And on this day back in '83 a little guy by that same name; the same guy in fact; was born in Argentina.
Happy birthday our exotic architect friend!
With much love and affection; your South African friends, BrYan and KateY.
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Friday, 13 March 2009
Preparing for our 9 hour roadtrip
Here we are. Up since 7am Thursday morning, with a 1 hour break at 1230am for a "power nap". We departed at 02h40 and made it to our destination in Cradock at 16h00 or so. That's almost 14 hours on the road. Insane. And that means over 24 hours with only about 1 hour of sleep.
It's now 21h30 on Friday evening, and I'm exhausted. The Chinese food - just the thought of it - makes me want to vomit; my stomach is violently unstable (as is Kat's) and we've been at it non-stop since Thursday 7am, with just a 1 hour reprieve at Friday morning. That means... 36 hours+ with no sleep. I'm hitting burn out. I've been told I won't be able to watch the rugby. I'm feeling sick. I want to go home.
And then I came to Paul and Val's farm (our hosts for the weekend). I got chatting, and soon uncovered an avid rugby fan in Paul, and a fellow superbru'er. Hurrah! Modern bathroom, modern kitchen, and they're bee-keepers, newly weds, and 20-somethings. Insane! I'm in heaven - I think Paul and me, we'll get along just fine :)
It's now 21h30 on Friday evening, and I'm exhausted. The Chinese food - just the thought of it - makes me want to vomit; my stomach is violently unstable (as is Kat's) and we've been at it non-stop since Thursday 7am, with just a 1 hour reprieve at Friday morning. That means... 36 hours+ with no sleep. I'm hitting burn out. I've been told I won't be able to watch the rugby. I'm feeling sick. I want to go home.
And then I came to Paul and Val's farm (our hosts for the weekend). I got chatting, and soon uncovered an avid rugby fan in Paul, and a fellow superbru'er. Hurrah! Modern bathroom, modern kitchen, and they're bee-keepers, newly weds, and 20-somethings. Insane! I'm in heaven - I think Paul and me, we'll get along just fine :)
Wend'sDay
Wend'sDay on Thursday. Foon Lok Nien. Two small groups. Joe's. BrYan's. It was fun. We sang happy birthday for Wendy. The Chinese lady actually even said she was "blinging the lice" when we asked for rice - that was entertaining, but only for me it seems. Word of the evening: "Barbarious".
Peace.
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Anticipation of a trip
Okay so Bryan has been hogging the blog spot for weeks and he's starting calling out anxiously whenever he is more than 2 meters from his blackberry so I think it's time I put in some effort and relieve him of his duties for a post :P
We are going on an adventure tonight/tomorrow morning (possible 2am...time to be confirmed by mom), a 9 hour drive to Craddock in the middle of the Karoo to attend and celebrate the wedding of cousin Jess to her Murray! We all agreed that we must go and it would be great to be there and see everyone, especially as Auntie Mary has been planning this for years! Anyway you know how sometimes you decide to do something without actually thinking it through? Well now we're all thinking through the logistics of driving for hours and hours (I don't think I have spent more than 30 minutes in a car with mom and dad since I was 16) and I think we are all wondering how we're going to manage especially with Bron and Brian bringing Gracie (2 years old) and Micaela (3 months old). Could be very scary...I know Bron has cold feet and even tried to break her car down but it didn't work as mom has offered them the Jetta.
Anyway we have a typical Johnston day full of hecticness...it started this morning at 6:40am (too early for me...Bryan got to lie in a bit longer) I had to get to work early to get some programming done then I went on a trip to Welbeducht (I can't spell it) but it's between Chatsworth and Mobeni...I love field trips for work...alsways nice to get out in the sunshine and see a new place. Now I've eaten a whole roll of XXX mints and I'm gearing up for racing out of work early to see a potential tenant at 3:30pm (Bryan's probably racing around between work and work), no idea what the interview will achieve or what to ask but then we are going to tear off to the Pav to buy wedding present and food for the trip...then we race home... get food ready and packed... get to Wendy's party, gobble Chinese (the food) and then race home... jump into bed so we can catch a nap before dragging ourselves out of bed at about 2am to get to Kloof for the start of our weekend adventure to the Cape!
