5 Things Solange’s Wedding Taught Us – NaBloPoMo #19

This past weekend Solange Knowles taught all of us a thing or two about wedding planning and how to shine on your special day. I have been a fan of hers for years because she has always exuded an eclectic spirit and seemed very happy with herself. Her wedding day was no exception. Solange said I do to the man she loves and has dated for several years without everyone being all in her business. Happily she shared her day with the world without being ostentatious. She allowed her happiness to spill over to the streets of New Orleans and though there were no pictures of the ceremony itself, several beautiful museum worthy portraits of the happy couple and their guests have emerged online. Here’s what we all should take away from her happy day:

1) Wedding Rules Are Meant to be Broken – After thousands of years of traditional weddings, finally Solange shows us it is OK to break some rules and be free. Girls all over the US are looking at her pictures and saying WOW, look at Solo! Here’s what we know:

• She was not dressed in the traditional white gown and veil; she had a fierce cream jumpsuit with a cape that was so stylish, Olivia Pope was jealous.
• There was NO limo ride to the church; instead she and her betrothed rode sweetly decorated bicycles to the chapel.
• She was not surrounded by a gaggle of bridesmaids in identical, brightly colored dresses. Everyone was in white including the guests.
• She even eliminated the wedding march according to reports and instead had a fellow musician sing
• The ceremony spilled onto the street where the bride and groom were surrounded by lighted sparklers.

2) Be Yourself – If you learn nothing else from this post, I beg of you, learn this. Solange is not afraid to be herself! She has her own style, has her own identity, likes eclectic music and wears her hair natural. On her wedding day she did not conform to society’s expectations, but showed the world you can be a stunning bride wearing an afro, cream colored jumpsuit and dancing in the streets. As long as you are authentic, you will be beautiful.

3) Creativity is Golden – Solange showed everyone how to step outside of the box when it came to her celebration. She chose to recreate poses from Italian artist Vanessa Beecroft’s previous work for her wedding portraits. Trust me; nobody was ready for those shots. They were out of this world!

4) Love is Still a Beautiful Thing – Lately there has been this facade in the American community that marriage is old fashioned and falling in love is for suckers. I have read countless articles saying single women are not looking for love and that may be true, but when you find LOVE it’s a beautiful thing. Solange and her new husband, Alan Ferguson have shown us that you can still fall in love and it is not only great, but fun! They looked so happy in their pictures riding to the wedding and the way he looked at her on the balcony makes the coldest of hearts melt!

5) Dance Like Everyone is Watching – There was video of the ecstatic bride dancing with her new husband in the streets of New Orleans like she was the happiest woman on earth. Not to mention the video that emerged of Solo dancing with her 10 year old son, from a previous marriage, at the reception. It was one of the most adorable wedding dances I have seen and once again Mrs. Ferguson was having a ball.

I’m sure after this wedding; there will be a slew of copycat brides all over the US trying to replicate Solange’s look, style and wedding activities. They will try as hard as they can, but they will not be able to recreate this lovely ceremony. Here’s a tip ladies read this blog and pay close attention to #2! Have a wedding that celebrates you and your fiance because you can’t be Solange no matter how bad you may want to be; not even for a day.

Rebirthoflisa Blogiversary – NaBloPoMo #18

This Saturday, November 22nd will mark my one year Blogiversary! I can’t believe it has been a whole year since I decided to start my personal blog. I have always written, but never before had I let the world read it. I would let one or two people read my work and that was it. I am happy to report that in a year’s time I now have over 200 followers on my blog with 100 plus on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. This may not sound like a lot in the social media world, but in the world of Lisa it is amazing!

Over the last year I have taken the Blogging 101 and 201 courses as well as the Photography 101 course and met several new bloggers to interact with. I have improved my skills as a blogger and learned valuable tools to help build my readership as well as make my blog better. I have participated in several events on other bloggers’ pages and have hosted my own. This year I am participating in the annual NaBloPoMo event on BlogHer that coincides with NaNoWriMo. I have accomplished so many things that I never thought I would in the last twelve months and I have big hopes and dreams for year 2.

