The Wrap-Up Vol 7

Count it! It's Official!

lake canmore banff calgary canada land rover discovery melissa peace sign #canada #girlstrip #banff #lakecanmore #calgary

The end of an era, simple math: lemons + vodka, reunions lead to therapy, binge-watching senior citizens and "pray for us, y'all" all in this month's "The Wrap Up" vol 7.

I've got new social media handles. The era of "Resplendently Living" is slowly coming to a close. It's been real and it's been fun but listen, we gotta change. Honestly, I really loved what the name, Resplendently Living, represented (living golden ie. your best life); however, Resplendently Living is a bitch to spell (just being honest), no one can pronounce it and well, that's enough data to render a much needed name change. Effective immediately, "This is Mel Drake" is active on all social media platforms (please see below), except for Facebook because they are being EXTRA AF. Currently going through the appeals process with Zuckerberg's crew to have the name changed on Facebook. Can you believe they are requesting official documentation (which I've happily provided)? So until then, we wait for Facebook. But in the meantime, "This is Mel Drake" is GTG (translation: Good to Go) on all other platforms. Oooooh I almost forgot to tell you, be on the lookout for a domain change as well. www.thisismeldrake.com will be coming to you super soon. Sooooooo, (please) stay tuned.

Plug

If you are anything like me, you like choices. Please follow along for morelife, tips and inspiration. Each platform offers something a little different. So here's what to expect:

THE 'GRAM (the pretty pictures): http://bit.ly/igthisismeldrake

TWITTER (the sass + musings): http://bit.ly/twitterthisismeldrake

PINTEREST (the inspiration): http://bit.ly/pinthisismeldrake

NEWSLETTER (I won't spam you, pinkie promise): http://bit.ly/2YteyeP

Quote of the Month:

“I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade . . . And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.”

— Ron White

jake melissa best friends smiling | www.thisismeldrake.com | #bestfriends

Ups Down and All Arounds

Ups

Yea! for friend visits. So, I had my first visitors here in OKC and it was a magical time. My oldest friend (we met in preschool so we go waaaaay back), Jake, and his boo came to visit me for his birthday along with Chameka's best friend and former Baylor Lady Bears basketball teammate, Jordan. Thanks to some excellent suggestions from my new OKC friends Justan and Brandon, we had so much fun exploring and eating our way through OKC. With no shame in our game, all of our shenanigans were broadcast via IG Stories. In case you missed the fun and the foolishness, check out our OKC adventures available via Instagram highlight #OKC. Which brings me to . . .

Downs

I'm just going to be honest, the process of grieving is a real bi-och. Meek has been gone for about 1 1/2 years and things were getting better (or so I thought). I was moving on with my life. I had gotten to a point where I could actually talk about her and not cry. What was once tears, time had transformed to smiles and laughter wrapped in happy memories. I was happy again. I was making friends. I was getting out and exploring my new city. Things were good. Until . . . my friends came to visit. I absolutely LOVED that my friends came to visit me but as soon as they left, I felt strangely lonely. Now I've been lonely before, but this was different. I felt empty. I felt sad. I felt really alone. After a few days of refusing to leave the couch and intermittent ugly cries, I reached out to my friend Jake (the same one who just visited me) and he suggested that I seek a therapist for grief counseling. So, I did just that. I met with a therapist and I will continue to do so for as long as it takes to move passed this major event that has radically changed my life. I say all this to say, that there is absolutely no shame in seeking the counseling of a professional to work through difficult patches in your life. If we are all blessed to live long enough, we will experience moments of extreme ups and extreme downs. When those "extreme downs" hit, it's nice to speak to a qualified, unbiased, individual who can help us work through that time.If you are considering counseling/therapy, I highly recommend it. Don't be scared. And in the words of Nike, "Just do it!"

