10 Clichés Unpacked for 2019


  1. When people start a sentence with “With all due respect,” they’re about to be hella disrespectful.
  2. When they say “to be honest,” they’ve been low key waiting on you to ask a question that would allow them to tell you about yourself.
  3. Never trust anyone who says, “Trust me.” Trustworthy people don’t have to tell you to trust them.
  4. “I’m just walking in my truth.” I used to love this expression until I realized it is sort of like “Trust me.”  If you are in fact walking in your truth that typically needs no discussion being that your walk is evidence of that truth.  I’ve found that many of the people who use (and overuse) this expression are walking in someone else’s truth or what they believe people expect of them.  That’s not truth.  That’s a Xerox of someone version of events.
  5. “Beggars can’t be choosers” really means, “I ain’t got to do crap for you, so you better take what I give you.”
  6. “So let me get this straight…” I really already have this straight, but I want YOU to verify that you allowed what you just said to actually come out your mouth!
  7. “I don’t know who needs to hear this, but”…But you heard it from someone else and it got a lot of likes and sounded like gospel, so now you start everything you think is gospel with this statement in hopes that someone will hear what is being said by you not understanding that if a million people are saying “I don’t know who needs to hear this” then no one hears anything but noise! In other words, just say what you are going to say in your own unique way and those who have ears will hear.
  8. “You can’t please everyone.”  Though this it is true that you can absolutely not please everyone…it feels like it often means… “My opinion is the only one that matters to me.  And if your opinion is the only one that matters, why not just say that and spare people the extra conversation?
  9. “All’s fair in love and war.” = “As soon as you break up with your man, I’m in that thang.”
  10. Them: The devil’s in the details. Me:  And you’re the devil.  AND YOU ALWAYS IN SOMEBODY ELSE’S DETAILS!

10 More Things About Me!!!

me in tan

Photographer : Tyrolyn VanWright

 Questions courtesy of my mama.


A: I will travel more!  I used to do WAY more travelling for fun and take spontaneous road trips.  I got away from that last year!  This year I am coming back!


A: The freedom of working for myself…despite the struggles.


A: Not at all.  I have learned to only measure myself against the Word of God.


A: If my husband finds me, then maybe.  But that isn’t a priority or something that I feel is missing from my life.  I like other people’s kids.  Nonetheless, I am going out on more dates this year!


A:  For starters, life is cyclical.  As with the seasons, things change.  The leaves die and fall from the trees so that something new can grow.  So it is with people.  I entered a new season in life and those things and people that were dead, naturally fell and blew away.  It’s not a bad thing.  It’s a life thing.  Additionally, I am loyal to a fault.  No matter what I go through, I show up for my friends.  I can’t say the same about some of the people I thought were closest to me.  So why should I continue to call them friends?


A: More godly conversations, more support, my relentless pursuit of the best in myself and others, more time, and deeper communication.


A:  Fun changes for me from month to month, but right now I am really into wearing tight pants and watercolor painting.  That is really fun to me right now.


A: Really? (Eye roll)


A: Learning to trust God more.  That’s been a big deal for me 2018 through this moment.  How can I trust God more even when it looks like everything is falling apart? How can I practice trust?  And I have found the  way to do it, is to do it.  Be intentional.  When it looks like things are falling apart, change the focus to God’s  Promises.  Focus on His inability to fail.


A: Training my mind to fight against Satan’s attacks through Five Laws.

  • The Law of Recency—It states that things most recently learned are best remembered. So when I feel like I am focused on the negative, I learn something new or read something positive.  I try to make sure my most recent thoughts are light filled.
  • The Law of Attraction—Positivity brings positivity.
  • The Law of Averages—When I start thinking drastically, I ask myself, “What is the likely hood of that happening?”
  • Conservation of Energy—This law states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; rather, it can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another. I transfer negative energy into positive activities.
  • The Law of Belief—States that whatever you believe and feel to be true long enough, will become your reality. I believe I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  And so I am.


If you’d have questions you would like to ask me, drop them in the comment section!  When I get to ten, I’ll answer them!  Thank you for reading!

New Year’s Resolution



Read more, watch less.

Encourage others daily.

Separate myself from people who do not make me better.


Love and live more!

Understand God’s will for myself and attempt to better understand others.

Trust God more!



Need God more!



