You will never, never know if you never, never go, NT

First stop Darwin next stop Hong Kong & China

Hi team
We have just returned from a week in Darwin the Northern Territory , http://www.tourismnt.com.au/
It was amazing , it is such a great town and we did the whole national park experience, with termite mounds, swimming in huge natural water falls and enjoying the great clear Sky's and hot weather. We had 30 degrees Celsius everyday . Its the dry season up there and the weather was so nice after all the cold and winter rain we have had here over the past month. We saw crocodiles and went to the wetlands and it was just great . The reason for the trip was Craig had the National Congress of Council conference on so i tagged along, I have to pay my own way, however I scored a cheep jet star ticket $320 return, not bad at all.
We went up a few days early so Craig had a chance to look around before the conference started on the Sunday. It is a 4 ½ hour flight from Sydney. What a vibrant place it has just blossomed, I was last there when I was 16 with two school friends, some 25 years ago, I didn't recognise much of the city at all it has changed so much. Darwin has a real outdoor lifestyle , great pubs and cafes and loads of backpackers and a real mix of outback Australia meets the world.

I hate the cold so this getting away for winter breaks is a bit of me, but wait theres more We are off to Hong Kong & China on a work fact finding/holiday, Friday week. Just call us sun birds following the sun around the world, ohhh it sounds so exotic, hahahaha. I’m already there in my mind , again I cant wait to get away from this winter cold to the warmth of the Hong Kong Asian Summer. I had a taste of the winter warmth in Darwin and the 30 degree + every day. Sunshine, swimming, and great shopping, suites me down to the ground. My girlfriend is the 2 IC of a hotel on Hong Kong Island and we will be staying with her. It will be so great as she will be able to show us around and she is great with the language and knows all the good places to shop and eat and I'm looking forward to hanging out with her. Again we picked up some great airfares back in January on the net and we need a kid free break.

Speaking of kids, they are great, Renee ( 19 year old daughter) is loving Uni in Armidale, a great college town 7 hours drive North-West of here. Law is a challenge but she is doing so well nothing less that a distinction in all her subjects so far. She is a chip off the old step mummy block, hahahahaha.

Ryan ( 16 year old son) is still my challenge, but he is loving his job, they just made him department manager , so for a 16 year old that’s not to shabby, he is certainly a very good looking kid and he still has the first dollar he ever earned so I'm sure money wise he will go far.

Sean ( 22 year old son) and Holly ( 24 year old American girlfriend ) have decided to go their separate ways and Holly is going back home to Arizona in August . Sean has applied to also go back to Uni to do a second degree, and you guessed it he will be also doing Law, he finished his Bachelor of Business last year and has been working full time but has decided he is also wants to be a lawyer and will be joining Renee at UNE (University of New England) in August, Craig is also hanging to go back and do Economic law to add to his economics degree , so before you know it we will be opening The Doyle, Doyle and Doyle legal practice, hahahaha... I will be the marketing and PR side of the firm...

All the puppies went to wonderful homes. The little champagne coloured female went to a great older couple, Gwen and Richard, they live on a magnificent property at Wollombi. We were up there with friends to the public Holiday Monday markets ( they are on every public holiday Monday and have been for over 20 years) on the weekend and we called in to see her , she is so adorable and looks just like Paisley, they are thrilled with her and she has an older mummy dog she lives with Jenny she is a 10 year old pointer and they get on great.
I gave the little dark apricot one to my mum for mother’s day as a surprise, she was thrilled and they called her Petal, she started puppy school last night and mum said she is a star. She is adorable and I get to see her all the time so that is unreal. Then last but not least, the final pup to go was the little white male, he went to a great family just in Terrigal they have two kids they called him Otis, they are also thrilled I had an email last night from them and all is good in puppy land. Cuppy Cake ( the other champagne female) is doing great with her family at saratoga. So I’m a very happy camper and things have settled back down to normal with my two wonderful mum and dad dogs Paisley and Newman. I will let her have more puppies but not for at least another 12 months, she did so well they are all so healthy and so so so cute and happy.