If you ran out of breath reading that then imagine doing all that! I often wonder if I have limited organisation skills or capacity or if we actually are living a super hectic life...it's always so busy that I can only imagine someone is playing a prank and we live in a Truman world where clocks are mysteriously fast forwarding or everyone lives like this and actually I have a slowed up brain.
Anyway, I have now managed to kill some time before I have to go and I will be contemplating on the road whether to stick with my job or take up a new job offer so please pray for God to give me wisdom as I make that decision.
I'm sure Bryan is feeling the itch to start blogging any minute now so I'll log off before we have overlapping posts and wish you all a great weekend ...cos I don't have a Blackberry and am not a blogaholic ...yet :P.
We are going on an adventure tonight/tomorrow morning (possible 2am...time to be confirmed by mom), a 9 hour drive to Craddock in the middle of the Karoo to attend and celebrate the wedding of cousin Jess to her Murray! We all agreed that we must go and it would be great to be there and see everyone, especially as Auntie Mary has been planning this for years! Anyway you know how sometimes you decide to do something without actually thinking it through? Well now we're all thinking through the logistics of driving for hours and hours (I don't think I have spent more than 30 minutes in a car with mom and dad since I was 16) and I think we are all wondering how we're going to manage especially with Bron and Brian bringing Gracie (2 years old) and Micaela (3 months old). Could be very scary...I know Bron has cold feet and even tried to break her car down but it didn't work as mom has offered them the Jetta.
Anyway we have a typical Johnston day full of hecticness...it started this morning at 6:40am (too early for me...Bryan got to lie in a bit longer) I had to get to work early to get some programming done then I went on a trip to Welbeducht (I can't spell it) but it's between Chatsworth and Mobeni...I love field trips for work...alsways nice to get out in the sunshine and see a new place. Now I've eaten a whole roll of XXX mints and I'm gearing up for racing out of work early to see a potential tenant at 3:30pm (Bryan's probably racing around between work and work), no idea what the interview will achieve or what to ask but then we are going to tear off to the Pav to buy wedding present and food for the trip...then we race home... get food ready and packed... get to Wendy's party, gobble Chinese (the food) and then race home... jump into bed so we can catch a nap before dragging ourselves out of bed at about 2am to get to Kloof for the start of our weekend adventure to the Cape!
If you ran out of breath reading that then imagine doing all that! I often wonder if I have limited organisation skills or capacity or if we actually are living a super hectic life...it's always so busy that I can only imagine someone is playing a prank and we live in a Truman world where clocks are mysteriously fast forwarding or everyone lives like this and actually I have a slowed up brain.
Anyway, I have now managed to kill some time before I have to go and I will be contemplating on the road whether to stick with my job or take up a new job offer so please pray for God to give me wisdom as I make that decision.
I'm sure Bryan is feeling the itch to start blogging any minute now so I'll log off before we have overlapping posts and wish you all a great weekend ...cos I don't have a Blackberry and am not a blogaholic ...yet :P.
Wendy Etchells 1986
On this day, back in '86, a girl was born into this world, and she was named Wendy.
Also, on this day, back in '86, I remember I was in a two week detention reading my newly purchased Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rules set, because I was an accomplice in the bullying of Warren Jones. I wasn't really involved, I was just on the scene and wrongfully imprisoned. And I made the most of my incarceration by reading the D&D manual while my four hooligan friends (Steve Ash, Andrew Crofts, Marc van der Hulst, Russell Smith) would sit in total silence outside the principal's office. For them, those lunch breaks were a chore; for me, they were an opportunity to read. The teacher even tried to stop me reading because she realised I wasn't seeing it as a punishment, but a few intimidating stares of disbelief ("you want me NOT to read??") soon shut her up.
Uh, where was I? Oh yes - HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENDY ETCHELLS!! We look forward to dining with you tonight (anyone else want to close that off with a movie line from 300?) - and so stoked to be sharing in your amazing journey :)
God bless
BrYan & KateY
Also, on this day, back in '86, I remember I was in a two week detention reading my newly purchased Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rules set, because I was an accomplice in the bullying of Warren Jones. I wasn't really involved, I was just on the scene and wrongfully imprisoned. And I made the most of my incarceration by reading the D&D manual while my four hooligan friends (Steve Ash, Andrew Crofts, Marc van der Hulst, Russell Smith) would sit in total silence outside the principal's office. For them, those lunch breaks were a chore; for me, they were an opportunity to read. The teacher even tried to stop me reading because she realised I wasn't seeing it as a punishment, but a few intimidating stares of disbelief ("you want me NOT to read??") soon shut her up.
