LUVIN ME

A way to express my thoughts to the world...

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

You Don't Miss Your Well.......

In a continuation of my last post.....

My friend's girlfriend is turning into this phsyco stalker. She's calling him constantly. Following him around. Yesterday, he wouldn't take any of her calls so she sat in the lobby of his job until he got off work. She was hysterical...screaming and crying. He said that she made such a scene that the receptionist called security to have her removed.(Whatever happened to self respect!)

He walked outside with her, because he is just a nice person...She says she doesn't care how she looks to other people. She loves him and will do anything to get him back. Last night, she sat outside of his house all night long. She kept calling and knocking on his door. He called the police 3 times, but she left before they got there every time. Now this is way past love...This is crazy! He said that when he pulled out of the garage this morning, she was asleep in her car. He left her there, and called in to work. He came to my house this morning(I work from home most days) and slept in one of my guest bedrooms, seeing that he couldn't get any sleep last night. He left my house and went to get a restraining order put on her. He drove my car and left his parked in my garage just in case.

She keeps leaving these crazy message saying that she would hurt any female who tries to get close to him. She keeps saying she is going to kill herself. This girl is nuts! She vowed to make his life miserable if he doesn't take her back. WTF? Does she think that will make him want her?

Now for the recap....She cheated...got caught...and now she's upset because he doesn't want her. He says he can't trust her. Now that she's acting crazy, he says he doesn't know her!

Do we really know the people that we date? Do you think people show early signs of being crazy, or are these actions brought on by bad situations?

Monday, January 30, 2006

Hmmmm.....

Where are all the good men/women? I mean, are they on permenant vacation?

How can a relationship start off so good and then spiral out of control? Do we put our all into our mates just to see it end in disaster?

At what point do men/women just say, to heck with being good! Is there just some type of signal that goes off in their heads?

How can a person be such a terrible mate, but a wonderful friend?

How can a person have the man/women of their dreams, but not realize it until after the relationship is over. Where were they when the relationship was going on?

These are just a few random thoughts racing through my head after a weekend of craziness with one of my friends. He was in what seemed like a perfect relationship with this chic. He worked very hard, and loved her very much. She wanted to go back to school, so he let her quit her job and supported her, while she went to school. They planned to marry when she graduated in May. Another friend of mine had a birthday party and we all came out to celebrate. He said that she couldn't make it because she had a big test on Monday and wanted to study. We are all college grads, so we know the value of studying for a big test. After leaving the party, we went to grab a bite to eat. Guess who we see while we are there? None other than 'Miss Bookworm' and her imfamous 'Study Buddy'. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time! The guy she was with was UGLY ( not that that's the point... but, I say, if you going to cheat, at least get something BETTER that what you had)!

Anyway, the situation is all downhill from there...he puts her out...she is now homeless and neither of the guys want her. Hopefully she can find some friends who will take her in....

Why do people mess up perfectly good relationships and give BS reasons as to why they messed up? She said that she was happy with him but she was just curious. Huh?

Are all the good men/women gone...or are they just scorned and just protecting their hearts?

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Difficult Situation....

I think, by nature, I am a protector. I am a loyal friend, and when it comes to defending a friend's honor, I am down for whatever...but life has tossed a wrench in my direction...

In my previous post titled Friendship, I introduced the world to my 'circle' of friends. My friend, that I call Softspoken is highly intellegent and scientifically inclined. He also has a wonderful eye for decorating. He hooked my place up!
Anyway, he was helping me and my daughter find things for a science project she has to do for school. She wants to create a working cell. I can only go so far with the creativity...I mean how in the heck do you create endoplasmic reticulum...I say use pipe cleaners and call it a day, but they both think that my ideas are asinine at this point, so I just let them have it!

We are in this store, and this chic that works there says to us, "your daughter looks like both of you". We smile, say nothing, and keep shopping. But this chic won't let up. She comes to us and starts to point out features that she 'thinks' my daughter has from both of us. Mind you...this IS NOT her father! She says to my friend, I see you're not wearing a ring, so I guess that means you are available. She then gives me this sly smile. I think I'm supposed to be jealous at this point, but little does she know, she's in route for some major upset in a few moments. I smile back, politely and continue to shop. He says to her, if you asking me if we are together, the answer is no. She looks at us both and walks off. Boy she is bold! What if we were together?

