OOPS ! o.O

Due to a blip in the system at work. Pretty much all agents got a 2.5 hour break from receiving calls. Our system was telling customers that we were closed for the holidays :D

What an awesome mistake!

Via Text Message

Every night, someone thinks about you before they go to sleep. At least 15 people in this world love you. The only reason someone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you. There are at least 2 people in this world what would die for you. You mean the world to someone. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good come out from it. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take another look. Always remember the compliments you've received and forget the rude remarks.

=)

I got this in a text message from one of my OU friends. It started my day with a smile.

...Sensible Me...

See: clouds
Hear: birds singing
Taste: cheesecake [yum]
Feel: sunshine
Smell: trees

I was sitting outside for my lunch today. I figured that I would focus on each sense as I relaxed. It was a pretty great moment. Color me: simply sensible :)

Quote :)

“Choice, not circumstances, determines your success.” -Anonymous

Thumbs up! The Reprise :)

Sometimes, a reassuring comment is just the happiness boost that was needed.

My PTL, Ms. Mary, said that Im doing very good on my calls. Only thing… I need to stop saying…
UMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-chuckle-

Color Me: Logophile o.O

I enjoy reading books that broaden my vocabulary. I am learning all kinds of new words in the book, “The Happiness Project.” Words like: arduous- hard to accomplish or achieve; draconian- a rule of great severity; detritus- accumulated material waste…

New words make me smile. =D

LEVEL UP!!!

I made it out of On the Job Training at West! Yay me! And yay classmates! We have officially stepped up to a new level. [victory dance!]

Atlanta

Happy moment of today: I picked a magnolia flower in ATL. :)

He and I went to ATL to go to Morehouse’s Med School graduation. It was a fun trip. We took this random way that had us driving through back woods Alabama/Georgia… Anyway, the trip was good. We saw his old roommate get his Doctor’s degree. [hip hip horray for Dr. N. McGinnis!] After the graduation, we drove around ATL talking and exploring the city.

I suppose you could call this a simple pleasures moment. The afternoon was so pleasant. It wasn’t high energy- there was no rushing… It was just pleasant. And that’s a really really good thing :)

I wore my new dress today. It’s white with navy polka dots. It makes me smile :D

Quote :)

Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

[just a little something i found while puttering around online :)]

Honeysuckles...

I inhaled the scent of honeysuckles on warm night air walking to my car tonight. =)

How nice.

How pleasant.

How lovely.

Honeysuckles are one of my favorite yearly experiences. I love when they bloom. And what I love even more is that they grow wildly everywhere. They always bring a smile to my face when im driving or walking or randomly outside and the wind brings their scent towards me. I just wish the candles that claim to be scented like them would actually smell like real honeysuckles. =)

I Think therefore...

Today= Being sick but in good spirits + managing to drink 1/2 a gallon of orange juice with only 2 bathroom breaks + customer service with a cough and sore throat but having to suppress coughs while on the phone...

-sigh-

The common cold and AT&T customer care DO NOT go together at all! -chuckle-
But Im still in good spirits :D
My QA asked me the other day why I was in such a good mood, and I told him I purposefully put myself in a good mindframe. He asked how I did that... My answer... You just do it. You control your mood- not the other way around. He raised his eyebrow all skeptical-like and kinda shrugged the conversation off.

Quote

"Whatever you are, be a good one."
-Abraham Lincoln

Just a thought for today ;)

Attitudes

This is a poster that was hanging in the room I trained in at West.

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than failures, than successes, than what other people say or do. It is more important than appearances, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we well embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. And so it is with you... We are in charge of our Attitudes."

Namaste' : A poem for my mother :)

Happy Mother's Day!

This post is for my mommy, Crystal :D [I wrote this poem on our birthday 2 years ago and never read it to you. I hope you like it, Mom]

Namaste' is a sanskrit word/gesture that basically shows respect for another person.

