It’s hard to believe that it was just five short years ago that he first pulled her into his arms and swept her off her feet. Just five short years and yet she feels as though she has loved him forever.

From the very first moment that those perfect baby blue eyes of his met hers, she knew that they were in trouble. What she didn’t know however, was just how much.

Despite the unanimous certainty that neither of them were quite ready for love, it seemed that the universe had other plans and within what felt like the blink of an eye, they had found themselves falling head over heels into the kind of love story that neither of them had ever expected.

A love story about a boy and a girl who brought out the very best in each other. A tale of two best friends who whilst trying to find their place in this wild and crazy world, managed to find something far greater; their penguin.

It would seem that somehow, the universe knew exactly what they were looking for, despite the fact that neither of them actually knew themselves and somehow, that unexpected magical moment sparked the beginning of a perfect romance.

A romance that five years on, is shining brighter than ever before. A romance so beautiful and so perfect, that it appears as though it has been written in the stars all along.

Happy Anniversary Boyfriend, I love you to Antarctica and back! xx

I am extremely pleased to say that this week just passed marks somewhat of a rather large milestone in my life so far. A milestone which ironically enough, most people would probably be ashamed to admit. However, as you are already well aware, I am not like most people.

Those of you who know me well enough would probably know by now that bravery has never really been one of my strong points and as embarrassing as it may be for a now twenty-two year old, it is no surprise that I have always been more than a little bit afraid of the dark. That was however, up until now.

Given that my Mumma and Dadda were out of town for the week, my big brother was back at work, as was my amazing boyfriend and my only other two designated best friend/babysitters were also temporarily unavailable, leaving me with no choice but to finally face my fears. Well, it was either that or secretly hide away at my Grandma’s house. A rather tempting option which in all honesty, came a very, very close second.

Luckily though, for the sake of what little pride I had left at this point, the attempt at bravery won out and at twenty-two years old, I finally managed to stay home by myself. Not once, not twice, but three times actually and despite the countless lights that may or may not have been left on, I am counting each and every one of those nights a success. A success which finally, after all of this time, has earned me my beautiful bravery stripes. Stripes which you will be pleased to know, I am never, ever taking off.

I am incredibly pleased to say that today, on this beautiful sunshiny Sunday, that I have had the absolute time of my life and despite pulling up completely and utterly broken, I have managed to play the most baseball that I have played in three very, very long years. With that being said however, I am even more pleased to say that surprisingly, that’s just the beginning of today’s wonderful adventures.

Today, for the first time in three very, very long years, by some divine intervention, that little white baseball somehow managed to connect with my bat during a real life game; twice, and although you may choose to argue otherwise, I think it’s fairly safe to say that nobody was more surprised than I was.

In fact, to be perfectly honest I wasn’t quite sure what to do next. Despite stepping up to the plate with every intention of hitting the ball, when it actually came down to it, I’m not quite sure if I ever really expected to. Needles to say, that ball finally connecting with my bat came as quite the surprise and so as you can imagine, I did what any surprised person would do; I jumped and I screamed until eventually, I remembered to run.

Unfortunately though, despite my best efforts of screaming at my little legs to go faster, they did not quite go fast enough and I found myself heading back in the direction that I had came from.

Luckily though, like most things in life I was given a second chance. A second chance which I happily grabbed with both hands and this time around, when the ball connected with the bat yet again, it no longer came with quite the same level of surprise. This time around, with the help of a few little errors in the field, my tiny little legs and I made it safe and sound at first base. Safe and sound and completely exhausted, with what could have quite possibly been the biggest smile of all time spread across my happy little face.

What happened next however, was what had me smiling the biggest smile of all and unlike the disappointment from a few weeks back, this time it was even better than I had imagined.

Standing there on first base rather unsure of just what to do next, my big brother stepped up to the plate. As luck would have it or more so ‘pure talent’ as he would say, one strategically placed safe hit later and I had advanced to second, feeling slightly like a fish out of water. Next up was my stud of a boyfriend and coincidentally enough, yet another strategically placed safe hit later and there I was standing on third base, with my two favourite boys just a few steps behind.

From where I was standing, it was like a fairy-tale ending that I couldn’t possibly have planned better myself and although we of course all managed to get home safely; a event which just so happened to be my first time crossing the plate in you guessed it, three very, very long years, nothing was going to beat that kind of fairy-tale ending.

