Hello once again my friends!!
Starting a new week...new opportunities and infinite possibilities....
Last week, I did a post on 21 Random Fun Facts about myself and a lot of you were happy to find out a little about me. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post to get to know a little about me! Well, today I wanted to dig a little deeper into the full story about myself. The real story, from the beginning until now...Why I started my fashion blog and where the fashion/beauty interest stemmed from. It took a lot of courage for me to write this, and even more courage to click "Publish." But, here we are! I apologize in advance for such a looong post.
Hope you guys enjoy!!
Small Town Girl....Big Town Dreams ~ My Story
For starters, my name is Tabaitha Natasha King-Keels, born May 2, 1980 in a small town called Eden, North Carolina. I was an only child for about 6 years before my sister was born, therefore I had a very imaginative mind being an only child. From a very young age I remember watching soap operas with my mother (Days of our Lives to be exact) and afterwards going into my room and playing dress up, pretending to be the characters I saw on the show and re-enacting as many scenes as I could remember. I was only 4 or 5 years old....After my sister was born when I was age 6, she joined the fun and entered my world of dress up, re-enacting and pretend!
I remember throughout grade school being an active Girl Scout member, participating in Cotillion ball room dancing, cheerleading and the school dance team. When I was a freshman in High School, I was thrilled to be selected amongst hundreds of other girls to perform in the halftime show during the 1995 Florida Citrus Bowl. I will never forget that day! So many emotions, excitement and eagerness to be on the BIG stage for the first time in my life. It was my first time in Florida and my first experience outside the small town of Eden, NC. From that day forward, I knew this was the life I wanted to live. Big stage, bright lights, SHOWTIME! But of course life never goes as planned. Speaking for myself that is......
My parents divorced when I was a young teenager, therefore me, my mother and sister moved in with my Grandparents. Money was always tight and I remember my mother working long hours during the day to the point where I barely ever saw her...Most of my time was spent with my Grandparents whom we lived with during the time. I have always admired my Grandparents for their sacrifices, long hours and dedication to helping us along the way. Work, Work, Work! That was the way of life in the small southern town from which I came. Either you went to school or you worked, no questions asked. So when I would make comments about becoming a model or actress back in the day, my comments were often laughed off or ignored, only to be reminded that I was a small town girl with no money....Models and actresses in Hollywood are not poor little country girls, as I was told.
The desire to become a fashion icon never left my soul and the older I became, the stronger the desire grew. I remember my first magazine subscription to a magazine that was popular in the 90's ~ Sassy Magazine. I loved that magazine so much and I always imagined myself on the cover or in an exclusive spread. I would read Sassy Magazine at any chance I could get! My mother's job moved us to the Charlotte, North Carolina area during my later High School years. For those of you who are not familiar with the "south" here in the U.S. Charlotte, NC is the largest city in North Carolina and one of the fastest growing big cities in the south. Back then, for me being near a big city like Charlotte, it reignited my hopes and desires. I finally convinced my mother to allow me to enroll in the Modeling/Acting School ~ Barbizon Modeling. It was similar to John Casablancas in the concept. Boy did I enjoy my time at Barbizon! I learned hair, make-up, acting basics, and I was finally introduced to the world of fashion and modeling! They had an agency called ICE Agency that you could sign with after you completed the program. I was able to have my very own photo shoot, start my Portfolio/Composite (Comp Card), and I even did several fashion shows in Charlotte during my late teens! I was in Heaven and on a mission!
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Of course, after High School, it was no question that I was forced to go to college just like every High School graduate. I say "forced" because I really wanted to pursue my career in acting/modeling and move to L.A., but there was no way my mother was going for such a thing. From where I am from, you either work or go to school, you do not chase "pipe dreams" so they call it. I did go to college and I lived the college experience for a while, but I never really found my place in college....I could never decide on a major, and it was almost like I was just there for the parties and to make my family proud....I knew I didn't belong there, so I left...
When I came back home after a couple of years in college, I began working a part time job to save up money. I had met with a local modeling agency and they wanted me to have updated photos, which were not cheap, therefore I started working to save up! Once again, I was on a mission! It was during this time that my life would change forever....I became pregnant with my son! I was only 21 years old, working only a part-time job, barely any money and pregnant....No time for dreaming at this point, I was on a different mission now!
Immediately, my dreams were put on hold and to be honest, my only focus was to be healthy and bring forth into this world a healthy new born baby...No questions asked. My mom was able to get me a job in Corporate America working for the same company she worked for (we both still work for the same exact company as of today.) I was working full-time, had benefits, and the company even offered a reimbursement program for employees to go to college and get a degree! After my son was born of course I took advantage of this perk and I received my degree in Accounting while working full time.
Working in Corporate America, making good money with a beautiful baby boy...but still that inner desire for more, like something was missing. Later in my mid-twenties I pondered the idea of revisiting that modeling agency that I met with back before my son was born. I took a few snap shots and decided that I would give it one more try, but once again my dreams were put on hold.....I met my husband and decided to get married!
I currently work a full-time job with the same company that I started with over 13 years ago. I am a proud mother and wife, and I absolutely love the life that I live. I couldn't ask for more. My son is an honor roll student and my husband is loving and hard working. Through it all, the struggles of being a single mother back in the day, working full time and going to school at night, to the struggles of juggling a full-time job and being a wife and mother these days, that inner desire to touch the world with my gifts still to this day burns deep within.....
I decided to start my fashion/beauty blog for the simple fact that this is what I love. Fashion is what I love and this is the life that I love. Each time I click "Publish" on a new blog post, I am releasing to the world something that I have been eager to release for over a decade now. And it doesn't matter if I am 24, 34 or 44 years old, its never to late to pursue a dream. Its never too late to live the reality you desire! So I may not be a model or an actress in Hollywood, but I am a wife, a mother, and the world's newest fashion blogger! I am doing what I LOVE and I absolutely LOVE what I am doing. For once in my life, that inner desire is being fulfilled and I feel at peace doing what I do!
This is my story of a small town girl, with big town dreams....
Until next time....Stay Beautiful & Keep it Humble!
~HumbleBeauty
**All pictures credited to Google Images**
Twitter @humblebeauty29
Instagram @humblebeauty29
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