by Elizabeth Jennings | Feb 8, 2019 | INSPIRATION
We will often have moments in our lives when it seems like it’s one thing after another. And by that I mean bad things. Because let’s face it, there’s never a problem with an abundance of great things happening in our lives, right?
But that’s just not life. It’s not business . . . It’s not reality. In life there will be moments when we may feel like we’re suffocating for air. There may be people that are turning against us that we thought would be there for the long haul. Our friends and family may not understand our lives and project their issues on you or how they think you should react to situations that arise. So when it all comes crashing down, we need to give up. Right?! WRONG!!!! Listne I know that it may feel like we have to surrender and give up on what we’ve been doing. But often retreat is defined as giving up. But you need a retreat. A moment, a time to get away, regroup and figure things out. I had a series of things happen in my life and business over the past year and even in the past few weeks that made me rethink some things. But I decided to retreat. For a moment. Giving up is not an option. I’ve come to far in life to give up now and I believe the best is yet to come. So you have to believe it too. Trust me, I know it’s not easy, but you have to continue to keep moving because there are others you are supposed to help through their situations and you will only be able to do that once you have conquered and obtained the victory. And the victory may not always feel like a win, especially if you didn’t come out of it with lots of money, status or applause. But the fact that you made it through with some scars that are healed, and you are still here is victory sure enough.
by Elizabeth Jennings | Feb 8, 2019 | ENJOYMENT
And I can now understand what all the quack is about! This place is so cute on the inside. It’s pretty simple as well, has a few tables and a lunch counter type table at the windows where multiple people can sit, gather around and enjoy their items they’ve indulged in. I decided to give this place a try because I was in the area for business, and heard so many good things about it. I’m not a huge sweets fanatic, but I like a good sweet bite now and then.
Truth be told, when I usually come to the area, 1 out of 3 times, I would make a swing by Krispy Kreme to get a donut or twelve (LOL) because I don’t live nearby any Krispy Kreme locations, and it’s hard to resist that glazed sensation of goodness.
When I decided to come to this location, I was a little nervous. You’d probably say what the heck for, and I would say to you that I normally would go to the drive thru line of Krispy Kreme, so I didn’t have to go inside. This place doesn’t have a drive thru line, and I have never been here, so I didn’t know what to expect. If you are like me, The only real experience you’ve had with doughnuts besides Krispy Kreme’s is the hard donuts that come in a bag at the grocery store. Yuck! So, I had this thought that any other donuts besides Krispy Kreme would be the same as those other un-delectable concoctions I’ve had many many years ago.
So I had to make the trip to the counter to order. Clearly, the others who were inside ordering were pros to this place and I was a mere amateur. I didn’t want to look silly, so I took a menu and sat down to examine it, and make sure I was going to order just what I would want to taste. There were so many items that looked appealing to me, and I started to get excited a little bit! So their donuts are freshly-made vanilla cake donuts that are coated, topped and drizzled as you desire with the offerings they have on the menu, some such as coffee, toffee and even bacon! (Everything is better with bacon, right?!)
I ordered one Vanilla iced with toffee topping and caramel drizzle, and one Lemon iced with Powdered sugar. Because I was leaving the area, I wanted to enjoy it at home, which is a pretty hefty drive one way. But when I got home and opened that box, man oh man when I tell you it was delicious! I cannot even tell a lie. I got a spoon to take a small bite and I was not disappointed. The donut was extremely soft to place my spoon into, and that first bite was so off the chain, I had to continue. But I did have self control, and I didn’t eat both of that at once. I just enjoyed a few bites of each, and saved the rest for later. (Mainly because I was kicking myself that I didn’t order more, so I wanted to savor what was remaining and enjoy it later)
Give Duck Donuts a try if you are in the Columbia, SC area. They also have online ordering to make it easier for you to just come in and pick up. I know I will not be a stranger to this place, they honestly may get tired of seeing me more in the future, because they will definitely be seeing more of me!
www.duckdonuts.com
by Elizabeth Jennings | Feb 7, 2019 | INSPIRATION
Growing up I used to love the sitcom “Married With Children”. It was pretty much the dawning of the dysfunctional family being put in the face of viewers around the world. Of course, I never would want to grow up and have a marriage like that, but the previous television shows that showcased marriages either made them seem too good to be true or just downright boring.
