Hello Loves! Carnival is in full swing and I have opted out of the festivities again this year. By the time this is posted I will be well on my way to a mini vacation! And so begins the 8th week of this already fantastic year.

Here is my [short] SEVEN for this week:

Vacation b*tches! My favourite sentence this week: ¡Bienvenido a Miami!

Shared experiences.. What’s better than mini vacays??? Mini vacations with friends!

Connecting with people. My heart has been busted open this week. Valentine’s Day came and went as any other, but this week I had the opportunity to open my heart in ways I never thought possible and I am grateful to know that I can!

H2O! It’s been an intense week of parties, friends, airport runs, late nights, little sleep and all this alongside long days at the office. This is Trinidad Carnival. Thanks to good old H20 for keeping me hydrated and sober and thus able to keep going.

Pedicures. Sometimes a very necessary indulgence. Plus, hot pink toes make me feel sexy!

This body. This one precious body I have been blessed with and have pushed to great lengths this last week has not failed me yet. I am grateful that I enjoy relative good health and I promise to get some much-needed rest over the next few days.

My hustle. Because I could not afford my lifestyle without it.

And there you have it. Short and (hopefully) sweet. I hope that by paying attention to all the blessings in my life and by sowing the seeds of faith and gratitude, I can truly carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

Thank you for reading, I appreciate you! This is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire.

Make those seconds count!

I love hearing from you…what are you grateful today? What made you smile? Feel free to share below!

Hiya Loves! For some of you…this may be just another week in February. For us here in Trinidad & Tobago, our Carnival celebrations are heating up and will erupt in a spectacular display of colour, creativity and energy that is Trinidad Carnival next Monday and Tuesday.

This year Valentine’s Day falls on the Saturday before Carnival…most Trinis may not even notice this otherwise ordinary day dedicated to love and chocolates which falls right smack dab in the heat of d’ting. And because I know that I too will be guilty of this…I am dedicating all posts this week to love!

Here is my SEVEN {of LOVE} for this week:

Being a human pillow. I spent some time with my god-daughter this weekend. Her first birthday was on Friday, so her parents who were also celebrating their 10th anniversary had a big celebration to honor both events. After a long day of at least 20 kids all under 10 running around, bouncing around and pretty much yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs…I felt like my brain was fried. And then this little snuggler…curled up in my arms and softly went to sleep…bringing the whole day to the perfect end. Of course…my ovaries were sending my *side eyes* the whole time. Anyhoo…I want more love-ups and snuggles please God/Universe/Source/Light.

Which brings me to friends who demonstrate that marriages can last. My girlfriend and her husband celebrated 10 years of marriage on Wednesday. They’ve been together for 12 years! As she said on Saturday, 12 years of knowing each other, 10 years of marriage, 4 pregnancies and 3 kids later they are happy and ready for the next 10 and every 10 there after. I am proud of her and the family she and her husband helped God to create. Life hasn’t been easy for them but they are committed to making it the best on they can live. I am grateful for the example that young couples with young families can make it work and can be happy.

Foodie experiences with good friends. I love food. I love eating food with people whose company I enjoy. I also love discovering new places to eat good food. I feel really happy to have incorporated all my loves into one event.

Memories of loving moments. These days, all I have are the memories and I choose the good ones only.

Afterwork Friday night limes. Sushi is fast becoming my go-to Friday night dinner. It’s addictive and I’m wondering if this has happened to anyone else? Today I am grateful for friends who allow me the space to vent about the week from hell over my favourite rolls washed down with the best tasting mojito this side of the Caribbean.

My sister. I have watched her evolution from the best vantage point of big sister and I am so grateful to have her as a partner on this journey.

My brother. He’s the baby in the family but by no means can he be called that anymore. He has grown into a man who I look up to in more ways than one. And I’m a proud big sister.

And there you have it. I hope that by paying attention to all the love in my life and by sowing the seeds of faith and gratitude, I can truly carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

Thank you for reading, I appreciate you! This is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire.

Make those seconds count!

I love hearing from you…what are you grateful today? What made you smile? Feel free to share below!

Hello Loves! Is it just me or did January last like 5 whole minutes??? I mean really we are in February already! Today’s post was scheduled to be published much earlier but there was a glitch in the matrix and I only just realised. Better late than never…right!

