Our love story

I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend Travis for nearly a year. I am not one of those girls who floods news feeds about us on social media or irritates everyone with stories of how much I love him- it's not my style. I try to avoid this because I firmly feel that a relationship is between two people, not everyone you know.

Living in a dream land

I love talking about dreams! It's this unexplainable and evanescent adventure that happens to us at night when we go to bed, and reach that stage of involuntary REM. I dream constantly about a variation of themes, and they are usually very vivid. At this moment I think of Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl who said she only dreams in black and white.

The bartender, the shrink

I have had so many different jobs since I've left high school. I don't like to think of myself as a job-jumper, but being a student means making money through various part-time opportunities. This even included handing out flyers at intersections and working as an assistant at a soya bean conference(don't ask). The one job I never thought I would have was being a bartender.

The perfect birthday dinner

It's my birthday tomorrow so I thought I would share my planning and preparation, along with TONS of help from Pinterest. I really wanted to have a relaxed dinner party with a few friends and family just to celebrate my special day.

All of these ideas are so easy to do and only require a small budget. I like to keep things simple, because I find that as soon as you try too hard to impress everyone or spend too much money it doesn't usually have the desired effect. It's never easy to cater for a group of people so I thought I would have a variety of snack foods to keep everyone going. I have also included a few ideas for atmosphere and decor.

The details
It's always nice to add small touches to the evening to make it seem more put together, whether its adding tags of peoples names or having a nice arrangement in the middle of the table. I saw an idea where each placemate is a piece of black paper and you simply write each guests name in chalk on the black paper. I love monochrome, it always looks more sophisticated than it is. Another idea is to present knives and forks in a serviette tied into the shape of a bow tie. This is perfect for a barbeque or help yourself type event.

My Bucket List

“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”- Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook

I have decided to share my personal bucket list after years of adding on and scratching off, altering and rewriting, losing and forgetting. The poor list has been through a lot as I've got older and my dreams and goals have changed along with me.

If you are reading this, write your own meaningful bucket list and keep it with you as a constant reminder of how full and exciting your life can be. What's the use of writing the bucket list if not to actually cross everything off at one point?

What are you on this earth to do? That is the biggest question you can ask yourself. Everything in life is a pattern to your purpose. The mistakes we experience, the decisions we make, the way we choose to spend our time each day, prepares us for what we are able to achieve. Therefore the more we experience, the more we challenge ourselves, the closer we get to finding that purpose.

It is so easy to fall into the trap of work, responsibilities and routine, but whenever you can, put your mind towards a future goal even if that means working on it bit by bit. With this life we are given, we must find our purpose and fulfill what it is we think we are here to do. It really isn't that complicated, and things always have a way of working out when you are determined. I would like to think of this list as 30 things to do before I'm 30!

1. Teach a foreign student to speak English
2. Stand under a waterfall
3. Run a half marathon
4. Climb a mountain
5. Swim with the pigs in Bahamas
6. Learn how to surf
7. Sleep for a night under the stars
8. Learn to play guitar (at least 1 song)
9. Go scuba diving
10. Float in the Dead Sea
11. See a volcano
12. Take ballroom dancing lessons
13. Swim in the hot pools in Iceland
14. See Angkor Wat at sunset
15. Watch a broadway show
16.Walk along the Great Wall of China
17. Write a book
18. See the Hagia Sofia in Turkey
19. Participate in a parade or carnival
20. Go paddle boarding
21. Attend a fashion show
22. Eat something I have grown myself
23. See Times Square
24. Go snowboarding
25. See the Okavango Delta in Botswana
26. Go on a cruise
27. Stay on an island
28. Go cliff diving
29. Drink sangria in Barcelona
30. Do the Moses Mabhida swing (tallest swing in the world)

Every time I cross off one of the above I'll write about it. x

Image from etsy.com

The grateful book

“It’s a troublesome world. All the people who are in it are troubled with troubles almost every minute. You ought to be thankful, a whole heaping lot, for the places and people you’re lucky you’re not”- Dr. Seuss, author

I want to share the experience I had whilst reading the book The Secret-The Magic by Rhonda Byrne. My mom had told me to read it after she found it at her book club, and I just put it in the growing pile of books on my bedside table.

Pay it forward

Everyday, everywhere we go, we are surrounded by people we don’t know. It is so easy for us to go about life only talking to people we know in our specific social circle, because there is no challenge when you already know someone. It's our comfort zone. Other than that, we talk to strangers only when necessary, whether its the waitress at a coffee shop or a teller at the bank.

Negative news

I have never really been a newspaper reading type person, much like the rest of my generation, and if there was important breaking news I watched it on tv. The idea of opening up A2 sized pages, trying to manage it my hands whilst simultaneously reading is not exactly thrilling. A few months ago I started working for a media and printing company that prints and distributes the majority of the newspapers for our city.

The human connection

When you meet someone who is completely intent on listening to what you have to say and truly getting to know you, that’s when you make a human connection. Its instant, it’s overwhelming and it’s powerful. This happens very rarely, but when it does, that person can often change the course of your life.

Running my heart out

I always enjoyed sport, but the one thing I never took to, however, was running. I had a mental block against it, and I tried to avoid it at all costs (including faking injuries I will admit). More recently, for a somewhat brief period of 3 months last year, my gym contract had ended because I moved cities.

Being the right girl

Women constantly complain about not being able to meet the right guy. Have you ever considered that you're not the right girl? Its harsh I know, but in many situations we have to consider this as the solution to the problem by looking at ourselves first.

9 Wise Lessons my Grandmothers taught me

I personally think that advice from grandparents isn't used enough by the younger generation. These are people who have lived much longer than you, and are therefore much wiser than you. They know a lot about a lot of things, don't be fooled by their politeness and prudence.

Confessions of an aupair

I was an aupair to two lovely children (lets call them George and Lucy) for a year while I was a student living in Durban. Aupairing in South Africa is convenient for young women such as myself who need part time jobs that fit in with going to lectures and writing exams. I am in no way complaining about the fact that aupairing exists as a job, but I am confused as to why they are necessary. This is my story.

7 reasons why women are bitches

I bet the majority of females reading this got a bit wound up by the title. Yes I said it! I'm included in this explanation so I have only myself to offend. Women are bitches, and if you think your'e not, you need to accept that you are, and that's ok. Yes, guys can be assholes, but this isnt the focus right now.