<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/" xmlns:blogger="http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0" version="2.0"><channel><atom:id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735</atom:id><lastBuildDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2013 01:27:26 +0000</lastBuildDate><category>black women</category><category>interracial marriages</category><category>interracial relationships</category><category>love</category><category>The Game</category><category>black women in corporate america</category><category>corporate america</category><category>fashion industry</category><category>marriage</category><category>poetry</category><category>wedding</category><category>white men</category><category>2010</category><category>Aruba</category><category>Bernie Mac</category><category>Boxing Fighting</category><category>Carmelle</category><category>CarmellesFabulosity</category><category>Earthquake in Haiti</category><category>Fabulosity</category><category>Family Guy</category><category>Haiti</category><category>Hattnor</category><category>Hattnor vs. Pacquiao</category><category>House of Payne</category><category>Manchebo Beach Resort</category><category>New Year</category><category>Pacquiao</category><category>The Simpson</category><category>earthquake</category><category>engagement rings</category><category>favorite tv shows</category><category>fro</category><category>hair change</category><category>haitian</category><category>locks</category><category>marriages</category><category>natural hair</category><category>premarital</category><category>proposals</category><category>twenty-five</category><category>vegetarian</category><category>work</category><title>CarmellesFabulosity</title><description>CarmellesFabulosity is the summation of all craziness in my life! I am what you call a Corporate Diva in an intimate relationship with the fashion industry, married to a twenty something hottie, and dealing with the day to day in the Chicagoland area.</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/</link><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</managingEditor><generator>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>24</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-3420489696871534538</guid><pubDate>Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:26:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-09-11T17:41:47.190-05:00</atom:updated><title>On Your Mark Get set_ You still here?</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gK0EywOnzdE/Tm042uh7QrI/AAAAAAAAAHE/hO_QXWEib-w/s1600/city%2Bmom.png&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;&quot; src=&quot;http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gK0EywOnzdE/Tm042uh7QrI/AAAAAAAAAHE/hO_QXWEib-w/s320/city%2Bmom.png&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651235620274258610&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My Lovebug is here- she has been for about four months now- Ellabelle Jeanne. She is one of the those off the charts baby- literally, the Dr says so every month. She is quite the blessing and I am forever thankful! So I am a NYC hot mom learning how to juggle life as a wife, mom, and working fashionista. It is difficult- which is an understatement with constant interrupted sleep (but we are working on getting baby girl&#39;s sleep more in line with Mamma) dealing with shoe buyers and vendors, crunching numbers predicting trends and trying to lose the last 3 pounds of my baby weight. I cant believe that I gained almost 60 pounds during my first pregnancy; but totally psyched that it is almost all gone. Breastfeeding does wonders for baby and Mom. Tomorrow I start my gym membership at Crunch, now that I have lost pretty much all of my baby weight I wont to lose another 18-20 pounds to get me to my wedding weight. My 3yr anniversary is coming around the corner and it is crazy as I reflect on how much my life has changed in a few short years. I am working for one of my dream companies, toting the cutest baby on my hip, with the man I fell in love with 4yrs ago. Life aint easy but it is definitely eventful and exciting!</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2011/09/on-your-mark-get-set-you-still-here.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gK0EywOnzdE/Tm042uh7QrI/AAAAAAAAAHE/hO_QXWEib-w/s72-c/city%2Bmom.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-2235038790063429298</guid><pubDate>Fri, 08 Apr 2011 02:53:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-09-04T20:05:42.278-05:00</atom:updated><title>34 Weeks of being a Preggo Newly Wed</title><description> Tonight I sit back and reflect on all the changes happening my life, nearing a new peak in my career, achieving almost all the goals I wanted to achieve ( as of yet)&lt;br /&gt;Nearing the end of my first pregnancy with my Hubby, once darling love gets here we will be celebrating: my 27th birthday, Hubby&#39;s 27th bday and then a 3 year wedding anniversary; 2011 is a year of blessings.&lt;br /&gt;</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2011/04/34-weeks-of-being-preggo-newly-wed.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-2844881016878034550</guid><pubDate>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:13:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-04-30T20:16:44.421-05:00</atom:updated><title>My Tresses and their Magical Powers</title><description>I was that child sitting underneath my mother&#39;s hot comb in the kitchen, as she pressed out my kinks, curls, and waves out of my hair. I was also that child like many other Black children that received burn scars from falling hot combs because of fidgeting while Mami said to &quot;Sit still!&quot;.  I learned at an early age that my natural hair was not what people wanted to see,  that women spent their Saturdays from dawn to midnight in the salon every week trying to achieve the un-natural look, passing it off as natural.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I totally get why our culture is the way it is with Black hair and the inherent influences  of  colonial rule and oppression of our BLACK definition of beauty, which has  been warped and not really indicative of our true nature as Black women. But even in the 90s I still felt that oppression, that peer pressure, and the demand to conform, changing my hair texture with harmful chemicals so I could fit in. However being burnt constantly and getting fed up of camping outside of Nikki&#39;s Hair Salon before the sun would rise (she always forgot to set her alarm-so she said). I grew out my natural hair in protest and in self awareness, that was almost ten years ago.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There were plenty of arguments with my Mom where she would question &quot;With who are you going with your hair looking like that? Not with me.&quot; There were plenty of hair styles that she loved and hated, the fro, the blowout, twists, braids, Bantu knots, crimps, frohawks, and dreads. I felt strong and confident with my natural hair with each  passing year and being in NY and Miami, I didn&#39;t feel weird or different because of my natural hair.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As I reached my senior year of college my locks were reaching my shoulders, and my mother began to really express concern about me finding a job because of them. I  read numerous articles about people being fired because of their locks, but I was not going to let the job market dictate my personal choices and I was in the fashion industry. Nevertheless, I did find a job, rather quickly actually which I attributed to my educational background and my strong work ethic. But when I relocated from New York to Kansas, I quickly realized how different I was and how off-putting my differences were compared to everyone else and the fact that I was a vegetarian didn&#39;t help- but that in itself is a different post. I didn&#39;t stay in Kansas long, it was really stifling to be in a &quot;Corporate America&quot; situation where the diversity was so lacking and it was obvious that my hair choices were not ideal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I relocated with my fiance in tow to the biggest city in the Midwest to a bigger corporation, where it screamed diversity, however I still did feel that my hair was scrutinized more so than my white female counterparts. I have come to accept that my hair will always be something of conversation, if I let the locks flow, or if weave in curly/straight hair with highlights. I have been told that my natural hair was not preferred by co-workers, and completely floored with compliments when I switched it up with straight tresses.