Living

Let me just go on record and say if reincarnation is a thing, I would like to come back as a kid today on spring break. I’ve seen photos of children in Paris, New York, New Orleans, Las Vegas, the Bahamas, Cancun and a plethora of beaches to boot.

Apparently extravagant travel for spring break is now a thing and I’m all the way here for it. We laid low this spring break for a number of reasons, the main reason being our travel itinerary for the summer is turning out to be LIT. Saving coins won out over a spring break excursion this year, but we’ll make up for it with summer travels.

Monday afternoon I had Adrian load the children’s bikes into the car and off we went for a little Atlanta beltline adventure. Addison is still fairly new to riding her bike and I didn’t think it wise for me to ride so I walked while they rode. Upon getting on the trail she was very wobbly and distracted,  I’m glad I wasn’t trying to wield a bike and keep an eye on her. She did take an unfortunate tumble down a hill. I was right there to dust her off, encourage her and set her back on her way. In full disclosure we all had a good laugh about her tumble at lunch.

She found her groove about a mile in and she effortlessly peddled along side her brother as we enjoyed the lovely afternoon. We stopped along the way to take photos with a tiny door, sculptures and graffiti decorated underpasses, all popular landmarks along the Atlanta beltline. We trekked the full 2 miles into Midtown before stopping for lunch. Once lunch was over, complete with popsicles we borrowed the bathroom at Trader Joe’s and got back on the trail.

Please note those 2 miles into Midtown would require another 2 mile trek back to the car. At this point she was a pro and confidently found herself weaving in and out of pedestrian traffic while my legs struggled to keep up. They rode together out of my sight at times, stopping to wait for me to catch up. I shall  not leave out the fact that our return trip was on a slight incline and when I asked if their legs were at least sore after 4 miles of  bike riding they said no. Meanwhile your girl was sore for a few days. It’s okay, I needed that jumpstart to salvage some sort of a summer body.

How was your spring break? Did you do any traveling?

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For a very long time, I spent my energy in some fashion or another coveting things other people had. Be it a larger home, a nicer car, lavish vacations, and successful careers,  you name it I wanted it. I tried desperately to fight against my emotions and will them to understand that things aren’t and will never be everything. Tragically the younger version of me struggled desperately to grasp the concept, leaving me depleted of joy and full of envy when ironically the goal should’ve been the very opposite.

As the years passed and I learned to be content with what I had, I was still tragically missing the point that there isn’t a material thing on this earth that could give me peace of mind until I found my happy in a place that was embedded deep inside of myself. A place that even living in my own body I had to dig deep and search for, the place that held the key to a sort of serenity that existed in lack and in excess.

The past few months I’ve been very intentional about the conversations and company I keep. One of my favorite sayings is “Timing is everything,” and while I didn’t make it up, I sure have adopted it as a rule of thumb when it comes to my personal growth. What doesn’t make sense or speak to me this week, may affect my future in a few weeks. Keeping my mind open to possibilities and new relationships has served me very well the first quarter of this year. I implore you in any season of life you find yourself in to get grounded, find some quiet time to meditate and focus on what is good and positive. Pray, repeat scriptures and affirmations that will ground you when you feel out of control. Step out of what you’ve always known and challenge those things that don’t make sense when it comes to finding your seat at the happy table. If it hasn’t been working all this time, be open to new things and ideals to get you there. Sometimes our thinking and practices of doing what mama ‘nem did may not be working and that’s fine, let’s figure out what is working. Get a therapist, exercise, do what you need to do for you.

Lawd knows I’m not perfect and I have a long way to go, and I was very vocal here about how tough the end of 2017 was for me. I came into 2018 knowing what I did last year wasn’t working and I needed to be about the business of getting my mind in a place to sustain constant positive personal growth and I’ve made great strides. In this case friends be like me and do the work to get to a happier place. I figure we all want things, but I’ve figured out they will never be enough until we find our happy, and I’m not talking about surface happy, I’m talking about a joy that isn’t dependent on the actions of anyone or anything. Just an ole nasty stubborn happy that can’t be broken.

I love sharing little bits of our family life in hopes that people don’t find the material things in them important but the love and laughter we insert into our home the true goal. Here’s to me being consistent in getting our weekend vlogs back up weekly! Here is our newest one.

I wish you all the success in making your Q2 dreams come true. If you haven’t planned out those goals yet get to it! How did Q1 treat you? Let’s chat!

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Thank you to the Chinet® brand for sponsoring this post.

As a person who is always up for fellowship and fun times, entertaining during the warmer months is something I absolutely enjoy. We’re not super fancy or anything, so our get-togethers are often thrown together at the last minute, and stress-free. Depending on when a guest calls or texts regarding whether they need to bring anything, the assignments range from nothing to that one item I forgot to pick up at the store, like aluminum foil or mayonnaise.
I recently turned 39 and even if I haven’t figured out exactly what I want to be when I grow up, I do know that I like things pretty and I like them simple. For my thrown-together birthday celebration a few weekends ago, I pulled out the Chinet® Cut Crystal® collection of fully coordinated disposable tableware because it’s convenient and stylish!

Click image to shop!

The Chinet Cut Crystal cutlery comes in a “host-ready” container. Hello, pull off the top and we’re ready to party with sturdy and durable cutlery. My favorite part of using Chinet Cut Crystal products outside of its elegant design is the easy cleanup that comes with it—simply throw away when done.

The weather was absolutely perfect for my birthday celebration. Adrian was on the grill whipping up our usual cookout fare: barbecue chicken, baked beans, corn and a few other sides. The kids jumped themselves into a frenzy on the trampoline and enjoyed old-school games of hide-and-seek. Music laced the background and the chatter of separate conversations on motherhood, entrepreneurship, and life in general filled the air. For a last-minute, thrown-together gathering, my heart was full from spending time with some of the people that refill my cup and love me daily.

As the warmer months ensue, please take a minute from your busy lives and schedules to connect with family and friends. Don’t stress over the menu or the guest list, send a text to the last four people on your list, and grab whatever you can from the grocery store, fire up the grill and enjoy yourself. Whether you are hosting or showing up as a guest assigned something to bring, don’t forget the Chinet Cut Crystal collection!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. Chinet® and Cut Crystal® are registered trademarks of Huhtamaki, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.