Reflections

*addit*
Grab a coffee and a comfy chair - this may take a while!
Oh and Miss Jane - THAT PESKY WOMAN was present throughout the writing of this post so be careful - she may turn up at your place!
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Once again I am sitting here looking at my poor, sad neglected blog. The past twelve months have not been anywhere near as simple as my blog makes them look.  I would like to be more consistent with my blogging but as those who know me well are aware I am good at talking and pretending everything is fine but when life seems too difficult I tend to retreat and hide.  You see I would hate to think I was burdening others with my troubles.

I have not had the words to express what is in my heart and my head.  I know sometimes (okay quite often..) I have the wrong words and I think without speaking but the lack of words all together has been hard.  Not only has my blog been neglected but I have very little record of the past twelve months.  I have no journal entries, no diary and no blog.  Not because I had nothing to remember but because I just don't have the words.

My last year has been so terribly hard.  Back on the Friday the 11th of March 2011 we were told there was nothing more that could be done for Mum - to go home and spend the weekend with her and in the unlikely chance she survived until Monday we would speak to the palliative care doctor then.  No matter how much you are expecting this conversation boy it just rips your guts out.  HOWEVER they had no idea how stubborn my mother could be.  She promptly stated that she would not die before Kyle's birthday on the following weekend (19th March) - after all that would be so rude and my mother was very aware of doing "the right thing".  Then having reached Kyle's birthday she promptly declared it was my brothers birthday on the 2nd of April so she would wait for that!  The same went for Easter and then we were looking towards Mothers Day.  Mum told me she knew she could not die this closely before Mothers Day as it would be too difficult for us!    At the time she said this (early April) I smiled and told her she may have no choice.  HOW SILLY OF ME!   Mothers Day came along on the 8th of May and we got to celebrate this special day with a very frail, sick but definately alive Mum.

Mum sat with me on Mothers Day and told me that the next things on our calendar were John's birthday at the end of July and Tasha's birthday in August..... she was really sorry but she didn't think she could make it that far.  She went into Karinya Palliative Care on that Tuesday and passed away that Friday - the 13th of May.  A considerate lady to the very end.

I knew it was coming, I was prepared for it, I had spent nearly every day over the past few months travelling to Berry and spending time with Mum.... we shared stories.... we laughed.... I learnt lots of new things about my mother.... But WOW it still hit me so hard.  I think the fact that we had lost Uncle Les (mum's brother) as she was undergoing treatment in late 2010 and that there was now no-one of that generation left in our family made a massive impact on me.  My brother at the age of 43 had become the oldest member of our family... we were now the grown ups.  Scary thought.

I guess I went into shut down - I had no words.... some days I had no thoughts!  It is in this period that I know I let my friends down in a massive way.  I wasn't there when I was needed and my words were not the right ones.  Even when I was trying to encourage my words were so wrong.  Luckily I have amazing friends who love me enough to forgive me.  This is an amazing gift.... once I struggle to believe I deserve but am so grateful that they believe in me,

Please be aware that I have not forgotten... I don't think I could... In fact if anyone thinks I have wronged them in the past be sure that you could not hold me more accountable than I do myself.  I keep a record in my head of every wrong word, every thing that may have been misinterpreted, every unhelpful statement.  Believe me... I can tell you things I said back in high school that I still regret and hold myself in contempt for. There is no harsher judge on me than myself and that is why sometimes I am amazed at the friends I have and I know I do not deserve you.  BUT I am so glad that you are there.  I do get nervous and I hide my feelings behind jokes and sarcasm but every sarcastic word spoken is logged into that journal in my head and brought out to parade in front of me when I am puzzled by fact that you stick by me.

I am very aware (as has been drilled into me by my mother) of not letting people down and it is this reason alone that stops me from climbing into bed, pulling the blankets over my head and never getting out.  My first thought is for my kids - they are the reason I get up each day and push my feelings aside and pretend to smile.  My other motivation is the thought of possibly letting someone down.  There is no way I could just not turn up to work, no matter how hard I find it some days - I could not fathom that.  The thought of letting people down in that way...  I mean.... imagine what they would think of me!

