Hello world; this is me!

Excuse the sleepover club reference within the title (or for those of you who didn't notice... don't look too much into it) but yes it is meeeeee!
After a (too) long hiatus I am back at the keyboard. Apologies, sorrys and yada yada. I have had a ridonkulously fabulous few months and have simply been too busy doing this - =D to post anything. So that this entry doesn't become the length of Noah's doorlist - I will summarise in chunks.

Home/Love life - Sigh. I am once again a FIFO wife. Note - without the title wife and the benefits of the mutual funds that come with being said wife but anyway. David started FIFO again in late September (which correlates exactly to the time that I gave up on my wittle blog). The thinking was/is that we will put in the hard yards and save for our first house (eek!). The thinking currently is more along the lines of 'wahhhh!'. In truth I've been pretty strong and have only cried once in the 3 months! For those of you who know me well, that is a record and a half for old blubber butt over here. I've been absolutely blessed (funny how these things work out - thank you universe) with the arrival of two housemates over this time. Bec and Cat - my little ports in the storm. Cat is my irish kindred spirit - so fortuatous that the two of us should come into each others' lives. We will 'room' together for a total of 6-7weeks and will say farewell (or by for now) next week. Cue cry number 2 methinks.

Kitchen - Still cooking and brewing and creating and baking. This month's brag book includes - my first fondanted cake for my darling Emma's birthday (NO photos sadly!); the best dinner creation ever of kale, sweet potatoes, beetroot, feta, flaxseed oil and seeds; raw brownies (yes I made them again); healthy Italian hot chocolate (rich and gooey and hooley toiltoes amazing!); mushroom and lentil patties and a shiteload of salmon. Mmmmm!

Fitness - chugging along is the best way to describe it! Have started to up the ante on the weekends with my long runs in hopes to eventually make it to that alluring 21km goal in 2013. But we shall see how that train chugs later...

Friends and Family - Fabulous and blessed. I CANNOT WAIT for the christmas break - please let it be known if you are a friend or family member - Emily is coming for the mother of all cud cuds! :)

Work - Busy! Business has really taken off these past few months with full days booked up on all of my private days. Can I get a yahooo?! I am absolutely loving everything about work at the moment - I lucked out with all the kids I have. The most beautiful little souls.

General - happy happy happy healthy bubbly Emily.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ERRYBODY!*

Love and cuddles and kisses.

*because we all know the chances of Emily doing an entry in the next few weeks is rarer than finding a black hair on me daddy's head (but it IS possible!!).

Post Birthday Reflections.

My last post was written on the eve of my 24^th birthday so I felt it was only fitting that I do a reflective birthday summary.

The Day I turned 24 –

I was woken at 3:30am by David, before he left to drive up to Perth for a work induction, to receive the first of my gifts for the day! I got a big snuggle and a lovely pair of pearl earrings and the warming dressing gown on the planet! After Dave left, I chose to snooze for a few hours and then headed to the gym before work to start my day. On the kitchen table was a HUGE bouquet of red roses (23 red and 1 white). In between clients in the morning, my beautiful mummy surprised me by walking into the clinic with a big bunch of flowers and a big hug! Best surprise imaginable!! In between afternoon clients, she took me to lunch, and kept me company. At 4pm I had to say goodbye and watch mama drive away – wahhh. Still sucks every single bloody time saying goodbye to mum (and dad and shan) but at least it was only one more sleep til I saw them again).

But at home I found David and even morrrre pressies, being very spoilt this year, and got a beautiful framed series of photos of him and I, annnnnnd a wetsuit! SO EXCITING! Dinner was a beautiful piece of salmon with steamed veges.

A perfect Emily day J

My First Weekend as a 24 year old Woman –

I’ll save you the boring deets and summarise my wonderful weekend in bullet form:

·      Friday night Japanese with my family. A wonderful belated birthday dinner with the family I love so much J

·      Saturday morning coffee catch up with Jen(ny from the block). Sharing stories of what we’ve been up to since she left for Europe 8 weeks ago!

·      Saturday surprise birthday date! Fellow September birthday lady Emily took me to a wonderful lunch at Nobu (located at the newly named Crown Casino). It was INCREDIBLE! The best lunch of my life. The sashimi salad and, obviously, Miso Cod were my favourite dishes. Very spoilt, and I really appreciately the amazingly generous gift.

