An A to Z of Me: F is for...

F is for Family

Ahh, family! What can I say? I honestly could. not. live. without my amazing, crazy, emotional, family. They are the best people ever, in my opinion and we are all so close, it's amazing. My mum comes from quite a big family - she is one of seven kids, so there are plenty of aunts and uncles and cousins and second cousins around. Whenever I think of family, it's not just mum, dad, my sister and brother who spring to mind, it's all of them! The aunties, the uncles, the whole 21 first cousins and their kids and everything! We have the best get togethers ever. I love being around the crazy Cioffi's. It's always hilarious hearing what my aunties come up with to say and the atmosphere is amazing! 

Three of my cousin's kids with my crazy little bro at our most recent family thing

I suppose I don't really identify with dad's family much, since it is so small with just his mum, his brother and his half-brother left now. I used to love my Grandad so much! He was like my best friend and I miss him every single day, but Im not really that close to dad's other family. My last name might be Reilly, but even dad agrees that I am a Cioffi at heart! Loud, boisterous, opinionated, stubborn, emotional, straight forward, but above all LOVING! These are the qualities I associate with the Cioffi family. These are the qualities which I am proud to say that I inherited from my mother, from Nanu and from Nanna. 

I never got to meet Nanu and Nanna. Cancer took them both away too early. Nanna died when my mum was 14. Out of all 21 of us grandkids, she only got to meet one. Nanu died when mum was in her mid-twenties. Mum is the only one of his children who didn't have at least one child when he died. Mum still gets emotional about that - she wishes her parents got to see us so much! I tell her it's okay though - we have heard all the stories and we have them in our hearts. 

I'm getting a little emotional writing this... I didn't think I would, but I am absolutely getting overwrought with memories, with regrets and with love. That is the Cioffi in me coming to life. That's Nanu, right there inside of me. Now I am smiling. I would have loved to meet that great, crazy man so much! In my eyes, Nanu is an idol. He is this big, burly Maltese man with a thick accent and a crazy moustache. Yes, I know I can tell all this from the photos, but you don't understand. I have heard enough of the stories that in my mind's eye that he comes to life! I can see him now, tinkering in the shed. Always fixing things, he was! I can see him cooking dinner. I can hear him swearing at my mum as he tries to get his words out in English in the right order. Fuck was a filler to Nanu. So easy to say when he couldn't think of the right words in English! I have never heard a bad word about my mum's parents. They lived a tough life, they moved to Australia and they made something for themselves! They were wonderful people by every person's account.

A fun fact about my mum and her siblings - they were born in four different countries! While my Nanu was Maltese, he first met my Nanna in England. That is where they married and had the first three of their seven children. They then moved to Malta for a while, and had their fourth child there. When they came back to the UK they had another child in England, and them my mother was born in Wales. My mum was two years old when they migrated to Australia and Nanna was pregnant with my uncle at the time. He is the only Australian-born of my mum's family, but now my mum is the only one who still isn't an Australian Citizen. Thank you so much for that mum - you have left the door wide open for me to one day move to the UK!

Wow, this post is getting so long, and I still haven't spilled anything about my immediate family! My mum and dad met when dad was 21 and mum was 23. They were together for seven years before they married, and I am their oldest child born two years after their wedding. I'm not too sure what to say about my mum and dad other than that they are great people. Everyone thinks their parents are great people though, right? My mum is my absolute number one role model. I love her so much! She has been through so much in her life, came out the other end and has gotten so far in life. She is such a loving, caring, nurturing woman. She just gives and gives and gives and never expects anything in return. She has always put her family first and I couldn't have asked for a better mother. I don't know how she does all that she does, but I love her for it and appreciate it all so much! 

My beautiful mum on her honeymoon!

