HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This year flew by. I can’t believe just how fast it got away from me but the 2007 year is waving a hearty goodbye as Baby New Year is readying himself to take over. This definitely wasn’t one of my best years so I can’t say that I’m sad to see it go. In fact, I’m so ready to see it long gone that I will be welcoming in 2008 with bells on.

I took a quick minute to reflect back on my resolutions from last year. Clearly I was on some serious drugs when I even imagined myself attempting to keep them. I think I took wishful thinking to an all-time high. The only resolution that I remotely kept for the entire year was not sweating the small stuff and that’s probably because I didn’t have much small stuff to angst over. My pot of big stuff however over flowed frequently this past year.

For 2008 I’m going to fall back on old people wisdom and just let life do what it’s going to do.

I’m not going to promise to diet and exercise. Like my granny said, “Girl, you might be big but you’re healthy. Now have another slice of pie and be happy. Someone, somewhere, loves a woman with a butt and thighs!”

I will not angst over my divorce. To paraphrase Tina Turner and the lyrics to What’s Love Got To Do With It?, I’m thinking about my own protection.

I’m not going to worry about relationships in general. A friend of a friend said, “The right man at the wrong time is still the wrong man.” I imagine things will be sweet when and if they’re supposed to happen.

Mr. Ben told me that "if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it". I’ll apply that to life it general and live it as fully and as completely as I can.

Mr. Ben also said, "SMILE. It’s good for your face." I plan to smile and laugh as much as I possibly can.

As for the rest of it, who knows. Like Ray Charles told us. “It’s gonna do what it do, baby!” So I’m just going to let it.

Have a safe and blessed New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I'm off for the holiday. The to-do list is miles long and I am quickly running out of time. As always, I can't just take off and not leave you with a little holiday cheer to sip on.

Enjoy and may each of you have a safe and blessed Christmas and may your Santa grant all your wishes and many more.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, BABY!

CAPTURED THROUGH HIS LENS

I find myself doing a lot of research on weddings and honeymoons. I'm always looking for ideas for some story or another that showcases just how beautiful the union of matrimony could be.

Different things inspire me. The colors in a wedding bouquet. A gorgeous wedding gown. The beautiful bride and groom. A wedding cake that veers from the traditional. I like to find these things to piece together my own interpretation of a perfect wedding.

I happened upon this photograher's blog site via another author's blog. I have just been captivated by Ross Oscar Knight's work, returning time and time again to explore his space. The man is exceptionally talented and I admire what he can do with a camera. I have challenged myself to translate such beauty into words, much like he has translated it to film.

Click the link below. I had to share this with you. It is truly a wondeful piece of photo-telling! What Ross had managed to capture through his lens is just breathtaking. I could just feel the joy this couple shared on their special day. They were such an exquisite couple. The imagery is simply amazing and love is just spilling out of the photographs.

If you're in the Atlanta area, look him up. If I should have a romantic event in my life some time in the future, I'll surely be headed South to hire him to photograph the moment.

Enjoy!

Ross Oscar Knight

FOR YOU, I'll DANCE

Music burns in perfect syncopation,
Fragrant metaphors of whole and half notes
Inciting tapping toes and snapping fingers.

I choreograph a solo performance,
Because you will not dance with me,
And there is no audience to cheer us on.

I’ll wear my best tap shoes,
With the delicate heels
That balance my love for you on shaky legs,
And when I pirouette out on stage,
At least you will know that I was there...
...Willing to dance...for you…

DRIBBLE....FOR MEN

* Taking your boy’s phone call before your woman’s is not cool. Hanging up on your woman to talk to your boy and then forgetting to call your woman back, is not cool. Calling your boy and not calling your woman at all, is truly not cool. To paraphrase Erykah Badu, the next time you want some ass, call your boy, your woman is too through.

* When your woman is craving your time and attention, wanting to spend some quality one-on-one time with you that doesn’t amount to just an afternoon quickie in a back room, don’t get her hopes up and then disappoint her. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to realize when you’ve made your woman an afterthought behind your family and friends. You’re woman isn’t a brain surgeon and she’s figured it out already.

* A woman likes when you do that thing you do when the two of you are doing that thing you do. You need to do it more.

* I will not entertain the thought of putting my life on hold while you try to figure out what you want to do with yours. I will not risk you deciding that what you want is more valuable than what I want. I would hate to do that and then discover that what you want does not include me.

* Size does matter.

FUNDRAISING FROM THE HEART

Imagine being given an opportunity for a life-changing experience and then being unable to participate because you do not have the funds. I have a young friend who is in that position at this very moment. T’Keya Fox is an exceptional young woman, doing some exceptional things. She’s a seventeen-year old high school junior who is striving for excellence in every aspect of her young life. I haven’t met many young women with her drive and initiative and from the first introduction I was truly impressed with her. T’Keya has some lofty goals for herself and continually demonstrates her intent to achieve each and every one.

