it’s been a very good year

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2014 has been a very good year!    God has been SO so good to me this year!

I didn’t realise this at first, of course I knew it was a good year, but that “good year” is filled with memories and it sometimes takes a moment to remember them all – especially at the end of the year!!!

It wasn’t until someone said to me last week, “you’ve had a great year this year Finley know wonder you have a cold now, you’ve been so busy!” And I thought, oh have I……I guess I have been busy, wow it has been a great year, as this person rattled off some of the things she knew I’d been up to!!!

I could start now and list all the things I’ve done this very year…….but they are just a LIST of things I’ve done.  It doesn’t depict;

– any of the fantastic conversations that were had, or
– the myriad of strangers with lovely smiles that I’ve met,
– to the giggling and silliness from my nieces and nephews,
– sombre quiet moments spent pondering and praying over when our child will come…
– times spent just sitting on a couch, chatting with my family
– for the times when I cried in happiness as I watched my life long friend marry the love of his life!
– seeing how friends have changed and grown and become happier by the day
– quiet moments just laying beside my husband as we watched a movie
– the simple prayers that were answered by people with nothing but only their faith to give while in Cambodia
– seeing people healed from hands being laid upon them while at a church service
– to reading of miracle births and pregnancies from women who had been praying for the blessing of children!
– having all the people I love healthy and with a steady income and jobs…

…all these things and MORE, are the details between the events and the busy-ness which I’ve loved and enjoyed so much this year.

The beautiful moments that you can’t capture with a camera,  you can only hear them in your memories and feel them in your heart!

Its these things that have made my 2014.  It’s these things that have made me say, God – you have been SO good to me this year!  I can’t wait to see what plans await us in 2015!

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colourful spring

This Spring, for the first time, I feel like I’ve actually seen the season change.

I feel like there is just so much more colour out there this year.  Its the oddest thing to notice.  Don’t get me wrong its beautiful but I feel like I just haven’t spent previous years ‘noticing’ the Spring colours like I have this year.

Perhaps my eyes are more open than they ever have been before in my life – and for many reasons than just literally.  But its such a lovely thing.

I’m not the biggest outdoors person but this Spring and coming into Summer in December,  I am purposely spending more time outside.  So this definitely has something to do with my eyes feeling more open to the colours.  I also never realised that there were so many of these gorgeous yellow trees around in my suburb and surrounding suburbs.  They are just the most beautiful thing.  Especially against that blue sky!

It is funny though how you stay stuck in your little shell.  In your little comfort zone without even realising.  Going to the same shops, work and then home, markets every weekend, same shopping centres, same day for cleaning, same toothpaste, same route to work etc etc.    It’s a good thing to catch yourself noticing when it happens.

So now, this Spring, I’m really enjoying purposefully getting out of my comfort zone and seeing this beautiful world.  A world that was created in the most clever and intentional way possible! 

When the seasons change it seems like just the natural thing for the world to do, but its so much more than that! It’s spiritually made.  Every ounce of earth, animal, wind (i’m starting to sound like a power ranger here!) rain, storms, alldeliberately created and perfectly intertwined!  

Thanks for being so colourful Spring! You’ve brightened up my week!!!

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A Harvest of Blessing

08/10/2014 11:41pm

Gorgeous photo! Yes, life can get in the way of enjoying God’s beauty all around us! I, too, have to make a point to get outside more, and it’s so worth it!

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10/10/2014 8:06am

Thanks Jess!!! It’s so worth it! I spend so much of my time inside at a computer its ridiculous!!!

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09/10/2014 6:56am

Love that you are getting to spend more time outside – way to step out of your comfort zone! It sure is rewarding when you get gorgeous pictures like the one in the post!

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10/10/2014 8:08am

Same! Sometimes it seems like an effort but the moments where I step outside of my comfort zone always seem to be the ones I love the most 😀

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11/10/2014 6:02am

I was SO confused there for a little while about why you were talking about spring until I realized that, duh, you’re in Australia! 🙂 I’m so glad this season is showing you its beauty. 🙂

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14/10/2014 9:08pm

haha Susannah – gotcha 😀

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That’s such a lovely photo, and I love this post! I love when suddenly our eyes feel more open + we start to see the “big picture” of nature 🙂

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14/10/2014 9:09pm

it’s funny isn’t it! I’m sure every year these flowers/trees especially are doing their thang…but this year, I saw them! So beautiful to catch that moment!!! Thanks caitlin x

a local tourist

One of our list of things to do, even since we met, was to gradually visit all the capital cities of Australia – together!  As singles we’d seen certain places in Australia but we love our country so much we came up with the idea to make a challenge to go to every capital city this fine land has to offer – together!

So far we’ve nearly completed the east coast, which if you know Australia IS the majority of the capital cities, with Hobart we are visiting at the end of this month for our anniversary.  Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne are all complete.But of course there is our little Brisbane – our home!  We become tourists in these other cities, exploring things even locals probably haven’t ever seen.  Which got us wondering about our beautiful Brisbane.  We should be tourists in our OWN city!We get out and see different restaurants and cafes pretty much every week these days as the food scene here is just exploding with new dining precincts and restaurants…but it is the scenery and the suburbs we’ve never explored that needed to be done.

So with our brains not having to do any of the thinking thanks to Sir Google, we found a historical walk in a place I never knew was a suburb in Brisbane – Mowbray.

And off we went – on a historical walk for a Sunday afternoon date!  Step by step instructions and information made this walk really interesting and we started it with a lovely picnic by the river!

It’s definitely something I think everyone should do!  Be a tourist in your own town.  See things you would usually see through the eyes of a local.  A lot of people tend to always go to the same places – I know we do!

For all you Brisbaneites or Brisbane visitors – here is the link to an East Brisbane walk – complete with guide.

And here is our little excursion in images.   Brisbane is definitely a beautiful and interesting place and we love all things property and architecture – so this was definitely the walk for us!

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No. 58 Stafford Street – “Hester Villa”. Built in 1901 for mariner and Pacific Islander recruiter Captain Pearn. Recently restored by an architect but still has a penny from 1901 nailed above the front doorway!
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A heritage listed building, “Triumph Theatre” circa 1927 and the only intact interwar picture theatre to not get knocked down…however – its currently a Kung Fu academy. Still a beautiful building!
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What I love about Queensland – it’s Queenslander Houses. With our family home being one (except orange), its always something I get drawn to – and this one is a beauty!
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To me, one of the most picturesque schools in Brisbane – Churchies or the Anglican Church of England Grammar School. It takes up this whole street on Oaklands Parade with some of its oldest buildings were buit at the end of World War 1 from 1918!
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Still at Churchies -this Chapel was completed in 1934! Such an incredibly beautiful building! I’ve always wanted to buy a house with red brick – so love this! Maybe they’ll let me live in it 🙂
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and like all good tourists – you end your shot with a little bit of peace!!!
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07/10/2014 8:53am

How fun! Great pictures – we are SO bad about this – exploring our OWN city!!!!

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07/10/2014 9:14am

Looks like you guys had fun! I love touring my own town. 🙂

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