Summer-Summer-Summertime!

Happy June 1, Everybody!

Before I begin today’s blog post, I’ve got to wish a Happy #56 to my godmother—the incomparable Ms. Susie, better known to me as Mrs. D! She knows for herself that she is blessed beyond all recognition, and today ain’t no different. Celebrate the way you know how, Mrs. D, and make sure that Mr. D takes you someplace that he knows you love!

Well, it goes without saying, y’all, but here it is—a groove slightly transformed, just a bit of a break from the norm. It’s just a little something to break the monotony… actually, all I need is a soft, subtle mix, and if it ain’t broke, then don’t try to fix it. Just put your cars on “cruise” and lay back, y’all, because it’s… Summer-Summer-Summertime, so just sit back and unwind!

For those of you from the ol’ skool: YOU’RE WELCOME!!!

So, today is Monday, June 1, 2015, and I’ve gotten pretty adjusted to my familiar surroundings, what with returning home just a couple days ago. Oh, for the record, I did call Mrs. Martin this past Saturday and let her know that I’m home, and she told me to call Mr. Burkes, the school principal, so that I get at least get the paperwork squared away for my internship. Well, I did in fact call Principal Burkes this morning, and he asked me to stop by the school tomorrow morning at 9am PST... and y’all already know that I’m well prepared to do just that. I’m gonna make a great first impression, though—I reckon I’ll go up there in business casual, just as a safety precaution. Yes, I realize that I was very relaxed dressed last year when I visited, but that was just to visit. Seeing as how this is my internship, I’m gonna have to look and dress the part. Now, if I am told to dress relaxed, then so be it; otherwise, they’re gonna see a spiffy-lookin’ Natasha Renee Stewart on tomorrow!

Incidentally, my dad’s job is closer to the school, so I’ll catch a ride with him, and then take the bus home afterward… y’all see how I’ve got this all planned out?

In the meantime, I’ve also thought about getting a little part-time job, just so I can have some extra money, you know. I don’t mind getting an allowance, but I think it’s time I show the world exactly what I’m made of. If my accolades at Rust ain’t proof enough, then they just ain’t knowin’—I’m here to show the world, so they just better bring it on!

Well, I reckon I’d better close up today’s blog post and get out of the house for a moment, if for nothing but to walk around a clear my head. I’ll holla at y’all tomorrow, but until then, y’all be good.

 

 

Smooches,

Natasha

Looking Forward to the Big 2-1!

Hi, Everyone!

 

So, today is February 2, 2015, and as you can tell by the title of today’s blog post (and yes, I had to post this sexy photo of me… LOL!), I am very excited about a special event that’s taking place in my life—as a matter of fact, this special event takes place next Tuesday. Yes, I will be celebrating another birthday, but this isn’t just any ordinary birthday—this is my 21^st Birthday.

Now, the unwritten rule is that when one turns twenty-one, they hit up all the bars and clubs and start trying out these drinks… my name is Natasha Renee Stewart, and I ain’t about to do all of that! I wouldn’t mind checking out the club scene, but from what I hear, it sounds like I’m not missing anything.

Ruby and Theo asked me how I would like to celebrate my big 2-1, and to be honest with y’all, there’s only one thing I would like to do: If anything, I would like to be back home celebrating my twenty-first with my mom and dad… but when I accepted admission to Rust back in April of 2012, I knew there would be certain sacrifices that I would need to make, so it’s all good. Besides, I know that, no matter the residence, I am surrounded by all kinds of family.

And let me just go on record and speak from the heart: There is only one birthday present that I would love to have (outside of a couple of days in Southern Cali): I wish to live to see my twenty-first birthday. Really and truly, that’s all I want. Of course, I would like a couple more sundresses, but I can always get those myself… hahaha!

Well, y’all, I reckon I’d better close up today’s blog post, but I’ll be back tomorrow with another gooden for y’all. Until then, take care and be good.


Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha

Back To School Preparations

Hey, Y’all!

 

Well, they say that all good things must come to an end, and I reckon that my family reunion is no different.

 

I’m dedicating today’s blog post to my Cousin Erica, who as we speak, is moved in her dorm at Fisk University—she officially begins her sophomore year. I think classes start for her on Monday. She’s all excited because she has decided that she wants to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, but she doesn’t know if she wants to teach elementary, junior high, or high school students. One thing’s for certain, though: She comes from a long line of educators, from Grampa Clark to Uncle Anthony, so she’s definitely on the right track.

