May Date Nights

Well hello there! My oh my it has been too long since I last blogged! So let me bring you all up to date. 

March date nights weren't blogged and it was actually a rather hit 'n' miss month for dating. Just proof that even the most [wannabe] organized of people fall short. 

If I remember correctly the couple of date nights we had were a movie and Chinese evening and on the other occasion we brought to life an old chair with a new paint job. The chair painting date was great for encouraging good conversation however, our topic of conversation turned to one that was a touchy subject. It became more of a frustrating date night rather then romantic! But we can laugh at it! Lets face it, marriage isn't always all about romance and, sometimes those frustrating conversations have to happen. Its more about 'how' we have them. Husband and wife won't always see eye to eye but its important to remain respectful whilst honest. Just another #imperfect moment in dating history. 

Anyway, life has also gotten the better of us this month so, we're going to let slide the next few weeks and resume our date nights next month in May. 

Its remembering that it's okay to go with the flow sometimes. Whilst date nights are of high importance we also don't want them to become chores. And of course we're not saying that it's a chore to spend time with our spouse but lets be real, sometimes we're just not feeling it. Some nights/weeks it would seem more relaxing to just chill out in front of the tv or bury our head in a book we're dying to read and finish because we're  mums and reading time is too precious! Anyone feeling me?

So while we've been going 'with the flow' these past two months it has also sparked reevaluation. Its time to stop and acknowledge that our priorities have made a slight shift and that's okay but, now we must re sort them. 

Date nights for May:

Week 1 - Workout session

Week 2 - Bake/make a cheesecake for dessert. Neither of us have done this before.

Week 3 - Fabric painting/printing on some plain tea towels.

Week 4 - Write a short letter [to each other] on your first impressions of each other.

Remember I would love to here your date ideas!

February Date Nights

Its been both a busy and somewhat laid back couple of months. The holiday festivities kept us busy over Christmas and New Years, including a 3 week trip back home to NSW.  We've had random dates over the past few months but have otherwise not 'dated' weekly as we were. This month we resume our weekly date nights and continue to build on our marriage. 

Ideas have not been flowing easily but we've got a few things lined up. If you have any great date night ideas I'd love to hear them.

Week 1 - Watch a marriage DVD by Paul David Tripp "What did you Expect", redeeming the realities of marriage. 

Week 2 - Compose a song. Thinking praise or worship.

Week 3 - Play chess. I will beat my husband one of these days!

Week 4 - Write/draw a rough family tree of our families, going as far back as we can remember and adding all family members that we can recall. Matt and I haven't grown up knowing the others family so it will be a good exercise and challenge. 

Date Night Idea :: Paint your dream home

Last month one of our date night projects was to each paint our dream home, or rather 'attempt' to paint to paint our dream home!

It was so pleasant sitting out on our veranda in low lighting with a brush in hand and chuckling over our painting skills. It was very therapeutic and, we both ended up with red houses! Always learning something new about each other.

I highly encourage couples to have deliberate time together, time learning about each other. Don't ever stop dating! 

October Date Nights

So here is what we've planned for Mondays date nights for the month of October.

7th Oct - write a letter to each other to open on our first date night in our own home... for whenever that may be!

14th Oct - using watercolour paints, each paint our dream house. 

Its probably more of a female thing but ever since I was young I've had this picture in my head of what my ideal home would look like... and its not a unique design, its very stereotypical actually. Wonder if you can guess what my dream house looks like?

21st Oct - make 'Jason's Rocky Road Trifle' from More Icing Please and watch a black and white movie... any suggestions on which one? Detox will be over and it will be a cheat night so we are going to indulge a little with this yummy trifle.

28th Oct - Mexican theme night - We're not entirely sure on the menu yet?

10 Things About the Man I Married

Behind every happy wife there is a hard working, patient and loving husband! It's no secret that we female creatures can be a puzzle for the men to figure out and, although hubby will probably never quite understand the 'female' ways he is nevertheless doing a great job of hiding it. Hehe.

So I thought I'd write a short post introducing you all to the man I love most.

Here are 10 things about my husband Matt.

1. He's a civil engineer working for a small private consulting firm here in the Northern Territory. He completed  his degree in 2010. Just 1 year after we married.

2. He's not really your 'handy home fix-it' kind of guy, he's more of a 'defrag your computer' man. He's all things tech savvy! He has attention to detail and therefore great at reading manuals and maps. Making the bed however... Nil attention to detail!