But she is still not done yet! In her plot to tempt my friend, she comes back with a folded piece of paper with her number on it, and slips it in his hand. He, being the type of person that he is, gently takes her hand the gives it back to her. She then makes a fool of herself and says ..."you don't know what your missing.".And he says to her, "quite frankly, I don't care to know!" If I liked did like women, you wouldn't even be in on my level... Now she is pissed! She looks at him with the most hateful look and starts to call him all kinds of names....and MY KID IS STANDING RIGHt THERE! Not to mention, a store full of people. Now I am upset, and I try to get my daughter and friend out of this store as soon as possible. The manager comes over and my friend explained the situation to him. She was fired on the spot. She turns to the manager and says, you only did that because you want him for yourself. Is this b&*@#$ crazy or what!

Now that we are out of the store, we ride to my house in silence. We decide that we will work on the project this weekend, since she has a few weeks before it is due. My daughter seems okay at this point. My brother comes by to take my daughter to the movies. He is single with no kids and I think he just takes my daughter so that he can satify his inner child and do all the things that he likes(seeing kid's movies, going to carnivals, playing games at the arcade, etc...). This gave my friend and I time to talk. I could tell he was very hurt by what had happened. We talked for a while. Grabbed a bite to eat, and he was happy. We know that everyone has their opinion, but we can't let it affect us.

This is where my delimma came. This morning, while getting my daughter dressed for school, my she asks, "Mom, what is a fag and a sissy?" I am like, whoa! Where did you get that from? She says, "Yesterday, in the store, the girl said it. What does it mean?" I sat for a moment, then I responded, "Those are ugly wrods that you should never say to people, and we will talk about this more later." She was satisfied with the answer, but for how long? I want to be the one to explain it to her, so I have to talk to her before she starts to ask other people. Now how do I, as a mother, explain to my child about what it means to be gay. I have seen my friends go through so much. How do I explain it to her without distorting her image of ALL people? Being straight, I can't honestly say I know exactly what it means, I have just gained an understanding through my friends.

I talked with Softspoken about it, and he suggested that I invite my "Circle" of friends over to have a talk with my daughter. They have all known her all of her life, some where there when she was born, and love her like she is their own. I am at a standstill and I have no idea of what to do!

Is this something that I should do on my own? Or should I let my friends help me with this one? What are your thoughts?

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

What If....

What if you had more money? Would you do anything to help others? What would you do with it?

What if you found the man/woman of your dreams? Would you love him/her like they should be loved? Are you open and ready to be loved, or do you have issues that need to be resolved?

What if you could do one thing over? What would it be?

What if you could change one person's thoughts? Who would it be?

What if you could have your dream job? What would it be? Do you derserve it? Why?

What if you could be someone else for a day? Who would you be?

We all sit and talk about what we would do if we had just a little more time...or have the perfect mate...or more money? Are you ready for it? Can you handle it? If you had these opportunities, what would you do with them?

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Just A Thought....

As reserved as we try to be, one thing that I can say that comes to play in many of our lives is sex.

Is it overrated? Do we use it as an emotinal crutch? Do you like it or are you more reserved when it comes to the act?

What are your thoughts?


This brings to mind the song "Three Letter Word" by Jamie Foxx.......

Monday, January 23, 2006

Positive Factors in Your Life

Another beautiful day in the life of Luvin Me......

My daughter and I went shopping this weekend. The girl is seven years old, but believe me, she has her own style. She knows exactly what she likes, and she puts it together rather nicely ...I tell you, the girl is a diva in training!

When was the last time that you told the people close to you, how you feel about them? Be it, a mate, a child, family , or friends. Do the people that you care about know how you feel? Do you show them? For me, I try to call my parents and brother daily, and see them at least once a week, if not more. My friends and I talk often, and get together as often as well can...or I drop them an email, just to let them know I'm there. Well, my daughter is almost always around, so she gets the best of me....

Time can mean so much to a person. It doesn't have to be a lot. Just a second a of your time can change someone's day or life for the better. Just think about it. We can ward off negative feeling just by reading a positive post on someone's blog.

Also, be mindful of the company you keep, and the way you are towards others. My father used to tell my brother and I three things to keep us in check when we were growing up. I was reminded of this when I was reading a post on someone's blog. I try to use the same thoughts for my daughter....
1) Don't limp for cripples. (Don't try to carry others)
2) Your character is who you are when no one is looking.(You be the judge of your
actions)
3) There is no place in society for a lazy tongue(Speak your mind)

Surround yourselves with positive people. You really don't have a choice when it comes to your family, but YOU can choose to be the positive force in their lives!

