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

Philly to Cali!

Hey guys!

So I guess I'll make this my first post for all of you worried/curious family members out there. I've been trying to keep in touch to the best of my abilities, but we all know I am not good at that. This is originally why I decided to start this blog, for you all! Although, now it's for everyone and anyone who decides to read :)

For you all that don't know, I recently started travel nursing and moved out to California from Philadelphia this past September. It was a major decision of mine being that I did come alone (with the exemption of my dog Carson). Huge step out of the box for me, but I was soo ready!

I used to work at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for about 3yrs - 6 months on Hematology, 2yrs on Oncology, and 1yr on a General Pediatrics unit that had mostly babies (which I loved) or children under the age of 5. I liked it there; it was always nice to say I worked at CHOP and there was a proud feeling that came along with it. So why did I decide to leave? ...Because why not? We all know there's plenty of nursing opportunities out there and many other good hospitals where I could work. But my reason was because I wanted to travel. I wanted to be able to take vacation and not have to come back in 2 weeks! So why not travel somewhere and work there at the same time?! Seemed like a no brainer for me - but that's because I am single and have no kids. Another reason that that made me decide to travel nurse: I missed Easter and another fun family event this year because I had to work! And I was only 1hr away. So why not be in California and miss holidays?! Same difference; I'd be missing them either way. And everyone was telling me, "Do it now while your young" and "Do it now while your single and have no kids". So after a few years of being a RN and being single for over 2yrs from my college BF, I was like... I need to do this now! I made this decision late spring. No I didn't want to go alone, but at the same time I didn't want to wait for anyone. My coworkers said they wanted to travel nurse to Cali as well, but they either weren't as serious as I or they were planning to go in another year or so. So with that, I just decided to put my big girl panties on and head out. My Mom wasn't really happy about it in the beginning; actually she didn't like the idea at all! She would ask me a ton of questions about EVERYTHING and of course I didn't know all the answers or just didn't feel like answering. So she thought I wasn't being smart & needed to weigh all my options before making such a big decision. But in my head I was just like...if it doesn't work it doesn't work, I'll come back, live with someone somewhere (probably her lol) until I am stable again. No big deal haha.

Anyway, I am here, in Northern California - Bay Area and loving it! My experience getting to this point wasn't all that fun though. First of all, getting your California RN license takes foreverrr! About 3 months! (So plan ahead for all you nurses who do plan on travel nursing here, start now!) So as soon my CA RN license came through (online) I immediately called my recruiter Sherell Graham (reference me if you use her), had a couple phone interviews that week, and signed a contract by the end of that week. It all happened so fast!

The crazy thing is though, the position was starting in about 3 weeks after I accepted the position. Soo... yes, the chaos began. I had to get everything done for the agency - paperwork, physical, drug screen, fingerprints, etc. which was a b****! I had to get certifications & licenses done for the hospital I was going to work at - and with everything being last minute, one day I even had to drive all the way up to North Jersey, take a class, and come back that night to work. On top of doing all that and working night shifts, I had to pack! Yea let's not forget that. Sometimes it seemed like I didn't have that much stuff, but I was sooo wrong. I called myself trying to start packing early, but yea right. But I did get rid of a lot of stuff to Goodwill, which I was proud of myself for doing, because I'm a hoarder and getting rid of my clothes/belongings is hard. AND on top of all that - I still needed to sleep! Pshhh - sleep was like few & far between. But I'm young right?! I could do it - so everyone says. And I did - with the help of my Mom of course and my amazing (and strong) roommates. We got it done. Although, my Mom did have to make another trip back after I left to get the last of my things.

What did I do with my furniture? Sold my dresser on craigslist to this boujie lady (that was old and there was no way she was helping me carry that dresser smh) that tried to give me a hard time about a little ass scratch and wanted to lower the price - I did (but I still made a profit and she didn't even know it lol). You could tell she was rich and spoiled; she was cute though, but whatever. And I put my bed out on the curb wrapped in plastic (that my unstable neighbor tried to take by herself and ended up falling and rolling all over the sidewalk - did I help? No because I wasn't being responsible for any of that lol). She ended up putting it back of course. And my Papasan chair and little DIY dresser, I took down to Maryland to Kori & Kevin's house.

