Whirlwind

Let me start off by saying that these last few weeks has been uber busy and I'm spent! Trying to squeeze in a lil time at work today to write this because I miss my 20-Somethings, so... HI!!!! (**Waves and Smiles**)

I'll be back before the end of this week with a great blog, videos and Pictures from Wrestlemania and the Latest in 20-Something news you can use!


Love You Guys and Ttyl :)

Uncharted

"I'm going down... follow if you want, I won't just hang around like you showed me where to go.. Already out of foolproof ideas so don't ask me how to get started it's all uncharted... LA LA LA LAAA!" - Sara Bareilles "Uncharted"

Love that song... I definitely think it speaks to me because it defines how I feel, especially when I'm in my funky days. How many of us fall into a funk of "This isn't what I wanted" or "This is not how I pictured things to be" Raise of Hands? Anyone, Anyone? .... Ah, yes you in the back! ... I know I do and for me especially, sometimes its hard to pull yourself out. Depending on the goal you set to reach or a situation, the funky mood can turn into funky days and sometimes weeks or months at a time... yea depression. As 20-Somethings, I think we ride ourselves really hard to make the most of our lives. The era that we live in is a demanding one; between pressing work schedules, image issues and the pressures from family and friends we sometimes begin to feel bogged down. Eventually you find yourself unmotivated because you can't seem to make everyone happy or accomplish all you set out to do. One of my favorite lines from the song above is " Compare... where you are to where you wanna be and you'll get... nowhere"

It resonates with me because its the truth; we all aspire to be something or make something of our time here and we consistently ask ourselves " what is it that I'm doing that I can't seem to do X,Y,Z" ... we have to remember its not necessarily the journey but the destination that defines the success you experience in life. Everyday will not be the most fulfilling or rewarding... your gonna disappoint people and not be able to do all you want, but God ( or whomever your higher power maybe) graciously gives us a new day everyday. With that, comes a new opportunity to achieve all you may desire. Beating yourself up over the "uncontrollable" ( as I call them) is insane; it can lead to many issues including depression, with drawl from those closest to you and other mental/physical health issues. We must lean on the understanding that we are not super heroes, running around with an 'S' on our chest... but just people trying to make due with what we have. The future is most definitely uncharted but that's what makes each day exciting... the unknown.

L.A.L #2 : WRESTLEMANIA!!!

What a beautiful sunny day it is in Farmington Hills, MI! I love springtime and esp. sunny days... really lifts your spirits... ANYWHO This blog will be a 2 part adventure, so bare with me.

Never apologize for being who you are, that's like apologizing for being real! Of course this is a lesson that is taught to you as a child yet it doesn't quite become useful until your older. As 20- Somethings we all go thru phases and changes; some of us find that our method of handling situations may not have been the most effective or that the way you view yourself is not what's portrayed. No matter the situation, never apologize for being the person that you are most comfortable being. I am not perfect in any shape or form but I am aware of my realities; I'm aware that I can be moody, sometimes demanding and talk smack.... but these qualities do not complete the make-up of who I am. I'm also very generous (sometimes to a fault), optimistic and thoughtful; Therefore I will not be ruled by my bad qualities, but instead embrace them and keep it moving. If someone in your life doesn't approve of who you are, that doesn't make them a bad person. It means that sometimes people grow apart and that just means that life is indeed moving forward. Relationships of any kind are hard to maintain, esp. the older the relationship grows. Yet if you are ever at a crossroads where your being asked to compromise yourself for the betterment of another, then its time to re-evaluate that relationship. You should never have to change to get along with someone or go with their program.... march to your own beat! Trust me my dear 20- Somethings, its hard being who you are in a world full of stereotypes, but the reward, peace of mind and sound sleep you have at night is well worth it :)

Now on to the fun stuff .... Live A Little #2!! This time we took it to 1 of my favorite bars (Bailey's Bar and Grill in Dearborn, MI) for one of my favorite sports... WRESTLING!! Yes I am an avid watcher of wrestling and am not ashamed lol



That's Me! Waiting to in line to get in Rocking Mock Ted Dibase's Million Dollar Belt and CM Punk "Best In the World" shirt!




I looked at the screens and turned back and a Pokemon` battle had begun! Yea... you read this right! lol




The Crowd right before The Rock defeated John Cena! It got banana's in there!




Behind my buddy Pickles (yes, nickname is Pickles lol) is Triple H and The Undertaker squaring off!

