The Best 10 Beach Travel Necessities
Is Summer Vacation Coming?
The kids are out of school! 🙌🏽
Are you traveling to a 🏖️ ?
Then you clicked on the right post! Listen, I’m coming off of time off from work and I could honestly schedule more time! 😂 Honestly just take me to a place with palm trees, beautiful sea water and a nice cool drink. I’ll be good to go!!!
But what are those essential things needed for vacation? We may have some of the things at home and need this reminder blog post to pack them. I’ll share my list below!
[ez-toc] The Best Top 10 Essential Items for Beach Travel![ez-toc]
- Oversized button down. I wear my button down as a cover up for my swim suit.
- Sunscreen - I prefer black girl magic kid - SPF 50
- Bug Spray because mosquitos are disrespectful.
- Shades! Cheap shades work for me because I constantly lose them. 😩
- Battery Pack! There’s nothing worse than a dead phone.
- A good book! I love getting lost in a good book while relaxing.
- Cash money! Cash is King for traveling especially for bartering.
- Reusable water bottle. I have a small yeti which is my favorite!
- Waterproof phone case
- Tote Bag
While I usually pack other items these are my go to essential items!
Because I couldn’t stop at 10, here’s one bonus item - swim shoes! I usually forget them 😩, but when I don’t they are my favorite!
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Making Friends on Vacation
This blog is from a topic request.
Often it is said it is hard to make friends when you are an adult. While I agree there is some truth in this…I find it is much easier to meet people when you are social!
There aren’t too many places I visit and don’t meet a friend, or two or three! I find this to be true especially when I travel.
You never know who you can meet by having a conversation.
In the words of my Pastor, every conversation begins with an awkward hello and the rest is history! By chatting with others you can discover common ground, learn similarities and or differences.
Here are 5 of my conversation starters for making friends while traveling:
- Introducing yourself and ask them how their trip is going
- Asking where they are from
- Discuss the current location (climate and or scenery) of where you guys are located
- A compliment goes a long way
- Discuss local cuisine or drinks
I think the most important thing is to not overthink it and to allow the conversation to flow! If it does, great - if not, it’s okay!
This blog is dedicated to my new friends I met in the 🇧🇸 Bahamas! Swipe for some of our pics! ❤️
Hello 🥊Boxing
I received a few questions about my experience with boxing, so I thought I’ll share my review in the form of a blog. If you are new to my blog, fun fact: my blog began with my fitness journey, so I’m always excited to share fitness stuff!
Also, fitness is even a part of my blog motto:
Pray. Eat. Workout. Have Fun. Repeat.
While my methods for working out may change, I’m forever committed to the mission of my fitness journey!
Alright, let’s jump in! 9-round fitness. Is circuit fitness training. It’s 9 rounds of circuits at 3 mins each with a 30-second break in between. There’s a coach present who will guide, motivate and encourage you during your 30 minute workout. Each round is a different circuit and the exercises change every day. The first round is always cardio and the last round is core training. The other rounds consist of kicks, punches, weights and so much more. You should come to a class - the first one is free!
I truly enjoyed my experience. My first class was the hardest! 😩 But it was still fun. The coach gave me an overview of every round, to ensure I understood the exercises. I think it helped that I was familiar with some of the basic moves from turbo kickboxing such as jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts, roundhouse kicks, etc… but even if you aren’t familiar with the exercises they are easy to learn. I liked that the facility is smaller than a normal gym because it felt more personable.
I’m looking forward to focusing on my form, stance, and ensuring I am throwing a punch or kick correctly. I also want to master the speed bag! As I practice more, I want to gain muscle, becoming more proficient in the exercises and continue having fun. I truly believe once you find something you enjoy, it’s easier to workout because it doesn’t feel like a chore. While I don’t enjoy every circuit, I love that after 3 mins I get to move on and do a different exercise. So, cheers to me on my boxing fitness journey!
P.S. If you missed it my gloves were named Energizer Honey! Thanks to everyone who voted!
Context Please
Did y’all ever participate in spelling bees in elementary school? I did and I didn’t make it past the first or second round. Listen, math was my thing in school and words are hard. 😩Also, the English language is forever evolving rapidly! Words that used to be okay to use in everyday vernacular or sometimes no longer culturally acceptable.
I digress, I brought up spelling bees because one of the questions you could ask the judges was for additional context - such as the origin of the word, the definition and to use it in the sentence. Having that additional context can help some students figure out the spelling of the word.
I was thinking about how context is so crucial in daily conversation. I’m sure we all have made incorrect assumptions about something because we didn’t understand the full context of a thing!
