Our Vintage Glam 40th Birthday Celebration

Hi Beautiful People,

The Best Day of the Year has come and gone and I'm so excited to share it with you.

Remember when I spoke to you in my last Blog "It's My Birthday in 12 Days and I'm on a Mission" and I told you I was extremely stressed out from trying to find a venue to host my birthday party???

Well of course that decision didn't go as planned. My twin sister Keesha was not completely convinced that the Suede Bar and Lounge in The Westin Bonaventure was THE birthday venue for us because it happened to come with a $300 bottle service tab. So she decided she "would take one for the team" and do more research.

Sidebar - We've paid for bottle service at past birthday celebrations and we really haven't been impressed with buying a bottle of liquor with inflated prices when we know we can go get the same bottle out of Costco for way cheaper!!

By this time we only have one week left to pick a venue. It was Friday night and so my sis dragged herself to "Perch" the "Mixing Room" and the J.W. Marriott hotel "Lobby Bar" at downtown L.A. Live, but no such luck! Perch was too small and in her words it wasn't "poppin" enough for the crowd of people we were bringing. The Mixing Room's music wasn't up to par and the Lobby Bar looked like it's purpose was to attract the business casual type. Here we go again...at this point we feel we have no other options and our last resort was Suede Bar & Lounge $$.

Then late that night, I came across an instagram picture of Tisha Campbell performing Live on Friday nights at the Xen Lounge in Studio City. It was perfect! I showed it to Keesha and she said she liked the idea of going to listen to live music instead of getting "turnt up" with a DJ (because we always do that). Since we already had plans to go to the Topanga Canyon Mall on Saturday to look for "birthday shoes" (the birthday outfit was already complete) we agreed to check out Xen Lounge on the way back!

You know me!!! I did my research and got the detailed information I needed off their website.

Live Music details - check,
       Reservations - check,
             Dress Code - check,
Update Facebook Invitation for our Guests - check

Now...Keesha and I knew we wanted to go to dinner for our birthday but didn't know where we should go. So we turned to our younger sister Vanessa (and her husband Q) because they know all the "hot spots" as we consider them the "connoisseurs of good food." Nessa recommended dinner at SUR Restaurant in West Hollywood. I looked up their website and loved everything about it!

I booked our reservation through opentable.com immediately. Keesha made plans to meet some of her closest friends in the Lounge area after dinner. All of my closest friends would meet at Xen Lounge!

The BIG DAY is HERE -

Friday, March 20th -

Keesha and I are finally the BIG 40!!!!

My job gave me the day off from work for my Birthday and so I started it with getting my hair done by the beautiful @majormusthavs! Unfortunately Keesha had to deal with some drama trying to get her hair done a few days before our birthday, but her new hair stylist Thai saved the day!

I picked up the cake from Torrance Bakery and when I get home our MOM is there to wish us a Happy Birthday. Keesha's busy putting the finishing touches on Vanessa's make-up.  Forty-five minutes later it's my turn, then she completes her own make-up...We were Beat for the GAWDSSSS!!

Our escorts for the evening were our two favorite people "Bruce & Davion". We love these two men to infinity and beyond. They are two of the most loving, passionate, honest and supportive men we know...and love to party with!

4:30pm came and we were ready to GO!! Keesha and I slipped into our "custom made" vintage brocade birthday dresses by Belen @moiselleamoureux. Belen is a Vintage inspired Fashion Designer based in Los Angeles. Due to last minute planning on our part, she took our measurements, picked out the material, made our dresses and delivered them in less than 3 weeks. The results were...FLAWLESS! So of course we took lots of pictures before we left the house (you know this made us late for dinner right...black folks can't never be on time, Lol). Our reservation was for 5:30pm and we knew we'd be stuck in traffic trying to get there...it's L.A.!! Thank goodness the restaurant was cool with us being a little late (it was still early). Dinner was delicious and the drinks were tasty!

 ....We kept the liquor flowing and passed out our XOXO cake pops (El Segundo), while mingling in the Lounge area!!

Keesha had a mini-Clean House reunion with ALL her peeps who haven't been together in one room since they last worked together in 2011! We love them all because they are very much like a second family to us. Once 8:30pm rolled around we had to make moves and keep the party going to our next destination!

Shout out to our contact person JB at Xen Lounge who realized quickly, when he started getting phone calls for reservations, that I had a lot of people coming to celebrate my birthday so he gave Keesha & I the VIP Room and outdoor patio access, so we could keep some of our party guests together. Can you say "Let me #upgrade you!!" 

Lucas was the host for the night and he was real handsome, fun and flirty and attentive in making sure we were well taken care of!

