Time flys

I haven't written for over a month (as reminded to me by M) so I thought I'd summarise what's been happening.
Term 3 was huge as sports co-ordinator and involved School Athletics, District Athletics and Regional Athletics Carnivals. Interschool sport also finished with round robins 5 & 6.
Teaching and assessment were crazy, especially my senior PE and senior Health subjects although I was very fortunate to have a competant prac teacher to help with the load. Now I've just got plenty of marking to do these holidays.
The house started (photos to come) with the demolition of the current house, concrete footings, concrete slab, frame in old house and frame in new extension and windows and doors arriving. Hopefully in the next month it will be lock up and I can send J back to work! (However, I have to admit he has been amazing with all that he has been doing for the building of our house, a regular foreman if I do say so myself.)
We celebrated our 2nd year anniversary and spent the weekend at Caloundra and visited Steven Urwin's Australia Zoo. Of course J was in his element, tormenting crocodiles.
I said goodbye to my baby sis (who is 9 years younger but is more worldly than me). She's off to Sydney to become a very successful marketing manager. Fortunately, she's staying with mum's mum so she isn't too lonely.
I'm looking forward to celebrating my brother's wedding to Ash in October and seeing all of mum's extended family. J is also in the bridal party - I just hope he behaves.
Finally with things slowing down slightly, I'm able to catch up with a lot of my friends whom I haven't seen lately. Most of them have kids and I love watching their little ones grow up, cause I know sometime soon that will be me.
Now to some more marking....

Concrete Footings

20m of concrete was required for our footings. We'll need double that for our slab this week.

Deep Sea Fishing

Today my dad, 2 brothers, J and his dad finally went deep sea fishing (last year's xmas present which was cancelled due to bad weather). It sounded like a great day and much male bonding was had. Here's the catch of the day...

Now you see it, now you don't!

Today J and the builders knocked down the inside of our house, which is basically going to be re-built. It's pretty amazing what they achieved in 1 day and what a difference the space makes in our future theatre room.

Extensions are underway....

Finally, our extensions are underway. We have excavated the backyard and dug all the footings. Next step is to concrete.

What a week!

I have just finished a most exhaustive week! Organisation of round robin day and district futsal (Wed), organisation of Athletics Carnival - track & field (Thurs & Fri), U/15 boys Robina futsal Cup (Tues) & U/19 girls Premier League (Fri night). Our house extensions have finally started with work on excavating the site. Now all I have to do is organise my school team for District Athletics!

Rain, rain go away

As I expected, my athletics carnival days were cancelled this week due to the rain which means next week is going to be one hell of a busy week. Tuesday I have a futsal tournament after school, Wednesday is Round Robin Day, Thursday is Field Athletics Day, Friday is Track Athletics Day and Friday night is Premier League for my Open Girls. At least I have something to celebrate next weekend, when my two brothers and sister in law come over for a visit from Perth for Bren's b'day. Bring on August!

I thought we were having a drought?

Nothing too exciting to report. Back at school for term 3 and extremely busy organising Athletics Carnivals and Interschool Sport Cluster Days. However, things are up in the air as the forecasts predicts rain this week so I may have to postpone carnival. What I don't understand is that every major carnival this year it has either stormed (after swimming) or rained (during cross country & prior to athletics). It even rained on my wedding day, so either we're not experiencing a drought or I'm just one unluckly gal!

Matt's 50th

J and I travelled to Murwillumba to celebrate my uncle Matt's 50th. True to his form, it was a 70's party and my uncle played in his own band at the venue. It was a great night, particularly catching up with mum's family, my grandma, aunties and uncles and cousins. As I had had a big one the night before, J decided to drink. He doesn't drink much anymore, so I had forgotten how happy and then challenging he can become! Today it's his turn to have a hangover!

My grandma and J with his mohawk!

Afternoon Drinks

J and I went to vist our friends Kate and Jason and visit their new house. It is gorgeous and we asked many questions and got lots of good ideas. It was meant to only be a short visit, but 3 hours later, Kate and I had polished off 2 1/2 bottles of wine and J persuaded me to go home. Which meant I spent the rest of my night with my head in a bucket. What a wino! But it was worth it, I'm always guaranteed a good time with I catch up with Kate.

