I was thrown for a loop when I got the news that my dear friend Susan passed away last week.  I had so much hope that God was going to smile on her and give her and her family a reprieve and I was crushed when it didn’t happen.  I cried a lot. And I prayed a lot. And I realized that I was wrong – God did give her a reprieve; she had an unexpected 5 years since her diagnosis to spend with her loved ones before He called her home…because apparently she had a higher calling to answer.

Still. I will miss you Susan.

My favorite memories of you are your feisty ways and no-nonsense attitude.  Like when we were traveling home together from Type A Parent Conference last summer and you cursed out the obnoxious guy who almost knocked you over when you were trying to lug your bags (after you refused offers for help) onto the parking shuttle.  I knew you were exhausted and frustrated at how flying knocked the wind out of you, but that didn’t stop you from giving him a piece of your mind.  I remember thinking to myself: “Susan is a boss!”

Another memory I love is when you heard that Aunt Jemima was going to be a sponsor of Blogalicious 2011.  You were so concerned at how that partnership would be perceived by our community.  You said: “I mean…really? Aunt Jemima?” And I knew exactly what you meant.  Because I had had the exact same reaction when they approached me.  But I shared with you that we decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and support their efforts to change their brand image.  And you said: “Alright, as long as they do it right” – with so much concern in your eyes.  Along these same lines, I loved our candid discussions about race, especially race relations in the South where you grew up – and, as it turns out, had a front-row seat to the types of stories portrayed in the novel The Help (which we discussed ad nauseum too!)

Most of all, I love the memory of you with your boys; feeding the fish with them, playing Legos with them.  And, oh, the crazy look you gave me when I apologized for bringing you guys food that had bacon in it, unbeknownst to me, because, as you said: bacon is awesome.

I could go on about the fond memories I have – like the time I was the only one in our group going to BlogHer ’10 who hadn’t been invited to the Nikon party (seems so silly now) and I was bummed, but no one knew. Or so I thought.  Then I got an email from you out of the blue asking if I wanted to be your +1.  Such a small thing that meant so much at the time. Classic Susan.

And just a few weeks ago, you remarked that you loved the name of my blog and that it was so true that life is the party. Judging by the number of lives and hearts that you touched, it is clear that you rocked your party.  And I will always be honored to have been your +1.

xo

I love to celebrate — after all, Life IS the Party, right?  I also love learning about new figures from Black History.  It’s absolutely important for our children to learn about Rosa Parks and Dr. King and Malcolm X and Harriet Tubman, but as an adult, I love challenging myself to add to my repertoire of African-American greatness.  This year, Macy’s is making it easy for me to by celebrating the 100th Birthday of one of America’s foremost 20th Century American artists, Romare Bearden.  Along with the Romare Bearden Foundation, Macy’s is celebrating his life and art which are marked by exceptional talent, encompassing a broad range of intellectual and scholarly interests, including music, performing arts, history, literature and world art.  The weeklong in-store events include an opening reception, children’s activities, live music and cooking demonstrations featuring the artist’s favorite recipes.

The Artist:

The Event:

To kick off this tribute, Macy’s is hosting a series of Opening Night Receptions and satellite exhibitions of Romare Bearden’s Artwork in addition to new artists who have been inspired by his work. The exhibition will feature art that is dated from 1964 to 1984 when Romare Bearden was at the peak of his artistic power. Plus, guests will enjoy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails while listening to music by Chelsey Green and The Green Project.

Special Gift: With any $50 or more Macy’s purchase receive an exclusive scarf with one of Mr. Bearden’s most famous paintings, The Lamp.

About The Lamp
Bearden’s lithograph, The Lamp (1984), was commissioned by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund as a poster to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education. The lithograph started as a sketch by the artist, while he was having lunch with Susan Taylor, an influential editor, writer, journalist and former editor-in-chief of Essencemagazine. In 2004 The Lamp became a USPS stamp as part of the To Form A More Perfect Union collection that recognizes ten important milestones of the Civil Rights Movement. The Lamp commemorates the 1954 Supreme Court landmark ruling that struck down state sponsored segregation.

RSVP here for the Opening Reception in your city and to find out the exhibition dates.

