Short and Sweet

I have lots of blogs I want to write, but just do not have the time at the moment. So this is short and sweet just like my cute new haircut.

Yesterday, mum and I went and got our hair cut. I actually had not been to the hairdresser since December 2011. So “yes” Jennifer (our new hairdresser) did tell me off a bit.

I have a love/hate relationship with my hair and do not do much with it. I needed a nice, easy to maintain haircut.

So now I have a lovely new style and a fringe which is great. Jennifer cut some layers into my hair and got rid of a lot of the weight. I am going a bit bald which is really embarrassing so having less weight is awesome.

I think that it was a complete fluke coming across Jennifer. We got a flyer in our mailbox and I put it on the fridge. A few days later mum said “I DESPERATELY” need to get my haircut as it was getting her down and the last hairdresser had done a revolting job with clippers; because obviously my mum is a bloke?! 

Anyway, I made a mum-daughter “date” for the Saturday to go and find a hairdresser. Then I got home and thought “Oh. Em. Gee. I have this flyer on the fridge”, so I emailed Jennifer. She called me back later that evening and was lovely. We made a time for the Sunday and I nervously text mum to let her know. We went along and I realised within about 10 seconds that we had made the best decision ever! Mum was so overjoyed and happy with her beautiful haircut that there were nearly tears and she gave Jennifer a big hug. So happy for her.

I have not got a photo of mum's haircut, but I have one of mine. Aside from looking exhausted…what do you think?

P.S. I got a cute new scarf from my mum as well :)

Upside Down Cardi

I no longer wear a watch but my smartphone is telling me that it is finally Friday!

It was not long into my day that I realised that perhaps a coffee before I left the house would have been advisable.

Picture this. I was killing sometime before a client meeting at 9am and decided to sit at a downtown atrium overlooking the water to have breakfast. I am actually struck by the irony that I would have been in the same place on a Friday night about 10 years ago on the dance floor with a drink (and probably cigarette) in my hand. The café is actually where the old Waterfront nightclub was.

I digress.

So I am sitting there tweeting and contemplating my morning coffee while looking out at the most spectacular day (spring is nearly here) and I thought “this is beautiful”. My breakfast consisted of a flat white, sparkling cranberry and lime and a cranberry, brie and smoked chicken bagel. Are you sensing a wee cranberry theme; no bladder infections here!  Oh that is funny “wee cranberry”!

As I was sipping my drink I realised that the seam of my cardigan was in an odd place so I tried to pull it around. Suddenly, my heart sank and I reached around the back only to find (horror of horrors) that I had put my cardigan on upside down? Seriously, who does that? Leaving the house wearing an UPSIDE DOWN CARDI!!! I could understand inside out, but upside down? I whipped it off and put it on properly ASAP. How could my husband not have told me? Thank goodness I realised before I went to see my client; although she would have just laughed.

Moral of the story is to drink a strong coffee before I leave the house and check my outfit in a long mirror.

The other thing I have realised when clipping the hair off my face is that I can never get both sides to look symmetrical. It drives me crazy!

In other news I have decided that I want to improve at blogging. I have found some excellent new blogs (and books by bloggers) that I cannot wait to read. It made me wonder why these bloggers had such a huge fan base that spans continents and it is because they are interesting, blog regularly, blog about different things and are funny. I am not really sure if I want to start a new blog or just make this one better.

It is Daffodil Day here in New Zealand and you can easily donate by texting DAFFODIL to 2447 for an automatic donation or by giving to the collectors that seem to be on every corner. Go on….you know you want to!

Inside I am screaming

Five weeks ago my life was totally different. I had just turned 37 and was more concerned that people had forgotten my birthday than anything else.

Despite being in my late 30’s I did not really feel like an adult. I actually believed that becoming an adult would happen when we purchased a house and I was forced to think about things like mortgages and interest rates.

I was wrong.

My life has flipped on its axis and I was shoved into becoming (and feeling like) an adult overnight. Things I never thought I would have to think about have became ALL I ever think about. Decisions that I never thought I would have to make are now part of my day.

Inside I am silently screaming at the injustice of the world.

To be honest I just want to have one day where I do not have to answer the question “how are you feeling”.

Writing for release

Spring brings blossoms, new growth and renewal

So much is happening at the moment that I cannot write about because it is just too deeply personal and hard.

I have always found writing to be a release. So I find it hard when I cannot write what is going on. All I am currently trying to do is to live on a day-to-day basis.

Last week was one of the worst weeks of my life. Everything that could possibly go wrong (or happen) did. Then just when you think you cannot take ANYMORE something else would happen. It is no wonder that I could barely keep my eyes open over the weekend. I feel so tired that I just want to sleep and sleep, but sometimes when I try and sleep I cannot because my brain will not stop.

