The Tag Team

I've been referring to the weekend as 48 hours so that I can tame my expectations.

On Friday, Chiquita texted that my cousin Charles, the paternal patriarch, was having a fish fry and to let others know. Felt like I had to go even though there's the awkwardness of not knowing huge parts of my paternal kinfolks and maybe the awkwardness is why I needed to go...

Outside of the yoga class that I went to observe on Saturday, I stayed home until the fish fry. Not even sure what else I did that day.

I also promised Chiquita that I would go to the new recreation center that she is trying out. Chiquita is working with a wellness coach and has to get on the treadmill, specifically, four 35 minutes at four miles per hour. Because I despise the treadmill, I moved in the direction of the natatorium -- never heard it called that before...Swam for 30 minutes and put my swimsuit in one of those little water extractor machines; wish I had access to one all the time.

Chiquita was still on the dreadmill so I checked out a basketball. I love that the facility even has a modest rock climbing wall. They also have aqua yoga.

The facility is about 20 minutes away from me. Hmmmm....

My aunt D invited the family to church on Sunday afternoon since she was a deacon-elect. The preacher said that it was not a service and that he had already conducted several services earlier in the day but as the 'Fugee said when I told her that I'd been at church for over three hours -- Oh, preachers like to preach.

First up -- the friend of the bishop. He talked about an assignment (deacon, minister, elder) that comes with service. He also talked about assignment assassins which really resonated with me. I also like what he said about staying in the dark room (like with photography) and to stay in development. Also, prepare yourself before you present yourself. Couldn't agree more with the latter.

The bishop had me cracking up when he said You can take online courses but you need someone who has been anointed to teach you...

Favorite line after all of the elected clergy had gotten their bibles, necklaces and collars: The gates of hell have been notified that new soldiers are on the way. 

Favorite thing about this church -- the bishop and his wife are a tag team. 

My aunt getting her vestment.

The bishop on a roll...Also, I think this would make a great painting...

*******

During the fish fry on Saturday one of my cousins, Katrina, told me that I've been around the world. I wish. It's interesting that she said that because I was just thinking about how few countries I've been to. Of course, I'm grateful for the traveling opportunities that I've had.

Just a few of the peeps at the fish fry.

Love my cousin's Hall of Fame/Family Tree...

Parts of Me

I've been reading The Body Keeps The Score for, I dunno, two or three weeks. It's a very good book but page 282 brought the whoa factor. Guess there's a reason that this chapter is titled Putting the Pieces Together.

Coping takes its toll... (281) Yup, I believe that.

We all have parts. Right now a part of me feels like taking a nap; another part wants to keep writing... Most people who know me have seen my intense, sincere, and irritable parts; some  have met the little snarling dog that lives inside me. My children reminisce about going on vacations with my playful and adventurous parts. (282)

How well we get along with ourselves depends largely on our internal leadership skills -- how well we listen to our different parts, make sure they feel taken care of, and keep them from sabotaging one another. (282)

I love the concept of internal leadership skills and "the mind as a kind of society."

The critical insight is that all these parts have a function: to protect the self from feeling the full terror of annihilation. (284)

Seriously, my mind was blown to the point that I was like I should have been a therapist. The 'Fugee claims that she has told me this before -- that I should be a therapist...

******

Speaking of different parts, I bought a DNA kit -- largely because many people around me had done  the same thing.  Plus, after my aunt Al died, I got extremely curious about my paternal grandmother who I don't remember.

Had a gut feeling that I was part Senegalese and I was not wrong. However, according to the DNA results, the greater part of me is from Cameroon/Congo. What I wasn't expecting to feel is sadness but there you go; I'm feeling geographically scattered. I'm feeling the weight of the past -- especially with this current toxic environment...

******

Decided to observe a yoga class today since I needed two more observances before my August 10th deadline. Woke up at "prepare for work time" so I picked an 8:30 a.m. class and it turned out to be a really special experience even though I wasn't practicing. Kate talked about the blood moon and the eclipse. We didn't see the eclipse but that doesn't mean it wasn't there, she said.

Kate went on to talk about having faith and honoring yourself. Those are serious topics but most of her class is approached with humor and I like that a lot. Toward the end of savasana, she sung briefly and it was shocking, initially, but she has a great voice and she chose part of a folk song. The whole class was special and I'm glad that I got up to receive that gift.


*Of course I had concerns about putting my DNA sample out in the universe

The Trip

When I return from a trip, I like to review the travel information that I gathered just to see how everything aligned.

Probably could have traveled or gone about things in a more logical way but it was also fun to stumble upon stuff...

Went to the library when I returned from vacation to get cooking magazines and the Bon Appetit was interesting because of a little travel advice column:

If you're traveling with a group, split up the work, and play to everyone's strengths. Put your hyper-organized travel mate in charge of compiling flight info and Airbnb addresses. Ask your fashion friend to find the best local boutiques. If your food obsessed, reservations are on you.

Also:

Schedule Alone Time 

As an introvert masquerading as an extrovert, I love to plan vacations with other people, then promptly find ways to escape. This doesn't always go over well with my companions, but over the years I've learned how to do it gracefully and with intention.
Even if you claim to never tire of your best friend's shopping habit or your boyfriend's slothlike pace...

I don't see myself as hyper-organized but I do have some aspects of that personality...


Cannot believe that it was two weeks ago that I set off for the Las Vegas. Here are my favorite pictures from the trip.

Chiquita in one of the chapels at Caesar's Palace.

My intention was to capture the skyline but also got the couple.