Great Memories

Tonight we are about to fly back to Brisbane. I've had an awesome time in Perth, but I'm looking forward to going home to see J and the dogs. I am very blessed that I have an excellent relationship with all of my family and over the past week we have had some great memories that will stay with me forever.

Games night

Last night I travelled an hour south of Perth and visited an old school friend that I have kept in contact with for 25 years since I left Sydney. When we were younger we use to write letters, which became emails as we got older. Just recently, her and her fiance moved to WA and seeing I was here there was absolutely no excuse not to catch up.

Firstly, we went to Sizzlers for a farewell to a friends child who has to go and live with his mother. Having Sizzlers so close to me is a luxury as we travelled nearly an hour to get there. But it was worthwhile, bring on the cheese bread!

On the way home we picked up a couple of bottles of my favourite sweet white wine and went back to their house for our games night. B & J had just gotton a new 50 inch flat screen TV and playstation 3 so we played 'BUZZ Quiz Show'. It was heaps of fun and confirmed my belief that I am no good at trivia unless its to do with movies, TV shows or sport. Of the two games we played, with several different components, the two girls, B & I won 1 each. Girl Power!

Then we decided to play 'Monopoly - Australian edition' which included a card system to replace money. It was also loads of fun, although I was devastasted that the two cheapest properties were 'Great Barrier Reef' and 'Sunshine Coast'. And to add insult to injury, the two most expensive properties were 'Adelaide' and 'Barossa Valley'. What's with that?

Finally we played the karokee game 'Singstar'. It was awesome, singing karokee and having a competition while you did it. I was facinated that it could determine and grade our singing tunes. Matter of fact, I had so much fun that I have organised a 'Singstar' night for my family tonight! Bring on Britney!

Shoe shopping

Today my sister and I went into a discount shoe store after going to the movies. I'm not totally 'up' with the current fashion as I'm a PE teacher and I wear sand shoes to my workplace. However, I do know that long boots worn over skinny jeans is quite popular so when I saw really nice, long pointy high-heeled boots in size 5 at half price I couldn't but help trying them on.

To my dismay, when I put them on they felt really awkward and uncomfortable. That was until I realised that the point was off centre and the zip was on the outside of the leg. In otherwords, I had put the dam things on the wrong feet!! My sister thought it was hilarious and I proved my point that I am very unworldly in the fashion world.

A quick switch of the boots to the right feet and they felt very comfortable. I'm going back there with my jeans before I leave and I'm sure you'll know if I get them cause I'll wear them to death!

Dad's birthday

I flew over to Perth to surprise my dad for his birthday. My two brothers live there and my parents and sister had flown over earlier on in the week. I booked my flights 6 months ago and didn't realise it coincided with 'State of Origin - decider'. It didn't matter, just a swip of the credit card and I was able to watch it on FOX SPORTS 2. It was a pretty awesome game, great result, although I was devastated that Scott Prince broke his arm.

When I was finally picked up at the airport, mum had to bring dad because she had gotton lost. The rest of the family was at the Casino celebrating QLD's win! It was so good to be hanging out with my family again. We really are the 'Brady Bunch' as everyone calls us.

Thursday morning (dad's birthday) we took him out to lunch at a gorgeous pub down the road the 'Rivervale'. Having garlic prawns and champagne meant I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and reading my crime novels. Dinner was an even better occassion at the fancy 'Brisbane Hotel' in the city. I just love holidays. It means sleeping, reading, eating and drinking. Oh and apparently we are going to do a bit of sightseeing as well!

Kate's 30th

What do you get when you have 7 girls, lots of alcohol and a karoke machine? A bloody good time! Just wish I wasn't suffering so much today....

It's always the way

Thursday night I started to feel my sickness coming on. Rest assured, it always happens close to holidays. This year was no different. I couldn't have Friday off (they say you are always replaceable but sometimes it seems I'm not), so I did my weekend chores (washing, cleaning and shopping) yesterday, joined the library and borrowed some James Patterson books and prepared myself for a weekend in. Not that I'm complaining that much, If I had to be sick at a perfect time, this was it. I've already completed my junior marking and results, and I couldn't do anything else because my seniors don't complete their essays til next week in block exams. So I'm putting my feet up, lying in bed, reading and preparing myself for a big couple of weeks coming up.

