Shit An Entire Two Year Hiatus

At this point do I even know how to blog anymore?

Welcome back to the ones that have been riding with me for all of these years. If you are new, welcome to my baby Wendolyn Mars. I started my brand as somewhere to teach people how to travel to pocket friendly places. From that stemmed some merchandise I felt was close to me and I wanted others to represent it too. From that I even dabbled in broadcasting for my college FAU.

Being a creative can be rewarding and overwhelming at times. When you make something come alive from your head to your audience it is an absolute euphoric feel. But when you get creative blocks in the mist of real life shit going on, it can become a bit discouraging and crippling to your craft. From a young age my favorite way to express myself to others was through writing. I know with so much going on in the audio world, blogging or forms of print seem to be lost. I do know that some of us out here (like myself) still thoroughly enjoy a sweet read. I have been meaning to get back into writing; and not to make it an excuse, but life will really shift shit around. I am ready, put me in coach !! With all of the shit going on in the world I have to be expressive and vulnerable. I want to be able to speak life into others, show my shortcomings and my elevations alike. A lot of times we only show the pretty side of things; we need to show the reality of how difficult life can be. But even in showing the ugly, I show my faith for my God and the things I am able to overcome is not to be fucked with.

What’s to come in the blogging life?

I want to come back into blogging speaking more on my personal life; my experiences, my fucking up, my leveling up, my ideas. I will still be adding places that are fun and sweet on the pockets. Mostly because I love to get people out of the house. But overall I want a place to express myself and give others a place to express themselves publicly or to me, privately. I also want to have an area where businesses can contact me for promotions on my website or my other social networks. I hope to drop something once a week. I am excited to get more into my creative juices. Currently I am working on pre-orders for a new shirt design; it highlights my pride for being a product for immigrants. I have been on a sweet health journey too. Eating less meat, more greens. Fasting once a month and really allowing my mind, body and soul to heal and strengthen me up for my long life. I am enjoying being more in tune with myself, hence the creative flow coming back to life. I love good criticism, please do not hesitate to give me feedback. Tell me where I lack, tell me what you’d like to see ! This post was short, but it was mostly to tell you all that I am back and excited to give you all content on this side ! New and old supporters, you are all appreciated galore xo

Love And Allow to be Loved

I love to end my blogs with this ! This has no specific meaning to it. It can mean anything to anyone and it would NOT be a wrong answer/description for it ! For me it means that when you love something (a craft, a location, a job, a human) when you allow it to love you back, you can only elevate. Only greatness can come from bringing together positive entities and wanting MORE!

Adios Miami

Second entry of my mini getaway to Miami. These were little pull in places I headed to. Hope you all enjoy these places and have the pleasure of visiting soon.

First was a simple dimple ice cream parlor, Serendipity. Located in the art district of Miami, Wynwood. This is a low key shop, few different flavors, but they are all legit amazing. After every sample spoon I just wanted another scoop of that added to my cup. I ended up choosing the salted caramel, awesome light mix of sweet and salty. 

Next spot I pulled into was a place that sold different things, almost like a pop up shop. This place had plants, glasses, jewelry, clothes, even paintings and energy infused jewels. They even had a palm reader there to tell you your future, if you believe in things of that nature. This was right near Coyo's Tacos in the art district as well. Even if you do not buy anything, enjoy the different handmade art around.

On the last day of my trip, I had to have a Cuban sandwich before heading back home. My great friend Caddy took me to a real cozy Spanish restaurant. The name was Enriqueta's Cafe. This was a very laid back, and amicable place to grab a bite to eat. I grabbed the Cuban sandwich with cafe con leche (coffee and milk). It was so filling, and rewarding. The cheese melting from it after every bite, even the light crunch of the pickles was too amazing. I can not wait to go back and try it again.