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Love

What is true love? How does true love look...feel...taste? How do you know when you are truely in love, and the one that you love really loves you back?

I feel that love comes with knowing your mate. When you love someone, you know exactly what to do to make them happy with little effort. It's like second nature to you. You are considerate of their feeling at all times, and you make decisions with them in mind. When that person becomes the first thing you think of when you wake up, and the last thing you think of before you sleep... is that love?

How long does it take to fall in love? Is there a such thing as love at first sight( or is it lust) or does it take a month...a day...a year?

What are your thoughts on love?

Monday, January 16, 2006

Friendship

What is true friendship? By definition, a friend is...a person whom one knows, likes, and trusts;is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade. But what is true friendship to you? Can you really trust the people that you call your friends?
How far should you go with you friends? Do you loan them money...Share your deepest secrets and desires? How many TRUE friends do you really have?

I ask these questions because, as I mentioned in a previous post, I am going to into business with a friend of mine to open a nightclub, we'll call him 'Ambitious'. I trust this person and I know that he is loyal to me as a friend. Another friend of ours is truely upset with me at the fact that I am helping 'Ambitious'out, we'll call him 'Green Eyes or GE for short'. GE called me over the weekend and tried to talk me out of the whole thing. We are all supposed to be very close. I just can't believe that he would try to do that to another friend. We all got together this weekend at my place. Being that my parents are Creole, I was introduced to cooking Gumbo at an early age, and people come from miles around to devour it! I made a pot of Gumbo, and sent my friend out for some wine and spirits for my little get together (which actually turned out to be very nice.)

Let me introduce you to my circle...First, we have 'Ambitious' who is always trying to get ahead in life...straight,single, and successful. We have the 'Diva' who loves to make his presence known...single(when he wants to be), gay, and successful. We have 'Green Eyes' meant for both jealousy and his eye color, who hates to see others do better than him, he is married and successful. We have 'Angel'...she is an all around good person...married, straight, and successful. There is 'the Strong One' who is very honest and just tells it like it is..he is single, straight,and successful. We have 'High Class'...she likes nothing but the best(men, clothing, etc..)...single, straight, and successful. Next we have 'the Softspoken One', who is very shy and might I add, gorgeous. The ladies go crazy over him. He is single and successful, but sorry girls, he is gay. Last but not least we have 'Tit and Tat'. They have been committed to each other since our freshman year in college. They are always together, and they still look at each other like they did on the first day they met. Both are gay and successful...

Many people question how straight and gay people can hang out and not date each other. As 'Ambitious' would say, when I see my boy, I don't see his sexuality, I see his personality. I love him as a person, not for what he chooses to do in his bedroom. He doesn't question what I do between the sheets, so I don't question him. And that folks...is what friendship is all about. We are all still able to talk openly about our relationships and sexuality because we are secure in who we are and what we like. I think having strong people around for supports helps with that tremendously!

We all met through each other and have become very close over the years. We talk all the time, and we get together often, especially on birthdays! I consider these people my friends. None of them have ever crossed me. I mean, we have had minor disagreements, but through it all, friendship prevailed.

Back to my delimma....At my house, GE was acting like everything was cool (but he called me again on Sunday with the same BS). We played games (Cards, Pictionary, Dominoes, and several others). Everyone was tipsy and having a good time. In the back of my mind I was still a little upset at the conversation that I had with GE.I just can't believe that GE is trying to talk bad about Ambitious. I have seen GE hate on other people, but never his friend. As a friend, should I tell Ambitious or should I just tell GE to back off and let it go without telling Ambitious? Is there something more to this situation that I'm not seeing?

Right now I am just trying to figure out what to do. I love both of my friends very much, but I have no clue of what to do.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Relationships and Time Together

Being in a relationship can be hectic at times. What if, you care more about your mate than they care about you? You give them your all, and it still seems it is not enough. What do you do at this point? Do you let them go and keep steppin', or do you give them another chance?

On the same note, how much time is too much time with your mate? Seeing them every day? First of all, let me lay out the particulars for this question.... 1.Each of you are employed, 2.You have your own lives, but you want to include your mate in your eveyday life and you want to be a part of his/hers. 3.You have no kids/ Or You Have Kids 4.You both love each other very much.

What are your thoughts?

