Author: Renae

Living life as a wife, a stay at home mama of 3 kids under 5, a marriage celebrant, a craft and sewing amateur, a cooked breakfast lover, coffee enthusiast, extroverted socialite, and most recently, someone who is trying to keep a tidy house. It's tough I tell you!

Ultimate Fun

/ Renae / 1 Comment

I am desperate to blog about our weekend back in Brisbane, but until I can upload the photos, there’s just no point, as they explain our weekend so much better than I ever could with words.

So in the mean time, let me tell you about a new sport Hubs and I are playing. Ultimate Disc! (aka Ultimate, flying disc). It is SO much fun and very good for our fitness. My friend from high school and her partner are very into it and invited us along for a game a few weeks ago. Actually, it was 3 games and we ended up playing for 2 and a half hours. That’s a LOT of running.

It’s kind of a mixture between netball and gridiron. Kind of… We play in Albert Park (St Kilda) on a field about 100m by 30m and there are end zones where, if you catch the disc whilst in the zone you score a point. You start the game and each point with 1 team at each end of the field, lined up Braveheart style. At the start of each point, one team starts off in attack, and the other team “pulls” the disc (throws it as far as they can) and are on the defense. We play either Man-D (pick a player and mark them) or zone defense (which we’re still getting the hang of). You can’t run with the disc (like Netball) but you can take a few steps to slow down once you have it. You’re often sprinting when you receive it, though in my case, it’s more of a fast jog.

As I mentioned, there’s a LOT of running and it’s very fast-paced. The good thing is, after each point you get a bit of a breather. The game finishes either when 1 team has scored 15 points (half time is at 8 points) or after an hour and 20 minutes has passed. It’s self-refereed which makes it a very honest game and Ultimate is all about the Spirit of the Game. So much so, that they have Spirit Captains whose job it is to keep the game running smoothly.

Last night Hubs and I both had a great game. Hubs took a massive leap in defence which prevented the opposition from scoring a goal and our Team Captain was so impressed that he ran on to the field to give Hubs a high 10! He told me on the sideline that people will play for 10 years without ever pulling off such great defence. I was so proud. We both went on to score goals in the game as well – Hubs scored 2 and I scored 1. We won 15-4.

At the end of the game we all huddle in a circle, ensuring we are standing between 2 opposition players, and the Captain of the losing team (different to Spirit Captain) thanks their opposition for a great game and perhaps shares how they felt the game went, and gives the team 3 big cheers. Then the Captain of the winning team does the same. It’s a bit mushy but it’s actually a pleasant way to end the game.

It’s a nice way to start the week on a Monday night, though when we play the 8:30pm games, we don’t get home til almost 11! Lucky I’m working so close to home these days.

A flying visit

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I gotta say I’m a little excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hubs and I are taking another quick trip back to Brisbane this weekend for my Grandpa’s 90th birthday. Even though we’ll be completely exhausted when we get home on Sunday, especially now that there’s a time difference, it’s totally worth it. We arrive in the Vegas Friday night at 11pm, then it’ll be all hands on deck on Saturday setting up for the lunch time party, then it’s party time! Then we’re heading out to catch up with a few friends Saturday night, then it’s Mum’s birthday on Sunday (Happy Birthday Mum!!!) which we will be celebrating over brekky, then it’s a catch up with my Mum-in-law, then off to the airport for a 2:30pm flight.

Phew. I’m exhausted. BUT EXCITED!!!! I love coming home for wee visits. It’s so nice to be around familiar faces and streets and weather. And my Nanny always gets particularly excited to see us, exclaiming “where is she” as soon as our car drives in. I always feel like a bit of a celebrity on these types of visits. Even though it’s not ALL about us, everyone wants to see us and it makes me feel super-spesh.

I’ve just done a proof-read of this post, and realise that I’ve referred to both Brisbane and Melbourne as “home”. I guess it’s nice to know that Brisbane will always be my home town, but that I feel happy and comfortable enough to call Melbourne home for the time being.

It’s going to be GREAT!!

