Flashback Friday

I wanted to share my Memorial Day Weekend. I had a blast and wish I could go back...hence Flashback Friday! Here's a small peek into my weekend....

First there was the Caribbean Festival at Linganore Winecellars. So my bf told me this is what we were doing for the day and I was like "Cool. I love reggae and I'm not opposed to testing different wines out, so this should be a nice little gathering attend." Little did we both know! This event/winery was in Mt. Airy, Maryland. Neither of us had ever been there, so we didn't know what to expect. Once we got off of the highway we had about a 20 mile drive of nothing but extreme winding roads and extreme hills. We were very close to West Virginia and could even see some mountains in the background. It was very rural yet so beautiful. In North Carolina there are plenty of roads that are draped by very vast fields, farm land, and trees as far as the eyes can see...but this was just different. Even though I'm a small city girl that craves the big city life...I thoroughly enjoy the countryside. Since the event was in such a secluded section of the world, I was thinking that it would be more of a small intimate gathering...WRONG! There had to be at least 50,000 people there (AT LEAST!!). I was unable to capture the masses in photograph, but there were cars on every hillside! I was amazed to see that so many people navigated their way through winding road after winding road to find that tiny corner of the world, but it was definitely worth it!

The next day, since it was Memorial Day weekend, we thought it was fitting to visit the monuments. Here's the route we took around the National Mall and the monuments/sites we visited.

It was such a beautiful day so we did a good amount of walking! Here's a small compilation of the walk....















During that walk we made sure to visit some of the war monuments. Of course I had to get another picture of the NC column at the World War II Monument. It was decorated so nicely, I couldn't resist! Here's that compilation:











I hope you enjoyed the peek. I see a variety of interesting activities to come in my future...so stay tuned!!

;-)

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50 Questions To Free Your Mind, Part 3

Here's part three of the series! Looks like I'm going to have to slow down with the questions. It looks as if Kalyn (at Life As I Pretend To Know It) is only doing these monthly!

11. You're having lunch with three people you respect and admire. 

They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. 

The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?

I don't think the people I admire would do such a thing. However, if this were to happen, I would definitely let them all know they were being unfair and I would excuse myself from lunch. I have a very hard time with dealing with such nonsense. It's a waste of time. Also, I can be an extreme introvert at times, so I don't see myself having lunch with too many people I don't really know anyway! LOL.

12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

Do all you can with what you have so you can enjoy life!

13. Would break the law to save a loved one?
It would definitely depend on what was going on. If they got themselves into some kind of trouble, I might have to think about it. But if something is going on that was out of their control and I could save their life, of course I would.

14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?

 Of course I have. The first example that comes to mind is my natural journey. When going natural first became popular again, my old hair stylist and I would talk about the craze. I don't know if I would go so far as to say I thought it was insanity, because I didn't, but I KNEW I was never going to do it!! I got to the point where I was so tired of going through the cycle with my hair (see here), that I could then understand what going natural could mean for me and my hair. Definitely a lot of creativity going on now! LOL

15. What's something you know you do differently than most people?
Well, while most people like to dip their french fries in ketchup...I like to dip mine in applesauce. Something about that sweet and salty combination that does it for me.




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Cute OOTD

I'm in the process of trying to update my wardrobe. I've been pulling ideas from different avenues as to what's in and what's not. Style has definitely taken a different turn than what I'm used to, so for some advice I asked my sister to help me out. I figured, she's in the college world and sees fashion more than I do by sitting in an office 40 hours a week. This was a style inspired by some tips she gave me.

Earrings: Beauty World (local beauty supply store)
Necklace: Beauty World
Shirt: Charlotte Russe
Cami: Old Navy
Bracelet: Tiffany
Watch: Michael Kors

Jeans: I can't remember!! (but if I had to say, I'd guess Rainbow...lol)

Shoes: Payless Shoes

I really liked this shirt but what I've found is that the clothes that I buy from the more youthful stores (such as Charlotte Russe, Forever 21, etc.) don't have as much longevity. So, the goal is to update my wardrobe, but to search for more quality pieces. I feel like I need to get rid of at least 85% of my wardrobe, so I will have to tackle this task one piece at a time!!

This one gets a thumbs up, don't ya think?

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May '13 Length Check

16 Months Natural

Here's my May Length Check!!

April 29 = 65 weeks natural, 24 weeks since the BC

 

May 28 = 69 weeks natural, 28 weeks since the BC

My hair is doing well. It's definitely healthy and thick!! My 'fro is a lot bigger than it is in both of these pictures, but it shrinks in size whenever I get my hair styled at the salon (due to having to set my hair under the dryer). I'm still having trouble finding styles I like to get me through the "not enough hang-time" stage, but that's a post for another time!!

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14 and 18

Protective Styles

I decided to combine these two pictures to showcase some protective hairstyles I've used along my journey. Protective hairstyles are designed to protect your hair from the Earth's elements and other things that can damage your hair (wind, extreme heat, extreme cold, chaffing your clothes, etc.). It's been a minute since I've had a protective style, but I definitely feel one coming on...and soon!

May 14 - Beautiful Braids
This is an example of improvisation. I was in my best friends wedding and the plan was to get my hair braided so I could wear a braid out for the main event. Since I wanted the braid out to be super fresh, I got my hair braided on Tuesday and kept it braided up until that Saturday. I had been wearing the wig on top of the braids because I thought this gave me a fancier look...and it was a little more presentable and professional...for work. Everyone loved the wig look so much that I decided to wear it for the wedding!! It turned out great! Both the braids and the braids with the wig would be considered protective styles. Nobody knew this hair was a wig. When people would ask me what I did to my hair, I gladly told them it was a wig. I have no shame in wearing wigs. I used to use them as accessory pieces and would wear them for different occasions. I thought it was fun to switch styles up without having to manipulate my hair. Even though it works for some, I wore the wig over the cornrows because I just don't see myself walking around with cornrows (due to my personal preference).

May 18 - Protective Style

I actually wrote about these braids in a previous post. To make a long story short, I got this style after having had a style that required a lot of maintenance at night. (See what style made me do it here!!) I wore this until it started frizzing out, which was about a week. My hair is really soft and doesn't exactly hold styles for a long amount of time. It was cute while it lasted.

I need some ideas for my next protective style. Any suggestions??

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