So, you can follow the link and bookmark that site, because that’s where I’ll be posting from now on .

It’s a lot more professional, smarter, and nicer- and still very ‘me’. Just so you know- there are still quite a few things that I am editing and fixing on it (and probably always will be), so please keep that in mind! I would love your feedback, advice, and just general thoughts. It’ll only take a second!

Thanks so much to everyone who reads this blog, and hey, why not tell me that you do, just so I know and keep writing!

So I modified it to 10 minutes, mostly because 15 seconds of the things that I want to do everyday make it worthless.  So for ten minutes every day I will:

1. Exercise. I’ve worked out that if I walk to the bottom of my drive way, back half way and take a detour to my shed, then come back and walk the rest of the way up to the house, it’s about 10-15 minutes. It’s up and down hills, and along straights and it’s really quite a work out, especially if you jog.

2. Pray. I’m a Christian, and I hardly ever pray. I know that I should do it more then 10 minutes a day, but it’s start, right?

3. People. People are an important part of my life, but my timetable hardly shows it. I’ve decided that I need to dedicate at least 10 minutes a day to one member of my family. That’s one every week day (weekends I’ll save in more entirety for everyone, including Luke). 10 minutes isn’t much, but once a week it’s meaningful, and 10 minutes will inevitable turn into 20, and in some cases more.

Just near to where I live, I was exiting off the highway at Forest Glen, and  we saw the top of a car down a big ditch off the exit ramp. I cringed as I imagined what this might have been like when it happened when I saw a man who was all shaky come up from the ditch. I was suprised, and we stopped the car a little way past the BP petrol station that he was next too.

I asked Hayden to call 000, but he didn’t want to, so I did. The lady was really nice, and I gave her as many details as I could. She said that she would send someone out.

So I hung up and tried to start the car, but it wouldn’t start!! I had left my headlights on for the short, 5 minute, conversation that I had had with the police officer, and my battery was flat!! Lucky I had Hayden with me, and he got out and pushed. I managed to clutch start it and we went home.

When we were at home, and told everyone about it, we heard sirens; sirens that were going to what I had just called up about (it’s really close to where we live- you can easily hear sirens from the highway)!!

I was excited to turn 20. I had been looking forward to it. No longer a teenager. I remember when Luke turned 20 earlier in the year, and how in the lead up to my birthday, and all through my birthday day I was not suffering any of the same ‘now-i’m-old‘ attacks. Until that night, that is. It hit me bad. I think it’s because my life is changing so radically in the next few months, and it just sort of hit me. Luke was really supportive, and wasn’t angry when I woke him up crying, and then insisted that he come hug me to sleep. I love him so much.

I guess I’m ‘better’ today. I am looking forward to my new year, my new life- marriage, no more uni, a wedding, working, and moving. It’s going to be exciting, and I’m ready for it.

So Sunday was a beautiful day. After presents, and church in the morning we had an incredibly beautiful lunch out on the lawn- just my family (including Luke) and me. Beautiful. After lunch Luke and I went to Sapian Arts in Mooloolaba to spend the gift voucher I received (thanks mum!). Money well spent, it’s was all 25% off!

Nana and Luke’s family came over for afternoon tea, and we had two really yummy cakes. The pistachio and rose water one was my favourite, and I would love to have it as a wedding cake.

Luke and I went out for coffee after dinner, again at Mooloolaba, and we started filming for the movie we’re going to make with my new video camera!!!

My Presents:
$60 Sapian Arts gift voucher from M&D
Elephant from Hayden (beautiful!)
Kakadu Plum and Macadamia Nut body cleanser from Amon
Uber cool hat from Rhys
Weight Watchers books from M&D
1G USB drive from M&D

A white elephant from Luke
A coloured elephant from Luke
An elephant pillow from Luke
A digital video/ photo camera from Luke!!
A 1G SD card from Luke
Some beautiful quilted cushions that match both my wedding quilt and my 21st quilt from Nana

A cook book from the Carbis’

Elephant earings and cute paper flowers from Katie
Earings from Liz
“SexGod” from Nathan
A pack of way cool gloves, two beautiful diaries, a little purse, and a scarf from Kim, Sarah, Gaby and Luke
6 mini canvas’ from Mel
A cookie cook book from Lauren
A manicure from Kirsty and Brad
A beautiful mirror from Bekky
Recipe book holder from Carmen

With my Sapian Arts gift voucher I bought:
Jasmin oil perfume
Beads
Shoes
Wallet
An elephant (an exchange)

Thank-you to everyone for your brilliant presents. They’re all wonderful and I am really thankfull!

