durham.. enjoy the journey

Hot Chocolate. I love fall :)

Hey Folks,

As you know.. I'm counting down to graduation. As the anticipation grows I am finding that my friends have completely written off the raleigh durham chapel hill area.

Maybe the hopeless romantic that I am.. and fairly optimistic... I LOVE THIS AREA. Although truth be told.. I do feel my time is drawing to an end here. I refuse to just write off these last months and not enjoy my time here.

There are so many great things to enjoy in chapel hill/durham. I am ALWAYS finding places that I have not explored. Unfortunately I think a lot of these feelings especially amongst twenty somethings has to do with dating. I would like to think that a special someone or more exciting friday night plans will not be the deal breaker for my memories of the chapel hill durham area. This area has been great to me. I've lived, loved, laughed, learned and grown into the fabulous woman that I am today.

SOO yes.. I take it a little personally when people just write off the triangle. It may not be nyc but there is character here and like anything in life... It is what you make it.

AND ladies... as much we hope to date and mix and mingle... Our happiness and joy should not be built solely on men. It should not be the solo factor to equaling happiness. Believe me.. finding love is very important to me. I hope to be wifed up to. But I REALLY believe in developing my inner self. Loving my life as God has given to me in this moment.

Remember this next time you start getting down on your surroundings and saying it would all be different if you had a significant other.   Boo or no boo. I love dirty durham as they call it.. chapel thrill and rough raleigh.   Enjoy the journey.. because there are single ladies in the big cities too. :-/ Real talk.


STAY FLY FREE AND FOREVER 25




Latest coffee shop I discovered in Durham:
Really nice place.. I am not sure why I have been here so long and never discovered SO many things.. Oh yeah..  I remember. Med school. Oh well. New day. :)

http://www.guglhupf.com/

HAPPY SUNDAY

Natural is Professional.

Hey Folks.


I just finished my first interview. I felt great about it. I felt confident about my efforts over the past 4 years and I also felt great about how I looked!


Unfortunately after a wonderful experience I was bombarded with my mother once again telling me my hair looks unprofessional.

6am interview day #1

I was told to straighten my hair.




This is VERY frustrating. I went natural to be my true self. To not conform. To free my spirit and take better care of my health and fitness. I really hate weaves.. that is not an option.. and i don't have money to waste.. i.e.. straighten it and then sweat it out in yoga. I'm choosing my health 1st. 


SOOO what is professional. And WHY is being natural not considered professional. I'm fed up with trying to make others happy. And I really don't care anymore.


MY HAIR IS ME. The programs that I apply to will take me or leave me. Love me or leave me.  The same goes for dating as well. Dudes.. go look for weavy wonder and bone straight somewhere else.. cause I am going to do whatever I want. And that probably means working out over hair salon Fridays..  




Feel free to leave comments. Yay or nay. Does my look say professional? 

Jetsetting! Its time to FINALLY get a job.

Here I go! Interviews start this week! 

I am super excited. I like to dress up in suits, look professional and have my doctor swag all the way turned up ;)


I will be blogging my adventures over the next few months. We shall see where I end up. 


This is the timeline:


Interviews Nov, Dec, Jan. 


Submit Match List Deadline Feb 22nd


March 12th: Email alerting you if you matched or not


March 16th: Match Day


May 12th Graduation On Deck!


May 17th My BDAY... The official end of the year of the 25

Looking to my future. Amanda's hair looks fly right?  

If you are curious..here is where I'm going up to this point!


here are a few cities on the itinerary


Chicago
Philadelphia
Nashville
Atlanta
Durham
Pittsburgh
Birmingham
Baltimore
Richmond


Hopefully a few more will be added :-) 












My life is a testimony... A testimony to my steps being ordered and doors being opened despite of myself. 


If he doesn't do anything else.. He has already done enough. 


Alright now about this work I need to do. SENIORITIS. aka 4th year swag/laziness






HOLLA!

Who is my neighbor?

Two themes on my spirit are purpose and helping others. What is my purpose? To whom much is given.. Much is required.  As I approach the end of one goal (med school) and approach a new place in life.... I am beginning to question, redevelop and re explore my purpose. I remember starting medical school and professing in every interview how much I want to help people. 4 years later.. What was my impact? Did I live these past years with purpose and lead with an innovative spirit. Will my day to day profession really be an act of kindness, compassion and empathy? Probably not. I have realized that medicine is unfortunately not the altruistic profession that I hoped it would be. 


I guess God is reminding me that I sincerely hope my purpose is to help others with my hands, efforts, spirit and love. 


Today I ask you.. Is loving thy neighbor apart of your true purpose? 


This brought me to read a sermon by Martin Luther King titled "On Being a Good Neighbor. " 


I always enjoy reading MLK. If you've never read a sermon by MLK. I encourage you to do so. In the year of the 25 as we strive to be great people.. we MUST learn from the great leaders and innovative people before us. 

On Being a Good Neighbor.

Habitat 4 Humanity. I love Durham. And I was  no joke with the power tools. 

My questions/thoughts after reading MLK...

Do you take interest in others?

Do you feel compassion for those in tricky life situations?

"Major failure in history has been limiting neighborly concern to tribe, race, class or nation. "

Do you have concern for what happens to people outside of your group?

"Philanthropy is great but do not overlook the economic injustice that makes philanthropy necessary."

The road to help your neighbor is actually dangerous at times?

"In dangerous valleys and hazardous pathways, he will lift some bruised and beaten brother to a higher and more noble life."

"True sympathy is the personal concern that demands the giving of one's soul."

