Breathe

Breathe [breeth] /brið/breathed .breath·ing.

to take air, oxygen, etc., into the lungs and expel it; inhale and exhale; respire.
to pause, as for breath; take rest.
to move gently
to live; exist
to give utterance to; whisper.
to allow to rest or recover breath: to breathe.

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Some days all you can do is just breathe. 

So breathe, be still, grow strong again. Tomorrow is a new day. 

xx

Goodbye Grandma

This morning I woke up to the news that my beloved Grandma McBride had passed away. As tears welled up in my eyes, I began to think about this amazing lady who I had the privilege to call my Grandma.

Jean McBride was a woman of great beauty, kindness and grace.

Grandma McBride was my last living grandparent. She was married to the absolute love of her life until he died in 1981. With much determination, she then went on to live another 30 years, and chose to live a full and happy life for the remainder of her days. Just as she kept her husband's legacy alive in the beautiful life that she lived, it is my endeavour to do the same thing for for her.

A legacy of open arms and warm smiles. A legacy of unconditional love and hospitality. A legacy of joy and inspiration. A legacy of courage and of hope.

I remember so fondly time spent with my darling Grandma. One of my most vivd memories of my Grandma was during a family holiday at our beach house on the South Coast. My sister and I saw an eligible {not so young but very handsome} bachelor sitting on the beach near us. In true style of the McBride girls, we thought it was about time that Grandma got herself a boyfriend. It must have been about 15 years since my Grandpa died so we thought it would be perfect! I remember her blushing when we suggested the date and then I will never forget what she said next. She said that there was no need to meet anyone else as she had already found the love of her life and that was more than enough for her. How special that she found such true love. A love that lasted a lifetime.

I love how she used to take such delight in her grandchildren. Many a weekend we would find ourselves over with the cousins at Russell St. Many a happy time happened in this house. We would play for hours in the garden and swim so happily in the pool. We even invented a game {well actually I think one of my lovely cousins did} which was so perfectly named 'roll the ball down the hall'. Ah, many hours of amusement that were had playing this game in Grandma's hallway. I loved that until even recently {despite the fact that all us grandchildren were well and truly grown up} she would sit and watch us all play, with a contented smile on her face.

I remember so many fun, beautiful and sweet things about my Grandma.

I remember that she always sent a card for our birthday.
I remember her sweet smile.
I remember that she was always the first to say a prayer at Christmas.
I remember the Olay face cream she always used.
I remember anzac biscuits & her yummy caramel tarts.
I remember her zest for life.
I remember her love of tennis.
I remember her sweet little old fashioned swimming caps.
I remember her love of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder
I remember her kindness.
I remember her Christmas puddings.
I remember her loving and feeding the kookaburras.
I remember feeling so special when she'd get out her baby brag books of all of us.
I remember that she was the coolest Grandma and that she was so affectionately named GG Mac {Great Grandma McBride} by the little ones.

She was a woman who loved without regret or restraint.

I love you, Grandma. You will be missed x

Psalm 91:1-2 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

The Lynx Effect

I must admit, i'm totally loving the Lynx ads at the moment. The 'Even angels will fall' campaign is hauntingly beautiful in a slightly bizarre kind of way. If i'm being honest, the thought of angels falling from the sky and crash landing here on earth totally freaks me out. I guess this is mainly due to my understanding of gravity coupled with the notion of cause & effect {i can tell that my scientific knowledge is astounding you all right about now} Yet, despite all of this, the underlying concept is magnificent. It captures the Lynx Effect at it's most powerful. Boy smells {very} good, girl {even angels} can't resist. 

Another memorable ad by Lynx was another in the series for the Lynx Effect campaign. Now this one was total gold! Perhaps because this scenario 'could' actually happen {i mean, it hasn't actually happened in my life, but I'm sure it has the potential to happen somewhere on the planet} 

These ads are enchantingly emotive yet somewhat simple, but what I want to know is does this so called Lynx Effect actually work?


I don't know for sure but what I do know is that there is something compulsively magnetic about a yummy smelling boy. Just the other day when we were out at a bar, a seriously delicious 'scent' walked by. So much so, that I actually turned my head to find out where the source of this yumminess was coming from. Admittedly so, i even subtly leant into all my male friends around me at the time to see if it was them. Perhaps subtlety is not my strong point as they all pretty much just stared at me and were no doubt wondering if I was on day release from the local hospital. Actually one of them even said "it's the new Abercrombie" and then kept on with his previous conversation. 


