Happy International Childfree day 2016

Today is August 1st.

I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by.
 It's the third week of term two of university as well, and I have mere weeks left before exams and then months off before Graduation!
I feel like I'm on a roller coaster right now.

This week's blog is all about being Childfree because today--
August 1st is International Childfree Day.
One day each year internationally recognised to celebrate Childfree and Childless couples.

Who are the childfree and childless?
You probably know a few of them yourself - that young couple who live down the road, newly married or they just moved in together and they don't have children yet.

They may have a fur child or pet ... or maybe it's just the two of them living there.

Maybe they are like Dan and I living with other adults in a flatting situation.

Maybe they own the home they moved into.

The reason for no children in the home could vary, it's always personal and not to be asked about outright.

Childfree and Childless couples look a little different - 
There's circumstantial childlessness where one or both in the couple cannot have a child for biological reasons, maybe infertility. Maybe they have been dealing with multiple miscarriages and don't want to talk about it. Maybe they have a medical condition that would be passed on and they don't want that to happen. Maybe they just don't want to pass on any medical conditions from within their family...

Or they chose not to have a child - this is childfreedom and it looks a little different than that I described above... Maybe they can't afford to have a child. Or perhaps their career, life style or finances dictate that they shouldn't have a child. They may have huge student loan or personal loan debt that they want to pay off before moving into a new owned home or travel or other endeavors.

But what about Regret?Regret is the biggest BINGO I've been given time and time again. Like I will one day be an old lady next to Daniel in a rest home and who will come visit us? Where will our children be - oh without children who will take care of us? My response has been for years - Oh but having a child does not mean they will be there for you when you're old. Once they're an adult and leave home you can't expect them to come back and do everything for you.

There have been multiple articles about this here and here is a blogger who talks about it more.

Elsewhere -
In some cultures there is an obligation on children to care for their elderly parents, and for us this is no different. Of course I wish my parents good health and all those things - of course I want to help make sure they are looked after... and at the same time for my own future I am trying to put things in place now - creating a Will, putting aside money for Retirement funds (I happen to use KiwiSaver in New Zealand) with voluntary payments being paid into there as well as whatever I'd earn from working. (I'm currently a student so not working, hence putting in voluntary payments).
Daniel is doing the same thing.

No-one can expect a handout just because they are old. For years now there have been talks about the Retirement funds drying up. So yeah, when we get to retire we won't get much at all.

Until next week,
xo Lisa.

Blog posts from my blog about our Childfree life:
Three years ago Daniel and I both wrote posts about being Childfree in New Zealand.
His can be found here.
Update in 2015 here.

Just some things I'm really proud of...

This week I have been thinking about the things I'm proud of and I came to the conclusion that I don't just have one thing, so here's my round up of things I'm proud of...

In no particular order -

1. Proposing to Daniel my darling fiance and husband to be. And reaching our 5 year anniversary is another thing I'm proud of too! It's the longest relationship either of us have had and we have both grown a lot in the past 5 years. I'm really proud of what Dan has achieved with work, travel (for work and with me) and just being together.

The ring is engraved and says "Will you marry me?"

He said Yes!

Here we are with our flatmate Loren - photographed by Gareth from Duo Photography -

2. Making a future for myself and sticking with study, even through the tough times, illness and failures. Everything has helped build me up to be the woman I am today. 

In under six months I'll be all done with study and exams... And in less than a year I'll be walking across the stage at Graduation!

3. My nails - just having long nails and going to see my nail lady Serenity every month - has filled me with pride. I used to be a chronic nail biter from anxiety.  

 

4. Furthering my skills through online courses and courses from the university - just creating a better future for myself. To be doing what I love and learning lots every chance I get is amazing.
Recently I completed a few courses over the break from uni with Shaw Academy for Blogging and Content Marketing; learning how to be a Celebrity Fashion Stylist and Event Planning courses through Skill Success.
These cheaply found courses online have helped me to develop skills I didn't know I had to make me a more employable person. I've decided that Fashion Styling isn't for me, but the skills I've gained in learning how to tape shoes and such skills I've learned from these courses may be beneficial in future.

