20th Birthday Shenanigans

Ahh so I am 20 now, I guess that happened. All I wanted for my birthday this year was to spend the night in great company with people I love and spend a weekend some place quiet, doing all the things I love. Thankfully, I am lucky enough to say that I got exactly that.

On my actual birthday I spent the day at the beach with my little sister and then I had dinner in Darling Harbour in Sydney with my family and closest friends (well they are basically family). It was a beautiful dinner at a lovely restaurant called Cyren's Seafood Bar and Grill. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is in Sydney, the menu is really great. The reason I was drawn to it (other than the promise of seafood- which I am in love with) is the Fishbowl drinks. Of course I ordered one and drank most of it myself (oops). Dinner was accompanied by fireworks in the harbour (which were obviously beautiful) and I even had everyone embarrass the crap out of me and (very loudly) sing me happy birthday with the waiters in front of everyone (thanks guys).

After dinner, my boyfriend, two friends and myself headed around the harbour in looks for something fun to do. We didn't really spend too much longer out after dinner because we were so tired and some of us had to work the next day (not me though thankfully haha).

I was very spoilt and received some amazing gifts from my friends and family (which I love presents but I prefer to give them rather than receive them).

Beach days for my birthday. 20 now! 

This was taken after dinner at Bungalow 8. It was a really good night 

Taken during dinner when I was encouraged to drink the fishbowl straight from the well, fishbowl

On to the other part of my weekend- the long weekend away with my favourite person (yes this is my boyfriend Kieran). I chose to go camping at a little place called South West Rocks that is about 5 or so hours from both Sydney and Brisbane. It's a beautiful place and I had been camping there before and had a blast so I wanted to go back.

This weekend was supposed to include swimming, fishing, relaxing, bushwalking, eating food, drinking and basically just having fun. We had a few extra things included in the weekend that I didn't expect. So really the weekend turned out to be: swimming, fishing, adventuring, whale watching, searching for kangaroos, bushwalking, drinking and a lot more swimming with a touch of relaxing.

It was the best weekend I have had in a long time as it was everything I wanted and more. If you asked me to pick a highlight I really don't think that I would be able to. Fishing off the rocks in the ocean and seeing whales, sea turtles and stingrays was I have to say probably one of the best times. I caught some fish that we ended up cooking for dinner and it was a great time.

Fishing off the rocks, this was the first fish that I caught this weekend 

Amazing view of the beach that we hiked down too after we hiked up to the lighthouse (it was at the top of this very steep hill) 

Private beach that we hiked down to (the walk down was bearable but the walk back up, oh my god. Glad that's over lol.

Happy snap of me overlooking the ocean

Lately I feel like I have been at a loss for words. To put it simply, I am so blessed to have the friends, family and the boyfriend that I do. I am an extremely lucky girl that I get to go through life with such amazing people by my side and I wouldn't have it any other way. Shoutouts to Kieran, Mum, Tamara, Darren, Amy, Maddie and Amber for giving me an amazing birthday.

Thanks for reading guys, hope the pictures are more exciting than my rambling collection of words.
Kristelle xx

Instagram: @krristelley (currently being spammed with pictures from this holiday infact)

Turning 20

Oh what a crazy few days it has been. Thursday was my 20th birthday and I am officially out of my teens! I think this is bringing me a whole range of crazy emotions that I don't even really know how to put into words, but I will try nonetheless.

I've been an adult for two whole years already since I turned 18 BUT I was still a 'teenager' so I don't really know if it counted. I still felt young and like I could get away with anything. You're still referred to as a teenager and it sounds so much younger.

Lots of things become irrelevant to you once you turn 20. Silly little things like deciding when you want to be a 'kid' or an 'adult'. Belting out Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus just really doesn't have the same effect anymore, because with those sweet lyrics "I'm just a teenage dirtbag baby", yeah they just aren't true anymore...

So here I thought to end this simple post, I would leave you all with 20 things I have learnt by the time I turned 20. Who knows, my views on absolutely everything could change within another few years- but for now, here is what I know.