So with this in mind, I have taken it upon myself, in the interests of er...research, to find out how successful the Lynx Effect actually is. So off I will go, on my merry little way, to find some Lynx {or Abercrombie, or Gucci, or ...} boys of my own to put this theory to it's test. 


So girls, join me in my research.
And boys, go on, smell yummy for us.


Much love {hopefully requited}
xx  

Love is...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
{1 Corinthians 13:4-8}

Happy Valentine's Day, friends & lovers xx

It's birthday week

I have had the most amazing birthday this year. Actually, forget about just celebrating the day, this little birthday girl is having the sweetest Birthday Week ever! I am somewhat new to this term 'birthday week' but I am rapidly becoming a fan of celebrating the whole week through. Some of my friends are even trying to extend the concept to Birthday Month, however despite my wishful thinking, I suspect that is taking it a little too far.

© Vignes Balasinga

This week, my friends and family have gone over and above in their plight to show me some serious birthday love. I have been completely overwhelmed with gratitude to the point where I have been left speechless on many occasions {and most of you know that this is definitely no mean feat} I am so blessed to have such precious, sweet people in my world. You have truly made this birthday a week to remember.

So thankyou, a million times over.

Much love & loads of birthday kisses xx

Time for a little perspective

It is so easy to get caught up in our own little worlds, doing the same things we have always done, time and time again. It is often unintentional, but at times we allow our day to day lives to overwhelm and even cause us great distress.

This is not to undermine the dramas and concerns we face during the general routine of our daily lives, but a little bit of perspective will often give us more peace and clarity in the situation we are facing.

Sometimes we are too close {to a situation}. If we were to move back a couple of steps, take a little time & space {perspective} ...then voilà, we would be able to see the bigger picture more clearly.

© saad almutairi

This week, one of my flatmates and I went to the movies to see what we thought was going to be a fun & lighthearted story, complete with happy endings and a good love story. Two hours later, we took our tear stained faces and heavy little hearts home.

There was silence.

There were a few more tears. 

There were a few deep breaths.

Then there was the painful debrief.

So there we were, sitting in the car with our mascara streaked faces, trying to figure out why this movie affected us so much. The truth is, this movie gave us perspective. It seemed to shine a light on our lives and put everything thing back in it's rightful order. Some things still seemed significant. Others lost all significance.

Oh, the importance of a little perspective x 

I believe

A woman after my own heart...

Much love x

The cherry blossom

As I looked out my dew covered window this morning, I was hoping to see a glimpse of the sun peaking up from the early morning sky. London Town in February is generally one of the coldest and seemingly darkest months of the year. But every now and then, we often have a few warm and bright days thrown in the mix to let us know that the harshness of winter will soon be at it's end.

This morning when I drew my curtains, I smiled to myself when I saw the first little buds on the cherry blossom tree outside my window. Oh, how I love cherry blossoms. They have to be one of the sweetest flowers I have ever seen.

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These little buds gave me hope. They reminded me that the wintertime will in fact draw to an end and then that we should be expectant for a new season. For me, these buds are the proof of things to come. They are the hope and promise of a new season. 

In time, these precious buds will bloom, indicating that the winter is over and spring is on it's way. So be expectant and be prepared for the new season that is headed our way. I can't wait to see it all beautifully unfold.

Praying your new season, wherever you may be, is magnificent x

The diary of a wanna be gym junkie

With the beginning of each new year, comes new vision, restored hope and the excitement of a fresh start. Each January, I happily step onto the 'clean slate' bandwagon with reckless abandon. Throwing caution to the wind, I start to honestly and openly look at my life and start to take note of the dreams, hopes & aspirations I want to see come to pass in my life. 

Without fail, I inevitably end up pondering one of my good old faithful & always asked questions:

To gym or not to gym? 

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Just last week, I chose to forget about my past attempts {and fairly immediate failures} and decided that this year it would be different. This year, I have made a decision to actually be dedicated, diligent & faithful to my long-lost and often abandoned friend, the gym. 

The demise of my seemingly volatile relationship with the gym can be generally attributed to the fact that I seem to have some sort of allergic reaction to most forms of arduous exercise. Don't get me wrong, I do love to play most forms of sports but going to the gym needs a certain amount of self discipline and determination that I have never been able to harness post February 23.

So this year, with a few gym buddies & personal cheerleaders, I am attempting to break the McBride Record of Gym Attendance. With increased vigour, I have decided that it is time, to once and for all, embrace the inner 'gym junkie' in me.

So come along with me on my journey into the unknown. I'm pretty sure, due to my tendency to create Bridget Jones-esque trauma wherever I go, that it will certainly not be a dull one. 

Let the fun begin.

With love,

The Wanna Be Gym Junkie xx