Wedding Rings, Bubbles and Bolt Cutters!!!

It's been a while since I've blogged, so I'll set the scene for this entry.....
So my first point of excitement is the arrival of Sandra, my friend of 25+ years and her lovely (now very grown up) daughter, Danika. Her son Ben had to stay behind because of work commitments. I was stalking the driveway waiting for their taxi to arrive! I hadn't seen them for at least 5 years.
After lots of catching up, I tried to get some sleep, not very successfully though I might add..
Friday 'busy day', picking up dress hoop, suit, buying dress #2 for Jasmine, generally all the last minute stuff. Too bad we all ended up too tired for celebratory drinks!

The Big Day Arrives !
Up at a ridiculous hour..no great surprise there hey! Surprisingly calm although feeling a bit queasy. Sandra does me the hugest favour and takes all the kids down to Chermside to give me some time alone, which I waste disgracefully by playing on the computer and starting to drink wine lol.
Jason and Tehanne arrived and it all started to feel quite real, but was so glad to have T's calming influence ;) a good ole gossip session did wonders. Before I know it the hair and make-up ladies arrive to work their magic on T and I, we'd lost track of time enjoying cheese, cut into bite-sized pieces to counter the make-up lass' challenge of 'once I've done your make-up, you won't be able to eat' HA! We sure proved her wrong. Btw, garlic infused cheese, thumbs up!
Donna delivered the beautiful flowers, she offered to make up the bouquets for me so I didn't have to, but she went above and beyond, they are gorgeous! Another friend Nardia wandered down to see me and have a chat, she was great also at keeping me distracted and calm..and funny, I was so distracted that I lost all trace of self-consciousness, very unlike me.
Panic set in when I finally saw the time, I still have not set that bloody clock right on the microwave!, and realized we'd be very late..the plan was to leave at 3.30pm sharp.
A quick photo with my elderly, much loved and respected neighbour Ron, who couldn't make it to the wedding due to illness, his lovely well wishes, it was 'shitting ourselves' time, a.k.a 3.50pm! The wedding due to start at 4 pm, 25 drive away!
While I was tempted a few times to stomp my foot on top of Jason's while he drove me, we had to take it steady to allow T to follow with the bridesmaids and matron of honour.
We made pretty good time though, arriving at about quarter past 4, running through quick order in the carpark, pinning a flower to my beloved 'Dad's ' lapel and he readied to give me away. Previously this conjured up giggly visions in my head of him walking me in, shoving me forward and shouting 'she's all yours now!!!" LOL
I ran a bit through the park, but was scolded to stop, in case I fell and made an arse of myself...quite possible considering the amount of wine I'd consumed hehe. But at least I proved you CAN run in a wedding dress ;)
Still strangely calm, we strolled towards my man, stepping on the dress all the way. very cliche', I didn't even notice all the people around, only Dean♥
We arrived to him to the tune of 'At Last' by Etta James', a nice little joke I thought lol.
Bugger me, that ceremony was quick! Still don't reckon it went for 25 mins..The bubbles floated on the breeze, much hugging, time for photos, some beautiful ones, some shamefully posted on facebook ones too haha. Communication breakdown/confusion meant that the Aunts/Uncles/Cousins didn't know we were taking photos, a real shame we can't go back.

