Thirty. 💞

I turned 30 on 09.01.2021, and while I have nothing inspirational to say I do want to share some of my AMAZING photos with you guys.

About my Photographer:

Insert the amazing Mallori Brooke here. So about two years ago I was scrolling across my for you page on Instagram or whatever it’s called and this picture caught my eye and it’s been saved in my folder SINCE. I’ve always wanted to have pictures done in Bali under a waterfall, so this was right up my alley. But, COVID. I always knew I would make my way to this darn waterfall somehow though.

I’m extra, so I originally wanted to have my photos done at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. I had everything planned in my mind and never acted on it or even attempted to book a flight. July rolled around and I started to panic. I’m really feeling the outside theme this year, but when I looked at Mallori’s site I saw she specialized in couple, engagement, maternity, family, newborn/fresh 48, + senior session, etc. Asking if she would do my shoot wouldn’t hurt though right?!

I reached out to Mallori and she responded and said she would love to do my session. I originally wanted to do a white dress, a swimsuit, and maybe one other color. She insisted on doing red and I’m so glad I listened somewhat. I searched high and low for something red and settled for a last minute set I found from Fashion Nova that was on clearance. I already had a bunch of new items in my closet including the set that I wore in my water shots. I packed them all because I can be indecisive at times.

This shoot had us so STRESSED. We originally planned to shoot on 08.21, but it got pushed back to 8.22. That Sunday morning my sister and I were en route to Atlanta when Mallori texted me in a panic and said the park changed their hours and we wouldn’t make it in time. We had literally just crossed the state line! It honestly was a relief. I didn’t have the red set that I wanted to wear like she insisted, I wasn’t able to schedule a lash appointment so I only had 3 and a possible lash extensions on each eye, my MUA was booked, and things just felt rushed. Lex & I turned it into a sisters trip and hung out for the day. Mallori & I rescheduled for the following Sunday and that was that.

Fast forward to 8.29, just three days before my 30th. I baked the entire weekend and only got TWO hours of sleep the night before. I had a 7am makeup appointment, and when I arrived there the shop was empty. I panicked of course because I suck at makeup and didn’t even want to attempt at it. My MUA had a huge wedding the night before and overslept so it pushed my time back. I wanted to leave Tuscaloosa at 9AM, I didn’t leave until 10:30. Toccoa is 4 hours away and I wanted to leave early to account for Atlanta traffic. GPS estimated us getting there at 3:48 and I was literally crying on the inside. The park closed at 4. Mallori and I stayed in contact the entire time and I honestly just wanted to capture THE shot. I honestly didn’t care about anything else. I arrived with my sisters at 3:25PM with a sigh of relief. While driving to Georgia, I got to thinking about the pink set I packed as a backup option and figured why the hell not?! Not realizing that I previously shot in pink for my 29th! It’s my favorite color don’t judge me.

Meeting her in person was like reconnecting with a long lost friend. We instantly clicked! I knew then she was gonna be stuck with me for a while. We paid the park fee and walked down to the falls only to realize they were having a wedding after the park closed at 4. There were several people visiting the park that day, but whatever. I changed into my outfit and we ventured off into the cool waters of Toccoa Falls. As SOON as we got good into getting our shots, the asshole of the century came to announce the park was closing early due to the wedding and to make our way to the exit. We kept shooting and he stood there like the waterfall monitor of the century and was like “Ok one more shot guys and then wrap it up.” We took about 5 more before leaving. I doubt if it was even 3:45PM when he approached us with the news. Plus, there’s a way to do your job without being RUDE about it.

We left and I changed out of my wet clothes into look #2. Mallori noticed a little cottage and thought it would be nice to get a few shots there and as we were talking, one of the event planners came up to us and said she had been watching us and that there were a few more spots to shoot at including a mini fall behind the cottage so off we went!