About the Romare Bearden Foundation

The Romare Bearden Foundation was established in 1990 as a non-profit organization by the estate of Romare Bearden (1911-1988) to preserve and perpetuate the legacy of this preeminent American artist. The Foundation realizes its mission by preserving a collection of Bearden’s artworks and extensive archives of books, articles, letters, photographs and other materials; hosting, supporting and presenting scholarly and public programs, including symposia, panel presentations and school-based programs featuring Bearden’s art and life; providing support for and encouragement of museum exhibitions and new scholarly research on Bearden and his contributions to twentieth-century art. The Romare Bearden Foundation is one of the oldest foundations established by an African American visual artist. For more informationwww.beardenfoundation.org

Those who know me well know that it’s my life’s dream (or one of them at least), to produce a televised awards show.  It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and it’s what prompted me to specialize in Television & Radio Production while earning my Telecommunications degree at the University of Florida.  Fast forward thirteen (omg) years later and I cannot believe that I am no closer to that dream than I was when I graduated college.  You see, I took a decade-long detour with a law career and set my productions dreams on the back burner.  Well, kind of.  I’ve been doing freelance event production for the past 10 years because it really is where my heart is; Blogalicious and my {re}Treat are evidence of that.  SO.  When General Mills asked me if I’d like to be their guest at the 2012 BET Honors Awards, it took me all of three seconds to say yes.  A chance to view a live taping of an awards show of this magnitude and to see the magic happen behind the camera = yes, please.  So hubs and I hit the town for a star-studded date night.

We kicked off the evening at the Black Opulence celebrity gifting suite pre-awards.

The Blurb:
Rocsi (BET’s 106 & Park co-host) and Visanthe Shiancoe (Minnesota Vikings) hosted the BLACK OPULENCE Celebrity Gifting Suite on Saturday, January 14, 2012, at K Street Lounge in Washington, D.C.  Celebrities, media representatives, and corporate and entertainment executives received gifted items from a host of consumer brands, while enjoying complimentary manicures, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.  Special guests included 2012 BET HONORS honoree Beverly Kearney; Judge Hatchett; DJ Tay James; Super Bowl champion and sports analyst Brian Mitchell; former NBA star Etan Thomas; pro skateboarder Darren Harper; and NFL players Travon Bellamy (Washington Redskins) and Jordan Miller (Chicago Bears).  BLACK OPULENCE celebrated the fifth annual BET HONORS taping.

It really was a nice event.  There was an intimate showcase of brands and good-looking people in the swanky K Street Lounge environment.  Some of my favorite sponsors were Sof ‘n Free Gro Healthy (a repeat Blogalicious sponsor!), TamiCakes and Simply Deliciosa catering.  The music was jammin (shout out to the talented female DJ) and the libations were flowing.  I got to meet Judge Hatchett in the VIP lounge – she was the sweetest – I mentioned to her that I had heard her speak at both Spark & Hustle and the Essence Women’s Conference.  And let me just say that she was KILLING CATS in that dress.

Visanthe Shiancoe, a tight-end for the Minnesota Vikings and co-host of the suite was a pleasure to meet as well; he was so softspoken and pleasant.

I had a great time checking out all of the vendors and getting to know them and their products.  Jeweled heels, cocktail-themed cupcakes and enthusiastic entrepreneurs = my kinda party.

Then, we were off to the awards show.  We got a kick out of walking the red carpet (we arrived behind Colin Powell) and getting the VIP treatment.

After about an hour of mixing and mingling, we got our seats and the show began.  It was phenomenal.  If you are my Facebook friend, then you know just how exciting it was (I live Facebook’d it all).  Seeing legends like Aretha Franklin and Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder and Maya Angelou and MICHELLE OBAMA (!!!) up close and personal was a trip.  Also? It was amazing to watch from a production standpoint; the cameras, the takes – yes, even Stevie had to Take 2!, the wardrobe changes (Gabrielle Union must have changed 12 times) and the audio-visual effects were all a sight to see.

Mrs. Obama, Willow Smith, Cicely Tyson, Queen Latifah and Jill Scott

The show airs tonight at 9pm on BET – it’s a good one!

