Albeit, a year ago today pop legend sensation, Michael Jackson, passed away, ipads and the iphone 4 are sweeping the nation, and there is still a big ol' oil spill in the Gulf, summer vacation is the only thing that has my attention. The excitement is being motivated and spurred by the fact that I'm actually out of the office for a few days--the longest amount of time I believe I've ever taken at one time, which is pretty sad! But, hey, new beginnings for all things, eh?

So, I must admit that since Monday afternoon, the days have been productive, fun, and memorable. Let's recap...


MONDAY *** Eating out once a week...

One of my closest girlfriends and I have decided that once a week we'll be dining at different spots in the Hampton Roads area, and our first stop: FIVE GUYS. While she'd eaten at the infamous location, this was my first time. What's terrible is I have a FIVE GUYS in walking distance from where I live, but I've yet to have the opportunity to go. The burger and fry joint is supposedly better than that other popular burger spot I frequent (with the Golden arches). Some even debate what could have been for this business had it begun before the latter mentioned spot. Either way, being the lover of cheeseburgers that I am, I was pretty pleased. The peanut oil added a nice flavor enhancement to the burger and fries. However, I was not pleased with the malt vinegar that they encourage patrons to dip their fries in--no thanks!








TUESDAY *** Maxwell together with Jill Scott in VA Beach...

Let's just say both performances were awesome and simply memorable. We were out there in record breaking temperatures, and I have a whole new appreciation for musicians. Jill and Maxwell were dressed in outfits that just looked hot but they both made the tasks of entertaining an audience look easy as 1-2-3.




WEDNESDAY *** Productivity at its best...

I took the day to knock out some of the many things on my to do list. I did not let the getting home in the 1 o'clock hour from the concert due to part of the bridge being closed stop me from an early start. From going to get my bridesmaid dress tailored to grocery shopping -- GO ME, the list kept getting items scratched through and marked off.

The high point of the day? Well, I have more recently been experimenting with stylists. I hate getting my hair done, mainly because of how long I end up under the chair. My favorite brag story to tell others is about the time when I went to this shop, arriving at least 20 minutes before my appointment, which was like at 10 AM. I did not leave the salon until like 3:45 PM. The woman who did my hair left, went out to lunch, had me under the dryer for like 500 hours!!! While my hair turned out FABULOUS that day, I did not go back to hair salon for a good 3 or 4 years after that experience. And, if it's not the time I'm dealing with, it is the costs. Apparently, my hair is "long", thus I get charged more.

WELL, I've located a spot that is owned by Dominicans. They speak no English but can do hair--quickly and at a decent rate. Sooooo, I figured I'd get my hair done in the midst of my errand running. Problem 1 came when the woman who has been doing my hair was not in the shop. Fail. I shared with the little girl, who spoke broken English, what I needed done. She relayed it to the stylist, and they immediately had me to go back to get my hair washed. However, what was shared was due to my hair being long I'd be charged more---OH NO NO NO! I expressed that on Mondays and Wednesdays--in my own broken Spanish--I always got discounts and today should be no different: viente cinco?! "Si, viente cinco," replied the little girl after going back and forth between myself and the stylist. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...Problem 2 came when I had finally settled in for the hair washing and began to immediately notice how warm it was. They're doing some construction in the shop, so I figured that was why the doors were all opened. The more I sat I realized there was no AIR CONDITION in that piece. The cool/luke warm water on my scalp was refreshing. Additionally, I had my drink from the breakfast I had picked up. It was when I got under that dryer I began to feel "hace mucho calor"--crazy! I had to get under the dryer TWICE. By the second time, there was sweat dripping me off me...

My retelling this lovely story will never do justice to actually being there. All I can say is, I had to rededicate my life to Christ, knowing if Hell felt any bit as hot as that shop did, I did not want ANY of it.

THURSDAY *** Adventures in Colonial Williamsburg...

After an uneventful day inside, I decided to catch a bite to eat in Colonial Williamsburg and a take a walk with one of my friends. It was SO hot out--warmer than when we did the concert, but we had a ball being goofy and skipping along the cobblestone and unpaved walk-ways...These are the days when I really get why I love where I live and beauty of Virginia...







Yay for summer vacation!!!