Memoirs of a Crazy Cat Lady

Hug a Little Tighter

2011-12-17T06:56:00.003+10:00

Hug your family tighter. Time is fleeting and you never know when things could change. Love one another.

Laugh together.

Remember to enjoy the small things, they can pass all too quickly.

I am a lucky woman. I have two beautiful girls who make me smile and a wonderful husband. Life is good. The girls are growing strong (and fast). Miss Barry is four months old and exploring more and more of the world. Miss Squid will be three in little more than a month. Time marches on and life is good.

Christmas is next week and I'm looking forward to enjoying it with our family, especially as Miss Squid is starting to comprehend a little more about it and anticipate it. Last year she only just started learning about enjoying the idea of presents. I am looking forward to seeing her realise that there is a group of presents for her.

Mostly, I will appreciate my good fortune in having a happy and healthy family. I have heard too many stories of loss of a loved one, even children. Today, I will try to live life for today and take as much enjoyment as I can from each moment.

I Bet You Weren't Expecting This...

2011-10-23T11:58:00.000+10:00

Another post... in recent proximity to the last two!

It is amazing what some sleep can do for one's energy levels. Miss Barry is being an absolute gem and allowing me to get some decent uninterrupted sleep blocks and it is doing wonders for my enjoyment of life. (Writing this down, however, could be the kiss off death to this good run of course!)

I'm feeling happy, relaxed, energetic and inspired.

I've even been able to focus on myself a little bit and have been exercising, eating better and setting goals. These things have had flow on effects to make other parts of life easier to deal with too.

Life this week has been quite enjoyable.

Now, on to some planning for Christmas...

My Bucket List

2011-10-17T13:45:00.001+10:00

I thought I'd start a list to record & track a list of "I want to do some day" things.

This is a post I plan to update and re-visit periodically.

See Aurora Borealis
See Aurora Australis
Host a 3 course dinner party
Visit Japan
Go on a helicopter ride
Maintain a vegetable garden for a full year
Take another cruise
Spring clean the entire house before spring ends

Remembering Me

2011-10-09T09:17:00.001+10:00

Hi there,

Remember me? I used to write here a lot more. Then I had children and they took up most of my "spare" time.

This morning I had an epiphany. I need to create, and children are too damn expensive as a creative pursuit despite how well those collaborations turn out.

I have decided it is time to prioritise some time regularly for creative endevours. This might be blogging, card making, painting, sewing or other randomness. I might even showcase some of my efforts on the blogs. Mostly this is a commitment that I will write more often (feel free to hurry me up if you actually read and I haven't posted in a while), but for now I have to return to trying to get Miss Barry to go to sleep.

Never Dull

2011-03-10T05:08:00.001+10:00

Life has been interesting, certainly not dull the last few weeks. Many many dramas, some of my own making, some of my family's.

It's consufsing and stressful.

I guess though, there is a status quo in that though and at the very least it is getting a bit harder to keep my head up my own bum. Drama and crisies make it harder to indulge one's own self importance/indulgences. I probably needed that about now. A shift in focus, away from the minutae of my life.

Miss Squid continues to be the shining light in my life, she is chicken soup for my soul when I let her be. She is art, beauty, love, innocence. She inspires me to be better than I am.

Nearly half way through as Barry's host, we find out next week if indeed it is a Barry or a Barry-ette on board, if they care to share with us. I think I have felt Barry move a bit in the last week or so, but nothing super definitive yet. The blubber and the anterior placenta make it a bit hard to tell.

It's dark, only slightly earlier than alarm time, on my day off. I think it might be time to have a cup of tea and enjoy the solitude.

Motivation, My Fickle Friend

2011-02-28T11:26:00.000+10:00

Today I feel motivated which makes a really nice change from where I've been very recently.

Maybe it is the effect of trimester 2, although I still tire easily so I'm not really sure. Yesterday and today have been quite productive. Let's hope I can maintain it for long enough to get some stuff done!

Miss Squid is distracting me in the most delightful ways, she is growing so fast and so wonderfully. She is easy to be with and has magical giggles.

I must away, to make the most of my visit from my fickle friend!

The Best of People

2011-01-16T11:41:00.000+10:00

Its been a stressful week.

One story that made my day was recounted to me by our neighbour yesterday.

He has a business in the Albion region that was under threat from flood water. He was at the shop with his business partner as they watched the water lap at their bottom step before it receded. The businesses on the other side of the street were not so lucky.

Down the road from his shop were two antique shops, side by side. One shop owner had built a mezzanine floor a couple of years ago and moved all their stock to the higher level as the threat neared. The other shop had a huge shop full of stock that could not be protected in the same way. The owner was staring down the barrel of losing it all. Then a truck arrived.

It was a competitor from the next suburb up the hill's truck. They offered their empty warehouse and truck to help move all the threatened stock. The truck went back and forth before they finished moving out every piece at midnight.

That people are so generous with their resources, time and energy in the face of adversity makes me very hopeful for the world in which Miss Squid lives.

Greetings of the Season

2010-12-24T20:34:00.000+10:00

Hiya folks,

Sorry for the lack of posts - life gets busy!

Just wanted to let you know that I was thinking of friends and family at this time.

I hope that this time is filled with peace, hope, love and fun.

Stay safe folks, hopefully we will catch up in 2011.

Love.

Good Morning World

2010-10-12T05:01:00.000+10:00

I must be getting more sleep than I was, because today I woke at 3:30 and could not get back to sleep.

After laying in bed some time with my mind ticking away furiously I decided I would be better off with some quiet time before routine imposes itself upon me.

Life has been good. It has certainly not dull, but I feel more centred and able to cope with life at the moment than I have in a long long time.

Days tend to melt into each other with little pockets of change but there is an underlying level of contentment that is very satisfying.

BabyCakes is working hard, and having a frustrating time with a big project, but hopefully one day soon the job will end and we can move on from it and not have to deal with all the drama that seems to emanate from the project.

Miss Squid is growing and evolving in front of our eyes in the most wonderful ways. Her vocabulary is growing and she surprises us almost daily with new words. In the last week we have had some social events with her cousins and second cousins, and have really noticed how tall she is getting. She needs to work on her sharing skills a little more, but I think that is all a part of growing up.

I think all three of us have found a bit of a pattern in life and are glad to maintain the routines, which for my money, are much better than the manic mayhem that tends to develop without them. Some days I do wonder if I'm getting a little boring but I do realise that this is not my life forever, just for now, until something else comes along to move the centre of balance.

I hope I find more time and energy to write again soon.

A Quick Update

2010-06-29T19:05:00.001+10:00

Still losing weight :) 4.1kgs to date. Some weeks have had smaller losses than others, but so far a steady downward path. It has been heartening.

This week will be telling, I haven't been counting points!

A Start.

2010-05-29T09:46:00.000+10:00

Weigh in is weekly. 1.2kg down.

More importantly, my awareness of portion sizes and the my ability to exercise self control has been re-confirmed. I'm happy with the start.

Now to maintain the programme.

:)

The Edge.

2010-05-24T18:31:00.000+10:00

I'm at the edge. The edge of a place I'd rather not be.

Our Wii Fit tells me I'm dangerously close to the "Obese" line, which is interesting given the amount of people willing to tell me "You're not fat". The inanimate software is not afraid to tell me I'm almost obese, it has not rose coloured glasses to soften the blow.

I must say, I tend to agree more with the machine than the well meaning friends. I caught sight of myself in a shop window last week and it horrified me. I looked positively round. It is always confronting when I have one of those "slap in the face" moments. There is a part of my head that thinks I'm at the other end of the "ideal weight" range. It is where I was when I was 23 and I don't feel that much different in my head, mostly. Then I look a bit harder.

I was pretty much a control freak when I was younger. I think I have mellowed a fair bit as I got older. In some ways I like the more relaxed me, I'm not so uptight. The discipline could be better though. It seems like an obvious thing to say, but I think my lack of discipline spilling over into my attitude towards food has had a lot to to with my weight issues. I reactively became a lot more self indulgent when I learned I could be. When my life became less structured, it became *really* less structured.

Unsurprisingly, these changes mirror the time my weight started ballooning. There was also a dalliance with hormonal contraceptive in there too. That's a whole other story though.

So, I think discipline as much as the hand/mouth thing is key to working my way through this to a healthier weight. I have started Weight Watchers and even in few days since I've started things have changed a fair bit. Just the simple fact of knowing I have to write down what I eat makes me more inclined to think about it, let alone the scary prospect of having to assign a point value to it.

The programme itself only has a weekly weigh in so I'll see how that goes on Thursday. I did drag out the Wii Fit today though, and I think I'm in a good spot.

I was talking to a friend about my weight and proposed weight loss and life in general. They very confidently said "I don't doubt you can lose the weight you want, you gave up smoking." A statement that made me think about things completely differently, and much more positively. I was a smoker for pretty much 15 years before I managed to shake it, and I feel quite happy to be an ex-smoker this time round. I have no desire to get close to starting smoking again. The last time I quit was vastly different from any of the times previous - well for a start, I actually did stop and for about 3 years now, which is a pretty big difference really), but other than that, it was surprisingly easy. I didn't really struggle.

I have been overweight for about 10-12 years now, so that's less time, and I feel happy that this time is different. My head is in a different spot, and I really believe I will do this, and be able to make permanent changes to how I eat.

I am ready to walk away from the edge, and never get there again.

This post took about 3 days to write, so I apologise if there are inconsistencies in tense or I repeated too much!

Busy Busy Busy!

2010-02-04T13:57:00.000+10:00

It has been too long since my last post, I dare say that there will be no-one left who checks my blog!

On the off chance there are people who still check, I will try to post more regularly!

Also, in an effort to reclaim my identity apart from mother, I have created a blog just for Miss Squid's stories. This is so I have a record independent of Crazy Cat Lady that one day Miss Squid might even take over herself.

Life is good.

I'm starting to re-find myself, having finished up breastfeeding at about 10 months, and losing the last of the baby hormones at that time. I do feel different since losing the hormones. I have lost some of the lingering drive to put aside "the plan" and have another baby sooner rather than later. The thought still lingers, but it is easier to rationalise.

The household is starting to get more sleep and more of a routine, which is WONDERFUL! We're starting to have more energy to take control of our lives and catch up on stuff around the house (even aside from sleep).

Recently we've tidied the spare/computer room and managed to fit a double bed in there to give us more flexibility when we have friends and family visiting. Babycakes has also done a large scale (and much needed) clean up under the house and it looks fantastic.

I've also started on another theatre project as Assistant Director for Catch 22 at the Brisbane Arts Theatre. We're 3 weeks into rehearsal and it is shaping up well. Most excitingly the cast seem very keen and talented. I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops over the next few weeks. I expect we'll have quite an entertaining show come show time!

I will try to write again soon, and now that I'm starting to have more energy, I realistically expect I can do it!

Until then!

The Battle...

2009-10-04T16:05:00.002+10:00

On The Move.

2009-09-30T15:53:00.001+10:00

Miss Squid is well and truly on the move now...

Easy Like a Sunday Morning

2009-08-30T08:14:00.004+10:00

It's Sunday.

The neighbourhood is largely quiet except for the occasional dog barking and bird chirping.

Miss Squid is on the floor, starting to get frustrated that she can't move where she wants. She can move, but so far its not directed movement. She rolls and finds herself off her rug and onto the carpet. She then proceeds to wiggle and squirm in a way which only serves to make her skin red, without managing to get closer to the toys that were once all around her, before she rolled away from them.

I'm torn between giving her what she loudly expresses she wants, and letting her find a way through the frustration to take action and overcome the first of many hurdles she has to face. I settle on repositioning her in the midst of the toys sprinkled on her mat, propping her in a slouched sit. The toys provide the motivation to slowly lower herself to the floor as she reaches for a toy and again she is on her belly and soon doing 360s again as she pulls herself around in circles with her upper body, her legs moving, but very much uncoordinated with her upper half.

It is a simple pleasure, exciting and ordinary all in one as we watch and anticipate the huge leap of independent movement which is happening and about to happen.

Miss squid flashes us her gummy smiles, no sign of teeth despite the huge amounts of food she consumes: cereal, fruit, veggies, yoghurt, toast - all devoured happily, readily and with gusto.

She is growing well.

She makes me smile and I'm glad to spend my time with her.

Afternoon Chat

2009-05-24T19:18:00.001+10:00

Squiddley Wiggles and Squeaks

2009-05-20T18:26:00.001+10:00

Not great quality, and the noise is quiet, but fun none-the-less.

Busy Doing Nothing....

2009-03-29T14:26:00.002+10:00

Life is busy. I'm not feeling particularly constructive at the moment, but I'm busy.

Squiddley is 2 months old now! I'm glad to say that we are still breastfeeding after some stressful times early on, and still using cloth nappies - initially with disposables as a back up, but now have been disposable-less for over a week, and surviving just fine.

My happy hormones have deserted me, which is a shame to say the least. They really did help in coping with the broken sleep and constant demand of another person utterly dependent on you. Don't get me wrong, I haven't fallen off into an abyss of PND, it just means I have to work a bit harder at not being upset at being woken up 2 hours after I'd fallen asleep, or that just when I think it is safe to make a sandwich, have a shower or hang out a load of laundry, not swear too much when a plaintive cry is heard from the bassinette. I definitely have to work a lot harder to be nice to people complaining of being tired when they've had 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep!

Squiddley is growing well and gracing us daily with smiles which are the perfect tonic to the tiredness. She is more and more alert and curious about the world around her. Her movements are getting a bit more deliberate and a little less jerky (she regularly gets fingers/hand to mouth to suck on). She loves bath time and being in the thick of the action. She rarely cries and when she does, we can usually work out what is wrong in a fairly short space of time.

We've moved through the milestones of the six week check ups and the two month immunisations with reasonable ease and are starting to get more social in mixing with others. Last week we had no less than three social outings with different mothers and children, and this week is shaping up similarly. Add in the requisite grandparent visits (two sets local enough to warrant frequent visits) and she is an absolute social butterfly.

Squiddley has even had her first plane flight to canberra for her Uncle and Aunt's wedding (congratulations again to them!). She of course took it all in her stride, spending the entire first flight like this:

I met some lovely people whilst at the wedding festivities and truly regret not saying goodbye whilst in my sleep deprived haze. (Squiddly was in the midst of a growth spurt and decided our first day/night away was a GREAT time to feed every two hours... for those of you smart people without children, that means she had to be fed, burped, changed and put back to sleep within each two hour window before my own sleep could be attempted.)

I got a call a week or so ago that was not unlikely in this ecconomic climate, one of my temp contracts has been finalised due to a restructure. There are several staff moving on from the employer and even more moving within the company to different roles. I was very glad to follow up on the other contract to find that they were as keen as ever to have me back. I plan to follow up on the after hours casual job very soon, as I hope to start back there fairly soon-ish given the astonishing rate of dissipation of the savings. The good part about the temp contracts is that they are willing to do some of the legwork if and when I want more, sure beats scanning the ads myself!

There was probably more to say, but I can't think of it at the moment - lets hope it prompts me to write again, sooner.

I Know How I Could Make Millions...

2009-02-17T13:09:00.003+10:00

If I could bottle the effects of the hormones I have coursing through my body right now, I'd be rich.

I feel fantastic.

I'm happy, calm, serene, and all of this on broken, disjointed sleep of a duration less than my norm.

I celebrate poos, wees, burps and farts.

My routine, my life has gone out the window.

The bank balance is dwindling at an alarming rate.

And to top it off, most alarmingly, I would happily be pregnant again tomorrow despite the fact that intellectually I know that is not our plan, nor is it something I'd aspire to.

I'm very happy. This is working for me at this point in time.

I like it.

