Live.Love.Dance.

So I've forgotten how much I love to dance! These past couple of weeks I have gotten back to my normal routine of working out & dance fitness and I feel a lot better. I feel like I'm back in control of my life, because I was drowning! - Eating tons (of healthy food), not working out, and not sleeping. But I've finally started back doing Zumba or some type of dance fitness class everyday, along with strength training daily.

Two weeks ago I found a Zumba class that was free on the weekends at the Todos Santos Plaza Park held by Thayna and Emely. Their zumba company is in the middle of moving locations, so I took advantage of the free classes. It was fun! Who doesn't like to do Zumba outside in the morning sun?! So refreshing!

Zumba!

Todos Santos Plaza- Concord, CA

A couple days later, I decided to try a free 3 day trial at the 24 Hour Fitness (gym) near me. I took full advantage of those 3 days by trialing many of their classes including Zumba, U-Jam (hip-hop dance class), BodyPump (weight/strength training), BodyCombat (like boxing), and a couple others. I enjoyed them and decided to do a 1 month membership since I'm leaving in a month for Fresno. Let me tell you...I'm getting my money's worth. I go to 2 classes a day minimum. Some call me crazy because it seems like a lot with my night shift schedule and trying to get enough sleep, but honestly it's my outlet. I love to dance and I love good music. So when I say I'm "going to the gym" or "going to workout", it's not a stressful thing for me. Although, BodyPump kicks my butt lol. But I'm happy while I'm there and I sleep better after! I can't believe I went soo long without doing some sort of dance fitness class! NEVER AGAIN.

My new NikeFree Fly Knit's motivate me :) <3

I've met a couple people at this gym which has been cool! A lot of the same people come to the classes. One day, I met this black girl that resembled me...same complexion, same hair AND style, both our names start with "Sh", both nurses and Pediatric at that! And she does Pediatric Oncology like I did...everything just seemed so ironic. This lady even walked by us and called us twins, which I thought was funny. It's nice knowing a few people in class; makes it that much more enjoyable.

I have a new friend Neisha! Met her through the boys (I knew they'd come in handy for something lol). She's really cool and loves to dance just like I do soo...two Sundays ago, we decided to try out this new Dancehall dance class taught by Emery at In the Groove Studios in Oakland. We had a blast and will definitely be back every Sunday until I leave! Last week, I picked Neisha up from the Bart near me and we went to U-Jam together at my gym. She had never been and she loved it. It's definitely a fun dance fitness class to take if your into the hip-hoppy sort of thing. After class, we went to In-N-Out Burger and ordered off of their "secret menu" lol. I got a protein style burger and she got a veggie style - both of which are NOT on their menu lol smh...only in California. Then we went back to her place, showered, and got ready to go to Somar Bar in Oakland for their Wednesday Reggae night, which was a fail because people around here hibernate the second it gets a little cool/rainy smh. But driving around trying to find a poppin' bar on a Wednesday night was still fun...lots of laughs :)

Dancehall taught by Emery at In the Groove Studios

U-Jam neon color day! Can you spot us?!

So as you can see...I'm back on track doing what I love to do. I'm am looking forward to many more classes to come before I leave. There's this Soca Dance Fitness class we just found out about, taught by Nekeya at Studio Grand in Oakland that I tried this past Sunday and had a blast of course! Who doesn't love dancing to ONLY Soca music for an hour?! I was in heaven. Nekeya was awesome. Definitely worked up a sweat. Although, working the night before sucked; but the high vibes of the music gave me energy :) Definitely making that a Sunday routine! Sunday's have become my new favorite day of the week! If you go out and don't want the Reggae/Dancehall/Soca party to end Saturday night...just go to class with Nekeya then Emery Sunday morning and your all set! The party continues lol.

