Our Almost NYC Move During COVID-19 Outbreak

“GOD WILL WRECK YOUR PLANS WHEN HE SEES THAT YOUR PLANS ARE ABOUT TO WRECK YOU”

Less than 4 weeks ago, we were wrapping up our “Goodbye LA” YouTube Video and shipping our final boxes to our new home, in NYC. In fact, this exact blog post announcing our soon departure, read a hell of a lot different, too! Our landlord performed her final inspection to our apartment and the move out cleaning service we hired was set in motion for that weekend, as well. So crazy! We were doing the damn thing, ahhh! What a dream come true.

Ever since I was little, I’ve dreamt of starting off my mornings w/ a hearty bagel & cream cheese, rushing to my subway stop, and riding into the city. A city that encapsulated everything I’ve ever wanted. And I just knew one day, I had to be a part of it. (Thanks Sex and the City)

Growing up in California, you just don’t get that hustle and bustle type of energy. Life moves slower… there’s this gentler approach to getting stuff done. Meanwhile, that East Coast mentality is aggressive, it’s in your face: its that: give no bullshit, take no bullshit, every single f*kn day matters in this expensive ass city, vibe (v much more on brand for my Aries personality). 

And for some reason, during these past few years visiting NYC, there was this gravitational pull into this new way of life.

I’d been in LA for almost 5 years and quite frankly, I was ready for a change. LA is a city that I’d fallen in love with many years ago and though, it’s put me through some heavy shit, it loved me right back. LA made me a mommy (to my bbyboy Shih-Tzu, Troy), it reconnected me with bae, it encouraged me to begin this very blog and soon after gave me the opportunity to quit my corporate job and begin the life of my dreams (doing what I love every single day…(THIS!) My walks around the neighborhood consisted of palm trees lining the streets, blue sunny skies, and the prettiest view of LA, imo! So you are probs asking why tf was I wanting to leave.

Among the other reasons, simply put: I WAS JUST GETTING TOO DAMN COMFORTABLE. This life felt cozy, it felt safe, and over time, (forgive me for sounding ungrateful) it became boring. I did not feel challenged in any way and high-key was feeling complacent and that was beginning to mess with my mental health. The plush routine of it all was repetitive and was no longer serving me joy. In fact, I felt happier almost anywhere else I visited. And I don’t even think it was particular to this city, but more of a ME thing. I’ve moved around all my life. I’ve lived in SF, The Valley, Santa Barbara, Rome, then LA. I def fall into that cliché category of not being able to stay in one place for too long. I need new scenery, new cultures, and new perspectives to stimulate me. And being that my mission is to encourage girls to live thy best life and try new sh*t, I just wasn’t doing that. I needed to feel ALIVE again and the East Coast life, gave me that.

We decided this was it. This was where God wanted us & though it wasn’t easy, it all worked out. We made all necessary arrangements: sold our furniture, managed to fit all of our remaining belongings into boxes, and signed the lease to our dream apt.

(I’ll be working on a blog post – on something around the lines of: “What You Need to Know Before Moving to NYC/Cross-Country – so stay tuned for that at a later time)

But, within days, our seemingly indestructible dream, was disrupted by COVID-19.

For reference, we signed our lease literally HOURS before COVID-19 was declared a national emergency (fml).

W/ every new mandate, new statistic, we tried to work around it. In our minds, “God wouldn’t allow us to make this move, just to place us in danger.” WE HAD TO MAKE THIS WORK! The more we told ourselves this, the more there were signs that indicated otherwise. NYC, the city that never sleeps, soon entered into panic hibernation. I saw the toughest city I knew, now plagued with devastation. But amidst the chaos, we loaded our boxes…we were doing the damn thing! Until moments later, we received a call. I was reminded that my medical history now puts me at risk. But that never crossed my mind, NYC was it for us. Soon after, just as beautifully as our plans came together, was as quickly as they fell apart. God is always working, but man did he really go outta his way to change our hearts. This sudden shift felt like a twisted joke.

So we sat and cried and cried some more. We questioned God, “why now? What are you trying to teach us? If we go, we promise we will act with caution!” But the more we asked these naive questions, the more we couldn’t avoid the signs any longer. Within days, this “dream come true” literally became a fucking nightmare!

