Thanks again to everyone who played a part in my AMAZING shower!! For more beautiful photos, CLICK HERE.

So a few weeks ago, our friends Kimbo and Stu moved back from South Africa (YAY) and Kimbo threw me a wonderful surprise “kitchen tea.” It was SO nice of her, especially considering she threw it one day after returning from S.A! Thanks again Kimbo and thanks to all the ladies who came out to help celebrate.

John and Kalee’s wedding was last weekend and we had a blast. I wasn’t going to drink too much since I had to fly the next day. Well not only did I do just that, I actually had a worse hangover than I’ve had in a long time. Not so good when you have to get on a plane for 14 hours with a head cold as well.

I spent Monday through Wednesday working all morning with a clogged nose and severe jetlag (aka nausea). Pretty sure that hangover and head cold didn’t set me off on the right foot. It was miserable. Even with that nasty funk I still managed to get  A LOT done this week. Since I’ve been back in CA this week I’ve already met with the caterers at the reception site to finalize the seating arrangements for the wedding. I’ve had my first dress fitting and an appointment with the florist. I’ve been to the gym 3 times, went to dinner twice. I spent two days at my sister’s new condo, went to her pool, went to Wild Rivers, went to a concert in the park. I’ve shopped… a lot. Too bad it’s mostly for stuff I NEED and less for stuff I want.  I spent a night playing Just Dance with Shannon. I saw Eclipse with Jen and Lisa. I caught up with a bunch of friends tonight at a UFC party and tomorrow is my bridal shower!! Oh, did I mention I worked all week as well?

It’s been brutal… but I’m surviving.

Masterchef… oh how I will miss thee.

You brought joy and happiness to my life 6 nights a week. SIX nights! You inspired me to perfect my pizza dough and add a pizza peel to our wedding registry. You’ve given me an immense desire to make something…ANYTHING out of spun sugar. You inspired our friend Yorky to go out and buy a food processor for the sole purpose of making this Frangipane tart.  Your macaron tower challenge inspired Sara and I to take a trip to the Lindt cafe so Sara could try (and LOVE) her first ever macaron. I’ve started using fresh garlic rather than the jarred or powdered stuff and I’m very tempted to buy a mortal and pestle so I can grind my own spices.

Some people don’t get the Masterchef craze, but I totally do.  I think you have to like cooking and enjoy food to really appreciate how awesome this show since I love cooking, this show is perfect for me! I actually feel like I learned a lot about cooking and general food knowledge that I can use in my day to day life. That’s not to say I’d actually eat half the stuff they made but at least I feel more educated about it all!

For the most part, I loved all of the contestants. I would have been happy with several different people as winners, but I think the right person won in the end… even if I once thought it should be Marion.

I am so happy that I was able to watch the whole season. Last season I was out of the country for most of it (and I didn’t have tivo so I missed most of the episodes anyways). It really couldn’t have ended at a more perfect time… right before I take off to the States. Speaking of the States, I hear Masterchef is coming to America. Woohoo! Something else to download from itunes, although 6 days a week might get a bit pricey. My only concern is that Gordon Ramsay is evidently hosting and I have a feeling he won’t be quite as nice as the Australian judges. Regardless, check it out. If it’s anything like the Aussie version, it will be an enjoyable show to watch and learn from.

19 days until my bridal shower

31 days until my bachelorette cruise to Ensendada

40 days until I marry the best guy ever!

Can someone please tell me how on earth I’m supposed to fill my free time after it’s all finished? What am I supposed to think about when I’m on the exercise bike? Wedding planning and thoughts fill my head 80% of the day. I do sense that I’ll be dealing with some serious post-wedding depression when it’s all over.

So many people say “You’ll be happy when it’s over because of all the last minute stress.” I’m kind of hoping that is true because otherwise I might be a miserable married mess… especially when I come back to Sydney and there is no more Masterchef on every night!

Not to mention, I haven’t even practiced my new signature. I spent YEARS of my life practicing the possible signature I would have if I married every boy I dated. I’m pretty sure that’s just what girls do. Well, maybe just the girls who are obsessed with names like I am (I’ve also maintained an ever-changing list of preferred baby names since I was probably 10). So now, 47 days before I actually WILL be changing my name, I still have no idea what my signature will look like. Most people say “Don’t worry, you don’t need to perfect it yet.” To that I say- “When you need to apply for a  new drivers license, visa and passport right away, you kind of do!”

