Naturally Awesome!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Tennessee Natural Hair and Wellness Expo. It was nothing short of exciting and amazing to see so many people come out to support the event. The vendors and workshops were great! Though I was only there a few hours, I met quite a few wonderful people that I can't wait to stay in touch with. I thought I would be able to cover the entire event in just one post but I'm going to have to break this down into a few parts. Bear with me as I get it all together. And special thanks to Alycia of All Day Natural and Elle of Beale Street Chic for asking me to cover the event. If you haven't checked out their blogs, GO NOW!!!

The first table I spotted was shared by Leah of Etniq Cosmetics and Nakia of Nakia Amour. These ladies are seriously holding it down in Little Rock. They are keeping all the ladies in their area rocking fab hair & flawless makeup. Surprise, surprise...the products are ALL NATURAL!

Leah's line of makeup includes all a girl could want! She carries an array of foundations, shadows, glosses, and blushes with colors for ladies of all complexions. As we chatted, she revealed her curiosity about makeup started because of her time as a dancer & having to wear it for performances. Couple that curiosity with her education in chemical engineering & training as an esthetician and VOILA! I absolutely love her story & gracious personality!

Nakia is the creator of a natural hair care products. Her line includes a pre-conditioning oil, leave-in conditioner, moisturizer and gel. She even has a black soap shampoo that also doubles as a facial wash! I loved that her product line is free of all the icky stuff like silicones and synthetics. A walking billboard for her own product line, her hair was gorgeous & healthy!

Make sure that you venture over to the ladies' websites and check out their products!

Don't we kinda look like long lost sisters!?!?

Stay tuned for part 2 of the happenings from the TN Natural Hair and Wellness Expo...

Sign of the [Good] Times

For the last month, I've been hearing a weird rattling whenever I'm driving. Like the typical women, I didn't poke around to see what it was. I just figured that I'd mention it to my boyfriend* at the dealership when it was time to get my oil changed. After weeks of this noise, I reached in that little knick-knack nook under the radio and pulled out the source of this clamor. It was the remnants of my once-favorite vintage belt! Poor thing met an untimely & premature death while I was...ummm...carousing downtown during the July 4th weekend. Literally, I watched a chunk of it plummet to the sidewalk. More than likely, I yelled out in despair! Complete details on that night will forever stay under wraps! *hangs head in shame* All I have to show for it is my shattered buckle & even more randomness on my BB memory card. And to that, I say..C'est la vie! Small price to pay for good memories!

*I use the term boyfriend very loosely! The serviceman assigned to me when I bought my car is a doll & takes very good care of me so I return the favor in random snacks or lunch during my maintenance visits. Plus, it doesn't hurt that he's Reggie Bush FINE!!!

~~~~~~~~~~

Premeditated slackage alert:

My birthday is in 10 days! Depending on the trouble that I can find to get into, it could either result in complete adventure win or epic blogging fail. Whatever the case, be patient as my posts could get even more sporadic than they are now. Can you believe that?? ♥

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

It don't take a whole day to recognize sunshine!

This weekend was filled with some of the most unexpectedly fun moments. I was banking completely on doing nothing all weekend. I mean, seriously, I was going to be the epitome of Drake’s line “Sweat pants, hair tied, chillin’ with no make-up on”! (That really is when I’m the cutest!) Lucky for me, people around me had other plans. I find it crazy how the small things speak to you when you see them in passing. I made the promise to myself to always be present in the moment & boy, has it paid off! Life is so much easier & fulfilling when you can recognize sunshine even on the cloudiest days. While perusing Francesca’s with one of my students, I ran across a collection of inspiration knick-knacks. I first saw these at the Tattered Cover in Denver this past November. I fell in love with a new one every day & now I have the most ridiculous collection. Luckily, I was about to keep my debit card in my purse this time around. Here are just a couple of my favs:

Feeds right into my Superwoman complex!


ZOMG!!


Don’t let my size fool, you I had to stop for grub & what better place than Mellow Mushroom! If you have one of these in your area, there’s no need to explain. If you don’t, FIND ONE!


♥ Life or I'll do it for you!