#4moreyears

Hey dolls,

I'm going to skip over all the fabulosity for a moment, and talk about something a little more serious:  Last night's election.

Barack Obama won.  Mitt Romney didn't.  60.4 million of you are happy about that.  57.6 million of you are not.  (Source: NBCNews.com)*


So, let's do this.  I voted for Obama.  I don't usually make public to many people whom I voted for.  I'm certainly not ashamed of it, it's quite simply no one's business.  It's a very personal decision for me, but I'm making an exception.  This time.

• Side note:  Before I go any further, I want to throw in a little disclaimer right this second, and state that this is my opinion only, and my reasons for why I voted for whom I thought was the best candidate, and my experience with the whole deal.  You may have had a different experience, and that's ok.  It's your experience, but this one belongs to me.

I'd like to tell you why I chose to vote for a 2nd term for President Obama. The worst recession since the 1930's Great Depression began in December 2007 (Source:  FactCheck.org).  Guess who was in office then?  Yep!  George Bush (R).  And, God love him, I voted for him.  As a life-long Republican, Former President Bush's 2nd election was the last one that I voted in before changing parties to Democrat.  Four years ago, I needed to see change, and I *finally* started getting more serious about the way this country was heading.  So, I researched, until I was a blonde bundle full of information.  And, from my research, that change has already started happening.  When President Obama was first elected, the unemployment rate was rapidly rising.  Exactly one year and one month after he took office, it started declining, and still is. (Source:  Bureau of Labor Statistics).  Consumer spending is up, housing purchases are rising, gas prices are falling (slowly, but they're falling), and the job market is picking up.  Remember, this isn't the first time in history that gas prices skyrocketed.  They also did during that wonderful recession that "Dubya's" Administration put us under.

Yes, Obama DID inherit that mess.  And Obama HAS worked his ass off to fix it, and YES, PEOPLE, IT TAKES MORE THAN FOUR YEARS TO CLEAN UP A MESS OF THAT MAGNITUDE, SO YES, WE CAN SAY HE'S STILL CLEANING IT UP IN HIS SECOND TERM.  Everyone expected all of America's problems to be fixed within 4 years.  Ain't gonna happen.  Basic common sense, and logic, says it's just not feasible.  When I voted for him, I knew that it wasn't possible to fix it all in 4 years.  I wasn't expecting rainbows and skittles to shoot out of his ass, wave his magic wand, and awww!  All better now!  If you thought that, then you were setting yourself up.  WE have to help make things happen.  We just can't expect the government to fix it all for us.

Now, about that "job's rising" comment that I spoke of above.  Of course, there still aren't as many jobs out there as there once was, but it's getting there.  And there are more out there than a few years ago, and jobs are being created.  When I lost my job, I needed to find something.  There weren't as many jobs in the accounting market (yes, I know... with "death and taxes" being certain, there should be plenty of those out there for me, but there wasn't, because no one wanted to leave their jobs.), so guess what?  I made myself a job.  I created a job.  And I did it with $0.00.  Within 6 months, it has started to become successful.  I set my own hours, have money to pay the bills, and money to put back.  Maybe I was lucky.  I don't know.  But the point is that I am better off than I was 4 years ago.

Healthcare Reform, or, as it's been called, "ObamaCare".

Let's not beat a dead horse here. We all have our thoughts on that, and they vary exponentially.  You can read up on it here at the Congressional Budget Office's site and get the real facts, not what left- or right-wing news organizations want you to hear.  You can also check out this little spot on the interwebs for facts on it.  Personally, the Affordable Care Act will benefit me.  Being that I'm self-employed, I will be able to afford health insurance, even with that pesky little pre-existing condition that I have known as Scoliosis (just a slight case, but it's there).

The auto industry bailout.  Had Obama (and Bush, with a short-term bailout) not agreed to the bailout, it could very well have been financially catastrophic to the economy, especially when it was just coming out of the recession (remember, this was the worst recession since the Great Depression).  Not only were the jobs of GM and Chrysler employees on the line, but so were the jobs of the people who worked for the auto suppliers.  We're talking the suppliers of all those little pieces of parts that make up an automobile.  Over 1 million jobs were on the line, but saved by the bail out.  People said "Let them go bankrupt".  Then what?  Add one million more people to the unemployment line?  A completely failed US auto-industry?