Then there’s the wedding-related stress of planning for all the visitors that will be in CA for the wedding. I know it’s not my job to organize plans for everyone, but I’m a control freak and part of me can’t rest and relax until I know everyone’s schedule.

Did I mention that I can’t seem to get into that mode that nearly all brides get into right before their wedding? You know, the one where they start eating right and working out to help them look great on their wedding day?  I haven’t got there. Of course I do the normal exercise that I always do but I thought some magical motivation would set in by now where I’d feel the need to double my workouts. Yeah that motivation hasn’t really hit me yet.

I’m really trying to enjoy the wedding planning process… but life just seems to be getting in the way at the moment. I sure am looking forward to my bachelorette cruise and pre-wedding massage right about now.

#19: Make a “Things we want to do/buy together” list with Andrew.

We finished this a few weeks ago, but this will obviously be an ongoing work in progress.  I won’t type out EVERYTHING we added but here are just a few of the things we want to do and buy together:

• Go to Kangaroo valley
• Go to the Powerhouse museum
• Go to Cairns for the weekend
• Plan a late honeymoon
• Buy a new couch
• Buy a new bed
• Get our African art framed

#57: Go on 3 spontaneous day/weekend trips with Andrew.

This week I had a totally random opportunity to go to the Gold Coast to help out my cousin’s company. I had planned to go for just one night but then it ended up being two nights and by complete chance, Andrew had the two days off. Since I didn’t have to work the entire time I was there, Andrew came with and we were able to enjoy a nice couple of days. We had a really delicious dinner, we went in the jacuzzi and went for a walk on the beach. It was a little random mid-week getaway, even if it did include a bit of work. This trip rounds out the 3 trips for # 57 on the 101 list. First there was Perth, then snowboarding in Threadbo and finally, Surfer’s Paradise.

# 96: Create 3 new goals each in 2009 and 2010.

Done. Check my updated list if you’re interested.

#103: Read 10 more books when I’m finished with the first 10

I have to say… this goal paid off and now reading is a regular part of my life. Prior to this list, I wasn’t a big reader. Now I’ve read over 20 books since I’ve started and I’ll continue to read even without these goals to reach.

To finish of this post I’d just like to point out that this last week I also was able to cross off a few of those nagging wedding tasks that I was dreading. Not too much left to plan now!! How crazy is it to be able to say our wedding is NEXT MONTH!?

• Tonight Andrew and I finalized our vows and reading for the ceremony
• Centerpiece candles have been purchased
• Main music choices have been made
• Wedding liability insurance was purchased
• First 2 dress fitting appointment are set… yup definitely pushing that close to the big day
• Aussie wedding invites have been sent… US ones will hopefully go out next week
• I’m 96% sure of the hairstyle I want (finally, it only took HOURS of googling to decide)
• We got a videographer!! YAY!
• I’ve NEARLY finalized the main wedding day schedule. Hopefully I’ll be able to send that off to the vendors in a few weeks
• Pre-wedding spa day with my bridal party is all booked
• Bachelorette cruise is booked and paid for- technically my sister did this, but I’ll still cross it off my list

I do think I would be an amazingly organized wedding coordinator

***

Now let’s have a look at some of the unsettled items looming over my head like a black cloud:

• Purchase Andrew’s ring… this is a lot harder than it may sound
• Book wedding night accommodation… why must we pay SO much to sleep in a place for less than 12 hours?
• Purchase the rest of the alcohol. I really can’t do this until we know the final guest count. This is probably the hardest task ever. How on earth do we predict how much our friends and family will drink? Those online calculators don’t seem to be accurate for Australian drinkers.
• Buy a gift for my nephew (the ring bearer). What do I get a 10 year old boy for being in our wedding? Everything online is to sappy, too young or too retarded. I’ll probably just end up getting him some cool toy that he’ll forget about in 6 months.
• Yes… there is more, but I’ll spare you from reading ALL the fine details

Damn that weddingwire website for sending me constant reminders of things I SHOULD be doing. I just don’t want to do it all yet… or ever! On the other hand, bless that site for keeping me in line and completely organized.

