#reverb12: Day 12: My most intense emotion

This year has certainly been a merry-go-round of emotions.

At times I've squealed for it never to stop & looked up in wonder at the way the sunlight plays with the leaves on the trees, trying to focus on a single point in an attempt to hold that moment in time while the world around me kept on spinning.

I squealed for the sheer joy of being a mother

I squealed for my little boy when he walked & talked

I squealed when my wonderful husband became a Doctor

I squealed when my parents visited for B's first birthday

I squealed for my brother when he got the job that would bring him & his family closer to us

And other times I've pleaded for the world to slow down, yelling "Let me off! I feel sick...".

I pleaded for time on my own

I pleaded for my little baby boy not to grow up so fast

I pleaded for my #fabulousnewmanboys to get better

I pleaded for this not to be happening to us again

I pleaded for my life

♥ Dani

#reverb12 Day 11: What was music to my ears?

Two simple words: "I passed!"

 

After four long & often gruelling years, my husband announcing he had passed his final medical exams was like finding water in the desert.

 

And today, it was official...Ladies & Gentleman....my husband, MD.

♥ Dani

#reverb12 Day 9: Your favourite book?

I always freak out a little when someone asks me a question like this...mainly because there are just too many to choose from!

My main loves are literary fiction & good fantasy...how do you compare the two or pick one over the other?

Anyhow, luckily the parameters of this particular exercise narrow it down to books I've read in the last year - very narrow indeed considering having a little bub has been somewhat incompatible with doing anything 'me' related purely for leisure or pleasure.

And the winner is...'Jasper Jones' by Craig Silvey. 

I've got to be honest, the reason I picked up this book was because it had a big gold circle on the front...Indie Book of the Year Award 2009 (yep, a little behind the times) plus I'd heard it had been short-listed for the Miles Franklin. And  it didn't disappoint. A beautifully written, easy to read novel about love, betrayal & small town life...the story was easily recognisable without being predictable & the characters just crawled right up inside my heart & nestled themselves there. Loved it!

Having said that, I'm not quite sure what it is doing on the First Tuesday Book Club's 10 Aussie Books to Read Before You Die. It's a great book, but there are quite a few I'd put in front of it. Don't get me started on Tim Winton...I just don't get it people!

I must say, the book I'm reading now is shaping up to be a promising contender for favourite book of 2012 (although it's looking like stretching well into 2013 at the current rate of consumption). 'The Twelve' is the long-awaited sequel to Justin Cronin's 'The Passage', which I also loved. Delving into the back-stories of the characters Cronin introduced in the first book has been a lovely journey indeed. Speaking of which...off to bed to snuggle up with my book!

Are you reading anything good at the moment?

♥ Dani

#reverb12 Day 8: Your most important relationship?

Can I cheat & have two?

♥ Dani

#reverb12 Day 6: What have I learned?

among other things...'sleeping like a baby' is not what I've always thought it meant!

♥ Dani

#reverb12 Day 5: What was my dream destination?

Having a bub (especially one that has never slept particularly well) has seen the development of some strange &, in hindsight, quite disturbing thoughts this past year such as:

• Oooh..I hope he lets me sleep in 'til 4:30am!
• That top is fine to wear...you can hardly notice the vomit & mashed banana. 
• 45 minutes to wash/hang 2 loads, dust, vacuum & mop the floors, take the rubbish out, do some online banking & check emails? No worries!

And my absolute fave: 

• If only I could go to the toilet....on my own!

♥ Dani

#reverb12 Day 4. How will I celebrate me?

As a working mum, homemaker, wife & self-confessed technophile in the grip of a full-blown craft addiction there's barely a spare minute to be found for a pat on the back or 'Yay, me!' nowadays.

But in consideration of today's prompt & with the season of giving upon us, I've made a conscious decision  to give myself one small gift each day for the 12 days of Christmas - as a way of saying 'Thank you, you're a cool chick, a wonderful wife & Mum & I love hanging out with you!'

(in no particular order)
1. Three hours uninterrupted sewing

2. New nail polish
3. Bub-free trip to Spotlight
4. A piece of cake (guilt-free)!
5. A sleep in
6. No grocery shopping week
7. Something from my Book Depository wishlist
8. A chick flick at the cinema
9. A cleaning lady
10. The time & space for a blog revamp
11. A 'Homeland' Season 2 marathon
12. A bottle of 'Giesen' Sauvignon Blanc

Bring on Christmas! Hmmm...now where to start?

What will you do to celebrate you?

♥ Dani 

#reverb12 Day 3. What I really wish for...

I've been struggling with this prompt...it's not that I'm finding it hard to identify things that I wish for, but I'm trying to steer away from cliches. World peace, an end to hunger, cures for horrible diseases, for the health & safety of my family...yes, all that.

There was a lovely story I read somewhere recently that has been doing the social media circuit...& I guess it too is cliche but it really struck a cord with me. It was about a conversation overheard at an airport where a woman & her mother were saying farewell. As they parted, they said 'I wish you enough'. I love that.

I wish for enough....for the people I love & treasure & for the 6 billion others who I probably would if I knew them. I wish you all enough.

♥ Dani

#reverb12 Day 2. My most significant spend...

This year my most significant spend was a much needed & well deserved tropical holiday full of...

naps...

nostalgia (the beach where we were married)...

kicking & spinning...

nude ball...

swimming...

me time...

babycinos & marshmallows...

playing on the beach...

contemplation...

family time...

BBQ'ing...

chilling out with old friends & new bubbas...

picnics...

& being well-informed about safety matters! ;)

♥ Dani

#reverb12 Day 1. How am I starting?

It feels very odd to be contemplating new beginnings right now...lately my mind has been firmly planted in the either the past or the future as I contemplate the year that was & the path imagined that keeps changing, as it is wont to do.

We have spent this last week holidaying in an old resort town home of ours & it has been a very timely & surreal experience recalling our lives here. This is where we fell in love, where we got married, where we forged some amazing friendships & where many of the dreams for our life together began. Returning here with B to play in the parks we'd previously ignored & meet the bubbas born in our absence has been a magical occasion indeed.

So...how am I starting?

With a fresh perspective on where we are & how far we've come

With reinvigorated friendships & new memories to treasure

With a little boy who is now saying 'car'

With a beautiful & wonderfully clever new Doctor for a husband (so proud!)

With a heavy heart & an empty space for the baby we were longing to meet

With the physical traces of pain & loss

With a Christmas shopping list as long as the line up for Santa photos

With a creative thirst

With a full social calendar

With the smell of sunscreen...

♥ Dani