Jamie Foxx and I got married !!

It's no secret that I have had a relationship with Jamie for years.  (If only in my mind) but I think it's time that he knows.  Don't you think?  I mean, my former co-workers and my fellow Mocha Mom's have all experienced my intense LIKE for him.  Even my Granny knows.  His movie "Jarhead" was on at her house.  I mention that "my husband" was on.  Without missing a beat, she knew whom I was speaking of. 

Ok, so we haven't exactly exchanged vows (to each other), but we have shared some very intimate time together.  Like at the American Music Awards in 2002.  We were at the after party backstage.  We stood next to each other. Very Intimate. I mean, there was no real eye contact, but I'm sure it's because he was shy.   Or like the time I was at his concert at San Manuel in Highland, CA.   We were singing Do What It Do together.  He looked deep in my eyes as we sang the lyrics in duet.  In fact, no one else was there.  It was just him and I.  (I mean, sure I road over there with my cousin and there were thousands of folks with tickets who attended the show, but still).....there was no one else there.....And that time at the Gibson Amphitheater. It was as if the rest of the thousands of people screaming didn't exist.  I could see it in his eyes, too.

Now, I feel it necessary to set the record straight about our relationship.  I'm sure you have seen the instances where he was "allegedly kissing Fantasia" and was caught in lip-lock with one Ms. Halle Berry.  What you can not see in the footage that was aired, is that it was pretend and he didn't even enjoy it.  I support my man in his work and realize that he will have to do some things that he doesn't want to do for his craft. As we all saw in the movie "Ray", that he is an amazing actor. Did I mention he is an Academy Award Winner?  Yeah, so just because it looked like there was legitimate passion in those two separate situations, he was just acting, just so we're clear.

Another thing you probably don't know about Eric, publicly known as Jamie.  (Oh, yeah I have other endearing names for him, but those are private.  He wouldn't want that information to get out.)  Anyway, what you don't know is that before he even laid eyes on me he wrote this song for me:

Yeah he wanted to express his love for me in a very unique way, and so he wrote it.  He hasn't had the chance to sing it to me yet, because he has been very busy.  But he will sing it me soon.  And when we re-new our vows he will sing this one for me:

Isn't he romantical? (I heard that term in a romantic movie once).  I just love him.  Although I was a little embarrassed when he used a personal issue between us in a song called "Fall For Your Type":

I forgave him, though.  Our love is deeper than that....Like my song says, "wider than my arms can reach....wider than the ocean......" Yeah he's got me wide open and I'm not ashamed to say it.  Now if I could just get him to return my calls. My friend says that just because I have encountered his security once or twice doesn't mean that Jamie and I actually are in a relationship.  What do you think?  I am a firm believer that if you put positivity out there, you will get it back.  So I am positive that Jamie loves me as much as I love him....maybe even more.   

Brush With Greatness #2 ~ Remembering Barry White

In my house when I was a little girl, you hear the sounds of the O'Jays, Bobby Womack, EWF and the man himself, Barry White. I believed my mom when she said she was going to marry Barry.  I heard it so often that it became apart of my everyday life.  And so was his music. Of course as a kid, you "say" you don't like your parent's music...but I grew to love him as much .....ok maybe not as much as my mom.  So I guess I should have seen it coming when I got a frantic call from her while I was in midst of work. Boy did I get an EARFUL! 

I started working as the Maitre'd for Georgia Brown's Restaurant in Washington D.C. while I was attending Howard University. I was also the Events Coordinator.  (On some weekends,  I also performed during Sunday Jazz Brunch). Having just opened at the time, it quickly became the hot spot for private events, birthday dinners, anniversaries, you name it. (I had a couple who were celebrating their wedding anniversary try to set me up with their God-son who wasn't even there with them. lol He actually turned out to be a very nice guy.)

Like Luther Vandross' staff before him, Barry White's team arranged to have a luncheon at the restaurant, in which I believe the attendees were radio contest winners.....or something like that.  As you might imagine, it was quite a mad-house with Mr. White's staff wanting to make sure every detail was perfect and the 30 or so attendees itching to get closer to him.  My head was spinning, because although it was truly a team-effort to make things run smoothly, it was my name Mr. White's staff was accustomed to calling for assistance. My job was to make them happy and be sure that the GB staff were well-informed on what was expected.  In the midst of it all, Mike (my manager)  tells me "You have a call".  I asked if he could run interference for me......then he says "It's your mom". Knowing that my mom wasn't the type to be kept on hold, I immediately took the call.  

