2018: What a great year!

We are finally, fiiiinally on our much-needed Christmas break! As usual, it's been a while, but we actually have some pretty valid excuses for not updating this. To be honest, our lives are so normal and boring I've thought a few times about killing this and maybe starting a different recipe and lifestyle only blog. We don't really have enough going on to warrant a blog people want to read about, haha. Basically we each have two jobs and too many hobbies for the amount of free time we each have :) If you actually read and enjoy this, let me know! Regis said he's too bored with this to continue writing, so it's just gonna be me from now on unless he decides to chime in once in awhile.

Sydney!

We were basically flat out from Oct to all the way up to when both of our jobs shut for Christmas - it was nuts. Regis is juggling hockey, footy and riding his dirtbike (also preparing for some races I think?! I have lost track!) and I have been working my office job, working at a bar and trying to work on their marketing material some, my hoop class, battling a sinus infection about once a month and trying to maintain my sanity haha! It was quite challenging for both of us - but now that we are on break and have ZERO expectations of both of us we are kind of lost. I have honestly overslept so much this past week because I don't have a schedule or structure and I think I need one to keep me in check sometimes. Maybe it will be good for us to try to figure out how to relax, though.

My hoop group, the Hoop Army! Our instructor handmade our costumes!

Stay tuned for the music video in Jan!

Both of our jobs are going really well and we are very happy with where we are at. 100% I could not have found the opportunity I have in Charlotte because there were mostly banking and extremely corporate jobs. I've found that I'm a lot happier working for a small company I have such a large impact on and it's awesome knowing that everyone there knows everyone and people actually care about the well-being of each other there. It's a great environment to be in and it's nice having the flexibility of deciding what I think we should do instead of following a procedure everyone follows and no one questions like all my other jobs have been!

Christmas this year was pretty low key for us - which I have really enjoyed. Back at home, I feel like expectations are too high and it's so hard to keep everyone happy. My parents also got divorced a few years ago now and it's just really depressing for me to try to go back and have enough time to see everyone and stay biased enough to keep a good relationship with people in my family. I end up overwhelmed and exhausted and have honestly just disliked Christmas for a long time anyway, so it's sort of nice for Regis and I to have our own traditions we can just make up for ourselves now. This year, we went to our old neighbors' house in St Kilda for Christmas Eve and had a really great time catching up with everyone. Everyone brought a couple dishes and we just enjoyed each others' company. It's really nice to finally feel at home certain places here and going to theirs always makes me feel like that - they are all really great people! Plus enjoying some pooltime in gorgeous weather definitely beats the snow!

Xmas eve with the neighbors!

Did you know almost every public park here has gas grills anyone can use? It's awesome!

Xmas decorations in the city

For Christmas Day, we didn't really do much at all - we basically relaxed all day at home and made a really nice late lunch, which we ate outside in the sunshine. Regis made us each a calzone and I made some ceviche and a few salsas and dips. That evening, we just skated around for a while - which brings me to the next point!

Regis the baker - we love our new kitchen!

We have never really been into doing gifts, because we don't ever need anything, but back in the US we used to just chip in money for a fun trip. Last year, we were too broke from moving to AU to do anything (haha seriously though), but this year we actually decided to see if we could do the normal people gift thing. Regis is really into cooking and baking, so through listening to a completely unrelated marketing podcast, I found a fancy butcher shop near us that hosts butchery classes - I basically let him pick the one he wants to go to and I think his class will be sometime in March.


Regis got me roller skates! I'm super excited haha, I was actually a great skater as a kid. Ohio has such terrible weather, we went to the roller rink all the time when I was younger (and before Akron got really scary). It will be fun to try to work on something new to improve at - I will just need to get over the fear of falling! So did we end up doing "normal" gifts? :) Probably not, but we tried at least. We have been skating around the neighborhood a few times now (he will just take his longboard when we go); it was intimidating at first as the asphalt feels quite a bit different from the smooth roller rink I remember, but even in the small amount of time I've spent, I have been getting much more comfortable. After checking out Youtube for a while I quickly learned I am never going to be that good, but it's another fun way to get some exercise!

Since this is probably going to be the last post of 2018 and also the last before my birthday, I thought I'd drop a little wisdom, some things I'd like to work on for next year, and also a nifty summer recipe!

