Tnfld

2022… what a year! So much happened for both of us and it truly flew by, but we couldn’t finish it off without without one last deep and meaningful with you all!

If you’re keen to process the year that was with us or just catch up on a little gossip cave session listen to our latest episode!

Listen here: http://tnfld.com/2023/01/03/tnfld-ep-51-goodbye-2022/

2021 has been a huge year of change for us… motherhood, citizenship, building homes, laying down roots and so much more. We took a break from the podcast the last few months to give ourselves time to just be but we couldn’t finish off the year without one last episode.

Listen to our 2021 roundup here: http://tnfld.com/2021/12/28/tnfld-ep-47-goodbye-2021/

We missed you!

We’re here - we’re really here! One year later and so much has changed for both of us. We’ve been taking a break from our podcast and Instagram world so we can really spend time enjoying these lives we’ve been creating. Lots of ups and downs, but warts and all, it’s crazy to think we are living the dreams we had oh so long ago. That “no filter” life dream…yes, we did it! 😉✨❤️

I’ve always been the designated ‘cry baby’ in our family; the overly sensitive one who took everything too seriously. I’d cry at the first sign of any sort of conflict or trouble, and that was something I was taught to be embarrassed and ashamed of... a weakness that I never seemed to be able to tame.

I took my sensitivity on as a character flaw for a long time and tried to be strong in other ways to a balance it out - not asking for help, not needing anyone, always being calm - to the point where I dimmed a lot of my reactions... never getting too excited or upset about anything, trying to hide my emotions.

But over the years I’ve come to appreciate my sensitivity as a strength; it’s something that has undoubtedly made me more empathetic and understanding of others. I realise showing my sensitive side allows me to be vulnerable and makes me who I am.

I’m proud to be a sensitive soul and if that makes me a cry baby to some, so be it. When I saw this sweatshirt by I knew I had to get it to honour the sensitive side of myself that I tried to repress for so long.

Here’s to all my fellow cry babies out there! Love you 💙

xx Tory

Happy first Mother’s Day Alex! It’s been so wonderful to watch you become a mother and give Sadie baby such a beautiful life filled with joy and magic. She is the luckiest baby in the world and I know she will grow up feeling so loved and safe with you as her mum. Here’s to a lifetime full of bedtime singalongs, beach adventures and long walks with the cheeky bubba! ✨

xx Tory

Do you remember the game MASH? (Mansion/apartment/shack/house - see second image). I remember playing it from a really young age and getting so excited if I got the magic combo...mansion/my crush at the time/3 kids/art director. My life was set!

We are taught from a young age that there’s an equation to fulfilment and happiness:

Finish school
Get good job
Find a partner
Buy a house
Have kids
Climb the ladder
Retire 👵

But what we’ve realised as we’ve gotten older is that there is what you’re taught and what’s your truth.

Tory and I discuss our truths and how they’ve informed our lives in ep42: The Meaning of Life.

Check it out and let us know your thoughts!

Soundcloud:
http://tnfld.com/2021/05/05/tnfld-ep-42-the-meaning-of-life/

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0d6luSGqXDsWuItDeI0CLT?si=5kULlW-fRtubnLgvs5-ehA

iTunes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/that-nofilter-life-dream/id1446206337?i=1000520218541

- xx Alex

I’ve been feeling a bit lonely lately. There have been a lot of changes in my life over the past few months and I’m in one of those in between periods where I feel like I don’t quite fit in anywhere but am trying to find my place.

I’ve had this feeling before and I know it will pass, but when I’m in it, it can feel like I’m the only person in the world who has ever felt this way. I know that’s not true. We’ve all been there at some point, and particularly over this past year I’ve had a lot of friends work through deep phases of loneliness.

It’s not a nice feeling, and as soon as we sense it, we want to fix it. But I’ve come to accept that it’s part of being human and I’m trying to sit with it instead of avoid it. Normally I’d distract myself with friends, work or activities but this time I’m letting myself just feel it.

And I’m trying to take this time to get reacquainted with myself... I’m doing a lot of writing, a lot of reflecting and a lot of dancing in the mirror. Our relationship with ourselves is the longest and most important one we’ll have in our lives after all so I’m taking this as a sign from the universe to get in some quality me time.

I know I’m not the only one feeling this way so I hope if you’re going through a lonely phase right now too this will help you remember you’re not alone ❤️

Listen to ep 40 of the podcast for more about our experiences with loneliness: http://tnfld.com/2021/04/22/tnfld-ep-40-only-the-lonely/

xx Tory

When was your last “first”?

We took Sadie for her first swim a few weekends ago. The water was cold. I held her tight against my chest as I waded in, not 100% sure what to do next. I saw a dad across the way dunking his tiny son up and down in the water and it gave me some courage. I lowered her legs into the water and she let out a wail. Outrage. Shock. Horror! Ah! Ok! I lifted her up. She hates this. It’s too cold. I should take her back in! But I squeezed her tight and waited. Then I tried again.

A little bit better.

So I stood up again, waited, and then I tried again. Wayyyy better. She was calm. I began to wade around, swishing her this way and that. She didn’t know what to make of it really, but she didn’t cry. Lots of new sensations, lots of kids having fun splashing about to watch.

We’ve gone swimming three more times since...to a bay, a pool and back to the creek. She’s never cried again. She trails her hand in the water now and watches the shapes it makes, entranced.

It made me think about what would have happened if I stopped after that first cry. Declared it not for her and didn’t go back. How many times in my life have I tried something once, disliked it and declared it not for me...when just a little bit more exposure could have been all it took?

Learning all over again with this little one 😍❤️

So I’ve been trying to get back into dating and it’s been feeling like a bit of a struggle. I keep reminding myself that these things always come in waves, sometimes everything flows and other times it feels like you’re swimming against the current.

It’s had me thinking about my romantic history and a lot of the lessons I’ve learned along the way. It’s also got me more into reality dating shows haha... so Alex and I recently watched the shortest ever season of the bachelorette (4 episodes) with the oldest ever bachelorette (39 😮), and realised it was an extreme case study of the classic mistakes we and so many of our friends have made in the search for love over the years.

It was a good reminder to me of how I want to approach (and not approach) dating this time around, and also made for a juicy gossip session if you’re in the mood for some unqualified psychoanalysis from us 😂

Listen to ep 38 of the podcast to hear our thoughts on all the drama and common ‘love traps’ we recognised in the latest bachelorette.

Listen here: http://tnfld.com/2021/04/19/tnfld-ep-38-the-oldest-bachelorette-ever/

xx Tory

The past nine months seem like a dream. Foreign territory that had me pinching myself...is this really happening?

Pregnancy is a miracle. The closest thing to magic we have in plain sight. A new human being coming together, cell by cell, with a soul thrown into the mix at some point along the way. It’s a huge privilege to be able to go through the experience and one that I am grateful for every day.

And now Sadie is here. Born looking like a little Ishi sister...brand new to this world, but somehow not new to us. More of a “Hey you. Yay, you’re here! Loveeeee you!” kind of thing.

What a wild ride it’s been and also, looking back on pics...a very bikini filled ride 👙😂 (pregnant ladies - the ocean is your best friend!).

To hear all about the experience, check out ep.37 of the podcast: Alex’s Birth Story and let us know what you think!

Sound cloud:
http://tnfld.com/2021/02/24/tnfld-ep-37-alexs-birth-story/

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2gyg8xWtUVzvVXT0lLjfDs?si=iIASyViPSyuBG_sL0kCzxA

Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/that-nofilter-life-dream/id1446206337?i=1000510014083

xx Alex