my photos – Rachel MacDonald

2012: The Magical Moments of the Year That Was

30 December, 2012

2012. Oh, what a year. The biggest and most transformative 12 months of my life, without a doubt.

The first part of the year can be summed up as B.U.S.Y. Turning the wedding around in five months – and trying to ‘do it all’ – was a little nuts and quite often I found I was thriving on adrenalin and gotta-get-it-done-ness rather than good, natural energy.

The obvious lesson for me here was that I needed to learn to ask for help – sooner. Got it.

After the wedding, everything began to flow beautifully and opportunities started showing up all over the place. I learnt to deeply trust my intuition and measure all my decisions up against how a situation makes me feel. I turned down one promising gig because I knew I wouldn’t be able to give it the attention it required, but more importantly, because it would take me further away from my other dreams and desires.

I’ve never regretted it. This was just one instance of gut-knowing in 2012.

It’s been a year of enormous growth, new friendships, plenty of aha! moments, milestones, tears, laughter, dreams come true and pure, juicy love. Below are some of the stand out moments…

Bloggers Meet Up

January kicked off with a bang with a Gold Coast/ Brisbane bloggers meet up at Stingray bar. Nothing better than getting out from behind the computer and meeting the amazing ladies you’ve been conversing with online in “real life.”

Sydney

February was soon upon us and Ramai and I headed down to Sydney and had an awesome weekend exploring the Northern Beaches (the first time we’d checked out Manly, Avalon, Palm Beach et al and we shall be back!)

Read all about it:

+ A Sydney Weekend

Melbourne

I also flew to Melbourne for my best friend’s birthday and my first wedding dress fitting (!!) The above pics were all I snapped – clearly I was too busy enjoying myself to whip the camera out.

Alexander Wang Goodness

The other notable occasion in Feb? Becoming a proud mama to this gorgeous Alexander Wang creation, a shoulder-breaking hunk of a bag that hasn’t left my side since.

Astro Reading

March rolled around quickly and became one of my favourite months of the year.

First up was an eye-opening, energy-filled astrology reading with Tali Edut of AstroStyle, and having recently listened to the recording again I can tell you that everything we discussed has unfolded exactly the way Tali said it would (she even said “I could see you doing something like Marie Forleo’s B-School,” which I’d completely forgotten about, AND GUESS WHAT, I DID!)

Read all about it:

+ Making Me Happy

Engagement Photo Shoot

Not long after my reading, we met up with our wedding photographer Ali Mitton for our engagement shoot in Byron Bay – a fun day with lots of laughing, kissing and staring deeply into each other’s eyes (haha!)

Sweet observation: Ramai always seems to be on my left – coincidentally, my “weaker” side – which is rather symbolic of our relationship. He really is my perfect complement – the fine detail to my big picture thinking, the calm to my enthusiasm, the left to my right.

Read all about it:

+ Our Engagement Photos

Hens Party

And then it was all about the laydees for my hens weekend – the best freaking two days ever!

I got to play stylist (any excuse). We belly laughed… uncontrollably. We danced. We drank mojitos from mason jars. We revelled in the depth of our collective friendships, and when I woke up on the Sunday morning, my heart, well it overfloweth with love, so it did.

Read all about it:

+ Making Me Happy: The Hens Party Edition

Selfish for 27 Days Featured Guest

In April, I was a featured guest in Susana Frioni’s Selfish for 27 days, speaking about the ways I manage overwhelm through positive reinforcement, visualisation and a bunch of other positive tactics.

The rest of the month zoomed by in a blur, knee deep in wedding to-do’s.

Read all about it:

+ 6 Weeks Today: The Wedding Countdown is On

+ Behind the Scenes with a Bride-to-Be: 5 Weeks to Go

Wedding Dress = Ready + Invisalign = Off!

May entailed flying to Melbourne to pick up my wedding dress (tears!), more wedding organisation, and after 12 months of everyday wear, getting my Invisalign off. Big grins all round.

Read all about it:

+ Behind the Scenes with a Bride-to-Be: Under 3 Weeks to Go

Guest Blogger on The Wellness Warrior

I was also invited to be a guest blogger for one of my favourite sites The Wellness Warrior.

Marrying the Man of My Dreams

The most magical day of my life happened this year – June 2, the day I married my best friend and soulmate, surrounded by the most important people in our lives.

I was never in a big rush to get hitched as Ramai and I have always “felt” married, but I have to say, sitting here with my husband six months in, it does feel different… in the best possible way. I couldn’t be more in love with this beautiful soul.

Read all about it:

+ R + R Get Married (Part 1)

+ R + R Get Married: The Ceremony (Part 2)

+ R + R Get Married: The Reception (Part 3)

+ R + R Get Married: Party Time (Part 4)

+ R + R Get Married: The Details (Part 5)

B-School

Two days after our wedding I started Marie Forleo’s B-School, an eight week online business/ entrepreneurship course that, with absolutely-no-hyperbole-at-all, has changed my life.

I knew B-School would give me the push I needed to steer my ship in a new direction, but at the time, I wasn’t entirely sure when that would happen or how it would all unfold. I now know.

I started coaching with Susana who was my ‘accountability coach’ for several months and along the way, I’ve formed gorgeous friendships with inspiring (and aspiring) biz women in the B-School Facebook group. Again, total game-changer. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

+ Pop the champers, In Spaces Between also turned 1 in June (hooray!)