I have to think about things that I never thought I would have to deal with. I have to ask questions that I never thought I would have to ask. I have to be strong during the times when everyone else is stretched to breaking point or not coping.

I cry in private when no one is around to see or hear me. I use humour when underneath my heart is ripped to shreds. I give hugs. I offer words of support. But it just feels like it is not enough. I personally start to fall apart when people offer words of support because it means that everything that is happening is real; it is not some horrible nightmare that I cannot wake up from.

I am so glad that we were able to have a beautiful, relaxing holiday before everything went to shit.

I love my husband, my family, our close friends and our cats. They are amazing and provide the support and love that we need.

New eating plan

 

So, it is the first day of my new eating plan.

I went to see Lynda from Nutrition for Life on Saturday. It was probably the worst day for me to go as I had, had very little sleep and then was up really early for a garage sale. I could barely keep my eyes open in the appointment.

Anyway, we had a really great talk. We talked about and wrote down some initial goals, weighed in and then discussed my food plan. I had to track my food during the week for 3 days and it was probably the worst 3 days that I could have used….seriously BAD week.

So we wrote down breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner and evening snacks. The great thing about Lynda is she always gives you a few options to choose from but not so many that you get overwhelmed.

As per normal the key for me is:

Planning – Preparation – Execution

I know so much about health and nutrition and what to eat and what not to eat. But sometimes I just need guidance and to be accountable to someone else.

The problem for me is the huge sugar spikes and excess oestrogen which does not help my PMS symptoms. To help balance things out a bit (in addition to a better diet) I am going to take Clinicians DMI along with multivitamins and fish oil.

I am about three-quarters of the way through my day and it has been pretty good. I did a lot of planning and preparation yesterday and this morning and so far I have had lovely meals and snacks. I have been quite hungry today and have tried to use herbal tea and more water to fill in the gaps. Apparently, my appetite should start to even out a bit in a few days.

I have also realised that I am not willing to consume diet products unless they are healthy and do not contain artificial sweeteners. One thing I will NOT go diet on is yoghurt. I love Collective Dairy yoghurt and it is my one indulgence. The GREAT news is, is that they have just brought out a new range of Skinny Greek Yoghurtin 4 Flavours. The best thing is, is that I still get to have their yoghurt and it is low fat and has no added sugar (stevia is used). Love it! 

Now I just need to get back into exercising about 4-5 times each week!

Boxing Day Photo

Every year my birth family take a Boxing Day photo; it is tradition. Actually, to be fair it is a pretty amazing tradition as it has been wonderful to watch our family grow up and also increase in size.

Nevertheless, I hate it because I always look repulsive in it. My entire family are small and pretty fit and I feel like the fat older sister and struggle every year to make myself look nice for this photo.

 

It also does not help that I am losing my hair. Now whether this is hormonal, or over washing….I have no idea. I just want to shave it off. Instead I am going to see if I can follow Lauren’s course of action for getting her hair healthy.

I did really well in the first quarter of this year with my exercise and then daylight savings finished and it threw me off kilter. I know that is an excuse and I really should not have stopped exercising.

So I have decided that I need to take some drastic action for the 2012 Boxing Day photo. There are 135 days (19.2 weeks) until the photo.

This afternoon I emailed my old nutritionist Lynda to see if I can come and see her. The main reason that I want to go back is to get my nutrition back on track and also to be accountable to someone other than myself. I actually know what I should and should not be eating, but it is just OUT OF CONTROL.

This is coupled with the fact that there is a lot of heavy emotional stuff going on for me at the moment. I thought that the best way to handle this without having a breakdown is to be as healthy, fit and well-rested as I could be.

The basics:

• 12 weeks of nutrition consultations
• Follow Bob Harper’s training schedule for cardio and resistance
• Start walking at night and on the weekend again
• No treats or takeaways

I am not going to give up this time because I do not want to start again.

Rarotongan Honeymoon

It only took 4 years, but Mark and I FINALLY had our beautiful Rarotongan honeymoon.

Day 1 – our first day was overcast and we spent time just getting our bearings. It was Sunday so everything was closed and we ended up having an early dinner at Sails restaurant and Mark had a Frozen Fairy cocktail; enough said!

Day 2 –we went on a 4WD drive tour around the island and up into the bush which gave us a bit more perspective of layout of the island. We saw the abandoned Sheraton hotel which has become very overgrown; there’s a big story there but I need to do some more research. We went to see where the 7 canoes departed from to sail to Aotearoa and also went to a marae. I was expecting a NZ Maori marae, but what we saw was completely differently. It was really just a flat area surrounded by stones etc.  We met some lovely kiwis from Hamilton and then had a beautiful BBQ lunch with fresh tuna and fruit. We ended up having a pizza from a resort just down the road for dinner.

