Month: May 2024

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March Life Update Part 2

The following Monday, March 11th (the day before my birthday), I went to the most amazing event that a black book nerd and hopeless romantic could ever ask for. I attended Kennedy Ryan and Tia Williams book launch event for “A Love Song for Ricki Wilde” and “This Could Be Us” at Strand bookstore in NYC. I have never been inside of Strand, so to be able to go to that legendary bookstore and see two of my favorite authors was a dream come true. To be honest I LOVE Tia Williams work. “Seven Days in June” was one of the best books I’ve ever read. When it comes to Kennedy Ryan, I think she radiates a beautiful and positive energy but at that point I had never read her work and had only just started “Before I Let Go.” The event was so inspiring and shared an inside peak into the authors mind and writing process. I met some fellow book influencers and even publishers. It sparked something in me that night, something started to rumble inside of my spirit. After I got my book signed and was able to tell both of them how much they meant to me, I headed home. I was a few hours away from catching a flight to Florida.

Disney World with my mom and cousin Jordan was where I spent my actual birthday. This was both of their first times truly experiencing Disney so I was excited to see the parks through their eyes. We stayed at my uncle’s time share and ate out every single day From Olive Garden to Outback Steakhouse, my favorite part of that trip was probably all the places we ate. My family are  not Disney people so while I know they enjoyed it, there were some things they didn’t get (and that’s okay), all in all we had a great time and it was nice to get away and have a moment to not focus on work but just focus on family. 

The day after I returned from Disney I had a busy weekend. I went to my cousins Brenda’s bridal shower at 95 South which is a local black-owned restaurant that a friend of hers own. The food was on point, there was Mac and cheese, sautéed blackened shrimp, yellow rice, fish, chicken and more. We played games and it was really exciting to see her surrounded by so much sisterhood leading up to her big day. The next day I went to my friend Saiyda’s son Kobe christening brunch. I’ve known Sai since we were 11 years old so it was beautiful to see her growing family and just to be surrounded by her family again, the kids I remember that were born when we were teenagers are now grown up and she has also created two beautiful boys. The whole event meant a lot to me. 

After my back to back travels and events, my body put me on hold. I caught the Norovirus from someone, somewhere. While the rough part of the virus only lasted for two days, the impact lasted for about a week. 

Speaking of health, during the month of March I started Physical Therapy to help with my balance and mobility issues. So far I am enjoying the experience and while it’s expensive to go twice a week, I am investing in myself and my health. The moral of the story is, I didn’t exercise at all during the pandemic and my body is reaping all of the disadvantages of that. Don’t use it, you’ll lose it. So I am hopeful that I will gain the passion and ambition to exercise again and prioritize my fitness and wellness. 

I also did a consultation around egg freezing. I just turned 35 and would like to look into my options for it, but egg freezing is expensive chile. Realistically, I don’t think it’s something I can prioritize financially this year but definitely next year. My insurance would cover most of the cost except taxes but I would need to pay upfront and  it would be reimbursed. To be continued…

To close out the month of March, my friend invited me to a candle making workshop and empowerment event. I’ve never done candle making so that was a real treat.

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March Life Update Part 1

I kicked off the month of March in Connecticut and had a distraction of party planning. My party was on March 9th and while I was about 80% complete with planning I still had some loose ends to solve for including whether or not I would have a violinist and which photographer I was going to confirm. Sam drove Ginger and I back home but not before a stop to the Nike Clearance Store in Flushing Queens where he bought a bunch of sneakers and I left with this really cozy Nike Hoodie. Here’s a photo of Ginger surrounded by all of the sneaker chaos. 

My birthday party was 3 days before my actual birthday. To prep I decided to go to Cityrenerose New York Luxury Salon for the first time for a hair cut/bob. My experience there was nothing short of fabulous. The decor is Black, Gold/Mustard Yellow and white. When you go in they greet you and give you a robe to wear throughout your experience. When I got my hair washed, I was able to get answers to some of my hair questions and my stylist just shared some dos and don’ts with me about my hair in order for me to keep it healthy. Kendra, my hair stylist was so kind. I have to admit, I knew I had some heat damage and was nervous about my hair being silk pressed because of it. I was also nervous that my hair would turn out horrible. All of my fears were thrown out the window, when we went with the bob cutting off damage and starting again on my hair growth journey. As the days went on my bob just got better and better. 