Hotel Weekend

Oh hi July.

First up was a relaxing winter weekend at QT Hotel, where we ate, drank delicious cocktails and I drifted off to heavenly place during a spa treatment at spaQ. Yum.

Read all about it:

+ A QT Weekend

The Village Markets Bloggers Breakfast

Later that month I joined a bunch of gorgeous Gold Coast/Brisbane bloggers (Lori from Eight. Ten. Ten; Jas from Fizzle Out; Liss from Daydream Lily; Ally from Unknown Pleasures; Jess from Konstantinos; Sammi from Chase Dakota; Sophie from Peppa Hart Bride; Carly from Mumma Electric) and our hosts, Marissa and Sarah from The Village Markets for a chilled out morning of eating, chatting, wandering and shopping.

Pretty much the perfect Sunday morning, no?

eBook

In August I released my first eBook, More Magic All the Time: 20 Ways to Create Your Best Life Ever which has found its way to the hands of 3000 peeps in the past four months.

I also created, with the help of Sian (who designed the eBook as well) a downloadable daily planner to help us all hone in on the most important stuff every day. Practicing gratitude is, of course, front and centre.

Both are yours for free so if you haven’t already got your copies:

+ Grab my eBook

+ Download the Make Magic Daily Planner

The Lifestyle Transformation Guide Featured Guest

Jess invited me to talk passion, balance, overwhelm and everything in between on video for her revolutionary wellness program, The Lifestyle Transformation Guide, which hit the interwebz in September.

Thrilled and honoured to have been part of such an incredible – and important – offering.

Read all about it:

+ The Lifestyle Transformation Guide

Another Wedding

In September, I also got an insight into what it’s like to style someone else’s wedding (well, the putting-it-all-together part anyway, the overall look had already been created by Judi from Little Gray Station).

Read all about it:

+ Making Me Happy

Cosmo Bride

Ahh October, the month our Big Day was featured in Cosmo Bride magazine!

Such a beautiful keepsake (for when we’re old and grey and our grandkids ask “What’s a magazine?”)

Problogger

I went back to Melbourne in October for the Problogger event, where I had a ball meeting a bunch of wonderful bloggy – and B-School – babes (and catching up with the gals I already know). I also met Sarah Wilson (stunning, smart as hell) and Chris Guillebeau (beyond lovely).

Read all about it:

+ Problogger Event 2012: The Full Wrap Up (Pt 1)

+ Problogger Event 2012: The Full Wrap Up (Pt 2)

Interviews

2012 was a big year for interviews (I’ve lost count but let’s just say there were many – which is awesome, because I love being interviewed!) but one of the highlights was popping up on Betty Means Business in October, a killer site run by a fellow B-Schooler.

Read all about it:

+ Making Me Happy {direct link to interview here}

Friendship

2012: The Year of Ze Woman. Or should that be, The Year of Soul-Rocking, Heart-Warming, Effing Excellent Friendships?

Either way, it’s been all about strong bonds and feminine power in my world this year. From special moments with my best friends, to deepening new friendships online and at my now-former job, I’ve often marvelled at how lucky I am to know so many ass-kicking, dream-chasing, wild-horses-wouldn’t-hold-me-back kinda women.

Connecting, collaborating and making a commitment to cheer each other on always is so, so powerful. Dear Universe, more of that in 2013 please!

Turning 30 + A Mini Break in Byron

Birthday month! November is always an exciting month for me and this year was no exception, particularly because this birthday was a special one – the Big 3-0.

On the brink of 30, everyone started telling me how your thirties are the best years, how you just “know” things that you previously would have doubted and how you care less about what others think and more about what feels right for you… and I have to say, it’s true! Turning 30 was a noticeable leap forward for me.

To celebrate me shimmying into a new decade, Ramai took me away on a holiday to a gorgeous beach house in Broken Head in Byron Bay for five days, and my nearest and dearest came down for a day ‘n’ night of good food, cocktails and dancing. Perfection.

Read all about it:

+ Thirty

Kinesiology

I started seeing a kinesiologist (Anita Crosbie) in November which was definitely the catalyst for what happens next in my 2012 story.

From the first treatment, I learnt how out of harmony my energy was, where stress was impacting my body and the limiting beliefs that were keeping me in my comfort zone and away from living a completely aligned life.

Anita said “Things usually start happening pretty quickly after kinesiology” and ain’t that the truth, sista?! I was initially working towards leaving my full-time job sometime around May 2013, but a month after my first kinesy sesh I stepped into my boss’ office and handed him my resignation letter after 4.5 years with the company.

It was time.

Quitting My Full-Time Job + Starting a Business!

Which brings me to this point. Let me tell you about a week that will always stand out as one of those “defining weeks” in my life.

We’d come home from my Byron birthday festivities on the Monday and I went straight to my second kinesiology sesh. Jacked up on delicious energy, I raced home for my first coaching call with Julie Parker – who I’m thrilled will now be mentoring me on a longer-term basis – and by the end of the call I knew that I would be leaving my job before the year was out. It would be an extraordinary end to an extraordinary year and would allow me to regroup over the break and start 2013 fresh and with a new direction.

Julie said “There will never be a perfect time” and I tucked that truth in my pocket, spun it around in my head a few hundred times, and on the Wednesday, included a few lines in my newsletter to let you all know that I was taking “expressions of interest” for bright sparks wanting to work with me on a one-on-one basis.