I’m so awkward at photo shoots, but working with Mallori put me at ease. I felt like a natural and my pictures are my proof. We shot at the cottage and the mini falls and it was a wrap! We went our separate ways, but due to the previous week she agreed to rush my photos so they would be ready by 09.01! The shots she showed me had me floored because I just knew that wasn’t me! She started working on them the following day and she had me HYPE. I was so glad I second guessed myself and switched outfits. The pink really did it for me.

Wednesday rolled around and she said she was finishing up so I just ran around the house all day in excitement. I was very quiet about my 30th. I didn’t plan anything, I only wanted to shoot. My friends and family were more antsy than I was. So I stalled as long as I could and then uploaded my first photo. Then the next, then the next. It was so hard picking them. I’m literally obsessed and amazed at how they turned out despite all of our obstacles that day. I’m already planning another shoot before she goes on maternity leave. Like NOW. If you’re ever in need of a photographer, don’t hesitate to contact her! She travels! Until then, enjoy the photos. More are coming soon.

Happy Birthday To Me,

Jasmine 💞

2021

Happy New Year everyone! We survived the madness of 2020! Here’s to a year full of success in 2021! 2020 was a wild ride for me. I experienced my first pandemic, celebrated my birthday quarantine style, collaborated with a few companies, quit my job, relaunched my baking business. I did it all.

I never got around to posting, but the highlight of 2020 for me was working with Oyemwen. I personally listed one of her dresses on my vision board for 2020. Instead, I bought a robe to wear for my birthday. Fast forward to November and I’m modeling one of her dresses beside her. I still have to tell ya’ll about that story. Crazy! I went from stressing and crying over the dress to wearing one.

I relaunched Sugars by Shea, something that I’ve always loved doing(surprise!) Business is starting to boom and it’s honestly kicking my butt. I need more space, time to expand honestly. First day of the year and I’m stretched thin with deliveries.

Birthday Behavior Pound Cake

I pray that everyone has a safe and Happy New Year. I have a lot of projects that I can’t wait to share with you all. Thank you all for allowing me to share a part of my life with you in 2020 and now 2021 as well. I’m off to redo this vision board. Hopefully I can accomplish ALL my goals for the year. Here’s to 2021. I love you all!

Love,

Jasmine ❤️

Twenty9

It’s my 29th today, and while I have nothing exciting to talk about, I decided to drop some of my AMAZING pictures and give a shout out to everyone that played apart of making today special.

Baby Pink Tulle Robe

I’ve been lusting over the works of Oyemwen for quite sometime, and since Covid-19 is still a thing I decided to splurge. 🤷🏽‍♀️

A special thank you to Patra Stallworth for slaying my makeup. She got me all the way TOGETHER okay!!

Jasmine Edmonds on the hair. I have a new love for closures thanks to you. 😘

Last but certainly not least, the TALENTED Tanesha Childs. Thank you for literally bringing my vision to life. Please book with her ya’ll.

Also, thanks to my sister Alexia for coming through assisting with the shoot during the middle of your move! We’ve been through so much together and I’m forever grateful to have a friend like you!

Jasmine. ❤️

To Savannah, With Love.

I finally escaped the madness and this little apartment of mine to take a Covid-19 free vacation to Savannah, GA. Savannah is one of the many destinations on my list for 2020, and probably the only one that will be checked off my list unfortunately.

I arrived on a Friday afternoon, and much to my dismay, I was suffering from an ear infection that kind of made things unbearable. I spent my Friday afternoon eating crab cakes( IFYKYK) at Huey’s Restaurant on the river walk and from there the adventure started.

Savannah Slow Ride

Friday night consisted of learning a little bit of history courtesy of Savannah Slow Ride. Savannah Slow Ride is a 15 person pedal powered bike that tours the city and it’s so much fun. The particular bike ride we booked was the Pub Crawl, which lets you check out historic bars such as Pour Larry’s, Mint To Be, Staffords, and a few other bars along the tour. The bike ride is roughly two hours long and the total cost is about $42. Did I mention we toured with a random group of guys celebrating a bachelor’s party?! What a time.

