enjoy!
12.26.2009
merry christmas!
I can't believe it's our second Christmas here in Australia! We just got back from our wonderful trip to New Zealand and had a quiet little Christmas here in Newcastle. It is still weird to have Christmas in the middle of summer, but we tried to make the most of it. We had a real Christmas tree... it's not too pretty, and a nice BBQ Christmas dinner... leg of lamb (very Aussie!). It's been great catching up with family over the phone and we are jealous of everyone's white Christmas back at home!
Now, we have a couple days to recover and then we head back to Sydney to pick-up my friend Kim who will be visiting us for about a week! Woohoo!
Other than that we are just planning on have a relaxing couple of weeks while Charlie is off. We will be posting pictures and stories from NZ in the next couple days! Love you all very much!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
12.11.2009
new zealand!
We leave in two days for our 12 day trip to South Island New Zealand! We will be traveling mostly by car and camping out or staying in hostels. Here's a map of our planned route!
View Larger Map
We hope everyone has a fantastic holiday and we'll be in touch when we return (Dec 24th)!
12.02.2009
it's summertime!
Yesterday was the first day of summer. It doesn't feel quite right, but I am happy that all of the flowers are blooming and the weather is absolutely gorgeous!!!
We got our first Aussie Christmas tree yesterday and it is definitely a little disappointing. I was warned that it wouldn't be as 'perfect' as our American trees, but after trimming it for over an hour it still doesn't really resemble a real Christmas tree... oh well! I am just grateful we have one! I was worried Stella might destroy, knock-over or even be scared of it and I should have been worried about her eating all of our ornaments. I just caught her chewing on one of our glittery red ones... not cool.
We are getting excited for our trip coming up in a couple of weeks and Charlie's month off!! Woohoo! Definitely a nice perk!
I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving!
11.10.2009
Spring Update
It's a beautiful Tuesday morning here in Newcastle, and Nina's shrieks from outside signaled the first tomato on her month-old tomato plants that are potted outside. At first I thought I'd flooded the backyard or Stella had dug to the United States, but thankfully it was a lil' tomato that will hopefully not be eaten by the dog.
The weekend was marred by storm clouds but that didn't stop us from making a trek down to Sydney on Sunday to take in some of the sights. I had a pipe dream that the markets down there would provide something amazing for a bargain, but after 10 minutes of aisles filled with overpriced "original" Aboriginal art and Sydney t-shirts, combined with an unflattering exchange rate, we called it quits and used our Entertainment Book of coupons to take in the awe and specter of the Powerhouse Museum at half price. Sydney's answer to The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago it proved not to be, and we speed-walked the entire thing in 25 minutes. Thank God it was half-price. The weather improved a little bit and we took in some of Darling Harbour and hopped on the train from Central back to our parking spot north of downtown. I decided not to pay the $30 price for parking downtown and was happy not to have to deal with tolls and traffic of downtown Sydney as we hopped off the train in Wollstonecraft where we had parked.
The real reason for the trip was still to come, and we booked our way toward Homebush Bay to make Ikea by its 6:30pm close. Parking in the complex was utterly Australian (confusing and poorly designed) and we were through the gates into Ikea heaven after about an hour in the car. Nina promised me bottom floor shopping only and she stayed true to her promise as we carved our way through picture frames, organizers, candles, and Christmas decorations. I'd say only 10% of metro Sydney's population was at the store and we were out with our $100 in wares inside of two hours.
The ride home was uneventful - split shift driving and a quick gas fill-up and we were home by 8pm, and enjoying our taco dinner by 8:30. It was a fun day and I know we'll think twice before heading to Sydney for the markets next time we feel the need for trinkets.
I took a day off of work yesterday to relax and regroup after a long couple months of flying. After getting back from the States it was non-stop work and I truly felt burnt out after the end of last week. Flying hours were up, but our manning has been razor thin and everyone's been stressed a bit too much for their own good. Nina and I spent the day at the beach, me trying to catch a few fish, Nina dealing with the dog, and Stella dealing with her inner demons. She really has limitless energy (the dog) and after four hours of swimming, running, jumping, digging, and treasure hunting, we came home and she was still running around like a criminal. Petstock doesn't carry prozac for dogs, but we may start giving her some rum with her morning meals.
Off to Bunnings right now for some home goods - working the night shift this week at work which means getting home around midnight. Y'all take care, and more from Australia later.
10.21.2009
our first camping expedition!
After a year of staying at fancy 4 and 5 star hotels Charlie and I decided it was time to purchase camping gear and dive into the world of budget travel. This past weekend we decided to take our first trip! We wanted to take Stella so that limited us to state forest because the national parks do not allow dogs into them. We decided to head up to Chichester State Forest which borders Barrington Tops National Park, about two hours away from here.
The drive was absolutely beautiful! Tons of farms and rolling hills with lots of parrots, cows and sheep. About 45 minutes of the drive was on gravel road. We were definitely out in the middle of nowhere.
We ended up finding a fantastic spot to set up camp right next to the river and away from any people (there were only about 15 who camped the entire forest that night). Stella had the best time! She retrieved balls from the river, chewed on sticks (we don't have too many in town.. ha), and barked at wild bush turkeys. We had a great time too and we are already planning our next trip... we are thinking beach camping next : )
Here are a few pics for ya...
The drive was absolutely beautiful! Tons of farms and rolling hills with lots of parrots, cows and sheep. About 45 minutes of the drive was on gravel road. We were definitely out in the middle of nowhere.
We ended up finding a fantastic spot to set up camp right next to the river and away from any people (there were only about 15 who camped the entire forest that night). Stella had the best time! She retrieved balls from the river, chewed on sticks (we don't have too many in town.. ha), and barked at wild bush turkeys. We had a great time too and we are already planning our next trip... we are thinking beach camping next : )
Here are a few pics for ya...
10.12.2009
photos from our trip
I am back in Australia and five days later, I am still suffering from jet lag. However, I did have an extremely comfortable ride over here from LA ; )
It was so great to see everyone over these past few weeks! Thanks for making our trip so much fun!!! We miss you all and hope to see some of you in Oz over the next two years!
Here are some photos from the trip! Enjoy!
It was so great to see everyone over these past few weeks! Thanks for making our trip so much fun!!! We miss you all and hope to see some of you in Oz over the next two years!
Here are some photos from the trip! Enjoy!
