5 Years

The 23^rd of April will be a day that we will never forget! 23 of April 2007 to be precise! I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was just after Easter. Rob and I had been seeing each other for a few weeks. We had reconnected after meeting 5 years earlier and had spent years of popping in and out of each other’s lives. One night at the local pub and a few weeks of ‘dating' later here we were. The 23^rd of April 2007. Rob had been ‘asking me out’ from the minute we got together. He knew it, I was hesitant.  This particular day we were at his house and his brother, wife and 2 children were over. We were all playing in the backyard. Rob, myself, Ella and Tyler. The cutest and fun loving kids I had ever met. I loved seeing Rob interacting and playing with the kids. They loved him and the laughter and giggles absolutely melted my heart. That moment I knew. I wanted this. I wanted to be in Rob’s life and I wanted to share this fun and excitement. While the kids were playing stacks on with their dad, Rob was sitting on the wooden chair smiling at his brother, niece and nephew. This smile got me and I ran over to him and sat on his lap and simply said…”let’s do this” Let’s do this…they were the words that started this magical journey. The 23^rd of April 2007 is where it began and I will never ever forget this day.

 ~ Our First Photo ~

Here we are today…the 23^rd of April 2012. Today marks 5 since we became official. 5 years since we became Rob and Sarah. In these 5 years we have created an amazing life together. We have an amazing marriage which allows us to blossom as individuals as well as a team.  We own our home which is full of so much love, life and laughter. We have created a beautiful ‘baby farm’ which offers us comfort, loyalty and companionship. We have experienced the highs and we have experienced the lows. Most of all we have experienced this crazy beautiful life together and I couldn’t imagine going through this journey with anyone else but Rob by my side.

Happy 5 year Anniversary Rob, my love.

My life is an absolute magical adventure with you and I treasure every single day.  I am so lucky to have you in my life and I am so proud of the man you are and the life we are creating.

x S.K.K x

Our Sabrina

Today has been a very sad day in our little family! This morning we woke up to a very sick little birdy. She was very still and was having trouble breathing. I immediately picked her up and screamed for Rob. I sat and held her and pat her and talked to her. Begging for her to show me some sign of hope. There was nothing. She was weak and we knew there was nothing we could do. Rob made a phone call and got a box and a heat lamb but in the space of 5 minutes she was gone. It was like she waited for us to give her one last little cuddle and pat and then she went. Last night she was fine and this morning she was gone. To everyone it may 'just be a bird' but to us she was our girl. A little connection with a special animal who brightened up our lives every day with her gorgeous little chirps and songs. She snuggled and kissed and we are so lucky to have formed this bond with her.

Rest in Peace our beautiful little girl! You will be missed so much! 

x S.K.K x

A Numbers Game

Numbers numbers numbers are all going through my head and I am not sure whether I should care or not. The fact of the matter is that I don't, but I feel I should. Why bust my ass at the gym 4 times a week if I don't care about the numbers that come with it. In life generally I'm a numbers girl. I like special dates and times and get disturbingly excited when my kilometer reading on my car makes a cool number pattern. But when it comes to my weight I have never cared. I think this has come from my mum. She has always made me believe that I am beautiful and perfect the way I am and I guess I was lucky growing up without any weight issues. I never remember seeing a set of scales in my childhood home and to this day I have never owned a set. Now that I'm at the gym and I'm surrounded by people on challenges and loosing wight and running distances, I kind of get caught up in the 'game' and start looking at my goals and my 'numbers' .

Here are my numbers from my first week at the gym.

Weight - 66 kilograms 

Body Fat - 33.7%

Fluid - 47%

Stomach - 88 cm

Metabolic Age - 36

I was happy with these. Not too high that I needed to be worried but it showed I had room to grow...well shrink...and to work on. I wrote down these numbers in my diary and didn't think of them again until today. As I said I'm not a numbers girl! Today I had my follow up to see how I was going. Here are my numbers today

Weight - 61 kilograms

Body Fat - 32.4%

Fluid - 47%

Stomach - 86 cm

Hips - 6 cm lost!

