2012 Should be Interesting...

Roger Federer’s 2012 ATP Schedule

• Doha January 1-7 
• Australian Open January 15-28 
• Rotterdam February 12-18 
• Indian Wells March 11-17 
• Miami March 18-31 
• Madrid May 6-12 
• Rome May 13-19 
• Roland Garros May 27-June 9 
• Halle June 10-16 
• Wimbledon June 24-July 7 
• Olympics July 22-31 
• Toronto August 5-11 
• Cincinnati August 12-18 
• US Open August 26-September 8 
• Shanghai October 7-13 
• Basel October 21-27 
• Paris October 28-November 3 
• London November 4-10

Words of Encouragement from Pastor Steven Furtick

I follow Pastor Steven Furtick's (he's an awesome Pastor based in South Carolina that preached at Forward Conference this past year) blog and he posted this today! It seriously blessed me and I thought to share it with you:

2 LIES THE DEVIL LOVES TO TELL GOD'S CHILDREN

The devil is a liar. That's all he is, and he's good at what he does.
He'll tell you whatever he needs to tell you in order to  trip you up, or keep you down.
And he'll change up the delivery of his message depending on what you're going through.

So when  you're suffering a trial, the devil will whisper a message of hopelessness to you.
He'll say something like:
This will never end

On the other hand,  when you're in a season of blessing, the devil will try to shake your confidence by telling you the exact opposite:
This will never last

But trials do end. Joy comes in the morning. There is a mountain of victory on the other side of your valley.

And blessings do last. Even though seasons change, God's favor is forever! He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

Don't let the devil twist the truth.

Catch him in his lies, and stand on what God says.

On that note...Have a blessed and God-filled rest of the day!

Nothing else Matters

Good Thursday Morning everyone!

This song has been recurring on and off in my mind for the better part of the year after I heard it at the Forward Conference. When I forget what my purpose is, when things are just all over the place, this song reminds me that at the end of the day....all that matters is my Jesus.

It's all about Jesus, folks. Plain and Simple. 

Be blessed and encouraged today knowing that ALL that you need is in that name. It's at that name that every knee and need will bow.

Much love!

"It is no longer I who live...but Christ that lives in me..."

Advantage: Federer

So I'm sure you guys have been expecting a Roger post... It has been a while since I gushed about my man, so it's long overdue especially since he's been playing like the demi-god that he is!! While I was searching for new information about him (not long, I promise! I just like to be up to date on his life..stalkeration) I stumbled across this "ode" to Roger by way of his kids, really...Here it is:

“Dear Youngest Federer, by the time you are old enough to understand this, your father won’t be the player he once was. So this is for you, from those of us who were there, just to tell you who he was.

He was a champion like tennis had never seen. He was like a page out of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue. He was so graceful, he made ballet dancers want to burn their shoes. He was fast, but not so you’d notice. He was powerful, but, like a Ferrari not a forklift. They all came at him, and they all fell to him, major after major, year after year.

Your father dominated his sport the way avalanches dominate trees. And yet he was so humble and decent that it became no shame to lose to him. In fact, it became a kind of honor. To lose to Roger Federer meant you were woven into the fabric of sports history. And what a history he wrote.

You will read about it someday and it will shock you. But his finest moment might have been a sun-splashed sunday at Wimbledon, when he passed Pete Sampras record for majors with 15. Some thought we might not ever see that day. Thought he’d be past by younger bulkier models. But they were wrong. Gods do not get passed.

This August, you will come along and tennis will be less important, majors will become minor, trophies will become teething rings, and your father’s perfect life, will, somehow, get even better.”

- ESPN Letter to Roger Federer’s children

That being said, I would be remiss not to post a few pictures of Tennis' first family (as far I'm concerned):

CUTIES!! Charlene Riva and Myla Rose

Daddy and Daughter

Mirka, The Wife

Mr. & Mrs. Federer

This is when I realized he was lost to me forever! 

            

Someday Soon

One day....

My home will be filled with its people again
She will be cherished and courted and praised as the jewel that she really is
Her people will cease to rape, pillage and drain her; they will take from her with reverence and return to her a hundred fold.
Her children who left, who are in the diaspora will return and increase the fruit she bears
She will no longer be mocked and scoffed at for basic amenities that she (or those in charge of her) is (or are) unable to provide
She will rise from the ashes like a phoenix at rebirth
The world will know and hear about the restoration power of a God over her
She will celebrate her birthday, knowing that she's not being graded for where she is and/or where she's supposed to be
The people in power will not care only about their pockets and stomachs; they will remember that there are over 150 million people relying on their honesty and transparency and in so doing, make a change.
We will not lose family members to minor accidents because of deplorable roads and non-existent healthcare; people die just because they don't have the money to pay hospitals for their service and they are not treated.

