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!!!

So...I'm Back?

So yeah. Seeing this again is different, huh? LoL I know you all missed me(or at least I hope so). It's been about four months since the last time I wrote anything on here. Since then what has happened? Well let's see. Donald Trump is in the news more time than I really want him to be. I started a new job at J Clyde in mid September. People are going crazy all over the world(Wait! That's always been the case). Just a lot of stuff has been going on.

I don't want to get into too much as why I have been gone for a while, but just let's say that I have been busy with life, but then again what adult has not been. I have been trying to do this and that, and its just been...yeah. It feels nice to be back around the old blogging stomping grounds again. Will there be another long break between post again. I can't say yes or no just yet. What I will say though is that I have some good ideas of what I want to do with this blog.

I looked back at what I posted before, and I truly did enjoy what I put up. Only thing is I want to speak out more. I feel like this is my baby, and I haven't treated the way it should have been. I want people to know more about me and what I enjoy and feel about things. I can't say that this will be a lifestyle blog because I feel "lifestyle" is different than what I think of it. For me, this will be a Life Blog. I want this to be more of the Life of Ralph.

So....what does this mean? This means that I will talk more about beer, Birmingham, WWE, married life, and everything else that goes on in my mind. 2016 is gonna be something different for me because I am gonna take the bull by the horns and just slam it to the ground because it will finally be the year I want it to be. I can't wait to do more stuff like this in the coming weeks and even all of next year. What all that being said, I want to wish you a Happy New Year.

Let's make 2016 a fun year. :)

College Football and I

So this weekend is gonna be Memorial Day weekend. This means that most people will be able to have a long three day weekend (myself include). This weekend is also the start of college football. Now usually during this time of year, I would be excited about. Not this time though. As many of you know, I am a UAB fan til the day I die. You may also know that this past December, Ray Watts (that jackass) decided to take away the Football, Rifle, and Bowling programs away from the university. You can only imagine how I felt about this.

Well good news came in June that those programs will be coming back to the Southside. Everything is great, right? Well not too fast there, my friend. See, the rifle team will be back this season (2015-16). Bowling coming back next season (2016 season). Then the football team will back on the gridiron for the 2017 season. That means I have to wait two entire season to see my Blazers play again. So while everyone else is watching their team play and get to experience how it is for College Football Saturday, I don't get to have that same chance.

Now the good things for this season is that the UAB Marching Blazers will still be marching this year. Many people were wondering if the marching band would be gone, but they are still going strong. In my opinion, they are even better than ever with what has been going on. They are still practicing and putting in all the effort as if they were getting ready for a game this weekend. So make sure you check out The Sound of the Magic City whenever they perform this year.

Now getting back to football, I really won't have any team to root for this whole season. I won't be able to get excited for my team getting closer to being bowl eligible. I won't have be to see if we can win a conference championship. All because of Watts thinking that "numbers" had something to do with it. Now most of our players and coaches have left to bring their talents to other schools, and I can't blame them. This only means that now we have two season to rebuild what we started last season. Now I know that we will not be as good as we was last year, but then again I didn't expect us to be as good as we was last year. You can never know what will happen with the UAB Football team.

So now what will I do? What will happen for me with college football? I am gonna lay low for the next two years. With my team not being able to play, I have no for real reason to watch college football. It might sound petty, but I don't care. Everyone else has a chance to watch their team play on Saturday, but I don't have that same luxury. I won't be able to say "Touchdown UAB" or cheer when we win a game. I won't be able to do that for another two season. Now don't get me wrong, if I am with friends and a game comes that people want to watch, I will join in. Just for me personally, I won't try to make any effort to watch it on my spare time.

I hope everyone gets to enjoy these next two season of college football, and I truly do mean that. I hope your team can win as many games as possible. Just remember this though. A sleeping dragon will be hungry in 2017, and you know what happens when a dragon has been hungry for that long.