Then, there is also a moral reason that I did not vote for Mr. Romney.  And, that's the gay rights issue.  I am 100% in favor of gay rights.  To me, this isn't about Christian beliefs.  This is about a basic human right that we, as taxpayers and American citizens, deserve, and should have.  You don't have to like it, you don't have to agree with it, but you have to understand that you, or your beliefs, don't get to dictate who someone falls in love with, and should be able to marry.  The LGBT community are just like us.  They pay their taxes, they work their jobs, and they are productive members of society.  They love, they fight, they make up, they shop, they take vacations, they do it all - just like the straight people.  Their relationships have no affect on mine.  If there's a problem in mine, it's not because of The Gay.  Plain and simple, you don't have to agree with it, but you cannot deny them their basic civil rights as Americans, but expect them to still pay the same taxes as straight people do, and live by the laws as straight people do. I've heard people say "Well, I support gay rights, but I like Romney's stance on economic policy".  Ok, fine.  But you don't get a pass on that.  As Pulitzer and Tony winning playwright, Doug Wright, stated best:  "You're still complicit.  You're still perpetuating anti-gay legislation and cultural homophobia.  You don't get to walk away clean, because you "disagree" with your candidate on these issues".

Do y'all get that?  YOU'RE STILL COMPLICIT!

And I won't even go there on the topic of the Republicans and my uterus.  Because, OMG.

So, there ya go.  Those are my reasons for voting for Obama.  Is Obama the best President ever?  No.  But, he's taken the hand (economy) that was dealt, and he's on it.  I made the right choice for me. You wanted "Change"?  It's happening right now.  You don't have to agree with it, I'll respect your decision.  What I won't do is call you names if you voted for Romney.

Which leads me to the last point that I want to make on this whole election.  I was disgusted, and appalled, at what I witnessed last night on the Facebook feeds, once it became apparent that Obama was going to take the Electoral Vote.  I watched as people called Democrats "stupid", "dumb ass", "uneducated", "illiterate", and "Anti-American".  I was personally called an "idiot", "loser", and "uneducated".

Blink.

Blink blink.

WTH?  To those of you who know me personally, you know that I'm far from uneducated.  I'm not a loser, and I'm certainly not an idiot.  Please... don't let the blonde hair, and high heels, fool ya.

But, it's ok.  I can handle it.  Because, my Mother taught me better.  I've read, some really harsh things being said TO ME between last night and this afternoon.  I have never resorted to calling anyone names because my candidate didn't win an election.  Never once did I do it, even after things were said specifically to me.  But, knowing all that, and if I did it anyway?  My Mom would be absolutely horrified, and extremely disappointed, if she saw me say the things that I've seen posted all over the Facebook threads, and call people names because they voted for a particular candidate.  I can guarantee you that my phone would have been blowing up with calls from her.  Lose graciously, as your candidate did, because I was fully prepared to concede graciously, had Obama lost. (Mr. Romney gave an amazing concession speech, by the way.  Mad props to Mr. Romney for that.)

Just today, I was told that even though I supported Obama, that he was telling people to seek violent revenge on non-supporters.  When I asked for her source, here's the link that she gave me:  "Voting is the best revenge".  Where in that link did he say to seek violent revenge on others?  Talk about taking things way out of context, and blowing it out of proportion.  Now, I realize that some things have been said from supporters on both sides.  I'm not saying that Obama supporters haven't acted a little cray-cray, too.  A friend of mine re-posted a FB status that she saw from an Obama supporter stating "we gone riot if it go down like DIS" (the poster's spelling, not my friends).  Even my friend was shocked by her statement, and she supported Romney.  On the other side of the spectrum, the Republican side, we have this wonderful (sarcasm) piece of news to come out today:  "Twitter Racists React To 'That N-word' Getting Re-elected".  It's 2012 and we're still doing that?  Disgusting.