By Friday, I had 30 clients locked and loaded, the majority for one and three month packages. Ta dah! A coaching biz was born!

I resigned the following Monday and the last few weeks have been a big ol’ swirl of action and ideas for a massive 2013. I’ve never felt so sure of anything and know that this is just the beginning of a thrilling ride.

And finally, 2012 had a whole lot of this…

Running, op shopping/ decanter collecting, green goodness, healthy treats, crafting, Burleigh love, 11:11, guidance, neon and succulents.

Thank you so much for your love and support and for being an integral part of the In Spaces Between community (and hey, kudos for making it to the end of this EPIC post!)

2013: we will, we will ROCK YOU. We’ve got this.

Poster: Work is Not a Job

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Thirty

30 November, 2012

A little peek at our gorgeous mini-holiday in Broken Head, Byron Bay and the fun and frivolity of my big THREE-OH celebrations.

Five hours at Gaia Retreat & Spa, beach swims and headland walks, dancing a-plenty, sunshine and special memories to last a lifetime. What more could a girl ask for?

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A QT Weekend

8 July, 2012

What an awesome weekend!

A week or so ago, I was asked by QT Hotel Gold Coast to come along and test out the new spaQ, which is rather funny considering I’ve spent the past few years on the other side of the fence organising visits just like these for media.

I’ve been to QT’s Stingray Lounge on a few occasions (you might remember I had my birthday there last year and we hosted the Gold Coast/ Brisbane bloggers meet-up there in January) and have ~~gorged myself silly~~ dined at their ridiculously awesome restaurant Bazaar, but hadn’t yet checked out the refurbed rooms or the new spa – both of which I spent some time in over the past two days.

Let’s talk through the visuals, shall we?

After we checked in last night (homemade lemonade delivered to our room + welcome macarons = major boxes being ticked already!) we ducked down to Stingray for a quick drink before heading next door for dinner at the property’s Japanese restaurant, Yamagen.

Hello cute husband, how do you do?

Yamagen is one of those restaurants that has been around forever, but for some reason, I always seem to forget about when planning a night out so it was a no brainer that while we were staying just upstairs, we’d be checking it out. Japanese is ALWAYS a winner in my books.

Yamagen’s a la carte menu had all the usual favourites like agedashi tofu (to-die-for!), edamame, teriyaki beef skewers, tempura vegetables, sashimi, sushi and hearty mains like Wagyu beef. For those wanting something a bit more interactive, you can sit at the Teppanyaki bar and have your meal cooked in front of you, but since it was just the two of us and we were keen to chill out and be pretty inconspicuous, we ordered most of what I’ve mentioned above (except the sashimi/ sushi/ Wagyu) straight from the menu.

Seriously delicious. In fact – and I almost feel bad saying this – we have a little favourite Japanese restaurant down the road from our house that does an amazing agedashi tofu, and we both looked at each other last night and said “This one’s better, isn’t it?”

Shhh.

After dinner, we headed back in to Stingray for a sneaky mojito and a spot of people-watching, before heading back to the room because OF COURSE, THE FOOTBALL WAS ON.

Say hello to our Saturday nights during the AFL season. Yes, really.

(amazing stripes everywhere)

TODAY

As usual, we woke up early this morning and were greeted with a stunning – if not blinding – view out to the beach. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – winter is one of the best times to be on the GC.

I’ve thought what I’m about to say through and I realise it’s a huge call, but the bed at QT was the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in. Hands down. And I don’t say that lightly – I’ve stayed at several Sofitel hotels in my time and they are renowned for their comfy beds, but the one I woke up in this morning was far superior… and of course, I now have a severe case of bed-envy.

Note to self: find out where to get our very own cloud of awesomeness, asap!

Before our breakfast at Bazaar, I went a bit nuts taking photos of all the rad decor and graphic elements in the room for future decorating projects.

View from the lift area.

As far as breakfast goes, I’ll let the photos do the talking (just know that there was more food. So much more).

And what did I eat? Nutella on toast, this incredible potato bake, creamy mushrooms, aaaaand…. one of pretty much everything in the place. Yep.

STOP. PAMPER TIME!

Later today the really fun part arrived – a visit to spaQ, where I was booked in for a oh-my-god-how-divine-was-that?! facial. Not sure if that’s the official name of the package, but that’s certainly what I was thinking when I floated out the door in my robe and slippers an hour later!

The bathroom. If you can’t already tell, yellow features heavily at QT. Fresh, sunny, happy. GLORIOUS.

The procedure:

After filling out my details on arrival, I was shown around the spa and taken to the bathroom to get changed into my robe and slippers, before heading to the ‘chill-out’ room shown in the last image above.

The chill out room is designed with just that in mind, so you’re encouraged to grab a cup of tea or a glass of water and lay back and read a mag (I judge venues on the quality of the stash, and can assure you it was top shelf).

Not long after, my lovely therapist Lily came and collected me and it was time for a peppermint foot soak/ exfoliation so we could chat about what treatment I wanted and what I hoped to get out of it. All sounding amazing by this point, as you can tell. I’ve got super tight muscles all through my back and shoulders at the moment and was keen to relax and unwind so I went for a hydrating facial. What ensued was an hour of pure, unadulterated bliss, and for the first time ever, I almost fell asleep during my treatment.

What I loved:

+ All the products are natural and custom-blended for your individual requirements – for example, Lily used a deeper exfoliating product on a small patch on my forehead and around my chin to really “get right in there.” The products are all also made with active plant extracts, which means they smell absolutely beautiful and do what they need to do, gently.

