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The first MsIndependent event of the year featured yoga, self care, and a panel of experts on living your best life.

Riding around Midtown with BCycle exploring must see tastes, sites, and experiences.

A few weeks ago I was invited to attend an event to introduce the new brunch menu at Kuu, a Japanese Restaurant located in the Memorial City Gateway Plaza.

The old saying knowledge is power is a classic saying for a reason because its universally and eternally true!

In my two years of food blogging I've had the privilege of being invited to eat at some pretty amazing places. I've enjoyed fine dining, fair food, exclusive openings and menu relaunch events...

This past weekend I was treated to spa services courtesy of Essential Body Bar. I am a firm believer that some of the self care practices that we view as luxuries like massages and facials, are actually important to our overall health. You'd never know it if you looked at my monthly routine, but will all the stresses that life and our environment bring, giving ourselves some TLC can be a lifesaver. In some cases literally!??

I am a firm believer that some of the self care practices that we view as luxuries like massages and facials, are actually important to our overall health.

This Thursday MsIndependent celebrates 8 years of bringing the women of Houston creative meetups and events!

If you've been wondering what all this #GirlsNightOut business is all about, then this article should get you pretty caught up on all things #GNO.

Many years ago when I first venturing out into public events around the city trying to spread the gospel of MsIndependent and make some connections, I was painfully and uncomfortably shy.

Meet one of our collaborating influencers for the upcoming #GirlsNightOut Avant Garde event on July 12th, the one and only Erika Harrison, the blogger behind Black Girls Who Brunch.

Like many of you I follow influencers on social platforms and blogs, admiring their work and feeling like we're virtual friends.

The MsIndependent signature event #GirlsNightOut is happening on July 12th, and we've got some pretty amazing raffle prize donations for event guests to win.

A few weeks ago I was invited to the Source Vitl Apothecary and Sanctuary Spa Mother's Day event. I've covered Source Vital before in my review of the Source Vital After Workout Kit and...

Last weekend Black Girls Who Brunch ( a.k.a Erika Harrison) presented Beauty and the Brunch with Mo Knows Hair powered by Sally Beauty.

As a food blogger I've had the privilege of eating my way through Houston in some of the most elaborate and unique of ways. I adore dining when it goes beyond the food to create an experience...

If you're new to Galentine's Day,??the holiday born from a comedic sitcom ( Parks and Rec), don't worry you're not alone. The concept is simple.

For our first event of the year I decided to host Healthy Happy Hour at HS Green. Typically when we think of happy hour it's a given that a copious amount of empty calories will be consumed...

By tomorrow I will be one year older. When I hit 30 I wanted to have a grandiose, over the top celebration, but that was quickly downgraded to a cabin in the woods with 3 close friends.

At the end of the year I look forward to all the year end reviews, lists of top happenings, and the look back at current events.

For the last event of the year we decided to give back to the community, spread some holiday cheer, and of course find a way to work in an ugly sweater theme.

I attended the International Bacon Festival on Saturday, Oct 7th in downtown Houston. I skipped eating so that I could be sure to gorge myself on bacon...

Some time ago I started to make my own holiday cards or have them customized online. I can never seem to find what I'm looking for at the store, and with my unique sense of humor and love for irony...

2017 has definitely been a year of firsts. I got my makeup done a few months back where I experienced false lashes for the first time.

As part of my 7 in seven weight loss challenge, my goal to loss my last 7 pounds in 7 weeks, it's an understatement to say that I sweat pretty much everyday. Something no one talks about on any fitness program is that the more you sweat, the more easily you seem to sweat. When I was in training for a bodybuilding competition years ago, if I so much as stood up too fast it seemed like I broke a sweat. With all these workouts and running a business I wasn't always able to shower and go, so I needed a way to freshen up in between workouts so I didn't smell like feet and armpits all day. This is where the After Workout Kit by Source Vital Apothecary comes in.??

As part of my 7 in seven weight loss challenge, my goal to loss my last 7 pounds in 7 weeks, it's an understatement to say that I sweat pretty much everyday.

Fun fact about Erin - I don't like wearing makeup and seldom do. I'll apply mascara, eye shadow, and lipstick when attending events or photos shoots, but the rest of the time I prefer a naked face.

It's been some weeks since you've heard about my 7 in Seven weight loss challenge, my goal to lose my last 7lbs in 7 weeks.

While pacing through the house watching the events unfold during hurricane Harvey, my mind bounced from one daunting question to another. Will we have to evacuate?

You've read 10 Reasons To Love #GirlsNightOut- Houston Strong, now see the community of women that made this event possible.

Hurricane Harvey is set to make landfall in a few hours, and with all the panic and unpredictability of the storm only one thing is certain...you won't be going anywhere.

I had the supreme honor of attended a tasting at Main Kitchen 806 located downtown at JW Marriott off Main Street.

Pei Wei recently invited a group of food bloggers to a communial-style lunch to try out their new $5 lunch menu items.

