Last year I had the opportunity to go to the Kruger National Park for the very first time. It was just for the weekend but still...
Since my last post was so long I thought I’d spare you and just share the pics :) Here are my favourite shots:
Hope you all have a GREAT long weekend!
(Friendly note to the Guys - You’ll probably get bored reading this)
So I’ve been promising this post for a while now, and finally, here it is...
These last few weeks have been rather crazy! I had a serious sit-down with Wihan and asked him where our relationship is headed (I’m a very patient person, but a relationship just gets to a point after a while where you have to know if it’s gonna grow or just stay where it is - after 3 years of being engaged, our relationship had reached this point). We talked about it, he thought about it, he reasoned, and then... HE FINALLY GAVE THE GREEN LIGHT FOR WEDDING PLANS! *Imagine me doing a happy dance*
So my mom and I went to a wedding dress sale to see what they had and just so that I could start getting an idea of what I like - I ended up buying the first dress I tried on! Of course I didn’t decided right then and there, I wanted to, I was tempted to, but my mother suggested going to one or two more places and sleeping on it then if I still wanted that dress (and if I was meant to have it) it would still be there when we came back the next day. The next day (which was a Friday) was spent driving around to different dress makers and trying on dresses. After being charged R150 consultation fee at the first place, we got smart and asked if they had a fee before trying anything on - future brides, take notes :) The more dresses I tried on, the more I was convinced that the 1st dress was perfect. So just before lunch we drove back to *the* place and I tried my dress on once again. When I came out of the dressing room and everyone gasped I thought “Jip, this is it!”
Suddenly I felt different - now, hanging next to me in the car was a wedding dress! MY wedding dress!
*Side note: You might be wondering how I knew - well anyone will tell you, you just know, but it was more than that... It was the only dress that had all the elements I liked and still made me feel like myself, not some dolled up, fancy Barbie*
That weekend I started looking at venues. We thought we had all the time in the world seeing as we only want to get married next year, but we realized (rather suddenly after phoning one or two venues) that they were already booked most weekends next year! So after narrowing the list of 193 down to 52, my mom and I sat down one night and narrowed it down further to only 22. Now we could start seeing them. Very important because photos lie! A place may seem gorgeous in a picture, but when you there it has no personality and there’s no ambiance.
After spending most of the week (and 2 weekends) looking at places, we finally found “the one”. Of course there were a few places that were absolutely stunning but none of them had everything I was looking for (I’ve been waiting for this wedding for a long time ok, I’m very specific!). Some had no reception hall, others were too big and some had porta-potties for bathrooms (no really!). But this place (to be revealed later) had everything! It’s funny though coz when my mom and I were going through the list and looking at all the websites, we looked at “the one’s” website and she said “I have a feeling you’re gonna get married here”.
Within 2 weeks I have bought a wedding dress, found a venue, and unofficially booked a date! As you can imagine my head is filled with only wedding related things lately!
One of the big reasons why we waited so long to get married was 1) Wihan is still studying and 2) he has no income and we wouldn’t make it on my salary alone. So when we had the sit-down this was once again one of his concerns, I promised that we’d make a plan and I had already started looking for a place to rent. A few days after breaking the news to everyone that we were really, really gonna get married next year, my mom said she wanted to talk to us. She sat us down one night after supper and said that my grandparents had decided that we could live in the new offices! --> A little background here: Klub M5, which is the company where I work (started by my grandfather), recently bought a house in a security complex that we plan on making our new offices. <-- That would mean that we would only have to pay a fraction for water and electricity and basically we’d get by on only my salary. WHAT A BLESSING?! Wihan was really worked up about the financial side of this up until this point. The deal is that we get to live there for a year or two and be able to save up enough for a nice deposit on a house.
I’m moving in in December and I’ll have enough time to paint and get settled, and then after the wedding, Wihan will move in. Aaaargh! I can’t wait!
Will keep you updated and post some wedding details soon...
So yeah, my life has pretty much been heaven the last month or so! Other than that, Monique and I are starting a photography business called niQue - hopefully the blog will be up within the next few weeks.
So to all those ladies waiting for the right one; maybe you’ve found the right one and you’re just waiting for him to propose or maybe you’re waiting for something completely different - hang on! There is a time for everything and God’s time is DEFINITELY the best time!
