The 30 Day Blog Challenge - The final chapter: day 26-30

Firstly I am doing a crash finish to wipe the slate clean.  To say that I finish something that I started.  I think a lot of people headed this way towards the end on this challenge.

day 26 - what do you think about your friends

I really feel like saying that I don't think much of them because it's the end of the blog and no one is reading it anyway but that is the furtherest thing from the truth *snigger*  They are all awesome!

day 27 - why are you doing this 30 day challenge

To improve blogging and writing skills as I do not really have the knack of composing in a journalistic manner.  It was worth a shot.

day 28 - a picture of you from last year & now, how have you changed since then?

I'm a year older, a little wiser and a little lighter :)

day 29 - in this past month, what have you learned

That it is good to finish something that you started, even if it is a little late :)

day 30 - your favorite song

Beautiful Day - U2

Day Twenty Five - what you would find in my bag

I have several handbags and change amongst them infrequently however you will always find the following:

Essentials:

Wallet
Keys
iPhone
Sunnies
Glasses + cleaning cloth
Pen
Lucas paw paw ointment
Eclipse mints
Kids hand wipes
Kids toilet wipes
Tissues
Eco folding shopping bag

Items currently in handbag and appear in there on a regular basis:


At least one kids colouring in pencil or lead pencil
Staple gun (don't ask)
Kids drawing
Hair clips of varying sorts
Hair ties
Business cards
Lip gloss
Kids spoon
Feddo frog (not anymore I just ate it)
Sea Shepherd brochure
Sultanas
Dymocks gift voucher
Elmo songstar toy (looks like a mobile phone)
Land tax bill
Bankwest brochure kids banking
Tripod camera mount

Majority of the above has just been cleaned out of my handbag and put away, attended to (ate the freddo frog in case you missed that comment) or chucked out.

Day twenty Four - a letter to your parents

Come Back Soon

In progress

Day Twenty Three - something you crave a lot

Gosh this is soooo easy I wonder why it took me so long to answer!

• Uninterupted 8 hours sleep
• Relaxing family holiday (no washing, cooking or cleaning)

That is all :)

Sleep on a tropical island...ahhhh...nomnomnom...
Picture sourced from: www.mymaldives.com

Day Twenty Two - what makes you different from everyone else

• My gene pool of course! *snigger*
• The very unique flower pattern in my iris. *always stumps iridologists*
• My ability to say YES when I really wants to say NO. *damn, can't help it*
• To help without question or reason. *That's my job here on earth*
• To trust knowing full well that it will bite me on the bum. *well that sucks*
• Love unconditionally. *how can you not when you have kids*
• A terrible sense of humor. *inability to tell a joke without screwing it up*
• Queen Bee of organisation. *cos I am awesome*
• Never ever want to see people fail. *always want people to succeed*
• Because I am me. *nothing beats that*

Day Twenty One - Picture of something that makes you happy

A snippet of what makes me happy

Day Twenty - someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future

I am married and I plan to be with this person in the forever future.

How lucky am I? Cheers!

Day Nineteen - nicknames you have and why you have them

Custard - Amongst other forms of dancing I did gymnastics for a number of years.  We didn't wear the traditional leotard but a t-shirt and 'bloomers'.  As I already had to wear bloomers under my sports uniform for school it made sense to just wear them.  Now my bloomers were my faction colour which was GOLD.  My bloomers were as gold as you could get back in the day so really they were deep yellow. Hence the name 'custard' form my gymnastics coach.

Beedo - Typical of all Australians my surname (maiden name) was shortened and an 'o' whacked on the end by the male contingent of the crew that I knocked around with at University.  I was one of the boys so it seem fitting that I should be included in their nickname gang.  They did try to sexy it up a bit by making it sound French until they realised that putting Le in front of Beedo meant something else.

Sare-bare - Usual name given to me by boyfriend.

Gurlie Gurl - Sounds better than Wife.

Otherwise I am just known as Sarah.

Day Eighteen - plans/dreams/goals you have

I have spent the year, once a month, catching up with a small group of dynamic women from all walks of life.  Our group has a facillitator and she is amazing.  We however never ever ever do what we plan to do but that is okay as the night always ends up being enriching, filled with laughter, tears and lots of stories.  I guess the whole point of it is that we had on hand a book by Dan Zadra called 5 (ISBN 978-1-932319-44-6).  The blurb to this book quite simply is:

'Where will you be five years from today?'

It is filled with quotes, questions, possibilities and celebrates the 'want to's, choose's to & I can't wait to's in your life'. I am still working through this book and can highly recommend it.