One day, Nigeria will become the glorious nation she was destined to be.

God bless Nigeria.

Nigerian Entertainment

I love Nigeria!

There is no denying that Nigeria is filled with talent, brilliant minds and untapped resources. Nigeria is beautiful - she's filled with a diverse people who despite their conditions, they always find a way to smile. I am seriously deviating from my blog post today...can't seem to help myself.

But back to the topic of the day -

Nigeria's music scene right now is seriously impressing me! Ask my friends, although Nollywood holds no particular interest for me, I am an avid 9ja music follower! Thanks to www.lasgiditunes.com, I stay up to date on the new songs out there. But for today, I would like to feature the artists who are currently making my days at work run really smoothly -

1. P-Square - Peter and Paul have an uncanny ability to re-invent their songs in a way that doesn't change who they are but it not stale either - Their new album, The Invasion (listen HERE), is on point! I don't think there's a song on there I don't like. It's been that way for me with these Igbo boys since 2002 when I bought their first album. "Igbedu" is still one of my all-time favorites! They have more artists featuring in a lot of the songs on this album, mixing reggae-ish beats with techno that I think they pulled off really well. But then, I'm biased. Take a listen. Judge for yourself.

2. Ice Prince Zamani - This is my new favorite guy! His first ever album (he's known for Oleku, a single he released a while ago), Everybody Loves IcePrince (ELI) has songs like Superstar, Olofofo and Wassup Wassup that, in my opinion, are correct! Again, I go to www.lasgiditunes.com and just play the whole thing over and over again. Before I decided to take a chance and listen to the album, I went online to look at reviews...never again! EVER! Some people were just describing what the songs were about; who needs that! Others were just yarning dust! I should have learned my lesson when I refused to watch the movie 300 because the critics panned it, then ended up loving the movie so much, I went to the theater twice to watch it and I bought the DVD when it came out. Reviews ko, reviews ni! Well, anyway, I really like this album. I like it a whole lot. If I had to pick a favorite (hard choice..ack) I'd pick "Wassup Wassup", featuring Tuface, who just takes all the songs he's in to another level. Listen to the whole album HERE.

3. WizKid - Or to be precise, WizPapi (he's a baby daddy now, so he should consider the name change). I like the guy - he's a cutie; I just want to pinch his cheeks! I haven't met a WizKid song I didn't like. He (or Banky W) was smart to release a few songs first and feature in people's songs to get his name out there then hit us all upside the head with his Album that had a lot of surprises (Wiz Party, No Lele, Love my Baby...too madt). He's my go to guy when I have a headache at work (as well as Josh Groban) and the regular dose of Ibuprofen doesn't work. Listen to his album, Superstar HERE.


I'd like to end by leaving you with these -

1. My friend, AyoJay, just released a song with CapB, "She Like It" - Listen HERE
2. Another Boo, Lekan aka MM, released his music video for his song, BB Pin. Watch Below -

3. I can't talk about the Nigerian Music Scene without touching on Tuface (although I did in #2 above). I've only heard 3 songs off of his new album, Unstoppable, and what I've heard so far, I love. Listen HERE. He also has music videos out for 2 out of the 3; this one's my favorite -

It's hard to pick just these, because I love a lot of these artists (like Eldee, 9ice, ID Cabasa, Banky W,oh gosh!) but that's the koko - I LOVE 9JA MUSIC!!!

Happy Listening/Watching!!!

Have a blessed day, everybody!

Peace!

I've come to the Realization that....

• I am incredibly loved - by my family and friends and most importantly, by God
• My tomorrow will be better than my today because my today was better than yesterday
• As long as the earth remains and the sun rises in the east and sets in the west every day, the Word of the Lord concerning me will not fall to the ground until it has accomplished that which it was sent. (Isaiah 55 vs 11)
• Roger Federer is the awesomest, greatest tennis player that has ever lived (I had to put him in somewhere). Lionel Messi too actually. In fact, the whole Barcelona team! 
• The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in me....sooner or later, that glory will break forth and the world that has been groaning in eager anticipation for the  manifestation and the revelation of the Sons of God will groan less (Romans 8 vs 18-19; one of my favorite scriptures)
• My life is great!
• God is good and His mercies and grace endures forever; it doesn't matter if things are not working out the way I want; the bottom line is that my life is going exactly the way God planned it and ALL things will work together for my good - the good, bad, ugly, despicable... you get my meaning.
• Planning without action and diligence is not only useless, it's a failure. Trying in and of itself is success enough.
• I can hardly wait to go to Nigeria in December!!! So much fun to be had...so little time!
• Being a senior is NOT a walk in the park! Jesus help me! I miss my sleep; my bed misses me..womp!
• I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength! Through Christ alone. 