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| US 2009 favorites |
10.06.2009
Last night home alone (I've been eating a lot of chicken and rice) and then down to Sydney in the morning to pick up Miss First-Class (someone got upgraded on the LAX-Sydney flight). Pretty good week so far since work started on a Tuesday and spring is in full swing with the time change. Nina and I are hoping to get some camping in this weekend since we just got a new tent and will need to be on "budget time" after the last month of travel to the States. New South Wales has a bunch of good locales to camp and even though we don't have a 4x4 we should be able to reach a majority of them with our hatchback or by taking a bushwalk (insert 'hike' if you're American or 'tramp' if your a Kiwi). I did just check the flights to NZ and unfortunately they're a bit more expensive then the last (cheap) ones we got. We're still crossing our fingers, and I'm sure Nina will be actively searching between her classes for next few months.
So, we're almost a year overseas and probably a good while until we both head back to the States together. I'll be either in Las Vegas or China Lake, CA for a month during February and March, 2010 and hopefully will be able to take some leave before or after that, and whaddaya know, I still have no idea what I'm going to do with my life after this tour. 2 years to go, and I could get out of the Navy...no more deployments, but it would mean I'd have to get a real job. Hmm, so many tough decisions. I'm open for suggestions, but I'm really just hoping to hit my head on the toilet and come up with the flux capacitor or win the lottery. Maybe I'll write a book on indecision.
So, we're almost a year overseas and probably a good while until we both head back to the States together. I'll be either in Las Vegas or China Lake, CA for a month during February and March, 2010 and hopefully will be able to take some leave before or after that, and whaddaya know, I still have no idea what I'm going to do with my life after this tour. 2 years to go, and I could get out of the Navy...no more deployments, but it would mean I'd have to get a real job. Hmm, so many tough decisions. I'm open for suggestions, but I'm really just hoping to hit my head on the toilet and come up with the flux capacitor or win the lottery. Maybe I'll write a book on indecision.
10.05.2009
Back from the USA...barely
Hey everyone. Yes, it's Charlie and for all the blog readers who've been waiting all summer for a post, consider this your season premiere. I've been back here on Expat Island for a couple of weeks since the USA trip and Nina's getting back on Wednesday. It's really the first time I've been at home alone since we got married and it's felt a bit strange, especially with Stella at home now. Let's just say I feel a bit like a single dad with a special-needs kid. Please God let our actual children be free from defects.
Stella remains crazier than ever, but she was glad to see me on my return. The USA was great and for those of you who are reading and we didn't get to see, I apologize, but know that we made a pretty decent effort to get to all corners of the States. For my 2 weeks+ I hit 10 airports, rented 4 cars (including a sweet Mustang in San Antonio), stayed in 6 different beds and had a ton of fun. All good things came to an end as Nina dropped me at the Norfolk "International" Airport 2 mondays ago though, and I started my way back to Aussieland. Unfortunately weather in Atlanta was horrible, and my only movement in an airplane was to taxi away from the jetway, wait in a holding area, and taxi back to the jetway after 2 and half hours in the regional jet. Fortunately, they had drink service working and were kind enough to give out the peanuts for free. The frazzled Delta clerk rebooked me on the next day's flight and I rented a car and stayed at my buddy Casey's condo for the night. The next day weather was better and got through Atlanta, LAX and into Sydney with no problems, arriving Thursday morning.
Fortunately for me, on the Atlanta to LAX flight, I sat next to a couple from about 30 minutes outside Newcastle and thry offered up a ride home for me (score!). Their son picked us up outside customs and 2 hours later I was back in Newy. Ironically, if I had made my original flights, I would have ended up in Brisbane since the Central Coast (south of Sydney to north of Newcastle) had a freak dust storm that plowed its way from Adelaide to Coffs Harbour, depositing a ton of red grit and sand everywhere and diverting International flights to Melbourne and Brisbane. Plus, and this is the real kicker, I got out of another day of work.
So, for the past 2 weeks I've been playing single dad to the pooch, scratching my head over what's up with my lawn (sorry Nina - our lawn), and flying a bit at work. No more deployments for me this year, and Nina and I are trying to figure out what to do with our Christmas vacation. Hopefully Jetstar (the Southwest Airlines of Australia) will have some ridiculously low fare sales at some point and we'll get back over to New Zealand for $12 or something. Feel free to suggest anything if you have a good idea.
All righty, back to my yardwork which just means I'll be staring at the random shades of green that make up the mosaic of our lawn. We may have some Austral fungus out there which means I might move my staring to the aisles of Bunnings (Australian Home Depot) to try and find some sort of solution. Or, I may just play "renter that doesn't expect to get his security deposit back" and let the lawn die. I think Stella has done enough to the house that it wouldn't really matter anyway. In positive news Monday Night Football is getting broadcast on my new-favorite channel "One HD", but the downside is that it doesn't start until 11am tomorrow. Guess I'll have to take my calls in the crew room at work tomorrow.
Okay folks, I'll attempt to make this a weekly thing. Until then, Stella and I bid you adieu and look forward to Nina's return to the roughest posting in the US Navy.
Stella remains crazier than ever, but she was glad to see me on my return. The USA was great and for those of you who are reading and we didn't get to see, I apologize, but know that we made a pretty decent effort to get to all corners of the States. For my 2 weeks+ I hit 10 airports, rented 4 cars (including a sweet Mustang in San Antonio), stayed in 6 different beds and had a ton of fun. All good things came to an end as Nina dropped me at the Norfolk "International" Airport 2 mondays ago though, and I started my way back to Aussieland. Unfortunately weather in Atlanta was horrible, and my only movement in an airplane was to taxi away from the jetway, wait in a holding area, and taxi back to the jetway after 2 and half hours in the regional jet. Fortunately, they had drink service working and were kind enough to give out the peanuts for free. The frazzled Delta clerk rebooked me on the next day's flight and I rented a car and stayed at my buddy Casey's condo for the night. The next day weather was better and got through Atlanta, LAX and into Sydney with no problems, arriving Thursday morning.
Fortunately for me, on the Atlanta to LAX flight, I sat next to a couple from about 30 minutes outside Newcastle and thry offered up a ride home for me (score!). Their son picked us up outside customs and 2 hours later I was back in Newy. Ironically, if I had made my original flights, I would have ended up in Brisbane since the Central Coast (south of Sydney to north of Newcastle) had a freak dust storm that plowed its way from Adelaide to Coffs Harbour, depositing a ton of red grit and sand everywhere and diverting International flights to Melbourne and Brisbane. Plus, and this is the real kicker, I got out of another day of work.
So, for the past 2 weeks I've been playing single dad to the pooch, scratching my head over what's up with my lawn (sorry Nina - our lawn), and flying a bit at work. No more deployments for me this year, and Nina and I are trying to figure out what to do with our Christmas vacation. Hopefully Jetstar (the Southwest Airlines of Australia) will have some ridiculously low fare sales at some point and we'll get back over to New Zealand for $12 or something. Feel free to suggest anything if you have a good idea.
