Ok, so I graduated in May 2017 and decided that I wouldn't work for the whole summer. That was a huge change for me because I have been working since I flew out the womb. I've been in school forever and knew that starting my career immediately after graduation wasn't going to do me or the job, any good. I was EXHAUSTED, yall.

I decided not to apply for any jobs immediately 1) because I honestly didn't care to start that exhausting process and 2) fear that they would call me immediately and then I'd have to decline because I was committed to my time alone. One thing that wasn't going to change though was my yearly summer vacation. I was determined to travel even if it meant I'd have 2 dollars in my savings left.

LMC Graduation 2017, Syracuse NY - May 21st

I absolutely had to come and watch these amazing people graduate from my alma mater. I watched them grow from fresh(wo)man to senior citizens and had to come back and witness the greatness that was crossing LMC's stage. Le Moyne College Class of 2017 was absolutely amazing. I'm so proud of you all.

Check out the interviews I did with the ladies a few months ago about their reflection of their time in college and what they planned on doing afterwards.

http://www.aladalove.com/featured-1/2017/6/15/1sw3wuxoid5dasgy46y97ugl1l4ffc

http://www.aladalove.com/featured-1/2017/6/30/aladalove-collective-interview-4-years-and-beyond-2

Marie's Graduation Party - Rochester, NY - May 28th - 29th

The Monday after graduation, I headed to Rochester to celebrate my girl, Marie's (MERT!!!!) graduation party. Most of my squad from college had just graduated grad school and we were set to get LIT. I've never been to Rochester before so that was nice to add that to the vacation list.

This day truly was a lituation. Shout out to the squad!

For the first couple of weeks I slept, ALOT. I don't even remember much. One day, I remember catching up with a friend and telling her I felt guilty about the fact that I wasn't doing anything but sleeping. She had to remind me to relax. Often times, people who are in "go mode" forget to do that. We are conditioned to believe that if we take time for ourselves, we're not working hard enough or we're not deserving of relaxation. The whole "Ill sleep when I'm dead" thing can be detrimental to one's health. I decided to take her advice and stop feeling guilty about sleeping.

Buena Vista Camping Trip with E.L.K. - Denver Colorado- June 21st - 23rd

So back in May, specifically May 9th, a dope dude by the name of Justin Twist hit me up inviting me to go on this dopppeee trip! That same day, I featured an interview by Justin for ELK which I loved. Justin and I went to college together and stayed in touch since then.

Find his interview here:http://www.aladalove.com/featured-1/2017/5/9/justin-twists-interview-about-pursuing-his-passions

He saw my Facebook post about my desire to travel to the Grand Canyon. He hit me up and suggested somethings to do while at the Grand Canyon. After doing some research, it seemed a bit overwhelming for me to go alone. When I shared this with him, he invited me to go to Buena Vista, Colorado on a camping trip with his job, E.L.K. as a volunteer. E.L.K. stands for environmental learning for kids. According to the website, "ELK serves more than 5,000 underserved, urban youth (ages 5-25) each year through year-round intensive programs and in-school/after-school programs in Denver, Adams, and Arapahoe Counties.ELK reaches diverse communities in Denver, Aurora and Commerce City by working directly with local schools, teachers and community groups by providing a wide variety of outreach activities. ELK is located in the Denver-metro area, specifically in the Montbello neighborhood. This gives us a unique perspective on the needs of urban youth and their families." Learn more here: http://www.elkkids.org/.

As part of this trip, we would also be visiting Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort and Chalk Cliff Fish Hatchery. I had never been camping before so I was nervous. Over the next few weeks, I had a couple convos with Justin where I am sure he could sense my nervousness so he sent me a "Lorenda treat yoself trip schedule" lol. I'm the type of person that has to know who, what, when, where, why, how and I need plans A - Z. I purchased my plane ticket a few weeks later but I was still so nervous that I decided that, if I wasn't feeling right the day of, I wouldn't go, despite how much money I spent.

BRUH.

views man.... quick stop before we were headed to the collegiate peaks.

I must say thank God for friends that push you through. I'm so glad I didn't succumb to fear and anxiety. My friends encouraged me to go and even offered to help me pay for stuff while there. Shout out to Andreya's dad who helped pay for my shelter the first night there.

I was so nervous getting on the plane that I cried the day of lol. (I really dislike planes). I have never been to that side of the US before so this was a new challenge for me. The airport in Denver was huge and the city was beautiful. Navigating through all of that alone was intimidating at first but eventually, liberating. Justin was still at work when I landed so I helped myself to some tacos and checked into the hostel that I would be staying in. Eventually, Justin and I linked up and he treated me to some dope eats. We planned to meet up the next morning to pick up the kids and then start the journey into the mountains . We would be heading towards the Collegiate peaks which was about 3 hours away from Denver. One thing that Justin and I shared was our love for kids. When I met these amazing youngsters, I could truly see why he really enjoyed and took pride in his job.

The next morning we headed out to the office and started packing materials for the trip. While doing this, I helped set up breakfast and met some of the kids who would be attending, some parents and some of the Urban rangers. The Urban Rangers were once kids in the program themselves. According to the amazing Ronika, (one of the Urban Rangers I had the pleasure of meeting), "Urban rangers mentor little kids and take them outdoors to get experience. They teach kids about fish and how to fish. They also take kids on hikes and camping trips. They cook and clean for kids as on these trips. Urban Rangers also get amazing opportunities to go to things like youth conferences. They make amazing connections and get professional development."