1. Not everyone is going to care about your birthday as you get older as much as you do- yes that means you won't receive presents from everyone anymore, sigh.
2. Quality over quantity- it really doesn't matter if you have 4 friends. If they are good friends, never let them go. It's better to have 4 fabulous friends than 40 fucking shitty acquaintances who don't care about you when you need it
3. Time heals most wounds- note, I say MOST
4. Holding grudges is NOT worth your time- who cares if that one girl did something bad to you 3 years ago, there's no point holding a grudge because you are better than that. *does not mean you have to forgive, but just move on with your damn life*
5. Criticism means you're doing something right- (unless it's constructive criticism about work/uni etc.) just ignore it. People who criticise the way you live your life should have no impact on you
6. There is beauty in everything around you, you just have to look for it 
7. Not everyone is meant to be your friend- again with the friends. There is no point trying to make everyone you meet your friend- some people are just not going to like you or even want to be your friend and that is completely okay, just acknowledge this and move on (refer to #2)
8. There is no point dwelling on the past- what's done is done. Learn from mistakes and acknowledge accomplishments and move on
9. You don't have to have your life figured out by the time you're 20- if you do, thats great! If not, who cares! We are so young we have a lifetime to figure out what we want and who we want to be. That's the point of life! To grow and discover ourselves and become who we want.
10. If you aren't loving what you're doing, change it- best time ever to make changes, in your 20's. Started a career you don't love? Change it. Discover yourself, explore, travel the world. Do whatever makes you happy. 
11. Dieting is stupid. It's all about maintaining a lifestyle
12. Making mistakes is okay
13. Materialistic things will only make you so happy- there's more to life than having the newest phone (seems basic but sometimes you need to remember this)
14. Exploring is always a good idea
15. Drinking plenty of water each day is also a good idea
16. Wearing sunscreen (and not burning to a crisp) is definitely always a good idea- no one likes premature wrinkles and rough sunburnt skin (or skin cancer)
17. Love yourself before you love someone else and you will feel so much better about yourself- I've learnt this over the years. When I was younger I barely loved myself and it was really hard to be happy and in love with someone else all the time because I never really felt complete. Once I learnt to love myself, loving someone else was so much easier and I feel whole and complete
18. Admit it when you're wrong- it helps you learn and grow
19. Don't be afraid to stand out from the crowd and be noticed- it's not always going to be a bad thing
20. Finding at least one small thing every day that you are thankful for or happy about will always remind you life is good (even on the bad days)

So there you have it. Turning 20.
Thanks for reading,
Kristelle xxx
Instagram: @krristelley

Snow adventures (in Australia)

Here it is, one of the posts that I have been the most excited to write: all about my snow trip 2015 with my boyfriend. I live in Australia (for those of you who don't know that already) and I stayed in Jindabyne- which is a town in NSW near the snow and I snowboarded at Perisher (one of the few places in NSW you can ski at).

I love going to the snow and it is the only time I will ever put up with the cold (I usually hate the cold as I am a beach lover and Summer is by far my favourite season). But I think the reason that I love the snow so much is because it is something different that I really do not get the opportunity to experience very often (well obviously I live in Australia and not that far from the beach and it just feels like it's always hot here- and even when it's not hot it is nowhere near cold enough for it to ever snow where I live).

So, anyway, back to the snow. I usually go every year, but I didn't go last year and I missed it terribly. I thought it would be a funky idea (does anyone even say funky anymore??) to plan a snow trip with Kieran this year and call it our 'present' to each other for our anniversary. This year will be 5 years together and it seemed like something different we could do. That and we were both dying to go.

So we (and by we I mean I planned it), packed our bags and headed off to the snow. I am the biggest wimp honestly when it comes to risk taking. I'm so scared of getting hurt and sometimes it takes me a little while to get out of my shell and jump out of my comfort zone. This time was really no different, with the first half of my snowboarding day having quite a few tears shed and several tantrums (sorry Kieran lol). But once I got over the fear (and that really is what holds me back but I can't help it) I had the most amazing time. It was beautiful sunny Spring weather, snow was awesome (and there was plenty of it) and there was so much to do. 

I will admit, the bottom half of my body and my arms are still aching now a couple of days later. I was not prepared for all the falling I would do and all of the muscles I would exercise in those couple of days. Ouch. That pretty much sums it all up.

I thought I would share some of the photos of our trip, each photo captures a memory and I am still so happy we got to do this together.

The start of our road trip (before we got lost like 3 times lol) 

Most amazing pretzel/nutella/chocolate filled milkshake from Patissez in Canberra 

First day of snowboarding at Perisher- it was so beautiful out there 

Chairlift selfie

I built a snowman (with a very weirdly shaped head) 

On the last day of snowboarding we got our pictures taken (and it was also really warm- considering he isn't wearing a jacket)

Thanks for reading guys and girls,

Kristelle xx

Instagram: @krristelley

Questions

Thought this would be fun to answer a bunch of questions about myself to let my beautiful readers get to know me a bit better. Anyone who feels like answering them do it and send me the link so I can read your responses!

