You have a vision, you have a purpose, you can see the finish product right in front of you but you have so much more work to do before it is done. Patience. It is definitely something you have to learn in life.
My journey to see my natural hair texture has been just that a journey. There have been times where I want to just give up and say forget this. I don't care if I don't see the curls anymore. But then there are other times where I get so excited about the process, I look at how far I've come. My hair is growing like crazy, it's big, it's puffy and I love it. Through the entire process I have to learn to be patient, there are times when I don't want to be patient and I contemplate throwing in a relaxer or just doing a BC (big chop). But I have to remember to stay calm, be patient and just wait. I chose a long transition so I could get used to the curls and the texture.
There are weeks when I get real excited about trying new styles, other weeks I am ready to just say for get it and throw a relaxer in it. But then I remember the pain, the headaches, the money I have to spend and all the trouble I have to go through for my roots to only swell up and need a touch up in 4-6 weeks. Nope that's okay I will continue on this journey of learning my natural hair texture.
Living in VA definitely helps with the transition because the weather is so different here from what it is in Massachusetts. The humidity makes my hair big and fluffy, I have found a hair dresser that specializes in natural hair, and one of my younger sisters has decided to go natural. The two of us are constantly looking at different styles, she's always asking about the texture of her hair, different products, and hair styles. She got a kick out of using EEVO in her hair. She told the hair dresser what I was doing one night and the hair dresser said: 'Girl, EVOO will become your friend lol' So this journey has it ups and downs, but I know that being able to finally see my natural hair texture will be amazing.
Once I figure out this weekend's hair style I'll do another post.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Super Bowl Weekend
NY Giants won!!! WOO HOO!!! So for those people who know me, know that I am a HUGE NY Giants fan. I always have been. I love sports period. My mom and I had made plans to go to NY to spend the weekend with my older sister who happened to just open a lounge called Epiphany NYC. But due to last minute changes we decided to stay in VA and just chill. Oh my gosh, we had an amazing time. We were all dressed in our jerseys, I even bought a new racing jacket and wore it to church for Team Spirit Sunday. We made some wings with a honey hotsauce glaze, taco dip, veggie platter, smoothies, cupcakes and cookies. You would have thought we had a house full of people with all the food we made but it was just my mom, my sister Erica, my nephew, my sisters boyfriend and I.
We were scremaing, yelling at the TV and laughing at the commercials like we were at some party. Had such a good time with them. It was sad that we were with the rest of our family who happen to be Giants fans as well. But we still managed to enjoy ourselves. I took today off because I knew I would be tired and need to relax.
I do have some studying to do in the book of Ester, so off to read for a while.
We were scremaing, yelling at the TV and laughing at the commercials like we were at some party. Had such a good time with them. It was sad that we were with the rest of our family who happen to be Giants fans as well. But we still managed to enjoy ourselves. I took today off because I knew I would be tired and need to relax.
I do have some studying to do in the book of Ester, so off to read for a while.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
New Year, New Journey....or is it?
Happy New Year! It's a new year, new journey, resolutions to be made. Do you really make resolutions? I haven't made one in years, if I say I'm going to do something or not do something then that's it. I don't wait until January to decide to change things. It changes when I make that declaration.
I'm still working on getting things in order with my business, a lot of behind the scenes work gets put into place beforehand. I am also going to be opening the blog back up. After much prayer and talking with my business coach things will be much different this time. You can check out the blog here and let me know what you think. There is quite a bit that will be happening there. I'm excited and ready to share with everyone. I've had some people ask if I was going to do Foodie Friday's again and I am. That will definitely be back, along with Taste Test Tuesday, where I showcase new products or just products people see and want me to test out. My journey to becoming my own boss continues.
I went home to Massachusetts for what was supposed to just be Christmas weekend but turned into a 10 day stay. I really enjoyed visiting with my family and friends. I even surprised my family by blow drying and straightening my hair. I was surprised at the length but after 3 days I missed my curls lol. I stood strong and waited almost 3 weeks before I washed my hair. I'm proud of myself. There are still some relaxed ends that I need to get rid of, so I'll cut a little more off in a few months. This transition is taking it's course but I am loving my hair even if other's don't.
