Gone Too Long......

I know. But for good reason. Who knew that getting into school wasn't the hardest part?!!!!!. Anyway, I'm busy getting ready to move to Chicago. Tomorrow is my last day at work, and then it's full speed ahead till August. Everyone keeps asking me if I'm excited yet, and my typical answer is NO! But really, it comes and goes. I'm usually stressed, anxious, worried - you know, all of those kind of feelings - more consistently than I'm excited. But God is working everything out and I know it'll all be worth it in the end. It has to be! I do get excited when I think about going to Greece before school starts. Yep - GREECE! I'll be there in August with a bunch of classmates for a week, right before school starts. So Vicky (if you still read my blog, LOL), you need to give me info about all the hot spots.

Moving on, I don't know if anyone else is like me but I keep EVERYTHING and I'm anal about writing everything down. As a result, I have little pieces of paper with everything from phone numbers to cool quotes that I've heard lying around everywhere, including at work. Anyway, in cleaning out my office I found a piece of paper that I wrote on when I decided to start this blog with everything from possible blog titles, to how I would describe myself - you know, all that kinda stuff. I won't embarrass myself by revealing some of the cheesy things I came up with. Ok, maybe I will. LOL. No one can say I'm not smart now I'm going to b-school right? LOL. Here goes:

• In My Mind
• The Voice
• I am Ms. May.....Hear me Roar! (My personal fave....LOL)
• MayowitaRica....Chica Nigeriana (You don't wanna know...LOL)

Goodness! What was I thinking? Aren't you glad I didn't go with any of those? Anyhoo, the point of this whole story besides letting you in on the fact that I'm a hoarder and have the potential to turn into that crazy woman feature on Oprah who hoarded so much stuff that they were able to fill two warehouses with her stuff(extra long sentence I know), is that I found this cool quote by William Faulkner. He said, "Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." Now this can be interpreted in a couple of different ways but I choose to believe that he means that we should always strive to be a better version of ourselves. We're always competing to be better, stronger, richer, prettier, than the next person when really all we have to do is just focus on improving ourselves and all the other stuff will come.

The quote really hit home with me especially because I feel like I've been in competition with others and even myself over the last year when in fact as I look back, I've really improved and grown as a person. I think it became my focus as time passed but I wonder how much better things would be if that was a truly conscious focus from the beginning. My two cents. I won't tell you about some of the other stuff I found - I think I've put myself out there enough today. LOL. Maybe one day I'll share, once we get to be really close friends and I'm sure you won't tell anyone at all about what I'm really like. LOL.

To turn the focus onto things or people other than myself, I am extremely proud of some female friends and family who are inspiring me everyday as they start their various entrepreneurial ventures. I've supported them by buying from them, now I'd like to share their information with you so you can support them too cos I know you will.

• My good friend Wande, who is also the latest and hottest mommy in town recently launched her online boutique, called Ladyee Boutique for "smart, educated, cultured, well-rounded ladies who know what they want and are going out to get it". If this is you, you better hurry up and head over there for fashions from Black Halo, Egoist, Jully Kang and much more and she's having a grand opening sale as well. You won't be disappointed and trust that you'll get an amazing customer service experience as well. Please support this growing business!!!!!
• Another friend Yuwa has started an accessories business as well. You can check her stuff out here. Anyone who knows Yuwa, knows that she is a style MAVEN! Check her out for gorgeous purses and jewelry. If you live in the Baltimore area especially, check her out and support o!
• Last but certainly not least, I have to big up my mother, who has been a lifelong entrepreneur and example to me. She recently started an online travel business and needs our support. I know we're doing less air travel these days but when you do decide to book a trip, please visit this website. It's very simple and many flights are even less than travelocity/expedia/orbitz and co. Check it out and support my mommy!!!!

Ayt y'all. Who knows when next I'll have the time to write again so I won't make promises. Till whenever that is, be safe, do something fun, do something to help another person, love and be loved, and most of all, pray and have faith. Or simply put (I don't know who said it first but it wasn't me) - "Be good to yourself and to others". Peace!!!!

GONE TOO LONG

Hey Y'all! I wonder if anyone still bothers to read my blog since it's been ages since I last updated. My people, make una no vex o. Na life o. So much has happened between Christmas and now that as much as I have wanted to write, I had no clue where to begin. So, I'll do a checklist of sorts and try to hit the highlights.

December

• Nigeria was a blast. I arrived on December 24th and immediately started hitting all the weddings and events. It was non-stop for real. Congrats to Bimbo, Ade, Titi, Damola, and to the many others who got hitched in December. Long may your unions last.
• Christmas Day was great. The first with the boo, and he didn't disappoint. Gifts for me and the whole entire family as well. He was not playing. LOL.
• The arrival of boo's brother and his American/Ghanaian gf (now fiance - more on this later). I finally got to meet her after many phone conversations, and she was even cooler in person. The boo's folks threw us a party to introduce everyone to us. It was lots of fun, very cool and an opportunity to see where boo and his brother got their "mojo" from. LOL
• Last, but certainly not least - it was absolutely fantastic to be home with my family.

