The Life of an Obssesive Event Planner

More weddings..and events

2009-04-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

I feel like by the end of the year I am going to be burned out. I have a wedding the same weekend as NANA Camp. NANA is this organization that hae an annual retreat. I have managed to recruit a wonderful team this year that varies in people and I am so excited about it and nervous because I am beginning to feel like we may not be able to pull it off. I have decided to work on the wedding full time and now don't know what to do with myself. Ugh! So tired already.

So the next two weddings are:
August 1 (Washington, DC), and August 29 (Bristol, UK)

I got a call today about a wedding in Nigeria that I am being asked to help coordinate. I think I will only consult on this one and have an associate actually do the day of in Nigeria because I hope (by then) I am preggo and don't want to travel to far with a huge belly. Furthermore, I have this thing in Nigeria next year that is suppsoed to be huge and I have to save for that as well.

Then there is the Fundraiser that I am assisting in organizing for October and finally I might be taking on a bride in September. who knows...so I will keep you posted. Not to mention the myriad of weddings I am supposed to attend as a guest and a friend (May 3, June 21, August 22 etc) God help me oh!

Event 2: Robinson Ramseur

2009-04-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

So my second event of the year is the RAmseur/Robinson Wedding. The bride is a dear friend and my old boss when I was previously employed at Baltimore Junior Academy. t was great working with her there and I was happy when she finally found a wonderful person to tie the knot with.

So I arrived on Thursday afternoon and I was hired only to set up flowers. I got a call enroute to Baltimore that the 200 Golden Yellow Calla lilies were MIA on a plane and wouldn't arrive until Friday much to my chagrine. I quckly set about hydrating all the flowers. I had some help with some old students. we had 750 golden yellow roses 200 yellow Ecuadorian roses, 20 white hydrangia and 35 white calla lilies. I also ordered 10 bundles of baby's breathe. On closer observation I noticed that the flowers ordered would not be enough. I was doing 28 centerpieces (12 tall and 16 small) There was no way this would enhance the full ness. I needed more greenery. I got nervous

Friday
On Friday, I went back to the school and picked up all the tall vases and bubble vases, I also picked up some other accesories (will post pictures soon)for her boquet. So after spending three hours prepping, I began making the pew clips for the church. 24 pew clips with white hydrangea and green sun flowers. It was interesting that the moment I started working with the Hydrangea, they began to wither. I went back to the care of hydrangea and realized that the room I was working in was too hot. I finished 20 pew clips and surrounded them with yellow ribbon since the wedding colors are golden yellow and white.

I had 300 yards of white ribbon and 400 yards of yellow ribbon. I had to decorate the whole church which had over 100 pews so I had enough ribbon for that and the boquets and the boutannairs and the corsages.

Saturday
I quickly started working on the boutannairs which were 18. And the corsages which were 3. I also made the bridesmaids boquet which were a total of 6. And a toss boquet which was 1 small yellow. Finally I began work on the bridal boquet but I had bought ferns. I had to make 5 tall centerpieces for the church. two for the front of the church and 2 for the back to be placed on the pillars. And then 1 28inch tall one for the candle table. The bridal boquet was not what I had imagined in my head. She had told me she wanted ferns which I used. AFter completting it to some degree, I realized I didn't like it. When she stopped by, the reaction I recieved confirmed what I felt. There is something off putting about ferns. I quickly re-adjusted my perspective and took that boquet apart. Loaded up the car and headed to the church for prep.

Prep involved laying out the ribbon for me to be able to set up tomorrow. I placed all the flowers (5 tall pieces) in the fridge and the pew clips and I set up the pillars and headed to my hotel.

You would think work ended tonight but of course it didn't. I got to the hotel at 12am and finished the bridesmaids' bouquets making sure they stayed hydrated. I also worked on the flower girls' headpiece. I was so beat by 1am. I fell asleep and asked the front desk to wake me up at 4.

Sunday (Day of Event)
Watch the timeline and tell me I am not the bomb!