10 Things I’ve learned About People This Year & How to Cope With Them

The 2018 Edition

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What I’ve learned/How to Cope

  1. People give littleness because they expect littleness. / Just because they give it, doesn’t mean you have to take it.
  2. Sometimes when people cannot find their own fire, they will try to diminish the fire in you.  / Don’t let them.  They can no more diminish your fire than they can diminish God.
  3. It is very wise to have mentors.  But some people (even those who claim to love you) will attempt to play that role in your life only as a means of throwing you off your course. / Listen to the voice within. Be discerning about with whom you share your ideas.  It’s great to have help, but at the end of the day no mind or heart is more worthy to guide you than your own.
  4. There are people who preoccupy themselves with problems and projects that are incapable of solution or execution. / Avoid these people.  They will draw you into their stagnant ways.
  5. We live in a world where many people lack moral values.  They will encourage you to choose things that might be fun for a moment but have no lasting value. / Be leery of these types of people and choose to surround yourself with people that make you level up.  Elevation should be a collaborative effort.
  6. Not everyone who sees your change will acknowledge or accept your change. / That’s fine. You don’t have to explain it to them. Be better anyway, and pray that they one day get to a point where they realize that when a person is healed, the past trauma fades away leaving behind the beauty and the blessings.
  7. People will try their best to tell you what YOU want. / Don’t let them!  You must answer that question, and you are answering it every second of every day.
  8. Some people are just not going to choose happiness.  They’re going to be angry, sad, and complaining every time you talk to them. / Love these people from a distance. Refuse to reinforce negativity as a way of coping.
  9. People often confuse “fluctuation” with “change.” / Learn to discern between people who are truly trying to change and people who are just…unsettled.
  10. Not everyone close to you is as invested in your well-being as they claim. /  Don’t impoverish your (Self) by continuing to allow them to be on “your team.” The overhead is too high for fakes and extras.

I’m Marrying Chick-Fil-A

Not a week can go by without someone asking me why I am not married or what I am looking for in a man.  Simple answer?  When I meet Chick-Fil-A, I’ll get married.  Here’s why:

  1. Chick-Fil-A loves Jesus. They make choices based on Christian principles.  They are closed on Sundays.  They put belief before the cost of losing worldly success.  They are convicted.
  2. They use real chicken! My husband will be real.  He won’t be leftover chicken parts whipped together, rolled out, and cookie cut into the shape of a man.  He’ll be 100% organic real man.  He’ll be so true and authentic in all that he is and does.
  3. His customer service will be phenomenal! Chick-Fil-A makes you feel like they’ve been waiting all day just to make you feel special.  You don’t ever have to ask twice and they bring a smile to your face.  They swoop in and pick up your mess when you don’t even know you’ve made one.  They refill your drink, so you’re never thirsty.  “My pleasure” is their motto.
  4. I have never been in a nasty Chick-Fil-A. My husband will love his body and wash his tail.  You would think I would not have to say that, but it’s some nasty men out here, y’all.  Not only will my husband take pride in his physical temple, he’ll work every day to be pure at heart.
  5. Chick-Fil-A has the best sauce selection ever, and they give you as many as you ask for without charging extra.  The man I marry will be so saucy.  Sometimes he’ll be tangy like honey mustard. Other times sweet and savory like BBQ.  Some days he’ll be Zesty like buffalo. Other days he’ll be spicy like Siracha!  But even on the worst days, he’ll be my Polynesian sauce, my favorite, the only one that goes well with everything.
  6. My future bae will be waffle fries. I love potatoes in general, but I will go out of my way for waffle fries.  They are unique, flavorful, perfectly salted, rare and I will fight somebody behind my waffle fries.
  7. Anyone who knows me knows, I don’t like sweet tea, but for some reason I will drink Chick-Fil-A’s sweet tea! My husband will be the exception.
  8. Have you ever noticed that no matter how many cars are in line at Chick-Fil-A you never have to wait? How is it possible?  They are organized!  They have a plan.  They know when they will need the most help, and they put people in place to ensure the job gets done.  Chick-Fil-A workers will stand outside in the rain with an iPad and a parasol to ensure things go well.  My husband will be a man with goals, an actionable plan, and pieces set in place to move us forward through life.
  9. Chick-Fil-A billboards are simple, yet hilarious. My husband will make me crack up.  He’ll have a sense of humor that will inspire me to laugh even when the day is hard.
  10. I’ve never had a bad meal at Chick-Fil-A. There is no substitute or cheaper equal to Chick-Fil-A. No matter where I am, no matter if I have Chick-Fil-A money or not, no matter if a thousand chicken restaurants open in the city, I always come back to Chick-Fil-A.  There will be times when we will disagree, times when we don’t get along, times when we have to sit quietly in separate rooms so we don’t kill one another, men will throw themselves at me, but my husband will be Chick-Fil-A.  There won’t be another like him, no substitute; no one else will get my business.  There will be no other chicken love but him.