#BewareOfTheBlazers2017 #GoBlazers

Great and Grand

The lady you see above is someone who means so much to me. Her name is Carrie Bell Slaughter, aka Grannie. She was my great grandmother. I pretty much was with her for most of my life. She raised me from being a little boy to the man you see today. She is someone that I didn't just see as family, she was also my closest friend.

She lived with my family ever since my great grandfather passed away in 1998. She was by far the best cook I have ever been around (sorry Mom). She had so many recipes that she knew about that she didn't have to look at a cookbook. I always loved when she cooked breakfast because that was when I was able to help her out. Okay, so it wasn't every time but it was close enough.

She also had a heart of gold. She was such a nice and helpful woman. I never knew of a person who was willing to help you out no matter what the situation was. If she was able to, she would be there for you. Even she was getting older and couldn't do the stuff that use to do, she would always still try to get up and do something.

Sadly, she is no longer on this earth. She passed away about three years ago from Alzheimer's disease. Even though that she had it, you can still tell that she remember somethings. There were plenty of moments when I tried to cook her something to eat, and she wouldn't eat it because it wasn't up to her standard. That was when I knew she was still there. Then there were other times when I would talk to her, and she would have no idea who I was. I will be honest with ya. Those moments break my heart. I knew it wasn't her fault, but yet I wish she still could remember.

I remember the morning of the day she passed away. I was heading to work, and I went to her room to see her before I left. I gave her a hug and kiss (like usual). Just before I left, she said something to me that I will remember for the rest of my life. She told me, "I raised to two great young men." She was talking about my brother, Ryan, and me. I smiled when she said that, but it didn't think that would be the last thing she would ever say to me.

When I learned that she had passed away, I broke down. I knew that any day it could happen, but it didn't want it to. She was my grannie. My best friend. I never wanted her to leave my side. I know that she was family to every one, and she was special to all of us in the family. I will have to say though that I felt that she was only MY grannie. I was loved her so much (and still do to this day). I am just glad to know that she is not hurting anymore.

I want people to know that someone like my great grandmother only comes once in a lifetime. She was someone I know I will never be able to meet again. I just hope she knows that she was such a big influence in my life, and I thank her so much for everything she has done. I hope that when my time comes, I can come somewhere as close of a great and grand person that she was. I love and miss you Grannie.

This post was inspired by a blog post by Lara Parker, editor for Buzzfeed, called On Being Left Behind.

This Block Is A B!tch

So I want to start of by saying that, for me, writing has been an easy way to talk about whatever is on my mind. No matter how big or small, this blog has been the place I could let you guys how whats going on in my brain. Lately I've been having some sort of writer's block going on, and I will tell you one thing about this block. It has been a complete bitch to me (sorry not sorry for the language). Let me explain.

As many of you know, writing has never been a forte of mine most of my life. I never really enjoyed doing writing assignments during school, but that changed ever since I decided to start blogging last year. Now I have people telling me that my writing is actually good. Can you believe that? Someone who never thought of making writing a career, and people enjoy what I write.

Now that I know that I can somewhat write something that people want to read, I want to continue on with this. Enter the writer's block. Lately I have thought about certain things I want to talk about on my blog that I am really interested in or want to speak my mind on. The problem is would people be willing to actually take time from their day and read what I am saying. I know put a lot of effort into what I post, and I want to make sure that people are actually gonna read them. This is when I get to worrying about if people will read my stuff. What if they see the title and decide it not something they want to read? What if they start to read, but they get bored by what I say or don't understand my side? This is what I think about all the time.

Now I have friends who I talk to who say to just write what you want. That my true followers will be interested in what I have to say and will still enjoy it no matter what. I know that what they say is true, but I always have that little voice in my head saying, "You know that people won't like this." It's hard for me to believe that people actually enjoy stuff that I put out into the universe. It's always been a flaw of mine. I'm usually my biggest enemy.

I am hoping that this post will get me to understand that I should just write what I want. I know there will be some people out there who might feel the same as I do. I won't say that everybody goes through this, but I might have at least one person can relate. Whoever you maybe just know that you are not alone. I am going your pain as well. Just know that we can make our writing our passion as well. We just need to let that little voice in our head that says we can't do it out the door and figure out how we can show the world that we can do it!! Hope this wasn't too long of a post for y'all. I just need to speak my mind and let you know how I truly been feeling lately.

