pick one : jenny/jenga/jentle/jengi/itchy/jk

another year in review

what was 2006 - no biggy :)

january
started wedding planning, and got lots organised already ... hehe

february
the engagement engagement
nan’s 90th birthday party in armidale

march
welcome tabitha wade

april
jamie cullum!
Uluru

may
howie’s IVP, cystoscopy

june
armidale
jo and pat’s wedding in coffs harbour
bye bye sabotage

july
we got a house
cryosurgery begins
my hens weekend

august
welcome ham and pineapple
helen and jon’s wedding
david’s surprise return

september
kostas and eleni out here from greece
WEDDING OF FUN!
honeymoon in western australia
my grandpa died

october
damo and jen’s wedding
kostas and eleni's wedding (but we couldn't make it to greece)
turned 25 - yikes!

november
finally got toffee
U2!
welcome owen blair

december
Rocky for work
welcome zoe campbell
armidale

it's been a pretty full on year - lots of things to organise, to adjust to, to be a part of, to be scared of, to be excited about, to cry over, to laugh about, to travel for, to think about, to be thankful for...

who knows what this list will hold a year from today. isn't life a grand thing.

snoozy, putty, hilly

i do wish i was still asleep. it's a long day and night ahead. i'm not very good at this sort of thing.

last night's putt putt was fun with commie house peoples, and husband. that's putt putt quota filled for the next 10 or so years.

i do hope that special guests will make it to observatory hill tonight - like debs, sam and josh. i do wonder too about the rain that's forecast. it didn't turn up last night, despite predictions. so perhaps it won't tonight. or perhaps it's saving it all for tonight. 30mm to be dumped on observatory hill. i'm not sure the gazebo can save us from all the elements. but damn it, it will give it a good go! hmmm i hope it's not too heavy for carrying.

not quite time to reflect yet...

how are you?

it's nice bumping into old friends isn't it.

bubbly

the boys have new bubbles. that's fun for them. they were very excited about new bubbles. and i think it makes the tank look more attractive for them. and all for 85 cents.

trek back

we are back in sydney. this time, we came back via gloucester, after sorting out some frames for wedding photo enlargements (hoorah for picture framing inlaws), and visiting nan.

we were entertained by:
the remainder of ben harper - diamonds in the sky
travis - the invisible band
the cat empire - two shoes
delirious - king of fools
rob thomas - something to be

we stopped at nowendoc again for a toilet break - this brought back good memories of taking the unexpectedly scenic, off road route to taree last year. we had some lunch in gloucester - howie had a hamburger, and i had two tubs of yoghurt. i had to ask for an spoon from an icecreamery. the lady wasn't very willing to part with a spoon.

we drove through stroud as well, which was quick but nice coz i saw the church my grandpa pastored for a number of years. i don't think i'd driven through stroud before.

and then before we knew it, we were back on the highway and back to boring driving. although we did stop for a mcflurry at the mega servo.

nice to be home again, and see the boys.

not sure how this weather will treat new years eve! dear oh dear.

it is nice to hear the rain trying to break through.

kitties, penguins, crickets

today was a warmer armidalian day. howie's parents got a one year old kitten, still to be named, a few days ago. he's a very pretty and friendly cat. we all keep throwing names around. i'm not quite sure what he'll end up as.

we went and saw 'happy feet' today at the twin cinema. it was pretty good. had funny parts, and feel good parts. some of it was a bit slow for me, and a bit too "disney". but still, it was entertaining.

nice work to the cricketing folk of the australian persuasion. i feel sorry for england. they seem to start off well, and then just end up dismal. perhaps things will turn around for attempt number 5 of this summer.

we still aren't sure if we're heading home tomorrow or saturday.

had a nice nap this arvo. naps are good inventions. i think we should have them more often. there used to be lots of them, but i think in the past few months, naps had lost their appeal. now, back into lazy summer days, the afternoon nap reigns.

until next we meet...

hotspotting it up

downtown armidale. woo!

we made pretty good time in our trip from sydney to armidale yesterday - not much traffic for boxing day. we stopped briefly in singleton, and then for lunch in murrarundi. the tunes which carried us through were:

the reminder of the waifs - a brief history of... disc 1
steve bevis - tropic of conversation
sally ford and the pachuco playboys - cant remember CD title
delirious - glo
jamie cullum - catching tales
the lads - alive in concert
ben harper - diamonds on the inside

armidale has been quite chilly - only got to 15 degrees yesterday! today's been a bit warmer. we went downtown for a bit of sales shopping. not heaps on offer, but howie got some new shorts.

