You know those weeks. The weeks where your body feels as if it could fly with every step you take, and when you run you feel like you could almost be a skimming stone across water. Everything feels right, and if there was a mountain, you could conquer it in a single bound.
This wasn't one of those.
Everything was a struggle. Muscles ached each day. After doing the dutiful thing and stretching after my morning run, I managed to wrench a muscle in my upper back and could hardly turn my head one way, and then got a matching pulled muscle on the other side of my neck for my efforts on the Wii the following day. Then I woke up with a splitting headache this morning from what should have been a restful and re-energising night's sleep.
Work has been f.u.l.l.o.n. I've been buried deep in it. Definitely the busiest week I've had since I started back in June. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I love my job. But I have felt a bit like I've been swimming in a deep, deep pool with just my eyes and ears above the water. My desk says as much. What a tip.
Actually to be fair, my desk can look like this even on a good day.
I didn't get through everything I had to do, try as I might. But I gave it my best.
And sometimes that's all you can do.
I can't believe I can actually say that. Can I say I've grown some? The pre-mummy Meg would have spent the weekend stressing out about what I didn't get done, and what is still left to do.
But not this gal. Work will wait. As for me and my house, we're off to enjoy the long weekend. Let the sunshine reign.
You find the smallest things worthy of a picture....
Like the toilet in Lone Star Petone. But isn't that wallpaper just ace?!
And after a belly content and full of banoffi pie (and now I'm hanging out even more to make Paisley Jade's version), you drive home in the dark for a good few minutes along the Esplanade before realising you don't have your headlights on.
Thanks anonymous flashing light person. Who knows how far I could have gone otherwise?
And, I'll be the first to admit, it's not the first time I've done the whole 'I-can-see-in-the-dark' thing with the car.
As I said, I don't get out much (especially in the evening)! And that's probably a good thing for the drivers of Wellington, right?!
I didn't think I would be able to make this week's floral theme (c/o Claire at Green Valley Crafts), as I was wearing usual work gear today, not a flower in sight.
But after a bath with the 2 little dudes and a quick change, I'm off out for dessert with a friend to Lone Star in a minute, and suddenly realised, 'hey I've got flowers on'.
So here's my late, but not too late Wardrobe Wednesday contribution.
Shoes: The Warehouse
Jeans: Jay Jays
White top: Primark (yup same one I had on last time I did an entry and yes it has been washed inbetween!)
Green floral top: Temt
Apologies for the rushed, not great quality shots. Blame the useless camera (other one in getting fixed) and my haste at needing to take a quick pic on my way out the door!
Parade Cafe has always been one of Wellington's most iconic cafes, packed to the rafters every weekend.
And yet across the street sat the Tugboat on the Bay, one of the strangest restaurants. The Tugboat was never really be sure what it was trying to be, a tourist trap, a high-class eatery, a unique dining experience. In my opinion, it failed to really succeed at all of these.
So when the Parade Cafe had to move out of its neat 2-storey old house that was squished between the ever-advancing apartment developments to make room for yet another development, it was with intrigue I heard that Parade was going to 'take on the Tugboat'.
Today we tried it out for the first time (it only re-opened last month). I called to book a table and the man who answered replied 'Well we don't take bookings during the day, but when are you coming?' I gave him our information and he said 'OK, no worries we'll book one for you'. Big tick.
We arrived and were shown straight to our table, upstairs in the bow of the boat. There's also two function rooms you can hire, one was about perfect for 40 people and you can hire out for $100. And apparently there is a function room for 250! down in the bowels of the ship.
There are some lovely nooks and crannies dotted all over the boat, booths near the counter, smaller wooden tables in the stern with a conservatory feel all covered in glass, as well as our quiet escape up in the bow. There were also some tables outside (but not for a day like today!). I was also impressed with how spacious it seemed, and it didn't feel as if you were sitting on top of each other to eat (which cafes have a tendency to do to pack in as many tables as possible). Two gas fires also provided a real cosy feel on a typical windy spring day for Wellington. Big tick.
We ordered a caesar salad, pancakes with bacon and banana, corn fritters, and a kids fish n chips. Boy the food was mighty quick considering it was a weekend lunchtime and the place was packed. Big tick. There was a decent size highchair for the lil dude, who was quite happy sampling all our fare and playing to the crowds (a table of three behind us who said goodbye and waved to him as they left).
Not long before we left, Piri Weepu came and sat at the table next to us. I must admit I was so blissfully ignorant that I had to be informed by the rest of our table who it was. I was too busy admiring the decor and soaking up the experience. Poor guy then broke his leg 8 hours later, not a great end to his weekend!