On a more serious subject my weight loss is still so slow, its insane, I’m now seeing a kenisiologist to try and help me unlock the emotional blockers to me losing weight, I lovingly call her Bec my Hokas Pokas chick. I hadn’t lose not a pound for over 2 months then in the past two weeks Ive lost 2kgs ( 5 pound for the yanks who read this blog) In total over the past 6 months I have lost 13.8kgs that's just over 30 pounds, so that’s good, I guess just not as much as I had hoped. Maybe I’m starting to get the key to getting rid of this weight.
My hokas pokas Chicky has taken me off lactose and I have to have organic socked oats for breakfast, eat more pineapples and kiwi fruit and have 1 table spoon of flax seed oil every night, yumo... She also does irradology and looks at my eyes, I even had photos taken of my eyes last week, what a hoot to see my eyes as big as footballs on the computer.
I also got the results from all my blood test , some five pages including an ECG and I'm the healthiest I have been for a long time my cholesterol is down nearly to normal and I'm no long insulin resistant 9 a pre diabetic condition) so that's remarkable , I still have a slightly fatty liver but that is also getting better by the day, all the other 50,000 things tested were all normal, Bec says i have a strong constitution, good genes I say, and for that I'm very lucky, no high blood pressure , no joint issues,no nothing serious. So when I get this weight off I will live to 100.
I’m still slack with the exercise however I have been walking every day , but I haven’t been back to see Matt my personal trainer for over two weeks, slack. The gym I go to, Oxigen Mind and body fitness, has taken me on as a case study and they are giving me a personal trainer twice a week and sending me to the Kenesiologist.
In fairness I have just been bone lazy, Matt has had the flu and I know these are all excuses but to be honest I spoke to another girl from my gym last Friday and she said the whole gym has the flu and as I'm off to Hong Kong in just over a week, I simply cant afford to be sick.
Due to the Swine flu outbreak in Australia they are so paranoid about letting Australians in to Hong Kong and China, in fact many other countries as well. They are scanning people as they get off the plane in Hong Kong if the plane originated in Australia and if your temp is up even slightly they are not letting you in. Those Chinese may have the secret to great skin but they are a little paranoid when it comes to disease ,but then again I guess and out break in a country as populated as China is nothing to sneeze at. Anyway I just seem to find every excuse in the book not to go o the gym, I love the gym, I'm good at the gym , the gym is good for me, I love and accept myself, this is all part of the NLP ( Neural linguistic programing )Bec is also doing with me, change the conscience mind and aline it with the sub conscience mind and everything will fall into place...oommm ooommmm ooommmm think thin....!!!
Talk soon
Tracey

Autumn in Armidale, the families flying visit

Our Number One Son leaves home

The Doyle pups have all found wonderful new homes, with a lovely family coming to pick up Nosy (number one son) this afternoon. They popped over last night and met him and it was love at first sight. They live at Terrigal and have two kids, Naomi 8 and Cameron 6. They just loved him and he loved them and Paisley and Newman also smoothered them with attention and that's a great sign our only boy will have a great life. Of course I was in tears last night as I began to prepare for his last night, this is really the end my baby's are all gone as of 4.30 this afternoon. I will probably be a miss as I just don't do goodbyes well.
However they are all so loved and I received a text message from Julie ( mother of Bailey ) the first pup to leave and she is doing great . The text message was written as if from Bailey wishing her mummy Paisley a happy mothers day, it was so so so cute. They have been taking her to puppy school and she has learnt to sit , drop roll over and shake hands, she is putting her mum and dad to shame.
I called Gwen and Richard up in Wollombi this morning to see how our second little Champagne pup is doing and find out what they called her. They still haven't completely made up their mind but it looks like she may be called Bella. She is doing great a gets on very well with their other dog, a 10 year old short haired pointer female. Richard say she was a champ...
Then there is our little apricot baby I gave to my mum for mothers day , she is doing great she is almost house trained and has stopped crying at night and is just the cutest little girl , they called her Petal , how adorable is that.
Mum, Dad, 91 year old Nanna, Craig and I all made the 6 hour road trip up to Armidale on the weekend to visit Renee. We drove up Saturday and stayed at a little motel just around the corner from Renee's place. It was a quick trip but nice to all get away together and see the magical Autumn leaves turning in this pretty winter city. We took Mum, Dad and Nanna on a guided tour of Renee's Uni (UNE)and all had dinner at the local club .Up early Sunday, we looked around town and then headed off to Tamworth to the Peel Street markets ( community craft markets held every month in the region)I bought some great homemade biscuits, and baby cards for two friends of mine who have just had babies. louisa bought this great hand knitted beany and to top it off mum scored some delicious homemade pickels to have with our picnic lunch in ANZAC park before heading off . It was fantastic weather ,a real clear crisp Autumn day. Renee and her flatmate Louisa drove Renee's car the 1 hour trip down to Tamworth as it truly needed a run.
We then all hit the road for home around 2pm, arriving back around 6.30pm. Ryan babysat the big dogs and also NOSY and Mums little Petal. It was good to see them all playing crazy when we got home. Nosys new family had called a few times so I phoned then when we got home and very keen they came around 7.30, the kids in their pajamas and all.
Now Nosy id off to his new family and I'm sure he to will be a happy camper. As for mummy Tracey , our Paisley and daddy Newman , I guess we will be lost for a while but they say the mother dog forget however I'm not convinced of that. As far as I can tell this mother human wont be forgetting any time soon, I will be so so so sad to not have them with me anymore , but also thrilled they have all found the best homes, a job well done all round but still hard to let go, even writing this blog entry I'm welling up with tears just thinking about him going and Paisley not having her baby's anymore, but as Craig has said so many times this is what happens babe, the circle of life. I never did like the bloody Lion king.....!!!!

