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It's a Brand New Year Allured Loves!!

Can y'all believe we've finally embarked on yet another new year of life, a new year of hopes, aspirations and dreams? A new year of so many amazing possibilities. Yet, most importantly a new year of all things fabulous and ALLURING. 😉

But, ya'll know I'm a realist and I have to be completely honest with you all. The 2023 year didn't start so fabulous and amazing for me. It definitely began with some worry, stress, anxiety and fear. To the point, there was no way I could gather myself together and publish this very newsletter until I was in a much better head space. Hence the reason for the delay.

My newsletters as you all know are published every quarter, never on a specific date but within the quarter of that particular season. However, just in case you didn't know...the New Year newsletter is actually a bonus one considering there are four quarters and I produce a Spring, Summer, Fall, and Christmas/Winter newsletter.

So yes, my New Year newsletter is as we say in New Orleans...Lagniappe for my audience, which is a French term that means a little something extra. With all of the reset, recharge and

re-energize feelings that come with a new year...there's just no way I could ever see myself NOT giving you all a little lagniappe in the form of an additional or bonus newsletter on the side.

And, so here we are.

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All Photo Stills by Stacy Marks Photography

As many of you already know and for my new email subscribers...

I use my newsletters as a way to go beyond the world of interiors and home decor. And, more of a way to connect with you all if possible on a deeper level by addressing things going on in our world and things that we may all be dealing with in some form or fashion.

My newsletters also serve as an opportunity for me to highlight my hometown and most favorite city in the world, New Orleans...showcasing a mixture of beautiful city exteriors and cultural landmarks.

But most importantly, my newsletters are meant to be a source of light and hope. In these current and uncertain times...

Anything that brings light I believe is always welcome.  

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But let's circle back to my initial feelings at the start of this new year...

The Manifestation Queen,

The Faithful Believing Queen,

The Positive Thinking Queen,

The Queen of Being Mindful of the thoughts I allow to enter my mind,

The Queen of Sharing & Sprinkling my Positive Light to each and everyone of you...was going THROUGH IT, OK!!!

Yes, you heard that right!!

It's no secret that I suffer with holiday anxiety separation...a disorder I came up with on my own and have self-diagnosed myself with, lol.

Wait...Does that mean I need to add the title Dr. to my name now?

Or, do I still need the years of schooling and proper requirements for it?

I mean because in this day and age of social media, the school or rather University of Google and the internet alone be having some folks tripping!!! Thinking they're a complete professional because they read it online and now all of a sudden they're a master at it. 😂🤦🏽‍♀️😫

But I digress, or rather as I was saying...I suffer with anxiety in general but typically at the end of every year, I have a very hard time with saying goodbye to the holiday season. I honestly just never want to let go of the good feelings that come along with the Christmas Season. And, although the start of a New Year can be very exciting...the reality of stepping into a brand new year of the unknown when I've already completed the previous year that I know all too well because I've experienced all twelve months of that year...can be a bit frightening.

I hope I'm making sense. But allow me to dig a bit deeper and clarify.

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I have some amazing things lined up for this year that I'll talk more about later. But even with that being the case, they're all big projects that require a lot of my time, energy and focus. Ultimately, so much has to go into each of these projects for them to come to fruition.

Now, while I've never been afraid of putting in the work, hustling and grinding...I mean I'm a Sagittarius and that's just what we do because we really don't know any other way to live but to go after what we want.

But at forty three years old...sometimes I just feel so EXHAUSTED!!!

Like, my goodness must my life ALWAYS be about working so damn hard?!?!

Can I for once have a season of DELICIOUS FRUIT?!?!?

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Now I know some of you are probably like what in the world is

Tachic talking about?

Surely she can go to the produce section of her nearest grocery store or to a local farmer's market and buy all of the juicy fruit her heart desires. But I'm not talking about the kind of fruit that I can physically eat.

I'm talking about the fruit that is bared in our life from all of the years of hard work, planting and cultivating seeds of labor.

