Have just had the best few days away exploring Wellington and celebrating 25 years married with my fav guy!
Loved the fact that we dined oncrab to celebrate, just like we did 25 years ago on our honeymoon when we went crabbing at midnight (but definitely didn't taste as good as The Crab Shacks!).
Highlights:
🦀 The Crab Shack
🎨 Te Papa & The Wellington Museum
🕺Symon nearly falling into Welly Harbour
👌Getting told we looked like we were early 30's
🎉Free hotel breakfasts
❤️ Getting to hang with my fav guy
Here's to the next 25 years plus! 🎉
There's been a well used phrase going around for the last couple of years, often quoted to parents with young children... especially during those gruelling early years filled with sleepless nights, tears (both the children and the adults), tantrums and the chaos that comes with raising youngsters.
"The days are long but the years are short."
Its one of those phrases that is so full of wisdom, but often holds no value to the sleep deprived parent holding a screaming baby... Until they look back a few years ahead and then it's a phrase worth it's weight in gold.
Tonight I found my youngest sprawled out on our living room couch browsing through the old photograph albums. I joined her and all the memories of those years with little ones came flooding back, the loudness, the tiredness, the adventures, those cute little squishy faces and the fun.
I'm so glad I took so many photos (and actually bothered to print some out), and I'm so glad we tried to embrace the chaos and have a bit of fun despite those years being a lot of hard work!!
The days were so long (and sometimes painfully exhausting) but looking back now, the years truly have flown by.
Three out of our four children are now in their teens, and I can honestly say I am thoroughly enjoying the teenage years. These kids are so funny, gorgeous and have such sweet hearts... But I do miss their little mini toddler versions sometimes. Those little chubby hands and cheeks, the needing to be picked up (although I still do that a lot but with the car rather than my arms 😂) and the excited squeals when mummy or daddy arrive home after being out for a few hours (like we've arrived home from a 3 month trip in Alaska).
So here's to those helpful (or not so helpful) little sayings that people often grace you with when you're up to your elbows in 'real life' - may we remember to embrace the phase or season of life we are in, whether we are young or old, married or single, have children or not... Each season has something little in it that is precious and I don't want to miss these moments for anything.
The days are long, but believe me when I say that the years are truly short.
In less than 2 days we are moving house! The last month has been crazy busy with selling, buying and packing up to move. In amongst it all there have been some lovely moments and so much to be thankful for.
Moments like finding cute letters like this while sorting and packing up our house - a letter (obviously written by Dad) by our oldest son when he was little to his Nana...
Making sure there is time for relaxing and fun during this busy season...
Enjoying the race to get the early morning boxes for packing from our local supermarket...
Not really enjoying packing - but looking forward to it all being over!!
Loved our recent Blogger gathering after our Cupcake Escape! There were lots of laughs, delicious food and an awkward moment with a belly dancer...
Loving catching up with these awesome leadership mentors...
These are so cute - not sure if edible, but love mushrooms and toadstools!
So there are some of our random happenings - see you soon when we are in our new house!!
Prepare yourself for Drake family photo overload...
A slight flush of red still comes to my cheeks as I remember back to that fateful day...
For some strange reason my Mum and I were on a 'get fit with gadgets' phase many many years ago, and being the 'thigh conscious' teen that I was, I was super eager to head down to our local DEKA store to purchase the latest in the home exercise equipment range... the "Thigh Toner". I was totally looking forward to have super slim thighs with this 'totally amazing and simple to use gadget'.
I can't quite remember why (maybe it was my thighs of steel), but for some reason the thigh toner broke and had to be returned to the store soon after it's purchase.
Now for those of you that don't know, I really am a rather shy person... the type of person whose nightmares include standing up in front of large groups of people or opening presents at parties with everyone staring. This is something I am slowly overcoming, but as a teen it was still a rather large issue in my life.
So just imagine me standing in the isle of DEKA with my rather large Thigh Toner box hoping to quickly and discretely return my product, assuming it would take one quick and simple transaction to get a refund and slip out of the store.
To my horror the checkout person was new and they needed assistance to process a refund... so over the loud speaker they called out, "STAFF ASSISTANCE NEEDED IN ISLE 3, I HAVE A LADY WANTING TO RETURN A THIGH TONER AND NEED STAFF ASSISTANCE PLEASE".
Of course I was totally embarrassed - it felt like everyone in the whole shop stopped what they were doing and turned to have a good stare at the young lady returning her THIGH TONER.
Shame.
So the moral to this story?
1. Thigh toners aren't as great as they seem.
2. I'm glad DEKA stores around anymore to remind me of that fateful day.
3. Always pick checkout people who look experienced when returning embarrassing items - like this lady below:
Let's flashback about 6 years ago...
Oh, I do love my boys.