I've Been Tagged...The Countdown Tag

I came out of holiday hiding because I was tagged with The Countdown Tag by two of my blogworld friends, KiayaPhd and MsKnowitall. This one made me dig deep for the answers, but it was enlightening.

The RULES:
Link back to the person who tagged you.
Answer the questions
Tag 7 other bloggers (I don’t send chain letters, but hit me up if you choose to participate.)
Let them know in the comments they were tagged (see the answer above :)


10 random things about me:
I love the rain, especially when I can stay home
I am an avid reader
I make jewelry
My “child” has fur and four legs :)
I wanted to be the next Spike Lee in college
I would have settled on being the next Millicent Shelton after college if I couldn’t be Spike
I love to dance Salsa
I want to own a beach house/condo or a mountain cabin
I have never had a “best” friend but have plenty of “good friends”
I love outdoor things like taking my dog for a hike


9 ways to win my heart: (see my love list)
Make time for me
Do what you say you will do
Be honest
Know that chivalry is not dead
Don’t take me for granted
Take the time to plan great dates
Send me a text message “just because”
Be comfortable in your own skin
Ask about my favorite flower then send them to me "just because"


8 things I want to do before I die:
Travel the world
Be sexually free with the person I love
Know unconditional love
Become a parent
Have a great family holiday with my immediate family
Learn to ride a motorcycle...well
Have a bestseller that becomes a blockbuster movie
Retire early and enjoy the view from my beach condo/mountain cabin


7 ways to annoy me:
Asking me to be considerate of you when you are not considerate of me
Taking my time for granted
Taking my love for granted
Standing me up when we made plans
Being late
Thinking that people or tasks are “beneath you”
Making excuses


6 things I believe in:
God
Love
Family
Good friends
Staying true to your word
Integrity


5 things I am afraid of:
Dying without knowing true love
Never having children
Not getting the chance to know my little sister and brother
Not knowing when to let go and move on
Not knowing when to hold on


4 of my favorite things:
The Holidays
Great movies
Being kissed by a man who knows what he is doing
A great slow dance


3 things I do daily:
Read
Walk the dog
Feed the pets


2 things I want to do within the hour:
Get a text message that makes me smile
Know that everything will work out fine


1 person I want to see right now:
My grandmother (I miss her dearly)


Thank you to my fellow bloggers for showing me love. I was having a hard week and needed the distraction.

My Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

After much consideration, this is what I desire for Christmas. I have learned that your heart must be open to receive love. This year, can you please bring me love, kindness and reciprocal consideration? You see, I have learn that I give too much, love too hard and get hurt much too easy. Is it possible that you could also bring me tougher skin? It would help the next time an unexpected blow comes my way.

Can you watch over my new niece Ellie as she embarks on a life with fearless eyes and a heart that does not know disappointment or hurt. Please keep her naive to life as long as possible. Help to keep her dreams alive and bring her determination and drive that she will need along the way.

Drop peace and love at my sister's door. You are never too old to receive peace and love and you can never have too much of it. Deliver self-love and self-assurance to my mother.

Bring understanding to my youngest siblings. I know they are much to young to understand the dynamics of our family, but one day they will need all the understanding that you can bring for the truth they will hear.

If you could bring these things to my family on Christmas I would greatly appreciate it.

Sincerely,

KayC, The Quiet Storm


*Enjoy the Holidays! I will keep myself busy with visiting friends and projects around the house. You may find a new post here as the mood hits, but if not have a safe season and a joyous New Year!!

Nature, Nurture and Everything Between (Picture Added)

Have you ever had that eye opening experience that makes you take stock of your life? It can be a moment, something someone says to you or even something you catch yourself saying? This weekend was full of those for me. It made me realize a few things about myself.


1. I hate being mean, but I will get gully if you push me.

It is not in my nature to be mean to people, even if you deserve it. I will avoid you at all cost to keep from being mean to you. In the past I have gone out of my way to avoid people that I know will cause me to act ugly. Which brings me too...