Sex Education Talks

Through discussions with the school nurse and my senior health education class which is studying Sexual Health, I came to the conclusion that not only are girls sexually active at a younger age, but that they are talking more risks with unprotected sex. So, 2 of my senior students and myself designed a powerpoint 'Let's Talk About Sex!' We spoke to the year 10, year 9 and year 8 girls on different days and discussed the consequences of being sexually active.

The year 8 girls giggled a bit and keep saying 'yuk', so I think we got the message through. We also said that they could speak to us at any time, and straight after a girl came up and told us her friend from another school in year 8 was pregnant and didn't know what to do. So hopefully, we gave her some supportive advice for her friend, mainly to let the parents know.

The year 10 girls acted like they knew everything, however the girls that we particularly wanted to target (girls that we know have had STI's and unwanted pregnancies) were a bit dumbfounded with the risks that they were taking. I enjoyed watching them squrmish when I discussed genital warts and genital herpes. Hopefully, they will be making sure they use protection from now on.

Today I'm talking to the year 9's girls, many of whom I teach and I'm sure they will be very attentive and I'll increase their awareness on sexual health issues.

I'm very proud of my 2 senior girls who have delivered the speeches with me, because it's not easy to talk about such a personal topic, especially to whole year levels. However, they believe that these girls aren't getting the education from anywhere else and they want to help reduce the risks and improve their sexual health. I also, have enjoyed presenting because I believe I'm the most knowledgable health ed female staff member and I have a good rapport with the kids and most of them will listen to what I say.

My salary may not be huge, but I am responsible for the next generation, the generation that will be running the economy when I retire so I need to instil good values, attitudes and practices to ensure these kids grow up to have a full and prosperous life!

Dog sitting

J and I had quite a productive afternoon in the yard, preparing for the escavating when we realised that while Tyson (the dog) was running up and down the fence barking at the next door dog, he had cut himself on some aluminum sheets. His leg was quite heavily bleeding and J always gets very stressed and upset when sometime bad happens to him (you know what they say about man's best friend).

We applied pressure and tried to wash the wound. I called the vets but it was too late to get stiches and last time we went to the emergency vets it cost us over $1000. We didn't have any bandages so J went to the Chemist while I sat holding pressure on Tyson's leg. When we finally butterfly clipped it and bandaged it you would think our job was done. NO!! As you know, dogs lick their wounds and Tyson was trying to rip the bandages off.

So our Saturday night was spent together taking 1/2 hour turns of 'dog sitting', not letting Tyson rip the bandages off and making sure the bleeding had stopped. I even went to bed holding Tyson's bandaged leg to prevent anything happening. And this from a women who use to hate dogs!

Sex & the City

On Sunday, me and my girlfriends went and saw Sex & the City. Considering I had never really watched the TV series, I still knew the characters and most of their past adventures. Funny how much you can pick up reading gossip magazines. The movie went for over 2 hours, which meant halfway through I needed a toilet break due the amount of coke I had drunk.
The movie was funny and enjoyable, although at times predictable (maybe its just me). We went and had cocktails after the movie and lots of girlie chats. I think the movie will be a huge success because it will force girlfriends to make time and to catch up with each other. It did for me and I cherished the afternoon spent with my girlfriends.
However, at the end of the day, I don't mind that my life isn't as exciting as theirs. I didn't have to wait for my 'Mr Big' for 10 years!

Footy Match

I organised a rugby league match between the year 11 and 12 boys at school yesterday. The students had really been looking forward to it and it showed in their enthusiasm and crowd support. The year 12 boys even managed to get out of class to warm up and talk tactics. And it must have worked because they thrashed the 11's, 9 tries to 0. There was only one injury (a broken collarbone) but many good memories. Apparently, several teachers were annoyed that their junior school students stayed and watched the game after lunch, however they were told to leave (and wouldn't you want to stay?) So I'll cop a bit of flak for that, but it was worth it in the end, particularly when they announced the player of the match (who received a signed Broncos ball) and they lifted him and chaired him off the field like a hero. You don't teach for the money, you teach for the days like this!