·      Saturday night (before). Reunited with my girls for the first time in weeks to months. There were tears. And cupcakes. And balloons. And smiles and laughs and ‘congratulations’ and cuddles and kisses and a very friendly taxi driver.

·      Saturday night (after). Hooley tolitoes. Words cannot express how happy I was on Saturday night. Singing out loud (and as the affirmation suggests – like no one was watching) and dancing with my amazing girlfriends (two of whom also shared my birthday weekend, happy birthday my munchkins xx) and beeeautiful sister, gazing at Taylor Hanson’s pert behind as he bopped around on the keyboard. I was in heaven. If I died, my corpse would have revealed a cheesy Cheshire cat style smile.

·       Sunday morning breakfast at the Juricev’s. With David’s darling mother making sure there was yoghurt and muesli for me amongst the fry up. Sigh, after five years they know me all too well.

·      And again on Sunday morning. Popped by for the end of breakfast w dear school friends. So lovely to see them all and get lots of cuddles J

·      Sunday afternoon. Jen(ny from the block) dropped off an INCREDIBLE birthday cake for me. Dangerous and very rich but holey devils I love it (and so does my butt. Nom nom nommmm*). *my butt does not eat the cake, it merely deposits tiny bits of the cake under the skin’s surface to create and overall dimpled effect. Yummy!.

·      And again on Sunday afternoon. FINALLY got to visit my beautiful friend Josie and her husband (hehe it’s still novelty saying that!!). She made me smile and we just enjoyed sitting with one another (on her amazing new lounge room rug) and caught up on what feels like a years’ worth of news and developments!

·      Sunday night. A long drive to Capel solo while Hanson’s Middle of Nowhere blared over Gretzky’s sound system.

·      Later on Sunday night. Date night with my beloved before dreaded fly out day. Wahh.

·      Even later on Sunday night. Birthday skype dates with my sister and cousin to open presents. I scored a BEAUTIFUL pair of Oroton sunnies. And got to see their faces JJ Also my cousin had recently finished her masters thesis and has now officially graduated from the Post Graduate Masters Program (can I get a whoop whooooop?!).

And so concludes my birthday adventures. I’m going out on a limb and in fact suggesting that this could be my most amazing birthday yet. Would have been lovely to spend more time with family and friends, as always, and missed seeing some over the weekend but (after having a mini breakdown about that) I have realised that even if I don’t get to spend lots of time with these people, I know that I will cherish the time that I do have and that helps to make it even more special.

And, yes, if you find yourself asking yourself as I have done over the past week – I AM the luckiest girl in the SouthWest J

Mle xxx

I am twenty three going on twenty four ...

 

This is exactly how I feel on the eve of my 24th birthday! Not necessarily that I don't have my sh*t together but I definitely don't feel as 'adult' as I thought I would at this age!

By 24 I thought I would no longer -
Be scared of the dark
Miss my mummy and daddy
Faint from needles
Be scared of getting married and having kidlets
Be an anxious driver who only fills up at empty petrol stations
Be a worry wart in general
Still have 'body issues' and insecurities (but seeing my beautiful mama still scrutinising herself despite near perfection, I'm guessing that this'll be a life long accompanyment).

But on the eve of my birthday it's also the perfect time to make wishes and set goals for my 25th year on this planet -
Spend more quality time with family and friends
Run a half marathon
Develop my business and mayyyybe even expand it to include more therapists or multidisciplinary caseload management
'Settle' into my community and get involved in ole Busso town
And on the complete flipside - plan our South America extravagannnnnza
Compete in the Summer Tri series
Create weird and wonderful culinary experiments in my humble little kitchen
Get to 25 with a big smile on my face and feeling as happy as I do on the lead up to my 24th!

Wishing everyone a safe, happy and healthy weekend. I am off to Perth for a reunion with my friends/family and to see Hanson - live.in.freakin.concert (eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!).

Love and Cuddles,

Mle xx

EXCITEMENT!

Two of my very best friends have announced their engagement and I literally cried and shook for hours after they told me. Please everyone and anyone who reads this, send good thoughts, love and prayers to Em and Mat - wishing them a long, happy and above all loving life together.

 

 

Mle xx

Race Recap - My 2nd and Daddy's 1st CityToSurf.

