Dear Blog its Summertime

Today is June 3rd, 2013 and I am not home.
I am enjoying my summer doing nothing and currently on the couch of my friend's house apartment in Sav.

In my mind my summer began last weekend with my wonderful weekend working with Shannon. That week was the start of my last week of school and it was empowering and beautiful but haven't had time to write about especially since I've told the story of that weekend so many times. I have to sit and kinda get into the mindset of that weekend. And I can't wait to do so cause it was truly beautiful :)

Today is Monday. and my summer began Friday. I worked all day Friday and the end of Saturday for SCAD 2013 Commencement. SCAD puts on a beautiful graduation and I hope the graduation in the fall is just as nice. Working that graduation got me hype and so pumped for my last year at SCAD. It also inspired me to walk not only as a SCAD graduate but a graduate of another school... Yes my friends, talk about grad school has come up again. And I'm praying and watching to see what the verdict will be but I'll be looking into all my options later this year. When I walked in my high school graduation I surely and proudly dropped a tear. Yes my parents were proud but I even more so. It was a super accomplishment and I worked really really hard through the IB program for years!
Finishing my undergrad degree in only 3 years is a greater reality now and I couldn't be more proud of myself. I will be one of thousands sitting before the stage in the civic center ready shake hands and receive my honors. Working graduation I learned about the different color tassels you get by academic school and the designation for graduating with honors which I put below:

Summa Cum Laude - equal to or greater than 3.90

Magna Cum Laude - equal to or greater than 3.70 and less than 3.90

Cum Laude - equal to or greater than 3.50 and less than 3.70  I'm aiming for Magna Cum Laude AT LEAST!! I can't wait to see what's next for me. I know I'll be successful anywhere and I'm excited to see what opportunities God brings my way! The decision will be based on my happiness, its all about me graduating SCAD and making art cause that is what will make me happy.

But now today is Monday and I am a free bird.
Planing things to do or laying in bed cause I can.
Going on roadtrips or watching a movie on the couch.
I am doing what I want to do.
This time in Savannah is my real vacation because when I get back to Florida things will get real.
I'll be back on my school tip and working a job as well.
And next thing you know it will be September and I'm a senior starting Fall quarter at SCAD!
soooooo I am soaking up the fun and sun and FREEDOM in Sav.


Last night I tried Insanity for the first time with my friend Cetina. Armstrong University offers it free at night everyday this summer! I can't do it every night but I intend to do as much as I can. I have never sweat as much as I did that night. I was dripping sweat into my eye and probably could have peed myself lol. Shirt soaked. Heart pumping mad crazy! And the jumping bits get me a little dizzy. But honestly Insanity is do able. There are ample amounts of breaks and lots of room for progress. From the first time I saw Shaun T. on the doctors talking about his workout plan I knew he was legit because his workout plans make healthy sense. Its all about keeping your form and pushing your muscles to the max with 30sec breaks max. You really can do it. You just have to tell your body you can do it. I'm excited to continue his workouts. Plus its entertaining. More fun then working out by myself with the previous workout challenge I tried out. Stephanie's getting this body BEYOND on point ;)

It feels nice to take care of me.
No room for negativity.
No worries hehe
I don't mind waiting on the Lord!
I don't mind waiting on the LORD!!

Hair Doesn't Lie

A few days ago I went and got my hair done by my hair stylist Zakiyah. I was in a bit of a rush because the next day (Sat) I had International Festival and I have a hair show to work and I wanted to look good with a fresh twist out.
After she washed my hair and began the twists she asked my if I am stressing? I responded kinda confused. I was like I was but I'm not stressing right now I'm good. And then as she continued she was like, "Stephanie you need to stop stressing seriously!" And I'm like what are you talking about!?! She then shared with me that my hair was thinning...

I didn't know what to say. My hair is so thick for it to begin thinning may be hard to tell but she sees me every 2-3 weeks so she really knows my head the best. That news was alarming to me... My hair is thinning. I know I been going through some stuff lately but I felt like I was good, I made progress and I was cool. But your hair does not lie to you. Let me repeat your HAIR DOES NOT LIE!

Your hair is an extension of you, your spirit emotionally and physically. Your hair is a reflection and growing extension of your being. You ever hear of women going through a bad divorce and their hair start breaking off, or people going through lots of stuff and getting bald spots. Sometimes people go through a rough patch in their lives and they start fresh with new clothes, new home, and often time new hair! Cutting your hair differently or rocking a new style is a great way to start fresh. Showcase a new you and with your new growth comes your new happiness. They hair you cut away and tossed in the trash is the same as cutting away that debt, or divorce, or death in the family.

