Shopping Rules For Me

 I took an unplanned break from blogging. Mostly because I have been too lazy to take pics for the next post I want to do. But I need to do a food post so I can figure out what I'm making this next week- although I really should try to save money by doing a fridge/freezer/pantry clean out. I tend to buy so many more groceries than what I really need and store a lot of it in the freezer. 

But back to this. I want to set some shopping rules for me...and writing them down helps me to revisit and remember the rules I made. Kinda.if not I can always reference this post. 

I only really have two rules...but it's a good start.

1. No more Polyester. I hate polyester clothes and I try to avoid them. I read labels religiously but somehow still end up with polyester. I hate it for the most part. It's like wearing a plastic bag. Even the mixes. Because it's also so very hard to clean. I have been breaking my own rules over and over. In fact, I just recently bought the cutest sweater that's about half poly. But..I'm done now. Also...it's probably better for the environment to avoid buying because it can leech micro plastics. I'm more OK with Nylon but mostly prefer to avoid that too. Of course for some things like bathing suits...impossible to avoid. I will keep some of my half poly sweaters for now--but eventually I plan to cycle them out.

2. If it doesn't come in my shoe size- don't buy it. I wear size 10.5. Except for some reason shoes some in all half sizes EXCEPT 10.5. So often times I size down. Rarely I will size up. With the last pair of shoes I sized up and shouldn't have, I have started having heel pain. So from now on I will only buy shoes that come in size 10.5. If they don't come in my size I'm not spending my money! 

3. Looking for for natural materials. I've done a research into the decline of clothing quality. Fabric, construction- all have taken a hit. I have bought so many fast fashion, clothes that fall apart or pill in one wash and I am tired of it. Bad news is we are polluting our earth! So I will try really hard to find clothing made of natural materials when I can. Wool, cotton, etc. These materials also degrade so they won't stay on the earth not decomposing forever and ever.  Also...just have natural materials aren't enough. I kept shopping from Torrid and my clothes from them keep on fading, pilling, and falling apart. It was awhile before I realized most of the clothing quality is horrible! The only thing I love from them our the swimsuits....everything else. Meh! 

4. It's OK to spend on quality. I tend to love a deal and look for the cheapest of the cheap. But I have to tell myself it's ok to splurge on something if the quality is high and materials are good. I splurged on a really nice wool coat last winter- it was gorgeous. Unfortunately I need to pay better attention to care labels because I also ruined the coat after not even having it a month. I think I've learned my lesson.  Or at least I really hope I did. It was a very expensive lesson. 

5.  Buy the sewing machine! I have decided I am going to buy a sewing machine and teach myself to sew. I want to learn to alter and repurpose some of my own clothes. I plan on getting it after the summer..maybe I'll get it for myself as a Christmas gift. Or sometimes in the fall once I have taken all my "vacations". We shall see! 

And that's it. As I think of more I will probably update this....

Worst Beauty Products of 2022

 It's been a few days now since I've done the Best Edition, now time for the worst. I usually go into these posts with no idea how many I've come things I've come across that I would truly consider the worst....I think I had a pretty good year last year. I've tried a lot of new brands and can't think of too many that should be on this list...so let's get started.

1. Palmolive Naturals Bar Soap- The soap itself is not bad, but the scent. I really could not stand the smell of this, it just smells like the worst cheap soap. Reminds of the Nivea bars. 

2. Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds Perfume- This might be the worst perfume I have ever smelled in my life. I wore it once and then sprayed the rest outside. I couldn't even stand to use it as a room spray. 

3. Da Bomb Unicorn Bath Bomb- I think this might be the worst bath bomb money can buy. It doesn't fizz right, doesn't color the water, and the scent is not a bath scent. 

4. Smashbox Photo Finish Primer- It's just alright for everyday shimmers looks- anytime you put a darker shade it goes patchy. In humidity etc it just doesn't make your shadow last like it should. This is probably the worst shadow primer I have used. Luckily I'm on the last little bit and then I can move on. 

