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A Celebration of International Women's Day (or a post where I ramble)

So for those of you that live under a rock (as I usually do), today is International Women's Day. A day to celebrate the struggle of women before us and to celebrate our achievements and successes.  In honour of the women who came before us I would like to acknowledge the women who make a difference in my life.

Here they are in no particular order:

My Mum, Valerie - there is no one I admire more than her. She sacrificed so much for me and never once made me feel like she was doing it begrudgingly. She taught me what it is to be a women and a mother. She taught me to be independent, brave, loyal, funny, good at Yahtzee and to see both sides of every argument. She taught me that it is not people's position or title that matters but the content of their character. She taught me empathy and sympathy, she taught me to cook! We do not always agree and sometimes we fight but she also taught me the gift of forgiveness. She is pretty ace!

My Nana, Pat - she's watching me from up above now but when she was here she taught me what unconditional love was. She taught me that nothing is more important than family. She taught me to eat my Christmas pudding carefully in case there's a coin in it! Later in life, when the Alzheimer's got worse, she taught me the gifts of patience, of letting go and of knowing how to say goodbye. She taught me the joy of one last moment of recognition and she taught me that it's ok to feel sadness.

My Daughter, Princess Bob - my amazing, beautiful, smart, talented daughter. Everyday she teaches me something new. Together we learn how to cope with a teenager in the house, we learn to negotiate, to communicate, to share, to listen. She teaches me to say sorry when I am wrong. She makes me strive every day to be a better mother, a better woman, a better human being. I hope I can do as good a job teaching her as my mum and my Nana did teaching me.

Erin - she is probably my oldest friend even though we've only known each other for 5 years. She puts up with me when I whine, when I feel down, when I'm angry and when I'm just down right moody. She makes me laugh, she lifts me up and reminds me constantly that I have people who love me and that I should be proud of who I am. She keeps my secrets and listens to my melodrama! I don't see her as often as I would like but she is always in my heart and my thoughts.

Marie - she is a light in my sometimes dark world. She is my cheerleader, my confidant, my shoulder to cry on. She makes me laugh, she gets me, she lets me be myself. She reminds me that its ok to be a strong woman, to know who you are and what you want and to be ok with that. She reminds me that it's important to surround yourself with beauty and fabulous things. Above all she reminds me to be generous, in kindness, in love and in material goods!

(young) Tina - she is an absolute inspiration to me! She may be *cough* several *cough* years younger than me but she is my role model. Not only did she completely change her life by losing a ridiculous amount of weight but she is the epitome of elegance. She is kind, gentle, loving. She doesn't judge, she doesn't ridicule, she accepts people as they are. She cares deeply about the important people in her life and reminds me constantly to try and be a better me. She is the embodiment of the phrase "beautiful on the inside and out". I feel so privileged to be included in her circle of friends and feel so grateful to have met her.

Bec - If I could choose someone to be my second sister it would be her. She is always there when I need to talk, always cheering me on from the sidelines. She picks me up when I am down and celebrates with me when I succeed. She too has lost a ridiculous amount of weight and her journey inspires me to be better. When I think I can't do it she tells me that I can, she reminds me that I'm awesome, a trait we share! I just wish she lived closer as I miss her everyday!

Kacy - she is the most interesting person I know! I love her intelligence, her spirituality, her kindness and most of all her quirkiness! She reminds me that being yourself and following your own path is one of life's most important lesson. She reminds me that it's important to do things you love, to know who you are and what makes you happy and to take time to be alone. She taught me to take better photos and also to be a more awesome person!

There are so many more amazing women that I am blessed to have in my life and I want to thank and acknowledge them for making my life richer and more wonderful:
my sister (Alex), (not so young) Tina, Jackie, Yolie, Aunty Audrey, Aunty Val, Annette, Ashlee Harrison, Karen, Suzie, Penina, Sunili, Michelle, Judi and all the fabulous women I love on Twitter!

I also want to thank the fabulous men in my life for being the kind of men that every man should strive to be: my amazing HSP (Alan), my wonderful boys (Stinky Pete and Burley), my Grandad (Val), my dad (Barry), Ben (you are the second most amazing man I know), Simon, Clint, Grant, Lee, Wally and Matt.

A final thank you to Mrs L, Carol and Uncle Don for the wonderful lessons you taught me and the love you gave me before you left us.

Wow this post went on a bit longer than I intended, and probably got a bit rambley but oh well. I think it's important to let people know how much they mean to you and today seemed like the perfect day!

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