REST IN PEACE TO A LEGEND|| KOBE BRYANT AND DAUGHTER

 Hearing the news of Kobe's death was so unreal. I couldn't wrap my head around it and I'm still trying to process it. Life on earth is fragile and beautiful!
Kobe Bryant inspired me in so many ways. His passion for basketball and excellence propelled me to embrace the game and play at a level I didn't think was possible. He was very inspiring to watch on the basketball court. Not only was he an amazing talent, he was even a better father and husband.

Thank you Kobe aka Black Mamba for the years of inspiration and entertainment. You have left a mark that will never be erased from our consciousness. May you, your daughter and crew members Rest In Peace!

I pray for the families affected, may the Lord God of Heavens give them peace and solace at this time of intense mourning. Amen!

PUTTING TOGETHER A VACATION CHECKLIST|| WHAT TO DO ON A VACATION

Hey guys. It's a beautiful rainy, windy, cold day and I'm grateful for being a part of it. If you live in the Atlanta area, make sure to stay dry and warm.

Although I have travelled to a few countries but my list of countries to visit is still long. In all of my previous trips, I never thought of putting together a list of to-do and to-experience activities. I think it might be because most of my trips have been business oriented. Now, as I have evolved and studied the lives of travelers and other entrepreneurs, I have become more conscious of what it's all about.

Mark Wiens is one of my favorite food bloggers. Check him out here: https://migrationology.com/travel-guides/dubai-uae/. I love how involved and passionate he is about the local foods of each country he visits.

What is the essence of traveling without truly experiencing the culture and traditions of the new country or community? Life is a combination of experiences. It is my goal to live in every moment. As a result, I have come up with a list of must experience when I visit my next list of countries.

Food is a great part of any people. In the food of a people, you could learn a great deal about their culture and traditions. Questions such as: what occasion do you make this type of food? Who makes the food? How is the food eaten? How do you give thanks? What's the traditional name of this food? Which community did it first get introduced? These are questions that I look forward to asking when I try their traditional meals.

Looking at my friends who have traveled the world extensively, I have learned that the best places to eat are not at 5 star elaborate hotel restaurants. You can't really enjoy the richness of the culture of a people in their food this way because there's a big external cultural influence on it to appeal of tourists from the west. You have to look for a random local restaurant or go to their farmer's market and try foods made by locals at their small shops. This type of atmosphere gives you a real experience of a people and an intimate view of what life is truly like. Mmmm... it's so inspiring just writing about it. I love meeting new people and learning about their different cultures. What perfect location to connect.

This is just a short list but it's a valuable one to me. In the root of every culture is a people. People are the goal. In everyone is the longing and desire to be accepted and loved just as they are. Showing deep and genuine interest in the way of life of a people, is a great way to spread love and unity and acceptance.
Having all of these in mind, I look forward to my next travel. It will be an amazing one!

All pictures are downloaded from google.com and https://migrationology.com/travel-guides/dubai-uae/

XoXo
Maryam

WHAT MEGHAN AND HARRY TEACH ME

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely friend. Thank you for checking out my blog today.

Meghan and Harry are one of kind type of Royals. They stand for humanity. I choose the word deliberately. They are very involved in humanitarian works and devote so much of their time and efforts into making an impact in others through their various projects. I am very inspired by their work in the world. I was naturally not surprised to read their announcement about forging their own path and making an impact that doesn't have a dominant Royal influence to it. I have included their announcement to this post. Read it below.

Posted January 9, 2020 on https://sussexroyal.com/about/

“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family, and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge, and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” 

Life is about forging your path and doing what your heart leads you to do. That's why watching Harry and Meghan forge a new path came as no surprise to me. They are both passionate and confident individuals who know what they want to do and follow their hearts. I wish them all the best in their new pursuits.