Through our loss of control, we believe, God was trying to speak through humility and introspection. So, w/ heavy hearts, we decided to not go forward w/ the move.

(Damn, weeks later and this still makes me tear up, saying aloud)

It came down to moving forward with our dream no matter the costs (and we are talking our lives here) or literally give up everything we had been working towards for months…oh, not to mention: lose out on $6k-8k on already paid rent, deposits, moving costs, etc., risk temporary homelessness here in LA (as we’d already put notice), and SO MUCH MORE, oooo girl, there was just so much more on the line, but that’s for another time!

But at the end of the day, what we were experiencing, was just a sliver in comparison to those truly affected, and my heart just aches for the world. Especially, because, for the first time in our lifetimes do we see the world come together in this collective experience of trauma, grief, and anxiety.

Now, that we are on…what…day 1 million??? into the stay-at-home order, we have felt ALL the emotions. Initially, all we felt was sadness. I mean, that don’t want to eat, don’t feel like showering, not replying to anybody… sadness. Not to be dramatic, but it’s like we were mourning a death. This new life: full of adventure, full of possibilities, one that was literally just HOURS away from coming alive. We sat in a now, unfurnished apartment forced to stare at the 10 boxes that held our entire lives within them. If it were not for a neighbor of ours who flaked the day before our initial move-out, we wouldn’t have the only piece of furniture that did not sell: our bed. (See, I’m telling y’all! God works in mysterious ways) but I mean, this literally gave us more of an excuse to be in bed all day, entirely in our feels because we literally had no where else to go. Meanwhile, we were now fighting against this bull of a leasing company to get our money back.

It just all felt like doomsday all around. As an empath, I feeeel so very deeply. And seeing the death toll rise astronomically within the city just broke my heart. But as days turned into weeks, the sadness soon turned into fear. Because of my high-risk status, our weekly grocery runs (even with proper PPE) would result in massive panic attacks. As the numbers increased, my desire to even go on short walks, decreased. I was and still am scared to death by this virus. To avoid the chaos of the stores, we began ordering via delivery. But then the anxieties of properly handling/disinfecting the goods and produce came into play. I saw those anxieties almost turn into like OCD tendencies when it came to disinfecting. It all just became triggering AF. Poor bae knows to follow the many cleaning procedures I have put in place just to make me feel semi-protected during our outings or even just at home. We have the throwing out the trash procedure, the walking the dog procedure, the receiving PR packages procedure, the delivered groceries procedure, it’s a damn PROCESS but that is our new normal.

I no longer felt like myself anymore. It became harder to articulate all that I was feeling. We went from mourning a life of “what would have been” to now a general grieving of the loss of life as we knew it. So wild. I don’t think anyone in my life would have ever considered me a home-body prior to this experience but I truly, honestly, and genuinely feel like an agoraphobic. I don’t want to leave the house, I don’t want to get some “fresh” air, I don’t want to be anywhere where my life is now put in danger. I love love love life itself but I just am so afraid of risking that all for a simple outing. IMMA STAY MY ASS AT HOME, OKURR. And considering that social media is my job, you’d think, (since I had more down time), I’d take advantage of it and use this time to be productive AF…I mean, it seems like everyone else has. But I just simply don’t feel inspired to create as I did. I’m not finding this pandemic as a window of fun or a time to film: 2 YouTube vids, 3 Tik-Toks, a blog post, or try-on haul. Hell, it took me almost a month to write this damn piece. I feel among the lines of “lazy,” “undisciplined” and “unmotivated,” but I know those are not the words to use. Though, I see so many cute trends circulating, I just feel so damn distant to it all.

Does that make sense? I’ve been stuck in this weird middle ground of acknowledging my privilege of staying home and the blessing of good health but also mourning my ability to be one, care-free with the outside world.

I remember on week 2, I finally had the urge to finally feel some sun and join bae on his walks with our pup. But unfortunately, because of where we live, there is still much foot traffic in the streets so it was NOT a pleasant experience, to say the v least.

