Giveaway Time: BVLD Online

I have Exciting News over here. A company bLVD recently partnered with me and sent a couple of pieces of clothing to review. The company www.shopbvdonline.com caters to young, fashion forward women. Check out the video so that you can see the items that were sent to me. As stated on the video, I’m only showing the items because I wouldn’t wear them together but I’ll definitely do an outfit of the day on a later vlog.


BLVD is actually sponsoring a contest for all of my subscribers. The contest actually starts today and will run until the 15th (6/1-6/15). All you have to do to win, is to subscribe to my channel AKAkristin. Easy enough right? But there is also an additional way to win, follow BVD on Twitter @Shop_bLVD. After you follow them, you have to send them a message with my channel name AKAkristin.

You’re probably wondering what you’ll win right? Well the prize is a detailed, coral and white floral clutch wallet with a removable checkbook holder.

It's really cute, wish I could win as well!!! I have even more good news, you all can also get 25% off on shoes thru the duration of the contest. All you have to do is enter the discount code KRISTINBLVDSHOES. I’m very excited to work with this company and look forward to working with them in the future.

All The Single Ladies

Last night I was up until 2am watching the cameo of Single Ladies with Lisa Raye, Stacey Dash, and . Last night was a 2 hour special and I wasn’t prepared to stay up until 2am but I did. Let me just say, right from the start of the show the drama popped off. There were cameos from Eve, Kim Porter, Common., Kandi, Lauren Londen, and several other ATL elites. What I was most impressed with is the fact that the show tackled real issues that most of us single women are dealing with, have dealt with, and won’t EVER deal with again.


If you missed it, the show started by someone stating that a man knows within 20 minutes or so (from the initial contact) if he’s going to marry a woman. Someone then makes a comment as to why Val (Stacy Dash) and her beau aren’t married since they’ve been together for 5 years. And guess what, dude tries to downplay the reason they aren’t married. The story line skipped to 3 months later and guess what, her former beau was engaged (in unison, ain’t-that-a-b*tch). Now you all know that I got in my feelings a bit about that because I wrote a previous post on it. Long story short, after she finds out about the engagement, she ends up having an immediate fling with some random dude. The she tries to get closure with the previous beau and he has I-feel-sorry-for-you sex with her. Now for those of you that haven’t actually watched the show and are following from my recap, remember this is the #nojudgement zone. I may not have participated in both of her actions but definitely one. The messed up part was that after her rendezvous she thought she was pregnant and had no clue who the baby daddy was (chant with me now, Maury, Maury).

Now let’s move on to the next character, April. She’s a cute blonde chick married for a number of years to a black guy. You can tell that April’s husband is in LOVE with her and guess what, she’s cheating. She’s not undercover cheating, yet, all out in the open cheating with a high profile man (the Mayor). She tries to downplay their fling but you can tell that she’s really into him. Her husband expresses that he’s ready to have a child and she tells him maybe in a couple of years. She’s also lied to her husband and used her friends to cover although she didn’t let them in on the actual lie. In the end, the Mayor is actually involved in a scandal with a white woman but (luckily) it wasn’t ApriI. I’m all for equal opportunity, but I hate when a person won’t date the race that they are for whatever reason. There are a**holes in every ethnicity/culture as there are sweethearts #choosewisely. Ok, I digress, but it had to be said!!!

The last main character is Keisha's (Lisa Raye) character that’s a video vixen. As always she plays her regular character (again) a sassy-mouthed stereotypical black woman. It seemed like everyone else’s issue was brought to light except Lisa Raye. In her early years as a video vixen she was also a thief, and on this episode she was being blackmailed for it. I can’t wait to actually see what happens to her next week since she recently stole an item (unbeknowingly) from a guy she’s seeing.

Now I know that some people thought that the acting was a bit off, mainly due to Stacy Dash. For me she always appears transparent as if she doesn’t have any depth, in regard to actually being ‘in character’. I honestly can’t wait to see what’s in store next season and see how on pint the writers are with a real single woman’s life.

What were your thoughts on the show?

I Got, I Got, I Got

Sooo last Monday I received my new 'pride and joy' the lovely iPad 2. As you all know I really wanted it. I went back and forth in my mind trying to justify the large purchase but I had a couple of fund$ set aside to make the purchase so I finally did. I also wanted to do it before a certain date because my bank recently stopped us from accruing points with debit card purchases (that sucks I was racking up). Let me just say this order totally screwed with my head. I would check my order status almost daily because Apple gave me a 2-3 week window. And of course I wanted it to come within the 2 weeks, but that was clearly another story.