Take Your Own Advice

I would like to think that I am a good friend. Usually when a friend is in trouble, I try to be there for them. I know I can't always be there for them physically; however, if I can be able to help give advice or tell them what I think of a situation, I will. Last week was prime example of that.

I have a friend who I haven't talked to in a while. We was just catching up with lost time and what not. I asked how life been treating them, and she informed me that it's not like how she wished it could be. Found out her relationship with her boyfriend is not going as well as planned. Now I felt bad for her because it was similar to how my pervious relationship was like before I met Whitney. If you know how that relationship was, you know it was not a good one.

I told her that if she isn't happy and have so much doubt that she needs to leave. It's not always easy to leave a relationship, especially if you tried so hard to get things right with them. After that long talk, she understood where I was coming from. Then we got into talking about stuff going on for me. I told her that married life has been awesome (as y'all already know), but I'm not as happy with where I am at in life. Talked about how I am trying to do things, but nothing is clicking like I wish they could.

She kept on telling me that things will get better. She known me for about five years, and she knows how much I have done in my life. She told me that if I was able to leave my bad relationship and get such a wonderful person like Whitney in my life, I could easily get out of my situation. The crazy thing about this is that I have told plenty of people the same thing.

Like I said before, I usually am good on giving people some good advice. Not saying that I am always right but I do help out as much as I can. It's just sometimes I don't take my own advice when I need it in my life. I always have dreams or things I want to do, but I put them to the side because I feel like I have to do the "responsible" things.

Then I read this Daily Grit written by Stephanie Davis. In it she talked about how she wanted to do photography for magazines, but she decided not to follow her dream and just go for the reasonable things in life. She went on doing other things when a friend informed her that a magazine was looking for interns, and she jumped on that in a instant.

I know I have always told people to follow their dreams, and things will get better. Why haven't I followed that same advice? I've always felt scared about going for them, but I know that I CAN do it. I am a very successful person, but I have fallen a few times. The good thing about me is that no matter how many times I have went down, I have gotten up more times. I think that I can really say that now more than ever is gonna be the time when I actually do something for me. I'm not gonna worry about what people might think about it, but I will do this to make me happy. I deserve to have great things in my life, and I deserve to follow my dreams. They might not come to me by the end of the week, but I do know that I will one day be able to say that went for my dreams and got them all. Taking your own advice can be hard times, but it's always the best thing to do.

What I've Learned From Being Married

I have been married for over half a year now, and since then not much has changed during that time. Like I said in my past post, it still feels the same like it was before we got married. Now there are those times where work will get the best of us(like it does for most people), but we are always there for each other. Now I know there are some people who about to get married or who have already been married for a while, so I want to give y'all some advice that I've learned over the last few months.

DON'T EXPECT MUCH

Now before you say anything, hear me out on this. When you get married, you think that everything has to change and will need to do big things. While some of that might be true, don't think that you have to do this to have a successful marriage. Sometimes being simple will make the marriage even more enjoyable. You don't always have to go out every evening. I know for me, staying at home with the wifey and cooking dinner is always better than going to a restaurant. Now with that being said, this will go into the next advice.

DON'T THINK LESS

You want to make your marriage as simple and easy as possible, but that does not mean to be boring. Don't be complacent. Just because you usually do things a certain way or go to the same places all the time does not mean you cannot change things up. If y'all usually stay in for dinner, then one night just go out for a dinner date. Maybe go to a nice lounge or a jazz club and enjoy a night out in the city. It doesn't always have to be a big date, but try to make things different than the norm.

ENJOY THE LITTLE MOMENTS

Every couple has a few couple of little things they like about each other. Do not lose that!! When things get rough, you can always count on your spouse to bring a smile to your face. Example for me is when Whitney and I will randomly think of a Family Guy reference. Another is when we cook dinner together because it allow us to talk and just catch up on the day. There are little things that you like to do with each other, so enjoy them with your partner.

