#XOToronto

Over the Labor Day weekend we ventured off to Toronto for one of my <3's Rickey birthday :) It was quite an adventure to say the least. I stepped out my comfort zone and braved the 8 hr ride....ok it was broken up cuz we stopped in NY and stayed overnight at the other half of our modern family's spot-but still I survived. My first impression when we went downtown was....it's a cleaner version of NY. 

Rickey invited his closest friends for the trip and came up wit the grand idea to have an amazing race around Toronto to hit up landmarks and learn the history of the city so we got to venture out and explore...

Photo credit: Marci

 

We learned their subway system which was quite clean as well....not a pissy smell near and of course there's no trip without Marci n I getting lost...on the bus haha!! I will say it's an easy town I'd feel comfortable roaming alone if I had to. The people are open and willing to help if needed and the shopping is GREAT (although be mindful of international fees if u use ur card) especially once I found Sephora and INGLOT-EEEEK!!! I was good tho and didn't go crazy becuz the prices in Sephora pretty much balance out to US dollars after the taxes n fees (i.e. KVD lippie $20US yet $24CAD is technically $18.40 + 3% international bank fee=$18.95+$3.12 taxes=$22.07 this is IF u use ur card)!

 

We dined at +onoirtoronto where you eat in pitch black darkness and the servers are blind or low vision **record scratch** THINK ABOUT IT...O_O It definitely was an experience for everyone to be open to stepping outside the box. Now of course that's my forte so I was open to the experience in itself and it wasn't bad. It's a pretty unique restaurant that I can pretty much scratch off the bucket list lol. There is a menu u order off of before hand but I chose to YOLO and get the surprise meal cuz I was totally committed to the idea 100% plus it's not like ur gonna get a fear factor type meal lol which is kinda what I was thinking when I thought of surprise and eating in the dark! I would suggest it as an interesting first date or definitely with a group becuz it was fun. Now of course taking in the city I couldn't resist a photoshoot :) 

With the birthday boy <3

#MarilynMonroeMoment :P

Dress: +Kmart Nicki Minaj Collection ($30)
Shoes: DSW +BCBGMAXAZRIA ($27)
Turban: Beauty Supply Store ($3)

I definitely want to go back becuz there's so much to do and a good spot for kids. I had to bypass the CN Tower and Aquarium becuz the line was ridick but it's definitely gonna be a priority next time. I wish I had my fat girl stomach cuz it's sooooo much food there to indulge in. I didn't even get to taste their infamous Poutine :( and I can't even begin to talk about the hours on end wait for Uncle Tetsu cheesecake. Apparently it takes 20 min per cheesecake per person so imagine waiting in line for 2+ hours....ummm yea we could NOT imagine that so we rolled lol. FYI note to self for next time be there soon asap as they open tho! Overall, I had a great time and it was a great ending to my summer. 

Smooches

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Weekend Recap

I had some free time this weekend and decided to indulge in window shopping to get out the house and what do ya knoooow...Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is on and popping **cue Birman hand rub** My stomping grounds is Annapolis Mall. It's a one stop shop for me: Nordies, Sephora, Forever 21, hint of Bath n Body and Lush with Cheesecake Factory as cherry on top-in that order! However, I'm trying to better curve my spending habits (strong emphasis on TRY) so I strictly went for Nordies. I stumbled across a magazine launch upstairs where they had a fashion show and panel of women to empower, motivate and inspire. I didn't plan on staying for the whole thing but the energy n discussion had a hold on me to stay and held my interest. 

I met the Editor-in-Chief, Ayo Thomas and grabbed me a copy of her WOE magazine. The panel of women speaking spoke of women empowerment and nothing but positive vibes and affirmations that could help us reach our goals. I was totally engulfed in the moment n forgot to shop for what I initially came for. As fate would have it, I met a fellow blogger name Mimi of Mimi Cute Lips who dropped some jewels of tips n tricks to the blogger life. It was overall a great event and made some things move n shake in my spirit. After networking and enjoying the sea of beauties it was back to shopping lol. 