Also, big shout out to @KSDGPhotography for taking photos of our birthday celebration. The pictures turned out GREAT!!

Although All of Our Friends weren't able to attend, we were happy with the friends that were able to come out and celebrate with us!!

Special Thanks to our longtime college friend Erica and her husband Michael for coming to celebrate out special day!! Although we don't get the chance to speak all the time... we always pick up where we left off! Here's to 22 years of friendship.

Although we didn't get to see Tisha Campbell perform (due to health issues) we were thoroughly entertained by the performers who showed up for "Open Mic Night"...you know anything goes when you give someone the microphone!

My boy Dana couldn't stop "clownin" and he had us dying at the table! In that moment I realized I've been friends with him for at least 18 years...down since Day One.

Comedian Cedric The Entertainer just happened to come through that night to relax and enjoy the ambiance and hang out with Duane Martin (co-owner of Xen Lounge).

And of course my beautiful co-workers from the Boys & Girls Club came out to celebrate with me!!

This day was PERFECT!! I was so happy that nothing went wrong!!

We drank, we ate, I danced (smile), we cut the cake!

It was the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!!

But you know we couldn't stop celebrating on Friday night...We had to keep the party going into the weekend...LAS VEGAS here we come!!!!

Saturday morning we were up at 7am (and not by choice) I think we all know that I am NOT a morning person! With my sister Vanessa riding shot gun and my brother-in-law Q behind the wheel (we had sure Q didn't make any new friends with Highway Patrol (smile), Fortunately we arrived in Vegas safe and sound. The plan was to go shopping but we were so tired it just didn't happen. First stop was Margaritaville we were starving!

Keesha and I had plans to go see Michael Jackson's ONE by Cirque de Soleil Saturday night so we didn't have a whole lot of free time. We checked into the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, changed clothes and went to the show. It was GREAT!! Speakers in our seats, aerial tricks, a pole dancer, trampoline acrobats, etc...all to the beat of Michael Jackson's greatest hits! It was a really cool show.

Sunday "Daybed @ Rehab"

After sleeping in a little because I refused to get up that early, breakfast was by the pool. We thought we were going to be on the Daybed deck but we ended up right by the pool in front of the DJ booth. Can you say "Let me #upgrade you". To get the day started we had a brotha spinning on the 1s and 2s and he had me up and out of my seat groovin to the beat. Then a female, DJ Kitty, got on the stage and she had skillz too. Pool side massages and a little R&B and Hip Hop to keep the party going. The daybed was Keesha's idea and we were so happy she made the reservation.  Food and Drinks were included and the weather was perfect, but that pool temperature was freezing! It really didn't matter because we got in it anyway and we had a Blast!! 7 hours later we retired from the pool as the crowd  changed and became "ratchet" real quick and we knew then it was time to go!

 

A few hours later it was time for a late night dinner at the Grand Lux. We had to make an appearance here since we no longer have one in the Beverly Center. We didn't go out partying that night because the sun wore us out! We also knew that we wanted to go shopping early in the morning, before we headed back to L.A., so we called it a night.

Monday morning breakfast at our #1 spot - Hash House A Go Go...then on to the Outlet and the Mall. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to do a whole lot of shopping for clothes because I didn't find anything I really liked but...My birthday present to myself were a new pair of UGGs with Free Swarovski Crystal Customization! #crown #40

Finally we got on the road and made it home to L.A. safe and sound. We had a great relaxing and fun weekend in Las Vegas. Was I ready to go back to work??...uh no...but it was back to the real world!

Sorry for the delay in writing this blog Fab Followers, but as you can see it was really long and as soon as I went back to work I became really busy. Unfortunately, it took me getting sick and being forced to stay at home this weekend that allowed me to sit down and finally put the finishing touches on this blog.

Although I didn't make any love connections during this Birthday Weekend Adventure I'm still hopeful that there's someone out there for me! This is just a great excuse for me to keep going out to meet new people...

So of course, The Adventures of SingleNFabulous must go on!!  Stay Tuned...Smooches!!

It's My Birthday in 12 Days and I'm On a Mission !!!!

Hi Beautiful People!!!

 

So I'm sitting in the hair shop getting my hair done when it hits me, I should be sharing with my Fab Followers all the stress I've been under these past few weeks!! Who would have thought planning my 40th Birthday weekend was going to be such a pain in the butt?!(Smh)

 

First let's start with the fact that my sister and I were on 2 totally different pages from jump! Mind you this discussion started months ago. When we first started talking about what we wanted to do I explained that I wanted to do one big party and at first she was okay with it and was willing to hear me out (or so I thought). So I did my research, ran the numbers then told her the cost...she wasn't impressed.

