A Tale of Fortunate Events

Posted in Friendship, Life, The List by Em

I love it when really good things happen one after the other. I must admit it doesn’t happen any where near as often as I would like, but it does happen and today was one of those moments.

The morning didn’t start that well, I started my training for the fun run I am doing with some friends of mine and if I were to say it went badly, that would be an understatement… seriously, it was not pretty, despite my determination and amazing outfit… it was rubbish, but it’s just the start I still have a long way to go, but I have now officially started working towards no. 36 on the list… ‘Do a fun run’… I am also hoping that it will help me with no. 1: ‘Lose 10kgs’ and that I will look great for my no. 59: ‘Go to a wedding’… Anyway, the day didn’t start that well and work was fine, nothing too exciting just your standard day, but as I was leaving work I got a call from another friend with some very exciting news. He had managed to upgrade our seats for the Carrie Underwood concert we were going to later that night… we were now super super close. So a little excited about that I headed home where I collected the mail and went inside.

I love getting snail mail, I always have, I have to admit that since I moved out of home the buzz has worn off slightly because I now get bills and boring mail too, but I still get excited when something unexpected comes through… and tonight I hit the jackpot… there was a package and two pretty envelopes… and bills NEVER come in pretty envelopes so I knew the must contain something good. In the mail tonight I got an engagement invitation, a wedding invitation and package all the way from London. Usually an invitation of any kind would make me enjoy my trip to the letter box, but two special invitations and a package… far out… the postie did well tonight.

The package was from my cousin in London, who had discovered that I love the royal family… a lot, so she sent me some things from the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee… check it out:

A picnic rug, a magnet, a double-decker bus stress… bus, Wills and Kate masks and a program from the jubilee weekend… awesome… seriously awesome!

And then if that wasn’t enough we headed to the concert… which was jam packed with surprises including bad dancing… really bad dancing… mum’s being controlled by security and making thier kids move to other sits so that mum can see better, big hair, big hats and awesome music… Oh and did I mention the awesome upgrade of seats…

This afternoon truly was a tale of very fortunate events…

Aquarobics – That Awkward Moment When…

Last night I crossed number 97 off the list… go to aquarobics… luckily I didn’t need to do this alone I got to go with my brother and two friends… As much as I loved it there were a few awkward moments…

There was the awkward moment when you get there and realise you bring the average age of the class down by half…

The awkward moment when you are busily doing the actions and you realise your bathers aren’t covering as much as they should be…

Or my favourite from last night, that awkward moment you leap out of the water to continue the actions to the chorus of the YMCA and no one else jumps… hilarious… but awkward.

I actually really enjoy aquarobics… it really is a lot of fun and a pretty good workout.. who knows perhaps it will become more regular in my life… I think I would like it if it did… I guess that’s actually up to me?

Anyway, it’s now off the list.

17May2012

Go Mixed Nuts

Posted in Exercise, Friendship by Em

Last year I returned to my first sporting love… netball. Since living in Castlemaine I had started to get the netball itch because it turns out the football netball club is at the social heart of most small country towns and the more time I spent in the country the more I wanted to play… anyway, when I moved back to the big smoke I was invited to joined a mixed netball team. Now don’t get me wrong, my netball skills are… well… not great, but they are getting better and I do love playing. Last year our team Mixed Nuts was in a grade that we could compete in, we won a few… lots a few, but mostly it was pretty even. But not this season… despite the fact that we didn’t even make the finals at the end of last season, the netball association in their white uniformed wisdom, moved us up a grade… Disaster! This year we are 11-zip… I wish I could say that meant that we had won every game, but no… we haven’t won anything… no games… in fact we haven’t just lost all our games we have been smashed most of them… and while we are improving, it still sucks.

But guess what… we won tonight… yep that’s right… only by 3, but still a win… and it felt good… look at how happy we are…

All that’s left to say is Go Mixed Nuts.

20Apr2012

Thankful for so much

Posted in Family, Food, Friendship, Life by Em

Wow, I am really behind… my crazy busy life has taken over and once again my blog has been neglected… but I am back… perhaps just to come up for some air before I disappear again, but hopefully not.

So because I promised to do this weekly, three weeks ago and I have done nothing, I thought I would do a catch me up with a ‘forever grateful Friday’… all part of fixing my attitude and keeping my eyes focused on the blessings I have, rather than the hurdles I have to jump. Oh and just FYI they probably won’t all be this detailed:

1. Friends and Focus
On Easter Saturday Dave and I got to spend some time with the youth leadership team from church, planning, brainstorming and goal setting for our church’s youth and young adult ministry. It was really nice to be able to share our past trials and victories together, but even more importantly to imagine what could be, and to start the ball rolling towards these. Oh and even though my brain hurt by the end it was a fantastic day with an even more fantastic group of people.

2. Surprise Family Encounters
On Easter Sunday, Dave and I headed to Leongatha salvos for morning church and we got there we bumped into my grandparents, my aunt and uncle and their kids, which while in hindsight it perhaps isn’t surprising as I knew they were down at Inverloch, it was still a pleasant surprise, and there is just something really special about celebrating days like Easter Sunday with family. We also got to have an impromptu chinese lunch which was delicious.

