Apple Slices - New York City

This summer I visited New York to see my sister and for the very special occasion of Chicago on Broadway. I am obsessed with the musical Chicago, as in I play the soundtrack in my car and sing along! Anyway the last time I was in New York visiting it was for New Years and winter ate me alive. I was out and about being cute wearing heels and dresses and fierce winter coats, but still FREEZING between the wind chill and the regular temperature.

Chicago

Chicago is a wonderful musical and the longest running American musical in Broadway history. It was in the beautiful Ambassador Theatre and Brandy rocked it as Miss Roxie Hart. The rest of the cast was also excellent; it is Broadway!

Other things we decided to do was to go to a wine & paint class outside of the city and we ate at a few restaurants, both were good.

-City Lobster & Steak

-Blvd Bistro

And went out to some lounges and found a day party hosted by some HBCU graduates where we got to mingle and have some fun. 

I love visiting my sister and NY has its own buzz and charm to it. You can visit so many times and not see everything. Speaking of which that winter we went to a pop up near Rockefeller Center where I had some of thee best macaroons ever! I have to find that place. Sorry for the picture overload but can you tell that I had fun!? 

-XOXO

Priorities in Giving

Giving can be related to so many things such as marketing. Lots of diseases such as orphan diseases get little to no money for research because they do not affect many people and the people who they do may not be well connected; this is unfortunate. Another thing to consider is the amount that goes to diseases that do affect many Americans in comparison. This is just something worth giving some thought as to how to spend your money. I am in no way implying that one cause does not “deserve” money over another, simply giving people a question to consider. There is more information in the article that this infographic came from at Vox. The following is not an original image/graphic.

-XOXO

The Importance of Self Exams

For those that do not know October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. You may have noticed the color pink is everywhere to raise awareness. This post is dedicated to the importance of performing self checks as well as a personal story about self checks.

One of the most important, yet lesser used methods of being/staying healthy is preventative measures. Screening tests fall under this group. If there is an issue, it is best caught early. Although you are not a healthcare professional you can always perform a self breast exam. In fact you should be very familiar with your own body so that you can know when something is not as it normally is. This site gives you information on doing your own self breast exam from the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Personal story time: In college I randomly performed an exam on myself; at that point I had been doing them sporadically. This particular day I found a lump in my breast. I was very distraught and I began thinking the worst. I called my mom and arranged to go to my doctor at home for an exam the following week. After my exam with my doctor I was sent to have an ultrasound done which helps to identify the type of tissue. After my ultrasound I found out that I had a fibroadenoma. A fibroadenoma is a noncancerous breast tumor that often appears in women under 30.  My fibroadenoma went away soon after that, but this is an experience I will not forget. I was anxious and afraid during this process. This is nothing close to the experience women who are diagnosed with breast cancer endure, merely a glimpse.  This really opened my eyes to the support and the love that needs to be bestowed upon those dealing with this horrible disease and cancer in general. The following is not an original image/graphic.

-XOXO

Because at the Fair Everything is Fried

As a HUGE fan of Fall one of my favorite things about it is fairs! I grew up looking forward to the fair each year. The weather would start to get chilly and I would prepare to get out my boots and head to the fair for everything fried. I know this is a blog about health, but it is also about food. Where I am from we know that everything is better fried. Plus you can treat yourself every now and then. Everything in moderation. I try to limit my fried food consumption to one item a week at most, although this was an exception.

So when I decided to head to the Texas State Fair (Dallas, a good drive away from Houston) I made sure to check out the website to get ideas about food. There were the usuals: turkey legs, cotton candy etc. One thing stuck out as a must have because it was a winner of a prize. Fried Lobster tail with champagne gravy!

It was expensive, but all fair food is & it did not disappoint. I also chose to go on a day where many foods were discounted and I got tasty drinks and tried alligator for the first time! Don't feel bad about eating badly on this day since you are also doing lots of walking and as I said before this is a treat.

Whether you go for the games, rides, sites or sounds you cannot go wrong with the fair.

-XOXO