Just 4 Today...

Dream Come True

"I Believe"- Fantasia

What I can say is this: Dreams Come True.

I have ALWAYS wanted to attend the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Two and a half years ago I began my first class there. I have ALWAYS wanted to graduate from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. On Saturday, May 17, 2008, I was able to do just that!

Almost a week after graduation I am still recovering from what went down graduation weekend.

Family and friends came out from Miami, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Fayetteville, Reno, Lake Elsinore, Los Angeles and the High Desert to share in on my special occassion and for that I am truly grateful. (A fellow blogger even showed up. Thanks Jammie. Also, thanks toT and D for expressing interest in coming out. All three of you were personally invited because each of you have inspired me in one way or another over the last couple of years.)

PRE-GRADUATION DAY

I was working overtime the days prior to graduation! Trying to entertain guests is exhausting in itself. Trying to entertain 15 different guests at one time is virtual suicide! I, for one, was very shocked to have 15 out-of-state visitors show up to see me graduate. We wanted to get them hotel rooms since they were coming out but it was going to cost a small fortune and it was very hard to find a hotel that could accomodate all of them. What we ended up doing, and it worked out really well, was renting this huge (5,000 sq. ft.) party house for them all to stay in. It was very Brady Bunch reunion of all us when we sat around and ate chinese food on Friday.

The best part of the pre-graduation portion of the weekend was when MyBaby had his play-sister (from Florida) call me when I was out in the streets running errands (I was irritated when she called because all I wanted to do was sit down somewhere). She sounded alarmed on the phone. She explained to me that MyBaby had cut his finger really deep while he was slicing vegetables. She said that he needed to be taken to the hospital, but no one knew where it was. I literally dropped everything and headed over to the rental house.

When I entered, MyBaby was lying on the couch with his hand covered with a napkin (there was some red stuff all over the napkin) and a cold compress on his head. I panicked and tried to get him to get up and go to the hospital, but he would not move. That caused me to look at his hand more closely. That is when I noticed that there was no blood on his hand. The red stuff that was all over the napkin was barbeque sauce. I said to him, "Did you really cut yourself?" He shook his head, "No." My anger began to mount immediately! I turned to walk away and what did I see? My cuz, Shon, who told me she was not going to be able to attend, appeared from around the corner saying, "Surprise!" I took off running! Everyone was laughing and taking pictures. Needless to say, I was out of my funky mood.

GRADUATION DAY

I woke up with a smile on my face. I could not wait to get the day going.

I had to be at the graduation about an hour and a half earlier than everyone else so I could line up for the processional. The minute I put my cap and gown on my breath was taken away. I walked down to the kitchen to surprise MyBaby and tears fell from his eyes immediately. We did it together and the day had finally come. We hugged, kissed, thanked and congratulated each other, took some pics and then got the call from my mom saying that she, my father and brothers were less than an hour away.

I showed up to graduation and hung out with my buddies and took pics. As soon as the ceremony began I felt this sense of accomplishment rush over my body! I walked in with my head held high. I held it high for MyBaby. I held it high for my parents. I held it high for my younger brothers. I held it high for every black man who has the odds stacked against him. I held it high for MYSELF!

During the long ceremony (believe me, it was REALLY long! At one point I wished that I would have hired a stunt double sit in for me) I thought about the fact that I was about to become the first in my family ( on my dad's side) and second in my family (on my mom's side) to graduate from college. Coming from an extended family that has seen more jail cells, varying levels of alcoholism and drug abuse, there was a time when I did not think that I was going to be able to accomplish my dream. But my day had finally come.

The gretest part of graduation day occured after the ceremony. I found my family and friends in the crowd. When I ran up the first thing I saw was my mother's smile. Though I have seen her smile and laugh on many occassions, something was different about this smile. She was proud of me and it showed. I will never forget that moment!

GRAD PARTY (A.K.A- The Party of the Century)

After graduation I went over to the rental house to change clothes and prepare to go over to my house for the graduation party. I tried to be really secretive about what was going to be going down, because I wanted the guests to be surprised and have a great time. We invited close to 100 people to come. Over 60 showed up throughout the night. As for the 30 or 40 (local Las Vegans) who did not show up, well, I have received texts, calls and e-mails from almost all of them telling me that they have heard that it was a blast and want to be invited to the next party.