Sidebar- I'm a planner! I like to do things in advance and anticipate any problems. I'm strategic in my thinking and I have some OCD (obsessive compulsive) tendencies! So I need things to go a certain way. My sister...not so much! She's more of a free spirit and likes to wing it. Lord help me I had no idea what I was in for.

So every time I would bring up our birthday plans she'd hesitate and would make various suggestions, this became very frustrating. At first she was on board with the big party but the cost was excessive...that was my fault (smile) Then all of a sudden she wanted a small party. I looked at her like "that is not an option" the two of us together know too many people.

Next thing you know she says she wants to go to Las Vegas (with or without me)...WTH??

It got to the point where I just knew we were going to have to celebrate our birthdays separately because I was done!
 
Finally my sister comes up with this brilliant idea on how we both can get what we want and celebrate "our" birthday together. She proposed that we go to dinner on Friday then have all our friends party with us Friday night. Then go to Vegas Saturday through Monday. Sounds simple right.....Not so much!!
 
Now this may surprise you...but I'm not the "social butterfly" I use to be when it comes to going out at night. In addition, I typically don't go out on a Friday night so I have no idea what's the "hot spot" to party at. To make things even more difficult, wherever we go it needs to be able to accommodate a large number of people because we are going to have twice as many guests coming to celebrate with us!

So now I'm on a Mission...

For the past 3 Friday nights I've been going out trying to find a place 

to host our 40th Birthday Party!

 

I'm Excited & Exhausted at the same time!!

(definitely signs that I'm getting old, LOL)

It all started about 2 weeks ago, my destination was Ebanos Crossing in Downtown LA. I receive weekly email blasts from BlackNLA and they have been advertising about a monthly music event called the Sound Edition that features live music at a lounge in downtown L.A. I arrived at about 9pm and had about 30 minutes before the live music started. I bought an alcoholic beverage and then began to survey the place. Their selection of premium drinks was lacking. I'm going to need them to get some flavored Ciroc on the menu....what kind of joint they running without a fully stocked bar?? SMH

BlackNLA had a mixer going on so there was a good crowd of men and women. I liked the lounge set up and they had plenty of seating. As I was observing the scenery I realized I wasn't going to last very long in my heels. I saw there was reserved seating and all the other available seating was full. Then I spotted a lonely seat cushion that I could sit on so I asked the ladies sitting at the table if I could use it. I moved the cushion so I wouldn't be in their way but they were nice enough to invite me to sit with them - Casey, Ivory and Jocelyn. Through conversation I found out it was everyone's first time coming to this event and they were celebrating Casey's birthday that was the following day. The music started and the live band was jammin'. I stayed to hear 3 artists then I was ready to go. 

Sidebar - Stalker Alert! This guy was following me around trying to give me a tour of the club but he was not the promoter!! Wait, What??? When I moved he moved, it wasn't until I sat with the girls that I was safe, Lol. The guys in this place were cool but nothing to write home about.

My Review of this Lounge:

The place was nice but not upscale enough for my party. I planned on dressing up for my birthday and this spot had a more casual and relaxing vibe to it. A good spot to go to with friends (male or female). The music was good but I think the sound system could use a little work. I felt like the band was louder than the performers and drowned them out so I could barely hear them on the microphone singing the lyrics to their song. However, this place has the potential to get better as long as they focus on doing their sound checks before the patrons arrive!

  
Last Friday I went to check out the Sofitel in Beverly Hills at the suggestion of my girl friend Keisha.

I met Jackie, the hostess for the evening and explained what I was trying to do for my birthday. She told me that on Friday nights it was live music by the Latin Kings, but I also had the option of Saturday night and Monday night too. She escorted me to the patio to meet with the promoter Misty who was very nice and gave me a list of the weekend entertainment lineup. I noticed that there weren't very many people in there on a Friday night which was cool and I thought the space and ambiance was great. The inside seating was perfect and I loved the patio outside. The only downfall was the music...I was looking for more of either Jazz, R&B or Hip Hop. I was told that there was jazz music on Monday nights so that might be an option in the future. Unfortunately, this location was a bust and there would be no birthday party shenanigans at the Sofitel. So I headed home!

My frustration has set in people!! I'm not a big fan of going out on Friday nights because I'm at work all day. I actually look forward to coming home to relax, change into some sweats, order take-out food and watch the shows I recorded on my TiVo (smile). So going out every Friday night is not something I look forward to doing...BUT somebodies gotta do it. I refuse to have a party at a venue I know nothing about. As you can see from the research I've done thus far, none of the places have met my expectations. Since I don't like surprises and I don't want to be disappointed...the search continues!!