5. Working through my Anxiety and Depression and finding an awesome counsellor and doctor who helped me work through and learn techniques to help me control my panic attacks and keep calmer in exams. I must be doing a great job of it because I sat two exams recently without fear and without having any panicky feelings. So I'm really proud of myself for pushing through the tough times and persevering! I'm also really thankful and grateful for Daniel sticking by me throughout all these times, the good and the bad.

6. Having friends, family and flatmates who are there for me when I need them, and when they need me. They know who they are.

Until next week,
xo, Lisa.

Learning and Educational opportunities.

This year is my final year at university and as I get ever closer to graduation and my final two papers being done. I realise that Education, and learning for that matter, is an every day occurrence both in and out of the classroom.

For me learning is about gaining knowledge and is a skill that many possess but not many actually take advantage of. For me I am always on the lookout for skills and try and learn new skills through courses and online classes. I enjoy being in the classroom but I also enjoy working through things at my own pace.

I have been taking some online classes recently in Event Planning, learning skills to be a Fashion Stylist, and furthering my skills as a Blogger, Photographer and individual.
I hope to be able to apply the skills learned to my life now and in the future as an educator and teacher for ESOL students. I find vouchers online from sites such as GrabOne for educational opportunities which I take on. I've also done a 140 hour ESL teaching certificate through them too.

One of the difficulties I face is in organisation of actually getting work done when I work from home. Because I often find other jobs to complete before I allow myself to really get into study and get the course work done. When I'm on campus and working in a lecture theatre I'm more organised because I can attend at the lecture and tutorial times which are pre-set by the university. When I'm working from home I have to really work to schedule these work and study times or I can easily stay distracted all day or just not work on the things I'm meant to be doing.

Today for example instead of studying for my online courses I vacuumed the house and made dinner and extra food. I tidied up. I did a bunch of cleaning that needed to be done.

And I didn't get my work done for study.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that some days just getting out of bed and breathing is a big achievement for the day.

I hope to report back with the good news of completing assignments for my courses and that I've been awarded the certificates soon...

Until next week,
xo, Lisa.

Our Bedroom a super quick Room Tour in Photos

Photo special this week - Our bedroom... and how I have changed up the decor since we moved in. 

December 2015 to now - 

When we had just moved in.

 I don't know why the wall looks like it's two tones - in person it is all the same white. 

Bedside table - only on my side of the bed ... 

it has changed decor a lot over time from tissues and a power box to candles, Sheepy, flowers, a Heart print from Princess and the Pen, and a Heart lamp (from Typo), and much, much more.

Polaroids, and a novel...

The Polaroids then got changed up to be strung along a light set. 

My dressing table too has changed over time too.

This candle is so right - All you need is Love.

Until next week, 

xo, Lisa.

Special Post PSA: Foot and Toe Pain OH NO Morton's Neuroma

I have a Morton's Neuroma and that's a swollen nerve. Yes it is painful. No I won't need an operation yet. No I don't want the injection therapy for it.

Since April 28th* I've been battling sore feet.
More specifically it feels like there's a marble or stone in my shoe.
Wearing sneakers hasn't helped.
Nor has buddy taping the offending toes.
Having a pad attached to the sole of my foot hasn't helped either.
And sleeping with it raised on a pillow is often uncomfortable until I can find a good place to lie down and relax properly.

So I saw my GP who sent me for an Ultrasound, after that it came back as a Probable Morton's Neuroma, so she suggested I go to a local Podiatrist for further treatment.

We started off with taping padding under the foot across the Metatarsal pad area to try and unload the area where the Neuroma is. This is meant to remove some of the pressure build up so it will reduce the pressure on the nerve. I kept this on for a week, and when I went back to my Podiatrist I had said it didn't really help, the pain was still there and it was frustrating because I couldn't get it wet. This week I also learned how hard it is to keep a limb (or in this case, foot) completely water-resistant in order to keep the padding on. Let's just say that taping three layers of shopping bags over the foot, is 1. Slippery and 2. very, very uncomfortable.  I ensured safety by showering when someone was home in case I did fall. And with the door closed but not locked in case of needing assistance.

