Penn Relays 2014

And just like that we're heading back home from Philly! Although I was reluctant to go, we had a great time attending Penn Relays. For those who don't know, Penn Relays is a large track meet where teams from all over the world come to compete. High school, college, and professionals. Even the professionals over 75. That was cutest race I've ever seen! I hope to be able to run a race at 75. Of course the Jamaicans were out in full force in the stands. It was a sea of green, yellow, and black standing proud. It felt great to be amongst my fellow people. Of course the rivalry between Jamaica and USA were apparent as each race took place. Every time USA and Jamaica took the track, the commentator would have to warn people to sit down so everyone could see. But he really didn't have to say that because we got anyway because of our excitement and anticipation. Babes was amazed at the amount of Jamaicans in the stadium. I was like we are proud people. Texas even showed out too. The women's 4x400 relay medley mashed up the race! There wasn't a weak link in that relay. It was beautiful! Seeing all those women athletes confirmed that I really want a trackstar booty and flat abs. I need to find myself in a gym soon. Tryna to get wedding dress fine. Lolololol. 

And I'm sad to say this is my last post of my 40 day blog challenge. :( I'll be posting the challenge recap soon. I'm glad that I actually stuck with the challenge. Learned quite a bit and can't wait to share. 

♥ A.Erika ♥

Lindo Clan to Philly

We're taking our talents to Philly. Nah not really. We're as in my family plus the babes are embarking on a 10 hour road trip to Philly. Should be interesting to say the least. Not sure how it's all gonna pan out but we're heading up to see some good running and eat some Philly cheesesteaks. Lol. Y'all pray us. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@msashlee_erika) for updates. 

♥ A.Erika ♥

4.4.14

We're (babes and I) currently in Ohio for one of favorite couples' wedding. We took the 8hr drive Thursday into yesterday morning. We've been busy prepping and enjoying Shawn and Kat's day! It was truly amazing to see her so happy. Definitely a joy to share in their day! 

April is proving to be a crazily busy month. Every weekend is booked with something to do. It's kinda insane. We have our first venue visit in 2 weeks. I'm so excited about it!! 

♥ A.Erika ♥

Shine A Light On Autism!

Today is World Autism Awareness Day! As many of you know autism is a cause that is very dear to my heart because my older brother, Michael, was diagnosed at 3 years old. At that time, autism was a new "disability" and the ways to "treat" were very few. Thank God we lived in New York at the time where the government subsided therapy treatments for him. Now because of its prevalence (One in every 88 68 children are diagnosed), treatments are more widespread. What we are finding now is it seems that Michael was a part of the first generation of autism diagnosis and therefore there hasn't been enough consideration for treatment for adults with autism. It's kinda like oh shoot we've been focusing on research for diagnosing children but what about when the kids grow up. Therapy programs for adults can be quite expensive and if the families can cannot afford it, the adults are forced stay at home. Which was our testimony until we found funding and got Michael involved with a program. My family can rest assure that he is in a safe place during the day and doesnt become a recluse, which is a common trait for most adults with autism. For that, we are so blessed!

Last year I dedicated my birthday to fundraising for autism. Thanks again to all that supported the project. I am taking this year off to recoup in light of my engagement and attempting not to put too much on my plate. But know I will be back with something stronger for 2015 World Autism Awareness Day! Here's my selfie for a cause...Shine A Light On Autism! If you want to purchase a shirt like mine, visit here.

♥ A.Erika ♥

Cultural Blending

Let me start off by saying my bad for slacking these past 2 days. It was a family focused weekend which kept me away from my computer and there's nothing wrong with that. We all need an impromptu break from technology. My family hosted John's family for a meeting of the minds to discuss wedding details. We've been holding off on jumping into wedding planning because we wanted both families to be on the same page. I believe that was accomplished this weekend. It was interesting to get a brief history lesson on the lineage of my soon-to-be husband's family. There was many similarities of between the Jamaican (my culture) customs and Ghanian (his culture) customs and the parents got to bond over that. We also discussed how each culture would be represented at the wedding. One of the most touching moments is when my fiance's dad thanked my parents for raising a wonderful soulmate for his son. My eyes welled up immediately. I was like woooooo this is TOO heavy because the way my emotions are set up..... LOL!