Oh and my car...smh...frustratingly had to have it shipped across country, which costed a FORTUNE. I waited until the last minute to decide to ship it because I was in such denial. I wanted to drive over (road trip with anyone), but didn't have enough time to do so. I worked up until the last minute and only had 3 days to get over here. I'm telling you, that whole week was crazy! Besides the fact that my boss wasn't happy with me because I only gave her a 2 week notice. But what else was I supposed to do?! I had just booked the job! I wasn't going to put my resignation letter in without having another job lined up. So yea...the last weeks at work were a little awkward, but whateverrr...YOLO.

Back to my trip... my Mom, sister, & Amanda took Carson and I to the Newark Airport. We got to hang out a little before I had to check-in which was nice. Carson lovesss his Grandmom (and vice versa) & was happy to be in her arms (little did he know this would be his last time seeing her for a long time). After about 40min, I put Carson in his carrier and we said our goodbyes - it was a little sad, but I knew I'd be in contact with them soon, and something about flying alone makes me happy & relaxed.

Momma and I <3

Love my sissy <3

The flight itself was great! Carson did really well (I did give him a little Benadryl right before the flight). He stayed in his little carrier underneath the seat in front of me. He whined for a second here and there but that was it. I made sure to keep my legs close to him and let him smell my hands here and there. Funnily (if that's a word), the last half of our flight there was a cat (and his owner obviously) that came to sit next to us (because they had a connecting flight). Carson was looking like uhhhh. Lol. But they got along, there was no fighting.

Carson b4 checking in

So yea, the flight went well...everyone was so helpful. People helped me with carting my luggage and getting on the bus to the car rental place. My rental car was soo nice! I forget what kind of car it was..like a brand new Hyundai or something. I loved it; didn't want to give it back. It had bluetooth, which I took FULL advantage of and had that backup camera thing which was nice. It just made my experience that much better for those few days I had it.

The rental

Got to my apartment that Saturday night and fell in love! It was such a rejuvenating feeling to know I'd be living alone. Even though my furniture didn't come for a few days (because I ordered that late also lol), I still loved the apartment. Had everything...washer/dryer, dishwasher, new appliances, carpet, etc. and the location was so close to everything! So that night I just slept on the floor (with my new comforter set I bought from Walmart that night) and called it a night as Carson snuggled up with me.

Inside my apartment!

Kitchen table/dining room area

Extra chair that I do sleep on!

The biggest bed I've ever had!

So let me tell you about the Walmart...I stopped there to get essentials that I would need to get me through the night. While shopping, I came across this...!

Seriously?!

Liquor in the Walmart! Top shelf at that. I couldn't believe it. Let me remind you...the Walmart is right up the street. But I'm not an alchy (alcoholic) so that doesn't matter right? Lol. Although I can say, to this day, I haven't bought liquor from there yet. But I will before I leave, just because! But not only does the Walmart sell liquor, so do the food stores, drug stores, corner stores, gas stations and so on. I was like...I'm liking California already! haha. Why don't they do that back on the East Coast in Philly and Jersey??? I might think about moving back haha jk jk.

Anyway, back to the apartment... the complex has a pool, hot tub, LITTLE fitness room, they come pick up your trash basically everyday, your own parking spot, and I got to chose an accent wall and color for them to paint (which I thought was so cool). Basically, I was in love and still am.

Outside

Furniture and accent wall

So my car was supposed to arrive that Tuesday, but of course didn't come until Wednesday morning. It was okay; I still returned the rental car that Tuesday night and just prayed he would deliver the car 7:30am Wednesday morning like he promised. And he did. So all was well. And I was happy to have my car back with me. As far as dropping the rental car off, after I returned it, I took public transportation back to my apartment. Once I was explained how to do it about 3 times lol, I figured it out, and it wasn't bad. Took the BART (their subway system) and a bus that brought me straight to my apartment.

Thought this was funny...what would we do without our phones?!

Reunited w/my car <3

So that basically sums it up as far as my big exciting move to California. I'm in the Bay Area and I love it. I've been going out, meeting people, working, and working out. Pretty much same thing I was doing in Philly, but just over here in Cali. I like the unit I'm on right now (NICU & Postpartum), but the hours suck! Never again will I sign up for 5 8hr shifts. But I will write a whole 'nother post about my travel nursing experience here shortly. So stay tuned!

Hope you enjoyed reading my first post everrr! I know it was long, but I had A LOT to say! Talk to you soon!

Lake Merritt - Oakland, CA

XOXO