I made sure that there were plenty of people there, enjoying the music, food and drinks before I showed up. The driver dropped me and MyBaby off in front of our house. We went from the car to the red carpet (yes, red carpet! We had two interviewers and a camera crew on hand to interview, video and take pictures of all of the attendees!) straight to our bedroom on the second floor of our house. No one saw us come up because we called ahead and had one of our party planners make sure that everyone was in the back yard in anticipation of our arrival. Also, we hired a local R&B singer named Kristyna who was singing her face off (MJB's "Just Fine") when we arrived, so sneaking in the house was relatively easy.

Our entire backyard was transformed into a nightclub setting, complete with covered highboy tables, two full bars, a champagne bar, dancefloor, DJ, stage, different colored lights and a large projection screen that read, "Kenny's Gradution Party."

The party planner took the stage and announced that we had finally showed up and were ready to make our entrance. As soon as she said that, Mariah's Carey's Emancipation of Mimi Concert began playing. If you have seen the concert/dvd you know that there is a little video at the beginning that has a Mariah voiceover talking about the fears that she has experienced in life, but got over them. She ends by saying, "If you don't face your fear, you'll never enjoy the ride" (Those were my sentiments exactly with going back to school at the age of 27). All of of a sudden, there is an explosion on the screen and the concert begins! The band is playing, "It's Like That" and Mariah appears as the staging parts. The crowd goes wild. All of my party guests are now looking around in the backyard because they are expecting me to be down there.

THEY WERE NOT READY!

As soon as Mariah sang, "I Came To Have A Party (Party, Party, Party)" and did a dramatic pause as the echo faded out, I stepped out onto my balcony, the lights came on and my guests looked up and went wild. MyBaby followed me and as Mimi sang her heart out we danced, waved and threw mardi gras-styled "Congrats Grad" beads down to everyone! It was a euphoric feeling!

When the song ended, we went back into the room to do a costume change before going downstairs. While we were changing, the party planner got back on stage and announced that we would be down in a second to formally greet everyone but while they were waiting, MyBaby wanted to them to see something. All of a sudden, I hear Jennifer Hudson's song, "Love You, I Do" blasting from the speakers. I look out of the window and there is a slideshow of pictures from my childhood, my teens, my time in the military, and finally my time in college flashing across the screen. If I would not have been rushing to get changed I would have been reduced to a steady stream of tears.

We made it out to the stage just in time for Jennifer to hit her last "Love You, I Do (ooooooo..)." MyBaby gave me a heartfelt introduction and I thanked all of the guests for attending and ended by telling the DJ to "Drop That Beat!"

The rest is history! We partied like it was 1999 all over again! Surprisingly, I was totally sober when the party ended about 4 hours later (I only had one drink the entire time!), but I would not have had it any other way. This way, I remember everything from the night!

I did not take a lot of pictures myself, because there was a camera crew there. As soon as I get those pics I will make sure you guys get a look at some of them.

By the way, thanks for reading this LONG post!

A Way With Words

"I Have A Song To Sing"- Tracie Spencer

Though I am very outgoing, I am not very talkative to many. This might be hard for some of you to believe, but it is true.

I think that something happened to me when I was in the military. Before joining the service I talked a mile a minute, but something happened that caused me to be a little awkward in public forums and some one on one interactions.

I learned early on in my military career that people did not want to hear what I had to say due to my rank. As hard as it is to say, I guess I knew my place when it came to people hearing my opinions.

In my silence I was able to map out my future. While I was carrying out other people's agendas, I always had my own at the forefront of my mind. Those who I shared things in my life with knew that they were important to me because I did not let everyone in.

Though my plans were in motion, I did begin to develop bad habits when it came to verbal communication. Before enlisting I would always look people in the eye when talking to them. Well, when you are in the military it is sort of implied that you speak when spoken to  and you do not make eye contact with superior officers (hmmm... sounds very slave-ish to me!). It really takes a toll on you.

