7 days in 15 minutes

Hey everyone! The last week of my life hasn't been overly exciting but I have done a bit and I thought I would share, along with some thoughts I have (it's 12:15am as I start to write this and I should probably sleep as it is Monday aka uni day, but oh well).

The week started dull, Monday (because I don't even remember the last weekend right now). Monday = uni day. This particular Monday was test day in my IT class and group debate day in Human Resources. Worst 5 minutes of the day was when I did my speech in the debate. Yeah, public speaking ain't my thing. Anxiety levels were truly peaking today, all over a little speech, it left me feeling awful all day leading up to and after it was over. Worked out with my mum and it made me feel a little calmer. I also had to work. Bummer

Tuesday, no better. Grocery shopping, cooking and then work. Got to see my boyfriend for half an hour after work. Complete highlight of the day.

Wednesday. Ah the first day of death. Woke up with the worst cold/flu/sore throat thing in a long time. Did assignments and watched Pretty Little Liars. *side note: just tell me why 'A' is 'A'. I don't get it. I've spent so much time reading up on theories in the past years. I got the reveal and the major clue, but I still don't get it.* Oh and I also worked.

Thursday, another uni day. Long day, made worse by feeling crappy with the sickness. Home time was good, spending time with Kieran was even better. We had dinner and he slept over. Falling asleep in his arms was the best part of my week. Note- I was extra happy today because I didn't have to work! I also made jelly shots for Saturday. I regretted not making alcohol free because soon enough I craved jelly. 

Friday, TGIF am I right? Wrong. No one cares it's Friday if they know they have to work on the weekend. Spent the day again doing homework, worked out, watched Greys Anatomy. I used to be so in love with Derek and Meredith and their happiness but I just don't know anymore. She's so independent and he doesn't fit. But their characters showed me what love could do and I will ship them forever. I worked tonight again as well. 

Saturday. The absolute longest day of my week. I had to wake up early to vote (sigh, people shoving their beliefs in my face and 'encouraging' me to follow along and vote for them is not my thing either). Photoshoot was next (I will post about this probably in the next week or so). It was for uni and it was so much fun. I was basically just the boss. Not the model, not the photographer, just the boss. I am good at being the boss. Work was next (again, yes 5th time this week trust me I know). Then clubbing adventures with Kieran after work! This was a messed up night and I was sick, tired and verbally (almost physically) abused by a bunch of guys. Not fun. I left early with Kieran and cried half the way home on the train (about 30 minutes). Kieran then fell asleep on my shoulder and my little sister picked us up from the station. I fell asleep as little spoon with him so it made my night a bit better. 

The week definitely ended better than it started. Sunday. My favourite day. Not sure why, because I don't always get to be lazy. Today though, I slept in and then made myself, Kieran, my sister and her friend a big breakfast. I worked AGAIN (6 out of 7 days, solid). Went out to dinner with Kieran again and ended up laying in bed perfecting assignments and writing this post. 

Saturday night shenanigans. I think we can all appreciate just how much we clearly love each other ;)

Kieran and I spent the weekend pretending we are married (I'm not sure why, it's just funny) and I have extreme baby fever tonight (thought I would share as I'm feeling honest and now sort of tired).

I don't know if anyone cared and I'm sorry for the lame post, but thanks for reading! Also everyone keep your fingers crossed (or whatever it is that you do in this sort of situation) and hope that Kieran gets better and no more bad news. I may have to wrap this boy in bubble wrap to protect him.

Stelle xx

It's a Crazy Life

Hey everyone! So for some reason I seem to still have time to make a quick post even though I am crazy busy with everything right now (hence the title of the post).

I've noticed I have had a lot of new readers recently so I would like to quickly share a little bit about who I am and what I do for those of you out there to get to know me a bit better (my last post is so outdated and I'm not even sure I am the same person anymore!) So alas, here are some quick facts about me!

