Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!

I had a real post that I planned to publish today but it'll have to wait because...

I got my braces removed yesterday meaning no more being confused for a teenager or one of the summer interns! I'm now free to eat all the apples, almonds, sushi and popcorn my heart desires!

***And yep, that's a toilet in the background! Courtesy of my work bathroom!

It's not easy being GREEN!

Same stuff; different day except for my newest jewelry acquisition. Thanks to my super talented & creative friend, I am in love with my one-of-a-kind gingko leaf drop earrings. Inspired by PeaceImages' Leaf earrings, I gave my buddy a super cheap pair of drops & she delivered these beauties! Few know of my love for gingko leaves and how elated I was to actually spot a few trees downtown. Now I have my own pieces of sunshine to wear about town!

And just for the hell of it...

Imperfectly Quotable (& Apologetic)

"I'm afraid that the older I get the more I'll have to regret...what do you do with regret...especially for an admitted perfectionist"

Kanye West via Twitter

Sorry for the sporadic posting! It's not that I don't love you but I've been a tad bit busy trying to avoid regret! I woke up this morning & as usual, Mr. West was tweeting away while I was catching some zzzzzzz. (Sadly, catching up with his & Erykah Badu's tweets are the highlights of my very early mornings! What else am I supposed to do at 5 a.m.?) I love that he allows the world into that Rubik's Cube of a brain of his! Back to my point, the older I get the more aware I am of potential opportunities that may never come around again. I'm trying like hell to catch them all! Whether if it's nothing more than a quick lunch with a friend or an 18-hour road trip to Washington, D.C. (best ever!!!), I don't want to look back and hate that I didn't do something. In my early 20's I missed quite a few significant life moments of friends that I hold close to my heart. At the time, my life was such a whirlwind full of hard bumps and I couldn't be there. Now I look back & realize that my presence in those moments were needed for them and myself. I should have taken the break from my insanity to focus on someone else's moment of happiness thus opening up a stream for that to trickle into my situation. Living life with no/minimal regret takes conscious choices while weighing out the risk but, most importantly, the gain!

Dabbling in a bit of everything!

I've been trying my hand at some DIY projects that I've spotted online. So far, all have been a success. One was so much of a success that I've been spending my free time making them for others. That being, none other than...zipper headbands! Random, I know! I'm not really sure where I saw them originally but I couldn't resist taking a stab at it. This now officially makes me a dorky, headband-wearing, crazy cat lady! I'm not too proud of the title but I look pretty good wearing it (the headband & title). And for shits & giggles, I decided to post photographic proof in the form of the ever popular car photoshoot. Luckily, I snapped this earlier in the day before my hair grew to epic proportions & started swallowing the headband whole. I thought you'd also appreciate that I was abiding by the law & wearing my seatbelt! Click it or Ticket, people! Not sure if you can tell but I'm wearing my newest Mac Plushglass in Oversexed...LOVE THIS COLOR!

I'm sure you want me to offer something of substance but I'm all whooped so I have nothing to really offer. EXCEPT for a great article that my co-worker/friend & reader of my blog posted to Facebook. Maybe it's just the current mood that I'm in but I wanted to scream "Hallelujah!" & high five anyone walking past my desk as I was reading the article! I confess that I have a difficult time conveying my feelings. I use way too many words & fly off into random stories that pop to mind as I relive the emotions. This particular article got about 97% of how I'd describe myself without confusing you with my high definition styled stories. Hopefully, you'll find a part of the article that resonates with you!

the initiated woman

Congratulations! If you stand on your tip toes, you can see the weekend!
Make the most of the rest of your week!

What about the way you love me?

This past Friday, I got to see one of my favorite singers in the ENTIRE WORLD! No, I seriously ♥ him like no other! (Well...maybe a few others but that's neither here nor there.) By him, I elude to the one & only Reverend Al Green! He was a part a concert series here that we have called Live at the Garden. When I bough the tickets, I had no idea what a great show that was in store. The event was sold out & the most diverse audience that I'd ever seen. Because it's outside & you have to get there early to jockey for prime position on the lawn, I forgot to get pictures. Here are just a few that I snapped on my BlackBerry while baking to a crisp in this crazy summer heat!