LEAN ON YOUR SPOUSE

This one is very important. Like I said before, life can be rough at times. When you have a hard day a work, your spouse is always there when you get home to help make things better. In your vows, you say that you are there for your partner through the good and bad times and vice versa. You might feel like you have no one to talk about sometime, but you do. That person is your husband or wife. I bet you that they are more than willing to listen to you(even if they have nothing to put into the conversation).

Marriage is not an easy thing. There will be many bumps in the road, but things always turn out for the better. It just take a step by step process to make your marriage an awesome one. Now remember, I am not an expert on marriage. I do know that these things have worked for me. I hope that some of this will help you out as well in your future or current marriage.

Can I Be Honest?

 So as you can tell, I haven't written a post in a while. Yea, I know. I'm sorry. Things happen. Life happens. There have been plenty of times that I want to write about certain things(which I probably will later), but you just feel like people might not want to hear about it. Sometimes, as a writer, you want to share your feeling about stuff, but you don't want to step on people's toes. Even right now, it's hard for me to say what's on my mind because you don't want to always sound like you are venting out too much.

Lately, I have gotten some comments on my blog about how people like how I am honest on here. I always want to be sure I let y'all know who I am and what I am thinking, but do it in a respectful way. I always think about what people might feel about what I say before I write, and lately that has caused me to not write as much.

As anyone else felt like this before? Have you ever had things you want to get off your chest but didn't do it because you didn't want to step on people's toes or come off the wrong way? I'm probably thinking too much on stuff. Who knows. I just wanted to come on here and let y'all know whats been going on with me and my mind. I hope to write back again soon, but the next time have more good things to talk about. Hope y'all have a safe and happy Fourth of July.

I Do Care

You may always hear that life is short, and you shouldn't waste a moment of it. People who say that are right. You never know what might come up the next day. You may never know when you last day is.

I bring this subject up because I have noticed that some of my friends have lost their family members. Earlier this morning a friend from high school had his grandfather pass away earlier this morning. Just last week, two of my from friends' moms passed away. This is days after Mother's Day. This really let's you know that just because you see them yesterday does not mean you will see them tomorrow.

I know we live in a world where everyone is busy and has hardly enough time for themselves(I have been one of them), but we aren't too busy to let someone know we care about them. Time is precious and limited. I know this from experience.

I had a cousin I hung out all the time when we were kids. I could remember the times we stay at each other's house and play video games or just watch wrestling together. As we grew up, we did our own things. He played football, and I was in the band. We always saw each other at special family events but never hung out like we used to. We always try to hang out, but our schedules wouldn't work out. Then a few years ago, I found out that someone shot and killed him. That moment felt so unreal. I never thought he would leave this world that soon, but he did.

I am not trying to have a sob moment. What I am trying to get out is that life is too short to not let people know how much you care about. No matter if it's a friend, family, coworker, or whoever it is let them know that you care. If you haven't seen them in a while, take some time out and go out for a drink or lunch. Spend quality time together and catch up on lost time.

I wish I could bring my cousin back, so we can hang out more. I sadly cannot do that. There is one thing I can do though. I can spend as much time as I can with the people I care and love with now while they are still around. I hope you will do that same and make every moment count.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Earlier in the week, Whitney and I decided to head down to Regions Field and watch the Birmingham Barons play. The last time we went to a game was for an event Whitney had for her job. Not saying that last time we couldn't have fun, but when you are there for business it can be difficult at times.

Before we went to the game, we met up with our friend Marable over at Good People for a quick brew. If you haven't been there since the new changes for the taproom, you need to change that. I will always have a special place in my heart for Good People(especially since they were craft brewery I ever had in my life).

We didn't stay long over there because we had to make sure we headed over to the game. Luckily they were doing a doubleheader, so we didn't miss too much. It was also $.50 hot dog night. Now we didn't go crazy this time(especially since I got the hot dog burps), but we did get to enjoy some quality times with our friends and see our hometown boys win the first game.

I love sitting over here.