I was contemplating going to either the Xen Lounge or Hyde Cocktail Lounge on Sunset.

*I questioned going to Xen because it's in Studio City, a little more Hollywood and I'm not sure I can get the space I need for the amount of people I have attending.

*I questioned going to Hyde Cocktail Lounge on Sunset because I read some of the Yelp reviews and the comments were hit and miss. The last thing I need are problems getting in or having to wait when I already have a reservation. Also, I have no idea what kind of music they play. So I put these two places on HOLD for now.

This past Friday was my latest attempt at trying to find a place for this birthday party!

Immediately I met "the promoters" Charles & EJ who were friendly and hilarious. They seemed like cool people so of course they insisted I have my birthday at their lounge. It's small, not a whole lot of people were there on a Friday night and it looks like a spot where me, my twin sis and ALL our guests can literally TAKE OVER!!! And the best part is they had a good DJ playing hip hop music on heavy rotation. Charles introduced me to the General Manager Christina and she was cool too!

 

Now all I have to do is finalize the details of the birthday festivities but...

 

IT LOOKS LIKE I FOUND OUR BIRTHDAY VENUE!!

 

The Adventures of SingleNFabulous'

40th Birthday Party/Weekend

 is going to be a

Glamorous Affair!!

 

 

Stay Tuned...Smooches !!

Fifty Shades of Grey the Movie...Loved It!

Hi Beautiful People,

It’s a nice sunny President’s Holiday and me and Princess Bailey (the most adorable malitpoo EVER!) decided to hangout on our patio and relax as the sunset. We had the iTunes Radio playing a good mix of R&B music as she played with her toys for all of 2 seconds then curled up on my lap. It’s kind of hard to type on your laptop when you have a dog on your lap (smh).

Since I still haven’t had the opportunity to attend any mixer events lately, I got the bright idea to be a movie critic for the next hour as I write this Blog. This is Valentine’s Day weekend and yet again I have no valentine. To make it worse it was NBA All Star Weekend in New York and a sista couldn’t go (sad face). That would have been the perfect place to find me a Valentine .… “at least for the weekend” LOL….maybe next year!

So I had to settle for going to see an early screening of the new movie “Fifty Shades of Grey”.  Now if you know nothing about this moving you’ve been living under a ROCK, Lol. This has been one of THE most highly anticipated movie releases for 2015. Women of all social backgrounds have read this book. A good book does not discriminate but appeals to all audiences (in this case “lonely women”, lmao)!

Sidebar – I don’t recommend you go see this movie if “you’re single”. I did not get this disclaimer before I read these books, Lol. You’ve been warned….I forsee a lot of “sexual frustration” if you don’t have a partner on standby (wink).

Let me give you a little back story…My sister told me about this 3 book series a few years ago. I think it was some time after she read the Twilight series. Although she couldn’t convince me to read these particular books , the werewolves and vampires wasn’t something I wanted to read about but I LOVED the movie version!! However, it didn’t take much for her to convince me to read the Fifty Shades trilogy after she raved so much about it and told me I HAD to read them. Initially, the first book started out a little slow but once you get to that first “kinky” scene you’re HOOKED. Now, since I’m not a fan of pain the thought of mixing pleasure and pain has never crossed my mind but to each his/her own. As adults we learn about our own personal preferences and what sexual activities are classified as “out of the ordinary” (to say the least). The Fifty Shades Trilogy takes you into a whole other world that explores sexual desires outside of the norm that include the main characters participating in submissive and dominant roles while utilizing sex toys and various tangible objects, all while trying to discover why the most successful “single” business man in this story is tormented by his past and how he’s come to prefer this type of sexual dominance. Now I’m no E.L. James (the author) so I can’t describe this story as eloquently as I would like to but just know that this woman can narrate a damn good story.

Immediately I was drawn to it because I love a “good character”, which is why I’m not a big fan of reality TV. I also love a good storyline that has a good beginning, plot and an ending. I use to read a lot when I had more time because I loved how writers allow you to enter into a world outside of your own reality. I can appreciate the author’s ability to create their characters, make them complex, give them depth and then watch their lives evolve throughout the pages.  

So when it was announced that Fifty Shades was going to be made into a movie I definitely had my reservations. #1 it is not that easy to capture the details of a book in a short movie due to time constraints. And #2 everyone has their own “idea” or picture of what the characters in the book look like, and #3 will the movie truly do the book justice when it comes to the big screen?! Despite the obvious, I couldn’t help but to be excited just like every other woman who read this trilogy. Of course, we all had our own idea of what actors should play the main characters so now we just needed the casting director to make our dreams come true! But of course that would be too much like right. Unfortunately, I and a few thousand other women were a little disappointed when we found out who the actors would be. See I told you… we all had our own idea of what actors we thought should play the characters “Christian and Ana”.
Well we can’t always have what we want so I had to accept the new actors chosen for this movie…Introducing Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson. After seeing the movie trailer I had to admit that the actor Jamie Dornan is kinda HOTT (wink)! At this point I was REALLY ready to go see this movie.

