Do you know what today it? it’s our Anniversary!!!!!

Today is also Thanksgiving day, So happy Thanksgiving everyone. Here are some of the reasons why I am so thankful for this “Hot Boy” Adeniyi Okuboyejo.

Why I am so thankful…

...because I have a man that fears God.

... because I get to see Niyi's handsome face everyday!!! Not only does he look good, he has an impeccable sense of style.

...he is soo SMART!!! Niyi uses all these big words that I dont know nuffin bout, sometimes I look at him thinking " and how the heck does he know that?

... he designs and makes me clothes!!!! (Niyi made this coat)

Thankful to be in love with my best friend..It does not get any better than this.

Thank you Niyi for…

...staying patient with me, especially when I become very difficult to handle

... for staying up with me on many occasions editing and helping me with my grad school work.

...for always putting my needs and feelings first

... being my biggest cheerleader. I have achieved more that I could ever imagine in the last three years. You have NEVER allowed me to give up on ANYTHING. I simply don't know how you deal with me when I get fussy and ugly.

... for always keeping it real with me. I appreciate how you help me sort out my feelings and issues without sugar-coating . You keep things candid without hurting my feelings.

...for making sure we always have a good time!!!

finally, thanks for putting a ring on it!!!! We is getting Married.

Happy anniversary Niyi! Have a blessed Thanksgiving folks!

Cheers

Dami

Hot Thing- Talib Kweli Feat. Will. I . Am

My fondness for Kweli has dwindled over the years. He can be amazing at times, but then his knack for overwrought punchlines begin to kick in (Case in point, 51 seconds in this)
As for Will.I.Am.. well, I hate Will.I.Am… I cannot stand him…
with all my nitpicking, why am I excited about this song? What gives?

well there’s a back story to it…
Dami has little affinity for my music taste. I play Squarepusher and she shuts her ears down…
one day we were cleaning my room, and I decided to play Talib’s new album at the time. the first song comes on, and Dami is about to get into her usual shutdown mode. I couldn’t have that happening so I began skipping each track looking for something much kind to her ears.
this was it…

A few weeks later I try calling Demola on speed dial but call Dami who was by my side instead, and guess what my personal ring-tone on her phone was?…

yeah this song is most definitely making the wedding playlist…

As you all know, I am a big fan of weddings. I frequently visit Sugar Weddings and Bella Naija to catch up on the latest in Nigerian weddings.  I recently saw the cutest grooms attire ever. I just love when people allow their personalities to show through their weddings. Tradition is important, but then again, ” I thought you were the king.” Get it? from the movie Coming to America?   All I am trying to say is, it’s OK to scrap tradition every now and then.

This groom opted out of wearing a regular tux, instead he wore….

A traditional Indian Attire! I love it!

I totally love this couple by the way. I don’t know yall, so don’t get mad at me for posting your pics! I just love it! Take it as a compliment.

Enjoy the rest of the pics…

So cute, that all the groomsmen had on the Indian attire also.

I am so proud of Nigerian designers...check out the bridesmaids

Another set of bridesmaid..Nigerian designers should not be played with!

Back to my new fav. couple at their engagement ceremony! I just love them. I was not a fan of blue until...

I am still not a fan of the fan (lol)!!! I just don’t get why brides carry around these random  fans? Is it supposed to be part of your outfit? I am not knocking it, I am just a tad confused.

check out their traditional cake. Interesting huh...

Be sure to check out Sugar Weddings and Bella Naija.  They showcase  Nigerian weddings that mostly take place in Nigeria.

Cheers

Dami

I am not a wedding expert, but I love weddings. If It was up to me, I would create everything needed for this wedding all by myself.  All I need is my handy dandy hot glue gun.

The first thing that we did after we got engaged was try to come up with a budget.

Allow me to digress a little…
The initial decision that is for you to decide on  the type of wedding  you and your fiance would like to have. In our case, we want an intimate “party” feel wedding, with our closest friends and family (please don’t pull the lil Mama on that day). So, Niyi and I came up with a rough draft guest list which will help us choose our location and also help us come up with a budget.

We visited a lot of places, Houston has a lot of fabulous locations that will fit every type of budget.  Our only requirement was, we want to have free reign of the whole facility. We also want to stay away from hotels.

Petroleum Club of Houston–Very nice customer Service. The pictures on the website were beautiful, but we did not like the look when we got there. Niyi especially did not like the carpet and I did not like the fact that there were multiple events taking place at one time.  The view was very very beautiful though.

I cant enlarge this graphic for some reason, don’t worry about the captions, nothing important.

Chateau Polonez

Breath taking view, beautiful landscaping, but kind of far from most places. I was turned off because when I got there, the lady had forgotten my name…which is terrible! People need to brush up on customer service 101! There are also lots of random fees associated with this venue, so you have to thoroughly go through their contract.

