Mr and Mrs Mcintyre's Big day!

So, I'm now officially a married woman ;o) Jason and I were married on the 6th February 2008 in Thailand with most of our closest family and friends. We had the most amazing wedding you could imagine, nothing went wrong, the whole day just ran smoothly, and I can remember every single second! The location was just perfect, we couldn't have picked better. The people who worked at the hotel were also very good, and my wedding coordinator was fantastic, she took a lot of the worry away. The only stressful time for me was leading up to the day, and also getting ready on the day, which I think is pretty normal. But it just was so right, as soon as I walked into the chapel and saw Jason, I knew everything would be great.

Being in Thailand, there were lots of extra special touches, for instance, when I came out of my room with my brother, Chris and my bridesmaid, Sue, we were accompanied to the boat by a Thai long drum procession, which was pretty cool, everyone in the resort was staring, which was a bit weird! We arrived at the chapel jetty shortly after, which was when I started to get a bit tearful. Walking into the chapel with my brother by my side, listening to the song I'd chosen, and seeing Jason, and everyone watching was very emotional, plus I almost ran down the aisle, Chris had to hold me back! The chapel looked beautiful, the blue orchids in the white setting with all the rose petals on the floor looked stunning.

The service went really well, I managed to say my vows and my words to Jason without too many nerves, we had a few laughs as well. After the ceremony, Jason and I went outside to hammer our wedding plaque into the wooden stand, then it was picture time. We also had a baby elephant to have our pictures taken with which was very amusing, she was trying to eat my bouquet, and then she sneaked her trunk around Jason's neck and popped his corsage into her mouth...very funny!

After all the photos were done, it was back onto the boats towards the hotel. When we arrived at the hotel jetty, again, we had a drum procession to accompany us. As all the guests hadn't seen them before, so they were all really excited at the sight of them. They took us all to the gardens, where Jason and I planted our very own love tree..ahhh! More pictures were taken, then we walked slowly back to the beach where everyone was supping on their pina coladas while the sun was setting, what a perfect location. Jason and I were called away for yet more picture taking, it's hard work all this smiling for the camera!!

When we had finished, it was time for us all to go into the Casurina restaurant for our reception dinner. The table settings really looked beautiful, and the food buffet was out of this world, everyone commented on how good the food was, and I must say, Jason and I were really impressed. After the food it was speech time, Jason's brother Eddie did a really clever rhyming speech, very good! Then it was time for my brothers, and I must say, it was an amazing speech, he really put his all into it, and I know it was hard for him giving me away, what with our Dad not being there. It was all very emotional, I don't think there was a dry eye, I will never forget that moment. Jason's speech was also very lovely, I really enjoyed listening to him, I know he was very nervous!! I was very touched by some of the things he said, plus it was funny and lighthearted too.

Time for the cake cutting, which was very amusing, they'd given us, not a knife, but a large sword to cut the cake!! we had a good laugh at that! Then a champagne toast.

We'd organised for our guests to light Northern lanterns from the beach when it got dark, Jason and I went first, followed by our families and friends, it was lovely seeing them all set off one after the other.

Then it was time for our first dance to James Taylor's 'How sweet it is to be loved by you'. We'd actually had a few lessons before we went away, which suprised a few people, but I think we were so nervous, our legs didn't go exactly where we wanted them too, oh well...we looked on the dvd and it's not as bad as I thought it would look, it's a shame, as we had a really good routine, I guess we just didn't practise enough, haha!

So, that was the end of the formalities, now it was time to let our hair down and have a real dance. It was such a good laugh, I think most people enjoyed themselves, even Chris and Andy had a 'dance off' which had us all in hysterics, unfortunately though, it's not on our dvd! Even the Thai waitresses were looking in and laughing, and one of them was so funny, she had Unky P on the dance floor dancing away like maniacs!

At about 1am, it was time for us to pack up and leave, I must say I had mixed emotions, I'd had such a fantastic day, I didn't want it to end, but on the other hand, I was looking forward to being with Jason on our own. Of course, Jason carried me over the threshold to our hotel room, and we had a lovely suprise, the staff had put red rose petals on the bed cover for us, very romantic! And the next day, we had a champagne breakfast in our room. They also brought us the rest of the wedding cake to our room, which was huge, no way we were going to be able to eat all that!

Now for the soppy bit...I had the most amazing day of my life, and I'm so happy to have married Jason and am really looking forward to our future together. He really is the most special man, and I'm lucky I get to be with him for always ;o) It was also so great to see all our families and friends again and for us all to be together for this day, thanks to everyone for travelling such a long way and making it a day that we will remember forever.

So, I won't write anymore, I'll update some more on our honeymoon in a few days. Here's some pictures from our special day.

The clock is ticking......