Uh, where was I? Oh yes - HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENDY ETCHELLS!! We look forward to dining with you tonight (anyone else want to close that off with a movie line from 300?) - and so stoked to be sharing in your amazing journey :)
God bless
BrYan & KateY
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
How small is this world?
Get this:
Yesterday I met up with an old friend - Kai Hendry - and started telling him about our High Court case and our woes with the Thai restaurant threatening to kill me etc. and he piped up (after patiently hearing my story) that his godfather is the father of the restaurant chain owner! How crazy is that? And to learn this all on the day of submitting papers for an urgent interdict!
And then today, I take Kat's car into Honda for a service, and who do I bump into, but Simon Taylor! Last time we saw each other was almost precisely two years ago at our Cowies Hill home for a Casino Royale birthday party. How insane!
This world gets smaller every day. Good thing there are more Honda cars out there now :) if only everyone owned one, we could catch up in the waiting room :)
Yesterday I met up with an old friend - Kai Hendry - and started telling him about our High Court case and our woes with the Thai restaurant threatening to kill me etc. and he piped up (after patiently hearing my story) that his godfather is the father of the restaurant chain owner! How crazy is that? And to learn this all on the day of submitting papers for an urgent interdict!
And then today, I take Kat's car into Honda for a service, and who do I bump into, but Simon Taylor! Last time we saw each other was almost precisely two years ago at our Cowies Hill home for a Casino Royale birthday party. How insane!
This world gets smaller every day. Good thing there are more Honda cars out there now :) if only everyone owned one, we could catch up in the waiting room :)
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Gary Lewis hits 30...
Hectic! What on earth is going on in June, people??
Okay, I know the answer to that, so please, let's not elaborate.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GARY LEWIS - you're 30, you're crusty, you're married, you're somewhere in Ireland... and nothing else has changed, right? Yeah, I know how you feel :) 30 is a little over-rated.
Enjoy managing your middle - the metabolism goes into hibernate mode at our age. These youngsters (our wives) wouldn't understand that, so they just keep feeding us the same old heart-attack-inducing oily and greasy foods.
Keep well, hope Sharon spoils you rotten with a cholesterol-free rice cake (at your age, you need that).
God bless,
BrYan and KateY
Okay, I know the answer to that, so please, let's not elaborate.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GARY LEWIS - you're 30, you're crusty, you're married, you're somewhere in Ireland... and nothing else has changed, right? Yeah, I know how you feel :) 30 is a little over-rated.
Enjoy managing your middle - the metabolism goes into hibernate mode at our age. These youngsters (our wives) wouldn't understand that, so they just keep feeding us the same old heart-attack-inducing oily and greasy foods.
Keep well, hope Sharon spoils you rotten with a cholesterol-free rice cake (at your age, you need that).
God bless,
BrYan and KateY
Sunday, 8 March 2009
Revd. Erasmus turns 40!
In the spirit of you getting my birthday wrong (you said the 5th, I am the 4th), happy birthday for yesterday Rich! Hurray! 40. How does it feel?
Much love
The (new) Johnstons
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!
Friday, 6 March 2009
Legal beagle Briggs
Happy attorneyhoodshipthingimajig to Attorney-at-law Heather Briggs!
Hurray!
All rights reserved, and without prejudice, we salute and congratulate you, but maintain our legal requirement of reasonable distance!
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Hi, my name is BrYan, and I save lives...
Yes, you heard that right.
On my way back to UKZN today from taking the maid to the flat, I came across an overturned truck on the offramp to Essex Terrace. Like the rest of the cars, I could have pulled off and gone on to the next offramp and doubled back, but instead I pulled over, and with the deft coolness of an early 1980's Don Johnson, I said to the guy on the phone "you're going to have to call me back, I've got to save lives..." - well, not really, but something to that effect.