Our concert "neighbors" were some guys that drove from Nashville & they brought ribs!

Discreet photo FAIL!

If you know me, you know I'm anemic & keep a mean sock game for my cold footsies! LOL

Summer concert survival kit!

I've been on a bangles kick lately...these are my favs all stacked together!

Sweaty, tired, frizzy-haired & ready for Al to hit the stage!

Happy Hump Day!!

P.S. If you're an Al Green fan, then you recognize this post title as lyrics from his song Simply Beautiful! ;D

I D.I.Myself!

Last week, I was goofing off on the interwebz & catching up on Bloglovin' when I ran across an interesting D.I.Y by Leslie of FASHION du jour. Funny that I'd worn a skirt that was perfect for it just that day. Plus, I was attending a friend's engagement dinner this past weekend & it seemed like the perfect controlled setting to try it out. Check out some (unedited) pics I took after the dinner:

If you're interested in seeing how it's done, check out FASHION du jour's video here. My skirt/shirt was the AA interlock a-line skirt & was perfect for this. I added a tank underneath because I didn't want to flash anyone at dinner! Plus, it's hotter than monkey balls here and I hate feeling like I'm sweating through my clothes. Gotta keep it classy at all times!

~Tree Hugger~

The result of a cancelled lunch date & nothing else for me to do!

Hey Good Lookin'...

To risk sounding conceited, I have to brag about how awesome my hair has been lately! I've been experimenting with a few different (and some old) products and techniques to see how I can change things up a bit. I've been very satisfied with the results. I've also started using more of the hair clips I have in my massive stash. I even added a couple of new additions...more on that later in this post! So here are a few shots of the moptop:

I'm pouting because it's super humid & I'm sweating like a race horse!

Here's a close-up of the cute flower clip that I recently bought from Alex of The "Good" Hair Blog. Check her out! She is so unbelievable cute & her curls is ADORABLE! She's got me back to my mixology roots. I'll definitely be stalking her Etsy store everyday & you should, too!

I had to throw in this picture that I snapped before church because this is my FIRST SUCCESSFUL braid-out since I have been curly! Every attempt ended in a tangled & dry mess. Today's results yielded very defined, luscious & springy curls! YAY ME!! My victory was short-lived because I was only out and about for church and breakfast with friends. Afterwards, I headed straight in to wash & deep condition. I'm hoping to mimic the same results for tomorrow as I could sure use more great hair days like this!

Bonus shot of how I keep my hair products & accessories organized

The world's most random side note: The good life is having smoked Gouda with crackers & apple juice...like I'm doing right now! *WIN*

Crazy two weeks...Let me show you it!

Ok! Now that I've gotten the pictures up, could you forgive me for not posting like I should the last couple of weeks? Sad enough, this is only a small fraction of all the pictures that I took. I just cleared my memory card and it's finding its way back to capacity as we speak. I'm not sure what it is about the month of May but I have been moving like crazy lately. Well, maybe I do know what it is...Memphis in May. It's an annual celebration in which Memphis salutes a country. There's also the traditional festival things like concerts, art shows and our world famous Bar-B-Que Festival. All of this just gives me a reason to play relentlessly around downtown. Hopefully, you get some kicks & feel like you're here amongst the fun!

Photos taken at Cockadoos, Memphis in May International Festival, Memphis Farmer's Market, Cheesecake Corner, Peabody Rooftop, South of Beale, art under a hot tin roof, North Main Street. If you're ever in the area, you've got to check out these places!

Baby Hairz

My hair has been a labor of love since 2008 when I finally decided to stop relaxing it. Last summer, I finally got tired of growing it out & did the infamous BC that all curly girls dread but can't wait to get to do. Since then, I've played around with tons of styles & techniques. I'm so obsessed with big hair that it's not funny! My only problem is that I tend to get a little scissor happy. I just nonchalantly whacked off about 2 inches this Friday. It's just hair right?!?!

My latest hair idol:

Julia Sarr - Jamois

I'm a few locks shorter but definitely a Curlazon (my new word) in training!

♫ Let Me See The Booty - The Dream ♫

(Don't judge me! I'm G.R.I.T.S & a sucker for a good club banger! LOL)

Photo courtesy of The Fashion Bomb