Now that we got this meeting out the way, we can dig into planning. We have 3 venues in mind and will be conducting visits in the next couple weeks. I hope to have a venue secured by late May. On top of that, we need to shoot our engagement photos so we can get the save-the-dates out by July. So there's much work to be done. But I promise to continue posting every day until the 40 days are up and of course continuing to post after that. I also promise to NOT to bomboard y'all with wedding planning stuff. I'm sure it will consume my life but I want to share much more than that. How was the weekend for y'all? 

♥ A.Erika ♥

today was a good day.

In the words of Ice Cube, today was a good day. Lolololol. My parents came to visit us at our church today and they had a wonderful experience! This is a big deal because my parents weren't too happy about me leaving their church to attend another one. I was slightly offended that they didn't trust my judgement to find a new church and start in a place with my then boyfriend but now fiance. But that's another post. We've been going to our new church for about 4 months and we decided to invite my parents to church with us. I know Mama Lindo was looking for something to complain about so I was praying that the experience would be exceptional! God showed up and showed OUT! Won't HE do it?!?! Babes and I were running late and couldn't get a break, catching nearly every red light. We thought it was the devil but it really was God setting up the experience. Once we finally got there, they were in conversation with a member of the welcome team. We moved downstairs and were escorted to the front of the sanctuary for seats. My parents were treated like VIP and I loved it. Praise and worship was phenomenal! I saw my dad moving and rocking like never before. The message was on point as usual. Then we went to the first time guest reception and they got a chance to speak with the main facilitators of our pre-marital class. My parents instantly connected with them because they were Jamaican.  But the words that our facilitators spoke...Can we say dynamic? My parents even gave their blessing for us attending the church. It was cute. I've learned that my parents think they NEED give approval for things now that I'm grown. And I'm learning that I don't need it. After that we treated my parents to brunch and they raved about it their experience. My mom even called me to say my dad really enjoyed the church and the couple. I prayed for God to be blessing and He did more than I even imagined. I never cease to be amazed by God and all that He does. So today was indeed a good day.

♥ A.Erika ♥

the overdue new years post

Happy New Year! Lololol! I'm actually laughing as I type that because it's March and I've finally decided to do a post for the new year. Every weekend has been filled with something to do (even though I said I was hanging up my socialite cape) and I haven't had any down time to freely write until now. I'm notorious for writing a delayed New Years post anyway. Well maybe not this late. Eh whatever. I hope your new year is off to a wonderful start. Mine surely is. :D

If you follow me on social media, you already know that I'M ENGAGED!!!! On March 1, my babes asked me to marry him in Savannah, GA in a fairytale fashion! I had an idea because he was acting weird all day but I had no idea it would be so extravagant. It was perfect and I couldn't ask for a better person to spend the rest of my life with. So wedding planning begins. I can tell you that my favorite part of this wedding planning process is the design element like stationery and event design. Everything else I'm just like whatever. People are like you are just so cool about it. I'm like my family and friends won't allow me to be a bridezilla so I might as well be calm. But this is an exciting process!

I want to commit to something for 40 days and see what comes of it. Soooo...I'm challenging myself to 40 days of blogging. I know my sis Z will happy to read everyday. Lol! I have a couple ideas for what I want to write about but I would love to know what my readers would like to know. Leave a comment about what you want me to write about. Before y'all even ask, yes I'm doing a post on the proposal. I have to get my feelings right for it because the thought of the proposal story makes me tear up. Anyways, I've missed y'all. How has the new year been so far?

♥ A.Erika ♥  

Last Appeal for 25toAutism

Today is the LAST DAY! I decided to extend the campaign to today to give people more time to donate. I appreciate all the donations, support, and love I've received for this campaign. I've raised over $800 thus far! As the campaign is coming to a close, I was persuaded by a very close friend to share my story about growing up with Michael and why this campaign is close to my heart. So here it goes.....