- My name is Kristelle and I am 19 years old, turning 20 in just over 6 months

- I have the sweetest boyfriend named Kieran and we have been dating for 4 and a half years (we are high school sweethearts)

- I am a uni student at Macquarie University and am studying a Bachelor of Commerce with a double major in Marketing & Human Resources (I enjoy both and want to keep my options open)

- I usually work about 3-4 shifts a week at work

- I love the people I work with because they are all so friendly (when I actually get to work with people and I'm not rostered on by myself lol)

- I spend approximately 5 hours on a Tuesday cooking for my boyfriend (I am his personal meal prep chef and I actually enjoy it because I love cooking so much)

- I am 100% a BBG girl! I love Kayla Itsines and I believe she has changed my lifestyle for good. I used to be really into drinking all the time, eating nasty take away several times a week (Maccas was literally my life) and I didn't really do much exercise (other then when I would play netball). Now I haven't eaten McDonalds in over 2 months, I exercise regularly and have a healthy diet. I do eat some 'unhealthy' foods but I limit my intake and choose the 'healthier option'. E.g. nights at Wenty I will still eat my chicken snitzel and chips, but I'll get the smaller meal and add a side salad. It's what works for me

- The beach will always be my go to place when I want something to do 

- I have one tattoo (hoping to make that two soon) and double piercings in each ear + my bellybutton pierced

- I love to go on adventures and I have 3 big adventures set up for this year (you'll find out the first two soon and the third is the biggest because it is overseas!)

- I love to read and write & my all time favourite book series will always be Harry Potter, all time favourite book is Looking For Alaska and my current favourite books are the Paradise series by Simone Elkeles 

That is all I can think of from the top of my head!

Here is an old photo from September 2012 of Kieran and I at my Year 12 formal (we weren't allowed +1's that's why he is only in a T-Shirt).

I just want to say that I have been kind of struggling lately trying to balance everything in my life. I know it comes super easy to some people but it is hard for others. It's hard for me to balance going to uni, studying + homework + assignments, working, exercising, spending time with my boyfriend, going out with my friends, spending time with my family, having alone time. I don't want to miss out anything and I am not happy to ever have to sacrifice one thing for the other. I can't even tell you which of these is my number 1 priority because I feel like they all are. I have a planner and I write everything down I need to do, sometimes it makes things easier! If you have any tips on balancing life, please let me know!

Thanks for reading,

Stelle xx

Blue Mountains, Hiking and Waterfalls

Hey everyone! I finally have another post to make and I am very excited to be writing about this because it was so much fun!

Last Saturday, true to our promise on the bucket list, Kieran and I woke up early and picked an adventure we thought we were up for that day (unfortunately it could not have anything to do with swimming because I had gotten stitches in my arm the day before and was not allowed to get them wet or do anything that would over work that arm- including working out and swimming). So we picked something 'easy' travelling to the Blue Mountains to walk some of the trails! I was extra excited that I got to cross two things off my bucket list in one go because we went on an adventure to the Mountains to go hiking and we found a waterfall (we found quite a few actually, but the bigger and better ones I wasn't coordinated, nor strong enough to climb to- especially with my weak arm). 

The first waterfall we found- small but beautiful

In the end, we ended up hiking for just over 2 hours and our legs felt like jelly by the end of it. It had recently rained, so unfortunately it was slippery and muddy but that didn't stop us. I'm not too clear on all of the names of the trails we took, but I know we started at Echo Point (where the lookout of the 3 sisters is in the Blue Mountains) and we walked around another trail towards Katoomba Falls.  

I love the things that nature can create

The day started off freezing cold, despite how hot we knew it was back home, but we were in the Mountains so it was expected. By the end of our walk, we were sweating because the temperature had jumped up about 15 degrees Celsius. 

I love this photo because we were mid-adventure, exhausted but so happy to be doing something fun together  

Doing the walk (we estimated we walked about 14km that day) left me feeling so great by the end of the day. I had been lacking in my workouts at the start of the week, so by ending the week with this exercise filled adventure, left me feeling amazing!