3. Birthday goodness.
What’s not to love about your birthday (apart from the getting older bit)… nothing… that what. In true Emma style I did a million things for my birthday, a movie and dinner with Dave, breakfast with mum and Jake, dinner with Dad and Jake and a dinner with friends. An awesome Zumba gift, an impromptu cake and a delicious cake from carousel with the biscuit bits… best husband ever. Oh and a kindle that is coming… I am thankful already.

4. For more than a house
On my birthday I said goodbye to my old family holiday house, the one that holds many memories and have helped Inverloch become so special to me and most who know me. I was sad to say goodbye as I tend to get attached to things a little too often. I will miss the love hearts Pa used to mow into the backyard for gran, I will miss the awkward stairwell, I will miss the uncomfortable, yet practical fold out bed. I will miss the stories that each room tells, like the spare room with the patched up door for a duplow box assault and eski made bedside table in my parents room. It will be strange not to look down the street and see who else is in Inverloch when we walk past, but I am thankful for the house and for the experiences I have shared with it. I am also thankful that there is still Dad’s place down there so that I can still enjoy the beach and free accommodation… oh and the beach.

So April has been pretty choccas… but I am super thankful.

31Mar2012

What happened to March?

Posted in Exercise, Family, Food, Friendship, Life, The List by Em

So seeing as another month has flown by I thought I would give a little list update to tell you about the things that I have done from my 2012 list this month, and a few in Feb, which I haven’t had a chance to share yet… so here they are in list order…

31. Go to the museum – completed 11.2.12 with Davo… and education and enjoyable day!

42. Finish unpacking my stuff in the study – completed 3.3.12 also with Davo. This ‘little’ task turned out to be a little more complicated then I had originally thought as while I tidied the study and unpacked boxes, Davo swapped our mattress over which took a lot of manuvering, but I was very appreciative. Now that I have crossed this off I can now say I have unpacked from Castlemaine… it’s only take 18months… but it is done.

72. Have a hot Jam Donut
73. Go to a football game both of these occurred together on 10.3.12, as they should, in the company of my brothers and Davo… it may have only been a nab cup game, but the hawks still dominated, buddy kicked some freak goals and the dees got done… it doesn’t get much better than that.

76. Go for a term without Maccas… completed term 1 2012… 1.2.12-30.3.12… the unexpected struggle is documented here and this is the satisfying burger once the term was done… Oh and with my return to Maccas I was pleasantly surprised by the return of the 30c cone… good job maccas!

And last but not least

84. Do 3 exercise classes… I have now down more than that, mostly in the form of Zumba, but I can safely cross it off the list – completed 6.3.12.

So there you go… those are the things that didn’t quite make a blog of their own… but you got to share them with me now…

Oh and its now 26 things down and 74 to go…

13Feb2012

Moments of Love

Posted in Faith, Family, Friendship, God, Life, Love by Em

Day 13: A moment that filled you with love

On May 14th 2011 I married my prince charming… now even though it was 10months ago tomorrow, because I started my blog in July I have never really posted about the day itself… I have given a 6month update on ‘Being Mrs. George’ but never the wedding day itself, so I have decided it’s time and because I really wanted to I have found an opportunity to make it fit perfectly… what has more moments filled with love than a wedding…. so here it is….

I was going to try and write this blog without being too mushy and soap opera like, but then I decided that I didn’t care… so feel free to tune out if you don’t have the stomach for it, but the reality is we are a fairytale and my dreams have come true… I got to be a real princess for the day and Dave was every bit my prince charming and still is… So here is my Wedding Day broken down into moments filled with love…

Moment One – The Night Before
So this one isn’t technically on the wedding day, but it is just as important. The night before we got married Dave and I had been down at the church setting up what we could for the big day to follow, once we were done we said goodnight and headed off in separate directions. Being the stress head of a person that I am, by this stage I was beginning to get really nervous. Getting married is a huge decision and I was worried I would back a bad choice (I know that i shouldn’t have been worried, because there is really no one quite like Dave, but I was), anyway as I drove home, I started getting sentimental about the fact that this was my last night at home, my last night under my parents roof and my last night as a Lewis, despite the fact that I had had over a year to get used to the idea… As I walked to the door I noticed a present on the door step. It was from Dave, the accompanying letter told me that he was so excited about getting married and that what we had was a once in a life time love and that I shouldn’t be worried, I should just go inside and go to sleep, but before I do I was to watch a particular song on the ‘Keith Urban’ DVD that was the present. I had to watch the song ‘Once in a life time’, which would feature in the wedding tomorrow, because the lyrics explained how he felt. The lyrics he was referring to were those of the first verse…

“I can see it in your eyes and feel it in your touch,
I know that your scared but you’ve never been this loved.”

It was exactly what I needed to hear and as I feel asleep listening, I rember feeling like I was ready to get married, that it would all be ok, because I really was loved more than I would ever understand.