Sorted the guys out - three of them - with various injuries. One seemed to have his pride hurt more than anything else, because he'd just wiped out a brand new NDM truck, and also almost killed one of his passengers. I made sure they were all comfortable, told the frantic ladies present to help (bless them, the un-medical people), and then announced I was a first-aider, and they promptly vanished (which wasn't what I wanted, but they seemed to have faith in my skills).
The skid marks told a tale. From the fast lane, about 45 degrees straight onto the offramp, and then obviously the dude tried to counter-steer to the right to compensate for this stupid last-minute careen into the offramp, and then plop, the truck fell over onto its left side. That guy is probably in a lot of trouble.
The one guy was heavily in shock, so I lay him down, stopped the intake of fluids, inspected his spine for injuries (he was the guy not strapped in), and then made him comfortable. The fat dude had minor bruising but nothing major, and the driver had an injured arm and a bleeding pride. After ten minutes the paramedics were on the scene, so I departed. As I walked away, I could hear the paramedics (all eight of them) whispering to each other in awe "who is that guy? is he from around here? how did he manage to lift the truck like that? why are all those bunny rabbits hopping after him? and can anyone else hear the EYE OF THE TIGER music?"...
It's all about the mystery. Oh yeah.
PS) I need new surgical gloves now.
On my way back to UKZN today from taking the maid to the flat, I came across an overturned truck on the offramp to Essex Terrace. Like the rest of the cars, I could have pulled off and gone on to the next offramp and doubled back, but instead I pulled over, and with the deft coolness of an early 1980's Don Johnson, I said to the guy on the phone "you're going to have to call me back, I've got to save lives..." - well, not really, but something to that effect.
Sorted the guys out - three of them - with various injuries. One seemed to have his pride hurt more than anything else, because he'd just wiped out a brand new NDM truck, and also almost killed one of his passengers. I made sure they were all comfortable, told the frantic ladies present to help (bless them, the un-medical people), and then announced I was a first-aider, and they promptly vanished (which wasn't what I wanted, but they seemed to have faith in my skills).
The skid marks told a tale. From the fast lane, about 45 degrees straight onto the offramp, and then obviously the dude tried to counter-steer to the right to compensate for this stupid last-minute careen into the offramp, and then plop, the truck fell over onto its left side. That guy is probably in a lot of trouble.
The one guy was heavily in shock, so I lay him down, stopped the intake of fluids, inspected his spine for injuries (he was the guy not strapped in), and then made him comfortable. The fat dude had minor bruising but nothing major, and the driver had an injured arm and a bleeding pride. After ten minutes the paramedics were on the scene, so I departed. As I walked away, I could hear the paramedics (all eight of them) whispering to each other in awe "who is that guy? is he from around here? how did he manage to lift the truck like that? why are all those bunny rabbits hopping after him? and can anyone else hear the EYE OF THE TIGER music?"...
It's all about the mystery. Oh yeah.
PS) I need new surgical gloves now.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Afro Billy (AKA Willima Tinkytonk)
Hey Bill!
I would like to start by saying "you're getting old" but that would be stupid, because you're already there... you can't be getting something you've already got ... so instead, I'm just going to say THERE'S NO WAY TO STOP IT! IT WON'T STOP! YOU'RE FADING AWAY!
Happy Birthday dude :)
BrYan & Kat.
I would like to start by saying "you're getting old" but that would be stupid, because you're already there... you can't be getting something you've already got ... so instead, I'm just going to say THERE'S NO WAY TO STOP IT! IT WON'T STOP! YOU'RE FADING AWAY!
Happy Birthday dude :)
BrYan & Kat.
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
From the vantage point of 30-something...
It's been a special day!
At 00:00 I received a phone call from Oltman & Mary-Anne wishing me a happy birthday.
06:06 Ryan Martin: Hey bryan Happy happy birthday.hope u have a special day. Whoop whoop the martins
(What the heck time do you guys wake up??? -Bryan)
06:53 Justin Jones: Happy bday Johnston. Have gr8 day OLD MAN. So how does it feel being the big 30. Hee hee:-) cheers. Justin
07:02 Wesley Martin: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!
(His was on Sunday)
At 07:36 Joe Graham woke me up to wish me.
