On January 1, 2014 I announced via this blog and social media that I would exercise every day this year. It's mid-April and I haven't missed a day yet. 

For my workout on Saturday I walked 3.1 miles while people threw handfuls of brightly colored cornstarch at me. Yes, that's right, on Saturday I participated in the race known as Color Me Rad. 

Color Me Rad is a 5K that "fires off in a blaze of color bombs, color cannons, color mortars, and multi-toned courses." In each city Color Me Rad is held a portion of the proceeds from the race is donated to a local charity that partners with CMR. Birmingham's race benefitted the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama. 

Despite the heat, the hills and the itchy cornstarch my cousin Tasha and I had a blast during our trek around the Hoover Met on Saturday. My cousin is still recovering from an ankle injury so we chose to walk, not run, the race, but we got in a great workout nonetheless and had a great time.

I'm always telling my friends that exercise should be fun and Saturday's race reminded me to practice what I preach. I wasn't concerned about how long it took me to complete the race. I wasn't checking my Polar fitness watch to see how many calories I'd burned. I was just having fun.

Here are more pictures from the race:

I think Big Foot came to the race too!

A conga line broke out at the after party!

Last night I attended my first vision board party. This wasn't my first time creating a vision board, but it was my first time doing so with a group. It was much more fun working on this project with my girlfriends at a local crafts shop than alone in my living room.

Eager to make a vision board of your own? Here's how to do it:

Decide on the purpose of your board. Will your board illustrate your goals for the year? Will you fill it with images that represent the items on your bucket list? Will your board represent all the places to which you wish to travel? Or will your board simply be filled with images and words that make you happy? It's your board so you decide what you want from it. I decided that my board would represent my list of 33 things I want to do while I'm 33.

Make a list and check it twice. Draft a list of the goals or destinations that you'll seek to represent with your board. Make a list of things that make you happy. Or make a list of themes. To guide the creation of my board, I used my list of 33 things and a list of themes -- things that are important to me and that define who I am such as faith, feminism, fitness, writing and blogging, my marriage, my friendships, empowering women and girls, etc.

Browse your favorite magazines. Flip throughout several magazines to search for images. Inevitably, while looking for images you will come across articles you want to read. Just tear out these articles and put them in a folder. Read them later, not while you're searching for pictures. Otherwise, this process will take hours or even days to complete.

Cut and paste. Once you have your images, it's time to create your board. I'm a bit of a neat freak when it comes to vision boards. Before pasting down anything, I neatly arrange my images on my board until everything is just right. Then I take a picture of the board (I know, I need help.). Finally, I paste the images in place. This may not be your style. You may want a fun collage-like board with diagonal overlapping images. The key is for your board to represent you.

My board certainly screams Javacia! On it you'll find images of women who inspire me such as Lean In author Sheryl Sandberg, Queen Beyonce, musicians Solange and Janelle Monae, artist Frida Kahlo and fitness guru Jillian Michaels. I have images representing my fitness goals and my writing goals, and I even included an image to remind me to spend more quality time with my husband. I have a picture of 17-year-old Tavi Gevinson not just because she's editor of Rookie Mag and completely awesome, but also as a reminder of all the young feminists I want to help and inspire.

Before you start making your board you'll probably have an idea (a vision) of how you want it to look. Chances are, though, once you start putting it together things will change and it won't turn out exactly how you imagined. That's OK. After all, life is like that, isn't it? Your path probably looks different than the one you thought you'd be traveling. But remember to enjoy the journey and don't forget to delight in the detours.

Yesterday I celebrated my 33rd birthday. Actually, I celebrated all weekend, spending time with family and friends and eating entirely too much cake.

The highlight of the weekend, however, was a big blue poster I found tacked to my classroom door Friday morning.

Several of my female students worked together to create for me a fabulously feminist birthday card complete with a drawing of Beyonce, a portrait of Frida Kahlo and sketches of Hester Prynne and Kate Chopin tossing patriarchy in a trash can! And the messages they wrote to me brought tears to my eyes.  Many of them said I was their favorite teacher or the best English teacher they've ever had. One student said that when she feels hopeless or incapable of doing something difficult she thinks of what I would say to her. Two of the girls called me a queen! But little do they know, they are all royalty in my eyes. They have no idea how much they inspire me.

