May 25th Review

Howdy Howdy e'ry one...

Today, as we like to focus on reviews, and it being a special day in the life of my love (her day of birth), I would like to take this moment to look over the past 10 years of our life together. Yes. We've only been married for 4 years this September. Yes, we have only dated for a little over 7 years. But we have known each other for 10 years (and not really on good terms either). 

We actually 1st met at Second Baptist Church, at a ministry fair. Me and my fellow co-chair of our Singles Ministry were publicizing our next event for our age group, which my future bride did not fit in at the time.  Upon meeting her and her friend though, I was unaware of this. I eventually found out and spent "less than 100%" trying to get her to attend. As a matter-of-fact, I did everything that you would want to do to get someone to hate you. I talked about her name, her mama, even spent more effort and attention on her friend. Now I did this all very sarcastically and very humorously so we all laughed, but needless to say, we did not keep in touch for a few years. 

Fast forward to 2005: music pumping, people dancing, future wifey relatively fresh out of a long term relationship, me; just out of a "relationship" with someone very nice and sweet, just not really for me. Neither one of us looking for anything serious. Just trying to have a little fun when we discovered that maybe, just maybe we could try this fun thing with each other. She had forgiven me for talking about her, I stopped trying to holla at her friend, this might work for the time being. 

Fall 2007: A situation that could have rocked the foundation of any relationship occurred between us (to be shared at another time) happened. Instead of causing a drift or leading us apart, we were brought closer together. It was then that I realized that I wanted to spend my life with this woman. 

Current day: We are have some of the funniest times together. We have an amazing 2 year old (who forgets he's only 2 sometimes).  And we are happy. Happy in love, happy in life and happy to see what tomorrow will bring. 

But for today, I want to say Happy Birthday to my love!

Toddler Intermission - Church Options

When we go to church, we are usually in the booth. Sometimes, the parentals steer me clear of it, but that doesn’t seem to be normal. Yesterday, though … I got them both. I wanted to go downstairs to the nursery. I’ve done this in the past, but today - I stayed down there. The entire time. I did NOT want to come back upstairs to church! They promised me a park afternoon though, but I still let them know how I did NOT want to come back upstairs to church.

Oh … and we did go to the park! That’s for another day though because I have to tell you about those kids. Whew! Their parentals are setting them up to be followers for SURE! Or maybe I’m just a born leader ;)

The Security of "Securing"...

Greetings,

Once again, we have been blessed to see another day.  Whenever I wake up and thank God for allowing me to open my eyes, I always know, that I have “work” to do.  That “work” could fall in the place of anything, but I know that I always have “work” to do.  

Today I keep running into Security issues - more-so “insecurity”.  If you remember we discussed how we, at Second Baptist Church of Ann Arbor, have been taught that love - real love is broken down as “Understanding”, “Reaching” & “Securing” {based off the scripture John 3:16}

I’ve discussed “understanding” before & I’ll go into “reaching” at some time - trust me, there’s a lot that can be said for each of these “words”.  

One of the biggest issues, I find, when it comes to relationships, is trust.  Most people have a hard time giving of themselves if they don’t trust others.  It’s hard to trust someone when they haven’t “proved” themselves to you.  Most people begin to open up once they’ve established a baseline of how much they trust someone.  To trust someone, you must feel secure that they won’t let you down.  And if they don’t keep your trust, well, insecurity starts to work its way into the fold...

I, personally, look at security from both sides of the coin, if you will.  How secure I am in a relationship AND how can I make others feel secure about their relationship with me.  I can honestly and truthfully say, I am a Happily Married Man.  I feel good knowing that my wife will take care of me in good times and bad, sickness and health, and all that stuff we “vowed” to each other on September 6, 2009, at 6:23 pm (approximately).  I know that she values our relationship and I am not worried about her “not coming home at night”.  I do not have to worry about her “stepping out” on me and my confidence in our relationship is sky high.

On the converse, I also want more opportunities to secure her.  I love being able to “take care” of my family.  A roof over their head, clothes on their backs, an occasional gift to show how much I love and appreciate them.  But I also want them to see that they should not be concerned with me doing things that may cause them to lose their trust in me.  This mentality has helped to keep me out of hot water many times.  

The main principle that I have began to live by is full disclosure.  With that, I do not have to worry about anyone doubting what I am telling them and they have every right to check up on “my story” (Plus lying can get way too complicated way too quickly, and frankly, I don’t have good luck, I would get confused and caught up with my lies, not worth it).  I believe that most people will see me and my wife and they will be able to understand why we love each other like we do.  We are working to teach my son this same way of life and hope and pray that he learns this particular lesson early on.

