Category Archives: Life

I want to ride my bicycle

Posted in Life, The List by

Yesterday I got a new bike… and I am quite excited.  I haven’t really ridden a bike all that much in the last couple of years, in fact I usually avoid it at all costs, but recently I have found myself looking at people’s pictures of the places they have just ridden to and being a little bit jealous, just like the way I feel about pictures of people who have just completed fun runs.  These are both things that I wish I could do.  Now I know that technically I can do them, I just don’t… but I think I am actually at the stage where I want to, but my body hasn’t quite caught up to my brain… I am going to have to practice and train… yuck…. but I will get there.

Anyway, yesterday in a moment of weakness, when Dave asked me what I wanted to do I suggested we go for a bike ride.  Sitting in my garage was a bike that my Dad had kindly given me when he returned from China.  It wasn’t anything special, but it was a bike, no gears, no normal pedals, but two wheels and a frame.  Once we got it back to our place Dave put some new peddles on and it had lived in the garaged until yesterday… when we dragged it out, dusted off the cobwebs and attempted to ride.

All was fine until I wanted to go up hill… no gears… no stamina… no can do… so I got off and walked.  At the top of the hill I got back on and started to ride again, a little bit downhill and then more up… this time I tried to persevere… but no… the bike broke… the pedal snapped clean off.  Luckily for all in the area I was in a ok mood by this stage… I didn’t cry… I didn’t throw the bike… I just got off and walked back home again.    

Once at home I mentioned that I would never ride that bike again and Dave… who loves to ride… decided it was time for me to have a new bike of my own… So off we went bike shopping… and here is my new… cheap… pink… but much more effective… bike with two well attached pedals… I then attempted the same ‘track’ again… and despite my lack of fitness, it was much more enjoyable… although hills are still hard… lucky Dave can give me a boost if I need it.  Oh and my new bike looked pretty awesome the whole way.

Oh and I got to cross no. 26 off the list.

Magical Haircuts

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This week I have had a little time for pampering… well, when I say time I mean I crammed some appointments in to my week to make me feel human again.  This week has been nuts… but because it was the same last week and the week before and the week before that my hair has been slowly growing into a tangled mess which was almost touching my ever-expanding eyebrows.  So this week, between running around to different commitments, I managed to get my eyebrows waxed back into submission and my hair cut and coloured.  Too much information perhaps, but this is what happened.  Why am I telling you?  Well there are two things I find amazing about these experiences…

1.       How just doing something small can make you feel brand new.  I have been super exhausted all week, but these two little trips to the salon have somehow rejuvenated me, I feel like a real person again.  This is a far cry from the pretend girl I once was, who had an annual hair cut and not much else, I now really look forward to these experiences because I know they will make me feel better, like a functional member of society.

2.       The other thing I find amazing about getting my hair done or going to the ‘beauty salon’ is that for that half an hour to an hour that I am there it almost feels like time stops.  Sure the people who work there are buzzing around, but I just have to sit with a cup of tea, ready a trashy magazine and catch up on what’s happening with my favourite couple… Wills and Kate, while I just enjoy the music that is being played.  I can just check out for a little while, I am not expected to do anything or say anything… although hairdressers are always amazing at starting conversation, but that’s a whole blog in itself… but I can participate as much or as little as I like.  Sure as soon as I walk out the door life goes back to the full on pace it was moving at… in fact it’s kind of like merging back on to a freeway from a side street… it also always costs me more than I think is necessary, but I still love it.  Just a few moments where my whole purpose is to stop while the world continues around me.

So, having said all that, I am still tired, but my hair is great, my face is clean of unwanted hair and I feel like at least a small part of me is under control in my crazy busy life.

Thinking my Destiny

Words are really powerful, they have the ability to build up and to tear down so quickly sometimes its hard to stop and over the last year or so I have been reminded of just how powerful and devastating they can be, while I was working at another site, there was a lady in reception that had the following quote above her computer:

Watch your thoughts, they become your words.
Watch your words, they become your actions.
Watch your actions, they become your habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

It’s a pretty good reminder, something that I don’t think about anywhere near enough. It all starts with a little thought and if you’re not careful it can get out of control. Words don’t just happen, they come from thoughts, despite how bad you think the filter is… In fact if the filter is bad, words are probably an even better representation of your thoughts because they aren’t filtered… they just come out the way they were found in the brain, which for someone with a bad filter like me is a scary thought in itself.