 

As for me, I move back to Bearcat Country this Sunday—I told y’all that my family reunion was such perfect timing! It’s such a smooth transition from Southern Cali to Nashville, and ultimately back to Holly Springs. I am also happy to report (just in case y’all forgot) that I am officially an advanced junior. I’ve already pre-registered for my classes, so I’ve got nothing to do except get my schedule printed out, and I’m good to go. By the way, I just reminded myself that I need to call my girl Ruby so we can get a dorm room reserved, preferably in Emma Elzy. Yes, y’all—I am ultra excited because I’m so close to my dream, and it won’t be long until I walk that aisle to finally hold my Bachelor’s Degree in my hands!

 

   

Well, I reckon I had better close this here journal entry and call it a night, but I’ll holla at y’all real soon. Until then, take care and God Bless.

 

 

Smooches,

Natasha

2nd Annual Sapphire Street Block Party

Hi, Everyone!

I promised y’all that I would be back, and I’m a woman who keeps her word!

Do y’all remember a blog post of mine from last year, in which I talked about my Gramma Jewel’s neighborhood hosting an inaugural block party? Well, after the success of last year, Gramma Jewel and her Sapphire Street Block Club have decided to make it an annual thang!

That’s right—on Saturday, July 26, 2014, the Sapphire Street Block Party is gonna raise the roof! It was unanimously decided that Sapphire Street will bring back the good ol’ days every fourth Saturday in July. And I think I told y’all how much fun I had last year, what with KCLD-FM on-air personality Bobby-H broadcasting live, and Mr. Chuck’s restaurant really showed up and showed out with his delicious Delta Burgers.

Last year, the inaugural theme was “This Is How We Do It,” which was inspired by a popular song by one Montell Jordan. Well, check this out, y’all: Gramma Jewel told me personally that this year’s theme was inspired by the song “Happy” by Pharrell, and she made it perfectly clear that the suggested theme was her idea. Gramma Jewel merely suggested the “Happy” song, and surprisingly enough, the rest of her block club unanimously agreed.

Yes, y’all—the theme this year is simply “Happy,” and according to Gramma Jewel, you can’t get no better than that!

Speaking of the Sapphire Street Block Club, this was the picture that they had taken last year. I find this picture to be really cute because Gramma Jewel’s boyfriend Mr. Hawkins is all up in the photo, just cheesin’! I remember Mr. Hawkins saying that he didn’t want to be in the picture on account of he’s not a Sapphire Street resident, but Gramma Jewel wouldn’t take “no” for an answer; she emphatically requested that Mr. Hawkins get in the picture along with the rest. Of course, Mr. D backed up Gramma Jewel’s request by reminding Mr. Hawkins that he was an honorary member, so it was all good.

And look at how Mr. Hawkins is just modestly cheesin’ away… hahaha!

Well, y’all, it looks like I gotta close up today’s blog post, but I’ll be keeping in touch with y’all. As you know, our family reunion is coming up next month, and I am so blankin’ excited on so many levels. Yes, I realize what I just said—I was very careful with my words… hahaha!

Until the next go-round, I’ll holla!

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha

Long Time No Holla, Y'all!

Hi, Everyone! Long time, no holla!

I know, I know—“Natasha, it’s been a minute since your last blog post. Where you’ve been, Girl?”

Well, as you all know, I’ve been nonstop busy, helping my family prepare for our upcoming reunion on August 8-11. Yes, we are about six weeks away from what I know will be a grandtasticalistic time. I think I mentioned that our last family reunion was three years ago, and it fell upon Gramma Jewel and Great Aunt Reesie’s birthday. We haven’t had a family reunion since then, but things have changed.

I don’t know if I mentioned it in a previous blog post, but Cousin Keith was actually the catalyst for our family planning a reunion this year. As you know, he returned home last summer after having spent eight years of serving his country in Afghanistan. Matter of fact, Cousin Keith was the one who suggested that we have a family reunion, and we all just jumped at the idea and got to planning. I know I mentioned that my mom already got the t-shirts made, but I just found out earlier this week that Cousin Keith is gonna test out his DJ skills. He’s even picked out his nickname—DJ Sarge… hahaha!

Well, y’all, I had best get going, but it sure was great to post a blog after all these weeks. I know it feels like months, but the last blog post was only three weeks ago. Yes, I know that three weeks is a long time, but lately I’ve been as busy at home as I have been at Rust. And with the Jones Family Reunion coming up, y’all already know that I’m gonna be some kinda busy.