Mum and dad are so different - it really is true that opposites attract! They have been together now for almost 30 years. Dad is such a legend in my eyes - he has taught me so much, is such an intelligent man, and yet he is such a genuinely cool bloke at he same time. He was the cool kid when he was younger who smoked pot and surfed all day, wagging school when the waves were on. Even now, if you met him you would know he was that guy, and yet he is so smart! I honestly believe that I inherited my brains from my father. Unfortunately, I lucked out on his sportiness which was passed on to my sister and brother. Oh well, you can't have everything, or so they say!

Dad in his man cave

Dad is such an interesting man with so many stories to tell. He has done many an amazing job, he has lived a good life and he is passionate about so much stuff! Dad is the kind of guy who makes friends for life, and he still has many of the friends he went to school with. I love my dad so much, and he loves us kids more than anything else on this earth. That's what holds my parents together, I think. They are both lovers.

Dad and my brother when he was a bubba!

My sister and I never got along when we were little, but as we have grown older we just get closer and closer. She is two and a half years younger than me, and my brother is two and a half years younger than her. Shoni is so beautiful and so sporty - I seriously envy her so much! Kobi is a total character - just like a mini version of dad, complete with smart-arse attitude and surfboard under one arm. The other day he asked mum if he could have the day off to go surfing. It was his second day back at school after holidays, the little bugger! At least he asked though, and respected mum and dad's decision. That's one thing the three of us all have in common - we respect mum and dad so much. What they say goes, end of story. That's a rare quality in teenagers, I guess so mum and dad are lucky to have us! Har-har!

          

Me, aged 6 with Shoni (4) and Kobi (1)

My relationships with my family have been built out of honesty, trust and love. I am lucky to have such a great family, I know, and to have had such a great childhood! I miss my family so much since I moved. I miss mum and dad, Shoni and Kobi, my aunty Bridget who lives in the house behind ours and all my cousins in Coraki. They are the ones I saw the most when I lived with mum and dad. Family is a massive part of my life. My family have shaped me into the person that I am today, and I am so blessed to have them all!

A rare family photo, taken at my school formal, featuring Aunty Bridget on the left, Jake in the middle and Nan on the right.

An A to Z of Me: E is for...

E is for Ellie

Everybody needs a best friend. The kind of friend who is there for you through thick and thin. Who you laugh with and cry with and go through life with supporting one another. I am lucky to have a few friends like this, who I can count on for anything and who I am close with even after going through long periods without seeing each other, but perhaps one of the most special of my friends is Ellie. You have seen Ellie on the blog a few times before, no doubt but I just had to make this post especially for her.

You see, the truth is that I don't know what I would do without Ellie. Ever since we met in 2010 we have been the best of friends and gone through everything in life together. It is crazy-scary how similar a path Ellie and I seem to go down in life. I won't go into the nitty gritty details, but lets just say we both "lost our way", found it, were fish out of water at school and then met the loves of our lives all at the same time as each other. Throw in endless girly nights of gossip and that's our friendship in a nutshell! Everything I have gone through since I met Ellie - she has been there for me without falter. She is an absolute gem of a girl and I am so lucky to have her as my best friend!

Ellie, Me and my other bestie Alisha

Bonus is that our boyfriends get along with each other sooo well, so we always have the option of double dates when we get together - quality time with friends and the boy all in one!

Living in different cities is hard for us, and we are both living away from our boyfriends at the moment, too but we try our best to spend as much time together as we can. Bonus of living in different cities is the change of scenery we get when we visit each other, but we definitely miss being around the corner from each other as we were a few years ago when I would stay at Jake's place. 

Anyway, if you read this El, I absolutely freaking love you! I can't wait to see you on Friday and hear all about your trip to Darwin xxx

An A to Z of Me: D is for...

D is for Dog

It is no big secret that I am a dog person. In fact, if I wasn't afraid of heights, I would probably shout it from the rooftops. For the majority of my life I have owned a dog, and both of my dogs have turned out to be somewhat like a best friend. I am absolutely your typical dog person, too. I really don't like cats. They totally creep me out with how sly and silent they are.  I dunno about you, but I am pretty sure that they are actually evil. I have never met a cat that didn't hiss at me, scratch me, bite me or stare at me intently until I got so creeped out that I ran away. Weirdly enough, big dogs barely scare me at all! Unless they are actually chasing me down or trying to bite me, which thankfully has only happened once in my life. 

