My Birthday Boy

*yawn* It has been a whirlwind 2 days ... which I suppose was to be expected with The Trucker's 30th Birthday :) Again, I am still a little in awe of the fact that I got to spend it with him. I still very clearly remember when all I had composed in my head were my Xmas and 30th Birthday smses to him and thought that'd pretty much probably be the last time I spoke to him. It hurt terribly.

But instead my world turn upside down and I am still living in a perfect dreamworld <3 Haha. That said, I was left dreadfully unprepared for his birthday with a mere 3 weeks notice that I'd actually be around to share it. I had thought and ummed and aahed over a gift last year already. I had the perfect thing picked out. And then we broke up. And he bought it for himself. I had nothing. No ideas. And on top of that we've been busy almost every moment of every weekend since we did get back together. I haven't had time to think let alone do. I won't lie, I was terribly unprepared.

But I came up with an idea, one I definitely couldn't get in time for his birthday, but an idea nonetheless. And I found the perfect thing to complete the theme for him on the day. Which I discovered on Monday was never going to arrive because the Post Office is apparently on strike and the package that I needed was sitting at the Post Office unmoved since the company it was ordered from dropped it off 10 days beforehand.

I went into a bit of a frenzy on Monday, trying to wrack my brains for something I could do to make his day special ... I know, he is like me and it's more about the things we do for each other thruout the year, than on any specific day, but it was his 30th and I WANTED to do something to make it special for him.

So on Monday evening when he got home, there were 2 glasses of champagne (with Maraschino cherries!) and 2 cupcakes, one with a candle waiting for him. I think he was more surprised than anything. I told him that I knew it wasn't his birthday yet and he didn't believe in celebrating before the fact, but we weren't celebrating his 30th, we'd do that on Tuesday (his birthday). Rather, we were toasting his 20s. It's an important decade and deserved a proper send-off. I remember looking back at mine ... it held so many milestones, the least I could do was help him remember all of his.

So yeah, that was Monday evening. He decided he wanted take-out to celebrate the last day of this decade so Steers it was.

On Tuesday morning I left a large bowl with 30 Red Lindt Balls each with a personalised message for him attached with red ribbon ... like Lindt fortune cookies - haha. "A bowl full of love" was what he called it. I knew he'd appreciate the time and thought :) He knew his real present was coming later anyway.

In the evening when he got home, we had some more champagne and he opened his presents from his mom and I told him what I wanted to get him (you will have to wait till it's bought ...). I think he likes it :) I think it'll help when we can go together and pick out the right one.

After that we headed off to 2-for-1 sushi at Lok Fu Sushi with a bunch of his friends. Was actually a great evening ... the sushi was yummy, although it took quite a while (but we were a table of 10 and they had to make 2 of everything we ordered!) and I was nervous we'd over-ordered. I'd probably go back, although I'm not a fan of too much sushi, I prefer variety. And I learned (the hard way) that you have to specially request that their shrimp tempura is inside the california rolls ... otherwise you just get shrimp tempura, which while not bad is not what I thought I was ordering. I'll know for next time :)

It was a lovely evening :)

Oh, and don't feel sorry for him for the day passing with so little pomp and ceremony ... there are many celebrations planned (much like all of mine - ha ha). Aside from dinner last night, we're planning a visit to Sun City (I've still never been) Valley of Waves and Pilanesberg this weekend (this is as yet unconfirmed) as well as our long weekend in Sodwana in March (which we were supposed to be leaving for today, but there is apparently a big fishing competition on using all the accommodation). Oh, and in case you thought I was feeling left out, yesterday I booked our long weekend for my birthday to Kruger Park :D Yes, life is very good!

Eep. And I've just realised that I am now dating my first boy over the age of 30! Hahahaha.

Busy like a tourist.

Shew what a crazy busy weekend we had cramming every second of Cape Town in!

