the good in the everyday.

In a world filled with so much hatred and darkness, it’s so important to focus on the good.

Do good. Be good. Spread the goodness.

Native flowers.

Cool places to spend hours playing pool and drinking beers.

A quirky, artistic city to call home.

Weekend wanderings.

Catching up over delicious beverages and inspiring crockery.

Spring.

Beauty found in unlikely places.

Book swaps with passionate friends (and time spent alone in public, reading).

My new favourite hobby!

A bag o’ bun.

I’m feeling thankful.

just a minute in April/May.

Oh, man. How is it the end of May?! Life is very busy, often stressful, but things are good. I’ve had some sad diagnoses in my family, a blissful week away, and a really, really, really happy engagement. 

Yup! We got engaged! Overlooking the Indian Ocean in Bali – the day after our 5-year anniversary and the day of my 24th birthday – Rufus asked me to marry him. We both laughed and cried and laughed some more; then drank some beers and danced in our hotel room. It was the happiest moment of my life. I’m going to marry my best friend!

Eating: I just finished a mini Snickers bar, and now I feel sick. Live and learn, right? (Or live and never learn, in this case…)

Cooking: Well… look. Admittedly I haven’t been great at the whole cooking thing lately. I’ve been going with old stand-bys: sweet potato with kale and eggs, pasta with broccoli and chickpeas, stir fry with tofu and soba noodles.

Drinking: heaps of green tea and Berocca; I’m trying to get rid of a cold.

Learning: that I need to slow things down to enjoy life more.

Reading: Following my last catch up post (3 months ago!), I’m reading Stephen Fry’s The Fry Chronicles. Since February, I’ve also finished the Maze Runner trilogy, which I really, really enjoyed, and Damned by Chuck Palahniuk (super strange: classic Chuck).

Wanting: my eyelid eczema to go away.

Looking: forward to heading home to celebrate our engagement! The girls I work with have been 100% amazing about making me feel special and loved… but it is a little sad that we can’t celebrate with our family just yet.

Listening: Mostly I’ve been working to the sounds of my missed Uni lectures. 

Wasting: time trying to multitask.

Wishing: I was a better gardener… everything keeps dying! Partly because I’m lazy and inattentive, partly because I don’t plant things at the right time and/or bugs.

Liking: pear season. 🙂

Feeling: unbelievably happy.

Watching: Rufus and I just finished the latest season of Dr Who (sah gahd). Also watching The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which is fun, and catching up on Suits.

Needing: a long hot-yoga session. 

Smelling: Sukin’s Hydrating Mist Toner. My skin is super dehydrated this winter, which is fun.

Wearing: layers. Preppy layers. 

Noticing: the way my new ring sparkles in the sunlight. It acts like a disco ball, and that pleases me. 

Grateful for: the girls I work with. They’ve been absolutely amazing – decorated my office and planned a surprise morning tea and are genuinely excited for me. I’m so, so lucky!

Loving: my fiance. Naw, what a sap!

birthday boy.

It was this guy’s birthday last week. To celebrate the day, we ate dumplings and drank wine for dinner after work; because we know how to party. This weekend, the celebrations continued.









Burger crawl! Burgers for breakfast, lunch and dinner (except we gave up after lunch and just ate salad for dinner), many beers, potato chips, new DJ gear, art, and new tattoos. I love weekends like this – holed up in my happy place with boyfie. Happiest of Birthdays Rufus – I love you and your face.

bendigo.

A few weekends ago, I went and stayed with my family in Bendigo (previous trips here, here and here). It was incredibly cold, but my Aunty’s warmly decorated home (along with the fireplace) kept me cozy. I spent time with my cousin, drank red wine and ate vindaloo with my family, reminisced on old photos in the evening, and woke up to pancakes.

In the morning, my Aunty and I donned gumboots, scarves and jackets, and went walking through their 25 acres of land – which I never even knew they had. We saw kangaroos, sheep (both domestic and wild), huge birds, and many-a-foxhole.

spot the kangaroo?

This farmhouse always manages to ground me; return me to myself. I think it’s the quiet.

Mark and Wingman got married!

Let me just preface this post with: I am SO sorry about my layout. I tried to fix my subscription button and ended up ruining the whole thing. Never fear! Georgia of wherever we find ourselves is on the case with her magical skills with code. Thanks Georgia! I’m so sorry!

So, a couple of weekends ago, Rufus and I took a quick trip to Fiji to see my cousin marry his beautiful fiance. 









The ceremony was during sunset, on the edge of the ocean; it was beyond stunning. It was low key and gorgeous – exactly what the happy couple had wanted – with more photos taken than I had ever seen before! After the ceremony we were serenaded along the beachfront to a big communal table where the festivities would begin. I spent the evening drinking wine, eating copious quantities from the beautiful buffet, dancing with my family (Elton John’s Can You Feel The Love Tonight may have been played more than once), and laughing myself silly. I even caught the bouquet!

A wedding photographer I am not (please excuse me while I reestablish my editing style); I hope I captured even half of the excitement, beauty and love we felt on the day. Watching my father dance to Gangnam Style surrounded by family members new and old is a visual I certainly won’t forget!

thankful.

