Travel tips and tricks

If you can get from your house to your travel destination with no mishaps then I applaud you. While I am not well travelled by any means, I have travelled enough to have come up with some tips and tricks that will help you avoid some mistakes I have made. 

1. Always print your documents
Be that a copy of your passport or your flight ticket, print it. There have been so many times that I have relied on my phone to bring up my flight ticket only to not be able to connect to the wifi to retrieve said email. Had I printed my documents, the stress that usually ensues would have been avoided. Even if you don't think you need to print your documents, you do.

2. Print a map of where your hotel is
Ok, I've been to Japan twice and both times, we forgot to print a map of where the hotel was and how to get there. Japan has foreign street signs and getting anywhere is tricky. As with point one, you might not always find wifi and therefore, you are left to use street maps to assist in your navigation. If you can print a map with directions, even better! If you get lost, don't panic! Remember, you've gotten lost before and found your way and this situation will be no different. Panic is what sends people the wrong way.

3. Have an electrics adaptor before you leave the house
Not all airports will have the adaptor you need for the country you are going to and trying to find one in a country that potentially doesn't speak English is stressful. Try and get one before you go and you will thank yourself. 

4. Take cards against humanity
Ok, so this one applies if you're travelling in a group of three or more. We all know the plane ride can be boring, so why not play cards? This card game will be guaranteed to make you (and other passengers) laugh and is a great time killer. On that note, make sure you also have paper to record scores and a pen which will also come in handy when you are filling in the various departure/arrival/customs cards. 

5. Book a rental card in advance
While also on this topic, make sure you pick a car that suits the terrain or landscape of where you are driving. Both times we have been to New Zealand, we've booked a rental car. The first one was a small Nissan Sunny (bad!!) and the second was a Toyota Rav 4 (good!!(. New Zealand is hilly and windy and the Nissan Sunny (we named him Richie) struggled. The first trip was a road trip and honestly, I wish we just went and upgraded the car. It was that bad and slow and struggled uphill. The second trip was based in Queenstown and we drove to the ski slopes every day. The drive up the mountains required something with power and the Rav 4 handled it with ease. Research where you will be driving and pick the right car and you're set.

I have a lot more tips which I will come back and fill in another day. 

What are your travel tips and tricks?

A late Spring wedding

Over the weekend, S and I went to the wedding of a very dear high school friend. The ceremony was at a beautiful little Catholic church in almost-country NSW. I am not religious, but I did think the ceremony was lovely and liked that it was to the point. I've been to a Catholic wedding before that went for about two hours and it was stiflingly hot in there. Not pleasant. 

The reception was down in Wollongong at the Harbourfront Restaurant. If you haven't been there, it is a restaurant on the water overlooking the boats and bay. Beautiful views from all parts of the room. 

A definite mistake was made ordering three meals for two peoples during the break between ceremony and reception because by the time the food was served at the reception, I was still full. Eyes are too big for my belly!

I had pork belly for entree, Chicken for main and sticky date pudding for dessert. I was so stuffed  by then I couldn't even fit in a bite of cake. Such a shame. 

The bride requested I didn't wear black as per my original plan, so I went out seeking colour and colour I did find. In the form of a bright green dress! It will be perfect for my 'tropicana' themed Christmas party this coming Friday too. 

A wedding is not a wedding without some dancing.

Nor is a wedding a wedding without some Photo Booth fun. 

 Congratulations, Mr and Mrs D!!

Follow me on Facebook

Currently - Happy Friday!

 

I haven't done one of these posts since April and a lot has happened since then, so Happy Friday and here you go!

Making: Nothing at the moment, although S won't be home all day tomorrow which gives me ample time to get something started. I want to make some Christmas stockings and start on my work wardrobe that I talked about here. 

Anticipating: To be honest, not a lot. I've been so busy lately that I am happy for things to quieten down for a few weeks, although this weekend starts the many Christmas get togethers that are coming up between now and Christmas.

Reading: The man and the sea by Ernest Hemmingway and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I'm not loving Gone Girl. Perhaps because I googled the ending and know what is coming up. 

Listening: Nothing new recently. I did have to get a bunch of songs ranging from the 50's to now for work and that playlist has been fun to listen to. 

Wearing: Shorts, singlets, sandals. Comfortable summer wear!