On Friday, after a second afternoon of surfing, The Trucker took the train into Town and I picked him up to join me for some after-work drinks. After that, we headed down to the Sea Point Promenade, grabbed a soft-serve with a flakey and took a walk enjoying the sea air :)

After that we headed to Long Street and after a small margarita and a plate of of Chili Poppers to share at Mexican Kitchen, we walked up and down enjoying the urban bustle there. There is just something that feels alive and awesome about Cape Town that Joburg can't seem to get right. I love the outdoor living European vibe you can find in the right areas ...

We were killing time till our dinner at Woodland's Eatery with The Divine Miss M and her boyf. Yum, we've been dying to go back to this spot! We decided to try something different there, although I think we were all craving the lamb pizza! The Trucker and I shared one of their specials, a 4 cheese pizza topped with bacon and drizzled with honey, which was my winner of the evening! And their pork pizza, which I wish I'd ordered the lamb instead of :( Ah well, still tasty and I guess that's how you learn!

What an awesome evening :) On Saturday we were up at a reasonable hour and headed into Town for breakfast. We looked online and decided to try Clarke's. It was great. It's a cute little place with a very (how I imagine) New York feel and the breakfast I had was spot-on: scrambled egg (cooked perfectly), avo, crispy bacon and potato bread (?). Really hit the spot :)

After breakfast I wanted to go to Charly's Bakery, which I've heard so much about on blogs and twitter, but as yet I'd never been. So we popped past there. It is chaos on a Saturday morning and a  little overwhelming for people visiting for the first time. There is a mad crush against the displays so it's hard to decide what you want if you've never seen their gorgeous creations before. We got a variety ...  I wanted one of their petit-fours (which were my favourite purchase and I'd definitely get these again!), The Trucker wanted a mini-milk-tart. And then we each got a red velvet cupcake. Which I liked, it was moist but I'd pick a petit-four over getting this again next time. And then I got some simple biscuits to take home too :)

After that we took our purchases and I took The Trucker to the Green Point Urban Park. Which is one of my favourite new places in Cape Town. We sat and picniced and just enjoyed the rest of the morning. And then we climbed back in the car and took Chapman's Peak to Kommetjie to meet up with Liary and her son for a walk on the beach :)

Shew. By the time we got back to Mom's in the afternoon we'd already had a very full day! The Trucker managed to squeeze in a nap and then we had to get ready for my cousin's Circus themed 21st! (The actual reason we were in Cape Town this weekend) We had quite a fun night ... although the DJ was pretty rubbish. The outfits were great and so was all the decor :)

We were up early on Sunday to head to the airport to catch our flight home and had a quick goodbye breakfast with the folks at the Wimpy before. Then it was back to Joburg and grocery shopping and a very lazy afternoon at home :)

Oh, and today is The Trucker's last day of his 20s. Wowee.

Another Week

Hello from gorgeous Cape Town :)

This week has been pretty eventful, although I guess no more than usual with my busy social schedule - haha. Monday was a quiet one at home with The Trucker. Tuesday was a special SCM Dinner, since it was @clairam's birthday week :) And then on Wednesday evening The Trucker and I flew down to Cape Town for a long weekend (although I've still been working yesterday and today from our Cape Town offices ....).

Yesterday he headed off to do some surfing while I toiled away :P But then when I got home we popped over the mountain and enjoyed a lovely walk along Noordhoek beach before heading to dinner at Peddlars with the whole family (it's gone from a stock-standard family of 4 to Dad, his girlf & her 12yr old daughter, The Peeb and her hubby, Mom and her boyf and The Trucker and I. Sheesh! Haha).

I was a little disappointed in our restaurant choice initially to be honest. It seemed to ordinary and boring when there are so many Cape Town restaurants on my list to try. But, dinner was delish and the service was good :) The Trucker and I both had their Wagyu Beef Burgers with ham (similar to parma ham, but I forget the name), cheese and roasted peppers. Yum. And then I totally won the dessert lottery when I ordered their banana donuts with chocolate centers and cappuccino ice-cream.

The Daily Spoils

Shew. I could totally do with an extra day of weekend this week! And in some very sad news, Winter is Coming. Yes, today it was really still dark when I got out of bed. This terrifies me a little as we still have a good 4 months till the solstice and it starts to get lighter. I feel this does not bode well at all :( Haha.