Photo Shoot Fresh: Homecoming Part 2

This story begins on a cool Carolina weekend.. with 3 main characters: 

Amanda "I invented swag" Stephens

Candice "you might just meet game" Miles

AND

Briana "Lets Get Faded" Buckner

Last weekend 3 best friends from college set out to have a good time. I'm not sure why some years we get more excited about hc then others.. But this year we were excited. PLUS.. its a yearlong graduation celebration! ;)


It started with resting up on friday... Cause clearly we are getting old and can't go two nights like we used too. We started with the football game and the Black Alumni Tailgate. BAR tailgate was cute. DJ could've been a little louder.. (fresh off Spelhouse "shrug").  


Football game.. We gave it our best effort. It was cold. We made it to half time though! I can barely follow football like I used too. Probably better to go with a dude. oh well. Girls.. we just people watch. 


Later.. Rested up again for #DHOE.. aka "Trying to get chose". Cause we like to partayy


Well apparently we were trying to get chose.. According to the latest hip hop slang. No other comments on that.


All I have to say is.. We were living life! 


I will say.. I think mission was accomplished. We broke some hearts.  Left em hurt.. ;)


I LOVED SEEING ALL MY OLD COLLEGE FRIENDS!! Shout out to Mhandy, Akeisha, Iris, Tavia, Cydney B! Just a few of the many folks I was VERY VERY HAPPY TO SEE. 


SHALONDA, RENAE. BIANCA. Ashley H. We missed you!

Methyl and Ethyl :-)

Too cute! where was i? 

Candice was too cool for this pic. Glad u could throw a hand in Candice. 

Classic Candice face. Someone was misbehaving. 

EMO! We spent half the party in the lobby. This is where breaking hearts started.. 

And i think we spent the other half of the party in the bathroom taking pics... 

I think I remember the wobble.. 

Thank God we made it Tavia! 

My number Danielle! 22. DST. love this pic. She fly!

** All photos courtesy of I invented swag and you might just meet game ;)
MOST of my pics are courtesy of them.. in almost every post. :)

Life Moments

NYC my 25th. Guilty. 

What do you spend most of your time doing?

Exercising. Reading. Volunteering. Spending time with friends.
or is it.. Facebook and Twitter??

I must admit sometimes I have a love hate relationship with social media. This is odd because I have a blog which is definitely the definition of Social Media.
I will argue that I hope we can stay connected without becoming disconnected.

Do you find yourself at dinner with your friends and check your twitter or facebook incessantly? Do you fill awkward moments of silence with a quick facebook check without drifting to a new topic of conversation?

I will say my favorite love language is quality time.. So I do believe in the power of time with others. Building memories, appreciating moments...

I say all of this to say.. Don't forget to actually live the moments. And not just tweet them.  I have no problem with twitter and facebook. I tweet with the best of them.. And OFTEN annoy myself with my own tweets. I do realize though that life is to be lived. I wonder how many books I could have finished with all the time I waste on my computer or would I be able to paint by now if I could go first to my painting book before immediately checking twitter.

I just thought I would pose a few questions today...??   Where do you spend your time? How do you develop your inner self?  I think the mid twenties is a special time.. We feel beautiful, focused, and youth is on our side. But when the beauty fades and the invincible feeling of the mid 20s pass us by.. Will we have developed our inner selves.. or tweeted ourselves into a passive existence.


AS ALWAYS. STAY FLY FREE AND FOREVER 25. 




*I still got love for social media though! lol.. I'm just sayin..

Homecoming Season! Part 1

Briana and Brennen
Love this kid.
My almost a Morehouse Man. May 2012

I LOVE HOMECOMINGS 

I'm pretty sure I know where this love comes from. I grew up going to Tuskegee Homecomings with my family. It was always amazing to see my mom lose her serious demeanor and turn back to her college self with her friends. We would eat great food all day, dance, enjoy the marching band and end the day with watching the Delta Women sing around the Delta tree. My mom would giggle and scream all day every time she saw old friends.

My mom is on the far right. Tuskegee HC. Unknown year. 

I'm not sure but I've always thought black people take an extra pride in Homecomings.. It is this sense of family that is deep in our culture. We at the end of the day take pride in our education.. which was a fight to get in the first place and LOVE to have a good time.   


Well that brings me too SPELHOUSE 2011. My brother and friends definitely showed me a good time. I had a BLAST! The year of the 25 is definitely going to be a highlight when I look back at all my years. First... The party Friday night was epic. Somehow me and the girls were looking fly as ever. I ended up in VIP with the tables on a general ticket.  


Then there was the tailgate. The tailgate of ALL tailgates. DJ at every tent! Streets filled with people. Even my grandma was out there having a good time. Who needs to go to the football game? 

Delta Sigma Theta! We look good! Its a shame anyone in this crew is single. 

Me and Dr. Em!  

Not Ready..

Thanks to the Spelman women who made us outsiders feel welcome!

 

The Doctors. 

My brother's crew. Class of 2012 tent was SO hype. I threw myself right in the mix. ;) 

The Spelman Chapter definitely reminded me why I grew up wanting to be a Delta. PRIDE CONFIDENCE SISTERHOOD

The Spelman Chapter has SO much pride and enthusiasm. I LOVED IT!

DO IT LADIES! Hype! 

The Doctors. :-) I'm honorary Indy Crew

 GOTTA LOVE AN HBCU HOMECOMING. Nothing like it in the world. I LOVE BLACK PEOPLE. Thanks to those ancestors before me who fought for our institutions, educations and dreams. Education is power.  Don't take it for granted.