This bar is awesome! Best Bar food I've had so far and the set-up (This is the Basement!!) is comfortable with long couches in the front... it feels like your at home enjoying this match. They show the pay-per-views once a month and the crowd never disappoints... it's always packed! $59.99 to watch it at home versus $3 a person to watch at the bar.... yea I'm there! I believe in giving everything a try once... 1 year later we're regulars lol I enjoy these events because its one way to see some of the people in my life that I don't get to see to often, laugh and pig out. There always on Sundays and its just a great way to start the week.


Til' next time my dear 20-Somethings "Take Care of Yourself and Each Other" lol :)

L.A.L #1- The Root Restaurant and Bar

Hello and Welcome to Spring 2012!!! We have had some of the most beautiful weather for Michigan which definitely lightens the moods of many including myself! In taking my own advice about living a little, making the happy times last and being more active I started a series called "Live A Little". Well the L.A.L series begin its journey in the culinary world; I, like many of you 20-Somethings, love to cook and just as many love to eat. It just so happens that the beginning of this series fell in the same week as my supervisors' going away luncheon... what luck!

The Root Restaurant and Bar in White Lake, MI

 



 It was so peaceful and calm inside opposed to the busy parking lot and shopping complex its located near. This restaurant specializes in all things Michigan; MI grass feed beef, MI grown shrimp, etc.

 

Me being happy (So not a good pic) lol



Beautiful Place for anytime of Day!







And the portion sizes were out of this world! Luckily I skipped breakfast that morning so that I could really partake and enjoy the entire experience  (Greedy Comment lol) Having to wait about 30 minutes for my appetizer to come and then an additional 30 minutes for my meal was well worth it when I seen the presentation! 

  



Crab Cakes .... So Pretty and Tasty!




Could Not Finish this, but def tried! lol

Needless to say my entire team enjoyed themselves... with great atmosphere, great food and great jokes (Yea IT Techs have the best sense of humor cause we're all smart asses lol) how could we not! It's definitely sad to see my supervisor leave but we gave him a gift card to Nordstroms and made sure the amount was something he could play with lol
I wasn't trying to necessarily critique the restaurant but I guess in sharing my experience with you guys, I did a 2 for 1! My friends all laugh because up until recently I have been a very regimented person, so when I introduced the concept of  L.A.L to them, some of them twisted their heads sideways and laughed like "Yea, I'll believe when I see it!" well SHOW AND PROVE BUDDY! As I always say, life is about growth and change... its the only way to become a better version of ourselves. I encourage you my dear 20-Somethings to step outside the box and try something new.... you know Live a Little ;)

Live A Little

So in taking my own advice about making the happy moments last and learning to just enjoy this life (esp. if you don't have a spouse or children just yet) I'm going to be posting pictures from different outings this spring and well into the summer. I believe that for every person that works hard, you should equally play as hard... besides we're only 20-Somethings for so long. So I have a laundry list of events (some with friends and others with my hunny :) ) to show that you can be a well-rounded hardworking 20-something... Successful and Fun-loving. I"m doing this because I like most of my friends, are burden down with responsibilities and daily routines that by the time we look up, its time for bed. My mom told me, while I was in the midst of deadlines and graduation lol "Ebony, I'm proud that your so driven yet remember while your reaching your goals... Your only young once in life and the rest of your life is spent growing old" and she was right.

So I'm implementing the "Live a Little" series... bi-weekly I will post pictures of places, recommendations to eat/visit, concerts and festivals that are 3 of my favorites things: Low Cost, Low Gas Usage and Loads of Fun! I believe the biggest lesson in life to learn is how to relax; to be able to turn off the "gotta go" buzz and just enjoy these moments. I'll still post about the ups and downs of being 20-Something ( I have great piece on apartments coming very soon!) but I want to include everything in between. I always stated I wanted to be young enough to keep up with but old enough to teach my kids lessons from my life's experiences. In order to do so I have to "Live a Little" :)

Soundtrack to My Life

I apologize for the lateness of this post.... Life gets hectic sometimes, but nonetheless Here I am ;)

I absolutely adore music of just about any kind... Jazz, Hip-Hop, Alternative Rock even a little Country; I try not to discriminate. I'm listening to a little John Legend as I speak/type lol The love for music developed for me as a child. My Step dad and mom would play music whenever they had friends over or on holidays.... On Saturdays in the summer, my dad would open the windows to the house and play his music loud; I could be a on a bike ride 7 or 8 blocks away and here is music lol He would play a variety of music Kiko Matsui, Incognito to Red Hot Chili Peppers and my mom... she was a R &B person. Toni Braxton and Mary J. Blige were among her favorites to play (One Christmas, she played Toni Braxton "Talking In His Sleep" so much the CD scratched lol) As a child I remembering dancing to "Whoop there it Is" and was apart of any choir you could think of; from church to school girls chorus to freelance mirror singer lol and when I couldn't sing, I would play my flute ( yea drove the parentals crazy until I learned how to play University of Michigan's "Hail to the Victors... then it was all good lol)

As I got older I started to develop my own musical habits... Listening to FM 98 "Quiet Storm" every night while I ironed my uniforms to recording songs off the radio for my my shoe box of cassette tapes lol Eventually I started listening to artist like Jay-Z, Nas, Lauryn Hill and paying attention to the lyrics only to discover that the beats weren't the only thing to move me but the lyrics seem to speak to me. From the first time falling in love (Jagged Edge- I Gotta Be) to my first broken heart (Kelis- Caught Out There) arguments with my parents (Will Smith- Parents Just Don't Understand) and everything in between. It seemed like it was a song for every emotion I could ever possibly feel and I absorbed every one of them. Party Anthems that got my thru college ( Anything Lil' Jon, Kanye West or Jay-Z did lol), cheating exes ( All of Usher's "Confessions" Album) to my political mo it was a song or artist for it all.

It was these beautifully mastered songs that lead me down the path to writing. I drew inspiration from my music to express the things that I failed to verbalize. Never really one for confrontation ( Don't get it twisted... test my gangsta if you want too!!) I began to keep notebooks to diaries to full out Journals of my every thought and what I was listening to best express and relieve any tension/stress I may have been feeling. It's been 17 years that music and I have been working on the soundtrack and 10 years since I began to write out the "Manuscript" that will one day be my greatest work of art: My Life. Any type of freeing expression of self, my dear 20- somethings should definitely be explored. I'm nowhere near finished, esp. with artist like Kid Cudi, Adele, LMFAO and Mac Miller.... this journey is far from over. On your soundtrack of life my dear 20-Somethings, what songs are the make-up who you are today?

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Since birth you are told to ask for the things that we want; growing up we all watched Disney movies where "Wishing upon a Star" is the most common and most memorable catch-phrase. So we spend our lives asking for the various things we want because we feel that these things will bring us the satisfaction we crave. Yet what happens after you get what you want? As adults we get introduced to a new and ever-lasting phrase "Be Careful what you ask for, You just might get it". Saying the phrase brings chills because it can be applied to a variety of situations and interrupted a multitude of ways. The true interpretation of the phrase is to imply that we must put forth real thought into the things that we seek; to make sure that we choose wisely and that whatever we are hoping for brings us true happiness or true success. If not, we may experience the folly of receiving that want. Kinda like dreams and wishes back firing... the movie Bedazzled explains this concept very well (although what the character learns is to be grateful and patient... A lesson for another blog lol)

 Lately I've noticed many of the people in my life have been experiencing the satisfaction of having a want or wish fulfilled; which is great! Yet along with the satisfaction of getting what you desire, they have also experienced the other side of getting what you want: Disappointment, Confusion or Further Conflict. As adults we wish for many things.... having enough money to pay the bills this month, a better car or better job, yet we lack the specific details that are needed in bringing fulfillment along with the feeling of satisfaction. Moreover, after all the wishing is done and we finally receive that want, sometimes we still make decisions that lead us right back to where we started. I'm often accused of living my life according to a plan and my desire to have things go right is conveyed into being a "Control Freak", and in many ways I just may be a control freak lol Yet I started to become this way because I've experienced what happens with wants and desires and the side effects of getting what you want. I've worked a job that I wanted so bad only to discover it was just more than I can handle; I have gotten windfalls of money that I may have needed and done foolish things with; I've dated guys who seemed like my ideal mate, only to discover I was only looking surface deep... if you catch my drift.

I say all of that to say that while we reach for the things that we want, that we take care of the details. Don't be afraid to get specific in exactly what your seeking; Sometimes the very thing we thought would bring us such joy, causes us the most pain. Making a detailed plan for obtaining your wants should be the next step after realizing what it is you want. It's not being pushy, but taking control of what experiences you have in life. Be bold my dear 20- somethings, write it out, pray or meditate over it and proclaim it to anyone whose willing to listen; put it into the universe ( Remember, Karma Believer lol) and watch it comeback to you exactly how you asked for it, straight up with no chaser ;)