't imagine losing my mom, brother, and nephew individually, but at the same time? And to hope that her nephew's alive, only to find the body. It's so sad. They are definitely in my prayers.
Plot to Kill Obama. It seems that the FBI has foiled the plot of two young skinheads to kill 88 blacks (decapitate 14 of them) including Barack Obama. My thoughts? #1: There's more where that came from. While Obama is making history, he's also making a lot of racist people angry by getting this far. Those of us who are prayer warriors will have to keep Obama and his family - and this country - in our prayers...it'll only get worse (the plots) if and when he becomes pres; #2: I've never understood the white supremacist thought of protecting their country...keeping it pure. I mean, really? 'Cause the last time I checked, it ain't their country to claim. Their ancestors, just like most Americans, came to this country from somewhere else. The only difference is, their ancestors came on their own. They weren't here first - the Native Americans had this country first. Is it really the skinheads' country to keep pure?
Dancing With The Stars. I missed this week's DWTS, but I heard that Cloris Leachman was voted off. Finally. I mean, the fact that this 80-something year-old woman was on DWTS dancing was amazing, don't get me wrong. She moved pretty good for her age. BUT she shouldn't have made it this long (at least not longer than Toni Braxton). Who's next? I say Susan Lucci. My final four are Brooke (who'll probably win), Warren, Cody, and Lance.
Family Ties. So, anyone can see how close my family is. Growing up, some friends didn't understand how I could tell my parents everything. Other friends became constant fixtures in the Weakly household to experience that closeness. People used to call us the Huxtables from the Cosby Show, which we took as a compliment, although, clearly, we didn't have the Huxtable money. I wouldn't trade in my childhood, nor my family, for all the money in the world. My mom and sis are 2 of my best friends. The original Weakly kids are grown (I'm 32, my brother is 28, and my sister is 26), but we have others who've become part of the fam and is experiencing the love. I'm blessed to be a Weakly. God's placed me in an awesome family.
