"you got like 3 feet of air that time"

It's not often that Ethan wants to "do anything".. so when he asked dad if he wanted to help him make a skateboard ramp dad jumped at the idea. They whipped it up pretty quickly and we went out in the afternoon to test it out. when i say we i mean ethan and dad. i was just there for photographic evidence.

He was pretty shaky at the beginning but by the time the sun set he was awesome.

friday the 13th

I swear Ethan has the coolest friends. They are a little on the nerdy side... but cool, any excuse to get dressed up really. He asked me to rough him up for a party. We had fun.

 Before & After

easter

Easter was a little quiet this year.  Its the first one back home in 4 years and i can honestly say I've missed it. Next to christmas, easter in the clarke household was always an exciting one. Dads famous egg hunts are forever spoken about in high regard. On easter morning once everyone was awake the hunt would commence. Its a race. "FOUND ONE" can be heard minutes sometimes seconds in. You need to get into the mind of Dad.. where would dad hide them? always in the back of your mind is where he hid them last year. As we get older the hiding places get harder. Sometimes its months down the track and you hear "FOUND ONE" coming from a random place in the house.
 There is always stories to tell; like one year he hid one in the toilet  -_-  seriously dad.. it didnt stop us from still enjoying the chocolate inside.

Here is just a sample of the ones he did this year.

There is something about the chocolate.. it may be the coloured foiled wrapping or the fact that you work so hard for it but there is no doubt about it. chocolate tastes better at easter. 

Daniel comes to visit.

We were lucky enough to have Micks brother-in-law Daniel stay with us for the long Easter weekend. It's the first family Mick has seen in a year so it would be an understatement to say he was excited. We made the hour long journey down to the camp he is staying at on saturday night.  We were able to catch up on the drive back to Karratha. Took him on a mini tour around the town (which is bigger then he expected) also to the Gas Plant, had an encounter with a kangaroo and had dinner with Dad and Ethan. Hopefully he likes it so much he will bring the whole family over.. it's a long shot but i have my fingers and toes crossed.

Teliah Skye

I first met my friend Suzie when i was about 11.. maybe even before that but at about age 15 we were inseparable, she was the only other person at church the same age as me so it was inevitable that we were to be friends. We spent almost everyday together at one point.. even when we were attending different high schools. She gets me, i get her. Unfortunately she moved to Perth not long after. It sucked. We still kept in contact and years later we still talk. She is one of those friends that when you haven't spoken to in forever you can just pick up from where you left off. Living apart in different states you get left out of the loop when it comes to the gritty details but the big stuff you hear about instantly.. Suzie had a baby. Whom i feel in love with at first sight. Almost 3 years on she is such a character, her name is Teliah and she is amazing. Suzie needed to go to Perth for 2 day. We were able to look after Teliah. I guess you can look at it as practice for when we have kids but either way it was lovely.

i paint ze faces.

Early this week i had an opportunity to help out a local medical centre with a fun day they were having. It was held in an Indigenous community a half an hour drive away from here. The idea behind it was to bring in some people of the community and promote a healthy lifestyle. Roebourne doesn't have a shop to purchase fresh produce or anything with a good nutritional value. The closest woolworths being 15 minutes away by car.. leaving people how don't drive or don't have a car to shop at the local petrol station.. sausage roll and coke for dinner? i can't imagine it being too cheap either. They brought in a dietician, lovely food and a jumping castle and face painting for the kids. That is where i was able to lend a hand. They last time I face painted was when i was 12 at a school fete. I figured i work with brushes almost everyday on a face.. it can't be all that hard. Its harder then it looks thats all i can say. My load was lightened by the kids not being to creative with the choice of design.. all boys opted to be spiderman and all the girls wanted a butterfly. I got pretty good at the good ole spidey by the end of the day. I loved it. They are all so patient and friendly. i took a few shots but there is only so many versions you can see of the same thing without going crazy.

the countdown begins.

My mum / best friend left to New Zealand today. For six weeks. Sad face. I miss her already and its only been 12 hours since i kissed her goodbye.

She is looking after koro (her dad) while my aunty, who has been caring for him is going back to america to see her kids and grandkids.

This may possibly be the longest 6 weeks of my life. On a brighter note we will be seeing Daniel.. Micks brother-in-law this weekend for easter.. He isn't living in town, he is in a camp an hours drive away working in a mine out in the middle of nowhere. Mick is excited, its the first family member he has seen in almost a year. Its like a slice of home here with him. Awesome

i have a confession.

I was sick this weekend.. with a bout of tonsillitis kindly given to me by my lovely husband..he got it all the time in Sydney but its the first time he has had it here.. supposedly its doing the rounds in town and it decided to take residence in my throat. I don't get sick often, i put it down to all the germs and nasty stuff i was exposed to as a kid and my body has just learnt to deal with it, Mick is the opposite... all someone has to do is yawn in his general direction and he contracts something.. i kid, i kid.. but seriously thats how ridiculous it used to be. Since moving here he has been heaps better.

The whole weekend has just consisted of strawberry sugar free strepsils, chicken noodle soup, gargling salty water and a little indulgence... this time its not food related..  I am a bit embarrassed to say that i enjoy watching Jesery Shore, but i do.. Mick cannot stand it, neither can my mum.. so i try and watch it when no one is around. I know it is so bad but i can't help it.. its like a train wreck. you want to look away but you can't because you don't want to miss anything. I get so involved and emotional when things happen, like a child yelling at the tv while watching dora the explorer. It is so trashy and ridiculous and i love it. I know its just a show and most of its made up for good television but that won't make me quit it. They are so different from everything i do so i guess thats its appeal for me, just to see how other people live. Behind all the fake tan, skimpy clothes and hair gel its actually quite hilarious.. but that might just be me justifying watching it. I was sick.. and i didn't want to think so what better way to switch of.. it made me feel better about my drama-free life... haha it always does.