My cousin Tiara has finished her transition and is completely natural now. Her curls look amazing. People spent the entire week mixing us up. If my hair had remained curly during this visit it would have been even worse. We do look just a like so we can't help it. Once I find the picture we took I'll post it.
This also happen to be our first Christmas without my great-grandmother. It was kind of sad, but we celebrated her life the way she would want us to. One of my cousins moved into her house so I went over there to hang out with him and it was a bitter sweet moment walking into that house knowing that she wouldn't be sitting in her recliner looking at me. I definitely felt her presence in the home.
I'm still working on getting things in order with my business, a lot of behind the scenes work gets put into place beforehand. I am also going to be opening the blog back up. After much prayer and talking with my business coach things will be much different this time. You can check out the blog here and let me know what you think. There is quite a bit that will be happening there. I'm excited and ready to share with everyone. I've had some people ask if I was going to do Foodie Friday's again and I am. That will definitely be back, along with Taste Test Tuesday, where I showcase new products or just products people see and want me to test out. My journey to becoming my own boss continues.
I went home to Massachusetts for what was supposed to just be Christmas weekend but turned into a 10 day stay. I really enjoyed visiting with my family and friends. I even surprised my family by blow drying and straightening my hair. I was surprised at the length but after 3 days I missed my curls lol. I stood strong and waited almost 3 weeks before I washed my hair. I'm proud of myself. There are still some relaxed ends that I need to get rid of, so I'll cut a little more off in a few months. This transition is taking it's course but I am loving my hair even if other's don't.
My cousin Tiara has finished her transition and is completely natural now. Her curls look amazing. People spent the entire week mixing us up. If my hair had remained curly during this visit it would have been even worse. We do look just a like so we can't help it. Once I find the picture we took I'll post it.
This also happen to be our first Christmas without my great-grandmother. It was kind of sad, but we celebrated her life the way she would want us to. One of my cousins moved into her house so I went over there to hang out with him and it was a bitter sweet moment walking into that house knowing that she wouldn't be sitting in her recliner looking at me. I definitely felt her presence in the home.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Peace and Blessings
The fact that I have found a church that I absolutely love has been a blessing. Ever since my first visit they have made me feel like family. I walk in the building and I feel at home. Friendly people and they are so passionate and excited about the Lord. You can't help but be excited with them. This past weekend we had a Women's Ministry Fellowship. The night started out with a pot luck dinner, we played some games, had a workshop on overcoming our fears and doubts and then ended the night performing a play about the 10 virgins.
The weekend really helped me put a lot of things into perspective. I've learned to stop thinking so small about my business and what God has called me to do. As I continue to prepare to open up the bakery, things keep happening that I thought were roadblocks but they were actually blessings and lessons to learn. I am moving this weekend to another city near by, at first I thought it was going to stop me from opening up my business when it's actually helping me with the process even more. The house will be mine, I will be able to expand my kitchen when it's time and I have more space. I am truly thankful. My business will be up and running as soon as I get all the paperwork and permits done. Not going to rush things because they won't come out the way God wants them to, so I am being patient and watching God work. My God, He is working because the blessings that are already flowing are just overwhelming me.
Well off to bed I go, got lots of boxes to move in a few hours.
The weekend really helped me put a lot of things into perspective. I've learned to stop thinking so small about my business and what God has called me to do. As I continue to prepare to open up the bakery, things keep happening that I thought were roadblocks but they were actually blessings and lessons to learn. I am moving this weekend to another city near by, at first I thought it was going to stop me from opening up my business when it's actually helping me with the process even more. The house will be mine, I will be able to expand my kitchen when it's time and I have more space. I am truly thankful. My business will be up and running as soon as I get all the paperwork and permits done. Not going to rush things because they won't come out the way God wants them to, so I am being patient and watching God work. My God, He is working because the blessings that are already flowing are just overwhelming me.
Well off to bed I go, got lots of boxes to move in a few hours.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Almost time!!!
Have you every been so involved in a project that you lose track of time? You work so hard on getting things in order and preparing for the big day. Well right now....that's me!!! I have been working non-stop since August 2nd to get my business up and running. The journey has not been easy, but it has definitely been worth it. Long nights, early mornings, phone calls, emails, countless readings, recipe testing, researching business tactics and now it's almost time for me to launch my website, Facebook Fan Page and let everyone know what I have been working on for the past few months.