Shallow: 

1. Favorite color- pink

2. Height- 166cm

3. Eye color- blue 

4. Hair color- blonde 

5. Age- 19

6. Piercings? 2 on each ear and my belly button 

7. Tattoos? 1 (for now) a small heart on my wrist 

8. Favorite animal/pet- bunny

9. Favorite scent- Marc Jacobs Daisy 

10. What time is it? 12:44am

Wading: 

11. Favorite time of day- evening/sunset

12. First pet- goldfish 

13. Siblings- little sister 

14. First car- white ford laser

15. On a day like today you would...? Lay in the sun

16. The last book you read- my Human Resource Management textbook 

17. The last text message you sent/received- sent to Kieran (can't even share what that said oops) and received from Kieran (would be perfect!!)

18. Are you usually hot or cold- hot. Always hot 

19. Pick one thing to your left, what does it mean to you- it's a pillow 

20. Day or night and why- day because I love the sun and adventure 

Knee Deep: 

21. When was the last time you told someone you loved them? A few hours ago 

22. When was the last time someone told you they loved you- few hours ago 

23. Who is your best friend and how did you meet- Kieran at school and Amber at little athletics 

24. Would you rather love or be loved- love. I love to love 

25. Do you get sick often- not really 

26. Do you live alone or with other people- with my fam

27. When was the last time you saw your family- saw my sister this afternoon and saw my mum on Saturday morning 😐 (it's Tuesday lol)

28. What do you want to achieve in the next year- just be the best I can be at what I'm doing 

29. Do you believe in true love- yes

30. Have you ever been hurt by someone you thought cared about you- yes

To the Waist: 

31. When was the last time you got hurt- today I ran into a bench 

32. Have you ever hurt yourself- yes

33. What was the last fight you had about- moving out 

34. Has anyone told you they hated you- yes lol 

35. Have you seen anyone die- no

36. What would you tell your younger self- don't grow up hating yourself, do your homework, don't give a fuck what people think, you're gonna meet the love of your life at 14 (be warned) and don't let the popular girls make you feel ugly or inadequate because you're going to be better off when you're out of school so it's all going to be okay 

37. Would you skip the bad parts of your life to be successful- absolutely 

38. What do you want to do with the rest of your life- get my career where I want it, stay sassy, get married and be one bad ass wife and mother 

39. Have you left behind/ were you left behind in a friendship- yes but no regrets 

40. What is more important money or love- they're both important, but still love

Neck Deep: 

41. Who would you want to meet again in your life- no idea 

42. Why did you choose your career path- because I love it

43. What is something you regret from your past- giving up too easily 

44. How much time is left at the end of your day- depends how you look at it. Either 23 hours because it's a new day or the day's already over and I should be sleeping 

45. What was your last dream about- moving into my own house and being happy lol 

46. Have you ever hated someone and why- just because asshole

47. Talk about your favorite family member- my mum and sister are my favourites. Annoying, stubborn and a pain in the ass to be around. But, thoughtful, loving and my bestfriends. 

48. What is one thing you want to confess- I can't wait to have my own family even though I always tell everyone I hate kids when they ask me lol

49. Have you ever tried to take away your problems instead of deal with them- yes?

50. Who would you save- yourself or a stranger?- I'm selfish. Everyone would like to believe they're a great person, some sort of hero and believe they would save a stranger. But realistically no. Human instinct says no. I would save myself. If I was like 90 and had lived a long fulfilling life I would save the stranger. Ask me to save someone I love, no problems I genuinely wouldn't hesitate. But not a stranger. Nope. 

Head Under Water: 

51. Have you been in love- I am so yes

52. Talk about someone in your life who has died- my nanna. I loved her. Her stories, her hugs that crushed you and the lipstick smears on your face after she's said hello. The visits to her little place and the traditional Chinese food we ate every Christmas Eve. She was a lovely woman and I miss her very much. 

