26 Memories for 26 years

Today is my 26th birthday, it seems like only yesterday I was a 9 year old girl staring into our giant wardrobe mirror wondering who I was going to grow up to be and how much more I would grow height wise (not much, still the runt of the family). I feel like I have blinked and so much has happened, there is so much I have learnt in these past 26 years, so much I have been through both good and bad, so much that I have already achieved, if I could go back and tell that little 9 year old what her future contains I don't think she would believe me.

Here are 26 of my favorite memories from the past 26 years. 1. My wedding day, it was both the most relaxing and most stressful day of my life. We had it at my grandparents house, as my car pulled up to the garden wedding we had my stomach instantly dropped as I got to see a peak of Dylan as we rounded the corner it was the most exhilarating moment of my life.

Our Wedding Day 2. When I woke up from surgery after my second kidney transplant and I felt 10,000 times better than I had for the past 2 years and wanted to stand up but the nurses wouldn't let me get out of bed so I had to settle with the back of my bed being sat up. It was such a amazing feeling I will never forget how I went to surgery in so much pain and just feeling so exhausted and then waking up feeling like I could run a marathon right then and there. 3. Finally moving into the house my husband and I had bought together. We had already organised everything and got finance from the bank for our mortgage but the old owners decided to drag settlement out for 3 months whilst they moved out (they where hoarders). The last week when they had almost gone they allowed us to come in and start repainting the whole house and then the day the settlement went through Dylan and I pulled up all the carpet in the house, the next day the carpet layers came in and laid our new carpet and we had moved in the day after.

Still not feeling great on our bus ride through Paris 4. Our honeymoon to Paris, the first week Dylan and I both got super sick with gastro and couldn't leave our hotel room. We took turns in the morning going down to the breakfast bar, loading up on bread rolls and tubs on nutella for the day and then coming back up to the room and watching movies or sitting on the windowsill balcony area watching Paris go by. It sounds horrible but to us it was incredibly romantic. 5. The day I picked Saffron up from the airport when she was a puppy. We had bought her from a breeder interstate and she had to be flown over, we drove down to the specialized luggage pick up area at the airport and there was a bunch of big men ooohhing and ahhhing over this dog carrier with a little fluff ball lapping up all the attention. She was the cutest fluffiest thing I had ever seen.

Saffron being adorable 6. On my 17th birthday I woke up to no presents and was immediately disappointed, mum was running around telling us to get ready for school like she had completely forgotten my birthday. I walked out to hop in the car and there sitting in the drive way was a brand new Kia Rio with balloons all over it, I was completely shocked it was the best birthday ever. 7. On our honeymoon Dylan and I had dinner on the Eiffel tower, it was absolutely stunning and I was terrified the whole time but it was just amazing and the food was unbelievable.

Getting dinner on the tower 8. The first real date Dylan and I went on was at the movies, there wasn't much on so we decided to go see Jackass 3D, in hindsight probably wasn't the best first date movie to go see as it was super vulgar but it was funny and its something we always look back on and laugh. 9. My giant freak out on the golden gate bridge in San Francisco. Looking back now its something that I laugh at but at the time I was terrified, I hate heights and I have a weird fear of big structures falling, we had started walking halfway across the bridge when I just froze and couldn't move. It took a while to calm down and we where able to walk back off the bridge but for a while I was stuck in fear. 10. Selling my old house, it was on the market for over a year because we got messed around with a dodgy real estate agent. Finally a older lady who was living in a retirement village a hour away from her daughters decided she wanted to move closer and fell in love with my old house the minute she saw it and settlement went through a month later. 11. When my littlest sister Charlie was born, I was 6 years old so I was actually old enough to really remember it all. Mum said I could be her little helper and I loved running around and looking after Charlie, she was like our own real dress up doll.

Ziggy and Harley snuggling 12. When I bought Ziggy, she was about 16 weeks old and they had been advertising her for a while, I was living by myself with just Saffron and my neighbor said I needed to get a dog that was more threatening than a fluff ball. I rang inquiring about Ziggy and they where about 10 minutes down the road and so I drove down to this run down house with 2 early twenty somethings living is squallier. I saw poor Ziggy hiding in the corner of the box, the last puppy left. I scooped down and picked her up and brought her straight home. Immediately she relaxed and just sat in my lap for hours. 13. Our family trip to America when I was 15, we went for 3 weeks, hired a car and drove all around California. We went to Disneyland, the Grand Canyon, San Francisco and Las Vegas. It was the best family holiday we ever went on and I have such wonderful memories, especially when my dad somehow managed to drive into a parade and he just continued to drive along with the parade smiling and waving. 14. When I bought my first house, I was 20 and driving over a hour to work everyday so I decided it would be best if I bought a house closer to work. I was able to find this adorable 3 bedroom house that was pretty cheap and was so proud when I bought it. I might have been just managing to pay my mortgage and living on about $150 a week but it was worth it, I was completely independent and in control.