There is more to come at a later time, and probably in a different angle - we shall see.  But for now, please know, that I am trying to grow as a son, a father, a husband, a friend, a brother, and, most importantly, as a man.  My question is, are you?  

Until next we chit chat...

Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day to all of the women out there. Yes, I mean all. In all of my years, I’ve always felt Mother’s Day was a day to celebrate all of the Mothers in my life. I’m special so God ensured that I had a lot of them surrounding me. I needed it (and still need it) in so many ways. My mothers consisted of a myriad of ladies who touch me in so many ways without even knowing it. They’re the one that just call to say “hi” and my day is that much better just from hearing their voices. They are the ones that know me better than I know myself. They knew before I knew and have already prepared me for what is now happening. They speak life into me, they inspire me, they challenge me … and most of all they love me, they love us. Now that I am a mother, I appreciate them even more, I understand them more than ever, and I love them more than I ever have before. So on today, we just simply want to let all of our mothers know we love you all dearly!

Alex Cross, Run

What’s going oooonnnnn?!

Today, the Table TalkN Review Board is going to look at Alex Cross, Run, by James Patterson.  I just finished this book today and let me say it was exhilarating.  I literally found myself sneaking in moments to read chapters.  The thing, I personally, like about James Patterson’s books are his chapters aren’t “super” long.  Usually 2 pages.  Now, there are a lot of chapters, but I can deal with that if they only last a page or 2.  {It makes it easy to read a chapter while sitting at your desk without someone questioning why you’re not doing anything}.

This book finds our hero, Alex Cross, investigating murders, as expected, but the interesting twist is someone is also investigating him.  Like all Cross’s adventures, the line between professional and personal get blurred real easily, but unlike his books - this is not his fault.  At all.  When the possibility of 3 serial killers running loose on the streets of D.C. make front line news AND someone is messing with Cross’s family - there is bound to be a thrill ride for those tagging along.

The conclusion of the book wasn’t necessarily as expected either, at least for me.  I was looking for the usual “Bad guy goes to jail or dies and the good guy (Cross) rides into the sunset with very little scars or damage”.  NOPE!  They ended this book on a relatively different note.

I have read (or listened) to all of Alex Cross’ books (There are 20), and this one was my 2nd favorite - Roses Are Red being my all time favorite.  Now this may be so high on my list because the last one out, Merry Christmas, Alex Cross, was my least favorite - It really did leave something to be desired - but never-the-less, this book helps to remind me of why I enjoy reading these books so much.
 

So as I rate this book - I give it a solid “A”.  I have grown accustomed to a certain level of writing and suspense from James Patterson when it comes to Alex Cross, and this one delivered as expected.  So until next time readers, remember your pages number - little kids like bookmarks!

Accountability

I love sports.  I have played many of them myself and I can sit back and watch just about any of them on T.V. for a good amount of time.  I can watch the pre-game show, the game, the highlights AND the news coverage of just about any game.  I really don’t have too much of a preference between college and professional.  I just love to watch sports on T.V..  Sometimes though, things will get a little too far behind if that’s all I do.  After dinner, I may sit down and watch the Knicks play for a minute, only to realize that I have dishes to clean and put up, (me and my wife have this deal - whoever does not cook, cleans up.  Since she usually cooks, I usually clean).  I might be in the middle of washing clothes on Saturday afternoon, while sitting down and watch the Wolverines try not to give me high blood pressure, only to get just one load washed, dried and folded, when I have 3 additional loads that need my attention as well.

My wife, rightfully so, will and has called me out about my lack of focus on our household duties and responsibilities.  I take my lumps like a man, but I am very much appreciative of her keeping me on my “P’s & Q’s” on a regular basis.  She doesn’t nag or create a “honey-do” list.  Sometimes she doesn’t even say anything (that’s when I know I better get on my isht and get to it).  But my wife keeping me accountable is something that has helped our marriage in totality.  

This is not just a one sided deal.  I feel, and at times have acted accordingly, that I need to remind her of things as well.  It’s never done maliciously, from either party, but it is done and we both are capable of being adults about it and not get mad because the other had something to say.  The overall goal in our household is to get better, and not stay stagnant.  In our relationship with each other and those outside our household.

The fact remains that many times you get so caught up in your own personal “zone” that you neglect others.  Sometimes, you even neglect your responsibilities.  I have tried to become more diligent about making sure all of my duties/chores are taken care of before I go into my own thing, or at least I plan for accomplishing my duties throughout my own personal enjoyment.  So now, I watch the game, but I know at the commercial breaks, I need to make sure the clothes are not ready for the next stage.  I clean the table before I sit down and relax for the evening.  I may not be perfect, but I do work to make sure I’m getting better.