 

Nothing short of impressive, dad chose to begin his fun run career in style and with gusto, opting for the 12km City to Surf in Perth. After training fairly consistently, on both Australian and international (Indonesian) soil, dad felt he was ready to give it a go. True to the Meagher style though, he completely underestimated what he was capable of. We had agreed on a plan of attack the night before, as I was still pretty anxious about dad over exerting himself on the course and aggravating his freakin heart condition. We said we would walk the hills, and aim for a 2km/run and 1km/walk interval system. I don’t know our official numbers etc but that plan went out the window and became more of a 3 and 1 rotation. But I’ll try and recap in a bit more detail – such a special and fun day for us.

Night Before – Mama made us an amazingly derish pasta w beef ragout sauce. It went down an absolute treat.  It was an awesome family night in and after a hectic day driving around and up to Perth, very much appreciated. Made all the more special with a visit from my beautiful cousin.

Morning Of – Alarm went off at 6am, and although I could technically sleep in for a while more, I got up as my infamous ‘nervous tummy’ was in full swing! Daddy was up a short time later and I could tell, as nervous and anxious as we seemed, he was overwhelmingly excited too. We electrolyted up w a drink and then had toast for pre-race fuel. We made really good time and ended up getting into town 2hrs before we were due to start... Oh well! We pottered around (and it allowed us time for emergency toilet stops for yours truly!). Eventually meeting up with Dad’s long time mate and my ‘uncle’ Pol who had agreed to run with us. And impressively so, we found out he had been sick with the flu all week!

Daddy and I about to head out the door!

The Run – I cannot emphasise how blessed we were with the weather. Absolutely beautiful day. Started off well, jogging at the very beginning (our first deviation from the plan!) and quickly encountered the first hill up alongside King’s Park. WHAT THE FRIG? It is a ridiculous hill! Haha. Anyway, as soon as we got to the top, it was run time. And the man can move!! He is a quick little silver fox and was darting through the crowds to try and gain ground. According to my Garmin when we were running – we were averaging 5:30-5:45min/km. THIS MAN DIDN’T RUN 5 MONTHS AGO AND HE IS (easily) KEEPING UP THAT PACE! We kept this rest and run plan throughout the run. I don’t know if it was the sentimentality of it – running alongside my dad was pretty special and something I had looked forward to for ages – but it was one of the most enjoyable fun runs. Everyone’s energy and the motivational support on the sidelines was so encouraging (I think I high fived about 20 random children along the course, they would stand there with their hand stretched out for runners as they came past – how could I not!?).  Running over that last hill and seeing the beautiful coastline was the best feeling. We only had 1.5km to go and I knew dad would absolutely smash it and there was sooo much support on the final leg of it.

DONE!

 

We crossed the finish line at 81mins 49seconds. Dad wanted to get under 90mins for his first run and CLEARLY he killed his goal!! We finished with smiles on our faces and soooo thirsty. We collected our medals, powerade and hobbled off to the exit. Dad and Pol felt fine, one of my muscles in my hip has a tendency to flair up and sure enough it did. But after some stretching and walking – I was better. We walked to our designated pick up spot (approx 4km away!), but I think it was good for stretching out our legs, and headed into Scarbs for a celebratory drink (a juice and granita!!).

Dad, me and Uncle Pol.

Overall it was an amazingly perfect start to a day. I am SO proud of dad. Beyond proud. I have no words. And even more than that, I am impressed! All his dedication and training definitely paid off and was reflected in his smile at the finish line.

Still Smiling :)

Can’t wait for the finish line photo!!

Mle x

One of 'those' days.

Do you ever have those days where you struggle to get to the end of it, look back over and assess how your day went and have one of those 'sliding doors' moments where instead of 'making your train' (or in my case, getting out of bed) it may have actually been better for your emotional and mental sanity if you had called in sick, snoozed the alarm, pull the covers over your head and ask the world to kindly eff off for just 24hours.
A little melodramatic I'll admit but, yes, this is kind of how today went for me.
*I might also add that I just, that second, got up to check on some muffins that I lovingly prepared for David only to find that they are in fact burnt and lopsided and stupid. (I am so tired that I cannot think of a more emotionally laden descriptor than stupid...).
I have wanted to update my blog and do another entry for ageeeeeeeees but unfortunately the one night I actually sit down to do it, I'm sorry, is tonight where you all have to bear the bane of my frustrations and anger towards anything and everything.

