Life Lately: Pop-Ups, Beyoncé, and a Bit of a Scare
It’s been a little while since my last post, but thanks to some encouragement from a friend, I’m doing my best to get back into writing. A lot has happened since then!
For starters—I got engaged! I also launched a new business, Seasoned Simplicity LLC, where I sell my personal spice blends, peach cobbler, banana pudding, and more recently, cake pops, pretzel rods, and rice crispy treats. And of course, in between it all—life has been life’n.
Catching Up: Business, Beyoncé, and Birthday Wings
During this little break from posting, life has been a mix of prepping for pop-up markets, planning the wedding, cooking, spending time with friends and family… and making a trip to see Beyoncé in Houston (more on that later).
One of the biggest highlights? I had the honor of cooking 120 pounds of wings, plus a peach cobbler and banana pudding for my friend’s son’s 16th birthday. My fiancé made cake pops for the party—and let me tell you, they were a hit! Right after that, it was full steam ahead with pop-up market prep.
The Pop-Up Hustle
Our first two markets were in Dallas. The first one was The Market on the Strip in Oak Lawn—also known as the Gayborhood. It was hot, but we had a great time setting up our tent and tables, and getting a feel for how everything would come together.
The organizers invited us to try a new venue the following Friday, and we gladly accepted. This second event was hosted in part by Beyond the Bar, a shop that specializes in zero-proof cocktails. It was their first market, so things were a little slower, but the vibes were great. We’re already looking forward to coming back for future visits.
These first two events taught us so much—like how long setup and teardown actually takes, how to better gauge how much product to bring, and the power of social media. After the events, we used payment links to sell the rest of our inventory from home!
Longview Pride: A Standout Event
The last pop-up we did was at Longview Pride, and wow—it was a perfect event from start to finish. We had a line the entire time and everything from the cake pops to the seasoning blends flew off the table.
It was so good seeing familiar faces too—friends, and even a former teacher-turned-friend. We caught a drag show, enjoyed some food truck goodies, and soaked in the love that makes Pride so special.
A Big Thank You to Our Village
Huge shoutout to my friend Israel and his wife Hannah for letting us basically turn their house upside down with all our bins and supplies. It takes a special kind of friend to let you chase your dream under their roof.
Also, thank you to my “lil bro” Dalton and his wife Joanna—we switched houses during the trip so we wouldn’t overstay our welcome at either place. Y’all made it possible.
And last but never least—my ACE, Katrina. You were in the trenches with us: prepping, bagging, stickering, helping out at Longview Pride, and even assisting with wedding stuff. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Queen Bey in Houston
After all of that hustle, it was time to unwind—with none other than Queen Bey herself!
We headed to Houston on Sunday and checked into our VRBO for a little downtime before the show. It was Jessica’s first stadium concert and my second Beyoncé concert (the first was the Lemonade tour).
Y’all—Houston showed out. From H-E-B decorating their doors with “Welcome Home, Bey” messages to cupcakes and cookie cakes inspired by Cowboy Carter, it was a full-on celebration.
The concert itself? Flawless. The only artist I think comes close to matching Beyoncé’s level of performance is P!nk. Everything was phenomenal. Katrina and her son joined us too, which made the experience even more memorable.
And Then… A Curveball
Because life always finds a way to keep things interesting, I had a bit of a health scare.
For a few years now, I’ve had difficulty swallowing. Food would get stuck right before entering my stomach. I chalked it up to poor chewing, swallowing too fast, or maybe GERD. But on the afternoon of July 4th (yes, after taking an Allegra D—go ahead, laugh), I couldn’t swallow at all.
After trying everything I could think of to fix it, I ended up in the ER at Christus South Broadway. They saw me quickly and tried a few methods to relax the esophagus—glucagon injection, dissolvable pills—but nothing worked. I was transferred to the main hospital to wait on a GI specialist.
Eventually, I had an endoscopy, where they found the pill lodged in the lower third of my esophagus—right before food enters the stomach. They were able to remove it and also took a biopsy to test for other issues. I’ll get those results soon.
Turns out, my esophagus was only dilated to 1cm, and it needs to be at least 1.5cm to swallow normally. The procedure was quick, and I was released shortly after. I’m still a little sore, but overall doing fine. And I really appreciate everyone who checked in—it might’ve been routine, but it was still a procedure, and your support meant a lot.
Wrapping Up
This trip home was definitely a wild ride—but one full of love, hustle, music, support, and growth. From starting a business to seeing Beyoncé, and yes, even a hospital stay—I’m grateful for every bit of it.
If you’ve read this far, thank you for sticking with me. I’m excited to keep writing and sharing as the journey continues.
Until next time,
❤️
Big Wheels Keep On Turnin' 