In the upcoming year I have many dreams that I plan on bringing to reality such as my first novel being published, expanding my readership, attending blogger conventions, and much more.

I am super stoked about celebrating my accomplishments and I can’t wait to share the day with you all! Saturday, from 9 am – Midnight, I will be hosting a Poetry Blog Party. All participants are invited to choose a poem written by the legendary Maya Angelou and write a poem inspired by hers. You will post the poems on your blog and then ping back to mine, as well as posting a link advertising my blog party, encouraging your readers to participate. You will also be asked to visit at least 5 other blogs in participation and comment on at least 2 of them. It win win for everyone and who knows, there may be prizes too!

Post a comment below if you will join me for the fun. Don’t forget to tell your friends!

Sunday Spoken Work – Body Love by Mary Lambert – NaBloPoMo #16

Today I wanted to feature a video called Body Love by Mary Lambert. She has a body positive message in her words that need to be heard. Too many people think it is OK to shame people because of their bodies, be it fat or skinny or just ill shaped. Who are we to judge what someone else looks like? People are meant to look different from each other and as long as nobody is hurting you, keep your bad attitude, opinions and stares to yourself.

Emotional Vamps – NaBloPoMo #15

The setting sun strikes fear in my soul
I need the light to keep from getting cold
The sun brings warmth and comforts me
Nighttime is the right time for everyone but Li

I shut myself inside like a scared child
Hoping and praying this time it will be mild
I can’t see my hand in front of my face
God help me to escape this place.

They creep in the night because they can see
Nightvision is their advantage over me
I fight and kick, but never scream
Hoping and praying it’s just a dream.

I wake in the morning scared to death
Panting and coughing trying to catch my breath
I fought this time down to the wire
Who can survive these Emotional Vampires?

The Handshake – NaBloPoMo #14

A handshake is meant for
Strangers or business associates
So why did you shake my hand?

Maybe you feel like a stranger
Since you weren’t there to
Help raise me into the
Wonderful person you see today.

I have survived and thrived
Without you in my life
But it doesn’t mean
You were not missed.

Every girl needs her father
They just don’t need
A HANDSHAKE!

The Darkness – NaBloPoMo #13

The darkness comes every day
And every day I must fight
to keep it from taking over

I laugh and smile and pretend
All the while terrified
Will today be the day
that I can no longer fight it?

Tears burn my cheeks
but I get mad at myself
for showing any emotion
except love and happiness

Today is over and I go to bed
Tomorrow will be a new fight
a battle to the death…
I pray I win

The Disease

Love is a disease
And I don’t want a cure
Because he’s sincere
And his heart is pure.
Try as I may I just can’t fight it
So I give in and God help me I like it.
It tears at my flesh and leaves many scars
Burning and itching and making me hard
Inside I feel it growing stronger every day
Like Hotel California I can never get away

Lisa Gump – NaBloPoMo #11

If I were trapped inside a movie for 5 days, it would have to be Forrest Gump! I absolutely love this movie. To let you know how much I adore this film, I have visited the Bubba Gump restaurant several times and the food is just so-so. I go for the experience and I always win at trivia. Tom Hanks did such a good job bringing this character to life I have imagined myself as the title character and wondered what it would be like if Forrest was actually a black female named Lisa. Here’s how I imagined the scenario:

