The little things that show he cares

I don't give my wonderful boyfriend enough credit! I woke up on Friday morning expecting nothing but a card and maybe some flowers or chocolates since Jake had hinted that he had bought me a Valentine's Day present. I had bought him some chocolates and a set of 5 action movies, one of which we saw on one of our first dates, 2 1/2 years ago. I didn't put a lot of thought into what I bought - it was only Valentine's Day, we've never made a big deal out of it, and generic flowers or chocolates were all I was expecting to receive, after all!

I unwrapped the rectangular present he handed me on Friday morning thinking I knew exactly what was inside. The paper fell away, and the chocolates I was expecting were nowhere in sight! Instead out tumbled Lorde's album, Pure Heroine, and the DVD of The Great Gatsby - two things I had very much coveted. My chest tightened and my eyes welled up. You might not think this is a particularly romantic gesture, but what this gift meant to me is unexplainable. Jake is a man of few words. He is a bloke's bloke, he likes things simple, and these two little gifts surprised me because they're perfect. These two presents were proof to me of the attention he pays me. Jake held me as I cried over reading The Great Gatsby a few months back and has patiently endured me turning the radio up to an ungodly level every time Lorde comes on ever since I first heard Royals about a year ago. I never would have guessed that he had taken note of these things, but I'm glad he did. A CD and a DVD aren't exactly equivalent to diamonds as far as gifts go, but they mean more to me than expensive jewellery ever could because it's the little things like this that show he cares.

I hope your Valentine's Day was filled with simple gestures from your loved ones that show they care, too.

Thankful Thursday #1

I have been a long time lover of Lisette's Thankful Thursday posts, and when my UK twin, Leona jumped on board as well, I just knew it was something I should do. In the stress of the past months, it has been all to easy for me to push the good things aside, and I really want to focus on the positives this year, as I'm sure it can only help improve all aspects of my life. 

Things I am thankful for this week

Moving in with Jake

I am so thankful that this is finally happening for us! We sign the lease and pick up the keys on Saturday and that is just so amazing to me!

Mumma bear's generosity

I'm a bit short on cash this week what with having to scrape together $900 for the bond for our new place and having my car insurance run out at the same time. Even though my family is a one income family, mum always puts our needs first and is always there to help with even just the little things. I'm very lucky to have such a fantastic mum!

Fellowship of the Bloggers

So, if you haven't heard yet, some bloggy pals and I have started a new blogging collective and I am truly thankful for it this week! Tilly, Gemma, Sam and Magdelena are such fantastic, supportive people to have in my life and I am thankful for how close this new venture has brought us together. Bloggers are the best!

Arbonne

I know you are probably wondering why I am thankful for my business, and no it's not because of the business aspects of it. Arbonne skin care, hair care and cosmetics have transformed my skin and hair. I've never been so confident in my appearance and not only that, but Arbonne has helped me to reconnect with so many friends, and make so many more! After moving back from the Gold Coast, having a business that forces me to get out there and be social is exactly what I need and so I am incredibly thankful that I have this opportunity! 

Quality Time

I love spending quality time with Jake! Last week was a very emotional and heart-breaking week for me, where I really need to just focus on my family and the personal crises which we were going through at the time (not really uplifting blog material, so I'll leave it at that). He couldn't be with me at my parents' place through the week due to work commitments so come Sunday, I was really craving some quality time with my man!

Killen Falls

Jake and I decided that it was the perfect day for a picnic and a swim, but since it was so hot at the beach, and we didn't have a beach umbrella, we decided to take a trip out to Killen Falls instead for a romantic picnic and a dip in the waterhole. We sat up under the rock ledge at the base of the waterfall enjoying the view and munching on fish and chips and cheese and biscuits with a cool lemon, lime and bitters in hand for the better part of the afternoon. The atmosphere at the waterfall was so nice, and sitting under the rock ledge was nice and cool in the heat of the day. We watched turtles swim around on the surface, and fish jump out of the water, with their scales glinting in the sun. We talked, we laughed and just really got to appreciate the beautiful place we live in. Both of us wondered why we don't go out to Killen Falls more often - it is only 10 minutes away, after all!

Quick instagram photo to document a nice day

In the end, we decided against swimming in the icy cold, fresh water and headed home around 5, lapping up the benefits of the first day of daylight savings. Spending time just chilling out like that was so great! we both had such a fantastic day that when we woke up on Monday morning, we decided to do it all again, but at the beach that time! Hooray for long weekends, secret deserted beaches, pretty waterfalls and my first big swim where I stayed in for longer than 5 minutes of the season!

