Our Curious Life: Week 44

      Guys, I am so behind on these weekly blogs, it isn’t funny… but it turns out balancing mum life, work life and something that resembles an occasional social life is harder than I imagined. I have started writing a blog several times recently but it always seems to be after I have been rushing to get other things done during Isaac’s nap, and it’s like he knows the second I start typing… because nap time is always over. Anyway, in fear of jinxing it, Dave and I have been trying to change his routine a little so that he might sleep for longer than 20min in the middle of the day… and I think it is working… maybe.

So… what have we been up to? Well it’s November… which seems a little nuts, but my calendar tells me it’s true. We started this week at the Walk for Prems a fundraiser for Life’s Little Treasures Foundation, a foundation that supports families with premature / sick babies. While Isaac was in hospital last year they helped Dave celebrate father’s day with a pretty neat lunch box, they gave Isaac a blanket to celebrate him reaching 100days of age and they provided us with information and support. The walk not only raised money, but also celebrated preemies and the families they come from and remember those babies that weren’t able to hang around. The event was full of people who had been through what Dave and I had which was a really nice reminder that we are most definitely not alone. It was also a really hopeful, seeing kids primary school aged kids wearing t-shirts that displayed them in hospital at 25weeks, 27 weeks, 30 weeks etc. It also reminded Dave and I how blessed we are given that Isaac is so healthy and developing so well.

On Wednesday we celebrated Halloween by taking Isaac to the physio! We have been taking him every couple of months to keep an eye on how he is tracking with his movement, because while he is slowly doing all the things he should be, he just takes a little bit longer to get there than the average baby. Just like last time we went Isaac wasn’t super keen in playing the games he was supposed to, but whatever the physio did because all the things we learnt were basically redundant immediately. Now that Isaac was commando crawling, the physio was keen for us to help Isaac learn how to kneel and pull himself up on things so that he could start learning how to walk… well after half an hour at the physio, since Wednesday night Isaac has been up… climbing on everything, pulling things off shelves and doing everything he was supposed to achieved between now and our next appointment practically over night. This seems to happen every time we go to the physio… I guess I can’t complain though, he is just doing things he should be and getting better at it everyday.. it does mean this weekend Dave and I need to increase our baby proofing and lower the cot.

This week Isaac crossed number 14 off his list… he went on an adventure with Davo, up the 1000 steps!

We finished the week and started our kind of long weekend celebrating my soon to be sister-in-law at high tea, where I got to make my very first flower crown.

Week 44 also brought us to the end of October… so here is what out October looked like in pictures.

And even though we have stopped using the cards… here is Isaac… 15months old… he is cheeky and loves to climb. He likes making piles of toys and balancing things on top of each other. He is also excellent at putting things in containers. He still finds sneezing funny and is working hard to talk, although so far we just get ra ra ra and golly golly with an occasional mamamamamama and a barbara.

March Madness

Ok… my super on time Feb reflection seems to be an anomaly, but 2 days late isn’t too bad, especially when you consider that I have been pretty slack with my blogging the last couple of weeks… sorry.  So far this year I am still remembering to blog more regularly than previous years, but just as I feared, as life has gotten busier… the blogs have slowed down… but that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to make sure I did these reflections at the end of each month.  To help me live in the moment a little more and be thankful as things happen, rather than trying to do a big reflect later on… although there will be a little of that coming up in the next week or so.   Anyway, in a another blur of weeks, March is gone and it’s time to give you all an update of the list adventures that it brought with it. Keeping myself accountable to the list each month has really helped me to seek list opportunities when they present… not just to save them up for later… because sometimes later doesn’t happen… this month we crossed another 9 things off the list, which means this year we have already crossed 22 things off the list… that’s a pretty solid start… 8 in Jan, 5 in Feb and 9 in March… maybe this will be the year I finish it all? Maybe…

Here is March’s list contribution.

37. Participate in a Scavenger Hunt – completed: 03/03/2017
I wasn’t really sure if this would happen or not, but when I saw that scavenger hunt was listed as a youth group activity this term, I decided it was now or never.  I had no idea how I would get myself involved, or even if I would be allowed to.  I just wanted to be there.  I offered to anything, collect money, give out clues, serve super… all I needed to do was be there… but I got to be an honorary youth member for the night and went out in a team… and while I may have made them come second because I could not run home… it was still a cracker night.  Plus my team was pretty amazing… what a flipping incredible bunch of kids we have at church!  Thanks for letting me tag along, get covered in off magnum and keep you humble in second place… Hopefully next time I will be allowed to run and we will take our rightful place in first!

78. Check out Hungarofest – completed: 04/03/2017
Late last year Dave and I started seeing advertising for Hungarofest… a biannual Hungarian festival held at the Hungarian cultural club which happens to be around the corner from where we live.  So given that we LOVED our time in Hungary last year, we decided that I should put it on the list and check it out… and… well it was pretty fun.  They knew we were not Hungarian straight off the bat, but they still feed us a ham hock and we got to see the start of their 2hour musical theatre spectacular… Not bad for a whim on a banner we saw in December.

2. Learn to make a paper crane – completed: 11/03/2017
I have always loved origami… but I am terrible at it, I can never hold the instructions in my brain to repeat my creations without the guide and even with the instructions I often find myself getting in a quite a muddle… But while we were down at Inverloch for the long weekend I purchase a new colouring book… a colouring book that was also an origami book.  So after choosing some paper and colouring it in… I attempted to create my very first paper crane… and I think it turned out pretty well.  It’s pretty sweet… I am not sure I could repeat it over and over again without the instructions yet, but I have learnt how to make one paper crane… and that my friends, was all the list required.

