150 Fun Facts

Jan sent me the link for this list that she saw on another blog. We thought we'd give it a go. The highlighted ones are things I've done. I've only done 61. Some of them I would like to do one day, others like hold a tarantula...NEVER! Why don't you see how many you have done.


1.Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2.Swam with wild dolphins
3.Climbed a mountain
4.Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5.Been inside the Great Pyramid - it's on the list
6.Held a Tarantula
7.Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said, "I love you," and meant it.
9.Hugged a tree
10.Bungee jumped
11.Vistited Paris
12.Watched a lightning storm at night
13.Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14.Seen the Northern Lights
15.Gone to a huge sports game
16.Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa - I wish
17.Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18.Touched an iceberg
19.Slept under the stars
20.Changed a baby's nappy
21.Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22.Watched a meteor shower
23.Gotten drunk on Champagne
24.Given more than you can afford to charity
25.Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26.Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27.Had a food fight
28.Bet on a winning horse
29.Asked a stranger out
30.Had a snowball fight
31.Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32.Held a lamb
33.Seen a total eclipse
34.Ridden a roller coaster
35.Hit a home run
36.Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37.Adopted an accent for an entire day
38.Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39.Had two hard drives for your computer
40.Vistited all 6 states
41.Taken care of someone who was drunk
42.Had amazing friends
43.Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44.Watched wild whales
45.Stolen a sign
46.Backpacked in Europe
47.Taken a road-trip
48.Gone rock climbing
49.Midnight walk on the beach
50.Gone sky diving
51.Visited Ireland
52.Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53.In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54.Visited Japan
55.Milked a cow
56.Alphabetized your CDs - when my OCD kicks in
57.Pretended to be a superhero
58.Sung karaoke
59.Lounged around in bed all day
60.Posed nude in front of strangers
61.Gone scuba diving
62.Kissed in the rain
63.Played in the mud
64.Played in the rain
65.Gone to a drive-in theater
66.Vistited the Great Wall of China
67.Started a business
68.Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69.Toured ancient sites
70.Taken a martial arts class
71.Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72.Gotten married
73.Been in a movie
74.Crashed a party
75.Gotten divorced
76.Gone without food for 5 days
77.Made cookies from scratch
78.Won first prize in a costume contest
79.Ridden a gondola in Venice
80.Gotten a tattoo
81.Climbed Uluru
82.Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83.Got flowers for no reason
84.Performed on stage
85.Been to Vegas
86.Recorded music
87.Eaten shark
88.Had a one-night stand
89.Gone to Thailand
90.Bought a house
91.Been in a combat zone
92.Buried one/both of your parents
93.Been a cruise ship
94.Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96.Raised or raising children
97.Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98.Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
99.Missed out on sleep cause you were blogging/surfing the internet?
100.Picked up and moved to another city to start over
101.Climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge
102.Sang loudly in the car and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103.Had plastic surgery
104.Survived an accident you shouldn't have survived
105.Wrote articles for a large publication
106.Lost over 100 pounds
107.Held someone while they were having a flashback
108.Piloted an airplane
109.Petted a stingray
110.Broken someone's heart
111.Helped an animal give birth
112.Won money on a TV game show
113.Broken a bone
114.Gone on an African photo safari
115.Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116.Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117.Eaten mushrooms gathered in the wild
118.Ridden a horse
119.Had major surgery
120.Had a snake as a pet
121.Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122.Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123.Visited more foreign countries than Australian States
124.Vistied all 7 continents
125.Taken a canoe triop that lasted more than 2 days
126.Eaten kangaroo meat
127.Eaten sushi
128.Had your picture in the newspaper
129.Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130.Gone back to school
131.Parasailed
132.Petted a cockroack
133.Eaten fried green tomatoes
134.Read the Iliad AND The Odyssey
135.Selected on "important" author who you missed in school and read
136.Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137.Skipped all your school reunions
138.Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139.Been elected to public office
140.Written your own computer language
141.Thought to yourself that you are living your dream
142.Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143.Built your own PC from parts
144.Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145.Had a booth at a street fair
146.Dyed your hair
147.Been a DJ
148.Shaved your head
149.Caused a car accident
150.Saved someone's life

I've been Tagged

By the lovely and fabulously talented Rachel Richter. I get to bore everyone with my answers to these 5 questions.

1. Four of my favourite jobs
2. Four of my favourite local places
3. Four of my favourite foods
4. Four of my favourite international places
5. Four name's of people I am tagging

So here goes...

