violated......

I hit the snooze button feverishly this morning, despite the fact that I had court at 8:30 am & an hour drive ahead of me. It's as if my body could sense something was wrong... Little did I know trouble was arising and my ordinary Wednesday would be interrupted with foolishness.

Court went smoothly enough and I had just made it back to my office, when I received a text message that sent chills through my body... "I think your email has been hacked." I froze and looked at my inbox, where I was beginning to receive all kinds of emails from the mailer Dameon & even more texts coming in from friends. I tried to access my account information from my iPhone but I couldn't access the password settings...I texted one of my friends that I needed help. She was in her office, and went into my account to change my password for me as I began the task of seeing what exactly had been sent out to my contacts with my name on the "from" line....

Some spineless mother^%&$ker hacked my account, and was mailing out some spam virus-filled link to not only my friends, but several colleagues and contacts in my account. The hacker was even courteous enough to send the bull^$t to both of my exes...both of whom were so super smart enough to respond back thinking I had actually emailed them... *insert scream accompanied by explicit language....

Not only was it embarrassing, but as an attorney a mishap like that could be deadly. Luckily my hacker did not have time to send that link to my boss or any court staff or other important persons & I hope none of my friends actually clicked on the link thinking it was something I sent out. I have no idea how my account got hacked... I hadn't been online or clicked any links nor had I been on any public computers. I sent an email like normal and even got a response back from the email, but I literally did nothing else that I thought would have put me at risk.

In all honestly, I know I probably am being overly dramatic but I don't even want to use that account anymore. I feel like my email address is diseased or has been violated by some filthy motherfucker stranger and isn't safe for me to use anymore. I changed my password, but I still feel paranoid.

Definitely not how I wanted to spend my Wednesday...

***cue crying hot shower scene circa any good Lifetime movie

Another weekend.....

My weekend got pretty busy come Saturday & Sunday. 

I woke up early Saturday morning to catch the $8 dress sale at Old Navy and scored three new dresses for cheap. My mom and I also went to the mall so I could look for shoes to wear out Saturday night since I didn't have any that appealed to me. 

After the shopping I rested up & then met up with a girlfriend to try out a new club she had heard about. Mind you, she's even more of a homebody than I am but we had promised ourselves we would actually get out the house and do something. 

Let's just say we probably won't be going back to that establishment, as a huge fight broke out right in front of us. Yeah, no. I am definitely not about that life, so we left. 

Sunday morning, I planned to meet friends for brunch and ate & drank entirely too much. I think brunch is my favorite meal of the day. Hands down. 

After brunch, I hung out some more with friends and ended up heading home to watch both specials that were showing on the Oprah network. I watched both programs twice, and didn't fall asleep until well after midnight.... Which probably explains why I'm so tired today. 

Aside from the sleepiness today,  pretty awesome weekend......

Seasons.....

Today is the official first day of summer, which means three or more months left of agonizing heat in Texas. Oh joy. In case I haven't said it before, summer is not my favorite time of the year but I plan to make the best of it. 

I made a vow to not wear pants to work or court until September at the earliest. I can't deal with the heat. I can't. So far so good, but I may need to hit up a sale (or two, or three) to add to my business/business casual collection. 

This week and the rest of the month have been pretty low key, but I do have a few fun things lined up in the near future. 

We did have our first book club meeting to discuss Gone Girl & it was a good time! We meet again next month and the next to-read book is Carry the One by Carol Anshaw. I will try to take pictures at the next meeting. I was too busy stuffing my face, talking and sipping sangria to remember last time :)

Other than that, nothing else really going on in these parts. I've just been busy trying to find creative ways to stay cool and still be dressed appropriately for court.....

Happy Friday!!!!!!!!

father's day & all that jazz...

This entire week & weekend was all about recovery from my vacation. Friday night I contemplated going out, but was overpowered by a nap that lasted from the moment I got home from work, until it was technically bedtime...

My Saturday morning was spent running errands, helping out a friend, getting a pedicure & a power nap before it was time to go out and celebrate yet another 30th birthday...