Day 3 –we just swam snorkelled and kayaked and ended up having burgers for lunch and dinner.

Day 4 – finally we caught the bus into Avarua to go to the supermarket. In hindsight we should have done this on the first day as it would have saved us so much money. Mark went for a huge kayak around the islands. Then we had an amazing BBQ tea.

Day 5 – halfway through our trip we had a very lazy day. We watched the lagoon cruise go out in the morning and then watched them come in and prepare for their second trip in the afternoon. Mark did another huge kayak. We had beautiful scrambled eggs for lunch. The weather was somewhat cooler. I finished my 4^th book and almost through my 5^th book. BBQ for tea.

Day 6 – we started the morning with a beautiful, refreshing kayak and a quick snorkel. Nothing wakes you up like falling out of your kayak. We then decided to hire scooters for a few days to get around…after much DRAMA we just decided against it and caught the bus home and went for an amazing snorkel which was probably about 2km in total. In the evening we went to Highland Paradise which was truly amazing and I will do a separate blog about that. Apparently, the land that the Sheraton is on is apparently owned by the Queen of Takitumu.

Day 7 – Saturday finally rolled around and we went to the markets very early. We met up with my birth mum (Sharleen) and her friends which was great. We bought a few presents and a bit of fruit and then came home. We got told that there was going to be a wedding front of our room and that we were “welcome” to watch….”um no”. About 5 minutes into the ceremony there was a huge downpour and they had to move. We had dinner with Sharleen and the girls and then went along to watch a plane land; which is quite freaky.

Day 8 – we went to church with Sharleen and the girls and then caught the clockwise (no anti-clockwise bus on Sunday) bus back to the hotel. It was so windy that the guys were all out on the lagoon kite surfing. It was too rough to swim or kayak.

Day 9 – we woke up to the wind and a note for checkout which meant our holiday was nearly over. It was a very cold, windy day and then the rain set in. So we spent the day curled up reading and Mark started his third book (which is amazing considering Mark NEVER reads) and I started my eighth.

Day 10 – our final day dawned and we were a bit sad. We packed and checked out to the lounge and caught the bus into town for a final look around. We had brunch at Salsa and then came back for a quick swim in the pool and the lagoon. The water in the lagoon was the warmest it had been.

What is incredible is that Rarotonga is virtually untouched and it is absolute paradise for the people that call it home and for those that are just visiting. The sky is just clear and the stars are breath-taking. The sweet smell of the native jasmine and the last of the frangipani add an alluring sweet smell to the air.

Things we learned:

• Arrive a day before the markets so that you can go and pick up fresh fruit, vegetables and fish and go to the supermarket
• Pack half the amount of clothes and bring a bit of extra food
• Hire push bikes to explore the island at your leisure
• Buy a 10-trip bus ticket
• Do not FORK out $100’s for scooters
• Bring worm tablets for cats
• Plan for a few special meals out
• Snorkel, swim and kayak heaps on the fine days as when it is cold and windy you cannot play in the water
• Kayaking is much easier in a lagoon vs. the sea
• Book a couple more “experiences”. We are planning to do the Highland Paradise day tours, Koko Lagoon Cruises and we might try Te Vara Nui for comparison
• Take more photos
• Lose weight
• Have a pedicure before I go
• Find out more about the Cook Islands
• Have more cocktails
• Allow maybe an hour each day for a nap, but then make the most of the rest of the time
• Muri Beachcomber was the loveliest place to say
• Muri Beach is spectacular
• If you do not want to lug 13 books with you then take your e-reader 
• Cafe Salsa is fantastic. We went 3 times!

We have decided to go back to Rarotonga in late July/early August next year in time for their constitutional celebrations. It means that we need to start saving for this now in conjunction with saving for a house. Exciting changes are afoot for us.

Mark said to me that the holiday made him realise that there is “more to life than work”. This made me very happy as he gets super stressed at work. Hopefully, he will also continue reading books to relax and I have already requested the first two books in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson. We both needed a break as my dad has been extremely sick and both our fathers have to have heart surgery in the next few weeks. We have returned rested and ready to support our families.

Photos:

1. Our room. 2. Beautiful rainbow over the lagoon. 3. Mark and I by the waterfall. 4. The abandoned Sheraton. 5. The circle of 7 stones representing the 7 Vaka’s that left for Aotearoa. 6. Where the Vaka’s sailed from. 7. Marae. 8. Raro Safari Tours and coconuts with new growth. 9. The photo that proves that Mark read while we were away. 10. Warrior at Highland Paradise. 11. Willie (our guide) showing how a coconut can be grated on Highland Paradise tour. 12. Beautiful dancers at Highland Paradise. 13. A row of Magic Bullets at the Saturday market. 14. Church. 15. Estelle one of the resident cats. 16. No name kitty…a local cat.