My kids have had a hard twelve months and they amaze me with their support.  Wow how did my little boy get to be 16?  His hugs and smiles warm my heart and his caring nature is a beacon of light on days filled with dark.  My little girl has had a horrid year as well.  She was so close to Mum and has struggled so much - She now has no grandparents and this has left a massive hole in her heart. She misses Mum terribly and I don't know how to help her with this - we share stories and remember and are thankful for the time we did get to spend with her. Unfortunately she also fell on the wrong side of a group of girls at school who have made it their mission to push her as far and as hard as they can emotionally.  One of the hardest calls ever received is from your daughter's school advisor (who has been a blessing and a wonderful support to Tasha over the past twelve months) to tell us that she needed us to know she was booking Tash in with the school counsellor first thing the following day and we need to be aware that our little girl was suicidal and that all she wanted was to die.  We think she is coping better now.... but I am so scared....

So what is ahead..... well we have Mothers Day in a few weeks.... the day Mum held on for.... and the anniversary of her death which by some mean twist of fate.... (or as pointed out by a dear friend of mine maybe a gift from Mum knowing that both these days would be hard and she wouldn't want to burden us with two days) ......happen to both fall on the same day this year.  We continue to pray for Tash as she goes back to school with a new group of friends, and as she learns to tell the other girls to just leave her alone.  She has had some amazing support from some unexpected people and they hold a very special place in my heart for standing beside her when she so needed someone.

We look forward to (and yes am also terrified by) Kyle currently studying and getting ready to sit for his driving licence (L plates).  Kyle has his Media Makers program starting soon and we head overseas on about 4 months.  SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT!  I have spent the last month researching Mum's family tree and the area she grew up in, and along with the stories from her I am so looking forward to exploring this and putting pictures to the stories.

I just want to thank my friends for being there for me and for not giving up on me.  I ask for forgiveness and as mentioned before I know I hold myself much more accountable than you ever could.  I have had old friends come back into my life - people who spent their teenage years at our place and held Mum in their hearts and have had my special friends show their support in facebook posts, text messages, Sunday afternoon coffees and monthly tuesday lunches.  I love you all dearly.

I look forward to the day I feel more like "me" again and not this broken shell.  I know I should just "get over it" (as I have been told) and stop focusing on the negatives.... but you know what - that is about the one thing I know I am good at ....stressing and focusing on the negative..... after all I have had so much practice! I wish it were that easy.... just get over it..... but I am trying and each day we get through is another step closer.

But seriously...... the past year has shown me that with my friends beside me I can get through anything.  We never get through anything unscathed and I know these scars will be with me forever.  The those I let down I am truly sorry.

Blog hopping

Sorry for the long post earlier.  I have been doing some blog hopping of my own lately and have been awed and blown away by a couple of blogs in particular.

Sunday night I made the monumental mistake of not only watching Beaconsfield on TV (Which I knew would bring tears) but I also read Kristian Anderson's book the same night.  Talk about emotion overload.  For those of you who don't know Kristian he was responsible for "that" birthday message for his wife.....  yes the one with my boy Hugh in it!   Hmmmm I have a birthday coming up later this year.... I wonder.....maybe a card.... delivered personally........  any way I digress.  His blog is here:

http://howthelightgetsin.net/

and the book is basically his cancer story as written in his blog - amazingly honest and up front and so sharing.

The other blog I can't miss is a little different from this one - the story of a mum with four young girls who are growing up quickly.  She is a mother, a scrapper whose still I adore, and a marine's wife.  I always her blog to be bits of fun, very open and honest and very inspiring.  She has some of the quirkiest posts which I adore and they always make me nod my head in agreeance but she is also not afraid to share in the hard times.  I love her blog and you can find it here:

http://www.stephaniehowell.com/my_weblog/

Check it out - she will make you laugh, make you cry but most of all make you feel like a dear friend.

