"There's so much to be thankful for"

“Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, lightly season the ground beef with adobo and sazón. Take a large skillet and cook the meat with sofrito, as the meat cooks, cut the ripe plantains into long slices and fry them until golden. Then spread 2 large servings of ground beef into the baking pan. Once it is spread, place the cooked plaintains over the meat. Continue to spread another layer of ground beef and follow with the plaintains. Repeat. Lay the last layer of ground beef and then take the beaten egg and spread it over the ground beef. Place it into the oven and 40 minutes later, there you have it. That’s the dish Norma Broomfield looks forward to making for thanksgiving, pastelon, or what she likes to call, ‘Puerto Rican Lasagna’,” (taken from my feature story: Thanksgiving Day). This is one of my highly anticipated Thanksgiving Day dishes. Food is definitely something my entire family can agree on, we all adore it! I love thanksgiving, and not only because I get to stuff my face without judgment, but truly because I love my family. We are the epitome of a melting pot. We’ve got some Puerto Rican flavor, African American flavor, Costa Rican, a hint of Jamaican, some Pakistani, Dominican, Dutch, Scottish, Lithuanian, Irish and tad of German for the whip cream on top. So with all these different flavors it is always bound to be a good time. We each bring something different, but amusing. That’s why I look forward to Thanksgiving. We have our differences, our hair textures, our skin complexions, our disagreements for sure, but the one thing that has always remained constant for me over these 21 years is no matter what is going on, I still feel their love. Even if were not all together, or haven’t spoken in awhile, when we reunite its as if we never left each other, a fantastic time. Each and every one of them contributes this this splendid day, mind you my mother is one of eight, my father is one of four, and for the most part both families unite on Thanksgiving, so you can understand me when I say there is so much to be thankful for! God has truly blessed us. I hope that your thanksgiving was as magnificent as mine.

Be thankful,Xoxo

Having plans sounds like a good idea...

Howard Homecoming is a highly anticipated weekend, and being that this would be my last time attending, my expectations were at an all time high; not to mention my family and friends were coming to DC!To start the weekend off, it was essential that I attend the Empress Fashion Show. The annual Howard fashion show is a cultural event and this year it embodied four places: Paris, Tokyo, Sierra Leone and New York City. It was fascinating to see pieces of clothing that were designed by students.The Yard—I have attended Yardfest at Howard University for the past three years, (freshman year was a struggle). I guess you can say it’s like a music festival featuring some of the hottest artists in the U.S. Over the past few years I’ve seen Drake, Wale, T.I, and others parading the Yardest stage. It’s always lively, but this year Howard decided to throw a curve ball. Due to the trampling and pushing (which I was apart of) that occurred last year at Yardfest, Howard decided to alter the iconic event. Yard ‘fest’ would be more like a festival this year instead of a concert. Nonetheless my friends and I wanted to attend, well tried.  Friday night couldn’t come soon enough, and even though one of my family members would not be in attendance, I was still excited for the other two goons to arrive. In between the arrival, the laughs, &pizza, Rite Aid, Marvin’s Room, and the Uber, we had a good night!The Parade was another Howard homecoming event that I wanted to check off my bucket list. I missed the atmosphere, the drum line, the dancers etc. that you get to see when you are at a HBCU (Historically Black College/University). Even though it took an arm and a leg to get Melo and Aaron to get moving in the morning, we made it just in the nick of time and were still able to attend Catholic University’s tailgate/game.           Do you know how deep my love is for Chris Brown? I had to see him; I just had to. I’ve never been in DC at the same time as him. So instead of taking my regular Saturday nap, I dragged Candace with me to Park. I literally had no problem doing anything just to meet him, including standing for 3 hours in brand new heels that were not broken in, but it was all worth just to get a glance at him. He is absolutely adorable and I’m even more in love than I was before.So we made it to the home stretch. Everyone was refreshed, kind of, and ready to have a good night. We had an addition to the crew as Melanie had just arrived. We made it out and we made it back. Our night was a total of 1 hour but that’s okay because through all of the unexpected situations, I can still say I had a good weekend. Thank you Homecoming Weekend for giving me something to celebrate!

Be Happy,Xoxo

"One should seek adoration, not attention"

Every once and awhile I get a phone call from my Dad, and instantly I feel that bubble ball up in my throat; his timing is always perfect. In the midst of our how you been? And how is school? The one statement that stood out to me the most, is “He needs to be absolutely head over heels in love with you, if he’s not, than he’s not for you.”That statement has been in my head for 24 hours and it’s making my heart grieve, how much I wish some of the girls in my generation could hear that just once, from a man who truly cares about them.Although I reassured him that I understood, I couldn’t help but feel guilty when I hung up the phone. How many times have I waited for the adoration of a man, but settled for attention. You convince yourself that he must love you because he calls you daily, you’re the first person he text when he wakes up, you go on dates, he says he loves you, but that’s not enough, if you still feel lonely. Love isn’t unsure; love isn’t a routine. If he’s convincing you that he loves you because he texts you everyday, he sends you flowers after he does something wrong and swears he won’t do it again, then you really should step back and ask yourself, what am I searching for. What am I missing that I’ve settled for the attention of man? Know that you’re worth so much more, that attention is not enough, and if he can’t see that, okay then maybe it’s time to move on.Now hear me out ladies, don’t go bashing him and telling him how he’s a good for nothing because he doesn’t love you the way you need to be loved, we all get to the point where we feel comfortable and don’t realize that something’s wrong. Be strong enough to realize that in some situations it is just best to leave. And that doesn’t make you a female dog, that doesn’t make you heartless, it saves you both time and energy, because if he doesn’t love you the way you should be loved and you find yourself constantly questioning your relationship with him, then maybe it’s just not meant to be, and that’s okay. Rest assured in the fact that, there is someone out their designed specifically for you, I promise, and it won’t feel forced, you won’t feel unsure, the timing will be just right, trust that.Be Resilient, Xoxo