+ The rooms are really light and airy – a nice alternative to your standard spa – and if the overdone “trickling waterfall sounds” CD drives you a bit bonkers like it does me, you’ll be pleased to know the tunes are as funky and fresh as the decor. Hooray!

So that was our “mini-cation” – a genuinely fun and relaxing weekend, just up the road from home.

Have you ever been to QT?

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Snippets of My Weekend

5 March, 2012

Wow, what a weekend!

Before I start, I want to apologise in advance for In Spaces Between becoming more wedding-focused than usual over next two months and 27 days (aiiiieee!)

As you know, weddings are my reality at the moment and I know lots of you are keen to hear about the various happenings and pretty things I’m pulling together for our 2 June nuptials, so I’ll keep sharing some of them here in the hope that you, or someone you know, will find them useful.

I have to say that I’m really loving the whole planning process now that all the venue drama is waaaay behind us, and it’s as if something has just clicked in me over the past few weeks that says “Right Rach, let’s go! I’m turning you into a wedding planning machine!” No matter what it is in life, I always work best when I can intensely focus in on a big project over a short period of time, so oil up the cogs, baby, this machine has just kicked into overdrive!

SOMEBODY STOP ME.

Before I get too carried away… there’s no doubt I’m also really looking forward to freeing up approximately 56,785 brain cells (the ones that are currently debating which flowers to have in my bouquet) post-June, and redirecting them back to the part of my cortex where my blogging juju resides.

Posts may be a little less consistent than they have been for a little while – because someone raised the bar sky-high with an over-zealous posting schedule – but you can rest assured that once our Big Day is over, I’ll be implementing some shiny, juicy, giga-exciting ideas around here. I may even have a surprise or two up my sleeve. You’ll just have to wait and see!

Why am I telling you all this? Because it’s important to me that you’re kept in the loop…. and also, so if you don’t hear from me on occasion, ~~you can come and check I haven’t suffocated under a pile of burlap~~ you know what’s up. Or wasssssup (with gang signs). I’m still here. I’m just ‘there’ too.

Enough from the business end, let’s get to my weekend, mon cherie!

We had the most productively awesome meeting with our caterer and the owner of our wedding venue on Saturday. Hooray! The day was miserable and rainy, but the mood after our meeting was all sunshine and rainbows.

I actually had serious butterflies on the drive home – there’s so much to do in the next two months, but I can really visualise the whole day now and it’s going to be magnificent.

Ravenous after our meeting (I’m blaming the butterflies) we stopped at The Conscious Cafe for lunch and shared the ‘Tree of Life’ (amazing veggie patties with salads to-die-for) and sipped on the milk of a young coconut. Oh my goodness. You NEED to try one of these!

I made Ramai one of his favourite meals from Jamie Oliver’s 30-Minute Meals cookbook. That meal was – wait for it – spinach and feta pie. I’m serious. Pastry + anything (savoury) is the apex of awesome for my boy.

Speaking of simple pleasures – over the weekend, I was totally excited to see one of our succulents getting in on the neon trend. So Sass & Bide.

Helloooo mighty magenta leaves! How pretty are these? I can’t for the life of me remember the name of this plant, but the owner of our wedding venue has it growing like crazy at her property and she gave me a bunch of clippings to take home.

This is yet another reason why we’re eternally grateful our last venue sold. She’s such a gem and there is NO comparison. On all fronts.

I also got crafty on the weekend, getting my chalkboard paint out and painting the glass on these gold frames I picked up from the op shop recently.

Because I’m clearly insane, I decided planning a wedding in a few months wasn’t enough so I’m also styling a photo shoot/ my hens party next weekend. You know, for kicks.

I’ve been collecting vintage pieces for months now, and these chalkboard frames are going to come in handy for a little sumthin’ sumthin’.

Likewise, these vintage cushions will be utilised – probably on our chairs. Fancy that! Such a steal at $3 each!

Our Saturday nights used to entail drinks and dressing up, and now they entail this: Ramai using his superior Excel skills to “draw” the layout of our wedding venue. Ragers, I tell ya.

PS: can you tell he works in finance? All I can do in Excel is insert or delete a row (haha, kidding… sort of).

Some pretty new shells I picked up. I want a glass bell jar to store them under, but am yet to find the right one. The search continues…

Checking the mail yesterday, I was so surprised and thrilled to find two gorgeous cuff/ bangles from Brooke of The Style Net.

What a gorgeous gift! I can already tell I’m going to get so much wear out of these beauties.

And again… just beautiful.

Wedding moodboards, hire sheets, Inky Co. and kikki.K. Planning, planning, planning. This is what my life has become!

Lunch on Sunday, made by Ramai – Corn Thins with satay sauce, avocado and cheese. Ha! But seriously, not as weird as it sounds. Delicious actually. I was so hungry I would have eaten my pen, however.

We have a chilli! Love that this little loner has sprouted. Yum yum.

My Wang accompanies me pretty much everywhere I go these days. The flames of love are still burning brightly for this piece of studded-leather goodness!

I’ve come to realise that we’ll pretty much go to Bunnings at least once every weekend until our wedding. I’m OK with it. I’m actually kinda digging it, in fact.

Pails, ropes (“GRUNT” – how manly is that?!), extension cords, clamps and nails. Badass construction stuffs.