53. Describe your first love in 5 words- passionate, adventurous, soulmate, crazy, fulfilling 

54. When was the last time you thought you were beautiful- a few weeks ago when I looked good in my clothes, had a killer tan and my make up was amazing. Topping it off I took a great picture lol 

55. Have you ever had to recover after something- yes and damn it's hard 

56. What do you hate about love- it's exhausting sometimes and you can't ever let it not be a priority 

57. Top ten life values- health, happiness, love, honesty, passion, adventure, intelligence, friendship, loyalty and trust 

58. How do you fall asleep- Monday-Friday after a long day of either uni or study and a long night at work I fall asleep with my phone next to me after scrolling social media til I can't keep my eyes open. On weekends I fall asleep next to my love

59. When was the last time you smiled and the last time you cried- smiled: tonight when Kieran texted me he loves me. Cried: uhh probably yesterday morning when I had a sook my cafe was too busy to eat at 

60. What would you give up everything for? I'd give up everything for the three people I care most about in my life (and in no order) mum, sister and boyfriend 😊

Semester Two, Let's Go

Semester 2 is well on it's way now. It's like every single time I go on uni breaks and then it's time to go back to uni, I forget how much work there really is and how fast time goes (all my fellow uni/college students out there I am positive you can agree with me on this one).

It's already the third week (well my week is over because I only need to attend uni on Tuesday's and Wednesday's) and I thought I would share a little bit about how I feel this semester is already going (classes, timetable, friends and free time).

So for those of you who are new to my blog or just perhaps have forgotten since the last time I spoke about uni, I study Commerce and I am majoring in Marketing and Human Resources. (The most interesting/deepest question I have ever really gotten about this revolved around why I actually want to do this. If I can ever come up with an answer better than I'm interested in it/I'm good at it/ plenty of job opportunities I will definitely make a post about that. But for now...)

This semester I am taking two core units relating to my Human Resources major (I have finished all of the marketing components until third year classes) and two electives (needed to fill up the credit points to earn my degree).

This semester I am taking:

- Introduction to Global Business (elective)

- Organisational Behaviour (core HR unit)

- Entrepreneurship and New Venture Management (elective)

- Human Resource Management- Recruitment and Selection (my online class which is a core HR unit- surprise!)

So far I think i am liking my online class the most (just kidding, but I find it the most convenient because I do the work at my own pace, which surprisingly I have been going week to week with as a regular unit). Least favourite is global business. Probably because I don't really have any previous knowledge on the subject and I feel really pressured to do well and learn all of the concepts. I will manage though, the downfall again is a lot of group work. 

Timetables are always so stressful for me. If I want a good timetable, I panic so much trying to make one and then I feel like I can never get it just right. I attend uni Tuesday mornings 9am-12pm and Wednesday mornings 10am-1pm. This isn't including the two lectures I can;t attend because they are at crappy times (4pm Thursday and 8am Friday [yeah right]).But I have it pretty good. 

One of my favourite things about a new semester at university and just being at uni in general is the opportunity to make new friends. This is the time that I really wish I wasn't a shy person and that I had a more outgoing personality. I tell a lot of people when I get talking to them that I am rely shy and most people don't even believe me. It really is a struggle to put myself out there and fake the confidence, but (and I am pretty sure that I have said this before) fake it until you make it. I don't think there's anything wrong with that and I really think it's helped me over the last year and a bit. 

In high school I was terrified of talking in front of people and couldn't manage without turning into a tomato and having a panic attack. Now, I am a lot more confident, I can make presentations and speeches. Of course I am still freaking out on the inside, but most of that sheer horror at speaking in front of anyone is kept on the inside and I am pretty proud of myself for that!

I have a love/hate relationship with uni! I think I love the opportunities that it gives me (both now and for the future), but I am just trying to make the best out of my life because I have the power to decide what I am g0ing to make of it.

Nothing (and no one) will hold me back.

As a side note I would love to mention that I was talking to my best uni friend about being an exchange student and how much I would love it. I wish I would get the opportunity but I unfortunately don't see it happening. Oh well, a girl can dream. And what would my blog be (forever dreaming) without all of these dreams.

Until next time my beautiful followers, 

Kristelle xx

Instagram: @krristelley

Updates

So life has been pretty crazy lately. All I have seemed to be doing is working and now I'm back at university for a new semester, the stress really seems to be piling on.

Even though life is getting crazy busy again (well a different kind of busy than it has been during holidays) I am happy to say that I am at least feeling better now and want to get back into the swing of things. 

Regular routine is back! This semester I am going to be at university twice a week for three classes and I am taking a fourth unit online (only offer, but works out pretty well for me in the end anyway!) I am aiming to work about 5 times a week, workout 5-6 times a week and have regular blog posts (hopefully all about something interesting) online for you all to read :-)

I like keeping busy and having such a huge variety of things to do (and begin able to spend time with my beautiful friends) makes me happy!