I was about 5 when I realized my brother Michael was different. He operated differently. His sentences were short. He would always put his hands in his ears. As a typical younger sibling, I followed him around. Then one day, I asked my mom why he was different and she explained that my brother had autism. My immediate response was, "Can he take medicine?", because in my young mind, medicine helped you get better. But she said that's not how it works. She stressed the importance of me being there for him as a sibling. At that age, I promised myself that I would be his big little sister. Be his warrior, his advocate if you will.  I've considered it a privilege to be his personal advocate, because although he has autism, he is my brother. And his autism doesn't stop me from loving him any differently. 

My family is blessed. Michael has a mild form of autism, so he does not require medication to control his behavior, nor does he rely on my family to use the bathroom or bathe or feed himself. Other families aren't as fortunate. This campaign is not only personal but necessary to support the families who may need further assistance. That's where you come in. There are only 2 days left for my campaign, and I would love for you to contribute to an organization that gives hope to families. Your contribution shows them that you recognize their needs and gives them comfort that someone acknowledges their daily life. I ask you, no matter how much, to give. Give in honor of Michael, my big brother.

It's not too late to donate! To give a donation, visit this link: http://bit.ly/25toAutism. 

 ♥ A.Erika ♥

my scare

I had scare recently and made me evaluate my whole life.

My mom called me one day saying her mammogram results came back irregular and had to get further testing. Waittt whatttt? Messed me up for the whole day. I couldn't focus for the rest of the day. See my mom is my ROCK. But to be real, I don't always treat her the way I should. Because you know mom is ALWAYS going to be here. Or at least that's my thought process. But the thought of her developing a life-threatening disease got my attention loud and clear. This past Monday she had her follow-up testing so I made sure that I was there for her. I couldn't allow her to face something like that alone. Because she is ALWAYS there for me.

And thank God, everything is fine but it made me realize that you cannot take people for granted. Let people know how you feel while they are still here. Good or bad. Because you NEVER know when it will be time for them to check out. You don't want to hold in/back feelings that should have been said weeks, months, years ago. Say what you have to say and release it.

Even though she gets on my nerves, that's still my mom and I'm glad she's still with me.

♥ A.Erika ♥ 

pace yourself, ash.

You know when you were a kid and you got all giddy when you’re mom or dad was about to give you something you REALLY wanted? My mom said I used to do this little dance and I actually still do a form of that dance to this day. Lol. Well I get that same giddy feeling when I find opportunities that I can use to prove my skill and abilities especially for my career. I just wanna e-mail all these opportunities and say I can do it! I can do it! Then I find myself overwhelmed with everything because I decided to be superwoman and take on too many tasks. So that’s going to be one of the things I focus on next year is pacing myself. Because I was limited in the activities I wanted to participate due to unemployment, now I want to do everything because I have money of the better resources. But I don’t want to stretch myself too thin, trying to do everything at once.  I am forcing myself to be patient, finish my commitments and do them to the best of my ability. THEN take on another responsibility. Learning to build my empire slowly but surely.

I hope you all had a great Christmas. The fam and I surely did and we have leftovers for dayssss!!!

♥ A.Erika ♥

summer sabatical.

hello lovelies!

friendship.
my quiet storm and mouth-almighy

after a summer filled with toddlers and thinking, I'm back.

this summer I decided to nanny two 3-year-old girls. I was slightly nervous about it because I didn't suffer hell in undergrad for 4 years to become a nanny and this was not helping my career any. but I wasn't gonna pass up easy money. For two months, my girls and I went to the park, went to the aquarium, went to the petting zoo, got ice cream, went to storytime, did arts and crafts, talked about big girl school, AND took naps. [for all my tweeps, I hope my #nannydiaries captured the essence of summer as a nanny.] I realized children are not in my immediate future and riding with car seat is guy repellent. blessing and curse. Lol.