Ok so it's not that bad. August is just a bit of a hectic month, and it signals the change of even greater hecticness that is the month of September. The clinic is going well and is fast filling up with clients and contracts and all sorts (which is fabulous) but becomes a little scary when you're all on your lonesome. I am fighting off, will all my might, the potential invasion of cold and flu bugs that saw me almost go home from work today and has also induced the appearance of an odd rash on my arms and tummy (don't worry - I'm watching it!!). SO many colleagues, clients and families have had this cold/flu over recent weeks and I was just saying to someone the other day how lucky and grateful I was that my body held up and didn't succumb (damn you Murphy and your law!). But as long as I keep rugged up and keep topping up my multivitamins and eating healthy - I should be right as rain (which, incedently, is coming down in buckets down here in ole Capel) very shortly.

Rather than being a hagged and bitter old grouch of a lady, I'm going to now turn this blog entry upside down and finish on an optimistic note - by listing all the things that I am currently grateful for:
- the lovely families and clients that I have been blessed with at the clinic, who make it very easy to come to work to.
- my weekend mini victory over my mental demons. As part of my training, I had a 60min training run scheduled for Sunday. And I frikkin did it. All by myself, in the rain, with cramps and headwind. I experienced that amazing numbness in my legs and feet that comes from a hard slog and I knew that mentally I was strong if I could come out of that run with a smile on my face.
- a beautiful weekend w family. We were lucky enough to have Dave's cousin and her hubby come down and spend the weekend with us. We filled our days and nights with yummy homecooked meals, a visit to Duckstein brewery, a visit to the Venissan farm, a round of Supa Golf, nintendo64 marathons and lots of Olympics watching and commentating. It was so lovely to spend uninterrupted time with them.
- my sister. Nothing in particular really but just being away from her has been one of the hardest things and knowing that I have a weekend coming up in which we get to spend 48 wonderful hours together makes me soooooooooooooooo happy! (Bad day, shmad day .... bring on Saturday!!)
- my friends. I miss them. I love them and I am ETERNALLY grateful for them.
- mum and dad's amazing sounding holiday. Currently in the lap of luxury in Bari Bari, I think a beautiful holiday couldn't go to a more deserving couple and I hope they are loving every minute of it!
- the month ahead. As overwhelming and busy as it will likely be. I'm so excited September is almost here. That means it's Spring, it means my birthday is coming, it means HANSON is coming, it means that dates with my girls, it means family gatherings, it means outdoor runs in the warmth, it means AFL grand final, it means netball grand final, and most excitingly it means a very momentous celebration for David and I with our 5 year anniversary also coming up in September :)

So, yes, there are crap days and days where you'd rather chew off your own arm than even think about getting through, but without these kinds of days, we might not appreciate the amazing ones. So I guess I'm grateful for this shitty one, because it's made me realise how much amazing stuff I have to look forward to in the next few weeks. So here's to you mother of all poopy days and stress, thank you for allowing me to see the end of you and, I cannot emphasise the sincerity enough, please go away and never come back so I can have my days filled with rainbows instead of stupid (again, I'm tired...) clouds and greyness.

Mle x

A well overdue update.

Hello and big kisses everyone! I'm far too often apologizing on this blog for my sparse updates so let's skip over that bit! July has been slash was absolutely insane and flew by. There were some big and exciting changes and adventures - and a few visits to Perth and cuddles with my favorite people! To try and cover the basics and the important things, I will structure this post to cover a few different headings!

Work
Probably the biggest aspect of my life that's a-changin! The start of August saw the celebration of the practice's first month of operation! Wahhhooooo. It's definitely proving to be a steep learning curve, with all aspects of the business so far being handled by myself (yes, me Emily, the girl without a freakin financial/accounting/business bone in her body!). But I have been so so blessed to have had the most gorgeous clients come on board and my days have been filling up quickly! It's currently a pretty even spread of adults and paediatrics, in terms of new referrals coming through. But with the existing client base that came along w the clinic, I am seeing lots of little kiddies throughout my mornings. It has been a pretty exciting, and often terrifying, time for me. I have to admit that I have had a few moments in which I doubted the new venture and questioned why the frick I had done it so early on in my career. But I decided to stop whinging and doubting myself and instead frikkin harden up, buckle down and work my ass off to prove myself. I am woman hear me roar mother cluckers!!