Surprisingly...that's it! There were a lot of things I tried that I disliked...definitely a lot of the BBW Pocket Bacs but these are the standouts. I think this might be the shortest of all the posts I've done like this. 

What did you try in the last year that stand out as the worst? Let me know in the comments! 

My Favorite Places to Shop...

 It's time for me to sit down. I feel like I've earned it. I've been up most of the day cooking it seems like, a little working out in between and I am beat. So quick post then I'll probably be on the phone the rest of the night.

I like shopping these days a lot more that I ever had in the past. I think it's because I have some go to places that I just like to scroll through when I'm watching a movie, bored or whatever. Mostly I put things I want onto a wishlist, and when I'm comfortable making the purchase..I check out. 

Anthropologie

I love that they have a plus line, although I haven't gotten anything from their plus line. I like their "style" so I have gotten a few things for home- mirror, curtains, etc. Everything I've gotten I love! I really focused off making my space "me" these past couple of years. I figured out my style is a mix of industrial, eclectic, and bohemian which fits right in the Anthropologie. Forgot I've also gotten some shoes from them too. After I got my curtains, my mom stays on the site too looking for stuff to get 😁 

American Eagle

I remember wearing their stuff in college and then completely forgetting about them. But they came back on my radar when they came out with plus sizes. I have a hard time finding jeans. Most clothes are designed for hourglass shapes, and a lot of plus size clothes don't really fit my shape right, I think they flatter apple shades mostly. I'm mostly a pear, and getting my thighs and butt into most jeans..doesn't work. I remember even in high school getting my size in jeans that would fit if they would give more thigh and booty room. Anyway, American Eagle came out with different jeans for different body shapes. I LOVE their curvy jeans. I order other stuff from the site, their shorts, shirts, lounge wear etc. But it's the jeans I love. Tried the leggings too but I wasn't a fan. They need to make curvy leggings too...

Fashion to Figure

They have clothing that is more likely to fit my body shape right...although I always try to pay attention to the material and reviews. I think they do a good job of showing all body types though, I hate when you go to a brands site and they have no diversity in body shapes.  Most of the stuff I have been happy with and only had to send something back once. I always shop a sale though...never pay full price! I stumbled on them back in 2008/9 and one of the shirts I got from them was my favorite clubbing shirts. It was at least a decade though before I bought anything again...but they are in my regular rotation for clothes now. 

Eloquii

I'm new to Eloquii. But recently saw and ordered a dress from them that I just love the shape of. I want it in all the colors, especially the one that is sold out that's in the pic above. I think they have decent quality and I'm definitely going to be shopping their sales more often. I don't think their jeans will work for me.. or even the skirts but I guess I can't say for sure until I try them. I like that they seem to making some clothes to fit certain body shapes a bit better. I hope they do that with more of their line.

Torrid 

ONLY THE SWIMWEAR. Basically I am finding Torrid outdated and their quality is horrible. You can wash something and it tears apart/fades. But I do really like their swimsuits. I have three of them and one I absolutely LOVE. Maybe two. I would probably have more but I always seem to miss out on the sales and my sizes always sell out. I'm a fan of the two pieces because I can get two different sizes in the top and bottom and that fits better than a one piece for me. 

City Chic 

Last but not least City Chic. Shop the sales! They have really nice casual dresses and also fancy dresses and I find the quality is really good. I'm always browsing their site...so far I have three dresses. 

That's all for now! I'll be back if I remember/find more....

Updated Ancestry Results #5

Is it already time for another Ancestry Update? They update every year around September, and ever year I'm excited for the update. Sometimes it adds regions, other times it takes some away. The last couple of years my African percentage grew which was pretty exciting. I started at 72% and now I'm at 75%. 

Anywho...here's where I'm at. 

Went from 15 regions to 14. 

