Sweet Life: My Favourite Places

Ooh, so to brighten up my Monday morning ( seeing as my state manager will be at work today and i loathe her, i'll need some cheering up... ) I thought i'd participate in another " Sweet Life " post, brought to you by the lovely Melissa at Suger Coat It. Mel wants to know what makes our life sweet, and this week its all about those places that make, or have made, your life worth living...

1. My mum and dads house
I dont really have any photos of my mum and dads house ( unless you count very badly focused shots from our engagement party - dont know who took them but they arent worth posting ) but aside from my own home, its the number one place i enjoy spending time with my family. Its the kind of house you can just " drop in " to, and you can stay all day if you want to - especially if small toddler-like people are doing your head in and you just want them to tire themselves out by doing laps of the backyard on their tricycles. Plus, my parents are very generous with the snacks and the Pepsi-Max, so it makes for a great atmosphere to relax in and chat. Gotta love my parentals!
2. Taronga Western Plains Zoo playground

So thats not actually the playground ( thats Mick and Flynn with Flynn's favourite animal... ) but i loooooooove the playground out at the zoo. Its a free picnic area with swings and flying fox and jungle gym with slippery dip, and even though you dont have to pay to get in you can still see the monkeys and the lemurs in that area. It has plenty of space for running and isnt anywhere near a road way, so there is no worries about Flynn escaping on me. We've been out there quite a few times in the last month or so, and its become my favourite spot in town for playing...
3. New Jersey, USA

Now go ahead, make whatever " Jersey Shore " jokes you like, but i really enjoyed my time living in NJ ( thats the house i lived in right there ). I lived there for a year and worked as an au pair for a lovely family with 3 boys, and the place holds some beautiful memories for me. I found some self-confidence while i lived abroad, made a few great friends, and had some great adventures in near-by New York City, and returned to Australia with a better sense of who i was and who i wanted to become. If only it didnt snow there, it would be a pretty close to perfect place!
4. Peru, South America

This one makes the list because its my favourite holiday destination so far. I trekked for 4 days through the Andes to Machu Picchu ( which was insane physically, but so worth it ) and fell in love with the mountain city of Cusco. I used what little Spanish i know and marched in a protest ( kind of unknowingly at first... ). I avoided spitting llamas for the most part, fell sick and "magically " got better and kind of had a crush on my tour guide ( who, on the last night, told me i was sexy. Ah, to be there again and have the confidence to run with that comment! ). Anybody looking for a holiday with a bit of old-school adventure to it, i'd definately recommend Peru - just make sure you do the trek to Machu Picchu and dont take the sissy way out and catch the bus!