Moment Two – Getting Ready
Nothing makes your feel more princess like than the way you get pampered on the morning of your wedding. We were up nice and early and ate breakfast while we watched it pour down with rain outside. Over night there had been huge storms, but it seemed that nothing could phase me, in fact it;s probably one of the few times that I have been completely unphased about the details of something. I had planned everything down to the minute so I knew what to do and when to do it, anything outside of this didn’t matter or was a bonus. In fact fact I was so care free that I forgot to go to my hair appointment… but it was all ok and at about 10:30 my little tiara went on and stayed on. As I had my hair and make up done, I just soaked it up, as I got dressed and started having photos done I was so aware of how happy and excited everyone was, how much my parents loved me, how much my girls loved me and how much fun we were about to have. It was so special to spend that time with them, busy getting ready, but relaxed enough to enjoy, to laugh, smile and have fun. As we arrived at the church Kirsten suggested that we prayed together before I started the process of becoming Mrs George. This moment was so overwhellimg that I was crying before I even saw Dave, but I was just so conscious of being surrounded by people that loved me and wanted nothing bt the best for me.

Moment Three – The Ceremony
Dave and I got married at the Church that I grew up in which is where we both attend… this meant that people I had grown up with and in front of were able to come and witness this next step for us. There were so many more people there than I ever thought there would be, all to cheer us one and be part of our special day. The ceremony was fun, light, and romantic… well I thought so anyway. I can’t even begin to explain how overwhelming it was to get to the church, all dressed up and to see the man of my dreams waiting for only me. During the ceremony we reflected on the 6 years we had already spent together through photos and publicly declared our love for each other. There were tears and laughter and music… perfect.

Moment Four – The Party
After the service we had a million pictures taken, and then headed to the Langham Hotel for our wedding reception which was even more magical then we could have ever hoped for… it was as Dave said when we chose it “where princesses should get married’. The room looked beautiful and the evening was so much fun. Everyone was so excited and happy for us, it was really special to have most of the people that had helped us get to where we were today, and become the people that we are in one room, celebrating with you. It was so much fun that I didn’t really want to leave, I had to be pushed out.

Everything on our wedding day went super smoothly and we loved every minute of it… The story itself doesn’t really even do it justice, but they say that a picture is worth a thousand words so here are some of my favourite pictures taken by our amazing photographer Kelly, from Alexroad Photography.

I think the best bit about the day though, and something that still makes me have a moment filled with love whenever I think about it, is the fact that Dave and I left the wedding day stuck together for life. Dave is more than I could have ever hoped for and I am very excited to be the most curious George, by name and nature. And while I think of it, I need to and want to say thanks to all of you who have helped us get to where we are now… it has been an incredible journey so far but I know this is a journey that which we are really just starting.

8Feb2012

Wordless Wednesday – Day 8: Catch up with friends you love

Posted in Faith, Friendship, God, Love by Em

26Jan2012

3 Reasons I love this Sunburnt Country

Posted in Friendship, Life, The List by Em

I love Australia … and I also really love Australia day… I love almost everything about it… the only thing I don’t like is the assumption that it must include copious amounts of alcohol, but other than that I am very much down with the whole thing… Anyway, this year I got to spend Australia day with my good mates from Castlemaine and a few more of their friends too and it was a lovely way to do it. It also meant that I could cross number 63 off the list… so I decided that I would make it a post… but in order to avoid the grade 5 styles holiday diary… I have decided to make a Top 3 reasons I love being Australian…

You can put a flag on anything… and it’s not offensive… its embraced… for example… the fence… bathers… tattoos… plates… severities… or even a pool
It doesn’t matter how ugly or ridiculous an idea can be… It can still be a friggin good idea… enter the magic punch fountain
It doesn’t really matter where you are… your can make a good time anywhere if you have the right people.

There are heaps of other reasons I love being part of this sunburnt country… but these are just a couple that came up yesterday…

Hope you had a good Australia day…

2011 – Through the eyes of my iPhone

I feel l like all week I have been reminiscing and I guess it’s the right time of year to do for it, I mean with all the family times over Christmas and with the new looming around the corner, I think it’s a good idea to look back over all that has happened this year.

This year has been full on, part of me feels like it was only yesterday that I was reminiscing on all that had happened in 2010, yet another part of me feels like I have been married forever… It’s hard to even comprehend all that has happened this year, I was going to do a ‘Top 10 moments of 2011’ but I don’t even know where to I would start… I guess there are some obvious highlights, one being getting married and our awesome honeymoon to the states, but there are so many more little moments that I know I’d I miss something special if I started naming them… So instead I thought I would share my project 365 photos from the year and just one highlight… and one lowlight from each month… just to make sure it’s a little bit balanced… So here is 2011… wrapped up in a blog….

JANUARY…

Highlight: Wedding Planning – Bridesmaid’s dresses, Making the wedding invitations and getting the perfect Cinderella wedding shoes.

Lowlight: Cutting my foot on the escalator at Doncaster… although swimming up the escalator trying to get back to the top was a very very very amusing.

FEBRUARY…