How have things been going for you lately?

Sports Withdrawal

Being a sports fan is not easy!

First, tennis isn't really on anymore since all the Slams in the year have been played. I mean, yeah, there are a few ATP1000 tournaments going on right now but those are not televised! So what is a girl to do other than following online while trudging along with work?!

At least soccer is back on after a slight La Liga hiccup in the beginning of the season. Speaking of which, Barcelona, the best football soccer team in the whole world galaxy is seriously swelling my head with 13 consecutive wins since the beginning of the season. But I digress..

Then we've got this NBA lockout situation that doesn't look like it's about to let up! I mean, I am not as obsessed with basketball as I am with tennis and soccer but it's another thing to look forward to - I love the trash talking and the friendly (not!) banter I have with the people who call themselves Lakers fans. But right now, that's moot! Pre-season games have been cancelled! I'm sure I'm not alone in this -first of all, big shot players like Garnet and Stoudemire are losing huge vats of bi-weekly cash because of the lack of play; I'm talking millions of dollars! Which is nothing compared to what the league will lose for cancelling the preseason!

The most current thing on TV right now is the NFL and God knows I can't bring myself to watch that one. I lose interest in less than 10 minutes! It's basically a bunch of guys in tight leggings and shoulder pads chasing around a rugby ball and calling the sport football! But those who like it really like it. But one thing though, before I move on to a much more interesting topic: What in the world is it about the Redskins that people love so much?   They lose. That's what they do! And their games are packed with people wearing their jerseys and colors who seem to derive a lot of pleasure watching their team lose! And those tickets are not cheap!! People actually are on a WAITING LIST to get in!! What the HECK! The most annoying part for me is that these fans crowd the beltway on Sundays around the time I leave Church for a relaxing session with my bed and clog up the roads!

I'm done...I promise.

Well, anyway, the point I was trying to make is that I miss my favorite sport teams or Roger Federer for tennis. Speaking of the RF, he's slipped to #4 now cos he hasn't played since the U.S Open and that moody, talent-less  Scott has moved up to #3 and Rog is trailing by 45 points!! No Bueno!

Well, anyway, I go back to work now

Peace and Hair grease!!!

Been a while....

It has been a MINUTE, my people! I hope this post finds you well!

 A lot has been going on...good ones and "could be betters" but I'm still standing and therein lies the testimony!

 I got officially promoted to Senior Auditor (good one! lol) and I inherited three new clients (could be better!). All in all, God is good and His mercy and grace endures forever!

I really just want to share something with you really quick and then it's back to work for me!! This might be dorky (whatevs) but I was researching about how our bodies fight germs and foreign bodies (I've been falling sick with alarming frequency these days! No bueno!) and I got something really helpful:

White blood cells help heal wounds not only by fighting infection, but also by ingesting matter such as dead cells, tissue debris, and old red blood cells. They do this by surrounding the foreign body (or antigen) and gradually break it down and destroy it or make anti-bodies for that particular infection so that the body will not be infected a second time.

So this got me thinking - Why is it that we don't do that with issues that we face? Why don't we surround that situation with the Living Word of God? I think it's because we expect that after a few prayer sessions and emergency fasting exercises, we expect results. But like the white blood cells, these things take time! That's why I still have a cold and cough even though I started getting symptoms last week. A pastor preached at my Church two weeks or so ago and he said that we should "enclose" our problems with the Word of God; the Word of God is Jesus so basically what you're doing is enclosing your problems with Jesus Christ. So wherever that situation faces, thinking that you're going to be fazed again, all it sees is Jesus!

You need to take yourself out of the equation; it can't be you against a mountain 'cos you're no match for it without Jesus. Let your problems see whose you are and watch them crumble, like my cold eventually will against my WBCs!

 This encouraged me today; I hope it helps you too -

 Isaiah 41 vs 11 - 13: All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. 


On that note, have a blessed, sneeze-free and God filled day ahead!

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Dream Come True

My beautiful people!

It has been quite a while, hasn't it? Well, a lot has happened but the most compelling is what I'd like to share with you today - One of my dreams became a reality not too long ago!

Now for many of you who know me, either through Facebook, personally or otherwise, you know that Tennis is an integral part of my life. I can't boast that I am the best non-professional tennis player you'll ever meet because I'm not. It's pathetic, really, that my serve (the first thing you're supposed to learn) quite simply, SUCKS! It's surprising to a lot of people, some of which have actually voiced their astonishment, that my game is not up to par to my commentating. But that will be remedied...soon. When I have time.

