Summer Bucket List 2016

Here is my Summer Bucket List. If it says 'we' on it, I am probably referring to Kieran and myself because let's be real here, most of this stuff is on the list because I want to do it with him. Also this list is going to be updated every time I think of something new (I make lists in my phone and also lists in my diary, but if I have it published on here I can't lose the lost (I am a genius I know). 

1. Beach bonfire
2. Paddleboarding
3. Ride a jetski
4. Try something new
5. Get a new tattoo
6. Get my full driver's license
7. Create something beautiful
8. Fill an album with polaroids of my adventures
9. Visit a new place 
10. Go camping 
11. Go kayaking
12. Mountain/bushwalking/hiking some place new
13. Visit Jellybean pool
14. Go fishing and catch fish that we can cook for dinner
15. Bike riding at the beach
16. Visit the markets
17. Road trip to the Central Coast
18. Say yes more
19. Try dirtbike riding
20. Do a pub crawl
21. Visit Cockatoo Island
22. Visit the aquarium 
23. Watch a beach sunset
24. Learn to surf (for real this time)
25. Attend a Marco Polo event
26. Try aqua golf
27. Try something different on a menu at a cafe instead of always ordering the same 3 things
28. Read at least 10 books
29. Do something nice for someone else
30. Grow a plant
31. Attend an 'outside' movie event
32. Use my birthday present and do the Harbour Bridge Climb
33. Attend a festival/ outdoor concert
34. Go swimming at a waterfall
35. Roadtrip with friends
36. Take one photo every day for all of Summer and make a mini-video at the end (December 1st until February 29th)
37. Have a picnic somewhere beautiful
38. Create tie dye clothes
39. Swim at a waterfall 
40. Visit delwood beach 
41. Visit Neilsons Point 
42. Visit Somersby Falls 
43. Visit Milk beach 
44. Rose Bay
45. Figure 8 Pools

Summer Vibes

Every time it crosses my mind to jump onto my laptop and make a blog post, I sound like a broken record. Starting everything off the same with "well, it's been a while since I made a post...". You all can't see me, but I am shaking my head and rolling my eyes at myself thinking "wow, aren't I clever? What a good way to start the post. Yep I will actually blog more often now".

Truthfully, I know I probably won't. As much as I love to write here and share my thoughts, feelings, views and opinions on life (well pretty much anything), I figure I just don't have that much going on that I know would even be remotely interesting to some people. 

Instead I'm just going to tell everyone what I am excited for this Summer and what I am thankful for right now. 

Bali holiday- 

Less than 6 weeks. First overseas holiday without my fam and first overseas holiday in almost 10 years. Pretty keen to say the least

Finishing uni sem- 

Should be first, but oh well. Done on Friday (not looking forward to the release of marks though. I've gotten lazy. Stopped trying as hard. I am disappointed in myself, but I still have another 3(?) semesters to try and make myself proud again

The mountain of books I have to read-

I recently went on a crazy shopping spree, to buy books of course. Titles I have planned to read this Summer include some new editions and some old favourites. I'll share my list and I want to write something about each book once I've read it. No promises though. Who knows if I'll even make it through half this list, but I'll try. 

1. The Truth About Forever- Sarah Dessen (oldie)
2. An Abundance of Katherines- John Green (oldie, wasn't a fan but I will give it another chance)
3. Dracula- Bram Stoker (oldie but honestly never finished the thing)
4. The Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold (oldie, needs another read)
5. Looking For Alaska- John Green (oldie, probably one of my favourite books of all time)
6. Paradise- Simone Elkeles (oldie and newbie- 2 books part of a series, read the first and haven't read the second)
7. The Marriage Plot- Jeffrey Eugenides (newbie)
8. Perfect Chemistry- Simone Elkeles (newbie)
9. The Opposite of Loneliness- Marina Keegan (newbie)
10. The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath (newbie, always wanted to read this, not sure why though)
11. The Beginning of Everything- Robyn Scheneider (newbie)
12. The Virgin Suicides- Jeffery Eugenides (newbie)
13. The Power of Now- Eckhart Tolle (newbie)
14. The Pact- Jodie Picoult (oldie)
15. The Catcher in the Rye- J.D Salinger (oldie)

Beach days-

My ultimate favourite thing about Summer. The beach is my home and I am looking forward to being out there as much as I possibly can (wearing my SPF50+ sunscreen of course because I would like to avoid that sun damage if I can)

Creating my bucket list-

Last year was ridiculous, I barely got anything done on my bucket list, but hey let's try again. I'll have this post up by the end of November

That's honestly all I have in my mind right now of what I have to be excited for.

