My Bucket List (1-5)

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As I'm sure you all already know, a bucket list is a list of things you would like to do or achieve before you die, or "kick the bucket". As I get older I am becoming more and more aware of what others around me have achieved that I haven't. I know this is not a positive way to look at the world and that you can go crazy with this kind of thinking. I have recently realised that I am the kind of person that is very good at organising and achieving things provided I know exactly what I want the outcome to be and I know precisely how to achieve it. I figure making my list of things to do is a good place to start.

Here goes, in no particular order, my bucket list - Part 1:

1. I would love to TRAVEL TO HAWAII

Haleakala volcano at sunrise
Image courtesy of Suzan on Flickr

I have been watching the Sunrise show every morning lately. This week they have been filming on location from Hawaii and the place looks SPECTACULAR!! The beaches are absolutely gorgeous, the people seem so friendly, the sun looks so inviting and the resorts appear to be amazing!

This morning Fifi Box went to see one of the erupting volcanoes over the water at sunrise and it was about the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

2. I would love to SEE AN ORCA IN THE WILD
*UPDATE* I have booked in to a whale watching tour in Eden in January, so fingers crossed we'll see some!

Wild orca
Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Much like every person my age that grew up with Free Willy, I am obsessed with killer whales!

Growing up, and even now, I have been lucky enough to have access to an onsite caravan in Eden on the Sapphire Coast. Eden is famous for whale watching and even has the Killer Whale Museum which I have visited on countless occasions. I was also incredibly spoiled when I was 14 years old and my Dad took my brother, my sister and I to the USA where we went to the Shamu Show at San Diego Sea World!*

Despite all of this I have never seen an orca in the wild. On many occasions I have been so fortunate to have seen wild dolphins, which is obviously fabulous and mesmerising but I would so dearly love to see an orca!

*For those of you that don't know, Shamu is one of the the world famous orcas that appeared in the Free Willy movies, you remember, the one with the fin bent over?

3. I would love to BECOME A BETTER BLOGGER

How to become a famous blogger
Image courtesy of WordPlayBlog

Some bloggers, like Gala Darling for example, have an innate ability to suck you into whatever they are talking about and make you insanely jealous about everything they are doing. I want to be one of those people! I love writing and sharing daily life experiences so being a great blogger is right up there on things I would really love to do.

I have started more than a dozen blogs over the past three or four years, each with varying degrees of success. I would now like to start one that I actually stick to and am proud of. So far this one is going OK. I've only had it for a week and have had over a dozen hits from different users over the world. Not a massive feat, mind you, but it's a starting point and it makes me happy :-)

 To achieve this goal I am thinking I need to get more of my friends and family involved. At the moment none of them know about my secret desire to be a blogger and with their support I'm sure I could be bigger and better!

Also a few blogging classes to improve my, what is currently very poor, writing technique couldn't hurt!

4. I would love to GO SCUBA DIVING OFF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

Sea turtle on the Great Barrier Reef
Image courtesy of Talisman Coins

Could anything be more amazing? This was always going to be on my to do list, but after watching Finding Nemo it has moved a lot closer to the top! How gorgeous is the pic above of the sea turtle? The colours are absolutely remarkable.
As soon as my little baby has arrived and things settle down I am definitely booking a trip! The diving packages in Cairns start from around $650 per person, twin share, so it'd be relatively expensive for me and the Mister to go but I think it would be well worth it. I think I'll be booking through Diving Cairns coz the packages appear to be the best value for money so far.

5. I would love to HAVE AN AMAZING WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER WHEN I GET MARRIED

Wedding photos at National Museum of Australia
Photo courtesy of Esh Photography

One of my friends was a bridesmaid in a wedding earlier this year. After seeing photos of her and the bride at the wedding I nearly cried. This was before I was pregnant and was at my normal, emotional-range-of-a-brick self. The pictures were just so perfect and she looked so gorgeous I was truly jealous. That's when it hit me just important a fantastic wedding photographer would be. Everything else from your wedding will eventually become a more and more faded memory, but photos last forever and, preferably, this would be my only wedding!
The thought of marriage is the last thing on my mind at the moment. This is quite odd as I am 9 weeks pregnant I should probably be thinking about settling down. However, preservation is high on my mind at the moment!
Anyhoo, after hours of searching through wedding photographers websites (all the while my boyfriend looking every more worried and confused with each passing minute) I've decided that Esh Photography is the best. However I have no idea how much they cost so they could very well not be particularly good value for money. I guess we shall find out when the time comes!

Okie dokie artichokie, time for me to do some house work, so the rest of my bucket list is
TO BE CONTINUED....

Things I Love Thursday

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Things I Love Thursday is a fabulous idea from one of my favourite bloggers Gala Darling, who most unfortunately doesn't appear to have updated her TiLT for today! Basically it involves creating a list of things you are currently grateful for every Thursday.

• Arnott's Shapes - At the moment the cheese & bacon and pizza flavours are about the only food, bar very, very cold fruit that I am able to keep down!
• The sun! Oh how I love, love, lurrrrrrrrrve summer :-) I walked to the local shops today in thongs, shorts and a singlet. Pure bliss!!! My maternity bra was hanging out for all to see but I was so happy I didn't even care.
• Coconut, my new stuffed monkey. I especially love when my boyfriend and I argue over who gets to snuggle him and I win!
• The fact that my beautiful boyfriend watched the movie "Elizabeth" with me an enjoyed it. Ahh I never thought I'd find a man that I could watch the entire contents of my DVD collection with without complaint.