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While I may be the self-proclaimed "Manifestation Queen," it's important for you all to know and understand that I too struggle and have my low days. And, as the end of last year came and went with a new year approaching...my mind was heavy with dark thoughts of all the work and hustling I have to do this year and the dreaded reality of

SELF-DOUBT & FAILURE!!!

Then I read the below and my mind began to shift...

Now my mind didn't shift immediately to positivity. It still took a bit more time. However, the above message was indeed so loud and clear that I saved it, so I could always refer back to it, reflect on the message and really gain perspective about my life. Most importantly, so I could try to understand the reason behind some of my internal struggles and work my way through the self-doubt and fear of failure.

Because what if instead of failing, I SUCCEED?!? 🤔

What if the very things I'm working on carry sooooo much power in the amazing direction it will lead my life, that it's only spiritually natural for the devil to be riding me so freakin' hard? 

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Then one Sunday morning I went to church and my Pastor,

Reverend Dr. Johmyrin Johnson of The Progressive Baptist Church was talking about the spiritual warfare we're all in and three key notes he wanted us to focus on and take away from his sermon, which were...

1. Our Attitude Informs Our Actions

    

2. We Must Get Out Of Our Own Way

    

3. The Same God That Brought You Through Everything Else,

   We Must TRUST & BELIEVE That VICTORY Will Be Ours & That God Will Once Again Bring You Through Every Storm.

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I come from a very strong spiritual background, being raised in the church since I was a child and baptized at the age of eight. I also come from a praying family...praying Grandparents, praying Parents, praying Siblings, praying Aunts, Uncles and Cousins.

I'm also connected to a praying community and a host of praying friends and loved ones. In addition, I'm married to a praying Husband.

Yet, the spiritual warfare and mentally heavy thoughts I was feeling was REAL and I was really struggling with shaking those feelings!!

I spoke to my Pastor after church and literally cried real tears as we spoke, because I felt like his sermon was delivered specifically just for me. Now, I'm sure there were others in service that day that probably felt the same exact way...that the message was strictly for them.

But my goodness the message was so direct to everything I was feeling and needed to hear. I came out of church that day feeling sooooooo much better, feeling seen and heard although I never even gave voice to my Pastor about any of my struggles prior to his message. So yeah, again...it definitely felt as if his sermon was divinely delivered just for me and anyone else who was struggling spiritually, mentally and internally.

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I remember going to my parents house after church and having such an amazing day of Sunday dinner with them and one of my older sisters. It just felt good to not be so stressed and tensed and to finally be moving into a direction where I could breathe a little better and more easy. Where I could smile and laugh and enjoy family time. Most importantly, where I could really apply the key notes of my Pastor's sermon to my life and finally get back on the right track.

Because my goodness...where I was, was NOT where I was trying to live, stay or be AT ALL!!! Now don't get me wrong, I'm very much so HUMAN and days of struggle will sadly always be something that we as mortal beings will always have to work through. Lord, only knows I wish that wasn't the case. BUT, thank God for the days and moments when good messages bring us clarity and understanding and really helps to shift our mindset.

So once I got my mind together and realized sooooo much of my self-doubt, worry, fear, anxiety and stress was due to my attitude completely reflecting how low I'd gotten in my faith. And, it was ultimately informing every action I was taking at the time. I was highly irritable and just not in a good head space at all and definitely driving my Husband crazy. 😫

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In addition, I was just in my OWN WAY!! What was so ironic about my Pastor's message was that I could actually feel that I was in my own way before I heard his sermon.

True Story: The week the 2023 year began, as I said my New Year prayer to God, one of the things I asked of God was whatever is holding me back from reaching my full potential, even if it's me...please allow me to get out of my own way. So to hear my Pastor speak that very message that I prayed asking God to deliver me from myself was quite POWERFUL and once more felt like the message was just for me.

As I started to slowly but surely embrace this New Year journey and make my way back to realigning my faith, getting back to my positive self, shaking all of the fear and self-about...I FINALLY started to figure out what my theme of this year would be and the story I'd share with you all in this newsletter.