I am slightly obsessed with guinea fowl feathers – and twine – and so yesterday I combined the two…

And made this!

Another load of jars/ bottles/ bric-a-brac (as Ramai calls it) to take to my “wedding room” at my parents house.

Eek! Would you look a that rack? Messy McMess! I cleaned and sorted this not long after this picture was taken (and as for my wardrobe, well… we won’t go there).

Moodboarding for the florist who we will be working with on the photo shoot. I can’t wait to see how this all turns out!

I spent the whole weekend sniffling madly. Cold from hell, could you please depart my body immediately?

And finally, last night wrapped up with a belated birthday dinner at my parent’s place for my brother Andy.

(that’s him… being strange).

We ate roast beef…

And Ramai had his very own vegetarian roast!

Mum has obviously laid claim to some of my decanters.

And even though it’s definitely not cold enough to light a fire, we did. Just ’cause.

I can’t believe the weekend is over again – another busy two days that flew by in a flash!

+ What did you get up to over the weekend? I’d love to hear what’s going on in your world in the comments! Anything big coming up?

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A Sydney Weekend

9 February, 2012

A couple of snaps from our trip to Sydney last weekend…

PLACES WE VISITED

Garie Beach/ Royal National Park : Granted it was a super rainy day and the road was partly blocked, but on a good day this gorgeous beach would be incredible! Perfect for photo-snapping, romantic picnic-ing, or ripping it up in the surf, if you’re that way inclined.

Avalon: We adored the Northern Beaches (I think we said “I could definitely live here!” at least 57 times) and I loved checking out some of the awesome little boutiquey shops in Avalon, including Bassike, Ginger & Smart and Mark Tuckey Home. We didn’t get a chance to eat at The Healthy Chef as we headed to Palm Beach for lunch but by all accounts, that place is amazing. Next time for sure!

The Boathouse, Palm Beach: Loved The Boathouse! My favourite part was the decor – big silver buckets of flowers like tuberose and hydrangeas, and a beautiful mix of white and wood (my fave!) – but the food didn’t disappoint either. Awesome vibe, will definitely be back.

Whale Beach: What a stunning location. TO.DIE.FOR scenery – and sweet waves as well, according to Ramai.

Manly: We drove to Manly on the way home from Avalon/ Palm Beach on Saturday and arrived at around 5pm to a bustling scene of people riding their bikes along the boardwalk, kids running around playgrounds, friends laughing over a drink at cute bars that spilled out onto the sidewalk… and promptly fell in love with the place. The atmosphere was A++++ and we cruised around, had dinner and just soaked it all up. The park near the wharf was going off!

We decided we wanted to get the ferry back to the city so we left the car in Manly and got our tourist on once onboard the boat, snapping a bajillion photos of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge along with half the population of the U.K.

The next morning, since we’d left our car over in Manly, we headed back on the first ferry at 7am to pick it up and were again greeted with plenty of activity. So much fun!

Bondi: I’ve been to Bondi before a few times and I know the place gets busy, but Sunday was just beyond. The weather was perfect and we drove around for about 40 minutes looking for a park (because we couldn’t get hold of our friend Ado) and once we’d finally given up and grabbed some breakfast, he called and said “oh you can just park in my driveway, guys.” Now you tell us!

Bondi serves up some of the best people-watching around and after seeing the parade of supermodel-like girls in tiny bikinis, I was definitely regretting the battered fish and chips from the day prior. One thing that did concern me though was the number of overly buffed guys in tiny Speedos… um, when did Speedo’s come back? Say it ain’t so.

+ Tell me: what’s your favourite spot in Sydney?

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Making Me Happy

8 February, 2012

You are love. Yes, yes, you are.

I hope everyone is feeling the love this morning… I know I am! This week’s Making Me Happy list is a biggie so let’s launch straight in, shall we?

Sydney + Sunshine

I’ve got a confession to make and I feel like a bit of a noodle for saying this – to me, Melbourne has always been my number one Aussie city. Yep. In the past, I’ve been known to say “Yeah Sydney’s OK, but Melbourne is where it’s at” and for the past three years we’ve travelled to Melbourne about four times each year (and I don’t want to start any turf wars or anything, but I’ll take this opportunity to ask: do you have a favourite?)

ANYWAY, didn’t Sydney just flip that little theory on its head last weekend! Ramai and I had an absolute ball for the three days we were in town and we were both seriously depressed on Sunday afternoon when we were travelling back to the airport to head home. I feel like previously Sydney was the friend you’d see occasionally at parties and say a quick hello and that was about it, but now we’ve sat down over a drink and realised we actually have somuchincommonitsnotfunny, it’s like Insta-besty. Looking forward to our next visit already!

I’ll do a separate post with our photos but in summary, this is what we did:

+ Visited (and subsequently fell in love with) Palm Beach/ Avalon/ Manly – loved our lunch at The Boathouse too, so thanks for the recommendation everyone (saw Lara Bingle there too appropriately bedecked in a sailor hat, as well as a rad pair of boots I wanted to steal).

+ Marvelled at the beautiful bodies at Bondi on pretty much the most perfect day ever.

+ Visited a cool vintage/ retro store (multi-levels, bursting with goodness!)

+ Drove to Garie Beach in the pouring rain and didn’t see much but fog and, you guessed it, rain.

+ Hung with our friends Jimmy and Nikki, as well as our friend Ado and his new girl Celeste, who was wearing the AMAZE pants in the top right (she used to design for Shakuhachi and now designs for myPetsQuare and Alice McCall, and is stunning stunning stunning).