Here is my SEVEN for this week:

My family. Growing up, my mother always drummed it in our heads that it was just the three – my sister, brother and myself – of us and that we should always know what is happening with each other. Always remain close. We all have strong personalities – a testament to the strength of our mother – and it amazes me that despite it being three of us…we were each spoiled in our own way. I miss my mother. August this year will be 5 years since she’s been gone. Five years of learning to cope with her not being here physically. But when I’m with my brother and sister…it’s like she is here with us. There are some things only we can talk about and understand when it comes to her. And I am forever grateful that I have them in my life. That we remain close…despite our tempers and being so strong-willed. This journey would be extremely boring if not for the two of them.

“Sushi for dinner” Because it’s what I love to eat on a Friday night!

The sun on my skin. There is just something healing about the sun.

Big cups of coffee! Go BIG or go home…to bed.

My Aunt and Uncle. They have been married for 53 years and they are an inspiration and a testament to how to stay in love after half a century of marriage.

Which brings me to Learning to love the real me. After 30faux odd years on this planet, learning and loving and learning some more…I can still surprise myself.

This video. Because Jimmy Fallon rules!

And there you have it. I hope that by paying attention to all that I have to be thankful for and sowing the seeds of faith and gratitude, I can truly carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

Thank you for reading, I appreciate you! This is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire.

Make those seconds count!

I love hearing from you…what are you grateful today? What made you smile? Feel free to share below!

I woke up to some pretty sad news on Saturday morning. Marcia Henville, mother, journalist and activist, who marched to the beat of her own drum was killed in a fire that was deliberately set at her home.

Our paths crossed a few years ago and during that time being part of each other’s journey, I was always in awe of her. She knew who she was and she was fearless in expressing that. What struck me first was her statement hair (I think I’ve seen it every colour of the rainbow), statement nails and that she spoke her mind.

At that time in my life, I was just finding out who I was and was still struggling with letting the world see the real me. I wanted to be that fearless and express myself…just like she was doing. A quality I always admired in her.

Eventually our paths diverged again but whenever we saw each other…she always made sure to catch up. The thing that struck me on Saturday morning after I heard the news was people referring to her death as “untimely”.

Yes, her life was “taken” in an act of violence and I pray that justice prevails. But I don’t agree that her passing was “untimely”.

We die when we are supposed to die.

That’s why we must live when we have life to do so. And there is no denying that Marcia.lived.her.life. AND OUT LOUD.

Sudden death. Violent death. Long goodbyes. Death…is a call or a reminder for us who remain to LIVE EACH DAY.

Here is my SEVEN for this week:

Coffee dates with friends. I was feeling down on Saturday…understandably so. And I am blessed with friends who are always up to some kind of foodie shenanigans and who welcome company in need of a smile. Our coffee date…turned into a dessert for lunch kinda date.

“Pineapple pick-me-up.” Despite, the dessert cafe using the term tiramisu very loosely in describing this dessert…it was a nice pick-me-up.

Coffee dates that turn into food-tasting affairs. You know how it is with men and their toys..buy yourself a smoker…promptly start smoking the biggest hunks of meat you can find. Then invite your friends to try said hunks of meat. I was fortunate to be able to accompany a couple of friends to a “tasting” of the “fruits” of the experiment with Cherry Mesquite Turkey legs. It was yabba-dabba-doo good! And hopefully, soon to be in an Upmarket near you! *fingers crossed*

Matcha smoothies! Matcha tea is an acquired taste. In a bid to start drinking more green tea…I played fast and bought myself a tin of matcha. I pretty much gagged my way thru my first cup and promptly decided if the relationship was going to continue…I was going to have to come up with an alternative way of using it. And lo and behold the matcha smoothie was concocted! And it was yummy! And all was right in the world of green tea exploration once again!

Birthday dinners at new to me restaurants. I am aspiring to Eat Well & Travel Often. Thus far for 2015, I’m doing pretty great with the Eat Well aspect of my goals. I was able to try a new restaurant and celebrate one of my dear friends at the same time. Celebrations aside, I will not be going back to that restaurant. While their wait staff were amiable enough, the food was way too expensive to be that bland and they advertised tiramisu and they didn’t have any. All that aside, it was a fun night out with the Cohort of Awesome.

