[love letter...]

#22 - Write a love letter to my husband.

See my bucket list here.

WARNING:

Gag fest ensues.  

I can't help it - it's an anniversary post.  Never fear, there is a fart joke in there to lower the tone a bit.  You're welcome.  

Dear future husband,

(Just to clarify; I'm thinking same husband, just in the future.)

Today is our six year wedding anniversary.  The last year has certainly been our most adventurous and our most loving yet.  I can only assume it continues to get better from here.

Today walking home from the bus, we were holding hands and you looked into my eyes and kissed my hand.  It's moments like those I feel the sweetness of us.  You took not three steps and I heard what can only be described as a fog horn in the mist.  Surprised, you looked behind you as if you might see the ship the fog horn belonged to appear.*  It's moments like those I feel the laughter of us.  

It sums us up really - we park long enough in the garage of romance to remember and remind ourselves we are sweet, loving and kind.  But we spend the majority of our time navigating the roads of life with laughter and silliness and friendship - and it's here I find my greatest happiness.

Last night we were in Croatia, eating al fresco as the sun went down over the mediterranean and you toasted our six years and hoped for sixty more.  I hope we have sixty more too, but lets make each year count - I know there are people who would do anything for just one more day.  Let's not forget we are the lucky ones.

Lovingly and fartingly yours,

Your wife and friend. xx

*Suffice to say there was no ship.

[learning, always learning...]

Dear future photographer,

# 9 - Learn to use a DSLR camera.

See my bucket list here.

Oh me, oh my.  I am turning thirty in five days.  Yeesh.

(Does that make you feel old, Mum? Hehe.)

Anyhoo, just checking out my list of twenty-nine things I wanted to do before turning thirty.  This was a weird one, because I don't know at what point I've 'made it' in the DSLR arena.  There are still loads of things I need to learn, and practice.  We did a ten week course when we first brought our camera (about two years ago now) which I think gave me a fairly decent foundation.

BUT I'd still like to feel confident on what I guess is the next level of manual photography - manual focus, metered exposure, changing settings quickly to suit changing light.  But I'm pretty happy with my progress up until now.  I've taken some photos in manual that I'm proud of.  

SO I'm happy to tick this one of as done and done. *dusts off hands*

All of the following pics are largely unedited except for the occasional crop or frame.

water fountain, hamilton gardens // first maternity shoot //  austrian alps //  norman church, england //  lake lugano, switzerland //  botanic gardens, vancouver // city skyline, czech republic // kamari beach, santorini //  cottage, iceland

[oh my guinness...]

# 26) Drink a (or some) beer in an Irish pub.

See my bucket list here.

I'm not a fan of beer - I'd always choose a juice over a beer any day and in my opinion the darker it is, the grosser.  Anyhoo, I'm all about finishing up this bucket list (I'm totally not - I'm way lagging) so here is proof I had some dark beer in an Irish pub (well, bistro but hey ho) with the most amazing steak sandwiches.

Disclaimer:  It was raining, snowing, freezing and we were sick as dogs.  That's why we look a bit budge.

[bucket list : the money one...]

With less than six months to go to finish my list of 29 things to do before I turn 30.  30.  Thirty.  Thir-tee.  Cripes, I never thought I'd turn thirty but here it comes, barrelling down the barrel of my life.  I'm not afraid of birthdays - I'm looking forward to the next ten years of my life even, but it's just going too fast.

#17 - Donate money to a good cause.

My friend Elle, with a fabulous blog over at [a bird in the hand] recently ran a half marathon.  I totally admire her, I admire anyone who can run further than their letterbox.  (I sure can't - and here in London the letterboxes are in the front door.)

Check out her post about 'run to the beat' (and donate if you feel you want to).  Elle ran her marathon for an awesome cause - the A21 Campaign...  It's quite upsetting to read about the sex trafficking industry actually.  Well I guess the upsetting thing is to realise that it actually happens every day, to beautiful women who have no choices or freedom.  It's certainly much easier to pretend these things aren't going on in our world! There are a number of things we can do to help, and Elle chose to be sponsored for her half marathon to help this wonderful cause.  I chose be one of the many who sponsored her.

Source

One more tick on the bucket list.

What a good feeling.

[five years...]

Bucket list:  3).  Reach five years of marriage.

Reaching five years of marriage - something that I feel quite proud of.  There were some hairy moments where we weren't sure we'd make it but here we are - five years married to the man of my dreams.  My lover and my best friend.

We celebrated in Canada, and in fact lost half the day because of the time difference when we travelled back to England but no mind - we still made it!

Bucket list number three - tick.

(Also hurry up me - I'm almost thirty and I've still got a way to go!)

See my full bucket list post here and my page with the completion list here.

paris bucket list...

This bucket list bizzo is super fun!

See my bucket list here - it's actually twenty-nine goals I want to achieve before I turn thirty - which is sneaking up on me really fast actually!

So I'd better get cracking, and here is my latest conquest.

#13:  Have a photo taken at the top and bottom of the Eiffel tower.

The weather was quite foggy and it was dusk-ish when we went up so the pics are a little dark, but here's the proof!

Top

Bottom

Truth be known, in the time we had (we were on a coach tour so only had a limited amount of time before we had to meet back at the meeting point), it was impossible to go right to the top.  But I went as far up as I could, and if I go up again, I'll re-blog it.  Deal?




*  Originally posted in www.kendylsplace.com

pregnancy shoot...

