Revel In The Moment ( Late Birthday Post)

"I hope you aren't held back because of a number. And that you don't rush things because it feels like time is slipping by. I hope you do what's right for you. Hold on. Slow down. And breath in. Your age is your age. But most importantly, your life is your life. Don't change your journey so that it matches someone else's. We need to walk different paths so that the whole world can be explored. Revel in the differences. And enjoy where you are, in this moment."

 

Earlier this year I celebrated a milestone birthday. I felt like keeping it really low key but since it was an important day I also wanted to do something worth remembering. So I packed my bags with two of my closest friends and we drove down to Chaminuka Lodge for the weekend.

I would definitely recommend Chaminuka. It's not too far from the city (about 30km) but it's also far enough to feel like you're getting a break away from it all. The food is lovely, the activities are fun and the staff is helpful and friendly. So here's a basic run through of my birthday weekend there.

                                                                      Water Baby

Anyone who knows me knows that though I can hardly swim, I absolutely love the water. So when we found out that one of the activities available was a boat drive across one of the lakes at Chaminuka, I jumped at the chance. The boat was really more like a canoe and pretty scary but we had our life jackets on and were assured that there were no crocodiles in the lake so we enjoyed the experience.

                                                    Walking on the wild side

I love wildlife. It feels like experiencing a completely different world where the only rule is to survive. Chaminuka has a surprising variety of animals and my only regret was that I only had my phone camera with me on this trip and couldn't capture everything.

Horsing About

The highlight of my trip was that I went horse riding for the first time. Horses can be intimidating and have a mind of their own but we had great trainers and the entire experience was amazing. I definitely want to do it again.

 What gateway spots have you been to in Zambia and what was your experience? Let me know by commenting or connect with me on Twitter @NambeyeK

YOU'RE DOING JUST FINE

 "The WILL of God will never take you where the GRACE of God can not keep you."

Sometimes we realise that we have been stumbling through life trying to do our best, trying to be strong and just get on with it and then all of the sudden it becomes exhausting and we ask ourselves how we got here to this point and if we will ever get out of it. The meltdown.


It's easy to forget how far we have come and what we have overcome so far when we are faced with new problems and I believe these are the times we need reminders like this. That God will never put you in a situation He knows you can't handle. He has a perfect plan for you and everything will work out in the end.

I am thankful that my faith in God keeps me going and I have a supportive family and friends for days when I can't get through the fog alone. So yes, sometimes I break down. But I get up every time, more determined to make it through.

If you're going through a tough period in your life where you question if you are good enough, smart enough or strong enough to handle it, take heart! You are and you will make it through.

Thank you for reading!

TIPS ON FURNISHING YOUR FIRST HOME

As the year is coming to an end, I thought I could sprinkle some word magic across the blogosphere!

My latest obsession has been furnishings and home decor. For a year and a half I shared a flat with my best friend so buying individual furniture wasn’t a top priority. However, in the middle of the year I moved to my own little place and I am slowly trying to make it feel like a home.

I'm the Boss of My Social Media

SETTLING

I'm settling. Sounds like a negative thing right? But sometimes settling is the best thing that can happen. What I mean is that I feel I'm at a stage in life where I know what I want and I feel a little more clearer on the direction that I want my future to take.

Celebrating The Imporatnt Things - Late Birthday Post

My birthday was in February but I'd still like to share this beautiful picture collage of images I captured during my birthday weekend at the stunning Lilayi Lodge.

Looking back on growing a year older, I realise that my fear is not really about aging, my fear is about growing older and feeling like I should have achieved more, or that I had expected to have certain things in my life at this point that I don't.

Comfortable With My Own Style

I was chatting with a friend of mine the other day and she shared how she was planning to get a new wardrobe because she realised that she was now a married, working woman and felt that needed to be reflected in her clothing. It made me think a lot about my own style and how I feel it has evolved over the years.

Thank You For The Lessons

This isn't one of those new year new me posts, really. Well at least I hope it's not. I just thought it would be decent to say some words before 2014 comes to an end.

 This year has taught me a lot of life lessons. The truth is, in 2013, I slipped into depression. I spent the whole year denying what was happening to me and not making any progress. I won't go into it but I am truly grateful for the people in my life who put up with me and who finally gave me the tough love I needed to start putting my life back together again.

Fashion Edit ~ Palesa Mahlaba

Hello December!

I am so excited for the month ahead. I will share more with you in the next post.

Anyway, I just realised that I had promised to do a series of Fashion Edit posts featuring the style of Fashion Editors across the world  and I have only done two so far, the horror! So I thought I would start December with a little fashion post!

