Fiji was amazing, we spent 9 days there.  We got back 2 weeks ago, it seems so long ago already.  The snorkelling was the really amazing part, I've been snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, in Rarotonga and a few other places,and for sheer variety I truly believe that Treasure was one of the best I've been to. 

 We saw damsels galore, a few stunning angels and many not as stunning, butterflies, foxfaces, hawks, cleaner wrasses, other wrasses, clowns - these were weird everyday that we saw clowns it was a diferent species from the previous days sightings, parrotfish, goatfish, gobies, tangs, blennies, including my favorite bicolour blennies, I saw a Moray Eel, a ray, Hubs saw a white tip reef shark, which made him very uncomfortable.   What else, puffers, flying fish - and we got lucky and even saw a couple fly - they sure so get some mileage!  The corals were massive, the anenomes were sparse but they were a fair size where we did see them, and there was generally a couple in each place which were well lookied after by a bevy of clowns.  I saw a neat little file fish when I least expected to... I think that's it..

Our days were spent snorkelling, swimming in the pool or ocean with L, playing in the sand with L, L also discovered the joys of feeding the local ground birds and the fish.  We spent so much time in the water, either the ocean, pool or shower washing off the humidity or salt.  We got some quickie massages that were lovely and consumed a great deal of alcohol for us, usually one drink or so a month.. I know we're getting old & boring!  Had a yummy cocktailcalled Beyond the Reef- Tia Maria, fresh banana & cream.

Since we got back L's drippy nose has expanded to a cough and more, which I finally managed to catch too, so as of today we're on antibiotics since it has progressed to the lack of appetite, fevers and green mucous stage.  

Last week L & I had a full week including a new playgroup just down the street which was quite lovely until L slipped on the ladder going up the slide and gave himself a fat lip & bloody mouth.  We also started swimming lessons again, which went so well it was so nice to see L having such a fabulous time!!

The day to day life has been busy, but in the general scheme of things nothing extra is being done.

I've been working on my quilt again, only to have my sewing machine start jamming every 30 stitches, thread breaking and skipping stitches.  Other than that I've been going to the gym everyday, lost a little motivation ove rthe last few days but I'm still going.  Mark is away for the next couple of days, so L and I have the place to ourselves.  It's getting cold again, winter is coming around again. 

Is in serious consideration.  I am very excited by that prospect!

places I would want to see...

• Metropolitan Museum of Art 
• & The Musuem of Modern Art tie at the top of my list
• Int'l Museum of Photography
• The Frick Collection
• American Folk Art Museum

and then the required must sees since we'd be tourists who may never return

• Empire State Building
• Statue of Liberty
• Times Square
• Central Park
• Grand Central Station
• Carnegie Hall
• Guggenheim Museum
• St Peters Cathedral
• Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge

calendar of events  looks like I should brush up on my Art History!

anything I've missed?

Sorry, wrote something last night and bloody comp ate it. Couldn't motivate myself to write anything more that night, since I was feeling very under the weather.

I'm becoming a gym rat, finally!  I so need this, since I'm not in the slightest way built like a gym rat atm. 

I've finished knitting the second Noro sock, so it's ready to be stitched up.  I picked up Hubs black & grey variegated again last night and got past the cuff and five rows into the body, small guage dpn's + learning knitter = copious amts of time. 

DH & I are looking at possibly taking a side trip to NYC, TO or Cleveland during our stay in NA during the festive season, I'm leaning towards NYC because of the culture, but will have to wait & see how things blend together.  We are also planning my bday trip for the first week of June to Fiji - Treasure Island to be exact.  Should be an exciting travel filled year, I only hope that we are as lucky as we have been in the past, no major losses of luggage etc.

stolen from sillypants  I am tagging teebee , Refinnej , Andi , Jill

The Rules:
1. You can only say YES or NO!
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone comments to the entry and asks.

Taken a picture naked? Yes
Made out with a member of the same sex? Yes
Danced in front of your mirror? Yes
Told a lie? Yes
Gotten in a car with people you just met? Yes

Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? Yes
Been arrested? No
Left your house without telling your parents? Yes
Ditched school to do something more fun? Yes
Slept in a bed with a member of the same sex? Yes
Seen someone die? No
Kissed a picture? Yes
Slept in until 3? Yes
Touched a snake? Yes
Ran a red light? Yes
Had detention? Yes
Pole danced? No
Been lost? Yes
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Yes
Kissed in the rain? Yes
Sang in the shower? Yes
Got your tongue stuck to a pole? No
Ever gone to school partially naked? No
Sat on a roof top? Yes
Played chicken? No
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? no
Been told you're hot by a complete stranger? Yes
Broken a bone? no
Mooned/flashed someone? Yes
Forgotten someone's name? Yes
Slept naked? Yes
Blacked out from drinking? Yes
Played a prank on someone? Yes
Felt like killing someone? Yes
Made a parent cry? Yes
Cried over someone? Yes
Had sex more than 5 times in one day? Yes
Had/Have a dog? Yes
Been in a band? No
Drank 25 sodas in a day....aka POP? No
Shot a gun? Yes

I've had a lovely couple of days.  Yesterday I picked up a gf of mine & her mum and the four of us drove up to Bowral to visit a newish wool store.  They've expanded even more since I was there a month & a half ago, we all spent more money than we should have, I picked up another ball of noro for the socks I've already started.  I also got three colours of  Jo Sharp Aran Tweed - jewel (x2) , taffeta, and spring, which I've been drolling over ever since I first saw it, for a pair of knee highs. (pictures provided really don't do the colours justice.)