96. Improve my 5km time – completed: 11/02/2017
So one month after the 11/02/2017 I had another very slow morning at parkrun… after weeks of getting quicker I have started going backwards again.  So just in case… I am crossing this off the list now… because it may never get better, particularly if my injuries don’t improve.  I am not giving up… this is not a pity party… this is just a realistic chance to cross something off the list when it happened, rather than waiting to see if it gets better and still having to go back to Feb to cross it off anyway…

38. Do some trivia – completed: 12/03/2017
Long weekends are also good for digging out your old PlayStation and crossing things off the list.  After a weekend of Jazz with the Salvo Big Band, Dave and I had our friends Annie and Ben over for tea and we played some buzz.  Annie and I had had a few practice rounds while the boys were at a big band planning meeting, but buzz is always better with a full four people.  I had forgotten how much I loved buzz, and just trivia really.  I like knowing things no matter how trivial or silly they may be… plus  I am also pretty competitive.

18. Play a video game… not on my phone – completed: 13/03/2017
Once the PlayStation was out for Buzz, it seemed silly to put it away without playing some Crash Bandicoot.  Growing up I only ever played Crash when we visited my Auntie Lyndel and Uncle Brad, because they had a PlayStation.  Our house was a Nintendo house, where Mario and his friends reigned supreme… but way back then I developed a love for Crash.  So when I was a teenager and SingStar and Buzz came out on PlayStation, I had to have them… but I also purchased Crash… because what is a PlayStation without him?   Little did I know, that Dave had grown up with Crash and was a boss on the PlayStation.  He quickly put me to shame as we played life for life that Monday Morning.

82. Remember Joshua – completed: 15/03/2017
This one had it’s own Wordless Wednesday but I thought I would still take a little moment to tell you how much I love this little pendant.  One side has Josh’s name and handprint and the other has his birth date and his footprint.  It is something that I can wear without any fuss, but have him close to me all of the time.  I know that I won’t forget him, ever, but it’s nice to have these little reminders of the massive impact this little tiny man has had.  To be able to take him with me physically in a way.  Getting this pendant is only one way we will remember him this year, but it was the first one I could take a picture of… so here it is.

14. Build something – completed: 25/03/2017
It is no secret that I love Ikea… I love everything about it, even the maze they make you take through the store…  So when we found an Ikea voucher at home it did not take me long to pick my next little project.  This totally sweet bedside table to match the bed I built (with Dave) last year.  It is super cute and even though it belongs to Dave’s side of the bed, I still love it.  It looks even better now that it has books on the little shelf, some things in the draw and a single book on the top.  Plus I think Dave is enjoying having his own little table.

67. Read the book of Joshua – completed: 29/03/2017
At the beginning of the year, our Pastor Phil encouraged us to join him reading the whole bible through the year.  I decided that I would start with them and see how long I could keep up, but I didn’t really commit to the idea, just in case I fell behind.  I didn’t want to get overwhelmed by trying to catch up, I just wanted to see how far I could get with out the pressure of having to do it… Anyway, here we are in March and so far I am still on the wagon and up to date, which meant that I got to read through the book of Joshua.  Between all the land allocations, there are lots of gems in Joshua, more verses and reminders of God’s faithfulness for us to hold on to… but I think that Joshua 1:9 will always be my favourite.

So there you go… 8 more things off the list… But not only have I been good with the list, I have also been remembering my daily photos and videos… so here is March in photos…

And one second video snippets:​

Thanks for being another winner March… and hello April!

So Long Summer…

Um… I know I was late to the party with my January post, but I can’t believe that I am already sitting here typing up a reflection for February… how does this keep happening? Time running away… faster and faster… It does seem fitting that I should be typing this so late tonight though… Right now it is 11:07pm and I have just got home from a wonderful evening with my friend Lisa.  An evening that we have used to soak up the last of the summer warmth as we sat outside and enjoyed delicious food and honest and refreshing conversation… the world needs more people like Lis.  After missing the heat of the day today being in an office for almost all of it, it was really nice to spend these last moments of summer outside and warm.  I am hoping that the end of summer doesn’t mean a quick end to the heat… and looking at the forecast, there seems to be some more ‘summer’ days to come… but hey!  This is Melbourne… consistent, appropriate weather is not our strong suit.

The end of summer also means the end of a month… so in my attempt to keep my list posts up to date, to reflect on things in the moment and to celebrate the little things it’s time to say thanks to February and give you all an update of the list adventures that it brought with it.  February has brought some super fun events:

And… My list game has stayed strong this month too… maybe not as strong as January… but not too bad considering it’s almost half a week shorter… and well… life…  But I have managed to cross another 5 things off the list and here they are:

30. Get a Haircut – completed: 03/02/2017
I know this doesn’t sound like a big achievement, but it was… even though I have previously confessed my love for my time at the hairdresser (in fact I have written about the hairdresser 3 times… that’s a lot for a topic that I don’t think about anywhere near as often)… my apparent blog love for the hairdresser has not equated to any kind of consistency over the past 12months… in fact, I did not do anything to my hair for almost all of 2016… in March last year I got a haircut… there was some rescheduling issues… I decided to be a little tight and now… fast forward to Feb 2017… my hair is crazy long and I am so ready for a life changing haircut (and by life changing I mean a small change that I can handle… and not much more).  So here we are… the first free appointment for my hairdresser in 2017 and I am back to me… regular standard long hair Emma… Rapunzel length no more… it was really really long… there is a picture hiding here if you want to check….