Okay, so I may be a little obsessed with dancing, but you wanna know why?? Here are the Health Benefits of Dance:

Boosts Memory

Improves Flexibility

Reduces Stress

Diminishes Depression

Helps your Heart

Lose Weight

Balance Better

Increases Energy

Make Friends!

So if you haven't tried it...your just silly :) But I suggest you do so before it's too late! Trust me, you won't regret it. Hope you all are having a great day!...if not..go DANCE!

Live.Love.Dance.

Xoxo,

Carson Update!

Okay, so a lot of you have been asking about Carson and how he's doing here in California since I haven't talked about him much in my posts. Well...he's doing okay. He's liking it, I guess lol. He's getting used to all the sounds outside of the apartment, so he's not barking too too much. He's gone to daycare a couple times and he loves going on walks around the neighborhood. We tried to go to a dog park when we first moved here, but no one was really there and I haven't attempted to go back. We haven't found a playmate yet either, but that's okay. He has definitely become a Momma's boy. Sadly, I'm pretty much all he sees most of the time.

As far as an update with Carson, he had to have a wart removed from his left shoulder about a month ago. Before I went to Miami it was there; the vet gave me a steroid spray to use twice a day and said it should most likely eventually go away. Well of course it didn't; it only got bigger and more dried out. It looked disgusting! Like an artichoke! It gave me the creeps and made me itch. Ewww...just thinking about it is making me itch. Anyway, we went to the groomer and she was like, "Oh your gonna have to get that removed!" And I was like, "Really? Because the vet told me it should fall off." And she was like, "No, I doubt that." So I was telling her about how expensive my vet would be to remove it, and she then recommended hers to try. So I immediately called and set up a consultation appointment for that evening. At the appt, the Veterinarian said he could remove it right then with just a little anesthesia. So...I left (went to the mall around the corner), and within an hour he was done and the wart was gone! Stitches intact and Carson just like his normal crazy self. They put him on an antibiotic and pain medicine for about 10 days. Leaving the vet, we had to stop at Walmart to get him a shirt to wear so that he wouldn't lick at the spot; options were limited though lol...so don't judge.

At the vet...so cute! <3

They had to shave him

The silly shirt (really a onesie) he has to wear lol

We followed up 2 weeks after the procedure to get the stitches removed and...come to find out they didn't really work like they wanted. It had just like scabbed up around the stitches (hard to explain). So they removed the stitches and scab and put about 4 staples in instead. So that's what he has in now, and this was about two days ago. So we follow up in 10 days to get them taken out. Hopefully they work!

He's ready for Christmas lol

Stud

Other than this annoying wart removal process for Carson, he's doing fine. Never seems to be in any pain. It just sucks because he can't go to daycare for the time being. And of course I just bought like a 10 day daycare pass for a couple hundred dollars, which I'm hoping they'll let me use in the future when and if I come back to the Bay Area after my next assignment :)

Well I think that's it. Hope this filled you all in a little on my "Little Man".

Xoxo,

  Shante' & Carson

Just a Weekend in My Shoes

Hey guys! Happy Saturday!

So I know I'm late with this post, but I just feel like writing about my fun yet chill weekend last weekend here in Cali... I have to preserve my memories somehow :) . So let's recap!...

Okay, so Friday night I worked; it was a good night (that I remember lol), nothing crazy. Saturday morning, my friend LaShan (another traveler at my job) came over right after work to help me take my weave out. It was cool - we just chit-chatted, gossiped & laughed; the take down took less then an hour which wasn't bad. But I still had to take the braids out, wash, and comb it, which was a hassle! Took like almost 3hrs! I was over it; arms were sore, etc. Having no perm is not cool lol. Not fun! After that was all done and situated...you think I went to sleep?? No. Why?! Because I'm crazy! Instead, I went to go shopping with my guy friends I met here. How could I pass up an opportunity to shop?!

Dirt or highlights?!! Take your pick.

