Melbourne and my tattoo

After having an amazing weekend away with my boyfriend in Melbourne, I really wish we didn't have to head back home. We are currently on the short plane trip back to Tasmania soI thought I would make good use of the time and write a blog post, to tell you all about my weekend away. It was a really busy few days so my boyfriend and I are both pretty exhausted. I dont think my boyfriend was impressed that I booked early morning flights either because it meant we had to get up at 5am. Oh well, atleast we will be back early enough so that I can make it to my university classes.

We arrived in Melbourne at about 10 am on Friday morning and made our way to our hotel. We were stayed at the Crown casino which was really nice and also HUGE.. I didnt realise just how much there was at the crown casino. There were restaurants, places to go shopping, a cinema, night clubs and of course a casino too. It really was incredible! After leaving our bags in our hotel room, we caught a taxi to St. Kilda and got some lunch. I had the soup of the day which was a cauliflower and pumpkin soup that also came with some yummy bread. I also got a serve of crumbed eggplant which were AMAZING!

After lunch we headed back to the hotel and wandered around for a while, checking everythinb out. We went for a swim and the pool was nice and warm.  I also enjoyed relaxing in the spa. After spending an hour or so in the pool we headed back to our room and had a couple of relaxing drinks before heading out to tea and then the casino. We went to a restasurant called the Merrywell for tea where Nathan got a burger and fries and I got wood fire roasted vegetables with grilled chicken. After tea and a couple more drinks we went to the casino where Nathan played some roulette. We had a great night together, chatting and drinking and even went to one of the night clubs for a while before we headed to bed at about midnight.

We slept until 9 or so Saturday morning and then went out for a late breakfast at about 10:30. I had strawberry and rhubarb porridge which tasted amazing. We then went shopping at the DFO's where I got a new 'puffer jacket' as my old one had a broken zip. I got a nice MACPAC one that was $280 reduced to $90 so I was really pleased with that. I also got some new adidas tights to wear to the gym and a Roxy hooded jumper that was only $20 reduced from $70. As a surpprise Nathan bought me tickets to the musical 'Matilda' so we headed to that after we went shopping. I dont think Nathan was that keen to go to the musicalat first but I think he ended up enjoying it just as much as i did. It was a really great show! By the time Matilda finished it was almost 5 o'clock and since we had eaten anything since breakfast, we were both starving.

We stopped at a place called the 'Republic Bar' for tea and we both enjoyed chicken schnitzel with chips and salad. It was really nice to have a simple but hearty meal for tea after eating a a bit fancier foods until then. Then we went back to the casino where we had adrink before heading to the football. Nathan goes for St.Kilda and I go for North Melbourne which were the two teams playing so it was a great game for us to go too. I was really glad that my team won but it was a good game so I think Nathanstill really enjoyed it which is good. After the ffotball we walked back to the hotel and went out until about midnight again. We fell in to bed, both exhausted after a huge day and didn't get up until about 9:30 the next day.

We met my friend Ella for breakfast the next morning at the safe cafe we went to for breakfast the day before. I had a delIcious breafast that came with beans, poached eggs, fetta and turkish bread as well as a skinny late. It was good to catch up with my friend as I dont get to see here very often, now that we live in different states. Nathan and I both said that we would like to maybe live in Melbourne one day though as we both enjoyed our time there so much. Whilst we were eating breakfast, I decided it would be a good chance to get a tattoo while we were in Melbourne. So we found a tattoo studio and I got adesign drawn up that I loved. My appointment wasn't until 3 o'clock so we headed back to the hotel for an hour or two and just relaxed and had some fruitsalad for Afternoon tea.

I was quite nervous about getting my tattoo as I had no idea what to expect. I was getting a tattoo in my ribs which is one of the most painful placesto get oneand it was quite a big tattoo as well. Also because I have a thin stomach, the tattooist warned me it would probably be painful, especially when tattooing over each rib bone. It took two hours and although it was a bit uncomfortable at times, it wasn't too bad. The pain was there but very barable and I coped well with it, probably due to the fact I have a pretty high pain threshold. I absolutely loved the finished product and so did my boyfriend which I was really glad about.

The pictures arent that clear and it is a bit swollen but this is what it looks like :) the quote says; she believed she could do she did

My weekend so far

This really has been a good weekend away. We got away at abot 11 o'clock and started the drive to Launceston, quickly calling in to see my family on the way. We stopped at Campbelltown to get some fuel and we also got some lunch at Subway. Although I used to eat subway a little, even when I was sick, this was the first time I have had it with yummy filling as I always just used to get boring low calorie salads. This time I had a chicken schnitzel sub with cheese and salad and I really enjoyed it.

We arrived in Launceston just before 2 o'clock which worked out well as this meant we could check straight in to our hotel. I was nervous about driving in Launcmeston, especially since I had my cousin with me but we found the hotel really easily. After checking in we went into the mall to do some shopping. We both found some nice clothes and had a good time exploring Launceston. We got frozen yoghurt which was AMAZING. I tried the nutella, mango and berry flavours and added lots of fresh fruit on top. I wasnt quite sure how nutella frozen yoghurt would taste but it was my favourite flavour!