One young woman (the mastermind behind the birthday poster) wrote: "You have helped me grow into myself." But this is exactly what all these girls have done for me. They've helped me become the woman I was meant to be.

In a TEDxWomen interview that I love, Gloria Steinem defines aging as "becoming more of my authentic self." But she goes on to point out the irony of aging for women. When we are girls we are fearless and fierce, climbing trees and plotting plans to rule the world. Then, Steinem says, we are stamped with gender roles and become confined by society's stereotypes of what a girl should and should not be.

But then we age. And as we age we become more and more liberated from the notion that it is necessary to conform. We become that fierce, fearless girl again. "You're the same feisty person, but now you have your own apartment," Steinem says with a laugh.

My students, particularly my female students, remind me of my teenage self. And though young Javacia was full of the insecurities that most teen girls battle, she was also full of dreams and dogged determination. She believed every "No" could be turned into a "Yes."

And though I didn't have my own apartment, I was fortunate enough to have a room of my own and this room was my queendom. My room was my sacred space in which to create. My room was where I wrote songs, speeches, short stories and poems. I wrote in my journal every day. Blogging didn't exist so there were no thoughts of pageviews or landing freelance gigs. Back then I was a true artist, writing simply because I loved to do so. I wrote simply because I couldn't help myself.

I am becoming that girl again, which is making me a better woman.

And I want to be a better woman not for myself, but for all those girls I have the privilege and honor to teach.

I just hope they know how much they're teaching me, too.

My birthday is Sunday, but I decided to start the celebration today by drafting a list of 33 things I'd like to do while I'm 33.

1. Lead a Jesus Feminist small group. 
2. Build my upper body strength so that I can do 50 consecutive military-style push ups.
3. Run in the Birmingham Color Me Rad race.
4. Participate in the Vulcan Run.
5. Conquer my fear of Pure Barre.
6. Climb a rock wall.
7. Reach my happy weight.
8. Get Jillian Michaels to retweet me.
9. Attend TEDx Birmingham.
10. Start planning the See Jane Write Creative Conference.
11. Start a newsletter. 
12. Land my own column in a local publication.
13. Land my own column in a national publication.
14. Write for xoJane.com.
15. Write for Hello Giggles.
16. Write for For Harriet.
17. Write for Feministe.com
18. Write for Ebony.com
19. Write for Essence.com
20. Pitch a story idea to one of my favorite national magazines. 
21. Guest blog for Erika Napoletano.
22. Guest blog for Jeff Goins.
23. Guest blog for Sarah Bessey.
24. Buy a good camera and learn how to use it.
25. Learn how to shoot and edit video and start video blogging.
26. Give my blog a makeover.
27. Give myself a makeover.
28. Streamline and organize my life – online and offline.
29. Revamp my syllabus and lesson plans for my literature course and my Women and Media class. 
30. Go on a weekend getaway to New Orleans with hubster.
31. Take a trip with my girls. 
32. Read all the books I own.
33. Pay down my credit card debt.   

I'm an English teacher, so I like themes. 

My theme for February is simple: lean in. 

This month I'll be rereading Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg's wildly popular book on women in leadership, with a group of women from the Birmingham Girls Club. 

But that's not the only reason I've chosen the charge to "lean in" as my mantra for the month. 

In February I want to not only lean in to leadership, but I also want to lean in to life.

I'll be doing plenty of reading this month. In addition to the Lean In reading challenge with BGC, I'll also be participating in a virtual book club that's reading the e-book An Inspired Life, by Katie Hilbert of the blog A Place to Dwell. In the book Hilbert discusses the idea of leaning in to the different seasons of your life. She writes:

If I'm leaning into my season I'm embracing it, living it, and loving it -- despite its rough edges and imperfections.  

Leaning into your season isn't about ignoring your future it's about getting the most you can out of each day as you more toward new seasons and experiences. 

So while I will remain focused on my goals for 2014, this month I will also strive to enjoy each moment of each day. 

What is your theme for the month of February? 

So…during my 30th birthday celebration this happened.

For the first time in my life I am not looking forward to my birthday.

If you know me well, you know I love birthdays -- not just my birthday but everybody's! I consider a birthday a perfect reason to have a party. But in about two weeks I'll be turning 33 and this year I don't feel like celebrating.