Looking forward to: Hopefully some overseas travel on the cards for next year. I am desperate to get to the US and if it all works out, we'll be there for my Birthday in May. We're thinking LA (Santa Monica), Vegas, New York, DC (to see Steve's colleagues). Any recs for where to go in those places?

Watching: The walking dead. I forgot about that show for a good six months or so. Lots of catching up to do!

Thinking about: Trick question! I never stop thinking about things. Right now, it's what I should wear to work given it's going to be 40 degrees today. 

Loving: I just bought my favourite makeup in the right colour (I bought a shade lighter last week) and the difference it makes it huge. When you're on to a good thing, stick to it!

What about you?

Lovely lippies

S came home bearing some pretty new lippies from the states. I got a MAC prep and prim lip primer which claims to keep lipstick on your lips longer. Perhaps I am not using it properly, but I have not noticed a difference. Lipstick doesn’t tend to last too long on my lips and I usually re-apply a few times a day. What are your tips for long lasting lipstick?

 

 I got: MAC Plumful and MAC Pink Pearl Pop

MAC Plumful

 

This is my new favourite every day lipstick. It is a natural colour and provides a pop of colour to freshen up your look. I usually wear this to work as it is not too bright and over the top for my workplace. No-one wears lipstick here it seems, so I can’t wear bright red lippie without standing out a lot. As the name suggests, it is a plum coloured lipstick.

 

MAC Pink Pearl Pop

 

Another beautiful lipstick to add to the collection. Pink Pearl Pop is a brighter pink that I will probably only wear when going out. It is a light and bright pink and a very sweet colour. I’ve noticed the staying power on this one is not great and I need to apply a fair bit for the colour to show well enough.

 

Have you gotten any new lipsticks lately?

 

What are your go-to colours?

What did Rhi do on the weekend?

This post is from last week but I forgot to post it

I’m a pretty terrible singer, but karaoke in front of the TV is one of my favourite things to do with friends. My Sister in law and I decided to sing (shout) some tunes on Friday night while the boys were away. After Bali, my drink of choice has been Mojitos, so Mojitos we drank. Friday nights hardly ever go to plan for me. We’d planned to go to the pub for dinner and after a drink I said ‘can’t be bothered, but I’m still hungry’, to which Sister in law replied ‘Let’s order take out’ (um, der) and that was settled. Delicious wood fired pizza and mojitos.

 

I should also mention here that the whole night the boys were Facebook messaging us from Vegas. Vegas is five hours in front of Sydney, but one day behind (do you follow)? So while we we’re eating dinner, bashing out karaoke tunes etc., they were dancing away and drinking at the Bellagio in Vegas. Slightly more exciting than our efforts, but is there actually anything better than a drink and pizza on a Friday night?

 

The answer to that is yes, I wish I was in Vegas with them.

 

Anyway, we finished the night off by watching The fault in our stars and went to bed early because we’re nanna’s on Friday nights.

 

Saturday night we had a girls night planned and hotfooted up to Newtown for some two for one cocktails. Kuleto’s (my favourite cocktail bar) have changed their rule so if you want two for one, you have to order with a friend. Um, that defeats the purpose. And anyway, I’m still going to drink just as many cocktails, but probably quicker because I need to allow more time for lining up. There were a few bartenders that would just give you two drinks, but the one that kept serving me kept rolling his eyes and huffing and puffing when I insisted my friend was outside and I’d be giving her the second drink (she was and I did).

 

Customer service in Australia is just so great, hey!

 

After Kuleto’s we went over to Newtown Hotel which I was surprised to find had an amazing cider garden. They also have amazing fries and I do love good fries. We were out until about 4am and got some delicious hot chips from the kebab shop on our way home. I wasn’t drinking until 4am before you all assume I’m a drunk, we had a lot of friends out and were dancing and chatting and time slipped away.

 

Sunday morning Steve got home from the longest week away ever and we spent the rest of the day hanging out and talking about LA and Vegas. Listening to his stories made me want to book a US trip so I put together a plan for an LA, Vegas, New York and DC trip for my Birthday next year.

 

Who knows if we’ll actually go, but I have my bets on yes and I am excited!

D's hens party

A few weeks back I got dressed up and headed to the city for my friend D’s hens party. D’s sister and bridesmaids organised the night and it was amazing. Full of activities and full of fun. I didn’t have a hens night, so I was living vicariously through D.