Girls Weekend

Instead of heading to Melross this year we decided to have girls weekend away... unfortunately Jane could not join us :( but it just gives us an excuse to have another weekend later in the year!

Anyway as the plans were altered we changed our original girls weekend plan of a wine tasting weekend away to a weekend on the Highlands.

I went up Friday and had a bit of a history trip - I went past the house I spent most of my school holidays and a large number of weekends - Nan's place in Moss Vale - and to the cemetery where Nan and Pop are buried.
Cass joined me after dinner Friday and we became ladies of the manor for the weekend.....

For some reason blogger wants this photo to go here instead of further down but I had to include it anyway - just for you Miss Jane - you just can't have a girls weekend without Jane!

Anyway, we stayed at the gorgeous old Berida Manor in Bowral. It is a lovely old building with lots of little sitting areas and lounges.

We spent Saturday wandering around Bowral looking at the shops and exploring the homewares stores and many many food and clothes stores.

For lunch we decided to explore further afield and drove to Berrima where we found the most amazing little gem. Josh's cafe! Brilliant coffee... Lovely food.... Friendly staff. What more do you need.
Saturday night we had a wonderful meal at Berida Manor. Yum!

Sunday we decided to head out to Bundanoon for a quick look around town (did not take long) before heading back into Bowral with what we found luxurious... the chance to stop whenever it took our fancy! We called into a little berry farm and tasted jams and vinegars and even came home with a few little sample pots.

Oh and just for Miss Jane. We had some of this... and some Southern Highlands Winery Pinot Gris (nice)
As well as consuming some of this,,,,,

Photo of the Day

Yes I have done it..... I have joined a photo of the day challenge. Hmmmm not sure how I'll go but it should be fun.

Day 1 - up.

This is the view I see when I look up from my scrap desk.. lots of cards, special momentoes, letters etc. Things that make me smile :)

Day 2 - Fruit

Okay - full disclosure. My first thought for fruit was to take a pic of a bottle of wine - after all it is made from grapes - lol. But I chose to use Tasha's fav fruit instead - she has always loved tomatoes and regularly took them to school for her fruit.

Day 3 - Neighbourhood

This is the thing I love about my neighbourhood - even though we are close to town we have lots of bushland around us - and a national park 2 blocks away. (Although I have to admit that my fear of bushfire does get to me sometimes)

Day 4 - Bedside

This is my bedside table. I was going to tidy it up first but thought I would show it as it is. I love reading and so all my "to be read" books live here (once they are read they go onto the book shelves in the family room). Also on this shelf are my special books... the book of memories my mum wrote out for me before she died, the family photo books we have had printed and my bible, given to me years ago by the parents of my boyfriend at the time and my daily devotional. Oh and of course my special teddy bears!!!

Day 5 - Smile.

This pic definately makes me smile.... I was trying to get a photo of the old man with cabin fever but instead of a nice posed photo I got this one... and I love it!

Day 6 - 5pm

This is my view at 5pm every Tuesday - sitting outside Le Pointe Dance Academy waiting for Tasha to finish her dancing. Some days (especially in the middle of winter) it isn't much fun but most days it is my quiet time - time to sit and read a book or chat with friends. So if you are ever in Bomaderry between 4.45 and 6.30 on a Tuesday drop by for coffee and a chat...... oh.... you will have to bring the coffee.... the coffee shop shuts at 4pm :(

Music

Music and dance is such a large part of our lives in this household. The girls both love dancing and all of us like to have music playing in our house. Those who know me realise that I have an extremely eclectic range of music. (yes Cass I can see you nodding now....)