The night before my birthday, I had a last minute outfit change thanks to my mom’s genius styling brain. She saved me from being a basic B at my own birthday party. The day of, I was feeling good and praying the weather would get better. The forecast showed rain, and boy did it rain, torrentially. The only thing I really had to do was get my make up done at Sephora. The girls who usually do my make up was not working so I had a new girl which is fine. The only problem is she took really long to do my make up and up-charged me because it took her long. I’ve never had this issue before but I wanted to maintain a stress free day so I just paid and left. My make up appointment which was only supposed to be an hour ran to two hours and ultimately made me late to my own birthday party (the audacity). I text everyone that they could be late. When I got, to the venue after rushing home to get dressed, the friends that were there helped me to set up. I love them. Also, my Bcake NY red velvet floral cake and inspired design turned out BEAUTIFUL.

The party itself was fabulous. The vibes were beautiful. The florist did an amazing job facilitating the workshop and choosing my favorite flowers. The venue owner stayed close by to ensure everything went smooth. The violinist set the mood with great vibes. The photographer took really beautiful and bold photos that captured the moment so vividly. For goodie bags I gave everyone the book that inspired my birthday party and my friend donated Affirmation Cards from her business to my gift bags which was the perfect tie in. I plan to do a deep dive video on the party planning itself but my birthday was a DREAM (my grandmother’s favorite term). It was so healing and beautiful being in community with my village and creating flower arrangements. Did it, cost me a pretty penny? ABSOLUTELY but it was an investment in my joy which to be honest is priceless.

Special Shout out to my black-owned and women owned vendors (and please support):
BCake NY @BCAKENY
Blncd THC Infused Drinks @BLNCDNATURALS
Damora Regala Photography @MOMENTSBYDAMORA
Devon Webster aka Maestro Kaiso Violinist @MAESTROKAISO
Myleka Caesar Bullock of Glorious Vines @GLORIOUSVINES
Shell’s Loft Venue @SHELLSLOFT
Sherleen Bruno of B.Luxe Blooms @B.LUXE_BLOOMS

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Life Update February 2024 Part 3

Let’s pivot to the good stuff, what I am reading, what I am watching, and what is top of mind for me:

READING

I read one of the best non-fiction books “Sisterhood Heals.” I was really looking for a book that captured the essence of sisterhood and this book made my heart swell with joy because it did just that. See my full review on this book below:

I went to a Black Girl Book Fair (I will not say the name of it) this month and to be honest I was a little disappointed. When I think book fair I think Scholastic book fairs from elementary school where there were tons of books you can choose from and purchase on the spot or order from a catalogue. I remember when I received my books, it was better than Christmas. I expected the same kind of vibes but this was not that. The venue was odd and when I finally found the location, it was a small room with a few vendors, who were selling everything but books. There was an author doing a talk but it just felt like a complete waste of my time. I am going to have grace though. They are just starting out and it may be their first year so I wish them well but I also wish the promotion was not so misleading.

WATCHING

Abbott Elementary is one of the best, funny, wholesome shows on television. I love the whole cast and really believe the show is unmatched. I wish Gregory and Janine would date already geesh!

Genius: MLK/X is fascinating. It will never get old learning about Malcom X and MLK. The casting is superb and I am also learning new things about these two figures I never knew before (at least about MLK). 

Mea Culpa was okay….it had the grounds of being really good but the ending was just underdeveloped, unrealistic, and rushed to me. Oh well, maybe next time Tyler.

The Vince Staples show was cool. Not the best thing in the world but I enjoyed the bank episode.

TOP OF MIND FOR ME

Wendy Williams

Wendy Williams is a hot topic but something will not let me watch this documentary as yet. I am praying for her health and healing. I really love Wendy and I am also sad for her. 

Monique on Club Shay Shay

I love Monique but this interview of her trying to convince the world she’s not difficult to work with showed me that she probably is difficult to work with. However, I believe truth tellers are very brave and they are courageously speaking out against wrong doing and wrong doers, and I believe we have to protect them at all costs. 