We went out to a classy establishment called Estate, in the Upper Kirby (fancy/rich) part of town... I was skeptical at first since YELP gave this place horrible reviews, as not being ethnically diverse and being rude to patrons.. aside from a snooty doorman I didn't have any issues which made for a wonderful night celebrating with friends. We danced like crazy...... All of the pictures are from before the shenanigans began...

Fortunately for me this is the last birthday gathering for at least another two weeks, so I have some time to recuperate.

This has been a busy birthday party, dirty thirty celebration travel filled year..

I didn't go to bed until well after 3 am last night, so I slept in. We had a quiet father's day & now I am relaxing, relating & releasing in preparation for work tomorrow. I picked up Chrisette Michelle's new CD, "Better" yesterday and have been listening to it on repeat.

I also finished Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, which was equally as twisted as Gone Girl & I enjoyed it! My friend emailed me a copy of Decadence by Eric Jerome Dickey which I plan to start reading tonight.. I also have the book Envy by Sandra Brown, which a friend loaned me & over 600 (literally 639) e-books my friend downloaded on my nook to read... I am in complete book overload and it is HEAVENLY! Our first book club meeting is also this upcoming Tuesday & I am very excited to see how things work out. I'm glad my extracurricular activities keep me occupied or else I would be a complete book worm & never leave the house, but I digress...

I have to thank God because this entire week & weekend I have been feeling extremely grateful. I know I complain and have a list of what-ifs & why-not me's longer than it should definitely should be, but I am truly blessed & happy for everything I have and will have in the future. And I hope my daddy enjoyed his day & knows just how thankful I am to have him my life!

I don't think I say it enough, but thank you Lord.....for everything.

And then the unexpected happens....

Our second day in Miami began with some unexpected news. My friend received word from her family that her grandmother had passed away. One moment we were celebrating another year of life, only to be grieving the loss of another hours later. I feel bad that my friend will always have to remember her 30th as the year she lost someone so important to her, the day after her birthday...but God has a way of bringing some form of growth, lesson or understanding from every situation we go through.

After a few hours of grieving we decided to take a walk on the road behind our hotel leading to South Beach/Ocean Drive... It was therapeutic and bittersweet. It is always painful to lose someone you love. But in the midst of life, we sometimes get so caught up in what is going on that we tend to forget about the fragility of life. We have to cherish every moment. Love the people we have with us, because life is not promised & we will not live forever. There is so much living to do in life, that goes far beyond just merely being alive......

After our 7 mile journey down the boardwalk and back, I was exhausted and really wanted to just take a long shower and nap. My friends went down to the pool while I got my rest...
After my long hiatus in the room, I went down and joined them and we played around on the beach until it was time to get ready to go out for the evening...

We took a taxi ride over to Espanola Way for dinner at an amazing Italian restaurant. I didn't take many pictures because I was too busy stuffing my face... After dinner we listened to music at a popular sushi spot then went to club Liv in the Fountainbleau hotel... Definitely was not my scene but the club was realllllllllllly nice....

The next day we all went our separate ways for the morning. My best friends roommate and I headed out in search of authentic Cuban or Haitian cuisine. We ended up at a spot with the most amazing mango daquiris & pineapple mojitos. Best money I have ever spent on a meal, because the food was DELICIOUS....

We also got the chance to pick up souvenirs, before meeting up with some of the other girls at the Clevelander. We then walked down to Wet Willie's for drinks before heading to the public beach. On our way to the water we made friends with a big group of guys in town from Virginia. They were super cool and hung out with us for the rest of the afternoon... They were even kind enough to give us a ride back to our hotel on their scooters o_O

After our full day of activities we wanted to relax in the hot tub and just have some down time.... While we were sitting in the hot tub a random older gentleman came over and asked if he could join us. Once he got comfortable we all began talking and we came onto the subject of purpose & pursuing happiness. When I tell you this man must have been an angel sent from heaven, I seriously mean it. By the time we finished talking we were all in tears and fulfilled with a renewed sense of purpose. Sometimes God sends a message straight to you, its all about being open to receive it.