The Birth of our BabyBear

2009-02-07T08:10:00.005+10:00

It seems so long ago, and yet BabyBear is only 11 days old today.

Warning up front, this might not be everyone's cup of tea to read. This is a post that I need to write, but doesn't need to be read :) It does involve commentary and description of some of the icky parts of my experience of childbirth. It's also very long.

On Australia Day we went to a housewarming/Hottest 100 BBQ party at a friends' house. As such parties go, it was an all day party and we deliberately went before lunch so we could stay for a meal but head off if I started getting tired as heavily pregnant women are wont to do.

The party hosts did have a pool which was a welcome distraction from the fact that once again I was designated driver whilst people all around me were drinking happily.

We ended up getting home from the party at about 9:30pm, so I must have been somewhat distracted with the water. BabyCakes is glad to hear that the OB's appointment scheduled for the next day is an afternoon appointment, and not our usual 8am ish one.

I toddled off to bed and BabyCakes stayed up playing poker on facebook. He tells me he came to bed about midnight. Somewhere after 3am I needed to go to the loo, again. As a pregnant woman, you do get used to this, but retrospectively the fact that I'd been in the hour before should have been a tip off that something was different. So, I went, I wiped, I see pink. Once again, as a pregnant woman, checking of toilet paper for blood is something even the sanest most laid back women do given it is a big indicator that something is happening at all stages of pregnancy, sometimes good, sometimes bad. This is not something that bothers me at this late stage of pregnancy, it can mean labour is immanent, or it might not. One thing any health professional will want to know is how much blood there was, so one needs to get a panty liner to monitor this.

I lifted my leg up to get my knickers up (bending is difficult with a big round belly), and feel a small gush. I know I didn't wee myself, I know I didn't "do" it. I'm not 100% sure because an extra 10+kgs of weight pushing on one's lower body doesn't do a lot for one's bladder control. I know I need to talk to the hospital for some advice, so I toddle off to find the piece of paper with appropriate phone numbers etc. BabyCakes gets woken by my search, but manages to stay in bed when I tell him not to worry, and that I'll talk to the hospital and find out what to do.

The midwife I talk to on the phone tells me it sounds like waters breaking, and to come in, but don't rush, and if I'd like to wait an hour or so until I'm sure, that'd be ok too. I decide to head in straight away, and by the time we get downstairs to the car, I was sure. The bag was packed, and all I had to do was grab a couple of towels to sit on and BabyCakes looked after the bag.

We got to the hospital which was somewhat locked up in the middle of the night, so we needed a security escort downstairs. Thankfully, another couple had arrived just moments before us so we weren't in unfamiliar territory alone. As I'd stood up out of the car I'd had a gush of water, and it continued all the way to the labour ward. It was such a disgusting feeling to be leaking and not be able to control it.

We were met by a midwife who ushered us into our birth suite. I got changed into some dry clothes and waited for the midwife to come back and give me a bit of an examination and hooked me up to monitor bubs and any contractions. She felt baby through my belly and gave me the bad news that while baby's head was down and in my pelvis, her back was towards my back. I'd done my reading on labour (forewarned is forearmed!), and I knew a posterior labour (back to back) was destined to be long and ouchy, and felt more in my back than in my belly. The ideal presentation for a baby is the baby's back to mum's belly button. They can turn during labour, but don't always. The good news was that baby was completely and utterly not distressed .

The biggest problem was that labour hadn't started. Labour didn't start by the time my OB did her rounds at 6am ish. She did an internal exam which is not the most comfortable thing I've ever had a doctor do... More bad news, I was one cm dilated and my cervix was long and closed. To top it off, it seemed the leaking waters I experienced seemed to be a hind water leak (high in my belly), and the waters were intact below baby's head. The doctor used a charming tool that looked like a jumbo plastic crochet hook to pop this bit to try and wake up my body into starting contractions. It didn't, and by 7am when nothing started naturally, I was put onto a drip of chemical (oxytocin) designed to help start labour. I was hooked up to the monitor again, and we waited to see what happened.

The nurse came and went, taking me off the monitor, turning up the drip dose, putting me back on the monitor, etc. etc. BabyCakes snoozed in a vinyl recliner, and I tried to "rest" but wasn't in sleep mode. Lunch was brought in, and I was advised to stick to the light options, BabyCakes had the heavier fare, and after lunch my OB came back to visit again. More bad news. 1 cm dilated still. I needed another bag of oxytocin, cranked up to max dosage. I tried to stay upright, bouncing on a fit ball, trying to encourage baby out. The contractions did start, and they were all in my back. I asked for a heat pack, which in concert with BabyCakes' massage brought me some relief. The contractions weren't super regular, but I had faith in my body to do it's funky thing, and I'd hoped for progress. During this section my temperature went up slightly, so I was given some antibiotics via the drip to deal with any possible infection.

When my OB came at 5pm and did another internal to tell me I was only 1.5cm dilated, I was devastated.

My OB knew I wanted a minimal intervention birth.

She explained to us that the chemical being used to stimulate labour was also the same chemical they give you post delivery to encourage the uterus to contract and clot the blood at the placenta site, and there was a concern if too much was given now, that it wouldn't work then, and I would bleed too much (which doesn't sound like a good option). She said we could trial labour some more, but the reality is, babies only come out if there is 10cms dilation, 2cm, 4cm, 6cm just does not cut it, you need the full 10cm. I also knew that the contractions were getting to the point that I would fast need pain relief - an epidural would not likely be given (not that I asked) because they tend to slow down labour, and we were doing everything to speed it up, so that would mean gas and pethidine as pain relief... Also, I'd been awake since 3am, having had a big day the day before, I was tired and emotional. I told Steve that I didn't think I'd cope if I'd continued for however long they'd have let me and still ended up with cesarean as the best option. We decided that while baby and I were still calm and unstressed (within reason), that we could make an active choice and I guess I got some degree of control over a situation I did not expect to find myself in. I did cry. BabyCakes wiped away my tears and talked to me whilst my OB organised all the necessary people for my surgery.

Thankfully, there had been another lady in surgery, and we could utilise most of the same staff instead of having to wait for people to get there. I was still contracting and breathing through them the whole time this was going on. After signing the appropriate consent forms the Anesthetist and his assistant were first in to see me, and they came into the labour room where I'd been all day. I was asked if I had allergies and if I wanted to be conscious or unconscious and elected for conscious. The spinal block was administered quickly and easily, and to be honest, I was relieved. The needle inserted into my back concept was pretty scary to someone who had never been to hospital as a patient before this. It was not long before the contractions were no longer an issue for me. What did surprise me was getting the shakes. I was told this was not uncommon and to let them happen and they should pass. I must say, the anesthetist was lovely. he explained everything he was doing, and what I could expect to feel/not feel etc.

I was wheeled into surgery and placed on the operating table and the anesthetist kept up the explanations and kept me at ease. He asked me if I wanted to be told when things started, and I said that ignorance is fine, to which he replied "Good, because it has already started!" I must say, it's a really odd sensation not not feel pain, but to feel referred movement. The only thing I had to compare it too was having a tooth pulled.

My OB discovered that our little girl was also in my pelvis with her head tucked back, not chin tucked in - which was another indicator of a long and painful labour.

By the time they lowered the drape so that we could see our baby girl for the first time, I think I was still in shock. A picture not everyone will want to see... I looked at her swollen little face in wonder. They re-raised the drape and BabyBear was handed over to the paediatrician and his assistant and BabyCakes was called over to watch and be a part of the weighing and cleaning up of BabyBear. She was 3680g (just shy of 8lb 2oz), head circumference of 34.5cm and 55cms long. She got 9 and 9 on the APGAR test. It took a while before I asked if she was a girl, because I'd completely forgotten to look!

We got a brief moment to be together for the first time as a family before BabyCakes went with her while they dressed her and took some blood so she could be tested for infection related to my high temp earlier. My OB had a look at my insides (I'd had an unusually swollen ovary at one stage during pregnancy) before stitching me up. I was wheeled out to recovery and was handed BabyBear pretty much straight away and we fumbled through our first breastfeed together. The spinal block wore off surprisingly quickly and as it worked its way out of my system, my arms finally stopped shaking. I was in recovery for half an hour with BabyBear on my chest, lost in the wonder of a newborn. It was during this time that we were told that BabyBear had no infection related to my high temp.

She caught us by surprise 2 weeks early and was a very reasonable size - any more "cooking" and she would have been a very big girl! Whilst not my planned birth, we are both safe and healthy. Recovery from the surgery has been very straightforward as I took the advice of those around me and kept up my pain medication, only now just starting to contemplate reducing it.

Love, Fear and Perfection.

2009-02-05T08:43:00.003+10:00

Now, I admit I have a lot of hormones coursing through my body doing their funky thing, but WOW, BabyCakes and I made a beautiful baby. Now we just have to look after her until she can look after herself.

I know that there will be arguments and frustrations, and that at some stage she will loathe us and blame us for everything we did (and we're bound to do lots) that has totally ruined her life, but for right now, she is perfection. A pooing, weeing, burping, farting tiny tiny bundle of perfection. It takes my breath away sometimes, and depending on how much sleep I've had, she can stir so many varied emotions.

When I'm tired and generally sleep deprived, the responsibility of being so totally key to her survival inspires huge amounts of fear for the unknown, the possibility of how many ways a child can be hurt and harmed, and how I could despite all my best intentions fail her bubbles over and almost paralyses me.

When I've had more sleep, and feel calmer and more secure in myself the sheer awe, love and excitement I feel when I look at her is inspiring. I want to be a better person for her, I want her to have and be the very best I can offer her (and more), and I desperately want to nurture and love her and watch as she grows into her own person and take joy in that journey together.

I know most of these feelings will get buried in the mundanity of life, and I'll get caught up in survival over time. At this stage my whole day revolves around her needs because she can't do anything to help herself, but in time she'll grow and will start learning skills, and I'll go back to work, and the bills will keep getting paid and the world will happen around us.

This is such a small window of time, and such a magical one. So many firsts for her and us. I know from the outside it is easy to think that a week old baby has't changed much since they were born, but ask a parent and they'll be able to tell you all the milestones that have come and gone in the short space of time, and the milestones ahead to be faced each day.

Crazy chemicals, or the meaning of life. I don't care. It's an amazing roller coaster that is my whole life right now, and it is so wonderful.

And I don't care if it is really gas, I see a smile and it melts me.

We Are Family

2009-02-01T13:59:00.006+10:00

With great joy BabyCakes and I welcomed our daughter into the world on Tuesday evening.

My waters broke in the early hours of the morning and induction of labour provided too little progression of labour in 10 hours, so a cesarean section was needed for us to safely meet.

She is our joy and seems so perfect. She feeds and sleeps well, and my recovery from surgery has been straightforward.

BabyCakes has applied for his shotgun license.

Fwee Fwee Fwee Fwee Fwee

2008-12-26T11:05:00.002+10:00

The title is in deference to my nephew MrT... he's 16 months old and "Fwee fwee fwee fwee fwee fwee fwee" is his favourite utterance when he's happy and just generally running amock.

It has been great to have family visiting and just being able to hang out and do not too much. I think we have a household of people who generally are feeling the effects of low level sleep deprivation and lack of routine, but we're happy for the most part.

I know it is a bit belated, but I would like to wish everyone well for the silly season. For us 2008 has been an exciting year full of change and happiness, but we know that it hasn't be that way for everyone. I hope that 2009 brings you the best and that you thrive in every thing life offers you next year. We're waiting to meet Squiddley Diddley next year, and know that our curve of change will continue to dramatically increase, but hopefully, so will our joy.

Love to all.

Happy Birthday BabyCakes!

2008-11-25T13:03:00.001+10:00

I love you :)

Mind the Bump!

2008-11-18T15:58:00.005+10:00

This is me at 19 weeks, 2 days. I wasn't overly happy with the bump picture at the time, so did not share it - might have also had something to do with being tired and having limited recreation time!

This one is me at 24 weeks and 5 days. Syill not happy with how fat I look, compared to how pregnant I look...

This is 26weeks and 4 days.

I'm now 27 weeks and 6 days, so this was taken just over a week ago.

I'm starting to feel like I have ceased to be me and have simply become the host of Squiddley Diddley...

These photos are not flattering at all - I don't feel as big as these photos make me look! In fact the scales agree - motherhood has been good to my body, mostly, so far.

Tomorrow I officially reach 28 weeks, which is officially the third trimester. As my Obstetrician said today, it is a big milestone.

My breathing is getting shallower as bubs is pushing up under my ribs (and getting in some good kicks too!). In the last few days the movements have been changing - I think there is less swimming and more co-ordination to the exercises - there is definitely more strength. She can take me sit up straighter, stop mid sentence or make me need to pee in an instant.

It is good though.

Every day I get to feel her and know her.

I'm looking forward to meeting her in about 3 months time!

Life has been moving on - BabyCakes had a big weekend a few back, and took over 300kg of green waste to the dump and found a new favorite toy on the process. We were loaned an amazing saw on a pole which BabyCakes loved so much he googled it, and found out it was worth about $700 - ouch! With the storm that has his this week we were very glad he'd attacked the tree he did, when he did. I'm sure it saved us work (and probably cost too).

I've applied for a full time government job. The job would offer some security and a pay rise - and a single employer! I submitted the application on the weekend ad don't have a clue when/if they will contact me - wish me luck!

Christmas is approaching, which is exciting and daunting both. I'm looking forward to the inevitable catching up that happens around the festive season, but the speed at which it is approaching is amazing. I suppose I'll have to look at Christmas shopping soon!

The baby shower was great - so much fun. I was also very lucky in the gifts that I received, a sewing machine, some gorgeous baby clothes, and some very cute Modern Cloth Nappies - but more about them anon!

Oh, and we discovered we have termites.... but we should be able to sort them out reletively easily due to catching them early...

and we bought a new washing machine. We must be domestic, because we weren't even close to temped to chuck in a wide screen TV while we were there!

I think that's enough for now... chat soon.

Hey Look! Less Than a Week Between Posts!

2008-10-25T09:06:00.004+10:00

Hiya,

Later today I'll be attending my baby shower. It's on the early side, but I knew a couple of people that were due to give birth in November and Christmas functions always tend to over run schedules later in the year, so we thought early would be good. It is somewhat of a pity that we didn't check in with baby R's schedule, because he decided he wanted his Birthday last weekend!

I'm still looking forward to high tea (cups of tea, but with food - yum!), and some baby inspired games (I'm told), and just generally catching up with the women in my life. I have amassed a surprising number of them. When it came to suggesting a guest list, I very quickly had to stop at family and the very closest of friends, because I do want to be able to talk to people, and despite what people might think of showers, it wasn't a gift grabbing exercise - I'd be happy not receive a single gift except to see people.

I've never had a baby shower, so it will be curious to report back on what happens!

In the mean time, this blog entry is brought to you by the fact that I should be doing a weeks worth of cleaning.... and obviously writing the blog is easier to do than cleaning!

I actually feel like I have energy today, so I shall start the cleaning soon - nothing like an impending visit from the in-laws to motivate one! BabyCakes is at work, having survived the Slipknot concert - and all it's pyros and stage effects that he got to see last night.

Squidley Didley is kicking up a storm - getting stronger and more co-ordinated now, but I've learned how to tune out the smaller movements so it is easier to cope with - quite cute in fact. Most of the kicks and punches visibly make my belly move, and I can imagine that soon enough (maybe in the next month to six weeks), that we'll get to see pointy feet, hands, elbows or knees stick out when bubs tries to roll around.