3. Matt had to buy new underwear on the day of our wedding because he had fallen that far behind in his washing. It was probably at that moment he was relieved to be taking a wife that day! Hehe.

4. He's a very talented musician. Every girls dream man but, before you think I get serenaded to everyday let me just say eh, it's happened twice. Wedding and 1st anniversary haha. But yes, a musician who plays saxophone, bass, electric and acoustic guitar, drums, percussion and sings. Before Samson's arrival he played timps and percussion for the Darwin symphony orchestra, and he also leads church music. Matt has a great appreciation for music of all different genres.

5. Like most men he enjoys his sports; rugby, cricket and tennis. Over the years he has played a bit of rugby and a lot of indoor cricket. 

6. If you and I were chatting over coffee and you asked if my husband was romantic, I'd probably hum and ha. But I do know for sure that he is undoubtedly in love with his wife [me] and, gives unconditional support and commitment to myself and our family. Oh and he does spoil me with flowers on a very regular basis, so somewhat romantic.

7. He's 25 years old (9 months older than myself) and has a younger brother and sister.

8. He's an amazing father to Rupert and Samson and has always been hands on and in the thick of all things pooey and drooly. It won't be possible for our children to reach adulthood and not know how blessed they were to have such a great father.

9. My husband is a Star Trek fan. Nothing more to say here. Oh wait, they call these fans trekkies, yep he's a trekky!

10. Matt's father is Chinese and his mother is Scottish English. In other words he's a hairy Asian!

Date Night Project :: Charcoal Sketching

On our most recent date night on Monday just gone, we made homemade pizzas together and we also  sketched/drew head portraits of each other with charcoal. 

The pizza was delicious as always and, thanks to a fellow blogger we were let in on the the secret to making a professional pizza! It worked a treat. Can't believe I never realized how it was done?!

Upon finishing our yummy pizzas, in a candlelit setting on the balcony, we then pulled out the sketch pad and charcoal sticks. We probably spent about a half hour sketching each other before revealing our finished artwork to the other person... we had a good chuckle! Neither of our drawings looked like our subject but it was a lot of fun. I have displayed our portraits in a couple of square frames.

The picture in the middle was a little creation of mine. Created by 'smacking' a bunch of kisses onto some sketch paper (possibly a little odd)! I plan to hang all 3 frames horizontally above our bed. This was a great date night project... give it ago!

 

September Date Nights

Its been over a month since we introduced date nights, and it's been really great to have that one night of the week set aside just for each others company.

We didn't have date night last Monday because we had family visiting from interstate but here is a whats on for the next 4 weeks.

2nd sept - no date night, family visiting.

9th sept - poker night *wink wink

16th sept - We're going to make pizza together and then draw portraits of each other (good luck to me, I  can't even draw scribble).

23rd sept - A 'French' theme night. We going to cook a French dinner and watch Amelie, a french movie.

30th sept - Cheese and wine on the balcony. Discuss date night ideas for the next month.

Date Night Planning

In a recent post last week I wrote about the new found importance of dating my husband continuously for our entire married lives. 
We've decided to have weekly date nights to help us be more deliberate about spending quality time together. Quality time that doesn't consist of constant facebook checking, email and blog writing, instagram posting, news reading and or TV watching! There's something very refreshing about spending time together where our minds aren't constantly buzzing with media 'noise'.  Oh, and without the noise of precious little ones. 

We've chosen Monday nights to be our date night. It's often the day I don't take the boys out for any activities; it’s our home day after coming off of a busy weekend. It’s also the day Matt takes the car to work which means no drop off and pick up for me. I can spend the afternoon preparing a nice meal for Matt and I and make sure Rupert has dinner that bit early so that Matt and I can eat alone. 

It’s really quite simple having a date night. Babies fed and in bed. TV turned off. Phones and ipads out of reach. Nice dinner prepared. And an activity if we so wish. 

Although nice, date nights don't have to be an expensive fine dining experience or a movie on the big screen. It can be done in the comfort of your own home. 

Last week we had a baked dinner with a glass of wine and played a few games of chess. Monday night just gone we again had a nice dinner with wine and did a puzzle together. We didn't get to finish the puzzle - its 1000 pieces! 

Here is what we've got planned for our date nights in the month of August. It's simple and achievable.

5th - 1000 pc Puzzle

12th - Make sushi together. Something neither of us have done.