Week 2 appointment changed to make a padded the area of the Metatarsal pad with the Neuroma area having a "cut out" in that zone. And the insertion of padding in my shoe in the form of a foam orthotic. This was a bit better, but still painful to walk. When I had just the padding on my foot (eg in socks) I could walk without pain, like I could tell I had a neuroma but it wasn't aching. When I went out wearing the orthotic with the underfoot padding my foot became achy.

Week 3 appointment - this week we removed the padding off the foot, and moved to a foam insert in the shoes. I had two sets made one for the sneakers and one for my ugg boots.

Now it's been a couple of weeks with these and my foot is feeling good. I still have sore feet when walking barefoot (so I try and only do that when I'm going from the shower - to bedroom to get dressed).

Gap toes, with the V sign on the right foot - characteristic of Morton's Neuroma. 

Below are some photos of the various padding stages - 

Initial Buddy taped toes with a strapping across the metatarsal pad which helped with pain.

Buddy taped toes with soft soled slippers.

Waterproofing foot for shower. Two notes: this is slippery and dangerous. 

IF ever need to do again get a "cast cover" from pharmacy near hospital.

Week 1 taping with padding across the whole metatarsal area.

Week 1 padding after a lot of wear.

Week 2 padding across whole metatarsal with the 'neuroma area' cut out of the padding.

Week 3: last Podiatrist appointment waiting for the in-shoe orthotic things to be made. 

I don't have a photo of the inserts for my shoes, they're made of foam and fit into my sneakers and ugg boots. 

*The pain has probably been there a lot longer, but that's the date I really noticed the pain in my foot and then went to my General Practitioner for it. She diagnosed a possible Morton's Neuroma and advised to Buddy Tape the offending toes. She also ordered an Ultrasound which came back with 'probable Morton's Neuroma'.

10 things I think about Winter

This week it has been feeling colder as Winter brings in more cool weather and snow hits the mountains... I was thinking about how Winter is a pretty special time of year - for us in New Zealand it's winter in the middle of the year June to August ... and starts warming up again for Spring in September (just in time for my birthday!).

Here's a round up of my 10 favourite and least favourite things about winter:

1. The Wind - the chill of it gets into your bones.
But it also means you have an excuse to be indoors eating soup, enjoying cup after cup of hot chocolate and staying in bed all weekend!

2. Hot Water Bottles - heaven.
Whoever created them is a genius.

3. Ugg Boots - Fur and Slippers.
Warmth is key.  I don't care if you think Ugg's are fashionable or just uggly (Sorry I had to!).

4. Snuggling under blankets on the couch, or bed...
Any excuse to keep warm and watch Netflix, am I right?

5. Soup, hot foods, roasted meals, and ordering take out - pizza delivery is the best!
Or cooking a pot of Slow Cooked soup in the slow cooker is also a great all day heater.

6. Layers - you can wear three shirts and look warm and be warm.

7. Snow and Ice - these are both good and bad, depending on if you're on foot, or driving through it. Snow can also create fun for kids and adults alike with building snowmen and having snowball fights. I strongly recommend checking the weather updates prior to driving in wintertime, as icy conditions can cause vehicles to easily skid off the road. I've driven in Sleet before - that's the weird weather formation that is between hail/rain and actual snow falling. Sleet is dangerous on the roads too - as black ice can easily form. 

8. Scarves - I'm a fan of wearing scarfs nearly year round although I don't wear them in the hottest part of summer. They do make good wraps in summertime in the warm evenings.

9. In New Zealand winter time also means more storms which means plenty of wet weather. Personally I'm not a huge fan of being soaked all day long, so where possible seeking out shelter, taking public transport is a good option. I also Uber to university if I can't go by bus. Anything to keep warm and dry.

