Milestones

As may be obvious from the title, this post is all about milestones. Landmarks. Notable numbers. It's a bit of a hotch potch, but I'll get out all that I need to say. This post is one part commemoration, and several parts celebration.

Oh, and I cried when I was proofreading. So yeah, if it gets a little soppy up in here, you have been warned.

Firstly, and most importantly, today is the first anniversary of the earthquake that killed 185 people and changed hundreds of thousands of lives forever in Christchurch, New Zealand.

It was really difficult to select a photo that captures how I feel about Christchurch. My family history is deeply rooted in the city, and although I have never lived there, a part of me will always belong with the Garden City. This image represents all of the hundreds (if not thousands) of road cones that have been decorated with flowers throughout the city as a mark of remembrance and respect today.

22.02.2011

We will always remember. Kia Kaha, Canterbury.

Thank you for taking a moment to think of my fellow kiwis.

Okey dokey... next on the agenda. Happier topics... twi-versaries.

This is TwiKiwi's 100th post. This blog was born on Sept 21, 2010, and has grown into something I never expected. I adore how many of you read this dribble, leave comments, make me laugh, cry etc. This is really where I'm going with this post... it's a celebration of us. Beautiful people, brought together by a convenient conduit (and a certain buzzcut-toting actor) to become friends for life.

Thank you, MelbieToast

I asked my sometimes co-bloggers, Julena and Stef, to say a few words about what Twilight and the twiverse mean to them. *steps down from mic*

Julena / @SparklyJulNZ

WhatTwilight means to me?? *Ponders thoughtfully*

Iguess it is not so much what Twilight has brought to me, but more who. 

I am notjust talking about all the amazing, special and slightly crazy (in a fantasticway) ladies that I have met on twitter and have had the privilege to call myfriends. These strong, sexy women listen to my crap, share in my misfortunes andwhoop and squee with me when I need them. They are my biggest cheerleaders andmy number one motivators.

However,it is not just real people that I have met but the great FF characters I have'met' too. 

Tattward and Inkella, Toonward, Bikeward, Fifty...... the listis endless. These are the people that keep me awake on nightshift, keep meentertained while I sit in waiting rooms and keep me reading til all hours ofthe night when I really should be sleeping. This is what keeps me here, whatkeep me coming back, what has made Twilight a huge part of my life.

Toall these people, real and real in my imagination I thank you. I love you. Mwah mwah x

Stef / @eds_piano

Firstly, Happy Blogiversary Amy, you're a BLOGKSTAR! That's aword, right?

Twilight and all it's trimmings ... hmmm let me count the ways,I think I'll shout out the big 3, (I'm CDO and 3 is MY number), and bestbelieve this IS in a particular order...

THROBWARD - no words needed AM I RIGHT? without whom there'd benothing to look at or look forward to ... EVAH!

TWENDS (twifriends) - both real (@TwiKiwi50 & @SparklyJulNZ) andimaginary, the caring, the sharing PRICELESS, we all came together for onereason but stay together for many other reasons ...

TWITTER - the best way to network EVAH ... I FLOVE Twitter -mostly I lurk and read what y'all are doing/talking about, but I reallyenjoy it when I can be on it constant; like when I'm at work ona night shift, then I can have a conversation, I'm looking at you(NixHaw, LwE and Smitten) the most recent fun thing was when you U.S girlswere all at Target getting your BD DVDs and I was following the midnightmadness.

Thanks ladies! Unfortunately I don't seem to have a photo of the three of us together (that was a big FAIL when we went to see Breaking Dawn... clearly too excited to concentrate on the technicalities of photography). But here's one of me and Jul... oh, and Kiwi_Ed. Cos as reluctant as I am, he's part of this machine too.

Note from Kiwi_Ed: Yo, peeps. I'm pissed off. Pissed off that my human did NOT invite me to add to this post. As if she doesn't even care about me. But hey, we all know she doesn't. She brought a god damn CAT into my house. My castle! How dare she. I still haven't figured out what to do about that. So for now, I'm sulking. Good thing she installed a cat door, because now I can sneak out to hunt without her noticing. It's just easier if I'm gone as much as possible. Laters.

Awesome. Like we needed his two cents worth!

So yeah. I don't really feel like I need to add many more words to this post. You know how I feel. I love you all. I say it often enough, I am SO, so grateful for the day I picked up Twilight (thanks, T). Not because it was a great read with an endearing love story, but because it led me to some of the most awesome friends I could ever know. What we have will go on long, long after November 2012. (Oh, and lets not forget fic. Especially slash right now *glares at Meg and Lisa*).

