LADIES NIGHT is a late night talk and variety show co-hosted by four smart, funny and diverse African American women. We mix current events, popular culture and cocktails to bring a vibe that feels like a night out with your girls. The show is co-hosted by Rashan Ali, Jasmine Burke, Angela Gomes and Nina Brown, four unique women with a different points of view. 
Unlike many shows aimed at African American audiences, we reflect the diversity that exists in our community but isn’t always reflected in media. We not only have mainstream celebs come party with us, we’ll also invite the artists, scholars, activists and entertainers that not everybody knows about, but we think everybody should.

Come join the party! LADIES NIGHT shoots Sunday, February 12, 2012 and we need you for our studio audience! If you’re interested or just want to stay updated on the show, follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @ladiesnighttv for details.

Ladies Night is a co-production of Bobbcat Films and Cocoa G Productions.

Click here to purchase tickets to Vision Board!!!

]]> http://iamninabrown.com/top-stories/vision-board-brunch-2012-2/feed/ 0 http://iamninabrown.com/top-stories/interview-with-wiz-khalifa/ http://iamninabrown.com/top-stories/interview-with-wiz-khalifa/#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:37:29 +0000 NinaBrown http://iamninabrown.com/?p=1426 Wiz Khalifa Interview – Part 1
Wiz Khalifa Interview – Part 2
Wiz Khalifa Interview – Part 3
Click Here to Watch the Interview on WizKhalifa.com
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Wiz Khalifa Interview – Part 1

Wiz Khalifa Interview – Part 2

Wiz Khalifa Interview – Part 3

Click Here to Watch the Interview on WizKhalifa.com

Someone recently asked me why I’m not married yet and my reply to him was, “I don’t know, let me ask God and get back to you”. lol

While joking,  it did make me revisit a place I’ve visited before and I realize…

I’m very much in love with a ”dying breed”… the stand-up dude. 

Here’s the thing, I’ve been surrounded by good men my entire life… From my father to my spiritual advisers, to my son’s father and my best male friends, I have been exposed to some of the best men who have genuinely loved me my entire life… And once you know a good man, have received love from a good man and look up to a good man,  it’s hard impossible to give your heart to anything less than what you consider the standard.

He then asked me what I look for in a man… which is a question I’m often asked, so after sharing the following with him, I decided to post this and share it with all of you…

In a one liner, I look for spiritual schwagggg… :)

That’s the simplest way to put it, but if I had to break that down, spiritual schwaggg means to be spiritually confident.  It’s the ability to communicate spiritual confidence verbally AND non-verbally.  Spiritual schwaggg comes from knowing who you are and knowing who God is within you. 

Bottom line is, I want a cool dude who loves God more than anything else. 

By cool, I mean the type who ain’t gotta announce to the world who he is because when he walks in the room, people take notice — he just has an aura that attracts attention and commands respect.

I love when a man’s stance alone, says something before he does.

More than just being “hard working” he has work ethic (hard working = temporary, work ethic = permanent) and most importantly, he has great character.

Character is soooo underrated…

While personality IS important, Character is MOST importantbecause character (which encompasses honesty & integrity) is what you do when no one is looking.

I gotta know my man is a good man, because its who he is, with or without me. Good character takes away the fear and constant wondering if my man is doing right when I’m not around.

Spiritually speaking, while we can grow in our faith together, the love for God and the desire to want to be the man God designed him  to be must already be present.  If we can’t pray together, we certainly can’t lay together.

Everything else, I call the obvious – family-oriented, sense of humor, affectionate, quick witted etc.

But there is one last super important thing… ambition.

I consider myself ambitious, so I gotta, gotta, gotta have a man who is even more ambitious than me.

I go 100 mph, and absolutely love when a man goes 200.

Yes, I’m very much attracted to “the chase”and when I feel challenged to keep up with my man because he’s tryna conquer the world, it captivates my attention and motivates me to do everything I can to make his life as easy as possible & support his mission to conquer. 

I’m “non-traditionally traditional”…

Which means, while I’m all about women having equal rights in the world, I very much believe in taking care of my man in the home – cooking dinner, ironing his shirt, rubbing his back, cleaning house, etc. I believe when a woman takes care of her man at home, a good man will reciprocate it by making sure her every desire is fulfilled and her every need is taken care of.  

A woman should make her man feel exclusively special and like the king of his castle… and in return, that king will make sure his queen doesn’t need for anything in the world.

So there ya have it… that’s what I look for in a man.  

Is it impossible to find?  Nothing is impossible when you believe in God. 

Will it be easy to find?  Nope — but nothing worth having ever is. 

I’m patient and I’m faithful because I know I’m worthy.

I know God will escort the right one into my life when its time and until then, I’ll just keep doing what I do best… being God’s Girl :)

If you know Camille & Chaunce personally, you know the story of our Summer at Scottish Rite…  I find myself in tears this morning, remembering what an impact the Summer of 2008 made on my entire life.  Chaunce was barely 15 when a freak head injury on the last day of his 9th grade year left him fighting for his life…. and today, we’re celebrating his 18th birthday and in a couple of weeks, his Highschool Graduation… I am overwhelmed with emotion just thinking about the journey…

Wow, God is truly so amazing. 

Happy Birthday, Chaunce — I am truly so proud of you and to my sister, Camille — you are MY inspiration.  Thank you for allowing me to sit on the front row <3

A trip down the MySpace Blogs Memory Lane…

Love,

Chaunce’s Auntie Nina

——————————————

Jul 1, 2008

Day 40: Home, Sweet, Home// Final Update on Chaunce B.

Current mood:blessed

Only a few minutes ago, the clock struck midnight and officially brought in Day 40!!

While you can look at Day 40 as a reminder of the pain, we look at Day 40 as a reminder of the process and that we only have 1 more day to go before its time to roll on out and celebrate Chaunce’s homecoming on Wednesday, July 2nd!!!