And after all of this it was finally time to head back home....

Out of towners----

This weekend has by far been one of the most memorable & significant trips I have gone on in a long time... I left Houston Thursday night and arrived in Atlanta. My best friend from law school moved to Atlanta almost five years ago after we graduated & I try to visit her at least once a year. This particular trip was to celebrate her 30th birthday....

The plan was to hang out Thursday night in Atlanta, then wake up bright and early to catch our flight to West Palm Beach...then from there drive to Miami. My flight was delayed coming into town, so I literally sat on the runway in Houston for two hours on the plane waiting for the storm to pass over the city so we could take-off. Once we took off my attitude was pure trash, but the nap on the plane made me feel much better...

Once we landed, she picked me up and we went straight to the strip club... We laughed, drank and realized that we were too old & too tired to be up all night before a flight so we left to attempt to get some rest before morning...




The birthday girl was tire & so was I. We both had court that day & were feeling our age...



I was particularly happy to see someone I met on my previous trip to Atlanta, but that's all I can say about that. *insert heavy sigh & eye roll from my friend



I love my visits to Atlanta. They always leave me feeling refreshed. I wish I could have been there for more than just one night, but I do plan on going back again in the near future....



We were up at 5:26 am ready to make it to the airport to catch our flight to West Palm Beach, Florida....

Once we arrived in West Palm Beach, we got our rental car & drove the hour down to Miami to meet up with the rest of the weekend crew... Once we picked the other girls up, we were starving & stopped at Bubba Gump's for lunch and birthday drinks... After we ate we headed over to our hotel, Eden Roc to check in & were ABSOLUTELY floored with our room on the 14th floor. We had a patio ocean view, with the bed right in the middle of the room and sliding glass doors to the bedroom & living room. Very swanky....

Tropical Storm Andrea slightly put a damper on our first night because it literally stormed like crazy & we were forced to celebrate in our pajamas in the hotel lobby/bar before heading back upstairs to eat Pizza Hut pizza and chat....

It was an overall good start to our vacation... despite the rain....



To be continued...

June stuff.......

Anyone who knows me well is pretty much aware of the fact that I am not a fan of summer... It's my least favorite season, and once June arrives I know the longest stretch of the year (and the hottest) is upon me.... The weather is usually miserable in Texas & don't even get me started on the horror of practicing law in the summer with a suit on.....but I digress. 

June is also the half-way mark for the year & with June comes the parade of Gemini birthdays. I'm a zodiac enthusiast so I know all about the charm of the twins, and some of my favorite people are psychos.... I mean Gemini :)

On June 1st, my grandmother turned 83 years old! She decided she didn't want to spend her birthday in Louisiana so she is spending the week with us here in Houston. I'm sure my cousins in Louisiana are jealous, but we rarely get to spend much time with her so this week is well welcomed! On Saturday everyone came over to just sit and talk & Sunday after church my mother cooked a huge meal and we celebrated her birthday some more. I can only hope to be as loved as she is and have an entire family carry my legacy one day...and for 83 she definitely still looks good!

This Friday one of my best friends & my daddy both celebrate milestone birthdays! She's turning 30, and my dad is turning 80 (let's just say my mother liked older men) on the 7th. I'm heading to Atlanta to meet up with my girlfriend, then we are catching a flight to West Palm Beach, Florida. I'm very excited to get away, although I think the weather is not going to cooperate with us. Regardless I'm looking forward to getting out of town, even if for a few days to celebrate with her! 

Literally every other day in June is filled with a birthday. I forsee a lot of outings in my future. Lord willing, no one will want to go outside until after the sun goes down. 

I'm also looking forward to the first book club meeting of the club my friend & I decided to start. So far it is nameless.....

But we are reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. One of my favorites & I'm hoping my friends enjoyed it as much as I did. 

June has a lot of promise to be a great month, and my focus is to remain hopeful and open to whatever the month brings....

Cheers to the (almost) summer!!!!!!!