It's been 6 years!

Saturday, November 11, 2006.
There was a flurry of activity in the room that morning as my bridesmaids helped me get ready. We heard a knock and were all surprised to see my groom poke his head around the door. "Shuggy!!!", I squealed with excitement, dropping everything and making a beeline for the door. The girls tried to shoo him away, insisting that he was not supposed to see the bride before the ceremony. Paying them no mind, I ran into his arms and as he held me, I closed my eyes and said a quick thank you to God. My heart was filled with joy and gratitude. They teased us and we laughed. That was the beginning.

I knew my life would change when I said my vows that day. What I didn't know, was how significant that change would be.

Sunday, November 11, 2012.
It's been six years.

We started this journey in a tiny apartment, our mattress on the floor, watching bootleg copies of Lost and Grey's Anatomy, because we couldn't afford a bed or cable TV. The AC we inherited from the previous tenants helped keep things cozy, perfect weather for getting to "know" each other. Good times!

We've had good days. Lots of them. We've seen our dreams become reality. Our goals and projections have not only been met, they've been exceeded. We've seen God come through for us time and again. God has been kind to us. We couldn't have done it without Him.

We've had bad days. Times when giving up seemed like a better option. Days when love became a choice, a tough one, because the feeling was just not there.

We have made it through the storms, surviving love's ebb and flow. We have laughed and cried together. We've evolved and grown together. We have made memories together. As I look back on the past six years, my heart is filled with gratitude to God.

I'm grateful for all His blessings, especially the ones that money cannot buy.

I am grateful for the opportunity to walk this journey with you Adebola, the love of my life and the life that I love. My booboookins. All round great guy, steady proving to me that there is a God. Putting up with my skoin skoin issues. Keeping my heart tender. Letting me thrive. When I count my blessings, I count you twice. Olowo ori mi. Nwoke e ji eje mba. I celebrate you.

I'm grateful for Nathan Ademide, Alexis Ademidun and David Ademidara, the children God gave us. If God's blessings were earned, I would not qualify.

Moshopef'OluwanitoriwipeOsh'orenlafunmi. If I had a thousand tongues  they would not be enough.

I have no idea what the future holds. Truth be told, I am afraid sometimes. What if...? To keep fear at bay, I keep reminding myself of the scripture God gave me in the beginning

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..."                             1 John 4:18 

The truth is that in life, there are no guarantees.
Life happens and there will always be things that are beyond my control. I have the option of refusing to maximize my life by living in fear, or  choosing to make the best of what God has given me, trusting Him to perfect what He has started.

I look forward to the future holding firmly unto this promise:
"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ"    Philippians 1:6 

Thanks for coming by again and again.
May your dreams come true.
xxx

365 days since my Lil' Miracle arrived :)

"Hello, is that Geebeemislowah" The voice on the phone asked. Hearing my name distorted like that is something I've gotten used to, so I replied, "You mean Gbemisola? Yeah, that's me."

"I'm calling from the lab with your test results" she explained. "Congratulations, you're pregnant!"

WHAT??!!

"What?!" I shouted, "that is sooooo not possible! There's no way I can be pregnant"
"Well you are, congratulations again" she said, as she got off the phone.

That, my friends, was how I found out I was expecting a baby on my birthday last year.

To say that I was shocked is an understatement. I couldn't believe it. It took a while for me to wrap my mind around the fact that I was pregnant. I was sad :(

Yes. Sad. Very Sad.

*insert long story here*

I know I've promised to share this story before, but let me confess, I've been unable to bring myself to write it because it requires dredging up memories of a really dark period in my life. This girl is a coward. I'll give it a shot soon. Today? Tomorrow? The honest to goodness truth is that I don't know.

Suffice it to say, that the time between March, when I found out I was pregnant, and October, when I gave birth, was the most trying period of my entire life.Thankfully, God brought me through.

This scripture is my testimony:

"...Weeping may endure for a night,

But joy comes in the morning."

I went through all of that for a reason and even though I don't fully get it yet, I know that I wouldn't have experienced God the way I did if I didn't go through all I did. GOD IS FAITHFUL.

It's hard to remember all those dark days right now, because Joy has indeed come.When I hear David laugh, I wonder how I could ever have told God I didn't want to be pregnant. David is such a delightful child. There is NO way I could have earned such an AMAZING blessing from God. As he turns one today, my heart is filled with gratitude to God that He gave me David Ademidara MomoreOluwa, My Lil' Miracle.

What life lessons could Humpty Dumpty possibly teach me?!

The frenzied rush to get everyone ready and off to school has become our new normal these days. We had one of the not-so-crazy days last week. Everyone was in a good mood and we were all singing, Nathan using the chance to show off some of the rhymes he's learned in his new school. I didn't know a lot of them, so I would chop mouth ad lib, and then sing really loud when he sang one I knew. When we got to Humpty Dumpty, I was like, yeah, I know that one and we sang the version I knew:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again.

Then Nathan sang this version that I had never heard before and I was blown away! Not because I didn't know the words, but because of the lesson in it for me. Nathan was preaching to me!!  

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

Humpty Dumpty knew what to do,

He fixed himself with tape and glue.

