2016 Review: Part 1

It's holiday time and I'm on a break from work for the next twelve days. I couldn't be happier; this is the longest break I've had from work since I started at my current workplace which was almost three and a half years ago. I've been looking forward to this time for a long time now. I don't have any major plans, after the 26th of December all my days are free so far. I prefer it that way. This year has been so incredibly busy and I never have enough time at home. I'm most looking forward to doing lots of sport and being at home watching Youtube and Netflix. 

It's the time of year for posts which review the year that's been. I'll create a separate post with my outfits from 2016. For now I'll write about some other aspects of the year. I can easily say (so far) 2016 has been the best year of my life (at least my life as an adult). Prior to last year I had a number of terrible years and I've been through a lot in my life so because of that I am incredibly grateful. The reason for such a positive year is taking up sport again particularly swimming. It's been my number one priority all year at the expense of anything else. I had a lot of very specific goals for swimming and there's nothing I wouldn't have done to achieve them. I accepted zero excuses from myself for missing training and racing. I became a lot tougher this year which feels like an achievement. I never say any of this to brag, I don't think I'm particularly amazing or impressive. But I like to acknowledge the progress I have made because it proves what can be done with a dream and wanting something enough. For me this sense of dedication and purpose comes out in sport. Despite a twelve year break from swimming prior to this year, it's a feeling I've never experienced in any other context of life. However, it could be from anything else for a range of people. Never stop setting goals and doing whatever it takes to achieve them. 

Here's what happened in 2016: 

Tennis: three weeks ago I joined tennis club. It's been the best decision and I look forward to it every week. It's for three hours on Sunday morning and is very relaxed. At first I thought the easy going nature would be frustrating for me because I get really competitive with sports but actually it's perfect. I already have swimming to be competitive about and I often feel lots of pressure from myself so tennis works out really well. My husband also joined tennis with me so it's nice to have an activity to do together, especially since he generally hates sport. 

Running: after many recurring ankle and foot injuries towards the end of last year and the beginning of this year, I've been back into running since March. With improved fitness and strength I believe my body finally got used to long distance running. I'm very grateful for that because of the problems I've had previously.  I usually run three times a week- Tuesday mornings, Thursday nights and Saturday morning (which is Parkrun). Parkrun has been my main involvement with running. I've attended 35 times this year and would have more if I didn't have conflicting swimming commitments. I can't wait to receive the 50 Parkruns shirt which I'm aiming for around next March. I'm also aiming to come top three in the pointscore for my local Parkrun. It's been hard since I attend a very popular Parkrun location. 5km is now my best time because it's the only distance I race regularly. I improved my time by over seven minutes in the last year. 

In July I participated in my first ever running event which was the Sydney Harbour 10km. It was the best experience and I enjoyed the atmosphere of being a part of it. My background is in swimming and not running so I felt a self of achievement completing the event. It motivated me to complete three more running events for the year and I'm intending to do others next year. 

Next was the City to Surf in August which was a 14km run from the city to Bondi Beach. It's a hugely popular event with over 67 000 finishers. It was an incredibly tough course because of the terrain. A significant part of the course was up hill which I didn't expect, in addition to a huge hill in the middle. In the end I got through it.

In September I participated in my first ever half marathon at the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival. I'd been considering a half marathon for a couple of months but wasn't sure if the goal to run 21.1km was just too big. I couldn't get the idea of a half marathon out of my mind so that's why I knew I'd give it a go. I didn't have a time specific goal but just wanted to run the entire course. I achieved that and finished in 2:03.51. I'd definitely be up for more half marathons and I'm considering two next year. I am set on getting under 2 hours next time. Prior to a month before I'd never run 10km. I didn't do any specific training for the event and was lucky enough to be able to rely on swimming training and have a good overall fitness level. 

The final running event I participated in for the year was the Western Sydney 10km in October. It was a great event by Western Sydney and so nice not to have to get into the city, the less crowds and much more space was appreciated. Knowing it was the last one for the year I put in maximum effort and went out for a best time. I was very happy with 52 minutes, 43 seconds for the 10km. 

Swimming is big enough for its own post so I'll have that up soon.

What have you achieved in 2016? 