Today I met up with another gf at our brand new and only local starbucks, had myself a Valencia Mocha & a cinnamon bun, they were yummy.  SHe and I then did a couple of errand, including picking up my families plane tix for Christmas at home   We then headed over to the nursery she works at & L played in the wet patches created by the plant watering and had a fabulous time.

Then it was off to Parents as Teachers.  One of the older boys - he would be two at the eldest and has a sibling 8 weeks away was playing so very nicely with him, playing catch with him, and being really patient with L who is only just figuring out how to really play ball.   When L showed interest in one of the toys he was playing with he gave the toy to L, and when he didn't pick it up right away, the other boy picked up the toy again and placed it right into L's hand.  I was so impressed with the other boy, he is a great little kid and the whole thing just melted my heart.

This year heralds my 30th birthday...  so I've been thinking about what sort of realistic (and some unrealistic) goals I'd like to accomplish this year..

1. lose 60 lbs - step one, joined gym
2. try hang gliding once
3. finish some of the projects that I've started
4. to become a healthier more athletic person - see number 1
5. start my own business
6. give more of myself to my relationships
7. to pick up some of my old hobbies & improve (ie scuba diving, photography etc)

to be edited as I think of more - I had way more in my mind yesterday, and they have disappeared...

For the record this is my 3rd attempted post in the last few days, but my previous ones got eaten (this one is being composed in word as a result.)

I decided that the sock wasn’t so bad, so I’ve started the second one.  I picked up more sock yarn this weekend, one skein for Mark, and two for me.  None of the colours are as neat as the Noro, but they are actual sock yarn, so should last for ages under high wear conditions, unlike the Noro. 

Got a lovely package from my mum today, Purdy’s chocolate for Easter, honey shampoo to make Lachlan smell yummy, the patterns for all the blocks in this lovely quilt http://www.ericas.com/quilting/mckennaryan/storybookfarm.htm , some Kool-Aid to dye some yarn in the future, and other lovely little odds n’ ends.

The quilt is coming along, a third of it is sewn into strips, the rest is waiting ironing and for my sewing machine to be set up again.

We went to http://www.sapphirecoast.com.au/merimbula.htm this past weekend with Mark’s parents to celebrate Mark’s 32^nd birthday.  The trip had it’s good & bad points, the weather turned quite cold & windy on Saturday, but it meant lots of knitting time and a lovely breezy walk with hubby while Lachie napped, the IL’s stayed at the accommodation – which I must add was really quite nice, I’d happily go again.  Not sure if I’d go with the IL’s again, the air was constantly filled with mindless nattering, and words were repeated countless times.  FIL’s hearing has gotten to the point where I don’t bother to talk to him unless it’s absolutely necessary, that probably sounds bad, however having dealt with grandparents who also made no effort to correct their hearing loss, and struggling so much to make an effort to correct my own hearing loss, I really have no patience with people who have lame excuses for not wanting to do something about their own loss, and expecting everyone around them to put up with it, when they aren’t even trying.  If that makes me a bitch, then it does.

As of next Monday I will officially be a member of a gym http://www.fernwoodfitness.com.au/ I am quite stoked, they have onsite childcare and I have my own personal trainer for one session a week for four weeks.  It’s not much, but I am hoping that it’s enough to put me on the right path.

Mark has a new toy too, a HUGE screen, three metres I think it is, and a projector, I don’t pay much attention to the quality of the picture usually, but I am impressed.

Lachlan is walking full tilt now, still has numerous falls, but he can go quite a distance.  He is cutting the two teeth on the bottom next to the two existing ones, and his top premolars are creating a lot of swelling below the gums, they are also causing him a lot of grief.  He started stacking blocks in the last week and his rings today, he isn’t talking yet but his hand–eye co-ordination is very good… the gate that stops him from plunging headfirst down the stairs is no longer safe from his little mitts.

Lost my post so I am going to leave you with photos - one finished not so fabulous sock, and one of L playing in the sweater I knit & one of him playing peek a boo in the curtains

Another boring weekend. Spent yesterday doing laundry etc.  Today I'm doing more laundry - that's 9 loads in one weekend.  My mother suggested that I open my own diaper service down here because there aren't any local ones and what there is (in Sydney) is sooooo outrageously priced that hiring a live in maid would be better value for dollar, at least then all the other cleaning would get done too!  I hate laundry atm.  I love using the cloth nappies & they don't really add more loads, but I seem to leave it all until it has to be done, so I end up with 6-7 load weekends, between 2 people and one baby, that's a bit extreme.  (Additional loads this wkd are from the next size up in the hand-me-down cloths for L - trying to get rid of the lovely Mothball scent )

Dinner tonight - I'll try roasting a chicken, one of the few things L eats right now.  Of course both animals will be desperately attempting to gte their share as well.  Hope it thaws in time.

Made the beaded stitch markers yesterday, I think they turned out fairly well, especially for a first timer.  I have 30 rows left on sock number one then stitch it up & try it out.  Mark wants a pair now too, I've managed to sway him away from plain black - half the fun of knitting is the yarn you get to use and black wasn't going to do it for me, so he's agreed to what I can find in the black, blue, grey scheme.  Last week I found a kntting shop up in Bowral, which has all sorts of lovely things, including imported yarns and needles that aren't plastic horrors.  I'm going up again on the first Wednesday in April, with a couple of friends for the S'n'Bitch session.  It should be good especially since I can get some help with my mohair sweater that seems to be much larger than it should be.