The January Summation

I re read some of my blog last weekend and it was the everyday family stuff that I loved having a record of so in that vain ... here is what we got up to in Jan so far.

 Bear bought a skateboard ... online from the States. It was a disaster. It arrived really late and wasn't complete so when we got back from Noosa we hit Skate Sauce and made one very happy Bear. The Skate Sauce  guys were so friendly and helpful ... completely opposite to the first skate shop we went to which I am pretty sure is just a money laundering shopfront.

We did a family bowling afternoon.

We stayed for a few games and they put the disco lights and music on ... epic fun.

 I was worse than useless ... and they wouldn't put the gutter rails up for me - something about being only for children :-(  here is Lulu trying to give me some pointers.

Lulu likes to argue with David at the moment... here he is trying to show her how to bowl better and here she is completely ignoring him.

We went back to the beach for possibly the hottest day of Summer. 

and David took a picture of an old lady 

My MIL took the kids for a few days so "the kids" (us) could celebrate their anniversary.

We went out to tea at Ba Vigo ( which is now my new favourite restaurant) and then saw The Iron Lady. It was a fabulous way to celebrate our 15 years as Mr and Mrs. Over a champagne or two David and I decided that a happy marriage was effortless, romantic and so easy ... when your MIL has your kids. Every other day its a hard slog peppered with laughter and sunshine if your really really lucky. 

 We didn't get a pic together so here's one I prepared earlier.

I have previously crapped on reminisced about my horrible wedding day and anniversary. 

I have been taking the kids down to Ptown for a walk / skate in the afternoons (Vyc wanna meet up?)

January was also the month I got to drop $413.00 on shoes. Serviceable sensible and College approved shoes.Not even my size. I die.

Best thing about this Jan? Stevie and Davina had a precious baby girl!

 She is so lucky this little girl. Stevie and Davina are perfect parents and she has two big brothers to protect her.


We also got to catch up with some Darwin friends. I used to work with Sharon (a long long time ago) when we were both single. She was a huge support when I fell pregnant with Riley and she has since had her own Riley :-)

 Her and her husband Mike and their kids came to the coast for the holidays and we had lunch with them and took the kids for swim. It was such a nice day that flew by with heaps of easy talking and laughing.

 Lucy and Ele,who is one of the most gracious and mature 20 year olds we have ever met.

Riley Zach Lulu and Riley :-)

Soundtrack to Summer

School starts next week and  reality and will kick in for shizzle :-(
I wrote this post after New Year but had a bit of trouble posting it. Here's goes. 

Being home this Christmas and New Year meant we had days of relaxed down time. No school, no schedule, no work, no rushing ... it was so laid back and so relaxing. We all watched heaps of TV and listened to new music and I have had the following on high rotation ever since ... they are all my new faves.


 

 I really like country pop and The Band Perry are certainly that. I love all of this album and hopefully FM radio don't discover it and kill it. Hello Lady Antebellum.

Simple Plan's latest song is Summer Paradise and it was the Brooks Summer Anthem. The film clip is a homage to all things Australia: QANTAS, Sydney Harbour, the Opera House, Vegemite, Emus, Koalas and Aussie Flags ...  strewth what's not to love!

Taylor Swift new song "Ours" is so catchy and like all her music very easy to listen to. 

So don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
The stakes are high, the water's rough
But this love is ours

The above music clip features my other summer addiction. Did you pick it? See below.



David gave me Season 1-3 of Friday Night Lights for Christmas and when I say gave I mean I bought them in November and watched them relentlessly from Christmas Eve onwards.

I could  wax lyrical about the compelling story arc or  the fabulous script writing  or make biting social commentary about the non fiction book  this series is based on reflecting the social mores of small town America... Yeah I could do that.

Or I could just tell you Friday Night Lights has Zach Gilford in it so run don't walk to watch it.

Oh please ... you are all young fit and beautiful !

So your turn. New music discovered? New TV Shows or movies? I have to find new things to keep me amused seeing as Season 4 and 5 of FNL wont be available in Oz for years!

Backhanded Compliment(s)

My gorgeous mate Brooke wrote  a post about a backhanded compliment she received whilst doing a gym class. It reminded me of a great little  convo I had with the old Duck behind the saucepan counter at Myers.

I was buying Dave a very lame anniversary present (a plastic cup if you must know) and she says

"Wow look at your nail polish... not everyone could wear that colour" ... followed by silence.

Ha after looking at this pic I kinda get her point :-)

i got a phone for Chrissy

David and Santa organised an iphone for Christmas for me. Lord help you... the following is just a sample of all the weird pics that the kids and I have taken already. All destined to be stuck in a future blog post no doubt.

The kids play this annoying  funny game where they swap my phone wall paper from this to this.

Twelve times a day.

 I am also going to be one of those annoying people who whip out their mob to take photos of food ...

and turn average pics of themselves into arty sun drenched shots in an effort to disguise the wrinkles and flab.


 i very happy.

Noosa Beach for New Year

Dad and Joy had Christmas in Darwin with Stevie, Davina and the boys and then flew to the Sunny Coast for New Year. David's family love to spend lots of time together... they love holidaying together, going away together and generally living life large TOGETHER. My family not so much. In fact me and my sisters have a saying "Party's Over" as in when we all have enough of each other and its time to head home... 

Party's Over ;-) 

Anyway Dad and Joy always organise for all of us to go away and stay on the coast together when they come back to Oz for their holidays. This time we went to Noosa and it rocked. The crappy pics I have don't really do it justice but we ate, swam, kayaked, long boarded, surfed, danced and ate (again) our way through New Year.  

In the above pic I have just consumed my 3rd hamburger of the trip. We found a burger bar that was so so so good I ate it everyday.

Noosa main beach. Playground of the rich and famous (and us Brooks plebs). We spotted lots of footy players, a model, a TV exec and Lote Tuqiri.

We were waiting to use the beach showers and Lote was in front of us. I tried to subtly tell Dave ... and he says (pretty loudly) "Hey its Dell".

Lote Tuqiri

  Wendell 'Dell' Sailor

That made me laugh all afternoon. 

Crappy shot but that is Bear ... poor Poppie was run ragged by the Grand kids.

New Years Eve we bought a truck load of seafood and had a disco in our room. Here is Nick setting up the decks :-)

Lulu Grooving

 
Me Grooving.

Some old man trying to wish me Happy New Year ...

We danced til 11.30pm then set off for the fireworks at the River. We may have got lost and ended up shouting Happy New Year to each other  in front of some punters front yard in suburban Noosaville.

Dad in his BULA shirt... wow did he cop shite from the boys for this one.

Nanna Joy and her besties who are thinking of retiring to the Coast.

Dinner at Rickys on the River

Of course by the end of four days with no sleep and a lot of sun, sand and surf I was ready to fall into a coma but a good time was definitely had by all.