Dark Ages.......

Right...

We've gone back to the dark ages and given up our landline and Broadband to save money for our Europe trip next May..... sigh the things we do...

that and I was sick of Telecom ripping us off all the time...

SO

Effective Wed 27th February we are only contactable on our cells and work phones.... I won't give them out over the net so if you haven't got them - tough.

Screw you Japan - scientific whaling - riiiiiiiight......

Peace out.

Muggy.....

Am I living in Wellington?

I seem to have transported to a different city with this late summer weather we are having - its all very twilight zone...

do do do do, do do do do.....

Can it get any muggier?

It's 10pm on Sunday night and I have every window in the house open, the back door and the sliding doors open and there isn't a drop of wind. I've even resorted to pulling out the free standing fan and having that going in the lounge to try and cool down.

If you even think about moving you break into a sweat!

SO MUGGY

Its gonna be a nightmare trying to sleep tonight.... Times like this you wish you didn't have a husband radiating heat next to you....

Guess I'd be whinging if it was cold ;)

Rock on.

These boots are made for walking?.....

well maybe around the office only ;)

hahahahahaha

me and my boots... love it.

~~~~

Oh and I'm watching you :) Stealing from a Smith sisters post I have joined up to Google Analytics for my blog - its very cool - I have had people check out my blog from several places including all around NZ; two from Melbourne; two cities in UK plus one in the States (who that is I have no idea?).

haha - I never knew I was so loved - especially when 5 of you checked me out on Valentines Day - feel the love...

Peace out.

Return of friends.....

Well what an exciting week for return of friends......

First we get a phonecall early in the week from our good friend Jono who lives in the UK saying he's going to be back next week for a few weeks on a wee break. Can't wait to catch up with him, and then he says he and his lovely lady friend Sam (yet to be introduced) are coming back for good at the end of the year - yay!

Then I bump into Ange and Paul within an hour of them landing in NZ - small country eh.

Then today Kath finds out she got the Adventure Travel job in Wellington - would you believe its only 200meters away from my work! Bigger picture is that she is moving to Wellington in less than 4 weeks!!! Yay yay yay - can you believe that its been 10 years since we both lived in the same city together - crazy....

I wonder what tomorrow will bring.....

Modern marriage.....

Is this the way of the world nowadays?

My husband and I have fallen into this horrible habit of sorting out the comings and goings in our lives. In the old days you used to talk to each other about what you were doing, what time dinner was etc....

Now we send meeting requests to each to each other via Outlook mail.

How sad is that. But it works. I can see what Matt has planned, he can see what I have planned. We can plan something else just by checking our Outlook calenders. I can even download it into my phone so I can check that.

Some people have pictures on the fridge, we have - yep you guessed it - a month planner and a year planner. One of those neat whiteboard ones that last FOREVER..... ;) just wipe away that month and start again ;)

Handy to update and check when one arrives home to an empty house...

and its only February.

I repeat - Is this the way of the world nowadays?

~~~~

But at any rate Sage for her first ever swim in the weekend...... went with a workmate and her dog. I think the photo's say it all....

Sage & Stick

Baylie and Submarine Sage

Sage

Velvet Brown....

Ooops - I did a Britney.....

~ Nope didn't marry a backupdancer.

~ Nope didn't get pregnant twice.

~ Nope didn't get divorced then have my life spiral out of control...

~ Nope I didn't shave my hair off....

But yes I did go Brunette.........Velvet brown to be exact...

Keeping blonde was just a little bit expensive in a year where I want to save 20G for a holiday ;)

First day survived with a surprisingly amount of positive comments - even guys noticed! I mean c'mon, men noticing a hair colour - I guess something drastic like going from Blonde to Brunette would actually them notice. And all of them said they liked it better than blonde - Really????

Anyway final decision of change pending - the blonde in me isn't that easy to get rid off. At least I think this colour will stay longer than my mousey brown 5 days last year ;)

Fun weekend....

We had a FUN weekend just been.....!

....not only for the fact that it was a break from the first week back to work, but that we did two things that we never normally do.

Saturday night we went to the Speedway. I haven't been to the speedway since I was a kid!

Fun!

It was the perfect weekend to go as Te Marua Speedway had a $10,000 fireworks display and a demolition derby at the end of normal racing.

Fun!