Culinary Creations
Not much to report actually. Dave and I continue to cook weird and wonderful things that keep our tummies full and smiles on our faces. I tend to get obsessed with random little recipes and edibles and this month has been no different... So in no particular order, these are the bits and bobs that have been featuring heavily on my plate this month:

• Raw chocolate brownies (I had to impose a self-ban because I was downing far too many of these bad boys and, frick me, they were wonderful)
• Green Sushi Salad (discovered in January and feeding my soul ever since. Yum-bo.)
• Long Macs (ok so not really an edible, more a drinkable. However, if you know me well, you will know that although I claim to love coffee, the truth is I still have to have a small amount of choc in it to soften the blow. I'm slowly weaning! From soy mocha w half strength choc, to cappuccinos and now long macs topped up - the girl is growing up!!)
• Oatmeal (Smooth oatmeal with honey - where have you been all my life?! )
• Coriander (Holy poop - I don't know how I didn't used to top all my meals with this but I sure as shootin do now!)
• Vegan Italian Hot Chocolate (Ok - another drinkable. But this thick, rich desert is honestly the most amazing thing. Made w raw cacao and soy milk, it actually provides heaps of antioxidants so is an occassional desert that you don't have to feel guilty about. Shibby!).

Running and Fitness

Ok so my commitment to training has been more up and down than Oprah's pant size but I'm still chugging along, clocking up the kms and doing lots of cross training amongst it. I'm really excited about tri season, fast approaching, and am planning on doing a few across the summer. The first two are women only 'have a try' style ones, so they will be lots of fun and hopefully will be good practice for the sprint distance tris in December! But I promise to keep you all posted. Rather than boringly blab about my ups and downs in running, riding and x training; I'm going to use this space to do a shout out...

MY FREAKIN' DADDY is a bloody champion. For those of you who don't know, Dad had a little scare at the start of the year and had to have a stress test (15 minute walk on the treddie w HRM attached) and a (slightly scary and slightly invasive) angiogram. The angiogram revealed a blockage in one of his hearts' major arteries. The doctor then told him that he needed to try and 'self medicate' with healthy eating, less drinking and more physical exercise. Since that day, he has pretty much changed his habits completely. From walking to jogging to running - he keeps getting stronger and faster and, most importantly, healthier! He had a previous PB of running 1km straight, did even better on his 53rd birthday and did 2km, then a week later topped it to 3km! I was bursting with pride and, just quietly, struggling to breathe as the little bugger is FAST! Daddy and I are all signed up for the City2Surf 12km  fun run and I literally cannot wait. I am so proud and honoured to run alongside the silver bullet (HA!), but in all seriousness, I am super proud of him and can't wait to try and convince him to do a tri with me... hehe.

Izzie

It was only a matter of time until she got her own section, hehe. Pup is growing bigger with every passing day. At her most recent check up, puppy tipped the scales at 19.2kg. She is not even 6 months old! We are in for one chunky doggy. She gave us a bit of a scare this week - Iz injured a ligament in her knee and was essentially a three-legged dog for almost a week, with her little back leg tucked right up. She wouldn't put any weight on it. Which scared the poop out of us but after the all clear (basically) from the vet, she was encouraged to have strict rest (haha - yes a rottweiler pup 'resting', nice thought doc) and now is definitely on the mend! And she continues to be cute and has me wrapped around her little puppy claw

Love kisses and farewells and sending Capel cuddles...

Mle xx

Let us play a game of 'Catch Up' - Photo Style.

Izzie Puppy - getting bigger and stronger w every passing day!

One of David's Dish - lamb casserole w steamed potatoes.

One of my Dishes - Chicken, leek, mushroom, spinach and barley risotto.

My first private paycheque! ;)

Storm Day in Margs - we had just come out of Settler's when we saw the water surging down the street!

Being terrified during storms is exhausting...

Ready for the black out! First aid pack, phone, candles. 

Approved for my business loan 'Celebratory Breakfast' w David @ More in Busselton.

David's banana pancake breakfast - it was one chunky chunky pancake.

One of my Dishes - 'No rice' Canellini Bean and Silverbeet Risotto.

OUR FIRST PRODUCE FROM THE VEGE PATCH!

New fringe and chop - although my hair still looks sooo long!

My desk @ the clinic :)

Cupboards and Toys @ the clinic!

Cupboards and Toys @ the clinic!

Pimpin' Puppy.

Honey chia muesli slice - a recipe I tried that my beautiful friend Laura had posted on her amazing foodie blog!

Burger Bar ala Capel.

'Just because' flowers from my David.

I believe that's it for now. Hope you have enjoyed. Please stay tuned - exciting things are never too far away for this southwest munchkin. I hope everyone is staying warm, cuddly, smiley and in fabulous health. Sending giant hugs and kisses from my very cold corner of the globe,

Mle xx

Friday Fun - something a little different...