been sneaking some cricket viewing in.

now at maccas for the internet.

as always armidale is bursting at the seams with exciting things to see and do.

we went to visitor information and bought a magnet to add to our collection.

yep, life is pretty exciting.

hope all is well with you, lovely readers.

todays score

~STM protective skin for toffee, $20 itunes voucher (thanks husband)
~lots of golden roughs (ta ham and pineapple)
~gem bracelet, gem turtle, wrap skirt from thailand (ta deb)
~car seat covers, bo peeps, toblerone, chocolate money, ice magic, bureau of meteorology calender!!, bag, coasters, tablecloth, spoon, david randle photo, magnet, esky, monies (ta mumma and dadda)
~san sombrero (thanks tom)
~coloured mugs in stand (ta snowy)
~aloe vera tissues, pringles, vienna almonds, cashews, pillow protector, lollies, monies (ta gma and gpa)
~monies (ta auntie sue)
~lindt choclates (ta eliza - you’re so cute!)
~choccies (ta hug-a-doug and doreen)
~ikea voucher (ta frenches)

other wins over the last few days have included:
~50m of orange barrier, election results (thanks josh and sam)
~earrings (thanks cathy)
~some safe water (thanks tamara)
~monies (thanks gma)
~an awesome hamper from the wombat ladies
~itunes voucher (ta wades)
~things for peoples from the bevis' and thurley's
~monies from nice people

coz christmas is all about presents, so thanks for making it a good one peoples.

nah, but seriously, it was good to hang out with the family - church this morning was good fun, and good message. sometimes christmas church feels a bit “put on” - but it was a good mix today. and i’m proud of my daddy who did sound for the first time today - what a service to have to do it in!! yikes!

man we’re going to be so roley poley. damn tired too. and still one christmas to go. off to armidale tomorrow. i’m pretty excited about boxing day traffic - oh yehhhh! but it will be nice to go see robert’s family for a few days. plus the cricket is on - it’s a saviour when in armidale.

hope christmas has been kind to you this year!

thankyou jesus for coming and being a bubba, and becoming the man and God who saves us!

now.. time for the panel’s christmas wrap.

good tidings of great joy

i hope your christmas day is full of merry things. have a good, safe and peaceful one!

praise the lord!

marina prior is now singing the song for me ... let the tears flow!

this makes it christmas...

Oh holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
Oh night divine, Oh night when Christ was born;
Oh night, Oh night divine, Oh night Divine.

although i missed janita and her beautiful voice tonight. still brings a tear or two to my eye.

twas the night before christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for the two turtles...

bubby

welcome to the world little zoe grace janet campbell, born yesterday in jamaica to liz and dave!

isn't she a cutie!

done and...

today was fun. it was good to catch up with relos. kaysey was quite the entertainer - she turn two soon! lots of food was eaten. most of it was good for me. so that's a good effort - go team! fun was also that mr bob and karen joined us. they seem to blend in well with my family's sense of humour. and mr bob broke one of our (well the Johnsons) chairs - that was damn hilarious.

but it was nice having my family over, and introducing them to our turtles and our house. and it was good to hear what's been going on and what's coming up. didn't feel heaps christmas-ey. we didn't do presents. is that bad that no presents means it doesn't feel like christmas?

in any case, pretty tired though. now husband and i are enjoying some DVDs - we finished of lano and woodley goodbye. and are now onto oceans 11. ah how i love a bit of oceans 11.

christmas part 1

today is christmas with dads side of the family. everyone is coming here. well everyone that can come. but still it will be good fun. it's our first hosting of a family christmas. round two will be on monday. hence the big clean up yesterday.

the gardens are looking quite respectable. although these gardens are a bit of work - we didn't inherit them in the best state. so i'm slowly making my way around. yesterday i bandaid solutioned, which meant using the whipper snipper. i know that will bite me in the bum later, but presently i don't really care.

christmas comes around faster and faster these years. and in amongst it all, i must keep remembering why it is that we celebrate this day anyway. it's a good thing Jesus came to this earth, coz i need him. and sometimes i forget that in the day to day.

oh and i love that at christmas, we get to sing, or hear be sung, "O holy night". tis a beautiful song.