I have my next Obstetrician's appointment next week, and after that one they swap from monthly to fortnightly, so that will be a big chunk out of my schedule (and bank balance). I've booked my 32 week scan (about Christmas time), to see if my placenta has moved appropriately to allow for a vaginal birth - I don't know yet if that'd be a good or a bad thing... Despite how battered and bruised a vaginal birth can leave one, I do it is the optimum for mother and child given there is no medical need for a ceasarian section. (Major surgery is not something I could do just for the sake of it...)

We've also booked in for our one day ante-natal class at the hospital too - I wonder how BabyCakes will cope witht he child birth videos - for that matter, I wonder how I'll cope! We're both regularly having baby dreams... last night I dreamed I had octuplets... 4 boys and 4 girls.... and BabyCakes had a dream where a nurse decided to give me a c-section without anesthetic, and even over my screams he heard the baby's first cry, and then we both cried too...

Life is good.

I should do some dishes now though.

An Update.

2008-10-19T18:30:00.004+10:00

I was specifically requested to update news of bubs, but before I do, I am delighted for my friends S & A who welcomed to the world this morning a beautiful little boy, 5 weeks early but mum and baby are doing well. On top of that, My brother B turned 30 today, so Happy Birthday again B!

As for me, bubs has been dubbed "Squidley Didley" in the last fortnight or so. It very quickly went from "Is that a movement?" to BabyCakes feeling a kick to "My goodness child, please sit sill for a while!".

I've gotten much better able to cope with the endless bumps and squirms of baby working out how to move limbs and and how much strength she has. To start with it was like a neverending stomach upset, without the feeling ill, just the churning... and the knowledge there is a person inside me. It is as odd as it sounds. Very very cool, but pretty weird too! I think the constancy of the movement also took it's toll by way of some very vivid dreams, and the feelings stirred by the dreams impacting my day. I had a dream where someone completely dismissed me, which made me angry, so I told BabyCakes (in the dream) and he didn't take much notice. I then woke up, and told him about the dream, and guess what? At 5:30am, he wasn't that indignant that someone treated me that way - in my dream! I was grumpy all morning, until I told my boss at the first job of the day how I'd woken up in a bad mood due to a dream - he told me how his wife wouldn't talk to him for two weeks when she was pregnant, because she had had a dream he was having an affair...

This weekend I've discovered Braxton Hicks contractions... equally odd, and unsettling. I've done a bit of reading and it seems that it's all pretty normal for how far along I am. Through this though, Squidley Didley has managed to refine her kicking skills to find all kinds of organs and piece of the anatomy that don't usually get that kind of stimulus.... sharp pains and weird sensations seem to be the norm for these few weeks! Apparently this is all likely to continue to get worse, while bub's strength increases and she can still swim around... in another 6 weeks or so, the space starts to get a bit more confining and I can expect less swimming!

Life has continued it's hectic pace, lots of work, lots of family, and trying to make time to rest a bit in between. Today we loaded up the back of BabyCakes' car with 80 kgs or green waste and went on a tip run. It was satisfying to see how much stuff you can stack into a small space when you try! It is also good to see how much of a dent in the pile of branches we'd been collecting. We really need to give the yard some more attention - we've been ignoring it a bit too much of late. With the onset of the Birthday season in my family, I am very aware of how quickly Christmas will be upon us.

Oh, and for those that I told about my mobile phone dying.... I got a new one, my first ever Nokia.

Time to sit on the couch a while before dinner.

Hope you're having fun folks!

A Challenge....

2008-10-01T19:20:00.005+10:00

This was a challenge posted on a friend's blog, that had been challenged to her. The rules are if you want to find out why the names are on the list, you have to commit to the challenge for yourself (if you don't have a blog I'm sure you could facebook or whatever it).

If you want to give it a go, let me know and I'll send the list through privately to you.

It made me think. It is not a bad/mean spirited thing.

I don't usually use identifiable names on my blog, but given it is a simple list until you get the key questions, I figure most people are unidentified anyway.

1. Bob
2. Simon
3. I'm very glad to say, no one :)
4. Debi
5. me
6. Simon
7. Leigh
8. Caroline
9. Lexi
10. Anne
11. Probably me, before BabyCakes
12. I know so many...
13. Natalie
14. Lauren / BabyCakes
15. Anke (but not right now... and I have no idea why!)
16. Sean
17. Lexi
18. Maddy / BabyCakes
19. Anke
20. Leigh
21. Bob
22. Caroline
23. My bosses...
24. I'm very glad to say, no one
25. Anke
26. BabyCakes
27. Lexi
28. James
29. BabyCakes
30. Go on, admit it, you're curious as to why your name is on this list!

CCB: Crazy Cat Baby!

2008-09-23T11:51:00.003+10:00

Someone on a forum I'm on suggested the nickname and I think my bump can be referred to as the CCB :) I think it's cute.

The bump has started to make it's presence known more and more each day. I had quite a few people register surprise when I showed them pictures or told them we're expecting a girl - they hadn't realised I was pregnant, so it seems I was quite comfortably in the "Is she fat or is she pregnant?" zone. It makes it easier to take when the sonographer called me skinny!

I'm feeling good, and enjoying pregnant for the most part when I can ignore the almost instantaneous cravings one has when one is told "You shouldn't". Guilt is a powerful motivator and whilst I'm being far more liberal than some pregnant women, the risks I take are weighed against the size of the craving and or the size of risk itself. When you consider that poorly washed lettuce is quite a big risk of Listeriosis, it can impact a lot on one's desire to eat (in a moderately healthy fashion) in a public place!

I'm delighted to have a day off from any paid work today, to be able to do some of those unpaid things that tend to pile up during the work-eat-sleep-eat-work-eat-sleep cycle. Returning calls that can only be made in office hours, wedding the garden, tidying up the mountain of papers that accumulate through the house, putting away the baby stuff that accumulates, the list can go on and on (it certainly feels like it).

Technology is an Amazing Thing.

2008-09-20T09:59:00.005+10:00

Hello!

It has been a while since I posted - but a lot seems to be happening. Next Wednesday will see the official half way mark of the pregnancy - how fast did that go??

We were delighted this week to get a chance to see bubs again, wiggling away in my belly. We even got a DVD of the whole scan so that we can show grandparents, and keep a record for bubs too. Baby was kicking and waving her arms, but abstained from flips (which is good from a sonography point of view!) I think the Ultra sounds might be a bit louder for developing ears - she (yes, she) kept kicking out at the scanner when we were trying to count her toes (10 - yay!) and kept turning away, and trying to cover her face with her hands (5 fingers each - yay!) /arms. She was at one point rolling away and was face down just to make things interesting!

The things they check for these days are amazing. Club feet, cleft palate, holes in the heart chamber walls, spinal condition, kidney/stomach function, lung development, cataracts, herniated diaphragm... the list goes on. Another instance where we were delighted to hear "average" and "normal" :) Our little girlie hid her genitals from us for quite a while, and it wasn't until the last 5 minutes of the 90 minute process that we were able to get a 99% confirmation of gender. BabyCakes was delighted to be proven right (he's said from the day after the pee-on-a-stick that it was a girl), and has already promised her a pink football.

The night of the scan we went out and bought little pink cot linen... and some pink ugg boots that were on special and too cute to pass up!

So, baby stuff has featured heavily recently, but as always, is not the whole of our life.

I have four jobs, which as expected keeps me busy, and BabyCakes has been hard at work trying to keep the commissions coming in. We were very happy this week to receive a letter from our credit union saying they are passing on the RBA's cut in official interest rates - yay! That means our mortgage didn't quite get to the threatened high, and keeps the repayment under the round figure mark... small victories, but you have to celebrate them!

La Boite Theatre Company is currently hosting The Wishing Well, which has been very well received by those that have attended, but unfortunately, not that well attended. The show closes tonight, but if my shift late this week is anything to go by, hopefully the last couple of shows will fill up nicely. My in-laws went to see the show in week one of the season, and very much enjoyed the show.

I've promised to take BabyCakes out for a night out to see the next La Boite Theatre Company season show, Attack of the Attacking Attackers, which looks like a lot of fun (they've just upgraded the warnings of Medium level coarse language, Sexual References, Adult Themes, Depictions of Violence too... which should get some more bums on seats). In between the seasons there are also other visiting shows, which means more work for me... YAY!

I have a shift today, which means I probably should be getting ready for that instead of blogging ;)

We went camping last weekend, which was fun, I will tell you more about it anon.... I really do need to get moving!

It is my sister's Birthday today, so Happy Birthday L, if you are reading!

Time Flies When You're Baking a Bun

2008-08-12T17:47:00.004+10:00

It's been a while between posts as I've been struggling to stay awake past 8pm! The sad thing is, I got really excited when I started sleeping all the way through the night again.. early on I was averaging about 3 loo trips a night thanks to pregnancy bladder. Building a baby is tiring work, but I think I've worked out why.

This time next week our baby should be fully formed, but tiny (about 10cms). How cool is that?? A tiny little person. After that, baby grows and matures, but nothing much gets "built".

Last week we went for a scan, and got to see our wiggly bub. One doesn't expect anything less than two arms and two legs, but it is heartening to see them. We also saw the stomach, bladder, brain lobes, skull thickness, heart chambers, spine and face (albeit a weird looking face so far), and I have to say, I've never been so glad to hear "average" mentioned so often in my life!

Here it looks like baby is sucking a thumb:

Baby wave? Or baby rubbing eyes?
In this one, the big white blob on the right is baby's shin, the little white blob to the left of it is the umbilical chord.
The same day the scans were taken my jeans started getting painfully tight... I either have to retire them for a while or look at getting a belly belt thingie.

Energy has become a precious commodity, and during the week nothing much besides work gets done, then on weekends, there is a mad catch up.

I started wedding thank you notes over a month ago, most are written but sitting in a pile, and some are still waiting to be written. Those expecting one, please be patient, I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just barely functioning as a human being.

Work is going well, routines are stating to be formed which is great. At this stage it looks like I'll be working about 38 hours a week across the 3 jobs, which is tiring - lots more travel time - but I'm getting paid more than I used to earn, so that is somewhat satisfying! Working at La Boite has been very cool - nice to be on a theatre payroll again and new skills are always welcome!

Last week I had a surprisingly emotional response to to a letter from the credit union - I cried! They decided to put our mortgage rate up again due to rising costs. I think I had emotionally invested in thinking that if rates stayed the same, we could cope... the rise was emotionally a kick in the guts... and I fell over. I think it has taken me nearly a week to get over/cope with it!

This post has taken me about two hours to write, so I might post what I have, and write again sooner if I think of anything!

Sharing is Caring...

2008-07-12T15:39:00.001+10:00

Thought some of you might like to see this...

Confessions of a Crazy Cat Lady

2008-07-10T12:14:00.005+10:00

O.k.

My posts have been non-existent for a while now as I've had a fair bit on my plate recently. Life changing "oh-my-goodness-I-can't-believe-this-is-happening-to-me" kinds of stuff happening.

I posted briefly that my job of nine and a half years doesn't exist any more, which in itself is not super stressful given the pay out etc. I'm a capable person, I should be able to find a job well before the money runs out... right? Right!

But..

(Remember my post two posts ago? Get ready to laugh, or gasp - your choice)

Factor in the fact that I found out I was pregnant about a week before I found out I was redundant, and you get a "oh-my-goodness-I-can't-believe-this-is-happening-to-me" kinda moment. My (now ex-)boss was telling me how he'd tried hard to drum up business and what it means to him and his family that he has to wind up the business and stuff, and I'm crying, and crying.

I'm thinking about the mortgage, and the interest rate rises (I stopped counting when they went up over $250 a month from when we got the mortgage in November) and now I have no maternity leave and what the hell am I going to do about child care and what is a new employer going to say when after they give me a job they find out that I have to have time off and we can't pay the mortgage on one wage let alone eat, AND look after one more... and lots more.

I was 6 weeks pregnant. My learning curve had already been steep, and was getting steeper. I'd already been told by my GP (on a Friday afternoon) "Book an Obstetrician now - don't leave it till Monday, because they might not have any space left". I'd already had to change my health care cover, book a spot in hospital for February and answer all kinds of questions you had no idea you'd need to know the answer to within a week of peeing on a stick.

I'm crying as I'm typing this, reliving the memories - welcome to pregnancy hormones, they kick in pretty quick - as well as the need to pee a LOT! Thankfully, I'm at 9 weeks now and have so far dodged the morning sickness bullet - job hunting whilst not knowing when I was likely to puke would REALLY suck!

I've currently got two part time "temp" jobs, both should see me up to when I pop, and one possibly beyond that... so it is a good start - but still only about 22-25 hours a week. It looks like I'll have Tuesdays and Thursdays to fill in with more work. I'm seriously looking at applying for a casual Box Office job at La Boite (Thanks Rastas!), which might be able to supplement the hours enough to make ends meet.

We had our first Obstetrician's appointment last week (I ended up getting an obstetrician without any drama), which was nerve wracking and exciting. We had our first scan and heard and saw a strong heartbeat, and development measured exactly to my dates - heartening.

So, those are our first baby pics - can you see it?

It's a bit of a magic eye test at this stage, but as far as I remember, the baby is the grey bit between the crosses (where they are measuring how big it is - 7 cms long), on the right is the head, and the left is the butt. The white "smile" is the cord. The obstetrician got all excited when she saw the head move during the scanning process, and I think she was a bit miffed we didn't get more excited too - but we didn't know where we were looking - and to be honest, the blinking heartbeat was mesmerising for me. That was as big as seeing the two lines on the stick in the "OMG this is happening" stakes. I think it was for BabyCakes too.

So, we've told family, because we knew they would be too excited for us to not tell them, and now we're telling our friends.

Take your time to get used to it - we won't be offended if you don't want to talk about it yet. This *is* our anouncement though, so we won't be making specific calls etc. Feel free to pass the news on to people you think might want to know.

We're happy (if not a little worried about money), but we're sure we can cope with this. It was ironic that life just exploded into a whole world of change for us, all at once. We thought getting married was the biggest change we would have this year!

For those of you that want the specifics, we're at 9 weeks 1 day, and the estimated date of delivery is February 11th 2009.

BabyCakes thinks we're having a girl... I have no idea - I'll settle for a happy, healthy baby :)

A Dull Life Would Be Boring, Right?

2008-07-05T09:00:00.003+10:00

Well, a lot has been happening since I last posted - including forgetting my password to log in - DOH! Obviously, I eventually worked out the password, and here I am.

My big news is that I was made redundant, which came as a bit of a shock. The boss is closing down his business which I imagine is very stressful for him.

I've found some part time temp work so far and am continuing the search.

Lots more has been happening but I can't get it out of my head yet!

Creating Space

2008-06-09T11:03:00.004+10:00

Yesterday I created a new blog to document some home projects. I know I could have posted about them here, but I want to get fairly specific to be able to track some things and work out how frequently tasks re-occur etc, and I figured that is hardly riveting blog material!

If you want to read that blog, feel free, but hopefully, I can talk about different things in different spaces so as not to bore every one!

BabyCakes and I were delighted to hear of the safe arrival of our new niece this week, a healthy 3.3kg, 52cm girl was delivered via c-section on Wednesday 4th of June. Mum and bub are doing well. Her birthday should be easy to remember given that my eldest brother and an Aunt share a birthday on the 3rd of June - I hope you both had great days if you are reading!

Saturday night also saw us drive to the other side of town to visit with one of BabyCakes' cousins who was celebrating his 36th birthday this weekend... seems like June is a birthday hot spot!

We seem to be surrounded by babies and pregnancy at the moment - I guess that it was bound to happen at some stage. We've had a few people hint and not so subtly suggest that it will be our turn next.....

....don't hold your breath. Babies still scare the crap out of me too much to deliberately try for one!

Home, Home on a Plane....

