As a born and raised Orlandoean (is that what we s As a born and raised Orlandoean (is that what we should call ourselves?!) I haven't ever really experienced a winter season. I've enjoyed winter many times while in many different cities including, Edinburgh, London, NYC, and Boston. But I've never lived in winter day in and day out. After a week it was always time to fly home to my palm trees and theme parks. This winter is the first time that I am experiencing cold temperatures daily and often experiencing grey skies. It's only been about two weeks and I have to admit that it is a huge adjustment. But I am doing my best to embrace the season and stay as cozy as possible. I am used to being outside as often as possible in winter while hibernating with the A/C running all summer. So I guess now I will be reversing those habits and bundling up until spring gets here.
For my birthday I wanted one thing and one thing o For my birthday I wanted one thing and one thing only, @hipcityveg. Although I still miss all my favorite Orlando foodie places, I am so excited to finally be so close to a Hip City Veg location. It's my all-time favorite plant-based restaurant and I have been craving this vegan milkshake for months! If you haven't been yet and you are in DC or Philadelphia, go right now!
I'm currently reflecting on a very wild year. This I'm currently reflecting on a very wild year. This last trip around the sun was during a very difficult time in our world but I can't personally complain much about the last 365 days. I thought I would be taking over as the lead on a contract at a Disney hotel as their main wedding photographer. I had been photographing weddings there for years but covid had other plans. Instead, I watched as the entire world shut down around me, only for the hotel to reopen as a part of the NBA bubble. So I decided to jump headfirst into running a product-based business. It's something I wanted to do for years and yet I could never quite seem to muster up the nerve to fully go after that dream. I launched my first collection of candles, sold out in days, and things have been steadily growing since then for @kismetandcharisma. After finally going after my dream of switching from service-based to product-based, I co-founded a nonprofit. This has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and the stars finally aligned to bring it to light. Along with my best friend, Anna, I co-founded @LoveDoesntHurtInc. It has already healed me in ways I never thought possible and I can't wait to see what our nonprofit does for other people. I also consistently recorded @heartandhustlepodcast all year alongside my ride or die, @studio404design. Outside of work, I adopted the sweetest little pup ever as a present for my husband's quarantine birthday (best present ever). I didn't finish writing my own book but I managed to read quite a few other books. I battled anxiety as usual but I managed to learn when to turn the news off and FaceTime a friend instead of continuing to doomscroll. I also convinced my husband to leave OCPS to work for a school district that would like to keep him alive during the pandemic, which resulted in us relocating to the DC area. Here's hoping that this trip around the sun is filled with the same amount of professional success but WAY more hugs.
Lately, I have been getting acquainted with some o Lately, I have been getting acquainted with some of the local coffee shops in DC and NOVA. You would never know that I don't like coffee by how often I am spending money in coffee shops. I do, however, love just about every tea I come across. Earthy, fruity, sweet, bitter, it doesn't matter. I love them all. Any other tea lovers out there? Do you like coffee and tea or just one or the other?
This year is off to a wild start. I literally star This year is off to a wild start. I literally started the New Year on the road, driving somewhere just south of Raleigh. We slept in Raleigh for a few hours and then finished the drive to our new home in the DMV. We have been here just over a week now which feels pretty hard to believe. In some ways, it feels shorter and in others, it feels much longer. I don't feel at home yet but yesterday was a beautiful day and definitely the best one that I have had since we moved here. It definitely has me feeling hopeful. I know that this year won't magically be better than last year but I am going to be doing everything I can to make it a better year for myself and everyone I know.
Instagram post 18186913066037488 Instagram post 18186913066037488
Saying goodbye to Christmas and Orlando at the sam Saying goodbye to Christmas and Orlando at the same time is going to be incredibly difficult! 💔
Merry Christmas from our favorite little polar bea Merry Christmas from our favorite little polar bear. 🤍🎄
Merry Christmas! I hope your day is filled with jo Merry Christmas! I hope your day is filled with joy and laughter. 🎄☃️🕯
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Uncategorized · June 26, 2015

SCOTUS Legalizes Marriage Equality

Tears are running down my face and I feel so filled with joy that I could explode. Today, any person in the LGBT community in the United States of America is free to marry whomever they want. Today, hundreds of thousands of children are now recognized as having both of their parents as their legal guardians. Families around the country will now be considered equal in the eyes of the law.

Before I knew the word gay, I knew that my brother was. Anyone who doesn’t believe that people are born gay, have never grown up with a gay sibling. Having a gay sibling often means that you see it first hand and you know it to be fact. Being raised Catholic meant that I heard a lot of confusing and conflicting information regarding the LGBT community. One part of the bible consistently stood out to me more than the others: “I am my brother’s keeper”. I decided that this would be the lesson that I would take away from the church.

I know that my place has always been between my brother and anyone who would wish him harm or try to deny him his rights as a person. Don’t get me wrong, he doesn’t need anyone to fight his battles for him; however, I will always be there fighting beside him.