whipped

i'm a man. i was doing the whipper snipper thing just now. without shoes on. howie told me not to do that. a lady walking by told me to watch my toes coz a friend of hers lost four toes not wearing shoes whilst whipper snippering. i thanked her for her care, and then continued on my non-shoed way.

and i must say that my feet are fine. although my shins have a few bloody spots from wayward grass missiles.

oh how i hate cleaning day. argh.

belly laugh

we each indulged in comedy today.

i bought ark barker live

here is the man himself. he is a funny man. he makes us laugh.

plus i recognised three people in the crowd at the enmore - jono, sarah and brooke. what fun unexpectedness.

and howie bought lano & woodley 'goodbye'. he loves lano and woodley. i think they are funny too.

i'd like to buy a ross noble dvd one day. he makes me laugh some of the most i think.

ah ... comedic indulgence.

not!

howie and i watched Wayne's World last night, just for fun. we cracked open the DVD i've had for a few years but never used. ah it was good. i had trouble not reciting the whole movie as it played. lines slipped out every now and then. that annoyed howie.

i remember watching that movie with a variety of people over the years - both reciting the whole thing as luke and i watched it at his place; zoe and i introducing it to our bible study girls and it failing dismally to entertain or amuse; debs and i watching it weekend after weekend in early highschool; sam and i enjoying a pack of lolly bananas as we watched it... it's a movie of many memories. good times. so many good lines that i will hold myself back from typing.

banananananana

i can't even remember the last time i had a banana. obviously before the price skyrocketed.

but how tasty are they! and $5.99/kg was a good enough deal for me.

yummy!

i like the idea of fruit in summer - grapes, bananas, watermelon, nectarines, cherries... bellissimo!

strings attached

we are kicking back at home with some tunes and visuals.

'diesel + strings: live at the vanguard' is good stuff. he is a sweaty man. but he has much talent. i'm glad we rediscovered him a couple of years ago.

this arvo we battle the christmas shopping parkers to visit our westfield. it's been so so long. too long in howie's book.

and yay coz my debbie is back today from thailand. she bought us fun presents - i got a really cute elmo tshirt. and howie got a poo keyring. amongst other good things. thanks debbie!

ho ho ho

getting christmas cards is good fun. i look forward to it every year. although this household doesn't receive as many as my previous household. that's sad.

in the summertime

howie's camera, now called cody, has taken a few hundred photos this last week, but i can't show you most of them coz of the young people in them. so here's a small selection from our time in rocky and beyond

we introduce to you some of our QLD buddies

andy

bowen

jesse

matt (and howie) working hard

penny

rodney

tom

wells

and of course angus is always a QLD favourite

and as you well know, we are always attractive

and highly skilled

we had a different version of crate stacking on saturdays trip, which was pretty cool. our group coz all 26 crates up

and then back down

so yay for our time in QLD once again. it's kind of sad to say good bye to these lovely people. we're off to the airport in a couple of hours. it will be nice to be back home. and see our boys! and sleep in our own bed. and be back to daylight savings time!

and it's almost holidays which is dandy.

live from springwood

three cheers for marie and her family having wireless internet at home!

it's been a long day. but fun. i think we're all a bit tired (to say the very least) - so much manicness. but all in good fun. laughing is good for your health. silly jokes are probably good for your health too.

the plan is to sleep in for a long time tomorrow. we're getting picked up at 12noon for our flight. so goodbye to the 7:30am wake up!

i have more freckles than i previously remember having.

i must say that bowen is good fun. yay for bowen.

oh i hope for a good sleep.

night night!

we exist!

hi all from rocky. we're actually about to start the drive back to brisbane, and fly back to sydney town tomorrow afternoon.

but it's been a good week. pretty tiring. but all the stuff we were running went pretty well. good connections and good fun.

we haven't really seen much of rocky. i'm not sure if there's much to see! but we did go to the water park. that was fun. it's pretty hot up here.

i'm feeling much browner. and have had zero sunburn. yay me. can't say that for my husband though. grrr.

it's been many funs hanging out with our QLD buddies. yay for QLD buddies.

and we'll be going to tassie for penny and andy's wedding - yay!

anyways, see you tomorrow night when we're back to our regular programming.

ciao from the land of beef.

jetting off

today we leave sydney. i hope my snotty nose forgets to come with us.

our virgin blue plane, which we've already printed off our boarding passes for, will take us to brisbane. i've never been to brisbane, nor rockhampton. and it's only my second ever trip to QLD. go me!

if there isn't much time or availability of blogging... happy christmas shopping!!