It's like I'm having the blues most folks get when they're turning 30, but three years later.

As my 33rd birthday approaches I've been sitting around thinking of all the things I had hoped to accomplish by now that I haven't.

I realize this makes me an ungrateful brat.

I realize that instead of dwelling on dreams that haven't come to fruition I should be thanking God for the ones that have. Instead of focusing on the things I don't have in my life, I should be counting my blessings.

I have lived all over the country and traveled to Puerto Rico, Nicaragua and Canada.

I have a master's degree from one of the best public institutions in the country -- UC Berkeley.

I have interviewed celebrities like Jamie Foxx and Ani DiFranco.

I have seen my byline in the Chicago Sun Times, The Seattle Times, USA Today and a number of national magazines.

I married my best friend.

I have the privilege of teaching smart, funny, kind, and unbelievably talented teens every single day.

I am thankful for parents who hugged me every day and told me they loved me every night.

I am grateful for my love for the written word.

I am thankful for the people who read this little blog of mine.

I am grateful for my body and its ability to walk, run, and dance.

I am thankful for the wonderful women I've met through See Jane Write.

I am grateful that I live in a country and in an era that afford me the opportunity to look at my life and reshape into exactly what I want it to be.

Here are three things I'd like Santa to bring me this Christmas:

The Book of Jezebel: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Lady Things

This encyclopedic guide to pop culture, feminism, fashion and more is by the writers and other creatives of the popular website for women Jezebel.com. Reading this would be a great way to spend winter vacation.

Wonder Woman running socks

If these socks don't motivate me to keep running, nothing will.

My Body Is a Temple tee

This t-shirt by GirlTrek makes the fashion fitness statement I want the world to know.



What are you wishing for this holiday season?

Yesterday I completed my second half marathon. Barely. 

Though I was in great spirits when I crossed the finish line, my body was not in the same good mood. Around mile 11 I hit a wall. My muscles were aching like never before. I started to wonder if I'd even be able to complete the race. But I did. 

And my sweet husband was waiting for me at the finish line (in the cold) with flowers!

I wouldn't say I had a bad race yesterday. Just as I say that when it comes to traveling any plane landing you walk away from is a good one, I also believe that if you cross the finish line and you're not in the back of an ambulance, you've had a good race. Still my race could have been better. 

I wish I could have enjoyed my race more. I wish I would have felt stronger. And I think I would have if I had stuck to the plan. 

When I started training for this half marathon three months ago my plan was to walk this race for two reasons: 1) I was planning to do the race with my cousin/BFF who isn't a fan of running and 2) I was worried my joints wouldn't be able to handle the impact of running. 

Then my cousin broke her ankle. I thought about not doing the race at all after I lost my road dawg, especially after my connective tissue disease started to flare up like a brat begging for attention. 

But then I decided not only would I do the race but I'd also run parts of it too!

Bad idea.

During the bulk of my training I was only walking. Sure, it was very fast paced race walking. In fact, I had reached the point to where I could almost walk as fast as I run. But still, my training focused on walking. Thus my body was not prepared for long stretches of running.  I honestly believe that if I had just stuck to that fast paced walking for the entire race I would have finished in the same amount of time and felt great at the end. 

But I didn't stick to the plan. 

I didn't stick to the plan because I got distracted. I got distracted by a silly need to call myself a runner.  I got distracted by my fear of being the last person to finish the race (even though I had already told myself I didn't care when I finished). I got distracted and forgot the importance of moving at my own pace. 

And I've realized I make similar mistakes in my writing career too. I will set a goal and develop a plan for achieving it but I often fail to stay the course because I'm so worried about what the people around me are doing. 

This race has taught me a valuable lesson. The end of the year is approaching, which means I've already started drafting my list of aspirations for 2014. For each major goal I'm also going to draft a plan for bringing these dreams to fruition. And I'm going to stick with this plan even if the people around me seem to have discovered some quick and easy path to success. 

I will stick to the plan and remember that slow and steady wins the race. 

I did it!

I did the Magic City Half Marathon today and I survived.

I'll be back tomorrow with my post-race reflections.

xo,
javacia

I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and stuff,
but Jesus, is this half marathon thing really a good idea? 