I am so in love with how green and lush everything was in the national park (and so in love with this boy)

Short, yet sweet post because I feel the pictures say more about the adventure than my words ever could. Keep your eyes out for more posts coming soon!

Thanks for reading, 

Stelle xxx

Liebster Award Nomination

Hey everyone!

So something a little different for this post today. Recently I was nominated by Jenny (The Travelling Donkey) for the Liebster Award! It is all about highlight small blogs (200 followers or less) that you think need more support. I feel pretty honoured to have received this nomination because I didn't think that 1. anyone other than a few of my friends and boyfriend read my blog, 2. anyone actually cared about my blog and 3. I thought I was just going on about stuff no one cared about! So I want to say thank you to Jenny for motivating me to continue to make the time to blog and for putting a smile on my face to show me that people actually do care about what I have to say (and the views actually aren't just my friends clicking over and over)

The rules for Liebster Award are simple:

1. Thank the person who nominated you

2. Answer the questions given by the nominator

3. Nominate another 11 bloggers (with 200 or less followers) and link them

4. Create 11 new questions for the nominees to answer

5. Notify all nominees by social media/blogs

Questions received from The Travelling Donkey

1. Favourite memory?

I don't think I can choose a singular favourite memory from my life! I have too many great things to remember. I will however say that my favourite memories in the last 5 years have probably all occurred with the same person- my wonderful boyfriend Kieran. I'll give you my top 3 that come to mind when I think of Kieran. First off I think of our second anniversary when he gave me my promise ring. I thought it was so sweet and special and I cried (I tried to hide the fact I cried so now I just busted myself lol hi Kieran). Secondly, I think time we decided to go camping in Kiama (the first time) and it bucketed down with rain the entire 3 days we were there and our tent started to leak water. We couldn't buy a new tent (limited $) so we drove all around trying to find a hardware store so we could 'fix' the tent. In the end Kieran bought tarps and duct tape and made a shelter over our tent. It was hilarious and it worked. Lastly in my top 3 would be the day we got our matching tattoos because they mean a lot to both of us and it's something that is going to be there forever.

2. What is the top location in the world you would like to visit?

This is tricky because there are so many places in the world I would love to go. I know I am going to sound like such a cliche right now, but ultimate goals are to be able to travel around Europe. In particular: France, Italy, Amsterdam and Greece. But less cliche for some reason (I think it just sounds so so appealing- and Kieran wants to do this with me) I would LOVE to visit Canada. I think I change that to my top location. 

3. Why did you start blogging?

Well I have had a tumblr blog for years. But I was sort of getting over reblogging pretty pictures and wanted something more personal where I could share my thoughts and feelings, adventures and experiences and any other quirky little things I found. I enjoy writing (although I am not very good at it) and I thought it would be fun to put everything out there in the open and connect with people all over the world and let people get an insight into my life. 

4. Favourite book at the moment?

Still my favourite book at the moment has to be John Green's, Looking For Alaska. I don't know how to explain why. The book just gets me. I get it. I don't know, for someone who likes to write I seem to be horrible at putting reasons for liking things into words. A close second would be Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles (highly recommend reading both of these if you never have before).

5. If you could only eat one food for the rest of you life, what would it be?

One food for the rest of my life would have to be potatoes. No clue why but they are my all time favourite food. There's just so many fun ways to enjoy potatoes. Baked, mashed, potato bake, potato salad... the list is only as limited as your imagination! 

6. Favourite song at the moment?

Favourite song would still have to be Elastic Heart- Sia. In one word, love. In multiple words, that song just makes me feel things. You know?

7. A place you go to get away from everything?

Easiest answer. My beach, my lookouts. Anywhere overlooking the ocean. Helps clear my mind and staring out into the big empty spaces lets me know that there's so much out there for me that life will always go on, no matter how bad it seems at the time. 

