Thankful Thursday

So, Thursday has come around again, funny how that happens once a week, and I am totally unprepared for Thankful Thursday !  Last week I didn't even get to  post other than my #IBOT post which I didn't even get to post this week !  Basically - I've been a bit slack, and, unless my writers block disappears, this is how it's going to stay !!!

TT has moved ! 

Thank you to Francesca for the wonderful job that she did of hosting TT while it was hers.  It now resides with the lovely Rhianna over at A Parenting Life.

So, without further waffle, this week (in no particular order) I am thankful for :

- the rain that came (although it wasn't nearly enough) - it was certainly better than nothing

- clients who come back for massages because they were happy with the treatment they received

- a sore foot which appears to not be as serious as we first thought

- sharing birthday's with my folks 'cos I know that they won't be here forever

- it being Thursday which means the weekend is just around the corner

Have the best Thursday that you can.

What are you thankful for ?

Have you linked in with Rhianna ?

What are you waiting for ?

 

TFTD : Life is not fair; but it is still wonderful.

I Must Confess : I Was Worried

We have photos around our home.  In fact, as you turn from the diningroom into the passage to go to the family bathroom, there is a family portrait of us.  I love family portraits.  The problem with our family portrait is that it is over 20 years old !!!  Yes, that is the last time we had any sort of professional take some photos of the three of us together.  We do have quite a few 'happy snaps' from when we have been on holiday but, other than those, we have nothing *hangs head in shame*

But, that all changed a few weeks ago when I read of a special that Aroha from Photography by Aroha was offering - 30 minute slots on Saturday 26th October. I knew it was meant to be because it was a weekend when A was due to be home AND K, who normally babysits every Saturday, wasn't going to be baby sitting as her family were going away on a cruise.  I got in touch and booked our spot - and then promptly forgot about it - until I got the reminder last week from Aroha about it.  Then I told A - who was OK with it - not over the moon, but OK.  Then I told K about it and she was against it - said she wasn't interested until she had lost some weight.  I explained that we would have them done again when we had both lost some weight but I wanted something in the mean time - I wanted some record of us, together, done in a lovely setting by someone who knew what they were doing !!!

And then, when K finally agreed to join us, she reminded me that GC600 was on and Surfers was going to be a mad house.  Luckily we managed to change it to the Botanic Gardens outside of Surfers so all was well with the world (yes, first world problems, I know !!!). 

The next decision to make was what to wear.  Neither of them were fussed but I didn't want us looking like a ragtag bunch of bogans who couldn't even co-ordinate three outfits.  K had made up her mind and wasn't changing for anyone.  A had chosen a check shirt so I didn't want to wear a patterned top - eventually I landed up buying a plain white top which I figured would go with anything. 

We got there and met Aroha and she showed us a couple of places she had chosen for the photos.  She was just lovely - really helping us to relax.  She did battle at times to get K to smile - but I told her not to take it personally - sometimes we all battle to get her to smile !!!!!

On Saturday night we were all at a 21st in Fortitude Valley and I received three photos from the afternoon - A and I thought they were great.  On Sunday morning we received a few more - and we are very happy with them.

I have to confess that I was worried about having my photo taken.  I don't believe that I am very photogenic and being 25kgs over weight certainly doesn't help but there really was nothing to worry about. 

This is one of A and I.  I won't be posting any that have K in them but, they are really lovely as well !!!

Linking in with Kirsty over at My Home Truths for I Must Confess today - why not join in and get anything you need to confess off your chest !

Have the best day !

TFTD : As we grow older and wiser, we begin to realize what we need and what we need to leave behind. Sometimes walking away is a step forward.




Disclaimer : This is not a sponsored post.  We paid for our session with Aroha and my opinions regarding the photos are just that, my opinion.

Thought For The Day

If you have read my blog before you will know that I generally end it with a Thought For The Day (TFTD).  What you may not know is that I also send out a daily TFTD (sometimes if I can't make up my mind which one is more applicable I may even send out two - daring like that, I know, I can hardly contain myself !!!! LOL).  All you need to do is send me your e-mail address and I will include you in the mail that goes out - mostly Monday - Friday but sometimes I do skip a day depending on how busy I am at work.  I send it as a BCC so nobody else will see your e-mail address.

It's been amazing how many times I have picked a TFTD, sent it out and then had someone come back to me saying "That is just what I needed to hear today."  I can't make up my mind if I pick such generic thoughts that they are applicable to just about anyone who reads them or if some of us are more in tune with each other and so what is applicable to me is applicable to them ?  I think I am going to go with the fact that the thoughts I choose are ones that talk to me and I hope they will talk to everyone who reads them.

In case you were wondering, #IBOT so why not join in with Jess at Essentially Jess if #YBOT !

Have the best day !

