Happy October! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Mine was spent watching (not really) the AFL Grand Final (apparently it’s a big deal in Melbourne) at a friends house while huddling around an outdoor fire and getting a manicure by one of my friends who was just as enthralled in the footy as I was. On Saturday night I tagged along to a girls night with one of my friends. It was at the most AMAZING house, a recently renovated Victorian style place in Parkville. Think – french antique restored mirrors on top of original marble fireplaces, completely modern throughout (fully insulated, new appliances etc.), chandeliers in almost every room, polished floorboards….all while keeping the character of the original style. Sigh. Yes we got a tour, and yes I wanted to move in….! In true 2012 style, September sped past. One of my favourite bits from last month was having photos with Sam, taken by the lovely Leah Kua. Check out her blog post of the pictures here. We have ordered a few prints to be framed for our walls, I can’t wait to get them up. I’m planning to write a blog post on our photo experience, so keep an eye out! xx   October 2012 It’s workshop month!!! I am SO excited for Planted with Light on the 22nd of this month (NZ Labour Day). I have been blessed with many incredible people who have volunteered their time & energy to help me with this. I can’t wait to meet all the workshop attendees (and see some of them again – two are past brides of mine!) This month, I’m looking forward to sunnier evenings and walks after dinner, with daylight saving beginning this weekend in Melbourne. When I’m back in NZ, one of my lovely couples, Ben & Taryn, are tying the knot later this month in Taupo on a deer farm, I can’t wait for their wedding!   SOME OCTOBER BUSINESS GOALS   Send some of last seasons weddings to vendors + magazines. Start planning website re-design. Jessie from Follow Studio is helping me with this and I can’t wait to get started! Finalise all details for Planted with Light, including styled shoot. Blog consistently. Have an incredible first workshop! Make time to learn, and be teachable.   SOME OCTOBER PERSONAL GOALS   I don’t know if I should put this under personal or business, but I am challenging myself (inspired by my ‘Weekly Good Habits’ Kiki K planner) to only check social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and emails TWICE a day (morning and evening) for this week. Since there is also a reward section on the Kiki planner, I plan to reward myself with this Kelly Moore bag if I complete the challenge. It’s great motivation! Get creative in the kitchen and try new things! We went to a friends house for dinner last night and were served the most a.m.a.z.i.n.g gnocchi I have ever tasted. It was made completely from scratch, was so light and just absolutely melt-in-the-mouth-deliciousness. Take my camera out with no agenda, other than to take photos for myself. Haven’t done enough of this lately.   —   What are some of your goals for this month? I’d love to know. I read the following this morning…   “…We set goals so that we can feel a certain kind of feeling – happy, secure, abundant, etc. But many times the goals that we set are not in alignment with being able to sustainably bring us these feelings. What’s more, we may not even be setting goals that are our own, we may be setting goals so that mom, or dad or our tribe approve of us. This is why we MUST live a Self-Approved life. This life is NOT a dress rehearsal and it is up to us to be able to do the work so that we can uncover our mission and to pursue it NOW. Not in the future, not 10 years from now, but NOW. And quite frankly the only person’s permission we need is… you got it, our own!“   Taken from here. I just love the bit in bold. Life is not a dress rehearsal people! I have to remind myself of this constantly. So here’s to having an inspired, well-lived October! Go do it xx