It’s Friday Darlings, Friday!

And like most people, I’m generally thankful for this day and often think it doesn’t come quickly enough. The only time I feel Fridays come too quickly is when I have to write these notes, and I realise I hadn’t been quite prepared. I’m often like “what, Friday already!”. That happened last night and I slept off at 3 am without writing!

What a week it’s been though. I’m mentally giving myself a pat on the back for successfully publishing 2 blog posts this week, which were very well received!

And the tweet I woke up to this morning? It totally warmed my insides but at the same time I burst out laughing. I tweeted that I was back to being obsessed with my blog, and a reader replied that she loves it although she often complains in her head that I’m too consistent and she’s always having to catch up!

Is there such a thing as being too consistent? Right at this minute when I feel that I’d totally slacked with my blog. Even Tee had to ask “what’s going on with your blog?.. we your readers will go and find another favourite blogger oh“. So thank you for sticking with me! The aim is for a daily lifestyle blog – your one stop a day favourite blog. I’m still so far from that goal, but hey, one step at a time.

Thank you a million times for all your prayers and well wishes on our new home. I would love to share some photos, once I can, and I hope that someone with a higher level of photography skill than me would be able to help. So hoping we get rid of the boxes soon enough before the newness of the house fades! Yesterday someone said she moved into her house over 10 years ago and still has unopened boxes. What!?

So, let me share something that happened this past week. I think sometimes we share just the good stuff, we forget that real life happens in so many situations. And I constantly try to be as real as can be. Guess what? I failed my driving test again last week!!

I wrote this post when I failed it the first time. And now, this makes it the 4th time. I was literally heartbroken because I drove really well. But apparently had a number of minors on the ‘undue hesitation‘ i.e. I’m being a bit too patient at roundabouts and that could frustrate road users. Also, I might have been slightly distracted and failed to see the middle-aged man who was waiting to use the pedestrian crossing. I didn’t stop (but I didn’t run into him or anything close!) and that was a serious fault.

But I’ve chosen to see the positive. Fine, it’s frustrating, but guess whose reversing is a million times better? Like I finally understand the logic of being able to reverse a car, and reverse park in a bay. If I’d passed the first, second or even third time, I wouldn’t have kept practising that – and who knows how that might affect me going down the line? After all, once you have a driving license in the UK, it’s valid for another 50 years. So it’s important I get it right. In 10 years’ time, I won’t remember the hassle I had to go through.

No doubt it’s frustrating. I’ve had to pay for 6 driving tests (at £62 per one), paid hundreds of pounds for a driving instructor – which yielded no results. Finally got a little car to practice in (which is a great idea by the way as I can drive as long as Tee who has had a license for three years is beside me). But then, I pay road tax and insurance on a car I don’t drive that much. Oh and I have to retake my theory test, because I haven’t managed to pass the practical within two years of my first test.  My brother jokes that I shouldn’t be worried about retaking a theory test – after all with my two first class degrees, reading and theory is the least of my worries! Haha.

Phew! I have to pass it this year though because the rules change in December and it gets slightly tougher I think.  Plus it’s one of my 2017 goals  (just realised it was actually the first on the list!)

I’ve gone on for a bit, but I wanted to emphasise persistence and the need to just keep trying in whatever you’re aiming for. I realise a driving test might seem so little in relation to some of the things you’re working at. But for me, at this point, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to learn. Life is hardly ever that straight forward. There’s so much detour on the success route. But when you finally achieve it, you’d forget the pains (hopefully!). Keep pressing!

Ok, enough of motivational speaker Kachee.

Let’s see what fun links we’ve got this weekend?

~ my friend Sally who taught me to play Netball in Cambridge – is having a baby! (told you in my last interview post with 9 yummy mummies that a lot of my friends are!) and I quite enjoyed her piece ‘Avocado Baby‘ on her experience so far!

~ and then when the baby comes, Osemhen writes this awesome piece about the un-glamorous life of a working parent. 

~ starting a blog and being more open online has caused me to meet some amazing people! And so this viral piece about online friendships and an empty baby car seat made people still see the good in the world.

~ if nothing else, children often make you see the good in the world. See Anu’s friends reaction to her prosthetic leg. You might need some tissue…

~ Some of you probably know my full Nigerian (Igbo) name is Onyekachi. Once in high school, I joked that it was jaw breaking and ended up shortening it to Kachee. Being in the UK as well, we end up pronouncing it not using the proper accent. But is that right? Should we be worried? BBC’s Nkem Ifejika explains why he stopped mis-pronouncing his Igbo name. Insightful!

~  I think as humans we change. Is that such a bad thing in marriage? Lots of marriages hit rock bottom and we hear comments like “he changed!” or “she’s no longer the woman I married“. This piece sheds good light – to stay married, embrace change! I’ll add, within reason.

~ A mix of career and marriage? One topic women love to talk about. Sheryl Sandberg COO of Facebook and author of the amazing book ‘Lean In’ recently started dating again after the death of her husband. She shares one question women should ask on a first date! What do you think?

Related: First Date Disaster Stories

~ Haha. Still on the above and quite hilarious, this bad ass got accepted to 7 Ivy League schools but couldn’t find a man to take her to the prom. So she showed up with her Harvard acceptance letter as her date! Here’s the full story.

~  Let’s talk a bit about food? Nigerian garden-eggs are so common in an Igbo household, and while I didn’t mind eating them with ‘ose oji‘ – Nigerian peanut butter sauce, I didn’t think there was much more to it. This piece on Pemi’s grandma and garden eggs is enjoyable.

This has been a pretty long post, so I’l stop here. But I really like to know what you think of these Friday Notes x Links. I really love writing them, but need to be sure it’s mutual. And I have been slacking and only posting them once every two weeks. Would you like it to be weekly as planned?

Hope you have a great weekend. I’ll still be busy un-packing and should be attending a first year party. Remember I wrote about my first year birthday in this post. I definitely hope this child has a better experience. But then her mum is a photographer, so I’m sure it will be!

How was this past week for you and what are your weekend plans!

Love,

Kachee… Xx

pS: there will be a giveaway on the blog this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled to the space.

ppS: Are you following me on Twitter and Instagram? People are often super surprised when I reply to my DMs. But it’s such a great way to connect, and I love it. Follow me @KacheeTee on both!