After a Leg is done, I usually like to share my Final Thoughts and personally thank my guests that have come…etc etc. This is going to be a bit different. I’m gonna do the little summary for Leg 4, sure. But then I am going to add some Highlights and name some special people (I don’t usually include names), from the ENTIRE TOUR since 2014! And at the end of all that, a cool little feature- I’m going to list everyone (just initials to keep my personal friends’ privacy) that’s ever joined a tea party with me and the number of times they’ve attended our California Tea House Tour!!

LEG 4

This one was messy. No matter how much you plan (even my meticulous organized OCD self), there are just some things you won’t have control over. There were way too many Spots this Leg that just either didn’t have their act together, stopped their tea service, or weren’t sure if/when they were bringing it back. And I wasn’t gonna bother with any of that, so I just left them out. Quite a few, however, also popped up so we had additional ones to visit in place. I did discover some new gems, so I was really happy about that. I’m def going back to The Caviar Co. (already been twice more since hehe), Beacon Grand, Elliston, Kiki’s, and Rosewood Sand Hill FO SHO. Found my new “Regulars” too. These Sweethearts just make it so EASY for me, and I love that. I will invite them to Tea anytime, all the time. My health was slowly deteriorating all year, so I was getting slower with each new Spot Visit. Lots of times I didn’t even bring my DSLR, so the shots you see were just from my phone… Thankfully, my girls all knew how to support me when needed. Thank you to all who waited for me + my cane, parked closer (VIP paking with my placard heyy), offered their arm, or just made me feel like a human being. My husband said this could be my last Leg. And while sometimes it was a struggle, I’m glad I did it. I can’t say how many times at Tea, my friends talked about special moments on the Tour for them or how much they liked or disliked a place I brought them to. Those memories will be etched in my heart for always.

HIGHLIGHTS

When we met Amy, the owner of Crown & Crumpet, and she showed us such a good time I just knew this was going to be the start of something extraordinary.

When someone from this Spot searched for my name on facebook (I don’t have an account there anymore) to write me a nasty message about how I shared a FACT about his place. Changed my name on there after that.

Finding my new favorite go-to afternoon tea spot, The English Rose. I lost count how many tea parties I hosted there after that.

When we were offered the teeniest tiniest pre-selected [for us] tea sandwiches at this Spot and were treated awfully. Then went to have dinner at the Beach Chalet directly after because we were starving! But not before we all had to stop at the bathroom downstairs first where it smelled like the worst long lost dump you could ever imagine!!

When we met Ramesh at The Ritz-Carlton, and he gave us each to-go boxes with fresh new sweets and new jars of condiments to take home.

When we went to this Tea Spot and the owner came to our table and asked us: “Are you parTEA with me??” and was so excited to meet us! Decade made.

That potato salad from Muir’s Tea Room.

The filthiest tea pot spouts I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Writing about it. Writing the owner. And him writing me back, telling me that they bought things to clean it and are now having their staff trained on how to do it.

Meeting Mom (Christine) and Aubree (Chef) at Muir’s. Not knowing they were going to become like family.

The exemplary tea sandwich sizes at Malaya Tea Room.

That egg salad sandwich at Alexander’s Patisserie.

Having tea on a TRAIN!!

The Executive Chef Joseph L. Paire for Claremont Hotel coming out to meet + chill with me and the Huz.

Seeing owner Pauline at Dartealing Lounge, and her coming out to meet + speak with my girls and making it really special for them.

Having THREE COLLAB’s in a month!!?!

Revisiting my 2nd favorite tea room, only to be disappointed with how much their quality has lowered and moving them 28 spots DOWN on my raTEAng. (never done before)

Being the very first tea party reservation at K On The Go and meeting owners Justin + Tea, not yet knowing that this would become our 2nd home and we’d be seeing them often! And having my very first (and only) Guest Writer, my Daughter!!

Having the Hotel Manager at the Claremont come out to meet me and me having something in my teeth, sitting in front of my plate of One-Bite’s. (melting emoji)

Caviar.

The candle at Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel.

TEA GUESTS

Of the 78 official Tea House and Tea Room Visits, here’s how many my 73 friends + family have attended!

V.Ro. “Kika” – 23

M.K.K. “the Huz” – 21

N.V. – 17

T.L. “Florecita” – 14

M.S. – 13

S.M. “Earl Grey Gal” – 13

F.F. “Rizitos”- 13

A.P. “Mariposa” – 10

B.A. “Cutie Jr.” – 7

P.T. – 6

I.M. “Seat Mate Date/Wife of Filipino” – 6

Mar.A. “Cutie” – 5

E.B. “Big Sis” – 5

E.R. “Indy” – 5

S.E. “Daughter” – 5

R.L. – 4

Li.C. – 4

Me.A. – 3

A.V. – 3

J.C. – 3

Mic.M. – 2

P.A. – 2

A.L. – 2

H.M. – 2

F.S. – 2

M.D. “Mrs. Mamoa” – 2

Mir.M. – 2

Ma.M. – 2

I.S. – 2

E.S. – 2

L.L. – 2

T.H. – 2

T.W. – 2

St.R. – 2

1-Timer’s: G.M., R.P., R.R., C.P., V.H., Lo.C., B.L., N.M., M.V., V.Ri., Sha.M., Shi.M., R.C., S.C., O.I., NOVA, Mo.M., A.M., L.M., A.O., Ja.M., J.B., R.M., E.E., Jo.M., C.F., E.A., S.A. “Cutie’s Mr.”, M.C., D.L., J.S., R.D., A.T., L.E., So.R., H.A., C.R., Y.A., Man.A.