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S5P9j_iTmpI/AAAAAAAAAFY/iQkUwUi4Wtg/s1600-h/PICT0184.JPG&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;&quot; src=&quot;http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S5P9j_iTmpI/AAAAAAAAAFY/iQkUwUi4Wtg/s320/PICT0184.JPG&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445975169213635218&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I understood that being a Black woman in Corporate America would have its challenges but never did I dream that my hair would be such an issue in the retail/apparel industry, despite my mothers constant commentary; I thought she didn&#39;t really understand since she is in the medical industry and her own personal opinion being a derivative of her traditional Haitian views. It can be rather stressful and overwhelming dealing with my image and managing perceptions of non Black co-workers. I am thankful that I do have a great support system from my White husband who always encourages that I let my true beauty shine through.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I will continue to keep my own sense of style and rock the locks until I decide otherwise.  I will continue to ignore the constant nagging of Corporate America of what I should look like. I will be the one to dictate what my hair should look like, despite the passive aggressive ways of the corporate atmosphere. I do wonder how I am going to approach this situation with my future  children as they too will be confronted with this, especially being biracial, it is difficult taming the tresses and mastering their &lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S5QAgpXOeII/AAAAAAAAAFo/xe_0mFc4mPE/s1600-h/Carmelle%27s+locks.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 320px;&quot; src=&quot;http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S5QAgpXOeII/AAAAAAAAAFo/xe_0mFc4mPE/s320/Carmelle%27s+locks.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445978410256857218&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;magical powers, because they really do put a weird spell on others.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CarmellesFabulosity.</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-tresses-and-their-magical-powers.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S5P9j_iTmpI/AAAAAAAAAFY/iQkUwUi4Wtg/s72-c/PICT0184.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-7982630495041004092</guid><pubDate>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 03:46:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-01-13T22:29:33.836-06:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">earthquake</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Earthquake in Haiti</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Haiti</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">haitian</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">love</category><title>Haiti, My Love</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S06bMS7mOQI/AAAAAAAAAFA/dQkfnnFInz4/s1600-h/haitian+flag.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 87px;&quot; src=&quot;http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S06bMS7mOQI/AAAAAAAAAFA/dQkfnnFInz4/s320/haitian+flag.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426445236570568962&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is from your womb my origins are traced&lt;br /&gt;Your journey to this current place,&lt;br /&gt;has been filled with blood, sweat, and tears&lt;br /&gt;But because of this we must have no fear.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On your shoulders I stand tall,&lt;br /&gt;Vowing never to fall,&lt;br /&gt;Nor disgrace nor bring about shame&lt;br /&gt;My perseverance will never be tamed&lt;br /&gt;Higher we must go, stronger we must fight,&lt;br /&gt;Faithfully we shall pray.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With each new day, survival is key&lt;br /&gt;We must never forget Ayiti&lt;br /&gt;Many do not know their history&lt;br /&gt;but it is because of Ayiti we are here.&lt;br /&gt;Haiti, My Love L&#39;Union Fait La force</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2010/01/haiti-my-love.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S06bMS7mOQI/AAAAAAAAAFA/dQkfnnFInz4/s72-c/haitian+flag.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-2559209114945024818</guid><pubDate>Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:27:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-01-10T14:05:39.526-06:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">2010</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">New Year</category><title>2010 is Here and My Post is Late!</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S0ozBTGzvVI/AAAAAAAAAEo/6H7O8KMp-Mk/s1600-h/fireworks02.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;&quot; src=&quot;http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S0ozBTGzvVI/AAAAAAAAAEo/6H7O8KMp-Mk/s320/fireworks02.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425204798522899794&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;H1&gt; So Excited for this New Year 2010&lt;/H1&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Its 2010! Can&#39;t believe it! When I was younger, I surely thought there would be spaceships flying around and everyone would be dressed in silver and black with robots as friends. Crazy to see how things are so far from what I imagined yet so close!This year will be a year of challenges, successes, and opportunities to try things again but differently and I am very excited and blessed to have the opportunity to experience another year with my Husband, family, and friends.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;P&gt; &lt;br /&gt;2 weeks into this year and I already have changed departments at work, found a new place to live, and diagnosed with a new medical condition. Can&#39;t nobody tell me this year isn&#39;t going to be a new and different year! I am very excited for the blessings that God is going to bestow upon me and the strength he is going to input in me to overcome new obstacles! I am 25, but not for much longer so I am definitely getting my house in order to ring in my 26th birthday as I move into another era of my adulthood and womanhood.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;P&gt; &lt;br /&gt;My New Years resolution for 2010 is to grow in my faith in Jesus Christ, grow in my marriage, to lose weight(that is a constant since i hit 20! lol), continue to get my finances in order, and learn as much as possible at work to achieve my life long dream of entrepreneurial success. I pray that your 2010 is a prosperous and healthy year and if nothing else that you learn something that you didn&#39;t from last year!&lt;br /&gt;Happy 2010 everyone!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;MUAHHHH&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CarmellesFabulosity!</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2010/01/2010-is-here-and-my-post-is-late.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S0ozBTGzvVI/AAAAAAAAAEo/6H7O8KMp-Mk/s72-c/fireworks02.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-3285860068574303718</guid><pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:08:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-01-10T14:09:32.000-06:00</atom:updated><title>I Want to Lose My Property Virginity</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S0oz3MQGaGI/AAAAAAAAAEw/XAeGlGsecd4/s1600-h/first+house.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 210px;&quot; src=&quot;http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S0oz3MQGaGI/AAAAAAAAAEw/XAeGlGsecd4/s320/first+house.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425205724395759714&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I cant stop thinking about it, financially planning for it, searching for it.&lt;br /&gt;I want to lose my property virginity and put my name on a lot of land!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Three bedrooms with a design studio 2 1/2 bath&lt;br /&gt;Killer kitchen overlooking the pooled yard&lt;br /&gt;JO&#39;s music and art den&lt;br /&gt;killer vanity to do my hair makeup and creating the fabulosity&lt;br /&gt;Closets galore&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oooh how the dream continues each time I watch a property virgin breathed out in excitment&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Im sold, lets sign it, and its ours!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I cant wait to find property bliss!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CarmellesFabulosity</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-want-to-lose-my-property-virginity.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/S0oz3MQGaGI/AAAAAAAAAEw/XAeGlGsecd4/s72-c/first+house.