Tag Archives: Weddings

The 2012 List Wrap Up

Posted in Life, The List by

Here we are at the end of the year… every year I am pretty sure it gets quicker, but 2012 is almost done and dusted… So it’s time to have a look at the list… to see what is done and what is not… and maybe even offer up some kind of reason for those that remain… so here it is the 2012 list wrap up…The list border

  1. Lose 10kgs
    Well I have lost weight, but not quite this much… but at least it’s going in the right direction
  2. Make my own ice cream – completed: 9/1/12
  3. Read 6 books – completed: 25/4/12
  4. Exercise at least once a week – completed: 31/12/12
    Well it depends which way you look at it, it averaged at least once a week, but there were a few weeks which had none.  Either way it was more exercise than I have done in a long time.
  5. Do my devotions at least 3 times per week
    Once again I have failed on this… I thought I was getting better but turns out no… it might have to go back on the list for next year
  6. Take at least one photo everyday – project 365 – completed: 31/12/12
    Check it out here ‘2012 – Through the eyes of my iPhone’
  7. Finish scrap booking old stuff – completed: 4/11/12
  8. Make photo book with wedding pictures – completed: 20/6/12
  9. Stop pushing the snooze button
    Another bad habit I couldn’t shake… maybe in 2013
  10. Leave my phone out side my bedroom at night – completed:31/12/12
    Well it may not have been out of the bedroom… but it hasn’t been on my side of the bed
  11. Plan my week each week
    Nup, no excuses just didn’t do it
  12. Eat with Dave at least once a week – completed: 31/12/12
  13. Make breakfast muffins – completed: 16/1/12
  14. Stop eating chocolate at breakfast – completed: 31/12/12
  15. Blog once a week – completed: 31/12/12
  16. Bake meringues – completed: 3/2/12
  17. Drink a bottle of water everyday – completed: 31/12/12
    If it wasn’t everyday, it was pretty close to
  18. Keep my car free of rubbish – completed:31/12/12
    Better than any other year anyway…
  19. See some fireworks – completed: 12/3/12
  20. Get a Massage – completed: 25/12/12
  21. Have 2 ‘Diet coke free’ days per week
    Nup… I have certainly had less, but probably not two whole free days a week if I am honest.
  22. Watch a sunset with Dave – completed: 4/2/12
  23. Buy a new dress – completed: 1/11/12
  24. Finish watching Mcleod’s Daughters – completed: 14/4/12
  25. Fix up my super stuff – completed: 24/1/12
  26. Ride a push bike at least once – completed: 15/7/12
  27. Go on a picnic – completed: 4/11/12
  28. Go and hear live music – completed: 12/3/12
  29. Dance with Dave – completed: 10/12/12
  30. Go camping – completed: 7-9/5/12
  31. Go to the museum – completed: 11/2/12
  32. Stay at the Langham – completed: 19/5/12
  33. Get our wedding pictures framed – completed: 21/7/12
  34. Have a bath – completed: 15/4/12
  35. Make a mocktail – completed: 27/1/12
  36. Do a fun run/walk – completed: 26/8/12 (Walk), 14/10/12 (Run)
  37. Go on a road trip – completed: 29/6/12
  38. Stop biting my nails – completed:31/12/12
    Well most of the time… except when I am really stressed… either way I now have nails… and most of the time the stay on, untouched by my teeth.
  39. See a musical – completed: 29/2/12
  40. Have a rainbow paddle pop – completed: 27/1/12
  41. Try 1 recipe from each of my Donna Hay subscription Mags – completed: 25/12/12
  42. Finish unpacking my stuff in the study – completed: 3/3/12
  43. Make up our wedding guest note book
    Almost… all the pictures are stuck in, but it doesn’t have a cover and it isn’t bound… yet
  44. Go without TV for a week – completed: 28/10/12
  45. Go to a Trivia Night
  46. Respond to text Messages asap – completed: 31/12/12
    It’s getting much quicker, certainly better than a year ago
  47. Tidy my study and keep it clean all year
    Well it has been tidy for periods of time, but not the whole year
  48. Paint my toenails at least once a month – completed:31/12/12
    Again… if we go by averages… it’s done
  49. Eat red meat at least twice a week
  50. Deal with my mail asap – completed: 31/12/12
    I’m even learning to through things I don’t want out straight away.
  51. Eat 1 piece of fruit everyday
  52. Be true to my date days
    Well, we didn’t really have any… so I guess not
  53. Cook dinner for Dave at least once a week – completed: 31/12/12
    I’m not so sure about this one, but Dave thinks so, so who am I to argue
  54. Use every appliance in my kitchen at least once – completed: 9/12/12
  55. Clean the gunk off the baby havaiana in my car – completed: 27/1/12
  56. Eat at 10 different breakfast places – completed: 12/3/12
  57. Bust a move in a random location – completed: 27/1/12
  58. Visit a country town I haven’t been to before – completed: 7-9/5/12
  59. Go to a wedding – completed: 22/9/12
  60. See the fire balls at crown – completed: 18/5/12
  61. Do my chores – completed: 31/12/12
    When Dave didn’t get there first I did 🙂
  62. Learn a new joke – completed: 26/5/12
  63. Visit Castlemaine – completed: 26/1/12
  64. Visit Bendigo – completed: 24/6/12
  65. Do my own washing once – completed: 2/4/12
  66. Spend an afternoon playing with Dex – completed: 7/12/12
  67. Play my flute – completed: 20/11/12
  68. Wash my own car – completed: 7/2/12
  69. Stop picking
    I wish I had crossed this off the list… I really do
  70. Send 5 cards by post just because – completed: 2/7/12
  71. Play with play-dough – completed: 27/1/12
  72. Have a hot jam doughnut – completed: 10/3/12
  73. Got to a football game – completed: 10/3/12
  74. Floss once a week
    I also wish I had crossed this off, I have certainly done it more frequently, but perhaps not every week… and certainly a far cry from every night like I am supposed to.
  75. Try listerine mouth wash – completed: 20/11/12
  76. Go a term without macca’s – completed: 30/3/12
  77. Sing in the shower – completed: 7/2/12
  78. Swing on some swings – completed: 20/11/12
  79. Go to the beach at least three times – completed: 4/2/12
  80. Go up to a look out and look over the city – completed: 7/7/12
  81. Have a pot of tea – completed: 1/1/12
  82. Moisturize regularly – completed: 31/12/12
  83. Bake something for work – completed: 27/2/12
  84. Do 3 exercise classes – completed: 6/3/12
  85. Have one BBQ Wednesday – completed: 19/12/12
  86. Get an exercise piggy bank – completed: 23/1/12
  87. Go on a boat
  88. Go to the zoo – completed: 22/12/12
  89. Go to a concert of Dave’s – completed: 3/8/12
  90. Buy that whistle song off iTunes – completed: 6/11/12
  91. Master the cracking of eggs
  92. Fly a kite
  93. Make a gingerbread house – completed: 15/12/12
  94. Pump up my own tires – completed: 13/10/12
  95. Check my car’s oil – completed: 12/6/12
  96. Swim laps at the pool – completed: 27/8/12
  97. Do a water aerobics class – completed: 25/6/12
  98. Play with sparklers – completed: 18/7/12
  99. Try an espresso – completed: 14/1/12
  100. Have a dinner party – completed: 25/12/12