*SHOUT OUT* to Kika for going to 30% of all the Spots!! And to the Huz for coming with me to most of my Collabs and Late Entries!!

And here’s something fun I thought of including last minute… This is a FULL LIST of all the different places + countries that have visited + read our blog!! Hello to all you beautiful people and thank you for visiting my website! If you are from one of these countries PLEASE say ‘hello’ in the comments and tell us which one?!

United States

Albania

Algeria

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Bangladesh

Belarus

Belgium

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Brazil

Bulgaria

Cambodia

Canada

Chile

China

Columbia

Côte d’Ivoire

Croatia

Curaçao

Cyprus

Czechia

Denmark

Ecuador

Egypt

European Union

Finland

France

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Guatemala

Hong Kong

Honduras

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Jordan

Kenya

Kuwait

Lebanon

Malaysia

Maldives

Malta

Martinique

Mexico

Moldova

Mongolia

Myanmar (Burma)

Namibia

Netherlands

New Zealand

Norway

Pakistan

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Puerto Rico

Qatar

Romania

Russia

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

South Africa

South Korea

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sweden

Switzerland

Taiwan

Tanzania

Thailand

Türkiye

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

Uruguay

U.S. Virgin Islands

Venezuela

Vietnam

Zambia

Zimbabwe

IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY, PLEASE LEAVE US YOUR EMAIL IN THE FORM BELOW. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THE NEXT POST.

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So I was supposed to have a Last Entry Tea this Saturday, but the owner called me and they’re having some issues with their tea supplier (cuz of the tariffs)…so I didn’t think it would be fair to visit them when they weren’t fully ready. He was really kind + accommodating about it too. I figured since it’s been a while (because we’ve had back-to-back Teas to write about), that I would hit you with an About The Author post. I’ve been flirting with this idea…and now’s as good a time as any.

When people find out about what I do, I’m almost always asked the question: Do you ever get any pushback when you write a negative post?

I’m not like a family vlogger or anything…saying that I am only gonna post happy stuff to keep the mood light around here. Afterall, I AM known as the “brutally honest” Tea Room Reviewer and I’ve always given yall the real deal Holyfield. So this post won’t be far off from anything I’ve written before. Just maybe some BTS stuff I’ve never chosen to include in my posts…but might have brought up if asked in-person.

Here’s some anecdotes for ya…

After only our 2nd visit, I wrote something about being overwhelmed that their WHOLE tea service was on ONE plate. Yes: the scone + fixings, 4 tea sandwiches, 2 savories, and sweets = one plate! A few days later, I got a furious message on facebook of all places from the owner of that Spot. Seems he searched for my name + account, just to write this message. He was upset that I had said that they put everything on one plate. But they did!! And I didn’t say anything incorrect! I changed my name on my website and facebook account after that…and I’m no longer on fb anyway.

Truth is, one of the hardest parts about doing this is meeting an owner after I’ve had mediocre tea. Especially…especially, especially…if they are perfectly nice. If I know I just had bad tea and now I gotta write about it, I honestly wanna just drop my card on the table and haul booty outta there. But sometimes, sometimes- the owners get excited to see my card and come out and wanna meet me. Which I really don’t mind meeting them, not at all. It’s not about that. I appreciate meeting new people and hearing their stories. And I’m not afraid to write about my truth, either. Not at all. What’s tough is when they are wonderful people- I don’t want that creating a bias toward my write-up.

I had just written a Thread about how I would say I “could be” only one comment away from someone not liking how I said something and all of the world wide web bandwagoning and me being cancelled. My son quickly humbled me and said I would have to be “popular” first, in order for enough people to know me and cancel me. (HAHAHA.) But in the 10+ years that I had been doing this, someone did finally decide to add their 2-cents on one of my TikTok voiceovers just recently. So, I say ‘slammin’ a lot. I’ve been using that word since 2001! And in one of my TikTok posts, I had called a hotel’s tea sandwiches: slammin. Someone got on there and TRIED to insult my class, saying that I didn’t belong at this specific hotel if I am labeling something of theirs ‘slammin’. I could’ve commented my thoughts on them starting their own website and writing their own review back…but I just deleted and blocked them. Things like that don’t bother me enough to be affected by it. I don’t have time for nonsense.