But of course when I got it, it was pure excitement. Well kinda... due to all of the waiting I was kinda out of it. Last Monday was such a busy day for me that I almost left it in the trunk of my car LoL!!! What I'll say is that if you are debating on a net book or any other type of tablet, Apple is definitely the way to go. Ok, I know you all are saying it is sooo expensive. Yes, I can't lie they are. But when it comes to Apple, they're synonymous with Quality. What that actually means for me/you/us (the consumer), is that we'll have a high resell value if we ever decide to sell (and you know we will sell cause another version will be out tomorrow, LoL).

Sooo I bet you're wondering exactly which model did I purchase. I actually got the White 16gb with Verizon. The reason why I chose the white is because my Macbook is white so I wanted to make it a lil baby (lame, I know). I know that I could have saved a lot of fund$ by choosing the wi-fi only, but I actually look at this as a replacement... well alternative to my actual computer. I stopped traveling with my Macbook a long time ago but at times I still need to use a computer at my own leisure when I'm away from home. This provides all that and more for me. I also did a bit of comparison with the data plans with AT&T as well as Verizon. I chose Verizon because they're coverage area is broader. Keep in mind this not only acts as a mini computer but you can even get a car mount and use it as a GPS, or play movies for the kiddos (in my case Lyric). I also like the fact that I can run the Nook or Kindle app and have books on the go. I already downloaded the main book... the B-I-B-L-E (yes that's the book for me). Kool thing about the bible app is that they even have an offline app. I haven't yet started my data plan (cause I'm fine using wi-fi for now) but I really wanted to use my Bible app at church and was happy to find the off-line version. That means that they allow you to read the bible without a data connection #superkool!!!

Now you know as a proud parent I had to hurry up and clothe this baby. And of course I chose leopard print. I actually saw several other cases that I wanted, specifically Hello Kitty. But I needed something soon-and-very-soon so I purchased this one from Target for $16.99. It's cute and it does the job of protecting it until I sale (LoL). The only thing about this case is I have to take it out to do Face Time (unfortunately I have no one to do that with). I will post a more in depth review on my YouTube page as soon as I can.

Just in case you all are thinking about purchasing the Ipad 2, I say to do so from the Apple store or from http://www.apple.com/. My reason for saying so is that many other retailers have blind shipment (meaning the don't know the exact number their getting in) or they have a first-come-first-serve policy. A friend of mine ordered her's from Bestbuy and was told the same thing about the 2-3 week hold. Let's just say she canceled and ended up placing a new order with Apple. If you choose to go through a retailer (for whatever reason, you may have a store card) know that you can purchase accessories at a fraction of the cost from an online retailer. I plan on purchasing additional accessories from http://www.accessoriesofapple.com/. I also want to get a new Ipad docking station/stereo and the one I have in mind is by iluv. Trust me I've done the research and this thing is AWESOME.

If you all are current owners of the iPad or iPad 2 please let me know what are some of your favorite apps. I'm really interested in trying the dating app on iPhone and iPad for only iPad and iPhone users. I'll let ya know if I decide to spend 99 cents on it #POW!!!

P.S- I need a name for my new baby let me know what you have in mind?

What God Has For Me, It Is For Me

Have you ever had one of those days where you felt like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed? I'm sure you have, I think it's safe to say that we've all experienced a day (or more) like this. Let me be the first to tell you today was that day for me. And it all started with a dream. If you're an avid reader of my blog (and you should be) you've heard me recount dreams before. Well this dream involved Mr. Y. Yes, the infamous Mr. Y aka AS*hole. Just to give you a lil background story I saw a FB status that had his name on Sunday and it made me feel some type of way. Granted, I haven't spoke to him since October, yet seeing his name made me cringe to the point that I had to send my bff a text and basically vent. Honestly the FB status wasn't really anything. It's just for me outta sight outta mind. And although I didn't actually see him physically the mere mention of his name said he still exist; in the world and maybe a piece of my feelings since I was sooo thrown off by it. Okay, let me bring it back lol. I woke up this morning and realized that I dreamed of Mr. Y and I was heated. In the dream he stated that he was marrying an ex that he had proposed to previously. I am not sure if any of that is true because I don't have a 'street committee' in the area that I used to live in. I'm also not interested in finding out any other information concerning who he's marrying and when they are getting married.

