2017, Beyond My Thoughts

Dear Lord,

Is it any way that I could not experience my highest high & lowest lows in the time frame, in the future? If this could be thine will.

In Your Son's Name,

Amen!!!

Hey, I am specific when I ask God for stuff. And not wanting to feel my highest of highs and the lowest of lows at the same moment has to be a specific request. I feel I need to be eased down off highs & slowly lifted up when I'm low. And the only person who can do that is The Lord.

I had highs & lows like everyone else. No humans know all about my 2017, but me. My 2017 was started back in 2016. I met some nutrition professors at the Texas Veggie Fair and I became their book reviewer.  One of my dream jobs is to teach nutrition on the college level, so this was a networking dream come true. I had 5 textbooks to review by mid-September. Yes like me, you're thinking because I Love reading this should be easy. Well, most of the days were easy. But on top of my business, blog, and household roles by February, I was a little overwhelmed. So, I had to regroup. My first thought was to put the blog on hiatus. Well, as you know that didn't happen. My leisure reading took the biggest hit. I failed my reading challenges. I was too tired to read for fun a lot this year. My social media post showed I was not leisurely reading as much, too. Grammar Check, Anyone? The Reading Challenge for next year is to finish reading all open books from this year.

Dru Hill in
Desoto

My social life took a little swipe. I didn't go out as much this year. And when I did go out, I was drained, afterward. I'm an ambivert (introverted extrovert or extroverted introvert) & I had never felt so empty from being social. And who had the time to recharge, but after each outing, I slowly would down. I've played Cinema Catch Up a few times this year. In my 20s, I was the Movie Queen. Well, I have to accept, I'm over 30. LoL, There is already planned to play it again in January 2018. I also had to let a few TV shows go. Sorry Supergirl, Jane the Virgin, & Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., maybe I'll play catch up one day.

Had to get some
Readers

Then October came. I was in a comfortable groove. The podcast I was on was being released. I was going to this year's Texas Veggie Fair to see the professors unveil their books, that had my handy work & name in. I was Ready. Then on the 17th, my brother, G died. The day we buried him was the same date as the fair. The night before, Science Stuff with Steph sent me a direct message that the episode was being released the next week. Highs were moving during a Low. My emotions were having a field day. Of course, I didn't go to the fair. Do I really need to see people praise "my work" to know "my work" is good? Validation Feels Good but not a Requirement. Saying goodbye to my brother's remains was a Requirement. My life requires closure. The closure is Good. The Blerdette TV interview with Science Stuff with Steph was different. There were personal work, love, & tears in that project. I needed to be present for that. The first day I left the house after the funeral was the day the podcast episode was released. I cried while listening to it. Happy & Grief tears just flowed, like my life was flowing at the time. The Good, the Bad, and the In-Between was still going. Gosh, I REALLY needed that day.

Fill in fulfilling business projects, getting a horrible spring flu, a few cute dates here and there, a monster plant on our property, favorite brunch spots closing, seeing & liking Wonder Woman early, seeing Dru Hill twice, enjoying their holiday album, and finally the fact that I was in my right mind for every moment in it, 2017 was 2017. And Dear God, I was present for a year, that was Beyond My Thoughts. And that is the Most Important thing to take from 2017. 

As Always Talking to You In Adult Terms!!!

I Didn't Forget My Blogiversary

No, I didn't forget July 3rd. This is now my 5th year blogging on the Blogger platform. Got some new plans for some things and the same plans for most things. Stay Tuned!!!

On July 3rd, I was traveling outside of the state of Texas for leisure. It's been a while since I vacationed (Not work travel) outside of my home state. I had opportunities but they were for places I had already been to or out of my budget. I wanted to go somewhere different. Then I.D. got married this time last year. She lives in the Washington DC area. And the idea came to me. Why don't I celebrate the country's birth & my friend's first wedding anniversary in the Nation's Capital? So I told two of the other besties, Shadrack (formerly known as LJ) & T.T. my idea and they were on board. Then a snag came in my plan. My side-hustle had me on their shortlist for training for contest judging in El Paso. I DID NOT want to go to El Paso at the same time. So, I shut up, prayed and kept saving money to go DC. In March, I finally found out that I was not going to El Paso. We told I.D. that we were coming and July 3rd, we landed on the DMV.

