Hey guys!
So this is going to be a long post...just giving you a heads up :) I am going to TRY to sum up everything that I did during my last weeks in The Bay area. I had an amazing time and did not want to leave...at all!
So, I'll start with dinner with my closest coworkers...before I left, we went to Havana Cuban Cuisine in Downtown Walnut Creek. We wanted to do dinner/exchange gifts, because - I was leaving, it was Michelle's birthday, and Mariana's having a baby :) It was always nice working with them; they kept me in the loop, had my back, and taught me a lot. I tell LaShan all the time...I wouldn't have made it through that assignment without her!
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| The girls <3 |
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| I made this for Mariana <3 |
I also got the chance to attend a "Ragga Jam Dancehall" workshop with
Laure Courtellemont in Sacramento as part of a tour she was doing! Laure is a famous Dancehall choreographer/teacher from Paris based in LA. She is amazingggg!! Inside and out! Beautiful soul. I did the workshop with my friend Ashley (I met in the gym). We had soo much fun and learned so many different dance moves. It was definitely a workshop not to miss! Here's a good
video of her workshop & detailed description of Ragga Jam Dancehall. Check her out! She's bombbbb!
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| Girl's got moves! |
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| I could watch her dance for days! |
Next, I'll talk about the dance group that I joined for a short while before I moved down to Fresno. They are called the Trapsettaz! They are a group of girls that love to dance, who get together, learn choreography, and dance different routines at various social events. I found out about them during one of the Sunday dancehall classes I go to. They're a very fun/down to earth group of girls to hang with, and I had fun with them while it lasted. I performed with them at one event on a Wednesday night; I was nervous, but in the end, everyone like our performance!
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| Trapsettaz!! |
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| Love this pic :) |
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| Gorgeous gals with DJ Lady J (a dancehall DJ)! |
I also went on a guided walking tour of San Francisco with Mikey! The tour we did was
The Real SF Tour. There were 7 of us in our group including the tour guide; ironically the 4 other tourist were Australian. Everyone was nice though. It was a longgg but fun day. Lots and lots of walking, but really cool to see all of the different architectures, murals, and tourists spots. A day well spent!
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| China Town, San Fran |
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| Where they hand make fortune cookies! |
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| The hills are crazyyy! |
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| For lunch we had tacos!! Mmmm |
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| Lombard Street |
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| Just one of the beautiful murals along this alley. |
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| The 'gayborhood'...loved the crosswalks!! Soo pretty & colorful! |
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| "The Painted Ladies" (Full House house) |
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| What happens with no guidance on where to put your hands lol smh |
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| Top of Lombard Street |
So, LaShan and I finally got to do a Wine Tour! We chose the
Napa Valley Wine Country Tour, which included breakfast w/mimosas, 3 wineries in Sonoma and Napa, olive oil tasting, and fancy private transportation. It was also a longgg day, but we had a good time - perfect way to bond and catch up on our lives. Our group was fun; there were like three couples and a group of 6 crazy/fun/young Australian girls. By the middle of the tour it was like a party bus lol. We got to drink (taste) lots and lots of wine! Oh and the olive oil tasting was delicious! They had this pesto spread thingy that was amazinggg. I did good though and only bought one bottle of my favorite wine all day and the pesto spread for LaShan (as a thank you for everything she has done for me), and she bought some wine for herself. Overall, it was a good tour that I would recommend to anyone looking to taste some wine!
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| Lashan and I |
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| Inside our limo bus |
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| The Golden Gate Bridge |
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| The closest we got that day! |
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| Inside a winery...I forget which one of course. |
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| Thought this was so cute! Larson Family Winery |
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| Inside the Larson Family Winery |
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| Lots and lots of wine tasting! |
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| My favorite winery...Madonna Estate |
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| My #1 wine for the day <3 |
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| Goofing around lol |
Okay, so on to Santacon...a yearly celebration in all major cities where you basically bar hop all day dressed as Santa / Mrs. Claus / reindeer/ in red or green...whatever you please! I never got the chance to participate while in Philly, but a friend (Taylor) from home was in town (San Francisco) visiting her brother that weekend, so I joined in on the festivities with them! It was a hassle getting around the city to meet up with them, because public transportation was limited and off schedule and the "I can't breathe" protest was also going on. They blocked so many streets for that; I was kind of mad. It took me about 3 hours to get to them! Not exaggerating. I was pissed, exhausted, my phone died halfway through, and I just wanted to be there. The bars were packed, so I had to find a little coffee shop just to charge my phone! But I finally met up with them at a bar and was able to hang out for a couple of hours before we all had other things to do. Luckily, Mikey came and picked me up from her brother's house (in the city), so I didn't have to worry about figuring my way back. I had fun though and was happy I got to see Taylor and hang out for a bit!
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| Taylor and I <3 Twinning |
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| The protest in SF that day was crazyyyy!! |
Last but not least...my last night out before I left the Bay; with none other than who it all started with...the boys...Mikey, Taiwo, & Dickson! First, we went to the bar I originally met them at - Era Art Lounge - and then to The New Parish for Reggae Gold. It was a very fun night and perfect way to end my time there. It's always a great time when we're all together. I'm sure they have a great time without me lol, but I make it even better :) Long story short though, I would have been extremely homesick if it wasn't for these guys! I am forever grateful they were brought into my life.
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| My first friends <3 |
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| A little blurry but I still like this pic |
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| Always a fun time w them! |
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| Typical! |
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| Typical #2...gotta hit the food truck before we head home! I mean it is right out front! lol |
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| My guys! |
Well that's it guys! I hope you enjoyed this post! You all know I could go on and on with more details, but I'll spare ya ;) As you can see, I had a great time up in the Bay Area. I love that area (East Bay in specific) and would go back in a heartbeat. I met a lot of awesome people, made some great friendships, go to do some touring, all while enjoying the pleasures of the West Coast - the culture/atmosphere is amazing! Something the East Coast rarely offers. I am now in Fresno, CA...so stay tuned on these adventures and those yet to come for 2015!! A LOT is in store! I'm laughing and shaking my head at myself just thinking about them...stay tuned ;)))
Thanks for reading! Love you all!
Xoxo,
