May Goals

C/O Google

Is it just me or did it seem like April really flew by? I didn't get a chance to do April Goals *slap me* but I am here for the May goals. I did accomplish a few big things in April. I got accepted into the Advanced Standing Program for the School of Social Work, got an internship for graduate school, and ended the month by going to a comedy show, JB and I attended the Katt Williams: Conspiracy Theory (marked off on 101 in 1001).

Spring time and summer school. I start summer school at the end of May right after I come back from my trip. I am already dreading these long nights I know that are sure to come. My relationship with the Public Library and Starbucks will get even better knowing how much time I will be spending there.

MAY GOALS:

1. Graduate school necessities. I feel like I haven't been to school in a while and honestly, it has only been a couple of months. Not only do I need to look into what books I will be needing for class (so I can purchase them on Amazon), but I also need to get new notebooks and I really want to get a great planner for this new school year.

2. Finish The Wait. This is the book by Meagan Good and her husband Devon Franklin. The book actually came out the first week of February. My book was late coming to me because I got the autographed copy and they ran out of books. So when the book finally came I was already reading The Gentlewoman and moving and trying to straighten out my room. Sooo I technically didn't start reading until the end of April.

3. Pack for trip. JB, my brother, my brother's fiance, and I are all going to _____. I post will be up talking about where we are going and the things I hope to do in ______.

4. Organize iTunes Library. It just needs a lot of TLC to put it mildly.

5. Running..Walking...Treadmill. I was doing pretty good when I would go walking with my mother in the evening times. However, when I got sick back in March I didn't start back. I need to motivate myself more. I am hoping to start it back up.

6. EpicBlogPlanner.. I purchased this planner from Amazon. I'm not sure how this has worked for other bloggers, but I am hoping that it does something for this novice over here (ME).

What are you May Goals?

February 2016 Goals

Hey Belles,

I hope the begnning of the year has been wonderful for you. So far my year has been pretty good. I went to Texas to see my sister perform at nationals (Cheerleading). Although they didn't bring home the jacket, they got 1st in cheer 2nd in dance and 10 in fight song. They did really good and I was so proud of my little sister. JB and I also made another trip to Missouri to see his cousin graduate from basic training.

I received some disappointing news regarding the job I was waiting on. Sooo now I am in the process of looking for a job. I must admit I have truly been enjoying my "staycation."

I wrote a list of January goals down; however I see that I never posted them. :(

Along with this new month comes a new list of goals. They are as follows:

Work/Education:

1. Have someone review app

2. Submit Graduation Application

3. Find work

Personal:

1. Continue to Workout/Exercise

2. Finish The Gentlewoman

3. Move out of my apartment 

4. Work on pages

5. Save money 

6. Play around with camera more

Blog:

1. Grow Bloglovin' Instagram and Facebook account

2. Post 1-2 per week

If I Won The PowerBall.....

I normally don't get into the lottery because I know my chances of winning are..... well nonexistent. Yesterday JB and I went ahead and played. Today the estimated drawng is up to 900,000,000. *inserts shock face* Like I said, I know I'm not going to win.. but I definitely will never win if I don't play right..



A while back it crossed my mind, "What would I do if I won the lottery?" Then I got to thinking about what I would spend my money on? Who would I give some to? What would be my first purchase?

I honestly don't know what my first purchase would be. I mean I feel like I would be in shock I wouldn't be able to spend anything for a while. Just enjoying the thought of having all that cash... like would just want to stare at it. Butttt... If I had to pick, I would say either a major shopping spree or purchasing a new car. Typical answer huh....

 



 I thought I would create a list (in no particular order) of the top 20 things I think I would do with the money.

1. Purchase myself a new car (or 2...maybe 3)
2. Money put back to build myself a house
3. Pay for graduate school
4. Money to my sister (car, tuition, savings, spending)
5. Mom
6. Dad
7. Brother (and kids)
8. Aunts and uncles
9. Cousins
10. Friends
11. Church
12. Scholarship/ College
13. Non-profit Organization
14. Franchise
15. Purchase property
16. Shopping spree
17. Savings
18. Money back for my future kids
19. Money back for a future wedding
20. Investments

I wouldn't even know where to begin spending money. I mean it is a lot of money; however, spending carelessly would definitely make it leave fast. I do know that winning is life changing with advantages and disadvantages....

                 

 

 So tell me what would you do if you were lucky enough to win

the lottery??



Gentlewoman and I Am That Girl....