Now let me be clear on how I feel about the movie theaters, we haven’t always got along. I have an issue with people putting their feet on the back of my chair, playing on their cell phones and talking during the movie. But thank goodness the movie theaters have upgraded so now I can buy my tickets in advance and pick my preferred seating! Arclight Theaters gave me these options and  just so happened to be showing the movie prior to its release date so I just HAD to buy my tickets ASAP!

And now the Review you’ve been waiting for….Fifty Shades of Grey the Movie gets…4 STARS!!!

The directors did an EXCELLENT job in recreating this book and it was TASTEFULLY DONE!!  

Now there are a few things that I think could have been done differently in this movie but I will keep my opinion to myself to prevent from spoiling any part of this movie for anyone else.

I highly recommend everyone go see this movie…especially with someone you like A LOT, LOL.

Update: FIFTY SHADES Smashes Box Office Records with $81 Million Opening Weekend.

Since I’m still on the hunt for my “Christian Grey” (minus the ropes and leather whips, lol)…

The Adventures of SingleNFabulous…Must Go On!

Smooches!!

Straight Gyrl in a Gay Bar, Whaaaaaat???? LOL

Hi Beautiful People,

Okay so I’m a few weekends behind but bear with me…the blogs are coming!!

As the new year moves along I've been trying to figure out what different events and activities I can do to encourage me to get out the house to "mix and mingle". My intention was to go out to a BlackNLA mixer but my “road dawg Timi” was feeling under the weather and wasn’t able to go with me. I opted not to go out by myself (I've don't that before and it isn't as fun) so I passed on this event.

However, my brother from another mother “Bruce” sends me a last minute text saying he was going bar hopping for his Birthday on Saturday. Now you know I’m too old for the “bar scene” but its MY BROTHER so I had to make an exception. Surprisingly it was my sister Keesha who was extra excited to go. Why was she excited you ask…because we were going to  party in West Hollywood to one of the more popular GAY BARS - My twin sister has been before but it would be my first time.

First Stop @ Micky's in WeHo: Bruce’s Impromptu Bday Celebration

Who would have thought that my first night out in 2015 would be at a gay bar with 4 of the coolest gay guys I know and 3 very straight girls, Lol…surprisingly I had the best time EVER!! I had no idea what to expect.

Keesha and I showed up first! Bruce  was soooooo surprised because I made him think we weren't coming (wink). We (Bruce & hifey Davion) started off with drinks downstairs in the main room, dancing to the music, taking pictures and people watching. Eventually the Hip Hop room upstairs opened up and we made sure we claimed ownership of the couches right next to the female DJ... then enters the rest of the "Clique" - Elexesia, Damon & Terrall....Let the party begin!!

As the night went on I had to break out my fan so I could get some air...it was thick up in there. We went from starting out with very few people to being the “hot spot” for the night. That crowd went  0 to 100 real quick (smile). Not only did I dance with my brother Bruce but I got a lap dance a few times from random gay guys who were there just having a great time. I don't know what it was but even the security guy standing next to us in our section told me "in the 2 hours you've been here you've gotten more action from the guys here then I have in the 8 months I've been working here" Lmao. Maybe it's the new hair color, LOL, I don't know. Even Damon threatened to "throw me in a bush" because I was taking all the attention, Lol !!  I think they subconsciously knew I was a "virgin visitor" at the Club and felt the need to break me in properly. Whatever it was I had a GREAT time. It's unfortunate that I got more action at a gay club then I normally do at a straight club. What the hell??

It’s been awhile since I’ve had such a great time clubbing with great people. We had so much fun that my brother Bruce broke down and became emotional…it might have been that brown liquor he was sippin on (smile) either way we got lots of hugs and kisses for always being there for him.

This is what REAL friends do…We Show Up & Show Out!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHERRRRRRRR!!!

The Adventures of SinglenFabulous...

To Be Continued…Smooches!

Happy New Year to All My SingleNFab Followers !!

Hi Beautiful People!!!!

 

I’ve missed you guys and I look forward to sharing all my upcoming “shenanigans” with you in 2015.

Do you like my new hairdo?! Foxy Sandy Brown is back. This is the honey blonde hair color that I love so much. That's all MY HAIR...for now!