Table TalkN Interview: My Sister Circle

Good Day All:

Today, we want to introduce you to an organization founded by our dear friend, Kyra Watts. If you don’t know Kyra, we’ll tell you that she is feisty, funny, and full of wit. She is a go-getter and always on the move to make things happen. She has been a great friend to us over the years and just as she supports us, we definitely want to support her in every way we can. In saying that, we want to highlight her organization, My Sister Circle, on today as they embark upon their formal introduction to their local community with their Spring Fundraising Luncheon. As we support her and My Sister Circle, we want to ask that you all (our virtual community) do the same. It’s an awesome, much needed vision that is actually being established. With that, we introduce you to My Sister Circle.

My Sister Circle is a non-profit organization serving women in the Metro Detroit community. Our mission is to provide the resources to encourage healthy relationships between women of all ages; by focusing on the key areas of faith, financial responsibility, education/professionalism, health, community service and self-worth.

This organization was created to serve an undeniable need for better relationships between women. I took the personal experiences I had with various women in my life (including the wife of this blog!!), and I wanted to create the opportunity for young women to be influenced in the same way I was by these relationships. In addition to community based programs created to engage and educate the women in our community, My Sister Circle will also be sponsoring a mentoring program that will host over 15 participants in its first year. The My Sister Circle Mentoring Program (MSC-MP) uses a group approach to mentoring and matches a young women from each of three age groups to an older mentor. The MSC-MP program uses a “reach forward, give back” method to mentoring in order to encourage a higher level of accountability with all participants and to reinforce the concept of each age group being responsible for impacting the lives of the others.

On Saturday May 11, 2013 My Sister Circle will be formally introduced to the Metro Detroit community. We will be hosting our Spring Fundraising Luncheon, at Kara’s House (Banquet Facilities) in Redford, MI. All proceeds raised at this event will go towards fall program planning the sponsorship of participants in the first group of the MSC-MP. If you are interested in purchasing a ticket, feel free to contact me at kwatts@mysistercircle.org.

If you can’t be the change you want to see in the world, support My Sister Circle and help us do it!

We want to stay in touch with you!! Visit our website (www.mysistercircle.org), follow us on Twitter (@mysistercircle), like our page on facebook (My Sister Circle)

Banned for... What?!

Good Day all,

Today I was perusing various articles before I got started on my day and came across one that caught my attention.  The title of the article was “Team Banned for Act of Faith”, look it up when you get a chance.  Now most times (especially on Yahoo) I tend to look at the comments more than I do the article.  They are very telling of the overall climate of the article and act as somewhat a barometer on how people {reading the articles} feel.  This one was no different.

To summarize what took place, a Texas teen, on a 4 x 100 relay team pointed up to heaven after his team had finished the race and qualified for the State Championship.  His entire relay team was banned and will not have another chance to qualify.  That was it.  He didn’t point and laugh at the other opponents, he didn’t do the “throat slashing” motion.  He didn’t flip off the people in the stands.  He simply raised his hand (to his ear) and pointed to the Heaven above.  This act was deemed an act of “Excessive Celebration”.

To this, I say - Horse Pucky.  I would actually use some other words, but it may distract from the point I’m trying to make.  I take many issues with this act of banning the team.  And not just because it was their last time to qualify for state championships.  I feel bad for the guys, all of them.  But I feel worse for this country, because I feel as if we are all too concerned about not offending anyone.

My issues:

1. I am a professing Christian and I believe in giving my God the glory at any and all time.  So for you to say that a person cannot even show even a little bit of an act of faith is ridiculous to say the least.  Are we so concerned that our personal act may (not “will”, not “definitely”, but “may”) offend others that do not believe as you do, that you don’t want to even let a little act like this happen?  What’s next? Suspension or expulsion from your school or job for praying over your food?

2. The constitution.  We can have free speech.  We can have choice of religion.  I guess as long as it doesn’t offend anyone, right? Wait, wait - This is the same constitution that allows the KKK to hold public rallies in a downtown courthouse.  Or people can create grotesque signs and post up outside an abortion clinic, as long as they’re not trespassing.  These rules are left up to interpretation, to be used however and whenever people see fit - manipulating the system for their personal agendas. So why would such a gesture as a finger pointing up to heaven, not even a raised hand, but a finger only raised to his head, that you had to be paying attention to the guy himself to see, be deemed such a demonstrative act that this young man would be vilified?