I have been doing pretty good with my reading. I have not been keeping track on GoodReads, but I have been checking out books from the library and downloading a few on my phone as well. I decided that I wanted to get more into "self-help" books. I think reading these self help books could be pretty beneficial in the long run. I searched on Amazon trying to find any book to start my "self-help" journey off. Let me just say that I ended up having a sheet of paper full of book titles because a lot of books caught my eye. I my even post the list in case any of you readers are looking for some interesting books to read. There were many books that I came across that I have been wanting to purchase just never did. I added those to the list as well. My plan is to compose a list and at least purchase and read 10 off of the list. It will be hard because grad school is right around the corner and that requires a lot of reading, but I am hoping I can do it.

 

I heard a lot of great things about Gentlewoman: Etiquette For A Lady, From A Gentleman. When I decided that I would purchase a few books I knew this had to be one of them. I know that I am probably one of the last people to purchase and read this book. But that is okay better late than never right... With this being the first book on my list.. I am really excited about what is to come. I have my pens and highlighter ready to start off this book.

The next book I will get into is I Am That Girl. This book was chosen at random. I read the reviews on Amazon and decided to purchase. This is not a book that I have seen floating through my Instagram feed or even the Explore page. This book was really chosen 1) because of the title I Am That Girl: How to Speak Your Truth, Discover Your Purpose, and #bethatgirl ad 2) the reviews pretty much all praised the book. Good enough for me.

 

2016 Words of the Year

Hello 2016..!

 2016 is going to be a great year for me. I am claiming it. I know that it will be crazy and hectic but I plan to enjoy every step of it. I'm really hoping to make this year a major year of growth. As I stated in my last post (2015 Review) I really think 2015 was my foundation so I am ready for this journey of growth.

This year I decided to pick a word to focus on for the entire year. Being that I keep talking about growth, you would think that would be the word...... and you are correct. I couldn't pick just one word. So I decided on two. Growth and Success. These are my two words of 2016. Why might you asked?

I love this quote.!

Growth- Well this one is kind of self explanatory. I will be 24 this year. 24 OMG.. That is one year away from 25. Like I am getting so old and the time is just flying by. I don't expect to have everything figured out and quite frankly I don't think I even want to.  I know that is not what my 20s are meant for. However, I am looking to continue on the right track. I am looking to progress in every area of my life. I know that by doing so I will have to get out of my comfort zone. There will be a lot of things/risks I will be scared to take but in the end I know growth will come. There are a lot of things, people, and situations that I feel I am sure to outgrow once I begin this journey. Somethings will be hard to let go others won't. I can accept the loss because I can see the bigger picture. When you know what you want and what you are working for, letting go becomes a little easier. In my head I have this vision of how I see my life or want my life. I know that life will not come to me if I don't grow into it.

Success- This is a term that varies from person to person.When I was younger I would have defined success by whatever made my parents happy. Now that I am older..... that is not the case. Success to me is whatever I accomplish that makes me happy and makes my life more complete. I am striving to achieve goals that I have set for myself as well as exceeding certain expectations. Success can be something as small as writing in my journal everyday for 2 months or something as big as graduating from graduate school. I am looking forward to all successes big and small.

I was really enjoying 2015 and I do know that in 2016 I will not always get it right. I do know that I am going to mess up and perhaps even disappoint myself and a few others. I might not get it right the first time. However, I am sure I will eventually get it right.

2015: 365 of 365

2015 Review

For me 2015 started off rocky and at the end it was a little tricky. Overall however, 2015 has been a pretty good year. I can honestly say that it has taught me many lessons that I plan to carry into 2016. 2015 has been a great foundation year for me as far as growth is concerned. I really believe it has been a time of preparation. I believe that in 2015 I began a journey of growth and self understanding. I do know that my journey is not over and I am even more excited to see what 2016 has in store.

Here is a short list of the few major accomplishments of 2015:

I graduated college.

I got a boyfriend.

I created this blog.

I made a move to Shreveport and got my own apartment.

I went to my first NFL game.

I don't partake in the "New Year, New Me" or the "New Year's Resolution". I do however believe in simply creating goals for yourself. Yes, people there is a difference.In 2015, I created and posted my 101 in 1001 which was pretty much taken from my bucket list  Alongside that, I have other short term and long term goals scratched on sheets of paper waiting to be organized and rewritten. In 2015, I created a list of things I wanted/needed to accomplish and I succeeded. In 2016, I plan to do the exact same thing (which I will probably post). I have also came up with other ways to remember and hopefully reflect back on 2016.

All in all I am praying for a great year. I am praying that my life continues to receive blessings and that I am prepared for the changes that God is going to place in my life. I do understand that certain habits, people, desires, wants, etc will get lost in this time of growth. I am okay with that.