26. Have a spa of some sort – completed: 12/02/2017
You can’t really go to Daylesford and not visit the springs… well you can, and I did a number of times while living in Castlemaine, but when you are there for a romantic weekend away, you should enjoy it all I say… so we did, Dave and I visited the Hepburn Bathhouse and while it wasn’t quite a spa… it was kind of… it is beautiful, relaxing and the water is apparently magical… what more could you want for a spa.  Plus it was a good reason to cross something off the list… and I am unlikely to convince Dave to just go on a whim…

12. Go back to school – completed: 17/02/2017
My first call in this year and it feels good to be back.  I had been feeling a little nervous going back to school, there are lots of children… and sometimes just the presence of lots of children sends me to a sad place where I think about all that we should have had with Josh… going back to school was also the last ‘normal’ part of my life that I needed to go back to, so I felt like jumping this hurdle was kind of a big deal… but now it is done, I not only survived the day, but I also survived 2 hours of MacBeth and I think I may have finally worked out the story… so that is 2 wins.

44. Use my new outdoor reading chair – completed: 25/02/2017
For a little while now I have wanted a ‘relaxing chair’ for the backyard, somewhere I could just read or watch the world go by and for Christmas, my brother Dustin and his wife Jess fulfilled my wish.  They gave me a super cool, yellow outdoor chair. Since Christmas I have sat in my chair, I have looked at my chair, but until now… the last week of summer, I had not stopped to read in it… but that is also now rectified… I have sat in the chair and read and loved life… stopped for a little ‘me’ moment… I need to do this more… especially while the weather is still warm.

18. Go on a Picnic – completed: 26/02/2017
On Sunday, I not only had a picnic, but I picnic’d in style at the ‘Teddy Bears Picnic’ at Rippon lea Estate and it was wonderful…  There was not a cloud in the sky, and because I am a lazy picnicer I had a food truck lunch on a picnic rug supplied by my lovely friend Annie and just enjoyed the day.  I also got to sing some Jazz standards with the Salvo Big Band for the first time in a number of years and I loved it.  I just loved the whole day… I loved singing, I loved eating, I loved seeing all the teddy bears, I loved the weather, I loved hanging out with Annie and the band… it was just a great day… Probably not the picnic I had imagined when I added it to the list, but a great picnic all the same.

So that’s the 5… I am really enjoying the simplicity of the list this year… just some good old fashioned fun… Oh and just like in January I have been really good at taking my photos and doing my one second video… so here is February in photos….

And one second video snippets:

February, I am sad that reflecting on you means that Summer is officially over, but I have really like you… thanks!

Thanks January…

At the end of each year I find myself in a mad rush to make sure my pictures for each month are collated and sorted, that the list is as finished as it could possibly be… and that I have photos for all of them… and still have time to reflect and take it all in… but not this year… no, this year I am going to reflect as I go… granted I am already a little bit late for January… but it’s a great reason to have a ‘Thankful Thursday’ in February, plus it’s still summer so it’s ok if things are a little slow!  In fact, I think that’s why I haven’t gotten around to writing it until now… because my brain is still in denial that January is over… that summer is almost done… seriously it’s the middle of February… how did this happen?

This year I have been making an effort to cross things off my list asap… also to avoid the rush at the end of the year and it seems to be working out pretty well, a nice casual, but regular pace.  This year, even without my holiday heavy loading of the list that we saw in 2015 and 2016, I have still managed to cross off 8 things… which I think is pretty good, especially since January has also seen me return to real life, with all it’s work and life demands which I had really enjoyed living without since October.  8 things is pretty good though… Here is the run down:

99-img_152799. Clean out the Kikki.K Folders – completed: 05/01/2017
This felt good!  I love these folders, I love the order the bring, I love that everything has a spot and that they make sense… but I hate routinely going through them… so they had been left pretty much abandoned for a number of year… maybe as many as 7 years… too long!  But now they are clean, sorted and accessible… and I am really really really trying to keep them organised like this.  It really does make finding things much easier… but it is going to take some discipline.

23-img_099123. Swim in the ocean – completed: 06/01/2017
I feel like this is the first proper summer Dave and I have had in a few years, we have been in town and it has been hot which has meant heading down to our favourite beach spot, Inverloch, and getting in the ocean.  I really love swimming and I wish I didn’t let my laziness and the effort of getting ready for a swim and getting de-beached post swim stop me from doing this more often… I hope that this isn’t my only month that includes and ocean swim.

10-img_094610. Go back to park run – completed: 07/01/2017
It’s really good to be back!  I like that my exercise for the day gets done early, I like the stats and I love the community… At the moment I am still on restricted running, hopefully not for too much longer, but I am still there almost every week running for a minute and then walking for 5 and repeating until the 5kms is done… which at the moment is slow… but at least I am moving right? And hopefully I will just get quicker which will help me with no. 96… hopefully!

11-img_105811. Go back to work – completed: 11/01/2017
I was going to say that it was really good to be back here as well, which it is and it isn’t… but it is necessary.  As much as I have loved not working, having some routine and structure has been good for me, so in that sense it is good to be back… and equally it has been good to get my brain working on some stuff that isn’t all about me… plus I work with wonderful people, so it is nice to see them again too… maybe it is better to be back than I realised.

img_113097. Do some colouring – completed: 18/01/2017
I am all over this, this year… and I love it… It is much better for me that playing mindless games in front of the TV at night… and I get a nice little sense of accomplishment.  At the moment I am working through a colour by numbers book that my sister in law gave me, which is filled with patterned pages with no indication of the picture that lies within… just waiting for me to colour and work it out.  It is taking all my will power not to look at the back and find out what it will be… but it is worth it.

