I Honestly Couldn't Tell You...

I honestly couldn't tell you what I have been doing these last three weeks. The majority of my time seems like a blur and the rest of the time I just remember being at work. Nonetheless, as I struggle to not fall asleep I figured I would make a good faith effort to catch up on life before another month passes me by. I left off in the middle of an Iceland recap, and to be honest I haven't done much outside of continue to play catch up for the time I was out of the office on my trip.

I'm still tired from Iceland. And yes, that was over a month ago. I am still tired. But I digress.....

I tried to be a good blogger and now my eyes are closing. That tells me that I should just make a photo heavy post and try again another day.

I'm thinking... more vitamins, healthier diet and more time outside the comforts of my bed for the month of April. I have no clue why the recovery period has taken so long, but my gosh was it worth it. Iceland was the most beautiful place I have ever been. Much like a fairy tale, and seeing the Northern Lights with my own two eyes was truly a dream come true.

In April, I will do better. I promise. And yawn.....

What Had Happened Was....

On February 23, 2017, I started writing a post about my trip to Iceland. It was around 10:00 pm, and as I started reflecting on my trip and thinking about all the excitement that was Iceland, I heard a noise. At first I wasn't certain what that noise was; then I realized it was me.... snoring loudly, nonetheless. I had fell asleep with my computer on my lap, all the lights on and my television blasting. I removed my glasses, forced myself out of bed to turn off the light, switched my television off en route back to my bed and went to sleep. Then three weeks passed, and I realized I never finished that post. I've been eyeballing the draft for weeks now, but for some reason, I'm not feeling it. Therefore, I will try again. And with that, Iceland...

I wasn't certain what to expect. I'd seen the influx of Blue Lagoon posts on Instagram, and of course heard about the Northern Lights... but Iceland. What exactly would we do in Iceland? The planning was very minimal. We booked through Fleetway Travel on a whim after seeing a deal advertised on Facebook. Weeks went by, then months and finally we started sorting through things to do once we were there. Two friends coordinated to rent a car in lieu of us paying for tours, my flight to Baltimore where we were flying out of was booked, all of our Winter gear was purchased and then finally it was time to go. Since we had more than a few hours before our flight to Reykjavik, we decided to pay a visit to the newly opened National Museum of African American History since we were in the Washington DC area.

The museum was nothing short of amazing and to be honest neither words nor photographs could do it any justice. It's overwhelming, it's breathtaking, it's pain, it's joy and it is everything that is uniquely and perfectly us. From the harsh beginning of our tale, captivity and slavery, to the quest for freedom..... The loss, the death and despair of it all, everything is encompassed within those walls. The magic quality of blackness completely takes hold of you from the minute you walk into the building until you leave and I highly recommend everyone that's able to pay a visit to the museum.

I was too busy taking everything in to take too many pictures, but the ones I captured in my mind will stay with me always. The museum is worth spending hours and hours inside of. It tells a story that one must see to truly be able to believe. I think we take for granted the depth of our struggle and how hard African-Americans had to fight to make it to where we are today.. how hard we are still fighting. But I digress. If you are in the area, go as fast as you can so you can experience it for yourself.

After enjoying lunch in the museum it was time to make haste so we could check in to our airlines in enough time.. Then finally it was on to Iceland.

The flight from Baltimore to Reykjavik was a little over 5 hours. I slept and read the majority of the way until our flight attendant alerted everyone that we were flying through the Northern Lights. After those few moments of excitement, I was fully awake and ready for our 5 in the morning landing. Definitely not the best picture through the airplane window with my phone, but in real life it was a wonderful teaser and was eerily beautiful.

The first thing I noticed once we landed was how many foreign destinations were leaving from the airport when we arrived at 5'o clock in the morning. The next thing I noticed after we breezed through customs and the duty free shops was just how truly cold it was there. There was snow piled up on the ground and by the time we were in our rental there was snow falling from the sky. For my little Houston, Texas never lived someplace where it snowed for real heart, I was in heaven. Real snow. Finally... Thankful for our fur and layers, we headed to our hotel to see if we would be able to check in early. After we were told we would have to wait until that afternoon, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and set off to see the country since we had a car and time to kill before we would actually be able to check into our room.