So there you go the list for 2012… 84 out of 100 is pretty good… even if I say so myself.

Bring on the the 2013 list.

I Love Weddings

Posted in Family, Love by

I love weddings… I love everything about them, the flowers, the dresses, the suits, the food, the fun… everything about them is fabulous… but I even more than general weddings, I love weddings of people who I love.

This weekend I super excited to see my brother Dustin get married to his girlfriend of 7 years, Jess.  I felt so privileged to witness such a beautiful event and to be able to share with them the beginning of the next chapter of their lives together.  Dust and Jess are perfect for each other, and this day was something that I had been waiting for, for a long time, and now it is all official.  The day was just lovely from beginning to end, and everything went perfectly.  The bridal party looked smashing and the Dust and Jess were incredible… and because I am a little overwhelmed by it all… I thought instead of rambling, I would just share a few pictures of this very special day, as a picture is worth 1000 words…

 

My prayer for them is that they continue to grow in their love for each other and their lives together are filled with joy, laughter, hope, grace and love.

Hair, Make-up and Super High Shoes

Posted in Life by

I know I have mentioned this before but I am a terrible girl… in fact you can read about it here and this week I have discovered another reason why this is true… well it’s not really a new discovery… but it’s a fact that has been confirmed… I cannot walk in high heels.  All last week I attempted to practice walking in my new shoes, shoes I wore on Saturday to my brother’s wedding… but they are really really high… and I am really bad at it.  By the wedding day I had started to get the hang of it, but I was still a little awkward and I couldn’t go all that far.  In the lead up to the wedding I decided to bake a cake in them, which was successful… so I took that to be a good sign, but weddings take longer than a cake… much longer than cakes!   I know it’s just a matter of perseverance… and that if I really wanted to I could learn to push through the pain barrier associated with such massive shoes, but I am not quite there yet.

Anyway, I am writing this blog because I have been quite proud of myself for committing to these shoes and practicing a little everyday around the house, although the cramps I got in my calves while watching TV is perhaps not the best sign… and the fact that my feet still hurt two days after the wedding and I can no longer stand on my tippy toes with any sense of stability…  But I have actually come a long way from where I was.  After reading my blog about the same issue from March in 2010, I have realised that I am no where near as bad as I used to be…

I now get my hair cut by a real hairdresser (not just a random shopping centre one I find at the last minute) regularly… and sometimes even coloured.