Anyhow I digress. The makeover the Tugboat has been waiting for is complete, and a complete success too.
They are enough to incite a world war, but can also bring peace in foreign lands. They inspire, divide, create and destroy.
Strung together in a certain way, they form the basis of all our human interaction. Without words, we would be nor different from any other mammal, grunting, miaowing, or cooing our way around the planet. Whether in spoken conversation, or written down, words have an incredible power, more than anything that has ever been invented or created on this earth throughout the ages. Greater than the invention of the wheel, the TV or the Internet. None of which would have been created without words.
Words that change lives. 'I love you'. 'Will you marry me?' 'Honey, we're having a baby'.'Congratulations'.'I forgive you'.
Words that build up. Words that destroy. 'You failed'.'You're a liar'.'I hate you'.'I'm sorry to have to tell you, but ......'
Too often, we don't give a second thought to the words that escape our mouths. We offend, we complain, we scold, and then we wonder why the same words come back full circle.
And other times, we find ourselves in a foreign country (real or imagined). We talk, but our words just aren't understood. Words have no meaning until you understand them.
But words also give us hope. There is no greater example of words of hope than those found in the Bible. Without these words, we'd have no way of knowing and appreciating the amazing legacy that Jesus has left us. His words are alive and as relevant today as they were 2,000 years ago when he spoke them. And He speaks to us words of pure love and acceptance, if only we could hear them above the cacophony of noise in our lives.
It is only when we make a conscious choice to block out the noise, others words and even our own thoughts, that we reach that place of stillness and quiet. Where we can truly hear. And then the words flow freely to us. Words that give life. Always life.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14.
I'm especially fortunate to have a wonderful grandmother who is now a great-grandmother to my 2 boys. Early on, we decided that Great-Granma would be a bit of a mouthful for the boys, and so the name 'Gee-Gee' was created. And it stuck.
This year, Gee Gee has flown down to visit us, not once, not twice but three times, when I've managed to find Grabaseat flights. This is even more of an achievement when you learn that Gee Gee will be turning 85 next month. Most years we'd have also made the drive up to the Naki to see her 2-3 weekends during the year, but with the addition of lil Mylo into the equation, the prospect of a 6-hour journey each way just for the weekend has been far from appealing. Add to that, not having any annual leave to turn a visit into a longer weekend, and well to be fair, we've just plain piked out! Slaps hand. But we hope to remedy that next year.
So, this is me waxing lyrical about how amazing is it to have a Granma who I've always been very close to, and who is besotted with her only two great-grandchildren.
Growing up, I looked forward to every school holiday which would see us making the road trip from Auckland to the Naki. Even though it was sitting in the back of an 800cc Suzuki van with my 2 younger brothers. Even though, invariably one or other of us would get so sick on the fumes and windy roads that we'd have to have a vomit stop. That was until they invented sea-legs tablets and Mum would serve these up to us for breakfast before we headed out. After that, not feeling sick and trying to hold in those nauseous feelings almost took some of the fun out of the journey in a strange way. I even remember a few night trips leaving Auckland after Dad finished work and us falling asleep in the car on the way there. With the portacot set up in the back of the van for my littlest brother to sleep, no safety belt or anything - gasp, no way could you do that now!
The best holiday was always the Christmas holiday where we would stay much longer, and then each year one of us kids took a turn to stay on an extra week by ourselves with Granma & Grandad. Oh happy days. A week of being spoilt rotten, treated to special one-on-one time which usually included a trip to the toy shop, a fast food outlet, plenty of card games, piano playing, staying up late watching TV and all the other wonderful treats that a grandparent's perogative allows!
I was able to give back a little when I looked after my grandma for a few days after one of her hip replacements. And when we took some weekend trips to check in on my granddad when my Mum & Granma went to England together. But that pales in comparison to the never-ending ocean of love my grandparents showered on me.
There is the possibility of a very special bond between every oldest grandchild and their grandparent. I say possibility, because like all relationships it has to be tended, cultivated, and given the right combination of love and time to grow into a one-of-a-kind, magical connection.
Every moment we have now with Gee Gee is so precious. Not that any time with our family is taken for granted because the moments we share where we're even in the same city or country are so few and far between. But with Gee Gee we drink in the moments with even bigger gulps and deeper breaths. Holding on to each one with a tighter grasp. Never wanting the moment to end.