Only 16 days to go to the big day!!! The weeks are just flying by, and I'm absolutely rushed off my feet, so much so, I can't even remember what I've done in the last week! My weekend consisted of haircuts, facials, shopping for the trip, and a 40th birthday party slotted in between. I've got another full on week this week, something to do every night, but it's my last full week of work so I'm not too worried.
The weekend coming up will be very nice, Jason and I are staying in a hotel in the city for a couple of nights... a nice Christmas pressie from Mum, bless! It'll give us time to relax before the big day. Plus it's a public holiday on Monday, which so happens to be Jason's birthday too. Saturday should be good as it's Australia day, we are staying on Darling Harbour, so there will be lots going on there, probably fireworks too, that's if the rain holds out!
I'm hoping to go kickboxing tonight, but again that depends on the weather. We couldn't go Saturday either cos it was pouring down! The weight-loss is going good though, I actually had to wear a safety pin to keep my trousers up today! I couldn't wear a skirt cos of the weather, and these were the smallest pair of trousers I have. I daren't buy anymore, cos no doubt all the weight will come piling back on over the holiday! It's all fun and games here!!

Hentastic!!

So, I had my hens night on Saturday night and what a riot that was! I hadn't really sunk in until Saturday afternoon that this was my hen night and yes, I'm soon to be married. The day was a really busy one, training in the morning, then make up lesson, then to the hairdressers...well a girls gotta treat herself! We started off quite early, the girls came over to mine for a glass of champagne to start, I'd bought everyone tiaras to wear which they all loved. We had a dinner to start in Darling Harbour, the food was yummy. I was really happy, the girls went to so much effort for me, they bought me all these funny gifts, most of them being quite rude, but very funny! And yes, I had to do the veil thing and wear the sash around my shoulders...then I got given some fairy wings, I had all sorts of stuff to carry, but I loved it as I love really cheesy stuff!

After dinner, we went to the Kings St Wharf for the cruise. The boat was gorgeous, and there weren't too many people on it which was good. We took over the dance floor. A lot of people were on the deck outside though as of course it's a beautiful view, but I was only interested in having a boogie! The cruise flew by, after that we went to Retro which is the cheesiest club around. After a few minor hiccups (some of us didn't have ID, well, do we really look under 18??!! I think not!) we go in and had a good time in there. I comandeered Rach's blonde wig, I thought I was the bees knees....not!

Then it was finally time to go home, we all jumped in the taxi and headed off for Rach and Stu's. The lads happened to be back there too, and oh my Jason was very very drunk! Bless him, he was lying on the couch and couldn't move. Apparently all the lads bought him a shot glass which he had to wear around his neck, and they were filling it up all the time! We all had a bit of a giggle there, then it was time go home. I had to leave Jason there, he was in not state to walk anywhere.

The next day Jason came home, still not looking too hot, anyway, he went to the mirror and said sh!t someone's shaved my eyebrows!! I hadn't even noticed... of course I panicked loads, but I took a look, and it's not too bad, just looks like his face is a bit lopsided. I hope it grows back, but in 3 weeks, I don't think there's much chance of that.

So here's some pics

It's been an exciting start to the year, first Monday I got my contract extended at work (it was due to run out at the end of the month) and then yesterday, Jason and I got our Australian permanent residency visas approved ;o) I was pretty stunned to be honest, as we only lodged the application at the beginning of December. It must have only taken 2 weeks to process, because our case officer was on holiday for 2 weeks out of that time. I said to Jason that I must have done a really thorough job of putting the application together!! Anyway, we're both really happy and it's great timing so we can enjoy our wedding and honeymoon without worrying about visas and my work situation.

I'm pretty much on a real high at the moment, it suddenly hit me on Monday night that the wedding was not long away now, I'm a little bit stressed cos I've got so many appointments to keep, but not too bad. I'm sure closer to the time I'll be manically panicking about getting everything ready, but so far so good!!

Well, I'm off to training now, gotta finish the final preparations in style!

Happy New Year to everyone!

We had a great New years eve on our harbour cruise. We were really lucky and got put on the top deck of the boat which was great. The boat set off about 6.30pm and we just sailed around the harbour taking in the scenery and looking at the million or so people that were already lining the harbour for the fireworks. We met some really nice people on our table, they were around our age, which was good, cos there were a lot of families and older people also. There was only 40 or so people on the top deck, so it wasn't crowded at all. When the sun went down, all the boats switched on their lights for the light parade, which they do every year. This years theme was 'the time of our lives' so all the boats had a different year lit up, depending on which year had meant the most to them...our boat was 2007 as that was when the captain bought the boat. There were about 15 or 20 boats in the parade, and they all cruise around and do a lap of the harbourside so that all the people watching can see them, it really was cool to be part of that, we were waving at all the people on the shore, I bet they were really jealous! After dinner, it was time for the 9pm fireworks for the families, of course they were great, but everyone was waiting for the main event later on. When that packed up, people started to get a bit well oiled, and the tables were moved over for the dancing to start. I loved it as the music they were playing was cheese tastic, and there was a lot of 80s music...poor Jason!