So, I got my things together and headed out to Bay Street Emeryville (outdoor shopping mall) to meet them. We shopped, well they shopped, for a couple hours. I didn't really buy anything (surprisingly) - just a headband for this nappy head of mine! So I just harassed them while they spent hundreds of dollars on clothes and shoes they felt were necessary lol. Although, I was able to tell them what looked good and what didn't...whether they chose to listen to me was another story smh. We were in and out of line at Express and Nordstrom Rack while they tried to figure out the best deals and how to get the most for their money...lol smh black people. But it was fun though; a little chilly, but we had a good time. Definitely a day full of laughs :)

Mikey wanted speedos soo bad! lol...I said NEGATIVE!

Deuces! Stay cruisin'



Dope

After that, we were starving of course, so we decided to go to TrueBurger in Oakland. Not my preference of food, but I made it work lol. The burger was good, quarter-pounder, not as big as I would have liked :), but that probably was a good thing if I'm trying at all to eat right! After that and a couple selfies later, we headed back to Dickson's house and chilled for an hour or so before heading back out.

Why the face, Dickson??

Typical

Justifying there shopping to Taiwo lol smh

That night we went out to Era Art Bar and Lounge; it was fun, crowded, and the music was good. We thought we'd have an extra hour of partying (because of Day Light Savings), but we were wrong. They shut that shit down on time. Somewhat of a bummer, but no biggie! So we went back to Dickson's house...and what did we do?! Cook! Well they cooked haha..African food of course - one of my favorites! I helped cook the rice, fell asleep in the process and forgot to turn it off soo...yup that burnt! lol. Not too bad though. In the middle of my sleep (waiting for the stew to be done), I woke up randomly asking was the food ready & immediately went back to sleep lol. They thought I was sleep talking! No...I was really trying to eat lol, but too tired to move! Sadly, they already know how greedy I am, which is why they now call me "Jeunkoku" meaning something like "eat until I die" haha...smh. Either I've been hanging out with them too long or I'm just really fat lol. But as my family and friends know...I am a fat girl at heart <3 My love for food is serious :)

Sunday morning, the 4 of us did our just about weekly "family food shopping" haha at the local Trader Joe's. Came back and Taiwo cooked almost a whole carton of eggs w/veggies! Yea, we eat a lot lol. Oh, I can't forget the wheat bread along side that Mikey handled like it was Fufu (an African dish) to eat the eggs lmaoo. It cracked me up! (But you probably have to be African to understand lol)

That afternoon we went to Lake Shore Park - they played soccer while I watched, well.. took a thousand selfies! The weather was perfect - sunny and warm! Also, perfect lighting/scenery for selfies lol. Just made me love being out here in California even more :)

One of many :)

Taiwo photo bomb

Palm trees make life so much better!

Dickon teaching me the Oakland sign

After the gorgeous day at the park, we went back to the apartment and chilled, ate, and rested for once! By the time I got home, I was only able to sleep 1 hour before going in to work. I know...I'm crazy! But like Mikey says, "sleep is for suckers" lol. But it was worth it; I had a good weekend & laughed almost the whole time. I aught to have burned 1,000 calories just from laughing!

Definitely a YOLO weekend. But doing what makes me happy is key right now!

Keep smiling people!

Talk to you soon!

Xoxo,

Miami Broward One Carnival 2014

I don't even know where to start with this post! Reminiscing about the AMAZING time I had at Miami Broward One Carnival makes my heart pound/melt - in a good way of course. Honestly, I had the best time of my life thus far! The whole weekend was fun, but Sunday - October 12, 2014, Carnival Parade day...indescribable!

Buttt...I will start in chronological order. Well actually, first let me explain a little bit about what "Carnival" is for you non-Caribbean people that may not know. Carnival is a BIG Caribbean celebration held in many different places, at many different times of the year all over the world - originated in Trinidad & Tobango - that lasts about a week long. People travel from all over to enjoy the festivities that include pageants, fetes (parties/celebrations), J'Ouvert (ju-vay) (large street party that includes colorful paint thrown being everywhere), and of course the main Parade of Bands where there's a competition of Mas Bands & their masqueraders dressed in beautiful, colorful, sexy attire - which I did play (participate) in. For a more detailed history of the origin of Carnival, visit Trinidad Carnival. I encourage you to read; it's very interesting.