But I digress.

One of my biggest dreams has always been to go to all the Grand Slams before I turn 25. Well the 25 thing might be erased but since I'm still a ways from that age, it stays. There are 4 slams in a year (if you're really interested in getting more info on that, click here) and I attended one of them this year - The U.S Open in Flushing Meadows, NY! I believe I had told you before how I came about the FREE tickets to the games on September 10, 2011 but in summary, I met a man at an Accounting Conference I was invited to speak at and somehow the subject of Tennis came up (stick with me for 10 minutes and tennis will come up!) and he casually asked me if I would like to go to the US Open, I said yes then shocker! He says "I will get you 2 tickets to this year's U.S Open". I believe I squeaked! Most unprofessional! But in this situation, I excused my behavior - I get to see Roger, if I'm lucky! That's enough to get a squeal out of me (lol).

And so it was...I got those tickets and I got to see more games than I had thought - I had Irene to thank for that; Hurricane Irene brought a lot of residual rain with her so a lot of matches were postponed so instead of watching the women's finals and the men's semi-finals, I got to see the men's and women's semi-finals! And most importantly, I got to see Roger Federer LIVE! Another DCT!

With this knowledge, I oxi-cleaned my one-year old white and red RF face cap, dug up my RF t-shirt and bought a round trip bus ticket to New York! Oyin (my sister) was kind enough to tag along because I have zero knowledge about New York and quite frankly don't care to know. So fast forwarding to the D-day, I woke up at like 7am! I couldn't sleep! I was actually going to see the courts that I've been watching on TV for 5 years! I was revved! I decked myself in all my RF paraphernalia  and Oyin drove me to Arthur Ashe.
We got lost quite a bit and it was raining and there were a lot of crazy people jaywalking but then it's NYC!

This greeted me as I walked in!

For some reason, the rain and general nastiness of the weather didn't seem to dim my excitement! I was mildly wet and grinning from ear to ear when I walked into the grounds! I quickly found my seat - I was hungry but dang! the food was jah pricey! Talk about inflation! So, out of sheer principle, I refused to purchase anything to eat (yeah, thrifty..wtv)

Patiently waiting for my Fed.

Spectacular View at Arthur Ashe Stadium!

It was Federer/Djokovic first at 12pm followed by Nadal/Murray then S.Williams/Wozniacki on Arthur Ashe and Stosur/Kerber on Granstand.

Without going into too much detail, my Roger lost in 5 sets to Djokovic after squandering a 5-3, 40-15 lead in the 5th set. I'm still mad about that. But, I'm just glad I got to see the FedExpress in action. Man, the man can move! Besides the slew of unforced errors and occasional passive play, the man is fluid! He hardly sweats and he keeps his composure so well that you wonder if he's aware he's losing! While Djokovic looked to be sweating bullets and grunting after every point, Roger was the epitome of silence and calm. It was beautiful.

Nadal won his match against Murray in 4 sets and I think that's when I realized that Nadal wasn't as invisible as he used to be - he looked tired and afraid. Not a good look. In my boredom with the Nadal match, I left Arthur Ashe and headed for Granstand to watch the Australian, Stostur take on the 96th seed German, Kerber, who silently worked her way through the rounds to the semis. Then I got bored again. So I just walked around the extensive grounds and took in as much as I could.

Slight Side-note:


Oh! I should inject this here - for those of you who'd love to experience this, it's important to note that American Express holders are treated like Kings out there! Free radio earphones (see above) to hear the commentaries, complimentary draw-sheets, charging systems for phones and electronics (I needed this more times that I care to count!), gift cards, and so much more! I felt like a rock star!

I really should stop before your eyes glaze over, but September 10, 2011 has definitely gone down in history as one of the best days of my life! I had the day to myself to explore a sport and a community that I adore. I saw Dylan Walsh from Nip/Tuck and Serena Williams' dad! They both walked right by me. I got to watch the greatest tennis player in the galaxy and the others who are striving to accomplish a margin of what he has. It made my year! I'm hooked! I'm definitely going next year and probably Rolland Garros (we'll see).

Anyway, to recap and conclude, it was a Djokovic/Nadal final where Djokovic almost humiliated Nadal but won anyway, Serena taught #1 seed Wozniacki a thing or two about how to play tennis then went on to lose to Sam Stosur. In her defense, she should not have played the day after her SF match, but that doesn't give her leave to insult the umpire the way she did in 2009 with the linesman. Bad rep, Serena, bad rep!

Until Next year, US. Open, until next year!

PS - Shout out to Oyinlomo Abiola, my honey, for driving me to and from the Open and Chyna B for letting us stay at her fabulous apartment in Brooklyn!! Was Mad Fun!!!

