"If we took a holiday...la la laaaaah"

Why, hello there!

Only me!

I must apologise for my extremely lax blogging activity. There are a few excuses reasons for this:

1. A mahoooosive holiday with the Boy (more on that shortly)

Ok ok! I'm on it!

2. A severe case of Black lung (i.e awful chest infection, one that I won't bore you with the details of. I could barely barely stay awake at work, let alone entertain you with a fabulous piece of writing. Ahem.)

Sooooooo. Let's start at the beginning shall we?!

I guess it should start with Graham and the fact that he turned the big 3-0 in June this year. Ages ago I asked him what he wanted to do. He wanted nothing more than to go home and see all of our families.

This was awesome. But I had bigger plans.

"How about making a bit of a trip of it?" I said. "Haven't you always wanted to visit New York?"

So that's how it started. We then realised you couldn't get to NYC directly from Sydney without stopping in LA, so we thought we may stay there for a couple of days...and then figured we should have a little trip to Vegas whilst we were in the area. Why not??!!

And so the Big Trip was born.

Graham and myself have not actually had a holiday together. When you're from where we are, you normally head to *enter hot and sunny European Country here* for a couple of weeks each year with your other half, way before moving in together, or travelling for example. 

On the way to the Whitsundays.
Idiots.

We like to do things a bit differently, and move to the other side of the world together, 8 months after starting our romance. Seriously. Told you we don't do things by halves!

So as much as we live in harmony (almost) all the time, holidaying together is something fairly alien to us, and so this mammoth month-long trip was quite a big deal. 

4 days sailing in the Whitsunday Islands doesn't quite compare! It also doesn't compare to a 3-month South Asia adventure with my curly-haired companion Raquel. We are 4 years older and as much as I am happy to back pack in Laos...I don't think you could get a 4* accommodation for a fiver in New York....

Gra and I in the Grand Canyon...told
you we don't do things by halves!

May 18th 2012: The day has arrived. We had fallen out before we even got to the airport. HA!

3 days in Vegas and NO sign of Elvis.

A quick stop in Hawaii before arriving in Vegas, 17hrs or so after leaving Sydney. We arrived around midnight, got a quick shower at our amazing hotel, then headed straight out to the strip. It was awesome. It was insane. It was VEGAS BABY!!

The Ballagio Fountains, Cirque du Soleil, gambling at the Paris, not to mention a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon...it felt like we had packed a year into 3 days in Vegas. That place screws with your body clock!

Notice I have all the chips??!!

We loved every second.

Then onto Los Angeles. Our accommodation was in Venice Beach. Just a stones throw from upmarket Santa Monica, but the rawness and air of poverty along the boardwalk at Venice seemed a million miles away from the shiny beach town up the road. I really loved the vibe, it was shabby and it was real - unlike the TV shows have you believing in 90210/Fresh Prince land.

Venice...amazeballs.

If any of my....3 (?) blog fans know me but at all, you will know how utterly obsessed I am about the crazy world of Hollywood (see previous post) so after a scrummy dinner and an early night, our first full day in the City of Angels was spent in HOLLYWOOD!!

Oh. My. God. It was mental.

"BIG mistake. Big. Huge."
Name that film!

We did the TMZ Hollywood tour. Saw the Chateau Marmont. The Viper Room. The Ivy. The Roosevelt, The hairdressers where Britney shaved her head. EVERYTHING! If any of you have seen the TMZ show, or checked out their website, you will get the kind of sentiment the tour was going for. Even Gra (who isn't that partial to having 'Heat' magazine thrust in his face every time I read some scandalous gossip) loved it. It was so much fun, made even better by the fact some crazy couple (who loved 'Kardashians' and 'Real Housewaives' more than me) got engaged...on the tour bus! Ha ha!

Arnie would've been shaking in his boots.

A shop in Kitson, a trip to Malibu and some yummy So-Cal Mexican food finished our trip to LA....

...Or so we thought.

When we got to the airport, we realised (a little too late) that our flight had been changed internally and was flying out of a different terminal. It took 1 hr and 20 minutes to get this information, wait for a shuttle, move 3 miles an hour on said shuttle, queue to see an attendant, get ignored several times before being finally told by the rudest airport attendant ever that we had missed the last flight of the evening from LA to New York.

