Shoes Shoes Shoes Shoes Shoes!!!!!!

Hahhhhhh. I'm on a massive shoe-high today after deciding that this Summer, I will have the most enviable shoe collection ever. I love shoes!!! And this season's wedges are so fun and colourful and wonderful... everywhere I turn, I see drool-worthy shoes. The spit is flying everywhere (thanks to my vigorous head-turning combined with my drooling)! Eeeep!
Things stepped up a notch today when I purchased these shoes I've been admiring from afar for the last few weeks every time I've passed a Betts store:

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Well, I say I purchased them but actually I put them on lay-by. And only just. My brain intoxicated with the loveliness of my new shoes, I channeled Isla Fisher in Confessions of a Shopaholic... specifically that scene where she is struggling to pay for something wonderful, and she's scrambling through her wallet, begging the shop assistant to put through miniscule amounts on various cards... Upon realising I didn't have the funds available to pay for these babies in full, I did the wallet-scramble and managed to scrape them through to lay-by with a dollar to spare, thanks to a handy combo of a $10 note I found in my wallet and the $9.67 on my debit card.

Upon leaving the store, my pretty new shoes safely boxed and in the hands of the very helpful and patient store girl, I realised that my eyes were already wandering. And in a 7-second stroll to the door, I mentally picked out like 10 more pairs of shoes. Ha.

The point of this post is not to declare to you that I will be filling my wardrobe with Betts shoes this season... as much as I'd like to, we so don't have the money! But I do intend to source amazing shoes anywhere that I possibly can. I even made a shoe-plan with Chris tonight (bless a man who will spend a dinner date with his wife talking about shoes!!!) I have to sign a contract and there are strict rules (not even joking!), but at the end of the day I plan to be rolling in beautiful, wonderful shoes. Oh shoes. I love shoes.

From The Sick Bed...

Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I know, I'm a terrible person. As more and more of you are beginning to point out, I am like 2 freaking months behind on my 365s. Disgusting, I know! The good news is that I've still been taking the photos (most days). The bad news is that a lot of the time, I'm forgetting the little anecdotes and details of many of my photos already, which is completely messing with the purpose of this project - remembering the little things. Grrrr.

Anyway, me-bashing aside, I am cranky as pants with my health at the moment. In the last month and a half, I've been sick a whopping three times! Three! And these are not short and sharp little head colds... they're hard-core, 9-day-long stretches of splitting head aches, the sorest of sore throats, congestion so severe it would protect my insides from a nuclear explosion (yep, just from my nose being totally blocked up) and the worst part, coughing fits that are so hard and so frequent they've reduced me to a teary ball on the floor. This is not how I've ever experienced sick before, and I'm wayyyyy over it. Thanks for listening to my melt down.

On a slightly less self-pitying note, I've been spending this weekend thinking about the future. I've decided to switch my uni degree back to primary teaching (I'm currently doing early childhood education) and I've been offered a more secure, permanent position at work which has me feeling more settled than I have basically all year since giving up my full-time status for a casual one. But this offer has brought a lot of things to the surface and I'm now trying to answer questions that I just can't - what do I want my immediate future to hold? A stable job? A baby? A focus on finishing my degree? Do I pursue the dream I've had for years, to open a cupcakery? Do I dabble in the event-planning path that's caught my interest lately? How brave do I let myself be? Bless my husband, who is waiting patiently for me to work these things out for myself.

I don't understand people whose lives are black and white - and I don't mean that in a negative way at all. I just don't get how someone can come up with the 'grand plan' that they then stick to for 50 years. Life would sure be a lot easier that way. I just change too much - my hopes, my dreams, my goals, my mind... it's all just constantly moving.

Anyway, my cold & flu medication is swirling through my brain right about now and my eyes are slowly being forced close, so I'll leave you with my thoughts and take a good, long sleep. I hope!

Dad

I'd like you to meet my Dad! I've said a word or two about him before, but I feel like it's time you got a closer look at the amazing man that I look up to as my father. Recently my family has been sorting through boxes and crates of things we've been holding onto for years, and through that I've been flooded with memories of my childhood and the things that made it so sweet. To celebrate Father's Day, tonight we're gathering around my parents' TV and watching old family videos. So to go along with this theme of going back and remembering, I figured I'd introduce you to my Dad through the eyes of a much younger version of me!

- My Dad used to entertain us for hours in the evenings with his stories of "When I was a little boy". We found it all so fascinating to learn about our Dad as a kid, the various animals that his family kept in their house, the way school used to be... everything. I remember us crowding around and begging him for more stories. It was so much fun!

- He built his own electrical contracting business from the ground up. His company cars were re-purposed ambulances (which I always thought was the coolest thing ever!) and as a teenager, I developed little crushes on various apprentices of his throughout the years!! He also hired me for my first ever job, to help him catch up with filing all of his invoices. I was the least committed employee ever... sorry Dad!

- When I was 10, I had a 'haunted house' themed birthday party. I don't remember much of that party, other than the spooky-themed treats that my Mum prepared... and the moment when my Dad, decked out in a full vampire costume (complete with fake blood drizzling down his face) surprised us all by jumping into the living room and chasing us around while we screamed! That ended up being one of my favourite birthday parties ever...

- My Dad knew everything - I was always gobsmacked by his knowledge, and the fact that he could answer every question that I threw at him. Whenever I asked how come he knew so much, his response was always "Because I'm a Daddy".

- How many Dads are ticklish? Mine is! It was always incredibly tempting to try and tickle Dad when he wasn't expecting it... of course, it tended to backfire because we were all ticklish too, and he was a lot stronger than all of us put together!

- My Dad has a super low voice, even moreso when he sings. Listening to old music in his car, he always sang along with the guy singing the bass part. (When Chris does this occasionally, it always reminds me of sitting in the car with Dad, listening to him sing).

- It was always incredibly special and exciting when Dad got home from work at the end of the day, especially when we were little.Just hearing the front door close at the other end of the house was one of the greatest moments every night.

These days, I still need and rely on my Dad for a lot of things. Even after I got married, I asked him to help me find a new car. He knows so much about things like cars, home maintenance and appliances, so I usually go straight to him for advice when something breaks down. I love him so much, and he loves me and my family. How blessed am I?? Happy Fathers Day Dad - you're amazing!!!!