The Reception!
A short drive from the Gardens, the reception venue. Did think it was a bit strange that everyone's cars were lined up the street, they do have onsite parking after all.
We arrive last, to see why....the gates were PADLOCKED SHUT!
W T F ????
Much scratching of heads and reaching for mobile phones later, Craig, the best man, jumps the very high, sharp point topped gates. He is gone a while, and among jokes of 'the guard dogs have gotten him', my thought was 'he's having a big ole' chinwag with someone' lol...if you know Craig, you'll know he likes a chat!
He came back eventually with news that the catering staff hadn't known about the gates, and they can only have been locked between about 1.30pm and then as Dean, Craig and Jason had been there decorating the dining room. Apparently they were on the phone trying to get hold of someone to come and unlock them again.
This was my time to lose it LOL, wavering between being majorly pissed off and embrassed and crying. Somewhere amongst that was the phone call I made to both the club and the person I'd been dealing with, neither of which till this day have returned my calls, strange that.
Now I hadn't been paying attention to the growing murmuring crowd gathering at the gates, but at some point I heard 'who is that walking up the road in the green shirt with bolt cutters?'
It was one of my cousins Jenny lmao..someone had mentioned bolt cutters, someone else thought that was a great idea, and Jenny and Katrina just happened to have some in their car!!! Still don't know why, but I'd love to find out HEHE!
So the chain was cut, the padlock tossed and the spinning of tyres as the masses entered the carpark, at last!
So we were free to enjoy the reception after all, not too far behind schedule. All was pretty good after that, the wrong wines were swapped around, the bridal table got their first round of drinks free as 'compensation', one of the highchairs was crap, but overall I was just happy to be there.
Both Dads did a great job of sharing the MC'ing duties, mine made me cry, but that's his job ;)
A good night was family and friends, that may not have been as successful if not for bolt cutters!!! ♥

The 'moral' of the story? :
If someone has booked your venue for their wedding reception, expect that when they leave they will 'forget' to pay the wine bill....LOL!

It's true...I'm having an affair!

I've been sneaking around on my husband-to-be and my family. I've become so ashamed of myself. It has to stop!
I've neglected my "wifely duties' for quite a while now, the youngest child is running around in Mighty Mite stained clothing, the laundry remains unwashed, dishes are piling up, the vacuum cleaner has forgotten my firm but loving touch.
I can't remember the last time I provided a fully-cooked and served meal for my family, the last time I dusted the ornaments, let alone the TV screen!
While I've been away, books lay unread, craft remains undone, toilet hastily and half-heartedly cleaned. Phone calls to be made are ignored, emails to be checked "later".
But later never ever comes... last time I looked, over 1500. This from a woman who used to clean it out each and every day.
My love affair is out of control, something drastic will need to happen - and soon.
The strangest thing is Dean and the family know all about it!!! They condone it! Any other man would not stand for it, he allows it to happen! "It makes you happy" he says.
Is he crazy???? Hasn't he noticed the housework has "slipped" somewhat? Hasn't he noticed that cold, empty space in the bed next to him at night? You can't tell me he hasn't noticed that he has to cook dinner after a day at work????
Maybe the whole "it makes me happy that you're happy" saying is real after all. But seriously, I really need to break it off with my lover, too many other things are falling to the wayside around here.
It will be hard, but necessary. I don't think I'd be able to handle going cold turkey, so I'm going to let him down gently and slowly.
I'll start tomorrow....I hope...
I'll try not to see him before 8 in the morning, he must go before Dean finishes work, I may see him after dinner but not too late. He has to let me get this house back in order and the jobs on my to-do list to actually get done, he never ever helps me with any of it anyway! Just usually interrupts it.
But for now I'll go and spend a little more time with him before I have to lay down the rules....

W H Y ??????