I have so many exciting adventures coming up in the next few months because this half of the year is defiantly the busiest for me!

I will have a new post up soon, just wanted to quickly update you all on life and let everyone know I have a smile on my face again. Here's some happy photos to end my blog to prove that :) Also want to say how happy I am that us folk down here in Australia are in our last month of Winter! I am definitely way way too excited for it to be Summer again.

Instagram: @krristelley

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

New Love

Hey everyone! Hope you are all enjoying your week, I know I actually am for once. I presented an assignment today and it is a wonderful feeling having that weight lifted off your shoulders. One week left of uni after this week is over, plus an exam in a few weeks and I couldn't be more excited to get this semester done and dusted!

Lately, my boyfriend Kieran and I have been going out and doing something I never really though I would enjoy- fishing!

We have been fishing the last two Sunday nights now and we actually want to make it a regular thing.

I'm not very good at it and I get sad if I can't catch a fish (who wouldn't) and even though it's always freezing cold at night, we have fun.

Last Sunday when we went fishing, Kieran caught a decent sized fish that we actually took home. He prepared the fish from scratch and cooked me dinner with fish, chips and rolls and I was so happy because it was such a thoughtful thing for him to do. It's easy to buy food, but this time he caught our dinner and made it from scratch and it was so cute I was so happy (lol).

Kieran's flathead he caught 

Flathead I caught last week

There's something fun and exciting about going fishing as well. I think maybe because it is so different from anything else I used to think I would enjoy. The fact that (with Kieran's help) I can also catch fish probably makes it a bit more fun and exciting as well.

I enjoy sitting back and not doing much and to me that's the escape I feel these adventures are. We get to spend time together and just relax before we start the week. We get to travel around to different places 'near' us. We go local or we travel up or down the coast. It's a good mini-adventure for a Sunday afternoon/evening and I'm really glad we started doing it.

Thanks for reading my little post about my newfound love for fishing.
Kristelle xxx

What if...

So today for some reason I am just feeling down. I have so much motivation in my mind to do everything I need to do- workout, cook meals, study & do my uni work and go to work, but there's just a dark grey cloud hanging over my head questioning everything today.

I know I need to do all of these things, plus more (aka clean my room lol) but today is just one of those days where I question everything.

Why should I workout? Because I want to be fit, healthy and have an amazing body.

Why should I cook meals? Well I need to eat.

Why should I do my uni work and study? Because I want to get good marks, so I can finish my degree, graduate and get a good job.

Why should I go to work? To earn money to save for the future and so I can have the things I want now and live my life the way I want to without having to depend on anyone for anything I need or want. 

It all seems to be very straightforward and obvious. There is a clear answer as to why I need to do all of these things. It just isn't an option (for me) to stay in bed all day and not do my uni work or not have a job. Some people may be content with that (lol) but not me. 

I just don't know what goes through my head sometimes. I want to do everything. I want to concur the world. 

I just have something in my mind that stops me and says what's the point? 

What if you're not good enough?

What if you're wrong with what you think life will be?

What if you ruin your chance to get something you want because you lacked initiative?

What if you can't achieve what you want in life? 

What if all the goals you have set for yourself just fall apart and you never reach them? 

What happens if you can't do anything?

What happens if you try so hard for something and you still fail?

...

what if...? 

Life is full of what's if's, but I know I need to focus on the bigger picture. Even if I am stressed out, tired and don't really know how to make sense of what is going on in my mind right now, I know things are going to be okay. I believe everything happens for a reason, so I am going to focus on that to get me through each day. 

How I met my boyfriend

Hello to all of my lovely readers. I'm not sure whether this post will interest you or not, but I know on tumblr and in real life with new people I meet (or people who haven't always known me) I get asked a fair bit how I met my boyfriend. I know it's lame but I always love hearing these stories from other people because sometimes they are so interesting and people meet the people they know they are going to be with forever in the strangest/ most random ways. So I thought I would share my story with you all.

Long story short: we met in high school and started going out towards the end of Year 9.

If you care for the details, feel free to read on and I will let you have a little insight into what it was like. 

I first met my boyfriend Kieran when we were in Year 8 (I was newly 13 and he was 12 hahaha). We were put in the same classes in school so that is initially how we first met. The standout classes I can remember being in together were: Science, Home Economics (or cooking class) and Woodwork. 