And it was on this day, when I had an epiphany.

That night I saw this quote that said, “sometimes God holds you back until the road is safe and clear to continue. Be thankful for the stall! What is meant for you won’t pass you by.

LIKE DAMNN! Is this not so specific to life rn?!?

We were over here initially mourning a life that “would have been” but were looking at it, in a very romanticized frame of thinking. Had we went through with the move, our live’s would be even MORE limiting. We wouldn’t have the luxury of driving anywhere we wanted but instead would be forced to walk, which is like something (as I mentioned) that is a HUGE trigger for me. Hell, not to mention, NYC being THE epicenter of the virus, CAN WE JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE HOW MUCH MORE OF A MESS I WOULD BE THERE. I truly don’t know how my mental health would stay afloat in this current state. Additionally, I think it would feel like a very restricting life. To know we risked it all, to travel during the shut down, get to NYC to start this “new, exciting life,” just to be stuck in this 500 square foot apartment…BIG YIKES. That would be such a terrible way to begin this new chapter in our lives, OOOO and HELLLLO, how much more at risk I would be every single day! I’ve heard my own New Yorker friends say they miss New York. That right there just puts this whole thing into perspective.

As the weeks now have turned into months, I’ve learned so many things. 1) I’m one strong ass bish for working through all the crazy emotions of this experience so far. For more days than I’d like to admit, I couldn’t help but compare my productivity to others. I felt soooo inadequate seeing so many people “thrive” in this time vs me struggling to do the damn bare minimum. But, again what took me some time to understand is 2) grief looks different on everyone. Some people over function, busy themselves, and complete tasks head-on when facing trauma, grief, anxiety, powerlessness. Some people (MEEEE!!!) under function, slow down, internalize, & need rest. Both are valid and respectable ways to cope. Neither is right or wrong. And 3) though this is a collective experience, this is also a very unique experience. It all comes in waves. No day will feel like the next. Some good days, and some very confusing ones too. And that’s okay! In fact, 4) the most productive days are the ones where I find the peace of “just being”. Not mourning “what could have been,” not mourning “what was,” but actually just being, in the here and now. 5) The inability to follow through with the move was indeed a blessing in disguise. God kept us safe in LA.

To this day, this was the hardest decision I’ve ever made… and then the hardest to accept too, because this was years in the making. We were so careful in our planning of this, never in a million years did I expect our dream to take such a turn. I’d be lying, if I said we haven’t tortured ourselves by watching old vids of us in the city, replaying our NYC playlist, and asking ourselves a million times if this was the best decision for us, (especially now, as states are beginning to re-open). But ultimately, this just wasn’t our time. I find solace in knowing God has a plan and even though it didn’t work out (BIG F*CKING CRY) does not mean it won’t happen…just not right now.

I’m thankful that we’ve been documenting on the backend the “Goodbye LA, Tribute”,  for the past couple months (b roll of LA, our experience with prepping for the move, finding an apartment, etc) but we also recorded when shit hit the fan, so to speak, as it was raw and happening in real time! So stay tuned for a very interesting video!

I am also thankful God spoke to us before it was too late. God didn’t want our new lives to be filled with fear, anxieties, and chaos, if even for just a while. He wanted us to live freely, in his bounty. So if anything, this time has only strengthened our calling to the city. We just can’t wait.

It most certainly could be worse, but it’s hard when you feel so much for the world and then bam, it also hits you close to home too! I just want to say that although, the cases are decreasing, it is still okay to be angry, it is still okay to be sad, it’s still okay to feel all the range of emotions.

Many of our stories are being rewritten right now and it’s scary as hell. But please remember: “NOTHING CAN DESTROY THE PLAN GOD HAS FOR YOU, NOT EVEN A PANDEMIC.”

I can’t wait for the day where we can freely live again. And I most certainly can’t wait for the day where we will, “wake up in the city that doesn’t sleep.” But until then: LA, I am embracing you w/ open arms.

—

Thank you angels for all the support during this time! Love you all! We are in this mess, together 😭

We Moved In Together!! Life Update

Ahhhh!! It’s been such a relief to finally share the big news!!! My babe and I have finally moved into a place of our own! HALLELUJAH!