For the 12 o'clock fireworks, Jason and I actually sneaked down to the bottom deck as there was a great space at the front of the boat for unobstructed views. I was chatting to a English woman from Liverpool who had 23 of her family here visiting her, and they were all on the bottom deck of the boat!

The fireworks were absolutely stunning, every year it gets better. They had spent 15 months planning them, so I guess they have to be good! At one point, we couldn't see the bridge as there were that many fireworks going off all around, it looked like it was on fire, and there was a barge just in front of the city skyscrapers which was going off, there was fireworks coming out of the building and all sorts! You really can't explain how good they are, it's really something you have to see for yourself if you are lucky enough!

New Years day Jason and I just took a walk down to the beach as it was a lovely day. Coogee was rammed, I'm glad we didn't go down there to sunbathe. It was back to work yesterday, it's been quite busy, but it's been nice as there aren't many people in, so I've been able to catch up on a lot of work. I've even been working late, which is silly cos my boss isn't even there to see it!

I went to the gym this morning and I thought I'd weigh myself to see how badly I'd done over Christmas, but it turns out I was pleasantly suprised, I'd managed to lose almost another kilo! Very chuffed I tell you, mind you I have been running loads just to make sure I didn't put too much weight on! I must admit I'm looking forward to Thailand and being able to eat loads of food....I'm sure Jason will want a refund after we get married and I get really fat...haha! Mind you, I think he's planning on letting loose there too!

It's now 5 weeks yesterday till the big day, and I must say, most things are organised pretty well now, it's just my beauty stuff I need to concentrate on. We did try and practice for our dance last night, but it was a disaster, I just kept giggling...I'm really dreading dancing in front of everyone now! oh well, I'm sure I won't care on the day!

I wanted to post some pictures from NYE, but it turns out I can't bloomin find the cable to connect to the computer, so watch this space!

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas! We had a really good one. I must say, I was a bit dubious about spending it with friends, it just seems a bit unusual to do that as I've always been used to spending it with family. Anyway, we got around to Rach and Stu's and they'd made such an effort with everything, they had decorated the garden and had all sorts of nibbles and champagne for us. So we pretty much chilled out the whole day, eating and talking. The lunch was very nice, Rach had cooked a special veggie lasagne for me which was yummy. After lunch, it was present time, Jason got dressed up as Santa (we had a couple of kids there). Actually he was more like bad Santa! It was so funny, he pulled everyone's pressies out and we all had to go up and sit on his knee (I got a special pinch on the bum!) Not sure what the kids thought about it all, they seemed a bit scared at first! He did do such a great job though. After the presents, he sat on the blanket with a beer and a cheesecake..not really good for Santa's image! Got some very funny photos. It all went a bit downhill from there, everyone was well on their way and very happy. We ended up in their lounge dancing to Curly's Ipod, I think Jason and I finally got to bed 5am after listening to my new Kylie CD! Woke up at midday yesterday with a really bad hangover, so yesterday we just went to the cinema and had a nice Thai meal.
This morning I went for a run to try and run off all that alcohol. I've actually been very good this Christmas, I've hardly had any bad stuff, just the odd bite of chocolate, I can't afford to put on any weight. Apart from the alcohol, we've been very healthy.
Today we went to the shops and I got my trainers with money that Jason gave me for Christmas, I was desperate for some new ones. We just got back and we used the rice cooker Jason bought me, I was a bit dubious I must say (would have liked something nice and shiny!) but it's a really good pressie and the rice tasted yummy!

Our Christmas tree

me and my Santa hat (stuck on the washing line)

in Santa's grotto

The gang

Here comes bad Santa!

Check out Santa's flip flops!

Giving out the pressies

Santa and Holly

Very Bad Santa

Things start going downhill

So I finally got my assignment finished last week, which was a real relief I tell you. I can't believe that's a year of the course gone already. Still been extremely busy though, even with that out of the way.

I picked up our travel tickets last week, very exciting, it makes it seem all the more real to have them in my hand. The lady who I dealt with was so sweet, she gave me and Jason a little box of chocolates for our honeymoon, I definitely have to buy her something for being so great, the amount of time I changed things, she must have thought I was a nightmare!

I went back for another dress fitting on Monday, it looks great, but they'd taken up the hem too much, so that needs to be sorted and she's taking a bit more in at the back. I go back in a month for the final try on, so hopefully all will be good. I'm actually quite pleased, I had my weigh in at Curves the other week and I'd lost quite a lot. Since I've been going there I've lost 28cm's all over and 3kilos. But I think a lot of that has been from the last few months with all the running and cardio we've been doing.

