Girls Weekend

Tammie and I hiding from Anitra cos we are mature like that.

As part of my mission to turn Birthday Day into Birthday Week and then Birthday Month in early May I went on a girls trip with Anitra and Tammie.

Last years girls trip was to Melbourne and just as much joy (and food and wine) was had this year.

 

This year we went to Brisbane and Niet graciously flew up from the freezer and the weather was perfect.



Winess Protection Program

The apartment was great and close to the city. It was a comedy of errors trying to find it on Friday night but Tammie and her amazing ability to drive AND read her iphone map at the same time got us there. Niet and I were beyond useless with the GPS (fingers way too fat?) and it didn't help that the whole front facade of the apartments were covered in scaffolding!!! 

Friday night we went for a walk and passed a funky hairdressers so I asked them for a restaurant recommendation. They suggested Obar. It was fabulous the food and atmosphere was so luxurious.

Whilst I was asking the hip young and groovy hairdressers where to eat, I booked in for a blow dry the next morning.

Introducing Myke ... with Y

Myke with a Y was a shy and retiring type as you can see.

I told him we were on a girls weekend away for our Birthdays and he suggested I take a snap of him to remember what a great time we had.... and for the record he makes his own clothes.

I love OPI nail colour and have never seen this many colours. Alas I was overcome with choosers remorse and couldn't pick ANY. Idiot I am.

Whilst shopping in David Jones I took a lovely snap of Niet's shoes. She loves those shoes :-)

We rocked the town on Saturday night and I can now cross "clubbing in the Valley" off my Bucket List. I can also cross "looking like somebody's mother in the Valley" off the list.

Sunday night we drove to a really yummy Thai restaurant for tea. It was so good having Tam as tour guide and taxi... she knew all the good spots.

After tea we went up to the Mt Cootha Lookout, where you can see the whole of the city and surrounding suburbs. I took another pic of Anitra's shoes.

It was just us and  a hundred Korean students up at the lookout.

The next day we swung past Tam's office and then all too quickly we were hugging goodbye and I was training it back to the Coast.

I love  these two duds, and I especially like gettimng away with them and look forward to next years adventure!



Vyc aka The Guinea Pig Whisperer

I love the band Sugarland and I especially love their song Shine the Light. Every time it comes on my ipod I think of my bestie Vyc. Everyone should be lucky enough to have a friend like her. She gets me and I love her hard. I know she feels the same about me (and if she doesn't I will stalk her until she does). Last year was shite for her and everytime I saw her I wanted to tell her about this song, but every time we get together we talk a million miles an hour and I forget half of what I want to say! This year is going to be stellar for her ...but I still wanted to have this noted in the minutes :-)

I will shine the light. 
When you're staring down your demons 
Weighing in your darkest night 
I will shine the light. 
Sometimes we jump into the great unknown. 
Sorrows we all will have to walk alone. 
Waiting there in the end is a heart that calls you a friend. 
That's me clapping the loudest welcoming you home. 








Vyc and her boys also look after Daisy when we go away... and for that we are very very grateful.

Maybe if we talked more and took photos of ourselves less with our new iphones...

The January Summation

I re read some of my blog last weekend and it was the everyday family stuff that I loved having a record of so in that vain ... here is what we got up to in Jan so far.

 Bear bought a skateboard ... online from the States. It was a disaster. It arrived really late and wasn't complete so when we got back from Noosa we hit Skate Sauce and made one very happy Bear. The Skate Sauce  guys were so friendly and helpful ... completely opposite to the first skate shop we went to which I am pretty sure is just a money laundering shopfront.

We did a family bowling afternoon.

We stayed for a few games and they put the disco lights and music on ... epic fun.

 I was worse than useless ... and they wouldn't put the gutter rails up for me - something about being only for children :-(  here is Lulu trying to give me some pointers.

Lulu likes to argue with David at the moment... here he is trying to show her how to bowl better and here she is completely ignoring him.

We went back to the beach for possibly the hottest day of Summer. 

and David took a picture of an old lady 

My MIL took the kids for a few days so "the kids" (us) could celebrate their anniversary.