TFTD : Be weird. Be Random. Be Yourself. There are people you don’t even know who will love the person you’re trying to hide.

What Do You Know ?

And it's Friday again - for which I am most grateful although I do feel bad (very occasionally) for seeming to wish my life away waiting for Friday to come around !!!!

Linking in with Rhianna from A Parenting Life for one of the easiest linkies for the week - Things I Know.

- I know that going to gym 4 times in the week is fantastic

- I know that I am getting stronger every time I go

- I know that I am still the newbie in the classes but I don't care - I give it my best shot and that is all that I can ask from myself

- I know that paying (what works out to be) $4.53 per class in order for me to get fit and healthy is a small price to pay

- I know that I need to book in for my assessment and program so that I can mix up my exercise so my body is kept guessing about what I am doing (I will do this the week after next as A is due home today and so will be here next week and I would rather spend the time with him instead of spending more time at the gym)

- I know that I like that I can change the program whenever I want and they will work with me on a new program

- I know that this health kick can be rather addictive and I like that I am getting to the point where if I don't exercise I feel like cr*p - this means that I am more likely to keep on going because I love how I feel when I am finished a session

What do you know today ?

Have you blogged about it ?

Have you shared it with other

bloggers at A Parenting Life ?

 

Have the best weekend and take care !

 

TFTD : It’s not what you have been through that defines who you are; it’s how you got through it that has made you the person you are today.

Australia - A Great Country

About 20 years ago, A mentions that he wants to leave South Africa - I say no.  There is no way I am going to leave my folks.  End of story - if you want to leave, that's fine, go, but without me, are the words I say to him. (Or at least words to that effect !)

Fast forward 3 years, and the National Party pull out of the coalition government and I realise that there really is no future for our then 4yo daughter (or for us for that matter) and I turn to A that Sunday night and say "Right - I'm ready to leave." which he finds rather strange as it's 8pm on a Sunday night and we weren't planning on going anywhere.

Then, I patiently explain that I am ready to look at moving countries and he does a happy dance - because he has been waiting 3 years for me to change my mind !!!  So we look in the paper, find an immigration agent who just happens to be advertising a seminar the next night.  So I phone the next morning and book us in.  We drop K with my in-laws and off we go.

Because A has a trade and is under 35, we qualify on points - it's just whether or not Australia actually want us.  And so the long, drawn out process begins.  We put in our application in May 1996 and we find out we had been accepted in March 1998.  We come out here on an LSD (look, see and decide) trip in October 1998, go back to South Africa, put our house on the market, tidy up our affairs (well as much as we could) and land here on 29 January 2000.

I cannot begin to express how thankful I am to have the opportunity to live in this wonderful country.  To be able to call this country home.  To raise our daughter in a country that has far less violence than we are used to.  To be able to let her ride her bike in the street and play outside without fear of what may happen to her.

Yes, I know that bad things happen in this country.  But they are far less frequent than what happens in SA.  The fact that I can go for a run at 8pm at night is something I am so thankful for.  The fact that I can drive around with my doors unlocked and my windows down are things I am thankful for.  The fact that I can wear my jewellery without fear of being strangled as someone tries to yank my necklace, or actually chop my hands off to get my rings and bracelets - these are things that I am thankful for.

Do I miss South Africa ?  Absolutely - it is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever travelled through.

Do I miss the violence and blood shed ?  Not a bit.

Would I ever go back ?  Highly unlikely because I am too scared I won't make it home.

Am I worried about the increasing violence in Australia ?  Absolutely - where would we move to from here to get away from it ? 

What are you thankful for today ? 

Why not join in with Francesca at Francesca Writes Here ?

 

Have the BEST day !

 

TFTD : You are a human who is not perfect. You will make mistakes. But life is not about the mistakes you make, it’s about what you learn from them, and the unique steps you take to rectify them.

My Weekend That Was

I know that technically the weekend doesn't start on Thursday night but my time of pleasantness (yes, that is a word !!!) started then so that is when I decided my weekend would start.

A phone call from K saying she wanted to go to the movies ended up with us seeing 2 Guns (which I would recommend to anyone wanting to see some action plus have a few laughs !)

Friday night after work / TAFE, saw us popping in to my folks for my Dad to see K and then a stop at the local DVD store to get some DVDs and the local Indian restaurant to get some curry for dinner.  We got The Great Gatsby, Snitch and Jack Reacher.  We watched Snitch (which I had mostly seen before) and then half of TGG - I loved the party scenes which were so typical of a Baz Luhrmann movie but (given I haven't read the book - don't judge me, I didn't have to read it at school and I really don't like period type stories, except the Barbara Taylor-Bradford - The Harte Family saga) but it wasn't enough to keep us awake on Friday night so we had to watch it when K got home from storm training on Saturday afternoon.

