Archive by Author

Pinterest is My New Obsession

10 Feb

I love Pinterest. It’s the most fun I’ve had online in a long time. It’s so simple to share all my likes and dislikes in a story of pictures. I’d heard about the new social site taking the world by storm one pin at a time, but never checked it out. My new fixation started last week when my childhood friend Robbie Streitenberger sent me an invite to join via Facebook.

I looked around the site and had not a clue what to do next. I was so confused. I couldn’t find any directions, and it’s in Beta. All I kept thinking “I thought this was supposed to be easy? At least, that’s what everyone been saying.”

Luckily for me a couple of days later, Eleanor Prior of Your Virtual Girl Fridaysent an email about her webinar ‘The Virtual Pinboard or Should I Say Vortex That Is Pinterest My New Love!’  and I quickly signed up. She walked me and a ton of other folks through a step-by-step process of how to fall in love with Pinterest. And the rest is history, so I thought… now if I can just figure out how to remove images from the wrong board without deleting them all together.

My Pinterest page

Thankfully, I have a bunch of friends (Lisa J, Rocky, Nikky, Lisa S) all well versed in everything Pinterest. Click on their names and follow them on Pinterest too!

 

Happy pinning and thank you for reading.

Adrienne xo

 

 

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As Football Season Ends I Think of My Father

5 Feb

My father Frank Hester

As this year’s football season ends with a Super Bowl XLVI rematch between the New England Patriots vs. New York Giants, I can’t help but think of my father and what was his football career. He was a sensation from the first time he put on cleats in the small town of Clinton, Oklahoma. When he was growing up, Clinton had one school for all grade levels. He graduated one year before they built what is known today as the ‘Tornado Dome.’

SCSC Varsity Letterman Sweater

SCSC Varsity Sweater

Last summer, my family accompanied him to his school reunion (which turned into an impromptu family reunion) and stories about my father being an All-State and All-Conference player are still told today. He has football records that are unbroken at Clinton High School and at Southern Colorado State College (SCSC, then called the Indians) and now Colorado State University–Pueblo home of the ThunderWolves. Where he lettered  all four years and received his varsity sweater.

Somewhere in my mother’s garage are his Letterman jackets – one is from a bowl game and the other is All-Conference along with multiple letters of interest from the NFL (if I can find the jackets and letters, I’ll add images.)  Unfortunately, the Vietnam War happened.

Here are some photos my mom recently brought back from Colorado.  His “Potential All-American” article ends with the mention of my parent’s wedding.

Thank you for reading.

Adrienne xo

No More Love, Peace & Soul

1 Feb

Don Cornelius circa 1970s

I woke up today to a report of the passing of iconic “Soul Train” television host Don Cornelius, “found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 75”, according to the Associated Press.

For me, as I am sure for many black people, Cornelius was more than just a host on music television show; he was a visionary opening a door for black entertainers to perform to the masses on their own terms. From the way we walked, talked dressed and lived life, he made being black cooler than ever. Before “Soul Train” all we had was “American Bandstand” and let’s just say it was not about us.

I was born in July of 1970 the same year “Soul Train” began airing in Chicago before going national in 1971, so by the time I was in elementary school it was available everywhere.  Growing up, “Soul Train” was appointment television in the homes of every black person I knew. It was the place to learn the latest dances like the penguin, hustle, robot, bump, locking and the most popular dance of them all, the “Soul Train” line (Cornelius only danced down the line twice in all his years as the host); ‘til this day, I can’t attend a family BBQ, birthday party, wedding or funeral without everyone breaking into the “Soul Train” line before the night is over.

The show was also an outlet to learn what was in or out of fashion. Bell bottoms, gauchos, dashiki and a natural, Afro puffs or micro braids with beads and gold hair accessories? A blowout with big curls and gelled down baby hair will gel, a Cleopatra bob or ponytails? Or heavy wooden platforms sandals and platform tennis shoes with a rainbow sole?

Robin Thicke

“Soul Train” let me hear and see Barry White, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan,  Rufus, The Jackson Five, and The Isley Brothers; and blue-eyed soul acts like Tower of Power, Teena Marie, David Bowie and Hall & Oats, long before there was George Michael, Robin Thicke, or a Justin Timberlake.

Don Cornelius

Whatever the reason Don Cornelius decided to take his own life is not important to me. What is important was his contribution to American culture, music and changing the face of television forever. And for this I want to say cheers and you will be missed.

Thank you for reading.

Adrienne xo

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Any Reason is a Good Reason to Celebrate

30 Jan

I love the company of friends. I will find any reason to have a get together, and Chinese New Year made finding an excuse to celebrate easy. I tend to plan in my head weeks in advance what will be on the menu, who to invite, what I will wear, what music will be playing in the background, etc. In my mind, my gathering will look and feel like I hired David Tutera, then reality sets in and I am running around last-minute buying candles, flowers/plants, decorations, food, wine and spirits.

For this party, James and I had a buffet of Asian inspired dishes. Here is the menu and links to the recipes.

Asian inspired buffet

James & Adrienne

Rei Bollozos "I'm the only Asian in the room xo"

Adrienne & Jeff Pearson

Ryan Slattery & Adrienne

Blaze Gusic

Michael D Cook-Wood & David Castillo

My mom (Patti) and sister (Carri) are so silly

Mom & James with Stephen Stocks in the background

Patti trying sake for the first time

A2 & A1

Mochi is not my mother's favorite

Patti DOES NOT like Mochi (lol)

Carri & Ryan laughing at my mom

In the end, all that mattered was the love and laughs that was shared. What excuse do you use to have a cocktail party?

