WITH MY HANDS TIED....

I don't know if you guys have had the chance to hear this new Toni Braxton song, but it is MY Kinda Song!!! I love it and I've been playing it in heavy rotation. It's called Hands Tied. The lyrics are on point,

"I dont need my hands to feel the things i feel inside (cuz i)
cuz i know what inside's my heart is right
they dont have to hold you like that
they dont have to touch you like that
cuz you know the truth is that i will love you with one hand tied behind my back...."

Check it out and tell me what you think....



Aside from wearing out this song, lol, I've been just busy, busy, busy - busy doing work, busy spending time with my friends, busy spending time with my friend:-), extremely busy at physiotherapy - I swear those therapists at Select Therapy are masochists or slave drivers or something, but they are definitely getting the job done because my Achilles has improved by leaps and bounds and I'm supposed to start jogging next week. Woohoo...finally!!!!

In other news, lol, PUMA just sent me another shipment of stuff and as per usual, they have sent crazy amounts of everything. 15 pairs of shoes (including a couple of really funky Alexander McQueen ones), dresses, belts, caps/hats, every kind of shirt/top/blouse/t-shirt, skirts, and then of course actual track gear. Does anyone wear a size 7 1/2 shoe??


Peggy and I have been very blessed recently to make some really good connections in regards to our interior design business, Urban Safari Design. We've connected with a great construction company and we will be a part of most of their projects so that means lots of consistent business for us on a very regular basis!! God is good!!!

I've been making some other great connections to in regards to other opportunities but I will say more about those things at a later time....

Other than that, I've been enjoying some social events and just thriving in general. It always helps though, when you could love someone with your "hands tied":-) It just makes everything seem that much better and brighter!!! Hope you are all doing well!!!

HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES

A couple days ago, a good friend of mine (who happens to be wealthy) was in town and we decided to go out for dinner. After hanging out for a bit, we ended up eating at this super fabulous Wolfgang Puck steakhouse named Cut that was right across from the hotel he was staying at. We didn't have reservations or anything and apparently at that place there's usually a two to three week waiting list for reservations, or at least so I was told. I would have no personal knowledge of this since I've never eaten there before.

However, him being who he is, he called down and as soon as they heard his name, magically a table was free:-/ Somehow, I'm thinking if I had called, we would've still be waiting lol. Anyway, so we go to the restaurant and we're shown to our table. Within 5 minutes of being seated, we're already being brought appetizers "on the house". The first was some tuna thingy and the second were these miniature Kobe beef burgers....de-lish!!!!!

We ended up splitting a salad because we knew that our meals were going to be filling. We both ordered steaks and sides of cream spinach and some of the most tasty mac and cheese you've ever had. I have to say that I was a little bit skeptical about ordering mac and cheese at this type of restaurant but Lord was it good!

He had a couple glasses of wine and I had a couple drinks. And that was it, no dessert or anything because we were both waay too full. I don't think I'm going out on a limb to say that it was perhaps the BEST steak I've ever had. My mouth is drooling now just thinking about it. So anyway, the bill comes and I glance at it .....$266!!!! My friend doesn't even flinch, meanwhile I'm sitting there quietly thinking WTH??? Who ate that amount of food and simultaneously, Thank God I don't have to pay for this because I might have to go in the back to wash some dishes lol. But seriously, the appetizers were free, we had one salad between us, two entrees, a couple of drinks each and no dessert. Crazy!

He calmly pulls out some $100 dollar bills and gives them to me to pay and I say "So do you just normally walk around with $100's in your pocket?" to which he replies that he has another friend who's even more wealthy than he his who gives him $20, $30, $50,000 cash every time he sees him just for no reason! Just because they're good friends!!! What??? Please try to picture the incredulous look on my face at this point and time. Why would one rich person give another rich person cash of all things? And why was our appetizer "on the house"? They know he can afford it! And why does he need complimentary champagne in his hotel room? All I could do is shake my head and say, "Must be nice!!"

I can't even begin to imagine a life like that, where cost is a complete non-issue and people just give you expensive, free things all the time. Just seems kinda backwards don't you think? Luckily, I'm not a materialistic person, but I have to say it sure is fun to see how the other half lives every once in a while....

We definitely had a great time but after he paid for my valet, which he insisted on, I jumped in my Chevy Equinox and happily drove back off to reality....truth is, my world ain't too bad either:-)

RIDE OR DIE

Do any of you have a "ride or die" friend? Someone who you would do anything for and vice versa? Well for the past 8 days, my friend Joice has been here in LA visiting me. When we originally planned for her to come down, we had no idea that my Achilles surgery would have ended up being the day before her arrival. Once I found out, I made the offer to her to come at another time where she wouldn't be dealing with an invalid, but she said no, that she would be perfectly fine coming regardless.