Even though there are still so many little things to be done, the good news is that my wedding nightmares seem to have subsided for the time being. With only 2 months to go, I’m sure they will be back shortly.

I just have to say… are those judges kidding with their criticism? Alan Joyce actually said something to the effect of “the prawns are not bad but they definitely are not Qantas.” Really? Have you tasted your food? While business class meals definitely are much tastier than economy, I still wouldn’t say they are anything phenomenal. I can probably count about 2-3 meals that I’ve really enjoyed enough to remember them but for the most part, airplane food is airplane food.  No one expects it to be gourmet; I think even business class passengers don’t expect anything overly exquisite.

I did like that the judges were served their meals on black plastic trays by the blue team and had to use those horrible wide handled Qantas spoons to eat their food. Classy.

All in all, I’m pretty sure that the episode was a fancy way for Qantas to promote the A380. Well, I say do whatever you need to do to increase sales Qantas because Andrew would like to be flying one of those giant airplanes soon!

And Masterchef… keep the wonderful episodes coming. I love you and I love that you are on 6 nights each week.

Decor: 7.5- 8:  The atmosphere is great. Blackboards with white chalk, wine bottles on display, marble top tables, romantic mood lighting. It definitely is appealing to the eye. The only reason I gave it a bit lower score is because we had so sit on stools with tiny little seats (ok, fine) but there was no foot rest on the stool or under the high marble bar style table that we sat at. I’m not that tall, so I had to sit on the very edge of the stool to allow my feet to sit flat on the floor. It just made it a tad uncomfortable. If I were any shorter, I would have been suffering. They do have regular tables, so I’d like to get one of those next time.

Value: 6-7:  It was pretty pricy but not too bad when we added it all up. Pizzas range from about 22-28 bucks from memory. Pasta and main dishes were $20+. I think the prices were quite comparable to the Fourth Village place I tried a few months ago. Pizzas were a good size for the price (since they are gourmet), but my pasta was pretty small. Honestly, if I was just eating the pasta (which was about $24 bucks) I would not have been full at all. Luckily I shared some pizza as well. With our meals (including pizza and pasta) and including beers and a bottle of wine, we ended up spending about $35 each.

Service: 8.5-9– The girl who took our order didn’t write the orders down which seemed classy; however, she messed up one of the dishes. She immediately came out and apologized and admitted fault right away. She then asked if we wanted to eat the incorrect pizza that she brought out becuase otherwise it would just go to waste. So we got another pizza for free! Luckily for me, it was the exact pizza I wanted to order if I didn’t get my pasta. Sweet!! The correct order was brought out fairly quickly so we didn’t have to sit waiting for too long.  Things we asked for were brought out promptly and our water was refilled (although probably not as often as I needed with all the chili oil I was eating). Definitely up there holding a spot as a place with some of the best service I’ve seen in Sydney.

Taste: 9- My pasta was great!!! I got gnocchi with a basil and tomato sauce with smoked mozzarella. Smoked mozarella has quickly become a favorite ingredient and I find myself wanting to order a dish simply because of that!  The only problem with the pasta is that there wasn’t nearly enough of it!! I wanted more. The pizza I tried was also really good, it was gourmet but not too funky.

I recommend this as a nice date place or for a great night out with friends. It’s probably not somewhere I’d go for a simple Tuesday night dinner. It’s just a little too nice for that. Oh and just FYI- it’s not BYO but it looks like they have a great selection of wines to choose from.

On our way out we spotted another new place called Blue Plate Bar & Grill. I checked out the menu and became very excited when I realized that this was clearly an American style restaurant. I just did a little search and it turns out that the owners of South have opened a new restaurant in Neutral Bay. We definitely want to check that out next!

Okay Neutral Bay… keep the great new restaurants coming!!!

So amidst all the hustle and bustle of my multiple jobs, I have also been making time to hang out with friends. Last weekend I had our girls night out with Natasha and Hayley (where we made pizza and sangria and then headed to The Oaks for some drinks). This weekend I had fun plans every single day!  I did miss Andrew though. From Thursday morning to Sunday night we probably saw each other for about six hours TOTAL for all four days. Between his work, my work and our separate plans, we just kept missing each other.