A. Age: 23 years young.

B. Bed size: Queen, but Dave will argue that the way I sprawl across makes it seem like a single bed!!

C. Chore you dislike: Cleaning the bathroom – I avoid it at all costs and will try to do tradesies with ANY other chore!

D. Dogs: Izzie (purebred Rottweiler)

E. Essential start to your day: Stretch and then toilet!

F. Favorite color:  White – very boring I know but I love it. Also like red and yellow, oh and purple and teal.

G. Gold or silver:  Silver. I look way too wog in gold!

H. Height:  5 foot, 9.5 inches. That’s a huuuge bitch.

I. Instruments you play(ed):  Nil, zip, nada.

J. Job title:  Speech Pathologist and Full Time perfectionist.

K. Kids: Only at work!

L. Live:  SouthWest WA J

M. Mum’s name:  Leanne.

N. Nicknames:  Em, Emy, Emy-Lou, Ems, Gooms (from daddy), Oompsie (from david).

O. Overnight hospital stays:  Nil – touch wood!!

P. Pet peeves:  Road ragers, people that say aloud written abbreviations (“haha lol” grrr); dirt markings or errors on a new sheet of paper!

Q. Quote from a movie: “

R. Righty or lefty:  Right!

S. Siblings:  Shanny Poos (19).

T. Time you wake up:  Between 6 and 6:30am most days – a little later (thank God!) on weekends usually.

U. Underwear:  Very rarely selected based on looks and usually always selected based on comfort. I rock the plain brief like nobody’s business!

V. Vegetables you don’t like: I am yet to find one! But maybe potatoes – I think they’re really overrated!

W. What makes you run late:  Not in an arrogant way (haha) but very rarely because of me. I literally pace back and forth and get really physically sick if I know I’ll be late for something (whether myself and someone else are expected at an event etc).  I’m usually anally 10minutes early but due to either the boyfriend or family members (not naming names), I have known to be late for a few things over the years!!

X. X-rays you’ve had:  When I was younger and broke my leg!

Y. Yummy food you make:  Hmm difference of opinion here I’d say. Most people would know me for my yummy rocky road but I think I made a dynamite Tuscan Bean Soup and yummy raw dark chocolate. Hehe.

Z. Zoo animal favorites:  Elephants and Tigers all day every day J

Big news revealed.

So I've hinted for a few weeks about some upcoming big news. You've all been very patient and sat back unawares while I frantically ran around getting my career and life sorted! So here it is...

I HAVE OFFICIALLY SIGNED PAPERS AND HAVE PURCHASED MY VERY OWN PRIVATE SPEECH PATHOLOGY PRACTISE! Settlement is scheduled for end of this month, so I'm planning to start operating from early to mid July. It's a huge adventure and challenge for me (as someone born literally without a single business minded bone in her body!) but I believe that I'm passionate and hard working enough to give this a real crack. I've mentioned in previous entries how frustrating it is with so few services down this way and this opportunity seemed to come up so fortuitously and with everything since falling into place so easily that I feel I'm on the right path.

Thank you to all of my friends and family who were so influential in my decision making process. Thank you for believing that I could do it before I myself even thought it possible. For your kind words, wisdom, advice and gorgeous replies to my messages and calls of absolute freaked out-ness and sheer terror - thank you!

Very excited to start this very challenging but rewarding chapter of my life. Feeling ridiculously older than my years now, this isn't something that I had planned or even thought possible to come into fruition for at least another 10-15years!! The greatest aspect of all this is that I'll never ever have to decide again or be forced to decided the dreaded ultimatum of Paeds vs Adults - I can do it all bitches! Haha. But on a serious note - I feel truly blessed that somehow the planets all aligned and has presented me with this rare and amazing opportunity.

So take home message kidlets, dream big because if you work hard and do good along the way - the universe will send you good things right back! For a while I couldn't understand why I was so lucky and how all this had come about, feeling like this while year has been a case of being at the right place at the right time - but my beautiful mama told me that good things happen to good people. I am by no means free of faults and have my temper tanties and lazy days as much as the next person but I've realized that I always endeavor to ensure that those around me are happy and feel special, I always put 100% into everything I do (well except running - that just kills me and some days I feel that 80% is good enough hehe) and my overarching goal/ambition in life is to leave a mark and make a difference or contribution in some way. So my thinking is that over the past few years, I must have done something right or are somehow on the right path, because I have amazing friends, family, boyfriend, country life, my health and this exciting new venture... It's all pretty incredible and my heart is bursting with gratitude.

