what i learned from the royals in our quest to take the crown

i’m kansas city born and raised. i have an unbelievable amount of pride for my home town. i currently live thousands of miles away in seattle but i represent hardcore for my sports teams and my city week after week. tonight, as we lick our wounds and cry our tears of sadness at losing the …

umbrella, i don’t need no stinking umbrella

it’s raining in seattle. i know what you’re thinking. it’s always raining in seattle. wrong. it’s not always raining in seattle. we don’t mind you thinking that though because we don’t actually want you moving here and messing up our hodgepodge of hippie-hipster/geeky-chic/counter-culture/semi-progressive/multi-cultural-inclusive/seattle-freezy vibe. but it’s fall and fall does mean rain. i’m a self-professed vitamin …

did i live up to the expectations of 12-year-old me?

i am a middle child and i live with all the baggage that brings. i’m also the only girl, which adds yet another complicated layer to the core of my identity. did i mention i’m black? yeah, that’s pretty big, too. while i’m at it, i’ll divulge that i’m short, extroverted, christian, single, hard of hearing, and …

dear white people, it’s always about race

a little bit of history repeating itself is happening in america. we are seeing a resurgence of jim crow mentality and legislation in cities and states across the country. segregation. unemployment. voter suppression. policing state. hold on a second while i hunt for my “free papers” so i can  navigate my way in this post-racial …

we’re all a little bit gonzo on the inside

i’m going to go ahead and say it. lately, i’ve been feeling awkward. not the usual “she dances to the beat of her own drum” awkward but straight up gonzo the great awkward. do you remember gonzo? he was the beautifully weird muppet who fully embraced his awesomeness despite being rejected on a regular basis. …

we were moving mountains long before we thought we could

this past weekend my hiking group, black people hike (bph) hit the tiger mountain west trail for what we thought would be a 5 mile hike round trip. turns out the high point trail (which doesn’t go all the way to the top) is 5 miles. the west trail is actually 4.4 miles one way. …

serena williams taught me to live like a boss

go ahead and say it. you have a girl crush on serena williams. how can you not? the amount of passion and power she brings to the game of tennis is unfathomable. sometimes i get intoxicated just watching her. you can drown in the intensity alone. but something that is often overlooked – and perhaps underrated …