#KaftansAndTurbans

Once upon a time, I was a bored law student with an affinity for Blackberries, Yahoo Messenger & MySpace. Those forms of communication kept me sane, gave me a way to stay connected with the real world, and bullshit pass time during class. I met a lot of people during my tenure in law school.... Our lovely bride was not one of those people.

Blackberry... The happening phone of the moment, was my lifeline. Blackberry Messenger, or more affectionately referred to as BBM was probably the most advanced technology I had ever seen. I could simultaneously talk with as many people as I wanted at once! Groups, people could create rudimentary group chats that could last days with dialog. All it took was a pin number and the world was at the tip of my fingers. One day, a notification came through alerting me I had been added to a BBM group chat. A friend from another law school asked me if I knew everyone... "Deonne? No, I don't know her..." "Well get to know her" was the response I received... "She's fabulous."

Never have I been one to chance after friendships, but this time something was different. I just knew I HAD to know this chick... So commence the BBM takeover till finally I had broken her down.

A combination of my persistence, hunting her down like a gazelle, meshed together with various events where we had no choice but to bond, not only created a friend for life, but truly another sister for me. And run-on sentence of the year award goes to me..... But I digress.

Deonne. I could go on and on about her & how wonder of a person she is, but that would lead to a bucket of tears and that's not my focus for the moment.

Fast forward five years and my friend's wedding is less than 3 months away!!!

And before any prosperous wedding, there must be a full fledged production to ensure the bride has a phenomenal time at her bachelorette party.

Enter Kaftans & Turbans.

What started off as just an idea on a list of brainstorm potentials became our reality this past weekend. A group of us headed down to St Petersburg Beach, Florida and made the vision a reality. We were very fortunate for a friend who lives in the area for coordinating the whole affair & it was perfection.

From the food, to the swag bags, the individualized bachelorette t-shirts to the hangover kits, right on down to the beautiful beach and of course the Kaftans & the Turbans.

Our weekend was perfection.

Such a good time was had by all. The conversations were positive, the laughter genuine & the love for the bride radiated all over the room and the beach!

Our weekend was calming. It was warmth. It was love. It was pure and unadulterated friendships.

It was perfection.

Kaftans & Turbans was truly everything.

More photos to come once editing is completed by the brides sister, because of course she would have a sister who's a professional photographer in attendance to capture our weekend. 

#KaftansAndTurbans

The Edge......

It's as if I played catch up, only to get back behind again. I feels as if I've been to the edge of the world & then back again. But in reality, I have.... Literally, the edge.

Let's be honest, it's no secret that I hate the summer and this summer has been no different. The heat in Houston is unbearable, everyone is on edge, the sweat, the humidity, it's just hot. I tend to lay low. I flake on plans, and find every excuse to not leave the comfort of my air conditioning. This summer has been no different, but even with my avoiding activity at all cost, this has been one of the most physically and mentally draining years summers in a long time. The world has just been... unbearable.

I'd prepared a post a few weeks ago to discuss all that's been going on in the world, and after reading and reflecting on it all over again I had to press the delete button. It hurt too bad to see those events memorialized in print, even though it is hard to watch television or look at social media without the negative reality of the world smothering you all over again. It's just been too much. I was starting to lose sleep over all the images and thoughts & harsh truths about the world we live in. Then I decided to disconnect so to speak to preserve my peace of mind. You can't escape reality, but you can escape from being a slave to it. Watching every news segment, reading every think piece and Facebook status update is just not necessary.... But I digress.

We are so far into 2016, that albeit 2017 seems a life time away, it is legit right around the corner. Plans are underway and soon there will be some reprieve from the monotony of my everyday. I'm days away from a trip to Florida, then a little over a month away from a trip to New York, followed by a trip to Costa Rica for Labor Day. Yes, Labor Day is literally right around the corner.

Then on to Fall..... So much to do, with so little time. Yet all the time in the world. Time is relative. When I want the days to fly by, they drag at an unimaginable pace. The moments I want to bask in are so fleeting... It's just life.

So when I say I've been to the edge and back I really have. Mentally & physically. My thoughts, my doing, my comings & goings. Life has had me on the edge and I'm looking forward to getting away so when I return things can be back to normal again.

Photos Taken at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston ~ Kusama ~ Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity

The Big Catch-Up.....

Sooooooooooooooo, about life. Let's just say that I got so busy living it, that I didn't spend too much time documenting what was happening in it. This year, has been something else to say the least. It's been so much going on that I have dedicated this long weekend to getting my life back in order, detoxing, re-shifting my focus for the latter half of the year & really just sitting the fuck down for a moment to just exhale.