T’Keya was recently selected to represent her Burlington, NC high school and community as a National Scholar at the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, DC this spring. T’Keya’s academic excellence and extraordinary leadership potential was recognized by the high school teachers who nominated her for this honor.

Being afforded such an opportunity comes with an exceptionally high price. Conference tuition and the costs to get there and back home are expensive. T’Keya comes from a single parent home, her mom working two jobs to support the family. Like most of us, there is little money for “extras”. T’Keya being able to afford the fees associated with this endeavor unfortunately falls on that “extras” list. T’Keya requires financial assistance to make this dream come true and although the Congressional Youth Leadership Council hosting the event is sensitive to her need for help, the best they do is make suggestions to the child to guide her in fundraising.

So, on behalf of my friend T’Keya, I’m reaching out and fundraising from my heart. I’m doing this because T’Keya is a young black female at the pinnacle of her future and I want to see her succeed. I understand that without support things could easily go in a different direction for this sweet child and I do not want to see that happen. Thus far she’s made some excellent choices for herself and I believe that with continued support and love from family and friends she will keep doing that. There’s a big world out there for T’Keya to experience and I’d like to see her afforded every opportunity available to her.

I’m holding out my hand and asking folks to open their hearts and their pockets. Towards that goal I am hosting an on-line fundraiser to generate whatever funds I can. Between December 11th and February 28th I’ll be selling “event” tickets to raise as much money as I can possibly raise. With every $25 ticket purchased I’ll give the donor a signed copy of my next book, To Love A Stallion. For every $100 donation I’ll give the donor a signed copy of my next book and a copy of my June 2008 release, Tame A Wild Stallion. Donate $250 and I’ll send you signed copies of every book I’ve published up to June 2008.

A payment method has been set up through PAYPAL. You don't need a PAYPAL account to pay by one of the acceptable payment methods. Just click the "I don't have an account" button and it will still be just fine. If you need more info about T'Keya or the conference, please hit the comment button below.

Every dollar is a step in the right direction for T’Keya’s future. If you can, please help me help this baby’s dream come true. Let’s afford her the opportunity to participate in this life-changing experience. Let’s help her raise those funds.

Thank you.

T'Keya Fox Fundraiser!

LITTLE BLACK DRESS

I fully intend to rock the cutest little black dress come New Year’s Eve. Every muscle in my body feels like it’s been twisted in two since I went back to the gym to try and get myself in shape. I’ve been exercising everyday now and I hurt. But it’s going to be well worth all my efforts.

No matter what it takes, me and my little black dress are going to make some heads turn. I don’t have me a New Year’s date yet, and no New Year’s place to go celebrate, but whether I have someone to wear that dress for or not, I fully intend to be cute in it.

EXPERT ADVICE

Years ago Oprah had a relationship expert on who stated that couples needed to focus on themselves first and their children and families second. I remember well the gasps and declarations from an audience of women who couldn’t fathom putting any man’s needs before the needs of their babies. It was explained that a couple who focused first on themselves was better equipped emotionally to take care of those children and all the other external issues that a family needed to face on a day to day basis. I remember balking at the thought myself. Wasn’t enough love in the world to get me to think of my children’s wants and needs only after I’d considered their father’s. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the concept.

Then I met Sheila and her sister Bev. Both were married with children. Bev’s husband had her full attention twenty-four seven. Sheila’s children had her attention first and her husband was an afterthought in their relationship. Needless to say Bev had a much better marriage than her sister and surprisingly her kids were happier and better adjusted as well.

Bev and her husband have always put themselves and their relationship at the very tippy-top of their priority list. They have proven time and time again that the peace and balance they find with each other carries over to how they deal with their children and their family.

Sheila says the disregard in her relationship started while she and her spouse were dating. Time and attention for each other came well after time and attention for everyone else. It became habit for them to think of themselves only after they were finished dealing with everyone else’s issues. A typical date for the two rarely involved them being alone together for any significant amount of time. After they married Sheila put her children first and her husband eventually resented that he fell somewhere at the bottom of her priority totem pole. He didn’t do a much better job, allowing the needs of work and his extended family to supersede Sheila’s needs. Sheila eventually felt disregarded and was unhappy with her relationship woes.

I’ve watched the two women do that dance couples do with each other and clearly Bev and her husband do one mean cha-cha and tango. Sheila and her spouse on the other hand couldn’t do a two-step if someone painted the dance steps on the floor and included video how-to instructions for them to follow. I’ve seen a few relationships end this year, including my own, and although the reasons for each one failing might have been different, they all had one thing in common. None of us listened to the expert.