I'm excited, but also nervous. I've had some set backs along the way but I learned to embrace them and learn from them, some have taught a lot about myself and my business. I can truly say this has been a learning experience. I am extremely thankful to the core group of people that have helped me along the way, some of you were a part of the focus group others were there for me to bounce ideas off and some were taste testers. I appreciate you all so much!!!
Shivawn Mitchell at L.O.V.E. Consulting has been a blessing. I am so grateful for all her help. She has definitely kept me motivated. I couldn't have asked for a better business development coach. If you have a dream and need help getting things started check her out, you won't be disappointed. Her vlogs and Empower Me Over the Hump emails are such an inspiration.
Until next time!
I'm excited, but also nervous. I've had some set backs along the way but I learned to embrace them and learn from them, some have taught a lot about myself and my business. I can truly say this has been a learning experience. I am extremely thankful to the core group of people that have helped me along the way, some of you were a part of the focus group others were there for me to bounce ideas off and some were taste testers. I appreciate you all so much!!!
Shivawn Mitchell at L.O.V.E. Consulting has been a blessing. I am so grateful for all her help. She has definitely kept me motivated. I couldn't have asked for a better business development coach. If you have a dream and need help getting things started check her out, you won't be disappointed. Her vlogs and Empower Me Over the Hump emails are such an inspiration.
Until next time!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Dream Pusher's Academy
It's a been a while since I've posted, I need to get back on schedule and post a lot more. Looks like Dream Academy will have me posting at least once a week. Many of you know I have been working with Shivawn Mitchell from L.O.V.E. Consulting on starting my home-based bakery. This has been a journey, I am learning a lot about the business, myself, and the people I surround myself with.
Shivawn has graciously taken me under her wing and is guiding me along the path of entrepreneurship. As a memeber of her Dream Pusher's Academy, I am receiving weekly business development sessions, where I go over tasks and agenda items to get my bakery up and running. There are weekly homework assignments (Yes, I said HW) and mid-week inspiring and motivational emails, vlogs...and in my case text messages too!! These emails and vlogs are called Empower Me Moments...they definitely empower you! For the past few weeks I have found myself re-reading the emails and watching the vlogs a lot more, meditating on them and really taking the time to apply them to my personal life and my business life.
This past week we had email sent to us with the title "Getting Over Speed Bumps" this one hit home pretty hard, and I didn't realize how significant it was until today in church when Pastor Lundy began preaching about going through struggles and the reason why we must go through them. Sometimes we want things to happen too fast, and try to make them happen in our time instead of on God's time. Patience is a big thing, now I consider myself a patient person, although their are times where my patiences is very thin and I don't want to wait. But waiting is all a part of live. Sometimes you want to drive right over the speed bump in life and act like you don't see it but if you do, what happens?....we can mess up our car or in some cases cause an accident. After reading Shivawn's email I had to really stop and think about the speed bumps in my life, how many things have I tried to rush and make happen to only fail in doing so? If I would have just waited and did things on God's watch I would be just fine and not back at the start line. Even today during the sermon, Pastor Lundy hit on being patient and not causing problems for ourselves by rushing God's work. There will be pain, there will be moments of solitude and reflection but trust and believe if God gave it to you, you will birth it!!
Each of us was given a purpose in this life, we have to choose to live out the mission He has given us. Like a mother having contractions during labor, the pains will be there. I have experienced some myself on this journey, there have been days where I have wanted to give up, but I can't this is a gift that was given to me to share with the world. I have also tried to rush this process by thinking I could do it all on my own and in my time...HA!..definitely learned that lesson. Taking a different approach and waiting for God to place Shivawn in my life to make this happen has been a blessing in itself. The Empower Me emails and vlogs are just a small portion of the work that she does, but each piece serves it's purpose.
I truly understand why I had to wait to get my business started, why I had to join Tastefully Simple for 3 years to learn about owning my own business, watching both my father's own theirs as well...a learning process. I can take what I have learned from each of them and bring them into my own business. There is so much that I want to do in life, the bakery is just the beginning. Walking in the purpose God gave me is allowing me to pursue my dreams and help other's in the process. Even with my full time job, I am learning things to add into my business and gaining customer's as well. See...look at God, at my last job things weren't this easy. Doing things God's way is the ONLY way for me!