Something that does annoy me sometimes is the behavior and politics of social media. Particularly, from some social media managers from certain Spots. (ooh, now it’s getting juicy huh!?) I’m not messy, so I won’t say who. But if they’re reading my blog posts, I hope this helps them think about how weird they’re being and treat other people that help them- kinder. I’ve said this before and I will continue to say “I am not an Influencer or a Content Creator.” Have I done collabs where Tea Spots in a sense hire me to write about + promote their tea service in exchange for a compensated meal? Yes. Have I filled out Influencer Agreements? Yes. (Also: Is the first thing I bring up in our agreement that I will be writing an HONEST review? Yes.) But I am and always will be a Writer first and foremost. Look, we are not owed any sort of gratitude or public commendation or anything. But THEY know and I know the amount of business I have brought them. Not bragging, just facts. A simple ‘Thank You’ goes a long way, right? But I have had certain Spots follow me on social media, DM back and forth (friendly + business), accept collaborated posts, HIRE me, and…unfollow me!!?! HAHAHA, like whyyy? That’s mad weird brooo, haha. What are you doing?! There are also plenty of times where I’ve posted Spots (on my own free will) and brought them business. I’ll message them that a post has blown up or that I’m sending tons of people their way (who have been DMing me inquiring about them) (not for any recognition but again just to be friendly), only for them to respond “That’s great to hear” and tell me that they’re getting lots of new reservations. No ‘thank you’, no nothing. It’s rude. Don’t get me wrong tho. There are WAAAY MORE Tea Spots and Owners or Social Media Managers that are grateful and kind, than there are who are not. Just giving you some tea…of a different kind! (wink)

Anyywhooo, this post wasn’t meant to be written in a complaining spirit. Just wanted to give you some very real behind-the-scenes tales for your entertainment! Hope this holds you over until our next review…thanks for reading!

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I touched on this in my recent About the Author post…about how big of a role Music plays in my life. And then I said I was gonna do its own post, buut that’s kind of a loaded topic for me. So I figured- I can just share in increments! For this one, we’ll be discussing my all-time favorite albums and my all-time favorite songs. Deal?

Thanks to Google for these images. (cheesy smile emoji) During the Pandemic, there was a small trend going around that asked for your top 6 favorite albums. That’s why I have 6 of em… Here are mine, from number 1 to number 6.

ALL-TIME FAVORITE ALBUMS, NO SKIPS!

1. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill

2. II by Boyz II Men

3. Dreams of Freedom: Ambient Translations of Bob Marley in Dub by Bob Marley

4. Calling All Lovers by Tamar Braxton

5. The Places You Gave Come to Fear the Most by Dashboard Confessional

6. Rock Steady by No Doubt

I have been trying to get them all on vinyl, tho my collection started late and I’ll have to dig through crates to find 2 of them since they probably don’t/won’t make em anymore. Such a different sound on vinyl!! I didn’t know about him yet when that trend came about… So for an Honorable Mention, I’ll put down Something to Feel by TEEKS! (Do yourselves a favor and look him up!!)

Okay, now, for Favorite Songs… I have a playlist on my phone called #1s and for some reason I stopped at 14. I thought I had 15…? But I can’t seem to figure out what the 15th song was or would be. So, we’ll stick with the 14! Haha.

1. “On Bended Knee” by Boyz II Men
2. “Love and War” by Tamar Braxton
3. “I Refuse” by Aaliyah
4. “Hold On” by H.E.R.
5. “Easy On Me” by Jessie J
6. “Circles” by Tamar Braxton
7. “Impossible” by Christina Aguilera
8. “Love of My Life” by Brian McKnight
9. “Empty Boxes” by Tamar Braxton
10. “Lost One” by Jazmine Sullivan
11. “I Was Here” by Beyonce
12. “To Be Loved” by Adele
13. “It’s Over” by Drop’n Harmony (DnH)
14. “Gone” by Kelly Clarkson

As you can tell, I love me a good strong ballad. I love songs that tell stories. I love songs with a great arrangement. And, I love songs with a healthy crescendo!! Soul is my genre of choice (even named my daughter after it), but I listen to almost anything + everything. R&B, Hip-Hop, Jazz…etc etc. Lots of Lauryn (no favorites of hers cuz I love em all), lots of Teeks, Eli-Mac, HER, Adele, Alicia… P!nk, Selena, Chris Brown… Freddie Mercury, Mariah Carey… 2pac (clean versions), Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera… Bruno Mars, old school 90’s hip-hop, original underground rap artists… Stylistics, Chicago, Stevie, Smokey, Luther… 112, K-Ci & JoJo… Boyz II Men OF COURSE in heavy rotation… J Boog was my kids’ first concert, Anuhea, Kolohe Kai, Fia, Sammy Johnson, Josh Tatofi… I used to be maaajorly into Reggae. Selecta Bam Bam was my favorite, Matisyahu too… And Freestyle, of course. “Take Me in Your Arms”, “Can’t We Try”, “If You Leave Me Now”…

So now you know my music preferences. What does it tell you about me? Hehe. I’m curious to know!? Leave in the comments here, or DMs on IG, or on Threads.

So…we were supposed to do a Surprise Tea this past Sunday, but that fell through. It was the first Sunday I was available during the Tour, so when reservations opened I booked it right away. It said nothing about being Easter-themed. Sweet. But when I went to check my confirmation- yeah, it was Easter-themed. Bummer. I wanted to try their ‘normal’ tea service, so we’re waiting… Still no calendar out from our May Spot, so I may just have these 2 months off. Not my favorite because I like to make my time count. And I’m DEF not rearranging the entire Tour cuz of these 2 Spots… I’ll just add em in when I can. Aaanyhooo, since there was no Tea Review post for you this week, I thought I should at least pop out an Author one for ya. I think I’m gonna keep adding to these Music ones as I am moved. Increments, like I said.

