Dear Readers

It seems all I ever do these days is play catchup. I’ve been particularly bad at posting on my little blog this year (you know, life and work and whatever else keeps us busy) and then I end up doing little catchup posts to bring everyone back in the loop of things. This post is really no different. It’s a roundup of the last couple of weeks (yep, it’s been that long since i last posted O_o)

So I’ve been doggy sitting for the parentals this week as they went on a little road trip, but they’re on their way back as we speak and will be here to spend my birthday weekend with me. Awesome, especially since they missed the big Three Oh last year due to the birth of their first grandchild:)

I’ve also recently learned that no matter how hard I try I don’t understand people or the choices they make even though they know and admit to knowing that it’s the wrong one. It makes no sense to me. I’m very much a black and white kind of person…grey areas are a relatively foreign concept to me and I get confused when people willfully make decisions they know is a disaster. I’ve witnessed this with friends and work and family in the last couple of weeks…it’s a tough one, because it’s not exactly generally considered OK for me to grab a hold of them and shake them, so I leave them to go on their merry way and to learn their own life lessons…I’m still confused though.

Life has been fairly quiet really…work has been busy, but not as hectic as it was earlier in the year and I’ve been keeping myself busy with Kitchen tea arrangements, friends, wine tastings and *twinkle eyes* holiday planning. This is the one piece of news i have that is absolutely fantastic. After working my butt off for over 18 months without a single break I will finally be taking a holiday:) The last year and a half has been hectic and I haven’t had any time off/away. No little weekends away, hell, rarely a weekend that wasn’t spent working to begin with. I worked all through last december and took the total of new year’s day and Christmas day off the entire time. It was time for some me time. So in August I’ll be jetting off to Europe for a fun-filled two weeks. I can’t wait! And don’t worry, you guys will be getting like a million pics on the blog to look at:)

So, consider yourself “in the loop”.

Love
Ruby
xxxx

P.S. I’ve attached some pretty for you…a beautiful sunset and a pic of my early birthday flowers;)

Gracing you with a little bit of pretty. Africa really does give us the most amazing sunsets:)

Dear Baby B

As with yesterday’s post, I can’t believe it’s been a year. I can’t believe that today a year ago was when you finally showed us your gorgeous little face. Happy first birthday little man:) I wish I could be there to give you a big fat hug and to see your excited little face as you get to tear paper and bash cakes:)

I never thought it would be possible to love someone you’ve never actually held this much. My closest physical interaction with you was when I visited your Mom and Dad a year and 5 months ago and I got to hear your little heartbeat and feel you kick. Lucky for us we live in a world of technology and we have been able to interact with you and see you grow via Skype. Seeing how you’ve started interacting with us via Skype brings happysad tears to the eye.

So happy birthday little man:) I look forward to seeing you (hopefully) later this year, to watching you grow (even if it is via Skype) and to be a part of your life.

Much love
Aunty Ruby
xxxxxx

P.S. I’m adding one or two pictures so you can all go awe and agree that he’s gorgeous!

I can’t believe it’s been a year

The last year has flown by at the speed of light…I’m convinced of this. It feels like only a few weeks ago that my father called to break the bad news. The news that obliterated a part of the little world I live in. My gran had passed away. It hadn’t been a complete shock, as we had been expecting it for months, but it didn’t make the hurt any less. She was my gran, my friend and one of my biggest fans, and I miss her every single day. She is far happier where she is now in a world without pain and sickness and sadness, I know this. And while it doesn’t make me miss her any less, the thought of her in a happy, pain-free world… makes me happy:) So this post is me remembering her with a smile (admittedly one through a sheen of tears, but a smile none the less). Love you Ouma:)

I don’t do weepy well

I am generally a very upbeat person. I’m not prone to feeling sad or overly emotional and something I definitely only experience on very rare occasions is loneliness. I mean sure, I can bitch and moan along with the best of them when I’m having a bad day. But I’m rarely reduced to tears, and having a complete and utter pity party is a concept that is mostly foreign to me.

So you can imagine my absolute horror when my day pretty much went something like this. Work…..burst into tears for no apparent reason….totally annoyed with emotional reaction to seemingly nothing…..work…nobody loves me….totally annoyed with emotional reaction to nothing…..work….bursts into tears….totally annoyed with emotional reaction to nothing….feels completely alone in the world…more tears. It’s DUMB!