19th - Watch a movie "Star Trek Into Darkness" (see what a good wife I am :-P)
26th - Zumba workout

Fall in Love Again and Again...

One baby is okay, very manageable but 2 babies well that's a juggle. You are feeding one baby and hubby is wrangling the other baby who seems to have more energy than would be considered normal! You no longer hold hands with your sweetheart because someone is pushing the pram, holding the newborn or walking the child with ants in his pants.

When hubby gets home from work, it’s a passing kiss, quick hug and a sneaky pinch on the bum. It’s back to the stove where you've been cooking that Ossobuco for 3 hours, but surely it’s got to be done already!  You try to speed the process up cos it’s got to be on that Bunnykins plate asap and then has to be put in the freezer for a 1 min to cool. There are tiny fingers waiting anxiously for his dinner and it doesn't matter how many times you say the word "patience", he just aint getting it. So, out of the freezer and onto the table, we try and say grace as a family but we must keep one eye open for the little Bunnykins fork that is nearly poking us in the eye. Seriously, how do you teach a 16 month old patience! We chow down dinner and by now it’s nearing 6:30pm and that's a good thing. Rupert takes a book from the shelf and hops onto daddy's knee for his bedtime story in the bedroom. Daddy reads him the same book he chose the night before, and the night before that and… the night before that! But that's okay, daddy doesn't even need to read, he knows this book off by heart. Into bed, lights out and we're one down one more to go! A quick tidy up in the play room oops sorry no, that's actually our lounge and dinning but only takes a few minutes and we can see that.

Life is certainly fuller with children, it’s challenging, rewarding, tiring, fascinating and exciting and, whilst you may miss the good old days before babies, you never seem to regret having them.

The stats say that the divorce rate in mature age couples is rising. Parents have invested so much love and time into their children (not a bad thing) that once they're no longer living at home they discover their marriage to be somewhat estranged. Life has been so full and busy with raising children that they forgot to continue growing their relationship and friendship.

Matt and I haven't even been parents for 2 years and we already understand these stats. We have a good loving and committed relationship but we don't 'date' anymore. Holding the title of husband and wife and mother and father, we seem to think we're qualified for eternal love and happiness. Not so.

I believe in falling in love with just 'one' person but I also believe you need to fall in love with that person many times over.

 I fell head over heels for Matt when we were dating and it’s for that reason I wanted to know more about him. It’s called dating. But why is it that after marriage we no longer see the need to date and continue to get to know each other? After all we're still individuals and we are still growing and changing.

I am a wife before I'm a mother! My husband comes before my children and when my relationship with Matt is being nurtured and growing strong it allows us to be good parents. We can then be good examples of love and commitment to our sons.

When Matt and I were dating I asked him what his favourite food was, his answer was "donuts". A few years passed and I asked him again, the answer was still "donuts"! But then I asked him just a few days ago and his answer was no longer the same, his favourite food had changed. My husband’s favourite food was now "hot chips"(of all things)! If I had not asked I would have assumed donuts to be his favourite for many more years to come.

 I want to know my husband both through his unchanging habits and through his changing likes.

So, we've decided to date again! We're introducing date nights. A concept not unfamiliar to many of you but for us it is new. With the birth of Rupert we didn't seem to feel the need but when Samson came along we began to feel the stretch of marriage, it subtly becomes all about bedtime stories, dirty nappies, baby babel and milestones. But when there are no more dirty nappies and you no longer have little children to read bedtime stories to, what will we do with ourselves? We must start now. We must engage in each other’s interests together. We must continuously date and fall in love so that when we are old we can show that we weren't just committed by law but that we have always loved as husband and wife should.

We shall never fall out of love but we will constantly try to fall in love again and again.

As it’s a new month I have started to write up a date night planner.  We have chosen Monday nights to be our “date night” and as we intend to have our date nights at home because it is logistically and financially easier, we are having to be a little creative. But this is for another post. Stay tuned.

on one of our dates back in 2007 just weeks after the Darwin Show ordeal.

Trips to the Show

Yesterday we took a family outing to the Royal Darwin Show. It was my third time going to the small country like show and it always brings back some funny memories. 

My first visit to the show was also my first date with Matt but I'll come back to that story in a bit. The second time we went to the show was the year I was pregnant with Rupert. I can recall Matt and I talking about how much more exciting it would be when we could bring our kids to the show. The dirty pens with ugly farm animals, the ginormous pumpkins, and the cheap worthless show bags would suddenly spark amazement in a small child's eyes. Well, two babies later we made our third trip to the show as parents but, before I tell you about how yesterday went let’s rewind back six years to 2007, my first visit to the Darwin Show.

