Pink Tulip Club

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This past weekend I attended the grand reopening of Pink Tulip Club in their newly renovated Old Montgomery location. I love boutique shopping.  It’s the perfect place to find items that you can’t find anywhere else and get personalized service. I got just that during my visit. I found this cute off the shoulder ombre maxi dress.  I can totally see this as the perfect piece for spring and summer. I can definitely see myself wearing this dress to an outdoor wedding or out for an al fresco evening cocktail. Continue reading →

Death & A Woman

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Death is imminent and someone could act recklessly in the event they felt death was right around the corner. In the event that I get a heads up of my last day on Earth, I hope I am in close proximity to money and a good looking man. My theories about love and relationships are 75% real life experience and 25% movie quotes. (Don’t judge me. Life imitates art all the time.)

My all time favorite movie is Moonstruck. Cher plays the main character, Loretta Castorini. She is newly engaged to her fiance, Johnny Cammareri,  who enlists her with the task of convincing his estranged brother to attend their wedding that is a month away. Long story short, Johnny leaves for Italy to visit his dying mother, and Loretta falls in love with his brother. My theory today is more about the subplot of Moonstruck which is the condition of Loretta’s parent’s marriage. Loretta lives with her family, and her Mother suspects that her husband is having an affair. When Johnny returns home early from Italy he goes searching for Loretta at her family’s house, and ends up having a conversation with her mom. Mrs. Castorini sits Johnny down and asks a question as if it were investigative research for all women, “Why do men chase women?”. Johnny replies, “When God created woman he took a rib from Adam and maybe men are searching for their missing rib.” Mrs. Castorini is frustrated by his answer, and sternly asks, “Why would a man need more than one woman?” Johnny uncertain if he’s correct says, “Maybe it’s because he fears death.” Mrs. Castorini exclaims, “That’s it!”

I don’t know how long I have linked male infidelity and death together without question like Moonstruck was some university backed case study. I mean, death does make everything more urgent, that whole “like we’ll never see each other again” bit is pretty intense and dramatic. I can see how a girl would want to capture that type of passion for a lifetime. I can also see how a man could perform under this pretense for a short period of time before realizing his death isn’t as close as he thought.

Just a few days ago I spoke with a new friend and he mentioned that he was married and that it was the worst mistake of his life. When I asked him why, he said that he never believed in contractual marriage but when he enlisted in the army he got married because he thought he might die. His reason was solid. Being married would ensure any benefits would go to his family. Still, all I could hear was, “I got married because I thought I would die.”

What’s up with that? Do men really make commitments to women when they fear death is looming near? Is marriage some symbolic death? They say marriage is the death of selfishness. Maybe the reality is that if a man hasn’t felt that intuitive moment where he has decided that he is willing to die for one woman every other comment feels like he’s suffocating.

I was flipping channels about a week ago and Baby Boy was on and I stopped to watch a few minutes. That movie is like a train wreck. I had totally forgotten about the dream sequence in the beginning where Jody sees his own funeral. Jody was totally reckless and unfaithful to Yvette for the majority of the movie and all I could think was, maybe it’s because he fears death.

I don’t know too many people who make sound decisions from a place of fear. I have male friends who have claimed they won’t get married until they’re old, which in my book is death adjacent. I think the reality is you need to find out where a man is at on his life’s journey. Having enough enlightenment to understand where a person is at on their journey takes a lot of strength. You would have to remove the emotional attachment and see your potential suitor from a neutral perspective. You may even need to analyze where you are at on your own journey to ensure that you’re both not operating in fear as a whole. Now that’s deep.

I don’t know if my argument holds any weight my death theory isn’t scientifically tested. It’s just one of my fun “isms” that I like to use as a coping mechanism. I plan on holding on to it until I hear a more compelling argument. The jury is still out on men associating women with death.

Do you have any strange theories? I would love to know if I am the only one with this crazy outlook on male and female interactions.