I now go to the same place to get my eyebrows waxed… so I guess that means I now have a regular beautician…

I now own more dresses… and am generally more interested in looking more ‘current’… we haven’t quite made it to fashionable yet.

I am still not that good at makeup and I can still only wear my hair in 3 styles, but that’s 3 steps in the right direction… maybe I am just getting older and now realise that it’s actually better if you are ‘booked in’ so that things actually happen rather than flying by the seat of your pants all the time.  Maybe I am actually more girly than before…. who knows… all I can tell you right now as I sit here typing with painted fingernails, make up on my face and a fresh hair colour, not wanting to put my feet on the ground in fear of the discomfort in the balls of my feet, is that I am pretty sure shoes shouldn’t hurt this much… especially when they look sooooo good… check them out below:

Three Quarters Done

Posted in Family, Food, Life, The List by

It’s been a while since I did a list update, so if you are not interested in what is and isn’t crossed off the list then please continue to the next blog, but if you are here is what has happened since my last update here it is…

A lot has been happening since July and a few more things have been chipped off the list… So once again 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

8. Make a photo book with our wedding photos

13. Make breakfast muffins

16. Bake Meringues

19. See some fireworks

22. Watch a sunset with Dave

24. Finish watching Mcleod’s Daughters

25. Fix up super stuff

26. Ride a push bike at least once

28. Go and hear live music

30. Go Camping

31. Go to the museum

32. Stay at the Langham

33. Get our wedding pictures framed – completed 21/7/12

It is so nice to have our pictures framed and up and I think that they look amazing… very very very happy!

34. Have a bath

35. Make a mocktail

36. Do a fun run/walk – completed 26/8/12

I have officially crossed this off the list, although I am not done yet so I have broken it into two parts… so for now I have completed a fun walk… the Parkinson’s Walk with some work colleagues…. but next weekend I am doing a fun run as part of the Melbourne Marathon series so watch this space… that will be part 2.

37. Go on a Road trip

39. See a Musical

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

59. Go to a Wedding – completed 22/9/12

A couple of weeks ago I was privileged enough to witness some good friends of mine get married, it was a beautiful day and such a lovely wedding.  I am so thankful for both of these guys and that I could be part of this special day!

57. Bust a move in a random location

60. See the fire balls at crown

62. Learn a new joke

63. Visit Castlemaine

64. Visit Bendigo

65. Do my own washing once

68. Wash my own car – completed 7/7/12

This was actually more difficult than it sounds, I am actually quite week and the high pressure hose is not… therefore when washing my car I look like an idiot trying to control the hose enough to effectively wash my car… luckily Dave seems to be happy to help out!

70. Send 5 Cards just because – completed 2/7/12

Every one likes a random card…

71. Play with playdough

72. Have a hot jam donut

73. Go to a football game

76. Go a term without Maccas

77. Sing in the shower – completed 7/7/12

This one doesn’t get a picture… trust me, you’d thanks me

79. Go to the beach at least three times

80. Go up a look out and look over the city – completed: 7/7/12

Dave and I went up to the top of Mt Dandenong, had a lovely lunch and a little look out… on a beautiful winter day too I might add.

81. Have a pot of tea

83. Bake something for work

84. Do 3 exercise classes

86. Get and exercise piggy bank

89. Go to a concert of Dave’s – completed 4/8/12

This was probably the most extravagant school concert I have ever been to, complete with a 7 course dinner and my spunky husband doing his thing.

95. Check my car’s oil

96. Swim laps at the pool – completed 27/8/12

After deciding it would be bad taste to take a picture of either me or others actually swimming in the pool, I opted for a picture of my goggles instead… enjoy

97. Do a water areobics class

98. Play with sparklers

99. Try and espresso

So there you go… I’m now over three quarters of the way through, still a bit to go, but once again this is a nice reminder to get back on track with a couple of the longer term list items… I still need to be more deliberate about cooking dinner, exercising and doing my devotions, I still need to stop eating chocolate at breakfast, and I still need to keep focused on my weight loss, chores and date days… 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 49 to go.

525,600 Minutes

Posted in Family, Life, Love, Top 10 by

Wow… today is Dave and I’s one year anniversary!  I think it’s a bit of a strange feeling, because while it doesn’t feel like we have been married for a year, it does already feel like forever.  I am not really sure how that is possible, but that’s just how it is.  Anyway, 6 months ago I wrote a blog with similar sentiment, and just like 6months ago I thought things would feel really different when we hit the 1 year mark.  Before we got married, lots of people told me that the first year would be the hardest, adjusting to life together, sharing my things and my space, but other than having to be a little more considerate and owning up to my unnecessary purchases, it just feels normal… in fact I think that part of me is still waiting for it to fall apart, because apparently it’s supposed to… but so far so good.  Maybe if you asked Dave he would have a different account of the last year, after all, he certainly does more than his fair share of house work… but I am getting better, you can’t fix 25 years of bad habits overnight.  We are still busy,  I still have to plan to see Dave because otherwise our lives get in the way of each others, and I am still messy, so really not that much has changed.