I am, however, grateful that our holiday planning has had a little bit of a shuffle. We're off to Cape Town this weekend, not for a long weekend exactly since I'll still be working from our offices there. But then we were supposed to be off from the following Wednesday till Sunday again and I think it would've ended up quite exhausting. Now our long Sodwana weekend has been rescheduled to mid-March.

So what did I get up to on yet another busy weekend ... Was in a pretty foul mood when I got home from work on Friday afternoon. An hour in traffic due to an accident and then the house we were going to go see (that I had very high hopes for as it is the same sort of complex as mine, but had 3 rooms) was taken an hour before we were supposed to see it :( It did not make for a good start to the weekend at all. So The Trucker and I got some Indian take-out and sat in front of the tv (he'd also had a rubbish week).

But, things quickly turned around when I went into the bedroom and found a La Senza bag hanging there for me .... oh this darling boy <3

We *finally* managed to watch Searching for Sugarman. Although The Trucker had already watched it while we were broken up, this was the 4th attempt for me to watch it and it finally worked. I wasn't as keen on seeing it as it sounds like so many other people ... and without The Trucker's prompting certainly would not have continued trying. But I am glad I saw it, you do finish with the warm and fuzzy feeling about this humble man (who I think more musicians should be like ... what on earth do some people like movie stars and musicians need SO much money for?). But there were definitely "OMG this is so ridiculous" moments where I was like how is this even a movie?! And no, I didn't realise I knew so many more of his songs. While I do enjoy I Wonder and I remember Sugarman, by Just Jinger, that was about it ....

On Saturday morning I headed to @nadia_ass's baby shower. Showee, what an event. It was all done professionally with a Dr Seuss theme. Beautiful and such fun. Was lovely to meet some new people and catch up with @cybersass and @Exmi again :)



After that The Trucker and I had a relaxing afternoon at home, a little walk at Golden Harvest and then he surprised me with dinner plans ... at the Black Horse Brewery. It was as fabulous as we remembered. Such a beautiful setting with fairy lights in the trees, a perfectly temperate evening and delish food! We started with the Prawns. For mains I had Cheese & Chili encrusted Sole and we shared a perfect Malva Pudding for dessert. I drank their Irish Red Ale which I really liked ... and hello, I never drink beer in South Africa - haha. It was a superb night out :) I really am feeling very spoilt and loved up these days. Shew.

On Sunday morning he was up early for Cricket and I had a little bit of a lazy morning at home before getting the grocery shopping, doing a little Birthday Present hunting for The Trucker - eep. And then I went to a friend's birthday lunch while The Trucker went wakeboarding.

I got home after 5pm and we had a very lazy evening. Except that I made us these amazing Aubergine Pizza's for dinner. I was a little nervous, because I'm never really sure about how long to cook aubergine for ... but they came out perfectly and I'll definitely be making them again :) I used a mix of tomato paste and Woolies Napolitana sauce for the tomato base and then added some of the Woolies Goat's cheese and Chorizo. I topped it with Cheddar before popping it in the oven. I added some fresh basil just before serving. It was fantastic!

Can I also just mention quickly how much I adore The Trucker refering to my house as 'home' and getting home to find his car in my garage. I know it's probably so dumb but it makes my heart swell for now :)

All yours ....

Ah, Valentines Day. Yes, up until 2 weeks ago I wasn't giving this one much thought ... I'd planned to go to a Single's Valentines Party that the lovely @AnneDoli had very kindly invited me to. I was looking forward to it, in my quest to find someone new. I was even more happy to have to decline last week after The Trucker staged his coup on my romantic life :)

So last night I planned a nice quiet dinner at home for us. Nothing quite as romantic as last year. But I did stick with some traditions-in-the-making ... there were heart chocolates and red lindt balls. And salad for dinner, eaten outside. And even Eversons cider.

