Celebrating the Holidays With Black Girls Run - Inland Empire

I recently attended a holiday party held by the Black Girls Run!(BGR) Inland Empire club which is a local chapter of the national Black Girls Run running group I joined  2017.

The holiday party was held at a restaurant in Riverside called ProAbition and the evening was filled with games, raffles, good food, and conversation.

Friend Tina and Me at party

A cool thing about the evening was that I won the main game of the evening which was BGR bingo and won at Bath & Body Works gift card!

The BGR Bingo Game involved asking everyone at the party if these met certain requires such as being vegan, being left handed, singing in a church choir, and if they were born in the same month as me.

Me and other BGR Bingo game winner 

After the BGR Bingo game was done, we ordered dinner. I was happy see that the restaurant had a vegan burger on their menu called "The Bootlegger" which consisted of an Impossible patty, lettuce, tomato, guacamole on a vegan pretzel bun. The burger came with fries and while it was a good meal, I felt that the price of $24 was a bit high.

Bootlegger vegan burger with fries

At the end of the evening, we posed for a group photo and made plans to meet at future local races as well as weekly walking/running groups. I love Black Girls Run for the amount of friendships I've made over the years as well as the sisterhood that comes from seeing someone who looks like you at a running event. I've never felt more welcomed by a group of women than from joining this group due to its national reach as well as the goal of working with black women whether they are young or old or whether they walk, wog (walk/jog,) jog, or run. 

2022 Black Girls Run Inland Empire Holiday Party Group Photo

 

The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

 

Each year, I take on different reading challenges as a way to get outside of my reading comfort zone. For 2023, I plan to read a total of 104 books by completing the 52 Book Club's 2023 reading challenge (consisting of 52 books) and the Booklist Queen's 2023 Reading Challenge (also consisting of 52 books.) 

If you'd like to participate in this 2023 reading challenge, visit www.the52bookclub.com/2023-reading-challenge.

Below is the list of reading prompts for the 2023 reading challenge which I'll start on January 1, 2023. After I finish each reading prompt, I'll update this list. If you want to see more of the books I've read this year and previous years, check out my Goodreads profile at: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/15431036.

The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge:

1. Book with a subtitle: What The Amish Teach Us:Plain Living In A Busy World by Donald B. Kraybill
2. Featuring an inheritance: Inheritance: A Memoir of Generalogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro
3. Title starting with the letter “G:” Gray Hair Don't Care by Karen Booth
4. Title starting with the letter “H:” Happily Ever Older: Revolutionary Approaches to Long-Term Care by Moira Welsh
5. Title starting with the letter “I:” Invisible Wounds by Jess Ruliffson
6. Under 200 pages: From a Cat House to the White House by Jesse Pender
7. A city or country name in the title: Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton 
8. Dystopian Fiction: Permafrost by Alastair Reynolds
9. A book with a dedication: You Got Anything Strong by Gabrielle Union
10. Takes place during the roaring twenties: Emipre of Deception by Dean Jobb
11. A book about secrets: The Stranger She Loved: A Mormon Doctor, His Beautiful Wife, and an Almost Perfect Murder by Shanna Hogan
12. High Fantasy: An Embarrassment of Witches by Sophie Goldstein and Jenn Jordan
13. Published posthumously: It Is Well With My Soul: The Extraordinary Life of a 106- Year-Old Woman by Ella Mae Cheeks Johnson
14. A survival story: The Birthday Party by Stanley N. Alpert
15. Set in Australia:In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
16. Featuring one of the “seven deadly sins:” Greed in the Gilded Age: The Brillant Con of Cassie Chadwick by William Elliott Hazelgrove
17. By a Caribbean author: Kiss Me Catalina by Priscilla Oliveras (Puerto Rico)
18. Set during a war other than WWI or WWII: Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates By Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger (The Barbary Wars)
19. Typographic cover: I'm Not Yelling: A Black Woman's Guide to Navigating the Workplace by Elizabeth Leiba
20. A book about siblings: The Family Next Door: The Heartbreaking Imprisonment of the Thirteen Turpin Siblings and Their Extraordinary Rescue by John Glatt 
21. A second-hand book: The Runner's Guide To The Meaning Of Life by Amby Burfoot
22. A body-positive message: Body Positive: A Guide To Loving Your Body by Emily Lauren Dick
23. An alliterative title: Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally by Emily Ladau
24. Nordic Noir: The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis
25. A fashionable character: Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem: A Memoir by Daniel R. Day
26. Has an epilogue: Black Girl In Love (with herself) by Trey Anthony
27. Newbery Medal Winner: Missing May by Cynthia Rylant (1993)
28. Includes a funeral: It's Your Funeral: Plan the Celebration of a Lifetime Before It's Too Late by Kathy Benjamin
29. Sends you down a rabbit hole: Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn't Built For Us by Alison Mariella Désir
30. An author with a same name as you: Tallulah The Tooth Fairy CEO by Dr. Tamara Pizzoli
31. Set in a workplace: Please Be Advised by Christine Sneed
32. Published by Macmillan: The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
33. A banned book: A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Sruvive by Dave Pelzer
34. Featuring mythology: Medusa by Rosie Hewlett
35. A book you meant to read last year: Marriage Be Hard by Kevin and Melissa Fredericks
36. Chapters have cliffhangers: Hello, Sunshine by Laura Dave
37. Written in present tense: Blush by Helen Hardt
38. An enemies-to-lovers plot: West Side Love Story by Priscilla Oliveras
39. The final book in a series: Master of Pleasure by Tara Sue Me
40. Written by a comedian: Number One Is Walking by Steve Martin and Harry Bliss
41. A character who is a refugee: The Night Diary by Veera Hiranaandani
42. Time in the title: Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes
43. A book “everyone” has read:The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
44. A contemporary setting: Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
45. First word in the book is “The:” The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker
46. Script font on spine: Old School Love and Why It Works by Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons and Justine Simmons
47. Set in the city of Dublin: Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy
48. A book by Octavia E. Butler: Unexpected Stories by Octavia E. Bulter
49. Books on the cover: The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
50. Related to the word “murder:” The Coworker by Freida McFadden
51. A book that doesn’t fit any of the other 51 prompts: The Way of the Househusband by Kousuke Oono (graphic novel)
52. Published in 2023: Bad Ass Vegan by John Lewis 

