Countdown to the Vibe Awards! 13 days and counting.....

Okay, so I am attending The Vibe Awards in 13 days! I have never been to a major awards show in my life so this is really exciting for me. My purpose for being there of course is to Network, network, network!! And that's exactly what I plan on doing...letting them all "Get a taste of the Runway Diva!" in their mouths! I already whet their appetites on Mo'Nique's Fat Chance...now i'm gonna give em' a little taste!! lol Anyway, I have known about this event since forever and I know I need to get my butt together and be on top of my game when I get there. So that means diet and gym....two things I really ain't trying to hear right now. I have been in a "lazy" phase for the past 4 weeks. But now it's countdown time to see if I can take of some "chocolate" weight and get myself together by showtime. Well if today is any indication...a sista is already in trouble!!! Okay, I'm gonna go out and take a walk and try to jump start my motor. Will definitely keep you abreast of my progress.................
Okay it's 6:07pm and I have returned from my walk...which took me right past KFC....riiiighhhht....anyway, I am now home and trying to get up the energy to reorganize my spare room/closet. This is a task that has been ongoing for the last year or two and it's driving me nuts. Too many clothes/no closet space.....sigh..my fiance is trying to help motivate me to no avail and he's getting on my nerves too!!!!! I HATE CHORES AND HOUSEWORK!!!! I really do!!! I gotta get my celebrity on....because I need a housekeeper/maid. ARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!

La Familia Jewels

Today, I drove out to New Jersey to visit my friends Jules & Perry. Jules and I used to be roomies a long time ago and I was her maid of honor at her wedding a few years ago. Anyway, she cooked lunch (she made pasta with a meat sauce, fresh steamed broccoli & a cucumber/onion/tomato salad that I absolutely LOVE!!!!). We haven't seen each other since my Fat Chance screening party on August 6, so we had a lot of catching up to do. She told me of a fabulous new business adventure they are about to start and it sounds really exciting. Perry broke open a bottle of Yellowtail Chardonnay and we ate, drank & reminisced about old times. All three of us are board & trivia game junkies so we wound up playing a few rounds of "Scene It", which is a DVD based trivia game about the movies....Jules is literally a MOVIE WHORE !!! So she knew most of the answers and thoroughly waxed our asses...lol.

The Chardonnay had my bladder on blast so the damn game took over an hour because I kept stopping to pee!!! SO ANNOYING!!! On my way home we stopped off at Pathmark to do a little shopping before I headed back to NYC. For those of you who don't know me.....Pathmark is NOT A GOOD PLACE for me!!!! I love supermarkets.....If you shop late at night the aisles make the best runways!!! Of course I had to go to the bathroom again when I got in the store....now it's really starting to get on my nerves. Anyway, I loaded up my trunk, dropped Jules & Perry back home, went to the bathroom AGAIN and then headed back to NYC...There was a bit of traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel so it took me a minute to get home. The moment I took the exit ramp on 125th St...I felt it COMING!! Damn...didn't I JUST go???? So I raced to gas station to buy gas and pee when I realized that the damn bathroom was closed. The attendant told me to try the station across the street but I couldn't hold on a moment longer and well......if YOU really know me...then you know how the story turns out!!! lol...a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

Then I came back to my car, filled up my tank and took my groceries home.

All & all it was pretty good day!

Happy Birthday Ne'Chrystie!!!

Tonight I went to my home girl Chrys' birthday celebration. The event was held at The Cellar Restaurant in Macy's and after stopping off at the MAC Counter to apply some mascara (I forgot to do it before I left!!)....I headed downstairs. It was a really nice group of people in attendance, she looked wonderful and she got a lot of presents!!!! I wound up sitting at a table with two women who I actually went to college (SUNY Binghamton) with. It was freaky!! I haven't seen either of them in over 20 years but after a while we started reminiscing like we had just gotten out of school yesterday. It was funny, we (my Suny-B Alumnus) found out we all hated the same group of women from school...lol. There were plenty of munchies and 5 dollar Apple Martini's & Margarita's (Strawberry, peach & Melon Yum!!!) A trio of extremely talented young men sang "Happy Birthday" and they brought out a strawberry shortcake. After finishing my drink & my cake, I said my farewells and jumped on the subway and headed home. My friend was smiling all night.....That makes me happy, cuz she's a really cool sista.

A Woman on The Move

I just did an online interview with a brand new site called Fabwoman.net. It's a nice site and they did a very nice job with the interview....Check it out when you have a moment! http://www.fabwoman.net/onthemove.htm

An "Unforgettable" Weekend

This past weekend (Oct 21-23) I was the featured speaker at The Plus Model College Seminar, hosted by the Unforgettable Woman out of Richmond, Virginia. I arrived in Richmond on Friday afternoon and was picked up by Dee Aleem, a very nice sister from New York who is currently living in the Richmond area. She and her lovely daughter got me all settled into my hotel room and told me they would return later that evening. She returned several hours later with cocktails and friends! We toasted to the future then we headed to a local club where I was to be given VIP Status by the local radio station hosting the event. Later that evening I said a few words to the crowd and tried to set the party off! Lol....We partied until about 11pm when we departed back to the hotel.

Saturday morning I am up at 7am for a 9am call. I take this time to stretch, say my prayers and put on a fresh pot of coffee. The hotel has Maxwell House coffee. This makes me smile. Anyway, I get myself together, beat my face and await pick up. My ride arrives and I am whisked off to the site. I arrive at a dance studio in Richmond and I am greeted by the current graduating class. There is a breakfast spread and the mood is a good one. The weather is a little chilly but at least it is not raining. At around 10am I begin my presentation and it goes off wonderfully. The ladies are peppering me with questions...which I love (I hate standing there and talking at people) and the hour goes so quickly I don't feel it.

I wrap up the presentations by autographing photos and fliers and just getting to know the ladies better. The actual awards presentation is scheduled for sunday in of all places.....at a shoe store...THE WORST PLACE IN THE WORLD FOR ME!!!!....Anyhoo....Teresa Flatts (the CEO) is kind enough to drive me to visit one of my friends who has relocated to the Richmond area.

I spent the rest of Saturday afternoon catching up with my friends Yvette & Kim and I was totally enchanted with their son Brandon and their dog Leo. We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, which was an unexpected pleasure for me because several people recoginized me from the show and asked me to take pictures with them...it was kinda cool! My friends watched with amusement as people got really giddy once they realized who I was.

Later on we went through the mall and then to a carnival....we went back to their place then ended the evening with a wonderful glass of merlot and then they took me back to my hotel so that I could prepare for the graduation ceremonies in the morning.

Sunday morning, a car picked me up and took me to the shoe store where the ceremony was to take place. After breakfast, (which consisted of a delicious "french toast casserole" and fresh fruit and coffee) we shopped for shoes (I broke down and got a fly pair of shoes in brown leather and a very funky shaped toe), I watched as the ladies got their certificates for finishing the courses and then I was asked to say a few words and was presented with a gift bag from both Theresa AND the owner of the shoe store! This left me happy because... I LOVE PRESENTS!!!! I really do!!! If you ever wanna see me smile.....BUY ME A GIFT!!!!! lol

Anyway after many hugs and tons of pictures it was time for me to depart back to NYC...the ladies took me to the airport and vowed to get me back to Richmond as soon as possible. All & all it was a wonderful weekend and I am very glad that I attended.

They are doing wonderful things for my plus sized sistas in Virginia!!! Stay the course and keep up the good work ladies!!