Thank you for taking the time to read these Get To Know Me ones! Still funny for me to talk about myself, but I’m slowly refining the balance of what I want to share and what I need to keep for me. This is the internet after all. And I’m sure you’ve seen/read those posts on monitoring spirits (“trolls” I think they’re called). They could do what they want…hi guys! (wave emoji) Donate while you’re here hehe! (wink)

See my loyal Readers + Subscribers whenever the next Tea happens! mwa

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I had 2 other topics in line for today’s About The Author post, buut I don’t wanna talk about them! I really just want to talk about our recent trip to Disney.

Our family hasn’t been out of the Bay Area since 2019. We’re not big travelers anyhow, and when we do go it’s only a couple hours away. The furthest we’ve been was when we were coerced into visiting the narc mom.

I grew up a Disney kid tho. My bio mom was an ultra-fanatic, so we went AT LEAST once a year. For her, not for us. And after that, the last time I was there was my senior trip in ’98. Soo, it’s been 27 years for me.

Our family was in desperate need of a trip. The Huz even declared that the first thing we were spending our tax return on this year was just that. But late October last year, we got a text from dear friends inviting us to join them for Disney. We honestly thought we were just never gonna go. Our kids were never interested, cuz they never saw the movies. And for a family who lives a simplified life, we just never thought we could ever afford it. As a matter of fact, when our kids were little- they thought the Disney STORE was DisneyLAND and that was enough for them!! Haha! This invitation was too good to pass up and we adored this family, so it was a simple yes for us.

We took our time traveling to get there and spent our first night at Downtown Disney. Never been, didn’t know anything about it. Um, how cool!! We had these amazing burgers for dinner and walked around a bit, looking through a few shops.

The next day we did Disneyland. Days and weeks prior, we would ask each other around the dinner table what we were looking forward to most. I would always answer: “Just being on Main Street.” Well that, and the gift shops. I didn’t even have anything to buy!! I just wanted to look at everything! And sure enough, as soon as we entered and walked on Main Street, it hit me- we were in DISNEYLAND!!?! I was brought right back to Little Me. I don’t have very many fond memories of my childhood, but walking into Disneyland had all the nostalgia for sure.

I needed to use the bathroom. (I’m not gonna say too much about the friends we traveled with to protect their privacy…plus, this is my story) We were taken to this exclusive lounge, as they wanted us to see + use the nice bathroom. I had to be taken up by elevator, since I was in my wheelchair. I just had to use the bathroom real quick, no biggie. When we got up there and the elevator doors opened, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Thee Mickey and Minnie were standing right in front of me. I paused real quick to realize what a big deal this was. There are scheduled times they are brought out in the park and LINES formed to meet them. But here they were, standing in front of me, waving!? SO UNEXPECTED. There was a handler standing next to them. Yes I needed to use the bathroom…but I wasn’t gonna just let them be right there and not even say hi! I asked if I could say hi and their handler said of course. When I tell you they FAWNED OVER me like they KNEW my inner child and KNEW she wanted to feel seen!! They barely even acknowledged my daughter who was pushing my wheelchair (they did finally say hi to her real quick tho). She said Mickey made a “pwa” sound when he kissed me! Tears were rolling down my face, I couldn’t control it. I asked if we could take a picture and again the handler said of course. The tears still kept rolling. By the time we were done and met my son (oh yeah I did use the bathroom), he was like “are you good?” haha cuz I was still crying! It wasn’t that I was “starstruck” per se, it was all Little Me. The way that they just gave me all this attention (which side note – I did notice cast members waving + smiling at me and not so much my son while he was pushing my wheelchair, like it’s something they are told/taught to do) just made Adult Me feel so loved. I understand the Disney “magic”.

The next day we did DCA. Again, never been. And that place was even cooler! We had the best hosts that knew all the cool rides and places to eat and things to do + see. I loved Soarin’ and the Cars ride! I was honestly just so happy to BE THERE. It didn’t even matter what we were doing…I was so GRATEFUL. My daughter, my only 13-year-old daughter, said something pretty profound. After telling her how happy I was to be at Disney, she says “This time you get to do it for yourself, and not for her.” (speaking of the narc bio mom) Are you crying?? What an incredible thing for her to think of and say!! #InnerChildHealing

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In my second to last About the Author post, I talked about my love for art and my being a fine art collector. I also said I would do a whole separate post on it, so here we are! Aside from this being more on how to get to know the Writer behind this website, what does this have to do with Tea…? Well to make the connection: one of my draws to Afternoon Tea Culture was the interior design you find in most tea rooms. There, I made it work haha.

I thought I was going to start with one of the first pieces I bought… But actually, it goes further back. So I’ll start there.

When I followed my old Old Navy Manager (she was a proxy mom to me) to work at Michaels Craft Stores, she put me in Custom Framing. Which was perfect for me as I’ve always loved art. I learned really fast and I got really good. One of my favorite jobs to date! In no time, I became the Senior Certified Framer. But the best part of my days was when I got to listen to people’s stories of their beloved pieces and help them come up with a mat + frame that would complement their art. Again because of my tetrachromat eyes, I would put together unexpected combinations that would highlight their paintings or tapestries or posters. I slowly started framing my own pieces, then our friends would come in to see me…it became a passion. Before this, I would visit art galleries and just observe and admire. But now I was going to art shows and buying pieces! A loved show the Huz + I attended was by artists that created cover art and promo posters for musicians. We have original pieces for concerts of Bob Marley, 311, and the Gorillaz.