Booklist Queen's 2023 Reading Challenge

Each year, I take on different reading challenges as a way to get outside of my reading comfort zone. For 2023, I plan to read a total of 104 books by completing the 52 Book Club's 2023 reading challenge (consisting of 52 books) and the Booklist Queen's 2023 Reading Challenge (also consisting of 52 books.) 

If you'd like to participate in this 2023 reading challenge, visit www.booklistqueen.com/reading-challenge-2023.

Below is the list of reading prompts for the 2023 reading challenge which I'll start on January 1, 2023. After I finish each reading prompt, I'll update this list. If you want to see more of the books I've read this year and previous years, check out my Goodreads profile at: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/15431036.

The Booklist Queen 2023 Reading Challenge:

1. Winter Read: Winter Stars: An Elderly Mother, An Aging Son, and Life''s Final Journey by Dave Iverson
2. Goodreads Winner in 2022: The Maid by Nita Prose
3. By a Black Author: Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 
4. With More Than 500 Pages: Butterfly by Kathryn Harvey
5. Published in Your Birth Year: Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary (1979)
6. Famous Author You’ve Avoided: The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingslover
7. Character with a Disability: Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
8. Fiction & Nonfiction Pairing:Hindsight by Iris & Roy Johansen
9. Fiction & Nonfiction Pairing: Hindsight by Justin Timberlake
10. By a Local Author: Purgatory Has An Adress by Romaine Washington
11. A Western: Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins
12. You Own But Haven’t Read:Will Travel For Vegan Food by Kristin M. Lajeunesse
13. Animal on the Cover: Sad Animal Babies by Brooke Barker
14. Recommended by a Librarian: Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying by Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley
15. Newberry Award Winner:The Summer of the Swans (1971) by Betsy Byars
16. About Royalty: The Remarried Empress, Vol. 1 by Alphatart 
17. Written Before 1850: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820) by Washington Irving and Illustrated by Arthur Rackham
18. With Dual Timelines: Forget Me Not by Julie Soto
19. Dewey Decimal System: 300s: The Second Half: Forty Women Reveal Life After Fifty by Ellen Warner
20. Mother-Daughter Story: A Thousand Miles to Graceland by Kristen Mei Chase 
21. Empowering Read: Fat Girls Hiking: An Inclusive Guide To Getting Outdoors At Any Size or Ability by Summer Michaud-Skog 
22. World War I Book: Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce by Stanley Weintraub
23. Domestic Thriller: Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent
24. 2023 New Release: Slow AF Run Club:The Ultimate Guide For Anyone Who Wants To Run by Martinus Evans 
25. Read with Jenna Book Club Pick: The Measure by Nikki Erlick (July 2022)
26. A Book Everyone is Talking About: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
27. Book Becoming Movie in 2023: Are You There God,It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
28. About Complicated Relationships: Assassinistas by Tini Howard
29. Recommended on TikTok: Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
30. An Audiobook: Spare by Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex
31. Set in the 1930s: Better Luck Next Time by Julia Claiborne Johnson
32. Contemporary Fiction Bestseller: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
33. About Adoption: Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman
34. Genre You Don’t Usually Read: A Perfect Amish Romance by Shelley Shepard Gray (Christian Fiction)
35. Title Starts with “A”: Animal Farm by George Orwell
36. Set in South America: The Jolly Roger Social Club: A True Story of a Killer in Paradise by Nick Foster (Panama)
37. Detective Story: Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man by Emily J. Edwards
38. About Power: The Power To Get Things Done: (Whether You Feel Like It Or Not) by Steve Levinson, PHD  and Chris Cooper
39. 2022 Bestseller: Recitatif by Toni Morrison
