Month: January 2020

morning glory

last weekend was action packed – from hosting five girlfriends from the bay for 36 hours in la to a quick trip to san diego to spend some quality time with my friend hillary, there was never a dull moment.

 

i get down to san diego pretty often and while there are bars/restaurants i frequent (like smoking gun), i also feel like hillary makes an effort to take me somewhere new every single time i visit.  this time, we went to three or four places i had never been but there was one that stood out above all: morning glory.

 

both hillary and lauren assured me it would be worth the wait and to just commit to drinking at a nearby bar no matter the wait time.  that is just what we did after being told (around 1pm) that the wait would be two hours.  they took down our number and said they would text when ready.  we had drinks and oysters at a couple of different places and got lucky enough to have our table ready about 30 minutes ahead of schedule.  the good thing is there are plenty of restaurants and bars nearby to kill time at while waiting so it actually isn’t absolutely terrible.  as soon as i walked in, i saw why it was worth the wait.

 

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the space is absolutely breathtaking and is every girly girl’s dream.  tons of pink, metallics and beautiful dessert bars and cocktails everywhere you look.  i was lucky enough to dine with two people who are not picky eaters so we each picked one item for the table to share.  even though i love savory items, lauren insisted that the pancakes were to die for and let me tell you this: no lies were told.

 

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they are the fluffiest pancakes i have ever had and are lightly dusted with powdered sugar then served with butter, fresh whipped cream and syrup.  there was not a single bite left on the plate.

 

hillary chose both the fried rice and the bacon.  i did not understand the hype over the bacon until it arrived.

 

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and lastly, i ordered the fried chicken salad.  it was seasoned perfectly, crisp and delicious.

 

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now, onto the drinks.  the menu was extensive and that doesn’t even include the champagne vending machine.  the drinks are as tasty as they are beautiful.

 

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the first photo is a spiked strawberry italian soda.  there was something so nostalgic and delightful about it.  the second one is the sakura bloom and i don’t say no to drinks with vodka or egg whites  the third drink is their bellini.  could the glass be more beautiful?  and the last one is foster’s freeze which is bourbon based.  while i did not try it since dark liquor does not like me as much, it looked like something worth sipping, especially if you like bourbon or banana.

 

i have included snapshots of the menu (specifically for cocktails) below for your reference but i really cannot say enough about morning glory.  the food, drinks, service and ambiance we are all well worth the wait.  it is definitely a place i will be retuning to on my next visit to san diego.

 

xoxo,

k. tap

thought of the week: you don’t have to choose – be both

about a week ago, i reposted a quote from garcelle (an amazing actress who will also be on this upcoming season of real housewives of beverly hills – so excited to see a black woman on this franchise). anyway, i got a surprising number of dms about it and more specifically, why women felt the need to choose between these two things. it is almost as though the two cannot coexist within one being. i definitely beg to differ.

“be a badass with a big heart.”

in the world we live in, people, especially women, are often put into boxes. that being said, there is this idea that you are either a badass that gets shit done who is cold and icy or you are this emotional, blubbering mess with a huge heart but an inability to think rationally or accomplish things that require logic, skill and focus.

but here’s the thing: i am a badass with a big heart.

i accomplish the goals i set for myself, i take risks, i am independent and i am unapologetic. all of these things are associated with being a badass. at the same time, i am often called mama bear or mom by friends because i am a caretaker, i work as a therapist and if i love you, my love knows no bounds. long ago, i stopped apologizing for being a badass to make people more comfortable. i also stopped hiding the softer side of me for fear of being viewed as weak.

i have come to learn that the best people i know don’t choose because you can be both. my favorite humans are beautiful and bold badasses with the biggest hearts.

do you feel like both can coexist or do you feel pressured to be just one or the other?

xoxo,

k. tap

snagged at the half yearly

i am a huge nordstrom fan and the half yearly sale in december is definitely a time where my nordstrom card gets a little extra use. not only is it the holiday season, but a lot of my friends have december birthdays so why not knock it all out in one even swoop?

this sale, i snagged this amazing longline open cardigan by bp at the half yearly. it was originally $49 and was on sale for $29.40. i couldn’t leave it there when it clearly belonged in my closet/on my body.

photos taken by gracelyn bateman

i would describe the color as chestnut but it is called brown cattail. i don’t just love the feel and the look but i am living for these pockets.

you also may recognize this dress from my post about the veuve polo classic. in la, we are lucky enough to be able to throw on a cardigan to be prepared for winter weather.

while the cardigan might be sold out, i still want to know what great things you may have found at the half yearly sale.

xoxo,

k. tap

thought of the week: it should help you grow wings

in sessions with my clients, when they show me/bring up quotes about love, it is evident that their minds automatically go in the direction of romantic relationships.  i often challenge them to think about how they love themselves, the love between them and their families, friends, etc.

 

when i saw this quote from billy chapata about love, i thought both about how murky the waters can be with family, friends (the family you choose) or a partner.

 

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“when love for someone starts jeopardizing the love you should have for yourself, then it’s never worth it.  love shouldn’t hinder you, it should elevate you.  love should never silence you, it should give you a voice.  love should never weigh you down, it should help you grow wings.” -billy chapata aka iambrillyant

 

LISTEN (yes, i did have to use caps for emphasis so you know it is real af).

 

i thought about all of the ways i used to compromise who i was (i will at some point have to do a post on how i do not believe in compromise) to better fit the mold of who i thought the other person wanted me to be for the relationship (whether that person was a parent, a friend or a partner).  i thought about times where i felt small as a result of the relationships i was engaging in with people i loved who claimed to love me.  i thought about the times where i felt suffocated by someone who truly believed they loved me.  and what i realized is this:

 

while they may have truly loved me, even loved me to the very best of their ability, it does not mean that they were capable of loving me in the ways i needed to be loved.  the best types of love i have experienced have made me feel even more like myself.  the best types of love have made me feel completely liberated.

 

are you currently loving someone in a way that jeopardizes how you love yourself?  if so, what are you going to do to change it?

 

xoxo,

k. tap

the best bath bombs

one of my favorite ways to decompress is in the bathtub.  i can honestly spend hours in the tub whether it be in silence, with a great playlist, with my macbook sitting on an ottoman streaming a show i am behind on or just stretched out with a good book.  i am all about ways to enhance my bathing experience.  because my work wife (reens) knows this about me, she surprised me last week with a dozen bath bombs.

 

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life around 2 angels is a california based brand and can be purchased via etsy or amazon (you’ll get them extra fast if you are a prime member).  what i love most about them aside from how wonderful they smell and how soft/silky my skin felt afterwards is that there was not an ounce of color in my white bathtub afterwards.  the first bomb i used was the black raspberry vanilla and when i saw the deep eggplant color spread throughout my bathwater, i was holding my breath just thinking about how much i would need to scrub the tub afterwards.  that could not have been further from the truth.

 

i noticed that i did not need to apply as much lotion post bath because the bomb served as a gentle moisturizer without leaving a residue on my skin.  while i could smell hints of berry and vanilla on my skin afterwards, it was not overpowering and did not clash with the perfume i wear almost daily.  after looking on amazon, there is a reason why with over 7800 reviews, life around 2 angels has five stars.

 

i am already dreaming about my next bath. the hardest decision will be what scent to use next.

 

what is your favorite way to enhance your bath?

 

xoxo,

k. tap