I was like, "What did you say?!"

It was a light-bulb moment for me. Humpty Dumpty did what?!

Humpty Dumpty rewrote his story.

He accepted responsibility for his own life.

He didn't accept the verdict of the kings men as final.

He fixed himself. He did something about his life. He may not have looked pretty, all taped up, but he was fixed. He was no longer the victim. He...

I could go on and on, but you get it.

I made a recording of him singing it that morning. You can view it on my youtube channel. I couldn't stop thinking about it and on our way to church on Sunday, they kept singing it.

When we got home, I got a chance to make a better video. They wouldn't stand still, but of course, after I promised to bribe them with give them ice cream, they co-operated :)

Here's the video.

Like the bible says... "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings..."

Thanks for coming by again and again.
May your dreams come true
xxx

Friends and fun at The Rub :)

It was a few days to my wedding when I got a call from my friend, Deji. He wanted to find out how things were going and if I needed anything. I thanked him and said everything was fine and then he asked what car I was going to ride in to church. Shocked that I was seriously considering riding in "Funmileyi", my faithful rugged Nissan Sunny, he offered me the use of his car he had just bought. He wasn't going to let me get away with another of my crazy schemes... Bride driving her self to church? Maybe in the movies, but not in Lagos.

I was pleasantly surprised by his thoughtfulness. Preparing for my wedding without my parents had taught me that the only One I could really count on was God. Life had shocked me into growing up. Taking care of myself without asking for help quickly become a lifestyle. Deji's kind gesture meant a lot to me particularly because it was his idea, not mine. I have been told that I give off a vibe that suggests I don't need help, perhaps that's why I don't get people offering to help me often. That's fine, I don't have a sense of entitlement. I also don't like waiting around hoping to be rescued. If I want something done, I do it. On the rare occasion that someone not only anticipates my need, but also attempts to help me meet it, I really really appreciate it and I do not take it for granted. It's the little things make my heart smile. I don't forget.

He's in town for a course and we got a chance to hang out last week Friday. We had fun, reminiscing about old times as we laughed and talked over dinner. His wife, Yinka, and I are best of friends. She was one of my bridesmaids and she's extra special because we were born on the exact same day :). We've all come a long way since our Daystar singles fellowship days and God has been kind to us.

We found this really cool restaurant, Jonathan's The Rub, tucked in a cozy little corner and we had a good time. The food was really good, catching up and spending time together was even better. Fun times :)

The Lobster Taco was really good! By far the bestest Taco I have ever had.

I had the Red Snapper Santa Cruz served with a side of  Mac and  5 cheeses. Words . Cannot. Describe.

 Jonathan's The Rub gets 10/10. We're definitely going back.

 I'm going to keep being nice by bringing you more pictures of food ;) If your tummy rumbles, that's a signal for you to say a prayer for me. Hehehe. Pray! Pray for your sister... lolzzz

Thanks for coming by again and again.
May your dreams come true.
xxx

Of forgiveness, Chicken Lollipops and Bacon Wrapped Chicken.

Once in a while, you come across a blog that inspires you.

That's the effect Sabirah's blog has on me. Her post about forgiveness made me think deeply. It's hard to believe that she's so young. I admire her.

I found this picture of Chicken Lollipops she put up. Yummy.  

source

Reminds me of one of my new discoveries, Bacon wrapped Chicken. Yum Yum Yum, Delicioso! 

Home made appetizers for the win!

So what if it came in a box from the store?

I had to carefully unwrap the box, arrange the pieces in a pan and bake it in my oven. It doesn't get anymore "home made" than that joor. Scratch "made from scratch". *adjusts chef hat*

One of my friends thinks I'm crazy because when I'm hungry, I like to look at pictures of food. It gives me pleasure, especially if it's food I already ate. I feel like I'm breaking the "you can't eat your cake and have it" rule. *cheeky grin*

I like breaking rules. Tell me I can't do something and I immediately find myself trying to figure out just how I can get away with doing it. Explains why I got into a lot of trouble as a child... Yeah, that and my big mouth... My aunty used to call me "Radio Lagos". If only talking was an Olympic sport... 

Do you like to look at pictures of food too, or do you, like my friend, think I'm only punishing myself? 

I would like to know what you think.

Thanks for coming by again and again.

May your dreams come true

xxx

Labor Day Weekend :)

Labor day weekend was fabulous. We had a proper dinner date for the first time since we moved here. 

Not having anyone to babysit, we've had to make do with lunch dates and movies while the munchkins are at daycare. Going out to eat with them is fun, but I don't need to be a mind reader to know that the other diners (who are gracious enough to smile after having had pieces of food thrown at them) and the people who have to clean up after us don't like us very much.

You can imagine how excited I was when Dooshima offered to babysit when she was around. I'm so grateful to her. She's really great with them, and knowing they were in good hands, we were able to  relax and have a great time.

Dinner. 

At the movies :D  We saw Sparkle. Whitney Houston is/was such an amazing actress. I doubt that there was a dry eye when she sang "His Eye Is On The Sparrow". 

It was a fun weekend, we enjoyed having Dooshima around. We had a Crawfish feast. Fun times!