I got busy with motherhood and parenting, so the art purchasing kinda stopped. Now I was putting up family pictures and kids’ art on the fridge. But when my babies got older and I had the time for home decor again, I started to get my feet a little bit wet. I even started an Instagram account dedicated to my decor ideas, a ‘diary’ if you will.

May 2019 – I remember walking through a food truck event with my family. Yes, I’m there for the food. But my favorite part of those things are the booths! I love seeing all the independent vendors and small business shops of crafts + art. One in particular caught my eye. It was of a woman with really exaggerated long hair. I bought 3 pieces of his!! Haha.

July 2019 – My Sister dropped off a bunch of extra art supplies she had lying around the house, including some canvases. All different sizes. When I started my trauma recovery and started painting, it was mostly objects. I had never tried my hand at canvas before… I created my first piece on 7/18/19. There were some tiny ones from that box too, a 3-inch by 3-inch. I had been painting abstract seascapes and wanted to keep with the coastal theme. I was obsessed with Mexican blankets. They just reminded me so much of our time spent with the ocean, and that brought me so much comfort. I love their pattern and thought I would try and paint one! Something about creating those lines over and over, calmed me. I painted more. Then more. Didn’t know what to do with them, until someone suggested I try to sell them online. What? No one cares about these! I tried. They sold out. I kept creating more and people kept buying more. One customer commissioned TWENTY to be made!! When I moved onto serape blankets, oh everyone wanted those. These were tiny canvases. Intricate pieces. Some took me HOURS to finish. The first time I felt “successful” was when I sold one of my 3″x3″ paintings for $125.00 and someone was actually EXCITED to pay me that much money for my art!!?! Yeah. Talk about brain explosion emojis! After I made my first couple hundred bucks, I went back to that artist (Chris Ouk of Wikid Canvas) I found at the food truck event- and commissioned my own piece. What a full circle moment.

We were deep into the Pandemic now. Stimulus checks were coming in. We have always lived a simple life, the 4 of us (5 including the dog). We don’t travel, we don’t eat out much. Once needs were taken care of, we were allowed to each spend on whatever brought us joy…especially since we were just ALWAYS HOME. I chose art. I had a finsta where I followed all my favorite artists. David Garibaldi, Tim Okamura, Erin Yoshi… Camilla West, Robert Roth, Stephen Magsig… Classic favorites: Norman Rockwell, Margaret Keane, Rothko… New favorites: Loui Jover, Lindsay Rapp, Leslie Weaver, Jessica Durant, Claudia Tremblay, Amanda Ryan Tucker… I was heavily tapping into my Hawaiian side at the time, so I fancied Punkyaloha, Aloha de Mele, Mayan Llanera, Kat Reeder… Coastal art of course: Chilvers, Abel Arts, Courtney Mixed… I honestly could go on and on. And on. And on and on and on.

I began purchasing and collecting. Our walls started to fill up. There is not a room in our entire house that doesn’t have art in it. I always say our home decor is like Art Gallery meets Beachy VW Van hahah! (cuz I also wanted comfort right, so we have these huge ugly dark brown cozy couches with serape blankets hanging on the back of them) But, I was able to acquire quite the collection and have vignettes carefully created all throughout the house. I love it here.

In my imagination while planning this post, I visualized taking gorgeous shots of all the corners of our home and sharing them here. That, or maybe tediously looking up each and every piece I have bought over the years and linking them. However, some things have to be kept private and/or left to the imagination or interpretation. It’s more fun that way! So I encourage you to look up these artists! I didn’t link them so you could have the honor and excitement of doing that part yourselves. I hope you find a new favorite and start a collection of your own! (if you haven’t already got one) Thank you for taking an interest in my interests!! Next one I think will be about music…so leave your email with us, so you don’t miss out!

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Some reasons why I always hear “You should write a book!” (that I could share here):

1. I skipped kindergarten.

2. I won my 3rd grade Math-a-Thon’s Grand Prize and took home a 10-speed bike.

3. I sang the National Anthem for my high school graduation.

3b. The girl who was partnered to sing with me, turned off my mic but I was still louder than her without it.

4. I met Robin Williams.

5. Someone wrote a song about me.

6. I was on a TV show in Japan.

7. I worked for DreamWorks twice.

8. Wanya Morris from Boyz II Men serenaded me.

9. I am a Tetrachromat, which means I have a 4th color receptor in my eyes.

10. I am part of the 2% of the population that carries the gene that doesn’t produce odor in my armpits or feet.

11. I am fascinated with names, know most everyone around me’s middle name, and have had the honor of naming/spelling quite a few friends’ baby’s names.

12. I used to be a foot model.

Submit your questions or requests for more context on each of these in the comments or in my DMs heheh. Thank you for reading!