2016 is about significantly growing into my success.

I'll just leave this right here...... 

 Happy New Year...

12 Dates of Christmas

So I intended to type and publish this post last night, however, I was feeling really sick so I ate and went to bed. Today is December 12 and it make a few months that JB and I have been dating. Exciting right!!

Any who, a while back I decided that we would do something for our first Christmas as a couple. We were both in the Christmas spirit (our Christmas tree was put up a little bit before Thanksgiving).

I came up with the idea to do 12 Dates of Christmas. This is no way shape form or fashion my idea. This will technically be our first Christmas together and I think it is safe to say that we are both really excited. I typed him up a pretty little letter and attached to the letter were 13 dates. Today didn't really count but it did since it marked us making a few months as boyfriend and girlfriend.
In my opinion, the 12 Dates of Christmas makes Christmas more about giving gifts. We all know how stressful giving gifts to your love ones can be. It's not a competition, but no one wants to give the other a gift that they will not love. So we think extra hard and spend those extra bucks just to make sure it is the best. 12 Dates of Christmas is about love, laughter, fun, cuddling, and just enjoying each others company.

With my graduation coming up and all the preparations I have to do and his work schedule can change at any moment, our 12 Dates are a little out of wack. Buttttt the point and the meaning is still there. SOOO down below is the list that I came up with. I told him he could remove, flip, add, etc. to the list, but he pretty much left the list as it was. This list is as follows:

December 2015:

12- Let's go eat together to celebrate 5 months

13- Cracker Barrel and football

14- Let's bake holiday cookies and each write a letter of Thanks to wrap up and put under the tree.

15- Day to relax

16- Christmas movies and dinner

17- Basketball tournament in support of your sister

18- Celebrating Drecia's GRADuation

19- Christmas lights in Natchitoches

20- Church then lunch then Painting with a Twist

21- Find a meal on Pinterest and cook it

22- Netflix Christmas movies

23-Sleep over and build gingerbread houses

24- Christmas Eve- Christmas Breakfast; My family's Christmas Eve tradition

25- Christmas Day-Christmas Breakfast, Christmas Rounds

Uhhhh... This is not exactly 12 . Lol but you get the gist. I'm just excited to get to have a little Holiday fun. If you have done 12 Dates of Christmas please share your holiday fun with me. If not, think about it, there is still time.

St. Louis Rams Game

So if you are new to the blog...  HELLO!!!

Last recently posted my 101 in 1001 and I am happy to say that I marked off a goal on my list. On Friday I posted in my Friday Favorites that JB and I were heading to St. Louis.

 

 

 

Our hotel gave us a great view of The St. Louis Arch also known as The Gateway Arch. This is a 630- foot tall Arch. According to the website, this is the tallest man-made monument in the United States. Unfortunately we did not get a chance to take the journey to the top of this monument but maybe next time. It was just nice to fall asleep and wake up with this right outside my window.

 

The picture may not do the pizza much justify sorry.

 When we came to St. Louis back in October JB bragged about the Imo's Pizza. When we arrived on Friday night I was starving. Lucky for me with a touch of a button on the hotel phone I was able to get Imo's delivered. It was pretty good... or I was really starving.

 

We went to St. Louis to attend an NFL game (checks off lists). His favorite team is the St. Louis Rams. I was just glad to go to an NFL game. We went to the game, ate, and I talked smack. He was a tad bit frustrated they were losing.

Below is the video of kick off.

 

 

As you  can tel I was really excited to attend my first NFL game. It was even better because it was JB's first time as well. So we got to experience that together. I got many compliments on my Rams sweater that I ordered from NFL.com.



Thanksgiving (check)... Now Christmas

 

Hello December,

 

On Thanksgiving Day I posted on my Instagram that I was not able to blog due to my hotel not providing me with cheap meaning free Wi-Fi for my laptop. Now that I am back home, it seems kind of late to be posting about Thanksgiving soooo yea moving along..

Christmas time is quickly approaching with the Thanksgiving holidays behind us, people are now going to start buckling down on purchasing gifts. I tried to start early this year, butttt.. it didn't exactly work out. Out of about 14-16 people to buy gifts for, I was only purchased about  4-5 gifts. a lot of my shopping will be done online. I love online shopping simply because I can do it in bed. however, I love going shopping because I like going home with my items/gifts right then. It gives me some excitement.

If you are anything like me Christmas shopping is stressful. I always want to make sure that my family and friends LOVE not like their gifts. When I wait too late it just adds on the pressure.

If you are unsure of what to get some of the important people in your life check a few of my ideas....



