NASCAR Racer, WHO?

At some point in my life I use to aspire to be a NASCAR driver, but now that I'm 30 I no longer have that desire. However, the feeling of being on a race track in a go kart gave me that thrill and excitement real racers feel; well maybe not the full effect but it was close enough for me.

This evening my friend Ebony and her awesome and adventurous mom, Ms. Angela, went to Pole Position Raceway in Jersey City.   Outside of me feeling like I needed to barf, after going on the track the 1st 10 times, I had a great time.  The max speed of the karts were 45mph and were easily controlled by the attendants via a remote. Before getting into the kart you were required to watch a brief training video on what to do and what not to do and how to properly operate the kart.   If your even in the need to let out some road rage, the RIGHT way, and you're in the area stop by this place you won't be disappointed.  Good to know, if you get there earlier in the evening you won't have to worry about waiting too long before its your turn to get onto the track.

On the track the speed probably reached the max, as the car hit the turns at full speed I tap the break just a little and the rear of my kart slides into the curve giving me my 1st hands on experience at 'drifting'.  I felt like I was one of the guys racing down in Englishtown, NJ.  On Fire Miyah (my racer name) was truly on fire even thought I ranked number 4 in my overall group.  #FunTimes

Thank you to Ebony and Momma Angela, for making my 1st time at Pole Position extra special.  I'm looking forward to our next adventure.

To my readers, until next time enjoy the photos and if you have any suggestions to add to my list be sure to leave a comment.

Peace and Blessings,

Samiyyah

THE RANGE

Last Saturday, bright and early in the morning, I started my journey to Bayonne to redeem a Groupon I purchased a few weeks ago.  The location, Home Defense Site and the package included shooting six different guns two rounds each; a shotgun, AR-15, 22 pistol, a single action revolver and one other.  There was a sixth, but it was having technical difficulties so I took another try at the AR-15.  My lease favorite was the shot gun; super powerful, extra heavy and the kickback was just way to much for me.  I did one round and called it quits on that one.

The feeling of shooting a gun didn't make me feel powerful at all.  The thing I did feel were the muscles in my arms as if they weighed a few pounds each. In a previous post, when I went to do the monkey bar class, I mentioned that I really needed to work on my upper body strength well that thought and motivation was heightened at the range. I promise to get it together in 2013.

I won't keep this post too long, I'm not a fan of guns and went only because it was on my list of things to do.  So until next time, enjoy the little bit of pictures I was able to take; they don't allow photos when your actually inside handling the weapons.

Peace and Blessings,

Samiyyah

Stop Bulling Me Around (Friday Part 2)

Friday was a double dose of newness.  I started off with the colonic, as you may have read in the previous post (Such A Wonderful Suite Retreat). Then later this evening I met up with Marbelly, my college suite mate, and we went to Johnny Utah's in NYC to experience a ride a mechanical bull.  Now this wasn't something I've always wanted to do or even thought of doing, however it was recommended by one of my friends (Latanya Blue) and so it made the list.  Upon arriving, we saw a crowd full of people enjoying happy hour and that already had out nerves going.  We needed to do something to kill time in order to muster up the guts to get on the bull in front of hundreds of people, so we decided to have dinner.  I ordered the shrimp fajita and Marbelly had the skirt steak fajita, which she really enjoyed. I personally didn't care for the food, there was no freshness to it at all. :\
                                                                                                           

Moving on to the fun part, after eating we signed up to ride the bull.  Still a little bit nervous, however backing down wasn't an option so we flipped a coin to see who would go first.  The coin was flipped and I called heads and heads it was.  Lucky me, I was up first and to my surprise I lasted for about 1 whole or so. :)  It was a fun experience, it does leave your legs a little sore afterwards.  I'll probably never do it again,  just because....lol.  I'm also glad Bells was able to experience it with me because it was something she had on her bucket list. :)

Below are some quick snapshots and the videos of the bull riding.  Hope you enjoy.

I look sleepy in this picture and didn't want to post it, but belly demanded I do so.  :\

 My Ride

Marbelly's Ride

Until next time....

Peace and Blessings,

Samiyyah

Such A Wonderful Suite Retreat

Friday afternoon's experience was wayyy to personal.  Not too personal that I won’t share, but just personal as in letting someone all up in your space; if you know what I mean.  :)  I’ve always heard how a colonic was good for you, I've also heard how it's not so good for you. Well, since I’ve thought about it once or many times before, including it in this journey was the perfect time to test it out. A few weeks ago I saw a deal on GROUPON for a $55 Colon-Hydrotherapy Session with Shiatsu and Aromatherapy at Suite Retreat, so I jumped on it.  Before my appointment I had to take a few days before to prepare for the visit and that included mainly salads for lunch, no dairy and little to no sweets.

To start, some of my expectations was that water gets inserted and then everything just drains out into a clear container, kept under the bed, via a hole in the bed.  I had no idea the tube that gets inserted  actually stays in your behind. :\  Another part of my vision was that the room would be completely  white, including the bed and all of the accessories.  I was totally wrong and honestly I’m not sure where I got that vision from.  Perhaps it was something I saw on TV or even a dream I had at some point.  Anyway, when I walked into the suite I thought this is not what I expected and I internally whispered I’m never coming back.  However, after taking off my shoes and settling in I realized the atmosphere was very relaxing and cozy.  The scent in the air was pure aromatherapy.  My Hydro-therapist proceeded with asking me some questions about my diet and what some of my concerns were.  We then moved into the room where the procedure would take place.  I was given a gown to put on then headed to the on-suite bathroom to discover that I would be using a Bidet for the 1^st time. Can't you just hear my excitement?

Throughout the process Rose was such a sweetheart.  She made the process go smooth by talking me through some meditation and silencing my mind - Lord knows how challenging that can be for me.  After about  15 minutes and the start of Shiatsu, she started asking me where was I mentally and what did I see?  I told her I was in Tahiti and standing in an over the water Bungalow – hey got to make it happen don’t want to wait until I’m married to venture to that beautiful place.  :)  I must say the process wasn't actually painful or uncomfortable, but it was very awkward. Having water shot up your rear and then made to feel like you have the runs was just very ........... well let's just say not nice.  Again, I will spare you the details, however I will say that everything flowed freely, according to Rose.  :)  When I was done I was off to sit on the nice warm of the toilet and begin using the Bidet.  Oh how nice it turned out to be, water for the front, water for the back and included a drawer, how could you now want to return.  I am sold, and I will totally have one of these in my house.  It will save so much toilet paper.  LOL

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoy the quick and funny snapshots.  Also, if you're ever looking to get a colonic done be sure to let Suite Retreat be your first visit.  

Be sure to check out Friday's double dose Stop Bulling Me Around.

Peace and Blessing,

Samiyyah

Monkey Bars Aren't Just for Kids

MY OH MY...

For all that know me know that I occasionally, and I mean OCCASIONALLY, dabble in an extensive work out routine like kickboxing, etc.  I just haven't come to that point in my life where I can keep a workout regimen for a long period of time.  It's almost hard to believe I ran track in high school and qualified for the Penn Relays.  Well, its 2012 and lately I've noticed and really have been pondering how I need to start doing some sort of workout to keep my heart healthy and build upper body strength.

One day Tiffany and I saw a commercial on TV that advertised an fun workout, at Epic Hybrid Training Center.  This wasn't the normal workout but it incorporated kid movements and activities, like monkey bars, crawling on the floor, etc.  A few weeks ago, Tiffany came across a good deal, on Rue La La, where you get three Monkey Bar Gym classes for $29.  We both decided to take advantage of this opportunity.  I was really looking forward to something fun and though I knew it would be work, my mind tuned that out and all I thought was how much fun I was going to have. 

It was our first class today and I arrived a little earlier and I walked in on a super intense 'B Warrior Muay Thai Kickboxing' class and to be honest while watching them my nerves started to kick in.  I was like oh no this looks like some kind of Insanity.  Fifteen minutes or so had passed and it was time to get the monkey bar gym session up going.  Our awesome and nice looking instructor , Alex, already had our agenda posted.