You may not like Obama, and you may not agree with his politics, but don't you dare call him the n-word.  Don't you dare.  And, I hope to God that you didn't vote for him simply because he's a black man.  Vote against him because of stance on economic policy, or whatever.  But, NOT because he's black.

One last thought:  We do not have to hoard guns, we do not have to stop having babies for fear of the future, and we do not have to be so damn terrified.  We live in the best country in the world.  There is nothing that we're going through that we can't pull ourselves out of, and haven't pulled out of before, and we're headed in the right direction.  The election is over.  The President has been chosen.  It's time to work together  (Republicans AND Democrats), for an even better America.

 Sparkles & kisses!


*As of this writing, Florida hasn't finished their vote count.

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Fashion On The Cheap

"I like my money right where I can see it.  Hanging in my closet".  -Carrie, "Sex And The City"

I love fashion. All of it. The clothes. The shoes. The bling. I also no longer have the budget that I used to have in order to spend more on my love of said fashion. I started my own business last year, and, as we all know, getting a business to stay in the black doesn't happen overnight. Although, the bills are paid, I have money to put back, and some to spend, I still remain a little cautious. Only because, in this economy, you never know if your business will still be standing the next day. Hence, my fashion on the cheap.

Let's break this down, shall we? You attend red carpets, social events, etc. Maybe you attend a quiet din at friends. Whatever the case may be, you want to look good. If you can't afford the "labels" that you used to be able to afford, just improvise. It doesn't mean that you can't still look good.

If you're a fashionista, or social butterfly, you also know that you can't wear the same outfit to more than one event - at least not in the same city. Other fashionista's WILL notice. Major faux pas, right there.

So, let me give you an example of a couple of recent events that I attended on a low budget:

First, this is a red carpet event that I attended in Hollywood, CA, back in July. I was there for 10 days for the World Championships of Performing Arts. The final night was the televised finale (black tie), with a VIP reception afterwards. I was honored to be able to attend this event.

That's me, on the left, attending with my always cool, and amazing, Aunt C.  Now, this is how you do a black tie red carpet event, and it was an amazing evening!  Here's how the outfit breaks down:  The necklace, earrings, bracelet, and clutch purse were all borrowed from the The Aunt.  The rest of the jewelry is mine (rings and more bracelets).  I don't wear much gold anymore, so I had to hit up her jewelry stash, and I'm currently replenishing the gold bling in my armoir. Thank God for family members who love The Bling as much as I!  The dress is Fab'rik, and it was free (I won it in a Pinterest contest that they recently had - a $68.00 dress).  The shoes are ShoeDazzle, and were only $39.00.  They are a stacked, peep-toe, sling-back pump in a pinkish/champagne satin, with gold heels and gold rhinestones all over them.  Total cost for the entire outfit:  $39.00.  Can't beat that!

And?  I can "technically" wear this outfit to an event here in my hometown, since I wore it in California, but only once.  Because, then, it's officially on The Event Radar.

Next, I attended a wine-tasting fundraiser a couple of weeks ago.

This was another fun one!  That's me in the middle, with my friends, Salwa (L), and April (R).  The earrings are Charming Charlie, and I spent all of $9.99 on them.  The necklace was purchased at Charlotte Russe, and was on clearance for $3.00.  Yes, THREE DOLLARS, down from $19.00.  The rest of the jewelry is from pieces that I already had in my armoir.  The top... is actually a strapless dress(!), and was also on clearance at Charlotte Russe for $9.00.

Side note:  This is the perfect time of year to buy Summer clothes, as the stores have all of their Summer wear drastically marked down.  The same goes for Winter wear at the onset of Spring.

Now, this dress has an elastic waistline, with a little belt.  Because I wasn't wearing it as a dress, I removed the belt and pulled the waist up a little bit to give it more of an empire waistline look.  It also made the dress look more like a long top, which was the plan.  The white skinny jeans were on sale for $19.00 at Body Central.  The shoes (that you can't see in this picture) are black classic Candie's that I bought quite a few years ago, when they came back in style... again.  I can't seem to rid myself of them - they are some of the best quality-made shoes I've ever had.  You can't tear these things up!  Love them, and they are as comfy as all get out!  Total cost for outfit:  $41.00.