OK, so I had this quite random idea that a fun Friday = a little fact finding about my bloggy friends. And non-bloggy friends and family too. If you’re not a blogger and you’d still like to participate you can email me your answers if you don’t fancy commenting or doing your own blog version!
So here is a random collection of facts about me in no particular order – and there just happens to be one for every year of my life! But you don’t have to follow suit with that - ha ha!
Try to think up some really unusual things about you that you wouldn’t usually blog about or that might not often come up in conversation. It was actually quite fun digging into the darkest recesses of my memory banks to come up with this list, and I found myself laughing (at myself) a lot!
1. My name doesn’t officially have an H in it. I was named Megan. I didn’t rebel much in my teens but I definitely remember thinking that Meghan looked much cooler. And I have never gotten around to officially changing it. And now I’m not sure I ever will. It comes up as one of those ‘talking points’ and people who know me are a bit surprised I haven’t changed it given my super-organised nature. It’s funny always having to pause for thought filling in forms and deciding whether I’m going to be Megan or Meghan today.
2. I twirl my hair – when I’m tired, concentrating, actually pretty much constantly. It’s my version of thumb sucking. Slightly more acceptable in adult company, but only slightly. It must annoy the crap out of everyone around me, but after doing it all my life I’m not sure if I could quit?!
3. I was such a bookworm that growing up I used to have ‘fake’ showers, i.e. go in the bathroom and turn the shower on, but not get in just so I could read secretly carry on reading whatever book I had my head in. I cringe now at all the hot water wasted (I am so sorry Mum & Dad) and what a dirty little urchin I must have been some days. Fast forward a few years, and now I have trouble ever getting out of a hot shower I love it that much!
4. And in the same vein I used to carry on reading by the light of my LED alarm clock way past my bedtime. I’m so surprised I still have 20/20 vision!
5. I love eating sweetened condensed milk straight from the tin.
6. My collar bones partially dislocate every time I lift my arms over my head. Once went to see a specialist about it. His advice was that it was probably not a good idea to do sports that aggravate it – so of course I settled on competitive badminton throughout school, nah not all aggravating!
7. My first degree was in Japanese and Chinese. Apart from 2 trips to Japan, one of which was to work in the skifields here, it didn’t end up being that useful. I can only remember certain phrases these days. 私の名前はミーガンです. 私はウェリントンに住んでいます. 私は少年たちである２人の子供たちを持っています。But never say never, as I am yet to find out all the great and good plans God has for the future!
8. At various stages growing up I wanted to be a Japanese teacher, a translator, an air hostess, the first NZ woman 747 pilot (dang - someone beat me to it and the training was blooming expensive), an air traffic controller (got to the last cut in the annual intake), and somehow eventually ended up a qualified accountant. Go figure.
9. Even though I (partly) count numbers for a living, I’m still way better at Scrabble and Code Crackers and games with words than I am at Sudoku. My friend Jackie beats the pants off me in every Sudoku race we have!
10. I played a clarinet solo for the song Memory from the musical Cats in the Auckland Town Hall at age 11. That was my third year out of four performing in bands or orchestras for the Auckland Primary Principals Association Music Festival. I just looked it up and the festival has been going for 40 years..wow…had no idea. At that age I could also play a little saxphone, guitar. About the only thing I can still do is play a few piano chords by ear. And sing in harmony..most of the time. Hubby might disagree with that statement.
11. I have always wanted to do a skydive. Was so gutted when the weather was bad in Cape Town and our plan to do it got called off. It’s still on my Bucket List.
12. I used to pretend I was Nicole from Danger Bay, one of my favourite TV programs growing up. Ha ha ha. I have no idea why. I just thought she was super cool. Maybe because she was an environmental warrior even back then in the 80’s!
13. I have lived in Mairangi Bay, Tokoroa, Papakura, Morrinsville, Hamilton, Japan, London and Wellington. Probably not a great surprise that I went to seven schools and 2 universities then.
14. I shuffle cards like a card-shark, and you know….it’s actually a pretty cool party trick. If you’re still clueless, I mean like on this video I just found on You Tube – I have decided there is no end to what you can find in cyberspace! Apparently it’s called a riffle shuffle, but I never knew that until now!
15. I share my birthday with my hubby. Weird I know, and not as cool as it sounds. You never get a day that is ALL ABOUT ME! And we share our birthdays with my cousin, and his 2nd cousin, and my friend Caroline! It’s also the same day of the year of the Wahine disaster, only we weren’t around till a few years after that!