I just signed up for my second half-marathon.

The Magic City Half-Marathon is Sunday, so you can see I certainly waited until the last minute to register even though I've been training since September.

I wouldn't register, quite frankly, because I feared I'd back out and I didn't want to waste my money. I honestly didn't make up my mind I would do this until the moment I got out of my car and walked to the race expo at Regions Field.

It may seem strange I was so hesitant considering I've done a half-marathon before and considering I've been preparing for nearly three months. But as some of my friends and blog followers know, I have a connective tissue disease that causes my joints and muscles to hurt so much I can barely get out of bed some days. And for the past two weeks I've felt like crap.

But today I decided I would do the race in spite of the pain. No, actually I decided I would do the race because of the pain. Let me explain.

When I was diagnosed with this dumb disease on January 3, 2008 (Happy New Year to me, eh?) I made a vow to God and a promise to myself that I would not let this ailment beat me. I would not let it win. I would not let it keep me from living my life to the fullest. Fitness, being physically active, is a huge part of my life. I refuse to allow this disease to take that away from me.

And while it may sound crazy, on the days when I'm in severe pain I actually feel worse when I just lie in bed. My joints and muscles start to feel heavy and stiff. I can barely lift my arms and my legs feel like they belong to someone else. This is exactly how I felt Sunday morning. The night before my pain had brought me to tears. But on Sunday morning I pulled myself out of bed and went for a walk. And I actually felt better!

So I'm doing a half-marathon. Again.

Don't worry. I will be kind to my body during this race. (Well, as kind as you can be to your body while traveling 13.1 miles on foot.) I don't plan to be fast. I'm going to walk and jog my way through the race. I'm not trying to break any personal records. I don't care if I'm the last person to cross the finish line (which I probably will be). I'm just going to enjoy the journey through my city and with every step give thanks for the ability to move.

Wish me luck!

You're mine; I love you

Despite the way you hurt me.

The Wolf will not win. 

Photo Credit: sboneham (Flickr/Creative Commons)

"Write down your NOs!"

That's the message that was delivered to me last night in a dream.

It was a strange dream. I was sick from stress and from eating food that was bad for me (which I always do when I'm stressed). I was really, really sick. As I was puking my guts out some guy (that I obviously knew in the dream, but that doesn't exist in real life) was holding back my hair and telling me, "You have to write down your NOs!"

When I woke up, I was confused. I had no idea what this meant. I still don't. But as I lay in bed this morning mulling this over I was reminded of something a woman said at a blogging conference I attended last month. She said: You have to say "No" to make room for the "Hell yes!"

The #bloglikecrazy challenge has help me realized that the "Hell yes" I no longer have room for is my own writing! I've really enjoyed blogging on a daily basis, but the only reason I've stuck with it is to encourage the other women participating. I'm not doing this because I enjoy it -- even though I do.

Over the past two and a half years as I've been building See Jane Write I've been neglecting writing for myself. I've been so busy encouraging other women to go after their writing goals, I haven't been going after mine. Sure, launching See Jane Write Magazine was a huge accomplishment, but I have no time to promote that project and there's so much more I want to do.

But I still don't know what it means to write down my NOs. And I'm certainly not going to ditch See Jane Write.

I have realized that, other than exercise, there is nothing in my life that I do for myself. And since I don't have children I'm not sure how in the world this happened!

My blog, See Jane Write and See Jane Write Magazine are all for the women writers I hope to encourage. My full-time job as a teacher, of course, is all about helping my students. Even my freelance gigs are no longer for me as I have to use the extra cash to help out family members in need.

But starting today I'm going to make my writing goals and writing for myself more of a priority and say "No" to anything that gets in the way of that.

This may come off as selfish, but if my life is so out of balance that I'm dreaming about stress-induced vomiting something's got to give.


Do you make your writing a priority in your life? Do you spend time writing for yourself? 

This weekend is going to suck.

I had been looking forward to this weekend because it's a long one; we teachers have Monday off. Then I took a look at my to-do list and realized I'd rather go to work.