What would you do if you had the chance to peek into a fashion editor's personal closet? Probably die from a fashion orgasm  RIGHT?! Well "True Love" South Africa's Fashion Editor Palesa Mahlaba gives absolutely everyone that opportunity.

The Magic of New Beginnings

To begin with, please vote for my blog nominated as best lifestyle blog in the Zambia Blog Social Media Awards here. Vote as many times as you can!

 So, a lot of changes have taken place since I last blogged. I have been so inconsistent with my blog that I considered closing it for a while. I didn't know how seriously I wanted to take my blog and also I am not sure how much of my life I want to share online but somehow I could not get myself to do it.

So here I am with a brief update. In August I gave in my notice and resigned from a job I have had for the past 3 years. I have to admit it was a huge step. Over time your job becomes part of your identity and letting go feels like giving up a part of who you are.

The Fashion Edit ~ Shala Monroque

There is nothing more refreshing than a woman revels in her natural beauty and is unapologetically herself. Shala Monroque is both these things, and more. What caught my eye about this gorgeous woman was how simple her style really was, and how she almost used  her body as a plain canvas to interesting pieces of clothing. Though always properly primed, Shala rarely does much to her hair and often keeps it short. The focus is often on her quirky pieces of clothing, most of her clothes are simple to the point of seeming thrifted but don't be fooled, Shala is a close friend of Miuccia Prada and serves as a fashion consultant for the brand.

The Fashion Edit ~ Miroslava Duma

I've always found it ironic that most people behind the fashion scene are usually not that fashionable themselves. Think about it for a second, don't you know some amazing designer or stylist that is always in a pair of faded jeans and a sweat half the time?

Lately I've found myself drawn to fashion magazine editors. Although these fashion influences are usually behind the scenes and we normally don't know who they really are, there's been a tremendous shift in how we view fashion editors (or maybe it's just me, always late to the party)

Fashion editors around the world are slowly emerging as fashionistas in their own right and they are definitely putting their most fashionable feet forward.

For the month of July I will be sharing some of my favourite fashion looks from magazine editors across the world who I love to watch. The series will be called Fashion Edit and will also be part of my July challenge for #IamAzedBlogger. Enjoy!

Letting Go #IamAzedBlogger

My blogging skills have been next to non existent lately but thought I'd get back into the game by taking part in this month's #IamAzedBlogger challenge. We were asked to share something about letting go which is ironic as this is a lesson I have been learning since last year.

I am a hoarder, anything that gets close to me I never want to let go of. I am the kind who believes in forever, whether friendship or romance or even when it comes to my closet lol. I have a really hard time letting go!

But over the last year and this year I have begun to learn the lesson that sometimes you have no choice but to let go. Because sometimes holding on only hurts you more. Some things and some people are only in our lives for a season. I know this sounds very cliche but it is true. Once their part is done we have to walk away. If we hold on to what shouldn't be in our lives, we only take up the space for what should be in our lives. We keep out the new because we can't let go of the old.

Surrounded by Love: Happy Birthday to Me!

February is my favourite month in the calendar not only because it's the month of “love” but because it's my birthday month!

I am so BIG on birthdays, growing up I never got a party for my birthday as my older sister was asthmatic and usually ill around that time or something terrible would usually happen just before my birthday. For a long time I always thought my birthday was jinxed and I never enjoyed it. I've not really celebrated it for the last two years as my best friend lost her dad just before my birthday and the next year we his memorial service.

Because of all this I've ALWAYS wanted to have a huge birthday party. I've been obsessed with it for years, but this year I didn't feel that way. I actually just wanted a quiet birthday with a few of my very close friends over a meal and some drinks. I wish I could say it's growing up (hahaha) but fat chance, I still intend to have a big birthday party when I finally hit the big 30 (geez)
So my birthday was on Sunday 2nd February, after church my best friend and I went to meet up with two other friends at a quiet, laid back restaurant. We had cocktails and a meal and we shared stories and laughed so hard. I really didn't want to leave, I felt so surrounded with love.

My First: Embracing My Natural Hair

Promised to be a better blogger this year and what better way than to kick it off  with a blogger challenge I received as part of the #IamAZedBlogger challenge.

We were asked to talk about our first, and of course a lot of firsts came in mind, not really sure I'd share any of those hahaha, kidding. I'm going to talk about the first time I went to work with my own hair and what it made me realise about embracing your own hair.

Fahsionably Late: 2013 Zambia Fashion Week Review

Been a terrible, inconsistent blogger this year but worry not! It's on my list of resolutions (yes, I'm making a list this time!) to bring you more blogs much more consistently!