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If you’re new around here, well first- Hello! Welcome! But if you’re new around here: I started sharing ‘About the Author’ posts in between every Spot Visit, so yall would have something else to munch on until my next review. For someone who hates talking about herself or having ANY kind of attention on herself whatsoever, they have been fun to write despite all that. For the most part, they have been about my history with tea and writing credentials. But I realized that I never really wrote an actual About Me post. On our Instagram account, I have about a handful of posts with some tidbits about me here + there. But nothing really formal. Thought I would do that here. I’ll incorporate what I’ve already shared and fill in some blanks. Through the suggestion of the Huz, I also posted a Question Sticker in our IG Stories asking if you had any questions for me. So I’ll answer those here too! Here goes…

My name is Olyve Rose. I am a 43-year-old married mom of 2 teenagers, with a puppy. The Huz + I have been married for almost 22 years. We have a 17-year-old son who is a drummer (just like his father) and plays in a band, and a 13-year-old daughter who is an artist (she sells her art) and dancer. Our dog Nova (who is a purebred shih tzu) just turned 6, and you can follow her here @newshihtzuontheblock

I was born in San Francisco (St. Luke’s Hospital) and have lived in the Bay all my life. My bio parents liked to move a lot, so I’ve lived in many different cities/houses and have attended (let’s see…) 6 different schools. I was able to attend 2 years of college at City College of San Francisco while majoring in Juvenile Criminology (being born into a gang affiliated family, this was a passion of mine; I have always had a soft spot for inmates + reform), and minoring in Education as I wanted to be a high school Human Sexuality teacher. (I only understood this later in life…but that interest came from my sexual abuse.) School was always important to me because that’s the only place I felt safe. Before and after school, I was being abused.

But even tho I was at school in the City, the longest I’ve stayed anywhere (home-wise) was in Richmond, CA. So yeah, we commuted for 12 years. Richmond was were we lived, Richmond was where we went grocery shopping, and Richmond was where we went to church. Ask my friends + family- they will all tell you I have a ‘Richmond accent’. Whatever that is… Speaking of church (even tho I don’t belong to that church anymore), I was in the gospel choir. This is my segway I guess for telling how big of a role music has/does play in my life. Debbie Gibson, Paula Abdul, and Olivia Newton-John were my first friends in life. I was in Glee Club for elementary school, Band in middle school, and Advance Choir in high school. I had some opportunities to work with some pretty dope producers in college, but my narc bio mom wasn’t havin it. I used to go to concerts once a month, married a percussionist, and even performed quite a bit all throughout my life. (solos and with bands or singing groups) Even named my daughter Soul, after soul music! But when we (my husband, son + daughter) tell you we “love music”, we don’t just love music. We live, breathe, and eat it for dinner mmkay!! We take music very seriously and have cultured ourselves with an eclectic repertoire.

Interests… I’ve mentioned before that I don’t talk about this on my blog, because I want to keep things neutral around here. I am a very spiritual person, and my spirituality is a big part of my life. Without getting too much into it, it’s kind of why I do this Tour. Aside from being busy in spiritual activity, this Tour (and my Boutique) keep me out of trouble! I also have mentioned that I am an avid reader. I love Memoirs and minimalist poetry. (I just wrote that on my previous post, huh? Oh well, this is for the new ones!) I collect fine art. My home looks like an art gallery! We have vignettes all over that highlight favorite artists. I might have to do a whole separate blog post on that one, that’ll be fun. And if I’m not home or at Tea, I’m at the beach or by the water somewhere. Yes, I even named my son Ocean! Getting that Vitamin Sea or Salt Water Therapy is very important to me. And then another huge part of my life (which might have to be its own post as well) was my Trauma Recovery. It was a tremendous chunk out of my adult life, and what drives me today.

Okay, I think that’s the gist. That was hard for me guys! I’ve looked it over a couple times and I don’t feel right about it, but I also don’t know what to change to make me like it. Even now as I’m concluding it, I feel so- [think Ginger when she walks out after finding out Chandler had a third nipple] like, gross. I don’t like talking about myself!! That’s why this is such a cool challenge for me. I had no plans or structure, and didn’t really know what to include here. I think I’ve touched most of what’s important to me, so hopefully I painted a good enough picture of who the Author is behind this website. I don’t get many comments on these posts like I did before (cuz I was gonna say ‘Tell me who you are in the comments!’), but I always appreciate your comments on our socials and in my DM’s. Closing my eyes and pressing PUBLISH now before I continue second-guessing and talk myself out of publishing the entire thing. Thanks for reading!

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[old photo from 2014]

I knew I was going to do a Welcome Back post as soon as I went on Break. I even consciously collected little tidbits here + there to share. There were a couple directions I could have taken this… Here’s where I’m gonna start:

July 2014 – June 2015 | parTEA with me California Tea House Tour, Leg 1.

June 2015 | parTEA with me Company and Signature Tea Line started, focused on business.

July 2015 – October 2016 | parTEA with me California Tea House Tour, Leg 2.

June 2016 | parTEA with me Company and Signature Tea Line launched, focused on business.

October 2016 | parTEA with me Company Launch Party, business took off.

May 2017 – June 2017 | parTEA with me California Tea House Tour, Summer Tour.

June 2017 | Closed parTEA with me Company ecommerce and in-store sales (got too big too fast) to focus on private brand deals + partnerships.

November 2017 | Got hormone disorder diagnosis, focused on health.

June 2018 – November 2018 | parTEA with me California Tea House Tour, sporadic Spot Visits.

September 2018 | Diagnosed with C-PTSD, started Trauma Recovery, stopped all parTEA with me business.