This was brought home to me this month. Firstly one week I went along with Tasha and Tegan to see Young Mens Society (from Australias got Talent)
And then Tasha's favourite group - Justice Crew. A singing and dancing hip hop group. We had seen them last year and I have to admit that I was disappointed in them from the group they were in X Factor it was a very average show so I went into the concert not expecting much..... until I saw their new emcee. NACHO POP! WOW! What a show... he had choreographed the entire show and it was brilliant.
Oh and it doesn't hurt that they are not bad on the eyes!
Then from the hip-hop/rap weekend of YMS and Justice Crew the following weekend Tony and I went to the Country thunder Tour. I had wanted to see Adam Brand live and was so excited when I heard he was coming to Nowra - but he also bought McAlister Kemp and the Sunny Cowgirls with him. It was a great concert and lots of fun.

Sydney Weekend

Ooops found these photos still on my camera *insert blushing face here*

These pics are from our family weekend in Sydney for Tony's birthday.

We got up to Sydney Sat morning and went walking around Sydney - as usual the kids loved the water features at Darling Harbour (happens EVERY time) - although the highlight of Tasha's day was a combination of spotting the Apple store .... imagine three floors of ipods, iphones etc but then ....even better..... a vending machine full of Haviana's! How Cool!

(oh and just to let Jane know.... for future reference it is just around the corner from the Marble bar.... may need to remember that for Kath!)
Then we met Mark and Mel for a very special birthday dinner for Tony at Nicks Restaurant at Cockle Bay. After that we went to watch the fireworks at Darling Harbour when I turned around and found Tony with this blonde!!!!
Oh wait..... that blonde was Tash! hehe She has been after a wig for about 2 years now and was so excited to finally get it. Hmmmm not too sure about a blonde Tony??
Then Sunday morning for breakfast we treated Tony to Pancakes on the Rocks. Yum

Hassles, Headaches and HissyFits

Wow, what can I say..... If anyone ever asks me to move a medical practice again take a step back otherwise I will knock you over in my rush to get out the door. We had one of those moves where whatever could go wrong did go wrong - we had the worst removalists - EVER.

Had hassles and problems at every turn - In fact it was so bad that this bunch of roses turned up at work from the bosses to say thank you to us girls.
I have never seen so many roses in one place - the bunch was soooo big we had to put them in the bin... we didnt have a vase to put them in *oops*
Oh and I have learned many new skills. Give me a power tool and watch me go! Lauren, Alyssa and I had a steep learning curve when our new furniture turned up in flat packs. Lots of laughs, lots of head scratching and some power tools and we made up the new trolley, bookcases, cupboards and pantry - Woo hooo Girl Power

Ready to go...

I know, I know... post overload!

Just wanted to post the pic Jenny Other Mum took before we headed out for drinks. Yes Heidi's arm is in a sling - only my friend could possibly fracture a collarbone by falling from a chair whilst seated - totally sober!

What's ahead?

Wow another month is nearly half over... it is funny how time works... the last 12 months have been some of the hardest I have had to deal with and whilst some days seemed to drag and putting one foot in front of the other seemed like walking through quicksand the last twelve months have also flown by... I know, I know the two should not work together but somehow they do.

What does life have ahead of us? Well we have so much to look forward to - especially our overseas trip (yes I know you are sick of hearing about it and I try not to say too much but we are very excited about it).

Both of the kids are back at school and Tasha in particular is loving the return of her social life! She has returned to dancing and is looking forward to a full on and challenging year of dance this year

Kyle has been accepted into a special program called Media Makers - He applied last year and we found out he was accepted when he got back to school. It is a special program offered by the University of Wollongong computer studies and media schools where a limited number of places are offered to students from year 10 and 11. This is what it is about:

Shoalhaven Media Makers is a series of workshops for Years 10 and/or 11 students designed to help develop the skills and strategies young people need to ensure their voice is heard on community issues and events important to them and their peers.

These hands-on workshops will cover topics that include video, editing, digital storytelling, graphic design, promotion and publicity. Experts in the fields of communication, community engagement and graphic design will run the workshops.

He is looking forward to it!