There's only one way to go and that is forward. Change occurs with or without our permission. Someone wise once said that, there's no point in fighting the old model if it doesn't work for you anymore. Instead, you build a new one that renders the old one obsolete. It's all about taking a new perspective, focusing and directing your energy to it.
I am sending Meghan and Harry a lot of love, light and peace!  I can't wait to volunteer in their organization.

XoXo
Maryam

A RED DRESS ON CHOCOLATE IS THE BOMB|| LUXE GAL

Hello there, thank you for stopping by today. It's a beautiful stormy rainy day in my neck of the woods. Hope you're having a great day wherever you are reading this.
I woke up in the wee hours of the morning to the LOUD blasts of thunder and lightning. It was very thunderous indeed. The whole house was vibrating and I couldn't help by thank God for nature🙏.

In today's blog post, I will be sharing some of my new pieces from Femme Luxe Finery. As you may or may not already know, I am always excited to try new pieces that I find interesting and out of my comfort zone.  It's like playing dress up for my own enjoyment. Lol! A plus to this, is sharing it with you all who may be looking for inspiration or looking to try a different clothing store or style. Just allow me be your manicon😁😂.

Let us begin... This beautiful Red Belted Bodycon Midi Dress is simply the showstopper and highlight of this blog. It's beautiful! Here's where to get it: https://femmeluxefinery.co.uk/products/red-belted-bodycon-midi-dress-angelica.

Red like this, goes very well with chocolate skin. The contrast is so beautiful and captivating. I love it! It's one of those dresses that seems to put a spell on you lol...

I love how it hugs my athletic figure so well. No wonder my sweet man said he would like to take me out on a date wearing this dress😊. A dress does have a way of influencing your experience doesn't it?😁.

Next... my Mid Wash Distressed Ripped Jeans.

Here's the link to get it: https://femmeluxefinery.co.uk/products/mid-wash-distressed-ripped-mom-jeans-cora. I like this pair of jeans. It's a piece that can be dressed up or down.

I paired it with this Black Cargo Jacket and it looks great!

Here's the link for the Jacket: https://femmeluxefinery.co.uk/products/black-long-sleeve-belted-utility-cargo-jacket-abril.

Last piece I want to share is my Black Belted Hoodie. I prefer to wear this hoodie without the belt. You can style it however you want. It's completely up to you. Remember your style is as you define and want it to be.

The belt I am holding above my head came with the hoodie. I prefer the hoodie unbelted. You may prefer it with the belt.

Here's the link for the hoodie: https://femmeluxefinery.co.uk/products/black-belted-long-line-hoodie-dress-theo

I am very excited to see what pieces I share next. I will be picking new pieces that I haven't tried before for sure. Femme Luxe Finery has a variety of clothes that you may like. Check them out today and see for yourself.

See you soon!
Maryam

MY MORNING ROUTINE WITH A CUP OF SPICED TEA

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely friend. I hope you're having an amazing 2020 and are guarding your energy field from energy vampires. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day!

Before we go into today's topic. I met an amazing person the other day. He is about to be 85 but doesn't look a day older than 50. I started a conversation with him and he told me that one of the secrets is exercising and eating the right stuff. Thank you Jack. Your energy was beautiful and I am so thankful to have met you and talked with you.

What is my morning routine? For starters, my morning routine is flexible and dynamic. The only part I can tell you that is 99% of the time the same is my tea. I love tea. Do you like tea? I'm always on the search for a new type of natural tea that could give a blast of natural flavors to my tastebuds. There's something calming and glorious about a hot cup of tea in the morning. I can't really explain it like I'd like to, but I'll try anyway.

A cup of natural spiced tea in the morning, is like walking out of a negative atmosphere into a very positively charged atmosphere, which removes every ounce of negativity from you. It instantly leaves you feeling invincible, like you never had a negative experience. That's it! It's absolutely miraculous.

In short, I love teas. I also enjoy making my own from fresh ingredients such as ginger roots, garlic, cinnamon, mint and I could go on and on.