4a.m: I headed back to my work station and worked on the boquet, and finished all the corsages. I started prepping for the centerpieces and worked like a dog on that. I also worked on 3 tall centerpieces

8a.m. Headed back from Baltimore City to Owings Mills which is where the bride's hotel was. Delivered the boquet which she absolutely loved. I did a new creation (no ferns thank God!) and used lily leaves, pearls and golden yellow roses with yellow calla lillies. It was beautiful. I also finished the boquets for the bridesmaids, wrapping them in white ribbon since thier dresses were yellow. They had white calla lillies and white roses. I used corsage pearl pins for the base of all the flowers. I also made three corsages with white ribbon (yellow calla lilies and roses) for the mother and grand mother and aunt of the bride.

9:30am: I headed to the church. I had to be done decorating by 11:30am becuase check out of my hotel was 12:00am and I had to finish the reception site decor. I arrived at the church which was in Baltimore City on Madison Avenue at 10:00am, I started decorating the church.

I used two layers of white ribbon and 1 layer of yellow ribbon and strung them down the aisle per aisle making the curve. I then hooked th pew clips on every 4th aisle. I also placed giant calla lilies in the bottom of each pice and placed the centerpiece on top of the 20 inch cylinder vase. It took me till 12 to finish and I headed back to Owings mills. My husband of course had chcked us out in time and then we hustled (after grabbing a bite to eat) to Baltimore to begin work on the reception site.

So as not to bore you with details, will post pictures tonight. I worked my tail off and then boom at 4:00pm when they were ready to come into the reception hall, I was done! It looked gorgeous

Things I would have loved to do:
1. I would have loved to put votive candles on the tables (at least four) to bounce off the pearls so people can see how beautiful the pearls inside the tall cylinder vases looked
2. I would have loved to put lights inside the water so they illuminate the giant calla lilly inside the vase
3. I would have loved to have more time with the vases to make sure they had adequate calla lillies sticking out
4. The calla lillies arriving late caused the stems to be weak and it made it so that they didn't stay upright in the centerpieces much to my annoyance.

All in all however, it was beautiful. Unfortunately after running around so much I could barely stay on my feet and I didn't have a chance to get cleaned up or anything because i had to hustle back to my 9-5.

Now I working with my August Brides. 2 weddings in August and maybe something in MAY.

My Disappointment in "Twilight-The Movie"

2009-03-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, you have heard me say that I am a HUGE fan of the "Twilight" Saga. And I know it is supposed to be a "teeny-bopper" flick but I enjoyed the books immensely. The movie after watching it 5 times I finally realize what I don't like and why it is so off putting yet addictive.

This is a spoiler alert so if you haven't seen the movie or read the books, skip the movie read the books!

1. Bella: I like Kristen Stewart's portrayal of the character Bella. She did an excellent job but there is always (as in most movies with her i.e. In the Land of Women) something lacking in her dialogue. Only in scenes where she is totally petrified i.e. after the baseball game where she yells at Edward when he is trying to buckle her into the car, is she fully in character. I know that that is how Bella the character is supposed to be, at least from the reading of the book but I think there is something missing in her portrayal of the character. She didn't go deep enough to the chore of Bella based on the book.

2. Edward: I love the actor playing this role. He did an adequate job I think but there was always something lacking in his character. I don't think it was his fault. I actually blame the script writer. There was so much depth of the character lost in this role. I feel they went only on looks and didn't develop the intensity which the book portrayed very well. Edward's character development fell short which left me wanting more out of the actor but really, he only worked with what he had but I wish they had done a better job

3. Bella and Edward: The relationship was something to be desired. I mean I sat there through the movie 5 times on my couch and still felt like it was a poor very lack luster and very basic portrayal of the relationship. First of all I didn't appreciate all the changes and eliminations and additions to the original script. Sometimes I wish that the writers would just take the book and transpose it into film. They really messed up the whole relationship. You are left at the end wondering "what is wrong with this girl? Why does she feel so intensely about this vampire" And "What is wrong with this vampire? Y is "Bella" now his life? etc"
Well what people watching the movie miss out on (which is sad) is the many nights of Edward in her room, the many times she and Edward hang out. Her true feelings towards him are not expressed at all. I mean the words are there and even the scene in the restaurant leaves you wanting more. Even the night he is in her room, you wish there was more. The whole time I am watching, I want more.

