Tag: Inspiring Max

R – Reginal Express (REX) Airlines

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Last month I fly to Lismore, Norther New South Wales with Rex Airlines. To me it was just another small airline and the only way for me to get where I wanted to go. Boy was I wrong. REX is Australia’s largest independent airline and services 52 destinations around Australia—South Australia, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales.

REX was born in Wagga Wagga 2002 after the Ansett Airline collapse shut down the ability of people in regional areas to fly. The people of Wagga Wagga had been able to commute to Sydney daily prior to this with Hazelton and Kendall Air. We had actually lived in Wagga Wagga until two weeks after the 2001  Ansett collapse and my husband had flown to Sydney regularly with this work. I cannot imagine how frustrating it would have been in the six months before REX began flying and people needed to drive for 6 hours to do business in Sydney.

Move forward 12 years and the airline that was born out of need is rewarded for its efforts. In December 2014, REX was awarded ‘Best Australian Regional Airline’ in the Australian Traveller People’s Choice Awards. To my surprise REX has also been recognised as a top performing regional airline by Aviation Week and Space Technology Magazine in the world for the past 6 years and is one of the top 5 carriers in the world.

My experience with REX was very pleasant and even the delays which were out of their control were handled well. Nothing was too much trouble and I do believe they deserve their standing in the industry.20150330_154733

 

#A -Z Challenge

Share Your World – 2015 Week 15

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Regarding your fridge, is it organized or a mess inside?

My fridge usually starts off the week organised as I clear it out every Sunday to co-inside with the weekly garbage collection. I have my own system to keep it organised—dairy on the second shelf, leftovers on the third shelf, chocolate on the bottom and large items on the top shelf. My husband however doesn’t care for my system and put things wherever he can find a space.

Have you ever been a participant in a parade? What did you do?

When I was a teenager in the 1970’s I participated in the Mattara parade in Newcastle. Mattara was held during the last week in September and celebrating the people of Newcastle and the arts. This festival is over 50 years old and includes people from all walks of life. I remember feeling very proud to  march in the parade representing the Girls Brigade.

How do you stand out from the crowd?

It depends on which crowd I am in as to how I stand out. I don’t deliberately try to stand out but I usually find my own way based on my personality. If |I am interested in what is going on I will start talking and using open sentences give people enough information that they are interested in finding out more. If not I like a chameleon will blend in with the environment and not let others know anything specific about me.

How many bones, if any, have you broken?

I broke my right arm skate boarding when I was 15, my right little toe in the Newcastle earthquake and my right foot when a girls gymnastics beam fell on it about 7 years ago during agynastics set-up.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last week I was grateful that I recovered from illness in less than 24 hours.

This week I am looking forward to celebrating 100 years of the ANZAC spirit.

http://ceenphotography.com/2015/04/13/share-your-world-2015-week-15/

F – Fantastic News

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You get some incredibly, amazingly, wonderfully fantastic news. What’s the first thing you do?

I am assuming from this prompt that the incredibly, amazingly, wonderful fantastic news is mine to tell—if not I would keep their secret.

If it is mine, initially I would say thank you to my angels and spend some time enjoying the moment—connecting with everything I was feeling in my body and head. The more exciting my news—the more I would plan my sharing. Super exciting news requires time for self rejoicing, planning, dreaming and working out what it means before sharing my news with the world including my immediate family.

Once I had worked through my news, I would plan a special dinner that evening for the family and share my news with them in person. I love to see the responses on their faces particularly if the news related to something I know they thought I truly was dreaming about. I tend to be the believer in the power of positive thinking and the law of attraction and not everyone shares my thoughts. I love examples of it working in my life.

Once we had celebrated—with a fancy champagne—my husband and I would work out a plan to share my news with the rest of the family—parents and siblings. This would mostly involve ringing them individually or sending a text if time poor although sometimes a road trip may be in order to tell them personally.

Only after all of these options had been completed and if I decided my news was suitable for a public billboard would I post a status update to Facebook. My personal boundaries stop me announcing anything and everything to the world without careful consideration.

Through blogging I have become more comfortable with my online presence however I don’t want any surprises. If appropriate, to complete my celebrations and take it to a new level I would write a blog post and see where that takes me.The advantage of celebrating through a blog post is that you get to celebrate many times over as people read the blog posts in their own time.

Bring on the fantastic news—I  love to celebrate.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/supercalifragilisticexpialidocious/

#A-Z Challenge

Inspiration, Knowledge and Travels

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Often, our blogs have taglines. But what if humans did, too? What would your tagline be?

