Sweatshirts and Pearls

​ I vividly recall on my 27th birthday being super excited about life because I was crushing goals-- Masters in hand and a fulfilling career. Bursting at the seams with joy.  Have you ever been that excited?  This past year, leading up to CiDay30 and even more so the last few months has been full of self-re-discovery-- I am living my hashtag #ThirtyAndThriving.   A few months ago I was in self-evaluation mode and decided that it was time for a few alterations.  I am feeling like I'm 27 again making motivated moves, bursting with excitement for the goals I have set, for the milestones reached, and for the legacy I will leave. Which brings me to this, the word Yes can change your life.   My "Year of Yes" began in Nassau, and to quote my friend Shonda Rhimes [yea, my friend, after reading her book I feel like I know her.],        "Saying yes should feel like the sun".  {Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person} I

The first couple of months of #ThirtyandThriving are off to a great start. I am forever grateful for the middle places, the uncomfortable phases you go through to grow through. You know what I'm talking about. Been there, done that, NEXT! I always say November is the month of transition; and here I am, transitioning to the next thing. What is the next thing? ​ Let's start with reading shall we? Earlier this year, my friend asked what books she should read. Her Masters completed, it's time to read for pleasure and not for class. My fellow coffee writer/creative came through in the clutch and suggested a few good reads. One book in particular, "Year of Yes" x Shonda Rhimes caught my attention. The friend that asked about the books jumped on it. She ordered her copy the following week and ordered me one too. Real girlfriends don't let their friends read or write alone. Quote me on that.   However, the book sat on my night stand for months collecti

I was at work today, doing some research and I stumbled upon a blog post gem. The author captured a snippet of a conversation he had with a colleague about goals. Colleague: ".......Everyone has goals and dreams." Author: "What are your goals?" C: "I want to be happy." A: "That's great, we all do. Yet, being happy is not a goal----it's a condition that manifests itself because of some other situation or achievement in life." I sat on that last line and evaluated my goal---short and long term. I am 'happy' to report that my goals are tangible; though conditional upon achievements. That being said, as I kept reading, my emotions got the best of me and I got a sudden surge of "Wake up and make stuff happen". I have always considered myself to be an ambitious person and as of late, I have been making moves, personally and professionally in an attempt to make said stuff happen. I am sure it was because I was in the la

I truly believe in Divine intervention. Case and point. I went to the movies today with a friend. We saw Girls' Trip...hilarious by the way.  The last time we saw a movie together, we sat and talked for hours afterward. Today was no different. There was a difference though. This time, I needed the listening ear, the encouraging words, the prayer. Much too often I get consumed with everything that life is throwing my way and forget to take care of me. You all know I started #MeTimeMay for this exact reason. Guess what, it's the end of July and I need to refocus. I intended to stay vigilant with self-care, but I failed lol After today's discussion with my friend and seeing a FB Memory from another friend, I made a detour on my way home and ended up at the nail shop. (OPI "Rich Girls and Po' Boys" for my toes and OPI "Don't Bossa Nova Me Around" for my hands) I am long over due for me time. Going to the movies today was a start. Refocusing is

Oh. My. Gosh. No Becky......but, Brian. We Made it!!! One year, full of highs and lows, sleepless nights, baby tears, mommy tears, daddy frustration, throw up(me and Bray), milk spills, cracked nipples, diaper rash, sinus infections, infectious laughs and screams, wet diapers, poop filled onesies, phone calls to both our parents, back aches, swollen everything, love, joy, blessings, patience, faith, tolerance, compassion, empathy, prayer, and God. Our sweet boy is one year old and I am a bag of mixed emotions. Thank you for showing Brayden and I love everyday and for being a wonderful father and man that our son can one day emulate. My sweet sweet Brayden, I never knew I could love as deep until the day I felt you kick in my womb. In that moment it was so real. I knew that nothing else mattered. Your health, your well being, you became my priority. When your dad placed your head against my cheek, my heart melted. When I held you for the first time, a single tear rolled down my face

"Exotic Birds Do Not Tweet,*" but they do not have to, you see, their colors are so bright, you can't help but notice them. They stand out without saying a word.... I dedicated more time to myself. #MeTimeMay was a success. I often times tell folks "if you don't take care of you, then you can't be any good for anyone else" ....and although I believe it to be true, it is so hard to practice. After constantly putting myself on the back burner, I took charge and now I feel like I am me again. I had to get back to basics. I have had so many people say to me, "Ciera, your post-baby glow up is EVERYTHING" and again, I believe it to be true. Lol  I have always wanted to be a mom and now that I am, I am radiating 'You better wake, pray, sip coffee, and slay" all day, everyday. No need to tweet....see what I did there???!!! The journey to motherhood and even now as I have navigated and nearly completed a year, I am discovering new thing

It's Mother's Day weekend and I am enjoying a Flat White and a pedicure with my gal pals. We started our day with a boozy brunch which led us to Starbucks to a sweet barista who couldn't make our drinks. The latest #OPI color I wanted to try caught my eye and my friends weren't having it. According to them, its a variation of a color that I always get. If its not broken, dont fix it right?! That's how I feel, but after some swaying, I went with the color they chose, #IndiaMoodForLove. I must admit, I do really like it though.  During my drive back to NOVA that afternoon, a few things occurred to me. I love OPI polish names and I need to step out of my comfort zone. Muffaletta is a Sicilian round bread or a popular N.O. sandwich. Unbeknownst to me, #ShesABadMuffaletta is from the same OPI collection as #GotMyselfInaJambalaya I wore 3 weeks ago. #OPINewOrleans Spring Collection. In previous posts I shared my #OPIObsession,  particularly the #OPIWashingtonDC Fall coll

I started writing this post on 23 December. I mentioned in my October 2016 post that by Winter Solstice, we would have it all figured out. Today is 8 May.  Clearly life happened and I have been out of commission in the writing department. To my regular readers, thank you for reminding me why I started this blog and why it's so important for me to continue typing out my thoughts and feelings. I tried writing several times and I just couldn't finish..Perhaps I didn't have the motivation I needed or perhaps the creative juices weren't flowing...nonetheless, here we are. I received a FB message about a month ago from a sweet young lady who told me how much she enjoyed reading my blog and how I had inspired her. Little did she know she inspired me. Mommin' ain't easy, and some days I'm just exhausted. I want to save the energy I do have for my family, which leaves little time for writing. Granted when I think about why I started the blog to begin with, I