But the only way to glean additional context from others is through communication - whether it is written or verbal.
We all have to be willing to ask open-ended questions, complete research if needed and view things in their entirety without jumping to conclusions! It’s okay to take a step back and ask for more context please!
Easter Weekend
Okay, I know Easter was yesterday, but let’s chat about my childhood Easter weekend memories.
In my family, Easter preparation began weeks in advance.
- Weeks before Easter, we received speeches at church to memorize. My mom always opted for us to get longer speeches. 😩🤣
- In addition to learning the speeches, there was a rehearsal for the Easter play and lots of the traditional Easter songs, such as, “He rose, yes he rose… “I know it was the blood” and so many others!
- The Saturday before Easter, we had more rehearsals and the Easter egg hunt. I was always searching for golden eggs with money. 😂 Additionally, I would stack up on Easter goodies because my beloved Auntie always made us bomb Easter baskets! Honestly, she can run those back. 👀
- There were 7 girls in the house. Our hair was pressed with a steaming hot comb 🪮 or permed the night before. My mom said it was the hair grease, but I’m sure she burnt my ear and head a few times with the hot comb.😩
- Easter Day began early - depending on if our church had a sunrise service. Easter attire included a new dress, Payless finest shoes, ruffled Easter socks, and a cute purse. To top it off, I loved when my older sisters did my hair because it included front bangs and my edges were freshly laid with brown gel. 😂😂
- Once at church, there was Sunday school, the regular morning service, and then festivities after church.
- We usually went home to eat a nicely prepared Sunday lunch and then came back to church at 3 or 330 for the Easter program. The most important thing was you could not get anything on your clothes all day, you needed to stay clean. 🧐
Sigh, those were the days!
What is your favorite Easter memory?
How did you get so confident?
This is another topic request!
First off, thank you! The answer is short, sweet, and simple - God. There’s absolutely nothing I can do or desire to do without him. Point blank period.
To be honest, while I know I may come off as confident on social media I have struggled days just like anyone else. 😳 There are some days I want to stop posting on social media because I’m exhausted, I feel inadequate or im working through imposter syndrome. Additionally, sometimes I’m concerned about how I may come off to others!
But then I remember people are people and we are all flawed and I rather please God than man. And when I’m not feeling as confident I read the Bible. There are so many beautiful stories of God using people who others consider inadequate to fulfill his promises.
Moses - speech issues (Exodus 4:10)
Rahab - a harlot (Joshua 2:1)
David - a shepherd (1 Samuel 16:1-12)
Saul - persecuted the church (Acts 8:1-24)
So many more!!!
My confidence only comes from God.
This question also made me think about King Herold. (Acts 12:18-25) Read the entire chapter for context!
Here’s the point I want to make - King Herold made a speech to the people. The people enjoyed his speech and responded and said, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!”
“Then immediately an angel struck him with sickness because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving glory to God.”
Crazy story right?!!! I try to tell people the Bible has the most interesting stories! But the main point of that story is to always remember to give Glory to God!
“Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NLT
Salt Please...
Another topic request! Keep them coming!
Historically, salt was used for two purposes.
- Preserve. They didn’t have refrigerators so it was used to preserve the meat.
- Flavor (seasoning of food)
Y’all I lowkey consider myself a foodie! I will happily get back in line for a second serving of a satisfying meal!
But what about when you take a bite of a steak and immediately spit it out and gag? Okay, that’s extreme but we have all been there from having food with too much salt or no salt at all. 😩
What is food without flavor?
Bland! Tasteless!
But what are we if we lose our flavor? If we lose the things which make us unique, and different, which gives us our flair?
What are we if we don’t remember as believers of Christ we are the salt of the earth?
When we encounter others we should influence them because we represent God. Chuck Smith says, “We are to be the preserving influence in the world.”
Like the scripture says, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?
Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” Matthew 5:13 NLT
Y’all you can always tell when someone tries to season food after it is cooked. You probably want to give the cook the side eye when it happens because the salt sits on top of the food. #itsnotthesame
Remember, let’s be like salt! Let the flavor be in us and shared with all.
- Be the persevering influence of the world by sharing God’s word with others.
- Don’t lose your salt! Our salt is our style of influence God has given us to influence others through the gifts and talents he gave every one of us.
Take your salt with you everywhere you go, so no one will ever have to say, salt, please.
“Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.” Mark 9:50 NLT
Throwing Shade
This was a topic request, so let’s talk about it!
