Sometimes you need a pick me up! Something different……you need to be around like minded people, hear some business success stories, be encouraged and reminded that everyone’s story is different and unique but all in all you have to keep going to reach your goals and fulfill your dreams. So that’s where I was. Wondering if I should continue the business, maybe start something new, because I love entrepreneurship. I want to work for myself, but a hobby won’t help. I need to be able to pay my bills and support my family.
So me and my girl Tash, decided to go to Atlanta and be surrounded by women that are doing their entrepreneur thing, meet some new people, hear some speakers we know through Instagram and be submerged in all things #girlboss! So we hopped on a flight and headed east for a pick me up.
We had no specific plans other than the conference, but knew we wanted to have a good time, say hi to family members that live in the “A” and eat some good food. But let me tell you, when you pray and ask God to lead you he will do just that!! When we landed in the early am on a Thursday morning the city was already busy. Coming from LA who knew the freeway would be bumper to bumper at 6:30 am? Really Atlanta?? We made it to the hotel and were pleasantly surprised with an accommodating early check-in!!! Come on Jesus (In my Ahniesha Washington voice)! We rested a few hours, freshened up and headed to Thumbs Up, a popular family diner for a nice breakfast.
The weather was perfect!!! So sight seeing was not going to be a problem. Driving the streets of Atlanta and viewing the architecture of the homes, experiencing the culture of an urban area with southern charm was refreshing. It was like the best of both worlds. After viewing the streets of Decatur and Buckhead we made our way to the mall where we wondered into an art gallery that housed some of the most astonishing black art I’ve see by Leroy Campbell in the front window. Be sure to check out his work! After roaming the mall, grabbing some Sprinkles Cakes and a quick lunch we found ourselves in the movie theater watching American Assassin with our girl Sanaa Lathan and an all star cast. Not bad for Day 1 with no plans!
Friday, Day 2, we are up and excited to see more of what ATL had to offer. On the way to Bread and Butterfly we witnessed the city’s love for families, diversity and history. While trying to walk off the Parisian inspired breakfast in the mild heat of an ATL afternoon we stumbled upon a King of Pops cart!! I had the raspberry lime popsicle and it was delicious! After walking through Midtown and not finding a museum we wanted to visit we turned to Goggle we wound up at the Apex Museum!! Boy, what a pleasant surprise of a history lesson. I will never forget this experience. We joined in a tour with all nationalities as we walked around this boutique museum being reminded of the African American past and leaning new things about the rich history of Blacks since the beginning of time. If you have never been I highly recommend for you to set aside an hour to tour the Apex if you’re ever in Atlanta.
Two doors down from the Apex Museum we stumbled upon Arden’s Garden. I have had a few smoothies in my day, but let me tell you this was one of the best I have ever had. Tash and I enjoyed it so much we tried to get another on Saturday, but they were closed. (However, we did make it back on Sunday for round two once we left the Sweet Water Festival.) As we drove down the street not sure where we would head next, admiring all we had just learned about Auburn Street we saw people standing in front of this house taking pictures and decided to get out and see what it was all about all to find out we were standing in front of the house that Martin Luther King, Jr was born in. You talk about a WOW!
What a jammed packed day we had. Before heading to dinner we went back to the hotel to rest and decide where we would go for dinner. With a recommendation from Yelp, we decided to have dinner at Louisiana Bistreaux. All I can say is ,”Um. Um good!” Seasoned well, a portion that’s worth your money and a nice place to go if you want to watch the game. We had no room for dessert, but I hear the pecan pie is awesome. We enjoyed ourselves so much we have no pictures to show of tasty meal.
Saturday was a full day of networking, learning, sharing and supporting other entrepreneurs at the inaugural “DreamHer, an interactive festival. Conferences are a good way to get you excited about your passion and reignite your entrepreneur spirit. I was so inspired by all the women speakers, Girl-bosses and aspiring entrepreneurs from all business backgrounds in the house. I had the opportunity to personally meet one of my favorite online bloggers, Marie Denee of the Curvy Fashionista after her panel. This was one of my favorite parts of the event.
Saturday night ended with a good ole family fun, laughter filled evening as we joined Tasha’s cousin’s for a nice dinner at Sage Woodfire Tavern before preparing to head back home on Sunday evening. The shrimp and grits were delicious!
Our ATL trip was not going to be complete if we did not make it Old Lady Gang. So we backed up and headed over to this popular restaurant owned by Todd and Kandi Burruss-Tucker to beat the line. Where should I start. The place is so welcoming, simple yet eye catching with mimes of the family on the walls, wood accents, with brick walls that create a warm environment. Plus the food was really good. The green were the best I’ve ever had. I will definitely stop back by on my next trip to the “A”.
Since we were full and had to get on a plane for four and half hours we needed to walk some of that good food off! We ended up at the Sweet Water Festival. Live music, flea market finds just people having a good time everywhere. You don’t see events like this in Los Angeles. It was a great end to a wonderful trip, but there was one more stop we had to make before getting on the plane, back to LA and that was back to Arden’s Garden for one more smoothie before the airport.
We went on this trip to reignite our love for our businesses and revive our entrepreneur eyes by joining other like minded individuals to get inspired from hearing new stories about entrepreneurship, to make new connections and perhaps to build new relationships, but the inspiration from this trip came from everywhere. The businesses we encountered, the sites we saw and the experience from the entire trip. Sometimes we just have to step out of our normal routine to see some new things to reignite our passion. Inspiration is everywhere. We just have to look for it.
I’m so thankful for this opportunity and how the Lord lead us on this trip. Don’t wait to plan a trip if you need to reignite your passion. You can go to a neighboring city and see what others are doing, attend an event, visit a unique store or attend a local networking event. You got this! Look for the inspiration.
Eventfully your’s,
Jennifer
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