07:36 Emma Lansdell: Hey BrYan! Happy happy birthday :) when are you going to be on campus? I need to make a special delivery ;) hope you have an awesome day! The Lansdells.
(February 23 girl)
08:39 Steven Hoyer: Happy birthday Bryan!hope you have a wonderful day!I pest that god may bless you an your family this day!
08:56 Wendy Etchells: Happy birthday!hope you have an amazing day!
(It's hers next week!)
09:05 was Greg & Bronwyn Landwehr's turn.
09:27 Heather Briggs: Happy Birthday! Well the big 3 0 has finally arrived. Do u feel old-er? Hope u hav a great day & remember u are not over the hill, yet. From H
(Thanks. I don't feel "old"er physically, but there's a mental thing when you hit 30. I think it's called "sober maturity" or "responsibility". How odd! -B)
09:37 Lisa & Aubrey Thomas: Hi Bryan
Happy Birthday! I hope you are having a good day so far with lots of cake etc...
09:39 Megan Burnes phoned.
(It was hers on Monday)
10:20 Brian & Bronwyn Earl: Hey Bryan Happy Birthday Welcome to the 30's They not all bad God Bless Bri Bron Gracie and Micaela
10:40 Megan McKie gave me a gracefully late birthday call (enabling me to sleep in... Unfortunately Joe didn't reason the same logic THREE HOURS AGO)
10:44 UKZN phoned "to wish me a happy birthday" and ask me to fix some problems :-/
11:29 Graeme Norval: Happy birthday! Welcome to old age along with the rest of us. Hope you have a great day! G
12:59 Duncan Stuart: Happy birthday Bryan, wow 30! 30 30 haha hope you manage to Njoy it, what'd kate get you?
13:01 Justin Ortlepp: Hey dewd happy birthday!! Hope you have a awesome day! Justin
15:03 Gary Lewis: Hey B,
Happy Birthday.
Hope you are doing well and being spoilt rotten. :)
cheers
Gary
15:07 Mel Clarke phoned and wished me a good day.
15:57 a mystery man who can sing good high-notes left a private number missed call on my cellphone, singing happy birthday. I suspect this man goes by the name of T-K or Theran Knighton (hyphen) Fitt.
16:25 Bruce Hoyer: Hope you had a great day ! And happy birthday bruce and bree
17:13 Kimble Smith: Hey Bryan. Happy birthday! Hope u having an awesome day! Luv k:)
18:17 George Mwuara phoned and SANG me happy birthday. Wow. Kenyan serenade!!
18:55 WesFlash phoned and wished me a happy happy 3-0. His big 2-0 is on Monday (9th) so enjoy it while you can buddy :)
21:35 Hoky: A late, but happy third decade, mate!
23:11 my brother Allen phoned me on my cellphone from the UK and we chatted for 25 mins and it was great!
--
Start of the day:
Kat made me a lovely yoghurt+muesli+fruit salad+honey HANSA glass, and some rooibos tea (no milk and no sugar) and I got to open my first set of presents: a trendy deck chair for lazing on our new balcony (balcony courtesy of the Hoyers), and a Popular Mechanics magazine, and ... GREAT SPEECHES (a cool book which I'm going to dissect for future MC'ing and speeches).
Lunch with my mom:
We went to Sage for lunch, and I enjoyed a beef fillet stack, Kat had home-made fishcakes, and my mom indulged in a chicken meal. All good food but wasn't worth the 50 minute or the R175 price tag. Was still a nice change.
Unfortunately a property developer spoiled it by starting the building of a wall on our complex's parking lot and I had to grab my camera to snap a few shots, but once that was finished at 430pm'ish, I enjoyed a wonderfully delectable white chocolate coffee cake with Lindt balls and tea with my ladies.
I got a good sized cheque from my mom, XBOX360 (Force Unleashed, from Kat), some LEGO Star Wars from my brother / mom, a NAG magazine subscription (Kat), and a good time!
Evening; dinner @ La Strada with our home group. I ordered the Surf & Turf (calamari + steak) with tartar sauce and a side portion of chips (veg came with the meal). It was a really big meal, but for R118 it wasn't really worth it - the Chapman's Peak Hotel combo in CPT was WAY nicer and WAY cheaper!!
