Thursday, August 30, 2007

A Splendid Sydney Wedding...




I was very privileged to be able to join with my cousin Josh and his family to celebrate his marriage to the lovely Jayne. It was a beautiful wedding followed by a fabulous reception right on the waterfront at Darling Harbour. I don't think I'll ever attend a wedding quite like it again. So I really enjoyed living it up at the reception!! It was held in the kind of venue that you can float past or walk or drive by while looking into the windows and wishing you could afford to eat there! The ceremony was very traditional but also very special as it was held in the church where our Great Grandfather and his children (including our Grandfather) were very, very involved in. Aunty Jean also pointed out the house that our Great Grandfather used to live in. Ah, if only his grandchildren hadn't been so philanthropic!! We would still have that Rosebay frontage on Sydney Harbour.... Still, I consider that our family's connection with the Eternity story is more illustrious and to be proud of than even Kirribilli house!! (so there!)

















The speeches during the reception were also great. My parents were singled out for special mention as they had bothered to send a telegram wishing Josh and Jayne all the best on their special day. I got a bit teary at that point, although all the speaches were very moving. The MC got teary too!! There was also some very impressive dancing as Jayne grew up dancing at the Schembri dance studios. Her chief bridesmaid and best friend Corrina will even be starring in the upcoming series of Dancing With the Stars, so I shared the dancefloor with a celebrity ;) Unfortunately I didn't get to dance with any of her dancing friends, and nor was the music particularly inspiring. It doesn't help at these kind of events when your brother is a DJ. We were all wishing he was in charge of the music, but he wasn't as then he would have been working instead of enjoying himself!!

All in all it was a fantastic celebration. God was honoured and we all enjoyed ourselves. The only thing that was missing were several special family members, like my parents, but more particularly Josh's younger brother Daniel. He was invited, but he lives in a cult so he didn't come. I have attached a picture below of the three siblings. I can almost picture Daniels beaming face next to Josh. Please join me in praying that he will be freed from the community and reunited with his family.








































































I also had a great time with my extended family, especially Anna, who is my nearest cousin in age. She has been living it large in the UK for the last couple of years and has just returned home. We went for a long, long walk and talk and then I gave her a driving lesson! I've heard since that she's gaining in both skill and confidence - you go girl!!


























Well, that's enough for now. Enjoy the pics and I'll post again with more stories soon.... Tschuss, Ciao & Bye for now <><>












Saturday, August 11, 2007

My Magnificent Mum!

Happy Birthday Mum!Ten things I love about my Mum...
  1. She writes the BEST letters
  2. She taught me to appreciate a good cup of tea
  3. The way she sings/whistles when she works around the house
  4. That she is always ready to welcome another to her table
  5. She has not let "age" catch up with her... ;)
  6. Her tasty, healthy, heartfelt cooking (I'm drooling just pondering it!)
  7. The way she falls asleep when I read to her in bed
  8. How she does everything she can to help her precious children (even from thousands of kilometres away)... and how she "adopts" all those without wonderful Mums like her!
  9. Her eye for beautiful things... like roses, pictures, scarves, shoes
  10. That she continues to love God, my Dad and me - and how she not only tells of her love but does it every day.

Five Things I would do for my Mum's Birthday (where's that warp switch??)

  1. Pick and arrange a fragrant and colourful bunch of flowers
  2. Dance around to Mum's latest favourite pop song/music
  3. Bake a fantastic layer cake with all the trimmings - passionfruit sponge anyone?
  4. Give her a manicure/pedicure, massage, whatever she wants to make her feel like a "million dollars"
  5. And finally ensure that she is wearing a splediferous outfit to go with those fantastic shoes (so she looks a million dollars too!)

Ah, instead my poor Mum had to suffice with an e-card, a phone call... and the package will get to you eventually (promise it will be worth the wait Mummy!!!)

PS Did you notice that her knuckes aren't white? Instead of singing another bad version of "Happy Birthday" how about this... can you remember the tune?

We've come a long, long way together/ Through the hard times and the good/ I have to celebrate you baby/ I have to praise you like I should....