THAT LEMONADE TASTES GOOD!!!

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity!" ~ Gilda Radner


2009 has turned out to be one of the most intriguing years of my life. If I would have tried to predict the course that it would have taken, I would have been SO wrong! If someone would have told me that I would partially tear and then completely tear my Achilles, that I would have had surgery, that I would not have competed in a single outdoor long jump competition, that I would not have competed in my 10th World Championships, that I would've experienced personal emotional ups and downs, that I would have joined Facebook lol or that I would/could go 8 months without working out at all and still maintain my 6 pack:-), I would have laughed at them over and over again and called them insane!

The fact is, not only have I gone through all that stuff, but I am probably happier than I have been in a long, long time. Sometimes it takes a huge upheaval or change in your life's plan for things to become clear. Our plans are not always His and sometimes without our understanding, we see the blessing that it truly is in the end. My injury forced me to slow down, literally and figuratively. To "smell the roses". To see what else life has to offer aside from track and field and long jumping and rest and lifting weights and traveling. For the past decade and a half, that's ALL I've known! Crazy, when you think about it.

I've become more social, I started playing the piano/keyboard again and I've joined the Women's choir at my church. I've met new people that have nothing to do with track in particular or sports in general. I've spent time with my friends and seen my parents a lot. I've been to dinner and the movies and bowling. I've been to every other comedy club in LA and laughed my head off. I've been to parties and the beach and I've had the time to develop some meaningful relationships.

I've become a Health & Wellness coach. Because of that, my nutrition, which I thought I knew a lot about, has improved significantly and I have to say is the sole reason that I attribute my current physique to. Who knew that you could be as lean and toned as you are from training 3-4 hrs a day just by following a particular nutrition program?? I certainly didn't but I'm so glad that I know now and I love sharing that with people. In that vein, I now co-run a Wellness program at an architectural firm in Santa Monica, with others to come and just got my proposal approved to run a similar program at my church where there is truly a great need.

I went to the Robin Thicke concert last night on a last minute whim and it was OK because I didn't have practice early this morning and so I could come home whenever. Ooooh that concert was fantastic! Love that guy:-) Yes, I've been inconvenienced by my injury and who knows whether my track career is officially over or whether I will be able to go out next year as I had planned, competing and enjoying my beloved sport and officially retiring at the end of 2010. I sure am gonna try but you know what this year has helped me to realize? That I will be OK either way. I've given my all to track and field and so in that regard, I have absolutely no regrets.

Life has a funny way of showing who's in charge and handing out those lemons. But I've made the heck outta some lemonade this year and I am REALLY looking forward to 2010. I know that bigger, better, even more satisfying and fulfilling experiences await me. New opportunities, new adventures, new goals. I'm excited to wake up every day because it just feels more and more like this puzzle that I call life is slowly being pieced together. And I am living and loving every moment of it!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL!

SADE - SOLDIER OF LOVE

Back in the day, I used to LOVE Sade! Her music just made and still does make me feel a certain way:-) I've always looked at her and thought she was beautiful, exotic, mysterious, enchanting. It's been a long time since we've heard from her but she's back! This song Soldier of Love is the first single from her upcoming album Fair Use which is set to be released in February. Can't wait!! Maybe I can be like her when I grow up one day, lol!

In the meantime, wet your appetite with this beast of a song. If this doesn't get you feeling right, then I don't know what will....Enjoy!

BIG TIMER!!!!

So I know throughout the many posts that I've written, you've heard me mention the name of my friend, my boy, my pal Chris Spencer. Not only is he a great friend to me, but he's a great father and husband and he's a GREAT comedian! He always emphasizes the fact that he is NOT a comic, he's a comedian. The quote from Milton Berle that he says is, "Comics are people that say funny things. Comedians are people that make things funny".

Anyway, tonight @ 10:30pm at The El Portal Theater in North Hollywood, Chris will be doing the live taping for his upcoming Showtime Special "The Other Chris".



I'm SO happy for him! He's done so much in his career but usually he's the guy introducing everybody else, with mini sets in between the different comedians or he's hosting some charity event or dinner. The thing is, even though he doesn't usually headline, he is often the guy behind the scenes, being "The Other Chris", writing for many of the awards shows or writing jokes for Chris Rock and Jamie Foxx while those guys get all the credit.

Back in the day he hosted The Vibe Show after Arsenio Hall went off the air and he used to be on the Jamie Foxx Tv show. He's been in several movies and commercials on TV but tonight it will be his time to shine and I'm pretty doggoned excited about it. I'm not sure when it's gonna air on Showtime but you can rest assured that I will let you all know when that date is. I'm sure he's gonna be awesome!

