Dry July 2016: The morning after

As I wake up this morning a few things cross my mind:

1) It’s August. Where has this year gone? It’s terrifying we are into the second half of the year. It almost seems that New Years was only the other day…apparently not!!

2) I got through another Dry July without alcohol or caffeine!!!!

3) Damn, I’m looking forward to a coffee this morning. Holding out til I get dressed and ready though – instant isn’t good enough, I’m going to a coffee shop! 

On the topic of Dry July, those of you who supported me, thank you! I couldn’t have done it without the moral support!! 🙂 

To those of you who donated, thank you!!! I appreciate your generosity more than words can say. Cancer research is a cause close to my heart, and all the funds I raised will go to the Cancer Centre at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney. The very hospital Lucy was looked after so well by a beautiful group of nurses. 

Having so many of you donate to a cause in Lucy’s memory, even without knowing Lucy yourselves is such a lovely gesture too. I’ve had so many people ask about her and want to get to know the person she was, I sincerely appreciate that! The kitty currently sits at $331.00 and donations remain open throughout August, so hopefully I can make that grow a little more. 

Thank you again for each and every donation.

#IMustConfess What I’m Most Proud Of…

It’s been a while since I joined in the I Must Confess linkup over at My HomeTruths. But I liked this weeks prompt, and I found the time to join in!!

This week’s prompt is ‘What I’m most proud of’. Now, it takes A LOT for me to admit I’m proud of myself. But today, that’s exactly what I’m going to do…

The thing I’m most proud of is…

*drumroll*

I’ve decided to turn my side business into something official!! I’ve set up a business name and everything, and hoping to turn it into something fulltime. It’s still surreal seeing business cards with MY business name and MY contact details. But it’s been exciting, I’ve learnt a lot and I’ve enjoyed the process so far.

That’s me!!!!!!

Yes, it’s also been challenging and daunting, but it’s all balance…right?

I’ve achieved this while having a very challenging year overall. 2016 so far has been full of battles which have tested my resolve, pushed me to my limits, knocked me over the edge and teased me with further challenges as I’ve got back up again.

But I’m surviving. I’m building my business to (hopefully) set up the rest of my life doing work I love, and I’m learning a lot about myself in the process.

World Thyroid Day 2016

You’re forgiven for not knowing the significance of today (May 25th), it’s one of the lesser known days. World Thyroid Day. If you don’t know what your thyroid does, or how it does it, consider yourself lucky because it typically means you’ve never had any issues with it.

So, what is a thyroid I hear you ask? Well, it’s a butterfly shaped gland in the front of your neck which secretes hormones to regulate your metabolic processes – including your energy levels and growth. In a nutshell, the thyroid and the hormones it produces affect close to all of the things your body does.

For those who don’t know my story, my thyroid turned nasty. I maintain that it tried to kill me. We parted ways in January 2010 and I haven’t looked back. Yes it required a change to my “normal” routine and yes I will be on medication for the rest of my life (thyroid hormone is essential to life – so mine is in pill form sitting in my fridge).But I’m healthier than I was 7 years ago. It hasn’t been easy in the slightest…and I’m currently having a few more issues, so it’s no walk in the park, but it’s still better than any of the other options.

To lighten the mood surrounding my thyroid dramas, my lovely friend, Lisa, bought me the only thyroid I need in my life. He’s yellow, full of stuffing and named Lloyd.

Meet Lloyd, my stuffed, yellow, cute thyroid! AKA: the Thyroid that hasn’t tried to kill me!

1 in 7 Australians will have thyroid issues in their lifetime and the vast majority of these will be women. It’s challenging that a condition that affects so many of us is still so unknown. The information is out there – we just need to share our stories.

Lose The Booze for Lucy

My Dry July efforts have developed beyond my personal fundraiser! My lovely friend Lisa has joined me, and we’ve joined forces and made a fundraiser team, Lose The Booze for Lucy.

As they say, power is in numbers, and I can only hope that our efforts reach further than I ever imagined they would. Its already mind boggling for me, because Lisa isn’t even Australian…my Dry July team has hit the USA!!!! So our power is now across 2 continents which is beyond exciting for me! 🙂

If you’re in a position to donate, we’d love the support.
My fundraiser page
Lisa’s fundraiser page (with a funny bio about her being a “silly American”…her words, definitely not mine)
Our team’s fundraiser page (because together we are better!!)
You can also read Lisa’s blog about Lucy and Dry July here.

We’d also LOVE some social media support. If our efforts resonate with you, please share our fundraiser, or this post. The more people who see it, the more people we can reach!!

And of course, if you’d like to join us – please do get in touch and you can join our team! 🙂

Dry July 2016 is on!