 

The party started in the hotel room the other girls had gotten at The Grace hotel. Wine and nibbles = a winning combination and a great start to the evening.

 

The first activity planned was a cocktail making class at La Cita, Darling Harbour. I’d just gotten back from Bali and was desperately missing my daily cocktail, so this class was a goodie. We learnt how to make a cosmopolitan and a mojito (my fav!). Cocktails actually aren’t that hard to make, especially mojitos. The cocktail making (and drinking) was a great starter to lead us in to the next class of the evening – a latin dance class.

Look, I am unco-ordinated. I can’t dance and I had an injured knee, so I couldn’t even do everything the guy told us to. By this time of the night, everyone had a few drinks under their belts, so everyone was right in to it and it was great fun. The group before us took it really seriously which didn’t look like fun. Take yourselves less seriously and everyone is laughing. I can’t follow dancing directions to save myself so I was definitely laughing at myself!

 

Dancing was followed up with dinner in the restaurant part of La Cita. The food far exceeded my expectations. I didn’t get pics, but I had a steak, mash and veg for my main and the steak was cooked to perfection. This coming from someone who rarely eats steak! I shared a jug of delicious sangria with another of the guests at dinner, because you just can’t go past sangria!

 

We finished the night at the Retro nightclub. I haven’t been there since I was about 18, but it was good to go back especially since I used to only go with the hen. They played all the old favourite songs.

My Wedding Speech

I was going through my old email account today and deleting emails when I came across my wedding speech. We didn't have speeches at the party, but when most people had left and it was a close group of friends left, we did a bit of a 'speech circle'. I was the only one with a prepared speech and our friend, T tried to get the whole restaurant to listen. Lucky he wasn't successful. How embarrassing!

 

"Not many brides give a speech on their wedding day….or engagement party day as the case may be, but since we are obviously not ones for tradition, here goes.

Firstly, I want to ask for the forgiveness of those who we lied to and who thought they were coming to an engagement party. Well, the original plan was for this to be an engagement party until one day I decided I didn’t want to plan a wedding and so here you are today – at our surprise reception. Steve and I always intended to have a small, intimate wedding and we thought by doing it this way you would all still be able to celebrate with us, rather than just see photos on facebook of a Vegas wedding.

The lies I have told should have seen my nose as big as Pinocchio’s, but who am I kidding – it’s almost there anyway!

Secondly, while you couldn’t all be there to see me marry my new husband this morning, I am so honoured and grateful to have you all here to celebrate with us this afternoon. It means a lot to us that you could travel her and give us your time today. Some of you have been on our journey from the very beginning and some of you have hopped on along the way, but whatever your part is in our story, we’re happy to have you here and thank you for helping us to celebrate.

Now let’s take it back 7 years to where it all began. Being the shy 17 year old I was, after we had met through friends and Steve had shown an interest, I came up with as many excuses as possible to avoid going on a date. There were two reasons for this: 1 – I was scared of telling my Mum a boy was interested in me and 2 – I was too shy to go on a date.

Persistent as he was, Steve never gave up and eventually I agreed to see a movie with him where I proceeded to tell him my life story over a hot chocolate. If you know me well (and most of you do), you will know that I go red in just about any circumstance, with the first date being no exception. Sitting there with my red chest and red face I was busy explaining that my seat belt had given me a rash while Steve was probably nodding his head thinking whattt?

In those early days of our relationship, I was drawn to Steve’s charming nature and good looks as well as his ambition, drive and determination. 7 years later and I can confirm he has only become more determined, more charming, more ambitious and more good looking and these qualities bring a lot to the foundations that our marriage will be built upon.

 

One thing most people know well about Steve is that he never gives up. Whether it be study, work, a project he is working on, or beating Tim in tennis - he will work hard to see it through. Steve has adopted the same values in our relationship and through our ups and downs, he has never given up.

As I stand here today, I am proud to call you my Husband, Steve. You have encouraged me when I thought I was not good enough, you have been there when I have been down, you have been there when I have been happy. You have stood up for me, you have trusted me and you have never ever put me down.

Steve, I can’t wait for us to begin life as a married couple, but also to continue living life as we have. My hope is for our marriage to be full of love, adventure, encouragement, support, teamwork and the occasional matching outfit (not on purpose of course).

I hope you have all recovered from the surprise we gave you and I would love if you could raise your glass to toast my new husband, Steve".

