Once upon a time.....10 years ago

Once upon a time there was a young Girl who was taken by her Fairy Godmother on a magical journey to the Centre of Australia.

Together with the Girl’s two younger sisters they flew from Sydney to Adelaide and then boarded the mighty "Ghan" where they journeyed by rail in overnight luxury to the Red Centre.

They arrived in the morning and were taken to their Hotel in Alice Springs. There, a Boy with kind eyes and a nice smile picked up the Girl’s bags and took them to her room. Although the Boy and the Girl never spoke, she noticed him.  For later that afternoon the Boy poured her a drink at the Bar and that very same evening he was found playing the Piano to the empty restaurant in which they dined. He was a jack-of-all-trades. He was memorable.

Three years later and 5000km’s away back in Canberra the Girl was studying in her final year of Law at the ANU. It was the night of her 22^nd Birthday and she was out celebrating with her girlfriends at an Irish Pub. There across a crowded and noisy room she spotted a Boy. He was wearing jeans and a navy and grey striped jumper. He had kind eyes and a nice smile. She enjoyed watching the way he was interacting with his friends. When their eyes met it was love at first sight.

The Girl and the Boy were finally face to face. They chatted for hours and the moment when they realised they had crossed paths 3 years earlier was a moment the Girl will never forget.

The Boy then took the Girl dancing. He couldn’t dance but she loved that he tried. So intoxicated were they with each other they went to every venue around Canberra until the last one closed.

At the end of the night they were smitten. The Girl gave him her number. The Boy from Alice stole her heart.

They wasted no time falling in love. They were similar but different this Boy and Girl. She was independent, adventurous and spirited. He was attentive and ambitious but exuded a quiet inner confidence that she found very appealing. Not much rattles the Boy. Despite their differences, they shared a similar view on life and personal values that would keep them grounded in the pursuit of their common goals.

This day 10 years ago The Boy and The Girl got married and started their journey together. 

Together they have:

Bought and sold houses,

Travelled the World,

Packed up house 10 times,

Had 5 interstate moves,

Numerous career changes,

Shared laughter and tears, successes and disappointments,

Brought 4 lovely children into the World,

Celebrated so many triumphs they have lost count, as well as some notable failures. 

Spent the last 7 years, 4 months and 8 days changing nappies. Every. Single. Day. (but who’s counting J)

Then there have been those defining moments without which the Girl would never have been able to capture the essence of this wonderful man she is so proud to call her Husband. He is hardworking but not at the expense of his family, a quality which the Girl admires immensely. The Girl has come to learn that the most important decision one can make in their life is who they choose as their partner. The Girl is so happy they chose each other.

It’s been a wonderful, memorable journey. But the Girl and the Boy are tired. They need to stop, slow down and take stock. And today they have no material gifts to give each other except that wonderful gift that money can’t buy. And that is the gift of time. They are travelling around their beautiful country, this Girl and the Boy from Alice she fell in love with. 

They have spent the day at Mataranka Springs and are now polishing off a bottle of Moet on the River at Katherine reflecting on the past 10 years. 


The Girl will now let the Boy read her post so he can see how much she appreciates him.

Happy anniversary!