***Rewind to this past weekend***

When you walk into room 367 at the Children’s Hospital, no longer will you see a 15 year old child who is struggling to speak, nor will you see a restless teenager constantly shifting in the “everything-but-luxurious” hospital bed to get comfortable. Nowadays, when you walk into room 367, you will see the face of a fighter, you will see the face of a survivor and most importantly, you will see the face of a BELIEVER!

In room 367, you will see the smiling face of Chaunce Binder, who is busy checking his messages, taking calls from friends abroad and feverishly texting all via his Sidekick 2-way pager.

I laugh as I enter his room thinking to myself, is this the scene of a teenage hospital patient or the scene of a 15 year old CEO, who appears to be frantically working to meet his month end deadlines, as he approves million dollar deals via “cut to the chase” conversations while simultaneously overriding executive decisions with just a push of one button!

And in room 367, Mr. Binder’s “office” is no longer the uncompromising bed that refuses to accommodate his lean 73 inches of his boyish frame, instead, he’s found a new solitude on the bluish-green couch that sits along side the wall in his room, perfectly positioned by the large window that allows every ray of sunshine to catch every angle of his face. The new sunshine quickly warms him up from the inside out and for the first time since being at Scottish Rite, he has found comfort.

Side note: And if its been awhile since visiting him, I dare you to ask him how he got to the couch and he will lower his eyebrows, look at you with concern and confidently say, “I walked, of course!” as if he’s been able to do that from Day 1!!

He looks up slowly as he sees the door opening in his perifial (sp?) vision, “Hey, Aunt Nina!” Chaunce says smiling.

“Hey Handsome!! How are you today?” I say as I lean over to kiss him on his forehead while he returns the love with a one-armed hug.

“3 more days left to go, Aunt Nina!!”

His eyes have the same glow a child has on Christmas Eve as the excitement of unwrapping new toys in less than a day over joys them.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” I say.

While Aunt Nina is very aware of the number of days left, I’m more ecstatic that this fact alone is enough to keep his spirits lifted high!

You can’t help but to feel overwhelmed with love when you walk into the sunshine-lit room and are greeted by his precious smile.

As I take a seat, I smile at Gigi, Chaunce’s grandmother who’s presence alone can bring a calm like no other.

“How was therapy today, Chaunce?” I ask.

He nods as he resumes his life as part-time CEO, part-time hospital patient, while saying, “it was good, Aunt Nina.”

I look up at Gigi and she smiles, understanding the need to fill in the blanks for me. Somethings never change, you ask a kid, how was school, you get, “fine”. You ask them, ‘what did you learn’ and you get, “you know… stuff”!

Gigi begins to tell me the details of Chaunce’s daily therapy. She describes how Chaunce continues to exceed their expectations with every challenge they give him. As his therapists are saying, “wow, Chaunce, that was great” – He’s saying, “Bring it on, what’s next!!”

Gracefully, Chaunce continues to rise to every challenge of physical, occupational, speech therapy and more.

While Chaunce would quickly disagree, I personally think his success in therapy is directly correlated to his mom, Camille’s, live performances of singing and dancing and more! As Camille would say, “I’m the sideline cheerleader”! But as Chaunce would say, “she’s just embarrassing!”

Whatever it is, we’re just excited to see his strength coming back. Funny thing though, his quick-wit seems like it never left…

One night as we teased Chaunce about his countless crushes, I asked Chaunce, “what are you gonna do when they (young girls) all come to see you at the same time???”

Without missing a beat, Chaunce looks at me and says, “go to sleep, of course!”

The entire room fills with laughter…

Chaunce B is officially back and in high demand!!

And if his fan club wasn’t enough of a confidence booster, the child surely couldn’t be stopped after receiving a personal visit from Luda’s groomer, celebrity barber, Cassius!!

And Cassius didn’t come empty handed – stepping off the plane, straight from Tokyo, Cassius brought the gift you couldn’t put a price on… The gift of a haircut!!!

Chaunce was a new man after that and feeling oh-so-good… Not just because he got his haircut after several weeks, but because LUDA’S barber was the one to shape him up!! And if THAT still wasn’t enough, the follow-up call of well wishes from Luda himself, was the ultimate icing on the cake.

Many, many thanks to Chaka, Jamal Coleman and Taiye for knowing exactly what Chaunce needed, “man-to-man”!! :-)

So, what’s next for our superstar?

Chaunce will continue intensive therapy and rehabilitation as he commutes back and forth to Scottish Rite and the goal is to get him prepared to resume school in a “normal student” capacity.

Besides working on the 20 pounds he lost, we are still working on his “new memories retention skills”. While Chaunce can vividly tell you what happened 5 years ago on any given day, he sometimes struggles to remember what happened a short while ago.

Chaunce has also struggled to pass his swallow test and due to setbacks beyond his control, he had to undergo an unexpected surgery last week, to correct his feeding tube that had been previously inserted incorrectly.

Basically, Chaunce should have already been able to swallow soft foods and liquids, but because of the setbacks, he is still being fed all of his nutrients via his feeding IV’s and tubes.

Tomorrow (7/1), Chaunce will be re-tested at 10am to see if he’s able to properly swallow. This has been one of the more frustrating parts of the entire ordeal, so we are requesting you to specifically pray for Chaunce to pass his swallow test at 10am tomorrow.

As always, thank you for your continued prayers, it is because of YOUR prayers, we have made it to see Day 38, 39 and 40!! Let’s keep it going…

Special thanks to Luda, Chaka, Jamal, Taiye and Cassius, once again for giving our fly guy his mojo back :-)

Special thanks to Keisha Walker of Insight Promotions & Marketing for the autographed Allen Iverson basketball!

Special thanks to Wendy of Signature Boutique, Mike Taylor and Rasheed & Regina Muhammad for their GENEROUS donations to the “new wardrobe fund”!!

