What I’m Delegating + The Wrap-Up Vol 11

When to throw in the towel and ask for help, what we can learn from Lizzo, nesting and decorating, running the streets of OKC, and how you can personally hold me accountable all in this month’s the Wrap Up Vol 11

Ups Down and All Arounds

Ups

Praise the Lord! My pageviews are back! In order to make it happen, we had to call in the big dogs. It was nothing short of a miracle that goes by the name of Carlos. Which brings me to. . . What I’m Delegating

Aside from the hiring of Team Awesome to help with the relaunch and rebrand of my blog, this was the first time I’ve acted like a “boss” and hired someone to trouble shoot and solve a very important problem that suddenly popped up. Typically, I’d try and fix it myself, which on the surface, seemed a whole lot cheaper (ahem cost effective) than hiring someone. Buuuuuuuut when I dug a little deeper, I realized that it would actually cost me more in time (ex. sourcing the problem, figuring out how to solve it, learning how to code it and etc) and potential funds. Why? because I’d totally have to halt all operations to learn a new skill set to solve this problem and honestly, who knew how long that would be. When it was all said and done, Carlos completely fixed our redirect issues (and there we quite a few) and we were back to normal in a few days.

Oh Yeah! I introduced the world (via IG and Pinterest) to my new brand, Purely Confident and the first freebie we offered, Snarky Valentine’s Day Cards were a HUGE hit!

Downs

Some would consider this a HUGE up but I look at it as a down.

*deeply sighs* my Christmas tree FINALLY came down. *deeply sighs (again)* Cyndy was the driving force behind it. Apparently, she “couldn’t properly see the space” with the Christmas tree still up. blah, blah, blah! LOL 😂

Who is Cyndy? Keep reading below. . .

All Arounds

Since moving into my new house, I have been nesting like CRAZY! aka: decorating. And since decorating isn’t my ministry, my friend Cyndy came to my rescue. Hailing all the way from great state of Washington, she swooped in to help me make my house a home. I can’t wait to show you the before and afters. Stay tuned. . .

Quote of the Month:  

On ThisisMelDrake.com

*Takes a depth breath and prepares to announces an audacious goal

In my quest to truly provide y’all with useful information and also to grow as a blogger, for the next 3 months (March, April, May), I am committing to posting 2 new blog posts/week. Eek! And to be honest, I struggled with announcing this because well, I wasn’t sure if I could make it happen. Annnnnnd well, I’m hoping that you’ll hold me accountable if I do not (which is what I’m excited about and afraid of). Buuuuuut, I feel confident enough to do it and to announce it. And so far so good! I’ve been on track the last couple of weeks. Sooooooooo, let’s do this!

Here’s How You Can Personally Hold Me Accountable

If I slip or miss my goal during these 3 months (March, April, May), please feel free to email me and hold me fully accountable. I’m serious! In fact, here’s where you can email me: info {@} thisismeldrake.com

Now back to our regularly scheduled program. . .

Here’s What You Missed on ThisIsMelDrake.com

Valentine’s Day is over, but it’s never too earlier to prep for next year. Want to tell someone how you really feel? Here’s are the MOST FUNNY hilarious Valentines Day cards.

Looking for a girl power packed list of black female influencers? I'm sharing 15 of the best black travel, style, health, career, relationships, food and life skills influences that you need to follow on social media.

She sings. She raps. She plays the flute. She’s empowering. She's self love. The real question is: What can’t Lizzo do?

Here’s 50 ways to take your Instagram game to the next level! - The Best Instagrammable Places in Houston

This & That

Wearing

Ever since attending my first blogger’s conference earlier this month, here in OKC, I’ve been OBSESSED with the outfit my fellow blogger was wearing. Annnnnnd, I just had to have it. And even better, the outfit was under $25!!! SCORE! Check out the joggers and sweater for this winning combo.

And retro is back, babies. I finally took the plunge and purchase a pair of high waisted classic Levi’s Ribcage jeans. And well, I love them. Pro Tip: I wanted them to be a bit short (ankle length) so I ordered them in a 30” inseam and cut the length custom to my body (short legs long torso problems).

Watching 

I finally sat down and watched, in its entirety, Batman: Dark Knight with Heath Ledger as the Joker. Wow! he did an AMAZING job as I’m sure you already know because I’m late to the party (per usual).

SNL: The episode with RuPaul had be gasping for air in between deep bellied laughs. Favorite skit: The Library, “because reading is fundamental”.

Other Notables:   

Locke & Key (Netflix):  I seriously cannot wait for season 2.

The Masked Singer: Without giving any specific spoilers away, I know my black divas. The End.

Listening

I was recently asked what playlist do I have when running. It was assumed that I listen to music during my half marathon training days. Funny thing is, I actually don’t listen to any music when I run. Why? It throws off my running rhythm. Instead, I opt for podcasts (aka the new talk radio for the 2000’s). Some of my favs are: The Perez Hilton podcast, Hello Hunnay by Jeannie Mai, Unqualified with Anna Faris and What’s the Tee with RuPaul and Michelle Visage.

As you can clearly see, I like to keep my runs light and very entertaining.

Reading

After watching the week long teaser interviews on Entertainment Tonight, I purchased Jessica Simpson’s autobiography, “Open Book”. So far so good! Color me interested and impressed.

Eating + Drinking

Have you tried the Ranch Water from Mexican Radio in Oklahoma City??? It’s the perfect drink for the upcoming summer. I’m gonna see if I can make a version of it and share it with y’all. Stay tuned.

Visiting

Although my Colorado girls trip was postponed until a later date and time, I found a lot of joy in preparing for my half marathon by running the various districts of OKC. From Downtown to the Plaza District to Heritage Hills and beyond, such beautiful scenery in the forms of architecture, murals and so much more. Tune into to my IG Stories to follow along.

Ohhhhhhhh, and I had the pleasure of accompanying my uncle to the Charlie Wilson concert. And lemme tell you. . . that man can still SANG and dance!

Where to Find Me on Social Media

Same place; same bat channel

@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 

Love to you all.  Annnnnnnd that’s a wrap!

-XOXO Melissa