Closing down

Hey You! I am blogging in a new space now! If you're interested, I am now over here www.ticketyboohome/blogspot.com Pop over and say hi!

Numbers

It's been MONTHS since I blogged. I have been busily nesting, finishing up work and trying to get things in that I won't have time for once the little one arrives. I am now officially on maternity leave and I am due in about 3 weeks, give or take. So I was pondering the concept of numbers this morning, and the amount of importance we place on numbers. People like accumulating a high number of certain things, like dollars, IQ points, stocks & shares or Facebook friends. In equal measure, we seem to like shedding a high number of things, like kilograms, centermeters off our waist....and sometimes even Facebook friends. Take a walk around a cemetery and look at the numbers that appear on peoples headstones. The only numbers you see are the numbers that record how long someone walked this earth. Nobody has their bank balance recorded on there, nobody has their weight recorded on there, nobody has their IQ recorded on there. The important things are not so much numbers, but who the person was while they were here - Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, Son, Daughter, Wife, Husband, Friend. While I understand the importance of maintaining a healthy weight, the importance of an income and the importance of education, at the end of the day, stressing over these numbers isn't living. Don't count - make what you do count!

What Annie's up to

Slackest blogger on earth here! I was just browsing some other blogs and realised how much I enjoy reading about what other people, normal people, are up to. So that is what this post is. A handful of things that are happening in my life, on my mind or on my radar just now.

- I am munching on some yummy mini quiches that Chow gave me on Saturday when I dropped Emma home after the Bowerbird Bazaar.

- I have made some great progress on my filing this morning.

- In 2 more sleeps, I am flying to Sydney to see Amy, then catching a train to Bowral to see Brad and Vanessa get married, then onto Canberra to spend some time with Naomi - our first face to face catch up since my wedding.

- Andy felt our baby kick last night, for the first time. It was super subtle, but it was the first time he's felt movement. It was a pretty special moment.

- Jack is fully recovered from his conjunctivitis and is smiling once again.

2012 Career Change

It's no secret. I am not a fan of my job. I've always said that I didn't really know what I wanted to do, and for paid employment, that is partly true - but deep down, I kind of had a pretty good idea of what I wanted my next job to be.

In November, that job was offered to me. Longer hours, but working from home. On call 24/7 and at least an 18 year, non-negotiable contract. It's likely that my boss won't speak clear English for the best part of about 3 years, but after that, things should improve on the communication front. The pay is rubbish and I will have to deal with a lot of shit...literally, but I hear the rewards are priceless.

My title as of August will be Mum.

I'm as elated as I am scared! There are lots of "what ifs", like "What if I can't cope with the lack of sleep and manic hormones associated with the first 6 months?" and "What if my kid has some kind of developmental delay?" and "What if they turn out to be a really nasty person?" There are also lots of "I can't waits", like "I can't wait to hold it for the first time" and "I can't wait to see Andy as a Dad" and "I can't wait to hear it giggle for the first time!"

So I am going to try and keep blogging for the next 6 months, and I will try my hardest to not turn this into a "preggy blog", but after August, things might go quiet!

Oh, and heres a happy snap of the little mite!

The Final 10!!!

991. Market fresh cherries
992. Eating Nepali food with Kat
993. Andy going out of his way to cater for my whims!
994. Finishing the Christmas shopping
995. My new Kikki K stamp set
996. A happy family day
997. Listening to the thunder while tucked up in bed
998. Light at the end of the tunnel
999. Christmas time
1000. Having 1000 things to be grateful for!

This project has been fantastic in making me really look for things to be grateful for. I have tried not to double up, but some things are just super exciting and I may have repeated myself! I hope some of the things that have made me smile in 2011 have made you smile too!!!

981 - 990 (I'm drawing out the gratitude project!)

981. Reminiscing about Ralph with Heather & Les (Ralph was a dog - an awesome dog!)
982. Crumpets and tea delivered to my bedside
983. Chatting all things dog with the Ratcliffs
984. Lunching with my KidsHope peeps
985. Lunching with my elders peeps
986. Having a lovely conversation with Verity
987. Finishing my share of the Christmas shopping
988. Finishing a job I had been dragging my feet on for a looong time
989. Weekend naps
990. The unexpected burst of energy I get from a big long walk

961 - 980

961. Shelling broadbeans on the back patio over a glass of beer/wine
962. Sitting on the same patio later that evening, watching a storm roll over
963. Jack being totally chilled out with thunder (Moths on the other hand! Moths are a problem and need to die)
964. Freebies! Chai latte powder at the train station and then fortune cookies from the coffee shop!
965. Finally getting to catch up with Sarah after re-sceduling and re-sceduling and re-scheduling our time!
966. Work Christmas lunch at the Belair pub
967. Celebrating Pete's retirement
968. Being 5 minutes from home, yet feeling like we were on holiday somewhere sunny and beachy
969. Window shopping with Andy
970. Andy's joy at the realisation that we have a Beck's Bakery so close to home!
971. Putting the Christmas tree up
972. A reason to listen to cheesy Christmas albums
973. Catching up with Heather & Les after God knows how long
974. The awesome friendship I have with Catherine at work
975. Fishing off the Noarlunga jetty; didn't catch a thing, but it was nice to just sit, dangle our feet and chat
976. Strawberry season
977. Slowly developing an appreciation for MacGyver
978. Thinking about the memories attached to certain Christmas decorations
979. Finding Pearl Jam Vs for $5 at my local flea market
980. Lloyd Bros. Kasundi