wedding week revisited

As I mentioned on the 'day before my birthday post' I wish to re-visit a bunch of posts and topics that never did get completed. So here we have it, wedding week revisited.
Day one was terrible. Day two, more fun but still in a heap of pain which was shit as my sister and I had a trip to Ikea planned for that day.
The nearest Ikea to me is in Sydney. I am in Newcastle. That takes almost 2 hours to get there on the freeway. Totes worth it.
Not sure I even bought anything much that trip, but worth it for the meatballs and scented candles. Was sorely disappointed to find that they no longer sell Daim candy, but instead have made their own version of it. We tried their version and it was gross.

Day three was hairdresser, for a much needed colour, and Himself's band playing their second gig ever. That is Himself on the bass to the far right in the pic below.
Very loud but a fun night indeed.

Wedding week kicked up a gear or two from here as we started to seriously run errands on Day Four, and Day Five was spent setting up the reception venue.
FYI chair covers are not simple to put on.

go team :P

Miss Patrice getting her wedding prep on

centre pieces and table scatters - old jam jars with tea light candles and sheet music hole punched into hearts - was perfect

favours for guests -jam jars with the cutest labels ever

Was super fun, and then I went home and (try) to get sleep.
I was so excited and exhausted and everything all at once so the sleep thing wasn't very successful lol.

Bit of a postscript - sorry if this seems all a bit primary school report on 'what I did this summer' etc, my writing skills are pretty stuck at the point that I stopped listening in class properly. It is something that I truly want to look at developing 'one day' as it is very limiting to me. And embarrassing. I suck :(
Another post script - that's totes my bedside table and suitcases above. Just sayin'

Thanks for sticking around while I have been erratic with posting, you guys are amazeballs
See you back here for mine and Patrice's wedding day ;)
Xx

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

Of late I have been feeling as though there is always tomorrow to become all I can be, and that second best/half hearted efforts "will do for now"
Stuck in this 'just getting by' rut for the past few weeks has turned me into a zombie. When asked "so what have you been up to lately?" pretty much the standard response is "Just working"
Going to work.
And spending time on facebook and instagram, lurking people that are out living. Dreaming of a life that looks nothing like this.

What I really desire is being able to answer working, blogging, the gym, wandering with my camera, creating, discovering, living this life to its fullness.

This life is short. Too short.

Way too short to leave it untill tomorrow, because tomorrow might never present itself.

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?"

 -mary oliver-the summer day 

One more sleep...

...until it is my birthday!!

Well, not my birthday personally, but Melanie Ann Creative's 1st birthday!!

source

YAY! (side note, I don't heaps celebrate my own birthday - as in try to pretend it doesn't exsist - so my level of excitement about this has caught me off guard lol)

It is super exciting because I don't tend to keep at things for very long, and had very little faith in my sticking at this but here I am :)

Still working out direction, finding my voice, and dreaming of all this here space can be. Most importantly of all - loving it so much more than a year ago.

I feel as though I am still so new at this, not a year old blogger thats for sure!
What is to come?

My biggest hope for this next while is to (health permitting of course) continue on with some of the projects I have already started (30 days of blogging for example, oh and freaking wedding week lol) continue posting about my passions/inspirations, and this journey of growth and discovery called life.
On the technical side of things, I want to get out and about with my camera and perhaps even get someone on the other side of it so I can go ahead and get some punchy images of me up on here and make some decent buttons. Perhaps I will finally take the plunge and actually pay someone do all the coding that I can't lol.

Big thanks to all of you that have joined me here, and whom continue on with me here. My fellow bloggers and readers that I have connected with here is truly what it is all about. Much love and even bigger thanks again, you're all amazing!

"Un-slumping yourself is not easily done."

True story.

All day long I have been having little 'I think I can moments' and have started to get up and move about. Move about and try to make the most of the day, to start over again, to fix me up.
But then it has been getting hard/scary/overwhelming, so I stop and try to hide.

I've just described life for many people on this earth I am sure.

Doesn't mean that it is okay by me to live a half-life that is 'easy'

It is so not okay that it is totally laughable. Except I'm not in a laughing mood.

I am in a shitty life-is-hard-and-scary-and-I-don't-wanna mood. Pretty much chucking a tanty because I do not wish to feel this way but I know it is up to me to change it.
The motivation will arrive once steps are taken toward the goal. Same as the feeling-great part too. Don't have to wait until I achieve my 'want' - the 'getting there' part will feel fantabolous.

It is all just too much. Too bright. Too loud. Too scary. Too heavy. It all feels so huge and heavy.

And yuck.

wedding week - day one

As previously mentioned here, I took time off to help prepare and to enjoy the week of Linz's wedding. Or better known as 'wedding week' in this household lol.
Many plans were made for this week starting with lunch on the harbour and cocktails with some workmates on day one.

Never happened.

In fact, when I woke on Monday morning, stood up walked into the kitchen (to feed the cat lol) I was hit with the most excruciating pain ever.
Horrid horrid pain that made me feel like voming.