Work is manic at the moment, we're having to re-do a lot of our documentation, which means a lot of proof reading and dealing with the printers, it's a really long process and there's still a long long way to go. I'm trying to get tidied up for when I go away and Roxanne comes back (she is the person who I took over from) but at the moment, it's not looking likely that I'll have everything sorted...I don't want her to think I'm really unorganised! We are also having loads of people leaving, so that is a headache too, I'll be really glad for a week off next week. Talking of which, I really can't believe it's Christmas day next Tuesday, I haven't bought one Christmas present yet. Luckily I don't have many people here to buy for. We are all having an orphans Christmas around Rach and Stu's, so we are just doing a Secret Santa.

I have another works Christmas party tomorrow night...let's hope it's not a repeat of the last one!!

What a week this has been! Since last Friday, my head has been in a haze! It started off with my work's Christmas party, which was a really good night, but unfortunately, not enough food and too much alcohol has made me forget most of it!! I ended up meeting Jason and his cousin and his cousins mate, who are over from Scotland for some travelling. They decided to play a trick on me and tell me that his cousins mate was his cousin....so there I was saying how lovely it was to meet him and how glad I was that he's coming to our wedding, and it wasn't even him!! They definitely had a laugh at my expense! It was funny though.

The next day I woke up (still a bit drunk), and found that I was missing my phone and my nice new lipstick, not very happy about that, it was that silly little handbag that I took out (that's my excuse anyway). We had to get up and get ready straight away to go to the races for Jason's old works Christmas party. We had a nice table in the restaurant, and a free buffet and drinks, I just had a glass of wine and I was on my way again! We took a bit of time out from the party and found Nicola and Andy who were also there with friends. We had a great laugh, bet a few races, and had some drinks. I also met a girl that goes to our training there...but I didn't recognise her at first cos she looked so glamorous....we're used to seeing each other with red sweaty faces!! After that we went to the Coogee bay hotel to meet my friend from work, Sandra, who's birthday it was. I wasn't sure if I'd see her though as the pub was so big, and I didn't have my phone, but we saw her practically straight away which was lucky. We had a few drinks with then, then I really had to get home, I think I just collapsed into bed at about 9.30pm. Sunday was a real right off, I had a facial, but that was about it for me.

Monday wasn't a good day, I was finishing off my assignment for college, which was due on the Wednesday, and I went to save it and it sent me an error message, so I tried again..but this time all my work disappeared. I tried to find the file, but no luck...all my hard work, gone! I was in a state for a couple of hours after that, absolutely gutted, I'm still feeling it now, I've been in a right bad mood all week. I've got so much on, and I'm so tired and with that to top it off, it just did me in....not good. I just have to face that I have to do it all over again!

Apart from that I'm very excited...only 8 weeks to our impending nuptials..I can't believe how quickly it's coming around! I went to try on my wedding dress which arrived a few weeks ago. Nicola came with me as Sue couldn't make it, so I was happy I had someone there...I've sworn her to secrecy though! I was very pleased with the dress, they just have to take it in and then I pick it up in a couple of weeks. But what that means is that I can't change my weight either way...I'll have to be very careful not to change any of my habits for 8 weeks which'll be very hard.

I'm really looking forward to a holiday too, and of course to seeing my family and friends, and meeting more of Jason's family, it'll be great. I've just been on full throttle for the last year, and the next weeks coming up aren't getting any quieter, I think I deserve a lovely break! Well, onto the weekend again now ;o) I've got a nights reprieve from Christmas parties, so I'm going to get a start on my assignment....again!

Here are some pics from the races...

I'd almost forgotten to update my blog again this week!
I had a nice quiet night in on my own on Friday...it was well-needed!
Saturday we were up early for a training session, I got home and got some of my assignment done, then we both had a lovely massage. This woman came over to our flat, and we can claim some back from our health fund, so it's great. Then we went to the supermarket, then I had my haircut, so I got loads done. I must get up early more often!
In the evening we went over to Sue and Grant's for a election party (as you probably know, we had a federal election last weekend). It was nice to catch up with them as it had been a while. We drove home to the results of John Howard conceding the election!
Sunday I went to a Tahitian Noni party! My friend Nicola is starting up a small business and she is doing these parties to sell the products. It's a bit like a tupperware party, but the items being sold are beauty products and the like. It was very informative and I really enjoyed it, we all got to use the products on our faces, so it was like having a mini facial. Then I was home just in time for the Australian idol final!
This week everyone has gone David Beckham mad, it's amazing, he's everywhere and everyone loves him! All the celebs have been out to meet him. His team played Sydney FC at the stadium last night, they sold 83,000 tickets, not bad for a country that isn't really into football. We watched the game on TV, and actually it was a good game, we didn't expect much that's why we didn't try to get tickets, but it was good. Wasn't very friendly, but that's another matter! He played the whole 90 mins too, which noone was expecting...good on him!
Today he was at Myer promoting his new aftershave, we did go down, but the queues were horrendous, and we only had our lunch breaks, so we didn't hang around....shame.
But really exciting stuff, I got a free ticket to see Elton John tonight!! Our marketing dept had some to give away, so Ryan and I got one each...I'm so excited, it should be great!

