A Good Time at Camp Pride

I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Advisors Academy boot-camp hosted by Campus Pride at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.  It was six days of an intense camp learning how to be a professional that affects positive change on my campus as it relates to the LGBT community.  I had such a great time meeting colleagues from all over the country and some national figures advancing and educating within the community.

Although the learning that took place has charged me to make some improvements and changes to my campus, I really enjoyed the "camp" experience.  Never having gone to an over night summer camp as a child, this was my first time having that experience.  To be honest I was really nervous for several reasons: Am I going to be the only person of color? Am I going to be the only straight person? Am I going to feel like an outsider altogether?  No, no and no!

Birthday Rewind #27on27 (Photo Heavy)

So I know that I said I was going to get back to blogging, but I failed, LOL.  I realized that when was blogging I was motivated to do things that brought me joy because I wanted to share all the wonderful fun things I was doing with you.  So to help balance out all the craziness that is work and excitement of starting my own business, I'm getting back to my blog.

The Birthday Rewind

So I turned 27 last month and decided to do something special for my "Champaign Birthday."  Me and my friends took a long weekend trip to Atlanta.  It was my first time there and I wanted to completely unwind, so the weekend theme was "Turn Down for What!?"  I can't say tell you enough how grateful I am to have great friends that would travel half way across the country to help me celebrate.  They're amazing!

Day 1

Windy City Adventures

The last weekend of June I had to take a business trip to Chicago.  I was so excited because it was my first time visiting the Windy City.  I was also able to catch up with friends.  I must say that the traffic that I experienced getting into the city from the Indiana state line took forever, but the drive went by so fast that it was a minor hiccup of the trip.

The business trip was for a leadership retreat PAN, a professional association that I'm apart of.  Below is a picture of me and my crew on our way to our first meeting for the weekend.

My first night I was able to walk around and see a little bit of Michigan Avenue and I just felt at home amongst the hustle and bustle of a big city.  For dinner that night we went to a Chinese and Thai
restaurant called Big Bowl.  Their menu is split, Chinese on one side and Thai on the other.  I went with Thai and had the chicken pad thai.  I was thrilled to finally indulge in ethnic food that is non-existent in eastern Kentucky.  It was delicious, but I still can't find a place that matches up to the jewel in Stony Brook, NY.

On the Road Again: STL

This past weekend I was able to get out of the office and handle some work in St Louis by helping our minority recuiter at a few National College Fairs.  I was so excited to get out of Morehead for a couple of days even if it was for work.  Two things that I absolutely love about traveling is 1) seeing how others live in their city, and 2) the food!  Let me tell you, there was some really good food on this trip.


Palermo Viejo on Bardstown Road



I guess I'll start with the food first.  Friday night, we had dinner at this Argentine spot called Palermo Viejo in Louisville.  ThanksYelp! My coworker and I had a pitcher of traditional  Sangrea with chunks of fresh fruit soaked in cognac.   To eat I had the Salmón - grilled salmon based in chimichurri sauce with roasted red potatoes and fresh veggies.  The tomato basil garlic & havarti cheese empanadas my coworker had are still on her mind!  I definitely recommend this place when traveling near  Louisville.



Alwatan on Klondike



The next day we had a couple of stops in the Louisville area and then grabbed lunch before driving to STL.  I decided to go with the Chicken Shawarma with safron rice at Alwatan, a Mediterranean restuarant.  It came with fresh tossed salad with olive oil dressing and two large pieces of pita bread.  The amount of food they give you can feed a family of 4 so I still have some left overs.  Next to Banana Fosters, Baklava is my favorite dessert...I got two pieces for $3.

Once we got to STL it was dinner time.  We hit up this little Mexican spot called Rosalita, but the kitchen was closed so thanks agina to Yelp!, I found this place accross the street called Lucus Park Grille.  The best crab cake of my life!  

For the rest of the trip I ate some home cooked food thanks to my coworkers family.  Her mom and grandmom cooked us catfish, hot water corn bread, fried green tomatoes, spaghetti and southern green beans.  I was so full and happy from this trip I don't even know how I managed to drop some lbs.

On top of their being some great food the people were so nice...and the gentlemen are some lookers, lol.  We entered STL and drove past the statium as the Cardnials won the last home game.  And we let the day after they beat the Brewers at Milwakee to go to the World Series.  Being in STL with all of this going down was so exciting.  It reminded me of home a two seconds.  I was in Northern California when the Giants won the World Series last year, but to be in the actual city of the team is a more energetic vibe. 