8. What is a weird dream you've had recently?

A lot of the time I just dream about myself eating food or my dreams are so realistic I don't know whether I'm dreaming or I'm awake and living. 

9. Who inspires you?

My mum (again a cliche agh!) but seriously she is amazing and I would be lucky to grow up (I'm sort of a grown up at the moment, 19 is still a baby in the scale of life!) and become even half the women she is. She's strong and just downright an amazing person. Love you mum

10. Who is your favourite blogger? 

I'm not sure of this one 100%, I do read lots of blogs (especially random posts I just come across in my daily internet browsing). But currently I read a lot of Kayla Itsines blog because I love all the tips and advice she gives on exercise and healthy lifestyle choices (I am a BBG girl in case anyone wanted to know!)

11. What is quote to you find inspiring?

Top two quotes that I find inspiring would have to include:

“To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”~ Elbert Hubbard. This inspires me because it reminds m that people are always going to criticise what you do/say, so if you aren't being criticised than you aren't being out there doing anything, saying anything or most importantly being anything.

“Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.” ~Russell Warren. Now this inspires me to be better. That it's okay to be 'obsessed' with something, whether it be getting fit or getting good grades because it means that I am dedicated to these and it is not a bad thing. 

My Nominations:

These are the blogs that I nominate to answer my questions in a post. It took me ages to pick out these blogs because I wanted to make sure I actually enjoyed reading the posts!

Beneath the Surface

Kiss and Makeupx

Live, Laugh, Love

Adventure Tayme

Soif de Vivre

SMB-Health

Pulling Our Shit Together

Just A Girl

Be Kind

Cassidy's Blog

The Waffle Writer

My Questions for my Nominee's:

1. What is your dream career/job?

2. What is the first thing you do when you wake up?

3. What is your ultimate holiday destination?

4. What is your all-time favourite book/genre?

5. Describe yourself in 10 words or less

6. What bands/artists do you love and what are your favourite songs by them?

7. If you could have one wish, what would it be?

8. What made you want to start blogging?

9. If you were trapped on a deserted island, what 3 things would you take and why?

10. Describe your favourite food without actually using the name of it

11. If you could spend the day with one person (dead or alive, famous or not) who would it be, why and what would you do together?

And again I would just like to thank all the people that do read my blog and a special thanks once again to Jenny for thinking my blog is awesome. 

Thanks for reading, 

Stelle xx

Bucket List Review

Hey everyone! So I thought it was about time I go back and revisit my Summer Bucket List and actually see what I have/haven't accomplished this Summer. As a little side note I want to say I really didn't think that all of these things would be done in Summer (mostly due to the fact that my boyfriend has a full-time job and worked a heap of overtime and I was basically working every day during Summer with two jobs!)