Alexis loves Aunty :D

Debola and Dooshima doing justice to the Crawfish 

See the serious looks on their faces? Figuring out how to eat Crawfish is not a joke at all o. Just yesterday, I was tweeting about how I need to learn how to eat Crawfish in public without looking like a village girl. I ended up spending a good chunk of what was supposed to be Study Time watching YouTube videos of how to eat Crawfish. I had a good laugh. You should look them up. Jokes for days...

Thankfully, I didn't laugh and forget why I turned on my laptop in the first place. I was feeling like a good girl, taking my online English Composition quiz which I thought was due  on Thursday  on Monday night. Imagine my relief when I found out it was closing at 8am on Tuesday. I would've been so pained, especially because it was really easy. We had 45 minutes for three attempts and I only needed one attempt and 5 minutes to get a 10/10 score. Yeah, I'm showing off *dusts shoulders off* Lol... School's cool ;)

Thanks for coming by again and again
May your dreams come true
xxx

First day of school :)

It's been crazy these past couple of weeks. Crazy good.

Nathan got into the Head Start program this year and we're really glad because it's perfect for his transition from  a faith based pre-school to Elementary school when he turns 5 next year. He wasn't picked last year and even though there was a long waiting list, he made it. God keeps showing up for us and we are so grateful.

See how excited my baby is?

He's been looking forward to "real school" all summer. I tried explaining to him that Kindergarten doesn't start until next year, but as far as he's concerned, not going to his regular daycare for pre-k 4 is "real school". Why rain on his parade? 

                           

He's wearing his "I will make history" shirt :) 

As other kids cried and clung to their moms, I was pretty chuffed to see him so independent. The tears we had to wipe were those of Alexis'. She didn't see why she couldn't stay.

She had already claimed her own seat in his class :')

As I watched them, I was reminded of how blessed I am. I do not take God's blessings for granted. This  verse of scripture expresses my heart's desire. I don't ever want to lose sight of how important my job as a mom is as I pursue my dreams.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.                   3 John 1:4                     

My first day of school
Unlike Nathan, my first day day of school started off pensive. Thankfully, it didn't stay that way and I tweeted this picture in the middle of my first class. Teacher was teaching, Gbemi was tweeting. See my life? :P

By the time classes were over, I was sure that going back to school was the right choice. I wasn't afraid anymore. Errr.. that is not entirely true... I'm still afraid of Algebra. So afraid, I didn't register for any math courses this semester at all. The fear is reeeeaaaallll!!!!

In the weeks leading up to resumption, I was afraid. Thankfully, all that fear served a good purpose. My fear drove me to my knees and as I took time to reflect and ask God for direction, I closely examined my career choices and realized that while Fashion Merchandising was a good career option, I wasn't passionate about it. It was familiar and wouldn't be hard to study, but as I tried to answer the question:

"what would you be doing if financial reward wasn't an issue?" 

I knew I wouldn't pick fashion. I would not do it for free.

What I would do, which I am already doing for free and which I absolutely love, is being there to listen and offer encouragement when people share their cares and concerns about love and marriage. It gives me a lot of pleasure to see people find love and to see marriages thrive, especially if the couple had given up before. Watching God restore marriages, praying along with those who need it and just sowing seeds of love. I love researching possible solutions to issues, so that I can do more than pray or say "it is well". If you follow me on twitter, you already know I can go on and on and on, talking about love, God's way. I have since been named "Aunty Ifesowapo" by Atoke. @gbemisoke is a Love Ambassador. No shame. I often get DMs and Emails with requests for prayers, questions or advice and I find myself carrying burdens of people I barely know because I have come to realize that beneath the strong facades we try to put up, we are all the same, we want to love and be loved. The reason a lot of people suffer in silence is that we think our problems are exclusive to us, so we plaster on our practiced smiles and say "it is well". Jesus did not die for us to endure such pain. I am not ashamed to say that I struggle too. I have issues, questions, imperfections and it bothers me when I cannot do more than pray. I like searching for answers and I love to share them.

I have since changed my major and I'm studying to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. A Psychology degree is a requirement for a Masters in MFT, which I need to be licensed to practice. I studied Business Administration back home, so I'm doing Psychology first. It's going to take me so much longer to finish school, but I don't mind at all. I'm so passionate about love and how to make it work, I don't mind putting in all the years of study, just so that I can move beyond empathy to helping people find solutions. One part of me thinks I'm crazy. Debola is convinced I am on the right path and he has been very supportive, patiently listening as I went on and on (and on and on and on), trying to clarify the random thoughts in my head, praying with me as I asked God what He really wants me to do with my life, and just being there... I do not take all of that for granted. Having a supportive partner is such a great blessing.

When the day comes that I am weary, I will come back to this post and hopefully, I will be reminded of this joy and immense sense of gratitude that I feel and I will find the strength to keep going, to keep smiling as I did on the first day of school :)

I've stopped taking on sewing projects so that I can focus on my family and school for now and I'm hoping that as soon as I settle properly into this "adult education" thing, I'll  be able to blog more.

Thanks for coming by again and again,
May your dreams come true
xxx