2013 has been a year full of fashion events for me. I enjoyed getting to see all the great talent we have in Zambia and meeting other people who are interested in fashion. There is still a lot of growing to be done in the Zambian fashion industry especially when it comes to fashion shows and I thought I'd end the year with some fashion reviews of shows I attended in the last half of this year:) Organizers please take notes!

 Zambia Fashion Week 2013
I was fortunate enough to attend the grand finale of this year's Zambia Fashion Week. This was my second time at this event; I attended last year's show as well which you can check out here.

 

That Girl's Got Afro Funk: Vonneta Simpamba

Happy new week!

Finally another worthy afro-funk fashionista! I recently stumbled upon this gorgeous girl on instagram and it was love at first click!

I was really glad when I came across Vonneta Simpamba. This girl is simply gorgeous. Her outfits are trendy and always on point, her shoes are to die for, she has an amazing bag collection but most of all her hair is always LAID!!!

As I only know her through Instagram I don't know much about her personally but I do know that apart from having great style she also does a bit of designing in her free time. I've seen some of her pieces and they are amazing! I hope she gets a blog soon but till then, follow her on Instagram (her profile is private but if you send her a request she will check you out and add you back if you're not too creepy lol)

 What do you guys think of her style?

The Show Must Go On

Hello lovelies,

First of all a huge HAPPY 2nd ANNIVERSARY to my blog! Anniversary fell on the 15th of November but didn't have time to do a post. It's been two years of (erm, not so consistent) blogging but I've enjoyed it all.

This is just a quick post to thank everyone who liked my picture in the Pepsi Zambia Competition. I did not win the big trip to go to New York, not really sure why because I put in a lot of effort in my entry but I am super grateful to all the lovely people who took time to comment, like and share my picture! So many people came through for me and even if I did not win I am forever indebted for your kindness!

Anyway the show must go on! Thought I'd brighten up this post with some fashion news. I have been meaning to recreate this look that Jennifer Lopez was spotted wearing while heading out to dinner in Santa Monica, California,  some time back earlier this year.

Image from blog.jessicaharlow.com

I love the simplicity of the whole outfit. I threw on some gorgeous pearls I got from Mr. Price to add some sparkle to the outfit and a pair of new courts with gold cap-toes. I also wore a black clutch as I did not have a white one.

 

 Outfit details: Over-sized sweatshirt - thrifted, White pencil skirt - Jet, Coral courts - PEP, Clutch - thrifted

What do you guys think? Thank you for reading!

Take Me to New York City Pepsi Zambia!

Hello  lovelies!

It's a new month and I am super excited about the next few weeks. My big news is that I just entered a major competition to win a fully paid for trip to New York city to see Beyoncé!

Girls Love Beyoncé
I'm so excited because I have always wanted to see Beyoncé perform and  I always complained that the chances of her coming to Zambia in the next few years are next to zero. I am a huge fan of Beyonce, both her music, her style, her hard work and her grace ( I could go on)I also love concerts and I've watched lots of Beyonce's live performances online and she is an AMAZING performer!

New York City
They say if you can make it in New York City, you can make it anywhere. New York City, the big apple! What's not to love about it? I'm so glad the organizers of  the competition picked New York City eeeeekkkkkkkkk!!!!

Pepsi
Pepsi Zambia are the awesome people behind this competition. I love the concept of the competition as it ticks all the boxes. It's simple, interactive, fun and visual! You simply take a picture of yourself drinking a pepsi and post it on the Pepsi Zambia Facebook page or tweet your picture and tag @PepsiZambia

So I found out about this awesome competition a few weeks ago and I wanted to post a picture that really put everything together. I coordinated my outfit to match the Pepsi colors which are red, blue and white. I wore red heels, a white T-shirt and blue pants. I looked everywhere for an I love New York T-shirt but could not find any. I almost gave up but then I found this New York City T-shirt in Mr. Price in the men's section. I bought it without a wink.

I wanted to have a Pepsi background so I went to Mtendere for the shoot. If you've been to Mtendere you know it's a bit of a gheto and it's always busy! We got there early but people were already up and about. I chose it because they have so many little stores that have painted their shops with the Pepsi logo. We attracted a bit of attention so we just took a quick few shots and left.

Help Me Win!
You can help me get to New York by liking, commenting and sharing my picture on Facebook here. Be sure to like Pepsi Zambia Facebook I would really appreciate it and if I get to go I promise a New York series blog with a vote of thanks to everyone who will like my picture:) I'm so sure I can win that I've already started planning outfits, checking the New York weather and plaing all my Beyonce songs:)

Thank you for reading!