It was a nice weekend, although not as quiet as I’d have liked! Friday after work Jason and I met up with Andy, Nicola and Andy’s mate Adrian who he knew from Germany. We started off at the Customs House on Circular Quay where they had put a fake vinyard outside, so it was like a bit of countryside in the city. We tasted a few wines, then had a couple of proper ones after. We then went to the Rocks to have a look at the midnight markets and we were lucky enough to see the fireworks show too. We had a bite to eat and a couple more drinks, then departed for home.
The next day, Jason got up early to do a fitness test with our training group. Unfortunately I couldn’t go as I’d buggered my knee from sprinting on Thursday night, but it was nice cos I got a lie-in! We did a bit of shopping, then Jason took me out for dinner. I really am the luckiest girl, I’d had a bit of a low week, and on Wednesday when I was at college, Jason researched the internet to find a really nice restaurant to take me to. So we went to Newtown, which is somewhere we never really go, and he took me to a Bollywood themed Indian restaurant. It was really cool actually, the guy doing the dancing was really funny, I think Jason was a bit disappointed that there wasn’t any women dancing!
Sunday, we just did some more wedding stuff and got our final immigration stuff ready to send. We’ve just got to wait for Jason’s work application to be acknowledged, then we can send ours in…so could be anytime soon.
That’s about it for now, I have to run to get my assignment finished for college tomorrow!

What a fun weekend. It started off pretty quietly, I had a night in all on my own on Friday, which is quite a rare occurrence. Jason went to a gig so I got out a dvd and had a quiet night in. Saturday it was my friend from work, Ryan's 'fluro' birthday party. It was an early start, I met Linn and Sue at the pub at 12.30, the pub was at Woolloomoolloo and it was very nice, we had a balcony for our group and the sun was out, so it was really lovely. As Ryan is gay, the party was pretty much full of gay men, it was such good fun, we had a ball. Everyone went to a really good effort to dress up in fluro colours, there were some funny sights! I felt my pink fluro hair band didn't really make much of an impact compared to these guys! Everyone was very merry after a few hours...I had everyone drinking Pimms, they all loved it.
We stayed there until about 7ish, then Jason came and picked us up. Just to go back, Ryan went out on Thursday night and met Carson from the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy TV show...he'd got tickets for a posh party where he met him, and they ended up going out partying together afterwards! Anyway, Carson had asked Ryan if he wanted to go to Icebergs (very posh restaurant/bar in Bondi) on Saturday night as it was his birthday too...but Ryan didn't hear from him so he didn't end up going. This is where Linn and I step in! We were determined to see Carson, so we got Jason to take us to Icebergs, just for a look. We had a drink there, then we thought we'd go and have a quick look in the restaurant to see if he was there. We walked through to the end and nothing, but on our way back there were loads of really gorgeous people heading our way (the men were absolutely knee tremblingly handsome!) and then, lo and behold Carson is walking behind them...so me being me went up to him and said 'hello...you snogged my friend Ryan on Thursday night!' (I hope he didn't have a boyfriend in earshot!) and to his credit, he was really polite to us and asked where Ryan was, to which I said 'you should phone him up' anyway, I then touched him a couple of times and babbled some other stuff, then left them to it...how funny. Linn and I collapsed in hysterics in the toilets after...it's a wonder we didn't get thrown out! So it was quite an eventful evening. After that, we went to an italian restaurant and finally had something to eat.
As for yesterday, I didn't do too much in the day, Jason went out after lunch for Rachel's birthday (I hardly saw him at the weekend) and I just chilled out until the afternoon, then I had to get ready for Pam's engagement party. It was a 5.30 start and all the way out west, so I had to leave quite early to get there. It was a very formal occasion, I felt a bit silly getting on the bus with my lovely black dress (and wearing my flip flops for comfort!). I wore a dress that I bought about 3 years ago, but hadn't had the occasion to wear it until now, luckily it's very classical, so hasn't gone out of fashion! I got the bus to Ryan's, then his friend gave us a lift to the place. Unfortunately none of us knew how to get there, and we weren't very organised, so we did get quite lost, then he got pulled over by the police, honestly, I really didn't think we were going to get there. We finally arrived about 6pm, and after nearly walking into an Indian reception (oops) we found the right room. It's a really ethnic area, Luke said that they stopped and asked for directions, but noone could speak English.
The reception hall was huge, and it looked just like a wedding reception, they had 180 guests there (Pam is Italian and her fiancé is Macedonian) so they have the hugest families. The whole thing was very cultural and it was good fun, but it was really OTT, they had speeches, exchanging rings, first dance, video cameras, cake cutting all the usual wedding stuff. Pam really had put everything into this. Her and her fiancé are both only young, just turned 21 so they are both really excited about getting married, but not for a couple more years. There was lots of dancing, and lots of Macedonian music which is very arabic, and starts to do your head in after a while. I really felt like I was on holiday! I love the traditions though, it's a shame that us English/Aussies, really don't have much culture or traditions about us.
So that's about it, had to get the train home which took forever, but finally got to bed about midnight.