To say that we had a lovely time would be an understatement...we had a really really good time! I cannot begin to express to her how much I appreciate her time, her friendship and her concern. Joice was the best caretaker a girl could ask for:-) I live in a 3 storey apartment and for a person taking Vicodin for several days, negotiating steps on crutches would not have probably been such a good idea. She did everything for me from making my breakfast nutrition shakes every morning, to driving us to and from everywhere we went, to carrying my bags for me, running errands with me, going to the dr with me, to getting things out of my closet that I couldn't necessarily reach. Joice you spoiled me and in fact you did SUCH a good job taking care of me that I haven't left the house since you left this morning because I think I've convinced myself that I need you:-/ (I think I was just going through withdrawals lol - I'll get out and go to church tomorrow).

She never complained about anything and really and truly showed me the depth and breadth of our friendship. I tried my best to show her a good time in spite of my incapacitation. We went to church, we went to The Comedy Store one night, we went shoe shopping (don't think a little surgery is gonna stop that!!), we went out to eat a bunch of times,we went to the nail salon for my 3rd ever pedicure, we went to Melrose Ave. AND we went to several drug and beauty supply stores.....Joice's all time favorite past time, lol.

Anyway, I just wanted her to know how much I appreciate the time she spent with me. It's something I'll always remember.The time flew by and my girl has gone and left me BUT since I will be in Atlanta next weekend, we"ll definitely be hooking up again.

Here are a few pics from our week together....

Ms. Joice herself


Me, Joice and my friend Kai


Me getting my pedicure


The end result...


Me trying on my new pair of shoes at the store (well one foot at least lol)


Joice doing the same


Close up shot of Joice's shoes (she didn't buy them, Boo!!:-/)


At a park in Culver City with my "leg weight" - this cast is SO heavy!!!!


Me and Joicie:-)


I miss you already my sister........

IN YOUR PRAYERS.....

"You've been more to me than a friend...
We've shared more than most people do--
feelings that time won't erase
No words can ever let you know
the peace I feel when you are near
In times of trouble, your eyes express
exactly what I need to hear
In times of joy, your smile says
you're sharing what I feel
In times of doubt, I always knew
I could trust in your loyalty
We've stood the test across the miles
and watched our friendship grow
I've come to learn, when it comes to friends,
there's no one quite like you."

---Marie Grady Palcic


Tomorrow is a pretty big day for me. I haven't talked about it all on here but most of my close friends know that about a month ago, unfortunately I had an accident and re-injured my Achilles tendon, this time tearing it....completely. I was 4 months into my recovery and things were going really well. I had been back in the weight room for about 3 or 4 weeks. I still wasn't 100% but I was getting there and then, SNAP, I heard it go one day when I moved in a way that I guess I wasn't ready to yet. The MRI confirmed that there is nothing left holding my tendon together. Even though I've been walking around since then, albeit extremely slowly and carefully, I've HAD to wear high heels all the time to keep my tendon shortened. I'm so over high-heeled shoes right now!!!

Insurance paperwork and delays and approvals have held me back from having surgery sooner but tomorrow at 11am I will be undergoing Achilles surgery to repair it. As nervous and apprehensive as I am, I know it's for the best but to say that I'm not a bit of a nervous wreck today and that my eyes haven't welled up a few times would be a grave understatement. I am praying for God's mercy and blessing and I'm praying that I will come out OK. I've been told that the risk of re-injury once someone has this surgery is very low so for that reason alone, I'll be glad to get it over and done with.

I will be 6 weeks in a cast/on crutches and then another 6 weeks in a boot:-( and I'm sure it won't be the easiest thing in the world but I refuse to let it hold me down and I'm gonna do my best to keep my chin up and get through it.

My friends have been HOLDING ME DOWN! and I'm SO grateful and beyond everything else, it's times like these that I really realize how much I NEED them and how important they are to me. Love and friendship are equal on my list and one would mean nothing without the other. So I want to say thanks. You know who you are....:-)

Keep me in your prayers blog family....I'll update as soon as I'm able.

CROSSING THE LINE

I have a pretty good male friend who I'm relatively sure doesn't read my blog so I'm gonna write this taking the risk that he won't google me now and start reading tomorrow:~/

I've been friends with this guy now for the past 4 or so years and actually I've known him since my college days. We get along really well and I enjoy his company. He is funny, quick-witted, intelligent, good-looking.....and married (with kids)! We joke about pretty much everything and whenever I see him we have a good laugh.

However, the past several times that we've hung out, he's decided for one reason or another to try push things beyond the line of what is appropriate. He's made certain comments, made certain moves, and without being completely blatant has pretty much made it very clear that he would like to take "things" further. Now at first, I just laughed and blew it off with a chuckle and a wave of the hand and a "you're so silly". But as time has passed, he has made his intent all the more clear and things finally came to a head recently.

