Yes! The blog is still live, even if I only wrote in it three times in 2017.
I was showing someone my Cars today and thought how long it's been since I wrote here. So, I thought I'd try to at least do a month-by-month summary of what's going on in our lives this year. You never know! I might even stick to it for the whole year :)
We had the privilege of having the Big Fella's family with us for Christmas, which was really wonderful. Unfortunately I was still a bit stressed out from all the "stuff" leading up to it, so I wasn't as gracious a host as I would have liked. Thankfully they were gracious enough to let it slide, and we all had a pretty good time :)
It was actually the first time we've all been together since the Little Big Fella was born, so it was pretty special! Crazily enough, we didn't actually get a photo of all of us together! But here's a couple I did get :)
I did a treasure hunt for the Little Big Fella's major present (a PS4). He had a little envelope in the Christmas tree that he opened, which had a bit of a poem/riddle to solve to find the next clue. I think there were six clues, which he worked out very quickly and he really enjoyed the process (as well as the present).
Everyone left by December 28th, and I didn't have to be back at work until January 3rd. So, despite having a list longer than my arm of things I wanted to do, I pretty much sat on the couch and read my Kindle (1-3 books a day) and watched Netflix. I kind of wondered why I "wasted" so much time, but now that everything is back in full swing I absolutely know. I was exhausted!
Seriously, I need to keep a lid on things a bit better this year or I'll be a nervous wreck by the end of it!
I recalled the joy of receiving actual letters in the mail when I was a little girl, so I've decided to try to write a letter a week. I'm not doing great at keeping at it, and I'm only a month in, but I think it's something I'd like to keep trying at.
I'm starting a course at university this year - a Bachelor of Social Work (hopefully with honours) at Charles Sturt University. So January included a couple of pre-study subjects to make sure I know my way around their online learning environment, and learning/remembering referencing systems and all that joy.
Oddly enough, I actually enjoyed all that. So imagine how much "fun" it'll be when I get into the "real" subjects!
I got to celebrate the birthday of my friend and hairdresser in January. And at the same time met some awesome new potential friends. We had such a fun night we decided to make a habit of it, so about once a month we'll all get together for dinner and a drink or two, with or without the kids.
I had to do a photo for my uni student card, so while I was dressed up for my night out with the girls, I took a photo that I'm actually pretty happy with :)
I finished another painting this month as well. Our challenge was to use one colour, and shade/tint it with black/white. I'm happy with how she's come out. I love the shape her body makes and the sense of movement in her hair and dress. And the feeling it reminds me of from when I used to dance :)
The Big Fella has been assisting in a training school for the past 14 weeks. The first and last 5 weeks were at a town down on the coast about three and a half hours from home. It's been tough, but a LOT easier than before we first moved up here and the Little Big Fella was so much younger. We're excited to have him back home again for the foreseeable future!
The Little Big Fella and I drove down one weekend to hang with the Big Fella, which was a fun break from routine. We did some shopping, eating (of course!) and general hanging around.
I was amazed by the creativity in their public spaces! They had multi-purpose spaces that were functional, interesting, creative, relevant to their area and generally well thought out. I think I'm going to need to get in touch with the people who design our public spaces and see if we can come up with some good ideas to bring people together creatively.
I surprised the Little Big Fella with a trip into our biggest close town to see the live show of Deadly 60. He really enjoys the TV show, and seeing it live was really cool. We ran into a bunch of friends there, which made it extra special. Then had some Hungry Jacks before the long drive home.
We're back on a health kick this year, hoping we can make it more of a long-term lifestyle change. The Big Fella and I have put a bit on over the last few years and we're uncomfortable in our clothes. Add a bit of hot Queensland weather and you have the inspiration for getting back in shape. So far I've lost 2kg, which is a nice, steady loss for me, and I seem to be taking to the routine well enough. The proof will be in the pudding, though!
So that's pretty much January! Fingers crossed I'll see you again in about 28 days :)