16. When I was about 7 and lived about 6 doors down from the school, I somehow stepped out in front of a car while crossing the road. The poor driver was a dad of a kid in my class. Luckily he was going really slow, so real no harm done, just a very bruised hip for a few days.
17. I am a self confessed Gleek. But before that I was a geek and a bit (understatement) of a girly swot. Was never satisfied with doing ‘just enough to pass’. Like getting 97% for Japanese in my School Certificate exams. I mean really, who does that! And a straight A student at university. And yet I fully acknowledge that life would be much easier if I didn't set quite so high standards for myself.
18. I can be kinda competitive. Usually with myself. And sometimes with others when it comes to games or quizzes. Not so much with sports. I never was that great at team sports. And totally s&%* scared of anything that involved any kind of ball large or small being thrown, kicked or hit around a field. I used to duck for cover most of the time during PE class and still do now when I’m anywhere near ball games! I convinced myself that badminton doesn’t count, as the shuttle cock doesn’t actually hurt when it hits you!
19. Learnt to snowboard whilst working on the skifield in Japan though, and loved it. Loved the sensation of gliding through powdery snow. Didn’t like the bruised tailbone and knees that came with learning but it was all part of the fun. One day I’ll get back into it. One day…
20. Noah was always going to be Noah. See the recent post on how we agreed on name choices! I had to convince Mark about Mylo. It was a name I liked from a character in our favourite TV program, 24. He wasn’t too keen to start with. I said I’d happily change if he could come up with something better. He couldn’t. And I came up with lots of even weirder and wilder names. Suddenly Mylo started looking like a pretty good option. Cunning hey!
21. If Noah had been a girl, he might have been Cairo or Siena. If Mylo had been a girl he would have been Juno Bella.
22. I love writing poetry. I should get back into it. Do more. Write more. Will do.
23. I was president of my university hostel in 1996. Not as glamorous as it sounds. The only thing I remember doing is organising the annual ball for about 300 mostly ungrateful, critical 1st year uni students who just wanted to get trashed.
24. I performed in a few church musicals growing up, and one that I especially remember and silently cringe about was called High-Tops (you know like the Converse Hi-Top shoes). I think I was about 15. If I had to sit through it now, I'm sure it would be pretty lame-o, but no doubt I thought it was ace at the time. Oh goodness, I even found a really bad version of it on You Tube. Gulp. And just for the record, the Megan M mentioned is NOT me!
25. I hardly EVER read for pleasure now. I wish I did. All those years of studying and HAVING to read REALLY tedious textbooks has kinda taken the spark away a bit. Mind you, with all the blogging, I’m not sure where I’d really find the time for it either! My favourite book ever is Cry the Beloved Country – a book I studied for 7th form English. It was probably the main reason I did so well in that exam come to think of it!
26. I have never broken a bone.
27. I can’t roll my tongue (it’s a gene thing). I ain’t got the power. Nor can I pat my head and rub my tummy, or should that be pat my tummy and rub my head. Whatever. It really escapes me. Basically that equates to me never being able to play the drums. Dang and I was so looking forward to it!
28. One day I went to school with my summer shortie pyjama bottoms still on under my skirt. Went to change for school swimming and discovered my mistake. My friends never let me hear the end of that one!
29. I am a USELESS, USELESS swimmer. My kids definitely won’t be. It’s a good thing they invented aquajogging. That I CAN manage.
30. I have completed one duathlon, just a 5km run and 12km bike. A minor achievement but a good one for someone never that good at sports. I set myself a goal to complete it in under an hour, and in the end had over 3 minutes to spare. Ha, would you believe I just looked and the results are still on the Internet from five years ago. Good times. Now I’m just happy when I can fit 3 runs a week at sparrows fart into this busy life!
31. Whilst a poor student, I emptied rubbish bins for a living at the hostel (I clearly had no shame, but more importantly no money and it paid me!). It felt like I had moved up in the world the next year when I moved to flipping burgers at BK. Imagine how much more of a big step up it was becoming a hotel receptionist when I finished university – and that is where and when I met hubby!
32. I used to like walking down the high school driveway and inhaling the bus fumes after school from all the buses lined up…what the? I did…really, Meghan are you sure? Yep, clearly remember that one. Ahem, moving right along…..no other crazy addictions I promise. Well maybe only blogging.
33. I know I stay up WAY too late blogging. Got. To. Kick. The. Habit. Getting less than seven hours sleep and trying to be a compos mentis working full-time mummy of two is not in my best interests. (kicks own butt).
