God, my soul is crying. Every part of me is weeping! To be Black in America is a blessing disguised as a wicked curse. I have so much pride in who I am but I fear being black continuously. We have been on a stay at home order for months due to the Coronavirus with little to no relief is given by the government, then a string of wrongful deaths of MY BLACK People by racist AND cops now has our country torn. The peaceful protest and riots of the weekend show we are tired. Tired of being treated less than and pretending everything is ok. We are letting our country burn in hopes that as the phoenix something new will be rebirthed. I hate to see my people suffer! I hate how real racial tension is but hating the problem doesn’t stop it. God, I pray that there is a transformation in this land I call home, the only home I have ever known. God, I pray that you reveal to the seemingly blind the oppression in the world that they have the privilege to ignore. I wish I was as lucky as them, to pretend that injustice doesn’t exist. But as a Black woman in America, I have experienced the pain first hand since childhood like so many of my black brothers and sisters. God my whole being grieves! I have experienced every emotion from rage, pride, and disgust this past month. God grant me peace, renew my hope, and God please bless America.
As I head into my fifth week of a stay at home order due to COVID-19 or coronavirus, guys I’m tired! I feel blessed that at this time I have job security and can work safely from my home while essential workers must risk their life daily and millions of Americans go without work altogether. With all of the talk about trump checks and travel cancellation, I decided to push through the heaviness in the air and share my feelings about the current state of the year 2020 and what I am really tired of!
Netflix/Hulu/Disney+: Anybody who knows me is aware that I don’t do TV or movies. I get this form of screen time at most once a month but often only every other month. Y’all I have watched 5 movies in the past 3 weeks and my mind is blown that I can even do it. I have never been the person to watch a show just because everyone is talking about it so I have still managed to keep my weekly tv hours low but I fell into a trap or two. I tried to tell myself I would stream a show or movie with someone but to be honest I’m not because I already need a break from the TV
Conspiracy Theories: Y’all I love a good read even a good documentary but I just can not handle scrolling down my timeline another day to read the crazy conspiracy theories y’all have floating around. We are in the middle of a GLOBAL pandemic as in countries all over the world are facing this same virus but we are finding anything to blame it on except a poor health care system, poor government regulations, racial and wealth disparities, and slow nation-wide response. But I will let y’all continue to argue over 5G towers, human guinea pigs, and vegan superpowers.
Don’t Rush Challenge: Ok it was real cute at first but ya’ll know how to run something until its all the way broke down on social media! I enjoyed that song and now I dread hearing it at this point. You guys have managed to make remix after remix for young men, nurses, doctors, families, moms, old men and I am tired of it all! I hope that this week somebody makes up a new challenge for me to get tired of because I am about to starting muting this one as of today because I am done!
Instastories Challenges: During the first week in the house the pushup challenge was cute and the shot challenge was manageable. But as we cross this one month mark I don’t want to get tagged in any more challenges to do anything on camera! My story needs to consist of me looking my past best on throwback and not my current crispy dry hair and persistently in pajamas self.
Lack of Care: I have certainly take my share of maybe unnecessary trips to the grocery store or to pick up food. Despite an occasional in-home house meet up with a friend or two I can not understand people who take no precautions and continue with life as usual. I have seen way too many videos over the past few weeks of block parties, mansion parties, and large hangouts in public places. I barely want to wear my clothes into the house after being out but people are throwing huge gatherings as if black people are not dying at a disproportionate rate.
You guys may similarly be tired of these same things as we face at least a few more weeks safely in our homes. It may seem as if the only thing we have to do now is to scroll through social media, make Tik Toks, and stream every show and movie we can think of but don’t forget to prioritize other forms of self-care. I separate from screen time by taking walks, exercising, reading and journaling. Whatever you choose to do with your newly discovered free time if you have it just make the best if it. -Jaz
The fall and early winter was a very busy travel season for me. Between road trips and and early morning flights I had quite a few fun times with my friends. I will let you guys judge which trip is worth running back in the new year!
