No ChiSteppers, I haven't abandoned you!  This is my first day back in the Windy in nearly a week, and I woke up at 5am to give you an update because after only 5 hours of sleeping in my own bed, I fly back out again.  Life is good right now, and while I was attending the BET awards in L. A., tears streamed down my cheeks as I watched Mary Mary perform "The God In Me" with Queen Latifah. For those that haven't heard it, the basis is that you might see someone prospering, and wonder why their life is so great, but what you don't see is that when they go home they get on their knees and pray for their blessings.  When I look at my life ... my daugther, my sweetheart Sharon Bolden (I Love You), my mentor Jamie Brown, and my career, I feel so deeply blessed.  Even if it all crashed down tomorrow, I wouldn't complain because I've had a good ride.

So to my Steppin' family, so many of you who send me emails, stop me and congratulate me, or call like Terri Yuzaar did the other day, just to say "I'm proud of you and I love you," I'm taking you along for the ride with me.  As a matter of fact, I mention Steppin' to all of the celebrities I meet, and I have a few of the stories coming up about those conversations.

More importantly though, I wanted to update you on a few things that you might find even more interesting.  ChiStepper has a couple of hot interviews coming up that you don't want to miss.  I'm also going to provide some clarification on this World's Largest situation.  Like many of you, it was a huge surprise to learn that V-103 was hosting a World's Largest Competition, which is separate from the Majestic Gents version.  After learning this, a number of Steppers reached out to ChiStepper.com by email asking if we changed the date of the World's Largest or whatever.  To that end, I just want to say that the version of the 2009 World's Largest Weekend that we have planned will still take place on September 18th, 19th, and 20th and judging by the table sales for the ChiStepper/Dre and Company "Opening Night" party, the weekend is going to be a grand slam.

Neither ChiStepper.com, Dre and Company, or The Majestic Gents are interested in a mud slinging contest with anybody.  We don't want to divide loyalties in the Steppin' community, because like we saw in L. A., nobody benefits from that type of campaign.  At the very least, Steppers will have the option of participating in two major contests in 1 year.  It's not unheard of, as 2004 saw both a Steppers Compete contest and a World's Largest Steppers Contest.  Who would complain about more money being brought to the table for the Steppin' community.  I've read a few published reports about the legality of the contest, and this is an article that you can look forward to in the very near future.  Expect a letter from Pete Frazier directly, as he plans to address the Steppin' community about his event on September 19th, 2009.  In the meantime, bare with me as I wrap up my current journey, before I get to bang these keys again!