First of all...where did Nigeria go? Went from 32% to 22%. Maybe it will come back with the next update though. Cameroon/Congo increased by 1%. Benin increased from 8% to 14%. I always thought that would be my largest group so I'm not surprised to see it went higher. Lost 1% of Portugal and Mali increased by 1%. Senegal Increased by 1%. Scotland decreased by 1%. Ghana increased by 3%, I feel like there should be more though. 

Spain stayed the same. As did Germanic Europe. Norway increased by 1%. European Jewish stayed the same. Eastern Bantu decreased by 1% andSouthern Bantu stayed the same. Mali disappeared. 

And then we have regions...which I only have two but my sister has THREE. She also has South Carolina which I have no idea why that wouldn't show up for me on it's own, we have two grandparents from South Carolina. It will make it one of these days. It's just taking it's time showing up.

Until next time....here are my past results below:

Ancestry DNA (Original Post)

2018 Results

2019 Results

2020 Results

My Skates are Here!

 My roller skates are really here. I can't believe it. 

I will probably do a review somewhere down the line. I ended up with the Moxi Lollies in Pineapple ( I really wanted Clementine!). They cost a pretty penny but I think they were worth it. They are real suede and handmade in the US. I did also consider the Moonlight Rollers, that are black owned (but handmade in China) but I like the bright colors of Moxi and I found them in stock first.

I also like that Moxi sponsors a thicker skater and makes big knee pads for those of us with monster legs. Really...looking for knee pads that would fit my legs was nearly impossible. Now I'm just waiting for them to get here from the UK. I've already managed to fall on my knee but luckily it was a a slow and very soft fall.  I will be practicing falling when it gets nice outside.

 And also my helmet. Did you know they sell helmets that aren't certified? I ended up going with the S1 because hopefully it will fit my hair...and it's certified. I spent more time than I want to admit watching skate accidents and people bouncing their heads off of cement on youtube. It's horrifying how many people go out without a helmet. It really is dangerous.

But anyway...once I get my gear, I'll be skating outside. I wanted to do some trail skating and learn jam skating (will probably need some new wheels for that, the wheels don't work so well in my room but they do great in the kitchen/living area.) I will probably need some bigger toe stops too. The ones it comes with are a little small. And some fun colored laces. But since I already bought a ton of pricey expensive skate stuff including suede cleaner and boot protectant, and toe guards), I will probably wait on the extras.

I did used to skate as a kid but haven't skated since I've been an adult. The last time I really remember, I was in the 6th (maybe 5th grade?) and I remember going to the roller rink and skating round and round. That was in Iceland. We had a ball back then. Really and truly.

Anyway...I gotta go now and put my skates on and roll around my room. Gotta practice my skate drills! 

UPDATED Ancestry Results

It's that time again. Another Ancestry Results Update. I mostly share this as a good place to keep my results. For comparison purposes..and because I always think it will be interesting to share. 

My results have changed...drastically. Before I had the most variety in my family..and then the least variety. Basically this update had me back to having the most variety again. 

Nigeria is still my largest group. The first test results showed Ghana. And now somehow Ghana is only 1%. Drastically Different. I started at 72% African. And increased to 75% (yay!) Was hoping for a little more with this update. Better luck next time

You can view my other results here:

Ancestry DNA (Original Post)

2018 Results

2019 Results

#BLACKGIRLMAGIC

Today's post is just going to be me rambling on about some stuff that's been on my mind lately. Mostly inspired by my thoughts on self-esteem and the hyper-criticism of the black woman. 

Anyway...I'll start with talk of self-esteem. Mine in particular. I didn't grow up the highest self-esteem. If you asked 5th grade me what I thought about myself I would have probably told you straight up how ugly I thought I was. It makes me sad to think about.  I have dark skin, nappy hair (back then nappy was used to describe my hair in a negative way, these days nappy just means tightly curled), and I was chunky. 