Will upload some pics soon...

It's been quite an interesting week so far. I received a letter yesterday from the New Zealand immigration telling me that my application for permanent residency was approved! I'd almost forgotten about it, as it was over a year ago since I applied and since we are now in the process of applying for our Australian residency it's not really relevant anymore. Just shows you how much can change in a year! I'm feeling a bit weird about it though, it seems such a waste to not use it, and after spending all that time...and money! Oh well, I still have to send them a couple of documents and a payment by May next year, so if our Australian residency doesn't get approved, then we can always think about going there then....we'll see.
Apart from that, I got my college assignments back on Wednesday, and I was very pleased with the results...I got 83%...very shocked I can tell you, I didn't expect to do that well. Considering I almost gave up the course because I was struggling to complete them, I'm now very pleased I didn't. I'm still not sure whether to continue the course into next year though as I've decided counselling is not what I want to do...I don't think I'm emotionally stable enough to deal with listening to other people's problems! We had to do a session on Wednesday where we talked with a partner for 15 mins about all the grief we'd had in our lives, and it was really emotional, especially listening to someone else's story. I'm sure you get attuned to it with practice, but I don't think it's something I want to pursue...but who knows!

I think it's 2 weeks since I last updated my blog....oops, I keep forgetting about it and the weeks go by so quickly it's easy to forget.
I've been busy doing the seating plan for the wedding...not an easy task! Also we have ordered our wedding cake, the one that came with our package was a bit bizarre to say the least, so we decided to order a different one. I had a hair trial on Friday night and I was really pleased with it. I wanted to get it done before we go so I could show the hairdresser in Thailand how I wanted it. God knows if it will look the same, I hope so! The hairdresser was really nice...when she found out that I trained as a hairdresser she said she's always looking for assistants if I was interested to do some work for her, so I may have a think about that. She does purely weddings, so it could be interesting. After the hair, Sue and I went to the pub and sunk a bottle of wine (or 2!) and had a good old catch up.
Saturday I went into the city to look for a bag for the wedding, but didn't come up with anything, not really sure what I'm going to do about that. My dress has arrived, I've just booked in my fitting for the end of Nov. I'm madly trying to lose a bit of weight for this...only 24 days to go!
I have finally found my wedding perfume after a long process of every time I went to the shops...spraying 2 different ones on my wrists and then coming home to see if Jason liked any of them! at the weekend, we got it down to a short list of 2, then made the decision yesterday, so that's another thing to cross off my list! Jeez, there are so many perfumes to chose from, it's very hard.
I finally got to see some photos of Hugo on my brothers blog. They have been away for a month in England and I didn't have any updates at all. I can't say he's grown though because the pictures are from the beginning of their holiday, hopefully I'll get to see some more pics again soon.

Another weekend, another update!
I played netball for our works team on Friday, I was just filling in as they didn't have all their regular players. I did enjoy it, but our team are so competitive, it really makes you feel under pressure, I prefer to just have fun while playing! Anyway, we won 10-9 (which was a bit close for comfort for my team) but I got voted the player of the match by the opposition! I thought that was very amusing, funniest think I'd heard in ages! But I'm very pleased and have no qualms about telling everyone! The next day I was so sore, especially as we'd been doing lots of sprints the night before, I was aching all over. Luckily I had a facial booked in in the afternoon, so I had 45 mins of total relaxation which definitely helped.
Saturday night, Jason and I just popped down into Coogee and met a couple of friends. We only stayed a couple of hours as we had another run early Sunday morning.
The run was ok, I must admit I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous ones, there was a 4km run and a 8km run, and the 8k'ers had to run the route twice...I prefer to not know what is coming up, so the 2nd lap was hardest. Plus Maroubra is a little bit hilly, so that made it tougher. It's funny, it was 1km less than the run I did the other week, but I found it so much harder. So yesterday, Jason and I were quite exhausted, we did manage to go down to Coogee though for well deserved ice-cream!
I'm a bit jealous today, Jason had the day off. I just called him and he's been swimming in the pool! Luckily, my boss said that I could take a day off as I had so much on, so I think I'll take off next Monday...I do really need it!