Elizabeth - The Golden Age
Image courtesy of The Movie Mistress

• Again, the internet - the best thing EVER when it comes to those hard to find Christmas presents! My wallet hates me for it but I reckon the credit card company might be a bit in love with me after my spending this week.
• The fact that I have a little mouth and tight jaw - OK, I know this is an odd thing to be grateful for but yesterday with all my stupid pregnancy hormones I picked up my razor and put toothpaste on it. I was trying to shove it in my mouth to brush my teeth. It was a bloody good thing that my jaw is so tight and the razor was too big for my mouth or things could've ended up ugly!
• The news in the mornings - it's so wonderful to be able to hear about world events as they happen. I have to mention the poor miner's families from NZ who were told late last night that there is no hope that their family members trapped in the mine had survived. My heart goes out to all of them. I can't even imagine what they are going through.

Grieving Pike River Coal Mine families.
Photo courtesy of Gulf News

• The fact that my Mum is a big sucker and offered to keep one of my cat's kittens because she felt sorry for my cat having to lose all of her babies. Hurrah! Now I have a gorgeous little kitty to play with whenever I want.

What are you grateful for this week?

Still pregnant and still in love.

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All You Need Is Love
Photo courtesy of Four Symbols

WARNING: MUSH ALERT!

I love my boyfriend with all my heart, I really do. We've only "officially" been dating for four months and I was even engaged to someone else earlier this year but I just KNOW he is the one.

Today I was reading all of these horror stories about pregnant women who had boyfriends/husbands that would do the most terrible things to them during their pregnancy. Things like pinching nipples (OMFG I couldn't even fathom how much this would hurt, just taking my bra off near brings me to tears they ache so much!) to even worse things like slipping fingers into bum holes whenever they could manage it... seriously, bum holes! I couldn't believe it.

My fabulous boyfriend, very thankfully, is quite the opposite. Since I found out I was pregnant and got very sick he has taken care of everything. He goes shopping for me every day, he prepares all of food and cuts it into bite sized pieces, he cleans up, he washes up and he even does the washing and ironing. He is utterly perfect. The only downside is I sometimes struggle not to take advantage of his beautiful nature and have to constantly keep my self in check.

Did I also happen to mention my boyfriend is gorgeous? OK, now I sound like a love sick puppy but he is an amazing guy. I've known his for years, we live together and work together and still at the end of every day when we get in the car together I get butterflies and can't help but smile my biggest most cheesy smile at him.

Ahhh it's so nice being head over heels in love....

I want to be a princess!

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So the world is all super excited about the upcoming nuptuals of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Well I guess I am happy for them. Though I must admit, apart from the fact that this means there is one less chance of me becoming a princess, I find the whole thing kinda boring. I can't really understand why people are so interested...

Newly engaged Kate Middleton and Prince William. Inset: Princess Diana's engagement ring which William gave to Kate.
Photo courtesy of Google Images.

Things I Love Thursday

Check out my fabulous new blog! www.missfabulousjess.com

Things I Love Thursday is a fabulous idea from one of my favourite bloggers Gala Darling. Basically it involves creating a list of things you are currently grateful for every Thursday.
I thought this Thursday I'd give it a whirl. Here we go!

• Chewable vitamin C tablets, for the yummy orange flavour if for nothing else.
• My boyfriends warm body snuggling up against me when I'm freezing cold and shaking after a midnight spew fest.
• The OC re runs - oh how I want Marissa's formal dress!!



The OC - Marissa Cooper's Prom Dress
Photo courtesy of Gossip Girl Style XOXO


• Hawaiian pizza pockets
• Having the internet
• My comfy bed and six pillows all to myself today!
• This story about thankfulness is a-ma-zing.
• GLEE!!! The Rocky Horror episode was fantastic!
• Mangos :) 'nuff said.
• Internet stalking people on fabulous facebook and reading strangers blogs.
• These band aids are sooo cool, I really want some but including postage from US they'd cost me about $20... so maybe I'll put them on my wishlist.
• Everything! I lead a charmed life :)

Pregnancy

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This blog post explains EXACTLY how I feel about my pregnancy

Pregnant and HATING it

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So as of today I am (according to my ultrasound) 7 weeks, 6 days pregnant. So far, I'm not going to lie, pregnancy SUCKS ASS!!!
I have spent every day of the last 3 weeks trying not to vomit with varying degrees of success.
Even on those very rare occassions when I am not feeling sick I am so damn uncomfortable I could cry!

All of those Mum's out there who are saying "pregnancy is a miracle, you should appreciate every moment", well, you can bite me.

The most frustrating part is there is nothing I can do but wait it out, vomit and sleep as much as possible. It is making having a full time job very hard but luckily my boss is very supportive and just wants me to be well.

The other day I went to the doctor who diagnosed me some morning sickness pills. I need to take one tablet 3 times a day. If my sickness still hasn't curbed once they've all been taken, I need to go on a drip for 10 hours a day, which means hospital. There are only 25 pills in the container sooo... 8 days to get better. Here's hoping!!!

My partner is super excited about the pregnancy. Ha! Why wouldn't he be? He isn't the one vomiting 24/7 and feeling like a cranky fat cow!
Though he is lovely and treats me very well and for that I am very grateful. I have no idea how single mum's did it, I'd die without him by my side now.

All I can say is bring on the second trimester....

Jessica's Daily Affirmation

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OK, I realise this video is like SUPER old and Jessica is now about 14, but I lurrrrrrve it.
I watch it every week or so and it always gets me inspired!

Sweet story from Love Gives Me Hope

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This is a cute story from the Love Gives Me Hope tumblr roll.

This summer I went to Guatemala on a mission trip.
My friend lost his shoes in the mud. The next thing he knew, one of the little girls had run away with them.
He chased her down only to find her at the school's well.

She was cleaning them for him. Her charity and love gives me hope.

Guatemalan child
Courtesy of Google Images.