If any of you live in the LA area, you might wanna check it out!

***This past week I decided to join the Women's Choir at my church, First AME. A long time ago, I used to sing in a couple different choirs and it's been something I've wanted to do again for a quite a while but someone has finally given me the motivation to do it, without them even knowing that they've inspired me so I just want to say thank you, thank you so much for making me remember how much I love to sing.***

POTPOURRI.....

So things have been going pretty well in the life and times of JE....I really can't complain. I'm pretty much done with my walking boot for the most part unless I have a lot of walking to do, which puts me a whole 2 weeks ahead of schedule and rehab has begun. Woohoo!!!

Last night, I attended So Phresh and So Clean which the one and only Chris Spencer hosted. (I was able to wear a pair of heels again - both feet!:-) It was a mix of up and coming singers performing and then comics doing stand-up between the different sets. One of my friends, Andre Pitre, was singing too and so it was good to catch up with him. Here is a pic of him for all you ladies out there.....



....and yes he is single, 6' 2", 33 yrs old, so if anyone is interested, please send me your resumes lol!! And he sings pretty good too....He'd probably kill me if he knew I had him all up on here like this LOL. Oh well....

My business partner Peggy and I continue to work on our current Design project/job which is still in the initial stages where we're doing drawings, presentations and a lot of the preliminary leg work that has to be done as far as health and business codes when it comes to Commercial Projects.

As much as I have really tried to avoid having any public opinion about the whole Tiger Woods situation, I have to say that I have been somewhat...ok maybe a lot irked by the media, press, tabloids over the past couple of days. First let me put out a disclaimer...****As woman who has been cheated on and lied to by some men that I have dated, I in no way, shape or form, condone, justify, accept, rationalize, tolerate what Tiger did to his wife. That pain cuts deep and the amount of pain, hurt and embarrassment that he has inflicted on her and his family is probably unfathomable and his life and image will forever be changed. As a fellow Stanfordite, I would expect this man to have some more sense, integrity, lol.****

HOWEVER...if my/your name is not Elin, Kultida (his mom), his kids, or Jesus, then I am of the opinion that it's nobody's business but his!!! He does not owe us an explanation regarding his personal failings. He did nothing illegal. He is not our pastor, President, leader, moral compass. He is not a judge, family counselor, or idol. He is a man, who is an athlete, who happens to be exceptionally good at what he does. End of story. If his sponsors require something of him, I could see that. But Joe Schmoe public, Please?? Does the multi-million dollar CEO of some Wall Street company have to go public and confess his extra-marital sins to the public? No, so why should someone else have to do it?

As for the chicks who have come forth with all these texts and the voicemail.....SMH...no comment!

Yesterday, Jim Rome on ESPN's Rome is Burning said that if Tiger Woods didn't want to have to explain his private life and if he didn't want people invading his privacy "he should've never picked up a golf club". REALLY? It just burns me up that people feel they have the right to people's intimate life just because they are famous/popular. Anyway, let me leave this topic alone, I think I've made my point LOL! All I can say is I hope he and his family are able to work everything out one way or another and find some peace and stability.

Well, I better start thinking about my Christmas shopping. I'm not really a last minute shopper but I also don't buy gifts in November either so I better get on it and get my ideas together.

Hope everyone is doing well, feeling blessed....

SO THANKFUL!

Even though we do not celebrate this holiday in the Bahamas, and in spite of the fact that regardless of the many years that I have lived in the US, my family and I have not really adopted the holiday, it takes nothing away from the fact that I have SO much to be thankful for! And at the end of the day, isn't that what Thanksgiving Day is all about. It's inception was somewhat dubious and should not be forgotten but in it's purest, simplest form, it is a beautiful day where we can all stop for a moment and be thankful for all the blessings we have.

I don't even know where to begin and end in an attempt to make a list of all the things that I am grateful for but let me just go off the top of my head.....

Family
Friends
Health
Happiness
Love
Opportunity
Peace of mind
Talent
Laughter
Cute Shoes:-)
Music
BBM
Joy in my life
Hope for the future
Options
A good education
The knowledge that God does answer prayers
Second Chances
My church/pastor
Successful surgery
A comfortable bed
Passion
My upbringing
Long eyelashes
Sports on TV
Smell goods (lotions, perfumes, body mists)
A non-flat booty, lol
Small feet
Books

Ok, ok......as you can see, I could just go on and on but I won't bore you with that lol because the list really is endless when you think about it. So for now I'll just say that I hope you all have a beautiful day spent with those you love:-)

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:-)

MY KINDA GUY

Over the years, I've dated a wide variety of guys. Those who know me, will know that the number of actual men is not high. I'm not sure why or why not. For some reason, I've just never been attracted to loads and loads of men. Call it picky, call it selective, call it unlucky, who knows? Some of my friends have the ability to find this guy attractive, and that one and the other one, any time, all the time. I would have to say that sometimes I've envied that. I could seriously go years without finding one guy wholly appealing - physically, spiritually, mentally, personality, manners - you know the whole package.

