Vegas Baby! Highlights in Pics

Posted in My life, My travels by shetraces

I really didn’t expect to like Vegas as much as I did. Besides spending a gazillion dollars (not by way of gambling) I really could not complain about the time I spent, the sights I saw, the food I ate and the things I did. Next time I go, I need to definitely be employed. And rent a car. And see more than “The Strip.” Las Vegas is rightly the entertainment capital of the world, but you don’t have to spend a fortune to see some amazing things.

Tuesday, May 21st

Bridal party rehearsal and luncheon at Red Rock Casino and Resort.

Something I’ve come to learn about myself is I love buffets! Does that mean that my standard for taste is relatively basic? I’m not sure. I think I just like the variety.

Why not have macaroni and cheese with chicken and broccoli?

Pasta and grilled corn on the cob?

Send it my way!

The Red Rock Casino’s buffet was gaudy, humongous and although everything I had wasn’t delicious, the majority of it was enjoyable and I really couldn’t complain.

Click pic for credit

Wednesday, May 22nd

WEDDING DAY! Garden wedding @ The Grove

Enough Aaaah’s to last me the whole year.

Dressing the bride Dress

Thursday, May 23rd

My homegirl Dakota arrives from Los Angeles! *cue Rihanna’s Pour it Up*

Dining: Bahama Breeze takes the cake! During the week, they had a late-night happy hour from 9pm until closing and their Caribbean food was so amazing. During happy hour, the appetizers are half off as well! What more can you ask for?

One of everything, please?

Late night: TAO Restaurant and Bar. If you’re hardcore into just hip-hop and rap, you may want to go on the designated “black” night which I believe is Friday night.

Dakota’s cousin, Dakota, She

Friday, May 22nd

Day Pool Party at the Palms. Special Guest: Wiz Khalifa (Amber Rose in the cut supporting her baby faver)

Saturday, May 23rd

Return home. Plans to repeat in 2015. Occasion: 30th birthday!

Until next time,

Stay silly!

Mami and She

2Mar2013

What are you built for?: Prepping for Haiti

Posted in My life, My reading, My travels, My writing by shetraces

I am soooooo excited about my Alternative Spring Break that I can hardly focus on the work that needs to get done before I leave (namely, a 10-page paper).

I travel to Haiti on next Sunday, March 10th through Monday, March 18th. This will be the first place I go where I officially don’t speak the language, and English is not very common there.

I can understand and say some basic French phrases, but not so much Haitian Kreyol (besides the ever-famous Sak Pase?!). Kreyol is one of two official languages in Haiti (the other being French). Kreyol is a mix of French, some African Languages as well as other languages such as Spanish, English, Portuguese (according to Wikipedia.)

So, over the next few days I’ll be using YouTube and some Haitian friends to assist teaching me some conversational phrases. So far, I have:

Bonjou- Good morning

Mwe rele Tracey- My name is Tracey.

Mwe pa pale Kreyol- I don’t speak Kreyol.

Pa de kwa- You’re welcome.

Also, this week Howard welcomed Haitian-American author Edwidge Danticat for a lecture entitled “Our Stories, Ourselves.” I got a chance to meet her, and was very excited since I am a fan of her work!

(L-R) Esther, Edwige Danticat, Dr. Elie, me

(L-R) Esther, Edwidge Danticat, Dr. Elie, me

In her lecture she told an anecdote of a time she was flying and her plane got hit by lightning. She said it felt like the floor was on fire, everything went black and there was silence.

Then the pilot came over the speaker:

“Uhh..folks. Everything is fine. The plane was built for this.”

The question Mrs. Danticat took away from this experience, is one I’ve begun asking myself… I believe we are all built to withstand many things.

What am I built for?

What in life, were you built to endure? I believe many of us come to discover that, if we don’t already know. I think Haiti might be able to help me with that answer.

24Dec2012

Shaine and Sauvaneah

Posted in My life by shetraces

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This is Shaine Demarco. She does not like bones in her chicken. She does not like to wear winter gloves or for people to sit next to her on a bus.

She likes to smell like a lemon tart when she comes out of the shower. She likes to read the O magazine and also likes friendly drunks.

This is Sauvaneah. She does not like foam soap. She does not like when people mispronounce her name, since she’s named after her birthplace; Savannah, Georgia.

She likes online dating. She likes to check out more library books than she can read. She likes to eat turkey bacon with her hands.

This past weekend, Shaine and Sauvaneah got to know each other while visiting the nation’s capitol.

They saw statues, houses, and monuments.

They hugged cows and wore blue suede shoes.

They witnessed a gay man twerk the room.

Most importantly, they nurtured a friendship that was years in the making.

7Nov2012

Where I’ve Been: 2012

Posted in My life, My travels by shetraces

2012 had more re-locations than actual leisure traveling due to the fact that I started the first semester of Big Dawg Graduate School. I am here for the next 2 years with the expected graduation of 2014.

I went from rural to a smaller city, one that seems to have fit me just fine. Here’s a little peek into the rural life.

https://vimeo.com/52804120

Where I’ve been in 2012: