As 2009 comes to an end...

...I smile to myself. This year has been great to me. Life has so many unexpected twists and turns but it's all about how you handle whatever comes your way. There've been times when my spirit was so broken that the ONLY thing that made any sense in my life was to pray. (By the way, from that experience I wrote the song "Your love is enough" and it is one of my favorites!)

I smile, in hindsight, because I am watching life unfold. God knows EXACTLY what He's doing, even when things are not going according to OUR plan. I am a firm believer in "everything happens for a reason!"

I have met quite a few wonderful people this year and even re-connected with so many others (thanks to Facebook! lol) and another highlight of this year is meeting Clydene Jackson. She is an incredible singer/songwriter with a long list of credits (everything from commercials to movies); most recently Avatar! She is really sweet with a great spirit and it was so worth being stuck in 2 hr traffic into the city, not to mention the risk of getting a ticket for parking by a hydrant...lol.

Clydene Jackson (center)

And what I'm about to tell you is CLASSIC so I had to share...

A friend of mine isn't speaking to his mother (they haven't spoken in a little over a year)..anyway, his wife tries to reach out to her so they send her a postcard for Christmas. She mails the postcard back to them with this note at the back of it...(pictured below)

(it reads: "Shove it!!! You call that a Christmas card? Get lost!!!

Even my apt # was wrong

Smoking pot again?")

I thought it was the funniest thing...the kinda joke you'd read only in e-mails, but this is for real!!  Hahahahaha...he's considering writing her back to ask "Does this mean you don't love me anymore?" lolol

Anyhoo...

I extend all the best wishes from my heart and my family to yours.

HAVE A HAPPY, BLESSED, SAFE, FUN, PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR !

Cheers to 2010!
http://affinityrecords.com/ClydeneJacksonEdwards.html
http://www.gravity180.net/

Christmas 2009

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, NYC

I thoroughly enjoyed this holiday! It was festivity after festivity and I was able to see almost all of my family...which truly is a blessing.

My 2 week vacation started off in the city! Some of my fam were able to make it to Ann Ruckert's Holiday Concert to see me perform, despite the BLIZZARD (THANKS SO MUCH GUYS!), then we went 'stravancing' (luv this word Ann) around town!

My aunt & cuz waiting in line to skate at the Rockefeller

Carolers in Saks

Ange & I goofing around while we shop

My son in our backyard, enjoying the aftermath of the blizzard

Even the dog wanted in on the action lol

My son's reaction to my C/mas music! lol

Wondering what's in those boxes with his name on it lol

And below are my goddaughters with some of their presents...

Zahara

Millania

I luv my family! They're crazy, fun, loving...did I mention crazy? lol But I luv them all!

Top 10 things that annoy me about the holidays...

10. Not because you're my child's teacher means you deserve a present! First of all, if my son was Little Johnny then maaaaaaaaaaybe I'd understand but you get PAID to do this so don't send home any flyers saying that you should get a gift and then tell me how much I should contribute! (Class parents, you WILL be paintballed for organizing that mess!)

9. The grinches & the scrooges: Listen, I don't give a flying facockta why you don't wanna celebrate this year (death or serious issues non-inclusive)...if it's because you spent all your money on designer clothing or some other random mess and now you're broke, please step aside...you're boring me and I'd rather watch paint dry!

8. I know it's not always easy to get a babysitter, but I am trying to shop IN PEACE! I don't wanna hear you're whiney little brat while I'm shopping. I would put a cork in my kid if I have to, I expect you to do the same!

7. Speaking of shopping in peace, do I REALLY need to hear your convo with Tiquana bout where she bees at? Or that Jimbob would just lurrrrrrrrrrvvvv the plaid shirt you're getting him instead of the checkered one? You and your cell phone need to step outside and freeze to death!

6. I used to be highly opposed to leashes for kids...now I know why they make them. Invest in one! When I pull out an item from the clothing rack I DON'T wanna see your little beady-eyed kid peering back at me. Cute to you; highly annoying to me!

5. If they bounce that balloon one...more...time...in my direction, I WILL pop the s**t! This is a mall NOT a playground! (P.S. I have no problem using WWF moves on lil kids!)

4. When you get to the front of the line, please be prepared! GET OFF THE CELL and have coupons, money, credit card etc in hand...and NO you cannot run back through the store to grab one more item you idiot...other people have things to do...back of the line for you!

3. Holiday traffic is already brutal so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't saunter across the parking lot like you're in your bedroom! I will run you over!

2. Holiday concerts - SAAAAAVE the speeches! We all know that we're only there to see our own little adorable precious child. All the other classes? yawn! So let's just move this along and thank the 100 faculty members individually on your own time.

1. HOLIDAY SWEATERS!!! If you're not over 60, that is UNACCEPTABLE ! If I see a Christmas tree WITH LIGHTS on your sweater, or Rudolph's nose blinking at me, I will punch you in your chest!

Countdown to Christmas

I LUVVVVVVV Christmas!!! Somehow there's a different feeling in the air. I'm also reminded of my childhood Christmases in Trinidad. Now Christmas on an island is verrrrrrrrrrrry different from Christmas in the USA.

