My BET Experience- Part 1 

Since moving to California a little over six months ago, I have been itching to go to an event. Any event would do- at least for now. When I heard the BET awards was being held in L.A. and hosting free events, I just knew I had to be there.

Now here’s the tough part. What to wear!

I am not a brand name girl by any means. But I do understand the quality that comes with certain brands. Realistically, as a SAHM I can’t afford them. But for an event that will be photographed and have the potential for interviews, you got to look your best. I’m not even a celebrity, but I still try to never wear the same outfit twice. Honestly, I just have too many clothes for that. Most of my thrifted items are fun, timeless and can be worn with anything for any event. The time it to look for me to dig through my closet to find a dress or outfit wasn’t that bad. I had to rush; that L.A. traffic is crazy!

I chose this dress I bought from a thrift store back in Maryland. I posted this picture on Instagram a while back. I had no idea when or where I would wear this dress. I hadn’t tried it on since I bought it and I forgot it fit me so well. That’s a perfect buy. No alterations. No extra money!


The event was held at the L.A. convention center near the Staples Center. I had only seen the outside of these buildings before. The security line was getting long when we arrived at 1:15 (after finding parking in L.A.). The security closed the doors right after us because of over capacity. We just made it in to find out the celebrity basketball game had started and was too full. Now this game was my bribe to get my hubby and my son to people watch and snap good pics. I had to find something to do for them ASAP. Their disappointment was real. Of course, it’s my hubby that notices the Xbox gaming center out of the corner of his eye. They also had fun things to do for the kids that was sponsored by Nickelodeon.

 Once I saw they were having a blast on their own, it was me time. I “lost” them and made my way over to the other booths. There were so many people and so much to do. The CoverGirl sign caught my eye, and I just had to just get even more glamorous because it was FREE!   The service menu included one of three choices. I chose number 2. I’m not gonna lie; I was elated when the make-up artist said “you already did a good job let me give you a red lip.” She let me keep the Outlast Lipstick and some of their new Super Sizer by LashBlast Mascara she also used on me.

I met some great people while here. The networking opportunities were amazing, and I exchanged some info with a few ladies on those long food truck lines. On my way out of the event, I couldn’t help but get in character and take a pic in front of one of my favorite shows, Being Mary Jane.

Yesterday was great, but I’m eager to see what the live events will look like today for the BET Awards. I’m on my way to the red carpet; hopefully even more exciting things are in store!

Packing for a Big Move

Considering a big move? It’s important to have a strategy in place and stay in a positive mindset.

When my husband and I moved from Maryland to California six months ago, we knew we could not take everything with us. We wanted to start fresh and anew. Our options for a new place to live were open, but we settled on sunny California. After visiting San Diego once before, we decided it was the perfect place to begin our new lives.

Our plan was to stay in a hotel for the first month to get to know the Southern California area. Since we were going to be hotel hopping, we could only realistically bring what we could carry. If it couldn’t fit in the five suitcases we brought to fly with us, it had to be shipped by car (which took about 10 days to arrive). Packing for a move across the country is nothing like packing for a vacation or a business trip. This was one of the most stressful and challenging times in my life. However, this purge was a great way to lift my mood and cleanse my spirits during the stressful time.

My biggest challenge was my closet. The decluttering process was particularly exhausting. I had to decide what I was keeping and what was going to be sold, donated, or put in the trash. And this is just for the closet. Imagine decluttering and packing an entire house!

For some, it may be easy to get rid of clothes that you have had in your closet for a while. In my case, it’s much harder to part the longer I’ve had the item. I’m somewhat of a clothing hoarder. I feel like my whole wardrobe has a purpose, even though most mornings I wake up saying I have nothing to wear. To make the process easier, I organized in phases.

Phase one: Check items for holes, stains, and odors that cannot be removed. You will be surprised what clothing you find has a button missing, or stain that you didn’t notice before.

Phase two: Try on clothes that haven’t been worn in a while. Bodies change over time and your perception or taste might have changed as well. Now is the time to get rid of the clothing that you cannot fit. Think about the new location and the weather in that area.

Phase Three: This is where a trusted friend or family member comes in. I asked my sister to come over to help me get rid of stuff in my closet that I may be too attached to. Even after my own decluttering, she really challenged me and made me think long and hard about certain pieces that were either outdated or not flattering. I love her honesty!
If a piece of clothing fits into any of those categories- time to go!

My husband and son didn’t have  as many clothes as me, but they each did a similar process of checking the clothes and trying them on for fitting. When everything packed and ready to move, we ended up with nine Ziploc bags in the car along with a couple of boxes which included business supplies, pictures, kitchen appliances and utensils, and personal mementos that we could not fly by plane and/or would not fit our five suitcases.

I live my life with no regrets, however challenging, this was one of the best moves of my life!

Motivation Mondays – Meditation

 For those of you who don’t know already, meditation has many benefits. Studies show that meditation can basically help by resetting  the nervous system. Did you know that people with Fibromyalgia and Psoriasis have been using meditation as a form of treatment and it has shown significant improvements? It can help get rid of bad habits by rearranging your thoughts and promoting positivity with a conscious effort. The goal is to let go of physical and emotional tensions. My husband has tried several times over the last two years to get me to start meditating. My passion to pursue meditating comes from wanting to reduce stress and lower my anxiety. I have also seen improvement in my sleep and patience. Most importantly, my spirituality has grown and I have become more grateful of my life. The more traditional method, Transcendental Meditation, uses a mantra (word or phrase) to calm internal thoughts with rhythmic sounds. If you are a beginner to meditation then TM would probably be best to try first. Positive thinking, noise-free environment, and an open mind is really all you need to start meditating.If difficulties arise early on, try to focus on your breathing instead of a phrase or Mantra. Take a deep breaths to help you concentrate. If it helps, you can focus your body parts. Start at your head and relax it. Go through each major body part and continue down to your toes. This will help calm your entire body and create balance. Lately, I have been very aware and conscious of my posture so I like to also take this time to strengthen my back and core when inhaling and exhaling. Surprisingly, even if thoughts are running in my head non-stop, I can still focus on my breath and get back to my “safe spot” and/or happy place.

I have learned through trial and error that it’s ok to have thoughts while you meditate. In fact it’s quite difficult to stop all of your thoughts or clear your head completely. Self-direction comes from clearing your mind and becoming focused. Sometimes an image or thought interrupts you.Patience is key. There is no exact science to meditation and there are many different ways to try.

Make time, be consistent and complete each session. Whether you schedule 5, 10 or 20 min, don’t give up!