Shoalhaven Heads Beach- South Coast of NSW

1. Go camping- We actually went camping twice, once over the New Year period for about 5 days with my family and then a second time when we went camping in Kiama!
2. Get drunk on the beach- This was probably done a few times actually (lol), but the one that stands out to me was on New Years Eve when we continued our partying and sat on the beach (slightly intoxicated) talking about life
3. Have a campfire
4. Learn to surf
5. Go paddleboarding- This was one of the standout memories from the Summer because it was a random day when we decided to do this and I was very nervous to give it a go but I actually loved it so much and we had so much fun
6. Go fishing- I'm not even 100% sure if I can count this as going fishing because we sat in the light rain (more annoying than actual rain) and we didn't catch any fish (extremely disappointing). But we still went fishing and had bait and everything. To be fair, the fish were smart and were eating the bait off the hook without actually getting hooked...
7. Do the Bondi to Bronte walk
8. Get a piercing- This was a total spur of the moment decision (even though it was on my bucket list I didn't think I would actually do it). I got my belly pierced, it got infected, took forever to heal and was getting knocked by Kieran constantly when we would muck around. But no ragrets. I should mention 2 weeks later Kieran also got his nose pierced when we were on holidays in Kiama. Totally random
9. Go for a bike ride
10. Have a picnic lunch- I am going to count our picnic lunch as the day when I was sad and sick so Kieran bought over a whole bunch of foods that I liked (including the best cheese ever) and he made us lunch (sort of). It was sweet and it was cute.
11. Go snorkelling
12. Visit the mountains in Summer
13. Get a new tattoo
14. Make a video of our Summer
15. Workout more- YES! done on both of our parts I think. He goes to the gym probably 5 times a week and I've been working out using the Kayla Itsines guides and I couldn't be happier. Progress is so easy to see on him, bit harder on me but I feel so much better!
16. Go to an outdoor movie/drive ins- We went to the drive ins, ate our food and watched Taken 3. Probably a bit different to how they used to watch movies at the drive ins, but we had fun with our mountain of pillows and my 1.5L of orange juice I deemed necessary to watch a movie.
17. Spend the day at a water park- We went to Wet 'n' Wild Sydney once, I think that should count?
18. Save up for 2015's holidays- In progress! I think I should let everyone know that this New Years, Kieran and I will be going to Bali! We both opened up savings bank accounts for the trip so that totally counts and starting to save
19. Go to a music festival
20. Do something crazy- Okay it might not seem like much but I totally think that this one for me would have to be when Kieran actually got me on his motorbike and when I rode the quadbike too. Totally not my thing, I never would of done it. But I was saying yes to new experiences and it was definitely crazy!
21. Messy twister
22. Carve our names into a tree
23. Make a homemade slip 'n' slide
24. Visit a waterfall and go swimming
25. Skinny dipping at night- story of this isn't appropriate, but I did it
26. Water balloon fight
27. Watch a sunrise

I'm kind of bummed that a lot of things didn't get crossed off this Summer. But Kieran and I have come up with a plan:

• every weekend when neither of us are working, we are going to ignore what the weather is like (unless it's really extreme aka thunder storming or torrential rainfall) and pick an activity and go and do it. It's what we have 'planned' for this weekend. Around my work, we are just gonna go for it!

I plan to re-update this post in probably a couple of months time. I know there are heaps of other fun things I want to do that I have totally forgotten to even include in this list- but hey you will probably see a blog post about them (or I will just sneakily slip them in my next update).

Hope all my fellow Southern hemisphere folks out there had an amazing Summer & my Northern hemisphere friends enjoyed their Winter. I know I love Summer and it is safe to say I am not keen on Winter (I hate the cold- but I might get to go to the snow *fingers crossed*).

Still one of the most amazing days I've had Paddleboarding @ Northern Beaches

So thank you everyone for reading and I hope I can continue to cross things off this list!
Stelle xx

Late Night Musings

This post only needs to be short and sweet. It's just after 12:30am, I'm getting up in about 7 hours to start my day and I need to share what's going on in my brain before I can sleep. 

1. It's been a year. It was hell but I've done it. I'm here, I survived through it all. I think I'm even happy now? The world didn't end. The sun still rises and sets. All is okay. And I am thankful to the only person I can ever rely on. You know who you are. 

2. Tomorrow is a new day. Workout, make my lunch, keep eating right and head to uni. Study, learn, make friends and succeed. That's what it's all about. 

3. There are places I haven't seen and new opportunities everyday and I need to remember to make the most of it. 

4. Remember I don't have to do my make up for uni and gym clothes are acceptable. Be comfy in the 35 degree Autumn (yeah right it's Autumn- kidding its Sydney, it's crazy all the time) weather and take my laptop charger (I will need it despite me saying I'll just turn my brightness down).

5. Not every friend is worth my time and effort and it's okay to let go and not talk to them anymore. There will be other people who are worth the effort I come accross in life. Stick to putting in the effort with those who already matter. 

6. Nothing good comes out of holding on to anger. A grudge against someone isn't worth the energy. Move on, not necessarily forgive or forget- but just let it go and move on. It's really not worth it (I'm the bigger person for it anyway). 