Not Cut out for 9 to 5

So I came to this conclusion a while back....

I am most assuredly NOT cut out for a 9 to 5 schedule!!!

Now, to be clear, I'll take 9 to 5 over 9 to 11pm any day! And sometimes it's awesome to know that you are free after a specified time...

But I like things in small doses..

I remember watching Unstoppable (awesome movie BTW) with my sister and brother after another 9 to 5 and a scene in the movie stuck with me - while the drones at the train company (AFV or whatever) were trying to figure out how to prevent a disaster with HUGE ramifications, the bosses were playing golf! Now, I'm sure they had some wheeling and dealing going on on the green too, but it was done in a more relaxing location with the sun in your face and a nice fall breeze blowing and teasing your flesh as opposed to the basement of a building where you have to walk up two flights of stairs to know what's going on outside!

I know those button-pushers who golf all day while their wives are playing pretend tennis at their country clubs have put in their time and worked this same 9 to 5 (if not more...) but somehow knowing this and understanding that I'm basically doing the same thing doesn't cheer me up one bit! I don't want to have to do this for 20+ years before having the chance of doing whatever the heck I want whenever I want!

So, to sign off, I am currently looking for ways to get out of this carousel. But short of winning the lottery with a $345million haul, after tax, that's not going to happen for a while but I am definitely working towards it! I have my own small business on the side now with another idea in the pipeline and I'm the process of completing my CPA so it's just a matter of time, right?

How many of you like the dependability and predictability of the 9 to 5 schedule?

PS - As a disclaimer,  I might blog about how much I LOVE 9 to 5 tomorrow! Don't judge me! I think I'm a little rritable today.

I hope you are having a better day than I today! God bless and keep you all!! :-)

For My Birthday

Good Tuesday Morning to you!

So...

I am 22 years, 9 months and 18 days old. I found this really cool website that calculates your age in months, weeks, seconds and even tells you what day of the week you were born! I was born on a Saturday. Cool huh? Click here if you're curious.

But I digress.

My 23rd birthday is in 73 days 13 hrs 21 minutes 51 seconds on the 29th of October. For this birthday, I have decided to start a fundraiser for Charity: Water, an organization that focuses on getting clean and safe water to people who need it. It's alarming to know that almost a billion people don't have access to clean drinking water. Lack of clean water is kills more people every year! More so than violence. I have decided that I want to make my next birthday count.

The biggest gift this year for me this year would be getting clean water to as many people as possible. $20 can provide one person with access to a clean water project. My goal with your help is to change the lives of 35 people. 35 people will have access to a good cup of cool, refreshing, germ-free water by my birthday.

You can help.

With your help, my dream for my birthday can become a reality. All you have to do is give. Your sacrifice will improve another's life. That should warm your heart; it certainly does mine.

Go to my page HERE and give.

Make my birthday awesome this year! Make it one for the books. Enrich lives of people you probably will never meet but be assured that they will bless you wherever they might be.

That is enough for me.

Matthew 25 vs 35-39 -

For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

iUpdate!

Hello and Welcome!

So a lot of my dreams have come true this year, so I'm going to need to come up with new and improved stuff! First and foremost, I got to see Josh Groban in concert FOR FREE! I got to see the Barcelona vs Manchester United match a week ago (the fact that we, Barca, lost is relative) and now...I will be going to my first Grand Slam!! I'll be going to the US Open to see ROGER FEDERER!! And the others, I guess. I plan to be decked out in "RF" from head to toe! Oh and did I mention that it was FREE too? Yeap! Free! This marks my third free ticket to correct events in one year. I'm on a roll. I'm not going to count the free tickets I got to see the Washington Nationals play in August because well...I don't like Baseball! It puts me to sleep! But it should be fun considering that I will be going with the best most impressive people this side of the galaxy...and there's free food!

I made senior at work! I am almost a two-year audit veteran! Fun stuff! But in all honesty, I love my job and I'm good at it...getting better by the day too! With this promotion comes more work, more accountability, more hours and overall more responsibility but for some reason I'm not freaking out...yet. As a staff (level 1 and 2), you just do the work that is put in front of you and hope that you followed the meager instructions you were given to accomplish the task to the best of your ability and your senior doesn't think you're a complete "olodo" (that means stupid person, by the way. I probably should have used the English word, but that looks better, doesn't it?). Well, anyway, after two years of "staffing", I will resume work as a full Senior 1 in October! God has been good because it has not been easy. But I'm still here.

