Thank You!!!

I just wanted to take the time to say thank you to my readers!! I asked for prayers on Friday and I know some of y'all were gracious enough to do so. I won't elaborate right now, but be on the lookout for a celebratory post coming soon!

:-)

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Girls Weekend

This past weekend was Girls Weekend. I needed a fun break from the very strenuous events that have taken place in my life lately, so even though this lengthy post will highlight the good time I had.

Me & Nicole (@ Pharr Away)!

Way back in February, one of my girlfriends took the initiative to get a group of us together for the Beyonce concert in Charlotte. Now, I like rap and hip hop more than R&B, so if I was looking for concerts to go to this year, the Beyonce concert would not have been on my list. Quick story - During the trip, I decided to play some of her songs on my iPod to get us ready. When I searched her name, I only had 6 songs!! LOL. If it were Drake (95 songs on my iPod) or J. Cole (114 songs)...we would have been good to go...lol...but I digress. I listen to her (I guess just not on my iPod) and from the little bit I've seen and heard she's a good entertainer. I knew this would be a good opportunity to hang out and I didn't want to be a party pooper, so I decided to go with them. It just so happened to be restaurant week in Charlotte too, so we all decided to try a new restaurant as well. There were 32 restaurants in the Uptown area to choose from, so we all narrowed down our choices and decided on going to BlackFinn American Saloon. Let's discuss.

First up, BlackFinn American Saloon.

I've never heard of this place before, but from the menu there were good things to choose from. I ordered:
House Wine: White Zinfandel

Seared Ahi Tuna

-Pretty self explanatory. It was the sweetest of the wines and tasted like Moscato, so I was happy with that.
Starter: Seared Ahi Tuna
-Sushi grade, garlic and pepper crust, seaweed salad, pickled ginger, wasabi, soy sauce)
-I read the description and thought I had an understanding of what would come on my plate, but I was mistaken. The crust was good, but I wasn't a fan of the sushi grade tuna itself. I'll try anything once...I tried it and now I know I don't like it.
Salad: Caesar Salad
-I like my salad a little more on the wet side. This salad was dryer than I would have preferred.
Entree: Lime Seared Salmon

Lime Seared Salmon

-Roasted corn and black bean pico de gallo, rice pilaf, fresh asparagus
-The salmon was good. I could have done with the black bean pico de gallo. This was also my first time trying asparagus and it was very tasty. The rice was good too. It tasted like beef rice-a-roni. LOL
Dessert: Strawberry Shortcake
-pound cake, strawberry sauce, fresh strawberries, whipped cream
-I don't really like pound cake, but I absolutely love strawberries and whipped cream. The edges of the pound cake was burnt side, so I ended up cutting the edges off and eating what was left of the cake with the strawberries and whipped cream.

The Girls

The experience with trying new foods at a new restaurant wasn't all that great, but it wasn't all that bad either. Being there gave us a chance to catch up with each other because I hadn't seen my friends since the last birthday gathering we had in March! It's so hard to keep up with friends these days with everything we all have going on. (Sidenote: I finally got the chance to tell my friend how hard it was to keep her upcoming engagement from her!! We all knew how much she wanted it and when she brought it up at her birthday gathering we were all like...take the key out and zip those mouths!!! I'm just glad none of us spilled the beans.)

After catching up on everyone's life...it was concert time!

The Mrs. Carter Show - World Tour

Luke Jennings was the opening act. As I've said before, I don't like R&B, so I wasn't paying attention to this guy. He was on stage for about 45 minutes. After the fiasco we experienced trying to get into the arena, I needed to rest. Beyonce began right on time...which was awesome! I love timeliness.

Inside the arena

I've seen bits and pieces of this show in different places and even with having done that it was still a different experience seeing it in person.

"All the single ladies...."

I decided to post only one picture. I would hate for the Beyonce police to arrest my blog for posting pictures of her show...LOL!!

To say the least, she's definitely a great performer. I've never been interested enough to go to one of her concerts before. During her last concert tour I heard her ticket prices were outrageous so being the curious person I am I checked it out. From what I remember, the lowest priced tickets were in the mid-hundreds (about $130-$150).

I love a good concert, but I love a good ticket price even more. I've been fortunate enough to see some artists I really wanted to see for some great prices. So I'll just say I have a cap on what I'm willing to pay for a concert ticket.

A few other things about Beyonce. She's a great singer. I remember when she and Destiny's Child came out. I was a little unsure about her singing ability...not saying that she couldn't sing because I loved DC and their albums. I can see the maturation of her voice over time and it's beautiful. She's very pretty and has a GREAT body. If I had to have a body role model, it would be her. She's hippy and wears it very well. I really don't like when she gets too skinny because then she looks awkward. I just feel like she's made to have curves so when they're not there she doesn't look like herself. She has great physique and with that great physique she can dance her butt off!! I wouldn't mind being able to dance like her either but that's a post for a-whole-nother day!

Shrinkage is real.

