Gesphania

Jacket: www.shopgesphania.com

I had a close relative visiting from Ayiti (Haiti) for a short visit and I wanted to make sure we had a chance to spend time together before she headed back. My brother recommended we take her to this fairly new Haitian owned restaurant north of Boston. At first I was hesitant because I wasn’t sure if taking her out to consume cuisine that is normally on her menu as the best option. To me, that’s like if I visited Cuba and the locals took me to a restaurant that served American food. But I took his positive review in stride and we headed to the location.

Named Infused Kreyol, this restaurant is located on Main Street in Malden, MA. Upon arriving I was delighted by the artistic decor, dim lighting and classy Caribbean vibe. We were immediately greeted by a friendly and approachable host and sat ourselves at a table. As we waited for our menus, I decided to walk about and a hallway of artwork caught my eye. Beautiful canvases created by Afro Caribbean artists. Some labeled for sale. I stared at each piece as if I were in an exclusive art museum. The peaceful atmosphere gave the restaurant that exact feel. My trance of artistic appreciation was interrupted by the voice of my relative signaling us to take a photo. Our waitress quickly offered to be our photographer and took a few snaps of our group. By this time menus and water were already awaiting us at the table.

Now my usual challenge of public dining is the menu. My husband and I are vegans. As my brother & relative were easily making their selections, my husband and I stared at the options at a tilted angle. There weren’t any vegan entree’s but that is to be expected especially for a restaurant catered towards a culture that consumes meat and dairy heavily. We ended up creating a plate. Warm Salad, which consists of sautéed cabbage, spinach, onions, tomatoes and garlic, with avocado and sweet plantains. My relative had Fried Haitian Meatballs (boullet) , Haitian Black Rice (diri djon djon) & Fried Plantains. My brother had Fried Pork (griot), White Rice & a seasoned Puréed Black Bean Sauce (sos pwa nwa). As we ate the room went silent. You know food is delicious when everyone stops speaking and just focuses on each bite. We all thoroughly enjoyed our selection.

As we ended the night and paid our bill our waitress gave us more information about the owners and pointed out the significance of some of the pieces & paintings that depicted the owners family line. I felt a sense of pride and appreciation of these two sisters of Haitian decent opening such a well represented restaurant of my culture. Overall everything was wonderful. I do hope in the future there is a vegan entree or two added onto the menu, but other than that it was truly a beautiful dining experience.

Visit Infused Kreyol at:

423 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148

Enjoy a few flicks of my visit

Dress: www.shopgesphania.com

I wrote this poem about 10 years ago. It was in a season of my life when I wasn’t quite sure what love was but I knew the type of love I desired. I took it upon myself to put those desires into words in hopes that if I write out my expectations, these attributes would come into fruition. Fast forward about 5 years later, I met a man that embodied all that and more. As our 1 year wedding anniversary approaches, I would like to dedicate this poem to him. To my love, Thank you for bringing these words to life.

The wedding world was not on my radar of passions growing up. In fact, as a child I was convinced that I was going to be a doctor. Whenever I was asked the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?", I would always choose what I thought would give the most impressed reaction. Doctors were always looked at with such prestige so naturally I gravitated towards what was perceived to be the best in my world. It wasn't until I started to form my own identity that I realized my interests were far from the medical field.

My mother influenced my love of fashion and beauty. The way she is able to transform a room with gorgeous floral arrangements and decor took my breath away. She brings joy to women as she styles them in both custom made and curated gowns. Each bride's elated expression brought renewed excitement. I wanted to become apart of that and create my own unique stamp within the family business.

I pushed forward and added the skill of Wedding Planning to my arsenal of talents. I have extended the experience by not only seeing my client in her gorgeous gown for the first time or watching her expression as she enters her gorgeously decorated venue, I am also able to walk with her in her wedding journey from the very beginning to the end. To be able to be that support for a woman as she embarks on this new season and transition in her life is an honor. I know I have big shoes to fill as I carry the torch that my mother has kept burning for over 25 years, but she has laid a strong foundation for me to build upon. Cheers to the many more weddings I get to create with my inspiration, my mother.

Love & Light Rising Roses

Remember the time when if you were romantically interested in someone you just walked right up to that person and introduced yourself? Face to face, in each other’s physical space, moments full of butterflies & bits of awkward silence. In today’s times we are provided with the convenience of swiping left or right depending on if that person’s face catches our attention. If they swipe in the same direction of agreement, the possibility of a conversation can spark, which could maybe lead to a face to face date, one night stand or blossom into a relationship that stands the test of time.

Online dating has been booming in the last 10 years with an array of platforms to choose from. One would think there’s no more room for another dating site, until social media giant, Facebook boldly jumped into the dating pool. It only makes sense right? Facebook already has billions of members. With their algorithms the site can easily compile data to match Facebookers looking for love. And the fact that members don’t have to download an additional app and just create a separate dating profile right on the Facebook app they already use makes it even more convenient.