New In: Dita Cardigan

Today I added to my wardrobe quite possible the most beautiful gorgeous piece I've ever owned. I have a large quantity of clothes so that's really saying something; it's right up there with my all time favourites. As you probably know by now, I love these Dita Cardigans and have five of them , mainly the newer release colourways as I only discovered them last year. I am always on the lookout for some of the rarer and older versions on ebay and the facebook group. Since they are very expensive and often sell at above retail price, I'm trying to be sensible about it and only buy my top couple of colourways if they ever come on sale, that being the black version with white trim and the pale blue version with white embroidery and black trim. Very surprisingly this beauty was listed on ebay earlier in the week and I snapped it up immediately. I never thought I'd find one. In person it's everything I wanted and I'm so happy. I've had mixed success buying these online and in pre owned condition before. I'm taken a risk on a couple on ebay before and ended up reselling them (which isn't a problem as they are always resellable). However, this one is in excellent condition and feels almost as though I'd just bought it new directly from the website. It's a lovely tight fit including the sleeves, impressive quality. I cannot wait to wear it! 

Wheels and Dollbaby Dita Cardigan 

Remix 006

It's been ages since I've done a remix post and this skirt is perfect for it given it's one of my most worn pieces ever. It's from the Forget Me Not Collection at Kitten D'Amour which was one of my favourites from that store. I love the matching top but there are so many other pairing possibilities too. It's one of my go to pieces when I don't know what to wear. I adore the embroidered lace and the colour is so pretty.  

What are your favourite pieces to wear over and over again? 

Outfit

This is my dream cardigan. I've been searching for the pink version of the dita cardigan (specifically with white embroidery and black detailing) for about a year and a half now ever since I discovered this range of cardigans. I've finally added it to my collection after purchasing one on ebay. I cannot believe how highly sought after these cardigans have become and the prices commanded for some of the rarer colours. It's incredible that collectors have more than 20 of these cardigans in all different colours. I've seen pre owned condition cardigans sell for up to $500. I definitely wouldn't pay that but I'm willing to pay a fair bit for a couple I really want if I ever find them. I now have four dita cardigans in total. I wish I'd discovered them earlier so I hadn't missed out on so many colourways over the years. I'm hoping one day there will be a yellow version of this cardigan. I had quite a few comments on this outfit wearing it to lunch on the weekend. Pink and red is a colour combination which is worn so rarely but it's definitely one of my favourites. I'm not sure why no one else ever seems to wears this colour combination. 

















Wheels and Dollbaby Dita Cardigan in Pink Floss
B.A.I.T Footwear Everline Flats in Red
Kitten D'Amour Scarlet Tie Dress

Linking to: Fashion Should Be Fun

Outfit

I'm wearing one of my favourite ever dresses today as the weather is perfect. I've said this a lot lately but it's incredible how much better and how different life seems in the beautiful weather. I seem to forget this from year to year; each October/November it appears even nicer than the year before. I purchased this dress about a year ago and posted it here. I used to always wear it as a skirt with a cardigan over the top because it was too big in the bust and too long in the bodice. Although not the perfect fit, it does fit me a lot better now than it did a year ago so I can finally use it as a dress. It's a very pretty design; I love the pastels and the velvet blue ribbon. Not much else to say at the moment. Happy it's the weekend! 

















Kitten D'Amour Eloise Dress
Florsheim Shoes 

Outfit

Finally an outfit picture, it's been way too long. I'm hoping to post more regularly from now on; I'm definitely still busy but the lighter nights help with taking pictures and creating blog material. As I mentioned in my last post, this is the newest dress in my collection. It's the Que Sera Sera collar dress from Kitten D'Amour. I had mixed feelings regarding this collection. The quality wasn't as high as some of the kitten designs. That's not to say there's an issue with the quality because there certainly wasn't. I'm just extremely particular and I like all my dresses to be lined in the skirt part and this wasn't. If they were I may well have purchased two designs from the collection. This particular dress was by far my favourite. The only potential issue is how low cut it is on me. However, I'm fine with it because I'm prepared for my undergarments to show and form part of the outfit; I don't think it looks much different from having a top underneath. The dress also came with a matching belt but on this occasion I liked the red belt. I don't like Kitten D'Amour as much as I used to. There are my pieces in the store which are not my style these days and, although it remains the shop I go to most, I purchase less than I used to. There are other aspects which I find frustrating too. Many of the staff (but certainly not all!) are too pushy and don't even allow privacy when trying on clothes in the change rooms. I don't like the censorship on their Facebook page and discussion group. I've seen comments deleted whenever someone expresses a negative view towards the store. They are implementing petty rules such as not allowing customers to take pictures in the store. I believe customers and supporters of the brand should be allowed to openly and objectively have discussions. I am not a fan of the restrictions and censorship. 

