How I Spent my Birthday

I took a day's leave from work and...

Went for an early morning walk.

Hint of sunrise

Got spoiled (flowers from Angie and the camera from mom & William).

Enjoyed some pampering at Pumula Beauty Salon.

Donated a pint of blood at the South African National Blood Service. There was also good news at the blood bank in that my health has improved quite a bit since the last time I donated in 2010. From nearly failing the iron test, and taking close on 45 minutes to fill the bag I was in and out in 30 minutes.

Then mom and I bought some blankets, bowls, collars, leads, food and harnesses and toys and donated them to the Kempton Park SPCA. We then volunteered for a few hours at the sanctuary, mainly walking the dogs, feeding them dog biscuits and giving all the dogs and cats some love. It really is sad to see that so many pets are without homes but they are in good hands at the various rescue centres around the country.

Thereafter we had some tea and cake at the Mugg & Bean.

Then ended the day off with dinner at Fahrenheit.

I had such an awesome birthday, and loved giving back to those in need. I challenge everyone to support a worthy cause on their own birthday. It does not matter how small the gesture, it will make the world of difference to those affected and effected.

There was also good news at the blood bank in that my health has improved quite a bit since the last time I donated in 2010. From nearly failing the iron test, and taking close on 45 minutes to fill the bag I was in and out in 30 minutes.

Thank you to everybody that wished me, I loved reading each and every message and chatting to the callers.

Here's to the start of a fantastic year!

Angie & Roger tie the Knot

On a happier note, my good friend, Angelique Jooste recently became a Mrs when she married Roger Dias.

Angie & Roger met three years ago at a work social, and got engaged last October. The wedding date was set as the one year anniversary of their engagement, being the 26th.

The venue, Soli Deo Gloria Boutique Hotel, is situated in Northriding, Johannesburg. 

The ceremony took place in the hotel's beautiful garden, and thankfully the weather held out. There were a few ominous clouds that threatened to move the vows indoors, but by the time the ceremony began the sun shone beautifully in the afternoon sky.

The maid of honour, Jackie and bridesmaid Fatima, wore beautiful plum sweetheart cocktail dresses and Angie wore a stunning mermaid style dress with beading on the bodice. I doubt there was a dry eye in the house when the father of the bride shook Roger's hand and presented his daughter to the groom.

The service was conducted by an Irish priest, and comprised a good deal of humour which the congregation enjoyed.

Instead of having a ring bearer, the rings were transported down the aisle in a different manner...

The reception followed in the evening, and what an amazing job Angie and the decor team did. The colour scheme was purple and red and whilst one may think these colours would normally clash, they actually complimented one another and produced a breathtaking sight.

The cake (and some of the decor) was centred around the couple's love of nature and the "guestbook" was wood from a tree trunk. The cake was a beautiful three tier (chocolate, vanilla and fruit cake) and the toppers were monkeys. Anyone that knows the couple is aware that they affectionately call each other macaco (monkey in Portuguese).

Later in the evening, the DJ announced that the cake toppers had been taken and kindly asked whoever had taken them to please return them. Roger's mom, Emilia, later explained that the stealing of the cake toppers is a Portuguese tradition, and whoever takes them must return them to the married couple on their first wedding anniversary and take the couple for lunch/dinner. Fascinating!

Once the speeches and formalities were finished, Roger & Angie opened the dance floor with more than the usual one-two-shuffle they told us to expect (nice one guys). Rather the newlyweds did twirls and dips and looked so happy and at ease. 

What a lovely wedding it was, one that the guests will remember for years to come.

Wishing the new Mr & Mrs Roger Dias a lifetime of happiness and love.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

This past Saturday was Angie's bridal shower, and what an awesome day it was,

Jackie (Angie's sister) and Fatima (Angie's future sister-in-law) pulled out all the stops to ensure fun was had by all, and more importantly, that Ange enjoyed her last night out as a single woman.

Grapes (a well known bar and restaurant situated in Western Extension, Benoni), was the venue for the festivities and Jax & Fatima decorated the room beautifully.

Decor

Food

Fatima (bridesmaid) and Jackie (maid of honour)

The first part was of the afternoon was the Kitchen Tea. Ange was suitably dressed in an apron, and "doek" in preparation of fulfilling her role as the cook and cleaner in the Dias household. Just kidding:)

We played some games such as Bingo, match the celebrity couples, pin the cucumber on the man and roll the orange over the finish line using nothing but a banana attached to a string around your waist. As you can imagine, these games provided a good few giggles.

The second part of the day belonged to the bachelorette party, and were we in for a few surprises or what!

Whilst Ange opened her gifts, a bachelor gate crashed our party. Meaning well he probably just wanted to introduce himself and wish his fellow comrade in marriage well, but it started a chain of events that provided some...entertainment, if you will.

One of the bachelor's crew decided to do an impromptu striptease! He casually walked over to Ange and proceeded with his routine, taking off his shirt and shorts. Ange was a good sport and played along until this Chippendale wannabe faced her and started to remove his underwear. Now I don't know exactly what Ange saw, but it was enough to scare her and she ran away. Thankfully no more of the man's anatomy was revealed and he quickly gathered his clothing and left. This may have not been too bad if Ange's gran wasn't in the audience! I reckon all of us ladies had a blush on her behalf.

Later in the evening, Jenna, one of Ange's friends that does pole dancings treated us to a basic pole routine. The ladies practiced the moves where they stood before taking turns to try it out on the pole. Some ladies surprised us with how naturally they took to the pole, but others (like myself) had to basically be dragged up there. Afterwards, Jenna did a demo of one of her advanced routines and we were AMAZED. She climbed to the top and hng upside down using only her leg to hold on. It was something quite astounding and one doesn;t understand the enormity of the situation unless it is viewed first hand. Well done, Jenna, we thoroughly enjoyed your performance!

Jackie and Fatima hired a jukebox for the evening, so we ended the party off dancing till late.

Thank you so much to the ladies for such a fun afternoon, we had a ball!

Oh, and Ange - just one more song! Ha ha :)

A 30th and Some Child's Play

On Saturday we attended Bill's friend Caro's 30th birthday party. It was a "kids" themed party, centred around minions - you know those banana characters in the Despicable Me films.

What is a party without dressing according to the theme? I wore a Hello Kitty t-shirt, black tutu, tights and pink takkies. Bill opted for the Batman shirt.

                                        

Here is a pic of the birthday girl:

Caro and her husband, Jon, went all out. There was a boxing ring jumping castle, complete with oversized boxing gloves, party packs, a pinata, pens to draw on people's faces, stick on tattoos and sparklers. Bill and Robyn even got into a competition: who could blow the biggest bubble with ten Chappies!

  

                       
                                  

Thank you Caro & Jon for a fun filled afternoon where we were able to relive our childhoods!