The Swirl World

Celebrating and Elevating Black Women - mind, body, soul and spirit!


Love & Swirling, Long Distance Style

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Long Distance Swirl

Long distance relationships.

Many of us groan at the thought of dating someone who lives in another city, much less another state.

Some people refuse to date long distance – they give an emphatic “No!” and two thumbs down to the notion of even engaging with someone who lives more than a certain number of miles away.

(Nixing LDR’s is also the reason why some people won’t attempt online dating – but that’s a post for another day).

Long Distance Relationships – A Yay Or A Nay?

What about dating someone who lives in another country??

Well, Shelly Palmer and Carl King are the poster kids for how to master love and swirling, long distance style.

We’ve featured them on the blog in this post and today, we’re happy to share their story.

Enjoy!

Long Distance SwirlShelly And Carl’s Story

“My name is Shelly Palmer and I live in Jamaica. My better half, Carl King lives in the Baltimore, MD area.

We met in September of 2012 on the dating site Ok Cupid. I initiated the conversation because when I read his profile I thought he had a great sense of humor.

To my surprise he responded and we started dropping each other messages every day. I actually never expected the kind of attention he started giving because his profile stated he was not interested in a long distance relationship.

One message became numerous messages per day, until we moved over to Skyping every day. Finally, we met in December of the same year when he came to visit me in Jamaica.

From then on we have been inseparable.

Having a long distance relationship is extremely difficult. It takes a lot of time, patience, a lot of communication and most importantly, trust.

We have however, managed to combine our differences, such as culture and personality into something extremely beautiful.

Carl proposed to me in March of this year. We will be married in November of this year with both of our families and friends in Jamaica in attendance.”

Congrats to Carl and Shelly. Come November, we’ll have exclusive wedding photos!

 Join in the Fray: Long Distance Relationships: A Yay or a Nay?

Today’s featured couple is Carl King and his fiancé Shelly Palmer.

We love to feature couples (and singles!) in our posts. If you’d like to be featured, please email a nice, high-resolution photo to InspirationDaily@TheSwirlWorld.com. Selfies are ok – just make sure they’re not blurry!

Copyright ©2016 Michelle Matthews Calloway, The Swirl World™ LLC, ASwirlGirl™, The Swirl World™, The Swirl World Podcast™, The Swirl World Inspiration Daily™, Swirl Nation™, All rights reserved. Photo used with permission.

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Wedding Bells Are Ringing!

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I have occasion to drive by St. Genevieve’s Catholic Church in Lafayette, LA on a regular basis. On most days, nothing special is going on. Today was different.

As me and the other 1.5 million poor schmucks  were inching along in 5:00 p.m. traffic, we were treated to the sight of a girl in a gorgeous wedding gown. The sunlight hit the crystals and pearls on her dress just so, and she was a dazzling vision of beauty. 

She was standing on the stoop with a gentleman in a tuxedo who I’m guessing was her Father. St. Genevieve’s doesn’t appear to have a vestibule, because the Bride and her escort were standing outside the huge front door. Everyone else had evidently marched in, and there she was, clutching the man’s hands. In just those brief moments, I could tell that the young woman was giddy with anticipation of her entrance into the church. 

Seeing her immediately brought a smile to my face, and I was smitten with curiosity about the people inside. How many girls were in her wedding party? What colors had she selected? Who was serving as her Maid of Honor – was it her sister, a favorite cousin, or maybe her best friend?  

And, more important, what about the Groom, her soon-to-be husband? Was he short or tall, handsome or average? How long had they dated? Did they share the same ethnicity, or was she swirling? Did the gentleman standing with her, waiting to walk her down the aisle, approve of the man who would be waiting for her at the other end???   

The traffic picked up, and we chugged forward. I didn’t get to see her enter the doors, and I’ll never know what awaited her inside. Wedding bells were ringing for her, and a new chapter in her life was waiting to begin.

How many other people got married today? I wondered. Despite the turmoil that composes our world, life moves on. Steps are taken and decisions made. This Bride got married; somewhere in the world, today marked an engagement, a promise of marriage, for hundreds, maybe even thousands of other couples.