Gracias Miami, and thank you to all of you who support me. Nothing but love pours from my heart when I think of all the nice things you all write me, or how amazing it is to know that you all have been, or want to go somewhere I went to. You all are loved deeply by me. Thank you all. Remember to always Love and allow to be loved. Xoxo

Serendipity Creamery

421 NW 26th St, Miami, Fl 33127

305-527-7162

Sunday-Thursday 12pm-6pm

Friday-Saturday 12pm-11pm

Enriqueta's Cafe

186 NE 29th St, Miami, Fl 33137

305-573-4681

Monday-Friday 6am-4pm Saturday 6am-2pm Sunday Closed

How I travel On A Budget

I always get a lot of questions as to how I travel the way I do, try all the foods I do, and still have a positive bank account. I wanted to write this blog entry to give you all a little more insight on how it can be done, and what tips to know that may help you for your next trip. Please take into consideration these are just a few of the basics. Feel free to contact me on my social networks and in my email if you have any additional questions.

1. Booking your flight

I usually try to book my flights about 2-3 months in advance. There have been a couple of times where I just got the luck of the Irish (Dominican) and got it a month before, with a kick ass price. Another thing to be mindful of the cookies in your computer or phones. Technology is getting smarter than we think. Every time you visit a site, and search the same flight for the same day, the company now knows you will probably pay any price to go to this location. So this means you have to outsmart them, clean your cookies out from anything with shared WiFi, ask a friend in a different state to search it for you, or simply book right when you think you see a good deal. Side note, make sure you are reading baggage fees of the airlines you are searching as well, sometimes you end up paying more just to get the bags on. My favorite site to use is www.gogle.com/flights they give you all the airlines, and detailed days and prices.

 2. Where will you stay?

Ideally when you travel your best bet is to scroll through your contacts, and see if you may have any old friends who live in the city. Crash in their guest room or on a couch. If you are a true traveler you will not be spending too much time in your sleeping space. Another good thing to look into are friends or family members whom may have discounts for hotels. My way  is the infamous Airbnb.com it is the BEST. You go on a website where people either rent you a room in their house, or their whole house. Now depending on how private you are or how many people are traveling, will probably determine how much you will be paying. I usually pay between $30-$50 per night for a room, and I can use everything in their house and usually have my own bathroom. I do not stay in hole in the wall looking places, or with straight creepy people. Like anything else that you buy on the internet, they have reviews and ratings. I recommend to never stay with anyone who is always canceling on their guests, also only stay with people who have 40+ reviews, and 4.5 stars or more. You need people to be able to vouch for them.

3. How will you get around?

Some people are strictly car rental or no go. And that is okay, lots of car rental companies are affordable and worth it. If you are under 25, it may be a little more but nothing too expensive if you are splitting it up with some friends. I usually go the route of good ol' fashion feet and public transportation. My favorites are always walking, bus and Uber. I don't do taxis because they are usually overpriced. If you have Uber send out your promo code to different people in your email and social networks. From your Uber code they get a free ride, and you do too. If you can accumulate at least 5-6 people to sign up and use your code those are a few free rides already. Also if you are taking buses or trains, look into weekly passes. Sometimes it's better to pay $30 for the time you will be there and ride as many times as you'd like. Do not underestimate a bike either, good exercise and inexpensive transportation are able to go hand in hand.

3. What will you do in the city?

The internet and locals will be your best friends for this. If you are not an amicable person, then lean more towards the internet and visa-versa. I am (for the most part) internet savvy, and super good with people. From your plane ride to your location ask people what they know of the city their recommendations on favorites and live places. Apps like Tinder, Instagram and Twitter, to articles on the city will all be helpful. Once you settle into your hotel, or Air bnb continue to ask around, what do the locals do? Where is the party located? I am big on pre planning my trip outings. 50% are places I already had anticipated to visit, the other 50% are just places I walked into, or someone told me about while there.

5. Where's the free Sh**?

 If you have been following my blog for a while, you know I always manage to find something free somewhere to enjoy. Some places do free concerts, or galleries, or winery's and distilleries. It is all about finding out what is up in the city you will be visiting. You have to view different websites of the places you'd like to visit. See if they hold events on certain days and times so you can free your schedule for that day and fit that activity in. Same thing with inexpensive things, I am a huge budget Betty. I love to save some money and have a kick ass time, sometimes the hole in the wall food places have the best food. Obviously if the Chef is scratching his ass, and fixing my French toast I just may reconsider.

