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!

A Very Quick Update

Now let me bring you all up to date from my last post made in November. In a very simple and straight to the point format:

• Dec - xmas spent in Darwin
• Jan - Not a whole lot
• Feb - Bridesmaid to close friend cat
• Mar - I turned 22 and flew to melb whilst Matty was on a business trip for 3 weeks
• April - 2 week holiday in Adelaide for cousin Emily's wedding
• May - We attended Matty's Graduation Ceremony
• June - Matty turned 23 and I won a 40" TV
• July - we bought a bold red lounge!

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.