No. 146 - JUSTINE

Justine and I worked together in the city. I looked forward to the days Justine worked. She's extremely hardworking, reliable and precise. Justine was a God send on those tough days where I needed someone I could trust to give their all to a job and to do it well.

I know that Justine often went above and beyond the call of duty. At times, budget cuts and poor management meant we were often under staffed (a lot of staff we did have were not trained in our department) with insane deadlines and tasks to complete, even before we thought about serving the customers that were lining up. Chaos! I hope that Justine knows just how much she was appreciated.

Justine was only in Brisbane for uni and about 7 months before I went on maternity leave she moved back home to South Australia. I hadn't told anyone at that stage that I was pregnant and it nearly killed me not to tell her. I think the smiles and hugging etc. might have given things away = )

No. 145 - MARILYN

Marilyn is my Mother-In-Law, Kevin's Mum. The distance makes my relationship with Kevin’s family a little more unusual. We have known each other for a long time, Kevin and I have been married over 8 years, but I’ve only spent time with Marilyn on four separate occasions – February 2002, July/August 2004, Christmas 2006 and September - October 2008. It sounds terrible doesn’t it, but when you think of the cost involved with international travel, every two years is actually quite good.

I admire a few things about Marilyn, one is her family. Marilyn is one of eight children, 6 girls, and 2 boys. Attending a family function is something you can’t imagine or be prepared for, it’s something you just have to experience for yourself. With 6 girls it’s a loud occasion but special and warm too. I’d imagine that most large families with grown adults would find it easier to celebrate individually with their own children but I think it’s a requirement somewhere in the M. Family rules that you stick together.

Another thing I admire about Marilyn is her motivation. The Marilyn of today is a much slimmer woman than the one I met many years ago. I haven’t been there to share in her weight loss journey but I have seen glimpses of sheer determination and an uncanny will to walk anywhere, and in any weather. I see it as awaking some kind of determination dragon within you, something I have been searching for and am yet to find. I admire Marilyn’s ability to not only find that ball of unstoppable drive within her, but to harness it and stick with it.

I’m thankful to Marilyn for bringing the magic of Christmas back into my life. The hot humid climate of a Queensland summer is far from the white snow-covered, cosy Christmas we imagine. I think for me, Marilyn has shown me that Christmas magic is for both young and old. And really, decorating is the key. While I’ll never be the home decor master that is my Mother-In-Law, I have realised how it uplifts your mood. Even something as simple as eating dinner on linen placemats can make you feel special and brighten your day.

Recently Marilyn has faced probably the hardest fork in her road. While we would all like to live a happy rosy life, I don’t know if any of us really have one. All we can do is what is best for us.

No. 144 - SHADOW

On day 83 I told you about my childhood horse addiction and Gonzo. Today is about Shadow, the horse I moved up to when I outgrew Gonzo. Truth be known I was sad to leave my old pal behind and terrified of riding such a big horse like Shadow.

Apart from a Palomino my horse breed knowledge is severely lacking. Shadow was, as his name suggests black, and not a Palomino. I remember riding around the lush green paddocks on Shadow. I also remember riding around the rural streets and being terrified as Shadow cantered down the roadside. I was not in control, so hanging on for dear life was pretty important.

Over time I became more comfortable and confident with Shadow. His size became normal and my teacher's new horse became the giant I wasn't game to get on.

No. 143 - KIM KHANH

Today's tribute is to a small suburban restaurant that has stolen my family's heart. We discovered it back when my brother and I were in high school. Initially I think it came recommended by a family friend. We have spent many a night there enjoying the fantastic food they offer. It was the place I celebrated a birthday with friend's, it was the place we probably ate at more than our own home, it was the place where we regularly went as 4 guests and ended up being at least 7, it was the place that has provided endless jokes about the missing dog sign on the front window, it was the place where we came to love and know the staff, it is the only restaurant where Brian has slept in his pram while we ate, it was the place we have taken nearly every friend and family member we know, it was the place where all we had to do was enter and they knew what to start cooking, it was the place where my loathing of a herb called coriander turned into a love and appreciation for the flavours, it is THE ONLY place to get pepper-cubed beef and it is always the place that would be the perfect night out - rice paper rolls and a lemon fresh drink to go with that beef.