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

If You're Gonna Do It...Do It Right

As I told you in my last post, we have four black sheep in our family. Let me remind you of them ( we have the "baby mama", the career student, the crack head, and the shop-a-holic. So for my post today, I'm going to go into detail about the "baby mama". A 'baby-mama' to me, is not a woman with a kid out of wedlock...because things happen, and we just deal with them...a 'baby-mama" is a way of life...My cousin has babies (she is 24 and has 6 kids), puts the dad's on child support, and doesn't work. That, my friends....is a baby mama. She has turned it into an occupation. She didn't stop with one. Six kids...six daddies.( She gets enough in child support to pay her mortgage, has a new Range Rover, her kids wear the latest ghetto gear, and she has never had a job a day in her life! She is an all around ghetto superstar. She is what the men might call a dime piece. Six kids and you can't tell. She works out, eats right, and keeps everything in place. men get so caught up in the physical...they lose sight of everything else.... Talk about having skeletons in your closet...I'm about to start calling her the Bone Collector!

Why do women kids by several different men and have the nerve to get upset when someone mentions this fact. She says I am jealous of her. Yea right. Finding a babysitter is a nightmare, and as much as I love my family. I don't babysit! All she does is sit at home all day. On top of that, she sends her kids to daycare, for someone else to take care of them all day.

She called in an uproar because one of the kid's dads quit his job so he doesn't have to pay. Which I think is wrong as well. He should not have laid down and had the kid with her (he is the father of baby # 4) if he didn't want to take care of it. He already saw that she has done this to 3 other guys, but he CHOSE to fall right in. The blame lies on the two consenting adults who created the child!

So, what do you think about this baby momma thing?

Monday, January 09, 2006

Finding Wealth For Our People

It's Monday Morning people. My employees are all over the place this morning. Seeing that it is a new year and the newly accrued vacation and sick time have come into play, they are calling in left and right. I might actually have to go into the office today.

I just love my people! I was having a conversation with my family yesterday. My mom has 4 sisters and 3 brothers. We all try to get together at least once a month to keep the family going, and make sure that all of our kids get to know each other. We all live in different suburban areas of Dallas, so we rotate locations. The topic yesterday was wealth. There is a big difference in being rich and being wealthy. I must say that my family is well off. Everyone owns a piece of real estate, and they have their money in the right place, seeing that my mother is the family financial advisor and final guide. She takes care of her people. Well, saying that "everyone" is okay is an exaggeration. There are black sheep in every family. In my family, we have four. One crack head, one ghetto gold-diggin' baby momma( and yes, that is her occupation and she refuses to change), one career student ( he has 2 master's degrees and doesn't use either of them, is still in school, and lives at home with his parents), and a shop-a holic, she can't keep money to save her life. If Neiman's or Saks is having sale, she's there! I'm sure you will hear more about them in the future. Their idea of wealth is their annual tax refund at the first of the year, when their actually working. Hopefully one day they will come out of the dark. When you have the opportunity to have money with little effort, then you should jump at the chance.

My mom let us know 'in laymen's terms' how we as an investment group were doing (I'm not a broker, but I know enough to know when I gain or lose money on the market). My mother is trying to make our future generations weathly. We see 'other' racial groups do it all the time and wonder how people are born into money. Well my mom gave us a simple explanation. This is separate from all other investment plans that you may have, 401K retirement). This money is to be used to pass on to your children. She said that if you bring home at least $400 wk ($1600 mth) after taxes, You should save, AT Least $100 a month. You should adjust that amount with your salary ($25 for evey $100 that you earn). After the first year of saving, the money($1200) should be put into an IRA or Mutal fund (which gains money each year depending on the bank that you use), and add money to it at the same rate. I started this plan at 18. Seeing that my mother is a financial whiz, none of our money was affected by the September 11, tragedy and the type of fund that I invested in doubles every three years.

(If you are 25 years of age, and you make at least $400 weekly, and save $100 monthly....by age 65, you will have at least $48000 saved...If placed into a mutual fund that doubles every 3 years, at age 65 you will have (9,830,400...that is, if you don't have to use any at a given time...which you probably will have to, and pay penalties, but even if you dip into the pot about 5 times before age 65 , you will be left with a large sum of money to leave to you kids, their kids). It really works. My parents got a late start, but they still will be leaving my brother and I quite a bit of cash (Even though I don't want anything to happen to them!) As of now, my brother has no children, so everything is willed to my daughter. At this rate. My child will never have to work a day in her life. Hopefully she will develop the same value of saving, and secure the future for her kids. If that is the case, and this conntiues, my decendants will be wealthy.

