I was experiencing a very good start to my weekend, then I read this.

The Minnesota Vikings front office staff has no heart or at the very least bereavement days available to ball players. Vikings wide receiver, Troy Williamson’s pay has been docked $25,588 for missing three practices and last Sunday’s game to attend the funeral of his grandmother in Aiken, SC. Read the story HERE. He is also dealing with a situation where is brother is in a coma after a car accident.

So a player is penalized financially for putting “family” first. What a shame.

Alicia Keys performed at The Tabernacle last night in Atlanta to help two local radio personalities celebrate their ninth anniversary on the air. I attended the concert with one of my BFFs, let’s call her “Elle“. Neither of us are what you would consider huge AK fans but decided to go since the tickets were free.

Upon entering the concert venue, our first order of business was to get a cocktail. Elle is a Goose-n-Juice girl (Grey Goose and cranberry juice) and last night I was up for the same. The bartender informed us they only had Ketel One so we went with what was flowing. Since I was driving and I am only a social drinker, my limit was two and Elle had four. After talking, laughing, and allowing Miss Keys to bore us to death with her new material, we left and were home by 11:30 p.m.

No big deal, right? Wrong!!

Elle informed me this morning that her husband found her on their bathroom floor butterball nekkid and had to put her in the bed. I didn’t have quite as hard a time but I felt “hungover” until about 4:00 p.m., behind 2 cocktails! I know Grey Goose is a premium Vodka but I had never before heard of Kettle One nor do I ever want to again. In fact, I wants no part of anything that has “kettle” in it…kettle corn, Kettle potato chips, tea kettle, kettle hole…..yeah, you get the idea.

I started my morning with the normal routine, up at 5:00 a.m., in the gym by 6:00. Since I forgot my CD player and headphones at home, I could not tune out the chatter of the two individuals next to me (male and female). From what I overheard, both are miserably married and close to divorce. They were married in their early twenties and are now in their forties and they have seen Tyler Perry’s movie, “Why Did I Get Married”. Needless to say, their conversation on “marriage” was not at all positive.

As a single female, conversations like this used to leave me feeling sad, deflated, and hopeless because I do want to marry one day. I also personally know several married people who are “going through” some tough times right now and it can leave a girl feeling discouraged, that’s for sure.

However, at the beginning of the year I walked away from an encounter with four friends that forced me to make a choice. In the face of jaded and cynical individuals, I chose faith…I chose hope. Faith in God and hope for what He has promised me. After hearing the gym chatter this morning, I am glad to say I made the same choices.

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On October 17th at 1:57 p.m. we welcomed a new addition to our family! Jalen made his debut into this world, and subsequently my heart, weighing 6 lbs 7 oz. I know I am biased, but this is one of the cutest babies, coming in second to his brother, Skylar. These are my great nephews. Dayum, that makes me sound old!