Hello there! Well, I made it. I survived week 1 of a new job – after feeling very lonely and without lunch partners... I suspect that starting at a new company is more stressful than moving house. I literally thought I was going to keel over from a coronary – that is how stressed I was.

Making the decision to actually resign from my old job was hard. I looked at it from every angle, but in the end I had to make a move to work closer to home and climb the ladder a little. I finally decided that being a graphic designer for another year would kill me.

When I sent my CV out I talked to my Leprechaun and we discussed all the pros and cons of a career move. In the end… the lure of working 3 days at the office won and kazaam!

We are going on honeymoon in a few months (yay) so excited about our travel arrangements! Want to show my husband the world.

Would you download podcasts

with my rantings on? Give me a yay or nay!

So who has who wrapped around their pinkies?

I know the cat has me wrapped around his little kitty toe - but exactly how much do the humans get away with in this relationship?

So, we have 2 evil humans sometimes ganging up on a helpless kitty (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qpHI_0bjDM) and sometimes it is me and Mr Genie against the Leprechaun. Mostly it is me and Kitty bitching at the Leprechaun.

On the other hand, we have a Leprechaun that gets away with way too much. He never has to explain why he comes home late after work. He doesn't always have to cook (and I distinctly remember him promising he would do that forever and ever). Kitty and I let him sleep on the bed...

Mr Genie on the other hand always gets away with everything. He just has to miaaw and mommy is there. He never gets a hiding - even though I know he is an evil little child.

I guess we all have a little bit of everyone wrapped around their pinkies - which really makes it nice :)

Comfort Zones

Human nature dictates that we settle into patterns. These patterns become a way of life for us and we like the comfort of being able to know what to expect - but what does it really mean.

Slipping into a comfortable pattern life means one thing only, you have stagnated in your life/relationships and you are basically in a rut.

Stepping out of our little comfort zones seems daunting and therefore we mostly prefer staying put.

I'm one of those people that loves the comfort of what my patterns bring. I appreciate knowing what to expect, but sometimes the daily patterns really irritate me.

I get up at 5am, get to work by 6 and work till 2, then go home and grab lunch before leaving for fitness activities by 4 and get home by 6, watch TV for the rest of the night and start the whole process over again. It sucks.

I've decided to do 1 thing a month that I would never have done before - should you not do the same?

The truth about life

... if you don't live it - you are wasting oxygen.

So anyway, after all the woohaaa has died down of the weddings and being pestered for wedding photos winter already has its icy clutches firmly embedded.

We are homebound... literally, we go to work, get back home and switch on the big gas heater. We eat dinner under blankets and go to bed early. Maybe it is just the house, maybe it is our age, but we definitely aren't living life 100%.

I definitely can't wait for summer!

In the meanwhile the FIFA Soccer World Cup is starting in the ext few days and the Bulls just won the Super 14.

I think I should do a post about stepping out of your comfort zone....

Different strokes for different folks

Surprise... I didn't forget about sharing some of my thoughts on the book!

Some people merrily go through life 'agnostically', others need a religion to hold onto and some just need to find themselves to find a spirit that will empower them. Meditation may for for you, but running around naked in nature for others.

It doesn't really matter in the end what helps you to get balanced (mentally) in your life - it only matters that you get there.

Unfortunately not everyone can afford the luxury to go away from home for months (or weeks) and stay at an ashram (or holiday resort, or...) but, you can always make a plan to take a break somewhere (even if its only for a weekend).

Comfort food (still eating through Eat Pray Love)

So, Elizabeth in Italy eating pasta, pizza and everything else.

Some of us are comfort eaters. Food brings comfort. Then we get fat and a downward spiral begins. Some of us get to lose the fat easily and well, others not.

Bad habit - nip it in the bud (if only it was that easy). Food only brings temporary comfort, but the lasting effects on your body may be far worse than the original issue that drove you into the arms of comfort food.

Eat (... Pray... Love)

Discussing a bit of Elizabeth Gilbert's book Eat Pray Love - because it is a really great book to read if you need to do a divert in your life.

The first part of the book sees Elizabeth landing in Rome, Italy, where she proceeds to travel, eat and learn Italian.

Traveling is a great way of changing your outlook on life. It eases the process of changing your perspective and takes you away from your murky life. It gives you the chance to breathe fresh ideas and be away from what blocks your growth.

Thats it... go read the book!

The Aftermath

It has been so quiet in our lives since getting back from our Moz (photo op) wedding. It has been 5 or 6 weeks and we have seen 1 set of friends. It could be that the freakishly cold weather have just taken away everybody’s will to go out or it could be that people think something has changed in our lives and we want to spend all our time alone. It is rather peculiar.

We have finally gotten all the photos everyone took – and there are quite a few stunning ones. Now it is to apply some Photoshop magic to it and distributing it to all the interested parties.
Since the phenomenon above has occurred, we have spent many hours on the Wii – literally. If it isn’t Wii Fitness then it is New Mario or Lego Indiana.

Mr Genie has now moved his preferred nap base to the top floor of the penthouse. He is a rather odd creature – it could be that in his tenth year he is evolving into a creature of luxury and new habits.

Next topic… What I learnt from Eat, Pray, Love... because Elizabeth wrote a really awesome book.

Week 3 of Married Life

Now that everything has settled down i can finally relax during the Easter holidays. The family left for Ireland and there are no more scheduled braais and restaurants to visit, no more plans to make or people to phone to remind that they have to be at a specific place to do something, no more bachelors or loading pics onto Facebook. There literally is just the next lifetime to look forward to.

On a nice long weekend like this we like to do very little. We didn't visit with anyone - we went to the movies and watched movies at home. The husband worked (as he owns his own business) a little.

We are taking the teamwork thing to heart nowadays too - we wash clothes, hang it, pack the dishwasher religiously, torture the cat with lots of love and love having a series watching marathon.

You know what I love most about being in a committed relationship? That it is so much easier. Things just seem to fall into place and no nagging required (yet).