Sunday 12th January
Today I got to witness two of my friends celebrate their relationship by formalising their love with a commitment ceremony. I wish with all my heart I could say they got married, but unfortunately the politicians in this country are still far too ignorant to realise that there's no harm in allowing same sex marriage. I won't rant more about this, but I think it just plain sucks. Anyways, it was an absolutely amazing and wonderful day, and I'm honoured to have taken part by attending a wedding for the first time in pants and sneakers – being on the “groom” side of a bridal party rocks!
Monday 13th January
Today marked the birthday of one of the guys at work, who just happens to be a vegan. Last time there was a vegan party Mario had gone to the effort of baking a vegan chocolate cake, which he then did again this time. I should add that our relationship works very well in that I get the ideas, and he makes them happen. He really is a wonderful guy, and Woody, the guy at work, was incredibly appreciative. As was the staff! So far the only times there has been absolutely zero cake left at the end is the two times that Mario has made this cake.
In case you're interested, you can find the recipe for the cake at ambitiouskitchen.com.
Tuesday 14th January
Uh oh, my first close call on missing a picture for the day! This was taken minutes before I went to sleep. It's my view from home looking up at the book case next to my bed, with my favourite $10 lamp from ikea!
Wednesday 15th January
With my cooking capabilities, I certainly didn't think food would ever feature on my blog so much! We can all blame Mario for this!
Tonight we were going to have a friend over for dinner but she couldn't make it at the last minute. Thus it was left to Mario and I to enjoy his efforts as we feasted on the following:
- Gnocchi romana (pictured above)
- Blue cheese, fetta & caramelised onion tarts
- Pollenta
- Paleo tarts (as seen on my post about giving up sugar)
It was all divine, as usual.
Thursday 16th January
I swore I wouldn't turn this year into just photos of my dog, but seriously, this needed posting. How the hell is that comfortable? She laid like that for a while before she changed positon. Maybe I should try it, might make me more intelligent – don't they say something about blood to the head? Plus my dog is pretty darn smart.
Friday 17th January
It was the first week we were back at full staff in the office, so I had organised to finish the week off with my colleagues by having lunch at the local bar that just opened (the same bar I went to last week for those playing along at home). It's very cool, you pour your own beers and have an iButton that you swipe that kickstarts the tap. Took me a couple of pours to get the hang of pouring the beer, but it seems as though I'm a natural now. Yay! They also have a heap of board games available to play, so you can see in the background some Jenga. Some of the crew also played Connect 4.
Saturday 18th January
After such a mental week at work, this is all I wanted. A spa, some wine, and my beloved Mario. We headed into the mountains for a nice night away, and it was beyond beautiful. We watched a sunset, had a spa, drank a bottle of wine with some nice cheese and fruits, and we cuddled up in bed. So relaxing, and I wish I had more time to spend up there. The B & B we stayed at was called Avocado Sunset Bed & Breakfast Mt Tamborine. If you're heading that way, I highly recommend it – the hosts are absolutely lovely, and we had more privacy than I thought possible. The hosts live on the bottom level, and I was sure that the sound of the spa would disturb them but they assured us they couldn't hear a thing. This B&B is high on my list of places to steal away to for a night or two, and the fact that there are wineries nearby have got Mario and I wanting to go back sooner rather than later.
In fact, I'm thinking about going back there right now!