I feel like if there was an Godervention (think intervention) then I may have been upset for the entire day. The first song that spoke to me was by Beverly Crawford- It's About Time for a Miracle. Now that particular song spoke because usually when I'm having a bad moment at work I stop and take a praise break and it really puts me in a better mood. for me it was Jesus saying snap out of it. It kinda loosened me up a bit. Now if you've ever heard the song then you know exactly what I'm speaking about. This particular song makes me want to be C.O.G.I.C. I swear I want to get out my car and do my own lil 2 step for the Lord.

Next, as if God was a passenger in my car Encourage Yourself by Donald Lawrence came on. This was confirmation that HE was right there with me and although these feelings may be small to anyone else he knew my heart and exactly where I was coming from. This particular song took me over the edge because right in the midst of Mr. Y and my issues I would always play this song. I mean right at the epicenter of my hurt and pain this was the song that I continued to listen to over and over. I mean this song really brought me out of a dark place and it came on. Honestly that right there kinda took my mind off of the situation.

I text'd my bff and told her about the dream and she suggested that I contact him because there are clearly unresolved issues. In my mind there may be... with me but clearly he has already moved on. And also, what would the convo be like, 'so I heard you're engaged/married'. There is really no where to go from there, because it is what it is and after the convo ends he'll still be engaged/married.

I can't lie to you, I beat myself up (I'm super, super hard on myself). I started thinking about past relationships in which I felt like I set the dude up for the next chick. It was only until later in the day that I decided to listen to Beverly Crawford again (the song mentioned above). I just wanted to hear it cause t really gets me crunk. Well somewhere after the many clicks on youtube another song on the sidebar spoke to me. That's the video that I embedded. This song speaks to me overall. Sooo many times I/we get caught up in the 'haves' as well as the 'have nots' that we forget that God is still in control of each and every situation in our lives. I often say that I got everything I wanted exactly when I needed it. Not to make it seem as if God is some type of genie in a bottle because he certainly isn't to me. What I'm trying to say is that when I look back over my life he has always provided. At the end of the day, whatever (or whoever) I'm supposed to have I'll have, why, cause it's for me.

I did something I've NEVER done before...

Over the weekend I did something that I’ve NEVER done before… I went to the movies by myself. Since moving to Va. I’ve become sooo independent. I usually go out to eat by myself all the time but I’ve NEVER gone to the movies alone. If you follow me on Twitter, then you know how hype I’ve been over the movie Rio. As soon as I saw the previews with the enticing colors and music, I knew I had to see it. I am totally a big kid at heart when it comes to cartoons. I chose my DirectTV package based on the Boomerang channel.  When I started college my undergraduate major was early childhood education (before I changed it) and what I enjoyed most was the color and creativity. So you can see why I just had to get out and see the movie, even if that meant going alone.

The movie was sooo sweet, in the end a true love story. There was also a lot of humor for kids and adults too. There were music was awesome there were selections by Jaime Foxx, will.i.am, Taio Cruz, Este Dean, and many more. Some of the songs made me want to create a Zumba routine, LoL!!! My FAV part or thing about the movie is that there were so many women and men with natural hair. Once they arrived in Rio there was a woman on the beach with an afro puff so you know I was super excited!!! And one of the bad guys had dreds too. My only wish is that I were able to enjoy the movie with my favorite kid. If you all haven't seen it, it's such a great movie to see (especially if you're a big kid like me)!!! After seeing this movie I definitely want to vacation next year in beautiful Rio de Janeiro (on to look for a payment plan, LoL).

I'll Be Missing You

Last night (I should say this morning around 1ish) I was very emotional. I felt like I was missing something, not sure if it was my moma but just missing something. Fast forward to later on today and I realized (thanks to cuzzo's FB) that today is the 6 year anniversary of my Granddaddy's death. I'm not sure if I've ever spoke about this on my blog or not but #Godeeper. When my Granddaddy passed it was a Tuesday morning, I was away in college so I forgot who called to tell me, but that was the day when I lost a piece of me. I actually knew a couple of weeks that he was going to pass but I just didn't know when. I remember being at home the Sunday prior to his death and even though he wasn't feeling well he was still trying to take care of me. He had already given me gas money but he called me again to give me some extra money. As I think about my grandaddy I see so many characteristics of him that I'd like my future husband to have:

* Honest
* Hardworking
* Family oriented
* God-fearing
* Loving
* Giving
* A real man
* Fair

I learned sooo much on how a woman should be treated through his grandaddy's actions as well as his response to my boyfriends. Although I wasn't my grandaddy's biological child I always knew I had a special place in his heart. He even told my line sister that I was his granddaughter, but he thought of me as his child. Every time I think of that story I get super emotional.