Okay now to Miami Carnival 2014! I flew in on Thursday night and stayed with a friend (Britnie) of mine in Ft. Lauderdale. Friday morning I had the hardest most ridiculous time getting a rental car. Yes, I waited until the last minute to book it, but I wasn't thinking about Columbus Day weekend and them running out of cars. But I DEFINITELY learned my lesson and will never do that again - and by that I mean trying to rent a car at the last minute. I was basically in tears with the whole thing, trying to get to a rental place that said they had a car, taking 2 means of public transportation including walking 2 miles just to get there, then come to find out they didn't have a car available. Poor guy at the counter probably saw the look on my face and in my eyes, and felt so bad that he offered me this mini-van that was the absolute last vehicle in the lot. So I ended up with this big 'ol mini van...but whatever, I guess it was something. Better than nothing. It didn't really use up as much gas as I thought it would, and I didn't have to drive by a lot of people and look cool, so it worked out. 

So much room in this van!

Arriving in Florida

Okay back to Friday... 

In the afternoon, I went to a backyard pool fete in Miami. Of course I was the first one there - I didn't realize NO ONE would be somewhat on time - and by somewhat I mean an hour late lol. I wanted to go somewhat on time because I knew I had to leave early (8:30pm) to pick up my friends from the FLL airport. I was supposed to be meeting Britnie at the party, but she got off work late and didn't end up coming 'til later. So I just hung out with my feet in the pool and listened to the Soca music the DJ was playing. People eventually started showing up and I chatted a bit with whoever came up to my lonely self lol. It was cool; by the time I left, it was packed and live!

Left that party to go pick up two friends (Gabby & Marius) from the FLL Airport (almost an hour ride, which I didn't mind), then drove back to Miami to the hotel Marius and his friends were staying at. We got ready there, then headed out to a party that my girl friends and I had tickets for. Unfortunately, Marius couldn't get in because they were sold out and he didn't buy a ticket ahead of time. So he just dropped us off and picked me up later. At the party, we met my friend Lauren (who had literally just gotten off the plane) and Britnie. We all had so much fun! Open bar all night, great music, dancing & fun people. Sometimes open bars at clubs aren't great because they're so packed, but we found the back bar that wasn't as crowded, so we got our drinks there. During the party unsurprisingly, we ended up on stage lol. That's the place to be..obviously! Butt...little did I know, we were up there at the same time Kes & Kerwin du Bois (two famous Caribbean artists) were performing! I had no clue! I just thought it was the DJ playing, so I missed out on a photo opp. We all did! But apparently Lauren hugged Kes on his way inside the club. So lucky her! After the party, Marius picked me up and I slept for about an hour or so in the car. Got to their hotel and went straight to the continental breakfast with him and his boys. Do I remember much about breakfast? No. The liquor had gotten the best of me that night. I just remember how disgusting their blueberry muffins were. 

Some pics from the night...

  

Me and Gabby!

It was packed!

Lauren, me, & a random

Fun times!

Random shot

So anyway, that morning I had to go pick up my costume for Sunday (about 35min away) by 11am. Of course we were late, but I still got it. Surprisingly my girls were there at the same time picking their's up; that got me excited! I couldn't wait for Sunday to come. After picking up my costume, we went to drop the rental car off. That was somewhat of a hassle because we had to wait for his boys to come pick us up, and I knew my chance of going to the beach at all during this trip was over. But while waiting & roaming, we did come across some good Caribbean food at this little corner shop which made that hour okay. Now on to some fun!

