We Love to Boat!

We love to boat!  We love everything about it.  We love the sun, the water, relaxing, visiting with friends, listening to music, just floating along with nowhere to go!  It really doesn’t get much better on some of those days.  So when a few of Luke’s coworkers invited us to do a Harbour cruise with them, we gladly accepted.  It was a 5 hour cruise with food and drinks included. 

There were about 20 of us on this catamaran.  A few were Luke’s coworkers and the others were their group of friends that we’ve hung out with before.  It was a great day for us because we got to know all of them so much better and we had a blast.  The weather was beautiful!  Luke and I pulled out our wedding koozies and everyone said, “Oh, we should have brought our stubby holders, too.”  They call their beers a stubby sometimes so - there you have it! 

As we cruised around, the captain started slowing guiding us towards a beach.  As we got a little closer everyone got a little nervous because it was a NUDE beach!  The stress subsided as we cruised on by but it was quite a sight and we were all relieved not to be stopping there for the day!  Once we anchored, everyone got in the water for a bit.  Big difference in us at the lake and Australians in the ocean…we like to float with a noodle or some type of floatation device and they just get in and swim around the whole time.  Probably the first time I’ve noticed the American Way being more relaxed in something than the Australian Way!  ;)  Luckily, the captain had several noodles so almost everyone decided to give them a try.  The funniest part was how many people didn’t know what they even were.  They thought Luke and I were pros once we told them the numerous great things about them!  J It was too funny!!!  Next we had our “barbie” on the boat and then headed back to shore. 

Before we left that area I noticed several little white jellyfish swimming all over where we had just been in the water.  The captain said that kind is harmless and people actually will dry them out to eat them.  I asked what they tasted like and he told me, “paper.”  I think I’ll pass. 

The Sydney Festival started that weekend so everyone wanted to go out after.  Arrested Development was playing a concert around 9:00pm.  We went to a few pubs first. One had awful music playing so Luke actually traded the IPOD hooked up with his and he became the DJ for us for the next couple of hours.  It was a riot!  The manager had no clue but we all laughed when he would walk into the area where we were all dancing and having a beautiful time.  It probably would have been more funny for you if you’d been there, too, and also after a full day of fun on the water!  ;)  Luke topped off the night by playing, “Tennessee” and “Mr. Wendell” by Arrested Development because he had them on his IPOD.  Now everyone was really ready for the concert after that!  We ended up going home but we could still hear all of the excitement all the way at our apartment. 

Once again we had a great time with this group and they always make us feel very welcome.  Two Harbour cruises in a month were fabulous but Luke says the ferry will have to do for now.  J

Noodle time!

Paying it Forward

I know, I know, I know!  I’m very, very behind on sharing our adventures with you.  The great thing about this is because we have had SEVERAL adventures in the last couple of weeks so I have a lot to share!  This will take me 10 or 11 blogs to get through so happy reading!  J

I’m backing up to the beginning of January to tell you about a person we were introduced to.  My friend Jamie has a former coworker, Emily, who is traveling around Australia for 6 months.  Jamie introduced us through Facebook and then Emily and I made plans to meet up when she got to Sydney.  This is where my title for this blog comes in.  I have always been a big fan of the concept, “Pay it Forward.”  I was very excited to make this happen even before Emily and I met. 

You all know how grateful I have been for meeting my new friend, Kyra, over here.  She still goes above and beyond to include us and never turns down a question/answer session when I need one!  We have also had several of Luke’s Cerner coworkers who have been very helpful and always include us when something is going on.  Some of them have even “taken us in” with their circle of friends outside of work so we have met many new Aussie’s, a few Americans, and even a girl from England who lives here now.  It is a great feeling to have complete strangers give you a chance and then call you, Mate!  Luckily, Luke and I are always open to meeting new people but I still wasn’t sure how it would be being “the new girl” in a new country far, far away.  So far it has been a-ok! 

So as you can see, I had the perfect opportunity to “Pay it Forward” to Emily and I wanted to make sure I really made it count.  I decided to take her to Bondi Beach and do the Bondi to Coogee Beach hike that Luke and I did on Christmas Day.  I knew this would give us a good chance to have plenty of time to talk and have some beautiful scenery while we were at it.  Emily and I immediately hit it off.  Within minutes we discovered we knew several of the same people and she is even cousins with a Baker friend of mine!  This small world just keeps getting smaller. 