Special, special thanks to Mike Taylor for his awesome spiritual presence and wisdom! U are so amazing!

Special thanks to the Elizabeth Baptist Church family for the non-stop support and spiritual love!

And I want to send a special, special thanks to my sister in spirit, Camille Binder, who has allowed me to witness how awesome she is as a mother and a woman! Mill, your grace is so inspiring and your heart and the love that pours from it for your children, friends and family is indescribeable. I loved you from the moment I met you, but what you’ve given me, a spiritually based sisterhood, is more than I ever bargained for. Thank you for allowing me to be “Aunt Nina” – I will love Chaunce, Chan and Gigi forever.

And last but never least, the man himself, Chaunce B, would like to leave you with a few words of gratitude and a very special scripture verse that has supplied him with internal and external strength:

“Friends and family – Thank you for riding with me! That is what got me through all of this and that is what is getting me home! Thank you for all the prayers, love and support!” – Love, Chaunce Binder

Jeremiah 10:23-24 // I know Lord that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. So correct me Lord, but please be gentle. Please do not correct me in anger, as it would kill me.

———————

Jun 12, 2008

Day 20: Chauncey Update – He certainly hasn’t lost his swag :-)

Current mood:thankful

Day 20: Chauncey Update – He certainly hasn’t lost his swag :-)

So, (deep breathe) we have arrived at Day 20… I can’t believe, its been almost 3 weeks!!

Since the last update, Chaunce has been moved out of ICU and has continued to progress like the champ he is!

He has slowly taken steps down the hallways of Grady and his trake has finally been removed. He still has to wear his neck brace for another 7 weeks because he did suffer a skull fracture, but with the trake now being removed, he can talk a little bit… (I say a lil bit, but for some, he talks a lot – huh, Sheena!!! Smile)

Although, he sounds like the Dark Vadar gone bad, its still so good to hear him communicate his thoughts…

I think I almost melted on Monday when I was kissing him goodbye and I said to him, as I was holding both his hands, “Tell Aunt Nina something… Bye or something, Chaunce” (because we have to keep reminding him to use his words and keep speaking) and he looked me in the eye and slowly said, “I….. Love….. You…..”

I said, “You love Aunt Nina?” and he shook his head to say, “Yes”

As I sapped up, I said, “I love you so much more, sweetheart, and Aunt Nina will be here everyday until ur better!”

Chaunce may have injured his head, but God certainly did protect his heart… The love and affection he shows his support team is amazing…

Chaunce continues to show desperate signs that he’s ready to drink & eat, but unfortunately, we are still working on passing the swallow test.

With the trake being taken out, the docs have to make sure liquids travel down the right pipes…

Its heart-breaking to hear him say (every single day), I am thirsty, I am hungry!

Mentally, Chaunce is being strong considering the circumstance. His room is filled with visitors around the clock and it reminds me much of the night Vision’s closed! No place to stand, no place to sit and death-defying hot! Lol.

Well, maybe not as bad as Vision’s, but it sometimes seems like it.

What can I say though, he’s a popular kid and everybody is anxious to see him! Even Auntie Nina, who has been nicknamed, The Chaunce-Hog, is learning how to share him! Lol.

This Friday (6/13), Chaunce will be moved to Scottish Rite for Children for extensive rehab around the clock to get him well!! It was hard trying deciding which hospital would be best for this stage in his healing, but as a family, we’ve decided on SR because we can all be apart of his rehabilitation regardless of the time of day.

Although Chaunce stands 6’1 in height, he’s far from being an adult, and its important that his Mom, Grandma, younger brother and extended family members all be apart of his rehabilitation, more from a emotional, spiritual and psychological standpoint.

As with everything else, we’ve prayed about it and now must trust God will continue to bless Chaunce with the very best care to get him back to a 20 (he was a 10 before, we’re going above and beyond on this go-round!).

Lastly, we want to send a special thank you to all of the support my industry friends and peers have extended.

The love we have received from so many people who have never met Chaunce has been overwhelming…

Special, special, special thanks to…

Tip, Sheena, Kuntry, Dro, D.P and the rest of the GH fam: The voicemails and update requests have truly made Chaunce feel so special.

Sheena, I know Tip’s words of encouragement about being patient and still will hit a home run for him. Thank u for being such a Chaunce Cheerleader! U are amazing!

Dro, Chaunce is gonna hold u to the lunch u promised… Those were the wrong words to say to a teen who hasn’t eaten in 3 weeks! Oh, boy… U better bring the American Express cuz he’s gonna have an appetite outta this world!

Acie Law of the Atlanta Hawks: Ur compassion has blown us all away!! U say ur not good with words, but u couldn’t have chosen more PERFECT words to write in such a warm card. We will forever be grateful for ur random kindness! Oh, and Hawks fans too :-)

Jeezy: Ur visit was special enough, but the emails asking how he’s doing is just as special. To know, Young Jeezy cares has Chaunce floatin on Cloud 9! When I let him read ur email, he gave me his familiar sly smile. When I said, “Jeezy said if u need to borrow some swag, let em know”. He looked at me as if to say, “Now ur going too far, Aunt Nina!!” Thank you again for ur sincerity, it will never, ever be forgotten… And DATS real talk!!!

Joc, Block, J.C., Zoe & Block Ent: U guys always go above n beyond for me…

We are truly family to the 9th degree!

Joc, when Chaunce heard ur message when u said, he has become an inspiration to you, his eyes lit up. I share similar sentiments, but coming from a multi-platinum artist seems to get him moving more than it did when I said it! Hahaha :-) Thank u for being there for me and being so quick to love those that I love!