So amigos, in the wise words of my favorite blue haired, bottle rimmed glassed friends - Everything is coming up Milhouse! ;)

Deep breaths, slight trepidation and the most overwhelming sense of gratitude,

Mle xx

Ps Apologies for the sappiness and overall wankiness of this entry. Feeling rather sentimental - so sue me! *actually don't sue me, I've only covered myself for $100000 worth of legal fees annually... Hehe.

The Post Chaos Blog Entry

I'M ALIVE! Hehe. I am sure that a number of people questioned my mortality after the scary severe weather conditions over the past few days! But yes - David, Izzie and I are all safe and well! Sunday was quite scary, with us out and about making the most of the time with Dave's brothers and their lovely girlfriends while they were down in the SouthWest to spend time with us. So we were at Cape Naturliste at approximately 2pm when the storm winds hit - uprooted trees littered the roads, Margs was flooded and water gushed down the main drag, winds howled and we all drove VERY carefully and slowly to make it back to Capel alive! When we got back, we saw that our back gate had been blown open and I felt the first pangs of panic thinking 'Izzie has gotten out!'. Because the storms came completely out of nowhere, Izzie had been left (as per usual) outside for the day. So when we got back, we were already worried about how she held up in the weather, but when we saw the gate open - we shat ourselves! But we were so relieved to find her tucked away, scared but happy to see us, in her kennel! Oh thank frick - that was a very nervous run from the front to her kennel to see if I could see her. But since then we have had LOTS of ups and downs with the weather. Our poor little powerline that goes straight to our roof - was drooping down and held up only by a little twig from the tree out the front! Western Power are yet to fix it up but at least we are safe and it hasn't severed from the mains! I will post some of the crazy photos from the past few days too - absolutely incredible. Peppermint Beach (the small town just opposite Capel) was absolutely slogged - uprooted trees with root systems three times my height were scattered all along the drive!!

It has been a HUGE week for me career wise too but updates (and photos) to follow shortly so stay tuned!

Despite the ridiculous weather running training has continued and I am now the proud new owner of a Busselton gym membership! Haha, ah the simple joys in life. After having one to many instances in which I had to forego my scheduled run due to foul weather, I decided to be proactive and rid myself of all excuses hence buying myself access to a very dry, very indoor treadmill. I logged a few Kms on it last week, a 3km run, 5km run and then about 10km worth of sprints and hills. My god the treadmill is boring! I have met a few people who swear by treadmill running and claim they're not able to clock up nearly the same distance/time outdoors but frick me - I am NOT one of those people. Running alongside the beach or a nice park or even in simple old Capel is so much more motivating for me then thudding away in a gym. Plus I stupidly chose the middle treadmill for my 5km, which I realized about 2mins into it, was facing a mirror. 5km of watching myself run in shorts, uh uh, not for me... Hope all are safe, well, smiling and are busy following their own adventures :) Love and wet, storm soaked cuddles, Mle xx

May in Pictures.

 I came outside one morning and saw this - a cheeky dog with a little tuft of fluff coming out of her mouth. And on further inspection...

Yes - that's her bed spread across the back doorway.

Then the little lady did it again. This time with her new foam mattress.

Frosty mornings in Capelville.

Beautiful mornings in Capelville.

Beautiful sunsets in Busselton.

Vegetables growing!

Mother's day high tea!

Mummy's place setting at her high tea.

Yum Yum.

Menus.

Our beautiful mummy's spot at the special table.

The mother's were welcomed with a glass of champagne on arrival.

Shanny, Mel and meeeee.

Em and I during the HBF run - we really don't look like we're running but I promise you we were!

So that's it! For now!

Mle x x x

Oh hello June.

