Announcements Archives - Page 4 of 7

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

December 25, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 3 Comments

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Adrienne and I are on hiatus from the blog and The Swirl World on Facebook until January 6, 2014.

We’ll be back next year with more couples, more stories and more news from our pal Mike in Australia.

We have more foreign connections in the works – more gentlemen who will give us Swirling news from far-flung places including Scotland and New Zealand.

Expect a potpourri of posts designed to inspire, entertain, educate and inform you concerning all things Swirling.

Look for us in 2014 – we’re going to be bigger and better than ever!

Till next year, Swirl on.

Join in the Fray: What are you doing to get your Swirl on during the holidays?

Learn The Secrets Of Australian Men

November 25, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 3 Comments

Simon Baker.

Eric Bana.

Hugh Jackman.

Keith Urban.

Chris Hemsworth.

Liam Hemsworth.

I could go on, but lest we all go into major sensory overload I’ll stop right there.

So, what do all these men have in common – besides pure, HOTT, hunky gorgeousness?

(What? I have to prove my point! And just a FYI, if you want to see some AWESOME eye candy, check out Eugenia Berg’s Pinterest Boards, Lawd Have Mercy. When you do, just make sure you have a cool drink handy. IJS!)

*Refocusing*

What these men have in common is that they’re Australian.

Yes, Australian.

Not only them, but thousands of other men who vary in looks, height, weight, temperament, personality – a veritable smorgasbord, if you will.

And you know what? Many of them are open to Swirling!

How do we know this, you might ask?

Well, over at The Swirl World on Facebook we’ve been fortunate to make an “Australian Connection.”

That’s right – we have become cyber-friends with Mike, a native of Western Australian who reached out to us to let us know how much he enjoyed the page:

Hi guys, just want to thank you for making this page . . . I am a white guy from Western Australia, and I have always been attracted to Black girls/women. At my first school social I danced with a girl from South Africa, and I never forgot it, or her. I have met and dated a lot of girls, but I never fall as hard as I do for black women.

(Smart guy, that Mike!)

Our guy Mike is willingly allowing us to ~~ask him a million questions~~ pick his brain in a new feature on The Swirl World that we’re calling Mondays With Mike.

Mike is going to give us insight into the mind of Australian men – dating practices, preferences, likes, dislikes and cultural norms.

He will give us a bird’s-eye view of Australia – up close, and personal.

Who knows? Keep an open mind, you never know where “something new” will take you . . . . .

If you have a question for Mike, inbox us on our Facebook page, send us an email at ASwirlGirl@TheSwirlWorld.com or post it here in the comments section.

Mondays With Mike.

From Australia, to you – with love.

Keep Swirling.

Join in the Fray: Are you open to dating someone who lives in another country? Why or why not?

Almost There!

October 10, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 2 Comments

KeepCalmStudio.com-[Crown]-Keep-Calm-And-Make-A-Decision

Yep; I believe I have pretty much reached a decision about this blog. Details forthcoming.

Join in the Fray: Made any decisions lately? Do tell!

An Awww! Moment

September 21, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 10 Comments

Drove up to my parents’ house this morning and saw a flurry of balloons tied to the posts.

This sign was on the porch (personally hand-lettered by my Mother) :

Needless to say, I was in tears.

I love my family!

Join in the Fray: When was the last time someone surprised you?

I’m Ph.inisheD! (Among Other Things)

September 7, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 6 Comments

Whew!

If you’re my Facebook friend you’ve already heard the news.

I promised I had an announcement to make, and here it is:

I can now sign my name a:s

Michelle Matthews-Calloway, Ph.D.

Or, Dr. Michelle Matthews-Calloway

Or, Dr. Michelle

Or, Dr. Matthews-Calloway

Or – whelp, you get the picture.

I’m FINISHED!!!!!!

Woot to the Woot, Woot, WOOT!!!!

Thanks to everyone for all the emails, text messages, Facebook posts/in boxes, and phone calls.

Special thanks to my parents and my brothers, Mr. Art, Barbara G., Michelle M. (a.k.a. “Elle Veg“), Mitzie and everyone at Acadiana LifeStyle for the well wishes and encouragement when it was time to leave for my oral defense.

I have Dedication and Acknowledgment pages in the dissertation, and when it’s all filed and published, I’ll be sure to post the pages so you can see the names of the people who were the “wind beneath my wings.”