2008-06-02T18:19:00.003+10:00

It was a long flight, very long, but we made it home safely. Dog and cat have been most happy to see us, and mooch around us as often as possible... cat rarely lets a lap be un-sat upon!

I've updated some of the posts I made whilst we were away with some photos. The rest of the photos are on my facebook account, so those that don't know how to see them, leave me a note and I'll send you the details.

After some discussion, we decided to give into our wii craving, given it had not gone away and we both felt it, and bought one duty free on our way back into the country. It saved us about $30 - not huge, but better than a poke in the eye!

We also wanted a wii fit, but they didn't have any at the duty free shop, so had to settle for getting one from the local shops the day after we got back. Wii has been somewhat of a focal point of our attentions and energy since we got back especially with the rain we've had. Both Friday and Saturday nights we ended up having nights at home with family, and the wii.... they all want one now too!

We managed to spend some time in the garden on the weekend, doing some weeding, and scattering of some lawn seed in the hopes that it might take root in the midst of all the rain.

I've also started on my post-wedding project - the budget - or at this stage, just simply tracking how and where we spend our money. I really want to get on top of this so that we can set and meet financial goals so that we can do somethings around the house, and even save up for another trip. It was heartening to work out today that despite spending at will on our trip, we were a grand total of $42.07 over budget for it - it is worth the money to not worry about it for the duration!

It is good to be home, I'm looking forward to moving on with our lives together. :)

P.S. Wifey, if you read this, I completely forgot when you asked about cool wedding presents to mention the gorgeous hand-made quilt my Aunt made for us - it is stunning and is WAY up there - just have to work out if we hang it or put it on a bed!

The 4400

2008-05-23T12:50:00.003+10:00

....it is not a sci-fi TV show, but the alleged number of Australians working at Whistler.

We took a drive up to the host villiage of the 2010 Winter Olympics yesterday and had great fun. I even threw a snowball, and had a few thrown at me.

It was a gorgeous 15 degree day in the villiage, the sun shining and glorious. Up the mountain it was about -2 degrees, and very chilly in the wind on the chairlift. The bottom section of the mountain had pretty much no snow on it and the locals have pretty much swapped to mountain biking - they hurtle down the mountain in helmets and crash gear flicking up lots of mud, and seemingly having a great time - they certainly pay for the privelege!

BabyCakes even managed to zero in on Ray Warren's voice to find a bar screening the state of origin... luckily NSW were 10-0 over QLD so we were allowed to leave.

We had a quiet day today doing laundry and such, and tomorrow we have another day scheduled with my Wifey! We don't have any plans beyond that, but it should be fun!

It's starting to feel like the end of the trip now, but it's a nice feeling. We've still got stuff to do, but equally going home doesn't panic us. We're certainly looking forward to petting the dog and cat.

Seattle = Sunburn - Who Would Have Thunk?

2008-05-20T11:24:00.004+10:00

BabyCakes and I are now back in Vancouver at our trusty net café. We had a fantastic cruise, which was just long enough. We met some fantastic people and saw some amazing sights.

Yesterday we elected for early debarkation and managed to pick up our rental car before 8am. The rental agency upgraded us to a Camry hybrid car which has been pretty cool. We drove to Seattle with plenty of time to spare to catch our Seattle Mariners Vs San Diego Padres baseball game (having stopped by the space needle on the way).

We had hotdogs and beer and got sunburned. It was 21 degrees (celcius) and a gorgeous day - apparently there is about 10 months of rain in Seattle, so we got lucky! The Mariners even won the game, which made the local fans very happy.

Afterwards we took the Fiend's advice and went on the Seattle Underground Tour which was a very informative and interesting tour and a great way to learn about the early years of Seattle. I was a bit "tour group"-ed out by the end of it, and was glad to be left up to our own devices after that.

This morning we swung by the Pike place Markets and saw some fish being thrown about, saw the first ever Starbucks store, and bought some mugs, and on the way out of town we stopped at a Wal Mart - and bought nothing. We did look at the guns for sale - turn left at the tennis racquets, and the electronics and music/DVDs. We were surpised to see that on the whole there wasn't any real difference in price from those we get at home - sure there were a few things cheaper, but not a lot.

We then headed over the Canadian border and got settled at our new hotel. So far the car has just about used half a tank of fuel!

We're off to see if we can get tickets for a Missy Higgins concert tonight - the phone infoline was a bit ambiguous so we don't know if we can get tickets at the door... if we can, we figure the $22.50 price makes up for the whole "not seeing the local acts" guilt complex...

Hope you're all well and having fun - we haven't had any emails or phone messages so we assume that that is the case!

Cruising is Cruisy!

2008-05-14T05:44:00.004+10:00

We're on shore at beautiful Ketchikan, Alaska and it is breathtaking - hopefully the pictures will do it justice.

The internet costs a bomb on ship so we have declined to blog from there!

We are having a blast, we've met some lovely people and got dressed up each evening for fun.

This is a cute coin operated internet cafe - but the coins are running out so this will be just a short post to let you know we're still happy and well and having fun.

BabyCakes and CrazyCatLady went to White Rock...

2008-05-12T03:59:00.008+10:00

Yesterday we finally got me meet up with my wifey! this is a fun shot of me with my husband and my wife! BabyCakes did very well to cope with our silliness and excitement, but he even seemed to enjoy the day too. My wifey took us to a place called White Rock which is on the south side of Vancouver and is very pretty. It is a seaside town, which has a white rock in the middle of their beach which has been there forever. We had a lot of space to explore given the cold and damp weather which kept the locals away. We chatted for a long time over lunch at MobyDick's before walking up and down the waterfront.

We then went for a car tour around Vancouver, with Wifey showing us where she worked, different places in Stanley Park and the view from the Lion's Gate Bridge. We headed back to the hotel for a drink and stuff, before quickly deciding to stay in and chat over pizza rather than having to share our time together with anyone else. We discussed life the universe and everything, and Wifey even shared a few things BabyCakes didn't know abotu (and probably didn't need to know about me)... it was great fun, and it was suddenly 11pm and Wifey had to head home especially seeing as though she has to work she has to work today!

Today we head off on our cruise which is very exciting! We have a few things to do before we head down to board the ship and before they are ready to accept us! Hopefully the internet access is reasonably priced on ship and I can update the blog, otherwise you'll have to wait a week or so!

Hope everyone is well!

Bikes and Breweries... a Surprising Match...

2008-05-10T10:05:00.003+10:00

On our gift registry list we put the day trips that looked interesting while we were on the cruise. Some friends gave us a gift of money to make sure that we could go on a Bike & Brewery tour in Alaska. Today we decided to get some practice in (for the bike riding especially) and hire some bikes to ride around Stanley Park (which was beautiful) and afterwards we went to the Steamworks Micro-brewery and bar.

Babycakes preferred their Oatmeal stout and I liked their Double Double (double alcohol beer) - I think it was the tastiest - but it certainly has gone to my head! Their chicken tenderloins were yummy too!

Maybe the Jetlag was Jetlagged....

2008-05-10T05:10:00.007+10:00

Yesterday we had a fun day walking around Granville island, which is not actually an island anymore.

Lonely Planet served us well again, in advising us to check out "Go fish" which is a small trailer-esque shop that sells very very tasty fish and chips. Lunch was followed by a tour of Granville island Micro-brewery BC's first micro-brewery. The tour was about $10.50 each which turned into great value when there were only 5 in our group and Kim, our guide filled up a jug to fill our small tasting glasses. One can't put the beer back in the tap, so we got to share it out between us. We got along well with the other 3 (older) poms that shared the tour. The lager and pale ale were the favourites of the group, but I did "taste" a fair bit of their limited edition small batch stout. We walked around and around the island stopping to look at the public markets and many of the art and craft galleries - all the walking made us feel better about the drinking!

The afternoon saw us very tired and we fell asleep in front of the TV in the hotel room. We thought it was a nap, untill I realised it was 9pm (daylight savings means it was still light). For the second night in a row we ate dinner at about 9:30/10 o'clockish, this time at a groovy little shop called nu-bar which was cheap and tasty (thanks again LP!).

We went back to the hotel room and had a few drinks while we watched "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" before bed.

This morning saw a sleep in (and a missed phone call from my wife - eeek!) before we started our day....

Let the Honeymoon Begin!

2008-05-09T03:07:00.004+10:00

Hello world!

We have arrived safely in Vancouver, and are even reasonably refreshed! The flight was very long, but with the excitement of knowing where we were going and why, was managable. We dicovered this morning that standard business hours here are from 10am, so spent the early part of the moning walking around looking at things that either opened early or don't need to be open to enjoy.

We've done the obligatory visit to the steam clock which is not as old as it looks, or even powered by steam these days (so Lonely Planet tells us), but hey, what is a good tourist spot without a few tall stories?

Last night we ate at a Japanese restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet guide, which really hit the spot.

I can't get over the amazing displays of tulips all over the city, but I guess that is what a brisk climate will get you! The city is peppered with an ecclectic mix of old and new buildings and the trees are just gorgeous.

We will try to remember to bring a download cable next time we come out to blog to try and include some pictures.

Net time is almost at an end, so we'll write again soon.

Well, I'm a Married Woman Now...

2008-05-07T06:10:00.005+10:00

...and so far, married life is great!

BabyCakes and myself are really really really looking forward to our honeymoon. We fly out today!

We had a lovely wedding and lots of fun since. We've had so much family around us we sometimes feel like we have somewhat neglected them, but I guess we're allowed to as newlyweds. Thank you to all our family and friends who shared our day and made it the joy that it was. (Official pictures won't be back till towards the end of June)

I will try to find internet and time to blog, and download pictures as we can, but otherwise, we'll see you when we get back in a few weeks!

P.S. We have a house sitter to look after the animals and he has emergency contact numbers for us... we won't be taking mobiles with us - it is our honeymoon after all!

It Could Have Been Better, it Could Have Been Worse

2008-04-10T10:51:00.004+10:00

Yesterday I went to the US Consulate in Sydney. I was not immediately denied a US Visa, but I wasn't approved one either. I have to got to a panel physician for a physical because my offense was less than 5 years ago. Thankfully, they have a panel physician in Brisbane. I called yesterday and made an appointment for today (which, I again have to pay for out of pocket). I also decided to go for a 5 year visa and pay the less than $30 fee, rather than opting for the free 1 year visa. I don't know if we'll travel again in the next 5 years... but a $30 insurance against the hundreds of dollars the process has cost me this time.... worth it! The guy at the consulate indicated that I have a very good chance of having my health (and visa) approved given my otherwise clean record.

Hopefully today's appointment will be fairly straight forward, and I'll be able to get a visa.

I also went to a corset shop in Sydney while I was there. It was somewhat odd. I called and emailed last week to make sure they would have the corsets I wanted to try on in stock. I got a response of "Yes, they are." But they weren't. I did get to try on one that was kind of similar... and one that fit around the body, and one that fit in the bust, but not one that was similar, that fit my bust and body... Given the slim pickings everywhere else though, I did order (a pretty much custom) one.

With any luck, it will be delivered to me late next week, and it will fit.

So, it was a positive day, but I did not get the task complete feeling that I was looking for. Life is never dull, and I don't think I want it to be either.

The most amazing part of my day was watching the sun rise at the airport, and the cliché clouds below and sun above views out of the plane window as I flew to Sydney. They were truly stunning and wonderfully peaceful sights, which made me very happy to feel alive and see the beauty in amongst the stress I'm feeling. I wish I could describe what I saw and do it justice. I might have to try.

The Never Ending Lists

2008-04-08T10:02:00.004+10:00

Lists are starting to move beyond being "good" to being "necessary".

Lists help me sleep at night. I write down what I need to do, see, talk about, look at, re-think. Then when I climb into bed at night, my heads slows down surprisingly quickly, and I fall asleep - though it might also have something to do with the near constant state of tiredness that I'm in too...

I put more stock in the lists than the tiredness, having had my share of insomnia moments.

BabyCakes and I seem to be spending surprisingly small abouts of time together, due to our diverse schedules. The time we do spend together we cling to, sometimes making parting very hard. I think we are both longing for our honeymoon holiday, and having a chance to just be us for a while.

The play is progressing well. As with most rehearsal schedules, now is the time when people don't really want to be there, but when they need to be there (myself included). We're dangerously close to the tech and dress rehearsals, and I feel under-prepared. I have deliberately stepped away from a lot of the organisational aspects both because I don't have time, and because I don't want to step on the Stage Manager's toes. Unfortunately, I've just discovered that the SM has never SMed before, and it shows in her confidence level, and her understanding of her role. I might need to have a quiet sit down with her and give some advice.

Tomorrow I go to Sydney and the US Consulate. I'm nervous as heck too. I know it shouldn't be a big problem, but it is off putting. I'll be glad to have tomorrow over and done with, be back at home and a lot more settled. Hopefully I'll also have a corset for under the big white dress too - that's been a stumbling block, given it is a FOUNDATION garment, so far I've not had the foundation required for building the rest of the garment! Before the corset aficionados out there get too carried away - the corset will be more of a girdle than a classic corset... I need a 50s look more than I need a new toy.

We're moving into the stage of organisation for the wedding where people are wanting their money... it is very nerve wracking to see so much money going out, with the money coming in not even close to matching it! Don't get me wrong, we've saved up to money to be spent.. but I don't like seeing so much go out when it has taken so long to save it! I guess that will probably stand me in good stead to save up for the next project and the next...

Drink and Drive, and it Can Haunt You Forever

2008-03-20T12:19:00.005+10:00

......and you don't have to hurt yourself or others for it to haunt you.

I was really happy to read this news story on news.com.au . Fosters have decided to drop their super high alcohol and guarana/taurine/caffeine fortified drinks. I'm not a wowser, but I'm really glad that one of the brewers has stepped up to take this one on. Printing "Drink responsibly" (in minute lettering) on the side of the single serve sized bottle with two and a half to three standard drinks in it does not end the social responsibility of these corporate giants.

I've been rethinking my relationship to alcohol a lot in recent times, triggered by the diet, general health consciousness, and the ever present "getting older" type thoughts, especially the morning after - the hangovers are getting much harder to deal with!

Socially, responsible drinking is not cool in Australia. If I stopped drinking at my second glass of wine (the healthy daily intake), I'd be pooh-poohed and made to feel like I was a party pooper, or a control freak.

We have a culture that tends to define being laid back with drinking until one's personality is altered in some way. Having a "couple of drinks" is rarely two drinks, it tends to be closer to four or five. For a woman, four drinks is a binge by health standards - that doesn't leave much room for a healthy level of drinking and socialising by Australian social standards.

That's not to say that I've stopped drinking, or that I only have two drinks at a time. I still get hangovers, but I'm aware of the toll they are taking, and I'm thinking in a much more holistic way these days.

I've been having a very stressful time trying to finalise our honeymoon plans.

We just made our final payment on our flights and cruise, when I innocently said "Just confirming we don't need visas, right?" to which was replied "Not unless you have a police record." Cue the drink driving charge rearing its ugly head once more.

I've had to disclose it to my insurance company, when I applied for a mortgage, advise it to the Blue Card authorities, and now, it could prevent me from going on the magnificent honeymoon we planned.

Thankfully, after a lot of research, and a few tears too, I've worked out that I *am* allowed to enter Canada, but only because my crime was not a crime in Canada (their drink driving limit is 0.08%, and my offense was under that) - if I had broken their laws, I would not be allowed in. Full stop. That's it. Five years after the completion of my penalty I could apply to be recognised as rehabilitated, but that process also takes time, and I'd have to demonstrate that I was in fact rehabilitated, and unlikely to re-offend.