I couldn't be happier the weekend is here. It's beautiful spring weather and I'm enjoying simple aspects of life such as walking in the sunshine, sitting on the balcony and having an afternoon off work. I will also do some training for both swimming and running. I have the Long Distance Championships for swimming on Sunday. I'll be racing the 400m backstroke and 800m freestyle. I can't say I'm looking forward to it because racing makes me nervous (don't know why given I race weekly and started competitive swimming when I was nine years old) but hopefully it'll feel like a achievement once it's over. 

















Kitten D'Amour Que Sera Sera Collar Dress
Kitten D'Amour Velvet Bow Belt in Red
Guess Flats 

Linking to: Fun Fashion Friday

Current Loves

Que Sera Sera Peekaboo Dress
I tried on the new Kitten D'Amour collection in store on Thursday and purchased one of the other dresses (think it will be my next outfit post). However, this was a close second and I'll keep my eye on it. I love this particular peekaboo cut and wish there were more dresses like it. I also like the patterns in this dress, both of them alone are amazing but I adore them even more when mixed. Plus anything pink and purple is definitely my style. The one aspect of this piece I didn't like was the absence of lining in the skirt section. I'm very particular about the quality of clothes (and most Kitten D'Amour dresses are lined) so that was disappointing. If it had lining it probably would have justified purchasing two dresses from the one collection. 

Nike Free RN in Pink
Ever since I started a routine involving A LOT a sport this year, I've loved Nike shoes. I'm not quite sure how I managed to acquire four pairs since the beginning of the year. The beautiful bright colours means there's always a design I have my eye on; at the moment it's this pink pair. I like both the Free Run design and the Free Run Distance design for training. For long runs and racing I like to run in Nike Fly Knit. 

Alannah Hill Sunny Days Skirt
I see a theme here; everything so far has been pink. It's been a long time since I've purchased a piece other than a cardigan from Alannah Hill but at the moment I like many of the skirts and dresses. The floral print is very much my style and the fit and flare design is the only type of skirt I wear. I haven't seen it in person yet, only online but I'm sure it's just as pretty.

Alannah Hill Takes the Cake Heel
I love these heels more than I can put into words. They are super pretty and I adore the vintage inspiration. These heels remind me very much of a pair I used to have from Modcloth about five years ago. They were my favourite ever shoes but completely wore out and I've been desperate to replace them ever since. I think this would be the closest match I've ever seen. They also look comfortable as far as heels go. I'm not as willing to wear comfortable shoes as I used to be; need to save my feet and ankles for the long distance running. 

Guess Linnea Small Classic Tote
I'm drawn to many of the patterned bags in Guess at the moment and this is my favourite. I see another theme developing here and that is florals. It's very classy with the black background against the floral accents. I haven't purchased a Guess bag since maybe the start of the year. I was very put off by the experience I had with a Guess bag about a year ago (extremely poor quality where I ended up sending even the replacement back). But if I like a Guess bag enough now it might be time once again to get into the market again. 

Wittner Suki Flats
It's been ages since I purchased shoes from Wittner. I remember a few years ago the whole store was completely my style, but recently it's been the opposite. However, I love this pair! I've always liked yellow shoes as they are so bright and happy, adding a lot to any outfit. The cut out detailing makes the shoes that little bit more interesting. They would be the perfect summer shoe. 

What is on your wishlist right now?

Pearl Beach

Last weekend I went to the Central Coast for swimming State Short Course Championships. I've been there a couple of times this year for swimming and it's one of my favourite ever locations. It is so incredibly beautiful. I also like Pearl Beach specifically because it's so secluded at the bottom of a mountain. It's like being in another world and provides the opportunity to forget about real life for awhile sometimes. There was also enough time after the swimming to enjoy the area. We went for a bushwalk on the Sunday to the top of the mountain and witnessed an amazing outlook into Pearl Beach and Patonga. I've always loved the Central Coast. Since I already live in the north of Sydney, it's not that far away (the start of the Central Coast is only 40 minutes up the freeway). My Nana  lived on the Central Coast (but much further up) for most of my childhood so I've spent lots of time there previously and have many memories. I would very seriously consider moving out of Sydney and to the Central Coast one day. I'd definitely be willing to commute into Sydney City for work each day (as it couldn't be worse than the 1.5 hours each way I do currently within Sydney). Here are my pictures from the weekend (I'll provide an update on the swimming meet later). 





















Back up the coast for swimming tomorrow.