Lots of News !

Monday 20/08/07:
No - I have not disappeared off the face of the Earth, nor did I stay in Melbourne, never to return to good ol' NZ ! In saying that, what has been going on since my last post is almost as amazing! Daryll and I had a fantastic 4 days away and guess what?!?! While we were there we got engaged!! Told you it was amazing!! Yes, me - the one who has shied away from marriage for 35 years (despite more than one proposal in the past!) - is now over the moon to be engaged with plans to marry on 29/03/08 (which will be a year to the day since we met!) Yes, it has only been 4 1/2 months since we met on that fateful night at the NZCFI Credit Awards dinner, but we are just so happy and just so sure that this is what we want for the rest of our lives, that we see no reason to wait. So, how did it all happen - well, I'll attempt to keep it brief ("oh yeah" they say - those that have read previous 'brief' posts!!) We had been talking about marriage from about 2 weeks after we met! But until about a month ago it was always in the context of "one day"... Then about a month ago things took on a more serious level and we actually went out looking at rings one day and at the third jeweller shop found one that we both loved. Daryll put a deposit on it and that was about the same time as we decided I would accompany him to Melbourne for his cousins 21st, so we decided that would be a good time to get engaged as well. It was difficult keeping it a secret, but we wanted to keep it just between us until the time. Two nights before we left I was out visiting a girlfriend and Daryll took the opportunity to speak to my Mum and ask her permission! So she knew what was going on, but didn't let on to me. We arrived in Melbourne late on the Friday night and we're pretty buggered by the time we arrived at our hotel out in Dandenong. Then Daryll told me that he had a 'surprise' planned for the next morning - but that the down side was we'd have to get up at 4am! Sure enough, at 4.45am the next morning we were in a cab heading for a 'secret location' ! I had no idea where we were going, but knew that must be where the 'proposal' would take place! I was so excited! At 5.15am in Nanawading we transferred from the cab to a mini-van, which held three other couples - but I still had no idea where we were going. As it turned out, we were heading for Fergusons Winery and a hot air ballooning experience! Just as dawn was breaking, after helping with set up, we took off in the balloon with several other couples and with several other balloons full of people not far behind us. We could also see more balloons lifting off from the city in the distance. It was really cold, but a good clear morning and the scenery was spectacular. We even saw wild kangaroos jumping below us at one point! At precisely 8am and at about 2000ft in the air Daryll pulled the ring from his pocket and proposed very quietly - we wanted it to be private. Of course I said yes, after a bit of a pause to savour the moment! The ring is white gold with a princess cut diamond and its very beautiful indeed! What he didn't know was that I had also got him a ring to wear, until such time as we get wedding bands. it wasn't until after we landed and had helped pack the balloon away, that news spread and everyone was congratulating us. We were all driven back to the vineyard for a huge champagne breakfast by a big open fire. It was perfect and we were just so happy and excited!


Just before take-off!

In the air... Three other balloons just taking off below us.

Just before the proposal!

That night we had Daryll's cousins 21st to attend in Endeavour Hills. Needless to say an afternoon nap was required so that we could make it thru the evening! We had a fantastic time at the party, I met a pile of his aunties, uncles and cousins and was made to feel very welcome. His cousin Natalie, who is absolutely lovely, also announced our engagement during her speech! We ate, drank and danced the night away and eventually stumbled back to our hotel in the early hours!

The happy couple! Note the ring! OK so you can hardly see it in

this photo, but trust me, its beautiful !!

Daryll with his cousin Nat.

The next day was spent sleeping in, visiting with Daryll's family and pigging out on leftovers from the party, before heading into the city to spend our last two nights. We stayed at Crown Towers and divided our time between shopping, eating out, visiting bars and generally having a ball!

Champers at J.J's at Crown.

Yep, told you there was lots of drinking! Had to celebrate! At Gin Palace.