The Lansdells tried to top the day off with a lovely white Lindor Lindt chocolate slab and a Nestlé Crunch, but unfortunately my wife beat them to it by surprising me with FALLOUT 3 & LEGO INDIANA JONES (THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES) FOR XBOX360 at 23:45. But it was a really great surprise to receive pressies from someone other than family :)
--
It's been an awesome day and I must say that being 30 will bring a host of new experiences - and challenges. For one, I'm married to a twenty-something hottie (married outside of my decade), and for another, I'm still hanging out with teenagers!!
It feels good to be loved guys. That's what agape and phileo is all about, and I've experienced that massively today - thanks to everyone!!
God bless
Bryan
At 00:00 I received a phone call from Oltman & Mary-Anne wishing me a happy birthday.
06:06 Ryan Martin: Hey bryan Happy happy birthday.hope u have a special day. Whoop whoop the martins
(What the heck time do you guys wake up??? -Bryan)
06:53 Justin Jones: Happy bday Johnston. Have gr8 day OLD MAN. So how does it feel being the big 30. Hee hee:-) cheers. Justin
07:02 Wesley Martin: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!
(His was on Sunday)
At 07:36 Joe Graham woke me up to wish me.
07:36 Emma Lansdell: Hey BrYan! Happy happy birthday :) when are you going to be on campus? I need to make a special delivery ;) hope you have an awesome day! The Lansdells.
(February 23 girl)
08:39 Steven Hoyer: Happy birthday Bryan!hope you have a wonderful day!I pest that god may bless you an your family this day!
08:56 Wendy Etchells: Happy birthday!hope you have an amazing day!
(It's hers next week!)
09:05 was Greg & Bronwyn Landwehr's turn.
09:27 Heather Briggs: Happy Birthday! Well the big 3 0 has finally arrived. Do u feel old-er? Hope u hav a great day & remember u are not over the hill, yet. From H
(Thanks. I don't feel "old"er physically, but there's a mental thing when you hit 30. I think it's called "sober maturity" or "responsibility". How odd! -B)
09:37 Lisa & Aubrey Thomas: Hi Bryan
Happy Birthday! I hope you are having a good day so far with lots of cake etc...
09:39 Megan Burnes phoned.
(It was hers on Monday)
10:20 Brian & Bronwyn Earl: Hey Bryan Happy Birthday Welcome to the 30's They not all bad God Bless Bri Bron Gracie and Micaela
10:40 Megan McKie gave me a gracefully late birthday call (enabling me to sleep in... Unfortunately Joe didn't reason the same logic THREE HOURS AGO)
10:44 UKZN phoned "to wish me a happy birthday" and ask me to fix some problems :-/
11:29 Graeme Norval: Happy birthday! Welcome to old age along with the rest of us. Hope you have a great day! G
12:59 Duncan Stuart: Happy birthday Bryan, wow 30! 30 30 haha hope you manage to Njoy it, what'd kate get you?
13:01 Justin Ortlepp: Hey dewd happy birthday!! Hope you have a awesome day! Justin
15:03 Gary Lewis: Hey B,
Happy Birthday.
Hope you are doing well and being spoilt rotten. :)
cheers
Gary
15:07 Mel Clarke phoned and wished me a good day.
15:57 a mystery man who can sing good high-notes left a private number missed call on my cellphone, singing happy birthday. I suspect this man goes by the name of T-K or Theran Knighton (hyphen) Fitt.
16:25 Bruce Hoyer: Hope you had a great day ! And happy birthday bruce and bree
17:13 Kimble Smith: Hey Bryan. Happy birthday! Hope u having an awesome day! Luv k:)
18:17 George Mwuara phoned and SANG me happy birthday. Wow. Kenyan serenade!!
18:55 WesFlash phoned and wished me a happy happy 3-0. His big 2-0 is on Monday (9th) so enjoy it while you can buddy :)
21:35 Hoky: A late, but happy third decade, mate!
23:11 my brother Allen phoned me on my cellphone from the UK and we chatted for 25 mins and it was great!