Don't say that you don't have enough time.  You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein.

-H.Jacksoon Brown, Jr.

What I can tell you is that I would like to live a long and happy life surrounded by my family & friends.  I want to watch my children grow up, watch them fall in love for the first time, be there when their heart gets broken, teach them to drive, watch them laugh, be their taxi, watch them in their sleep, get no sleep while I wait for them to get home from being out, be proud of them, teach them about consequences, watch my girls walk down the isle, watch my son weep as his bride walks down the isle, travel the world more, become a grandmother, go to University again, be a better photographer, make new friends, share champagne & cups of tea with my friends of the yesterday, laugh and cry with them, make smart choices, learn from my mistakes, be passionate, care for those around me and all the while be holding hands with my husband.

And so much more that I just don't know about yet.

Day Seventeen - someone you would want to switch lives with for one day & why

Oooh this is an interesting one. I didn't have to think about this one at all.  I would like to switch lives with my husband so that I can see how hard he works to support his family.  As we have already worked together in a FIFO situation I have some idea but really just want to go on a plane and eat plane food without the kids interupting me :)

Me on site in the Pit doing my job :)

Day Sixteen - another picture of yourself

Me, Bali, Indonesia 1977

My hair isn't that blonde anymore

This was the last time that I had a fringe

I'm not that skinny anymore

I am still white (avoid the sun at all cost)

I've been to bali 4 more times and would like to go again

Some of my fondest memories are of this holiday

Day Fifteen - put your ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play

Well this should be a hoot!

1. Feel So good, Jamiroquai, A Funk Odessey
2. Sentimental Journey, Ella Fitzgerald
3. Just Dance, Lady GaGa
4. Shake It, Metro Station
5. Billie Jean, Michael Jackson, Thriller
6. Kalandero, Cirque du Soleil, Alegria
7. Karma Killer, Robbie Williams, The Ego Has Landed
8. Seasons of Love, Soundtrack from Movie Rent
9. Hello Hello, The Cat Empire
10. Hop Skip Jump, Various Artists, Ultimate Activity Songs

Hmmm a varied bunch. Number 10 is one for the kids, seriously.

Picture Sourced from Apple

Day Fourteen - a picture of you and your family

My family and I

This is by far one of my favourites.  'But it is missing a child, don't you have three?' you cry.  Well, it's made even more special because I am pregnant.  It is a true family photo.

Day Thirteen - a letter to someone who has hurt you recently

*** watch this space ***

Day Twelve - how you found out about blogging and why you have one

I first started this blog 2 years ago and after a few false starts and a period of being dormant discovered it again thanks to the encouragement of a friend IRL & Facebook (that's you @anecdotal_anna) and a pretty neat tweep on Twitter (that's you @tiffanyff) - mwah to you both!

I'm no journalist, novelist or linguisit but I have always had an interest in writing from a very young age.  Albeit I have lost my touch over time I thought that blogging would clear the cobwebs created by baby brain which seems to have lasted longer than I had hoped for (that will teach me for pumping them out like a factory outlet).

So started the 30 Day Challenge and here I am. Blog up and running, meeting new people and enjoying the diversity of it all.

Besides, there are just not enough character spaces available in status updates for someone who has "something to say".

 

Image courtesy of Living Myth - Helen Norton



Day Eleven - another picture of you and your friends



Our Wedding Day



As the days of the 30 Day Challenge pass me by I am finding that the posts are not as threatening and there is a level of clairty in my writing.  It helps that I am not at the mercy of a migraine which clouds my thought process.

I didn't post pictures previously of friends out of respect for them.  However there is no reason not to post this photo of me on my wedding day with lots of friends and family (they constitute as friends. Don't they?)

My husband loves the ocean, boats, fishing and anything to do with water.  I on the other hand suffer severe motion sickness. In the car, buses, trains, planes (not so bad these days) and the utmost hideous sea sickness that you can ever imagine.

So where else would we get married but on a boat.  An 80 foot luxury charter on the Swan River.

Did I get seasick?  Absolutely. It was not going to be a good look if the Bride had to heave over the bow of the boat mid vows.  But I didn't.  Somehow I managed not to.  And if I did?  Well thankfully I was amongst friends (& family) who would never let me forget it.  I promise you that I would never have let my husband forget it either as it was his choice to celebrate our day on the water!

It was a beautiful day.

Day Ten - songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad

This one is hard for me being the non music person.  I don't play any instrument and I can not hold a tune which is pretty embarassing considering my Dad is an amateur singer and damn fine at it (go along the lines of Gilbert & Sullivan - HMS Pinafore etc).  I have a sense of rhythm, can nail a beat but know absolutely zilch about music.

