Photography

Just before our honeymoon last year, Aaron bought me a Digital SLR - Nikon D5000.  Photography has always been something that I have been fascinated with - photographs are such powerful works of art.

A single photograph has the ability to evoke emotions in people that words are unable to.  It captures a moment that will be looked back on in many years and bring those same emotions flooding back.

I've started to build a portfolio of photographs, so hopefully one day I will be able to give people the gift of amazing photography.

This is a shoot I did for a friend's daughter...

Caravan Progress

Last weekend we worked on the caravan - got heaps done!  It feels great to be able to see the progress at the end of a day's work.
The one thing I wasn't counting on was the toilet... oh yes, we have a camping toilet - boy, am I in for a culture shock when we start this trip!  As with all caravans these days, we have put the toilet under the bed - I'm reassured that it will be cleaned and empty whenever it's in the caravan - something that I will definitely be making sure happens! Eww!  It's going to be a bit of a challenge to make the transition from full size toilet to what feels like a toy toilet ..


Can't wait to get onto the rest of it now.  Next is the bed base and hatches for the BBQ, which will be our main cooking 'stove'.

I had spent the day painting the floor (took me hours!!), then Aaron helped me and we finished the second coat in 20 minutes!!  

The toilet... 

The new 'lounge area'

A sneak peek of the flooring .. conveniently called 'Floor in a Box'

We started putting the doors on - still a little stark, but have door handles and cushions etc to add - so we're thinking it will be a lot better once it's finished.  This picking colours thing is hard!

Today's Cupcake Effort

I saw these cupcakes on a blog a while back, and thought I'd give it a go ...  Took them in to my old work - seeing as Aaron has banned me from baking and leaving them at home - think they appreciated them :)

Will definitely be making these again

1st Year Anniversary

I still can't believe Aaron and I have just celebrated our first wedding anniversary.  Somedays it feels like a week since our wedding day, somedays it feels like a lifetime... but each day it still feels amazing xxx

After trying to explain what an eternity ring was, and that it's supposedly given on the first anniversary.. Aaron said he'd never heard of one before.  I'm still trying to work out if he was playing dumb or if he really had no idea ...  I'm going to go with no idea.

So after resigning to the fact that I wouldn't be receiving an eternity ring, all I asked of him was a card.. a card that he'd actually written in - from the heart.  In the 4 years we've been together, in typical male fashion, he hasn't given me a card once - we came close on my last birthday.. he bought the card and had all intentions of writing in it... but it's still sitting in the cupboard ... maybe next year.

I was absolutely thrilled that he even made the card this time - very exciting!!  AND he wrote in it - with a beautiful message xxx

Rather than both trying to surprise the other with an outing or romantic dinner - we decided we'd take turns each year to organise the 'anniversary event'.  Aaron got the honours this year, seeing as I organised the wedding - I thought that was only fair.. naturally.. hehe.

He, together with his Mum, cooked and prepared a beautiful picnic.. complete with bubbly.  He took me to Burleigh Heads...it was a beautiful afternoon.  We had 4 courses - nibblies, entree, main & dessert.. he really outdid himself...

He made prawn kebabs - which was the first thing he cooked me when we first met... so yummy.

From this spot, we were both looking at the waves and wishing that we had bought our boads and were in the water.. actually really similar to when we got engaged - funny!

Extreme close ups!!

 

And for dessert... lychees - yumm!  Aaron obviously had other ideas about the lychees though

Looking forward to the next year - no doubt it will be full of excitement and adventure

xx

A Chapter Comes to an End

It has finally arrived, the day I finish at Billabong...well it was 2 days ago now.

While the day bought me great excitement, it also bought great sadness.  I spent the last 6 years working beside many people, whom I now call good friends.  As in any company, there were good and bad days, good and bad people and good and bad decisions - but you know what, I'd do it all again in the blink of an eye.  I still find it hard to believe that so many great people were in the one place.   And they all spoilt me rotten - I felt extremely special.

I've been trying to work out why I'm feeling so flat about the whole leaving work thing, when I should be bouncing out of bed and eager to do everything on my (fast growing) lists.  After thinking about it, I think it's the feeling that I'm no longer a part of something.  But I've decided that instead of looking backwards, it's now time to thank the universe for allowing me to have been part of something so special and turn my sights to the future and start working towards all the wonderful things we are going to be experiencing.

Today is the first day that I've actually had to myself - and I've got so many things on my list I don't know where to start.  Like many productive days, it's starting off with a little procrastination... but I have started the exercise routine again - so things are looking good : )

We near the finish line... at work anyway

I'm now a week out from my last day at work, and as you can imagine, getting extremely excited!  

It's such a strange feeling after working full time for the majority of my adult life.  With this excitement naturally comes a little apprehension .. for a moment anyway .. then the excitement comes over me in a wave (like a tsunami!!) and I'm ready for what the universe may send my way.  Bring it on I say!!

Our unit is still sitting lonely - ready for someone to come and love it as much as we did.  I am confident that it will be snatched up very soon.  

In the meantime, we've been keeping very busy with the caravan.  Aaron had his first go at backing the caravan down the driveway - which I might add is not your normal straight driveway - we're talking steep, winding road - with steep embankments down one side.  I must say, rather proudly, he did pretty darn good  - and managed to get it down in one go.  It's now sitting just next to our shed that we're living in now - together with many spiders and insects.  I am still amazed at how much of a spider web magnet I am - no matter where they may be hiding, no matter who has walked before me, I ALWAYS seem to end up swinging my arms like a mad woman trying to get the spider webs off me .. I can only imagine how ridiculous I look!  In the 2 days the caravan has been parked outside our shed (rather than up the top of the driveway), we have already taken all the doors off, pulled the wall out near the door and checked all the lighting.

We've now made a list (which is much, much longer than anticipated!!!) of things to fix and buy before we set off on our adventure... so far we've managed to tick a few off, which is quite satisfying :)

So after next week, I will be a housewife, looking after my husband and getting all ready for our trip.. which will now be a few months later than first anticipated.. but gives us longer to prepare .. yay!  Life is good.. no, life is great!!

New Year .. comes with mixed emotions

We saw the New Year's in with some very good friends - what a blast!  2010 was a huge year for us - among many other things, we got married and we made the decision to take our lives in our hands and we chose to live it - big!

The first day of the year saw us moving from our unit (which is still on the market *insert frowny face here*...) to my Mum and Dad's..  what an emotional ride.  While I'm super excited about what 2011 brings, it also brings a close to the past - filled with many, many memories.  It means that we no longer live a 15 minute walk from the beach, nor the little convenience store up the road that we used to frequent...very often.  We now live a 15 minute drive from the closest shops - so no doubt will prove to be a very effective money saving tool for us!

There's such mixed emotions - one moment I'm high as a kite thinking that we've taken that next step to our year (or so) on the road, the next I'm thinking about our unit and how much I will miss it and what it has given me over the past 4 years - but rather than think of what we've not got anymore, I'm choosing to remember the good times, thanking the universe for everything it bought me over the years and focusing on all the new memories we are going to make in 2011.

Stay tuned .. and follow up on our adventures for 2011