For months now we have been sitting on our dream apartment, patiently awaiting its completion. In the meantime, we both gathered decor inspo and luckily for us, we were both looking into the same design: Scandinavian Monochrome with Green Plant Accents. So our decor shopping has def been the easiest part! (Can’t wait to show y’all progress pics!)

Moving into our own place, for many reasons, means so much to us. Since the beginning, my boo has been very transparent in his intentions with me. YAS, HONEY! So for us, this would be the next obvious step! YAY! We are very grateful to have spent A LOT of time with one another this past year and have gained a great understanding of how we mesh while living together; So, this move although still major, won’t be a much of a shock to the relationship.

As many of y’all already know, this is not my first rodeo. I’ve lived with a partner before and it was toxic from the beginning. It was a situation where two very different people were forcing something to just magically work and obvi, it didn’t! But I’m grateful for that experience, because I learned so much about myself and just how complex cohabitation AND cohesiveness can be.

So this time around, there was so much thought and conversation behind this transition. Bae and I have worked really hard to make this dream a reality so we are over the moon that the time has finally come!

On move-in day, while standing in our empty living room in awe, he went down on one knee and quickly the other, of course prefacing though not a proposal, that this was his promise to start our own little life together. Ah! ❤

I seriously can’t wait to show y’all all of our home decor and life updates as times goes by! We appreciate all of the love & support we’ve received thus far as we embark on this new journey togethaaa!! XO

How to Host an Effective Meetup

TGIF, GUYS!! I am beyond grateful and excited to share my experience hosting my very first blogger meetup this past weekend. There was so much anxiety and anticipation for this event to run smoothly and also effectively, and let me tell you, this day went far beyond my expectations! For quite some time, I had been tossing around the idea of organizing a blogger/creatives meet up. Considering this is the industry I aspire to work in, networking and creating real life connections are so important to me. Just as in any profession, bringing together like-minded individuals not also enriches that community but also generates purpose. I wanted to share with y’all the steps I took to approach such a meetup and hopefully encourage you to facilitate one of your own 🙂

Pick a date: 

• I wanted to choose a date that ensured optimal attendance. However, I made the rookie mistake of pushing back the meetup date every time a person could not attend the prior date. After two months of push backs, I finally made an exec decision on a date. At that point, my only option was to hope that people were able to attend. Luckily, 4 amazing ladies joined me!

Find a venue:

• This is also a tricky decision to make because you can never be 100% sure with exactly how many people are going to attend. Even for those who confirm, usually only a fraction of them actually follow through. With this in mind, I made a cap of how many were in our reservation. Oh yeah, make a reservation! I decided on one of the most Instagrammable brunch cafes in LA:  The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker. I knew the food was yummy, their outdoor seating space was amble for a larger group, and that we would be served quickly, (ya don’t want a bunch of hungry people all together, ha!). I also made a reservation a bit earlier in the day, so we could actually talk intimately vs having to yell over the noise of a packed restaurant. The cafe was flexible with the reservation and they even allowed me to arrive a bit early to decorate our booth.

Decide on your focus of discussion:

• Although, I wanted the conversation to feel natural, I also wanted to go beyond the surface level. Nothing too structured, but as we had bloggers, YouTubers, and a photographer in the group, I wanted everyone to share a bit of their journey, their intents, and expectations thus far. We all shared our achievements and struggles in this social media world and turns out we all had sooooo much in common. Not kidding, by the end of the day, we legit felt like a bunch of best friends. (I will touch on this a bit later.)

Prep for the event:

• I wanted to put together fun little goody bags as a token of my appreciation for those who made it out! I went for a Breakfast at Tiffany’s teal and gold theme. I made sure everyone had fun succulent stickers, succulent notebooks (you’re not a blogger if you don’t love succulents, ha, JK) pens, and lip balm. For some reason I was more nervous of the reception of the goody bags than the actual event itself but all this to say, the girls loved them!

