the food of love

So the other day I made some tasty Valentines dinner for my lovely Myl.

Here's what I made

butter chicken
choc self-saucing pudding

love.

my funny valentine xx

He is the love of my life.

Myl is off at his first day back at college today and I miss him.
I'm gonna cook him butter chicken and chocolate pudding for dinner because I love him.

2010 - i am thankful

My year has held a lot of different things. Ups and downs. Blessings and trials.
Sitting here on the last day I am thankful.
Thankful for the chance to live and breathe.
Thankful for the chance to experience new things.
Thankful for the chance to share this year with so many wonderful people.

My year started out at Lennox Head SUFM. We counted down to the new year and then sung and danced around. My year has started this way for the last six years.

My brother, Myl and I went up to the gold coast for the 1st of Janurary. I'm not really sure why. We went to sizzler for lunch and Myl spent the night throwing up seafood salad.

It was a great mission. We saw God working in many ways. I was cooking but ended up getting the same or similar bug to Myl and was out of cooking action for the last few days.

on my last day of prac

My social work prac started on the 20th of Janurary. I was in a hospital. I was apprehensive but determined to learn more about social work and figure out what it really was all on about. It was a really eye opening experience. I learnt a lot about aged care and the social supports available to people but there was just something missing. The social workers were all burnt out to the point where it felt like they just didn't care anymore. The system seems like it it designed to be difficult and if a person is in need they have to ask for help it cannot be forced upon them.

It was a big adjustment. I had to wake up early (7am - early for me) work all day and then often go out at night to bible study etc.

old farts party

Myl started bible college this year. It was something we had been thinking and praying about for ages so he applied and got in. He has loved being there and I have loved him loving it. He makes me so proud. He has all these wonderful friends, he is learning all these new things and everyday he seeks God's will for our lives.

As the semester drew to a close I was unsure of what to do next. I had been to see the Social Work Advisor who told me that because of the subjects I had done or not done so far I would have two and a half years left of study. I was already feeling a bit like social work wasn't the path I was supposed to go down and this was a bit of confusing information.

I drew up lists of what I was supposed to do with my life filled with crazy and not so crazy years. There was one particular plan that involved a baby that I was particularly fond of. It stuck in my head. It was what I wanted to do. But we don't always get what we want.

I knew that there was the possibility we wouldn't be able to have kids. Myl had some health issues as a baby and that was one of the side effects. We decided to explore it and he went to the doctor to find out. The doctor confirmed our suspicions and said we had about a 20% chance of getting pregnant. He told Myl that because we are young to just start trying and see what happens and come back in a year if nothing has happened.

youth camp - a very excited Myl and Rin.

Three months later we were at our church youth camp and found two pink lines on a stick.

I had already decided to not go back to uni for six months and re-asess at the end of that but then my plans were set. In 2011 I'm going to be a mama.

Youth camp was awesome.




In amongst all that we moved house to a bigger place. (such a blessing) We have an extra bedroom/study and lots more space. Just perfect for our little one.

My big brother got engaged around this time too. He got married a few weeks ago. They came back from their honeymoon just in time for Christmas. It is so nice seeing him married. It is so nice to have another sister.

I started nannying and helping out at church with kids ministry and have had such a ball this past six months.

Life feels much more relaxed. I wasn't out being career woman saving the big bucks (which has it's struggles) but it has been a really great six months. I had the time to spend with people and do all the things people wish they could do but can't because of work. I also got to help look after a family with a baby who is just about 9 months older than our little one.

 Ahh yes the little one. The most life changing, awesome, amazingly wonderful news of the year. 2011 will bring her to us and we are looking forward to it so so much.

What a wonderful year 2010 has been. It will forever be etched in our memories as a year we learnt new things and started down a new path of life. It has been a year of massive changes and God has been with us every step of the way.

two of us

the early days...


Happy 4 Year "going out" anniversary my love.

the day we first "met"

My year 12 formal.

The day we told each other we "liked" each other

Awesome date to Luna Park

Sitting on a pier on Sydney harbour

I like having my head patted

Riding on a train

The Folk Festival in the cold

The Folk Festival in the Sun

be thankful...

I am thankful for so many things.

Small things,
wonderful things.

Thankful that today I am breathing
that I am well and healthy
that I am happy.

Thankful that I am loved.
Loved by a wonderful husband
wonderful friends
wonderful family
wonderful God.

Thankful that I can feel the warm almost spring sun on my face.
That I have a full belly,
a bottle of clean water on my desk,
a computer to write on.

Thankful for the small one growing inside of me.
That I will meet one day,
that I already love
that I have been loving
that I will love.
That I cant wait to cuddle.

What are you thankful for.

I'd love to hear from you if you are reading my blog. I know at least my mum does.
xx

Friday Date - Basement Birds

It was the little ones first ever concert. It was amazing.

Myl had bought us the tickets as an 18 month wedding anniversary present quite a while ago and since then we have had the basement birds cd on repeat. They were really good.

I quite enjoyed having four acoustic guitars onstage at the same time playing almost the same thing but totally getting away with it.