4. The characters that I felt were developed efficiently and portrayed well are Bella's Dad (Charles), Esme, Carlisle, Emmette, Alice and Jasper. I didn't like the portrayal of Rosalie. In the book, Rosalie was elegant, refined and yet very "bitchy" the portrayal of Rosalie was done effectively. Maybe for me the term "elegant" applies to something more graceful. This character was not graceful. She was very odd. the person playing Rosalie could well have been the person playing Victoria. I felt Victoria was even more graceful than Rosalie in the movie. I loved Laurant and James. These were the best portrayals for me in the movie. Matter fact, the baseball scene was the BEST scene in the movie. The rest I could have skipped. Truly the Baseball Scene and the fight scene at the end with Edward were the best. I think at that point they got it right. I felt that the characters were truly performing up to the book level. I mean the way they faught was just like the book and even Alice craving Bella's blood was perfect.

5. I LOVE JACOB. Enough said!!! I am glad the person playing Jacob will be back in "New Moon". I mean he took over every scene. I hope they find more characters to match his in New Moon or I will write Stephanie Meyer personally and complain about how the movie is falling short.

6. The school scenes were all stupid! Yeah I said it! Even the accident scene was poorly done. Edward didn't jump over the Truck and walk away. He stayed and tried to pressure Bella into believing him prior to the Hospital. And Rosalie was NOT at the hospital. Ugh! That whole scene was supposed to be climatic and they botched it big time. And Tyler, Mike, Jessica, Lauren, and Eric etc! They were ALL annoying even Angela was annoying too. I mean they made the school seem so diverse and big but the school was just a small town school. The teacher apppeared to be all cool but in reality he was a brainiac (based on teh book). I was annoyed by the scenes with Bella and Edward in the school. In fact all the scenes that happened in the school got a serious thumbs down from me. ALL of them.

One last thing, the song Edward was playing on the piano was not focused on which disappointed me. They forgot to mention that was Bella's song. Being into music, that song is haunting me and I think when I get home I will look for it. I love the way it sounds, while he is playing it on the piano. There was something about that scene that made and changed the tone of the movie. Once that scene came I started getting into the movie so I thank them for including it. And for the record, Bella was driven to the airport by her mother alone, and her father had bought the car prior to her arrival, She didn't meet Jacob (sigh) until the trip to La Push and Billy AFTER she and Edward were dating. And AFTER the rescue he always took her to school etc.

Ugh!

Okay, I am NOT going to say I hated it since I watched it 5 times but I will say that they destroyed a good book in that Movie. So my advice to the producers of "New Moon"! FIX what wrong you did us in Twilight. Make it better. And if they botch the transformation of Jacob in that movie, I will be hella pissed.

Sewing and more

2009-03-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

So I have a new company called Alafia Interiors and Events. I am on my way to certification. One of the brides I am working with in April called and was hysterical because she needed to see her centerpieces. I had to jet to MD to do a preview for her. She was mad excited. I keep thinking (in my head and now online) if I was like that. I think I was actually worse

Then I spent the weekend just chilling on the couch re-couping from my overnight visit to MD. I mean I left on Friday and was back on Saturday. Her centerpieces will be tall eiffel tower vases with Yllow calla lilies and yellow roses, votives and petals are the make up of the rest of the table. The small table has bubble vases with a light beaming down and the same flowers will be used. I did 3 centerpiece samples for her and a mini holder for the ladies. Will post pictures later.

I am doing what I love and loving what I am doing! I have another wedding in the U.K. and I am doing the decor for the engagement in August and one traditional engagement which I am also doing the decor for. Wish I had more things to do...

