Friendship and Fire

I had a post all written and ready to post Friday morning.  I don't know why but something told me to hold off on posting it.  I've been doing a much better job of following my instincts , so I waited.  I didn't know it then but in less than 24 hours, I would be hearing something that would affect me deeply. 

A friend's house caught fire on Thursday.  Everything happened very fast.  One minute someone was cooking and the next thing you know the  kitchen was on fire.  The house  filled with smoke.   It took approximately 15 minutes for everything to be consumed by fire.  What the fire didn't destroy was destroyed by either smoke or water.  Everyone inside the home made it out safely.  That is the most important thing.  EVERYONE made it out the house safely.

 A similar situation happened at my neighbors house in 2009.  She was outside talking to a friend and went in the house to cook dinner.  A kitchen fire.  Two people inside the house made it out safely.  Two people did not.  The neighbors did everything they could to get them out but the smoke was too thick and the fire was too hot.

Saturday morning I was supposed to go to a meeting for Fire Department Volunteers but I decided to go to this other meeting instead.  That's where I learned about the fire.  I made a mental note to call my friend after the meeting to see what she needed me to do.  I didn't make that call.  My friend showed up to the meeting because she had invited a friend to speak to the group and she wanted to be supportive.  Less than 48 hours after  the fire, she's thinking about others. 

When she walked into the meeting, people immediately gathered around her to hug her and see for themselves that she was all right.  I was not one of those people.  I was entirely too emotional to talk to her right then.  My eyes had filled with tears.  I didn't want to start crying and upset her so I decided to wait until the end of the meeting for my hug.

The guest speaker was excellent.  She said some really powerful and moving things that really got me to thinking.  By the time she finished, I had made up my mind that I was going to give my friend my dining room table and chairs to go along with the beds the speaker was donating to her.  I wasn't the only one who decided to give something more.  The outpouring of love and support for her was great.  I could feel it in the air.

There's a saying that you find out who your real friends are when bad things happen.  My friend is going to be all right.  Not because her friends and family are giving her material things to replace what was lost in the fire but because she and her family made it safely out the house AND she is blessed with friends and family that truly care about her. 

There's also a saying that you get what you deserve.  My friend is getting exactly what she deserves.  She has a reputation for thinking about others, being supportive to her friends, and helping those in need.  I posted on my blog about a week before this fire happened that I had much love for this woman and that I hope I could be as good a friend to her as she's been to me.  This is my time to step up and show that I meant what I said.  That's what real friendship is about.  

Please check your smoke detector batteries.  There should be a smoke detector on each floor of your home.  Many states have programs that give families free smoke detectors and/or batteries.  It only takes a few minutes and it could be the difference between life and death.  Be safe.

Thanks for reading.

April

Reviews, Regrets, and Resolutions

Happy New Year everybody!  

Overall, 2012 was an awesome year.  So many good things happened for me, my family, and my friends.  I don't have enough room or time to tell all the good things but some of the major things that happened for me are I was inspired to write a novel.  Inspiration soon turned into frustration but I regrouped and turned a negative into a positive.  

I discovered I'm a much better short story writer than novelist.  My novel is now a collection of short stories.  I've shared a couple of the stories I plan to use in Un-Sociable with a few friends and received so much positive feedback and encouragement.  I also received tons of excellent advice that has saved me time and money from the Motown Writer's Network.   

I've found a real friend in Sylvia Hubbard, the founder.  She is a wonderful person, lots of fun, and full of useful information that she generously shares with me and others.  In case you can't tell, I have much love for this sister.  I hope I can be as good of friend to her as she's been to me.  

I've also worked with some of the best filmmakers, actors, actresses, and musicians in Detroit (and possibly the world) this past year.  There is talent all around me and I'm extremely grateful to be able to connect with these people on a regular basis.  The projects that I participated in were exceptional.  I plan to share them as the year progresses and they are available to be shared. 

I spread myself a little too thin in 2012.  I let it affect my health, my finances, and my friendships.  Running all over town trying to do everything had me making poor choices.  I ate way too much fast food and filled myself up with junk food like chips, pretzels, candy, cookies, etc.  I was tired all the time due to a lack of proper sleep and rest.  I had a couple of colds that really broke me down and lingered far longer than they would have had I taken better care of myself.   

I spent a lot more money on restaurants, coffee, and snack foods than I should have.  Not to mention burning up a whole lot of gas at over $3.00 per gallon.   

