Saturday, October 31, 2020
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
A Whole Pandemic
A New Genre of Books
It's been six months since COVID-19 changed our lives. I must say 2020 has been the most epic year of my life and not in a good way. There has been a lot of heart ache this year. It's hard to log on to any website or turn on any new channel without hearing about thousands of people dying daily. 2020 has really rocked my spirit. Please don't get me started on Trump. Black Lives do matter. Trans life matter. Love each other and accept that we're all different people!
So I rarely share my sensitive side, but I think my sensitivity makes me powerful and intuitive. This year has been hard and over the last few years I have struggled with depression and anxiety. I've had to really take this time to quarantine my life. "What does she mean?",You may ask. I only make time for things that bring me complete joy, everything else gets isolated until I figure out if it will make my life better. This helps me to create boundaries and maintain control of my own happiness. The quarantine has done me well.
If anything good came from this year of social distancing it has been to teach me how to socially balance. I only have this one life and I don't want to waste it people-pleasing, gossiping, or participating in drama. I mind my business, I love wearing shades with my mask, I enjoy going for walks while listening to music, and I love me from head to toe.
I received this book as a gift from a local book club meeting I attended in the Bishop arts district of Dallas. I enjoyed the story of this young woman finding herself in life and in love. It was hard to keep reading through this after the Pandemic started. Realistically it was hard to read something so inspiring during such a dark time. The message of this book is clear, be yourself unapologetically and no matter what. I think this book is great for a young girl finishing high school or starting college. It's inspiring and fun. I enjoyed her stories and funny moments. Its a light and easy read that is also insightful and thoughtfully put together. You are More than Enough ladies and you always will be.
I never read this book in high school like most of my peers but when I heard through the "Black Twitter" grapevine that I missed out and there was a sequel coming I knew I had to read it. I have to admit I loved Winter, that girl was really cold. She reminds me of a few girls I've known in different ways. In some ways she even reminded me of myself. Winter is a beautiful young woman who gets a rude awakening. This book is a reminder that every decision is a choice and you have to reap the consequences of that choice. I think this is one of life's biggest lessons and as you read you get all caught up in Winter's world of crazy decisions. Her dad is a King Pin drug dealer which makes her a ghetto princess. Winter is the girl all the hood girls secretly wanted to be. Winter has to learn the hard way that there is a thin line between love and hate. Its dramatic, ghetto, love, pain and sadness. I enjoyed this book so much I think i read it in a month. I've heard talks of this book becoming a movie and I am here for it! I absolutely love the story. As a young girl I don't think I would have received the message as clear as I did as an adult today. I am so ready for the sequel. I've watched videos of the real Sister Souljah and I am in awe of her message and her work. I love her relationship with Midnight in the book. I love how much she loved herself. Its clear that I loved it. LOL. If you haven't read this gem I highly recommend it.
Tried to save money. Made Jeff Bezos a billionaire instead. (Sigh)
The park is my new gym. Memberships Cancelled
High Fashion. Model-ish. I rock my mask with the shades for the "don't fuck with me" effect. Not sure if it works yet, people still talk to me. LOL
What a year?!!!
***Keep Your Head In the Books***
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Leap Day inspired me!
Elle's Best Friend
(Chapter 4 by TT)
A year had passed since Elle's best friend, Connie, had gotten married to her husband Joe. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were in marital bliss. They spent their honeymoon in Jamaica and decided they would return with friends the following year to celebrate their anniversary. Connie lived about an hour and a half away from Elle and they didn't see each other often but when they did, they just picked right back up where they left off, a true friendship. They never argued or became angry at each other because they simply understood each other and this is why they were "best friends". Connie was very close to her family and she moved back to her hometown with her husband and bought a beautiful home. Connie was anxious to start a family right away but her husband wanted to save money first and wait a few years. Joe was very disciplined with money and wanted to ensure his family had everything they needed. Connie loved this about Joe but felt she wasn't getting any younger.
"Joe, I think this year we should try, I'm ready babe." Connie rolled over in their king sized bed and snuggled up to Joe at 6 am. "You sure love?" he said kissing her forehead and smiling. Joe wouldn't admit that he was a little scared of everything changing after the children came. "Yes babe, I want our family to grow, I wanna have your babies." She said in a convincing way. Joe held her tighter and finally gave in, he couldn't resist her charm, after all he was in love with Connie. "Ok babe, let's get started right now", he said smiling and caressing her. Connie's face lit up. "Really, your ready babe? I am so happy!" She rolled back over to her side of the bed and sat up. She was smiling from ear to ear and headed to the bathroom to throw out her birth control. Joe, reached for her but missed her as she jumped up. He sighed, "Come back Connie" he moaned while raising the covers to look at his raised member longing for his wife. "What babe?" she exclaimed from the bathroom barely noticing Joe's cry for sexual attention. Connie grabbed the birth control and threw it in the trash bin while smiling in the mirror. "I'm gonna be a great mom" she whispered to herself. "Connie what are you doing in there?" Joe was still ready to start his baby making session.