the family at mama lindo's celebration

I also used this summer to learn more about me. I was selfish this summer and I have never felt better. I was able to do some deep thinking about my career, friends, family, etc. Evaluate friendships even eliminate some. I got to meet new people and exchanged dreams/ideas with them, in turn they provided encouragement.  I reconnected to family I haven't seen in years. Partied with my parents until 6a in NYC. I was able re-develop my love of reading. Even able to meet one of my favorite writers and I'm now on HP book 4. I was able to explore my city and I'm proud to say I can navigate downtown Atlanta like a pro. Lol. I even gained a couple pounds by eating to my heart's delight. I shopped and got some "big girl clothes". I planned one of the best bday parties my mom has ever had. I got my belly button re-pierced and I'm going to see 1/3 of my rap trinity tomorrow. I'm going to a wine tasting next week and the week after, I'm meeting with some alumni. After all that, the thing I'm most proud about for summer 2011 is my relationship with God. If anything I could be selfish with is my relationship with Him. Understanding my significance and knowing who I am in Christ fuels my actions and keeps me inspired.

I'm so glad to be back. I've missed it so no more neglect. I have some surprises too as indicated by the last entry but I'm ready to unveil them just yet. But anyday now...hope u all have had a GREAT summer!


♥ A.Erika ♥

twenty three years young.

My birthday was this past weekend and it was lowkey just like I wanted. Plus it was my first birthday home in 4 years during mother's day weekend so I already knew my bday celebration was gonna be with family. Fun ashlee fact: I was ALMOST a mother's day baby. My mom continues to remind me that I missed getting a cabbage patch doll by a couple hours. Apparently all children born on mother's day receive a cabbage patch doll. *shrugs*

first friday with chi. :)

Pre bday celebration began with shopping for outfits for the weekend. Then tackled the hair removal with threading and waxing. Has anyone had their armpits waxed? Good gawd!  My mom had to hold my hand. Lol. Good thing it lasts long cuz I couldn't see putting myself through the pain every 2 weeks which is about as often as I shave. I went out to first fridays and  biz markie was there, looking like a cow whilst he was chewing his gum. No shots. Loved the venue. People kill me in atlanta, its like they act like they too cute/cool to dance. Smh. Saturday [My actual birthday] mama lindo and I went to the spa and enjoyed a nice pedicure. My feet feel as soft as a baby's bottom. Then I went to my old choregrapher's production. Like always, I'm inspired to dance again. Its been 3 years since taking a GOOD class. I miss the stage. I miss being able to express myself thru intricate movements. I miss being able to be sore from dancing all day at the studio. I just miss it all. So I been looking for some classes for the summer. I wanna get those feelings back.

I felt so loved with all the calls, txts/bbms, tweets, and fb posts. Even the fb post from HIM. After 8 months of being in a relationship, then 4 wks of not speaking, a fb post TRULY shows you love someone. Anywho, I really appreciate those who did reach out. Yall are great!!! :)

hello 23!

Mothers day proved to be one of the best in a while, as told by mama lindo. I'd like to think because I graced her with my presence this year. Lol. Nah it was a great family day with many laughs. Even my big bro came out with us. Sad the weekend is over and its back to the grind of job searching. Oh Lord when is it gonna be my turn....yet I'm thankful for where I am. Not tryna seem ungrateful but I'm oh so ready.

Until next time my loves,


♥ A.Erika ♥

radical love.

Last year my parents went through a class, along with other couples, called Radical Love. The purpose of the class was to teach them to become better spouses for one another. After the class finished, the couple continue to meet and include their families during the meetings. Of course, all the kids go play elsewhere but I, partly because I'm nosy, stay with the adults. I listen to hear how these couples are trying to keep their marriages going. I sit there admiring the support these couples have with each other. Holding each other accountable and also, being that helping hand when they are in need. I love that! I hope to have that connection with my friends and their spouses. Also, I hope to have that with my future husband's friends and their spouses as well. I know support systems help me even more now that i'm relationship. For me, its a sigh of relief when I reach out to my girls or my guys and they can identify what I'm going through. To me that says, they made it though so I can too.

Not gonna lie though, sometimes I feel a lil uncomfortable while they're talking about their personal issues but I've realized they want me to hear so I wont/ help prevent me from making the same mistakes they've made. Through these meetings, I am learning what it takes to be 1) a better woman and 2) a better wife for my husband. 