It's hard to get the girls together when you consider all of the conflicting work schedules! It's a lot easier to get everybody on the same page when you have a set plan that all of the ladies can adhere to.

As a part of my 7 in Seven weight loss challenge, losing my last 7 pounds in 7 weeks, I explored THE most important factor in any weight loss/management program, which is what you eat.

In my second week of the 7 in Seven weight loss challenge where I try to lose my last 7lbs in 7 weeks, I completed 5 workouts, and even did my first workout double in a while.??I'll be reviewing a few of the other studios and activities in a later post but for now the spotlight goes to one of my favorite studios, Revolution Studio.

In my second week of the 7 in Seven weight loss challenge where I try to lose my last 7lbs in 7 weeks, I completed 5 workouts, and even did my first workout double in a while.

Girl boss. Boss Babe. Head Bitch in Charge. It seems that being an entrepreneur has become the new shiny object of our generation. It all sounds so sexy doesn't it?

IMAGE:??COURTESY OF RACEPACE

On June 9th MsIndependent hosted our first ever Spring Roll Making workshop with Chef Cuc Lam.

Last week I announced my 7 in Seven weight loss challenge where I work to lose my last 7 stubborn pounds over the course of a 7 week period. I'm in week 2 of the challenge, but wanted to give you a peak into what I've been up to thus far. Here are the workouts that I completed last week.

So let me tell you what I've been going through. I seldom weigh myself due to my former obsession with the scale taking me down some dark alleys, but the other day I got on the scale and was pleasantly surprised. I decided to weigh myself again a week later and saw that I had lost another pound. The same thing happened week after week, and now I am 7 pounds down without changing my diet or increased exercise. This experience has inspired me to embark on an experiment that I'll be calling 7 in Seven. Before I get into the juicy details here is a brief back story as to why this is such a big deal for me.

Well what can I say???If you missed #GirlsNightOut, then you missed an amazing event. This is the 3rd #GNO that MsIndependent has hosted, starting with our first event that launched in April 2016.

I had the amazing experience of being among the first in Houston to see Cirque Du Soliel's latest adventure, Kurios -Cabinet of Curiosities.

MsIndependent's signature event #GirlsNightOut is back and this time, we're bringing unicorns! Anyone who has swiped through a feed on a visual platform like Instagram, Pinterest, and...

I have an all too common habit of allowing my workouts to fall by the wayside the second my schedule changes. With the upcoming #GirlsNightOut event, the largest and most popular event hosted by MsIndependent, I am in full hustle mode. Unfortunately the side effects of hustle mode include: long periods without eating, sitting, copious servings of coffee, lack of sleep, and chronic "I'll workout tomorrow" promises. Last week was the first time in 6 months that I did not workout!??That's not to say that some weeks are less productive than others, but I know myself, and 1 week can easily turn into 2 weeks, then a month, and the next thing you know I'm back at square one.

Members of the Houston Food Blogger Collective were invited to be among the first to experience Potente, the latest addition to the Downtown food scene.

Every adult and their inner child can now rejoice, boozy gummy bears are on the scene! Let me be clear these are not wine flavored bears, or wine inspired gummy bears...

If you follow MsIndependent on Instagram??then you know that I am a fan of fitness. After teaching Pilates for 9 years, being a personal trainer, and group fitness instructor, I will forever be an advocate for a healthy lifestyle. I have tried dozens of fitness brands, and spent hundred of dollars of fitness apparel, so when I had the opportunity to try out leggings from Curve Envy Fitness, I was beyond excited.

As I mentioned in the previous blog post Lunar New Year Dinner??hosted by Aces of Taste, I won the raffle prize of free admission to their next pop up dinner.

Around this time of year most of the faint of heart "new year, new me" converts have gone back to "new year, same old me." I however am still going strong after a few hiccups along the way, because that's how life works, but I am focused on staying healthy and better managing my stress in 2017. The good people at Bulu Box sent me a sample box to try out, and the results are pretty much a match made in heaven.??

I can't even remember the number of Aces of Taste pop up dinners that I have attended, but this one was very special.

Last week members of the Houston Food Blogger Collective were invited to explore 51fifteen Cuisine and Cocktail.

New Year's Resolutions are so last year. Now we call them intentions, plans, or goals. It's the idea that whatever you've been doing for the past few decades is suddenly going to change...

This week I joined the Houston Food Blogger Collective for a tasting of the new menu at Lucille's; a restaurant located in the Museum District that specializes in Southern cuisine.

I had the pleasure of sitting down to a pop dinner hosted by Aces of Taste, featuring the one and only Pat Greer of Pat Greer's Kitchen.

I have long been in love with CITYCENTRE, so when they asked MsIndependent to host a holiday themed culinary crawl as part of a day of holiday activities in the area...

When you get out as much as I do you're no stranger to a good party, and a few not so good ones.

MsIndependent got such rave reviews when I hosted our first ever Pop Up Summer Brunch in July, so I decided to do it again for the fall.

From time to time I get an email from someone that has attended one of our events, asking me for advice on what to do regarding a relationship with someone they met at a previous event.