Maggy London, $92

I am a sucker when it comes to impulse shopping BUT in my defense...I was eyeballing this dress since the sale started and i loooove Maggy dresses becuz I feel like such a laydee and since her sizing can be tricky for women with curves its a MUST to try it on in person. I have to think on this dress becuz I can sometimes get lucky n find Maggy's in Nordy Rack for $60!! I did good tho despite all the temptation I left with only ONE pair of shoes :) (and never mind the online order-tee hee)!!! Don't know if you noticed or paid attention but in my last Life of a Uh Former Fat Girl post I talked about continuing to have the fat girl mentality when it comes to shopping for clothes. It's probably something I'll deal with for a while becuz I'm so conditioned to think I'm bigger than what I actually am. It's not a reality check on how much I've lost until I see an old pic of where I used to be:

Quick note: I literally finished my post and went to edit and just so happen to delete ALL my content after this >:<FML **cue Cuba Gooding fighting the air** OMFG!!!! My memory is phkn horrible sooooo how the HELL am I suppose to remember what the heck I wrote in such a great moment of letting it flow **le sigh**

Anyhoo....with that being said this is the best time for fall shopping while everyone is still in summer clothes mode. I pranced on into Forever 21 and hit up the clearance rack on my way to the dressing room. I stumbled across this really cute sweater but noticed the size n said oh naw!!! I put it back knowin dmn well it's NOT my size yet something tugged on my heart to just try it anyways. I meeeean what's the worse that can happen other than busting thru it like Hulk or getting my arms stuck in the DONT SHOOT position struggling to take it off. 

Lo and behold I made it!!!! I had all the intentions of this joint being a crop top but LEWK AT GAWD!! It was in that moment that I realized all the sacrifices of sleep in the am and evenings after work, scolding from my trainer to eat clean and wanting to enjoy eating like a fat girl but knowing I can't afford to has PAID OFF!!! Make no mistakes WLS has helped in the beginning but at the end of the day iiiiiiii am putting in that WORK! Nothing great comes from half azzin and to be honest, it's been 2 yrs and it's still a learning curve for me. It's a lifestyle change. U slowly but surely cut toxic shyt out here n there and notice u won't even crave it no more. I'll get more into that later....back to this sweater revelation lol. 

Do you see what size this is....Meeeee? Size...what? SMALL??? GTFOH!!!! To think I was just wearing size 2-3x's and here I am fitting a small shirt from the skinny girl section of Forever 21 O_O Yaaaaaas Byyyyyyytch **twerks profusely** Now if only my thighs can follow suit and get in formation I'd be a happy camper :) I will say one thing...losing weight has taken my boobs from the luscious bombshell of Anna Nicole's to deflating just sit on a whoopee cushion azz Baddie Winkles:

@baddiewinkle on twitter

I am not yet at my goal but slowly but surely I'm getting there. I'm not here to preach nor teach. Just merely showing u better than I can tell you. Determination, Commitment and Consistency works. If u are like me, u wanna see results overnight but I've learned to be patient and just keep at it. My trainer says it all the time...u can't out exercise a bad diet. I take tips n tricks from those before me who I've always admired from afar while on the bench. More on that later tho...I just wanna also point out that although the angle of the selfies can make u appear thinner/smaller or thicker than what appears make no mistakes my waist is getting SNIZZATCHED!!! 

There is no waist trainer, spanx or holding my BREFF for awwwwwwwl luh dis hunty!! While my body is under construction I don't wanna reveal too much **tee hee** But I would hope to toss out some boudoir pics by the Fall **looks at anonymous photographer** So once again another win for stepping out on faith n trying on a top I never thought I could fit. Ya never know. Til next time....

Smooches

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Flamingo Love

I am in love with peacocks, owls and flamingo's!! Such intricate birds they are. I'm also a fan of quirky fun bags so when I seen it I knew I had to have it. Over the weekend I felt I'd be a tad vibrant. To be honest...I'm not a fan of shorts. I can wear dresses n skirts all day but shorts make me self-conscious. 

