Hi all!
Welcome to the best month of my entire life! On the 30th October, I finally married the love of my life and it was PERFECT!!! I cannot even begin to describe the happiness and how much I love my wonderful husband!! I will post a blog with all of our wedding photos once we receive them but for now, please check out my October favourites as tomorrow, we leave for our honeymoon in Langkawi!!
THE BEST OF OCTOBER:
1.) Jewellery Piece – Crochet Necklace from Tree of Life
It had been a while since I bought myself any fashion jewellery (especially since I had significantly decluttered my collection) but I couldn’t help myself when I saw these crochet tumbled stone pouches on the Tree of Life website. The pouch itself can come in 7 different colours and it arrives completely empty. This is the fun part! You get to customise it with any two stones you wish, whenever you like. I ordered the cream pouch and filled it with a Quartz & Amethyst stone. I picked Quartz for energy & clarity and Amethyst for peace & spirituality. You can wear it around your neck or hang it somewhere in your home. I really love how you can personalise the necklace and change it depending on what you wish to attract.
2.) Place – Redwood Forest in East Warburton
On October 2nd, Francis and I finally went on a road trip to East Warburton to visit the Redwood Forest. Our friends Jade and Michael got engaged there in February and their beautiful pictures enticed us to check it out! It was a warm, glorious sunny day driving through the quiet green town of Warburton and before entering the forest, we went on a long hike through the Aqueduct Trail. The moment we entered the large expanse of tall beautiful redwood trees, we were blown away by its beauty. It reminded me of the Magic Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton. The woods were peaceful and dark. We took lots of photos and played in the big man-made bird’s nests. If you live in Victoria or come for a holiday, I highly recommend visiting this wondrous place. It’s truly enchanting…
3.) Game – Bioshock Infinite
I cannot believe I had never played a single Bioshock game until October 2016! Even though Bioshock Infinite is the latest in the series, I chose to play it first as it had the best reviews. From start to finish, I saw exactly why everybody raved about it! Set in 1912 in the fictional ‘steampunk’ world of Columbia, the protagonist Booker DeWitt finds himself lost in the strange realm of suspended blimps, buildings and statues. He is tasked with finding a girl named Elizabeth who possess paranormal gifts and returning her to shady characters who wish to exploit her. The moment he arrives however, he is targeted as the ‘False Shepherd’ by the evil founder of Columbia, Comstock, and spends the majority of the game running from villains. The best part of this game for me was the graphics. It is beyond visually stunning. Every time you turn a corner, you are wowed by incredibly detailed scenery. I also loved the unique abilities Booker picks up along the way and how despite being set in a fictitious world, it highlights the strong racial segregation that occurred in America in the early 1900’s. Check this game out if you haven’t already. It’s so much fun!
4.) YouTube Channel – Soul Candle
I’m so happy that I discovered Soul Candle! A few weeks ago, I was searching for some relaxation music and came across a channel with hundreds of clips designed to help you sleep, study, mediate and unwind. The majority of Soul Candle’s videos go between 1-3 hours and they literally have any peaceful music you can think of. You can listen to the sounds of the piano, beach, forest, rain, African wildlife, Egyptian markets, Celtic hills of Ireland, island reggae, New York jazz, Japanese tea gardens and more! I’ve really enjoyed listening to a new surrounding each day and immersing myself in the themes. I actually used the track above in a yoga class I taught on the 5th for Vitality Month at work. A participant told me afterwards she really liked how the music complimented the sequences we did. If you’re having trouble locating new meditation music, you have to check out Soul Candle!
5.) Book – Jasper Jones by by Craig Silvey
My mum recommended Jasper Jones to me and the moment I turned the first page, I was drawn into an incredibly gripping story. Set in 1965, rural Western Australia, young Charlie Bucktin’s entire world is changed forever when the mischievous Jasper Jones shows up at his window one summer evening begging for help. Jasper leads Charlie to a private glade in the bush where he reveals a terrifying secret. Craig Silvey’s novel explores themes of friendship, trust, love, mystery, racial discrimination and murder. I would highly recommend reading this wonderfully written book before the motion picture is released in 2017!
6.) Movie – Inferno (the latest book by Dan Brown)
I love the works of Dan Brown and earlier this year, I decided to listen to Inferno on audio book whilst driving. I have to say, out of all Robert Langdon’s adventures (The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons and The Lost Symbol) this was by far my favourite. I’ve always been fascinated by Dante’s Divine Comedy and this story intricately explores the chilling tale about Dante’s descent into hell. On October 14th, Francis and I went to see the movie with Tom Hanks reprising his role as Professor Robert Langdon. Unfortunately they changed the ending from the book which irritated me but the acting and cinematography was beautiful. It’s still worth seeing but I recommend the book over the movie.
7.) Event – World Vegan Day!
On Sunday October 23rd, Francis and I went to World Vegan Day at the Melbourne Showgrounds. Every year, it just keeps getting bigger and better with thousands of people flocking to the event; gaining more awareness regarding animal cruelty and a healthier lifestyle. We couldn’t stay overly long due to a birthday party but we managed to score some show bags and eat a delicious lunch whilst drooling over the food stalls. Francis ate a southern fried tofu po’ boy as pictured above and I tucked into a delicious red lentil dahl with fluffy turmeric rice. It’s definitely our favourite event held yearly and I love how it continues to expand, spreading peace and love to all!
8.) Memory – Best Moment of October 2016
I don’t normally like to use the word perfect as I don’t believe perfection exists but our wedding day was truly flawless and unique. The weather was gorgeous (sun shining, warm, blue skies) and the entire day passed by like a dream.Our wedding was filled with so much love, laughter and happiness. I will do a separate blog with all my wedding photos but for now I want to leave you with my favourite so far. There are no words to describe how my heart feels…
Thank you reading my monthly favourites! Next month I will be spending the first half in Langkawi so there will no doubt be vegan travel and photo diary posts from our honeymoon. Until then…peace & love to you all xox
Disclaimer: This post contains links to my Amazon Affiliate which helps fund my blog, I am not being paid or sponsored for this post/products – all my thoughts/opinions are my own
October sounded like such an exciting month for you! Congrats in getting married and it was such a lovely occasion 😍 I cannot wait to see all the photos, and also looking forward to your Langkawi photos 🌴🌾
I agree that Redwood Forest looks like something from the Faraway Tree book series. Looks magical, and mysteriou and it goes on and on 😊
Thank you Mabel! I’m so happy you were there, I’m excited to open your card this evening!! Lots of love xoxo