Hiii. I know, I know, it’s been a while since I sat down and wrote a blog post. I took a well-needed break during the summer to allow myself to enjoy ME and my time. That turned into me peeking in for a week and leaving the studio high and dry. No, I wasn’t doing this on purpose, life was lifing and to be honest with you it just calmed down to the point where I can breathe.
I missed putting it all out on the keyboard, but with life’s twists and turns, I just haven’t felt like I was in the right headspace to talk to yall. I’ll get into all of it later on but let me just say, even when I wasn’t sitting in the studio updating you on anything and everything SOACG, I have been having so much fun. I’ve met new friends and have been all over. If the beginning of the year me could see the year I had, I would be shocked. I planned for a lot to happen, and many of those things did. What about the ones that didn’t? Well, they are exactly what I needed this year. At the moment, it seemed like everything wasn’t going my way, but it was all for the greater good. Those moments taught me a lot about who I am as a person and how I handle certain situations. Truthfully, this year has given me the answers that I needed. You know the saying “He may not come when you want Him, but He’ll be there right on time?” Yeah, that was my year. Looking back, this year was beyond eventful. God provided life this year, and girllllll, I LIVED!!!
January, I’m fresh from beating Covid and ready to get back into the swing of things. I knew that being down badly for those two weeks set me up for what has been an eventful year. Concerts, festivals, and endless moves in between I knew that I didn’t want to ever feel that bad ever again. I made it my mission to live life to the best of my abilities. I got back into the studio and launched our Watch Me glow sweatsuit (which is still a hit). Orders started flowing in, which made me feel like I was on the right track. Let me tell you I spent hours in the studio making sure that everything is perfect. I had some hiccups in the process but I am proud of the outcome and the feedback.
This momentum had me ready to take on whatever February had for me. I was planning to add more pieces to the boutique and take a trip to see my bestie. But that weekend everything stopped when we (Rev and I ) got a phone call. My father fell and was rushed to the hospital because he tore something in his knee. He then had surgery soon afterward, which made Rev and me, his nurses. In the midst of all of this, we were planning birthday festivities for Rev (my mama for those who may be new here) and I was planning my own thing. Being on nurse duty had me in the house, but that changed drastically during March madness.
My mother’s birthday, retirement, and graduation party that we were planning (yes, all in one) was a success. Then my birthday shenanigans started. I went to Wale’s concert at the beginning of the week and celebrated my 29th year with some of my favorite people, followed by a Jasmine Sullivan concert a few days later. You’re probably like, did you sit down at all during March? Yes and no lol. This birthday was a BIG blessing because my father and I both beat covid so I had to turn up in a major way. When it came to celebrating his birthday, I made sure we ended our month properly and how he wanted, in the house where nobody could possibly trip and fall. That moment reminded me that life is good even through the ups and downs. Literally lol.
April was dedicated to one man and one man only lol. Back in December, I purchased meet-and-greet tickets to see the one and only Lucky Daye. By now yall know that’s bae lol As the day got closer I started losing my shit. When I was standing in line with everybody waiting to meet him I was getting nervous, but it didn’t hit me until they opened the door and I saw HIM. Me and the girls I was standing in line with realized this was happening, this was the real deal. All I can tell you is that he called me beautiful and said I smelled good. Months later, that was the best concert I went to and I’m still in shock. If I knew that Lucky wasn’t the only celebrity I would meet this year I wouldn’t believe it, but I did!
The following month I witnessed Rev get her 4th degree. I call her many names, but one that reigns is “Professional Student”. I call her this because she has been in school my entire life. To see her get another degree truly makes me proud. Her determination to keep learning lets me know that anybody can go after what they want. They just have to believe in themselves. So if anybody asks me why I do what I do, it’s because of her.
June and July felt like everything was happening all at once. Every week I was at some festival or concert. Something in the Water, Rosé festivals, and Essence Fest all back to back! Did I sleep? Barely lol but I was having fun so it didn’t matter to me. During that time, you couldn’t tell me anything because I felt like if anybody deserved to have fun, it was me.
In August I got back in the studio for a minute and launched our collection Pink Friday. Of course, I went to a concert (wouldn’t be me if I didn’t) that gave me the chance to meet Mario! Then I took my first two solo road trips. Each trip had a life lesson somewhere whether I knew it or not. My Philly trip taught me that solo trips are necessary. They open you up to meeting new people and experiencing new things. My Virginia Beach trip taught me to always have a plan B because plan A can go left and leave you with a dead battery and starter.
The last four months of this year had me in a chokehold. I continued my endless days of having the time of my life and even launched a new hoodie and participated in a pop-up shop, but that kind of came to a stop, again. Remember how my father fell and needed surgery back in February? Well, he finally didn’t need crutches or the cane anymore, but somehow we ended up back to square one. He broke his ankle this time and needed not one but two surgeries. This meant that Rev and I were back on nurse duty. And to make everything 10x heavier, Thanksgiving was two weeks away. Oh, and now both of my parents now have a terrible cold. Many times in my life I asked for a brother or sister and ended up taking it back, but this was the one time I wished I wasn’t alone. I felt like I was drowning, and I needed help. But I put my big girl pants on and handled business. I made dinner, cleaned, helped my father around the house when Rev needed a break, and everything in between. There were times I cried from being tired, annoyed, and honestly needed a break, but I kept going.
Now we’re two days away from the new year, and an almost completely healed dad (who is currently in rehab for physical therapy and should be home soon). This year has put me through the wringer and to be honest, I wouldn’t trade any of it. Why? I can officially say that I met the woman who is going to take us places this year. This blog post doesn’t go too deep but deep enough to give y’all insight to just how life has been. Jonice is closing the chapter called ‘Her Twenties’ and getting ready for a brand new one. Cheers to having no idea exactly where I’m going. I can tell you that I have lived, will continue to do so, and will takes y’all on the ride with me. Thank you for spending 2022 with me even though I was on a hiatus for a small portion of it. Y’all are so real. Just know we going up another level next year.
2023 me, I can’t wait to meet you, boo. Teach me the things I need to keep going in this life. I want to make us proud before we make anybody else. Let’s keep kicking doors in and making room for all the opportunities that will happen. 2022 taught us to keep our head high even when it feels impossible, lean on your friends, you are not in this alone, take one step at a time, start, have fun, but most importantly, REST!!
Please be safe this weekend y’all
See you in the next one in 2023!
Xoxo, Jonice 💋
Styles of a Curvy Girl 