Let's just start with June...

Aside from the up and down rollercoaster ride better known as my love life, June was an extremely busy month for me. One of my good friends turned thirty this year and in celebration of her birthday, I decided to coordinate a girls weekend in New Orleans for her. This was her first time ever going to New Orleans, as I kind of forbade her from going until she was mature enough to handle all that New Orleans encompasses. A little background.. this friend is more so like my baby sister, better yet my child at times. We are five years apart, and have known each other for almost ten years now... and we have been through A LOT together. My 30th, her 25th and let's just say I have been waiting a long time for us to finally be back in the same decade of life again before I turn 35 this year. Anyways, I decided that now, at 3o, my little girl was ready for New Orleans!

She gave me a list of all of the people she wanted in New Orleans to help her celebrate & I took it from organizing and coordinating to get all six of us a short block away from the French Quarter and ready to bring in her 30th the right way.

New Orleans is truly one of my favorite cities, and I go there atleast once or twice (sometimes more) a year. Since my friend and the majority of the other ladies are from other cities (not Houston) this was their first time ever going to New Orleans. Once everyone arrived from their respective parts of the country to our AirBnB apartment in Treme, we were ready to head straight to the Quarter!

A lot of my Bourbon Street & French Quarter pictures are a tad bit hazy, because New Orleans, Bourbon Street. Drinks. Digressing...

Let's just say it's been a long time before I actually did Bourbon Street like a tourist, probably since I was in undergrad, but when I tell you we DID Bourbon Street. We did.
My head hit my pillow at 5:08 am. And we were back up bright and early the next morning & ready to eat and explore the city in a tamer fashion..

We had breakfast at Lil Dizzy's then Ubered over to Jackson Square for some sightseeing...

My New Orleans during the daytime photos are a tad bit hazy as well, because New Orleans, during the daytime drinking...

Overall our trip was perfection. There were lots of laughs, lots of sightseeing & a lot of new memories made in the city. I enjoyed playing tour guide, but better yet I enjoyed seeing my friend bring in her 30th the right way!

Coming back from vacation is always a struggle. Work has been hectic, and my days literally blur together..... The week after my return from New Orleans flew by and before I knew it, it was the weekend and Fresh Dark Fest!

I went to Fresh Dark Fest for its inaugural year last year, and this year was even more fun than last!

Fresh Dark is kind of the like the Houston version of the huge AfroPunk Festival in Brooklyn, a lot of music, a lot of culture and a lot of positive vibes all around.

Another busy work week, combined with car issues & stress kept me preoccupied for the majority of June.

I found a little time to catch up on my reading & attended my monthly book club meeting with the ladies in my book club.

& went on a day trip for a Pop Brunch with another one of my girlfriends who is getting married this year. She wanted to sample the featured chefs food as a potential for her wedding so we all met up to drive about 1.5 hours to Burton, Tx for a super quaint brunch in the elements.

Brunch was amazing, the atmosphere, the bottomless drinks & the company.. The only thing we were not that impressed with was the food. But the experience made up for it. We met a couple at brunch that owns a Bed & Breakfast and they invited us over to have a look around. Let's just say, we all have plans to return for the moments when we need to get away from the city...

The rest of my June was in all honesty, pretty mundane. Stress is a bitch a lot to deal with in addition to the day-to- day grind that comes with being a fully functioning adult. By the end of June, I had decided that I needed to change up a few things, including the way I have been thinking about and approaching certain situations. I put a few wheels in motion, and woke up yesterday morning ready to tackle the rest of this year in a much better fashion than I did in the beginning half.

I have a few more things planned for the summer, but for the most part my focus for July and the rest of the year is bettering myself and getting all the way back on track.

And that is that.

Badu.

I love checking items off my bucket list, and seeing Erykah Badu in concert was one of those items I can now mark as completed. I've been a fan of hers for years, from her beautiful voice, her eclectic spirit, to her don't give a fuck damn attitude, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ms. Badu! I love the fact that she is a fellow Texan & HBCU attendee, but more than anything I love that she is wholeheartedly & apologetically herself!

When I heard that she would be in Houston during Memorial Day weekend I jumped at the opportunity to see her. Although my Memorial Day weekend went nothing like I originally planned, seeing her in concert was enough to make up for my lackluster three day holiday.