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February 2024 Life Update Part 2

With valentines day consuming the first half of the month, Sam and I did a date night at Brooklyn Beso. I was also doing some location scouting since I spent most of the month planning my 35th Birthday party. Brooklyn Beso had delish (yet very strong drinks) and I had the most delish lobster and shrimp pasta. Sam had vegan tacos which was tasty and we of course went for happy hour which meant two for one drinks, but on a school night meant we left one of the drinks at the table because we are not about that life. The vibes were made complete with old school Drake playing in the background. I miss the old drake he was my favorite, but I don’t know what’s going on with him now.

For valentines day Sam sent me a bouquet of colorful roses, which was a complete surprise, it arrived early on February 13th and to be honest I’ve been working so much that I didn’t realize it was valentines day the next day (so sad). 

I am turning 35 in March, woohoo, so I’ve had my head down planning my party which although I’ve been planning it since July 2023, I officially confirmed that I was actually going to move forward with the party in January 2024. That left me less than two month to plan something epic, no pressure. The first book I read in January was called Dare to Bloom. It had such a lasting impact on me that I decided to host a “Kydee Bloom Season 35th Birthday Party” in which a floral arrangement workshop would be the focal point of the event. I was very intentional about planning this party which I will share all the details in an upcoming post. Black-owned, black-women owned, and women owned businesses and vendors were prioritized for my event. Not only was my birthday taking place during Women’s History Month, but I am a stark advocate for supporting black-owned and diverse-owned businesses who don’t have the same level of access and representation as others.

Some of the fun parts about planning my birthday included shopping for the perfect outfit. My birthday happens at that weird time in the year for fashion where its about a couple of weeks before the spring/summer cute outfits come out for the season, so I usually have the dreary winter outfits to work with which means I must search extra hard for cute outfits. I ended up wearing a black-owned designer Hanifa, but that was not on purposes, I was open to any designer and any outfit that said “Birthday Girl” without having to say it and made me feel good. I bought several outfits and will share in an upcoming birthday post about the overall process. For now, check out my outfit mood board below.

I went cake tasting at BCake Ny a black-woman owned bakery that I have been purchasing my cakes from for the last 3 years. This time I decided to do a cake tasting to see if there were any other cake tasting flavors I liked over my typical vanilla or Hennessy. The cake tasting experience was so fun. I got to choose from an array of flavors (my choices) which included red velvet, blue velvet, strawberry, chocolate and I threw in another Hennessy flavor to see if I wanted that again. All of them tasted great. Strawberry and chocolate was a strong consideration but I ended up going with the red velvet. After I decided on a flavor, the manager helped me design my cake which would be floral design. I shared my birthday party invite and she was so inspired by it that she designed such a beautiful cake. Can’t wait to share the big reveal of what we concocted that day.

A Little Day Brunch is a company that my former colleague turned Brooklyn friend owns. She hosted a Black Joy Brunch for the month of February and it was one of the best brunches I’ve ever been to. I really wish I had someone to come with me and experience the magic. While there I met an amazing photographer Damora who took the most flattering photos of me. She made me feel confident and beautiful and I knew I had to work with her somehow, in the future.

The brunch was a four course meal made by Chef Lauren Von Der Pool and her team. Chef Lauren curated the menu for the MET gala which made our time in community with her extra special. The vibes and music for the event really made for a great experience. I felt like those ladies of leisure who just brunch because they are rich and have nothing else to do. I am wondering how I can make this my lifestyle, a life of leisure…did anyone say early retirement?

My health is a priority this year. I visited a new PCP doctor after doing research in January and let me tell you, it’s so important to do research. For context, I went to another doctor the month before and before I could even be seen I ran out of the facility. Something didn’t feel right. So going back to my list of doctors, I did some more research, looking at comments, reviews, specialities, and chose this one and so far so good. She’s thorough and while she seems no nonsense, I can tell she genuinely cares.

To close out the month I went to Connecticut to visit Sam. It was me and Ginger’s first time taking the train and to be honest I didn’t know what to expect. I bought Ginger a dog bag with wheels in hopes it would make travel a little more seamless but the wheels gave in before we got to Grand Central Station. I had to carry her on my suitcase.

Besides that little mishap we had a smooth ride to Connecticut and Sam was waiting for us at the train station. I will say my time in Connecticut was a little better this time than the last time but I am still not convinced about that state. Me and Sam tried food from a local vegan spot that has some West Indian / Ital vibes called Fire N Spice. We enjoyed their breakfast the most, they had delicious tofu scramble, pepper and onions sausages, and cheese burger patties, YUM!