-Namaste'-
(for all that you do and have done)

With adoration, love, and respect
I bow to you
For nine months and labor pain
For Hooked on Phonics lessons
For kisses and bandaids on skinned knees and elbows
For you love
Namaste' Mommy
For teaching me lessons
Like "If you get lost, call for Mommy Crystal"
So even now at 22 [24] years
I still call for Mommy Crystal when I cant see my way
For your resilience and strength
For your unwavering faith in God
For teaching me to keep going until God says stop
For showing me that real women
Truly are more precious than rubies
They do not crumble under pressure
They bend but do not break
And they always stand tall
Namaste' Mommy
I bow to you
Woman of strength beyond your stature
Woman with love beyond yourself
Mother with a heart of finely tried gold
I bow to you
Hoping only to channel some of your essence
Hoping to mother my children
Just as you've mothered me
You- a virtuous woman
Taking insult, injury, negativity, and curses
Taking hardship and struggles
And then handing it all to your Father
You have taught me dependence on the Most High
You have prayed for His hand to hold me
And I thank you
Namaste' Mommy
I bow to you
You are my strong ground
My good earth
You are the woman I hope to one day become
Strong, lovely, loving, soft
Let it be known
"You're going to be just like your mother."
Is NO insult.

Graduation!

A number of my friends graduated from Oakwood University tonight :D I screamed and cheered til I was blue in the face and dizzy. LOL

(in an effort not to forget any names- im not going to attempt shoutouts)

Anywho- this occasion was definitely one of those times when your personal happiness is multiplied by the happiness of other people. As Im writing this, I am remembering the HUGE smiles on my friends' faces as they shook Pres. Baker's hand, took their photo, and walked triumphantly off the stage and out of undergrad. Im so proud of all of them.

On a slightly different note. I almost missed Kibibi's graduation lunch today. =| And while driving all the way into Madison, all I could think about was how she was there for me at my grad dinner... And truthfully when this old lady wouldnt let me into the turning lane by the restaurant- I almost lost it and started crying. But thanks to the awesome driving skills of my friend Doran, we just made it into the lot and I jumped out and ran -full speed- into the Thai Garden. My entrance was nothing short of a Gilmore Girls-esque moment.

Picture me flinging back the huge door and running into this quiet, refined, upscale, asian restaurant and looking at the maître d' with question marks in my eyes. He gave me a quick and prim and smile-less once-over and pointed to where Kibibi and her guests were seated. I hadn't even caught my breath when I hugged her and offered my breathless congrats. -chuckle-

Good friends are such a blessing.

CONGRATS TO ALL OF THE 2010 OU GRADS!!!

Accomplishment and Happiness

This was such a productive day!!! I did laundry, got Kiva’s nails cut, ran errands, hung out with my friend Sheree, and made the end of OU consecration! Color me: all tuckered out :)

Im not sure why the sense of accomplishment brings one such a happy feeling… Whatever happens—its really great. Ive found that writing a thorough to do checklist gives a concrete direction to my day. It gives purpose to those lulls that are guaranteed to happen. AND when that checklist is fully marked or crossed off—it feels like YES!!!!!! I HAVE TRIUMPHED OVER THE MOUNTAIN OF THINGS TO DO!!!! And now… I can put my feet up… and read… or crochet… or people watch in Books-a-Million…

Just a Nice Day

I did a bit of yoga this morning! =D I washed and folded laundry, and while doing that, I took my dog with me to the laundry room. She got a huge kick out of being outside. Pretty awesome morning ;)

I sat outside eating yummy cheesy rice and broccoli and sunbathing during my lunch break today. It definitely put me in a very pleasant mood.