Anyways, I did not realize it until after I had gotten out of the military, but I developed a pattern of behavior that left me avoiding a lot of verbal communication with people. Public speaking was almost always OUT OF THE QUESTION. I was convinced that people were really uninterested in the things that I would have to say.

Well, today, I had to give an oral presentation for my internship class. Our employers, School of Journalism faculty, and fellow students were invited to hear us present. You know, I was really nervous, but before I knew it, I got really excited. I had a chance to speak my mind about my experiences. I had a story to tell. I spoke about the experiences that led me to the place where I am now. I spoke about the life lessons I have learned and applied during my internship.

When I spoke I was relaxed. When I spoke I was convincing. When I spoke I was proud.

I guess there was a prize for the person with the best presentation (a plaque and a $50 cash prize).

Hmm... I guess, out of the nine presenters, I had the best presentation! I won! So many of my classmates had such great presentations and great experiences at their internships. I was so proud and happy to hear about what they had been up to. I was truly in shock to hear my name being called as the winner.

God has a funny way of doing things. I will use the confidence I got from this experience and use it in the future when I have to speak in public. My fear will not get the best of me.

Hmm... maybe I can take that $50 and put it toward a Toastmasters class or something.

The Agony of Defeat

"We Are The Champions"- Queen

Hey you guys. I have finally returned to my blog after taking a few days to regain my composure. I had to pick my face up off of the ground after going to that national advertising competition that I told you guys about. If you have not picked up on it yet, my team did not do as well as I had anticipated.

I just knew that we were going to go in there and wipe up the competition with our campaign and presentation. We did not place 1st, 2nd or 3rd. We placed 7th... out of 9 (insert OUCH!!!!)!!!! 1st-6th was a close race, but 7th-9th was no where near being in the running!

Well, I know why we lost. AOL (the client) did not even show up to the competition. My spirit was truly hurt by this, because we worked really hard to create a campaign that we believe that the client really would have appreciated. The other 3 judges who had to go on without any input from AOL judged solely on creative ideas (which many were AWESOME). Unfortunately, it was obvious to us that many of the other teams did not read all of the rules and details of the case, because the top 5 teams broke rules across the board. I am sure that AOL would have called them on these things had a representative been there.

Well, you know me. I have already sent a letter to all of judges, AOL and the American Advertising Federation letting them know that I think that it was very unprofessional to hold the competition without us having a client to speak to.

Anyways, my team sulked, but it is funny how things seem to work themselves out. I checked my e-mail last night and saw that a message was sent out speaking to a few of the things that were bothering me. It turns out that I am not the only one who is speaking up about the sham that was supposed to be considered a competition. I will keep you guys posted. This should get GOOD! 

One Month Out

"Make It Happen"- M. Carey

I know I have been SOOOOOOOOOO inconsistent when it comes to the blog, but with good reason. I am busy right now working, going to school and with my involvement in a national advertising competition.

I took some time today to sit down and think about everything that is going on. Actually, I SLEPT all day! Man, I am beyond blessed, and though I realize it, I don't believe I have really let it all soak in. I think that I wake up everyday knowing that I have a lot of things to accomplish, but don't necessarily live in the moment all of time. It is hard because I am so busy, but I am going to try to my hardest to really take things one day at a time from here on out.

Guess what? In a little over a month (May 17th to be exact) I will be a college graduate! I cannot believe it. God willing, I will be the first in my family to walk across a university stage! I am so proud of myself right now it is not even funny! I am 29 years old and have had a goal to graduate from the University of Nevada Las Vegas for years. When I was in the military, stationed in Germany, I would tell people all the time that I was going to get out and go back to school in Las Vegas. Very few people believed me, but I did not let negative thoughts get to me. I did exactly what I said I would do and look at me now.

I have a lot of people to thank.

First, I have to thank my parents for not paying for my college education back when I was 18 years old. I think that, by making me do it on my own, my parents made me appreciate the experience more. Not only did I get a good education in school, I got a good education in life.

