A New Spin on Something Still New-ish

I have to start by saying Kevin "K.O." Olusola is one of my favorite musical artists. To gloss over his immense talent would be a disservice to you and him, but I'll go more in-depth later. Promise.

Anywho, main points to know about K.O.:
-He's an AWESOME beatboxer- and I mean legit to the highest degree
-He plays the cello
-and he does them AT. THE. SAME. TIME.

Considering I can't do one or the other alone, the fact that he combines those skills is mind-blowing. He's also the beatboxer for the Grammy-winning a cappella group Pentatonix (who won The Sing-Off on NBC).

 [You also should do yourself a favor and go check him/them out]

Every Friday he does a #KOCorner where fans submit questions via social media and he answers them in-depth on his website. This past Friday, he switched it up a bit, put a new spin on his hashtag interaction and did the first-ever #KOAsksYou. He asked 6 questions throughout the day and we had to answer in the same format.

[I only answered 5, but I would totally be Cinnamon Toast Crunch, if anybody asks]                                   

I don't really have a favorite genre. I dig Motown, oldies, instrumental, rock and pop, but it's more about whatever moves me and makes me feel emotion and inexplicable things.

Favorite music to (1) study/work to, (2) cheer myself up with, (3) exercise to, and (4) roadtrip to.

1. "Explosive"- Bond (or anything from their ablum "Born")

2. "Get Up [Heelside Mix]"- Superchick and "I Smile"- Kirk Franklin

3. "Cross the Line"- Superchick

4. "Sir Duke"- Stevie Wonder

(I'm a HUGE Superchick fan!)

Remember when I said I'm Cinnamon Toast Crunch? Yeah.

  An artist I think everyone should listen to is Stevie Wonder.

I grew up on his stuff because my dad was a huge fan and as I get older, I understand why.

His music is life-changing and makes you think. His lyrics paint pictures and make you feel and experience so much. To also hear how it has evolved and improved (while still being GREAT in  his "Little Stevie Wonder" days) is quite amazing. His songs are all over the place, sampled here and there by artists and constantly covered. His music had a hook- it was catchy, but more than that, it was real. 

"Music is a world within itself with a language we all understand."- "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder 

His music has an impact and leaves a legacy, and will continue to do so. That is why people should listen to him!

Confidence is...being sure of yourself when no one else is. It's getting out there, doing what you do best and not caring what others may think or say. It's knowing you can and will have a positive impact through your actions. It's having faith in yourself. And if you don't have it, then you fake it 'til you make it!

 I'd use my currency in a way that lifts others up and encourages them to do the same- to go make a change. I'd want to aspire to inspire to goal-set and goal-reach. I'd use my currency to reach out to people who are like me and unlike me- to get them to get out of their comfort zone and make a positive change. I'd use it to bring smiles to faces and hearts and to help others find the strength within them they either lost or haven't yet found.
My currency would be used to empower. 

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I thought it was interesting because it was a way to open dialogue and be inspired by others.
It's an opportunity to engage and learn from people all  sparked by a seemingly simple question. Watching, hearing, listening, and feeling how a person responds helps you to better understand that person and their heart and mind.

I enjoy listening to interviews from people I admire, learning about them and their process and what they hope to do with their influence. 

I guess that's just a long way of  saying I like questions and hearing stories. *insert journalism degree here* 

I'll also never ever forget what he said to me when I met him at after a concert- it's something I keep as a reminder during my tougher days teaching...but I'll leave that one for another time and I'll leave this pic of that night! :D)

10+4(ish) Not-So Quirky Things About Me

Because in school, I absolutely loved those rare assignments when we got to do an "All About Me"-type thing, I thought I'd do that, too. I like getting to know people. I like seeing what people share willingly vs. what they share when their arm is twisted and they have to! So no arm-twisting here, just me spewing out random facts about me!


