I Miss You Daddy!

Today is my Daddy's Birthday...crazy I still call him daddy huh? Well today would have been my fathers 71st birthday! I can't believe its been three years since he has been gone. Its really errie now that I think about it. Growing up my father always used to say.."Jaret I am not always going to be around" or "Jaret don't be afraid of death because each day you live is a day closer to death!" Kinda morbid to tell your child huh? But that was James Edward Parker...by the time I was born he was in his 40's and through raising kids so he raised a little adult in me! My father and my relationship was a tumultious one to say the least...many times I did not like him but always loved him! I remember growign up thinking and questioning "why does he treat me like this?"or "Why does he do that?" "Why can't he see things from my point of view?" But as I reached young adult hood and began doing things on my own and he recognized I was becoming a young man I remember he told me..."I know I don't have to worry about you when you go out on your own!" which meant a lot to me because all my life I was trying to find a way for he and I to connect on a deeper level and I think thats when it began. I just wish he was able to actually see me be the man I am today! I know he was proud of me and is probably watching me now and still proud of mebut I still wish he was here. What makes it even crazier is that I never thought I looked like my father growing up but I guess when I became a full fledged man my fathers genes just took over! I laugh like him, I have mannerisms like him, I look like him, I use the same sayings that he does, I share the same philosphy's as he did, and even went into the same field as he did. Dad wasn't Healthcliff Huxtable but what I do appreciate is that through the rough times in our life he allowed me to 1st hand witness all the struggles and the pain he went through, even if it was too much for a young child to be subjected to. Through those experiences I am able to say that there is NOTHING in my mind that I cannot go through and survive. Some people didn't have a father growing up, my siblings included, but I had my dad for 24 years of my life and thats more than some can say. I am still trying to come to terms with everything although I still seem to block out a lot in fear of having to deal with it 1st hand but on this day I celebrate my father James Edward Parker aka JP to the throves of people who loved him! I miss you daddy and will cherish all the good memories that I had with you.

Don't call it a comeback!

Don't call it a comeback...well maybe it is! Well sooooooooooooooo much has happened since the last blog which was a month of Sunday's ago. Lets see where do I begin? Well lets see since its currently October I will start from my Birthday in March, don't judge me! It was great, from what I remember. My birthday was on a Friday so I began Thursday night with karaoke with my family and friends! I had a blast! Getting older is kind of scary but when you have good people around you it makes it all the better! Since I am regularly cool, calm, and collected I figured that since it was my birthday I would throw all caution to the wind and have a ball! So at 1 p.m. on March 20th the drinking began! And it did not end until about 2:30 a.m. that night...don't judge me! When I say I was drunk by 3 p.m. I was done...but hey how many times do you turn 27! I followed up the Saturday by returning to my childhood by going roller skating...and let me tell you I still got it although my legs were so sore the next day! It was great to see all of my friends, old and new, and their children and my family in one place just having fun. Then the grown folks dropped off their children and we headed to Cloud 9 to end the night! Then it was off to karaoke again on Sunday night to have some more drunken fun! Did it take me a few days to recover from the weekend? Yes! But would I do it all over again? Yes!

Fast forward to May, which was a bitter sweet month. Mothers Day was cool and as usual I spent it with Donna but the cool thing is that one of my best friends Jerome came to visit which was AWESOME! Although my family did endure a HUGE tragedy when my cousin Lawrence was brutally shot in the head and killed! He was an artist and just a very loveable person who will truly be missed! Then I ended the month with a well deserved vacation to Miami with two of my best friends Antwan and Jerome! This particular vacation is probably one of the best I can recall! I have never laughed so hard in my life and just had fun with my boys! No drama and no angry drunken episodes like last year! Don't Judge me! In addition I got to see one of my favorite singers perform...DEBORAH COX! So you already know I acted a pure fool! She gave an amazing performance!

The rest of the summer was sprinkled with various outings with my cousins and friends. My Brooklyn Brother Antwan celebrated his birthday in New York and I definitely had a ball with him as always..although one of his friends made my contact come out my eye and you know I was nto feeling that! The big event of the summer was my Best Friend Giselle's Wedding! This is the first wedding that I have been a part of and it had to be one of the best experiences of my life.There are some major perks to being her best friend because I was the only male allowed to go to the Bachelorette outing, which was salsa dancing and we definitely had a ball! She was a GORGEOUS bride and the ceremony, although long and hot, was wonderful and I had the pleasure of serenading the bride and groom with the assistance of one of the bridesmaids with one of my favorite songs, Spend My Life With You. Then I turned the reception out! It was a wonderful celebration of love and I was proud to be a part of it! Its always a good time when you can come together with friendsthat you have been bonded to since middle school and still be tight to this day. I am so glad that we are able to partake in one anothers lives so heavily and still have the same amount of love for one another.

Now into the fall everything is coasting so far. I have been spending time with my cousins which is always a good time and I went to New York a few times. Now that is always fun and I always visit the Village Underground and it never fails I meet a celebrity or two. I met Lynn Whitfield, Sasha Allen, and Cheryll Pepsii Riley!I also made sure as usual that I spent time with friends just kicking it Not really doing to much but I have been thinking about work. I haven't been satisfied in a while but in these tough economic times I really can't afford to quit my full time or my part time job. I guess I got comfortable but I am definitely ready for a change so I am staying still until God tells me to move and then I am tightening these here laces and I am running out the gate towards the next blessing he has for me.

Well I am going to try to post on a monthly basis because my Harlem Boo Cherayla keeps telling me I suck for not updating more often. LOL I love you too Cherayla!

Until Next time Be Blessed!