Second, I have to thank MyBaby. Without his support there is no way I would have been able to go back to school and finish it so quickly. I know that I would have done it regardless, but what has taken me a litlle over 2 years to complete would have taken about 5 and I would not have met my goal of graduating before I turned 30.

What am I going to do after graduation? Hmmm... let's just say that I have ideas in the works. I am currently an intern at a public relations and advertising firm. I have already been told that there will be a job waiting on me at the firm when I graduate, but I am not sure if I will take it or not. I understand that I have to make a name for myself in my new career, but I am not sure if I want to go this particular route. We deal with a clientele that does not appeal to me and I don't have 100% peace with accepting the position. I don't know, I just feel like I have been very specific with my dreams and goals and don't want to get to the end of the road and just settle.

One thing is for sure. I am looking forward to the future. I am can honestly say that I feel like big things are about to happen. I have been working too hard, sometimes I have even worn myself out, but I know that there is a pay-off coming.

I Think I Found IT!!!!

"Feelin' So Good"- J.Lo/ "There's Hope"- India.Aire

Okay, anyone who has been to my blog knows that I am student at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). Currently I am enrolled in summer classes. Summer school here is broken up into 3 different sessions. Well, I just started my second session today. I had two classes this morning and have another in about 15-20 minutes.

I just wanted to sit down for a few minutes and let you know what I realized this morning. I am inviting you to celebrate with me.

Both of my classes are upper division communications electives in my major field of study of Journalism and Media Relations with a focus on public relations. Anyways, as I sat in each of the classes I realized more and more that I am on the path to having one of those lives that are fully realized. I know too many people in this world who are just living and existing. I know a lot of people who are just settling for the cards that have been dealt to them.

Not me, and I am sooooooooo ever thankful for the blessings that have come my way.

I feel so comfortable in these classes. I have always known that I was going to have a life in the media and the older, but I never knew in what capacity it would be. Over the last few years I have wanted to work more and more behind the scenes than anywhere else, but did not know how to get information on those types of jobs or postions.

It is amazing to see how God works, because so much has been revealed to me in the short year that I have been back in school.

I just feel like He is setting me up for that next big step.

I just wanted to let you in on my latest PRAISE REPORT!!!! I hope that things are going well in your life as well. If not, don't forget that there's hope!!!!

Let me get out of here before I am late to my next class!!!! Love ya'll!

It's About Time!!!!!

"One Of Those Days"- W. Houston

To say that I am happy that my spring semester at UNLV is over would be an understatement!!!!!! I am so elated I could kiss Bea Arthur square on the mouth... with tongue!!!

This was, by far, the most grueling semester for me since returning back to school. I don't know who did it, but I am convinced that someone got to each of my teachers and told them that they did not have to go off of the syllabus they provided us. That person must have told my professors that we would not mind if they created new, intense assignments off of the top of their heads and at their whim. I wrote more papers, gave more presentations, studied for and took more tests than I have in all of my other semesters combined.

It is all good though. I knew that if I just stuck it out I would be able to exhale when it was all over. My last final was yesterday.

Today... I EXHALED.

I am having such a great day. I have removed myself from the world and am doing me today. I woke up, went to the gym, caught up on my favorite shows, did some reading, e-mailed some friends, am catching up on my blog (and others that I read), and am finally getting the chance to watch "Dreamgirls" in the comfort of my own home! Yeah, this is a good day!

I had better enjoy this feeling while it lasts. Summer classes begin on Monday. That is okay by me though. I will take whatever break I can get! 

Nervous

So, the Spring 2007 semester begins tomorrow at UNLV and I have a very heavy courseload.

I have been blessed to live a wonderful life and follow many of my dreams. I am still in my 20s and I have had the opportunity to really explore all that life has to offer. I have traveled the world--- whether it be for work or pleasure, I have had wonderful friends--- the best support system in the world, and was able to find God at a young age. Having all of these things has always quieted my fears about striking out and doing new things.

Being that I am not afraid to step out and take a chance, I did something a year ago. This time, last January, I was busy fufilling another dream. I was beginning courses at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Anyone who has known me from high school knows that I said that I would one day be attending this college. Well, after high school, life happened and I could not attend the college right away. After a year at community college in Southern California and working I decided to join the Air Force, all the while, knowing that I was going to be setting myself up for my next move.