The trip, was AMAZING. Pictures cant describe it, no words can really describe it, you really just had to be there. The kids were awesome!! They were so friendly, resourceful, talented, hilarious, welcoming and had great music selection. The first day there we drove for a couple of hours towards the Collegiate Peaks. According to the trusty Wikipedia, the collegiate peaks contain some of the highest mountains in the rockies. These mountains are called that because they are named by prominent universities. Our destination was Mount Princeton. Along the way we stopped at the fish hatchery where we fed rainbow trout fish. The fish hatchery raised the fish until they are a certain age and then releases them into waters throughout the state.

The people at the fish hatchery were very welcoming and informative. We then went to our camping site and set up for the days we were going to be there. My tent mates were so nice in welcoming me in their tent even though we just met. We had some delicious food the first night prepared by the Urban Rangers and then we set up a campfire and sang songs until it was time for bed. There were no showers, just bathrooms with no sinks so we just stunk it out for the first night lol. We had a lot of wipes and hand sanitizer. We were sleeping literally in the woods next to a stream. It took me some getting used to falling asleep but I eventually got it. The next day we went to a hot springs which was EVERYTHING! The views were amazing. I had never been and omg, I was seriously blown away. Below is a video which does it no justice.

Below is a pic of me chilling in all of my splendor as I basked in the beuaitiful sun and admired the beautiful views thousands of feet in the air.

Crawling down the mountain because it was too high to walk lol. Shout to the folks who helped me down the mountain!

Justin and I hiking the Colorado Trail. Shout out to him and the kids who helped me conquer my fear of coming back down the mountain. Y'all are the reason Im not still stuck and living on the mountain today.

MARCH WITH SUNY ALBANY FOR NYC PRIDE 2017 - June 25th 2017

Shout out to SUNY for their support of Pride NYC! It was so dope to be part of the parade <3

Solo Trip - Virginia Beach July 24th - 27th

I had never to Virginia Beach in my life. As part of my greyhound road rewards, I was rewarded free trip to go anywhere in the US so I picked Virginia. I hopped on the bus at 1am in NYC and landed in Virginia at 12:55pm the same day. I had a few hours to myself before clocking into my Airbnb so I went to a taco spot and did some shopping before heading over. My Airbnb host was very nice and accommodating. I don't think I really saw her after the first day I got there. I was so scared to be in someones house but I challenged myself and it was so liberating. While there, I visited the beach everyday. The beach was about a mile and some distance away from the Airbnb so I mostly walked and took an Uber like once. The boardwalk was beautiful and the energy was infectious. I was never really a beach person but I really enjoyed being there and digging my toes in the sand. I swear I spotted a dolphin in the distance for a split second. I also visited the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art. Riding back on greyhound, I had a 4 hour lay over in Richmond, Virginia so I decided to rent a car. That was also a liberating experience for me because I still get a bit nervous when it comes to driving bur driving in a new state was a great experience.

Joey Bada$$ VIP meet and Greet - Boston, Massachusetts - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion - August 9th

I saw that Joey Bada$$ was touring with L.O.G.I.C in a concert series called L.O.G.I.C. presents: Everybody's tour. He just dropped an album called American Bada$$ which, if you haven't heard it yet, you're missing tf out! I was looking at his Instagram story wishing I was able to attend because it looked LITTTT! I also saw that he had VIP tickets for a meet and greet in most the cities they toured. I checked my bank account and I was like "na". I chalked it up to wishful thinking and forgot about it.

Then, something changed. I had just came back from vacation and saw a post from a Facebook friend about a job that I had applied to saying that they would have an open house. I stopped by the open house and was told some promising news. I had an interview and then I got a job offer shortly after! So that same day, I decided to treat myself and not only buy tickets to the concert but buy VIP tickets for the meet and greet! I set out on a greyhound bus the morning of the concert and toured the city a while before the concert started. I had only been to Boston one time before this and that was Summer 2016. I decided to have some tacos before the event. (If you haven't realized by now, Tacos are my favorite.) My heart was beating so hard while I waited in line to meet him but omg, when he skated in the room (literally), my soul almost left my body lol. It was a dope ass mf concert. Though I came for Joey, I did stay for L.O.G.I.C.

He was so nice and down to earth.

Back to Syracuse!August 18th and August 19th

Had to go and see my homies again and this time stop in to see my former supervisor who was also like a dad to me while in college, Mr. Black. His lovely family always welcomed us in their home and shared meals with us. The reunion was well worth it and it felt great to be amongst people who loved us.

BRYANT GOT MARRIED! - Wilmington, Delaware - August 25th - 26th

I have know Ashley Bryant since September 2006. She was my 9th grade teacher and since then, she has grasped my heart and become a lifelong friend. She has attended every graduation and really stuck with a G. Though we've had our ups and downs, we're still standing strong. I was so happy to hear about her engagement and very excited to be invited to the wedding. I had never been to Wilmington, Delaware and never spent as much as I spent on a hotel as I did for this one night. The wedding took place in Hotel Du Pont. To say the least, IT WAS LITTT! One of the best weddings I've ever been to.

Summer 2017 was one of the best summers I've ever had. Solo traveling is definitely something I plan on doing more throughout my adult life. If you have never traveled solo, I really encourage you to try it. Next week, I will give you my 9 tips for traveling.

As always, thanks for checking aladalove and showing love. <3