Billy Joel

Jeff bought me tickets for my birthday to see Billy Joel last night. It was fan-bloody-tastic. It is one of the best concerts I have been to. He is a fantastic entertainer who really knows how to work the crowd. AWESOME!!!

Harry Malcolm Thornton

I became the proud Auntie to Harry Malcolm Thornton yesterday. He was born at 6.18pm, 8 lbs 11 1/2 oz, 54cm long. My sisterly-intuition wasn't as strong as I thought it was, but who's complaining..... I have a nephew!!!

Waiting to see our nephew









Mummy Thornton









Daddy Thornton









Harry









Proud Auntie

Kelly @ 40 weeks 5 days

I'm still not an auntie yet. Kelly was due last Tuesday so is now five days overdue. If baby doesn't come before next Wednesday she will be induced. My sister Melissa and I have been trying to wake it up by yelling at it through her stomach but it seems to be pretty comfortable. Kelly on the other hand isn't as it has started to get quite warm here.

Media Ball 2006

Jeff and I went to the Media Ball at Parliament House on Friday night. It was really quite swanky as it was made of of mostly journalists, politicians and staff and their partners. It was a sit down dinner and was set up out in the court yard where a lot of press conference are usually held and it is also used a lot for wedding pictures so it is really pretty, but Friday night they had different coloured spot lights all over the place and was really nice. This was Jeff's 2nd Media ball and my 1st and we both had a really good time.

Ruby Turns One

I have been a little neglectful with our number two fur-child and forgot to announce that she turned one on 1st November. It has been a very long year but we have pulled through. She certainly proved to be a challenge.

Kelly @ 39 weeks

Only 7 days to go!!!!

Winston Turns Two

It was Winston's birthday yesterday. My baby is now two years old. How time flies.

Kelly @ 34 weeks 5 days

Kelly, Jeff and I visited my Nana in Toowoomba on Sunday.

New Built-In Closet

Because we had been renting our house for two years before we bought it, I had a hard time feeling excited that we were home owners, but now the house finally feels like ours. We had a new built-in closet installed into our bedroom on Saturday morning and I am ecstatic. It makes our bedroom look much neater and doesn't look as small as I thought it would be.

Our next major project will be a new fence around our property. The gate at our driveway is practically falling off its hinges.


Before

After

Canine Cousins

We went to Nudgee Beach for Father's Day on Saturday and the dogs were all together for the first time. From left to right - Harly, Winston, Oscar & Ruby. Harley is Kelly's and Oscar is Melissa's. They had a big day and both my dogs were asleep within about five minutes after leaving the park.

Kelly @ 30 weeks 4 days

This is Kelly at her baby shower. We had a chocolate high tea with about 25 of her close friends and family.

Isn't she a pretty girl

This picture was taken after Winston & Ruby came back from the groomers. The groomer always puts a bow in her hair. She is now 10 months old.

Kelly's 30th B'day Bash at Gilhooleys

Kelly's new Oroton handbag








The Seibold Sisters








Melissa & Dad








Melissa & Mike








Me & my Hubby








Me, Mum, Gabrielle, Kate, Melissa & Lauren

My Job

I have been offered a temporary position with Queensland Health as Administration Officer at the Workforce Planning & Coordination Branch. I start on 4th September and finish on the 29th December with a possible extension at the end of the year. Although I would have prefered a permanent position, I will at least have this on my resume so will make applying for permanent positions a lot easier.

Kelly @ 27 weeks 4 days

I am getting so excited about being an auntie. I went to lunch with my family last week and I put my hand on her stomach and felt the baby move. It is the weirdest feeling. Probably more so for Kelly. I have a strong feeling it is going to be a girl and I have to stop myself from buying cute pink clothes because I might be wrong. But what I do know is that baby, whatever sex, is going to be VERY spoilt.

Softball Sign On

I have decided to play softball again this year. I’m not sure yet how many from last season will sign on again, but hopefully most of them will come back as we all seemed to get along really well and we had really good team dynamics. Training starts on the 20th August and our first game is on the 7th October. I am looking forward to playing again as I have recruited a couple of people so I think it will be a fun year.