10 14 Not-So Quirky Things About Me

1. I love Christmas more than Buddy the Elf (and I'm LOVIN' this "Christmas in July" on QVC right now!)

2. I ❤️ Thrifting

3. I never want a pre-lit tree. Ever.

4. I'm still (and always will be) bitter that someone stole my bike in college... the bike I had since 4th grade (yes, 4th grade. I was a tall kid).

5. I kind of secretly wish I were in a bowling league (I recently found out my grandparents were in one together)

That handsome stud on the left and that foxy lady next to him are my grandparents! Aren't they groovy?!

6. I'm a tattoo designer. Okay, so I don't have one, but a girl liked what I drew on my wrist one time, took a pic of it, and tattooed it on her foot. So that's pretty much the same thing, right?

7. I pray for my future husband

8. I only wake up on even numbers

9. I still talk to my 3rd grade teacher (she's a big part of why I do what I do today- teaching and writing)

10. When I'm in the kitchen, I like to pretend I have my own cooking show. 
("Throwin' Down in the Kitchen with Rei," anybody???)

11. If Disney were a blood type, it'd be coursing through my veins.

12. I watch QVC like it's goin' out of style

13. I love Post-It sticky notes!

14-a. I dig the fine arts (music, art, dance, food delicacies like Lunchables...)

14-b. My favorite number is 14.


And that pretty much sums up a little part of me! :)

The Waiting Game

The clocks ticks by the second, and I sit, merely watching, tapping along the milliseconds...

I wait to do things, like this post that was on my heart long ago, typed out, and never posted.
I was waiting. What was I waiting for??

Sometimes I'm horrible at waiting. So horrible that you'd think "Impatience" was really my middle name, and other times I'm a pro at waiting. (I mean, I'm a teacher. How can you NOT be patient to outlast a kid in one of their tantrums?) But sometimes, I'm so good at waiting that as time passes, it almost becomes "What are you waiting for?" to which my inner Disney's-Incredibles-modeled response would be, "I don't know. Something AMAZING, I guess!"

Well....that's not quite how life really works. Yes, the Lord does call on us to have patience and wait for his perfect timing, but I don't think he wants our waiting to be mistaken for idleness.

Even with that in mind, I keep waiting and waiting for "the right time" to do something. It's like I'm waiting for the stars to align with all 8 (still 9 to me) planets and a solar/lunar eclipse to happen before I do something that's (in the scheme of things) minimal...like tie my shoes or wash my car. Okay, so maybe not quite that extreme, but I wait to make a move.

I like to survey the land before going in for the strike (I've got The Lion King on my mind because we just watched it with the chillens). I wait...and wait...and wait some more, but then I remember a verse I came across in the middle of my stalemate with life (10 points for that high school history term?). "If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done." Ecclesiastes 11:4 and verse 6 says "Be sure to stay busy and plant a variety of crops, for you never know which will grow- perhaps they all will."

The verse that hit me in the face at the (always) right time a year and a half ago

Those verses are part of what kick-started me onto roads that led to what I do now: teaching. We can pray and pray for him to move and do something, but if the only thing we're doing with our hands is holding the bucket waiting for him to fill it with blessings, we aren't goings to get very far. We can't stand around waiting for a fix-all.

There's a fine line between patient waiting and idleness. There's a fine line between being persistent and pushing for something and then forcing something.

I do think some of my waiting comes of out fear and anxiousness, which is not of the Lord. He didn't give us a spirit of fear or worry, so why am I letting those things lead some of my thoughts and actions? Anywho, more about all that later.

Timeline, Please!

My birthday's coming up super soon- like go-to-sleep-and-wake-up soon.  
I feel I'm another year closer to the age of when I'm supposed to "have it all figured out."
What is that age?
What am I supposed to have by then?
Will I ever know?
How?

I'm at an age where many are going to bars or consuming large amounts of alcohol. Bar hop? Pub crawl? Eh...not really my scene nor has it ever been. For many other friends my age, the wedding bells at the chapel are ringing or the nursery's getting ready to be filled with a child and with love. 

I'm somewhere in my 20s. 
I have Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers as my text tone. 
I don't fully know what I want to do for a career for the rest of my life. 
I'm nowhere close to being married...or engaged...or in a relationship. 

