So some of you may know, I’ve been a lil MIA. Well, I was on a west coast tour traveling for business and pleasure. I was in Newport Beach and San Diego, California; then finished it off in Vegas with my sister. So here’s how it all went down… (make sure you click the hyperlinks throughout to get connected).

It all started on April 15th, packed up and headed to the west coast to be the lead makeup artist for my cousin, Leota’s wedding. This trip was full of firsts. First time having to consolidate my makeup kit for flying purposes, and boy did I learn a lot (thats the sound of the price going up).

April 16th- Newport Beach

The plan was to fly with my makeup kit as a carry on, however the flight was so full that I had to check my bag. I prayed really hard that it all made it to my final destination, as I had 3 flights just to get there (in and out of airlines from about 10am-9pm) and then the time difference. So I had to get some rest since I had an early morning of bridal makeup; and then my first wedding on a yacht. I met an amazing makeup artist that assisted me with my cousin’s bridal party. Thank you so much Joanna for helping to beautify the majority of the bridal squad (we did not provide makeup services to all that participated).

I had the chance to see some family that I haven’t seen since I was a child; and now NiSi is all grown up. Thanks to my cousin, Leota for insisting that I be apart of making her memories flawless.

April 17th- San Diego

It was another early morning, as my sister came to pick me up so we could head back to San Diego. I got to see my sister play the lead role in a really good play (I think it was better cause she was in it but I may be a bit biased) called “The OtHer Place.” Here’s a little overview via Wikipedia: Juliana is fifty two years old and a brilliant drug-company scientist. She is giving a speech to a neurological convention. As she speaks we cut away to scenes with her doctor, phone calls from her estranged daughter, and arguments with her husband who may or may not be divorcing her. Through it all she constantly refers to “the other place”, a cottage on Cape Cod that the family once owned, and a place where Juliana feels she may reunite with her missing daughter and find some peace of mind. Juliana becomes argumentative with everyone around her and appears increasingly confused. The phone calls from the missing daughter may be a delusion. Juliana believes that she has a brain tumor and says that her mother and other relatives all died of brain tumors at an early age. Eventually Juliana actually visits the other place and encounters the current owner whom she mistakenly believes to be her daughter. The woman is initially hostile and has problems of her own. But soon the two women find mutual comfort as Juliana’s husband arrives to take her home. In a poignant closing monologue she finally confronts what is really going on.

I spent a few days in San Diego experiencing the sunshine and blue skies, the crazy parking situations and sight seeing. It’s nothing like spending time with your best friend, who happens to be your sister. We realized that we were finally having our Sister’s Trip!!!

After a few days, we headed to Las Vegas!

April 22nd- MY BEARTHDAY!!!!

We took a quick flight and I started my bearthday at Griddlecakes, they even gave me a cute birthday pancake even though the rain tried to make an appearance (as usual).

I finished the evening support my good friends, CJ Williams and BL in “Soul of Motown (Vegas).” It was an amazing show, they are currently the #2 show in Las Vegas, so make sure you check them out. #SoulofMotownVegas

I thought the night was over, little did I know; there was more in store. I ended up at a lovely venue called The Nomad Library, it was Brian Newman After Dark. He is the bandleader and arranger for Lady Gaga’s Jazz & Piano show. Now listen here, one thing that I am learning as I continue to grow in my craft and artistry; is to be personable. This man knew my name from being introduced to him prior to the show starting, after it ended and a day or so after… that’s impressive. Brian, thanks for a great show full of many guest performances; some of which were your amazing band, JayR Beat Box, Ronny Foster, Angie Pontani and Tyriq Johnson. Listen, the time difference most definitely caught up with me. If I had been in NC, I would’ve been going to sleep at about 5am.

April 23rd- Las Vegas

This was the day where things began to get a little interesting (stay tuned). I got a chance to sight see a bit and got in a lot of steps. I got a chance to see some beautiful artistry, met some talented people, and connected with some amazing artists. Of course we saw the Venetian, the Bellagio, The Mirage, the MGM, etc. but the best parts of the day was connecting with other artists. We went into the Forum Shops at Caesar and happened to meet a beautiful artist, Naneth Peterson at Blu Fine Art ; she definitely poured into me and gave me some things to think about (she was also connected to my sister for her work with Afro Latino Travels with Kim Haas). We met the amazing Marcus Glenn and his beautiful wife, Yolanda (Princess Yo has been added to her nicknames- inside joke), it was great talking with them and soaking up some of their knowledge, please go check them out and support them. Y’all better be prepared to be sick of me after talking to them.

We found ourselves at the Golden Nugget.

A little bit of history I learned, my grandparents always stayed at the Golden Nugget anytime they came to Vegas. I was the young one of the family, so I didn’t know about my grandparents escapades before I made my grand entrance.

April 24th

We just chilled the majority of the day, but I began to feel extremely tired no matter how much I slept. Y’all I played pool for the first time in like 15-20 years. I didn’t win but I hit what I was supposed to hit and they sometimes went in the pocket. After the tiredness, the cough and scratchy throat came in with the congestion after that to join the party. I thought it was just a cold, so I took a couple vitamins and Ginseng.

April 25th

Last day to play, but not much playing took place. I was exhausted and the more and more I thought about it, it had to be the lady that coughed without covering her mouth while my sis and I were walking down the strip. She literally was sitting on the side of the walk way and let out a huge, deep down within cough. Yes, it could’ve been someone else but that was the most outwardly presentation of COVID on display. I had a red eye flight but first, we were going to see Tyriq Johnson sing with Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns. I was so exhausted but loved every minute of the live instrumentation.

April 26th- I’m Goin Home

The exhaustion really hit me prior to and on the 4 hour flight home. Thank God for good friends that keep me awake while waiting in the airport and checking on me throughout my journey. My flight took off at 12:30am (basically 3:30am NC time), it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep; I slept through the snacks too. There was a medical emergency on the plane but we didn’t have to land. After an Uber ride to my car (thanks to the bestie for keeping an eye on it) and a hour drive home, the bed was most definitely my friend. However, the realization came as soon as I got in the house and I took my at home Covid test.. it was positive. So as I sit here in bed, feeling a little better with tissue stuck up my nose and an occasional, yet frequent cough; I am glad that you stayed around for the finale of Sliding into 40 journey.

Cheers to Chapter 40!!!!!

NEXT SHOW – MAY 4TH AT 10AM EST– www.WDRBMedia.com.

HEAR MUSIC FROM THE AMAZING ARTISTS I GOT TO EXPERIENCE IN VEGAS

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Always with a Brush,

NiSi

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