(It may seem like pushups and pullups are simple, but there was a twist; they were one-sided)

 

(Hair pinned back just before we began)

We started with a warm up, jogging, knees up, butt kicks, side runs and spiderman crawls - if that's what it's called.   While jogging Alex keeps us on our toes by randomly throwing a sand bag and whomever dropped it caused the class to do five burpees. Sad to say, I dropped it 2 out of 4 times, sowwy class.  :)

Man, I never had a work out like this before and I'm so glad I experienced this with Tiffany.  For those of you don't know Tif, she's a beast.  I mean that in a good way, she loves working out and having her there was definitely a motivation for me to keep going even though i couldn't finish the last two leg curls. :\  Maybe in the next class I'll be able to keep up.  LOL

 

I must say, after all of that running and knee action tonight my knees did pretty well.  Usually when I try to do my occasional running, I'd feel so much pain in my knees but so far so good.  I'm going to just believe that my first time acupuncture did the trick.  I'm praising Jesus for a quick healing.  :)

I wish I had more photos to share, but unfortunately this is one task I couldn't take pictures while participating.  Lol  Now off to salvage the rest of my hair for tomorrow's holiday party.  I'm definitely going to invest in a SweatHeart Halo Wrap  by Corrin Jones, before my next workout so I can preserve my blowouts.


PS: Be Sure to check out Epic Hybrid Training Center on Yelp, for a free private session.  For those work out fanatics, you won't be disappointed. 

Until next time, enjoy the blog.

Peace and Blessings,

Samiyyah

Gallop Forrest, Gallop!!!

Today was another great day and this time I spent it with my cousin Kameelah and friend Tiffany.  We embarked on the journey to Sayreville, NJ for a 1/2 hour training and 1 hour trail ride at Legacy Riding Stables. The staff was friendly, the horses were beautiful and the scenic trial of fall colors were refreshingly amazing. We even saw a few deer while we were out on the trial.  The name of my horse was Brandy, Tiffany's was Sherman and Kameelah's Chino. Tiffany was assigned the biggest horse because her legs were the only ones that could fit around Sherman; he was massive.  LOL Just a little bit jealous, I'm still believing in Jesus for my extra two inches in height.  ;)

After being with the horses for an 1.5 hours we worked up an appetite and decided to head to Cheesecake Factory, Yummy.  The food was plentiful and I just couldn't stomach it all.  I'm look forward to having leftovers on tomorrow.  :) I love Tiffany's face in the photo below, I caught her on her going in on the bread.  I don't blame her it was pretty good and it was nice and warm, even better with some butter. #Delicious. 

The girls also surprised me by having the staff sing Happy Birthday to me.  :0) for me? That was the look on my face in the first picture, well sort of :).   Then I made my wish; I wished for..............

I had a great time hanging out with my girls.  Thanks ladies for taking the journey with me and thank you for lunch/dinner.  I had so much fun.

Until the next journey, enjoy the photos.

Peace and Blessings,

Samiyyah

1933 Still Exists in 2012!

Over the past year or two, I've been trying to make it to the drive-in movie theater.  Its always a challenge for two reasons.  Once the drive to get there is super long and two I no longer own a car. Even though I have friends/family members with cars, trying to convenience them to drive 2hrs to see a movie can be a huge big challenge. Originally this weekend was designated for our road trip to Montreal, to get our ski and snowboarding on and visit the Hotel De Glace, but we decided to postpone the trip for a few reasons. Since I had already reserved the rental car, I decided to keep it and take this opportunity to do something I've been wanting to do. It also turned out that this was the very last weekend for the theater, they close for the winter and re-open in March.

The name of the theater is called Delsea Drive-in, located in Vineland NJ.  The directions from my house said 2.15 hrs in traffic, well getting there took about 3hrs.  I guess because we left right at peak hour when all of the kids get out of school and it wound up taking us about 1hr just to get out of Jersey City.  :\  Once we got on the the Turnpike, we were about 20 minutes into the drive when my mom falls asleep and leaves me to fin for myself the entire way. Lol #SoPredicableOfHer.   Since I was on my own for the next two hours, I turned to the radio for some entertainment; from christian music to some Doug E. Fresh.  It always amazes me how one never forgets the words to an old school hit. #classic  Let me also not forget the amazing views of the sunset while I cruised down the highway, always enjoy HIS creations.