Sunday we went to the Central Golden Retreiver Club Dogs Day out in Titahi Bay. Not only did Sage get to play with lots and lots and lots of other Golden Retreievers, but she also got to play at being a show dog, agility dog and meet a couple of her brothers, sisters and cousins.

Sage being followed by a small puppy

Fun!

Anyway here are some pics of our Fun weekend - well actually the fun Sunday cause I didn't take my new cool very expensive camera to the speedway.

Sage learning how to be Show Dog (her cousin to the left of the pic and her show dog sister to the right)

Sage learning how to be an Agility Dog

Sage very satisfied at the end of a Fun Weekend!

Au Revoir Sir Edmund Hillary.....

1919 ~ 2008

I wish I had something deep and meaningful to say about one of New Zealand's most famous personalities.

I don't.

Au Revoir - may you rest in peace.

And so begins 2008....

Well 8 days in to the new year and its Business as Usual....

Get up , work, eat, walk dog, sleep and repeat.

Tell me why we do this again? Oh that right we are living the kiwi dream of the bank owning our house. Or two in our case ;) oh well - C'est la vie

Now that I'm back at work and finding ways to procrastinate from actually working, I've got no excuse to upate this blog.

So the year that was.

2007 - Highlights

* Buying my new racing stripes car
* Becoming Landords in Maungaraki
* Becoming Upper Hutt residents in Totara Park - flat land, more sun and NO WIND!!!!
* Getting my gorgeous Golden Retriever!
* Surviving one year of marriage ;)

2007 - Lowlights

* Overspending (all me)
* Having to commute 45mins each way to work
* Going up 2 sizes since Wedding
* Overspending - did I mention that....


2008 Resolutions

Not that I actually make any but are more like goals that I will work towards this year...

* make more of an effort (in everything)
* lose at least a dress size and get back to normal fitness!!!
* don't spend so much
* save for Europe Holiday in May 2009
* survive another year of marriage (that's the easy one!)
* don't spend so much... did I mention that....

so that's me for my first entry of 2008...
TTFN

The thing about Christmas....

.....is that you tend to catch up with friends who aren't in the country at this time of the year....

and that you realise that after talking to them that you do miss them - surprisingly so...

Case and point.

Thursday was our annual chrissy get together of Davenports, Penfolds and Listers for a chrissy drink , dinner and secret santa. And can't forget Ms Barclay... Good night to be had by all.

anyway I digress...

Anyway during these get togethers we make the annual toll call to those loved ones overseas - Kerryn (UK) and the Kershaws (Melbourne).

Even though these phonecalls are extremely brief and is content is no doubt repeated by the poor overseas soul 7 times while passed around the increasingly tiddly participants of so annual chrissy drink, I come away from these phonecalls with several conflicting emotions... (which may or may not be slightly enhanced by possible alcohol consumption)

a) really happy to yet again catch up (albiet briefly) with friends..

b) a pang of sadness that I do actually really miss having these people in my day to day life.

I mean you know you miss them, and that they are living their life, and you are living theirs and they are still your friends, but when you hear their voice you realise you want to have more than the odd phonecall, or email, or blog read. That you realise that you want to be part of their usual day to day activites.

The pang of sadness comes when you realise that actually you can't - that you are living your life in one country, and they are living their life in another and it aint likely to change any time soon.

ahh the trials of growing older.

and this only after talking to two of my overseas friends! Enough of that alcohol!

So for all those overseas mates who are reading this - love to you all for Christmas in 2007!!!

Peace out.

Christmas is getting closer...

I love Christmas.

I just do.

I love putting silly christmas decorations up.

I love putting lights all over my house.

I love wearing silly christmas hats (santa hats, elves hats... you name it).

I love putting up my tree.

I love attempting to dress the dog with reindeers antlers and/or christmas hat. She'll learn - the cat did.

I love buying presents. But even better is I love giving presents.

I love the way people get excited when they get a present. Even if its a bottle of wine that you give to your pensioned neighbours. It gives me warm fuzzies when they are so grateful that you thought of them. Even if the bottle of wine had been sitting in our liquor cabinet for a couple of years. And that it was a horrible chardonnay that I don't like.

I love making homemade chocolate to wrap up in cellophane to give to my workmates.

I love wearing silly flashing xmas lights on my clothes.

I love just spending hours and hours finding that perfect present for someone.

I love being with my family around xmas.

I love Christmas.

I love that it is only 1.5 days until I'm on a two week holiday.

oh and I love my gorgeous dog - have I said that yet? She is gorgeous.