In February 2007 I moved to Darwin and shortly afterwards met Matt through church and Uni events. We became friends. By about June/July our 'friendship' started to spark and before I knew it Matt was driving me to the Royal Darwin Show. 

I was feeling pretty good about this 'outing' to the show together and I made sure I was looking my best. I wore my long flowing hair out and had even purchased a new white top to wear. Little did I know about how much of a dust bowl this Darwin Show was, I was to soon find out it didn't even compare to the Sydney Royal Easter Show!

Back then I liked rides so, we bought some drinks and the adventure began. No food and one bottle of coke down we took to our third ride known as the 'Hurricane'. Big mistake! 

My mobile phone flew out of my bag, hitting Matt's head on its way to Timbuktu. I then began to feel very dizzy and light headed that I was soon leaning on Matt and could not compose myself. Matt was probably feeling a little bewildered by my sudden affection that had him squished to the side of the cart. Affection was not the intention, I felt as though I was dying and eventually I couldn't hold it in any longer. I vomited. And much vomit I vomited. As the Hurricane is still spinning in full motion my failed attempt to vomit over the outside of the cart resulted in the vomit flying back smack into my face, through my lovely long hair (that I wore out), onto my nice new white top, down my jeans and only just missing the people in the cart behind us! A lost phone, vomit all over me and barely able to walk, this was not going well. We headed for the toilets to get cleaned up but it got worse, we bumped into some friends of Matt's and with a face plastered in vomit I was introduced to them as his friend. Not cool and I've never been on another ride since!

Anyway we dated, became engaged and are now married; it didn't turn out too badly in the end. 

So, back to yesterdays visit to the show. It wasn't quite as great as I expected it to be, it seemed that Rupert was still just that bit too young to appreciate the animals and performances. He was fascinated at times and he did get to pat a baby chicken but was otherwise mostly restless and unhappy being stuck in the stroller. And when we had him out of the stroller he wanted to run among the crowds. It was was nice to be out on a family outing nonetheless and, we did get to enter some worthwhile competitions... fingers crossed!

Till next time... J x

Ken, Baby Born and Space Lego

To be a wife, mother, and the keeper of a home, it's the desire of most little girls hearts. 

I had many female Barbies but I only acquired one Ken doll because you only needed one prince charming to sweep you off your feet. As I nursed my baby Born as a child I always knew that someday I'd be a mother for real. And when I played with Lego I only ever built houses with four walls, a kitchen and three bedrooms, even if it was space Lego. 

As we get older the reality of life becomes apparent, and you soon realise that your childhood dreams and assumptions no longer appear in your toy box, nor can they be assumed. Finding the real life Ken is like a needle in a haystack, you can no longer buy him from the toy isle. And Santa won't just give me a Baby Born for Christmas. The real life Baby Born is nothing short of a gifted miracle! And well, the Lego home is a seemingly unattainable 30 years of debt but only after 5-10 years of saving.

I'm so blessed to have married my incredible prince charming at the young age of twenty. And even more blessed to have given birth to Rupert our miracle baby at just twenty two. And the house, well we're still working on that one. It seems to me that the more God blesses me with the more I want. 
I look back at our wedding and think how proud we were to have had a beautiful wedding on a budget. And that we were so content to have less in order to be married young, not be in debt of a one day celebration and to not have drained our savings (We were also very thankful that our parents contributed to our wedding).

As newlyweds we moved into the bottom floor of an elevated home (I had already been boarding here for some time). It was one big room which had no kitchen and the combined toilet and shower was also the laundry for the whole house but, it did have a small fridge and a microwave. We were again so content to live there and pay only $50 a week, if it meant we could be together with just my wage supporting us while Matty completed his degree.

Blessed yet again when friends put in a good word for us to be able to rent the cosy 2 bedda which we're still living in over 2 years later.  And I am still so grateful for the lovely unit we live in but, I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say I sometimes become discontent. The more God gives, the more I want from him! The absent backyard, the bathless shower/ toilet/ laundry room, the lack of a third bedroom for baby #2... all things that bring my discontent to light.