We were devastated. Due to the time difference, the first flight out the following morning would cause us to miss 7 hours in New York. Not too bad if you are there for a long holiday. Not us. We needed as much time there as possible!

After a miniature (ok massive) strop from me, we decided we should just stay at LAX airport and wait to hopefully get on the 6am flight the next day...

Its funny how each of us reacted to this (major at the time) bump in our otherwise seamless trip. I cried. Gra stepped up, realised he was not going to get ANYWHERE with his sniffling whiny girlfriend and took matter into his own hands. He found a map. He found us food. He found me gossip magazines. He was awesome.

The sleep we got on the rubber couches at McDonald's however, was not.

We can laugh about it now, but at the time, it was awful. On a positive note, it also showed us that in times of stress, we didn't kill each other, we just looked after each other, and helped each other out. It was the same when we were in Manchester airport coming back to Sydney - we (and by 'we' I mean Gra) realised there is nothing worse than an airport with Kelly Adams. If on his own, Gra would chill, grab a coffee and a paper, sit by a window and chill until his flight gets called. Not with me. His new experience featured no coffee or chill, but being dragged around duty free and a manic dash between each and every WH Smith to find 'Heat magazine'!!

So anyway, 6am finally comes around, and by some miracle there were spare seats on the flights from LAX to JFK! I could of kissed the woman at check-in!

I passed out as soon as we took off and slept the whole way.

Don't you feel like you're watching 'Friends'?!

New York.

New York. Yup, it did need a double mention (Sinatra wasn't wrong). What a place. From the moment we got to our funky apartment, we didn't stop. Up at 7am every morning and coming back long after the New York revelry kicked off (which we were usually involved in!) we fitted in everything we wanted to and more in those 5 - well 4 and a bit - days. Broadway shows, Rockefeller, Empire State, Central Park, Hot Dogs, Ellis Island, Reuben Sandwiches, Shoe shopping, Times Square, Breakfast (and presents!) at Tiffany's....you name it, we did/ate it!

A few pictures to give your brain a break...

Getting into the NYC spirit...

At the 'Top of the Rock'

Breakfast at Tiffany's! Audrey, move over!

My belated birthday present from Gra!

On the Brooklyn Bridge

A family affair....

We left New York to head to the Motherland. Back to Blighty. As much as our trip to the U S of A was our holiday, our big trip to celebrate Gra's birthday and to test our holiday compatibility (What do reckon Gra? I say we scored A*!) nothing would compare to getting home and seeing the family.

2 long years we have been away in the land of Kangaroos, Didgeridoos and er...Alf Stewart, so getting to Manchester Airport with 2 sets of parents waiting was by far the highlight of the trip.

Gorgeous baby Lola

The two weeks in the UK went by in such a blur. After being with Graham 24/7 in America, it was weird going home and spending 5 days apart whilst he went away to Anglesey. It was nice though, as it meant we both got to spend quality time with our own families, but then had celebrations to attend together...Gra's 30th birthday party, my mum's 'Kelly's home from Oz' party and Lola's Christening.

A night in Liverpool maaaate!
With Raquel and Fenna...

I also got to spend a night out in Liverpooool with my besties from Uni, then a crazy night out with my girly besties in Southport...safe to know if we ever move back to England, they do a FAR better night out than the Boatshed in Manly!

The girlies hit Southport...til 6am!

When it was finally time to leave, we had overspent, overeaten and overdone the fun...but no matter how many times you do it, nothing prepares you for the blubbering mess you become when it's time to say goodbye. My only saving grace is that my mum had told me her and Layney Bobs (my Auntie Elayne to you) were going to come over. First time. Yesssssssssssssssss!!!!

Gra wasn't too bad saying goodbye. He had seen everyone he wanted to see and we had a fair idea of when were coming back, so he was prepared. He was ready. He was...

....going to have to spend the next 3 weeks comforting me and my homesickness/horrendous chest infection!

I WILL get better, I promise! And when I do, it will be time to move back to the motherland and have those babies everyone is midering me to have (give me time dudes, PLEASE!) 

Until next time,

K x

The age of Celebrity

I've always had an extremely big obsession with the world of celebrity.

