Already loving Chicago :-)

Well I made it to Chicago safe and sound. It was not a bad trip at all. Everything was smooth.

I am staying on the campus of the University of Chicago in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Yep Barack Obama's old stomping ground. I can definitely see this as his old neighborhood. Oddly diverse and trendy.. Very pretty homes and cute shops tucked away amonsgst the homes.

I love being in the city environment. Walking everywhere... I walked to the grocery store yesterday, yoga this morning. Grabbed an amazing sandwich at lunch from this place http://www.zhmarketcafe.com/ if you are ever in the neighborhood. It is very refreshing to not need a car for a little bit.. I know do not ask me what these people do when it gets cold. I love walking through a city alone.. I did it in Paris and again here in Hyde Park. I just randomly walk into any book store I please.. I found a cute French bakery and watched a few cute kids play for a minute.

All I know is Chicago in September is absolutely delightful.

Unfortunately it just hit me that I am rotating in the medical intensive care unit and these will be very very sick people. Must be on my A game. For me that means staying up on my rest. My peeps know... Me and NO sleep do not mix.  Many examples in life of this.. Fall 05, this past weekend.. CIAA the day after.. need I list more..

I also have no camera. I cannot find my durn kodak.. I think this might be a sign. I might just order a canon camera and hope for the best. thats what I should do.. RIGHT?? go broke for life experiences!?

I'm in need of a lighter computer too. these extra heavy IBM computers.. NOT FOR THE CITY LIFE.
An ipad may 2012.. seriously. Graduation! somebody tell my fam.. ;-)

Must read now... SO I CAN WORK HARD AND PLAY HARD :-)


STAY FLY AND 25! :-)

A NEW SEASON IS ON ITS WAY!!!

Something New!

It’s that time of year…. The mornings are starting to cool off and the breeze is refreshing

The seasons will change and with it comes new adventures and challenges.

The summer has come and gone.. whether you accomplished everything you wanted too or not.

Don’t look back. You lived it. Each moment. Each Second. You LIVED IT. And if you didn’t…

Make that the goal for fall.

And please don’t fret over that summer love lost.. or the love that never came. :-0

Persevere. Grab a new handbag, a cute pair of shades.. and be the DIVA that you are.

Excellent in all aspects of life. Career. Family. Love. Fitness. Mind. Body and Soul.

LIVE EACH MOMENT. It’s the year of the 25. 

LIVE YOUR LIFE

STAY FLY AND 25

I'm going to the CHI and other random stuff

Hi Friends!

The year of the 25 is alive and well. More interesting posts are soon to come. I am excited to announce.. I AM GOING TO THE CHI! I am really excited. I'll be in Chicago for 3.5 weeks rotating in the medical intensive care unit. :-0  Hopefully I will be able to explore the city in the few moments I get out of the hospital. This is all about my search to figure out where I am spending the next 3 years.

What are my requirements for my next destination?
1) big city
2) east coast
3) rich in culture
4) diverse... (interpret as you would like)

under comments let me know where you think I will end up after graduation! I'm excited..


next topic...
WHY PARENTS SHOULD NOT BE ON FACEBOOK.

This weekend my brother was kind enough to hang out with the fam since I came to visit. Background.. he has an apt downtown and was in Germany all summer. After good family fun at the church picnic, line dancing and church on Sunday.. he went back on his way to his apt for class on Monday.
Speaking for myself.. I was too tired from partying thurs and fri that I could barely pay attention during the sermon. Brennen apparently learned something and posts on facebook.. "Today's sermon got me feeling like Elijah running into the wilderness with crazy ol Jezebel chasing me. I can't give up; we can't give up. Time to get up and eat."
My father.. new to facebook. Reads this message to my mother.. Who decides that my brother is depressed and crying out for help.  As people on twitter say.. #icant

We go from happy that my brother even comes to church with the family.... to he is depressed and crying out for help. Brother gets out of class Monday with 3 voicemails from my parents and text from me saying.. YO empty next syndrome is in full affect. tried to save u but i failed.