45-img_128645. Blow some bubbles – completed: 20/01/2017
Something so simple and so fun… all adults should have a go at this regularly… it is just fun… just really good fun.   Seriously… do it… don’t laugh, don’t roll your eyes, just go and get some bubble mixture and give it a go.  I prefer the giant bubbles because you can actually just swing around and make lots of perfect bubbles… but any type will do, just promise me you will give it a go… Oh and just FYI… this list item and the next one were done with the help of Pheebs and we enjoyed both equally.

85-img_128985. Try Daniel’s Donuts – completed: 20/01/2017
Rumour had it that Daniel’s Donuts contained the best donuts in the state… so what else could we do but check it out and confirm.  It turns out that without trying more wonderful donut places I can’t really confirm that they are the best, because I just don’t know… but what I can confirm is that Daniel’s Donuts are darn good and were worth the drive… plus there are lots of flavours to try… I had a white chocolate and raspberry one and it was amazing.

75-img_142775. Make a quiche – completed: 25/01/2017
At the end of last year I became a little obsessed with quiche… I think it was just because they are delicious… but I decided that they couldn’t be that head to make, and that I should have a go… so that’s what I did… Having your vegetarian brother over for a couple of weeks in a row also encourages you to expand you recipe range… so a vegetarian quiche not only fed Jake, but also crossed this off the list.

So there you go… 8 things done and dusted… This year I am also making a little one second video each day to go with my photos of each day, which is a bit of fun… so here is my month of photos:

jan2017

And my video:

January, you have been just wanted I needed, some relaxation, some routine and some fun… and I am thankful for you!

It’s 2017 List Time!

Hey 2017, I have been waiting for you… waiting for a good reason to start lots of things again… all the usual suspects, like getting my eating and exercise on track, but also a brand new list.  I am really excited about this year and it’s list.  I am not really sure why, but it has a good feeling about it, which is enough for me to go with.

This year will be my 9th list… 9, can you believe it? That will take me to 900 things that I have ‘listed’ and attempted.  You can check out all the old lists by clicking the year they were attempted here: 2006, 20072010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 or 2016.  This year’s list is once again full of little goals, 100 of them all up… Some big, some small, some fun, some serious, some new, some re-dos, some very deliberate and some very very random but all things that at some stage last year I decided I wanted/needed/should do this year.

I really love doing these lists each year and the last couple of years I have been lucky enough to have been on some overseas adventures, in fact last year we started the year in Venice and the year before we were in New Zealand, so I jam packed those lists with the things we would do while we were away.  But this year we are regrouping and staying home, which means the list looks a little more like the lists of old… all home grownish, localish fun which means if you live near me… or want to visit me, you too can join the listing fun.  Seriously let me know if you want to help me… crossing things off the list is always more fun with someone else.

I am also hoping (like every other year) that 2017 will be the year that I get more consistent with blogging it when it happens… so that I can remember them all, not just all the big ones… anyway, that’s enough rambling about the list… here it is:

  1. Play some table tennis
  2. Learn to make a paper crane
  3. Do something special to celebrate my 30th
  4. Go on a book blind date
  5. Make Mrs Kaye’s cookies
  6. Have High Tea
  7. No more games in the morning… even if I am sick
  8. Try again
  9. Keep getting closer
  10. Go back to park run
  11. Go back to work
  12. Go back to school
  13. Paint something
  14. Build something
  15. Drink a bottle of water most days
  16. Have a ‘no screen time’ day or hopefully a couple of them
  17. Make some smores
  18. Go on a picnic
  19. Find out how floating lanterns work… how they are made etc.
  20. Go to the drive in
  21. Go Camping
  22. Go on a  road trip
  23. Swim in the ocean
  24. See a musical
  25. Do a fun run
  26. Have a spa of some sort
  27. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
  28. Help change something at home
  29. Start learning guitar again
  30. Get a haircut
  31. Take a photo everyday
  32. Exercise at least 3 times a week and make the most of my gym membership
  33. Send 20 hand written cards
  34. Eat/make paella
  35. Bake a lemon meringue pie
  36. Get a massage
  37. Participate in a scavenger hunt
  38. Do some trivia
  39. Try those multi fill water bombs and have a water fight
  40. Remember the important things: God, Dave, Health, Family and Communication
  41. Get better at shopping for my body
  42. Watch Hocus Pocus
  43. Go on a bush walk
  44. Use my new outdoor reading chair
  45. Blow some bubbles
  46. Play a board game
  47. Play a video game… not on my phone
  48. Go berry picking
  49. Have 5 different milkshake dates
  50. Try yoga again
  51. Visit a museum/gallery
  52. Blog regularly
  53. Seriously… be on time
  54. Get to work earlier and leave on time
  55. Keep my photo storage up to date
  56. Keep my computer up to date
  57. Meet Baby Lewis
  58. Try to make Turkish Delight… or just eat some real Turkish Delight
  59. Read 16 books
  60. Read at least 3 christian/devotional books
  61. Bake/cook something from 6 different countries
  62. Visit 3 different national parks
  63. Create an outdoor cinema in the backyard
  64. Go to a country town I have never been to before
  65. Watch a sunrise
  66. Get my car washed properly and then wash it least 5 times
  67. Read the book of Joshua
  68. Find some new blogs I like and read them regularly
  69. Cross at least one thing off my list each month
  70. Go to the fancy McDonald’s in Clifton Hill
  71. Finish cleaning out the spare room
  72. Three words… ‘home cooked meals’
  73. Have a spend nothing day at least once a month
  74. Get up at 7am on work days
  75. Make a quiche
  76. Have a non liquid breakfast at least twice a week
  77. Finish Gilmore Girls
  78. Check out Hungarofest
  79. Stop using Eastlink… just leave earlier
  80. Find out if our house has a legit hidden fireplace… or just get some proof of hope
  81. Find out where our local swimming hole is and use it
  82. Remember Joshua
  83. Try the crochet thongs/uggs
  84. Stay at the Langham
  85. Try Danny’s Donuts
  86. Finish sorting and storing the VHS tapes
  87. Blog about being thankful at least once a month
  88. Get my steps up again… ideally to >10,000 per day
  89. Learn how to play a new game
  90. Go interstate
  91. Get both the Europe and New Zealand Photo books ready for print
  92. Finish watching Star Trek Next Gen
  93. Go on a romantic get away
  94. Try 4 more local cafe’s in the search of our new local
  95. Finish my sentence a day book
  96. Improve my 5km time
  97. Do some colouring
  98. Go to bed earlier
  99. Clean out the Kikki.K folders
  100. Be deliberate about filling the house with good things like flowers and music