This is something that I have been really challenged about recently, the impact of my thoughts on my life. My outlook, my reaction to things and the way that I deal with people. Often I am quite negative and sceptical on the inside, but on the outside I am peachy pie, until you ask the right questions. But even though I can push it to the back it still taints everything I do, it sets me up to have a bad attitude right from the beginning. It sets me up to be disappointed because that’s what I am expecting. The book that I am reading at the moment, ‘Soul Detox’ by Craig Groeschel, talks a lot about getting your mind right, stopping negative, bitter, jealous thoughts dead in their tracks and replacing them with things that are of God, which is straight from the bible…

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

I think I need to start making a conscious effort to control my thoughts, to protect my mind and to stop things that aren’t true, noble, right, pure, lovely or admirable from dwelling, before they become my words or my actions. Stopping them one thought at a time, before I let them turn into words that hurt others the way that the words of others have hurt me.

The Day That Instagram Died

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I had never realised how much of a social media junkie I was until instagram died about this time last Saturday… I really didn’t know what to do with myself.  For a long time I have been convincing myself that I could go without facebook, twitter and instagram whenever I needed to, but the events of last Saturday make me think perhaps I was wrong.  Time after time I found myself refreshing the screen waiting for something to happen… but nothing did, I know I could have looked at people’s pictures on facebook or twitter, or heaven forbid just engage in real life, but it just didn’t feel right.  I missed instagram.  Even as I went to bed on Saturday night I hoped that instagram would be back to normal when I woke up because I wasn’t really sure what I would do without it… in fact since then I have only posted a ffew pictures, but as soon as it was gone it was like I had a million things to post… but now it just feels silly posting them late… a little wrong even…

I think perhaps I need to have a look at myself and perhaps address my addiction to social media… I don’t think it is good… I mean don’t get me wrong I love it… but I think maybe I feel a lot more connected to the world because of social media then I really am… I would much rather catch up with people and hang out then just pretend we did by doing some facebook stalking… yet the facebook stalk seems to fill that hole sometimes… surely that’s not right… maybe I need a break… maybe not… maybe I just need to be more aware of how much time I lose to social media, how often I feel the need to check it and whether I am letting the virtual versions of my friends replace the actual versions of them…

A Public Announcement Regarding Change Rooms

On Monday night I indulged in water aerobics again and as you do, I went into the change rooms after to dry off and swap into some regular clothes rather than my bathers… Now when I go to the change room I am a ‘do it quick, don’t make eye contact, show as little skin as possible and get out’ type of person… but I know that not everyone is like this there are others… others that have interesting habits… very interesting habits… so this is a community service announcement for women everywhere…

If you are using public changing rooms please take note of the following:

Do NOT take everything off… do half at a time, it’s not that hard… I know we all have the same bits and pieces but I don’t want to see yours. You don’t need to air them out, you don’t need to go for a walk once you are naked… just keep going and put your clothes on… you can be naked at home… not in public.

Do NOT do stretches clothed or unclothed… You can do stretches out in the foyer… or by the pool… the change room is not an appropriate place, in fact it’s just a little awkward.

Do NOT do exercises clothed or unclothed… see above… but also note that exercises in a change room are dangerous… everyone else is trying to get in and out so don’t be swinging your legs or arms around there is not enough space for that… this is a changing room the gym is through the door.

Do NOT stop for a snack… Seriously… I can’t believe this even happened… Don’t stop, turn around, sit down and pull out a container with cut up fruit and start eating… why do you need a snack half way through changing? Change rooms are dirty and they are for changing… quickly… not eating! Does there really need to be a sign that says do not eat? Surely it’s just common knowledge… plus when you stop for a snack… where do you look? I am not comfortable, despite my quick changing, to have someone just sitting having a look around just watching the world go by… it’s weird… and disturbing… put your pants on, leave the change rooms and then have a snack… don’t do it in the change rooms.

So there you go… here endith the community announcement.

Half way

Posted in Family, Food, Life, The List by

Wow I can’t believe it’s the middle of the year already… seriously how does this keep happening…

Anyway, I decided that being the middle of the year it was a good time to do a list up date because while there are lots I have posted about there are still a few that have happened which haven’t made it to a blog on their own… so here is what I have done so far… click the links on the ones that have their own special blog for the full details if you wish…

2. Make my own ice cream

3. Read 6 books – completed 25/4/12

Here they are…

1. Sing you home – Jodi Picoult,   2. The Girl with Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson,   3. It – Craig Groeschel

4. The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins,  5. Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins,  6.  Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins

And the reading continues… I am officially a book worm once again.

8. Make a photo book with our wedding photos – completed 20/6/12
It looks pretty good if you ask me… complete with my favourite pics from our amazing photographer as well as some others taken by friends and family.