Hoover Dam

Yellow, Hoover Dam

Las Vegas Antics

Since we were getting into Las Vegas  at 6:30 a.m. and couldn't check in until the afternoon, I thought that Monday would be a good day to go to the Grand Canyon but my cousin had already gone and my aunt didn't seem very enthusiastic about going and that's when I switched to Valley of Fire State Park for our first outing. I was also encouraged by a fellow yogi who told me she'd gone to the state park and enjoyed it more -- especially since it was more affordable etc. My cousin wasn't convinced about going to the state park but, luckily, she slept for most of the ride and was fairly impressed once we found our way deep into the park...

Since my cousin had never been to Vegas, we went to look at the Bellagio and Ceasar's Palace the next day. For some reason, the Fountains of Bellagio were not cooperating and we also got "lost" in  C's Palace and I’m sure it’s designed that way on purpose. Realized during this trip that the hotels are really hotels with shopping malls attached. I have to say that the fake skies in the hotels/malls are impressive though.

Fake Sky

Ventured out on my own for breakfast to a nearby neighborhood and had a very delicious meal plus saw a stunning building, The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The building alone was worth the trek.

Brain Center from a Distance

Brain Center

While my aunt attended a conference, my cousin and I ventured out to see the Hoover Dam and all I could think was What an amazing planet we live on.

My traveling companions are veteran shoppers and enjoyed going to the outlet malls. We hit Fremont Street and finally saw the Fountains of Bellagio in action; the area was packed so I let my companions out and by the time I parked, met them and walked back, I think we saw a total of five fountain shows. I accumulated 19,000 steps on this day.

Went to visit my uncle's half-brother, Sam, who has lived in Vegas for over 20 years; we should have gone to see him first because he had all of these recommendations for food. I try to keep in mind what Rick Steves says about Europe -- Behave as if you're coming back and try not to fit everything into one trip but, of course, sometimes you really don't get back to a destination for a long time. Sam's wife is patiently waiting for her son to go to college. It's my turn now. She's from the Philippines and can't wait to spend the majority of her time there.

Before we knew it, the time had come for us to pack and get ready for our crack of dawn flight. It was a 5:50 a.m. non-stop journey. Flying non-stop is nice. Waking up at 3:00 a.m. -- not so much. My aunt left on a later plane that got delayed significantly so leaving on the first flight out had its advantages.

I did Las Vegas my way -- state parks, non-chain restaurants and spending time on the pool deck reading while eating cold oranges. Think that my favorite outing was to the state park. Read a recent Instagram post about Las Vegas being anything but subtle. Well, nature's construction in Valley of Fire is not subtle either. I loved the silence, scenery and the adventure of it all.

Once I got home, missed my roommates and was ready to travel again but I didn't have too much time to give into that feeling since I  had to jump into weekend two of yoga teacher training. The other feeling that I love about vacation is when you lose track of time and can't tell Monday from Wednesday -- that's when you know you're really relaxed.

Somewhere

When I traveled to Jamaica in February,  my aunt D was bummed that we didn’t wait until her spring break so I told her that I would go somewhere with her and her choice of “somewhere” was Las Vegas.

It’s kind of funny because she doesn’t strike me as a Vegas kind of person but here we are again and we arrived via a nonstop flight that required me to get up at 3:00 a.m. I don’t sleep much before I fly so it worked out and, to my surprise, the plane was packed.

My cousin C, who also came along, scared the daylights out of me because she suddenly didn’t feel well and I thought I might have to signal a flight attendant. It’s very scary, though, to be in the air and  someone is not feeling well because it’s not like you can call urgent care but, if you luck out, there might be a nurse or doctor on board... Somehow, I remained calm and I tried my best to pour supportive and healing energy into my cousin. Thank God, she’s feeling better...

Since we arrived in Vegas so early, we went to Valley of Fire State Park. The signage is not the best and I struggled to find it even with a GPS. There are not many exits around that area and it cost me eleven miles but a gas station clerk directed me to where I needed to go.

I am proud of myself for not giving up or getting frustrated and it turned out to be a very nice, “off the grid” experience.

Rams. Wish that I had rolled the window down...

Show Up

During one of last week's yoga classes, there were five of my yoga training classmates present. Four of us were practicing and two were observing. I was, energetically, bouncing in my seat because I wanted to grab my iPod to take a picture of the observers who looked very compelling to me.

They agreed that I could take their pictures and post it on social media which was very nice of them.

One of my classmates said that she missed us and, for emphasis, Seriously, I missed you all...

Had a packed Saturday and rewarded myself by going to the pool. Did a repeat of the pool on Sunday and only stayed for an hour then went to chitchat with the 'Fugee for a short period of time. The plan was to go to yoga but I think that the heat must have gotten the best of me because I felt so tired and ended up resting in bed instead of practicing yoga. I was headed to a restorative class so I ended up doing my restoring at home...

This morning I needed to talk with a contractor so I looked up the number and dialed and was dumbfounded when a woman answered the phone.  Still, I had the presence of my mind to say I was looking for Daniel; I must have the wrong number.

Hey, it's Daniela; it was another contractor who happens to be a yoga teacher. We exchanged greetings and she immediately asked me how my first weekend of training had gone and then she eloquently launched into this spiel telling me that I will really enjoy myself and not to stress out about the required reading -- that we'll discuss the texts in class. Pay attention to how you're feeling and journal. You won't fail -- as long as you show up.

Can't remember everything that she said but it was such a sweet conversation and just the best way to start the day.