Not so much wanting to be a celebrity myself (although their bank balance wouldn't hurt) but just the general goings on with these 'untouchable' beings, and the delicious gossip that is created around them. I could give you the 28 degrees of separation including hairdressers, pet chiuauas and botox suppliers between Kim Kardashian and an Olsen Twin.

Jason Donovan and the first album I ever bought!

I guess it started with my first celebrity crush. Jason Donovan. Now before you reach for the sick bucket, he was a hottie in the late 80's! If he was good enough for Kylie...

Then Take That (in particular Mark Owen. Bless.) came into town. I was 8. I was in love. I screamed that much at their Manchester G-Mex Tour in '93 that my mum wouldn't let me go into school the next day as I couldn't speak. I was devastated. All I wanted to do was go in and show off my programme and Fruit of the Loom 'TT' t-shirt!

Mark Owen. Top right. Swoon.

Alas, it wasn't to be. I think once the invitations I sent them for my 9th birthday weren't RSVP'd, and they didn't show up (I wouldn't of minded if you hadn't got me a present, boys!) I realised that maybe my crush wasn't reciprocated. That, or my mum "forgot" to post the invites. Grrrr. They would of  come and fell in love with me otherwise!

Still one of my favourite albums!
(Don't judge me)

Boyband crushes seem to have taken up a lot of my time, actually. Hanson. 5ive. Backstreet Boys. Busted. Even now I am partial to a bit of cheesy pop (although the boys in these bands seem to get younger and younger....Perhaps my 27 years of crushes need to stop now as the average age of a boybander is at least a decade younger than myself *shudder*)

Heat Magazine: Bible.

But I digress (I do this a lot) it not just the boys and their well-sexy dance moves that keep me reaching for the magazines each week. It's the gossip - will Jennifer ever get over Brad?! The scandals - Is Khloe really a Kardashian?! The clothes - where are the sale items at Kitson?! The no matter how many times they do drugs, they still look fabulous?! Mossy, we're looking at you. 

The life of celebrities seems to run at 1000 miles an hour...and it doesn't seem completely real. The Hollywood set seem to switch partners more than me and my friends did in High School (2 weeks was my record.) I always wonder how awkward places such as the Oscars and Golden Globes are, when Taylor and Reese, Blake and Scarlett or the infamous Jen and Ange inevitably bump into each other. Ouch. What is said? Do they have to be separated by security? Or is it like a scene from 'Mean Girls' when Nicole sides with one and Paris creates a slam book about the other??!! Ooooooh, to be a perfectly manicured fly on those walls.

Any excuse for a picture of Ryan.

That is perhaps where my love of celebrity could one day serve a purpose. As my last blog indicated, I would love to work on events such as the mighty Oscars, where I would be able to use my 'insider knowledge' (i.e Heat Magazine) to create buffers so famous love triangles do not cross paths. Where celebrities can relax and know that their deepest darkest secrets will not be revealed...and where scrummy Zac/Jake/Ryan types can hang out without groupies/ex-girlfriends/wannabe girlfriends stalking their beautiful and well-groomed prey. Of course, I do NOT include myself in that category. I would obviously maintain a high level of professionalism and decorum. *cough*

Oh, and for the record....it's Team Aniston all the way. ;-)

K xx

Career crisis! Where's the bin?!

A job. Making a living. Having a career.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to grow up and become a bin lady.

Seriously.

Not your usual 'vet' or 'teacher', I wanted to spend my adult life collecting people's rubbish and work at the tip.



No offence to actual bin men (and women, if there are any) but I am not sure why I wanted to be a bin lady. My mum told me that in year 2 at Primary School we were learning about recycling and reading 'Stig of the Dump' and we took a class trip to the local tip. The outing fell on my birthday. Mum said that all the Barbies/My Little Ponies/Pogs in the world could not overtake the excitement I had for visiting the tip on my birthday. My mum could of saved a fortune!

What a weird kid.

Weird, but determined. At least I knew at 6 years old what interested me and what I wanted to do.

But 20 years on, and my determination to be a bin lady has passed (thankfully!). But now I am more confused than ever before.

I went to university at 18 years old, mainly to check out boys and drink beer before lectures. I didn't have a specific idea of what I wanted to study before I went, but I knew Uni was something I was supposed to do. I spoke to my tutor at college, and at 16 years old, we decided I should apply for an Events Management degree.

My graduation day!