1, 2, 3

1. We have well and truly reached the tail end of the year and we’re slowly sliding in to Christmas. Between my family and Steve’s family, we don’t really do gifts and if we do, it’s usually a Kris Kringle type set up. I think all my brothers are old enough to participate now, so it should be good. As we have the previous few years, Steve and I will go out for a nice Christmas dinner for just the two of us. I love the little tradition that we have created!

2. Steve just went to the US and came back bearing many gifts. I am so spoilt! My favourite was one that I had not asked for and didn’t know I needed it until I got it – Jo Malone shower gel. Is there any scent better than a Jo Malone scent? I don’t think so. He bought me the Wood, Sage and Sea Salt and I just smell fabulous.

3. I am in the process of assisting to organise my bestie's Hens weekend away. I think some activities would be fun apart from the wine tour etc. that we are booking. Any ideas or tips for some fun activities, whether it be at the accommodation or out, would be great! We don't want garish sashes or anything like that for her, but I'd still like a subtle way to show she is the hens. Maybe a badge?

What's everyone else been up to?

Linking with Essentially Jess for IBOT

Sew a work wardrobe

I’ve been looking for new work clothes and this season, I haven’t come across much that suits what I want/need. I’m a pretty simple person and I rarely stray from the classics, so it’s pretty easy to turn my nose up at clothes that have cut outs/are too short/too long etc.

 

I am looking for a wardrobe that will cover all bases, won’t be too boring and that will suit my corporate job. With those criterion in mind, the garments can’t be too short, too out there, low cut etc. I am thinking to start the base project, I will need to source patterns for the following:

 

   - Cropped trousers
   - Pencil skirt
   - Pencil dress
   - Fit and flare dress (either skater skirt style or pleated)
   - Blazer
   - Simple sleeveless blouse

 

I’ll start with just those items and then work on expanding the wardrobe to include more items as needed.

 

Is there anything that you think I should add to the ‘basics’?

 

Do you know of any good patterns that I can use for the above garments?

A weekend away

Steve went away to the US on Friday, so Ted and I drove down to the South Coast, NSW for a little getaway. My Pop lives down there and we stayed with him in his house near the beach. I thought it would be a 4 hour drive, but 6 hours later and we made it. It took me 2.5 hours to get out of Sydney to Wollongong. Ridiculous! 

We started Saturday with a walk along the beach and lakes that surround the area. It was a stunning day and the beaches really put it on.

We stopped for coffee and Ted had a little rest under the table. 

When the sun was going down, we went for a little drive to get some photos. The weather had gone from about 30 during the day to about 15 and it was so windy. Nice anyway..as you can tell by the photos. 

Bit chilly around the ole' ears.

So lovely! It was such a nice weekend away and we really needed it. My Pop is so accommodating, he even washed my car while I napped! 

How was your weekend?

5 makeup items you need

I am no makeup guru, however I do have some idea through trial and error of the items that you should have in your makeup case.

1. Eyebrow pencil/mousse/powder.

This is a relatively new item to me, as in the past year or so. Before I got eyebrow mousse, I wondered why my brows always looked so untidy and fair. Enter eyebrow mousse and my brows started to shape my face well and I could darken them slightly so it didn't look like I had half a brow anymore. I use the benefit brow mousse called Gimme Brows which you can buy here.

2. A good mascara. 

I never used to care at all about mascara and I'd just buy what was on special in priceline. I was then gifted a Chanel mascara and it changed my life forever. It stayed on all day and didn't clump up as most others had. I now buy Benefit 'They're Real' mascara as it goes on well, doesn't clump and provides the thickness that I like on my lashes. You can buy the Benefit mascara here.

3. A good contouring palette.

Contouring was such a foreign word to me until probably last year. I used to just wack a bit of blush on and that was it. I went to Napolean one day and was introduced to the magic that is contouring. I don't contour every day, but if I am going out and doing my makeup nicely, then I put in the effort. I always use highlighter and blush even if I don't contour my whole face as it really brightens up my face. I got the contour palette from Napoleon and you can buy it here

4. A good BB cream. 

Ok, I will admit I am yet to find a good one, but I love wearing it anyway. I hate wearing makeup everyday because I feel like my skin should be able to breathe and heavy makeup doesn't allow that. I use BB cream most days at work and on weekends if I'm not going out. It provides enough coverage to make my skin look even, has SPF in it and is nice and light.