December 2022 | First time taken to afternoon tea since Recovery and Pandemic.

March 2023 | Announced 3rd Leg of parTEA with me California Tea House Tour.

April 2024 | Officially done with Trauma Recovery.

May 2024 | parTEA with me California Tea House Tour, Leg 3 done and BREAK begins!

So this Timeline gives you a basic perception of the past 10 years and the breaks in between. (as if I’m explaining why I took off for 3 months on my resume hehe) You’ll see how I would take some time between Legs of the Tour, to focus on my company or health. Nothing outrageous, totally understandable right? So, it was no big deal when I took a break after the 3rd Leg of our Tour finished. And as I explained in this post, my mindset had changed prior to this particular break.

So what did I plan for this break, and what actually happened on it?

I planned a lot of reading and a lot of relaxation. I planned taking time in my day, whether for homeschooling/hanging out with my kids or for delving deeper into my spiritual activity. I planned to be off all forms of social media. Be present. Be rested. Be alive.

It didn’t necessarily all work out that way.

It took me some time to come down from the hustle + bustle I was living. I tied up some loose ends with the website and my tea boutique, which took longer than expected but glad that was all done. I did a deep clean of my bedroom and bathroom, cleaned out my closet and bookshelf. Started a new memoir and poetry book…

By the second week, I got some bad news from my day job and dealt with that stress. Got inspired to plan some blog posts and even continued some work on a new line for my boutique. Oh yeah, there was also this medical test that my doctor had been wanting me to get done (that now I had the time + energy for) so I went and did that.

May 31, 2024 – I got my test results. What they diagnosed me with, most patients are given only 3 years left to live.

And I didn’t want to tell a soul. I figured when I went, I’d just go and people wouldn’t have known the wiser. I shared with my husband of course, and our kids (they’re 17 + 13). We had our tears…and subsequently our dark humor that only those close to us will understand (and not get offended). “Okaay, if it’s your dying wish!” I spent some time trying to process… Spent some time trying to figure out how I wanted to spend the rest of my days… At only 43, I have lived a painful and traumatic life. It wouldn’t be so bad, I guess.

We didn’t wanna dwell on this. We spent the summer attending our son’s many gigs (he’s the drummer for a band), hung out with our daughter’s friends and their families, watched a lot of Lifetime movies (hehe), and spent a lot of time outside laying out in the sun and being out there well into the evening. As mentioned, I’m a total Book Nerd. (Memoirs and Minimalist Poetry are my genre jams!) Haha, I told my colleague that I probably wouldn’t even finish 2 books while I was on Break… Tell me why I devoured SEVEN Memoirs and a poetry book!!?! I did Minka Kelly’s, Jennette McCurdy’s, John Stamos’, Fat Joe’s (his is incredible, Mommie bought that one for me), Tupac’s Oral History, Paris Fury’s, and Britney’s…for those interested. I was also really looking forward to having Leisure Tea with friends that I don’t get to, when I’m on Tour. I enjoyed EIGHT tea parties while on Break! Went to Julia’s with my sister, K On The Go 3 times (LOL!!), Chelokababi with the OG’s, Muir’s, Four Seasons, and did a Husband Tea at Malaya‘s. I was thoroughly enjoying myself, not thinking about my diagnosis. … But then I realized- even if I didn’t want to share with others, my family would need support when I was gone. So, I was moved to talk about it. I started with my sister and her husband, I only have less than a handful of trusted close girlfriends, then little by little I told a few more if it came up in conversation. And my family was able to get the love + prayers they deserve.

Me? I’ve been good. I have suffered and endured these symptoms for years. Only now it has a name and now I know the culprit. I was back and forth from the hospital with appointments, labs, specialists, tests, more tests- it was beyond exhausting. My case is peculiar (of course it is) and they want to do more tests to understand it better. Am I dying in 3 years? Maybe, maybe not…they’re not sure. But the medical gaslighting was too much for me, so I’m taking a break from it all. I will go back when I’m ready. I decided to share this on my website not for pity, of course not. But I do have somewhat of a public presence (that makes me laugh a little to admit that), so this is my courtesy to you all. Even tho I know I didn’t have to. May you show me compassion if you see me with my cane or using my walker or in my wheelchair. (and may you show compassion to others having to use mobility aids as well!) May you have some understanding if/when I need some, regarding posts or socials. And at least you’ll understand my process, my choices a bit better.

I mentioned before that there were plans of a 4th Leg, but nothing scheduled. And with this new diagnosis, my husband encouraged me to go for it! He says, “who knows if you’ll be able to do another one after this.” And he’s right. So that’s why I’m continuing on. We have 7 NEW Bay Area Spots and 7 NEW not-so-Bay Area Spots to try. This Leg will be 14 months. So I have 14 new Tea Spots to look forward to, one a month. That’s how I will be spending my time. Aside from being a wife, a homeschooling mom, servant of God, and friend (to my few VIP’s)…this Tour, WRITING, and my private gourmet tea boutique will keep me occupied and distracted with good things. I hope you continue to follow along with us! Sit at our tea party tables and share our thoughts about each new Tea Spot! Anticipate the my raTEAng posts, follow us here + on our socials, donate, and continue to support this Tea Community. We love you all. Thank you for being here.

