Still Ain't No Place Like Home, Y'all!

Hi, Everybody!

Well, Thanksgiving 2015 is in the record books, but when you’re a Christian, the season of giving thanks is year round!

It should come as no surprise to y’all that I had a great time with my peeps yesterday afternoon… shoot, I had a blast! And why not—I mean, after all, it was my first Thanksgiving back home in Southern Cali, so it was a great big deal for me to be with my mom and dad, my aunts and uncles, and my Gramma Jewel.

And speaking of my Gramma Jewel, I want to state for the record that I have a newfound respect for her Thanksgiving tradition, which takes place after the big family dinner. You see, everything Thanksgiving, my Gramma Jewel asks for everyone to name at least one thing for which they are thankful. Well, it shouldn’t surprise any of you that Gramma Jewel goes first every year; she is the family matriarch after all. Gramma Jewel also makes it known that she is grateful for another year where she can spend time with her family. Everyone had some good reasons as to why they were thankful. Case in point: My mom professed how grateful she was for having me back home for another thanksgiving, and my dad expressed his gratitude for his queen and his princess.

And then it was my turn—and coincidentally, I was last.

I simply let my family know that I was extremely grateful to spend Thanksgiving 2015 with my Southern Cali family. I further expressed my appreciation for my Great Aunt Donna, Great Aunt Reesie, Auntie Gladys, and the Hudspeths for welcoming me into their homes during my time at Rust. It was then that my Auntie Brenda explained to me that home is always where the heart is, to which I replied that I must have plenty of homes across the country.

Afterwards, we played the Taboo game—it was me, Cousin Candace, Cousin Trisha, Cousin Vanessa, and Cousin Becky against Mom, Auntie Cherri, Auntie Brenda, Auntie Stephanie, and Auntie Glo. According to Uncle Alex, this was the battle of youth against experience, and I’m not afraid to admit that in the end, the experience prevailed over us youth. Granted, they cheated a little bit… hahahaha! I’m kidding, but Auntie Stephanie did admit that my team was in the lead by five, and then Cousin Trisha accidentally said one of the taboo words. I guess our youthful pride occurred before our fall… hahahaha!

Well, y’all, that’s gonna do it for me today. I’ll be sure to holla at y’all on Tuesday… and lest I forget, this Tuesday is the end of my internship. I cannot believe that fourteen weeks have already flown by. And speaking of my internship, I have to call my academic counselor on Wednesday and let her know that I will prepare my documentation and send it off in the mail by the end of this week.

And after looking at my catalog, I see that I have only one class left, and I will officially be done… WOO-HOO!!!

Until next time, y’all take care!

Smooches,

Natasha

My First Thanksgiving Back Home

Hi, Everybody!

First and foremost, I would like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope that you enjoy spending time with your family, friends, and loved ones.

You know, my mom brought it to my attention—this is my official first Thanksgiving back with my Southern Cali peeps! I’ve gotten so readjusted to the Southern Cali life that I didn’t really think about it. If I was back in Memphis, I would be worrying about whose house I should go over for Thanksgiving... and by the way, deciding to stay with Great Aunt Reesie, Great Aunt Donna, or Auntie Gladys is a blessing in and of itself. However, I don’t have to worry about that this year—I’m at home with my mom and dad, and I couldn’t be any happier. At the same time, though, I did call my Tennessee aunties and let them know that I really missed them, but it won’t be long until I return to complete the final year of my tenure as a Rust College Bearcat!

This year, the guest hosts are Uncle Gregory and Auntie Glo, and from what I understand, they have gone all out with the turkey and the trimmings. Seeing as how this is such a great occasion, I figure that I would bring along my camcorder and film some footage for a brand-new home movie. Heck, I even have the perfect title for it—Natasha’s Back, Baby!

Okay, so that’s a horrible title, but it’s the best that I’ve got.

Well, I reckon I’d better close up today’s blog post and get ready for Thanksgiving service at my church, which starts at 10am PST. As a heads-up, y’all ain’t gonna hear any more from me today (for obvious reasons), but I promise that you’ll hear from me on either tomorrow or Saturday. Until then, y’all take care and be good.


