Life is Good.
Wow. Talk about a life update. So much has happened in my life since my baptism. While it has been a journey, it has been one of the best years of my life. I know, it's weird being that we are still dealing with COVID-19, but God really used that situation, whether it was good or bad. And while I understand that there were people who lost their jobs (myself included) and even their lives, God is always able to use even the unlikeliest of circumstances. So here's a brief synopsis of my life from the past year or so.
Journey of Love
If you follow me on IG, then you know that, I'M MARRIED!!!! It's so crazy what can change in a year. My husband and I were married in December 2020 in Lagos, Nigeria. Yep, another surprise, but more on that later. We got married after dating long distance for only 6 months and yes, he's Nigerian. What can I say, 🤷🏾♀️ when you know you know. God brought him into my life during a time when I was "preparing to be a wife". It was so unexpected only because I didn't expect him to come at that time. 😁 And of course, I want to share my experience with you. You can follow our journey on IG @itsoketolove.
Journey to the Motherland
I know you're probably still wondering why I chose to get married in Nigeria. Well, back in 2018 at one of the lowest points in my life, I surrendered my life to Christ and I prayed about the life I wanted for myself. I was pushing my 30s and the life I was living, to me was a disgrace. I had just walked out of a job (again), I didn't have any money saved, I was still dealing with eff boys, and my best friend stopped speaking to me (almost for a whole year!). I knew I didn't want my 30s to look like my 20s. I envisioned myself being married, leaving the USA, and traveling around Africa. I wanted to be a digital nomad with businesses that could be run from anywhere in the world. So after Nigeria, My husband and I set out on the biggest adventures in both our lives, considering he's never left Naija.
Loc Journey
Believe it or not but as I'm writing this, I'm almost one year into this journey. I finally made the decision to loc my hair my hair. Those that are close to me know that I've been talking about doing it for quite some time now. Last year, I knew that God was preparing me for my journey overseas and having to do my natural hair while abroad was not a stress I was willing to take on. Orginally, I wanted Sisterlocks but baybay... they are not cheap. An install for my length of hair and the size that I wanted them would've cost me upwards of $1500, which was sitting in my savings account with the other money I'd been saving for my trip. So, it would have to be diy locs for me. Then one day, I hopped on Youtube and looked up how to do sisterlocks. Long story short, I opted to go with microlocs, which are smaller than regular locs but bigger than sisterlocks.
Entrepreneurship Journey
As I mentioned earlier, I lost my job during the pandemic. I was working at a hotel in Texas. After years of back and forth with running my blog and businesses full-time to making sure I had 2 or 3 jobs at one time, I guess in an effort to feel secure. But after losing my job, knowing that I was preparing to leave America, I didn't see myself getting another job at the time. I put my time and energy back into my blog, Youtube and other businesses. I even started a travel agency, Divine Motherland, which specializes in African tourism and travel.
Blog Journey
And speaking on my blogging journey. I've been blogging since 2009, before it was actually a thing. I have struggled for a long time to monetize my blog and make a career from it. Not because I didn't know how, but because I lacked discipline and didn't take myself seriously. I wasn't confident of the talent that I had to bring to the table. But not anymore, after finally registering my blog as a business, I started to look at it as just that, my career and another form of income. I'm working on making the She Is Dominique brand and blog a six-figure business.
Journey to a Degree
Guys, I can not tell you how many times I've enrolled in college but wasn't able to finish, whether it be money or a lack of, here's that D word again, discipline. However, regardless of my toxic relationship with institutes of higher learning, that has never stopped me from wanting a degree. Honestly, I just love to learn and acquire new information so going back to school kind of excites me. Plus, I needed something to fall back on because it's not that easy to get a job abroad without at least a bachelor's degree. I started at Houston Community College a little after I moved to Dallas. I started small, and pursued a certificate in Social Enterprise (I had to prove to myself that I could finish). I'm proud to say that I completed the program in December 2020, right before I moved, and am set to attend my commenerence ceremony in May! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 I can't lie, I feel pretty accomplished.
One journey that I will continue is the journey of loving myself the way God loves me, a journey of self-worth and luxury, a journey of healing and a journey of faith. That one is never ending.
I know that was a lot but really it's nothing compared to what I've actually been through. I've only just scratched the surface. I thank God that His mercy and grace was enough to turn my lif in a different direction. And, I’m thankful for all of your support and readership too, and can’t wait to continue building, growing, and share these moments of my life with y'all .
