"As Brothers we will stand, and we'll hold your hand"

Today I woke up next to my partner, safe in our house. I knew that my family and friends did the same.



I had a hot shower, ate fresh food and drank water without having to boil it, or thinking twice about how much I could drink.



Many people in Christchurch did not. How could this happen again to an already broken city? How could another earthquake strike with so much more destruction. It just is not fair.



I feel guilty. I feel guilty for feeling safe and comfortable when I know that so many are not. I feel guilty for knowing where and how my loved ones are. I cannot imagine the horror of waiting at the door for a loved one who has yet to return home. Waiting for a loved one that may never return home.



I can't imagine the panic people must feel in Christchurch. As I watched the television yesterday as the news broke I saw raw footage of people running for their lives. I heard parents say to the media "I can't talk I have to get to my children". I can't imagine how that must feel. I get a lump in my throat and a churning in my stomach to even begin to attempt to understand how it feels to be apart from your children in such a disaster.



Today as the people of Christchurch fight for their city, their homes and their people, we watch and wonder what we can do to help.



We can support them. We can stand by them. We can pray. We can donate.



We can make sure that the people who are trained to offer the best help have all the resources they need. This may be food and water, medical supplies and blood or trauma and grief counselling. We can make sure that the people of Christchurch are not alone in this.



I hope with all that I have that the rescuers have the strength to bring people home to their families.

May God be with those who have lost someone. 

I pray that peace be with those on their journey to heaven.   





How you can help



You can donate to victims of the earthquake at:

Online at www.salvationarmy.org.nz

Online at www.redcross.org.nz/donations

Any ANZ Bank: Account number 01-1839-0188939-00.


Any National Bank: Account number 06-0869-0548507-00.

"Dear John"

Dear John, 

Which version of you are you trying to be? The version that's too cool to care?

Get a better stylist.

Kind Regards, 

Nicole

Mayer crush...

..Officially. Over.

P.S Still in love with the music. Just not digging this Depp-wannabe style fail.

P.P.S Is John Mayer purposely making himself look mingin' to use as an excuse for women not wanting to sleep with him?

"Birthday passed"

I have not yet had time to share what awesome Birthday Presents I received this year. I was totally not expecting this amount of presents.I am lucky. Anyway I thought I'd share them with you, as they are key to pretty much anything and everything I will be doing in the coming weeks (post exams).

Here's the run down, roughly from left to right:

Breville Food Processor


Patrón Silver, Añejo and Reposado Tequila

Rainbow Stemmed Dessert glasses and flutes

A 4gb micro SD card and SD carrier

OPI nail polishes in 'Rising Star', 'Greenwich Village', 'Affair in Red Square' and 'Glow up already!'

A 1TB external Hard Drive

Lavender Coloured pearls

Money!

A cupcake shaped oven timer

A Breville Kitchen Wizz

'500 Cakes' Compendium

Silver Double Photo Frame

A Sewing Machine!

A polka dot swimming/gym bag

A new pair of suede black peep toe heels.





Stay tuned to see what I did with that money and what I'm going to do with all of this!

"If it makes you happy"

I am super busy again with Exams. Thus the reason for the lack of posts. Fear not, my exams will be over in a matter of days, and I will be granted a few weeks off. This means more posts to come, and lots and lots of cool things to share. Here are a few things that made me happy in an otherwise pretty average week:

• Nail polish. It's glittery! It’s called ‘Glow Up all Ready’ by OPI. Every time I look at my
  nails I feel like a rebel.
  

• This song. If you didn't catch the link on my last post, here is the video clip. I'm in Love with this song.














• Worky Perky’s.  My
  boss had a smattering of furniture that had to be written off due to some
  damage caused by some shonky carrier habits. She asked the team if we wanted to buy any of them
  cheap. Ding, ding, ding! I got a desk for ten dollars because it has a (barely)
  scuffed corner. Also we were selling all Faber-Castell coloured pencils for $8
  or less over the weekend! Hello 48 pack. Hello savings of $29.











• The return of Modern Family. The second season is airing on
  TV3. I am stoked. I find it just so funny. Have you guys seen it?















• Fair day fun. I had to make a quick trip to my home town of
  Martinborough on Saturday.  I had to get
  my Dad to sign some StudyLink paper work. The Rotary Martinborough Fair was
  conveeeeniently also on that day. Finally a real fair. I got some beautiful handmade soaps and a cupcake
  fridge magnet, which I am going to try and replicate (and maybe launch giveaway
  with). It was 31 degrees, we had hot dogs for
  breakfast, and we ate snow cones and brought coconut ice and toffee apples. Oh well. If it makes you happy...it can't be that bad. Right? Just as well I can't make it to the March fair.



What are some things that made you smile this week?

"I heard your heart sing love love love"

Anniversary (self-) portrait fail. 

Five years. I can't believe it has been that long. It feels like only yesterday we were seventeen and falling in love. We could not have predicted then, how strong our bond would be and that we would make it this far. But I am so glad that we did. 

I had always dreamed of falling in love. Real love. The type of love that (little girls') dreams are made of. 

I always thought that I would eventually find it. 

But what I didn't know is that when I fell in love with you, that I would find So. Much. More. than I ever imagined possible.

Thank-you for this awesome journey so far. I am so looking forward to an amazing life with you, and figuring out where our next adventure waits.

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return"

Well it's been a while. I have been so busy with uni and work and lots of things in my personal life too.

I thought I'd finally share some bits and pieces from my Birthday BBQ last month.



What an amazing day. I had my family over to our place. Everyone brought a plate, and our collective haul was delicious. Everyone talked and laughed and ate - lots.  In fact I had such a good time I hardly took any photo's.



Some high points:



Where my six year old cousin Tino educated my Mum and Brad on what makes jelly wobble. Mum asked him how he learnt that it was the gelatine. He said "I googled it - duh".



Seeing my cousin Jhansi play with and look after my god-daughter Aaliah.



Having Kelsey be so full and tired that she fell asleep on the couch



Watching Aaliah go and sit on peoples laps as they ate, in the hope that they would feed her party food.



Jolly Drinks. Oh yeah.





Knowing that my Dad's family shared all of my childhood/teenage embarrassing stories with Brad's family.There is no running from the humiliation now.



It felt so incredible and surreal to have all my different fragments of family together. It really made me truly understand who my family is. My family is my Sister. Family is my Dad and his Brothers and Sisters and their children. It is my Mum and her Husband, and his parents. It is Brad. It is Brads family - they are my family too. My family is my friends.



At one point I stopped what I was doing and looked around. I really felt all the love that was in the room. I looked at the groups of people deep in conversation about fishing. I looked at the group outside playing cricket. I looked at Aaliah playing peek-a-boo from behind a tree with my cousin.

I felt really loved.

I felt really lucky.

In that moment I knew that I had been given the best Birthday Gift I could ask for, a patch-work Family that love me. And I know now that I have that three hundred and sixty five days a year - not just on my Birthday.

 

cheers to the beautiful Hannie for this photo. Check out here website here.