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Now ya'll know my looks are always a HUGE part of my newsletter shoots. Because well let's face it, I love fashion as much as I love interior design and I always want to make sure that just like I love my home to look a certain way or for as much as I love investing into my home...

I'm going to always put my best foot forward to look just as fabulous and stylish as well. As I begin to think about my wardrobe for this particular shoot, I knew I wanted to rock something in winter white...

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1. Because if you know anything about me, know that I LOVES me a beautiful stylish winter white look.

    

2. I rocked winter white in last year's New Year Newsletter and begin thinking about make it an annual tradition.

    

3. I think a winter white look for the start of a New Year just screams so fresh and so clean!!!

    

4. I also think a winter white look symbolizes a fresh new start as well as symbolizes being ready to take on the the journey that will unfold in a New Year.

    

5. And, finally...I fell in love with the winter white ostrich feather top I found at Banana Republic and decided to build my look around it.

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I had this beautiful white blazer that had FRUIT all over it, which I was initially supposed to rock last year as one of my looks while filming my upcoming web series. The blazer never made its way on camera so I put it to the side knowing I'd use it for another Allured By Design® photo or video shoot at a later time.

As I begin to really become more and more clear about what I truly wanted the theme of this year and even beyond to be for me...the more it became even more apparent the time had come for me to finally rock this beauty of a blazer.

I mentioned earlier in this newsletter the strong feeling I had of contemplating and questioning...

Can I for once have a season of DELICIOUS FRUIT?

That my Allured Loves is my theme for this year, FRUIT.

🍓🍊🍒🍎🍇🍐🍉🍑🍈🍌🍍🫐🍋🥝🥑🍏🥭🥥

I've planted many seeds last year, all of the years before that and will continue to plant more seeds for many years to come. But this year alone my theme is all about being ready to EMBRACE and RECEIVE the FRUIT of my labor from all of the seeds I've planted thus far.

I don't believe in resolutions, because I honestly think resolutions are far too trendy for my taste and just meant to be broken. And, oftentimes the hype and pressure that come along with resolutions just feel horribly unattainable. Or, perhaps the way my anxiety is set up just doesn't mix well with resolutions.

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But for whatever reason, a theme feels much more organic and realistic to me and just more like something I can make sense of and vibe with.

I also don't believe anything happens by chance because ironically I was initially planning on rocking an all white tuxedo blazer also from Banana Republic. If you didn't know, I'm a bonafide BR girl all the way!! But when I went to purchase the tuxedo blazer it was completely sold out in ALL sizes. Yet again, the more I thought about my theme for this year, I remembered my FRUIT blazer.

And Just Like That...my look and theme for the New Year all came together and made total perfect sense!!

🫐 

Now I do want to be clear that, although my theme for this year is all about embracing the FRUIT of my labor...that most certainly doesn't mean my hustle and grind will be any less. There is still a LOT of work that I have to put in, as I continue along the path of conquering my dreams and building and designing the life I want for me and my Husband to live.

But what my theme does mean is that this year and even for future years to come...Ya Girl is shifting her mindset to being and living in the moment of the FRUIT from all of the hard work I've put in thus far. I just don't think it's healthy to constantly and forever be in an exhausted state of grind mode. We have to allow ourselves to take a step back, receive and embrace ALL OF OUR FRUIT!!

So even though I'll be planting more seeds this year and future years to come...Trust and Believe me when I say, I'm also about to eat and enjoy some of my own damn fruit too!!! And, I most certainly hope you all are preparing your own trays of delicious fruit to enjoy this year as well.

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What We’re Up To

So, first and foremost this is the year I will finally be debuting my web series. I'm very excited about it and truly hoping you all will enjoy the work that my Film Crew, including my Post Production Team and I are all putting into making my series a great show.

The Pilot Episode looks really good. However, we're still making a few tweaks to it here and there to get it exactly to my liking including audio, visuals, music, story, B-roll, etc...