Redundant

Well as of Monday 31st July, I was officially made redundant. The company I work for, Bombardier Transportation, has been down sizing due to the lack of projected work and there is just not enough work for two administrative assistants let alone one. I was originally offered part time work but knocked it back due to the fact that as of Monday 31st of July, we also finally settled on our house. Therefore getting as much money as we can is definitely a priority for us right now given that we now have a mortgage to pay. I have been given four weeks notice and six weeks severance, and the freedom to look for another job and go for interviews in the meantime. I have to say that they are being extremely accommodating. So off I go again looking for a new job. This time I am aiming for a Government position and I have forwarded my resume to a number of people I know who work in the public sector. The downside to applying to Government jobs is that they take forever to get back to you. I put an application in last April and they are still short listing. But I am hoping that I can somehow get in by by-passing the normal system. We’ll see how it goes. I have also registered with a recruitment agency who specialise in government positions and I will probably have an interview with them soon. The upside is that with my notice and severance, I have about 10 weeks to find something. Anyway I will keep you posted on the outcome.

Strike a pose!

This is my sister Kelly at 22 weeks and three days pregnant.

Oh My!

This is Austin in the outfit Jeff and I bought for him. I guess he didn't like it!!

I’ve Finished

I spent the past weekend in Mapleton with my mum and about 100 other women at a conference and camping centre where the annual Creative Memories get together is held. I attended my first scrapbooking weekend this time a year ago where I started on my wedding album. This weekend I attended my second Mapleton Scrapbooking weekend with the intention to finish my wedding album. And after three and a half years of marriage and one year of scrapbooking I achieved just that. I am very pleased with the finished product and believe it is something that can be passed down to my children and their children with the knowledge that all the photos will stay in exactly the same condition. I have really enjoyed going through the photos and reliving our wedding all over again. I have a few more projects up my sleeve which will keep me busy until the next scrapbooking weekend in 2007.

Home is where you hang your hat… and coat… and bag…

We have finally joined the rest of the home owners and are now the proud owners of our first mortgage… I mean house! It is the house we have been renting for the past year and a half. We were already house-hunting when we found out that the owners were putting it on the market. It eventually occurred to us that we were comparing every house we looked at with this house so it just made sense to stay. However like any house built in the early 1960s there is a lot of stuff that needs to be done (although my “needs” list could be debated). The kitchen and bathroom are outdated and we have an oven that I am sure was built around the same time as the house. The oven sits over the stove and the big element that is the most used is right at the back which makes cooking extremely difficult and frustrating. I have on a number of occasions threatened to throw it down the stairs.

My first and foremost wish is to add a big deck to the side of the house. This means we will then also build a new fence around the property because the one that is there now hasn’t been updated since the house was built and it is falling down. We will also eventually build in underneath the house which will add a fourth bedroom/study, second bathroom and a playroom for the kid/s.

We were extremely lucky to be blessed with fantastic neighbours, Doug and Gladys. They are an older couple and we have been good friends with them from the moment we moved into the house. They were very worried that we were moving away when we started talking about looking for a new house. We had dinner with them a while ago and told them that we were buying the house and they were very happy.

The house is in walking distance to two train stations and five minutes drive to three shopping centers. There is a large park down the road where we take the dogs for a run around.

So there you have it… we are now officially broke for the next 25 - 30 years.

So Handsome!

Isn't he just beautiful! This is Austin Caleb Riches at two weeks and two days. (Photo taken by Kate Riley)

Austin Caleb Riches

Jess & Caleb

Just thought you would like to know that our very good friends Jess and Caleb welcomed their first child, Austin Caleb, into the world on the 1st June at 10pm (Canadian Time). He was weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces. He was almost two weeks overdue so I am sure Jessica is very glad to now have him in her arms and not in her belly. From what I have heard everyone is doing splendidly. We are very happy for the two of them and wish them the absolute best.

Just call me Auntie Fi Fi

Well it is official! I am going to be an Auntie. My sister Kelly and brother-in-law Malcolm are expecting their first baby on the 7th November. An early birthday present for me. YEAH!! How exciting. They had their 14 week scan on 10th May and everything looks good. This is the first grandchild for my mum and dad so as you can expect they are over the moon. However they will be returning from the UK on the 5th November so Kelly will have to keep her legs crossed until they arrive home. They have decided not to find out the sex of the baby but I am putting my money down on it being a girl. We’ll see if my sisterly-intuition is correct.

Winston & Ruby - The Money Pit!