If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an entire state to help someone who’s journeying to a Ph.D! (in my case, several states)

Whatever your role, large or small, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

So, What’s Next?

I’m now contemplating and praying about the next steps. Needless to say, after being in graduate school for the past seven years – since 2006; can you believe it??? – not having textbooks to read, research to conduct or papers to write feels STRANGE.

I need to make some decisions about this blog. I was listening to a vlog entitled “The Guilt of the Black Housewife” from my good cyber buddy, Eugenia Berg of Married Girl in a Weird World. She expressed the sentiment that she was planning to eventually retire her MGIAWW blog and focus on her new blog, Married Girl Takes on the Pacific Northwest, a regional travel blog.

I totally get that, and applaud her for following her interests and passions.

I’m not planning to retire the blog per se, yet I do plan to expand the focus somewhat. Shucks, when I look back on past posts I see that the focus has been expanding for probably the past 6 – 8 months; indicative of my evolving interests.

One thing I’ve decided that I’m not going to fight it; I’m just going to roll with it and see where I land.

The Swirl World on Facebook heavily covers concepts of diversity, interracial dating and interracial marriage (shout out to Adrienne L.L., the best fellow Admin. a Facebook page manager could ask for)! We have an awesome community that is growing by leaps and bounds, so a part of me is wondering if the Facebook page should primarily suffice as the “interracial” outlet.

(Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts. Yes, I know ultimately it’s my decision, yet a little well-intentioned feedback or input never hurt anyone. IJS).

My thoughts also turn to the For Church Girls blog. I’m really passionate about the concept behind FCG and want to make it work – can I build that blog and do the other things I want to do??? The A Swirl Girl blog is in a really good place – should I simply now focus on building the For Church Girls blog?

Not only that: I have two book ideas; one fiction, one non-fiction: Which one to pursue???

And,

Two of my professors want me to publish my dissertation in academic journals, and they want to publish with me (so stoked about that!) They also say that my research and academic publishing journey is just beginning, and I need to conduct more research on my chosen demographic (interracially married women of color).

Decisions, decisions.

~Le sigh.

I must say that Rosetta Thurman of the Happy Black Woman is putting out some stellar posts on decision-making and pursuing your dreams. I plan to review her blog posts and just meditate on them, in addition to engaging in some old-fashioned prayer.

Stay tuned . . . . .

Join in the Fray: What decisions/next steps are you contemplating right now? Any advice?

I Have A Confession To Make . . .

September 2, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 8 Comments

I, Michelle Matthews-Calloway, am an addict.

A jewelry addict, that is.

My earliest recollection of liking – no, loving jewelry is traceable to my maternal Grandmother, who had a small, yet wonderful collection of classic pieces: A beautiful strand of lustrous pearls (with the earrings to match – gifts from my Grandfather), a lovely, dainty real gold watch, and some simple, yet elegant brooches that were to die for.

She was a soft-spoken, plain woman, my Grandmother, yet she always starched her dresses – and her aprons. Her cloth shoes were always impeccably clean; her leather shoes shined to perfection. Of very modest taste, she wasn’t one for flashy jewelry, and she definitely adhered to a philosophy of “less is more.”

My Mother’s tastes in jewelry began as modestly as my Grandmother’s, yet, as the years progressed, she began to love bolder pieces. Having a husband in the military who supported – even encouraged – her affinity for jewelry was the coup de grâce to any ideas of restraint, particularly as far as purchasing jewelry was concerned.

Enter me.

(I had probably just seen a new necklace when this photo was taken)

What choice did I have in the matter???

From my Grandmother I learned about the importance of style and quality when selecting jewelry. From my Mother I learned the sheer sense of pure indulgence that expensive jewelry provides – particularly when you (a) purchase it for yourself, or (b) have it lavished on you by your husband, father, brother or significant other.

Some people run to the shoe department, the makeup counter or to the handbags when they enter a store.

Me? You’d better believe I’m headed to the jewelry counters.

So when I heard over at Beyond Black & White that Tanisha Everette a.k.a. Tanisha Shulamit, world traveler, fashion-meister, and Blog Mistress of Lattes and Lipstick had launched a new jewelry line, I promptly clicked the link to check it out.

I mean, I had no choice, right?

And of course, once I viewed Tanisha’s stunning designs, I had to order something.

