Hey Cocoa!

Hey everyone!

I'm sorry I've been so silent on the blog in the past couple of weeks. June was a really tough month for me - I was quite stressed out emotionally and mentally. I also started the month with a tooth infection, which apparently can be common in pregnancy. I had to plan and prepare for my maternity photo shoot with my brother's media company, Primavera Pictures (@primapics on Instagram). I was still on doctor-ordered bed rest, waiting for Cakes and my mum to get back to Atlanta from Nigeria just in time for my baby shower. The plan was to start getting the nursery ready the week after my baby shower... BUT God had other plans! I started having contractions a few hours after getting home from the baby shower, and last week Monday, Baby Cocoa arrived!

Thanks to everyone who already congratulated us on social media! God is too much!!! Y'all praise Him for answered prayers and testimonies!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll share my maternity shoot photos soon, as well as my labor and delivery story. Would you prefer it in written or video format? Let me know!

I'm trying to figure out a schedule that works for me, so that I can get back to blogging properly. I love all of you for sticking by me :) God bless!

What I would Have Done Differently for my Wedding

It's been almost 3.5 years since we got married in our beautiful Lagosian Beach Wedding. As much as I loved it, and was on such a high for a while, there are some things that I would change if I had to go back to that time.

Book Review - Happy Wives Club

I came across this book, titled Happy Wives Club, while perusing a local Christian bookstore. I won't lie - the main reason why I bought it was because it was on sale - less than $3. But reading the premise of the book "One woman's worldwide search for the secrets of a great marriage" also caught my interest. These are very interesting times. Social media has allowed a lot of information to be shared, and very often, sadly, the stories about marriage are negative. You don't have to look far to read stories of separations, divorce, infidelity, abuse, and more in marriages all over the world. Whereas our parents typically kept quiet about such issues, our generation is more open. And if we're being truthful, marriage honestly doesn't seem like such a great idea anymore. Even in marriages without major issues, a lot of spouses are just simply "managing." It's particularly painful because God created marriage, and anything He creates is inherently good - but as humans, we have allowed it to become bad.

Source

Berry and Cakes Conversations - Lost in Translation

I miss putting up these kinds of posts! Remember how I used to share some of the funny conversations Cakes and I used to have (Car, Kitchen, Foot Massages, Training)? I went down memory lane last week and read some posts from a couple of years ago, and they made me smile inwardly. Anyways, the main reasons why we were lost in translation in our early days was the whole UK versus US English. 

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Okay I'll admit it, I haven't been on my best blogging game. Going from posting 4 to 5 times a week regularly, to just managing 2 or 3 a week. It's time for me to realize my shortcomings. I did mention while thinking about taking a blogging break that I considered shutting down the blog. The response I got made me realize that I would be doing you a disservice if I went silent forever. So I've decided to try a different tactic that will ensure that I'm posting constantly and keeping you entertained.

Japanese Hibachi Dinner at Shogun

Two weeks ago, Uncle Cakes turned 70, and to celebrate, the family decided to head to Shogun Restaurant. It is a Japanese restaurant not too far from home, and they have different offerings from sushi to hibachi grill food. Cakes had never been to a Hibachi restaurant before, so I thought it would be a nice treat for him.

FUN FACT: My sister and her hubby got engaged one night after having dinner there. I think.

Till Snoring Do Us Part

Cakes and I have been married now for over three years. In these three short years, we've gotten to know each other better. It ranges from different things like the way each person feels about privacy (no comment on that), to what kind of foods we like, to much deeper stuff that I can't share on here. But one thing I can talk about is the fact that we both snore!

Happy Birthday Cakes!

Today is my hub-bub's birthdaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! My Cakesy-Wakesy! Should I tell you guys how old he is? Let's just say he's in his mid-thirties, which means he's closer to 40. And we all know that 40 is really 50. And after 50 is 70. So HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY MY LOVE!

Eating Your Meat First, Last or During Your Meal

As I write this, today is January 25th. It is 9:13pm. I am catching up on blogs via Bloglovin (follow me here, let me know and I'll follow back), while watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills - that's one of my guilty pleasures. Anyways, Cakes is chowing down on a plate of pounded yam with okro soup that he made earlier today - (yes, yes, lucky girl, cooking husband, uh huh, praise God).

Berry Thanksgiving Weekend

One of the best things about the Thanksgiving Holiday is the food! Yes, I said it. The food makes me happy thinking about it... although a few days later, I'm lamenting about the amount of weight that comes with so much eating. In our family, a lot of activities are centered around food. Have I ever told you that most Sundays, after church, we have lunch together? My sister, her hubby and kids come over and we all "break bread" together. Everyone (myself included) helps out in one way or another - either by prepping the ingredients, cooking, setting the table, clearing up or doing the dishes.