I believe humans do have taglines. Everything we say and do is our tagline—what people know us by. We can edit our blog posts to ensure they match our theme. However in our life blog posts the editing process requires more effort and pain is often attached to the changes. Life with our blogs trialing new things and sometimes making big changes brings greater rewards. This can be the same in life. Like in the old adage—no pain, no gain.

For me the similarities between myself and my blog continue. I would choose a similar tagline. My blogs tagline is inspiration through my thoughts, experiences and travels. My life’s tagline would be inspiration, knowledge and travels. 

I am a positive person working in mental health. Everything I do is about encouraging myself and others to look on the bright side—developing a spark of hope into a fire that warms you and lights your path and become the best possible version of oneself. 

My main areas to focus on include:

  • Inspiration—stories, quotes, songs, words, books, movies
  • Knowledge—eating disorder recovery, mental health, parenting, public speaking, life skills
  • Travels—Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand

 

2011-07-30 17.13.54

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/tagline/

Weekly Photo Challenge:Ephemeral

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This week’s theme: ephemeral. Show us your interpretation!

Last Sunday my husband and I took photos of the sunset from Cape Byron—Australia’s most easterly point. It truly was a ephemeral experience. The top photos show the sunsetting over Australia while the bottom two totally different photos are the hues over the Pacific Ocean. It was quite remarkable.

Over Australia

 

Over The Pacific Ocean

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/ephemeral/

10,000 Views

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Tell us about a time things came this close to working out… but didn’t. What happened next? Would you like the chance to try again, or are you happy with how things eventually worked out?

Inspiring Max was born on Mother’s day—12th May 2014. I knew nothing about blogging but thought I would give it a go anyway. As a self-hosted blog, I soon realised I had a lot to learn about how I was different to other WordPress.com sites. It was a very slow process. I was frustrated. In July, after  completing Blogging 101 I had—34 views, 13 visitors and only 1 follower. So I stopped blogging and prioritised other things.

In late August I was off work sick for a week. I had nothing to do so I popped back to my site. To my surprise I had a few followers, several more views and an Inspiring Blogger Award. I was humbled and excited. Suddenly I got it. Blogging is a long-term journey—a commitment not only to yourself, but also every one who reads you blog. We all grow together and allow each other to reach our own individual goals. By the end of December 2014, my goal was 100 followers. I ended the year with 110 followers and now I have 335. It may have been a slow start but Inspiring Max is on the move.

Somewhere around September I learnt not to focus on the followers but the views. If people were regularly viewing more than one page of my work I was happy. This usually meant they would come back again. The more I connect with my blogging community—the more they connect with me. I view 3 new blogs a day that I interact with. As a result, I am excited to have been viewed by people in 105 countries—many of whom I didn’t know existed. I love the coloured in world map of where Inspiring Max has been.

My advice to bloggers is make sure you have great content and keep going. When you are discouraged visit new blogs. Connect with your community at every opportunity and overtime—your community will connect with you. Blogging is a rewarding experience that has allowed me to grow in ways I would have never imagined possible before. Thank you for sharing my journey. I look forward to our future together. To celebrate I offer you a virtual glass champagne instead of a cigar.

champagne-250-FOR-TRIDION_tcm18-132345

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/but-no-cigar/

Share Your World 2015 – Week 11

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List 2 things you have to be happy about?

I am happy that my  family is happy and healthy.

Today I printed of a draft copy of my book and it is starting to come together nicely. I must admit however I am very surprised at how much time the editing process takes.

Do you prefer ketchup or mustard or mayonnaise?

I do not prefer any of the above chooses. My favourite sauce is chilli BBQ—a combination of chill and barbeque sauce. It has only been in Australia for about two years but I am eternally grateful.

If you were to paint a picture of your childhood, what colors would you use?

A picture of my childhood would use a mixture of dark and light colours. It definitely wasn’t all sunshine and roses—there were many thunderstorms. My experiences were varied however they pathed the way for a bright adult life and gave me a great base for my work in mental health.

Do you prefer a bath or shower?

I shower daily that is out of necessity. When time permits and I have access to a spa bath I will indulge myself. Many years ago we had one in our home and it was a great way to relax on the weekend complete with a glass of champagne.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last Sunday I traveled to Newcastle and caught up with my extended family. I only get to do this about  3 times a year due to the number of people involved and their busy lives. The older I get the more important this time is.

Next weekend I am looking forward to traveling to Lismore in northern New South Wales to get away for the weekend with my husband. I cannot remember that last time I visited the area so I am sure it has changed.

http://ceenphotography.com/2015/03/16/share-your-world-2015-week-11/

Necessary

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There are 26 letters in the English language, and we need every single one of them. Want proof? Choose a letter and write a blog post without using it. (Feeling really brave? Make it a vowel!)