Thank you for reading.

Adrienne xo

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Celebrating 104 Years of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Sisterhood

22 Jan

On Sunday, January 15th my amazing sorority turned 104 years old, and on Saturday, January 21st the Las Vegas chapters of Theta Theta Omega (graduate) and Kappa XI (undergraduate) held our annual Founder’s Day luncheon at Eastside Cannery.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C. is the first Greek-lettered organization established by African-American college-educated women. I love being an AKA because it is a sisterhood of talented, successful, smart and beautiful women who believe in volunteer service and commitment to “Service to All Mankind.”

What makes being in this sorority extra special is being able to share experiences with my mother. I missed her at the luncheon because she was in Denver and Kansas for my grandfather’s funeral, but I kept her informed via text. Blessed are we to have a lifetime of sisterly memories to share.

Tiffany Carroll

Kenadie and Me

Meachie & Shirley Carroll

Sandra Bass

Erica Shaw

Mae Worthey

Thank you for reading,

Adrienne xo

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I Love Burgers

16 Jan

I Love Burgers, especially this one, a Caprese with thick savory balsamic and the fried pickles were pretty okay too!

i ♥ Burgers at Town Square

702.675.7800

Fried Pickles

Caprese burger

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MLK and Le Cirque at Bellagio

15 Jan

MLK banquet invite

Saturday night started out with me attending the 30th Anniversary King Banquet at the Flamingo Hotel  during Martin Luther King weekend with my beautiful mother. We attended on behalf of my lifelong friend Cedric Crear. My mother loves events like this so when I asked her if she would be my date I got a definite yes. The guest speaker was Mayor Kasim Reed of Atlanta, I have to admit I did not hear because I left a bit after dessert was served. It was uncomfortably cold in the ballroom and the program was running long, but the message of why I was there was not forgotten. I left to spend some time with my good friend Rocky who was across the street at the Bellagio.

Rocky Nash

Earlier that day, she surprised me via Skype asking if I wanted to meet up after the event because she was in Vegas for a few days. I did not realize how much I missed our girl time until I was able to give her a hug. I refer to Rocky as my savvy international traveler since she is always on the move globally. Last year she lived in China and visited Sweden. Several weeks ago she was in Paris and now she lives in New York City. I love Skype. It makes it seem as if she is just across town when we video chat.

Fiori di Como, Bellagio Hotel & Casino, Las Ve...

Image by Ken Lund via Flickr

Bellagio is such a beautiful property. We met in the lobby under the exquisite chandelier made of glass by sculptor Dale Chihuly then took in the Chinese New Yeardisplay at the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens before heading over to the AAA Five Diamond rated Le Cirquefor a glass of wine and some much needed girl talk. We sat at the cozy bar in the lounge and engaged in conversation with William the bartender and waited for her friend Stephani to join us.

Le Cirque Lounge

I am a diehard lover of red wine – the fuller the body the better, but after one glass, he turned us on to the French 75 (I’ll place the recipe at the end of this post) and literally had me licking my martini glass and rethinking my drink options. As she’s telling me about her whirlwind trip to Vegas the pastry chef delighted us with an array of scrumptious desserts. Nothing is better than lots of chocolate from a French chef.

Chocolate Egg

Mixed desserts

Chocolate Souffle with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

 

 

 

 

 

It was getting late so I said good night and headed home as they continued to Hyde (I will have more on the new luxurious spot in another post coming soon…)

French 75

  • 1/2 ounces St. Germain
  • 2 ounces cucumber infused vodka
  • Splash of sweet and sour
  • Top off with champagne

In a chilled cocktail shaker add some ice and shake well, then strain into a chilled martini glass and top off with champagne.

Thank you for reading,

Adrienne xo

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Workout Update

11 Jan

I’ve decided to keep it going with a month to month at 24 Hour Fitness Sport. I’ve lost five pounds so far. What I like about this gym is the location – it’s in walking distance, it’s very clean, the slow period is roughly 10:45 a.m.-4 p.m. so getting one of the many elliptical and treadmills is never a problem (I live for cardio), and the staff is really nice too.

Source: RomeoRomero.com

My most favorite class is cardio funk  taught by Rawlins at 10 a.m. every Wednesday. It ranks right next to my kickboxing class with Romeo Romero.

I’ll give random updates as I reach my desired fitness level again.

Thank you for reading

Adrienne xo

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A New Year, Back to the Old Me!

5 Jan

I have to admit, toward the end of 2011 I got out of shape and I have the 20 pounds around my middle to prove it. I always vowed not to be a cliché and jump on the “join a gym at the New Year” bandwagon. So I did… sort of.

I am trying out 24 Hour Fitness for one free week before going on a month to month program. It makes no sense to sign a yearlong contract if I lose motivation. It’s only been three days and Ibuprofen is my new BFF.

Wish me luck as I get my skinny back J

Thank you for reading

Adrienne xo

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Goodbye 2011. Hello 2012…

29 Dec

It’s time to take a look back at the year that was, and start celebrating the year to come. What had an impact you in 2011 and what are you looking toward in 2012?

Thank you for reading and Happy New Year!
Adrienne xo

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