The case of the missing passport

It was all good just a week ago… well more like 2. I went to my drawer where I’ve kept my passport since I’ve moved back to New York in 2008, to enter in my passport information online for my cruise (5 more days yay!!!) and I swore I put it right back. Fast forward a week later when the boyfriend was entering his info and asked where to find something. I knew exactly what he was talking about so I hopped off my bed to help him out and the little blue book wasn’t there. I instantly went into panic mode and tore my room apart (3 times) to no avail. I felt sick to my stomach not only because my cruise was fast approaching but because of the big fat fee I just knew I would have to pay if I couldn't find it.

I made my appointment to the US Passport Agency in the city and thank God my brother was home visiting and I was able to talk him into going with me. Boy were we in for a rude awakening for the security check just to get into the building. My number was 5452! I swore that was the longest wait of my life and getting there 2 hours before my appointment time didn't help. I've never been so happy to see a number flash across a screen in my life.

Long story short I got my passport after paying $195 no less, but I have it.

I must must must get a lock box to put all my important papers in so this won't happen again.

I do love my new picture and my passport was set to expire in January anyway so I told myself I just got a jump start on the renewal process

But best of all I got to spent time with my brother and introduce him to Chiptole... yum!! Can you believe he's never tried it?

But the question still remains... where the heck is the missing passport???

My big homie

This week I'm off from Monday to Friday night (yay)! You know normally with 4 days off I would be on the next thing smoking to DC but I have so many things to take care of and friends I've been neglecting that I thought it would be best to stay in NY for these few days.

One of these friends is my big homie Greg. We normally would have lunch together one Sabbath a month after church but now all my Sabbath's off are spent out of town so we rarely see each other anymore, so we got together at the Italian restaurant Gianna's in Yonkers. The service is really good and I love the ambiance. It's dimly lit with candles on each table.

I had the chicken parmigiana with whole wheat pasta and Greg had the chicken marsala. The chicken parm was ok (I think the one I make is better though) but the serving was huge. I couldn't finish it all even though that was my only meal of the day.

We decided to share dessert and ordered the Oreo cookies and cream cake. Thankfully it wasn't good so after one bite we had enough and saved on a ton of calories.

It was so nice hanging out and catching up with my friend again. This is one friendship I could never be with out.

Sunday at Crossroads

The boyfriend has been bragging about the Sunday brunch at Crossroads Restaurant in MD for as long as I can remember so we finally hit one of his favorite spot's this weekend. As we pulled into the parking lot, I tried to hide my disappointment. In my head I said, "I hope this man isn't taking me to a hole in the wall that could easily fit in with the other Jamaican restaurants on White Plains Rd" (my neighborhood in the Bronx) ...awful I know...lol. But as I stepped inside I was dead wrong.

The ambiance inside was pretty nice, a little too dark for me but nice nonetheless . The tables were lined with linens and the dark wicker chairs and matching celling fans gave it a cool Caribbean vibe. Sunday brunch is an all you can eat buffet and there was plenty to choose from. Escovitched fish, ackee & saltfish, stew chicken, rice & peas, curry chicken, fried dumpling, calaloo, fried plantain, green banana, porridge and much more. There was even an omelet and waffle station! Its like having breakfast or lunch in your grandmother's kitchen and for about $20/person, you can't go wrong.

I love the mural painted on the wall adjacent to the parking lot. What a great reminder of our past!

I got your back Mr. President cuz I know you have mine!

Sheree's Baby Shower

I threw my bestie Sheree’s Baby Shower on Saturday at Fashion Rock in Brooklyn, NY. It took a lot of planning, hard work, and moolah but seeing how happy she was as we celebrated the soon coming of Kennedy- Elyse made it all worth it.

I think pink and green was the perfect combination

I used white chocolate covered Oreo lollipops as favors but they also served as great decor being displayed in a vase filled with gumballs

This is one of the prettiest shower chairs I've ever seen

I was so happy some of Sheree's childhood friends from Lithonia, Ga made it to the party

Finally the guest of honor arrived and I crowed her queen for a day

We had plenty of food! My cousin Dawn really threw down

Thanks Angela for the games, everyone enjoyed them!

Mommy and Daddy to be

Sheree got plenty of gifts for lil Kennedy- Elyse

Luv you guys, I promise to be the best god mother possible

I'm so thankful for the boyfriend this weekend. Without him I could not have gotten it done

Me and some of my favorite girls. I love you guys!!

MLK weekend

I headed to (where else) DC this weekend. I only had Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off so I decided it would be best if I took the bus. It was my first experience on Bolt and the ride was kind of cool. The bus was equipped with Wi-Fi and outlets so I was more than entertained. I came in to Union Station and instead of just catching a cap and heading home to wait for Nelson as originally planned, I found him waiting for me right outside and to make it better he had the rest of the afternoon off… YAY!

One of his best friends, his cousin and her baby, and his aunt also came to visit so we had fun filled weekend.

Saturday afternoon Nelson suggested we go to a restaurant he took me to when I came down Christmas week.

Eatonville is a Zora Neale Hurston inspired restaurant named after her hometown, the first black town in America. You may remember it from Their Eyes Were Watching God.

They don’t have the most extensive menu so I got the same thing as last time, fried chicken with mac & cheese, and cornbread and it was goooood.
I love their lemonade served in drinking jars. The only down fall is there are no free refills… no bueno.

Move over Nelson... I found a new man! I ♥ Baby Josh and he ♥ me too

On Sunday we went to everyone’s favorite breakfast spot Eggspectations. I even got to stay till Monday and drove back with Nelson’s people

This weekend was filled with laughter and storytelling and even though I didn’t get to stay as long as I normally do, it was still worth it

Year in a review/ 2011 changes

OMG! Where did 2010 go? This was definitely a better year than 2009 but as I reflect on this past year, I'm thankful for all the "lows" I've experienced because my situations have taught me patience, in all things have faith, and to continue to believe in hope.