The guys came and picked us up and we headed over to KOD (King of Diamond's Strip Club) - a famous strip club in Miami. Any other day, I probably wouldn't have really been excited to go, but because I had no choice I went and I loved it! But ONLY because it was Carnival weekend. Any other time it's like a regular strip club, but this weekend it was Carnival! Day long event! Basically all soca and reggae music. Amazing food of course. And it was inside & outside with multiple DJ booths. When we first got there we waited in line to go inside, but that was okay because the music was good so we danced in line :) Inside it was packed. The strippers were either naked or spray painted colorfully - it was kind of cool to see and the guys loved it of course. At sunset, they kicked everybody outside to their HUGE parking lot where the fun continued. Obviously the temperature had cooled down & the sun wasn't beaming on us, so it was perfect. Outside I had a blast! We all did. It was soo much fun (and to believe I only had 1 drink). The DJ was great! We danced and danced and danced until they kicked us out (about 8pm). There's something about Soca music that makes me feel so free and have no worries! When soca comes on, I just want to wine wine wine (shake my booty).

Just a few pics from the day...

One of the many!

haha

During sunset

"That bumpa is too real..it's dangerous!"

That night, I was supposed to meet up with my girl friends at another party we bought tickets for, but frustratingly due to unforeseen transportation issues I didn't go. I was mad, but whatever. I was basically mad cuz that was $80 down the drain and a fun all inclusive night out with my girlfriends. But I tried not to let it get to me too much. I just kept telling myself $80 really isn't that much (even though to me it is lol). So I just spent the night out with Marius on the South Beach strip. We had fun. We walked, talked, and ended up at a bar that we didn't even know was playing Caribbean music, so we were happy. We danced and drank and had a good time, despite the $40 Margherita that the bartender basically lied to us about the price...language barriers smh. That night we slept about 3hrs before having to get up Sunday morning for CARNIVAL!

The most expensive drink of my life...it was big though!

Early Sunday morning (7am) Marius drove me to Britnie's apartment in Ft. Lauderdale (about 1hr away). I wanted to leave early so I could get dressed and ready with my friends. It was a struggle getting up, but we made it happen. I got to Britnie's house and the activities began. We showered, put our costumes on, our makeup and face jewels. We were slowly becoming masqueraders! It was funny & fun. Lauren literally covered her face in jewels that had NO color scheme whatsoever lol. When all of our primping was done and accessories were gathered, we headed out - back down to Miami! The car ride went by fast because we were dancing, chatting, and taking pictures of course.

Gettin' ready!

Smile!!

"We ready for di rooaaadddd!"

Now for the main event! What we've all been waiting for haha... Carnival - The Parade of Bands! We arrived in the parking lot (grass patch) and the pictures began. 

True masquerader!

Gabby and I <3 

The whole gang!

Once we took more pictures then we could handle, we walked over to where all of the Band Trucks, Masqueraders, music, & drink trucks were gathered (the holding area). Then the dancing began! And the drinking! And some eating. Ughh I cannot explain to you how much fun it was, but I will try my best. Basically, the Parade of the Bands didn't start for a couple hours so in the mean time you (the Masqueraders) just hang out - and by hang out, I mean dance and drink if you please. There is music EVERYWHERE! Each truck was playing different songs, but they're all good! Soca, soca, & more soca! So it's non-stop dancing! And I loved every minute of it. Our band, Generation X, was all inclusive - costume, food, drinks, portable bathroom, but of course wasn't free. We paid a pretty penny for it, but it was worth it. Our band surprised us with 'bag juices' (knotted plastic baggies with mixed drinks in them) and they were strong! I honestly had at least one in my hand at all times lol. So we all walked around, chatted with strangers, took pictures with strangers, and of course danced with strangers. But honestly, it was like one big family! I loved that part about the day. There was no hostility, no hard feelings, everyone just wanted to have fun. I love that about the Caribbean culture when they (we lol) get together. There's an all around sense of unity. All of the masqueraders looked gorgeous! It was so colorful! People of all shapes and sizes, but no one cared! I even got so comfortable, that I took my stockings off within the first hour of being there. Stretch marks? What stretch marks? No one cared. It was awesome. We also had this lady cover us in body glitter that made us shine even brighter. 