But I think my issues with self-esteem/self image started before then. I remember feeling ugly was early as daycare days. I spent ages 1-5   in Germany and most of the girls in my daycare class were either white or biracial. I remember feeling "too dark" in comparison to the other girls in my class. I didn't have the right skin-tone nor the right hair texture. When I was in 2nd (or third grade) my sister was born and she came out light, I remember thinking my parents were going to love her more because she was lighter-which is non-sense. Luckily my parents aren't colorist but I know people that have had parents that were.

Most of these thoughts and this way of thinking came from my older brother. He made colorist remarks around me, told me about his cousins that were better than me because they were light and had loose textured hair, and constantly called me ugly. I grew up thinking it was normal, until I became an older sister and realized it was something I would never do to my little sister.

Around 7th grade he moved out and my self esteem improved. Especially when a fellow classmate named Sam said he thought I was cute- I remember going home and looking at myself and thinking "Maybe I'm not so ugly, I might even be cute".

via GIPHY

From there things got better. I started getting into Black Literature and read everything by a black author I could get my hands on- I was reading Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Eric Jerome Dickey, and Terry McMillan. The book that made the most difference was The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I identified with the main character Pecola Breedlove's  innermost desire (blue eyes- white skin.) Her story was tragedy, I read it a few times as a child. I need to read it again as an adult. Anyway, the story was healing to me. I don't remember why, but that was when I let go of the toxic thinking "If it ain't white, it ain't right" and black being synonymous with ugly. Not that physical looks are everything, but I think everyone should be able to feel beautiful. 

I also started seeing more black positive imagery. I was watching Good Times and Afro's became beautiful to me. It was part of the reason I wanted to go natural-which I did, been natural since 2008. I wanted to do it earlier but let another person's commentary delay me.

I attended an HBCU and being able to attend an HBCU and seeing people of color of all different skin-tones, features, and cultures was powerful. It's probably one of my favorite parts of having attended an HBCU. 

I was researching something (can't remember now) my freshman year and ran into...well ugliness. I'm sure you know the story of Sarah Baartman. Not only that but research papers written to degrade looks of black women. Actual research papers. It happened back then, it happens now. 

It happened to Michelle Obama (epitome of beauty, class, intelligence and grace), they called her a Gorilla and much worse, Serena Williams (greatest athlete of all time-  but then...see article), and Lupita Nyong'o (amazing actress and gorgeous but this happens- see article here). These are just a few examples. 

It has happened to me a few times. I've heard men go out of there way to make it known  they don't prefer black woman for whatever reason. All times, I have been minding my own business, yet these people will go out of their way to diss black women and making sure I am in earshot. They are looking for a reaction. Of which there are never any. 

 Because it's the most dusty, ugly, undesirable, stupid, broke men  boys that make these remarks.

via GIPHY

But it sparks curiosity because it's a tactic they are using to tear down self- esteem. Everybody has preferences, but I've never gone out of my way to tell someone who is not my type- they are not my type. Especially unasked. And not loudly so I can make sure other people hear me diss black women. Reasons I've heard- Black Women have attitudes- as though an attitude is exclusive to black women and no other woman has had an attitude. Or Black Women aren't as attractive as other races- ha, as if.

I'm blessed I reached the point where it couldn't really hurt me when I heard such remarks. I don't have self-esteem issues related to being black. I don't avoid the sun because I might get darker (Love getting my summer color on!) and I love afro-nappy hair no matter what texture. It's all beautiful. 

Black women are the most educated, strong, and beautiful.

And I'm proud to black. 

 #melaninpoppin #myblackisbeautiful #blackandimproud #blackgirlmagic

That's not to say I don't still straggly with other aspects of self-esteem. But I'm working on it.

These are the songs that always give me a lift!

Lizzo has a few- Juice and Good As Hell might be my faves

I feel like I had more before I started this post. Oh well, I'll be back when I think of more.

And that's it! 

Updated Ancestry DNA Results

I think the updates to Ancestry DNA are almost laughable now. My results are so different from the initial test results and the second update after that.