Chiiiilllleeee!!!! I’m sure many of us have been there - on both sides of the spectrum for either throwing shade or receiving the shade thrown. As I’m writing this, just know my hands are raised as guilty for both sides. It’s not my finest moment, but I’m human. While I don’t agree with this, I feel shade-throwing is a commonality seen widespread on many reality shows as well.
Additionally, I honestly don’t feel shade has to be verbal because nonverbal communication can be just as strong as verbal communication. If you have ever been caught by someone’s mean side eye or a death stare then you know what I mean.
While some shade is playful between friends and may appear funny on the surface when you are throwing shade at someone else it could lead to them being offended. Unfortunately, we don’t know what people are carrying and a shady comment could lead to a not-so-pleasant response from someone else, so I would air on the side of caution even with friends.
In closing, while we are all in need of God’s grace I try to remember to treat others how I want to be treated while also realizing words have power. I can choose to throw shade or to bring life to someone with my words.
Which will you choose?
Also, please DM me more topic requests!
“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21 NLT
The Mirror
Y’all, I’ve read or listened to a lot of books - more than 100 books last year alone. But, none of them compare to the Bible. It’s the only book that’s living! The more I read it, the more it reads me! Also, the more I talk to God, the more he shows me -me!
I’m sure I said this before, but I talk to God about everything! First off, it’s not like I’m telling him a secret because he knows everything anyway. But, sometimes I want to tell him my side of the story, my perspective, and my feelings. Guess what, he’s a great listener and communicator.
But usually, somewhere in the conversation, there’s a shift. It feels as if the conversation has flipped and we are now talking about me.🙃 #howsway
Like seriously, it’s like a mirror reflecting on me! I go to tell God about someone else because, to be honest, I love people but sometimes people be people -ing (I know that’s not a word). 🤣 And before you know it he’s reminding me he’s a God of grace and mercy.😩 I’m like that’s not what this conversation was about. 😂 Like, how did we get here? 😩 But somehow, we end up there with the mirror on me and discussing my journey and the work I have to continue to do. And because there’s a mirror showing me, I remember I’m a hot mess in need of God every day just like everyone else!
One More Chance
How are y’all doing on your 2023 goals?
I know things can happen to deter us from our goals, but give your goals one more chance or as many chances as needed. In a perfect world, life would be peaches and cream every day - but doesn’t that sound boring?
Life is constantly full of twists and turns to cause us to readjust, become flexible and re-evaluate things. Sometimes we make goals and we mean well but something hinders us and that is okay. But in the words of my mentor, the difference between a successful person and a non successful person is their recovery.
How quickly do you recover when you mess up?
If you mess up on your diet are you now done with your diet for the rest of the week, until the following Monday or do you start again at the next meal?
I decided I will recover quickly and get back on board and give my goals one more chance. It doesn’t matter if I give myself one more chance hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and or semi-annually. The most important thing is I will continue to give myself one more chance until I reach my goal.
How are you doing on your goals?
“I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.” Ecclesiastes 9:11 NLT
The Wonder
Sometimes you can do a thing so often that it becomes mundane. For example, I believe I took about 13 trips last year. Im not bringing this up to brag, but to add context to my story. I was recently chatting with someone who may only fly once or twice a year and they were thrilled to be on the flight and to travel. While I am often excited to fly I can often forget the beauty of just preparing for the trip. There are so many small moments that I can take joy such as being at the airport, being on a plane, eating delicious snacks, experiencing other cultures and cuisines and so much more! So, as I prepare for new trips this year, my prayer is that I remember to relish in the wonder of the small moments! There’s so much beauty in the world if we will look wonderful in moments.
What is something you do often that you forget to sit back and enjoy the beauty of the process?
“Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” Luke 5:26 NLT
Is He God or Is He God?
Spoiler Alert: God showed and showed out at my “Self-Publishing You Workshop”. I should tell y’all, I’m the person which will read the last chapter of a book because I want to know how the story will end and then go back and read the beginning. 😂
Anywho, I’m a witness when you do what God told you to do, he will show up for you in only ways that he can do! I shared last week about how I launched my second workshop and I was scared. But, I also realize if I don’t give God anything to work with how will my faith be increased? I see my faith being like a muscle - the more I activate it and use it, the stronger my faith becomes.
Is He God or is He God?
On this week I created my presentation for the workshop, purchased ads last week and also went live on social media to chat about the event. Listen, I get it most of don’t want to go live, but I know it can be helpful if people have questions about the content. After this I told God I did everything which was in my control and the rest was for him. Friday night I checked and no one signed up, but Saturday morning I woke up, prayed, signed in early to the event and y’all one person paid and signed up.#wonthedoit
Y’all, I hosted the class like it was a room full of people and it was amazing! She was amazing - only God could have ordained that moment and I’m grateful. I see this as a success because the people will come, but I have to continue to show up and do what God called me to do. I’m never going to despise small beginning because one day when I sell out arenas I want everyone to remember God did it!