I couldn’t just . . . look at it – why, that jewelry was literally begging me to purchase it.

And so I did: A set of beautiful citrine bracelets.

(Citrine is my birthstone, dontchaknow).

I made the order, and soon received a nice email from Tanisha thanking me for my purchase.

My ~~fix~~ bracelets promptly arrived in a beautiful gift box:

Inside, the cutest business card you’d ever want to see:

And then . . . the bracelets! Two delightful charmers in all their vintagy- understated goodness:

I saw these and immediately thought of my precious Grandmother. Words like . . . quiet . . . elegant . . . and beautiful came to mind.

And if those weren’t special enough, Tanisha had included a bit of lagniappe:

A third bracelet!

I must say that I was very pleased with my purchase. The bracelets are made of high-quality materials and are a joy to wear. Elegant, chic and affordable for Fashionistas on a budget. I certainly plan to place more orders.

Tanisha assured me that her new fall collection is going to blow me away. If these bracelets are any indication, you’re looking at one happy ~~addict~~ customer.

Me – plotting my next jewelry purchase.

After all – what are bracelets without the matching earrings and necklace???

I’m just saying.

Join in the Fray: What’s your addiction?

I received no compensation or free jewelry for this post. I’m just a happy and satisfied customer!

Tanisha Shulamit is a blogger, jewelry designer, make up artist and stylist extraordinaire. Check out her blog at Lattes and Lipstick, and her posts on Beyond Black & White.

Why You Should Stay Tuned . . . .

August 30, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 12 Comments

You should stay tuned because these two posts are coming next week:

#1 – “This Is My Confession: I’m Addicted”

and . . .

#2 – “I Have An Announcement To Make!”

Keep Calm And Stay Tuned, People!

You don’t want to miss it!

Join in the Fray: Don’t you just hate it when people say they have something to tell you – and then don’t tell you?

Tell Me Something Sweet . . . .

July 30, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 2 Comments

Gah! Today was National Cheesecake Day.

Did anybody miss the memo besides me?

Join in the Fray: Did you get some cheesecake today???

I’m blogging every day in the month of July in Blogher’s NaBloPoMo Challenge. Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!

Something That Keeps Me Going . . . .

July 18, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 1 Comment

. . . . is knowing that people like this are in the world.

With the horrors of imprisonment that he survived – and thrived in spite of it all:

What could possibly be my excuse?

Or yours?

Happy 95th Birthday, Nelson Mandela!

Join in the Fray: What’s something that keeps YOU going?

I’m blogging every day in the month of July in Blogher’s NaBloPoMo Challenge. Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!

Welcome To “Da Berry!”

July 9, 2013 By Michelle Matthews-Calloway 12 Comments

New Iberia, that is.

I’ve been chuckling at the number of emails I’ve received in the past few days asking me “Where are you moving to?”

I get it; enquiring minds want to know.

Whelp, After an intense search through 5 -6 cities I decided to move to New Iberia, Louisiana, a.k.a. “Da Berry” and “Queen City of the Bayou Teche.”

(Talk about having to kiss a lot of “frogs” before finding my “Prince” – more on the selection process [and frogs!] in another post).

New Iberia is a quaint, beautiful city full of diversity and culture. Several major festivals are held here, including the Sugar Cane Festival, Laotian New Year Celebration (New Iberia boasts a large population of Laotians) and the World Championship Gumbo Cookoff.

(Next to ice cream and popcorn, gumbo is my favorite food in the whole wide world. Just so you know, all the vegan/vegetarian bets are off when these events roll around!)

I’m in easy driving distance of Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport and Houston, and Dallas is pretty much the same 5 1/2 to 6 hours away.

Any who, I’m one day closer to my countdown of moving in to my new place.

Shucks, I’m even thinking about moving the date up. Why wait?

Join in the Fray: What is your favorite cultural highlight in your city?

I’m blogging every day in the month of July in Blogher’s NaBloPoMo Challenge. Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Learn The Secrets Of Australian Men

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Almost There!

Like this:

An Awww! Moment

Like this:

I’m Ph.inisheD! (Among Other Things)

Like this:

I Have A Confession To Make . . .

Like this:

Why You Should Stay Tuned . . . .

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Tell Me Something Sweet . . . .

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Something That Keeps Me Going . . . .

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Welcome To “Da Berry!”

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Thank you!