My Mind Over the Last Few Days...

Photos from the Boston Herald, Essence, & other places around the web....

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The Video Your Man Is Not Allowed to Watch

Have ya'll checked out Ciara's new video "Ride" featuring Ludacris? She looks amazing! This girl is truly getting it in the video. Her body is bangin' to say the least. If anyone had anything negative to say about her dancing skills, she basically shut them all the way down with this one! Reminds me of a young Janet Jackson.

Her outfit really reminds me of the one Beyonce wore in "Crazy In Love". I really want a bathing suit like that. And I'm joking about the title ya'll. If you're secure with yourself then this video won't bother you. Okay? Now I'm off to do some sit-ups...lol. Later!

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Marriage Is What You Make It

I'm in a Love Jones kinda mood. This may be my favorite romance movie. A lot of (love) situations in my life, have me running back to this movie. Today, I immediately thought of this dialogue from it. Fast forward to 7:30 to see what I'm talking about.

Darius: You think you're with the woman you're supposed to be with?

Savon: It depends on which day you ask.

And then Savon goes on to say...

Savon: People with profound insights on life know not to get married. And those who do oughta know that marriage is what you make it.

I have to say. Savon speaks the truth. Marriage is what you make it. A marriage doesn't just happen without effort. Good & Bad. Whether it's good or bad, some kind of effort has been made for it to go either way. If your effort sucks, then the marriage will suck. I just don't understand why more men don't realize this.*sigh*

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Sleeping With The TV On

Normally, we don't sleep with the tv on. I can sleep with it on or off (thanks to various roommates in college). However, Reign can't sleep with the tv on....or so he says. I beg to differ.

He can't go to sleep watching this stuff....

BUT, he will fall fast asleep while watching this....

....and anything else that's sports related! I've tested this a number of times & it always happens. When he falls asleep to sports, I wait awhile. Then, I turn the channel. And that is when he starts tossing & turning. It's so cute to see actually. :-) So technically, he can sleep with the tv on. If it's on sports that is. Go figure. Men. #thatisall.

Have a great weekend! It's going to be a rainy one for us.

Sports images from Espn

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How Does Your State's Car Insurance Rank?

The hubs and I recently saw this article on Yahoo. This explains why our car insurance dropped $300 when we moved to Virginia from Maryland. Ha!

According to this article, VA ranks #37 on the list & MD is at #17. Here's the complete list.

1 Louisiana $2,510.87
2 Michigan $2,098.29
3 Oklahoma $1,869.39
4 Montana $1,857.96
5 California $1,774.41
6 South Dakota $1,772.83
7 Washington, D.C. $1,753.19 (not surprised to see D.C. right here)
8 Georgia $1,751.42
9 Illinois $1,679.15
10 Connecticut $1,678.90
11 Arkansas $1,648.80
12 New Mexico $1,603.65
13 Rhode Island $1,595.97
14 West Virginia $1,589.69
15 Alaska $1,572.21
16 Wyoming $1,552.98
17 Maryland $1,550.13
18 Kansas $1,524.51
19 Kentucky $1,515.30
20 Colorado $1,480.97
21 Mississippi $1,474.94
22 New Jersey $1,473.73
23 New York $1,463.21
24 Texas $1,462.65
25 Florida $1,453.20
26 Pennsylvania $1,420.78
27 Delaware $1,405.80
28 Missouri $1,390.59
29 Minnesota $1,381.09
30 Alabama $1,380.38
31 North Dakota $1,365.22
32 Hawaii $1,306.97
33 Indiana $1,302.51
34 Nevada $1,282.50
35 Washington $1,279.84
36 Utah $1,234.30
37 Virginia $1,233.36
38 Nebraska $1,210.74
39 Oregon $1,194.69
40 Idaho $1,183.47
41 South Carolina $1,182.18
42 Tennessee $1,170.12 (oh yeah!)
43 Arizona $1,152.50
44 North Carolina $1,130.45
45 Massachusetts $1,043.80
46 Iowa $1,039.04
47 New Hampshire $1,011.23
48 Wisconsin $1,010.93
49 Ohio $999.86
50 Vermont $968.58
51 Maine $902.85

Where do you live? How does your car insurance add up to this list?

List from: http://www.insure.com/

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R.I.P. Dorothy Height

Reign and I just saw her at the 2009 Black Family Reunion in Washington, D.C, which she attended every year. I really admired her determination & the sacrifices she took. What she did for the civil rights movement will never be forgotten. I remember first hearing her name on A Different World. Remember? I was a kid back then. In the newer seasons, Whitley & Kimberly ran Height Hall, named after Dorothy Height.