Socceroos

On Sunday 1st June, me and the family went to watch the Socceroos World Cup Qualifier at Suncorp Stadium. My sister who is doing an internship at COKE scored a job handing out powerade to the players and got two awesome seats just behind the players bench. Being her favourite sister (and her only one) I got to hang with her (as long as I took good photos!). It was thrilling being so close to the action and so close to the players (love Harry Kewell). At the end of the game, my confident sister walked onto the field with her powerade bag and received hugs and winks from the players. It was amazing atmosphere and although I haven't seen it yet, there is footage of use on FOXTEL. Here are some snaps...

TO DO Lists

Yesterday I went into the shed to see J and he was writing on his little notepad. Being the sticky beak I am, I asked him what he was doing and he replied that he was writing a 'TO DO' list. I was pleasantly surprised. I have been writing 'TO DO' lists since school, however J, who never likes to plan ahead, has never bothered and even pays me out about mine. So either I've finally rubbed off on him and he realises that it's the only way to accomplish things OR he's finally grown up. Maybe a little bit of both. What a miracle!

One man's trash is another man's treasure

This week was curbside clean up. So after a weekend of taking down the patio, we neatly stacked all the wood, metal and concrete out the front to be taken away. So you would think that we would now have more room in the back yard. BUT NO! J decided to help out with the curbside clean up and went around the streets collecting bits and pieces from other people's front yard trash. The thing that made me smile the most was that he really enjoyed doing it!!

Bits of treasure that J found:
* fan blades (that we needed)
* an old wooden long table to use outside
* surf ski
* 10 old bikes - which he is going to take apart and use things like the brakes and gears etc
* storage cupboard
* racks
* esky
* BBQ lid

So now in place of the patio, is a range of J treasures waiting to be used!

Knock down commences

Last night and today we knocked down the back patio of our house, ready to get the escavator in to level the ground for our extension. It was actually lots of fun and I'm enjoying spending quality time with Jason and learning so much about being a 'handyman' He even let me do the final knockout, and captured it on camera.

Things happen for a reason...

I received an email this week notifying me that I was unsuccessful in my application for a PE head of department position at Pacific Pines High on the Gold Coast. At first I was gutted. I had spent several days on my application, with my principal, and I was really happy with the finished piece. In the past 9 years there hasn't been too many roles I haven't done within the school and I thought I had the qualifications to match. However, it wasn't to be my time and I felt quite rejected because I just can't seem to cop a break. I have had several prac students apply for HOD positions and receive them (and I'm happy for them), however I just don't seem to be in the right place at the right time!!

So last night, a casual staff dinner was organised at The Glen Hotel. I went to down my sorrows as I have felt down ever since the rejection. I ended up having a fantastic night socialising with many teachers from 5 different staffrooms and realised that what keeps SP together is the teachers. We are the glue! Particularly as sports coordinator this year, I have broadened my horizons and gotton to know all staff members and realised that 'the grass isn't greenier on the other side'. Yeah, maybe a promotion would have been good for the ego and bank balance, but you can't beat having awesome people around you when you go to work. They have made this year one of my best teaching years as I have so much support and so many good friends. So, this weekend I have come to the conclusion that 'things happen for a reason' and at this moment I am content with staying at SP.

House approval

Well after nearly 11 months of planning and paper work, we received from our certifiers the approval for the extension of our home. It was a very special moment for me (particularly since I had done all the paper work) and because I finally felt like these extensions would actually happen and I had a time line to go by (1 year).

J and I spent the afternoon in the backyard spray painting on the grass where all our new rooms would be. We were very excited as we realised how big the extension would be and how nice all the features we had included would be. So as 2 of my girlfriends begin to move into their new homes, I begin the stressful experience of building mine.

Mother's Day

Today Loz & I took mum and dad to breakfast at the Coffee Club. It was a special occassion because I realised that we had never actually taken mum out for breakfast on a mother's day (unless you count Maccas as taking her out!). Although dad complained at having being brought along, he wasn't complaining when I ordered extra hash browns (which he eat!)

After breakie, Loz & I took them to the movies to see 'Made of Honour' starring McDreamy (otherwise known as Patrick Dempsey). Although predictable, it was a good film and even though he would never admit it, dad enjoyed it. And mum - well she 'loved it'.

All in all, it was a beautiful morning and I always relish the time spent with my family.