I hope this helped some of you out if even just a little. Like told up top I basically covered the basics that I am always being asked on. If you are wanting to know anything else in detail, please feel free to email me or hit my social network sites up. All my contact info in at the tab up top where it says "contact". I want to thank you all for continuing your support towards me. I look forward to always hearing feedback. If I could hug all of you that show me love towrds my craft, believe me I WOULD. Remember to always "Love and allow to be loved" Wm. 

Let's Keep Saving In Toronto

This entry is a continuum of my trip to the beautiful Toronto. As many of you know already, I am mostly a loner traveler. I am always open to make new friends on my trips. I hope you all make a trip alone to a new place someday. Comfort is always the enemy, and keeping things too alike may hold you back from bigger and better opportunities. Hope you enjoy these next few stops I made, and be on the look out for one more Toronto entry next Sunday.

First place I went into was called "Starving Artist". Considering I am an artist in the writing world, I felt it right to enjoy a meal with such a dope name. This place is every waffle lovers dream. 99% of the food items on the menu, get waffles incorporated into them. I myself started off with a fruit smoothie of mangos, strawberries, and bananas. In the smoothie they use a type of yogurt, ice and juice. It was super warm inside, so I wanted something sweet and refreshing.  Also I enjoyed a fruit bowl, great variety of fruits as well. As for my meal, my taste buds went on a fishy and smooth ride. I enjoyed the egg benedict with salmon, side of baked beans, and some  greens did me well too. As you can see I left my business card on their bulletin board. Someone will grab it. The prices were great, and the food was awesome. The service from everyone was rewarding, very attentive and helpful as well.

I went to the equivalent of New York's Times Square in Toronto. This is known as Yonge Dundas Square. Fun fact, Yonge St. is the longest street in the world, stretching 1,178 miles long. It is a great place for pictures, to walk around at, and even do some retail therapy as well. I was pretty excited to know Canada had Popeyes too, everybody loves fried chicken and biscuits. I walked into a random bar called "Imperial Pub". Such a welcoming staff, and good vibes as soon as you go in. The bar is a family owned business that has been around for 72 years. In the old times, to have a liquor licence you had to have rooms upstairs for hotel stays. Enjoyed a couple cups of Moosehead Larger, Canadian beer, all for about $8-$9. Live jazz band every Friday as well. This is a cool trip for younger adults, the drinking age in Canada is 19, so take an Uber, and get your drink on.

El Furniture is a super laid back and inexpensive stop as well. This is like a college bar, with tasty food, and great music. Live DJ's spinning while you dance, drink and eat. As you can tell from the girls dancing on the bar, the music selection was too legit. My friend Femi put me on to this place and it was perfect. I chose some lemon pepper wings, and he soft chicken tacos. The best part of this place, is ALL food is only $4.95 all the time. For sure recommend this place for a pregame or even just to chill for the night. 

Thank you all for the continued support with everything that I do. As I said up top, I will have another blog entry from Toronto next week as well. Feel free to contact me with any questions, or just to say hi. I may not reply right away, but I love all my supporters. Just know you WILL get a reply from me within 24 hours. Remember to always Love and allow to be loved. Xo

Starving Artist

584 Lansdowne Ave. (other locations avil.)

647-342-5058

Monday-Sunday 9am-6pm

Imperial Pub

54 Dundas St. 

416-997-4667

Monday-Sunday 11am-3am

El Furniture

410 Bloor St.

647-350-7326

Monday-Sunday 11am-2am

 

 

First Timer in The Six

This an overview of my first couple of days in the beautiful Toronto. I just love the city, the people, the food. Everything from the polite and helpful locals, to the "eh's" were lovely.