After leaving the military I moved to Las Vegas and immediately landed a great job working in the IT (Information Technology) field. I was making more money than I had ever made and had great benefits and bonuses at my job, but still wanted to go back to school.

That is when mybaby came up with the idea for me to go back to school full time. Of course I wanted to do it, but I was not comfortable about giving up my job in order to do it... After weighing everything out (the times for classes were conflicting with my work schedule, mixed with the fact that I was getting no younger), I decided to make the big sacrifice and quit my job and tap into my Montgomery G.I. Bill to pursue school full time(I don't care how in love you are with someone, it is scary and sometimes uncomfortable to have to rely on someone else for your well being--- if I had it all to do over again, I probably would have done things differently). I have been going to school non-stop ever since then.

God willing, I will be done a year from now, at the end of Spring 2008, and let me tell you that it could not come soon enough!

One thing I have realized is that college is not as fun to me in my late 20s as it was in my late teens. Back in the day if felt like I had to attend college to be somebody in the workforce, but now I know that that is not the case. I had a very successful career, but decided to go back for personal reasons.

Though I am following my dreams, I must admit that I am a bit nervous. I don't have a blueprint to follow. I am the first in my family to ever be this close to graduating from college. All I have ever done is work and make money.

Even though I feel in my heart that I will be fine in the long run, I am nervous about starting all over again. I worked hard for almost a decade in my last career to get to where I was... am I really in the mood to start all over in a new career? My major is Journalism/Public Relations. Though I know what I want to do, I am biting my nails because I am trying to plan out my path... once I get my foot in the door I know that all of this nervous energy will begin to disappear.

Has anyone ever stepped out on a dream and was it a success or a failure in your life? 

Now that I am Talking, I Can't Shut UP!!!!

Just4Today I found myself engulfed in an interesting debate in my Race, Gender, Class, and Sexuality class at UNLV. I knew that it was a matter of time before we had our first discussion about homosexuality but I was not expecting it to be on the second day of class. It was a mess... there are so many misguided and misinformed people in the world. Honestly, I was shocked to hear that many of the youth, because many of them could not have been over the age of 21, spewing that same ole' outdated drag about "homosexuality not being normal", "man on man... NO! woman on woman... That's HOT!", yada, yada, yada.

In everyday life, I am pretty upbeat, and always try to project positivity and look for the best side to EVERY situation. I am what I refer to as a "sheek, modern day hippie", I have a little flavor, but things pretty much roll off my back. Shoot!! These kids turned me into an advocate today!!!! I had to mount up for us today ya'll!!!

My professor posed the question as to whether we believe that we are born a certain sexuality or do we believe that it is socially constructed. In all honesty, I don't know if you are born gay, straight, or bisexual, but I DO think that people are socially constructed to WANT to be straight... if for nothing else, peace of mind... in society, family, personal lives. Luckily, I am in a place in my life where I embrace and feel empowered in my sexuality, but I know that there are others who are less fortunate. Some of those people may have been in that class with me so I took it upon myself to make sure that they knew not to fall for the hype!!! I let those kids have it, without coming across as the "stereotypical" homosexual many of them envisioned us to be. I didn't come out to the class or anything like that, but I was very gay friendly and liberal in my comments. I reminded them not to forget that many of them were once persecuted so badly and encouraged them to keep that in mind when they tried to condemn homosexuals for being homosexual. I made note of the fact that the women, black men, and mixed race individuals weren't always afforded the opportunity to sit in a classroom environment and discuss anything much less a topic like this... I then defended my stance on the fact that people are socially constructed (influenced by society) to be heterosexual. I posed the rhetorical question of, "Don't you think that people who are homosexual know that you think this way and for that reason many of them may decide to lead unauthentic lives (I had to bite Darian's term right there!) because they feel it will be easier?".

It was a WRAP!!! I left them speechless as my teacher stood there shaking her head up and down and smiling at me like, "yes, someone got it!!!" That was the last comment of the day!!!! HA! ONE FOR US!!!!

Junior Year!!!!!

