What's 2014 got in store?

We're barely into 2014 and it's already been crazy busy. Six weeks in Canada and our wedding... to come home to witness our beautiful friends Dave and Jen get married. Now, in 9 days I will undertake BodyJam Initial Instructor Module Training... this will set me up to eventually become a qualified instructor. I'm very excited to start this journey and thank so many friends and professionals out there who have my back for what I'm told will be a life changing journey into the Les Mills Tribe.

So what does this mean for any events or whatever else is coming up? I'm going to need a lot of notice to attend things... because when I'm not doing my instructor training, I suspect I'll be sleeping. LOL --- That, and we are paying off our wedding, and still have another three weddings to go this year - two of which we have to travel quite substantial distances to (including Hawaii!!) so please don't be offended if we just can't make events like we used to.  One or both of us will try to make it, but we may not be able to stay long.

I'm also traveling to Melbourne for the first weekend in April to attend "Dance-A-Palooza" (Part of the Filex Convention).  So to my Melbourne friends (or anyone else that would like to travel!) - if you wanna see me, I suggest you put on your high-tops (or any other comfortable shoes) and come and join me on the dance floor at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on April 5th at 6.30pm. Anyone can attend "Dance-A-Palooza" and it will be amazing! 

That's it for now. I'm struggling to get my fitness level back after so much time off - but no excuses... it's time to learn chorey and queuing for module training!

Bridal Shower: The real housewives of Brisbane

Loved every minute of my Bridal Shower today. Thank you to all my girls for coming and dressing up, and a huge thank you to Nay and Stacey for their insane amount of effort they put into the day. ♥

Hanging out with beautiful friends

with Nic and Colleen - Stokehouse Brisbane - Sunday 28th July

with Naomi and Stacey - Coolum Surf Lifesaving Club - Saturday 3rd August

with Nic and Di - Oxford 152 - Sunday 4th August 2013

Stacey's 30th - Ramblers Skydive!

Went up the north coast over the weekend to watch the lovely Stacey and a bunch of our friends jump out of a perfectly good plane (including my fiance who was surprised with a Skydive by Dave and Stacey) - I'm too much of a chicken and have too many things that don't work in my favour (suffer from extreme fear of heights and motion sickness - blergh) - so I stayed on Terra Firma and took photos for everyone. This is a screencap of one of the good ones of Stacey - (wearing my lovely shocking pink Lorna Jane Jacket) - I promise to try and upload some more good ones after I go through the 500+ I took for them! This is the first time I've used my camera in months (since Gold Coast Supanova) and it felt good to use it again!

Yay Tracey!

I haven't written on my blog for a little while because there hasn't really been much going on of late. Until this week. I've been counting down for what seems like an eternity, to get the opportunity to catch up with one of my AXF girls who has come over from New Zealand.

Showed the lovely Tracey around my city... taking in some of the sights around the river including South Bank (dinner at the Plough, and much fangirl conversation!) and then we went for a lovely walk down along Kangaroo Point. We even caught a ferry back up the River to North Quay, which was FREE?!

I didn't realise that there was a free ferry on the river. Must remember this for when other tourists wanna come visit!

Thank you so much for such a fun evening Tracey! Really hoping we get another opportunity to hang out before you head home.

Taken on the boardwalk at South Bank - wish I had my Canon Camera

New Year. 2013. What's in store?

Haven't blogged since Mid December. Doesn't mean that I've been sitting around doing nothing. Quite the opposite! Christmas and New Year was a flutter activity, and I'm now back at work.

Very excited to take on a new role in 2013 (because I haven't got enough on my plate, I thought I'd challenge myself further!!).

I'm very excited to write that I have been appointed features editor for the amazing Moviehole.Net - one of Australia's longest running, and most popular, movie and entertainment websites. This role is going to be exciting, and challenging. I've already been assigned an article that I've been working hard on. A topic that is very well known by me personally, so it is going to be possibly the toughest assignment of my life (being that I will be the most critical). That being said, I am thrilled to be working for someone that I am so thankful I can call a friend. CM. He is one who truly strives to take any situation to the next level. He is someone that I draw a lot of inspiration from, and I am excited to see what this role has in store for me.

In other news, we spent a week at Tamborine Mountain, camping with some of our friends and getting out of our heads to ring in the new year. I took a lot of photos, including our friends saddling up and going on a horse ride. I am yet to have a chance to even look at them on my computer, but I will put some of those up soon.

My sister and her fiance are here until the end of the month. We have their engagement party this weekend! I am thrilled to be asked to be her maid of honour.

'Limited Edition' Wristbands for SA-YES are still coming... although they seem to be somewhat held up by a customs issue. Dealing with that. Hoping to have information for everyone shortly about that.

The wedding planning is still coming along. Official invites will be put into photoshop and printed within the month. Must start bringing things forward that I have had on the backburner for some time.

I hope to attend many more Buddhist classes throughout the year.

And finally, really hoping that 20th Century Fox greenlight X-Files 3 sometime soon.

