I know you thought I forgot, right!? Not me! It’s been crazy-hectic and when it comes to getting pictures off of my camera–let me just say, I’m a little slow. Blame technology and the convenience of sharing capabilities on smartphones, tablets, etc. I traveled to New Orleans (NOLA) on July 5-8 to attend the Essence Music Festival (EMF) for the second time. My HB and I went for the first time last year and we had a blast! This year I went with girlfriends and it was fun times, indeed!
After a long train ride, me and the girls were ready to hit Bourbon! First stop…hand grenades. Everybody had hand grenades on the brain, because I think we made 5 stops before we found the frozen kind! Next stop…Razzoo! Photo op with some of the crew + Keisha (who we met). It was so SUPER packed and HOT, but we had a great time!
IN THE STREETS OF NOLA!
Guess who was spotted out and about and got featured?
Lane Bryant featured me on their Instagram for their #LBSummerStyle during EMF Weekend! I thought that was pretty cool! I was also featured on the Coca Cola Happiness Wall in the Convention Center for the entire EMF weekend.
First Stop…
African Pride “Beauty and the Beat” Pop-Up Beauty Suite was so much fun! As soon as we walked in they were passing out Mimosas for us to indulge in, taking photos, and I even received an awesome swag bag full of goodies! Kelly Price was there and DJ Spinderella was doing her thang on the turntables with all of the old-school hits! I took home lots of new hair products and I can’t wait to use them all. I’m still using products I swagged from the beauty suite last year!
Convention Center Bound!
There’s always tons to do at the convention center! Eric Benét was singing his pretty, little heart out in one corner, McDonald’s was giving away gift cards and bags in another. There was much more where that came from. I had the opportunity to see a lot of great acts, performances, a fashion show, and I didn’t leave empty handed!
I ran into my Line Sister, Alisha, at the convention center. We always seem to find each other in the midst of all the Essence festivities!
I was sad that the River Walk was closed until 2014 due to renovations. No bread pudding from the hot spot. *sad face* This gives my HB and I an excuse to make another trip!
Later that night…
Partyayyy with my Chicas (Chevy, Krystel, and Katina)! Gotta love the photo-bomb! We attended a party hosted by Laz Alonso with special guests, Lance Gross and Pooch Hall. I danced my tail off that night and burned about 1000 calories!
Celeb Sightings!
Miss Jill Scott! — Let me just say I have never been star struck–but when Jill passed by me in the convention center, I could hardly contain myself! I could literally reach out and touch her. As we were leaving, I kept hearing a crowd going wild. A lot of the celebs were leaving the building at the same time and they greeted fans before they departed. I was excited to get another glimpse of her and all her FABulousness. She just exudes grace and confidence–Simply gorgeous! And yes, I will STAN for Miss Jill!
I had so many pictures I wanted to include, but this post would have a million photos!
First Photo — Empowerment Sunday — Top/Bottom: Singer, Michelle Williams (of Destiny’s Child) was tearing up the stage taking us back to Old Church! She was awesome! Center: Kurt Carr and the Kurt Carr singers. If you’ve ever attended EMF and didn’t go to Empowerment Sunday, you are truly missing out! It’s an incredible worship experience. If you ever decide to go–don’t leave there without attending!
Center Photo — Kevin Hart leaving the convention center. It was his birthday and he took photos of the crowd and posted an Instagram video of us singing Happy Birthday to him.
Right Photo — Eric Benét performed a mini-concert–Boris Kodjoe, leaving the convention center in all of his gorgeousness (I think the ladies will agree with me on this)–AJ Johnson was in the “AJ ZONE” giving the people what they want…FITNESS style, promoting better health! We even did the Wobble! Yes, that’s a workout in itself.
There were more sightings: Roblé, Roland Martin, Yolanda Adams, Tasha Cobbs, and Brandy…just to name a few!
Stay Tuned for Part Two of the EMF Rewind
The Mrs. (Beyoncé) Carter TAKEOVER!
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