tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33715719741221617232024-03-13T23:43:06.004-07:00An American (Family) in AustraliaBecause Paris is so last year....Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-59627712283546884412014-10-03T01:12:00.002-07:002014-10-03T01:12:51.402-07:00Australian Road Trip, Day 1 - DubboThere are several things we would like to do before we leave Australia to move back to the US - whenever that might happen. We are aware that there probably isn't heaps of time left, and we want to make the most of our remaining time in this beautiful part of the word. One of the things at the top of our list was the Great Ocean Road, considered to be one of the best drives in the world, and with good reason. However, we didn't want to fly in and out, so we decided to make a big loop around the south-eastern portion of the country, a journey that would be 4,363 km (2712 m) long.<br />
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One of the stops we wanted to do was Dubbo, NSW, so we could take the kids to the Taronga Western Plains <span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Zoo. </span>It was such a different experience - the animals aren't in cages, but openly roam with moats in between you and the animals. Also, you are able to rent bikes, so we did and had a lovely 5km bike around. The bikes weren't in the best condition, so if you are able to take your own I would recommend that option. You had to really work to break - harder than pedalling up the hills. Still, it was a really enjoyable way to visit the animals.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys on their pushies</td></tr>
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The unfortunate part of the biking was that it is currently Magpie swooping season. Sounds ridiculous, but it's true. Bri and I were both swooped. Brian even made sure that we stayed away from the bird that swooped him, but apparently I wasn't quite far enough away. I really dislike birds to begin with and I screamed like a girl. Glad it was us and not the boys!<br />
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Each exhibit had bike racks to park at and then you could walk a few steps to get a good view of the animals. I think the giraffes were my favourites. They were not a bit shy and came right up to us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved his colours. I had my long-range lens<br />on and no time to switch, so it's not all<br />of him.</td></tr>
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The poor giraffe even was swooped by a Magpie as we watched!<br />
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I enjoyed the tower overlooking the African plains, it gave you a real sense of how much space the animals had.<br />
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We also enjoyed watching the hippo swim. It wouldn't surface much of it's body, but I've never seen anything quite like it. You'd watch the bubbles move and would wait for his head to pop out of the water.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming up....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There he is!</td></tr>
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There was a baby black Rhino that was fairly recently born, but the mother kept shielding it from us. I got a bit of the baby in this picture.</div>
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And the Meerkats. Wills loves them. I'm not sure why so much. I mean, they are cute, but he often is popping up around us imitating a meerkat. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the similarities?</td></tr>
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I could put up a million more pictures, but it would probably get boring. We left early in the afternoon, because we had our longest single drive of the trip coming up - 8 hours to Broken Hill, NSW. </div>
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Off we went into the Outback, where the scenery completely changed. It was lots of straight road, roos and goats on the side of the road, and not much else. It is mind-boggling to me how unpopulated the centre of the country truly is. Almost everyone lives on the coast. On that drive, I think we went through 3 towns, to put it loosely. We went for 3 hours without seeing anything. I can't fathom driving from Northern Kentucky down I-75 to Tennessee and not going through any city at all!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really, really straight. But how<br />stunning are the clouds?</td></tr>
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But you know what a flat horizon and no city lights means? An incredible sunset.</div>
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For a really long time.</div>
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The sunset happened at 6:30pm. We made it to Broken Hill around 8:00, and it had only been truly dark for about 15 minutes. </div>
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We checked into our hotel, slept hard, and were ready to explore Broken Hill the next day!</div>
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Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-30431615190352239272014-06-10T02:18:00.000-07:002014-06-10T02:18:01.024-07:00Vivid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This weekend was a long weekend. Brian had Monday off for the Queen's birthday, which we found out they don't actually have off in England! We had a great time together, including the day in Sydney on Saturday. It's lovely to have a major city so close by, while we are able to enjoy the lifestyle of the beach!<br />
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We started off in Chatswood, a suburb of Sydney, for Yum cha. My friend Emmi introduced me to this on a girl's food weekend in Sydney and my boys were keen to have a go. Yum cha is also known as dim sum in the US, but I've not seen a restaurant similar to this style. You are immediately served tea whilst carts come around with different types of food. You can pick and choose what you eat and each plate has 3 or 4 pieces of the food on it. The first cart that came out had several types of wontons on it - prawn, veg, and chicken. The highlight for my boys were the pork buns. I agree, they are fantastic! Nath and Will had huge eyes as the carts clattered around the restaurant and we left stuffed for a train ride to the Maritime Museum on Darling Harbour. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boys "saluting" on top of the Vampire</td></tr>
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The boys have been begging us to visit the National Maritime Museum for awhile. Usually it's when we have somebody visiting and we are trying to hit the Sydney highlights, so we've been putting them off for some time. Saturday seemed like the perfect day to visit and we happily bought our Big Ticket, which included tours of several ships outside, plus everything in the museum. The boys were excited to visit a destroyer and a submarine, but Nathan was incredibly happy to explore the replica of the Endeavour, Captain Cook's ship. He is currently studying the first fleet in school and visited Sydney on a school excursion, but didn't get to see the ship. He was able to supplement his knowledge and impress the tour guides with what he knew. The replica of the HMB Endeavour will actually be sailing into Port Stephens later in the year, and the guide has encouraged Nathan to sign up to help with some of the demonstrations.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys and I steering</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathan reading about the Endeavour<br /></td></tr>
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But the real reason we headed to Sydney was for Vivid. This is a festival that runs for several weeks, lighting up much of the CBD. Even the boats in the harbour light up for the evening. It's really quite a spectacle. We started out in front of the Opera House, sitting on the steps on the Quay with our dinner from one of the food trucks parked around. We even bought the boys a bottle of water that lights up with the push of a button. The show was gorgeous, we were so impressed with it. We walked all the way around the Quay and down to the rocks, stopping at different buildings to watch for a bit, or exploring the art installations that were around. Since they say a picture is worth a thousand words, here you are-<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water tastes better when it glows</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruise ship leaving the Harbour before Vivid starts</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Space Invaders</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My three boys and the light ball<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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The theme of Vivid 2014 was Lights and Music. On Customs House they had an installation that you could "conduct." There were different styles of music and the motions of your hands would control streaks or different shapes across the building. A massive queue was there, so the boys just watched. Nath found it a bit loud, so we didn't stay too long.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mainly brass instruments at this point</td></tr>
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The boys were also able to become part of the art in several spots. One of my favourites was the graffiti paintings of their faces.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yu6rA8-jArU/U5bKZxJ63ZI/AAAAAAAACPk/CLUgJOJ0bq8/s1600/DSC02133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yu6rA8-jArU/U5bKZxJ63ZI/AAAAAAAACPk/CLUgJOJ0bq8/s1600/DSC02133.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wills</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5J6lAi7XSZw/U5bL2LhSt7I/AAAAAAAACP4/9s7gnhu5QK4/s1600/DSC02127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5J6lAi7XSZw/U5bL2LhSt7I/AAAAAAAACP4/9s7gnhu5QK4/s1600/DSC02127.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lights on the Museum of Contemporary Art</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVQtuBzXeh0/U5bNEWZf5vI/AAAAAAAACQE/qjdPDKKntn8/s1600/DSC02129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVQtuBzXeh0/U5bNEWZf5vI/AAAAAAAACQE/qjdPDKKntn8/s1600/DSC02129.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Across the Quay and over the throng</td></tr>
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<br />Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-48323523729401795042014-03-24T16:31:00.001-07:002014-03-24T16:31:50.000-07:00Holi Cow, That Was Fun!Last weekend we drove to Sydney to go to the Holi Festival. Holi is a Hindu festival that has a basic concept of good triumphing over evil and the welcoming of spring. You can read more about it <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi" target="_blank">here</a>. So why would our Christian family decide to go to a Hindu festival? It was actually at the request of our younger son. This has been an ongoing request over the past 6 months, so I'll give a bit of an explanation.<br />
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Last year, one of the overarching topics for a term at school was Celebrations. During that time, the class learned about many celebrations around the world. Holi was one that stuck with Wills for one simple reason - the throwing of colours. A video had been shown to his class of the actual event in Sydney. Will decided he really wanted to go - I suspect it's because he knew it was one of the rare times he could chuck something at his brother and get away with it! <br />
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Now, why throwing colours? It took me awhile to figure that part out. I finally found where the colours came in, besides just being fun and representing the blossoming of flowers in spring - which seemed a bit obvious. Krishna, who is always portrayed as blue, became tired of being the only god that was a different colour, especially after he fell in love with a fair-skinned goddess. So, he playfully painted her face with colour. Subsequently, they fell in love, so now it's also considered a playful thing to do with your loved ones! Also, this is what those 5k colour runs are based.<br />
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So Will came home and, with permission, did some research on the computer to find out when Holi would be happening in Sydney for 2014. He discovered the dates and begged us to go to it. We responded with a "We'll see," not intending to go to the city for just that.<br />
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Luck for Wills, it corresponded to the same weekend Major League Baseball was playing at the Sydney Cricket Ground. We had friends that were coming down from Brisbane to watch - Hi, Rita! - and thought it would be nice to catch up with them. The stars aligned and we headed down for an overnight trip!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PFF2fojMbYw/UzC7OV6sNZI/AAAAAAAACLU/ylM7lcmTw_0/s1600/DSC01209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PFF2fojMbYw/UzC7OV6sNZI/AAAAAAAACLU/ylM7lcmTw_0/s1600/DSC01209.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Funny to see baseballs floating in Darling Harbour!<br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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I'll finish up with some pictures of our trip. There aren't any of us throwing the colours, as there was no way I was taking my camera into that mess! We had a great time. It's really fun to learn about other cultures, and we find it's also a great tool to explain how and why our beliefs are different to the boys!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ll0cpoFj570/UzC8ga5C5iI/AAAAAAAACLc/sj992EEEIxs/s1600/DSC01215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ll0cpoFj570/UzC8ga5C5iI/AAAAAAAACLc/sj992EEEIxs/s1600/DSC01215.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to throw. And, yes, I know the irony of wearing a Christian<br />shirt to a Hindu festival. IUMC representing in Sydney!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RLYa5ckygms/UzC9TbhDWSI/AAAAAAAACLk/VyX7YvH0tmw/s1600/DSC01267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RLYa5ckygms/UzC9TbhDWSI/AAAAAAAACLk/VyX7YvH0tmw/s1600/DSC01267.jpg" height="640" width="342" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The aftermath. And, yew, it did wash out of all our clothes!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r6fnUL6zEeE/UzC-KU4El0I/AAAAAAAACLw/EbNrgozJeYY/s1600/DSC01222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r6fnUL6zEeE/UzC-KU4El0I/AAAAAAAACLw/EbNrgozJeYY/s1600/DSC01222.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This stupid shirt is never going away - it's as white as the driven snow again!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPAo65p22N8/UzC_DfgqOlI/AAAAAAAACL4/Cvj1BaQc0xs/s1600/DSC01288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPAo65p22N8/UzC_DfgqOlI/AAAAAAAACL4/Cvj1BaQc0xs/s1600/DSC01288.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In line for curry!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N6J7TnVkcoM/UzDADhacIhI/AAAAAAAACME/E4T5qpBw3Ok/s1600/DSC01297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N6J7TnVkcoM/UzDADhacIhI/AAAAAAAACME/E4T5qpBw3Ok/s1600/DSC01297.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lounging in the park after lunch</td></tr>
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<br />Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-36626031868635842222014-01-25T23:16:00.000-08:002014-01-25T23:16:20.719-08:00Port Villa - The CascadesBefore I get into the Cascade Waterfalls, I wanted to talk about how you get around in Vanuatu. The easiest way is to catch a bus, which is actually more of a passenger van or a people carrier. They were everywhere and could be identified by a B at the beginning of the license plate. All you had to do was glance toward the driver and they would stop to ask if you needed a ride. It cost us about $12 to get pretty much anywhere on the island. The drivers were always friendly and often had their children riding around with them. They were proficient at weaving in and out of traffic and most trips took us no more than 15 minutes to get anywhere. We were very shocked when traffic was at a standstill heading towards Hideaway Island and were wondering what was going on when the driver wove past people running. We had just gone by the Olympic Torch and had no idea until we were flying around the contingency of people, so no picture - but a great experience!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IWZ69hWD_bw/UuSnXus0OyI/AAAAAAAACJo/caAnUUSRqlY/s1600/DSC01009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IWZ69hWD_bw/UuSnXus0OyI/AAAAAAAACJo/caAnUUSRqlY/s1600/DSC01009.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginning our climb</td></tr>