Tybee Island, GA

My Saturday was one for the books. I started out my day heading to Tybee Island to see the lighthouse up close and personal and to catch some sun while social distancing. After spending a few hours at the beach we headed back into the city to enjoy the rest of our day. One sugar scrub making class and a scroll through Forsyth Park later and we were on the quest for food. Covid-19 has really put a damper on dining out, even though I’m 100% paranoid when in large crowds anyway. Many restaurants are severely short staffed and the wait times were unreal. It’s better if you make a reservation ahead of time. We settled for BBQ and headed back to our AirBNB for a girl’s night in thanks to the rain. Before we knew it, it was Sunday and we found ourselves having brunch at the Funky Brunch Café before heading home. Although I didn’t get to do half of the things that I wanted to, I still think that Savannah is such a gorgeous place and I’ll definitely be heading back really soon.

Love,

Jas. ❤️

Beach Please! 🤬

Considering our unfortunate circumstances, I’m taking a trip down memory lane. Just a few months ago I was on the white sandy beaches of Destin living my best life, now here I am stuck in the house with some dusty 2 month old knotless box braids.

For my 28th I decided to stop being such a scary ass and took a solo trip. Now, although I’ve taken plenty of solo trips I considered this my very first REAL trip. I initially wanted to go to Bali for a week, but baby steps sis. I told myself when I woke up that morning (09/05/2019) if I found a reasonably priced hotel I would reserve a room and hit the road. Two hours later I was gassing up and heading to Destin, Florida.

I’ve frequented Destin a lot in my younger years, but never as an adult. The hotel I chose was Hyatt Place Sandestin and it was amazing. The staff made sure I was well taken care of considering it was my last minute birthday trip. They offered me free drinks at the bar, complimentary snacks, and even gave some great suggestions for dinner. This trip was completely about me and I did absolutely nothing the 3 days I was there.

My days consisted of eating Coconut Gelato from Pino Gelato Cafe EVERYDAY, visiting Old Destin and eating dinner on the docks, breezing around the outlets, and laying on the isolated beaches that I had basically to myself. The food was immaculate, and as I’m typing this, thinking about those crab cakes are making my mouth water. I’m starving!

When I say I still think about these crab cakes, I mean exactly that. I wanted to stay an extra day just for them. I even tried to get some to go, but they weren’t open yet. Not to mention that my food wasn’t expensive AT ALL! Your girl can eat sometimes, and I definitely did my part that night. I had a lb. of crab claws, crab cakes w/ corn and smashed new potatoes for less than $30. I’m all for supporting local businesses and Dewey Destin is just that. With Destin being such a touristy town, a lot of local places often get over looked. Take my advice and eat local, it’s so much better and they catch their seafood fresh daily. Not even throwing shade, but it was way better than any other food I had while staying there. Honestly, it was the best trip I’ve ever been on (other than Puerto Rico of course). I’m patiently waiting for the day when it’s safe to do so again.

As always,

Jasmine 💕

Live At The Plaza!

Tonight I kidnapped my friend after work and we headed downtown for a mini adventure. Before I even dive into how much fun I had, I just want ya’ll to know we almost had a problem. As we were pulling into the parking lot near the plaza, a car was leaving so Lex & I were like YES a close parking space! Then here comes this other truck speeding trying to get my damn park! Ya’ll know me, well some of ya’ll do in real life and ya’ll know how I drive. My mama ain’t raise no PUNK. We both were swerving at the same time trying to get that park. If he would’ve hit my Lexus Kia Coupe, I was going to JAIL tonight. Pretty sure I was called everything but a child of God, but guess who got the park?! I DID LMAO. Now back to Live At The Plaza!

