My calling......

For a long time, I was unsure of what my calling was! I was always asking myself: What did God put me on this earth to do?? For most of my early years, I was a lost pit bull. Strong, misunderstood, fun, loving, gentle, and patient. Only a few people who knew me appreciated that pit bull personality. A few did abuse the unique and special characteristics that made me the pit bull.

Have you ever had a minor cut on any part of your body? Did you observe how that minor cut tends to heal? Let’s talk about.....the healing process:

Here’s the Healing Process for a minor cut:

You Bleed
You Clot
You Scab up
Your Scab starts to dry
Your Scab falls off 

Sink or Swim

For the last few months, I have been sinking in my OWN beautiful ocean. Period. I mean just barely making it no genuine smiles, no laughing until I cry. Just here on God’s green earth living day by day…hour by hour and minute by minute. 

RUNNING

A few years ago, I started on a let me improve my blood pressure journey. I knew I had to lose weight. I couldn't do it by myself so I signed up to have weight loss surgery. My heaviest weight was 295lbs. I was prehypertensive, prediabetic and my cholesterol was climbing the chart like a Cardi B Hot Record. Fast forward to now...my weight is holding steady at 205. Blood pressure is controlled by meds still-it's a long story. I'm no longer prediabetic and my cholesterol has dropped down like R. Kelly's bank account.  

Welcome to 2022!!
We closed out 2021 with LOVE & HAPPINESS!!
We joined family events that started with Thanksgiving all the way to Christmas. We had so much fun!! We danced, laugh and ate. Then.......one night yep X-mas night we let the guards down. We had a ball. Didn't even think twice about wearing a mask...Now let me tell you this: THAT WAS THE WORST MISTAKE EVER. 

From the Start....Josie B. Abrams wanted all her offspring to attend college. See Josie was the only black female machinist on her job. She experienced racism and sexism on a daily basis. Josie was raised to believe that Education was the loophole for all of her offspring to avoid what she experienced all her life.

By the age of 29, I lost both parents, lived in 4 different states, had 3 kids all under the age of 8, my marriage was tore up from the floor up, had money, and lost some money.....the ODDS was stacked against me from the beginning. 

I need it!
I want it! 
I gotta have it!!
I just need it!!
You telling someone: See you just don't understand!

If these 4 simple sentences come out of your mouth or even cross your mind about something or someone....You may be addicted! Addiction comes in all different forms: physical, emotional, or mental. It could be food, it could be a relationship or it could be the need to be wanted or loved. 

Now me and my friend been in this friendship game for 20 plus years. We did a lot together! However, over time we moved to different states, our kids grew up, we got married, pursued different careers and overall we just experienced life in totally different avenues. In the beginning, when I needed her she was there and visa versa. 

During times of crisis, chaos, and traumatic experiences, our body, mind and soul enter into what is call survival mode. Survival mode is usually a short term, fear-based mode of thinking. At this time, you’re usually in “fight or flight mode.” 

Self love starts when you fully realized who you are and your full potential. To reach that full level of self love you must go through the peaks and valleys of life. The peaks and valleys in life are sometimes good, bad, down right ugly and a whole lotta random stuff in between.

COVID-19 has offered me a new appreciation for life. Life being the good, the bad, and the ugly. I've decided to share this new appreciation for life with you....hopefully I'm not on this journey alone. My journey during the COVID-19 pandemic has been centered around nothing but new questions about: who I am, where I'm going, when do I need to go, and how will I get there. After 18 months of limited contact, unlimited amounts of useless zoom and Microsoft team meetings, and tons of FaceTime with my kids (which I LOVE)....I realized that I'm a bad ass neighbor (in a good way) to the neighborhood. In our neighborhood, we're offering joy, love, light, and laughter. Our neighborhood is colorful, open, and loud. Hopefully, you will use this joy, love, light, and laughter to inspire. The neighborhood is here to help you embark on a full whole life you have always hoped and dreamed for. Thank you for taking time to drop into the neighborhood and joining me on this journey! We're on our way up........

Signed, 

Candie

Outfit deets:

Blouse

Skirt 

Necklace - TJ MaXX

That swag - My momma and daddy...