Reboot

The last couple of months have been odd for me – I finished uni and began the dreaded search for employment. I managed to land back into the world of law, returning to my legal secretary position to tie me over until I found a career-starting job. Although it’s been great being with all my old colleagues and I've enjoyed having time away from study, I think I have become comfortable just getting by, that I lost momentum and motivation.

Two weekends ago, I went to Melbourne for a hen’s weekend away for a lovely friend of mine. it was a long weekend of food, cocktails, massages and shopping and it was amazing. Spending time with friends and changing my scenery really revitalised me (or was that the freeeeeezing Melbourne air?!) and made me realise the goals that I had allowed to fall by the wayside.

I am now ready to get back on track because I know when I am working towards something, whether that be a fitness goal or long term career shiz, I am at my happiest.

So, here’s to getting out of my comfort zone: I’m going to run my ass off (literally!), revamp my CV and start scheduling those blog posts like people will die without my writing. I mean, you never know! 

xx Luce

A little vacay

The past few weeks have been extremely hectic, trying to finish my uni degree and all, that my blog has been slightly neglected - sorry to all my avid readers (Mazz and Brooke)!

Amidst all this craziness though, I did manage to duck down south for a couple of days as a belated birthday present from Steve, since he was away for my actual birthday. We stayed at Abbey Beach Resort in Busselton and spent a couple of days relaxing before he had to go offshore again and I returned to the study grind. 

It was completely beautiful and made me remember all the great times I had going away with my family when I was younger. We would go away for weeks at a time and spend most of it fishing, swimming and basking in the summer sun before heading back to school. Ah, the good old days! 

It was ridiculously chilly when we arrived in Busselton and seemed to get colder the longer we were there.

We made a beeline for Busselton jetty straight away in search of a delicious lunch venue. The place was completely deserted and we decided on The Goose for nosh, which turned out to be a lot better than I expected! I ordered the most wintery meal to go with the weather outside, which ended up being beef brisket with mac and cheese. 

Hail on the beach

Scrumptious!

Custard cider

Abbey Beach Resort

Cute birthday card from Shteve! 

On the Friday, we set off on a little adventure into the deep south - and drove as far as Cowaramup before stopping at Candy Cow, a sweets institution for anyone driving within a 30km radius. This little candy shop is so amazing and I never fail to stop there whenever I venture down south. The fudge is to die for and we bought a selection, as well as some goodies for the family.

The Margaret River Chocolate Factory was the next stop and we delved into the legendary chocolate buttons that are available for sample there. Yum! 

Reclining on a cow

The Candy Man

Dingo poo for Steve's pop! 

All I need to know - cocoa equals good health! 

We went to the Colonial Brewery for lunch, which is surrounded by famous Margaret River wineries. The brewery is very cute and has a massive outdoor area, including a playground for the kids (and me). They have a variety of beers on tap and a couple of wines on offer for the beer haters. I was only a little disappointed that there weren't more ciders on offer, which is definitely my drink of choice...aside from tequila! 

After gorging ourselves on taste testers at the chocolate factory and providore, the decision was made to go for a lighter lunch - chicken pizza and a tomato, bocconcini and basil salad to share.

Both dishes ended up being amazing choices and were super tasty. I got a little creative and ended up piling the salad on top the pizza to create a little double dutch deliciousness. Groundbreaking!

Colonial Brewery, Margaret River

My creation - amazing! 

Gorgeous little veggie garden at the brewery

Freezing tootsies in the sand

After returning to Busselton, we met up with my lovely, pregnant friend Alyce and her hyperactive husband Jon for some classic fish and chips and a good old laugh. I hadn't seen Alyce in almost a year so it was awesome to catch up and talk about how painful child birth was going to be (haha!) and hear about her first year of marital bliss.

Lovely Lyce

Thanks so much Steve for whisking me away for a couple of days! =D

xx Luce

Orange collect

I have only just discovered the joys of Polyvore (about two years late), an awesome site that lets you mix and match all of your favourite trends in creative ways. It allows me to drool over clothes I'll never be able to afford, put them into pretty collages and procrastinate writing that dreaded report just a teeny bit longer...naturally, I'm addicted!

