Blast from my past....

Today I reconnected with my linesister, Tynesha Lewis. Wow....it has been SEVERAL years since I've spoken to her and even longer since I've seen her. I found her this morning on Facebook. I have to say that through Facebook I have been able to find a lot of my friends. I see why people say it's addicting!

Anyway, I am really excited about reconnecting with her. I think that God purposely allowed our paths to cross at the point in our lives. I'm not sure what all she has going on but I know that I am in a place where I have dealt with a lot of my issues that I had in the past. I can now move forward and be available to do whatever it is He is wanting us to do. I am very much excited about the possibilities with her D.I.V.A.S. I think that her passion to motivate people and share her testimony to help others can and be utilized in D.I.V.A.S.

I hope and pray that we stay in touch.

January 20, 2009....

Today was by a day that will forever be in my mind. There are two topics that I never discuss in an open forum: politics and religion. I've always limited my comments on those topics because everyone is emotionally attached to their personal beliefs. I definitely don't appreciate anyone telling me that I wrong for believing what I believe therefore I refrain from doing the same. With all that being said, I have to say that I am very excited that our 44th President is Barack Obama. I am very hopeful that things are going to be different under this Administration. I believe the difference is going to brought about because everyone came together to make it happen. Long gone are the days of the "ole heads" running stuff...my generation and those who have come after me are speaking up and making a difference. It seems only natural that since we came out together to elect our President, we are going to support him and all that he attempts to do.

I also can't help but think of how my future children's lives will be affected by our new President. Long gone are the days of only having African American athletes for children to aspire to be like or model themselves after. Don't get me wrong, it's ok for kids to want that but it's even better to have a living example to show that it IS possible to be the President if you are a young black male (or female). I am very hopeful!

In other news, Kevin, Bentley, and I had our very first snow day together. That was fun!!! We took some family photos outside and even had a mini snow ball fight. The funny part of all of this is Bentley was not happy we kept her outside so long. She really hates being outside for long periods of time. Enjoy the pics!

Friendship...

My friends have always been important to me. For the most part I have managed to surround myself with a very small circle of individuals who have stood by me through thick and thin. I have clearly transitioned into a phase where I am realizing that the nature of the friendships will change but the friendship can still remain.


On January 14, 2009, Mr. Alexander Thomas lost his battle with leukemia. Mr. Thomas is the father of Jeff Thomas who is my best male friend (outside of my husband of course!). Daddy Thomas was such a wonderful man. He had a great spirit about him and definitely embraced all of Jeff's friends. Kevin and I attended his memorial service on January 18, 2009. This may sound strange but it was a beautiful and uplifting service. A few times I forgot was actually attending a funeral service! Seriously, it was just that uplifting and upbeat. I have no doubt in my mind that Daddy Thomas is resting in Heaven with Jesus. He was truly a wonderful man. This was the first time I've had to support a friend in this way. I am very grateful for my friendship with Jeff. I am even more thankful to God that I was able to support him in his time of sorrow.

On the other side, I recently experienced a very awkward situation with my female best friend. Due to the outcome of the situation I have unfortunately formed a different view of her and our relationship. I wouldn't venture as far to say that it's bad but I will say it's different. We were both hurt and placed in awkward positions however I think at the end of the day some of the actions committed and words spoken by her were not necessary. I still consider her my friend and my best female friend however in the words of Maya Angelou...."When people show you who they really are...you have to believe them".

Happy Birthday Kevin!

Today Kevin turned 33 years old. It was kind of interesting this year thinking of what I would get for him. Last year this time we had just started dating so of course I wanted to make sure I got an appropriate gift but at the same time I didn't know much about him. Anyway, I managed to chose the appropriate gifts last year.

I can honestly say that Christmas was a blessing for the both of us. Kevin and I decided that for birthdays we wouldn't go all out but would simply turn the day into whatever the person wanted. The birthday boy or girl will choose what we eat and what activity they wanted to do. A small gift would be given however that would be the extent of birthday celebrations. So, for Kevin's birthday we had initially decided to go to Red Lobster or Olive Garden because of a recent commercial he had seen. Just as last year, the plans changed and we ended up going to Musashi Japenese Steakhouse. We had a great time and really enjoyed being out for dinner.