Meanwhile, I cut out the pattern for a dress and made all my alterations on the pattern to fit my body shape. (will post pictures). I bought this really nice fabric from www.firerepublic.com which is a compnay that my friends own. They sell really nice fabric and ElDee sews. So after all these months of accumulating dust, I have busted out my machine again. I made a few skirts but never could put a zipper in those bad boys so I never could wear them. But I finally stuck a few zippers in and now it works fine (at least the two I did put zippers in).

So now I am going to attempt to make a dress. Wish me luck!

Twilight my new obsession

2009-03-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

So I found that I am not mad at my older sister for falling in love with vampires. I mean how could you read a Stephenie Meyer book and not want to just become one.

I was driving with a couple recently and all I could think about was, man! I wish I was a vampire right now...thanks Stephenie Meyer. Anyway if you are wondering where I have been...well I have been reading Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Not to mention that I just spent the better part of my day reading the new book in the series Midnight Moon.

Oh! and I rented the movie "Twilight" only it comes out on DVD in two weeks. And I got my book club to read Twilight. I am obsessed with her ability to express emotion. I love the series. And I think that since I am a Roswell fan, I am most definately weird to a large extent.

By the way if you are into rock to some extent you have to listen to Gomez's "Notice". I love it!

Okay going back to finish the read on Midnight Sun, then i am going to bed...Get the books!

An Open Letter Part I: Dear You

2009-03-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

Dear _________:

It all started a while back
When we first laid eyes on each other.
I knew you didn't like me I felt the negativity
I accepted that this foreign emotion
Which corroded my senses was a mere mist
I could handle this situation
I could assist you in evolving into more that mere
nothingness
I could let you see me for me and accept me as me
I would open up the gates to my deep thoughts,
my mind would flood you with intelligence and wit
We would be one

But this roller coaster of emotions has got to end
I am getting off
From that moment you have toyed with the concept
of acceptance for your own profit
We need not hold pretenses and continue
This false masquerade of allegiance
We need not hold pretenses and continue
This tragic parody of existence
We need not hold pretenses and continue
This mirage of unity and contentment

We can just do what should have been done from that moment
When I first laid eyes on you

I am getting off this roller coaster

I am still

Hell Week...

2009-02-23T06:16:00.000-08:00

So my husband and I moved to our new apartment in November and we love it here but the thing about it is that we have been taking our time to unpack. I mean every weekend we try and do boxes at a time but the time seems to get away from us. My office is still full of boxes as is his. When my baby sister "mini-me" came to stay in December for the x-mas break we still had boxes not unpacked.

Well now it is Hell Week as we have dubbed it in our home. Shelves are going up, steaming companies are coming to clean couches, floors are being scrubbed and boxes are being unpacked! Not to mention the mountain of clothes that are finally being sorted from the boxes to drawers and hangers.

Yeah! Only two things can inspire such motivation in an already hellish week (work, and school), either we are having our parents come over (my mom especialy) or we are having visitors. Well luckily it is the later and not the former.

My darling sis, whose blog d unspoken, is phenom, is coming for a brief visit because she has some personal things to attend to in NY City , and our dear friends D and A are coming into town. We have known them for over 7 years and they are a wonderful couple that we are entirely comfortable with.

The problem is that I am already tired after spending most of my weekend cleaning and now to continue the saga, I have to work the whole day and keep on cleaning. I remember when this time last year I wasn't working and all I did was chill on the couhc. If that was the case, I would wake up late today and clean the whole day and have the house ready for guests by tomorrow, but because most of my day is occupied doing work, I am already tired when I get home.

Wish me luck on my sojourn...

In other news, I have to mention that Kate Winslet beating out Angelina Jolie (as much as I love her) was the highlight of the awards for me yesterday. That and the adorable kids from SlumDog Millionaire, who by the way thier eager happy faces was worth waking up grouchy with little sleep this morning!

It is time...

2009-02-19T06:03:00.000-08:00

Okay this is a blog that is broken down into dreams and gist.
I have always done events and weddings. I have three weddings this year that I am coordinating and one fundraiser. So after two years of off and on classes I am going to be licensed this year and I am highly anticipating it. My husband is creating my website/blog where I can post pictures of past events and people can contact me. I am going to be licensed with the Association of Bridal Consultants and the International Wedding and Event Planning Organization. Two of the largest in the nation. Not to mention a hand full of others. I think I am finally ready to launch. I have done weddings in MD, MI, NJ, NY, CT and now I have one in Bristol England. I always do events like Fundraisings, Retreats etc. So now I think I am ready to bust out the website. Plus the decor etc that I do is phenominal. So yeah I think I am ready.