So you see, you can go out in the evenings having spent little money on your outfit, still look great, and still have enough to spend on a decent dinner and drinks.

Next up:  What I wore to my friends wedding up in West Virginia.

Sparkles & Kisses!

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One phone call

12 years.

3,000 miles.

An unexpected phone call that changed my life forever.

When I heard the voice on the other end of the line, I knew instantly who it was: The One That Got Away.  The one that I connected with on such an intensely deep level that I was never able to recreate that feeling with anyone else.  Because of several reasons, we couldn't do anything about it at the time of our initial meeting.  Without the other knowing our true feelings, we remained just "cool" friends.

During the day, we worked hard.  But at night... we danced.  It was a place called Maestro's. Our version of Studio 54, minus the sex and cocaine. The music was a blend of Funk and R&B. The band, Sixx Deep, were personal friends. When they were in town, we were there.  It wasn't to drink - we had our inner high's to keep us going - it was to dance.  We became such regulars at Maestro's that we never had to stand in The Line. Upon our arrival, the velvet ropes were opened for us, and we walked right in.  Once everyone in the group had arrived, the dancing began.  We did not leave the dance floor until the music stopped.

Throughout the course of the evening, we may have danced with others, but when The Song came on, he and I searched for each other.  That song was Purple Rain.  It was "our" song.  It was then that we felt the chemistry - a chemistry that neither one of us had felt before, or since, then.  Again, we never spoke a word about it.

Eventually, I left for Ohio, he left for Reno shortly afterwards.  The night before I left California, we spent some time together.  Had either one of us stated our feelings verbally, it would have complicated things immensely.  I had movers coming the next day and a job that I couldn't back out of.  I'd made a commitment and the money had been paid.  He had his commitment in Reno.  We spoke a few times after my move, but eventually lost touch during my first few months in Ohio.  We were both busy with our separate lives, and by then, I had met The Frenchman, and began what was to be 12 years of total chaos in 2 separate relationships. Life went on.

Fast forward to four days ago.  The unexpected call.  After all these years, I knew exactly who it was the moment I heard his voice.  The memories, feelings, everything, came flooding back.  We talked for over an hour.  Later that night, 2 hours.  We didn't want to hang up the phone.  Like the connection would be broken again, forever, if we did.

After those conversations, we realized why it never worked out with anyone else.  They weren't our soul mates. They weren't the loves of our life.  We were not meant to be with them.  Although, those in the past were an important part of my life, for one reason or another, they were all instantly filed away to a dark corner of my mind.  The hurt, pain, betrayal, good times, laughter.  Gone.

We both know This Is It.  We were finally able to, verbally, express those feelings that we couldn't act on so many years ago.  How this will come to fruition will take planning, planning, and more planning.  We live on 2 different coasts.  We both have responsibilities that cannot be immediately put aside to just pick up and move - in either direction.  Once again, it's complicated with us being on opposite coasts.  But, when the time comes, we will make the right decision. Together.

Sometimes, when you tell someone that you want to "take it slow" or "I'm not ready to get involved in a relationship too fast", it's not them.  It's you.  You know that the right one just hasn't come along.  You can say a million times that you're not ready for a relationship, that you want to remain single, that you're not looking - but when The One comes along, those thoughts change completely and you're ready to take on the world together.

And, I'm ready.

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Life, love, and moving on.

Hi dolls!

I know, I know!  It's been a while since I've posted, but I'm going to try to get back in to keeping up with my blog, so shush.

Hope you all have started your summer in all kinds of great ways!  I have been going 90-to-nothing the last few months, and it's beginning to take it's toll on me, so I am looking to hit up the beach house pretty soon for a weekend of sun, fun, and debauchery.  I seriously need to work on my tan, because I just bought the cutest shirt from Ella Bleu.

(I bought the one in aqua. Loves it!)

Lots of pageant judging happening lately.  Seems I have one booked almost every weekend, so the travel has been a little crazy.  But, I wouldn't have it any other way.  I do love my life... as crazy/busy as it is. With that said, I do need to cut back on it just a little, as I'd really love to spend some time at Mama's, Daddy's, and with some friends that I've neglected because of all the traveling.

