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???