But I'm not going to (purposely, anyway) rush things to have those life experiences. 

I know I should just enjoy the ride because God has a plan and  a hope for me and my future, but part of me would still like a timeline or itinerary for this trip. Please?

Eggshells and Salt

Today we celebrated my dad's 50th. The morning was a nice start to the celebration, but it wasn't complete without a mini melt/breakdown with tears. I'm an adult. And a baker. I LOVE eggs (okay, so love is a strong word, but I really, really like eggs). I'm learning to cook things that involve ingredients IN ADDITION to eggs. I've had food poisoning before and GI issues since I was little, so cooking food (especially meat) is a little terrifying to me. With that said, I ask A LOT of questions when it comes to cooking and doing so properly. The health and safety and me and my family is very important. Well, long story short, I asked a few questions that one bought I should know the answers to. There were some rather loud reactions, a fast walk to the bathroom and tears. I was frustrated. I was upset. I was trying to do an act of love and it was a rough start. I cried because I wanted to do something special, but mostly, I wanted to do it right (read: perfect). Well, the end result was....well, I'll get there. Also, another lesson I learned was don't cook angry. No one wins.
After I returned to the kitchen and some tense moments of silence filled with the sound of heavy-handed clanking around and closing of cabinet doors, I finally spoke. Saying you're sorry and apologizing, especially when you felt like the other person is more in the wrong, is beyond tough. I felt I was the one hurt the most. I felt like I was owed an apology from the woman who was supposed to love me forever. I felt I was doing the right thing by inquiring about the meat to be cooked.
My mom is not above giving an apology and that's something I truly admire. She's never too big to say the words, "I'm sorry" and can admit she's human (although, she's always Wonder Woman to me)! With a shaky voice, I said I was sorry, how I felt and why I felt that way. She said she was sorry, too. We worked through it by using communication. I know that sounds like a "duh" statement, but think about the world around you and the people in it. When someone speaks to you, do you just hear them, or do you really listen to them-even when disagreeing? Have you ever watched two strangers talking to each other, but not really communicating?
I learned a conflict resolution technique at leadership camp for Pride (my college marching band...go Sooners).  There were 4 steps (although I only remember 3 steps): Name (of person you're talking to), I feel (insert one or two of five basic human emotions). The facts are (state FACTS). What I want from you is (tell 'em what you want!)!
I also overheard teens standing in front of each other saying, "I didn't appreciate it when you..." in the middle of Barnes and Noble last Saturday night after my church service. (I also learned that Barnes and Noble seems to be the hot teen hangout after a movie. Hey-at least they're surrounded by books!)
We said our I'm sorrys, we moved on and we proceeded to make a breakfast for the most important man in my life! But remember how I said I wanted it to be perfect? And NOT to cook angry? Well, I was no longer angry or upset, but it was too late and the snafus already set in: mistiming on preparation, telling him biscuits were on the menu when there were actually no biscuits to be found anywhere in the house, mom accidentally over-salted the hashbrowns, and there were eggshells in my only contribution to my dad's celebration.
At the end, we all laughed about it and said a hearty Happy 50th to my daddy! We told him we did the meal out of love. So glad he didn't take the finished product as a gauge of how much we love and care about him. The thoughts and intentions were there, the execution- not so much. It kind of reminds me of when it comes to worship and The Lord. We want to sing and give our most perfect praises, but He doesn't care how it sounds. He just wants it to come from the heart, like the eggshells and salt.

New Year, New_____??

Well, here we are: another year, another attempt at blogging. Minus those Xanga days (throwback, anyone?), I've gotten on and fallen off the blogging train multiple times all while having my own thoughts run rampant after being inspired by others' blogs and journeys. Here shall be the attempts (and victories) of sharing details of my journey. Journey to where? I have no clue. But this is my journey. I'm in the middle of it, but I feel so much like I'm just starting to begin it.
Here's to a new blog, new adventures, and new friends (aaaand a whole bunch of other new things with which God will bless me)!

-Rei