Semi-Naked Succulent Cake

As a wedding photographer, I often get to photograph the most beautiful looking wedding cakes!

I was so excited to have the opportunity to learn how to decorate one myself at a class taught by Anita at Across The Board Cake Decorating. I'm a little obsessed with succulents, so this was the perfect class for me!

As a complete beginner (I've never in my life decorated a cake before) I found the class was equal parts fun and challenging! The six hours we had went by super quick!

The ever popular semi-naked cake trend is still going strong at the moment. I really loved learning the technique of getting the cake underneath to show through the buttercream just that perfect amount for a rustic effect.

I can certainly appreciate even more so now the energy, time and skill it takes to make a professional wedding cake. My hat goes off to all the talented, committed cake makers out there!

Here is end result! My cake made it 90% of the drive home perfectly intact... until slipping on the last corner turn before my house. Good thing I got a quick photo at the shop before leaving :)

The Hair Files

'Mercock' (a cross between a Mermaid and a Peacock)


Fairy Floss

  Red Wine...

  

Caramel Swirl

Peach

 Which colour should I do next? ...

30 Countries By The Age Of 30

I've reached my travel goal of visiting 30 countries by the age of 30! Woohoo!

 

Here they are listed in order:



                            Australia                                                      Vanuatu

 

                             Indonesia                                                    New Zealand

 

                             South Africa                                               Botswana 

 

                            Zambia                                                        Malaysia

 

                             England                                                      Ireland



 

                             The Netherlands                                         Germany  





                            

                             France                                                         Switzerland

 

                             Italy                                                            Greece

                             Vatican City                                               Monaco

                             Spain                                                           Thailand

                             Chile                                                           Argentina

                             Bolivia                                                        Peru

                             Ecuador                                                       Nicaragua

                             Costa Rica                                                  Panama

                             Turkey                                                        Croatia

 

 

What's your travel goal? 

Tony Robbins: LIVE

 

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The anticipation is at an all-time high. The excitement in the room is palpable. After months of looking forward to this, and 1 ½ days gone at the National Achievers Congress, Tony Robbins is about to take the stage. He’s bouncing on a mini trampoline backstage as we speak, pumping himself up and getting himself into what he calls ‘Peak Performance mode’.  

The host announces, ‘It’s the man who needs no introduction...’ It’s happening! It’s really happening! My dream of seeing Tony Robbins LIVE is about to become a reality. I’m so excited for what’s to come, I can barely contain myself. There’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be right now. I clasp my hands together and stare intently at the stage. What was to be some of the best five hours of my life had begun – the learnings start NOW. 

 

 Tony walks out to everyone in the crowd standing and cheering. Tony’s booming voice and seemingly endless energy commands the room (of over 8,000 people!) like nothing I’ve ever seen. Tony seldom spends time on the stage and instead walks around the room, in a somewhat unconventional yet refreshing manner. Tony says to us, the audience: ‘You know when you’re exhausted, you’ve had no sleep at all, and suddenly BOOM! You’re awake all night. How many of you can remember a night like that? You’re about to have another one right now. Let’s do it!’ The type of night he described was the exact night I’d had the night before. I feel as if he's talking directly to me.  

We’re encouraged often throughout the afternoon/evening by Tony to be active instead of passive. We stand, we shout, we jump, we clap, we high-five, we dance! Boy do we dance! The room is electric. It truly is something else. After a short time my hands are red from clapping, my throat hurts from screaming, my arms are shaking with adrenaline, my eyes are sparkling with wonder and excitement, and my heart is truly happy. I FEEL ALIVE!

We engage with total strangers sitting next to us as if we’ve known them our whole lives. We share with them our hopes and dreams. We talk and we listen. Life techniques are taught and thought patterns questioned. I take notes at such a rapid rate I’m surprised they’re at all legible!  Answers to big life questions are answered, both by Tony and by myself. We scream, shout, jump, fist-pump and dance some more. We use more energy than I ever thought possible on an otherwise ordinary Tuesday afternoon.

By this point I’m really warming up, so I take my jacket off. In preparation for Tony’s arrival that day the air conditioning in the room was set to COLD FREEZING (and I’m from Canberra)! Now I can see why. I have a quick drink. I need to pee so badly I fear one more jump in the air could cause a situation... so I rush to the toilet. No joke, people (including myself) are RUNNING to the bathrooms. It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever been in a line at the ladies room that moved QUICKLY! No one wants to miss a moment of Tony Robbins LIVE. I make my way back to my seat.

Tony’s presence is that of a rockstar – everyone wants a piece of him. As he walks through the audience he high-fives some lucky audience members who unknowingly sat in just the right seats earlier this morning. As time goes on, I start to crave that connection for myself. I want to touch the hand of the big man (seriously, he’s really tall!) who has changed the lives of thousands of people and coached the likes of Oprah, Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana and Serena Williams, just to name a few. I want to high-five him or hold his hand for a moment and simply say thank you. At one point, he stands within mere metres of me. I’m so close, yet so far. I start to think maybe I will leave today feeling disappointed. The show is almost over and time is running out!

Tony then tells us: ‘Close your eyes and think of something you could feel really grateful for if you wanted to.’ The lights dim. I close my eyes. Immediately I see the faces of the people I love most smiling back at me - the faces of the most beautiful, kind, amazing people in this world. I feel overwhelmingly grateful to have them in my life. I realise they are all I need. I feel extremely comforted by this. Tears fall down my face, for I couldn’t stop them even if I tried. Emotion flows out of me like Niagara Falls in full swing. I let go. I feel it. I truly feel it. The lights come back on. I turn to the lady standing next to me. It seems I’m not the only one – she too is crying happy tears. We embrace. We connect. We exchange contact details.

Tony may not have touched my hand that day, but my god he touched my soul. He truly showed up for us. Tony Robbins, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

 

The Very Hungry Travel Bug

It all starts with this...a map and a dream. European Summer 2018 is looking good!

 

 

#Goals

New additions to my Vision Board....

 

...and a few new additions to my Hero Board...