--
Start of the day:
Kat made me a lovely yoghurt+muesli+fruit salad+honey HANSA glass, and some rooibos tea (no milk and no sugar) and I got to open my first set of presents: a trendy deck chair for lazing on our new balcony (balcony courtesy of the Hoyers), and a Popular Mechanics magazine, and ... GREAT SPEECHES (a cool book which I'm going to dissect for future MC'ing and speeches).
Lunch with my mom:
We went to Sage for lunch, and I enjoyed a beef fillet stack, Kat had home-made fishcakes, and my mom indulged in a chicken meal. All good food but wasn't worth the 50 minute or the R175 price tag. Was still a nice change.
Unfortunately a property developer spoiled it by starting the building of a wall on our complex's parking lot and I had to grab my camera to snap a few shots, but once that was finished at 430pm'ish, I enjoyed a wonderfully delectable white chocolate coffee cake with Lindt balls and tea with my ladies.
I got a good sized cheque from my mom, XBOX360 (Force Unleashed, from Kat), some LEGO Star Wars from my brother / mom, a NAG magazine subscription (Kat), and a good time!
Evening; dinner @ La Strada with our home group. I ordered the Surf & Turf (calamari + steak) with tartar sauce and a side portion of chips (veg came with the meal). It was a really big meal, but for R118 it wasn't really worth it - the Chapman's Peak Hotel combo in CPT was WAY nicer and WAY cheaper!!
The Lansdells tried to top the day off with a lovely white Lindor Lindt chocolate slab and a Nestlé Crunch, but unfortunately my wife beat them to it by surprising me with FALLOUT 3 & LEGO INDIANA JONES (THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES) FOR XBOX360 at 23:45. But it was a really great surprise to receive pressies from someone other than family :)
--
It's been an awesome day and I must say that being 30 will bring a host of new experiences - and challenges. For one, I'm married to a twenty-something hottie (married outside of my decade), and for another, I'm still hanging out with teenagers!!
It feels good to be loved guys. That's what agape and phileo is all about, and I've experienced that massively today - thanks to everyone!!
God bless
Bryan
Goodbye twenties
So that's it. They're over. I'm into my thirties now.
No-one remembers the thirties.
I've just walked over to Oltman & Mary-Anne's to do the washing, and walked back with a basket-load of washing. Now time to hang it up, and to wash the dishes. At least I'm getting a clean start to the new decade!
Bryan
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
The Final Countdown ... 4th decade here I come!
It's enticingly ALMOST official... I'm soon to be entering into my fourth decade on this planet.
At some time after midnight, March 4th, 1979, in St. Augustine's hospital, BrYan John Johnston hit the world by storm.
It's been a long and hard slog with many ups and many downs, and I couldn't have done it without my mom and dad's support.
It's a weird thing to be moving from my twenties to my thirties. I had a weird experience when I went from nineteen to twenty; was just as depressing then as it is now, but I count my blessings now and they're far more than back then!
I've still got an awesome mom (even though we have our hiccups, I love my mom dearly) and now I have an awesome wife (who at the time of nineteen to twenty, was my awesome girlfriend). Also, I have an awesome relationship with God, and have an awesome home too!
My life is going great, but is crazy hectic right now. The devil of busyness has wrapped its icy claws around my life and I've got a long struggle to overcome it; one step at a time though! And just imagine, God may bless us with kids soon, and THEN who's going to be busy??
I'm not sure about this 30 years thing; it's another day, but it's that mental milestone that just seems to set the tone for the future. Next milestone is FORTY which is just nuts, because then it's FIFTY, and then it's DEAD. Crazy man, crazy. Life just flies by WAY too fast! This year will be the twelfth year out of High School and the eighth year with a postgraduate degree; and back then life was so much simpler, and the world felt like it was wide open and all ours to conquer. Now? Well, now our ambitions to amass millions, or tour Europe, or live in a New York corner studio apartment, are one step further to the grave and our time is becoming more valuable and critical.
What's next? Complete a law degree? Settle down? Buy a house? Change jobs? Become middle management? It's just too much and seems too sensible. I'm not ready for sensible. I'm a kid at heart. I'm a fool. I'm a brat. I don't need to be older, and I don't need that stamp of THIRTY to remind me that I need to grow some responsibility. What's life going to be like on the other side of this dream? Will my brain just miraculously switch over to being a suit and tie G-man with a refined sense of humour and no time for rugby? Will I find my body struggling to hold back the fat and will I grow hair in places there just shouldn't be hair? What about my influence with young adults? Will I lose my credibility as a young adult leader because I'm too old for them? Hectic, too much to decipher, but only time will tell...
