Bye Bye Ms. American Pie

I had my first American visitor fly over in December. My friend Adaora came all 7,703 miles from Portland, Oregon to see me - well that and I guess the Sydney sites but who’s keeping track? Ok, so I guess while I’m being honest I did use her as an excuse to behave like a tourist myself. Here are a few snapshots from our time together.

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Just because it’s not mounted on glass frame in a fancy building  doesn’t mean it’s not art. We saw quite a lot of graffiti around town and some of the murals were so good it was like getting a free walking art tour.

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While we did see a lot of the famous sites like the Sydney Bridge and the Sydney Harbour we saw a lot of local places too. I suggest that if you do ever travel - or if you happen to stay at home - get to know the city. I mean the real city and not just the main attractions.

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These two weeks (and three days) went by all too fast but I’m so thankful that she was able to take some time to come visit. Love you Adaora!

Hip-hip Hooray!

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"In the cookie dough of life sisters are the chocolate chips." Today, August 30th, is my sister’s birthday and oh how glad I am that God blessed me with that oh so special chocolate chip to call my own. I can’t begin to even describe how much I love her and how much she means to me. As I sit here at my keyboard and try to conjure up the right words to say all our memories, jokes, her bits of godly advice, and ways she’s shown her love time and time again come to mind. I won’t begin to reminisce over them all -don’t want to bore you all- but sissy you know what moments I mean. Our itchy walks, dear Dora, kissing dating goodbye, shady meadow, nysync dance moves, love comes softly part 10, mt. Olivet, etc, etc.

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Cheesy as it sounds, even though it’s your birthday it’s you who has given me the best gift -actually I should say gifts- of all. A best friend, mentor, protector, example-setter, and overall, a sister. Simioskotoskos! As the saying goes, it’s not the years in the life but the life in the years. This may be your last year in the 20s and the last time for a while that we are in the same decade but there is still A LOT more to come.

I’m so blessed by you and your presence in my life. I love you soooo very much.

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Happy Birthday.

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I love that these girls and I make it a point to get together at least once a month - what would I do without them? Our time spent in eachother’s company is also usually spent in the company of food. For this girl’s night we made Apple Fizz.

Apple Fizz

5 medium-sized apples
1 box of plain cake mix
1 bottle of seltzer water (or you can you any clear carbonated drink like Schweppes)
A few sprinklings of powdered sugar (optional)

Set the oven for 170c / 350f

Start off your Apple Fizz by peeling your apples and then slicing them into quarters. Don’t forget to pit them as well! After that is done, place the apple slices into your baking pan. Don’t worry if some are facing up or down or if they start to brown, in the end they will all taste just as sweet and a little coloration adds character. When all the apples are snug as a bug inside the pan, evenly coat them with the cake mix. Now you can pour your carbonated drink on top. Make sure that it is poured over everything - another half bottle might be need (If all the dry spots are not covered the cake powder will not bake properly).

Now your Apple Fizz is ready to be placed in the oven for 40 minutes.
Take it out and sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar on top.

Happy Eatings!

[gallery]

I love that these girls and I make it a point to get together at least once a month - what would I do without them? Our time spent in eachother’s company is also usually spent in the company of food. For this girl’s night we made Apple Fizz.

Apple Fizz

5 medium-sized apples
1 box of plain cake mix
1 bottle of seltzer water (or you can you any clear carbonated drink like Schweppes)
A few sprinklings of powdered sugar (optional)

Set the oven for 170c / 350f

Start off your Apple Fizz by peeling your apples and then slicing them into quarters. Don’t forget to pit them as well! After that is done, place the apple slices into your baking pan. Don’t worry if some are facing up or down or if they start to brown, in the end they will all taste just as sweet and a little coloration adds character. When all the apples are snug as a bug inside the pan, evenly coat them with the cake mix. Now you can pour your carbonated drink on top. Make sure that it is poured over everything - another half bottle might be need (If all the dry spots are not covered the cake powder will not bake properly).

Now your Apple Fizz is ready to be placed in the oven for 40 minutes.
Take it out and sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar on top.

Happy Eatings!

[gallery]

I love that these girls and I make it a point to get together at least once a month - what would I do without them? Our time spent in eachother’s company is also usually spent in the company of food. For this girl’s night we made Apple Fizz.

Apple Fizz

5 medium-sized apples
1 box of plain cake mix
1 bottle of seltzer water (or you can you any clear carbonated drink like Schweppes)
A few sprinklings of powdered sugar (optional)

Set the oven for 170c / 350f

Start off your Apple Fizz by peeling your apples and then slicing them into quarters. Don’t forget to pit them as well! After that is done, place the apple slices into your baking pan. Don’t worry if some are facing up or down or if they start to brown, in the end they will all taste just as sweet and a little coloration adds character. When all the apples are snug as a bug inside the pan, evenly coat them with the cake mix. Now you can pour your carbonated drink on top. Make sure that it is poured over everything - another half bottle might be need (If all the dry spots are not covered the cake powder will not bake properly).

