Ringing in the New Year ...

It's not NYE without dancing to horrible awesome terrible hilarious music







Or a little air guitar.









Or someone falling over



(besides me of course)

The rest of the NYE photos (including the damage I did to my leg) are HERE!


P.s. It's only the second day of 2009 and I already have to break one of my resolutions.
Writing my rehearsal schedule into my newnew moleskine diary (terrifying!) and it turns out that on the 14th January I not only have work all day but rehearsal all night.
Looks like the 3rd Wedding Anniversary Celebrations (Leather! Crystal! Glass! or Tattoos) will have to be a little delayed.

Two Thousand and Nine ...

A new year, a new leaf.

2008 was not the best year for my little Darling family.
It involved dreams put on hold, disappointments, far too much materialism, moving back to New Zealand, and, for me at least, a constant struggle to stay afloat.

But truly? I am blessed. Craig and I are stronger than ever. I have found a city where the daily walk to work can make me grin like a lunatic. I have goals to work for, personally and professionally. I see inspiration more clearly and I am excited for the year(s!) to come.

2009 is the year of words and photographs, tattoos and travel. Applying for visas and living with our fingers crossed. Backpacking around Europe, Christmas in London, New Years (one year from today) in Edinburgh. Perhaps trips to Tokyo or Hong Kong, Bruges, and Iceland.

In 2009 I am excited about planning for 2010.
Sitting in a cafe with Sir C and discussing our life in London. Our trips for 2009 and how to achieve our goals for 2010. Olympics and intense round-the-world travel. Celebrating a decade of S&C the relationship with a luxury trip to Hawaii, and a family reunion at Christmas-time.

The future is a wonderful thing.

BUT! Capital letters, exclamation point. 2009 will be our year, the beginning, I can feel it in the wind.



My Darling Resolutions

x Project 365 lives anew!
In 2008 I kept it up until about September (I know!) but barely ever posted the photos. In 2009 I will post My Week In Photos every Sunday evening.
x Project 52, take 2, electric boogaloo.
I will try and include a self-portrait in each Sunday-Summation.
x Hmm. Name to be decided!
Every Wednesday (or Monday, I haven't decided!) I will profile an online store or an online item that I lovelovelove but cannot purchase. This will be torture but Mummy-Darling has been wanting me to fill her in on how I can shop so much online. Through this medium I shall introduce her to the wonder of Etsy,

And finally, personally, my own little darling resolutions

x Celebrate my wedding anniversary. In 2008 it was spent in LAX which was simply depressing.
x Acquire at least two new tattoos before June 15th 2009 and hopefully 3 by December 31st 2009.
x PhotoBooks! In 2008 I did print photos, and the photo mobile in the upstairs lounge is one of my treasures but I want photo books of our travels.
x Christmas 2009 will be spent in London. WILL.
x Dress up more! I am already over-dressed for the Hutt Valley but who cares?
x Quality over quantity. 2009 will be the year where I try to curb my expenditure. If Craig and I are hoping to BOTH move back to London AND spend a month backpacking (ish) around Europe then we need to save a serious amount of money.
x (as always ...) Try to be happier.


P.s. I did take the moustaches and they were a big hit.

My Twelve Favourite Photos of 2008

January



February



March



April



May



June



July



August



September



It turns out I don't like ANY of the 4 photos taken in September that I have on Flickr.
Instead have this one that I love of Me & Charlotte by Kat.

October



November



December






Au Revoir 2008!

Love,

The Darling Couple





P.s. I may or may not be taking this to the party tonight:

Christmas Post

A Very Oh Darling Christmas

In New Zealand Christmas is a two-day affair. The 25th is presents and family and food and movies. The 26th (aka Boxing Day) is family and left overs and outdoor antics.
Sometimes, for the brave, or fool hardy, it involves the Boxing Day Sales (it is no Thanksgiving Black Friday but we do our best).

This year our little family was missing a sister. She is all bundled up in London and we arranged to speak at 8 her time, 9 our time. Poor little Skype was overloaded and the video refused to work. Instead we had to describe everything in minute detail while she pretended to listen. It was exhausting.



If you never hear from me again it is because I posted this photo of my darling sister Jayne.
She should, however, know by now what she is getting into when I have a camera in my hands.
And besides! She can't look absolutely stunning every second of every day. It's just not fair!





Daddy-dear opening the gorgeous briefcase that was his main present.
It's the same one that Mark Sainsbury has. He purchased his scant minutes before we did.



Craig and I had calendars printed for our friends and family.
(You can see the photos chosen, in the order printed HERE)



Pohutukawa & Gauguin Roses.
A centrepiece by Mummy-Darling.

And that? that is all the photos I took for hours on christmas day.

You can't see how we received several pairs of pants, how I received a Bad vs Worse handbook (which would be worse to notice on your dentist's hand: a flesh-eating bacteria or leprosy? Hee!) a pink-flowered-disposable-candelabra (cardboard!), and prettypretty earrings. A darling-apron & Hepburn-esque sunglasses. How Craig received three different tee-shirts and a waistcoat and decided to wear them all at once. How Craig decided it was wise to give me a pink tool kit. Hmm.

(I would link to my father's photos but he doesn't believe in flattering photos or flickr sets)

We visited my ailing Grandmother, I wore a really cute dress and my cousins came to our place to bounce around but I don't have photos of that either. And if there aren't photographs then IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.




A Quiet Christmas Dinner









In Absentia







And Christmas day closed with us lying around, completely sated, watching the traditional Christmas Movie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Well, not exactly traditional.




A Very Darling Boxing Day

The 26th December dawned early for this sales-bunny. I was up and out of the house by 8:30am so I could walk down to the mall and arrive justjust after it opened. If I'm going to brave the Boxing Day Sales then I'm going to do it as early and as quickly as possible.



Fuchsia Hydrangeas. Feeding my obsession.



Thanks to being horrendously early, the mall was not too busy.
I rushrushrushed around gathering goodies (a karma ring (from my in laws), a lace skirt from my mummy & daddy, a book, and seasalt hairspray) and by the time I was done, an hour and a half later, it was almost unbearable.





Finally? (I'm exhausted right now) we attended the traditional Boxing Day family Barbecue. Only this time we all hung out at a location from Lord of the Rings. As you do.

Rivendell











My Darling-Husband holding my rings (the open circle? that's my karma ring!).







I seemed to have a thing for feet*.







Craig was sick of holding my rings. And no, I am not nice to my feet.





*Ew! Not like that.































By the end of the day we were one of the last families at the creek.




Just like that, exhausted, heavier, not sunburned (victory! 70 spf wins!), and very happy, ends another Darling Christmas.