Paul Wall: Okay, when Chaunce heard ur message, he was like, “Whoooooa!” When u said, “We got u, even in Houston!,” he looked like a million and two bucks!!! U don’t talk about it, ur so about it!!!! Ur the best! Thanks for sending prayers from H-Town, we received em right away and are so grateful :-)

Tity Boi: If my nephew wants to be a Duffel Bag Boy because of ur voicemail, I’m coming after you :-) He thought he was “entitled” after hearing ur words of encouragement… Thank u for being that dude who makes it happen asap!

Levaughn & Dj: I’m still so proud of you both! What a way to ride for ur boy! When y’all walk into the room, his face lights up and its magical… Of course, when I asked Chaunce if he knew y’all have been emotional about him being in the hospital, he looked like he was about to snatch some swag cards!! Hahahaha! At 15 & 16, ur loyalty is so impressive!!! That’s something some grown men don’t even have, and yet, y’all ride for ya boy 24/7/365! I love u for that!

And to everyone else who has sent kind words of inspiration and encouragement, we THANK YOU humbly and appreciate the blessing you are!!

Love Always,

Chaunce’s Aunt Nina

(Dj & Levaughn’s too!)

——————-

Jun 2, 2008

Young Jeezy, Yung Joc & T.I. show love to Chauncey!

Current mood:inspired

Young Jeezy, Yung Joc and T.I. show love…

It started with Day 7 when Chaunce opened his eyes for his Mama.

Then it was Day 8 that he was fully responsive when his Mom and I asked him a series of questions to test his coherency, physical strength and memory. Amongst those Day 8 questions (which I didn’t include on the previous update), I asked Chaunce if he remembered coming with his Aunt Nina to the Young Jeezy fashion show – and he raised his brows to say, he remembered. I then asked Chaunce if he wanted to see Jeezy at the V103 Car & Bike Show – and again, he responded with a raise of both eye brows… But it was when Aunt Nina asked him, would Chaunce like Young Jeezy, Yung Joc and T.I. to come visit that got him to squeeze my hand so hard that it made me wonder if the child was supposed to even be in ICU…. (No lie, it was that strong!!)

Of course, Chaunce being my sweet angel, I promised him I would make it happen, so the next morning, I went to work, reaching out to Joc, Jeezy and Tip and their crews…

Having no idea of what the fella’s schedules looked like or if they would even feel comfortable making a hospital visit, I took a chance when I hit them all around noon on Saturday.

I explained to all of them what happened with Chaunce, his special request and I also took time to explain how very special this 15 year old child was to me, his mama, his Grandmother, his best friends, Levaughn & Dj and so many other people as well…

I wasn’t the least bit surprised when the replies started trickling in, one by one… First from the Grand Hustle crew, saying Tip would absolutely make the trip, then the phone calls from Block Ent saying, “you already KNOW we got you, whatever it is you need!!” I knew Block, Joc and Zoe would step up to the plate, and be ready to hit the homerun. Then Jeezy hit me personally sending prayers and well wishes on behalf of him and CTE. Jeezy immediately said, “I leave out of town tomorrow, what can I do TODAY?” The outpour of support was both moving and heart-felt…

The world is so quick to critize our hip hop artists and throw them under the bus when mistakes are made…. However, when they step up to the plate without hesitation to do philanthropic and character-building appearances for no money at all, no one acknowledges it… It’s shameful.

I have so much respect for Jeezy, Joc & Tip… Even with my late, very last minute and out-on-a-limb request, they committed to doing everything in their power to make it happen… Joc was on the road, with a late night gig, but said, consider it done… Jeezy was leaving out of town the next day and had a gig the same night, but said, consider it done… Tip was in the studio, working against the clock before having to leave out of town the next day and said, we will do everything we can to make this happen… Bless Tip’s heart, with a newborn son, studio sessions, last minute errands before having to leave out of town and a curfew that lacked compromise, he did everything in his power to make it, but didn’t. Tip said he would get by once he returned from his business trip… I told Tip, the genuine attempt is more than I could ever ask for… Anything more, is icing on the cake…

So, last night on Day 9, around 11pm, I got the call from CTE saying Jeezy would be pulling up at Grady within minutes… Along side of me, were Chaunce’s 2 best friends who have been ride or die for Chaunce from the jump… When Jeezy arrived, we went up to see Chaunce for the after-hours “special” visit and when Jeezy spoke to Chaunce, his entire face seemed to light up. His eyes were open and stayed open and when Jeezy extended his hand to shake/dap Chaunce up, Chaunce lifted his arm so tough and showed love. Jeezy did awesome… Gave Chaunce an autographed 8732 hat saying, “Get Well” and “Keep your head up” and took a few pictures with the fellas. He told Chaunce he would be back to check on him and would try to put together a small “care package” as well.

I must say, I was extremely touched…. Jeezy didn’t have any time in his day and even admitted to me, he doesn’t do hospitals, but he made it happen and Chaunce pulled out the strength to acknowledge the visit from Jeezy and his 2 best friends, Levaughn and Dj (who have both already won my heart – I’ve inherited 2 more nephews!!).

After Jeezy left on Saturday night, I asked Joc if we could reschedule his visit because my gut instinct was telling me, Chaunce may have been over-stimulated from the VIP visit… While Chaunce is making such impressive progress, we are still taking baby steps and extreme caution while he is still healing.

Day 10 – Today around 3pm, Joc arrived at Grady to see Chaunce. When I was with Chaunce prepping him for Joc, Chaunce again, blew me away with his progress… The nurse told us, they had him OUT of bed a few minutes before we arrived and he was sitting in a chair by himself. They have removed a lot of the head, arm and body tubes and the ones that remain; Chaunce has been steady trying to pull out…. Bless his heart, the child is restless and tired of being in a hospital bed, not being able to speak and constrained.

Today, as I was talking to Chaunce he pulled me very close to him, as if he wanted to say something… He could only growl with all of the tubes in his throat and such, but Aunt Nina still understood everything he wanted to say…. All I could do was kiss him on his nose and say, “I know Sweetheart, I know.”