Jake at The Point a week or so ago. The Secret Beach is behind his head :)

Jake and I will definitely be going back to The Secret Beach and Killen Falls regularly this summer. Do you have any special spots around where you live where you like to chill out with a significant other?

Where have I been? Never a dull moment, is there?

I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus for the last two weeks, and here is my explanation. Last week I came down with the most horrible flu - fevers, sore throat, headaches, no sleep. It was the worst! I was completely bedridden up until Saturday and am still not feeling quite right. My house was a disaster zone, I was having major troubles with looking after myself because I had zero energy and there was no food to be found anywhere. Thankfully, my mum and sister came to the rescue by coming up on Thursday night and stocking the cupboards, looking after me and doing all my cleaning for me. Seriously, it's times like those where only a mummy hug does the trick and I'm so lucky to have such a great mum who will drop everything to be here for me.

Jake came up too, on Friday afternoon and he was totally amazing what with me being sick and everything. It never ceases to amaze me how great he is when my health isn't quite up there. He really comes into his own then and shows me how much he cares. I don't think there's anything that guy wouldn't do for me. To show my appreciation of him and my sister (who is a total germophobe but came and helped me out anyway), I shouted them to see the new GI Joe movie on Saturday afternoon when I was feeling strong enough to venture out of the house. It was a good movie but Shoni and I were devastated by the lack of Channing Tatum screen-time (completely understandable, right?) and then we all headed out to dinner at this cheap little Italian place in Cooly which had totally delicious food for $15 for two courses!

Sunday, we headed down to Lennox for Easter and that is where I have been for the last 5 days. With no Internet. I managed to catch up with some friends and family while I was down home, having an impromptu sleepover with one of my besties and my gorgeous cousin who I miss very much since moving up here, and going to the Crystal Castle with my other bestie yesterday for a bit of a frolic and a catch up, which I will tell you about tomorrow ;)

It was also Jake's birthday yesterday and I made him a delicious cake to have after a nice, quiet family dinner. He worked all day (poor thing) so we decided to keep everything low-key with just me, his parents and his brother in on the celebrations. That gave the two of us time to hit the beach in the afternoon for a spot of kiteboarding before tea, which is always interesting to say the least.

There wasn't quite enough wind for Jake to actually get on the board on his relatively small, 7m kite, so he asked if I wanted a turn. I wasn't really in the mood, especially since I'm still not feeling 100% but he reminded me that I'll never get the hang of it if I don't practice, so I gave in and hooked myself into a harness. Last time I went with him, I got dragged 20m down the beach when I lost control of the kite, so this time I made him hold onto the back of me to keep me grounded. I started off okay, keeping the kite in the air and moving pretty well, but then I got a little over-confident. The kite was choking a little because I had the lines too tight, so I gave it a little turn to keep it in the sky. Then it was straight up over my head (too high), so I gave it another little tug to get it back down where I could see it. Unfortunately for me, kites are extremely sensitive, and get their pulling power by you turning them and I turned this kite a little too hard and fast. I got absolutely wrenched up into the air, and out of Jake's reach, then, as the kite plummeted back down to Earth, so did I, thumping down onto the hard sand. I was in so. much. pain! It was shooting up into my legs from my knees, and somehow I managed to roll over and sit up while still attached to the kite, where I rocked back and forth until I got over the shock of my landing.

Jake wasn't very sympathetic at first, since I landed the kite in the dunes, but once he realised I was hurt he was absolutely guilt-ridden and oozing sympathy. He got me unhooked, and packed away the kite, which seemed to take absolutely forever, then he helped me into the car and got me home to ice and elevate my right knee which was absolutely pounding by this stage! I felt soooo bad that it was his birthday and he was forced to wait on me with my gimp leg, but he barely minded at all. Today I woke up radiating pain from both knees, my left hip and my right rib cage and decided I deserved a lie-in before I headed home. I am pretty sure a doctor's visit is in order tomorrow, as my leg is killing me and it's so swollen I'm not quite sure what to do :/

So there - that is why I have been absent from blog land lately. Not a worry though - I have plenty of ideas zapping through my mind to keep you sated over the next week or so, so check back again tomorrow for a little more on the Crystal Castle!

What did you do this Easter? I hope your break was less painful and sickly than mine was!