Posted on Wednesday, March 5, 2014

10 Reasons Why the 2014 Oscars is One to Remember…

Hello World,

Lupita dancing with Pharrell as he sang “Happy!”

Three days later and I’m still unpacking the cultural celebration that was the 2014 Oscars this past Sunday…There were so many entertaining moments during the actual telecast and as the days go by, more and more drama is unfolding about the backstory featuring the winners of the golden statues…So without further ado, let me share 10 reasons why the 86th Academy Awards is one I will remember…

1. Matthew McConaughey. First of all, Mr. McConaughey is one of those rare actors that women of all races and backgrounds tend to find fetching…to say the least..He has managed to harness a mix of braggadacio aka swag and unaffectedness that makes him seem like the perfect boyfriend…But I digress…The fact that he thanked God first of all in his Oscar acceptance speech just pushed him in a different stratosphere…literally and figuratively…It seemed so genuine unlike some of the rappers who thank God in their acceptance speeches at music awards shows…How you gon thank God when your music is anything BUT godly…

2. Lupita. Yes, I know her full name is Lupita Nyong’o, but her beauty, intelligence and overall effervescence has made her this year’s it girl and capable of being recognized by one name only. Seeing this dark-skinned Kenyan beauty flit about the red carpet in a pale blue Prada whimsy of a dress made me want to time travel back to my 8-year-old self. I would say, “there is a black Cinderella after all” as Cinderella was one of my favorite childhood stories. After seeing Lupita as the dehumanized Patsey in “12 Years a Slave” and seeing that same woman who portrayed her celebrated by winning an Oscar was like watching the Cinderella story come to life. And then her speech about dreams being valid no matter where you come from…her story is evidence that dreams don’t only come true in fairy tales.

3. Steve McQueen. First of all, am I the only one who kept expecting to see the white American actor instead of a black man from the UK every time his name was mentioned? How did dude get his name? Was he named after the actor? (Aside: Doesn’t Steve McQueen look like he could be the separated-at-birth twin brother of “Saturday Night Live” cast member Kenan Thompson?) Anywho, “12 Years a Slave” director Steve McQueen became the first black man to win an Academy Award for Best Picture on Sunday! Unfortunately, since then it has been revealed that McQueen is allegedly behind-the-scenes beefing with John Ridley, the screenwriter of the film.

4. John Travolta. Like Cinderella, his name brings back happy memories of my childhood. His flowing thick raven hair and ice-blue but vacant eyes made him the hottest stupid guy on “Welcome Back Kotter!” But as the years have past, he seems to have become Hollyweird. What was up with his mispronunciation of Idina Menzel’s name? He introduced her as Adele Dazeem. And said the name with some weird accent! Hopefully, she has been able to “let it go” since then. My apologies to anyone out there who actually has that name! And if you want to Travoltify your name, go to this link. My name Travoltified is “Jasmine Herdson!” Ha!

5. Pharrell Williams. His Oscar-nominated ditty “Happy” has been one of my favorites since I first heard the song this summer. I swear if you hear this song, you automatically start doing a jig like you’re an Irish person in a St. Patty’s Day Parade…But his tux short set didn’t make me happy. It made me sad… 🙁

6. Ellen. For various reasons including the two I name below, Ellen was one of the best hosts of the Oscars ever! I love that she doesn’t use her humor to put down people. Only the best comedians can do this!

7. Carbs. Nowadays, everyone, particularly the celebrity crowd, is going gluten free and forsaking flour…But I still eat sub sandwiches and pizza and unless God tells me otherwise, I will keep loving my dough…So the fact that Ellen (who hosted this year’s Oscars) ordered pizza for the celebrities in the audience AND they actually ate the pizza is a miracle akin to two fish and fives loaves of bread feeding 5,000!

8. Selfies. Usually, actors take themselves way too seriously, but Ellen was able to get some A-list celebrities to just be regular people in this selfie seen around the world.

9. Peter Nyong’o. Do you see Lupita in this selfie? If you don’t, she’s up there on the far right in between Angelia Jolie and Brad Pitt…And the black guy in the FRONT is her younger brother…How you gon upstage your Oscar-winning sister by positioning yourself in front of her in the selfie that broke Twitter? Have several seats baby brother…

10. Cheryl Boone Isaacs. She was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last summer. She is the first black woman to be elected to this position and the third woman to helm the Academy altogether! I’m proud to recognize her achievement on this blog during Women’s History Month! In my imagination, she was like Lupita’s fairy godmother who made sure that Lupita was the belle of the ball on Oscar night!

So will you remember this year’s Oscars? Why?

Any thoughts?

Posted on Sunday, February 2, 2014

How Are You Doing With Your New Year’s Resolutions?…It’s only February…

This shows my weight loss and fitness journey…before I lost the weight in college, after I lost the weight in college, celebrating 10 years of fitness by running a marathon, working out for my wedding dress…With God, all things are possible!