I do not in particular listen to any type of music for the mentioned emotions.

What I can tell you is that music evokes memories for me.  For example, the song that reminds me of my husband is 'Beautiful Day' by U2.  The night that we got engaged we drove down St Geroges Terrace with the sunroof open to the moon and the stars with it blaring on Honda HRV 'surround sound stereo'.  I was 8 months pregnant with our son.

I have been fortunate to be introduced to local artist Helen Shanahan (http://www.helenshanahan.com/) and her song 'Little Boy' made me cry so much that I had to pull over whilst I was driving.  Anyone who has a son needs to listen to this song - it's on her website along with details of her WAM nomination.  She is so cool.

I am also a fan of another local, the Damien Cripps Band http://www.damiencrippsband.com/.  I have known Damien since I was 19 and a bit of a groupie.  Times have changed and thanks to Twitter we are back in touch.  I love his style and could listen to him sing anywhere, anytime.  He sings from the heart and for his family.

Well I am not sure that this has answered any of what it should have but it is time for me to retire.  I've had a migraine for 5 days and today it departed so I am going to have an early night (refer to goals for the month) and see what tomorrow brings.

I promise to take more notice of what music I listen to and may return to this to update as necessary.

In the meantime peeps I am off to bed.  No music, just the thunder of the ocean as the waves break on the sandy shore and the breath of my husband as he utters a snore...

Night x

Day Nine - something you're proud of in the past few days

Image souced from: art.com

Me again.  I am having another attempt at this day as I have felt very clouded with my migraine/s and am not managing to think or write in the way that I would like to.

I will keep the original version as reference as so to reflect.

For those of you who don't know me my husbands work involves a hideous amount of travel and extended time away from home.  I am proud of him for the commitment that he has to us, his family and for his decisons to give us choices.  In turn I am proud of my ability to nuture our family in his absence. I am proud of our children everyday.

I may be a day behind in my blog but i feel better for revisiting day nine.

Well this is a day late thanks to yet another migraine :(

I am proud of managing to keep up with this blogging business (except for yesterday of course!). I first opened this blog page some 2 years ago and never doing anything constructive with it until now.

I am proud that I am making an effort with someone that I minimised in my life because my life has been so damn difficult for the past 12 months.

I am proud of my ability to raise my family in the absence of my husband (does lots of interstate & international travel).

Day Eight - short term goals for this month and why

I've never really thought about short term goals over a month.  Most of the time I can only manage my goals for that day.  Even then I don't know what they are (except for getting out of bed in the morning).  I tend to have 10 year goals and only realise that it was a goal 5 years after I have achieved it. 

So here goes:

Complete the 30 Day Challenge (which is kinda obvious really)

Read other 30 Day Challengers (it's very interesting the diversity amongst us)

Exercise twice a week (cos I need to keep the gremlins at bay)

Drink 2 litres of water a day (cos I am really bad at this)

Buy plants to finish back garden (it's only taken 3 years)

Organise outdoor blinds *thingamywhatsit* salespeople to quote back alfresco (bet they can't fit us in for 6-8 weeks & then another 6-8 weeks to make & fit)

Wash my car inside & out (even if I have to pay someone to do it)

Of course there is all the usual stuff that is just day to day like remembering to feed the kids & send them to school etcetera etcetera (what a cool word...)

Lastly, have a few early nights (there's been too many late ones of late and no, I am not a party animal,  just get my 2nd wind at about 930pm after collapsing on the couch at 7pm)

Wow that's some list.  Will come back and let you know how I went at the end of the month.

Stay tuned :)

Day Seven - A picture of someone/thing that has the biggest impact on you

My Munchkins photo by Dani of Wheatbelt Photography

Without a doubt the three munchkins in the photo have had the biggest impact on my life.  Whilst I can remember my life pre children (and it was pretty good) I can't imagine my life without them.  They never cease to amaze me regardless of whether they are being angelic or devilish!

They have put my husband and I on the path of constant learning (and promtly forgetting, thank you very much baby brain).  And, as much as I am their student, I am their teacher.  Once a career person I now spend my time guiding my children in what I hope is the right direction. Thankfuly I don't get lost often *runs looking for the UBD*.  Parenthood 101 for the rest of my life.

This is one of my favourites quotes from Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh about being a mother:

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.
She never existed before.
The woman existed, but the mother, never.
A mother is something absolutely new.

Day Six - Favourite Superhero & Why?

Batman and Wonder Woman of course!