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-1876162842901223993</guid><pubDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:14:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-09-08T19:43:41.247-05:00</atom:updated><title>Blessings in the Madness</title><description>So life has been super crazy between work and home life and my internet life has gone by the way side. I am trying to balance my work life, home life, and trying to manage my personal me time as well- it is definitely a struggle but i think that i am getting better-especially since i am posting a blog!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some highlights for the past couple of months are:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We finally found a financial advisor that will help us manage our long term financial goals&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;JHubby found a job!!!!!!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We had some visitors come out of town to help celebrate my 25th Bday&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A major tearjerker, is the passing of my great grandmother at 104 years of age on my mom&#39;s bday.  I know that she is looking down on me and my family smiling, laughing, and wiping away the tears. I strive to live a life as long as hers, she is my inspiration as she raised my mom and my mom is unbelivably incredible. RIP Gran&#39;ma Clemence XOXOXO</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/09/blessings-in-madness.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-4867694532084581915</guid><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:09:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-07-22T06:44:06.432-05:00</atom:updated><title>Its Almost Time-Pop Them Babies</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/Smb5EXJY9FI/AAAAAAAAADs/9pfh-rY_QCg/s1600-h/pop+them+babies.JPG&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;&quot; src=&quot;http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/Smb5EXJY9FI/AAAAAAAAADs/9pfh-rY_QCg/s200/pop+them+babies.JPG&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361246259759346770&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&lt;br /&gt;    As I get closer to my 25th birthday I have become very reflective- For those of you who dont know personally, this is nothing new- each year rings in with reflective hearts, clean souls, and food to feast.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    On the approach of 25 years living on this Earth; from when my mother gave birth to me- I can now truly judge myself and others in my life, learn from the mistakes, and rejoice in the blessing of accomplishments I have received from OUR FATHER.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;    As It gets closer to my birthday, I think of the Little ONES who were born near or close to 728 and the joy that overtook me (and continues still) when I saw their beautiful eyes, full of HIS love, secure in HIS strength, and sweet in HIS forgetfulness- what an awesome thing and their fabulous diva preggo moms of course!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/07/its-almost-time-pop-them-babies.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/Smb5EXJY9FI/AAAAAAAAADs/9pfh-rY_QCg/s72-c/pop+them+babies.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-5595989852676530572</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2009 01:02:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-05-04T21:06:08.236-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">fro</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">hair change</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">locks</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">natural hair</category><title>I Dont Have to Go Bald!</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://justjared.buzznet.com/images/2006/03/tyra-banks-bald.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 222px;&quot; src=&quot;http://justjared.buzznet.com/images/2006/03/tyra-banks-bald.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I am sitting here with my aching feet, watching Dancing with the Stars, and imagining what grown up Me would look like with a fro again. Some of my youtube buddies have taken a comb to their locs and a chopped at least 10 inches of length. For those who are not familiar with locs it is a hairstyle that take years to lock and grow. I have been growing my locks for 7 years and they still had me beat by at least 6 inches! It took 3 weeks to comb out over 100 locs! I will say that it is nice to know that when I do get the nerve to change the hair- which I have promised the Hubby that I would wait until after our first kid- that I don&#39;t have to shave my head! I am excited by the possibilities!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CarmellesFabulosity.</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-dont-have-to-go-bald.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-778720605606174463</guid><pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2009 18:49:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-05-03T13:58:59.670-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Boxing Fighting</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Hattnor</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Hattnor vs. Pacquiao</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Pacquiao</category><title>Hattnor vs. Pacquiao</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://www.boxnews.com.ua/photos/1742/Manny-Pacquiao-Ricky-Hatton.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 254px; height: 191px;&quot; src=&quot;http://www.boxnews.com.ua/photos/1742/Manny-Pacquiao-Ricky-Hatton.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There was a sports confusion in our household last night. What to watch:The Bulls vs Celtics or the Hattnor vs. Pacquiao fight?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We chose the Bulls vs Celtics, since they have been bringing the Heat we thought we were in store for a great game that would have us on the edge of our seats . Unfortunately the only Heat we are hopping for now is for the Miami Heat to whup ATL but I digress.... We just finished watching the Pacuiao Hattnor fight and it was no joke! Completely Off the Chain!!!! Pacquiao aint playing!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I cant wait to see what Mayweather will do in response?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Who will be the next victor?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pacquiao or Mayweather?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CarmellesFabulosity</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/05/blog-post.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-1748917308657534850</guid><pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:28:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-05-03T10:40:02.478-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">engagement rings</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">marriages</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">proposals</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">The Game</category><title>Does Size Really Matter?</title><description>So I am so excited to watch the newest episode of the Game- Derwin finally proposes to Melanie! But here is the thing the rock really isn&#39;t that big -especially for a professional football player! But I ask you this does the size of the rock really matter?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I know one lovely lady told her man that the ring he first proposed with wasn&#39;t gonna fly, of course she didn&#39;t tell him that when he proposed but sure enough the first ring disappeared and was replaced with a larger fabulous one.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As women we dream about the rock, we shop for the rock- often times before we have the Right Man! So would you put a contingency on your I Do? There is so much marketing pushing us into believing the bigger the rock the better the man (and bank- lol)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well my two cents for you- be more concerned about the size of his heart rather than the rock he  proposes to you with!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://www.blingfling.co.nz/images/Camilla%20Inspired%20Engagement%20Ring.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 191px;&quot; src=&quot;http://www.blingfling.co.nz/images/Camilla%20Inspired%20Engagement%20Ring.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;CarmellesFabulosity</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/04/does-size-really-matter.