And there you have it. A completely random list of FYI's about me! I just re-read this list and have concluded that a) I’m a little loopy and b) if I was a lolly I’d probably be a liquorice all-sort!
Your turn…….
Either:
1. Comment with your FYI Friday
2. Comment with a link to your own FYI post
3. Get real techno savvy and do a linky link to your blog by following the link up below!
I always find myself in a quandry come Wednesdays. Should I go with Wordless or Wardrobe Wednesday? Usually Wordless wins hands down because I look at what I had on, and my thoughts are along the lines of 'uh-uh, that's definitely not the coolest outfit in the wardrobe' given it's usually me being functional for work, and 'do I really want this plastered across cyberspace for all to see?'.
But today I thought I better just get on and bite the proverbial bullet! Plus I was more inspired to participate after reading Sarah of Catching the Magic's post today. She had been thrilled at being able to get her floaty skirts out of the wardrobe with the lovely weather we've recently been having. But I had to laugh as I was battling to read the post with one hand using my iPhone Google Reader application this morning. This whilst walking down the road and trying to stop the world from getting more than they bargained for with my floaty skirt on today with the other hand (translation: it was pretty windy in Welly today!)
So here's my Wardrobe Wednesday contribution:
Skirt: Temt (from a trip to Sydney back in 2006)
White top under: Primark (England - sent by my lovely mum-in-law)
Pink polka-dot top: Marks & Spencers (England - also sent by lovely mum-in-law)
Boots: Rubi (Queensgate Mall)
Now onto Wordless Wednesday - this week's theme is Deja Vu.
Some days when I look at my littlest boy I feel like I've been here before. Don't ya think?
Different shaped face but otherwise peas in a pod!
For some reason, this weekend seemed way busier than normal. Anyone that knows us well knows we usually pack a good deal into the standard 48 hours. But this weekend was jam-packed even by our standards.
Here's the rundown:
Grocery shopping with 2 kiddlywinks whilst Mark vaccumed, polished and cleaned at home. Home to unpack the shopping. Coffee on the run. Dress up in pirate costumes. Off to pirate show. Home for a quick bite. Some sandpit play. Out to Karori Pool. Swim, spa and hydroslide. Noah got so brave the two of us rode it about twelve times! Gardening out front for about an hour and a half. Boys rode out to get compost. Swimming gear washed. Ribs for the boys and salmon for me for dinner. Some overdue self beauty therapy - eyebrows and toenails. Hair straightened. Movie watched. A few stretches before bed - to prevent gardening aches and pains.
And that was just Saturday......
Onto Sunday.......
Noah and I to church. Home for lunch. Gardening out back for about 2 hours. Plant pots scrubbed. Flaxes, olive trees, hebe trimmed. Mark out to indoor football semi final. Noah watched Return of the Jedi. Some rough and tumbling with the boys. Risotto cooked and devoured. Soup made for the week. More washing. Hot baths. Boys in bed. Matchstick eyes concentrating on computer.
Audible exhale....and that my friends was the weekend!
I definitely could have done with a mid-afternoon nap
like this little dude. If there had have been room
After a day of torrential rain on Thursday, with houses slipping from their foundations, train crashes, and gridlocked traffic come home time, it was a big surprise to wake to cerulean blue skies Friday.
This arrived on my desk at work barely after I did. Unassuming from its cover.
But inside full of memories. Forgotten memories. Of who we once were. Long-lost but since lived out memories.
Written by a boy, who was a little loco on love 12 years ago. It arrived in my Christmas care package, containing memories of our short and sweet, and barely 2 weeks together before he was yanked back to the other side of the planet. Inside were jokes. Silly sayings. Poetry from the heart. Promises for the future.
He had accidentally rediscovered it this week, and had laughed, cried and cringed his way through re-reading it. And so sent it to me for an unexpected trip down memory lane.
I called that boy and arranged to creep out of the office for a quick coffee with on the waterfront. Was surprised when he arrived with sunflowers in hand.
We talked about 'the book'.
About how uncanny it was that so many of the hopes and dreams we don't really even remember having back then have since come true.
We have stood on the top of Mount Taranaki...together.
May 2005.
A picture of Mark snowboarding in France and telling
me 'I can't wait till we go'. We did. Switzerland 2001.
A request to travel the world with me.
And we have had just a few adventures.
In France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Greece,
South Africa, Australia, Sri Lanka, The Maldives,
and even here discovering NZ.
Although we didn't get married here,
we visited The Church of the Good Shepherd
only four months after this was written. April 1999