Getting married at the tender age of 20 myself, I had a lot of people that was in my ear telling me I was too young and I needed to live life more before making such a lifelong decision. Or worse yet, there were those who said their marriages didn’t last and I was definitely not going to make it. So in my marriage I went in with a lot of doubts (honestly) but I made the decision for me; not for my family, not for even our own son (which was why I didn’t have the proverbial “shotgun” wedding; pregnant with my family holding a shotgun to my soon to be husband while he made an “honest” woman out of me ).
So this year I celebrate 20 years of marriage. Made it this far, we’re still alive, still in love, and still working on it. Here are some of the few things I’ve learned about love and marriage in these 20 years of marriage.
20 THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT LOVE & MARRIAGE
1, Keeping God as the nucleus to your marriage will keep you glued together.
2. Effort can’t be 50/50, but 100/100. Each person has to put their all into the effort in order for there to be a just balance.
3. Marriage is not life, it is is a decision you make in your life. (Some people have made marriage out to be what their life is all about)
4. It is not a fairytale, neither is marriage the wedding. The wedding and marriage are two completely different things. (The wedding is just the event to celebrate entering into the marriage, then the work begins)
5. Don’t run to friends and family to discuss your disagreements and personal affairs.
6. You must be friends first, and lovers always.
7. It’s okay to have healthy fights, just don’t try to destroy the other person’s feelings or character in the process. (Don’t get personal with the disagreements)
8. Marriage is a business so we might as well make a profit 
(Money issues should be discussed regularly and they should build and grow with your marriage so a profit is made, not a deficit)
9. Separation is sometimes necessary to come back together stronger.
10. Never allow anyone to come in between your relationship except God!
11. It’s okay to not like your spouse sometimes, as long as you love them through the moments of dislike.
12. Love does not hurt, so anyone or any song that said that is a liar!
13. It is never your spouse’s responsibility to make you happy, but they should be able to tell when you are not.
14. Marriage should be a stepping stone, not an albatross; it should enhance your life, lift you up and help you to get where your going, not get in your way.
15. No other couple should be relationship goals. The only goals you should have is to make your own marriage stronger with each day.
16. Going through struggles shouldn’t tear you apart, but should bond you together.
17. You CAN help who you “fall” in love with, and choose whether you’re going to make it work or not.
18. Pray together as if your life and love depends on it!
19. Guard your ears and eyes from things that will cause you to compare your spouse to unrealistic expectations of people or things they could never be!
20. Its usually in the moments your spouse seems unlovable that they need love the most!
Oh, and here’s an added bonus so we’ll call this #21:
It’s okay to go to sleep mad at each other, just sleep in separate rooms to prevent holding a pillow over the other person’s head 🙈🙉🙊 Start over the next day, and be thankful to experience a new day with your love!
Of course this list is NOT all inclusive of all that I have learned over the past years. There has been so much I have learned about love, marriage, and making it through. The most important thing is that I will never stop learning because it’s a never ending education. When two people join together, they are still two people. We will always be learning the other person, we will always be growing, and we also will still be learning who we are as well. There have been many ups and downs in this journey, but I am thankful that I am still here to say I’ve experienced it, learned from it, and have grown through it and most importantly love my husband more than the day we first got married.
Wishing You a Successful Beauty-Filled Journey,
Elizabeth Jennings💕 , The Minister Of Beauty (TM)
by Elizabeth Jennings | Aug 25, 2018 | LIFE
I’m the big 4-0 today! Wow, can’t believe it, FORTY! The old saying is true, the days are long but the years fly by. . . I truly am thankful that I have made it to see another year, graced and favored to even see this age. There are many who didn’t make it to be 40 years old, so I’ll wear it with grace, honor and dignity. (And blush 
that I’m still getting carded )
Melanin Still Poppin’
In the forty years I have been here on this beautiful Earth, I must say I’ve learned a whole lot, and there’s still a lot more that am learning and growing in. I wanted to share just a few things I’ve learned and experienced in these years, so here are forty things I’ve learned, ten of which are things I’ve learned about God, ten things about Business, ten about Beauty, and ten about Life. Of course this list is not all inclusive, as I’m sure you know I’ve learned and experienced a whole lot more than forty things in the past forty years I’ve been alive. But I thought I’d touch on some things that are near and dear to me that I wanted to share, and I hope that you will be encouraged by them.