We went out to tea at Ba Vigo ( which is now my new favourite restaurant) and then saw The Iron Lady. It was a fabulous way to celebrate our 15 years as Mr and Mrs. Over a champagne or two David and I decided that a happy marriage was effortless, romantic and so easy ... when your MIL has your kids. Every other day its a hard slog peppered with laughter and sunshine if your really really lucky. 

 We didn't get a pic together so here's one I prepared earlier.

I have previously crapped on reminisced about my horrible wedding day and anniversary. 

I have been taking the kids down to Ptown for a walk / skate in the afternoons (Vyc wanna meet up?)

January was also the month I got to drop $413.00 on shoes. Serviceable sensible and College approved shoes.Not even my size. I die.

Best thing about this Jan? Stevie and Davina had a precious baby girl!

 She is so lucky this little girl. Stevie and Davina are perfect parents and she has two big brothers to protect her.


We also got to catch up with some Darwin friends. I used to work with Sharon (a long long time ago) when we were both single. She was a huge support when I fell pregnant with Riley and she has since had her own Riley :-)

 Her and her husband Mike and their kids came to the coast for the holidays and we had lunch with them and took the kids for swim. It was such a nice day that flew by with heaps of easy talking and laughing.

 Lucy and Ele,who is one of the most gracious and mature 20 year olds we have ever met.

Riley Zach Lulu and Riley :-)

For Lauren

Dear Lauren,

A popper is a tetra pak box full of fruit juice or if you are my kids... sugar.
I think you call poppers juice boxes or if you are my kids ... sugar boxes.
I would have taken a picture of my kids drinking a popper but the only poppers I could find are all empty and under their beds, under the couch or in the back of my car.
Love from Elizabeth x

Springing

Last weekend was pretty close to perfect. The weather was sunny and warm and we spent most of the days downstairs and in the garden. Riley and I spent heaps of time weeding and gardening and the garden is starting to come out of its winter blah.


It was warm enough to go swimming.

I got a new hydrangea. It has white flowers and I am so hopping they stay white once I plant it.

Hydrangea's are my favourite flowers and my other plant has small pink flowers.

These herbs have survived a winter where I didn't go near them.


I pulled out the thyme which David hates the taste of and planted some chives (which we all love the taste of) sort of seemed like good sense.



My stellar helper (can go either way super helpful or super painful).

Lucy spent most of Saturday on the couch watching tele as she caught the cough that Bear had a few weeks ago. She seems to be on the mend now.

Sunday night we had Cath and the girls and Vyc and the boys over for tea. David cooked a barbie with the help of the blower lol (something about coals) and it was a fantastic night.

To be honest I am sort of still struggling with how this year is turning out but the weekend REALLY helped me get my shite together. It was the combination of the sun shining and having Cath, Vyc and their bebes over and working really hard in the garden and seeing the plants look better... It all just made me feel more positive and looking forward to the coming months.

Even mass forwarded emails are making me cry

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.

Love the people who treat you right.

Forget about the ones who don't.

Believe everything happens for a reason.

If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.

If it changes your life, let it.

Nobody said life would be easy.

They just promised it would be worth it.

Friends are like balloons. Once you let them go, you can't get them back.

Send these balloons to your friends.

My big Sis sent me this round robin email and it made me cry. Cos I'm a loser.

Also because last week I had a friendship die. Dramatic much?

David and I had some really good close friends (friends who we went away for a holiday with and still came back friends ) friends.

Then they moved to the coast moved in different circles and dropped us like we weren't hot at all.

I understand that sort of ... friendships do come and go. Last week I told David I was going to organise a lunch with my friend and see if I could be a better friend to her (or find out what her problem with me was).

I did organise the lunch for 1pm on Friday. At 1.11pm on Friday I realised the friendship was dead.

It wasn't that she invited all her others friends to the lunch (I really like them and they seem to like me) it wasn't that she kissed and acknowledged everyone but me, it wasn't that she made unkind comments about my kids, my husband and my (lack of) work prospects. No it was when I realised that having her as a friend made me feel pretty crappy about myself. I have same valid reasons to feel crappy... I don't need silly immature and unvalid ones... but thanks anyway.

So thanks Angie for the email. I loved it and I really needed the balloons today.

PS Lest you think that this blog is ALWAYS about me .... These balloon are for you too my reader friends and fam. I love each and everyone of youse and you all rock ;-)

So go on have a balloon.

Ex