All righty, back to my yardwork which just means I'll be staring at the random shades of green that make up the mosaic of our lawn. We may have some Austral fungus out there which means I might move my staring to the aisles of Bunnings (Australian Home Depot) to try and find some sort of solution. Or, I may just play "renter that doesn't expect to get his security deposit back" and let the lawn die. I think Stella has done enough to the house that it wouldn't really matter anyway. In positive news Monday Night Football is getting broadcast on my new-favorite channel "One HD", but the downside is that it doesn't start until 11am tomorrow. Guess I'll have to take my calls in the crew room at work tomorrow.
Okay folks, I'll attempt to make this a weekly thing. Until then, Stella and I bid you adieu and look forward to Nina's return to the roughest posting in the US Navy.
8.28.2009
one week to go!
After three fun weeks with Eddie and Kelly, I have had a quiet week here in Newcastle. Charlie is still in Thailand...riding elephants, eploring ruins, shopping at the markets (yes, he is actually shopping) and flying with the Thai Air Force. He should be the one writing a blog... he's got a lot more going on this week. While Charlie has been off in Thailand, I have been getting ready for our trip to the U.S. Packing, booking hotels and cars etc. We are both SO excited to see everyone! I can't believe it's only a week away!
I guess that's it for now... off to walk the dog... how exciting.. ha. At least it's a gorgeous spring day out.
Lots of love!!
I guess that's it for now... off to walk the dog... how exciting.. ha. At least it's a gorgeous spring day out.
Lots of love!!
8.16.2009
taronga zoo
We took a trip down to the Taronga Zoo this week before Charlie headed off to Thailand for work. It was a great zoo with lots of animals we aren't used to seeing. I gave Charlie the camera for the day... I needed a little break. He did a great job!! Here's the link to the photos.
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| Taronga Zoo |
8.11.2009
wonderful whitsundays
Well after a great week here in Newcastle the four of us (Eddie, Kelly, Charlie and I) all headed up to the Whitsunday Islands for a long weekend. It was probably the most relaxing trip I have ever taken (well, except our honeymoon). There are 74 islands in the Whitsundays - some big, some small. They were all absolutely beautiful. I don't think my pictures actually do the islands and the water justice... the water was a gorgeous aqua blue!
Anyway, here are some of the photos. Oh, and there are some pictures in the album from our whale watching trip, hike at Port Stephens and fishing in Port Stephens.
(click on the photo to go to the album)
We are definitely having a great time hanging out with Eddie and Kelly!!
Anyway, here are some of the photos. Oh, and there are some pictures in the album from our whale watching trip, hike at Port Stephens and fishing in Port Stephens.
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| August 2009 |
(click on the photo to go to the album)
We are definitely having a great time hanging out with Eddie and Kelly!!
7.30.2009
they're here!!
Eddie and Kelly arrived yesterday morning in Sydney! We are so excited to have them here for three weeks! We started off their trip touring around Sydney... Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, the Opera House and the Sydney Fish Market... Mmmmm.
More on their trip to come...
More on their trip to come...
7.23.2009
We have been experiencing some amazing warm and sunny winter weather here in Newcastle the past few days and I have been taking advantage of it. I have gone on lots of walks along Bathers Way (a 5km walkway along the coast from the north end to the south end of Newcastle past all of the gorgeous beaches) with both Stella and girlfriends of mine. I have also been taking Stella to the dog beach... she was unbelievably well behaved on the beach.. not so much on the other walks :(
Because all of the boys are gone... most of my friends are either dating or married to RAAFies as we affectionately call them... we have been having plenty of girl time... a bachelorette party, brunches, meeting up for coffee or ice cream (depending on the weather), whale watching from the shore, movie nights, games night. It's been really nice to have lots to do while Charlie is gone.
Charlie will be heading home on Saturday (fingers crossed). I think he's ready to come home. They have been flying about 6 days a week and working 12 hours days. I think he's ready for a break. And I can't believe that only a week from now Eddie and Kelly will be arriving in Sydney! It should be a fun few weeks with them!!! Lots to look forward to!!!
my time making biscuits : )
stella decided to chew up her bed... again (this is her third one)
stella's favorite thing to do at the beach
Because all of the boys are gone... most of my friends are either dating or married to RAAFies as we affectionately call them... we have been having plenty of girl time... a bachelorette party, brunches, meeting up for coffee or ice cream (depending on the weather), whale watching from the shore, movie nights, games night. It's been really nice to have lots to do while Charlie is gone.
Charlie will be heading home on Saturday (fingers crossed). I think he's ready to come home. They have been flying about 6 days a week and working 12 hours days. I think he's ready for a break. And I can't believe that only a week from now Eddie and Kelly will be arriving in Sydney! It should be a fun few weeks with them!!! Lots to look forward to!!!
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| From July 2009 |
my time making biscuits : )
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| From July 2009 |
stella decided to chew up her bed... again (this is her third one)
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| From July 2009 |
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| From July 2009 |
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| From July 2009 |
stella's favorite thing to do at the beach
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| From July 2009 |
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| From July 2009 |
7.08.2009
Happy 4th... a little late!
It's been quite a crazy week here in Oz. Last week we had a major scare with Stella. It began Sunday night.. she was vomiting throughout the night. Then she was extremely lethargic and sick looking all day Monday. We tried to holdout until Tuesday to take her to the vet but she just seemed to be deteriorating Monday night so we took her into the emergency vet. By the morning they still weren't sure what was wrong with her, but they did see something wrong with her large intestine. When they opened her up they found the area that had been repaired in January had built up too much scar tissue so that it no longer functioned properly. In the end they removed 12 inches of her large intestine. Needless to say it's been a stressful few days, but hopefully she'll be a happy and healthy dog from now on!
A couple days after Stella's surgery Charlie left for Darwin. He is up there for three weeks participating in an exercise with the US carrier, the George Bush. So we spent our first 4th of July in Oz apart. Oh well! I had brunch with a bunch of girls to celebrate the holiday and then had a few people over for S'mores. None of the Aussie girls had ever had one so it was fun! Although it was a bit chilly : )
Here are a few pics from the past week...
A couple days after Stella's surgery Charlie left for Darwin. He is up there for three weeks participating in an exercise with the US carrier, the George Bush. So we spent our first 4th of July in Oz apart. Oh well! I had brunch with a bunch of girls to celebrate the holiday and then had a few people over for S'mores. None of the Aussie girls had ever had one so it was fun! Although it was a bit chilly : )
Here are a few pics from the past week...