It was about 6:30ish when we arrived at the theater.  The first movie, Red Dawn, started 15 minutes earlier. The second movie, Sky Fall 007, was set to start at 8:10.  Oh wait, did I mention you get two movies for the price of one. That's right, the drive-in has two screens and each screen shows two movies at the price of $9 per person. It almost didn't get any better than that, but it did with the reasonably priced and well diverse menu at the concession stand. There was something for EVERYONE.  I opted for the veggie burger and fries while mom snagged a root beer and an order of fries as well. In between Red Dawn and Sky Fall they played old school commercials.  One of the commercials said, "Take your family to church every week, exercise your freedom to worship", loved it.  Another one said, please remember to return the speakers at the end of the movie.  I didn't get that one but, mom explained.  She said back in her day they provided the speakers and you had to place them inside the care to actually here the movie, so thankful for radio broadcasting.  :)   The final two things I enjoyed about the Drive-In movie was watching the film under the stars; it was simply amazin, truly like a scene from a movie.  Sorry the Galaxy SIII couldn't capture them in a photo. :( Lastly, taking this journey with my mother was simply priceless.  #MommaLove

Until the next journey, I hope you enjoy the photos.

PS, If you're ever looking for something fun and out of the ordinary to do, I totally recommend taking the drive.  It's a nice place even if your going on a date. ;)

It was way too dark to catch a photo like this so I took it from the internet.  It really did look just like this.  :)

Who said Cars Couldn't Fly...

...well I was actually referring to a cable car.  :)  Today I went on a journey to Roosevelt Island in NYC.  I've never been and my co-worker/pal always raves about this place.  There's not a ton to do in the winter but, in the summer you can enjoy picnics in the park or whatever other festivals they have going on.  Year-round you can always take a quick trip there if you desire to just get away from the crowd and enjoy the scenery of the high rises, across the water, which also makes for some great Instagram photos. ;) Even though I made the journey in the evening, it was great because you can see the Chrysler and Empire State building lighting up the sky.  The real awesome thing about Roosevelt Island is the fact that you can take a cable car (Tram) ride to get there. I was also ecstatic that I could use my unlimited metro card, LOL, for some reason I thought I would need to pay a separate fare; the other option would be to take the F train, if you're not driving or walking across the bridge.  

In addition to checking out the view and enjoying the Tram ride, I was also checking out the housing. For me, every new place I visit its always a must for me to scope out the real estate; I mean you never know if that 's the next place you want to call home. ;)

Just before jumping on the train, to head home, from Roosevelt Island we made a pit stop to Starbucks.  This time and for the first time, I didn't get my usual but opted for the Eggnog latte with the added Chai tea. Oh how delightful, it wasn't too sweet or to "Eggnog'gy".  I will definitely have this again about 3 times before the end of the year.  (SMH)

New York is filled with tons of interesting places, thousands of things to do and hundreds of amazing restaurants and I am going to vow to take more time in 2013 to explore it all.  Thanks Gavin for recommending this place and actually taking the time to journey there with me; it was greatly appreciated. (Special thanks to Jo, for allowing me to borrow you for a couple of hours.  :)

Until next time, I hope you enjoy the photos.

Peace and Blessings,

Samiyyah

 

Day Seven Part Two

On Saturday morning, the journey began with me chopping off my tresses.  In the evening my second big sister and friend, Pam, (adopted by me) took me to Daryl's.  I've always wanted to eat at this place, probably because it looks amazing.  :)

The ambiance of the restaurant  was nice, the staff was friendly and the food was good.   The 1^st course started with ravioli stuffed with pumpkin puree. The two main courses we selected were the fettuccine with lobster and pumpkin.  The other was Mahi with Brussels sprouts, cranberries and a little bit of pumpkin puree. Dinner was topped off by this super rich hot chocolate lava cake with coffee ice cream.  The ice cream was made in-house, so if you’re a coffee lover you must try it because it was definitely full of coffee flavor. 

After dinner, we went to the Crossroads theater to see a musical play titled Holiday Jubilee.  The cast was funny, their voices were amazing and the songs consisted of some great Motown hits and other Holiday songs.  I had a great time and always enjoy being in good company. :)  Love you for life, Pam.
 

Until the next Journey, hope you enjoy the photos.

Blessings Always,
Samiyyah

 

 

 

IT'S A NEW DAY!!

