In the Mix with Aaliyah Miller

I look forward to Thanksgiving every year. It's my favorite holiday and not just because I get to eat dishes that I only eat this time of year, it's about reconnecting with family and friends. I have the down time to reflect on what I'm truly thankful for and count my blessings. This year's turkey day celebration will take me to Atlanta where I get spend time with my bestie Nat. Since she has relocated to Atlanta, I only get to see her a couple times a year, if I'm lucky. This is a special Thanksgiving for her because it will be the first in her new home. Many of you will hit the road today or tomorrow and head to your holiday destinations, some of you will be hosting family and friends, and others will be welcomed guests. Thank you for sharing and participating in my "Thankful and Giving"challenge and reading my blog. I wish each of you a safe, relaxed, and Happy Thanksgiving.

As this week comes to a close, Kim Kardashian's latest magazine cover remains this week's celebrity hot topic. She claimed to " Break the Internet ." I thought her butt selfie a year ago made my jaw drop. She manages to top that. Even The View's Rosie O'Donnell weighed in and came to her defense. While I get Rosie's point that if she had that body she would do the cover, however, I wonder how much of it is actually her body. Thanks to Photoshop, graphic designers and magazine editors can make even imperfect celebrities have the perfect smile, teeth, and body. Kim's skin is glistening a little to much for my taste. Feel me? My mother also used to tell me, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should." I have to say this week feels much better than last week. I got four work out days of the gym in. I finally began chipping away at revising a script (as of last night 15 pages) and am currently reading Toy Story 3 . In order to sta...

Happy Friday folks. I'm pleased to be kicking this blog off with a challenge to each of you. Don't we all have something or someone we are thankful for? As we approach Thanksgiving I thought it would be nice to share what we are thankful for or how we give back to our communities. At work I kicked off a "Thankful and Giving Challenge" campaign with the Aetna University community and now I'm sharing it with you. Check out my video and I challenge you to share what you're thankful for or how you give back to the community. I also encourage you to share this challenge with your family, friends and colleagues. Lets have fun with this and have a great weekend!

"You can a lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink." When it comes to addiction, I've learned that you can't even lead the horse to water. Recently, an individual close to me has relapsed. He/she lost their job as a result of going back on drugs. When you find drug paraphernalia hidden among their personal items, it isn't theirs. Drug addicts live in a world that is built on a foundation of lies. They lie to themselves about their addiction, after all it wasn't going to happen to them. When he/she finally accepts their dependence on a drug, he/she goes to great lengths to hide the addiction. I've seen and heard a plethora of stories about addiction. It's the problem that happens to other people until someone close to you falls victim. You can only hide it for so long before the drug catches up with your body, behaviors, and actions. The addict doesn't accept this notion. He/she thinks they can lie their way out of any situation. ...

I don't know about you, but September seemed like a bit of blur to me. Maybe that's because I spent 13 days of it on vacation and when I returned I transitioned into a new job. My new job transition is going well. I'm loving my commute. East Hartford to downtown Hartford is about 20 minutes depending on traffic. While I love audio books on CD, I will no longer need them because I'm spending two hours out of my day on the road. Holla! Working closer to home is also nice because I get to see my Billy and hubby that much sooner. I do like this time of year, especially when a few warm days make an appearance, but it also serves as a reminder that winter is coming and I'm not talking Game of Thrones (I am looking forward to the next season). Winter is my least favorite season. I hate the cold. You would think I'm used to it having lived in this region my whole life, but I'm not. The snow is okay. I actually like to go sledding and make a snow angel every o...

Happy Friday. It's back-to-school time and most kids in Connecticut wrap up their first official week of school today. As I see the school buses pick up and drop off kids it brings back memories of when I used to stand and wait for the yellow banana boat I called a bus.  Although I'm no longer in school I believe in being a lifelong learner. Regardless of your class, ethnicity, race or religion, education lays the foundation for upward mobility and has the power to level the playing field. Unlike money, which comes and goes, once you learn something that knowledge stays with you.  There are many ways for us to learn. It can happen in a formal educational setting, through our parents, peers, or in the form of mentoring. Merriam Webster defines a mentor as  someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. While the definition gives an understanding of the role it doesn't underscore the importance of mentoring a s a powerful...

Billy takes in the view at a lake. It's hard to believe that today marks 12 weeks since Karim and I adopted our beloved Billy. For the longest time I pushed back on getting a dog. Karim was ready two years ago. I on the other hand thought about the cost of food, having to clean up after a dog or waking up bright and early to walk the dog.  How things have changed. I do all of the above and while the cleaning up after him is a daily occurrence, I don't mind it as much as I thought I would or the a.m. walks. Walking him in the morning helps to wake me up and get myself acclimated to what's ahead in my day. I'm no fan of winter and realize my attitude may slightly shift when the cold temperatures arrive. However, whether its rain, sleet or snow, Billy is a joy to be around. Chilling on Grandma's deck. This is going to sound a bit cheeky, but it was love at first sniff.  I didn't anticipate falling for him so quickly. Karim and I met him at Our Compani...