Things I have to do this weekend:

• Finish grading 67 essays
• Grade 67 worksheets
• Write a rough draft of a presentation I'm giving at a social media conference
• Write stories for See Jane Write Magazine
• #bloglikecrazy (which not only includes writing my own posts but also reading and promoting the posts of others)
• Write a test on Edgar Allan Poe and American Romanticism
• Draft a study guide for that test
• Plan discussion for chapters 1-6 of The Scarlet Letter
• Walk/run 8 miles
• Clean my apartment
• Buy groceries
• Cook
• Visit two different doctors on two opposite sides of town for two not-so-pleasant medical exams on the same day

And at some point I should shower and eat, but I'm not sure if those things will happen.

Chances are I will be an awful person to live with this weekend, and not just because I probably won't bathe. When I am stressed I am an evil witch and my poor, poor husband is usually the victim of my mean girl routine.

But here's how I'm going to try to avoid being a jerk and save my marriage this weekend: the Pomodoro app.

The Pomodoro Technique, developed by Francesco Cirillo is simple, yet brilliant. You break down your work in 25-minute intervals, taking five-minute breaks after each one. After four work periods you take a longer break of about 20 minutes (enough time to grab a sandwich or a shower).

The technique is based on the idea that the frequent breaks will keep you sharp. And it works!

I first learned about this technique and the app (which is basically just a timer) back in August when my pal Williesha Morris mentioned it in a talk she gave at WordCamp Birmingham.

There's something about racing the clock that helps me focus and be super productive. And as short as those five-minute breaks are, they do actually keep me from burning out too soon.

And the timer turns the process of working through my to-list into a game.

I'm hoping all of this will keep me from having a such a nasty attitude about the fact that I will be spending my entire 3-day-weekend working and the fact that I'm not even going to have time to watch the Alabama v. LSU game. And I'm hoping it will keep my husband from wanting to file for divorce.


What's your favorite app? 

Image via Flickr/Creative Commons

My list of life goals is about a yard long. Seriously.

But here are some goals of mine that pertain specifically to blogging:

• Win a Voices of the Year award from BlogHer.
• Have a post syndicated on BlogHer.com.
• Speak at BlogHer.
• Have one of my websites recognized as one of the best websites for women by Forbes. 
• Have one of my blogs be recognized as one of the best blogs for writers by Write to Done. 
• Actually make money from one of my blogs or websites.
• Attend Blogging While Brown.
• Speak at Blogging While Brown.
• Speak at WordCamp Birmingham.
• Speak at Blogalicious.
• Guest blog for GoinsWriter.com
• Guest blog for Write to Done.
• Guest blog for Erika Napoletano's RedHeadWriting Blog. 

I'm a dreamer. I love drafting lists of aspirations, but lately I've been looking at these lists and getting a bit frustrated with myself because I'm not doing enough to make these dreams come true. 

When it comes to my online writing life, I'm trying to figure out what I should do next. Should I pour all of my energy into See Jane Write Magazine? Should I finally try my hand at being a feminist blogger and not just a blogger who happens to be a feminist? Should I simply continue to blog about writing? And then there's that part of me that wants to start a blog celebrating Birmingham. What's a girl to do?!

I'm hoping to make a decision by the end of the month or at least the end of the year and then get busy living a life worth blogging about!

Currently is a little feature Dani Hampton of Sometimes Sweet and several other bloggers I follow occasionally post on their sites. Currently is essentially a list of what you're into at the moment and is a great way for your readers to get to know you better. So without further ado...

My Olivia Pope-inspired outfit I wore to the Celebrate Black TV
Scandal Season Premiere Watch Party at BlogaliciousFIVE. 

Watching: After resisting for two seasons I’ve finally been sucked into the Scandal craze and am officially a part of the Gladiator Nation. I shouldn’t be surprised that I fell for this show as soon as I started watching the old episodes on BET. Shonda Rhimes won me over long ago with Grey’s Anatomy and I’ve had a girl crush on Kerry Washington for years. Initially, I chose not to watch the show because all anyone ever talked about was Olivia Pope’s affair with the President and as a married lady I couldn’t get on a board with a show that glorified adultery. But after watching I quickly realized that Olivia’s love affair with Fitz isn't actually the center of he show’s storyline. And -- though I’m probably the only Scandal fan on the planet that feels this way – I couldn’t care less if Olivia and Fitz end up together. I’m much more interested in how Olivia fixes PR nightmares and how she can rock a white trench coat like nobody’s business. And besides, I’m Team Jake!