Are you going to believe, Is He God or is He God?
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” (The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)”Zechariah 4:10 NLT
Do it Scared
I was sharing this story with a friend on last week and they thought it may be helpful to share on my blog, so here it is!
One thing I realize is that God will only call you to do things and use what is readily available to you. When I think about the story of David and Goliath, David used what was in his hands – a slingshot. Clearly it was more than enough for him to defeat the giant in his life. (1 Samuel 17)
But, even when we do know God has given us everything we need, we can sometimes allow fear to grip us or should I say – I can let fear grip me or at least try.
Storytime: On Thursday, of last week I am excited to share I am hosting my second Self-Publishing Workshop(Link is also in my bio).
After I pressed submit to share the event on social media, the thoughts of self-doubt immediately flooded my mind such as:
- If you hurry and delete the event know one will remember you posted it.
- You won’t have to be uncomfortable and worry if people will sign up if you delete it.
- What will happen if no one signs up?
In those moments, I decided I could sit and waddle in the lies of the enemy that haven’t happened or I could remember, it’s okay to do things scared and trust God. So instead of waddling in self-doubt, I shared the post even more in different communities and even purchased an ad for it. Since I did my part – even a little scared, now I have to trust God to do the things only he could do! Remember, it is okay to do it scared, but like Nike says, Just do it!
Family Matters
Y’all old tv shows are where it is at! I forgot how many good principles and life lessons the shows include. I recently watched two episodes of Family Matters on a plane and in those two episodes they stood around the piano and sang, “He Has the Whole World in His Hands” and they ate dinner together as a family almost every Night. I don’t have children yet, but when I do, I am going to implement that we I eat dinner together as often as possible and that we also have a family night and watch some wholesome shows together.
It is so much beauty in seeing a black-loving family together in a two-parent home, seeing their family values and how they navigate raising children.
Family Matters is by far one of my favorite television shows. In my opinion, there should be more shows with no cussing which you can enjoy with children. I still enjoy new shows as well, but I will always go back to enjoying older shows from my childhood. Honestly, the name of the show says it all, Family Matters. If you don’t have family, remember friends can become family too.
What are some of your favorite shows you watched growing up?
Be the Standard
I had the privilege of going to Bucee’s over the weekend. When I’m driving in Texas on a road trip it is customary to only go to Bucee’s. I know if I go to Bucee’s they set the new standard I expect for gas stations - although Bucee’s offers so much more than just gas.
When I go to Bucee’s I expect clean bathrooms, fresh Turkey jerky, fresh bbq, a ton of snack options and lots of other amenities. Prior to Bucees in Texas, there were no standards for gas stations. Since Bucee’s is here, they are the standard. The interesting thing is besides the beaver being their store mascot, Bucees didn’t go create a new thing - however, they did create a new standard - cleanliness!
As an author, blogger, content creator, writing Coach and so much more - a lot of time we are looking for ways to stand out from the masses. I’m sure many of you can relate. The reality is - we are the reason we stand out! Our vibe attracts our tribe and we create the standard for our industry.
As I continue to grow I know I will have more clients; therefore, I want to set my standard. I always want to serve people well, operate with excellence, integrity and honesty. My goal is to help other people grow by sharing what I know and to never exploit others for money. I’m sure there are other things, I’ll add to my list, but as I blog, write and or journal - my thoughts I share are my standard!
What’s your standard?
The Good and the Reality
Y’all know sometimes people say, if an opportunity isn’t for you then God has something else even better. Or my favorite one - a no-to-one thing is an opportunity for something greater? So, both of those things can be true…but when you are in the midst of a lot of no’s it doesn’t feel like it!
When I write, I always want to share the good and the reality. My reality right now is I have put in work the last few weeks and have received several hard no’s. I thought we were going to be shouting all January as the preacher says, “This is the year for increase.” and I’m like umm. I’m just being real yall. 😂
What is the church saying? God is good, all the time, and all the time God is good. But the reality is all the time life isn’t good even when God is good. To be honest, I would have loved to come on here and say I won this grant and my book was picked up by this company, but that’s not my reality right now.
In this moment of my reality, I have a choice to continue to move around or I can choose to believe the report of the Lord.