Last month MsIndependent took a trip to the newly reopened Whole Foods on Westchase (11041 Westheimer Rd) for the second installment of our Tour, Tasting, and Brunch series.

MsIndependent had the pleasure of hosting our first ever Tour, Tasting, and Brunch at the downtown world market, Phoenicia and MKT Bar, it's adjoining restaurant and bar.

I have attended my fair share of pop up dinners, tasting, pairings, and foodie events, but I have been very fearful of taking the plunge and hosting my own food related event.

I recently got the chance to attend a store tasting and tour with other local bloggers at Phoenicia Specialty Foods, in Downtown Houston.

So it's no secret that I love food. ??And when I say that I like food I don't mean it in that "I like to eat and thus I must love food" kinda way, because that's everyone.

If you have never been to Kuu, in my personal opinion the best sushi restaurant in all of Houston, you haven't truly lived.

My last entry chronicling my journey to weight loss was in March, and that's about where my progress seemed to stop.

A few weeks ago a friend had a birthday party at TopGolf. I didn't send out the invites so I didn't know who was coming, but when I got there I was greeted by familiar faces.

Some years ago MsIndependent participated in a Cuisine Crawl hosted by a small company,??and it was by far one of my favorite events that we've ever done.

I often reminisce about the good ol' days in college when I could sleep for 3 hours and make it to class, study, go to the gym, attend a board meeting, go to work, and do it all over again with no problem.

So I've been a bad little blogger and haven't written anything since March. I have a great excuse though, and it's called #GirlsNightOut.

We are now 69 days into the year and it's time to reflect back on my weight loss progress. Well like most people I started off strong, and then life happens and it becomes a fight to finish strong.

Every month MsMembership subscribers take part in a supper club dinner where we explore some of the best restaurants and unique dinning experiences in Houston.

I had the tremendous pleasure of attending an event called Books, Bites, and Bubbles, at the lovely Cakewalk boutique in the Upper Kirby area. First let me just say how freakin' cute this boutique is.

So you're a single woman. You've gotten relationship advice from matchmakers, relationship specialists, TV, blogs, memes, Periscope, Youtube, TedTalks, and probably a fortune cookie or two.

I was never a girly girl growing up and never bothered to explore the wonderful world of accessorizing.??I gravitated towards jeans, baggy t-shirts and ponytails.

About two weeks ago SoulCycle and Target teamed to bring the NY based cycling workout to 10 cities across the country.

This past Friday I had the pleasure of attending a dinner hosted by Aces of Taste called Encore: Women Rising Volume 1, featuring Maria Gonzalez, Benjy's Chef de Cuisine.

It's the end of the first month in 2016, and with that, it's time to look back on the progress I've made toward creating a healthier, more fit body.

February 2nd is my birthday!!! ??I would love to say that I am doing something significant but these days I just want to stay home, watch cartoons, and go to bed early.

I started the year at 158lbs, and as of today I weight......(drum roll please).....?? 155lbs!

Two weeks ago MsIndependent members attended Bikram Yoga Meyerland Plaza for their open house yoga class, just for beginners.

Ah the new year. A time of promise for us all where we attempt to redefine and reevaluate our ??

So long Big Red.

I do love a good girls night out, and this evening with the girls was a special kind of affair.

I feel like at the stroke of midnight Feb 2nd 2014, I went from a happily single 29 year old to a marriage seeking 30 year old.

On Nov. 21st MsIndependent assembled and distributed Thanksgiving meals to less fortunate families in the Houston area as part of Servolution, the volunteer ministry at Lakewood church.

Last week myself and other local bloggers were treated to a holiday kickoff event in CITYCENTRE. MsIndependent has probably had no less than 100 meetups here over the years, but just in case you aren't familiar with CITYCENTRE, or it's been awhile, are a few reason to stop by for all things festive and fun for the holidays.

From left to right: Dr. Camille Cash, Denise Hamilton, Tera Roberson, Devi Dev, Joy Sewing, and Suzette Turner-Caldwell

I saw the comment "make more moves and less announcements", and a light bulb went off.

MsIndependent is all about supporting local businesses and volunteering in the community. It creates a sense of accomplishment and pride when we are able to help, benefit, and uplift others.

The Home. T $28.

After 8 years of being a Pilates instructor I have finally decided to trade my yoga pants for a fitted jacket and slacks.

Vision Board Party

Here we go again. It's time to start looking back at one year, and looking forward to another. So what resolutions should we adopt this year?

Seems like only yesterday we were ringing in 2014, and yet in a few days we will be welcoming 2015.

As many of you know I took my vacation and checked off a long awaited bucket list goal, by visiting Paris for a week. There is so much to tell and so much to show.

On November 5th Elaine Turner of Elaine Turner, gave the members of Women of Wardrobe a sneak peak into her new YouTube reality show Elaine's Big Life, and talked about her business...

Ever since January I've been excitedly waiting to have one of my heros come to my hometown.

Last Friday night, much like the Katy Perry song, is something I want to do all over again.