When Ruby turned 6 months we decided it was about time we got her fixed because Winston wasn't fixed and they were spending a heck of a lot of time alone together in the house and one thing would lead to another.... Anyway we didn't want Schnauzer X Silky Terrier X Shitzu puppies with megaesophagus as I am sure you can understand. Plus the idea of Winston getting his little sister pregnant didn't sit real well with me. So we sent Ruby in for her operation on the 11th May. We then decided to spend more money and get Winston done as well. He had been exhibiting a bit of aggressive dominance which is common with male dogs that are “intact” if you know what I mean. So he had the big “chop” on 17th May. We took so long to get him done because of his megaesophagus. There was always the risk that while under anaesthetic, he could breathe in his saliva and then get aspiration pneumonia. But he got through it with no complications. He unfortunately wasn’t as good of a patient as Ruby and wasn't leaving his stitches alone. Therefore he had to wear an “Elizabethan Collar”. He wasn’t at all impressed. His nickname is now Winston "Buckethead" Popp.

They have now both had their stitches out and have healed well.

OCD?

I'm not sure if you would call it obsesive compulsive, but I haven't been happy with the way my website has been looking so I have decided to move all my blogs over to blogger.com. It is just a lot easier to use and I can post stuff anytime, anywhere. Plus I have been using the same web design program for almost 10 years and it is becoming increasing frustrating to use. So from now on this is where you will find out what is happening in the Popp House.

Oh! My! Goodness!

Saturday 11th March, 2006
On Friday afternoon I came home from work to find that Winston and Ruby had amused themselves by playing tug-of-war with a puppy pad. This was the result...

We Lost!

Sunday 5th March, 2006
But I am not too bummed about it. It was a big commitment to give up every Saturday to play and by the end of the season I wasn't as keen to go. But I enjoyed playing. At least my last game I was able to catch a fly ball and my dad was witness. The next season will start again in October and it will depend on where we are situated as to whether I will be playing again.

It Comes In Threes!

Friday 3th March, 2006
1. Last Thursday night I want to a Deep Water Running class at the Newmarket public pool. It was a lot harder then I thought it would be but was loads of fun. My mum, Kelly (sister), Kaye (friend) and her mum did it as well. Anyway at the end of the class Kaye and I were goofing around going down the kids’ water slide and as I fell into the water I scraped my foot on the bottom of the pool. In short, the following day it was very painful and I realised that it was infected.

2. Last Saturday we played our semi-final against the Red Sox (who are as yet undefeated) and the score was 10-8. Our team was last up to bat and we already had 2 out when it was my turn to bat. I was nervous as it was then up to me to beat the odds and get some more people home but I didn’t get the chance because the pitcher pitched the ball (and don’t forget it is fast pitch) and it hit me on the inside of my right leg. I now have the world’s biggest bruise that has since Saturday turned a lovely shade of dark purple with a few patches of yellow here and there. Unfortunately we did end up losing the game. This Saturday we play the prelim-finals against Wilston Grange and if we win that game then we will be going on to the grand-finals against the Red Sox again. I will let you know what happens.

3. Despite the fact that I was already in considerable pain with my foot and my leg, I was taking Winston for a walk on Sunday morning and for some reason, unbeknownst to me, I ticked off a bee or a wasp which started flying around my face and then stung me under the eye which promptly swelled up.

Hopefully that’s the end of my injuries for a while.

The Buccaneers

Friday 3th March, 2006
Jeff’s Summer Ice Hockey team won their finals on Sunday night. It was the best of three games and since they lost the first game and won the second, Sunday night was the decider. The score ended up being 6-2 with Jeff scoring two of them. My Dad and sister, Kelly came with me and they really enjoyed it. Especially when Jeff got sent to the penalty box for slashing. Naughty boy!!!

Our Leather Anniversary

Saturday 18 February, 2006
Jeff and I celebrated our 3rd Wedding Anniversary yesterday. How time flies. Last night we went to the Gold Class movies to see "Casanova". For those of you who don't know what Gold Class movies are, they are superior to the regular movie theatres. They usually only fit up to 40 people and you sit in soft comfy recliner chairs. Since it only caters for people over 18 years you can order hot food and alcohol or softdrinks to be delivered to you whenever you want during the movie. It does cost quite a bit more then just your regular movie theatre but the experience alone is worth it. The movie itself was okay. It was funny, and it had Heath Ledger in it so I was happy.

Ruby's Misfortune

Saturday 18 February, 2006
I wasn't kidding when I said that we weren't meant to have dogs. Ruby fell off our bed yesterday morning and fractured 2 bones in her right leg. Her nickname is now Ruby "Peg-Leg" Popp. We don't think it was the hight of the bed that did it because she leaps off our couch all the time. We think that when she fell she just landed on it funny. She still thinks she can play with Winston like normal but Winston has been very gentle. We have to keep the cast on for a week but they said that it is going to heal nicely. Ay Currumba! What next?