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| From July 2009 |
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| From July 2009 |
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| From July 2009 |
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| From July 2009 |
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| From July 2009 |
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| From July 2009 |
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| From July 2009 |
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| From July 2009 |
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| From July 2009 |
7.01.2009
In love with New Zed-land
Helloooo all!!
We are back from an AMAZING trip to New Zealand! Both Charlie and I absolutely loved it! After hearing tons of people say "you have to visit there", we understand why. It was like one big postcard picture.
On top of enjoying the beautiful scenery we had an adventurous trip. We went jet boating through the Shotover River canyon, trekking on one of the alpine trails (Routeburn Track), skiing (well, Charlie at least), and to top it off, we went BUNGY JUMPING! In addition to the adventurous stuff we went on an all day trip to the Milford Sound. The scenery and wildlife there was just magnificent. While on our cruise we saw tons of seals, birds and had a huge pod of dolphins swim with our boat. It was incredible!
We were already planning our next trip to NZ while waiting for our plane in Christchurch. Hopefully we can go back this summer and explore the islands when the weather is a little bit more inviting.
And for anyone coming to visit us I would definitely recommend tagging on a few days in NZ!
Here are some of our favorite pictures (we took 800, don't worry, there are only a couple hundred uploaded... ha)
Love you all!
We are back from an AMAZING trip to New Zealand! Both Charlie and I absolutely loved it! After hearing tons of people say "you have to visit there", we understand why. It was like one big postcard picture.
On top of enjoying the beautiful scenery we had an adventurous trip. We went jet boating through the Shotover River canyon, trekking on one of the alpine trails (Routeburn Track), skiing (well, Charlie at least), and to top it off, we went BUNGY JUMPING! In addition to the adventurous stuff we went on an all day trip to the Milford Sound. The scenery and wildlife there was just magnificent. While on our cruise we saw tons of seals, birds and had a huge pod of dolphins swim with our boat. It was incredible!
We were already planning our next trip to NZ while waiting for our plane in Christchurch. Hopefully we can go back this summer and explore the islands when the weather is a little bit more inviting.
And for anyone coming to visit us I would definitely recommend tagging on a few days in NZ!
Here are some of our favorite pictures (we took 800, don't worry, there are only a couple hundred uploaded... ha)
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| New Zealand Favorites |
Love you all!
6.12.2009
new camera!
We gave in a bought a DSLR camera. After our first few adventures around Australia we decided that our little point-and-shoot camera was not doing the scenery justice. So, hopefully this new camera will be better at capturing what we are seeing in person.
Now we just need to learn how to use the thing....
Here are a few photos from a little bike ride we took around town... I've definitely got a great model.. haha : )
Now we just need to learn how to use the thing....
Here are a few photos from a little bike ride we took around town... I've definitely got a great model.. haha : )
5.28.2009
Winter in June?
Charlie and I just got back from a great weekend away! We visited a place just north of here called Seal Rocks. The area is absolutely gorgeous and we had an amazing view of the coast/lakes from our cottage.
The area not only has beautiful beaches, but directly behind the beaches are brackish water lakes. Charlie and I tried fishing, but had very little luck. Charlie caught our only fish of the day (see pics)... it was still nice to be out on a lake with gorgeous scenery.
Over the past couple of weeks the weather has definitely changed. It's still hard to grasp that we are heading into winter instead of summer. I guess we'll get a true dose of winter in a couple of weeks while we are in New Zealand... they already have a few feet of snow down there!
Well enjoy the warm weather up there : ) We'll be shivering down here... (haha, just kidding, it's only about 55-65, definitely not freezing by any means)
Here are some pics from the weekend, an afternoon trip to the Hunter Valley and Autumn Ball....
The area not only has beautiful beaches, but directly behind the beaches are brackish water lakes. Charlie and I tried fishing, but had very little luck. Charlie caught our only fish of the day (see pics)... it was still nice to be out on a lake with gorgeous scenery.
Over the past couple of weeks the weather has definitely changed. It's still hard to grasp that we are heading into winter instead of summer. I guess we'll get a true dose of winter in a couple of weeks while we are in New Zealand... they already have a few feet of snow down there!
Well enjoy the warm weather up there : ) We'll be shivering down here... (haha, just kidding, it's only about 55-65, definitely not freezing by any means)
Here are some pics from the weekend, an afternoon trip to the Hunter Valley and Autumn Ball....
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| May 2009 |
5.06.2009
6 months down... 30 to go!
Once again, it has been waaay too long since our last post. It really has been busy around here. Charlie just got back home from Tindal and brought with him a nasty cold/flu. He has been off all week, but we haven't been able to enjoy it since he is so sick.
I have been travelling the past couple of weekends. Great little trips with friends from Newcastle.
Here is the link to the photos...
I finally got a job! I will be working for a luxury tour company. It will be part time and I am hoping to get travel discounts... we'll see though! It will be nice to have something to do during the day. Although I don't think it will be a particularly challenging job... it's a job though... and it's about time!
I have been travelling the past couple of weekends. Great little trips with friends from Newcastle.
Here is the link to the photos...
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| Brisbane & Port Macquarie April 2009 |
I finally got a job! I will be working for a luxury tour company. It will be part time and I am hoping to get travel discounts... we'll see though! It will be nice to have something to do during the day. Although I don't think it will be a particularly challenging job... it's a job though... and it's about time!
4.14.2009
Happy Easter!
I know this is a couple days late, but HAPPY EASTER!
Charlie just left for Tindal in the Northern Territory (think Outback, rocks, sand, dust and crocodiles) after a nice looong Easter weekend. We had dinner with friends both Friday and Saturday night. Then on Sunday we took a nice hike down to a very secluded beach just south of town. It was great to get out and see lots of wildlife and the beautiful coastline. Other than that we didn't really do much.. which was great!!
Charlie will be out of town for the next 2 1/2 weeks and I will be going on a couple of weekend trips while he's gone with a few friends. It will be nice to see some of the towns north of us since Charlie and I haven't really explored that area.
That's about it from down under! We miss you all and wish we could have been with family this Easter!
Charlie just left for Tindal in the Northern Territory (think Outback, rocks, sand, dust and crocodiles) after a nice looong Easter weekend. We had dinner with friends both Friday and Saturday night. Then on Sunday we took a nice hike down to a very secluded beach just south of town. It was great to get out and see lots of wildlife and the beautiful coastline. Other than that we didn't really do much.. which was great!!