I put this together for my husband when he was working in the back blocks of Africa.  As there was no internet access I burnt it to CD and had it couriered to him via the company mailbag.

The kids were dressed up for a superhero birthday party.

It's self explanatory why I love these two characters :)

Needless to say my husband loved it.

Day Five - A picture of somewhere you've been to

This is not a hard one for me.  I love to travel and have had some amazing experiences.  My speciality as a nurse is Travel Medicine & Tropical Disesase and this led to my passion for travel.

Whenever I travel overseas, I always take the time to visit the local hospital, medical clinics and share experiences and knowledge with the locals.  It costs me nothing yet I am enriched from the experience of being part of their community and contributing to a less fortunate society.  You can see how lucky I am to be able to combine two loves.

I have spent time in West Africa, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, New Zealand, USA and the UK.



Even though I have spent time in remarkable cultures where I have had many emotional journeys and where the inhumanity questioned my beliefs about society & life, the picture that I would like to share is that of our humble shack near Cervantes in WA.



The Shack, April 2007

 

The kids love it. My husband loves it.  I tolerate it *laughs hard*.  Once again I have so many photos of the place.  Every time we go there I take photos of the sand dune behind our shack and the path to the beach to show how much it changes with the elements.  I am putting a photo book together to capture this and the family memories of our time at the shack.





Destitute, April 2007

Some of my favourite photos that I have taken are from at the shack and I am sharing a few of them here.



Emu , August 2008

The wildlife is prolific. From blue tongue lizards to seals, from sea birds to emus and of course, kangaroos.  All within cooee of the shack's front door.

Flies. Did I mention the flies? 



Friendly seal, October 2009

The Shack runs off a generator which means that we lights *awesome*, fridge, huge freezer (for all the fish we catch), fans, satellite tv (doesn't work, we don't have time to watch it anyway), toaster, microwave, oil heater.  



Shell, September 2009

It also has flushing toilet x2 *bliss*, pot belly stove (great in winter), hot water *bliss* and even a twin tub washing machine which comes in handy when you stay up there for a bit.   



Sheppards Lane, April 2007

There's lots to do to. We are never bored.

Sand boarding, swimming, fishing, snorkling, building sandcastles, reading books, exploring, chasing seagulls, collecting seashells, doing nothing.

Relaxing with a vino or beer and some pretezels *ahhh*   



Beach fishing, April 2007

  

Crazy Sea Bird eating fish, July 2009

 

Day Four - A habit you wish you didn't have

I clench my jaw and grind my teeth in my sleep.  It's got a whole lot better over the years but I have suffered poor sleep and headaches for as long as I can remember. And yes, I have tired all sorts to remedy it but relaxation seems to present the best outcome.

Hmmm, yep that's it.

Well actually it's not.  I am a perfectionist.  Which is good and bad.  Things get done properly but I can obsess over it and end up wasting time.  Like this blog for an example.  I am back tidying it up frequently,  changing the way it looks and the things that I have written.  I should be doing day six not doing an addendum to day four.

I bet I am back to add to this list.

I'm a 'Yes' person. It kills me. This year I have tried to be a 'No' person.  It seems to be working, people still like me and I am not as stressed as I normally am.

I'm sure I'll be back. BTW - it's day 8 for me.

Day Three - A picture of you and your friends

No photos.

Firstly, I respect the privacy of my friends that do not do the internet.

Secondly, I have way too many photos. Most of them are hard copies (the old fashion way, you know, film) and I can't be bothered scanning them. I have opted to do something a little different.



Three of themI have met in recent years and adore thier friendship. We all share one thing in common that compel women together - children. They are genuine, caring and their friendship unconditional.

Three of them I have kept in touch with constantly for the past 20 years and I probably will for the next 20 years (plus some).

Six of them I have got in touch with again after 25 years.  They haven't changed a bit and we get along just like we did back them.

One of them is an old work collegue.  We are like chalk and cheese.

One of them I lost touch with over 30 years ago.  I have fond childhood memories of our time together.

Day Two - The meaning behind my blog name: Something to Say

I'm known to have a chat and always have something to say.  Well Bob's your Uncle (well he's mine at least - hi Uncle Bob *waves*) there's my blog name.

There is nothing more than that to it.