Saving Daylight and wasting time

/ Renae / 5 Comments

Just so y’all know we’ve wound our clocks forward 1 hour down here so we’re a bit out of sync now. Actually, I think it’s Queensland that’s out of sync really, (I LOVE daylight savings!!) but I’m sure they’ll catch up some time!

The sun didn’t set til 7:30pm yesterday! Though, when I got up at 7am today, it was “really” 6am which is not cool. Apparently the first couple of weeks are a bit tough, but we’ll get used to it I’m sure.

But not only did I lose an hour yesterday due to daylight savings, I also lost another hour and 40 minutes watching the WORST MOVIE EVER!!!!!!!! Hubs and I had a free night so we decided to watch “Forgetting Sarah Marshall“. Now I’m going through the process of forgetting Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It should have had a warning on it saying “This is a crap video. Half way through I wanted to make a cup of tea.” (Ref: Jimeoin) It was the biggest pile of poo I’ve ever watched. In fact, watching a pile of poo for an hour and 40 minutes would have been more bearable.

I thought it was going to be one of those gross comedies like Van Wilder or Knocked Up which I quite liked. But no. It was just hideously boring and cringe-worthy. I would have stopped watching after 15 minutes but Hubs thought we should give it a bit longer. After 45 minutes, it had gotten even worse, but now Hubs needed “closure”. Closure shmlosure. I was uncomfortable and irritated and bewildered by the whole process. Luckily, my good friend Adele rang me with 10 minutes to go so I got out of watching the final blows.

I know what you’re saying: why didn’t I just get up and do something else? Well we were watching this drivel in bed on my laptop and I was enjoying snuggling up to Hubs so at least I got SOME enjoyment out of the process.

I rate this movie negative 87 stars; worst…. movie…. ever….

Counting my blessings

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The Spirit

Since Hubs and I arrived in Melbourne, God has been working hard to make sure we settle in okay down here. Actually, he seems to have been working overtime to pre-arrange things and ensure that everything works out for us, just as HE planned, not us. If I had my way, the following would have happened:

Hubs and I would have found a place to rent in the Moonee Ponds area
Which means:
We’d be paying around $300 a week in rent
We’d be paying around $70 per week in food
We’d be paying around $50 per week in transport
Plus bills
I’d have 2 part-time jobs and half a day off to chill-out
We’d find a nice Uniting Church with some young adults hopefully near our place

And here’s what REALLY happened:

Hubs and I were offered a place at Newman College
From day 3 (yes, it took 3 days) we have felt very welcomed and included and accepted in a tight-nit, open and inviting community
We pay very reasonable rates for accommodation, all meals and all bills
We live right next door to uni which means no regular transport costs for Hubs
I have accepted a full-time job at Newman College which means no regular transport costs for me
We live 1 suburb out of town – less than 2km from Central Station
We worship at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Newman College and we’re really enjoying the services
We’ve met some amazing people and had interesting conversations over good food and great wine
Hubs and I get to spend heaps of quality time together, as we have no travel time to factor in to our days
Life is good.

I spent so much time and energy (and tears) on worrying and stressing about homes, jobs and money, and surprise surprise, God had it all under control the whole time. And he does this to me ALL the time.

When am I going to learn?

Jobs, jobs, and more jobs!

/ Renae / 7 Comments

I just finished writing a post that I’m yet to publish, that outlines my extensive job history. It’s frightening. No, really. I’m almost tempted to hit the DELETE POST button and just forget that I ever composed such a hideous list. But in the spirit of not taking myself too seriously, I’m going to keep it and publish it in a wee while.

So in the mean time, I would like to ask y’all, particularly those who know me, to hazard a guess as to how many jobs I’ve had. And I’m talking about from my first job as a paper deliverer to my current position here in Melbourne. I’m talking, temping, casual, part-time, full-time, permanent, semi-permanent, (are we talking about hair dyes now??) and my favourite, cash-in-hand.

Go on, give it a crack.

