In a fit of anguish we decided that this year everyone would get something, but we made a point to make the gifts more sentimental than material. We went to Sears and took several photos in the studio, bough a few frames and got to work. See everyone in my side of the family always complains about the fact that they don’t have enough pictures of Quincy or enough pictures of us. Turns out that everyone loved their gifts, there were tears of joy in people’s faces and that made it all better. I love the fact that we were still able to give everyone something although small, it was very valuable to them.

On the other hand, although we were tight for money we made sure that this didn’t affect our baby. All the money we saved with the pictures we used to buy him all sorts of toys, books and movies. He had such a blast, everyone else in the family did the same. Our Christmas Tree was filled with gifts for the kids from top to bottom and all around, everyone delivered and that was an awesome feeling, because no matter how tough the times get, the children should never be made aware of this.

On the night before Christmas Santa came to visit us, he spoke to each kid and gave them all toys. The joy and emotion in the kids face was priceless. None of them had ever seen Santa Clause and having him there to feel and touch was an amazing experience that I am sure will last for many years to come.

That night after the kids went to bed wed set out to pull out all the gifts and arrange them around the Christmas tree so that in the morning they would wake up and be marveled.

The next morning when the kids woke up they were ecstatic, Quincy ran over to his brand new toy box and giggled like a school boy. They spent the major part of the morning opening presents and after they were done we headed out to Granny’s house  (Annie’s Grandma). We spent some time with her, took her gifts and I sang some Christmas Carlos with my guitar.

At 6 pm the family got together in our house to enjoy dinner and share with each-other, it was an enjoyable Christmas with a few kinks but we didn’t let anything ruing it for us. I love Christmas and can’t wait for next year.

[Slide Show]

[View with PicLens]

1234►

When the “Sista Big Bones” song was getting started, Anthony was doin’ a little intro pointing at the women he was talking about, you know big thighs, bright eyes, etc, etc, etc.  Well this time, he did point at me and not only did he point at me he did a double take and pointed at me again.  I thought to myself, oh my God, if this is it, if this is all I get, I could leave the happiest woman on earth.

And you’re not going to believe me when I tell you this but as the song went on, he actually called me up on stage.  And if you know me, you know I ’bout lost my mind, child.  So I went on up.  Let me just take a minute to tell you that I’ve always wanted to be a performer because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to dance.  Trouble is I can’t sing a lick so that completely murders that dream…lol.  So, picture this, I’m up there on the stage, bright lights shining in my face and I am just movin’ it!!!  All of a sudden my sister is next to me and I’m like “hmm, where’d you come from?”

We were up there with about 8 or so other girls, all of us just dancing our booties off and then Anthony makes his way over to me (ok, I know you think I’m tellin’ tall tales but I SWEAR I am NOT lying to you).  He is dancing in front of me.  Of course I’m shaking cause it’s like I’m in a fantasy world.  THEN he turns around and says “hey girl, hold my leg!”  So he lifts up his bum leg (I’m not sure what happened but he got hurt and he’s using a cane right now) and I hold on to his leg while he is dancing with me…lol.  The only words I could manage to get out were “An-t-h-on-y Hami-l-to-n, ok”.

At this point, I am absolutely in another world.  I cannot believe what is happening and the crowd is clapping and whistling and going crazy.  Of course as the song ends and we go to exit the stage, I’m saying prayers so that I don’t fall off my shoes into a big thud on the floor.  Sylvia and I manage to get safely back to our seats, giggling all the way like little girls.

This is the truth.  There are no lies, no southern embellishments.  Raw truth and honestly if you told me the same thing, I’d tell you to get out of here!!!

I’m posting a video of a song because since the concert date has gotten closer, more and more folks have asked me who this man is.  And here is me – WHAT, are you kidding?  This is the man who helped me fall in love with Jose.  Every word he sings is from his soul.  If you close your eyes and listen, he can take you to another place.  I did this tonight and as I was sitting in a room of crowded people, that beautiful voice took me straight to the arms of my husband.  And I felt that I would burst if I didn’t get home right away.  Music does that for me.  It takes me away.  I need it.  I need it everyday to get me started and to make memories.  All of my memories have a song associated with them.  When I was a little girl, it could help me leave behind the deepest of pain when I needed to.  I can’t picture my life without it. 

I am on cloud nine right now.  I might get off tomorrow but at least I have an awesome story to tell my grandkids.

Thanks for listening. 

Dames Point Bridge

Late this afternoon as I was driving home from work, I began thinking about our city. My drive home takes me from the southside of town to the northside of town following SR-9A. Most afternoons I roll down my windows just long enough to let some of the heat out and the air conditioning to get to pumpin’. Normally I roll the windows up shortly after and turn on some of my guilty pleasure jams. Mommies can only listen to Tupac when their babies are not yet in the car!

Anyway, this afternoon I was feeling particularly mellow so I let the windows stay down. As I drove over the Dames Point, my nose found an ever so faint yet familiar smell. It was the aroma from the Maxwell House Plant blowing across the river. I breathed it in deeply just before it left me and a million memories washed over me. I recalled internships in which I drove next to the Plant everyday for months. I thought of MLK parades, volunteer work at countless downtown organizations, all things prefaced by that smell. It made me smile. Where did the time go? I need that smell to get me motivated. Maybe I should take the I-95 way to work. I would never miss it again.

But I-95 also made me think of a different smell. If you’re from Jacksonville, you remember the paper mills well. Don’t quote me on this but I am assuming the smell along I-95 through downtown had a little something to do with the paper mills. I always associated that smell to “oh no, is it time to leave Grandma’s house again?” As a young child, before my dad shipped the family off to St. Louis, I would stay every weekend with my grandmother. On Sunday nights, my mom would spend at least an hour trying to get me into the car to go home. Results were always the same. I would cry so much that I would almost make myself throw up. At the precise moment that I would settle down and be reduced to minor sniffling, we would pass through downtown. And the smell started in and then my stomach turned again and I thought I really would vomit! Yes, I was a sucker for my granny. But that smell is for the most part gone now. Occasionally I can smell a little somethin’ somethin’ along that route but I’m not sure what that is (if you know, please comment).

Moving on…

I had just one more olfactory reflection during my drive home – the brewery. One of the neighborhoods I lived in as a child, and ironically now as an adult, was right down the street from the Anheuser-Busch brewery. It was the place where I came to hate roasted peanuts with every inch of my being. But as I got older and the military forced our family out of Jacksonville, the brewery was how I knew I was home. After a long road trip, it did everything just short of holding a sign out that read “You’ve finally made it back!”

I let the wind blow through my hair and I turned my music up just a little louder. Funny how the most seemingly insignificant things can take us back to another place in time. Then when I felt my arm getting sunburned, I remembered that I am still in Jacksonville. And I said to myself, “Girl, it’s June and it’s 97 degrees!” So I turned on the air and rolled those windows up with the quickness. Enough reminiscing for one day. After all I was almost at the daycare to pick up Quincy and the best part of every day is the smell of his sweet skin when he hugs me and says “Hi, mama”.