The service will list potential matches based on location proximity, preferences and other factors. “Facedaters” will also be able to choose to match with potentials who are apart of the same Facebook groups or attend the same events. Facebook has rolled out it’s preliminary advertisement to members in the United States today. The feature has been active in other countries since last year.

What do you think about Facebook dating? Will we see a spike in Facedaters in 2020? Only time will tell.

Love & Light Rising Roses

As a fellow member of the natural hair movement I was elated when I received the news that actress Tracee Ellis Ross has thrown her natural hair care hat in the ring and is launching her very own line. Titled Patten, according to Ross this vision has been a 20 year dream and 10 years in the making. Writing her first brand pitch in 2008, Ross took her time and worked with a team of chemists for 2 years to formulate what she finds as the perfect combination of safe ingredients to cater to the 3B - 4C audience. After testing over 74 samples on herself along with her panel of different hair types, Ms Ross finally landed 7 products as an introduction to the Pattern collection.

What is also exciting about this brand is the sizes available for purchase. One of my main issues personally with natural hair products is the small sizes. Usually after two washes I need a whole new bottle of shampoo conditioner. Ross provides the option of large, refillable travel sizes and reasonable pricing to make Pattern affordable and accessible. Now the question is will all melanated hair types love it? We shall find out when Pattern makes it’s debut on September 9th. I for one will be following up with a review and photos of my results.

For more information and to get updates on the launch, visit https://patternbeauty.com



-Love & Light my Rising Roses!

A friend of mine and I were catching up with one another via phone since we haven't gotten a chance to hang out in a few months. With life getting so busy and our schedules conflicting, we settled for a brief chat during our lunch. My friend proceeded to fill me in on her dating life and shared that she is currently dating 3 different men. She described each man's character, sent me photos so I could get a clear visual, and also wanted my feedback on the gentlemen. We discussed potential pros and cons of each guy and it's understood that she is going to continue her dating journey and enjoy life while doing so.

Just 4 years ago Kenya Moore was reeling from a breakup that at one point she thought was going into a positive direction. Talks of marriage and babies filled the air as the Real Housewives star was planning her future with her then beau James Freeman. With the devastating discovery that the man she met through Millionaire Matchmaker was already married, Ms Moore pushed through and kept hope alive that she would one day find her soulmate. I was all over that story 4 years ago and applauded Kenya for her positive attitude and optimism (Click HERE to read previous post). Fast forward to present day, the former Miss USA is happily married and looking fabulous on the beach 11 weeks after giving birth to her first child and Celebrating her 48th birthday.

This personal triumph did not happen overnight. The now Mrs Daly went through a couple more frogs before finally meeting her prince. But the point is through heartbreak and failure in previous relationships, she never lost hope, she continued building herself and she allowed her heart to be open  to love when it came. We never know what life will have for us while on our journey, but what is important is that we do not settle or give up on any of our dreams or goals that are important to us. This is a real life example of how staying focused on what you desire for your life can bear fruit. And  from the looks of her blessing, her beared fruit is the sweetest.

Love & Light

The old adage, "When opportunity knocks, answer". A saying encouraging us to go for it when new, exciting and lucrative fortuity presents itself. But what happens when opportunity doesn't knock? When every road you take leads to a dead end. When no callback comes after submitting hundreds of applications. What do you do then? The me of the past would say that if the opportunity hasn't arrived yet, or if I missed an opportunity or I wasn't chosen, then that must mean something better is on the horizon and will come in it's time. I just would have to keep my eye on the prize and keep pushing. The me now laughs at that form of conflict resolution.

Why should I wait for opportunity to find me. Why should I wait for someone to recognize my talents? If opportunity doesn't knock, create your own opportunities. State what your goal is and take the steps to make it happen. You want to be discovered as an actor? Start your own online series. Singing is your passion? Start writing, recording and promoting your music. You want to get paid to travel? Start a travel blog and write about every place you visit even if it's different cities in your state. You want to be a gourmet chef for a high end restaurant or even own a restaurant? Start cooking those gourmet foods and share photos of them on social media, hold tasting events, cater your friend's small dinner parties or even start selling your gourmet creations at a low cost. And so what if you are starting small. At least you are starting and that small start will lead to big success if it's backed by genuine passion and perseverance.

Whatever you have in your mind to accomplish you don't have to wait for someone to give you a stamp of approval. Your success starts with you. Brainstorm ways to make your dream a reality. Visualize your goal and begin making a list of how you can bring it to fruition. Start to execute the steps on that list. Get creative! Now go make things happen! No more time to waste. No more dreaming without action. No more dead new year's resolutions. Make your existence on this earth one of excitement, joy and satisfaction.

Go forth and be great!

Love & Light