family
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Season of Gratitude
Hey Friends and Readers, Can you believe it is November 2019 already? Thanksgiving is officially less than a week away. This is such a great time for us to remember and share what we are thankful and grateful for. I am thankful to God for all that He has done in my life, his grace and mercy, every step of the way. I am grateful to be His daughter and receive the love that He gives. I am thankful to my family and friends, near and far, for always supporting, praying, and encouraging me. I am thankful to them for the long or short chats, the laughter, the advice, hugs, words…
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No Post from June 6, 2018
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Happy September!
Hi there fellow dreamers! It has been a moment since I caught up with y’all…actually over a month. This past month has been quite restful, productive and transformative. For those that follow you may know that I am also “Rena in Reslife.” Well nearly 4 months ago I transitioned my career and though I am still “Rena in Reslife” it is a completely different setting. In my previous role August would be one of my busiest seasons where as this past August I actually started the month off with a vacation! It was great and surreal. I took a much needed girls trip on a cruise to the Bahamas! It…
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It’s a Pizza Party Day!
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Happy Birthday Momma!!
Everyone please join me in saying Happy Birthday to my momma!!! Today is her 12th birthday (wink wink). We have a secret formula where this makes so much sense! Anyway I just wanted to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the life of this woman. She has been a wonderful mother to my brother, Turtle Will, and I. She has believed in us, encouraged us, and taught us right from wrong. She continues to be a great mom to us though we are both grown adults. She prays over us as we have gone after dreams and new goals even if she didn’t understand our reasoning behind them. Most…
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Living Now
Hey Y’all! It’s been a minute since I wrote to you and let me just say that time is flying by…I can’t believe it is already July! Happy New month and early 4th of July to everyone! These past couple of months I have been experiencing a lot of newness in my life and transitions. In all of this I am learning to enjoy the life I have while still going after the one I dream of. You might ask what does that even mean? For me, it is not just living in the future for my dreams, but actually living in the present right now. In all honesty, I have…
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Almost Mid-Year Reflection
This has been a beyond whirlwind couple of months!! It was filled with transitions, changes, ups, and downs. There were celebrations of new things and dreams being achieved but also loss and the end of others. This past month I had a major switch in my career…meaning I got a new job and simultaneously left another one. It was and still is a crazy transition. After 12 years of living on a college campus, #RenainReslife, I am now living in an apartment! It’s gorgeous and surreal and I still can’t quite believe it. My family is growing and staying connected more which I love as I’m physically away from them…
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16 Days to Christmas
This past weekend I was able to give a quick pre-Christmas surprise to my family in the form of a visit. Being over 1500 miles away it felt good to be able to see my family if only for a moment. I happened to be on that side of the world due to a work-related conference hosted at my alma mater Rutgers University! Though the conference was clearly focused on student affairs, the themes of reflect, reimagine, and reach had some strong personal meaning for me. The keynote speaker Dra. Aurora Chang was great and spoke about the importance of telling your story. This idea that you should share…
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22 Days till Christmas!!
Hi there friends, It’s 22 days till Christmas! This past weekend kicked off the events of the season. White Elephant Gamble Saturday was my first holiday event of the season and it featured a true white elephant gift exchange where in this case the rules are anything goes – meaning it does not need to be a brand new gift but something from your own home. My gift that I brought was very kid-friendly as I knew their would be kids at the event as a family was hosting this party. The recipient for my gift was an 8 year old! So for a family friendly gift exchange, you may…
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Merry Grinchmas!!
Happy December (also known as 24 days till Christmas)!! It appears that every channel you turn to right now you see a Grinch commercial of some sort for the new Grinch that came out last month. For my sister this is probably one of her favorite part of the holidays as she happens to be a big fan of the Grinch, particularly, Jim Carey’s rendition of the How the Grinch Stole Christmas. My sister who holds many roles including that of a choreographer and CEO of Schooling Talent has decided to have a #twerkinggrinch challenge. Check it out here and feel free to share your response to the challenge on instagram tagging…
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16 Days to Christmas
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26 Days to Christmas
26 Days to Christmas… And lights and trees are going up every where you turn. Christmas Carols are playings. Lifetime and Hallmark are filled with Christmas movies! It is a time to be around folks you love and care about and something about this time is just so magical! Today, I even got to ride in a horse-drawn carriage! ….it is honestly my favorite time of the year!!! Resilience & the Holiday Season Today while at work I attended a webinar where we talk about resilience and what attributes to people having a high resilience. In the webinar we learned that it is not really a trait of a person…
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16 Days to Christmas
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29 Days till Christmas!!
Hi there CiggyChat readers! I am working to get back into a consistent habit of writing and I believe what works for me is a writing challenge. So here begins my 29 Days of Christmas!! Why Christmas and why 29 days, you ask? Great questions and here are my responses: Well the Christmas and holiday season overall is one of my favorites – it is a gorgeous time of the year. A season for family and friends and a time to be thankful! Also why must one wait till the New Year’s to start forming a new habit or get into something different? 29 also happens to be how old…
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16 Days to Christmas