Friday night a bunch of us headed to Chinatown to celebrate Kristin’s birthday at a Chinese dumpling and noodle house. Despite the fact that they crammed about 18 of us into a space meant for 8 and despite the stools the size of dinner plates and despite the fact that they give you plastic cups for your wine, the food was quite good. We got TONS of dumplings and noodles (way too many in fact) and we all had BYO wine and/or beer and it only cost us $15 each! That is pretty damn cheap in this city. Afterwards we headed to the Gazebo Wine Bar for a glass or two. I had a great night, the only thing missing was Andrew (he was working).

Saturday night Veronica and Renee held a little Mexican themed girls cook off at their house. We each brought a Mexican themed dish (of course I brought guacamole) and we all shared some dinner and enjoyable conversation and laughter. They put together clever little games and had welcome drinks upon arrival. Veronica and Renee made my Sangria recipe and I’m happy to report it was just as good the second time around. It wasn’t just a one-time fluke, it really is an awesome sangria recipe! To top off the night the girls even got a pinata! I can’t remember the last time I hit a pinata, it was great! I think we all had a really fun time that night. Muy Bueno ladies!

Sunday I ventured out to the city to meet Natasha, Tracy and Salome to see Sex and The City 2. It was entertaining, but not nearly as funny as the first (in my opinion). I just thought a lot of it dragged on, but there were definitely cute moments. Although the movie was good, I think my favorite part of the day was when I saw a bride on George street. I saw her from behind and was so happy for her. I got that “awww, that will be me soon” thought in my head. As I was approaching her she turned and I’m pretty sure I gasped out loud when I practically saw the nips of her big honkin’ boobs that were spilling out of her way-too-small dress. OK… maybe I didn’t see nips- but it was about thisclose! I was apalled! But still, seeing a bride out on her wedding day- and then laughing at her horrendous choice in attire- was quite amusing. It gave me something to smile about, I just wish I had a camera!

Sunday evening I FINALLY got to hang with Andrew after barely seeing him for more than a few hours since Wednesday night. I was so happy to just sit on the couch with him for a bit before we drove to Mike and Hayley’s for a yummy taco, rice, beans and apple empenada feast! Mexican two nights in a row? Don’t mind if I do!

I had a great weekend. It was nice to get out and do something fun after being stuck inside for the last million days due to never-ending torrential downpoors. I wonder what next weekend will bring!

So now I am happy to share my Peachy Sangria recipe with you all.

• 2 bottles of chilled light white wine (trust me, you’ll need at least 2 bottles – I used a Semillon/Sav. Blanc blend)
• 1/4 cup peach vodka
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup tinned/canned peaches (in juice, not syrup)
• 1/2 cup of the peach juice from the can
• 1 pear, peeled and sliced
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1 kiwi sliced
• Sprite or other lemon lime soda to top up

1. Add the fruit, sugar, juice and vodka to a pitcher, stir well
2. Add the wine and stir
3. Let the Sangria chill for awhile. I let mine sit in the fridge for an hour
4. Pour into glasses over ice, top up with sprite
5. Drink way too quickly and wish you had made more

YUM!

Obviously you can mix up the fruit… but don’t forget the peaches- otherwise it wouldn’t be very peachy would it?  I was really surprised that it turned out so well using vodka. The only reason I used vodka was because I ran out of brandy so I was a bit worried that it might be weird- but the peach vodka definitely added to the flavor!

Andrew and I are not the type of people that sit back and complain about the Post time and time again without acting on our anger. We like to call and complain and we do it a lot! Well really why wouldn’t we when the postal worker gives us sooooo many things to complain about?

Today I called and made I believe our 5th or 6th official complaint. I can’t be certain of the number for sure because I only started documenting them 4 complaints ago.

You see, our dick of a delivery man doesn’t like to deliver our packages. He likes to put a little blue card in our mail box and simply says we weren’t home. Well we all know that I work from home so this is just not possible. I am ALWAYS home when he puts those cards in the box. Sometimes he claims we must not hear the buzzer. If you’ve been to our place, you know that is impossible. It is LOUD. So this non-delivery problem used to happen ALL the time. Big packages, small… it didn’t matter. The douchebag just never bothered to do his job.