We had a pretty busy weekend. It was Andy's 30th birthday on Thursday, so as an old tradition for his birthday, we took him to celebrate at the Oktoberfest at the Lowenbrau in the Rocks. It was a really good night, it was a bit of a dejavu from last year though....again I got dragged up on the stage with some other girls and played Edelweiss on the cow bells...followed by a swift rendition of the chicken song (how very un-German!). Andy came 2nd in the beer drinking competition. Nicola has organised a scrummy cake too....so I think Andy had a very good birthday.
On Friday, our friends Gemma and Garry came over for dinner, I was pretty knackered after Thursday, but it was nice to catch up and have a quiet night in.
Saturday I had to pop out for an appointment in the morning, then Jason and I headed over the bridge to Brookvale where Nicola's cousin was having a bbq for Andy's and her husband kids birthday. The weather had turned really bad, but luckily they had a lot of shelter in the back garden. There were loads of people there, lots of friends of her cousins, and lots of kids too. We had another cake for Andy, I think Nicola had ordered 3 over the 3 days, bless! After we'd eaten and had lots of drinks, we settled down to watch the rugby. And what a result that was....we were all jumping around the lounge celebrating, noone expected Aussie to be knocked out yet, and especially by the 'Poms'! Unfortunately for Jason, later on the All blacks got beaten too, so he was very depressed! I've been rubbing our win in to my Aussie friends (well, they always do it to me) but I shouldn't get too excited, we still have to beat France at the weekend. Trouble is the game is on at 5am I think, and we are doing another run on Sunday, so I may have to give it a miss.
I'm extremely tired at the moment, there has been so much going on for so long and I'm feeling quite overwhelmed. I'm really looking forward to our holiday now, I haven't had any time off since March...only another 116 days to go!!

We had a nice long 3 day weekend last week. Friday night we went for dinner with a few friends. Saturday I tried my wedding dress try on, which didn't go as well as I'd hoped. I guess I wasn't really in a 'I look ok mood' I was feeling a little flat, then I worried that I'd chosen the wrong dress and that I looked old...not good really. I guess it didn't help that I'd had my hair done and she'd curled it, but the fringe was still straight, so I couldn't really do much about it....also I was looking tired from the previous night! Anyway, the jewellery I'd chosen suited the dress perfectly, so I should be happy about that! After that, Sue and I spent the rest of the afternoon looking in the shops, I bought some new training gear seeing as I've been spending so much time working out (not that you'd know :-( ) When I got home, it was nice to just chill out and not have to go out anywhere, I needed to catch up with some sleep!
Sunday we got up and went for a run in the morning, then we headed over to Manly with Linn to meet up with Sue, Nicola and Andy. We thought we'd go over to their neck of the woods for a change! There was a jazz fest on, so it was really busy, plus Manly were playing in the rugby league final in the evening, so there was quite a festive atmosphere. We headed to the rooftop bar and had a few drinks there, and then we stopped to listen to some of the music, then it was time for dinner. After dinner we went to the pub to get a spot to watch the game (much to my dislike!) During the first part of the game, I managed to sort all the old receipts out of my purse, but after I did that I was a bit stumped as to what to do! Trouble is when people watch sport, they don't tend to talk much, even Nicola was really into it and by this time Linn and Sue had left, so all I had left to do was to actually watch the game, which I did, and I must say, although I was really adamant not to get into it...I did at the end! Manly ended up losing. Anyway, we left for home soon after that, after a quick stop at the Bavarian bier cafe!
Had a nice lie in on Monday, I love these public holidays! Jason and I cleaned the flat and then we went to the shopping mall to get a few bits. Jason wanted to get some new t-shirts...and I ended up buying 4 new dresses!! That wasn't the idea, but once I got started. I must say I've been really bad with my money lately...what with wedding bills and beauty treatments (for the wedding) and general bills, my poor savings account hasn't had much new green stuff to go into it :-(
Back to work now and it feels like I've had no time off. The weather is pretty hot...today it was 34 degrees (and this is only spring!). We've just got back from training at the park, blimey, it was like being in a sauna, still must have been 30 degrees at 7pm.

Linn and I went to see Hairspray last night, it was sooo funny, we really enjoyed it. John Travolta was so good as the Mum, he had the part down to a tee. Well worth watching, but you have to see it at the cinema so you get the full effects of the music.

I've been meaning to put this up for a couple of days!

Had a pretty quiet weekend as we were in preparation for our run. Saturday night we just popped out for a couple of hours to meet up with some friends who we hadn't seen for a while.
The run on Sunday was great, I really enjoyed it. The day started off a bit chilly, but as soon as the sun came out and our bodies warmed up it was beautiful. The run was really nice as we saw some great views. It was good to as it wasn't as busy at the last one we did, you got to have a bit of breathing space. I was very happy with my time...I did 9km in 55.23 mins, I must say the last 2km I really put my all into it, I had loads of energy still left and I wanted to complete the race in under 1 hour...so I reached my goal. It's funny, I seem to get competitive towards the end of these events.
Been feeling pretty tired since...we did go to kickboxing on Monday night too...I don't know where we get the energy from. I'm actually trying my dress on again on Saturday and I'm worried that I haven't lost any weight since last time...time will tell!! I would hope so after all this exercise!