The day of the event:

• Get to the venue early to make sure everything is ready
• The morning of, send a quick reminder to all attendees with the meet up time and/or parking info.
• Have a positive mindset that the meetup with be a success! I know for me, I had a moment of doubt right before I left; “what if no one shows up?” AHHH, but once I accepted whatever will be, will be, the day seemed to progressively get better.
• Exchange contact information and actually keep in touch!
• Plan for the next meet up! I wanted to gauge how well this meetup went before I planned for the next one but like half way through our breakfast, the other ladies had already suggested we meet up once a month! So that is our plan!

*I could not have asked for a better day! As different as we all were, we connected on SO many levels. I am entirely grateful for this group. Like legit, so grateful. I really did not know what to expect for this meetup but honestly, it was enriching, fun, helpful, and much much more! Xo 

 

Collab with Caseapp + Giveaway

If you know me, you’d know I am on my phone and/or laptop 24/7.

On this Earth Day, I’m pretty excited to be partnered with Caseapp to give away a custom iPhone case or laptop skin on the blog!

*My phone case and laptop skin were provided by CaseApp, but all opinions are my own*

Since Caseapp has been kind enough to reach out, I’d like to share my experience with their amazing choices and built quality. Caseapp provides endless possibilities for customizations and default designs. Just like any accessory, phone cases are crucial to compliment a given outfit and make it all come together. That’s exactly why I went with a more minimalistic look and a phone case that can offer versatility.  I searched through Pinterest for inspo of potential case/skin art. For some time now, I’ve been a sucker for succulents and the power of plant therapy. I feel like plants and greenery all together really combine well to add a genuine relaxing atmosphere whether it be at the office, home or when you are out and about. Similarly, with blogging, I think it’s important to create a space where you are inspired aesthetically. My iPhone case and laptop skin channel that for me.

Now through May 11th, you can save 20% with the code JASMINVANESSA20 during checkout at caseapp.com 🙂

Also, I will be hosting a Giveaway! It is open internationally and the winner gets one free product from their site. All you have to do is comment on my latest Instagram post or in the comments below and I will randomly select the winner this upcoming Wednesday, 4/25 🙂 Goodluck, yall XO

  

Frolicking in the Flower Fields

For my 25th birthday, I wanted to celebrate in a setting that exuded beauty and tranquility.

Naturally, the besties and I took a mini road trip to The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch

An Instagrammer’s dream really, this place was pure perfection! The fields spread across farther than the eye could see and the aroma was to die for!

Prior to frolicking around, we brought some picnic food, bubbly, laid out a huge blanket on the grass and soaked up the sun!

I would definitely recommend this gem to anyone who is looking for a cute day trip, ideal photo op, date idea, etc. You can literally wear any color outfit because there are an array of colorful flowers for your liking! The fields are open for only one more month so go out and experience this beauty for yourself ❤ Xo

My One Year Blogging Anniversary

A year ago today I officially launched this blog! Ahhhh, like for real, where has the time gone? A part of me feels like I’m still so new to this whole blogosphere with so much left to learn! The other part of me feels extremely comfortable and grateful of the growth I’ve seen in my writing and creativity thus far, so much that sharing with you all has become such a normal part of my life and one of the most dearest things to me.

For several years, I had suppressed the creative side of myself because of fear of others’ opinions. It was this decision to publish Alll That Jas that gave me the liberation of putting myself out there. And although I am only beginning to do so, I feel my creative energies are slowly but surely being quenched. The original purpose of this blog was to create an expressive outlet of my own, a passion project per say, to wind down after the 9-5. But as time as passed, I realized this has become more than a passion project for me. Blogging is absolutely the highlight of my day and has grown to become a part of who I am, (I know, dramatic…but really) I legitimately find so much joy sharing content and engaging with my readers.

This year, my New Year’s Resolution is to push my boundaries. I want to utilize my social media more than ever and this blog especially by sharing relatable yet original material. And there might be times when some people may not be able to relate, but my hope is to encourage dialogue and connect with as many people from as many backgrounds as possible, because isn’t that what community is all about?

