off the market.

so 6 months ago, i said "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."

Fast forward to june, im singing a different tune. LOL. its interesting b/c my fam is making such a big deal abt it. its because this is the first guy i have brought home to meet the family. everybody is like ooooo look at her, shes just cant stop blushing. i am smitten.

i went home with him to long island to meet the family which was somewhat overwhelming cuz i met immediate AND extended family. it was really nice and everyone was so welcoming. im learning that long distance sucks but im learning to deal with it day by day.

hes a really really special guy and im excited to see what the future brings. ♥ babygirl is a happy woman. =D

♥ 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 ♥

everything changes.

"If you just walked away/What could I really say?/And would it matter anyway?/It wouldn't change how you feel..."

Trying to get thru last set of finals of my undergrad career. But drake at syracuse and cruise on the hudson this weekend to relieve some stress....

one love.

yea this is hot! Found via kiss my black ads. Designed by Erika Iris Simmons [www.iri5.com]

where the f*** have i been?

Welllll i dont even know where to start. So much has happened since the last entry. New goals, new interests ;), new searches for the directions of my life. Life has been good. I cant really complain. So my life within the last month in no particular order....

Brotherly visits - The weekend of March 19th my buddy came to visit. Surprised much?!? It was so good to see him and catch up. We spoke for about 2 hours, reminiscing on the good ole days of RPI and our last spring break's shenanigans. Talking about all those adventures made me realize how much I have loved my college experience. It truly has been a blast!
The next weekend was great. My alpha men came back for the Black& Gold Ball. Those guys from OY have a special place in my heart. They have taken care of me since I stepped foot on this campus and I love them dearly. Friday night was great, chillin at the bar, bros treating us [girls], and a lil dancing at a house party. The picture to the left is probally my fav of the weekend. It shows BSA presidents from 2006 to present. Feel so honored to be apart of great history. Saturday night, the big EVENT was nice! i love getting dressed up. my booskie and I actually came to the ball together. The afterparty....no words and i'll leave at that. LOL

Spring Break - Worked. Slept. Minimal Work. A random roadtrip to bingo. Great times! Pretty much sums it up!

Figuring out my life - Yes I am second semester senior graduating on May 29, 2010 and have NO clue what im doing after. So my parents and I have been going back and forth as to what my post graduate plans are. They are pushing for the military and very adamant about it, while im not so sure about it. And this is when I have my mentor/mama intervention. It seems like I always speak with her before I make a somewhat major decisions and she brings it all into perspective. So now im considering the Peace Corps, working for the state and/or US Embassy. These opportunities will give me a chance to travel [the visit to Australia is looking a lil more closer than I thought]. So im kinda lost but i have ideas on where i wanna go.

Easter Weekend - The best since ive been at RPI. Friday night a friends 21st "easter egg hunt" turned into a game of charades and a discussion of kegeling. *stiff body* inside joke. LOL. :) Saturday my shooting star invited me to her lake house. It was so great to get away from campus. And great food and cocktails! Tres Leche Cake plus cranberry & vodka with lemon! oh em gee! SO GREAT!
Sunday was church! I have been so spoiled in atlanta to have a numerous amount of churches to go with ministries that leave me spiritually fulfilled. Here in upstate NY.....ehh no so much! So when I go to church, I always compare it to my churches back home and there is no comparison. So wherever I move, it is important for me to have a spiritually fulfilling church home where I see growth and growth within me. Then we decided to have easter day dinner...it was so CLUTCH. within 15 minutes, the itis SMACKED everyone. it was so great that we're doing part 2 in like 2 weeks. it was like a little family and i felt like i was back home.

Two awards - So I received Who's Who Among Student in American Universities and Colleges. Very happy about that...one of 65 students selected from RPI. And thennnnnnnnn....I received an invitation to join the prestigious leadership honor society, Phalanx. The highest leadership award given to RPI students. Since I found out about this award, it was one of my dreams to be inducted. So when I got my letter, I hugged the girl who gave to me, good thing I kinda knew her already. LOL. But the "tapping" [induction] ceremony is this Sunday and I am so excited! Cant wait to join the ranks of the RPI's superior leaders. =)

April the month of Natually Inspiration - So I decided for the month of April, i will not straighten my hair. Tryna be in tuned with my natural state. I want something new! Ive been wild with it too...big curly fros. LOL. Channeling my inner erykah badu/india arie state of mind.Here I am. LOVE it! I am not my hair!

So life has been good! And april is getting better day by day. ;) 2 roadtrips within 2 weeks. Seeing my big sis/bff 6 days before my bday. Hosting for OMSA awards. The events keep rolling in!! =)

♥ A.Erika ♥

hiatus [effective 02.01.2010]

Hiatus not from blog, although it may seem that way. But hiatus from partying wilding out at social activities. Although I've been cheating a lil bit, this hiatus has given me time to think about what going on in my life.

January was probally THE most trying month of my life. I probally lost like 12 lbs in 3 weeks due to stress. Being so uneasy that I couldnt sleep at night. Yea it was that bad! But at the end of it all, I was still able to give thanks and praise my Lord and Savior because without His love and guidance, I would not be here. All that I went through made realize that I cannot get through life without Him. He proved to me that while man has given up on me, He is still in control of everything. And I am thankful for that because if it was for man, I would not be lying in my bed in Troy writing this post.

So as this hiatus continues, I will continue to lay low and reflect on my life, both present and future. Getting together my post graduation plans are stressful within itself, not to mention plans for graduation plus schoolwork plus presidency/RA-ing. Yes I am overly involved. But I am keeping everything in perspective.

So I'm back, I promise.

♥ A.Erika ♥

happy [belated belated] new year

Happy new year! Belated I know. I tried to make it up with this new years photo of Australia ANNDDDD new layout. Gooodnesss!! I cant wait to visit this place and chill with the aborigines. LOL.

But I decided to take a break from blogging to do some reevaluating. I spent alot of my break thinking about myself and the future. I am the type of person who likes to know the result before something ends so I prepare myself. But thats not how life works and i think this is where my problem lies as I'm thinking about my future. I feel like if I was so driven [as many people say I am], I would not be confused and losing sleep about my future. I need to stop worrying about what others think so much and make my decisions based on whats good for me. So i'm slowing developing "back-up plans and not putting all my eggs in one basket" [as my daddy says]

Since this is my first post of new year, it would be fit to post my new years resolutions. But to be honest, I really dont have any....well theres only 2 that i would like to share. The first being is getting reconnected to God. I admit that my relationship with God has definitely faded since I went to school. Being home brings everything into perspective and I have realized that if I want to succeed, I need God by my side because He is the only one who can make a way out of no way. So getting back in good grace with my Lord is TOP priority.

My second resolution could be broken down into multiple resolutions but I like to keep things nice and simple. Too many complications makes my head hurt. But just to take care myself physically and emotionally. Physically....drink more water, take my vitamins, create a workout schedule, get at least 6 hours of sleep. Emotionally...journal more, have more me time. Ive realized I give too much and people take advantage of that because they know i'll always be there, as a result, not enough me time.

So to 2010, I must come out better than what I went in. Welcome 2010! :-)

♥ A.Erika ♥