Spiritual Sunday: In Pursuit of Positivity

To say that I dislike my job is an understatement. I am working in one of the worst possible places for a pregnant woman to be working right now, but somehow I have to find a way to find peace in this painful place. Every morning I pray the whole way to work, asking God to help me have a positive attitude and not to go off on anyone. However, each day it seems like the devil over takes my state of mind and I end up angry and stressed out. I know this is so unhealthy for me right now which is why I'm really trying to change. I think a lot of my negativity stems from frustration with my current situation. I would love to have the luxury to just say, "I quit. I don't need this stress, so I'm not going to work." Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury right now. I know I am not alone out here. I know there are other people out there who absolutely loathe their jobs. My question is: How do you remain positive in a sea of negativity? Thanks to a great friend that got my lazy butt up out of bed this morning, I tried out a new church today, and the message really moved me. One scripture in particular really spoke to me.

Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though you were working for the Lord...remembering that it is the Lord Christ who is going to pay you, giving you your full portion of all He owns. He is the one you are really working for. And if you don't do your best for Him, He will pay you in a way you won't like--for He has no special favorites who can get away with shirking. Colossians 3:23-25 (TLB)

AMEN! If I have to read this 100 times a day, I will make it a point to remember who I am really working for.

~Joan

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And the Winner is...

...Stacy (the Random Cool Chick) of Stacy's Random Thoughts !

Stacy is the winner of this fabulous O Bracelet courtesy of Macy's Path to Peace Campaign.


Congratulations to Stacy!
Thank you to all who entered the contest!

~Joan

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Go Christie, It's Your Birthday!

Today is my big sister Christie’s birthday! She’s 30-something today, and she deserves to be honored for the wonderful person she is. Please stop by her blogs today and show her some love. Also tune in to her radio show on Wednesday and Friday to play some fun trivia and win some cool prizes in honor of the 1 year anniversary of her show and her birthday.

**Insert sappy sigh with music here.**

She had the great responsibility of giving me a name. She took care of me and protected me as a kid. She spun me around by my two pigtails. She loathed my presence when her friends were around. She guided me into young adulthood. She supported me through tough times.

I annoyed the hell out of her. I watched her every move. I wanted to dance like her. I wanted to play the piano like her. I wanted her flawless cheekbones. I wanted her perfect hair (don’t listen to her fake complaints about her so-called horrible hair that she has to do absolutely nothing to except for wake up and go). I wanted to be just like her.

It may sound cliché, but she truly has been the wind beneath my wings. Whenever I hear this song, it makes me cry because I think about how selfless she has always been when it comes to me. For so many years she let me shine and be the golden child while she stood in the shadows as the outcast. But what I knew all along that most people did not know was that she was courageous and strong. She had the courage to stand up to our parents. She had the courage to leave home and never come back. She had the courage to go to school on her own terms. She had the courage to build her own businesses.

And look at her now…shining bright as ever. I am so proud of Christie for all of her accomplishments. She slayed those wretched fat pants. She is kicking butt in social media and taking names. She is doing the damn thang! I just want to say on your birthday and every day, Christie, you inspire me to be a better person. Thank you for your unconditional love and friendship. Happy Birthday!

(Dear Christie: I know I am going to be in for a good 'ol fashioned beat down for posting these pics. What can I say? The 80's were very cruel to us all! I had to supplement the sappiness with some laughter. Please forgive me! Blame it on your aunt and your cousin. They gave me the pics.)

~Joan

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Happy 100th Post to Me

I can't believe I have finally made it to my 100th post! It seems like it has taken me forever to get here. I struggled with coming up with something clever to do in honor of this milestone and I had nuthin. BUT thanks to The Blogrollers, I have a fabulous giveaway that supports an excellent cause, and I know anyone would be happy to win.

The Blogrollers are currently working on a project called Rwanda Path to Peace. The project is kicking of with Macy's O Bracelet. Each bracelet is hand-made by two women -- a weaver in Rwanda and a jewelry artist in New Orleans. Each bracelet is unique and has a tag attached with the names of the women who made it. The purpose of this outreach campaign is to raise awareness and support these women as they work to rebuild and maintain their respective societies.

I am giving away a fabulous O Bracelet courtesy of Macy's via my girls Christie and Lorraine of The Blogrollers.

You can do any or all of the following to win. The more you do, the more entries you get.
1. Follow my blog
2. Follow me on twitter @joanofalltrades
3. Follow The Blogrollers blog
4. Follow The Blogrollers on twitter @theblogrollers
5. Tweet the contest
6. Post about the contest
*** Best of all, you do not need to write me individual comments for each one. Just leave me 1 comment saying, "I've done x, y, and, z and I would love to win an O Bracelet."***
The winner will be chosen by random.org. The contest ends on October 29th at 10pm EST. Good Luck!

~Joan

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Wordful Wednesday: Blogalicious--Believe It!