There was no more aversion that I could do, or laughing or dismissing of particular statements and so I finally had to make myself explicitly clear. I told him that while I thoroughly enjoy our friendship that I am not the chick who fools around with other people's husbands and that I hope he could accept and respect my standpoint. One to which I would hold firm. He immediately said "absolutely" and I felt much better for having finally said what NEEDED to be said.

I'm not sure why people do that. Why get married if you're not ready? Why cheat? Where is your conscience? And why risk messing up a perfectly good friendship for some foolishness? I don't know the answers to these questions and I'm not sure what I'm gonna do if he comes at me like that again because I have the distinct feeling that given his ego, it's a possibility. He's not accustomed to being "denied", but I hope that he will at least respect my wishes if this friendship is to continue. I guess my only other option at that point will be to just completely end the friendship. I'm really hoping it doesn't come to that!


***HAPPY 4TH of JULY EVERYONE!! BE SAFE!!!***

TRIBUTE TO FRIENDSHIP

"When I asked the Lord to send a friend,
Though many came and went,
He gave much more than I ever asked,
For you are the friend He sent."



How cute??!!!




As I've written before, there is nothing more important to me than friendship. Friends are there when we're standing tall and we need them more than ever to be there for us when we make mistakes or make fools of ourselves and fall flat on our face. Don't forsake a chance to let your friends know their importance in your life.

SAD, SAD SITUATION

Anyone who knows me, I think, would vouch for the fact that I am a pretty laid back, easy-going kinda person. I don't get upset or angry very easily and I'd rather avoid confrontation if at all possible. I also cherish my friends and my friendships very dearly. Sometimes I will forego saying how I really feel about a situation because I don't want to hurt the other person's feelings, even if I feel that they've wronged me. Yeah, kinda crazy, I know.

Well today something happened between a couple of very good friends, or at least so I thought, and myself. I was made aware of something that has transpired that has hurt me to the CORE. I would've never dreamed in a million years that anything like this would've ever happened. Not in a million years. That they would think it OK. Although perhaps their was no intent on their part, it doesn't change the facts as they are. And it has upset me. Very much. I am left questioning whether or not my friendship meant anything to either one of them at all. I guess not.

Suffice to say, I think my feelings are irreparable, unfortunately and there is nothing that can be done at this point. It is what it is, as they say. I'm sure I'll get over it, hopefully sooner than later, but in the meantime, I can only say that I enjoyed the friendships while they lasted...

GENDER BENDER

So I have this friend, who for anonymity's sake shall remain nameless and genderless. This person is a really good friend of mine and we keep in touch pretty regularly. We have lunch every once in a while, we talk on the phone too and basically know what's going on in each other's lives.

The thing with this friend of mine, is that they NEVER use any reference to gender when they are talking about their relationships! Now I am 99% sure that this friend of mine is gay but they just don't want to say it. I wish they would because it really doesn't matter to me at all. I would love them just the same. In fact it might make our friendship that much closer if they would just....come out. But who am I to say? Maybe I'm wrong or maybe they're just not ready or maybe it's simply nobody's business right? And so I say nothing and give no indication as to my personal impressions.

In the meantime, we continue to have these conversations where I'll talk about guys and whatever relationship issues or stories I might have and they will say, "Oh yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about. This PERSON did the exact same thing to me." Or "Yeah, this INDIVIDUAL and I went through that and so I don't talk to that PERSON anymore." Or "Don't you love it/hate it when PEOPLE do X,Y,Z...."

Kinda strange way to talk, right? I know, but again, not for me to question them directly but it just really adds to my belief that I had even prior to realizing their manner of genderless conversation. I find it interesting and even funny at times how they will twist and turn their words to avoid saying a name or anything but like I said, even if one day we do get around to having a "talk", I'm cool either way.

The Company You Keep

"It's Better To Be Alone Than In the Wrong Company"

Tell me who your best friends are,
and I will tell you who you are

If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl.

But, if you associate with eagles
you will learn how to soar to great heights.

A mirror reflects a man's face,
but what he is really like is shown by the kinds of friends he chooses.

The simple but true fact of life is that you become like those with whom
you closely associate - for the good and the bad.

The less you associate with some people,
the more your life will improve.

Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others,
it increases your mediocrity.

An important attribute in successful people is
their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people.

As you grow, your associates will change.

Some of your friends will not want you to go on.

They will want you to stay where they are.

Friends that don't help you climb will help you to crawl.

Your friends will choke your vision or stretch your dreams.

Those that don't increase you will eventually decrease you.

Consider this:
Never receive counsel from unproductive people.

Never discuss your problems with someone incapable
of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves
are always first to tell you how.

Not everyone has a right to speak into your life.

You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when
you exchange ideas with the wrong person.

Don't follow anyone who's not going anywhere.

With some people you spend an evening:
With others you invest it.

Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions
along the road of life.

Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships.

Happy moments? Praise God.

Difficult moments? Seek God.

Quiet moments? Worship God.

Painful moments? Trust God.

Every moment? Thank God.