For more Oh Wize One be sure to subscribe by clicking the follow button.  You can also follow me on Facebook Oh Wize One, Instagram@ohwizeone, twitter@ohwize1. Remember to share the wisdom with friends!!

Living Legends

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This past week I had the humbling honor to be a part of the second Queen B Ladies L.i.T (Legend in Technique) Ball. It was organized by my beautiful friend Januarie York, who is also a blogger you can find her at The I is Never Silent. She honored 30 women for excellence in art, humanitarianism, and sisterhood. SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

 

 

The ball honored black women who work extremely hard in their technique who may not have otherwise been recognized. All of this recognition was in the name of a wonderful woman Blanche “Queen B” Boone- Jackson an Indianapolis poet, friend, and all-around wonderful woman who died in 2014 from complications of a stroke. All of the proceeds from the Legend in Technique Ball went to Stroke Awareness.

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I had planned to document so much more but I was just overwhelmed by the presence of tangible Black girl magic to say that I was overwhelmed was an understatement. The evening began when the DJ played Beyonce, Flawless, and it changed the entire energy of the room you could smell the confidence being passed through every woman. I thought does Beyonce know what this song does for Black women?  To be in the presence of so many beautiful women that evening left such a warm and exhilarating feeling. I encountered women some of whom I knew before the ball and some that I meet for the first time who are legends in their own right. I share a connection with these legends and it created an unforgettable bond.

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As I stood there holding my award with my peers I was overcome with emotion. I will now live with this experience forever. I will hold myself accountable for achieving my goals even more than before.  I know that the possibilities are endless and that women can empower each other without malice or jealousy. We embraced our scars as a part of our beauty and we expanded our wingspan to soar to our highest potential. This moment was about more than slaying.

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Jumpsuit: Eloquii, Shoes: Nine West, Clutch: Charming Charlie, Earrings: Charming Charlie

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Never Say Never

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When I first saw a pair of cropped flare leg jeans showcased on one of my favorite fashion outlets Who, What, Wear I thought those will never look good on me. I love New York street style it’s so eclectic and fun but cropped jeans were outside of my comfort zone. It doesn’t take much to get me to take a risk. When I got these embroidered stack heels from JustFab I didn’t want any of the details on these cute shoes to be missed.

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I wouldn’t wear these cropped jeans with flats but I love that my shoes are front and center. Although I have seen them styled with strappy flats and look very good I don’t think it would work on my body type.  I’m glad that I took the risk on trying something I wouldn’t normally consider. Every now and then you just have to take the risk in the dressing room the worst than can happen is you have to put it pack on the rack.

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Jeans: Old Navy, Top: Old Navy, Jacket: Forever 21, Shoes: Just Fab

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My Baggage Follows Me | Seriously Single

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Well, there’s good news and then there’s better news. Which do you want first? Well, the good news is there is a new guy in my life. Dannie B is collaborating with me to share more of his serious and single swag. The better news is that I will still be talking about being single as well so this will be a dialogue between Dannie and me. We’ll be discussing what it’s like to be a 30 something dating in the Midwest. Consider this the millennial version of the movie He Said, She Said. (Minus Kevin Bacon)  I truly hope you enjoy my friend Dannie’s point of view as much as I do because it’s always nice to hear how things look from his side.

 

First off let me say that I’m excited to be partnering with Oh Wize One on Seriously Single!!! For a limited time, I will be providing some male perspective to the awesome topics she brings you.   You don’t want to miss this opportunity to hear both male and female perspectives so be sure to tune in regularly to see what we have in store for you!

And now this month’s story:

A few days ago I attended my homegirl’s book release party for her book of poetry titled “The Art of Hurting” and the experience gave me the inspiration to write on the topic of dealing with hurt.  The concept behind the book entails living in toxic relationship and gradually building up the courage to move on, learning to work through the hurt you’ve experienced.  During the release Sunni Hutton, that’s her name, explained the feelings and events behind the select poems that she read from her book, and within her stories I found myself feeling that internal rumbling of knowing that I could relate to some of the things she was saying.