10. Hot Cider, warm toddies and alcoholic hot chocolates... Drink in moderation. And not at all if you're driving.

Until next week,
xo, Lisa.

A check in and some new things in the works!

Back on January 4th 2016 I wrote this post and highlighted these goals - 

1. To finish my final 5 papers for my final year of study at VUW. I'm enrolled in a paper for summer which starts tomorrow - I'm excited and nervous to get these final 5 papers done. - I don't know what 2017 will bring - uni will be done and I'll be working!?

2. To lose weight, and this isn't a generic "I'll lose weight because it's New Years" thing, I'm serious.

3. To actually push myself creatively - writing blog posts, photographing for my Instagram, making YouTube videos? Actually doing things regularly to get my creative juices flowing.

And the usual New Years Goals:

• have fun, 
• keep growing my nails out, (2015 and prior every year it was hard to stop biting nails, counseling helped on this one!)
• exploring more of the city,
• learning new skills,
• and learning new things.

Well, now for an update - 

1. I've just done both the exams for my first two papers and I'm waiting patiently on the results from those and my course overall.
Oh! And I talked to my course advisor who has said I only need to do 4 papers this year, so the compulsory English 201 paper, then one from English 300-399, one from English 300-329 and another Religion paper... and then I can have a double major for my BA in English Literature and Religious Studies!
And in my exams, yes there were two! I didn't have any anxiety problems, no panic attacks or fear during the exam. I kept calm and got it done. (Go me!)

2. I haven't been doing much actively towards this goal, because of having a possible Morton's Neuroma in my toes diagnosed. I'll write a longer blog post about that later.

3. I've currently got 3 weeks off between exams ending and term 2 starting, so I've signed up to THREE online courses and I hope to upskill myself by doing those. They are in -
- Fashion stylist
-Blogging
-Event Planner

My nails still look awesome, although no photo as the polish needs replacing, my appointment is in a week, so I'll do a post about them later too.

I haven't been exploring more of the city recently at all. I really should do it more.

As for learning - see above with the online courses.

I feel like this post is more of an update kind of one, but that's okay. Sometimes we just need to check in and see how things are going.

Until next week,
XO, Lisa.

Names and naming rights.

So for a while now I've been thinking about names and how we name the things we do.

Children, pets, vehicles, trees and plants, heck even our homes... 

Not much can escape being named by most people!

This blog's name -

My blog's name is "Lisa's Life From Wellington" the main reason that I chose this name is because my blog was originally a place I could write to my family and friends about what my life in Wellington was like... hence the name. It may not be very original but it works.
When If I move away from Wellington in the future, I may also change the name of the blog, but for now it'll stay as it is.

Vehicle names -

Strangely I didn't name my car when I had it, it was an awesome little Ford Laser from 1991. I miss that car! Loren our flatmate said recently that her car doesn't have a name either. Weird how some people name their vehicles and others just don't seem to.
Some of the cars my Dad has owned over the years have had names.

Changing names at marriage -
When we (eventually) get married I said I'd like to take Daniel's last name. The main reason for this is because I currently have a constant battle of having a dreaded Duplicate Name - there's a number of us on the Electoral Roll here in New Zealand with the same First, Middle and Surnames. Luckily we are different in our birthdates and other details (like postal addresses).
On the whole people know me as Lisa anyway, so it's rare to hear anyone call me my full name (exceptions: parents and legal things).

Baby name's too go through stages of popularity - 
With the creation of new, different and special spellings of names it is nice to see normal names also making a comeback.

Even Daniel's name hasn't lost popularity over the years, consistently staying in the top 100 boy's names year in and year out.
Mine however has not made it back onto the top 100 girl's names for the past year.

I like looking at the top 100, or Top 1,000 names lists and seeing which names will come through school next. (Lisa is at 349 on that list, while Daniel is in the top 10 at number 9.)

But if you jump back to the 1980's when Daniel and I were both born and my name pops to number number 31, and Daniel jumps to number 7.

