Until I Return...Be Happy...Train Hard!

Tonight will be my last post before I leave for Kapooka on Thursday. I will be doing my near Wagga Wagga, NSW for one month. I return on 11th October.

I've got alot to organise between now and Thursday, so I need to update the blogging before I go. I don't want to have to do it at the last minute. I will also be updating facebook and changing my FB settings so I don't get any messages flooding my email inbox.

The last 6-9 months has been leading up to this moment, and I'm honestly past the excitement. I've prepared well, and am not stressed, excited, agitated, ecstatic, or otherwise really. I'm just taking it as it comes and going with the flow. I'm past ready, and I want to complete this chapter of my life, so I can began the next chapter with renewed vigour.

Thank you to all of you who have put up with all the lead-up rantings and ravings about my preparations. And thanks for the wonderful support and encouragement along the way! Hopefully, I'll have lots of exciting things to tell you upon my return!

Take care of yourselves...be grateful for what you have right now, and celebrate life each day, because we are all truly lucky to be living in this wonderful, democratic country called Australia, which has been fought for with many lives so valiantly lost. It is the reason we can have what we have so freely...so make the most of it and celebrate it...LIFE!

Springs' Eternal Hope

"And Spring arose on the garden fair,

Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;

And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast

rose from the dreams of its wintry rest."

~Percy Bysshe Shelley

Every year, I wait for this time with anticipation. Not just because it's getting warmer, and the day light starts to linger a little longer, but because it's the time of the year when everything begins to awaken...especially the garden! There are new buds on the plants, and heads starting to form which will soon be in bloom.

And this year finally...the moment I've been waiting for...my Rhododendron has produced it's first flower (pictured above). Unless you're into flowers, gardens and plants, the excitement will probably be lost on you...but that's okay. Why am I so excited?! Well, I lovingly planted my rhododendron two years ago! Yes...that's right...2 years ago...and I've been waiting for it to flower, ever since.

Now what makes it so special, is that Rhodendrons are not easy to grow in Brisbane's climate and soil. They prefer climates which are a little colder and with a little more rainfall. It's also special, because I drove to Toowoomba to find this plant. And it happens to have been cultivated especially for Brisbane's climate, so I faired a better chance of success. The flower is very similar to a double azalea, and if you're wondering, azaleas and rhodendrons come from the same family and are acid-loving plants (and they do like water!).

As you can see from the photo with Philomena, she appears to be ringing her hands with glee. I know for a fact that she would love to pick the flower, but I have given her strict instructions not to touch this plant or flower...or else! I'm afraid she's at that wonderful age where she takes great delight in picking every flower she can get her hands on, much to my consternation. I prefer flowers 'on' the plant! It's hard to say no sometimes though, because she just loves to smell them (even if they don't have a smell), and then give them to mummy.

I'd love to share my beautiful Pierre de Ronsard climbing roses with you too, but they haven't flowered yet. They have buds on them, and I'm afraid they're going to bloom while I'm away, and I'll miss seeing them! I'll have to leave instructions for Anthony to take photos of them. I can't wait for it to climb over the entire trellis and show off it's wonderful blooms!

Okay...enough about plants. Decided to have a swim today as my cardio session, as the running and squatting has left the back a little sore. I haven't done any swimming for at least a couple of months, so I paid dearly for the break! My efforts nearly saw me have a puke, so I was happy with that. And my back and overall body feels good for the swim.

Tomorrow is my last Crossfit session until I return from Kapooka, and then I'm pretty darn busy getting all my last minute stuff ready for Thursday. Had a medical today at Enoggera barracks and collected my med docs to take down with me. Was given the all clear, so all is good. I have one more martial arts session before I leave, and apart from that will start to get my head around what I need to be doing to keep on top of things mentally and physically, so I need to get myself psyched, and a positive frame of mind. The last couple of nights solid sleep has left me feeling fantastic after last week's sniffles and a little sickness, and my training has felt much better this week too. So I think I'll definitely be more than ready for Kapooka!

Anyway...have a great weekend everyone. Haven't had a chance to catch up on everyone's blog. If I don't get a chance, I apologise. There's still so much to do, and so little time. Just know that I'll be thinking of you all!

Talk soon...Kerry :-)

How Sick is This?

I just love this pic! How cool is it? Got this off the Crossfit website. I love reading CF shirts and clothing. It seems each branch has their own take on Crossfit, and I just love the whole Crossfit attitude.

This is something off the Crossfit Brisbane website today, that gives you an idea of the CF attitude. It gets you thinking about challenging yourself to get out of your comfort zone.

"The workout of the day (WOD) clearly provides a physiological stimulus to the athlete. However, beyond the physical challenge, lies an opportunity to practice mental toughness. It could be argued that the athletes emotional response to the physical hardship encountered during the wod, is a mirror of their emotional response to the typical broader challenges that are inevitable in life. How do you respond when the pain sets in? Is the response consistent with how you hope you will respond to the worst life can throw at you? Viktor Frankl proposed that the only freedom that we truly have is the freedom to choose our response to the stimulus that is presented to us. Choose your response wisely. What we practice is what we become."

Have a great day!