A few things have made me think about the whole human race in general...
OK, so the animals have their fair share of species' that are born "sticky-beaks", case in point : the bird is on the floor of the cage in the extreme near corner watching me type...whenever I get home from somewhere, the cat needs to know what I have in my bag, and the fish gives the googly-eye whenever anyone is on or near the computer..or maybe he's just begging for pellets? But why do we humans feel this strong urge to know EVERYTHING that's going on????
Come on, those of you who say you don't pry or gossip, YOU ARE LYING!
It's just in our nature really. The papers, magazines, TV, internet, are all full of some scandal or another on a daily basis. The popular media simply wouldn't have it at all if it wasn't in demand. Who hasn't logged into a social networking site and "snooped" in someone's profile or at their status message? I can freely admit, I have! As I'm sure others' have done to mine also. It's a complusion sometimes, the need to see for ourselves that our seemingly boring lives are not that bad after all, and just for a bit of juicy gossip!
Free-to-air soap operas you could call them in some instances! Full-on comedic dramas in some, quite entertaining really, reading day after day someone's struggle to fill their quota of "LOOK AT ME! PAY ATTENTION TO ME!"
It's like the old traffic accident adage...you know you really shouldn't look, but you just can't look away!!!!
While I'm on a rant...what on earth possesses a complete stranger to ask you for money? Or more to the point, what makes them think that everyone in the world is dumb enough to do it and that they're smarter than everyone else to actually pull it off?
Geez if I had half the balls they think they have, I'd be doing it too! We all would, let's face it! I could easily pay off my wedding dress in record time!
Why does someone who already seems to blog a couple of times a day, about nothing in particular, suddenly blog more than 6 times a day, coincidentally just after they have been a "blog of note"? Fame going to their heads just a wee bit? But, strangely enough again, I can't bring myself to stop reading the damn thing!!!
Why do WE say sorry when someone bumps into US? Or , in my case, why do we apologize to inanimate objects that we bump into LOL? Why do we say "excuse me" only after the burp and not before, as to give a warning of the rudeness to come? Why do we say we're "running to the shops" or "running the kids to school" when we drive there? Why do we find ourselves singing along to songs we hate? Why does it seem when you're straining to hear a noise in the middle of the night, that you hear better with your eyes open? Why do kids like "why?" questions so much, and do they have some secretly hidden file somewhere of key questions they must ask? Is there some agency somewhere that grades their performance? i.e. the real stumpers like "Mummy, why can't the Sun be pink?" or the ones that last forever, like : Q."Why do I have to have a shower?"A. "because you are dirty and have to wash yourself" Q. "But WHYYYYYY?"A. "Argghhhh, just 'cos I said so!!" Q. "Why do you always say that Mummy?"
There are just too many questions!!!! But hopefully it'll mean now I can stop all the damn thinking that's been rattling around in my head.... Why do people say that, there's only a large sponge-like material and blood and stuff in there, it wouldn't rattle!!!
But we can't ever have all the answers to life's questions, but it sure can be fun trying to answer them!!!
WHY????

Flickr !!!!

Well, so much for no more annoying blogs this week, sorry!! haha
After doing a Note on facebook that required getting a picture from Flickr, I thought I'd finally have a look-see and ultimately join up, seeing as already have a Yahoo account, though why not?
Some of my friends already have one too, so that's fun!
Looking for more contacts on Flickr, love sharing my weird pics and seeing other people's beautiful ones and trying to replicate the effects! I'm still learning my way around with every click of the camera's button.
No aspirations of being some famous photographer, just like "nice stuff" !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/suesuebear/

PART 2 of 2 : SOLVED!!!!!!

The offending article.
The problem from earlier today has been solved, but not by me, by Pixie....perhaps she was trying to prove her innocence (of sorts)!
I've just apologized to her for jumping to conclusions with some nice yummy chicken wing tips.
Well, she did do something indirectly naughty though!
Turns out she didn't rip open a jigsaw puzzle box as I thought, or chewed up pieces, well hopefully! But she did bring them out to the hallway.
I'd kinda given up on the search, it was driving me nuts like I figured it would. I was having some lunch in between pottering around putting off the vacuuming when I heard an almighty CRASH (hehe sound effects). Pixie had reached the summit of Mt. Waitingforshed, and was conquering MT. Cupboardtop, when she knocked a whole heap of stuff down, one item being the pictured jigsaw puzzle box - empty!
Light bulb moment!!!!
Remembered Nathan was doing the puzzle like 6 months ago (lost interest quickly it seems now) and was doing it on an old magnetic posterboard, which he then put on the top of the cupboard to keep it out of Jasmine's reach I'm guessing!
Pity it wasn't out of Pixie's reach LOL. So she must've decided to bring a couple of pieces out to play. I shudder to think if there's any pieces missing amongst all the crap in Mt. Waitingforshed, it may not be seen for quite some time yet!
But the best thing to do would be to do the damn puzzle to see if all the pieces are there.....
BUT I AIN'T DOING IT, NO WAY!!!!!!!!
LOL p.s. Nathan : Mum knows what you're doing this weekend when you get bored! ♥ hehe

PART 1 of 2 : Enigma wrapped in a puzzle, wrapped in a jigsaw???

