FRENCH QUARTER ADVENTURES

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Lunch at the Gumbo Pot

Yup, he’s hungry
Cool wall decor
Peaceful moments
Adding this to our catfish
Yummy shrimp and catfish plate
Gumbo Pot
Off to explore
We found H&M 
Colorful buildings 
Horse and carriage  
Beautiful architecture  
Colorful alleyway 
On the hunt for sweet treats
Found some yummy praline samples
Charlie in Candyland 
So much to choose from!
Yummy taffy
Cravings
Sweet tooth

More pralines!

Cute pup selling art
More colorful buildings
I’ve always wanted to go to the Louisiana but never had time to make it out for a trip. On the way back from Texas we decided now was the time. We woke up early that morning and began our trip towards this magical place. We ended up in the French Quarter which is basically a city rich in history, good food, pralines and colorful vibrant buildings! We just spent a few hours walking around, taking pics and getting lost in all the businesses had to offer. We were starving so we headed on over to The Famous Gumbo Pot and had the BEST catfish and shrimp EVER! The shrimp was ginormous and oh so tasty! By far the best seafood I’ve had in a very long time. Found an H&M and purchased a darling red dress I’ll be featuring on the blog soon and continued or exploration. There was a lot of construction going on but there was music everywhere and horse and carriage rides, dancing; it was a non stop party!
Charlie was on the hunt for some chocolate chip cookies but of course Louisiana is not known for their chocolate chip cookies. Matter fact, there was not a chocolate chip cookie in sight. This place ladies and gentlemen is praline city! On every corner there is a praline shop. We stopped by every shop and sampled a gazillion pralines till we couldn’t eat no more and then made our way back to our car to hop on the road and head to Charlotte. We only spent a few hours in the French Quarter but Charlie and I vowed to come back so we could spend more time exploring as we realize a few hours just isn’t enough to take in all this beautiful place has to offer.
Till next time!
Sincerely,
Deidra Marie

FRIDAY BREW: 5 REASONS YOU SHOULDN’T GO NATURAL

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Today on the brew I’m sipping on a oh so tasty iced hazelnut latte from Starbucks and discussing the 5 Reasons you shouldn’t go natural. It seems a revolution has started, and more and more women are embracing their hair and wearing it in it’s natural state. Matter of fact, the other day one of my good friends from church called me and asked me to log onto Facebook and there it was, a selfie of her with a new hair cut; cute little tendril curls poking out all over her head. I wrote this article a few years back and wanted to repost as I thought is was a great topic to reflect on with the ever changing styles and trends. I believe the media has taking an unusual but amazing turn for the better in providing images of women wearing their hair in it’s natural state, even providing images of women all shapes and body types. My only hope is that this trend continues as I want my child to be able to grow up in a society accepting of all types of beauty. That being said-check out my repost.

Thinking about going natural? Read this before you make a choice….

1.  Lack of patience 

Most of the process in going natural requires patience. Patience in waiting for your hair to grow out naturally, patience with detangling, styling etc… Some people think they can wash their hair and go, but for many textures, it requires more than a spritz of water to tame hair, and maintain healthy hair. Patience is key. Good things come to those who wait.


2. You worry to much about what others think

Going natural can be a difficult change not only for you but for your family, friends, boyfriend or husband and one may tend to worry about how their hair will look and whether others will be accepting of it in its natural state. If your consumed with how others view your hair and new look then your journey and transition is worth nothing. First things first, you make this decision to go natural for you and nobody else. Concerning yourself with how others feel may bring on feelings of doubt and in the end may force you to revert back to chemically processed hair. The natural hair journey begins with being true to yourself, not to your family, friends or boyfriend. So what if they don’t accept your natural hair. Ask yourself and ask them, are they washing it, detangling it, buying the necessary styling products for it, if not, they should probably keep their mouths shut and mind their own business. The decision you make to go natural is yours, not theirs!


3. Addicted to the creamy crack

You like how silky, shiny and straight your hair comes out with a relaxer, but you desire to stay true to yourself and go natural. If you are torn between the two, half way through your journey you may give in and visit the salon for a touch-up. The decision to go natural may not be an easy one if all you have ever known was straight hair. Support from other naturals and embracing all that is you is the first step. Remember, natural is a preference and going natural is not something you do just because other people are doing it or because it is a trend. If relaxers work for you, why change it?


