Love and Marriage..... Volume 1

I decided that I wanted to do something slightly different for today's blog. I met my mate when I was 14 years old. We started dating when I was 17. We got married when I was a week away from 22.... I was young and thought I knew everything and was seriously ill-prepared to be somebody's wife AND to be 500 miles away from everything and everyone I've ever known and loved. So, almost 19 years later, people are constantly shocked when I say I've been married to the same man all these years. The 1st thing I want to say is ANYBODY that you think has a perfect marriage, please know it ain't true! I love my husband beyond measure. We have an amazing relationship. Amazing doesn't equal perfect or good all the time. We fuss. We disagree. We get in our feelings. He gets on my last nerve sometimes. I'm sure I sometimes get on his (probably not that much though...LOLOL). I could write a book on our experiences, but I thought it would be nice to get marriage talk from the male perspective. So I asked my honey to jot down some thoughts on love and marriage. Short and concise is what he gave me, however I can honestly say these words and actions are what brought us through.....

     "Marriage is about making it work with what you have and who you are.  What works for one couple may not work for another.  But if I had to pick one thing I would say in marriage,  each person has to be determined.  Determine to carry the weigh when your spouse cannot or will not. Be determined to do better when you are the weak link.  Determined to make it work when you  realize that your spouse will not change who they are.  This does not include physical abuse,  infidelity or the like.  When you say I do, mean it and keep in mind ‘for better or for worse’ comes in many ways and different than what we usually consider.    "

Tyrone J. Chase, Jr.

Well, TrelleBlazers, that's it for today. Until next time, be good to yourselves (and to those you love and are in love with!)

Muah and much Love,

Mrs. TrelleBlazer

Completely Vulnerable...And I LOVE it! (well I'm learning to love it LOL)

I'm betwixt and between in EVERYTHING in my life right now. I find myself at a crossroads. I've come way to far to turn around, yet I find myself just idling and not really moving forward. It's often difficult to put what I want to do into words to explain to someone else, but I see it, I dream it, I BREATHE it.....Anyhoo, knowing what I'm seeing in my mind, I decided it was time to do a new photoshoot. Initially, it was for some of my upcoming projects, but then I realized, I NEEDED this because I need to MOVE forward. I recently preached a sermon entitled, "Live, Move, BE"...It impacted me in such a profound way. Anyhoo, I arranged a shoot with a photographer that I've been admiring for a while. We communicated a few times via email about my vision for the shoot. I was really looking for something that wasn't typically sweet, but was sultry (yet tasteful). I wanted some next levelness LOL. I didn't really think through exactly what that would entail...Fast forward to the day of the shoot.

Everything was going great until he pulled out a chair and asked me to sit. I do NOT sit down in pictures. Although I've lost a 'few' lbs, I'm still a big girl. I struggle with body issues and am very conscious of my stomach while shooting. I was SO uncomfortable. I wanted to ask him to stop. But then, something happened. I'm sitting there and I'm thinking, "LaTrelle, you're paying for this, so you just better go with it". And then I did. Although I was still not 100% comfortable, I decided to just suck it up (literally, cause I was holding my stomach in for dear life). What happened over the next 45 minutes was truly magical. Because he challenged me to do something I don't normally do, next level was exactly how the photos turned out. I felt confident. I felt in control. I felt powerful. I felt sexy. Now don't get me wrong, this wasn't the first time I've felt that way. Absolutely not. However, usually I do not relinquish control to another person about my images and how I'm photographed. 

So, I challenge each of you, as you're looking to move to next level, you're probably gonna have to relinquish some control. It's scary. It's a vulnerable place to be in. But, literally the week after the photos were taken, I was featured on a plus size website as their last fierce photo of the week. ...... 

This is the beginning of the newness of my journey...to live, to MOVE, to be! If I can face a fear and conquer it, I know you can do it too....

Until next time TrelleBlazers, be good to yourself...and you know what else? Make sure you're FIERCE while you're doing it!

Smooches,

Ms. TrelleBlazer