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Everyone who has visited Vanuatu told us to make sure we visited the Cascade Waterfalls, and we were so glad we did! You start your journey out on a beautiful path through the bush, only catching glimpses of the waterfall. Eventually you are actually climbing through the waterfall, stopping to swim in the pools and playing in the falls. The water is crisp and cool, which is very welcome in the humidity of the tropics. It is crystal clear as well - we had a ball playing around.<br />
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We made sure to leave fairly early to visit, under the assumption that it would get fairly crowded because a cruise ship was docking in the morning. When they docked, it felt like the population of the town doubled! We didn't see many people while we went up, but quite a few on our way down.<br />
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This was one of the boy's favourite experiences, and a reminder of how Brian and I spent much of our honeymoon. I don't have a lot to say about it - it's pretty self-explanatory. It's a case of a picture being worth a thousand words, so enjoy!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ld9X5o7vXKc/UuSqNKFksII/AAAAAAAACJw/zTLneE61Bik/s1600/DSC01013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ld9X5o7vXKc/UuSqNKFksII/AAAAAAAACJw/zTLneE61Bik/s1600/DSC01013.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The path through the falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WlbNq6tKGr8/UuSraL396jI/AAAAAAAACJ4/6pbUQOzvYbY/s1600/DSC01025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WlbNq6tKGr8/UuSraL396jI/AAAAAAAACJ4/6pbUQOzvYbY/s1600/DSC01025.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of one of the larger falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSSJvWJCszI/UuSsnpHEEDI/AAAAAAAACKA/MTTBmjI11G0/s1600/DSC01028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSSJvWJCszI/UuSsnpHEEDI/AAAAAAAACKA/MTTBmjI11G0/s1600/DSC01028.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys climbing up and into one of the pools</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--a_ybK930dw/UuStx9WH6qI/AAAAAAAACKI/_GbDzf_TRqQ/s1600/DSC01040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--a_ybK930dw/UuStx9WH6qI/AAAAAAAACKI/_GbDzf_TRqQ/s1600/DSC01040.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look, it's a literal slippery dip! (Aussie slang for a slide)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iyHdyVWBdDU/UuSu-2kvjpI/AAAAAAAACKQ/v3jqXw0nFgs/s1600/DSC01052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iyHdyVWBdDU/UuSu-2kvjpI/AAAAAAAACKQ/v3jqXw0nFgs/s1600/DSC01052.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mum and her boys!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YBvRbQPyYmI/UuSwNBCnBCI/AAAAAAAACKY/yqclZrhkR2s/s1600/DSC01034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YBvRbQPyYmI/UuSwNBCnBCI/AAAAAAAACKY/yqclZrhkR2s/s1600/DSC01034.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian climbed down on the side of this waterfall. The boys and<br />I followed later.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tMUsvWMB2rY/UuS0L2UG8BI/AAAAAAAACKk/0LaR2w9re0Q/s1600/DSC01054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tMUsvWMB2rY/UuS0L2UG8BI/AAAAAAAACKk/0LaR2w9re0Q/s1600/DSC01054.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nath swimming into the waterfall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ATWmnx09u8U/UuS11tz5K4I/AAAAAAAACKs/tiplRerkZGg/s1600/DSC01004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ATWmnx09u8U/UuS11tz5K4I/AAAAAAAACKs/tiplRerkZGg/s1600/DSC01004.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another picture, mum?<br /></td></tr>
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<br />Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-55307985201972721652014-01-21T15:22:00.002-08:002014-01-21T15:22:59.870-08:00Port Vila - Part OneWe began and ended our holiday in Port Vila. We weren't so excited to have to fly to another island in the middle, but that's just how it worked. Brian had already used up quite a few of his vacation days when we visited the US, so we worked around the public holidays of Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Boxing Day to make the most of what he had left. That boxed us into specific dates of travel. Since planes don't fly to Tanna every day, we would've had to travel in the middle of our time there anyway.<br />
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The kids are old enough to have opinions on things they want to do, so Brian and I decided they could each choose something within reason - we were allowed veto power. Nathan opted for horseback riding months ago, so that was one of the first things we did. Nathan picked the 2 hour rain forest tour, so we saddled up and headed off on the adventure.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vI0LtoyYiw4/Ut4P8OhPGCI/AAAAAAAACHc/lLXMWPS2UPg/s1600/DSC00794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vI0LtoyYiw4/Ut4P8OhPGCI/AAAAAAAACHc/lLXMWPS2UPg/s1600/DSC00794.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor Brian's view!</td></tr>
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We were paired up and helped onto our horses, given a brief set of instructions, and off we went with our guides. The kids weren't so sure about the first steep hill we went down, but quickly enjoyed the feeling. The both ended up being tethered to our guides, as they weren't quite strong - or forceful - enough to keep their horses going the way the boys wanted them to head. I gave the camera to Brian, since I figured it would be less painful bouncing around on him!<br />
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All of our horses had distinct personalities. Bri and Will's horses just wanted to eat, given any bit of slack on the reins. Nath's horse was stubborn and had to be fussed at fairly often. Mine liked to stay on the path and gave me a bit of excitement when he decided to start to rear up on me. I yanked on the reins hard for him to stop and just clung on for dear life. Brian swears I'm exaggerating, but it felt scary!<br />
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The bush was lovely and the views from the top were stunning - but we don't have any pictures of that because Brian's horse got very fidgety when we stopped. The boys were exhausted about halfway through the tour and we had to tell them to stop whinging - all of our bums were sore! They didn't realise that you used different muscles riding. All in all, they had a good time and are pestering us to go again here!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Owbg_LomO7s/Ut4R_O8z6QI/AAAAAAAACHo/EP75LZ0mJvk/s1600/DSC00805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Owbg_LomO7s/Ut4R_O8z6QI/AAAAAAAACHo/EP75LZ0mJvk/s1600/DSC00805.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nath's sweet face</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RSXNKIvlUpU/Ut4TYozBMqI/AAAAAAAACH0/FrX5Qm1Nsnw/s1600/DSC00809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RSXNKIvlUpU/Ut4TYozBMqI/AAAAAAAACH0/FrX5Qm1Nsnw/s1600/DSC00809.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking fantastic in our riding helmets</td></tr>
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Will picked riding U-power boats around the harbour. The boys kept calling them U-boats and not understanding why Bri and I were laughing. Basically they were two-seater pontoon boats. The real appeal here is that the boys could drive them as long as we sat behind them. Off we went behind our guide, with the throttle open and the boys giggling as we wake hopped. We took a bit of a break in the middle of our hour tour for a swim. The water was absolutely crystal clear and were surprised to hear that it was 30 feet deep, since we could easily see the bottom. The boys adored this part of the holiday. Alas, I'm not risking my camera on that ride, so no pictures!<br />
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We also saw a fire dancing show at our resort. When they came out and weren't in traditional dress, I was a bit disappointed. However, that feeling was quickly lost watching the show. Here are a few of my favourite pictures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUEXo-0vp_c/Ut4XHmK6W3I/AAAAAAAACII/qRh8uKiF8Kw/s1600/DSC00829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUEXo-0vp_c/Ut4XHmK6W3I/AAAAAAAACII/qRh8uKiF8Kw/s1600/DSC00829.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And now the kids think it would be cool to breathe fire...<br /></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-luPwsAffCZ8/Ut4YXuQxa0I/AAAAAAAACIQ/ROOiA315kMs/s1600/DSC00824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-luPwsAffCZ8/Ut4YXuQxa0I/AAAAAAAACIQ/ROOiA315kMs/s1600/DSC00824.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hideaway Island</td></tr>
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We also spent time wandering the town and hanging out at the beach. Our favourite was Hideaway island. It was about fifteen minutes from Port Vila by taxi bus and then another five minutes by ferry. Not only was it beautiful, but the snorkeling was amazing! We saw angel fish, parrot fish (my favourite), puffers, other beautifully coloured fish, and blue sea stars. The boys were champs with their swimming skills, although we did get Will a life vest so we didn't have to worry too much about him. At one point we thought we were swimming up to a huge black coral to be surprised when it was a massive school of fish - just like the school in Finding Nemo that form the Opera House. Speaking of Nemo, we found several of him as well!<br />
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Hideaway Island is also home to the world's only underwater post office. There is a postbox you can dive down and mail postcards in, which we did. I have no idea when they'll arrive to the people we sent them to, but fun for the kids to do anyway. Twice a day the postman goes out in scuba gear to man the post office. The kids thought he was really fun!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EAD4z87kI1A/Ut72MMGPOkI/AAAAAAAACIs/EQVuAICr2rg/s1600/DSC00989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EAD4z87kI1A/Ut72MMGPOkI/AAAAAAAACIs/EQVuAICr2rg/s1600/DSC00989.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guy with the massive hair? That's the postman.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ImOzbJtzeC8/Ut73PUUlcpI/AAAAAAAACI0/x5E08Phwaas/s1600/DSC00991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ImOzbJtzeC8/Ut73PUUlcpI/AAAAAAAACI0/x5E08Phwaas/s1600/DSC00991.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My three guys snorkeling</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ooX-PNc8Agk/Ut74QeGcZoI/AAAAAAAACI8/gVRjCYtYP8Q/s1600/DSC00994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ooX-PNc8Agk/Ut74QeGcZoI/AAAAAAAACI8/gVRjCYtYP8Q/s1600/DSC00994.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nath was done</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i0zGZmmLNUQ/Ut75J0bd4BI/AAAAAAAACJI/OVck1dUMukk/s1600/DSC00998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i0zGZmmLNUQ/Ut75J0bd4BI/AAAAAAAACJI/OVck1dUMukk/s1600/DSC00998.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wills "borrowed" my sunnies for the return ferry!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H9TQmyKMkl4/Ut8Aq1J3CeI/AAAAAAAACJY/x7udHeg-tX0/s1600/DSC00997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H9TQmyKMkl4/Ut8Aq1J3CeI/AAAAAAAACJY/x7udHeg-tX0/s1600/DSC00997.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back to the mainland - hope to be back to Hideaway Island someday!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-43237123413674042952014-01-11T22:22:00.001-08:002014-01-11T22:22:07.833-08:00Tanna - Cultural Village and DepartingWe wanted to make the most of our short time in Tanna, so we decided to visit a village and receive a cultural tour on the day we were leaving. We didn't fly out until 3pm and the tour was in the morning, so we had plenty of time.<br />
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We hopped into the resort's 4X4 and headed off towards the jungle once again. Our driver stopped at the main part of Tanna on the way to the village, where we took some time to look around the market. I wanted to buy one of the woven bags as a souvenir, and general use. Each island has their specific tradition of weaving and I actually liked Tanna's the best. You can see a traditional bag in the picture of the market below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IVJ5ZBCypzc/UtIgasadFdI/AAAAAAAACFY/rqCK3ASWmWE/s1600/DSC00949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IVJ5ZBCypzc/UtIgasadFdI/AAAAAAAACFY/rqCK3ASWmWE/s1600/DSC00949.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those are some cucumbers!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpUkhQJ4qA/UtIhN8L2EQI/AAAAAAAACFg/-XelLk3UPbA/s1600/DSC00950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7CpUkhQJ4qA/UtIhN8L2EQI/AAAAAAAACFg/-XelLk3UPbA/s1600/DSC00950.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main port in Tanna, directly across from the market</td></tr>
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After a few minutes of looking - buying food isn't really a choice, as you don't know what contaminants might be lurking - we hopped back into the car and headed into the jungle. These roads weren't too bad, certainly better than the ones heading towards the volcano. I took a picture, it's still a bit blurry from all the bouncing, but at least it gives an idea of where we were!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5yiX31QVfRU/UtIip3f5ppI/AAAAAAAACFs/olTkrh4rajU/s1600/DSC00969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5yiX31QVfRU/UtIip3f5ppI/AAAAAAAACFs/olTkrh4rajU/s1600/DSC00969.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The typical roads in Tanna</td></tr>
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We had no expectations of what this tour would be like. The only thing we knew was that this was an authentic village, they weren't putting on a show for the tourists. How do we know that? Well, partially we trusted what we had been told but, more importantly, we had walked by a village close to our resort and seen lots of villages on our trips around the island. Grass huts were the norm, as were gardens, cattle tied to the fence, and chickens roaming freely.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ffVTPVqPW8A/UtIl_PeDhmI/AAAAAAAACGA/fvFYr3iJwTo/s1600/DSC00957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ffVTPVqPW8A/UtIl_PeDhmI/AAAAAAAACGA/fvFYr3iJwTo/s1600/DSC00957.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of the chief</td></tr>
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Our tour guide was a lovely young lady that had been picked by the chief to go to school and become fluent in English, French, and Bislama (the local language). She is now teaching some of the children school. Not as easy a process as one might think. Firstly, the families of these children had to negotiate with the chief for two weeks before school was even considered. Secondly, the children have to be fluent in the village's culture before they are able to attend school. I would love to know more about how the children are actually picked - is there some sign of intelligence that's important to the tribe that is picked up on, or is it the more respected families that are able to learn?<br />