Today is a day that so many have been fighting for and victory has never felt better. Today we cry, we rejoice, we smile, we celebrate but tomorrow we will continue the fight. Marriage equality is an important and necessary step in the fight towards equality in our county but it is not the last step. 2015 has been a groundbreaking year in the fight for LGBT equality but there is still much more to do. As a nation, we need to end adoption discrimination towards those in the LGBT community. There is still so much we must do to combat the crisis of LGBT youth suicide and homelessness. The list of transgender people who have been murdered this year continues to grow at an alarming rate. Violence towards those in the LGBT community still exists. Discrimination towards those in the LGBT community still exists.

Today I am celebrating with my brother, our family, and friends because this is an important victory; but tomorrow we continue the fight for full equality for all people across our nation and the world.

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Hi! I'm Charisma, a creative entrepreneur who loves to help others reach their full potential. I'm a photographer, a writer, and the owner of Kismet + Charisma, an online boutique that pairs minimalist, cozy, boho style with activism. In my little corner of the internet you'll find my latest travels, what I'm currently reading, how I practing Black joy as resistence, and how I'm finding hygge in my daily life. Pull up a chair, grab a cup of tea, and stay awhile.

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As a born and raised Orlandoean (is that what we s As a born and raised Orlandoean (is that what we should call ourselves?!) I haven't ever really experienced a winter season. I've enjoyed winter many times while in many different cities including, Edinburgh, London, NYC, and Boston. But I've never lived in winter day in and day out. After a week it was always time to fly home to my palm trees and theme parks. This winter is the first time that I am experiencing cold temperatures daily and often experiencing grey skies. It's only been about two weeks and I have to admit that it is a huge adjustment. But I am doing my best to embrace the season and stay as cozy as possible. I am used to being outside as often as possible in winter while hibernating with the A/C running all summer. So I guess now I will be reversing those habits and bundling up until spring gets here.
For my birthday I wanted one thing and one thing o For my birthday I wanted one thing and one thing only, @hipcityveg. Although I still miss all my favorite Orlando foodie places, I am so excited to finally be so close to a Hip City Veg location. It's my all-time favorite plant-based restaurant and I have been craving this vegan milkshake for months! If you haven't been yet and you are in DC or Philadelphia, go right now!
I'm currently reflecting on a very wild year. This I'm currently reflecting on a very wild year. This last trip around the sun was during a very difficult time in our world but I can't personally complain much about the last 365 days. I thought I would be taking over as the lead on a contract at a Disney hotel as their main wedding photographer. I had been photographing weddings there for years but covid had other plans. Instead, I watched as the entire world shut down around me, only for the hotel to reopen as a part of the NBA bubble. So I decided to jump headfirst into running a product-based business. It's something I wanted to do for years and yet I could never quite seem to muster up the nerve to fully go after that dream. I launched my first collection of candles, sold out in days, and things have been steadily growing since then for @kismetandcharisma. After finally going after my dream of switching from service-based to product-based, I co-founded a nonprofit. This has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and the stars finally aligned to bring it to light. Along with my best friend, Anna, I co-founded @LoveDoesntHurtInc. It has already healed me in ways I never thought possible and I can't wait to see what our nonprofit does for other people. I also consistently recorded @heartandhustlepodcast all year alongside my ride or die, @studio404design. Outside of work, I adopted the sweetest little pup ever as a present for my husband's quarantine birthday (best present ever). I didn't finish writing my own book but I managed to read quite a few other books. I battled anxiety as usual but I managed to learn when to turn the news off and FaceTime a friend instead of continuing to doomscroll. I also convinced my husband to leave OCPS to work for a school district that would like to keep him alive during the pandemic, which resulted in us relocating to the DC area. Here's hoping that this trip around the sun is filled with the same amount of professional success but WAY more hugs.
Lately, I have been getting acquainted with some o Lately, I have been getting acquainted with some of the local coffee shops in DC and NOVA. You would never know that I don't like coffee by how often I am spending money in coffee shops. I do, however, love just about every tea I come across. Earthy, fruity, sweet, bitter, it doesn't matter. I love them all. Any other tea lovers out there? Do you like coffee and tea or just one or the other?
This year is off to a wild start. I literally star This year is off to a wild start. I literally started the New Year on the road, driving somewhere just south of Raleigh. We slept in Raleigh for a few hours and then finished the drive to our new home in the DMV. We have been here just over a week now which feels pretty hard to believe. In some ways, it feels shorter and in others, it feels much longer. I don't feel at home yet but yesterday was a beautiful day and definitely the best one that I have had since we moved here. It definitely has me feeling hopeful. I know that this year won't magically be better than last year but I am going to be doing everything I can to make it a better year for myself and everyone I know.
Instagram post 18186913066037488 Instagram post 18186913066037488
Saying goodbye to Christmas and Orlando at the sam Saying goodbye to Christmas and Orlando at the same time is going to be incredibly difficult! 💔
Merry Christmas from our favorite little polar bea Merry Christmas from our favorite little polar bear. 🤍🎄
Merry Christmas! I hope your day is filled with jo Merry Christmas! I hope your day is filled with joy and laughter. 🎄☃️🕯
One of my favorite things to do during the holiday One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is visit NYC. I usually love to go around Thanksgiving or the first week of December. I'm really missing it this year but it's exciting to know that next year around this time I will be a short drive away from NYC.

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