Things to Do in Atlanta

This idea came to me the NIGHT before social media began. Literally! I went to bed Saturday evening and said to myself, "I can't wait to write this up tomorrow" and when I got to church the next morning, Mama Seed told me what was on the prayer card and what we were fasting from - Social Media - I said to myself, "Are you for real?!!? I have to wait a WHOLE week to write this blog?!!?"

Anyway, here we are, a week later and I lived :) Then, an amazing thing happened on Saturday - I rode MARTA for the first time! It was sooo super exciting too! I went to FSO with Bridgette and Atiya and to avoid traffic and paying stupid money for parking, we decided to take MARTA. We met at Atiya's place and rode the train down. I lived in LI for a summer and my Aunt and cousins have lived in LI for all my life, in addition to many trips to visit Yudes in NYC so I've rode the subway before but this was different. And it was a lot of fun! It's nothing like the NYC Subway system (thank Lord) but something I could get used to!

So, this leads me to my LIST .. I've been in the A for 2 years - hard to believe right?!?! - and haven't done anything really Atlanta-ish. I want people to come visit me but other than seeing me, what are we going to do!? What are we going to see?! I know all the stuff EVERYONE knows - The World of Coke, Aquarium (went with Skylar - awesome!!!), GA Dome, etc. - but I want to know all the stuff that only people who KNOW Atlanta know. And I'm starting to know some stuff but because of my stuff job in retail (ughhhhhhh) I can't ever plan to do anything fun! :(

Here's my challenge to YOU, all of my fellow readers: send me all the Atlanta things I just HAVE to do. I won't put any limitations on it except to say I don't like animals so the zoo probably isn't going to make the list of places I'm going to try and I don't like rollercoasters so Six Flags is probably out as well, unless you know of some visitors pass (I enjoy going to hang out with people - I'm an excellent purse/bag holder and picture taker!). Not saying I'm going to do EVERYTHING, but I'm definitely going to give everything some good thought - this is a year of trying new things, WHY NOT?!!? Oh, and if you know of any good food places, send them my way - you know I love me some food!

Last thing - feel free to email, facebook, twitter, text, whatever you need to do to get your suggestion to me if you don't have an account to post your comment on here :) Thanks in advance!

Smooches,
S

Fasting from Social Media

I took a week off of Facebook and Twitter last week as part of Impact's 40 Days of Prayer. I'm a little bit upset with myself that this was the first one that I truly committed myself to but I think I learned a lot from this one week. And I definitely grew a lot from this experience. It wasn't as hard as I originally thought it would be. When I'm out and about and bored, fb and twitter keep me occupied and that's where I thought it would be hardest, so I deleted the apps from my phone immediately - no need to be tempted, right?! I had plenty of work to do at home so that wasn't a problem either. After the first few days, it wasn't that bad. It got bad towards the end of the week .. especially when I needed to get in touch with a friend who's phone was stolen and fb was the only way I could get in touch with her. I'm kinda over fb for now, we'll see how that progresses. I was never really obsessed with Twitter (there were definitely times I was OBSESSED with fb!!), I like reading people tweets and RT-ing things but I don't tweet that much. Either way, it was a great experience and I'm glad I did it :)

30 Things A Woman Should Do Before 30...

I realize the point of a blog is to write your own stuff but this list was just tooooo good not to post. So, here is the disclaimer - I did NOT write this!!! But, I did make notes next to them so you can see the progress I am making! :)

1. Have a passport - Thanks to my parents I've had a passport since I was quite young!
2. Have at least 1 international stamp on your CURRENT passport. (Excluding the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico) - I have all of those plus France, thanks to marching band in high school. And I plan on getting a lot more!
3. Have a checking AND savings account- both in good standing. - I have both accounts and neither of them are ever in the negative .. that means they are in good standing, right?! ;)
4. Have a playbook (or strategic plan) for your life. 1/5/10 year growth plan to include finances, family, faith, dreams. - Definitely a work in progress. I have some plans!
5. Have a “Happy Place” list- all things/places which enhance your life.
6. Attend a VIP event as a guest.
7. Donate TIME to help a charity.
8. Have a MENTOR for “work” stuff.
9. Have a MENTOR for “life” stuff.
10. Have at least ONE mentee. (Each one reach one).
11. Have a therapist on speed dial.
12. Have a Fab-Five: 5 good friends who don’t let you slide with bs, and who keep you in check AND have your best interest at heart. - Figuring this out more and more, day by day.
13. Be able to look in the mirror and be “OK” with who looks back. - I can honestly say YES!!! This just happened within the last year but it happened!!! :)
14. Have an HIV test. POW!
15. Have an ANNUAL pap smear. - Done and DONE. Since I was 14. Thanks Mama Ross!
16. Have an oral exam.
17. Read the entire Bible (I suggest a focus on proverbs’ life lessons because they have a different meaning during this “next” phase of life). - Since joining !mpact, this has become more important to me and WILL be done before I turn 30.
18. Buy “The Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers.
19. Forgive yourself for “it” (whatever “it” is). Lighten up on yourself. Life is short… Have fun. - Starting to get better at this. Some things are easier than others but I'm not holding on to EVERYTHING like I used to...
20. Do something extreme (sky diving, zip lining, surfing, etc). - I went on the motorcycle ride, I'm planning on getting a tattoo soon, going ziplining - it's like I'm a whole new person! lol ;)
21. Review your schedule and make sure you have “me-time” EVERY week.
22. Make a vision board. - Just got the board and can't WAIT to finally do it!
23. Send a note to a friend (handwritten, not #Twitter ). - yep! And it makes their day, which then makes my day!
24. BUY some high quality stationary.
25. Treat yourself to a 5-star meal.
26. Go to a Broadway or Off-Broadway musical/play.
27. Spend the night at a 4-5 star hotel. - Thanks to my sister, Adrie, sure have!!!
28. Take a Spa Trip to Sedona (or anywhere in AZ actually).
29. Have a meeting/meal with a politician. - In high school, sure did!
30. Hug yourself, and MEAN it. - Literally? Yep, who doesn't love a good hug?!