Our first destination was the Golden Circle, an area heavily known for tourism that was easy to navigate by car and without a tour guide. My two friends drove and navigated us there, while the rest of our squad struggled to stay awake in the backseat of our Volvo. In an effort to not insult the entire country of Iceland, I will spare the spelling of the places we went and direct you to google the Golden Circle. There, that's where we went. We went to the National Park, we saw geysers, ate, awed upon the most beautiful sight I have ever seen in my whole life, found the secret lagoon and found out that the KFC in Iceland was touched by the Gods. All before checking into our hotel that evening....

Unfortunately the cold weather kept making my phone battery die so I didn't take as many pictures that first day as I would have liked. We covered so much ground that first day that a quick nap and refresh were necessary once we checked into our hotel. We decided to venture into the city in search of food, and stumbled across a restaurant called Apotek. The menu in no way fully described the deliciousness that was our meal that first night. Literally one of the best meals I have ever had.... Literally, no exaggeration.

After we dined, we sought out entertainment. Our first stop was a place called KiKi Queer Club... It was a tad too much for us. One can only listen to so much house music before the flashing lights and jumping causes a seizure. I was ready to go. After being up almost an entire 24 hours my attitude was slowly but surely turning into shit trash. We were en route to our car, when another friend stopped in the middle of the street because she had heard "Work" playing loudly. We went to explore, and a vodka & red bull later we had sweated out our hair dancing to you guessed it, nothing but American hip-hop with the locals. It was pretty surreal being in a club full of foreigners who barely spoke English, but knew all the lyrics to N-words In Paris, and sang ALL the words to the song out loud.... ALL of THE WORDS, ALL. But the vodka made it okay, well bearable... then it was almost 4 am again and we again set out for our car.

Food trucks with donuts and Belgium waffles held us captive momentarily, but then we were back in our hotel where we giggled until we passed out. Our eyes closed probably around 5 ish and that was our first night/day/night in Iceland.

P.S. I noticed after I pushed 'Publish' none of my videos work. If you know how to make them work, let me know. Thanks! -Fal

This Month...

joy

joi/

noun

1. 1. 

   a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.

   
   

   
   

   

   
   

   It's hard to believe that we are already a week into the month of February. January, although pretty mundane, left me feeling peaceful, expectant and ready. Peaceful and calm. Expectant of great things on the horizon and ready to face February head on. 

   
   

   Right now, I am content. I have joy. Life isn't perfect, but at this moment, right now, this very second, everything is exactly the way it's supposed to be and I have no complaints. I have desires, I have to-dos and I have things I want to accomplish this month, but I'm approaching it all with joy. 

   
   

   My month has already included an adventure, I've crossed off a major item on my bucket list and I've seen sights that made me appreciate life and it's complexity moreso than I ever imagined possible. 

   
   

   This month is for joy. For love, for improvement, for gratitude and for enjoying the present while I make plans for the future. 

   
   

   This month, is all about joy. 

The Currents...

I've been meaning to do this post since I saw it on Faith's blog a few weeks ago, but with work (& sleep and Zyrtec and crazy weather and existence....) and just balancing everyday life I never got around to it. Today I received a break from the monotony, and worked from home due to the extreme flooding in Houston. So, instead of being my typical after a hard days work tired, I still have a little life left in me before bedtime. So...

Feeling - I'm currently feeling, well rested and pretty zen for once. I programmed my phone to set an alarm for me every night signalling bedtime. I knew 8 full hours was a stretch, so instead I aim for 7 hours of sleep every night. My phone warns me when I have 10 minutes left until bedtime, and then I immediately turn off my lights, television and phone. So far it has worked wonders. I wake up in a better mood, I no longer find myself up all night overthinking every aspect of my life and it is refreshing to be able to close my eyes and drift asleep with no hesitation. It was hard at first, but now I find myself falling asleep at 9:30 or 10:00 with no regret. I also noticed that the majority of people in my phone who call or text me do so after 9 pm. I think all the texting, and social media after hours was keeping me awake. Now I get my rest and just respond when I wake up in the morning. Definitely refreshing.....


Loving My dog of course, my family and clarity. Clarity in decisions, clarity in relationships, seeing things clearly, seeing past, the sight that allows me to see through people and really be able to understand what they are about without having to sacrifice my feelings too much in the process. I love that about myself. I love that clarity has been given to me in so many situations and in so many ways in regards to so many different things.


Craving Is a committed, healthy and happy forever relationship something that I can crave? If so, that. That is what I crave more than anything. A husband.


Needing I need to write more. I bought 50-11 notebooks and planners, but have yet to take the time to sit down and actually put words to paper. I need to write. I also need to go to the movies to see Hidden Figures and Fences...