Over this past year, I’ve seen this blog grow in so many ways.  First off, it looks quite different! I spent numerous hours playing around with designs and learning how to code some of it. I’ve toyed around with what categories I’ve felt most passionate writing about and also tracked which ones seem to be the most interesting for my audience. I’ve found that in the very beginning, I was struggling with what my next post would be. I would take a while and literally sit on a post for weeks at a time. As time has passed, I’m noticing so much more ease and confidence into every post I publish. In fact, I am finding myself writing up to 3 posts at a time, scheduling which post to publish first. This past year has been a lot of trial and error but I feel extremely excited with the direction of where Alll That Jas is going.

I have so many fun ideas on where to take the blog in my second year! I plan on posting tons of new beauty, outfits, and relationship content. But I am going to ask you as an audience most importantly, what would YOU like to see more of: travel, relationship advice, beauty tips, recipes, etc? PLEASE DO LET ME KNOW 🙂 

From the bottom of my heart, I just wanted to extend my highest gratitude to every single one of you who has taken the time to read my posts. In this digital age, we are so use to instant content that sometimes reading a full article, can be tiresome…so THANK YOU for dedicating the time out of your busy schedules! Every like, every comment, every follow gives me the continued motivation to push the boundaries!

We tend to limit ourselves because of fear of critique. Many of us have self imposed this “glass ceiling” by our own expectations and comparisons of where we should be. Are you limited by your own expectations of what’s possible for you? Let’s not create this invisible barrier to success, let’s just create! Creating Alll That Jas has been the biggest gift I could give myself. Through this, I have been able to tap into a side of myself I had been longing to meet! I have connected with peers in ways, I probably would not have otherwise.

I encourage any person who has allowed fear to be the barricade to their happiness, to step outside of their comfort zone and take a risk! Lord knows it took me quiet some time to do so.

I’d like to end things with my new favorite quote, “Great things never came from comfort zones.” This is my motto moving forward! And although, I am nowhere near my dream of becoming a full-time lifestyle influencer, I will continue to find joy and growth in my blogging. Great things are ahead and I can’t wait to have you guys along with me for the ride! Xo

Valentine’s/Galentine’s Date Ideas

Valentine’s Day (or its alternative Galentine’s Day), is literally hours away! Whether you are hoping for a hot date with your boo or sipping on mimosas with your girls, I’ve compiled a list of cheap date ideas you can try!

Valentine’s Date Ideas:

1. A Boozy Picnic in the Park
   • Hit up your local market and pick up some wine, cheese, crackers, and chocolate, and Voilà! You’ve got yourself a $20 picnic date in the park! It’s thoughtful, intimate, and romantic!
2. A Night at a Jazz Club 
   • If you google Jazz Clubs in your areas, they are sure to be a few just a drive away! Reservations are usually not required and cover charges range between $15-30. If you are from the Los Angeles area, I would recommend The Bluewhale. They have amazing live performances, great drinks, and a cozy atmosphere. You are sure to impress your date with this kind of a venue!
3. A Romantic Night In 
   • Choose a theme and center everything you do around it. For example, if you choose an Italian theme, you could have all the ingredients ready for hand-tossed pizza and pasta ($20-30), then watch a movie like Life is Beautiful or Under the Tuscan Sun. You can also have Italian Jazz playing in the background or sing karaoke, finding the lyrics on YouTube. In my opinion, this is the most romantic yet easiest night to plan!
4.  Whale Watching
   • Take a half day at work and drive your date to the closest coastal town! Groupon has deals for as low as $6 per person. My personal fave is in Newport Beach, California. Kick back and sip some wine while enjoying first-class views to marine life! Same day tickets are available. This is a great way to get some fresh air and experience something different!
5. Arcade Date Night 
   • Hit up your local arcade or even Dave & Buster’s and have a go at good ol competitive fun! Play the particular games your date gets nostalgic about. $20-30 can get you a solid hour of games! *Bonus* win that teddy bear for her!

