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What a difference a year makes

Its the annual celebation of the day of my birth today and it casts me back to all past years and what I was doing then. Not least the birthday celebrations of The Big Adventure.

See its been 14 months since I left my job in London, packed up my bag and set off for Eastern Europe, Australia and finally home to Gore, New Zealand to be with my family a year ago.

With my niece Sophie and
cake baker nephew Joshua on my 30th
helping blow out the many candles
I celebrated the eve of my 30th with cups of tea with one of my mates from primary school, then some wine at the local with my girlfriends from school, And the big day (with a head feeling a year older!) with family and friends gathering from far and wide for lunch and birthday cake before we set off for the Rugby World Cup match between Argentina v Romania. I felt like the happiest girl in the world.

What has come to pass in the year since then has been supreme. The stuff that life should be full of. This blog has told it all. From the best of family moments with the addition of a new niece Isla (I shared the celebrations with an Indian couple on a plane to Singapore), to personal achievements of walking to Base Camp of Mount Everest, to the loneliest of moments on a beach in Thailand, being sicker than sick and ending up in hospital after it all and being so content after a night celebrating winning the Rugby World Cup on home soil.

To celebrate my 31st I am hosting a pub lunch at my local on the River Thames with my London friends and family.

Celebrating my 31st Birthday
with my London Nephew Desmond
he only came for C.A.K.E
What the year of the Big Adventure has taught me about myself is that my friends and family really are the greatest gifts I have. They enrich me, laugh with (or more often at) me, encourage me, share the good times and the bad, respect me, teach me and hug me. I am so delighted to have them all; varied and kind, rich and poor, intelligent and drunk, sports loving and loathing, all creeds and colours, short and tall, introvert and extrovert, arty or nerdy. No two the same. But each one making me more for knowing them.

So thank you friends and family for being wonderful to me and helping me enjoy the Big Adventure just that little bit more. I am fortunate to call you a friend and hope I have been a good friend in return.

Big Love always
31 year old KiwiJoBloggs
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