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We were welcomed with a necklace made from reeds and a flower - similar to a daffodil - and then allowed to enter the village. We were given a small fruit to taste and some lap lap to try. This is a traditional food on Vanuatu that has some sort of tuber, coconut milk or cream, and is wrapped up in the island cabbage. All of this is wrapped up in banana leaves, placed in the ground, and cooked through. It looked a bit like the layers in lasagna. The boys were polite about trying, but weren't too thrilled with the taste. We thought it was fine, just a bit bland. Some are cooked with chicken or pork and more seasoned - I would've been interested in trying that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uEeL2pa-VMQ/UtIoVFgk94I/AAAAAAAACGM/l3wl974JUeg/s1600/DSC00961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uEeL2pa-VMQ/UtIoVFgk94I/AAAAAAAACGM/l3wl974JUeg/s1600/DSC00961.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serving the Lap Lap</td></tr>
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It is fairly hard to imagine being a woman in this type of culture. There are parts of the village that only men can be in, but in all fairness, the same holds true for the women. Only men are allowed to drink Kava - a drink made from the root of the Kava plant, which has sedative properties. The women respect the men during these daily ceremonies, thinking they are becoming strong. Women from other villages are arranged to marry the men by the chiefs of the villages. Upon marriage, the woman is no longer allowed to visit her family or even speak her language. I can't even fathom marrying someone I didn't know and then not being able to communicate with the others in the village. They must learn the new language very quickly. I also suspect that they are just too busy to get very bored or lonely. They make what they eat, their medicine, and clothing from what is around them. Everyone looked very fit!<br />
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Our boys took everything in and luckily didn't say anything that could be construed as offensive, albeit unintentional. You never know what a six year old might say upon see in mostly naked men as a normal form of dress. Both boys were concerned about the whispering and giggling going on by the other children. We assured that the kids weren't making fun of them, but that they were something of interest. Have to admit, I've never been quite that much of a novelty before! Will spent the whole trip having his blonde hair rubbed by strangers, which he found very strange.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yfjbcIOxvqk/UtIkpp4gT9I/AAAAAAAACF4/_Fz2jDLYi_o/s1600/DSC00954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yfjbcIOxvqk/UtIkpp4gT9I/AAAAAAAACF4/_Fz2jDLYi_o/s1600/DSC00954.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our tour guide leading us into the village.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Om6qX8wn0_I/UtIr-gLKFjI/AAAAAAAACGY/_kmxOj40CQc/s1600/DSC00966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Om6qX8wn0_I/UtIr-gLKFjI/AAAAAAAACGY/_kmxOj40CQc/s1600/DSC00966.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making fire. Also, their hair is short, which means they are eligible for marriage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2MP_hrvCopE/UtItHdUxy4I/AAAAAAAACGg/0BXKHsBg5HM/s1600/DSC00967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2MP_hrvCopE/UtItHdUxy4I/AAAAAAAACGg/0BXKHsBg5HM/s1600/DSC00967.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Kustom welcome dance. The women sang as well, but didn't dance.<br />This is also where many ceremonies and celebrations are held.</td></tr>
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This is why I think travel is so important. We learn so much about the world around us and are given the ability to respect others. I can't fathom living this way, but they do and seem very happy about it. The world is a very big place, yet so very small. We watched as the village children played a version of tag - or tips, if you're an Aussie. I feel very blessed to live where I am/have living/lived. But would these people trade how they live? I'm honestly not sure? For example, not everyone on the island is very happy to be gaining electricity. It is seen as an invasion to them, whereas I can't imagine life without. <br />
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I'll get away from my serious thoughts now.<br />
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We headed back to the resort, packed our bags, had lunch, and were driven to the airport. We go to check-in and learn that our flight has been cancelled and they are not sure when we'll be able to leave for Efate. About the time we were getting ready to call our travel agent - with a fair amount of reluctance since it was Christmas Eve - the owner of our resort pulled up in her truck. They had noticed that our plane hadn't arrived, so she called up Air Vanuatu to find out what was happening. When it became clear that we weren't leaving, she headed out to pick us up so we could return to our room for the evening. She assured us not to worry - Air Vanuatu would be paying for our room and food and she was on top of finding out what flight we would have.<br />
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We decided to spend some time at the pool, then clean up for dinner. We let the boys have a swim in the resort pools most day, it really helped with their swimming confidence, which was lovely to watch. When we sat down to dinner, we were informed that our flight was leaving at 8am on Christmas Day, so we needed to leave the resort at 6:30am. They assured us we would be able to have some breakfast in the morning, even though the dinning room didn't open until 7am. We assumed toast and jam would be the answer. Wrong! The owner's husband came in early to cook us anything we wanted. We ate some lovely pancakes served with a fresh fruit platter and some very yummy Tanna coffee and were on our way to the airport, where we were greeted by...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ihZO25965CY/UtIxP21vxJI/AAAAAAAACGs/Rq3PmS7XYYc/s1600/DSC00974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ihZO25965CY/UtIxP21vxJI/AAAAAAAACGs/Rq3PmS7XYYc/s1600/DSC00974.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa chucking lollies to the pikininnis</td></tr>
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Not to mention our plane! We said hi to the friends we had made the previous day at the airport and got ready to board our plane. I was able to pull our my camera for this trip, so enjoy!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2BdMncnGx6w/UtIyS8QuX4I/AAAAAAAACG0/Eo16f2vwjTg/s1600/DSC00977.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2BdMncnGx6w/UtIyS8QuX4I/AAAAAAAACG0/Eo16f2vwjTg/s1600/DSC00977.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our boarding pass. We found this hilarious</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jf9KavAOb8g/UtIzLSyONkI/AAAAAAAACG8/JT--9lV19zk/s1600/DSC00975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jf9KavAOb8g/UtIzLSyONkI/AAAAAAAACG8/JT--9lV19zk/s1600/DSC00975.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look - the cockpit!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v9zmUNpJ3B0/UtIz_mHEnZI/AAAAAAAACHI/Aqim4B_BhUk/s1600/DSC00980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v9zmUNpJ3B0/UtIz_mHEnZI/AAAAAAAACHI/Aqim4B_BhUk/s1600/DSC00980.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So long, Tanna! Thanks for all of the lovely memories!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-4735567536834459792014-01-09T20:50:00.001-08:002014-01-09T20:50:30.528-08:00Tanna - Our arrival and journey to Mt. Yasur<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I stated in the previous post, my main desire for visiting Vanuatu was to see the volcano. But first, we had to get there. Now, I'm not an anxious flier typically, but I am not a huge fan of propeller planes. I knew this was going to be one, but I didn't stop to think about how small it was going to be - until I noticed that they were weighing the passengers at check in! At this point I was having a mild panic attack - trouble getting a deep breath and shaking, but trying not to make it so bad that the kids would notice. Plus, I can handle most anything for 45 minutes, I reckon. Since my prayers were answered with a no to the "bigger" plane, I changed the request to a smooth ride, which was thankfully answered with a yes! I was sad that I didn't have my camera our for the flight - the views were stunning. I did have to get it out upon arrival to get a picture of the airport.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WcDgVVfvP-0/Us9i87tdYUI/AAAAAAAACDU/INjIdGWBt5Q/s1600/DSC00857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WcDgVVfvP-0/Us9i87tdYUI/AAAAAAAACDU/INjIdGWBt5Q/s1600/DSC00857.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The, ahem, baggage carousel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MYhSUNuRT9w/Us9jh-wUKsI/AAAAAAAACDc/04IFV5TErLA/s1600/DSC00856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MYhSUNuRT9w/Us9jh-wUKsI/AAAAAAAACDc/04IFV5TErLA/s1600/DSC00856.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our plane - how cute!</td></tr>
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Getting on the plane was a bit easier here - no metal detectors, no long speech by the flight attendants. Although, in fairness, there were no flight attendants. The pilot told us where the life jackets were and we were off for Tanna. There was no door in between the cabin and the cockpit, and you could sit wherever. I relaxed and was able to enjoy it after about 10 minutes. I knew I'd be fine heading back to Port Vila.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hotel from the plane</td></tr>
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We stayed at the White Grass Oceans Resort - and they were fantastic. We were driven from the airport to the resort by one of their drivers. We were greeted at the resort with lime juice and a reassurance that they had their own water source, which was safe to drink. There are no restaurants on Tanna, so we ate all of our meals in their dining room. They would make special meals not on the menu for the kids, which were more to their liking typically. They also arranged and drove us on all of our excursions.<br />
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The boys loved the mosquito nets. Truth be known, I've always wanted to sleep in one. I read way to much as a kid and had some romanticised version of it. I will say, it felt very snuggly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melanesian statue outside our bungalow. Nathan is wearing<br />a chief's necklace from the cultural village we visited.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the dining room</td></tr>
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Now for the volcano trip. It was scheduled to be a six hour trip - leaving at 2:30 pm with a stop to hear a children's choir sing. I had decided to get a massage on the beach earlier in the day and was glad I had. The road was rough, to say the very least. I would've liked to have gotten a picture of what we were travelling on, but there was no way it wouldn't have been blurry because of all the bouncing we were doing. There are very few paved parts of roads on Tanna. The travel time was about an hour and a half. I have no idea how far it was. The dirt roads were the easiest part, as ash doesn't hold up well during rain, leaving massive holes to navigate around and, occasionally, through. Technically you drive on the right side of the road. Realistically, you take the path of least resistance!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet voices</td></tr>
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About an hour into the trip, we were on the ash plains. It was a bit like driving on the sand near our beaches, just a different colour. It was beautiful, but I'm not sure how we made it out of these on the way back. Clearly our driver knew exactly where he was going because it was dark, ash was flying, and the landmarks were few and far between!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see which way the wind was blowing</td></tr>
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We had to drive around the long way, as the wind was blowing towards this side. So, off we went into the jungle. It was quite a climb and I was glad we had a Land Rover - it was absolutely necessary! After 30 minutes, we met our guide and were in the parking lot for the climb up the volcano. Not as tough as it sounds - there were steps carved, but they weren't very even!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hearing the first eruption. Also, it was very windy, hence the closed eyes.<br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new family portrait!</td></tr>
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We stayed at below the crater for a little bit until our guide could see which way the lava was blowing, ensuring that we were (mostly) safe. Of course, they can't predict when lava is going to go it's own way, so you're told to keep a watch on things. After a few pictures and deciding things were fairly safe, we were asked if we wanted to head to the top. Of course Brian, Wills, and I did, but Nathan is our cautious one. He was scared, but decided it would be worth it to view the volcano from the top. Bri and I were very proud of him - he's grown so much since we've moved to Australia.<br />
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This was a harder climb, as there were no steps. We just slogged through ash up and up so we could see down into the crater. Everyone agreed that it was worth it. We didn't stay super long up there, as it was much noisier with the sound bouncing all around. Fantastic views, though!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Words can't even describe - nor can pictures</td></tr>
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We climbed back to the lower level to stay through sunset and into night. It was truly incredible. Nath described it as awesome, but scary. I told him he now understood what awesome actually means, not the trite way we use it today. I think everybody in our family lists this as their favourite part of the holiday - I think Brian thought it tied with the snorkeling on Hideaway Island.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Look mum, God likes fireworks!"</td></tr>
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We eventually climbed back down Mt. Yasur and headed back to the resort. We were tired and very, very dirty, but in awe of God's creation. I think He had a lot of fun thinking things to make! We got back around 9:30 and had a quick wash off of all the ash covering us. We were glad to have been told to order dinner before we left. We ate fairly quickly and, after showering, fell happily into bed. What an incredible day! <br />
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<br />Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-32303431207090094892014-01-08T23:26:00.000-08:002014-01-08T23:26:22.493-08:00Our Vanuatu Holiday<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the ferry from Hideway Island into Efate proper</td></tr>
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When I told people in the US that we were going to be visiting Vanuatu over Christmas, I got a lot of "I've never heard of that place" and several "Why there", so I'll start a series of posts to answer both of those questions!<br />
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First of all, Vanuatu is an archipelago (or arch-i-pel-a-go) north-east of Sydney, 3.5 hours by plane. It is a relatively new country, having gained independence from British-French rule in 1980. The hyphen is not a mistake, the two countries co-ruled together. During the Coconut War, which was their brief war for independence, it was called the New Hebrides. Previously, it has been referred to as the Sandwich Islands, named by Captain Cook. There is also a large American influence, leftover from World War II. Many GIs were stationed there and there is superb diving where the US dumped their tanks, jeeps, etc. In fact, on the island of Tanna, there is a cult called John Frum, so named because so many of the GIs would say they were John from wherever. There is still a belief that John Frum will return with many of the goods given out to the natives during WWII. The airport, Bauerfield Airfield, is named after a US Marine that laid the first airstrip on the island of Efate, where the capital city of Port Vila is found.<br />
