A Foiled Birthday

I turned the pretty average 24 today, I am officially in my mid 20s now!

My breakfast blend
Birthday Smoothie

The girls called me shortly after leaving work yesterday and told me that I was to sleep in this morning and come to work at 0830 instead of my usual arrival between 0730 and 0800. When I walked towards the office, all I could see was Al-Foil all over my desk πŸ˜€ I walked in to hugs from the girls and Al-Foil. They did fantastic job of Al-Foiling my desk, my drawers, my chair, my stationary, everything!

Foil all around
A Foiled birthday

A Foiled birthday

A Foiled birthday

A Foiled birthday
A Foiled birthday

A Foiled birthday

We had decided yesterday to have hot dogs for lunch and one of the girls had said she would bake me a cake. I very much believed that would mean the purchase of a cake from woolies. I was to learn today that no, she had actually baked me a cake! I was quite impressed.

I went down to see one of the doctors and she asked me if we were having the Lamingtons she had given me for morning tea at 0930. I just said ???? what do you mean morno’s?? We are having hot dogs for lunch. Thinking to myself crazy doctor. I went back to my desk and oh about 0930, Cathy swings her chair round to face me and goes “Tea?” I go mmm I don’t know this morning, she goes “come on” and off we go to the lunch room with our tea cups in hand. I open the door to the lunch room and before me I see my fellow medical staff and the interviewing staff and a big spread of mornos πŸ˜€ I was speechless for the second time in as many hours.

My cake!

For lunch Hot Dogs were made πŸ™‚
Birthday Lunch - Hotdogs

For Arvo’s I had a lamington, well half because Cathy stole half of it.
Afternoon tea, 55/365

Then it was time for the F-111 trial fly-over for Riverfire tomorrow night. I got video of the flyover but it doesn’t currently want to get off my SD card. This is the view from the testing room on the floor below me. oh the city is pretty.
Oh the city from Lv 11
Oh the city from Lv 11
Oh the city from Lv 11

I was absolutely touched at the effort that the girls and boys had gone to to make my day special πŸ˜€
Then it was home to find a birthday parcel from dear Georgie currently in Sydney πŸ˜€ Now I’m watching the footy and hoping the Lions can beat the Bulldogs….

and just because

Sprinkles?

Just a quick few lines. I went visit some friends today to take some photos. Madi who must be 2.5ish was looking at my mouth and oh so cutely said “you have sprinkles on your teeth!” referring to the green and blue coloured bands I have on my braces at the moment! Gold!

a mish mosh of life’s adventures

Yesterday I took an RDO to renew my drivers licence as it expired today. My last photo was taken five years ago (though my fingers thanks to work want to type 60/12 instead of five years), I was wearing a high school music shirt, I was on the left side of the frame and I didn’t have braces.
new drivers licence

SE QLD has had a lot of rain the last 36 odd hours. This is what our backyard looked round noonish today. (photo by Ryan Sodziak)
flooded backyard

I picked up my Food Connect box yesterday arvo and I haven’t posted a photo of the last box, here is the box from last fortnight and from yesterday.
Food Connect Fortnight 2

Food Connect Fortnight 3

I’m off to the orthodontist tomorrow and I’m at a point where I really just want this whole metal mouth experience that has been going on since 1996 (more than half my life) to be over. I know that I am on the last stretch now and I only have about 12 months ( sounds less than saying one year) to go with braces and then I can get an implant but I want it to have been over by now. I want to move to new horizons but it is impractical to move from Brisbane when I have to go back to the orthodontist in the city every 4-6 weeks. It is like the pause button has been pressed on one part of my life but not the other parts.

Mum left for Central Australia today, she is going to spend the next 2-3 weeks tripping round the centre looking at all things interesting. It was only a few weeks ago that she came back from her big trip round the South of Africa.
Mum arriving home from Southern Africa

The Townsville trip was really fun. I had a great time hanging out with Sam, exploring Townsville, getting lots of work done, paying the final money on our Bali trip and generally having fun.
Here are my bags waiting for the taxi at my parents house.
Off to Tsv

The view from my room πŸ™‚ It was very pretty looking out over the boats.
the view from my room

And here is Sam at the Watermark on Friday arvo just before I left.
Sam at the Watermark

My Amazon order arrived today πŸ™‚ Full of some books for me and some books for Matthew. I am looking forward to spending some time reading in the next few weeks.

I am now up to watching the fourth season of The West Wing – I have watched three seasons in about three weeks… Just plain good drama. I love it.

It was Charlie’s birthday at work the other week. Charlie and I sit with our backs to each other on a connected desk. During the day, I sometimes swivel round on my chair and say “Hi Charlie Girl”. Charlie just laughs. Charlie had said she didn’t want a cake for her birthday so I made biscuits instead. They went down very very well and I now know that offering pretty biscuits to people will get me just about anything I want.
Charlie's Birthday Biscuits

I really like this quote that is floating round the net at the moment.

Until you dream, there isn’t a mold. Until you speak, there isn’t a promise. And until you move, there isn’t a path

I like sunsets

I was sitting in the kitchen eating just about to eat my dinner (smoked chicken noodle soup from the freezer) when I looked out the window and saw the most beautiful colours. I raced out the front door onto the footpath and went wow. I then raced back in and grabbed Rebecca, one of my flatmates to come out and have a look as well. She happened to have her camera in her hand so she started taking some photos. I then went hang on and raced back inside to grab my camera and a Grad ND. This is what I got.

04JAN09 Sunset over Auchenflower

04JAN09 Sunset over AuchenflowerRebecca watching the Sunset

props to anyone who knows where that title is inspired from.

Photos with a little girl

I spent a little time this arvo taking some photos of Madi, who is the daughter of Amanda, one of the girls I work with. From day 1 at work, outside of the Medical girls, Amanda has probably been one of the people I have had the most to do with. So the other week I got a call from Ms Manda asking me if I could take some photos of Madi, I just couldn’t say no could I? We spent a little time taking photos by the pool before Madi decided she would much rather be in the pool. A change of clothes later and little drive down the road we arrived a gorgeous little tract of parkland that I had eyed off on they way over for a few photos, a little searching for lady beetles and a photo or two more.

Madi Madi in the pool Madi Madi Madi

And a last one to share, Mama and Bubba together.
Mama and Bubba

Ship Visits

Flying the Flag
The past weekend the HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Leeuwin have been in town and of course on Saturday they were open for a looksie. We ended up having a Medical Section family afternoon out with three of us from Med and three other family members. We toured the ships, had some good laughs and ate way too much ice cream at Hamilton Portside afterwards.

HSA girls on the bow of the Melbourne

There was a really impressive turn out of people for the afternoon and both ships put on really good tours. The Melbourne had people stationed at various points where the people accumulated waiting for people to climb stairs ready to have a chat about whatever they were near. On the Leeuwin we had good fun looking through the binoculars with which you could see a fly on a leaf 2km away, ok maybe not quite but they were slightly impressive.

Looking through the big binoculors

HMAS Leeuwin

On Monday the main deck of the HMAS Melbourne was the place where the enlistment ceremony took place for this months Navy intake. In addititon to the ceremony been on the Melbourne, it also saw the fourth son of one family enlisting. This meant that the Chief of the Navy was in town to do the honours and the press turned out for the occasion.

HMAS Melbourne A245 aka HMAS Leeuwin
Naval Signal flags on the Melbourne