I have realised though that I have a penchant for old names - like Mabel, Gertrude - it reminds me of the nickname I had as a child... and yeah.

Medically speaking -

In the medical sense I wish more people referred to human anatomy in correct terminology - you can't see a vagina, you see the vulva... it's not pee it's urine, it's not a pee-pee it's a penis. Just be open and honest about (correctly) naming things.

Why complicate things?

Which names are you fond of?

Wish we used more of?

Until next week -
XO Lisa.

Hello blog no I haven't forgotten about you

Two weeks ago was my last blog post ... Oops!

and to be honest I've been very, very busy the past couple of weeks! 

• I went home for the weekend and celebrated with Daniel and his family for his Nanna's 80th birthday. 
• Had a family dinner with our parents, siblings and grandparents all meeting up before the Engagement Party in July. 
• Saw great Aunty Pat; and Great Uncle Buster with my Dad and Chris. 
• Visited with my Nana a whole bunch at the Rest Home where she lives. 
• I also booked in to see a Podiatrist for Friday this week - about my toe/foot pain, from the Morton's Neuroma. I'll be keeping updates regularly about that. 
• I've been really busy with the final week of university for the trimester. I've got to write one more essay which is due today, and hand in the one I just finished today... 

Before preparing for exams for the next week before they start in two weeks time! 

A bookcase at my Great Uncle Buster's house.

My little brother Chris took me for a walk in Pukekura Park while Dad, Nana, great aunt Pat and great uncle Buster had tea. 

Chris in the Fernery tunnel, he's so tall he has to duck his head...

Pretty flowers all over the place - Cyclamens.

Pukekura Park main lake...

More flowers from the Greenhouses and Fernery at Pukekura Park.

Donuts from the airport when I got back to Wellington.

Hopefully when things are even more settled down I'll be able to actually blog more. I feel like something had to be neglected... 

Until next Monday!

xo. 

Lisa.

Update for the year and the future is coming

It is insane how fast this year has flown by, it's already the middle of May and that means that I have only mere months before I'm all done with study.

Come mid November after my final two exams are done, I'm a free woman - from university life at least - entering the big wide world of full time employment. I have a few ideas up my sleeve from working for myself as an ESOL Teacher, to finding full time work in a local tutoring service or school... or heading out overseas into the ESOL role I was offered in South Korea. There's plenty of options and I'm sure more will come knocking this year.

In the meantime I have to keep studying and reading - two more novels this week, and two essays by the end of the month... before two exams in June. I really hope I have managed to learn some relaxation techniques for my exam anxiety. I just want to pass the two classes and be done with school.

Then the excitement and madness of the Engagement Party in July with our families back in New Plymouth...            Before it all starts again for the second term of uni study!

(A dated selfie at Te Papa).

Daniel just celebrated making 5 years at his job at CricHQ which is quite impressive. He started at CricHQ when we hadn't started dating yet. I've certainly never worked that amount of time in one job!

I am also considering blogging more often in 2017, like a few times each week instead of just one post per week, but Daniel suggested I find a bit more of a niche market to write to, write about and share things from. Truth be told I don't really know what my overall theme or topic is, because I just write about my life - maybe I'm a lifestyle blogger? I do like a variety of themes though - I decided against cooking as an overall topic just because I find it hard to write a lot about cooking and baking... so while I enjoy doing it I won't be writing about it... I also like interior design type things but I also like to read about what others are doing in that realm!
It's hard to nail down to one or two topics.

If anyone has help or advice about how to nail down a blog topic - I'd love to hear it.
You can contact me on facebook - here, or on twitter here or leave me a comment below!

Until next Monday,
xo Lisa.

Life, foot problems and University

This week's blog isn't as happy as normal and that's because I'm trying to view the world through rose tinted glasses after receiving some bad news last week from my doctor. As always I'm trying to see the positives and thinking this is just a test on my patience and I'm learning that while I may be down with the pain, I'm definitely not out - and it doesn't help my study so much... Got to do what I have to do though to get through.