I think my favorite part of getting promoted to senior will be fact that I'm the boss of whatever engagement I get put on (discounting the manager, senior manager and partner, of course..lol). I get to dictate what time I want to come in to work, how many hours I plan to work...as long as the work gets done in the alloted time! As a staff, this was different. For the most part, you're told when to come in and when to leave (no fun!).

Again, I'm indeed thankful to God for bringing me this far...there is definitely more to come! Of that I am certain.

On that note, have a blessed and God-filled day!!

Psalm 23

Hello People!!

Thought to share this with you....Enjoy!

The Lord is my Shepherd = That's Relationship! 


I shall not want = That's Supply! 



He maketh me to lie down in green pastures = That's Rest!



He leadeth me beside the still waters = That's Refreshment! 


He restoreth my soul = That's Healing! 



He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness = That's Guidance! 


For His name sake = That's Purpose! 



Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death = That's Testing! 



I will fear no evil = That's Protection!
For Thou art with me = That's Faithfulness! 


Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me = That's Discipline! 


Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies = That's Hope! 



Thou annointest my head with oil = That's Consecration! 



My cup runneth over = That's Abundance! 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life = That's Blessing ! 


And I will dwell in the house of the Lord = That's Security! 



Forever = That's Eternity! 


Face it, the Lord is crazy about you. 

Keep that in mind!

Have a blessed day!!

Date with Josh

7/26/2011 3:14PM Changed my life!

There I was minding my own business, typing furiously trying to complete a memo and I hear the "ding" of my email alerting me that I have a new email. Disinterestedly, I open it. It's from an Executive assistant to the Partners at my job who I dubbed the "ticket lady" because the only time we get emails from her is when there are tickets to concerts or games that my company is trying to give away (or sell at a reduced price). But this time, my attention was captured within 5 seconds of glancing through the e-mail - among the available tickets to see Keith Urban and Mystics vs San Antonio, there were 6 available suite tickets to the Josh Groban Concert on Wednesday July 27, 2011 at 7:30pm at the Verizon Center!! OMG!

Remembering that the tickets are on a first come first serve basis, I quickly sent an email back to the ticket lady requesting 2 tickets and waited. Oh, did I wait! Thank goodness I had painted my nails because I would have gone to town on my pinky (I'm a recovering nail bitter...7 years and counting).

But at 3:53pm, I got the best news! I got the tickets!!! A squeal escaped before I could control it! I was in Cloud 52! I had thought about purchasing tickets myself when I heard he was coming, but those prices were steep! I love the guy, but COME ON! And out of the blue, I got SUITE tickets! Like a VIP! It can't get any better than that! And of course, I knew who to take with me..my fellow Grobanite and bestest friend, Bunmi!

I had to go to great lengths to get the tickets but I wasn't going to let gas be the stumbling block to my date with Winslow! Thursday couldn't come fast enough! I started boning up on all his songs - Oceano, one of my all-time favorites (I learned the lyrics! And I have no idea what it means) came to mind. Although he released it in 2007, I was really hoping he would sing it....

So Thursday - Bums and I got there at the right time. After trying to find parking in the Executive parking lot with our VIP parking passes (we were rockstars!), we left the car in the capable hands of the parking officials and rushed off! The show started at 8:10pm -

Bums and I

He was magnificent! His voice is so full, so rich and deep and I had to shake myself sometimes - his music is so profound that you can forget where you are. It still comes as a shock to me that that beautifully controlled tenor/baritone can come out of that slip of a man! He sang several of my favorite songs - Oceano (made my night), February song, You are Loved (with a twist), Per Te, Higher Window, War at Home, Bells of NY City, Galileo (Bunmi's new favorite), Alejate - Bunmi's all-time fav, you should've seen her face when Josh was singing this song!,Voce Existe Em Mim (beautiful Portugese song with a beautiful arrangement and lots of drums) and The Wandering Kind, an arrangement he put together when he was 12!. Oh! and he sounded BETTER live!

I should really stop here because I could go on and on about this guy! He sang to a lady for her birthday; I'm sure she will never be the same ever again! He was funny, witty, geeky, quirky and soooo Josh!

Okay, I'm done! I plan to listen to all his songs I have and hunt up the rest! I have fallen in love all over again. I'm actually thinking of quitting my job and moving to New York to find him. I have a beautifully crafted scenario already planned out. Still thinking about it though!

I have attached some of my favorites here for your listening/viewing pleasure!!

Ode to Honeychild

On July 23rd, 1984, a jewel was born in Nigeria into the family of Chief M.K.O Abiola and Mrs S.B. Abiola. She was cute. She would grow up to be one of a kind like those handmade Christian Louboutins that retail for half an arm and a quarter of a leg.