7. Some people are just stupid. Accept it and be smarter. 

Thanks for reading direct from my jumbled, slightly (okay maybe more than slightly) crazy brain. 

Stelle xx

Meatball Recipe

Hey everyone! So for anyone who follows my tumblr, knows me in person or watches my snapchat stories, you will have noticed that I enjoy cooking quite a lot. 

The small backstory is that every week I meal prep for my boyfriend (cooking a total of 25 meals- not 25 different meals lol) but it has given me a chance to explore my cooking skills and create new recipes as I go when he requests a meal (e.g. I want lasagne- I make up my own recipe to suit that). So with this I thought I would share recipes I create just in case anyone else out there wants to try!

Meatball Recipe

Ingredients:

- 500g lean mince

- 2 cloves garlic: crushed

- 2 eggs

- 1 medium sized onion finely diced

- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

- 1/2 teaspoon crushed chilli (or one small red chilli chopped finely)

- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

- 1 jar pasta sauce (I use the brand 'Raguletto' flavoured red wine with garlic)

The ingredients for meatballs (minus the mince because I already used it and forgot to include it in the photo!)

Method:

1. Preheat fan forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius and lightly oil a baking dish

2. Place all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl

3. Mix all ingredients together. This works the best if you use your hands because you can mix everything in together easier and break down the mince. If you don't want to use your hands I would recommend using a large wooden spoon. But my advice- hands work best!

4. Once all the ingredients are well combined, use hands to roll meatballs and place in baking dish. You want to try and roll the meatballs to roughly the size of a golf ball, squashing the mince together so it has less of a chance of falling apart (the egg is the best ingredient that will keep the mince 'sticky' so it will stick together easier).

Meatballs at step 4 after being rolled and placed in the tray

5. Cover the meatballs completely with the sauce of your choosing 

6. Cook in oven for about 40-50 minutes

To serve I like to use mashed potatoes and sprinkle fresh parsley and a tad of parmesan cheese on top. However they also go well with penne pasta.

Final product! They smell really good and will serve about 4 

There is my recipe! I really like making these posts so I will continue to share them along with my regular posts.

Thanks for reading,

Stelle xx

Kieran's birthday!

I would like to wish my boyfriend Kieran a very happy 19th birthday (from Saturday)!

I want to say a few things about him (yes on my blog and yes hi Kieran I know you will read this eventually).

I organised the weekend and we ended up at Manly Beach on Saturday for a day in the sun, swimming and a cafe lunch. In the night we went to the city (about 10 guys and 2 girls, nice ratio) and partied all night and it was so much fun. Sunday was mostly spent sleeping off the hangovers from Saturday night and watching How to Get Away with Murder (OMG it can not end that way) and then we had a family dinner in the evening. It was an amazing weekend, here are some pictures from it and I'm writing a little something about Kieran below.

View of Manly Beach from the walk between Manly/Shelley Beach

Amazing lunch- chicken burger and salad for me and a beef burger for him

Quick picture form the train ride into the city

Now about Kieran. I wish everyone saw Kieran the way I do. He is funny, attractive and smart. He knows so much about everything and when he talks about something he is passionate about he can go on for hours. He is loving and kind and would do anything for anyone who needs his help. He knows how to make you laugh even when you're so angry you want to throw something. 

He can make you smile when you're sad and in no time you'll forget why you're even sad in the first place. He will cuddle you and cook you food when you're sick and upset and then he will apologise that he can't cook as well as you, but just settle for buying something you love. 

He will get addicted to the TV shows you love and demand you wait to watch the new episodes with him so he isn't left out and you will do it because he took the time to like something you like. 

He will buy your movie ticket and dinner when you go out, despite your arguments that you can pay for yourself. He is a lot of things, but mostly he is just amazing. I do wish everyone saw him the way I do, but then again it wouldn't be the same. 

Happy birthday again Kieran (now you're old like me!!)

Thanks for reading,

Stelle xx