Happy Mothers Day mixed with puppies

Yesterday was mothers day and I surprised my mum and 90 year old nanna ( who lives with my mum) with a gift that will keep on giving, a puppy . Yes, Dad finally agreed to let me give mum one of our puppies and I'm so thrilled I will always be able to see her and watch her grow up. Paisley and Newman can see her too, it is the best outcome all round. I placed a pink collar on her with a huge pink rose attached and gave her to mum in a mothers day gift bag , it was a true Kodak moment , there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Dads mothers Day present was all the bits and pieces needed for a new mother of a puppy , a new pink fluffy bed, new bowls and toys. Apparently the puppy cryed all night last night, I guess she was missing her bother and sister and of course mum Paisley and daddy Newman, oh and maybe Tracey mummy too!!!!

Renee sent me the most lovely Mothers day card in the mail and it arrived today, her timing was perfect because a lady named Gwen came to look at the 2 remaining pups and she decided then and there that she wanter the champagne little girl and took her, I was so unprepared to see her go and be left with just one pup and Paisley was also stressed and Newman to and number one son is crying, not to mention me I was a mess. When she handed me the $$$ and said how excited she was to be taking her , my heart missed a beat. I knew she was coming to have a look as she made the appointment last Friday but for some reason I didn’t know she would take her , like right away. I felt I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye properly , it was weird, all the other two I have know they were going and I had prepare myself the few days before and especially the night before to let them go, however in this case, bam she was gone, so I have been crying for the past ½ hour . I just don’t do goodbyes well, I’m so not a good puppy breeder I wanted to keep them all.. Now there is only little NOS ( number one son)left Paisley is running around looking for them and she also scratched the shit out of the door when the ladies left with the pup. She was barking and running around and she hasn’t done that for the others, so that upset me even more.
Anyway I guess they all had to go sometime , its just I wish the time went slower I just loved having them , I know they were hard work but I loved it.
Gwen the new mum to our Little champagne baby lives on acreage in Wollumbi , so she will have a great life on the property and Gwen seemed lovely and her daughter Jodie was also very nice so i know that she will be loved. Still and all after Gwen and her daughter Jodie left with the puppy I was in tears and checked the mail box and Renee's card was in there, that was just what I needed. So thank you universe for step daughters and for nice families to love our pups. One little boy left and then the circle of life is complete.

Paisley the birthday girl , turned a big 1 on the 30th April , 1 year old and mother of four , not bad going. She has the crown.

Number One Son a snowy white baby boy as he destroyed my Agapanther plant

A fine red , our baby red loves the wine rack

Champagne plays in my pot of Day Lillie's

A Father and son moment.

