A Decade to Remember

I know its probably cliche to write a note like this on the last day of the decade, but since when did I care that much about what people think? The years 2000-2009 saw Kellen go from 16-26, from a boy to man. In that time I graduated three times, became a father, pledged, and had many other experiences that shaped me into who I am today. This is my attempt to refrain from sending out one of those dumb ass traditional New Year text messages that say something like "I can't imagine life without you and I want to let you know that I love you before 2010 gets here." Naw, eff that, my friends have had a tremendous impact on my life the past 10 years, some of them more than what they know, and I just wanted to share my experiences, THAT is how I plan to tell them all that I LOVE YOU. For other people that have impacted my life and are reading this note, thank you for getting me through the past 10 years...

The first decade of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium was brought up with all kinds of hype. The Y2K bug was supposed to end life as we knew it and all I wanted to do was survive so I could graduate high school and go to college. Well as the clock struck 12:00AM on January 1, 2000, everything was still the same in the streets of New Orleans; I still made sure my mom was the first person I kissed happy new year’s, the firecrackers were still going off, and ignorant niggas were still shooting in the air, prompting my family to rush us inside for a few minutes. *Sigh,* life in the city. Well its funny that the same anticipation that saw me begin this decade is the same that I'm ending it with. Confused about life, not knowing what to expect, but optimistic about the future, and prepared for it even if it doesn't pan out the way I anticipated. Such was my shock after learning soon after the beginning of the New Year that I would not be receiving a scholarship to Morehouse College and me and Kyle would not be roommates. As disgusted as I was that I would be going to college at Southern because I let Franklin convince me that it was a sub-par institute of higher education, I had fun there and met a lot of people which have impacted me greatly over the past decade.

Well the remainder of the year of 2000 saw me graduate from high school and leave the only world that I had known for the past four years, remaining optimistic that more than 50 members of my high school class would be 15 minutes away at LSU, however I kept in frequent contact with less than 10 of those, which may be my fault or it may be theirs, but aint no love lost. On the other hand, college in general, Southern in specific was a horse of a whole 'nother color. Southern spoiled me in seeing daily fashion shows in the way that people were attired for class, and that probably is the reason for my closet looking the way it does today. Southern also taught me alot about the opposite sex, I learned that all women aren't ladies, and that women actually fart and go "boo boo." (Don't judge me, I dunno why I thought girls stopped going number 2 after being babies). My freshman year ended with a bang and a 3.75 GPA (HELLER!!!) and that summer I met someone who flipped my world upside down and inside out the likes of which I still haven't recovered from.

On February 3, 2002 I entered in the gates of hell and didn't leave there until April 7. But from my time in the "clank," I earned 18 more blood brothers, countless other half/step brothers, a constant support system and more meaningless sex than I could have ever imagined, lol! From then on college was no longer about class it was like people see in the movies with parties, roadtrips, and frat boys running after women. May 17, 2003 was another day that I will always remember because I got in a car accident that left me comatose for 3 days. I learned then that I was here for something great because God could have left me on the side of I-12. That experience also showed me how many people's lives that I had impacted, and the true meaning of friendship. But I didn't slow down from the life I was living previously, once I regained my health it was sex, drugs, alcohol, and school (when time permitted) and the boring routine of roadtrips, football, and parties in the fall, and uhh "teaching" boys in the spring. But I still graduated with a 3.2 in Electrical Engineering (okay it was really a 2.8, but THANK GOD for Repeat/Delete), and moved on to Law School.

The quest to law school was kind of troubling in its inception, because it was more of a get rich quick scheme than a career change. I was sold on an idea that I knew nothing about only because the idea came from someone I trusted. But I grinded out the whole studying for the LSAT and even had someone be there for me in case I had to deal with disappointment with my scores. Unfortunately, not having my significant other be there for me when I needed her the most and our ensuing breakup brought me to Texas. Now that I look back on it, I should have went to LSU law. Then I finished Southern and in the course of saying my goodbye to a certain someone, started a whole new chapter in my life.

Then tragedy came through with Katrina and the news of being a father all in my first semester of law school, but I remained dutiful to the task at hand and finished law school Mother's Day weekend 2008. I know that has to be one helluva gift to see your son graduate from college twice on two separate Mother's Day weekends. But what my mom doesn't know, many of you I tagged in this note do. Yall know about me almost failing out of law school and the guidance yall helped me with in that struggle, I am thankful to have such good friends. The same friends who provided me with comfort on the weeks leading up to the happiest day of my life April 19, 2006. The same friends who helped me through questioning my own manhood and wondering if I were ready to be a father. The same friends who were there when my family lost everything again on December 29, 2006. Those same friends who pushed me in my darkest hour when I failed the bar in July of 2008, and rose to triumph in February of 2009. Those same friends who were there for me the five times when I failed the MPRE.

Yet, 2009 was a good year as I think about it, I saw the first black President get sworn in while it was 11 degrees outside, I saw Alpha Sigma win chapter of the year and its 2nd straight Bayou Classic Step Show win. In this decade I've been to Mexico twice, L.A., St. Louis, Charlotte, Tallahassee, Atlanta, Charleston, Detroit, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Little Rock, Natchez, Memphis, Birmingham, D.C., Philadelphia, and a few other places I can't remember, and at least one person that this note is dedicated to had something to do with all of those trips. So on the eve of a new decade, I am thankful to have such great friends and with all of you taking this trip down memory lane with me, hope you will be there with me to compare this decades to others in the future, to laugh at the shortcomings that we saw this decade, and to blow the joys we shared out of the water. I'm sorry for being so long winded in my typical fashion, but I had to let you know that I appreciate you all for being there. I close by saying, Happy New Year, I Love You, and I just wanted to take the time out to let you know that you are appreciated!