Al's adventureland

I love my city

..and I love my town. I have been lucky enough to live and work near the city (Melbourne) during the week and then come and stay with mum down the coast on the weekend for a while now and I love it!! With my departure coming quickly I have been appreciating the best of both worlds, and would like to share some of my fave photos of the areas.

* Sunset at Dromana in summer. I remember salty sand, cold water and yummy icecreams. Growing up near the beach was a wonderful thing, and weekly family fish and chips every friday night after a swim.

* My fave view - Seawinds gardens. Many a time over the years I could be found sitting on a blanket, with a picnic and just enjoying nature. With a view like that it really helps to put things into perspective.

*Melbourne - this is a shot of the iconic trams and flinders st station. I remember growing up down the coast - an hr and a half from the city - it always filled me with awe to go to the city. Everything was so exciting, and busy, and there was a real pulse and atmosphere. I still see that now.

I love new adventures, and exploring around new areas. You never know what amazing things you will discover!

I hope that everyday is a new and fun adventure for you!

When two becomes one

Now, if you are my age you might be picturing a certain Spice girls song - but this post isn’t really about them. No, not at all actually.

Last Saturday was my brothers wedding! And what a magical day it turned out to be. The weather was perfect, everyone looked lovely, the food was great and the entertainment - well let me talk about that later! Sorry about the washed out photo, I thought it was better than none and it has a kind of romantic old world feel to it I thought (paired with the fact I dont think my bro would want any photos of him posted on my blog heh).

My bro and his wife had asked me to do a reading on the day (which they gave me full creative control over) - they didn’t even ask to read what I had written before the ceremony. That is trust! Especially when you know me and what interesting thoughts could come out. It all turned out well though, and I got some very sweet comments from various guests about my reading.

It is hard to believe that they had been dating for 7 years, time sure does fly! So with that in mind it was a beautiful ceremony that captured them both perfectly. At the reception, after the speeches we were all surprised to be directed outside where there was a fire dancer! He was really good, he got everyone clapping and dancing and we were captivated (especially considering we’re in a drought and the grass around him was catching on fire now and then). Haha. He handled it all well though.

I was glad to be a part of such a special day in my brothers life and happy to welcome a new sister-in-law to the family.

It was a big week for me, as a few days before that I also handed my notice in at work! 5 weeks to go!!!

My last page of chapter 26.

I mentioned to a friend recently that you know you're getting older when you start saying thankyou when people say you look a lot younger than you really are. When I was in my early twenties and people said I looked 16 it made me grimace. The other week someone said she thought I was 18 and I said thankyou. I guess now I'm fast approaching 27 that time has arrived for me. Today is my last day of being 26 and tomorrow begins a new chapter. The 27th chapter (or is it technically 28th?) in the book of my life is going to be wonderful!!  

I can vividly remember my 26th birthday as a few weeks earlier I had broken up with my ex boyfriend and also fallen out with two people who were at the time two of my best friends. I was pretty lost for a while but as with every hurdle and downward spiral in my life I got back up and came out of it stronger and wiser. Every situation has a lesson, some can be painful to learn but all are worthy. My other friends encouraged me to still go out, so about 7 of us had dinner at a little tibetan restaurant in northcote. It was lovely.

This year I dont have any of that drama going on - and I have the impending overseas adventure to look forward to. My brother's wedding is in 2 weeks and I still cant quite believe it. I'm sure it will be great though! My wedding reading is complete and I am happy with it, if all goes well I might share it later!

Have a great weekend!

p.s less than 8 weeks to go!

Masquerade me

Ever have one of those moments where you think "this isnt just a coincedence, this was meant to happen!" ?? Well I did, on Saturday.

I was at a Masquerade party (which was cool in itself) and I met a couple who had lived in Vancouver for 3 months a year or so ago. They were so enthusiastic about the country and my trip and it just gave me a buzz. They gave me great insight into an Aussie's side of things and I learnt some valuable info.

I am now at the single digit stage, just about 9 weeks until I leave! Time is flying past and I am trying to run with it. I havent slept much the last few days, I have so much on my mind. I am trying to organise my homestay experience and that is proving harder than I first thought, but I'm still going! Dont count me out yet.

It's Australia Day today! Yay! I wonder which country I will be in next Australia Day??!

Welcome to 2010!

It's now almost 2 weeks into the new year which is exciting in itself but even more so as it is the year of my big adventure!! The countdown is now at a little over 11 weeks til departure. Now that the moment is finally well on its way after many long years of wanting to take this step, I am feeling quite calm. I think that by the time I fly off I'll be as prepared as possible, and yet still open for adventure!

I was reading a journal I had kept from about 7 years ago and in it I stated that "I really want to go to Vancouver." I spent years making plans with friends to travel overseas (the plans ranged from europe/uk to canada/usa) and they spent years breaking them. My independence just grew stronger throughout and I guess I just decided that now the time has come - I'm not getting any younger. Even though I'd moved out of home I had a job (with a new promotion) that allowed me to save money and I tightened my belt. I started really saving and researching and making plans.

Europe, UK or Canada? I decided that I wanted to combine a working holiday visa with some study in Drama and that involved staying in the one place for a little while. This narrowed my options considerably until it didnt even seem like there was a choice. I was headed to Vancouver. So I applied for my WHV and bought my plane ticket. There is still a lot more to organise before I leave but that's all part of the fun, isnt it?

Happy adventures,

Al