I think the biggest difference of the last 6months perhaps compared to the previous 6 is that we have grown stronger together, which I didn’t really think was possible.  Each day I am reminded how very very blessed I am to have found someone like Dave.  He is so much more than I could have ever hoped for and I don’t know what I would do without him.

So this time round I thought I might share 10 things I have learnt since I got married, they are a mixture of highlights and random little things, because I don’t really think I have any profound marriage/life-lesson pearls to give… so here are 10 things I now know…

1. Christmas is just as good when you wake up in another house with your husband rather than at home… Santa still comes… in fact Santa is funnier at Dave’s place, maybe it’s earlier on the run?

2. Fun Dave is still my favourite – I am getting used to grumpy Dave he does have a purpose and he does get things done… but it doesn’t really matter how much I need grumpy Dave, I still like fun Dave better.

3. Dave can do anything… even save the same bird twice.

4. We don’t need to do everything together.  This is something that I still struggle with, but I know it’s true… in fact it’s a good conversation starter if you do do separate things… seriously… otherwise we are boring.

5. Our next adventure isn’t that far away… buying a house… although Dave has told me he isn’t sure he wants to renovate a house with me because apparently I am annoying, so I guess we will just have to keep saving forever.

6. Love is doing something you don’t like because it makes someone else happy… Here is what I know,

When I do chores, which I hate, Dave is Happy…

and when Dave helps me cross things off the list, which he hates… I am happy…

7. Dave loves Dex more than he let on originally.  When Dex first moved in with Dave, Dave would refer to him as my dog constantly, but since we have been living together, I have noticed that Dave actually loves Dex… so much that Dex is even allowed to cuddle Davo while he is wearing a suit.

8. Despite his often grumpy exterior… Dave is an encourager… he gives me money when I exercise, he helps me with my homework, and tells me a I am good cook even when it’s not true.

9. House work is better when two people do it together… but it doesn’t matter how domestic I become Dave is still much better… but I am trying.

10. Nagging pays off – well eventually… and my last blog about my trip to New Zealand is proof… 7 years of nagging… and this is my view this morning… not bad…

A Life Long Love

Posted in Faith, Family, Life, Love by

This past weekend Dave and I made a very quick visit to New Zealand, this is something that I have been wanting to do ever since Dave went 6months into our relationship.  Dave’s Dad’s side of the family is born and bred kiwi and apart from joking about the fact the New Zealand is really just another state of Australia, and mentioning the abundance of sheep I really didn’t know all that much about it, but was curious to see where his family was from and to be able to visualize the places and people they talked about.

I was really thankful to meet the rest of Dave’s family at our wedding last year when his Uncle and Aunt and cousins came for a flying visit of their own, just for us.  But I didn’t really get a chance to hang out with them and get to know them, it was just an introduction because before I knew it the wedding was over and we were on our way to Disneyland.  And as I mentioned in this blog right here…  I have been really excited about going for a long time and it has finally come and unfortunately gone.  But even though this weekend was short we did get to spend some time with them just hanging out and celebrating the incredible achievement of Dave’s Grandparents Brian and Jean.

60 years is a long time… in fact in the last 60 years so many things I take for granted were invented or made their way into the mainstream, they have lived through changes that I can’t even imagine, they have watched their boys grow up and move away, one all the way to Australia and then start families of their own.  Now their grandchildren are also grown up and as Granddad Brian reminded us in his speech on Saturday he is now looking forward to the next generation again… no pressure.  The thing that amazes me most is that they have done all of this together… all 60 years.  In his speech, Dave’s uncle Chris explained that only 4% of couple make it to their 60th wedding anniversary, it truly is a remarkable achievement and for them both to get there in such incredible health is just amazing.

While we were there we were also able to go to church with Brian and Jean and I think that this was incredibly special.  Sure it was a different style to what I am used to and in a crowd of people that I had never met, but it was still nice to be there, altogether, worshiping as a family.  Given that it was also mother’s day it was nice to be surrounded by my extended family mums, seeing as mine was left behind in another country.

I am so thankful for this brief trip, and I am more proud than ever before to carry the name George.  I have loved meeting extended family that I didn’t know existed, as well as spending time with friends that I just haven’t been able to before.  I can’t wait to go back and spend some more time with my other family, learn more about them, who they are, why that’s the case and where the George’s all began.  I guess I just want to live up to my name… the most curious George… especially curious about the George’s.

Oh and here are just a few of my favourite happy snaps from the weekend…

Moments of Love

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

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.