STOP PRESS
As I mentioned I had the two families coming pick up the two pups on Wednesday , I had them come at the same to time as it would be less stressful for both Paisley and I. The older woman who came to visit the puppy's last week and put a deposit on the little red one for her mum, actually bought her mum over to pick her up and basically the mum was an old bitch . She was mean to Paisley and Newman and was so old and crunchy and said she didn’t like Paisley and Newman they were to big. She said that isn’t the style of dog she likes, it was horrible. She was a nasty old cow and had Parkinson's and was shaking and rattling and almost feel down the one stair we have from the entry to the lounge room, so I gave her daughter back her $100 deposit and said that my pups need to go to homes where people really, really want them, so here's ya money and I will keep my puppy- thanks very much.... Her daughter who was the one who had come over and chosen the pup was quite a nice older lady and she was so embarrassed, but I'm so glad she didn’t take her , the poor pup would have had a sad old life...

So we are back to three pups left. As mentioned Cup cake went yesterday to her new home and Julie( her new owner) has already sent me a photo of her asleep in her new bed with her 4 year old Brooke. The puppy loves her new home and they just love her to pieces... They are the perfect family to have a puppy... If you now anyone who would like to buy a puppy and they re good people not like the Camilla Diville woman who almost got my red baby girl, have them call me. By the way Paisley is one today , Happy Birthday to the mummy Paisley....

Its a mad capped life I lead, in starting this blog I believed I would be updating, adding and generally all over it most of the time. But , and there is that word again not a the best choice of words to use however but sums it up. I always have a but....I seem to be always doing something that keeps me from being a true dedicated blogger, I certainly take my hat off to those who are devoted bloggers, my best friend in the USA updates her site every couple of days and then there is Bridget who seems to have something to say every day and truly puts me to shame , shame. All I can promise is that I will do my best o keep you guys in my loopy life's loop...

I have some sad, sad, sad news, last weekend , (Easter Sunday) I lost Shamos, my cockateil (bird), I have been devastated , I had him for close to 15 years , I haven’t been able to talk about it , hence the blackout on my blog. He was found peacfully lying on the bottom of his cage. I was truly , deeply saddened. He had been with through my thirties , through the divorce , my life at Ocean View Dr , dating again, meeting Craig and the kids, buying my first house , making new friends, giving up things, you name it, Shamos was the one constant.I was 27 when he choose me as his owner. I was sitting at a picnic with friends at Avoca beach and he flew down from the sky and rested on my shoulder and proceeded to chew my gold earring, it was love at first sight, and a mutual love of gold that bought us together and we have been inseparable since.

He had a great funeral , I wrapped him in a pure silk scarf and sprayed it with Chanel No 5 then I laid him to rest in my PRADA box my new sunnies came in, it was a stylish little coffin black with PRADA embossed on the lid, tied up in a gorgeous silver cloth ribbon he was buried under the paper bark tree in the back yard. I sprinkled flower seeds over his grave. Craig, John , Renee and Ryan all attended the funeral and all made a mention of their experiences with Shamos. He was my boy as he has gone to the big tree in the sky...

To change the subject, two puppies are sold, the little dark apricot and the one with the white socks and blaze... They go this Wednesday ( 29th April ) the day before Paisleys 1st birthday, uncanny... , bring on the Kleenex.... The little one with the blaze is going to the nicest family they live at Davistown and Julie knows so many people I know and yet we had never met. She called from the ad in the paper, they have two little girls 4 and 8 and they will love her to death. Julie is a teacher and used to teach Renee , it was all so uncanny , the universe matched us all up , she is keen to keep in contact and has been called nearly every day asking about what she eats and what else she will need , they are so excited, they even dropped a towel in so we can have Paisley sleep with it so the pup will have her mums scent in her new bed , how cool is that....

The other little apricot girl has also had a match made in heaven as she is the quietest of all the pups and she is going to a lady called Vicky and her 84 year old mum, they already have a little black poodle called lily and they want a friend for her and also to keep the nanna company , Vicky has a daughter and she has twin 9 year old girls who are around all the time, so the pup will have the best of both worlds, an old lady to love her and nurse her and a constant lap to sleep on and kids to play with every now and then....how cool is that and she also wants to keep in contact and only lives at Erina Heights and will be taking her to the same vet we use....

