:: Health and Fitness ::

107.5kg dead lift

I've been thinking a lot about health and fitness lately. Today marks one year since the beginning of my pancreas/large intestine fiasco and while I've had some really good days, it frustrates me that I still have really bad days.

So I've turned to my diet to see if there's something I'm eating that's making me sick without realising. I already have a list of foods I avoid due to allergies, intolerances and general inability to digest them like gluten, dairy, pumpkin, carrot, lettuce, cranberries and so on. But lately I've been directed to a group of foods called FODMAPs. FODMAP containing foods are foods such as apples, nectarines, peaches, beetroot, lychees, pulses, beans, artificial sweeteners (maltitol, xylitol) among many others. People with an intolerance to these FODMAPs get sick because they aren't absorbed properly through your digestive system and they begin to ferment where they shouldn't which causes all kinds of problems and pain.

I've been off these FODMAPs for about two weeks now and I already feel so much better. Who knew that something seemingly safe like an apple could cause so many problems? Now that I'm starting to feel better I'm getting more into gym and fitness again. Last month a few of my friends and I completed the Lorna Jane squat challenge (below) and have decided to keep doing at least 100 squats a day from now on.

This month we're completing a plank challenge (along with the daily 100 squats). I have rubbish core muscles, so hopefully this will help! Having a stronger core will help with all my other exercises like deadlifts (see first photo), back squats, leg press and even running.

Do you have any other monthly/30-day challenges you can recommend? A friend and I have decided to do one a month til the end of the year!

:: Brisbane - A Guest Post ::

When you hear the word 'Australia', what do you think of? Kangaroos? Emus, maybe? Sydney Opera House? Me too. Australia has some very iconic animals and landmarks, which is part of what makes this island so special. Whenever I first mention I'm from Brisbane to my penpals, most of them admit to either not knowing about it at all, or knowing very little about it. I kind of like that about Brisbane, it's a bit of an untapped gem.

Brisbane has some amazing sights to see, and I talk about a few of them of at Lindsay Eyrn's blog. Lindsay is on her way home from Korea and is doing a feature on 'home' and she asked me to write about the place I call home! See my post here!

I want to thank you all for your patience while I recover from my recent illnesses. I still find it hard to get through a whole week of work, so things like blogging and writing to pen pals get pushed aside in favour of sleeping. I hope to have a lot of wonderful photos to share with you all soon!

:: A Life Update ::

Hey lovelies!

It feels like I haven't blogged properly all year and as a result, I've been staring at my computer screen trying to figure out where to start. As most of you know, back in May I had a bunch of tests done to try and figure out why my stomach was constantly sore, and then in August I had an operation to attempt to fix it. A few weeks later I was back in hospital with pancreatitis. I wish I could say that was the end of it, but since then I have been back in hospital twice, once with another bout of pancreatitis and then another operation (to remove my gall bladder and to take another look at my small intestine), plus a trip to the emergency to diagnose a DVT (basically a huge blood clot in the deep vein of my left leg). 

I came home yesterday, and I am so glad to be out of hospital. I'm hoping this is the last of it! It's sad when nurses, cleaners and even the ladies who take your blood walk into your room and go, "You're back?!" The good news is, I didn't miss the Hanson concert! The bad news is, I missed the Kelly Clarkson concert. But, really, the Hanson concert is FAR more important, right? ;) I had an amazing time at the concert and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Because I cannot help myself, I took lots of Instagram photos while I was in hospital and it would seem I now have some signature hospital poses. A 'thumbs up' when I'm in bed/just out of an operation, and a weird lip pucker when I first get into my gown. Don't ask, I don't even know.

Getting my blood clot checked. Originally it was only 2 inches long and not in my deep vein, so it wasn't a worry.

At the hospital after I found out my blood clot had grown and was now a DVT. This is my 'not impressed' face. I now have to inject myself with blood thinners twice a day until Christmas.

Pancreatitis: Round Two! At least I got to wear my favourite stripey gown.

This was taken on Wednesday. Please note my 'I'm wearing a hospital gown' face.

The morning after my surgery. I took one just after surgery, but decided no one needed to see it because I looked like death warmed up. Hot, amirite?

City views from my room!

A giant rubber ducky in the Brisbane River! Also, I am in love with the mustard and maroon house. It's historically listed and one of my favourite buildings in Brisbane.

I have the next three weeks off work, and I plan to spend it relaxing, watching TV (Gossip Girl and Dawsons Creek!), writing to my pen pals, and editing a bunch of photos to show you. My sister gave birth a little while ago and I can't wait to show you photos of my niece. She is adorable!!

Much love to you all.

:: A Life Update ::

As some of you may have realised lately, I've spent a fair bit of time making BFFs with the hospital. Back in May I had a bunch of tests and scans done which found my small bowel was rolling up on itself. So, in August off I went to have it fixed. Since then I've slowly been getting sicker. At first I thought it was just my body complaining about the operation, but a little over a week ago I landed myself in hospital again - this time with pancreatitis. I was in hospital for a week in crazy amounts of pain. I have had pancreatitis before, back in 2007, and we couldn't figure out what the cause was, but this time the specialists finally figure it out! It would seem my pancreatic duct doesn't work properly, and spasms when I take anything stronger than paracetamol. So, all the times I've taken codeine for my stomach pain I've actually been slowly making it worse. Whoops!