I’m not prone to being emotional due to hormones (before anyone asks) and well…i’m just not very prone to negative emotions and sadness in general. Which means that my reaction not only surprises me, but also annoys me. I don’t do weepy well…it’s just not my thing.

I finally gave up on work for a bit and had a cup of tea. I had to get to the bottom of this. I’m generally under a lot of pressure workwise, but this week has not been the greatest ever and brought on meetings with news of even less sleep and even less of a social life for at least the next month. I’ve been given completely impossible deadlines…and while i generally have an attitude of “BRING IT ON”, this time round I’m doing my absolute best but I suspect that I might not make it. Being down in the dumps was counter productive and I was counting on my cup of tea to help me get to the bottom of this. And then, as I was sitting there getting annoyed with my emotions’ inability to comprehend the pressure I’m under, it dawned on me. My emotional wobble is most probably completely and utterly stress related.

My solution to this problem? I’ve given my workload the instruction to kiss my ass, at least until Sunday. Tonight i plan on watching series and drinking wine, tomorrow I’ll be having coffee and cupcakes for breakfast with a good friend in town while she takes professional pics (she’s a photographer) and i tinker about with instagram:P, followed by a hopefully fun and inspiring late lunch with some fabulous girls. I’ve also decided to stop hmmmming and aaahing and just go ahead and book my holiday in August…I also spent a delightful hour researching my options on how to make it 2 weeks instead of just one and all the lovely places I can go see. And just like that the tears are gone, I feel loved and cared for again. I told you…it’s DUMB.

Work isn’t everything. Having a life is important. But at the same time….I refuse to admit defeat. I WILL make this deadline. It will probably mean little to no sleep for the next 3 weeks, very little down time and well…pulling a bit of an MIA in all aspects of my life. But I’m starting it off right. Taking the time to rally my forces by spoiling myself and then pulling yet another miracle out of the hat. Because you know…I’m a superhero:P (just kidding!) I’m probably more like a magician anyway:P

Love
Ruby
xxxx

Dear Negative people

Sometimes I wonder how many of us stop to think about what we say/tweet/blog. I wonder if some people even realise just how negative, whiney and full of complaints they have become.

I’m (mostly) a very positive person. And even though my job often makes me cynical with regards to trusting people and just how screwed up the justice system is everywhere, I tend to be the person who sees silver linings, generally sounds annoyingly chirpy and also the one who gets stupidly happy at the tiniest things. Don’t get me wrong…some days I too feel down in the dumps, some days I complain and some days I whine (especially when I’m sick…I’m completely miserable and pitiful when i’m sick) but this is not an everyday occurrence. And everyone is entitled to complain or a whine or to a negative day from time to time.

But I’ve noticed that more and more people are constantly negative, constantly complaining, constantly whining and constantly a pain in my ass. Every single word that flows out of their mouths/fingers laced with the toxin more commonly known as negativity. If you let it run your life for too long you stop realising that you’re being negative, you fail to recognize the amazing things in your life and you spread negativity to the people around you. You become an increasingly horrible person to be around.

There are few things that annoy me as much as someone who has amazing people in abundance, amazing opportunities and just honestly so many blessing rained on them only for them to not once be grateful, not once say anything positive or happy…just negative negative negative! The sad part is that the external parties are not the only ones to notice. These amazing people who you have in your life…they notice it too. They feel that you don’t value them and that you take them for granted, because if you’re this miserable all the time, surely the people who surround you must feel that it is somehow their fault? And not only that..spending too much time with a negative person is emotionally draining, exhausting and quite frankly unpleasant and because it is so toxic, some of these people will, in time, also become negative. A negative person is also often extremely self-centered. Everything is a crisis, everything is horrible and in everything they ARE the victim, not because they’re actually the victim, but because they choose to act like the victim. There are days when I feel like saying “Get your head out of your ass, it’s not a hat” (to quote Pitch Perfect). I mean if your head is up there to begin with, I suppose it makes sense that you have such a crappy outlook on life.

After putting up with a lot of the negativity from a lot of people over time I have finally come to the conclusion that I need to do what makes me happy. I need to, at least to an extent, distance myself from the negative people in my life. Guys, I love you dearly, but realise for once that life is not that bad. Make a point of noticing at least one good thing a day, because I can guarantee you that your life does not suck, you just choose to see it that way.

Love
Ruby
xxxxxx

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