5. A good skincare regime. 

The key to good looking skin is a good skin care regime. You don't need to buy expensive products to have a good skincare regime. I make sure I wash my face (I use dove shea butter soap), tone my skin and moisturise morning and night. Since I started doing this consistently, my skin has been a lot nicer and less dry. 

What are your makeup must haves?

Spring Lovin'

I never knew I was a warm weather person until I went to Bali. Something about beaches, beanbags and mojitos firmly engrained in my mind that the beach and warm weather is where I need to be. So with the arrival of the warm weather (and then cold and then warm), I've been loving being outside. I'm not sure about you, but every time it warms up all I want to eat is salad. Refreshing, refreshing salads. A new favourite of mine, which can be eaten hot or cold is charred corn. This is probably not new to you, but if it is then all you need to do is put some corn on your open gas flame on the stove and cook the corn on all sides until it starts to cook. You'll know when, because it will look burnt. As per a recommendation on twitter, I top mine with coriander, parmesan cheese, salt, paprika and a bit of sour cream. Divine! 

I thought I used to love layering and wearing warm jackets and boots until the warm weather came along. Give me a pair of shorts, a tee shirt and sandals over layers any day. Seriously, how easy is it to dress in less clothing. For maximum laziness, I choose to also wear a hat to cover the hair I haven't done yet. Easy. 

Too bad the beaches in Sydney don't have bean bags and mojitos otherwise I would be at the beach every weekend. Unfortunately for me, sitting in my backyard with a book will have to suffice because another thing about Sydney beaches is the horrendous traffic and who's got time for that? Not me. 

Back to food, I'm trying to eat a little healthier after I ate whatever I wanted for a couple of weeks and over the weekend I threw together these pancakes. Not sure where I found the recipe previously, but I have tweaked it a little. It's just 2 bananas, 2 eggs, a bit of oat bran and a bit of almond meal. Mix or whizz it together and then cook them. So delicious and so easy to make. I topped mine with fresh blueberries, greek yogurt, almond meal and a bit of honey. The mug is my Husbands...he loves spreadsheets.

What do you love about Spring and the warmer weather?

Bali party

When Steve and his friend planned a Bucks for T to Vegas, I immediately got fomo. About a week later, I had found some girls to go on a Bali trip with me and booked it soon after that.

During the lead up to Bali, I was excited but nervous of what was to come. I’ve heard stories as I’m sure most people have and those stories didn’t paint a pretty picture. I needn’t have worried, because the place was amazing. Bali is nothing like Sydney. Footpaths are mismatched and everywhere you go, there are people sitting by the road waiting to sell you their goods. It is in this organised chaos (as I like to call it), that I fell in love with the place. With the people who are so friendly and humble, the many places to eat and the various places to see, I’m not sure that you couldn’t fall in love.

We flew in around 9:30pm, however didn’t arrive at our accommodation until about 11pm where we were greeted with cheerful reception workers and delicious fresh juice. We were upgraded to a deluxe pool villa, a welcome upgrade. The first evening was quite laid back since it was already so late. We wandered down the street in search for some bottled water and snacks and found a small minimart that also had Indonesian cider.

The creatures of habit that we are, we didn’t venture too far or wide for meals. By far, Biku, Seminyak was our favourite and we went there about three times during the trip. Biku offers both Indonesian and Western food and is open for breakfast until late. It seems to get booked out often, so if you go, make sure you book. They also have wheatgrass shots!

Frankenstein’s Laboratory was a fun night out. The drinks are served in IV bags and shots in syringes. Zombies come around to get photos with the diners or if you’re like me – to scare you every time you look away. They also have a live band and two cabaret shows per night making it a really fun night out. The food is mostly Western, but there are some signature Indonesian dishes on the menu.

Most nights, we also went down to the beach to try out the number of beach bars scattered along. My personal favourite was Capil Beach bar, probably because it was the closest to walk to. We ate dinner there one night and it was ok. Nothing amazing, but not bad either. I know everyone raves about La Plancha, but I just thought it was the same as all the other beach bars but with overpriced drinks.