Connie returned from the bathroom to find Joe naked sprawled across the bed. Connie laughed while crawling into bed with Joe, "I'm sorry babe, I was just so excited, you make me so happy." She said while slowly stroking his penis and then putting it in her mouth. Joe moaned "You make me happy too baby, anything for you". Connie continued pleasuring her husband until she could taste him oozing in her mouth. She loved to please her husband and she was even more happy to please him that morning, he could tell. Once she was done she smiled at him. "That first one was mine, the second batch is for these eggs." She climbed on top of him. Joe moaned again, "You can have as many babies as you want girl!" He grabbed Connie's baby face and began kissing her slowly and passionately as she was riding him and moaning softly. "I want a little girl." he whispered in her ear as he grabbed her slightly rough and held her body tight against his, Connie moaned louder, and began pumping harder and faster inside her from the bottom. Connie couldn't move and she screamed with pleasure, "I love you Joe" then finally exploding on top of him. Joe exploded inside of her enjoying all of her juices and moaning with pleasure. Connie laid there with him snuggled up under his big arms, then she finally whispered softly, "I want a girl too". They both smiled and begun kissing again, they were very pleased with each other. Joe climbed on top of her while holding one of her legs in the air and pushing himself inside her again. "Practice makes perfect." he said while stroking her gently, then harder, and faster, then gently again. Connie dug her nails into his back and moaned with pleasure. Joe could feel how pleased she was and this pleased him too. They were in love and ready to start a family, a new chapter sealed in love and hope for their future family. Connie was so happy with Joe and he was happy with her too. They made love several times that morning, it was like they couldn't get enough of each other.
"I need to call my girls". Connie rolled over at 10am after falling back asleep. "We have to let everyone know about the trip in time so they can make arrangements." Connie loved to plan things out precisely, and she wanted to make sure their anniversary trip was a success. "Did you tell your boys?" She looked over at Joe who was still half sleep. "Yea babe, I'll call them again later" He said in a low mumbled voice. Connie pushed him gently, "Get up Joe, remember you haircut appointment at 1130" she said in a concerned voice. Joe's eyes opened and he sat up immediately, "Damnit I almost forgot." He snatched the covers back and jumped out of bed. Connie laughed a little staring at his butt, she loved watching him scramble naked, and she knew he was serious about his haircut appointments. Joe went to the barbershop every Saturday and she knew the morning they spent making love made him lose track of time. "Be careful babe" she told him as he grabbed his keys to head out the door. Joe walked over to her and kissed her forehead "See you later love."
As soon as Joe was gone she called Elle. Elle didn't answer but text her right after the call, Hey girl I'm in a soul cycle class, I'll call you back in about 20 minutes. Almost done! Connie laughed, "That's my girl, always improving herself, I wonder how she and Dante are doing. They're going to love this trip!" Connie exclaimed while cleaning her home. Connie called her other friends Lisa and Trisha, they were excited about the trip. "Oh girl, I will be there, I've been saving since last year when you mentioned it" Trisha exclaimed. "Girl Joe and I will pay for everything, we just want to enjoy our friends and have a good time." Connie wanted her friends to relax and enjoy their vacation and because she had a small wedding they were able to save up and cater to their friends who participated in their special day. Connie was always so thoughtful in that way, Joe loved that about her, so he agreed to pay for the entire trip for everyone out of their savings for one epic trip they would never forget.
Elle called back shortly after Connie ended her conversation with Trisha. "Hey Mrs. Robinson." Connie could tell Elle was smiling through the phone. Connie laughed, "I miss you Elle, come visit us soon, you still haven't seen the house". Elle sounded out of breath. "Whew chile, that class was intense" she laughed, "I will definitely come visit soon, I miss you too Connie!" Elle finally began breathing normal. "Do you know these people took my phone after I text you, they are too serious about this class girl. I almost got kicked out bc I was refusing to give it up, Heifer gonna say they'll charge it for me until the class is over, I felt like a high school kid!" Elle joked but was serious. Connie bursted into laughter again, this time she couldn't stop right away. She loved talking to Elle, she always made her laugh. "Anyway, how is the married life?" Connie smiled still chuckling a bit at her hilarious friend, "So far it's great, we are trying to get pregnant girl." Connie sounded excited. "I am so happy for you and Joe, y'all will be great parents." Connie smiled again thinking about her morning. "So how are you and Dante? Y'all were inseparable at the wedding, I'm sure you all are in love by now." Elle sighed, "Girl no, I went on one date with Dante, he text me saying how much he enjoyed it and wanted another one, then he ghosted me." Elle sighed again. "Girl I met another guy shortly after and we went on one date, I could tell he wasn't my type at all, but I gave him a shot, girl do you know this man forgot his wallet after ordering the most expensive thing on the menu." Elle had a flash back in her mind and got angry all over again. "So I paid for the meal and as we were leaving I remembered CASH App. So I said, hey cash app me your half and we can just call it even. Do you know this man never sent me shit. So I text him a week later asking again and he had the nerve to text back asking, who is this?" Elle sounded frustrated. "Girl, I am currently taking a break from dating, men, and the drama of it all. Connie became concerned. "I'm so sorry Elle, I