Honeychild at 4

Oyinlomo, to me, is a living, breathing asset. An addition to whatever life she touches. She is giving of herself- her time, her money, her cooking (and that alone is a blog for another day). She is the type of person that you will be blessed to have in your corner. She is smart, like her papa. Whatever she sets her mind to do WILL GET DONE! She's like a bulldog that way; she'll sink her teeth in and never let go until she sees results!

Birthday Gyal and I

I remember about 10+ years ago I was in primary 5 at Saint Gloria's School in Shonibare Estate, Maryland and she was in JS 2 at Atlantic Hall and it was about to rain. I don't really remember exactly what happened but we were stuck in school without a ride. So my sister decided that we would take the bus home. So off we went. Then this torrential rain started. When we got to our busstop (which was another 15 minute walk to our house), Oyin unknotted her navy blue sweater from around her waist and used it to cover both of us; it was really to cover me because by the time we got to Red Hat (this popcorn place close to the bus stop) to wait out the rain, my sister was drenched from head to toe, while just my shoes were wet. I will never forget that day.

She's cute aint she?

Oyin still does things like that now, with slight variations....

She's extremely creative; an expert planner. Be sure to check out Tasteful events Consulting whenever you have a chance. Oyin is the one who call when you have a birthday coming up and you want to do something but you have no clue what that something is! She's the general guru for planning ANYTHING! Brilliant!

Tols, Bums, Oy

Oyin is also really really weird. She barges into your personal space (my room in my case) and starts to dance to a song that only she can hear! Random sturves! Unpredictable is definitely a trait I can attribute to her. I mean who resists kisses one minute and plants a huge on you the next? Yep! Oyin!

Shakara Unlimited

Oyin with the heart big enough to fit the whole of Maryland! Oyin is like a Chocolate Molten Larva Cake- she has a hard exterior and a gooey and soft interior! She comes off as a tough cookie (and don't get me wrong..she is!) but she's more soft than anything. She's loving, open, giving, funny, weird, fun, cool, hot, mean, unpredictable and dependable.


Oyin and Pops



Oy and Shayo!



Oyinlomo, Tola loves thee! I admire you; I look up to you in so many ways. You really rock! I'm happy to call you sister. I'm proud of who are and I can't wait to see what God will do with you and where he will take you. I looked through Proverbs 31 today and it reminds me of you.

Oh! I also did some research on the number 27 and the one that stuck out to me was the fact that it's 3 to the power of 3 (3 x 3 x 3); divinity intensified. May that be applied to every area of your life and existence. May every mountain and obstacle in your life meet the intensified sovereign divinity over your life in Jesus' name!
Je t'aime plus que les mots peuvent dire.
Happy Birthday.

PS - Oy, this is for you -

!!!!!!SPECIAL DELIVERY OYINLOMO!!!!!!

"Doyinlomo, you play hard, you love hard and you most definitely work hard. You pursue your goals with admirable determination. I love you and I know your best years are yet to come. Meet me in Paris for lunch via TX *wink**wink*" - Bunmi

"You are a piece of my everyday life. An important piece of the puzzle that I could never take for granted. A friend that is a complete opposite of me but yet "gets" me. May God bless you and increase you. May He shock you with uncommon favor and take you to heights beyond your imagination. Love you much! Happy Birthday!" - Shayo

2 Chronicles 7 vs 10 - "On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the LORD had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel."

Suzy Homemaker?

I'm confused! Really I am!

My sister, Honeychild, is the cook! She's the mommy! I love it! She makes sure we're well fed and things are running smoothly so I eased into the baby position rather seamlessly. I am the baby, after all!

But lately, I feel this weird need to cook! WHY??? It saddens me! Now don't get me wrong, I can cook but I absolutely don't have to and I definitely don't want to. I mean, why should I? With a professional chef in the house - I'm spoiled. Stew today, Efo (vegetable soup), Okro soup, Buka stew tomorrow with a healthy dash of Jollof rice thrown in!

But yesterday (after I got the good news that my right eye is fine!!!), I cooked! I usually cook out of sheer desperation - Oyin hasn't cooked and I'm starving! That's the way it works! Then, my beautiful, maternal sister will have mercy on me (I mean us) and cook up a storm to last until the next desperate moment. It's a cycle!

That was not the case yesterday! I purposed in my heart to cook chicken stew! OMG!! And now Oyin put it in my head to bake a cake for her birthday (which is tomorrow, BTW) and I'm sitting here at work day-dreaming about frosting choices! I've gone NUTS!

Help me!

Can I Have Your Attention Please?

Hello!!