One of the hazards of doing such a business is there is always that person that thinks they can do it better than you for cheaper. And being Nigerian, people automatically think they can get one over on you. I think at this stage in my life, I know what my strengths are and what I am capable of so I think at this point I am going to knock it out and see where the chips fall.

As they always say Don't quit your day job right?!

In other news, I have always been a strong believer that people enter your life for a time and a season and a reason. And when that time, season and reason are up they fade into the background only to resurface when the next time is here. I am a big believer that you can't force a relationship and that I have sometimes faded for others which is okay by me.

I have this "friend" who will not fade. Her time and season has passed and I can't shake her. I am highly moody (as people close to me know) and so I need constant space and freedom to be by myself and do my own thing. She is beginning to become that person I don't want to speak with. Sometimes I watch my phone ring when she calls and I don't pick up. I say friend because she is severly older and married with kids. She thinks she can outsmart me so she has started calling with her number blocked. I think that is hilarious. I don't pick up numbers I don't know and I definately don't pick up blocked numbers. Much to her annoyance her phone messages have gone from pinning and whiny to out right demanding that I call her back. Which by the way I do not. If for some reason this seems cruel imagine being on the phone with a person for 1 hour trying to get them off and all they want to do is gossip about others or if you say that something is bothering you or you are in a funk they want to help you sort it out. They don't listen to a thing you say and when they hear anything remotely close to something that is drama, they have immediate advice and have to relate it back to themselves. Imagine being on the phone and this person keeps telling you that they have this going on and that just to try and upstage you. If you are planning a party for your father next year, they are planning a huge party this year (and will do it) just to make sure they are the first to get there.

It has gotten to a point now that I cannot stand people like this. I have very few friends left in my life that I consider friends and because of the age difference and her annoying habits, I feel that she has become one that is no longer this.

As I am beginning to create my company and to develop myself into the person I want to be, the weeding process is getting stronger and stronger. I am making real friends that I intend to keep and sifting out damaging ones. I pray everday for guidance and hope one day that I don't regret how close I have let some people get to me.

A time and a season...that is the way I look at everyone in my life.EVERYONE!

NANA Camp

2009-02-18T07:12:00.000-08:00

So my husband and I got wrangled in to re-invent the face of NANA. For those who are new readers, NANA is the Nigerian Adventist in North America society. Their primary purpose should be to get Nigerians together of like mind and have a very enriching seminar/weekend of just revitalization and rejuvination of ones mind, body and soul.

Actually if it weren't for NANA I probably would never have met my husband (visit www.bolaandbusayo.com to read how we met). The problem from the beginning for me is the need for control. Nigerians (especially older ones) have a habit of thinking they know what's best for us and so when we come up with ideas they think they can do it better so they "control" or contort it to what they want it to be.

In past years, (3 to be exact) I have avoided NANA like the plague. I have stopped going since A) I think I got the best thing they had to offer (my darling husband) and B) they have since stopped appealing to me in terms of programming and events.

Well it is time to put my money where my mouth is as they say. So this year much to my annoyance at first, we were selected to lead the charge in putting a new face on NANA and attracting people between the ages of 23-38. Now that is a hard thing being that my husband and I are both not really into the whole NANA scene. So we attended the first meeting and then went out to dinner to brainstorm

The biggest question we had was "If I am to take 3 days off work, what the hell do I have to look forward to?" And at first we hit a whole slew of stumbling blocks because there really wasn't anything in our mind that would make us want to take 3 days off work. Then as the night progressed, and with a little assistance from above, we began the journey in our minds and poured out our ideas. It was incredible all the stuff we were able to come up with. We started bouncing ideas back and forth and the more we spoke the more refined and defined it became. Now we have started sharing these ideas with others and people are actually getting excited. It is contagious. If we are able to pull this off, with HIS help, the legacy of the organization might come back. As we see it...it may just get revitalized.