I put off calling people, making plans, and just hanging out with my friends because I was doing something that seemed truly important at the time but I can barely remember doing now.  I was short tempered and cranky at times because of my poor time management skills and lack of sleep.  Fortunately,  my friends didn't take my bad attitude personally and continued to remain friends with me.  

I don't make New Year's Resolutions but I started doing some things towards the end of 2012 that I'm going to continue doing.  I've been eating more fruits and vegetables, cooking with different spices and seasonings, learning new techniques and tips, and improving my food photography.   

In addition to food photography, I'm more committed to taking photos.  I'm on a mission to take a photo everyday this year.  I am taking my camera with me almost everywhere I go.  Inspiration and beauty are everywhere and I'm going to try to capture as much as I can.

I'm currently working on a short film project with a friend.  It has a lot of potential and I know so much more about the whole film making process compared to a year ago.   I learned more about directing and camera last year.  I will be directing this year and hopefully I will be brave enough to get behind the camera by the end of 2013. 

Even if it all doesn't work out the way I want, at least I will have tried and I will learn from the experience. 

Thanks for reading and best wishes for the New Year.    

Please leave a comment and share with a friend.  

April

There are no photos in this post because I'm having trouble getting the photos to upload.  :-(

My Little Guy

November 9, 2002 is another day I remember extremely well.  That is the day my youngest son was born.  He was 5 1/2 weeks early.  It wasn't easy getting him here.  He almost didn't make it.  

Five pounds, three ounces and 18 inches long.  He was so small, but that was a good size for a preemie.  They said they were going to observe him for four hours because he was so small.  They took him away after I held him for a few minutes.  I thought they would be bringing him back to me and I fell asleep.  (Giving birth is hard work, it was almost 3 o'clock am, I was extremely tired.)

He ended up staying in the NICU for 10 days.  My little guy had a tubes and wires connected to him.  He was so fragile.  I was up there with him as much as possible.  His lungs developed but so did jaundice.  He had to be under the lights.  I went back and forth to the hospital.  

Finally, the day came when I could take him home.  The newborn outfit I brought for him to wear was too big.  I was so happy to bring him home, I didn't care.  Everything was too big.  Somebody bought him some preemie outfits.  They fit perfectly.  

He was small for his age but that was all.  No Down's Syndrome.  No Spina Bifida.  No Thalassemia.  My baby boy was healthy.  He grew and developed like any other child.  He rolled over, sat up, crawled, walked, talked, etc. just like his brother had.   

The next thing I knew, he wasn't a baby anymore.  He was going to school, playing sports, and taking music lessons.  He was a big boy.

He's ten years old now.  Time flies by quickly.  The next ten years will pass by quicker than the first ten.  Then he will have a girlfriend, a high school diploma, a college degree, a wife, and a family of his own.  But for now, he's still my little guy and I'm the number one lady in his life.  I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.

Happy Birthday Son.  

I love you even more today than I did then.  

Mom

My Eldest

September 25, 1989 is a day I can remember like it was yesterday instead of 23 years ago.  That is the day I gave birth to my first child and eldest son.  He was 22 inches long and weighed 8 lbs 1 oz.  He was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. 

He grew up so fast.  It seemed like one day he was totally helpless and the next he  was rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking, talking, etc.  Then he wasn't a baby anymore.  

He's a grown man now. 

Happy Birthday Son.  

I love you even more today than I did then.  

Mom

Summer Movies, School, and a Singer

This summer I saw four movies.  The movies I saw were The Avengers, Something from Nothing: the Art of Rap, Brave, and Sparkle.  I didn't want to see any of the other movies that came out this summer.  The only movie that any of my friends talked about was The Dark Knight.  People liked it,  but no one said anything about it that made me interested in seeing it. 

I'm usually trying to get to the movies on opening weekend and the first to give my opinion on a film.  This summer I was uninspired.  I was excited about Sparkle but when it came time to give my opinion, I couldn't give it an exciting recommendation.  I really enjoyed Something from Nothing.  Most people I know didn't see it, despite my enthusiastic support for it.  It was the best movie I saw this summer.

Tuesday was the first day of school for my little guy.   He's in the 5th grade now.  We had a problem the first day with his school bus but after explaining the situation to a few people I was able to get it resolved.  Tonight is curriculum night.  I'll go to the school, meet his teachers and get more information than I ever wanted about the 5th grade school year. 

 I don't think my little guy will have any real problems with school this year.  He's a great student.  He takes his school work seriously and enjoys getting good grades.  He's also going to be taking swim lessons starting this Saturday and he'll still be in martial arts.  I'm considering re-enrolling him in music lessons.  He started playing the guitar at age 5 and he was pretty good at it.  There's just so much to learn and his schedule is full.  We have to make some choices. 