I'll be the first to tell you that after my grandaddy passed I was an emotional wreck. The following weeks were more than enough proof that I needed grief counseling (still do). It was the first death in  my immediate family that I'd encountered as an adult. Devastated doesn't come close to the overwhelming amount of emotions I experienced. I was trying my best to hold it together for everyone else, all along, losing it on the inside. To this day I have trouble being at my house (grandparents house) alone and I definitely can't stay overnight by myself.

Sometimes I wish I could go back in time just to have one last day to savor with ALL of my family. I know that I have tangible memories but its #notthesame. Because I LOVE and miss my grandaddy sooo much I've vowed to name my #future son after him.

52 Week Savings Update 5

So I totally missed the mark in regard to posting about the 52 week challenge for update 5. Let me be the first to tell ya THIS IS HARD (yes that's me yelling)!!! What I was told once is that you should pay yourself first. For me this should be quite easy considering that I have two jobs and technically means I get paid every week. However this is definitely a challenge. I think next week I'm going to withdraw the set amount I need first (AKA before shopping) and put in my 52 Week savings account.

I honestly have no issue with you all following this blog to hold me accountable (trust me, I need this)!!! As for this week, on April the 11th (my lil sister b-day), the amount that we all are supposed to have is (drum roll please) $276.00 that translates to $23 for this week. Let's just say ya girl is s-h-o-r-t!!! On a brighter note I did open up an additional savings account for this challenge and at the end of the month $25 automatically transfers over however I'm only at $195 (you do the math since I'm not good at it). Actyally, I just did the math (on my calculator of course), I'm $81 short. Not too bad, huh? Not sure how I'm going to catch up since I'm moving and finally have an Ipad 2 on the way (can you say priorities). Long story short, I could hold off on that pair of Tom's I wanna order sooo freak'n bad!!! All in all I want to have exactly what I need to correlate with the amount for April 25th (the next time I post).

                                  I would like to end this post with a special

 17th Birthday shout-out to the BEST, PRETTIEST, MOST STYLISH sister in the world

                                            HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAMILLE LOVE YA!!!

                                                 Kamille and I last year when she turned 16

                                                  Can you tell... I really LOVE my sister!!!

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates...

WOW... we're 7 days into a new month and as I look at my blog I've only written twice now ya'll know that's a d*mn shame!!! Sooo much has been going on with me!!! Please believe I've had topics on my mind and have even typed a few and saved them to my work desktop (yes it's that serious). When I don't write I feel like my mind is just consumed with sooo many words/feelings. I really hate the fact that I was unable to update you all on the 52 week savings. I'll be sure to do a post on that Monday!!!

Sooo... I've been super stressed due to the fact that I'm going to have to move soon. No, it is not something that I'm looking forward too. I actually received a rent notice on my door about 2 weeks ago (I knew it was coming, but not that soon). When I opened it I saw the increase to $1375... What The F*CK (yes an acronym was not appropriate)!!! My rent now is already high as heck and seeing this I was just super annoyed. Like it totally ruined my night. Oh wait... that's not the last of it, that's only the fee without my additional monthly pet fee of $25, bringing my total to a whopping $1400 a month. No need to ask... that does not include water, lights, or gas. Oops, I forgot about cable. I already know that I can't afford to pay that amount on my measly salary (that's a whole 'nother blog of pisstivity).

So my lease isn't actually up until the 27th of June and I'm required to give a 60 day notice to vacate. I typed it to put in along with my rent but took it out only to see if my lease has a maximum amount they could increase by. I'll probably have time to handle that on Saturday. After I got the news I started apartment hunting. No need to wait. I would LOVE to stay closer to my job but I like living in a 2br. apartment and I know that I wouldn't be able to afford that near my job (why do people say work in place of job? It just doesn't sound grammatically correct, I digress all in these parenthesis). I also considered getting a roommate to save on fund$ but I know that ain't hardly me!!! I haven't had a roommate since my first senior year of college #dontjudgeme!!!