This year I went to Boot Camp after work and The Trucker got home while I was making dinner. It was amazing and a perfect Summer evening meal. I made Shrimp Salad with a Lime Vinaigrette. Forgot to take any photos tho, so am borrowing from the recipe site. (I used mini-corn instead tho ... I don't really like big meilies).

It got the thumbs up so I'll definitely be making it again :) I think it'd probably make a great starter, even served in a lettuce leaf perhaps. Will keep that in mind if we ever revive Dinner Club.

Dessert was jelly and custard .... because we had a whole unopened custard left over from the trifle and I'd bought some calorie-free jelly (can't remember the brand to link to) to try - so weird, it doesn't go in the fridge to set?! Tasted much better than I expected tho so that was a nice surprise :) Another thing we will have again.

We spent a lot of the evening just chatting about our future <3 I can't get enough of that! We discussed our upcoming holidays. And our hunt for a place to rent together ... We're seeing a 3 bedroom version of my place later today, just up the road from me. I have high hopes about this. Although I will desperately miss my outdoor area :(

Oh yes, glossed right over those holiday plans, didn't I? ;) So the plan for this year is .... first we have a trip to Cape Town next week for my cousin's 21st! Then we were supposed to go away to Sodwana the following weekend for The Trucker's 30th Birthday, but that's been moved to mid-March so that more of his friends can join us.

Then at the end of April we're thinking of  a trip to Kruger together. In August we're going to Oppi Koppi. I've *never* been, in all my years in Joburg. And we keep missing it by being away. So this year we have decided we're going. Which means our little overseas holiday is planned for September and we're going to ..... Bermuda!

Gonna get my American visa next month probably and maybe we'll even have a few days in New York on the way home! The Trucker has a friend who works as a chef in one of the hotels in Bermuda, who he's been to visit before when he was working in the Maldives. Makes for a great excuse to go to these awesome places. And we'll have accommodation there, which is a key factor in the decision making. Otherwise we would be doing one of those cheap package trips to Thailand or somewhere because we are saving up for #Holiday2014 ! We are planning to go to Australia and New Zealand for 3 weeks in April 2014. (And then the serious business of baby-making will begin upon our return!)

Life is amazing right now, I hope this feeling of excitement and happiness never goes away <3

A Better Reality

Pretty decent week so far. I can't get enough of The Trucker coming home to me every night :D

On Monday I presume we had a nice quiet evening at home, although I can't remember - haha. On Tuesday he had cricket and I went out for dinner with some friends from work. We went to Col'Cacchio in Northgate and had a great evening :) The service was superb and we shared 3 half-and-half pizzas. Best way to taste as many different pizzas as possible. But shoo we were stuffed afterwards. Haha. Great times.

Yesterday afternoon we went to look at the first potential rental property. I had a good feeling about the place and was hoping it would be that easy for us ... Now that we know his sister got the job and is keen to rent my place when we find somewhere bigger :) Um, nope, this place was revolting. I guess the photos in the advert were from before someone moved in. Apparently the current family has been there 2 years now. Yuck. It was in such disrepair. I won't lie, looking at houses fascinates me when I see how other people live (and I'm talking about people who can't be in *that* different a financial bracket to me) ...

Anyway, the hunt continues. So if you know of a 3 bedroom place with a garden for rent in the Northern Joburg area, let me know :) Although we are avoiding 4ways, Sunninghill, Paulshof and that sort of area outside the highway because my traffic to work is bad enough as it is. So we're either sticking to pretty much where we are currently or closer to work.

Last night we had Brinner. Because I'd bought those new chicken rashers from woolies and had been dying to try them. Not too bad :) Not bacon, but pretty good as a healthy substitute on occasion.

In other news, yesterday I got my Roof Insulation installed by Eco-Insulation. So far it's been a very painless process. And I'm convinced I could sort of even feel the difference yesterday evening when I got home. The Trucker couldn't. So I guess we'll see over the next few days :) Pretty bleak about all these awesome improvements I've done and was planning for my little home since I'll probably be moving in a month or so :( But I guess that is how life goes ... onward and upward. The hard part is knowing I'm moving to another temporary spot. #sigh sometimes I wonder why I even unpack those moving boxes at all ;) All for the greater good. I'm going to be living with my love and I can't wait for somewhere that is equally ours (although I won't lie, I do rather like us living in my house!)