What are some of the other things you think women should do by 30?

So, that's 11 with 4 in progress .. so I'm only half way thru with less than 2 years to go. Um, I need to get my bootie in gear!!! Ready .. Set .. GOOOOOO!

Love and smooches,

S

27 going on 28

As I close the book on 27 and look to 28, I decided to take a look back on everything that has happened and make a few goals for what I'd like to happen during my 28th year of life!

So, let's recap 27:
- Spent a full year in Atlanta (wahoo!) and loved it! I've got a close group of friends, a church that I love, and it's starting to feel like home :)
- I've started my own business! After taking part in 3 weddings and taking into account my love of my professional calling, it only seemed natural. It's in the very beginning stages but more of this will come in the goals section below :)
- I've continued to watch my niece grow into a smart, healthy little person. She is truly the most important person in my life and I would do ANYTHING for her!
- Ended friendships with people who, I promise you, I thought I would be friends with my entire life. Some were intentional, some were life related but truth to the matter is, everyone can't come along for the ride.
- Developed deeper friendships with people who WANT to come along for the ride!!!
- I realized that life is fragile .. within the span of 2 months, my dad had quadruple bypass surgery and my cousin's husband passed away from cancer. Tomorrow isn't promised, yet people act like it is (myself included sometimes).
- Became a praying person. I joined a connection group at my church (Teach Me to Pray) and along with meeting some of the best people ever, I became closer to God and learned a lot about myself and how to grow my relationship with God.
- Going along with life being fragile, I started working out and trying to become a healthier person. I am by no means a health nut - I love me some McDs, carbs, and chocolate! - but everything in moderation and I try to go to the gym 5 days a week. I get a high from going to the gym now .. it's awesome!! And the confidence that I now have is awesome too!

Here's what's to come in Stacy's 28th Year on Earth:
- Become closer to God. I became an Impactor at Impact this past weekend and I don't want it to become just a title that I got some weekend in July. I want it to mean something. And for it to mean something I need to stay active at Impact and continue to grow my relationship with God. The first thing I am going to do is get me a Bible and then I am going to really read it and UNDERSTAND it!
- Continue to weed out the people who are NOT on my side and ready to win with me. I don't have time for people who are not ready to go straight to the top with me because that is exactly where I am going!
- Grow my business! I have a logo. By Friday, I will have business cards. Hopefully by September, I will have a working website. Hopefully by November, I will have clients lined up and events planned. I am done putting my God-given talents to waste!!!
- Conquering fears!!! I only have 2 on the list so far but give me time and plenty more will be added!!! I am going to ride a motorcycle (thanks Joshua!) and get a tattoo (thanks Marques!). I also plan on continuing to living in today .. life is too short. I'm still sooo scared of rejection but I'm getting better with that!
- Continue working out and being healthy! That's self-explanatory. But, when I go off track not to go sooooooooo off track that it takes forever to get back on track!
- Experience Atlanta .. I've been here for 2 years and still haven't really experienced it! When airline tickets go down and people come visit, I want to be able to know about Atlanta and take people to all the fun places. Soooo, all you Atlantiens, let me know where I need to go and what I need to do to know all about Atlanta! I would also like to not use my Garmin as much, but let's be real, that's not going to happen!
- Take more time for me :)
- Volunteer more and give back
- Save for my house but still enjoy life!!!

What do you think? I'm sure more will come to .. shoot, if they don't then I should add THINKING to my list, right?!!? :)

Smooches,
S

Extreme Couponing

I've made all these comments before but this is how I feel about this show...