Who knows what they want to do at 16 years old? Really?


4 uni years, several hundred hangovers and thousands of pounds worth of student debt later and I still don't have a specific idea of what it is that I should be doing.

Having left University with a respectable (but 'could try harder') 2:2 in Marketing (having decided after first year that a broader degree would stand me in better stead getting a job than a very narrow-focused Event career) I feel that if I had waited a couple of years before starting University, I would of definitely been more focused on my studies and shied away from that 17th Jagerbomb...


Jagerbomb: ouch.



I spoke about this with Gra recently (probably after another payment to the Student Loans Company) and he said I shouldn't regret my uni years, and that he wishes he would of took the opportunity to go to university. I see him with a trade, a skill, a qualification that has brought him to Australia (without having to fruit-pick...unlike myself....more on that another time) and brought him his awesome job, and it's hard not to think having a trade or skill like his wouldn't of been the sensible (and debt-free) way to go.

But OF COURSE I don't regret it. I had the best 4 years of my life at Uni. I made some life-long friends there (including my very best bestie, Kirst. My 1 avid reader.) University also taught me some very solid life lessons (such as how to work a washing machine) and some skills I would never had learnt at home (such as beating a rugby player at a 'Strawpeedo' challenge)



University also gave me the courage and ambition to travel. My final-year housemate and other bestie Rachael and I travelled around South-East Asia for a few months the year after University and I think I grew up and learnt more about myself and the world around me in those 3 months than I think I will ever realise.

Cambodia: Land of smiles.

But I digress.

I read an article in 'Cosmopolitan' recently that a lot of Australian women are heading back to study later on in life after discovering a new passion, or wanting a completely different change to what they set about doing earlier on in their careers.



But with financial responsibility (even without a mortgage and children - hey, rent is expensive in Manly!) the chances of completely starting from scratch become slimmer and slimmer the longer you leave it. It's just not as easy to start all over when you're not 18 anymore.

If I was to go back to uni to study for a completely new career, I would be 30 or 31 before I even graduated. Still a baby? Not quite...I can't handle my alcohol quite like I did at University and I am not sure that I would even know what I wanted to study if given the chance.



Drunken times at Uni
with my bestie, Kirst.

So what if taking yourself out of the workforce to study full time just isn't a possibility?

Figure out what works for you with the skills you already have? Can anyone help me with this??! I am very modest!

Ok, since being with my current role as and Events coordinator for a Learning and Development Company in the heart of Sydney's CBD, the most rewarding part of my role is organising all the logistics for the events I run from start to finish, and seeing the finished product go well and our clients enjoying and getting the most from the event. I think this is something I do pretty well, and I am organised to the point of annoyance at work (think Monica from 'Friends'!)

But I want BIGGER. Much bigger.

After those of you who have been to a Halloween/Birthday/Random Saturday party at our place, one of my big passions is parties! To organise a fun, happy, (slightly) drunken party, even in our small apartment gives me so much joy (and a very big hangover!)

Halloween: Anyone for a champers?!

To do that on a larger scale (for something like the BRITs, ARIAs...or even the Golden Globes!) would be a dream come true.

Of course I have a lot of work ahead. Behind the scenes at something like the BRITs would be a logistical nightmare....but just imaging the sense of pride seeing something like that unfold??

Music events, sporting events, weddings, birthdays, Bah Mitzvah's....ANYTHING that brings people together to share an event that is run with minimal stress, minimal fuss, and a whole heap of fun would be A. Maze. Ing.



Work the red carpet like Beyonce.



So how do I go about this? Well, I should really start by whoring out my Resume to anyone who will read it. Next: Experience. I need to get my networking butt into gear and volunteer for as many event staff positions as possible, and chat to as many contacts my avid reader(s) have for me to see who and what's out there and what I can do to get started.

Is everyone ready to help me out (I promise seats next to Beyonce at the GRAMMYs if you do!)

And if all else fails....I better start practising my shot drinking before I enrol at Macquarie University next January...

K xx

A week (and a bit) on...

So. The Walk is o.v.e.r.

And I loved every bloody minute of it!

Well, that is a bit of a lie. I loved it up until about 4am when we were walking towards Bondi Beach, gale force winds attacking us and I had what felt like a spiky golf ball stuck in my calf causing me gripe and I just wanted to cross the finish line.