Also yesterday, I got my very first Lingerie Letters delivery. So not usually something that would be my scene, but for that very reason I decided to get myself a 3 month gift-subscription (so that it doesn't auto-repeat). Anyway, I collected mine from my PO Box yesterday, in time for Valentines day today and they are super cute and fit perfectly and I'm thrilled :)

Xmas in February

Hello there Monday morning. The weekend was pretty cool. On Friday I left work early and did my second Brain Harmonics session. Then when I got home, The Trucker had planned a little surprise date night and took me for a really delish meal at 1920 (which I'd only found out about on Wednesday when I was looking for a restaurant to go to).

We started with their 1920 Chouriço to share, which was delish. I hit a winner with my 1920 Chicken Trinchado main. It's not a normal trinchado, it's in a peanut butter sauce, but it was so yummy. Wow. The Trucker had their beef trinchado which also was good. I do love a good trinchado :) We also shared a very nice Lindt chocolate mousse for dessert. Now, I won't lie, the service did deteriorate over the evening, we asked for the bill 3 times. But by the time we were ready to leave, their little restaurant was packed to the brim and turning people away. So I'd say it's worth it. Will definitely be going back.

At home we watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I'd heard it was quite good. Neither of us was too blown-away. Star-studded cast tho!

Oh, and The Trucker got his awesome new car on Friday too :) It is pretty damn, cool! :D

On Saturday morning I was up early again to do my final Brain Harmonics session. I'm not really sure about it, the report after my assessment they gave me did feel a little horoscope-y one-size-fits all. But Mom was paying and she has heard great things about it. I am not sure how you tell if any of it relates back to the Brain Harmonics or just your life in general. I mean, I'm obviously happier right now than I was 2 weeks ago ... But look at how things have turned around since then. So anyway, I'll reserve judgement for now. But what I will say is that I have noticed a change in my sleeping. Well, not in my sleeping but in my waking. There were nights last week where I definitely got far less sleep than I should've. You know late night talking and catching up on 2 months apart and all that, and still waking at 5:30am for work ... but I didn't feel exhausted at all. Apparently that is one of the Brain Harmonics things, you get better quality sleep. So that's a plus that I am seeing that I reckon can only be ascribed to it. It's a nice perk :)

The Trucker went to meet his mom for breakfast while I was busy and then we both met up back at home. We went and did some shopping, we have my cousin's dress-up 21st in 2 weeks. Yay, another trip to Cape Town coming up next week! So happy that this time he'll be coming with me, as it should be <3 And then raced home to make trifle for 20 people!

We had a Xmas in February party on Saturday evening at DJMike's place (they were on honeymoon in December). What a blast. The house was decorated appropriately, there was a whole crowd of us and the food was divine, as always. Such good food :) Our trifle came out really well too!


On Sunday morning it was The Trucker's turn for an early morning while I lazed in bed, he had cricket at 8:45am. While he did that I did some general house admin, sorting and grocery shopping. When he got home we relaxed, I made lunch and he napped while I watched series. Later we headed over to some of his friends for a swim and a braai with the best home-made burgers I've had in ages! Yum. I also got to watch The Trucker playing with their 3yr old son. My boy really has changed his opinion on kids, if I needed any proof, this was it <3

Before bed we watched Life of Pi because The Trucker hadn't seen it. It wasn't as awe-inspiring the second time ...

One Week

One Blissful Week. Well, almost. At this time last Friday, I still didn't know (or even have a clue) how my life was about to swing full turn and change spectacularly.

And things are amazing. I am reveling in the sweet satisfaction of back-together-ness. We've had a very ordinary week. We haven't fallen right back to where we left off. We seem to appreciate each other more.

On Tuesday evening, I went to SCM and The Trucker went to Action Cricket. He came home to me after. We stayed up till almost midnight chatting and catching up still. One of the things we talked about was moving in together.

