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.

Volunteering - skills for life

This week it is Student Volunteer's Week: 11-17 April.

Image credit: Volunteering NZ

I saw an advert on Victoria Plus asking people to make contact if they wouldn't mind doing an interview for Student Volunteer's Week through Volunteering New Zealand. I thought I would sign up to do it and then I thought well, why don't I write a blog post at the same time - about what I've been doing and how awesome volunteering is?

Throughout my time at Victoria University I signed up to Vic Plus, it's an award and certificate system that recognises student leadership and volunteering. I've really enjoyed the opportunities I've been given to excel in my areas of expertise, and developing skills I didn't really have before. You can sign up to and learn more about Vic Plus here.

One part of the programme is developing skills through personal and professional sessions and this helps the student to transition from study into paid work. Some of the workshops I've done through the Vic Plus programme cover things like how to write a kick-ass cover letter and curriculum vitae, and how to really nail an interview and get the job!

The second part is based around volunteering and giving back to the community.

Through my time doing Vic Plus I've done a range of things from charity letterbox drops for fliers as a one off day with my sister; volunteering long term as an usher, fire warden and ticket taker at BATS Theatre (just passed three years!); helping to man the stalls for Vic Plus at Club's Week 2016; and a range of other things on campus like Class Rep for my classes (for a trimester for each paper) and being on the FHSS Faculty board as a student rep (for one year).

Part three of the Vic Plus programme is writing an E-Portfolio, I am doing this step now. This is a place where the student reflects on what they have been doing, what they have learned and what they can take away from the experiences they have been doing.

Through being Class Rep and Faculty representative I've worked closely alongside VUWSA (the student association at VUW) and a large number of fellow students. The Class Rep acts as a voice between the students of the class and the lecturers and the school. They have training from VUWSA and that includes free pizza! And then at the end of the trimesters they also meet with the department and talk about the issues raised by students. The more the Class Reps put in the more they get out of it. In my first trimester I impressed the head of school of English so much that he offered me a PhD position when I get to that level... Needless to say that is no longer in my plans. But still pretty awesome!

Through my volunteer ushering, fire-warden-ing and ticket taking role (I wear many hats at once) at BATS I've learned to multi-task and prioritise things. I've also developed more confidence with talking to strangers and public speaking in general. I still have a few (rare) moments of worry like when a siren is in the sound effects of a show (and I think it's the real alarms going off!)

I am currently working really closely with the Box Office staff each night - we also communicate via radios and I help to ensure that the audience is kept happy and safe within the space.

Because of my love of theatre and box office assistance at BATS - I decided to take on the role of volunteer Front of House Manager for Summer Shakespeare, where I took on full responsibility for all of the Box Office area - from selling tickets, to training fellow Vic Plus volunteers and other community volunteers, and being the main First Aider and on the Health and Safety team.

Summer Shakespeare 2016 - Cast and Crew first rehearsal photo.

Posters by Glover Park, in Ghuznee Street, Wellington.

I had a number of challenges through the season from an audience member being involved in an accident with a prop, to EFTPOS terminals and ticket scanners malfunctioning!

Thanks to my training at BATS I was able to apply a lot of what I already knew, mostly regarding how to fix things up - I had friends who had come along to the show comment that they had never seen me so organised, in control and busy before!

Due to personal reasons* I will not be returning to Summer Shakespeare in 2017.

From the pre-promotional shoot we did which was used for styling ideas.

I had a great costume and didn't know what to do with this apple.

Volunteering for me is about giving back to the community, but it's also about a transfer and use of skills. When I'm not volunteering - I'm often studying. Studying only uses certain parts of my brain. I like being creative - volunteering in the theatre allows me to explore my business side as well as my more creative outlets.

Because of my volunteering at BATS I was introduced to a theatrical genre called Improvisation, because of that exposure I signed up to community college classes for Improv in 2015. I really, really liked performing and I want to expand my skills in that area.

From the pre-promotional shoot we did which was used for styling ideas.

I had a great costume and didn't know what to do with this apple.

*I have to work and get money to help fund our wedding. So by this summer I should be in employment which means less time for all of the volunteering I like to do. However I am sure I will continue doing some volunteering things just because I love doing them so much. For example - BATS you haven't seen the last of me yet!

Until next week,

xx Lisa.

Do little and often

The quote on the whiteboard above my desk in the office says "Do little and often" - it's my personal saying for this year to help keep me on track. I'm not even sure where it came from as a quote, because I can't find it online. I like it as a saying anyway.