40. By an Author You Love: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert 
41. With a Long Title: The Art of War for Women: Sun Tzu's Ultimate Guide to Winning Without Confrontation by Chin-Ning Chu
42. Five-Star Read: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou 
43. YA Historical Fiction: Buffalo Flats by Martine Leavitt
44. About Magic: The Memory Thieves by Dhonielle Clayton 
45. A Book That Makes You Happy: Things To Look Forward to: 52 Large and Small Joys For Today and Everyday by Sophie Blackall
46. Award Winning Nonfiction: Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh (Kansas Notable Book Award 2019.)
47. Modern Classic: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
48. Borrowed from a Friend: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
49. Red Cover: They Shouldn't Have Killed His Dog by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman  
50. Reread a Favorite: Gypsyworld by Julian Thompson
51. Bottom of Your To-Read List: Thicker than Water: A Memoir by Kerry Washington
52. Holiday Romance: Build Your Own christmas Movie Romance by Riane Konc 

"Beyond Van Gogh" Interactive Art Experience Thanks To Yelp Elite

I've been a member of the Yelp Elite (an exclusive group for Yelp contributors) for the past two years. Recently, they had a giveaway for two tickets to the "Beyond Van Gogh" Interactive Art Experience in Palm Springs, California. I was pleasantly surprised when I was notified that I had won the tickets which usually costs $49.99 per person.

 Below are photos from our visit to the event which was a combination of Van Goh's story presented on panels followed by an interactive component where you walked into a room and was surrounded by Van Gogh's art. It was a very relaxing a chill experience which was enhanced by the combination of art and music. Hubby and I really enjoyed this experience and would definitely go again if we had the opportunity. 

If you are interested in seeing some videos I took at the exhibit, check out my Instagram account at www.instagram.com/glassesgirl79.

 

Trip to Surprise Aunt & Mini Family Reunion in Texas

      At the end of March, hubby and I went to Texas to attend a surprise birthday party for my aunt Mattie. In addition to surprising my aunt, I also go to meet my recently discovered brother as well as his girlfriend and his mother. Although the weather was hot, it was wonderful to meet and interact with family members from my father's side of the family that I hadn't previously met before. We found the perfect family group outing opportunity when we discovered a nearby fair occurring near the hotel where we were staying.

Me & Aunt Mattie

Bro's girlfriend, bro, me, and hubby

Cousin, step mom, bro, me, cousin, aunt, and dad in front

     Since we were flying out of Austin, we decided this was the perfect opportunity to visit Rabbit Food Grocery, which is an all vegan grocery store. I really enjoyed visiting this store because they had a variety of items including, food, clothing, dog food, and toiletry items.  

Entrance to Rabbit Food Grocery

Items bought at Rabbit Food Grocery

     Before we fly out of Austin, we stopped for lunch at next level burger in Austin which was located in Whole Foods. The burgers were delicious and the beerchez fries were divine. So glad to find so many vegan options in Texas and we'll definitely plan to visit there again in the future. 

Beerchz fries

Beerchz burger

Maverick burger

After visiting my aunt, meeting my bonus bro and enjoying lots of delicious vegan food, my father has decided to plan an official family reunion to be held in Spring of next year. Below are photos from our trip.

 

Lizzo's "Watch Out For the Big Grrrls" Breaks the Reality TV Show Mold

     As someone who is not a fan of reality TV shows, I will admit I was skeptical when I saw the preview for Lizzo's reality TV show "Watch Out for the Big Grrls" on Amazon Prime. Although the premise of a dance competition featuring plus sized women seemed interesting, I worried it would be hokey or boring. I'm so glad that I gave this show a chance since it is entertaining, insightful, and uplifting. 