I didn't mean to have this post be so long, sorry about that. I guess I was just writing what was on my chest. We have had quite a few of these vlogs and emails so what I am going to do is go back and read my notes from each of these and post them to by blog, feel free to subscribe to her YouTube channel so the vlogs come directly to you. You don't want to miss any of these.
Until next time....
Shivawn has graciously taken me under her wing and is guiding me along the path of entrepreneurship. As a memeber of her Dream Pusher's Academy, I am receiving weekly business development sessions, where I go over tasks and agenda items to get my bakery up and running. There are weekly homework assignments (Yes, I said HW) and mid-week inspiring and motivational emails, vlogs...and in my case text messages too!! These emails and vlogs are called Empower Me Moments...they definitely empower you! For the past few weeks I have found myself re-reading the emails and watching the vlogs a lot more, meditating on them and really taking the time to apply them to my personal life and my business life.
This past week we had email sent to us with the title "Getting Over Speed Bumps" this one hit home pretty hard, and I didn't realize how significant it was until today in church when Pastor Lundy began preaching about going through struggles and the reason why we must go through them. Sometimes we want things to happen too fast, and try to make them happen in our time instead of on God's time. Patience is a big thing, now I consider myself a patient person, although their are times where my patiences is very thin and I don't want to wait. But waiting is all a part of live. Sometimes you want to drive right over the speed bump in life and act like you don't see it but if you do, what happens?....we can mess up our car or in some cases cause an accident. After reading Shivawn's email I had to really stop and think about the speed bumps in my life, how many things have I tried to rush and make happen to only fail in doing so? If I would have just waited and did things on God's watch I would be just fine and not back at the start line. Even today during the sermon, Pastor Lundy hit on being patient and not causing problems for ourselves by rushing God's work. There will be pain, there will be moments of solitude and reflection but trust and believe if God gave it to you, you will birth it!!
Each of us was given a purpose in this life, we have to choose to live out the mission He has given us. Like a mother having contractions during labor, the pains will be there. I have experienced some myself on this journey, there have been days where I have wanted to give up, but I can't this is a gift that was given to me to share with the world. I have also tried to rush this process by thinking I could do it all on my own and in my time...HA!..definitely learned that lesson. Taking a different approach and waiting for God to place Shivawn in my life to make this happen has been a blessing in itself. The Empower Me emails and vlogs are just a small portion of the work that she does, but each piece serves it's purpose.
I truly understand why I had to wait to get my business started, why I had to join Tastefully Simple for 3 years to learn about owning my own business, watching both my father's own theirs as well...a learning process. I can take what I have learned from each of them and bring them into my own business. There is so much that I want to do in life, the bakery is just the beginning. Walking in the purpose God gave me is allowing me to pursue my dreams and help other's in the process. Even with my full time job, I am learning things to add into my business and gaining customer's as well. See...look at God, at my last job things weren't this easy. Doing things God's way is the ONLY way for me!
I didn't mean to have this post be so long, sorry about that. I guess I was just writing what was on my chest. We have had quite a few of these vlogs and emails so what I am going to do is go back and read my notes from each of these and post them to by blog, feel free to subscribe to her YouTube channel so the vlogs come directly to you. You don't want to miss any of these.
Until next time....
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
A lot has happened!!!
So it's been a while since I have last posted here. A lot has happened since March. I have settled in with my new job, which I absolutely love, found my home church, and I'm working on getting my bakery up and running. In between all of that I have been traveling a lot, visiting family and friends.
While doing all of that traveling I had to opportunity to do some leisure reading. About a year ago I became an Ambassador for Harlequin Books, in which they send me a book to review every few weeks, followed by a survey and the opportunity to distribute the other 4 copies to friends, family, strangers, etc. 4 copies isn't a lot and most of the time I really do enjoy the books that they send, so I have decided that I will write a blog post about each of the books. This way, I can go into more detail about the book and let you know what I thought about it. The first post will be up by the end of the week!!