As for Tony and I - well the next few months will be interesting to say the least. Tony is booked in for shoulder surgery in just over a week and after the surgery he will have his arm in a sling and have 6 weeks off work! Wow - how many times over the past years have I wanted to have Tony home as a normal part of our family. For six weeks we will have Tony here as part of our everyday family life (even if he is housebound).

I do have to admit that even though this is what I have wanted I also face this time with some trepidation and uncertainty. This will be the longest Tony and I have spent together in 10 years.... Even on holidays the longest we have had together is 3 - 4 weeks and that was with things to distract us. Having Tony around to fit in with our normal everyday life for six weeks will be a test - I guess it will either break us or hopefully it will give him the push to make it a permanent move and get a day job so he can come back to us permanently.

Cleaning up

What a busy weekend we have had! To start with I had Friday off so it was a much needed long weekend.

But there was no sleep in... I got up early and met Leanne for a coffee/breakfast catchup before she started work. I was wonderful to sit and chat as it has been weeks since we caught up.

Friday was not all fun - as mentioned in a previous post I attended a funeral Friday morning - it was a lovely service and Kipper's sons talked so well when they delivered the eulogy.

Then Friday afternoon/evening Tony, Kyle, Tasha and one of Tasha's friends Holly's went up to the Nowra Show while I went to the Laylands for dinner. Jenny has been my "other mum" for years - back from those tough teenage years! Anyway - Heidi and Scott were in town for the funeral so after having a fun dinner with my other family Heid, Scott and I headed out to bottlerocket for drinks.

Saturday I caught up with Miss Jane for a late afternoon cuppa and de-brief/chat and Tasha headed off to an overnight birthday party.

Busy social weekend! And in the middle of this I spent some time in my craft room, tidying up and sorting out. I finally got around to putting some of my layouts away in albums.... they have been piling up in a drawer in my craft room so it was good to put them away. I am sure most of these I have shared before but I thought I would include some of them here.




And now its Sunday - today has been my retro day - I have spent more time in my craft room listening to my old favourites play list and going through some of my "put - aside" layouts. You know... those photos you have wanted to scrap for ages or those you have started and put aside to finish later. Well I got three of those pages finished - one of which I started about 4 years ago - so I am feeling very proud of myself right now.

Hope your weekend has been a good one too.

The Dash

I went to a funeral this morning for a very special man. His wife has been known to me for many years and was a friend of my Mum and Dad for a long time. The following poem was read at the end of his service and I wanted to share it with you....

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on his tombstone
From the beginning..to the end.
He noted that first came his date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears, 1944-2012
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
That he spent alive on earth..
And now only those who loved him
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars..the house..the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you”d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what”s true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we”ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile..
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy”s being read
With your life”s actions to rehash..
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

A little lovin'

Thought I better add a little lovin to my poor sad neglected blog!

Hmmm so much has happened.....

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the kids are now back to school after being terribly neglected over the school holidays. Its times like this I hate being a working parent. But we made it through.

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- The preparation for the big move for work has been MANIC.

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- We celebrated Tony's birthday.

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- Tony and I reached 18 years of marriage! I have to be honest... I didn't think it would happen, but we made it!

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I am going to try and find some time over the weekend to update all my posts and fill in the blanks. I have tomorrow off work and have already planned a breakfast coffee with Leanne and a girls drinks night with Heidi. May need some quiet time Saturday to sit and update blog after a night out!

Looking back...

WARNING...PHOTO OVERLOAD...

What a year 2011 has been for the Lucas family. We have done so much - we have laughed, we have cried (way too much), we have had good times and bad times. It has been year when we realised just who our friends and our support were and exactly how much we cherished each and every one of them.

We spent as much time outdoors as we could - nowhere near as much as we wanted to but at least we got there. We spent time with friends and family.

