In getting a bit more personal, I'll share that despite the impression the pictures throughout this blog might portray, I was a late bloomer ... an ugly duckling who only realized the beauty in the mirror around my 2nd year of college. Before then, I never considered anything about me remarkable or special. In middle school, I was a tall, African, awkward, dark skinned, kinky haired, and an introvert. Did I mention I was also a book nerd? LOL .. The list of my personal "uglies" at the time was a long one. I embodied all the things society (and shiny- suited 90's music videos at the time), said wasn't desirable.