know it's rough out here on the dating scene. Lisa was going through it with her current boyfriend when I called her." Elle tried to perk up. "So what's up girl, when is the big trip, my funds are low but I can save up and request the time off." Connie was still concerned as she knew Dante was invited as well. "Well Joe and I are paying for everyone, save your coins but do take the time off." She laughed. "OMG, that is the best news I've heard in months, thank y'all so much!" Elle was excited and relieved. "Are you sure though Connie, I can give you something, I don't want to put y'all out." Elle knew Joe was good with money but she didn't want to take advantage or let them overspend. "Girl yes!" Connie exclaimed. "We can afford it and we don't mind. We have been saving since before the wedding and we loved Jamaica so much we wanted to bring the whole wedding party back!" Connie assured Elle. "Oh wonderful, well I accept just shoot me the dates" Elle stopped mid sentence. "Oh wait, Dante will be there huh?" Connie was hoping to smooth things over. "Well he wasn't in the wedding party, but Joe asked him to come because his brother can't make it and we bought 8 tickets. I'm sorry Elle. If it helps, we won't all be together the whole time. They have some guy stuff planned and I have some girl stuff planned." Elle tried to perk up again. "Its ok Connie, I'm a big girl, hey he ghosted me so I'll just ghost him on the trip, we'll still have a great time." Elle laughed but Connie could tell she'd feel awkward. "Well, I gotta go Connie but it was so great catching up with you. I will make sure to come see the house before our trip. Connie smiled. "I can't wait to see you Elle". They ended the call.
Elle looked at the phone after hanging up with Connie and couldn't help but think how awkward it would be to see Dante again. "I'm going shopping!" Elle exclaimed while backing out of the Soul Cycle parking lot. "I know one thing, I will not be caught slipping, I'm gonna look good but not speak to him at all" She said to herself smirking. "Two can definitely play that game!" Elle was ready to celebrate her best friend and serve Dante the cold shoulder, a trip she would never forget!
Hey Bookworms! Hope you all enjoy this Leap Day! We get a bonus day this year so I wanted to take a little time and give y'all another chapter of my story. Whoop whoop!
Comment your thoughts below if you have been reading along. I hope to bring more characters, love, drama, romance, and comedy to you all while sharing my written word. Writing has always been a great passion of mine.
Thanks for stopping by. *Keep your HEAD in the BOOKS*
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Save Our Girls
Stolen by Katariina Rosenblatt, PhD.
Happy 2020 bookworms :) I'm back and I'm better, this month I'm sharing another amazing book by an awesome author!
This story was such an eye-opener. If you work with young girls or have young daughters this book is for you. When Michelle Obama coined the phrase "save our girls" I believe that girls who have been trafficked fall under her scope as well and it's right in our own backyard. This book dives into the life of young Katariina growing up in Florida, and how she was lured into a life of sex trafficking several times simply because no one was paying attention.
I attended a Human Trafficking training recently and learned that this is a million dollar industry. People are literally profiting off of the mistreatment and abuse of young women. How sickening to imagine. When I visited Atlanta this summer I stopped by the National Civil Rights Museum and saw this book in the gift shop. The title and picture on the front of the book caught my attention immediately. Every since I learned about Human Trafficking I've wanted to know more, learn more, and do more to help young girls avoid this trap. I skimmed through the first chapter and decided I would go ahead and purchase this book to start reading on my plane ride back home.
Y'all I slept so good on that 2 hour flight. I got through the first two pages and was out! LOL. No seriously, I never sleep good on planes but I was TIRED, do you hear me? So when I returned home I started the book over and honestly it took me about 5 months to read it. It wasn't a difficult read and it was very interesting to learn the tricks of the trade. I let so much time go by while reading this simply because i've been working on some personal goals that consumed my time as well, such is life. This book never left my heart though, early mornings or late nights i'd pull it out and catch up on a few chapters.
My favorite part about this book is the redemption and meaning of Katariina's life. She was such a smart girl but her home life wasn't that great which created low self-esteem and people pleasing behaviors that led to her being trafficked. I don't know about y'all but I've been there and even though I wasn't sex trafficked I did things I didn't feel were right at times to please others or gain their approval. Despite all she went through, she went on to get her PhD and do so many great things for other girls who have been trafficked in her community. She often spoke throughout the book about feeling like God had a plan for her life. I really connected with her on that because I've often felt that way. God has a plan for all of us! She discussed in the last chapter how her own abuse helped her save other girls. She was so determined to help other girls that she talked about standing in front of a car to stop a trafficker from driving off with one of her clients. That's passion and true dedication, something I've always admired. Such a good book!
If you want to know more about Human Trafficking or Sex trafficking you can go to her website www.StolenOnes.com . She founded Stolen Ones- There is H.O.P.E For Me, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to freeing other victims of Human trafficking. Her story is amazing, captivating, and a true story of redemption and faith. Grab a copy and Save Our Girls!
"There is HOPE, even on the Darkest of Days"
*Keep Your Head in the Books*
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