March Madness: A Recap

I originally created this blog as a creative outlet that would inspire me, and hopefully others, to get out there and to do more. After all, life is short. I spent two years in Georgia and had never gotten a chance to experience all that it has to offer, so I decided to kind of force myself to UNDER GO experience; hence the name. Since then, I have been active, aware and alert of things going on around me. March 2018 has been one for the books! It warmed up, I've been happy and I was able to show out! Let me explain...

Dinner With Gary

It's not very often that I get to see my brother. We don't hang out and we are pretty bad at communication all around, but when he gets some free time, he hits me up and suggests dinner. We usually go somewhere where we can sit and laugh and just be true and authentic with one another. This month, we went to Johnny's Pizza in Atlanta. We ordered a large chicken and bacon pizza for us to split and we just about ate it ALL! Even though it was a quick meal and I had to run back to work afterwards, it was meaningful. I love when we get some time together. Gary is funny, loving and always excited to come around!

road Trip to Gautier, Mississippi

I wrote about this trip a couple of weeks ago, but I couldn't possibly leave it out of this post. Our family trip to Alabama/Mississippi was the perfect way to start the month off right. It gave Ziaa and I an opportunity to get away from Atlanta and the every day stresses of our daily lives, but also allowed for us to bond with my parents for more than just Sunday Dinner. We had a weekend to relax, rewind ​and unload.

 It was unexpected and exactly what we needed. Plus, Daddy won some money bowling, so I'm proud and so happy for him! Way to go Daddy!

Downtown atlanta with Destiny

It's been a year since I saw Destiny, but she is one of my closest friends from back home in New York. We try to speak once a week or every two weeks, but it's not the same as being at each other's house every day. I miss her, so when she got three days off of work, she immediately picked up, hopped on a plane and ended up at my house! That's love! Destiny and I may go through our ups and downs,  but she has truly always been there for me, so I was happy to see her and show her around the city... especially since I've never really been around the city. Atlanta is big y'all! It's really time to get out and be active.

As soon as she got off the plane, we drove to McDonough to see my parents. Mommy made chicken, rice and vegetables and she also made chicken soup. It was amazing. We laid around and joked with them and Destiny made my mom the lemon bars that she's been promising for years now! 

When we left there, we met Titziana for drinks at Wet Willie's! It was a trash dining experience, but the drinks were good, the company was great, and we spoke to Kirk and watched Rasheeda. I guess that's a good first night in town. I always see celebrities when Destiny is around. The manager brought free Patron shots to our table and we enjoyed our night. Litty gang!

We spent the next couple of days downtown. We went to the Georgia Aquarium, the CNN center, Centennial Park, the Underground and ran the streets. By the end of the Monday, we had walked over 13,000 steps. This time together was much needed and I am so blessed and grateful to have friends like Destiny. She cooked shrimp and sausage pasta for dinner and made banana nut bread for desert. All of you need to get a chef in your life! Add some spice to your relationships. Although it was sad to see her go, I was glad that we were able to spend the time we had together.

Best friend Date Night at Bartaco

Titziana and I decided to try out a new restaurant after a LONG Friday! We took the 30 minute drive to Bar Taco on Roswell Road in Atlanta, and it was less than we expected. Our food was cold, the servers were not attentive, and we waited FOREVER to get our meals. However, it was Best Friend Date Night, so we made do with what we had.

At the end of the meal, we were provided a survey card and you know what we did? We provided Honest Feedback! I know a lot of us don't identify with the whole honesty trait, but it works for others! 
We politely left our opinions on our card and handed it to the manager, who read it immediately. Our server handed us two free taco tokens for the card, and guess what happened next...!

The manager came over to bring us two more taco tokens and her co manager ran and got us a voucher for a free dinner for two at any Bar Taco location. Although he was not thrilled that we didn't love our fist experience at the establishment, he was super determined to make sure that our next one is superb! So ha! Tacos for everybody!

Shirl's 27th Birthday Vision Board Party

Shirl, my Kiddos counterpart found a unique way to celebrate her birthday! She invited a group of dynamic women to her home to share their dreams and goals through vision boards. We added tacos and nachos, my guava strawberry margaritas and a bottle of Ciroc, and BOOM; a full on party! We got started around 9pm and I didn't leave until 5am the next morning. I truly enjoyed myself with these ladies. We found ways to be open, honest, responsive and supportive of each other and we took turns being vulnerable. We also took turns appreciating the value of one another. What an awesome celebration of life it was! 