I'm in my final year of university and it feels like life is going by super fast.
Possibly due to the excitement of being engaged, and our upcoming parties and plans for this year travelling back and forth between our home town of New Plymouth and our home here in Wellington.

I find that sometimes little quotes and sayings help me to keep on track and keep myself grounded.

Now of course I have to save up to buy the film because it doesn't come with any. But yeah. Super excited. I can't wait to use it for like my Bachelorette Party and maybe the Engagement Party too. 

This past week was one of excitement - every time a courier came it was another box for me. Another and another. So many boxes. Not too many to count though!
Two on Tuesday.
Four on Wednesday - well three boxes and a courier package:

The courier package contained this amazing long cardigan from The Warehouse. 

I've been wearing these loose long cardigans for a while now, they're really nice and layered.

This one is a red with black flecks colouring. So like a burgundy red.

The small box was from The Body Shop - I ordered a Blueberry body wash 250ml, then there was an Easter special online and I found their Easter Egg so it was a free hand cream: coconut flavoured. Plus they threw in a free sample of the Japanese Cherry Blossom perfume spray. 

I really like that this is in an actual mini spray bottle. 

No more messing around with the annoying dropper their old samples used to have!

Then one of the boxes had the two black fake fur pillows -also from The Warehouse.

The Body Shop things on top of them.
The canvas wall art is also from The Warehouse.

Tuesday's Haul: Two striped throw blankets for the couches in the lounge.

The coasters and the place-mats (all from Farmers)
The aqua/turquoise throw from The Warehouse.

Also from Tuesday's haul: a grey they call it "taupe" on the website fake fur pillow 

also from The Warehouse.

On Monday we went to Neil and Erin's house for lunch, then wandered into town. I'd seen the advert for the Fujufilm Instax Mini 8 camera at Dick Smith for $77.40 so we wandered down to Dick Smith after lunch and I grabbed the deal with a baby blue one. 

They had a few other colours in store too - pastel yellow, pastel blue, white or black. 

I just really wanted the pastel blue one.

Sadly the sale on them ended on 30/03/2016 so it won't be available when this post goes live. 

Now of course I have to save up to buy the film because it doesn't come with any. But yeah. Super excited. I can't wait to use it for like my Bachelorette Party and maybe the Engagement Party too. 

I feel like I've been super productive this week - all the parcels arrived and the flat things were all put away today.  Yesterday I also washed all the new lounge throws so they're all nice and clean. Today I also hung some art in our bedroom and ensuite! In between times I've also been watching lots of vloggers on YouTube - notably Aspyn + Parker, Casey Neistat, and Erik Conover.

And we have two photo shoots this week - we started the week with one on Sunday (March 27th) from Duo Photography and I'm going to do a blog post behind the scenes and talk about what we did, and then this Sunday (April 3rd) we had another one with David from Von Photography.
The second shoot is just us as a couple though. Totally different styles for each of them and I'm really excited to get our pictures back when they are all done.

Considering we have been in our house now for about three months, it feels like it has been longer ... I was thinking that I feel like I have known Loren (our flatmate) for a lot longer than a couple of months.

All of us as flatmates get along really well, and I'm loving it!

Until next week,
xo Lisa.

I've just realised that I haven't posted a quote in quite a while either - 
Quote of the week:

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen." 
~ John Wooden

That's a billionaires dream and we're not billionaires...

The past few weeks I've been going slowly more crazy with the workloads of uni life piling up and just feeling overwhelmed by literally everything going on.

On top of two English papers, which have many hours of reading novels, plays and poetry between them, as well as worksheets for the tutorials (both classes), and studying towards assignments (both classes seem to have essays due at the same times), ... Life is just a bit hectic.

One paper (201) has a large novel (600 pages),
three small novels,
a huge number of poems
and a Shakespeare play.

The other paper (312) has a larger novel (860 pages),
two smaller novels,
and a large number of poems.

My desk right now is covered in piles of books...

Along side all of the university study and work I've been doing this year - I am also trying hard to keep my sanity and find information about, research and plan out things for our engagement party, and future planning researching for our wedding.

So far I know the wedding will be in New Plymouth, sometime in 2018.

No - I don't know who is on the guest list.
No -  I don't know if you can bring a plus one.
No - I don't even know if you're invited yet!
Yes - there are limits in place, and yes some friends and family??? may simply not be invited.

I am not saying these things to be bitchy, I'm trying to be honest.

