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| Thank you Terrence Adderley for our fall photos!
October 1 marked 10 years of our family starting in Harlem.
Ten. Years.
Now more than ever I continue to see how this online space translates into incredible offline opportunities.
Speaking: From returning to my alma mater Wellesley to interview fellow alum Dr. Fleming author of How to Be Less Stupid About Race, speaking twice at Boston University, a new opportunity at Simmons' inaugural All Together Now Conference, and coming up next week at The Wing, this is one area that's continued to grow for me - especially getting PAID to speak. The audiences I've been asked to speak to are so varied, and I appreciate not being pigeon holed as I've found that exposure to new-to-me communities continues to open doors. Thank you to everyone who has kept me top of mind!
Modeling: Remember the NEXT on Scene fashion show I participated in earlier this year? It was so much fun, so when I was contacted to do a campaign with Dough, a female founded company that champions female owned businesses I didn't hesitate to participate!
Activism: Showing up for Moms Demand Action as Boston's Local Community Outreach lead has continued to be important to me. From tabling at events to participating in last month's Advocacy Day as well supporting other local organizations such as Mothers for Justice and Equality's annual conference - the first anti-gun violence event I first attended in 2017 which started me off on my current path.
Last month's local TV interview regarding active shooter drills at school.
Thank you Nikki Innocent for including me on your Checkbox Other podcast! Listen here.
And of course...
Family Life: Substitute "parenthood" for adulthood and this basically sums it up:
Nia recently remarked that she likes interacting with Grayson lately cause he has more words "like a real kid." That really cracked me up, but I totally get what she's saying. They relate to each other a lot better now, and I especially love how they entertain each other! Being their parent is a (mostly!) hilarious adventure, and I absolutely live for their frequent dance breaks.
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| Their recent winning Instagram contest submission - they won a $150 gift card! |
We are also in the throes of extra-curricular activities: Nia is simultaneously rehearsing for 2 musicals (Shrek and Frozen) while also starting her first season on our community's travel basketball team. I keep checking in to see if she's overwhelmed, but so far she's handling her commitments well.
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| Tall like daddy. |
I'm also excited as we're gearing up for our first family trip to Europe. Not sharing too many details here on the blog just yet, but I've had a few snippets over on Instagram and have a cool brand partnership post coming up that relates to it. Stay tuned...
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| We've spent a few weekends on the Cape this season... |
As I scanned pictures and my calendar for this post, I realized this is but the tip of the iceberg. I've been showing up so much in my community to champion the opening of small businesses, public hearings on development (a major issue here in Boston), helping at my kids' school as well as taking care of some personal health challenges.
It's a lot and through it all I am immensely grateful to have my best friend with me. While Uka and I celebrated 10 years of marriage earlier this year in June, September marked 20 years since we met and I also turned 39 in September.
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| Rocking Rent the Runway for my birthday (round-up of my faves here!) |
It's been quite the ride, and I find it's so important not to get caught up in the "I'm so busy" mindset and continue to extend grace and empathy to other cause so many of us are in the same boat. It makes me also realize how grateful I am for therapy - thank you Therapy for Black Girls!
Thank you for supporting Harlem Lovebirds for a whole decade!