The main premise of the show is that Lizzo is searching for new backup dancers to add to her Big Grrrl dance crew who will perform with her at the annual Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee as well as go on tour with her across the country. In order to select the best woman for the job, Lizzo flies thirteen plus size women (including one trans woman) to Los Angeles to audition for a spot of the dance crew. In each episode, the contestants are given challenges meant to showcase their dancing ability, personality, creativity, as well as stamina and endurance.

Throughout the course of eight episodes, the viewer learns the backstory of each of the women which involve common factors of feeling unattractive and not feeling accepted by society due to their body size. By discovering dancing in various stages in their lives, each of the women find healing and happiness. As each episode progress, the viewer also sees each of the women transform from timid and insecure individuals to a strong and powerful team. By sharing a house together, eating, sleeping and dancing together on a daily basis, a sisterhood is formed among those living in the house in addition to bonds formed with Lizzo.

As I continued to watch each episode, I was surprised to see pieces of my life experience in each of these women whether it was through learning how to love my body (regardless of its size) or working to uplift other women through my words and deeds. Through watching this show, Lizzo's genuine love for helping women shine really showed as well as her desire to help women work through their person issues in order to become the best versions of themselves. 

In closing, if you are a plus size woman, have plus size people in your life, or just wanted to watch an unconventional reality TV show which focuses on uplifting often overlooked people, I highly recommend you watch this show!  

 

First Visit To Hometown Since COVID & Little Rock 1/2 Marathon Race Recap

     In an effort to complete my life long goal of running a half marathon in each state, I signed up to run the Little Rock 1/2 Marathon in Little Rock, Arkansas. Since the race occurred on Sunday, March 6, hubby and I decided to fly in early and drive down to my hometown in Alabama to visit my best friend as well as my parents (which I haven't seen in person since 2019. I was happy to be able to meet up with my best friend and her son over lunch before visiting with my dad and my mom.

Best friend and me

Dad and me

Hubby, dad, and me

Mom and me

Me, mom, and hubby

      After our brief visit to Alabama, it was time to return back to Little Rock to prep or the half marathon on Sunday. While taking a break from race prep, I was able to enjoy some delicious vegan food from Blue Sage Vegan Bistro.

Spicy mushroom tacos

Chick'n fried steak sandwich

Vegan grilled cheese with mushrooms and arugula

Spiral fries

After a good night's sleep at the hotel, it was time to get up and run the half marathon. The half marathon was fairly uneventful expect for a brief period of sprinkles followed by a later period of brief rain. Luckily, I made sure to pack a poncho in my pants pocket so I didn't get too wet during the race. 

Me before the half marathon

Bridge I ran on during on during race

Communion on the Run tent

Arkansas Governor's mansion

Me with half marathon finisher's medal

Close up of finisher's medal

Although there were many interesting tents set up along the race route, my favorite was the "Communion on the Run" tent in front of a church which gave runners the communion experience using pretzel bites to represent the body of Christ and a cup of grape juice to represent the blood of Christ. This to me was a very creative idea! Overall, the Little Rock 1/2 Marathon was a wonderful race to run and I loved how many community members come out to support us runners. I'm looking forward to visiting my family for a longer time sometime soon as well as looking forward to my next 1/2 marathon which will be the Las Vegas Women's 1/2 Marathon next month. 

Award Winner at First Annual SoCal Yeppies

     On May 12, 2001, I was nominated to become a member of the Yelp Elite Squad. On Thursday, January 20, Yelp held their first annual 2021 Southern California (SoCal) Yelpie Awards via Zoom. 

During the course of the evening, the band Cold Blooded Soul gave two musical performances, a bartender who made an alcoholic and nonalcoholic drink, and a comedian did a five minute comedy routine.

Intermixed with each of the above performances a total of seven categories were announced and a total of 43 Yelp Elites were selected for the awards listed below.

I was surprised and honored to be chosen to win an award for "Keeping Yelp Useful," The award explanation can be seen below. 

Below is a photo of me and the other Yelp Elite Squad members who were also also selected for the Keeping Yelp Useful award.

After the event, I took a photo at the virtual photo booth that was created for Yelp Elite Squad members and took the below photo.

I looked forward to receiving a Yelpie trophy as well as a curated box of local goods and Yelp swag. I feel so happy to be celebrated for my contributions to Yelp and look forward to being a Yelp Elite Square member for many more years to come!