I am thankful that I am happy and healthy. 

I am thankful that I have beautiful friends whom I get to share my happiness with.

I am thankful for my family and all they do for me.

I am thankful for the amazing soul I get to call my boyfriend and whom I get to share all of life's crazy adventures with. 

I am thankful that I get to wake up each day knowing that I have a bright future and it is whatever I make of it. 

I am thankful that I have opportunities and they are endless. 

Lastly, I am thankful that in this crazy, messed up world I am finally figuring out who I am, what I want and how to get it. 

Cheesy as this is, let's end with a very spiritual quote, "Life's a climb, but the view is great". Pretty much sums up my take on life. 

Thanks for reading, next post real soon (I actually promise this- I'm probably writing it write now and saving for later).

Kristelle xxx

Spring happiness

I think Spring may be my favourite season (and not just because it's my birthday season). I love the heat, but Australian Summer's are just way too hot sometimes. Well that and in Summer it always seems to rain a bunch here. 

Spring brings the promise of warmth, fresh flowers and chirping birds. It's cool in the evenings still (but not too cold) and the sun starts to come up earlier again. It's the season I want to be outside and wake up early just to make the most of the day. It's the season you can spend the days at the beach and not come home looking like a tomato even though you've put sunscreen on 20 times that day.

For me Spring means: morning runs, beach days, cafe lunches and evenings out with friends. 

September is nearly over, which means we are into the full swing of Spring. 

I thought I would share some moments that already have made my Spring enjoyable and I know I have so much more to look forward to (including my birthday on October 1st!)

Lunch dates with my bestfriend at amazing cafes. Lamb shanks (top) and french toast (bottom) @ Circa Espresso Parramatta

Technically doesn't fit in with my description of Spring, but was still a part of Spring so I thought I should mention my snow trip with my boyfriend

First beach trip of the season- funny when you realise that I was here the day after I got back from the snow. One extreme to the other!

Of course my first beach trip of the season was with my boyfriend :)

My baby sis graduated high school this year! Was a beautiful day as well (lucky). Mum is on the left, baby sis in the middle and me on the right. Yes I am short I know :(

Fits my description of Spring perfectly. Bondi beach trips with my beautiful bestfriend. Chicken burger top (hers) and vegan burger bottom (mine). @ a lovely little place in North Bondi called Speedos Cafe- defiantly recommend!! 

Bondi Icebergs and Bondi Beach

This photo honestly makes my mouth water! Head over to Speedos Cafe in North Bondi for some of this goodness 

Thanks for reading,

Kristelle xxx

Instagram: @krristelley

Bondi to Coogee

After (I don't even want to calculate how long so let's just say a long) time, I finally was able to go to Bondi and do the Bondi to Coogee walk with my boyfriend!

Bondi Street Art

 This happened a couple of weekends ago now, but it was still something that I just wanted to cross off my list so bad, so it deserved its own post. If you ever come to Sydney, this is definitely one of the things that you have to cross off your list of activities.

Kieran and I stopping for 1 of 1383482 photos we always take with the GoPro

Bondi Icebergs

It's still Winter here, so it was pretty cold (cold enough to wear pants and a jacket) but it was still a beautiful sunny day. There was also a surf comp on the day we were there which was pretty cool, but I have no idea how they could even bare to be in the water (even in a wetsuit) because the water was freezing.

Bondi is a beautiful place, lots of street art and plenty of nice little cafes to eat at. Which is exactly what Kieran and I did before our walk. If anyone is ever in Bondi I totally recommend checking out the Lammond Cafe, food was great and so was the service!