Two more to go , they are back in the paper this week, its heart breaking , but both the sold ones are going to such good homes, so mumma Tracey is happy about that.I’m getting excited about Darwin but more about Hong Kong , even though I haven’t lost much weight still around the 12 kgs mark, I’m going to try and flog myself between know and then to get off another few kilos before we go...To much chocolate over Easter..... I

t was great to have Renee home for two weeks , she bough her German girlfriend Louisa home to stay , it was good to have the chicks in the house again. She is loving uni and doing great, , she is the smartest button receiving a High Distinction in Sociology , that's my girl , she is a chip off the old step mum block as sociology was one of my best subjects at Uni...

Craig had his hernia repaired and is on the mend, he just had to have it done before we went to Hong Kong , because after all I had to have him fit and able to carry serious weights , with all the handbags, shoes and shopping I'm planning to buy, I simply couldn't carry all of it myself, love it....Ryan is working hard and is a good kid when its just him and I , add anyone else to the mix and its like adding nitro to glycerin, BOOM.

Sean is still away working and Holly has moved into her own little pad in Tascott. I'm still yet to have my first piano lesson , but live in hope my carree as a concert pianist will kick off soon...Life is good , work is slow , however I'm keeping my head above water and in this economic climate that's a good thing, winter is knocking on Autumns door I had my nanna blanket (O a woolen blanket my gorgeous 91 year old nanna Greenwood knitted for me some years back) out for the first time last night , I like the fashions of winter with purple being the new black , but you can keep the cold.....!!!

The Amazing Doyle pups @ 4 1/2 weeks old

These are just the cutest most adorable puppies that were ever born , they are 5 weeks old this Thursday, April 2nd and I have to say they just get grow more adorable every day , their fur is getting so long and their ears are growing and they are running and playing and barking and growling and they are now eating real puppies food , out with the farex they are eating soft mince and they love it.

I will have to start to prepare myself for them to move to their new homes as I cant keep them forever. I must admit I did consider moving to a farm/property just so I could have them all, and that is very freaky as I'm not a rural person at all, but the things you consider for love!!!! I rang the paper yesterday to enquire as to the cost of an ad and I called Dr Michael our vet to book in for their vaccinations and to be micro chipped. This cant be done until they are 7-8 weeks so I still have a few weeks to wait.

If any of you guys know anyone keen to by one of my little treasures here is the deal , the little Boy ( white ) is $650 and the two little champagne girls are $750 and the pure apricot little girl is $800 . They sell in the pet shops for over $1400. They are Bichon-freese cross poodles second generation. Both their parents Paisley and Newman are bichon-freese cross poodles and they have the best temperament you could ever want. They are small dogs and they love people and kids, they need to be inside dogs and they will sit on your lap all night . They are playful and we have both the mum and dad and they do not bark allot. That is a miss conception that little dogs are yappers, these two are great , they will let you know if someone comes to the house , but that is a good thing.

They are funny and they do not smell, they do not shed as they have fur like sheep's wool. Both the parent dogs are fit and well and have never had a health problem, the mother paisley is 1 year old and the father Newman is 2 1/2 . This breed is ideal for people with allergy's as they are hyper allergenic due to their wool like fur. The no shedding is great so as you are not forever cleaning fur off your cloth or furniture. If you know anyone keen on buying one of my little special babies they are welcome to call me on 0438 615 122 and they can come over and meet the parents. Deposits will be taken now to secure your pup. Anyway as hard as it is I will try to ensure they go to good homes, where they will be safe and loved.

Enough about the pups as to the rest of my life, this are going great actually , we have had a few ups and downs over the past few weeks I can always use more work and we have had a few issues with the kids. Ryan ( 16 year old son ) and Holly ( 22 year old son's girl fiend from the USA who lives with us) have had a few clashes and there has been a parting of the ways and Holly has decided to move out into her own little flat at Tascott , so that is great i will miss her but she needs to have her independence and this will be great for her to mature and have her own place and she will be free from the Ryan factor which at times is very much a challenge. She moves out on the 6th April . We will still see lots of Holly Im sure as she is always welcome at our place and she will be coming over every Thursday at 4.30pm to teach me to play the piano, i got a key Board for my birthday and Holly's present was lessons to teach me play , can you stand it , me the pianist, watch out Beethoven... how cool is that...