Metabolic Age - 34

Today I cared. I cared about the numbers. On the way home I held in the tears. Tears that the numbers should have been smaller and I should have seen more of a drastic drop. Tears that I cared. Tears for all the people out there that are on a fitness journey, as at that moment, I felt the hurt and disappointment in myself that most of these people would experience. People who care about the numbers, people who are driven by the numbers, how do they keep going when there is no change. Then I got home and caught a glimpse in the mirror! F**K the numbers I look awesome! I look happy and healthy and I AM smaller! Numbers shmumbers. They don't define me! Not one little bit! I laugh at myself, that for 10 minutes, I let them get to me. It is what you feel on the inside and how you look to yourself in that mirror that counts. Its not about what anyone else thinks or what's written on the paper. Why should we base our confidence on numbers that are written down?

Ive been taking photos of myself every 3 weeks to see the change in my body. To show myself and remind myself of how far I have come. This is what I care about. This is what matters to me. I see change almost daily and this is what I focus on...not the numbers. I see toning and definition. I'm more comfortable in jeans and tight singlets and yes I can definitely notice the 6 cm that has been lost from my hips! 

Picture 1 was taken 4 weeks ago - Picture 2 was taken on Monday

 I am proud of these photos and although it's scary to post this, and share it all with you, I want to take you on my journey. I want to show you that it's not about the numbers, it's about how you look and feel. I'm not perfect but I'm happy!

I will continue to weigh and measure every month and write them down in my diary because change is change and I want to record every aspect but...

I WILL NOT FOCUS ON THE NUMBERS - I LOOK BEAUTIFUL IN THAT MIRROR!

x S.K.K x

A Week at Work

 

This is pretty much what my days at work look like when the kids are on school holidays! There are no routines, there are no schedules, there are no appointments to make or classes to attend. The days are care free and fun filled. The days are long and I work hard but as you can see the positives definitely make up for the negatives. We have sleep overs and adventures, we perfect our skateboarding and surfing, we take long walks and snuggle in front of movies. 

...and I get to witness the most amazing views...

 

Being a Nanny during the school holidays ROCKS!

x S.K.K x

Easter Sunday 2012

Easter Sunday I woke up at 3.30 am! 3.30 AM! Am I 9? Was I trying to catch the Easter bunny? Who knows but I was wide awake and ready for the day! But getting up late meant I got to witness this pretty sunset!

 

Rob stirred at 6am and we decided to go for a nice morning walk before breakfast with my family.

 ...and yes we took the birds...

As we got closer to the 'red bridge' we heard a horse. Great we thought, the one time we take both the birds we have a horse encounter. Ruby was on her harness and we can handle Sabrina in 2 hands so we kept going! I'm glad we did! The horse was having a 'photo shoot' for a horse magazine. Beautiful photos of the horse on the bridge with the sun rising behind it...Dam I wish I had my camera! But as we walked past every one went crazy for our Ruby. They wanted photos and pats and the photographer asked if Ruby could be in the photo shoot hahah We have a little star! Of course we said yes and Ruby got her pose on with the horse! It was the funniest thing to be involved in. Of course we couldn't take any photos of the actual shoot because we were busy coordinating our little model ;-) It was such a fun morning and I was on an absolute high from the event.

 

 

After our morning walk/model shoot we quickly threw on some clothes and headed to mums for our annual breakfast! Each Christmas and Easter our whole entire family gets together at my mums place for breakfast. We have a ball! Mum and Dad cook up a massive hot breakfast for everyone and we eat, laugh and be merry.

 Happy Easter Everyone '2012'

After breakfast we did something a bit different. My sister and I went to see ANNIE! We had gotten the tickets for our birthdays last year and the date had accidentally fallen on Easter Sunday! This was ok though. Most of Robs family was away for Easter and we had seen his brother and family the night before so we had the afternoon free. So I went and saw a musical and Rob went fishing! A perfect day for us both!

Oh my goodness if you haven't seen Annie you must go see it NOW! It was truly amazing! I went and saw it last time it was here in Brisbane but this time around it blew me away! First of all the children. The girls (aged 8-12 years old) who played Annie and the orphan girls were just spectacular! Their talent, enthusiasm and stage presence was just brilliant and they absolutly 100% stole the show! The songs they sung were full of life, fun and energy! Now I see ALOT of musicals! But this was by far one of the best performances I have seen! Anthony Wallow was amazing as ever and Todd...well I didn't expect anything less of him. You can tell he is a stage performer! Every move, every word, was perfect! I was even impressed by Mr Alan Jones. I even said a few times "noooo that cant be him" he sure did put on a really good show! I wasn't overly impressed with the women performers. They weren't bad, but they were just positively outshone by the girls and then the men. I loved Annie so so much and I laughed, sung, danced and even shed a few tears. Now that's a show! A special thank you to my Mum and Dad and my Grandma and Grandpa for our tickets! We LOVED it! A a very special thank you to my sister for going with me. It was like the last few years have dropped away and we were US again. And boy did we have a good time on the way home...

We sure know how to have a good time :-) 

I hope you all had a beautiful Easter! I sure did! It was a perfect combination of Love and Laughter!

x S.K.K x

Garden love!

Our Easter weekend was a lot different this year. Usually we camp, or travel or visit. We are always on the go! Packing, unpacking setting up, traveling, beating traffic, getting stuck in traffic. You name it we were on it. I love this! I love the adventure and the excitement. This year was different. This year we slowed down. We made no plans and went for the ride. We decided to stay home...just us 2. We focused on us and our home and started to tick off a few little items on our 'to do list' Which let me tell you is VERY long. Good Friday was very productive and we smashed out a few jobs that needed to be done. And by we, I mean Rob, but I was an awesome cheerleader. Saturday we got stuck into the garden. I didn't mean to but as I was sitting in 'my space' I realised it was completely over grown. Those who know me know I love me some ginger! I love the ginger in our yard. It is so lush and full. I love it surrounding my patio as it gives us privacy and it makes me feel like I am constantly sitting in a rain forest. Its light and cool and comforting. But sometimes my favourite ginger gets completely out of hand and grows like crazy and before I know it...

 Patio...what Patio???

It's completely taking over. I started pruning while Rob was preoccupied and I didn't stop. I quickly asked Rob if I could keep going and I chopped the whole thing out. Rob helped with the finishing touches, with his electric trimmer, but I chopped it all by hand! Boy those weights at the gym finally came in handy. I didn't cut it all out. I still like the cover and comfort it gives on the inside of the patio but for this opening area its a whole new look. It's open, it's light and it's fresh! It also allows some sun in for the birds which is an added bonus. Every time I walk out there I get a shock as it has made such a difference. I love it so much!

I can now see our beautiful backyard when blogging, reading or eating in our patio! 

Once all the roots are cut out we will plant our orange plant there! 

This was our first tree we bought together and has always stayed in a pot, so this area is excellent for our little blood orange tree.

The sun sets just over the corner of our yard so I can now witness this perfectly!

All in all I am completely happy with this new transformation. 

x S.K.K x

My Easter Wish

For today, tomorrow and always...

I pray you find the gift of compassion

I pray you become beautifully optimistic

I pray you find a soul that believes in you

I pray you find the beauty in every sunset

I pray you make mistakes

I pray a butterfly flies past you so witness it's elegant beauty

I pray you find unconditional love

I pray you find a few minutes a day to be still and be one with your soul.

I pray you never loose your innocence.

I pray you savor every single second of motherhood. It is a very rare and special gift that you should never take for granted.

I pray that you always believe in magic

I pray you find your light.

I pray you never give up on your dreams. No matter how big or small.

I pray you find a soul that is your cheerleader in life

I pray you learn to forgive.

I pray you never stop learning.

I pray you find courage to never give up.

I pray you find faith. No matter what your beliefs are.

