London run

Well today we hit the road in the car and headed down to London. We have booked a room on the outskirts and plan on staying over night to give us as much time as possible. Once we arrive, dump our bags we head for the tube. 

The underground train system here is awesome. Marty asks the girls if any of the stations seem familiar. Euston, Kings cross, Piccadilly, Hyde Park? They all thought they were really familiar but couldn't place them until I said maybe a game you play? Monopoly seem to be screamed out in unison. 

The girls are bursting with excitement and the minute we walk to the top of the stairs at charring cross station we are greeted with London telephone boxes the girls faces are priceless. 

We head to the Sherlock Holmes pub for lunch. It's such a cool little pub with heaps of memorabilia to look at. If you blink you would miss it but the girls all loved their food. Marty had toad in the hole, which was the biggest Yorkshire pudding I had ever seen. 

People are everywhere. Not like sydney City busy but like that times 4!  It's crazy just how many tourist are around. It's loud and crazy. We walk down the strand to come face to face with Trafalgar Square. The last time I was here it was cold and raining, so to see it in the sunshine is amazing. 

The statues are beautiful and the fountains are just gorgeous. The only thing missing were the pigeons. None! Don't get me wrong I hate them as much as mice but it was weird to not have them everywhere. 

We then headed for the open top hop on hop off buses. These are the best way of seeing as much of the city as possible. It's a audio guided tour and means you can listen or you can just sit back and enjoy the view. We get to see heaps. The cathedral, London and tower bridge, Tower of London, Big Ben and much more. 

We get off at the London eye which is bursting with people. Over 4 hour wait to get on the eye and it's 5pm!!! We opt to go to the London dungeon which is a walk through show of all the dark past of London. Jack the Ripper, Sweeney Todd, mrs Lovett and the plague just to name a few. 

I couldn't take any photos while we were in the two hour show, but let's just say Georgia has a scream built for a horror movie. The scare factor with super cool and they may have managed to get me to squeal very loudly. 

We finished and walked back out onto the promenade. It felt like it was 3 in the afternoon. Their summer time is crazy. It was actually 6.30pm. We had ice cream while people watching and took a load of for the first real time today. 

Next stop was the queens house. This we had made our last stop while heading back towards the hotel. It was getting quieter in the city which made for getting photos a whole lot funnier. We had some room to get our crazy on and the result was we ended up with a super cool photo to end the day. London was exhausting, busy and expensive but so worth it. The girls will remember it forever. 

Tomorrow takes us to platform 9 3/4. All aboard!!!!

Day 3 and 4

Saturday saw us back up in the air and arriving in London. I took a picture to show how weird it is to be able to watch the plane fly while your in it. Its super strange. 

Uncle Jaimie and Aunty Sarah pick us up. The girls ran straight up with open arms, ready for a love assault from Jaimie. The girls were a little stir crazy as the car trip home was another two hours but they remained happy so it could have been worse. 

Mostly uneventful trip until we ran out of petrol five minutes from home, after Jaimie had announced earlier he was a professional driver. I think it was made even funnier when Emerson who listens to everything, felt the need to question this statement when we all piled out of the van. The honesty of kids is sometimes the funniest of things. 

Once we had finally made it to Newark, the girls played and laughed non stop. I relaxed albeit a little to much with my duty free Cafe Patron. Whomever thought of putting my two favourite drinks together (coffee and tequila) should be given sainthood. It seriously is the best drink ever and has a silent way of kicking you up the but. 

Once we had dinner we headed over to Marty's aunts place to settle in as we are staying with them. The girls met their first of many cousins, whom is the twins age. I think they all loved her from first sight and have played non stop since. It was truly cute to watch them. 

After the last couple of days. Today was a relax and planning day. The girls slept until almost ten. We organised most of the week and took the girls to see the castle ruins in the town we are staying in, Newark. I'm buggered and believe I will be in bed early tonight as we are off to London tomorrow for two days with the girls. 

