adrienne-is

Young Zanzibari girl running with wheel in Jambiani Village. Photo shot with a Holga with Lomo 800 film. Photo temperature tweaked only a pinch. Photo: Adrienne Abiodun

For more analogue love in Lomo from Zanzibar check out my albums here:

Horizon: Memories of Jambiani
Sampler: Zanzibar + Light Leaks
Horizon: Zanz Dhow Cruising

More soon. xoxo

The beautiful bride center and surrounded by bridesmaids and friends. Photo: Wedding Guest

I’ve been summoned to be a bridesmaid in a handful of weddings and unfortunate as it is, I never had the opportunity to service my girlfriends past with such a marvelous duty. When my friend Chinyere politely asked me earlier this year if I’d be willing, I leaped at the chance. I admit, I was half enticed by the traditional western/Igbo wedding. Last night I had the opportunity to take part in a very special event for two very spectacular people. Love, marriage and a whole lot of money spraying — I was at the Naija wedding event of the year.

Now, what else should I tell you about this event? That the bride was gorgeous and that the groom is a very lucky man? Maybe I should mention how beautiful the ceremony was or how the pastor was probably one of my personal all-time favorites of any wedding. (He showcased a good sense of humor). Should I try to describe the audience in attendance: ALL wonderfully decorated in colorful Aso Ebi lace, shimmery gele, printed dresses and smart looking suits? I could highlight the not-so awesome job of the sound crew, but no one wants to hear about that. The single most important thing to note is two people, who love each other very much became one. Amen.

Adrienne and Funmi Photo: My husband
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There are times in life where I feel very much like I’m embracing the “kid at heart.” Today was one of them. I made what will probably be my last trip to the beach for the rest of 2010. Siesta Key (home to one of Florida’s best beaches) played host to the 1st Annual Siesta Key Crystal Classic where master sand sculptors from across the country are invited to turn the soft white beach sand into beautiful works of art. You’ll notice from my photos below that the words I am writing are no tall-tale.

Every single sculpture was dynamic. Some were playful and full of fantasy. Others were incredibly thought-provoking. Each one was worthy of prize and applause. If you were not lucky enough to attend I urge you to at least visit their website and read the artists profiles and see their past works in additions to the few snapshots I’ve taken below and poorly captioned. I do hope that Siesta Key will continue to host this wonderful event so I can continue to unleash my inner child over-and-over again. xo

So… Saturday night. Let’s say I had a pretty awesome time celebrating my good friend’s final hooray as an unmarried woman. Disappointed that I had missed her bridal shower while in Ethiopia this year, I wanted to be sure to contribute in FUN to the highest degree possible. But get your head out the gutter. Being the beautiful, classy and oh-so sophisticated ladies we are — there wasn’t anything too risque at this bachelorette party. Or was there? I am not to be held responsible for the cake. I did eat a slice.
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The home life seems to be back in full swing again. Things feel a bit back to normal (whatever that is) since returning from my around the world ways. I started the good old typical 9 to 5 type of job to hold me tight for while. You know, replenish the piggy bank and that sort of thing. Don’t ask me about the details of this job unless you are the kind of person that tends to discuss and really enjoy topics on drugs like Advair Diskus, Crestor, Xanax and pharmacy practices. Thrilling – no lie.

This evening I went out for some free Argentine Tango lessons in the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park up in downtown TPA. I refreshed my memory of the basic “ocho” and took off for home shortly after. I do believe I could be fairly good at Tango if only I enrolled in a few classes and dance is always a better alternative to running. I’ll have to do something soon. I’ll just have to see if I can get the husband involved. What a bonus that would be and we could stay right here in Tampa. No exotic trips to Buenos Aries necessary, but it would be nice to taste some of the delicious ice cream again. :/

Exit daydream.

Anyhow, my plate will be pretty full as 2010 starts to come to a close, but I’m looking forward to it all right here on the home front. Saying that makes me feel odd for some strange reason. Can’t place my finger on it, but now may be the right time to switch gears. We’ll see.

All photos taken by Adrienne Abiodun or Hannah Tadesse. Permission requested before use of any photograph from this gallery.