My first dog was an absolutely beautiful, old Rottweiler. He was absolutely massive and my parents had him before I was born so he was well and truly a part of the family! I remember him being a total gentle giant. He used to just lope around the yard, have a good nap in the sun and just generally chill out with me all day. He loved the beach, and we took him there loads of times. He was a star swimmer, and once actually rescued someone who was drowning in the river! All in all, I have never understood why people consider Rottweilers dangerous. My own experience having one was nothing but positive! We even have pictures of me as a baby actually riding on Rocky's back! The only time he ever came close to hurting me was when I was patting him once and he knocked me over from his enthusiasm. I was absolutely devastated when we had to get him put down. I was only four years old at the time, and I cried and cried all day when mum told me Rocky had gone to heaven. Then mum cried, and dad cried and we all just sat in my room crying over losing our beautiful dog. We had to do it though, he had been run over a few months before and had to have his leg amputated, then the stump of his leg got infected and he had so mud trouble walking that it really was the only thing mum and dad could do. 

After Rocky we didn't get another dog until after I started high school. We just didn't have the space for one. Getting Coke was one of the best things my family has ever done, in my opinion. He is such a character, and so clever too! He is such a massive part of our family, and I have been missing him so much since I moved! We never really planned on getting a new dog, but we are all really glad that we did. 

He tucks himself into bed, with his head on the pillow like a human. 

It all started when my aunty came around to our house with her new puppy, Dora. She was such a cute little scruff ball! We all fell in love with her instantly and begged and pleaded with mum and dad to let us get one! Thankfully dad was on board with the idea and was actually just about as excited as we were at the prospect of getting a new dog. We called up the pet shop where Dora was from, and they only had one of the Jack Russell cross Mini Foxy pups left. This made dad a little sceptical of him, but we jumped in the car anyway and headed to Lismore to meet the little pup. When we got to the pet shop, our little Cokey was sleeping. We waited around and chatted with the owner for a while, giving him a chance to wake up and show us what sort of temperament he had. When we finally all sat down around his cage and he was let out, he was so excited and we all instantly fell in love! His ears perked up at the sight of us and there he went, from person to person sniffing, licking and jumping all over us before settling into my lap exhausted and deciding to try for another nap. We couldn't get him home quick enough! 

Coke with 15 stitches in his leg after recent surgery.

Ever since, Coke has been such a central part of our family. He has grown into such a beautiful, smart dog who captures everyone's hearts with his free spirit and cheeky temperament. He is always on the go, and loves to play. He can jump really high - like to my shoulder height, he can open doors and windows and he is beautifully built for a de-sexed, cross-bred dog. The vet comments every time we take him on how muscular he is compared to a regular, desexed dog of his cross-breed and often he is mistaken for a full Jack Russell. I have suffered health-wise quite a bit through the last few years, and Coke has been a constant companion to me through all of that. Despite regularly being a very high energy dog, when someone in the family is hurt or sick, he will not leave there side! He will climb up onto the bed beside you, curl up with you and stay with you all day if he thinks you're not feeling well. He is such a great companion. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love that little guy! 

Lucky for me, Jake is a massive dog person too. We can't wait until we aren't renting anymore and can finally get another dog. At the moment, the breeds we most like are Dachshund and Border Collie, but of course I would definitely be open to getting another Rottweiler or Jack Russell puppy!

An A to Z of Me: C is for...