When Joc walked into Chaunce’s room with Levaughn and Dj, Chaunce knew exactly who was there to visit… After the encouraging words and motivation from Yung Joc, we went to take pictures and Chaunce threw up the deuces as Joc leaned over his bed. This child is well on his way to a full recovery!

Many thanks to Gorilla Zoe as well for being so willing to do whatever needed to be done on Chaunce’s behalf. Honestly, everyone’s prayers and well wishes are more than we could ever ask for…

Everyday Chaunce blows us away with something new and everyday, God’s grace and favor assures us, that this too shall pass…. very, very, very soon!!!

Chaunce has been anxious to see his 7yr old brother, Chandler, and today was the day that his brother would see him for the first time…

As Chandler climbed INTO Chaunce’s bed to be under his big brother, Chan left Chaunce with the best words of wisdom as of yet…. Coming from a 7yr old child, Chandler whispered to his brother, “Talk to God in your dreams Chaunce, talk to God in your dreams…”

Amazing grace! A-ma-zing!!!

Thank you again to all of Block Ent, all of Corporate Thugz Ent and all of Grand Hustle… The love and genuine concern from the people that Chaunce has much respect for, only reconfirms how much he is loved!!!

Also, thank you to Chaunce’s best friends, 15 year old Levaughn and 16 year old Dj, who has been by my side, helping to make all of this happen for “their boy, Brazzy!” – These 2 kids understand the meaning of “ride or die” at their young age and their dedication has truly made my heart smile!

And this is truly why I, Nina Brown of the Frank & Wanda Morning Show, do what I do (as radio producer and as a member of this thing we call “the industry”)… To be able to make a few calls, send out a few emails to some of the industry’s most in-demand artists, just to bring a smile to a 15yr old ICU patient, I’ve taken in as my Godchild, my nephew and my angel, makes the blood, sweat and tears of everything I have endured to get to this point, ALL WORTH IT!!!

It’s not what I do inside the radio station that counts, but what I am able to do outside of the radio station because of what I do inside, that makes every 3am morning and every ridiculously late night count!!

Thanks for taking the time to read this email… Chaunce is doing great and we just wanted you to know.

Prayer is so powerful – Please keep sending em!

Love,

Chaunce’s Aunt Nina

*** Chaunce had a freak accident… On the last day of his freshman year, he fell while getting off the bus, hit his head on the concrete and has been in ICU since the Friday before last… Chauncey Binder suffered internal bleeding and bruised lungs.***

*

*

Be Fearless,

Nina Brown

Morning Show Producer

The Frank & Wanda Morning Show

Kick Balls or Kick Rocks… or just come Kick IT!

In my best Wild Afrikan voice, “If you build it, they will come…”

Well, we finally built it and indeed, they came quick…

And of course we didn’t invent it nor are we the first to do it in Atlanta, but I guarantee, WE ARE THE COOLEST & WE WILL HAVE THE MOST FUN!!! #beleeeedat

WE3 presents the #KickBallCrew Invitational on Easter Sunday, April 24th at 4pm @ Piedmont Park in Midtown!

And because pretty much everyone we hit, is confirmed to kick, (who got the joke? lol) we have closed the list & are not able to take anymore players at this time, but stay tuned for future opportunities to get in on the action…

HOWEVER, we cordially invite you to come #kickit and enjoy the entertainment!
 

“When they question ya athletic ability, make sure you jog they memory…” -Hov

When x Where

New Location: Piedmont Park

(Green Space behind Willy’s/Flying Biscuit on Piedmont & 10th)

When: Easter Sunday, April 24th @ 4pm

Teams: Keeping it Old School – Captains will alternate choosing players one-by-one to form teams of 10-11 players.

A few important tidbits:

• Bring a captain’s chair or a blanket to sit on
• Food is welcomed, but no portable grills are allowed
• No tents or canopies with a dimension that exceeds of 10×10
• No radio’s or loud music
• No cleats or any type of shoes that may damage the lawn
• They do boot, ticket & tow in Midtown, so park somewhere legal

Don’t Sleep on the City of Atlanta Park Rules, THERE’S MORE –> Click Here  

How x Who

Kick Ball Rules from WAKA via LiveStrong.com

Kick ball, usually spelled as one word–kickball–isn’t just that sport you played in the schoolyard when you were a kid. In 2000, a group of kickball aficionados created the World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA) and established a set of rules to govern the game. There are now hundreds of kickball teams around the country which play according to these established rules. Most of the rules are based on traditional baseball or softball rules.

Teams

WAKA kickball rules permit a team to field at least eight and no more than 11 players during a kickball game. Basic games of kickball will have varying numbers, so just split your group into two even teams. It is a good idea to have a pitcher and fielders at all the bases. If your group is big, divide into three teams and play winner-stays-on, or have substitute fielders.

Game Play

A regulation kickball game lasts five innings. The ball is “pitched” (rolled) from the regular pitchers mound and must be done by hand. The pitcher is allowed to bounce the ball, but there is a strike zone (one foot around and above home plate) that must be adhered to.

The ball is pitched to the players, who must then strike the ball with any part of the foot, or the leg above the knee. The ball then goes into play or goes foul.

Field and Equipment

A kickball field needs four bases in a diamond shape. WAKA kickball rules have bases 20 feet apart, but you can adjust this if you do not have the space. The pitching strip is directly in front of home plate and in line with first and third base. Outer walls should be marked clearly, as a ball kicked over results in a home run. The official ball used in a kickball game is red with a WAKA logo, and it is inflated to 1.5 pounds per square inch. However, a soccer ball or something similar can be used for a fun game with friends.

Pitching

The pitcher delivers the ball, and must do so with one foot in contact with the pitching rubber. The ball must be rolling or have bounced twice before reaching home plate to be counted as a fair pitch. If the ball passes through the strike zone and the kicker does not make contact, it counts as a strike. A ball that goes wide of the strike zone, is not rolling or did not bounce twice will count as a ball.