Its awesome what a productive morning, a bit of sunshine, and some good food will do :)

New Books

i wrote out my list of 24 things that make me happy again. I was bored in training class... -shrug- Anywho, number 2 is books and reading. And im just realizing that im reading ALOT more than i use to. I actually came home today and turned the TV on just to frown in disgust, turn it back off, and pull out a book. [aren't you proud of me cherie?!] I have since then, read almost a chapter in The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, eaten some Dulce de Leche Ice cream, taken a nice cool shower, and turned on some jazz by way of Hard Groove by Roy Hargrove. This is turning out to be quite the relaxing evening.

At work today, this little blurb from How to be Happy D*mmit by Karen Salmansohn ran little circles in my head.

"Your faith determines your destiny. So you must make sure your faith remains stronger than your mood. You must resist the temptation of giving up when your hoped for goal doesn't seem to be showing up!"

I showed that to my friend Nay and I hope it encouraged her. :)

Im glad that i have new books. I had forgotten how nice it is to sit down with a book and read... when im NOT in a bookstore or a class. ;)

[[Im also secretly waiting for the sun to set cuz i firmly believe my neighborhood is going to be SO LIVE TONIGHT! Feliz Cinco de Mayo!!! lol]]

To Stumble into a Better Day

Sooo I wrote yesterday's tidbit thinking, "Oh what a nice sentiment!" Only to have to wake up early this morning and be in a mandatory training meeting at 7a... -pooh- So Im all mad and irritated and bent out of shape about the time [i started my reg schedule at west yesterday 1:30p - 10p] But I get into the training room and clock in and in the midst of my negativity, I open my little green notebook only to see...

Do not communicate dissatisfaction with what you are doing at any given moment.

I was rebuked... -sigh- So I resolved to be more positive about my unexpected early start.

-List of Positive Things-
*I had time to get rent/utilities paid
*I got to watch a movie [The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus]
*I got to relax and chat with my cousin
*I didnt get that cleaning done... better luck on that tomorrow ;)

All in all, when I decided to make this day a good day- it truly took that form. Ive been thinking about the idea 'fake it til you make it' and it seems that today was definitely that kinda day. So for those times when we arent happy with whatever the current situation is or what have you, we have the ability to change our perspective by changing the way we think about it. I was tired and very cranky this morning, but when I started faking like i was happy about being in training, I actually started feeling happier about it. Try it some time :)

Quote :)

"Do not communicate dissatisfaction with what you are doing at any given moment."

The Color Purple

He and I went to see The Color Purple musical by the Huntsville Broadway Theater League tonight :) Now, I have never seen the whole movie... [i know... shame on me...] But the play was UH-MAZE-ING! We missed a tidbit of the beginning, but it was no big. He had tech difficulties printing out the tickets, and it looked like we werent going to get it when we got to the Von Braun Center. But, thankfully the ticket lady was understanding. :) yay!

The music was... phenomenal.

We were sitting near a group of older black women, and they were amusing for me. When Mister would say something mean to Celie- the women would go "uhh-uhh!" "mmm-mmm" And everyone started clapping early when Sofia said "You told Harpo to beat me?"

It was great :) I had a wonderful evening with him.

-----------------------------------------------------
I bought a new happiness book. Actually, i bought 3. :) And this was a little blurb that I wanted to share.

Your enemies = your teachers
Your failure = your wisdom
Your mistakes = your lucky discoveries
Your conflicts = your growth opportunities
Your undesired endings = your desirable beginnings
Your grapes of wrath = your raisons d'etre
Your painful feelings = your proud proof that youre dealing with your feelings head on!

Think on that :)

Happy Sabbath

Waking up slowly on a Sabbath morning is wonderful. Not having to toss myself out of bed at 6am is great. God really knew what He was doing when He instilled the Sabbath.

Anyway, here's a little tidbit from church :)

God always shows up in the form best suited for our needs.

The preacher also focused on this text, Joshua 6:1-2. In it, God is saying 'See what I have done for you? Ive given you Jericho.' The preacher took it and expanded it to 'See what I have done for you? I have given you money for your bills, food for your refrigerator, gas in your car. I have given you whatever you need. I have given you Heaven.'

How awesome is our God :)