Over the past year or two or three, I have been pondering about cutting my hair into a short style. However, what came with those thoughts were all of my fears and anxieties;   what if its too short, what if it doesn't look right, omgoodness what would I do then? 

Back in April, I took 1/2 of the plunge by letting Miss Jessie's Curl Bar, cut a few inches off, which meant eliminating about 90% of the relaxer from my hair.  Well it didnt stop there, in the summer I added some layers and some color, but sad to say the itch to go shorter was still there.  After many conversations with my mother, over the years, about going short she was tired of hearing the same song. LOL  One day she responded "OH why dont you just do it already, get it out of your system!" Those words stayed with me. :) I guess I dislike the feeling of being attached to something that's materalistic or just something I can easily get back,  because it prevents one from moving forward to obtain more or even better.

Fast forward and it's now December and I'm on this journey; what a great way to incorporate something new into my 30 days. I finally took the full plunge, I cut off the very thing that has been with me all my life. Those strands were with me through poetic justice "box braids"; to natural cornrolls, to relaxers, to bleaching and most importantly the ponytails but, now we start a new day.

The final results I like.  It's an in between of what I really wanted and what I didnt really want.

Enjoy the pics, hopefully they post in the correct order. #BloggerApp

Blessings Always,
Samiyyah

Day Six Part Two

On top of going to "Brazil" on yesterday, I also attended the Women's Christmas Party hosted by my church, www.alfwc.org. It was my first time ever attending and I'm not sure why because I had a great time. I was accompanied by my aunt, Kyma, which was also a first because her and I have  never hung out together one-on-one. I know thats a bit sad. Lol
There are so many amazing women at my church; beautiful, loving, caring and most importantly total Jesus lovers.  How could one not aspire to be better, to be free spirited, to be comfortable in the skin that God has designed for one.  I love it and I'm loving this journey.
Hope you enjoy the photos, including my soul train line experience (if the video actually posts). LOL #BloggerApp
Blessings Always,
Samiyyah
P.S. loved the Salmon. Yummy

 

 

 

Who Ever Said Going to Brazil Would Be Fun...

...Well maybe going to Brazil would be amazing but, getting a Brazilian wax was a whole other story.  This experience was like being captured by Santa and tortured until you told him where the kids left the cookies and milk.  No, really it was that intense!   The whole entire time I'm asking Maggie, the specialist, what makes someone come up with this stuff; she's actually from Brazil and even she didn't have the slightest idea.  LOL.  My friend Daniela (http://eyesofacouturier.wordpress.com) came with me for moral support but, ended up taking the journey with me; a total trooper.  Kudos to you Daniela,  you're totally a rock star. Thanks for joining me in this experience. ;)

The journey began at the European Wax Center, where the wax is made from wax beads that are melted down and once the wax hardens on the surface, it gets pulled off.  This particular type of wax is much better than using the wax with tape, because it doesn't actually pull the skin. In addition, they never double dip so there's no bacteria left in the wax pot from the previous customer; now that's crucial.  The staff that welcomed us upon entering the place were super bubbly and they made you feel like your experience would feel just fine, even though you kept in the back of your mind you would be screaming like a baby crying for some milk.  One of the ladies at the front even mentioned that before she started working there she was opposed to getting waxed repeatedly but, after a while she caved and now she does full body waxing on a regular basis.  I'm not sure if that will EVER be my story but, it was nice to know that some people really do enjoy this type of thing. 

Overall, the process took about 20 - 30 minutes and through out you really just feel a stinging, once the wax was removed.  Was it painful?  Yes, but you get through it.  Maggie told me it would be just fine the 2nd time around, I sure hope she's right because I already booked my next appointment.  Oh my, could I become a fan of waxing, LOL, it's too soon to tell.

Thanks to the staff @ European Wax Center on Washington Street in Jersey City.  You guys are a live crowd and give great customer service.  Thanks for an unforgettable 1st time experience and an extra thank you to Maggie for making the experience extra special.

After the visit to "Brazil" Daniela and I had brunch at Marco & Pepe, one of my favorite places in JC for french toast.  Daniela even loved the french toast, now that's a first because she's hardly ever a fan of the food I recommend.  ;) 

Until the next journey, enjoy the photos.

Blessings Always,

Samiyyah