LESSON: Parents should not be on facebook.


LAST RANDOM TOPIC...

Did anyone else love all that dancing Chris Brown did on the VMAs? I know he is a lost soul and his behavior is unacceptable.. but goodness can he dance. I am about to play that thing on repeat so i can get some moves.. dancer in me ;-)

Live your life live your life........  Yes beautiful people is my new favorite song.

Beyonce opens up her VMA performance by saying, "Tonight I want you to stand up on your feet, I want you to feel the love that's growing inside of me."

Beyonce opens up her VMA performance by saying, "Tonight I want you to stand up on your feet, I want you to feel the love that's growing inside of me.": Beyonce opens up her VMA performance by saying, "Tonight I want you to stand up on your feet, I want you to feel the love that's growing inside of me."



I couldn't help but post this... BEYONCE is PREGGO! I'm excited like I know Bey and Jay myself. They are so cute.. The Barack and Michelle of pop culture :0 I bet the Obama's are going to send them a baby gift. Anywho.... Quickly of course after seeing all the pride and love beaming from Beyonce's glow.. I started wondering.. Where is my HOV? lol. of course. The mid twenties... sigh.. lol. All i Know is Jay Z better school these brothers on how to snag a queen! Cause thats what I am.. and I'm sure you are too!

Greensboro, NC: My second favorite NC city!

I love some Greensboro, NC.

I have made some great memories in gboro....I have both nostalgia and a sense of comfort when I visit. Gboro is like an old friend...... We pick up right where we left off. Med school has allowed me to get to know different cities in North Carolina and I LOVE that. As much as I miss my apartment when I'm away from Chapel Hill.... I appreciate what I learn from each town and city.

Well what I have learned in Greensboro this month???

1) Black Girls Run Greensboro!  I was in a patient's room when I looked at the newspaper and saw on the cover of the Gboro newspaper. Black Girls Run! I was SOOO excited. I almost stole the paper from the patient. Poor old man wanted his paper. So I looked around until a nice old man nurse found me a paper. This article about black women running came out one day after I was explaining to my friend during a long run... how much running and going natural has done for my life :-) It was amazing. I felt like I spoke this group into existence! I just told my friend Mariah... yeah a lot of my black girl friends do not run.

That night I found myself at Jaycee park in Greensboro, NC with atleast 20 or more black women running or fighting to become a runner. I was inspired. We are getting up and putting old ways to rest. Kicking obesity to the curb and doing it together. Old and young. Veterans and newbies.. Hitting the trail. What a beautiful thing. All the more reason I love Greensboro. Such a humble, enduring spirit flows through Greensboro. Just regular people raising there families, learning, living and pushing on.  M 7pm. Th 7pm. Sat 6:30am. Jaycee P

SO PROUD OF THESE WOMEN! Fearless.

2) Mind Body Fitness: Yoga. Of course I could not go to greensboro and NOT find a yoga studio. It is not Franklin Street in intensity but I have been able to get my namaste on and keep up my practice. I hope to go this week. Here is the website. http://www.mindbodyfitnessyoga.com/home.html I recommend the Monday and Tuesday Vinyasa class. I also found a place called Free Spirits Yoga. New spot. Need to try it. http://www.freespiritsyoga.com/

3) Maxie B's: BEST BAKERY IN TOWN. http://www.maxieb.com/ Looking for a good spot for sweets and girl talk. You must hit up Maxie B's in gboro. This bakery is Delicious. Comfortable. Affordable. REALLY A GREAT TIME. I went for girl talk time with my friend Mona. We had a great time. Shout out to Mona for taking some of her study time to hang out with me and try maxie b's.  She probably doesn't know... but quality time is my love language. I love to spend time with friends.

4) PARKS IN GREENSBORO: Overall I have been very impressed with the parks in Greensboro. Jaycee Park is really nice. There is also Barber Park which is great!!!  Get outdoors!!