I'm back home now, slowly recovering and trying to catch up on everything I missed. I've been away from work for almost five weeks, so going back will be fun (not). On the upside, I lost 10kg while I was in hospital! There is a silver lining to everything, my friends.

And, because I can't help myself, I Instagrammed my stay.

I finally got to see the city views from my room on the morning I went home!

And speaking of silver linings, here is the best news I have had in ages. I won a meet and greet with Hanson!! I am beyond excited. They have been my favourite band for 15 years! Yay!

:: I'm Alive! ::

Well, I survived!

I'm back home after my operation and have been spending most of my time on the couch watching the Olympics. I've been watching the diving, synchronised swimming, and track and field. My recovery has been pretty good so far. I'm not in too much pain, but I have been pretty sick with the same symptoms I had before I went in, so I'm a little worried about that. But, I'm just hoping my body will calm down over the next few weeks.

Super sexy hospital lingerie

I had two signs that everything was going to be okay before I went in - one of them was that I got to wear my favourite of the hospital gowns available (it's the small things). The second was that 'Call Me Maybe' was playing in the pre-op area - this is known as Dance Party/Anthem to my friend Alyssa and I. I get excited every time I hear that song. Mr LG is so sick of it.

White stockings are all the rage in Summer 12/13

Sooooooo drugged up

Gotta love hospital food

Love flowers!

Cat hot water bottles

Is there a female version of 'Chicks dig scars'? Ha!

:: A Life Update ::

Hello lovelies!

My blogging has fallen by the wayside as of late, which I hate. Okay, so I was never going to win an award for the most frequent and entertaining blogger, but you get what I mean. I have so many things to share with you all - like my semi-clean spare room and the upcoming renovations that have stopped me from cleaning it completely (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it, ha!), my giveaway (just you wait, it will be amazeballs), so many photos from our beach escape, our professional wedding photos ... the list is huge.

In an effort to keep things real, I'll let you in on what's been going on in my life that's kept me away from the computer. I'd like to say it was something fantastically exciting, but really it's just plain old sickness. I'm pretty sure I whinged on here about being sick sometime last October ... and well, I haven't been well ever since.

Those who know me outside of this blog will know that I'm one of those sick kids - you know the type - allergic to everything, asthmatic, blah, blah, blah. But finally, finally (!) they've figured out the source of my pain for the past few years. I've had a bunch of tests and it would seem my small intestine has rolled up on itself kind of like if you roll a sock down your leg. It's called intussusception ... so it's like an intestine within an intestine! Bad joke. Sorry. I'll probably need surgery to have the rolled up part removed but I am so excited to finally have an answer!

And now for a hospital gown fashion parade ...

Here we see Jasmine wearing a lovely insipid yellow number. The pale colour is so wonderfully complimented by the brown floral pattern. It really brings out her eyes ...

Here our model wears a lovely open-backed pink number. She is wearing her own Mary-Janes and stockings to finish off the outfit ...

The buttons down the front really bring out the sexiness of this striped number, don't you agree?

Our model wears a lovely mix of accessories in this photo. The glasses are really set off by the nose tube - this year's hottest accessory.

Don't get me wrong, my life is still amazing, this is but a mere bump in the road. After they removed my sexy nose tube I headed straight to the NKOTBSB concert and had the best time. I was eight last time NKOTB was in Australia so I was SO excited to finally be able to see them. And it's no secret that I'm a huge Backstreet Boys fan. I am a child of the 90s, after all.

Camera's were banned from the venue, so I relied on my phone. This is Jordan singing 'Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)'.

The weather has slowly been cooling down here, the heaters have been fired into action and I've been enjoying lovely hot cups of tea - is there anything better than a nice, soothing cup of tea? Why yes, there is! Tea in a pretty mug!

How do you like your tea? I love mine with honey and almond milk - yum!

:: De-cluttering Mission ::

Last weekend I was on a major de-cluttering mission. I was inspired by the de-cluttering going on over at A Beach Cottage. I was sick of rifling through messy drawers in an attempt find things, so I woke up on Saturday morning and worked like a mad woman on certain aspects of our house. It's still nowhere near finished, but it's nice to see small changes taking shape!

Kitchen pantry: Before

Kitchen Pantry: After

Make Up: Before

Make Up: After

Perfume: Before

Perfume: After

Bathroom Storage: Before and After

I was so on task, I didn't even stop to get my normal camera out. So, iPhone photos are all I have! This is only the beginning. I plan to have an entirely organised house in a few weeks. I think my wardrobe/shoes will be next ... the thought of which scares me! But really, what's the use of having clothes you haven't worn in years (or even at all!) clogging up precious space? Also, you may come across some little lost treasures like I did ...

An amazing Christian Dior eye shadow palette. How I forgot about this is beyond me!

Do you have any tips on cleaning and de-cluttering your house? I've been told to take all items out of my wardrobe to get a good look at what I have. Another tip was to turn all hangers one way and when I wear an item, turn the hanger the opposite way. After a few months reassess the items one the unturned hangers. Pretty smart!

PS. I had a loss at my first weigh in! It wasn't quite the 1kg (2.2lbs) I was hoping for, but it was .7kg (1.5lbs)!!

:: Instagram ::

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music - Aldous Huxley

Last week I was away for work in a country town with very bad 3G reception, bad phone reception and no Internet except a limited work connection while I was working (shift work). I turned to Instagram to keep me entertained while I was off shift. As a result, I'm now a little obsessed.

A poster in the locker room where I was working - hilarious!

Do you have Instagram? Hook a sista up! What's your username?