Wedding planning is not easy.
I'm finding it hard to do this from afar. We currently live 4-5 hours away and thinking about all the details does my head in at times. Both of our families are based in New Plymouth which is why we are going to have it there. While I have had a few years of pinterest and learning about etiquette and things, Daniel is totally new to all of this. So we are learning together.

If budget allowed we would bring them all to Wellington, or to another destination; but that's a billionaires dream and we're not billionaires.

Marriage, engagement life so far is about doing things as a team. We're not doing this all alone. It's a team effort. It's not up to one of us to make all the choices, even though it has kind of been like that so far. I've done a lot of legwork to get things sorted (like the invites for the engagement)... But then some is also legwork for Dan to do (like organising the photographer for our photo-shoot before our engagement party).

I'm also having to learn lessons about wedding/marriage/engagement etiquette and how to deal with the people who think they can invite themselves, or change things, or add things, or do things when it isn't their place to do so. Unless the couple actually asks you to do something, please don't just assume you can go ahead and do that thing. We are not about to start paying for things we didn't ask for!

Also if you don't get an invite don't be put off, it may be for a number of reasons that simply you don't know about. We have limits on our budget, our venue has maximum attendee limits due to health and safety, fire safety etcetera etcetera, plus we are choosing carefully who we are inviting (or not inviting) and have our own reasons to do so. Life is complicated. It's not a simple act of making a list and inviting every single person we know. We have many limits.

To put it simply - we cannot afford to have a huge lavish affair with every single person we know (or coupled up person we know for that matter!)

If you're asked not to do something by someone - please just don't do it!

It's all simple common sense, which doesn't seem to be common now.

Next week it's volunteers week and I'm thinking about all the volunteering I do and I am going to do a post about what gets me excited about volunteering...

Until next week,
xo, Lisa.

Dan is 29 and other thoughts about growing up.

This past week has been one of fun, mundane day to day life of a university student - filled with reading, studying, classes and tutorials... The usual really. And Dan had his birthday on Thursday the 17th march. Yes, Saint Patrick's day.

I tried to trick him into thinking we were going for a romantic dinner date, but in reality I had been planning with friends to meet up and go to a local restaurant with a bunch of our friends!

 On the night of, I showered, got dressed and put make-up on, anyone who knows me well knows I don't wear make-up! Anyway, we were all ready to go, and I was refusing to order the Uber, until I got a text back. Dan thought this was suspicious.

Anyway, a few minutes passed, we were getting later, and by then it was well past the time I'd said we needed to leave by - and Dan saw I wasn't freaking out. (I have anxiety and will often freak out over what seem's like 'nothing'). So got the awaited for text, ordered the Uber, and left for the restaurant. 

                                                    

                                                     Dan all dressed up, looking flash!

Dan had no idea where we were going. 

Thankfully also the Uber driver dropped us off at a side street, not right outside, so we had to walk a little bit to get to the place. When we arrived he spotted the restaurant and knew where we were going. What he didn't expect was the group of people at the table waiting for us! 

Thank again to our friends for keeping the secret from him, and not ruining the surprise!

Dan's 29 now and we're thinking about how our 30's will be different. 

Here's some photos of our dinner and friends - 

Fiancé Dan looking dapper in his suit.

Me and our friends - Mark, me, Tim, Chris, Loren and Thomas

James, (Helen obscured), Dan B and Mike.

Us again with friends and the birthday boy/fiancé himself!


Dan and I were also talking about how turning 30 seems to be grown up. I was saying that we're growing up anyway - we're engaged now and have a wedding on the table in a couple of years time... I've got this year left of study and then I'll be entering the workforce again too.
We also have parties to plan for the wedding and stuff too, like the upcoming engagement party in July. I feel like I've taken on a lot of 'stuff' to get these organised, but it's also not all on me to do so. I have to let things go and delegate more often, and I find that difficult because I like to be fiercely independent and do it myself and I have come to realise that I can't do everything alone. It's a team effort. I'm going to write another post about this in more detail - next week.

The text I was waiting for was from Thomas (one of our flatmates) who had gone ahead with Loren (our other cool flatmate) to check out the first place's seating arrangement and to see if we could all fit. Original plan was to go to The Ramen Shop in Newtown Wellington, but apparently (according to Thomas and Loren) the seating isn't great in there, and they don't take bookings. So we ended up changing locations at -literally- the last minute to ensure we could all fit together! That's why I was waiting on his text message to see where I needed to tell our Uber driver to go. 

Until next week, 

xo Lisa.