Our preserves...all that was missing was the kitchen sink!

But other than that, I loved it!

So yes, I promised I would continue where my last blog finished and give you the lowdown on how the walk actually went. There was much speculation (and nerves) before we started, but I can honestly say, we all really enjoyed it!

The weather was utterly miserable leading up to it on the Friday. I arrived late to work (no surprises there) as rain in Sydney makes everything move at the speed of a snail...a snail with no feet. And a limp.

Anywho, there was a mixture of nerves, excitement and despair in the office as I arrived. With the rain pelting down outside the window, our thoughts turned to the ever-so-sexy ponchos that we had in case of emergency. God, I HATE Ponchos.



Sexy and we know it.



I was wearing said poncho about 20 minutes into the walk when I realised my trendy (Ok, trendier than a PONCHO, alright??!!) waterproof jacket was in fact, not waterproof at all.

I then stood in a big muddy puddle leaving me with soggy feet for the next 13 hours.

Ok, so I am really not selling you on the whole 'loving it' vibe, am I? It does get better!

We arrived at the start point at Balmoral Beach, and the atmosphere - althought drizzly - was electric. There were groups who had done the 50km day walk from Palm Beach finishing, and 100km teams powering through to the 2nd half. We all congregated at the start point and once the clock struck 6pm, we all turned into pumpkins.

Ok, we started the walk, but thought I would throw that in there to see if you were paying attention. Ha!

We lost sight of the 2 other ladies in our group within the first 10 mins (cheers dudes!) but SJ and I had a right laugh on our own....slipping through the mud and playing stupid games ("if you could invite 3 celebrities, living or dead, to a dinner party....")

Outside the Harbour Bridge...looking good ladies!

We crossed the Harbour Bridge at 9.30pm ish...I spoke to Gra who was coming to pick me up at the finish line the following day to say goodnight - he was going to bed early as he had to be up "sooooooo early" to come for me....humph. At least he was gonna get some sleep tonight!

A quick pit stop at the Opera House for a team photo (finally walking together!) and a catch up and chocolate treat from my buddy Emma and we were off again!



Going through Potts Point with cheers from local drunk people outside the restaurants were a highlight....especially as one of the blokes was about to pour some much needed vino into my sports bottle! Haha.



The dinner of champions.



Seeing Marty (Hazel's partner) at about 11.30pm at Double Bay reserve, with a picnic laid out on one of the tables - complete with table cloth and cheese butties - almost made me cry! A quick pee in the bushes, a spot of tea and a refill of water (no wine, dammit) and we were back on our way!

After our much needed feed, we attempted what can only be described as a muddy cess-pool of grimness between Watson's Bay and South Head Lighthouse....swinging on tree branches to avoid the mud (although there was no point for me, I was a big muddy mess....my feet have only just returned to their un-wrinkly former glory) It was so much fun though...made even funnier by a girl in a group behind us swinging off a branch, only for the branch to snap and drop her into a big muddy puddle! I would much rather have soggy shoes over a soggy bum!

Come on, girls!!

After some shin-splint trouble for SJ, we finally reached Bondi, knowing we only had the 10km coastal walk til Coogee. My mums' phone calls throughout the night had really kept my spirits lifted, knowing she was with all my family and my knackered, out-of-breath voice could be heard on loudspeaker (thanks mum!) but it was so nice to know I was able to chat to my mum 10,000 miles away whilst we were doing this crazy challenge and get some lovely words of encouragement.

I was desperate to run over the finish line, but team-decorum, and the fact that no amount of money in the world could of made me run after 13hours on my feet held me back. (I did a 7km walk this Saturday, a full week after the walk and I could almost hear my feet crying and hurling abuse at me)

This is me at the end
(leftover cheese butty in hand)
realising I would have to stand up soon!

As soon as it was all over....6:59am on Saturday 3rd march, we all breathed a big sigh of relief, sat down, and couldn't move again for at least an hour! Gra came to meet me, which was lovely and weird...we hadn't spent a night apart in a loooooong time. He drove me and Nikki home (she lives up the road in Avalon.) I would love to tell you we had a big de-brief and discussed all the details of the last 13hours, but I actually cannot remember a single part of that journey as I was passed out in the front seat!