+ Realised that our souls wilt a little when we’re in cities and surrounded by buildings for too long, and that we MUST be near water as often as possible for recalibration and glorious grounding.

New Threads

I had a quick race around Zara in Sydney and picked up the tops above, two pairs of rad tight black cropped pants and a lovely white tee.

I was also delighted to find that there’s a Victoria’s Secret store at Sydney Airport so I stocked up on some Ravishing Love fragrance mist, which is to-die-for. Seriously the most delicious scent in the universe. Get amongst it, angels!

Grandiflora Arrangements

I think I must secretly be hankering to be a florist or something because I’m fascinated with flowers and arrangements. I’ve been waiting ~~impatiently~~ patiently for Grandiflora Arrangements by Saskia Havekes (of Grandiflora fame, obviously) to arrive in the mail and was ecstatic when it finally came yesterday. I may have even cheered at the post office when I picked it up… which isn’t as embarrassing as it sounds because my book-buying addiction has lead to a pretty tight friendship with the staff at my “local.”

The book is broken up by sections on Autumn/ Winter/ Spring/ Summer and details the flowers that are in season in Australia each month, as well as examples of the ways they can be arranged.

I’m currently thinking of the combinations of flowers we’ll have at our wedding so the pages of this book will no doubt be well-thumbed very shortly. And just on flowers, to the Peony Gods out there (I know you exist) WHY are gorgeous peonies only available in Australia for 2.1 seconds in November? WHY?!

Sending Our Wedding Invites!

The website has been revealed, the twine has been tied (with Ramai’s help – whatta man), the stamps and doilies have been stuck to envelopes and the Post Office lady has kindly hand-cancelled each invite for me, so now we all we have to wait for our friends and family to receive them and I can share some photos here! Check back later in week for a sneaky peek.

Knowing My Limits

I’m finally learning that I need to slow the hell down in my low-energy weeks because it’s not sustainable to run this engine at F1 capacity at all times. And that’s totally okay. Ebb and flow. Soft and hard.

The awesome thing about having a bunch of plates spinning is that it teaches you about priorities and it also forces you to rough up those perfectionist, over-achieving Type-A traits every once in a while and realise that the world will not fall apart if you have to pull back on occasion.

I’m going to be completely honest and open with you and tell you that over the next few months, there ~~may~~ probably will be times when I need to focus on my wedding first and foremost, or my job, or my health (not to mention my loved ones). I’m getting to a point where I can accept that, and let me tell you, it’s been hard. The way I’ve reconciled it in my head is I’ll just go hard when I can and I’m full of energy and when I can’t, I won’t try and push through for the sake of it. It’s hard when you’re so passionate about something (like, say this blog) and that thing has to find its place amongst the many other things competing for time and attention.

I’d love to get a discussion going in the comments – do you put too much pressure on yourself? Share away!

Lana Del Rey

To quote Triple J, “she’s divided listeners the world over” but I’m definitely having a moment with this girl. I can’t stop playing Blue Jeans and have seriously had Diet Mountain Dew in my head for days.

I know Lana isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – in fact, I’ve seen three friends on Twitter say they hate her and three say they adore her – but that’s the sublime thing about music, there really is something for everyone.

For more:

+ This will make you giggle.
+ Behind-the-scenes video of Lana’s cover shoot for British Vogue with Mario Testino

http://youtu.be/iVnoxVksgT8

+ Funny video of Kirsten Wiig impersonating Miss Del Rey on Saturday Night Live (she nailed ‘The Lip’)

Salad-spiration

On the quest to up the ante on the vegetable front, I’m striving to eat salads for dinner as often as possible these days… but that doesn’t mean things have to be boring.

Ramai and I have decided to pull together a salad inspiration ‘chart’ (for want of a better word) that will have recipes and photos of all our favourite salad combos so we don’t get stuck in the rocket/ cherry tomato/ avocado rut.

I love salads that are literally leaping out of the bowl they are so full of “added extras” (snow peas, kale, sprouts, toasted nuts, chia seeds, lentils, tofu and brown rice to name just a few). It makes my mouth water just thinking of them actually. Nom nom.

Wisdom

Love this, but my edit would be ‘Get Up (Really) Early’ instead of ‘Stay Up Late’ (because I’m a nanna).

I personally think magical things happen while the world sleeps. There’s this divine beauty and energy in the stillness.

What do you think?

Mixing Up My Exercise

I’m a huge fan of exercise as you know, but as of right now I’m ramping things up to the next level! It’s about to get crazy up in hurrrr!

I started Pilates Barre (or Xtend Barre) last Wednesday (and I’m already excited for tonight’s class) and tomorrow night I start a series of Hypoxi sessions, both of which I’ll review for you, alongside a review on PowerPlate which I’m trying out next week.

Current affirmation: “I am the fittest and healthiest I’ve ever been” – say it with me!

A Day In the Life… On The Style Net!

If you’re interested in what an average day looks like in the life of Rach, click over to The Style Net.

Thank you for having me lovely Brooke!

Quick Tidbits

+ Melbourne trip next weekend for my first wedding dress fitting! + finishing books + good people with huge hearts + pondering and scheming + H20 + regaining a sense of order when I’m feeling out of whack + laughing my head off at Geordie Shore (we saw it on MTV in Sydney, the most ridiculous show ever) + excitement for the weekend, where I’ll be devoting 99% of my time to collecting wedding and hens party decorations + the beautiful feedback we received about our wedding site + on the same note, LOVE – big, fat, all-encompassing love. It makes the world go ’round, y’know?