I'm not concerned about loosing my hair or anything so don't freak out. But this defiantly made me re-evaluate how well I think I really am. I say I'm good but apparently my hair feels otherwise...
I've been in prayer about it and mentioned it to my spiritual mommy. She wants me to pray with her 3 times a week until I get stronger. I'm determined to be content. I'm determined to be happy. I'm so blessed and talented I don't want to waste my time feeling anything but positive. At the same time I can't fool myself and I have to get stronger in every aspect of my life. God made me such a solider man! Even my boss when I talked to him he was like "for everything that's been going on you seem good." He said he'd never guess. At first I felt accomplished, I felt like good job Stephanie you got that wall back up separating you from revealing how you are feeling. I put up walls in grade school, now I have Jesus to help guard my heart. I want to be strong without the need of a wall. I want to be strong whether I talk to you or not...

I've got a hard shell on the outside. My body is no longer transparent. I'm opaque.

As for my insides.. that's still wet concrete and I'm going to work on it getting dry.
All in all I'm going to be fine, Glory Be to God.

 

LIBERATION!

Today was a regular day of school two classes back to back. I was running late this morning and had a quiz I was nervous about but I tell you Jesus works boy! My quiz was cancelled and my teacher didn't mark me absent!

When I was younger I wanted my ears pierced sooo bad! My mom was against it because my oldest sister had a bad experience when she had her ears pierced. I waited till my 18th birthday to pierce my ear lobes! It was a wonderful experience when it happened! That day was precious and I was surrounded by love.

After getting it pierced at Piercing Pagoda and loving my new ears everyday since I said when I was 21 that I would get my cartilage pierced. I actually wanted the industrial bar but after seeing it on lots of people at SCAD I changed my mind entirely just the single cartilage aka helix piercing would be just perfect.
Over Spring Break I was talking to someone about how I always wanted that pierced but I was waiting till I was 21. Then they said why are you waiting and I was like ummm IDK! I had no reason why I was waiting. With my mindset of always wanting to plan everything 21 sounded like a good time to do it!
Inspired to be spontaneous and go after what I wanted I was like man I'm gonna just do it if and when I can afford it. I googled what the procedure was like, researched and questioned about healing time, pain, costs, materials, I'm a researcher so I covered all my grounds! When telling my friend Ralph he coincidentally always wanted the same piercing as well! And he said whenever I went he'd join me. He's all about adventure so I defiantly choose him to come make it happen! He told me about a Christian based tattoo/piercing shop called "Resurrection Ink" and when I googled them they had great references and reviews AND they had a coupon for $5 off any piercing! I didn't want to spend my school money so I waited till I got paid from a side job and was able to pay for my piercing. After the coupon it was only $25 and that included the surgical steel stud.

After my class today I headed to South Savannah and met up with Ralph I was soooo nervous but so excited!! I really felt a sense of liberation that was about to happen. When I got my ear lobes pierced I had it recorded so of course I had to get this piercing recorded and I'll eventually put it on YouTube. Since I learned a lot from watching other people's videos I'd like to contribute. I am the biggest baby in the world with pain and hitting my toe on a door would hurt wayy more than my cartilage piercing! The guy that pierced it has a FB page but I'm not gonna post my picture on FB  but out of respect for his work I will post his link so anyone in Savannah interested can go to him.
Joe Buckler Pierced my Cartiledge!
This place is loves them some Jesus, they are professional, and oh so clean and sanitary!
http://www.resurrectionink.com/

I'm not gonna trip I left this shop feeling pretty bad ass. Its not a crazy nasty piercing but it's something I love, something I wanted and something that I felt permanently exemplifies my edge, my edge that not many people recognize. The little stud is so tiny no one has noticed on their own yet lol. It's doing well so far. No pain or nothing. Its just gonna be sore for a few months cause this part of the ear takes a long time to fully heal. I can't sleep on that side of my head and if anyone touches it or bumps it i'll probably blow a gasket lol jk but it will hurt tremendously lol. Otherwise I have to clean it twice a day by saturating it with a sea salt and distilled water mixture. They provided the sea salt for me and I went out n bought a gallon of distilled water. Distilled water is better than tap cause I don't want to risk any crazy minerals in the tap water that may react bad.

So whats next full body tattoo?! I thought about getting a little green pear with a purple and blue butterfly landing on top of it tattooed on like my side or maybe next to my hip bone on the front....

But NAWWWW! I'm done lol. But honestly I was giddy even after the fact cause I was proud of myself. Doing something for me feels great. Resisting my phone was hard I wanted to text and blast it but I did this for me so I'm keeping it to me. I don't consider my blog public since only a few people read it. and by time someone else reads it it'll be buried by other posts lol.

 

I still can't believe it happened!!!! I went to Resurrection Ink during the Passion week when Jesus is resurrected! MY God you are so awesome :) URGGHH I'm so happy. I hope you understand... <3