On Wednesday we (both!) spent the day browsing Private Property and even messaged a few people about potential places! I'm going to move out of my lovely little house to move in with the boy I love. While we can stay there temporarily, and we are, it's just not practical for us to live there together. I only have one garage, with the parking bay right in front of it. So he has to wake up early when I leave every morning and move his car so I can go to work ... and his pajero doesn't fit in the garage. And he's getting a new car today (a Golf GTI?). But they're still keeping the pajero (his company) ... so we need an extra parking spot. And anyone who's visited me know how far away any visitor parking is from my front door! Haha.

And I have nought cupboard space ... well I did. I did a massive (MASSIVE!) clear out and clean up on Wednesday afternoon and made some (not even half!) space for him in my cupboard, which he'll start filling up this evening. And there is no space for his furniture and what not. And there is the consideration of his sister & niece who are still living with him .... finger's crossed she gets the job she's got an interview for tomor and can get her own place soon :)

At the moment we're weighing up a bunch of options, but we're talking, and we're serious. We're not going to buy just yet ... we'll discuss that again at the end of the year ;) And we're gonna get a puppy (he is dying to have a dog again! So am I). Yes folks, shit just got real.

On Wednesday evening I met him for dinner at Doppio Zero after he'd been to gym. We had a lovely evening.

On Thursday I worked from home and we had breakfast on the veranda before he left. Later I met him for lunch and we went to try out mattresses. No, that is not a euphemism, he wants to buy a new one. A new mattress. For *my* 4-poster bed. In the evening he had cricket again and I made dinner. When he got home we sat outside, under my gorgeous newly lit lights, and ate. Life is so good :)

I feel like I've gone from a car-wreck everyone was rubber-necking to see to the proof that everyone should still believe in fairy tales <3
— phillygirl (@philly_girl) February 7, 2013

Two Brothers by Ben Elton

Berlin 1920 Two babies are born. Two brothers . United and indivisible, sharing everything. Twins in all but blood. As Germany marches into its Nazi Armageddon, the ties of family, friendship and love are tested to the very limits of endurance. And the brothers are faced with an unimaginable choice...Which one of them will survive? Ben Elton's most personal novel to date, Two Brothers transports the reader to the time of history's darkest hour. 

This was the first book I read on my Kindle :) And I am loving it! I have loved some of Ben Elton's books and found some of them dismal ... this didn't feel like his usual sort of book, but I enjoyed it. It's a fascinating idea and was well written. I think it also brought forward some dreadfully cringe-worthy moments in the treatment of Jews in Germany at that time, in simple day-to-day life which usually are glossed over for the more traumatic holocaust experiences, I guess.

Floating

Awe. So since I flooded my blog with sad and depressing posts for the last two months, I feel it is only right that I now share all the blissful and life-is-perfect moments now. Seriously. I am deliriously happy. Grinning almost non-stop. most especially when I look over at The Trucker sitting on my couch or lying in my bed once again. Ah.

So yes, nothing spectacularly exciting has happened since yesterday morning's post. Except that we had our first quiet evening at home. You know, the usual evenings that string the week together. I've always loved those with him and yesterday was just what I needed. I'm still a little surprised at how back-to-normal everything is. Well, back to normal but with this amazing glow and this weird sense of certainty and stability.

He came over earlier than usual, one of the perks of him easing off on the truck work (hmmm, wonder if I'll need a new nickname for him - har har). He almost bought a new car yesterday. Well, let me rather say he is about to buy a new car (don't worry, they're still keeping the pajero) :) We sat and chatted after he arrived for a bit, caught up on our days. I put in my leave for his Birthday Long Weekend in Sodwana at the end of this month. Can. Not. Wait.

Help me people, I have 3 weeks to find my favourite person a suitable 30th birthday present! I was prepared last year as I decided on the GoPro as a joint Xmas and Bday gift. It would've been perfect ... but he went and bought himself one already (which he made my video with). So now I am out of ideas with very little time left to organise anything. Eep.