I'd been having foot pain for about a week and I'd been complaining about it a whole bunch when Dan suggested I see my doctor and get it checked out. So I did.

There's a high likelihood I have something called a Morton's Neuroma it's a benign (non-cancerous) growth in the nerve of the toe. In my case it's in my second and third toes on my right foot.

Now I'm on a bunch of pain meds and I've been having a hard time remembering to take them every 4-6 hours because as long as I'm busy with my essay and sitting still I don't feel the pain in my foot.
More to the point it's toe pain near the ball of my foot; it feels like I have a small stone or pebble in my shoe, even in bare feet! So yeah. It's not fun.

I have my toes buddy taped together in the hopes of preventing the V sign from getting worse. It's where the nerve is pushing my toes apart so they get more of a split between them. Normally toes sit nicely side by side, mine however have decided they really don't want to be friends any more and have split into a V shape.

Today I have to call and make an appointment for an ultrasound to be done to determine (if they can spot it on the scan) if it is a Morton's Neuroma. There's also a chance it won't be seen on the screen. Sometimes, especially if they're smaller, they can't get spotted easily. Obviously I'm hoping it is big enough to be seen.

The pain may have been happening for only 10 days or so at this stage, but it's enough for me to realise just how much we use our feet and rely on things not to hurt!

Daniel was really lovely and took me shoe shopping on Saturday so I have a second pair of sneakers to wear. All of last week I had to wear my bright (neon) coral sneakers as I couldn't wear my flat black cheap (chuck taylor type) kicks.

I've also worn leggings nearly every day too as it's easier than dresses when paired with sneakers. I also have been clever and just go to uni for as long as my lectures are on, then back home on the bus, and then back up again for tutorials. I try and keep walking to a minimum to help minimise the pain. Really, really bad for my fitness levels and I think I'm getting fatter, but I have to do what I have to... Otherwise the foot pain is too severe and I can definitely feel when I've walked far the next day!

If anyone has any advice about Morton's Neuroma pain and recovery... I'd appreciate the feedback. From what I've read online the past few days - the end result will be surgery after some time. However initially it looks like shoe inserts, taping the foot and toes ... and other such measures will be used first.

If you can give me advice on how to fashion sneakers better - I'd love some help and advice.
So far I've been wearing leggings, with a long top and something like a coat or long jersey over top with sneakers on my feet.

26 places to see, do stuff and go to in Wellington, New Zealand

This week I decided to do a re-run of the Top 26 things about Taranaki post, but with a twist - everything is about Wellington and the city is the main feature.

Here goes my A to Z of Wellington, New Zealand!

Arts and Culture Capital - there's so many spaces to see and do things, from local art galleries to theatres for shows...

BATS Theatre - so many shows, so little time. I've counted up all that I've seen as an Usher and I'm up to show 146 in a week or so. Not far to 200 shows! #Counting

"Coolest little capital in the world" - The 2011 one liner in Lonely Planet about Wellington.

Dirty Little Secret - rooftop bar.

Exhibitions - at various art galleries and museums.

Fever Hospital, Mount Victoria - now the SPCA location.

Garage Project - beers and brews.

Hutt Valley - Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt at the base of the Rimutaka Hills.

Improvised theatre - Wellington Improv Troupe.

Jackson - Sir Peter Jackson turned JRR Tolkien's books the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, into award winning cinematography.

Katherine Mansfield House and Garden (formerly Birthplace) - I'm yet to go and check this out. It's up in Thorndon.

Love - what I found when I met Daniel my now fiancé!

Mount Victoria - the Lookout is a must, also the Southern Walkway.

Newtown - the community centre has a good feel for what's happening in this bustling suburb.

Oriental Bay - from the beach to the views over the harbour and the ice cream shops along the way, O'Bay has it all!

Porirua - from the Shopping Mall to a list of places to visit... I need to spend more time in Porirua ~ It's a bit of a hike from where we live, but well worth the cheaper prices! (About 21 minutes on the train, plus time spent getting to and from the station...)