And there you have it… 2017 I am so glad you are here!

2016 – Photos, Lessons and Thankfulness

Ok so today is the last day of 2016 and I can’t tell you how ready I am for 2017.  It’s not that 2016 has been all bad, it hasn’t.  There is a part of me that will actually miss the things and events of 2016, but I am ready for something new.  Ready to start again.  2016 has held lots of my best and most treasured moments, our travels around the world, new friends, old friends and meeting and holding my baby boy for the first time.  But the second half of 2016 has also been my hardest time to date, saying goodbye to Josh way too soon and learning to live in world where he was and now isn’t.

Much of 2016 was unexpected, but through all of this I have grown.  I have learnt more about myself, who I am, who I want to be, and where I need to make changes.  More about my family and friends, just how important they are, and how much they love Dave and I through both good and bad.  And more about what is important in life, how much trust I have in Jesus and that even though I may not see the whole picture I can trust that this is part of something much bigger than me.  That this year has been and will be way more important that I will understand for a long time.  I have learnt to hold on to the things that I know are true and good and to hope and celebrate joy in really really crappy places.  I know that “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28, NLT).

Looking forward to 2017 I must “be strong and courageous! I must not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord my God is with me wherever I go.” (Joshua 1:9, NLT with my paraphrase).  God has this covered, he has Dave and I covered in his love, in his grace and in his mercy.  His love brings joy and peace beyond understanding and circumstance.  We have good things ahead and my hope is that we will see some of these in 2017. 

Usually at this time of year I would right a blog looking back at the year through the photos taken on my iPhone which I am still going to do, only this year instead of writing a highlight of each month, I am going to write about the things I am thankful for.  On most occasions these are also the highlights, but practicing my gratitude and highlighting the blessings brings me a lot more joy than just telling you that something was good.  It’s also better for my brain. So this is what 2016 looked like through the eyes of my iPhone with my gratitude lens on.

January…

I am thankful for:
•  Travel, exploring Europe and having my mind opened to more of the world with the best travel buddy I could have ever asked for, Dave.
•  Meeting new friends.
•  Polka bands and spoons in Austria.
•  Exploring London, Paris and Disneyland with my best friend.

February…

I am thankful for:
•  Warm weather and food with friends old and new.
•  Parkrun and it’s ability to engage my fomo so I actually exercise.

March…

I am thankful for:
•  More food and sharing it with more people – this seems to be a theme of my life.
•  Inverloch and the opportunity that it gives me to step back and slow down.
•  Beautiful cards from Happy Mail that I have been able to share.
• Learning about snapchat filters and the fun they have brought… even though I still haven’t quite conquered snapchat.

April…

I am thankful for:
•  The outback and red dirt and the feeling that I get when I am standing surrounded by it.  By the incredible landscapes and history our home holds.
•  Camping, hiking and exploring new and beautiful places with Dave’s family and how much closer I feel to them after having these experiences.
•  Getting over my fear of bugs, I don’t know how, but I do know it happened in April and now they don’t bother me… at all, it’s really nice.
•  Birthdays and the wonderful excuse they are to catch up with people and eat delicious treats… see I told you it was a theme.

May…

I am thankful for:
•  School and the community that it is, for the wonderful and talented kids, for our trip to Mt Gambier and watching them perform in the Lion King.
•  5 years with Davo as married couple.  Marriage just keeps getting better and better and it is still the best decision that I have ever made, to say yes to him and to get married.

June…

I am thankful for:
•  Finding out we were pregnant, even if I wasn’t quite ready.
•  For work and the fun things I get to do, talks, presentations, adventures and be creative.
•  Bram and Jean and the impact they had on Box Hill Salvos, but also on Dave and I.  Their wisdom, humility and enthusiasm is something that I greatly value.  For Bram and I’s competitive parkrun spirit and his encouragement of my running.

July…

I am thankful for:
•  Anti-nausea medication and the difference it makes.
•  The generosity of friends and the wonderful and relaxing weekend in the city it provided for Dave and I.
•  Catch ups with new, but great friends.
•  The joy of sharing good news with family.  For how excited they were and how much they loved Josh, even before we new he was Josh.

August…

I am thankful for:
•  Sharing my pregnancy with one of my best mates and having an endless supply of food at our shared desk.
•  Scans and how incredibly detailed they are, for seeing Josh move around and starting to get to know who he was.
•  The joy of sharing our news of Joshua with our wider group of friends and family and the amount of love that was poured out.
•  More sunny days as winter started to disappear.

