Collecting moments, not things!

Today, I am grateful for change, my morals and lifestyle. You see, I used to be a very materialistic person. It was all about, how much my clothes cost, my ridiculously expensive handbag collection, my shoe collection (hey I am half Filipino, it's in my genes to have a large shoe collection), the car I drove, the phone I had. We seriously could go on forever about how shallow I was about materialistic things.

I always dreamed of being a lawyer - hey 33 years in the making, considering I am actually studying law now. I also always dreamed of having a sports cars, a big mansion, with a bedroom just for my shoes.

Boy oh boy, times have changed. You see, many years ago,  when things went south with that ex-hubby of mine, I had nothing. I moved into my brother's house... Ok, more like his garage, just with our clothes. I had to buy new beds for us with the limited money I had, but after that I had nothing. I saved up, brought everything second hand and managed to get my fridge my dad brought me and a buffet unit back from my ex-husband...

That was it, just the girls, our second-hand furniture, no money and determination pushing me through. I was adamant that I was going to show my girls, that no matter what, you can achieve anything you put your mind to. I worked full-time, I committed my spare time 100% to my girls, I paid my bills and then started studying law part-time. I would never study while they were awake, I would always wait till they went to bed and the stayed up for hours studying... I still do this...I seriously will be 100 by the time I finish my law degree.

I made a name for myself in the Property industry and bam, here I am in an amazing job, doing what I love earning the 'coin'. However, I don't spend the money like I originally thought I always wanted to. I have an ordinary house - even though I could have bigger.  I have an ordinary car - even though I could have better. I have ordinary clothes - even though I could have high end. I have ordinary furniture - even though I could have designer. My shift has changed...

Instead of having all those fancy things I always "desired", I have amazing memories and more memories to come. As a result of this outlook for the last few years, the little loves feel the same. They don't want the extravagant, why should you - they say, you can't bring it with you when you die. But what you can do, is live a life full of opportunity, full of memories, full of experiences, full of laughter, full of adventure, full of love - now that is a life worth living.

That my friends - is my life and we all love it!

Happiness is.... Skype Chats

Originally today, I was going to talk about how I am grateful to be working in a job I love... Despite the ups and downs that come with my job...I actually do really love what I do. However, I do travel a lot and that kind of sucks. With a ridiculously early morning start looming, today I am keeping it short and sweet!

So right now, I am sitting in my hotel room in the lovely and stinking hot Mackay missing my family... I am only away for 1 night, but it doesn't change the fact that I miss my family. The girls always ask me to call them while I am away, they love hearing about my onsite adventures... They don't really like hearing about my long meeting adventures though.

So every time I go away, whether it's for a night or a week, I call them...every single day. So today, I am grateful for Skype! I love that even though I am not at home, I can call them on Skype on their own tablet and sit at the dining table with the girls while they are having dinner and chat... I love that they could be drawing a picture and I am still there not missing out... Sometimes not even saying a single word, but still enjoying watching them do what they would be doing if I was home, just sitting there soaking them up as if I was physically there... 'Stalker Alert'

I am pretty sure Skype is probably behind the times these days, with all the different platforms now available to ensure you can keep in contact with your family while you're away... But, boy oh boy, do I love still being able to see them...and for us, Skype makes the distance between us bearable!

We Came. We Saw. We Loved.

I don't think there is a person in the world that doesn't want to see the world. 

We love to travel... There was a time where travel was local... to a beach an hour away from my little hometown just to camp. Not that I have a problem with camping, I love camping. But, that was the extent of our affordability to travel... This is no longer my life. And today, I am so grateful for that. 

Over the last 2 years, my little family of 4 has been to the Philippines twice, we have visited Boracay Island, Puerto Princessa, Kawasan Falls (to mention a few), snorkelled, climbed mountains, explored little villages, canoed through underground rivers, relaxed and enjoyed. We explored the beauty of Singapore. We've been to Perth, relaxed on Rottnest Island and did what the girls love them most, exploring and visiting every Zoo everywhere we go. Zac and I trekked through Vietnam, ate, climbed mountains... again... visited Halong Bay, Da Nang, Marble Mountain and got lost in all the food and tailored clothing in Hoi An, just to mention a few.

I love that we are booked out next year with some amazing adventures for ourselves... Cairns and Townsville, Magnetic Island and everything in between on the Easter school holidays. Exploring waterfalls, snorkelling and of course climbing mountains... Are you seeing a trend here... The girls and Zac love mountain climbing... the girls have googled their names with Mt at the front because they want to climb a mountain named after them... There is Mt Mia, which is close to where we are (yep we are headed there the next free weekend we have). Mt Havanah, well that's in Sir Lanka and it's huge and I don't think we can climb it, but it can definitely be admired by one of those luxurious, glorious mountainside hotels... Yes, Banana wants to go... Pretty sure it's just for the luxurious hotel with her mountain views.

So, back to the travel... We have a wedding in Hawaii in July. And then, the adventure of a lifetime. France and Italy... We all cannot wait! I feel so blessed to have girls that love to travel and don't want fancy cars and big houses when they grow up... They want Brazil (to visit their old Au Pair), see the Greek Islands, go to Canada for Christmas (both are on the planning list as we speak... eeep!). They google islands, and countries to visit... Because life is all about the people in it and the memories you make with the people you love - so they tell me... So they have been listening to me all this time...

I would spend every last cent, to travel the world with my family and enjoy the experiences and memories we are creating together! Hang on a second... that's exactly what we are doing... except for the 'every last cent' part.... but that's a gratitude for another day!