Waking up in Vegas
Las Vegas kicked off my end of the year city tour with a chilly start. With a can of Reign in hand I was able to do the impossible and stay up for two days straight to take in all the food and late night vibes. Drais managed to lure me in for two separate nights since I couldn’t miss a chance seeing future down south legends Migos (Chirp Chirp). Did you guys catch my adlibs? No? It’s ok if you didn’t laugh. I only won about $30 dollars at the slots but I also didn’t go broke! Notable mentions for good times and good eats are listed below
The Crack Shack- Yes that’s the name and yes it’s referring to cracking eggs! This chicken spot featured amazing fried chicken and I don’t even like fried chicken! I ordered a 5 piece sweet heat fried chicken basket and the flavor was right on delicious. I paired my chicken with hand-cut fries which were seasoned and went well with the house-made dipping sauces. If you’re on the Vegas strip check out The Crack Shack located inside Park MGM
Fresno Street- Spending a day in Old Vegas to experience the original Las Vegas Strip is a must while visiting the party capital. There is great street art to view, zip-lining, smaller casinos, and even some mom and pop restaurants to try. My friend and I enjoyed some great Thai food in a small locally owned restaurant during our time in Old Vegas which we know was made with love and care.
Fresno Street Art
The Crack Shack
Las Vegas
Booze around the world
The next big stop on my fall tour was to Disney Worlds Epcot for the Food and Wine Festival. Disney is already the most magical place in the world but the Food and Wine Fest provided next level adult fun. This year the gang definitely missed the memo on alcohol-themed group shirts but next year we will not disappoint! At Epcot, you can travel across the world in just a few hours while trying delicious cuisine and adult beverages at each stop. I personally enjoyed the chimichurri skirt steak and Swine Brine in Future World West, roasted lamb chops and sweet-and-spicy Bushberry shrimp from Australi, and red sangria from Morocco. When you go come hungry and ready to indulge with a park full of adults ready for a good time. The lines can get long at times but its nothing a great cocktail and yummy dish can’t fix. Apparently, there are rides there too so next year along with shirts we will get on at least one ride in between the endless stream of booze and baked goods. If you can’t tell already Food and Wine Fest has already made it on my 2020 bucket list and you should check it out too!
Mimosa Flight
Calamari
Nashville Hot Chicken and White Claw?!?
I rounded out my city tour in country music capital Nashville, Tennessee. A big group of girls decided to take on this city for a bachelorette weekend to celebrate Christal’s Last Ball (isn’t that so cute?!?). We really didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into but there were memories made that I know some people hope don’t come out during the wedding speeches. Nashville is apparently the bachelorette capital of this Nation or maybe just south of the Mason-Dixon Line but below are all the things I would do again
Party Barge- The highlight of our trip consisted of a cooler full of White Claw, an iPhone, a trailer hitched to a pickup truck and an aux cord. We turned heads as we partied around downtown Nashville riding on the party barge and dancing to a twerk approved Spotify playlist. Sometimes during bachelorette trips, the most fun is when it’s just the girls being our carefree selves and I think the party barge for the most epic night of our trip!
Belle Meade Winery- Sometimes you have to add sophisticated drinking plans during your trip and this winery was just the place. We took a food and wine pairing class where we were educated on proper tasting protocol and the best foods to pair with our wine of choice. Sight, smell, sip, savor will forever be engrained in my head before topping off my glass of wine. We enjoyed the class so much we even had to purchase some wine, jam, and cheese to take home. I can’t wait to pop open that bottle of sparkling riesling I flew back with!
Broadway
Food Pairing
NashVegas
My fall and early winter was definitely eventful and I honestly couldn’t even fit every road trip I took into this post but I gave you best and didn’t bore you with stories of allergic reactions on the road and how to mix Benadryl with champagne and survive. If you are thinking of any of this destinations for your 2020 travels don’t forget to check out the spots I mentioned and explore some new ones that you might stumble upon. Girl trips can be stressful if you make them that way but try to enjoy the wave as you experience life with people you love!