The US Consulate has a different set of rules, which while not as black and white in their process, offers the perception of the potential for more discretion, and are far more rigid in the application of the rules. In short, Canada publish their rules, if you are inside of them, you're good to go, if you aren't, you aren't. The US doesn't publish the rules, and you have to apply in each individual case to see what they say. (There are big warnings though, that they don't like drug convictions, or convictions for terrorism ... ... ...) To make things even more involved, there is no consulate in Brisbane, so I have to go to Sydney, because one must personally attend the application interview. The free visa is also accompanied by all kinds of application fees and lodging fees and stuff. I'm hoping, that once again, given I did not break the American law, that I have a good chance I will get the visa, I'm especially hoping I get the visa seeing as though we've just finished PAYING for the trip... which of course, you should never do, until you have all your visas!

Live and learn. I'm just glad we aren't trying to go somewhere where they don't have alcohol in their culture!

I'm guessing, just like the conviction, this is the sort of hassle I have ahead of me for the rest of my life, every time I wish to travel. Fun hey?

Let me learn the lesson for you.

Don't drive home if you've had a few drinks.

I wasn't panicked as I drove up to the breath test - I wasn't drunk, I thought. I was curious to see what my percentage was. I was wrong. legally, I was drunk. It is my price to pay, I accept that, I broke the law.

I Love

2008-03-14T22:27:00.002+10:00

I am a lucky person.

I have so many people that I love, truly and honestly love.

Thank you to each and every one of you.

Today was not an easy day, and it was harder for some of my loved ones.

Thinking of you and sending my love.

Time Ticks Away

2008-03-10T10:25:00.004+10:00

Thank you Jigger for my title today.

Life is busy. The wedding is now just 54 days away, not that I'm specifically counting... "less than 8 weeks" is daunting enough for me, but the software I use does count, and it does come in handy. As expected at the 54 day mark, the wedding has become a very big focus and I spent last week compiling invitations, guest lists, updating addresses and putting together wedding favours. This week turns the immediate focus to table centre pieces and place cards, as well as many other loose ends that need tying and the continual budget wrangling.

I've also started rehearsals for "The Truth", another Pratchett inspired production being performed at the Brisbane Arts Theatre. As advertising materials are made available, I'll share dates and times and the like with everyone. The production is already shaping up to be a funny and rewarding experience, which is always handy when one has to juggle so hard to fit all the rehearsals in. This time round I've declined to Stage Manage, and am instead focusing on Assistant Directing, which is kinda fun, because it very much feels like an "all-care-no-responsibility" kind of role... there is responsibility of course, but not to the same degree a Director or Stage Manager needs. It is more of a fun than daunting role!

I've also been working half a day a fortnight doing a newsletter for BabyCakes' work, which has given us a bit more time together, rather than less, because I head into the showroom and work on a Saturday morning to coincide with when he has to be there to sell. It has been interesting so far, and the extra money is always handy.

With all these tasks and responsibilities, BabyCakes and I have seen each other in rather small bursts of togetherness, but it is all for a purpose so it is manageable. I can say without a shadow of a doubt, the honeymoon will be very nice to have some quality time together, while seeing some amazing sights.

The rain we've had has been welcome, but it is encouraging all the stuff we cut back in the garden to re-grow, so I'll have to find some time to wrestle them back into the shape we want!

BabyCakes and I have continued on the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet (albeit with some aberrations on occasion), but even with the blips, I was delighted to step onto the scales yesterday and find that I'd lost about 4.7 kgs in about 2-3 weeks, despite the tape measure not showing much change in that time. Mostly, we are both happy and healthy, and finding it relatively easy to make better choices when we do stray, and being more aware of what we have to do to make up for it. I feel happy about where we are, and where we are going.

I'd best be off now to get my candles out of the oven.....

Vale Simon The Carpet Layer

2008-02-11T10:53:00.000+10:00

I was in the midst of writing a post when BabyCakes called.

He had just spoken with police as one of his sub-contracted staff was found dead on a building site this morning. He had been working alone on site yesterday.

BabyCakes' mobile number was one of a very few phone numbers stored in the man's new phone, and BabyCakes was one of the last people to recieve a call from him.

I met him once, he seemed like a nice man. My thoughts are with his family, and his fiancée, whom he was due to marry in two weeks time, and the young man who discovered his body when innocently starting his Monday morning at work.

What a sad and terrible thing to happen. Part of life, yes, but shocking nonetheless.

A Match Well Made

2008-02-11T09:43:00.002+10:00

At about the same time as we moved into our house, a collegue of BabyCake's put his 4 bedroom house in the suburbs on the market and moved into a one bedroom inner city unit. This worked well for us, as we managed to buy all kinds of stuff from them at well below replacement cost - mostly tools.

It took a while, but the weekend before last, the pick up was effected and in the space of hours we had a beer fridge, lawn mower, more power tools than you can poke a stick at, spades, loppers, assorted hardware, an extra work bench, ladder and more. Given our exciting new (to us) toys, we planned a day in the garden for Sunday. Then it rained. Yesterday, however, it did not rain, and we had a huge day in the garden.

The pictures are some examples of what a couple of people with lopping tools (and an overgrown garden) can do in a few hours...

We have had a lot of fun making decisions about what happens in our garden, confident that we get the final say for everything we do - very cool after years of shared spaces and rental gardens where we've had to deal with other people's poor choices... now we can make our own poor choices! All with the added bonus of being physical movement, and a profitable way to get a sweat happening!

Some People are Scary!

2008-02-04T07:53:00.000+10:00

I found this story today, and I'm glad I did.

I feel so balanced and sane.

The wedding is important to me to SHARE the day with my friends and loved ones, not to suject them to it!

As a bridesmaid I wouldn't sign an agreement like that if I were asked to sign one. Talk about people being the ultimate accessory!

Retraining....

2008-01-30T14:43:00.000+10:00

BabyCakes and I started on the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet on Monday. The first thing that hits you as you prepare to start (by going shopping), is how much food there is... It is hard to believe that one could feel hungry by following their plan - but I do. I think it is because I've been very carbohydrate heavy in my eating style in recent years and this is a low carb, low fat, high protein eating plan. I try to balance the occasional hunger pangs with drinking more water, and keep in the forefront of my mind not only my goals, but that it will take time to retrain my body as to what is enough food. BabyCakes is finding it pretty easy to cope with, and is only hungry in the lead up to dinner time.

What am absolutely excited about is the fact that the meal plan has been designed so as to include all one's vitamin and mineral needs without the need for supplements. It is nice to be able to think that I do not have to cringe every time one of those two-and-five ads come on TV, each time I hear another thing added to the seemingly endless list of things one *must* do each day to remain healthy/sane/whatever. I can be confident that some scientists have done my thinking for me on that front!

BabyCakes' dog also moved in on Monday (which was not especially coincidental), and he keeps us honest in so far as our 20 minute daily walk, to be ramped up as we all loose a bit of spare tyre.

We had a lovely gentleman named Mark build the last required fence for us which enabled the transfer of Dog to his new home. Dog was very disoriented on Monday eve, having only had one home since the pet shop, but seemingly is much more confident of his place as the time goes on. We also decided to try and create the illusion of more height on a worryingly low fence, and created with our own gloved hands and chicken wire and star picket height extension which seems to be doing its job thus far. I have to plant the passion fruit vines (one each of black fruit, yellow fruit and red fruit) once we get a shovel, to beautify and bountify it!

On Sunday evening we had a delightful dinner with BabyCake's parents and aunt. The roast lamb (those Australia Day ads work) was very tasty, the conversation was interesting

Saturday saw us put our wedding bands on lay by (mostly so they can store them in their safe, and we don't have to worry about them at home)... another tantalizing step closer to finalising all our plans.

I Intended to write more on this post... but got sidetracked, so shall post what I have anyway....

Returning From the Hunt - Girl Style

2008-01-20T19:45:00.000+10:00

Today I had a lovely day. I met up with My step Mum, two bridesmaids, sister in law and niece and spent a good part of the day in the city.

We met up to discuss the plans and needs of the impending wedding day and I thought to start the process of trying to find frocks for the bridesmaids. As it turned out, I showed them a picture I'd pulled from a magazine of a pretty frock. All thought it looked pretty - and well priced. We found the store and discovered the dress, on a sale rack no less! The girls tried them on, they fitted, they looked good, they were bought. All before lunch!!

We had lunch and I reeled off where the plans were at. Questions were asked from all angles. After lunch we moved on to a hunt for accessories. We found necklaces and earrings that worked for everyone. The hunt then stalled somewhat, but was still fun. We looked for gloves but didn't find any - we found a whole heap of hats to try on, which was enjoyed by everyone - little-miss-almost-two joined in with the hats she could reach and posed happily when the mirror was placed at her level - she also loved the shoe stores! She had a very cute mini purse bought for her, and toted that about for the rest of the day, having to stop alternately to put her new bracelet in the bag, and take it out again.

I'm so glad we managed to find dresses with the minimum of fuss!

BabyCakes is yet to return from Big Day Out, so I'm having a very restful night in this evening.

Wedding Minus Fifteen Weeks

2008-01-19T10:05:00.000+10:00

How scary does that heading look? I can also tell you that it is 105 days away - and that's not because I counted, but because a piece of wedding planning software I have tells me.

This week I've really kicked back into thinking about wedding plans. I've ordered favor components, new return address labels (that's what a move does for you!), spoken to the dress maker, revisited the budget and guest list, confirmed the ceremony location, spoken to a chair supplier for the ceremony, and tomorrow I'm meeting up with most of the women who will be involved in the wedding to have a catch up, girlie day and planning session. I've decided to start BabyCakes and myself on the CSIRO Wellbeing Diet. It looks like a lifestyle option and is specifically balanced to ensure all daily guidelines are met... and comes with shopping lists too - how cool is that?

I've also taken to writing lots of lists. Having said all that, it doesn't particularly stress me. I keep wondering what I've not thought about that I need/want, and most of it is organised. Most of it is able to be organised and most of it is affordable. I'm glad that I have relatively simple tastes and sense of balance. I can see how easily everything could get out of hand if one was remotely extravagant.

Mostly, I'm glad to hear the reports of relatives buying their airfares. That makes everything that much more real. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone, all together. It doesn't happen often.

I'm looking forward to the dress being made, that will be exciting - it's the first time I've had clothing custom made for me, and the more I go shopping, the more I'm glad I found a reasonable dressmaker, because off the rack just doesn't fit me at the moment (big boobs are not the joy most people expect them to be).

I'm getting married... and I'm looking forward to it!

And I thought I Was Odd...

2008-01-10T14:02:00.001+10:00

Biting the Facebook Bullet - Where it Leads

2008-01-07T13:22:00.000+10:00

I resisted the Facebook monster for quite a while. On Christmas Eve I finally succumbed and created an account. Almost straight away I was drawn to the potential for linking in with my geographically diverse family.

Most of my Facebook "friends" are related to me, and it has been a lovely informal way to keep in contact with people, some of whom I would have met only a handful of times in my life.

I also managed to locate a school friend with whom I'd fallen out of contact with which was reason enough to join for me.

I must say that I've had fun with a lot of the games and applications that one tends to join up to willy-nilly in the initial euphoria of learning how it all works.

One that stood out for me as an application that helps identify family and create a family tree. I was however concerned about the potential for public access to it and the information it contains.

This is not the first time the lure of understanding and tracking family history through a computerised form has inspired me, but the last time (maybe 10 years ago), the software was not quite as sophisticated as I needed for my large and somewhat confusing family.

Today I revisited my search for a piece of family tree type software, looking for something that was (at least initially) free but sophisticated enough to cope with the gnarled and twisted family tree that is mine (the ability to assign more than one family/parent etc.).

I think I have found just such a piece of software.

I have inputted the 30 or so people that make up my only-just-extended family (siblings, parents, partners and children), and it seems to be coping fabulously. I also found a review that places it top pick of genealogy software, which is pretty cool, given that I already started using that one!

I think I'd like to do some more to follow the tendrils of all the tree, to learn about how easy it is to become interlinked with so many people. I know my Dad's uncle has done a lot to trace their family line, and I'd like to be able to digitise it help future generations search it and understand it more easily.

Mostly, I would like to know more about the people around me.

Making Merry

2007-12-27T10:52:00.000+10:00

We've had a lovely Christmas.

Christmas eve saw us celebrating at an impromptu dinner with friends, thankfully for us, they too live on the the north side, so the drive home was pretty easy.

I woke up quite late, and we exchanged gifts before we headed out. I got a gardening through the year book, a month by month guide to what one needs to attend to in the garden. I'm such a novice at it all that I need the help! I also got a paper shredder.... there is not much scrap paper in our house that has not been shredded now! Gadgets are cool! I also expect that the shredded paper will be good for composting too. BabyCakes seems pretty happy with his home brew kit from brewcraft. It came complete with a bench top capper and a book explaining all the intricacies of beer making.

We opened up presents with my side of the family on Christmas morning, with a few families having to head off to have lunch with their other halves. We stayed and had lunch with my folks. It's odd to think that lunch for 11 is a small affair.... but it is!

After lunch we headed home for a bit, before going to BabyCakes' parents for dinner. More food was eaten and more good times were had. It was a low key day, and nicely balanced to minimise stress.

Yesterday we went to Bunnings and spent some vouchers we'd been given to buy some fencing materials and plants. We told a few people that we would be home on Boxing day and that they were welcome to drop in. Rastas and the Primrose Goddess were the only ones who took up our offer, and we shared dinner and chatted into the evening. The Primrose Goddess had a chance to look around the garden in daylight during this visit, and she helped identify some of the plants we have, and which ones might be best if removed - most of which I'd already decided were weeds for me.

Overdue

2007-12-13T10:24:00.000+10:00

Hiya,

It has been too long since I last posted. Sometimes the more I looked at how long between posts it had been, the less I wanted to post, or the more embarrassed about posting I became.

So I decided I should just post and move on!

We're settling into our home pretty well. We enjoy living here, and now that we have all our services connected (and the bills rolling in), it feels much more relaxing.

The silly season has created some busy times for us, and I must say, I'm looking forward to spending some quiet time at home with BabyCakes without feeling like we should be somewhere else, which I hope will happen in the time off after Christmas.

We've decided that we will be at home on Boxing day, and will welcome drop-ins from those that are looking for something to do/somewhere to go/someone to see. We're also going to be home for New Years Eve, and might even look at doing another spit roast if people are interested.

Lots is happening everywhere, and now that I've ended my shameful break from posting, I will endeavour to share some of our news in the near future.

Post 100! - A Phone, a Phone, My Kingdom.... Ahh Whatever!

2007-11-14T10:11:00.000+10:00

As you know, our phone was supposed to be connected on Friday.

I've since worked out, that that was very optimistic.

Think about the joys one can have with dealing with Telstra.... well, I'm dealing with a CUSTOMER of Telstra... that's two who layers of bureaucracy before one even works one's way through the departmental minefields!

I'm not even going to start trying to log how long phonecalls to the phone company take, the crappy mobile reception at our new house and the hidden "joys" of pre-paid phones.

On Monday I received a text to tell me the phone was connected. I was excited, but not so excited as to start giving out the number to anyone but BabyCakes.

After a full day at work (yeah, how often does *that* happen?), going straight to the flat to clean it, hiring a carpet cleaner, returning to the flat to steam clean carpets, and finally getting home at 9:15pm, I excitedly plug in a phone to each of the 5, yes, f i v e phone points in the house searching for a dial tone......

.....to find none had one.

I swore. I went to bed.

Yesterday, another phonecall was made from work (I know, two days in a row at work - amazing..... and likely to be more - all week in fact - who woulda thunk?), and now we have a fault lodged. Hopefully, sometime in the next couple of days someone might be able to make it so a phone rings in our house...

The upside is, that whilst the phone is officially connected, they can provision the dsl to the line... so once we have a phone, we're likely to have our internet back too!