Listening to: As loyal readers know, my car radio is normally tuned to WBHM 90.3 FM, Birmingham’s NPR station. But I still make time for music occasionally. Lately, I’ve been listening to Solange’s EP True, Janelle Monae’s The Electric Lady, and Kendra Morris’ Banshee. If you don’t own these you need to change that immediately.

Planning: I’ve already planned all the See Jane Write events I want to have in 2014 and I’m currently working on the 2014 editorial calendar for See Jane Write Magazine.

Reading: Sexy Feminism: A Girl's Guide to Love, Success, and Style. I bought this book back in March and for months it’s been sitting on my bookshelf literally collecting dust. I finally started reading it and I’m in love. The book offers ways we modern feminists can practice feminist activism in our everyday lives and have fun along the way.

Looking forward to: Summer Break. Is it too early for me to say that?

Making me happy: If I’m really honest with myself, not much in my life is making me happy these days. Nearly every thing in my life is draining me dry. I need to make some life changes and I need to make them soon.

Thinking about: Margin. I have no margin in my life. Nearly every second of every day is filled with tasks: teaching, grading papers, working on freelance stories, blogging, running See Jane Write, leading a church small group, exercising, cooking, cleaning. And I have to make time to eat, shower and comb my hair – things I honestly sometimes struggle to find time for. On top of all of this, my family is going through a really rough time right now and I’m dealing with some health issues, issues that are only exacerbated by my stress level. Something has to give. But what? I love all of the things I do, fiercely. How can I choose?

A friend of mine whose life is pretty hectic these days said something to me recently that really struck me. When I asked how she was doing she rattled off all the things going on and I expected her to follow this laundry list with complaints about the chaos of her life, complaints I felt she'd be justified in voicing. But instead she said, quite happily, “My life is full.”

That’s the attitude that I want to have. When people ask how I’m doing I typically give a heavy sigh and say, “I’m OK, just really busy.” 

But I want my answer to be: “I’m wonderful! My life is full.”

“Are you Writeous Babe?”

With that simple question GG Renee of the blog All the Many Layers made my day. Actually she made my month.

I met GG Renee last weekend at the 2013 Blogalicious conference in Atlanta, Ga. Blogalicious, a blogging and social media conference for women of color, is in its fifth year and is a conference I’ve wanted to attend for a few years now. This year I jumped at the chance to attend BlogaliciousFIVE, which I was able to afford thanks to the many freelance gigs I’ve picked up over the past several months.

I went to Blogalicious to primarily promote See Jane Write Magazine, but throughout each workshop and each keynote address I kept hearing something inside whisper, “But what about Writeous Babe?”

Blogging is the love of my writing life. That’s no secret. But juggling freelancing, teaching, and  See Jane Write often means my personal blog is neglected.

I convinced myself it didn’t matter, that no one really reads that blog anymore. But GG Renee proved me wrong.

I went back to my hotel room and declared to my journal that I WANT TO BE BLOGALICIOUS! But what does that mean? After scanning through the copious notes I took at the conference, I think I know.

At BlogaliciousFIVE, I filled all these notebooks with advice and ideas

Being Blogalicious is about being true.

Be true to yourself, so many of the speakers told us. Blog about your passion. Don’t simply follow trends.

Be true to your word. When you enter into a relationship with a brand, do what you’ve said you’re going to do. Respond to emails and meet deadlines.

Be true to your readers. Sure, working with brands is great. We could all use the extra cash. But put good content first. Write for yourself and for your readers, not simply for brands. And no one likes a blog that’s full of nothing but sponsored posts.

Being Blogalicious is about being a master. Marie Denee a.k.a. The Curvy Fashionista gave great tips on how to master your niche.

Establish what you want to be known for, she said. Saying you want to be a fashion blogger is not enough. What kind of fashion blogger do you want to be? Once you’ve decided that, you then need to identify the leaders in your niche and follow them, but you also need to identify what makes you different.

Be sure to stay on top of trends, news, and resources related to your niche. Become an expert. One way you can do this is by making better use of Twitter. Create Twitter lists based on your niche and spend your social media time reading through tweets from people and groups on those lists, not wading through your entire feed. 

