A red flower growing the cracks of a dry bed to demonstrate resilience.

The secret to resilience

Recently I had lunch with a friend and she wanted to know my secret to resilience. We find ourselves in a toxic environment that we can’t change and are not ready to leave. It’s taking a toll on her not only emotionally, but also on her physical well-being. Her body wears the signs of stress. …

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A toy frog in a camper with a welcome sign.

Welcome to my new blog

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to my new blog. If you came here redirected from my previous blogs Stumble Down Under or Magickly, you’ll find much of that content here and more is coming. If you’re joining me for the first time, welcome! You might be wondering what on earth I’m doing now. Let me …

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map drawn on hands expat

The road to residency part 8: permanent residency

On Saturday, 1st April – April Fools’Day – I received an email from my migrant agent with the news. I am a permanent residency. The PDF from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection was attached. It took three years. I applied for the temporary residency visa in April 2014. Two years later, in April 2016, I became eligible to …

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Blogging LiveJournal

On blogging and LiveJournal’s new terms

I don’t remember when I started blogging. It was on AOL Journals so it was at least 2003, but I left before it closed in 2008. I don’t remember what I blogged about, probably nothing. Although there were some pioneers in the space, a blog in the late 1990s and early 2000s was, generally speaking, …

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Wedding engagement party

Scenes from our budget-friendly engagement party

Last month, Theo and I had our engagement party! Here’s what we did and how we did it. Let’s start with (modern) traditions. Traditionally, the engagement party takes place within a three months of the proposal. It’s the sweet spot between carefree, just-engaged life and the start of serious wedding planning. Traditionally, the bride’s parents host the …

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Scenes from the Melbourne Bridal and Honeymoon Expo

I went to my second bridal expo today. Earlier this month, I went to the Melbourne Ultimate Bridal Event at the Royal Exhibition Building. Today’s event was the Melbourne Bridal and Honeymoon Expo at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. I was worried that today’s bridal expo was going to be identical to the first one I went …

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