Anyone who’s ever been in a failed relationship, or a situationship, was moved by what Sunni had to offer.  One of the things that stuck out for me was the idea of needing to be happy with yourself first before you can be happy with someone else.  A part of being happy with yourself includes letting go of the emotional baggage that you drag around with you from the past.  As we all know there are thousands of memes that say this over and over but I felt compelled to write on this because I was able to see this as an entire process rather than a simple phrase that you can tell yourself just to feel better about your situation.

I experienced a relationship that I considered toxic years ago that left some lasting effects on me for nearly three years after it had ended.  Before I jump into the details let me say right off the bat that there is a stigma associated with the phrase “toxic relationship.”  When we hear it we immediately think of an evil-doing someone who was intentionally trying to be harmful to us.  However, in most cases whatever hurt was caused was not intentional.  Toxic relationships can be born out of misunderstanding each other, external forces that affect the partnership, and much more.

During this relationship I felt an indescribable tension with my former partner that began to appear after that coveted newness wore off.  A portion of that tension was related to preexisting family issues that she disclosed prior to us starting a relationship and some of it was related to our personal differences.  At the center of it all what our undefined yet opposing views on when each of us saw ourselves getting married.  She desired to be married much sooner than I did.  She made the assumption that when I said I wanted to be married that I meant before I was 25.  For me, I thought it was ok to assume that her timeline was closer to 30.  While we both had the same end goal neither of us was experienced enough to know that having the same end goal means nothing if you don’t have the same timeline for reaching it.

Being young and naive, like all of us were once upon a time, I thought our opposing ideals were manageable and that it would all make for some magical ending.  And yeah, that didn’t work out too well (#WhereBaggageBegins).  The relationship eventually came to a crashing end one gloomy day and I found myself upset that I didn’t end things when I first got the feeling to end things after an inexcusable event.  To explain it as simply as possible, she became involved with a coworker.

After the relationship ended I did everything I could to conjure up a negative image of my ex with the intention of reassuring myself that separating from her was the best thing that ever happened to me.  I couldn’t have a conversation about her with friends without saying something negative.  Given how things concluded I was justified in being angry with her,  however, I let that anger overshadow all of the good things that came from our two years together.  This eventually led to me saying less than desirable things about my ex when running down past relationship experiences with new people I would meet.

When I break down the phrase “The Art of Hurting” as it relates to my situation I think of a long, drawn-out process of trying to cope with something that I didn’t realize I needed to deal with.  I also think of trying to move past something that was hurtful without fully understanding how exactly it was hurtful to me.  It’s easy to identify a past relationship as having a degree of toxicity to it but unless you can understand the source you’ll be taking it right along with you into your next situation, even if you weren’t the source.  Looking back, I’ve learned that starting a new relationship with negative feelings about someone from your past only serves to keep you in the past and prevents the full potential of a new union from being realized.

So what helped me drop my baggage? When I realized how I was still being affected by something that happened years earlier I decided to do what I do best, write.  I decided to make a list of all the negative feelings that I had about my ex and our relationship.  This included personal traits about her and specific conflicts that we had.  One by one I went through the topics and indulged myself on why I felt the way I did.  With time I had grown to be able to better understand things from a more neutral perspective.  I realized that I had led myself to believe that all of the hurt was intentional but I was able to make peace with the fact that none of it really was.  This was one of the most liberating experiences that I’ve ever had.

Have you dealt with feelings of hurt that you’ve experienced in the past?  Are you willing to be honest with yourself about what’s hurting you so you can move forward to the relationship you really want?