One last thing, then I'm done! Y'all know how I am with my hair and this shrinkage, right?! My hair was on point Satuday! For some odd reason, I didn't check the weather for the day. I guess I figured, I'm going to this concert with my friends to have a good time so I know it's going to be sunny. Wrong! Unfortunately it rained in Charlotte. Thank goodness it stopped before we got there, but there was so much moisture in the air...and my hair soaked up every little bit of moisture it could. I was so upset...lol...but I learned I need to always keep a headband (or something to tie my hair up into an afro puff with) in the car. If all else fails, I can turn a shrinking afro into a beautiful afro puff in 30 seconds! Lesson learned, my friends, lesson learned.

To say that least I had an excellent time with my friends. When things get rough it helps to be in the good company of people you know have your back, understand you, and love you wholeheartedly. There was food, much laughter, and a great show to top it off!! Oh, the stories we'll tell. We must definitely do it again.

I wish the weekend and the week would switch places, but who am I fooling?! 

Have a great week y'all!

:-)

My favorite post of the week!

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50 Questions, Part 7

Alright guys,

I'm getting close to the end with this series so hang in there! This is a weird set of questions, so this post won't be too long. I wish I could swap these questions out but I won't! I'll stay true to the fidelity of the model (that's my work talk:-) and answer every question as is.

I'll try to make it as interesting as possible!

31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

New York, New York @ The Rockefeller Center

This is a great question. I've been so bogged down with every day life things that I can't even think of anything at this moment. That's terrible, I know! If I had to pull something out of the air though, I would probably say that last time in my recent past was when I went to New York. That wasn't even all that recent because that was last year. There was just something about being in that city with all those people that made me feel alive. It was so busy and my boyfriend and I were caught up in the hustle and bustle of the NY life. I wouldn't say it was passionate, but it was definitely fun.

32. If not now, then when?

In a fairy tale world, I have a picture in my head of when I'll be able to live a more passionate and alive life. I know it should be something I strive to do everyday, and I try at times to remember that, but there are things I want out of life (and if you follow me regularly, you can probably guess what they are). I feel like the things I want will help contribute to me feeling most passionate and alive.
I also want to be free of some of the worries I have now. I know worry is a choice...and there really is no good reason to worry (per the Bible)...but what can I say, I'm a worrywart! Absence of the things that add worry in my life will definitely help free my mind some. I'm not saying then and only then will I feel passionate and alive...but I think it speaks to why I can't think of a time in the recent past that I would describe as a time I've felt that way. I've been happy and excited and I've experienced a whole host of other emotions as well, but passionate and alive...not so much.

33. If you haven't achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?

I don't have anything to lose. I could, however, lose some of this worry and lack of time and resources I have. I say this, but I feel like it's possible to achieve even if those things are present. I would just prefer them to be gone!

34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?

Yes, I have.

35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?

This is the second time I've heard this in the past week and there's something about this statement I just don't like. People aren't perfect. People commit actions that have effects. Inanimate things/beings/causes aren't able to make anything happen. A religion does not cause war. People who have disagreements can and they can claim to be doing it "in the name of religion". I don't believe religions cause war just like I don't think music or video games cause violence. People have to make decisions about how they will act. We're each accountable for our own actions. At the end of life, I don't think God will say to religion "why did you cause this war?" but He will certainly come to you and I to ask us about the things we've done during our lifetime.

So, the weird set of questions is complete..."wipes brow". Now we can resume with better questions next time. Also, I've got some exciting things going on today. Pray for me!!

And last but not least...after some debate (LOL) I'll be seeing Beyonce' tomorrow with my girls!

After all that's been going on a girls weekend is definitely needed...going to a concert isn't bad either!

Have a great weekend y'all!

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I'm An Introvert - 2

Are Introverts Shy?!

For those that have been following, you know I'm trying to get through this series about being an Introvert to give you a glimpse of who I am and what I'm about. There are 10 things I'll touch on that describe myths of Introverts and why they're not 100% true. I'll talk about how these things relate to me, but this is not to say that this is how all Introverts are.

Here's a few things I should have included in my first post: I don't like talking on the phone. I will if there's a need, but talking on the phone is kind of like the small talk thing for me. There are some exceptions to this, but if you get a phone call from me...know it's serious!!

Everyday Look OOTD

I've been feeling really stylish lately so I've been trying to find items in my closet to dress up and wear in ways that I wouldn't normally wear them. Colored pants are a hot item these days and I just so happen to have a few of them in my closet.

Here's one way I've decided to dress up a pair of colored pants for church.

Owl Earrings: A gift from my friend/cousin/Soror!
Necklace: Aldo Accessories
Michael Kors watch
Claire's bracelet
Ralph Lauren Cardigan: Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store
Old Navy tank top
Pants: Belk
Christian Siriano shoes (I didn't mention this in the last post, but he was one of my FAVES on project runway!!): Payless Shoesource





It was a very cute outfit to wear for only 2 hours...lol! Adding this item to my to do list - wear this outfit again..and soon!

Two things:

Check out funday Monday!

I know it's Monday, but I'm also using this post for my Random Wednesday too!!

What can I say, I love the outfit!

AND, don't forget about this AWESOME giveaway!! Go check it out!!!
 

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