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It started fairly early in our very first Leg of the Tour. As I was getting comfy + accustomed to Review and Blog Life…I learned that the sooner I got my work done, the sooner I could relax and enjoy my friends. There are a few things I make sure to do at every new Spot Visit (I go more in detail about My Process in this post): take pics, take video, take notes. So once I’m done with all that, I’m free!! No, just kidding. It’s not like I don’t like the work, I actually really love it. But I am very aware that I did invite ones with me to a “tea party”, so I should tea party. Should I not!?

That’s when it started. I didn’t think anything of it…until my girls pointed it out. We’d all laugh and take pictures… Then it became a thing. And now I’ve got quite the collection of these. So I knew I had to make a blog post about em!

What am I talking about?

Well. While I am reviewing a New Spot, after I’m done with all my shots- I will take just one bite from each item and make my note, so I can eat freely afterwards.

What? Where do I put them?

Oh.

Well, just look for yourself…

[This is my absolute favorite one!! My girl took it while I was taking other pictures! LOL.]

I hope yall enjoyed that as much as I did sharing them!! In fact, I think this is my favorite post of all time! Hahaha! Like I’ve always said, “brutally honest” right?!

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I loved Pandemic. An Introvert’s + Germaphobe’s dream! Our little family enjoys each other’s company anyway, so we were fine. It took us a long time to get back to ‘pre-Pandemic’ life. We still treated the world as if it was March 17, 2020 all throughout 2021 and 2022. And then in December ’22, my daughter + I were invited out by some new friends. They surprised us with afternoon tea! It had been well before the Pandemic that I’d been to tea last…maybe in 2018!? I was knee-deep in my trauma recovery then, so this once loved pastime was put on the backburner. Oh we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! My light was sparked.

By March 1st, I was announcing the 3rd Leg of this Tour! We started with 8 new Spots to visit + 6 old Spots to revisit, making that just 14 Tea’s we’d finish in a little over a year (going to one each month). WELL (sigh), this Leg turned out to be the fullest + busiest one to date!! With more new Spots popping up, all the squeeze-in’s + last minute additions… I ended up attending THIRTY TEA’S this Tour!!?! (not including the handful of leisure ones with my siblings) I did not anticipate more than doubling our initial intended visits. Whew!

Something new I tried this time was picking only new friends to join me. My family + I had just moved into a new Congregation, and I was eager to get to know my new spiritual family. As shy as I am, I reached for my vulnerability and asked my new girlfriends to join me. I got to know them during intimate tea parties of no more than 4-5 people (I kept them one cargroup size too). Ugh, I loved that part! I made some real ones during this process. Feels good. Of course, the OGs were with me on some spots too!

***SHOUT OUT’S***

Boba-Lover

Vero

Alex

French

Tina

Maverick

Ocean

Soul

Monica

Aliyah

Liani

Alyssa

Marian

Jane

Mrs. Mamoa

Isabel

Cutie Jr.

Cutie

Jenn

Rocio M

Erica B

Lisa

Miranda

Ingrid

Ellen

Emily

Indiana

Tish

Tanya

Jon

Celeste

Elisa

Sal

Stephanie

You know who else was a major part of this Leg!? The Huz. (heart emojis) For all the ones that were last minute, he happily asked to come! I think we have had more Tea Dates than Date Nights in the past year!? It’s been a treat to get away together so many times, some of them for long drives. Thank you Poppi for being so willing + interested in my work. For supporting me, for giving me allowance sometimes (hehe) when donations or boutique sales didn’t cover my tea services. I have enjoyed hearing your critiques of these Spots, too. I’ve taught you well haha!

[Me + my Samoan Love: Mav Ke Kai]

Along with this website, I reopened our Instagram account. I had had years + years worth of content from my old blog posts, so it was easy. But then Reels were where it was at. I was having to now FILM at our tea parties and become some sort of videographer. Finding trending audios to match them. Engaging. Replying to comments. DM’s. It was getting to be a lot… But I still posted everyday. More followers came. Threads. Now, TikTok.

Right before this Leg ended, momentum was at its all-time high! I was interviewed on a podcast. (That was so much fun!) All of a sudden I’m finding myself signing “Influencer Agreements”. Influencer? I’m an Influencer?? In the month of February alone, I had 3 collabs with some of the most reputable places that serve tea including a high-end hotel. I was having conversations with owners and executive chefs. Who was I?! Unbelievable. Indescribable.

Then the shift happened.

I am SO READY for this break. It’s much-needed, timely, and well-deserved. It’s something I’ve been needing for a long time…not just now, but in life. I’m not going to explain every detail here. Just know that I am resolved and I am looking forward to being present. Before, I thought I was still going to post on socials…I had some blog posts planned… But now, I’m not sure. This time off is going to be used to its full. If I post, then I post. If I don’t, then- I don’t! I appreciate all of you who will continue to rock with me on here and on our socials. Those who donate- you mean so much to me. THANK YOU for helping me continue doing what brings me absolute joy!! Yes, there is a 4th Leg planned. Nothing scheduled as of yet. I’m due to be back from break November 15, 2024. I hope you all are still around and still want to know about these new Spots we gotta try! Until then, thank you for reading, following, subscribing. Yall are the best.

~ Olyve Rose

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