No. 142 - MRS. M

I was good and wrote this last night but couldn't get online to post it.

Mrs. M was my teacher in grades 1 & 2, at a school in the same town I talked about in my last post. I loved this school, most probably because it was small and rural. While I'm happy I went there for a short time I'm also thankful for the opportunities my education at larger schools provided.

This school had only two teachers, one was the Principal. Mrs M taught Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2. Mr. B taught Years 3-6. Mrs M loved what she did and it showed. I've been to a lot of different schools and had a lot of teachers but by far Mrs. M was my favourite.

I remember when Mrs. M got married. Until that time she was known to us as Miss L. As young silly students we joked that Miss L was going away to some far away land and that Mrs M was coming back. I loved the Australian twist to our classes and education. I bought Brian an Aussie CD just so I could relive my days of singing songs like Botany Bay (link is a YouTube video). All of the classes would come together for these singing sessions. I loved them.

Mrs. M rewarded us with little prizes like erasers, pencils and wooden rulers. I still have a wooden ruler with my name written on it by Mrs M, in her perfect school teacher writing. Not bad for 22 years later!

We continued to stay in contact for a little while after leaving that town. Mrs. M and her hubby Brad had two boys, Harrison and Edward. I still have a photo of the boys, Edward must have been a newborn.

No. 141 - LAMINGTON

In the late 80's we lived in a house that had an adjoining vacant paddock, fenced with shelter for animals. My Dad, like most Aussie blokes doesn't like to mow, so the best alternative was for us to get some sheep. Luckily we knew a man who owned some so we got them on loan. We had 6 sheep in total, 3 Tukidales and 3 regular sheep (I'm thinking Merino). I'm not exactly sure how it all panned out but Shane got to name one of the Merino's who was a male and I got to name one that was a female.

As kids, Shane and I loved this movie. So "Lambert" was the natural choice for Shane. I needed a female name and wanted it to be similar, so "Lamington" it was.

We had great times running around the paddock with them. Only the smallest Merino, Stacy was tame as we raised her on the bottle, so chasing games was as much affection we could show Lambert, Laminton, Mum Tukidale, and her babies Tuki and Dale (how original are the last three names?)

As far as pets go they were pretty cool and unique, for us at least. Mungo, the owner would come over and sheer them for us. Unfortunately Lamington passed away before we left. According to Dad, burying your pet sheep isn't quite as easy as burying your average size pet.

No. 140 - ANDERS

Anders and I went to uni together. He was one of the many Norwegian students taking our course.

My first time really working with Anders was on this film. Anders was First Assistant Director (1st AD) and I was Production Manager (PM). On real films the 1st AD and PM work closely together on the production schedule and Anders was adamant about doing this film right. I'm thinking it was the control freak in him that made him do it. Although I must say working with him was wonderful.

When it comes to film I work my ass off, give full attention to every detail and am a perfectionist at every step (much unlike my blog = ]) It was such a blessing to work with someone that was more of a perfectionist than me. Truth be known it was stress relieving to know that I didn't have to be the one to make sure there were capitals where there should be capitals, that the font was the correct size, etc., etc. Once we had something figured out I just sat back and watched Anders perfect. If you have ever worked with someone that compliments the way you work you will know what I mean.

The other thing I learned about Anders is that he has a heart of gold. Kind and caring. I think most of us formed a special bond with the Norwegian students and it broke most of our hearts when they had to go home (after finishing their degrees). I've reconnected with Anders (via Facebook of course) and am happy to say he's now married with two kids and has been a high school media studies teacher and a sports journalist. He's living a good life.

No. 139 - EMILY

Emily and I were school friends when we were 9. Emily was one of those happy, normal friends.

I have a vague memory of visiting Emily's new house, made of mud bricks. I don't remember too much about it, but do wish I knew more. Yes, I did say mud bricks, both cool and weird.

I also remember going to a large double storey house (all other houses I had known at that time were single level), I think for a birthday party. I remember us running out to the pool (which was green) to something unique - can't remember what it was, some kind of animal we found fascinating. It's possible this place was Emily's too.