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Many people may know of Vanuatu because one of the seasons of Survivor was filmed there. This is apparently hilarious to many of the Vanuatu natives, as there are no poisonous animals found in Vanuatu and fruit is incredibly plentiful. In fact, one of our favourite things to order was a fruit platter - the best mangoes and pineapple, along with other tropical fruits. Will and I fell in love with Sup Sup, of which we can't find the proper name. It was white, tasted a bit like a cross between a coconut and a melon, and had the texture of a pineapple.<br />
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Secondly, one of the things I wanted to experience while we were living in Australia was visiting a South Pacific island. We looked at Bali, but Brian ruled it out because he knew he'd never hear the end of me singing "Bali Hai." Jokes on him, I can sing songs from South Pacific all day long. Fiji was a possibility as well. We settled on Vanuatu for two reasons - firstly, it seemed a bit less touristy and secondly, it has the world's most accessible active volcano.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the volcano from the ash plains. The boys are "holding" it.<br />More on this later.</td></tr>
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We are also interested in showing the boys how incredibly blessed we are. Vanuatu is not a third world country, but it's not much higher. You can probably drink tap water in Port Vila, but we didn't chance it. The resort we stayed at on Tanna had their own water source, and we were happy to be able to put our toothbrushes under the tap! Most people on Tanna have to get their water from the rivers and proceed to boil it for three hours. Several places had tubing above head to transport the water. This tied in beautifully for the boys. At our church, the children raised money to buy a water filtration system for somewhere in the world, but I don't think our kids truly understood how needed it is until we visited somewhere that could use one. For that matter, I'm not sure we understood as adults!<br />
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The poverty is immense in Vanuatu, but it's a different kind of poverty than what we are used to seeing. By any standards, they are much poorer monetarily than our poorest in the US. That said, Bri and I had a discussion about how much better off their poor our than ours. There is a huge abundance of fruit growing everywhere. Very few people have much money, so grass huts and tin sheds are not abnormal. Tourism is the real income of the islands, so we really did feel like we were helping out many people. An interesting feeling, since it combined with the feeling of guilt from the amount of money we have - and we are by no means what I would call rich. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical outdoor market with the women in standard dresses or skirts. There are a few<br />grocery stores, but not so much on Tanna. I love the woven baskets.</td></tr>
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But the lasting impression we took from visiting was how incredibly happy the people are. We thought Aussies were happy people - and they certainly are - but I don't think we walked by anybody that didn't offer us a beautiful smile and a hello. All the kids wave to you, practising their English. You certainly never felt like you met a stranger!<br />
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Christianity has had a major influence on the island. Many missionaries have come - a few were eaten, which the kids found fascinating. Apparently the chief of a village would get the head! A lot of the schools are sponsored by churches. In fact, the boys school in Australia sends students over for mission trips and supports one of the schools in Port Vila. Because of this influence, it is respectful to cover your shoulders and not wear short shorts outside of the resort. One of the blue holes we snorkeled at on Tanna was across from a local village and we swam with lots of the villagers. I was thankful to have the foresight to have grabbed one of Brian's shirts, as it was loose and long on me. The women in Vanuatu swim in a shirt and shorts typically. I took a pashmina with me while we walked around, just to be on the safe side.<br />
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Along the same lines, men and women do not touch in public, as this is seen akin to having sex in public. I don't think of myself as one that is keen on PDA, but found myself slapping Brian's hand away from holding mine - and vice versa. We were standing at a market and I leaned against him - certainly nothing I would think of as remotely inappropriate, but he quickly shoved me off of him as people were looking at us. Sometimes strange the things you have to think about, but we do try to be respectful of other cultures.<br />
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I will put up other posts with specifics, but that should give a brief overview. We had a lovely time and didn't realise quite how much we needed this break until we were there. It was a lovely mix of beach and adventure, I think the best trip we've had with the boys, mostly because they are at an age to do more things. In fact, Will cried when we were leaving and both boys are planning trips as adults to go back!<br />
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<br />Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-54691087812759037962013-06-14T00:47:00.000-07:002013-06-14T00:47:45.697-07:00Thunderbolt's WayI did forget to talk about the Artesian Baths in Lightning Ridge. There are two pools built that get their water naturally from the earth - from about 1,000 metres below. The larger of the two pools stays around 42 C (107 F), while the second pool gets the runoff from the first pool, so it is a bit cooler. It felt beautiful to relax in the steaming mineral water and look up at the amazing night sky. We even were able to spot a shooting star.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stanley the Emu sculpture on the way out<br />of Lightning Ridge.</td></tr>
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We left Lightning Ridge after lunch and headed mainly east for four hours to Inverell. This put us a bit out of our way, but served two purposes. One, Brian wanted to travel Thunderbolt's Way, a beautiful stretch of road that he had driven on one of his visits to Australia before we moved. Two, we simply had to stop in the village of Kentucky.<br />
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Inverell was a lovely little town that I would've liked to have spent more time exploring. They are known as the Sapphire City and you can do lots of fossicking around town. It looked like they had many lovely bushwalks and a fair amount of waterfalls. There wasn't much going on that weekend with the holiday and several restaurants weren't open. We ended up at one of the local pubs and spent some time talking to a lovely older couple that wanted to know what cities would be the best to find Blues music in, besides Chicago, Memphis, and New Orleans. They were planning to drive down the Mississippi River via small roads, with a pitstop in South Bend to catch a Notre Dame football game. Fun couple that had travelled all across the US and still wanted to see more. I hope that's us after retirement - I'd love to travel all over the world!<br />
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We spent that night in one of the oldest buildings in Inverell, the Postman's Cottage. The kids thought it was great to stay in an "olden days" house. I loved it as well, even though it was fairly cold! The kids had mattress heaters and Brian and I watched some tv in front of the fireplace, which felt great. The boys thought slanted floors were great for rolling your trucks down!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front Porch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Master bedroom - ignore my bag and thongs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting room</td></tr>
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Thunderbolt's Way is the stretch of road that the self-named bush ranger Captain Thunderbolt (Frederick Wordsworth Ward) spent most of his time roaming. He is referred to as the "gentleman" bush ranger - not entirely sure what that means, but he did kick one of his gang members out of the gang after he shot a policeman. Captain Thunderbolt had previously been on Cockatoo Island for horse thievery, but escaped to roam New South Wales until he was shot and killed at Kentucky Creek, near Uralla, where his grave is, although many claim that it isn't actually him in the grave.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Split Rock was his favourite hideout </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably him - he had an old bullet<br />wound to identify him</td></tr>
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After visiting his grave in Uralla, we were off to the village of Kentucky - mostly because we wanted our pictures taken under the sign! It's a teeny place - I think it was only 4 kilometres to drive through the heart of town - but fun to see nonetheless. We stopped in the cafe for lunch and had a bit of a chat with the owner. I promised to send him recipes for Hot Browns and Derby Pie!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8PzUAn1GQvY/UbrFmybKcoI/AAAAAAAACBc/sbXKNzdEHDU/s1600/DSC09978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8PzUAn1GQvY/UbrFmybKcoI/AAAAAAAACBc/sbXKNzdEHDU/s640/DSC09978.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wanted the whole family, but it was raining<br />so I didn't want to use the tripod and get a<br />wet camera!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute boys</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General Store, cafe, servo, and post office</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zBuXclbRXXw/UbrIlPdfHqI/AAAAAAAACCA/Bk9AIiJCUxg/s1600/DSC09983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zBuXclbRXXw/UbrIlPdfHqI/AAAAAAAACCA/Bk9AIiJCUxg/s640/DSC09983.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can't really tell, but the license plate was from Kenton County!</td></tr>
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Then we were back off for a lovely drive of winding roads through the great dividing range. It took us another 4 hours to get back home. Maybe a bit longer, but we pulled off to look at the view and to have a cheese tasting at a goat farm! Nathan was thrilled and we brought home some Feta for him to enjoy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overcast, but beautiful</td></tr>
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It was an absolute whirlwind of a trip - 1,600 km (994 miles) in four days! We saw a fair amount and the kids were wonderful in the car. They've always been good travellers, but they outdid themselves on this trip. We saw wild emus, had to stop for cattle to cross the road, and saw a massive amount of cotton harvested. It was a great little trip that I'm so glad we took!Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-1858983206975364322013-06-12T22:54:00.000-07:002013-06-12T22:54:32.240-07:00Lightning RidgeThis past weekend was a three day weekend in Australia - Monday everyone was off for the Queen's (celebrated) birthday. We thought it would be an excellent time to take a road trip into a completely different part of the country. As you will see, we were very successful in our endeavour.<br />
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We knew it had to be not to long of a trip and we didn't want it to be the beach. Our beaches are the best I've ever seen, so why go to the beach somewhere else. I also knew that I wanted to buy an opal at some point during our time here, so we put the two together and chose Lightning Ridge, which is in the Opal Fields of Australia.<br />
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We picked the boys up from school a bit early on Friday so we could reach our first destination of Dunnedoo prior to sunset. Part of the point of this trip was to see a different side of Australia, so we wanted to be able to pay attention to the scenery. Possibly a greater concern was not knowing what kind of roads we would encounter - we were told they would probably be paved the entire way - and the chance of kangaroos bounding across the road at sunset, kind of like the issue Americans have with deer. <br />
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After driving for a bit over 300 kilometres, we reached the Swan Motel in Dunnedoo. Side note about Dunnedoo - apparently some people wanted to build a giant dunny (Australian for outhouse) as a landmark. Luckily somebody with intelligence shot that idea down. The motel was just what we expected - no frills, but clean and with decent beds. In other words, a great place to stop after 4 hours of driving. We had dinner at the local cafe and went to sleep, ready to start decently early in the morning. We later found out that the Swan Motel had previously been owned by one of Brian's coworker's fathers. Tis truly a small world!<br />
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Per usual, the kidlets were up at 6am, so we grabbed some brekky and were off for another 350 kilometre drive to our destination! We were pleasantly surprised by how nice the roads were. The speed limit was usually 110 kph - 68 mph. While it was two-lane the entire way, we hardly saw any other vehicles. In fact, it was a good hour between towns - and there was nothing in between, except for sheep and cattle.<br />
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The boys just adored this picture at the information and had to have mum and dad pose. And this picture sums up Lightning Ridge fairly well. Everyone kept telling us how interesting of a place it would be - and that's the best word to describe it. It is in the middle of nowhere - you have to intend to get there. Groceries are airlifted in once a month. There were three restaurants to eat at, and one of them was closed because they had sold out of food. They have their population listed as a question mark, with good reason. It's a place to go when you want to disappear. Every resident we talked to always said how long they had lived in Lightning Ridge and where they had come from - nobody had grown up there. There were not many houses. Most people lived in caravans parked somewhere on their claim. We drove past many of those and wondered how many of the claims were actually legal. That's not to say that the people weren't lovely - you just wouldn't ask them much about their background! I haven't visited anywhere like it, but I'm assuming it may be like living in the wilds of Alaska, as far as a close community. The people seemed like they would take care of their own and close ranks if you came looking for someone. We're assuming that gun ownership is probably very high there!<br />
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Our first stop was at the bottle house. This gentleman found a pile of bottles lying around and decided to build a house out of them, and then fill said house with antiques. He collected anything he thought might be interesting! Probably wasn't worth the price of admission, but it's a good example of the quirkiness of the townspeople!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside of the house</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He actually lived up in this loft</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An old time punch clock from Cincy</td></tr>
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After we checked into our bed and breakfast - which I use in the loosest sense of the term - we headed off on the Yellow Car Door tour. Throughout the town, there are four tours taking you off road to see several points of interest. The track is marked by, you guessed it, painted car doors! Interesting way to mark your path...<br />
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In the middle of this tour was the Chambers of the Black Hand. This is an opal mine that has been turned into an art gallery. The man who owns the mine would wind down from his day's work by carving pictures into the walls in the mine. The walls are made of pink limestone, so the carving wasn't as physically difficult as it sounds. However, I can't imagine the time he put into some of the carvings.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will wanted me to share this one - his soccer team is the Marlins.<br />Also, can you spot Wally?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's serious about his carvings</td></tr>