Good luck Cardnials!

A New Place to Call Home

Please excuse me for not posting in a while.  I've moved from my beloved California to start a career in higher education.  I am the new Coordinator of Multiculturalism and Inclusion at Morehead State University...remember me talking about it here.  Anywho, I have a new place to call home as a resident of Kentucky.  I've been here for about a week and I'm enjoying myself.  The people that I get to work with are absolutely fantastic so I can only imagine that the students will be fabulous as well!

In these last 8 days I have been able to really feel my independence.  I bought a car and I've started looking for my own place (I was blessed with free temporary housing).  Coming from Cali I knew that the cost of living was going to be a lot less expensive, but I still couldn't believe it when looking at rental ads in local newspapers.

Monday was my official first day and I was welcomed with my very own office.  I'm still in the process of decorating so suggestions are more than welcome (more like needed!)  One of my new coworkers was so sweet and left me this welcome basket on my desk to welcome me to Morehead and the division.  I know that I'm going to have a great time working here with a lot of growing and changes ahead.

 

And of course moving means new adventures are in store.  The night I moved the Parkette in Lexington (1 hr away) was featured on Diners, Dine-Ins, & Dives, and this week Louisville (2 hrs away) is going to be featured on Man vs Food Nation.  Well because I'm temporary housing I have not pots and pans...yet...and I've been eating at the limited number of restaurants and fast food chains in Morehead.  Surprisingly there are 2 Mexican restaurants and I've been able to try one of them called Mi Monterrey.  Know being from San Diego I know great Mexican food, sadly that's not what I got, but to be fare it was better than I expected way out here in Kentucky.

Carnitas Dinner

As I have time to settle in and find an internet connection I'll be sure to update you all on my transition to Southern living!

Thanks for reading!

Enjoying the Country Side

"Welcome to Kentucky!"  I'm can say that I've truly enjoyed my time here in Morehead, Kentucky.  The people have been very friendly and I haven't been surrounded by so much nature since I went camping in the 6th grade.  I was lucky enough to create travel plans that let me see almost the entire state in about 2 days.  I flew into Louisville and drove to Morehead (in east KY).  Just look at the view that I had:

Why are in you KY you ask?  Well, this little chick-a-dee had an on-campus interview at Morehead State.  I love the campus and the people - staff and students.  I am leaving with a lot to mull over.  I really enjoyed my time here and appreciate the hospitality that was shown to me.  The biggest questions that I was asked for the day was why I want to leave San Diego to come to little ole' Morehead.  It's something that I'm still figuring out, but I could definitely see myself here - bringing a little CA to KY.  Here's what I wore:

Jacket & Dress- Torrid

Jessica Simpson Peep-toe Mary Janes & Handbag - Ross

Well as I reflect on my trip, KY just might get a little more Cali in their lives!

P.S. I Love You!

Can I just say that I was meant to live in the South...at least I think so, l0l.  After graduation, my mother provided me with an early graduation gift of paying for a plane ticket for me to go to Houston for my LS's (Line Sister) baby shower and for a graduation of a good friend.  First was the graduation. 

Congratulations to Dr. Frank North, Pharm.D. Texas Southern University class of 2011!  I am so proud of this man.  It took him quite some time, at no fault of his own, but he made that journey across the stage and I was screaming my but off!  TSU is a HBCU, so I was so proud to see so many of my brothas and sistas getting their degrees.

After the graduation, I went with Frank to his celebration lunch that his family threw for him.  We went to Wyatt's Cafeteria.  I was so excited to get some local food...I had Popeye's when I got off the plane, l0l.  The food at Wyatt's was fresh and wasn't heavy at all.  Because I'm trying to get my sexy right, I went with the healthier options of backed chicken, a whole wheat role, and a fruit salad.

After lunch was the baby shower.  Unfortunately, it wasn't what I wanted for my LS but she was happy that there were people there to support her and just love on her.  All I have to say is, don't volunteer to host a baby shower if you don't have the time or the means to do it right. 

 

Back to the regularly scheduled program.  

So because I wasn't able to make a pit stop before I got to the shower, I had to give my LS the gifts I brought when we got back to her apartment.  The next day we went on an errand run and I ended up getting her some more things that she was gonna need and more clothes...my baby has to be fitted!

The night of the shower I got my first taste of the Houston nightlife.  I must say that I was neither shocked nor disappointed.  The club was more than packed and the atmosphere was decent.  I understand that Houston is a city that puts out a lot of the music in the underground scene and that they definitely have their own swag, but the majority of the music was local artists.  I'm from Cali so some stuff I was feelin, others I could have down with out.