September…

I am thankful for:
•  Cleaning things out and making way, decluttering and letting go.
•  Our Babymoon to Lakes Entrance and time spent with just Dave.
•  The incredible example my grandparents are in their marriage, 60years strong and still so in love.
•  Tiny baby clothes and toys.
•  Another scan and the detail in which we were able to see our perfect baby growing.
•  Turkish Delight milksakes and pink donuts.

October…

I am thankful for:
•  Dust and Jess and the exciting news that our Baby was getting a cousin.
•  Spending time with friends for the grand final, birthdays and mario party.
•  Holding Josh and being about to spend 3 heartbreaking days with him, for how perfectly he was made and how beautiful he was.
•  Watching Dave with Josh and falling even more in love with him as he became a father to our tiny boy.
•  Being able to sing, kiss and cuddle my precious little one.
•  Friends and family that stood in the gap for us as we grieved, for food and gifts that filled our house and for love that was poured out so abundantly.

November…

I am thankful for:
•  Learning to breathe again.
•  Sunny days to spend out on the deck and catching up with family.
•  Gingerbread, Christmas Trees and the Christmas Movie Marathon voting system.
•  Our photo wall and being able to put our whole family up there.
•  Singing to celebrate on of my old teachers at school and the impact he had on our musical lives and just singing in a choir again.
•  Heartfelt and their gift of beautiful photos of Joshua

December…

I am thankful for:
•  Polaroid photos.
•  Having Kirsten home for a couple of weeks and getting to hang out with here.
•  Crafting and blogging and having time to due some fun projects.
•  Perfectly wrapped Christmas gifts.
•  Christmastime – meals, celebrations and time spent with those most important to us.
•  Joshua’s tiny hand prints on our tree.
•  More time on the deck.
•  Summer, heat and our new air conditioners.
•  Time to reflect.

There has been so much to be thankful for and really this is just a snap shot.   Despite the pain and turmoil of moments, 2016 has been pretty good, really good actually, but I am still looking forward to 2017 with the hope of even more joy.  I will be strong and courageous, and I will trust that there is good because I love God and he loves me and will be with me whatever 2017 holds.

2015 – Through the eyes of my iPhone

Wow, here we are at the very end of 2015 and I am pretty sure I still think it’s 2014. But it’s not, I have lived another year and so in blog tradition it’s time to stop just for a moment and reflect… This year’s reflection comes to you from the back row of our tour bus somewhere between Rome and Venice… Oh and like always it’s through the eyes of my iPhone… 2015 has been another super fast and jam packed year, we started in New Zealand and we are ending it in Italy.  There has been another couple of weddings, more changes at work and some changes to the house, but let me show the best way I know how… Through photos…

January…
AVSP4290

Highlight: Everything NZ! Hobbits, volcanos, boats, oceans, families, bikes, adventure and pineapple lumps.

February…

Highlight: Feb 2015 was another wedding month, first Ben and Annie, then Mum and Andy… Both beautiful! Oh and when I looked at the photos for this month, I realised it was Star Trek themed, book ended by seeing the MSO play the Star Trek soundtrack and the death of Leonard Nimoy.

March…

Highlight: I finally started doing some teaching work, just some CRT, but it’s a start!  March was also filled with Dexter… The TV show… as we finished a 7 year process of watching it from beginning to end. Dexter our dog was there too.

April…

Highlight: April was mixed with backyard building, birthday goodness, Inverloch holidays and the footy… It was all good.

May…

Highlight: In May we celebrated one year in our house, but it was also filled with lots of catch ups with the girls as we stared our long goodbye before K moved to London.  The catch ups were definitely a highlight, but the reason behind… Not so much.

June…

Highlight: June’s highlight is a little lame, but that’s ok beacuse that’s how I roll…. One of my tweets was favourited by my favourite podcasters… I loved it!

July…

Highlight: Dave turned 30 and Oz helped us celebrate… It was green and full of ice cream cake.

August…

Highlight: This month Dave and I joined the park run community and the Lewis family killed it at family feud.

September…

Highlight: September brought us an almost finished backyard, a new work site to call home and the beautiful wedding of Naomi and Jacob.

October…

Highlight: Hooray for October! Dave graduated from his masters and that meant a NSW road trip which also included watching Hawthorn win their 3rd premiership and seeing Matilda!  Winner weekend… Winner Month!

November…

Highlight: List madness as the year started drawing to a close, berry picking and the Christmas Gift to welcome the start of all the Christmas goodness that was to come.  made November a winner.

December…

Highlight: I feel like Christmas is always the highlight of December because so much Christmas fun happens… although it may have been pipped this year.  While the Christmas dinners, advent calendars, carols and the abundance of food, family and gifts was wonderful, in December Dave and I started our European adventure and so far, although we have only done 1 stop, Rome, it has been incredible… and there is still a lot more adventure to come!.

So there you go, 365 photos which mean no. 68 is off the list and my year 2015 has been summed up… Bring on 2016!

The 2014 List Wrap Up

The List 2014 good sizeWow… another year done, another list being signed off… and to be honest I feel like this year the list has been put on the back burner… not because I have stopped loving it, or because it was no good, but because real life got in the way. Which I actually think is really nice… It’s nice to know that I didn’t need the list to make my year what it was, and that my year was awesome even though I only just scrapped through with just a pass… well maybe a credit.  There was so much jammed into this year and while the list didn’t play as bigger part as previous years it still brought a lot of joy to my life… so here is the final re-cap… which is big because it’s been a while since I did a list up date.