Yes I'm claiming Trini now!

Enjoying every minute <3

Masqueraders dancing pre-parade

On-looking masqueraders

One of the trucks on di road

   

Getting glitter-fied!

    Some of the gorgeous people I met!

  Fun times!

Give me more Bag Juice!!

Lauren & I <3

It's car-ni-valllll!

Eventually, the Parade of Bands got started and the show began! What happens is - the masqueraders closely follow their music truck as it makes its' way to the main stage for judging. Thousands of spectators join this day on the sides throughout the parade route and around the stage. We danced the whole parade route with whoever and whatever. So much fun. We even lost each other here and there, but still found our ways back to each other. Now for the presentation/judging of bands on the BIG stage (at the end of the parade route)... crossing the stage for the judging was.. hahahaha.. crazyyy fun to say the least! Basically, your section of your band waits in the wings for your opportunity to cross the stage and "let loose". I was soooo fun! I ran up there (with the group of course) immediately to the front of the stage and shook my ass so hard! I danced like no one was watching! There were bright spotlights.. video cameras.. pictures! But I didn't care. We all danced like crazy people until it was our time to get off stage lol. Overall, Generation X came in 5th place out of 17 bands, which I don't think is bad at all. But the fun didn't end there! At that point, my girlfriends were leaving and I met up with Marius and his boys; once all of the bands presented, a few music trucks stayed and played music until a little past midnight (I think). People were gathered, dancing, and having a great time. It even rained for a few minutes, but by looking at the crowd and how the partying continued on - you would have never known! At this point, my feet were killing me, but I couldn't let that stop me. The more the soca played, the more I danced - with others and by myself. I felt so good! I felt so free! But eventually, the festivities had to come to an end. The walk back to the car was TORTURE. My feet/legs were KILLING me - all the whining, stomping, jumping, and dancing had gotten to me. I tried to hop onto Marius' back, but I couldn't even do that. So of course on the ride back to their hotel, I slept for the 30min until we got there, we dropped the guys off, and had to head to Britnie's house for me and the girls' 5am flight! So yea...no sleep that night - story of my life. But I will say it one last time - it was all worth it! Peace out Miami...until next time!

The flights back to Cali pretty much sucked because of my being in the middle seats. I didn't sleep all that well, but I lived. I was back to regular routine within a few hours; back to work that night! Yes, that night smh. 

Oh let me tell you... I was sore that whole week I got back! I couldn't even walk without limping! I even had to take 600mg Motrin just to maintain. I laughed everyday because I couldn't believe how sore my whole body was just from dancing. Although when you think about it...I did dance the whole weekend. I was sore from head to toe. And one of my arms was all scratched up from a loose jewel on my costume bra that I didn't realize was scratching me the whole time Sunday. But oh well, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat!

Whew! That was a lot! I hope you guys could feel some of the exciting energy I experienced that weekend. The pictures only do it a little justice. Still to this day I can't get it off my mind. I have Carnival "tabanca" (one of those things you just can’t escape, even if you’ve tried your hardest, especially if you’re completely passionate about someone, or something, that has taken a leave of absence from your life). Honestly, this was top 3 experiences of my life! I am new to this whole Caribbean thing, and I am loving every minute of it! It's the new me. I can't believe it's now coming into my life 25years later; I've been missing out. If you love Soca & the Caribbean vibe, you HAVE to attend Carnival somewhere! I don't care where, but at least once in your life. And I promise you, if you go to one, that won't be your last! With that said - bring it on TORONTO! See you in July! 

Btw...those jewels didn't last! Didn't stand a chance in that sun :(

Enough said

XOXO