Thankful For God continuing to provide for me, even though I have been slacking in the worshiping and praying department. *Subliminally adds pray more along with the above needs....


Excited About my trip to Iceland.... Less than a month to go! Countdown to February 2nd!

Reading Technically nothing, but I just finished The Good Neighbor by AJ Banner (it was complete trash) and I currently have The One and Only by Emily Giffin open on my bed, just haven't touched it in a few days. Also, The Blackbirds by Eric Jerome Dickey is on my floor waiting to be read. If you want to know more about what I'm reading, go follow my book club on Instagram @leslecteursbc and check out some of our current & favorite reads.


Wanting See Craving, above.


Missing My favorite girl. Always.


Wearing A t-shirt, my headscarf and a smile.

Hoping That this year is my best year ever and that my wants, craves and desires finally come into fruition. I hope for happiness, for abundance, creativity, love, expansion, health, trust, loyalty and realness in every aspect of existence.


 

2017

Congratulations are in order! If you're reading this, that means you successfully made it to the other side. You made it through. There is still a reason and purpose for your existence. You are here. Still. That simple fact is celebration worthy. This past year, 2016, was a lot. But we all made it to 2017, so that gives me an inkling of hope that better days are on the horizon. I'm embracing the newness, and excited for what's to come.

2016, is the past. Albeit, it was just two days ago, it is over! I learned some valuable lessons about love and not accepting less than I deserve, I perfected the art of walking away from not so pristine situations, and I had a lot of fun in the midst of the teaching moments. I'm starting fresh this year. No more do-overs, or break in case of emergency moments if I can help it this year. I'm focused on the new and welcoming hopefully the right one(s) into my life.

I traveled to places I had never been, and made some return trips to my favorite city. 2016 led me to New Orleans for Mardi Gras/Zulu Ball, to Puerto Rico, back to New Orleans, to St Petersburg, Florida for an amazing bachelorette 'Kaftans and Turbans' themed weekend, then New York for the Afro Punk Festival, a Labor Day extended vacation to San Jose & Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, and finally a trip to Phoenix and Sedona, Arizona to celebrate my birthday. I've embraced the work hard, play hard mentality over the years and not only enjoy the reprieve from the day to day, but all of these trips not only gave me clarity, but insight on the things and people who are most important to me, opened my eyes to who really has my best interest at heart, and gave me the opportunity to experience a bucket list moment that I will never forget. I also learned that I'm not cut out for too many more group trips.... I enjoyed making memories with my friends, but I truly just prefer being alone or with someone else while traveling. Less opinions, more liberty to explore at your own pace, fewer moods/attitudes to deal with. I have one trip planned for 2017 thus far. A trip to the DC/Baltimore area, then onward to Iceland, and after that my schedule is wide open for any opportunity that presents itself to me during the year. I enjoy simplicity, free flowing, stress less, free spirited travel. But with that I also enjoy order, an inkling of an agenda, and easy to navigate plans. This year my goal is to travel at my own pace....

There was so much loss in 2016, with almost every day bringing news of someone leaving this world. After 2015, my heart was so empty that I am glad 2016 spared me the pain of another loss in my family. But still, there was pain and hurt experienced that I could not avoid. We were all collectively effected by the happenings in the world. I just pray that we come into 2017 stronger, wiser and more prepared to face whatever comes our way. I know that God is in control. I believe that everything happens for a reason. I just pray that my heart is ready to bear whatever is thrown my way this year. On that accord, all I can do is pray. Strength, empathy, understanding.

I gave up resolutions, and have opted for intentions or goals to mark each new year. This year I have created a theme for my 2017.

----Refine & Elevate----

: to free from impurities or unwanted material

: to free from moral imperfection : elevate

: to improve or perfect by pruning or polishing

: to reduce in vigor or intensity

: to free from what is coarse, vulgar, or uncouth

: the act of elevation

I want to be better. New year, same me. Just better. There are things I have been putting off for years, partly out of fear, partially out of laziness. I am my biggest barrier. I want to rise above that in the new year. I know what I need to do, I just need to shift my focus on action and not be so caught up in routine. I'm focused on refinery of self. I want to refine and elevate to a higher version of myself. I like me, I just want to be better. Much better.

2017. You will be good to me. You will be good to us all. After the last 365 days, the world deserves better. I deserve better.

This year will be better.

It will be good.