With that said, I shall close this blog post up, and I’ll holla at y’all later. Take care and be good.


Hugs & Kisses,
Natasha

Back Home Again, And It Feels Damn Good!

Hey, Everybody!

Well, it goes without saying, but I’m back home… hahaha! I actually returned home this past Friday evening, just in time to see my twin cousins Matthew and Trish graduate from college (they graduated from Burns College this past Saturday, and y’all already know that me and my fam represented.

Here’s the tripped-out part about return to Southern Cali: As you know, my finals were this past Friday, the same day that my flight was set to leave for Los Angeles. Well, y’all, I read my ticket wrong—I thought my flight was set to leave at 2pm CST, and immediately after my last final, I was scrambling around like a confused viperwoman (LOL). Once again, Ruby’s parents volunteered to hold my stuff until my return in August.

And then, in all of the commotion, I suffered the worst charley horse in my leg—and the pain was quite severe! I mean, it hurt so bad that I actually stumbled and fell to the ground. Only after stomping it out did it feel better, but I still had a pretty noticeable (and thankfully temporary) limp.

And in all that rushing, I discovered that my flight to L.A. was scheduled to leave at 6pm CST. Talk about egg on my face—I felt a little embarrassed, but Mr. Hudspeth said that it was better to be too early than way too late. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that I am back home where I belong… well, at least for the time being.

And in case y’all were wondering, my leg is feeling a helluva lot better… hahaha!

Well, I’ve decided to stay home for the day, although I may head out for a minute, if for nothing but to get out of the house. Now, check this out, y’all: As much as I am glad to be back home, I am actually looking forward to returning to the South. As you may or may not know, in addition to returning to Rust for my junior year, I am also preparing for my family reunion at Great Aunt Reesie’s house, which is slated for August. We’ve been talking about a reunion since Cousin Keith returned home last year from Afghanistan… and I think y’all know by now that my family don’t be messin’ around when it comes to gettin’ stuff done! Matter of fact, my mom’s already got the t-shirts made. I’ve seen the design, and it looks great. Our family reunion t-shirts have the state of Mississippi on them, but Great Aunt Reesie lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

I’m sure that some-a-y’all are asking yourselves: “Why do the t-shirts have the state of Mississippi if our family reunion will be in Nashville?” Well, here’s the modus operandi behind that: You see, Gramma Jewel and Great Aunt Reesie were born, raised, and educated in the Mississippi Delta, and the theme of this year’s family reunion is: “Back To Where It All Began.” And in addition to that, we’re all gonna caravan to Ruleville, Mississippi, just to see where it all began for Gramma Jewel and Great Aunt Reesie.

Well, y’all, I reckon I’d better get on up here and get out of the house for minute, lest these four walls start closing in on me. I’ll be back with another update on the preparations for my family reunion, but until then, y’all take care and be good.


Hugs & Kisses,
Natasha

Last Blog Post... of January 2014!

Happy Friday, Everyone!

So, as y’all are aware, today is Friday, January 31, 2014, and that brings to mind a certain someone who is celebrating their 78^th Birthday today…

Happy Birthday, Great Aunt Donna—and please don’t try to sing… hahaha! Seriously, though: Celebrate your #78 like I know you can. I love you lots!

Well, seeing as how we have reached the last day of January 2014, it’s time to do some celebrating. As you know, I’ve got a birthday coming up in literally ten days—if The Lord allows me February 10, 2014, then I will have lived two decades on this earth. Yes, in ten days’ time, I will officially hit the big 2-0! Hey, this is a big deal for a little lady like me; it means that I will no longer be in my teens, but I’ll also have a year before I’m legal… hahaha! Now, I don’t know if my mom and dad are gonna pay a surprise visit like they did last year, nor do I know if my peeps in Memphis and Nashville have something in store, but I do know that they love me a whole lot. Truthfully, I don’t want to do anything special for my birthday—if anything, I would be satisfied with a double cheeseburger with chili cheese fries, and some chocolate cake and butter pecan ice cream… y’all forget that I’m a simple gal.

In other news, I did write and mail off my letter to Mrs. Martin, my kindergarten teacher. I forgot most of what I had written to her, but I do remember mentioning that I would be out of school in about three months, and that I would be more than delighted to speak to her kindergarteners when I make my return this summer. As I may have mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, I didn’t get a chance to meet up with my favorite (and only) kindergarten teacher on account of some personal and family-related stuff—and I did apologize to her for my absent-mindedness, but hopefully there’s an opportunity for us to meet up for once. I also mentioned yesterday that, sometime soon or in the not-too-distant future, I will dedicate a blog post to Mrs. Ingrid Martin, the lady who helped shape me into the woman that I am today.