 

Galentine’s Date Ideas:

1. Boozy Brunch
   • Grab your girls, put your Freakum Dress on, and hit the town! Whether you are getting together for brunch or a nice dinner, nothing beats sharing a laugh with your tribe.
   • Last year, (when we were all single), we dressed to the nines, went to this hole in the wall Chinese restaurant, came back home, had some bubbly and just danced around the house for hours. It was hella fun and easy!
2. Slumber Party
   • Turn up in the comfort of your own home! Add some decor to your living room and cute ballons! Order heart shaped pizza and some board games! Ask that each friend bring over their favorite sweet treat or preferred bottle of wine. Make sure everyone packs their comfiest PJs and favorite playlist. Play games, pamper yourselves, and wind down with a classic chick flick.
3. Paint & Sip
   •  Sip your favorite beverage and dance to the music while you and your friends enjoy a step-by-step instructional experience with local artists as they help you re-create a featured painting of the night. There are bound to be plenty of local studios in your area, most of which host private parties. I looked around my local studios and still found open availability ranging from $30-$40.
4. Succulent Extravaganza   
   • Head to your local succulent nursery and enjoy some plant therapy! Grab a glass of wine and start mixing and matching your cart…or consider starting your own collections. My friend and I spent our Sunday there and it was quite peaceful. Smaller succulents start at about $1.50
5. Collage the Friendship
   • Stop to your local craft store, grab some blank photo books and the works and make actual collages of you and your friends…you know instead of using an app on your phone! Over some wine, these photos are bound to spark up some really good memories! The best part, you can exchange your books with each other once it is complete! $20-$30.

 

*Just remember, the sole purpose of Feb 14th, is to be around the people you love!

Lake Tahoe | Snowglobe Recap

Revel in Wintertime bliss in the Rustic charm of Lake Tahoe!

Maybe its just me but 2017 was one hell of a year. With that in mind, we decided to head up to Tahoe and dance into the new year at the Snowglobe Music Festival!

Ever since I was young, Tahoe has been a favorite winter getaway of mine.

Dad & I, circa 2000

The girls and I stayed in a tiny condo in the heart of South Lake Tahoe. Just steps away from our complex, we had sweeping views of the lake as well as the desert valley and mountains!

Balcony views.

About 15 minutes down the mountain, we reached The Shops at Heavenly Village.

For a hearty meal, I’d definitely recommend Azul Latin Kitchen. Many of the other restaurants in the center had hour waits, whereas Azul sat us instantly, handing each of us warm blankets while we ate.

Another yummy eatery to try is Orchid’s Authentic Thai Cuisine. Service was great and the portion size was pretty massive!

Not sure if its apparent in the photos above, but to our surprise – there was no snow! This time last year, Tahoe endured heavy snow fall. In fact, Tahoe is not expecting snow for another two weeks or so! So all this to say, plan accordingly! The warmer afternoons across ski country make it ideal to hike, boat or fish.

Although the city is beautiful, we primarily spent our time at the Snowglobe grounds.

At night the temperatures dropped close to 20°F so we layered up like crazy! For each day, I wore up to five top layers and three bottom layers! As warm as I dressed, I still managed to feel cold by the end of the night!

I usually rave about my festival experiences, but unfortunately Snowglobe was my least favorite. The line up was amazing but the venue was troublesome. There were two shuttle locations: The closest to us, (about 15 minutes away), was an $80 uber ride one way! Once we arrived to the venue, there was a solid 10 minute walk through essentially the woods. At first I thought, “whoa this is pretty cool,” but after almost rolling my ankle several times, (as there were no added lights) I began to think what a hazard this entrance was. Once inside, I was pretty shocked with how small the grounds were. There were two main stages a short distance from each other. The distance was nice because you did not have to walk far to get to the next stage but on the same token you could hear the other stages’ music. Weirdly enough, I thought the music projection in general  was pretty low for a festival.

The most difficult aspect of the venue was the muddy grounds. There was no escaping this! Everyone had mud up to their knees! My snow boots were completely ruined and there were moments that crowds of people slipped. And to my surprise, there were no designated seating areas. At Coachella and EDC for example, you could sit down essentially anywhere you turned. But as for Snowglobe, there was literally one tent which had maybe 15 chairs! There were also no tables (even in the food tents) and if you wanted to sit on the ground you’d be covered in thick mud.

Turns out, after spending some time talking with the locals while out to dinner, 2018 will be the last year this festival will be held at the Lake Tahoe Community College. This is because the large attendance has almost completely ruined its’ Athletics Field. Hence, all the mud!! AND due to the amount of noise complaints the city received in previous years, there was a noise ordinance in place. Hence, the lower sound projection.

