Quality, not quantity!!

Today I had such an amazing day catching up with a friend who I have not seen for about a YEAR!!!! The weather was perfect, the company was perfect and the op shop gods must have loved us today because we hit the jackpot and found lots of goodies!! 

The best thing about catching up with my friend is that our friendship stays exactly the same and starts again where it left off the last time, no awkward silences, just lots of laughs and chats about our lives and finding pretty things.

Megan and I met as we started tafe together doing a course in Education Support, aka teacher's aid in 2010. We went to the midland tafe and often found ourselves walking together to the train station after classes. Such occasions led to chats about a common love for op shopping. Which then turned into afternoons spent riffling through racks and shelves at any second hand or op shop that we could find often on our walks home from tafe.

We had finally decided that it was long enough and we would meet up to go on another op shopping adventure and in Maylands and Midland.

Maylands is one of my favourite places to be!!!!

Sam used to have a sharehouse there so I would often go to visit when we first started dating, before we began living together. We had lots of great memories there and a few months ago my Mum and I went on a little date together and found ourselves there having lunch and searching through the little shops.

Today felt like the "right" day to go to Maylands again!

Just like old times we searched through the shelves and racks and in our first stop I stumbled across some pretty floral sheets!!! The price tag said $5 for one and $6 for the other but I showed the lady a few small rips in one of the sheets and asked for a cheaper price and the lady said she only wanted $2 for them!!!  What a bargain!! I was soo happy! just like the saying, "if you don’t ask the answer will always be no" :)

Next stop was the Salvation Army, again the op shop gods were very happy with us reuniting and pointed us into the right direction of a beautiful floral piece of cloth that I would like to see on a round table that we have at home. I also found this which id love to put on my window, can you imagine waking up to that with the beautiful sun gently peeking through. 

 

A pretty single Sheridan bed cover also found its way into my arms before long.

All this shopping was making me work up an appetite. Good thing that CHAPELS ON WHATLEY is right across the street and is a fantastic tea house and oriental antique dealer, many moons ago this place used to only sell the antiques, but some genious decided to make an assortment of delicious goodies and set up a cafe inside.  



Seeing today was such a beautiful and sunny day, it was decided that a mixed berry frappe was on the cards. Man they are so good!! And to eat you might ask??  Well only the best savoury scones with sour cream and smoked salmon I have ever tasted!!

 

Seriously, it's such an amazing place!! GO THERE IF YOU CAN!!!!

After our delicious lunch we headed off to Midland, again we searched in a few places and were quite disappointed to see that two places that we loved have closed down. :(

Not to worry, we stumbled across some more goodies, Megan found a pretty beauty case and inside was a hair and nail dryer from the 50's.

I found a cute love heart shaped cake tin, a blue linen tea towel from Albany about the sad whaling history, a green thermos mug and a pretty metal peacock tray.

            Here's to spending quality time with friends! :)

             Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend too!

Systems Overload

So I tend to do this thing where I get an idea in my mind and i get so excited and really focused on it that I jump two feet first without thinking and then wonder afterwards why I am so tired, stressed and moody!

The first silly idea :)

After already going to the gym up to 5 times a week, a friend from work convinced me to start early morning boot camp 3 times a week for 3 weeks; great idea to get fitter and the added bonus that my work friend would pick me up was all I needed to hear to join. (Currently license-less)

After three weeks of going to boot camp, then working a full day and then taking myself to gym afterwards. (I even had an idea to start Muay Thai 3 times a week on top off this) I was too tired to do anything, was very stressed and I was getting sick and a very sore back from the strain I was putting my body under.
 I had this idea that by doing all this exercise I would be looking after myself better; instead I did the complete opposite,binged and refused to do any form of exercise (unless it was walking to and from the fridge) for a week straight cos I was so miserable!

My dear boyfriend told me off for doing too much and that I should concentrate on one thing at a time i.e. gym (Sam is a major gym fanatic and even before the sentence "lets's go gym" has passed my lips he is already waiting at the door for me.

I decided to make a mental note that I was very silly and have to make sure that in the future that I don’t overload myself again.  
Well... that may have last all of three weeks, as I have done it again.

The second, very silly and long term idea:

I have decided to go back to University! (Yes I know what you’re thinking... And yes maybe I am a little nuts)

Let me tell you all about my previous University experience... After I finished high school in 09, I went on to tafe as I didn’t do TEE. I enrolled into a cert 3 and 4 in Education Support to be a Teacher's Aid and ultimately be able to get accepted into University. At the end of 2010 I was accepted into ECU to do a bachelor of Education in Early Childhood (0-8). At around the same time I also met Sam, which was fine and didn’t distract me from my studies until he invited me to go to Brazil with him for two months in February 2011, meaning I wouldn’t be able to study for the first semester. I was so eager and excited to go that University was the last thing on my mind and I would just enroll in the next semester. 
The next semester came and I went to Uni like a good girl, I enrolled into 2 units as they were changing the course and only two units were available to study. I also found a better paying job at a childcare centre working 3 days a week, which was perfect and fitted well in with my studies and I didn’t have to work weekends anymore. Yay!

But then Sam and I started talking seriously about potentially moving to Brazil for a year or so at the end of 2012, so he could finish his University, which he has been putting off for 3 years now. I enjoyed Uni, but I wasn’t as focused as I thought I would be and I knew that I would need to start saving money if moving to Brazil would soon be a reality. I decided to defer uni (yet again) and start working full time until we move to Brazil.

I started to miss Uni and studying ( I know, I couldn’t believe it either) and wanted to at least make a start on getting a degree and studying online seemed a perfect way to continue working and whilst in Brazil I could try tick off some units along the way.  Two work colleagues, who are also doing this course, recommended it to me and I saw the adverts on Telly and let’s just say I am easily persuaded and decided to go for it.

However, at that time of enrolling and purchasing study books, I didn’t take into account that I was already working 5 days a week, going to gym up to 5 times a week, doing a traineeship at work completing a certificate 3 in children’s services, and trying to enjoy quality time with loved ones. I also didn't think about the main aspects of uni like studying, completing assignments, exams, work pracs and general stress and workload of being a student. Maybe I just got caught up in the moment?

WHAT AM I THINKING????????????

Today was Day 1 of Uni life, I decided to be brave and take a quick peek of what was expected of me and found myself quickly turning off the computer. (Not a good start is it)

Maybe I'm just syking myself out and need time to adjust to this new experience of studying online.

I hope so!!

Does anyone out there in bloggy land study online also????????, I would love to know how you manage it with everyday life :)

My very first post

I have been inspired by a number of ladies blogs who I have been reading for quite some time and now that I have something new and interesting to write about I thought that I too would join the blogging world.

My Brazilian lover and I met in Perth nearly two years ago. Samadhi was only soposed to stay for a total of 9 months in Australia to study English, but meeting eachother and falling in love changed that and soon enough nearly 2 and a half years has gone by.

Sam is missing his beautiful family and friends and needs to return to his university studies and i think its about time that i go on a nice long holiday haha... so we have decided to go and live in Brazil for a year or so whilst he finishes his university. December was the goal to be leaving Australia so we can spend christmas with Sam's family but we are still waiting on a few things and are unsure when we will find out the all clear to go ahead with our plans.

Not knowing is the most frustrating part to me as I like to plan A LOT... especially big occasions like this, and to be honest im really excited to know a certain date so i can start a count down :)

I am so excited to start a new chapter of my life in Brazil, Sam took me in early 2011 for two months and i fell in love with the place, Rio is seriously one of the most beautiful places on this earth and I am so blessed that i will be able to soon call it home.

                                                           

                                           

                                                                 Love Anna xx