Being an expert, however, is useless if no one knows who you are. So try some SEO plug-ins to help your blog get noticed.

Denee also stressed the importance of branding. Your blog should have a distinct tone and try to use the same name on all your social media channels (i.e., I am WriteousBabe on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and my Facebook fan page).

Network with others and don’t be reluctant to lend a helping hand and share your knowledge with others. 

Being blogalicious means not being afraid of change. Over time your blog will evolve. It will grow and change, Denee said, and that’s OK.

My snapshot with Adrienne Bailon!

Being blogalicious is about having faith – having faith in your blog, in yourself and in something bigger than you whether that is a religion, a cause, or both. As a Christian I found it quite inspiring that many of the women who spoke at the conference weren’t ashamed to mention God. And I enjoyed the Saturday morning Q&A with Adrienne Bailon, who is best known for her work with 3LW, The Cheetah Girls, and The Real talk show.  Bailon is the star of the movie I’m in Love with a Church Girl (in theaters on Friday). Quotes by her such as “God’s timing is perfect timing” and “You can be fly and love Jesus” had to be tweeted!

In the past I’ve said that being blogalicious means living a life worth blogging about, but I don’t think you can do that until you truly own your life. That’s what Ebony editor-in-chief Amy DuBois Barnett focused on during her keynote address. She gave seven steps for owning your life:

1. Embrace fear as growth.
2. Be true to yourself.
3. Realize your value and demand the best at all times.
4. Put into the universe what you want to get back.
5. Have integrity. (In other words, do what you say you’re going to do.)
6. Stay independent.
7. Do something meaningful every day.

And of course, Barnett talked about her career as well. Barnett’s talk really made me miss journalism. I want to feel like a real journalist again. I want to see my byline in all my favorite magazines and on all my favorite websites, at least once.

But I also want to grow this blog.

I want to do more with Google + and Google Hangouts, with Pinterest and Instagram, with Twitter and 

Facebook. I want to start a newsletter and start doing regular video posts.

I want to do more speaking engagements and actually get paid for them! And after Uneeka Jay's empowering talk on speaking engagements I have the confidence to believe I actually can make money from speaking at conferences and events.

My Olivia Pope-inspired outfit

I think the best and most important thing that came from my Blogalicious experience was that I left Atlanta feeling more confident and I think that's a great way to define blogalicious too. Being blogalicious means being confident. I'm more confident in my writing, reporting, and speaking skills. And after being a finalist in the Olivia Pope fashion contest held at the CBTV Scandal Season Premiere Party, I'm even more confident in my sense of style!

I left Blogalicious overflowing with so many goals and dreams that I honestly can’t tell you what’s next. But I can say that I really hope you will come along for the ride.

On Feb. 12, 2012 I ran a half-marathon. And I ran 13.1 miles mostly because so many people had told me I couldn't. 

I have a connective tissue disease that causes my joints to be in a great deal of pain most days, even from just walking or sitting. So imagine how tough running can be on my body. Nonetheless, I refused to take no for an answer. I found a new doctor, one who's also a runner and thus understood my obsession and could offer helpful advice. I wasn't going to let this disease or the naysayers in my life tell me I couldn't check off this item on my bucket list. And in February of 2012 I did. 

Then I wanted to do it again. 

But as I tried to train for Birmingham's 2013 Mercedes Half-Marathon it wasn't just family members and friends objecting. My body was objecting too. The pain that I'd learned to live with became more intense and some days nearly unbearable. 

I didn't let this keep me from being active. I still exercised daily, but running was just too much. I put my running shoes on the shelf for a few months and recently tried to get back into the swing of things. My knees, my ankles, and my hips just weren't having it. I began to wonder if this meant I'd never cross a finish line again. 

Then I discovered GirlTrek. 

GirlTrek is a national nonprofit organization striving to inspire black women and girls to live healthy lives simply by walking. GirlTrek launched two years ago and through social media campaigns has grown to include over 17,200 women who are logging their walks online. 

There's a chapter of GirlTrek here in my hometown of Birmingham and I started attending some of their walking sessions for my mom -- I want her to be more active for the sake of her health. Little did I know GirlTrek would end up being an even bigger help for me. 