3. The word “Excessive”.  This word, by definition means more than is necessary, normal or desirable; exorbitant, extreme, unreasonable.  Now, at the risk of sounding like Allen Iverson when he went on about practice, but excessive..? He just raised his hand to his ear. And you call that excessive..? Not stopped the rest of the track meet and made everyone bow, but just raised his hand to his ear: excessive..? Come oooonnn now! excessive..?  He didn’t pull out the bible or start quoting scriptures to all those that didn’t qualify for states; excessive..? I’m just saying, excessive..? That seems a bit extreme to be considered “extreme”.  There are so many other things that could have been considered excessive. But a small act like this. excessive..?

Ok - I’m done, but for real; this is part of the problem with what’s going on in the world today.  I tell my employees all the time, stop worrying about what others are doing and be accountable for yourself.  People need to stop being concerned about what others are doing that does not affect them and just go on living.  I’m the first at my job to witness and testify about what my God has done for me.  Do I ever expect to be called out for it? No.  Am I ready if it does happen? Yes.  So my question is: Are you?

Iron Man 3

Hey, Hey, Hey Good People!

Today, the Table TalkN Review Board looks at Iron Man 3, with Robert Downey Jr representing once again as Tony “Iron Man” Stark.  Like all of Marvel’s movies surrounding their “Avenger Initiative” it’s a banger!  There is no way that I would, in any world, say that this movie was a flop. It was SWEEEEETTT.  

For this movie we focus solely on Tony Stark and his life “after New York”.  {Side note - if you haven’t seen The Avengers movie, I HIGHLY suggest you stop reading this post and go out and buy it NOW!!!!} Back to Iron Man 3.  It’s difficult to have a successful Trilogy based on one character, but somehow Marvel comics have done it.  I will say that they cheated somewhat because they synced this trilogy up with other characters and built an empire of movies around the comics, but they have done it successfully.  To say that they have had seven movies to date, with more to come in the future, and all of them have been blockbusters, is an understatement.  Iron Man 3, is definitely no exception.

Our hero faces struggles that one could only imagine after being involved in such a plight as he went through (being held hostage, having a magnet strapped to his chest to keep his heart from being ravished by shrapnel, facing aliens, working with a loud angry black man with an eye patch).  He attempts a normal (for a billionaire superhero) life, only to become drawn in more by what he has created.  This movie was great, period.

There was one item that pissed me off royally when it came to the movie, and I’m not even, what you would call, a comic book purist.  But for any of you that know the comics, you’ll know how bad this moment is when you see it - NO! I won’t ruin it for anyone.  But just know, for this to happen and for me to still rate it as high as I did - means the movie was pretty frickin’ AWESOME!!!

So my score for this movie - It’s an “A -“  A high “A -” but an “A -” never the less.  I gave it that grade because (1) The pissed off situation & (2) my wife said she would leave me for Iron Man {not Tony Stark, just Iron Man - crazy lady...}

So until next time - Remember keep the lights low & the cell phones on vibrate...

Table TalkN Review Board Out!

Love Song Jams

Today’s music sucks! That’s right I said it - I do not like it, for the most part.  There are exceptions to the rule and there are some artist in which I can really dig.  But for the most part, I am not a fan when it comes to the youngin’s that are making the music nowadays.  I’m 37 and proud and my wife has an “old soul” when it comes to her musical tastes, so it’s no real surprise when we both criticize the songs being played on the radio.

To me, my favorite jams, especially when it comes to R&B, occurred in the 90’s.  My high school and college years were filled with hits from Jodeci (Forever my Lady) to Jagged Edge (Gotta Be).  TLC (Creep) to SWV (You’re Always On My Mind).  And who can forget Luther?!  Wifey - she’s a Temptations, Earth Wind & Fire kind of lady.

Don’t get me wrong - I love “Golden Oldies”: Lionel Richie (with AND without the Commodores), Jeffrey Osborne (again, both solo and with LTD), and of course, my all time favorite artist, Stevie Wonder.

So, now that you have a little insight into my musical tastes, allow me to share with you, my Top 10 favorite Slow Jams:

10. One Last Cry - Brian McKnight

9.  Right Here Waiting - Richard Marx

8. Someone To Love - Jon B Feat Babyface

7. Fine Time - SWV

6. Kissing You - Keith Washington

5. U & I - Jodeci

4. You Should Be Mine - Jeffrey Osborne

3.  Sign Your Name - Terence Trent D’Arby

2. Gotta Be - Jagged Edge

1. A Ribbon in the Sky - Stevie Wonder

This is only 10, and trust me, there are SOOOOOO many that I wanted to include, but I only have a little bit of time.

SO now that you know what I would put on one of my slow jam tapes (I do have many), what about you? What are your favorite songs?