This morning, I made me a glorious pot of fresh ginger tea. It was amazing! I still have some left and you bet I'll be enjoying it through out the day.
I make my ginger tea by slicing up my ginger root into smaller bits and pieces. Place the pieces into a teapot and add about 2 cups of water into the pot and let boil. I then turn off the stove and let simmer for about 10 minutes. I get a cup and pour me a glorious cup and add a bit of honey and enjoy!

I recently came across a mini granite mortar and pestle on Amazon. Many years ago, in my father's house, I used to use wooden mortar and pestle to pound spices and yams. We also had a granite grinding stone for our spices. I was very surprised and intrigued to see a granite mortar and pestle. Of course, I wanted to check it out. I must say I'm very glad I tried it. I pounded my ginger roots in it and it turned out amazing. All of the spicy flavors expanded and when I boiled it for my tea. OMG! The tea was glorious! You need to try this mortar and pestle for yourself. It's a multi-purpose item for your pantry.

Here's the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S4KKH9Q
They are currently offering a 15% off coupon. Great deal for a great product! I have so many spice ideas that I am currently playing with in my mind. I can't wait to blend my own creation in my new mortar.

As always, I enjoy sharing products I am currently loving with you. The goal is to share because you might just find inspiration in it.

Thanks for reading.

Maryam💖

HOW REDUCING MY CONSUMPTION OF BREAD HELPED MY WEIGHT

Happy New Year wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely friends. I hope you had a fun celebration yesterday. I wish you a 2020 filled with love, health, bliss and opulence.

It is always exciting sharing with you what I am learning or enjoying at the moment. On the last post, we talked about how to start your weight-loss goals and I shared some personal tips with you. I hope your journey is going well thus far.

I have discovered that it is also helpful to be specific when sharing weight-loss tips. It is my goal to share specific tips that have helped me, hoping that it helps you also.

I love bread! Do you love bread? I have traveled a good bit and in all my travels thus far, I'm yet to visit  a place where bread is not served as starter. Bread is truly a staple in most places. At every location, whether it be a restaurant or home bread is usually served with a personal touch. I also have a multiple variety of ways that I serve bread in my home. Whoever invented bread is a genius!

Bread is usually the hardest to give up, by those who are trying to lose weight. When the discipline is applied to cutting down on the quantity that is consumed, the impact is almost felt immediately. If you are in the habit of eating a lot of bread, whether in form of pizza, doughnuts, subs, sandwiches, or pasta, you may want to start your journey by reducing how much of it you eat. If you are in the habit of eating bread during every meal, try cutting it down to 2 meals and reducing the size to a smaller portion.

When I first started my fitness journey, I cut bread from my diet completely for a period of 1 week and I could tell the difference. Bread is digested in the body as sugar. It is carbohydrate. Too much sugar in the body can make you lethargic. The body gets fattened from the increase of carbs and a decrease in physical activity. There's only so much carbs that the body can metabolize at a certain amount of time. If you consume more than the body can metabolize without any kind of physical activity, you are going to gain weight.

Whenever you plan on eating a lot of bread, make sure you follow it up with a high level of physical activity afterwards. I do this whenever I splurge. I can usually tell after eating too much bread. My body feels lethargic and I get a buzz in my head that I don't like. I usually find a good run afterwards very helpful.

I know it can be very challenging to go for a run if you're not used to being active. But don't be discouraged. Every great journey begins with a step. Try putting on your headphones while taking a 15 mins walk up and down your driveway or to/in the park. It does wonders. Try making walking a habit and watch how your body begins to enjoy it.

Do you want to know a secret? I ate a lot of bread before making this post. Can you guess what is happening after this post? I'm going for a run😆!

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you have an amazing New Year!

💛,
Maryam

Sandwich bread picture is from https://butterwithasideofbread.com/homemade-bread/
Other pictures are from https://redrosebakerynj.com/fresh-breads/