Cooking class, the standout memories involved my friend and I basically doing the cooking for him and his cooking partner because, well because they sucked. One time I remember he asked me to butter his bread roll for him because he couldn't even do it. Who knew that those Year 8 cooking sessions would turn into 6 years down the road, me actually cooking and meal prepping for him. Bet you didn't see that one coming at the time hey Kieran? (Because I know I sure didn't). If you had of told me back then, "Hey Kristelle, you know you're going to end up meal prepping for this guy in 6 years?" I would of laughed in your face. I didn't like him, he was a silly, annoying and kind of a mean boy. I just didn't like him. I would help him out just to get them to leave us alone. 

Woodwork, the memories are limited. I remember 

1) not wanting to do any of the work myself

2) thinking it was payback to get boys to do it for me

3) being mean back to all the boys (even though they were doing my work projects for me)

I would like to take a moment to just reflect and say wow, these stories so far make me sound so sexist lol. Boys do the woodwork projects and girls do the cooking? No. I promise I don't think like that, I was obviously just lazy the same way the boys were. I didn't like woodwork and they did, so they did it for me. The same way that I enjoyed cooking and they didn't (mostly).

Now onto science class. We used to sit near each other with one of my friends (the same one from cooking class) and we used to run wild in that class. There were fruit loops thrown at heads and a lot of inappropriate jokes made. I would say he was still sort of mean and I was mean back. We used to tease each other like no tomorrow. He was a lot nicer to my friend which annoyed me a lot because well I started to like him and had a crush on him. There was no way I would ever tell him that though (because well hello, embarrassing and boys were still yuck). Not long after he started 'going out' with my friend and I got over it because I liked a different boy at the time (lol). 

Year 8 ended, as did the brief 'relationship' between Kieran and my friend. 

Year 9 started and we didn't really have much to do with each other at the start of the year. We weren't in any of the same classes anymore because we got to choose ours (sport and design & technology for me and woodwork and cooking [the irony in this is hilarious] for him- and yes I remember this). We were also graded into English, Science and Maths classes which resulted in us having nothing to do with each other. 

I saw him around every now and then and when I did I remember thinking "do I like this boy? I don't know lol". We spoke every now and again on MSN and in person, I think he even had my phone number so we might of texted a couple of times lol. I sort of did like him, but not that much. Anyway...

Later that year, I was hanging out with a friend (a different one to the last stories) and we happened to run into him and his friend (from the previous stories) at the park. We all hung out for ages that afternoon. I remember giving him a piggyback, believe it or not I used to be taller and he was not heavy at all haha. When my friend and I went to leave at one point he asked me to be his girlfriend. I was so awkward and embarrassed I kind of just walked away and pretended I didn't hear him. I was freaking out to my friend and she was like to me "just say yes, I think you like him" and she even ended up answering for me. 

We all met up at the park again later and talked for a while. 

That evening when it was time for my mum to pick me up (lol, the life of a 14 year old) he hugged me goodbye.

We had our first date and our first kiss two weeks later. 

About 6 months later, I realised I loved this boy.

Eventually I told him that I didn't really like him at first and I only said yes because, well my friend actually did it for me. He admitted he was a nervous little chicken shit (well for not kissing me goodbye when he had the chance lol) and because at the time he used the excuse "oh it was a bet with my friend. I thought you were hot and he said you would say yes to me and I bet you would say no". So romantic don't you think?

A few years ago he also admitted to me he actually liked me back in Year 8 as well and talked to my friend more because he was trying to make me jealous and was mean to me because he liked me. He never ended up asking me out because his mate did first (that is a whole other story that is not even important).

Yet, here we are almost 5 years later. Still together through all of our ups and downs and our ever so romantic start to our relationship. But yet, I wouldn't trade anything for the world. He grew to be my bestfriend over the years and I trust him with anything. If people tell me a secret, it's a given he will know by the end of the day (sorry everyone) and vice versa. 

Here are some happy snaps of us over time (from what I could quickly just find on my computer)

first holiday together at Narrabeen camping, Summer of 2011/2012

My Year 12 formal, 2013 

My 18th birthday party, 2013

Some random night out, 2014

Paddleboarding adventure at our favourite place (Narrabeen), 2014

So if anyone read all the way to the end of this nonsense, thank you! Special shoutout to Kieran, hey babe. He reads my blog. Even though it's awkward and a bit embarrassing, I appreciate the support.