As I move into this new year and with all the talk of resolutions, I thought about all the things in my life I would like to change. I haven't been one for New Years resolutions because I believe you can make a change anytime, regardless of the date, but I have to admit, it's kind of nice to start with a clean slate on 1/1/11.

So here is my looooong list of Lifetime Changes (I think I like that better than New Years Resolution)

1. To have a REAL, personal relationship with Jesus Christ

This is very shameful for me to admit but I've been struggling with my spiritual life. I plan to devote my time to really reading and understanding the scripture and having daily communion with Him. I believe Jesus is coming again soon and I want to be ready for His return.

2. To live a healthy lifestyle when it comes to my diet and exercise

It's no secret that my biggest insecurity is my weight. I'm always either on a diet, just finished a diet or about to start one. I'm so tired of living like that and now is the time I make a lifestyle change and make exercise a part of my daily routine.

3. To achieve a more stable financial situation

I've been blessed with a career where I'm able to support myself and afford some small luxuries but this is the time I need to be more responsible and actually start REALLY saving money. I (thankfully) don't have any credit card debit and I live at home so paying down on my student loans, car note and putting something away for later on in life needs to be my priority.

4. To further my education

Even though I'm proud of my accomplishments, to this day I still beat myself up about not doing nursing the first time around. I feel I should of had a Masters by now but I can't live in the past so I plan to apply to one graduate program this year and see what happens.

5. To be a better nurse

Just because nursing school is over doesn't mean you have to stop learning. I want to make it a habit to review things I once learned because I'm sure it will make even more sense now that I'm practicing. I want to better my techniques and become even more proficient with cardiac rhythms.

6. I no longer want my emotions to dictate my actions

I've been working on this since last year and there has been great improvement already but I can do better.

7. I want to be less selfish and share more

I have no problem giving but I hate sharing what's mine. It's such a bad trait and I've been blessed to have many people share with me throughout my life that I definitely need to do better in that area.

8. Don't have an opinion where you don't have responsibility.

I read this quote on my cousin's husband's facebook page a few weeks ago. How often have you listened to a friends situation and unknowingly judged him/her? Perhaps even discussed it with another friend or your significant other, stating what you would have done differently, questioning the reasons for their actions, and even looking down at them for their misfortunes. That is not being a real friend and being a good friend is what I strive for. I have a very small circle and treasure all those that are apart of it.

9. To be a better blogger

This blog has been such a major outlet for me since I started last year but often it gets put on the back burner, sometimes because of a crazy work schedule, sometimes out of laziness. I spent 6 days in DC with my boyfriend, had Christmas dinner my MD family and later on with his, ate at a fabolous restaurant, went to the movies, etc and I didn't make one entry or take one picture. I should be ashamed of myself... I don't even deserve to be called a blogger...lol. But for 2011 I plan to do better.

PS- If you're reading this and not a follower, go to the right side of the screen and click follow please :-)

What are some of your changes for the New Year?

Just what the doctor order

I've been in DC since Tuesday and I've literally been in bed since I got here. I haven't wanted to do anything but stay in and sleep. I finally began to feel a little better on Saturday and Nelson was tired of me being cooped up inside and harassed me until I agreed to go out to dinner with him and his cousin Tony.

We left the house with no idea where we were headed but we ended up at Ted's Montana Grill. None of us have ever eaten there before but Nelson heard good things about it so we decided to give it a try.

It took a while to figure out what we wanted

especially Tony. Nelson and I shared secret snickers to ourselves because he told me how indecisive Tony can be when he eats somewhere new and how many questions he asks the waiter and he did just that! LOL

Nelson and I got the Red Rock Bison Burger. It's pepper jack cheese, fresh jalapeños, cilantro, fried onion straws, and their signature Z sauce on a ciabatta bun and it was delicious, probably totally unhealthy but so good.

Leaving the house was just what the doctor ordered. I'm happy he talked me into going out. I actually felt even better being outside and getting some fresh air. I guess he does know best... sometimes ;-)

I wish Nelson told me we were doing sexy faces I would have made one too...lol hahaha (He's gonna kill me for this comment)

Thanksgiving 2010 weekend recap

Thanksgiving is my all time favorite holiday! Not because of the food (although it's a close second) but because of the family I'm surrounded by. My grandmother passed away Thanksgiving week 7 years ago so it's only right we commemorator her memory every year by doing what she always encouraged: for us to always remain close, keep in touch and always remember that no matter what, we're family.

This year was extra special because my older brother Dean and his family was able to come to NY. They haven't been here for Thanksgiving since 2005 when Dylan was only 6 months. This was my first Thanksgiving without my little brother David. I'm so sad he missed out this year because of work but having his daughter Niyah here made things better.

On Saturday, our cousin Jr invited us over to his house on Long Island to just hang out since Dean isn't in town with his tribe (his wife and kids) that often. He cooked us a delicious meal and I enjoyed listening to the stories and memories my brother and cousins shared of growing up in Jamaica where my grandmother had them under heavy manners (a Jamaican saying meaning heavy discipline and punishment). I love hearing things about grandma that I didn't know before.

Jr had his Christmas tree up and we couldn't help but have a little photo shoot with the kids

Even my sister in law J'nyne and cousin Dawn got in on the fun

My cousin Jr and his girlfriend Anita

Nelson came to NY for the weekend making everything even better. He got a chance to meet my brother and cousins and everyone seemed to like him. We were so inspired by Jr's beautiful Christmas tree we decided to buy one when I go to DC next week. I can't wait!!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and I'm thankful for each and every one of you, my readers. Now click the follow button..lol!