Saturday, June 14, 2008

Our 25th Wedding Anniversary


(This photo is from my niece's wedding in October 07)

Our anniversary has come and gone without the anticipated whooha that we had originally planned to give it. There seems to be so much going on at the moment that it has ended up being a huge non event.
Although we did receive some really beautiful cards, emails and phone calls from our respective families, we felt so special when so many people remembered us on the 11th and we would like to thank them for:


(my sister-in-law Aline)
Dear Joanne and Jo, Happy 25th Anniversary! The kids and I love you two heaps and wish you the best on your special day, I don't think I know anyone besides my Grand parents and Mum and Dad Ball, who have made it this far and still look so content . Love you guys, Aline, Jach, Dan and of course Georgia! xxxx

(my brother Brett)
Firstly congratulations and well done on your fantastic achievement of 25 years of marriage !! In this day and age it's something almost unheard of ! Also i got the pics of the service station and i gotta say it is very clean and seems very cosy. Give me a yell when things get closer and i'll come up and give you guys a hand. Congrats again and see you soon. Brett xx

(my cousin Deb & hubby John)

To two beautiful people. Hope you are not going to Wellington Point. What are you going to do?
Have a wonderful time. And congratulations on 25 years - you are an inspiration!!!
Deb and John

(our gorgeous friend, Cheryl O'Bree)
To a wonderful couple.
Were has the time gone. We have spent many working hours together, many holidays sking, getting sunburnt and having fun. Having kids and bringing them up, and we have come through all the hard times. Congratulations on a fantastic milestone.
Love always Cheryl xx



(The cards we received - the one on the right is a special hand made card from my very clever cousin, Lynda)

We also received some beautiful cards and I remember thinking when I read 'On Your Silver Wedding Anniversary' - on some of them, that that just can't be right. I always imagined having to be really old to be celebrating a 'Silver'. But there you go, I consoled myself with the fact that we we're EXTREMELY young when we married, mere kids, as young as our son is now. We've been through so much together, grown up together really and yes we've been extremely lucky to have been able to weather all the storms that have rolled over us and have somehow, almost miraculously come out at the other end still committed to each other. I am truly loved by the man I married all those years ago - I know it, I see it, I feel it every single day, there is nothing he wouldn't do for me - to know this, is the most wonderful gift I could ever receive. (honey, if you're reading this, a diamond ring would also be nice, of course, not necessary, but really, really nice).
So thank you to everyone who remembered us and for all your congratulations - you all have played a huge part in our marraige being so sucessful with all your love and support.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The big reveal!!

Ok, now's the time to let you all know what Joe and I have been up to for the past few months. We've been offered a husband/wife team managers position for Choice Petroleum in Calliope! It's something we've thought long and hard about, weighed up all the pros and cons and we feel confident that the timing is perfect for us to accept the opportunity. Joe gave notice at Freedom already and finishes up tomorrow and I gave notice yesterday and after worrying about maybe having to give 4 weeks, was told that I could finish up next Friday the 20th. It's all been much easier to leave our jobs than we anticipated.

We had originally intended on taking a trip away on the Queen's birthday long weekend to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, but when this opportunity presented itself, we decided to head up there just to have a look at the place and see whether we thought it was going to be a viable proposition instead. So last Friday we hit the road at 4am and headed for Calliope (20mins southern side of Gladstone) - definitely a little less romantic than what we had originally planned, but well worth the trip. We got to see the site which has a 3 bedroom residence above it. All living expenses are included in the package which will give us the chance to save a wage a week - that was the clincher really.

Moving away from the kids is pulling at my heart strings, but the financial gain is something that we've unfortunately had to consider over that and I've been assured by people who really love us that the separation from the kids (especially Jayden) will do them good. I'm not worried about Jessica, she's fairly self sufficient and doesn't rely on us for anything. Jayden on the other hand is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. How is my boy child going to cope without his Ma?? A few short months ago it was him looking at moving out, who would have guessed then, that it would be us moving out on him!