The big law student extraordinaire Renee comes home from Uni in Armidale for three weeks on the 10th April, just in time for a Good Friday fish- B- Q . She is bringing her German flatmate Louisa with her so that will be great , the yank moves out and we gain little miss Renee and a German chick , how cool. I cant wait to see Renee, its funny you often dont know what you have got till its gone. Sean is also back for Easter , I'm guessing he will be staying with Holly in her new pad , but I'm sure we will be seeing allot of him , he is on the Coast for 10 days.

Craig and I are getting all excited about our week in Darwin , I guess I'm a little more excited than Craig as he will have to work while he is there , where as i just get to site see and do the partners programs while he is working at the conference. We got cheep Jet star flights .We will be up there for two days before the conference starts so we are going to hire a car and go out to Litchfield National Park , apparently it is more beautiful and less touristy than Kakadu. We are staying in the Harbour View Novotel with Harbour views from our room, how lovely. We fly out on the 21st May. Then we are back for two weeks and we fly out to Hong Kong and China on the 20th June , that's a story for future blog posts... I love my life....

As far as the land of lap band goes I have lost close to 12 kilos, it has been 15 weeks since my op so I guess that isn't to bad. i had another fill last week now have a total of 6 mls in my band , so I have considerable restriction. I must admit it isn't all smooth sailing , the band makes it hard to eat things that are good for me like fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and breads and rice. These foods are difficult to get down. Since my last fill I have had allot of trouble with chicken breast and bread and also fish and I had rice on the weekend and that got stuck. This can lead to whats known as dysfunctional eating , that is you are hungry and because you cant eat a wide variety of foods you tend to snack on foods that you know will go down and will not get stuck and cause a blockage and hence pain and regurgitation . like biscuits, ice cream , chocolate and most highly processed foods including crunchy chips and bad things. So it isn't as easy as you may think, will power is most defiantly still a major requirement. I have been trying to go to the gym at least 4 times a week, I was a lazy ass and didn't go last week or the week before and my weight loss was zilch. I need to go to the gym and do at least 3-4 spin classes a week and go walking to get weight off , lap band or no lap band, far out I tell you it is such a battle being naturally FAT.... Anyway I'm losing around 700gms a week so that means if I keep it up I will have lost around 35kg by Christmas and my goal is to loose 45kg . It is a two year process to get to goal.

Anyway folks great chatting and I must be off , till next time , live long and prosper and if you want more info on my little munchin baby puppies then call me.....!!!

26th March 2009
The Doyle pups are 4 weeks old and are the most cherished and loved adorable little cherubs ever.

Forty two , fun , friends, food and frivolity

Hi team

Just a quick update on the life of one T Doyle, life has been hectic with planning the big charity regatta that is on next Wednesday 18th march through to kids and puppies and of course husband and in there is also family, friends and then me.

Mum and dad are away up the coast this week, with friends so my 91 year old nanna is staying in respite so i have made sure I have rung her and had a chat. Mum , nanna and I had a nice outing last Sunday sharing a high tea at the beautiful magenta Shores resort , it was a charity event again raising money for Westpac Rescue Helicopter service. My big Charity regatta is coming up next Wednesday it is also to raise funds for Westpac rescue Helicopter Service. It will be a great day there will be over 40 boats sailing and the sponsors have been great. It has been a hard sponsorship sell due to the Global economic downturn and the bushfire appeals.

The puppies are growing so fast , they are the most wonderful things to watch , they have their eyes open and are starting to play with each other and they are so active and animated. One climbed out of the box yesterday so the fun is about to begin with puppies everywhere. Paisley is such a great little mum, as young as she is, you cant fault her , the babies are strong , fat , alert and as clean as a whistle she looks after them so well. Newman the proud dad sits in guard of his wife and kids it is so adorable to watch.