• As a child growing up in Greenbow, AL, Lisa would not have had braces on her legs. She would, however, have been chased by crazy rednecks who wanted to lynch her because she had a white best friend named Jenny. She developed a great skill for running…. Run Lisa, Run.
• Lisa was not allowed to go to school with Jenny. She had to walk/run the 7 miles to the colored school. There would be no friendly bus driver on her route to school.
• Lisa’s mama ran a boarding house just like Forrest’s mom and one day a young group of musicians were playing the chitlin’ circuit and stayed with the Gumps. Lisa became acquainted with the youngest member of the band whose name was Michael. He was having trouble finding a signature dance move and she began to show him some of her moves, swinging her hips to the music. Some years later that young boy became the King of Pop.
• Jenny and Lisa remained friends throughout high school and they decided to attend college together. Lisa would be one of the first African Americans to enroll in The University of Alabama. Jenny later got kicked out of school for some pictures in her school sweater just like the original movie. She tried to convince Lisa to pose as well, but Lisa’s mama would have killed her cemetery dead.
• Lisa was invited to the White House as a member of the first African Americans to enroll and attend UofA and she drank a couple of Dr. Peppers during her visit. When she came face to face with President Kennedy she was too shy to speak so she ran into his personal bathroom where she saw the picture of Marilyn Monroe.
• After 4 years of school and graduating at the top of her nursing class, Lisa was recruited by the Army to become a nurse for the injured soldiers in Vietnam. That’s where she came in contact with Lt. Dan and Bubba. Their unit was blasted with artillery and they were brought to the hospital where Lisa was serving. Lisa took care of Bubba, but he had some internal bleeding and was dying. On his death bed he told Lisa of his plans to be a shrimp boat captain and asked Lisa to promise to buy a boat and live his dream because he could not. His last words were still “I wanna go home.” Lt. Dan still had his death wish, but when he witnessed Bubba’s death he realized how foolish he was being and vowed to help Lisa run the shrimpin’ business.
• Lisa was invited to the White House as a part of her heroic service to the injured soldiers. President Johnson presented her with the Medal of Honor. Johnson whispered to her that he would like to see her in her sexy nurse’s uniform before giggling and walking away.
• While in DC she mistakenly attended a Black Panther Party Rally and ran into her best friend Jenny who was with her abusive boyfriend. Lisa got some of the Black Panthers to beat him up for hitting Jenny and started a riot. She and Jenny narrowly escaped with their lives. Jenny went back to California to live with her boyfriend.
• Lisa was invited to the White House again and she met the President of the United States again! When she met President Nixon, he refused to shake her hand because she was a black female and she became upset. Later that day she overheard the President speaking to his assistant about Watergate and deliberately ratted him out.
• Lisa is invited to tour China with a group of African American doctors and nurses and became more famous than Captain Kangaroo because of her natural hair. When she returned home there had been all sorts of visitors. The main one was from Afro Sheen who wanted to pay her $25,000 to endorse their hair products.
• Now that she had some money, Lisa made the trek to Bubba’s home town to pay her respects and make the introduction. She also went to buy a shrimp boat just like she promised. She paid $23, 978.16 for the boat. That’s what was left after she bought a new pair of shoes, got her hair done, two Dr. Peppers, a bus ticket and took her mama out for a real fancy dinner.
Pretty much everything else that happened in the original movie to Forrest happens to Lisa at this point with the following exceptions:

1. Jenny did have a baby, but it of course was not Lisa’s. She got pregnant from one of the many men she was with and did not know who the little boy’s father was.
2. Lisa married Lt. Dan! After spending all that time alone on a shrimp boat it was inevitable. He still got his magic legs.
3. When Jenny died of AIDS, Lisa and Lt. Dan adopt little Forrest. Jenny could never figure out why she named the boy Forrest, but for some reason the name stuck in her head.

Well, that’s my movie. What do you think? Is it a blockbuster like the original? Drop me a line and let me know.