One thing my mom learned from the class and has imparted to me as i'm my relationship journey is "My spouse is not my problem." I think that statement is starting to click. I cannot worry about what my beau is doing and is not doing cuz that will drive me crazy. But trying to make sure "i'm a better me so me and you can be a better we". I know I've been struggling with some things lately and this meeting is kinda what I needed.

♥ A.Erika ♥

following my heart.

its hard following your heart when your biggest supporters dont agree with it. i know what i want to do and how i want to do it. but my supporters dont see it that way. they want me to cautious especially with limited income but if i dont try, i will regret not taking that opportunity because of their influence. i am not trying to be disobedient but i feel like im sacrificing my sanity to appease them. i dont want to feel disgruntled towards them but its hard when they are hindering me from what i want. all of my life, i have pretty much followed what they said but at this point, i gotta start making decisions for me, even if they disagree with it.

♥ A.Erika ♥ 

bullied.

So my OMSA mama said this to me a long time ago: you are getting bullied in your own house and you should not allow that. I kinda brushed it off and now im starting to realize what she exactly meant. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. Like I basically need to grow a pair of balls and speak up for myself. But then I feel like its a lost battle whenever I do. Ughhh I am just frustrated and I really would like God to show me the right direction. I feel much better today after talking with my cuzzo about the past, present and future. I just love that girl because she understands me and the struggle of being a daughter of Jamaican parents. It's tough life. Lol.

♥ A.Erika ♥ 

vaca update.

im back im back im bacckkkkkkk! LOL. well i been back but i finally decided to post. the trip was much needed and exceeded my expectations. the drive was more than entertaining because our family finds humor in anything! we actually listened to the conservative radio show talking about gay marriage. It was so interesting how they disagreed with giving gays the right to marry like President Obama but not once did they say they agreed with him...and they call themselves Christians.

Anywho, we got to Philly later than expected so we couldnt explore and get cheesesteaks. I was a tad bit disappointed. There is nothing like an authentic philly steak...it is so delicious! The wedding was BEAUTIFUL! So nice to see a young couple genuinely in love! It made me fall in love with weddings all over again. I need my friends to start getting married! LOL. Here I am with my bros [yes i am the shortest].

We then made a surprise visit to NY for my cousin's bbq bashment! Apparently its the talk of the town cuz there were so many ppl there including my fam! it was like a mini fam reunion. Ppl i havent seen in years and ppl I have never met. There were even talks of a potential family reunion which I got really excited about because neither side of my families have had an official family reunion so just the talk of it allowed my mind to wander on the ways I can help plan.

As my family headed back home, I ventured upstate to see the BF! As the bus pulled into the lot, my heart started beating all fast and I got little butterflies. He was there waiting on me with umbrella in hand cuz I told him I couldnt get my hair wet. LOL. Hes so great! The week was fabulous. Movies, dinner, lots of hugging and forehead kisses [MY ABSOLUTE FAV!], bbqs, CcD, SPADES! Sunday came and I was not a happy camper. I was flying standby and that could be a post within itself but to keep it short, all the flights were full and I couldnt leave that day. So we actually got to visit a mutual friend, khaly, and my bff was staying there so it was double the treat. me and bff greeted each other like we hadnt seen each other in years haha. the BF even said that he didnt receive a greeting like that. lol. so i stayed at khaly's house to prevent the BF from driving so much. it was a sad day in NY state cuz my next time seeing him is TBA! sigh.

Visiting my loves made me realize how much I love my school. my qualms with the institution and its policies are often overruled by the friendships and relationships i have formed there. my inner circle with the exception of a couple all have ties to RPI. i wouldnt change it for the world. i truly have formed some great bonds with some great people. So i gotta try my darnest to make it for alumni weekend...i feel like its gonna be EPIC!

vaca update complete...now back to my regularly scheduled program.