After a little over ten years of finding my way around the diamond, despite all of the countless amazing experiences I have collected along the way, standing out there on those bases for the very first time with my two favourite boys has without a doubt advanced to the top of the list and although my body may be slightly broken, my spirit is stronger than ever. So strong in fact, that had you asked me to do it over again, I would do so in a heartbeat.

20.10.2013; I will remember you forever.

A few weeks ago I stumbled across a definition that ironically enough, described a rather large aspect of my personality somewhat perfectly. A definition that thankfully, has given me the courage to do something that I have been unable to do for far, far too long.

“Finifugal: hating endings; of someone who tries to avoid or prolong the final moments of a story, relationship or some other journey.”

For as long as I can remember I have been holding onto something that to be quite honest, was lost almost a lifetime ago. Something that I have spent years hopelessly trying to fix and yet each time the outcome remains the same. Not a single thing changes and I am the one who is yet again, left trying to put the pieces back together.

In theory I suppose you’re probably thinking that it should come as no surprise. Logically speaking, it’s impossible to hold onto something when the other party involved has already chosen to let go. Unfortunately however, my mind has never been one of logic and in this case, it was never quite that simple.

For as long as I can remember I have been an optimist who time and time again has held out hope for a miracle, regardless of the odds. A miracle that I have only just realised is never actually going to happen. So, for quite possibly the first time in history the logical side of my brain appears to have won and while as you can imagine, the outcome is not quite what I had hoped, it has been a long time coming to say the least.

After almost a lifetime of fighting against the inevitable; I have finally given in, I have finally let go and I have finally walked away and although I would be lying if I said it were in any way easy, the truth is that it’s for the best.

It may have taken me a little longer than most, but I think I have finally realised that maybe I was wrong. Although there will always be countless memories to treasure, maybe life never planned for new ones to take their place. Maybe we had our time and now that time is up and maybe that’s okay. Maybe some people are destined to stay in our lives and some people are destined to leave and if and when the time comes that those people choose to walk away, for the sake of our own happiness, maybe the best thing we can do is to let them.

Sometimes if we’re lucky, life sends us someone who almost instantly, becomes the kind of friend that words could not even begin to describe. Someone who from the very first moment that you meet, becomes irreplaceable. Someone who although different in many, many ways, still brings out the very best in us.

Someone who has the ability to make us smile without so much as a second thought. Someone who even with the worst of jokes, can make us laugh more than we could even begin to imagine. Someone who every single day, makes our lives just that little bit brighter simply by being themselves.

Sometimes if we’re lucky, life sends us someone to lighten our load. Someone to pick us up each time that we have been knocked down. Someone to look out for us, always, no questions asked. Someone to have our back in a way that to be quite honest, nobody else ever could.

Someone who without us even realising, teaches us to explore life from outside of our comfort zone. Someone who gives us the courage and the confidence to take on every inch of this wild and crazy world. Someone who unknowingly inspires us to be more and to do more, every single day.

Sometimes if we’re lucky, life sends us someone to challenge us. Someone who although we may love to pieces, will push us to the very point of breaking; probably more times than we can count. Someone who will make us question everything that we ever thought we knew.

Sometimes if we’re lucky, it’s as though the universe knows exactly what we need before we ever really know ourselves and sometimes, if we’re really lucky, that is exactly what we get.

Someone who puts the brightest of colours back into our rainbow without us ever having to ask. Someone we can count on for anything and everything, regardless of the circumstances. Someone who can tell exactly what we are thinking at any given moment, simply by the look on our face.

Sometimes if we’re lucky, once in a blue moon, that someone turns out to be our very own big brother. A big brother who coincidently, has been right there beside us from the moment we entered this world and not once has that even slightly changed.

Once in a blue moon, if we’re really, really lucky, despite the countless near death experiences that may or may not have been entirely their fault, that someone turns out to be exactly what the Doctor ordered; our very own constant ray of sunshine, in an otherwise stormy world.

When it comes down to it, it really is quite simple. Whether it’s a boy or a girl, a man or a woman, a friend or a lover, the principle remains the same. If they make you happy, spend as much time with them as you can. However, if there comes a time when they are no longer able to do that, be strong enough to walk away and find someone who does.