The next day I went out again, but that wasn't a true reflection of going out in Houston so I'm not even going to mention it.  I'll be going back so next time I'll have more to share with you.  The morning that I left my LS, her boyfriend, Frank and I went to the infamous Crack Barrel for breakfast. It was one of the best breakfast's that I've had in a long time and they give you so much food.  I think that it was the way to start my last day.  I ended it by making a pit stop at Frenchie's, a fried chicken place.

Houston keep an eye out.  I'll be back soon enough!

 

Hidden Cupcakes!

Today I began the last week of my job the way I started it, wine tasting with my cohort members!  We took a little drive to a town called Murphy's near Ripon, CA for the wine.  Little did we know, today began the Frog Jumping Festival...this place had frogs everywhere (fake ones).  Seeing that I'm not into wine, I was going to spend time with some friends while getting out of Stockton's choke-hold. 

While in Murphy, we stopped at this cupcake shop called Lila & Sage.  I got 4 mini cupcakes - Red Velvet, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, Peanut Butter Brownie, and Banana Cream with Cream Cheese.  They were really good and only cost a total of $6.  When the rest of my male friends joined the ladies, the bakers ended up giving them free cupcakes so they weren't watch us ladies enjoying our sweets.  If you ever have time to travel up the windy freeway to get to this place, do it!

The Last of B'More

inside Jimmy John's

So I finally have enough time to sit down and catch you all up on the last month of my life.

I loved Baltimore so much! Thanks to my cousin, I was able to go on an impromptu campus tour of Towson University.  I was so excited that at first I didn't notice that the campus was desolate due to Spring Break.  See, I had applied to work at Towson, so I just wanted to see all that I could while I was in the area...come to find out that by the time I got back to Cali they had already filled the position.  Can you say disappointed...slightly heartbroken!?

The Food
In the mean time I was able to explore some of the sites and enjoyed my time in the city.  First I had the infamous Jimmy John's!  To be honest, they're good sandwiches at a reasonable price, but overall I wasn't that impressed.  I could make that turkey sandwich myself. 

Lamb Kebab Meze

Manti

I had Turkish food for the first time at this restaurant around the corner from our hotel on Charles Street.  It was open at 11pm when Ashley and I walked in...apparently it was belly-dancing night upstairs in their make-shift club.  Back to the food...I had this dish called Manti.  it's like a Turkish ravioli with creamy plain yogurt on top.  It's a doughy dumpling stuffed with minced meat, in my case lamb, and its covered in a cool plain Greek yogurt with fresh cracked pepper.  The second dish was a traditional lamb kebab. To put a little night cap on it, l0l, I had Turkish tea...so good!

And of course I couldn't be in Maryland without having some crab cakes!  We went to Mo's Crab & Pasta Factory which was featured on a few shows on the Food Network.  It was honestly the best Seafood that I ever had...EVER!  There portions for their lunch specials were the size of dinner plates for that could feed two people.  Although they were a little pricey, I didn't mind because of how big the plates were.  I had the Blackened Rockfish (a white fish) stuffed with Crab Imperial (a extra special crab cake).  The size of the fish was about half of the plate and then it was stuffed with a crab cake the size of a softball.  This came over a bed of roasted red potatoes and a side of steamed veggies...all smothered in butter.

The last night I was in Baltimore, I had the worst service (and food) at this placed called Kona Grill...yuck!  But you know me, I had to find the silver lining. And I found it in this drink called Blushing Geisha, I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a fruity drink that's strong, but sneaks up on you.

The Fun
After our "last super" my B'More crew (Ana, James, Ashley, and I) went out for some more drinks at this bar in the Inner Harbor area called Power Plant live.  It's very reminiscent of the Universal Studios CityWalk, and lets just say there was a few people dancing on poles and table tops!  Those margaritas were delish!

Excited About B'More

That's right, I've officially have been in Baltimore for almost 4 hours and so far I am so smitten with the city.  Granted I'm in the safest part of the city, I really like it.  I had an opportunity to take a short stroll from the hotel that I'm staying at and I feel that I really lucked out!

I'm staying at the Tremont Plaza Hotel down by the harbor.  Within literally 2 minutes of walking distance, there are several restaurants (Indian, Turkish, and an Irish Pub), a quaint little super market across the street, and a small shopping center.  I will got some good pictures for you when the sun comes up, but I really wanted to share this picture I took from my hotel window.

