Community Involvement

Hey Blog Fam!

Today is a great day! I am so filled with joy and pride to live in a metropolitan area that truly reaches back to the community to help others. It all started yesterday while riding in to work. I was listening to V103.3 of Atlanta and a listener called in to vent about her current situation. A small summary of her background….she had just moved to Atlanta from St. Louis and moved into a section 8 apartment without any lights, gas, or phone. What she found out when you move to Atlanta is the utility companies require that you pay a deposit solely based on your credit score. I can understand why the companies do this to protect themselves and lower the risk associated with providing services. Anyway the single mother had nothing but $20 and her mentally disabled son. She barely got her phone turned on so that she could call the radio station. She didn’t have a car and she had to walk 45 minutes to get to a main street to catch the bus. Her biggest problem was a HUGE rat (I will call Ben) that was in her bedroom and refused to leave. I am talking about Ben was angry with her he basically jumped at her to attack her. She closed the door to prevent Ben from coming out. While she was venting Frank decided to help the woman so he left the studio to drive to her location. He gets an exterminator out to her location and they solve the problem. The amount of compassion that came flooding the radio stations phone lines was overwhelming. Wanda and the radio stations fielded the phone calls while Frank and his intern proceeded to help the woman set up her washer and dryer so she could wash clothes and purchased some groceries for her. This all happened yesterday and today the blessings were still flowing. They had the young woman come into the station. There was a representative for the Black owned McDonald franchises of Atlanta present offering her a management trainee position at one of the 30 locations around the metro area. There was a Honda dealership there to present her with a certified used Honda, a check for the insurance, and gas money. The calls continued to flow in to help this woman. There were calls from everyday people like myself offering what little they had to help her. A business owner called in to offer the woman $25,000 (I don’t know if this was genuine or not but it happened) to help her.

I have never lived in a city that showed so much support for the community before. I don’t know if it is just the southern hospitality or whatever it is they need to put it in a bottle and give it away to other people around this country.

Under the Weather

Hey Blog Fam!

I have been a little ghost lately...a bug took me by storm on Friday morning. I don't even know what happen or what hit me...bite me...jumped on me whateva. All I know is I put in a great workout at the gym on Thursday that lasted a good 2 hours then I went home got in the shower and ate a little dinner and drifted off to slumber land. When I awoke on Friday I had a terrible headache, congestion, and a sore throat...YUCK!! Good thing is there was no cough just sinus pressure and other sinus things. I am trying to get myself well again so I can hit this gym tomorrow. I hope you are all taking your vitamins and plenty of vitamin C something is in the air, so don't catch it, like it caught me.

Never take supplements on an empty stomach

Hey Blog Fam!

I am not feeling so great! Whoozy to say the least. I did some craziness this morning. I mixed up my protein shake and I grabbed my glucosamine supplements (for my joints and knee pain after working out). I thought I would be okay because I take my protein shake as a meal so I swallowed down the two horse pills with my protein shake. WRONG MOVE TRINA!! Now I am sitting here and I can feel the pills in the bottom of my stomach and nothing is in there that can really absorb it up. I don't usually eat meat or breads during the day so all I am eating is fruits, veggies, or yogurt and that is not doing it. As long as I am full I am not feeling it...but as soon as that stomach is empty the swaying begins. Lesson learned....take your supplements on a full stomach or prior to going to sleep. Blah!

Brushing Locks

Hey Blog Fam!

My mane is progressing and I am noticing she is becoming flakey. My mane flakey??? Nah not her! Yes her! I am flaking up now more than ever due to this extreme dry weather we are having in the ATL (I am so sure you guys have heard about the drought). Now the flakes are getting caught up in my locks. Dang it! Plus with me working out 4 to 5 days a week I have to wash more frequently because my scalp will start to itch like CRAZY. I can not stand to have strange things up in my mane so I immediately took a stroll through www.nappturality.com and was immediately reminded about brushing locks. The brushing of locks will loosing the objects trapped in your locks and stimulate the scalp. Can I tell you that I can't wait to get home to get to brushing this mane of mine. I can picture it now...*Dream Sequence Begins* Getting home doing my 2 to 3 mile treadmill workout. Once done on the treadmill, I will whip out the brush and brush loose those strange flakes and thangs. Rejoicing!!! Then hitting the shower with my Pure Tea Shampoo by Fantasia and the spritz bottle of conditioner. Hmm...I can see it so vividly. Stepping out drying the mane and body....then get my jojoba, lavendar, and rosemary oil mixture and apply it to my scalp. Massage in and get the brush again. Ahhh! Heaven!

If you guys haven't tried the jojoba oil mixture please try it...I am here to tell you it is great. My godsister was at my house and she needed some oil...so of course I told her she could use my oil mixture. She also has a relaxer. She came out of the bathroom shaking her hair like that commercial by Herbal Essence and proceeded to talk me out of my mix. I was like OH NO MY SISTA YOU HAVE TO GET YOUR OWN. :)

My very own Brunsli Hair Tie

Hey Blog Fam!

