Family Christmas

This year was such a great, yet different year for our family.
We maintained our traditional Christmas Eve get together. Having our usual meal and watching Carols by Candlelight on tv. Opening gifts. Having fun just being a family.

This year there was one HUGE difference (and a few others).
All 3 kids came to visit, and all 3 left to go off to their own homes afterwards...leaving the parents in their newly acquired empty nest!

I loved visiting my parents with my new husband...having fun with my brother and sister, sister-in-law and sister's friend. It was just so nice knowing we were all adults, and we have all moved out of the nest (my sister only moved abt 3 weeks before me!), and we can all still return to the nest for "good times" without staying.

Our family has made a good, healthy transition.
I love visiting my old home, knowing it is part of me, but it's not who I am NOW. I still have an agenda to spend some productive days cleaning out my old room... it's still part of me, but I want to eventually have "Robyn" gone from the room. It's no longer "Robyn's room" - but it is still full of my 'stuff' - there are many hours to be spent, and bags to be filled, and rubbish bins to be filled...but I am getting there slowly.

I love chatting with my mum... we bumped into each other in the supermarket not long ago....and we couldn't stop talking! When I lived in the nest, we talked a lot...now whenever we get a chance, we can't stop!

Somebody asked if I miss my mum...I say it's a healthy transition. I do miss her, but I am happy where I am at. We have a good relationship. Now the relationship has simply taken a new path.
A good path:)

Ok, I'm all excited because we got broadband today!! David is on his computer using dial-up, and I'm on the floor next to him with my laptop on broadband...funny and fun! I love wireless! We can plug it in to either computer:)

Christmas update

Wow...time just flies!

I haven't been here for ages because I've been too busy, and dial up internet makes you realise just how much you take broadband for granted!! Needless to say (?), I'm at my parent's place again! The place of "business" ;)

For those of you wondering why I didn't send a Christmas letter this year, I just didn't have the time to sit down and write one! It has been a busy year though.

Last Christmas I was diagnosed with glandular fever...but despite all the setbacks, I managed to help fund a wedding - even being unable to work as many days due to the fatigue and lowered immunity the sickness left me with.

This Christmas I'm happy to say I no longer feel the fatigue and I'm not catching as many colds :) I returned to work in November...and caught a cold! But I managed to get better in almost half the time of the previous colds! THAT was exciting! :) Before the wedding, I felt like I was catching everything that was going around! I didn't know when one cold was ending and another was beginning...it was awful...which made David suggest I finish work a few weeks earlier than planned before the wedding. He's a wise man :) I felt the best I'd felt all year soon after I finished work:) That also probably helped with the stress of the wedding. My body wasn't working over-time:)

I love my new home. I've finally stopped having to remind myself to turn onto a different road to come home...I've been travelling the same roads for 8 years (although I'm closer to my previous home prior to that), so I needed to break the habits! I only really live in the next suburb, so I know most of the roads. I just need to remember which direction I live! haha!

This morning I woke up to chickens making soooo much noise! Yesterday morning we woke up hearing them in our front lawn...and the sound of them being caught by their owner! It sounds bad, but it's not really. Their owners keep them well under control, but they're chickens! We'd be stupid to think they'd never try to escape to the green grass on the neighbour's lawn! haha!
At first it annoyed me to hear the chickens in the morning, but now I don't mind it at all. It reminds me of my old country life. I'm at the point now where I think I'd miss them if they disappeared...

I have so much to say, but I can't remember what! Plus I don't want to type a really long post people won't want to read.

Ok, I better go.

Hope you all had a great Christmas and the new year is full of great things!
It's time for the princesses to step into their royal shoes and take their place...2009 is no playground. We are called for a purpose :) Let's get ready to step into 2009 with courage and godly pride :)

Back again!

Wow... all this lead up to the wedding, then it's all over...and life gets back to 'normal'...
My dress fit perfectly on the day :)
It was a great day, and we had a great honeymoon in Tasmania. Now we're back settling into a new home together, which is nice.
I don't yet internet access on my personal computer, so haven't bothered coming to my blog when online. I came to my parents' place to connect - my comp accesses the net from here, so I've updated my virus protection, filled my outlook inbox - another thing I really miss...but only temporarily :) and paid some bills...

Life is great:)
Better go. Sorry, no photos yet of wedding.

6 Days??

Yikes! It's a bit scary when the Daisy Counter is onto DAYS! hahaha!