Charlie will be out of town for the next 2 1/2 weeks and I will be going on a couple of weekend trips while he's gone with a few friends. It will be nice to see some of the towns north of us since Charlie and I haven't really explored that area.
That's about it from down under! We miss you all and wish we could have been with family this Easter!
4.08.2009
new pictures
I uploaded some new photos onto Picasa...
Here are some new ones of Stella... she is growing really fast... she is just under 30lbs. now and we still don't know what her ears are doing. Some days they are folded and some days they are back to the cute floppy ears... this was a good ear day.
I also uploaded some pictures from Charlie's trip to Melbourne...
Here are some new ones of Stella... she is growing really fast... she is just under 30lbs. now and we still don't know what her ears are doing. Some days they are folded and some days they are back to the cute floppy ears... this was a good ear day.
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| STELLA : ) |
I also uploaded some pictures from Charlie's trip to Melbourne...
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| Charlie's trip to Melbourne |
4.05.2009
Autumn in Australia
It has been a great couple of weeks here down under! The weather has finally changed a little bit... instead of a balmy 80+ degrees it has been in the low 70s the past few days. Absolutely beautiful! If this is what autumn (they don't call it fall down here) is like in oz then I love it!
Last night we celebrated our friends' engagement and two birthdays. It was a great night out. Starting at a restaurant on the harbour and moving to a fun little bar in town. After being here for nearly six months, it feels like we finally have a good group of friends to hangout with. It makes me feel much more settled... it has definitely taken me longer than Charlie.
I can't believe Easter is coming up this weekend! As of right now we are planning on staying in town. Although, we have been looking at last minute hotel deals... we'll see if something comes up!
After Easter Charlie heads up to a town called Tindal in the Northern Territory. I think he'll get to experience the real outback up there. The base is super isolated and has some fun places to see on the weekends. Hopefully he'll take some pictures. While he is gone I am going up to Brisbane for a couple of days with a girlfriend of mine. It should be fun and definitely nice to get out of town to see something new!
That's about it from here... we love and miss you all!! Happy Spring!
Last night we celebrated our friends' engagement and two birthdays. It was a great night out. Starting at a restaurant on the harbour and moving to a fun little bar in town. After being here for nearly six months, it feels like we finally have a good group of friends to hangout with. It makes me feel much more settled... it has definitely taken me longer than Charlie.
I can't believe Easter is coming up this weekend! As of right now we are planning on staying in town. Although, we have been looking at last minute hotel deals... we'll see if something comes up!
After Easter Charlie heads up to a town called Tindal in the Northern Territory. I think he'll get to experience the real outback up there. The base is super isolated and has some fun places to see on the weekends. Hopefully he'll take some pictures. While he is gone I am going up to Brisbane for a couple of days with a girlfriend of mine. It should be fun and definitely nice to get out of town to see something new!
That's about it from here... we love and miss you all!! Happy Spring!
3.26.2009
Sydney!!
We FINALLY took a trip down to Sydney a couple of weekends ago!! It's about time since we only live 2 1/2 hours away and it's taken us 5 months to visit! We travelled in style down there in a seaplane! It was an amazing way to get there. Charlie took a half day on Friday... we went and lunch on the water and then hopped on the plane and headed down to Sydney. In all it took us 45 minutes to be in downtown Sydney. The ride down was not only quick but GORGEOUS.. even though it was overcast. Charlie gets to see the coastline everyday when he's flying, but for me it was a completely new and exciting view of the country!
After landing in Sydney we caught a ferry over to Circular Quay (ie Opera House, Harbour Bridge). It was such a fun ride over there! The homes on the harbour are absolutely stunning! I think I took a few pics, but they really don't do them justice. Once we got off of the ferry we were able to walk to our hotel and check-in. We stay at a place called The Grace Hotel. It was in a perfect spot right in the CBD (downtown) and equal distance between Darling Harbour and Circular Quay.
We headed to Darling Harbour to check it out on Friday afternoon. It's extremely touristy. Tons of restaurants, an aquarium, shopping, and an IMAX Theater right on the water. We walked around, had a pint and then headed to hotel to change for dinner. I had made reservations at the Sydney Cove Oyster Bar... it was right on the water and had fantastic views of the Harbour Bridge. Very nice!
I think we ended up walking about 15 miles on Saturday. We went from one spot to the next to check off all of the things we wanted to see. We started out the morning in an area called The Rocks. It's the most historic part of the city and it's gorgeous, with lots of cafes and cute boutique stores. They have a market every weekend and Charlie and I ended up buying a print for the house. After breakfast at the Chocolatiere (Mmmmmm, delicious) we decided to walk around Circular Quay and get an up close look at the bridge... it's definitely more beautiful from a distance!
Our next stop was the Seafood Market! Mmmm, more food ha. This time we had tuna sashimi chosen and sliced right in front of us and fresh pacific oysters shucked to order. MMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmm. It's doesn't get any better than that! We took our food over to Darling Harbour and had a nice picnic lunch... although the seagulls tried really hard to ruin the little picnic.
Finally after a looong day of wondering around the city we decided that we just wanted to sit down listen to music and have a nice drink. We found a FANTASTIC little spot right next to the Opera House that had nice Spanish style band and great cheese. We will definitely be going back there... hopefully next time we will be heading to the Opera like the rest of the crowd there... ha, we were a little under dressed.. oh well!
Well, those are the highlights from the trip! Definitely a long winded blog.. sorry! It was just such a great weekend. We are looking forward to exploring more of the city when friends and family are in town!
We love and miss you all!!
After landing in Sydney we caught a ferry over to Circular Quay (ie Opera House, Harbour Bridge). It was such a fun ride over there! The homes on the harbour are absolutely stunning! I think I took a few pics, but they really don't do them justice. Once we got off of the ferry we were able to walk to our hotel and check-in. We stay at a place called The Grace Hotel. It was in a perfect spot right in the CBD (downtown) and equal distance between Darling Harbour and Circular Quay.
We headed to Darling Harbour to check it out on Friday afternoon. It's extremely touristy. Tons of restaurants, an aquarium, shopping, and an IMAX Theater right on the water. We walked around, had a pint and then headed to hotel to change for dinner. I had made reservations at the Sydney Cove Oyster Bar... it was right on the water and had fantastic views of the Harbour Bridge. Very nice!
I think we ended up walking about 15 miles on Saturday. We went from one spot to the next to check off all of the things we wanted to see. We started out the morning in an area called The Rocks. It's the most historic part of the city and it's gorgeous, with lots of cafes and cute boutique stores. They have a market every weekend and Charlie and I ended up buying a print for the house. After breakfast at the Chocolatiere (Mmmmmm, delicious) we decided to walk around Circular Quay and get an up close look at the bridge... it's definitely more beautiful from a distance!