HER:

Got What You Want Cognac Ankle Boots
 



NEW! The Sleepover Knit Pajama

MICHAEL by Michael Kors Selma Medium Satchel
 

Frosted Cranberry

 



kate spade new York Women's Metro Dot Bazooka Pink Leather Strap Watch 34mm 1YRU0770





HIM:



 

Armani Exchange Men's Diamond Accent Black Leather Strap Watch 46mm AX2171

 

Half-Zip Cotton Sweater

 

Armani Exchange Men's Dark Brown Leather Strap Watch 45mm AX2506

Polo Footwar Wyndings Boat Shoe

Lauren by Ralph Lauren Burnished Leather Bifold Wallet





I hope this short list of item helps someone. If you have any good items please leave the info below...





- The Boujie Belle



T W E N T Y- T H R E E

Happy Birthday to me... Well this post is a little late so happy belated birthday...

I can't believe that I am 23 years old. I mean geesh. 23 is a big number. I feel like I should have accomplished much more than I have. I know that I shouldn't feel like that I mean, hey the twenties are figuring life out, not having it together.. after a little thought I realized I am not that old and I still have a lifetime of living to go (hopefully). Although I don't have a lot of stuff figured out, I am definitely proud of myself thus far.

TWENTY-TWO was an okay year for me. A few important deets are: I became member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., I started my last year as an undergraduate, interned at The Department of Children and Family Services, got my own apartment and moved to the “city”, became a girlfriend, I started TheBoujieBelle, took notice of what I really wanted out of life. With that being said, I am hoping that 23 will bring about more of a life transformation for me. I hope that I continue to grow and become who I aspire to be.

Because when I started this blog I didn't give myself a proper introduction, I thought it would be a good idea to do so now... with TWENTY-THREE facts about ME.....

1. I should hopefully graduate with my BSW in December.

2. I plan to attend graduate school (MSW) in the upcoming summer

3. I love the color purple

4. I love lipstick (mainly purple)

5.I am a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,  Inc. and The Society of Distinguished Black Women, Inc.

6. I am shy, but I love meeting new people

7. People think I am boujie/stuck-up until they get to know me

8. I love to sleep but I never have enough time to do it.

9. I would rather sit in the house reading/watching TV instead of going out.

10. I love SVU, Criminal Minds, CSI, NCIS, and now Grey's Anatomy

11. I really want to start working out. I just never have the strength

12. Bora Bora is at the top of my destinations to go list.

13. I hate bras.

14. I enjoy watching sports.

15. I am attempting to transition to natural hair.

16. Dr. Pepper used to be my weakness.

17. I have a horrible habit of biting my nails.

18. I love Tyrese and Taraji Henson

19. I love the rain only when I am safely inside the house

20. I love sticky notes and lists

21. I absolutely love quotes

22.  I can be pretty stubborn.

23. Proverbs 31:25 favorite Bible verse

 

Soooo,

Once again I have been a tad bit MIA. As you know I had to get adjusted to my moving. Then I had to turn around and get adjusted to beginning my intern. I have been living in my apartment with no wi-fi or cable. (*screams*). Do you guys know how difficult life is to not have ANY wi-fi or cable. It's very, very hard. However, the wi-fi should be coming this week.. Thank God

I am still in the process of decorating. Meaning that not too much has changed in my apartment in the month or so that I have moved in. Being that I am trying to save some money I still have not yet been able to splurge on home décor.

But I'll leave this quote here for you.

Moving In.....

Heyyyy, I know it has been a while I've been kind of busy


Trying to find an apartment was tiresome. However, thank God I finally found something. So last week I  moved into my apartment. in order to be closer to my internship. I am actually excited to be able to have my own spot again. Even though I will only be there for 6 months (hopefully longer), I plan to decorate it up and make it all homey.

I have been checking out Etsy and Amazon for some home décor to use. I ordered a nice fur purple comforter. I love it. I plan on decorating my room purple and teal. I have a lot more stuff to purchase to make the room look like I want it. I also have to get some stuff to spruce up my living room.

I'm sooo excited...

August Goals

Well this month is the month that school begins. Lucky for me my internship doesn't start until September.


This month will be hectic and exciting. I hopefully will be moving into my apartment next Friday if all goes well. at this moment I will only be there for 6 months but I still want to make it feel as homey as possible. So I have the task of moving, getting everything in the apartment situated, finding home décor and preparing myself for my internship.


I am going to try something new. Every month I will attempt to set new goals for myself and hopefully when I come back at the end of the month (or beginning of the new month) I can tell you that I accomplished most of everything I said I would.
So let this month's list begin...

August Goals!!!!!

