Interracial Family Organization

Maybe We Need a Secret Signal

// January 24th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Love and Happiness

In the past few months I have learned that You Tube is a hot bed for conversations, I mean rants, about people’s opinions about Interracial Relationships and biracial children. Who knew? I don’t think I realized how many people wanted to get their views out there or were even thinking about it. You Tube gives people the opportunity to put it out there, but not have a real conversation about what they are saying. It feels weird to know so many people sit around and talk about the differnt shades of color my family members are and how my family is either going to save the human race from ourselves, or tear down our society. It really hasn’t been THAT deep for us, and we are who they are talking about.

I find myself getting hammered in online conversations about what I don’t know about raising my children or about my relationships. Someone is always trying to school me. I don’t know and cannot teach my children anything about racism. They explain how I have created humans that will be confused about their identity forever. They explain to me that my husband has turned his back on his race, is a “Sell out”. And then the constant stereotypes of- He must beat and/or cheat on me. I hate my own race. I cannot attract a white man, so I date black. Our families disowned us. He is either is a ‘wanna be white’, or I am a ‘wanna be black’. We live in the inner city “ghetto”. Our relationship is dysfunctional. We are poor. We are uneducated.

That is funny. These people who know so much and feel it is there job to school me do not have as much experience in this as i do. I have been dating outside my race for over 25 years, since I was 15 years old. (Oh, lawd, that makes me sound old) I have 7 biracial children and have lived in the deep south so several years. I know a lot about being in an interracial relationship, I know a lot about raising biracial children, I know a lot of other IR couples and children. I will not learn something new from you. But, if you listen, you may learn something from me.

On to the hand signal part…

For the last 25 years I have belonged to a secret club that is for interracial couples, especially black men/white women. When ever I am out in public with my husband or family, and we see another couple or family that looks like us, there is an immediate acknowledgement that we see each other. A nod, a smile, a wave. When I found out a co-worker had a biracial child or was in an IR marriage, we instantly bonded. I have made friends with complete strangers walking past them on the street. I have made wonderful friendship online. My husband and I often comment, after going somewhere, how many other IR couples were there.

We want to see families that look like ours. We want to talk with people that share our experiences. Personally, all the negative stares and ugly comments are cancelled out by the community we have joined and the friends we have made.

I live in a large city that does have diversity. I understand many people do not. But, the Internet is now the new place to meet and talk to people you may not be able to find in your neighborhood. This is the reason behind the Interracial Family Organization. We do not always need to talk about race relations, but we have an opportunity to talk and listen to people that mirror our lives. People who do not buy into the stereotypes or judge people by what they see.

When we see another IR couple, maybe we should have a secret handshake or hand signal. Maybe we should stop and let them know how beautiful their family is. Maybe they do not feel they have a community of their own. Send a nice message on their Facebook/MySpace/You Tube/blog page, and let them know they belong to the club. Invite them here to the IFO website.

This club really has millions of members. There are no dues. But, we should have the rule that we each have a responsibility to reach out to others and share the love.

Beautiful Interracial Couples {a slideshow}

// November 16th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Blended Living, Love and Happiness

Love is Beautiful!

// November 9th, 2009 // No Comments » // Love and Happiness

Seal and Heidi Klum’s newest addition to the family turns one month old today… Seal released a statement the day after the couple’s fourth child was born last month, saying:

“It’s difficult to imagine loving another child as much as you love your existing children. Anyone who has a family will tell you this. Where will one find that extra love? If you love your existing children with all your heart, how can one possibly find more heart with which to love another?

On Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, at 7:46 p.m., the answer to this question came in the form of our fourth child and second daughter. Lou Sulola Samuel was born. From the moment she looked into both of our eyes, it was endless love at first sight. She is beautiful beyond words and we are happy that she chose us to watch her grow over the coming years.”

Their baby girl, Lou Samuel, was born on October 9 and is the younger sister of her beautiful siblings Johan, 2, Henry, 4, and Leni, 5.

Congratulations to Seal, Heidi, Johan, Henry, and Leni…
and HAPPY {one month} BIRTHDAY to baby Lou!

Unfortunately, no baby pictures just yet, but here’s some photos of the beautiful family:

The Morris Family

// November 3rd, 2009 // 5 Comments » // Love and Happiness

JENNIFER is a co-founder for Interracial Family Organization and blogs at LivinWPurpose.