To learn more about Sunni Hutton’s “The Art of Hurting” visit her website below:

http://www.sunnihutton.com/book/

Stay Tuned for more from Dannie B

In the mean time you can follow Dannie on Instagram and Twitter @DannieB224

For more Oh Wize One be sure to subscribe by clicking the follow button.  You can also follow me on Facebook OhWize One, Instagram@ohwizeone, twitter@ohwize1. Remember to share the wisdom with friends!!

 

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Denim Blue + Olive Green

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The strangest thing happened this weekend. It was 70 degrees in February in Ohio! I won’t get too excited because I live in the Midwest and the weather can change in the blink of an eye. I didn’t want to be presumptuous and think that I had this weather for longer than a day at most.  Rather than pulling out my spring wardrobe, I decided to wear a pair of olive peep toe booties that I planned to save for spring.

I actually fell in love with a pair of Lucky Brand booties that look exactly like this at Nordstrom that was at a much higher price point. I found these booties at Just Fab for under $40.

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In transitional weather, I always try to find unexpected ways to play with color. Blue is going to play a major role in spring fashion especially; wearing multiple tones of blue. I thought this marbled sweater dress from SimplyBe was perfect for the warm weather and to bring in more olive I added this lightweight anorak jacket.

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For more Oh Wize One be sure to subscribe by clicking the follow button.  You can also follow me on Facebook OhWize One, Instagram@ohwizeone, twitter@ohwize1. Remember to share the wisdom with friends!!

Be a Girl Boss with No Apologies

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Lately, I have been a workaholic and I have felt the need to constantly apologize. The fact that I have prioritized growing my business over recreational fun has made me feel like I need to explain myself every time I decline a request. The reality is I can’t be everything and I can’t be everywhere. No, is a complete sentence! (Easier said than done, I know)

I know so many women who are starting new business endeavors and every Girl Boss needs a pep talk to keep going. Hard work is often isolating because when you want to do something well it consumes your thoughts and spare time. I think as women we question the efforts of working towards our goals more than we would question our pursuit of true love or the need for a family. We’re always caught up in the reward of working because we need to show that our work validates us.Work is as work does and in order to do it well, we have to be unapologetic in our quest to be leaders in our chosen fields.

I Ain’t Sorry

I can’t feel sorry for working hard. It’s in my DNA. For so long I didn’t want to be “The Boss”. To much whom is given much is required and I got to witness it first hand with my dad being a small business owner himself. I saw him work tirelessly it was like he could never give his full attention to anything outside of work. I always thought “Man this sucks.  Who would want to do this?” On the flip side, being expected to work relentlessly for the greater good of someone else also sucks. Life requires hard work.  At some point, you will have to choose who you will work for.I choose to work to build my legacy and strengthen others who want to be a boss.

Get In Line Girl Boss

The quest for equality is real and you are not the first woman to discover that you are in a unique position being a woman in business. You are going to feel the urge to get emotional because well anything you pour your heart into draws a connection to your spirit. I have noticed that women fear being direct but will give into to emotional outburst. I have found that in business people tend to respond less to emotional breakdowns. Go ahead and speak your mind, share that idea, or shoot down that proposal because that will be received much better than emotion. Be prepared to rework your plan so that you can achieve your overall goal. It’s ok to be attached to your goals but the path may change. The journey is just beginning.  Get in line girl boss, we all want to be great and there is room for you at the top.

Don’t Be Afraid to Break

Work from rest. I have heard this saying time and time again but I have a hard to applying into my actual work ethic. Recently I realized that I had overworked myself. I couldn’t get a grip on my own thoughts and nothing was being accomplished. I eventually had to take a break from social media and all of my projects. Spinning out is inevitable when you work yourself too hard. You can’t produce good work when you’re in a fog. Focus on quality of work and not quantity. Maybe you should push that project back. Taking a break can rejuvenate your thought process.  You will return to work with focus and joy. Even the boss needs a break. Don’t be afraid to delegate because the best bosses are leaders as well. Pass that task off to someone who is capable of fulfilling your expectations of a job well done.