Kicking and Running

The batter must run to first base after any ball that is kicked. Foul lines extend out from first and third base, and a ball must be inside these lines to be in play (otherwise, it is foul and a strike). If a ball clears the outfield wall for a home run, the kicker and all runners on base run the bases unopposed to home plate. One run is scored every time a runner reaches home.

Outs and Scoring

Unlike baseball and softball, where defensive players must advance a ground ball to a base to get a player out, kickball also allows the defense to throw the ball at a player off a base in order to get the “runner” out.

Other ways to get out are on strikes, on a kicked ball that is caught by a fielder before it touches the ground, and by a fielder with the ball touching a base to which a runner is forced to advance.

Runners score when they touch all three bases and home plate in order without being called out.

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See what Chesley thought of Nina’s cooking… :)

11Alive’s Chesley McNeil ranked Nina’s lasagna a 12 on a scale of 1-10… Niceeeeee!!!

My friends and I love watching Millionaire Matchmaker on Bravo, so it shoulda been no surprise when my two besties, Fashion & Shayla, ambushed me in late December 2010 and told me I should consider going on a “Dating Diet”.

I gave Fashion maaaajor side eye during this “unannounced intervention” of theirs.  Fashion began rattling off a list of Patti’s “dating disasters” she felt could be applied to my last few relationships situations…

But even worse, was how she justified it by saying, “Well Patti says..” or “In Patti’s Book it says…” — I just stood their listening, giving them both a mean side eye.  I was two seconds away from saying, “Ummm I hate to break it to ya, but Patty don’t pay no bills ’round here!!” but I didn’t, I continued to listen… quietly :)

It seemed like Fash had more “Well Patti says…” than I could count.

While multi-tasking mentally, I had just enough time to figure Thelma & Louise Fash & Shayla out…

They were using me as their lil-Patti-Says-Guinea-Pig since I was the one in our immediate circle who endured most of the 2010 relationship battle scars (some self-inflicted, some inflicted by others, lol).

Unexpectedly, their “great idea” was getting more & more interesting by the minute.

I admit, the entire first half of the convo, I wasn’t trying to hear it.

“Me? A dating diet… For what??? I’ve got THIS *points to self* under control!” (a lil defensive, I was… but JUST a lil, lol)

I mean, Ray Hitch our Relationship Expert , called ME his Star Student on seeeeveral occasions! Ray Hitch would often say, “Listen to me, Nina will have noooo problems with guys… because Nina gets it!!” (check out Ray Hitch in action on YouTube)

And the truth of the matter is, Ray Hitch is right — I do get it… Its just the “daily application post-Cupid” part that gets a little tricky! :)

Okay, I admit…

When Fash & Shayla first brought the whole “Dating Diet” up, I immediately thought they were implying, I was choosing “bad  guys” (as in character), which I felt was totally off-base.

I take extreme pride in being a great judge of character and choosing guys who possess 80-90% of my non-negotiables (spirituality, character, personality, ambition, humor, swag, family-oriented and be a BAAAAAAWSE *Rozay voice* lol).

Indeed, I do pretty awesome in the beginning… BUT after the infatuation, googly eyes, honeymoon phase wears off, things have been known to take right turns, left turns, U-turns and the dude with soooooo much potential becomes the STAR in the hit movie of my life: Another One Bites the Dust. lmbo

[insert hope here... lotssss of it too, lol]

I finally realized that an “intense beginning” has absolutely nothing to do with longevity…

And “like Patti says”, a good relationship has the 3 C’s:

Chemistry, Compatibility and Communication

Ironically, all of my past relationships had the 3 C’s on smash… but I realized, Patti forgot the BIGGEST… the most important C… The one C that trumps all the little C’s…

Patti, “the dating expert” forgot the Big Joker of C’s…

Patti forgot CONSISTENCY!!!

I mean really, what good is chemistry, compatibility and communication if it only lasts a few months??

And before we ladies start pointing the finger, please understand, lack of consistency isn’t ALWAYS his fault…

We, me included, are just as guilty… *bbm hand over eyes face*

The truth is, while men may be obvious with their inconsistencies, women are a lot more slick with theirs.

Women quickly change once becoming emotionally attached (which most often correlates with intimacy) and we, as women,  suddenly abandon the “cool & confident, easy breezy, its all good girl” we were when we trying to snag him… Gotta love the representative!  lol

And now, instead of being that amazing girl he couldn’t resist, you’ve become the “always nagging, sometimes snoopin, insecure, never satisfied girl” who isn’t happy with herself, so the whole world must suffer too… beginning with him. lol

Honestly, I believe men expect women to change… to a degree, at least.

After so000 many stories with the exact same ending, can you blame men for generalizing us & expecting the change?

And to our defense, it IS in our genes and even dates all the way back to Adam & Eve.

I figure, if Eve would have just chilled out and followed her man’s lead like she did when THEY FIRST MET, everything would have been all good, but nope, she had to get all spicy, jumped the gun, ate the fruit, and voila…

Houston, we have a problem!!

Now wait a minute though… Adam ain’t  off the hook that easy.

Let’s entertain the possibility of  Adam communicating better…

IF Eve would have continued to follow Adam’s lead and IF Eve would have chilled the heck out and not been so spicy…. then juuuuust maybe, the book of Genesis would have had a different ending and MAYBE Adam & Eve would have been more like Bonnie & Clyde B.C. (before Christ), lol.

But that’s not what happened, and it was written & has been recorded for all to read up on in the good book we call the Bible.

Whether or not Adam lacked communication skills and regardless of the fact that Eve may have been doing too much, the truth of the matter is…. thousands of years later, we have YET to learn anything from good ol’ Adam and spicy lil Eve!

