And.....breathe out.

the one where I start to feel better

Hi friends. It is the second last night of our holiday, and I have decent internet ( we have zero phone reception and VERY sketchy internet where we are staying), so I thought I might try to talk about how I am and how I’ve been.

Family holidays are funny things, aren’t they? Very rarely do they ever look like what you picture them to be. That’s not to say this holiday has been bad; it’s been good, but when you have a family like mine, full of neurodivergent people (some diagnosed, others not) who have clashing needs, it can be tricky to keep things harmonious. There have been a few times when everyone has needed to go to their own space and be alone (my daughter especially needs this to regulate herself) or when people have gotten pissy and stormed off or raised their voices, but that’s normal. Overall, I feel like we’ve all had a nice time, made some good memories and enjoyed the time away from our regular lives.

Highlights of the trip have been

-having my cousin and his family surprise me at motocross. They drove over from NSW so their son could compete in the Aussie championship at Bunbury. Blake loved meeting his 3rd cousin and racing against him. I loved catching up with them.

-being by the beach so much. I grew up around water, and I miss it so much.

-seeing whales!!! You probably don’t know this about me, but I am OBSESSED with seeing whales. I didn’t get to see any at Bunbury, but I have seen some most days while we’ve been in Denmark. And when we head back to Albany tomorrow, I will be heading out to look for them again. Absolute magic!

-walking in the Valley of the Giants in Tingledale. Another random fact about me is that I ADORE trees. I know that sounds dumb, but I really do. There is a treetop walk you can do, and it was fantastic. I am normally quite apprehensive when it comes to heights, but I loved it!

-the house we have been in has no TV in the living area, but it does have a pool table, and we have been having multiple games a day. It has made me think if we had a room at our home, I’d buy one because the pool is so fun! Except when some people lose and don’t enjoy losing and storm off with the shits. It also has an organ/piano

-having nowhere to be at any certain time has been wonderful. I have stayed up late reading or watching dumb reels and then slept until around 8 am most mornings. So good.

-simple meals have been where it’s at for us. We’ve stayed in 3 air bnb’s (this one, this one and this one if you want to have a look) and I’ve cooked dinner every night. I’ve enjoyed grabbing some meat, a bagged salad and sometimes a premade pizza or pasta and not overthinking things too much. I’m focusing on protein at the moment, so keeping things really basic has helped. Plus, less waste and cooking time has been great, too. Tomorrow, we head back to Albany to stay at a hotel for a night, which means no cooking for me, and I think that’s a great way to end the holiday.

-lastly, I have started doing weight training while we have been away, crazy, right? It’s only three days a week, and the whole program takes me about an hour to get through. I haven’t done any of that kind of exercise before. I’ve only ever been a cardio or yoga girlie, but I am digging it! Yesterday I woke up shitty, but after plugging in my earphones and doing my little workout, I felt SO happy!!! I always forget how good those sweaty, exercise endorphins make you feel. I then got beaten by both of my kids at pool, LOL

Here are a few pics

We got some good news while we have been away, which has contributed to a massive shift in my stress levels. It feels like I can breathe out. Finally! My shoulders aren’t up around my ears, I am sleeping soundly, and I have even made plans to see some friends when I get home! I feel like I am (maybe) ready to slowly take teeny tiny steps out of my bubble.

I’ve even been dipping my toe back into online life. I started a new Instagram account for my diet/fitness/learn-to-eat-properly life (I don’t know what to call this. It’s a diet but not a diet.) I don’t want to post about it on my regular account as it doesn’t align with that, and it has been good to engage with women who are doing the same program as me. I’m enjoying everything that Elsie Larsen is posting on her Instagram right now. I love that Megahn Splawn is back writing on Substack (I am sad her pod is finishing, though). I enjoyed the most recent episode of The Imperfects with Zoe Foster Blake. And Tim got me to watch The Boy in the Striped Pajamas- I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THAT ENDING!!!!!

Overall, friends, I feel like these last 15 days have given me back a bit of space, and I am not sad about going home on Monday ( I am never sad about going home; home is my favourite). I feel like I have the capacity to take on the rest of the year as we rush towards Christmas. We have no plans for Christmas this year. It will be small and quiet, with only 4 of us being around the tree and table. This holiday has been our big hurrah! And I am so glad I said yes to it all and didn’t worry about the money or time off work or thinking I needed to be in other places. I am not good at letting go, being spontaneous or not worrying about the future. But I’ve managed to do that, to an extent, these last two weeks and thank goodness I did. Nobody should be as tightly wound or sad as I have been these last few months. For now, I feel OK. Thank god for OK!

I hope you are OK too.

Talk soon xx