The first thing out of her mouth was, "Why didn't you tell me my husband was going to be there?".  Respectfully, I tell her that she had some competition because every other woman in the building had their eyes on him.  She was not happy about that.......because in her mind, he was all hers.  It's funny how we always have an image of young girls trying to get to Justin Beiber....these "mature" women weren't any better.  There were women who showed up just because they "heard" he'd be there. Man, the energy in that room was nothing like I had felt before.  GROWN WOMAN energy.......you gotta be grown to understand it. ;) 

Here's wishing Mr. Barry White a Happy Birthday.  Thank you for being on the soundtrack of my life....and for almost being my step-dad.  RIP, Mr. White.

September 12, 1944 - July 4, 2003

Barry White:  http://www.biography.com/articles/Barry-White-9542507

I Will Never Forget

I was just waking up on that Tuesday morning.  My Aunt Doris calls and says to turn on the TV.  At that moment as I watched what was unfolding, what it meant to be "free" changed after seeing the plane collide with the second tower.  Witnessing the scrabble of the newscasters to catch their breath and determine if there were still other flights being hijacked in real-time.  Did terrorist just manage to pull-off the biggest terror attack in American History?  They did indeed.

Just three days earlier, I was indecisive if I should board my United Airlines flight from Newark to Ontario, CA or switch my flight to Tuesday morning so that I could finish packing up the house I was moving out of.  I had just two weeks to tie up loose ends in New Jersey and get to California to help nurse my mom back to health after surgery (which was scheduled for 9/12/2001).  My first thought was that the only prep I would need prior to her surgery was just "getting there" and being able to meet with doctors, etc.  I concluded that anything that I had not packed was not as important, so I kept my itinerary and left on Saturday, September 8, 2001.  

As I stayed glued to the T.V. , like most everyone else, I then heard that there was indeed a plane that had been hijacked that recently left Newark, New Jersey early that morning en route to San Francisco. United Airlines flight number 93.  The same flight I would have been on had I decided to leave on Tuesday instead.  Now, whether you believe it was shot down or crashed due to a struggle in the cockpit near Somerset, Pennsylvania, all 45 people died.  At that moment I felt so many emotions at once.  Sadness for those that lost their lives.  Relief that I chose to fly on the "right" day.  Guilt for not having taken the call from my ex-boyfriend who worked in the towers before I left Jersey.   (I later found out that he made it out of the tower and had quite a story to tell.)  Grateful that I was with my immediate family when tragedy struck.  

As I have talked about in interviews,  I often write songs when the "spirit" moves me to do so.  I feel closest to God when my mind is uncluttered and am able to hear Him whisper in my ear.  I believe when I wrote the lyrics to "Free", it happened just like that.  

Lew (Laing) sent me the track and it made me think of the old days.......so I wanted to pay homage to Donny Hathaway (Someday We'll All Be Free) but also take us back to the days when our kids could play outside without worrying....even not coming home til the street lights came on.  As a nation, we can also add to that list remembering back in the day when going to through airport security wasn't so invasive.  Yeah, those were the days, but you know what?  I'd rather be overprotected than under-protected. 

In the weeks and even months that followed those tragic events, we as a nation stood together and re-instated the slogan United We Stand.  Regretfully, on this 10-year anniversary of 9/11, we have gotten away from that togetherness we once used to get us through those tough days post-9/11.  Sadly, we are still "fighting in the streets in absence of peace and losing our way"....(including the bickering & fighting that is taking place in the Nation's Capital).  SN:  It shouldn't have taken so long to get the bill passed to cover the 9/11 first responders for the healthcare coverage they so desperately need and deserve.

I don't profess to have the answers to curing the ills of the world, but I do believe it to be possible.  After all, "Donny used to say "we'll all be free"......and because he said it, I have hope that it will be so.  

Saying a prayer today for those families that lost loved ones on that day and for the men and women who continue to fight for our country in the name of freedom.