And those who do fall in love, and ride or die till the end, are the methodical ones who HAVE figured out that love is more than just an emotion… its mathematical, psychological & so sacracial.  The ones who find success are indeed, the ones who “play their role as man and woman, without totally losing their own identities.”  It is these compromising couples that come the closest to the “Happily Ever After” story ending we all dream about.

Let me get back on track…

So yes, after being soooo reluctant, I finally decided Fash & Shayla had some logical examples of how I could benefit from a Dating Diet.

To put it in a one-liner: I desperately needed a dating BREATHER. (insert my aha-moment here, lol)

I got pretty excited about the Dating Diet when I realized the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

With a brand new chapter of my life beginning this week (I start a new journey at 11Alive on Jan 5, 2011), it was finally time to totally focus on ME… And “ME” encompasses my son, my spirituality and a brand new career in the world of TV!

Simply put, I don’t need, want or can afford to have any distractions — at all!

Whether or not your reason is like mine, the most important thing is understanding why you’re in this place & how you even got to this point.

If after you have come to SPIRITUAL, MENTAL & EMOTIONAL grips with your dating issues, its important to realize, NO diet is a piece of cake… and especially a doggone dating one.

BUT although challenging, it is far from impossible…

Bottom line is, you’re worthy of taking a time out to focus on YOU!

To begin, you must do 2 things — determine the length of time & commit to the rules.

Determining Length of Time:

If your relationship lasted,

Less than a year – 30 days of the #datingdiet
2 years – 60 days
3 or more years OR was a marriage – 90 to 120 days

And wait a minute… please understand what DATING even is…

Dating: To spend time with an individual so you may get to know them better with the hopes of a favorable outcome — relationship, friendship, or whatever you deem as “favorable” (and no Webster didn’t give me that definition, my common sense did. lol)

While Fash & Shayla suggested I do 30 days, I decided to go with 60 instead — boundaries breed benefits!

And now, the things we love to break — rules.

Let’s start with the most obvious:

1. Absolutely no dates.

That means no new dates, no old dates and no kinda-sorta-not-really-a-date dates. If a guy approaches you or asks to take you out, you have to have enough strength to kindly let them know, you can’t because you’re on a “Dating Diet” to focus on things that can make or break your life.  lol.

2. Absolutely no intimacy.

The pool must officially be CLOSED. No back stroking, forward stroking, butterfly stroking or any other stroking. Pack up your bathing suits and your rubber floating devices and FOCUS!!  If you even walk by the pool, you may be tempted to take a dive, so just stay out the pool area all together… avoid temptation at all cost.

3. No Skyping, Texting, After-Hour BBM’ing or anything else a smart phone can make happen these days.

That would be like giving a kid a tootsie pop and telling them they can lick the candy but don’t bite into the chocolate… Well, maybe its not like that but hopefully you still got my point. Ha!

And let’s not forget the purpose of the dating diet… To focus on SELF.

This should be a time when you seek clarity about who YOU are and YOUR purpose in the world.

You can’t make someone else happy if you’re not happy with yourself.

Use this time to focus on becoming a better person overall. Instead of looking back on a failed relationship — look ahead, have faith and be hopeful.

Once you complete your diet, you should be able to measure your success with specific results.

For example:

-You lost weight & have less stress because the time you would have spent texting the new flavor of the month, you spent at the gym instead.

-Your job performance became noticeably better because you were a lot more focused (amazing how much we’re able to focus when we subtract all the un-neccessary texting)

-Your kids are happier because you’re happier. Its amazing how quickly bad energy poisons good children.

Ultimately, the key to a healthy relationship is minimal luggage.

Its one thing to have a cute little carry-on, I mean no one’s perfect, but be cautious of passengers with EXCESSIVE luggage… it eventually has to get unpacked & Lord have Mercy, who really knows what a person has packed & decided to travel with.

If you’re able to truly grasp the benefits of boundaries, focus on self, take responsibility for past mistakes and understand your own dating dilemma’s, the Dating Diet will make you a BETTER woman.

I pray you pursue your PASSION, realize your PURPOSE & be blessed with spiritual PEACE.

1. Get Straight A’s

2. Master a Kickflip

3. Go to church more

4. Become a better Christian

Malo Lava!! <3

While on a sleepless 5hr red-eye flight home from LA to Atlanta last night, I jotted down a few of my memories from an unforgettable “Samoa Round 2″ experience :)

I not only soaked up every bit of the tropical weather but my mission to come home with a tan was accomplished!! :)  Every day on the island averaged 86 degrees and although it rained daily, the rain would only last for about an hour or two and then the most glorious rainbows would emerge and the sunshine would return.

I have a great love for my Polynesian heritage and to experience Samoa first-hand only draws me in closer. My desire to speak Samoan and learn every bit of our genealogy only increases. I never wish to rewind time, but if I could, I would most definitely seize the opportunity to do some schooling in Samoa. To learn the culture by being there day-to-day would have been such a memorable experience… Maybe in the next lifetime :)

What a blessing it was to spend time with Grandpa & Grandma Schwenke. I’m blessed to have such wonderful, generous & loving Grandparents. My Grandfather’s spirit is unlike anyone I’ve ever met. His gentleness and devotion to our family is inspiring. The way he thinks, moves & speaks is always with kindness and humility. I will never forget how he made me chop-suey after hearing me pout about wanting it. After mom, Grandma & I returned from visiting family, we got home and chop-suey & rice awaited us… one of my most favorite Samoan meals. My heart smiled as I kissed Papa on the cheek and said, “thank you Grandpa… I really appreciate you”. He just smiled and said, you’re welcome. His gentleness is truly so humbling.

