it's time to get back on the grind.

Sometimes it takes a fellow blogger (he-llo, ogoingorogue!) to bring out the inspiration in you to do what you love best, but forgot what that was and how to do it. i don't care anymore how rusty i am or what audience i'm catering to. all i know is that blogging makes a way to bring inspiration and creativity to a heightened platform, to display all that you find beautiful and moving, to turn your life into art. THAT is what i love about blogging.

so instead of perusing other's sites endlessly (i.e. swankheights, cupcakesandcashmere, glamouri, ogoingrogue- some of my latest faves), i thought i'd climb back onto the old, familar wagon and breathe some of my own life into the blogsphere.

not that i have anything interesting to write. or anything relevant, persay. but writing just for the sake of writing. scratching that itch, letting the keys on the keyboard go rampant with their click-click-clicking, feeling for the time being that your brain is being lit with the force of creativity within you.. tis a good thing.

all i can think of for now is that somehow, mini-inspirations come to me like dippin' dots at a summer fair, one at a time, each delicately encased in their own rainbow-locity.

here are some of the things i'm having a real kick with:

1. gourmet spices to kick up the flava (got some this past weekend at the Freret Street market)



2. swanking out the digs- picked up some cool frames, a few decorative pillows, a faux fur throw, a really wicked bulletin board decked out in supafly fabric (a DIY i shamelessly didn't author), some gorgeous hydrangeas in an elegant glass and some quintessential New Orleans inspired coasters to scatter amongst the abode...who said that beautiful things in small packages don't have the power to lift even the most sullen spirits?



3. owning the power to my life. realizing that i can live the life i envision and still be an amazing, tour de force of a woman. knowing that love isn't just about sacrifice, that it's about giving and growing and becoming who you're meant to be without the cost of losing your happiness and sense of self.



there are good things in store. but for now, my few dear readers, i appreciate you and the beauty you bring to my life. <3

I AM WOMAN. HEAR ME ROAR.

I spent a liberating weekend in the Vail Alley with some of the besties, gallavanting away through Colorado's gorgeous Rockies as I caught up on some much needed R & R + long awaited schmooz time with the gals. To say it was overdue is an understatement; bathing myself in the glow of their brilliant phosphorescense and being front and center amdist 360 views of natural, untethered beauty all around me was like taking a wire and zapping myself back into the current of Life. The photos are epic, me thinks, but the entire experience itself was nothing short of amazement. crossing Shrine Path's opening
beautiful women

behold, the sexiest port-a-potty to ever be seen!

a view to kill for

the gorgeous Beaver Creek Westin resort and spa

...and the breathtaking view from our window

always ready to whip out another hike

Autumn foliage

Piney Lake

crossing the threshold

the crunch of leaves under our feet

The noble Aspen trees

We brought it.

The gorgeous Ms. Kibos

...and the incomparable Ouja

and onward she goes

the trees have eyes...

gold rush

Piney's breathtaking foyer

Whatchu know 'bout dis?

Lush.

Aspen

trailblazing

every tree loves a hug.

Whoa now! Cruisin to the rhythm of the beat.

log fever

pimpin' aint easy

my other half

gorgeousness, personified.

Hapa Hapa!

of course I've gotta post one of these

Vin 48

hot tub melodies

strike a pose

Wintry Colorado...meets Nawlin's style Gumbo

our suite (no pun intended) kitchen

hotel exterior

lounging in the lobby

cerulean baby blues

ahoy, matey! we caught one! (sike)

our ramen chef

sweet escape.

Floss it, baby.

ready, set..
floss!
Sometimes the most inane shit catches your fancy, like de man flossin the pearlies in the early am. Certainly doesn't hurt when even the camera winks at his superhotness (and the creeper status gf who's snapping away like the paparazzi in the background). What can I say, I love him. Him and those freshly flossed ivories. ;)

say WHAAAT?

I'm a sucker for vids right now, and I couldn't help but grin in media time with this one. Here's DJ Face, ya'll, on America's Got Talent. Keebs, this one goes out to you (I know you got a thing for the babehs with swag)! Lol.



My main, Snap Boogie, tearin' down the house with his killa street moves.



One of the most uncoventional, perplexing and riveting performances I've ever laid my eyes upon, the fiercest "Pole-fessional", Steve Retchless.



And a crowd pleaser (and shocker) for sure- Landau Euguene Murphy, bringing us Frankie back from the grave.



Totally different show, but this performance gave me shivers. I admit it, I'm obsessed. Ok, that's it from me for now. ;)

Preach it, preacha!

Just thought I'd share a video I saw back when I was grinding it in Phoenix, AZ, trying to bust out on the teaching scene. After a long and arduous 6 weeks of bootcamp, at the tippy top of exhaustion and exhilaration at what was to lie ahead, we were shown this. And it just absolutely stopped me breathless- nothing, in the end, can encapsulate what makes our jobs so noteworthy more than this vid. Every time I watch it, it just does it to me. So here's to you, and you and you, for making every moment of this incredible journey so worth it. Teachers truly do make the world go round, amen?

DANTE'S KITCHEN.

With it being a lovely, showers-clear day in sunny NOLA, a few friends and I headed to one of my favorite little breakfast nooks- Dante's Kitchen, a converted shotgun style house in the Uptown district with the sort of accessories that gives this eatery its famed appellation. Think of it as a Ma and Pa joint meets Grand Lux cafe, possessing the kind of sophistication and artful execution you'd find in a bistro or upscale restaurant, but with none of the flounce or ruffles that accompanies it. Just good, hearty food with a New Orleans twist. Exactly what you'd want on a lazy Saturday morning. The shelf-lined interior, beholding some of the tastiest preserves and jellies, all fresh-made at the house.

Sunny, warm, cozy. Just how I like it.

Fresh-made buscuits and jam- mouthwatering good.

I ordered the "Special"- this amazing Vietnamese fusion concoction featuring seasoned pork belly
over rice and this egg with pickled peppers. F*CKIN' DELISH, yo. Leave it to me to order rice for breakfast at a southern joint.

Shitake mushroom and cheese stone-ground grits. This Cali girl is a convert.

My friend ordered the "Pot Likka" (Dutch,perhaps?)- a smothering of beef pan dripping with grits and a poached egg. My tastebuds were doing the jitterbug.

And what I'd call the Grand-master Flash Finale- Annette had the bread pudding french toast, which is pretty much dessert masked as a breakfast item. Perfect for a sweet girl like Ms. 'Nettie.

There's an inferno up in there- oohhh, Dante's, you never let a girlfriend down!