5) Last but not least. Greensboro has a renovated, brand new civil rights museum.      http://www.sitinmovement.org/   I encourage everyone to take a trip to Greensboro, NC to check it out.
We must remember our country's past and push toward an even better future. 



AS ALWAYS STAY FLY FREE AND 25!


http://www.blackgirlsrun.com/

Wilmington, NC: GREAT SUMMER DAY TRIP!

Girls Day Trip 101

Candice, Amanda and myself.. AKA the Crew.. Decided we needed to take a day trip to the beach. Especially myself. I realized that I had not been to the beach ALL summer.. that darn med school grind.

I also realized.. unless someone sweeps me off my feet tomorrow (literally like last week) and proposes by February.. then this is likely my LAST year in North Carolina. Which is really bitter sweet. There are SOOOO many great cities in North Carolina to explore. I have really come to love this state and am so glad I was able to finally experience a little of Wilmington's southern charm.

Here we go! Girls Day Trip 101

1) Find somewhere semi close and inexpensive: You will be surprised how many little towns around you can offer relaxing fun.. Good food, shopping, change of scenery. Every trip does not need to be Vegas or NYC. :-)

2) Good Music:  This is a must. Everyone loves a good road trip with good music. Thank goodness Candice loves some Ryan Leslie ;-) I killt that CD! R Les.  Satellite radio in the ride helped too.

3) BRUNCH!!!   Who doesn't LOVE a good brunch on a quick getaway trip. This is usually my favorite part. My girls KNOW I love to eat.. or maybe its that I usually get hungry first. Ask a local. That is the key! They always know the best places to eat.

4) ROLL WITH THE FLOW!  Don't over plan a one day trip. There is not that much time in a day and it really should be about catching up with friends.

5) GIRL TALK: Everything is fair game on a girls day trip. So don't come holding secrets.

Randoms.. Sun screen of course.. even us chocolate girls out there. protect the luciousness :-0 Good magazines.. ipod.. snacks! Gas money and you all are good to go!

The Help Part 2

Well Peeps

I enjoyed the movie more the book! Can you believe that? I was pleasantly surprised with the movie. It had more emotion for me and I felt the burdens of the ladies in the book. They movie writers did take some liberties and made some big changes. Overall the soul of the book was not lost which often occurs when books become movies. The movie the Help gets an A + in my book. Great summer movie..

I especialy enjoyed what they did with Celia. I imagined her differently but thorougly enjoyed her character. I enjoyed aibileen more in the movie. Of course Minny is still my favorite. Did anyone think Skeeter was a little too cute?? And stuart?? I imagined him a little older and more rugged... Overall  I loved all the movie characters. Esp Skeeter's mom! Almost forgot her!!

Now I did go to see this movie with 2 characters. Shout out to Christen who was crying on my right and Chelsea who was the loud black girl in the theater on my left. Commentary was hilarious.  And I had to fight for our seats cause both chics were late. thank goodness this was the nice quiet side of durham. In atl that mess would not fly. Those seats would have been gone.

HOPE YOU GET OUT AND ENJOY THE HELP!

My Review of the Help PART 1.

Hey Peeps :-)

I have been slacking lately. First. Blame it on my med school grind. Second. I have to be inspired. No worries! I have some new things on my mind. Plenty of new posts to come.

Well.... I followed the hype and read The Help. I love to read books and then see the movie. So of course I said why not read The Help.

I would definitely say it was a cute read. A very enjoyable summer read. Is this the best book I have ever read? Not really. I was a little underwhelmed but I enjoyed the story.  I definitely feel like the author kept just enough fluff and happiness in this story to keep us from being depressed.  What kept this book from hitting it out the park for me..... i needed some grit. I guess I felt like the author did not reveal anything new to me that I did not know. Yeah.. I know. Black women in the south before the 60s.....we were the help. yada yada yada. What else you got? Thats what I really wanted to say.  I really wanted the author to dig a little deeper, day in and day out, to serve someone that doesn't recognize you as a person. The weight of racism on your mind, body and soul. The struggles..