Oh, and the cake was BOMB!

Curtis Day! - Atlanta Botanical GardeN

I wrote a post a week or two ago about Curtis; one of the most spiritual and genuine people that I know. I've only known him for a few weeks, but he gets me and he understands that sometimes, I just need a break. After a couple of stressful weeks, Curtis surprised me with tickets to the Botanical Garden. We chose a day to be at peace and I named that day, Curtis Day! We met up around 11 in the morning on a Sunday. The weather was warm, the sun was shining and I felt good...  even great!

I put on my new highlighter and a Spring dress and hit the streets. Curtis is definitely somebody you want to meet. He's sweet, funny, knowledgeable and he enjoys the simple things in life. He makes small stressors disappear and he makes even the smallest of things seem so beautiful. Curtis appreciates all life! I'm glad that I was able to share this experience with him of all people.

Bj Came to Visit!

March was the month of unexpected, yet amazing visits! BJ came to spend a weekend with us in the A and it was awesome! He's been encouraging me for the past couple of weeks. "Take some time for yourself," "Don't stress the things that you know God will handle," "Stop working every now and then." These are all things that I tend to ignore, but I know that they actually matter. 

My mental health and my overall health matters and BJ is always there to make sure I remember to  love me a little bit more. Even though Negril Village was closed when we went, we had an epic weekend, full of Grey's anatomy, BJ's home cooked, 5-Cheese Mac & cheese, Taco Mac, cheese steaks and painting... that's right, BJ ordered canvas and got me to paint again! Thank you! :* It's been too long. (Wale, holla at me when you get a chance homie!)

Yankees vs braves exhibition game

I made it to my very first Yankees game with Mama, Daddy, Ziaa and Curtis by my side. All I can say about the game is that I exuded ALL of my New York pride. I screamed, yelled, sang, jumped, cheered and everything else. Even though it was only 30 degrees outside and I woke up the next morning with a head cold, I was happy that I found $11 tickets and dragged my family out! Try the BBQ nachos if you're ever at Suntrust Stadium, and only park at the cheap spot if they offer you a shuttle ride back because we had a two mile, uphill walk. Heed this warning!

Hardly Home, Always Reppin'!

Haircuts, Mimosas & Boss Moves - BBU Blogger's Brunch

We ended the month off right! Good health in all aspects of life, good people in our corner and good drinks ... well decent drinks, but you get it.

Titziana and I woke up super early in the morning to get our hair slayed by Miss Stacie in Decatur... where it's greater! She took a couple of inches off of both of our heads, but we embraced it! You have to these days. There's no need to hold onto what's dead. Out with the old, in with the new! Hair fresh, mood fresh, life fresh! Sometimes we just have to embrace change, be positive and accept what is happening in our lives. Even though this is a hair analogy, it applies to everything; Let it go and watch it grow! Yeah, yeah, I like that! Seriously though, stop hanging on to things (and people) that only stunt your growth. When you eliminate negativity, watch how far you'll go.

We were about an hour late to brunch and all of the seats were pretty much taken. We paid $10 for parking and $50 for food and drinks, but the server banged with us. She brought us pitchers of mimosa to keep on our side of the table and was available for us. Domonique, if you read this, you're the goat! Just want you to know that. We drink and laughed for hours, glowing all afternoon. After meeting new people and looking phenomenal while doing it, we went to Courtney's for a while and ended the night having a sleepover at our house. Simple, classy, perfect! 

I pray that the rest of the year runs as smoothly as this one. Being busy for good reason is 100% worth the run around. Not only was my personal life an adventure all month long, but my professional life developed as well. I had a speaking engagement and raised $3,500 for Haiti, my kids at school practiced and focused on "Intentional Kindness," and I strengthened relationships within my companies. My bosses are receptive and supportive of me leaving and throughout this whole "Moving to Haiti" process, I am growing! That is important to me and to my mission.

God's Plan!

xoxo,
​Alyssa Renee