I loved that we both talked nonstop and covered quite a bit of information and get-to-know you topics before we finished our walk.  Then we took a bus back to Bondi so we could grab lunch and relax on the beach for a while.  We took our lunch to the beach and found a good spot.  The seagulls really like busy beach days like this one because the beach is covered with people eating and drinking and possibly leaving them something to nibble on.  By the way, you are NOT supposed to feed the birds but unfortunately some people still do, especially when they don’t throw away their trash.  I guess the birds didn’t agree with me on that because I got pooped on!  Not once but TWICE within an hour!  That’s 3 times now in Australia so far.  Emily called me her, “magnet” and has invited me to always be her beach pal if I take the poo hits!  I know this “good luck” is around me here- somewhere.  ;) 

As we relaxed in the sun and I wiped off the bird poo, we shared more stories and Emily said many helpful things- though she didn’t realize it at the time.  Emily saved for three years so that she could travel all over Australia for 6 months and do everything she wanted.  She is a world traveler and had great stories of her many trips.  The more she talked about her goals, visions, and outlook on life, the better I felt about my thoughts and attitudes I’ve had about things since we’ve been over here.  More importantly, my feelings since the new year.  We had a great time that day and made plans to get together again before she went on to her next place.  That day happened sooner than I thought! 

Emily was introduced to a Aussie named Jason.  Jason is a huge Royals fan…he happened to catch the 1985 World Series and has been hooked ever since!  He even attends Royals Fantasy Camp each year and has made friends with many former Royals.  Emily worked for the Royals for several years so some of the guys put her in contact with him.  Jason found me on Facebook after Emily and I had met.  He invited Luke and me to his birthday celebration the following weekend.  Again, someone who didn’t even know us wanted us to meet some more people and have a new Aussie experience.  We went to lunch and then to see a little of a girl’s BASEBALL game.  These girls are amazing!  Then we went to the Sydney Blue Sox game.  Baseball is definitely not a popular sport over here.  There are actually many people over here who didn’t even know they had a team!  The stadium was nice and we had a good time watching something familiar.  We’re still hoping to go to a Cricket game, too. 

Then one day last week I got to play tour guide for Emily and I loved it!  I planned out a full day of activities of things I thought she should try to experience before she leaves Sydney.  She is trying to take in as much as she can in each place she visits.  I wanted to make sure she saw not only the worthy touristy things, but I also tried to tell her about some of the other hidden things we’ve seen and enjoyed.  I have to admit, it felt really great to know where to go and what to do in this massive city that used to intimidate me.  We had another successful day of walking, talking, and exploring.  We will continue to share our adventures over here and then back in the US someday, I’m sure!

Your new Aussie words of the day:

Jumper = jacket

“slip, slop, slap, slide on sunnies and seek shade”  = This is the motto over here because of the strong sun rays.  You really have to be careful in the sun even for a short time outside.

Fringe = bangs

Arvo = afternoon

Avo = avocado

Burger = when we order a “burger” in the US we know it’s a hamburger…over here you have to say what kind so a chicken burger means chicken sandwich, fish burger- fish sandwich, etc. 

Salad = lettuce on your sandwich (can also just mean salad)

Mum = mom

And a couple of great quotes I’ve come across in the last couple of weeks…

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”  Robert Brault

“The distance is nothing it’s only the first step that is difficult.” Marquise du Deffand

Emily and me on the beach hike

A woman's BASEBALL team

Number one Royals fan in Australia- Jason Horne!

The Sydney Blue Sox game

Luke and I wore the team color

Small stadium but very nice

Lunch at the Fish Market with Emily.  Too much food but it was good!!!

House in Balmoral

Larakeets!

A Cock-a-too

:)

I Married MacGyver

Luke and I have been in our new apartment now for two weeks.  We are finally getting things put in their place and making a list of the things we still need.  I have loved that the Australian Christmas/Boxing Day/New Year’s holiday work schedule has allowed Luke to take off more days than he would have if we were still in KC.  This has let us get things accomplished together as well as have some relaxing “us” time that his travel schedule has been interfering with.  We even decided to go get massages last week.  Neither of us has had a massage since our honeymoon and we decided we both needed it and deserved it after some of the stress we’ve encountered so far. (Resolution #2- check!) 

We found a safe looking place close to our apartment.  Neither of us has had a Thai massage before so we thought we should try it out.  We went with the package that included foot reflexology since we’ve been mostly transporting ourselves by walking everywhere!  I’m not sure if I loved that part most or the part where I happened to open my eyes and see an Asian man standing on Luke’s back and then again later standing on his calves!!!  So glad I could giggle with my face down on the table!  Part of Thai massage is some stretching and a lot of firm pressure, which can apparently include standing or leaning on.  I guess they thought Luke needed that.    

