Evan and Sarah

I love weddings, I don’t know if it is just the girl in me or whether its that I have seen way to many chick flicks, but I really like them. They just make me feel really happy and excited and hopeful and today was no different. Today I was lucky to attend a small country wedding in Wagga and it was beautiful.

After a short hiccup with my outfit, (in which I had to go and get a new dress because mum had neglected to tell me I was planning on wearing exactly the same colour as the bridesmaids) Mum, Dad and I (not Dusty, coz he was one of the groomsmen so he had headed out much earlier than us) headed out to a beautiful country property to witness the marriage of an old family friend, Evan and his fiancé Sarah.

It was a really lovely wedding and I think the thing that I like most is how clearly happy they both looked. The wedding had been in the works for two years so the pure relief and joy for both of them was so nice. I also liked all the little touches that made the wedding even more special, my favourite being the sand used in the candle displays was the sand from the beach on which Evan had proposed and they had had it sent over from South Australia for the day…so nice.

Anyway, I guess I just want to say…Thanks to Evan and Sarah for letting me be a part of their special day and that I wish them every happiness and blessing as they start their new life together.

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Wagga Wagga

Right as we speak I am on the road heading to Wagga Wagga in NSW, don’t worry Dusty is driving and I am on the computer. I am a bit excited about the trip actually, because fresh off the heels of Charlie and Boots I am ready to see Australia, but that’s not the reason we are going, we are heading north for a wedding, which you will hear more about as it happens. Although I have to admit that this is the longest period of time I think that I have ever spent with Dusty by myself, but I am sure with a little help from Farnsy, Barnsey and Elton we won’t kill each other.

Perhaps if I wasn’t driving with Dustin, who doesn’t seem to care much about the country or its little towns, I would have taken the opportunity to stop in some of towns with cool names that we have passed on the way like…Wandong or Longwood or Dookie.

Anyway, while we have been driving we have actually driven through a lot of the land that was effected by the massive bush fires earlier this year and although the black trees are a harsh reminder of the power and devastation of fire, it was also really amazing to see the regrowth happening too. It was refreshing to see the green, even though it was small slowly taking over the tops of the black trees, giving a bit of hope that life can restart after fire. It still amazes me how God can make something so damaged and broken into something new.


I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Boardgames

I also really like boardgames, I don’t know why…I just do. Perhaps it’s the fact that its inclusive and everyone needs to get involved, perhaps its because game they are just fun or perhaps its even because I don’t get to do it very often so they are still a novelty. But tonight I got to play Boulderdash with my good friends from high school and it was great, it was just a really nice way to hang out with them and have a bit of fun. I think I need to play board games more often.


I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Bypassed

For anyone that knows my family well, it seems that someone is always heading off to china, well today is no different. Tonight Jake heads off to china on his year 11 study tour with school. So because I am a great sister and I don’t get to see him very often I headed out to the airport to see him off, which it turns out isn’t that bad a drive from good old Castlemaine.

Anyway, after I said good bye to Jake I jumped in my car ready to head back to my little house. As I pulled out of the carpark I was thinking about the best way to get back on the Calder and how there must have been a better way to go, rather then heading back into the city and out again, so as I drove out I noticed a sign to Sunbury, which I knew was in the right direction, so I took it and off I went. Little did I know this road look me a back way to Sunbury on a dodgy little road and not to the freeway at all. I did think to myself though as I drove through Sunbury and a couple other little towns that this was much nicer than the boring freeway and that perhaps I had been missing out by just jumping on the Calder. For just a moment I kinda felt like I was in the Disney movie cars and that Sunbury was a bit like radiator springs which had just been bypassed with out a care. I did eventually make it back to the freeway and Castlemaine safe and sound, but it certainly did make me wonder what else I miss. Maybe I will try this new scenic root again some time, although perhaps I will do it during daylight hours and not in the middle of the night.


I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Charlie and Boots

I really really really love going to the movies, in fact I could probably count on one hand the number of times I have been disappointed after a trip to the movies…I could even go as far as to say both of those times have been because of Mr Bean too…it turns out his movies not as good as the TV show.

Anyway, tonight after a lovely dinner in Bendigo, Jana, Jane (two of my mates from work) and I went to the movies and saw Charlie and boots and not surprisingly I loved it. But the thing that I liked most about this movie was that it was Australian and I knew lots of the towns that they went through. It really made me want to get in my little Saaby and just drive, just head off north and check out what Australia has to offer.