Day two

We arrived in Abu Dhabi a little tired and rough looking. After check in and a little breakfast we ventured to the roof top to do a little swimming and relaxing in the pool and hot tub. We watched the planes take off and land. Looking out over the vast flat sand landscape. Not knowing how far you are seeing due to the heat haze. 

The landscape is beautiful in its own right. We are in a desert and they haven't tried to make it look like we aren't. Infact  their buildings all blend into the surrounding. All creams and terracottas. It's actually cool that they have been so simpathetic. I imagine also it helps with the extreme heat that they live with most of the year. 

We did venture out to the marina and had a look around. Not much is happening here at the moment during the day as it is the start of Ramadan. A religious time when they fast from sun up to sun down. I can respect their way of life and beliefs. I can also admit I don't truly understand this period but am happy to be respectful to the culture. 

The people here are uber friendly. Beautiful nature and happy to talk to you and smile and wave at the girls. And you know what the whole fasting during the day was not that hard. 

We did find ourselves needing an afternoon nap which was really needed. We ventured back out at 8pm and the place was Alive with people. The food here was just WOW! After a last dip in the hotel pool sleep found us again. Tomorrow brings another plane trip. 

We are London bound. 

And we are off

Omg my eyes are hanging out my head. I maybe got 4 hours sleep. Excitment and nerves plagued my head and body. Sleep was the last thing I could seem to do. I drifted in and out of a light sleep until finally I just had to get up. The morning has been a buzzed of excited children. Stressed mummy and a very happy daddy. We seemed to have made it out of the house with everything we may possibly need and are on the road to head to sydney for our night time flight.....

We arrive at the airport with over three hours to spare and you know time seem to just fly and before we knew it we were on board an A380 bus and are in the air. The girls were happy and enjoying all that flying entails. Sleep found us at 1am and when I say sleep I mean sitting upright with multiple children leaning on me and my eyes were closed. 

At 5.20am Abu Dhabi time this morning my little family and I touched down in Abu Dhabi for the night. The people are just so friendly and the landscape is so vastly different from home it actually polarises your thought patterns. It's flat, sandy and the haze from the humidity is crazy. 

We even ran into Sunrises David Koche and his wife in the hotel elevator where I embarrassed myself to no end. As I finish this I'm watching my girls swim and play in the hotel pool. Day 1 is over and the adventure has just started. 

Hide out is over

Five months ago we sold our Main Street business in a small central west nsw town. We had been public property for four years and when we sold, I had made a packed with myself. I had decided to slip off the radar for a good period of time. I closed my Facebook for a long period and I didn't venture out much. I started writing a book, while I have read book after book. I needed this for my sanity and a massive reboot on my life. 

Selling the shop was a priority for us. It had gotten to the stage it ruled everything and it just wasn't fun. Stress rained supreme and my girls were placed last in priorities and this just wasn't right.  I was proud of what we had done but things had to change. When the shop sold so quick, I think I let out a breath I had been holding for months. Relief hit me and that's when I made the choice to isolate myself for a good period of time.

I'm sure some people have been offended but you know what? I did this for me. I needed it. I needed to have silence from people. I could not be a $4.50 coffee counsellor anymore. People   Who know me well, understood. The ones who didn't, I put no effort into. Simple but harsh, it was time to be selfish which is not a common thing for me. 

I have loved the silence. I have loved the timeout. I have loved that I have rebooted and my family are now back in the right priority place, number 1! I'm baking for them like a crazy person. I know what they are all up to and they are talking to me about everything. It hurts to think I have missed such a big chunk of their lives. A lot happens in 4 years. I mean for freak sake I have a child in high school now. How did that happen!!!

So this weekend I decided to get back out. Knowing my mind and soul are in a great place I have ventured out all weekend. Talked to people I haven't seen in what seemed like forever. I may have gotten a little wasted which when you haven't seen people for awhile, slurred speech makes for very embarrassing conversations!

