CandaceCounts.com

A love letter to my sewing machine

Dear Sewing Machine,

I’ve decided to write you this letter, well, because I miss you! I know it’s been months since I last touched you and I hope you aren’t taking it personally. It’s not your fault I left you all alone. I just needed a little adventure in my life, a temperary change of scenery. (You understand? Don’t you?) So please don’t hold it against me when I return.

There are so many things I miss about you… our late nights sipping on Asti, creating whatever our little hearts desired while laughing together watching our favorite shows. Sometimes you wanted to watch a drama and we cried. I miss your delicate stitches and the way you always turned on by just the touch of my hand. You never talk back to me. Or interrupt me. Always agreeing with my choices and supportive when I change my mind and for that I am grateful. I look forward to us reuniting and I already have so many plans for our future together… dresses, bags, maybe a doll! So until we see each other again. I’ll be thinking of you!

Your loving human,

Candace

Random thoughts

05

May

2015

Thunder down under?

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If you are a warm blooded woman chances are you have heard of the hot male review “Thunder down under”. You know you’ve seen the pictures of the super tan, amazingly good looking aussie males without their shirts, in a pair of torn jeans or tiny speedos. And the interviews of them with their adorable aussie accents and perfectly primped hair.

Well with Australia tailing slightly behind the United States in obesity rates… you will not be finding much of this on the beaches or around the posh swimming pools. (at least not here in Broadbeach)

This post is coming after many a bad moments in speedo land. With the european influence, it appears that the wearing of speedos is very accepted here. But mainly by middle to late aged men and skinny Asian tourist that obviously didn’t get the memo that said speedo should be fitted and not be worn as a diaper. The average guy is still wearing swim trunks (thank you for that).

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Australia, Random thoughts

30

Apr

2015

Daydream Island and the Great Barrier Reef

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I am so excited about this post. So much excited about it that honestly I have no idea where to start!

I guess I will start with the Hotel itself… Daydream Island Resort is well, for lack of a better description Motel 6 with Hilton Village grounds and Marriott prices on an island. Although you can tell in recent years that they “tried” to update the “ambiance” by installing modern headboards and a new bathroom counter tops, trust me this was not enough to hide the 1960’s aura that lingers in those rooms and the distinct feeling that the beds where once laid on by your grandmother on her vacation with her family. And please! please! please! don’t get me started on the food. Seriously! For those prices I thought I would get 5 star meals but, well, received Denny’s. And don’t get me wrong Denny’s has it’s time and place. (like at 2a.m. after a night of drinking with your buddies or 11am after drinking with your buddies) But 5 days straight 3 meals a day was not the time.

But that being said, you cannot top the experience that comes on this magical little Island. After traveling by car, plane, bus and ferry (All of them short enough that right when the troops started to get restless we moved to the next mode of transportation.) We were plain out pooped. Kids add a whole new dimension to traveling for sure!

But when we saw our first wallaby freely jumping on the lawns and heard the giddy thrills of laughter bounding from the kids, the hectic day of travel seemed all worth while.

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Australia, daydream island, great barrier reef

australia, beach, daydream island, great barrier reef, seashells, wallaby, whit haven

23

Apr

2015

Let’s take a drive to Springbrook

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I was getting a little stir crazy being held up in my hotel room with my amazing ocean view (lol). So I decided to take a drive to Springbrook National Park. One of Australia’s many Parks on the heritage list. It’s a fairly short drive from Broadbeach so it was the perfect day trip for me. And Once you start to leave the cities behind the drive to Springbrook is beautiful!

I wanted to see a place nestled in Springbrook called Natural Bridge. The last few miles of my drive before arriving at my destination are so pretty. The tall trees have thinned out a bit and lush green grasslands have taken over. The mountains surround me and it is truly amazing. But the openness of it all is quickly devoured again by trees and I have arrived.

I am welcomed by the sounds of birds and frogs, towering trees and a small saying on a sign in aboriginal “Meenyahgu Yuambeh Dagun” – Welcome to Yagambeh Country. Say that three times! (Shit say it once… Correctly?!) This ancient rainforest was the home to an aboriginal tribe called the Yugambeh.

