2017 Vibes... Live the Life You Want

Being honest, I don't remember anything past like 1230a on NYE, so I truly woke up with a clear mind to start my 2017. My boyfriend hosted a NYE party, and after being sick for over  a week, I didn't keep in mind I'd barely been eating... so fast forward 3 Rum & Cokes later and I was entering the black out drunk club.

It's not a good look to be the drunk girl at the party, but it's even worse when you're the drunk girl in your 30s. Luckily, my boyfriend is an angel and ushered me into the bathroom when I started looking all "lights are on, but no one is home..." -- we've all been there.

So yeah... after waking up and having no recollection of getting sick, I got ready to spend time with my girlfriends at our 2nd Annual New Year's Day brunch! It was truly a joy to spend quality time with friends (nobody was on their phone for hours!!!!), cook together, speak about our goals for 2017 and create vision boards. Soak up all the black girl magic in the picture below! I love these ladies... and it truly is a blessing to be creating such wonderful friendships in my 30s. Another perk of living in Seattle and being in a city with so many adult transplants.

New Year's Day Brunch & Vision Boards with girlfriends

Despite all of the festivities, I'd have to say one of my highlights of the new year was spending time with my #BlackBroadCity boos, bonding over our shared love of Wendy's! Y'all, you already know the frosties are clutch. Or should I say Frostys? Fuck... you know what I mean. The snack size chocolate frosty is bae and makes my heart swoon. It was only made better indulging with 2 of my favorite people in the city of Seattle -- Tina and Nat steady stay clutching that MVP spot in my life.

When the whole crew is Lit AF and you can't take us nowhere!! Wendy's snack size frosty is bae 🎉❤ @sogulley @nmc0026 #foodie #seattle #wendys #frosty #BlackBroadCity #BlackGirlMagic

A video posted by Ishea (@sixtwentyseven) on Jan 3, 2017 at 7:31pm PST

We're nearly 2 weeks into the new year and I hope everyone is enjoying the time they have and living the life they want! That's my theme for the year -- living the life I want and "warmth". I want to strive to reduce the amount of time I spend consuming and participating in petty antics, become a warmer person, and spend my time being productive and focused on executing my own ideas. Small ways I'm starting to do this: Unfollowing some problematic or shade-driven media outlets, consuming less trash, starting my mornings with prayer and NPR while I get dressed for work (instead of a ratchet playlist), using my free time to do something productive and aligned with my hobbies and side hustles every day, and continuing to lead my interactions with warmth and ways to connect with people instead of finding ways to disqualify those around me.

Wishing everyone the best as they work on having a beautiful year!

Cash Money Taking Over for the '99 and 2014

Many people have been writing insightful posts reflecting on the past year and what they have learned. I, however, decided that I should probably look back on my reflection post from last year before I penned a new one proclaiming all this fantastical shit for 2014.

"Your life and the current state of everything in it is a reflection of the choices you've made. It's up to you, and you alone, to create your own happiness. I believe God has a plan for all of us, but we're charged with making sure we wake up each day and are proactively taking steps towards getting closer to our dreams."                                                                                       -Ishea

This year has been a lot of change for me. I moved in with my boyfriend, moved across the country, started a new job, got a new puppy... decided I wanted to long term transition again lol. I've also learned to be accountable for how outrageously emotional I am, have more intention with my prayers, be grateful for the small things, appreciate my friends, value being on time (this was a hard one lol), and enjoy the moment!

As I sit here waiting to pop a bottle of Champagne and do the official countdown (gotta love West Coast living lol... it's only 11:36p), I'm faced with another year and verbalizing what I'd like to accomplish in the next 365 days.

1) In 2013 I lost 15lbs and was extremely proud of myself. In 2014 I want to continue focusing on my health, and challenging myself to be the best version of myself now. I am adopting the mindset of having a year round body and not being one of those people that fall off during the winter and lose my damn mind trying to "get right" for a vacation or summer season. Health is a 24/7 thing, not just a long weekend in the tropics or 3 months in the summer.

2) Have more intention with my prayers. God answers prayers, but I've learned that when I have vague prayers I received vague answers. Have you ever been like, Thanks God... but dang, that's not how I imagined XYZ happening? Me too! I know that life happens and God doesn't always answer prayers in the exact way we've imagined, so I have learned to become more intentional with my vision and prayers.

3) Dental insurance is a blessing!! I know this may seem trivial, but I've maxed out my dental insurance every year for the past few years. Something I'm focused on in 2014 is continuing to take care of my dental health and finally get my wisdom teeth pulled! I am SO excited about this...y'all have no idea. I tried to get it done last week, but the dentist's office was closed for the holiday.

4) Travel. I am focusing on investing money into making memories, not material things. I'd like to take at least 3-4 trips a year, 2 of which I would like to be International. I turn 30 in 6 months and have my eyes set on celebrating in a tropical locale. Operation passport stamps is in full effect. Another minor goal is finding another couple to travel with. This may seem silly, but I seriously want to have another couple that can take trips with my boyfriend and I. Ideally they'd be in their early 30s, no kids, enjoy water sports, light-hearted... do you know anyone? lol...

Amy Adam in American Hustle

5) Discipline! This is something I started working on towards the end of 2013 and I want to continue working on this in 2014. I have a lot of ideas. I know I'm amazeballs... but without discipline, nothing matters. There are so many things I could name, but I realized that everything falls underneath the umbrella of discipline. So yeah, it's a goal in 2014.

6) Goals! I've always been a goal setter, but I think I need to revamp the way I set my goals in order to more realistically achieve them.

7) Dripping Swagu. Yeah, using the term "swagu" might be a bit lame, but I still like the word. I saw American Hustle the other day and Amy Adams slayed in the movie!!! She was oozing sex appeal and drip dropping swagu across the entire screen. I want to make it a priority to cultivate a personal style and not be scared to wear whatever I like. One minute I want to be boho. The next I want to be a glamour puss! The next I look like a yoga instructor. Whatever floats my boat... I want to set sail.

NYE 2009

NYE is a time to party, celebrate and reflect on the past year and approaching new one with friends and family. Despite being in a recession people still have the desire to go out and have a good time. I refuse to let the struggling economy rule my life...but paying $150 (the average cost for parties in Chicago) is ridiculous. Let's keep in mind that it really is just like every other club night...only that more people will be out...dressed up more than usual...and counting down at 11:59:50. I have found 3 nice alternatives to the pricey, crowded club scene for your Chicago NYE celebration.

Cuatro
2030 S. Wabash
Chicago, IL 60616
312.842.8856

Cover: $10 before 10p, $20 after $60 - drink package from 10p to 1am
Sounds: Soulful House, Latin
Time: 10p - 2a
Extras: Late night dinner menu available


Whiskey Blue at W Chicago - City Center
172 W. Adams
Chicago, IL 60603
312-332-1200

Cover: Free
Sounds: Deep House, Hip Hop, Rock and R & B
Time: 9p-2a
Extras: Discounted bottle service and drinks


Rebar at the Trump Hotel
401 N. Wabash
Chicago, IL 60610
312-924-7600

Cover: Free (no bottle service requirements, no reservations)
Sounds: Funky, lounge vibe
Time: 5p - 2a