There’s a such thing as Live at The Plaza on Friday nights in Downtown Tuscaloosa, and I just had to see what all the hype was about. Food trucks lined the streets as a well known band out of Birmingham, Just a Few Cats hit the stage and got everyone up out of their seats. The event is totally FREE, the only thing is you must bring your own lawn chair or blanket. If you’re someone that’s always cold like me, bring a spare blanket or jacket. Thankfully I live out of my car( just kidding) and there’s a little bit of everything in the trunk. Before making our way by the crowd, we stopped and got food of course! Lex had BBQ Nachos from Archibald’s while I opted for some good ole catfish from Be Gone, and yes that is the name. We sang, ate, and sang some more to be honest. I had so much fun! The band sang a little bit of everything, from Frankie Beverly to Maroon 5 and I loved every minute of it. Apparently Live At The Plaza was a big hit over the summer so they extended it into October with two more shows. I’m ashamed to say this was my first time venturing into this particular area. The next show will be 10/25/2019 and although I don’t know who will be performing, there’s a strong possibility that I’ll be somewhere in the crowd singing and definitely dancing. The addy to Government Plaza is 2106 6th St, Tuscaloosa, Al 35401. See you next week!

Love Always,

A Dose Of Jasmine ❤️

LightRails: The Rainbow Tunnel 🌈

I don’t know when or how I discovered this place, but I’m so glad that I did. Located in the heart of Downtown Birmingham near Railroad Park resides Light Rails, better known as the Rainbow Tunnel. I’ve wanted to visit this particular spot for years, even drove through it once, but for safety reasons I never stopped. When I launched ADOJ in June, it was on my list of local destinations to visit and blog about. Three months ago I had no earthly idea where my imagination would lead me when it came to shooting this location. iPhones in hand, my friends and I set out to get a few shots here for my 28th birthday. The idea literally came to me a day or two before hand, my creative side was in overdrive. The dress was already hanging in my closet, the balloons were leftover from a previous birthday, and the confetti cannons were purchased for 40% off. The vision literally came to me and I knew then that it had to be done.

Light Rails debuted June 27, 2013 with the intention to enhance walkways around the Downtown Birmingham area by adding a splash of color. Curated by artist Bill Fitzgibbons, the computerized led light system can change the color and speed of the lights. Once an area to avoid, the tunnel has quickly become a destination for both locals and tourists as well as the place to get that perfect Instagram shot. Traveling from Tuscaloosa on hope and a prayer, I was hoping no one else would be there trying to get shots late Friday night. Other than a few homeless people sleeping on the opposite side of the street, we had the tunnel completely to ourselves. The tunnel offers two wide walkways for those who would like to take a stroll or you could just be a daredevil like myself and stroll through the street. Anything for that perfect shot! It’s the Virgo in me unfortunately. If you’re ever in the Downtown Birmingham area, please visit! I guarantee you won’t regret it! Take a late night stroll or drive to see it for yourself. The address is 1 14th St S, Birmingham, AL 35203.

Peace, Love, & Rainbows,

A Dose Of Jasmine. ❤️🌈

Nola, Darling. ❤️

I know, I know. Where you been sis? I don’t even have an answer honestly, BUT I’m back. This past weekend I packed up my entire wardrobe, no literally and took a road trip to NEW ORLEANSSSSS (insert Oprah applause gif here) to meet my framily. My visit consisted of nothing that I planned on doing, a ton of walking, and of course the food. During my stay I stayed at Le Méridien New Orleans. I think I’m going back just to stay at the hotel alone. It was BEAUTIFUL and the staff was so friendly to my family & I. I arrived Friday night, and shortly after getting settled, we headed out for dinner at Felix’s Oyster Bar off of Bourbon St. I had a seafood platter that I barely put a dent in, idk what I was thinking ordering so much food. It all worked out in the end though. I walked everything off by the time we hit Bourbon.

Seafood Platter – Felix’s Oyster Bar

Saturday consisted of sight seeing, brunch at Kingfish, and beignets from Café Du Mondé. Seriously, fat girl heaven. After brunch we walked a thousand miles, which led us to Jackson Square. I promise I had so much content that I wanted to show you guys, but it happens. Next came the LauLarie Mansion. Although I didn’t get a chance to go inside, I was still excited to actually be in the presence of it. A quick Google search will tell you everything you need to know about this mansion, but if you’re being lazy then I’ll give you a quick history.