Keep Your Eyes On Your Own Paper

The reality is that not everyone is going to understand your hustle and you can’t expect them to. Your business is your vision but that doesn’t undercut you because others don’t see the value in what you do. You will find that people find your creative talents useful for their own personal needs but will not want to attach a monetary value to what you do. Don’t be offended just don’t be afraid to exercise that complete sentence “No”. Withdraw from over sharing your excitement on certain topics on business because they just don’t get it and they never will unless someone misuses their talent.  It’s just not relevant to them. Misunderstandings will lead you down a path of resentfulness because you just won’t understand why people don’t respect your hard work.  But keep your eyes on your own paper figuratively and literally.

I was inspired by Chya of No Apologies. I love her t-shirt line and what it represents. As women, we are constantly striving to meet the ever-pressing expectations of others. Instead of apologizing for failing to meet others definition of perfection, live life with NO APOLOGIES. Her mission is to uplift, support, and encourage the women around her. I needed this shirt because it perfectly represents how I am playing both roles of being the beauty and the boss!

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For more Oh Wize One be sure to subscribe by clicking the follow button.  You can also follow me on Facebook OhWize One, Instagram@ohwizeone, twitter@ohwize1. Remember to share the wisdom with friends!!

Just Another Girl in a LRD (little red dress)

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The powerful dynamic of the LBD (little black dress) plays a major role in fashion, but we often forget about the equally powerful LRD (little red dress). It’s like a secret weapon that you pull out when you want to reach optimum sexiness. Red has such an emotionally intense presence that it can make even a classically cut a-line a show stopper.  With it being Valentine’s Day, I’m sure we all want as much positive attention as we can possibly get.

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The thing that I love about the classic dress is that you can play with accessories more. I love pairing this very “New York street style” handbag with a more mature look. Have a little fun with your style and accessorize by using details that remind you of your adolescence.  It’s a way to add youthful energy to your look without overpowering your whole outfit.

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Dress: Fashion to Figure (Sold Out), Bralette: Torrid, Shoes: Payless (, Purse Charming Charlie (similar)

Looking for LRD: Torrid  Fashion to Figure  Rebdolls Boohoo

Quirky Purses: JustFab Charlotte Russe  Aldo

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Are You In My Range? | Seriously Single

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One of my favorite movies is How to Marry a Millionaire, starring Lauren Bacall. The plot of the movie is three models share a penthouse apartment with the hopes of landing a millionaire. Lauren Bacall eventually starts dating an older gentleman who’s a millionaire. One night they come back from an evening out and just as she thinks she landed him he breaks up with her because he thinks he’s too old for her. Lauren Bacall’s pleads with him to not end their relationship and exclaims, “But I hate young men!”. That’s me in a nutshell.  Overt immaturity has never been a turn on for me.

It’s not even something that I thought would affect the dating ecosystem until recently when my friend Dannie B reached out to me about Seriously Single.  He asked have you ever considered writing about dating outside your age range or setting age standards for Seriously Single? When we got to talking it made me analyze my thought process about dating older men and question if it’s as effective as I think it is.  I loved Dannie’s perspective so much that I told him, you need to write this and contribute it to Seriously Single! I hope that you find Dannie’s contribution as refreshing as I do. It’s always good to flip the coin and hear things from a man’s point of view.

Are you in my Range? Dating in and outside your age range.

 

One night I was having a conversation with my bestfriend about dating older women, excuse me, more mature women, if you will.  We had gotten deep into a discussion about how many of the women that we’d both been meeting were outside of our age, most of them older, but some of them younger.  The void that we both saw was that it seemed like women who are our age, or within a year, are difficult to come by.  Fast forward a few weeks and I was having the same discussion with The Wize One and we both were intrigued to find out that this woe was not exclusive to men or women, we both experience it.  She shared with me that she often found herself dating outside of her age and believed that it was only women who faced the peril of not meeting people their age.  She was amazed when I told her that us men also experience the same issue.