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We also took a tour to learn about mining for opals. It is the black opal that is found in Lightning Ridge, which is one of the more rare opals you can find. The miners would look for black potches to find the opal. More likely than not, you would find a thin seam running through. However, every once and awhile you could find something larger. Our tour guide said he found an opal worth $15,000 on his property, which he gave to his granddaughter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jTIJsab3Wso/UbkPH9XVRzI/AAAAAAAAB9c/dlZE5iBHt6U/s1600/DSC09854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jTIJsab3Wso/UbkPH9XVRzI/AAAAAAAAB9c/dlZE5iBHt6U/s640/DSC09854.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out a tunnel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YlK5NoZVtjk/UbkPwpClumI/AAAAAAAAB9k/Ni-0e-iE9PI/s1600/DSC09856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YlK5NoZVtjk/UbkPwpClumI/AAAAAAAAB9k/Ni-0e-iE9PI/s640/DSC09856.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The posts behind us mean a lot of opal was found in that spot</td></tr>
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Apparently people will watch for the wood posts to be bought, and then you have to worry about thieves getting to your opal. Someone asked what would happen and our guide replied that you would kill them - then quickly said he was joking, however we're not sure he actually was. He did say some thieves had recently been arrested and given a slap on the wrist. They mysteriously had broken arms and legs the next day. Apparently another set of thieves were down in an opal mine stealing, so dynamite was thrown in after them. Like I said, it's an interesting place!<br />
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We drove on out to one of the open cut mines. Here we let the boys dig around in a wheelbarrow that had some of the rocks from the mine. You pour water over the rock and make sure you aren't blocking the sunlight, then look for any glimmers. The boys filled a small bag full of bits of opals. Probably wasn't worth more than what we paid to do it, but they had a great time doing it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NMJ7WEvNtOo/UblCGsLxAxI/AAAAAAAAB90/7e831qC9KG4/s1600/DSC09861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NMJ7WEvNtOo/UblCGsLxAxI/AAAAAAAAB90/7e831qC9KG4/s400/DSC09861.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digging with daddy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8I7_ChfJOMg/UblC1uQbakI/AAAAAAAAB98/5ygI4BsoV-M/s1600/DSC09864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8I7_ChfJOMg/UblC1uQbakI/AAAAAAAAB98/5ygI4BsoV-M/s400/DSC09864.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look mum, it's an opal!</td></tr>
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We drove out on another car door tour to the site of the first mine in Lightning Ridge. All that's there is a plaque and heaps of piles of debris from old mine shafts. On our way out, we drove past lots of claims. Here is a picture of a typical set-up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_LYwmtB3028/UblD6A_ijVI/AAAAAAAAB-M/Xt-E_qc5bbU/s1600/DSC09888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_LYwmtB3028/UblD6A_ijVI/AAAAAAAAB-M/Xt-E_qc5bbU/s400/DSC09888.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't even fathom..</td></tr>
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And now onto some quirkiness. Here is a picture of the Astronomer's Monument. It is built by "Polish Alex" on his mining claim because - well, why not? You can't actual tour it, lest you are shot at by Polish Alex. The dome on top does not open and apparently he never owned a telescope...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DRwwdUv2nzU/UblFbVhHHKI/AAAAAAAAB-c/WZiKxVudd-s/s1600/DSC09891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DRwwdUv2nzU/UblFbVhHHKI/AAAAAAAAB-c/WZiKxVudd-s/s400/DSC09891.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He used plastic buckets to shape things, just like building a sand castle!</td></tr>
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Next up is Amigo's Castle. Amigo has spent 25 years building his castle. He has no running water or electricity, but he has 13 cats that we counted. He drives around finding stone to add on to his building. The best part - he doesn't actually own the land, he's squatting on it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NgGfL8zbRXc/UblGdTgfpQI/AAAAAAAAB-o/NNZsSpcKMwA/s1600/DSC09900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NgGfL8zbRXc/UblGdTgfpQI/AAAAAAAAB-o/NNZsSpcKMwA/s400/DSC09900.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will is watching some cats play</td></tr>
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This is a building built out of beer cans - mostly Toohey's Draught, if any Aussies are wondering. There was a big sign saying not to go inside, as it's someone's home. Of course it is!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2zmZL3ItLs/UblHS_9pQnI/AAAAAAAAB-0/6YjYIfSmdGA/s1600/DSC09882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2zmZL3ItLs/UblHS_9pQnI/AAAAAAAAB-0/6YjYIfSmdGA/s400/DSC09882.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, someone live here</td></tr>
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And here we are going into another mine. I can't believe how fascinated the boys were with learning about mines and opals. They can even rattle off how the opals were formed. Basically, this part of Australia used to be a sea. Salt water seeped in through cracks in the limestone, catching silica on it's way down. The water dried up after being under pressure, and an opal was formed. Red on black opals are the most expensive, as they are the rarest. I tend to like the blue/green shades of the black opals. The boys were sure that every splash of red was going to make them rich. Nothing like explaining to your child that it's simply a red rock, not worth anything! And never let your child pick your hardhat. I had a new nickname for the rest of the trip...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They still are calling my Boff and giggling hysterically.<br />They're lucky I love them.</td></tr>
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After some time down in the mine, we let the boys try their hands at fossicking. Wills had a great time, while Nath quickly became frustrated when he found nothing and decided to quit. That says all you need to know about my two kiddos!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e6OwT_K3-FE/Ublb0IGYnEI/AAAAAAAAB_g/E0x71vJLIOo/s1600/DSC09948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e6OwT_K3-FE/Ublb0IGYnEI/AAAAAAAAB_g/E0x71vJLIOo/s640/DSC09948.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digging in the heap</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AmA2POZyP00/UblchcPZfSI/AAAAAAAAB_s/uPgcdqITb08/s1600/DSC09945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AmA2POZyP00/UblchcPZfSI/AAAAAAAAB_s/uPgcdqITb08/s640/DSC09945.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using the sieve to get rid of the dirt</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anything in there?</td></tr>
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Since this has been a massive post, I'll stop with us leaving Lightning Ridge and save our trip back home for tomorrow. I hope I've given a decent peek into what the town was like. It was an interesting place to visit and I'm glad we did. We had a great time there and I am now the owner of two solid opal pendants that my very generous husband bought for our anniversary and my birthday. </div>
Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-41975234252311892732013-05-14T01:13:00.002-07:002013-05-14T01:13:51.268-07:00The Australia ZooBrian has been crazy busy since the beginning of the year. He has had two projects due at the same time - which are both thankfully done as of last week - and several big things pop up that needed to be tended. As a result, he's been travelling a fair amount, and when he's not travelling he has been working late and/or working at home in the evenings. Last trip he came home from I hit him up early in the morning with about five different things because it felt like we hadn't talked in forever. Luckily that doesn't happen often and we decided to do something about the lack of family time we had been having. Knowing that he had to head back up to Brisbane for work last Monday through Thursday, we decided to surprise the boys by flying up to meet him in Brisbane. The next question was what to do, which I thought was easily answered - the Australia Zoo.<br />
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I have had several Aussies ask me what Americans know about Australia. I usually answer with things like "g'day mate," the Great Barrier Reef, the Opera House, and Steve Irwin yelling crikey as he wrestles a crocodile. What many of us don't know is that the Irwin family has owned and operated a zoo since the mid-70's. What started out as a a reptile farm has been turned into a lovely zoo.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9OHRbpMWuKA/UZCY5GJbceI/AAAAAAAAB4I/co6EuBeScGk/s1600/DSC09620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="335" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9OHRbpMWuKA/UZCY5GJbceI/AAAAAAAAB4I/co6EuBeScGk/s400/DSC09620.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They are holding up Tasmania and the rest of Australia</td></tr>
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One of the fun things about the zoo are the encounters you can have with an animal, ranging anywhere from an echidna (kind of like a hedgehog. Fun fact - they are one of two monotremes, meaning a mammal that lays and egg but carries her babies in a pouch. The babies are called puggles) all the way to a tiger. As much as I would've loved the tiger encounter, I just didn't feel like paying the money for it! So, we booked Nathan in for the Dingo by Jingo encounter and Wills and I chose the Naughty Wombat encounter. I tried to talk Bri into something, but he chose to just watch Nath with the dingoes. So, we planned the main part of our day around those two encounters, which unfortunately overlapped.<br />
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Upon entry, we were greeted with a zoo worker holding an alligator. She asked the boys if they would like to help hold it, which they were quite keen to do. A photographer was there to snap the moment and at the end of the day you can collect any proofs and have them printed out for a small fee. That said, they were happy for you to take any of the proofs and to use your own camera as well. We had fun watching the boys interact with the animals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cNGS1e7ifBk/UZCck9d53CI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/8Wr7IBTODL0/s1600/DSC09624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cNGS1e7ifBk/UZCck9d53CI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/8Wr7IBTODL0/s400/DSC09624.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the look on Will's face</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nsdKLGH8fWw/UZCdWP8yULI/AAAAAAAAB4k/qD-qEngHeEk/s1600/DSC09623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nsdKLGH8fWw/UZCdWP8yULI/AAAAAAAAB4k/qD-qEngHeEk/s640/DSC09623.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thumbs up for the Cockatoo. Unless they start squawking at<br />inappropriate times, like early morning. Then two thumbs way down!</td></tr>
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Both of these were before we had even gotten to the main path. We headed off to find the Tasmanian Devils, because the kids were looking forward to seeing those. On the way there we ran into these two oldies:<br />
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I wish this picture conveyed how massive they are in life. We watched the tortoises munching on grass for a bit - it was quite fun. Then we were off again to find the Devils - until we were distracted by the massive crocodile on which to play - and who could blame the boys?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kw6lchDWV0w/UZCfo_cKHkI/AAAAAAAAB48/Rg-TUU-5ZRg/s1600/DSC09628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kw6lchDWV0w/UZCfo_cKHkI/AAAAAAAAB48/Rg-TUU-5ZRg/s640/DSC09628.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will does actually like AC/DC - especially after he<br />discovered they were Aussies.</td></tr>
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After playing on the croc for a few, we were off again for the elusive Devils - until once again we were distracted, this time by a Cassowary. The boys were so excited. They've been wanting to see one for awhile, especially in the wild. Seeing as they are the most deadly bird (big surprise that it's in Oz!) I'm quite happy to visit it at the zoo!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Dsj2Ty-UI4/UZCgvXSd5WI/AAAAAAAAB5I/WkFGJn8NE-U/s1600/DSC09632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Dsj2Ty-UI4/UZCgvXSd5WI/AAAAAAAAB5I/WkFGJn8NE-U/s400/DSC09632.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's actually about the size of an ostrich</td></tr>
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I always think they look prehistoric, with that plate on top of their head. They are able to gut you with their sharp claw, so it's suggested you cover your midsection and face if one charges you. They are fast, so you can't outrun them. Like I said, happy to see it behind a fence!<br />
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We finally made it to the Tasmanian Devils - and they were active! I've seen them one other time and they weren't doing much. This one was running around quite a bit, so we watched it for awhile.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x-JB_fvGqhQ/UZCukZz8U4I/AAAAAAAAB5Y/npoMbhTU30Q/s1600/DSC09635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x-JB_fvGqhQ/UZCukZz8U4I/AAAAAAAAB5Y/npoMbhTU30Q/s400/DSC09635.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It made it's devil noises while we were watching</td></tr>
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I'll try not to bore you to much with every single other animal and just hit a few of the highlights. As we walked by, one of the elephants had attachments on it's front legs. At first we thought it was a "saddle" for people to ride it, but on closer inspection it looked more like a camera on it's back. We watched for awhile and when a bit bigger of a crowd came around, the trainer explained that the elephant had arthritis in it's ankles and was receiving a massage. It didn't like it very much, as it hadn't been used on it's front legs much. After a few minutes, they switched the attachments to it's hind legs, which seemed to be well received.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C3CtLpRp13k/UZC1KfLCAmI/AAAAAAAAB5o/MeZa_G02PJg/s1600/DSC09643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C3CtLpRp13k/UZC1KfLCAmI/AAAAAAAAB5o/MeZa_G02PJg/s400/DSC09643.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe I should get one for my ankle?</td></tr>
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I love tigers - and I may have started to sing the Bengals fight song at this point -<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XhNWmJZ3yM8/UZC18XpZLaI/AAAAAAAAB50/9Xa1Wo4mqEU/s1600/DSC09649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XhNWmJZ3yM8/UZC18XpZLaI/AAAAAAAAB50/9Xa1Wo4mqEU/s400/DSC09649.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hear that Bengal growlin', mean and ang-er-ee</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OzBx3VBNHsM/UZC2tYhCffI/AAAAAAAAB58/y-e1FEcdr3Y/s1600/DSC09666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OzBx3VBNHsM/UZC2tYhCffI/AAAAAAAAB58/y-e1FEcdr3Y/s400/DSC09666.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just taking the cheetah for it's walk</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kl1aA6FStx4/UZC3YFxMZBI/AAAAAAAAB6E/qFV6xC4O3Io/s1600/DSC09700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kl1aA6FStx4/UZC3YFxMZBI/AAAAAAAAB6E/qFV6xC4O3Io/s640/DSC09700.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory koala picture</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9nZOwp6Tpd4/UZC4MTim2vI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/Gps92sChNCI/s1600/DSC09653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9nZOwp6Tpd4/UZC4MTim2vI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/Gps92sChNCI/s400/DSC09653.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute wombat</td></tr>