I think I'll be going back to Hollywood, CA this year for the World Championship of Performing Arts.  This is a 10-day event that brings talent from all over the world to compete for the title.  Last year was an amazing experience and I hope to go back this year. **fingers crossed for that one**  As always, it will be televised on live TV.  Plans are in the works for a mini-vacay to San Francisco to see all my CA friends.  I do miss living there.  I've also been invited to work the Mart in Atlanta during Prom Fashion Weekend.  This, I'm very excited about!  Busy, busy, busy!

As with good things, sometimes they come to an end.  Recently, my feelings were severely hurt by the way that someone I cared very deeply for handled something.  I thought I knew who this person was, because they'd never given me a reason to think any different, but, in the end, they proved otherwise. And that makes me sad, because I very much wanted this person to truly be who they'd always presented themselves to me as; a person with integrity who would do what they needed to do in the right, respectable way.  I thought they had that much respect for me.  Turns out, they didn't.  The saddest part?  I lost a friend who was very dear to me.

It seems as though I'm learning lessons left and right this year. But, learning lessons is how life works. You live it, learn it, move forward, and become a better person. Sometimes, you don't get an explanation for "why" or "what happened", and that's their problem; not yours.  I don't regret that it happened, because I learned a very valuable lesson.  I do regret that the ending of a friendship happened the way it did.

Life goes on, and I'm happy - and I'll tell you why in the next blog post.  Here's how I see it:  The people who are meant to be in your life, will be.  Those that aren't are there to teach you lessons.

In other news, I have adopted a dog.  Named her Pippa.  She's a blonde shiz-tzu mix and I am in love with her!  And she hates my cat, Wesley.  About once a month, they have an epic fight.  EPIC.  The fight before last, I came out the victim in that one.  Wesley didn't realize it was my hand that tried to separate them, so he got me.  Blood everywhere. Then, I tried to use my foot to perform the separation, only to draw it back with more scratches.  More blood everywhere.  By the time he'd finished with me, it looked like a murder had just happened between my bedroom and the bathroom.  So this time?  I let them have at it a few minutes before I finally broke it up and took Pippa to the guest bedroom to calm her down.  She does most of the instigating in these fights and I am completely surprised that Wesley hasn't extended the claws.  Except on my hand and foot.  Whatever.

Gotta go!

Sparkles 'n kisses!

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Because every chick should have a friend who encourages this type of behavior.

I was turned on to this chicks website by my dear friend, Jen, and OH MY GOD, I have not laughed this hard in a long time. She is a must read. The humor this gal writes is brills! And make sure you read THIS entry, because it's the sole reason for my post today, and if you don't read it, then you'll have no idea what I'm talking about, or why I'm talking about it, or what the ending of this post even means!

See, it got me wondering, does everyone have a friend like this? One with whom you can get in to more trouble than you can think of and laugh the whole time? One who will not hesitate to get mad at you because you forgot to call her to come join the fun/trouble that you were about to find yourself in? I have one of those. Her name is Annette. Annette is bat-shit crazy. And, God, I love Annette. I have known her for 5 years and let me just tell you right now: We have found ourselves in more trouble than should be legal. We still do not understand why certain Maconites have not banished us from our humble little town.

(Side bar: I need to state right here that The Mom will probably read this, so Mama, when I say "trouble", I don't mean in a bad way! No cops were involved in the making of The Trouble.)

You see, these friends make your world a better place. You get a 2:00 a.m. phone call from Bat-Shit Crazy and you know something good just went down. It may or may not be good for them, but you know, as much as you love her, you're about to get entertained. This is your middle-of-the-night-phone-call from her telling you all kinds of fun you just missed and could you pleeeeaassseee not tell me again that it's 2:00 a.m and that you will call me tomorrow because I have to tell you this right now! It's also sitting together, just minding our own business, when The Trouble just drops in to our laps. Like right in front of us. Like RIGHT THERE. How can you walk away from it? We look at each other, and we're all "Seriously? Does Trouble not realize what's about to happen"?