If they make you a better person simply by being in their presence, then cherish them and cherish the person that they allow you to be. However, if there comes a time when you find yourself in the opposite of situations, be smart enough to walk away and find someone who does. Be smart enough to surround yourself with people who lift you up, not people who are going to drag you down.

If you find yourself in a place where inspiration flows freely, embrace it and don’t ever leave. However, if there comes a time when you find yourself feeling lost, be brave enough to search for a place that allows you to feel found again.

If you find yourself in a job that allows you to shine, shine as bright as you possibly can. However, if there comes a time when that job causes that light to fade, be courageous enough to search for one that does not.

If you find yourself spending each day in a constant state of bliss, count your blessings and do your best to make it last. However, if there comes a time when those days are no longer spent smiling, do everything that you possibly can to make that smile return.

When it comes down to it, life is far too short to waste the days second guessing what we should have done or who we should have been.

When it comes down to it, life is simple.

Choose to be happy.

Choose to be wonderful.

Choose to shine brighter than even the brightest of stars.

Choose to live every single day as though the magic of the world will somehow, last forever.

Lately I have found myself beginning to wonder, quite possibly more than I ever have before. At just twenty-two years of age it would seem that curiosity has finally got the better of me and I have become somewhat overwhelmed by life’s endless questions. Questions which surprisingly enough, I am yet to find the answers to.

To put it simply, I suppose you could say that I am currently at a bit of a loss. With sixty seconds to a minute, sixty minutes to an hour, twenty-four hours to a day and three hundred and sixty-five days to a year, just how exactly are we expected to make the most of that time. How exactly are we expected to make a difference, day in and day out?

Are we designed to simply approach each day as it comes, taking the entirety of life one small step at a time or are we built for the complete opposite; to work as hard as we possible can, every single day, in an attempt to strive for greatness.

Are we imprinted with the desire to enjoy the here and the now, to relish in the joys of each given moment or is it in our nature to remain proactive; to use every waking hour to plan for a future.

Are we expected to work endless hours in a constantly disappointing job simply to pay the bills or is it considered a right of passage to someday go out on a whim and spontaneously travel the world.

Are we moulded with the hope of impacting the world solely through our career aspirations or are we born for something far greater than that, something that no career advances could ever quite live up to.

At the end of the day, is the importance of our lives measured by the number of achievements hanging upon our wall or the number of people who we have unknowingly touched. The number of hours we have tirelessly worked each year or the number of times we have approached the world with a smile. The amount of friends we have collected along the way or the countless lives that have been changed simply by crossing our paths.

At the end of the day, is it more important to have progressed in our individual achievements or to have made a difference to another human being; a human being who just like us, is searching for answers to some of life’s greatest questions.

Is it more important to have added another dollar sign to our bank balance or to have spent a wonderful day just soaking up the sunshine. To have watched the week go by whilst busily planning for the days ahead or to have lived that very same week as though there was not a single care in the world.

At the end of the day, are we expected to spend each waking hour taking the necessary steps towards living the life we have imagined or is it hoped that perhaps someday, we would learn to appreciate the life that we are already lucky enough to be leading.

Are we expected to spend years trying to have it all, trying to find that perfect balance or was that never part of the lesson at all?

At the end of the day, I suppose all we can really do is ask ourselves for honesty towards one final, all important question. Honesty towards a question that chances are, the majority of us may not quite know the answer to just yet but one that someday no doubt, we will.

When it comes down to those final moments; the ones when it is said that our entire life will flash before our eyes, what is it that you expect to regret the most?

Will it be a long list of things that you wish you had done or perhaps a list of things you wish you hadn’t. Opportunities that had been taken or perhaps opportunities that were missed. Days spent in a wild senseless rush or perhaps days spent doing nothing at all. Years working in an office that you despised or perhaps years waiting around for the job that you loved. A lifetime spent with a handful of people who matter or perhaps an eternity spent with countless people who don’t.

When it comes down to those final moments, what are you willing to do now to change the outcome?

After all, at the end of the day, who knows what’s going to happen next. Maybe if we’re lucky, with just enough courage and just enough determination, we might even be able to come out of this wild and crazy ride with no regrets at all.