“Yugambeh Yahnbai gull bahn” -Yugambeh are still here. And It’s weird you can feel it.

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Australia

australia, natural bridge, rainforest, springbrook national park

26

Mar

2015

I thought I’d sound cool by now

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Chances are if I hang out with you long enough and you have a distinct mannerism that you do or a word you use all to much, I will begin to do it as well. I’m not making fun of you or even purposely trying to copy you, I’m an “absorber”. I do it all the time. My brother says “dude” constantly! Give me two hours with the guy and everyone I know is now dude!

So that’s why after 2 months in Australia, I thought I’d sound cool by now?!

I’ve learned that if you want to sound like an Aussie you have to abbreviate everything and I mean everything! Avocado=Avo Brisbane=Brizzie Football=footy Sunglasses=Sunnies Brekkie=Breakfast

You get it the gist of it. I’ve also figured out that if it ends with an R you might as well not even recognize it exists. But if it ends in an A then add a R. Are you following? Now add a sing-song quality to it all and well there you go… Aussie!

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Australia, Random thoughts

accent, aussie, simpsons, slang

19

Mar

2015

Dancing in the sun

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“Dance like nobody’s watching” ~William Purkey

We’ve all heard the saying, but have we ever experienced it?

My daughter is going to school with a beach across the street from it right now. Every couple of days we walk along the water on the way home. School clothes and all.

There is nothing more amazing then watching her run, jump and DANCE with such joy. The music that’s playing, is the songs in her head. The one’s about butterflies, fairies, love and her sister. Basically everything she still finds beautiful and magical in the world. (Things we as adults have forgotten to appreciate)

And as her toes dance in and out of the water, as she decides it’s now the appropriate time to fall to the ground in dramatic fashion because the song and her body calls for it. I find myself so envious of her. Envious of her ability to just ignore all the people passing by and just live in her now… beach, sun,sand and the light.

Australia, Random thoughts

beach, dance, joy, life, love

11

Mar

2015

Seashells by the Seashore

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The moment I step onto a beach I can’t help myself. My eyes immediately start darting around from side to side in search of seashells! This goes the same for my five year old. I guess the only difference is, she moves on to other things, playing in the water, building sandcastles. But once I start I can’t stop! I become obsessed. My favorite is laying on the edge as the water grazes my feet, both hands in the sand as I dig for my treasures.

I’m not bias. I love the uniqueness and beauty in them all, wether they are big or small. But I do have to say, there is nothing more rewarding then when you find the perfect shell. The one that doesn’t have a single chip on it. The ones you can enjoy in their entirety. When I find those I feel so accomplished.

I am however in search for the allusive spiral seashell. The one that you can enjoy in all its beauty without a single chip. I am beginning to believe this shell is the unicorn of all shells. I think the possibility of finding this rare shell is what drives my search… and so it continues.

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A day out and about

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As I woke in the morning I could feel the excitement. Today was the big day! Ok well, not so big, but exciting all the same. I took my oldest to school, outlined the day for my “little” with the baby sitter and I was off.

I jumped in the car, cranked up the radio and sailed down the gold coast highway. It wasn’t even ten in the morning and I had already done two things I don’t normally do on my own, what freedom! Freedom to drive uninterrupted and freedom to burst my eardrums if I wanted to.

The day was hot and humid but I didn’t care. I was on a mission. Heading to Fingal head lighthouse. As I get out of the car I can smell the ocean and with the humidity taste the salt (or was that my sweat). As I wonder down the trails I see a kookaburra sitting on a gum tree and I am reminded of the song that I learned as a kid. Back then I thought it was just a song with a funny bird. But now I get it, they exist (both the bird and the tree). Life really does come full circle, thanks Oprah you are wise.

As I walk down the trail shaded by leaves glowing bright by the sun the path opens up to a beautiful white sand beach as far as the eye can see with the most beautiful green blue water ever. I immediately take off my shoes to feel the soft sand between my toes and begin to look around taking it in, trying to make it all stick to memory.