I didn't get a chance to update my blog yet this week. I've always got so much on my plate, it's terrible how quickly the days and weeks go by.
Last Friday night I finally met up with Sue for a couple of drinks, it'd been so long since we saw each other. After an hour or so, I managed to persuade her to come to the football with us...I was meeting Jason, Nicola and Andy at the ground. Was a good night, although I didn't really watch much of the game as I was talking. Sydney FC were playing Wellington, Wellington won. It was very different from the big games I'm used to seeing, the stadium didn't seem packed at all, and the atmosphere wasn't quite there. Soccer, as they call it here, isn't really one of the big sports here. After the game we had a couple more drinks, then headed home.
Saturday we just went down to the beach for a lie in the sun, then we stayed in in the evening. And Sunday we met a couple of friends for lunch which was nice, the weather was beautiful.
This week has been full of training and homework for me. We have the Bridge run tomorrow, it's a 9km run, so I'm not dreading it as much as the one the other month. We start by running over the Harbour bridge, which I'm looking forward to as I've never walked over it (I've walked on it, but not over it, if that makes sense!). Then we go around the botanical gardens, and back to the Opera House, should be a good morning.

Last night we went to see Ratatouille at the cinema, was very funny about a rat that can cook...I love the Pixar animated films.

I'm sat here, and I should be doing my assignments right now, but I really can't get my motivation going, so I thought I'd do a quick blog.

It was a short week at work last week as we had a public holiday on Friday due to the APEC conference. I actually had an exciting moment on Thursday morning, from my works window I saw George Bush and his 30 or so vehicle motorcade leave the hotel car park, I had a prime view. Not that I could see him..only his car... but at least I saw a bit of the action! Actually we were watching the news over the weekend, and for the last evening of the conference the government put on fireworks on the harbour for all the leaders and their wives....and I have to say I was very disappointed about that, it's pretty disgraceful, what a waste of money, and when I say fireworks, they don't scrimp one bit, it's a full on spectacular show. I could think of many more things that money would have been better used for, but anyway!

So Friday afternoon, Jason and I drove up to the Hunter Valley for the weekend...and I must say it was just what the doctor ordered. We've been saving so hard for so long, we've hardly done anything else for ourselves, so we thought it was about time. We stayed just outside the Valley in a town called Maitland in a lovely 4 star serviced apartment. It was like a ghost town there, we went out on the Friday night with plans for a lovely meal, but we couldn't find hardly anywhere to eat, and the whole place was like a ghost town, we didn't see one person! In the end we found a pub with a bistro, but it was more like an RSL club, not very romantic...and luckily for Jason (not for me) he did get his wish to see the rugby game on the TV (while eating dinner!)

Saturday, our bus for the wine tour was late, eventually, it turned up an hour and a half late. We were a bit annoyed, but didn't want to let it ruin our day. We had a great day, we went to lots of wineries we hadn't been before, a lot of the boutique ones which was great. We didn't really have a proper chocolate or cheese tasting though, but we were going to go back the next day anyway, so that didn't matter. When we got on the bus back to the hotel, we all had a gift pack with 2 bottles of wine each on our seats...the company had given them to us as an apology for being late which was very nice...we added it to our growing collection of wine that we had already bought! Had a snooze on the way back as you know drinking lots of alcohol in the day makes you sleepy. We had a low key evening and just ordered a pizza and watched a dvd.

Sunday we checked out and drove back to do a bit of cheese and chocolate tasting... I didn't feel like any more wine though (well that's until 11am when we go to the Arrowfield Estate!!) We had another great day, after some cheese tasting we went to Palmers Lane where they were having a Spring festival. We stopped off at one winery, (actually it was a shed) but anyway, we had sample of the chardonnay, then were treated to a show of a couple of Latin dancers....then it was our turn to join in, except that I wasn't dancing with Jason, but the guy who owned the winery (shed). They showed us some moves, but at one point it got a bit embarassing cos I had to move up and down him quite closely.. bless him, he asked if my boyfriend minded!! After that, he said we could have a complimentary ride on his bus, you should have seen it, it was an archaic double decker bus. Luckily we were only going up the road to a couple more vinyards, so we thought we would go. On the bus were some kids that were playing at being the bus conductor, one of them must be a local cos he was very knowledgable about the area, we were quite amused. At one of the vinyards we entered the race of the rubber ducks, but unfortunately did not win anything. So we did get to taste some more cheese and had some chocolate dipped marshmallows which were yummy. We've brought back heaps of wine and some cheese too, but we have to be good now as we have our Bridge run next weekend, 9km, and I've hardly done any training..oops!

here are some pics from the weekend

having a dance

the little kids on the bus

and the big kid..

the duck race

musicians at one of the vinyards

and the happy ending

yummy