Then we decided that since he was over early, we'd watch the very very long Django Unchained. I didn't think it was that exceptional. I'm not Tarantino obsessed tho. The only movie I know I liked of his was Inglourious Basterds.

We made dinner in between. Together, the way we often do, both of us in the kitchen. Him sneaking a hug from behind while I'm chopping salad. It was perfect. It's how we were. It's (hopefully) how we'll always be.

And then real life kicked in. I'd noticed the tap that  the toilet is connected to in my bathroom wall was leaking yesterday morning. So before bed The Trucker had a look at it. And broke it more. I rushed outside to switch off the water. Uh-oh. Within an hour tho, the boy had it fixed. Not fixed-fixed, the new connection is also leaking. But fixed enough that we could switch the water back on and shower and use the loo and whatnot. Sigh. What would I have done without him? And on top of that I tried to reassure him I wasn't really such a damsel in distress ... there were no house disasters in his absence :P Haha.

So happy to have him back <3

Happiness is ...

Ah well, I think you can take it as a given that I had a pretty damn amazing weekend. Haha. I actually didn't see that much of The Trucker.

I left work a little early on Friday afternoon ... let's be honest, I couldn't concentrate on anything here anyway ;) He came over a little later. Although his video had ended with an invitation to meet him for breakfast on Saturday morning, I had an appointment from 8:30 - 1pm so couldn't make it. So I'd phoned him to arrange to see him sooner.



He arrived and after the longest hug, we talked. Now I know it may seem a little naive to rush off and start believing that all this has changed in someone in the space of a mere 2 months. But after speaking and seeing him this weekend, there is no doubt in my mind that he is sincere and this really is what he wants. He's been seeing his therapist twice a week since he got back from Cape Town.

He's made quite a few changes in his life before even taking this step with me. The way he's talking about us and the future is completely different. And he's doing the talking about it, not me.

Can you believe he was worried I'd tell him to get lost after seeing the video. I'd made it quite clear that we wouldn't be staying friends if we ever broke up and joked he might actually have to leave the country (like The Lying Pilot, Bean and Varen all have). I've never really gotten back together with an ex .... I told him last night it was because no one else had staged a coup the way he had ;)

Anyway, so yes, after a bit of a catch-up and the answers to my very first questions of "How did this happen?", we headed to Rusty Hook for one of his friend's birthday's. There were loads of his friends there and it was nice to see all the people who'd been looking after him in my absence ... and they were all thrilled to see me there and back with him. Which also went some way to proving even more to me that he meant all of it <3

It was a later night than I was hoping for, but it was lovely to wake up next to him on Saturday :) He made breakfast while I showered. We ate outside. I headed off to my first Brain Harmonics session. and he headed off to his mom's for the night (remember, it had been her birthday earlier in the week). It worked out perfectly, honestly. A little space to realise and think about what was happening. To miss each other, but in the good way. It was lovely to have him at the other end of a message again while I was sitting watching TV alone :)

And besides, I had @jarredcinman's 40th birthday party to get to on Saturday evening. What a great night :) It was a joint party for him and one of my old Poker buddies so I knew loads of people there and was pretty much riding a high all evening. It was a great venue (La Vie and Rose) with great food.

On Sunday I got the grocery shopping done and then headed to The Peach Cafe for lunch with a friend (one of The Trucker's friend's ex-girlfs ... I've managed to stay friends with both of them which has been a bonus!). Wow, I recommend this place, lovely setting and delish food :) We had a lovely couple of hours catching up.

The Trucker came back from his mom's and headed straight to his cricket game. He got home just after 7pm and we grabbed some dinner from Simply Asia and sat outside chatting the rest of the night away. Catching up on the 2 months we missed.

I know I said before it felt like the last 2 years had been a dream, but now it feels like the dream (or nightmare) was actually the last 2 months and now life is back on track. I think he's more certain about all this than I am right now, he's been thinking about it for 2 weeks before I found anything out (can you believe he even went and looked up my profile on Internet Dating to check up on me!). And I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. I had to cancel a date for this week - haha. But I couldn't be happier about this complete surprise :)

The Grand Gesture <3

Wow. Just wow. I am a little blown away right now. I didn't see this coming at all ... My heart is floating right now.

