Posted on Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Living Single – The Panel Discussion, The Poem & The Show

Hello World!

It’s the first day of June which means that half of the year is over…Wow…I’ve have said this before, but I will say it again: Time flies the older you get…Anywho, you may be wondering where I’ve been for the last week or so…Actually, my family and I traveled to the Annual Christian Women’s Retreat which was held in Springfield, Illinois over the Memorial Day weekend. We made the 10-hour trek on Thursday and traveled back on Sunday. Last year, the retreat was held in Atlanta where I was the keynote speaker.

This year, I was asked to speak on a panel on singleness which I was wasn’t too excited about for a couple of reasons: I’m kind of tired of thinking about it all, and I don’t feel like I’m the poster child for model singleness anyway. But I did what I was asked to do…And I’m glad I did for a couple of reasons: It gave me the opportunity to comprehensively reflect on my single journey and clarify why I’m finally ready to move on to a married journey, and I was able to meet some new people at the conference that I hope to stay in touch with as I continue to attend the Annual Christian Women’s Retreat.

One of the women I met reminded me about this dynamic, Christian spoken word artist and poet that I had heard about a few months ago. Janette McGhee, who is better known as “MissTerious Janette…ikz” (pronounced mysterious genetics), wrote and performed this awesome poem about waiting for right man that God brings instead of trying to make any ole guy the right one. The poem is titled, “I Will Wait For You.”…Take a look…it is worth the time to check it out…

Apparently, the 31-year-old spoken word artist and poet performed this poem at the at P4CM (Passion for Christ Movement) Lyricist Lounge earlier this year…I know this word isn’t in rotation anymore, but her poem was dope..her lyricism was reminiscent of the artistry that was old school hip hop before the bling bling and uninspired misogyny took over…I would go on, but that’s a topic for another day…

If you want to know more about this talent, read an article about her here and check out her website!

Any thoughts?

P.S. The new show “Single Ladies” premiered on Monday… I forgot to watch, but I heard it’s off to a not-so-good start…What y’all think?

Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2010

Be Ye Transformed: The Reveal…

Hello World,

It's me...I'm giving a speech...to actual people...

Since many of you shared your fashion tips for my first speaking engagement, I thought it would only be right to share a few of the pics from the actual event. To refresh your memory, I was the keynote speaker at the 31st Annual Christian Women’s Retreat banquet which was held at the Westin Atlanta Airport hotel last night…

I did implement a few of your tips, but in a rush, I did not get the chance to try all of them…

My girl Latoicha from Luxe Tips did my makeup…Didn’t she do a fabulous job? And she went to great lengths to get my hotel room yesterday…God’s got a blessing for you girl 🙂

One of you suggested that I wear my hair up…I told my hairdresser, and she happily obliged…

Usually, I have my locs in curls, but I like this style too…

And the finished product…

I could have accessorized more, but as I stated earlier, I was in a rush at the last minute as usual…

And I have to thank my mommy who was one of my cheerleaders last night…

Clearly, Mrs. Holness knows how to dress and accessorize…I even forgot my purse…

And most importantly, I have to thank the Lord Jesus Christ who made this opportunity possible…He is the author and finisher of my faith and my dreams…

Any thoughts?

A quick snippet of my speech, if you are interested…

Posted on Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Be Ye Transformed by the Renewing of My Closet aka Makeover Me Pleaz!

Hello World,

My Michelle O. Dress...

A week from this Saturday, on May 29, I will be the featured speaker at the 31st Annual Christian Women’s Retreat banquet at the Westin Atlanta Airport Hotel…Yep, that’s right little ole me is the keynote speaker…This is the first time that I will be speaking at this type of event and I’m excited and scared…

I will be speaking on this verse…

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1-2

Since the key word is transformed, I’ve been thinking about that word…and suddenly it occurred to me that maybe I need to transform my closet too…I mean I will be speaking to a whole room of women, and I want to be on point…it’s true, most women do dress for each other…At 36, I think I have an idea of what looks good on me – basically since I have wide hips and a small waist, I have to wear clothing that comes in at the waist and flares at the hips…other than that, I don’t know much…Recently, I’ve become a baller on a budget but I do think I need to splurge within reason on a few timeless pieces that will upgrade or transform my closet if you will…I do have the sense to know that what you can get away with at 26 will not work at 36…I’m also wondering if I should have my makeup done for my speech…what do you think?..also, I’ve posted my outfit for the evening…and if you are wondering, yes, I wore this dress (my Michelle O. – inspired dress) to church on Easter Sunday and to the ABC News’ “Nightline” debate, “Why Can’t A Successful Black Woman Find a Man?” Do you think I should wear this dress? Do you like it? What about the shoes? What are the “must haves” for the closet of a professional woman in her ’30s?

On a side note, I dated this guy about two years ago that whipped out a clothing catalogue on of our dates…He told me that I worked out way too much to not dress well…I could have been insulted, but I wasn’t…He ended up buying me what is still my favorite winter outfit for Christmas…(I may have to call him for some help…)ah, the adventures of dating…