Ok, so there you have it. I have taken photos of the residence as well, but I'm too scared to put them up yet - I'm going to wait and do a 'before' and 'after' post - obviously that won't be until we are up there and moved in.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Laura Rose

I just wanted to thank my beautiful niece for the comment she left on my blog on Sunday. Laura is the second eldest of five children to Ralph (Joe's brother) and his gorgeous wife Anna, whom I absolutely adore. I fell in love with Laura the moment she was born and we have always had a really special relationship. She's a very grown up 11 year old who loves her family and is a great sister to her brothers and little sister Sarah. I just love to watch the interaction with those kids and the lovely vibe this family creates, it's really special and I feel privileged to be a part of their lives and to be loved so much by them all.

Aunty Jo & Laura June 2006


Sarah had done my hair and put a knitted hair band on me - very special!
Here I am teaching Laura how to knit. She was a quick learner.



A quiet moment with the girls.



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I had a breakfast meeting at work this morning, we have them at different locations around the coast every quarter. Today we went to Evergreen, on the corner of Bundall & Ashmore Rds, I've been there a couple of times for lunch with Colin and Alan before and have always said to Joe that we must go there for lunch one week end, we haven't done that yet, but we might just have to make a reservation for our wedding anniversary next week. It's a very upmarket nursery with little specialty shops and an a la carte restaurant. A bit pricey, but for a special occasion it would be worth it, we don't spoil ourselves very often.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Happy Birthday Dags!

Today is my big brothers birthday - the only thing is he is celebrating it without his family and half way around the world, in Iraq. He's been posted there for 6 months after leaving earlier this month. He gave us a call the night before he left, which I thought was pretty special, but then when the phone rang on Sunday night, the last person I expected to say hello on the other end, was my big brother Darren. Now I felt like an A lister!!
The line was amazingly clear, with just the slightest delay, he could have been calling from next door. He sounded really good and even though he is away from his family quite often with his job, he has never been quite this far away from everyone and he just seemed a little homesick to me. He said it's very hot - about 43c at the moment but with summer not too far away, the temperature will go beyond 50c. That will be something to look forward to.
Speaking with some of the guys that are getting ready to come home, they've said that their time over there has gone really quickly and I'm sure the same will be for Darren as well. Once he's done over there, he'll go back home to his family in Ocean Grove, pack up their things and head back up here, for their last posting. I'm pretty sure Darren will seriously consider retiring from the Army to live a little less regimented lifestyle. Not that I'm sure he will know how to do that after being a soldier since he was 15! I'm sure he'll catch on to civilian life quickly enough, he's a pretty resourceful bloke. Needless to say, I'm very proud of my big brother, I think of him often and pray for his safe return to us at the end of the year.
Happy birthday Dags!!


Celebrating Darren's love of music
(click on image for larger view)

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

What I've been doing.

This is a little project I've just completed for a baby shower. I had a lot of fun doing this series and the client was ecstatic with the finished product:

MORNING JO!!
I LOVE THE THANKYOU CARDS YOU ARE SO CLEVER!! WOW THE ENVELOPES ARE AWESOME THANKYOU!
OLI
Thanks Oli for your very kind words, it was my absolute pleasure. I want to wish you and Luke all the best for the upcoming birth on the 14th June - and look forward to hearing from you after you've all settled in at home. xx
Just on another note: I got sent an email, it was just a forwarded email that we all get every day, but I thought it was such a special story, I wanted to share it:
Subject: FW: This is a lovely story.
When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it. Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was 'Information Please' and there was nothing she did not know. Information please could supply anyone's number and the correct time. My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbour. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landingclimbing up; I unhooked the receiver and held it to my ear. 'Information, please' I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear. 'Information.' 'I hurt my finger...' I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience. 'Isn't your mother home?' came the question.'Nobody's home but me,' I blubbered. 'Are you bleeding? The voice asked. 'No,' I replied. 'I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.' 'Can you open the icebox?' she asked. I said I could. 'Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger, said the voice. After that, I called 'Information Please' for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math.She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts. Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called, Information Please,' andtold her the sad story. She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, 'Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?' She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, 'Wayne always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.' Somehow I felt better. Another day Iwas on the telephone, 'Information Please.' 'Information,' saidin the now familiar voice. 'How do I spell fix?' I asked.All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. 'Information Please' belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations neverreally left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy. A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle had about a half-hour or so between planes.. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown Operator and said,'Information Please.' Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well. 'Information.' I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, 'Could you please tell me how to spell fix?' There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer,'I guess your finger must have healed by now.' I laughed, 'So it's really you,' I said. 'I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time.' I wonder,' she said, 'if you know how much your call meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls.' I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister. 'Please do', she said. 'Just ask for Sally.' Three months later I was back in Seattle a different voice answered 'Information.' I asked for Sally. 'Are you a friend?' she said. 'Yes, a very old friend,' I answered. 'I'm sorry to have to tell you this,' she said. 'Sally had been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago.' Before I could hang up she said, 'Wait a minute, did you say your name was Wayne?' 'Yes.' I answered. 'Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you.' The note said, 'Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean.' I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant. Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched today? Life is a journey ... NOT a guided tour. So don't miss the ride and have a great time going around you don't get a second shot at it.'The happiest people don't have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

It's been too long!

It seems like such a long time since I posted on my blog. Sorry to those who check in regularly to check out what we' ve all been up to.
Now, where to start?? Well, things have settled down again at work. I still hate walking in those doors every day though.
Joe and I have some exciting options that we're looking at at the moment - big changes actually. We are both ready for a real change of direction, me especially. I don't want to say too much yet, just in case I jinx things, but I promise to keep you posted.

I have finished my web page design short course. Would you believe, the very last class was brilliant!! It was jammed packed with great information, it was fast paced with useful content - the way it should have been from week 1. My web page is coming along and I feel as though I can nut it out on my own from here on end - not that much work is being done on that either right at the moment - I know, I've been so slack.

Joe and I took a Sunday drive to Redcliffe a couple of weeks ago. I've been wanting to go there ever since I found out that they have a pier and was just waiting for a sunny day to make the trip. I love the atmosphere of coastal towns and we were so blessed with beautiful weather on the day. I took my good camera with the single intent of getting some photos of the jetty. Once we got into Redcliffe, we took the 'tourist road' and were certainly not disappointed with the beautiful scenic views of Morton Bay on our drive down the winding coastal road to the gorgeous jetty. Because the weather was so good, it was very busy, it took ages to find a car park and ended up having to park in one of the side streets at the back of the main strip, then walk back up.
We walked down to the beach first, then along the jetty to the end where I took a series of photos of the stone wall with the cutest boats tied up to it. When I got home, I stitched them all together which then became the inspiration for the layout I did of our magnificent day trip.
I'm going to see if I can get this layout printed onto a canvas, just because I love it so much.

(click on images for larger view)


The Redcliffe Jetty


The end of the jetty.


There was even a baptism being held at the waters edge. What a day!!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

More photos

As promised here are some more photos from last week end when Joe and I went to Ipswich for a visit with my cousins.
All these photos were taken in the most beautiful heritage style park I've ever seen. Queens Park contains significant cultural heritage values not only for Ipswich but for Queensland. It was the first park to be developed in Queensland, first being surveyed in 1842. Its original architectural design dates back to 1862 and is perhaps Ipswich's most well known landmark.
It was certainly a far cry from the slap up piece of green patch & recycled bark, whack a bit of playground equipment on it and call it a park that this generation have become more accustomed to.

John_Deb_Joe_Lynda

John_Deb

John

Joe_Lynda

Joe_Joanne