My wardrobe is already chock full of my fave colour orange but you can never have too much right??

Orange collect by lucy-scott-1 featuring slim cut jeans

McQ by Alexander McQueen flared dress
$1,810 - jades24.com

Zara top
zara.com

Zara floral print blazer
zara.com

Rebecca Taylor silk shorts
rebeccataylor.com

One Green Elephant slim cut jeans
$54 - zalando.co.uk

Topshop shoes
topshop.com

J Crew slouch bag
jcrew.com

Radà chain jewelry
$130 - pret-a-beaute.com

Neon earrings
$5.28 - ringsandtings.com

Tech accessory
trinaturk.com

Maybelline bright lipstick
$21 - nelly.com

xx Luce

A bruised mind, darkest of days

So, this might seem a bit contradictory because my last post was about happiness but this is a topic I feel very strongly about. Mental illness affects many people in our society and for them, happiness is hard to come by.

Last week I went to a mental health public forum for an article I was writing for uni (last article for uni EVER, how exciting!). It's been done and it's handed in now but somehow I can't stop thinking about some of the things that were discussed.

Did you know that on average, people with severe mental illnesses live 25 years less than the rest of the population? I didn't. Apparently 75% of these deaths are caused by physical illnesses rather than the mental problems. Pretty sad hey?

These are shocking statistics but I find it more shocking that I wasn't aware of this and wonder how many other people would be surprised too. Mental illness still has a huge stigma attached to it. As Australians, we don't really make it easy for each other to get out how we're feeling without being labelled 'emo' or an 'oversharer' or in some cases 'un-Australian'!

I understand this perception. Even though I'm a stress head, I'm a massive believer in positive thinking. For a while, I had a hard time wrapping my head around a close family member's condition, thinking they were just a bit depressed...or ashamed to say, putting it on for show. I would be confused as to why they could not get up before 1pm and frustrated at their lack of drive.

Now I realise these problems go so much deeper than just your mindset on life, but there are a ton of other factors involved, such as genetics and biological make up. For people with mental illnesses, every day is a battle and the truth is, the majority of these people have to deal with it for the rest of their lives so they really don't need us telling them to 'get over it'!

Image Source

I just thought I'd write this post to encourage you not to dismiss mental health issues, and to try and have some compassion (something I am still learning, trust me) for those who deal with these problems on a daily basis.

xx Luce

If you want to be happy, be.

Ten things that make me happy:

1// A winter morning. Or any morning that is spent in bed with a yummy breakfast and a book that cannot be put down.

2// Besties/Family/Boyfriend. Being with people that know me so well that no pretenses exist and small talk isn't needed. Perfect.

3// My three year old nephew. Sometimes he casually calls me Luce when we're having a chat, like I'm his best friend, and it is way too beautiful.

4// Morning runs. They clear my head and wake me up for the day ahead. It's always hard getting out of bed but worth it when I get in a rhythm.

5// Sudden bursts of laughter that turns into hysterical laughter. Especially if it's me making other people laugh. That makes me think I'm a little hilarious...or funny looking. Or both?

6// Spontaneous outings. They usually turn into the most memorable of times and require no itinerary - win win!

7// Seeing my family and friends truly happy. Especially if it's about something they think is stupid but amazing and they tell me with massive grins on their faces.

8// Reading. I read anything and everything, novels, picture books, blogs, newspapers, online articles. I love it! That feeling you get after reading a perfect book is indescribable.

9// Being active, fit and healthy. When I'm exercising regularly and eating healthy (most of the time...) I feel my best.

10// Op shopping - best kind of retail therapy! I love op shopping with my friend Ninny poo. Her excitement and enthusiasm for a bargain is contagious, she really should've been one of the crazy cats in the Thriftshop music video.

My happy list was incredibly hard to narrow down because there's so many things that make me happy: chocolate, helping people, hugs, tea, being motivated, blasting my favourite songs in the car, writing lists, guiltless decision making, giving presents, receiving presents and movies that make me think.

The ones that made it to the list came to me first and encompass most parts of my life.

By the way, this post was inspired by Story of My Life's challenge. I'm a little slow on the uptake but better late than never!

What's on your happy list?

xx Luce