A highlight of the trip was our day trip(s) to Finns Beach Club in Uluwatu. We almost skipped this to go to Potato head for the day and I am so glad we didn’t. Finns has a bar, restaurants, bean bags, beach umbrellas, water sports etc and most of that is included in the 250,000 rupiah ($25) entry fee. Finns doesn’t get crowded and it is spaced well so you don’t feel like you are surrounded by people. This is a big plus for someone like me who hates being near people at the beach.

Taken at Ku De Ta

Taken at Ayana

Seminyak markets sell basically the same things as most other markets you will find in Bali. You are given the price and then told they will do a good deal for you and then the bartering process begins. I wasn’t too in to bartering, so I didn’t try and go too much lower. I ended up with some dresses, a silk scarf and some other bits and pieces and each dress was around $10 - $15 or so. I also managed to get a leather jacket made for $130 on a whim. My sister in law went to a tailor to have some tops made and I was talked in to getting a jacket made. Glad I did, it turned out really well and for $130, it’s such a bargain!

I’ll definitely be back to Bali. It was such a relaxing and fun trip. I’m so glad I got to do a girls trip with two of my favourite people ever!

What should I be doing?

I know I have done a similar post to this in the past, but I got thinking again today and here you go, here’s another post.

 

Every now and then, I sit at my work computer and wonder what I am doing with this job. I won’t go in to exactly what I do, but it involves analysis etc. I graduated with a Bachelor of Business with an Economics major. Was this what I wanted to do? No. I started off wanting to be a Nurse, then decided I didn’t like the hours. I moved on to Landscape Architecture then wondered where exactly that idea came from and eventually landed on International Relations. Luckily, of those three ideas I only started a degree in one, International Relations. After a year, I wanted to move home to Sydney and transferred in to the Bachelor of Business when I realised a Bachelor of IR wouldn’t get me very far.

 

I’ve never had the overwhelming desire to land myself in any field. I never desperately wanted to be a Nurse, I never even thought about the job I’m in now. Not once did I think ‘yeah, being an analyst would be amazing’. I fell in to this job and while I am really grateful to be here and can see myself here for this chapter of my life, I can’t see myself here forever.

 

Over the past year or so, I’ve started to explore my hobbies a little more, hoping that maybe one day I can create an income from them. I know I love to help people, I know I am caring and like writing, sewing and taking photos. But I don’t know if I like any of them enough to make a job of it. The thought of re-skilling doesn’t appeal too much, so I want to focus on the skills I have now, to find out what it is that I should be doing in life. I often get the feeling that I am not where I am supposed to be. Maybe right now I am, but not for the long run, but I also find it hard to pinpoint where it is I should end up. I guess I am no clairvoyant :-P

 

One of the hobbies I have come to enjoy is writing. I know I am not all that consistent on this blog, or my new one for that matter (I blame Bali and my laptop cord breaking!) but those are not the only platforms that I explore writing. I am not a great writer, but I try often to explore my style, try new styles and better myself in general. I don’t have great hopes that this will lead to a job or income, but if it’s something I love to do, then why not spend time doing it.

 

I love to hear stories of how people ended up in their career, or how they have made money from their hobbies or previous jobs or even what their hobbies are (regardless of if you make money because money isn’t everything).

 

So, go ahead and tell me your story.

 

Do you have a business you run? Did you always want to be in the career you're in or did you 'fall' in to it? Do you want to be doing something else?

Why I don't care what's in your travel bag

I find it interesting when people write posts about what’s in their travel/hand bags. While I do enjoy reading them, I never go away and think ‘wow, I am going out today to buy those things’ and within ten minutes, I’ve forgotten what they even wrote.

 

The reason for this post was that I was going to write a ‘what’s in my travel bag’ ahead of my trip to Bali this week. I sat there, thinking of how to structure the post and then thought to myself, ‘no-one gives a shit what you’re taking to Bali’. The thought process went on to conclude that 1. No-one gives a shit and 2. Writing about it just makes me someone that’s rubbing in the fact that I am going away and they are probably not. Which is a bit sad really, isn’t it?

 

People don’t come here to read what’s in my bag, although I don’t really know what people do come here to read. It’s never been a very ‘informative’ blog, but rather a blog about day to day happenings.

So instead of telling you what’s in my bag because let’s be honest here, I haven’t even packed it, I’ll tell you about my new blog, The Riz.