There’s a hair in there

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Is it just me, or are stray pieces of hair annoying to other people as well? I sometimes get a loose hair down the back of my shirt and it drives me insane. I have to go searching for it and get rid of it, otherwise it just irritates me. And for those particularly illusive ones that take a while to find, the feeling of satisfaction when you finally get that sucker out is pure bliss. I’ve even been known to utter such things as “gotcha ya bastard” or “ah ha you little sucker!” Yeah. I told you I was crazy.

And what about when you get a stray hair in your mouth?? (How many of you are gagging right now thinking of it?!) Hubs and I were briefly talking about people who chew on their hair and then get a big hairball in their stomaches that they can’t digest. Eeeeeeew! Okay, I’m gagging thinking about it now…

But yes. I was mainly talking about the hair down the back of the shirt. It drives me nuts. Is it just me???

Footy Fever

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It’s grand final weekend!!!! Exciting, I know! Hubs and I have only just started to get in to the AFL down here. We’ve picked our team – St Kilda – and since they’re not in the final (they’ve only ever won 1 premiership) we’ll just be watching the final tomorrow because that’s what everyone else will be doing. There’s a big parade through the city today which is a tradition that about 50,000 people go to see. I won’t be one of them.

So to get into the footy fever, here’s a photo of Hubs and I at a game a few weeks ago. We were barracking for our second team – the Bulldogs. (Not of the NRL!!! Yeuck)


The Bulldogs ended up winning this game which was exciting for our friend who is a HUGE Bulldogs fan (and isn’t too happy that we’ve chosen the Saints over the Dogs). One of the most amusing things I find about AFL is that there are little breaks throughout the whole game, where someone is kicking a goal, where the number of people on the field suddenly doubles! There are people running in from everywhere with towels, drinks, pats on the back, and no doubt some magic spray! Here’s what I’m talking about:


See all those people dressed in white?? They’re freeloaders! Trying to get their 15 seconds of fame! Anyway, the atmosphere around here is very exciting and I’m sure Hubs and I will have a good time tomorrow.

Oh! In case you’re wondering, the two teams in the final are Hawthorn Hawks and Geelong Cats. We’re going for the Hawks because a) the Chaplain at the college is a huge fan and b) because my bro and his girlfriend live in Hawthorn… Brisbane. It’s NOT because of their colours. Who wears Brown and Yellow together?? I mean, really…

The REAL name for misheard lyrics

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Thanks Durdlin for informing me of the technical term for a misheard lyric or line in a poem: Mondegreen! What a fabulous word! I knew there was some fancy name for my bloopers, so thanks for letting me know!

Now I can happily sing my own lyrics to songs and know that I’m not the only one out there… until this guy falls down on me… (the sky! the sky!!)

The Alderman

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A Beer

Hubs and I were invited out last Saturday night to a going away party for one of the current college residents. She’s off to live at Oxford University in England for a few years which is all very posh and exciting. For those of you who aren’t Queenslanders or who hate the footy (shame on you) you may not be aware that the Brisbane Broncos played against the Melbourne Storm in the NRL semi-finals. And being a HUGE Broncos fan, I really wanted to watch the game. In Melbourne, the only time they will EVER broadcast the NRL is if Melbourne are playing, so I was very excited that we were going to a pub for the night!

Alas, when we arrived, it wasn’t a “pub” as much as a “trendy la-di-da bar with fancy-pants coctails and ritzy beers on offer”. (It’s not so fancy that it has it’s own website though!) So I had to rely on my good friends Adele and Neil who were at the game in Brisbane to give me updates! Unfortunately the Storm were too good in the end, but this post was supposed to be about The Alderman! See what happens when you get me started on the Broncos??!!

Right. Where was I? Ah yes. One of Melbourne’s lovely little bars that you wouldn’t look twice at walking down the street, but is well worth the visit. Hubs and I had champagne (okay okay, it was sparkling white) and had a lovely time getting to know our fellow Newmanites off-campus. It was an old Victorian house (or 2) that had been converted into a bar and restaurant with a gorgeous little area out the back that would be best visited in the warmer months. It even had a dart board that kept the boys entertained while us girls talked about girly things together.

I just feel like there are all these amazing places to discover, but we just don’t know where to start! Local knowledge is the key! I wish I had some photos to share with you, but maybe next time!