Me and My Beard

If you have known me for any time within the last fives, you have always seen me with some kind of facial hair. No matter if it was just the goatee or the full on beard, I have some kind of facial hair. Now some people grow it to be apart of a trend. My good friend Carl over at A Bloke's Eye View wrote a piece about guys with beards being called hipsters. It's a great read. Please check it out.

Now for me, I am nowhere near a hipster. I don't even have a "hip" bone in my body(see what I did there). Anyhoo, I don't think that having a beard makes you any kind of person. Well I rephrase that. Having a beard does make you one thing. A BADASS!!

Beards have become the thing to have. No matter what decade or century you look at, there have always been great men with great beards. I was able to start my journey into the great men list when I grew my beard in 2009. I didn't go to the barbershop like I usually did, and I started to grew hair on my face. Then I thought, "What if I just decided to let it grow out?" That's when my story of the greatness you see on my face started. Now I was doing it more for me than anyone else, but the fact that so many people liked it was pretty cool. I mean, even my wife loves how my beard looks. She likes it so much that never wants me to cut it off.

Now I did have that one moment when I decided to cut it off to see how it would look. Let just say I will never do that again. Good thing for me is that my hair grows quickly. Within two weeks, I was back to normal. :-)

Now having a beard is almost like having super powers. With a great beard comes great responsibilities. Lately I have been using some stuff that my lovely wife told me about. It's something that I've been using for the last few months and haven't looked back. Introducing to you GIBS Grooming. Side note: This is not a sponsored post. I just truly like their stuff. You can ask my wife, and she will testify for me.

GIBS(Guys Into Beard Stuff) is a very new company that is here to make sure that you beard is on point for every moment in your life. No matter how small or big your beard is, all of their stuff can make your beard go from a 10 to 10,000. Not only will their products how out your beard, but some of their stuff help out with other things as well.

For instant, their Man Wash BHB is not just a shampoo for your beard but also for your hair(to help keep both nice a clean), AND it can be used as a body wash as well(to keep you smelling fresh and manly). A triple threat right there.

Then you have the Bush Master Beard Oil. This oil helps in keeping the beard nice and soft. It will also help in keeping the skin around the beard moisturized. Do you have a tattoo? Well use the oil to help keep the colors looking nice and awesome.

Then we come to Black Cognac. This beard balm doesn't seem like much, but it really does some wonders. It will not only help in conditioning it, but it will also help in keeping it controlled. That way you won't scare the ladies away.

Now these are the three products I use normally, but there are such more stuff that you can use from them. Best way to learn more about their products is to go to the GIBS Grooming website, and check out what they got going on.

My beard is something that is apart of me and who I am. I know I will still be myself if I didn't have it, but I like myself with my beard. For all the guys with beards, hope you enjoy your facial hair and show it the respect that it deserves. Having one and keeping it looking good can be hard at times, but the rewards of having it is all worth it.

Question of the Day: Who is your favorite person that has a beard? Hopefully it's me, but if not I will understand. :)

This Is A Women's World

Have you ever heard the song "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" by James Brown? If you haven't(SHAME ON YOU), here is the song:

Now this song really has no meaning to the blog(even though that it's an amazing song). Why I use it is to bring up something I talked about with another blogger just the other day.

I was in the #LBloggers chat when I began a conversation with a blogger by the name of Helena over at Life Through Me. The discussion started from the topic of taking breaks from blogs. I talked about how I came back to the blogging world after my long break, and she told me about hers. She then told me how she went to my blog and enjoyed what she read. It was nice to hear that(even for a guy from Alabama). That's when she said that the community needed more male bloggers.

I have always thought about this subject because I hardly have found male bloggers who blog like I do. Since I been back I found a couple, but most of the male bloggers I see either do grooming, fashion, or photography blogs. Not too many lifestyle bloggers that are males.

How James Brown said that it's a man's world can be said to how it's a woman's world in the blogging world. Like I said, there are male bloggers out there, but majority of bloggers are females. Most of my blogging friends are females. This is cool, but there are times when I wish I could have a guy who understand where I come from on the male end.

I am not saying that we all don't go through the same problems because we all do go through the same problems. It just sometimes where women can understand women more on certain things, the same can be said for men.

Now with that being said, I want more guys to be able to go to a female blog and give their opinion on some of their post as well. Just because a female writes something does not mean that you can relate or put in your opinion to it.