Tuscany Villa

This venue had the worst  customer service in the world. The poor owner is overworked and is probably loosing a lot of business because of that.  The location is nice but has very poor landscaping.  They also have really good packages that includes pretty much everything that you need for your reception all the way down to your cake.  I asked for a contract from this venue, and when I asked for clarification for some of the calculations, I never got a response back.  I guess the thought they had a sister with no edumacation!

The Parador

Nice locations, but it is not big enough to accommodate all of our guests in one room. The landscaping is nice, but the location is kind of off. They claim that it is located in the museum district, in actuality, it is just too close to the freaking highway. We did not take any pics..(these are official pics from the website)

The Corinthian

MY FIRST LOVE!!!!! I have always dreamed of having my wedding at the Corinthian…JUST BEAUTIFUL. My sisters and were awe struck when we visited. Extremely Spacious, marble finishing on everything. Nothing short of exquisite. As usual, it took them forever to get back to me with a contract, which is always a turn off. And then  I found out that the location fee was for the space only, and I would have to pay for everything including silverware, chairs and tables, and even parking spots. It would have been a dream come true to get married here, but I would rather use the 200 thousand dollars as a down payment for a high rise apartment in Manhattan or our future brown stone in Brooklyn. (Insert Wendy Willams Pause here).

Union Station

This is actually located at Minute Maid park where the  Houston Astros play, they have a very beautiful room where they host events within the park. It is very beautiful,,,it actually has almost the same feel as the Corinthian. It is made out of all marble, high ceiling, arches, etc. The down side for this location is that your date might not be available. You have to wait till the end of year to book your date because that is when the baseball schedule is released for the upcoming year. So you might not get the date you want. Which is what happened with us.

So what location did we decide on? It will be listed on your invitation.!

Remember that this is a big decision, and you are stuck with it after it is made. Please read your contract thoroughly,,, and ask lots and lots of questions.

cheers
Dami

Even though it is only November, I have already started with my Christmas Songs…

My all time favorite is Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Jackson 5.

So what do I want for Christmas? Well apart from this Marc Jacobs clutch and some Indian hair for my next do, good health, peace and happiness! LOL

Cheers

Dami

The year is almost over, which is kind of crazy…

We are approaching my favorite season “CHRISTMAS.” I just love the feeling, the climate is always so joyful I am super excited about several things this Holiday season: Spending thanksgiving with my sisters and dogs, and Christmas with my dad and brother in Nigeria. I am so excited!!!

I will also be celebrating my golden birthday next month while in Nigeria!!!!! I am sooo   excited

Since it is thanksgiving season,  what are you thankful for?

I am  thankful for everything in my life, but for some reason right now, my dogs are right at the top my my list.

Nadia is technically my little brothers dog. We got her a couple of weeks before hurricane Katrina for my brother’s birthday. She is a snobbish and aggressive  full  German shepherd!!! She does not do well with strangers.

Nadia

Bubbles is a cocker spaniel and is always hyper active. He is Bukola’s dog and I think we have had him for over a year now. He is a lot of fun but never knows when to stop. He has a fear for boxes for some random reason.

As you can see, Bubbles is always trying to get comfortable under the covers.

Garoo is a Pomeranian Chihuahua mix. He is my dog, and will be joining me in NY eventually. Garoo is scared of everything including life itself.  He is also Nadia’s best friend.

Garoo

Nadi and Garoozie

This post is dedicated to my chihuahua Mama Jama that passed away 2 years ago. I miss her so much!!!!

R.I.P Mama Jama.

Happy November yall! and find something to be thankful for.

Cheers

Dami

I LOVE CAKE!

I watch all the cake shows (cakegirls make really nice looking cakes, unfortunately, I could not cut and paste). Check out their website. Its really cool!

As far as the wedding is concerned, I have been waiting for the opportunity to go wedding cake tasting my whole life!!!!

It is an American Tradition to have a grooms cake at weddings. Most people chose to make a cake that represents the grooms Alma Mata ,  hobby or something that identifies with the groom. The cake is traditionally chocolate (I am not sure we are doing chocolate guys..so don’t be shocked if it is red velvet or something random). I guess this is the where I pause and say this: Brides and Grooms to be, please don’t be pressured to do things based on tradition. If you want a red wedding dress, then wear a red dress. Its about making sure your day is fun and speaks to your personality. If any of your guests have a problem with it…well, it AINT “they” wedding!

We know what this groom likes!

Do you think Jay Z's cake looked like this? LOL

Can you believe this is a cake? It looks like it tasted nasty.