On the Tuesday morning we had to be up at 4am again in order to be at the airport, checked in and on time for our 7.15am flight home! Didn't stop us from staying out until 1am the night before tho! Gotta love a Monday night in Melbourne where bars are still open and busy at that hour! My favourite was a place Daryll had been when he used to live there - Gin Palace!

Oh also, when we called home to tell Courtney and my Mum about the engagement, Courtney was all giggly on the phone and otherwise speechless - for the first time in her life I think! She is just so excited about it all and absolutely loves Daryll to pieces - which is mutual. I am so luckily to have found someone that loves not only me, but my precious little girl as well. Life has changed so much for me since March - I hardly recognise it myself sometimes! But I really couldn't be happier and I am a much better, calmer person for having him in my life.

On Saturday night just gone we had an engagement party at home - it was rather spur of the moment - we just text family and friends a week beforehand, made it pot luck and BYO booze and waited to see who would make it! In the end there was about 40 adults and 8 kids and it was chaotic but fun! So as you can see, life has been incredibly busy and full since getting back and hence me not getting on line sooner. On top of that I have been applying for jobs, as I have definitely made up my mind to move on. Attended an interview today for a job that I would really love to get - its alot bigger job than I do now, but that's the whole idea really - I want be challenged again and really advance my career. I found out this evening that I have made it thru to a second interview, but that won't be until some time next week... Fingers crossed for that!

So, as for running - unfortunately I am continuing to have difficulties with the tibia injury and am now incredibly frustrated with it all. I ran the morning we left for Melbourne and I knew then that I was making the right decision to leave the running shoes at home. It was really tight and uncomfortable when running and worse afterwards.

03/08/07: 31.16 mins, 6.07kms, ave 5.09min/kms.

Therefore my next run was not until the following Saturday.

11/08/07: 34.17mins, 7.28kms, ave 4.42min/kms.

After an 8 day break the tibia felt fine when running but again it tightened up afterwards and no amount of stretching and massage seemed to be helping. After speaking to both Rach, my physio and Marianne the MT, I decided to it was time to head back to the podiatrist - as suggested by Em a while ago, in case it was bio-mechanical. In the meantime, Daryll accompanied me on an early morning walk or two and at least I was doing some exercise. When I saw the pod, he did all of the usual checks, including looking at my shoes and orthotics and videoing my gait. He does not think there is anything wrong with either my bio-mechanics or my shoes and orthotics... Therefore I am now heading back to see the sports physician and probably for another bone scan...

I ran today before seeing him, so that I would present with the usual soreness...

20/08/07: 40.37mins, 8.07kms, ave 5.02min/kms.

This run was done on some hilly terrain and my tibia felt perfectly fine both during and after, but I know that once I string more than 2 or 3 runs together, even with one or two rest days in between, that it will be sore again. In saying that, when Chris was prodding around today there is definitely a very sore and tender localised area in the tibia, exactly where it started out back in April. I'm not sure how long it will take to get an appointment with Dale, I'll find out tomorrow. In the meantime Chris has said he thinks its ok to run every 3-4 days or provided its not feeling sore - which I will do to try to maintain some fitness and I intend to do plenty of walking in between, now that its not quite so cold in the mornings!

Well, that brings everything up to date I think... If only my running was as good as my personal life I would be ecstatic - but I am determined to get to the bottom of this injury, get it sorted, then get back into it. Daryll heads over to England on 31/08/07 to spend 5 weeks with his immediate family. It was well planned and booked before we met and with me job hunting and with Courtney, etc, its just not practical for me to go with him, even for part of the time. So I will be missing him terribly and hoped that I would be back running "full-time" by then as a bit of a distraction, but of course that will depend on when I see Dale and what the outcome of that is...

Will try to get on-line a bit more regularly and comment on your blogs. I have been reading some when I can grab a moment during breaks at work, but am not always able to leave comments. Hope you are all well and running strong, or at least heading in that direction!!