Harley as a puppy 15. After Dylan and I moved into our current house my mother decided that since we had 5 acres and since Saffron is 8 now doesn't want to currently run around with Ziggy who is only 5 it was time to get another dog as a house warming gift. She turned up with Harley who was absolutely tiny, its hard to picture how small he was because he is so big and boisterous now. Definitely a perfect fit for this family. 16. When I got Karma tattooed on the top of my foot after I lost my first kidney transplant. I had been thinking about getting a tattoo done for awhile and a friend of mine wanted to get one done so we just thought screw it lets do it. It was the first and only tattoo that I got because it was so unbelievably painful, in hindsight top of the foot is not a good idea for first timers. 17. I had the best milkshakes after my first kidney transplant, I was only 16 years old and I was still pretty sick for a week after surgery. I was staying in a specialized transplant room all by myself and my sister came to see me but I wasn't feeling well so they went down the hall to the teen room and played all afternoon. Later that night I was feeling sad because I hadn't really seen my family that day so the nurse made me these special chocolate milkshakes to make me feel better and they instantly made me feel 1000 times better.  18. When Dylan proposed to me, he took me up to this romantic look out and it was freezing cold. I was super pissed off because he had a giant jacket on and wasn't offering it to me (he had the ring in the pocket). I was scared because it was late and the carpark had a bunch of drag racers sitting there, we walked up to the summit and to silly girls where taking pictures in the fog and Dylan wanted to wait for them to leave before asking so I was getting cold and bored and didn't understand why we where hanging around. Finally they left and he got down on one knee behind me, I turned round and instantly burst into tears.

Dylan in Disneyland Paris

19. When I finally visited Disneyland, I am a giant Disney fan at it was just as amazing as I imagined, I have now been to Disneyland in California, Hong Kong and Paris. I hope to finish it off by visiting Disneyland in Tokyo and Disney World in Florida one day.

20. One night Dylan and I where craving good burritos, we went driving all over the city trying to find the perfect burrito because we where on a adventure. It's silly and stupid but it is a night I will remember forever, we finally found our burritos but I think the adventure was better than the food. 21. When I moved out of home at 18 to this teeny tiny place that was only 2 rooms and a bathroom. The bedroom was so small that I had a loft bed so I could keep my set of draws under the bed and have room to put a small wardrobe. The other room that house the kitchen and lounge room was slightly bigger than the bedroom so everything in there was super small, I loved every moment living there.

Balthazar just relaxing like normal 22. Dylan and I decided that we wouldn't rush into having babies and work on my health for awhile, I am really baby crazy so Dylan thought it would be a good idea to supplement my baby crazy problem with a cat. I have been obsessed with Rag Doll cats ever since I was a little girl, they are the perfect mix of relaxed and playful. So Dylan and I sort out a bunch of breeders, finally found the kitten for us and went on a giant 4 hour drive one night to go pick Balthazar up. He is the perfect cat for us and we love him to bits. 23. When Dylan and I spent most of last Easter picking all our olive trees (over 100) so we could send them off to a local plant to make oil. It was really fun and messy and exciting, I am looking forward to picking the olives again this year.

Picking Olives 24. When I received my first kidney transplant from my mother, I was only 15 and pretty scared. I ended up being pretty sick for a few weeks after but it was pretty amazing and I am extremely lucky that my mother gave me her kidney. 25. My giant freak out on the golden gate bridge in San Francisco. Looking back now its something that I laugh at but at the time I was terrified, I hate heights and I have a weird fear of big structures falling, we had started walking halfway across the bridge when I just froze and couldn't move. It took a while to calm down and we where able to walk back off the bridge but for a while I was stuck in fear. 26. When Dylan and I completed my first ever colour run 5k. It was super fun and super messy, because I am so short people where just pegging me in the face with colour it was absolutely crazy but we had a wonderful time and I can't wait to do it again. Well that is 26 of my favourite memories, of course they are not in any order and they are not for each year, these are just things that I remember most. What do you think of my 26 memories? What do you do for your birthday?

Carry On Must Haves!