My Grandmother is such a character…. always so entertaining and she never misses a beat. We welcomed her 2 new “pussy cats” (what they call cats in Samoa) and they were even named in honor of the “Christmas” Holiday… Kerisi (Chris) and Masi (Mas). lol. And when the cats seemed to take over, Grandma reminded me to just “sasa their moolies” (spank them). Lol. Her cleverness and sharp wit at her age only makes me wonder how quick-witted she was at my age! The way she looks after Grandpa is such an inspiration. As Grandpa was eating something she deemed unhealthy, she shook her head and said to him, that’s not good for you. Grandpa, as always, just smiled and didn’t say anything while she fussed at him. And while some may have focused on her fussing, I focused on her love for her husband of 50 years plus. She has spent a lifetime dedicated to him and understanding that everyday is a day that can not be taken for granted, I know she prays for eternal life with the man she has loved and raised 8 kids with (and those 8 kids have blessed them both with 27 grandchildren & 17 great grandchildren).

Being in Samoa and especially around my Grandparents reminded me how family-oriented our culture is and it made me even more appreciative to be apart of such a devoted heritage. Not only were my Grandparents such an amazing example, but Auntie Joanne & Uncle Norm, Auntie Angie & Uncle Lofi, Auntie Sandra & Uncle Sam, Auntie Rita & Uncle Orlando, Uncle Charlie & Auntie Nina (RIP), Uncle Clem & Auntie Jennie, Uncle Daniel & Auntie Gwen, Uncle Fred & Auntie Cynthia were more examples of dedication and love thru marriage. It was an honor to spend time with Auntie Joanne, Uncle Norm and my cousins, Maverick, Jonina & Ada Fanua. I watched in amazement how my cousins were so hands-on with the preparation of several meals, kitchen clean-up duty and caring for Uncle Charlie. They move as a family unit and display such strength and spirituality. After a long day with the family on Christmas Day, I joined the Wetzell clan, Uncle Charlie and cousins at the beach where we jumped off the dock, swam and reminisced about past family reunions and such. Laughter & love filled the air.

Afterwards, what fun we had playing volleyball… Auntie Joanne being the umpire, it was another example of enjoying life as a family. It was nothing new to them, just another opportunity to be together… what a blessing, indeed.

Visiting Tupua Tamasese Taisi Efi (Samoa’s Head of State) was another unforgettable experience. Uncle Taisi who is very much royalty in Samoa is truly a distinguished gentleman. As he spoke with such eloquence, it was so easy to be memorized. The knowledge & intelligence he bestows is truly so amazing. Having conversation with Uncle Taisi is like opening Pandora’s box…. you have no idea what you will get, you just know it will be defining. Although much of the conversation was done in Samoan, I distinctly remember Uncle Taisi explaining how our culture uses touching as a way to show affection for one another. The way we kiss to greet each other and massage the elders are just two common examples. While I’ve always loved that part of our culture, it was enlightening to hear Uncle Taisi explain why we do it. His love for our family and the Samoan culture just makes you proud to not only be related to him but be of Samoan decent in general. I can’t wait for the opportunity to spend more time with him & soak-up all the wisdom. Such a graceful man.

The simplicity of the island makes me appreciate the little things and not be so worried about such technical things we over consume ourselves with on a day-to-day basis. I will never forget the 10-year old little boy who approached mom & I as we were getting out of the car while running errands in town.. In Samoan, the little boy asked us if we would buy a spoon from him for 10 tala (equivalent to about $5 in American money). While mom & I were both taken back with the amount he was asking for, you couldn’t help but feel for the barefoot, chubby little boy with the terrible eczema. Looking beyond his physical appearance, there was an innocence in his eyes that you couldn’t ignore or brush off with the typical, “no money” response. I quickly said to mom, let’s give him a small donation and she agreed. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find any small bills and when she told the boy we needed to run into the bank first, he said (in Samoan), “Can u just buy a spoon so I can go home already??” I didn’t understand it when he said it, but later when my Mom told me, I couldn’t help but think about him for several hours later. He was the same age as Jaylen and I couldn’t imagine Jaylen being downtown selling anything with a slight sense of desperation. Heart-breaking yet inspiring to see such young children with such a great sense of responsibility and persistence.

While on one of many “tiki tours” around the island, it seemed like an endless list of questions and thoughts would quietly pop up in my mind — one after another. I not only learned about the integration of the Chinese, Indian and German but also about the educational system and was reminded how very important our elders are and the respect that is given to them. Opposite of the American culture, senior citizens are treated with the MOST respect. For example, they ALWAYS eat first, are always cared for and catered to and you always come appropriately dressed when in their presence – and when in doubt, wrap a lava lava around you and keep it moving :) The world revolves around the elders in the Samoan culture. It made me realize how important it is to do all that I can to make my Grandparents life as easy as possible.

Besides the attack of the vicious Samoan mosquito’s and not having Jaylen beside me to experience all of this, I had such a wonderful trip to the island. Unforgettable memories of papaya’s and pineapple’s, Lionel & Redmon, Uncle Sam’s sleepy “guard” dogs and Grandma’s new cats, the amazing view from Vailima, clumsily giving myself a black eye, laughing at Jonina for trying to “sneak” the kleenex to the lady crying while giving her testimony in church, running into mom’s teenage love & embarrassing her about it, doing Karaoke with the Wetzell’s and playing family fued with Uncle Charlie, mom eating the fruit-eating flying fox that she “thought” was duck (lol), Grandpa and his love (or obsession rather, lol) for Skype, laughing at Yanni’s “everything but shy” Karaoke, learning that mosquito’s laugh at those who actually believe OFF spray works and the countless stories I heard about the “good ol’ days growing up in Samoa”.

Samoa was one of the best birthday gifts EVERE and I’m forever grateful to my mom for blessing me with it. I plan to be speaking fluent Samoa by my next birthday… and if all else fails I’ll be mocking the best FOB accent I can deliver…. Either way, pray for me :) lol

Manuia le Kerisimasi, Ia fa’a manuia oe e le Atua (Merry Christmas – May God bless you!

Teine Samoa,

Charmaine-Mainey-Nina (lol)