Bondi Street Art

Originally, Kieran and I were only going to the Bondi to Bronte walk, but it's actually only a few kilometres and takes about 20 minutes each way (even calculated with the constant stopping to take photos of the scenery).

So instead, we decided to go the step further, which is to Coogee and back, and it is a lot further than Bronte. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining, however near the end the weather turned a bit sour. No rain though, but plenty of clouds and overcast weather quickly turned the day cold and we had to head back to the car to venture home.

Overlooking Bronte?? beach

There is plenty of nice places to stop along the walk to take some nice photos and also grab a smoothie or a bite to eat if you get hungry.

If you can't handle the heat, I would definitely recommend only doing the Bondi to Coogee walk in Autumn/Winter weather because even in Winter we still got hot out there. Alternatively, if you're not up for the approximately 13km round trip from Bondi to Coogee, Bondi to Bronte is a great choice. It's only a few kilometres each way, so you still get to enjoy all the beauty this place has to offer, just with less walking distance.

It was a good day and Kieran and I 150% plan to do this again- in Summer. The idea was to take our exercise clothes but wear swimming costumes underneath. We would walk/swim/walk to mix it up a bit (and to obviously cool off during the walk). There's so much to be excited for this Summer and I can not wait for this.

Thanks for reading,
Stelle xx

Instagram: @krristelley

Wedding Cake Rock

I would like to be able to say "Yay a day where I have no work and can do whatever I want!!!!" but that wasn't exactly true. I conveniently had work in the evening though, which meant I could spend my day doing whatever I wanted :-)

If you want to stay updated with all of my adventures, check out:
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or even add my Snapchat @krristelley

Today was a day for an adventure. I messaged one of my beautiful friends (Jess) and I decided it was going to be a beautiful day for a hike and a trip to the infamous Wedding Cake Rock. 

Wedding Cake Rock

The hike was tiring. I will admit that much. There were so many trees and rocks to trip over (I almost face planted several times) and there was so much mud even though I don't think it had rained there in the last week or so. 

Bundeena Coastal Trek

There were several beautiful lookouts on the way to our main goal of Wedding Cake Rock and it was all so beautiful. The ocean, the view, mini waterfalls and even the trees and shrubs were nice enough to appreciate.

Standard selfie in front of Wedding Cake Rock

Wedding Cake Rock is actually fenced off now because of all the dangerous photos people were taking on it and the large amounts of people that would stand on the rock at a time made it 'unstable'. Bit of a yolo moment quickly hoping on the rock for a photo and then running back off for fear of dying and falling to our doom :')

Not even an accurate photo to describe how high up we really were

The hike lasted us about 2 and a half hours including us stopping to mess around and take all of these photos. Today was a good day. Getting exercise with some great company and appreciating the beauty of Australian nature. 

It was so peaceful out there in the sun and light breeze, climbing away next to the ocean

Instead of taking a path back to the car, Jess and I walked down the rocks closer to the water. The view was absolutely amazing, I don't think I can emphasise how beautiful this country really is. The weather (although sunny) has been super cold lately. It felt so nice to be up there, jacket off because we really were working up a sweat, my skin soaking up the sun's rays. 

I really felt like I was on top of the world

Wind in my hair and sun on my face I felt so happy and so at peace. But Jess and I had climbed all the way down the rocks (to where we couldn't climb down anymore) and we were quite a walk from the path. So naturally, the only way to get to the path was straight back up the side of the cliff. Bear Grylls styles, we rock climbed back up. A lot of effort and kind of scary for someone aka me who is scared of heights. 

It was an amazing day. We ate lunch on a wharf and I was happy. Days like this remind me of how lucky I really am and how much I love my life.

Thanks for reading! 

Kristelle xxx

Home

Last week, I got to go home. Not the home with my bed and all my stuff, but my favourite place in the world. Even better, I got to go there with a beautiful friend of mine, who is amazing company.

It was a random decision, first brought up by her, to go there before our last day of Uni. I'm so glad we did because it was one of the best days I have had in a long time. 