Yes, I know what you’re thinking – I am aware it’s only April. But sign up for Dry July 2016 is open. As soon as I saw on Facebook that registrations had started, I wasted no time in signing up. I actually wasn’t home at the time and I did the whole sign up process on my phone thanks to a free WiFi connection.

I’ve done Dry July for the last 3 years in honour of my friend, Lucy. Lucy is my inspiration. She fought the bravest battle I’ve ever seen, but unfortunately, she lost her battle with cancer in July 2012. She was just a teenager, her whole life was ahead of her, but it was cruelly cut short thanks to nasty Thyroid Cancer.

Lucy was incredibly brave, and did so much to fight the disease that was going to take her life. Everyday since her passing, Lucy has continued to inspire those who either knew her, or heard her story.

Every year, Dry July is my way to honour Lucy’s life. I take part in the fundraising and money I raise goes to Royal North Shore Hospital (Sydney); the same hospital Lucy was cared for by an amazing bunch of medical staff. But, I raise the bar even further (no pun intended…haha), and not only do I go 31 days without alcohol, I also go without caffeine for the 31 days too! No alcohol, no coffee, no caffeinated soft drinks…nothing!

I love coffee…especially good barista made coffee. But for the sake of fundraising, and in the memory of Lucy, I go without.

If you’d like to join me, get in touch and I can make a team and have you on board. Or, if you’d like to shoot a donation my way, that would be amazing. You can see my fundraising page by clicking here.  Thank you in advance for all the support.

Lucy, my dear girl, this is for you!! It always is and always will be. I miss you everyday. Thank you for giving me the strength to face life’s challenges and to do so with the same grace and determination you showed.

I Must Confess…I Feel Best When

Another Monday, another I must confess prompt from My Home Truths. This week, the prompt is “I feel best when…”

Thinking about when I feel best, all the times when I’ve felt best, there is one constant. I feel best when my friends are involved in my life.

Regardless what I’m doing, knowing I have the support of my friends makes me feel amazing. Whatever is happening in my day to day life, there are always certain people who I know have my back. That’s what makes the bad situations slightly better, and the good situations absolutely amazing.

Recently, the tough times have been sneaking up on me and it has taken all my resilience to push through some days. But the loving support of my friends has made each day that bit easier. I consider myself extremely lucky – I’ve had friends waiting with me at appointments, friends driving me wherever I needed to go, and friends sending texts and Facebook messages of support. They’re the things that have made me feel at my best these last couple of weeks.

So, to you reading this, if you’re a good friend of mine, thank you for helping me feel at my best.

Life of a Tigers fan

Last Saturday I went to the football (Rugby League for those of you with different definitions of the word ‘football’).

It was the first round of the season, and a Wests Tigers home game! This was close to perfection. Home game…first game after 6 months of no NRL, so along I went. Dressed in a (new) jersey and jeans to cheer them on at the stadium.

How awesome is this jersey?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watching warm-ups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first half was amazing football. Truly amazing. Attack and defense were the best I’ve seen in…well, I can’t remember how long. The scoreboard reflected this incredible display. Half time and we were up 28-4!!! It was then that I did the unthinkable…I got excited.

As the second half started, we lost our excited confidence. The other team started scoring and our defense started lacking. A lot. During the final 40 minutes, a friend and I joked around that the medics would be better placed in the crowd, reminding hyperventilating Tigers fans how to breathe again.

However, as the 2nd half progressed, we did come away with a win. Just. In the final minute, a try was scored to increase our lead to a measly 8 (remember we had a 24 point lead) and we ended up winning 34-26.

This may seem sad to supporters of other teams, or those who don’t follow the NRL, but as a Tigers fan, this is our life. Ups and downs. Going from “OMG we have this!!!! We can’t be beaten!!!” to “Ummm….is this the same team?”

As long as we remember how to breathe (which is a hard task sometimes!), and try not to get excited too early…it’s sometimes ok in the end.

Here’s hoping the remaining 25 rounds of the 2016 season aren’t too taxing on fans. Plenty of great wins would be appreciated, but I won’t hold my breath for that one…just yet.

 

I must confess…my goals for 2016

How are we 2 weeks into the new year already? Time really does fly.

Anyway, over at My Home Truths the I Must Confess Linkup has started again for the new year. And appropriately, the first prompt is goals for 2016.

2015  was full of ups and downs for me, personally and professionally. This year, I have set goals that will further myself and encourage me to learn more about myself.

Overall, I just hope to be in a better place come December 31st, 2016 than I was January 1st, 2016. But, to break this down, my goals for the next 12 months are as follows:

Personal:

– To be happy
– I have the starting foundations of a book. I plan to work on this throughout the year
– Keep up with writing that’s not my book too…blog posts, random writing etc.
– Be a little lighter than I am currently
– Be healthy and win the battle of the thyroid

Professional:

Professionally I really only have one goal for the next year – and that is to be working for myself. Although this is quite a big thing to focus on and will be filled with small individual goals which will all build up to the ultimate outcome, it is what I’m focusing on throughout 2016.