ARGH!!! Was only thinking last night, haven't blogged for a bit, but then, had nothing happen really to talk about...
Till 5 minutes ago, sorta.
Having just given up (for now) looking for eggs and realizing the housework fairies must be having a sickie, was on my way to start the cleaning, seeing Jasmine's away at daycare today. Good time to get all the things done I can't usually with her "helping" me.
Stopped in my tracks by 2 mysterious jigsaw pieces on the floor in the hallway!.....
You may be thinking, 'why so "mysterious"?'. Well, thinking Pixie has somehow gotten into a jigsaw puzzle box - there's nothing that cat doesn't get into, or eat it seems - do you think I can find the wreckage and debris anywhere? NO!
Now I know she was climbing "Mt Waitingforshed" in Nathan's room, having a fine ole' time, but besides the fallen down blankets, outgrown clothing, junk etc, no puzzle boxes! And geez, the picture is REAL helpful too, not exactly many jigsaws without "sky pieces".
Or are they water pieces? A check in the girls' room, usual mess and kaos, but no dragged out puzzles there either! I know they're not part of my 'special' ones, Simpsons, double-sided Cats, Glow-in-the-dark White Tiger, cos I put them out of Jasmine's reach ages ago.
"Now I have something to blog about" I think to myself as I grab the camera! And wow, finally find a use for the scrapbooking words I bought like 3 yrs ago...which brings up another mystery, in a box of words, claiming to be over 4500, why is there no "where"???? Just about everything else weird and wonderful you could think of and some you probably would NEVER ever use in your scrapbooking ventures!
What to do now? I was going to find the correct puzzle and complete it therefore seeing if all pieces were present and accounted for, basically to see if Pixie had eaten any, but I can't even find where they're from....Is it a sign, an omen? Are the fairies playing with my mind?
All I know is, it's going to drive me nuts till I figure it out, stupid things like this prime example always do!!!
Off to search again!!! Might even get some cleaning done while I'm at it, or maybe this will be todays convenient excuse! LOL