I finally received my Brunsli hair tie and let me tell you I am so thrilled. I received two for the price of one. I wanted a headband…thinking with the short hair mentality and to my pleasant surprise this is how it turned out. I love it! Thank you Brunsli your hair ties are a heaven sent.

Spiritual Warfare

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What an informative day I am having today. I tell you as I am walking this walk of faith I feel myself growing more and more each day. I recently missed out on attending my church’s women’s conference (I was attending my dad’s wedding), but I was able to purchase the CD set to listen to in the car. OH BOY! I can’t even get off the first CD! Elder Deneen Humphrey started the series off with “Girding your waist with TRUTH!” or spiritual warfare. WHOO WEEE BABY! Let me tell you this…Elder Humphrey is on FIRE! She gave an amazingly similar situation of how she learned how to fight in Cleveland, Ohio (A fellow C-Towner). She was in 3rd grade and was being chased home by 3 females from her school. As she was running just about to reach her porch she saw her mother through the door and guess what her mother did….locked that door and asked her if she wanted to get beat down by the 3 females or by her (momma). Of course she took that whooping from those 3 females but the next day she came back ready. Wow! I thought my mom was the only parent to do that to her children. That is exactly how I learned to fight. Two twins chased me up on our porch and my mother locked the door and watched with her belt in hand. She was like you don’t run from NO FIGHT get out there now or I am going to beat you like you stole something. Don’t you know I got out there like a wild cat on those two girls. I may have gotten slightly beat up but don’t you know I was ready the next day with a brick in my book bag. I learned how to fight that day. She compares that butt whipping to how the enemy is whipping us every single day. In Ephesians chapter 6:14 NIV it states Stands firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place. WOW! Just like I came prepared that next day with a brick in my book bag…I am coming prepared with more than a brick in my arsenal today…I am girding my waist with truth. The enemy has been whipping my behind all week long and it is only Tuesday. Arguments amongst friends over petty she said she said, old temptations rearing their ugly heads, and stealing my study time. The enemy has definitely been busy on me. I wanted to do a little studying this weekend and yesterday but the enemy kept me busy engaging in minor arguments amongst friends until it was time to go to bed. Well guess what I got a brick for the face of the enemy right in my book bag waiting. I took back my time today during lunch and I am so happy I did. I took the time to study an article called stop being a concubine. I went back and read the scriptures quoted as well as read the scriptures quoted in my Women’s Conference CD set. I am talking about I am breaking it down and building it up and taking it apart and applying it to my life. Take that enemy!

Funky Hair Do / Weight Loss Progress

Hey Blog Fam!

I am just now getting caught up from my house warming party which was incredible...if I may add. Now is my time to get back on track with my eating habits. I didn't really do that bad if I think about it. I had salad as well as naughty food at the party so I had a little of both. I didn't really have time to eat while I was chatting and welcoming our guest so that was even better.

Well, as my hair is growing at a rapid pace I got a little tired of my hair catching on my necklace so I took about 10 minutes in the mirror and twisted her up and this is what I came up with. This is similar to how my hair was styled at Kinky Awakenings but without any curls. Totally freestyle. It is funky and I received quite a few compliments on it. I didn't know my twisting skills had developed so well. This pic was taken yesterday and my twists are still here today. YAY!!

Now that the party is over I am back on track officially with my workout and my eating habits. I developed a great hybrid of the Fat Smash diet and just incorporating more fresh raw fruits and veggies into my diet. My body has adapted very well. I am talking about I attempted to eat some cheesecake last night and I didn't even have the taste for it anymore. This is the bomb CHEESECAKE and I was like NAH! What!? Well it is what it is! Here we go...during the day I eat as many fruits and raw veggies as I can handle. For breakfast I will have a cup of low sugar oatmeal, and a protein shake (not in that order and spaced within 2 to 3 hours of each other). For lunch I am eating plenty of salad with fruit and veggies and I will have a cup of yogurt (spaced out 2 hours from each other). For a snack it is more fruit and veggies (apples, oranges, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, etc). For dinner I will allow myself a serving of meat or lentils / beans with veggies. If I feel like it I will allow myself whole grain pasta or rice. I like red skin potatoes and sweet potatoes so I will eat those with my meat with more veggies. Some days I will go without any meat and that is just fine with me because my body doesn't miss it. I just have to make sure that I take my protein shake supplement for my weight training needs. Some of my immediate improvements that I have noticed is less pain associated with my menses, my skin is clearer, my hair and scalp are healthier, my hair is growing rapidly, and my digestive track is working properly.

My workout has improved as I am using the equipment in my home more now than ever before. I have a great treadmill, plenty of free weights, and a weight bench. So on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturday and maybe Sunday I am doing a treadmill workout with weight training in the house. On Tuesday and Thursdays are my long workouts. I get to the gym around 5:30 or 6 and I do elliptical for 30 minutes to 45. Then I will do some squats, lunges, and ab work. At 7:30 PM is my hip hop aerobics class that lasts for an hour. Talk about exhausted!! That has helped me get down a total of 9 pounds so far so I am happy. I am also taking the lead from my Pers and adding a weight loss ticker to my blog to help me keep track. Thanks Pers!