Anyway, back to work....

Still Alive.

2007-11-08T16:45:00.000+10:00

Howdy!

Just a quick note to let you know that we're still alive. We've been busy moving between the flat and the house, and a large proportion of the move has happened.

The big stuff (fridge, sofa, book cases, and other stuff) will be moved on Saturday. Mail redirection, telephone connection and cable connection happens tomorrow, with the ADSL being provisioned sometime after that.

We're enjoying the new house, the cat a little less so - but she's always been a bit skittish. She is definitely settling into the swing of things and is more and more curious about what is on the other side of the doors and windows.

We're looking forward to having the fridge in the same venue as the bed, and being able to shut the door on the flat and not have to come back.

All part of the process I guess!

I'm going to pack my computer now - so I'll see you on the flip side!

Why Doesn't Everyone Understand How Important Today Is?

2007-11-05T13:55:00.000+10:00

The managing agent told us weeks ago that she'd booked in to do the post tenant inspection first thing this morning, which was great, because it meant that we expected to be able to get into our house by about lunchtime.

At about 1pm BabyCakes range the agent to find out what's happening, and she said that she was planning to leave the office soon, and then had to do a report and that maybe by about 3pm she *might* be in a spot to give us our keys (ok, maybe she didn't quite word it like that, but it feels like it).

So, I'm home from work, and going stir crazy, I just want to start moving some of the mountains of boxes.

*whinge*

Thanks Rastas for your comment this morning on my last post... it made me smile!

3 More Sleeps!

2007-11-02T07:38:00.000+10:00

....until we can use our new keys. The girl downstairs is playing loud music till all hours, the trains are getting noisier (I swear they are!), and we just want to move on with our lives. We're a bit excited that on Monday afternoon we can enter our new home :)

For The Wah...

2007-10-31T18:51:00.000+10:00

We Got Oneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

2007-10-25T10:45:00.000+10:00

The house settled yesterday. :)

Now we have to wait 11 days 'till we can use the keys we got!

I'm a bit restless to write much now - I might write some more later :)

Ever Have This Feeling?

2007-10-22T13:20:00.000+10:00

New Tricks?

2007-10-19T09:48:00.000+10:00

It may seem slightly odd, but I can't touch type. (That (and this) sentence took me three times as long as it ordinarily would to type, because I am trying to become a reformed hen-pecker.)

I've given up for the moment and reverted to a pretty poor technique in an effort to stop myself going insane with the lack of speed I was typing at.

I found a pretty cool site to help with my new plan of self improvement - well this particular part of it anyway! I also find, that there is a balance between concentrating and over thinking that needs to be found - sometimes I surprise myself with speed and accuracy, and others I get insecure over fingering and slow right down... my brain on some level, does know where the keys are - I just have to learn to start using my pinkies and ring fingers more.

I'd really like to be able to type without looking at the keys...

Today is one of my brothers' birthday. Happy Birthday dude! Have fun on your weekend away.

The house purchase is rolling along nicely, settlement is booked in for 3pm next week and the solicitor and the finance company have confirmed they have everything they need... I guess that just means the seller's side has to be up to speed and we're all happy! Update on that - my solicitor just emailed and gave me the list of funds we need to provide for settlement. Scary! Luckily though, I didn't accept blindly and asked a question that saved us paying an extra $400 to the government! It means there is $400 more in the wedding/honeymoon money - which has GOT to be a good thing!

In other news...

BabyCakes' Mum's health has become a concern again.

My Dad has also been in for more tests - his results are confusing - pretty much routinely abnormal which means more tests and more um-ing and ah-ing by his various doctors as they try and work out what is happening. He's upbeat about it all though.

Life really does keep moving on...

Life Gets in the Way

2007-10-16T16:01:00.000+10:00

Hiya,

Lots has happened since I last posted. The house purchase has gone unconditional. YAY! The tenant has given notice, and we have a moving date. We don't officially know that though until the house is ours.... and that will be next Wednesday. Double yay! Moving day is set for Saturday 10th of November which is almost more exciting.

The flat looks awful at the moment - we reclaimed everything from storage in an effort to save some money we didn't have to spend and we quite literally have boxes stacked up all over the place, and some messes arising from not having items that all completely fit into the boxes that have been packed - lots of "half-a-box-fulls" - that is what most of the mess is.

I started organising the services to be disconnected and reconnected which definitely makes things feel a lot more real, realer than the packing boxes everywhere.

For me, the last couple of days have been tough. Ever have moments that undermines your confidence so completely that it scares you? I do.

Up until a few days ago the working plan (always room for possible change), was that we get married and start not trying to not have kids. (re-read that if you have to, it will become clearer)

A couple of comments from different sources have made me feel scared and insular, and made me want to be selfish and safe. Walking round shopping centres and hearing parents and children, and children and children interact is also undermining to the tenuous desire to accept that I might do ok as a parent, that we'll find a way, that we will cope with parenthood.

Signing documents like a shared mortgage, thinking about what happens if something happens to one of us, life insurances, those looming mortgage payments... HUGE. Just plain huge, in anyway you look at them. A large part of me wants to hunker down, shut out the world and concentrate on making our home safe and secure for the two of us. I think that is quite natural. But I can't focus all my energy on that. We're planning a wedding, a honeymoon, thinking about kids.... I can also tell you that if we'd had that magic one dependent on the mortgage documents, I don't think we'd have had such a smooth loan application process.

I don't know.

I wanted to get some of my thoughts out of my head, to purge them. I have no idea what is happening next, I think I need to just concentrate on the next step, and do as best I can with that.

Oficially a Tenant

2007-10-03T20:30:00.000+10:00

Settlement went as planned (except for some fees I hadn't noticed), and the bank balance is looking healthy.

I'm very happy that we can move forward now. the fact that I don't have a mortgage anymore is somewhat novel too!

The bank manager has also indicated that it looks like we have been approved for the loan to buy the house but he couldn't say 100% that we have - hopefully that will come tomorrow or Friday.

YAY!

More Steps

2007-10-01T12:33:00.000+10:00

Our offer was officially accepted last Monday. This means that a week from today, we will either have an unconditional contract, or be looking for a new house to get excited over!

As testament to how excited we are, here is a (rough) floor plan I made up last night, to help describe it to people and to get an idea how furniture we have (and don't have) will fit.

Last Wednesday we had the pest and building inspections, and both men were quite free with their praise for the house. "They don't make them like this anymore" type comments were heard, and the pest guy seemed quite infatuated with the house, saying that he himself would buy a place just like it.

The completion of the building and pest inspections signified the start of my real excitement for this purchase, and we just got more excited over the course of the weekend as we went to the auction for the other property we had been interested in. The run down "fix-er upper" went for $505,000 - well over what we would have paid for it, and well over our budget for a house in general. The feeling of absolute relief and confidence in the price we offered for our new home was very satisfying as the auction bids went higher and higher.

The flat is due to settle on Wednesday afternoon, so it seems all our checks and balances are falling into place as everything gains momentum to our goal. (I'll also be without a mortgage then... and have a fantastic looking bank account for a while too!)

The only blemish so far in the ease of all these transactions is that the house has a tenant in it, and legally she's allowed to stay until the 23rd of November. That leaves us with 6 days we don't have a home! Additionally, her contracted rent payment is less than we have to pay to stay on in the flat!

We will wait until the house goes unconditional before we start negotiating with the tenant, to make sure she knows there will be no penalty for breaking the contract early. I just hope that the fact that every time we have been to the property there have been more boxes packed is a sign that they are looking to leave sooner rather than later. I can't imagine that anyone would plan to live with packed boxes for 2 months or more. Fingers crossed she finds an ideal place to live and can't wait to get there!

Now comes the time to seriously contemplate packing and the move.... I'd love to be in our new home at the start of next month.

A Verbal Acceptance

2007-09-22T14:46:00.000+10:00

We've had a verbal acceptance of our offer on this house. The owner didn't want to sign anything without her solicitor being present, so we won't have a signed contract until Monday.

I'm excited but wary.

We have to get the building and pest inspector through too, to make sure there are no hidden nasties.

A new house, a new home, a new reason to go to Ikea!

BabyCakes has never had a mortgage before... an exciting but nerve wracking process.

Now to arrange the furniture....

Waiting Waiting Waiting

2007-09-21T12:42:00.000+10:00

We have received word, that we won't receive word on whether our offer is accepted until tomorrow.

What an awful wait!

The Nerd Test says I'm cool... does that make me cool? or just nerd-cool?

Step Four?

2007-09-20T19:19:00.000+10:00

Today we put an offer in on a house. It is not the one that we spent a lot of time thinking about, but one we've had on our radar for a while.

This is a smaller house than the one up for auction in Nundah, but it is in a much quieter location and far more of a "just move in" proposition.

We will just have to wait and see if the owner accepts our offer - a nerve wracking time to be sure.

We made an offer that BabyCakes and I feel comfortable with, and I doubt we'll negotiate further. We made our offer significantly high enough that we do not expect that there will be negotiation, it's more of a yes/no proposition. I'm not sure if this is where the market is at at this time, or it is the culture of the real estate offices we have been dealing with recently, but it was like this when I sold the flat too.

The house does need some work - the guttering is holey, obviously damage wood work in places and tree stumps left in the ground. There is also a tenant in place until the 23rd of November. With any luck, given they won't be able to stay on after that date, they will want to move out sooner...

Hopefully we should know tomorrow if the offer is accepted. I hope it is, it would be very exciting.

Step Three!

2007-09-17T21:00:00.000+10:00

Today the contract on the flat became unconditional :)

Now we get to go shopping for our new home.

The current forerunner is this "fixer upper". The fact that it is an auction is somewhat intimidating.

We spent the weekend at the Neurum Creek Acoustic Music Festival and had a fabbo time, forging some new friendships. BabyCakes and I both had our first taste of acupuncture, and BabyCakes especially had some fantastic results (his back responded very well).

The weekend was a lovely camping experience (despite the deflating air mattress that came with a patch kit that didn't actually come with enough glue to completely secure the patch....), mixed in with some great music and a low key vibe.

We really relaxed over the course of the weekend, and enjoyed socialising with our friends, new and old.

Step Two

2007-09-04T18:37:00.000+10:00

If step one in our plan to move into a house was to put the flat on the market, step two was signing a contract accepting an offer on it.

It was a busy weekend, our first open inspection (and hopefully our last one too). We had an offer on the flat on Saturday afternoon, after one person from the open inspection brought their partner back to look at the flat later in the day. They wanted me to make a decision within a couple of hours which was very stressful, and in the end they didn't get. The real estate agent went back to them on my behalf and told them I wouldn't accept any other offers or let anyone else see the property until I had made a decision on their contract. The called the agent the next day having "cooled off". It was our first big taste of the fact that a signed contract does not equate to sale.

On Monday the agent brought an interested buyer through, and they subsequently made an offer too. the contract offer and terms were very similar to the first one, so it was a much easier decision second time round to accept the offer. I actually got to sign this contract, so that was a step beyond where we got the first time. Now we just wait the 14 days until the contract is unconditional, and then we wait the next 16 days to make sure the money goes into the account! Realistically though, an unconditional contract is the next step.

The ad has been removed from realestate.com.au, so the property does not appear "stale" should there be a need to re-list it due to a contract crashing.

In two weeks, we could possibly be in a position to seriously hunt for our new home!

Sunday was a big day, trying to squeeze in some laundry on a day we could afford to leave it hanging on the line (not a good look when "showing" a home), more driving by houses, lunch with my family and dinner with BabyCakes' folks. Lunch was fun with three toddlers racing around trying to not let the others out do themselves, and another baby looking on. It certainly changes the dynamics of the group interaction.

Dinner at BabyCakes' parents place was much more low key (much needed at the end of the weekend), but equally as enjoyable. I wouldn't have thought that a crossword scratchie could be a group activity.... but it can!

Saturday night was an impromptu outing to the AFL. BabyCakes was offered the tickets on Saturday morning and so we invited Mr & Mrs C to join us, as they are the only friends I have who really mention AFL, and Mr C hails from Geelong, so I thought he might enjoy the nostalgia. Mrs C had to unfortunately leave early to make it to work, but it was a nice shared outing. We had to battle the crowds to get there (Riverfire plus Gabba event = busy Brisbane), and I accidentally spilled half a beer down the back of two chairs in front of me, and the occupants of them.... oops.

All up, a busy busy weekend, after a busy busy week... but it's been nice to have things to do. I'm just wondering if it will every calm back down to a mildly busy weekend...

OMGWTFBBQ!!!!!!???!!!!

2007-08-29T10:38:00.000+10:00

I think I could learn to love my real estate agents. Yesterday they called me to let me know that they'd contacted about a quarter of the people on their lists waiting for a flat in the area. From those calls they'd arranged 3 viewing appointments, and more people driving past to have a look before making appointments. I was happy and excited by this... the flat isn't officially on the market, and I've not signed anything to officially "hire" them as agents.

This morning I get a call from the agents, saying they have a guy who wants to put a contract in on the place. He's not seen it. The agent had to tell him he can't do it yet, because not all the paperwork is ready for offers yet. She also encouraged him that he really should look at it first too. He'll be stopping by tomorrow afternoon with daughter to look at the property. I just can't get over the fact that they were prepared to promise money without even seeing it....

It makes me feel that we will get what we want for it, and maybe a bit more too.

WOOHOO!

Holy Moly!

2007-08-25T16:45:00.000+10:00

We have had 4 real estate agents through in the past week to look at our home. They all wanted on their books, and quite frankly, all had a pretty similar offer in how they would market the property. We in the end chose an agent that we thought would look after our interests and also be a fair agent on our behalf when dealing with prospective buyers. It is a mind wracking process to be honest, and simply picking the agent seems like the first hurdle of our new journey. We have picked the agency that we have the strongest affinity with and a balanced offer in their sales style. Our current home could be on the market as soon as next weekend. EEK!

It is absolutely mind numbing to think that this process could see us homeless for a while... We have to have a bit of blind faith (and contingency plans), that we will be able to go from the flat into our new home. The market moves so quick and is very intimidating for it. All I know is, while we haven't sold the flat, we can't afford to buy just about any house, and certainly not the home we want.

Making a decision to list and who to list it with is a big emotional step. We're excited though. We're getting closer to buying a house.

How the World can Change in a Short Time

2007-08-20T09:52:00.001+10:00

On Friday morning I looked through realestate.com.au as I sometimes do and sent BabyCakes some links for houses in our area (some were just for the giggle factor).

We had been planning to leave things as they are until after we were married, staying put here for another couple of years. It seems though, the nesting drive induces us to look for a house sooner than that. We've even talked to our Credit Union Manager, and he didn't laugh at our aspirations either - which is a great start!

We looked at a lot of open for inspections on Saturday morning. The market is booming, despite all the promised doom and gloom. Real estate agents are having trouble maintaining a "stock" of property, and they have given us very promising guide prices on what we could possibly expect if we sold the flat - to the point that I fully expect to have a couple of agents through to give us a firmer guide on what to expect, and if we could expect a bit more if we did some work.

We can't afford to keep the flat and buy the type/size house in the area we want, so selling the flat would have to happen before we could be in a position to make offers on houses. Houses don't tend to stay on the market much more than a week, if not a weekend before they have offers. Which makes the process feel a lot like a lottery... jump in, sell your home and hope that there will be one you want when you do... I guess we should also be prepared that we might have to have an interim home for a while, or with any luck, get a longer settlement on the flat, and a shorter settlement on a house, in that window where the Credit Union has an idea everything is all spoken for.

All up, it is a scary process, but so very exciting too.

The simple fact that it is possible to afford a house makes it much more alluring to look for one. The fact that it seems like a very impulsive market makes it scary.