I have a lot of male friends, friends who I can totally see why someone else would absolutely love them and who on paper it would make perfect sense for me to be attracted to them, but maybe there's a faulty mechanism in my brain that only allows me to like one or two guys every 3 or 4 years lol. There was a period of time, between 2002 and 2005 where I only was "involved" with one guy that played tennis (and for those of you who read my blog that know who I'm talking about, please keep it to yourselves:-) and that was only for a couple weeks. THAT's IT! Not another date, not a nothing else. Sad, yes I know:-(

I think I've spent so many of my years traveling and doing the track thing with my whole heart and being that it's just never been a priority. During that time I have dated white guys, black guys, a hispanic guy and in-between guys. At Stanford, my first boyfriend ever was white - the quarterback of the football team - how cliche??!! Let me add quickly though that at that time, fresh off the boat from The Bahamas, I had absolutely NO comprehension of the game of football. Didn't know a quarterback from a running back from a hump back of Notredame. Seriously, no clue. That didn't stop the naysayers from claiming that I thought I was white and was only dating this guy because of his position on the team. If only they had known that a) I don't discriminate lol and b) that for all I knew he was just one of a group of men in similar uniforms who liked to play this game with no rules (in my mind) who just knocked each other down over and over for no apparent reason. By my senior year, thankfully I knew what was going on lol.

I've dated internationally too - a black model from France (worst mistake EVER), a white guy from Germany, an Australian, a Cuban and then my lovely American boys. For one reason or another, I've ended up dating a number of guys that are significantly younger than me. Not sure why. I will say I am not a chaser, so these young men have been the ones who pursued me and since they've been so lovely, what's a girl to do??

I've often wondered what exactly is my kinda guy. I don't really think I have a type per se, but there are certain things that seem to be more prevalent than not in the men I've loved. Tall (well mostly), athletic, intelligent, uber confident, great smiles, charming, funny - you HAVE to have a sense of humor, and they've been high on the handsome scale:-) It's not that I look for that specifically, it's just that these traits seem to be common to them all. However, because of these qualities, these men tend to have more "options" so to speak and a fair number of them have chosen to exercise those options if you know what I mean. Sometimes it's hurt a lot, sometimes not as much. But you just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on, knowing that Mr. Right is still out there, right ladies?

I know what I DON'T LIKE - selfishness, rudeness, men that are inconsiderate, who treat their mother's poorly, I can't do the vertically challenged thing - sorry - I'm 5'8 1'2 and when I put on heels, I'm bordering on 6ft so a guy that's also 5'8" or less, probably not gonna work. Unhealthy or unfit men, I don't like them. I love guys that take care of themselves or who workout. They don't have to be athletes as such, just athletic. Poor hygiene is a HUGE turnoff. Can you really get past consistent bad breath? I don't think so lol. Or someone with bad B.O.??? Ewwww! If you did not just finish working out, etc, there's no excuse. The ladies know there's a lot of bonus points out there for a good smelling guy!!! Get your Bath & Body on too please (if you need some help I highly recommend Warm Vanilla body lotion) and a little bit and I did say a little cologne (don't bathe in it). Just can't deny a great smelling guy! (That rhymed, haha...) Anyway, Oh yeah and cut your hair - no shaggy monsters for me (well maybe one time I went there, lol).

Can you have some table manners too? No smacking your lips while you're eating! Know how to use your fork and knife properly. Please don't talk with your mouth just loaded with food. Be kind to your waitstaff. I hate it when people are rude and pushy with the people who serve them at restaurants. Says a lot about a person's character or lack thereof. And can we talk about something other than hip-hop music or popular culture? I need you to know a little about what's going on in the world. Is that too much to ask for?

I know I'm all over the place with this post lol and I'm not sure what prompted the topic. I just know that I know that I like what I like when I see it. Can't predict it, can't explain it. My kinda guy is thoughtful and genuine and adventurous and honest and chivalrous and passionate and silly and intellectual. He's intense but laid-back, he's tough but gentle, he's serious and funny, he can dress up and he can dress down. The older I get, the more I know what I like...And who knows, maybe I've found him already:-) It's possible, but only time will tell.....