The first half of this year was spent between Nowra and Berry looking after Mum and I am extremely grateful to my friends and family not just for the many words of encouragement, the drop off of food, the hugs and the help but mainly for your understanding when I didn't feel I could be stretched any further.
We watched our little puppy grow from a tiny ball of fluff we were given at last Christmas by Mum who knew we would need someone to cuddle when she was gone to a large ball of fluff who is now so much a part of our family it is hard to imagine life without him.
Tasha started high school (yikes) and Kyle went into year 9. We spent as much time with Mum as we could as a family storing up memories and looking after her as the confusion and pain became stronger and stronger. We also spent time with the rest of our family and loved their acceptance of us on good days and bad.

I changed jobs and am so thankful that this opportunity came up. Going back there has been kind of like coming home.

We got away for a weekend as a family to Sydney as we didn't want to travel too far. We went to the zoo and we saw Mary Poppins... Tasha loved watching Matt Lee dance.
We spent time at the beach - even taking Mum back to the beach for one last trip which was the one thing she really wanted to do. We all love the beach and being outdoors.

Kyles smile and hugs warm my heart each day. He greets me often during the day arms outstretched with hug ready to go.
On the 13th of May we said goodbye to Mum and once again were just surrounded by love and amazing friends. Can I say again how thankful we are for your support.

I spent time with my friends and had some great times with them as well as enjoying their understanding in the bad times.
Once again Tony bundled our family in the car for a drive down to Melbourne for a weekend when I was feeling so useless being so far away from friends who were having a horrid year to equal ours. Their 2012 should be much better for them as a family and I hope to spend time with them again this year.

We have enjoyed time outdoors. I have spent numerous hours watching dance lessons/ soccer games.

We entered trivia competitions (and won - go us!) with our wonderful friends and have had numerous catch ups, cups of coffee, drinks etc with these special people


What can I say about 2011. I hope we never have another like it. However the blessings that have come out of this time show me that God knew exactly what help was needed and placed it right where it would be most beneficial. The friends that have always been special to us have become even more so - simply for the care and understanding shown to us when... quite honestly... putting one foot in front of the other even seems too hard some days. My kids are my lifeline - without them I really don't think I would get out of bed each morning.

These last two pics are from my facebook page. I sometimes forget that some of my closest friends miss the entire part of my life that is shared my facebook ... although miss it is the wrong phrase as they are a part of my life every day and hear most of it first hand from me.

Below is photos that I think I have shown above... it is a random selection of pics from my facebook page
And this one is a random collection of my status updates over the past twelve months. It is good to look back and remember the past twelve months and to remind myself that we have laughed as well as cried and that we can go on.
Bring on 2012........

Our Christmas

Christmas was a quiet one this year!

We drove up to Sydney on Christmas Eve to spend a few days with Mark, Mel and Declan... oh and Ben the dog! We had a scrumptious traditional Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. The weather was beautiful and so we sat outside in the cool of the evening with a couple of bottles of Moet (thanks Mel) and had a great time.
Mel went to great lengths to organise a special Christmas - not only was the food amazing but the house was decked out in Christmas everywhere. She even had a gorgeous little Christmas village which I forgot to get a photo of :(

Christmas Day was nice and relaxed. We opened pressies and our menu for the day consisted of seafood, fresh fruit, cold ham and pork from the night before, salads and chocolate..... lots of chocolate. It was a time I was dreading and I did find it difficult... but when I found myself struggling I just took myself off for a few minutes until I felt I could join in again. Tash has really been struggling with losing Mum and is very aware that of my family the oldest person left is my brother and she really misses that older generation in her life so it was great to have a nice relaxed Christmas that she could enjoy
Then from the sublime to the ridiculous - we went from my small family gathering to driving home ... after calling into Miranda for a catch up with Heidi which always puts a smile on my face. Heidi was one of our "strays" and we have been friends for years - in fact when we were teenagers we just about lived at each others house and I still call her mother "other Mum".

Anyway from there we drove home... slowly.... very slowly.... yuck I hate holiday traffic to be greeted at the Combers by the Lucas family en masse. The scary thing..... this isn't all of them! We only got to spend an hour or so with them as we spent so much time in traffic but it was still great to see them. We got to meet the latest addition Violet (Jeneen's granddaughter) and also to see Mark (Davina's son) who was a surprise attendee.