Okay, y’all—that’s it for today, but I’ll holla at y’all tomorrow. Until then, y’all have a great one!

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha

Just About Near The Finish Line!

Hi, Everyone!

Let me say first of all that the sun is out, but it’s STILL freakin’ cold out here! Thank God for all kinds of winter clothes, because I’d be freezing my tail off by now.

There’s an old saying among the women in my household: Ain’t nothin’ sexy about being sick! The other day, I was watching the news, and they showed a woman wearing a sundress with a simple sweater, and yes—she was wearing open-toed shoes. I told Ruby: “Is there a way I can jump through the screen and kick that woman’s ass?!” I’m serious, y’all—that made no sense for that lady to be wearing that flimsy summer cloth, and it was a good fortysomething degrees. Hell, I caught a cold on her behalf! I can only imagine how embarrassingly sick that chick’s gonna be when she’s at home recovering from her stupidity—poetic justice will be so sweet!

Well, y’all, the countdown to L.A. notwithstanding, I am happy to report that I am almost finished with my Fine Arts final exam paper. I raised some interesting questions about the work of art that we have all come to know as simply The Thinker. This is just an excerpt from my paper:

“It is easy to question what is going through the mind of the Thinker, all things considered, but one must delve a little further and ask: What thoughts were running through sculptor August Rodin when he was given the inspiration and motivation to create The Thinker?”

Y’all liked that, didn’t y’all? Hahaha! I tell y’all: When you’re an aspiring teacher, imagination is mandatory. If you ask me, though, I’d go as far as to say that imagination is a legacy in my family, dating back to my great-great grandparents Horace & Bernice Brown… and that reminds me: With Black History Month rapidly approaching, I think I’ll highlight my great-great grandparents in a special blog.

But I digress.

In any event, I’m gonna need y’all to pray for me, because I’ll be turning in all my final exam papers into my respective classes, and that’ll be the end of it. Right now, though, I’m gonna take advantage of all this free time and look over each paper just one mo’ ginn—you know, to make sure that everything is copacetic… and on the up-and-up, too! Hahaha!

Until tomorrow, y’all take care.

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha

Celebrity Status

Hi, Everyone!

Well, I’ve had time to think about a conversation that I had yesterday evening with my Auntie Gloria. If you let her tell it, I am officially a celebrity. As a matter of fact, she referred to me as “Miss Stewart” on a number of occasions; she further explained that I am the most famous star she knows, especially since I have achieved so much in my freshman year at Rust.

I didn’t realize that being an out-of-state college student brought along perks of celebrity status. I can tell you this, though: Ain’t no way in the hell are you gonna see me on TMZ or the national trash tabloid papers! You see, I am not nor, nor have I ever been—and I’m sure as hell not about to become—a controversial chick… at least not on purpose, anyway. The world already considers me controversial on account of I’m a totally different chick: I’m a nice, quiet girl who grew up in a devoted Christian home, and was taught lessons on high morals and respect for everyone. Yet and still, you don’t see girls like me on the news. The world would much rather glorify someone who is the total opposite… but now that I think about it, there are some feel-good news stories—and I stress the word “few.”

I apologize for that long-winded diatribe… but then again, that is a well-known trait in my family. Hell, even the shy quiet ones say a whole lot, if you smell what I’m cookin’!

Anyway, Auntie Gloria may be on to something when she called me a celebrity. Even as of this blog posting, I am putting together my summertime itinerary, and I see that I’ve got all these engagements to attend. Gramma Jewel’s church is having their annual youth revival towards the end of June, and I am so totally planning on participating. Also, there’s Becky’s graduation from Culver City Adult School, then there’s a Fourth of July barbecue bash at Uncle Alex & Auntie Cherri’s, and of course, my sweetie pie Ray Hernandez has been patiently waiting for me to come back home. Oh, and there’s also a “Summertime Slumber Party” that Becky is in the process of putting together; she said that she had so much fun with me, Cousin Trisha, Cousin Candace, and Cousin Vanessa this past Christmas that she wants us to repeat that same success.

Well, I guess there’s no sense in trying to fight it—Auntie Glo is absolutely right! Having said that, if you all will excuse me, Dahlings, I’m due on the set… hahahahaha!

Just kiddin’—I’ll holla at y’all tomorrow, tho!

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha