A HAPPY, VARIED, 'CARDLESS' POST

Today I have a few 'random' (as my very knowledgeable teenager would say) things to share with you.  I have devoted this blog primarily to sharing my Stampin' Up! creations with you, but know how much pleasure I get from learning about others from their blogs .... so, today, I'm going to get a little bit personal!

First up I have a few photos to share with you.  My friend Kerry asked me to post a few photos of the recent trip that Jack (my eldest son) made to Sri Lanka.  We were very proud of Jack being selected, at 14, to play for a local representative side on a 2-week tour of Sri Lanka.  He loves his cricket (and, as you may have heard me mention before, is determined to play for Australia one day!), so this was an opportunity that we just couldn't pass up.  It was a fantastic life experience for Jack and the other 7 boys who travelled from the Yarra Valley, in Melbourne's outer east.  Two Sri Lankan boys, who were deeply affected by the tsunami in 2004, joined 'our' boys for the two weeks, donning the Yarra Valley uniforms and staying in hotels.  The relationships that all of the boys forged will be with them for life, I am sure.  Anyway, I won't get all gushy (Jack might read this, and he'd be mortified, LOL).  Here is a picture of all of the boys who travelled around Sri Lanka and played cricket against local school teams:

My son is the show-off in the middle, with the 'shades' and thick layer of zinc cream on his lips!  Most of the boys were 16 and 17. 

Here is a photo of one of the very picturesque grounds the boys got to play at:

An 'action shot', to prove that our boy did actually play cricket (and on the same grounds that test cricketers play on):

And, finally, a touristy photo taken at an elephant orphanage:

Andrew (hubby) accompanied Jack on the tour, and they had a fantastic time.  The first of many overseas cricket tours that Jack will be playing, according to him!

I am very honoured to have received a couple of 'blog awards' from some lovely stamping friends, these past couple of days.    First, Monica gave me this:

Isn't that a lovely name?  Here are the 'rules' of the award:

1. Put the Sunshine Award on your blog and/or within your post.
2. Pass the award to other bloggers.
3. Link the nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award. The hardest part, of course, is narrowing it down!!

There are many special women I know, who deserve this award, but I have decided to pass this on to the following four talented stampers, and all-round gorgeous girls:

1. Nikki

2. Sue

3. Kirsty

4. Kristine

The second award, that the ever-thoughtful Christine nominated me for, is this one:

 

This award comes with a request to share 10 things about yourself.  I told Christine that this was a bit of a challenge for me, because I am a good listener, but don't really like to talk about myself.  Well, I made a liar out of myself when I sat down to jot down a few snippets of information - it was a challenge to keep it to only 10, ha ha.  Anyway, here are some peeks into the life of "me":

1. I was born in New Zealand, and moved to Melbourne at the age of 15.  I am now proudly a Kiwi AND an Aussie!


2. I am an observant and pedantic person.  I probably missed my calling to work as a proof-reader.


3. I met my husband, Andrew, at high school (he introduced himself to me on my first day in Year 11, after I'd moved from NZ).


4. I was a huge fan of John Wayne movies as a child (remember, I grew up in NZ - Westerns were exciting t.v.!!).  Ethan (our youngest son) was named after John Wayne's son - a long bow, I know, but I loved the name, and loved the connection.


5. I am very sentimental!!


6. I took up stamping and card-making 12 years ago as a hobby, when suffering from Post-Natal Depression.  It has become (next to my family) my life's passion.


7. I have my "dream" craft room, thanks to my wonderful husband.


8. Hubby and I own a snack food business, and we were the first company in Australia to manufacture certified organic corn chips.  How's that for a claim to fame?


9. I have green eyes (affectionately known to my sister and myself as "cacky green") but always wanted them to be brown!  I have two beautiful brown-eyed sons, again thanks to my husband!


10. I love to travel, and have been lucky enough to have numerous overseas experiences.  We take our boys travelling as much as we can.

I hope you've enjoyed learning a thing or two that you didn't already know about me.  I'm going to nominate the following four 'stamping friends' for this award, in the hope that they, too, will bare a little of their souls.

1.  Kerry

2.  Jodene

3.  Rachel

4.  Nicole

Thanks for visiting my blog, and thank you to Monica and Chris for being so thoughtful!