Best of '09: Conference

As the year comes to a close, it is certainly a time when I find myself reflecting on the year. As I mentioned in my Thanksgiving post, I have so much to be thankful because this has been an amazing year. Imagine my delight when I found Gwen Bell's Best of 2009 challenge. This is so much fun, and I cannot wait to get started.

December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?

In May 2009, I joined my mother at the Harmonic Wealth Weekend facilitated by James Arthur Ray. During those few days, I was reminded of not only the unlimited possibilities of what I can accomplish but also my ability to do so. It was certainly an eye-opening experience.

Gotta Love NY: Alicia Keys Concert

Now there are only a few things that I will go absolutely gaga over. Alicia Keys is on that very short list…and tonight, I went absolutely gaga.

After paying an inflated price for a ticket and a few hours standing in the cold, I do have to say that it was sooo worth it. In honor of Worlds AIDS Day, Alicia Keys had a concert at the Nokia Theater right in the middle of Times Square. Not even knowing exactly where the entrance was, I saw a line and just got on it. Imagine a random line of people forming right in the middle of Times Square. (It’s actually not as random as one might think.) Thankfully, my punctuality and patience paid off with a spot right by the stage.

A. Keys certainly gave us a show. She did some old, some new; some of our favorites that we fall in love with every time: “Fallin’” and “You Don’t Know My Name” NEVER get old. Of course, she did the ones that get the crowd going: “No One” and “Superwoman,” which has been a HUGE inspiration to me, when I was unmotivated to go to work (back at my other job), whenever I had writer’s block, or just whenever I need a boost in spirits. And the grand finale…it should be no surprise that she did “Empire State of Mind” at a NY performance. However, for her to bring Jay Z on stage was one of those things that was certainly hoped for but not fully believed until he actually came out on stage. Right before starting her other version of “Empire State of Mind” A. Keys kept saying “Are yall ready?” “Does this feel like the perfect time to you?”So we knew something was coming, and of course we all guessed it, but when she switched over to the original version of “Empire State of Mind” and Jay Z swaggered his way onto the stage, the crowd LOST it. I’m not one to scream like a crazed fan, but a scream somehow escaped my body, and I immediately broke out in a sweat. The energy was crazy as we all sang the ode to our city.

A show like that definitely gives you a burst of inspiration and leaves you on a high.

And THAT is why I LOVE New York!

Here are a few pics from when I saw her last week at The Today Show (an early morning adventure):

When I couldn't get a clear shot, I improvised.

It's only right that I leave you with this:

'Tis the Season to be Thankful Pt. 2

Although I started out with good intentions, I have to admit that my last post had a bit of a sour tone. And that is not the tone I want to leave you with on this day of Thanksgiving. Like I mentioned on Pt. 1, my journey has been an interesting one. Whether it was an up or down point, some things have remained consistent, and I am thankful for them:

-my family, who goes above and beyond to take care of each other's needs
-my friends, who each hold a very specific place in my heart
-each and every person who has contributed to my life and the person I am today; and everyone who continues to support me

Over the last year, I have been blessed beyond my own imagination:

-a successful year of Her Journey Magazine- a feeling and experience that I still have fully absorbed
-a new job that just feels like the right piece to the puzzle- I am happy, and I thoroughly enjoy the people I work with

I have been blessed tremendously at every point of my life. My heart is so full of gratitude, and the best way for me to express it is to share the wealth of blessings. 'Tis also the season for giving!

I'm off to my church for our annual Feeding of the 5000.

Happy Thanksgiving!

'Tis the Season to be Thankful

Even though we have something to be thankful for every day of the year, something about this time of the year makes us just that more appreciative of the blessings in our lives. With the end of the year and the new year approaching, I got to thinking and reflecting, and I realized the shift that my life has taken.

This time last year, I was unemployed. That combined with the financial reality of entrepreneurship sinking in and the approaching holiday season, it was certainly a trying period in my life.

Two years ago, I was fighting to get home from school on my last dime on Thanksgiving Day.

Three years ago, I was mourning the loss of my grandmother and wishing she was here to celebrate the holidays with us.

Five years ago, I was in an unhealthy relationship, and combined with a challenging school semester, the journey home felt like a long one.

Seven years ago, I lost my grandfather, which certainly caused a shift if my family dynamic.

I share all of these not to whine about my life, but I am happy to share them because this holiday season, how many ever years later, I stand stronger. I made it through those seasons, and I’m thankful for that. I’m also thankful because I know I’ll make it through whatever season I may be growing through now.

One of the absolute best ways to show true appreciation for your blessings is to be a blessing to someone else. ‘Tis also the season for giving!

Going to New Heights: A Helicopter Tour

Since seeing Jasmine and Aladdin’s magic carpet ride, I’ve wished for my own way to transcend the physical limitations of gravity. While commercial flying is one of my favorite pastimes, there is something even more extraordinary about the way smaller aircrafts maneuver through the sky like birds. With my mother’s desire to see NYC from a bird’s eye view and my growing fascination with helicopters, a Liberty Helicopter Sightseeing Tour was the perfect opportunity to make both of our dreams come true.

The anticipation that built as we watched the helicopters taking off and landing was inescapable. We were so close but yet it still felt unreal. Walking up to the chopper with the excited danger of the blades circling only a few feet over head was only as familiar as what I had witnessed on TV, but it did grant me a glimpse into the lives of those ballers who hop in their helis to go from location to location.

As if I hadn’t already thought the New York City skyline was great, seeing it from a bird’s eye view certainly added a splash of amazing to the concrete jungle. Gliding along the Hudson River (where the miraculous landing took place) almost felt like a ride in any other plane at first; UNTIL the pilot turned the helicopter around, which felt like we were in a fighter jet showing off a fancy flying pattern. The view down the Hudson was magnificent.

Circling Lady Liberty, soaring right above the rush hour traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge, all with the golden hue of the sunset was a breathtaking experience. (A whole new world would have been the perfect accompaniment; or that song from Reading Rainbow)

And the pilot gets two bonus points for a landing so much smoother than that of a commercial plane. He perfectly positioned the aircraft as if playing a video game and gently perched it down onto the landing pad.

Although there are a number of options, I would certainly recommend Liberty Tours. Everyone was pleasant each step of the way and genuinely encouraging of our helicopter experience. (City Sights NY also offers some great package deals that include bus tours as well as boat tours, but Liberty Tours offers a $15 online discount.)

Life to do list: fly in a helicopter. Check!

My (Ever Growing) Life To Do List

• be a waitress DONE
  
• start a blog DONE
  
• go skinny dipping
• sky diving
• fly in a helicopter DONE
  
• ride a horse
• ride an elephant
• ride a camel
• swim with the dolphins
• ride mechanical bull DONE
  
• ride a motorcycle DONE
  
• visit every continent
• Brazil, Dubai, New Orleans, Chicago, Turks and Caicos, Australia
• meet:
• -President Obama
  
• -Alicia Keys
• -Russell Simmons
• -Diddy
• -B. Smith
• -Queen Latifah DONE
  
• trapeze
• shooting range DONE
  
• learn another language doing
  
• learn American Sign Language doing
  

This is the abbreviated version as of right now, and it will continue to evolve very regularly.