So some of you may have been asking Jaz where have you been? (If you weren’t just don’t tell me). Well, I am back from this not too long break with major life updates. This summer I made a blog post titled Goal Digger where I reflected on how to adjust my action plan to meet the goals I set for myself in the new year. SO GUESS WHAT GUYS?!? I actually crossed some items off my list and had to take a small break for the transition. So you may be wondering girls what is this big update?!? Well after starting my seventh year in the classroom, last month I transitioned into a position with a non-profit which I am loving. Leaving the classroom was probably one of the hardest decisions of my adulthood thus far because I had to give up a profession I was comfortable with and did well in plus those amazing breaks (I’m really going to miss summer and spring break). I had to really reflect on the professional goals I had set for myself and make the decision to challenge myself to reach for the next level. When you set your New Years Resolutions over the next few weeks as we move into 2020 make sure you are measuring your actions against your goals. If you want to be somewhere else in life then get there! I have constantly been transforming over this year and it’s tough at times discovering the new you or in some cases the old you. I encourage all my readers to take those scary steps, reach out to those seemingly unreachable people, and dig deep for those goals. Until next time guys! -Jaz
If you read my Summer Travel Survival Kit you would know how much I love my LONGCHAMP LE PLIAGE TRAVEL BAG. I have such a strong affection for this bag that I have an original and an expandable one. Recently, my darling roommate while shopping at the Samsonite warehouse sale purchased me a new travel bag as a gift. On my recent weekend trip to ATL with my girls I decided to put the Samsonite Karissa Biz Duffle to the test. The Karissa duffel uses beautiful gold hardware to compliment the navy blue nylon exterior. I loved the number of interior and exterior pockets available to hold items such as chargers, pens, passport, and other travel essentials. I generally use my LONGCHAMP as my personal carry on bag to put under my seat so that I have easy access to a sweater, blanket, iPad, or notebook I might need in flight while also holding any items that I did not want to squeeze into my carry on sized suitcase. The Samsonite duffel has a large capacity so it provided more room than I needed for a personal bag but is the perfect sized weekender if not using a suitcase for road trips and other small getaways. While in the airport I loved the ease of getting certain items out the bag from the interior pockets such as my charger and wallet while waiting in the airport for boarding. The selling feature on this big for me was the smart sleeve which allowed the bag to fit securely on top of my 360 suitcase as I walked through the airport with no worry of falling off or having to carry the bag while trying to catch a connecting flight. The bag has both top handles and an adjustable shoulder strap for easy carrying when not utilizing the smart sleeve with a suitcase. This beautiful bag offers the perfect mix of sleekness and practicability to use during your travels and after my trip I knew I would be adding this duffel to my regular rotation of travel luggage. If you’re looking for a new carry-on bag don’t hesitate to try it out while enjoying the greatest love story written, life. -Jaz
In January like most people I made goals for myself and placed them on a vision board. I have had decent results using a vision board before but this year I wanted to do better. It took me almost a month to complete my vision board this time around because not only did I have to make myself goals, I pushed myself to also make action steps for each goal. I even told myself that these were not goals I was making but affirmations for my life that I wanted to speak over myself. Since I have been an educator for a few years shy of a decade I am familiar with making smart goals, so I always break my goals into categories such as career, health, or financial before getting specific about them, so I can measure if I have reached it and then set a deadline for completion. Well it’s summer and the year is halfway over, so I decided to see if I was sticking to these goals and affirmations I set for myself. Well first I looked at my vision board and thought “oh no” what have I been doing with my life! The thing with vision boards are that they don’t spell out your goals and timelines or the action steps you have chosen to get there. You may also not have everything on your vision board you want to carry out because you couldn’t find a visual that fit. Thankfully before I even create my vision boards each year I use a journal which I affectionately call my “GOD Did It “Journal to write down goals, actions steps, and notes of gratitude once I achieve something. When I went through my journal I looked at each category of goals and realized I have been crushing it in the career section! I can say that my career was my biggest focus of the year and probably caused me the most stress, and I was relieved to see that I was on track in that area. Then I had to reflect on all the goals that had taken a back seat these first six months if I was going to do majority of what I set out for myself. For this last half of the year I want to put my spiritual and financial goals first since they tie closely together. With my mind set on achieving these other goals I set for myself I will have to buckle down and actually complete the action steps I chose. If you are reflecting on how you are doing so far this year, don’t beat yourself up because you haven’t checked everything off yet but push yourself to get closer to the vision you mapped out for your life. Remember life is the greatest love story ever written so write it out and start living!
Jaz Be On It 