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>2</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-6589009235063586329</guid><pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:33:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-05-03T10:53:07.928-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Bernie Mac</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Family Guy</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">favorite tv shows</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">House of Payne</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">The Game</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">The Simpson</category><title>My Fave Shows</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/family-guy-5-big.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 512px; height: 384px;&quot; src=&quot;http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/family-guy-5-big.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Since the economy sucks so bad, the hubby and I have decided (grudgingly so) that we would do without certain luxuries and the first one off the list was cable tv. It has definitely been an adjustment but please know that we are surviving- it can be done!  I will admit that it is a struggle when the only conversations people have are based on last night&#39;s HBO episode- but we do manage!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You would be surprised at how much more interesting the ccontent is online- to all the people that upload movies, tv shows, and documentaries on youtube, Hulu and Fancast my thanks to you!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some of the tv shows that we do watch religiously -&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Family Guy&lt;br /&gt;The Simpsons&lt;br /&gt;The Game- the hubby doesn&#39;t really care for this one-I hope they dont cut the show!&lt;br /&gt;House of Payne&lt;br /&gt;and Bernie Mac&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am all about  the laughter!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What are your must watch shows?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CarmellesFabulosity</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-fave-shows.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-5540256518774384306</guid><pubDate>Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:05:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-05-09T17:27:13.914-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">black women</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">interracial marriages</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">interracial relationships</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">love</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">marriage</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">white men</category><title>Let&#39;s Talks About It!</title><description>I have been married now to my husband for almost seven months and it is great! I am not saying that we don&#39;t have our tiffs, but I am strong advocate for marriage. Being a Black woman, I especially feel that Black women should take part in the religious sacrament. The statistics are staggering and appalling of how many Black women go through life without a husband compared to our white sisters. Marriage isn&#39;t for everyone -  it is a very important life choice and should not be taken lightly as marriage was intended for life. There are many Black women who do want to be married yet are unable to find a suitable mate within in their own race; there are countless reasons, theories, and statistics  that explain this phenomena of which I will not be exploring in this post. It is an interesting topic and do suggest all Black women who find that they are directly impacted should research in further detail to understand why this is occurring. Marriage is a deeply personal experience that can have so many psychologoica,l emotional, sprititual, and phsyical  benefits.  Interracial marriage is no different. These marriages are a controversial topic due to our country&#39;s historical race relations that will forever be a part of our past, so interracial couples do find that they have to deal with the approval or disapproval of those around them which can prove to very stressful yet also unifying for the couple. If you dont know about the Lovings- please google them, there story is inspirational and ground breaking as their life is a true testament of dealing with those stresses placed by society.&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://cache.boston.com/resize/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2008/05/05/1210041460_3461/539w.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 143px;&quot; src=&quot;http://cache.boston.com/resize/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2008/05/05/1210041460_3461/539w.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  It is crazy that in today&#39;s day in age how little most people know about our racial counterparts due to segregation, stereotypical portrayals on mass media -where most people base their perceptions of races from, and just pure ignorance. Throughout this post I will discuss the daunting concerns and different mentalities that I have observed amongst Black women and their potential relationships to white men.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As women, we all have that ticking clock in our uterus and if children are part of your dream for a complete and fulfilling life - well a partner is needed and finding a husband is getting to become a harder and harder task especially when you reside in cities. More  women are delaying marriage and childbearing so they can achieve higher education, yet Black women find it increasingly difficult to find Mr. Right in college, and that much more difficult if not impossible in their corporate fields of industry. Many women are finding this to be a strickening reality posing a major roadblock on their path of achieving childhood dreams of marriage. We must make a difficult decision on how important color is.  Even though we have gone through life with this very obvious and beautirully blatant color on our skin, we love it, we hate it, we are judge by it- but will we let it stop us from marrying? After surviving the dating scene of NY and Miami my answer was HELL NO!!!!!!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://risesf.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/clubbing2.33362335_std.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 467px; height: 213px;&quot; src=&quot;http://risesf.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/clubbing2.33362335_std.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I happily dated, fell in love, and married my white husband acknowledging that true love knows no color. Of course there are cultural differences like his love of rock and roll music and my almost narcissistic relationship with my hair- it is ok to be from a different culture, it enriches our relationships with each other, it makes our bonds stronger and unique. In speaking to and observing different  women from friends to strangers about interracial dating/marriage you would be surprised how the color of  skin has kept us in awe, silence, and innocently stupid.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are many ideas that are running rampant about interracial relationships and the top two statements that are made about white men and interracial relationships blow me away! The first one is the hesitation  to interracial relationships because of the color of his package. This reasoning is quite common and the most concerning! It is almost a lack of education that comes into play here and I am not really sure where to pinpoint what the time frame is that this information was missed- high school sex ed,  teenage girl talk, kindergarten class, I don&#39;t know- but it is a real issue! I have heard conversations from the most sophisticated women- from both races- about this. Who cares what color it is - as long as he knows how to pleasure you! However to some women this is enough to discourage dating and marrying outside their race, my advice get yourself a flick and in the comfort and  privacy of your abode- watch it and see how little anyone pays attention to the color of his goods. lol&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://newsroom.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/morissey_nude_450.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 309px;&quot; src=&quot;http://newsroom.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/morissey_nude_450.