& All Arounds

Labor Day is approaching and I'm headed to my first family reunion taking place in Tennessee. Now despite the constant snarky replies to my mother in the form of "I don't know those people" and "do I really need to go?" I'm going (for better or for worse). Did I mention that the kids (aka my parents) love to drive. Soooo, we are headed from Oklahoma to Tennessee in a car. And you can guarantee that my mom will pack some real unnecessary shit. . . like hangers, a steamer and 5-10 pairs of shoes for a 5 day trip. Ugggggh. Why, Lord. Why? Please send answers. Y'all pray for us. And while you are at it, pray that we don't kill each other. K, thanks ❤️

On ResplendentlyLiving.com

And the party don't stop . . .Traveling solo? Say "hello" to the Westin Denarau Island: the perfect Fiji resort for (female) solo travelers.

Streaming

Netflix Binge-worthy:

Binge-watching Senior Citizens? Yes, it's a thing. At least in the Drake household. The kids (my parents) had their first binge watching experience when I got them hooked on HBO's True Blood. To say they were cracked out on the series would be a HUGE gross understatement. Each time I would call to see how they were doing (as a daughter would), they couldn't talk to me because I was interrupting their "True Blood" binge-watching time. Well as we all know, once a binge watched series is completed, feelings of sadness and "what do I do with my life next" quickly seep in. So to help them through their first after binge-watching depression, I introduced them to Scandal. Well hell, they made light work of that series and cut through all 7 seasons (124 episodes total) in less than a month. Geez! Now, they are on to Game of Thrones. Not sure how I should feel about any of this. It's apparent, I've created a monster.

Watching

In other news: Currently catching up on my Orange is the New Black. I'm like 2 episodes away from finishing the whole series. And I seriously cannot wait for the next season of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina to come back. Unfortunately, I was just reading that it won't be back in time for Halloween. Is it just me or is this a missed opportunity?

HBO for the win! One word: Zendaya. Listen, if Zendaya doesn't get an award of any significance for her performance in Euphoria, I'm rioting. No, really. It's not a game. Not sure what I'm going to tear up, but something is going to be de-constructed.Others in heavy rotation: The Black Lady Sketch Show (on HBO) definitely giving me modern day In Living Color vibes and Pose (on FX) is another can't miss must see. Angel in one word: Flawless.

Listening

Just like my music taste, it's not surprise that this month my audio stylings are all across the board.

Here's a sample of my current musical fare based on mood:

Mood = Chill Vibes on Major

Go To Playlist: Spotify's "Are & Be" (upcoming and current R&B artist)

Songs from the "Are & Be" playlist on (seriously) heavy repeat:

"Love Me Right" by Amber Mark, "Like You" by Asiahn, "EX (Remix)" by Kiana Lede and "Imported" by 6Lack + Jessie Reyez

All-Star Hall of Fame Song: "Don't Let Me Lonely Tonight" by James Taylor

Mood = "I'ma Bad Bitch"

"Truth Hurts" by Lizzo; (If this girl power song isn't a self-esteem booster and motivator, than I got nothing)

"Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish (Not the Justin Bieber remix . . . "Duh!")

Reading

To be honest, I haven't read much lately. Although I did read listen to the book "Do the Work". Great motivator for following your dreams to start a business. Basically, just take a leap, get out there, do the work, pull the trigger and just do it (annnnd there's the Nike reference again.)

Eating + Drinking

Sampling the fare of OKC. Highlights on the Oklahoma City food tour: Stitch, Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies, The Press, Frida Southwest, Nashbird, Roxy's Ice Cream Social, Vast (*whispers very loudly* get the bone-in ribeye), and Hatch Early Mood Food. The Oklahoma State Fair is just around the corner. Looking forward to all things fried. Stay tuned . . .

Visiting

Had fun trip to Calgary and Banff, Canada with my sorority sisters. Shout out to Avis for hooking us up with the Land Rover Discovery. Ballin! And that's all I can basically share about our trip. What happens in Canada stays in Canada, right? (said no one ever) LOL

Cheers to the weekend my friends! Annnnnnd that is a wrap!

-XOXO Melissa