Hello World,

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Now, that the first month of 2014 is behind us, I thought I would check in with y’all about your New Year’s Resolutions. As I said in a previous post, it takes me a month of prayer and reflection to make my resolutions. I believe that if God directs me to make the resolutions, He will help me to achieve them within His will…This year, I believe that God wanted me to simplify my list of resolutions. In years past, I have come up with a complicated list of resolutions in which I was likely trying to do too much… This year my resolutions are pretty simple…My main two resolutions for 2014 are to continue to cultivate my new marriage and help my husband achieve his goals…My third big resolution is to write my novel and some other stuff related to my book that I’m not bold enough to share here…at least right now…

According to statisticbrain.com, the TOP 10 RESOLUTIONS for 2014 are:

Lose Weight

Getting Organized

Spend Less, Save More

Enjoy Life to the Fullest

Staying Fit and Healthy

Learn Something Exciting

Quit Smoking

Help Others in Their Dreams

Fall in Love

Spend More Time with Family

I remember when I was in college, in 1994 to be exact, one of my New Year’s Resolutions for the year was to lose the Freshman 15 (or 20 pounds in my case) I gained…At the beginning of the New Year, I joined a weight-loss and nutrition program that was offered to students for free, and I took my one mandatory P.E. class (it was a running class) at the same time. In a three-month period, I went from 145 pounds to 125 pounds, and thanks to God’s help, I have kept that weight off since (I haven’t had any children I must say…)…In fact, I weighed myself yesterday and I was the same weight…I’m not saying this brag…I’m explaining all of this to say that with God’s help, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE…however, a resolution without a plan is only a dream…In fact, only 8 percent of people that make resolutions actually achieve them! Every resolution that I have ever achieved came because I had a plan and typically some accountability…Hopefully, you don’t think I’m giving advice…I’m just sharing what has worked for me…

If losing weight and or eating right is one of your New Year’s resolutions, you many want to check out 1245 Salon and Spa’s Annual Raw Eating Event on Monday, February 3 at 7 pm…The event will include samples of raw foods, testimonials from individuals who’ve had first-hand experience with raw diets and a presentation by a Living Foods Institute representative. Some of the foods available to sample during the event will include: raw chili, marinated greens, curry dip, and stuffed peppers with meatless meat, spinach and tomato sauce. There will also be giveaways! 1245 Salon and Spa is located at 1245 Fowler Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30318.

Any thoughts?

Posted on Sunday, January 12, 2014

A NEW YEAR IS HERE…And what are you gonna do about it?

Hello World,

I know I haven’t written about it yet, but I am well aware that God has blessed us to see a New Year – 2014...It takes me a month of prayer and meditation to discern what resolutions and or goals that God wants to help me reach for this year so I’m not quite ready to write a New Year’s Goals or Resolutions post yet…but I found this great blog post by (the recently married 🙂 Congrats!) Valorie Burton, a life coach and author, that I interviewed in my book “After the Altar Call: The Sisters’ Guide to Developing a Personal Relationship With God.” Enjoy….

What is it Finally Time for You To Do?

“What is it finally time for you to do?” It’s a great question for the beginning of the year. Perhaps there is something you’ve been talking about doing, thinking about doing, even daydreaming about doing. And in 2014, it’s time to make a move! A few years ago, I discovered a scripture in Ecclesiastes 5:3 that inspires me whenever I get stuck in a rut of over-thinking my vision in a particular area of my life:

“A dream comes through much activity, but a fool is known by his many words.”

Whether your dream is related to your work, relationships, finances, health or spiritual life, it will only come to life when you take action! So what is it time for you to take action on? Consider these examples to help you identify what it’s time for you to take action on in 2014:

Your Work

– Is it time to change jobs? Change careers? Ask for a raise? Launch your own business? Take your existing business to a new level.

Your Relationships

– Is it time to move past fears or past heartbreaks so that you are healthy and ready for love in your life? Is it time to forgive a family member or friend against whom you’ve been holding a grudge? Is it time to carve out more time for the people you love? Is there a conversation that’s long overdue?

Your Finances

– Is it time to stop using those credit cards that you don’t pay in full every month? Is it time to set up an automatic debit from your checking into an investment account so that you can finally bring your savings goals to life this year? Is it time to take action towards getting more (and better) clients or customers? Is it time to stop spending money to impress others?

Your Health

– Is it finally time to get serious about exercising consistently? Or is it time to cut back on the sugar or fried foods, or add more vegetables to your diet?

Your Spiritual Life

– Is it time to trust God in a particular situation or area of your life? Do you finally need to find a “church home” that nourishes you in the way that you need to be nourished? Is it time to get serious about studying the Word?

Whatever it’s finally time for you to do, make a decision this week to do it. It’s not about creating a New Year’s resolution. It’s about making a shift and recognizing that the time has come for a change. If you ignore the need for a change when it’s time, you will find yourself increasingly frustrated with the situation. Often God will allow you to get frustrated so that you will finally become fed up enough to do something about it! Your dreams can come true, but your job is to take action! It begins with a decision and continues with each step you take forward.

It is essential not to begin the year by overwhelming yourself with multiple, large changes and goals. Get clear about what’s most important and focus your actions on it.

My challenge to you this week:

Identify the “thing” that it is finally time for you to do. Then take action!

Journaling assignment:

What has kept me from taking action on this particular circumstance or issue in the past? What will I need to do differently to make it easier for me to accomplish my goal? What is my goal in this area for 2014? Leave your comments below, I’d love to hear from you!

Last year, my major goal was to plan a beautiful engagement/wedding/honeymoon and start a wonderful new life with my husband, and God really blew me away…Thank you God! This year, my major career goal is to finish my first novel, etc. which I must confess is really challenging me…but I am working on it although I have the worst habit of taking on too many things at once and being a procrastinator at the same time…a deadly combo…So in the words of Valorie Burton, what is the “the ‘thing’ that it is finally time for you to do?”

Any thoughts?

Below is a video of Valorie Burton speaking about her latest book “Happy Women Live Better.”