For our new apartment we’ve had to buy new furniture but also the little necessities that go with a new place- cleaning supplies, trash cans, appliances, cords, hangers, etc.  I forgot how much time it takes to move into a new place- even a tiny apartment requires so much even with just the basics.  Luckily, Luke’s boss and his wife had several items that they have sold to us for when they move back to the US in February.  All we have left to get is a dining room table and chairs and then some little things along the way to make it feel more like home.  I’m so glad I brought several picture frames and pictures with us.  It’s so nice to see your smiling faces staring back at us!  It was really difficult getting nice new things for the past 2 years in our new house and then having to pack them all away so soon.  When we come back home it will be so nice to have all of those things again.  J 

In the Land of Oz washing and drying your clothes is a whole new ballgame!  In a small apartment, like ours, there is only a small space for a washer OR dryer.  Most people over here hang everything outside on a clothesline (which we have been supplied with to the side of our building) or hang clothes on a rack inside and/or outside on their balcony to dry.  We were introduced to a handy little machine called a Washer/Dryer Combo!  This machine looks like a front loader washing machine but it is also able to dry your clothes.  Once you wash a very small load of laundry you can either take it all out to hang up to dry or take out some of the clothes because you can’t dry it all at once in the machine.

The first day we attempted this was quite a process.  It took about an hour and a half to wash the first load and then another 2 hours or longer to dry it.  Laundry Day is actually Laundry DayS!  ;)  Add this to my learning experience over here. 

I forgot to mention the ordeal in even getting it set up.  I was the one home on the delivery day for the washer/dryer and fridge to arrive.  First they brought in the washer/dryer and the man told me we would need to buy an extension hose and something else because the one that was attached wasn’t long enough and something else needed an attachment.  I made him tell me 4 times so I could write down exactly what we needed to buy even though I knew Luke would probably know.  I just knew I needed to be prepared when Luke asked me why they didn’t install it as planned.  Next, I noticed that the door wouldn’t close because the washer/dryer was sticking out a little too much.  One more thing- the washer/dryer is under the counter in the bathroom so we think closing the door is a necessity!  The delivery guy didn’t seem as worried as I was so he and the other guy went outside to get the fridge from their delivery truck.  For some reason they brought us a dirty fridge, dirt on the inside and out, and we had ordered a brand new one that should have come straight from the warehouse.  Ugh!  Not again!!! 

Back to the washer/dryer- the delivery guys tried a few more times to make it fit for the bathroom door to close but had no luck so he told me just to go back to the store to tell them.  I knew this wasn’t going to be a fun conversation with Luke who at this point isn’t surprised when something doesn’t go right.  L  He left work early and we walked back to the store to discuss the two issues.  They told us sorry about the fridge and that they would send a new one next week but we could use this one until then.  We spent the next 40 minutes with the sweet old salesman who sold us the washer/dryer in the first place.  He was so concerned that it didn’t fit that he gave us detailed options on what we might be able to do instead and that they would gladly let us return it for a refund.  This was a relief!  Luke told them we’d get back with them about that but to deliver the new fridge for sure. 

We got home and MacGyver immediately got to work!  He was determined that we were not returning this machine, we were not going to only own a washing machine, we were not going to buy a separate dryer and put it in the office…we had all sorts of possible options but he was only concerned with one.  He immediately found his tools and got to work.  The next thing I know a small cabinet has been removed from the bathroom, the water nozzle has been adjusted, and the electrical box has been rotated.  Oh, my MacGyver!  So guess who got it to fit and work out???  J  The fridge was finally delivered about a week later and all is as well as it can be in the major appliances!

Living Down Under includes living with some critters we aren’t so used to.  We’ve seen bats around other areas in the evening but we finally experienced seeing a large bat by our apartment building one night.  We don’t mind them so much except without having AC in our apartment; we have our windows and balcony door open a lot…hope we don’t have a LARGE one fly in to visit!  That will be an interesting blog, won’t it???  There are numerous little lizards that also frequent this land.  There’s a long brick wall that lines the sidewalk up to the main road.  There are little drain holes throughout and on some days there will be a lizard in each one sticking its head out!  I’ll try to take a picture of it next time I see them because it’s a pretty funny sight!  We know spiders live all over the world but unfortunately some of the world’s most dangerous and deadly live here.  I have a paper that has a picture and description of the most common spiders in our area and all over Australia.  They are listed from most aggressive to least aggressive and give you all the important things you need to know about them.  (and also what to do if you get bit!)  The picture below is of a Saint Andrew’s Cross spider and as you can see it’s actually a really cool looking spider.  Also only cool because it is on the “low risk and non-aggressive” list!  I always have myself prepared for when I see one of the really big ones just in case.  We have been warned to use caution when opening trash and recycling bin lids as they are normally hiding there…they are. 