Retraction

Monday 6 February, 2006
I would like to post a retraction (Wednesday 25 January, 2006, Sleeping Tablets Anyone??). Even though at the time I felt very strongly about what I wrote, I was functioning on only five hours sleep so I was understandably a little cranky. Therefore I feel I should restore Ruby’s reputation by saying that since that day she has been the picture of perfection. She is sleeping through the night and is not going to the toilet in our living room. Hallelujah!! Life in the Popp household is once again at peace.

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!

Friday 2 February, 2006
Well we survived the Australia Day long weekend with two dogs and no catastrophes. We spent four days at Dicky Beach which is about an hour north from our house. We stayed in a small three bedroom dog-friendly house about 200 metres up the road from the beach. It was an older looking house with 80s looking décor, but it was clean, bright and cheap and exactly what we were looking for.

I ended up forgetting to pack the digital camera so I bought a disposable camera to take some pictures. I’d forgotten what it was like to take a picture and not be able to view it straight away. Now I have to wait to finish the film before I can get them developed and loaded on the website.

Australia Day (Jan 26) was extremely hot. The house didn’t have air conditioning so we spent the majority of the day lying in front of the fans. We went to the beach for a quick swim to cool down after lunch. The rest of the weekend we spent going for walks on the beach, going into town (which is really just one street lined with shops), and reading. We took Ruby and Winston for walks down on the beach and Ruby loved it. We tried coaxing her into the water but she was too scared of the waves. She looks like a drowned rat when wet (literally because she is so small). Overall it was a nice relaxing holiday.

I’ve come to the realisation that once we start a family (I mean a human one, not the four legged kind), we are going to have to either buy a bigger car or buy some kind of trailer because from the look of the car with us and two dogs, there was no way we were going to fit a baby car seat and other baby paraphernalia in there as well. I guess we'll jump that hurdle when we get to it.

Sleeping Tablets Anyone???

Wednesday 25 January, 2006
For those of you who said that having a puppy would be great preparation for parenthood you were right on the money… so I say BRING IT ON!! I’m ready for anything parenthood has to throw at me. Show me what ya got!!! (FYI… I am just venting! Don’t expect to see me knitting booties any time soon). Ruby has turned out to be what you would call the “problem child”. Waking up at 4am… 4.30am… 5am… 5.30am etc… I’ve got bags underneath my eyes big enough to sit it. And it seems like I am constantly on my hands and knees cleaning up puddles of pee because she missed the puppy pad by a mile (and I mean like the other side of the room). I’ve been told on a number of occasions that boys are easier to deal with than girls and until Ruby I never really believed it. Boy was I wrong. Winston was an absolute breeze. He slept through the night and was practically house trained when we got him. Oh were we spoilt!! Aaarrgg!!!! I am so tired that I am practically falling asleep at my desk while typing. In fact if I just put my head down for a little bit… Zzzz Zzzz Zzzz Zzzz … snortsnufflesnort… oops is that drool?

Our Little Ruby

Tuesday 17 January, 2006
As you know, over the Christmas break we had a brief moment of insanity and bought a little ¾ Silky Terrier X Shitzu that we called Ruby. She has been with us now for about three weeks, not without a few hiccups.

On New Years morning we came home to find that Ruby had gotten her head stuck through the baby gate we put across the bathroom door and as a result, gave herself a hernia. This is not as bad as it sounds and is, thank goodness, operable. The Vet advised us that as long as it doesn't bother her, we can wait until she has her "female" operation to do both at the same time as the hernia is in that general direction. She also no doubt saw her very short life flash before her eyes when I babysat a friend's one year old who didn't quite understand the concept of "be gentle" and almost squeezed the poor thing to death. For a one year old he had a very strong grip. In fact, looking back at our combined history of owning pets, I think Jeff and I were just not supposed to own dogs. His dog Spot was attacked by a cat as a puppy and was blind in one eye for most of her life; Winston has an Oesophageal condition which requires him to be fed and held upright; and Ruby has a hernia. I don't know? What do you think?

Winston and Ruby are getting along surprisingly well. She chases him around the house biting at his legs. It is actually pretty funny to watch. Once Ruby is old enough to be upgraded to outside the bathroom she will be a really good companion for Winston.

House training has turned out to be quite a challenge with Miss Ruby. I now remember why I hated the puppy stage. But I just have to keep telling myself, "She will grow up... She will grow up." In fact that has been my daily mantra for the past three weeks. But you just have to look at that cute little face and your frustrations just melt away.