We're also currently laying out the story and structure for the succeeding episodes and then before you know it, everything will all be finalized and ready to view online.

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Also, I am indeed working on having a big premiere of my web series in New Orleans. However, once the details for all of that is secured and finalized, I'll share more info at that particular time.

What else?

I also have something very early in the works that is an expansion or moreso an evolution of my web series in a physical way where you all will have an opportunity to take part in. Not necessarily being cast in my show but more of the new direction I'm evolving my brand and creating an exclusive opportunity to take you all along the ride with me in a much BIGGER way.

It's something I'm super excited about to say the least and when the time is right...I can't wait to share. However, what I can share now about this new direction and the evolution of my brand is this...

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Allured By Design® is a Home & Lifestyle Multimedia Brand where Interior Design, Life, Luxury, Art, Culture, Travel, Fashion and Filmmaking and the exquisite art of creative storytelling all intersect and are all celebrated.

It's taken me several years to really get to a place of where I feel most comfortable of who and what my brand is all about and also HOW I want to be identified. I've always known that Allured By Design® never fit into any kind of traditional design, home or lifestyle mold. My creative career for one is quite different from most. In addition, my story is unique in and of itself.

I'm not just a designer or content creator and I most certainly don't see myself as an "influencer," yet I'm fully aware of my influence.

I'm a professional filmmaker with a degree in filmmaking.

• Storytelling & Filmmaking is my LIFE!!

  • It is truly what I was BORN to do, create stories!!!

     

• Design is where my obsessive PASSION lies.

  • While my degree isn't in Design, my passion for it far exceeds any academic certification!!

• Luxury, Art, Culture, Travel & Fashion is what I LOVE to indulge in!!

  • And, what will always be celebrated in not only the stories I tell but also how I live my life and share it with you all.

 🥥

With that being the case, allow your minds to travel, expand and explore. And, of course try and guess what in the world could I be talking about regarding this project that's very early in the works? Literally in its infant stage. Just be ready for what's coming and I promise I'll share more when it's further developed and ready for announcement.

It's also and very much so, Carnival Time in New Orleans.

Hence my cover photo and the title of this particular newsletter being the Mardi Gras Edition. For those not familiar with New Orleans culture...

The Carnival Season officially begins on the 12th night after Christmas, on January 6th of each new year.

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 So while the rest of the world is taking down their holiday decor and getting their minds and homes ready for the New Year....

New Orleanians are busy welcoming our Carnival Season, preparing for and enjoying all of the cultural events, balls, parades, and food that come along with the season all the way up until the big day of Fat Tuesday better known to the world as Mardi Gras.

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Many New Orleanians convert their holiday decor, including their Christmas Trees into Mardi Gras Trees during the Carnival Season. I have yet to do that. Perhaps one year, I may finally execute a Mardi Gras Tree. But for now, I just enjoy the beauty of Mardi Gras colors and the decorations all over town at every restaurant, our grocery stores, our local businesses and of course in all of our local boutiques.

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Speaking of boutiques...

With this being the year my web series titled

"Boutique Shopping Saturdays With Allured By Design,"

will make its online debut, all of my 2023 newsletters (with the exception to the Christmas newsletter, which is usually always shot in my home, #HousePiazza) will follow suit and highlight a local boutique in the Greater Metropolitan area of New Orleans or on the Northshore side of Lake Pontchartrain.

The highlighted boutiques will be ones that are not featured in my upcoming web series, yet just as amazing and fabulous. To kick off the first of my newsletters for the 2023 year celebrating both the New Year and the Carnival Season, I couldn't think of a better boutique to shoot in other than PHINA.

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PHINA is a local home and gift store in the Old Metairie area of New Orleans, where their showroom is bright, colorful and filled with sooooo many goodies. Many of their luxe and unique finds are custom creations by local Louisiana artists. In addition, they carry beautiful items for one's home, gifts for loved ones and pets, and even stylish clothing, shoes and hats for every Southern Belle and fashionable fashionista.