Either way I feel good with me and my life. I love the people who have stuck with me while I wasn't so social. I feel this year changed so many things for us and me. I am not carrying baggage. I'm not stressed and worried. I'm enjoying everything and being 100% in the here and now. I still think my hermit ways will stick but I will force myself to get out more. Once a hermit, always a hermit. 

Mayhem May!

Life has been fast. Busy, so much is happening with no real time to stop and document the moment. It's half way through May and this is a huge month in our little families lives. Lots of birthdays, along with Mother's Day. My eldest girls were both born in May and right in the middle we celebrate the love of my life's big day. 

So we started the month with Maya turning twelve! I know it's crazy right. I remember when I found out I was pregnant. Like it was yesterday and my world changed. This now young lady has a beautiful soul. She is as tall as me and is a true clown. She also is a fierce protector of her sisters, with a level head on her shoulders. 

The following weekend we had Mother's Day, where I was treated to cuddles and gifts from my beautiful girls and then an amazing breakfast from Marty. This day I think I love more than my birthday. It's a day where my girls seem to be reminded how much I'm one of their Hero's. It reminds me how much I love this role no matter how hard some days are and how 99% of the time, I'm just winging this parenting thing. 

This weekend sees my Marty's birthday. I love this man more than my own life. He is my perfect match. For twenty years I have had the pleasure of spending my time with my best friend and I have no regrets about it.

The end of the month is my Millś birthday. She will be double digits and I have noticed in the last twelve months a maturity developing towards a young lady. Mills is still forgetful and slow to be organised but she is quirky and loves gymnastics at the moment. Her singing voice is growing and changing and I truly believe one day I will see her singing in front of people. 

Finally yesterday after 15months of owner building our shouse has be granted its final certificate from council. We did it and have built ourselves part 1 of our home. I'm so proud of what we have achieved and from next weekend stage two starts. It's just very satisfying to know we have built something completely us. 

May is a month that starts and almost feels like it's over once it begins due to how full it is. I love this month no matter what I may say, three of my favourite people were born in it. It's mayhem but so is life most of the time. 

A long time between drinks...

Wow it has been awhile since I wrote down things about me and my life. Life has been very up and down. I have been a little bit of a.. Well.. Big bitch of late. I can admit it, I am owning my bad behaviour and thanking the gods that my family and my amazing husband love me more than I deserve! I'm not really sure of why my mood is so volatile at the moment but I really need it to stop, cause I'm sure that love will eventually wear off if I can't stop this. I do believe it has something to do with hormones, so I might start there with trying to fix me. 

Life has soldiered on and I can't believe that as of Friday it will be May! 4 months post shop sale and I do believe I'm getting the hang of life after a cafe! I'm working three days a week doing my own thing and still home for my girls. Balance people, I'm finding it! It's flipping humbling and a just plain Toyota moment. 

I'm also a hermit. I don't go out much. It had been over three weeks since I had ventured into town. I'm not doing this to upset anyone or to distance myself from people. I'm just happy in my bubble and after being in the public eye for 4 years, I just think I need a bit of time. 

The girls have been pretty good. We are having lots of hormones creeping into our home. Life with girls! Snapping and sour faces sometimes rule our days and then like boom, they snap out of it and are beautiful, helpful and loveable girls. So in a nutshell, Marty and I are seriously winging it every minute of the day in this thing called parenting. Forever learning, stumbling lots and always in love with them, no matter how much they push our buttons.

The shouse is getting there! About to start the mezzanine level which will make life so much more comfortable for all of us in our tiny home that we love more than anything. The girls and I have been working together and building dry rock walls, which look super cool. The gardens are growing and the veggie patch is in need of expansion. The retaining walls are complete, more use for pallets I did find! Everything takes time but when I look at where we were a year ago, I'm amazed at what we have achieved. 

So life is busy in a quiet way. It's happening almost under the radar and I'm loving life for the first time in what seems like forever. When we look back at our life I don't regret any choices we have made, it has just been stepping stones to the future. Things we have done to discover where we are headed and want most out of life. A life filled with love and laughs. A life that is focused with the important stuff. I will try to remember to write more often....