This does not look like a cake for real

DJ groom

White Wedding Cake

I have seen some wonderful cake designs that just take my breath away. When I think of our wedding cake, I think  simple, classic and tasty. White cake, butter cream icing, cream cheese and an assortment of berries filling, four tiers,square with an edible magnolia on the third tier . This vision might change 15 times before the wedding, and that is perfectly fine!

Here are some cakes that I found on theknot.com.

Simply beautiful! Modern, nice pattern…I LOVE everything about this cake. Please make sure that you cake “fits” in with your decor and overall theme.

This is so unique! The Brides nick name is ladybug. So they have tons of edible lady bugs going up the cake. This cake is clearly very personal. Now there is something creepy about the bugs, but if they  like it,  I love it!

I like the simplicity of this cake….tres chic!

This is the closest to my wedding cake vision. Very simple and timeless.

A lot of fun and still very clean looking…Looks very nice!

Nigerian Traditional Wedding Cake

For my non naija friends, there is a traditional wedding ceremony/engagement that takes place several days before the wedding. The cakes are always so unique. I have seen several that are shaped like fruit baskets, talking drums, luggages, etc. Here are some other types of traditional cakes featuring the bride and groom. I actually like these cakes (Deola, I know you think they are razz) but I don’t like the idea of the bride and groom sitting on top of the cake, they need to find another spot somewhere else around the cake.

Niyi and I found my new cake spot in NY called Magnolia Bakery. Their cake is sooooooo good, better than any other cake place I have tried so far. Be sure to stop by when you visit NY.

Cheers

Dami

It’s been quite some time people…

I am starting a weekly post where I will share with y’all  the songs that will be included in the wedding.

the first song to be inducted into this great playlist will be Love Song #1 by Me’shell Ndegeocello

Now I am not too fond of Me’shell’s music (too granola for me), but the etheral nature of the song drew me in from the moment I heard it.

Usually I am not one to drool over lyrics like this.. but how can I not?

“i adore you
your mind, body & soul
i’ve searched my whole life
for you, baby
you’re deeper than Love
deeper than blood”

I can see it already… the first song that comes on when everyone is making their way into the reception hall ….

ah yes..

so what do you guys think?

I read this from Victoria Osteen’s blog. Enjoy, I think it is pretty Good.

He Said, She Said

Relationships are all about learning. In marriage we are learning to become one; in families we are learning to get along; in business we are learning to work together; in friendship we are learning to make allowances for one another. Life is a learning process, and the quicker you embrace that fact, the more you’ll enjoy the people around you.

Over the years, I’ve learned that Joel doesn’t like hearing every single detail of a story, even though I do. I want to know exactly what was said, who said it, and how they said it. That’s why, when I tell a story, it takes me fifteen minutes, and Joel can tell that same story in about two minutes! Knowing this, I try not to tell him every detail, although it’s not always that easy.

One time, I was enthusiastically telling Joel something that I thought was important, and just as I was getting to the good part, I noticed his eyes beginning to glaze over. I began talking faster and faster, but it didn’t do any good. Finally I said, “You don’t want to hear this; I can tell because you are not even paying attention to me.”

It wasn’t anything he said; it was how he looked. I could tell by his body language that I had lost him after the first three minutes. I could have either allowed myself to get upset and frustrated, or I could just make a few adjustments in the way I communicate with him.

Now I try to tell him only the most important details of the story. When I see his eyes glazing over, I don’t get upset. It’s just my cue that he is going into “detail overload,” so I adapt to his communication style.

As you think about the people in your life, remember to respect and appreciate your differences. Don’t hold offense just because someone has a different approach than you do. Be willing to make adjustments and focus on the common ground of peace. As you work towards unity, you are positioning yourself to receive the wonderful blessings God has in store for you.

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!… for there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore (Psalm 133:1-3, NIV).

Today is my Daddy’s Birthday!!!!!!!! Happy Happy Birthday Daddy!!!!

I could not find a pic with my dad by himself..Happy Bday

I have been blessed with one of the most beautiful women in the world. My mommy is very gentle and has sacrificed more that you can imagine for her family.  She turned fifty this year, and we know God has many more years planned for her. I am her first daughter getting married, so this whole wedding stuff is really new for our family.

I really don’t have much to say…Just letting her know that I appreciate her for all that she has done for u!

As usual, here are some pics!

with my sisters @ her 50th bday dinner

Earlier this year, I was honored with the title" Rookie Teacher of the Year" for my school and District. My Mother was extra proud, and she flew in to attend the dinner with me in Houston. I was more excited about her being there than receiving the award. : D

This was at my graduation Ceremony from UH. Another proud moment for both of us!

We had a Mothers day get together the day after my graduation. My mom insisted on taking a picture with Niyi

We get it from our Mama!

My mom & Nike (my cousin)

I LOVE YOU MOMMY!!!

Cheers,

Dami