10 THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT GOD
*God Doesn’t Make Mistakes, But Those Who He Created Make Plenty of Them
*God Doesn’t Help Those Who Help Themselves, He Helps Those Who Trust In Him
*When You Rest In God, You Trust In Him, but Resting (Trusting) Takes Work
*God’s Promises Will Come to Pass But You Have to Hold On and Remind Yourself of the Promises Made for Your Life
*When We Take God at His Word, He has No Choice but to Prove Himself
God didn’t create the struggles and stumbling blocks, but he created you to be an overcomer of those struggles and to get over the stumbling blocks with His help.
*God created us to be winners, so he hates when we quit because that’s the only way to lose is by quitting and giving up on our faith in Him.
*He said get dressed for the battle, but He never told us to Fight Them; He fights for us.
*God gave us the power to speak our existence just as He did, and expects us to do it!
*God is a healer; physical, emotional, spiritual, and I am a witness and have experienced it.
10 THINGS IVE LEARNED ABOUT BUSINESS
*Friendship ends where business begins
*Business Success is born out of Business struggles
*When it seems the hardest, keep pushing forward
*Don’t expect support, invest in support
*If it was easy, everyone would do it
*The success you see today was born out of many sleepless nights
*Dollars Don’t Have Loyalty, But People Who Make Dollars Should
*Being a blessing in others businesses is sowing a seed into your own success
*You must always evolve to prevent extinction
*Imagination is Cool, Implementation is Necessary
10 THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT BEAUTY
Kicking Down Old Beauty Standards
*Being Your Own Kind of Beauty Means Ignoring the Stares of Others
*Beauty Is In The Eye of The Beholder, So Look In the Mirror and Behold Yourself!
*Lashes & Lipstick are the Only Makeup Tools I Desire, but I don’t need them
*Perfect Is Boring & Unreal
*Beautiful People Rock Conficence Without Questioning if It’s Suitable for the Occasion
*No Matter How Plain a Woman May Be, If Truth and Integrity Are Written Across her face, She Will be Beautiful
*Wisdom is Beauty That Will Never Age Nor Fade Away
*The Illusion of Beauty Can Leave You Blind to What True Beauty Is
*Investing In Your Beauty Doesn’t Mean Your Superficial
*Loving Who You Were Created to Be Gives You the Keys to Reign & Shine
10 THINGS IVE LEARNED ABOUT LIFE
*Just because you didn’t have a great start in life doesn’t mean the rest of your life has to follow the same pattern.
*In life we make mistakes, but we have to forgive ourselves before others will.
*Don’t Run Behind Anyone Who Won’t Walk Towards You
*You Defeat Your Enemies When You Quit Talking About Them, Although they may still have your name in their mouths
*If You Don’t Fit In Someone Else’s Comfort Zone, It’s Okay because Great Minds Rarely Fit Into Small Spaces
*Some Friendships are Seasonal, Some Friendships come in the Right Season of your life for Life, and Some People are just not seasoned that have come into your life so they can’t stay.
*You can Gain Victory After Defeat, But You Don’t Have to Be Defeated to Gain Victory
*Experience Is a Good Teacher, But Learn the Lessons That She Teaches So You Don’t Repeat It
*What doesn’t Kill You Will NOT Make You Stronger. . . Your Decision to Continue Living Through What Didn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger!
*Never Worship People, Because People Can & WILL Let You Down
What can I say about all these years? Sometimes just plain boring and uneventful, and at other times almost chaotic and unbearable! But I’m so extremely grateful that of all these years and all the joys, pains, ups and downs, I didn’t throw in the towel, nor did anything else defeat me or take me out. I believe I have a whole lot more to do, and lot more to see, and most importantly a lot more people to reach, support, encourage and help to grow. For it is from our experiences that we can help others who are on that same path or headed that way. Forty years, graced, favored and loved by God most importantly, and blessed to have my family still, I can say that these years haven’t been all bad. Yes, I’ve been through much and sometimes I was like “God, why me!!!”, but looking back on it all, I’m a survivor, a strong woman and strong in faith. And that’s why I’m still here; #purpose.
Wishing You a Successful Beauty-Filled Journey,
Elizabeth Jennings💕 , The Minister Of Beauty (TM)
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