The Love Story

When I met Antonio, I was the single mother of two small children; I think I had given up on love. My first real relationship was with my children’s father, a refugee from South Sudan who was emotionally and physically abusive. Though my dad is a wonderful man, somehow I thought they just don’t make men like that anymore. Inside I felt like men don’t have emotions that they really don’t care as much as women do. I was very sexist, very feminist and though I wanted a good relationship I didn’t truly believe I would ever find anyone that I would truly be happy with. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to trust anyone again.

I moved to Florida from Maine in 2005. I started working at Dell Financial services, which was directly behind Virgin mobile. I would get tired of sitting at my desk and stand up at my cubicle and notice this guy always dancing around his desk and having fun. He had the cutest freckles and the hugest smile. I was so shy I didn’t even dare to talk to him so I messaged him on the pc and told him that I worked with him and was too shy to introduce myself, we started hanging out shortly after.

Antonio wasn’t looking for love, he had been hurt by his first love that cheated more than once, and he wasn’t willing to risk his heart being broken again. I had been so hurt by my children’s father I felt the same way but we decided we would be friends. Antonio loves his family and talked so much about them, he showed me pictures and movies and introduced me to his loved ones. He is into art and poetry, loves babies, loves family and though I intended to just be friends I was falling for him! He showed me that men are just as sensitive as women and care just as deeply. I trusted him with my heart and, trusted him with my children.

Antonio treated me like a Queen, in the period of 2 years we went from being friends, to a couple, to being husband and wife. I was so happy on my wedding day I could barely speak the words through my tears. A fairy tale ending was something I had never had before, and as cliché as it sounds, I found my prince charming!! More importantly my children found a father figure who is a man of integrity, a caring man who would do anything for them! They finally found a man worthy of being called “Dad.”

We have been through so much loss in our first years of marriage, the death of his little brother, my pulmonary embolism, and unemployment. Who new through sickness and health, richer poorer, good times and bad would come so quickly? Together we’ve made it through! All the difficulties and trials have brought us closer together, strengthened our love and our faith in God.

On Being An Interracial Family:

I am very passionate about supporting interracial families and, promoting racial equality. It’s funny that I often talk about race on my blog, and other social networking websites but I get tired of people always wanting to discuss race with me offline. Like say, at the grocery store or social events and parties.

I’m not super polite when it comes to ignorance. Some people just always have the “right” answer and know how to say it in the gentlest possible way. That’s not always me. I get tired of being stared at, I get tired of stupid questions, get tired of being asked if they are my children and at times I come back with some pretty sarcastic answers. If you’re racist and you’re going to come at me with racism, I’m likely to come back at you with anger and passion because racism is something I don’t accept, don’t understand and will spend my life fighting against. If you’re looking for the nice girl with all the answers concerning race, that isn’t me. Yes I consider myself a pretty nice person but I have no room in my life for hatred.

Since my children were born I have tried to fill my home with positive black and biracial media. I bought books, posters, pictures, knick-knacks, dolls and toys all black or biracial. I figure when my children are out in the world they are faced with all these images of white people but in my home I would teach them to be proud biracial people. When my daughter first started pre-school in Maine I was dismayed to find all the dolls and books were white. She and I went on a shopping trip and bought multi-racial baby dolls, Barbie dolls and books. It’s unfair that the toys in schools, daycares, doctor’s offices quite often only represent one race! That’s why at home my children always have positive black and biracial role models to look at!

Though black and biracial resources and toys were more difficult to find in Maine, the atmosphere was definitely more accepting. I never faced any blatant racism. North Florida has been a very different story. I remember racist jokes at work, which caused an uncomfortable work environment, especially when I refused to remain quiet and pointed out the woman’s racist comments. On one occasion my children and I were at Wal-Mart, my husband was at work and an older white man stopped me and said, “Your mother must be so proud of you with those little half breeds.” I laughed at first, because I have never been faced with such ludicrously in my life! I informed him that my mother was very proud of me and my children and walked towards my car. When I looked down and noticed my son crying I really became angry, I turned back to give this ignorant man a piece of my mind but I couldn’t find him.