There’s a flip side to that, of course: Somewhere in the world, others decided to end their marriages or relationships and call it quits. Somebody opted to stop trying, or felt it was better to walk away.  Today was a day of supreme joy for some, and a day of bitter, disappointing sadness for others. And yes, life will go on.

I said a prayer for that unknown couple as I traversed down Evangeline Thruway. No one, me least of all, knows what challenges they will face or what heights they will reach. I sincerely wish them well, and hope their wedding bells will ring cheerily for the rest of their lives.

Join in the Fray: What “bells” are ringing for you ?

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

Copyright © 2013 Michelle Matthews Calloway, ASwirlGirl™, The Swirl World™, All rights reserved.

 

 

Another Way to “Put a Ring On It!”

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Regular readers of the blog know how much I LOVE me some jewelry! Just this week I checked out 77diamonds.com and I feel good about introducing them to you. That’s a win-win for a jewelry-aholic like me and should prove win-win for you if you decide to give them a look-see. One of the items I examined and even did some research on was eternity rings. Most married couples consider the engagement ring and wedding band to be the symbols of their marriage, and of the bond between them that hopefully will never end. Even so, the eternity ring is another type of ring that can be just as meaningful and symbolic.

ROSES AND RINGS

I really like the concept of eternity rings, because they’re usually given on a special occasions like an anniversary or other milestone. (I have a tradition of purchasing a nice piece of jewelry to commemorate every special occasion in my life – but that’s another post)!

A Unique Way to Put a Ring on It

Seems that eternity rings are now gaining popularity with both married couples and brides. Research indicates that the ancient Egyptians created eternity rings and gave them to their betrothed as a representation of the endless love between the giver and the receiver. What’s interesting is the fact that today, thousands of years later, these rings still carry the same meaning – but now they’re being used in engagements and as markers of significant milestones in a couple’s relationship.

Similar to engagement rings, eternity rings are available in a variety of designs, cuts, and stones. Modern eternity ring trends incorporate several small diamonds or gemstones like rubies, sapphires, and emeralds mounted on a metal band. Traditional eternity rings bearing a snake swallowing its tail haven’t gone out of style as modern brides are sporting altered versions of this classic design. Because of their distinction and versatility, eternity rings as engagement rings or wedding bands are becoming just as popular as the common wedding ring set, and diamond eternity rings from 77diamonds.com can be the perfect ring used to propose.

Cast the Bland Wedding Band Aside

If you’re a trendsetter and don’t feel the need to “go traditional,” a unique way to display your marital bond is to select an eternity ring instead of a common, plain wedding band. Turns out that this trend is nothing new – Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis all wore eternity rings. Monroe and Hepburn even went so far as to wear their eternity rings instead of the usual engagement ring!

Contemporary eternity rings come in a few different styles, whether it be a half eternity ring or full eternity ring, claw set or channel set. They don’t have to feature diamonds alone; they can incorporate diamonds and/or gemstones. In addition to different styles and cuts, beautiful eternity rings are currently available in many different metals. They can also be worn as a wedding band with an engagement ring or stacked in a set with other eternity rings.

Stand Out From the Crowd

UNIQUE RING

This ring, Ladies and Gentlemen, is what I’m considering for purchase to commemorate the conferring of my Ph.D.! This style of ring also presents another option for trendsetting couples who want to use the traditional serpent eternity ring style to show off their never-ending love and true devotion to each other.

Traditionally, the classic serpent eternity ring was made of a single snake either wrapped around itself or of the serpent swallowing its tail. In addition, gemstones like rubies and emeralds were embedded in the eyes of the snake. This vintage style has been updated to include an array of stones and diamonds intertwined with multiple snakes. New features, such as the use of white gold and platinum (my choice!) in place of the traditional yellow gold, are also a hit with couples who are into the eternity ring trend.

Unlike other types of eternity rings, the serpent eternity ring is more often used to celebrate a notable event like a considerable anniversary or the birth of a child. Many spouses, such as actor Ben Affleck, present their significant others with eternity rings after the births of their children. No matter the occasion or magnitude of the event, eternity rings are a timeless expression of endless love and devotion.

*Featured Post*

Join in the Fray: When it comes to rings, are you a traditionalist – or a trendsetter?

Copyright © 2013 Michelle Matthews Calloway, ASwirlGirl™, The Swirl World™, All rights reserved.