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Of course because it is a New Orleans boutique, the NOLA culture in their is quite strong with many of their items representing and paying homage to our culture. And, because it is indeed Carnival Time here in the Big Easy, the showroom floor of PHINA has all of the Mardi Gras swag with lots of Mardi Gras themed items, including...

The Big Book of King Cake, which is our traditional delicious cake of the Carnival Season.

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The book written by Matt Haines covers everything you want and need to know about the history of King Cake, the many different versions of it from diverse and talented local bakers and bakeries. In addition and equally as important, it includes some of the most stunning images and photography of beautifully shot King Cakes by New Orleans based Portrait & Food Photographer, Randy Krause Schmidt.

For all of my email subscribers not based here in New Orleans,

Matt Haines book can be purchased online via his website or directly via Amazon.

And, just in case you're wondering what our colors of Mardi Gras represent...allow me to indulge you.

Green = Faith

Gold = Power

Purple = Justice

These have been the official and historic colors associated with Mardi Gras in New Orleans since 1892 drawing inspiration from the rules of heraldry, which is a system by which coats of arms and other armorial bearings are described and regulated.

If you'd like to indulge further and read more on the history of Mardi Gras colors from one of New Orleans most famous King Cake bakeries,

click here.

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The Filmmaker in me loves to share with you all in my newsletters what interesting shows I'm watching, or at least when I remember I try to share. Shows that allow me to either dream, think, reflect, receive a message, or just view life from a different perspective. Or, of course shows that are simply there for entertainment purposes and great escapism.

The Best Man: The Final Chapters

(Peacock)

It was hands down one of the BEST pieces of pure good storytelling with an all black Cast as well as black creatives behind the camera that I've seen in a very long time. It was so well done and so well written!! I LOVE that the stories of each character were a great and real representation of the black experience without the need to make us look ghetto, ignorant, ratchet or uneducated.

The media LOVES to portray my people and my skinfolk as a monolithic society. But we are NOT all loud and ghetto or come from a place of poverty. Indeed our ancestral foundations are shared and we remember, pay respect to and honor the struggle of our ancestors (which gave way to where many of us are today), as well as the struggle of many of our skinfolk still going through the struggle today.

Yet, there are so many of us that are our Ancestors DREAM...doing well in life, maintaining, succeeding, thriving, highly educated and well paid amidst of the daily struggles we all face in both our personal and professional lives. It felt amazing to see people who look like me portrayed on camera in the most beautiful, celebratory, vulnerable and authentic way. I can't say enough great things about The Best Man series because it truly was that good.

What made it even better were the real life situations that every character in the series had to deal with and work to overcome...from matters of the heart, living with grief, aging parents, work/life balance, parenting kids, the me too movement, gender and sexual identity, and the constant evolution of navigating marriage, love and friendship.

If you haven't yet seen it, I highly encourage you to do so.

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A few other series I've indulged in over the holidays or most recently are...

Vikings Valhalla: Season 2

(Netflix)

My Husband has me tuned into all of these damn Vikings shows.

Hands down The Last Kingdom to date was and is the best one I've seen yet. However, I actually really enjoyed Vikings Valhalla and am looking forward to future seasons. I still think historic Viking culture has always been a very barbaric and brutal one. But I do enjoy indulging in history, so I can at least appreciate just being informed on other cultures and other periods of time.

Tulsa King

(Paramount+)

I reps for Sly Stallone all day, err'day. He was after all my very first Italian Crush at the tender age of five!! So to see him still doing his thing at seventy six years old is nothing short of AMAZING!!! And, no matter what character he plays he will ALWAYS and FOREVER be Rocky Balboa to me. But in Tulsa King he plays Dwight "The General" Manfredi, an Italian Mafia Capitano from New York recently released from prison after serving twenty-five years for a crime he didn't commit. Now sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma to either sink, swim or thrive. Yet, when have we ever known any character Sly plays to NOT thrive?