Here are some photos we took of her on the park monitor when she spoke....

She was truly an extraordinary woman who lived a full life. Words can't describe what she's been to African Americans every where. She will live on forever in our hearts. R.I.P. Dorothy Height.

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First Wedding Since Our Marriage

The wedding was beautiful this weekend. :-) The bride and groom looked amazing & we're so happy for them. The hubs and I had so much fun! :D

Here we are.....

This was officially the first wedding we've attended since we jumped the broom. Of course, I thought about our wedding a lot while we were at the ceremony and reception. It brought back a lot of memories. :-) The best day of my life. :D A lot goes into planning everything & people that have never experienced it don't realize the stress of it all. It all boils down to one day that seems to go by so fast. The best advice I can give anyone planning a wedding is utilize Ebay, Etsy, & Craig's List for deals! We didn't pay full price for most things. More to come on what we did......Later ya'll.

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This Very Moment

Yesterday, I went to the Shecky's Girls Night Out event in D.C. I had fun with one of my friends! :-) However, it was so stressful getting around in D.C. & parking (i will never try to park there during rush hour again!). Thanks to my friend & Reign I was able to get (un)lost (not a real word I don't think) & find a parking spot. I was a little ticked off at Reign because we were having serious miscommunication problems. :-( I'm over it. I can never stay mad at him for long. :-) I told ya'll, Marriage is an everyday class. I couldn't wait to get out of D.C. & back to good 'ol VA. lol Have a great weekend! We're going to a wedding tommorrow. I know it's going to be so beautiful. :-) This song was played as I walked down the aisle almost 8 months ago...Time really flies.

K-Ci & JoJo's "This Very Moment"

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My Husband Does the Sweetest Things. :-)

I put this in my status on Facebook, but I wanted to share it here on the blog. On Saturday, I ran a few errands. While I was out, Reign called me and told me he was out running. He wanted to know where I was so he could come meet me. He said he wanted to see me. Actually, he said "I was out running so I figured I might as well run to my baby." Instant butterflies. Yeah I still get them from his sweet somethings. ;-) Mind you, I was like 3-4 miles away from our house (i mean apartment).

So we met up in the parking lot of Dollar Tree and I noticed one of my earrings was missing. He went back to into DT, found the earring, & brought it back to me. :D :D :D :D :D Those are some of my favorite earrings! He does the sweetest things. The absolute.sweetest.things. Things I never imagined a husband would do....When he does stuff like this, I feel like the luckiest woman in the whole world. He's my Superman. :-)

Scratch that. He's my Spiderman (his favorite) ;-)

I love you baby. :-)

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What Chilli Wants: All Women Should Have A List

Last night, I checked out VH1's new Sunday night line up. I liked all 3 new shows which consisted of: Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business, Basketball Wives ( I can see the drama unfolding...), & What Chilli Wants. I took an immediate liking to What Chilli Wants. WCW focuses on Rozonda Thomas, who we know as Chilli from "TLC", searching for a man. And not just any man. She has a list of requirements. Chilli states on the show that she compromised in the past & she's not doing that anymore. She wants the total package. ;-)

A few things from her list of must-haves:

1. Doesn't smoke

2. Doesn't drink

3. Can't eat pork

4. 6 pack stomach (but she said she'd settle for a 4 pack)

Chilli is getting a lot of slack for her list because most think she's looking for a man that doesn't exist. The perfect man. From the few things they've listed I see nothing wrong with the list. *looks around* There's nothing wrong with having standards. I got pretty much everything (and more) I wanted in Reign. Knowing what you need/want/ in a man & what you won't deal with is the most important part of picking a mate. Some women wait until they're in a relationship to figure out what they want from a man. I used my list as a way to pick the man I wanted to be in a relationship with. For example, I could have never.dealt.with.a.smoker. There was no compromising on this! I'm not kissing someone who tastes like a pack of cigarettes. 0_0

Here's what Chilli says about the list:

"I definitely encourage all women to have a list. [Laughs]. C’mon now. Even you, now. You better have a check list. If you don’t, after this conversation, go ahead and start writing down the things that you need and the things that you want [from a man]. I think that’s very important."

I totally agree. She makes a very good point. How do you know what you want/need from a man if you don't make a list? What do you think about Chilli's list? Do/Did you have a list? If so, what's/what was on it? Check out what else Chilli has to say about the show here.

