Today’s blog post is extra special because it comes all the way from Australia! Fabulous forum member Theresa lives in Queensland and is a stay at home Mum to two gorgeous little girls. Theresa recently organized a YLF gathering in Brisbane and this is how the day went down. I have to say, Greg and I are honoured to have such an amazing bunch of sassy, fun-loving and loyal YLF readers Down Under. Love YLF’s global spirit.

Regular visitors to the YLF Forum will know there is a small, but loyal and passionate Australian following. Unable to bear reading about all the fun to be had at a YLF meet (and not being a nation to willingly be outdone by the US or UK!), plans were soon underway for a meet of our very own. So on Saturday, October 9th 2010, the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia played host to the Inaugural Australian YLF Meet! The day was very overcast, rainy and windy – unusual weather for Queensland at this time of year. But that didn’t dampen any spirits!

The day started early for Tam (yublocka) & I, who flew into Brisbane, arriving within half an hour of each other. I was feeling bland at this point because I had forgotten the scarf I had intended to wear. However it was soon forgotten as Tam was waiting in arrivals! We had no problem spotting each other – Tam looked amazing in her purple and red ensemble with stirrup leggings. We were met at the airport by Karen (Puffenstuff) who so very generously played chauffeur for the morning and is much more petite in real life, but just as gorgeous – her red hair was complemented perfectly by her scarf, dress and leggings.

Our first stop was a visit to the Gallery of Modern Art to see the Valentino Retrospective Exhibition. After spending the morning oohing and aahing over some of the most glorious, and famous (think Cate Blanchett, Julia Roberts, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly…) gowns we had ever seen and deciding we could never look at clothing the same way again, it was time to head to the Queen Street Mall to meet the rest of the girls.

Shortly after 11am, Tam, Karen and I met Tara and Sharon. Again, we had no trouble recognizing each other and shared some very excited “OMG it’s SO good to meet you’s!”  before heading into a cafe to prepare for the busy afternoon. I fell in love with Tara’s red jeans under her black & white dress, and Sharon’s gorgeous purple coat and polka dot blouse.

After an hour or so of eating, drinking and much festive chatting, we set off down the Mall. The first store we visited was Valleygirl. Here, Tara and I became “Vest Twins”! After spotting Tara trying on this vest, I couldn’t help myself and soon fell in love with it too. With our first purchases of the day under our belt, we headed to Ladies Wear in Myer where Super Saturday Sales were taking place.

Shortly after arriving at Myer, Kirstie (Katiepea) arrived after her morning at work. Again, there were many excited squeals of delight at finally getting to meet each other! Kirstie was wearing a lovely new purple top with black skinnies, and courtesy of some gorgeous new heels, was taller than I expected.

For the next couple of hours, we browsed and tried on an enormous amount of clothing (OK, maybe it was just me who tried on an enormous amount, but we all ventured into the change rooms at least once!). We did find ourselves split into two groups for a little while here, but for some reason kept running into each other at the change rooms! We were all commenting on how particular we had become regarding fit, courtesy of YLF, and had no problem parting with the items that weren’t perfect.

At the end of this time Karen and Tam left with a dress each, Tara a dress and a pair of shoes, and myself with a top. Karen and Tara had the bargains of the day, with Karen’s dress being reduced to the value of a Gift Card she had received, and Tara receiving 75% off a truly magnificent pair of booties that were the last pair left and just happened to fit her perfectly despite not being her usual size!

Sadly, at this time we had to say goodbye to Tara, who was continuing on her Queensland holiday. After a round of farewells, it was back to the shops for the rest of us. Quite often throughout the day we would comment on how particular items struck us as being perfectly suited to one of our fellow forum members’ style!

During this shopping session, Karen and I took advantage of a little store selling $5 scarves, and I scored a pair of much wanted red, low-heeled shoes. I must admit I was quite in awe of the variety of stores – it was quite a change to my local shopping options! By this time, we all needed some fresh air, so we found a lovely outdoor café, and decided cake was the order of the day. I took this opportunity to review my shopping list and happily cross off several items that I had been looking for and found!

As we finished our divine sweets we chatted like old friends who had known each other forever. It was now almost time for Tam and I to head to the airport to catch our flights home. But not before we visited one last shoe store where I bought a fabulous pair of brown cage wedges.

After a final round of farewells, with talk of planning our next meet in Melbourne (Tam’s home town), in Winter, it was time for us all to head our separate ways. The last stop of the day was the airport bar, where Tam and I shared one last drink, before heading in opposite directions home, after a truly fantastic day.

We would like to take this opportunity to say an enormous Thank You, to Angie and Greg – without you two, we would never have had the opportunity to spend this day together and it was a day we will always treasure.