Just4Today I am going to ease back into this blog of mine.

This week marks the beginning of my junior year at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. So far so good. I have been to three of my five classes and I have a good feeling for my teachers and their expectations thus far.

I am excited about this year because I have made the committment to get more involved in extracurricular activities.I completed a year of college before joining the military and have already finished a year at UNLV. Before this I was trying to concentrate mainly on my studies and adjusting back into schoolife, but this year I am definitely going to get the most for my tuition dollar!

I had to take a couple of weeks off from the blog. I don't know what happened. As soon as the summer session of school ended I shut down completely! Rest was definitely in order. I had TWO FULL weeks on my hands and believe me, I took advantage of EVERY second!!!! The first week I caught up on much needed sleep and did some reading. The second week I went with mybaby to Virginia and DC to visit his family and friends. We had a lot of fun. His sisters, nieces, and mother are so nice to me. They were really trying to kill a brotha's diet. Those women kept food in front of me!!!!! And to top it off, EVERYTHING was fried!!!! I am originally from Southern California... the land of the salad and water and they are from Virginia and DC, where I now believe that if food is not cooked in grease then it is not edible!!!!! The food was good though, I cannot lie!

While in DC, we met up with two of our friends... I affectionately refer to the lovely couple as "the lesbians". We stayed with them the night before flying back to Vegas. We went to this gay club called The Mill  with "the lesbians" and danced until sweat was dripping all over our bodies. I had never seen so many gay black men and women in one place in my life. The highlight of my evening had to be when I ordered my one and only drink! I went to the bar and did not want to risk getting a watered down drink so I decided to order a beer. I figured that a Heineken was in order. When I asked for one the bartender asked me if I wanted a short or a tall one. I figured that the tall one would be the size of a Heineken in a six pack so I ordered one. I could not have been more wrong!!!! How about he had the nerve to hand me a 40 oz. You know I was too through!!! It was impossible to look cute while carrying around my 40!!!! "Deja Vu" played so many times that night I thought Beyonce was going make an appearance.

All and all, I am refreshed and ready to take this next school year by storm.

Two Hot Messes in One Day!!!!--- PART 2

Just4Today I remember back to 1996. 1996 was the year I graduated from high school. I remember being that young teenager... the one who did not know what he wanted to do with his life, the one who had no idea how he was going to get there once he figured it out. All I knew was this... life was going to be a journey. I am still on that journey. Since high school I have more than I could have ever dreamed. I have found God. I have traveled the world. I have worked and studied in some the most beautiful locales. I've loved and I have lost but my triumphs far outweigh anything else.

All of my experiences led me to the second "MESS" of the day... my 10 year high school reunion!!! What a waste of time!!! Aside from showing my face and letting people see that I have not changed a waist size in 10 years there was no reason to attend!!!! I had fun though. I hung with a couple of friends who I have kept constant touch with and mingled a bit. Everyone wanted to know what my secret was and I gave them my best Oprah answer, "I learned how to not only live, but live well." I did, however, forget that most of the people in my graduating class were caucasian. Many of the people I spoke to did not resemble the person I remembered. I was not overly popular but I did stand out as being one of the tallest and one of the only black guys in the class. I thought it was interesting to see that the jocks and cheerleaders no longer looked like jocks and cheerleaders and the ugly ducklings, for the most part, grew into beautiful swans. I always thought it was a cliche, but now I have proof that it was true.

I think that my class must have had a low budget because the DJ only played songs from 96, there were no games/activities, no slideshows, the dinner was cold, and only one bartender. Waiting on my iced tea imported from Long Island took forever but was SOOOOOOOOOO worth it! I smiled at the lady and she HOOKED me up!!!!

Aside from the drab event, my friends and I made sure to have fun... we were going to get our $100 worth. Afterwards we set off in search of hot food. The only place open was Denny's. We laughed the night away. While we were there, I remembered it as being one of our old hangouts. For a minute it felt like a flashback from a movie, we were all 16 and 17 again, trying to put our money together and share fries, the days when we ordered water--- not to be healthy, but because it was all we could afford! Denny's was the best part of my reunion!