Smooches,
Natasha

The Thanksgiving Vacation is Officially On!

And just like the post office, I deliver on my promises!

Well, y’all, it goes like this: Carter Elementary is officially out of school in recognition of the Thanksgiving holiday. School will resume on Monday, November 30, 2015.

Can y’all believe that the Thanksgiving holiday is already upon us? Before long, it’ll be Christmas soon, and then almost immediately after that, we’ll enter into a brand-new year. It has truly amazed me how all of this has happened so fast. I consider this to be a big deal because the last day of my internship is December 1, but if y’all remember, I had already planned to finish out the rest of this semester. It all goes back to what my Grampa Clark always said about putting your all into it.

And besides, those little kiddies have really grown on me.

So, seeing as how I’ve got all this time to myself (at least for today anyway), I reckon I’ll head up to my favorite sandwich shop and holla at Winston, considering if he’s even working today. And speaking of Winston, I don’t wanna jump too far into conclusions, but I gotta say that he is slowly but surely finding the way to my heart. The only reason why I haven’t said anything about him is because… well, I guess I just want to be really sure that this is the real thing. I’ve been a fool one time too many—my heart is still under lock and key, and my dad has already made it known that he’s got the keys to my heart.

We’ll just have to see how this plays out in the long run.

Okay, y’all—I’ve run out of stuff to talk about, but I will most definitely holla at y’all real soon.


Hugs & Kisses,
Natasha

Back With Another Update for Y'all!

Long time, no holla, Y’all!

First of all, I want to wish a Happy #21 to my fellow Rustite and my favorite Jackson gal, Azalea Cherie Thomas! I regret that I cannot be there to celebrate with you, Girlie, but trust and believe—your birthday present is in the mail as we speak.

Well, if y’all will allow me to do so, I would like to preface today’s blog post by saying that I had every intention of sending y’all an update yesterday, but as you can tell by my impromptu hiatus from last week, business has been picking up something serious at Carter Elementary—and as usual, I am loving every last minute of it! Every moment I spend alongside Mrs. Martin is a blessing and a half—I have truly learned a lot from this great woman… and yes, she’s put me to the test all last week, hence the reason for my impromptu hiatus. I truly understand why she has refused to retire until she feels like it. She is truly a great teacher.

Oh, and while it’s on my mind, next week we will be preparing for our Christmas program. Now, check this out, y’all: I’ve been asked to play the role of a guardian angel! Do y’all know how long it’s been since I’ve been in a play period, let alone a Christmas play? I don’t think I need to tell y’all that I am ultra-excited to the max right now! I’m grateful for the opportunity given to me, and I’m gonna be the best darn guardian angel in the school play.

That’s all the news for today, but I promise to bring y’all up to date with another episode of the wonderful adventure that is my life.


Smooches,
Natasha

Happy #77, Auntie Millie!

Happy Friday, Everybody!

 

Join me in wishing a very special Happy Birthday to Ms. Mildred Ann Vanderkellen—or as I’ve come to know her, “Aunt Millie.” She is 77 years old today.

I got the opportunity to meet Aunt Millie at our family reunion last year, and I found out for myself that she is definitely one in a million… and that probably explains why my Uncle Ronnie refers to her as “One in a Millie Ann” (a little play on words). Truth be told, though—Aunt Millie is a real live genuine sweetheart; she’s like a combination of Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island and Blanche Devereaux from The Golden Girls.

Aunt Millie is a Mississippi Delta gal, just like my Gramma Jewel… matter of fact, Aunt Millie was born and raised in Indianola, which is right down the road from Ruleville. Aunt Millie told me the story of how she didn’t know the definition of a friend until she met my Gramma Jewel and Great Aunt Reesie. Though it may be hard to tell in her picture, Aunt Millie was an incredibly shy gal—that is, until she befriended my grandmother and my great aunt. And to this very day, that friendship is as strong as ever.

 

And of course, I’ve got to celebrate Aunt Millie the best way I know how—in the form of her favorite song… BOOM SHAKA-LAKA-LAKA!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Aunt Millie! Celebrate it well, and live it up!

 

 

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha

Results from My Cameo Appearance

Hi, Everybody!