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lastly the notion that all white men have better credit and have jobs so they are better men to marry. Yes when you are choosing your partner these are good things for him to have- good credit, a job, even a car- but to completely generalize the whole race of white men to those attributes is down right absurd!!!! Especially when it is soo easy in today&#39;s economy to be employed with good credit and a snazzy ride today and unemployed with questionable credi and on public transportation tomorrow! Yes financial issues play a role in a relationship but once it plays a greater role than the intimacy and affection between the two of you as a couple you are guaranteed to have issues that will make your relationship tumultuous.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are so many women waiting for that traditional church wedding , wondering if it will happen at all- will they find Mr. Right in time? I encourage women to really take things into perspective and reflect on what the role of a husband will play in their life. As you consider what road to take in choosing your mate- throw color aside and date the man that will make you a happy woman regardless if he wasn&#39;t blessed with the same dosage of melanin as you!</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/04/lets-talks-about-it.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-3145536711294608249</guid><pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:11:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-26T14:21:33.022-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">black women</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">black women in corporate america</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">corporate america</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">fashion industry</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">work</category><title>The 5pm Quits</title><description>When I tell you that there is nothing like Monday morning, its no joke! I know some may not understand but those who are in retail understand what I am talking about. There is nothing like it, and I like to call it the&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://www.gallery280.com/images/artists/aldo-luongo/monday_morning.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 155px;&quot; src=&quot;http://www.gallery280.com/images/artists/aldo-luongo/monday_morning.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:100%;&quot;&gt;Monday Morning Hustle! &lt;/span&gt;I can do several get ready moves  like take my temp, shower, dress,  figure out which calc to use on size analysis - WOS or BOI, where is my badge- got it! Feed the cat, kiss the Hubby, hit the gas!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Steve Harvey is a fool! Why not both- WOS and BOI!- Dodge the cops, take the head scarf off, find a parking spot- where is my badge!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Run Run Run those reports, crunch crunch crunch those numbers, push push push that product- the Director wants what! Is it lunch yet?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Meetings- snooze for three more minutes, cancel-reschedule, Fire DRILLL!!!!!! IT is on the phone, printer is on the fritz, I&#39;m a size 10 please- and dont forget! Reprint that report and distribute!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I&#39;ll call it quits for 5pm!!! Thank goodness for Tuesday!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CarmellesFabulosity</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/04/ill-call-it-quits-for-5pm.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-1950835067464725213</guid><pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:30:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-30T22:12:41.472-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">black women</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">black women in corporate america</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">corporate america</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">fashion industry</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">vegetarian</category><title>Well Just Go Ahead and Say it-Its Friday!</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://www.fashion268.net/images/news/news_885lettuce%20bikini.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 633px;&quot; src=&quot;http://www.fashion268.net/images/news/news_885lettuce%20bikini.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What a day today we had a&lt;br /&gt;Corporate Peprally- totally awkward they made all these references to sports, spring training and sports jargon- uh excuse me I am in the fashion industry not- sports! Sometimes HR just doesn&#39;t get it!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I will admit they had me on the edge of my seat when they started raffling off manis and pedis! And of course the heckling did start when my ticket was never called after the millionth gift card that was passed out. This shin dig was catered but of course- however there was a major faux pas that could only be mad by inconsiderate meat eatters- no veggie option! What in the... I mean there is a dominant and obvious vegetarian population where I work- how could they only serve hot dogs! HOT DOGS! Ugh!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well at least I was able to cut the Spring Training short to get some real food when not to far away a Green Event was being held. All kinds of Green products had booths- Plasma Tvs- which they were raffling (of course I didn&#39;t win) Green clothing designers and their latest collection, and tons of other companies. They were passing out free vegetable and herb seeds! I got so many! I am soooo excited!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-Cucumber&lt;br /&gt;-Watermelon&lt;br /&gt;-Cantelope&lt;br /&gt;-Beets&lt;br /&gt;-Radishes&lt;br /&gt;-Tomatoes&lt;br /&gt;-Squash&lt;br /&gt;-Onions&lt;br /&gt;-Spinach&lt;br /&gt;-Lettuce&lt;br /&gt;-Peas&lt;br /&gt;-Green beans and more!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I cant remember all of them off the top of my head... So now I have to find a nice flower bed to grow my veggies- I have a personal goal to work on my green thumb. It is hard but its a goal of mine- we start slowly, one step at a time. First we start with some seeds and we&#39;ll figure out the rest later.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CarmellesFabulosity</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/04/well-just-go-ahead-and-say-it-its.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>2</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-1726915880006575016</guid><pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:20:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-26T14:23:33.012-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">black women</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">interracial marriages</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">interracial relationships</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">marriage</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">premarital</category><title>Shacking Up- A Do or Dont ?</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://static.thefrisky.com/images/uploads/shacking_up_c.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 494px; height: 264px;&quot; src=&quot;http://static.thefrisky.com/images/uploads/shacking_up_c.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;        Well I have been faced with this question twice and both times I answered the same answer, but I was damned sure the circumstances were different! In this post it is my intention to further delve into this issue as many black women face this- I have and several of my homegirls have so lets talk about it!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  I find that the most common reasons cited for sharing the boudoir and the financial and convenience implications. You guys are spending nuff&#39; time together- you leaving behind your hair grooming products(gotta keep the tresses in check especially when you are at his crib)- he&#39;s got several of his kicks lined up in the back of your closet next to your heels and a draw full of his boxers and socks. You find it easier to stay at his crib during the week b/c he lives closer to the express train that guarantees you on time to work or he is crashing at your crib on the weekends b/c his roomies are complete jerkoffs that completely ruin the vibe. Yet the both of you are paying rent- and with today&#39;s economic conditions money is tight- shoot the dates have taken on a creative twist already to alleviate the pockets! So shaking up seem like the right answer- right?