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Couple Killed After Engagement Party

I am saddened by this devastating news....although I'm a little late on this. Nia Haqq & Michael Muchioki, a young black couple, were murdered after returning home from their engagement party in Jersey City, New Jersey on April 3rd. The suspects attempted to carjack them, but failed because of an anti-theft device on their Honda CRV. I'm very emotional as I type this...this could have been any couple I know or even Reign and I. It's so sad...this really hit home because they're like us. Muchioki's fraternity brothers have already created a site in memory of the couple. Please visit it at http://www.lovemikenia.com/

Nia worked as an associate producer & Mike as a software engineer. They are described by friends as "ambitious, out-going, and successful." This is what America's young black couple looks like...

The criminals stole Nia's engagement ring, but Muchioki's family bought her another one. The couple, whose funerals were April 8th & 9th, were buried side by side wearing wedding bands.

It has been reported that 4 people have been arrested in connection with the murders. Read more about the story here & here. Thank God they are off the streets. I'm going to hold my baby just a little bit longer tonight.....May Nia & Mike rest in peace.

Photos courtesy of Essence

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Brandon Marshall to the Redskins?!?!

Picture Courtesy of The Washington Post


Ok…so this is me being hopeful, but obviously I’m not the only one that thinks this is possible. Read The Washington Post Article here


How good would the Redskins be if this happened? Playoffs? Super Bowl? I think they would at the least be a contender in the NFC and division winners. But McNabb is a good move (btw). Now all they need is a good offensive line.

REIGN

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Jay-Z Is Teaching Beyonce How to Drive

(Beyonce & Jay-Z celebrating their 2 year anniversary)

This is the sweetest & cutest thing I've read all day! According to MTV UK, Jay-Z is teaching Beyonce how to drive. Supposedly, they go out and practice "early in the morning to avoid busy roads and the hoards of paparazzi that follow the couple everywhere they go." She's been flown/driven everywhere since she stepped on the scene in her teens so I can understand why she's just now learning to drive. I think it's great that her hubby is teaching her... :-) That's what your spouse is there for...to help you.

This reminds me of Reign and I. A few months ago, I bought a convertible (aka Cherry Pie) and I was very rusty in the driving department. lol I hadn't driven a car in years....In my last car, I also experienced an accident which in turn scared the mess out me. Reign helped me re-learn driving techniques and everything. He was very patient with me & that wasn't easy because sometimes I was mean to him out of frustration. I love that man. :-) When I need him the most, he's right there. Now I'm fine with driving. I'm even trying to plan a road trip to Virginia Beach with Reign. I really, really want to go again this summer! :D

Maybe we can plan that "Couples Spring Break" we tried to get off the ground last year. Who interested? :-)

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Hidden Feature: The Room Divider

So the owners took the love seat upstairs & I immediately remembered another feature we have in the basement apartment. The room divider! We couldn't use it at first because the love seat was blocking it. I really like the fact that we can use it now...I'm not sure if I want to bring in our other couch from storage. : \ Reign wants to bring it in though...It does make sense though. It's the last big piece of furniture we haven't sold yet. We wouldn't need the storage space anymore if we brought the couch in. Meaning no more monthly storage payments.... I like having that extra space and I like the room divider though.....

By the way, they still haven't sold the pool table yet...

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Her Husband Wanted To Leave, But She Said No

What would you do if your spouse told you that they never loved you & wanted to leave? Would you let them leave?

After 20 years of marriage, it happened one summer day to Laura Munson. Her husband came home one day & said " I don't love you anymore. I'm not sure I ever did. I'm moving." I'm sure those words cut her deep. Instead of letting him leave, she gave him space...for the next 4 months. She wasn't willing to let go of their marriage that easily. Over the next months, she put up with him coming home late & sometimes not at all. He even failed to acknowledge her birthday. But this was the fight she signed up for.

She talks more about what took place in her memoir, This Isn't the Story You Think It Is. It's interesting because in her book, she compares his behavior to that of a teenager screaming 'I hate you' to their parents. Hmmmm. Great point. How many times have you said that to your parents? Or got mad at them & yelled an untruth? She applies this same behavior to her husband. But did it work? Did he come around? Find out the answer here.

I really enjoyed reading the article. She's given me more insight into what it takes to hold a marriage together. Marriage is a course that never ends. I'm always learning something new & I enjoy it because I'm in this for the long haul. ;-)

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This Is How WE Relax...

Chilling in bed...on our laptops. :-) It's funny...I read an article before we were married talking about how couples spend more time on their laptops together than actually talking to each other. (I'll try to post it if I can find it.

I immediately looked at our relationship...I could see the truth in it. We're computer junkies. It's true. But we don't compromise our alone time for it. Not like this couple. There are times when we want to be together, but doing our own thing ya know? This is one of those times.... How do you & your man relax? :-)

Hope everyone had a great Easter!

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