Four of my favourite jobs
1.I loved being an Early Childhood Teacher. My favourite teaching job was at Haileybury andI taught there for 7 years until I left to have Max. I loved being part of a school, having the same group of children every day and working with people who valued early childhood education as much as I did. They didn't see it as 'babysitting'.
2.I love what I do now. I'm just Mummy to Max and Jemima and while it's definitely the best job in the world, I just wish the pay was a little higher. Then again, how do you put a $ value on hugs and kisses?
3. I loved working at Monash University in the Bookshop during school holidays. I thought all the Uni students were sooooo cool and I'd spend my breaks pretending to be one of them. Being able to read more and more books was also a great reason to go to work everyday.
4. I've had lots of other jobs over the years but none of them stands out as being a 'favourite'.

Four of my favourite local places
1. I love the Dandenongs. I love being able to drive for 10 minutes and being in the midst of the mountain and all it's little 'villages'. It's a nightmare on the weekends, people absolutely everywhere, but during the week it's really only locals that are around.
2. I love Ferntree Gully National Park. It has some lovely walks and a fabulous playground. Max and Jemima could be there all day.
3. I love my house. I guess it's about as local as I can get. I love the way people tell me they feel at home and comfortable when they come over. It's not perfect by any means, but it's ours.
4. I love 'Ripe'. It's a funky little cafe up in Sassafrass. We went there on Mother's Day. They have THE best hot chocolate in the world, made with grated Lindt and hot milk. Mmmmmmm

Four of my favourite foods
1. I love love love roast potatoes, especially the way Jan does them.
2. Chocolate, but then that's pretty predictable.
3. Indian from Miss India in Brisbane...yum!
4. Mexican food

Four of my favourite international places
1. I love New York. We were only there for 2 days but I've felt this longing to go back ever since. There is so much to see and do and I just want to go back and experience it all.
2. Scotland. It was the middle of winter, cold and snowy and I just fell in love with it. Maybe it's because Mum is Scottish and I feel some sort of connection with the place.
3. Fiji. The people are SO friendly. It's a great place to relax and recharge your batteries. Everything runs on 'Fiji Time'. My kind of place.
4. London. I have so many family members to spend time with there. It has to be on the list.


Four names of people I am Tagging
Penni
Dani
Kath
Jacquie

A lovely day

Yesterday was Mothers' Day. I had a lovely day with my family. Max and Jemima came in with presents and cards and special drawings Andrew had 'secretly' commissioned the children to do before bed. We had pancakes for breakfast and all went to watch Max at his swimming lessons. In the afternoon we drove up in the hills to my favourite little cafe where they make THE best hot chocolates in the world using hot milk and grated Lindt chocolate. Absolutely heavenly. Mum and Dad and Paul came over for dinner and I didn't have to clean up a single thing. That's my idea of a lovely Mothers' Day.

I took some photos at afternoon tea. Jemima experienced her first babycino and Max was allowed to have a hot chocolate just like Mummy.

Kids + Water = FUN

Andrew and I took Max and Jemima into Southbank today so that they could have a play in the fabulous new Aquativity Centre. It's strange to see this in the middle of the city, but it's such a wonderful addition to Brisbane. If you're ever up here, you HAVE to go. The kids had a ball and we had a chance to try out our new camera.

Photos from Rachel Richter

One of things we were looking forward to while we were here in Brisbane was our photo session with Rachel Richter. I know so many people who have had her take photos of their family, including Jan and they have all been wonderful. We were lucky enough to have 2 sessions with her because the wind and light wasn't ideal during our first session. We tried to get some shots of the 4 cousins together which was a challenge and in the end the 'outakes' are my favourite.

Almost time to go home

We've had a lovely time up here in Brisbane with our beloved family but it's almost time to go home. Andrew gets back from his trip overseas tomorrow morning and on sunday at 4am we begin the long drive home to Melbourne . It's been lovely to spend time with Jan, Col, Ella and Hudson, and it will be so sad to say goodbye. Thanks goodness for blogs, Skype, webcams and the internet. Hopefully we'll be up again before the end of the year and maybe they'll find an excuse to come home for a visit before too long.

The kids have had a ball together even thought at times they have driven each other absolutely mad! Jemima is besotted with Ella and Hudson and her Auntie 'Dan' and Uncle Col, although she is yet to say his name Max just enjoys being the eldest, the biggest and the loudest!

Anyway, enough waffle from me. Here are some pictures from the past week or so.

Photos by Max and Ella

I was taking some photos of the kids as they were playing outside this morning. Max and Ella decided that they wanted a turn to take some pictures and so began our photoshoot. They took turns photographing each other and Jemima and Hudson too. Some of the photos were quite good, so I decided to add them to our Blog.


So here they are, photos by Max and Ella...