It is feeling like gathering all the information we can now will make us more powerful as we start this process.

EeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkKKKKKKkkkkKkK!

Wish us luck!

A Long Way Away

2007-08-14T09:38:00.000+10:00

Yesterday the newest member of our family arrived. Little Thomas (who at 9 pound 7 (4.28kgs) is much bigger than little Chloe born 10 days ago...), was born yesterday at 9:15am local time. Mother and baby are doing well.

I was at work basking in the happiness of the news when suddenly it hit that I was not there to share this special moment with the proud parents (both people I consider to be friends with, not just related), and not be able to hold the little baby. (Something I'm sure BabyCakes is probably quietly happy to avoid... all those baby pheromones that make people want one of their own)

It was odd to suddenly feel the weight of distance anew, despite having come to terms with it an age ago.

I miss my brother, and his lovely fiancée, and I look forward to meeting their brand new little boy.

Ikea Furniture, Babies, Cars, Mobile Phones, eBay, Photographers and Dressmakers

2007-08-08T09:50:00.000+10:00

Life has been busy. I shall endeavor to explain my title further....

Ikea Furniture
BabyCakes and I assembled flat pack furniture together - it MUST be love.... no one lost a finger, or even better, dignity (mind you BabyCakes did look on in wonder as I pulled out the instructions to read).

Our Ikea visit started (relatively) innocently enough one Sunday afternoon (imminent tax cheque burning a hole in our pocket given our constant saving-for-the-wedding/honeymoon focus) , with the purchase of some new bedroom furniture. Then my infatuation hit its first test of commitment - one box of flat pack furniture that had lovingly been wrestled in an out of the car was less than perfect - the pieces were damaged!

We assembled what we could (that which wasn't broken), and marveled at not only our skill in putting the furniture together, but our excellent design choices and late change in colour, whilst studiously ignoring the poor left over box of chest of drawers, to be swapped at a later date. The following Thursday we loaded up the Triton with the mangled box of Ikea parts, and headed back to ~~Mecca~~, I mean Ikea. The return process at Ikea at 8pm on a Thursday night was surprisingly easy... they looked at the poor box of unwanted Ikea, didn't give us a hard time about the ripped box we returned it in (who worries about how the box gets opened when one is planning to keep what is inside??), or our desire not to just replace the pieces that were obviously damaged, but to get a whole new box and start over.

They credited the money spent back onto a "refund card" which was pretty cool, because as BabyCakes pointed out, it was a bit like spending money all over again.... We picked out a replacement, paid for it with our returns card and headed home.... I even waited 'till Friday to put it together and complete our bedroom furniture escapade...

Then BabyCakes' Mum wanted to get us our engagement gift, now that she's feeling much better and stronger. So, that Sunday we dutifully went back to Ikea and picked out our dining room table... and some chairs to match. The table is something we plan to keep for quite some time, deliberately buying an extension table to help us out with that goal. Thank you Mr & Mrs BabyCakes for our fantastic new table!

The table was exceptionally heavy, but very easy to put together - just add legs! The chairs however were a different story... once we worked out what the instructions meant it did go a lot more smoothly, but they were definitely the biggest challenge to motor skills that we have bought from Ikea so far!

They only had two chairs left on their shelves late in their Sunday... so guess what? We have to go back to Ikea again!!!

We also left BabyCake's Mum with a fist full of brochures for wall units for her lounge room (she likes Ikea almost as much as I do!), and I'm sure that we could be called on to help once she's made her decisions for that too.

Babies

In amongst all the Ikea visits life did actually keep moving, and BabyCake's cousin and his wife had a very cute baby girl on Sunday evening in Cairns. Baby Chloe was 5 pound 13 ounces when she was born (we'll call that 2.64 in metric terms). Mother and baby are doing well by all reports, proud Dad has sent through several pictures of their little bundle, with huge smiles all round.

My brother and his fiancée have moved past their due date on Sunday and are waiting on tenterhooks for the arrival of their first child too. Good luck guys! They also both started up blogs to document their journey (and have a place to write it down once and refer everybody to it...) Their Journals are now added to my list of blogs I read, check them out if you are interested!

We also found out that BabyCakes' sister is expecting, congratulations Nin, not only on the great news, but for winning the family baby race!

Cars
The Last Sunday in July sees the Queensland Chevrolet Car Club at their annual show and shine at Eight Mile Plains State School. Ordinarily, this event would not be top of my "things to do" list, but planning a wedding does strange things to you.... We saw a really cool car at the Hotrod show in at the RNA show grounds earlier this year, and we were hoping to see it again at this event. We did, and we finally got a chance to meet the owners of the stunning vehicle. This time round we were also able to get a bit closer up and fully appreciate what a beautiful car this 57 Chevy is. They have agreed to pencil in our wedding date and were very glad to hear that we had such strong feelings for their car. We haven't talked prices yet, but have swapped details, and acknowledged a definite intent! Yay! Now we just have to make some decisions about what the rest of of bridal party are traveling in!

(We've organised the bright purple car for the wedding, the other pics are cars I thought were cool)

Mobile Phones
We went and saw The Simpsons Movie. It was fun, just like a giant Simpsons episode in Cinemascope. The weird thing is, that the pre-show advertising caught me... Subsequently, BabyCakes bought me a very cool and very small limited edition Simpsons phone... It's bright yellow! It also has some of those wizz bang new fangled gadgets like a camera and polyphonic ring tones on it. (That's how up to date I am!). As I write this my phone number should have finished porting, in fact I literally got the text to confirm this as I was typing - spoOoOoky! So, I have now changed from Vodafone to Optus, not because I was in anyway unhappy with my Vodafone, but because the phone is locked to Optus for a bit, so it seemed easiest (and cheapest) to swap, at least for a while. Those of you on Vodafone, you will have to start paying for your calls to me, and those of you on Optus, you might get free calls to me... Mostly though.... how cool/cute is my phone??!!

You will be glad to know that even a Simpsons tragic like myself declined to stick the Homer "flasher" on my phone... it is a doo-hickey that flashes when one's phone rings... sad that THAT is the market that the advertising was aimed at, and I bought it.

Now I just have to keep plodding along with the arduous task of manually swapping my contacts over because the old phone wont swap information from phone to SIM and vice versa.

eBay
Last week I stumbled across what I deemed to be a bargain at David Jones. 3 books for $40, and included in that special were the last remaining first edition copies of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" I bought one, along with a copy of Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" and "The Bride Stripped Bare". I mulled over my bargain as I went home, and checked out eBay. I was right, copies of HP & the Half-Blood prince were going for more than $13 each... That night I went back and for the princely sum of $40 started speculating on eBay. It was very exciting when my listing received its first bid, and the excitement waned from there as it hasn't as yet had any further bids. There are, however, 10 people watching it... and I haven't told 10 people about it, so there *must* be some more interested buyers lurking for that last minute bargain, mustn't there?

I saw too late (as I was peeling stickers off it) that there was a touch of damage to the dust cover of this edition, which is why it went up first (leading with the weakest). The other two copies (one an adult cover) I haven't quite decided how to manage. I could keep them for a while as they can only go up in value really, or I could sell them to get a quick short term profit.... ahhh the decisions! I guess it will depend on how my first eBay sale goes.

Photographers
I asked a question of my friends a couple of weeks ago, that it seems I didn't want an answer for. It was with regard to a wedding photographer... One of the hardest components to decide on, for me.

Our original budget for a photographer started at zero, then went to $500, then went to $1,500, and now is at the $2k mark... As you can see, there have been some changes in expectations of a photographer in that time. Photography is also something people comment on when reminiscing about their day, especially if they got it wrong. I've heard a couple of friends and family wish they'd chosen different people, communicated more clearly, spent more money or chosen a different photographer. My original thought with regard to photography was that the people were more important than the things. Documenting the day was important, but documenting the people was the goal. This still holds true, but the more I grasp how much we're spending on all the components, the more important that it is documented correctly becomes. I'll admit that there is also a part of me that figures that if we're getting all spiffed up like that I want some damn good pictures of me... it doesn't happen often that I like pictures of me, minimising the risk that I'll hate all the pictures of me seems like a good investment, and this is one of the few chances one gets a significant portrait done.

So, at the moment, the photographer I really like, no one is overly impressed with his offer. Fair enough. I met him, and I clicked with him, he said the right things, he impressed me. (Those in sales take heed - personal connections are important). He offers a lot of time with his service, and not much specifically to touch and feel.

Since then, a photographer who has been sending me fliers from pretty much the first expo I went to has come up with a "show special" that interests me. Her basic package was way over my budget, and didn't include ownership of the digital images, so I'd always discounted her. Now, courtesy of the man mentioned above, the price realisation kicked in, that if I want a professional i will have to pay for it... so her price is in the range (if not slightly under it), and then she added the show special of a disc of all the shots.... bingo! She has my attention.
Tonight we are going to check out her studio and albums... see her work beyond the glossy brochure she sent.

Of course, BabyCakes has to like the photographer too. I realised the other night whilst discussing our options, that the photographer we choose will be sharing and be involved with a significant proportion of our day, they HAVE to fit with us, they have to make sense for us, and what we need.

Dressmakers
Ugh. This has been a task that I thought was going to be much easier, and much more fun that it has turned out to be. I have some specific ideas of what I want, and it seems to simple to me, and yet, people keep telling me how much more difficult (and therefore expensive), it really is.

I've been in touch with two whose names I got from Gardam's Fabrics and am in the process of trying to get together for a meeting (and not embarrass myself like last time). It looks like the week after next I'll have a meeting, and go from there.

I'm glad I don't have the added stress of worrying excessively over the cost - I've been offered my dress as a gift so that I do not let the dollar signs influence my decisions beyond what I really want. Thank you!

Well, I think that is a big enough post for today. Hopefully I won't leave it so long between posts next time!

BabyCakes Has a Wallet!

2007-07-24T19:39:00.000+10:00

You might think this a bit of an obvious statement, but we've spent two days looking for it, and asking other people to look for it in their belongings. It was on the top of BabyCakes' computer desk...

...enough said!

On with the more fun things.... I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows today... it was fun, and an easy read, once I found the time to read it. I'm not going to cry myself to sleep knowing that the series is over. BabyCakes bought me the book on Saturday morning as he passed the table of them at Kmart. It is the first one in the series I haven't borrowed from the library, and therefore, the only one I read close to it's release date.

Life has been a bit busy of late, I was out at Farm Fantastic at Caboolture on Friday through to Sunday, helping a friend by trying to pretend I know something about plants. The first two days were long and tiring (and the 6am starts were tedious), but the last day hurt a lot. The tiredness settled, the aches felt like they'd never leave and the very slow customer flow was utterly demoralising. The morning rain showers did not help either (an outside stall). We had to load the vast majority of plants that had been brought from Sydney back into the truck as darkness fell on Sunday night. There was a (small) profit turned from the event, but the money was made not from plant sales, but from the extra paraphernalia of planter pots, hand painted resin birds, butterfly magnets and buckets. It was an odd experience. I'd never done an outdoor show selling plants - they've all been under cover or indoors in the past - the relentless wind and dust was draining.

I'm sure there has been more stuff since I last wrote, but I can't think of it at the moment!

I'm Getting Really Excited!

2007-07-11T14:37:00.000+10:00

This week I've been looking at (in some detail) two big ticket items for the upcoming nuptials - the honeymoon, and the photographer.

For the honeymoon we are going to go on an Alaskan glacier cruise up the inside passage (not as rude as it sounds people!). I found this news article today, which has made me pretty much wiggle with excitement. I think that because I have been in contact with travel agents, and BabyCakes and I have settled on an outline itinerary that things are finally seeming very real.

It turns out that if one wants to cruise in May, now is about the time one should investigate them for the best (earlybird) prices. We've picked our cruise (best value for money for us), which fits into our schedule and now, I think just about all there is left to do is give someone money for it!

We'll also have a few days in Vancouver before we cruise, to hopefully catch up with my wifey and see the sights.

Yay!!!

I met a photographer at the weekend wedding expo I went to, which was really cool, till I read what his fee was! After much deliberation and to-ing and fro-ing I have come to the conclusion that I think I will regret skimping on this, despite how much I want to come in on budget for it. The budget has already been upgraded once to accommodate photography (not an initial priority), but the more time goes on, the more it seems necessary to get the *right* photographer for us. That's not the cheapest one, nor the most expensive one, but the one that will give us what we want, in a way that works for us.

Jason seems like a good fit, and a guy who has similar value structure to me when it comes to weddings! He shares copyright with the client, so we can get them printed anywhere, and he will have prints done for us, virtually at cost price. He and another photographer will be in attendance till the job is finished (no clock watching), and each picture supplied on disk will have time spent on it for colour correction etc. He has some spectacular shots on his website, and his corporate site has amazing photos too. I think the time involved alone will prove value for money, before the artistry of the shots are taken into account. I look forward to having some spectacular photos of our own.

What a HUGE Weekend

2007-07-08T19:26:00.000+10:00

I found my new favourite bottle shop, went to a wedding expo with my Step Mum and Sister, ironed out details in my planned wedding dress, bought a new frock for a cocktail party on Thursday night and had my first ever golf driving range experience....

I almost get tired just typing it all out!

Golfing was kinda fun, and BabyCakes got *really* excited about doing it, which was great. It was good to go out and do something active (not quite "a work out", but better than sitting at home watching movies or playing video games). BabyCakes promises that I did "quite well for (my) first time"... I've been scared of golf since my teenage forays into mini golf... they took me long enough to complete! This is an effort to get past that, and try to learn new things, and most importantly, do active (non-passive) things with BabyCakes. Today was a good, and not too intimidating start - I only duffed a few of them, and even managed to get some fairly decent shots in! We'll probably do another range visit or two, and then maybe attempt a chip and putt course I found near my brother's place.

The cocktail dress hunting was a fantastically successful mission! I found a dress for $50!! Usually when I work out I need clothes for a specific event I can't find them. I found a few dresses to try on (a very few, but that is the joy about being a size 16 - apparently bigger girls don't need to look glamorous - only size 6 - 12s. The dress I came home with was not only one of the cheapest (yay), but the only one as BabyCakes pointed out, that did not require me pulling at it as I walked out of the change room.... I was surprised that the style was as forgiving as it is as it is a stretch fabric, and a dress that on the rack looks like a dress for those pesky size 10s! Now I just need some good "foundation" undies (I'm getting old) and I should be all set! BabyCakes was amazingly patient and a very diligent shopping offsider... he event went looking for dresses for me, and did not once complain when I suddenly stopped when I saw a dress in a window. He offered opinion when asked for it, and waited outside several dressing rooms without complaint. He even paid for the dress once it was picked!! - Back off ladies, he's mine!

The cocktail party should be fun... BabyCakes' cousin is in the Navy and his ship is in town this week. BabyCakes' cousin has invited us, along with more cousins, to come along to the party. - There have been threats for the boys to dress up as a construction worker, policeman, Native American, biker, and cowboy, so the invitee will fit right in, as he will be in his dress uniform! I think realistically, that it won't happen.

The wedding expo was great fun - M & L had never been to one before, so they were all right eyed and excited. I have now been to three, so was a touch more jaded and aware of how "samey" they can get. The three of us sent out our good vibes for me to win the major prize of $8.5k worth of professional services.... but I didn't win, which is fine, as it would have meant a few changes to the existing plans!! What the day did do, was give me a chance to talk over my ideas for my wedding frock, and as M is a very accomplished dressmaker, she's useful person to talk to such things about! We stopped in at Gardams and looked at both patterns and fabrics. Which gave me the strength to think that what I want is not as freakish as I was starting to wonder! They even gave me the cards of a couple of dressmakers to talk to. Hopefully I will find one that I can work with, as the last one I was hoping to talk to has left the country!!