+ Phew, that’s me. To join in and top up your joy stores, I’d love you to finish these sentences in the comments:

“I am totally grateful for…”

“I’m so happy because…”

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2011: The Magical Moments of The Year That Was

31 December, 2011

As the year glides to a close, I thought I’d take a hop, skip and a jump down memory lane and reminisce on some of the beautiful moments that unfolded in 2011.

It was a transformative, expansive year and I learnt a lot. One of my motto’s for the year was “Do more of what makes you happy” and looking back, I’m happy to say I did just that!

Here’s what I got up to:

The first two months of 2011 were typically buzzing with activity (so full it appears we forgot to take many photos to document the frivolity!)

I kicked off January with a new chapter of my career, progressing my role at work from a straight Public Relations role into a more in-line-with-my-future role in Digital Communications. No more sneaky Facebook checks at work – I’m now the one staff member in the company that can have the screen up for as long as I want, guilt-free!

Apart from spending plenty of time down south in Byron Bay, Ramai and I had headed north for a romantic weekend away on the Sunshine Coast and devoured one of the best Asian feasts we’ve ever eaten at Spirit House.

February saw us at the Rihanna concert (with some freebie tickets, courtesy of my lovely PR contacts) and down in Byron again checking out two wedding venues – both of which we fell in love with from the get-go. Pretty much on the spot, we locked in the one that was available on 12 May 2012, and that was that… or so we thought.

If only we’d known then that the first property we checked out on that visit to Byron would actually become our wedding venue (with a little date change thrown in the mix!) A crystal ball would have come in very handy, but alas, it would take almost a full year for the ends of the circle to meet.

Magical March rolled around and we were off on a U.S adventure – first stop, NYC baby!

It was our second visit to the gorgeous city that will forever be my “happy place” and we shopped like demons, watched Aussie band Art vs. Science rock the roof off the Mercury Lounge in The Bowery, hung out in Central Park, explored Brooklyn, went to the Bronx Zoo and stayed at the Mondrian in Soho, which was divine (the front restaurant Imperial No. Nine has the most incredible decor).

We then jetted back West, where we stayed with our friends Ben and Ali in San Francisco, met up with a friend from home who was in the U.S for Coachella, ate delicious food in The Mission, took the obligatory tourist shots of the Golden Gate Bridge and then drove out to Bear Valley for some snowboarding action and a cosy stay in Ali’s family cabin. Epic times.

Shortly after our return to Oz, I got Invisalign braces, something I’d been planning on doing for about a year. Number One Invisalign Fan Girl here, so impressed with how they’ve straightened my teeth so far!

The AFL season also kicked off, and with the introduction of a new Gold Coast team, my footy-mad fiancé was in sporting heaven for the next 6 months.

I learnt about 3 years ago that I could either cultivate a love of this game or hate my life for 6 months a year so I decided on the former and got up to speed with the rules quick smart. Watching the game live is always a bit of fun and between (Ramai’s beloved) Essendon and his “second team”, the Gold Coast Suns we watched about 6 live games in 6 months this year. A handy hook-up for the Chairman’s Club corporate box through my job made that significantly more ~~raucous~~ bearable!

In May, we also stayed in Byron for 3 days for the nuptials of our friends Amber and Giles. Beautiful wedding, and Ramai made a dashing groomsman!

June, glorious June!

This was a stand-out month for me because we celebrated our 5 year anniversary on June 3 at our favourite restaurant in the Byron Hinterland, Harvest, and as you can see by photos, it was a cracker of a day! Absolutely perfect weather, which thrills me to bits because we’ll be getting married on June 2 in 2012. Mother Nature, if you’re listening, a repeat of this year’s sunshine would be fabulous.

We were also in a wedding competition for a bit of fun but the biggest news in June is that I launched In Spaces Between on the 11^th (which happens to be my lucky number). I haven’t looked back since, it’s seriously been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I can’t wait to see where it takes me in 2012.

In a month full of highs, the only downer was saying goodbye to my best friend Jess, who is also one of my bridesmaids, as she headed down south to start a new chapter in her life in Melbourne.

I didn’t have to wait very long to see Jess though as we headed down to Melbourne in July and had an awesome weekend doing what we always do when we visit Melbourne – shopping, eating, drinking and going to the MCG to watch Essendon play. Predictability plus!

In August, we attended our second wedding of the year, celebrating the love of our friends Judi and Kris at Sirromet Winery, which was simply gorgeous.

In exciting news, I also did my first interview for In Spaces Between and spent the day getting my hair and makeup done and posing up a storm for a feature in the Gold Coast magazine. So much fun!

I’ve also been interviewed here and here in the past few months.

All of a sudden it was Spring and we jumped on a plane again to Sydney for Jimmy and Nikki’s wedding, which was full of vintage quirk and totally “them.” Loved it!

Feeling the effects of one too many social commitments, I launched the In Spaces Between Life Reset in mid-September, and did both an Urban Remedy juice cleanse and the Clean Program detox. As expected, my energy skyrocketed, my skin got crazy glowy and I felt a trillion bucks (which reminds me, it’s definitely time to revisit the Clean program – immediately, if not sooner).