We came back to our hotel room where we got ready while lostening to music. Then we walked to the Seaport which is where we were booked in to have tea. After trying to decide on what to have, I finally ordered potato gnocci with and My cousin had the fish and chips. I was so pleased with the choice I made as I really enjoyed it and ate it all. We then headed to the Lee Kernaghan concert where we bought some Lee merchandise before going inside. I got a tanktop as well as a new cd as my last cd got stuck in my cd player when I had my car accident so I lost it.

The show was brilliant with some old songs we could sing along to as well as some excellent new ones. The second half of the show was dedicated to the Anzacs so all of the songs represented stories of different soldiers who have fought throughout history to make Australia the wonderful country it is today. It really was a moving experience hearing the stories of our anzacs and Lee Kernaghan did an excellent job. When the show finished, we walked back to the hotel where we stayed up and  chatted for a while before going to bed.

Right now it is 7:15 am and I am just waiting for my cousin to get up so that we can go down stairs and get breakfast. I dont know what I will have but I am thinking maybe poached eggs on toast. We dont really have any big plans for the rest of the day. We will probably just do a little more shopping before we head back home sometime this morning. I am kind of dreadinggoing back to work tomorrow and out of the next 20 days I am only  going to  have 2 days off as I have to work the next two weekends. I know I just need to keep looking forward to my cruise and thinking about the extra money I can save and I will get through it.

I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend. Take this chance to step outside your comfort zone and do something fun. Even if this  may cause you a little anxiety, just remember that it will soon pass however the wonderful memories you make will last a lifetime. :)

An afternoon with Amy

I have had a really nice afternoon with my gorgeous sister. I walked to her school to pick her up at the end of the school day and then we walked to the shop to get icecream. I tried one of the Peanut butter magnum icecreams and Amy had a rainbow icecream in a cone. I had never tried peanut butter icecream before but I really loved it and will definetely have it again.

After our icecreams we headed back to my place where we are hanging out now, waiting before it is time to go to Amy's talent show. At first we listened to some new music that I downloaded this morning and now we are watching pretty little liars. 

I also just made myself some tea (pasta and vegetables) so all I have to do when I get home is reheat it and my tea will be ready. Preparing meals and planning meals ahead of time is something that I highly reccommend doing, especially if you are busy. I find this really helpful as it allows me to make sure that I always eat enough and to make sure that I never skip any meals. :) 

Best Birthday ever

I have had such a good birthday! I am feeling totally exhausted of course after my huge weekend, but I just wanted to let everyone know how my birthday went. My friend picked me up at about 11am yesterday morning and we had a lovely trip to the City. It took almost 2 hours however it didnt feel that long at all as we get along incredibely well so chatted constantly. As soon as we arrived in Hobart we headed straight to the honey badger cafe For lunch. I had the queen bee pancakes and they were so yummy! An old friend also met up with us for lunch who which was really nice.

After lunch we started looking for a dress for me to wear out. I was incredibely lucky as I found a gorgeous dress that I really loved in the first shop we went too. It was blue and white and not too expensive which was great. I also got a new pair of white heels which I really loved. We did a bit more shopping as well and I found some nice new clothes. When we finished shopping we grabbed a smoothie and headed to meet up with the other girl we were going out with that night.

We ended up being in a massive rush and had hardly any time to get ready but it didnt matter as everyone looked great anyway. We arrived at the restaurant where we had our dinner reservation and were seated at our tables. For tea I ordered baked kingfish with garlic gnocci in a neaopollatine sauce. We also ordered a bottle of sparkling pinot noir which was incredibely delicious. The wine was actually pale pink in colour and was infused with berry flavours. I havent really eaten out at nice restaurants before so I was amazed by how good the food was. It was possibly the nicest meal I habe ever had in my life.

After dinner we went straight to a night club where we had a few shots and did a bit of dancing. 
We stayed out drinking and dancing until about 2:00am when we headed back to where we were staying. Once we got there we just ate some snacks and chatted before going to bed. I was expecting to wake up feeling sick and hung over but luckily I didnt at all. Besides feeling a little tired, I felt great. We went out for brunch and I had a savoury chicken, pesto, capsicum and mushroom crepe which was delicious also. I have never really eaten that kind of food out before either so I really enjoyed it. We started the long drive back to Swansea at about 1pm were home again before we knew it.

When I got home I basically went straight up to my parents house so that I could visit my dad as it is fathers day today. I gave him his present which he was quite happy with and we sat and talked for a couple of hours, just the two of us which was really nice. I honestly believe that my dad is the most wonderful person in the world and I always love spending time with him so this was a great way to spent the afternoon. I didnt get home until quite late so I just cooked myself some tea and am now going to relax for the rest of the night. I will try and get a good nights sleep so that I am well rested for work in the morning after my huge weekend.