How to Write a Great Love Letter to Your Spouse – NaBloPoMo #10

These days everyone is so busy running around doing chores, working a ridiculous amount of hours and trying to support friends and family that we sometimes forget to take care of home. Your spouse needs your attention too and it doesn’t have to take that much time. Just a little wink or an out of the blue kiss on the neck from behind can go a long way. When it comes to romance, sometimes married couples can get in a rut. Don’t worry; I’m here to help…. For men this may be a bit more difficult, but you can handle it. After all, you are the stronger sex, right? Since women are typically known as the ones who crave the romance, this task will be great for you to do because it will be completely unexpected and believe it or not, our husbands crave romance too. (They just have difficulty admitting it and you shouldn’t make them)

Here’s a little project that will get you several brownie points and will remind you why it is you married this person to begin with. It will be difficult at first and may take you several drafts, but once you get it done, it’s like butter baby!

Here’s what you need:
• Stationary & Envelope – Head to a local stationary store, craft store, Hallmark or Target. They all have good choices, but be sure to choose the Letter sheets, not note cards. For this type of project, you want to be sure to pick letterhead that is meaningful. If she likes butterflies get something classy with butterfly accents. If he likes airplanes or boats the same thing. Just don’t choose something childlike or whimsical.
• A Good Writing Pen – Use a pen that won’t bleed or smudge on your stationary.
• Wedding photos, Photo albums, and reminders of the past
• Stickers to seal the envelope
• Silence

Now you’re ready to begin:

Step 1:

Write a draft(s)
Before you start writing, you must have an idea of what to write. Since this is a love letter you want to think about why you love this person. Here’s a clue “Because you are beautiful” is not a great way to start. Of course everyone wants to know that they are attractive to their spouse, but in a love letter it is most likely the last thing to mention. It’s ok to say your spouse is attractive, just find a way to work it into the meat of the letter. You need to flashback to the time before you were married. Did they make you laugh or make you feel safe? Was it the way she looked at you or maybe it was the way he gently brushed your hair out of your eyes? Whatever it was jot that down, remember that feeling and start writing on plain paper. Right now you are just making notes for your master piece.

Step 2:

Write your heart out and don’t hold back. This is the person you are sharing your life with and you don’t have to hide your true feelings. Open up and express the most vulnerable thoughts you have about your spouse. You must be authentic or they will see right through you and all of your effort will be for not. If you are not a poet don’t try to be. It’s OK to use a thesaurus, but don’t try to be someone you are not. Just be yourself. Your spouse will appreciate it more.

Step 3:

Review what you have written to ensure it relays just what you wanted to say. If there are typos and you don’t have time to start over, correct it right there on the paper because it’s charming and nobody is perfect. (Unless you are a type A personality, then you must re-write)

Step 4:

Fold the letter in three even sections and place in the envelope and seal with the sticker you have chosen.

Step 5:

Delivery is everything. Think of a special way to present your letter; It all depends on the type of relationship you have. Here are some good options:

• A picnic is always great and romantic if you plan it ahead of time.
• Take a day trip to the beach or a mountain town. Find a romantic spot and out comes the letter. You may want to research the town for say a church where a famous couple got married, etc.
• Ask him/her to join you for coffee at a local coffee house, while you are sitting there enjoying each other’s company slip the envelope on the table with a desert.

Now that wasn’t so hard was it? There are a million scenarios that will warm his/her heart strings. The trick is knowing your spouse. Remember this is an out of the blue, unexpected gift to your spouse so presentation is everything. Now get out to your local store, pick up some nice stationary and get to writing! Your spouse will thank you.

The Thin Line – NaBloPoMo #9

Love/Hate, the line is so thin
But everyone knows only one can win.
I live on one side and he’s on the other
When will we get back to loving one another?

I look at him and see my world
He looks at me as if he must hurl
Where did we go wrong? We used to be so strong
Now we’re stuck in a bad love song.

I promised myself there would be no divorce
Now it seems that’s the only recourse.

I love him so much but I love me more
He better say something before heading out the door.
He used to love me was just a song
I guess hip hop was right all along.

I hurt, I cry and try to make it right
Lately it seems like I’m losing the fight.
How can Love win when I’m fighting all alone
I think Hate will break up my once happy home.

Love is the key that’s no mystery
But how can it win when the only one fighting is me….