So far, I'm LOVING this show!!!

1923

(Paramount+)

Another prequel series from the Yellowstone franchise. Thus far it's pretty good and I'm really looking forward to seeing the story further develop, when it picks back up on February 5th I believe. I'll do a better and proper review on this show once I've completed the first season.

Mayor of Kingstown

(Paramount+)

Lord Have Mercy, this show is a LOT to stomach!! Like too much for my taste. But it really is art imitating life sadly going deep into systemic racism, prison institutions, prison life, drive-by shootings, gang life, police politics, police brutality, etc...Yeah, it's a lot!! Yet, it really is a well written show. I just hate that we live in a society where a series like this is inspired from how things really go down in the criminal system and gang life.

Sex/Life

(Netflix)

BABY!!! I'm late to the party on this one. But my goodness, this show had me hot and bothered!!! I wasn't ready but I damn sure got ready!!!

Do yourself a favor and watch it. If you're married or in a relationship, watch it WITH your spouse or significant other. You'll thank me later. 😉

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As I finally begin bringing this newsletter to a close...

 If you're brand new to my blog or to my email list and would like access to content released prior to you joining the Allured By Design® family...

You can always head to the home page of my website and peruse about, where you'll find all of my video content. To head there, click here.

Also, if you'd like access to previously released newsletters from the beginning up until now, in addition to general information about my web series...you can find it all on my links page by clicking here.

Of course, I'd like to remind you all to make sure you're following me on my social media platforms both Facebook and Instagram where I share daily and seasonal home and lifestyle inspiration. I'm also on TikTok but have yet to be active on the platform. Trust me when that day comes, you all will definitely know about it.

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This year began a bit rough and dark for me. But, I'm so thankful and grateful for the moments of clarity. I'm also thankful for the power of prayer. And, I'm thankful for each day as an opportunity to work to get back to my better self. In last year's New Year newsletter, I left you all with a powerful message that I will once again leave you with. Mainly because it's a reminder for myself to get back to what I know is true.

If any of you had a rough start into this year or have been feeling a little down or even feeling like you want to get out of your own way...

If the below message can be a reminder for me, I know it can also be a great and powerful reminder for you all too.

In my photo gallery at the bottom of the home page on my website,

you'll find the words...

“DESIGN THE LIFE YOU WANT TO LIVE”

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Each of us have the power to design our own lives by doing the work (but please know that it will TAKE WORK, in spite of our exhaustion) and simply by believing in the below...

•The Power of Thought - Our dreams and goals first take shape in our head with our very own thoughts. Be mindful and careful of what you allow in. Positive thoughts no matter the circumstances, usually breed positive outcomes.

•The Power of Tongue - Speaking our dreams into existence. We can always hope, but we MUST speak and give breath to the very things we want to accomplish in this life.

•The Power of Action - We can’t just believe, think and speak. It’s imperative that we DO THE WORK and spring into action. For faith without work is dead.

The process of conquering our dreams and designing the lives we truly desire to live can oftentimes be painful, stressful and equally exhausting.

But the journey can be beautiful and ultimately worth it in the end, when we arrive at our destination.

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May you all be blessed in this New Year of life. May you all continue to plant seeds this year and more years to come. For a good Gardner knows that the cycle of cultivation never truly ends. It's an ongoing process for the healthy growth and development of any garden.

WE ARE OUR OWN GARDENS!!

🍓🍊🍒🍎🍇🍐🍉🍑🍈🍌🍍🫐🍋🥝🥑🍏🥭🥥

So let's all make sure we nourish and care for ourselves and our minds.

Yet, simultaneously may we also remember to harvest on the FRUITS of our labor in this New Year...from seeds planted last year and years before.

I do want us to be about the work!! But it's equally important for us to also enjoy the things we all work so hard for.

Thank you for rocking with me last year.

Thank you for rocking with me for another new year.

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Until next time...

⚜️Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler⚜️

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