Category: Love and marriage

All things related to marriage in Australia

Happy Sixteenth

So today has been a day of amazing feels.
 
Woke up beside the bloke that chose to spend his life with me sixteen years ago today, and has chosen to stay with me every day since.
 
I ran an online D&D dungeon crawl game for a group who were mostly strangers to me a few weeks ago, but are fast becoming “my people”. Squid and Mark joined in today, and many orcs had ignominious ends.
 
One of my bridesmaids video called me in her bunny pyjamas and tiara, so I also grabbed one and spent the rest of the day wearing it.
 
We had cheese, tomato, and branston pickle sandwiches in the shade of our lovely lilly pilly tree in the front yard, and waved at all the neighbours who were out and about.
 
Cooked some bulk dinner while the boys rejuvenated the veggie garden, and they found some baby mice that we warmed up, fed a little, and returned in the hopes that mama would come and take care of them.
 
And the story of the day?
 
Squiddo went to Countdown for some garlic stuffed olives (it was an emergency, ok?), and the paper bag he was using as a shopping basket tore. He left the groceries and the torn bag in the aisle, and went to purchase a fresh bag. The countdown staff gave him the bag for free, and when he returned, someone had left a reusable bag beside his little pile of groceries.
 
Little kindnesses are everywhere.

Kid has a friend over

Kids refuse to go outside to play.

Adults threaten them with Star Trek if they won’t go outside. Kids accept Star Trek alternative and sit and wait for TV.

Adults then begin an in depth discussion of which series is the best place to start them, because TOS requires a historical context, and Next Gen has too many annoying characters, and Voyager is starting too late in the canon. And the movies are so wildly variable, you need a context to be able to make it through.

Kids go outside and play…

May 2016

I just turned 46. It’s not so bad. I’m full of gratitude for the life I am able to live right now. Still terribly fond of Mark, so blessed to be mama to the best kid in the world, and doing fulfilling work, both in my volunteer role, and in in actual paid employment.

Yesterday, I taught a knitting class and had great feedback.

Inigo learning to knit while daddy played tennis

This morning, I finally taught Inigo how to knit (he learned to spin at the end of last month).
And this afternoon I published my first ever pattern on Ravelry – it’s nothing complicated, but great fun, and a good beginning project for a learner.

Next weekend we have Woolfest – the third annual pop up fibre market in Auckland, and the second one since I tok over as area delegate. Festival went off with nary a hitch, and for the first time eve, Inigo seems to not only be enjoying school, he has great friends, and he seems to be heading for some positive academic results for the first time.

I hope all is well with you too.

Choosing a celebrant

Over the holidays I was discussing with family and friends what makes a good celebrant. When I was married in 2004, our celebrant was very “hands off”, and I practically had to beg him to do a rehearsal with us. At the time, I felt like I needed a little more guidance and hand holding than he gave us. Don’t get me wrong, he was very professional, and performed the ceremony beautifully. But I was left feeling a little lost through the process.

What I needed, was a celebrant that was willing to patiently walk us through all the documentation, and help us to make choices about our ceremony. As it was, we wrote our entire ceremony ourselves! Back then, we didn’t have the moitum in the ceremony, and our vows were said in rhyming couplets in the style of Dr Seuss. It worked, we are still happily married, and though it felt a bit rough and ready at the time, it worked.

I mentioned my feelings about the celebrant, and my brother in law said that he thought that style of celebrant was brilliant! “You don’t need all that hand holding, just do the paperwork and say your words” seem to sum up how he felt.

There are hundreds of blog posts giving advice about how to choose your celebrant, but this “personal style” or “service level” can be very difficult to establish over the phone.

What is important to you in a celebrant? Below are some attributes you might like to consider before you pick up the phone.

– personal style and flair
– level of service (how many weddings per weekend?)
– connection (do you feel comfortable with them)
– availability for rehearsals etc
– will they work with you to write the prefect ceremony, or do it for you?

If you don’t need extra support, tell your celebrant. And if you do, make sure you choose a celebrant that will take the time to make sure that your wedding goes smoothly, right down to every detail.

Happy families

Adam and Andrea are friends that I have known for years – since before Inigo was born and we used to go to a pub in Newtown for a knitting group.
 
 They bought a house, and renovated. They planned to start a family, and planned a more extensive renovation. But first, a wedding.
 
 Harbour Wedding
 
 Very soon afterwards, they found out they were expecting. Twins!
 
 Yesterday, we had a visit from them, Owen and Olivia are now two and a half, clever, chatty and adorable.
 
 Happiness!
 
 A simple reminder of the wonderful work I am lucky enough to do.
 
 
 – from my iPhone