I started The Riz recently as a way for me to enhance my writing skills because I love writing. I felt with Ebb and Flow that I had carved out a community that wanted to know about me and what I am up to etc. and changing that to the new path I wanted to take didn’t feel like the right thing to do. The Riz will take a more informative approach, with less personal stuff about me and more about places, cafes, restaurants, travel, fashion etc. I haven’t thought of the exact path yet because I am of the belief that you carve that out as you build your blog and so I can’t tell you what exactly to expect. I haven’t decided how personal I will make it, if at all. It may or may not feature ‘what I packed’ for holidays, because I feel that sort of post is better suited to that blog.

 

I’m not sure if any of that makes sense, and maybe it doesn’t need to just yet. I am just trying to find my feet in writing and in my writing style and this way; I can approach it from two angles. I will still write here, at Ebb and Flow because I do enjoy documenting my life and interacting with those that come back to read the blog. I don’t know how often I will write here because life is busy and I now have two blogs to update. Although, when I say busy I don’t mean busy full of exciting things because if that was the case, I’d blog about it. It’s just busy in general full of stuff people don’t particularly want to read about and so my presence here has dwindled of late.

 

I know when I read blogs in the past; I loved the personal aspect and what people were doing in their day to day lives. What I like to read has shifted slightly and while I’ll keep going back to read my favourite blogs, I have also added others to the list that take a different approach. I enjoy reading about fashion, how to do things, tips on restaurants, travel tips etc. Since I enjoy reading about it, I felt like it was something I could contribute to, as well.

 

Anyway, I have rambled on long enough here. Please do pop by The Riz and have a look if you get time. I welcome any (constructive!) feedback, too. There isn’t much there just yet, but stay tuned and there will more posts up shortly.

To be married

I read a blog post recently on what it was like for that blogger to be married to her Husband.

 

While I’ve only been married for a few months, S and I have been together for a long time, so I feel like I can comment on what it’s like to know marriage and know my Husband.

 

Since we got married, S has worked a lot. By a lot, I mean that sometimes he isn’t home until I am in bed and he’s also had to work some weekends. For a while, I wondered if I’d ever have a normal marriage again where I got to see him every night…until I realised that there is no ‘normal’. This is a season we are going through. He works hard for the business he works for and we reap the rewards in the long run. Just because life is busy now, doesn’t mean it will be busy always. And so we learn to let life run its course while adapting and changing to accommodate, rather than fight against the changes.

 

And so, to know what it is to be married and be in a relationship with S.

 

- I know when the alarm goes off, he’ll still sleep in for another 10 minutes.
- I know that he loves good food just as much as me.
- I will watch the strange movies he picks because I know he enjoys them.
- To know that when he comes home from work, he’ll have a little yogurt to tie him over until dinner.
- To laugh at his jokes.
- To not be able to breathe from laughing at his jokes.
- To know that without his morning coffee, his mood will be down.
- To always take his coins.
- To know when I need encouragement, he will give it freely and honestly.
- To know when I need support, he is there.
- To have a fan that knows everything about me.
- To be a family. To share a home.
- To annoy him and know that he won’t snap.
- To chat all day long and still have stuff to talk about when we get home.

 

And so much more.

 

Being married to S is wonderful and I can't wait to see how the chapters in our life turn out.

1, 2, 3

Here is a cute photo of sheep I took in Joadja.

1. With just over a week to go until I head off to Bali, I haven’t even started packing my bag. I am what I would call an unorganised traveller. Once I get the accommodation and flight booked, everything else takes a back seat. I still need currency, travel insurance and to pack my bag. Maybe I will do that this week, but it’s more likely to be done the day before if we’re being honest. Anyway, this trip can’t come soon enough. My motivation at work is so low at the moment and I need a relaxing break. New Zealand was good, but days of skiing aren’t exactly relaxing.

2. A few of my electronics decided to die within a week of each other. My kindle broke in New Zealand, I dropped my phone in water (although, surprisingly it’s still working just fine. Do they take time to die?) and my laptop cord died. All of my charger cords seem to fray and then die. Is this just me? Why do my cords fray? I wrap them properly, I think!

3. I am so lazy at the moment. No exercise (I can’t run until my knee heals properly, but that’s no excuse not to do other stuff), no working on my little project and no doing the other things I love. I can also chalk it up to being busy, but I feel like I keep saying ‘I’ll do that tomorrow’ and then a week has passed and I haven’t done anything. Where is my motivation at?

 

How has everyone else been?