The Nigerian Food Fusion Tour Weekend

I love food. I enjoy food. I'm very picky and don't eat a lot of things, but the things I do eat, I really enjoy. I like to joke that one of the reasons why I liked Cakes instantly is because he told me he was a baker. Even he will tell anyone that there's this joy and happiness that makes my whole body tingle when I'm eating something I really like.

Berry and Cakes Statesboro Weekend

Road trips are always fun to embark on. As long as they can be, if you're with the right person or crew, you can have a car load of fun! Cakes and I have been on many road trips together (see here, here, here, and here). We've also gone with others on other trips, like when we visited Ibadan. While driving in Nigeria can be heart-pounding at times, driving across the US is a lot easier - mostly because of the good roads, and loads of places to rest if you need to.

Photoshoot Weekend!

Hiya!

How are ya? How was your weekend? I hope you had a good one and are looking forward to a great week ahead. It seems like my weekend posts might be making a comeback. I'm not promising anything but on the weekends I have activities, I WILL post follow-up recaps. Sound good to you? Okay, let's catwalk into this post and the new week.

Who's that guuuuuuuurl? 👀🕶👠

A video posted by Berry Dakara (@berrydakara) on Sep 11, 2016 at 9:49am PDT

Weekend Post?

Hi there!

In my post where I listed some of the things I miss most about Nigeria, I mentioned that I missed going to little events on weekends and posting them on Mondays here on the blog. Mondays used to be the biggest traffic draws on my blog, and I was quite concerned that moving to Atlanta would indirectly cause a drop in my blog traffic since I wouldn't be attending as many events anymore. It's not like I don't go out at all, but it certainly is not as frequent as before. This weekend was different though. It was my mum's birthday on Saturday and we had a whole weekend of fun!!!

Let's dance into this new week!!! 💃💃💃

A video posted by Berry Dakara (@berrydakara) on Aug 29, 2016 at 2:53am PDT

Praise Report!!!

I just want to use this opportunity to thank God for opportunities that have come my way through my blog. When I started blogging, it was strictly to allow my friends and family to follow me along on my NYSC year. If you've never read that blog, The Ajebutter's Guide to NYSC was a funny and real look into my experiences so definitely check it out.

I found my love for blogging there and I can remember starting this blog. When I would get more than 50 views a day I was ecstatic! I just wanted to share my life in a real, authentic, and often times funny way. Today I'm getting close to 1 million views total and the amount of opportunities that have come to me, and even Cakes, via the blog has been amazing. I can't thank God enough for His blessings and those he has used.

Our UK Family Holiday Part 2 - Marble Arch

Hiya!

In my last post, I shared photos from my family's first full day in England. We ended up at Trafalgar Square and enjoyed some street performers. We actually went down to Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street, but didn't take any photos. I was in charge of the holiday calendar in London, and I made sure to include personal days. Check out my post on Travel Tips for Large Groups.

Our UK Holiday Part 1 - Trafalgar Square

Hello me dahlings!

I'm seriously trying to get back into the groove of my regular blog posts. While we were in the UK, my blogging schedule kinda suffered. Between all the traveling, sightseeing, and getting sick, I just couldn't post as much as I wanted to. And even after coming back, the zeal to edit the photos and videos was severely lacking. No joke, I have over 2300 photos from our time in England and Scotland! Since they are so many, I will break up the posts into different parts, and I hope you enjoy all of them.

Orange Is The New Black

SURPRISE! This Style Post features Cakes and myself!!!

Well, it wasn't supposed to but I took some photos of Cakes while trying to set the camera, and they were nice, so I thought 'Why not share?"

Discover Georgia: Acworth Art Festival

Right now, it's festival season everywhere. There are all kinds of festivals, from arts to music to food. Not only in the US, but also in Nigeria. Remember when I went to Gidi Culture Fest, the Jack Daniels Lagos Grill and BBQ Festival, and the Jazz Festival in Lagos last year? FUN TIMES!!!

Across the US, there are bunches and bunches of festivals happening right now. Coachella is on in California. And in my neck of the woods, there was the Dogwood Festival last weekend that I couldn't attend. Instead I went to the Acworth Art Festival, which is small local one. It was nice to see local artists share their wares, and I wanted to buy soooooooo many things! Of course, my Snapchat followers went along with me, and I compiled the videos and photos to share here today.

BERRY VLOG: One Month Update Chit Chat

As promised, here is a vlog where I talk about being back in the States for the past month or so. I put up a brief update in this post, but in the video I answered a few questions that were left on the blog. So grab a cuppa tea or mocha (my other favorite drink) and happy watching!

And yes, Cakes was bugging me! He can't get his hands off me these days :p

He's the only person that LIKES it when I gain weight *GRRRR!*