Dreaming of work

I've been asked to come in and work at the bank this week, which is particularly exciting because it's allowing me to go to my Primary-school-best-friend's wedding.

It's been a bit tough being the semi-useless one again.  There's surprisingly a lot to learn (and forget!) in this job.

I've enjoyed having the days race by, and conversing constantly with adults about adult things like home loans and savings accounts, as well as general "life stuff".

But as I was driving home this evening, it occurred to me that I don't want to do admin-style work for the rest of my life.

I'm good at administration (I get that from my Dad).  But ultimately it bores me, and doesn't seem to have any real purpose.

And then I started dreaming again.  Dreaming about helping people gain movement, relieving pain, building hope.

I know there will be boredom and stress and whatever else, because there are necessary things in life and work that just aren't fun or inspiring.

But the majority will be interesting, challenging and helpful.

I wonder what it will be like to really enjoy going to work?  And I wonder if I may be slightly ill, because who dreams of work????

School holidays - take one!

These are our first school holidays since the Little Big Fella started school.

It's the first time I've been used to him being out of the house for the majority of five days a week, and now he's not... for two weeks.

And it turns out that our Little Big Fella is pretty social, and doesn't really like being an only child at the moment.

And I really wasn't prepared for any of it!

I wasn't prepared to feel like I was being invaded by my own family, or to deal with the extra mess that appears just because they're home, or the persistent requests for friends to come and play or meet us at the park.

So I've suddenly had to do a big mind-shift.

After only 10 weeks of school, I've had to shift back to child-in-the-house mode and remember that he wants (and needs) at least some of my attention during the day.

I've had to shift back to playdate planning mode and arrange to meet up with friends, or have them here, because that is part of what he needs at this point in time.

I've had to remember to play games with him, and be patient about it.

And we've added learning to our holidays - learning small words and sentences, and remembering what sounds each of the letters make.

So, school holidays - take one has been a bit of a shock to the system.  But I think if I plan ahead next time, we'll all cope with it a little bit better, and maybe, just maybe even enjoy ourselves for most of the time!

Imagine that!

A quick trip down memory lane

A wonderful friend of mine, from what feels like another lifetime, posted a photo of the two of us at my wedding on Facebook.  This afternoon some of my current friends mentioned that they'd seen it, and commented how different I looked with long hair.

So, I thought I'd do a quick little trip down memory lane.  I'd love to do a whole journey, but that would take a lifetime!  That, and scanning takes ages ;-)

I've been through my digital archive and selected these ones - me at different ages, and some of the people who've been an awesome part of my journey.

I'm going to start with my husband, the Big Fella.  He's my favourite!

This is one of the most awkward moments ever captured on film!  The Big Fella and I liked each other, but we weren't together, and our friend taking the picture kept telling us to get closer together for the photo.  Very uncomfortable at the time, fun to look back on.

And this is my best friend from Primary (Elementary) School at my 21st.

This is my family on my Mum's side.  We got together for a weekend to celebrate my Grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary.  That was eight years ago!

These are two awesome women that I got to go along the Great Ocean Road with one time.  That one in the middle has been my best friend for a long time, and is the only person who consistently keeps in contact with me.  She's pretty darn awesome :-)  And that one on the right?  She has the BEST name, and currently lives in Switzerland, I believe!

For a while before we moved from Melbourne, I was in a dance class with my youngest sister and a bunch of her friends.  We had heaps of fun!

This is our first dog, Rocky.  We got him from the RSPCA (rescue centre) and he was a bundle of energy (apparently quite standard for a Jack Russell)!  He loved squeaky toys and learned to destroy them within minutes of receiving a new one.

Here are some of the awesome people I worked and studied with at College.  We had a day where the students could throw cream pies at the staff :-D

These two are the kinds of people that you always love to catch up with, and no matter how long it's been, you always feel at home with them.

And here's the Big Fella's family!

Here's a handful of the people I worked with before I had the Little Big Fella.

Did you know I volunteered at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne?

And I have a Diploma in Ministry!

 Oooh!  Here's me as a baby with my GrandNan - my Mum's Dad's Mum!

And here's me with my siblings.  Absolutely love those three!

This is our first cat, Misty!  She was with us from when I was about 4 or 5 until my late-teens.

Awwww!!!  Here's one of my Little Big Fella's first ever photos.

And here he is with all the family at various times in his first 9 months.

This was taken before my first ever call to the Ambulance.  Not long after this photo was taken, the Little Big Fella fell off the chair, backwards, hit his head on the bin, then on the tile floor.

Thankfully he wasn't bleeding, but as a new Mum, I had no idea what to look out for in terms of concussion.  So the ambos came and checked him out and made me feel a bit less like an idiot for calling them.  (P.S. I love that ambulance cover is paid for within our electricity billing system!)

My son and nephews had a few fun adventures in this bathroom!  They all love the water, and playing in it is especially awesome when there are bubbles!

And that's about when I started blogging, so you've seen all the best photos since then.  One day I'd love to get the old albums from Mum and Dad and scan in a whole bunch of oldies.

Like the one of my brother with an icecream bucket on his head, and dad's boots on his feet.

Or the ones from my tent sleepover in Sheahan Crescent.

Or the ones of my Nanna, Grandma and GrandNan at one of our McDonald's birthday parties.

Or the old Christmas photos, and the dress-up and colour dinners we had, and the people who've lived with us and visited us.

Life is full of great memories and most of them are great because of the people in them.  Thanks for being my best memories!

Melbourne, I love you!

Last week the Fellas and I went to Melbourne.  We decided that we'd stay in the city and make the most of what's available there, especially the food!!!

After we'd flown in, taxied to our hotel and settled ourselves in, we went for a walk just around the corner into one of Melbourne's famous little laneways.  It was FULL of food!!!  Not just cafes, but every kind of food you could think of was crammed into a 100 metre stretch of road!

We were already in heaven!

And that was only our first hour!

Throughout the week we caught up with friends and family, we ate like there was no tomorrow, we walked and caught trams around the city, we went to the museum, Aquarium, zoo, casino complex, movies... and by the end of the week we were pretty much exhausted!

I have heaps to tell you about it all, but it's going to take more than one post, and I want to edit a few (of the thousands of) photos first.  So for now, here's a quick collage or three of some of what we got up to:

We came home exhausted and happy, and it's taken me almost all week to finally put stuff away.  Well, there was also the Little Big Fella's birthday party in the park on Monday, so there was extra stuff around!

And now we're back home, in our quiet little town, with horses across the road and the sound of trains clunking together.

Melbourne, it was fun!  Thank you!