Jess (the previously mentioned beautiful friend) stayed at my house after we both finished work and we were up until literally 2:30 in the morning finishing off assignments due the next day (typical). We got up nice and early the next morning though and headed off to the beach for brunch and to just chill out. 

It was a gorgeous day (thank goodness). Sun was shining, barely any breeze and it was quiet. Peaceful. My favourite. 

Sun + salt + sand = winning combination

Beautiful view of the waves breaking as we sat on the beach talking for hours

When we first arrived, we headed over to one of the local cafes for brunch because we were hungry (like I always am lol). I had a lovely Panini and a latte, Jess had avocado and tomato on rye and we also shared an acai bowl. Pretty good brunch if you ask me. This cafe is the cutest and the people are lovely. Just an awesome place to be, great vibes.

The brunch that I had half eaten before the photo was taken because I'm impatient and I was too hungry haha

After we ate, we went for a wonder down to the beach where we sat for a very long time. We spoke to some locals, then sat on the sand. Jess kept up with her vlogging (check out her YouTube channel here, she's a babe). We took photos and laughed and smiled and sat at peace with the world. I've always found that watching the waves crash is so relaxing and it just let's me keep me my mind blank and free. 

Beach pics with the lovely Jess

There isn't really much else to say about how perfect the day was. Sitting and talking with a good friend, eating good food and relaxing in my favourite place was all that was needed to make this a good day. 

Not to mention there were way too many things that went bad/wrong with the day, but it doesn't even matter because for once I was focused on the good, not the bad. (We left my house late, stayed up until 2:30am doing an assignment, I left said assignment at home and we had to go back for it, traffic, uni lecture and doing badly on a quiz, lol). 

This day ended with me going to dinner and then bowling with my bestfriend (Amber) and it  was definitely a lot of fun. I suck at bowling btw. Our first game (no bumpers) I got just over 60 and she didn't even reach 50... Anyway! It was fun and that's all that matters.

Thanks for reading, until my next post
Kristelle xxx

South West Rocks

I am back from another crazy adventure and it is time to write up a blog post about it after a long and (extremely) sucky day back in the real work aka. uni and an 8 hour shift at work lol. 

This time, Kieran and I chose to adventure somewhere that we had never been before. I'm not really sure how this place came to my mind, but I am so happy we went there because we had an amazing 3 days. South West Rocks is a small beach town, about halfway between Brisbane and Sydney which was about a 5 and a half hour drive from my home (for all those Aussies who actually know what I am talking about, you get the picture of where it is). 

Trial Bay is beautiful

I'll give a quick list of the highlights of the trip and then I will talk more about what we did and the fun we had!

- I got attacked by a Kookaburra and it stole my food out of my hand (this isn't the first time that has happened to me when I have been camping!), I cried (mostly because the bird stole my food)

- Overnight a kangaroo got into Kieran's food and ate a box of biscuits, Kieran blamed me for eating them

- I cut my arm on nothing

- We went fishing and caught 3 fish each

- Didn't get lost the entire trip

- Kieran went to the shops and bought me female products and the cashier thought it was funny

- We saw a kangaroo and I got sad because it was dead (no it wasn't dead because it sat up and it scared the shit out of me)

- We found a nudist beach and a lady warned us about old people down there

Friday

I got up bright and early to pack my things and do some uni homework before we went on our way. It took about 5 and a half hours to get there and Kieran drove 2 and a half, then I drove the other 3. I am a lot more at peace with sitting in the car, staring out the window and singing than he is. Within 2 minutes of me driving he complained of being bored/hungry. To put it nicely, it was a long 3 hours when I drove because he complains a lot. 

When we got to our destination, we immediately got food and made lunch. During lunch was when I got attacked by the kookaburra. The irony in this story is I had just finished retelling Kieran about the one time I went camping in the Blue Mountains with friends and a kookaburra stole my sausage sizzle straight out of my hand. No more than 2 minuets later, the exact same thing happened again, same food and all. Freaky, and yes I cried. Mostly because I wanted to eat that food and well sort of because birds freak me out a little bit and I was in shock.