I’ve found some beautiful flowers in our area and decided I should take their pictures, too. Other things we have noticed around are all kinds of colorful and interesting birds, strange looking flies, and cockroaches.  The cockroaches can apparently grow to be very large during these summer months.  Oh goodie!    I bet you can’t wait to see a picture of a cockroach the size of my hand, can you???  I’m sure we’ll see some interesting snakes, ocean animals, and other random Australian wildlife while we are here, too.  Stay tuned for those blogs some other day! 

We are enjoying the location of our apartment because it sits up on a fairly quiet road.  We also like that the Neutral Bay Athletic Club and a park are right next door.  The club has tennis courts, lawn bowling, and other activities we still need to check out.  After all the waiting, searching, and headaches, I think we are finally close to calling this a home! 

Kind of fun walking by these...feels like Kansas!

This was my view one day in the park next door- me laying on the ground looking up to see this.  :)

This was our foot soak before our Thai Massages.  We had to laugh because Luke's feet barely fit in the little bowl. 

Washer/Dryer Combo **It may take a couple of days and several loads to get it all done but it's better than nothing!  :)

NYE Fireworks Videos

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!  2010, where in the world did you go????? So many major life changing things happened to us in 2010 and somehow we made it!  J 

The majority of New Year’s Eve plans Luke and I have had together in the past have usually been pretty low key and even last year we just spent a nice evening by ourselves.  This year we decided we should ring in the New Year in a very memorable way so we decided to get tickets to a 70’s Disco Party at the Opera Bar. This is located by the Opera House and is directly across from the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  We knew we would have a front row view of the monumental fireworks show so we couldn’t pass it up!  I have to admit we were very bummed when we heard they were encouraging 70’s attire.  If we were in KC at our old house, we could have just walked into our very full costume closet and had a few options…and Luke would’ve called Chris Freeman to borrow a good “fro” wig! ;)

I spent part of New Year’s Eve Day in the little park by our new apartment, sitting in the sun, finally able to read a new book.  When Luke got home from work we got ready for the evening.  Major roads were being closed for the rest of the evening with limited public transport being the only option.  We knew we needed to catch the ferry by our apartment because it would be the last one until after 1:30 a.m. and it would be the fastest route.  We were of course running late which meant we literally had to RUN to catch the ferry which is about a 10 minute walk away.  I had my flip flops on, heels in hand, holding my dress in place, as Luke and I sprinted to the ferry.  We were thankful for the beautiful weather that day but that also meant some nice heat to go with it!  Not my idea of a pre-party for NYE!  Luckily, we had not missed the ferry but we (and my hair) were a little frazzled by the time we got there. 

Once we got to Circular Quay, where the Opera Bar and House are located, Luke realized he had not printed off our tickets for the party.  BIG Sigh…THE look…and…never fear!  We decided to pull up the tickets on our phones and hope they would be able to scan the bar codes that way.  As you will see from the pictures, there was an overwhelming amount of people who had basically been camped out since about 6:00 a.m. for a spot to see the fireworks.  People were along the fence lines in the area overlooking the Opera House, along the walkways in Circular Quay (pronounced KEY) by the stores, restaurants, and basically all available areas to have any type of close up view!  Once the main areas hit capacity, they wouldn’t let anyone else in so the only way we were getting through all this chaos was with our tickets.  We had to walk through this jammed-pack, already over capacity area to get to our party, as it was the only way to get there. We went through about 3 different security areas and each time the guards questioned our “phone tickets” but eventually let us through to the next.  Then once we got to the actual party they were fine with scanning the ticket bar codes on my phone.   We got there early enough to secure a table to stand around but with only the two of us, we had a difficult time not irritating people.  We were waiting for a few of Luke’s coworkers and their friends to show up.  I was relieved once they came so that I wasn’t being the rude American hogging a big table with only 2 of us!  The party included numerous canapés (appetizers) that the waitresses brought around on a tray.  Unfortunately for us, we were in a location where by the time she got to us, there wasn’t anything left or there wasn’t much.  Finally, we started getting some much needed bites of dinner. 