Once I realized that this was more of an enjoyable story I sat back and enjoyed the read. It was pleasant and I had a few laughs. My favorite character was definitely Minny. She was crazy and had spunk. My heart definitely hurt for her. Without giving the story away. I felt inner strength and resilience from her character.

Abileen was great.. but it did seem as though her intelligence was supposed to be surprising. I was not suprised. We read.

Skeeter. Poor thing. I'm glad she was able to finally see her town for what it was.

Ms. Celia. Lord help her. Met her man selling hot dogs at the football game. smh.

Ms. Leefolt. She annoyed me. I wanted to slap her and I'm not violent. haha. Did anyone feel the same?
Seriously.

Last and definitely least. Ms. umm I cant even think of her name. The lady who likes chocolate! Last chapter in the book.. Yall know who read it. Hatred for unknown reasons at its best. Even though her level of hate was milder then I'm sure it really was. She was almost unbearable at times. I'm just glad she was chubby. lol. made me feel better. haha.

The best thing about this book and what I believe in. Bonds between people happen no matter race, creed or color. At the end of the day.. I love having friends of all different backgrounds beliefs and interests and I am glad the bond between Skeeter and Aibilieen showed that. I am so blessed that I grew up seeing my mom love all of her friends.. white or black. I grew up in the kitchens of soo many great women.


I  HOPE THE MOVIE IS GOOD!! If NOT!! YOU WILL HEAR ABOUT IT!  :-)

happy and secure. yep!

Me and regular guest Amanda! 25 fly and free!

I was reading this book How to Meet a Guy at the Supermarket, don’t worry, it’s a fictional, fun, summer read, not “self-help” and realized that while I picked the book up for a pure summer escape, amidst all the fluff there was some enlightenment waiting.  Quick synopsis: A quirky journalist, Quinn, after living all over the world writing has finally settled into the OBX of NC. Deciding it time for her to find a man, she gets the “genius” idea to find an ordinary man in the supermarket.  After some pretty comical mis-haps, which include being mistaken for a prostitute and almost punching a middle-aged man in the face, she eventually meets someone (not in the supermarket), unfortunately, this guy is NOT THE ONE and turns out to be a possessive jerk who gets into a drunken bar fight that leaves Quinn with a black eye!  All is not lost however because the subsequent breakup brings her (& me) some enlightenment. 

She realizes that her sudden desire to find “the one” and her horribly clouded character judgment stemmed from loneliness.  She begins to learn that she doesn’t NEED a man and is happy with her life as it is.  A man wasn’t what she had been looking for anyway, she was looking for happiness and friendship.  After not having felt a need to go “grocery shopping” in weeks, she states, “finding a relationship seemed secondary to my happiness.  I felt like the primary goal had been achieved...”  This quote brings me to my “ahha moment”: Yes, we all feel bouts of loneliness in this thing called life as a young, single, and fly woman in her twenties but the important thing to focus on is our happiness. Everything else will fall into place.

Briana and I had dinner last night and it was so refreshing to discuss and share our lives (professional, social, family, and love all included) and to see how we are all doing so well and most importantly how HAPPY and SECURE we are with ourselves and our lives.  No, we may not have EVERYTHING we want or all our plans for life set in stone but we’re happy enjoying the ride; Living, Growing, Laughing Partying, and eventually LOVING!

So ladies, next time you are feeling down because you are at home on your couch on a Saturday night, be thankful that you are secure enough in yourself to polish off that carton of Ben & Jerry’s with no one to answer to and even MORE thankful that you don’t have to worry about finding the time to go to the gym because you can selfishly devote your entire day to the gym if you choose, because there is no hubby, or kiddies waiting at home for you to cook them Sunday dinner!

Stay Fly Ladies, but most importantly STAY HAPPY!

Thanks Amanda! She always knows how to come through with an excellent blog post!!
Post written by Amanda! UNC School of Dentistry Student. Class of 2013. UNC graduate! And one of the best friends a girl can ask for.