come onnnnnnnnn!

i don't much like being late. and i even less like it when i can't do anything about it. in the wise old words of blackboard - "hurry up".

gapless

tonight was the last night of gap for the year! and juicy visited - yay! although we only stayed an hour or so coz of tomorrow's trip and my need for sleep.

but i remembered at the last minute to take photos - and this is evidence of that remembering

it's a bit sad that that was the last gap of the year. there's a big break til we're back and it'll be quite the different me thinks.

tomorrow, and the next week and a bit, require a deep breath when i think about them. its pretty full on to think about. i'm still not better which is saddening. so hopefully my body will fix itself up promptly.

but yes, i hope wanda beach is kind to us tomorrow.

connected?

i do hope that we'll somehow have internet access in rockhampton!

bursting at the seams

i hope my parents are hungry tonight - i have many sausages and chicken breasts, plus two types of coleslaw, three quarters of a pecan pie, and lots of fruit to eat. it's nice having people of the older generation over. especially when you get them playing singstar.

i might start packing for QLD. not much time to do so over the next few days. i am not looking forward to the heat. but what can you do... nothing!

but fun is that juicy is sleeping over friday and saturday nights!! yay!

dins

mmmm roast potato!

IBS

howie is sickie today. was last night too. if you are of the praying inclination, would you mind praying for his gut. thankyou.

2-0

good work boys! the ashes are all but ours!! (lest i type too soon).

sure did spice up what seemed a boring test for a while there.

and nice form mr cricket!! you are a champ!

minty fresh

there is such a thing as too many minties

politics

i'm not sure what i think about rudd and gillard as the new alp leadership. i think i probably don't think anything of it. i'm not a very political person i think. but they seem to be pretty happy about winning, and seem to have a lot of energy. politics is such a strange thing - the representation of the people, but so many people disagree with the policies politicians come up with, stand for, and vote in. i feel sorry for beazley as well. what a rough day.

meanwhile, another hornsby councillor has died over the weekend. it's a bit bizarre. that's two in less than two months.

just because he's so cute

two things

kathmandu is open in hornsby and i want to buy lots. so many specials! oh so hard.

i've come home from work. so i'm sitting with toffee and the ashes on tv, and will soon get my pillow and have a nap me thinks.

medicinal

i hope for today that telfast is a good invention, and also vitamin c. to cure my ails.

tomorrow is exciting... day off! we're hopeful for good weather, good health and a nice drive to a place with a nice beach. probably down south somewhere. and also for sitting around time. oh how i love sitting around time.

we need a tv at the office, so we can watch the ashes. i mean, have it on in the background as we work.

thankyou

my mummy is a good sort. she just sent me a text message saying she'll do supper for me. isn't that nice. i'm sitting in my pjs ready to go to bed. but it's too early for bed isn't it.

my sister goes to thailand for eight days on sunday. howie and i go to QLD for nine days on sunday. must make sure i get to see the debbie before we all leave. i like debbie - i got to hang out with her this weekend too. and that was good stuff.

scarred

sleepy isn't it. if i never see another cicada in my life, it will be too many. there were swarms of them at lake macquarie. yuk! camp was good. really itchy now though from mozzies and friends. and sleep didn't really happen. but kiddies seemed to have fun. i didn't bother getting in the water. some people picked up wakeboarding and skiing heaps well. most of the kids had never done it before.

i really enjoyed spending some time with peoples who i much like but don't really get to spend time with. like luke dawson. he is so tops. yay for you luke.

although the australian's have been disappointing (in the cricket). we got to watch snippets of it. nice work punter just getting a tonne.

well i think i might have a nap or something. i have to go to church after church to do supper. boo. plus i'm getting sick. boo. plus i'm still itchy. boo.

scar

in half an hour i'll be heading up to church for youth camp. well, the camp's not at church. it's at lake macquarie.

i have a headache and am very tired. i'm not actually all that excited about driving either - but at least it should still be daylight driving shouldn't it.

i know that the camp will be good, but i really don't feel up to it. i think i'll leave the activitiness up to the young people - i'm sure they'll appreciate it more than me. biscuiting always gives me a headache, although wakeboarding is good fun.

anyways, i'm sure it'll all be a ball. i hope there is non-meat foods for me to eat. bring on sunday arvo!

is it nerdy that i'll miss my husband?

dial up no more

fast internet is back! welcome december 1st.

i can't wait til a sleep in on tuesday. that will be awesome.