I'm pretty sure there may have been a time or two, back in the day, when our significant others just shook their heads and was all "they've lost their minds".

Bat-Shit Crazy, who also has all the love her in heart for her friends, will also come to you at a moments notice, dropping everything, when she hears the words "I need you"? Doesn't matter where we are or what we're doing, we arrive when needed. Shopping, drinks, drama, just hanging out together, emergency middle-of-the-night phone calls. Someone's crying, someone's mad, someone's laughing, someone's got drama, someone's dog just dug a hole in my flowerbed and you need to know about this right now no it cannot wait until morning stop telling me that! Dinner together, gossiping, girls weekends, someone you can tell anything to and they've got your back - right or wrong.

Or, you could just be in a discount store encouraging one another to buy a 5-foot-tall-chicken and think it's totally normal.

I mean, DUH!

Doesn't everyone buy stupid stuff in discount stores, just because it's funny?

Anyway, the point is that you need a crazy friend to encourage you to do silly things. Because laughing, no matter the circumstance, is always good for the soul. And who more to make you laugh than a crazy friend that you totally couldn't live without?

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Film Festin'

Hi Dolls!

Hope this all finds you as fabulous as can be! I have finally had a quiet weekend, with no plans, and I have really enjoyed it.

But, I get antsy.

So, thank goodness I have tons of plans for the upcoming week! In case you didn't already know it from my numerous tweets and Facebook postings, The 6th Annual Macon Film Festival is almost upon us and I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am.






Terrell Sandefur, Priscilla Esser and a slew of others have worked tirelessly to bring you this fabulous 4 day event (Feb 17-20) in beautiful, historic downtown Macon, GA! This is my first year volunteering and I'll be working two different time slots: Friday, 2-5pm slot for the box office and Saturday, 11-2pm for filmmaker check-in. Come see me!

I will also be attending day and evening screenings, which ohmigoodness, just gives me chills at the fun that is headed my way, not to mention I finally get to see "Get Low". And? AND??? The after parties! (Can I get an Amen, please?) Let me just tell you right now, I am already going through my closet to pick out my "Film Fest Funky" attire, as the fantastic Mr. Sandefur described to me when I asked what the attire was for the festival. Hey! This IS my first festival and I do loves me an excuse to purchase clothes for any reason whatsoever. So, not only have I been devouring my closet, I have purchased a couple of cute things from Jack & Darcy Boutique in Milledgeville. (You can also find Jack & Darcy on Facebook here.)

(Side note: Did you see all those links? I'm pluggin' everyone today!)

In other entertainment news, I spent Wednesday evening playing cards, eating delicious food and enjoying cocktails with three of the coolest people I know: The amazing Mizz Kate McD, George and my new friend, Jettice. We had a litte bit of a half time show where Kate ran out of gas AND killed her battery all within 5 minutes. George and I jet off to save the damsel in distress, then arrive back in time to eat, break out the Uno cards, and fill our glasses with wine and love. After many hours of wine and a gazillion laughs, I do declare that it was totally worth dragging out of bed at 11:30 the next day. I may, or may not, have been hungover.

(Side note: When going out, and it's raining hard, do not under any circumstances wear light colored suede boots. FAIL!)

In the homefront department, I woke up this morning earlier than normal because I had a really bad feeling something was wrong. Oh, was it ever wrong. When I opened my eyes, they went right to my cat, Wesley, who was happily tee-teeing all over a small pile of dirty cloths that I did not put in the hamper. And he was looking me dead in the eyes, daring me to beat the shit out of him. His litter box is clean. Food and water is full. I have no clue what I did that made him mad. All I know is he better be glad he wasn't trying to finish off my previously-mentioned suede boots, because there was about to be a misunderstanding up in here! And, oh-my-god-no-he-didn't, as I'm cleaning it all up and throwing everything in the wash, he jumps his little nappy butt up on the bed, stretches, then curls up and goes to sleep.

Blink.

Blink blink.

That cat is SO VERY LUCKY TO BE ALIVE TODAY. He better be glad that I love him so much. That's all I'm sayin'.






Sparkles 'n kisses!

xoxo

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