Kristelle xxx

Happiness

Happiness means a lot of different things, to a lot of different people. I have spent too much of my life worrying about things and focussing on all the wrong things. I used to think it took a lot to make me happy (and it used to). 

In recent years, I have changed as a person in many ways. I'm not even sure how to explain how I have changed. I think I just grew up. I got rid of a lot of negative energy I had in my life and I now try to focus on the lighter side of life. I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with me about this. But this is how I see myself. 

I believe in karma and the power of positive thinking. There is too much sadness, stress and cruelty in the world without me adding to it. 

Now, all it takes for me to see happiness in the world are small things. 

Like sitting out on the balcony at the bar in my university, looking out onto the beautiful campus on a sunny day. This is what I am doing right now and what inspired me to write this post. 

Listening to a song that makes me feel good things. Also currently doing this. 

Seeing my boyfriend smile. (Wish I could see this right now).

Doing something good to help my mum out and hearing the gratitude in her voice.

Watching the sunset. 

Hearing a child's laugh.

Bird's chirping.

Getting a good grade when you put in a bit of extra effort. 

Being acknowledged when you do a good job at work. 

Making a new friend when you didn't expect it. 

Sharing your thoughts and happiness and good vibes with others. (This without a doubt always makes me happy. There's just something about it, I can't explain it). 

There is so much to be happy about in life. I think a lot of us just need to open our eyes and learn to love and appreciate the smaller things in life. 

Anyway, thank you all for reading my ramble post about what makes me happy. I will post again soon.

Kristelle xxx

Fitness and Health

Hey everyone! I think I will start this post by saying I love Kayla Itsines! She is amazing, her plans are amazing and her followers are amazing. The BBG community is something I just love and I am proud to be a part of the #k2movement. Something with so much power and support for each other is truly inspiring. You can check out my journey on my Instagram at @ krristelley  

I purchased the Bikini Body Guide quite a while ago now and I have given it two attempts. The first time, I was mentally not prepared and it lasted only two weeks. I barely even bothered. My head just wasn't in it and I wasn't excited enough to workout and get fit. So I stopped and I left the guides waiting for my motivation to come to me because I knew it eventually would. I continued to follow and admire girls who are really into their fitness and the bikini body guides. 

The turning point came for me on Valentines Day. I went out with my boyfriend and we found some amazing views at the beach over a cliff. We had the GoPro with us so naturally we snapped up a couple of what we thought would be amazing looking photos. I was in my bikini top and shorts for a few of the photos and looking at the way my body looked, I felt so uncomfortable and uneasy. I loved the photo but looking at my body, I couldn't handle how awful I felt I looked. 

Check out my journey on my Instagram, @krristelley

I started the following Monday on the bikini body guides. I did the four weeks of pre-training to try and build up a bit of fitness before hitting the real thing. I got up to week 5 of the real thing. I was eating well at the start, stopped eating take-away foods and cut out the junk food completely. I ate healthier and I felt better. I could see the progress in the mirror. I had photos with a few weeks in between and the difference was amazing. 

Then I got sick. Life got full on and I got lazy. I was extremely busy with working, which resulted in my eating habits sliding off towards the end. I had stopped working out and it honestly had been 3 weeks. I gave up.

But this morning as I scrolled through my Instagram feed, I made the choice to stop making excuses. A one hour workout is only 4% of my day. I can spare that much. If I need to get up an hour earlier to start my day with a workout I can do it. Meal prep when I know I am going to be at uni and work so I won't be tempted to eat chips or sneak a few chocolates. I am motivated. I went and did my 45 mins of low intensity steady state (LISS) workout after I posted my confession/photo on Instagram and afterwards I was sweaty and out of breath and it rained on m multiple times, but I felt so much better. It makes me happy, so why wouldn't I give something that makes me happy my all?

I am going to make weekly posts now about my BBG progress to keep me up to date with it. How my exercises are going and roughly what I've eaten. I would love to be able to post up progress photos and be incredibly happy with how I look and feel. 

Here's a progress shot of me. Top photo is before I started the BBG and the bottom photo is the progress shot at the end of week 4. 

In the above photo (the bottom one) I was semi-happy with how my stomach was starting to come along. But I would love to be super confident all the time in how I look in photos and not have to question whether it is just a 'bad angle' making me look bigger than I am. 

I don't take measurements and I don't really believe in weighing myself either. Although I can say I have always fluctuated between about 55-57kg and before I started the BBG I was up towards 60-62kg. That made me extremely upset that I had let myself gain weight like that. I am now back down to 56kg on most days and I'm not overly fussed with that. If I can see differences in the photos and mirror, that's what will make me happy, not the scales. 