You may or may not remember my list of things I want to do before I turn thirty (not far away now!)

Well, I've completed another one, and what a one to complete!

# 19.  Photograph a pregnant woman...

Here are a few pictures from our 'shoot' (hehe try hard professional!)

What a super fun time I had, and I was so fortunate to be able to shoot a woman (and her lovely husband), who is looking so fabulous through her pregnancy, and is so photogenic - such a good first preggie shoot!

Isn't pregnancy such a beautiful thing?  It's so magical to think that a baby grows and is nurtured by a body, and becomes a little person!  I think it's so amazing that soon this baby will be outside in the big world!

And what a blessed little girl she will be.  She will be born to such special parents who are so in love with eachother, and already show such love for her.  They can't wait to meet her!

I was so fortunate to be invited to take some pictures of their special time!

(Not everyone wants to be on a blog for all the world to see, so out of respect I've chosen pictures which don't reveal their identities.)

worlds most delectable biscuits...

Remember my '29 before 30 post'?

I wrote a list of things I want to do before I'm 30, and one of them I have completed recently.  (And no, it isn't the pregnancy one...  hehe...  much more boring!).

# 16 : Bake good biscuits.

Disclaimer: I am an awful baker.  I can do desserts, dinners, even delicious breakfasts, but I can not bake.  My Guy even told me perhaps I should stop trying.  It really is that bad.

Introducing: edible (and even yummy!) biscuits!

I made one lot of the recipe, and sent a third to work with My Guy - he even agreed to take them - which means they must have been good!  I gave another batch to the neighbours (who agreed on their deliciousness), and the last third I left in the freezer for eating bits off when you feel like something sweet but don't have sweets in the house when unexpected visitors arrive.

A friend told me that the best chocolate chip cookie recipe is on the back of a packet of chocolate chips - expensive ones I wouldn't normally buy.  So I brought some, used up the choc chips and left the packet on the bench until I had time to write it out for my recipe book.  My uber tidy Guy tidied it up for me (into the bin) so this morning I have gone out especially to get more chocolate chips for a brownie I'm making, and to get the recipe for you!  Its super easy - and believe me, if I can do it, anyone can!

Choc Chip Cookies

makes 30

225gm butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

2 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup choc chips

Preheat oven to 190degC.  Cream butter and sugar in a medium bowl.  Beat in sweetened condensed milk.  Cream until the mixture is light and fluffy (apparently this is the most important part).  Sift flour and baking powder.  Stir into butter mixture with chocolate chips.  Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls.  Press biscuits down to flatten.  Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

(I only cooked mine for 12 - remember they keep cooking after you pull them out, so if you pull them out when they are just underdone, they'll be perfect in the end).

* Originally from www.kendylsplace.com, and unfortunately in the great blog failure of 2012, the pictures got lost...

massagey goodness...

You may remember a post I wrote which is a list of things I want to do before I am 30 (which is in around two years). Well, I have completed my first task, and it was super easy!

# 28) Have a full body massage.

Well I was given some money for my birthday for this very purpose, so I decided to spend it on massages for M and I, and had a super lovely (and very good!) lady come to our house and do them in the comfort of our own home.

No pictures were taken during the massage for fear you would never read my blog again.  After the massages, My Guy and I had a delicious dinner and watched a movie together in bed. What a relaxing Saturday night!

One down, 28 more to go!!


* Originally from www.kendylsplace.com, and unfortunately in the great blog failure of 2012, the pictures got lost...

twenty-nine before thirty...

Well, seeing as I am about to turn 28 in a couple of weeks, I thought I'd better get underway a list of things I want to do before I'm 30, as mentioned in this post, and inspired by this amazing lady, here. This gives me two years, which Im sure is achieveable!

As I also mentioned, Id like to blog more, and I will be able to blog about the achievement of these 29 things, which will hopefully be interesting to you, and will also be kind of like a journal for me!

So here goes, and in no particular order:

1) Have a house built.
2) Travel to Europe.
3) Reach 5 years of marriage.
4) Complete our wedding album.
5) Be pregnant.
6) Read the entire bible.
7) Hold an overseas nursing registration.
8) Keep my left leg.
9) Learn to use a DSLR camera.
10) Get a tattoo.
11) Lose 10 kg.
12) Go to a concert.
13) Have a photo taken at the top and bottom of the Eiffel Tower.
14) Have a penpal.
15) Give blood.
16) Bake good biscuits. (Done here).
17) Donate money to a good cause.
18) Make something for a baby.
19) Photograph a pregnant woman. (Done here).
20) Cook a 5 course meal.
21) Grow a vegetable and eat it.
22) Write a love letter to my husband.
23) Build something out of wood.
24) Go in a hot air balloon.
25) Go on a train, starting in one country and ending in another.
26) Drink a (or some) beer in an Irish pub.
27) Go on a long road trip.
28) Have a full body massage. (Done here).
29) Discover a new band.

This was a lot harder than you may think! I could think of lots of 'be more such and such,' or 'do more such and such', or 'appreciate this thing', but found it hard to think of actual goals. Perhaps my goal should have been - 'be more ambitious', or 'have more goals'! I admit, I stole a few too. It was fun though! A lot of them seem to be related to our travels - which start later this year, and I'm not sure I have EVER been so excited about something. Cant wait to see them play out - I have a super interesting couple of years ahead of me, thats for sure!

*Originally from www.kendylsplace.com