I think that one day I would really love to do just that, jump in my car and go right round Australia from town to town and just have a look, maybe I will have to invest in a camper of some kind and do a bit of caravan of courage style traveling. Cos the thing is Australia is massive and unique and there is so much to see, every town is different and has its own little quirks and I really want to see at least some of them. Perhaps one day I will have another blog about my Australian Adventure rather than just my adventures as a 22 year old…who knows.



I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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The Trouper's gone

So this morning, like I do most Monday mornings I drove back up to Castlemaine, but something was different, the trouper that I posted about only like 2weeks ago was not there…there are a number of possible reasons for this…

1. I am getting lazier so I have been leaving later and therefore missing the troupers run


2. He is running on Tuesdays now


3. Something has happened to him


I am really hoping its not number 3, but I am not sure where he had gone and I must admit I am a little worried…I will continue though to keep my eyes peeled…awaiting his return.


I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Jesus Racing

What a day I have had today…in fact my day has been so full on I have a lot I could talk about… I could write about how I met my two favourite drivers and kept relatively calm after a pep talk from Dave or I could write about how my heart was broken when Ford, well team Vodafone can second in the last lap despite leading the race for 99 of the 113 laps... Or I could even talk about the fact that this is my 100th blog. But no today I want to tell you about Andrew ‘Fishtail’ Fisher, the Jesus racing team and the Jesus car… For most of the day we sat track side and watched the cars, which although it may sound boring to you is fantastic. While I was watching one car caught my eye more than usual. It was a car that isn’t normally in the V8’s in fact it normally isn’t a car at all…its normally a ute. But today, as part of the enduro races the guys at ‘Jesus racing’ have a car out there. The car is known as the Jesus car because of that fact that it had ‘Jesus, all about life’ on the side as its major sponsor and I think that its pretty grouse.

Its pretty rare these days to see unmistaken about Christian messages sponsoring secular things, in a way that is actually relvent and cool and not just a ‘repent or die’ card or a John 3:16 cardboard banner. But here broadcast live to all of Australia is a car that speaks the message clear as day. And not only is it out there but its actually taken really well, the commentators and the spectators love it. I think that maybe this is something that we should be doing more of. Putting our selves out there, doing a bit or marketing for our selves. Coz the thing is what we have is good…in fact its better than that its great, so why shouldn’t it be out there. We should more things like it, because when done in a relevant and tasteful way it’s powerful. In fact I would really love to see a salvo shield on the back of the ute/car…that would be wicked.

I also really love the story behind the car. The Jesus car has been racing now for over 18months and while normally in the ute comp. It still has a massive impact. Andrew ‘Fishtail’ Fisher, the driver has this to say about how he came up with the idea…

‘ I was recently challenged as to whether I simply carry my Christianity as a back pack or whether I really pick up my cross each day. This caused me to think about why I am involved in motor racing and what impact I make for the Kingdom. With this in mind I thought it would be a great idea to put a fish on the back of the race car to show that I am a Christian! My wife challenged me and said well if you really want to make a statement why don't you promote Jesus. All about life all over the car, "that will let them know where you stand"!’

Pretty cool ey? I would like to think though that this is just the beginning of things like this…perhaps there is already others like Andrew out there. But I really liked it.

Just as a side note I also like that his name is fisher…and because at the enduros you have two drives it was be really cool if the other driver was like Owen Men or Oliver Men, coz that way the car would have ‘Jesus All about life’ and then as the drives ‘A. Fisher, O. Men’ – get it….or maybe that would make it dorky…

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Sleep Overs

Sometimes I feel like because I am technically an adult now I am not supposed to do a lot of fun stuff anymore. For example, people look at me funny when I colour-in during long flights, or when I choose to watch a Disney movie over anything else. But last night I discovered that I had almost let something else just slip away without so much as a thought…Sleepovers. Seriously, once you learn to drive sometimes I think that sleepovers just because get lost because you can just drive home and hang out again tomorrow anyway. But last night I had a sleepover with Kitty and it was so much fun, movies, games, chatting, just like old times (although unlike my childhood sleepovers, we didn’t discuss top 5 boys, and who we were going to kiss by the time we were in year nine…which just for the record were very poor predictions on my behalf…although not so much on Kirsten’s…wink wink).

Anyway, I think the reason why I almost let sleepovers is simply a matter of laziness, I couldn’t be bothered to get organized and get stuff together and it seemed like a lot of effort when you were just going to sleep. But I was very very very wrong. Sleepovers are great and definitely worth the effort and I think I will need to make the effort more often.