I pray you realise what is important in life.

I pray you learn to 'let it go'

I pray you take chances.

I pray you kiss slowly and hug often

I pray you love your heart, your body and your soul

I pray you find patience

I pray you smile every day

I pray you find eternal happiness - you deserve it

x S.K.K x

A Good Friday

It was Good Friday today! and let me tell you it was a GOOD Friday here in the K household. For the first time in years we had no plans to go away. No camps to set up, no traffic to fight, just me and him, at home, together. I had plans in the afternoon but they got changed to Monday. This worked out perfectly as I could spend the whole day with my man and then spend a beautiful morning on Monday with my favourite gal! Perfect! I had a late night last night so I slept in a little and I woke up to Rob building the girls a play gym!

We have been planning this stand for a while now and actually bought the black stand a few months back. It only had a single wooden perch and this, of course, would not do for our girls! We wanted to have something they could sit on but also play on! We also wanted to use natural timber. Ruby loves stripping the wood and making marks in the wood and I hate to think of what chemicals are in the wood they sell at the shops. So Rob got to work and designed and chopped and screwed and tied and created the most amazing bird play gym I could of ever imagined. It is huge and big enough for both the parrots to be on. I LOVE it so much!

TA-DA - The finished product!

Enjoying a chilli each while Dad gets more wood!

Sabrina smashing out some chin ups!

 

Rob couldn't and wouldn't stop there - he caught the bug and was go go go! Who am I to stop a man who wants to build things for our home! His next project was to build a fishing rod holder that would keep his rods off the floor, keep them straight and also display them. He got the idea from his boss and whipped up this little beauty in about 15 minutes. I think he achieved the look he was going for! 

 

 Next on the list was to create a space for the boards so they were off the ground, out of the weather and not taking up too much room. Rob once again designed, measured and created our vision! He started with a couple of meters of steel and turned them into brackets. He cut each piece and weld them together using my grandpas welder! Its still going strong after all these years! He lined them with rubber and screwed them onto the wall and....wallah! A perfect space to store all our boards! Looks fantastic!!!

....and me...

Well you know I just hung out! Helped out here and there! Played with all the animals! Took photos, got the cold beers from the fridge...I had a very big role ;-)

 But seriously I just enjoyed being with my husband! Watching him work his magic. I loved just sitting by and watching him work. Everything he does amazes me and every day I thank God for how lucky I am to have him by my side. He's truly talented and such a dam hard worker. I am so very proud of him! Tonight, as I look over all the work he did today, my heart warms with pride! I am the happiest, luckiest wife in the world! 

x S.K.K x

My Gs

Their love for each other ~ their passion ~ their love for me ~ their hope ~ their love of life ~ their values ~ their love for the simple things ~ their support ~ their love for their family ~ their strength ~ their love of the outdoors ~ their voice ~ their love of quiet times ~ their determination ~ their love of beauty and their inspiring success

~ This is what drives me every day ~

 

We are close. There is not a time in my life that I don't have a special memory of me and my Grandma and Grandpa. Whether it's the special letters they used to send us as kids with dot to dot animal drawings or rounding up the cows on the farm or hanging out at 'Sportscene' or making and painting concrete plates while listening to John Williamson or reading books on the couch and watching the cricket or preparing and eating spaghetti bolognese with hollow pasta. Every single memory I hold dear to my heart. Through every up and every down they have been there. Still to this day we talk every single Sunday night. Even if there isn't much to talk about, I love just hearing their voice. I look forward to it every week. I love being able to share everything that happens in our life with them. No matter what they are going through they always have time for me and are always ALWAYS positive and motivating. I owe a BIG part of who I am to these 2 special people. They have taught me compassion, hope, gratitude and most of all unconditional love. No words could ever describe how much they mean to me and how grateful I am to them. They are the hardest working, most loving people I know and have given me the greatest gift of all...my mum.

I love you Grandma and Grandpa ~ More than you will ever know

Thank You for being you and teaching me to be the best person I can be

x S.K.K x