I got a question the other day on twitter asking me about my natural hair journey.....I'm still on the path. This head full of thick curly kinks is steady growing. The VA humidity makes it look even bigger, my roots swell something serious. I love it though, there are a lot of women at my job that are rocking their natural curls as well, one just did the BC and it came out beautiful!!! Speaking of natural hair, one of my younger sisters has gone natural...that's 3 of us so far!!! She has TWA and it's so cute!! Funny thing is she kind of went natural by accident. LOL She got pregnant last year and kept her hair in braids the whole time, so now there is no more relaxer left. I was doing a twist out on my hair one night and she said 'Can you do mine, when I take my braids out? Now you know I was excited!! Doing her twist out was so much fun, she actually wore the twist the work for the week and then rocked the twist out for about 4 days..said she felt like a totally different person. Woo Hoo!! We are doing this natural hair journey together and loving it. I need to take more pictures of my hair, maybe I can get the enthusiasm to do it this weekend. I'm thinking braids and a bantu knot out will be my weekend style, it just might be my style for a week knowing me. LOL
Food, food and more food.....well as you know I have another blog called Tastey Treats by Kim (here) where I discuss everything food related, write product reviews, and give out recipes. Well after working on that for a year I have finally decided to do what people have been asking me to do...sell my baked goods! I have started the process of working on my home based bakery, getting my business plan in order, along with with a product listing. But....I still need a name LOL Yeah I know I should probably already have one, but I don't..I'm working on it. I don't want it to be something I just threw together, I want it to have a meaning..some purpose. Brainstorming sessions are releasing some interesting characteristics, and I'm playing around with a few words to see if anything sticks. Hopefully I will have a name picked out soon. It's a lot of work to do, but I am really motivated and extremely happy that I have a support system to help me through this process along with my business coach Shivawn Mitchell from L.O.V.E. Consulting. She is amazing! If you are ready to live out your vision...CONTACT HER!! My journey to having my own bakery has begun, there have been some sleepless nights but I don't realize them until the next day when I get to work and I'm exhausted lol. I'm loving my journey and all it has to offer!!
While doing all of that traveling I had to opportunity to do some leisure reading. About a year ago I became an Ambassador for Harlequin Books, in which they send me a book to review every few weeks, followed by a survey and the opportunity to distribute the other 4 copies to friends, family, strangers, etc. 4 copies isn't a lot and most of the time I really do enjoy the books that they send, so I have decided that I will write a blog post about each of the books. This way, I can go into more detail about the book and let you know what I thought about it. The first post will be up by the end of the week!!
I got a question the other day on twitter asking me about my natural hair journey.....I'm still on the path. This head full of thick curly kinks is steady growing. The VA humidity makes it look even bigger, my roots swell something serious. I love it though, there are a lot of women at my job that are rocking their natural curls as well, one just did the BC and it came out beautiful!!! Speaking of natural hair, one of my younger sisters has gone natural...that's 3 of us so far!!! She has TWA and it's so cute!! Funny thing is she kind of went natural by accident. LOL She got pregnant last year and kept her hair in braids the whole time, so now there is no more relaxer left. I was doing a twist out on my hair one night and she said 'Can you do mine, when I take my braids out? Now you know I was excited!! Doing her twist out was so much fun, she actually wore the twist the work for the week and then rocked the twist out for about 4 days..said she felt like a totally different person. Woo Hoo!! We are doing this natural hair journey together and loving it. I need to take more pictures of my hair, maybe I can get the enthusiasm to do it this weekend. I'm thinking braids and a bantu knot out will be my weekend style, it just might be my style for a week knowing me. LOL
Food, food and more food.....well as you know I have another blog called Tastey Treats by Kim (here) where I discuss everything food related, write product reviews, and give out recipes. Well after working on that for a year I have finally decided to do what people have been asking me to do...sell my baked goods! I have started the process of working on my home based bakery, getting my business plan in order, along with with a product listing. But....I still need a name LOL Yeah I know I should probably already have one, but I don't..I'm working on it. I don't want it to be something I just threw together, I want it to have a meaning..some purpose. Brainstorming sessions are releasing some interesting characteristics, and I'm playing around with a few words to see if anything sticks. Hopefully I will have a name picked out soon. It's a lot of work to do, but I am really motivated and extremely happy that I have a support system to help me through this process along with my business coach Shivawn Mitchell from L.O.V.E. Consulting. She is amazing! If you are ready to live out your vision...CONTACT HER!! My journey to having my own bakery has begun, there have been some sleepless nights but I don't realize them until the next day when I get to work and I'm exhausted lol. I'm loving my journey and all it has to offer!!
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