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;     Well that&#39;s what I thought when i was a freshman in college- it just made sense and I was plenty far away from my Momma so the back hands were just being delivered over the telephone- they were hard to take but easily soothed with the dial tone after the click came down hard when I was adamant with my decision to play house. After a while the relationship began to become more of a living situation in the romance department and then with a blink of an eye he lost his job and he dipped back home to his Momma (all of which went down during my bday week. He was so tack!) So that was my first scenario.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  The second time I had graduated from college and had the job with benefits (so presumably i was older with some wisdom) I started dating a coworker undercover and we were spending tons of time with each other back and forth every night- we exchanged keys first, the marriage talk was occurring on a daily basis, then the ring appeared and so did the moving boxes. For me personally, Scenario #  2 was the best one for me- Shoot I wear that ring everyday! lol Seriously, my hubby was serious about our relationship and showed it by proposing- it was more than just a living situation- For him it was about securing our future together. Scenario number one was based purely on convenience to a short term relationship so the best thing he could do was offer moving in together which thankfully was a short bid. lol&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;   So in closing, my advice would probably be to say no to shacking up before a credible commitment has been made and truly only you can determine if that commitment is credible and genuine. I believe the woman is more susceptible to getting hurt emotionally and financially with cohabitation before marriage; so if you are like my younger dumber self and wont listen at least keep yourself prepared for that unthinkable  day that statistics show will probably happen. Get something in writing or better yet- get that money upfront (two months of rent should suffice)!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://www.digsmagazine.com/images/loungearticles/shackingup.gif&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 195px;&quot; src=&quot;http://www.digsmagazine.com/images/loungearticles/shackingup.gif&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CarmellesFabulosity</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/04/shacking-up-do-or-dont.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-6446954730475836472</guid><pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:36:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-18T22:15:56.127-05:00</atom:updated><title>Happy Easter</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://pro.corbis.com/images/JL002691.jpg?size=67&amp;amp;uid=%7BEAA81556-BF7B-45EA-82CB-6A9AC933D32F%7D&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 345px; height: 183px;&quot; src=&quot;http://pro.corbis.com/images/JL002691.jpg?size=67&amp;amp;uid=%7BEAA81556-BF7B-45EA-82CB-6A9AC933D32F%7D&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Its Easter! I hope everyone is near their loved ones during this religious holiday and thanking the Lord for their Blessings! This morning my hubby and I are slowly arising listening to Johny Cash- Dont ask- and drinking coffee and preparing for the day- Unfortunately we woke up too late to go to church b/c we stayed up all night watching ghost stories. Overall this weekend was a good weekend- got a new delivery shoes into my closet, the Hubby was sweet(all weekend too! lol), and I am feeling quite refreshed! So all and all i rate this Easter weekend a 8.5 out of 10! Well that&#39;s my Easter update! Happy Easter to everyone again!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CarmellesFabulosity</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/04/happy-easter.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-247095154925875675</guid><pubDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:47:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-26T14:24:03.760-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Aruba</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">black women</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">interracial marriages</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">interracial relationships</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">love</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Manchebo Beach Resort</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">wedding</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">white men</category><title>Interracial Love</title><description>I have received several requests to share My Aruban Wedding video, Enjoy!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width=&quot;425&quot; height=&quot;344&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;movie&quot; value=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/uyNI9vIkhjg&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;allowFullScreen&quot; value=&quot;true&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;allowscriptaccess&quot; value=&quot;always&quot;&gt;&lt;embed src=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/uyNI9vIkhjg&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; allowscriptaccess=&quot;always&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;true&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; height=&quot;344&quot;&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;True love knows no color!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CarmellesFabulosity</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/04/interracial-love.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-4734428910819929082</guid><pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2009 22:45:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-26T14:24:33.235-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">black women</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Carmelle</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">CarmellesFabulosity</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Fabulosity</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">interracial marriages</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">interracial relationships</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">twenty-five</category><title>Almost Twenty Five</title><description>&lt;span style=&quot;color: rgb(255, 102, 102);font-size:180%;&quot; &gt;&lt;a style=&quot;font-family: verdana;&quot; onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://images1.cafepress.com/product/368665361v4_350x350_Front.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 226px;&quot; src=&quot;http://images1.cafepress.com/product/368665361v4_350x350_Front.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am almost officially a mid twenty hottie! The years have seemed to fly past with smiles and tears with let downs and accomplishments.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I will say that my life plan that I charted out when I was a pre-teen didn&#39;t exactly go as plan but some major moments that I did plan and accomplish are&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-Leaving home as soon as I was 18 years old&lt;br /&gt;-attending and graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NY&lt;br /&gt;-Designing for and and co-producing several fashion shows in NY&lt;br /&gt;-Being young, fabulous, and broke in NY&lt;br /&gt;-Having great girlfriends that have my back no matter what&lt;br /&gt;-Making over 40k with my first job out of college (especially when I was told it couldn&#39;t be done)&lt;br /&gt;-Working in the fashion industry on the planning side&lt;br /&gt;-Working in the fashion industry on the buying side&lt;br /&gt;-Working in the fasihon industry on the vendor side&lt;br /&gt;-Being natural and growing locks(ten years in the making)&lt;br /&gt;-Falling in love in with Mr. Right&lt;br /&gt;-Marrying Mr. Right on a tropical beach&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So I am not going to go through all of them but as you gathered from what I have shared- my life goals are centered around my relationships, fashion, and my career and for being 24- I am pretty damn proud of thus so far- gotta give thanks to God for giving me a Mom that knew how to put some sense in me! lol&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As the months count down and the days of being 24 slip away I look forward to turning 25 in Chicago! Always looking for some suggestions to ring in 25!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-CarmellesFabulosity</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2009/04/almost-twenty-five.