2. I give too much of myself and except too many damn excuses.

In realtionships, in my professional life and my family life people will treat me like crap because they know I will forgive them. They know if they give me an excuse that remotely sounds okay that KayC will take a deep breathe and give them another chance. I realized this recently when someone gave me a bogus excuse for blowing me off.


3. I clean up quite well and can become the envy of women when I put my mind to it.

This weekend I put on a little black dress, some heels that showed off my dancer-toned legs, fixed my hair, expertly applied makeup and strutted myself to the scholarship fundraiser. FYI...you know you look good when women look you up and down as you pass by. The ultimate compliment is when I put gas in my car and the guy across from me was frozen in admiration. Yes, that felt wonderful and even more so when I stopped a few more at the banquet ;)

Now, if only I can get the conversation right with the man I am interested in instead of settling for the one who asks for my number? What's up with that?


The question is what am I going to do with this newfound knowledge?

Edited to add- Thanks to my Soror who was gracious enough to email me her pictures, here is a picture (with her) from my fun-filled night. I had so much fun laughing with her, I think I will find a reason to dress up more often :) Sorry, I don't have any full length shots with the killer Tina Turner shoes.

Random Thunderstorms...(I Wonder)

I love December! Scratch that, I love the end of the year, starting with November. It is all one big holiday for me:) It starts with my birthday, rolls into Thanksgiving and then Christmas and New Year's Eve. There is nothing like the end of the year, it sometimes makes even the ugliest acting people a little civilized.

I wonder why people say they don't "celebrate Christmas" but they want those days off of work, don't they?

I wonder if it was mandatory to celebrate the reason for the season, how many people would celebrate and how many people would REALLY go to work?

I wonder why two great people can never hook up? It always seems to be one giver and a selfish person or a saver and a spender. I guess opposites really do attract, or does that change with age?

I wonder why expensive bags and shoes are status symbols? Why can't we brag about credit scores and the digits in our savings accounts?

I wonder why first homes are called starter homes? I have no desire to keep moving around for the rest of my life.

I wonder why you seem to meet the perfect person for you after some other man/woman has taken them through hell?

I wonder why people try to be nicest to you after they show you their real personality?

I wonder why love feels so good in the beginning?

I wonder how loves feels after 2 good decades of wallowing in it?

I wonder how a vacation in the Caribbean feels with the one you love?

I wonder...

WOW! I Am Uber Amazing ?!?

The wonderful and amazing Lovebabz has given me the Uber Amazing Award. Her journey to choose love in a world of chaos is always inspiring to me. She inspires many people and was given a couple of awards that she generously passed along to a very deserving group. I was given this award last week while I celebrated my birthday and Thanksgiving with a wonderful group of family and friends but I do not want Lovebabz to think her award was not appreciated.

Indeed, it is quite the opposite. I love gifts, thoughtful gifts that are out of the ordinary and I received wonderful gifts this past week.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by The Storm to wish me well on my birthday. Your wishes are greatly appreciated and cherished. This past week has made me realize that my life is quite full of love and people with good hearts. In fact, a small group of Fam had so much fun at a local restaurant and Krispy Kreme that people kept stopping by our tables saying they were "Sorry we didn't have a good time," or "You are having such a good time, I do that with my group as well." It was wonderful to see my Fam laugh as much as we did.

We stayed out so late that the spouses and sitters were calling by the time we shut down Krispy Kreme. We had to transfer there after the restaurant closed, the Fresh and Hot sign was on ;) Man, those donuts are addictive and we do not know how to say good-bye to each other once we get together. It is amazing any of us graduated from college ;)

I love each and every one of you!

I realized that my life is headed exactly were it needs to go. Each day is taking me to another level of awareness that I am not sure I would have gained if this road had been easier. Each obstacle is preparing me for the next blessing, and that is pretty Uber Amazing.