Keep us in your prayers and I will keep you posted on the upcoming event and how to register etc. It is going to be excellent by HIS grace

I can't make that decision

2009-02-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

First of all this post is a rant of one of the many things that plague my heart every single day. You have to click and listen to the song while you read to get the best feeling of what I feel. Read on...

Wait I thought I decided to go. I thought and heard myself saying that I would help find a place. I thought I decided that you and I would build not destroy this year. I thought I said I didn't know him so I didn't feel it was my place not to allow you happiness. I heard myself say that your happiness matters more to me than the past, the pain, the tears...

Wait that isn't accurate. He is a big part of you and I can't make a decision to love you and not accept him. I can't accept him so I have to not accept you. Which will go against the core of who I am because you are part of my world and that part of my world will be ever less bright if you are not in it...

Wait I have to make a decision, I feel like I am the cause of the roller coaster we have been on. Up and down and up and down...today we love tomorrow I cry. We keep going in this chasm of despair that you don't feel except I feel every single time. I can't decide...

I want to be the one who decides. I dont' want to be the one that hurts you and I dont' want you to be the one who cries. I want to be the one who holds you and I don't want to be the one to allows the despair to continue. The drama, the time to tick bye...perhaps if I could make it tick back...I dont know!

I have decided to go, wait no! I have decided not to go. I have decided to help! Wait pause...deep breadth, I can't help you. I can't because I don't believe in this disrespect, this is what I fight everyday against in the battered women's shelters. This is what I ask every time I leave them "who in their family forgot to take a stand?" Wait! If I don't go it may appear I don't love you... It could haunt us forever? Our relationship could be damaged for life...

Or

You would know that my home would be the perfect place to run to when the walls fall down. You would know that you have a person who will protect you always even if it hurts her to loose you for a time, like a butterfly you will return to the sweet nectar that my love provides.

Or
You would stop loving me forever...

I can't make a decision..

Wait! I did! I can't stop loving you!

Family...

2009-02-11T09:20:00.000-08:00

There is one thing about family that you can't deny. The fact that they will ALWAYS drive you crazy. But I love my family with all my heart. These last few years have been extremely hard for us but I am so sure that God is pushing us in a different direction that we are about to explode into a billion pieces of joy.

Anyway, this is a song that has been plaguing me and helpping me weed through the quagmire of emotions that my siblings create in my soul or that thier situations cause me. I thank God for grace and for teaching me to learn to grow. And I am seriously in need of that growth spurt!

Doing the 9-5 Hustle

2009-02-09T07:43:00.000-08:00

Wow! Teddy Bear and I were talking yesterday about how the economy is really just killing people right now. How many jobs have been lost and the unemployment line. The problem is that even people such as me with pretty stable positions are nervous about losing our jobs because they are becoming obsolete.

I am a recruiter. And well as you can imagine people are not really hiring at this time which makes my job even worse. How to recruit for a market that is shrinking daily.

It is times like this that I wish my "side hustle" was off the grown. The problem with me is that I have to many ideas and wants and all of them are floating in my mind. So my 9-5 hustle is becoming a bit stressful with the market shrinking and I am sure that many people feel the same way. I am hopeful but at the same time wondering where this road will take us.

Like many americans I am hoping that voting for Obama will help this economy. And while I understand the rhetoric of "it's going to get worse before it gets better" and I am confident that Teddy Bear and I with our savings and his job security could withstand my being laid off, I am still nervous about my 9-5 hustle as it is the funding I will need to get my side hustle going...hmmmmm! Yeah, maybe the default to launching my company this year is just simple...Prayer!

Cooking...

2009-02-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

I love to cook. When Teddy Bear and I first moved to our new place, I fell in love with the kitchen. I think that is probably why I have challenged myself this year to cook more healthy meals. It doesn't help that no matter what I produce, he will eat it. So it is my big responsibility to produce good food that is healthy.

