Old dirt road. Knee deep snow.

We piled in the mommy wagon, headed for the countryside and got a whole lot more snow than we bargained for. Another successful family holiday under our belt before I head overseas for a second year.  We had some pant-wettingly funny moments, saw some jaw-droppingly beautiful sights and enjoyed the togetherness of family. Here is an 18-piece collage of our adventures. 

We're all going on a (winter) holiday

The weather in South Africa this week has been fa-reezing. I am definitely a winter lover, but seeing as though this is my third consecutive winter (the joys of international travel), I'm slightly done with the cold. Anyway, tomorrow my family and I are going to be going on our last family holiday before I head overseas for another year. We are going to one of my favorite places on the planet, the KwaZulu-Natal midlands, and the chances of us hitting snow are looking quite high. I love family holidays; the car trip, the bonding, the good food, the new sights, the photo-taking, the laughs, it all just reeks of a memorable time. I'm especially looking forward to fireplace-huddling, winter-woolies wearing, scrabble-playing, belly-laughing fun, and not to mention the shopping along the midlands meander. 

I'm really sad that my time at home is nearing it's end, but that's all the more reason to savor the remaining days, and I can't think of a better way to do it than on a countryside vacation. 

Letters to loved ones...

When it comes to goodbyes, they are never easy. I will be saying goodbye to my family for a whole year soon, and in preparation for my departure, I've made them all these little letters.
Sticking with the 'travel' theme, I used old maps, polaroids and airmail envelopes, and here are some of the pictures below.
Ps: I'm hoping none of them see this blog post before they see their letter in person. 

You don't know what you've got until it's {almost} gone

I will be leaving home in T-minus 7 weeks to relocate to California, and have been getting ridiculously sentimental as the reality of the trip has hit, and hit hard.

Don't get me wrong, on a scale of 1-10, my excitement levels are sitting somewhere around 20 at the moment, but on the flip side of the coin, I get a lump in my throat at the thought of everything and everyone that I wont be able to pack in my suitcase and take with me to this new land full of new adventures.

Leaving and cleaving is not for sissies. When you come from a home like mine, full of life, and lots of laughter thanks to two parents who will always be kids at heart, the idea of ever wanting leaving is just silly. I have always had a close relationship with my family {immediate and extended}, and family and home has always been a place of safety, of love and a peaceful haven, living alongside the best people I have ever known. I heard a quote once that said "what I love most about my home is the people I share it with," and this pretty much spells what home has been for me as I have grown from baby to child to teenager. My parents and my family have shaped the person that I am, and now they will watch me pack up and take the lessons I've learnt into this future that stands in front of me.

As much as I adore living at home, I have never felt so ready to jump out the nest and learn to fly on my own. Growing up is both a frightful and wonderful thing, and I have my incredible family to thank for standing behind me, teaching me all I know, and allowing me to follow my heart down the road leading to fulfilled dreams.

Sometimes the line that defines the difference between friends and family is so thin, that you can't tell where your friends end and where your family begins. I will be bidding farewell to the most incredible, hilarious, fun and flippin' fantastic group of friends that feel more like an extension of my family than a separate entity. These people, and this city in which I was born and bred, have taught me a thing or two about the definition of the word 'fun,' and in these past few months have rolled out the red carpet of unforgettable times that I'll most likely refer to as "the good old days" when I'm old and grey. So I'd just like to thank Durban and friends for making 'goodbye' that much harder, by being so darn amazing.

At this current moment, I am savoring what's left of Durban life as if it were the last bite of a favourite meal, and am soaking up the last of the good times like a sponge. I have a new found appreciation for my mom's home cooked meals, and not having to do my own laundry, because I soon won't have such luxuries.
Oh, the joys of growing older. 

Bleubird Vintage Family

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the most stylish family of them all? Without a doubt, the "Bleubird Vintage" trendy-troop wins first place.
One of my all time favourite blogs, Bleubird Vintage, is run by 'Miss James,' a mommy, stylist and clothing designer, who in my opinion {and probably yours too} is one of the most hip and happening mum's this world has to offer. Her blog is riddled with vintage-inspired style, beautiful pictures, and most importantly, photos of her fashion-forward family. Miss James or "Mamma Bird" as she refers to herself is married to a bearded bloke that looks like he could be the lead singer of a Canadian folk band, and together they have three gorgeous little ones, the youngest of whom they have nicknamed "baby bird" {bless their hearts.}
On her blog, the very creative 'mamma bird' has put  some of the cutest ideas into motion, for example, when she was preggos with baby bird, she wrote her little notes every few days and journalled her pregnancy on the blog. Her readers thrived off the idea as they began to follow her progress through pregnancy, birth and early motherhood. Now isn't that just the most adorable thing you ever did hear?
My favourite feature on the blog are the weekly "what we wore" posts that include photos and details of what the Bleubird clan is wearing, and might I say, they always look incredible, especially the kiddies who are living proof that style and good taste is in fact hereditary. 
For this family, sweat-pants and a tee are not an option. Ever.I adore their approach to life and style. It's priceless.
I personally cannot wait to start a family, and this group of lovely people make me all the more excited to one day have a family and babas of my own who I can kit-out in trendy attire. {here's to hoping my future husband knows how to put a decent outfit together, or I may appoint myself as designated stylist.}
Ps: I hope my body looks as unscathed as hers after popping out a few kids. 


Here are a few of my best "what we wore" moments from the Bleubird blog: