Website!

I now have my very own website! It's exciting stuff.

Feel free to visit me at truanlowes.com  !

I'll still be updating this blog though, the website is more of a professional thing.

Yay!

An Australian Christmas

At the risk of being predictable, here is a Christmas post. I know, I know, but I can't help myself. I simply LOVE Christmas time.

Here in Australia we spend our Christmases outside, having a barbie (barbecue), drinking beer/summery cocktails and playing cricket, eating pavlova and swimming. It's a pretty excellent time.

On Boxing Day, there's always massive sales but there's also the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. It's pretty excellent to watch as they sail on the harbour (to Tasmania).

 

Christmas Tree in Martin Place

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

 

 Moonlight Cinema

(I've never actually been to this, but dying to go!) 

 

Sydney Town Hall

Pavlova... best. Ever.

When I look at all the lovely things I'll be able to see for Christmas, I just get so excited. It's such a fun time. 

I'm curious though, for those who are used to a white Christmas - how would it be for you to spend it swimming and having a barbie? Would it be weird for you, or would it be a fun experience?

I think I'd like to experience a white Christmas at least once :) 

How do you spend your Christmas/Hanukkah/Ramadan? 

I'd love to hear!

Vintage cars, beaches and fairy woods

Yep, that was my weekend. Vintage car show, walks by the beach and cycling in the national park. Does it get much better than this?!

I hope your weekend was magical!

(Delicious savory loaf recipe to come later this week!)

Rett Syndrome

I don't have any kids. I don't know anyone with Rett Syndrome. It hasn't affected my life and up until recently, I didn't even know it existed.

But that doesn't mean I can't tell people about it now.

Elizabeth Halford is a photographer I admire. She is honest, quirky and her daughter has Rett Syndrome.

Her website, Gracie for Rett opened my eyes to this development disorder that affects 1 in 12,000 girls.

I don't presume to know what she goes through, or what other families go through, or even what those brave little girls who have this disorder go through. But if this blog post gets seen by someone, who emails it to someone else, who then tweets it... well, I guess it's a small thing in the scheme of things.

Elizabeth has got some great information on her website, so please, have a read and pass it along!

Tweet it, email it, pin it - anything to get the word out!

Happy Friday!

It's Friday, and I'm excited.

I'm excited that I have two days off work.
I'm excited I'm going out with John's family tonight for dinner.
I'm excited that my new shoes came today (wearing them right now!).
I'm excited that I got a reach to photograph a wedding.

I'm also excited that I'm working on my website, and it'll be live soon! So that's VERY exciting.

I wonder how many times you can use the word exciting without it losing all meaning?!

Also, I'm going to be doing a fun lamp DIY in the next few weeks. It's a pretty ugly brown thing, but it has potential to be something excellent... can you guess what I'm going to say? EXCITING!

Ok, check out this lovely lady's photography. I'm really in love it it. You just HAVE to see it.

And, here's something to make you smile! :) 

Party Decor Inspiration, and Other Stuff

Well, it's my birthday in a few days. I'm going to be 24 years old. How the hell did that happen?? This probably sounds silly, but sometimes I forget that I'm a grown up - does that make me still a kid if I say "grown-up"? Probably - and sometimes I think, "oh I've got ages to do the things I want". Or, "I'll be set up eventually", or some other "one day..." excuse. But I'm almost a quarter of a century old, and there's still so much I want to do.

Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly grateful for the things I have, I just want to make sure that I don't have any regrets about wishing I had done things and experienced more.

So, in my 24th year, I'm going to do the following:

Start Yoga/Pilates
Read more classics (Pride and Prejudice for example)
Do a wheelie (on my new bike!)
Master the fishtail braid
Learn more French
Call my parents more
Take more photos - professionally and recreationally
Put 110% into my Diploma
Do a short marathon

That's pretty much all I can think of for now, but it's enough to get me started!

But first, there's got to be cake and pretty decorations!

Spotty bunting

Green striped straws - I actually bought these!

I love washi tape!

I love this idea from The Crafted Sparrow, but maybe for my 25th? 

For this weekend's get-together though, I'm keepin' it simple. Green and pink bunting, green striped paper straws, pink polka dot plates, etc! 

Hope your day is colorful! :) 

Long weekend + beaches & sunshine

This past weekend was excellent. It was a long weekend, so we got to chill out and do whatever we wanted (doesn't happen too often!).

I did a bush run (John did one too, but he runs at a faster pace!) and stacked it pretty bad. My skins are ripped (might have to invest in some 2XU's??) and got a pretty gross gash on my knee. But I continued on for another 20 mins, and felt pretty good (apart from the knee-gash).

We watched a new TV series (The Tudors - reviews anyone?), spent lazy afternoons in the sun reading The Casual Vacancy, took Marley to a beach (with the whitest sand ever!) stayed up late and watched scary movies, had a bbq and just relaxed; it was heaven.

Here are some of my snaps :)

 Also, I enrolled in my Diploma in Photography! Very exciting!

It's by correspondance and I haven't had the best luck before sticking to such a relaxed schedule - any tips?

xx