After lunch we had the challenge of setting up our tent and then we went and bought groceries. After all the boring bits and pieces (and they weren't even bad) were done, we got to hang out and relax for a little while. There isn't much daylight in the day anymore, so we thought we would leave any of the exploring until the next two days because we didn't want to risk getting lost in the dark (because that wouldn't be a funny story for a very long time). We had dinner and a drink each and had a chill evening. 

Saturday

It was Anzac Day and we planned on getting up at 4:30am for the Dawn Service, but we just couldn't bring ourselves to do it. We also considered going to the local club and playing 2 up (buuut again we didn't do that either). Instead we woke up early(ish) and got ready for the day. We went for drives around town to see what was around and what we could do later. We went swimming in the amazing pool at the campground we were staying at (it has water slides!!) and that's when my elbow randomly developed a cut and blood???

Our lame couple photo from the weekend that I didn't actually mean to take but am in love with

We checked out the beach and went swimming in the ocean, it was beautiful. Calm, no winds. Just peaceful. We went for walks along the beach and then got back in the car and went for another drive. Eventually (like 15 minutes later) we found a lighthouse and an amazing view overlooking a beach. This was around the time that the 'dead' kangaroo incident occurred. I was walking ahead of Kieran down the footpath, and I pointed out the kangaroo which was laying on its back with its paw over its head, and said I was sad it was dead. For some reason we walked over to it and then it suddenly sat up and I nearly wet myself. Just after this, a lady warned us not to walk down too far because there is a nudist beach down there. Not to worry, no one was around, but we had to watch out for them old folk.

1 of 100 photos we took of kangaroos because for some reason they fascinate us (yes we have seen kangaroos many, many
times before- we are Australian after all- they are just cool) 

Beautiful view out near the lighthouse we found (sadly we forgot to take a photo of it though)

Earlier in the day we had made several trips to the fishing store because Kieran is obsessed with fishing. He needed up buying a new fishing rod because he loved it so much so he begged me to go fishing that night. Because I have never properly been and we now had two fishing rods, I agreed to go. So after dinner we packed the esky and chairs (and warm clothes) along with the fishing gear and set out to the lake. Surprisingly we got a really nice spot that I saw when we went for a drive earlier that day. It was pitch black and the only things around were kangaroos and other small animals. I caught 3 fish and so did Kieran. When I caught my first fish, I was so shocked I screamed and danced of joy. I let Kieran pull out the hooks because I didn't want to hurt the fish (and it was kind of gross) and I threw one back in the water (all out fish had to go back because they weren't big enough to keep). It was such a beautiful night, looking at all of the stars, talking and laughing and fishing together. It was something different and it was so much fun I am 100% glad he suggested fishing. 

Kieran and I both with 1 of the fish we each caught. I was so proud as you can probably see from my goofy smile

Sunday

Sadly Sunday was home day. It had been really cold on Saturday night so I was afraid of how cold it might be on Sunday. I was right it was cold. We rugged up as we cooked breakfast and prepared ourselves for the day. Kieran and I actually worked together for once to pack up the tent and everything else (normally I go for a long shower and am lazy, but at least I admit that haha). We then played air hockey (I won) and ping pong (I also won). We went for a drive and went for a walk along the rocks and took some beautiful photos before we decided it was probably better to just get in the car and take the journey home. The weather wasn't very nice and it was too cold to spend the entire day there. 

Kieran loves the long distance couple photos, they're always his idea

Another photo I got of the beautiful landscape with a wave breaking

Instead we stopped off at Port Macquarie on the way home for lunch and went for a nice walk there. It was cold and windy too which was disappointing but it was still a lovely time. Then we took our time on the drive home and talked for hours. The most surprising part about the car trips is that even though we were stuck in the car with each other for over 5 and a half hours and then we spent 3 straight days together without anyone else around, we didn't kill each other!