Australia Day Long Weekend

Saturday, lunchtime.
Dean's just finished work for the morning, Ant, Em and Jac have left, Jac leaving me with a request for an eraser from the Ginger Factory, we're finally packed, despite every time I put something in the bag, Jasmine takes it out and cracks a wobbly!
Yay! So we set off up the highway for Coolum...going great till we get to the first true Aussie long weekend tradition. Around Burpengary traffic slows to a crawl (no exaggeration). I guess everyone else was working on the leave-early-and-she'll-be-right-mate theory.
Now there's many things you can do while stuck in the crawl, play eye-spy (Jas not too good at it though), look for horsies/cows/trucks/buses, or do what we did...count the Combi vans, ratio of how many of them were broken down on the side of the highway, and remark constantly about how many bloody cars have Australian flags attatched!!!!
Did I miss something this year? Cos I've never, ever seen so many flags on cars any other year!
This had me wondering, does it make you look un-patriotic NOT to have one I wonder?
When the traffic finally thinned out, paying more attention to the radio, an ironic and/or fitting set of songs is being played, one of them being "Working Class Man" Ok, now feeling very Oztraylyan!
More traditions encountered, obviously the heat and humidity...pointed out to us by everyone when we got up the coast, what, do we look like we don't notice? Is our sweat less noticeable maybe? This problem was promptly solved by a swim in Poppy and Nanna Julie's pool, which Jasmine enjoyed so much she didn't want to get out even after the pruny stage. It's pretty cold that pool, but was a great relief. Even Dean got in!
The great Aussie BBQ for dinner was great, felt just like Xmas again, eating so much yummy food cos it's just too damn good!
Sunday we set off to the Ginger Factory at Yandina. Really code for, we HAVE to go to Nutworks across the road, the best flavoured Macadamia Nuts anywhere! The Sour Cream and Onion are the best, closely followed by the Hickory Smoke flavour yummmmmm. I was adventurous enough this time to try the Wasabi flavour ones too, hot in the moment for sure, but passes quickly. Anyway, we set of on the Coolum-Yandina road, a really nice scenic drive, lots of moo moo cows for Jas to see and even a donkey! Nice views of the mountains and canefields...which started one of those "internal music connection" things happening (don't expect me to explain it lol) well the canefields made me think of that GangGajang song "Sounds of Then", (some may know it as "this is australia") I know it's in some ad but can't think of it off the top of my head.
So another patriotic-feeling moment, minus the "lightning crack over the canefileds" cloudy, but no lightning to be seen. We get to Ginger Factory, we've been hundreds of times cos how many other places are still free admission? Not a lot to do really but some good window shopping. We took Jasmine on the "choo choo twain" ride, that weaves around the factory buildings etc, but she was far more interested in the ducks, chickens and roosters that would run alongside the train!
Everything there pretty much is all about ginger, but resisited trying the "gingerbread" ice cream and had some scrumptious lemon cheesecake flavour instead, which we had to eat fast, was melting too quickly to truly savour it. Also wonder if Jas is the only kids I know who DOESN' T like ice cream! Weird if you ask me lol.
Then we get our nuts and go back to Coolum, which was hotter then before we'd left argh! I'll stop complaining about it being hot at home now I think, seeing as I sit here without even the fan on! Good excuse for another swim!!! Well, Jas went in with Nanna Julie and Poppy, I dangled my feet in, Dean blissfully enjoying the all-channels access of the cable while we were up there, I'm too stingy to pay for the movie channels, we wouldn't make the most of them I reckon.
After her swim, Jas went off to the beach with the grandparental units....ALONE! Dean was beside himself worrying she would be naughty or cry for Mum and Dad, but I had to just quickly get her ready and usher her out the door with them before he tried to go along too LOL.
Of course she was just fine when she left! I got to have a nice long un-interrupted shower (no water restrictions there yet) and he probably did enjoy the quiet TV watching time. They returned a good hour and half later, she was nicely worn out and wet and sandy!!! She had a ball! Hopefully will have no trouble convincing Dean to let go a little more now.
You'd think after all the time in the water, a bath to remove the sand would be welcomed, but no lol. Screams and protests followed the forced removal of wet clothes...funny thing too she has the same reaction to getting wet in the rain! Can't make her realise it's all water.
Monday, Australia Day...I must have run all out of patriotism over the weekend, cos it just feels like a normal day. Packed up, ready to go home. A mixture of bummer and glad to go home, have been wondering how the cat is coping with the solitude...probably annoying the absolute crap out of the bird, hopefully not finding a way to reach the fish...
Traffic on the way back was flowing smoothly, still lots of flags to be seen. Stop for a break at Caboolture, discover there's a Krispy Kreme there now...damn dangerous knowledge, now Dean may be able to gain access easier! Usually has to rely on my coffee runs into the City and gives me a shopping list for KK!
Very dangerous when he needs to drop some kilos, Dad is going to take him sky-diving in a couple of months...why jump out of a perfectly good plane anyway? He can have it! Might make some good photos though.
Finally home, very much cooler, the cat and bird are fine, we lost one of the siamese fighters, RIP Mori. So no time for relaxing, clean out the tank before Kasai is lost through contaminated water. Unpacking and all the usual...then spur of the moment decide to go to the pool! Which is a miracle in itself as Dean usually has an aversion to using public swimming pools. But another good time had by all, and you can't beat half-price time!
The day comes to and end, time for dinner. Well what do you know, the oven is busted!
Final Aussie tradition for the day, pile into the car and go out for some take away LMAO! Will make more of an effort to be more Aussie next year I reckon... OI OI OI!