So my Friday started out pretty well. I had an appointment with my Nutritionist. My first since early December ... I was nervous. But I got some great news. My measurements were all identical and I was even down another 2kgs :) And I haven't been trying very hard lately. So that was awesome.

And then after I got back, I was sitting at my desk and I got a call from reception. There was something for me to collect. Awesome, maybe my Springleap TShirts have arrived?

Nope. There were 2 dozen red roses in a vase. Cue a very shocked look on my face ... The card just had a link to You Tube. I raced upstairs back to my desk. Already piquing interest on my way ...

I opened the video and saw The Trucker. I freaked out a little. My heart rate elevated. It wasn't long before I was crying too ...

Today I experienced the grandest gesture of my life so far. It was incredible and I watched it many times before I could believe it. In fact I think I'll go watch it again now ... (I'd share the link because it is *amazing* but he specially asked me not to).

Romance, it is not dead. I feel like I'm living in a movie. Seriously, this sort of thing only happens there, right?

Wow. He wants me back, he's been working thru his issues with his therapist, he loves and misses me. I know, there is still a road to walk from here, things aren't magically going to be perfect now ... but he wants to walk that path with me. And I think you can take it as a given that he knows what my minimum requirements for that path are (that was in the video too!).

I don't think this weekend is going to be quite as interesting as you think, we both already have plans ... but I'll see him a bit later and hopefully start figuring out where to from here.

Oh, and the bizarre thing is I've been getting more & more annoyed with him this week over the Twitter thing I briefly mentioned before. It sent me for a loop. I am his only twitter follower and he started tweeting a daily message that I couldn't allow myself to read anything into, but it was bloody hard! It started on Monday with the word "Hope". On Tuesday he said "is the little voice you hear whisper 'maybe'". See why I was getting sad and annoyed. Wednesday was just the word "Ouch" ... my blog title that morning. And then yesterday he said "Can you wait one more day? Actually two". Cryptic. Later that day was a song: "♫ Hoobastank - The reason". Naturally, because I'm a masochist, I watched the video and listened to the lyrics. I hated myself afterwards. It hurt.

I was ready to unfollow him on Monday morning if he didn't stop. Good thing I didn't see his tweet this morning before his surprise arrived. I might've unfollowed him there and then! It was "I love the smell of roses in the morning! :)". #sigh

<3 Happy Friday, everyone :)

Never Give Up

Hello February. Yes really. Sheesh. Feeling alright this morning. It's a wonder what a good full night of sleep will do for you :)

I need some more downtime than I'm allowing myself I think ... So this week. Yes, Tuesday was SCM Dinner and Wednesday was @bronwyngale's farewell :( Awe, was her last day at work yesterday. Sad face. But a bunch of us girls from work went out to Cafe Della Salute and had an awesome evening. The restaurant was okay, but I wouldn't mission to Sandton to go back there specifically. We shared a haloumi starter and then I had their Snob pasta.

And then last night I collapsed on my couch. Doing all 3 days at Boot Camp this week definitely exhausted me. Plus I couldn't get to sleep on Wednesday night. And then there was this gorgeous storm that came over at about 23h30 .. .and I'd left my car outside so there I was at almost midnight traipsing outside in my PJs to move my car in the spitting raining, in case it hailed. Because life is like that :P

Anyway. My weekend is already fully booked and I am so looking forward to it :) And next week shows no signs of slowing down ...

I think of The Trucker daily. But (I think) it's affecting me less. Like you become immune or something. Or you just have no more emotion left to feel. Sometimes I do feel a little numb. Like all the stuff I'm doing to keep busy, I'm trying to find something that makes me feel something ... Finding new things that make me happy. Haven't found something that makes me feel as light as dating The Trucker did tho. Does that makes sense? The lightness of life we feel when everything feels that it is as it should be? That. I miss that. I want that again.