It does make me wonder what else I may have let slip though…


I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Pheebs and Steve are Getting Married

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, tonight as I was heading back to Melbourne from Castlemaine, I received a very very very very very exciting phone call from one of my best friends….pheebs rang to tell me that….PHEEBS AND STEVE ARE GETTING MARRIED!!!!! Seriously I am so excited. Steve and Pheebs are great and now they will be great together forever! Oh man I am so so so so excited. Congratulations guys, I am so happy for you both! So happy in fact that as well as the numerous phone calls I have already made to pheebs (and one to steve too) I have been singing a little song for most of the trip home and it goes like this….

(to the tune of the conga line song)

Phoebe’s getting married, Phoebe’s getting married, Phoebe’s getting married, Phoebe’s getting married, Phoebe’s getting married, Phoebe’s getting married, Phoebe’s getting married…

you get the idea! Oh I am so excited….congrats congrats congrats

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Nana

It’s a year today since my Nana was promoted to glory. It doesn’t feel like it’s been a year, but it has. It’s still werid for me to think that she’s not just up in Monbulk whenever I want to visit, and I am still sad when I think about the fact that she is gone, but I also know that she is in heaven and she is loving it.

I don’t know if there is any truth to my theology, but sometimes I think that even though she is not here in person she is still watching us and making sure we are ok. I know that she would have been watching the grand final last year from heaven to see her hawkers get up and win the flag. I know she would have been watching me as I received my degree earlier this year. And I know that she is still watching me as I set out on this new venture in Castlemaine.

I do miss my Nana, but I am really glad that I have so many wonderful memories of her and that its not really the end, I will see her again, I just have to wait a while and until then I know that as God watches over me, nana will be there too and…

I’ll sing because I’m happy, I’ll sing because I’m free, His eye is on the sparrow, and I know they’ll watch over me.

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Sunshine

All I want to say today is that I love how sunshine makes everything better.


I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Father's Day

Today is Father’s day, a day where everyone gets to tell there dad how much the love him and get all soppy etc etc etc. Well it turns out, my dad not in to soppiness, so it’s always difficult to find a card that says what you want it to say without the need for a bucket. A lot of the soppy free cards are not really right either with talk of booze or naked women, it always takes me a long time to find one that is just right, but this year I found the perfect one…

The card had a picture of a boy in a bed that was being lifted off the ground by a large monster, the boys father was at the door and instead of comforting words the dad says “Yes, there is a giant monster under your bed, deal with it” and inside the card it says “Thanks for toughening me up Dad”

Anyway, I thought it was very appropriate, so Happy Father’s Day Dad, I love you stacks, and I know I am the way I am because of you. (except for the silliness, I am pretty sure that’s mum!)

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Ice Skating

I am not very good at most things athletic…and I am ok with this…sometimes I surprise myself, for example when I ran the Melbourne half marathon last year…who would have thought I would be able to run 21.1km…or the time I was accurately able to resemble a penguin during a basketball game…or even the time I got hit in the head with a baseball bat. Anyway, the point of all this is that today my athletic ability was tested once again, except this time it was tested on ice with sharp (and slightly rusty) blades strapped to my feet. Today I went ice skating with the Griffiths family and Davo.

I have to admit I was a little worried about what would happen when I would try to skate because I am just not very good and it does take me quite a while to warm up and I wasn’t sure how long I would have…the other thing is I am Jamie and Ally’s Sunday school teacher, the look up to me and most of the time think I am pretty cool, what would happen if they learned I couldn’t skate? Luckily for me and my pride though I found my happy place pretty early on in the afternoon, you know that special thought that can help you fly, I mean skate? With my happy place, a few words of advice from a lady in tights and leg warmers and the inspiration of the gracefully old man, I was pretty much amazing…and the best bit was I didn’t fall over. I did come close though, it turns out you should definitely not try and dance to Flow Riders’ song Low while skating on ice with two girls either side of you, coz when you go low things get a little tangled.

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Winner

There are some people in the world that just win stuff all the time, the win the school raffle, they win random door prizes, they win lucky seat competitions, they win bingo, they just get given random stuff…they win everything and then there are people like me…who wins nothing…well almost nothing!