Just like all the other years those that have a blog of their own have a hyperlink so you can just click it and read all about it… and the ones that don’t are all listed below with either an explanation of what did or didn’t happen…

  1. Do the 1000 steps – completed: 26/02/14
  2. Make a loaf of bread – completed: 10/11/14
    It was actually four mini garlic breads 
  3. Use my day off productively – completed: 18/12/14
    It may not have been quite the way I had imagined but I think I did use my days off more productively, with errands, moving house and with work…
  4. Cook dinner at least once a week
    I am ashamed to say that this didn’t happen… there are lots of excuses I could make, but they wouldn’t be worth reading.
  5. Do mine and Dave’s family trees – completed: 29/12/14
    I have done the easy bit – back to our grandparents, including their siblings, but now I need to expand a little and get some more detail. 
  6. Try a green juice – completed: 11/01/14
  7. Go to two weddings – completed: 28/03/14 (Wedding 1; Wedding 2)
  8. Eat something from my veggie garden – completed: 8/02/14
  9. Run 5km without walking
    This one is on the list for next year… running you will not win.
  10. Be a more informed consumer – completed: 31/12/14
    I know I still have a long way to go, but I feel like its better to have started the journey than to know nothing at all
  11. Go 1 week without a sometimes food – completed: 1/02/14
  12. Embrace home cooking
    Again not completed…. And only excuses.
  13. Read the New Testament
    I feel like I should just copy and paste from the one above… I did start this one well, but got distracted and it stopped.
  14. Stop back dating blogs…. Post it when it happens or not at all
    Not always consistent, but better… but probably not quite ‘better’ enough.
  15. Go Low FODMAP for a week – completed: 10/03/14
  16. Do another boot camp – completed:1/03/14
    The George women know how to exercise together! 
  17. Get a sun reflector for my car – completed: 14/01/14
  18. Help someone set up a blog – completed: 09/01/14
  19. Review the books I read on amazon – completed: 31/12/14
  20. Send one handwritten note of gratitude to someone each month
    To be honest… I just forgot.
  21. Complement a stranger everyday for a week (different strangers otherwise it would be creepy)
    We even had this as a goal for our small group and I still struggled with it. I know most days I encourage my clients which are kind of strangers… but not quite what I had in mind.
  22. Break a rule – completed: 27/12/14
  23. Swim 50km, not all at once, but over the year
    This was a disaster… I only swam a km… terrible form…
  24. Update my resume (Not because I want a new job but to reflect on my accomplishments) – completed: 27/10/14
  25. Walk/Run 300km – completed 02/11/14
  26. Buy a house – completed: 3/02/14
  27. Do another fun run – completed: 16/11/14
  28. Cuddle a baby less than 6months old – completed: 17/01/14
  29. Get a massage – completed: 29/08/14
    Thankyou Donvale Beauty! 
  30. Be Vegan for 24 hours
    Nup… just didn’t happen… I don’t think I was committed in my heart
  31. Go in a sea vessel… Kayak, Canoe, Paddle boat… whatever – completed: 31/12/14
  32. Go out in country Victoria for the day – completed: 30/08/14
  33. Build a sand castle – completed: 30/12/14
  34. Write at least 3 letters to my prayer pal
    I think I wrote two… Sorry Tess.
  35. Play a board game with friends
  36. Enter a colouring competition
  37. Make a cushion – completed: 20/08/14
  38. Cook fish – completed: 7/01/14
  39. Learn a song on clarinet without Dave’s help
  40. Plant something in the garden – completed: 04/11/14
  41. Play Mini golf
  42. Follow through with Dave’s Christmas present again – completed 15/12/14
  43. Take Dex for a play date with Abe or Diesel
  44. Learn a song on the guitar – completed 16/11/14
  45. Go to Costco – completed: 13/11/14
  46. Try 1 recipe from each recipe book I own
  47. Take Dex for a walk every week
  48. Work as a teacher – completed: 03/05/14
  49. Get some fresh flowers to brighten a room – completed: 22/10/14
  50. Hire a bike and ride around the city
  51. Get a fake tan – completed: 10/01/14
  52. Go to a pump class – completed: 15/04/14
  53. Go to a spin class – completed: 13/02/14
  54. Do something truly Melbournian – completed: 26/07/14
  55. Make my own advent calendar – completed: 26/11/14
  56. Find a train free route to work – completed: 22/01/14
    It is train free, but it’s not all that convenient… I am not sure which is the lesser of the two evils. 
  57. Get a timer for our Christmas lights – completed: 09/11/14
    Although we are a little scared to use it given our old old wiring at home
  58. Go to Bright – completed: 01/11/14
  59. Put Pa’s videos on DVD
    This is still on my wish list though… I am keen to keep things documented. 
  60. Try Pilates – completed: 4/02/14
  61. Use my new paper diary more effectively
    This just didn’t happen… my iPhone reigned supreme.
  62. Be better at visiting my grandparents – completed: 8/12/14
  63. Go to the cricket
  64. Cook all meals at home for a fortnight (no lazy takeaway or eating out just because)
    Again… a fail… maybe next year.
  65. Go fruit picking – completed: 03/11/14
  66. Get awesome Christmas jumpers for Dave and I – completed: 07/08/14
  67. Start my Australia camping pictures map
  68. Go camping
  69. Walk across the bridge in Kilcunda – completed: 10/01/14
  70. Go to a cemetery – completed: 12/01/14
  71. Join a book club – completed: 2/01/14
  72. Read 12 books – completed: 18/10/14
    1. Flash and Bones – Kathy Reichs
    2. Let me off at the top! – Ron Burgundy
    3. Divergent – Veronica Roth
    4. Insurgent – Veronica Roth
    5. Allegiant – Veronica Roth
    6. A Game of Thrones – George R.R. Martin
    7. A long way home – Saroo Brierley
    8. The Fault in our Stars – John Green
    9. The Giver – Lois Lowry
    10. Reconstructing Amelia – Kimberley McCreight
    11. The Rosie Project – Graeme Simsion
    12. The Lunar Chronicles: Cress – Marissa Meyer
  73. Try some regular yoga – completed: 10/04/14
  74. Do 5 different exercise classes – completed: 11/09/14
  75. Do a trail walk/hike – completed: 13/09/14
  76. Go a month without playing games on my phone – completed: 1/02/14
  77. Put some nets on my veggie patch – completed: 15/12/14
  78. Take a photo everyday – completed: 31/12/14
  79. Get there and stay there
  80. Have a picnic in the backyard – completed: 19/12/14
  81. Swim in the ocean at least 5 times – completed: 30/12/14
  82. Actually finish our wedding guest book
  83. Update our displayed photos – completed: 24/05/14
  84. Keep my corner clean – completed: 31/12/14
  85. Pretend to be a morning person – completed: 21/10/14
  86. See the movie Frozen – completed: 12/01/14
  87. Exercise 4 times a week – completed: 31/12/14
    Almost anyway, certainly better again this year, and now that I have joined a gym I have to keep it up.
  88. See ‘Saving Mr Banks’ at the movies – completed: 4/01/14
  89. Have dinner and go bowling with Dustin and Rachel
  90. Do my chores and pull my weight around the house
  91. Just stop picking
  92. Play Super Mario Bros
  93. Save some of my pocket money each fortnight
  94. Cook something from each of my Donna Hay magazines
  95. Try at least one thing from each of my Women’s Fitness magazines
  96. Do my 2012 and 2013 scrapbooks
  97. Wash my car by myself
  98. Go on a push bike adventure with Dave
  99. Finish going through my cooking magazines and either save them or through them out – completed: 22/05/14
  100. Drive a bus – completed: 11/05/14
    There is even video footage of it! 

