live each day

yesterday was a very special day... it was everything happens for's birthday! i have had my little blog for a whole year now but it feels like it's only been a few months. i hope you have enjoyed reading about my everyday life and the things that i felt inspired to share. it's been a really fun and creative outlet for me and i am so glad that i discovered this whole other world. well, really it was introduced to me by kahli who has also had her own beautiful blog for even longer. i think i will continue to write and post pretty pictures here as often as possible until i feel like i have exhausted all of the ideas in my head, which may take a while! but i also like to think that i will post less as i start to focus on new projects and goals. blogging certainly takes up a lot of precious time! have i mentioned that i want to get my blog printed and made into a book? just one copy for myself to keep so that i can remember this past year forever. the last twelve months have been quite a journey however i guess if you stopped to think about it, each and every year of our life is. there have been highs and lows, ups and downs and bumps in the road. i moved home to queensland and left behind so many treasured friends in cold but wonderful melbourne. i started in a new job which at first seemed daunting and scary but is now a place i love to go and where i have made some new and lifelong friendships. i lived close to matt for the first time in our entire relationship (excluding our melbourne stint) and in many ways it's been harder than the two plus years of long distance. we've had to try and fit our two previously very individual lives into one and while all i want to do is spend every second with him, he drives me crazier than ever! i set some goals and then achieved them, like buying a new car and going overseas - twice! i've laughed and cried, probably felt most feelings under the sun and experienced new things, most recently salsa dancing. i revisited some of the places i used to go and love, like the leafy and hilly suburb of paddington. we lost two beautiful people in our family, my grandma joan and my grandad john. this has had a profound effect on me, i think about them everyday and they will always be very close to my heart. i have loved every minute of being back with my girlfriends. every time i see kahli and naomi it never feels like i've had enough time to catch up with them in full, even if we've spent all day together. there have been many weekends spent at home with mum and dad. it's been so nice to have them all to myself although i miss our family being together under the one roof. i grew very close to my aunts janine and lynda while in melbourne and they became mothers to me in a way. i am forever grateful that my time in melbourne gave me closer relationships with family i have always known and loved but didn't get to see very often. and now being back in queensland i am able to do the same with my cousins here. i remember when i first moved back, or maybe it was just before, lewis didn't really know who i was when we were at our place for a family celebration of some kind. now i get a big hug from jade, lewis and meg when they arrive and leave which is really special and important to me. rach has always been a prominent and inspirational figure in my life and i plan on being one in theirs too. even the small and everyday moments will become memories one day when they're older. so much more has happened, most of which has been recorded here so i won't go on as i will be here all night! these are just a few things that stand out to me when i think back. and then there are all the memories i haven't written down or don't have a picture of. that's ok too because it's still important to live in the moment, or as this picture suggests, live each day like it's your birthday. i always feel extremely happy and loved on my birthday so i think that is a wonderful way to live life. presents are a plus too. xxoo