I am pretty sure that for my total 22 years I have only won 3 things, with today being the day I won my third prize. But before we get to what I won today let me tell you of my other wins…

1. The first prize I ever won was and Ice Age video from Wendy’s, I entered a competition after purchasing and ice cream and in the mail came the video…the sad bit about this story is that I don’t even really like ice age, and to this day I don’t think that I have ever watched that video.

2. My second winning moment happened earlier this year…I entered the ‘3 question quiz’ on light fm and answered 2 out of 3 questions about Jesse McCartney correctly…because I loved the song beautiful soul and could pick the tune and we share a birth date so I knew how old he, unfortunately I didn’t know he had released 3 CDs, because I am just not that bigger fan…never mind. But because I got two correct I won some tickets to the drive in.

3. My third and final win happened today…I won (with Jana, Benny Waterworth and Mr. Google’s help) the footy quiz for footy colours day at work. There was an email sent around with my name in massive letters and then a poster at the end of the day with me listed won of the day’s winners and I got a wicked prize. I was given a bottle of French Champagne and a footy…and because Jana worked out the answers together she got the Champagne and I got the footy…and I love it. Seriously I am pretty sure this has been the best day of work so far (it also helped that we had to attend two morning teas today too). I love being a winner…and I wished it happened more often.

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Surprises

Yesterday I had visitors again…and these ones even stayed the night. Yesterday Kitty and Annie came to visit and spoil me with an amazing diner and desert and a few rounds of sing star. But the best bit was the surprises they left behind. When I got home from work today there was a pasta bake in the fridge and note explaining they just thought they would make on incase I couldn’t be bothered cooking…and as if that wasn’t already the best surprise there was also a packet of glow in the dark stars for me to put on my roof, because I had been telling Kat how much I wanted them. Seriously Annie and Kat…you guys are the best! Thanks so much!

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Pizza Hut

Tonight I was able to go back in time...not for long, but for long enough. Tonight I went to Pizza Hut....now before you get on your high horse about the fact that there are Pizza Huts everywhere, this wasn't the take away Pizza Hut that you get in Melbourne...no this was an eat in Pizza Hut, you know the ones…the ones from the good old days where you have a salad bar full of Pizza, chips, pasta and then a separate one with soft serve ice cream and everything you could possibly want as a topping.


I was so nice to go back there and reminisce, it really had been a long time and it was everything I remembered…although being a little older now I realized that they only put the ‘good’ pizza’s out like margaretta, Hawaiian and supreme…none of those ‘bad’ ones which I have become much more accustomed to like BBQ chicken or meat lovers.


But I tell you what nothing beat the salad bar desserts…seriously those things are heaven, and it was probably a very good thing that I was there for a 6 year olds birthday party and that the other kids were restricted to only one dessert, because if I had have had free reign, I might still be there eating dessert…seriously




I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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What a trouper

If I don't travel back to Castlemaine late Sunday Night, I make my journey early Monday morning and it is during these early morning returns that I have come across and inspirational man...I have never spoken to him, I have no idea what his name is but I love him...he is the older guy that goes for his morning job down the Calder freeway and waves at the cars.



At first I though he must have known the people he was waving at, but no, he waves to everyone. But not only does he wave, but he waves while giving the biggest grin you could imagine. Seriously he is a legend and every Monday morning...and perhaps other mornings too he runs, smiles and waves and I think makes peoples day. I know he definitely lifts my spirits...



So to you old running dude...you are a trooper and I think you are the best, thanks for waving at me as I drive back to Castlemaine, you always make me a little bit happier.




I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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The Toilet door

I have been going to Box Hill Salvos pretty much since I was born…there were a few years I couldn’t go, mainly coz I was living in America, but for the rest of my life I have been at Box Hill. I have been there so long that it feels like home, I don’t think that there is anywhere I haven’t been in the hall. Everything about it is familiar, and that’s the way I like it. I know the pressure of the taps, which light switch does what, where to get the good cordial from the fridge…everything, even the weight of the doors…or so I thought…

I am not sure when it happened exactly, but a few weeks ago I noticed that there was something different about the toilet door. I couldn’t work out exactly what it was, all I knew was that I couldn’t just run in like I had for the past 22years. It takes more effort to get in there now and I think I have finally worked out why that is.