Our next stop was the Seafood Market! Mmmm, more food ha. This time we had tuna sashimi chosen and sliced right in front of us and fresh pacific oysters shucked to order. MMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmm. It's doesn't get any better than that! We took our food over to Darling Harbour and had a nice picnic lunch... although the seagulls tried really hard to ruin the little picnic.
Finally after a looong day of wondering around the city we decided that we just wanted to sit down listen to music and have a nice drink. We found a FANTASTIC little spot right next to the Opera House that had nice Spanish style band and great cheese. We will definitely be going back there... hopefully next time we will be heading to the Opera like the rest of the crowd there... ha, we were a little under dressed.. oh well!
Well, those are the highlights from the trip! Definitely a long winded blog.. sorry! It was just such a great weekend. We are looking forward to exploring more of the city when friends and family are in town!
We love and miss you all!!
 |
| Sydney March 2009 |
3.10.2009
long time no post
It's been waaaay too long since we last posted... but nothing too much has happened so neither of us have been motivated to write... sorry! My mom wrote me the other day and told me it's time to post again.. so here it is : )
The past few weeks have been pretty normal weeks for us. I think both of us are getting more and more used to life here in Australia. I am still searching for a job... and definitely getting fed up with it. I'll go through stages of sending out lots of applications and then wait to hear back (of course I never do) and then motivate myself again to send more out.. etc, etc. Hopefully I'll hear back from one of the businesses soon. I have run into several people who are in the same boat as me, which makes me feel a little better... I guess.
When I am not busy looking for a job, I am usually hanging out with my little buddy Stella. Thank goodness for the dog! She is an excuse to go for walks on the beach, harbour and any other scenic spot in Newcastle. Although walking her has definitely become a challenge since she has developed a bad habit of constantly pulling on the leash. It was fine when she was a little puppy, but she is growing very quickly and if we can't break her of the habit I am sure she'll pull me over one day. Not good. So we are working on that.... I'll let you know how it goes ; )
This weekend will be our first weekend away from Stella... WOOHOOO! Ha, now that she has finally gotten bigger and has all of her vaccinations, Charlie and I are heading down to Sydney for the weekend! It's our first time down there... other than driving through the city a few times during our December vacation debacle. We are definitely looking forward to it!! We are flying down on a sea plane and taking the train back up. The plane cuts the trip down from 2 1/2 hours to a 1/2 hour... which is nice on a Friday afternoon. So we should definitely have lots to write about after this weekend.
We are hoping to take lots of weekend trips in the next few months. I have added a little section to the right of the page that has our travel plans on it AND dates that people are planning on coming to visit us! Eddie is our first official visitor in July!!! Everyone should follow his lead and book a trip! : ) You can fly from the east coast now for $826.... CRAZY... Ha. I always feel like I am a Travelocity commercial when I start talking about ticket prices!
That's about it from here! Love and miss you all!!
The past few weeks have been pretty normal weeks for us. I think both of us are getting more and more used to life here in Australia. I am still searching for a job... and definitely getting fed up with it. I'll go through stages of sending out lots of applications and then wait to hear back (of course I never do) and then motivate myself again to send more out.. etc, etc. Hopefully I'll hear back from one of the businesses soon. I have run into several people who are in the same boat as me, which makes me feel a little better... I guess.
When I am not busy looking for a job, I am usually hanging out with my little buddy Stella. Thank goodness for the dog! She is an excuse to go for walks on the beach, harbour and any other scenic spot in Newcastle. Although walking her has definitely become a challenge since she has developed a bad habit of constantly pulling on the leash. It was fine when she was a little puppy, but she is growing very quickly and if we can't break her of the habit I am sure she'll pull me over one day. Not good. So we are working on that.... I'll let you know how it goes ; )
This weekend will be our first weekend away from Stella... WOOHOOO! Ha, now that she has finally gotten bigger and has all of her vaccinations, Charlie and I are heading down to Sydney for the weekend! It's our first time down there... other than driving through the city a few times during our December vacation debacle. We are definitely looking forward to it!! We are flying down on a sea plane and taking the train back up. The plane cuts the trip down from 2 1/2 hours to a 1/2 hour... which is nice on a Friday afternoon. So we should definitely have lots to write about after this weekend.
We are hoping to take lots of weekend trips in the next few months. I have added a little section to the right of the page that has our travel plans on it AND dates that people are planning on coming to visit us! Eddie is our first official visitor in July!!! Everyone should follow his lead and book a trip! : ) You can fly from the east coast now for $826.... CRAZY... Ha. I always feel like I am a Travelocity commercial when I start talking about ticket prices!
That's about it from here! Love and miss you all!!
2.15.2009
Less than perfect weekend weather
Hey guys - sorry for the blog-hiatus, but since it's a rainy Sunday afternoon and since I'm avoiding 50 pages of mind-numbing reading for work I thought I'd chime in to newsreel. We're smack dab in the middle of our fourth month in OZ and settling into the house and the culture nicely. I've refined my impression of Australia to be much more like the U.S. than Britain but still way more into left field than Canada. Hopefully that should tell you exactly what to expect when you make your way down here.
Yesterday was Valentines Day and Nina and I both vowed to stave off the Hallmarkism of the holiday and instead of Chocolates decided to focus our hedonism on wine instead. We braved the low front that has been plaguing the area with low clouds and steady rain and drove our way out to the Hunter Valley in search of some new wineries and places to take all of you when you decide to visit (are you getting my drift, peoples?). We started off at a place called Brokenwood and tried a few whites and reds (I'm quite the sommelier) and our first tastes of the famous Hunter Semillion which is similar to our rieslings although a bit drier. It was great although we didn't get a great vibe from the staff. We bought a few bottles nonetheless. Next stop was Tamburlaine and an old man who tried to get us to join their wine club. Blah blah blah - just give us the wine, buddy. It was good and we dropped some coin for 2 bottles of Merlot. I know, I know - I vowed not to drink the stuff after I watched "Sideways", but this stuff was actually pretty good, and it's the only wine in Hunter that's purely organic so I felt like I was doing the Earth a service.
The last stop was Audrey Wilkinson winery where the staff was extremely friendly, and had it been a nicer day, I'm sure there would have been an amazing view of the valley and surrounding mountains. We got another white and bubbly from here, had some grub and peaced out back to the homestead. In the tradition of the Schwarzes we spent some more cash in an off-the-cuff entertainment center purchase and trucked a sizeable piece of wood home in the back of the car. A good day, minus the weather.