We live in a primarily black community and here we have had no problems racially. My kids fit in fine in the neighborhood and no one point them out as different. People really don’t stare like they do when we are out of our neighborhood. We go to a mostly black church and feel at home there. Sadly to say the only place we really have any struggles is when we are in a predominately white neighborhood in the south. I can understand why white people think that reverse racism exists but it’s not so much reverse racism as a reaction to a perceived threat. Just because you are white doesn’t mean that you’re going to be prejudiced against my family but it does increase the odds. We are more guarded around a group of white people because we have faced many racist incidents and want to protect our children for exposure to more.

Whatever we face, or what people perceive that we face, I wouldn’t change my life for anything. My family is beautiful. Biracial families are beautiful. My husband is light skinned with adorable freckles. My daughter has sun-kissed skin and when she smiles her dimples make me laugh. My son has these long black eyelashes and beautiful eyes. They are beautiful. They are my blessings. They are my Heart! I thank God for my family everyday!

The Stillmans

// October 30th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Love and Happiness

LAURA is a co-founder for Interracial Family Organization and blogs at I Am the Glue.

I remember him showing up to the Spring Dance when I was 15 and he was 16. We had been flirting and I gladly walked out to the parking lot with him, where we kissed for the first time.
I remember riding on the city bus, going to go see the movie “Breakin’” at the theater. He used to show off all his ‘fly’ poppin’ and lockin’ skills to me. I was impressed.

I remember slow dancing, while on our knees, at my sister’s house, right after my first son was born. I was trying to prove that “I Need Love” by LL Cool J was a good song to slow dance to. We had been just sitting around on the floor listening to music.

I remember getting completely trashed on Mad Dog 20/20 and trying to teach his no rhythm girlfriend how to dance in the living room of the apartment that we all shared.

I remember when he and his next girlfriend, who was pregnant, and their 1 year old daughter, came to a dinner party my husband and I were having. My boys were 4 years and 4 months old. We played a mean game of Pictionary-men against women. The men cheated.

I remember 8 years of a few letters and phone calls to keep in touch while I lived many, many states away with my family.

I remember that when I came back home for a family reunion, I looked up the bestest friend I had ever had. He was a single dad and I was a single mom. We reminisced and I invited him to my reunion in the mountains so we could visit some more.

My aunt and my sisters said, “You are going to marry him.” … “You all are insane.” I told them… “He has been my best friend for years.”

I remember that a few months after I moved back, he and I had started going out to dinner and dancing and sending emails and I started to get butterflies when I drove to his house to see him.

“What is that?” I wondered. Can you really fall in love with someone who has been such a close friend for so long?

22 years exactly from the date of our first kiss, he asked me to marry him, on one knee, in a courtyard at the high school where we met each other.

June 30, 2007, he and I stood in front of our children, our families, and our friends, in a park across the street from that high school. I knew, the only person I could EVER grow old with is him.

Who knew Prince Charming had been standing right next to me all those years? When I finally opened my eyes to that possibility, there was this amazing, intelligent, talented, sexy, honorable, hard working, romantic, hilarious man/father/lover/friend. Who is now my husband.

We have 7 of the most unique, interesting, and beautiful (inside and out) children. We are witnessing them, one right after another, transitioning into young adults. It is exciting and scary. We have been able to give them stability, protection, our love, and the perfect example of what we want for them.

We want each of them to find a best friend to spend the rest of their lives with.

The Robertsons

// October 28th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Love and Happiness

KATHLEEN is a co-founder for Interracial Family Organization and blogs at For the Love of Chaos.

My husband and I have had quite the life together… I mean that in every sense of the phrase – every good sense, and every bad one. It’s extremely frustrating to have people just not ‘get it’ … to have them tell you that dating a black man means that your life is going to be full of illegitimate children for whom you will be pulling drive-bys just to try to get some child support out of him, and if you are lucky enough for him to stick around then he’s going to cheat on you, beat on you, and never hold down a job. {Wow.} People can be pretty ridiculous and they have these overly imaginative views of ‘the black man’ without realizing how many white men fit the same categories. It’s silly. ANY man can be any combination of those things. My mother was abused by a white man. Oddly enough, despite alllll the stereotypes, I’ve never been abused by my husband. And, yes, he has pulled an income the entire time we’ve been together. Even when he was unemployed, he sold his DREAM truck that he bought when he was in the NFL and used the money to start buying and selling cars to turn a profit until he found a job. My man is good like that. Family first. Frills later.