I have a few opportunities that have arisen over the last month or so, and it’s made me see the potential I have to be doing what I love and following my own career path to ease small business owners struggles, while providing myself with an income doing something I love in a way that I love.

If I can develop my business throughout 2016, this goal will then be furthered over coming years, to get myself to the ultimate end goal of being in a financial position to give time for 2 full days a week to various small start-up businesses and Not-For-Profit organisations at a rate that they can afford. If I can be earning enough to donate my time and skills, this will be the ultimate!

Honestly, I’m nervous. But I have to believe I can do it. I want to. I really want to.

What are your goals for 2016? Anyone else keen to share?

Where did 2015 go?

It’s hard to believe it’s New Years Eve. It seems like August was only the other week.

What a year it has been. Full of ups and downs.

The year started with me doing some marketing work for a friend who has a small business to help him out. Through the year this lead to other freelance opportunities and the creation of my own business cards to make it slightly more real.

This moved into one particular client asking me to write content for their new website. That was a highlight and moment I realised I can do more than I know sometimes.

I temporarily held a corporate job in amongst my freelance clients. In that role I learnt a lot of skills I’ll be able to use throughout my life in whatever career position I’m in.

My inner circle changed a lot. Some people walked out of my life, but other beautiful people entered my life and have changed it in so many ways. I look forward to enjoying 2016 with the people currently in my life and I’m thankful for the lessons I learnt from those who weren’t so good to me.

My best friends and I have been on a heap of adventures and let ourselves be crazy and enjoy life.  We lived life and enjoyed each other’s company.

And another best friend of mine had a baby!!!! She had a baby girl – little miss Kaitlin Lucy. I’ve really enjoyed photos of her first 4 weeks of life (she was born late November!)

My photo representation of 2015 is…

Selfie!

Robbie Farah!!!!!

This little guy started school

Hanging out with NRL players

Say cheese!

Yep, another selfie!

Hyams Beach, NSW South Coast

Don’t worry folks…this was a demonstration. I did NOT get handcuffed!

I must Confess…my random thoughts.

I quite enjoy the I Must Confess linkup over at My Home Truths. Each week is a different prompt. I don’t always join in, but the weeks that I do, I really enjoy the prompt and the comments from fellow bloggers!

This week’s prompt is very open – random confessions. So, in no particular order, some of the randomness in my head is as follows:

~ I’m feeling slightly lost and uncertain where I’m headed currently. Things have fallen through which I thought were a sure thing. That has disappointed me a great deal. Right now I don’t have a lot of certainty or direction, but I’ll figure it out. I always do!

~ My best friends mean the world to me. There’s a group of very special people who are always there to support me and recently, they’ve done wonders. I don’t know what I would have done without them. They’re encouraging me to work through my lack of direction and listening to all my venting as I talk through all the confusion in my head.

The best friends who are local to me (as in less than 10 mins drive away) have had me on their couch in tears more times than I wish to count lately. There’s been a steady flow of hugs and an unending offer of their spare room to use as a hideout to disappear from the world when I’ve needed to be alone.

But with best friends like that, I’ve not used the office hideout offer much, but rather, hung out with them and hugged them and sat with them and just hid from everything else!

~ I love my blog! Writing is therapeutic. Especially posts like this. Having the ability to write whatever is in my head is amazing. Who knew this post would come at just the right time when I needed to unload the contents of my brain?Writing is also what’s helped save my sanity this last week.

~ My birthday is coming up and I have no answer to the question I’m beginning to be asked “What do you want for your birthday?” People are asking me and I have no idea.

Yeah, there’s things I’d like…but they feel a little odd to be birthday gift requests. They’re things I can get myself (magazine subscriptions for instance).

Every year I struggle when people ask what they should buy me. I often ask for a surprise. Some people don’t like that answer though.

~ Speaking of becoming a year older very soon (I’m turning 25, how did this even happen?!?!?!), I’m trying to process the fact that another year has gone by. How am I even turning 25?

25: Halfway to 50. Quarter of a century. Yep, mind blowing stuff right there.

It seems only yesterday (or maybe the day before) I was finishing uni. My dad always tells me “the older you get, the faster the years go”. I didn’t believe him at first, but I’ve realised dad is right! Fatherly wisdom right there!!

That’s about all I’ve got in the depths of my mind this week. Confusion, uncertainty and processing the fact I’m becoming a year older. It really is a random mix of things I’m pondering.

So, I’ve shared…what’s on your mind?