Now once the second game started, I had to enjoy one more brew(since beer sales would end at the top of the 5th inning). Now I tried to take a picture of my beer, but some random ginger came around and got in it. LoL

Jess getting in the pic.

Whitney and I didn't stay for the whole second game, but we did decide to head to J Clyde for some dessert. We got the Irish Cream Bread Pudding. That stuff was so good. You should get it the next time when you go to J Clyde. I also decided to pair it with a Brother Joseph from Straight to Ale.

I would have to say that baseball, $.50 hot dogs, good beers, and awesome friends will make a baseball game awesome to go to. Hope everyone can have a chance to go to a Barons game this season.

Five Points to Five Points South

If you live in the Birmingham area, you should know about Five Point South. It's one of my favorite places to go in the city. No matter if you are looking for a place to eat, drink, shop, or just have fun, it all can happen in that one little place. Now it can be hard to figure out a place to go if you never been there before. Well that's why I am gonna give you my Five Points(aka favorite places) to go when you in the Five Point South area.

The J Clyde

Let's start off with a place that everyone knows about. J Clyde has been a staple to city for over the last five years. Being known for one the best bars in the state and in America(in multiple magazines), J Clyde is place where you can come in for great food and beer. You won't find any Bud or Coors at the Cobb Lane establishment, but you do have a huge choice of craft beers available to help you in find something new for your beer list. Great people, food, and beers are all the reasons why you should stop by J Clyde.


Blue Monkey Lounge

Located right next door to J Clyde is another popular bar. Blue Monkey Lounge is a great place to go after a long day at work. This place is very intimate and can be a great place to bring a date. There are also different rooms to where if you have a bigger party, you can have the around as well. Make sure to be there on Tuesday for Tini Tuesdays. They have a list of about 10-12 different martinis for $5. You can't beat that price anyway. If you are into cigar, they have a nice selection for you as well. No matter if you are inside or outside on the nice patio, Blue Monkey is an awesome place to go.


Ranelli's

Now you probably have seen this place before but never thought it was open. The exterior might look like it run down, but the inside of Ranelli's is still going strong. For over 40 years, Ranelli's has being making some awesome Italian food. From the different selection of subs to lasagna to spaghetti, you can not go wrong with anything they have there. If you want a beer to help wash down the food, they have that for you too. If you ever need a place to go for lunch, Ranelli's is the spot for you.


T-Bones Authentic Philly Style Cheesesteaks and Hoagies

T-Bones is not a new place in Southside area, but the location is though. Formerly located in Highlands near Western, T-Bones sit in the old Camp Taco location right next World of Beer. Once you step in you can smell all the goodness that is a Philly Cheesesteak. Now this is the place I had my very first cheesesteak in my life. Yea, I know I am late, but I am glad I came here for it. The flavors are there in the sandwich, and their fries are pretty awesome as well. The earliest they close is at 10p, so you have no excuse not to try them out.

Insomnia Cookies

This last place is still a fairly new place in the area, but it has gotten some crazy attention since it has been around. Insomnia Cookies is a place where you can get some really delicious cookies. When I say delicious, I mean warm and taste like they came right out of the oven good. One thing about them is that they deliver. Yes, that's right. You can have these cookies delivered to your home. Not only that but they do not close until 3AM. If you are out partying late or just need a place for a late night sweet tooth fixer, then Insomnia Cookies is the place to stop by.

I know there are plenty more place I could talk about, but I figured that five place would be plenty. Hope you can stop by some of these places and give them some love. While we are at it, what is your favorite place to go when over in Five Point South?

Love Some Podcast

For years people always talked listening to podcast. You would hear commercials about a new podcast episode coming up in the next few days. I was not one of those people who would listen to them. I really didn't think I would find anything interesting or waste my time listening to them. Then a couple of months ago, I decided to give it a shot. Now I am loving them. Today I want to tell you about my top five podcast I usually listen to on a regular.