We arrived in the city with plenty of time and were at the very start of the line. Then we waited, and waited. A big burly bouncer came to the front of the door and told us it was almost time to come in and that we should all line up... on the OTHER side of the door. All of a sudden hordes of people started making a line and we kept getting pushed back further and further.

We were still in the first 1/3 of people in the line. But no longer first. That hurt.

Nevertheless we got pretty good "seats." It was standing room only but there were some steps you could sit on. I was getting a little worried as I've heard that pregnant ladies are likely to faint if standing for long periods of time. I had my Myl to lean on though.

The basement birds played every song they knew. At the end of the encore they said not to ask them to play more as they didn't know anything else.

Old Man River was the support act although I think he is slightly more famous than the birds. He was great as well.

Myles and I had a great time singing and dancing along.

A great date.

Baby Flicks - For Keeps

For Keeps is one of the original teen preggo movies. Set in the days of Degrassi Jr High it tells the story of Darcy and Stan, two lovers in their senior year at school.

They have been accepted into college and have bright and shiny futures ahead of them. But one dark and stormy night they do it... and get pregnant.

Both sets of parents are less than chuffed at the news of their new grandchild and Darcy's mother books an abortion for her. However, Darcy can not go through with it. She and Stan agree to raise the baby even if it means they will have no support from their family, no college and boring jobs.

The life they lead seems to not be as bad as it definitely could be but they do have their share of troubles. It is a movie after all. Although slightly unrealistic this movie made me think of all the anxiety that comes with bringing a new life into the world. Whether you are old or young, rich or poor, married or trying to finish high school having a baby is a bit of a scary thing.

Things change and parts of life end never to be recovered. Darcy types;

"When they ripped my baby out of me it felt like they were ripping all the things I love about being young away too."

This movie deals with a lot of the scary issues that go with having a baby and having responsibility. It is no longer possible to think only of yourself. It talks about Post-partum depression but gives a somewhat limited perspective on it. It shows the relationship strain that can come from having a baby.

(Oh dear. Babies are starting to sound like the most awful thing in the world!)

BUT

It is also about love. That to give up things and to endure hardship is not the worst thing in the world when you do it for someone you love. And that is why I like it.

Image Credit: Wikipedia
New York Times

Ikea date and a gift for the bobbin.

Myl and I have decided to do weekly Friday arvo dates.

We went to a marriage course at college the other week and we learnt that it is so important to give time to each other. It's gotten harder this half of the year as Myl is out in the mornings and I'm out in the afternoons but we managed to find a slot to have our "date night" or date afternoon.

So far we had a failed trip to the rocks (it was much too cold so we went to Glebe instead) and a trip to Ikea today.

May not sound like the most exciting thing ever but if you've seen 500 Days of Summer you will know what I mean. The trip is made even more exciting by the ability to not only look and swoon at the children/baby section but to actually be able to consider things there.

So we looked and oohed and ahhed. And we got the little bobbin a present. Its called the Fabler bed canopy and it was $29.99.

Its really cute and has bunting round the top and little coloured beads around on the mesh. They had it on display and I was thinking of tucking the little one into bed at night and closing the little curtains.

Actually the whole Fabler series is pretty cute. They have soft toys and wall stickers and blankets etc.

Might be back.

It was a nice date for Myl and I. We got some Swedish meatballs at the restaurant and Myl ate a hideous $1 hot-dog. (Thank heavens I can't eat them.)

It might be tricky to have date night once the little one comes along. Or date afternoon. It might need to be date-while-baby-has-a-nap for a while but that's ok. We're having a pretty good time at the moment.

Hmm... where to next week?

Baby Flicks - Away We Go

This is a film about belonging.

Verona and Burt are having a baby. They see themselves as irresponsible f---ups. But they want to love their little baby and find the perfect place to bring her up. Their parents have decided to move across the country one month before their baby is due so they decide to go on a road trip to find the perfect place with the perfect friends.

Hilarity ensues.

They visit several friends from their past who are all a different kind of messed up.
The definition of a dysfunctional family is one with more than one member.

This movie has a cute quirkiness that I really adore. Verona and Burt are pretty bohemian and seem to have a deep love for each other. They may not be so organised at everything and don't own a house but they love each other and seem to genuinely have fun together. They get horrified at parenting styles together. They go help people together.

Maybe they do things together too much? I think their love is really special and cute but maybe part of life is letting messed up people in. Being able to do life together with other people is a pretty precious thing. Verona and Burt leave each place with things they didn't like about each family in stead of staying because of the good things.

Weighing up the good and the bad its a pretty sweet movie. Pretty sweet soundtrack too.

The baby never makes an appearance so I guess it's not technically a baby movie but that's ok.

4/5


Image Credit: namrataalltheway.wordpress.com

Why I love my husband...

The other night I wanted chicken nuggets.


No.


I needed chicken nuggets.

So Myles went out and bought me two packets of chicken nuggets, cooked them and served them with sweet chilli sauce.

Oh yeah it was about 11pm.
He is wonderful.