Well, I might as well just gonna go ahead and say it: Yes, I had an absolute blast this past weekend!

It was a wonderful feeling to attend this year’s Rust Homecoming, if only for a little while. And suffice it to say, Ruby ‘nim were some kinda surprised when they saw me. Y’all should know by now how I operate… hahahaha! I just so happened to be standing right behind Ruby and Azalea during the parade on Saturday afternoon, and once I knew it was them, I simply shouted: “Roll Call, Y’all!” Well, Ruby turned around slowly, and with the look on her face, you would’ve thought she had seen a ghost.

“Oh my God—the Vipress has made a cameo appearance!” Ruby shouted.

And of course, that led to a big ol’ group hug with my girls… and yes, I also bumped into Neo Theo and Brotha Craig. And y’all already know that we took all kinds of pictures.

Given that I was on a very tight schedule (kinda like a turnaround), I didn’t stay up at Rust for too long, but Ruby’s parents did invite me, Great Aunt Reesie, and Auntie Gladys over to their house for dinner, and I kept my Rust family updated on everything that has been going on in my life since last we were together. Actually, I only talked about my internship and Gramma Jewel’s surprise birthday party.

Incidentally, I was gonna post this in my blog on yesterday, but I got sidetracked… that is to say, I got jetlagged and I needed to catch up on some good sleep from this past weekend. Nevertheless, I promised that I would deliver an update to y’all, and I kept my word.

Well, y’all—I reckon I’d better close up this here blog post, but I’ll holla at y’all later on this week; besides, it is to my understanding that someone very special is celebrating a birthday this Friday. Until then, y’all take care and be good.


Hugs & Kisses,
Natasha

A Special Cameo Appearance This Weekend

Hi, Everybody!

So, as the title of today’s blog post suggests, I will be heading to Rust College this weekend to celebrate our Founders’ Day weekend. I’m tellin’ y’all right now—this was a miracle in and of itself! I am so grateful that I will be able to pay a surprise visit to my fellow Bearcats, if only for a little while… that’s right, y’all—Ruby, Theo, Craig, and Azalea have no idea that I’ll be out there this weekend, but I guarantee that they’re gonna be some kinda surprised when they see me. And the beauty in all of this—Great Aunt Reesie and Auntie Gladys will grace Rust College with their presence.

Ooh, I cannot wait until this weekend. I can see Ruby’s face so clear right now! Granted, this is only a cameo appearance, but I’m grateful nonetheless.

Now, I know that I’m gonna be cutting it close on Friday, but so be it. You see, I am still in the middle of my internship at Carter Elementary, and Mrs. Martin has granted me permission to take off on Friday. I don’t think it will shock any of you when I say that I declined Mrs. Martin’s offer, and with good reason: You see, I know that if I miss one day, I will have to make up for it. I know how important my internship is—it’s a good chunk of my grade. Fortunately, my plane arrives in Memphis at 9pm CST, and I’ll be staying with Auntie Gladys until I return home on Sunday.

Well, I would love to stay and chat some more, but I’ve got some packing to do, plus I gotta call Auntie Gladys and get our synchronization perfected. I’ll definitely holla at y’all when I come back home this Sunday, but until then, y’all take care and be good.


Hugs & Kisses,
Natasha

A Big Milestone for My Sgt. Cousin!

Hi, Everybody!

So, I’m looking at my calendar, and I see that today is November 2, 2015. I’m quite certain that my Cousin Keith is all kinds of excited, considering that today is his fiftieth birthday.

That’s right, y’all—my Cousin Keith is officially a half century old!

Seeing as how today’s blog post is dedicated to the man whom I affectionately call “Sgt. Cousin,” I thought I would dedicate his favorite song to him. It’s been said (and confirmed) that he has loved this particular song since its debut in the 80s, and I have no doubt that he’ll be playing it “all night long... and I see that I intentionally gave y’all a clue.

 

 

And here is a picture of my cousin, surrounded by what he calls his precious blessings in life.

 

 

 

Happy #50, Cousin Keith! Live it up and celebrate in style!

 

Hugs & Kisses,
Natasha