Ok - so it's almost as if the entire month of May didn't happen due to their being no scripted or nostalgic evidence of its existence. I can assure you it DID happen and it was a big mother clucker of a month for this southbound chikita. Like I mentioned in my last post, big things are on the horizon, but it will all be confirmed in good time :) other exciting things have included -

• Cheering on a dear friend in her first ever half ironman. And she kicked its ass too!
• Having the *scary landlords over for our first official *inspection *My aunty and her friend popped down for a weekend filled of lazing about grazing on cheese and wine, a wonderful night out for dinner, playing w pup and installing our new bathroom vanity. Oh and there was mention of how impeccable the house looked. Winning.
• Catch ups with Tourtney.
• Celebrating Ryan's 'old man' birthday - aka 26th.
• Mother's Dayyyyy! Where my cousin, sister and I hosted a high tea for our beautiful mothers and grandmother.
• GTM with the ladiesssss ;) A fantastic albeit freezing weekend of music, cuddles, laughs and all round good times.
• Breakfast w my beautiful speechie friend Pashleigh. I had the BEST porridge of my life at Moore & Moore in Fremantle. It was apple and rhubarb and it was the most nourishing and warming bowl of goodness and I have made it my mission to nail the recipe and make it a weekly breakfast!
• Coffee and shopping w my beautiful friend Josie.
• Just a lazy 14km run for HBF's run for a reason. Hehe. SO PROUD!
• A few netty *wins and *losses w my Busselton team. *1 win, 3 losses. Sadface.
• I started my private work w a primary school down here and have worked 6 days there in total over the month. It has been an amazing learning experience and everyone there has been wonderful.
• Izzie had her first official puppy play date w a friend's british bulldog. Izzie was a bully and tried to pick a fight with said 20kg dog. We are terrified. Haha.

So kind of crummy effort for a synopsis but there you go - you now have an idea of why my posts have been disgustingly delayed. I will try to get a photo entry up next so you can see the past few months through my eyes.

Love and big cuddles,

Mle x

Watch This Space.

Big things are happening in ole Capel town so please bare with me and be patient while I put my life together and an EXCITING update will be heading to you all very shortly! I will be sure to update this blog when I have time to sit down and do a good speil of all the weird and wonderful things that have happened over the past month or two but unfortunately now is not the time to do so!

Be back soon and sending big cyber cuddles from the SouthWest,

Mle x

My LIfe in Pictures.

Open field mushroom 'pizza'

Breakfast @ Samudra (Yoga retreat Dunsborough) - Live Muesli. BEST muesli ever.

Buckwheat pancakes w banana and honey/lemon syrup. 

Anniversary dinner - Pistachio crusted salmon and sweet potato/greens salad.

My first attempt at a poached egg! SUCCESS! A delicious success.

Sushi Salad - this is the chicken version of the dish but I love the marinated tofu dish too! I even got a few 'yummies' from carnivore David!

Just a lazy 12km run. No biggie. Haha. I was SO proud - my longest run to date!

Easter Thursday bake off. One of four dishes - Healthy Hot x Buns. Made w spelt flour, soy milk, raisins, currents, coconut oil, vanilla extract and piped chocolate crosses. 

Dave's adorable baby cousin @ Baba's on Good Friday.

Dave and his little bubba cousin.

Easter :)

It must be Easter! Canollis (ala Nanny); bowl of eggs (ala Nanny); pink birthday cupcakes (ala mama); 'Carrots in dirt' cookies; Easter bunny cookies and Easter basket cupcakes (ala me!).

My little Easter basket cupcakes.

Breakfast @ Moore&Moore Fremantle on public holiday Monday (yay!)

And now,

the girl who turned our lives upside down and all around...

Little Miss Izzie (Isabella)

So innocent and allegedly wouldn't hurt a fly...

... just Emily's juicy calve.

Chubba.

Note my mama's slipper under her belly. There was no chance mama was getting that back.

Sunrise @ Capel Crib.

Another pictorial nutshell proudly brought to you by mle.

There are HUNDREDS of other things I have done over the past few weeks but not all of which i have photos for AND I also have not yet asked permission to post pictures of my darling friends' heads! But get togethers such as teppanyaki, 'cocktails and canapes' and breakfast dates w the girls; Ball Park Music's concert w Shanny poos; lunch w my darling cousin; brekkie w a dear old friend; lunch w Miss Emily O; Easter thurs @ the Claremont w my lovely ladies (planning our inevitable and freakin exciting Hanson reunion tour!) and coffee catch ups with Josie, Hannah, Ola, Emily B, Jenn; runs w my daddykins every day over the Easter break; seeing ALL of my family (bar a few individuals :( )... it has been an amazing month/two. I apologise profusely if I have forgotten anyone or anything off my list of activities!! Please let me know if I have so rudely forgotten our date. It's Saturday morning and my coffee hasn't yet kicked in and I have left my diary at work - so this is all my memory! I love you all!

So now you will forgive my lack of posting yes? Yes.

Mle xxx