I am hoping everyone can understand where I am coming from. Even though that women are the majority in the blogging world, this community is for everyone. I feel that even though there might not be a lot people like me out there, I still have my place where I can relate to EVERYONE.

What about you? What do you think about the subject? Do you think more guys should blog? Do you have a favorite male blogger out there(besides me, lol) that you like to read from time to time?

Favorite Bars

If you know me well enough, I like to have a couple of drinks here and there. No matter if it's a nice good beer or a well made cocktail, I like sit and enjoy a nice adult beverage. Most of the time I am enjoying some Woodford on the rocks or a craft beer from the comfort of my apartment. Then there are times when I like to go out to a local bar and enjoy it there. I want to let y'all to know about these places. Here are a couple of places I like to chill and relax with a nice drink.

The Collins Bar

The Collins Bar has been my go to cocktail bar for the last year now. I wasn't too sure of it at first because they didn't have a cocktail menu. After many trips, the place grew on to me. Like I said before, the place does not have a cocktail menu. This gives you the ability to choose what kind of drink you would like. Say if you want a drink similar to a Manhattan, but you want rum in it. They can make it for you. Want a really nice and fruity tiki drink? They got a drink for that. Not only do they have some really good drinks, but they also have some fun games to play while you are there. They even have food. So they have everything you could ever want.

J Clyde

Now before you say anything, I know that I work there. Thing about J Clyde is that I have been drinking there longer than I have been working there. This place is the best place in Birmingham to go to if you want to get some really nice craft beer. With over 60+ beers on draft from places all over the country(and some outside the country) and even more selections in bottles, you can definitely find a brew that is right for you. J Clyde also is a big supporter of local beers, so you will always find a good selection of beer from all over Alabama. Once you get a beer, you should get some amazing Fish and Chips or a juicy burger to go with it. Want to know what the best part about going to the J Clyde is? You might actually see me there working!! Even better, I might have a drink with ya if I'm not on the clock. :)

Tavern on 1st

Now this place is kind of similar to how Collins. The only exception is that they do have a cocktail menu that usually changes each season. This place is still new to the downtown scene, but they have made some pretty good waves to start out. This place is pretty in size with lots of area to chill around. There is also a somewhat hidden that can be used as a private section if need be. The bartenders there are real laid back there and knowledgeable on their drinks. If you don't see a drink you want on the menu, they are more than willing to fix one for ya. I see big things for Tavern on 1st in 2016, so make sure to stop by there.

There are more places I could write about, but I think three places will be good for today. No matter if you live in Birmingham or not, what is your favorite places to enjoy a beer or cocktail?

Jackpot!!

Disclaimer: This photo came from a news article on The NY Daily News website.

Saturday night was the biggest jackpot in Powerball history. We are talking about $930 Million. Yep. That's a lot of money. You know there were plenty of people trying to get their hands on a ticket to possibly quit their job and live in luxury. Sadly(or fortunately in my case), no one got the winning jackpot numbers. Now this means that the jackpot is in Trump area. We are talking about a $1.3 Billion jackpot.

Now think about what you could do with all that money. You would never have to work another day in your life. You could literally purchase anything you want. Want to try the world? You could do that as many times as you want with that kind of money. The choices you could make would be endless.

Now I talked about this with Whitney last night, and we was thinking about all the stuff we could do with that kind of money. She told me that if we won the jackpot, first we would get a house and pay someone to move our stuff for us. Nothing really big and flashy but just something nice that would fit our style. Then she would want to make herself a gaming/anime room(which would fit her). Last thing she would want to do is make me a personalized beer/bar room. Now if you know me, I would love the hell out of that room.

Now what about me? What would I do if we won the lottery? I will be completely honest with you. I would just pay off my debt that I have, and after that not much else. I know you are probably thinking that there has to be something I really want to do with the money, but in all honest not really. I have always wanted to live comfortably, and with that much money I would. I know I can do whatever I want with that money, but I would rather still live the exact same way I was before the money. I don't need all the nicest cars or finest things. I have my great friends and family, and I feel like having those things will be good. Knowing that I don't have to worry about money if I was to win the jackpot would make me feel at ease.

Money can buy you many things in the world, but it can't buy you happiness. It can make you feel more at ease with living, but remember that no matter what enjoy what you have while you have it.

Question for you: What would you do if you won the lottery?

I Am The Lucky One

Whitney and I have been married together for little over a year now. We are no longer in the newlywed club. Now we get into the serious stuff. Or do we?