As usual I have to give you an update on my ongoing struggle with weight loss. I like giving you guys updates because in some way I think it helps hold me accountable on what I should be doing and keeps me on track with my attempts to make a lifestyle change! Well...I appreciate all of your support and just know that I'm still trying (smile)!

I tried doing my Pure Proactive 21 day detox again but I only made it as far as 13 days. I was dying a slow and horrible death due to the lack of ‘delicious’ food” LOL. I'm sorry but I truly believe that there is healthy food out there that doesn't have to taste BAD or BLAND. Seriously, I was angry, irritable, and just miserable! The purpose of me doing this detox again, in the beginning of the New Year, was to rid my body of all the toxins I’ve accumulated over time and then start new by trying this meal prep program I found on Instagram @Eatnaked_la. Well I fell short of 21 days and I’m just going straight to the meal prep program. Now mind you my girl Nikki told me I need to learn to meal prep on my own, and she’s completely right, but I’m lazy and not that creative when it comes to food so, as usual, I’m still trying to figure out what works best for me...again, LOL. I'm frustrated but still Motivated. So I will utilize my Pinterest page and see what good ideas they have so I can eventually meal prep on my own. As always I will keep you posted on how I’m doing.

 

Sidebar Update – 1 week of meal prepping has passed and I lost 4 pounds, but I’m hungry throughout the day, due to the small portions, so I’m working on being creative with my snacks that are going to be health and filling in between meals.

FYI - I have at least 2 migraines (or more) once a month and they become more frequent when I'm stressed out, whether it's over work or lack of food. Unfortunately this prevents me from exercising. I'm not trying to make up an excuse it's just crazy how every time I'm ready to workout something happens, smh. I just have to get more creative - go to the gym, use the outside track at work, use the million and one workout dvd's I have at home, drag my ass to hot yoga, etc. I'll figure it out!

My New Years Resolution is Consistency & Dedication...Yeah we'll see how that works out in 2015, LOL

2 weeks later...

My sister found a new meal prep location called myfitfoods.com. They have great meal selections too and I think I'll try them out this week! I'm a girl who likes variety and you have to "switch it up" to keep me interested. So I will add them to my "healthy lifestyle support system" (hey I think I like that terminology (smile). I will keep you posted on how this meal prep plan works out for me next week.

Oh and I almost forgot to tell you I bought a waist trainer from @body_shapers, also on Instagram. I'm hoping the act of waist training will help motivate me to be consistent in eating small portions , keep me focused and decrease some of my bad eating habits.

Please note - I would never do anything to my body that is detrimental or too extreme. I love food too much and I don't like pain so if waist training becomes a problem I will definitely terminate it. I LOVE ME and All My Curves but I'd love to loose weight and tone my body, however I am not obsessed with trying to look like a "supermodel"...because it's not that serious. We are not hear on this earth to conform to what SOCIETY wants us to look like. I am doing this for me and no one else!

My Birthday is in less than 2 months and I need to report back to my Fab followers what the hell I've been successful in achieving...I'm on a MISSION people!! So Wish me Luck (wink)

My Adventures in being Fit & Fabulous...

To be continued...

Smooches!!

Hartbeat Weekend in Las Vegas

Hi Beautiful People,

 

I'm trying to be a Good Girl and make sure I keep you updated on my shenanigans in a timely manner but it takes time to sit down and write these Blogs and I think their getting longer, LOL. But I have to make sure you guys get all the deets! So here it is...Vegas Baby!

I told myself upon my return from Soul Beach Music Festival in Aruba and The Essence Festival in New Orleans that I was not going to travel to anymore "major" events this year (I allegedly put myself on punishment), WELL...that plan didn't quite work out like I thought it would.

 

A few months ago, right when I returned from New Orleans, my girl Towanna (aka Nikki) mentioned that Kevin Hart & Kendrick Lamar were going to be in Las Vegas in September. My mouth fell open and my heart dropped. I wanted to go really bad but I knew I shouldn't be going so respectfully declined and told Nikki I wasn't going to go! Nikki said okay, but she don't play... she started making arrangements to make this "Girls Trip" happen. My ass knew I had already spent enough money on my previous trips and I needed to stay at home and relax. So I let go of the idea of going to Vegas and life went on.

 

A few months passed by and then one day out of nowhere I get this email in my Inbox and I almost had a  "HARTattack" LOL...there it was!! I completely forgot about going this event as I had not come across any visual reminders of the trip...UNTIL NOW. Then I see this email and I got excited all over again!!

I immediately called Nikki and told her I wanted to go to Vegas with her and the girls. Nikki loves me and so of course she called "my cousin" Kym to find out if it was okay for me to crash with them in their hotel room...and of course she said YES!! 