Brioche Pain Perdu – Kingfish New Orleans

Beignets Jesus Made Himself – Café Du Mondé

The LauLarie Mansion was once owned by Marie Delphine Macarty or Delphine LauLarie. LauLarie was a well known socialite and slave owner during the early 1800s in New Orleans. Although known as a respectable socialite, LauLarie is notoriously known as being a serial killer. It’s said that LauLarie had over 100 victims, but one fateful day in the Spring of 1834, a fire was ignited by a slave who had been chained in the kitchen and forced to cook for LauLarie and her guests. The slave had hoped that the fire would consume her and the mansion in hopes of exposing the inhumane living conditions the slaves endured. When the fire was controlled, bystanders began to speculate the whereabouts of her slaves, and a search party ensued. The search led to the third floor of the attic where they found seven slaves all mutilated and disfigured. This led to an a mob forming outside of her home and destroying everything including the fine china she cherished so much. Although slavery was a thing back then, there were still laws that were put in place to protect them. The discovery sparked an outrage and LauLarie along with her family fled the city. She was such a charmer, that when reports of her mistreating her slaves got out the state supposedly did welfare checks on the slaves. LauLarie would charm the social workers into thinking nothing was wrong. It was all a facade clearly. I really could go on and on about how much of a sick person she was, but til this day her grave still hasn’t been found. TBH I think we can all guess where her final resting place is. I wish we could have had a chance to tour the inside, but it’s said that the house is seriously haunted so no tours are allowed anymore. The home even served as an apartment complex once, that is until the property manager turned up brutally murdered in his unit. Nicholas Cage also owned it briefly. He only spent ONE night in the house with his scary ass. We even had a pedestrian to tell us to not stand too close to the house! The people of New Orleans truly believe that til this day there is some evil residing in that home. American Horror Story did the story no justice! It was such an exciting moment to just be a part of NOLA history for a moment.

With Love As Always,

A Dose Of Jasmine. 😘

The Sunflower Field

First of all, this trip definitely almost didn’t happen. I’ve been dying to visit this field for about two years now, but Mercury Retrograde has been out to get me and I don’t appreciate it one bit. Everything that could happen to ruin the trip happened, and by the time I started getting dressed I was over it. I literally had to talk myself into the hour and a half drive in the rain. Equipped with an outdated dying iPhone 6s and a selfie stick I set out on an adventure to Autaugaville, Alabama. Nestled 25 minutes outside of Prattville, Alabama, the farm is owned by Todd & Kim Sheridan and sits on about 32 acres of SUNFLOWERS. As a woman who loves flowers, all I can say is Sunflower Heaven.

Upon arriving at the field, I was greeted by Kim and asked to sign the guest book. They offer cold drinks, tea towels, watermelon, fresh produce, and of course sunflowers. She instructed that I could go out into the field and take as many pictures as I wanted, and when I was ready to snip some babies to take home to return to the tent for cutters. The prettier blooms were located towards the back of the field so that’s where I went first. After wandering around for a little bit, I met two older ladies from Montgomery who insisted on snapping a few pics of me since I was alone. After an impromptu photo shoot, and sweating in places I never knew I could sweat in, I ventured back to the tent to get my cutters and clip some babies to bring back to Title Town.

The address to the field is: 3301 Hwy 14 W, Autaugaville, AL 36003. If you’re planning a visit be prepared for little to no cellular reception because it’s literally in the middle of no where. It’s free to enter the field, but if you’re taking a professional camera for a photo shoot there is a $20 fee. Also, since there’s poor cell reception that means no debit cards, so keep a little cash on you as well. Flowers are $1 a piece, and if you decide to get a bucket for them it’s extra. I took home 5 flowers w/ a bucket so my damage was $7. The bloom is pretty much over for these beauties so I suggest you hurry! The last day to experience the field is Sunday July 21st, 2019 until next year.

With Love,

A Dose of Jasmine