Um....WOW! That's the only way I can sum it up--WOW! This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the Blogalicious 2009 conference (social media conference for women of color and all who are interested) in Atlanta, GA. This is my first blogging conference, and it was truly awesome! Everyone who had been to other conferences said that Blogalicious was the best conference they had ever attended, from the camaraderie, to the swag, to the accommodations, to the sessions, to the food and entertainment. The fabulous Justices of the MamaLaw Media Group did it up big with style and class. I cried every time someone got up and gave a heartfelt speech (partly because they were moving and partly because my hormones are a mess due to the little person who has taken up residence inside of my body). We spent a jammed pack weekend full of networking, learning how to improve our blogs and social media presence, showing marketers that we do have a voice, partying, and connecting with some of the most inspirational women I have ever met in my life. Kudos to Nadia, Nyasha, and Stacie (MamaLaw Media Group)! You ladies have truly outdone yourselves. I can't wait until Blogalicious 2010 in Miami, FL!

Here are some pictures and highlights of the conference:

Disney Interactive's Luncheon on Saturday: We had a great New Orleans style lunch in honor of The Princess and the Frog which hits theaters November 25, 2009. Princess Tiana is Disney's first Black fairy tale princess. They also had the new Princess Tiana Wii game for us to test out.
Karen Walrond, author of The Beauty of Different. She's a dynamic and inspirational speaker who brought us all to our feet, and of course, me to tears.

Disney Interactive Luncheon

Marketing to women of color panelist discussion

Omanster and James Andrews aka KeyInfluencer djing The Blogrollers Party. It was off the hook! People are still talking about how fun it was. There were even some brief celebrity appearances. Congrats to Lorraine and Christie for throwing a fabulous party!

Justice Fergie on UStream at The Blogrollers' party.

The Chatterbox aka Christie aka 1/2 of The Blogrollers with Justice Fergie and Jonesie of Mamalaw.

The Justices of Mamlaw

Suave Brunch

The writing genius, Denene Millner of My Brown Baby brought the entire room to tears after hear heartfelt speech about her rise to fame and the loss of her beloved mother.

The new artist, Priscilla Renea put it down with 2 songs from her upcoming debut album Jukebox which drops on December 1, 2009.

Christie and Fiona of Bantering Blonde

Me and my big sis. We look a bit of a hot mess after crying our eyes out over Denene's speech and Priscilla's songs.

The Blogrollers with Gwen Peake of the Duck Walk.

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Wordless Wednesday: Bun in the Oven

3 Month Belly

No morning sickness--just hunger and sleepiness!

~Joan

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How I Found Out I Was Pregnant

Disclaimer: If you are not into TMI, then you may want to skip this post.

Background info: A little over a year ago, I went off the pill and started a job where I traveled all the time. 8 months later, I was still not pregnant (I know you are saying, "duh! How can you get pregnant if you are never home?" Right! So anyway, my job had me so stressed that I decided I better get back on the pill because I didn't want to be pregnant under those conditions--not to mention I wanted to get rid of the horrible adult acne and the painfully heavy flow each month. Fast forward to July of this year. I quit my job and went off the pill for a month, and wallah, I'm preggers! It really is true that when you stop thinking so hard about it, it just happens.



How I Found Out: All of July of August I felt really depressed and tired. I actually thought I was losing my mind. I think I cried about MJ's death for 2 months straight. I was losing it! Then, the time rolled around for my cycle. I am like clockwork whether I'm on or off the pill. It always comes the same week by Thursday. It was Friday and it hadn't come yet. I was at my aunt's house with my mom and my sister. I explained to everyone how I was feeling and everyone told me I should take a pregnancy test. Being the frugal fannie that I am, I explained that every time I take a pregnancy test my period comes the next day and I'm pissed that I wasted the money. Well, Chrisite (my sister) told me that Baby Makin(g) Machine aka Futuremama was passing out dollar store pregnancy tests at BlogHer and apparently they are reliable. I said, "what the hell, I can spend a dollar, right?" I went to the dollar store and bought 3 tests just to be safe. Long story short, I peed on the stick and it was positive in like 2 seconds. I was definitely skeptical at first. I went home and took another one--positive again. I showed it to hubs and this convo followed:

Hubs: What's that?
Me: A pregnancy test.
Hubs: Uh huh. What's this mean?
Me: I'm pregnant!
Hubs: Stop playin! For real?!
Me: This is the second positive test.

He spent the next several weeks in shock. I don't think he really believed it until he saw the ultrasound last week. We both are very excited. Unfortunately, Hubs spends every waking moment worrying, and I spend every waking moment wishing I was eating or asleep. Do you think I was too harsh when Hubs was worrying last night and he told me he really needed someone to talk to and I said, "not me." I mean, I just can't go down the how-many-ways-can-the-baby-die path with him every day. Am I wrong?

Anyway, this story is way too long, so I'll write more later. BTW: Im 13 weeks today and I'm finally gettig back to my old self--a little. Don't let Hubs tell it though ;)

~Joan

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