 

  

Guess since I like to encourage others to step outside the box or get outta their comfort zone, I should practice what I preach :7 I found these Michael Kors shorts from Nordstrom Rack about 2 or 3 summers ago. Actually right before I had my surgery and I seen em, checked the tag ($35) and paused becuz I had got em in a size 16 to be on the safe side BUT I was still nervous becuz y'all know these designer sizes fit smaller than normal. Anyhoo, I took the plunge n swapped em for a size 14 knowing dmnnnn well I wouldn't fit em any time soon but figured it would be something to look forward to; not only when I lost weight but muster up the balls to wear shorts.

 

So I threw em on, jiggly cellulite thighs n all n strutted my stuff. It actually wasn't that bad after all but I'm still not a shorts kinda gal. I'm sure we all have that garment of clothing still sitting in our closets with fresh tags and we just waiting for that "special" moment to wear it out. You try it on every now n then n admire urself at home in the mirror yet hang it back up for "another time". Hell I was just excited to even button em up becuz when I initially got em, they barely got over UH thigh lol. So I say all that to say...if I didn't say out loud how uncomfortable I am about wearing something you'd never know becuz I've learned ur own confidence will carry u a loooong way ;)

Shirt: H&M (vintage lol)
Shorts: MK +Nordstrom Rack
Bag: +ASOS
Shoes: +Nordstrom Rack (clearance #BOOP)

Push thruuuuu thighs :P

Smooches

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Hello Summer!

Helloooooooooooo Summer!! Winter is my favorite season, Spring is my time for change and summer is just as refreshing because kids are out of school which means no traffic for the grown folks!! I look forward to cookouts and spontaneous trips to the beach (even tho i can't swim). Bright colors and my favorite...LESS CLOTHES!! I love having my feet out (does anybody else wear flip flops in the winter?) and the best part are the summer jams (omg i said jams-yikes) on the radio. For me it's officially summer when I hear the infamous Summer time by Will Smith and Can't You See by Total. OOOOOOOOH MY GAWD yeeees, I just turn the radio up loud n rock to it cuz it takes me back to those innocent summer days (and nights) from my younger years when you didn't have a care nor bill to worry bout. I always spent my summer with my dad which HAD to include me visiting my family in NC and that was the highlight of my summer. I don't care where else we went during the summer as long as I went to NC to see my cousins, life was grand #Living lol. As a city gal I've learned to appreciate country living more n more as I got older. We all grown now so when we get together we are now the "Remember When" folks like our elders **glances at walker as reality of aging sets in**

I wish I could ship Mason down to the country for the summer to enjoy the simple life I've experienced. No video games!! We made our own games up n would be out from morning to night-well I did have to indulge in some AC here n there cuz ummmm a sista don't like to sweat **waves pinky** What's the plan for summer??? We are gonna wing it. I like to be spontaneous so in between Mason driving me crazy with sleepovers; we'll squeeze in a road trip or 2. My driving limit is 4 hours but my stepma can drive from here to Africa wit no prob soooo maybe I'll recruit her for some cool places to go. Nashville anyone??!!!

Top: H&M (Spring 2015) Jeans: Forever 21 Clutch: Closed Clutches

Since Mason is now out of school I've recruited him to be my photographer haha!! He's responsible for the flicks in this post but let me tell you...it was NOT easy :7 He says I take too many pics **le sigh** the nerve of him!! I only made him get me from different angles for a good 45 min cuz I like to pick the Top 10 pics sheesh!! U would think I had him workin in a sweatshop **rolls eyes**

Dress: Thrifted from Marci suitcase on the cruise LOL

 

 Although it was rough getting Mason on board as my photographer, in the end he did a good job. Too bad for him being good cuz little does he know he's gonna be the official photographer any time we go for a walk n the spirit to pose hits me **cue evil laugh** Welcome to Summer...yall know it'll be here today n gone tomorrow as we are already knockin on July's door. Make the best of it guys and enjoooooooooy!!

Smooches

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