So something rather dire happened to me last week Sunday; I haven't been able to blog about it until now for reasons I shall explain in a minute. Church was absolutely spectacular. My pastor preached on the Spirit of Victory and how we should see what we say and not the other way around. It was awesome...except that my right eye was itching so bad that I was tempted to pluck out the offending eye and give it a good scratch. But being the demur lady I am, I gave it a cursory tap and rub every once in a while. Then it got worse! On my way home from Church (thank goodness I didn't drive), the flood gates opened and I was weeping profusely...from one eye! I looked like I had just walked into someone's fist!

So, thinking it was just my contact lens acting up again, I dashed into the guest bathroom the minute we pulled into the driveway to rinse out whatever grit had latched onto my lens. Then the unimaginable happened! The contact lens cut into two even pieces! I stared in shock at my semi-new lens that I just put in a week before! And to add insult to injury, that was my last pair! I think I went mad for about 5 minutes after that - I even tried to piece the two parts together IN MY EYE! This has never happened before...EVER! In my 4+ years since I started using contacts.

Quickly, I dashed into my car with one eye (I'm virtually blind without my contacts, really) after toppling over chairs and shoes and headed to the nearest Hour Eyes to get something to stick in my eye. Then ANOTHER shocker: during my test, I realized that even with  the prescription lens thingy, I still couldn't see anything out of my right eye! So the teddy-bear looking optometrist checked the eye and after a few "hmms" and "ahhs" told me that I have a corneal abrasion in my right eye and it's pretty bad. I won't be able to put any lens in the eye because that might cause unwanted complications (like GASP...blindness!).

I have been operating with one good eye since Sunday. Very frustrating. But this whole ordeal got me thinking...

I had been putting off getting a more updated eye exam and new lenses for quite sometime, my rationale being that the ones I have are working so why bother? Well, I had to bother on Sunday didn't I? Now the optometrist didnt say that this happened because I was using weaker lenses but you can bet that I'm never  putting off getting my eyes checked!

Has that ever happened to you? I've had more experiences with procrastinations that have caught up with me that I'd care to count! First it was my car that decided to die on me after I got several pleas to change her. I was forced to change her too! That one still hurts, actually.

I have definitely learned my lesson..I think!

PS - What do you think of the new blog???

JigSaw

Fear. Uncertainty. Doubt.

These words paint a picture of someone who has been walking in a pitch black tunnel with a glimmer of light ahead that seems reachable but this person has been walking for miles and hours and that light is still nothing but a glimmer - afar and unattainable.

I was that person.

Having heard clearly from God concerning my life, I chalked it all up to "the impossible" and turned from it. For years. I now realize that it's easier to do what I did than to admit that it does look like the impossible but then considering that nothing's impossible with this God, maybe, just maybe, with a little faith and action, something good can come out of a dead situation.

Life is like a jigsaw puzzle. You're never supposed to figure it all out. If that was the case, then you won't need God. That's why people go about their lives knowing that something's missing and trying to fill a vacuum only God can fill with other things. But I digress. We are only given a piece of that puzzle at a time. So, sometimes, we get caught up on the little information that we have and lose sight of the big picture. Thank goodness God doesn't!

We either get antsy that things are not going according to plan or as quickly as you'd expect or get comfortable with the little that you have. Two really bad places to be - I will discuss only the first today:

Expecting to set the pace of your life is a common mistake we all make. "I have to graduate by 21, get a correct boyfriend by 22, get engaged by 24, get married in less than a year, have a boy at 27 followed by a girl at 29. Oh yeah! Not to forget the career too - make sure that by 30, I'm pretty well set career wise with a 6 figure salary and a 20 hour work week!" All these things are great! But what if it doesn't work out quite that way? What then? I know the Bible does say that God will do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ever ask or think but what if all your plans fall flat?
 Does that change who God is? Why do we forget the promisor and focus solely on the promise? When did Jesus become "not enough" for us?

I am happy to announce to you that my previously small glimmer of light is getting bigger day by day, bit by bit. And I believe it's because I came to a point where I stopped grabbing for straws in my restlessness and listened again to what was promised to me. Yeah, it looks ridiculously impossible, but then a dream that can be achieved by you is not from God because you don't need God to get it. This one is going to hurt and I know that I'm going to need to hang on to God for dear life for this one.

I have a piece of the puzzle. I know it's going to be hard waiting for the next piece and trying not to be complacent with the piece that I do have, but His grace is sufficient because at the end of the day, my focus is not on the promise (which is uber cool, by the way), but on the One who promised me. That way, there's no issue if it takes longer than I anticipate because His ways are certainly not my ways.

So I'm hanging on.......

Have a blessed and God-filled day!!

PS - I have started a new venture, DClutterMe (just click on the word to get re-routed), a professional organization business - Be sure to check it out and "like" it on facebook!!