January

• January 1 was a year for me and boo. It was very low key but great. Lunch at Lobster Pot and a movie and some we time. I put together a CD with our moments from the past year for boo (thanks ICY!), which he loved. I was promised a bigger celebration later.
• I threw a get together at the house for friends. It was great to have folks that I hang with in ATL and the US at my home in Naija. Shout-out to Yuwa for making sure she showed up, albeit when the party was over. Big-ups to Jess, Bola, Titi, Steve, Fred, Zee, Tunde and everyone else for making it memorable. Thanks to my sis, bro, dad, boo and mom especially for making it happen. And you know Naija time was in full-effect when people started showing up 4 hours after the party was supposed to start! As a side-note, Naija has a way of helping you distill the real people from the crap people in your life. Just saying...LOL.
• Also on party day, boo's brother and his gf returned from a day trip to Ghana ENGAGED! Boo's brother did good on the rock too, I might add. They missed the party but we celebrated afterwards anyway and caught up on their nightmarish 4 hour experience at the airport on their return.
• Boo made sure he took off work the whole time I was home, which was great so I got to see him all the time. It was fabulous and made me even more excited about what was to come. I was sad to leave Naija but hey, life must go on.
• My return to the States was pretty sad for me but I got tons of great news on my return. I completed my interview with Emory, found out that I was admitted at Vanderbilt with scholarship and invited to interview with Chicago.

FEBRUARY (Best month so far!!!! - LOL)

• I learned in Early February that I was also admitted to Emory with the possibility of an amazing scholarship. I also completed my interview with Kellogg and Chicago. As far as my MBA apps go, I'm 4 out of 5 so far and I'm extremely blessed. I know I'll definitely be going to school somewhere in the Fall and it's such a great position to be in especially after all the blood, sweat and tears. Again, a big shout-out to all my friends who supported me during the application process. I love you all! I'm still waiting to hear from Cornell about an interview and by the end of March, I'll know where I'll be going. Pray for me y'all.
• I went dress shopping with my gf in whose wedding I learned I'll be a bridesmaid, which is exciting! She looked beautiful and I cannot wait for the day. It's gonna be tres classy.
• My dad and brother came in town for a few days, which was exhausting, but wonderful. My brother also turned 18, and it's so amazing to see how much he's grown. 6ft 4 and still growing and smart as can be. Proud of him!
• My sis shared some absolutely fantastic news and I'm so happy for her. I'll leave her to let y'all know....LOL
• My mom is in town now...well, in NY and she'll be here with me next week.
• We added a new member to our family - Sage, a Pomeranian mix dog. She is in California with my aunt and we can't wait to meet her!
• Ummmmm....oh yeah......BOO is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, you know I couldn't keep that to myself. LOL. He arrived over a week ago and is with me for a cple of weeks before he has to start his job up North. We're hoping he can get on a project in ATL but either way, it's sooooooooo much better than a cross Atlantic deal. He has been spoiling me rotten since he got here and I'm telling you y'all, LIFE IS SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!!!!!!!!. I can't even front. It's just so good to have his physical support and know that he's waiting at home when I get there. I'm showing him the city, he's getting to know my friends better, we've gone to church.....I could go on. It's just fabulous!
• 2008 for me has been fantastic so far. The positives have far exceeded the negatives and I am so so thankful to God for his grace, mercy, forgiveness, and blessings. It's more than I think I deserve but I am so grateful and I'll take it!

So, those are the highlights. If I left anything out, I'll come update it. I hope things are good with you guys. I haven't been able to keep up with the blog reading as much but I'm trying. Keep praying for me and I'll keep praying for you. Love y'all...ALWAYS!

Ms. May

Good Friends Are Hard To Find, I Think I'll Keep Mine....Thank You Kesingsheen!

Ok...funny title I know, but does anyone who grew up in Naija remember that ad for the hair cream, Kesingsheen? "Good hair is hard to find, I think I'll keep mine. Thank You Kesingsheen". Well, I do! So I modified it a bit cos y'all I have me some good friends and so it really should be, Thank You God!!!!!!

A lot has gone on since I last graced these pages with my presence. I was on a roll for a while but I told y'all it wouldn't last, didn't I? LOL. Anyhoo, the past few weeks have been a roller coaster of fun and hard work. Amidst studying for my GMAT, and work and life, I had 8 family members visit from London which happily took up a ton of my time. I had a blast spending time with them, especially the kids ranging in age from 4 to 15, and showing them Atlanta. They were here for about 8 days with one full weekend so I rented a minivan for the weekend, rounded up the troops and we visited Zoo Atlanta, Atlantic Station, Lenox, Phipps, (what, you didn't know they were local attractions....lol), and best of all, the MLK National Historic site. I had never been, and when I say that the experience was the most memorable and heartwarming thing we all experienced together, I am not exaggerating. Even the little ones somehow felt the magnitude of the man whose life story we were experiencing....no joke. It was amazing!