In the afternoon, I went to Marnie's baby shower, which was lots of fun and it was great to catch up with her sisters and my phantom BF. The highlight of the party for me was the 'guess the jelly beans in the bottle' competition which I accurately guessed as 109 (the amount of guests at my wedding - some extra trivia).

J's mum was in Melbourne so the only wishes she had for mother's day were that J was working full time (tick) and he was paying off his personal loan to them (tick). I also threw in some movie tickets for her as well.

Next year I'm thinking of walking the Mother's Day Breast Cancer fun run.

65th B'day

It was my father-in-laws 65th B'day Thursday night at Hope Island Tavern. Beautiful venue and a great party with a red and black (Essendon) theme.

Here are some of the great photos that were taken....

Back at work

I am very happy to announce that J is back at work full time and is starting to get into a routine of getting up early. It now means I'm getting up an hour earlier, trying to wake him up and then making him lunch and breakfast while he showers. But today was worth it when we got his first pay check of $1330 clear for a week. We've worked out an allowance for him and he is trying to budget. When he does eventually stop smoking (which he tells me is a work in progress and will happen one day) he will save an extra $120 a week!

So for the time being and particularly because we just spend $8000 buying J a new car, we are going to focus on getting back into the swing of things with his work and I'm putting no pressure on him in regards to renovations. When J is good and ready, I know he'll do an awesome job. I'm prepared to wait for the house, because his health and happiness is more important to me and I know he doesn't handle stress well (or multi-tasking!) Besides, we're still waiting for the final approval from council so things have worked out this way for a reason.

The best thing about today is J and I now have a long weekend to look forward to and can both now relax because we've both worked hard this week!

Cross Country

Today I was in charge of organising the school cross country. As 2008 is the year of physical activity, the principal and myself decided that everyone should complete it. As an incentive I organised 10 prizes (movies tickets, music vouchers, tuckshop vouchers & chocolates) and when students crossed the finish line they were issued with a raffle ticket. This must have done the trick, because we had no issues with non-particiption and everyone (including several teachers) completed the course.

The only hiccup in the day was the weather (just like my wedding!). When all the girls started the race and were on the oval, the skys opened up for a 2 minute shower and many got drenched, however no one pulled out which was a relief. It also started spitting when everyone had completed the race, so we moved the students up to the assembly hall instead of the oval bank for presentations.

It's always nice when you put so much effort into things, that results make you very proud. Coincidently, all 5 female age champions are in my futsal excellence program (with many others coming in the top 6). And the 2 overall male and female champions are both in my senior classes, which was particularly nice because I had brought a prize out of my own money for them and it couldn't have gone to nicer people!

It ended up being a fantastic day and I'm quietly proud of my achievements. Bring on athletics carnival!

Start of Term

Today was the start of an eleven week term and I'm already exhausted with the work coming up in the next couple of weeks. This term I'm:
* organising the cross country for 900 students (they must all participate - year of physical activity)
* organising the school cross country team to take to the districts
* supporting students in their reselection of sports for this term
* organising 2 round robin sports days
* coaching several futsal tournaments
This combined with the usual planning and preparation, marking and reporting.

Oh well, you don't become a teacher for the money!! I just hope I am better able to deal with work stress this term and not let everything get on top of me. That, and the hope that J sticks out his new job that he started today!

Girlie Time

This week I have been on holidays and although I have had marking from last term and planning for next term, I have been able to enjoy catching up with girlfriends for lunch.

I know our lives are so busy that we often sacrifice leisure time, but it is just so refreshing and uplifting to spend a good quality hour or two with a bestie and chat (and eat!). I'm so lucky to have such wonderful girlfriends who care about my well being and support me through the hard times. I don't know how I would survive without them!

One thing I know for sure: chores, bills and housework will always be there and they never make you happy! Quality time with friends, although a rarity, is a blessing and puts that spark back into your life.

Insulation

Today, on my first day of a short week of holidays, I helped J in the shed by insulating our bedroom to be. Insulation is very itchy and I had to wear a long sleeve shirt and gloves to complete it. However the benefits will be numerous, as the insulation cools the shed in the heat and warms the shed in the cold.

Tomorrow I will be putting the wooden flooring on the floor and walls. We only have a few things to complete, including the electricity & air con and then we will be able to be fully sufficient in our new pad.