No. 138 - RACHEL

Rachel was my optometrist, until she moved too far away. If you read this post, you will know that any healthcare professional that tells me what I want to hear is my hero. Maybe this isn't the best way to choose my healthcare professionals but I do hope it has helped me choose people that have enough experience to know the whole truth and apply some common sense (leading into my dental nightmare story here, due at another time).

I respect Rachel for not trying to do the hard sell on me at my first appointment. I will need glasses one day, but not just yet. Now, I know if she told me it was time for glasses I would trust her.

Rachel also treated me like a person, not a number. She casually chatted and took leads from my answers to continue the conversation and find out more about me. I'm not one to be nervous over optometry appointments but I think in healthcare this kind of personality and warmness from the provider is invaluable in keeping your patients calm and relaxed. *light bulb* Maybe it's not what they say that I like but how they say it.

No. 137 - FALAK

Falak and I were friends in high school. She was a part of a large group of friends that were the kind of people you would want your kids to associate with. Kind, caring, hard working, not afraid to stand up to peer pressure.

Before we go any further, we had this thing in high school, as teen girls do, that we called each other by our names spelled backwards, so really I know Falak best as Kalaf.

I can't remember exactly what classes Kalaf and I shared together but I do remember her as a wonderful, intelligent, caring person. Towards the end of high school Kalaf started to always wear long sleeves. Now I'm not sure if it was a new found religious belief, an age specific religious belief or maturing enough to not be afraid to show who you really are, but I always admired this about Kalaf. In a world where most teens follow others blindlessly into any and everything, Kalaf was strong enough of a person to show her true self, no matter what others would say.

No. 136 - TRACY

Tracy and I used to work together in the city. I can still picture the first time I met Tracy, she was squatting down near a shelf and tilted her head up to say hi as I was whisked around the store and introduced to everyone.

As it turned out Tracy ended up being probably the single most person to provide me with more training than anyone else at that store, by a long shot. I remember apologising for what seemed the entire day, week and months as I continued to ask question after question. Tracy trained me in a couple of departments and I'm sure she would have done quite well as a teacher. She was always patient, told you the full story so you could better comprehend what you were learning, was thorough and probably most importantly was teaching you from experience. Tracy went on to bigger and better roles at other stores and is this month going to become a Mum.

No. 135 - OLLIE

Ollie used to work for my Dad when he ran a winery in Northern Victoria. At the time he was married to Kim.

As a child my fondest memories of Ollie are him telling Gula Gula stories to my brother and I. This was before Ollie had his own kids and I think he liked the creative/imaginative outlet his storytelling provided.

I have no idea where he got the stories from or what inspired him but Shane and I loved them! There was one Gula Gula (I can't remember it's name) but if you slept with your toes out of the tent it would come at get them. The stories were set in a rainforest environment, my all time favourite setting for imaginative stories when I was younger. Owh, I'm going to have to get Dad to call Ollie to find out the background!

No. 134 - LYNDAL

Lyndal and I were friends in primary school when we were about 11/12 years old. At school I can always remember having a couple of really close friends and then a few other groups of people that I was also friends with. Lyndal was one of those people from another group of friends. Lyndal and her best friend Debbie were inseparable.

Lyndal was always a happy, smiley person. I remember going to her house one day and being amazed (and probably jealous) that she had a pet bunny rabbit.

Flash forward15 or so years and standing outside my old work in Brisbane city (a few hours drive from where Lyndal and I went to school together) with an elderly customer and her trolley, a lady rushed past into the adjoining building. In that fleeting second I'm almost certain it was Lyndal that I saw. The building was multi-storey so I couldn't just go in and find her. I didn't see her again but imagine, working next to each other after all this time.

No. 133 - DEBRA

Like Kirsten, Debra and I met through Queensland Health and now call our little get-togethers Mum's Group.

Debra is modern and stylish, so much so that I feel bad because there is not one single thing that she has that I don't want too, right down to the old female dog named Barry (pretty good for someone that is not a dog person). She's the queen of fab necklaces, Envirosax and the best high end comfy shoes known to man. Debra also knows the places to shop and finds the most unique, cute, must have things including this, the coolest little boy t-shirt. Like it or not (I really hope she doesn't mind), Debra is my go-to gal for all things that will never be available at any suburban shopping plaza.