Although the show started an hour late, it was well worth it. Her opening was alright.... Although he talked entirely too much, he did sound amazing during the moments he stopped talking and actually sang...

By the time she finally came out we were all pretty restless and getting sleepy.... She sang so many hits, both new & old, but in all honesty my night was made when she sang my favorite song of hers...

Your energy
Feels so damn good to me
It picks me up don't wanna come down.....

Anytime you see Erykah Badu in concert you must dress accordingly. I knew I wanted to wear something simple, yet still unique. In my head, I said WWSW ~ What Would Solange Wear~ and poof there goes my outfit.

I usually don't mix patterns this blatantly, but I felt like this combination was the perfect fit to see Erykah Badu in concert.

Unfortunately the remainder of my Memorial Day weekend was nothing in comparison to seeing the great one. I ended up in bed the majority of the day following the concert. I went to brunch with friends, and came home & crashed. Another girlfriend wanted to go to a party later that night but I just was not feeling it. By the time I woke up the next day I felt so terrible that I actually ended up going to an urgent care clinic and was diagnosed with an ear infection. I knew there was a reason my spirits were just not on the level that they should of been, but apparently I was fighting an illness and just attributed my mood a bad attitude and not the pain I was in. Go figure.

Anyways, once I got antibiotics in my system my attitude improve tremendously. I got a lot of rest, I watched a lot of Disney Channel, but most important of all: I finally saw Erykah Badu in concert.

A Year Since........

It's been exactly one year since my grandmother passed away. I still miss her terribly, and yearn for the moments we shared together while she was here. I don't have many words, outside of I still and forever will love you with all my heart & I will miss you until I see you again....

And with that, I will share the post I wrote a few days after her passing..

~In Remembrance~

Her Last Day.....
If someone told you that today would be your last day on this Earth, what would you do? Would you shrink down in fear or would you make an effort to see all the people you loved most, eat your favorite foods, travel to a foreign land, sleep in?

The possibilities are endless of things I would want to do, but unfortunately we never know when that day will come....

This past Saturday, my aunt and grandmother traveled down to Houston for the weekend. My grandmother wanted to stay in the city for the week and celebrate her birthday with us on June 1st before going back home to Louisiana.

Saturday was just like any typical day....
We all gathered at my moms house per usual, and laughed


& talked like we always do when we have family in town. My grandmother asked me if she looked ok, and I told her of course, and said she looked pretty. She asked, "Do I girl?" and I said "Yes girl!" She showed me her nails, which she had just got done, and said that she was hungry. My mother fixed her a plate, and when she finished she said that she was tired and wanted to lay down in the bed next to me. She soon fell asleep, and I left her so that she could rest quietly.

As the evening progressed, another storm blew through Houston. Thunder boomed loudly outside, and eventually all the lights in the neighborhood went out.
The sound of the thunder (and us laughing) was so loud that it woke my grandmother up from her nap and she walked to the front of the house to join us.

The storm raged on, and the darkness lingered. I went to lay down until the lights came back, and fell asleep to the sound of my family laughing, putting together puzzles & reminscing on the past. I didn't get up to join in, but found comfort in the sounds.

By the time the lights came back on, it was late in the afternoon. My grandmother had brought gifts for my sister and I as she had started doing on all of her visits. She whispered in my ear not to argue over the items with my sister & I told her that I wouldn't because that's not how I roll. She laughed and went on about getting her things together to go over to my aunts for bed. I can't remember if I hugged her one last time before she left, but I do remember her making sure that we got everything she had brought for us out of the car before she left.

Sunday, May 31, 2015, on the eve of her 85th birthday, my grandmother left this Earth and went home to be with the Lord. She had passed away peacefully in her sleep, and did not make it to see her birthday the next day.

We were shocked, filled with grief, confusion and misunderstanding but it was nothing we could do because she was already gone.

We all have been taking it hard, but in a sense I feel as if I would be taking it even harder if I was not fortunate enough to have spent her last day on this Earth with her. She was determined to get to Houston, to rest and enjoy her time with us before she had to go home....and she did.

Had I known it would have been the last day I would see her alive, I would not have let her go. But that's not the way life is set up. I've tried not to think of too many what-ifs or what could've been done to prevent this from happening but I have given up. I know everything happened just like it was supposed to, where it was supposed to and when it was supposed to. I'm happy I was apart of the final pages of her story. I'm grateful for that last conversation, those last interactions and the final goodbye.

It hurts, but I know we will heal. Her legacy will continue and I will always love her.

I just wish I had of known it was going to be her last day.