NowI have a nice chunk of savings on the side. and to think, it only takes a little money to start! It really works. I am a living example of how a woman who became a mother at age 18 can be more than a statistic. I am a college graduate....I have my own money..... and own my own home, and I haven't even reached 30.

So in an effort to help more of "US" succeed, I work a few evenings a week with a group of young ladies at the B & G Club here in Dallas to have a positive impact on some of "our" kids. They have so much potential, but lack the knowledge to succeed. All of my accomplishments mean nothing to me, if I can't help at least 1 kid be BETTER than me.

My question to you is, what are you doing to leave your legacy on the world?

Thursday, January 05, 2006

I Love My Peeps

It's Thursday morning! I say that to say, that I officially have one more day of the corporate work week before I can get some much needed rest. I think the holidays have me spoiled. Well, it's back to work for me.

I have a friend who wants to open a club. It has been his dream forever. He found a location, has half the money, and is now looking for a loyal partner. He came to me with the question last night, business plan in hand, but I told him to let me sleep on it a little. I mean, I'm all for black business, but a club is risky. My mom is a Corporate CPA and she works herself! My Brother is a structural engineer, and he works for a major engineering firm here is Dallas, but on the side, he works for himself! My dad is a chemical engineer and of course he doesn't work for himself, by he is in a postion to where people have to do what he wants, and not the other way around. My little family is in a good place right now, and I feel like I can't go anywhere but up at this point. Anyway, back to my boy! We have been throwing several weekend parties to see how things would work out. Dallas does not have an abundance of Reggae clubs, so this is a good idea. He already has a DJ, a bartender, and a liquor license. So far, everything is legit. Now I have to decide if this place is really worth my money.

I work hard for the almighty dollar, and I can't just let it slip away too easily. I know that sounds vain, but I have another person to think about (my daughter). Right now, she is pretty much set. Between the IRA that her grandfathers started for her at birth and the mutual fund, trust,college fund, not to mention insurance, she is pretty much set if anything were to happen to me. Seeing that she is the only child in the family, she reaps all the benefits.

The year of luvin' me has already began to take shape. Here we are, a week into the month and I already have an investment opportunity! Yea for me! What the hell, I'm going for it!

For all of you out there wondering what to do next. I have to be like Nike and say...Just Do It. Whatever it is that you have been wanting to do in your life...Do It! Stop waiting for the perfect moment because it will never come. The perfect moment is the moment you decide to do whatever it is that you want to do!

So with this post I leave you with the lyrics of Video by India Arie... Love your self Ladies and gents...and with that...Do yo' thang!

Sometimes I shave my legs and sometimes I don’t
Sometimes I comb my hair and sometimes I won’t
Depend on how the wind blows I might even paint my toes
It really just depends on whatever feels good in my soul

I’m not the average girl from your video
And I ain’t built like a supermodel
But, I learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queenI’m not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what I’m wearing I will always be India Aria

When I look in the mirror the only one there is me
Every freckle on my face is where it’s supposed to be
And I know our creator didn’t make no mistakes on me
My feet, my thighs, my lips, my eyes;
I’m lovin’ what I see

Am I less of a lady if I don’t wear pantyhose?
My mama said a lady ain’t what she wears but, what she knows
But, I’ve drawn a conclusion,
it’s all an illusion,
confusion’s the name of the game
A misconception, a vast deception
Something’s gotta change
Don’t be offended this is all my opinion
Ain’t nothing that I’m sayin law
This is a true confession of a life learned lesson
I was sent here to share witY’all
So get in where you fit in go on and shine
Free your mind, now’s the time
Put your salt on the shelf
Go on and love yourself
’cuz everything’s gonna be all right

Keep your fancy drinks and your expensive minksI
don’t need that to have a good time
Keep your expensive car and your caviar
All I need is my guitar
Keep your crisp style and your pistol
I’d rather have a pretty piece of crystal
Don’t need your silicon I prefer my own
What God gave me is just fine

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Just a Day In My Life

My best friend and I went out to the bar last night, and we met a couple of nice guys, Toni and Erin. Young, black, successful...you know, nice. Just out for a night of harmless fun. We order a few drinks, then we decide to go down the street to a local pool hall. The crowd in this place was dead. The pool hall, now that was a different story. You would have thought that it was the first of the month and they were taking food stamps for payment. There were people everywhere. As we are shooting pool, we talk about all sorts of things. The conversation of sexuality soon arises. It seems to always come up in my girls' conversations, seeing that she dated a gay guy or should a say a 'closet gay' for about four weeks, and didn't know it. He was in denial. So now, that is one of the first question that she asks. When asked, Erin got offended. He was making the comments like, "Do I look gay?"