4. Not willing to learn something new.

Some naturals have been getting relaxers since a very young age. This in turn leaves very little room for learning the basics of natural hair care. That being said, going natural is like going into new territory or studying abroad; you have to learn the language, customs and adapt to the culture. If your not willing to go through some trial and error sessions, you may want to stick to what you know.

5. Thinking going natural is easy.

Don’t believe the hype. Being natural and going natural is not easy. It is a process that takes time. If you were getting relaxers at a young age, you may not be familiar with how to take care of your natural strands. Natural hair requires some much needed attention and TLC, and for those people out there who think going natural is easy,  you are  mistaken! Giving in to this ridiculous myth will take you down a road of hell with your hair and may even create more problems then when your hair was chemically processed. 


Hope this helps!
Sincerely,

Deidra Marie

HYPNOTIC

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Donut kisses at Hynotic Donuts and Biscuits
Yummy snack
Donut with bacon 
My espresso donut
Darryl
Picture of a picture of a picture
Cam love
My cold brew coffee
Giant man and birdie
Stomping all over the city
Kali’s focused
Picture of Darryl taking a picture
Leg pop
All smiles

The infamous knapsack
Swag
Awesome socks!
Sunnies when it’s sunny
Creative minds
Yep, I’m hungry again LOL
I saw the sun
Let me tell ya bout my best friend
Hugs
Squad
Peace…
and love

The creative masters
Adorable couple
Just #coolin
Time to get down
Twerk it out
These pictures are perfect visuals of what happens when 3 creative minds come together:we eat massive amounts of fried dough, chug down way to much black coffee and have an impromptu photo shoot in the downtown area while twerking to no music. Yep, that my friends is my idea of a good darn time! 

You are probably wondering who the girl with the locs is. Well,the lovely lady in plaid is one of my bestest friends and old college roomie, Kali. It’s pretty evident we still get down like we are in college; FYI-this was us being chill; downtown wasn’t ready for our turn-up. The handsome gentleman in the red would be her oh so creative husband, Darryl. They are the ultimate couple and definitely the best tour guides I’ve ever had. I didn’t spend a penny hanging out with them! Well, I bought one tasty coffee donut and the strongest cup of coffee brew known to mankind; this is not Starbucks ladies and gentlemen, I’m on that new new. They are both big foodies like me, so naturally, we stopped at a cute little donut biscuit shop called Hypnotic Donuts and Biscuits and had some good food, conversation, and of course we took some amazing food shots. I’m a big supporter of small businesses and will gladly purchase at any mom and pop coffee shop as I secretly want to own my own coffee shop one day. 

I really appreciate little shops like this because the food is usually unpredictable, eclectic and can feel like home. As you can see, there was a donut with a fresh bacon strip on top, who comes up with this stuff? LOL, God protect my arteries. Any who, we stayed at Hypnotic till they kicked us out and then we made our way to Deep Ellum, sort of a hipster type scene around Dallas. This place was right down my alley with all it’s random shops, multicolored walls and a ginormous metal figure. Only wishing I stayed a little longer;pretty sure it’s impossible to cover all this ground in one afternoon. We just found this random wall that looked like a sun and my friends went to snapping pics and one thing led to another and bam, we created magic. They radiate talent guys! We did a little talking, did a little dancing, took some pics, danced some more and talked about eating food again LOL. Yep, I said it, we were hungry two hours later. 

All in all, I had myself a good ol time. It wasn’t enough time, but it’s never enough when your having fun is it? I want to give the biggest shout out to Kali and Darryl not only for showing me around their city but for snapping some amazing shots of me. They are an awesome duo to collaborate with! 

If you are on the hunt for a great photographer, please check out Darryl and Kali Smith of Rhedeont Photography at http://www.rhedeontphoto.com/ . They can and will travel your way for any type of photo shoot you desire.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sincerely,

Deidra Marie 
White boho flowy blouse-TJ Maxx, Golden Sunnies-Thrifted, Dark Wash Flare Denim-Loft, Cognac Block heels-Crown Vintage