Firstly, the weather!   "Santa" ain't riding no sleigh, he is paranging! ("Parang" is a type of music played in Trinidad, mainly around Christmas, and derives from our hispanic heritage. "Paranging" is pretty much partying from house to house... yes, Trinis use ANY excuse to party!) We used to have some traditional Christmas music in our house too but mostly parang.

Then there was the re-decorating...EVERY... SINGLE... YEAR! It is tradition to re-vamp the ENTIRE HOUSE!!! Honestly, I think it was just a fancy form of CHILD LABOR! Yet we had sooooooo much fun doing it. We'd have to scrub alllll the steps (& we had a wrap-around veranda so you know they got rid of us for at least a day or two!)...then paint it! We'd get new furniture for the front porch or just re-paint what we had if it was in good condition. My grandfather was in charge of the yard and he made sure it was in pristine condition! So he'd hire young men in the neighborhood to take care of the more arduous stuff and he'd take care of the rest.

Granny was the homemaker. I don't ever remember her telling us what we had to do. There was subtle, yet not-so-subtle, delegation in the house. They would buy the paint and we just knew that EVERY room had to be re-painted. Granny would buy bolts of fabric and sew new curtains for every single room (drapes and valances inclusive too honey! Trust me, JC Penny had nothing on my grandma). We mopped, polished and dusted every nook and cranny in preparation for the new knick knacks. New doilies (which I HATE btw! Why? I just do), new tablecloth for the dining room with Christmassy placemats, the "good" dishes came out of hiding, new bathroom rugs and last, but not least, the tree!

We had the nerve to put up Christmas trees with fake snow! (My grandparents never actually saw snow but hey, we had snow on the tree.) Some years it was a Charlie Brown tree (fake of course, replete with snow!)

And the fooooood! NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING, beats Christmas morning with home-made bread and ham, with just a touch of pepper sauce on the side. Or pastelles, black cake (a.k.a. rum cake or fruit cake), sorrel, ponche de creme (eggnog)...mmmm the list goes on. (By the way, that was the ONLY time I'd ever see walnuts in the house so I O-D'd on them!)

Then after breakfast, (only on Christmas morning AFTER breakfast) we could open our presents. I was such a dummy! We didn't have a chimney and do you EVER think I questioned how Santa got there? NOPE! We had windows called louvres...

Notice the slats of glass?

....and I could care less how he squeezed his fat butt to get in as long as I saw my name on presents under that tree! (My son, on the other hand, takes the time to think about this stuff). But it never bothered me...as a matter of fact only a couple years ago I realized I was getting BOOTLEG BARBIE! My friend (Ana) and I discovered one day that we were both jipped! (She's Portuguese and our backgrounds are so similar). You know the "Barbie" that's HOLLOW?? Yup! That's what WE got! (try giving that to a kid nowadays and see if they don't beat you with the same damn doll!)
But at that time, all I cared about was being off from school and happy that Santa didn't think I was bad that year ;)

Me, Heineken & Thanksgiving

So the beginning of Thanksgiving week I got a cold. I received a lot of food donations (thanks so much to everyone who supported the food drive by the way) so when I left work I rushed over to the church to deliver the stuff.
As I was hauling bags from my car to the church kitchen I wondered why a lady who was there didn't offer to help me, nor did she look too pleased by the interruption. Rather unusual at a church but no biggie...I was anxious to get home to a hot shower, hot tea and my comfy bed! Just as I had placed the last bag on the counter and was wishing the lady a Happy thanksgiving, she said "Uhm, I'm going to take this stuff out of the box and you could take the box with you." It was then that I realized that I had delivered food to a church in a Heineken box!

The infamous box!

As if it would save me from embarrassment I started to explain that it was a co-worker's, but the lady had this accusatory look as if to say "mmm hmm you're a lush, just admit it!"

Then there was the parade...I was so determined to make it out there but instead was home battling the cold. So my son and I DID in fact see Dora and company, albeit from the comfort of home. It was GORGEOUS that day so I'm glad I felt better by the time I was due to hang out with my fam.

Now you know there's always that one uncle that you're embarrassed by - well this isn't the uncle (I have another one) but he's certainly working his way there because he everytime he sees me he regales the story of the day I peed on his foot.

 Infamous foot!

It's one of those stories that you'd hope stay in the fam but I just know the day I win my first Grammy my uncle would be telling someone "I remember the day she peed on my foot..." and we're not talking about when I was a child either...ok!?! You want the story, talk to my uncle...cause you ain't gettin it here lol but that moment certainly bonded us FOR LIFE ! lol

Here he is rummaging through old photographs...we had a BLAST laughing at our outfits and hairstyles from back in the day (hopefully those NEVER leave the premises! I saw a pic of me with a unibrow! NOT...CUTE!)

Here he is (minus da pee) pictured with Aunty Sherry.

Here I am with my crazy aunt Pat (and I ain't kidding when I say crazy lol)

Aunts Pat and Ange

And the best part of the day...the food and desserts!

Sigh....I heart Thanksgiving!