I am thankful for my home, which keeps me grounded and safe. I’m thankful for Jango; my ever-bouncy baby bunny – he’ll be turning 1 soon – who makes me smile when I’m feeling my worst. I’m thankful for my clothing; for ever-so-slowly discovering my own personal style, which communicates so much of ourselves to the outside world. I’m thankful for coffee. I’m thankful for Rufus. I’m thankful for a healthy body. I’m thankful for family. I’m thankful for a growing circle of friends. I’m thankful for food – nourishing, wholesome, delicious food – and new favourite restaurants. I’m thankful for an upcoming holiday – and of course, the financial stability required for a mid-year holiday.
I’m thankful for my ring collection. I’m thankful for my hair. I’m thankful for my eye colour. I’m thankful for new BB cream. I’m thankful for a facewash that works. I’m thankful for my favourite sunglasses and my favourite diary and my favourite blouse. I’m thankful for discovering a brand new way to wear cardigans.

I’m thankful for these photos, because they remind me of an awesome weekend spent wandering by the sea, eating delicious food, holding hands, and acquiring wonderful art.

I need to see the sea again.

23.

Last weekend, I turned 23.

I wore my favourite pug jumper and my favourite skirt (which is sadly falling to pieces); we ate croissants and drank coffee and wandered through the suburbs in the autumn sunshine; we took a train into the city to see the Dreamworks exhibition at ACMI; we ate sushi (and took a photo to mirror the one in this post); I missed our families dearly; and last night – three days later – I made myself a birthday cake (recipe).

Twenty (20), twenty-one (21), twenty-two.

March/April recap.

This is the little March/April recap that would have been. A lot has happened in these last two months! We spent 2 months house-sitting with a big sook of a dog (who I miss terribly), Rufus’ sister came to visit, our application was approved for the little house of our dreams, and we’ve done a lot of exploring and a lot of eating.

Caitlyn came to visit on the weekend of Future Music Festival, which was a lot of fun! The highlight of her trip, however, was the exploration we did and the food we consumed. We went to the aquarium, along with Lil’ Boy Blue (crumbed eggs), Hardware Societe (the hot chocolate! gah!), Carlton Club, and PonyFish (the awesome, laid back, completely unpretentious bar under a bridge); just to name a few. It was so great having her around, and it was really, really sad to see her go. I think Melbourne wanted her to stay; we kept seeing billboards and buses with “MELBOURNE. STAY.” written on them.

One weekend, I decided to explore Brunswick Street on my own. I ate croissants and chocolate, drank coffee and wine, stumbled across an artist’s market, and spent far too much money on homewares and succulents. It was pretty perfect.

Another sunny weekend in April, Rufus and I decided to explore the suburb of Prahran. We ate breakfast at the wonderful Tall Timber, explored the markets, wandered the picturesque streets, and finished at Misty’s Diner with some fat-filled snacks.

 

These last few photos were taken in our new neighbourhood. We walked to the local markets and ate a delectable feast (albeit, in the freezing wind) at My Other Brother; excitement ensued as a photography team was there shooting for an ad, and commandeered our table! (See reviews for the places we eat here).

As for our new home – we finally have the floorboards I’ve always wanted. We have a separate laundry and a separate dining room and a separate pantry (luxuries!). Our kitchen is huge; Rufus and I turn the music on – first thing in the morning, and immediately after getting home each day – and dance. Sometimes with wine in hand, others with Milo or chocolate or a giant cheese toastie. Jango loves the space – he binkies with complete abandon on the daily! We have huge French doors leading out into our courtyard, with the view of an vine-covered back fence greeting us – little birds have made nests there.

Life is good, and we are so happy. 

Best Wedding.

This was going to be a March/April recap, but I have about a thousand photos of the Best wedding back in March that needed to take centre stage. Most of these were taken by Rufus (hence why I’m in so many) – he has quite an eye. Looking back through these photos makes me so, so happy.

The wedding was absolute perfection. The bride was stunningly beautiful, the groom was bursting with happiness and excitement, and an award-winning musician played at the ceremony and the reception (the highlight was the union between the two greatest people I know, sure… but the musician certainly didn’t hurt). I was lucky enough to be in the bridal party, and snapped a few photos the night before and the morning of, before Rufus took over during the wedding.

I honestly can’t think of two people more deserving of the unconditional love and support they’ve found in each other – they are an inspiration in so many ways.

touching base.

I miss this space.

We don’t have the internet at home and due to my heavy workload at present, editing photos at home and uploading them at work isn’t an option for me. But I have been so, so happy! In fact, I haven’t been so happy in a very long time.

Since last we spoke, two of my favourite people got married – and I had the honour of being a bridesmaid – in the most beautiful wedding ceremony of all time. In fact, you might say it was the Best wedding I’ve ever attended. We’ve been house-hunting for a rental; a place to call home in this crazy city. No luck as yet – though I have my fingers and toes crossed for a beautiful townhouse we applied for recently! Work is busy, and often challenging, and I couldn’t be any happier with it. Uni has started and I’m pleasantly surprised at my own determination to stay on top of lectures and assignments; it feels good to have an end-goal in mind, finally. We’ve been eating some delicious food, of course, and exploring our new city’s suburbs, art galleries and museums with excitement. Rufus’ sister Caitlyn came to visit us and we spent the weekend eating, drinking and dancing – it was so great to see her. And although I’m absolutely loving the life we’re creating for ourselves here, we’re also excitedly planning a few little trips during the next few months – mostly back to Adelaide, but also a little trip to Fiji for my cousin’s wedding in June!

Life is good! I will upload a bunch of photos from the past few months when I get the chance, but until then, here’s a low-quality photo of some of my favourite folk from the wedding, which I stole from a friend’s Facebook page. Please excuse my goofy expression.

How are you? How’s life? And your friends? Your dog? I hope you’re smiling.