In a warping of Jason Coomer's famous words ten years ago, "who wants to be a twenty-nine year old clown, when you can be a thirty year old clown?" ... Thanks Jase, you're a star :)
God bless all,
See you on the flip-side.
Bryan
Monday, 2 March 2009
Thanks for the help!
Kat and I want to thank everyone for their encouragement and support in moving over to our new place.
It was a great start to the day - the Sharks won a nailbiter and then people arrived to help us "pack and move".
The weather wasn't very favourable, but your heart and hard work helped us get it all done.
Some awards were also determined for the crew helping us:
First on-scene:
Wendy Etchells & Nick Young-Thompson
(In the episode beginning at 11am)
Fastest down-the-stairs:
Warren Lansdell
(In his rendition of Jingle Bells, slipping all the way...)
First jinxer:
Brent Ramsay-Boyd
("Careful Warren... Take your shoes off, or you might slip")
"Brent pushed me down the stairs" award:
Warren Lansdell
Heaviest lifter:
Wesley Martin
(Two couch mattresses, a couch, a fridge, a double bed, a single bed)
Sleuth award:
Emma Lansdell & Wendy Etchells
("What are Mel Clarke's pants doing in your cupboard, Bryan?")
Fragile packing award:
Mel Clarke
(Kitchen plates etc.)
Staff Sergeant:
Megan McKie
First bakkie on-scene:
Brent-Ramsay Boyd.
Most unexpected bakkie:
Shannon Bouwer
Quick-fire round:
Joe Graham
Butterfly Effect:
Joe Graham
(Only enough time to do a few beats of his wings, but moved enough stuff to make people think he was a hurricane)
Xbox packer extraordinaire:
Hylton Warburton
(It felt like I was opening up a new Xbox... For the third time :))
Parental guidance:
Ken & Jean Stuart
Painting our bodger:
George Mwuara
Fish-relocation expert:
Emma Lansdell
Food generously supplied (at retail prices):
(note the irony of Emma-the-vegetarian holding the KFC...)
KFC
Woolworths
To everyone, thank you! Thank you!
Now our next request is helping us find some paying tenants :)
God bless
Bryan & Kat
It was a great start to the day - the Sharks won a nailbiter and then people arrived to help us "pack and move".
The weather wasn't very favourable, but your heart and hard work helped us get it all done.
Some awards were also determined for the crew helping us:
First on-scene:
Wendy Etchells & Nick Young-Thompson
(In the episode beginning at 11am)
Fastest down-the-stairs:
Warren Lansdell
(In his rendition of Jingle Bells, slipping all the way...)
First jinxer:
Brent Ramsay-Boyd
("Careful Warren... Take your shoes off, or you might slip")
"Brent pushed me down the stairs" award:
Warren Lansdell
Heaviest lifter:
Wesley Martin
(Two couch mattresses, a couch, a fridge, a double bed, a single bed)
Sleuth award:
Emma Lansdell & Wendy Etchells
("What are Mel Clarke's pants doing in your cupboard, Bryan?")
Fragile packing award:
Mel Clarke
(Kitchen plates etc.)
Staff Sergeant:
Megan McKie
First bakkie on-scene:
Brent-Ramsay Boyd.
Most unexpected bakkie:
Shannon Bouwer
Quick-fire round:
Joe Graham
Butterfly Effect:
Joe Graham
(Only enough time to do a few beats of his wings, but moved enough stuff to make people think he was a hurricane)
Xbox packer extraordinaire:
Hylton Warburton
(It felt like I was opening up a new Xbox... For the third time :))
Parental guidance:
Ken & Jean Stuart
Painting our bodger:
George Mwuara
Fish-relocation expert:
Emma Lansdell
Food generously supplied (at retail prices):(note the irony of Emma-the-vegetarian holding the KFC...)
KFC
Woolworths
To everyone, thank you! Thank you!
Now our next request is helping us find some paying tenants :)
God bless
Bryan & Kat
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