Well, like Superman and Kryptonite, I too have a weakness. Two in fact. The cold, and stress.

At this very moment it is both cold, and stressful. Winter has come quickly upon me, as have, well, … see my last post for details.

I’ve decided to take a few pictures, so that you can actually see what I am talking about.

My normal hand:

My right hand:

I don’t know if you can see how tender and red my right hand is, but I sure as hell can feel it.

My left hand:

My Superpower hand:

My left hand strightens normally, but my right hand looks squashed and red when straightened. My nails are a bit deformed on my middle and ring fingers. Just so you know, it REALLY hurts to hold my hand out like that.

My left hand straight: My right hand trying to straighten…

Again, this REALLY hurt my right hand. My middle finger (on my right hand) is obviously not straight, but that is the straightest it will go. My skin is really tight, and I can’t straighten it. I can straighten my ring finger, but on each of those three (small, ring, and middle) it is very hard to make a fist. At the moment it really hurts the tips of my fingers when I make a fist.

So that’s my skin. It’s really just those three fingers that are effected at the moment, and have been for a few months now. A year or two ago I would get this on every single finger. It is most painful on the thumb, because that one tends to bleed a lot- because it always gets knocked and used. I find the same, or at least very similar, on my middle finger.

It effects me when I am working. I don’t use my fingers at work, which, if you imagine a check-out chick not using her fingers to pack your groceries, is sometimes very hard. Today at work it hurt so much to pick up a tub of yoghurt normally, that i dropped it into the bag. It didn’t break, which was a relief, but no one understands that just touching something really hurts enough for me to never want to do it again.

I guess I’ve learnt to live with it a bit. Back in the day when I had it on all of my fingers the pain wasn’t as worse. Now it seems to have focused, and is slowly not allowing me to move those fingers properly. This is what I imagine arthritis to look like if it were on the outside.

Uni- 4 assignments due in two weeks, plus intensives and another assignment for that.
Prac- I hate going…
Wedding Plans- I’m feeling the pressure to get in there and get things going and planned. It’s hard work, and I feel rushed.
Work- Not working that much, but it’s still a hassle that gets in the way.
Family- My relationship with them has fallen a little by the waste side. Not what I wanted, and not what I want to keep happening.
Luke- Have a few little hickups which aren’t helping my stress levels. It’s hard being far away and busy at the same time.

So that’s me at the moment. Six things to fit into not much time. Did I mention that I’m starting a book with my brother Rhys, That it’s my birthday on Sunday and I’ve been having to organise my party which is on Saturday, I have finished making a quilt, had group meetings, procrastinated, and cried. Oh, and I think I sleep somewhere there as well…

I’m sorry for making excuses (they happen frequently), but that’s my reason for not posting in a few days. I have been blogging… in my head. I have thought of so many great ideas and thoughts and experiences that I want to share with you all, and yet no time to write it. Time Management suggestions anyone?
I’m a list maker… but I haven’t been doing that lately. Perhaps I should start again.

While we were there the three of us went to the park to play, just before we went home. It’s really beautiful there, and Luke and I had a bit of a romantic stroll. Afterwards though we were in  the playground and somehow it turned out that I was trying to get up onto his really high bar in the air…

If you don’t know, I’m REALLY afraid of height. Like, on the way to Redcliffe there’s that really loooonnng bridge, and I couldn’t drive over it because  I was so scared.

Anyway, it happened that I actually got up onto the bar, and not just that, I stood up on the top and then jumped down! I was so proud of myself.

So be happy for me that I took a really big step in overcoming my fear, and a step closer to remembering my childhood and all the wonderful, dangerous, fun things I use to do…

Luke, my handsome fiance wrote this post about how to set it up so people can comment, and also how you can comment!

Happy Reading!

I was contemplating how I would do this, what with having no camera etc. and then I realised that my phone camera is good enough to get the basic pictures. So that’s what I’ll be using. Perhaps my next project will be to work out how to connect my phone to the computer. Some things are so difficult when you run linux…