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And with that I'm going to delve into our animal encounters. Will and I put on our joggers and headed with a zoo keeper to the wombat enclosure. I always thought they looked very cuddly - they kind of waddle around, looking a bit chunky. Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong. There is no fat on them, only solid muscle. And they have this bony plate from the top of their haunches on down. They truly do lumber along - unless they are being threatened. Then they can run up to 40 kph and stop on a dime, so that the predator runs headfirst into that bony plate, either breaking it's facial bones or concussing itself. Then the wombat is free to waddle away. It can also thin itself out to 10 cms, mostly in it's burrow. If a predator digs in there, the wombat thrusts itself up to smash the skull of the predator. Don't mess with a wombat! Wills and I loved the time we spent petting them. Sorry about the quality of picture - it's a picture of a picture. Brian had the camera taking pictures of Nath with the dingoes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fS_aYAAvy0w/UZHxEyI-mWI/AAAAAAAAB6s/8ZqSB5VYtXw/s1600/DSC09770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fS_aYAAvy0w/UZHxEyI-mWI/AAAAAAAAB6s/8ZqSB5VYtXw/s400/DSC09770.jpg" width="325" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry, it's a picture of a picture</td></tr>
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Nathan had a great time with the dingoes. By this point in the afternoon, they had to hold this encounter inside, as it had been raining on and off for most of the day. Two dingoes were brought over for Nathan and two others to meet. Brian was allowed inside with Nathan as well. Nathan loved them - and they loved on Nathan. He received kisses and was able to get several good cuddles from them. He said they were friendly and that he would love to meet them in the wild. We are trying to convince him that is a bad plan. As very few others were around, Nathan was able to spend almost an hour with the dingoes. It made for one happy kid!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfOjVMQZQZ8/UZHtlOOnqaI/AAAAAAAAB6g/8EagJwK2jKA/s1600/DSC09682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfOjVMQZQZ8/UZHtlOOnqaI/AAAAAAAAB6g/8EagJwK2jKA/s400/DSC09682.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very happy kiddo!<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lQlZOQOiYx8/UZHxuSVM03I/AAAAAAAAB60/wnRpXBkuT6g/s1600/DSC09767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lQlZOQOiYx8/UZHxuSVM03I/AAAAAAAAB60/wnRpXBkuT6g/s400/DSC09767.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His official photo</td></tr>
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We also were able to watch one of the main shows that stars Bindi, Steve Irwin's daughter. She did a great job, but I wonder how difficult it must be to be reminded of your father so often. I know that the whole family is passionate about conservation and she's a performer, but still. It was a lovely show - crocodiles leaping at food, snakes slithering around, and birds taking five dollar notes off of people. The boys were fascinated.<br />
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Another side note - I've heard several people refer to Bindi as Prickle. Bindi is a common weed in the yard that has prickles on it. Not very nice, as we've all had to pull many of them out of our feet. I once asked someone why she would've been named after a weed. Apparently she's named after one of the family dogs. Not sure that's much better!<br />
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My final thoughts on the zoo are that it is incredibly well done. There aren't as many animals as some of the zoos you visit, however that have done a top notch job with their enclosures. They are significantly bigger than any I have seen at other zoos and were immaculate to boot. I couldn't believe how clean the glass was on all of the exhibits! It's also the most consistently active I have seen animals at a zoo - maybe it has to do with their living quarters? I would recommend visiting the Australia Zoo - the hands on aspect was wonderful and I'm certain they are memories we will have for the rest of our lives!Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-70618244315420848432013-04-26T19:17:00.001-07:002013-04-26T19:17:29.647-07:00Are You Ready for Some Football?Or, as we Americans call it, soccer!<br />
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Our next several months of Saturdays are taken up by the boys playing soccer. It's fun, but there will be no sleeping in since Will has to be at the pitch at 8:30. And Nathan has to travel every other Saturday - which means for the first time every we've had to split up instead of both parents watching! I wasn't sure how that was going to go down, but Nath was thrilled to have his dad take him today. Consequently, I only have pictures of Will's match today.<br />
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There's not a lot to say about Will's team - they're an Under 6 team. That said, I've been very impressed with their coach. He does an excellent job of keeping their interest at training and they actually pass and spread out on the field during the game. He's a teacher at the local school, which makes a huge difference.<br />
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I think for this post I'll focus on different terms from the US and leave you with some pictures. Obviously the pitch is what we'd call the field and it's not a game, it's a match. Also, they're not shin guards, they're shin pads. And don't you dare think of calling the shoes cleats! I accidentally said that at sign ups and was jumped on by one of the coordinators. I tried to assure her that we often refer to all shoes as cleats, however they weren't allowed to wear metal cleats - nor would I want them to, they are plastic "cleats" or turf shoes. From that point on, I've made a conscious effort to refer to them as boots!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yaOZRZkNcWQ/UXsv7uhU-eI/AAAAAAAAB2o/uoWNdUwS2Yc/s1600/DSC09580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yaOZRZkNcWQ/UXsv7uhU-eI/AAAAAAAAB2o/uoWNdUwS2Yc/s400/DSC09580.jpg" width="355" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's serious about the kickoff<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lu0GZnHFdNM/UXswdTlYnKI/AAAAAAAAB2w/iC-GO78qzNc/s1600/DSC09586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lu0GZnHFdNM/UXswdTlYnKI/AAAAAAAAB2w/iC-GO78qzNc/s400/DSC09586.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure which one of them kicked the ball,<br />but love the poses!<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TudaroHK_p8/UXsxYotR1ZI/AAAAAAAAB28/2MmOY8kbtGg/s1600/DSC09596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TudaroHK_p8/UXsxYotR1ZI/AAAAAAAAB28/2MmOY8kbtGg/s400/DSC09596.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did that kid push my baby?<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dribbling down the field<br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting in on the action</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He even smiles when playing!</td></tr>
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Incidentally, he's chosen the number seven for his jersey because he knows that was my number when I played. What a sweetie!Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-70976008292764112692013-04-25T17:14:00.000-07:002013-04-25T17:14:08.438-07:00Lest We ForgetEvery year on April 25th ANZAC day is celebrated. I wrote a bit about it last year, but will give a brief review. ANZAC stands for Australian New Zealand Army Corps and this day commemorates the battle at Gallipoli. Brian and I have tried to find a comparison that the US has and we can't quite come up with anything. Mix the parades of July 4th with the remembrance of Veterans Day, and then mix in the specificity of the D-Day invasions, and that's the best we can do for comparison. It is beautiful to see so many people come out to show respect for the men who fought so bravely in WWI, although they also remember servicemen from other wars and conflicts as well.<br />
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ANZAC Day commences with a dawn service. As much as I would love to go, it's just not practical with two kids. The one to see would be in Canberra - it must be stunning. There is a War Memorial there that I hear is incredible. Brian has been and is quick to second that sentiment.<br />
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Later on, there is a parade that goes down the main street of Nelson Bay and ends at the cenotaph for a brief service of remembrance. Schools are invited to participate in the march. Last year we took the boys to watch, but weren't sure if they should participate, as we are American. Several people - including RAAFies - encouraged us that it would be fine, as we are allies and showing our support for the armed forces of Australia. Will very much wanted to march, so we let him. He has incredible respect for the RAAFies (nickname for the men and women in the Royal Australian Air Force) and has many friends with parents in the RAAF. Will was also very proud to know of family that had fought in WWI.<br />
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Children are able to wear the medals that family members have received on their right breast. We saw many family pictures taken with the parents or grandparents in uniform with medals and the children with medals as well. Pretty nifty pictures, I think.<br />
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We dropped Will off at the start of the parade and made sure he knew several people before we took off to find our spot on the parade route. Of course he was completely comfortable immediately. I stopped to ask one of our RAAFie friends if it was ok for Will wear a RAAF pin on his jumper. Brian has a few pins - one is the "logo" for the RAAF and the other is the more informal logo of the flying Kangaroo, which I particularly love. This is the symbol that appears on their fighter jets. We were assured that it was fine for Will to wear, so off we went.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the kids in their winter uniforms</td></tr>
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You may notice in the above picture that the gentleman marching next to Will has something green sticking out of his pocket. That is Will's head of junior school, Mr. Allen, and he is sporting a sprig of rosemary, one of the traditional symbols of ANZAC Day. It is a symbol for two reasons. Firstly, rosemary has been used as a symbol of remembrance in many legends and folklore. Secondly, it is found growing wild on the peninsula of Gallipoli.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those dimples continue to slay me - plus you can see his RAAF pin</td></tr>
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The ceremony is always lovely at the park. There are a few speeches and hymns, along with a reading of The Ode (I'll get to that in a moment) and a bugler playing The Last Post, then a moment of silence, and the bugler playing Reveille and Rouse. I love the hymns - Abide With Me is one of my favorites, and you can't beat anything that has the melody of Eternal Father, Strong to Save.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathan with the program for the service</td></tr>
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We were able to stand with several of our friends until the end of the service, where we picked up Will. I took a quick picture of him at the cenotaph, then we were on our way home for a bit until we headed to our friend's house for an ANZAC Day party.<br />
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Why we went to the party depended upon if you were a boy or a girl. The girls hung out with our lovely hostess Laura to ooh and ahh over her new Thermomix. Look it up - it's pretty impressive and made some lovely food. The boys have challenged me to make a better custard than Laura did! Basically, we had a very long afternoon tea - which I highly recommend.<br />
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The boys hung out with Josh to watch the traditional ANZAC Day footy game between Essendon and Collingwood. Essendon won - which is good because that's who our hosts support. Go the mighty Bombers!<br />
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All in all, it was a great day. We really appreciate being able to participate in cultural moments like this.<br />
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I will leave you with The Ode:<br />
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They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;<br />
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.<br />
At the going down of the sun and in the morning<br />
We will remember them.<br />
<i>Response:</i> We will remember them.<br />
Lest we forget.<br />
<i>Response:</i> Lest we forget.Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-90132223790633861762013-03-22T23:15:00.000-07:002013-03-22T23:15:19.483-07:00WasSUP?A few weeks ago I went to a candle party - you know, where you sit around with no husbands or kids and enjoy an afternoon of food and drink! Afterwards, we were chatting about things that we wanted to do and Stand Up Paddling came up as something we were all keen to try. To quote Laura, it gives us surf widows something to do of our own! So we booked in for a lesson down at the marina and prayed for good weather.<br />
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Today was the day, and boy were our prayers answered! 30 C with just a light wind, so the bay was like a lake. Out of our group, only own person had tried before - of course it was the young one! My main goal was not to fall in, which was shared with several of the others. We met Dylan, our instructor for the day, and were off. He started out by telling us how to paddle (don't lift your hand to switch sides, slide it up the paddle). After showing us how to get out in the water (on your knees) and how to stand up (carefully), we were off.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good listeners</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off we go</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And we're up</td></tr>
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We stayed out for a bit, and then came back in to walk around. My legs felt fairly shaky from being tense. One of Dylan's big tips was to relax your toes, which is easier said then done. He had us walk around a bit and sent us back out, promising that it would be easier. It made sense that it would be, but I was surprised at just how much easier it was. I was able to relax my legs and no longer felt even remotely shaky. At this point I was able to think less about balance and more about just enjoying it.<br />
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We paddled around for a bit, practicing on our turns. We headed back to shore when the big dolphin cruise ships came in and Dylan explained how to paddle and get more power. Back into the water we went for our last 30 minutes.<br />
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He spent a few minutes with us each individually, helping us to paddle better. Your board just takes off with speed when you do it right - go figure! You also feel it a whole lot more in your core when you're done. It's possible we'll all be quite sore tomorrow, but it was worth it!<br />
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All told, I think we did a pretty good job! All but one of us stayed dry and I think we'd all do it again. I know I'd like to learn more, plus I love the idea of exercising without exercising. And heaven knows you can't beat a day out on the water.<br />
