Why I have been M.I.A.

Hey my loves! Sorry that I have been M.I.A for the past few weeks (please please forgive me :)), I just recently got back from a two week international photoshoot event in Greece!.. & since being back life has not stopped. So I am finally taking a breather and giving y’all an update and reasons why I have been gone. So bare with me because this post might be a tad long… I want to fill y’all in on my trip to Greece, Miami, and what is going on with Summer! Although I am missing the beautiful scenery of Greece and the delicious food.. I have to say that am happy to be back in the states! I missed you all so much & I am also so excited to catch up with y’all today on the blog!

Now let me explain to y’all why I was in Greece. A good friend of mine aka the “international hair master”, Jeton Mullaliu had an amazing idea a year ago to create an event where models and photographers could come together and create beautiful imagery in amazing settings.With a year of planning, the idea became a reality and I was very fortunate and blessed to be selected along with 6 other models to attend the Next Adventure International Photoshoot Event in Greece. I had the wonderful opportunity to work with 3 of the best photographers in the industry. Greece was the #1 destination on my bucket list and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to experience it.

So let me tell you about this magical and memorable trip I had…. This was actually my very first time crossing the pond and going to Europe, the only other international destination I have ever been to is the Bahamas….meaning I had never been in a plane for more than 4 hours before and I was going to have to endure a 12 hour plane ride which turned into a 24 hour day of traveling (once you added up all the connecting flights). Honestly the plane ride wasn’t as painful as I thought it was going to be… luckily for me I can sleep on a plane so that’s what I did the majority of the time or just watched movies. Once we landed in Athens, it seemed like a whole new world… it was strange being somewhere that english wasn’t the prime language but it was also really cool to experience, ( I actually was able to pick up some greek terms during my time there). We flew from Athens to our first location of Mykonos.

|| MYKONOS ||

The moment you land and start driving around Mykonos you are just taken back by the beauty and are in complete awe of the landscape and the simplicity of everything, or at least I was. I had never seen a place more beautiful and peaceful… pictures just didn’t do it justice at all. For the first part of our stay we stayed at this massive modern villa and then we switched to a more traditional style greek villa.

 We spent the first part of our Greece trip taking photos in Mykonos and enjoying the fun atmosphere and everything the island had to offer. The food was to die for, everything was so fresh, from their seafood to their cocktails… & don’t get me started on their pastries because I think I could write an entire post about how heavenly they were. I had never had greek food in my life so I did get the opportunity to try gyros and kabobs and they were both delicious. Also, one thing I was VERY surprised to see when I was there was that french fries are a staple food… I was totally shocked. So, if you are a french fry lover you must make a trip to Greece.

Now enough about the food and back to the beauty of Mykonos! One of the coolest experiences was that we were able to do a photoshoot at the oldest church in Mykonos, a location that VOGUE has used! Our group was having the best time in Mykonos!… but unfortunately we did experience a little bump in the road which brought us back to reality. Our 2nd villa did get robbed and 4 of us, myself included, lost a lot of belongings. My backpack with my wallet, passport, my camera that I used to record my youtube videos and take photos with for my social media was stolen along with 4 pairs of sunglasses and a few other things… So that is why I haven’t posted a video or haven’t really been posting much because I am out of equipment at the moment…(fixing that very soon). But good news is that it was a great life lesson and wakening, but I didn’t let it ruin my experience or thoughts of Greece, and please don’t let it deter you from traveling to Greece. Everyone needs to have Greece on their bucket list, just the best advice I can give to you is carry your passport EVERYWHERE you go!… visiting the US embassy in Athens is not an experience you want to go through! Now onto the next island in Greece…

|SANTORINI|

I thought Mykonos was pretty…. but that was before I got to experience Santorini! No words can possibly describe how breathtaking it is! We took a 2 hour ferry ride from Mykonos to Santorini (best way to travel to it in my opinion) and when you are arriving in Santorini you can see the city on top of the mountains and it honestly looks like there are snow tips. It’s incredible! All the buildings are white with blue accents! I was in blogger heaven (my bloggers know what I mean)… everything was picture perfect!

I kept running out of space on my phone because I would snap so many pictures!…& pictures just didn’t do it justice! It’s a place that you have to experience and I highly recommend you do someday! ****To my future husband, please think about proposing to me in Santorini!!! PLEASE & THANK YOU!

It is one of the most beautiful and romantic places in the world. In Santorini we were able to experience something that all models want to do when they travel there…We were able to shoot in the famous Santorini dresses! The images look like they could be in a magazine and it was such a dream to be able to experience it with such a great team!

From the food, to the delicious gelato, the refreshing cocktails, to the one of a kind sunsets…..Santorini is like no other! The 2 weeks I was in Greece flew by, but I couldn’t have asked for a better way to experience the country or a better group to experience the country with! So a BIG thank you is in order for Jeton and Terry who put the whole trip together! Thank you for making this whole experience happen!!

 Traveling to a different country did grant me more appreciation for what we have in the states (aka Chipotle lol), and reminded me not to take anything for granted. It also taught me to love and enjoy every aspect of life, whether its watching a beautiful sunset or enjoying cocktails with loved ones. The trip also gave me the travel bug so that might be the reason why I have been non-stop since being back and I don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon!

Once I returned to the states I traveled to Miami to model and help with The Miami Model Citizen annual Doggies & Divas Fashion Show. I love Miami and I have ever since I was able to take a trip there when I was Miss United States! I love the latin culture and atmosphere of Miami… it always makes me want to get up and do the Cha Cha! This time I stayed at The Standard Spa! This was one of the coolest hotels that I have stayed at! It’s interior has an Art Deco style, and just like Greece, once again I was in Blogger heaven (to bad I didn’t have my camera to record or take high quality photos).  So the next time life takes you to Miami, definitely check out The Standard, whether you need a place to stay or just check out their pool! Their pool was fantastic and I have also heard that they are known for their spa… so that’s a next time experience for me!

The event was a lot of fun to participate in! Doggies and fashion… do I need to say more lol! It was held at the beautiful Raleigh Hotel in their cabana area!  I was honored to walk for 3 designers on the runway, showing the latest Miami styles. Although it was hot as can be and I thought I was going to melt like a popsicle, it was so worth it to be a part of an event that makes a huge difference in the Miami area. Thank you Ben Wilson for allowing me to be a part of it!!

The exciting trips continue with a trip to Atlanta this weekend! I was asked to be one of the speakers for the Take The Crown Queen’s Luncheon. I will be able to share my insight and the experiences I have had through my years in pageantry. I am really looking forward to sharing my story with young women and hopefully inspiring them as well as give them some advice that I have used through the years on stage. Plus what is really cool about this event is that I will be speaking alongside some very powerful women…. Miss USA 2016, Miss America 2016, Miss GA USA’s and Miss SC USA’s. How cool is that???  So as you can see I am really excited for this opportunity and very honored to be a part of it! Be sure that you are following me on Instagram @realsummerpriester! I will be posting this Saturday from the event!

….And in a few weeks it’s time to pack the suitcases again because I am going on my first cruise EVER! Super excited if you couldn’t tell! I switched gym’s and started taking zumba and fitness classes everyday so I know that I will be ready for this all you can eat food I hear offered on cruises!  We are traveling to 4 different eastern caribbean islands!… San Juan, Grand Turks, St. Thomas, and the Dominican Republic. If you have ever been on a cruise please give this girl some insight on what to expect or if you have been to one of these islands please let me know some cool things to do there!! We will be on the Carnival Magic! Hopefully by then I will have a new camera so I can record and have great pictures to share with you guys &&& not be M.I.A again!!

xoxo