What, may you say, have I been doing since my last post? Flying and dealing with the dog for the most part. Stella is getting much larger as you can probably see from the Facebook photos and the ones on here, and is a bear to deal with. Let's just say we enjoy her sleep as much as she does. Being a Boxer/Kelpie mix she has a TON of energy which I can normally get rid of with a game of "try and kill the broom" or "fetch the stick and run with it past me". However, with the cruddy weather over the last few days we've been housebound aside from bathroom breaks and her energy has been boliing over. We had pupy pre-school today and she was the kid in class that you just knew was going to be held back. Her puppy ADHD was uncontrollable and it was almost embarrassing tohave her around other dogs. Of course, right after we got home she fell asleep for 4 hours. Go figure.
Work has been good, and we just finished up two weeks of air-to-air gunnery which means we loaded the jets up with 250 bullets (20mm cartridges in our cannon) and went out to shoot at a banner (30 feet x 6 feet) being towed 1200 feet behind a learjet. We flew out with either 2 or 4 jets and took turns coming from outside and behind the banner to empty our cannons. We'd shoot from about 1500 feet away from the banner, and after allwas said and done the learjet would drop the banner off back in Williamtown (our airbase) and all the pilots would gather around and count the bullet holes like old men playing bocce. Fortunately for us our ordinance personnel spent countless hours actually dipping the bullets in paint so we could tell who was good and who needed improvement. I was happy to somewhere near the peak of the bell curve for the most part.
The squadron is great and everyone has been really friendly and accepting of my American accent during briefs, debriefs and over the radio, although I've had to have Air Traffic and other pilots repeat themselves quite often due to miscommunication. It's all part of the job though and I'm completely happy with our decision to come down here to Australia.
Well, that's the job and the dog in a nutshell - we've been enjoying the beach, the weather (aside from the last few days) and the people down here and are ready for anyone and everyone to get their butts down here to pay us a visit. The flights are cheap and the beer is cold, so make your reservation and we'll get some shrimp for the grill.
Yesterday was Valentines Day and Nina and I both vowed to stave off the Hallmarkism of the holiday and instead of Chocolates decided to focus our hedonism on wine instead. We braved the low front that has been plaguing the area with low clouds and steady rain and drove our way out to the Hunter Valley in search of some new wineries and places to take all of you when you decide to visit (are you getting my drift, peoples?). We started off at a place called Brokenwood and tried a few whites and reds (I'm quite the sommelier) and our first tastes of the famous Hunter Semillion which is similar to our rieslings although a bit drier. It was great although we didn't get a great vibe from the staff. We bought a few bottles nonetheless. Next stop was Tamburlaine and an old man who tried to get us to join their wine club. Blah blah blah - just give us the wine, buddy. It was good and we dropped some coin for 2 bottles of Merlot. I know, I know - I vowed not to drink the stuff after I watched "Sideways", but this stuff was actually pretty good, and it's the only wine in Hunter that's purely organic so I felt like I was doing the Earth a service.
The last stop was Audrey Wilkinson winery where the staff was extremely friendly, and had it been a nicer day, I'm sure there would have been an amazing view of the valley and surrounding mountains. We got another white and bubbly from here, had some grub and peaced out back to the homestead. In the tradition of the Schwarzes we spent some more cash in an off-the-cuff entertainment center purchase and trucked a sizeable piece of wood home in the back of the car. A good day, minus the weather.
What, may you say, have I been doing since my last post? Flying and dealing with the dog for the most part. Stella is getting much larger as you can probably see from the Facebook photos and the ones on here, and is a bear to deal with. Let's just say we enjoy her sleep as much as she does. Being a Boxer/Kelpie mix she has a TON of energy which I can normally get rid of with a game of "try and kill the broom" or "fetch the stick and run with it past me". However, with the cruddy weather over the last few days we've been housebound aside from bathroom breaks and her energy has been boliing over. We had pupy pre-school today and she was the kid in class that you just knew was going to be held back. Her puppy ADHD was uncontrollable and it was almost embarrassing tohave her around other dogs. Of course, right after we got home she fell asleep for 4 hours. Go figure.
Work has been good, and we just finished up two weeks of air-to-air gunnery which means we loaded the jets up with 250 bullets (20mm cartridges in our cannon) and went out to shoot at a banner (30 feet x 6 feet) being towed 1200 feet behind a learjet. We flew out with either 2 or 4 jets and took turns coming from outside and behind the banner to empty our cannons. We'd shoot from about 1500 feet away from the banner, and after allwas said and done the learjet would drop the banner off back in Williamtown (our airbase) and all the pilots would gather around and count the bullet holes like old men playing bocce. Fortunately for us our ordinance personnel spent countless hours actually dipping the bullets in paint so we could tell who was good and who needed improvement. I was happy to somewhere near the peak of the bell curve for the most part.
The squadron is great and everyone has been really friendly and accepting of my American accent during briefs, debriefs and over the radio, although I've had to have Air Traffic and other pilots repeat themselves quite often due to miscommunication. It's all part of the job though and I'm completely happy with our decision to come down here to Australia.
Well, that's the job and the dog in a nutshell - we've been enjoying the beach, the weather (aside from the last few days) and the people down here and are ready for anyone and everyone to get their butts down here to pay us a visit. The flights are cheap and the beer is cold, so make your reservation and we'll get some shrimp for the grill.
2.12.2009
Visit Down Under!
So I just wanted to let everyone know that there are some AMAZING flight and also hotel deals (you have a place to stay though!) going on down here right now. We would LOVE to have some visiters! Anyway, for all of you in VA Beach, MD, Central VA (Richmond) tickets are only $1000 including taxes (and yes, I did say ONLY because they usually are twice that from the east coast). The great fares are through to September... so who wants to visit?!? : ) Just thought you all should know!
2.10.2009
Alien Pup
So, over the past week Stella's ears have changed and I am not at all happy about it =( It all started one night when she was lying on her bed and I pointed out to Charlie that her right ear looked funny. It only took a couple of days until her other ear followed suit. I have been worried that they would stay like that OR they were turning into Kelpie ears - pointed and straight up (see below). Anyway, after doing a bunch of reading I stumbled on some posts about puppies like labs and other breeds with floppy ears that had the same problem at the same age. I guess when they are teething all of the calcium goes to their teeth not their cartilage....