I think that the door has a new hinge thing at the top… you know the thing that makes the door swing shut? I think it has a new one of those and the new one is stronger than the old one…It makes me work much harder to get into the toilet than the old one did. I am not sure why there is a new one, but I am almost 100% sure that what it is. It’s kinda annoying really, I have a 22 year habit (well maybe 18…but still long enough) of applying just the right about of pressure to that door and all of a sudden its not enough…its really strange and every time it throws me. I know its just door and I should get over it, but 18 years of habit can’t just be wiped. I feel like I need some kind of program to help me adjust. If fact I wonder if I will ever adjust? Is anyone else having problems with the new door? Or was I the only one that noticed? Who was responsible for this change? Why did they have to change the door? Did it break or was it just to throw me off? I need some answers…and perhaps some help.





I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Mr G

Today I made a fool of myself…which is not surprising, except for the fact that this time I brought down a 6year old kid with me.

Today was the Salvos Divisional Kids Big Day Out, so as Kids Church Coordinator I went along with the kids from Box Hill and everyone had a great time. Being a divisional event there were kids there from a number of different salvo corps, so naturally we had to where name tags, which the kids made themselves using a texta and a sticker…clever I know. Anyway, a few of the kids that came with Box Hill had brought friends along and trying to be a good leader I made it my business to introduce myself to each of them. This was working quite well until I came to a little girl whose name tag appeared to say ‘Mr G’. I took a moment to have a think about why the tag would say ‘Mr G’ and remembered that the adult she had come with (one of the kids Church parents) was named ‘Graham’, so I put what I thought was two and two together and figured that perhaps he was known as ‘Mr G’ and she was wearing his name tag. So in my wisdom I went up to her and introduced myself and asked if she was having fun, and then proceed to say… ‘I haven’t met you before, my name is Emma, what’s yours’ hoping to get some clarification on the ‘Mr G’ situation. However, it turned out she was a little shy, so she just looked at me and pointed at her name tag. So trying to be cool, and welcoming, I responded ‘Mr G, that says Mr G, that’s not your name is it?’ a little dumbfounded the little girl just looked at me and then at her name tag and pointed again. Very confused by this stage I repeated (just in case she hadn’t heard the first time) ‘Mr G? really?’ and still dumbfounded she looked at me and walked off. Feeling even more confused and a bit defeated I turned around only to find Dustin and Jess in fits of laughter…Jess then explained to me that the tag didn’t say ‘Mr G’ at all, it actually said ‘Meg’ and she had written it herself but she was only 6 and couldn’t write very well.

So feeling very embarrassed I went and found Meg to apologise, I explained that I couldn’t read very well and that I was sorry, but also suggested that perhaps well just called her ‘Mr G’ anyway, coz I was a pretty cool nickname. But she graciously declined. So the poor girl will probably never want to come back to Kids Church again, now that I have humiliated her, I didn’t mean it…and you think perhaps Dusty and Jess could have said something earlier…but never mind…in my heart she will always be Mr G.

Oh and just for the record…Kat came later on in the day and also thought the tag said Mr G…In fact you can make up your own mind...I have drawn a little picture of what the name tag looked like...tell me that doesn't say 'Mr G'...
I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Date Day

I am a little bit of a princess, I know that its hard to believe but its true, and today….actually wait, stop reading…I need to issue a warning for this blog…if you don’t like romantic stuff…stop reading and come back tomorrow, because I don’t want to turn you off the whole blog because of one soppy blog…seriously, if you aren’t into romance chick flick style…off you go…

Ok, so for those that are left…(if any) today I had a ‘date day’. Date days used to be quite a regular occurrence for Dave and I, Once or twice a year Davo would take me on an all day date, usually to somewhere in the city, or to do something I have been talking about for a while. They are always wonderful and Dave does a great job at planning it all and generally making me feel like a princess. Anyway, I hadn’t been on a date day for a couple of years, mainly because I completely wrecked the last one by being grumpy, crying and falling asleep (sorry Dave). So bravely Dave had another go and it was lovely, even though the weather was terrible.

The day started with scones at the Sky High Café at Mt Dandenong, from there we headed into the city and because it was very cold and a little rainy we went to DFO instead of to the beach and luna park. After a quick dinner on South bank, Davo took me (thanks to nessa) to the top of the Eureka tower where I was able to go out on the edge and almost poo my pants from fear…although the view was amazing. We then finished the night at the movies at crown… It was really nice, but I think the nicest bit of the whole day was the fact that I just got to spend some time with Davo, just us, without having to be somewhere or doing something later, just us all day. So thanks Davo, you really are amazing and I love you stacks. That’s for treating me like a princess...oh and sorry I could fix the weather…

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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