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-8827512336346092446</guid><pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:12:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-26T14:12:25.832-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">poetry</category><title>Another Poem</title><description>I am totally into poetry but with my current work load in my professional and personal life it has become lost; but with my new state of current events I have been totally inspired to write again.&lt;br /&gt;My goal is whatever I post on blogspot that I then have to make a video on youtube to hone my delivery skills. I am already backed up- but it does give me a new to do list to conquer.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here is the latest poem:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Because I am Blessed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;God called on me the other day&lt;br /&gt;Said &quot; Child, why don&#39;t you play&lt;br /&gt;in my delight, what a sight&lt;br /&gt;I love you with all my might.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;See his spirit is within me&lt;br /&gt;I remembered that day with glee&lt;br /&gt;How He saved me&lt;br /&gt;From the grasp of death&lt;br /&gt;Oh how I wept&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But I am trying to conquer my everyday&lt;br /&gt;Hold down &#39;da fort- I aint got no overpay&lt;br /&gt;Bill Collectas calling&lt;br /&gt;Trying to hold it down wit&#39; my darlin&#39;&lt;br /&gt;Trying to keep my head up&lt;br /&gt;While Wamu bankrupt&lt;br /&gt;It ain&#39;t easy-you know you feel me&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He chuckled and said &quot; Follow me and Believe&lt;br /&gt;I will carry you to the next eve&lt;br /&gt;That devil will start fires&lt;br /&gt;But you got me and I&#39;m Higher&lt;br /&gt;And I will pour down rain&lt;br /&gt;Take away your pain&lt;br /&gt;Impart Peace and Joy&lt;br /&gt;I gave you your Boy.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How can I doubt?&lt;br /&gt;All I can do is Shout&lt;br /&gt;&quot;Glory be the Honor and Praise&lt;br /&gt;He alone can raise&lt;br /&gt;Me higher, In Him I trust&lt;br /&gt;Because of Him I&#39;m blessed&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Because of Him I&#39;m Blessed.&lt;br /&gt;Because of Him I&#39;m Blessed.&lt;br /&gt;Because of Him I&#39;m Blessed.</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2008/09/another-poem.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-3421283659547618111</guid><pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2008 18:57:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-18T12:53:35.764-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">poetry</category><title>Now There&#39;s Three</title><description>I am in this beautiful relationship;&lt;br /&gt;The King, He and Me.&lt;br /&gt;I never thought it could be&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;See before when I was lost;&lt;br /&gt;It was at a major cost.&lt;br /&gt;My days were lost&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Deep in the night I was caught&lt;br /&gt;Held captive with no real thoughts&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Trying to be a part of&lt;br /&gt;Today&#39;s society cuz ah...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now that I think about it&lt;br /&gt;It doesn&#39;t even matter cuz&lt;br /&gt;Now There&#39;s Three&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He&#39;s always in between&lt;br /&gt;Sitting in His throne above, but always between&lt;br /&gt;He and Me,&lt;br /&gt;Soon to be joined in Holy Matrimony&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He said it- The Greatest of These&lt;br /&gt;Love, Love, Love</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2008/09/now-theres-three.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-1903590959585406450</guid><pubDate>Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:14:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-04T19:08:21.568-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">wedding</category><title>The Dress is here and it Doesn&#39;t Fit!</title><description>I ordered my wedding dress in July and fit into a size 12 but I couldn&#39;t possibly get married in a size 12- not when i used to be either a 6 or 8 depending on the designer.  I took a risk and ordered a size 10. So with early morning workouts, lunch time workouts, and 96 oz of water a day i was going to show those who were nervous about my decision to get a smaller size. I mean I am Carmelle! As stubborn as I am- there was just no way I was going to take a size 12 !&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well the size ten dress arrived on Monday- I was super excited and really nervous. How would i feel if I hadn&#39;t in fact lost enough weight to fit into the dress? There would be no way to order another size due to the lead time. I took the dress into the room with the door locked behind me and said a quick prayer as i slipped into the dress. And would you believe it- it didn&#39;t fit. It was too big!!!!! I should have gotten an 8! The dress is soo big on me it needs to be taken in all over. On Tuesday i am meeting with my seamstress so that she can help make my size ten dress a size 8.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am still doing my 5am workouts and drinking my water but have cut back my lunch time workouts(mostly due to so many projects on my plate) - who knows maybe the size ten dress will slowly transform itself into a six. Since March I have lost 30 pounds. I still want to lose another ten pounds to get back to my college weight and those sexy abs i used to flaunt.&lt;br /&gt;At work I joined this competition similar to the bigg&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/Sdf2QPLZHPI/AAAAAAAAACs/mtwu_5HOmKE/s1600-h/Miami+Wedding+pic.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;&quot; src=&quot;http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/Sdf2QPLZHPI/AAAAAAAAACs/mtwu_5HOmKE/s320/Miami+Wedding+pic.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320992243574185202&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;est loser with 3 other lovely ladies. I will tell you it definitely motivated me to get moving! There is nothing like a weekly weigh in to make think twice about those weekend binge eating fests.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So for all those lovely divas; who aren&#39;t happy with the few extra pounds that just happened to appear overnight- just make it leave. Use that fabulous girl power and kick box it, zumba it, walk it, run it, ab blast it, lunge it, squat it, and samba it out and off of you!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well Carmelle&#39;s Fabulosity is out!</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2008/09/dress-is-here-and-it-doesnt-fit.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WWlQ2I2mp9E/Sdf2QPLZHPI/AAAAAAAAACs/mtwu_5HOmKE/s72-c/Miami+Wedding+pic.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-2124911907314203199</guid><pubDate>Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:29:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-04T19:20:38.573-05:00</atom:updated><title>Its Sunday!</title><description>This is the day the Lord has made! It is also game day, Jake is kicking himself in the a** b/c he benched Ronnie Brown for his fantasy football and he apparently is doing his thing. Fantasy football is beyond me but I cant escape it. Jake at home, my mom on the phone, and my boss at work inquiring about Jake&#39;s teams..... For better or worse.... I will say though this is definitely a good flaw for my hubby to have especially since I cant escape football in any other aspect of my life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I made a good pot of rice and beans says my taste tester,&quot;even the beans taste good.&quot; Domestic bliss at its best! Another chill day of lounging on the couch, strategizing the fastest way to stuff invitations, and wondering what I will be walking into at work on Monday. The countdown is on for the wedding in Aruba! I am so excited, my dress will be arriving any day now. Following the link in the enclosure to see my fabulous dress!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Olivia the Cat is going to need a sitter during our wedding adventure in Aruba. This will be an interesting episode in our lives as I have never interviewed a cat sitter and quite honestly i am not too comfortable with a stranger taking care of Olivia in our place- It just weirds me out. If i had a high discretionary income I would so buy the teddy bears with the hidden cameras to ensure this sitter isn&#39;t overfeeding Olivia ( which Jake constantly blames me for) or snooping through our stuff. I just dont like it- but we have no choice, b/c there is no way I am sharing Jake on my wedding adventure with Olivia- she can get pretty possessive of Jake.