No. 132 - MRS. MAC

7 days behind. Please read this post to explain my absence.

Mrs. Mac was an elderly lady that lived a few doors down from my parent's milk bar, making her a regular customer. She was part of a family that didn't look after themselves so my memories of her are with greasy unbrushed hair and grotty clothes. Mrs. Mac was much friendlier than other's in her family and I think, enjoyed to come in for a chat. I remember cringing when my parent's told her that it was my birthday (maybe my 10th) and she gave me a hug and a kiss. It might not have been so bad if she didn't have all kinds of old spilt food all down her jumper. The thought was there though.

No. 131 - AMY

Amy and I were friends in that same rural town I spoke about yesterday, in which my parent's owned a milk bar by the river. I remember having friends over and taking walks along the banks and over the other side of the river to the outdoor stage to sing The Bangles' Eternal Flame (it was 1989!).

It turns out that Amy, well her Mum really, is/was friend's with another friend of ours from that town, Pebs. So a few years ago now I caught up with Amy and she told me the story of how we used to take one of the chicken meat rolls from the shop down to the river and try to catch fish (without a rod), using the chicken meat for bait. By chicken meat, I mean the manufactured stuff that is probably 99% cardboard, 1% chicken feet. I had completely forgotten about that. I also got the chance to walk along the bank where we used to walk. When I was young I remember it being covered in reeds, etc. and that it was quite difficult to walk through, especially with the adventurous imagination of a 9 year old. I was shocked at how small and very average it was to my adult eyes.

I also remember going to Amy's house. On special occasions we were allowed to go down to the local Coles supermarket and get a drink of cordial out of the machine. I miss that cordial, they just don't do artificial flavours like that any more = ( (no that isn't sarcasm)

No. 130 - MR W.

Mr. W was a teacher at my school in rural Victoria (grades 3.5 - 5.5). Those were the days when you had one teacher all year. Mr. W wasn't one of my teachers but for part of my time at that school he taught in the library. He was a big joker, someone the kids loved.

I remember a trip to the local hospital for some kind of excursion. On the walk there he walked up and down alongside all of the students, keeping everyone in line. I remember tripping on a piece of concrete and he said "are you falling for me?" Obviously not meaning anything, but just very quick to turn an embarrassing moment into a funny one.

Many years ago, a while after we moved away Mr. W. passed away quite young, cancer I believe. Some of my family still live in that town, infact my Aunt is good friend's with Mr. W's wife and I think my cousin is friend's with his daughter.

No. 129 - PETE

Pete was initially a work college of my Dad's. Now, I'd have to say he's more of a family friend.

I love Pete and his family. They are all incredibly hard working, mature (by nature, not age), classy, social, kind, thoughtful and modern. Pete's family share a list of traits I truly admire. But most admirable is how they make them work together.

I have many memories of Pete. From him making mango cocktails, to MC at our wedding, to "kill 'em and grill 'em" boardroom stories told by Dad, to Christmas with lots of glasses of red, to relaxed Pete chilling out on holiday. But most of all I love his no beating around the bush nature.

No. 128 - ELISE

For a short time Elise and I worked together in the city. Elise was someone I admired.

Not long after I started work at the city store I noticed Elise. I noticed that she was the only female in a male dominated department. I also noticed that she did her job well. She worked fast and she knowledgeably answered customer's questions. I remember telling her I admired how she worked and I asked how long she had been in that department. I can't remember exactly how long it was, but it was measurable in days, maybe 3. Incredible.

To this day the department Elise worked in is one that has sparked my interest. I have no knowledge or experience in that area but liked the sound of the challenge it provided and would welcome the knowledge I would gain.

No. 127 - GAVIN

Gavin was my very first boyfriend, back when I was 5. His younger brother was in my class, so I can only guess now that he was a year or so older than me.

Our relationship was very short lived (as at that age I'm sure it would have been anyway). Gavin and his family moved away.

I do remember what must have been my 6th birthday party. Gavin was invited and Dad made us sit through some photo ops on the back deck.