 

So now that the girls gave their Approval....I had to figure out what I was going to wear and buy tickets at the last minute !! 

Now I'm the party crasher so I was just happy to be going!

 

*Bought my Kevin Hart & Friends Comedy show ticket for Friday night - Check!

*Bought my Kendrick Lamar concert ticket for Saturday night - Check!

*Picked out ALL my outfits and bathing suits for Las Vegas - Check!

Sidebar - If you didn't read my last Blog...I lost 15 lbs. Yaaaay! So now I don't feel sooo self-conscious in a bathing suit. But I still choose to wear a cute one-piece suit that compliments my figure at least until I get down to my goal weight!

I was so EXCITED!! I haven't been to Las Vegas in FOREVER!!

Thursday, September 4th, Sheda was packed and ready to go! I don't know how the hell I fit 5 outfits, sandals, make-up and jewelry into a "carry on bag" ??!! I also had an extra bag for toiletries and of course a bag full of SHOES...and this didn't include all the goodies I stuffed into my Michael Kors backpack! Can you say PREPARED (aka High Maintenance, lol).

 

Oh....I must not forget...let me introduce you to "The Crew" - We had a smooth three and a half hour drive as we talked all the way to Vegas. My "cousin" Kym was behind the wheel and got us there safe and sound, Nikki was riding shotgun and Angie and I were relaxing in the backseat.

 

P.S. We had one person missing Angie's sister Nicole...she was meeting us there on Friday.

We checked into the Cosmopolitan Thursday evening and decided to eat at PBR Rock Bar & Grill. We had a cute and young male server who took VERY good care of us! Seeing that Nikki and I both are apart of the same Fantasy Football League this was the perfect place to watch the game and figure out how to navigate our CBS Sports App!! Good food and drinks and excellent service! I would definitely go back.



#sunkissed
 

Friday morning came and our #1 priority was to Lay by the pool. It was Nikki's brilliant idea to rent a "daybed" for the DAY! Comfortable couch beds on the water, umbrella for shade with drinks and food included in the price. Who could ask for a better deal?? We had breakfast and lunch by the pool and I officially became a mermaid this weekend because I lived in the water. You know I came back to LA at least 2 shades darker. Me and my SPF were best friends in Vegas. You know light bright people burn easily so like my sister says....I had to apply and reapply to protect all this goodness, LOL.

Of course WE had to make friends with the "drunkest" people at the pool (a guy and a girl).

I don't know what it is but we always attract the "special", Lol. They were fun but our new "girl friend" was falling on people, stealing french fries off strangers plates and pouring beer in the pool. Really? The shit we have to deal with for being nice... eventually they left and were suppose to come back but we didn't see them again for the rest of the weekend. #iwasn'tcomplaining

"Lady of Leisure" Lmao!

My P.I.M.P., Lmao!

Friday night Angie's sister Nicole arrived in Vegas right on time! We all got cute and went to the Kevin Hart & Friends Comedy Show in a venue at the Cosmopolitan. It was really cool. All the comedian's were funny - Kevin Hart was the host, Rodney Perry got the party started, Corey Holcomb was a damn fool and we ended the night with Donnell Rawlings.

Now that the comedy show was over we were walking through the hotel debating on where we wanted to eat dinner. Out of nowhere this "dingy" brotha walks up on me and asks "Are you a Lady of Leisure". My face frowned up and I asked him "What is that?" He said, "no one's ever asked you that?" and I said "No". He told me to "do my homework" and stated he was "A Man of Leisure". Nikki was standing with me when all this went down. I was dumbfounded so I Googled "Lady of Leisure" on my phone. Once my ass figured out he asked me if I was a PROSTITUTE I was "locked, loaded and trying to hunt his motherfu*kin ass down!" But it was too late his dusty ass had disappeared into the crowd. In hindsight, I was thinking that if he is a so called Man of Leisure there was no way in the world anyone was buying what he was selling! He looked a hotmess! P.S. I've heard of a Lady of the Night but not a Lady of Leisure, SMH.

Nikki was laughing at me and you know she had to tell the girls who were just a few steps ahead of us but missed the whole thing. Not 10 minutes later me and my girls we almost to the elevator and out of nowhere this older man stops me in my tracks and asks "Do you like Irish men?" WTH?? I was caught off guard (once again) and my response was "Maybe". He proceeds to explain that his friends were sitting at the bar and one of them was celebrating his birthday. He asked if I could wish him a Happy Birthday! I was nice enough to fulfill his request but at this point I was really confused and low-key OFFENDED. I walked back to my girls and of course Nikki had to tease me yet again, she said, "Resheda these guys really think you're a Call Girl". Of course my question was, "What part of this outfit says I'm a hooker??" I thought I was Cute & Classy! Then I thought - It's gotta be the choker necklace I had on. "Lady of Leisure" was my nickname for the rest of the weekend, LOL.