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Special thanks to my husband, who was kind enough to take the pictures - even though he felt a bit like a creeper for hanging out at the beach taking pictures of women!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading to shore with a smile!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-8003701885084090992013-02-16T22:07:00.003-08:002013-02-16T22:07:57.584-08:00Who'll Stop the Rain?The answer is - not us. <br />
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When we arrived in Cairns with Sarah and Ken, the weather was beautiful. Blue skies with a few fluffy, white clouds and lots of humidity - just what you would expect from the tropics.<br />
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We drove along the Captain Cook Highway up to our condo in Port Douglas. Still beautiful. We had lunch and unpacked our luggage. Still beautiful. We head out to get a few groceries. Look, it's greying up. We arrive at Coles. Cue the downpour.<br />
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After getting our groceries, we called to get our reservations for a cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef and were met with "we are most likely cancelling our cruises tomorrow because of rain and swell." No matter, we will head up to the marina and talk to a few of the cruises in person. Same answer for the next two days and here's why - stupid cyclone Oswald, which was causing 3.5 metre swell with 35 knot wind.<br />
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Now, we're not stupid. We knew we were taking a risk heading up to Port Douglas during the rainy season, however when people are visiting from the US, what do they want to see? The Great Barrier Reef, of course. This is the second time our family of four has been up to Port Douglas and both times cruises were shut down because of wind. Maybe we should go buy a lottery ticket!<br />
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So what does one do in Port Douglas during a cyclone, you may be asking. First of all, you refuse to let it spoil your holiday. We determined as a group that we were going to have fun no matter what. We asked around a few places, and it was recommended that we head up to the Atherton Tablelands. We took the advice and had a great time.<br />
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It was a fair amount of driving, but we had lots of fun. Firstly, we visited Coffee Works in Mareeba. We sat out on the beautiful porch for lunch. The rain was gorgeous on the tin roof - very relaxing sitting out in nature. Which was good, as we were tasting lots of coffee.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not even all of the coffees we tried</td></tr>
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We were also able to try some tea and chocolate, which were lovely, but for me it's the coffee. Yum!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch was delicious - only made better by the atmosphere</td></tr>
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The also had a coffee museum. Lots of interesting artifacts about tea and coffee. Here are a few of my favorite finds!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If it's been baptised, does that make<br />drinking coffee a holy experience?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loved this ad!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute take of the Three Bears</td></tr>
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We decided to head on towards Atherton, which didn't have that much exciting. So we headed back towards a lake and dam, just because. On our way we passed the Humpy Nuthouse. Sarah and I decided that we must stop. We wondered if they were aware of that American slang or were just being cheeky. The answer is always "cheeky" - however I learned later that humpy is a bush term for an old tin shack (thanks Kim!).<br />
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The joke was on us because we bought several bags of nuts. We were a big fan of the lime and pepper peanuts! Sarah and I both bought mugs to commemorate the visit!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty lake with clouds</td></tr>
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We decided to head out towards Barron Falls and then back to Port Douglas for dinner. Bri and I had seen Barron Falls when my parents were visiting, so I was curious to see it in the rain. I got to see it - barely.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Completely in the mist<br /><br /></td></tr>
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It did clear up a bit and we were also able to see a bit of wildlife.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TQOfLBBpZq0/USBwbhbP66I/AAAAAAAABws/qdidAAXEyj0/s1600/DSC09977.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TQOfLBBpZq0/USBwbhbP66I/AAAAAAAABws/qdidAAXEyj0/s400/DSC09977.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love seeing through the clouds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PX4JFu94EHM/USBw8HFHoVI/AAAAAAAABw0/QQQ3Tm_Xn0k/s1600/DSC09975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PX4JFu94EHM/USBw8HFHoVI/AAAAAAAABw0/QQQ3Tm_Xn0k/s400/DSC09975.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bush Turkeys, I believe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We decided to call it a day at that point. It was still bucketing and we wanted to get back to Port Douglas before dark. We wanted to see more waterfalls and planned out a route to see them the next day. Didn't happen - here's why.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mj9aZWFs-fs/USBx5ZxSL0I/AAAAAAAAByE/y0sQxVgyAuo/s1600/DSC09980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mj9aZWFs-fs/USBx5ZxSL0I/AAAAAAAAByE/y0sQxVgyAuo/s400/DSC09980.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe a swim instead</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H9w8rlmFreU/USBykEYXVXI/AAAAAAAAByM/W69OvaK2_zI/s1600/DSC09981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H9w8rlmFreU/USBykEYXVXI/AAAAAAAAByM/W69OvaK2_zI/s400/DSC09981.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's my arms!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2cnBoOGgoJ0/USBy9dJYXAI/AAAAAAAAByU/xGoghN53qiE/s1600/DSC09982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2cnBoOGgoJ0/USBy9dJYXAI/AAAAAAAAByU/xGoghN53qiE/s400/DSC09982.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still pretty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Oh, well. Back to Port Douglas for some Thai food. Except no, the Thai place was closed for lunch on that day because of course it was! We wandered around Port Douglas for a bit, had a lovely nap - including the children - and wandered the beach for a little bit in the late afternoon.<br />
<br />
Port Douglas was a wash-out, but we still managed to have a great time just being together. We were just hoping to be able to leave the next day...Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-52065272178515207472013-02-11T22:35:00.000-08:002013-02-11T22:35:03.495-08:00Luna Park<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HVjgrTB-JIQ/URndTamdxkI/AAAAAAAABpc/za95kB-Q_m4/s1600/DSC09939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HVjgrTB-JIQ/URndTamdxkI/AAAAAAAABpc/za95kB-Q_m4/s320/DSC09939.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This doesn't do the eyelashes justice -<br />they are massive!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After our afternoon at Bondi, we decided to have dinner and then hop on a ferry and go see Luna Park. Riding a ferry is one of the musts for visiting Sydney - it's a great way to get around, plus you get great views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. We'd never actually been to Luna Park although it's face is such a fixture of Sydney Harbour. I had always assumed it was like Coney Island. However, I've never been to Coney Island, so now I assume that it's like Luna Park! Naturally, Wills was quite keen to ride everything and Nathan couldn't have been dragged on a ride. Luckily for Nath, it was rainy and expensive for ride tickets, so we just wandered around for a bit to get the whole experience.<br />
<br />
The boys loved seeing all of the ride and were particularly taken with the trick mirrors. Nathan thought being made to look short and fat was hysterical. There's not much better than hearing their laughter the first time we passed the mirrors. I think we stood there for 10 minutes, even though it was raining. It was worth getting wet for!<br />
<br />
Not much exciting to really tell you about the park, but here are a few of my favorite shots - enjoy!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3ie72CskNGM/URnfDqAZv-I/AAAAAAAABpo/NO2jwKPLrXY/s1600/DSC09940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3ie72CskNGM/URnfDqAZv-I/AAAAAAAABpo/NO2jwKPLrXY/s640/DSC09940.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That ferris wheel was making some terrible noises!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VtwGzpql4e0/URnf2wBSUgI/AAAAAAAABqw/wt9XTaeg9nI/s1600/DSC09943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VtwGzpql4e0/URnf2wBSUgI/AAAAAAAABqw/wt9XTaeg9nI/s400/DSC09943.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making the kids laugh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kFu1JfhdUJg/URngXwQe4II/AAAAAAAABq4/rq_0wvblYyg/s1600/DSC09946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kFu1JfhdUJg/URngXwQe4II/AAAAAAAABq4/rq_0wvblYyg/s400/DSC09946.jpg" width="345" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sydney in the mist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nPfvegwYZn0/URnhH-LgkrI/AAAAAAAABrA/Ohr9HYW8NTg/s1600/DSC09942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nPfvegwYZn0/URnhH-LgkrI/AAAAAAAABrA/Ohr9HYW8NTg/s400/DSC09942.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See - like Coney Island!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After wandering around for a bit, we hopped back on the ferry and headed over to Darling Harbour for dessert. The kids were thrilled for ice cream - I was happy to have a Flat White to warm up a bit! Afterwards, we all wandered back to her hotel to crash into bed and fly out to Cairns in the morning for quite the adventure in Port Douglas!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eVPrPdQRSu4/URniK7MAITI/AAAAAAAABrM/deIgbsIJdHc/s1600/DSC09950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="345" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eVPrPdQRSu4/URniK7MAITI/AAAAAAAABrM/deIgbsIJdHc/s640/DSC09950.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night view of Darling Harbour - and no, I have no idea why there was a large rubber ducky</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-11271960004417973742013-02-03T01:11:00.002-08:002013-02-03T01:11:47.494-08:00Showing Off Sydney<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hTNkCken6uc/UQ4dnj_7_SI/AAAAAAAABjk/v97KsbXQV6w/s1600/DSC09879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hTNkCken6uc/UQ4dnj_7_SI/AAAAAAAABjk/v97KsbXQV6w/s400/DSC09879.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Just how do you keep visiting Sydney fun, since everyone wants to see it - and see the same bits! By keeping new parts to show people (and yourselves) each time! Just to be incredibly clear, seeing the Opera House never gets old. I still get a thrill every time I get my first glimpse, be it from the train, the air, or walking through the Royal Botanic Gardens. You know, one of those I have to pinch myself because I can't believe I'm actually at a place I always wanted to visit, but truly believed I would never see it in public.<br />
<br />
So, when we met Sarah and Ken (my sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law) in Sydney, we of course headed to those iconic spots on the first day. We drug them around the city to keep them awake, because the jet lag from the trip is rough! I love showing off the city, but was excited about the second day because we were headed somewhere I'd never been to - Bondi Beach!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Gi-AMiVSsE/UQ4bOFwNveI/AAAAAAAABiI/ssv3BaryFD4/s1600/DSC09873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Gi-AMiVSsE/UQ4bOFwNveI/AAAAAAAABiI/ssv3BaryFD4/s320/DSC09873.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We woke up that morning and it was fairly grey out. Undeterred, we headed out on the bus to get to Bondi. It's about a 45 minute trip out from Circular Quay, but fun to see another part of the city. The weather may have kept a few people from the beach, but there were still plenty of surfers to be seen. We decided against swimming there, mostly we just wanted to wander and experience Bondi. When we arrived there was a surf class going on - fun to watch people learning versus the surfers on the other side of the beach! Also, it made Brian feel better that he has a real board versus a foamie! Now, if he could only join the surfers on the other side...<br />
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We decided to just sit down on the beach and watch the action for a bit, which includes my lovely children romping around like they hadn't been to the beach in forever. I told them not to get wet and then let the run like the feral children they are!<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GcZ6nSdPABg/UQ4ccNta97I/AAAAAAAABiU/ZCQmjVF9Cg8/s1600/DSC09877.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GcZ6nSdPABg/UQ4ccNta97I/AAAAAAAABiU/ZCQmjVF9Cg8/s400/DSC09877.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just hanging at Bondi Beach, no big deal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G3YxyyPI-bw/UQ4dAx4QrwI/AAAAAAAABjc/d-7tv7vpHsw/s1600/DSC09864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G3YxyyPI-bw/UQ4dAx4QrwI/AAAAAAAABjc/d-7tv7vpHsw/s400/DSC09864.jpg" width="345" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least he tried to keep dry!<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gq5Fz6R-l4I/UQ4eO7QlHCI/AAAAAAAABjs/cDpfS2EWRyY/s1600/DSC09874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gq5Fz6R-l4I/UQ4eO7QlHCI/AAAAAAAABjs/cDpfS2EWRyY/s320/DSC09874.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
Another good reason not to get in the water was the Bluebottles we saw all over the beach. Doesn't the name sound so innocent and sweet? It's Bluebottle season here in Oz - lucky for us, we don't get that many of them in Port Stephens. They are pretty creatures - and also fairly easy to spot. The top blobby part is actually above the water, and even if you do get stung, it's one of the few things that won't actually kill you! It just smarts a fair bit, but the life savers keep some sort of spray with them to keep it from hurting too much.<br />
