Monday, April 9, 2012

My Big,Fat,Cuban Vacation Round 2- Arrival and Game Plan.



10pm, March 31st.


"Lounging, exhausted ,after a long day of travel- I am in Cuba for the second time in less than three months. This time, I am totally alone. I threw my anxieties into the fire, and took a leap right into adventure.

This trip is one of self-discovery, self-care, self-love and self-awakening. Doing whatever I wish- the ultimate freedom.

I am unpacked after a joyous greeting from familiar faces here at the resort. The star treatment is putting it lightly - a fully stocked personal in-room bar, and I have the most amazing view. Full ocean scape from my balcony. I am spoiled!

It is too late and I am too tired to socialize- but tomorrow, I look forward to reading and writing on the beach, and getting some damn color on my skin!"

Even from the beginning of my trip, I could sense something was about to change within me. I put myself in the mind-set to accept change and challenge. This was about to lead to some mind-blowing realizations in coming days, and letting go of many anxieties and personal hang-ups.

Just a short entry today, but Day 1 will hold so much more...


My Big , Fat, Cuban Vacation- Round 2

Hello my lovelies.

As some of you know, I recently returned from my 2nd trip to Cuba in 2 months. My 1st trip back in January found me terribly sick for the majority, and my life had been a whirl-wind of anxiety and depression for several weeks there after. I made the decision to throw myself out of my comfort zone- and book a 2nd trip, solo.


I have decided to write a series of personal, in-depth entries about my trip. My trip was one of self-care, self-love, self-exploration, and self-discovery. I journaled extensively daily, and found answers to questions I hadn't even planned on asking. I let my tears fall into the sand and into the ocean, and found new love for life ,myself, and others. The journey is one I want to share with you all. I feel I have returned a new woman, and I'd like to introduce you all to her.

So, in coming days, I will be sharing approximately 8 entries from various stages of my trip. I will structure the entries by sharing exerts from my Iphone notes or journal entries, and writing an after-thought and reflection. Of course, I'll be sharing photos along the way.

So, I invite you to come along on this journey with me.


XOX
Lenora

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Stylish Individual Series by Betty le Bon Bon- Interview

Hey folks.
I was recently interviewed by the lovely Betty Le Bo Bon as part of her "Stylish Individuals" series.

Click on over to read me yap about myself/ my style HERE

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Winter Warming- Costume dance party.

Hello bunnies!

Last night Aberdeen Cultural Center and the TBA Collective hosted their 2nd Annual Winter Warming- a gathering of sounds, lights, and people in one of our city's historic buildings. It was a wonderful dance party with a killer light show, and the twist? It was a costume party, too!

Conveniently, Aberdeen is directly across the street from my home, so it was very convenient for us to mix up some drinks, and scoot over for some dancing and socializing! Kaycie and I threw some costumes together, and away we went!

I decided to be Hathor- the Egyptian goddess of music, dance and drunkenness. She was sometimes portrayed as a cow- so appropriate! A vintage velvet gown paired with various thrifted jewelry pieces, a coin belt, and a 1960s gold hat...voila!






Kaycie went as vaudevillian/ circus performer.


We had some drinks and took lots of silly photos...




The TBA Collective really delivered on their promise of a great light show. Psychedelics were projected on the walls, lasers, bubbles of light....fantastic! It was beautiful to see everyone dancing... so many different kinds of people, bodies, lifestyles- together.




I'm really pleased with how Moncton is shaping up these days. More events, more community involvement... I'm very proud to call this place my home.

If you'd like to see more photos of the event, you can check out my Flick page -http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenoralenoire/sets/72157629458873459

XOXO
Lenora

Friday, February 10, 2012

Fatshion February- outfits so far!

Hello bunnies!

So, this is the 2nd year that folks in the body-acceptance and fat-positive online communities have participated in a lil thing called Fatshion February! To beat the winter blahs, and to get some hot, fat, bodies out in the media- we try to wear our best outfits and document them every day and share them with the world. Mostly, this is taking place on Tumblr, but it can also be seen and tracked on blogger, Flickr, facebook, twitter, etc.

As you all know, I'm already an avid outfit-blogger, so I couldn't resist participating! I have to say, I love the sense of community that is going on right now. Radical self-love and support of each other is so damn fantastic, don't you think? This year there is a big push to see more gender-variance, people of color, and differently-abled folks as well! I love the diversity going on!

Here are some of my outfits so far this month





As you can see, one day I was dressed up as a cigarette girl- that was for a fundraising night at the bar for River of Pride. I passed out free candy, condoms and pride flag stickers!


You can see more of my outfits over on my Flickr page and as always, follow my daily musings on Tumblr and Twitter.

Are any of your participating in Fatshion February?

XOX

Lenora

Thursday, January 26, 2012

New vintage items!

Alright all you vintage lovers! I've just posted a whole bunch of new, fantastic vintage peices over at Le Noire Vintage

I've finally listed the amazing, rare 1952 Gold Lame Jonathan Logan evening gown. I had it appraised between $400-$600, but it is listed for much much less!

Whoever snatches this one up will be the belle of the ball at Viva Las Vegas this year!

Other items include various plus size 60s-70s dresses and skirts, and much more!



XOX

Lenora

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

My big , fat, Cuban vacation.

My darling bunnies, it is with a heavy heart I report... I am home.

In other words? Cuba was unbelievable.

8 blissful days of sun, surf, sand, and mojitos. We stayed in sunny Cayo Coco, and were blessed with warm weather all week.

I fully immersed myself in the whole experience, and did exactly what I wanted, when I wanted...which chalked up to a whole lot of nothing- and it was glorious.


I let myself unwind completely , catch up on my reading, and spent most of my time fighting off advances. I'll tell you, if ever I'm feeling down about myself, Cuba is definitely the place to go! Every day saw flirtation, invitations to dinner, little gifts, knocks on my door at midnight...my mother quickly became annoyed and extremely protective. I was flattered, but I'll admit, it became a bit exhausting! I was "the one with the eyes" -and all of the male staff whispered when I walked passed. Silly boys!

I made a wonderful friend named Ceidel, the hotel porter, who kept me safe from the flirtatious boys, made sure I was okay when I became sick, showed me around the grounds, took me bird watching, etc. I am very thankful to have met him, he really made my trip special.


I snuck away on my own quite a bit, to do some thinking, healing, growing. On the last afternoon, I sat down in the shade, and wrote a letter to the universe...

This was a very important excercise for me, as I promised myself I would leave all that worried me buried deep in the sand when I flew home.

I wrote down a neat list of everything I would leave behind, and sealed it in envelop...
and buried it deep in the sand on a remote section of the beach.

Spending time with my mother was lovely, and seeing my aunt and uncle after 10 years was also very special.




I couldn't have asked for a better time. I wanted to stay longer, until the money ran out, but the red tape was too much to handle, so I will have to settle for returning the next I am able, and plan for a longer stay.



I spent my mornings in the hotel open-air lobby reading with a mimosa in hand, and my afternoons on the beach or by the pool. Not a care in the world- a gal could really get used to that lifestyle.

Unfortunately, on the way home, we had an extended stay at the Cuban airport due to our plane having to make an emergency landing in Florida- the windshield cracked! That extended stay meant having to eat the airport food, which did not end well. Yep. All of us Canadians are currently hurting units! What a way to end a vacation- with one hell of a stomach virus. I'm writing this while still feeling the effects. I have to say, though, it was worth it.

If you are interested in seeing more photos- click on over to my Flickr . There are a whole bunch!

And so ends another adventure for Lenora... Now, to deal with the post-vacation depressing haze.

Hola!
XOX
Lenora