C is for Coolangatta

It feels kind of weird writing about Coolangatta right now as though it's home, but it is and so I am. Moving here in January was a decision about 2 years in the making. I knew it was coming at the start of year 12 but I never would have guessed that I would have a long-term boyfriend by now who would make it all oh-so-much easier and harder at the same time. You could say that Jake and I are off to a rough start! I've been here almost 3 months now with Jake paying half the rent but only making an appearance on weekends, and it is terrible! We miss each other so much through the week, but he hasn't found a job up here yet and there is no way we can survive unless he keeps on working at Byron Bay. When we first got here, I thought the whole thing was a giant mistake. I had a car crash, and the public transport here is crap, my centrelink money kept on being cut off, leaving me with no way to pay bills, I was here all by myself with no transport and no friends to turn to, and Jake was getting dicked around by some jerk who had promised him a job. Now, three months on, with a job (which is yet to be fruitful), family and friends to support me and some transport, things are much easier and I am starting to love this beautiful place I live in. Of course, things are still far from ideal without Jake here (he is my rock and I struggle without him) but I am getting by and I am beginning to see the merit to the choice Jake and I made by moving here of all places!

I was going to show you all snapshots of our unit, but it is a total mess after a weekend at home with the boy and without proper use of my leg, so instead I will just run you through a few things I love about Coolangatta and the Gold Coast in general.

I don't quite know how to convey just how awesome the lifestyle around Coolangatta is. You see, Australia as a whole is pretty laid-back. My tiny, little, beachside hometown was the king of relaxed living, but to be living in a city and having a laid-back lifestyle - now that is pretty special! The Gold Coast as a whole is pretty laid-back in comparison to, say, Brisbane or quite a few other cities in Australia, but Coolangatta is something else! Cooly is 40 minutes from the city centre. It is the southernmost point of the Gold Coast and of Queensland too, for that matter. It is the suburb behind some of the most famous surfing beaches in Australia, as well and that translates into an extremely laid-back lifestyle. 

The beaches around here are amazing! Not just from a surfing point of view, either. They are always crystal clear and so good for swimming! Coolangatta (and the Gold Coast in general) is built to make the most of the beautiful beaches, so rather than the city expanding outwards from the city centre, the Gold Coast stretches lengthwise across the coast. Every beach has a Surf Club and every Surf Club has a restaurant and a bar, so you can basically get merry with a view no matter where in Coolangatta/Kirra you are. You've got to love that!

Julian Wilson AKA my future baby daddy at the Quiksilver Pro

(extra large for your viewing pleasure)

Some of my favourite things about Coolangatta:

• The beaches are amazing!
• The Quicksilver Pro - which was totally amazing and which you can read about here.
• O-Sushi is my favourite sushi train and Japanese restaurant. They're licensed and they have live music on the weekends too! talk about stylish Japanese food! Plus, they're right across the road from the beach.
• Gelatissimo has my favourite ice cream ever - pistachio! I never used to be able to get it in my hometown, but now I can, and it's right across from the beach!
• The cinema has those liftable arms on the seats so you can get snuggly. Plus, it's across the road from the beach so when it starts pouring with rain right as you get to the beach, you can just cross the road and go see a movie instead (you'd be surprised how much that happens to me).
• The beaches.
• All you can eat Pizza Hut! Anything all you can eat is awesome, but all you can eat pizza is awesomest! Plus they have ice cream with mini marshmallows at the dessert bar, and I saw the Gold Coast Titans NRL team training out the front of it once - it's right on the beach. It made me feel fat because instead of sweating my butt off like they were, I was in my jarmies ordering a pizza feast.
• Close enough to the grotty city centre to go there when I want to, but far enough away that I don't have to deal with it every day. I really dislike Surfers Paradise. I don't know why yes i do it's because almost every time i've been i have been drunk, at night making a fool of myself and it's super dirty and grotty and busy and gross.
• Close enough to go home to mum and dad's whenever I want without any hassle. I miss mum. And my dad, brother, sister, boyfriend, cousins and friends. 
• Did I mention the beaches?

And there you have it - my current home in a nutshell. Anything in particular you love about your current home? My only disappointment with Coolangatta is it's lack of culture and history, being a relatively new suburb. That is one thing that the capital cities have over these smaller ones. Lucky I'm taking a trip to Brisbane on Thursday night! Gotta get my fix and consume large amounts of alcohol with my best friend.