I think the one thing that intrigues people about us is that neither of us got ‘lost’ in our relationship. One of the stereotypes I’ve heard about black/white interracial couples is that the white person tends to act “ghetto” or “black” (the “black” really gets to me…. how can you consider someone to be “acting” black unless you generalize the entire black population to fit one specific type? RACISM… check.) or the black person tends to act “proper” or “white” (again, the “white” thing really gets to me too, much for the same reason). I don’t like stereotypes. At.all. Yes, there are types of people, and there is no denying that. But to view a person a certain way simply because of how they look is absurd. If you get to know a person or are around them for any length of time, I can understand acknowledging that they act like a certain “type” of person, but not that they act “white” or “black” – that’s just stupid.

Anyway, one of the negative associations that have become connected to interracial couples where the woman is white and the man is black seems to always be one of two things: either she is a freak (promiscuous, easy, down-for-whatever) so she is considered trashy or he is an Uncle Tom (the whole ‘tries to act white’ thing again) which basically means that he makes very focused attempts at conforming to mainstream ‘white’ society and thus abandoning and/or ignoring his roots and his black heritage. While YES I will admit I’ve seen BOTH of those “types” of people, that is by NO means an honest representation of the interracial culture. Just because we’ve joined our lives does not mean that we’ve blended into one another. Can’t we swirl? Keep our own culture while adopting the other? Oh, yeah… we can swirl – and we do it beautifully.

My husband and I have had a ROCKY 12 years, no doubt about that. We started dating in high school and had our first child barely 2 years later when I was 17 and he was 18. We got married directly out of high school. I was 18 and he was 19. We had no idea what we were doing. We had no help; we had no examples. We just had each other and one mutual idea: we would do this, and we would do it together. No matter what we went through, we stayed true to that. Three months later, we had our second child. Three months after that, he started college. 8 months after that, I started college. 5 months later, we had our third child. 2 weeks later, I was starting my second semester. We didn’t have time to slow down. We didn’t have time to breathe. We still didn’t know what we were doing. By this time, I was 19 and he was 20. We were broke, we were in college, and we had three kids. But, we still had each other and no matter how badly we wanted to claw one another’s eyes out at any given time… no matter how much we resented the way life was going or how hard things had become… no matter how much we wanted to give up on it all and just accept our losses, somehow we stayed loyal to that pact: we were determined to do this thing called life… and we were determined to do it together.

Fast forward, here we are nearly 12 years in the future… college grads, 5 children, and things have started to slow down a bit. We’ve settled into our own. No marriage is ever perfect… especially one that the whole world seems to be against. But the fact that we jumped every hurdle and overcame every obstacle stacked against us attests for one thing: we’re in this; and we’re in it together. There is no giving up; there is no counting losses. There is accepting the bad with the good, nursing the sickness and appreciating the health, waiting out the lack in preparation for abundance, and through whatever circumstances we face, always knowing that our love can conquer anything – because it already has. I cherish this man because he was made for me. We’re complete opposites. He’s rap. I’m Gospel… R&B… Alternative… Rock… Country… He’s a smoker. I’m not. He’s TV. I’m computer. He’s old school cars. I’m mommy vans. He’s Ebonics. I’m proper English. He’s sexy. I’m sexy. Ok, so we have that. But the point is, he doesn’t have to be like me for me to accept him… and I don’t have to act like someone I’m not to impress him.

That’s what it’s all about. Being you. And being loved for it.

The Sparrows

// October 27th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // Love and Happiness

My name is Donna K. Sparrow, formerly Miner. So I wasn’t born a Sparrow, I have certainly earned the honor. My husband, Antonio, and I met in 1992 at Northwest Missouri State University, way up in little Maryville, MO. Although neither of us were from that area, our paths were meant to cross at that time, in that place. He was (and still remains) the sexiest man I had ever laid my big blues upon. He was there on a full ride football scholarship, far from the mean streets of Los Angeles that had shaped a big part of who he was. His mother, or rather her addictions and their inevitable consequences, and his father, or rather his absence, had also taken their tolls on this man but God must have been keeping an eye out for him because there he was, with all of his strength and determination, actually interested in what made me who I was. Although the truth is that much of who I would become would be because of this man and the journey we would soon begin together, I feel that most of my upbringing to that point was God’s way of preparing me to partner Antonio down this long and interesting road we would soon be on.