A hot bath, 5 hours kip, a DVD day and a bottle of champagne later....and I was fully recovered.

Who's up for it next year??!!

K x

I'm walking on Sunshine....no, wait...that's just mud.



Giselle is waaay too cool to

be associated with a walker!



Walking.

It's never been the most interesting of activities has it? You don't find 'walking' at the Olympics. There are no cool professional walkers with their rockstar/model spouses and you certainly don't see walkers in any hall of fame.

So why have I chosen to use walking as a method of getting from Balmoral Beach to Coogee Beach (that's 50km!)???

It's for charideeeeeeee, y'all.

Yes, I, Kelly Lianne Adams has decided to sacrifice my Friday night at home, snuggling with the boy and watching Gossip Girl (Gra's choice, not mine) to walk for about 11 hours OVERNIGHT in muddy, crappy conditions all in the name of charity.

And I am actually quite excited. Well, excited/mental.

The thing is, I quite like doing stuff for charity. When Gra and I first arrived in our little beach hometown of Manly in 2009, I felt very left out watching all these fit bronzed bodies running up and down the beach, not a bead of sweat/inch of fat between any of them, and decided that running was the sport for me. You see, I have never been the most active member of any gym (sporadic usage is the term I like to call it) so thought running would be a cheap and fast way to shake all those chubby bits into shape and become a lean, mean running machine.

My first run nearly killed me.

My first 1/2 marathon in
September 2011

But I stuck at it and completed my first ever 14km organised run the following August - the world famous, biggest charity run - City2Surf, going from Sydney City to Bondi Beach with about 80,000 fellow runners/joggers/walkers. I didn't stop running the whole way. And I loved every bloody minute of it. I did it for charity too - I raised a few hundred dollars for Monica's 'Doggywood' kennels.

Again, last May we did a 10,000 steps a day challenge at work for the CARE Australia 'Walk In Her Shoes' challenge - helping poverty stricken women in third world countries. At work I seem to have taken on the charity coordinator role, bringing forward different activities we can do to raise money for charity.

So when the Coastrek walk came up, you could choose to do a 50km or 100km walk, during the day or overnight. My initial thought was "yesssss, a day off work!" as the day walk starts at 6am on Friday 2nd March...but alas, that start time had already been filled. By this point, my fellow team members had caught wind of this and seemed keen, and so, as I write this, I have about 28 hours until 'Wilson Wonder Women' start their treacherous and tiring journey overnight to Coogee beach.

Our 'official' photo!

I really don't know what to think about all of this. When I get tired, I get cranky. This will go down great with the MD won't it?? Haha. There are 4 of us doing it. 1. My Director. She is a professional runner. I have trained with this woman. It ain't pretty. I didn't know anyone could get so competitive on a charity walk!

Numbers 2. and 3. My fellow colleagues. They are a lot less stressed on finishing at a certain time, as long as they finish! Then there is number 4. Me. I am in the middle. I am not really bothered on time or speed, I just want it to be fun. Granted, there is only so much fun you can have with your Director, but I want fun nonetheless. We will be walking through muddy bushland at all hours of the night. It will probably rain, it will be a bit chilly. I am afraid or the dark. Hahahahaha - er where is the fun in all this??

Our not-so-official photo!

Anyway, enough of me being a wuss. I am just so happy my friends and family, with a bit of coaxing, have sponsored me so much money! The minimum compulsory target we had as a group was $1600 - $400 each. I pushed it to $500 but at the last count, thanks to donations last night from my wonderful mum and Nanna Edie, I am at $895!!! Wow. You lot must really think I can do this! I was totally kicking ass with my sponsors too, until my Director snuck up on me and got a last minute surge...but all together we have (at the last count) $3170!!!!

That is insane.

If you fancy parting with some of your hard-earned casharooney and want to sponsor me (purely so I beat my competitive boss!) just click on the link below:

http://my.artezpacific.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=379542&langPref=en-CA&Referrer=http%3a%2f%2fwww.facebook.com%2f

Thank you so much!

Right. So now all that is left to do is the walk. Compeed, ponchos, cereal bars and many pairs of socks at the ready. I am so not making walking sound any cooler, am I??! Can you please prey that it doesn't rain?!! I cannot handle soggy feet! Ahhhhh, I am making it worse!

I will let you know how I get on. To be continued....