I asked, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He was livid! He began ranting and raving about how we as black women should watch what we say. I still refused to back down from this guy. I wanted to know how a person 'looks' gay. I have several nice looking gay friends. They don't have a certain look. They look like people to me. Toni explained to us that Erin was homophobic (I think it's more of a fear of the unknown. People choose to be homophobic because they don't want to reveal their true selves. It's a cop out. They would much rather hate someone, than to evaluate their feelings and accept people for who they are. In turn, they show their own weakness.) He had an episode a few years back with this guy, and refused to accept what had happened. Of course, I had to probe into the situation further. I wanted to know why he didn't answer the question. Finally, Toni told us that he was , bisexual, and Erin refused to accept that his friend of 15 years might be gay. I feel that if Erin was a true friend, he would accept his boy fro who he is. After talking a little more, Toni began to calm down a little. I explained to him that it is hard enough for his boy to come to him and let him know what is going on in his life.

Erin was happy now and actually asked for my number. Talk about bipolar. I chose to avaid the issue,making up the excuse that I was tired of being hurt, and really wasn't looking for anything. he looked disappointed, but he was cool. My friend got Toni's number, as a friend of course. I think he'll mesh into our circle pretty well.

I went home and payed the sitter, looked in on my daughter(who was fast asleep), and called "old faithful". He is a guy that I sleep with on occasion, and is always a telephone call away. We choose to keep the relationship sexual, because we are at two different places in our lives. No strings, no questions. We get "tested" together. That was a stipulation of our strictly sexual relationship. It's easier for me to keep it that way. He's in his second year of law school, and I am not looking for a man in my life right now. He gives it took me on a regualr basis and the shit is wonderful. He also respects my house rules. He can only come when my daughter is asleep and has to be gone before daylight when she is at home. It works well for the both of us. Good sex with no drama!

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Come All Ye Bloggers.....

Today is my first day in blogland. I have been reading several interesting blogs, and I've decided to start one for myself. This is a New Year for me to start loving me. I have been so wrapped up in work, and raising my daughter that I somehow forgot all about me.

I live in Dallas, TX, actually in the 'burbs' near Dallas. When most people think of Texas, they think of horses, cowboy boots, and 'grills'. I am 26 years old and have yet to ride a horse, nor do I have gold teeth. I the decendant of Creole parents(who speak French and English). My mother is barely brown with long red hair, and my father is the whitest black man you have even seen. Pale skin with black curly hair. You wouldn't know he was black if he didn't open his mouth and tell you. My brother and I got are a mixture of both of them. We look like a tan version of my father. I have my mother's eyes, and long auburn hair. My brother looks just like my father with auburn curly hair. My daughter is the spitting image of her father.

I must say, it is different down here. Pretty slow, to say the least. I've always wanted more than the average Texan. Although Dallas is a wonderful place to raise children, and become financially stable, it lacks in many other areas. Everything is far away. You NEED a car to live here. Sure we have buses and trains, but they are more of a hassle, than they are helpful. It is also fairly easy to buy a house here. If you have a stable job and decent credit(although they will work with you) you can do it. The cost of living is fairly low.
I have been working for at my job for seven years now, and I love my job! I don't have to be stuck in one place at time, sitting behind a desk, wondering why I am there. I get to go and come as I please, which works well for me.

I am a single mom. My daughter's dad couldn't get with the program, so I had to keep on steppin' . He's an excellent father, but we agree to keep it at that. I am single, independant, and loving it! It's up to me to teach my daughter how to be a good woman. So I lead my child by example. What she sees is what she gets. I don't try to make her think that the world is this fairy tale land, I let her know the realities of this cruel hard world. I made her start a savings account, so she will learn the value of money. I teach her the consequences of her actions. She has turned out to be a really good kid. Just as independant as her mother! So far, my main goal has been to make sure that my daughter has all that she needs, and just about everything that she wants.

Now I have to do something for ME!