Possibly navigate away from this post if you are a dude or not very open about women's health....

possible TMI below.....

You were forewarned :P

So I've Endometriosis, reoccurring cysts on my ovaries, and horrible heavy periods that make me really weak (and a moody little bitch haha)
Pretty much at any given time my belly is sore. It ranges from little twinges right through to horrid make me bend in two pain.

But never pain like this. My thinking was that a hot bath would ease the pain so I ran one, it barely took the edge off though. The pains came in waves and it got to the point where I was alternatively screaming out in pain and leaning over the side of the bath to vomit. It was scary. After 30mins or so of this I started to get super frightened that it was a pregnancy or something had ruptured inside me. I then called my parents to come and get me to take me to the Doctors (it must of been bad because I hatehatehate asking for help from anyone or being vunerable Hmm, is that the same thing? Anyhow, it is shit and I don't like it lol)
 and as soon as my Dad was on his way the pain eased off a bit. Always the way haha.

So I ended up having to cancel my lunch date (effing lame!) do a pregnancy test (super negative thankyou very much!) and have been given a 'maybe it was a cyst bursting' diagnoses.
The Dr was super nice though and gave me a new prescription to try, and I am still on a wayyyy long waiting list for surgery to clear out the Endo.

Day One of wedding week sucked, eh?
All I can be glad for is that it didn't happen later in the week. That would of been beyond shit.

a quick hello

Hi there!
The wedding was yesterday. It was seriously amazing. Every aspect was beautiful - the weather, theme, and most importantly the bride!

Linz was stunning.

That all being said I am tired as/hungover and want to do a mega big post on wedding week. So check back for that over the next week, hope this finds you all well.

Thanks for dropping by!

my bouquet from yesterday - amazingly beautiful ♥

bride to be festivities (image heavy)

Oh hi there!

This week has gone by super fast indeed. More than keen to share some images from last weekend before it gets too long ago (by my standards anyhow haha)

A wayyyy fun time was had by all, it seems as the fun level increased the images taken decreased dramatically :S

The festivities started in the afternoon with some cheese and crackers, mingling, and then some fun/sweet games.
We played 'Linsey' trivia which was hilarious. Also, Linsey's fiance was asked a bunch of questions beforehand and she had to guess his answers. This was both funny and very very lovely as some of his answers were beautiful about her.

Linsey and Kav (fellow bridesmaid and our games and music gal)

most amazing cupcakes ever! Christine (fellow bridesmaid) created these. so clever

Auntie Candy, Nanna, and Katie (fellow bridesmaid and creator of the beautiful sash Linz is wearing)

forgot to get pics before food was served, whoops haha

As Linz had no idea about the plans, we planned a scavenger hunt for her throughout the day where she had to decipher a bunch of clues that led her to tasks, items to wear (to embarrass as she was the hen) or onto the next location.

Auntie Candy, bride to be, and Sam

The apron in the above image was bought from Little Miss Dinah on etsy. I had big plans to create my own for her using this tutorial, but never found the time so bought instead. In future I do plan on sewing myself one though. Cutest!

my daddy in his element ♥

My dad is a bus driver and we put that to good use and hired him for the night, as well as a bus. He pulled up to the house as the bridal shower wound down and Linz followed the clues to a local gourmet pizza place.
Shared some of the yummiest pizza's ever between the table, and a few bottles of wine and the clues continued...

linsey and christine (fellow bridesmaid and cupcake genius!)

One of the tasks was to get a gentleman's business card. Linz asked the restaurant manager, Adam. he didn't have one but gave over the restaurant's card with his name written across it. He was hilarious the whole time and a great sport.

adam trying to write on Linsey's face

Our time at the restaurant ended with some tipsy-giggling girls humming 'here comes the bride' as Adam walked Linz out.

We then proceeded onto my place of residence where we had told Linz her last surprise was waiting, a present that was too big to bring to her.

bride to be banner from FancyFlamingo

mum (mother of bride) and auntie shell

I think that her guess was a jumping castle.

on route, with a makeshift blindfold

Twas a stripper.

please note my half baked attempt at bunting in the background. I ran out of time but it would have been super cute haha

A dwarf stripper.

 His name is Tiny Tim and he was hilarious. He was an absolute hit and we all loved the show.

myself, tim, + linz

Above is one of the only shots of me on the day. I borrowed that dress from Linz and I am totally obsessed with it. Super flattering and pretty and I wanna steal it :P

After the entertainment we were due to head over to a chocolate bar for dessert but we decided to head on in for cocktails instead. I'd not had cocktails before and was sceptical as to whether they were worth the $14 a go.
They totally were. I sampled the "Vodka espresso", and "Mama's apple pie". Yummiest beverages ever!
We popped by for some Karaoke, then to a local club for dancing and frivolites.

Fell into bed at around 3.30am totally exhausted, quite drunk, and stoked with how well it all went.

And so that, my dear friends, is what I have been working away at for the past few months.
All of the planning, creating, and etsy browsing came together nicely along with help from Linz's Mum, the fellow bridesmaids, and my Daddy.

Oh and Tim haha.