For Kevin's gift, I got him a very nice bracelet from the Russell Simmons Jewelry Company. The funny story about this gift is I actually purchased it back in December for his birthday gift however I couldn't wait to to give it to him. I gave it to him early however it was too small!!! We had to go and reorder a larger one and was originally told that it wouldn't be back until the end of February. Well, I received a phone call on January 14th that the bracelet was in. God worked it out for me!

Kevin had a great time at dinner and we finished the evening at Applebee's where we had cocktails. We both agreed that this was a wonderful celebration of Kevin's birthday.

2008 Holidays...

The 2008 Christmas season was one to remember for the Reese's! Kevin and I made plans to do so much over the break and was really looking forward to spending it together. The weeks leading up to Christmas should have been an indication that things were not going to be as we planned however I wasn't that good at reading the signs. Kevin had been sick with a cold and we had tried just about everything over the counter to treat him. It wasn't until he finally went to the doctor on December 22nd that he was diagnosed with PNEUMONIA! By that point he was terribly sick and of course was required to stay home and rest. Well...that was the beginning of the change of plans!

We had planned to go to spend Christmas Eve with my parents and leave for Virginia on Christmas morning. Needless to say, we didn't make it to my parents because I felt it was in Kevin's best interest to rest all days leading up to Christmas so that he would be in the best shape possible to travel on Christmas Day. I had to admit that I was a bit SOUR because I was looking forward to going to my parents to drop off their gifts. All wasn't lost because we were able exchange gifts on Tuesday.

Firsts: Tradition and Whole Chicken

Well, by Christmas Eve Kevin was itching to get up and move around a bit. I pretty much had him confined to the bedroom and would've allow him to go in any other parts of the house. I didn't want to get germs all over the place! Kevin and I decided that we would start a Christmas tradition of building gingerbread houses. The average couple probably would've purchased one of those premade kits however not the Reese's! We ended up building our homes with graham crackers so we really had to use some imagination to get things to work. We had a ball!!! I think I loved the activity so much because we were able to do what we wanted and didn't have to follow any rules. As you can tell by the pictures our personalities were reflected in our work. Kevin's is the mansion on the left and mine is on the right. I have to admit that Kevin's steps were a nice touch. He even put a helicopter pad in the back!

Christmas Eve was also the first time that I baked a whole chicken! Now...for some individuals this isn't all that special however I was proud of myself. Kevin was by my side while I did it so I can't take all the credit but I did all the work! I'm not sure why I have always been afraid of cooking a whole chicken...I think it has something to do with actually seeing the chicken in all it's glory and it becomes real what you are really eating. I always buy boneless skinless chicken breasts so the connection was never really made that I'm actually eating a chicken. I know it sounds weird but I was grossed out at the idea of eating a chicken after I removed it from the plastic. It was good though! Oh yeah, you know we had to use the meat thermometer to make sure the temperature had reached the safe serve levels! Gotta love my husband the Chef!



Christmas Day in Virginia



Kevin and I decided to open our Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve night mainly because he couldn't wait until the next day to open his. We both made out like bandits this year. I finally got my Magic Bullet! I have been wanting one of those for years. I know I could've purchased myself one a long time ago but being the cheap person I am, I simply waited. Kevin got me the one with the extra pieces. It is wonderful! I love it!!!! Kevin did a great job listening to me and figuring out what he should get me. I love practical gifts and everything he got me, I can use! The best part of it all is that everything he got me I WANTED!

We left for Virginia around 10 Christmas morning. I drove and made sure I took my time because I didn't' want a ticket or even worse get in an accident on Christmas. His family was wonderful and they were so happy to see us. We got there and all the food was ready and most of everyone was there. I always love seeing Kevin at home with his family. He always turns back into a little kid who is so happy and giddy. We were able to meet Keith's new lady. She seems really cool and the best part is she appears to be able to put Keith in check. I hope she sticks around for a bit! LOL!

All in all, Christmas 2008 was a blessing. It wasn't how we originally planned but it was what our family needed. Looking back I wouldn't change any aspect of it.