Looking for a place has been sooo time consuming. There are certain things that I have to have like... a washing machine in my apartment, and the place must accept pets. Oh... I forgot the most important thing... be within my price range. I really, really LOVE my current apartment, it is sooo KRISTIN. I feel like in the area that I live in, my complex would definitely be considered in the top 3. I'm really not willing to move to something less (no I'm not fancy huh). I just have to keep in mind that the place I live in has to be safe and astetically correct. That last statement alone puts a whole lot of places out of the running. So I decided to look at townhouses and condos. Then I started to rethink townhouses just because I can see the utilities being high since I'd have to heat the top and bottom. So condos it is, because usually you'll get water included (knocks down one bill). I actually saw a condo that I likes and visited last weekend. I'm going to look again with my cousin Pam and after that I think it just may be the one. There are a couple of things that I dislike but I guess I can learn to get over them.

Please believe this is still a constant stressor for me. It's certainly putting a dent in my summer plans and my freaking birthday in regard to fun(d$)!!! I hope and pray that everything works out smoothly and I don't spend over $2000 (pray for me). To end on a positive... what God has for me it is for me (so no doubt it'll work out)!!!

I Want, I Want, I Want

If you all follow me on twitter, then you should already know the type of LOVE that I have for the new Ipad2. I want it, I want it, I want it!!! The funny thing is... when the first generation Ipad came out I was like why would they make this. I really didn't get the whole idea f an tablet. To me, it looked like a big Ipad. But now I see the bigger picture. The whole conveniency of an Ipad is really what attracts me. When I first moved to Va and traveled home I would take my laptop, but after while that got a bit lackluster. Pulling out my laptop and having the laptop bag count as a carryon item became so annoying that I stopped traveling with my computer. With my new Ipad2 (wishful thinking) it'll be a breeze staying connected.

I'll definitely let you all know if (when) I get my Ipad2. I mean it will definitely be a big chunk of change out of my pockets but I think it'll be something that I put to use very well.

P.S- I am #Gadgetgirl!!!

A Week of Opportunity

Last week at this time I was having a ball at my company's annual party. Each year they rent out a local bar and have food catered for us as well as karaoke and give aways. This year they rented out a larger bar which included a bull. Long story short your girl got on the karaoke and did the d*mn thing. I song about 3 songs, Emotion (gotta be on them notes), Tyrone (I sing this every year) and Try a Little Tenderness (did this with another chick). I won't lie I was feeling myself, my outfit was super cute, and I had caliente latina cutie by my side (that's another post soon to come). Well as I was leaving the guy that hosted the karaoke came up to me and told me to apply, that I'd be great at it. I was pretty boosted because I'm always down for a 'new' hustle, especially something that I enjoy doing!!! The real Kristin does not want a traditional 9-5 job. I think of myself as a free spirit and think that life would be sooo much better if I could get up and do what trully made me happy each day. Of course this all would be done with a sleeve of some sort (yes, I'm a tattoo chick) and a possible lip ring ( I sooo want one). Anyways, I digress. I don't know what will turn up of it but I'm definitely willing to try if it works with my schedule.

You all already know about Zumba. If you're not following me on twitter (im'ma need you to do that), then you don't know I secured a mentor. I'm really trying to take this Zumba thing one step at a time, so that I can really learn and be successful (since I'm not a natural born dancer). After I asked my old instructor to be my mentor she basically offered me a job to teach when I'm ready. I am Uber excited. I definitely have a plan for this one. Gotta get started!!!

Lastly, a good friend of mine hit me up on FB with an opportunity to style a model for a photo shoot. I can't lie, I was totally nervous and excited about this one. I know that a lot of stylist have networked and have ways of getting merchandise for free or on loan. Basically... I have NO connections, totally SUCKS. I was blown by that mere fact that I put my friend off for a day cause my thoughts were like where am I gonna get the funds to make this work. After speaking to him, it was confirmation, why not use the skills that I have to get what I need. Thrift, enough said. The shoot isn't going to be until the summer so that gives me plenty of time to start thinking about looks and getting it together.

So this has been an awesome week that gave me insight as to what can happen. I truly believe that God has something BIGGER and better than a 9-5. I know that he will give me (and you) the desires of heart and that Faith without works is dead. My daily prayer is that God puts me in the right place, at the right time, to meet the right people, so that I can do what I love. Ultimately whatever his will is for me I want him to make me ready!!!