The grand total… 62 out of 100, certainly not by best year, but actually better than I expected…

2014 – Through the eyes of my iPhone

Here we are again at the end of another year and it’s time to have a look back at the year through the eyes of my eye phone… It’s hard to believe another year has passed and that so much has happened. Although I feel like I say that every time I get to this blog, as I am getting older it certainly does feel like time is getting faster. Even though last year was busy, I feel like 2014 has taken busy to a new level! There have been 3 big weddings, some changes at work, a fortnight without Davo and a new house just to mention a few, but rather than talk about it all here, recounting all the moments and emotions, I’ll let the photos do the talking…

January…IMG_2826

Highlight: Bridesmaid Summer Fun! January was filled with bridesmaid goodness in the lead up to Kirsten’s wedding. There were mini bootcamp mornings with Rachel, a hen’s night, a bridal brunch at the red cup and a girls weekend at the beach… What more could you want?

February…IMG_2827

Highlight: February was a big big month with two massive highlights… 1. Kirsten got married and 2. We brought a house! As far as months go… in 2014 it didn’t really get bigger than this!

March…IMG_2828

Highlight: More bridesmaid fun! This month was all about Sia! A French themed Hen’s extravaganza to start the month and a beautiful wedding to finish it. I also got to pretend I was a kid each weekend too, with my Christmas present of Disney Princess Movie Marathons at the cinema.

April…IMG_2838

Highlight: April was a mixed month of birthday goodness, books and footy… and mostly just fun

May…IMG_2843

Highlight: Well I don’t know if highlight is the correct word, because it was a lot of hard work and a little rocky at the start, but certainly the most significant event of May was our house move… into a house of our very own!

June…IMG_2840

Highlight: June’s highlight is kind of mixed in with May’s as it was in June that I really started to settle in the new house and learnt to enjoy creating my own space… with the biggest highlights being some simple things like hanging out wedding pictures and getting our super cute key holder. Oh and the Keith concert that was a good highlight!

July…IMG_2844

Highlight: Dave coming home safe, sound and fired up from Mexico was definitely the highlight of July! It was such an incredible trip for him and for us and even though it sucked being without him, I am secretly glad he went.

August…IMG_2845

Highlight: Again some little things from getting my new cushions, to breakfasts out and days off… it was all good, although one little thing really stole my heard in August, and that was meeting my friend Flic’s baby boy!

September…IMG_2846

Highlight: September brought some improved set ups, including an extra screen at work to help me continue to being extra nerdy and finishing the set up of our gym at home. We were also able to be apart of the beginning of Oz 2015 – which is going to be awesome… maybe even more awesome than our 3am casting. Oh and the Hawks won the grand final… it’s nice being a supporter of back to back champions.

October…IMG_2847

Highlight: Nothing is better in a busy year than a weekend away… which was one of the best bits of October… We also got to do some date day catch ups and to be honest any time I get to hang out with Davo for a prolonged period of time its good!

November…IMG_2848

Highlight: List madness made November a winner. Costco, Bright, apple orchids, bread, flowers, veggie patches and Fun Runs… so much list goodness! Oh and we got a new car… win.

December…IMG_2849

Highlight: I feel like Christmas is always the highlight of December because so much Christmas fun happens and this year was no different… Dinners, advent calendars, carols, and just so much food. Special mentions for this December though go to Dad’s Wedding, which was amazing and magical and just very lovely, and probably should have gotten a blog of its own and also to New Zealand… specifically the North Island where we are currently exploring and which has made this Christmas even more special.

So there you go, 365 photos attempting to sum up a crazy, fun, out of control year!