Another Round with Heben and Tracy

This fairly new Buzzfeed podcast show is hosted by two of their writers, Heben(pronounced like Heaven) and Tracy. In their shows they focus on subjects about race, pop culture, and things going on in their every day life. Oh yeah, there will be lots and lots of drinking going on(hence the name "Another Round"). They usually will have special guest on their shows, tell a few jokes, and even talks about squirrels. Wanna know why they would talk about squirrels? You gotta listen to the podcast to find out.

Beer Geeks Radio Hour

What do you have when you get four guys on a radio show that about beer for an hour? You get the Beer Geeks Radio Hour. It's a radio show based out of Pennsylvania where they have about four to five beers from one particular brewery. Some of the breweries are well known, and others you may night have heard of. At the end of the show though you will get a better respect for that brewery and how they come up with their brews.

Birmingham Life

Just like Another Round, Birmingham Life is a fairly new podcast show. It's brought to you by the people of Discover Birmingham. The host of the show, Antwon and Matt, talk about Birmingham and everything around. Things from events, shows, concerts, and even in their every day lives.

TED Radio Hour

If you listen to NPR, you probably already know about this show. If not, you should start. This show, hosted by Guy Raz, talk about a different subject each week and get different speeches from TED Talk forums from across the world. I know that since I have been listening, I have learned alot about things I never thought I would be interested in. If you ever want to learn something, give this podcast a try.

StoryCorps

Have you ever wanted to interview someone special in your life? See how what they think about something, or ask them how their life was? Well that is pretty much what StoryCorp is about. This podcast brings interviews done by people, like you or me, and they get interview someone really important to them. No matter if it's a family member, friend, or someone they might have changed they life, we get to learn that we all have some similarities to one another.

I hope that maybe one or all of these podcast become a new favorite of yours. What are some podcast you like to listen to? Please share and spread the word.

From Across the Pond

Since I started blogging I have met soo many different people. Most of them are from Birmingham. The I will usually get to meet a person from across the pond in London. Today you get to meet one of those people as well. Her name is Angela, and her blog's name is The Awkward Blog. She is pretty cool and laid back lady(if I do say so myself). Today, you will get know her from a quick little interview I did with her. So ladies and gents, here is Angela.

1. For the people who don't know you, tell them about your blog?

Well, firstly- HI! I'm Angela, a London based blogger and freelance writer person, and I write the Awkward Blog. I write about anything and everything, so I consider it to be a 'lifestyle' blog for the sake of having a box to tick- there's a lot about food, fun things to do or see in London, and personal essays. 

2. So you are from across the pond. What is one thing you want the people of America to know about your love of London?

You know that scene from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Paul Rudd's character exclaims "You sound like you're from LANDAN!" Cracks me up everytime! London is my home and like any city it's fast paced, eclectic and so diverse; apparently every language in the world is spoken in London. I love it all; there's always somewhere and some place new to explore. My blog is a London journal of sorts; it's everything I encounter in this maddening city. Also, fish and chips isn't a thing here. Go to the seaside for that. 

3. You will be a newlywed soon. Congrats on your upcoming wedding. Are you ready for the big day?

Thanks! No and also, yes! Wedding planning, that's a little bubble of 'fun' no one tells you about! I can't wait for the big day, but the lead up and organisation has been so stressful. I have learnt that a wedding is not your day, but everyone else's day! My fiance and I have been together for 12 years, so for us it's not a huge deal in the commitment sense, we just want everyone to have fun at the end of the day. 

4. I've notice that you have done a lot of post on going out to different restaurants. What is your favorite food to eat, and what kind of adult drink do you tend to go for?

Vodka. Hands down my favourite beverage after hours. I usually have it with Coke or lemonade. Wine and gin are nice from time to time, but they give me headaches really quickly so only in moderation. In Summer, my favourite drink - and it's a British thing, I think- is Pimms. It's a gin based liqueur and you mix it with lemonade, sliced oranges, strawberries and cucumbers and it's the most refreshing drink ever. 