It was Thursday morning when I wandered through Bunnings for practically no reason other than to walk the rows of pretty flowers, punnets of hopeful veggies, get a glimpse at the oven of my dreams, and to spy at the glorious crystal chandeliers. It's nice to have goals and dreams to work towards, so long as it doesn't consume us so much so that we become covetous and, forget where we should really be storing treasures, and that my friend is in heaven! 

The afternoon came and I somehow got talking with our neighbours on the floor above (neighbours we weren't very acquainted with). They have two young daughters so I mentioned that they were an inspiration to us ('encouragement' would have been a more suited word), showing that it was indeed possible to have a family in a small 2 bedroom unit. Stuart than went on to say that he was Christian and that it can be hard but, he believes God is teaching him CONTENTMENT! What a breath of fresh air! Just to hear someone else with a common struggle, and even though his daughters would LOVE a house with a yard for a dog, he believes its God shaping him. Right there and then I felt ashamed for being so selfish but it was such a revelation that I too am being shaped by God and, I am learning the art of contentment. I am beyond blessed!

Journey to Super Woman

It wasn't until I had Rupert that I realised that women are amazing people. God created us so that we would become a kind of heroine.

Motherhood may not be everyones cup of tea but nevertheless if it is, you can rest assure that you were created to do the job well. God designed our bodies to bear the pains of childbirth and all post natal trauma. He gives women an inconceivable love for their children so that when challenges arise the mountain doesn't seem impossible to climb. And when it does, somehow we get over it! God gives us just enough strength to get through each day with a little extra to help you out of bed the next morning.

A homemaking career encompasses many a job. We become a nurse when we affix a bandaid to our child's knee and a teacher when we show them how to tie their shoes. We're head chef and waiter all in one when it comes to serving a hearty meal. We are receptionist in our own home, making sure bills are paid, events are rsvp'd and birthdays are remembered. We are cleaners (when we can) and we are our children's taxi service. And importantly we are our husbands support person, his sweet heart and his lover! We are the tenacious mum, loving mummy, courageous mother and adoring wife.

I don't see myself as super mum yet but I am aspiring to be [by Gods grace and help]. Becoming a mother has opened my eyes to the super woman that my mum is and that every other mother is! And I take my hat off to the women who also juggle work outside the home along with their homemaking, that is hard work on it's own. So, if your not a mother as yet, don't think I don't know that your becoming a super woman in your own right. But I write this post specifically for the mums, me being knew to it an all.

As wives and mothers we learn humility, making sure everything we do for our families is of the heart. In the workforce when budgets and targets are met you are recognised with a financial reward. You make sure that you do your job well so that when an opportunity for a higher position arises, you can be the first to deserve it. Overtime is worked so that you earn more money and if its a professional job, you dress to impress, to appear confident and competent. Now, although we may put in time and effort to prepare dinner every night, the most recognition we may get is "thanks for dinner mum/dear". We just learnt humility. There is no extra dollars for cooking a 4 hour roast instead of a toastie. Theres no embossed bachelor certificate to say your certified to cook amazing dinners! You may get promoted by your family to cook that roast again, because it tasted so great but otherwise, you do it because you love your family. And you need to eat hehe. You get what I mean!

The screaming, the puking, the dirty nappies and ton of washing... not things we always love and are happy to attend to but we are the perfect woman for the job. We (dads included ) are our children's greatest need. We are a kind of heroine to them.

Our 1st Year Anniversary

The 21st November, last Sunday Matty and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary.

Escaping Darwin for the weekend was how I pictured it however, it was to be BAU and no flights were to be booked. We were staying in Darwin for a concert that Matty was performing in with the DSO (Darwin Symphony Orchestra).

So Sunday morning my husband brought me pancakes in bed and an origami paper rose that he crafted himself. Paper is the first anniversary gift for anyone who wasn't aware. And then... Standing in the doorway stood Matty wearing a guitar!!! So for those that have seen the movie "Valentines Day", it's a scene you may be able to recall. Hehe umm don't think too hard on that one. He sings "I love you baby and if quite alright I need you baby..."

Moving on now...

We had fish n chips by the beach for lunch followed by a lazy afternoon at home.

Then 5pm came and I was told to get ready, and to make sure I wore something nice. So in the car we drove, destination unknown. Matty parked the car at Lee Point where I could spot his parents decorating a little table overlooking the water. We were somewhat early or maybe they were late? But his parents did leave as they saw us approaching. Oh it was so cute! Lois had made chocolate dipped strawberries which were so yummy! The setting was just beautiful. It was there that Matty slipped an eternity ring on my finger, my bridal set now complete.