An A-Z of Me: B is for...

B is for Books!

Ahh, books! Who doesn't love the crisp sound of a turning page, or the musty smell of a well-read favourite? I am a bit of a series lover, myself. One book is never enough, and even at the end of a series I still find myself feeling empty with the loss of cherished characters. When I am reading a good book, it is all-consuming. The story and the characters trickle into every aspect of my life, feeding my over-active imagination with pictures which, over time grow to include my own image in them. Anyone else do that? Find yourself dreaming that you are in the book you were reading before you fell asleep, glasses still on, drooling on the page? I must admit, I even day dream about the fantasy worlds I am reading! Shocker!

Anyway, here are a few of my favourites, in absolutely no order whatsoever (that would be comparable to picking a favourite child! Or chocolate flavour! Unspeakable!):

Harry Potter

Ahh, my sweet, sweet babies! Betcha didn't see that one coming, eh? There's no way you could tell from my Harry Potter related crafts that I am obsessed! Honestly though, I think these are the stand-out books of my generation. In writing these books, J. K. Rowling (that clever, clever woman) united the world! People old and young alike have read and enjoyed these books and watched the subsequent movies countless times. I know I have read them something crazy like 5 times and am planning on reading them again this winter, curled up on the couch with my Harry Potter mug full of steaming hot chocolate. Plus, not a week goes by that one of the movies isn't played in my house, and quoted line for line! I don't know what it is about this magical world which J. K. Rowling created, but I just cannot get enough of it! She is brilliant and so are the books. And if you haven't read them, what are you even doing on my blog?

Wuthering Heights

I know it's a stretch away from Harry Potter, but honestly - I am head over heels in love with this book! I first picked it up in year 11 to use as an extra text in Extension English. I wasn't expecting much - it was just a dusty, old book on the list of recommended readings, after all! But I have since read it three times and still would read it again! This is by no means an easy book to read (in fact, you'll probably have to read it twice to understand it) but once you get used to the language, it is clear that Emily Bronte is a literary genius! I can't even describe the way that Wuthering Heights makes me feel - all I know is that it is the most intense, passionate and enthralling love story I have ever read! I often think about a few of the quotes in it, "I cannot live without my life, I cannot live without my soul" “If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.” “He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” and think, wow - did Emily Bronte jump into my brain and pick out exactly how I feel about Jake and put it on paper? The intensity of Cathy's love for Heathcliff, and Heathcliff's for Cathy is something I know all to well, being the hyper-emotional person that I am, and that, I think, is what so lures me into this story. 

The Da Vinci Code

This might be a bit of a controversial book to put on here, or maybe even an eye-roller, but this book literally changed my life. You see, I went to a Catholic primary school where I was basically brain-washed into thinking that Catholicism was the only religion there was and hat all atheists would go to hell when they died and burn in a pool of hot lava for all of eternity. Not a very great concept for a kid to be fed day-in-day-out in the peak of their mental development. A friend of mine, when we were in year 6, gave me this book to read and immediately my eyes were opened! Not only did I love the story in the book, I loved the idea of other religions and of atheists not actually being horrible, demonic people, and of Christianity actually being a religion which borrows all its bits and pieces from other religions. It lead me to research different religions a little more thoroughly and make my own decisions on my beliefs. Decisions which have changed slightly over time, to bring me to the position I am currently in as far as "the big questions" are concerned. Many people aren't into ths book, I know, but I am and it has led to some great things happening in my life. 

Cloudstreet

Cloudstreet is one of the best Aussie books ever. It follows the lives of two families, the Lambs and the Pickles, who share a great big house. These two families could not be more different, but the ways in which Tim Winton weaves their lives together are absolutely awe-inspiring. Set in the time of Robert Menzies' Prime Ministership in Australia, Cloudstreet gives a voice to the minority groups in Australia. This book, while possessing a deeper meaning, retains an entirely raw entertainment quality which is greatly appreciated by the reader. I would recommend this book to anyone, but think that it would especially strike a chord with fellow Australians.