Pre Christmas

As many people have mentioned December seemed to fly by in a vague mist. Our December is always slightly mad but this one seemed even more manic than usual.

We spent time doing our annual Christmas tree decorating - each year we get our Christmas hats and shirts on and put on the carols to decorate the tree. It was kind of bittersweet this year as most of our decorations have memories/thoughts of people attached to them. Each year the kids make a new decoration with their name and the year on it and this is also done for those sharing the dressing of the tree with us so when we unpack the box we have not only memories of our kids but also of those who have shared the time with us previously. So we have decorations from nieces/nephews/friends/past housemates/mum etc etc
Also in December I finally got to see Spicks and Specks. I had tickets to see a live showing last year but couldn't make it to the studio so had to miss it - when I heard they were touring I knew I just had to go. It was a really fun night with John, Haylee and Gail and I am so glad I was able to see it. Lots of singing and dancing as well as all of my favourite games from the show.
Tasha had her end of year dance concert for Le Pointe Dance Academy. Once again it was an amazing show - very professionally done. The theme this year was a triple tribute - Elvis Presley, Judy Garland and Michael Jackson. Tasha's dance for hip hop was Beat it and for Jazz was jailhouse rock. She put in so much time and effort in practising over and over and danced beautifully - well done Tasha
As I had the week before Christmas off work and the kids were both on school holidays we headed off on a road trip! Tasha has been asking me for some time to spend some time with my cousins (the only family left on my side) as the last time she saw them was at Mum's funeral and she wanted to replace those memories with happy ones. Tony and I had seen them since but the kids weren't with us. Unfortunately Tony had to work so it was just the kids and I.

We drove out to Cowra and spent time with Dave, Tanya and her boys Lachie and Thomas. It is always wonderful spending time with them and so much fun.

The next day we had planned to go into Canberra for some shopping before heading to Goulburn to see Mick and the kids. As normally happens with Mick there was a last minute change of plans when his kids decided they wanted to do some shopping so we all met up at Belconnen Mall. Then we spent the next morning with Mick in Goulburn before heading home.

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Then two days before Christmas we bundled in the car (Haylee, Kyle, Tasha, Tegan and myself) and went out on our annual Christmas light pilgrimage. We had the carols playing and the festive mood flowing...... I do wonder whether Haylee will join us again after not only did Tash and I sing..... loudly.... but Tash also yelled out "Merry Christmas" to EVERYONE we drove past.

Oh and in the middle of all this

* I turned 39 .... scary!

* Work continued to be manic organising building and the lead up to Christmas

* Tony had to travel to Sydney to see the specialist for his shoulder

* I spent a lot of time thinking of Mum as I wrote Christmas cards to her friends

* The kids and I went to carols at the church

Family Photos

It has been a dream of mine for some time to have a family photo shoot done - not just the single posed shot but a series of photos of us. We had discussed many ways to do this.. we had even looked into Starshots (where they do your hair and makeup etc) but we decided the formal studio setting was not us. We love the beach and the bush and wanted our photos to be more about us as a family.

So we got in contact with Rowena Field at www.willroandco.com I have known Ro for quite some time both through scrap days at the church and through various scrapping websites. We had a ball! We headed out to Callala Beach and (after a slight detour when I turned up at the wrong place) we spent a few hours with Rowena and her daughter Tara. It was a very relaxed afternoon and we had multiple costume changes and lots of laughs.

I love the pictures they got - yes we had some posed ones but we also got some amazing candid shots. It is impossible to pick a favourite of the almost 60 photos taken but I have included a few here.
The relationship between these two was captured perfectly.

This family shot is soooo not your typical normal family portrait but I just love it. It is now printed on a large canvas on our lounge room wall.






As I said this is only a small taste of the photos we got - yes we have the normal posed ones but also lots of candid snaps and fun ones too.

Visit www.willroandco.com if you are interested in doing this with your family - I cannot recommend her more highly.