A series of thoughts, in no particular order.

I'm not entirely sure why I started writing this blog sans capital letters...?

But I have come to the decision that that decision stresses me out. And I shall no longer adhere to it.

I have decided to take some steps to remove toxicity from my Life.

I also want a new wardrobe.

The Challenge, then:

Is to get my health/ weight into my "acceptable for health/ appearances" 10kg margin. And to save up so that I can go shopping for a "new" wardrobe.

I remain hopefully that achieving my weight margin will open up previous wardrobe purchases for circulation again.

September 1 = Day 1.

exciting news

good news everyone!

i've been asked to create a wedding cake?!

i am so excited/ honoured/ nervous!

i plan to document the steps here... we'll see.

here's to love!

<3

just so you know...

knowing when to smile doesn't make me OK

it doesn't make me OK any more than wearing black is a sign that i am not OK


ugh. doctors.

ugh. exercise.

hello world!

how're things?

my dear friend jessi-belle has suggested that i could keep her company (internationally) while she partake in jillian michael's 30 shred... i thought that this was a good plan!

rather than doing each of the three levels over 10 days (30 days total) i'm going to do each of the levels 10 times... so that i can not shred on the days i go to the gym anyway... unless i want to, of course!

i will also be making a brief food log - which i will record here...

i can say one day... what the hell have i signed myself up for?! and that taking photo's of your food throughout the day really does keep a girl honest.

"am i really hungry"

"yeeees!!!"

"can i be bothered taking a photo"

"no"

"well. i'm clearly not really all that hungry then, am i?"

"nooo..."

thus we have:

clockwise from top left:

breakfast:
a bowl of chopped fruit (apple, fejoa and pear) with 2 spoons of citrus yoghurt and a sprinkle of muesli - for crunch!

snack: 1/2 devilled egg

lunch:
(kinda bready, i know...) 1 piece of toast with 1/2 kiwi marmite (yay!) and 1/2 english marmite, 1/2 hot cross bun and another 1/2 devilled egg.

snack: 1 apple with 1 slice "tasty" cheese

dinner:
beef casserole with broccoli and peas, and dumplings!

pudding:
ice cream

exercise:

i managed to make it all the way through jillian's video doing a combination of regular and modified moves... i didn't have any weights, though! next time i'm gonna use 400g cans and work my way up to heavier weights/

it was fairly enjoyable and definitely hard work, but not too long a work out!

watch this space!

feelin' emo?

Exercise makes for a fairly good hug substitute... :)

Booyah!

Also, it's nice to know that I can causally jog 2km in 10mins...

Sweden: Week 1

Hej, hej!

Jeg heter Kat! Jag kommer från Nya Zeeland men jag bor pår Sernanders Väg i Flosgsta. Jag talar engelska och lite franska. Jag pluggar psykologi!

Jag vaknar klockan kvart över sju och jag stiger up klockan halv åtta!

... and that's some of what I learned in class last week ... I can't remember it all by heart - but I know what I meant to say! :)

My word of today is: skit-trött... :) Which is how I've been feeling much of late!

Initially because I was so stressed and upset and more recently because I've been going out so much and having such fun with my new friends!

I've been super busy and so haven't really been keeping my hand diary - but a basic overview of my last week has involved:

• lessons from 9am-12noon every weekday since Wednesday...
• my first ever visit to IKEA... which was an experience, to say the least!
• going to Stockholm to experience the Gay Pride Parade (AKA the "Paride")
• going out on Friday night for SIX HOURS!!! Then walking over 3km home in 4-5" heels!
• meeting a vast number of totally awesome people from all over the world
• getting lost in the enormous ICA Maxi supermarket nearby...
• walking to and from class every day...
• learning Swedish words/grammar
• getting my mobile phone working... (and in the process - tell the cellphone store man "jag talar inte spanska" instead of "jag talar inte svenska"... Woops!)
• (mostly) doing my homework
• Skype-ing my family
• receiving a letter from my Mama! ( <3 )
• trying to fix my light in my room and being a bit of an epic fail
• going to a lake
• having barbecues...
• leaving my camera in England... thus not having any photos for the first week... :|

And heaps more...

I am, despite initial worries, having an awesome time! And, as Mummy and Daddy oft repeated the first few days - the experience is getting better and better!

I send my love to all of you at home! Especially those of you with Birthdays around about now!!!

I miss you all so much and can't wait for you to come visit me (nudge, nudge)!!!

Love, Kat

xxx

Shake and Shake the Ketchup Bottle... None'll Come and then the Lot'le!

Well. Talk about a baptism by fire!

Plane landed in Heathrow 40 minutes early... which I made up for by waiting for Vicky and Craig who were stuck in traffic (four lanes of it! In both directions!)

... Vicky and Craig live in a proper English semi-detached cottage! :) I have a basin in my bedroom, it's awesome!

The first night we went out for tea to a local Turkish Grill - t'was nommy! And then blissful bedtime!

Saturday was spent preparing for the Big Kennedy BBQ (16 people!)... I had a good time wandering around Sainsbury's looking at all the different things... And some familiar ones... Sacred Hill wine cheaper than at home, for example...

I always thought that the British Pound spent like the New Zealand Dollar in that if you pay 3.50NZD for a cup of coffee in NZ you'd pay 3.50GBP in the UK for the same cup of coffee (thus, everything's kind of twice the price for me) but in reality you'd pay 2.00GBP for that cup off coffee (not that I've actually had any coffee since I left home (!) )... So things are slightly cheaper than I expected... Which is nice!

At the BBQ there were 11 Kenedy/Saunders/Morgans plus 4 family friends + me! It was really lovely to see everybody for the first time in 8 years! Boy, was I exhausted afterwards, though!

A proper, English BBQ with table cloths and all!

Then, yesterday I spent with Bethan in London... first she met me off the tube at Turnpike Station and I met the lovely Marion. Bethan and I chatted easily for about an hour while Marion made roast beef for lunch... Yum! :)

After lunch Marion dropped us back at the station and Bethan guided me to Embankment where we walked, and talked all the way over the Thames and to the Tower Bridge.

Bethan opposite the London Eye

There were so many people! I could really tell that more people live in London than the whole of New Zealand... and next time I go in I'd definitely like a smaller bag!

The Tower Bridge taken from the London Bridge

I have today off, as it were, and I'm sitting in Vicky and Craig's garden, working on my sun-tan! This evening Vicky's shouting me a pedicure! :)

Travel Tip for the post: Big bags in big cities are a bad idea... they're heavy and you're constantly worrying about the shady-looking person next to you... take a smaller bag that you can easily swing into a protected position!

Until next time!
xx Kat