I am the oldest of six daughters, and I have one brother. My parents worked tirelessly in an attempt to provide for such a large family and with that came a lot of work for the oldest of their six daughters. I feel that my beautiful mother did right by me and as a result, and from a very young age, I could complete most tasks that even many young mothers weren’t equipped to deal with. These are the lessons that would become so critical upon meeting Antonio, and learning of what our potential future together would look like.

I knew he was a “package deal” from the get go. He was the oldest of nine kids and had been an only child for the first nine years of his life. With the worsening of his mother’s addictions and the continuing absence of all the so called fathers of the kids, he knew the responsibility would eventually fall to him. The fruition of his true childhood dream, to someday play in the NFL, was surely his ticket to something better, not just for him but also for his siblings. This, however, would not come to pass. As things began worsening in the lives of the other kids, we abandoned our educations in order to make good on the promises of salvation he had previously offered the first two of his younger brothers. We moved out to Washington state, got jobs and began the preparation.

In 1994, we two became four as we welcomed Rex and Daniel. We four became five in ‘95 as we welcomed our son, Antonio. In ‘96 we five became nine as we also took in Dashawn, Antone, Fayzonn, and Star. Those four would end up back in Mississippi with their mother, only to return to us a few years later along with their sister, Shade (shaw-day). In addition to the welcoming of our daughters, Devaney and Destiny in ‘97 and ‘99, we would be twelve strong by the year 2000. Yes, at the age of twenty-eight, we were the parents of ten children. Seven of whom were suffering with the varying effects of the choices their mother made while she was pregnant with each, as well as the ramifications of the decisions that were made afterward. Although we didn’t know very much about developmental delays, mental retardation, depression, ADHD, Fetal Alcohol Effects, and Schizophrenia, we would certainly get a crash course in the years to come.

Oh, if I didn’t know what sacrifice was before, I certainly know its meaning now. I’ m not speaking of sacrifice from our perspective either. We have witnessed a lifetime of children not having what it was they truly needed, their own mother and father. We tried to be that for them, but they could look at us with our own and were wise enough to know the difference. And what about our own? They also gave up more than we realized they would have to. Families with this many children, they don’t go on vacations, or wear Nikes, or eat at restaurants fancier than McDonalds. The sharing for them involved far more than a house, a room, a bathroom, toys, or a meal.

That leaves us here, now, starting our lives over again as the last of the siblings returned to Missisippi just a few months ago. Some left earlier than others, some graduated, others didn’t, some made right choices, one sits in a prison cell in Georgia, one will require my care for the rest of his life as Schizophrenia devastates the future we thought he would have, one is now a married woman and is quickly becoming one of those “true friends” and, ultimately, a few just had to be with their mother, regardless of the quality of care she provides, simply because she is their mother.

We have laughed hysterically, cried endlessly, loved amazingly, and worked on faith alone. Now, for the first time, we gear up for a whole new life, with just the children we brought into this world…anxious, nervous, excited, happy… ready. With the births of our fourth and fifth children, D’Angelo in ‘07 and A’Darius in ‘09, we are now complete. Our nest seems a little empty, but in the best way possible and we can’t wait…

The Hintons

// October 27th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Love and Happiness

Hi my name is Lorrie. I am 44 yrs old and live in northern California with my wonderful husband Chris and my 17 year old son, Brian. I also have a daughter who is 20, attends college and lives away from home. What an accomplishment THAT has been!…for both she and I! Both of my children are Filipino and white. I was married to their father, who is Filipino, for 16 years. The kids are more culturally white American, as their father was born in this country and never made much of a priority to embrace his parent’s culture. Other than food, not much has been passed down to them regarding their Filipino heritage. However, I can’t deny….they don’t look like their mama much. I remember once when my daughter was a baby, being asked by the receptionist at the dentist’s office if she was adopted. When I told her no (and probably acted a little shocked) she told me she thought maybe my daughter was adopted “because people like to adopt those Korean babies.”

I often was asked about my children…..”what are they?” The kids tell me now that they are older, people often mistake them for being Hispanic. Anyway, they are great kids. My daughter is studying communications and marketing in college and is growing into such a fine woman. I am so proud of her. Whoooo….it was hit or miss whether either of us was gonna make it through her senior year without killing the other, but we made it! My son is taking it easy on me this year as a senior (knock on wood!). He is going to be joining the Air Force when he graduates. Even though it makes me extremely worried, it’s something he’s been talking about wanting to do for years. Whatever he chooses, I know I will be very proud of him. He has a heart and integrity that makes my soul smile.