I understand that the results can change as they gather more research but I don't know how they can change so drastically.

The best change...I am more African! My first test showed 72 percent African, the second update gave me 2% more. And this latest update I increased another 1% higher for a grand total of 75%. #winning

via GIPHY

I'm thinking the next update I'll prolly be up to 80%.

Anyway...now I'm mostly Nigerian. Before I had a lot of Ghanaian. Then it was Cameroon/Congo, now its Nigerian. Who knows what the next update will bring?

I'm just gonna post my results and not leave too much commentary since it will prolly change again next year. I just wanted to keep a record of all my updates.

To view my initial results click here- most detailed post with pics of my family and their results.

To view the second update click here.

That's all for now! 

Updated Ancestry DNA Results!

I've had these results for quite awhile. I've just been kind of in denial because of some of the changes. Last time I did the post, I posted my whole families results. I don't think I'm going to do that this time. However, I will link the old results here. Just in case you are curious!

The biggest change was I lost my big chunk of Ghana! I had 21% Ghanain...now it's down to seven. They seemed to have chunked the African DNA into one big category for the most part.  Cameroon, Congo, and Southern Bantu Peoples includes a lot of regions! I'm hoping as they gather more information they can break it down further in the future with another update!

The BEST update was going from 72% African to 74%.

via GIPHY

I may have done that dance....Haha


Maybe it will keep increasing as they update!


Benin/Togo increased from 6% to 18%.

Mali stayed exactly the same.

Not sure where the Portuguese came from. I guess it's a breakdown of Iberian. But I didn't have a large chunk to start, so IDK.

English went from 2% to 5%.

Ireland increased from 3% to 4%.

European Jewish decreased. Went from 4% to 2%.

Germany is new at 1%.

I really want that Senegalese back!

I won't break down everything. Just going to post the results.

OLD DNA Results:

New Results:

And that's all! 

Tips To Boost Your Immunity through Flu Season

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It's that season. You know the season where colds and flu just seems to travel from one person to another. I haven't been sick in a couple of years. Back in 2016 I started to catch a cold, but chased it away very quickly using some of the things I'm going to list in this post. In the last six years I've only been sick twice. Not too bad right?

These are three things I do to make sure I don't catch anything going around. 

1. Honey- Raw, quality honey only please. None of the Sue Bee honey. Local is great for allergies too. If I ever start feeling like I might be coming down with something, I take a tsp to tbsp of honey daily until I feel like whatever may have been about to hit me is gone. And I don't get anything. I don't know what magic it is, but it always works.

2. Lemon water- The honey works really well for me...but sometimes I just like a Vitamin C boost. I didn't have any honey and I was exposed to a cold or something a little while back so I juiced half a lemon and drank it in water. Every day for a week. And whatever it was I was exposed to....I didn't catch it. #winning

3. Eden's Garden Immunity Blend-  This is a recent discovery. My mom chose some oil blends to go in a little pack. And this oil was just hiding away until I decided to go ahead and diffuse it. And it has definitely chased would-be colds away.

 Bonus- It smells amazing! I think this might be must have and I'm thinking I'm gonna get a large bottle when this bottle is gone. 

And this one is common sense but always keep your hands clean. I carry a hand sanitizer with me. My favorite is the Dr. Bronner's Lavender. 

You never appreciate being able to breathe through your nose until it's stopped up. Hopefully these tips will make it so you don't have to!

HIV Rates for Black Women

Normally I avoid "serious" topics. It's not what I originally intended when I started blogging. I had ideas for all kinds of things I wanted to write about. But as time went on I just wanted my blog to be a place of lighter topics. There's so much going on in the world...this was kind of my escape.

Until I was reading in a gossip blog (probably not the best use of my time) and came across some very concerning facts. 