Our first stop was a Brunch Buffet!!! Brunch is the preferred hangout meal for my friends & loved ones. It's our Day Party and it is slowly taking over Happy Hour for us. I.D. & her husband, blog name Stick picked us up and took us to this great spot called A-Town Bar & Grill in Virginia. We left Dallas at 6:10 in the AM so, we were Hungry.

The food was delicious!!! There was Breakfast Food, Steak & Chicken Kabobs, Tacos, Sushi Rolls, Chicken & Waffles, Fresh Fruit, Mac & Cheese Balls, Crab Salad, Shrimp Cocktail, and Desserts. We all agreed that the Crème Brule was Wonderful!!! Then we partook in a little hookah smoking. I don't smoke. I grew up in a smoking house. I tried a couple of times and I was not my thing. But when in Rome, you go with the flow. Hookah smoking was cool. I don't detest it. Felt & tastes better than smoking cigarettes & weed. Afterward, we did a little sightseeing on the National Mall. We saw Martin Luther King, Jr & Lincoln Memorials directly & Washington & Jefferson Memorials from afar.

I had no clue those memorials were so far away from each other. Lincoln & MLK, Jr were 15 minutes away from each other. I was so ready for some rest. Stick took us to a pizza place called H & Pizza so we would have something to eat that night for dinner. It was very good to create your own pizza. It was even tasty cold. We got into our room, got some rest and got dressed for a 4th of July Event at the hotel across the rest from us.

The featured group was Dru Hill. We were in VIP and Dru Hill passed right by our table. I straight fanned out. Jazz is my favorite.

Why do I like Jazz the best? Not just because he is a BBHM (Big Bald Handsome Man) *wink* But because when Dru Hill was on Keith Sweat's reality show, Sweat House he was the only one that seems to be genuinely Band Loyal. But they were very enjoyable. I also got a full taste of GoGo music, not just the commercial stuff the radio stations barely play. I think we finally went to bed at around 4 am. Which meant we didn't leave the hotel until noon on Independence Day. Stick had to work so it was just us with ID. She took us to National Harbor.

We got to snap a few pictures before the rain started. We ducked into a spot called Rosa Mexicano. I am now on the hunt for the recipe for those Black Bean. They were so scrumptious that I started dipping my chips into the bowl meant for the table. LoL

We then went to hang out at ID & Stick's new home in Maryland. It was very nice & spacious. They were expecting others but it was raining a lot. So, it was just us. I fixed(with my little help) a meal that included Crab Legs, Burgers, Grilled Pork Chops Pasta Salad, Corn on the Cob & Chicken with Mambo Sauce that we picked up on the way to the house. Mambo Sauce is a beloved condiment in DC. I liked it. Taste like a ketchup & duck sauce or plum sauce mix. The culmination of the night was watching them open & read their 1-year anniversary card we gave them.

The last day, July 5 was ID & Stick's actual anniversary. They spent it at a spa & the Bay. TT, Shadrack & I after a light breakfast took a field trip to the US Navy Memorial & Ben's Chili Bowl.

We took the Metro Way around. Oh, and the subway issues were very real. My grandfather always talks about the memorial during his travels with the Dallas Postal Credit Union Board. So, I had to see it. I know it is just a statue but I teared up. Just the thought that I was seeing what Pau-Pau saw decades ago was emotional. Then we went to Ben's. Foodies always talk about Ben's Chilli Bowl but I don't eat hot dogs in public. Also, I was trying to lighten it up on the cuisine a bit. My stomach was thinking about frowning. So, we kept Ben's like a photo op, too. Later that night I had a bowl of Southwest Tortilla Soup at Chili's near our hotel in Crystal City. Then we were off to packing because our flight was at 7:55 am. Wheels Up and we were home on July 6th.

Oh yes, I will be returning to the Washington DC area aka The DMV. Next time, I will tack on 2 more days and make it a 5-day trip. I didn't get to see another good friend while I was there. Only saw one other wedding party member and that was at the party with Dru Hill. Oh, it was not Ridge. I talked to Ridge while I was there. *sigh* I ended up having a little revelation. I need a Reformed(ing) Playa in my world (Had one but Football Nerd left this world) to translate F-word Boy language & mindsets. And I will leave it there.

Yeah, I'll admit it, I'm still on a high.

As Always, Talking to You in Adult Terms