We weren't able to squeeze in the Aquarium, the World of Coke and Six Flags so there's a lot left to do next time they come.....or at least that's what we told them anyway. LOL. On their last night, I took the grown-ups downtown for dinner at Gladys Knight Chicken and Waffles, and ran into the coolest chick ever, Leona Lewis, the British girl who won X Factor in the UK. She was the nicest and we chatted and she told me she's in ATL recording with Ne-Yo. We took pics and left her to her meal. I think I'll be stopping by GKCW a bit more often now - never know who I might run into next!

The fam left the next day and then it was back to studying and having some fun as well over the long weekend. I hit up my first Final Fridays (TiwaWorks) party in a long time, and had an absolute blast, VIP style! The Naija crew was in town for the weekend and represented well. Also my friend's sis had a baby who was named after me....LOL. Not really, we just have the same name - so I spent some time with them as well. Then fast-forward to last weekend - my BDAY weekend. I was expecting it to be very low-key. On Friday, the boo made sure I got some flowers since he couldn't be here to celebrate with me and I had dinner with my girl Cris at Cheesecake Factory.

Saturday was spent with family and at a shindig at another friend's place. We had a ton of fun dancing and playing musical chairs. Note to people - musical chairs as an adult can be brutal!!!!! The people I played with were taking absolutely no prisoners...LOL. My bum still hurts from falling on the floor. LOL. Anyway - my friends made sure I stayed till midnight and sang to me and put a candle on a piece of cake for me. The we stayed and gisted till the early hours. On Sunday, I went to church and it was just ALL about thanking God and giving Him praise.....I didn't ask for anything. I just sang, and danced and praised Him. Then I met up with my friend Michael at Sal Grosso for what I thought would be a quiet dinner, only to find my friends from the night before and more at the restaurant. It was a blast and I realized even more than ever that I am so lucky and blessed to have good friends - people who I consider family now. I was also spoiled with gifts by them, as well as all of the phone calls, text messages and FB messages I received.

Me being serenaded at my birthday dinner. I got serenaded twice too. Once in English and once in Espanol! Who's a lucky girl then?


Just to take a moment to reflect, this time last year, I was lamenting about this. It's amazing the difference a year makes. I spent most of last year reflecting, making decisions about who and what was important to me, making changes that would move me forward and closer to the life that I have envisioned for myself and hopefully closer to my life's purpose. Last year was spent cleaning out my closet and this year, I have seen the benefits of doing those things. I have seen God's goodness just manifest itself in my life in ways I could not have imagined and I am ever so thankful. As always, I am still a work in progress, but the progress is happening and reaping rewards. The biggest change has been the QUALITY of people I now surround myself with. It is really true that you attract who you are, and it is wonderful being surrounded and loved and cared about by good, like-minded people. So to the boo, and to T, S, W, D, T and M especially - thank you so much for being there and for being such amazing friends.

So, this is the end of my gist o. You all have a blessed week. Make it count for something, you know? Make it count! Love Y'all and I hope to be back soon with another Changing the World article. Peace!

THE BEAUTY OF NEW LIFE

There is nothing like the birth of a baby to remind you of how wonderful and good God is, how beautiful life is, and how every moment you are on this earth is one to be grateful for because it's an opportunity. An opportunity to do it better or right the next time, an opportunity to stand up when you fall, an opportunity to be stronger, an opportunity to have a better attitude and to be more positive, an opportunity to do more - so that you leave something good, maybe even something great, for the ones that come after you.

At around 4am this morning, Kaden Kwame Evans came into the world and reminded me of all the aforementioned things. His mom is my good friend from school, Rose, who herself should be a constant reminder to me that despite challenges and obstacles, God comes through for you....ALWAYS. Without fail. I am an aunty to little Kaden, and I want to be the kind of aunty who is a good example, and who teaches him that doing your best is good enough whatever the outcome, and that you should always dust yourself off and try again.

This has been a bit of a hard few days for me because I took the GMAT again and didn't do as well as I'd hoped. Not the biggest of deals really, but for someone like me who usually does everything pretty well the first time, it was hard to take. I had a rough weekend, but as a result, I really felt how much I was loved and thought of because friends and family called and called to remind me not to reduce my worth to a test score. 2 friends in particular made sure I spent some time outside of the house doing fun things. My boyfriend has been the best support. My mom rallied the Naija folk so I've even been getting calls from home telling me its going to be okay. I've been slowly but surely trying to get back on track and come up with a new game plan for the next time. I am taking a couple of weeks off to have a bit of a life - you know, do things like laundry, cook dinner for a change, spend time with friends without having to run home to study, and read for pleasure. Then I'll start studying again to prep for the exam for the 3rd and final time. I have figured out that I have to be okay with knowing that I put in my absolute best and take whatever happens as it comes. I put in my best last time, and I will do it again. Looking back, perhaps I could be more confident about my abilities, and be more positive this time around so in addition to my strategic study plan, there will be elements of positive attitude reinforcement along the way. I believe it will be well - whatever happens, it will be well. Dusting myself off and trying again is absolutely necessary.

See Kaden, you already gave your aunty a little lesson in life. You are a special baby, without a doubt! I was on my way back from sadness but you've jolted me back into happiness. Thank you for reminding me what life should REALLY be about. I love you little one.