1. Remember to write in my journal more often... I have a habit of maybe only writing one time a month and that is probably on because something major happened. I want to get into the habit of expressing myself even when nothing big has happened in my life.
2. Remember (if not daily then at least weekly) to write on my daily notecards. Being that I keep up with my life in my calendars I normally just go back and write on the notecards when I think about it {like the end of every month:( }which explains why more and more notecards are being left blank for the year of 2015.
3. Read at least 3 books (preferably from the library; not off my phone). I love reading and I actually had been doing pretty well with it. For some reason or another I stopped going to the library. I have just been downloading free books and entertaining myself with those.
4.Watch 3 new movies (or ones I haven't seen in forever) and start (&& finish) a Netflix series. I love to just sit at home and lay in bed watching a good movie surrounded by pillows. That is in order for this month for sure.
5.Move into the apartment and decorate. My last house with my friends, we never got around to decorating. My room was full because I have a lot of stuff but nothing was really decorated. Even though I won't be in the apartment for a long period of time, I still don't want to come home to a blank bare house.
6.Create a binder which will help me become more organized with bills and such. I like being organized and this time around I plan to really be. I want to keep everything in order and
7. Save....Save....Save.... I don't like being broke. I mean who does. There is always something I am wanting to buy. With me moving in this apartment, it is definitely putting a damper on my ability to want and purchase, but with so much going on I need to work on my saving capabilities.
8. Plan for graduation wants and costs. it is right around the corner. Like seriously I will be graduation soon (if the Lord says the same) and I know there a lot of things I want. so I need to plan to see what I can and cannot have. Yikes
9. Attempt to do better with exercising/working out.. A long shot I know. it's like I start off good and then if I skip a day it just throws me off. I need a consistent partner to make me consistent. I should want to do it on my own, but I haven't got that far yet.


So it seems like a lot and 9 is such an odd number but there it is... Let's see how well I can do....
What are your goals for the month of August?

HotLANTA 2015

We had a good flight to Atlanta. We flew with American Airline out of DFW Airport. We sat next to a lady and her 13 month old son. She told us she was dropping her son off with her mother because she was going to Cancun for 10 days with 3 of her girlfriends. After talking with her some more we learned that her and her friends take a trip every year. They started off just traveling within the US and since have been to Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and a few other places. They are currently planning a trip to Paris.

This was inspirational. My friends and I talk about going places and vacations all the time. She gave us a piece of advice before we got off the plane. 

"You guys should do everything you want to do. The worse thing that could happen is you realize you don't like it; and if that's the case you  don't ever have to do it again. Just live your life you only get one."

Common sense I know, but great advice nonetheless.

 

When Deja picked us up from the airport, we went to her house dropped off our luggage and played with Baby Carson then we went to the grocery store. Somehow I got stuck with cooking pasta for the night.

Wednesday
We went to Atlantic Station and did a little shopping.

We then went to a seafood and sushi restaurant called Ru San's. I ordered the Bibi sushi... It was pretty good, I didn't like how big the rolls were though.

That night we went to a club called The Hole in the Wall.. We initially thought it was more of a lounge. None of us are really big on clubs anymore we wanted a more laid back atmosphere, but we stayed for a while.

Thursday
 I couldn't come to Atlanta and not go to Glady's Knight Chicken and Waffles. I ordered the Midnight Train and a side of Mac & Cheese. Let me tell you.... it was worth every penny and it was very fulfilling. I am ashamed to say I pretty much ate every bit of my food.

 

Later that night we went to Halo Lounge. Let's just say it was pretty interesting..

Friday
We went to a place called UBar in College Park. We got some drinks and chilled. Later that night my friends went to Edgewood and I stayed back at the apartment I was feeling kind of sick.       
 

  


Saturday
We ate Quizno's while we were headed to the ice cream festival. that Quizno's really hit the spot. I tried the Berry Raspberry Italian Ice, pretty good. The festival itself was nice of course it was just really hot.

Not mine! courtesy of the internet so you guys could see what it looked like.

Sunday
We visited the MLK house and museum we walked through the graffiti tunnel and went to eat at a place called Raging Burrito.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are plenty of moments I forgot to capture. The pictures are not the best. As you can tell I didn't have my camera (complications arose); however I wanted to capture some from the MLK Museum

Monday

It was time to fly out. We used the Uber (I don't live in the city so this was my 1st time) which was pretty easy and cheap. It was extra cheap because I was a first time user I was able to use a promo code which knocked some money off.

As soon as we got to Texas I decided to come home instead of waiting till the next day to drive
There is nothing like getting in your own bed after being out of town for a whole week.

- The Boujie Belle