I mean since we have been together for these last five years, we have always been happy together. No matter if we are out and about around Birmingham or just chilling at home watching Netflix or the WWE Network, we always have fun together. I can just look at her at no that I made the right decision to marry her without any doubt.

Now I am not gonna say that everyday is sunshine and rainbows. We have our days where times are rough. We might not be in the mood to joke around or one of us might have said the wrong thing to the other person(most of the time it's me I will admit). Like I said we ain't perfect, but thats the beauty of this relationship though. We get through all the bad stuff and make all the awesome things in our life so much better.

I will say that out of all the people in the world I could choose to be with for the rest of my life, Whitney is hands down the only person I could see. She has always accepted me for me. She accepts me for my silliness, my bluntness, even for my forgetfulness. I don't know too many people who would.

I know she tells me that she is so lucky to have me as her husband, but I am the lucky one. I am so lucky to have someone who would be able to be there for me after a long, rough day at work. I am lucky to know that she will be by my side whenever I need help. I am lucky to know that she is my number one fan when I need cheering up. I just can't thank her enough for all the joy she has brought to my life.

Whitney, I know that you are reading this. I just want to personally say that you for just being you and the greatest wife I could ever dream of. I love you so much, and I hope you know that. To the moon and back Mrs. Marion.

New Bloggers I Like

With me getting back into the blogging game, I have been trying to look for new people to follow(on their blogs that is). I feel like I have the certain people I like to read such as Laura over at Alabama Graffti, Angela at The Awkward Blog, and Nadine at Life By Nadine Lynn, but I want to be able to branch out and see more.

The past couple of days I have been on social media trying to find some new bloggers to check out. I am here to tell ya that I found two new bloggers. Now let me warn you that I have only found these bloggers the with in the last two days. I know some things about them, but I'm still learning more about them. If you want to learn more about them, you have to check them out.

WHAT MAFF SAID

I just learned about Matthew's blog yesterday from Instagram. I've been looking for other males out there who blog in a similar style as I do, and he completely does it. He is a lifestyle blogger from across the pond in the UK. He is all into the tech, nerd, and anything geeky. I would say he is a Star Wars, but I can't really tell if he is or not(total sarcasm). He has only been around for a year, but I see him doing some awesome stuff in 2016. Make to follow him on Twitter @WhatMaffTweets.

Freckled Italian

I found Megan's blog from another blog I have been reading for a little while called Helene in Between. She was the special blogger of the day and they had a Q&A about her. After reading it, I had to check her blog out. That's when I felt like she and I could be good friends. I mean she has been married for a year(like me). She has a pet dog(not like me, but she likes animals). Not only that, she just seems like a cool, down to earth chick. She also does have recipes on her blog for people who are doing the Paleo diet(I never heard about until I came to her blog, so there you go). Make sure that you follow her on Twitter @mflynnpete.

As I learn about more new bloggers I like, I will share them to you. Just make sure you show Matthew and Megan some love and let them know that I sent you.

Hope you have a great first full week of the new year!!! It's gonna be a long one. :)

Disclaimer: Both of the photos above are the properties of each individual blogger. I did not take these pictures. I am no where near that good of a photographer.

2016 is Here

So we are finally in 2016. Yay!! Now what? What does this mean? Does this mean that things will change? Will we be able to make a difference in our lives? Will we actually do the resolutions we planned out last year? The answer to all of that is only time will tell.

I know we always try to say that will do so many things in the new year, but we sometime fail at that. We beat ourselves up so much in trying to make a big change that if we don't make it, we feel like the year was a failure. I am here to say that all of that is not true.

I am one who always try to make a big change but does not hit all the goals I planned out. Thing about this is even with those goals I set not being achieved, I still do some pretty awesome stuff. I have made so many new connections and friends last year. I was able to start a new job at one of my favorite places in the city. I grown more and more in love with my wife.

So yea, I might not have saved as much money as I wished. I might not have gotten on the right foot with my blog or YouTube channel(which by the way you should check it out). I might not have ate as healthy as I planned. I will tell you this though. I am still here on this earth. I am still smiling. I might wake up sore from working the night before, but I am still here. I will take that over some resolutions any day of the week.

Now let be known that I plan to make 2016 big this year, but I won't feel defeated if I don't hit all of them. With that being said, I am ready to do some major damage in 2016. Let's get it going!!!