My husband, Chris, and I have been married a short 2 1/2 years. He is my soul mate, as cliche as it sounds. To me, it was a miracle to find this kind of love at this time in my life. Chris is black. I have a very multicultural family, so my family is very accepting of our relationship, as is his. Chris is the best step-dad to my kids and they love him. We have no issues with race within the sanctuary of our home. Of course, it’s not always like that outside in the world. For the most part, we have little problems where we live, near San Francisco. However, we have traveled a few times to see family in small town mid-west and the south and I have been disturbed by our treatment there. Racism has done so much harm to our country and it continues, maybe not as blatant, but it’s still there, much to the disbelief of those who think we now live in a post-racial America.

I am so happy to meet others with interracial marriages/families. I look forward to making some good friends!

The Johnsons

// October 27th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Love and Happiness

Hi! I am Rebekah (Becky) Johnson and I am a 31 year old wife, mother, homeschooler, and college student. I am married to the fabulous Lonnie Johnson, 34, audio engineer extrordinaire. We currently reside in the very diverse Washington D.C., but are about to relocate to the predominantly white Las Vegas. OH BOY!

How I started this journey: Since I was old enough to date, I have considered myself to be an “equal opportunity” dater. I like MEN, and it never mattered to me if they were black, white, Asian, Latino, or anything and everything in between. ;D

I joined the Army right out of high school, and let me tell you, men in uniform are fine! When I arrived at my first duty station (Camp Humphreys, South Korea), one man in particular happened to win my heart from the very first day. He also happens to be a black man. While we were dating and newly married, we lived in what I call the “military interracial bubble.” Life in a military base is very different from life in the real world, and acceptance of interracial couplings is common. However, shortly after marrying my own soldier, we found ourselves in North Carolina and I got my first real glimpse of racial tension and hatred. Apparently I had been living a sheltered life.

It has taken me a lot of years to open my eyes to what life is like for my African American husband. We have been together nearly 12 years now, and will be married for 11 years in February (2010). We have three beautiful biracial children who are ages 9, 6 and 5; a charming little man, and two precious little girls. Being the mother of non-white children dramatically changed my life. Because of them – and my fierce love for them and my desire to make the world better FOR them – I have had to shake myself out of apathy.

I have become an advocate for my own multiracial family and for raising awareness about the racial issues that still plague America.

I have a long way to go.

The Stansberrys

// October 25th, 2009 // No Comments » // Love and Happiness

It’s me!!! Julie.. This is my beautiful interracial family. I am so proud to introduce them to you.

My name is Julie and I am a 52 (yikes!! am i really 52??..LOL). I have 5 children. 4 biological and 1 adopted. My oldest daughter is Nicole (29), Amber (28), Brittney (27) and my son Andre (24). My 8yr old daughter is Kashe and she is adopted. It’s crazy because all my bio children are bi-racial (black/white) and how ironic that my youngest (adopted) daughter is bi-racial (black/white) except her bio mom was black and her bio dad white. She fits into our family perfectly. She even looks like my daughters when they were her age. She is/was truly a gift from GOD as are/were all my children.

My children were actually born/raised in a very affluent part of Washington, Bellevue. It was 1981 when my family moved to Bellevue, WA and we were actually one of the first black families in our neighborhood. My husband/childrens’ father is black and I remember vividly as if it were yesterday when he would walk down the street in the wee hours of the morning several blocks to catch the Metro bus to work at Boeing. He was literally stopped numerous times by the Bellevue Police and was questioned as to what he was doing in Bellevue and where was he going??! (WTH???!)

My children actually never actually suffered due to doing being bi-racial in Bellevue. In fact, quite the contrary. It’s funny because we could not and did not go anywhere w/o being stopped by people asking us questions about our children. People were always saying how beautiful they were. We even had people ask us if we “permed” their hair as it was so long, beautiful and curly. LOL.. I remember when my oldest daughter was 3 yrs old a neighbor asked her if she was black or white. She looked so puzzled and simply said, “I’m not black, I’m not white, I am Nicole Michelle Stansberry.” LOL I guess she told them.

Well ladies another big thanks for always putting in so much time/effort into your blogs and web pages. They inspire me so!!

Take care,
Julie