The Auction

Last night, J and I went to the Auctions to buy him a new car. I had never been to one and it was definately an interesting night. Apart from getting a headache for listening to the auctioneer for 2 hours, I also realised how often I subconciously use my hands when I'm talking or bored, which could be construde as raising your hand for a bid!

After searching for a couple of hours, reading the trading post to compare prices and watching the process we found a great car - Mazda Bravo 2001 white trayback and J bid on that. It started at $7000 but we bid $6000 and after competing with 2 other customers, won the bidding war at $6700 (plus $300 dealers fee). Not bad for a $8500 car. I did all the paperwork and today J got third party insurance, a road worthy, a service and will be registering it tomorrow with his personalised plates. Hope this all gives him the incentive to work more!

Here are some photos of our new car....

Behind every fisherman is a lonely wife

This weekend was J's bday. For his bday, he got a few BCF vouchers and some fishing gear. First thing Saturday morning he was at BCF with his shopping list, like an excited little kid. Saturday afternoon he was in the shed organising his 15 plus fishing rods and making sure they had new hooks, sinkers and fishing line. Then, last night he went out fishing and 12 hours later he is still at the Bay. When I spoke to him he said he's been having an awesome time, although I don't know how many fish he has caught. I'm real happy for him, but I'm glad I had a b'day function last night and a baby shower today otherwise I'd be a very lonely wife!

Murphy's Law

Yesterday was my school's round robin district tournament, where every student in the school is involved in sport or extra curricular activities. We are involved in this because Beaudesert High and Flagstone College are too far to travel to for weekly sporting games, so twice a term all schools participate in a variety of sports at venues around the area.

Being sports master, it is my responsibility to organise sporting teams and extra curricular activities, student payments, student medical & permission forms and buses for the 350 students who stay at school and the 400 students that compete (up to 150 students are absent).
On top of this, I have to co-convene the soccer 7's event with 300 - 350 boys from the district.

It is a huge day, but I put a lot of effort in because the kids love it. HOWEVER, no matter how prepared I was, things just kept going wrong. As Murphy's Law state: whatever can go wrong, WILL!

Firstly, the bus company called to say 2 drivers had called in sick and they could only provide 7 out of 9 buses. So I scrambled to get another company to travel to Runaway Bay and Browns Plains.

Secondly, after organsing the roster for all the teachers in the school, 3 teachers called in sick and to save TRS the school didn't replace them. This meant some teachers had a really huge workload that day.

Thirdly, we arrived at B Soccer Club to find that they had no paper work for us to be there and wanted to kick us off their fields. I assured them we had booked through GC Council however due to recent Council amalgamations, the club is now looked after by LC Council and there had been a lack of communication between the two.

And lastly, due to this lack of communication, I was on the phone to the Council while I was refereeing to organise for someone to come and open the toilet facilities for the 300 plus kids. There was obviously no canteen either, so students were ordering pizzas to the ground or whinging in my ear that they were hungry (even though I told them to bring lunch and brought oranges and water for all the students at my school). Someone did eventually turn up and opened them.

I won't even begin to tell you of the 3 major incidences that I had to deal with when I returned back to school. Let me just say that they resulted in 2 expulsions and 1 long term suspension and those students were of no loss to us.

So after all that, I can home, brought some pink champagne and watched the socceroos draw with China in the World Cup qualifiers. WHAT A DAY!

You know you're in love when..

You know you're in love when...

1. you wake up at 6am in the morning of your day off to drive your husband to work
2. you let your dogs travel to the coast in your precious RAV 4
3. you let your dogs come on the beds in the mornings to give your husband cuddles
4. you try to move your stubborn wet dog between your legs to the hose to get him rinsed down after bathing him
5. you pay your husbands debts and fines
6. no matter how angry you are, you always enjoy cuddles and kisses
7. your best present on your bday is a card and scratch tickets amounting to how old you are
8. you make your husband lunch and dinner most days of the week (when you hate cooking yourself)
9. you always do your husband's washing
10. you get a message or phone call from your husband and your stomach does butterflies!

For better or worse, in the good times and bad times, J makes me feel complete!