♥ A.Erika ♥

life update.

yes i'm still alive. =). LOL. i know my life has been in an uproar since may. now with nothing really to do but apply to jobs and sleep, i'd figure i would blog. its only fair. LOL.

i am a proud alumna of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute...after much hard work, sweat, tears, late/all nighters, i have a dual degree. and they say it cant be done in 4 years, i beg to differ. my family showed up and showed out. im gonna say they were the loudest family at graduation. dinner was great and go to spend time with my loves.

the first weekend in may i got to see my bestie and of course good times. getting acquainted with her new campus for grad school...im so proud of her! kappa cruise weekend was crazy! the best cruise i've been to.
birthday was wonderful...oh em gee i couldnt stop laughing cuz my friends kept joking around. surprise at midnight and everybody who went out later made my bday one of the best birthdays ever.

now im home enjoying not having anything to do while still searching for jobs. tryna stay encouraged cuz this job market sucks but i know something is coming my way...

♥ A.Erika ♥

my 2009 wrap-up

As this interesting year of 2009 comes to end, I thought I would do my wrap-up of 2009. In this year, I learned...

• GREAT friends are hard to come by but I am so thankful of the friends I have in my life. Some have gone away, the TRUE ones have stayed, some have become closer. They truly have kept me sane through this year and made this year so memorable. Friends are so important to me and have become like family. People think they are in my inner circle but they arent even close.
  
• Forgiveness is a necessity. I have learned that being able to forgive somebody who wronged you will allow you to move on in your life, giving you peace in your life. After all, if the Lord can forgive me for all my transgression, who am I not forgive?
• I need closure in my life. Or I will continue to worry about it. I had a lot of open ends in 2009 and I'm glad that they are now closed so I can move forth in 2010.
  
• You have to give people a chance. Sometimes I can be closed minded and I just wont give people a chance. I think its because im an introvert. Having conversations with certain people made me realize that we all dont give people a chance and you never know what you can learn from people. Just because a person looks/act different doesnt mean they can add value to your life.
• INFJ. Introverted. Intuition. Feeling. Judging.
• Guys come and go. Not gonna say I havent totally given up on them but I'm done with them for awhile. I'm chllin.
• Love is what keeps me going. And it mainly comes from my parents and my brothers. They are my biggest supporters. I love them soooo much! They give me the confidence I have and support all my antics even my crazy ones.
  

2009 was not the best year but not worst either. Making my plans for 2010 NOW. Speaking of, I need to get my materials for my vision board. A vision board is an artistic way of displaying one's vision for the year. Trying something new for the new year. Im excited for 2010. I feel some good things coming my way and make some changes for a better life. See ya in the new year!!

♥ A.Erika ♥

#imthankfulfor....

My support system has been the best these last couple of weeks. I never really questioned the love and support of my family because I knew it was always there but the love from my friends has really surprised me lately. I had a really big interview last weekend and the amount of support I received from not only my fam but also friends really made me realize how blessed I am for the people I have surrounded myself with. And I am SOOOOOO thankful for them.

As usual, I am in the NYC for the break. As awesome as NYC is, I am starting to think this place is not for me. Driving is a hassle with all the traffic and not mention everytime I come here, something always happens to my car. :-( [Currently recovering from a minor case of whiplash]. I always have a good time but I dont think this place is for me. I am just ready to eat some good food and get some rest so I can finish this semester strong. Hopefully I'll get to see my RPI peeps before I leave.

♥ A.Erika ♥

midterms!!

So officially hate MIDTERMS. Maybe because they sucked for this semester. I got sick last week and was out of commission for like 3 days, throwing my whole study schedule off and resulting in me not doing well on my tests. It was a wake up call and I needed to start grinding out this work. So grind mode is in full effect. Plus, mama lindo is coming today for family weekend. And I know she will give me the inspiration I need to get through the rest of the semester. Trying to keep hope alive!!

On a lighter note, I scheduled my final interview with the company I really want to work for. And I need to call the travel agent to get my travel itinerary since they are flying me out to DC. This is so exciting for me! I hope it all works out. I want a skirt suit for the interview so we're going shopping this weekend. :-) A lil retail therapy doesnt hurt. I also have an appointment for senior portraits on Monday. It's crazy how fast this year is moving.

♥ A.Erika ♥