The Millenium Trilogy

This is another series by a literary genius who sadly passed away long before his time. If you like a good mystery/thriller, then I strongly recommend that you read these books. They will not disappoint! I also strongly recommend that you do not watch the American version of the film under any circumstances. It is terrible. Absolutely terrible! I have the Swedish versions here ready to watch (I gave them to dad for Christmas. Gotta love a present which everyone can enjoy!) but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Promise I'll give you all the verdict when I do though! Oh, and another thing - if you are sensitive to issues such as domestic abuse and rape, you will want to pass on this one. It is quite graphically detailed and not at all for the feint-hearted! If you can deal with that stuff though, read them1 You'll thank me for it!

And since this post is going way too long, honourable mentions to John Marsden's The Tomorrow Series and The Ellie Chronicles, which are great Aussie books about a group of teenagers trying to survive in the Aussie bush after Australia has been invaded, to Anne McCaffrey's Dragons of Pern Series, and to Jean M. Auel's Eath's Children series which al history-lovers would enjoy immensely! As well as any other people who love a good story!

An A to Z of Me: A is for...

A is for Australia

Growing up in Australia is learning a completely unique version of the English language. "Ta" and "cheers" replace "thank you", "g'day" replaces "hello" and if ever you agree with someone, you reply "bloody oath!".

Growing up in Australia is eating Vegemite on sandwiches, on toast, even on your mac and cheese and thinking it's the most delicious thing in the world. (It is!)

Source

Growing up in Australia is not riding kangaroos to school, but seeing them on the side of the road as mum creeps the car past, terrified they'll jump out in front of her. 

Growing up in Australia means, if a word can be shortened, you shorten it! Especially names. Barry is Baz, Sharon is Shaz, Richard is Dick, Robert is Robbo, and if your first name is already short, we'll call you by your last name or make up an entirely new one for ya. 

Growing up in Australia is eating sausage sangas hot off the barbie and having fresh prawns in the sweltering Christmas heat.

Growing up in Australia means that everyone is called "mate" whether you like them or not.

Growing up in Australia is going to school in 40 degrees Celsius heat, while kids in America and Europe are having snow days. Or wagging school to hit the beach.

Growing up in Australia is being woken up at sparrow's fart (the crack of dawn) by birds that laugh. KOOOKAKAKAKAKAKA! (My impression of a kookaburra)

Growing up in Australia is not knowing what the bloody hell a shrimp is, or why every foreign person you meet talks about whacking them on the barbie in a horrible attempt at your accent. 

Cheers for that, Hogz!

Growing up in Australia is wearing thongs on your feet and coming home sunburnt for about 3/4 of the year.

Growing up in Australia means taking a public holiday for the Queen's birthday, when it's not even her actual birthday. Any excuse for a public holiday here!

Growing up in Australia is never seeing snow, but I sure as hell know what a bushfire, flood or cyclone looks like!

Growing up in Australia is not being allowed to talk while the cricket or the footy is on, but your dad spends the whole time yelling at the TV!

Source

Growing up in Australia is not knowing temperatures below 0, and still whinging our butts off in winter.

Growing up in Australia is spending all your time outdoors. In coastal Australia, at the beach swimming, boogie-boarding, fishing or surfing and coming home so tired that you fall straight asleep.

Growing up in Australia is experiencing four seasons in one day at any given time of the year.

Growing up in Australia is a unique experience. Whether your from the outback or the coast, the city or the country, growing up in Australia is going to affect you in some way.

Growing up in Australia is the best kind of up-bringing I ever could have hoped for. Australia, you have shaped me into the person I am today and I thank you for it! I wouldn't have it any other way.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An A to Z of Me will be a weekly feature on Little Foal where you can get to know me better. I will try to keep it as interesting as possible wherever I can!

Inspired by Kim and Erica, who's A to Z posts I read regularly.