Which brings me to Finding fun ways to move ma body! All this eating well…must come with balance! I have added some fun new activities to my routine. I am proud to say that I now box three times a week and I dance – dancehall and soca (read plenty plenty wining) – twice a week.

I have never been happier, felt sexier or been stronger. And I found the most inspirational quote that just goes straight to the heart of how I want to live in 2015.

I don’t engage in exercise as a way to burn off calories or punish myself for last night’s dessert; now I move and stretch in ways that make me feel strong, relaxed and sexy. – Alex Jamieson

Living Each Day. “I admire the way you love and enjoy your life. Keep doing what you are doing.” This was posted recently on a photo of mine on Instagram. I needed to read hear that at that moment. Especially since I was feeling a bit judged by a person who took a swipe at me on an earlier post. I realized after reading the comment…that when I die, this is the message I would want to leave behind…that I loved and lived my life. Life is just too short…to live any other way.

Mastin Kipp said, “We wake up with the blessing of a fresh start. Begin to build your dreams again.” So I say to you: If you wake up and find yourself still in the land of the living…Dive in! Unfurl your wings. Live and Love with Passion. Dream fearlessly. Start living your best life now! There are seven days in the week, and “someday” isn’t one of them.

And there you have it. I hope that by paying attention to all that I have to be thankful for and sowing the seeds of faith and gratitude, I can truly carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

Thank you for reading, I appreciate you! This is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire.

Make those seconds count!

I love hearing from you…what are you grateful today? What made you smile? Feel free to share below!

Youuuuu guuuuysss…I’m super excited for the week ahead!!! I woke up this morning in a great place mentally, the world was just beginning to wake up and I had time to get through my morning ritual which included fixing lunch for today! Whoo hoo!

I feel so proud of me! Which makes me even more excited to share with you my SEVEN for this week:

Early morning movement. I joined a walking group at work last year just to try something new, meet new people and get some exercise in first thing on Saturday mornings. Things went well for a while but life got in the way and the group kinda just fizzled. On Monday last week I met a co-worker in the elevator and he mentioned that he missed the group and was thinking about reviving it. I was game and apparently the other members of the group felt the same way. So we met at 5:45 a.m. on Saturday morning and did a 4 mile walk. This view made it all worth it.

Coffee Finds. Quite by accident I found a little coffee shop not far from my office. The coffee was good, service was excellent and they have a vegan menu. It’s definitely going to become a favourite spot of mine this year.

Dinner with friends. Not being home for the Christmas season meant that when I did get back home…I was going to have to do some catching up (read more liming than usual). Why not kill two birds with one stone right? So I had dinner at a restaurant I never tried before as well as catching up with my hippie blogger friends.

Which brings me to Tiramisu twice in one week! Because if it’s on the menu…I’m definitely having it.

And speaking of dinner with friends, First time ferry rides. In a bid to continue mixing things up for 2015 and continuing my trend of trying one new thing (big or small) a day, dinner with my hippie friends was out of my comfort zone – geographically. I live in the north of the island and dinner was in the south. So instead of my usual way of commuting north /south I decided to take the ferry to get there. No traffic, comfortable environment and just forty-five minutes travel time…aaand I was able to check off a novel experience.

My team. My first week back out to work was hectic to say the least. My team made it bearable and I am grateful for this group of guys. February 03rd will be a year since I joined the team and the growth for all us in that time has been immeasurable.

Lunch with coworkers who are really friends. I am blessed with a Cohort of Awesome at the office that I wont trade for anything. We caught up this week for a meal and some great conversation.

Attracting my tribe. Jim Rohn said that we are the sum of the five people we spend most time with. After my mother got sick, and I was forced to grow up; I no longer had time for time-wasting and other life-force sucking crap. I started evaluating my friendships and the people I allowed into my life…this evaluation resulted in me ending two toxic friendships and being more aware of how I contribute to my friends’ lives and how they contribute to mine. Since becoming more aware I have been truly blessed with a Cohort of Awesome who push me toward living my best life. And even now the people who come into my life…always come with a lesson or a message that makes me better.

And there you have it. I hope that by paying attention to all that I have to be thankful for and sowing the seeds of faith and gratitude, I can truly carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

Thank you for reading, this is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire.

Make those seconds count!

I love hearing from you…what are you grateful today? What made you smile? Feel free to share below!