For starters, I don’t believe there is anything wrong with dating outside of your age, whether older or younger.  The concern that drove this topic was the fact that people are doing so out of necessity rather than choice.  It’s one thing if you have the option to date someone your age, younger, or older, but it’s entirely different if you’re forced to go younger or older because the pool of people your age is non-existent for you.

I’ve always been drawn to older women for as long as I can remember.  I chalk this up to being born to older parents and having a group of friends that are mostly older than me.  Both of these have contributed to me being considered “mature for my age” and carrying myself as such.  In the most recent years, the majority of women that I’ve dated have been older, around five to seven years older, with one being only two years older.  I’ve also dated one or two that were younger than me by up to three years, but I’ve never been as interested in younger women.

Despite favoring older women, I’ve noticed that when it comes to serious relationships I tend to learn towards people closer to my age, one of my ex-girlfriends was my exact age.  I’m not sure if this has been a conscious or unconscious choice but it’s something I’ve become more aware of.  Within the past few months, I’ve found myself appreciating people closer in age because I feel that we have more in common when it comes to life experiences and where we’re at in life.  For example, someone who’s in their 20’s may be more focused on figuring out what their direction in life is, someone in their 30’s may be more focused moving up in their chosen life direction, and someone in their 40’s may be more focused on enjoying the fruits of their labor from the past two decades.

There have always been women my age that I’ve had interest in but I’ve never had much success with them.  I’ve been able to get their initial interest but in each situation nothing further would develop.  The theory on this that I shared with my friend is that women are drawn to men who can give them something that they don’t possess themselves, or feel like they can’t obtain for themselves.  A women who’s financially insecure wants a man that’s financially secure, a women who lacks creativity wants and man that’s creative, and so on.  After all, they do say opposites attract.  To a woman, it’s probably perceived that a man your age is in the same place as you in life and can’t offer you anything that you can’t get for yourself, at least on the surface.  For this reason, I believe women are always drawn to older, more established men that can provide security or younger more spontaneous men that can give them freedom.  

Ladies, what’s your take on dating in, or outside of your age?  Is age a consideration when dating?  Do you find yourself dating people your age, younger, or older?  Is there a reason why you may favor a particular age group?

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Dannie B

Dannie B is a writer and photographer currently living in St Louis, MO. You can find out more about Dannie at http://www.dannieb.com/ also be sure to Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @dannieb224

 For more Oh Wize One be sure to subscribe by clicking the follow button.  You can also follow me on Facebook OhWize One, Instagram@ohwizeone, twitter@ohwize1. Remember to share the wisdom with friends!!

 

Looks Good With Trouble

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During the spoils of youth, I think all women enjoy some drama with their romance. Thank goodness for maturity. I like my drama right where I can control it, in my closet. Sheer details are trending and I had to hop on board when I saw this dress on Rebdolls website. If you’re trying to dip your toe into the sexy end of the pool, rocking a sheer look is the way to dive in.

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Don’t Be Scared

This is not a look for the faint of heart. Sometimes putting it all out there is the best confidence booster because you’re suddenly free with nothing to hide. There is nothing sexier than a confident woman. Talk about being the ideal Valentine, going sheer can seem intimidating but it’s truly just creating an illusion. You’re not as naked as you appear. Wearing the right undergarments and hosiery will provide additional support and coverage. I am wearing sheer to toe hosiery and high waisted shapewear  I am very impressed with the quality of the velvet of the bodysuit. It enhances the elegance.

 

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Dress: Rebdolls, Fur: Target (similar), Cocktail Ring Old (similar)

I Can See Straight Through You!

Looking for a sheer or lace dress

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For more Oh Wize One be sure to subscribe by clicking the follow button.  You can also follow me on Facebook OhWize One, Instagram@ohwizeone, twitter@ohwize1. Remember to share the wisdom with friends!!