I am taking the next few weeks off and heading to a healthy retreat, I am feeling a little run down and over worked so I thought what better way to celebrate my 26th birthday then taking 2 weeks off to completely relax.

I will be staying in the New South Wales Central Coast just a hour out of Sydney but that does mean I have to fly to Sydney all by myself! I am not a great flyer so its important that I pack a bunch of different things to keep me entertained on the flight so I don't get too scared. Here are what I believe are Carry On Must Haves.....

// Nivea Hand Cream // Black Bow Headwrap // Bad Hair Day Hairbrush // Oroton Stencil Tote bag // Mascara // BB Cream / e.l.f Lipstick // Cable Knit Socks // Microfiber Throw Blanket // Ipad Air Case // Coin Purse // Gillian Flynn Dark Places // Lucas' Paw Paw cream // Typo cat headphones //

Oroton Stencil Tote Bag I love to use this handbag when I am flying, not only because it looks beautiful but also because it is extremely useful, it has plenty of side zip pockets, a top zip to keep the whole bag closed and is 51cm wide by 31cm high by 15cm deep so it can fit practically anything. Cute Coin Purse While its important to keep your purse on you during a flight I often also carry a cute little coin purse with just cash and coins in it in case the stewardess comes past and asks if I want to order something, its much easier to whip out a cute coin purse with money ready than to have to search through you luggage in the overhead carrier trying to find your big purse than checking that you actually have cash in there. Nivea Hand Cream I hate the dry air that they pump around the planes, my hands seem to dry out in to time flat so a tiny sample size of hand cream is perfect for flights as its small enough to bring with you and has just enough cream to keep your hands feeling soft. Lucas' Paw Paw Ointment This stuff is magic in tube form, I use this constantly on my lips to stop them chapping and cracking. After a long flight my lips often start to dry out and start to rip a bit that's why I always fly with paw paw ointment to put on them throughout the flight. Black Bow Headwrap The worst part about getting of a plane is looking at your hair and seeing a monster, I like to take small wraps and headbands with me because they can fix a bad hair day with minimal work. Bad Hair Day Hairbrush Of course nothing fixes plane hair like a nice big hair brush, just pile a few hair elastics onto the end and you are completely ready for any hair catastrophe. Mascara I find a quick little flick of mascara and I already look a thousand more times awake than I did with out it so I always take mascara with me all the time but its especially great for after a long flight. BB Cream I don't like caking my face in makeup before I fly so I like to keep a little bit of tinted moisturizer with me to keep face feeling fresh, BB cream is great for flights because it not only helps to keep your face feeling fresh but its tinted as well so you can get some slight coverage to even out your skin without heavy foundation. e.l.f Lipstick I love elf lipsticks because they are super moisturizing, I often feel that quickly swiping on some lipstick before you get off the plane can make you feel completely put together with minimum effort. Cable Knit Socks The worst part about flying is getting cold feet, there is nothing worse than sitting there with frozen toes trying pull on those awful plane socks they give you that always seem to fall off and go missing half way through a flight. I always bring my own cable knit socks because they are super warm and comfy and also really easy to slip on and off! Microfiber Throw Blanket I always get super cold in planes, I feel like the a/c is always blaring down on me and no matter how many of those little blankets they give you I manage to borrow and use I still can't keep warm. That is why I always carry a small microfiber throw blanket, these are perfect because they keep you snuggly and warm but most of the time are small enough to roll up and keep in your carry on bag. Ipad Air Case Of course I always take my ipad on planes loaded with games and books to read but I also like to make sure I keep it in a heavy duty case. My favorite cases at the moment that I am using are the Kikki K leather cases that keep your ipad safe but also include a pen holder and a pad of cute paper to write anything down on which is important when flying because I always have a brain wave in the air! Cute Head Phones I hate the horrible black head phones they give you on flights, the ear buds always loose their covers and after a while my ears start hurting for having the buds in. That is why I always bring super comfortable head phones with me, I am currently loving my Typo knitted cat ear head phones because they are super duper adorable and extremely comfortable. A Good Book  I am currently reading Gillian Flynn's Dark Places for March's Book Club so I will be bringing this along with me on the flight, I love bringing both hardcover and electronic books with me so I have a multitude of things to read if I get bored of reading the same thing. Well that is all I have planned to take with me on the flight, I hope I have remembered everything I need. Luckily for me its only around a 2 hour flight so I should be fine, just hope I don't have any panic attacks. What do you think of my list? What do you take in your carry on?