The party also had a great DJ and Luke and I were dancing machines as I’m sure none of you are surprised to hear!  We had a great time and they had fun music all night.  Those of you who know us well, know we both love to dance and I don’t think it’s something we’ve been able to do together since our wedding- so we took full advantage.  I bet you wish I had videoed Luke singing, “Just Like a Prayer” by Madonna at the top of his lungs!  ;)

There were two fireworks shows.  The first was a short one at 9:00pm that they said was for families with kids.  I thought that was such a great idea!  They definitely still got to see a wonderful show.  Then at midnight we saw the amazing 9 minute display.  Several different kinds of music was all synced up to the different fireworks.  “What a Wonderful World” is one of my favorite songs and I got goosebumps when this was one of the songs that came on as the fireworks blasted away. 

You’ll notice in part of the video and pictures that there were so many fireworks going off at one point that we saw a large cloud of smoke in front of the lit up sky.  In no way do our pictures do the fireworks justice, but we did our best!  Someone mentioned you could go to You Tube and get a good video of the whole thing but we have included short videos from our own view. 

We were very pleased with our decision to celebrate in this location this year.  It sure beat fighting with all the people who tried securing a spot for the entire day!  We toasted all of you as we toasted 2011.  J 

Luke and I took full advantage of sleeping in on New Year’s Day.  We then got up and moved directly to the couch for the remainder of the day!  Luke had rented a couple of Season 1 Modern Family DVDs so we had hours and hours of entertainment all day.  We were still watching them on Luke’s computer, but we didn’t mind.  As I’ve mentioned before, most stores and restaurants are closed for the holidays and we really were needing something to eat.  Leave it to Pizza Hut to be open AND able to deliver to us!  We were very, very, very happy.  I’m normally not a huge Pizza Hut fan, nor am I a fan of eating at the American restaurants over here, but at that moment I could not have been more pleased!  J

What are your New Year’s Resolutions?  I’d love to hear them!  We’ve discussed- ok- I’ve been asking Luke what his Resolutions are.  I still haven’t heard a final answer from him except eating more healthy and exercising more.  Maybe he'll tell me next week!  I know most people have similar resolutions each year but I’m really hoping to think of something a little different for me.  I know the things I SHOULD already be doing so I don’t think I want them to be my resolutions. 

I read a quote in the book I started the other day that has really been sticking with me… “Time doesn’t make a full life.  Living your life to the fullest makes it full.”   To me, this again goes back to my personal struggles with the things that are no longer part of my everyday life.  So I hope to stop allowing “time” to go by on the days I’m thinking I’m missing out on everything at home and really start “filling” my days up with new experiences here- especially on those days!  I know I have already started experiencing some things but I need to keep it moving!  If I was still in KC living the life I had been living, it would be very “full” and I would be stressing out with how “full” it was!  So I am hoping to find a different kind of “full” over here to start anew.  Phew!  I hope that made sense!! J 

Resolution #1: I would like to try some new recipes while we are in Australia.  In the past couple of months I’ve been picking up some cooking magazines and books for some new ideas.  I’ll be excited to share these recipes as we try them out. 

Resolution #2: Make time to do things that are important to me.  Now that I have been forced to allow time for myself, I’m  realizing how easy it was to get wrapped up in too many things happening in life and that I was worrying that I wasn’t doing enough for everyone and everything I’ve been involved in.  For example, one of the many things was that I really wanted to do a wedding scrapbook, but I could never find the time to do it without feeling guilty that I needed to do 50 other things first.  I now know that I probably could have and SHOULD have.  Don’t worry, I packed all of my things to work on it over here! 

I know for resolutions to work you have to make a plan and then know how you are going to have a plan to stick to it.  I hope that you are all off to a 2011 with a plan that suits you.  I know we all wish for smaller waistlines, good health, more energy, and more time to do the things we want to do.  So for me, will you please remember to do a little for YOURSELVES every once in awhile, too, so then I won’t feel guilty that I finally figured this out?  (and then of course please be sure to tell me so I know you did!) J I’m not saying every day because we all know that’s something you won’t do...but you will be so proud of yourself once you take the opportunity.  I know what you’re thinking right now and I know why!  You’re talking to someone who before now would have rolled her eyes and said, “Yeah, right- I’ll never have that kind of time!  I just can’t!” Well, you CAN and you SHOULD!  I bet that others in your life will understand and hopefully support your “a little me time,” too.  Thank you, Luke, for encouraging me to finally try.

See all those people????

The party

The party

The bats flying over when the sun went down!

Notice the people against the railing

Again here

Fireworks were going off all around us

This is the same location as the Oprah "O" on the bridge a few weeks ago! 

Boats in the Harbour

Dance Party!!!

Cheers to 2011!!!

Lots of smoke!

The rest of the videos will be in the next blog!