Some important knowledge I've gained in my 29 years thus far:

• You can't pick your family, but you can pick your friends; so pick some great ones that will stick around for you, not just ones based out of convenience. You really find out who your true friends are once you move, trust me! I'm grateful for the ones that have stuck around. Thanks guys!
• If there are things you want to do, don't wait around for someone else to do them with you - you could be waiting forever. Suck it up and do it alone if you have to! Don't put your life on pause waiting around on other people. I have learned this one the hard way!!
• Stop using "I'm busy" as an excuse. Everyone is busy! You will go crazy if you don't prioritize what is important to you. Make time for what truly matters.
• Your job doesn't define you - build your life outside of your work. Having a great job is fine, but it should not be your only motivation. Work to live, don't live to work.
• Make time and save money to travel!!! In my opinion, it is one of the best things a person can do for themselves. 

shot on my paddleboard - Mt Martha beach, Vic 

Some things I'd like to work on in 2019:

• I need to start making more time for fun hobbies - I have plenty of time, I just waste a lot of it on social media and other crap. Time to drop the phone and pick up my hoop and skates more! 
• 2018 to me was a year where I let the term "balance" slide a bit too much with my fitness - I used to run and exercise a lot more, but I haven't made enough time for it lately. I think the best way I can solve it is by riding my bike to work - I just need to work on getting up earlier and working it into my schedule, even if it starts out as being 1-2 times a week. Anything is better than nothing! 
• I need to start caring less and putting less pressure on myself to be perfect all the time - it's cost me a lot of happiness this year and it's just silly. 
• My work has allowed me to put photoshop training into my office time, and I need to use it! Canva is really cool and easy to use with graphic design stuff, but Photoshop is a more valuable skill to have, plus it would be an awesome creative outlet.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

What are some things you're working on? It's a little cliche, but this is a great time to reflect and put the important things into perspective. Sometimes all you need is a change of mindset. Anyway, that's all I've got! I'll leave you with a good ceviche recipe and some photos. See you on the other side of 2018!

The Sydney Opera House from the water

White Night Geelong

Summer veggie ceviche!

You will need:

Seafood-

A few large handfuls of raw prawns/shrimp - preferably from a market and as fresh as possible*

(optional) A few fresh scallops

For the base-

A shitload of fresh lime juice - basically enough to cover your seafood in a bowl 

About 1/4-1/2 can of light coconut milk

Sea salt, preferably in a grinder (or the kosher stuff is good too!)

Produce-

2 tomatoes

2-3 stalks of green onions 

About 1/2 of a cucumber

A couple handfuls of sugar snap peas

Chilis! Basically whatever you please, but I used 2x birds eye and 1x jalapeno

Basically any other fresh veggie you feel like! (I used radishes and blanched green beans in addition to the ones listed above)

A couple bunches of cilantro (which for some reason is referred to as coriander here)

For serving- 

Corn chips or cut some long slices of cucumbers

Guacamole! (message me for the recipe - I make it the best ;) )

If you are too lazy to make guac, chop up an avocado right before serving and stir it into the ceviche

*see my notes in step 1 of the directions to save yourself some time

Directions:

• This part is gross, but it will be way less gross if you buy deveined and peeled prawn meat. If I had to peel and look at prawn eyeballs, I think I would be too grossed out to eat this by the time I was done cleaning up all that crap. It's up to you, though! Anyway, basically cut the raw meat up into small pieces with a large, very sharp knife and throw it into a shallow, sealable container. If you have scallops, cut those up too and throw them into the same bowl. Take your lime juice and dump it over the meat, throw some salt in, close your container, shake it around a bit and pop it into the fridge. This can hang out in there from about 1.5 hours to a day or so. I usually leave it about three hours to thoroughly "cook" the meat - you'll know once everything is opaque. Yay, science!

My #1 dislike about cooking is handling raw meat - grosssss :(

• While the meat is doing its thing, make everything else! You basically want to chop up all your veggies and chilis and throw them into a bowl. That's basically it, haha. 90% of your efforts for this recipe are how patient you are with chopping up a shitload of produce. Salt everything, give it a nice stir, and throw it into the fridge too.

• When you are all set, check to see that your seafood looks opaque. Once it is, dump the coconut milk into the container then give it a few more shakes. Salt it a bit more, then carefully spoon all of your meat into the produce bowl. It's up to you how much of the soup base to add in - in NC where I used to live, this was served in a martini glass with a few plaintain chips as more of a soup. Here in Australia, this is treated as more of a dip. I like a balance between both - so I just add maybe half of the base back in to the veggies and give it all a few stirs. 

• Your end result is a healthy, fresh, summery starter or meal! I like to scoop a little guac onto a corn chip and then add a bunch of this as well. Enjoy! I certainly have been!