I went to yoga in the morning.  My BIL says it should be called the comedic yoga class and he and I are both so inflexible - it really is quite funny to watch us.  I guess the good thing is that, if we keep it up, maybe we will see some differences in a few months time !!! (Although I'm thinking that quite possibly one class a week will make absolutely no difference - all it does is make me sweat and get thirsty and have another set of exercise clothes to wash for the week !!!!)  But, she did move through the moves quite quickly so maybe when I have just a little bit of a clue as to what I am doing, I'll be a bit better at what I am trying to do.

As K and I were going to the 7's rugby on Sunday and I knew I would be wearing my knee length jeans, I thought I had better go and get my legs and under-arms waxed, which I did before looking for more yarn to crochet up.  I could only find yarn at $8/ball which is just ridonkulous because I got it at $2/ball the last time I bought. I have asked my folks to keep their eyes open on their travels looking for fabric so hopefully they will find me some.  Mind you, with this hot weather, I don't know how much crocheting I will be doing !!!!

After we finished watching TGG and had returned it, we watche Pitch Perfect again.  To me, that movie is like Burlesque, I could watch it again and again and again and never get tired of it !!!

Sunday morning we had a bit of a lazy start before deciding to have cheese muffins for breakfast so quickly made a batch before getting to the station to catch the train down to Robina for the 7s rugby.  The train down was a bit full but at least it wasn't a long ride.  We got there just after 10am and walked to the stadium.  Using the train to get there is such a great way to travel - plenty of parking at the station and no trouble at the other side - across the walkway, down the stairs and along the road and you are at Skilled Park. 

What can I say about the day ?  Apart from the fact that the cold drinks were a rip off at $5 for a 600ml Coke Zero.  K also bought a box of chips which we shared.  We took water with us but that got warm before we knew it so landed up having to buy a few cold drinks while we were there.  The games were good - some were annihalations and some were really close.  Australia played South Africa and went into two lots of extra time (5 mins each time) before finally scoring a try to go through to the finals against NZ where they got well and truly beaten 40-19.  I think that the extra time against SA really took it out of them, having said that in the three games we watched them play, they went out really hard for the first 4-5 minutes and then seemed to lose their legs after that.

The crowd was entertaining.  The costumes were hilarious (most of them).  The screaming got a bit much at times.  The two worst were one lady shouting for "Souf Africa" and another lady who shouted for USA, Canada and England.  Her and her partner were English and then they bagged us out for supporting the French (when in reality, the only reason we were supporting the French was because they were supporting Cananda and driving K and I nuts !!!)

I had thought that K may not want to stay until the last game but, as the sun went down behind the stadium, she wasn't going anywhere until the last whistle had gone.  We changed seats a few times, chasing the shade, and getting away from ear piercing screamers and when we left and were walking to the station, she turned to me and gave me a big hug and said "Thanks for an awesome day Mom, I really enjoyed it."

Baskin & Robbins featured for dinner and, given we had only had a cheese muffin for breakfast and shared a small packet of hot chips during the day, I figured I had calories to spare even if I didn't eat 'good' calories !!!!

We got home at about 8.45 and watched Jack Reacher - Tom Cruise is so not Jack Reacher - and never will be !!!!!!  I wish they had cast someone else as Jack - someone like Jason Statham - someone with character !!

This week I plan on going back to the gym.  There is a body conditioning class on Monday at 5.30 and then a body pump class at 6.30 and then a couple of spin classes.  My weight is continuing to drop although I think it is probably  more as a result of cutting down on what I eat rather than my choice of foods which hasn't been that great of late.

Thankfully my moods have been a lot more stable and I truly believe that I have finally found the right concoction of medication (prescribed and natural) to keep me on an even keel.  I suppose the real test will come when A gets back from Rocky/Townsville on Friday and I have the two of them at home again !!!

Have the best day and, because it is Tuesday, it's time to join in with Jess at Essentially Jess for #IBOT.  Why not pop over and share some blog love around ?

TFTD : Sometimes the reason it’s so hard for us to be happy is simply because we refuse to let go of the things that make us sad.

Things I Know

Friday is here - do I hear a huge YAY from everyone reading this ? 

Even though this was a short week having had a long weekend last weekend, this week seems to have dragged but, finally, the weekend is within spitting distance (not that I am going to try to spit on it - I would never diss the weekend like that !!!!) but at least it is closer than it was on Tuesday or Wednesday or even yesterday, or even 5 minutes ago - OK , am sure you get my point !!!!

Anyway, linking in with Rhianna at A Parenting Life for Things I Know, this is what I know this week.