While I take a moment, I remember:
My scripture for the year is:
“Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.” Luke 1:38 NLT
Even when I don’t see it, I command my soul and my body to still believe the report of the Lord. So, even when my reality doesn’t match my faith, I’ll still believe what God has promised.
God is faithful.
God is good.
God can’t lie!
Will you continue to look at your reality or believe God is good?
How is January going for you?
Lies
Listen the one person you lie to that you shouldn’t lie to is yourself! Like you know you lying - unless in some kind way, you convinced yourself that you are telling the truth. 😩
Storytime: Since the beginning of this year, yes I know we are only a few weeks in - but let me finish. Lol. I’ve logged my food daily. I don’t enjoy logging my food, but I will say it has helped me become more cautious about what I consume. But one day, while logging I knew I would be over my calorie intake and so I considered not adding a food item to my list. And I realized - why am I trying to lie to myself? 🙃🙃🙃
I know what I enjoyed and ate! It would also be evident when I don’t see results. There’s no need to lie or hide something from me! So I didn’t! I logged all my food items and said I’ll do better the next day, which I did! All that to say, whatever goal you set - be committed to the process! Don’t lie to yourself or anyone else. Yep, I messed up on my goal and I’ll try again!
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numbers 23:19
Limiting Beliefs
The first step in accomplishing a goal is we must first believe we can do it! We can have limiting beliefs that may hinder us from moving forward.
What are limiting beliefs? I am glad you asked. Limiting beliefs are things we believe are true that limit us from moving forward. Often time they are not factual and are a lie. When you believe a lie you allow the lie to impact you like the truth.
I wanted to give you a few examples to help explain some possible limiting beliefs:
I am too old to do this…
I am too young to do this…
No one will purchase my product…
No one will read my content…
No one will listen to my YouTube videos…
Let me tell yall, as a self-published author if I listened to my own limited beliefs which try to replay themselves over and over in my head like a broken soundtrack I will have 0 books self-published! Because I chose to believe I could at least help one person, I have sold over 100s of products as a self-published author! Not 1, not 10, not over hundreds.
Sometimes we have to take the first step and get out of our way to move forward. For every limited belief, I am faced with, I find a scripture to combat it. I am choosing to believe the report of God over anything else. I have seen his track record and it is good! He is consistent and he can't lie! Point blank period!
In closing, here are two of my favorite scriptures to combat limited beliefs:
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
What limiting beliefs do you have? How will you combat them with scriptures?
The difference between you starting and someone who has started is the other person believes they can!
2023
Hey, y'all! It's such a blessing to see a New Year! One of the things that I did which I hadn’t done in the past was select a scripture for the year.
My scripture for the year is: Luke 1:38 NLT
“Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.”
My pray on this second day of 2023, is “May everything God has said about me come true.”
I’m crazy enough to believe all the words and promises God has given me shall come to pass!
Believing the promises of God spoken to me requires intentionality. As I embark on this year I’m reading one chapter from the book of Proverbs every day for the entire year - Once I get to the end, I’ll start back at chapter one and repeat it! Sounds simple, but I have to rehearse scriptures over and over until they become a part of my being! In addition to this, I have to do my part and stay consistent in the things I know to do. My goal is to have all blog content completed at least 24 days before posting. Y’all pray for me on this!
Happy New Year!
2022 Recap
2022 flew by! Like wow! One of the things I always remember from reading the Bible was moments of them taking stones to make markers of what God had done. (Deut 27:1-8) It’s necessary to take a moment to reflect on a year or a tough season before new goals are set. Moving too quickly can cause you to forget some monumental exciting moments.
I was flipping through my prayer journal this morning, which I self- published this year and turned slowly through the pages. I took a moment to reflect on all the prayers God answered not only for me, but for others as well. God is faithful. He’s consistent. God continuously remained faithful through an inflationary year and for this I’m grateful.
Here’s some of my top highlights from 2022:
- Increased my relationship with God.
- Set boundaries and became more emotionally secure
- Self-Published my 1st children’s book, Kids Can Pray Too
- Exercised consistently for at least 4 days a week since June
- Promotion at work
- Self-Published my 1st Prayer Journal
- Self-Published my 1st travel journal
- Monetized my blog
- Coached over 4 new clients with their books.
- Traveled overseas to Portugal and Madrid
- Created a newsletter for my blog
- Saw my favorite artist in concert for the 1st time ever and so much more.
Before I set goals and plan for 2023, I want to take a moment and thank God for 2022. While, we only have five more days in the year, I know this is plenty of time for God to move. One word, one moment and one miracle from God can change everything.
What’s your top highlight from 2022?
Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Psalm 105:1 KJV