Sidebar - Lets Be Clear! If I'm going to be "working in Vegas" I'm going to be a high dolla trick and readily available to ALL the "High Rollers"...not the random strangers hanging out in the Casino...HELLO!

Saturday morning came and we were on a mission to Lay by the Pool again but we expected it to be even more FUN because Kevin Hart was coming to hangout at the pool at 1pm and there was going to be a DJ (thank goodness)! This time we attempted to find regular patio chairs but the SUN was just too HOT, there was no umbrellas and no shaded areas. There was just no way we were going to be able to lay by the pool under those uncomfortable conditions. Once again, we got a daybed by the pool. Can you say "SPOILED", Lol. Breakfast, Lunch and all you can Drink...who could ask for anything more!!

This time we enjoyed good music, massage chairs, manicure and pedicure stations and celebrities mingling by the pool - Tank, Terrance J and Kevin Hart. There was a mixed crowd and more black men hanging out today. Surprisingly none of them approached us and we were the ONLY sistah's by the pool, WTH?? did I miss something. Fuck em' I made friends with the cool white guys in the pool who photo bombed my picture. They were fun, friendly and hilarious!

It wasn't until way later when a couple of "younger men" came to hang out with us by the pool that all of a sudden we became the "popular" hangout spot. Then we were surrounded by brotha's....that was interesting! I guess the guys decided to drink their "liquid courage" so they could have the confidence to come over and talk to us! The younger guys in their early 20's were no joke they made it clear they really wanted to hang out with us! Well we had no problem with that because they were good company and their resumes were impressive! They both were college educated, one has a corporate job and the other one is making a name for himself in the music industry. I don't know how this happened but we seemed to attract ALL the younger men that weekend.

Let's Review - our waiter at PBR was a hottie in college at UNLV and about 24 years old, our server assigned to our first day bed was a cutie too in his mid 20's and then there was the pool boy who was "FINE as all get out" (we should have got a picture of him) but he was married and in his early 30's but he didn't look a day over 24 either. All weekend we were getting all this attention and enjoyed every minute of it!

Saturday evening it was time to get ready for the Kendrick Lamar concert!! The best part of the night was our girl Angie...(aka the Negotiator) who worked her magic and got us a deal on a VIP Table that included Bottle Service and concert tixs!! I sold my general admission tix and upgraded to a wristband. #NoMediocre was our theme ALL Weekend. We had SO MUCH FUN!! We were sooooo comfortable on the couches of our VIP balcony location! The drinks were flowing, the view was ridiculous and Kevin Hart passed our section several times as he was the Host that night and introduced Keri Hilson and of course "the man of the hour" Kendrick Lamar! Since we were so close to the celebrities we got a chance to take a picture with comedian Darnell Williams...he was real cool...he remembered us from when we tried to jack him for his McDonalds shake when we were all in The Cosmo Elevator, Lol.

  

Kendrick repped that West Coast as we threw up the W to Swimming Pools (Drank), B*tch Don't Kill My Vibe, The Recipe and Poetic Justice. Everyone came out to see Kendrick Lamar and he gave a great show. We walked out of the concert good and tipsy. It was Nikki's bright idea to have us ALL walk to The Grand Lux for dinner afterwards because it's open 24 hours. We thought it was a good idea until we figured out the walk was waaaaaay longer than we originally thought. I was half awake and tired. I almost didn't make it but thank goodness I had a strong 23 year old there to hold me up, LOL. Yep the younger men met up with us after the concert and walked with us to the restaurant. Eventually we arrived at the Grand Lux, enjoyed our dinner and made sure we hitched a ride back to the hotel in a CAB. There was no way in hell I was going to walk back. Nikki, Kym and I stayed up as long as we could participating in all types of shenanigans until 4 or 5am but then we had to Turn it Down because we had no more energy to be Turnt Up!

This was one of The BEST Vegas Trips I've had in a long time and I'm so glad I went on this Girls Getaway!

Did I have to go NO,

Did I have a good time YES,

Did I spend too much money YES,

Was it worth it YES,

Would I do it all over Again...HELL YES!!

#YOLO

#ImSinglewithNoKids

 

Although I had fun flirting with the Younger Men (a girl's gotta have some fun) I'm still in Search of a Grown Ass Man!

The Adventures of SingleNFabulous Must Go On...Smooches!