The camping ground we stayed at was lovely, probably the most 'camper' ground we stayed at. All the other places we have stayed definitely haven't felt as close to nature as South West Rocks did. Probably because we had ever been there before, it is a small town and I didn't know what to expect from it. Also, it is very open, there are lots of trees and the landscape is mountainous and coastal (which we aren't used to). The fact that native animals like kookaburras and kangaroos roam so freely in the caravan park probably made it the best experience (for the most part too). It is still so surprising to me how at ease the kangaroos were. They would hop right next to you and you would be standing less than a metre away and they did not seem phased at all. 

I had a beautiful weekend and I would like to give a shoutout to my amazing boyfriend for making it all possible. I love you and look forward to many more adventures with you. My life would be dull without you in it.

Thanks to everyone for reading, I hope to write of more adventures soon. 

Kristelle xxx

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

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

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

Kiama

I was so happy to get away. Get away to my (second) favourite place. Not quite home, but home enough that I didn't want to leave. 

A week ago I went on a 'get away from life and life's drama' trip down the South Coast to Kiama. I sipped alcohol, I floated in the pool, I explored the towns along the Coast. I took photos (lots and lots of photos). I got lost so many times and I watched my boyfriend get his nose pierced. I ate lots of food and watched the clouds float through the air. I cooked, I cleaned, I camped. I sang. I danced. I laughed and I cried. I kissed and loved and I felt loved. It was a weekend where I felt at ease. 

I'm not much of a writer and I don't know if anyone out there even enjoys reading my blog but I just want to let you all know that I enjoy writing these feelings and capturing these memories. My life isn't perfect but it's an adventure.

Loving on him from the lookout near Gerringong. Most beautiful sight (and a lovely bush/beach background too)

Again, I love this

Our typical selves. Not much else to say

Shoalhaven Heads. I love this picture I took of him

Kiama Lighthouse at night

The trip with my favourite person was great. Our padlock near the Blow Hole was still intact (if still very rusty). We ate ice-cream and snuggled up under trees in the park. Ate lunch in the RSL surrounded by old people where he told me "this will be us one day Stelle".

Thanks for reading everyone, not much to read but a single picture does tell a thousand words.

Stelle xx

Valentines Day

I want to start this post by wishing everyone out there a very happy (late) Valentines Day! I have always had mixed emotions about this day as I believe we shouldn't need to be told there is a day that we show our boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife/partner/family/friends/fiancé/person that we love them. We should show it all the time. But it is a day to celebrate love. And for that, I can stand behind it and join in.

I don't need extravagant gifts and flowers and chocolates and teddy bears to know I am loved. I enjoy seeing how happy these things can make everyone else, but it's just not for me. Last year my boyfriend and I agreed on no gifts and instead spent that money that we would of bought presents and dinner on a weekend away camping together. Each other's company and the beach were all we needed (beach was a bonus).

Down at Monoooooooo (inside joke, Kieran please laugh if you read this)

It was a good view up here even if I felt like I was going to fall off a cliff

I was lucky enough for my boyfriend this year to plan a day with me full of things we both love. Together. I enjoy the beach and going places and doing fun things, but doing this with him makes it an adventure.

We sang (loudly) the whole trip and rediscovered that Anaconda is literally our jam. I laughed so hard at times I nearly wet my pants. We lounged around in the sun, went for walks, swam in the ocean and ate Subway and chips for lunch. I was on top of the world and even better it was all our home.

We went driving after lunch and went to the lookout (pictured above). We took a bunch of photos. He insisted it was a yolo moment and we should take topless pics (we did but lets leave them off the Internet). He took me to a beautiful place where his family friends got married and talked about what our wedding would be like. I don't know if it is possible to fall anymore in love but I did.

That night he had booked a table at our favourite restaurant and he took me out to dinner. We ate so much and laughed when we told the waiters we didn't want wine because we feel like we are fifteen again. We spent the entire day and night together and it was beautiful.

I hope everyone else had a magical day filled with love and laughter the way I did. Life is too short to not love. People have always mocked me for being so 'in love and whipped' but I say if it makes you happy just do it. Go crazy. Love too much. Wear your heart on your sleeve because love is the best feeling ever. 

Thanks for reading,
Stelle xxx