Soooo, I am hoping that it is a result of TEETHING not Kelpiness. Ha. We'll see though. Either way she is still cute... I just miss her floppy ears... she kind of looks like an alien with them sticking out to the side. We have her final vaccination on Friday, so hopefully the doc will confirm it's lack of calcium... if it is she's getting calcium pills... haha... just kidding = )
Kelpie Pup - big ears
Before the ear folding - cute little pup
After the ear folding - cute alien pup
Soooo, I am hoping that it is a result of TEETHING not Kelpiness. Ha. We'll see though. Either way she is still cute... I just miss her floppy ears... she kind of looks like an alien with them sticking out to the side. We have her final vaccination on Friday, so hopefully the doc will confirm it's lack of calcium... if it is she's getting calcium pills... haha... just kidding = )
Kelpie Pup - big ears
Before the ear folding - cute little pup
After the ear folding - cute alien pup
2.02.2009
day trip
Sometimes I still cannot believe that we actually LIVE in Australia! Today I drove down to Sydney to go do some furniture shopping and it was NBD (No Big Deal, Jen that's for you and James). It's amazing to live so close to one of the world's most famous cities. Anyway, I didn't even go downtown, although I did drive right by Olympic Park, which was neat.
I am hoping to finish up decorating the house in the next few weeks... at least get all of the big stuff done, so we can finally feel like it's ours (well, ours for a couple of yours that is).
Back to decorating... and of course assembling since I bought a bunch of stuff from IKEA : )
Love you all, pics to come!
I am hoping to finish up decorating the house in the next few weeks... at least get all of the big stuff done, so we can finally feel like it's ours (well, ours for a couple of yours that is).
Back to decorating... and of course assembling since I bought a bunch of stuff from IKEA : )
Love you all, pics to come!
1.25.2009
Summer Birthday
It has been waaay too long since our last post, so sorry about that! We have gotten back to our "normal" lives I guess! Charlie has gone back to work and I am still searching for a job. Who knows when I'll find one! In the mean time Stella and I have been doing some major bonding during the day. Charlie and I have a routine down now... Stella wakes us up around 5:30am, we let her whine for a half hour, Charlie gets up to take her for a walk and feed her, he leaves at 7, I take over for the day... etc, etc, : )
Friday we celebrated my 27th birthday... woohooo! Luckily Charlie finished with work at 11am (tough job eh?). I loaded up the good ol' Astra (our cute little hatchback) with all of Stella's toys, water, leash, crate, etc. (it feels like we have to pack for a week when we take her anywhere) and then headed off to the beach. Unfortunately the beaches right in town do not allow dogs on to them during the day so we had to drive about 40 minutes north of here to find one where she could run around. It's a big tourist destination since the sand dunes are right there. So we watched camels walk by all day long. Pretty funny.
We had a fantastic day and Stella really seemed to enjoy the water up until the very end when she got swallowed by a wave. After the beach we headed home to clean-up and nurse our sunburns (yes, I got burned too, oops). Then Charlie and I headed out to dinner at a fantastic place called Scratchley's right on the water. I have wanted to go there since we moved to Newcastle. It was definitely a fun treat! I posted the link on the right if you want to check it out.
Yesterday we just relaxed at home since the temperature outside reached 104! Today we will probably do the same. Tomorrow however is Australia Day (like our 4th of July), and it also happens to be our 1st Anniversary... I can't believe a year has already past by!! We will probably head to the beach again during the day and go to the harbour at night to watch the fireworks... fun!
Oh, and for those of you who want to call we FINALLY have our Vonage phone set-up so we can receive incoming calls... just keep in mind we are 16 hours ahead.
That's about it from sunny Newcastle : )
Love you all!
Friday we celebrated my 27th birthday... woohooo! Luckily Charlie finished with work at 11am (tough job eh?). I loaded up the good ol' Astra (our cute little hatchback) with all of Stella's toys, water, leash, crate, etc. (it feels like we have to pack for a week when we take her anywhere) and then headed off to the beach. Unfortunately the beaches right in town do not allow dogs on to them during the day so we had to drive about 40 minutes north of here to find one where she could run around. It's a big tourist destination since the sand dunes are right there. So we watched camels walk by all day long. Pretty funny.
We had a fantastic day and Stella really seemed to enjoy the water up until the very end when she got swallowed by a wave. After the beach we headed home to clean-up and nurse our sunburns (yes, I got burned too, oops). Then Charlie and I headed out to dinner at a fantastic place called Scratchley's right on the water. I have wanted to go there since we moved to Newcastle. It was definitely a fun treat! I posted the link on the right if you want to check it out.
Yesterday we just relaxed at home since the temperature outside reached 104! Today we will probably do the same. Tomorrow however is Australia Day (like our 4th of July), and it also happens to be our 1st Anniversary... I can't believe a year has already past by!! We will probably head to the beach again during the day and go to the harbour at night to watch the fireworks... fun!
Oh, and for those of you who want to call we FINALLY have our Vonage phone set-up so we can receive incoming calls... just keep in mind we are 16 hours ahead.
That's about it from sunny Newcastle : )
Love you all!
 |
| STELLA : ) |
1.09.2009
house photos
I added some pictures of the house to the Hamilton South album. I definitely still have lots of work to do, but at least they will give you an idea of the layout....
...back to puppysitting : )
...back to puppysitting : )
 |
| Hamilton South House |
1.08.2009
Puppy Madness
It's been just over a week since Stella has been home with us and sure has been a rollercoaster ride. She has tons of energy and requires pretty constant attention. She is sooo cute and loving when she wants to be... the other times she is an absolute terror. Getting into anything she can find and attempting to chew off our hands and feet. After digging through the yard, eating a few mushrooms, bugs, dirt and whatever else she can swallow before we could catch her, she contracted an intestinal infection. So Charlie and I spent Sunday taking her to the vet feeding her meds and cuddling her. By the end of the day we decided she had definitely gotten worse, so we took her back into the vet. She was admitted to the emergency hospital. They figured out that she had an intussuseption in her bowel... which basically means her bowel folded into itself like a telescope. So she went through emergency surgery around 1 am on Monday morning. Needless to say we have not been getting much sleep, whether she's wailing during the night or sick at the vet. It's been a CRAZY week!!
Charlie heads back to work tomorrow after his long break. I think he is grateful to get out of the house for the day : ) I am looking for a job, so hopefully I'll find something in the next few weeks. Although the job market is just as bad here as it is at home right now.
That's it for now from down under! Love you all! Happy New Year!!
Charlie heads back to work tomorrow after his long break. I think he is grateful to get out of the house for the day : ) I am looking for a job, so hopefully I'll find something in the next few weeks. Although the job market is just as bad here as it is at home right now.
That's it for now from down under! Love you all! Happy New Year!!
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