It was a productive weekend. It was fun!

LOLcats - a fave of mine for a while...

2007-06-29T15:12:00.000+10:00

I wonder how long till we see it on "Today" or "Sunrise" as a fluff piece now that the Australian mainstream media has found it? I love their very dry way of trying to explain how you at home can also make some lolcats! It should be pretty obvious how to do it once you've looked at a few of the pictures...

I'm so geeky, I went to the cheez to tell them!

My fave (set as my desktop, and has been for some time now) is :

Happycat has run out of happy :(

Life

2007-06-25T09:45:00.000+10:00

Life is hectic, but then again I don't know many people that this is not true for.

We had a nice weekend (which flew by altogether too quickly), with a lot of impromptu catching up with friends and family we hadn't seen for what feels an age. We still have more people we need to catch up with, but we are slowly getting round to see people. - Pity the laundry pile is getting bigger!

The current cold weather is also conspiring to keep the bedroom in a state of mustiness, keeping the room closed up in an effort to keep the cold out, and the fact that it now takes a day and a half to get the laundry dry on the line - that's a long term commitment over the course of a weekend!

I feel the need to almost start the spring cleaning-esque stock take (and the subsequent clean out that tends to go with it) as I look around our den/office/computer room and the accumulated "stuff" that is starting to pile, most notably on my desk.

My boss hasn't contacted me to tell me if I work today, after a call yesterday, and one this morning, both unanswered...

I guess if I don't hear by midday I've got the day off....

Wrestling With A Wedding Budget

2007-06-21T07:45:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I made an embarrassing mistake. I'd made an appointment with a dressmaker (for "the" dress), and whilst I had mentioned that price would need to be discussed, I didn't specifically ask for a ball park figure. So, my Matron of Honour (MOH) and I met up and went off to talk with the dressmaker.

I had been into the city prior to the appointment and had bought some samples to play with, so I pulled out my collection of pictures of dresses that had inspired me, and my fabric and colour swatches, and was having a lot of fun discussing length of dress, style, colour, sleeves vs. sleeveless. The dressmaker started an impassioned plea for upgrading my fabric to silk because "it is so much nicer", "the look is much better", and "it IS your wedding dress". I thought I did quite well not to fall off my chair when I asked how much it was, and she replied with a calm "$98 a metre" (instead of the $18.99 option I'd sampled). I knew the style of dress I want requires more than just enough fabric to wrap around me... considerably more - 4.5 to 5 metres of fabric in fact... and then it needs to be lined, the interfacing, boning, the other accent pieces and the petticoats and all sorts... I was getting dangerously close to my imagined budget in materials alone.

The dressmaker must have read my face at the same time, and asked me my budget, and did have the courtesy not to outright laugh at me when I told her, but I think there was a titter. Let's just say she thought there would be $1,100 labour alone - and that is with no beading, no train and no lace work.

I should not have been surprised. The wedding "industry" is built around the "But it is you WEDDING!!!!? THE most important day of your life.... " principle.

The pragmatist in me says it is ONE day of my life. An important one, don't get me wrong... but just one...

The suppliers focus on how everything must be "just so", whilst I try to come to terms with the single use nature of what it is I'm doing. I thought I'd managed to find a balance, until I discovered that most brides seem to think that $1,500+ on ONE dress is a reasonable thing.

We left the dressmakers and went for a cup of tea.

We then decided to go look at ready made dresses at a "clearance" shop, given that our girlie bonding over dresses had ended prematurely. It was fun. I tried on about 4 dresses I had no intention of buying... they were all at the $1500 mark, and if I wanted to spend at that level, I'd get a custom made dress.

As always, the last one I tried on was the one that worked best, and the lady was even kind enough to indulge me with a veil to complete the look. My MOH almost cried.... because I was looking very um "bride-y".

The penultimate dress had a neckline cut to the bottom of my bra... and if you know the size of my boobs... that's a bit much cleavage to be flashing - Dad's (imagined) threats of "You can't leave the house in THAT" is not what a bride wants on her wedding day... nor having to go to the wedding with a cardigan on over the frock one just forked out $1,500 for!!!

I had a nice day with my MOH. I do however, feel that almost back to square one on the dress options though. I do know that there are shops that have dresses in my price range, but they aren't the dress I want. I know the dress I want doesn't have to be that complicated to make.
I will chase up some smaller dressmakers that work from home. I would also consider making it myself, it is after all, a dress I plan to wear once.

Or, I might have to look at spending more :/

Nobody Move, I dropped My Brain!

2007-06-16T21:02:00.000+10:00

We were given some movie vouchers for our engagement, which we used today to see Pirates of the Caribbean : At World's End.

It was good fun, and much more satisfying than the middle installment... I mean, it actually had an ending.

On the down side, I worked out that someone tried to break into my car last night... and made my lock kinda difficult to use :( It is the first time I've had to deal with such a dilemma, and it is weird! I'm pissed off that someone tried to violate what is mine... and that they damaged my car at a time when an insurance claim would not be financially viable... my excess is already prohibitively high!

Ahh, another life experience to learn from - I just wish it was an experience like the one I had last week.... of putting up a marquee.... THAT was a cool experience to have. They boys' heads managed not to explode from seeing a girl swing a sledge hammer either!

egads... has it been that long?

2007-06-13T19:26:00.000+10:00

I'm back from our little holiday jaunt... we're home safe and sound, and the cat is glad to have some cuddles again.

1800kms by road really is quite wearying, but I will write more in the next few days as feeling returns to my butt...

Weirdness

2007-05-21T08:01:00.000+10:00

I'm starting to have nightmares about the wedding...

I woke up in the early hours of this morning quite distressed because of a dream where I had been almost hysterical when I'd worked out that I'd made a very stupid and obvious mistake by trying to move the wedding overseas the week before the date.... Someone - I'm not sure who - talked me into it, and just as everything was getting set up I had a huge panic attack, realising that i was going to have 150 people turn up in Brisbane, not the tropical island I was on. So I yelled at and generally hyperventilated on Paul Keating - because he's such an obvious guest to have at our wedding!

I had another weird dream about the wedding last week too (but in the way of dreams I can't remember what it was now).

BabyCakes thinks this last one stems from the weekend, where we stopped in at the venue for the Engagement Party, and found out that we and the venue had a different understanding of what we were hiring. We found out we didn't have the space allocated that we thought we did. There was a HUGE miscommunication because they did not clarify and I did not clarify - they knew what they thought they were asking, and we thought we did too, but we didn't. I'm just glad that I have a week to wrap my head around it, because if I had turned up on the day to be told, I would have either cried or yelled - it was even pretty close when I was told - I started getting red, and then I processed the thoughts more, and got redder, and thought of it more and got redder.... I had to walk away and just deal with it without getting the staff there offside.

Now I'm at a point of "it is what it is" because we can't change it. I shan't be taking my business back to the venue for quite a while though.

Spectacular, Spectacular

2007-05-08T15:15:00.000+10:00

Yesterday Baby Cakes and I went to the 2007 Brisbane Hot Rod and Street Machine Spectacular at the RNA show grounds. That is a picture of a $7.50 piece of paper (tickets were $15 and that's half of one...).

I had fun, the cars were shiny and pretty. BabyCakes had fun except for the fact that he only saw one person whom he knew. I tried to give him solace in the fact that whilst there might only be one person who he knew, his impact was such that the guy still refused to acknowledge him, 4 years after leaving the industry - I guess the paint business is pretty cut-throat!

We saw some pretty amazing cars, some for how low they were, some for how schmick they were, and some for the astounding design choices people make that don't gel with our sensibilities. I couldn't get over the pin striping on one car - they had spent so much time, effort and I'm sure money, on creating an absolutely seamless clean lined look and then put a pin strip on that looked like it had been done by a 12 year old boy with the wrong paint brush. It was a designed choice but it made no sense to me.

Equally stymieing but much more fun, was a Torana they put on a Dyno machine, just so we could see how much horsepower it had. It was a drag car which had the very cool number plates of "IN DEBT" which made me laugh. The MC then explained that the engine alone was worth $60k, and BabyCakes guestimated the total cost of the car around $130k. That's a serious hobby! The Torana had to be strapped to the Dyno with no less than 6 ratchet straps, had an engine of over 680 cubic inches and ended up on its second ear splittingly loud attempt that we saw, at the 719 horsepower mark. I think the street legal 6 cyl Mazda before hand managed around 370... It was loud and smelly, but impressive, made better for the fact that we actually managed to get a seat in the stands of the "Dyno Pit".

We saw some really cool 57 chevvies, lots of them, but this one was the stand out.

We will be trying to get in touch with the owners via the car club, to see if we can convince them to do a wedding *wink*

BabyCakes never ceases to be amazed what I can link back to the wedding.... He has admitted though that he's glad I'm excited by the wedding rather than the alternative!

We spent the rest of the weekend staying at BabyCakes' parents house. Mrs Cakes is not recovering from her chemo as well as we would have liked to have seen, and so we hung around to give both Mr and Mrs Cakes a bit of support and a bit of a change of pace. We managed to ply Mrs Cakes with a fair bit of food and some different food from that which Mr Cakes tends to supply. We also managed to impart tips and tricks of bulking out snacks and meals with vitamins and the ever important fluids. We were happy enough with the outcomes that we left ;) - BabyCakes probably would have stayed on a bit longer if it was thought to be useful. I'm glad on a purely selfish level that he's at home with the cat and me! :)

May the 4th Be With You.......

2007-05-04T14:49:00.000+10:00

My brother sent it to me... I couldn't help but pass it on! (get it??? May 4th... that's today's date har har har!)

Yesterday was a big day for BabyCakes and I - it was our minus one anniversary... 12 months to the day of our wedding - how very exciting!!

We had also inadvertently booked in to meet with our celebrant yesterday, to make sure he was the right one for us, which on having a more in depth chat, he is! It seems quite serendipitous that our first official meeting was one year to the day before the wedding.

We filled out our Notice of Intention to Marry too, so the government knows we want to marry!

The day got bigger too.........

BabyCakes is now a one car man! Someone finally came up with the money for the Commodore. He's a young guy who works for an upholstery company, so he can fix up the interior which was starting to show how old it was... The guy was very excited by the work BabyCakes had done on it, saying "Everything I would have done, you did do!".

I hope he enjoys his new car, I know BabyCakes did. He's done exceptionally well seeing it go; some sadness, but overall, mostly happy... especially to have a big cheque in his hand!

Oh, and Happy Birthday for yesterday Carbs!

Fingers Crossed Still

2007-04-30T16:14:00.000+10:00

BabyCakes has been given a deposit for his car. They guy who gave him the money has had his Mum and his Dad around to look at the car. They say the money will be in the bank on Thursday or Friday.

I won't be able to relax till I see the money in the account. Once bitten, twice shy.

We had our first money "discussion" on the weekend. It was weird.

Cross your fingers!

2007-04-26T20:22:00.000+10:00

BabyCakes' car is still sitting out the front on the street. The good news is that in the past two days 3 people have been to see it, and more have registered interest. The most exciting news is the young guy that came tonight is bringing his Mum back to look at it tomorrow morning.

Cross your fingers (and anything else you can think of) in hopes that we might be able to sell it sometime soon.

I would rather the money in a bank account to go towards our wedding!

Tell me what you think....

2007-04-23T19:31:00.000+10:00

For those of you that know me, feel free to go here and tell me how you see me :) Feedback can be given anonymously...

This is what people have said about me.

This one is the not so nice side of things (but equally as interesting - I guess there will be a few more anonymous ones there ;))

This is what people have said about me.

Where do the days go?

2007-04-23T13:06:00.000+10:00

It's been a while since I posted. For a number of reasons. We've had some very busy weekends, mostly socialising with family.

We've been trying to sort out the finer details of the engagement party, and tie down some of the arrangements for the wedding.

Tomorrow night we meet with a wedding co-ordinator at our venue of choice. Hopefully we can confirm a menu and book everything in.

I found a very cool piece of software the other day called iDo couples edition. It is a piece of software to keep track of all the bits and pieces that go to making up a wedding... well most of the bits. I would like a little more detail/customisation to truly rave about it, but I'm picky like that! It has a 30 day free trial of it, which is how I have been using it. I think I will be purchasing the key though, unless I can find a better piece of software before then....

A Sad Day

2007-04-03T19:10:00.000+10:00

Today my brother, who has recently come back from the U.S., told me his wife of four and a half years told him she did not plan to join him in Australia.

He's recently moved up to Rockhampton, having organised a job and a house, expecting that his wife and child would join him soon. Seemingly his wife did not expect him to do so well in providing these necessities and was almost upset when he called to tell her.

What this also means is that my brother misses out on seeing his son and given that he cannot go back to the U.S. for some time, doesn't have much opportunity to see him unless his (now estranged) wife brings the child to him.

I'm saddened for my brother and my thoughts are with him in this frustrating and devastating time.

Unfortunately, I'm not surprised that this is where things have got to. The longer my brother was without them, the easier it was going to be for her to not make the move. Shocking as it is.

Big Brother Blogger

2007-04-02T08:09:00.000+10:00

My big brother has decided to start a blog (and continue it hopefully!) His blog is listed in the "Blogs I read" link section, and can also be found by channeling the Ramblings of Raoul.

He's a funny guy with a very um, unique persepective on the world. Reading our blogs together might shed some light on how/why we turned out the way we did! :P - Or it might not!

I'm looking forward to reading more about what is happening in his life - he's in the process of planning a wedding too (or at least his fiancé is!), he's starting his own business and has a 9-5 job as well. Should be a lot of blog fodder!

Shakespeare Like You've Never Seen Him!

2007-04-01T18:19:00.000+10:00

If you've got some time to watch silly movies, these are fun :)

Tales for the L33t - Part 1 - Romeo and Juliet

Tales for the L33t - Part 2 - Hamlet

It's been a little while.

2007-03-31T08:35:00.000+10:00

I needed some time and space to think, and privately. Dad had a couple of stents in during his angiogram, which in itself is good, if it stops more of these hospital visits and makes him feel better. The fact that he needed them so soon after his bypass surgery is disturbing.

My Dad means the world to me and I needed to ponder life and death and how everything fits together for me at the moment. The good news is, that for me, life is fitting together ok. It could be better, but it could certainly be worse. I'm so glad I have BabyCakes in my life because I think that without him, I'd be lost.

We had a big disappointment with the sale of BabyCakes' Commodore falling through, again. Young guys these days don't seem to realise that when negotiating a cash price, they should actually have the CASH in their hands... we've had 2 guys negotiate a cash price and then have their finance fall through, one is still trying to find someone to give him the money... the other just wanted the price to be dropped to what they could get.........

Last night we went to a bridal expo, which is a very interesting experience. everything from a very hard sell to a guy who made me feel like I should put his business card back on the table... I doubt I'll buy from him even if he had anything I wanted.

BabyCakes and I would really like to get hot rods/muscle cars for our wedding cars, and anytime we've found anything close to it, they've been self drive hire cars. I don't understand it, I would have thought one would want to look after their babies... I certainly don't really want any of our families to be responsible for a car that is not their own. I just want some drivers to pick us off, drop us off, take some pics with the cars, drive us to the next spot and then I can forget about cars.... I guess I'll keep trawling hot rod websites and see who can help us out :)

I'm starting to realise that time is creeping on at this point, and the more we can get settled soon, the better off we will be. We had a celebrant turn us down due to not wanting to book a long weekend, which is fine... but our first "unavailability".

I haven't even contacted a dress maker yet, and I'm pretty sure I want a dress made for me. I think it might be time to start getting a bit serious.

We have a cake, and venues for wedding and for reception picked.... it's a good start.