I know :

- that maintaining my weight is not what I want to do but it's better than putting on weight

- that eating in this heat is just too hard

- that having K home is F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C

- that going to the movies with my 21yo daughter brought me heaps of pleasure

- that 2 Guns is actually quite a funny movie

- that planning to go to the 7's rugby on Sunday with same daughter is something I am looking forward to

- that there is no way I would have gone to the movies or 7's rugby with my Mom when I was 21

- that I am so grateful for the great (most of the time) relationship that K and I have

- that I am looking forward to a movie night at home tonight

What do you know this week ? 

Have you linked in with Rhianna yet ? 

Why not ?

 

Have the best weekend !

 

TFTD : Sometimes you have to step outside of the person you've been, and remember the person you were meant to be, the person you wanted to be, the person you are.

Thankful Thursday

I know I sound like every other blogger / person on the planet, but where is the time going to ?  How can it be 9 days since I last posted ?  How has that much time passed without me having anything to say ?  Gee, I never realised I could be so quiet for so long !!!!

And, because it is Thursday, it's the day I link in with Francesca from Francesca Writes Here for Thankful Thursday.

This week I am thankful for :

- an unexpected trip to Rockhampton to see A (although it did mean that, while I was coping really well before I left, I found it a little more difficult when I got home.)

- the safe arrival of K home from her holiday in NZ

- and even better than her safe arrival home was hearing her say that she missed me !!!!!

- and then reading it on FB !!!!

Have you joined in with Thankful Thursday ?  I'm sure that we all have something to be thankful for - sometimes we just need to take a minute to think about what it is that we are thankful for.

Have the best day !

TFTD : Make the world a better place one person at a time. And start with yourself.

Alone But Not Lonely

Thursday saw A leave for Townsville.

Friday saw K leave for NZ.

So, Friday night I was well and truly alone.

And it was good !  I stopped at the DVD shop and got two DVD's - Identity Thief and GI Joe Retaliation.  I love Melissa McCarthy because she is so funny - I wouldn't say to anyone that they have to see it but it was good for a few laughs.  GI Joe had Channing Tatum (who died relatively early in the movie so that was no fun at all), Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson - all in all, nothing spectacular but a good way to waste some time.  I also caught up on some shows I had recorded so there is now enough space to record programs again without having to delete any shows we want to keep.

I am also reading a book by Terry Francona (the last manager of the Red Sox baseball side) - man what an interesting book it is.  It's a 2am interesting book - I am battling to put it down.

My SIL and BIL gave me a candle for my birthday that I haven't burned until Thursday night - wow, what a beautiful candle it is.  So on Sunday I went and bought two more - Cinnamon Twist (which I will have to get again closer to Christmas as I'm sure this one won't last that long !!!) and Vanilla.  They have the most amazing perfume and I am loving burning candles without anyone saying "Yuck - I don't like that." or "Why are you burning candles if you haven't got any clients coming over tonight." !!!!

I also bought a new pair of togs.  The ones that I have are just a tad too small and, given my eating over the weekend, will continue to be a tad too small for longer than I would like.  I started the weekend off really well with my breakfast and lunch on Saturday but after that it kind of all went downhill which was a little sad given I have tried so hard with my food.  But, the weekend is gone and today is nearly gone (it wasn't a great food day either) and tomorrow is a new day.

On Saturday I left the house at about 9.15 and didn't get home until close to 5pm so Sunday was a (mostly) stay at home day.  Apart from a quick trip to get the candles and the togs.  On Saturday night I got another 3 DVD's (the blanket I am making is growing at a rate of knots because of all the TV I have been watching which is fantastic !!!!) - one was Parker (Jason Statham), another was Broken City (Mark Whahlberg) and for the life of me I cannot remember what the third one was - clearly it didn't make that much of an impression on me !!!!

The weather was gorgeous on Sunday and so I did spend some time outside reading my book - it was just lovely not having to be anywhere at a particular time and really just enjoy the time to myself.  I do miss both A & K, but am enjoying it.  The past weekend I have spent time with friends and I have spent alone and it's been just the right mix of both.

Yesterday I had to go up to Inala for work - and have to go up again today and tomorrow.  I also have two clients this week - one tonight and one tomorrow night so I am hoping that I can be organised enough to get to gym as well.  Last night I did a pump class - and I really enjoyed it.  I certainly felt like I got a good workout which is great because it is doing what I need in terms of increasing my metabolism which hopefully will help to counter-act some of the cr*p that I have eaten this weekend.

I know that some of you have had a hectic weekend and I hope that you are able to find some time this week to gather your thoughts and slow down just a little !!!  You can always hope can't you ?

Seeing as it's Tuesday today and #IBOT, it's time to join in with Jess from Essentially Jess.

If you haven't joined in, why not pop over and add your link and then share some blog loving with others who have linked in.

Have the best day  !

TFTD : No matter how much it hurts now, someday you will look back and realise your struggles changed your life for the better.