Back in December we had a bit of a breakthrough. We finally thought we complained enough to have some positive turnaround. We spoke to a customer service manager who stated that from now on if the driver attempted a delivery and we weren’t home, the driver was supposed to call this manager and let him know. The manager would then call me to confirm that I was not home. Well after this new protocol was set in place, everything changed. Any time a package came, there was a long and loud BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ BUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  BUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ(remember… this guy is a DICK), at our door.

Well last week that all changed when another little blue card magically appeared in the box. We knew this was for three cases of wine and of course the fat slob doesn’t want to deliver 3 cases of wine. That means he’d actually have to carry the weight up two flights of stairs.

So we immediately called the previous customer service manager to report the problem. Unfortunately, his line that is written on the letter we received is no longer in service. So we resorted to the old methods of filing a regular complaint. Well after one week with no word, Andrew called again yesterday. The guy he spoke to assured us the packages would be re-delivered today.

So today there was a BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ at about 9:45 am. It’s the delivery prick asking if I’d be home in an hour for him to deliver my packages. Was he hoping I’d say no? Was he hoping he’d get out of doing his job again? Unfortunately for him I said yes and then he stated, ok make it an hour an a half. Over TWO hours later he finally comes back.

When he huffs and puffs up with all the boxes he says to me “You weren’t home when I tried to deliver before.”

ASDLKJNCWOEIRFNCOAWIERJAWERKNWAEIFJSEFNWIEHJR!!!!!

IS HE KIDDING ME???

Oh I did not handle that comment well. I told him I was home, as I ALWAYS am when he doesn’t deliver our packages. He actually told me that he put a note on our file stating that if I don’t answer the buzzer the first time that he never has to redeliver a package again. I reminded him of the protocol that he was supposed to follow where he needed to call the manager if we weren’t home. He basically denied that was ever the case (even though I SWEAR it worked for awhile) and just kept shaking his head no and saying “nope.”

I “kindly” told him that everyone we know has this problem with them so it’s not just us.

His response? “No, no, it’s just you guys. You weren’t home,  I won’t redeliver again.”

I can’t tell you how fuming I was. I just yelled “whatever” to him as he huffed and puffed down the stairs. I really wanted to kick him in his face. Seriously… WHY couldn’t Andrew have been home when the jerk came? Andrew is a lot meaner than I am… I would have loved to see what he would say to that guy!

So today… the Australian Post received another nice little complaint from me. This time it was against the driver personally. I stated that he was rude and I don’t feel comfortable being alone in the house when he delivers the package because he’s always a jerk. I don’t need a response from them, I just want every little detail documented so that hopefully one day he will lose his job. I simply cannot understand how someone can NOT lose their job after THAT many complaints. I can tell you right now that if I was as lazy as him and if our customers had that many complaints about me- I would not still be employed. How is it possible that he still is entitled to earn an income?

I REALLY want to order another case of wine now so he can refuse to deliver it and I can call and complain again. It’s almost a source of entertainment now.

1.  I found out one of our friends is now planning to come to the wedding when originally we thought she wouldn’t make it.

2.  I’m not feeling like crap anymore!

3.  We get to pick up our wedding invitations from one of our friends today. He was so kind to bring them back from California after his last trip out there. I finally get to see the finished product. I can’t wait!

4.  It isn’t raining today. After a day of non-stop rain, blue skies are nice. Oh… I take that back. It has just started pouring. I swear I see blue skies off in the distance. We need some sunshine after a week straight of rain. Ok… maybe scratch this one.

5.   I just got an email saying that Muse will be coming to Sydney in December. YAY!

6.  The Grey’s Anatomy season finale was woooonnnderful… as always.

7.  The American Idol season finale is actually live right now in Sydney rather than being delayed until 8pm tonight. I guess they figured there would be too many spoilers online so they’re just playing it live. The fact that I have the ability to watch it live at 10am is just one of the many perks of working from home. Five more minutes until I find out the winner.

8.  Veronica (and her mum) so kindly donated TONS of jars to our wedding centerpiece fund. So nice of them- now I just have to figure out how to get them all back to California.

That’s enough for today. Just wanted to post a little something nice to smile about.