Queensgate shopping mall - the main shopping mall of Wellington, located in Lower Hutt.

Royal New Zealand Ballet - Ballet troupe of New Zealand based in the St. James Theatre on Courtenay Place. Flatmate Loren and I are going to a show very soon!

Somes Island - the island in Wellington Harbour, where at one stage Enemy Alien Internees were kept during WWII. Today the buildings are still on the island and can be visited. The island is a special place with shared history of many people. It is a great photography spot.

Te Papa -  the National museum. Lots of it is free and there's a wing that has a charge to see the exhibits. Well worth paying the small fee for many of them. We've seen a number of them. Keep an eye out for Locals deals too.

Uber X - a popular ride-sharing company that usually riles up taxi companies. I really like using it. It's in New Zealand in selected cities, so keep an eye on the app. (Use my code for a free $10 credit: lisat2293ue )

Victoria University - where I am in my final year of study for my BA in English Literature with a minor in Religious Studies.

Windy Wellington - the weather in Wellington is somewhat all over the place with a Marine climate; Windy Wellington is the nickname given to the city especially when it's blowing a gale.

X-plore Wellington - a favourite pastime is to go somewhere and just explore the surroundings. It's a great way to learn the city when you move somewhere new. A few weekends back Dan and I went out to Island Bay, he had never been before. I'd been once, years ago. We went to the Aquarium there - the Island Bay Marine Education Centre - well worth the $5 (adults) or $2 (kids) entry.

Young and Hungry - Wellington theatre from young actors.

Zealandia - a wildlife sanctuary in Karori which happens to also be the first suburb I moved to when I first moved to Wellington for University way back in June of 2009.

Until next week,
xo Lisa.

Top 26 places of things to do and see in Taranaki, New Zealand

This week I decided to take on the A-Z challenge and decided to focus on Taranaki, New Zealand.
Here's my top 26 things to do and see in Taranaki:

Americarna - a yearly car festival celebrating American cars.

Beauden Barrett and Waisake Naholo and a number of other Taranaki players have gone on to become All Blacks (in the National rugby team).

Centre City - the main only shopping mall in New Plymouth.

Dawson Falls - a sweet waterfall on Mount Egmont/Taranaki, you can access it by following these directions.

Egmont Village - a quiet little village, with spectacular views of the Mountain, situated perfectly between New Plymouth and Inglewood, and Bell Block, it's where my family live. The local primary school pool is a popular hangout in the summertime.

Francis Douglas - the local Catholic boys high school and where Daniel went to high school.

Gables - an old hospital in Brookland's Park, the location of my parent's wedding photos - funnily enough their wedding photos were used by the local Police in order to find the missing light's which featured in their wedding photos.

Home - it's where both mine and Daniel's families come from; we both grew up there.

Inglewood - a sleepy little town where an aunt and uncle and a number of my cousins live, about 20 minutes from New Plymouth.

Jewellery shopping from one of the many boutique jewellers in New Plymouth, or head further afield to Dalgleish in the city, or Silverado in Hawera.

Kawaroa Pools and Park - the location of the New Plymouth Todd Energy Aquatic Centre. Be mindful of trains in the area as the train track is used (daily) by trains ferrying goods to and from the nearby Port Taranaki.

Lucy's Gully - a romantic bush walk which is picture perfect, with views over the city and sea; It happened to also be the scene of a murder in 2007. For directions to Lucy's Gully click here.

Mangorei Road - where you can see sweet views of the city and sea at one end and the mountain at the other.

New Plymouth - the main metropolis of Taranaki. Population of 68,901.

Oakura - a surfer's haven and township, just south of New Plymouth.

Pukekura Park - the botanical garden of New Plymouth. Fun fact: I used to live in the Curator's Cottage at 25 Victoria Road.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's Royal Visit of 1954 -

"I was a young school teacher and a cub leader in Hawera…. 

the streets chosen [for the visit] had some very unsightly and the powers that be who arrange these things

 decided something had to be done to cover these sights from royal eyes.

