And now for my next 10 years!

Its 5:30 on New Years Eve, so naturally, I am feeling reflective (and a little thirsty...nearly time to crack some champers I think!). This year is a bit special though. I remember exactly where I was 10 years ago. I was 18 years young, naive, idealistic and excited. I was sitting in my newly rented flat with my whole life before me in a camphor wood chest. I'd left Darwin less than a week before and with it, a life of familiarity, comfort, family and security.
Now here I am, ten years later, sitting in a house (still rented, but hey, mortgages are no fun!), still a bit naive, more a realist than an idealist and still excited. I have a life of familiarity, comfort, family and security.
A lot has happened in between. Obviously, moving away from home, I had to start afresh, build everything up from the ground. Then a few years later, unfortunate circumstances and a few bad decisions meant I once again had to start over. I have had extreme highs and lows, but the highs have far outweighed the lows and each and every experience has helped to me where I am today!
The last 2 years have probably been my best, happiest and most productive. I've developed deep and enriching friendships with people who I feel as if I have known my whole life, my family have all moved closer (like within 60km instead of 3000km!), I've landed a good job and I have managed to maintain a functional relationship (greatly assisted by the fact that I am with a functional person!). I'm proud of myself, but more than that, I am grateful to the people and the experiences that I have had along the way.
So I wonder what the next 10 years holds......

Happy 2009!

When do you stop searching?

A bit of an etiquette question here. I received a gift some time ago, from a friend. It was in one of those 'take away noodle' type boxes. The box was probably big enough to put, say, a tennis ball in and was filled with tissue paper. Nestled in the tissue paper was a lovely pendant, about the size of a 10c piece (different shape).
Now here is my question. Once I found the pendant, admired it and thanked her, I wasn't sure if I should continue looking in the box for further goodies. The pendant on it's own was a perfect gift and has become one of my favourite pieces, however the box was quite large and so I kept digging, just to see if there was anything more. My friend said quite bluntly "There's nothing more in there." Then I think we both felt a bit embarrassed.
So when should you stop searching? Do you take out one thing, admire it and then wait and see if the person says, "Oh, keep looking, there's more!" or do you just shift the box aside and check out later to see if there is anything more in there!!!
Optionally, you could take the path of my 3 year old nephew on Christmas day. After he had opened the ukelele I gave him, he turned to me and said "Annie, have you got any more presents for me?" Direct, to the point, no second guessing! I like his style!
Quite the dilemma!

Making the cut

So, as a previous blog mentioned, I got engaged recently. Stoked, elated, happy, thrilled etc. This means that a person that I love and admire greatly, feels much the same about me and has decided to demonstrate that by a) spending money on me to buy me a very perfect ring and b) more important than any purchase, has agreed to enter into a legal agreement that is designed to last until one or both of us kick the bucket! Quite a while, we both hope!!!

It also means that we are sentenced to arrange a wedding. I love weddings. The frock, the frolics, the food, the speeches, the teary Mums, the music and dancing and the love that buzzes round the room (ok, that last bit is a little cheesy!). But I am speaking from the experience of going to other peoples weddings. Weddings that someone else has planned the menu for, someone else has booked the venue, someone else has had the fittings and the hair-do and selected every song and put up with sage advice from everyone........and someone else has written the guest list.........

The list! Oh my GOSH!!! Ok, so finding a dress to flatter my very womanly curves is going to be a challenge, checking out venues is a bit boggling and working out the food arrangements is going to be a tough one, but nothing has stressed me out as much as "who's in, who's out!"

Comments comments comments! I want heaps! Who do I absolutely HAVE to invite!!!? Parents friends with kids you knew when you were young, but have little in common with now, so you went to their daughters wedding, are you now under the obligation to invite her little brother as well?
Second cousins (I don't have any first cousins, so a few of my second cousins have stepped up to the plate over the years), how many of them do I have to invite? One of them is a very close friend, but others, I wouldn't know if I fell over them!!! Only recently did I discover that Andy had been playing basketball with one of my second cousins for months before I put two and two together!
Work mates. You get on great at work, but you have no idea who they are outside work, yet they have spent hours of work time looking at wedding sites with you and you do lunch occasionally and bitch about Kerry* from the mailroom (*not a real person, I have no idea who works in our mailroom, but they do a great job!).
And friends that you bump into, reminisce about the good old days and say "we must catch up for a coffee sometime...." and you never do.

This is why I want to elope!!!

Since When does the world end on Boxing Day???

Ah, December. The oversized Father Christmas is up in the mall, the pageant has been and gone and the festive season is upon us. Email inboxes are flooded with Festive invitations to drinks and nibbles, hither and yon, the tinkling sound of Christmas carols reverberates through every shopping arcade and everything is red, green and gold. People go a little nuts. People all of a sudden get this sudden urge to see other people! There are people everywhere, yet everyone wants their pound of flesh. If I had a dollar for every time someone said to me "We must catch up before Christmas!" I would be able to do my entire Christmas shopping and still have some left for a pedicure to spoil myself!
Why must we catch up before Christmas? Do you have a present for me? If the answer is yes, give me the name of the pub and I'll be there....hell, I'll even whip you up some rum balls! Ok, I am not that fickle, but it never ceases to amaze me how many people pull this line out! People I haven't seen for months, all of a sudden, at the beginning of December, have this urge to "Catch up before Christmas!"
So what happens if we don't? Does the world end on Boxing Day? Are they so concerned that my new years resolution is to ditch all the friends who didn't catch up with me for a frienzied champers between Christmas shopping and rum ball making?
Let me assure you, all my friends out there, near and far, weekly, monthly and annual catcher uppers, I will still be here after Christmas. Failing a dreadful accident or any apocalyptic activity, I plan to still be here, still like catching up for a drink and still a moderately nice person both before and after December 25th!

If I don't see you before....Have a lovely Christmas!