21st Birthday - The Invitations

In New Zealand, and probably other parts of the world, the 21st birthday is somewhat of a big deal. Most people have a gathering/party of some sort. I have so many ideas running through my head about what I want. We already have the venue and I have my dress.

Last week I finally finished my invitations and got them printed. I love when I receive an actual paper invite, I think it is the coolest and it's such a personal touch. So I thought I would share the invite with you.

Designed by Me

Sorry I can't share all the details on the invite with you. This interweb is a big scary place and I can't be giving all that information out.

I was so happy with how they turned out printed. The baby photos were scanned and a bit blurry so I was worried that the printed file would be even worse. They turned out a bit blurry, but not as much as I was expecting. And the colours turned out perfect as well.

The next step is the decorations and the cake. Mum and I have already looked at some ideas for the cake. Lets just say it is going to be nearly as fabulous as my oldest friends super awesome cake.

Bring on August!!!



The Hardest Thing: Finishing

I find one of the hardest things to do is go through with tasks and finish them. I don't mean at work. I mean at home and I mean the big tasks, ie. My Nanny Course. Currently I have one task left to complete in the Nanny Course portion of the course. I still have the whole maternity side to do, and I plan to finish this - eventually.

My last task to complete in the nanny course is one I have left till last. The task is from the Food and Nutrition for under fives section. I have to create a week long meal plan for an infant (6-12 months), a toddler, a vegan toddler and a vegan child. It is the most time consuming task I have done in the nanny course. I don't want to be to repetitive and boring, but I don't want to go to far off the track. All the tasks have been done to the best of my ability and if they do send any back to be re-done, I really hope this task is not one of them. I will probably never finish the course if it is the case.

"Oh, Cheryl you really have work hard on doing all this when you first got the course work," this is what I bet everyone is thinking when I talk about the course. It is also what I think every time I sit down to do the course work. I am going to have to work really hard when I start my Early Childhood Education course. No more messing about or leaving things for later.

My goal for being organized this year will be fulfilled because I will have no other choice. It is time to turn the hardest thing to do into the easiest.

On a lighter note: only two more days and four and a half hours of work left. Bring on Monday and my future!

An Era is Coming to an End

It is the end of an era. It is also the start of a new era!

On Friday I will be completing my last day in my current job. When I leave on Friday night I will have worked here for three years and eight days. Seven hundred and ninety one work days. Six thousand three hundred and twenty eight hours. Three hundred and seventy nine thousand, six hundred and eighty minutes. (These calculations to not take into account public holidays, holidays, sick days or lunch breaks - way too hard!).

I am over the flipping moon! Literally so excited to finally be leaving this desk job. No more invoices, no more statements, no more contract renewals, no more ordering, no more sitting behind a computer all day. There are so many things that I will do no longer and I am going to miss it. Just miss it, not want it back. Memories and friendships have been gained over the last three years. I have been through so much with this company and it is starting to become hard to realise that I won't be waking up everyday and going to work where I will have to sit in traffic on the way to work and the way home from work.

In all truthfulness, I am scared. Scared to death about the whats and the ifs. I find myself in trances, day dreaming about these whats and ifs. I catch myself wondering if I have made the right decision. I know I have but you always wonder, right?

Well it is done now! No turning back, only moving forward. This time next week I will be playing and interacting with people nearly twenty years my junior. I will be smiling at there characteristics. I will be laughing at the cute things they will do. I will probably shed a little tear when they move onto primary school. And at the very back of my mind I know I am going to have an amazing time.



Source

 I came across the above picture a few weeks ago and it sums up so much. It is how I have felt for weeks. And I am also glad this feeling will be coming to an end. No more confusion (ha! who am i kidding?) and no more whats and ifs.

It has been time for a change for so long. I am so glad my change has finally come. I hope everyone gets to have their change happen when they need it!

It's official

Now that everything is official, I can inform you of what the changes are!