As far as the kids go Renee is loving UNE ( University of New England) she has a job at the Darell lee chocolate shop and is getting right into her classes , she loves the women she is living with and all sounds like the universe has helped her get exactly where she deserves to be. Sean is working his but off he is in Canberra this month then back to Hobart, I think he will be home for a few days over Easter. Holly is singing her way around the coast and working very closely with Bill Chambers ( father of Casey chambers ) on some new album ideas. The distance between her and Sean has been playing havoc on the relationship , however the heartache has made for some great new song writting ideas. I have been helping with the lyrics it is fun, I'm good with words. Ryan is doing a great job outside the home at his work i just wish he could bring some of that nice Ryan attitude back through our front door, here's hoping....

The lap band journey is a long ride I tell you , slowly but surely I'm losing weight but more slowly than surely , I still want to wake up a size 10 super model and i know that wont happen but somehow I still believe, I watch the secret i live the secret so I believe i will wake up a size 10 super model some day soon, maybe somewhere over the rainbow in the land of sunshine and roses but it will happen. I was weighted today when i saw Dr Kelly and I saw Megan ( the dietitian) and I have been given a "get out of goal free pass" and I'm able to have another fill next week as I'm still able to eat most foods and to much , i have lost 11.2kgs so that's OK but Craig and i have booked to go to Darwin to a conference in May and the we are off to Hong Kong ands China for nearly three weeks at the end of June and I want to be at least 20 kgs lighter by the time my feet hit Hong Kong soil.

That's about the summary to date of life at the Doyle's. Oh one more thing it is my birthday this Sunday March 15th and a group of us are going to the Gnostic Cafe, Woy Woy for brunch , I'm forty two , celebrating with good friends, fine fun , and frivolity.

.

Paisley & Newman's Puppies

The puppies are here,
They were born between 10.36pm and 11.22pm last night, Thursday 26th February , they are absolutely divine, the little white boy was first and he is a baby Newman, just like his dad, he is so so cute, next was a little girl exactly the same colour as Paisley.Number 3 and 4 were also little girls and they are so beautiful they are a champagne in colour. I was up every half hour making sure they were all OK, and guess what we made it through night one, yahoo....We are so thrilled, Paisley did so well she is the best little mother. They are all feeding well and everything seems perfect. We have kept Newman away so she can settle in to motherhood, we will slowing introduce him to the puppies over the next few days. Now the fun starts in the Doyle house with 5 kids, 6 dogs, two fish , 1 cockateil and Craig and I wish us luck....!

Yes, Im still here!

I'm so, so sorry for the delay in up dating my dear old blog, it has been insane in my world.

Its funny I have always been aware that there are three kinds of people in the world , those who make things happen , those who watch things happen and those who wonder what the F#%*K happened. I have always considered myself to be in the list of someone who makes things happen , however I may have to move to category number three , as I find myself lately thinking what the F#%*K is happening.

Just to keep you in the loop we have a full house with Sean ( oldest son ) , and his girlfriend Holly move back into the humble family home, Renee ( 18 year old daughter ) has just completed her HSC and was maybe going to move out to go to uni , but the course she wanted to do s at Newcastle uni at the Ourimbah campus so she will be staying at home with me and her dear old dad. Then we have Ryan ( 16 year old son ) he is our challenge , he has completed his formal education doing year 10 last year and thank god has a full time job to keep him out of harms way and I'm guessing he will not be leaving home anytime soon. We are packed to the Doyle's, there are 6 of us living in out little Wamberal home...and I must say it is crowded.

Then there is the story of my beautiful dogs Paisley and Newman, my little babies are going to be teen parents. Craig bought me Newman and Bichon x poodle two years ago as a mothers day present he is my pride and joy , then less than a year ago Craig bought me Paisley my little princess, she to is a bichon x poodle.

They are adorable . Newman is white and the king of his back yard jungle and Paisley is caramel and the most precious little darling. Well they are both not desexed as I one day wanted them to have puppies , I just didn't think that day would be the 3rd march 2009. Yep she came on heat 2 1/2 weeks before Christmas, they are on heat for three weeks. I went and bought little size 2-3 girls undies , all in bright beautiful colours of course then I cut a little hole for her tail and used a baby nappy pin to keep them firm to ensure our king of the backyard Newman didn't breach the barrier , her own little Chasity belt. This then meant I had to was poop and change her all the time even in the middle of the night , it was insane.

