30 Before 30 - #3 Swim with Dolphins

When I was a teenager I went "swimming with dolphins" in Whitianga. Now, I put that in quote marks because not only did we not get to swim with dolphins, we didn't even see any, and as a dolphin-loving youngster I was very unimpressed. So, I've been looking forward to another opportunity since then. The weekend before last we headed over to Akaroa, on a day that was a bit average, booked in for the 2pm sailing and hoping that weather would improve. However, 1.30pm rolled around and the staff informed us of at least 1-2m swells... so we decided to postpone the swim til last weekend.

I am so glad we did, because the weather on Saturday was absolutely amazing! We saw dolphins and swam with them, and it was an amazing experience. In Akaroa they're Hector's Dolphins - one of the rarest dolphins in the world, which are only found in New Zealand waters. They're also one of the smallest dolphins in the world - at only about 1.4m long, so they're not threatening at all and love to play - jumping and swirling around everyone in our group. The Black Cat team were also great - very friendly, helpful and informative.

After a hot shower and a quick look around town, we went to Ma Maison for a delicious French meal before heading back to Christchurch.

It was such a lovely, relaxing and fun day in a beautiful wee town. A big thanks to my man for coming along (two weekends in a row), Black Cat Cruises and especially the dolphins for wanting to play.

See my original 30 Before 30 post here
See all 30 Before 30 posts here 

Today we remember

This past year has been hard. I've been more emotional than I even knew I could be - crying at work while reading stories of that day, getting teary while simply driving past buildings that didn't survive or getting angry about having to clean up a house of mess, again. I was in a building in The Square at 12.51pm, and still find watching videos of that day horrible. Last week's Sunday episode hit me hard, especially the story about the Japanese students who were studying in the CTV building - it was their first day and half the class didn't make it through the rubble.

Thank you to my friends, who, even through all this, haven't just packed up and left. Thank you for being there to talk to about all things earthquake, and also knowing when it was a good time to talk about something else. Thank you to my man, for the hugs and letting me stay at your less shaky house. Thank you to my family, who have worried about me with every shake, and have supported my decision to stick around (none of my family live in Christchurch). And thank you to you, all my readers. I'm sure you're sick of hearing about earthquakes, liquefaction and the rebuild, but you're still here, supporting us Christchurch folk with all your hearts.

Please take a moment today to remember those who lost their lives and those who had their lives changed forever one year ago today. Please take a moment to think about how lucky we are and a moment to cherish those around you.

xox

Quick 4 - Show you care every day

Cute Felt goodies for your love.

loveideas

$4.00

bycoulter

$48.00

flymypretty

$12.00

aliceberry

$15.00

Summer lovin'

 The things I can't get enough of this summer...

1. The necklace I treated myself to, by Vanette.
2. Frozen Planet - the only thing I'm watching on TV at the moment. It's so damn awesome, so awesome that I just bought The Planet Collection, I can't wait for it to arrive!
3. Bright Lights, Big Colour by OPI.
4. Raspberries and Viennetta. Seconds please!
5. Relaxing in the backyard after work, with the sun still out and a glass of Baker Hall's apple and pomegranate and lemonade in hand.
6. Not wearing shoes.
7. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, a Christmas pressie from my lovely.

Just for giggles

Happy hump day everyone! We're now on the downhill to the long weekend (if you're in NZ), hooray!

I just thought I'd share some internet things that never fail to make me laugh. They're all pretty popular sites, but I'm always surprised at how many people have never heard of them.

Click to enlarge

Ahhhh, the funniest ones are normally dirty, but Damn You Auto Correct has to be my favourite site for having a laugh. I've spent hours going through the pages of awesome text messages, and it even sometimes makes me a little glad that I don't own an iPhone. 

Once you're done there, head over to Sleep Talkin' Man. That guy (Adam) must have an awesome imagination. I especially love this one: "Stop throwing dinosaurs everywhere! It's gonna take me forever to get the pterodactyls down from the wardrobe. Oh, you messy little velociraptors."

If you're a graphic designer, you may enjoy Clients From Hell and You Know You're a Designer When. 

And if you're a crafter you've probably heard of Regretsy, which takes the piss (and rightfully so) out of amusing items on Etsy. Engrish.com is good for a few chuckles, and then there's a few of my favourite YouTube channels - Kids React in which they show kids viral videos and record their honest reactions and Improv Everywhere is also pretty entertaining.

Not often seen - some photos of me

I don't often put photos of myself on here, so here's a few to prove I am a real person...

The earliest photo I could find of me  //  I love that pic - me at kindy

I've loved boats from a young age  //  A birthday in the late 80s - with crimped hair!

A cheesy school photo  //  Stewart Island (and tying to grow out my fringe)

High above Lake Mavora  //  My school formal (what was I thinking with that hair?!)

At Puzzle World, Wanaka. That guy is painted, I swear!

Last year on the cruise  //  At Ephesus with Mum

My favourite recent photo - me with my lovely Grandma

My new love (that you've probably been using for ages)

To begin with I didn't really see the attraction of Pinterest... but after using it for only days, I was hooked! If you've been hibernating or something and don't know what it is, Pinterest is "a vision board-styled social photo sharing website where users can create and manage theme-based image collections". It's well designed, easy to use and actually a great tool. I've been using it to keep track of things I want to make, recipes I want to try, great ideas and pretty things.

To put it simply, it's just cool. Let me know if you're not in and want an invite. You can find my pins here.