First stop I made was to Miss Natalie's. Great Caribbean food, amazing service. You all know I am a down south gal, I need my spices every now and again when I pop up in a new place. I had a beef patty which did not make it to the picture, maybe next time. Just know they were great, and he has mild and spicy ones. Also had the oxtails with rice and beans. The rice and beans were nice and fluffy not hard, not mushy, but just right. Rice was soaked in all the right amount of juices from the meat. The oxtails were tender and just the right amount of spicy. I was legit just sucking it right off the bone. You can taste every flavor pouring on out. Enjoyed every bite, and even had some for lunch the next day. They serve specials ALL DAY EVERYDAY. Picture below shows some of the specials that are around all day. I had the pleasure of sitting down for a few minutes with the owner of Miss Natalies, Robert. He is currently looking to extend his business with other foods like Asian, bar food (burgers, wings) not just your typical island food. I admire Robert for his work ethic and passion. The man owned his own business at the age of 23, engineer and chef are just a couple of his titles. I want to give a huge thank you to Robert for the awesome hospitality and wisdom. May your heart stay pure so blessings will always find their way.

Next location was Toronto Island, short ferry ride away. Now at this time of the year, it is mostly just walking around and a kick ass view of the skyline. So I went to stretch my legs and to catch some awesome pictures. It is $7.25CA to get a across, and they have different restaurants, shops and even have concerts on warmer days. There are multiple islands that are connected, but I went to one only, Ward's Island. They had the cutest houses, best view of the whole city and a nice peaceful trails. When traveling you have to know that sometimes, a nice calm, place to be at is needed. Because I am traveling alone, I needed to put my self timer to take pictures of myself. LOL If you are going to Toronto in warmer weather, you have to stop by here to enjoy the island people and what they have to offer.

Aviv

This was a dope Mediterranean restaurant with great service, prices and food. I went with my friend Nick whom I met in Toronto, he had been coming to eat there for a few years. Owner Robert Chee welcomed us with open arms, our waitress Marissa was so attentive and sweet. You all know I am huge on customer service, I loved it. Nick enjoyed their curry vegetable soup. He said it has a nice mild kick to it, not too crazy and perfect for a chilly day. I ordered their Warm Hero Pressed Sandwich. It was prosciutto, salami, roasted red bell peppers, mozzarella, lettuce and tomatoes, all in between a lightly toasted house made baguette. Of course paired with one of my favorites, sweet potato fries. Color may be a little different, but it is only because these are REAL sweet potatoes. Nice smooth inside, rich sweet taste. I wanted a whole other batch. Great pizza menu also, all different kinds. They have brunch specials all weekend 11am-3pm. Everything on the menu is very inexpensive, and the food and service are awesome. They do also have an outside section to enjoy and a full bar if you want to throw back a couple.

This was my first time in Canada, and also my first time out of the country alone. I have met some amazing, successful and good spirited people. I recommend whether it be alone, or with others a trip to Toronto. They host great music festivals. lots of parties in the warmer days, and great food year around. My birthday is today, and I took this trip not only for material for you all, but also to reflect on life. If someone was to tell me I would be where I am at a year from today, I would not of believed them. I want to thank you all for the amazing support, for sticking with me every Sunday anticipating my next entry. I will work harder and smarter for my 24th year of life. Be on on the lookout for another Canada entry next week on a few other places I visited. Love you all to the moon and back. Remember to always "Love and allow to be loved". xo

Miss Natalie's

5118 Dundas St. W, Toronto, ON M9A 1C2

416-260-9444

Monday-Friday & Saturday 11am-8pm Sunday CLOSED.

Toronto Island

Bay St, on Queens Quay (for ferry)

416-392-8193

http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=3690dada600f0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD for schedule.

Aviv

328 Dupont St, Toronto, ON M5R 1V9

416-922-2433

Mon 5pm-10pm Tues-Fri 1130am-10pm Sat11am-10pm Sun 11am-3pm

Working Overtime

I want to make it a habit to write a personal or update blog of myself every few months. I feel that you all deserve to know a bit about the things going on in my personal life. I am always open to answer emails, or messages on social networks about your lives, or even mine. I want to get better acquainted with my supporters.

An update of my life, I am still very much single with no plans to get into a relationship anytime soon. I have (thank God) not returned to the dark place that I spoke of in my last personal blog "Hardships Turned into Blessings". I went to Denver recently as you all saw on my last couple of blogs. It was my first out of State blog entry. I had such an awesome time being somewhere new, with all types of different people. I passed out a lot of business cards, and spoke one on one with lots of locals. That was just the beginning to all the networking I will be doing along my trips, and days in general.