Anyway, thank you all for reading and until next post.
Kristelle 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

Spontaneous

I'm not quite sure why (but then again who ever knows why they make spontaneous decisions) but I have been making a few 'spur of the moment' decisions lately. Whether it was in anger, sadness or drunkess or simply 'just because I can' I've done a few things recently that I though I would like to share. 

1. The belly piercing
2. The plane ticket to Cambodia
3. The random trip to the beach by myself
4. The "lets get my life together right now"
5. Let's buy anything (and everything) I want that I see in the shop 

Well. I'm sure some of you will look at that list and be like 'pfft no big deal' or have the other view 'umm are you crazy'. But the way I am choosing to look at it is living. Life is too short (although ironically it is the longest thing we will ever experience) to go through it worried about everything. Normally I am a very rational person and I will not make a rushed or hasty decision. Everything is well thought out (for the most part) and the most extreme thing I will normally ever do is decide I want to eat some bad food and go and get it.

I have quite literally wanted my belly button pierced since I was about 14 years old. I turn 20 this year. One morning last week I simply woke up and said to my friends, "let's go and get my belly pierced today". After 2 years of waiting to be old enough to get my belly pierced by myself (legal age is 16 without parental consent where I live) and then another 3 years of being too scared to do it, I finally did it. Yes it hurt and yes it was probably a dumb thing to do but I am happy I did it. 

The second one is a funny story. I have been wanting to go on an overseas holiday for quite some time. I have been saving up a lot of money but I am very cautious about what I spend it on. I don't know many other people my age who even think about "what about when I want to buy a house I need savings" but... that's just me. So when my bestfriend's dad asked me (when we were all slightly tipsy) if I want a ticket to Cambodia with them next year I simply said "what the hell, yes just do it". That's pretty much the whole story of how I got the ticket to Cambodia. Another decision I am quite happy with. Have to be young and reckless at some point.

Feeling lonely and sad definitely warranted a beach trip by myself. I don't think that one had much thought process other than "do I need petrol right now? No, good let's go". It was peaceful, it was nice and I got to clear my head and be alone for a while. 

I thought I was happy with my life but I have been growing tired of some aspects. My working aspect has become dull and I need a challenge in my life. More will be on this later but this is what I am working on right now (not sure if this is classified as a spontaneous decision, but I did decide I wasn't content with things so I am making a drastic change???)

Now last but not least, I am all for spoiling yourself. Just normally I wait until I have an extra large pay week before I can justify going out and spending maybe $100 or so on things for myself that are wants. But this time, no. Let's just literally buy everything that I can see that I want. And I did. And I didn't feel guilty. And I didn't check my bank balance afterwards to see how much I spent. Because it was spontaneous and I am happy.

On the most positive note I am happy to say that my spontaneous decision making is helping me to achieve things I actually want to cross off my bucket list for the Summer. I am proud of myself.

Thanks for reading,

Stelle xx

Frank

Probably one of the best things I have ever bought. I (like many, many other people) follow 

'frank' on Instagram. Basically, frank is a coffee scrub that promises to do wonderful things for your skin. Things that everyone loves. Who doesn't love the feeling of soft skin, reduction in the appearance of scars and stretch marks? I know I love it. Which is why I decided during one joyful day of online shopping that I would try it out (because well everyone else seemed to be raving about it). 

And I must say this is for a good reason. frank is bae. I don't think I have ever used an exfoliator or any products on my skin that left it feeling so perfect. Smooth, soft, however you want to describe it. But I prefer to describe it as 'ahhhhhh wowza'. A little goes a long way and I have used the scrub 3 times on myself (full body), once for just my legs and my boyfriend also used it (full body) and I'm quite sure the bag is still about half full (optimistic view on life right there). 

I have some stretch marks on the sides of my upper legs (right next to my butt) that I am self conscious about. The scrub has helped fade them a little (keep in mind I've only used it a handful of times) but I am going to continue to use it and hopefully it will continue to improve the appearance of them (aka fade away you nasty stretch marks). I am stoked I tried it out. 

I seriously recommend this to anyone who's been thinking about trying it- you honestly wouldn't regret it at all. 

And of course in typical fashion when you use the scrub you must take a selfie with frank and post to Instagram with the hashtags #thefrankeffect #letsbefrank

Thanks for reading
Stelle xx