{I must give a special shout out to my sister who babysat for almost 8 hours so that we could go play ‘Hollywood’ for the day! And of course, thanks to General Mills for the tickets.}

As seems to be the theme of my life these days, I ‘double-booked’ my Sunday last week.  I had agreed to review the Adventure Theatre production of The Snowy Day, but ended up having to go out of town at the last minute.  Luckily, my girlfriend Savena agreed to take my place and she and her two girls enjoyed the show.  Here is her review of the performance (much more well-written than mine could ever be!)

I try to enter every children’s production with an open mind.  Some, after all, border unbearable; others are delightful.  And then there are those that attempt to breathe life into the classics.  To which I inevitably warn, tread lightly, my friends; tread lightly.  But for the same reasons that you love the print version of The Snowy Day, you will thoroughly adore Adventure Theater’s adaptation.  Subtle and mundane, it broadcasts the creative genius just itching to come out of the preschool set.  And even with a story so basic, you will leave the show hoping to take a little of its magic with you.

True enough to the storyline, there are portions of the production that read like the bedtime story you tell your children.  Think Peter, his persona so authentically cast and wrapped neatly in a red snowsuit, out for his adventure and armed only with a stick, the warmth of the bath that sooths him after his long day, and the mountains of snow at which Peter is in awe.  Then there is the creative license the theater employs to conjure up a playful Caribbean nightmare that leaves Peter fighting to save the snow he so desperately wants keep forever.  Add to the mix a sweetheart of a crow with a sugary southern drawl and an industrious snowman bound for the North Pole and you get not only a tale of imagination but also a playful and touching story of an unlikely friendship that is neither sappy nor sermonizing.  This delicate balance of story-line consistency and creative-license risks is what makes this production a seamless blend of Keats’s simplistic brilliance and Adventure Theater’s innovation.

If there is a core of consistent criticisms waged against this generation of parents, chief among them must be our contemplative, overly-protective, and analytical approach to every second of our children’s lives.  From the foods they eat to the activities they undertake and the schools to which they ultimately apply.  Peter, in the essence of his play, reminds us that like the snow he knows will fade one day, so too will his childhood.  So while the lessons of French, ballet, and piano beckon, taking in The Snowy Day will remind you that sometimes more important than the scheduled activities are the unscripted, unceremonious undertakings of kids just daring to be kids and the ensuing memories that will undoubtedly last a lifetime.

Savena blogs at Coffeehouse Confessional.  Or at least she used to.  We’re working on that.

No, not that kind. I already have a fantastically amazing Joe Ferg. What I mean is the kind of Sweetie that Kim Zolciak on The Real Housewives of Atlanta on BravoTV has.  A personal assistant with low standards.

Is that bad to say?

Too bad, I said it.  I need a Sweetie.  I do.  For example, this past weekend my sis and I took a trip to celebrate her birthday but also to conduct Blogalicious 2012 hotel site visits.  As I was rushing like a crazy person to catch my flight (I ran to the gate as they were boarding) I totally could have used a Sweetie to help me schlep my stuff to through the airport.  In fact, I took to jokingly yelling “Sweeetiiiie!!” throughout the weekend anytime I needed an extra hand.  I am confident that Sweetie could have helped me:

pack; write out the household schedule for hubby and the kids to refer to in my absence; make a pot of Chili Con Carne to leave behind for the family; run to the store to pick up a birthday card for my sis (I never made it to the store to get one #shameonme); park my car in Extended Parking; figure out where we were supposed to meet the hotel driver at the airport terminal; hold my hotel meeting space layout plans during the site tour and take notes; check us out of the hotel while we were in the middle of the site tour; pick up my sister’s Blackberry charger at the first hotel we stayed at (it’s still there, FYI); call the airline to get us on a better flight home; make us dinner reservations at the hot restaurant for my sis’ birthday dinner (we ended up having to sit at the bar); and so much more.

See? I need a Sweetie, right? While she doesn’t actually appear hyper-capable at her job, she does handle a lot of Kim Z.’s menial tasks.  Why, I have no idea.  But I ain’t mad at Kim.  In fact, I need the phone number to her staffing agency.