Don’t Settle for Mediocrity

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Photo Courtesy of  Great Performers Academy

As some of you know, this has been a ROUGH 18 months to say the least.  Lots of ups and downs, bumps and bruises, cuts and scrapes.  The ones who know me best know that no matter how many times I fall, I am always going to get back up again.  Others seem to think that I am living a charmed life which is far from the truth.  What I am living—and have been living long before it became a popular song—is my best life.  I decided long ago that settling for being mediocre was NEVER going to be an option in my life.  For that same reason, my circle is very small.  People around me know that I expect everyone to strive to be the best version of themselves.  Self-work isn’t for everyone…I get that.  But when you choose to settle for the easiest life, you become accustomed to being mediocre.  You do yourself and the world a grave injustice.  I hope this list will shake you up and get all the good stuff out of the bottom of your life’s glass and into the mix.


Ten things to remember:

  1. You owe yourself EVERYTHING. You are too everything to settle.
  2. As you walk in your purpose, do not accept littleness in the place of your magnitude.
  3. The power of the Most High within you will support every effort you make to walk in your purpose.
  4. Remember that God offers his glory to the world through you.
  5. You don’t have to strive for greatness. It’s already in you. But you do have to strive against doing “just enough to get by.”
  6. Neither give nor take mediocrity.
  7. When you choose to half-step or do anything in a mediocre manner, this is your evaluation of yourself. You have judged yourself less worthy.
  8. Mediocrity will never make you content or give you peace.
  9. Don’t surround yourself with a tribe of mediocre people or all you will ever do is “measure up.” No one rises to low standards.
  10. Every time you think about living a life that flies below the radar, ask yourself: “Do I want to be a hostage to mediocrity or a host to magnitude?”

#level up

10 Subtle Signs of Suicide

Christine's suicide notes-11 (to paul) copy

“My Mom’s Suicide Note to Me” Photo Courtesy of Paul Jones, 2014

I called someone I had not spoken to in a month or so the other day.  Anyone who knows me knows I am not one for too many phone conversations.  You’ll rarely get me on the phone for more than ten minutes at time.  But something just told me to call her.  The last time I saw her she seemed a little different.  She had been distancing herself from the circle more and more.  When she wasn’t extremely happy, she was on the far end of the spectrum or out doing things she would have never done before like drinking while driving and filming it for IG.   Something told me to call.  So I did.  I talked randomly.  Reminisced with her.  Made her laugh.  And when I didn’t know what else to say I said, “It’s okay not to be okay.”  She broke down.  Said she had just made up her mind before I called that “Today would be my last day.”

I felt like a failure.

She shouldn’t have gotten that close to committing suicide before I checked in because I had noticed something was different in the months prior.  But I wasn’t sure if it was worth mentioning or if it was even my place.  It was.  This post is for those of who might not be dealing with depression but are watching it like it’s reality TV and not fully understanding…for someone this is real life. For the ones who get too busy to care.  The ones who notice something is wrong but never address it.  The ones who don’t know what to say so they don’t say anything until they’re given two minutes and a mic at the funeral.  The ones who “chalk it up to” whatever ridiculous things we chalk it up to so that we don’t have to face the demons; so we don’t have to acknowledge our own frailty.  For the ones who think suicide waves BIG signs when it actually waves small flags.

10 Subtle Signs of Suicide:

  1. Long lasting sadness
  2. Complaints of problems sleeping (Too much or too little)
  3. Avoidance of things that once were part of their routine
  4. Change in personality
  5. Changes in appearance (Drastic weight gain/loss, unkempt, disheveled, hygiene issues, etc.)
  6. Talk of feeling “trapped” or a “What’s the point?” attitude
  7. Increased use of alcohol and/or drugs
  8. Complaints of fatigue and constant sickness
  9. Becoming reckless
  10. Isolation

Sometimes it’s not just a bad day.  Sometimes it’s not hormones or the regular stress of life we encounter.  Sometimes people really feel like they don’t have a reason to keep living.  No one should feel that way.  No one should be made to feel like they are weak for feeling that way if they do.  No one should walk this life alone.  If you notice, speak up.  Support one another.  Let people know you will listen even if you don’t know what to say.  Do something.  Doing nothing is just as bad as wielding the razor.