And here's a picture of the hotel bed with a rotating flat screen TV to separate the living room and bedroom.

I have a feeling that I'll have my first taste of Jimmy Johns (it's across the street from my conference site).  I have a cousin that lives out here so I'll be able to see a little bit of the town then I were to just go wondering around on my own.  I'm mostly excited to see my dear Soror Ashley of Oh! The Places I'll Go.  I haven't seen her since she moved and we are definitely an adventurous pair when we get together.

I'll be here for nearly a week so there will be lots to share!

What's the Weather?

So after a nice relaxing break from school and my assistantship, it was back to Stockton. I was doing my best to get back in time for me to get a few errands done before the campus closed for the day. Well it took me 12 hours to get back because of the interesting Southern California climate. I started at 3:45 am on the I-5, but was stopped about 3.5 hours into the drive due to the freeway being snowed out. Unfortunately I had no idea that it was snowed out so I waited in the over crowed McDonald's parking lot for about an hour and a half waiting for the freeway to reopen. Well I got tired of waiting and decided to take the 101 freeway (completely out of the way) to 41 so I could get back on I-5 around Fresno. The weather did a complete 180 on me, l0l. I went from a snowy winter chill to a sunny California day with clear skies and waves crashing against the cliffs. Let's just say it tripped me out just a little bit!

This is a car that had a small amount of snow on it (Ventura, CA)

Can you see the waves crashing against the cliffs (Malibu, CA)

The Glitz of New York City

OMG! I love the City! I had so much fun while I was out there a few weeks ago with my girl Tisha. The night I got there I was walking around so bright-eyed taking it all in. So that Friday we walked around 42nd Street & Time Square where I got to have a slice of cheesecake at Junior's and I was able to go shopping at the mega-Forever 21 that opened that day! I got this super cute dress, you'll have to wait for a photo of me in to see it. But I would definitely have to say that the most interesting thing that I noticed was the dudes - they try to get at you with no shame. I liked it, lOl! Even the cops on duty tried to get at us while they clearly in a deep convo with their partners on the corner.

After I got some cheesecake and shopping, we walked the rest of 42nd Street and took pictures at Time Square and then proceeded to walk around Manhattan. We walked all the way down 7th Avenue towards 14th Street. On the way I was able to see the huge Macy's, Madison Square Gardens, and the Empire State Building. We walked and I got to see the Chelsea area, the PRIDE of the city during Gay Pride Weekend. After that, we walked the opposite way to Union Square near NYU, but I was so tired that I didn't see a lick of the campus...all of this was between 12-4am.

The next day, I went shopping with Tisha's mom and let me tell you, this lady has some coupons that saved my life. I ended spending around $50 for $115 worth of clothes at New York & Company. After that, Tisha and I went down to Coney Island where I had one of Nathan's Original Hot Dogs. It was as good as it looked on TV. After I ate, we walked around the boardwalk and the fairgrounds. While on the boardwalk, there was a DJ playing all kinds of music with a crowd of 100 just dancing and sweating out all the liquor pimping through their systems.

The last day that I was out there I was able to finally go to church. Man let me tell you that I was missing me some church. After church Tisha took me to Bedsie where Ashley was staying in her friends Brown Stone. When we were outside waiting for Ashley to come out, Tisha was explaining that the Brown Stones were some of the original homes for African Americans in New York. They were also the place of Spike Lee's Crooklyn. On our way to the train station we passed Marcy Projects. I found it interesting that they were located on Stockton & Marcy Ave. I thought it was so Ironic that one of America's most dangerous housing projects was located on a street after a city that Forbes labeled as America's worst city to live in.

So Sunday evening was time for us, Ashley and I to get something off of our bucket list. Dim Sum in New York's Chinatown. We went to Jing Fong's on Elizabeth Street, right across from the 7th Precinct Police Station. After that we walked New York's famous Canal Street where I bought my first official knock-off handbag. That in itself was an interesting experience. It was so crowded and the Chinese girl was super sketch. Because it was so hot I had my first Italian Ice in lemon. It was so light and refreshing, what you see in the picture is a small one and definitely better than a cool glass of lemonade. We walk a little bit more before leaving for me to make my train back to Stony Brook, and got fresh coconuts to sip on. Can't say that i enjoyed it, but I think it tastes better than Thai Ice Tea.

I had so much fun and I'm hoping that I have a chance to go back at least once more before going back to California.