A massive weekend

This weekend really has been great but it has also been incredibely tiring. I dont know if I would have even got a single hours sleep last night so I am feeling completely exhausted right now, especially since I worked all day yesterday and also all day today.

The girls picked me up last night at at 6:30 and we all headed to the tavern where we were going to have tea. We all ordered a cocktail as well as tea. I was tempted to have the same meal I always have when I go there (grilled fish) but instead I chose to have what the other girls were having. A real crumbed chicken schnitzel with gravy, chips and salad. I was so glad that I had decided to be brave and had the schnitzel as it really was delicious. Shortly after we finished tea, my brother and some of the other young locals guys turned up so we joined them for drinks.

The pub was closing at 10:00 and I foolishly agreed to let them all come back to my unit. There was only us three girls and about 6 guys but we did have a really great night. We listened to music, chatted and drank but luckily I kept in mind the fact that I had to get up and work in the morning so I didnt let myself drink TOO much. So while I was incredibly tired today, I didnt feel too sick or hungover.

My brother, one of my friends and one of my brothers friends were all still at my house when I went to work this morning and I think that they were feeling much more sick and hungover then me, which made me kind of happy that I hadn't let myself drink as much as the rest of them. the day at work seemed to go very slowly and the whole time I was there I just wished I could have been snuggled up in bed sleeping.

While we were out, My friends and I made plans to go out in Hobart next Saturday night as it is going to be my 21st birthday. I am so glad that I have found these two amazing girls that I can socialise with and do things with. some of the guys may also be coming out with us but we aren't 100% sure yet. Going out with the guys could be fun but so would be just having a real girls night out. So either way, it looks as though it is going to be a great weekend.

We stayed up really late last night but when I did finally get to bed, unforunatly I was strangely unable to sleep. Now I am so tired I feel like I just need to go to sleep but I dont know if I will be able to sleep. And I also know that if I go to bed early, I will most likely wake up very early too. I want to make sure I am feeling refeshed and energized for a whole new work week.

How was your weekend? X

Getting my life back

As I have mentioned before, now that I am geting so much healthier, I am starting to want to socialise more again and enjoy my life the way a 20 year old should be. This has beeen quite hard hwever as although I want to start socialisiing again, I no longer really fit into the asocial groups that already exost in the little town I live in and I am  quite shy when it comes to going out and socialising by myself.

This Satrday night however I have planned to go out for tea witth a really nice girl who I met at the party a couple of weeks ago as well as two of my cousins who I get along with really well too. I have to work on both Saturday and Sunday which is a bit of ashaim however I am not going to let this stop me from going out and having a nice girls night out. Afterall, life is supposed to be hectic and busy when you are young and I really do just want to have some fun and live in the moment a little.

I really cant wait to have a night out with the girls and hope that it is just the first of many more  to come!

Saturday update + todays meals

Amy and I had a nice relaxing morning this morning. She always shows a lot of interest in my blog and was really excited when I asked her if she wanted to write a post to publish on my blog. She wrote most of it while I was out walking Tess this morning and I helped her edit it when I got back. It made me sad to see how much my anorexia has effected her but also grateful that she loves me so much despite my illness. Amy and I are incredibely close and I dont think my anorexia has ever come between us. In fact if anything it has made us closer as it has made us realse just how important we are to one another. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up thinking about how our eating disorders effect our lives and we forget how it effects the people we love. Amy is one of the main people that I fight my anorexia for everyday. I want to recover so that I can be the big sister that she deserves to have.

I have spent a lot of the day resting which has felt really good. Amy went home just after lunch and since then I have written a few blog posts, watched some grays anatomy, taken Tess for another tiny walk and watched tv. At the moment I am watching the movie Dear John. I was really tired after tea so actually got a couple of hours sleep before Dear John started. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay awake while watching it otherwise. I havent seen this movie since back in 2010 but I remember loving it when I saw it. It feels so strange to think back to times before I got sick. I cant even remember what it was like to be normal anymore.  It seems like it has been forever since a time that my life didn't revolve around food, weight and my anorexia. I still cant imagine what it will be like to oneday be free of my anorexia again, all I do know is that it will be the most wonderful feeling in the world.

The foods I eat on the weekends are usually a bit different then what I have during the week as I dont have to worry about packing my lunch up to take to work and have more time to cook in the evenings. 

2 slices of toast with honey nut spread, 1 bowl of sweet cinnamon and apple oats

1 banana Up And Go and 1 chocolate muffin

2 slices of fresh bread with butter, cheese and tomato relish, 1 chocolate snak pak and 1 extra large sliced banana

1 violet crumble, 1 large pear and 1 small banana

1 chicken breast schnitzel, baked tomato dish and oven cooked chips

1 orange, 1 white hot chocolate and 2 macadamia and white chocolate chip cookies

I hope that everyone has had an amazing Saturday and that your Sunday is as equally amazing! :)