Finally, the evening ended after having dinner at "Pee Wees" restaurant.

It was a fabulous 1st anniversary and we look forward to many more. I love you Matty!

A Table for Two... compliments of the in-laws.

Yummy choc coated strawberries.

6 Months Later

So here I am again... with much shorter and darker hair... and a little slack I have been in keeping an up to date blog. So I'll give you all a little summary of the last six months as Mrs Fong, and also of the wonderful Mr Fong.

Lets start in the kitchen. As a seamstress and not a cook, things in my kitchen are not all it should be. Flopping Pavlovas, smoked apricot chicken, broken glass, frozen pies and slimy lettuce often get the better of me. It was better being single and eating rice and toast every night, being married means I have to feed a husband. My menu lists of apricot chicken, spag bol, curried snags, stir fry, and 2min noodles. Oh and of cause Matty's fav... meat pies!

So like my menu I don't really have anything exciting to write about being in the kitchen however, my spotty retro apron does brighten up my cooking experiences.

Married life is FANTASTIC and so much FUN. Matty is a wonderful friend and husband (even though his folding is a little off centre ) and we've had the best of times discovering each others weird and wonderful habits! I'm told I leave too many drinking glasses lying around and that I too often want my feet rubbed. But I can't work out why Matty has to store his daily vitamins behind the kitchen tap? And I don't like it when chairs aren't pushed in and he dislikes having old, off and mouldy food in the fridge. But we do love waking up together every morning.

In May just gone we experienced our first time apart since being married. I spent 4 days in Fiji on a work conference and 4 days was long enough.

Fiji is a lovely place with not much to see besides the beach however, its people are what make it such a friendly place to visit. Everyone is very relaxed and work on what they like to call "Fiji time" and to be honest, I'm not sure its time at all! The food is very bland and consists of manly boiled chicken. With another stamp in the passport my visit to Fiji was a pleasant one. 

Finally, June brought us to our mid year holiday together in Singapore. My eldest brother Jacob and his lovely wife Shirley live in Singapore and I suppose that would explain why it is my most visited overseas country. For the week we were there we visited museums, traditional markets, its huge shopping centres and the newly built Universal Studios. The highlight of the trip as always would be its abundance of local foods from its many different cultures. Our mid year holiday scores an 8/10.

...Married life so far.

Embracing Married Life

So, this is my first post... and I'm going to start with telling you about my new life as a wife and proud mother of a black cat!

Two and a half years ago I became a committed girlfriend. 14 months later I became a diamond wearing fiance`. And just 3 months ago I became the privileged wife of Matthew Fong and my name has never been easier to write!

Matty and I married on 21st November '09 and it was the most WONDERFUL day of my life! Although being a wet season wedding, we were blessed to not get washed away by any monsoonal rains. However the weather was still very humid and hot which did have an affect on my make-up! Matty, his Best man Stuart (his brother) and groomsman Luke were like peanuts roasting in an oven of a 3 piece suit, what were they thinking? On the other hand I was very pleased to have my maid of honor Cat and bridesmaid Kathleen (Matty's sister)wear cute strapless, knee length dresses. I'm proud to say that I made the girls dresses as well as my own white strapless gown. My dear mother was a great help in finishing off the hand stitching that by the last few days, I did not want to do!

Cat is my best friend and she was an amazing maid of honor (MOH). Most MOH's are that particular friend that you allocate a ton of jobs to however, I was a very... hmmm whats the word? I was an independent bride-to-be and I preferred to do everything myself. I made the invites, the dresses, the table centers and the name cards. I picked the flowers, chose the colours... and drove my MOH crazy with no delegated jobs! I did little delegating but unknown to cat she was my emotional strength throughout the entire lead up to the event. I didn't need a maid of honor to run my errands, I needed my maid of honor to be my friend... and that is exactly what Cat is.

Oh, and by the way... Cat organised the most AWESOME hens party ever!!! And despite the turn out, wearing hot pink zebra stockings and a tutu could not have been as epic if it weren't spent with Kathleen, Anna and Cat! RIP Jessica's Hens Party!

Now your all prob wondering about the giant UFO on my head in the pictures... don't ask cos I LOVE my bridal UFO! I have so much to write about when it comes to my wedding but for now I'm going to sign off here... Night all.