Today I have written my first concrete poem. It was a challenge to get started but worked in the end. I think the title of the poem speaks for itself. Without the letter the title of this blog is Inspriring Ax—to easy to be wrongly used and interpreted.

 

One day                                                   there was a

letter of the                                         alphabet that

could not be                                  spoken. She was

special. Living                                     in the centre.

Lots of                       words                               were

never                           able                                to be

re                                  cog                                nised

with                                                                       out

her.                                                                     After

all                                                                       adult

lady                                                                   of the

group                                                             doesn’t

sound                                                                 okay.

 

 https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/twenty-five/

Celebrating—Versatile Blogger and Premio Dardos Awards

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Today I celebrate my 300th follower. Back in January, during Blogging 101 I set goals for this blog, which included having 300 followers by my 12 month anniversary in May. As I reached this mile stone today, I am 2 months early—Yeah! Time to celebrate.  Last month I was given more reason to celebrate as I received two blogging awards to accept from Silver Lining Mama http://silverliningmama.com/ The awards were the Versatile Blogger Award and the Premio Dardos Award. I am humbled, grateful and would like to thank her.  If you get time stop by her blog as it’s worth a visit.

versatile-blogger-award-trophy

The rules are:

  • Show the award on your blog.
  • Thank the person who nominated you.
  • Share seven facts about yourself.
  • Nominate 15 blogs.
  • Link your nominees’ blogs, and let them know.

Seven facts about me:

  1. I love purple.
  2. I was born at midnight.
  3. Dates and walnuts are my least favourite foods.
  4. I have a Mickey Mouse collection.
  5. I am enjoying my new found ability to write poetry.
  6. I will self-publish my book this year.
  7. I work with people recovering from eating disorders—my book is based on my knowledge in this area.

My nominations are:

  1. Lynne’s Art and Soul https://lynnesartandsoul.wordpress.com/
  2. Laissez Faire http://laissezfairelife.com/
  3. Pheonix Grey https://phoenixgrey85.wordpress.com/
  4. Its PH https://itsphblog.wordpress.com/
  5. The Main Focus https://annermurray.wordpress.com/
  6. Mutafariq Khayalat https://mutafariqkhayalat.wordpress.com/
  7. Fresh Paula http://freshpaula.com/
  8. The Kyleinator https://thekyleinator.wordpress.com/
  9. Blisters, Bunions and Blarney http://safarfiertze.com/
  10. Michael Meiser https://michaelmeiser.wordpress.com

premiodardosblogaward

Here is the description and rules for this award:

dardos

My nominations are:

  1. The Lace In My Head Mirrors The Cosmic Mind https://patternsofsouldevelopment.wordpress.com/
  2. The Beauty Along The Road https://beautyalongtheroad.wordpress.com/
  3. Its All In Finding The Right Words https://rogershipp.wordpress.com/
  4. Nuggets of Gold https://joyroses13.wordpress.com/
  5. I’m Not A Sick Boy http://iamnotsickboy.com/
  6. Flowers and Breezers https://flowersandbreezes.wordpress.com
  7. The Gad About Town http://thegadabouttown.com/

All of my nominees are worthy of their awards and I enjoy their blogs regularly. Thank you for adding dimension to my blogging journey.

Share Your World – 2015 Week 9

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How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

I think I would be a similar age to the one I am now. I am happy to be 52 and starting to count down the years to retirement or working part-time or casual instead of full-time. My life is more stable the older I get—I only need to plan what I want to do with my husband and not around the many children’s activities I had to arrange in my forties.

Are you left or right-handed? 

I am right-handed. I have never really had the need to teach myself to do anything with my left hand although I do admire people who can use both.

If you HAD to change your name, what would you change it to?

I think the name I would choose would depend on what was going on in my life when I had to make the decision. Names are so important and they have to fit the person. My favourite names vary greatly. I don’t write my blog under my real name and choosing a name for it took me about a week—I am happy with it as it works for me.

Where do you hide junk when people come over?

Most of the time people come to our house we know they are coming so we tidy up. I use this as a great opportunity to sort out the papers I was always meaning to get to. If anyone drops by unannounced I am comfortable tidying up around them. My theory is that they have come to visit me—warts and all—not judge the state of my house. I use the closest closed-door to hide the junk and with a new kitten there is plenty of choice as most doors are closed.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last week I was grateful that it was the cleaners week to come as I love coming home from work after they has been as the house smells and looks beautiful. To me as I rarely see the cleaners it is like the fairies come in and fix it up.

During the coming week I am looking forward to starting to work with my new exercise physiologists. I have never had a formal exercise program before and am looking forward to the challenge. I am using the move your body to move your mind premise. It should be fun.

http://ceenphotography.com/2015/03/02/share-your-world-2015-week-9/