The Wrap Up Vol 8
The Wrap Up Vol 8
"The" million dollar question, Kings of Leon, new hair who dis, my new DYI obsession and transracial adoptions all in this month's "The Wrap Up" vol 8
"The" Million Dollar Question: “So Melissa, what’s going on with the rebrand and blog relaunch you've been telling us about?”
Well, that’s a good question and one that requires a good answer. In short, Squarespace and Wordpress don’t play well together on the playground. Think the Hatfields vs. the McCoys. Think oil and vinegar. Think upgrading from a Droid phone to an Apple phone.
This refusal of the 2 platforms to coexist made migrating from one platform to the other a complete and total nightmare. Further causing Team Awesome (what I affectionately call Justin, Maggie and Liz) to download, re-upload and re-label every single solitary picture from my old (current) www.resplendentlyliving.com blog to it’s new future home. And let’s not get started on the formatting issues either. Ugh! All and all, I’m super blessed to have Team Awesome and they have done and are doing amazing things.
So the new roll-out will happen in a few weeks (before the New Year).
Now time for some happy news . . .
Ups, Downs & All Arounds
Ups
I’ve gotta BIG HUGE “Up” this month, but it’s a secret. Ugh! My secret isn’t quite G14-classified buuuuuuuut I’m keeping it and guarding it that way because I’m a little ‘stitious and I don’t want to jinx it. So, I’ll 100% fill you in next month and I guarantee full transparency. Cross my heart and pinky swear.
Downs
Really having a hard time thinking of downs this month, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But I will say, one of the downers of my month is the overall feeling I’ve been experiencing of being overwhelmed. I want to accomplish so much but I have so little time. As I get older, being overwhelmed is becoming easier and easier. Once upon a time, I was able to and I thrived on juggling multiple things at one time. I used to work better under pressure and with more things on my plate. Well, you can only burn the candle at both ends for so long. And as these years press on, the balancing act I so seamlessly pulled off, is no longer feasible and quite frankly, it’s exhausting (I literally want to go and take a nap. No. Joke.) So I’ve really been digging back into the philosophy of “no more than 3 each day” that I learned from Timothy Ferriss’ book, “The 4 Hour Work Week”. Basically, the premise behind “no more than 3” is that it is virtually impossible to multitask successfully and remain productive. Something has to suffer, either the quality or the quantity of the work. But something will suffer. When you focus on conquering no more than 3 tasks a day, you’ll be much more productive.
& All Arounds
I broke down and joined a CrossFit gym for 6 weeks as a challenge. While I enjoy my “swole mates” and the new friends I’ve made at the gym, I will say that CrossFit has whipped my ass in shape giving me a jump start on my health journey. However, I don’t really think CrossFit is for me but I’m considering checking out spinning, Orange Theory and some other forms of exercise going forward.
Quote of the Month:
“If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.”
One of my personal all-time favorite quotes that rings true every time.
On ResplendentlyLiving.com
And the party don’t stop . . .
Curious about a Thanksgiving cruise? It’s never too late to start new traditions. Here’s our 10-day cruise itinerary to Panama.
From requesting your records to knowing what to ask for if your breast are dense, there are 5 important things to know before your mammogram.
I was scared to take my first solo trip to Fiji and New Caledonia, but I did it anyway. Here’s what I learned from traveling solo.
Wearing
New hair, who dis?
Thank you Nekesha at Mane Results for magically transforming and taming this mane. Roarrrrrrr!
Watching
I just discovered “The DIY Designer” on YouTube and well, I am ob-sessed. I used to sew and DIY design quite a bit but life happens and it took me away for doing these things over the years. “The DIY Designer” is a LA mom who is taking designer designing on a dime to a whole new level and I’m here for ALL of it. Since watching her, I’ve already cut and distressed a pair of thrifted jeans. And for my next trick, I plan to follow her lead and tie-dye a thrifted flannel button down shirt for the winter.
Red Table Talk with Kristin Davis (aka “Charlotte” from Sex In the City) opening up about her personal journey and process of adopting trans-racially. She also addresses the social stigma and side-eyes given in regards to the motivation of those who have chosen to adopt outside of their race.
As with Game of Thrones, the 3rd time is a charm when trying to watch Insecure on HBO. I’m finally hooked and binge watched all 3 seasons in a little over a week. All caught up. Bring on season 4.
Rocketman (Elton John musical bio-pic) = Wow!
Other notables:
American Horror Story: 1984
Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones (Walton Groggins is hilarious in both)
MIB: International (I now want a Jababian).
Listening
Kept it old school with one of my all-time favorite albums, “Young, Gifted and Black” by Aretha Franklin.
Reading
To all the people who enthusiastically recommended the book, “Boom Town” by Sam Anderson, I thank you. So interesting to read (cough, cough listen to on audiobook) the story of how Oklahoma, Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA team were formed. It’s legit like a soap opera. So. Much. Drama. . . And I’m here for ALL of it!
Eating + Drinking
Exploring this great city of OKC and finally made it to the famous Edna’s in OKC and enjoyed one of her famous (liquid) lunchboxes. Now I see what the hype is about. Don’t forget to leave your mark with a dollar bill on the wall.
Visiting
I had the privilege of being selected as a member of the media for the grand opening of Scissortail Park in Oklahoma City. From the dedication of Kings of Leon Lane and free concert to the mic drop by Mayor David Holt to the fireworks and everything in between, grand opening weekend didn’t disappoint. I think it’s safe to say that OKC knows how to throw a party.
ATL is always a good time. Especially when reuniting with your best friend happens to coincide with a baby shower celebration for another good friend.
Cheers to the weekend my friends! Annnnnnd that is a wrap!
-XOXO Melissa
Where You Can Find Me on Social Media
@ThisIsMelDrake
THE ‘GRAM (the pretty pictures): https://www.instagram.com/thisismeldrake
PINTEREST (the inspiration): https://www.pinterest.com/thisismeldrake
FACEBOOK (a little this + a little that): https://www.facebook.com/thisismeldrake
TWITTER (the sass + musings): https://twitter.com/thisismeldrake