Saturday, I was being supportive and went to Jazz & Jokes.  My cousin Erica is always inviting me to something and I try to make it to most of the time.  I messed up with the Sparkle fundraiser by fooling around getting my ticket, so it was sold out and I missed it.  This time I got my ticket early and online.  It was a good thing I did.  Jazz & Jokes sold out too. 

It was such a nice event.  I am so glad we went.  J.D. "The Smile Hustler" was the host.  He was funny and so were the featured comedians The Real Shortie and Shaun Showtime.    Alesha Nicole was the musical performer. 

This was my second time seeing her.  She was a guest on Red Remote (watch it live on Wednesdays at 8 pm on www.UDetroit.com).  She was very entertaining.  She reminds me of my Niecy Pooh Pooh because she sings, plays keyboard and plays the guitar.  A very talented young lady. 

Thank you for allowing me to share. 

Please leave a comment and share with your friends.

April

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Birthdays, Bookies, and BBQ

This Wednesday we celebrated Carlos' birthday on Red Remote.  Red Remote is a weekly live stream entertainment show.  I am an associate producer.  We broadcast live Wednesdays at 8 pm from UDetroit Cafe in downtown Detroit.  You can watch it stream live at UDetroit.com or on Ustream.com and search for Red Remote. 

I was still feeling a little under the weather but I wasn't going to miss Los the Host's birthday for anything.  I didn't have a chance to go shopping but there were some stray slices of pound cake from Simply Divine sitting around begging to be given away.  I put them in a Chipotle brown paper bag, grabbed my camera and headed downtown.

We had a  great line up of musicians, singers, and comedians scheduled.  The place was packed.  The bar was busy, the music was jammin', and the comedians had us cracking up.  Dionne has set the bar.  I can't wait to see what she pulls out for Ashley Elise's birthday! 

The Bookie (pronounced Boo Key, not Book ee) is always talking about birthday parties.  He just turned 3 in June and had a birthday party.  Then he was here for The Girl's surprise party in July and 2 weeks ago he went to our little cousin's 1st birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.  To make matters worse, we still have a lot of the remainders of The Girl's party still decorating the house, so when Bookie comes over he sees them.  

He loves birthday parties because he associates them with cupcakes.  When I made the coconut lime cupcakes he started singing happy birthday as soon as he saw them.  He's a smart guy, he knows you don't get to eat the cupcakes until after you sing happy birthday. 

We didn't have any cupcakes or sweets for him when he came over this week so he had to be distracted by going outside to play.  The kids were washing the van and of course he got wet.  It was really hot outside so that was okay.  Bookie took a couple of shots straight to the face.  He handled it like a pro.  He wiped his eyes and kept on playing. 

The last thing I want to mention is BBQ.  This summer I haven't had nearly as much BBQ as I would have liked.  I don't know why, but my intention is to fire up the grill and throw a couple of burgers, chicken breast, and maybe a steak on the fire. 

I've never ever did the grilling before.  I never had to do it.  This will be my first time.  I'm not worried about it though, I watch a lot of food network and I've been to hundreds of BBQ's over the years.  I'm a grown woman.  I can do this!

These aren't my grills and this isn't my house, but it what I'd like

Have a safe and enjoyable holiday.  Thank you for allowing me to share with you. 

Please leave a comment and share with your friends.

April

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Sinus Problems, Rehearsals, and Concerts

This is going to be a short post.  I haven't been feeling well this week.  It started out simple enough with a stuffy nose and some sneezing.  I was feeling dizzy, running a fever, and actually having a little trouble breathing.  I drank lots of fluids, took some medicine, and managed to get myself dressed everyday and eat a little food. 

I didn't do anything worth posting until today.  I dragged myself out of the house for rehearsal with the cast of City Girls.  I am so excited about my project.  This was the first rehearsal with the entire cast.  It has been hard getting our schedules coordinated but finally having everybody there all at once was a blessing.  Charles is an extra special blessing.  Thank you for opening your home to us and for watching all the kids! 

I missed Kem's Mack and Third concert today.  I wanted to be there but I just couldn't get it together.  Frankie Beverly and Maze joined him for this free concert to benefit area homeless shelters and food banks.  Homelessness is a growing problem in our country and winter will be here before we know it.  I made a donation online at mackandthird.org  and I'm encouraging you to do the same.  It doesn't take very much to make a difference. 

Thank you for allowing me to share a part of my world with you.  
Please leave a comment and share with your friends.

April

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