Catching up!

This poor blog has begun to gather dust! But I have an excuse to be fair.

I've only gone and got married! Yes really :) If you'd like to read all about it, simply click here.

In the last 11 days, I've got married, went on Honeymoon and celebrated my birthday so it has been all systems go!

As you can imagine, I can see the funny side all over the place and am on an absolute high. Today I'm going to write about the importance of family and friends.

We always knew that we were blessed with great families and loyal friends, but it really hammered it home on the wedding day when we were literally surrounded by our nearest and dearest. All there to wish us well and celebrate our big day with us.

We had family surprise us on the day with a Piper, a sweet table and some pretty awesome dance moves! In the run up to the day, we had so many friends and family approach us asking if there was anything we needed help with, which really meant so much to us.

When we realised what an amazing support network we had, it made the task of planning a wedding and ensuring it all went to plan seem a lot easier. On the day itself, we relied on our wedding party and parents to sign off on last minute details, so I can definitely vouch for the joys of delegating! All we had to do was ask someone if they'd mind doing a quick job for us and it was done. This completely took the stress off us and we could then relax with our guests. By the end of the night, everyone had said that it was such a fun relaxed day, which was a joy to hear.

We were so impressed by all the staff at the hotel too. The timings went off without a hitch, the food was delicious and both the band and DJ were amazing. The hours flew by whilst we celebrated with everyone. It was unlike any other day we have spent on this planet, and one that we will treasure for the rest of our lives.

Time

For the last few weeks I've been thinking a lot about time.

It doesn't seem like that long ago since I was living at home with my parents where my biggest decision was what colour to paint my bedroom wall. Just tonight Mr. Ree and I watched a movie which was made in 1998. In my mind that's not long ago. It's 15 years. FIFTEEN! I don't think my brain accepts that the noughties happened, instead it adopts the mentality of 1,2, skip a few, 99, 100!

My 'little' sister recently turned 21. Yet in my mind's eye, I still see her as a child who would begrudgingly watch Scooby Doo with me each morning, emerging from the foot of her duvet before announcing that the only new character was the ghost, ghoul or general baddy of the episode. As most kids do, we used to put on shows which our parents were made sit through and run around in our non-slip socks*. Yet the years have passed and she's now a grown up, with responsibilities and a bank account!

*Which begs the question, are there non-slip socks for adults? Grown ups can slip too yknow!

Safety first kids, with style!

As time passes I see friends getting married, having children and traveling around the world. But there is nothing that defines time passing more than when you see a kid you used to babysit getting a pint in the local pub. Whilst trying to maintain a cool demeanor, all you can think of is "I used to read you bedtime stories!"

With regard to timing, I often wonder about the 'Sliding Doors' scenario and think about how my life would have turned out if I had made different choices. Nothing major, but if I hadn't lived on campus during my first year in University, if I hadn't got the results I did in the Leaving Cert, if I had done a Gap year etc. If any of those variables were to change, chances are I wouldn't have met the man I'm going to marry in a mere four months (Eek!) Nor would I have the same network of friends, traveled to the countries I have or have the same memories and experiences.

One can't talk about time passing and timing without the notion of aging creeping into the discussion. It's an area I based my dissertation on as it's something that, as a woman, is discussed ad nauseum in so many different magazines, TV shows, films etc. There are so many lotions and potions that are supposed to hold back the sands of time, chemicals to inject into our faces to paralyse wrinkles and copious amounts of surgeries to pull the skin taut to maintain a more youthful appearance. But let's cut through the crap and deal with the issue of aging.

It happens. You are aging right now.

But let's scale back. Since when is aging necessarily a bad thing?

Aging is a natural biological progression. Aging is a sign that we have lived. Our bodies are vessels in which we are supposed to sail through life in. Surely it's only natural to get a bit of wear and tear as time passes. So for every stretchmark, scar, wrinkle and everything in between, live life to the full in your body. Embrace the aging process and get as much mileage out of your body as possible!