When Josh asked me if I could take a few photos of him and his date, Caitlin, I didn’t have to think twice about it! I asked him how many photos he was expecting - he shrugged and said “Three?” Hahahahaha! Cute!
I met them an hour before the ball and took some shots of them. Here are a few of my faves: 
Happy Monday!
In December, just before leaving on holiday, I was doing my make-up and out of the corner of my eye I noticed something out of place in my room. When I turned around to see what it was I started freaking out, just a bit... 
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Brabys maps really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10... Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -- ever.
15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call...
18. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad/Mom what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the do I respond to that?
19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well..
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Got this in an email the other day and it makes me smile every time I read it so I thought I’d share it...
Here are some pictures I took last year June on Father’s Day. Enjoy! 
Catching up on some photos I should have blogged AGES ago.
Got some really interesting things happening in my life lately - will share next time.
Happy Wednesday!
P.S. How great are those black and white photos?! First time I actually LIKE the way I did it - yes!
On the 9th of Feb, Wihan and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary.
It’s incredible thinking that we’ve been together for so long and I love knowing that he’s been a part of my life for so long. I’ve grown and changed so much since I met him and I’m happy to say that he played a big role in that process of change.
We said we weren’t going to buy each other presents this year (which I usually ignore) but then he surprised me with this yummy bunny :)
Needless to say - the bunny is no more... All that’s left is his cute little bell. 
It’s almost weekend! YEAH!
I don’t know how to blog.
I read blogs like Jasmine Star and Natalie Norton and I’m blown away by how honest, and raw, and REAL they are. They open up to the world as though everyone reading their blog is a close friend.
Previously, as I sat down to type a post, I’d think about what to say and how to say it (almost like a scripted phone call) - but that’s not me! I’m not a calculated, well edited person. So I’ve decided that from now on I’ll just type what I think... That’s how I write letters, type emails, so why not blog the same way too? That way, you’ll get to know ME as well as be able to follow my journey of trying to become a great photographer.
I say trying because that’s exactly what I’m doing - my photos are not great, not by a long shot, but I have noticed a great amount of improvement over the last 15months. And that’s all I’m hoping for... The more I improve, the more I like my photos, the more confident I become. I’m only starting to reach the point where I take a photo, look at the LCD and think “THAT’S what I wanted”. Slowly but surely I’m getting to know the ins and outs of my camera and the art of photography. It’s not simply aiming and clicking. I get so irritated when people say “Wow, your camera takes good pictures” - it’s not my camera! If it was my camera, why don’t the photos that my cousins take with my camera look great? I hate it when people take photos with my camera (is that wrong?). It’s as though I see the photo in my head, the way it’s supposed to be, someone else takes the photo and when I see it it’s not AT ALL what I was picturing! I feel so bad when people take photos with my camera and say “I took some great photos” and then they expect me to comment on the photos :S
I’m not saying I take amazing photos all the time, not at all... When I go out with my compact I just aim and shoot (that’s pretty much all I can do, it doesn’t even have a manual mode) so I have plenty of photos that are blurred, over- and underexposed, way too much flash etc. I’m just saying it’s not the gear taking the great photos, it’s the person handling the gear.
Anyway...
This is why I thought it would be bad to type what I think. Lol.
Since this is a photo blog, here’s something I took last July when we were at Mabula game lodge.
Hope you’re having a fantastic weekend!
After my parents redid the garden about 2 years ago, there were still a few spots here and there that needed some attention.
A few weeks after my mom had taken care of the spot at the front of our driveway we found this...
Anyway, she didn’t mind them there... They looked happy :)
1.
Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life’s too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s ok to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s ok to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In 5 years, will this matter?”
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel - get, dress up and show up
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.
It was my 21st last year May and I thought it was about time I put some of the photos up of the weekend away.
I decided to not do the conventional formal supper but rather go away for the weekend and spend some quality time with some of my best friends.
Enjoy! 
This little guy came up to my dad and asked him if he could take the thorn out it foot - it was too adorable!
And isn’t it a beauty? 
Every day feels like Christmas since I’ve been home! Still figuring out how exactly it works though - but that’s part of the fun right? :)
So what did you get for Christmas?