Wedding - Things That Have Gone Wrong!!!

What a crazy time...
I had my dress altered and was able to pick it up today.
We discovered the dress maker pulled it in abt ONE INCH too much!! So now they have to fix it AGAIN and I have to to go back into the city on Monday to pick it up AGAIN!

The back did up, but there's no way I could wear it for more than half an hour! It was like in The Pirates of the Caribbean... where Elizabeth has the corset that sucks the life out of her... pretty sad. Espcially since I've had the dress all year and it only required a little alteration. It didn't even need a corset or any special underwear. Oh well. Will be praying it is perfect on Monday!

Also...I went to have my ring cleaned. Again I had to go into the city (I killed 2 birds with one stone). They cleaned it...gave it back. It looked ok, but not brilliant. I walked out...and after taking it off and having a closer look, saw LOTS of scum still under the diamonds! I was NOT impressed. I walked back in and asked them to do it again! It still doesn't look fantastic...but it's better than I could do... but the first time I was sure I could do better! Stupid people. If they offer a service they should provide it properly! I could give them a bad name if I wanted to ;) There was only 1 couple in the store so it wasn't like they were too busy. I've always been there when there have been at least 5 couples!

So... that was the joy of my Friday... haha! Not happy abt the dress, but what can I do.
Not happy about the ring, but I'm not going back just for a clean.
Just silly things to tell the kids later!
Times of testing... I'm sure it will all work out, even if things are disappointing me.

October Update

Oh wow...it has been a while since my last post, hasn't it!!!

It's funny when your last post says you need to look for a new wedding cake...and you've already well and truly covered that...and more! haha!

Yes, I've been very busy. Too busy to blog.
The wedding 'crisis' was a blessing in disguise!

We revisited Eiffel Tower for our cake, and got a great deal! Over $100 off the original quote of January! We were even able to choose 3 tiers at a reasonable price, instead of just accepting the 2 tiers to save money :) AND it is cheaper than the cake that fell through, AND includes delivery! :)

Across the road was a hire factory, so we found some hire items for the ceremony :)
The only problem is we will have to pick them up and return them. At least it's not too far away. Abt 20mins...by car...

I had my dress alterations organised today! I can pick up my dress on Friday :) (even though it's been hanging in my house since the end of January!)

We've done so much! I am actually beginning to feel like I have a huge essay due in less than 2 weeks, and even though I've done a lot of work, I still need to do MORE! But as with an essay, the due date will come, and that will be that. You reach the point where there is no more you can do, except enjoy that fact you have submitted the essay. So we can do all we can in the next week, then just enjoy the fruits of our planning, knowing we did our best within the timeframe:)

David suggested I finish work a week earlier than planned because I was getting sick too often at work. It was like clients and staff were playing 'catch' with colds and gastro etc. After taking nearly 2 months to get over a cold (or what felt like one cold that would try to end, and another would begin and not let it end! THEN ANOTHER would enter...etc. Not fun!) it just didn't feel worth continuing work just for the money when my health needed attention. Glandular fever seems to make colds linger in your system longer than you're used to...but colds do eventually leave. Just not in the time you would like!

So for my health's sake, I finished work, and I have to admit, I've felt the best I have in a while :)
I thought I was finally over the glandular fever, but I think I got over-excited and it hit me again! Not the fever, but my immune system wasn't nice to me, and I was feeling fatigued again.

Oh well. Not long now... I am trying hard not to over-do it while running around with last minute wedding things!

Wedding Craziness!

Talk about a crazy week!!!
I've spent the last 2 weeks getting over a cold...going to bed way too late trying to organise wedding invitations...addressing envelopes, cutting and collating etc, tying ribbons, sticking stamps on envelopes...

My mum has been wonderful!

On top of that I've been working...so I've been pretty exhausted all week...

and then....just as we think nothing can go wrong... I came home from work on Thursday to an answering machine message saying that our wedding cake order has been cancelled....because the shop was CLOSING TODAY! They only called abt 3pm and had to empty the shop by that night...a bit strange... sounded sudden. They were only advertising for staff abt a week ago. ..

Oh well. Our specially designed cake is now not happening. We went through a lot trying to organise flowers and colour etc. Then we FINALLY decided on sugared flowers and ordered them....and saw them recently, but they were left at the shop to be put on the cake.

So now we have to start again....but that's ok because we had back up plans before we found this place :) It's just so unexpected when these things happen!

Life is definitely not boring at the moment!!!!!