Happy Easter

Today was Easter Sunday, and J and I spent it with his family down the coast. It was a lovely, relaxing day and it reminded me of xmas when you go home and you're so full because of all the food you ate, you just want to lie down! I also have the best in-laws and I'm so lucky and grateful for this (and no, I'm not just saying that in case they read my blog). They make me feel so welcome and part of the family and have always supported me, particularly during the past 12 months.

However, this weekend didn't feel totally special because I didn't see any of my family. I remember when I was growing up, my parents made every Sunday 'the family day'. I hated being forced to spend time with my annoying younger brothers and sister, not to mention my parents, while ALL of my friends got to socialise and hang out. I selfishly resented my position and longed to be released from this tradition. Now, here I am, nearing 30 and the only people that I really care to hang out with on Easter and other special occasions ARE my parents and younger siblings. Because my parents were so family orientated when we were growing up, we are so close knit now that I wish I could go back in time and appreciate all the time we spent together.

So, a very Happy Easter to my two brothers and my new sister in law to be in Perth, my very busy and social butterfly of a sister who unfortunately had more exciting plans than to spend Saturday night with me and my first home made lasagne, and my parents who are at Lake T on their annual Easter holiday with their friends (playing golf and catching 30cm Bass). I miss you guys heaps and look forward to our next family get together!

Here is a picture of my awesome family....

No FOXTEL

I don't need luxury in life (after all I've lived in this house for 4 years), however when my faithful TV blew (I bought it nearly 10 years ago) I was devasted to realise that I wouldn't be able to watch FOXTEL. And of all the weeks - EASTER WEEKEND. When they take all the good shows off free to air TV!

Consequently, I have hired some DVD's and hooked up our DVD player so I can watch them in our room. I'm also planning a trip to mum and dad's on Monday night so I can watch the GOLD COAST TITANS play.

There's no use buying a new TV yet, as we've moving into the shed, so it looks like i'll be missing out on my fav channels for a while - FOX 8, CI channel and FOX SPORTS! Jason definately won't be missing CI, but I know he'll be disappointed he won't be watching FUEL TV.

Oh well, maybe its a blessing in disguise and we'll get some more quality time together now.

The Titan Shed

For those that don't know, J and I are about to seriously renovate and extend our house. The plans are done and are in at council. Because we will be knocking so much of the existing house done, be have made our titan shed into a granny flat, which we will live in (much to the delight of J).

Here are some photos of our new little pad.... It's not completely finished but will be soon!

The Toilet

The Shower (with a seat for shaving)

The Lounge Room

If only men could rear children...

After a fantastic Sunday on the boat, I woke up yesterday morning and tried to wake J up. But alas, apparently over the weekend (either digging at work on Saturday or on our bumpy ride back on the boat) J had pulled a muscle in his back and therefore was in absolute agony and couldn't go to work.


When I arrived home after a 9 hour day, J was still lying in bed and eating breakfast. He then informed me that while I have been making his lunch for him (the past two years), because I make his sandwiches the night before, the bread isn't fresh and he doesn't really like them. And here I thought I was being a good little house wife.


So then we came up with the perfect solution. Me, being the workaholic who's strong points are not in the kitchen or anything practical, should continue being the breadwinner and J, who is the world's biggest hypochondriac and seems to know everything about food and cooking, should rear our future child and run the house. And pigs might fly....


Today, J had terrible stomach pains which prevented him from working, but he assures me he's working tomorrow! There is not a day in my life that is uneventful!

I've added a photo of J and I on our wedding day, the day we vowed 'Til Death Do Us Part'.

Fishing

Today was the first time J and I have taken our boat out (a tinny) for over 18 months. After a mad week of registering the boat and the trailer (2 hours waiting time at QLD transport) and J recarpeting the inside, we were ready to go.

We put the boat in at Redland Bay and decided to cruise past the local islands to South Stradbroke. There, we did what both of us love best, J fished and I read a magazine!!

All in all it was a very relaxing arvo for the two of us, and it was great to have some quality time together. I'm still learning (and frustrating J with my lack of practical boating skills), but its not easy to keep the motor running and steering while he's changing, manoeuvre the boat while he's reeling it in and making sure the lines don't get tangled while I'm hooking them all up.

J caught a couple of small breams, stingrays and coral but nothing like his 9 kg Salmon from the other week. We're going out next for his bday, so hopefully he'll catch something we can eat then.