Then on New Years Day with everyone at our place and it being a 36degree day < class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">bam it took less than a minute and true love , young love found its way and yep she is pregnant. I was absolutely devastated when i saw them joined together It was like catching your 15 year old in the act. I was screaming and I put the hose on them. But alas Paisley will be a mummy and it looks like she has at least 5 puppies growing away , she is getting fatter by the day, she is well and all seems to be going great. We have had a couple of visits to the vets and she should be just fine having the puppies.

We have one more vet appointment on the 28th February for an x-ray so we know exactly how many puppies she will be having and so we can help her during the labour. So over the next few weeks we will look after our little mummy to be and then we can expect the pitter patter of little second generation bichon x poodle puppies to full the few empty cracks of our so overflowing home, the bird the two fish the dogs the pups the 4 kids and some where in there is Craig and I , not even to mention my lap band.

Then and there's more , work has been going crazy with 2009 looking like a great year for my PR and Events Management Company The Fresh Ideas Group , with work rolling through the door, and wait theres more , Craig and I are off to Darwin in may then Hong Kong in July the it looks like we will be spending Christmas in the USA , white Chrissy here we come, so I have also been very busy checking out and booking flights and planning , planning , planning, cleaning , mothering , working , being a wife and somewhere in there somewhere is Tracey and her lap band.

The last time I discussed my band was a couple of days after my second fill. Well that was three weeks ago, all is going OK, the weight loss hasn't been as fast as I had dreamt , however Dr super K is telling me to not be so hard on myself and I guess I have been nibbling on ice cream and the odd donut , so I guess if what energy goes in, regardless of banding, is more than energy going out then you will remain the weight you are and if that weight is too high then you will remain FAT. Anyway I was weight in Dr Munro's room's last Friday and it is official I have lost 8.9kgs and it has been 11 weeks since my operation , so I guess that isn't too bad.

Dr K said I need to not focus on the scales and focus on cloths and my changing shape , but that doesn't cut it for me I want the cloths number and the the kgs to be smaller and that's that , I have had three mls in my band and I'm in tomorrow for another fill of course under xray as I'm the problem child. My road to becoming a super model is still on track , I just went bush for a week or so , but I'm back on the tar road and have left the dirt bush track of eating ice cream and donuts behind me. I plan to drop at least 15 kgs by the time we go to Darwin promise I will let you know how it goes and I will not let the busy life story get me down and I will keep my public happy, thanks to all my blog followers that politely reminded me this week that I have been a slacko and I need to get my blog fingers tapping regularly...

Happy Sweet bright and shiny New Year to all

As I haven't had any lap band lyrics to share I thought Id just take the time to wish you all a Happy sweety bright and shiny 2009. I'm so thrilled about the New year, 2009 will be my year , its my year to SHED, I'm going to shed kilos, I'm going to shed clutter and clean up my house. I have so many cupboards so full of clutter and junk its truly the year for shedding. I'm also going to shed stress and stop stressing about the kids , work , the pace of life and just enjoy the journey. I'm also going to shed worrying about $$ and plan and let the universe provide , Im open.
Craig and I are planning two weeks in beautiful Bali in June with 10 friends, and then in harmony with myself and the universe I " WILL" be in the USA for Christmas 2009, with my gorgeous husband, we "WILL" do a 6 week trip, spending New Year 2010 in New York..... I "WILL" also love to pop over to Hong Kong and China sometime this year to visit with my girlfriend Melanie, she has been home over Chrissy. We had a great night the other night chatting at a BBQ at our place about old times. Mel manages a hotel in Hong Kong and she has warned me I will be in shoppers heaven over there. So the plan is to shop and play with her in Honkers.
Im blessed and proud to say what a great time we have had over the Chrissy New year break, apart from not being able to have a fill so i have enjoyed the Christmas Fair . It was great to have all the family over for Christmas Day there were 19 of us aged from 11 months to 90. It was great to have all three kids all together.
We were meant to be going away for New Year however plans changed and still and all new year's turned out to be a hoot , we ended up spending the day at the races and backed winners all day then came home and swam in the pool, the pool the kids bought me ( see photo) and drank champers with friend's and family and finally pulled up stumps around 4.30am, all in all a great start to my year of shedding... i hope your new year frivolity was full of fun and friendship and bring on 2009. Health, happiness and hip hip hooray to you..