- These people have no lives. I don't care what ANY of them say. There is NO way they can clip, search and print that many coupons and still have any type of life. And by life I mean job, family, social, hobbies, ANYTHING.
- Sure, they save money on groceries but how much money do they spend on printer paper and ink cartridges? And newspapers - one woman said she spent over $2000 a year on newspapers! That is RIDICULOUS! Just for some coupons!
- And let's talk about WHAT they are buying: I've seen 1 person on all of the shows purchase something (singular) from the produce department and 1 person purchase something from the meat department. EVERYTHING else is processed or frozen. Now I love a frozen dinner and boxed taters as much as the next person, especially after working a long day, and I wouldn't expect a parent of 4 or 5 kids to cook a fresh meal every day but COME ON!
- Stockpiles ... their stockpiles are CRAZY! One lady said she needed to find another use for toothpaste. I'll tell you another use - donate it! orrrrr, leave it on the shelf. Just because you have a coupon doesn't mean you should buy it. I don't care if it's free. Give it to someone less fortunate. A lot of the stuff that these people are purchasing have expiration dates (very far out expiration dates thanks to preservatives - yeck) yet they still purchase it even though their family could never eat it before it expires. WASTEFUL!
- Which brings me to a bright spot of this show: donations. I believe there were 2 people who made donations to their church and the Army and 1 woman who purchased for her grandmother who lived on a fixed income (but she was a biotch to her husband). That's a nice way to use your craft. Unlike the twins who purchased diapers just because they had coupons and they were on sale yet they don't have kids. (Side note: I'm all about getting things you don't need because they are free but why wouldn't you donate them? Do you know how many babies DON'T have diapers?!?!)
- When stockpiles take over ... it's time to stop. There was one family whose stockpile was taking over their house and was in every room, including their kids' bedrooms and under their beds. Are you kidding me?! It's gotten out of control at that point. One woman had to keep packing up her stuff and sending it to her ex-husband's house (yes, EX-husband) to make room for her stockpile. I mean really ... you'd rather be without your belongs just so you can have 96 bottles of laundry detergent that you got for free?!

Okay I'm done ... but let's be real. TLC knows what's up because they got people talking about their show and better yet WATCHING it. As much as it annoys the crap out of me, I continue to tune in every week to see the "BIGGEST HAUL YET" .. and every week I am even more annoyed and wanna punch someone!

I love coupons. I love saving money. I have OCD and def am type A personality. I hoard things (but hoarding is unhealthy - don't do it!). But I couldn't be an extreme couponer. And I WANT to!

Smooches,
S

Counting My Blessings

I was given a homework assignment this week in church (I think it was the first time, I actually welcomed homework!) to count my blessings, praise God, and then consider my generosity level towards God.
So, here's a stab at COUNT MY BLESSINGS:

• My family, who continue to support me through this crazy phase in my life
• I keep waking up ... God continues to waking me up on a daily basis. Nothing is guaranteed but I continue to wake up to see the sun shine!
  
• I have a job. It's not one that I want but with the economy the way it is, I'm thankful.
• I have a roof over my head, food to eat, and clothes on my back (nothing really updated since I'm on a very strict budget but still clothes!)
• My friends ... I have the craziest, funniest, bestest, most caring, most loving, fun to be around friends on the face of this planet. God allows us to get together when we can (it's not enough but I take what I can get) and God has brought me some beautiful friends down in Atlanta.
• My church ... I spent the better part of my life trying to avoid doing homework, yet here I am DOING HOMEWORK, what more is there to say? I go to church every single week and feel like the message is being spoken to ME, I feel like God is speaking to ME. Now THAT'S something special!
• I'm doing what I love and making contacts ... almost every week at church and very often with a PR/Events company. That just means positive things are coming for me...

That's a pretty good list of things to be thankful for. Now, I'm going to praise God because He continues to bless me, because He continues to believe in ME, and because He thinks I'm awesome. And if God thinks I'm awesome, who am I to not believe Him?!?!?!?

Smooches,
S

I was BORN to do this!

Sports are a big part of my life ... if you know ANYTHING about me, you certainly know this! A phrase that is thrown around a lot is "I was born to do this" and at the professional level, it is evident. As much as I hate him, Brett Favre was born to play football; that is his calling and he is GREAT at it (he could use some help in the respecting of the game but that's a different topic for a different blog). Even at the college level, some of my bestest friends believed they were born to play the game of basketball.

I never had that calling. My calling is in event planning, management, and execution. I was born to do it. Just like Rocko needed to shoot hoops every single day, I need to be planning SOMETHING on a daily basis. It's not just something I enjoy doing (but I DO enjoy doing it) ... I have to do it. I am a much happier person when I am doing it. I'm happy on Sundays not just because I'm spending time with my church and God but also because I'm usually producing service. Some of the few times I'm happy at the BRU is when I'm playing with the babies AND when I'm getting ready for their "events". Yes, I use " " because THEY call them events but they are a joke. BUT, I still get to "plan" them and I still get to enjoy planning them :)

I like being busy ... people doing events are busy. I like making lists and crossing things off my list. Event planners are outspoken and do what they have to do to get what their client needs (if that doesn't describe me to a T, I'm not sure what does!!!).

Some people were born to play football. Some people were born to be moms. Some people were born to teach (and thank God for them!). Some people were born to fix electronics (and really, THANK GOD for them!!!). I was born to plan, manage, and execute events. Watch out world!!!

Smooches,
S