PS: that was easier than the Day 1 challenge *wipes sweat from forehead*

Day One - A recent picture of me & 15 'interesting' facts about myself

The picture is 8 months old so it is not that recent which leads me into the 15 facts about me:

1. I am the photographer in our family so I am rarely in any photos unless I pay someone else to take them.  That way I always look half decent. I am a crappy photographer but am working on trying to be better.  I have the eye but not the technical detail.
2. I am also a crappy writer which is pretty bad considering I used to be so good at it and actually won a Young Writers Competition back in my day.  I still have the book that I won with the typed (yes typed) piece of paper announcing my win.
3. I love to dance.  I have done a bit of ballet, jazz, tap, modern & ballroom.  I have done lots of gymnastics & callisthenics.  I did 10 years of competition callisthenics and went out on a bang when our club won the state title.
4. I can't sing and absolutely have no idea about music although I love it.  I have an iPod that has the strangest array of stuff on it.  Looking forward to doing day 15 to see what comes up.
5. I have driven across Western Australia in an Ambulance. I know, a little strange but it was my job and I loved it.  In fact it has to be my all time favourite job ever.  I was one of the first women to work on a Gas Pipeline construction. Man did it rock.
6. I have given Taj Burrows a jab in the bum so that he could travel to South Africa to compete in a surfing comp.  Best & whitest butt I have ever seen.
7. I have regularly had my nog in the paper since I was about 10 years old.  It's been a while now but always in the local paper, the West Australian, a couple of defunct social magazines and even a piece in the Australian Geographic (refer to point 5).  Mustn't forget the kids school annual. Yep even managed to make it into that!
8. I was a career orientated person until I had kids.  Now I consult & administrate Travel Health to a small consultant mining company.
9. I love my kids and although I'd like to say that this is given I am not sure that it is for some people.  They are unique individuals and they bring me great joy.  So does my hubby.  I am very lucky.
10. I travelled to Nepal and hiked to Mt Everest base camp.  I got altitude sickness at Lobuje (5000m) so never made it to the base camp with the rest of the trek group. I spent two days in Periche with the Nepalese family that ran the only hostel on a fur rug in their kitchen while I got better.  The time spent with the them was worth more than making it to base camp.  I burnt my socks on the pot belly. I also lost 10kgs in about 20 days from all the physical exercise (about 8 hours a day) - I had to pin my knickers to my pants so that they wouldn't fall down (no joke).
11. I have spent most of my career helping whoever I was working for improve their 'paperless' image.  Forms, forms and more forms.
12. I am a super organised person and one of my friends thinks that I should be Peter Walsh's (google him) apprentice.  Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.
13. I just swatted a fly with my non dominant hand.  It had been annoying me for most of this post.  There's not even a bzzzzz left in him.
14. I'm on the countdown to the big 4-0.  My sister still thinks that I am 26 & I love her for that. She lives in the UK.  I miss her terribly.  Our phone conversations are never under an hour.
15. I am a Gemini.  That should just about explain everything about me.

The 30 Day Blog Challenge

Okay, so to kick off my attempt to Blog I am embarking on the 30 Day Blog Challenge that many of my fellow Twitters are doing.  This is how it works, post one blog a day for 30 days:

day 1- a recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
day 2- the meaning behind your blog name
day 3- a picture of you and your friends
day 4- a habit that you wish you didn’t have
day 5- a picture of somewhere you've been to
day 6- favorite super hero and why
day 7- a picture of someone/thing that has the biggest impact on you
day 8- short term goals for this month and why
day 9- something you're proud of in the past few days
day 10- songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad
day 11- another picture of you and your friends
day 12- how you found out about blogging and why you have one
day 13- a letter to someone who has hurt you recently
day 14- a picture of you and your family
day 15- put you ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play
day 16- another picture of yourself
day 17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day & why
day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have
day 19- nicknames you have and why you have them
day 20- someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future
day 21- a picture of something that makes you happy
day 22- what makes you different from everyone else
day 23- something you crave a lot
day 24- a letter to your parents
day 25- what I would find in your bag
day 26- what do you think about your friends
day 27- why are you doing this 30 day challenge
day 28- a picture of you from last year & now, how have you changed since then?
day 29- in this past month, what have you learned
day 30- your favorite song

Let's see what happens Tweeps!

Bored Housewife

Well in my effort to become a blogger I decided to google some to see what others get up to.  Well I didn't get far before I stumbled across Bored Housewife Blog and quite frankly got stuck there.  Firstly, it is down to earth and honest.  Secondly, I get what she is saying. Thirdly, I laughed so hard I nearly pee'd my pants.  After the day that I had today I needed that!  I think this picture kinda sums up my day, one picture for each hour that I was awake with my kids and pretty much I was trying to make myself smile by the end of the day!  Guess that's what three kids and the last few days of school holidays can do to you!

I should always be saying, 'My life is better than I ever imagined it would be, and it's only going to improve'.

(Calvin)