Food wise- I've been to many a fancy restaurant but I'm probably happiest when it's kept simple. I grew up in Asia so street food is like a home comfort to me; buying fruit from a cart and munching it on the beach, or grabbing a bunch of sticky chicken satay skewers on the way home. The best pho I ever had was in Thailand from a street cart, by the side of a road. I'm so happy that the street food scene in London has blown up! My favourite thing at the moment are steamed bao buns. Those little pillowy pockets of deliciousness are a weak spot. 

5. You are not just a blogger, but you are a freelance writer. Is there any difference between the two or do they have any similarities?

I feel like there is a difference. On the blog, I can say what I like and be as chatty and off topic as I like. But when it's a post or a job, you have to take into consideration that company's tone of voice and keep within their brand. It's just like minding your P's and Q's in front of relatives versus blowing a raspberry at your sibling.

6. Last one. If you have a chance to come to the states, what state would you like to visit and why?

We're actually looking into having our honeymoon stateside! I've always wanted to visit Hawaii and Robin has always wanted to go to San Francisco, so there's a possibility of a west coast road trip of some sort later this year. Id love to see the giant Redwoods in Yosemite too. But I'd also love to explore the South; a friend of mine lives in New Orleans, and I'd like to check out Nashville too. We made it to New York a couple of years ago, but never got further than Brooklyn. In an ideal world, I'd love to have a few weeks just exploring America- every State seems to have it's own identity that I want to see and get to know better.

Thanks to Angela for taking time out of her day to do this. You should go over to her blog, The Awkward Blog, and learn more about her. You can follow her on Instagram @theawkwardblog and on Twitter @theawkwardblog. Make sure you tell her that Ralph sent ya!!

When I Met Bimingham

Recently I started listening to a fairly new podcast called "Birmingham Life" that was done by the people from Discover Birmingham. The hosts of the show, Antwon and Matt(shoutout to them), talk about everything going on around the city. These things can include events they went to during the weekend, new restaurants that are opening up, or big news about the city.

In one of their episodes, they were talking about how they met Birmingham. Now let me start off by saying that both of them are from Birmingham. You might think that if you are from here, you have already been introduce to the city. In a way you are correct but that doesn't mean you MET the city. Everyone has different ways of how they officially met this wonderful town. Like most things in life, some experiences were good and others not as good. Check out the podcast to see how Antwon and Matt were introduce to The Magic City.

This got me to to think about something, "When was the time that I first really met Birmingham?" I mean, I have lived here all my life. I've lived in Downtown, East Lake, Tarrant, Roebuck, Huffman, Center Point, and Trussville(yea, I've been all over the place). I could remember going to the mall with my mom or just different places with family. Even though I have been around the city, I never really just experienced the city for real.

As I grew older, I would continue to do the same things and go the same places. Not having a car of my own made it even harder for me because I would always have to depend on friends or family to give me a ride around.

I still did not have a car by the time I went to UAB. Luckily the campus was very walkable, so I didn't need a ride to too many things(unless it was a party outside of campus). I can remember living on campus and during the evening time just walking around with my headphones on. I would just walk and listen to my music as I explored around the campus. This is when I really met her. I was actually introduce to Birmingham.

If you don't know much about UAB, it takes up pretty much most of the southside of Birmingham. With that being said, I would do some long walks around the undergrad and graduate areas. I wouldn't go into the building, but I would try to see different things. These time walking and listening to music made me experience the city in a new way. I would almost make the city like my canvas and I was the painter. Listening to different songs would give me a different picture I would want to paint. I would also see things I would see if I didn't have my music on.

After my time at UAB, I would then want to explore different store or restaurants that I never been to. This really opened my eyes to what Birmingham had to offer. I notice how we had some great restaurants around. I saw some great concerts at places like Zydeco and Bottletree. The more I got to see Birmingham, the more I noticed how special the place was. Even today, I am noticing all the amazing changes that are going around.

Now I don't think I will ever quit learning new things about the city, but I really don't want to stop. Birmingham has grown so much, and it's awesome to see how much life is coming from it. Birmingham, keep changing but don't change who you truly are.

When was the first time you met Birmingham? Was it a good or bad experience?