From the CDC website

Blacks/African Americansa account for a higher proportion of new HIV diagnoses, those living with HIV, and those who have ever received an AIDS diagnosis, compared to other races/ethnicities. In 2016, African Americans accounted for 44% of HIV diagnoses, though they comprise 12% of the U.S. population.b

Black women accounted for 4,189 new diagnosis in 2016. How can this be and why? What can we do to stop this disease?

Per the CDC website:

Stigma, fear, discrimination, and homophobia may place many African Americans at higher risk for HIV. Also, the poverty rate is higher among African Americans than other racial/ethnic groups. The socioeconomic issues associated with poverty—including limited access to high-quality health care, housing, and HIV prevention education—directly and indirectly increase the risk for HIV infection and affect the health of people living with and at risk for HIV. These factors may explain why African Americans have worse outcomes on the HIV continuum of care, including lower rates of linkage to care and viral suppression.

These numbers shocked me. I remember learning about HIV/AIDS in high school. Which was 10+ years ago (I'm old ya'll!). Since I've learned about it in high school, there have been some advances. People diagnosed can live 20+ years if they take their medication. Which is great. But as my high school teacher stressed to me, it's a VIRUS. And a virus is never curable.

Another Advance...home HIV tests. They range from $45-60 and you can have your results in about an hour. There are some limitations to the test so I would recommend really researching and reading before taking one. 

These are some stories that I think everyone should hear that should help break down any possible stigmas.

There are many more people sharing their stories and speaking out to make a difference. Especially on youtube from people as young as 20.

We need to protect ourselves.

Gifts From South Africa!

My sister went to South Africa over Christmas break. And I really should have asked her to do a post for me. Or at the very least asked her for some pics... I might still ask her.  But anyway, she did bring back some gifts from South Africa. I have a couple of things from Egypt, some stuff from Morocco, and Djibouti. And now South Africa!  

First off, a keychain. I collect keychains from around the world. Some places I've been to and don't have a keychain. Some places I haven't been but someone in my family brought one back for me. Most keychains are made in China. I collect them anyway. This one is special, because it's made in South Africa. And I love it!

Next up, earrings. I love, love,love these earrings. 

South African Tea! I love rooibos tea...but I've never had any from South Africa. I just now opened the box because I wanted to save it, but I think I'll drink the tea and save the box. One is my Mom's and one is mine!

This necklace isn't mine but it's beautiful and I wanted to share.

Another necklace, beautiful...I just borrowed it from my sister so I could take a picture of it. Isn't it cute?

Ancestry DNA Results!!

I've been excited to write this post since I first saw my sister's Ancestry DNA results back in November. She went with her school to South Africa and everyone that went on the trip was tested.

 I have known about these tests for years. I had heard of celebrities taking the tests and I remember looking it up back in the day, but I decided not to do it because it was way too expensive. It's come down some in the last couple of years though for the basic Ancestry test. Especially if you wait for a sale.

Originally when I saw my sisters I still wasn't going to take the test because I figured seeing her results would be enough-but then I read that even full blooded siblings can have pretty different results. So I kind of HAD to take the test. So on Cyber Monday, they had the tests for $58 dollars and I got myself one. And my sister got my parents each one. So we were all tested. 

And now we have all (FINALLY!) gotten our results back. But before I get into the results, I want to talk about why I was so interested in taking it. I know nothing about where anyone comes from in my family-which is the norm for pretty much all Black Americans. We were stolen from Africa and our cultures and traditions were erased (such a nice way of putting it). The only thing I really knew was that my Grandpa said his parents were African, Irish, and Pembroke Indian. Of course almost all Black Americans say they have Native American but research has proven that this is not true for most Americans-black or white. It's the romanticism of Native American blood. But let's save that for another day.

So of course we the erasure of cultures and traditions. I especially noticed this in school when we were learning about culture. We had Korean Americans, Jewish Americans, Mexican Americans, etc. Everyone shared some of their culture- but I didn't really have anything other than just typical American stuff. That made me feel pretty left out. Like I was missing something. And I was. 