Now some women think that cooking for your man is so "1900s" After all women have progressed beyond that stage. I enjoy cooking. I don't think it is beneath me. When I am in the mood to cook, I do and when I am not in the mood to cook, there is always Subway!

LOL!

On the real though, my girlfriend just had a baby and much to my aggravation, I have not been able to go see her. This weekend, I finally have that opportunity and I am taking it in full force. As is our culture, when a woman first has a baby she really isn't supposed to do anything (cook or clean or anything) so I am taking her some good food. Will post pictures of the final dishes.

1. Appetizer (Puff Puff)
2. Salad (some serious goat cheese salad I found a recipe for)
3. Main Course (Curry Goat, Efo (spicy vegetables), and Jollof Rice)
4. Desert (Apple Crumble pie)

Yeah I plan to cook most of the day and then jump in a car and go fellowship with my friend, her husband and thier bundle of joy.

I think I am learning to be a better friend and to keep my friend nucleus even smaller. I think that those I consider my friends right now are good enough for me. I am not anxious to make new ones and I am going to try and maintain the ones I have!

Will post pics of the finished meal and us consuming it later!

New York City

2009-02-04T18:49:00.000-08:00

Today I spent the day trying to figure out why I love New York.

Every single time I go there I fully feel like that is a place I need to just pack up and move to. Every single time. Today I had the misfortune of entering the world of the Nigerian Embassy. So as to not (in the words of my compatriots) "bastardize" my country I will leave my musings at "We really gotta get our shit together man!"

Meanwhile, as I silently sipped my "Tao London Tea, soy milk, unsweetened" I looked out the window at all the activity and I realized while blowing on the hot steam rising form my cup that I love activity. I love to be on the go and have things happening, and I think that is why I enjoy planning events. I think that is why I enjoy the fast pace, high pressure workplace. Where deadlines fly left and right. I think that is why I enjoyed school so much. I mean I loved my classes, having projects and having things I needed to do.

Suddenly it became ever so clear why my current position is frustrating. Where most people would be satisfied just doing the 9-5 and coming home. I need a challenge.

But back to New York, besides the bitter cold, I just enjoyed the day browsing the various flower shops on 44th, and enjoying the small bookstores that sold old prints of John Grisham. I enjoyed going to Cosi and ordering my usual salad and eating amid the chaos of lunch hour. I even enjoyed walking 5 blocks during rush hour with people all around me.

I remember one of the things I loved most about my LSAT classes was that I was in New York City. I was doing stuff with my life. I was part of the activity. And even when I wasn't moving and just sitting still with a good book at Starbucks (yes I am one of those people) or in the summer when I was just listening to music at Bryant Park and chatting it up with my girl Ne, I was still moving.

I realized today, on my way home, that one of the most exciting things about me and having an amazing husband who I will call Teddy Bear, is that while I am this chaotic person, who is always on the go, he is that anchor and stillness that I call home. He provides the silence for me and makes me calm.

I need that! I know that I do, because it is times such as today when I was reading the new John Grisham (very good book) and sipping my tea while waiting to meet up with Teddy Bear, that being still is a good thing. I think my personality was made for New York, but I am happy I have a serene home...I just came up with a name for my company! But back to my musings,

The smells, the sounds, the people, the food, the culture, the melting pot, the money, the glam, the mini-dresses in a 20 degree weather, the long fur coats, the funny looking dogs, the dog walkers, the immigrant nannies, the cops, the birds that poop on your hat, the cell phones that fall in the gutters, the crazy crack head who laughs at nothing, the annoying guy on the escalator who talks to loud, the annoying woman who feels that her yeast infection is public need know in a starbucks, the stillness right before rush hour, the subways, the trains, the yummy feeling you feel when tightly pressed against your man in a crambed train and he is holding you close cause he doesn't want you to fall, the running to catch a train back to NJ, the night life, the drinkgs (amereto baby!) the jewelry, China Town, friends with tiny but classy apartments, and all the in betweens...and of course STARBUCKS!

Yeah...I officially Love NEW YORK!