I'll end this post the way I end each day. Looking at photos. I have a large photoboard on my bedroom wall, many of the photos in the post are up there. They are photos of some of the most important people in my life. Many of the people who make this list aren't represented, but only because I haven't met them yet. The photoboard will expand in years to come, trust.

Napa Valley

Seattle

Forks (had to include this!)

San Diego

Las Vegas

San Diego

Olympia

Seattle (couldn't resist!)

P.S. Last week, I passed 30,000 tweets. Since May, 2010. Sheesh! Wordy, much?

 

P.P.S. What's next for TwiKiwi? A blog revamp, coming soon.... watch this space!

Welcome Home, Gorgeous Gus!

On Wednesday last week, I got an email from a colleague, something along the lines of this:

"My brother and his flatmates have a very small kitten called Gary. They're not looking after him properly, and I need to get him out of there. He's gregarious, cuddly, and hungry. He needs a loving home ASAP. Anyone interested?"

Interested? Me? 

I try to put it out of my mind. It wasn't practical for me to have a cat. I travel alot. I work long hours.

And then I opened the attachment and saw THIS:

How I could I say no to that face?

And so, Gary the kitten became mine. I knew from the get-go that I couldn't keep the name. How could I stand on my doorstep and call out for "GARY!" when it was dinner time?

The first stop on the way home was to the vet. My baby was pronounced healthy, and approximately 8-10 weeks old. He was definitely a he, and was definitely INFESTED with fleas. Eww. He had his first vaccinations and will have to go back in a month for the next round. Until then he has to stay inside.

I decided to name him Gus. I don't have a particular reason, just liked it. Seems to suit him too, a little bit cheeky!

The first weekend was really challenging, dealing with the fleas on Gus, Gus's curiosity of exploring everything, and ridding my house of fleas. I had about five showers in two days. Thank goodness those days are behind us.

I've been tweeting heaps of pics, and I feel like one of those new parents who can't stop posting photos of their new babies. Lots of people asked for more, so here you go!

Day 1 - fun with toys

Words with Kittens?

I'm shy

Today. His favourite place is the beanbag.

Now that we've got to know each other a little better, things are going well. I know to close the door to the bedroom to avoid "I want my breakfast" at 4.30am, and he knows (I hope) not to climb the yucca tree in the lounge. He has experienced the wrath of the squirty bottle of water several times when I've found him up in the branches.

I can't wait until he is old enough (and vaccinated enough) to go outside and explore the world. For one thing, it's freakin hot in here, doors and windows closed (thanks, Houdini) in the middle of summer... and for another, roll on the retirement of the litter box! 

So now there's only one member of the family who's not entirely happy....
 

Kiwi Ed came home last night from a week-long absence (probably another bender, who knows) and he is not amused. He's not talking to me. And at the moment, I'm ok with that. I've got a new friend now. Who is much cuddlier.

Holy crow! This is my 99th post! Best I find something great to say for the 100th. It might be a rant. Speaking of, I whined like a BOSS over at It's Whine Thirty today about the Breaking Dawn DVD release in North America. Feel free to check it out HERE.

Jamie, Your Birth is Definitely Something to Celebrate

Yep, you read that right... it's @Jaymes805's birthday!

Not only that, it's her dirty thirtieth birthday. Welcome to the most awesome decade yet, love!

Demanda, Jamie's roomate, BFF and partner in crime, has created a birthday tribute spectacular over at BorderlinePhenomenal... so you should check it out, if you haven't already.

Jamie is a pretty awesome chick. She's one of my best friends in the world. We tweet, we email, we chat during work hours, we just...click. It's like she just GETS me. I love her to pieces.

She has random quirks. She has a cat called Jasper. She needs white noise to sleep. And she is one of the biggest Jackson Rathbone fans there ever lived. She enabled me to meet 100 Monkeys, I mean, wow!

What do you do for people you love on their birthday? Well, embarrass them, of course. Not that all of these images are embarrasing... but anyway. Here is a small pictorial tribute to one of the most fan-fucking-tastic people I know.

Sarah, Jen, Jamie and I. Supermodel much?

Jamie takes me to SLO's tourist highlight. Apparently.

She car-dances with the best of 'em (with Charla, Tom and Kate)

My SLO besties Jamie & Amanda

Jamie, Kiwi-Ed and a pirate*

*maybe Jamie can tell us all how the pirate photo came about in the comments when she reads this. Please note the wolf t-shirt. Coincidence? Hmmm.

So Jamie, happy, happy birthday. I hope you have an amazing day/weekend and I look forward to hearing all about it when we're both on company time.

I love you to pieces and I wish we lived closer together every single day. Roll on, Hawaii 2013!