Holidays
My Sultry Little Valentine
I’ve hardly ever experienced the cliche, romantic celebration of this so-called holiday, but I’ve always looked for interesting activities such as a themed pole dancing choreography class. The workshop was so popular that students doubled up on poles, which suited me just fine because I would have been exhausted had I danced the entire two … Continue reading
MLK DAY: A Place for Dad
I used to advise people to hug a Black person as part of their MLK Day celebration. I’d even ask people who weren’t Black if they had hugged a Black person on this day, and then offer to give them a hug to help them celebrate. Honestly, that may have been the only thing they … Continue reading
2024: Start of a New Leap Year
I’d made the best use of a 10-day vacation, which ended on New Year’s day. Although I’d slept in every day, I was creatively productive, which was the best gift/celebration I could ever ask for. Mom & Me in Our Xmas Sweaters While sporting my new Christmas sweater, I made some recipes that I’d been … Continue reading
2023 Thanksgiving
For the second year in a row, I spent the big dinner with one of my sister’s in-laws. Mom still made a few things, but at least she didn’t have to cook or host the whole thing. As a matter of fact, Mom stayed home with Dad and we brought them back plates. Talk about … Continue reading
Sister Production
Once again, one of my sisters piggybacked off my idea to gift a family experience for Christmas. Last year, we gifted the family indoor skydiving, which went swimmingly well. This year, the sister collaboration involves an actual production of our very own Christmas show. Producing a live show is in my wheel house since I … Continue reading
Halloween 2023
Last year, I had a very low key Halloween since I didn’t dress up although I participated in a Halloween event for the children at my parents’ church. My mind was still adjusting to relocating back home. So, my energy was mostly for survival rather than creativity. Halloween had snuck up on me and passed … Continue reading
2023 Independence Day
A year ago, I was living a very different life in Austin, TX. Although I had a decent full-time job with benefits, where I was paid every other week, I considered one paycheck mostly for rent and the other for all the other things I needed/wanted. In other words, I was in my least favorite … Continue reading
Father’s Day in Rehab
Making the best of a challenging situation, we revived our usual Sunday dinner at the rehab facility where Dad continued to convalesce. Mom made mac and cheese, greens, and deviled eggs. My sister picked up fried chicken and bought plates, utensils, cups and lemonade. For my part, I made naturally-dyed red velvet cupcakes, using a … Continue reading
Myrtle Beach Revisited
My parents have had their timeshare since the early 80s, but I hadn’t joined them on their beach vacation for years. Although the residence was showing its age, they’d recently done some renovations to modernize the place. The most notable was the zigzag ramp, which greatly helped shuffle our belongings from the car to the … Continue reading
Another Reason to Celebrate
On days like these, the most authentic restaurants don’t care about cultural appropriation. Not that I attempted to dress or act like anything else that who I was: a hungry person who also drinks. My Mango Margarita We stood outside with the rest of the customers who waited for tables. The restaurant had placed all … Continue reading