Countdown to 2013

It's that time of year where we countdown the final days of the year, and generally express what we are thankful for - or complain about how quickly the year has gone - or grumble because we haven't started our Christmas Shopping. 

I'm one of those people. I haven't started my shopping, the year has gone way too quickly, and OH BOY has the temperature gone up a notch in the last month. It is going to be a bloody scorcher of a Christmas. My friends in the Northern Hemisphere who find this hilarious that we have a hot Christmas, I challenge you to come down here one day and experience it for yourself. You will not want to have the traditional Hot Christmas Dinner... I'm telling you.  

This time last year, my fiance and I were on a plane bound for Canada. I cannot believe that a year has passed since we went to spend a month in gorgeous Vancouver/Whistler, British Columbia. I have missed it, (and our friends) every day since we have left. The more we plan our wedding, the more time we keep adding to our 'next' journey there. Currently, our trip stands at around five weeks!

I anticipate amazing things for 2013. I can sense it. It's going to be an amazing year.

I am super thankful to my family and friends (old and new) who have been there for me throughout the year. It's been a year of tremendous highs and really crushing lows - but it hasn't changed the person that I am. My Buddhist meditations have also helped more than I can even express.


Also - everyone out there reading my blog MUST dig deep, and buy one (or more) of the SA-YES Charity Wristbands that I'm selling.  At $5.00 a wristband they truly are a bargain, and help to empower young people in South Africa through the amazing 'South African Youth Education for Sustainability' program. To learn more about this amazing charity that I have supported since it's inception, please visit their website.  They truly do amazing things.

I anticipate that my next blog will be Christmas Lights photos. Perhaps even some touristy photos as my sister and soon to be brother-in-law will be arriving from Wales to spend 6 weeks with us. :-)

Photography - Brisbane Supanova 2012

Morena Baccarin

Luke Perry

James Marsters

Felicia Day

Gareth David Lloyd

Friendship: I'm No Expert... But...

As I sit here... starting to type this blog... I feel a combination of melancholy and relief at the same time. An odd combination, but how I am feeling right this second. This will take me a little while to get down so please bear with me.

People come into our lives for a reason. Sometimes it is a blissful journey, other times it is cyclonic. It doesn't always make sense. Sometimes these people have to leave our lives.

Many many years ago, I had two friends. Two. And even those friends I had to fight to keep. I loathed myself as a person and people around me bullied me for a myriad of reasons. I was different. Different people were not seen as 'normal'. Throughout primary school and a good chunk of high school, I was picked on - so...  bullying is not something that I will tolerate within any friendship - either my own friendships, or those friendships I see around me in my circle of friends. 

Over the years for those of you who know me, I have learned to embrace my 'originality' and not be a conformist, or a 'normal' person. Why would you want to be ordinary, when you can be extraordinary.  


I will stand up for my friends and defend them until the day I die. 

What I won't stand for, is my own thoughts and motives being questioned by my friends. Sure, I expect them to call me out if I'm being a twat - but if I am doing everything in my power to keep a friendship in tact, I don't want that questioned every single day. 


Subconsciously, as I sit here thinking about everything that has happened within my friendships over the past 18 months: This has been a long time coming. 

Friendship should be unconditional. 

Friendship should be mutually beneficial, respectful and it should be real. 

Honesty is another thing that is paramount in forming strong friendships. Not having exceedingly outrageous expectations of each other... and a very important fact, that you treat your friends as you yourself wish to be treated. 

If things in your life are turbulent and you can go to your friends to discuss the issues - that will help you feel less burdened. If you can't, find someone you can trust to talk to. Do not ever lash out at your friends when things are bad. Granted... a good friend will know that something is wrong and offer assistance in ways that they can... but they won't appreciate you taking out your anger and frustration on them.

I'll remember the good times, much better than dwelling on what has lead me down this path. 

Just remember that ultimately, if you can't be happy - you need to find the right time to draw the line in the sand.

Playing Tourist Around South-East Queensland

I love when interstate/overseas come to visit. Not only do we get to see each other and spend some quality time together, but I get to play tourist in my home town (and surrounds).

Over the past weekend my gorgeous friend Di came up from Sydney to spend five days with her friends in Brisbane. She stayed with me for two nights. We went to North Stradbroke Island, which is my favourite part of South East Queensland. It's got everything: Surf, Sand, Sunshine and just a gorgeous casual laid back atmosphere that is SO relaxing.

Di and Nic also visited Broadbeach, and I took a day to go down and spend the afternoon with them. Wish I could have taken more photos, but conditions weren't ideal with lots of smoke haze around.

Come back soon Di! :-)

Frenchmans Beach - Point Lookout

Cylinder Beach - Point Lookout

Cylinder Beach - Point Lookout

Abandoned Yacht - One Mile - North Stradbroke Island

Kurrawa Beach - Broadbeach

Kurrawa Surf Club - Broadbeach

Nic, Sandi, Di - Broadbeach