On the wedding front, we made a hard decision to change our wedding venue and headed back to the Byron Hinterland to inspect (and subsequently book) our second property. We thought we were onto a winner here for sure.

In October, I packed my bags again for Melbourne to attend the Problogger Event, where I was thrilled to meet Christina, Bree, Steph and Nikki (fabulous ladies).

My bestie (another one of my bridesmaids) Ez also flew down from Brisbane for the weekend and Jess, her and I hit the town, having a jolly old time at a Tiki bar in Fitzroy called LuWow, which is like nothing I’ve ever seen.

The next day: I FOUND MY WEDDING DRESS!

It was just like everyone says – when you try on The One, you just know. It goes with out saying I’m majorly in love, the workmanship is exquisite!

The girls cried (sobbed hysterically in Jess’ case) and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face all day. We checked into The Blackman, drank champagne and squealed a lot to celebrate.

And the best bit? I have 3 more trips to Melbourne for fittings in 2012 (the gown is made to measure), which is a massive win because – if it’s not obvious – I’ve kinda got a ginormous crush on that bustling city.

* The sad news of October was that my dear Granny passed on at 94. Her quick wit and cheekiness will always be missed.

November is always special to me because it’s my birthday month (I turned 29 this year) but this November was even more superb because my other bridesmaid and gorgeous best friend Megan gave birth to her little girl Mabel!

Cute as a button and oh-so-snuggleable, she is beyond angelic with her pretty little face and long, delicate fingers. It’s love.

As usual, my birthday was celebrated with a party with my nearest and dearest – I love an excuse to bring my favourite people together – and my man blew me away with a (completely unexpected) gift voucher to buy a new bag from Net-a-Porter. I felt totally spoilt.

The highlight of the month of November was meeting Kings of Leon and rocking out at their concert. A lowlight was finding out our wedding venue had been sold. Insert sad face.

The first few weeks of December were a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me to be honest, dishing up everything from extreme highs to anxiety-laden lows, and it was all related to the fact we no longer had a wedding venue.

Within two weeks we went back and forth to Byron about 4 times and every time we’d leave a venue inspection, I got this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. One time, I almost had to get Ramai to pull the car over, I felt so sick – that was the extent of the burning feeling in the pit of my stomach that we weren’t on the right track. I think my body may have taken the whole “gut reaction” thing a little far.

And then… Christmas week was upon us and we had a winner! The first venue we’d ever looked at became our dream (third and final) venue – and we couldn’t be happier! Everything had come full circle.

In hindsight, it’s so funny how things work out isn’t it? Our wedding weekend will now coincide with our 6 year anniversary. Synchronicity.

The rest of the Xmas break has been all about food, wine, family and friend catch ups, 2012 dream setting in Byron, reading and Rach’s Very Own Version of Relaxation – which is not really “relaxing” at all, just lessening the load (I think I’d have to take myself to an Ashram to master the art of “doing nothing.”)

1 // Discovering that old pallets from the side of the road can be turned into fabulously rustic decor with ease.

2 // Raw bliss balls, of which I ate at least 5236 in 2011.

3 // Sunglasses obsession ahoy! COULD. NOT. STOP. BUYING. THEM.

4 // Op shopping my little heart out. I scored some seriously good loot every time I thrifted this year!

5 // 11:11 – it haunts me, in the best possible way.

6 // Protea love. I’m obsessed with these unusual flowers, the colours and shape are totally captivating.

1 // When you put yourself out there, amazing things happen. Starting is all that matters.

2 // There’s nothing more freeing than letting go of perfectionism. Previously, I was that girl that obsessed and fussed over everything before launching it out into the world, and man, did I have an eagle-eye for typos. Now I’m the girl that makes them. Life’s too short. Get messy. Screw up. Move on. If you need more convincing, read this.

3 // When you’re prepared to flow with life’s vibration, trust and adapt to change – even if it doesn’t make sense at the time – the universe opens the door to even greater rewards. The miracles multiply. Tenfold.

4 // Shifts happen when you let go.

5 // Doubt means don’t. If your heart isn’t screaming “YES!,” hold off. It’s ok to say no.

6 // Practicing gratitude is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.

7 // There is no right or wrong way. Your interpretations = your experience = your development.

8 // All you need to do to live your passion is discover what lights you up – the work you’d be willing to do even if you weren’t getting paid – and take steps towards that dream every day until it’s yours.

9 // On the same note, when you’re doing what you love, it won’t feel like work. You’ll sacrifice nights and weekends and spare moments to wrap yourself up in that creative energy. You’ll work harder than you ever have before but you’ll come alive.

10 // The Internet is a beautiful place (when you make it so) and can connect you with the most magnificent people. Commit to a personal standard to always spread positivity online, and reach out to people. A new friend is just a tweet/ comment/ email away.

11 // Everything is better when you eat well, exercise and switch off when you need to. Honour your body – first and foremost.

12 // Life isn’t a dress rehearsal. This is it. Right here, right now. Go out there and SHINE.

As the clock ticks over and you usher in the glorious New Year tonight (or tomorrow for our Northern Hemisphere friends), decide on the way you want this year to play out for you. What do you want to bring into being? What magic are you going to weave into your life? Draw in a deep breath and send your intentions for 2012 out into the ether… knowing that once you make a decision, the Universe conspires to make it happen.

Thank you for sharing my journey in 2011, I’m enormously grateful for your support, and together, we’re going to blow 2012 out of the water!

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