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I miss my NY divas! I keep getting invites to all these happening around the city and pics of my models partying it up! I will say that i dont miss the parties all that much- there is something about drunk men stepping on my too cute stilettos or hating females that try to take up all the mirror space in the bathroom that definitely doesn&#39;t fly with me anymore but I miss my crazy homegirl Peaches who can get me clapping my hands, sucking my teeth, and switching my neck about pretty much anything withing 45 seconds flat; she never fails!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So one thing that bothers me about being a dread, there are not enough hair styling tips- so annoying! i can type in hairstyles in google and come up with a enough hairstyles to keep Paris Hilton and Tyra Banks&#39;s hair fried, dyed, and laid to the side while a natural sistah like myself has to spend hrs in front of the mirror with a gajillion hair pins trying to come up with a hair do(&amp;amp; dont)- so annoying- it is on my to do list to travel around the world and take pics of dreaded divas with their beautiful coifs. I mean it costs a hundred bucks just to get my hair washed- we are not even talking styling so what is a girl to do for a wedding day? Please if you see a a pretty loc&#39;d do- share the style with moi!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well I think that i have done enough rambling in a short time... Time to surf the net some more.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peace and love!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Carmelle&#39;s Fabulosity</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2008/09/its-sunday.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5475423085596358735.post-1224002478818878218</guid><pubDate>Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:58:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-08-02T20:20:24.833-05:00</atom:updated><title>Update</title><description>Friends and Family!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are so many things going on!&lt;br /&gt;Life in Chicago is a blast! Chicago being the largest city in the Mid-West affords many benefits:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Diversity&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Vibrant Fashion Scene&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Great (clean) City living&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Amazing professional environment&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Eclectic Food&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/CarmelleandJacob/?action=view&amp;amp;current=CarmelleintheChi.png&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;width: 484px; height: 147px;&quot; src=&quot;http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/CarmelleandJacob/CarmelleintheChi.png&quot; alt=&quot;Photobucket&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Another exciting thing about Chicago: I celebrated my 24th Birthday! I want to thank all well wishers!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/CarmelleandJacob/?action=view&amp;amp;current=backview-1.gif&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/CarmelleandJacob/backview-1.gif&quot; alt=&quot;Photobucket&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/CarmelleandJacob/?action=view&amp;amp;current=24thbdayballoons.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;width: 295px; height: 275px;&quot; src=&quot;http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/CarmelleandJacob/24thbdayballoons.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photobucket&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/CarmelleandJacob/?action=view&amp;amp;current=bdayflwrs.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;width: 296px; height: 204px;&quot; src=&quot;http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/CarmelleandJacob/bdayflwrs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photobucket&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/CarmelleandJacob/?action=view&amp;amp;current=bdaygift.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;width: 299px; height: 316px;&quot; src=&quot;http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/CarmelleandJacob/bdaygift.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photobucket&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/CarmelleandJacob/?action=view&amp;amp;current=happpybday.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;width: 367px; height: 273px;&quot; src=&quot;http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/CarmelleandJacob/happpybday.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Photobucket&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/CARMEL%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-15.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/CARMEL%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-16.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;!--[if gte vml 1]&gt;&lt;v:shapetype id=&quot;_x0000_t75&quot; coordsize=&quot;21600,21600&quot; spt=&quot;75&quot; preferrelative=&quot;t&quot; path=&quot;m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe&quot; filled=&quot;f&quot; stroked=&quot;f&quot;&gt;  &lt;v:stroke joinstyle=&quot;miter&quot;&gt;  &lt;v:formulas&gt;   &lt;v:f eqn=&quot;if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0&quot;&gt;   &lt;v:f eqn=&quot;sum @0 1 0&quot;&gt;   &lt;v:f eqn=&quot;sum 0 0 @1&quot;&gt;   &lt;v:f eqn=&quot;prod @2 1 2&quot;&gt;   &lt;v:f eqn=&quot;prod @3 21600 pixelWidth&quot;&gt;   &lt;v:f eqn=&quot;prod @3 21600 pixelHeight&quot;&gt;   &lt;v:f eqn=&quot;sum @0 0 1&quot;&gt;   &lt;v:f eqn=&quot;prod @6 1 2&quot;&gt;   &lt;v:f eqn=&quot;prod @7 21600 pixelWidth&quot;&gt;   &lt;v:f eqn=&quot;sum @8 21600 0&quot;&gt;   &lt;v:f eqn=&quot;prod @7 21600 pixelHeight&quot;&gt;   &lt;v:f eqn=&quot;sum @10 21600 0&quot;&gt;  &lt;/v:formulas&gt;  &lt;v:path extrusionok=&quot;f&quot; gradientshapeok=&quot;t&quot; connecttype=&quot;rect&quot;&gt;  &lt;o:lock ext=&quot;edit&quot; aspectratio=&quot;t&quot;&gt; &lt;/v:shapetype&gt;&lt;v:shape id=&quot;_x0000_i1025&quot; type=&quot;#_x0000_t75&quot; style=&quot;&#39;width:6in;&quot;&gt;  &lt;v:imagedata src=&quot;file:///C:/DOCUME~1/CARMEL~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.png&quot; title=&quot;&quot;&gt; &lt;/v:shape&gt;&lt;![endif]--&gt;&lt;!--[if !vml]--&gt;&lt;!--[endif]--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So now to the real meat of this blog: The Wedding!!!!!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Wedding is October 18, 2008 in Aruba at the Manchebo Resort. The countdown is on!!!&lt;br /&gt;I also found my wedding dress  from Watters! I tried on 3 dresses in total at House of Brides and&lt;br /&gt;when I tried on the wedding dress, I cried! I wanted to marry Jacob right then and there in the fitting room that had ceiling to floor mirrors with such great lighting ! I stared at myself for about twenty minutes twirling around and imagining the sound of the waves crashing on the beach with the sound of the violinist in the background- I am super excited!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://watters.com/images/styler.gif&quot;&gt;http://watters.com/images/styler.gif&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Linda my life long sister from another mother helped pick out the color blue that I needed to complete the wedding colors. If you are a part of the wedding party you will be receiving your swatch, if not already.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jacob and I are almost complete with our registries- well we have completed the online process and  we are currently working on the in-store process. It is alot of fun roaming up and down aisles with a scanner choosing the items that will be from the people we love in our new life as a married couple! We are registered at Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Macys, Crate and Barrel, and Sears; we also have a honeymoon registry- check out our wedding website (you should have the site from the save the date card).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As of now the guest count to Aruba is quickly growing ; Jacob and I are soo excited to share this monumental time in our lives with our closest friends and family! However for those who can&#39;t make the fabulous trip to Aruba the party will continue in Miami, Fl October 25,2008 Welcome the Newly Weds Back! Expect your invitations to arrive shortly!</description><link>http://carmellesfabulosity.blogspot.com/2008/08/update.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (CarmellesFabulosity)</author><thr:total>2</thr:total></item></channel></rss>