Everything happened so fast and I am over the moon! In fact I'm over the moon and down the road dancing like a billy goat with excitement. Three weeks ago, I relieved at the daycare centre my friend Jaime works at. Jaime has been telling her bosses for months about me, about how I want to work with children and that I would be perfect. Had I not gone and relieved three weeks ago, my life would not be changing right now.

Relieving that day was one of the best days I have spent at a job ever! There is nothing that can compete with it. After I left that day I get a text from Jaime telling me that I did a good job and her boss saying that there would be a position open for me when the pregnant teachers leave on maternity leave. I'm ecstatic, I also think I have another four to six months left at my job.

Two weeks ago, Jaime texts me again. This time she tell me that once I am accepted into the Early Childhood Education course I will have a job ready and waiting for me. With-in two hours of receiving the text I had printed off and filled out the enrolment forms for NZTC. I arranged to take the Centre Statement and a Referee report to Jaime and arranged for a family friend, who teaches, and taught me, primary school (equivalent to Elementary), to fill one out.

One week ago, Jaime calls me. She asked me if I could start working at the end of June/start of July. I was at lunch with my good friend Nic at the time. According to Nic, I sat there looking dumb-founded and went "ah, yea, um, ah, bahhh" blabbing through sentences. I told Jaime I would need to call back, I just wanted to check with my immediate boss to make sure she would be ok with me leaving in the middle of month end. My boss with extremely happy for me and said not to worry.

Yesterday, I went and picked my contract up. I was worried they wouldn't want to give me the amount of money I needed. No need to worry, I got the amount I wanted straight off the bat. I asked Mum to go over the contract, just to double check there was nothing off or wrong. I signed it all and will take it back later this week.

This morning, I handed my resignation into my big boss. She was happy for me, happy that I am going to start on my career but sad to be losing me.

I start my new job. I start on the pathway to the career I want on July 4th. I will predominantly be working with the over two's, but may be starting upstairs with the under two's to cover for Jaime while she is in Spain. I am hoping to hear from NZTC within a week or two, in the mean time I have the nanny course to finish - and it is nearly finished!

Everything happens for a reason and it happens when the time is appropriate and proper. I will always be so thankful to Jaime for this, she pushed and shoved for me.

Queen's Birthday Weekend!

What a lovely weekend it was indeed!

On Saturday, ten of us went to the Langham Hotel for a High Tea. Both were beautiful.

This was the caption I had instead of a photo when Blogger decided to not let me upload it:
Insert photo of me, sitting in a majestic chair, with a three tier cake stand in front of me, which is covered in sandwich's, scones, sweeties. Oh, and lets not forget my tea pot. Or, my new fringe which I cut myself on Saturday morning, I'm not going to pay someone to do what I can do - tsk at your silliness. PS, when blogger gets it A into G, I will upload this photo!

We sat around for about two hours, eating, drinking and talking. The food was delicious, some of the food was not my sort of thing and I am never eating goats cheese again, feet DO NOT belong in my mouth.

After the High Tea I went to a friends house where I stayed until Monday morning. I spent the whole time relaxing. Literally, the most unproductive 40 hours of my year so far. We moved to go out a get brunch and dinner, the rest of the time we sat in the lounge with our feet up. My list of things for the week went out the window.

Oh, yea! I cut my hair. I trimmed my fringe, all by myself. If you look closely you could tell that it wasn't done by a trained professional. I think it looks nice, it's a bit different to how I normally have it, but not much.

I also, finished my first TIME magazine. Not realising they would arrive weekly I procrastinated reading it. Now I have two to read by Saturday, I am doubtful of this happening. I have far too much study to complete.

Clearly, I need another three day weekend. In which I would spend the time reading and studying, promise!

Can you feel that?

Can you feel that? The change in the air? Change is a coming!

Not only is it today the first day of winter but there is a massive change coming.

I am extremly excited.

I shall fill you in when it is definate.

Until then...