First, GirlTrek inspired my latest story for WBHM, Birmingham's NPR station. 

But GirlTrek also inspired me to reconsider my goal of completing another half-marathon. What if, I asked myself while on a solo trek at my favorite walking trail, I walked a half-marathon? This certainly isn't unheard of, but for some reason it had never crossed my mind. 

And so I decided that I will complete another half-marathon, even if I have to walk the entire race. 

One of the things I find so empowering about GirlTrek is its mantra: “When black women walk, things change.”

As the GirlTrek website declares, “Things changed when Harriet Tubman walked. Things changed when boycotters in Montgomery walked. When we walk, things WILL change.”

Now that I'm taking this new approach to one of my goals I've been wondering if I need to do the same with other aspirations as well. What would happen if I, if we, thought outside the box more and got more creative about how we will achieve our dreams?

I think I know what would happen: things would change; we would change and then we'd change the world.

Summer is coming to a close.

I know summer doesn't officially end until Sept. 22, the first day of fall. But since I'm a teacher my summer is determined by the end of one school year and the start of the next. On Monday it's back to the daily grind for me as I head back to school for a week of professional development before the kiddos return on August 19.

On Monday, my colleagues and I will make small talk and ask questions like, "How was your summer?" and inevitably someone, if not everyone, will say, "It just flew by!" And I'll say, "I know!" But that won't really be true.

Yes, I can remember the last day of the 2012-2013 school year like it was yesterday, but I have done so much over the past two months that it felt like two years.

Of course, the biggest thing I did this summer was launch See Jane Write Magazine. I can't believe I was featured in local magazines, on news websites and on TV as I sought to spread the word about this project. There were even announcements made on our local NPR station about the magazine. And the magazine launch party was the most fun I'd had in a long, long time.

Yes, this happened at the See Jane Write Magazine launch party. 

I didn't lose 20 pounds as I had hoped but I did gain a new workout regimen that I love and exercised every day for a month thanks to my new obsession with Jillian Michaels DVDs.

I attended my first BlogHer conference and even though I left feeling like a loser because I foolishly compared myself to the big-time bloggers that were in attendance, I certainly feel like I'm #winning now. This week I wrote openly and honestly about these feelings of inadequacy and my post was featured on the BlogHer website and was one of the site's most popular posts!

I didn't spend as much time with loved ones as I would have liked this summer but I still had a blast with friends and family thanks to holiday cookouts, Birmingham Girls Club events, my church small group, and trips to the movies.

My small group and I were supposed to be cleaning workspace at DISCO, a local creative writing program for kids.
But we got a bit distracted by all the random things we found in the room. 

But the end of summer doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly become a hermit. I mean, most people don't have a two-month vacation each year and they still manage to have active social lives.

Fall simply means I can have just as much fun but with less sweat.

Thursday night was amazing.

I plan to say more about the See Jane Write Magazine Launch Party presented by Hamer Law Group on Monday on SeeJaneMagazine.com and SeeJaneWriteBham.com. 

But for now I'll just let these pictures do the talking...

I'm spending part of my day off catching up on some of my favorite magazines. 

Because I am a teacher, I have technically been on vacation since May 25. But because I am a freelance writer, blogger, and entrepreneur I haven't had a day off this entire summer.

I work every day, some days from dusk to midnight.

But not tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I am taking the day off.

Tonight is the night of the See Jane Write Magazine launch party and I'm so excited. I'm so giddy you'd think it was my Sweet 16 party, prom night or my wedding day.

I've been planning my outfit for two months and I even got a room at the hotel where I'm holding the party.

I didn't get the hotel room because I plan to get too drunk to drive home. (I'm too old for that foolishness.) I'm renting a room because it will urge me to sleep in. I plan to get up whenever I want and go to brunch or to a matinee movie with my husband.

Once I'm home I plan to sit on the sofa and and flip through my favorite magazines. Then I'll watch some TV.

And I plan to keep my computer closed for as long as I can.

Taking a day off will be hard because I love working on my blog and my business.

But I know that everyone needs to rest. Even God took a day off after creating the world!

If you're a workaholic like me, I hope you'll pick a day, once a week, to give yourself a break too.

Trust me, you deserve it.