Now your Apple Fizz is ready to be placed in the oven for 40 minutes.
Take it out and sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar on top.

Happy Eatings!

[gallery]

I love that these girls and I make it a point to get together at least once a month - what would I do without them? Our time spent in eachother’s company is also usually spent in the company of food. For this girl’s night we made Apple Fizz.

Apple Fizz

5 medium-sized apples
1 box of plain cake mix
1 bottle of seltzer water (or you can you any clear carbonated drink like Schweppes)
A few sprinklings of powdered sugar (optional)

Set the oven for 170c / 350f

Start off your Apple Fizz by peeling your apples and then slicing them into quarters. Don’t forget to pit them as well! After that is done, place the apple slices into your baking pan. Don’t worry if some are facing up or down or if they start to brown, in the end they will all taste just as sweet and a little coloration adds character. When all the apples are snug as a bug inside the pan, evenly coat them with the cake mix. Now you can pour your carbonated drink on top. Make sure that it is poured over everything - another half bottle might be need (If all the dry spots are not covered the cake powder will not bake properly).

Now your Apple Fizz is ready to be placed in the oven for 40 minutes.
Take it out and sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar on top.

Happy Eatings!

see the world.

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I don’t think I’ll ever tire of traveling. I may take a break from it every once in a while just to get re-rooted again but I’ll never get tired of it. My love for traveling was instilled in me ever since I was a kid. I can remember my mom packing my siblings and me up just to get out of town. So whether it was a trip to the next state for a weekend or a week, I always enjoyed the adventure. Not to mention, I’ve lived in 3 different countries ( Nigeria, Australia, and America) over the span of my 21 years.

However, now that I have grown up a bit I’ve recently come to fall in love with traveling alone. It’s an extremely peaceful experience. While there are many opportunities for me to meet new and interesting people, I also love the chance I get to sit back and observe all the various things that take place around me.

On most my recent flight (from Oregon to Sydney) I was blessed to have a day layover in Honolulu, Hawaii - I wasn’t able to make it to any beaches but I still had a great time. I walked about the town, did a little shopping, ate at a place called Fatboy’s, and then retired to my room.

Although all hotels basically look the same, just knowing I was in a new environment made me awe at the realization that there are things out there we have yet to see, hear, and feel - we have so much to discover.

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These are some pictures inside the The Pagoda hotel.

This is my idea of putting off homework -making a tiny collage of Tani’s birthday night. Now back to the more important matters at hand.

This is my idea of putting off homework -making a tiny collage of Tani’s birthday night. Now back to the more important matters at hand.

This is my idea of putting off homework -making a tiny collage of Tani’s birthday night. Now back to the more important matters at hand.

This is my idea of putting off homework -making a tiny collage of Tani’s birthday night. Now back to the more important matters at hand.

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Left to our own devices my cousin (Angelique - left),  our friend (Tani - middle), and I decided to make lunch for Easter Sunday! After a few minutes of foraging through the pantry we found some penne pasta, mince meat, and red sauce.

The outcome, needless to say, moto bene! A little butter, some sprinkled natural cheddar cheese and our tastebuds couldn’t be happier.

Photos by Teniola Komolafe

[gallery]

Left to our own devices my cousin (Angelique - left),  our friend (Tani - middle), and I decided to make lunch for Easter Sunday! After a few minutes of foraging through the pantry we found some penne pasta, mince meat, and red sauce.

The outcome, needless to say, moto bene! A little butter, some sprinkled natural cheddar cheese and our tastebuds couldn’t be happier.

Photos by Teniola Komolafe

[gallery]

Left to our own devices my cousin (Angelique - left),  our friend (Tani - middle), and I decided to make lunch for Easter Sunday! After a few minutes of foraging through the pantry we found some penne pasta, mince meat, and red sauce.

The outcome, needless to say, moto bene! A little butter, some sprinkled natural cheddar cheese and our tastebuds couldn’t be happier.

Photos by Teniola Komolafe

[gallery]

Left to our own devices my cousin (Angelique - left),  our friend (Tani - middle), and I decided to make lunch for Easter Sunday! After a few minutes of foraging through the pantry we found some penne pasta, mince meat, and red sauce.

The outcome, needless to say, moto bene! A little butter, some sprinkled natural cheddar cheese and our tastebuds couldn’t be happier.

Photos by Teniola Komolafe