I probably didn't notice it again, until I was in my early 20's or so and would go out clubbing in Germany. Sometimes people will come up to you ask your name, where youre  from etc. Of course, I would say America. I'm a military brat so pinning down a state is difficult. Sometimes I would pick a random state. Sometimes I would pick my parents states. If the person was African, they usually just keep asking..."No, but where are you from?" Apparently America wasn't a good enough answer. They wouldn't be satisfied until you give them a country in Africa. So then they ask "Where are your parents from? America. Where are there parents from? America. And on and on. That's where the conversation usually ended. And it made me mad and sad and a whole lot of other emotions but I won't get into that either or this post will take all day.

So now let's talk about my grandparents.  

Here are my paternal grandparents. My grandma is from Georgia and my grandfather was from South Carolina.

And here are my maternal grandparents. My grandpa is from North Carolina and my grandma is from South Carolina.

My parents. 

Me and my brother (half brother-he didn't take the test but it would be interesting to see his results)

And me and my sister. 

So while we were waiting on the results I spent a lot of time watching other people's Ancestry DNA results. I would guess how African I thought they were and then try to guess what their highest African country might be based on facial features. I guessed my sister and I would be around 84% percent African and I would have my highest region in Benin/Togo.And I also guessed that out of everyone I would be the most African. I was wrong. But it was still fun guessing.

I'll start with hers. Since we got hers first. She is 71 percent African. A lot lower than what I estimated. The other thing that was shocking was the Puerto Rico migration connection- as far as we know, no one came from Puerto Rico. But apparently they did. That's pretty cool and we have been working on the family tree to figure out who it was. Her highest region was Cameroon/Congo which was pretty cool. Oprah and Taraji are said to have high Cameroon/Congo. And one more shocking thing was the Southern European (Italy/Greece) and how high it was. 

Next up my results. I am 72% percent African. And I was pretty disappointed with it, although I was kind of prepared for it after seeing my sisters. I was happy to see my highest region is Ghana. Over the last year I have been watching Stella Zone on youtube, which is a Ghanaian cooking channel . I really want to try some of the recipes. And I also really want to take a trip there. I had a few regions my sister didn't have, nowhere near as much Souther European. And oddly enough a little DNA in every region of Europe. I was hoping it would be Africa. That would have been cool. It cut off but my migrations were Puerto Rico and South Carolina.

So next up, we got my Dads results. After seeing mine and my sisters I put both my parents at around 70 something percent. Again, I was wrong! My Dad is 87 percent African!! Color me jealous. He has a significant amount of Africa South Eastern Bantu and more Nigerian too! Highest African region was Ghana. Like me. Which is pretty cool. But I kind of wanted Ghana to myself. There wasn't any Native American but there was a little Polynesian! Also my Dad had two migrations-South Carolina African Americans and Virginia & Southern States African Americans. The last one didn't show up for me or my sister. 

And last up my Moms. I'm not sure who had more shocking results- my mom or my dad. . My mom is 54% African with her highest region being Southern Europe and the highest African Region being Ghana (again I can't have Ghana to myself!). Also there was significant Irish and a little bit of Native American so I guess my Grandpa was right. Her migration was Puerto Rico. It's odd that South Carolina didn't show up. 

And also, she had DNA in every region in Africa (as did my sister and dad)  which is the opposite of me. Which is pretty interesting. 

This post has been super long...and I could go on and on. But I'm just going end right here. 

Have you taken an Ancestry test? What were your results? Were you surprised?

I still have a couple more places to upload the raw DNA to see what they can find about medical risks and more ancestry info. I also really want to take the test where they give you an African tribe but I don't have that 300 dollars at the moment. 

Random: I've always wanted to ask someone where I look like I could be from. Most people tell me I look like an "island girl". I have no idea what island they are talking about. And I don't see it. But whatever. Now I look in the mirror and I see Ghana. It might be my imagination. But it makes me feel good.