One thing I don’t do nearly enough is return to destinations I’ve previously visited. Coming back to Ethiopia was well worth the second time around. Naturally, the familiarity made Addis Ababa feel more like home and less like an intimidating lesser developed metropolis. But do not allow me to fool you. This second time around wasn’t an exact replica to the first which is full of the warmest and fuzziest memories of any trip ever taken and marked with a stamp in my passport to prove it. There were definitely some differences and only a couple challenges worth noting.
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I’m back from traveling East Africa and I’m waaaay past due for splurging the details on the recent adventure. Forgive me. I did take a moment to write a plug on building homes in Debre Markos, Ethiopia for a Trazzler “Smart Travel” writing contest. Although a minimum of only five votes are needed for my entry to qualify, it would mean the world to me if you voted beyond that meager number. (Especially if you believe in this cause too). So how do you help rock the vote?

1. Forward this blog entry to your friends.
2. Make sure you are signed in to Trazzler when you “save” your trip. If you have any problems, you can sign up here http://www.trazzler.com/signup and then go to my page and vote. Remember “save” = vote.
3. Tweet about this trip on Twitter.
4. Share this trip on Facebook.
5. Include this trip in a blog entry or website.
6. The prize is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit one of the most beautiful places on earth–and help preserve it for future generations! Please help get me there!

10 million thank you(s) in advance!

Most of you already heard the news via my Facebook status update – I totally bombed this race. Yes, that may be an exaggeration to some of you, but that is truly how I felt when walking across the finish line and a pinch of how I feel today. So what went so terribly wrong?

I started the morning with the typical marathon jitters. I was both excited and nervous. I was feeling good about my race bib number (2024) and I was also amped that this was the 21st anniversary of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. (21 is my favorite number.) When I entered my corral, I found the pace bunny I wanted to run with and made small talk with some of the other runners around. One guy had just signed up the day before, hadn’t done any training and hadn’t run a long run in quite some time. Everyone around gave him the crazy eye. I turned my attention to the weather thinking it should all work in my favor. Two minutes before the gun went off the had announced that is was a crisp 10 degrees Celsius outside. (I believe this is about mid 50′s.) I was chilly, but I knew it would warm up once we started. Two minutes later the gun fired. It was time to start moving.

My favorite and least favorite parts of the race all start at the corral. Trying to break past several other runners trying to break past as well seems a bit chaotic, but there is beauty and inspiration in all that early A.M. movement. This was a pretty big race (approx 20,000 runners) and the down side is it gets a bit jammed. I started out very comfortably though. Keeping the 4 hour and 15 minute pace bunny in view I kept my own pace a couple of feet away and went strong until the half way point when I completely lost it. Sure my legs started feeling like 10,000lb weights, but that wasn’t my problem.

My mind was the problem. 21k down the road and my focus went running somewhere else. My mind was divided between making it to the finish with a great time and completely sabotaging my own self. In retrospect, I think I got way ahead of myself. I didn’t set the small markers as mini goal points to make it to. I had already started imagining the finish at the 5k point. In my vision I had the medal and I had actually managed to out run my pace bunny to get a time of 4 hours and 10 minutes. Then I thought about how wonderful of a Facebook status that would be! “Hey guys! I finished the race in lightening speed and I’m a rock star! Now go out there and do it too!!” All this was in my head before I crossed the finish line. Before I knew it I was completely scatter-brained and walking waaaay more than I should have been. The 4h 15 min pace bunny was far ahead and the others were on my heels. Because of the frequent walking breaks I started taking after the 21k it was harder for me to get going again when I mentally wanted to. I tried and surely almost pulled something I knew I wouldn’t want to. It was in my best interest to complete the race walking to the finish. And that’s how I finished with a time of 5 hours and 10 minutes.

All of you who have commended this effort post race, I thank you. For all the strangers and volunteers on the course who shouted out encouraging words, I thank you. I thank the Lord above for giving me the strength to finish and the overall physical ability to tackle such a task. I know many of you will never understand my disappointment and many of you will. Finishing is the easy part. Someone of my physical ability should have done better, but when your mind is not right what can you do? Maybe next time I will pray for more mental focus and do exercises that concentrate on focus rather than endurance and speed.

Wait. Next time…? Let’s just say I hate saying “never,” but I don’t see another race here anytime soon. For now I am going to enjoy some non-running time with activities less grueling and time consuming.

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