All this to say, I don’t think Tahoe, but specifically this venue, was the best location for this large of a production.

Overall, this girls’ trip was still successful and I’m glad I was able to check Snowglobe off of my list! But will I return for Snowglobe 18′? Probs not, ha! Xoxo

Why We Should NOT ‘Stay Out of Politics’

Let’s face it, we are in the midst of political polarization and divisiveness in America. During the presidential election, I noticed a rise in political consciousness/involvement amongst my generation. The election was far more than who would take office; instead, it would become the forerunner of the future state of our society.

Since then, there has been a media frenzy! TV coverage seems to be virtually continuous, social media posts are endless, and in short, it is nearly impossible to ignore our nation’s climate. Every few weeks or so we hear yet another news report of racist bigotry and hate crimes committed throughout the U.S. We are alerted when the President tweets his latest thought, when he fires a member of his administration, or when he denigrates a certain group of people… it’s EXHAUSTING to say the least.

I know a lot of us have stopped checking the news, purposefully avoided social media, or shut down when politics are mentioned. And although it may seem easiest and most comfortable to do this, we CAN NOT turn the other cheek to what is going on!! This everyday negligence is dangerous! We CAN NOT afford to “stay out of politics” because this is OUR future on the line.

Most of us are so fortunate to have the choice to not get involved, but this disinterest needs to be shifted. This past weekend, many Millennials were marching with tiki torches in hand at the White Nationalists rally. This hateful ideology was shared among individuals our age!

So don’t think for a minute, that we are powerless to what has transpired. It is our duty and responsibility as Millennials to speak up, stand up, and show up, in opposition to such hate and backwardness. As Obama quoted on his final address to Armed Forces:

“Remember what that flag stands for. For we depend on you, the heirs to that legacy, our men and women in uniform, and the citizens who support you, to carry forward what is best in us. That commitment to a common creed. The confidence that right makes might. Not the other way around. That’s how we can sustain this long struggle.”

Talking politics should no longer be taboo. This is the time you and I should be talking about our sentiments toward the current state of our nation. If you don’t know about something, ask. Educate yourself. Acknowledge what is happening. Engage with your peers. Share videos/spark discussion on social media. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO SPEAK UP! Remember, silence and ignorance is complacency. We have the ability to use our voice and platform to bring the better good of society to the forefront.

How to survive Coachella sans Party Favors

If you’re a Millennial, chances are, you’ve attended some sort of music festival. And if you haven’t, you should, because they are basically euphoric wonderlands. Although, the cost of an event adds up, you can not put a price tag on complete and utter happiness, boo! I’ve legit cried happy tears in the middle of sets (I know, dramatic.) But honestly, aside from traveling, festivals are where I’ve felt the most alive. There is this indescribable rush of adrenaline that takes over your body and you just become one with the crowd and the music.

This topic may be taboo to some, but I’ve heard time and time again that people only enjoy festival culture because of the party favors, (look it up on Urban Dictionary if you don’t get the reference) but that’s not always the case.

I’ve chosen to abstain from the goodies, because I tweak TF out on just caffeine…so to prevent any hot messes, I’d rather not indulge. Alls to say, you can still have goood vibezzz, sober-ishhh.

Sober at a music festival…WHATTT, you don’t say? Welllllll, not exactly. The pregame and beer gardens keep me going. Your girl just gotta’ stay hydrated (you know what I’m shhhaying) and she good! Oh, and lots of sleep & water.

Although I don’t think that drugs define festival culture, I do believe, there is this societal pressure to dabble. But as with all things, to each his own and if it works for you, God bless! But all I’m saying is it can be done without it and my experiences have been just as magical 🙂

Either way, it is undeniable how infectious the good vibes are. I’ve literally met some of my closest friends at festivals. I mean, there are hundreds of thousands of people, together in one place, all looking to get litty. Whether you’re about to pass out or sober Sally, you are guaranteed an experience of a lifetime. I know I can’t wait to be frolicking around in the desert!