Message to Ange......

I can't believe you cut your hair....

I am NOT SPEAKING to you.

I am going to vent instead on this blog.

vent - vent - vent - vent

I do like your hair long!!!! And you are getting married soon so no more cuts until AFTER the wedding!!!!!

I DONT CARE if Brisbane is 40deg for the next 5 months! and I know it will reach that over xmas cause I have experienced xmas over there twice now. Hot hot hot.

Sigh.

If only the new haircut looked bad and then I could vent some more... ;)

I just hope your bridesmaids read this blog and attempt to stop you cutting your hair!!!

Procrastination......

is the name of the game...

it's a game I really rather good at - as I'm quite often told by a certain Smith sister ;)

but that's beside the point - I have been expounding the virtues of having a blog, and selfishily enjoying reading all my friends, yet its been nearly a month since I've updated mine - doh. I guess procrastination doesn't even begin to describe it!!

So what have I been up to in the last 4 weeks....

Well I guess the most important thing was our First Year Wedding Anniversary... cue the awwwwwww....

Married one year - gosh - didn't that go fast - I can't believe that a year ago I was gorgeous, toned and taned! Oh and getting married of course. Time just flies eh... hope for us yet right! I mean if we can last the first year without even noticing that it has been a year we must be off to a good start!!!

But he did very well for our anniversary (paper themed) - which was on the Sunday.

Firstly on the Friday I got my Friday present of a Golden Retriever Calendar (awwww) and a dozen roses delivered. Not just ordinary roses mind you. A dozen specially ordered roses that were the same brand that I had for my wedding (awwwww). The exact brand. I know they were specially ordered cause I had to hunt them down specially for my wedding.... Yep that brought on some tears ;)

Didn't he do well.

Saturday I received my Saturday present of DIY Photo Block mounts - he knows I love that sort of thing.

Sunday (day of anniversary) I got my Sunday present of a figurine made of nuts and bolts of a couple sitting on a bench having a cuddle (Ange its the same one we got you for your engagement!) hehe - so romantic!

Then we went out for breakfast in Island Bay, travelled around the bays, had iced coffee on Oriental Bay, walked the dog along the river and to top it all off he took me to Lighthouse cinema and watched John Travolta sing and dance as a woman (Hairspray). Now I know he truly loves me if he took me to that.

All in all a perfect weekend to celebrate what has been a perfect year of marriage..... awwwww

But enough of the romantic crap.

November and December have been a month of being busy busy busy.

~ Dog Training
~ Netball Meetings (yes they never end)
~ Indoor Soccer (matt)
~ Walking the dog
~ Playing with the cat
~ Playing with the husband (hehe)
~ Social Life (yep most nights)
~ Hens night
~ Start of the silly season drinks, dinners etc etc...
~ and of course working....

As of today we are booked every day for something until new years day....

Oh - also brought a new tent (upgraded to 2 bedroom tent with room for me to stand up in) - man I was sick of that little tent.... very excited about that one ;)

and the cat brought a frog into the house the other day...

so that should keep a few people occupied for a couple of days ;) will add to my new resolutions list to attempt to update my blog more frequently.

Love to all - especially Fi who is mourning the passing of her father. We are thinking of you both.

EIRSA no more.....

Gosh I lead a boring life at the moment.... I've logged on several times over the last few weeks and just sat there thinking - I have nothing to say...

How boring is that....

Things are looking to spice up in the next few days at work though - we have a new boss CIO (Chief Information Officer) starting on Thursday, and our team has been dissolved and are no longer EIRSA. My old boss (Paula) for those in the know - has been removed from our team and taken Elizabeth with her to a floor below us with the other Senior Management Team Members. So we are now back to being called DAS (Data Application Support) for CIO Group... until the new CIO (a young Asian bird) decides on a new name for us.

That's boring too.

Oh and we've been merged with Communications and the IT groups. Fun fun fun.

hmm - what else...

Was in the good old HB a couple of weeks ago for my Grandmothers 80th and Family renunion and had a blast catching up with everyone... And we also caught up with Sage's brother and cousin - three golden retrievers running on the beach -you can't get much cuter than that... So I'll leave you with that image until I can think of something not so boring!

Currently off line....

This website is currently off line

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the author being slack and not updating this blog in a timely fashion.

This website should be up and running in the next few days.

Kind Regards
BarWench Managment Team