 I have been a little overwhelmed with school as of lately. Last semester I only took two courses which was a breeze and I passed with great scores. But this semester I am taking a total of 5 classes. I am taking things like Micro-Economics, Political Science, Humanities, Mathematics, and a Science course. I feel like I have 3,749 tests every other week for a different class. I am constantly in a textbook, reviewing notes or back on campus with a tutor. All of this PLUS my job that gives me an average of 35 to 40 hours a week. So I go to class Monday through Wednesday and I am at work Thursday through Sunday. Needless to say, I feel SWAMPED. At times I just want to stay in bed and turn my phone off for a whole day, but I know that this is my time to work my a** off. This is my time to get all my priorities in order, and kill the game anyway that I can. I am very determined and very motivated by MYSELF. I have positive influences around me thankfully, but at the end of the day I look up to the FUTURE me. I look up to what I can and WILL become with dedication and consistency. I am very grateful to be single, and have no kids in a time like this. I have so much that I am doing for myself, nowhere in this madness can a lover or child fit. 

I was looking into the process of egg donation. I am someone who is always willing to help others. I love kids and family oriented folks all together. I came about it randomly, it popped into my head, and like anyone else in this day in age, I paid Google a visit. I read legitimately about 16 articles on pros and cons of the journey. I have never been pregnant, but I know how beautiful life is, and how much joy children can bring to your life. Some see it as a giving your child up, others see it as something very brave. I am not doing one or the other. I am merely thinking about it, because I would love to help a couple make a family of their own. To make it quick and simple I will tell you how it goes down. They basically take a few eggs from my ovaries, insert them into a tube, insert the fathers (or sperm donor) sperm into my egg, then let it start up, followed by allowing it to be put in the mother, so their baby can bake. Now technically of course their child will have my DNA, but that is the couples CHILD. I am hoping to get more information on this from an actual doctor. If all goes well, maybe I will go through with it by the end of the year. I am in good health, young, smart, full Dominican, and  have a great personality. What parents wouldn't want my eggs?

Something else I want to start (this is for sure) is working out again. I want to get in shape. I want to teach myself how to eat healthier and stay consistent with it while in the process. I know I have a lot of things on my plate, but somehow I need to see where I can fit this in too. I need to be svelte for my upcoming birthday March 13th in addition to the rest of my life.

Next upcoming trip in the works will be Toronto, Canada. This will be my first time in Canada and my first out of the country blog. I will more than likely hit this trip up solo dolo, but knowing my spontaneous friends, someone may hop on with me. I want to do site seeing things, national parks, maybe a couple of bars, see some animals, find the good food around the city, go to a museum, and just see where else the locals send me. If you or anyone you know have been to Toronto, let me know the fun things to do while I am there. I will be taking this trip in March, so be on the lookout.

This is more or less an update of where I am at in life currently. If you want to know anything else in depth, please do not hesitate in contacting me. Also if you want to just vent, and ask advice I am totally open for it. I may not reply the same second, but give me 24 hours TOPS and we can talk. I want you all to know that you have someone in me that is very similar to you. I am just a 23 year old girl, finding herself, trying to build greatness and travel all in between. I want to tell you that whatever it is that you want, GO GET THAT SH**! No one will ever hand you anything but excuses in life. You have to know what it is that you want, make a plan, and start the move. Slow steps are still steps. I hope you all are growing in one way or another, and that you are allowing yourself out of the house, and into the beautiful world. Get fresh air, see some paintings, have cheap food, catch a free movie. Point is to get out and have some fun out of your ordinary routines. Remember that when I say "Love and allow to be loved" I mean that for everything around, not only people. I mean this towards yourself, your God, your goals, your career, your life. If you love these things or people, and allow them to love you back, nothing but greatness will evolve from them. I am living proof of this. I love you all, and appreciate all the endless support. May you all continue to strive for happiness and success.

Love and allow to be loved. Xoxo