My Nautical baby shower~ filled with lots of LOVE <3

 

 

My baby shower was everything I wanted plus so so so much more.

the venue at the Little Ships Club fit right into the Nautical theme. Not to mention it was a beautiful day on the island

Hosted at the Little Ships Clun on Stradbroke Island, the nautical theme went down really well and my guests where perfect. My closest and most dearest friends came to celebrate and I was reminded that I am surrounded by so many beautiful, strong people. As I enter motherhood I have been through a million emotions but one thing that has stayed consistent is my knowing that I have a strong network of people -ESPECIALLY WOMEN in my life!

My mum, sister, cousin Nicki and beautiful friend Chi helped me plan and MC the day and it was a delight! Everything was perfect. It looked perfect! The weather was PERFECT! THE event manager was PERFECT! and I am really happy 🙂

Planning the day was so much fun to organise and I cant wait to get around to organising other events for him…

Check out my pictures and let me know what you think 🙂

Thanks for Sailing by- take away bags for guests

it was important to have kids at the shower. we put a little table aside with collage for the children to decorate little pictures using Elliotts stickers, cut outs of anchors and our baby scan to be used to decorate the baby’s room

Thank you to my beautiful friend  Bec who lent me these beautiful vases for our lolly station. It looked absolutely beautiful!

We used buntings to brighten up the space and a treasure box to place well wishes for the parents to be and messages to baby Elliott

Having kids at the shower was the best idea!!

Friends and family made the event wonderful!

overall it was a beautiful day to remember!

Say “Cooooon” ..

New Years 2014 proved to be a real eye opener for me.
I’m not sure if I have really been sheltered or just been lucky enough to have dodged utterly ignorant people like the one I came across at my NYE “celebration”. I decided to go to a BBQ being hosted by my partners colleague out in bum f*** nowhere or Mogill as it’s called and as drinks flowed so did conversations.
An hour or two into it conversation turns to Woodridge, where I grew up and currently live. I’m thinking (sober thinking and 33wks pregnant) ‘oh here we fucken go’. And on it went! Old mate arcs up “My work car got robbed while I was working at a medical centre there, by some African Zulu c***”

“WHOAAA!! ” I’m immediately taken back and my backs up pretty much right from this moment but I say my piece and then stay to endure more.

Before I know it old love, the host of the party makes reference to another workmate of Mitchell’s. “Oh is that the COON one your talking about?”
Mind you I’m Indigenous, so is my partner and as it turns out so is the guy sitting opposite me. Awkwardly no one says a thing… Except me of course. “Well actually it’s Aboriginal”. I felt like someone had punched me in the guts. I didn’t know what else to say at that very moment because I don’t often come across that sort of behaviour. It did not phase her one little tiny bit, she giggled a bit and on she went. I was automatically done with the night. For me the word Coon is pretty much as bad as it gets in my family. It comes from the word barracoons meaning cage, where African Americans where once put as slaves. Members of my family have spent their lives being degraded and spoken to like this and I only relate it to hate.
Sitting there I felt Sickened and each minute felt like an hour. Mitch is stroking my arm and I’m thinking just wait a moment Karina, just breath…

On it goes and before you know it we are talking about her partners slang talk. “Come on Jason your not a fucken Coon” she goes. And the awkward pause happens again.

By this point I’m furious!

“WELL you know what lady…. I am !! I’m a coon, so is my partner and so will my son!!

That was it for me. I couldn’t stand it. My blood was boiling and I wanted to smack her in the mouth. Being the coon that. I am this would have been perfect for her next coon story. I should have given it to her but I just held it in and off I went.

So my New Years was spent driving he from hillbilly bum f*** nowhere Mogill to Woodridge thinking about the world I’m bringing my boy into. Australia is still so riddled with racists. Racists who will fight for the right to use hate speech to vilify and harm people. Racists who tell me I’m over reacting, racists who think it’s okay to make me and others feel so fucken singled out and racists who tell me I’m playing the victim role!
Well I’m not a victim but I do carry common sense and anyone who thinks it’s okay to throw that word around like its nothing has no place in mine or my sons life. That sort of behaviour is much more then just an opinion or freedom of speech it’s a mentality that leads to discrimination albeit often hidden.
It is not okay to vilify and single out anyone and the recent debates around striking out the race discrimination act is a perfect example of how racists want to be given the right to make people feel vilified. You want permission to invite hate, to be laterally violent toward other human beings. It makes no sense to me.

The end.