13. Make breakfast muffins

16. Bake Meringues

19. See some fireworks

22. Watch a sunset with Dave

24. Finish watching Mcleod’s Daughters – completed 14/4/12
It’s done… all done… there is no more and while it feels good to have finally finished all eight seasons… I am a little sad, I wish there was more…

25. Fix up super stuff

28. Go and hear live music

30. Go Camping – completed 7-9/5/12
I did actually blog about this as well… again… I just forgot to mention crossing it off the list in the blog… check it out here

31. Go to the museum

32. Stay at the Langham

34. Have a bath – completed 15/4/12
I decided that photos of this would be inappropriate and unwanted, so you will just have to trust me.  I have in fact had a couple of baths (as opposed to showers which I have daily) and they were all very relaxing… I think it is something that I need to do more often.

35. Make a mocktail

37. Go on a Road trip – completed 29/6/12
Even though it was back to Bendigo again, I have decided that it still counts, Dave and I went, we spent the night hung out with friends and we were in the car for more than an hour… so road trip it is…

39. See a Musical
I also saw Annie the musical in May, which is one of my all time favourites and definitely worth seeing…

40. Have a rainbow paddlepop

42. Finish unpacking my stuff in the study

55. Clean the gunk off the little hav

56. Eat at 10 different breakfast places

58. Visit a country town I have never been to before – completed 7-9/5/12
I did actually blog about this as well… again… I just forgot to mention crossing it off the list in the blog… check it out here…

57. Bust a move in a random location

60. See the fire balls at crown – completed 18/5/12
I was lucky enough to catch up with my buddy Jana in the city for dinner and as both of us are terrible decision makers we ended up kiking through the city using the ‘urban spoon’ app to choose our destinations.  It was a workout, but on the plus side, I got to spend more time with Jana, we found places we had never been to before and I got to see the fireballs…

62. Learn a new joke – completed 26/5/12

63. Visit Castlemaine

64. Visit Bendigo – completed 24/6/12
It was a quick sticks trip just to hang out with my mate Melface… and the rest of course but she had flown over from WA so I guess that’s worth mentioning… Super fun… just like it always was… and here is a picture of my journey home the next morning… it was nice to watch the sunrise over the country side.

65. Do my own washing once – completed 2/4/12

71. Play with playdough

72. Have a hot jam donut

73. Go to a football game

76. Go a term without Maccas

79. Go to the beach at least three times

81. Have a pot of tea

83. Bake something for work

84. Do 3 exercise classes

86. Get and exercise piggy bank

95. Check my car’s oil – completed 12/6/12

97. Do a water areobics class

99. Try and espresso

So there you go… almost halfway there, still a bit to go, but this is a nice reminder to get back on track with a couple of these… I need to be more deliberate about cooking dinner exercising and doing my devotions, I need to stop eating chocolate at breakfast… seriously it is not a breakfast food and I need to keep focused on my weight loss, chores and date days… because I can’t cross them off the list if they are not done, and they need to be done… But so far not too bad,  I am getting there and still having fun doing it.. only 60 to go.

Nobody Ever Told You

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I know I only just posted about the Carrie Underwood concert two days ago, but I have listened to her song ‘nobody ever told you’ a few more times since then and I have decided there needs to be more songs like this one.  Songs that actually encourage and value girls for who they are and tell them not to listen to all the other rubbish that is constantly thrown in their faces… It’s just refreshing to have a secular song that has morals, that encourages and lifts up and leaves you feeling good… If I had daughters this is the type of song that I would want them to be listening to, this is the type of song I wish they played on the radio, this is the type of message I wish the world sent to our girls… Anyway, here are the lyrics have a read and see what you think….

Take off all the makeup girl
Shine your light, show the world
Don’t be shy, don’t be scared
You don’t have to hide under there
Let’s throw away all the magazines
Turn off the static on the TV
Wish you could see yourself the way I do

Nobody ever told you
Nobody ever told you
You shine like a diamond
Glitter like a gold
And you need to know
When nobody ever told you
Yeah
La la la la la

Mirror mirror on the wall
Acting like he knows it all
Tells you lies of vanity
He doesn’t care what’s underneath
All hung up on the negative
Doesn’t have to be the way it is
Wish you could see yourself the way I do

Nobody ever told you
Nobody ever told you
You shine like a diamond
Glitter like a gold
And you need to know
When nobody ever told you

Free as a bird,
Up on a watch
Just like a flower growing wild
You’re beautiful, you’re beautiful
Nobody ever told you,
Nobody ever told you
You shine like a diamond
Glitter like a gold
And you need to know
When nobody ever told you

You shine like a diamond
Glitter like a gold
And you need to know
When nobody ever told you