 Every school child set about making paper flowers in red, white and blue crepe paper. 

These were gathered and hung on these."  -  Judith Foy

For more about the Royal's 1953 - 1954 visit you can go to this website.

Rewa Rewa Bridge - the location of the Proposal/where we got engaged. It's a bridge on the Coastal Walkway. For directions go here.

Spotswood College - where I went to high school.

Taranaki - the only region where you can Surf and Ski in one day! Mount Egmont/Taranaki and surf at Oakura.

Urenui - a sweet little coastal town in Taranaki.

Valley "The Valley" - with lots of Outlet style stores and a large supermarket make it a popular shopping destination.

Walkways - there are many in the city and include the amazing 12.7km long Coastal Walkway.

X-perience - the Forgotten World Highway. Take the scenic route from Stratford to the border of Taranaki; Grab a bite to eat and a beer at the pub/hotel at the Republic of Whangamomona.

York Loop Track - for directions visit here.

Zoo (at Brooklands Park) - where you can visit and see many kinds of animals.

Let me know in the comments if there's anywhere you'd like to visit, or see... In a few weeks I'm going to do the Wellington version of this with an A-Z of Wellington. 

Until next week, 

xo Lisa.

Photography and photo shoots

So this past week has been awesome, with preparing a bunch of stuff for our engagement party...
The past two weekends we have been getting photo shoots under way. Daniel was in charge of booking a photographer to take our engagement portraits and stuff... and we just got everything organised with that and waiting on the venue... and then I get a phone call saying I had won a free photo shoot and three complimentary 5x7" photos (from the Wellington Women's Expo we had gone to earlier in the year/late last year). So of course we couldn't say no to a free $249 photo shoot! Fast forward - we get the free shoot done of us as a couple, and had a number of extras taken of us with Loren and Thomas, our flatmates. Such a fun time!

Here are some behind the scene's shots that I took on my phone, so please excuse the quality.

You can see the mobile studio backdrop, lighting gear and such too.
We moved all the lounge furniture and positioned everything.
With the studio lights and professional camera the light from the window isn't seen.

Hero pose.

Dan modelling for Hallensteins? hehe.

Behind the scenes setting up the camera and stuff

Dan with his Bug-assault rifle - getting directions from Gareth.

Dan sniping bugs.

Gareth snapping away and Dan being a model...

The photographer for this shoot was Gareth from Duo Photography.
He was really fun to work with and put us all at ease being in front of the camera.

At the end of the shoot we booked a time for Gareth to come back and show us the photos, so on Monday evening at 7:30pm we sat with Loren and looked through all the photos in a huge slide show. Duo are pretty neat in that they create a video slide show - we didn't purchase this as we just wanted a number of digital files of our photos. We ended up getting a deal from Gareth - 18 for the price of 10 plus the 3 free prints and he threw in a few extras; since we couldn't whittle down the choices much more!

These following images are some throw back images - Dan and I on the waterfront with my Asahi Pentax K1000 film camera...

Our second photo shoot was with David from Von Photography - this was the engagement shoot package for $99 it's for an hour shooting, and has a set of 20 digital images at the end.

We hired the Dome at BATS Theatre as the venue - I volunteer as an Usher there so it made sense to come and play around on the stage area! The Dome is a large space, with a matte black floor, amazing white columns on the walls,
We had plenty of fun playing with shadows from the lights that David bought with him, and the Dome, then a few sneaky stairs shots.

I really enjoyed this photo-shoot because David made us totally relaxed in front of the camera - we even got a few public displays of affection shots - kissing and holding hands!

My favourite shot so far - us on the stairs, with our D and L letters on the windowsill.

David was lovely and took this on my new Polaroid camera (from Dick Smith for $77.40).

More shots from the day...

Us holding hands.

Oh do you see that? Hot damn gurl! my manicure from Serenity at Absolute Therapy looks amazing!

Until next week, 

xo, Lisa.