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Another name for this jellyfish is the Portuguese Man-O-War. That whole bit above the water apparently resembles the actual Man-O-War ship's sail. For some reason, I thought these were in the US, but much bigger. I don't know if I was calling a jellyfish by the wrong name. All I know is whatever stung me in the Gulf of Mexico years ago really hurt and left a terrible discoloration of my skin that is still hanging around. As many of these that were littering the beach, I was just as happy to not have even brought my swimmers! Here's what happens when the boys would spot them in the water:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H5WaMEtzeBo/UQ4iQMxfmpI/AAAAAAAABk4/mTDC2PwkYZk/s1600/DSC09872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H5WaMEtzeBo/UQ4iQMxfmpI/AAAAAAAABk4/mTDC2PwkYZk/s400/DSC09872.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run away, run away!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fd-3ldGmkgs/UQ4ibZU8fiI/AAAAAAAABlA/u2vQtvrupHg/s1600/DSC09875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fd-3ldGmkgs/UQ4ibZU8fiI/AAAAAAAABlA/u2vQtvrupHg/s400/DSC09875.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several in a very small section - it was<br />like this everywhere on the beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We walked down the entire beach. I'm not sure there is much better than wandering along a beach. As soon as I hit the sand, I feel my shoulders relax. Down at one end there is a pool that fills up with the tide, but keeps out the baddies. I think that's a great idea, especially for children. My kids wandered around the outside. Remember that comment to the kids about trying to stay dry? I always know that's a pipe dream with my Wills around.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H5g26zUy-yM/UQ4j6xfRjXI/AAAAAAAABmM/zgc-frAXEsU/s1600/DSC09882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H5g26zUy-yM/UQ4j6xfRjXI/AAAAAAAABmM/zgc-frAXEsU/s400/DSC09882.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the beach from the pool area</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U1wUEOi5z88/UQ4kgAHYlBI/AAAAAAAABmU/NVAv1iOm0DY/s1600/DSC09891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U1wUEOi5z88/UQ4kgAHYlBI/AAAAAAAABmU/NVAv1iOm0DY/s400/DSC09891.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've seen nakeder kids on the beach...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We went rock hopping after this. Our whole family loves this and we do it fairly often. Amazingly, this is the first time either of the kids has gotten hurt - and of course it was Will that received the injury. In his defence, his brother actually fell on top of him, causing Will to get a pretty good scrape on his ankle. He was mostly a trooper and let us wash off the cut in the salt water with minimal whinging!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-frSgTWDcd-U/UQ4lm_UhKjI/AAAAAAAABmg/igJTcq_Mk_M/s1600/DSC09899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-frSgTWDcd-U/UQ4lm_UhKjI/AAAAAAAABmg/igJTcq_Mk_M/s400/DSC09899.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea stars in a rock pool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tQv79vp-E80/UQ4mT7pi52I/AAAAAAAABno/CHz-N2yr_OM/s1600/DSC09921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tQv79vp-E80/UQ4mT7pi52I/AAAAAAAABno/CHz-N2yr_OM/s400/DSC09921.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone on the rocks<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P3FI21K9L8w/UQ4mkrAtGNI/AAAAAAAABnw/BXQVHJj4TX8/s1600/DSC09926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P3FI21K9L8w/UQ4mkrAtGNI/AAAAAAAABnw/BXQVHJj4TX8/s400/DSC09926.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute couple!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lNAJJL8DBQU/UQ4mplHMo9I/AAAAAAAABn4/qetaP8EFP1E/s1600/DSC09919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lNAJJL8DBQU/UQ4mplHMo9I/AAAAAAAABn4/qetaP8EFP1E/s400/DSC09919.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bondi from the rocks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And here is a study in getting three different groups of people to pose:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W2SIvwcjCVg/UQ4nkpgYRRI/AAAAAAAABoA/hQUfjwO8WS8/s1600/DSC09901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W2SIvwcjCVg/UQ4nkpgYRRI/AAAAAAAABoA/hQUfjwO8WS8/s400/DSC09901.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't even know...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mdXF7v70duo/UQ4oWbZlNrI/AAAAAAAABoI/d2LluKi2_oo/s1600/DSC09905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mdXF7v70duo/UQ4oWbZlNrI/AAAAAAAABoI/d2LluKi2_oo/s400/DSC09905.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to be up high...<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the recently engaged...</td></tr>
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We had a great time at Bondi and headed back into Sydney proper for the rest of our evening, which I'll post about in the next few days. The boys were excited because we were finally off to Luna Park!<br />
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<br />Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-1269230177950304232013-01-06T16:24:00.003-08:002013-01-06T16:24:33.751-08:00Family PortraitsBoy, family photos aren't what they used to be! I remember my mom taking us to the portrait studio where my sister and I would be arranged in a darkish room. I would smile for what seemed like forever while the photographer would work to get Suzanne to smile. It usually worked shortly after my cheeks had cramped and I no longer had a decent smile left in me. Now, it involves taking the entire family to the beach and having a photographer direct your kids a bit, but also letting them muck around. If your lucky, you end up with some fabulous pictures - which we did!<br />
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I have been wanting some good pictures done for awhile now. We had some taken while we were still living in Kentucky, but I wasn't happy with them for several different reasons - the biggest being we wanted a sunset picture and the photographer missed the light! I'm not sure how she managed that, but seriously!<br />
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After doing a bit of research, we picked Capture Imaging to take our family picks. I'm glad we did - they turned out great! Liz was our photographer, and she worked so well with our family and kids. She was very go-with-the-flow of what the kids were doing, while still directing the family into general ideas for shots. <br />
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We arrived at Birubi Beach at 9:00 in the morning, in an attempt to avoid the heat and crowd. It mostly worked, although I believe that was the hottest day we'd had up until that point. We started out with several group pictures on the beach.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't even begin to tell you how much I adore this picture.<br />Love my boys so much!<br /></td></tr>
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Then we were off for some mucking around - very Aussie phrase, no?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love Will's sandy legs and feet</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run from the surf!<br /><br /></td></tr>
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Then we were off to pose on the rocks and dunes.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nath's face is priceless</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OeRRnp2tpHc/UOoR4yVBkvI/AAAAAAAABew/z8EkzOnETgs/s1600/IMG_0752RG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OeRRnp2tpHc/UOoR4yVBkvI/AAAAAAAABew/z8EkzOnETgs/s640/IMG_0752RG.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This captures the boys personalities perfectly!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How else would one get down from the dunes?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey Tyra, here's a textbook schmize!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweet boy with his beautiful dimples</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4BL-LcU3MSQ/UOoS63p-l4I/AAAAAAAABfQ/uEA1izuJX1w/s1600/IMG_0927RG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4BL-LcU3MSQ/UOoS63p-l4I/AAAAAAAABfQ/uEA1izuJX1w/s640/IMG_0927RG.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweet boy with the beautiful eyes</td></tr>
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And then we let the kids play in the surf.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IZELwpu5ioE/UOoTXdx5kSI/AAAAAAAABfY/W41vUZKUNbw/s1600/IMG_6405RG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IZELwpu5ioE/UOoTXdx5kSI/AAAAAAAABfY/W41vUZKUNbw/s400/IMG_6405RG.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off they go - freedom!!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheeky boy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not actually from the same place, but I'm an equal<br />opportunity mum - no favourites here!</td></tr>
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We had a blast taking these pictures, and boy was it hard to chose which ones to buy - which of course leads to spending more money than planned. That said, I don't regret the purchase and will love these pictures forever. Not only do the capture my boys personalities so incredibly well, they're in a place we adore living and will always have incredible memories!</div>
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And I'd be remiss if I didn't show you one of my very favourite pictures ever:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice to have a picture of just the two of us!</td></tr>
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Hey mom, you can have a copy of this one! Unlike the one from Suz's wedding, I don't appear to be naked! (I was wearing a strapless dress and it was a close-up of the two of us dancing) </div>
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And on that note, I promise to soon get a post on our New Year. I hope your celebration was wonderful and that you and yours have the best year yet!</div>
Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-13082877900668547432012-12-28T21:28:00.001-08:002012-12-28T21:28:42.771-08:00Seal RocksWhile Brian is off on holiday, we decided to do a few things close to home. We thought about going elsewhere for a few days, but decided we'd just as soon spend the majority of our time at the incredible beaches where we live. However, I've been wanting to see Seal Rocks for a long time. The pictures look beautiful and I always enjoy seeing creatures in their natural habitat. As you might guess by it's name, Seal Rocks is home to lots of seals - in fact, it is the northern most colony of Australian Fur Seals.<br />
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So we planned our trip out. Since there's not much in the way of food in Seal Rocks, we decided to stop in at Bulahdelah for lunch. It's a small town, but we found a cafe and had a bite before heading out to see the Grandis - the tallest tree in New South Wales.<br />
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The boys were quite keen to see the Grandis. It is a Flooded Gum Tree, or Eucalyptus Grandis. We headed a few minutes out of our way, down a small, curvy road - with help from the navigation system! We turned onto the road the Grandis is located on and were immediately disappointed. The road was shut because of a bridge collapse! The boys were disappointed, but we turned around and made our way towards Seal Rocks.<br />
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We turned onto yet another small, curvy road and were cruising along when Nathan shouted that a turnoff had a sign for the Grandis. For once, Nathan's sign reading had paid off in spades! We made a mental note of how many kilometres we had travelled and promised the boys we would try on our way back home.<br />
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From the small, curvy road we turned on to the unpaved, small, curvy road heading to Seal Rocks. There are no plans to pave the road, in large part because that is how the citizens want it. They do not want their town commercialised, and after spending time at one of their lovely beaches, I don't blame them.<br />
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We drove through town towards the Sugar Point Lighthouse, having to pull almost entirely off the road several times to let another vehicle by us. We parked in the car lot and started the short hike to the lighthouse. The kids warned me that my legs might hurt, as they had done this walk before. I was pretty confused, as the path was pretty straight and flat. They assured me that it would get steeper - and it did. It's actually a very steep climb to the lighthouse, but it doesn't last long and my legs didn't hurt! On our way, we heard some skittering in the bush and encountered a Goanna climbing up a tree to get away from us.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kaxV3ZRNdJQ/UN4edbZco2I/AAAAAAAABSo/n7o1y7c8GXE/s1600/DSC09773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kaxV3ZRNdJQ/UN4edbZco2I/AAAAAAAABSo/n7o1y7c8GXE/s640/DSC09773.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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We also passed a blowhole, which made for pretty landscape:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks more like a cave to me, but the sign said blowhole, so we'll go with it!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I7ukTS3tt6Y/UN4i1vXe4kI/AAAAAAAABUA/5xHJbnOOFEs/s1600/DSC09777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I7ukTS3tt6Y/UN4i1vXe4kI/AAAAAAAABUA/5xHJbnOOFEs/s640/DSC09777.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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Before we started our steep climb, we took a short detour to see Seal Rocks. Here are some of the lovely views we had.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can't see it well in this picture, but, Yacaaba and Tomaree (where we live) <br />
are in the left of the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3TIZPVJ8YXU/UN4k6wFkn0I/AAAAAAAABWU/sYckgeteGMU/s1600/DSC09781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3TIZPVJ8YXU/UN4k6wFkn0I/AAAAAAAABWU/sYckgeteGMU/s400/DSC09781.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not edited, the water is really this gorgeous!</td></tr>
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There was also a big rock at the lookout, which the boys scrambled up immediately. Will wanted to jump off of it. I okayed it, taking pictures along the way. Nathan decided to jump off of it as well. He fussed after he landed. In a change of personalities, Brian said he never would have let them jump in the first place. For the record, Nathan actually brought his knee up to high and hit his arm - it had nothing to do with the height of the rock!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jnfMOOmi6YQ/UN54rYhu7yI/AAAAAAAABYY/OxxT7_yLraw/s1600/DSC09784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jnfMOOmi6YQ/UN54rYhu7yI/AAAAAAAABYY/OxxT7_yLraw/s400/DSC09784.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geronimo!<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zv7GNls2JYE/UN55TMkSPaI/AAAAAAAABYg/qMWk2CST2-k/s1600/DSC09789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zv7GNls2JYE/UN55TMkSPaI/AAAAAAAABYg/qMWk2CST2-k/s400/DSC09789.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He used to be my scaredy cat!<br /></td></tr>
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After goofing around with the rocks for awhile, it was up the steep incline to the lighthouse. Unfortunately, you are unable to climb to the top. We were able to climb up a level, but it would've been fun to go all the way. I'm not sure why you can't - maybe because of the gusty wind? <br />
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This picture looks like you are just seeing the top of the lighthouse, but it is actually all of the building. It doesn't need to be as tall as most lighthouses are because it is built on such a tall cliff. Apparently even with the lighthouse it was not easy to avoid rocks and such. One of the beaches is actually named Treachery Beach!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory pose for mum!</td></tr>
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After wandering around at the lighthouse, we went down and spent some time at the beach. Brian and Nath did a bit of snorkelling, while Will and I splashed around in the water. It was fairly rocky and seaweedy, not my favourite thing in the world. However, spending time out on the beach is always well worth it! After a while, we (and by that I mean I) changed out of our cozies (Aussie slang for swimsuit) and started the trek back home.<br />
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Nathan made sure that we remembered to check and see if we could get to the Grandis, which we had remembered even without his help! We travelled down yet another small, curvy, dirt road and were able to make it to the tree. The road was closed just on the other side, which made the boys happy. It was a very short walk and suddenly we were there. It is a beautiful tree, piercing through the canopy of the forest.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will offered to hold my sunnies -<br />clearly out of the goodness of his heart!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HgZPlqDGTRA/UN5-bI5JFDI/AAAAAAAABcI/4yPZQ4QmLuU/s1600/DSC09810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HgZPlqDGTRA/UN5-bI5JFDI/AAAAAAAABcI/4yPZQ4QmLuU/s400/DSC09810.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here's what happens when they get tired<br />of mum taking pictures!</td></tr>
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And that's our adventure for that day. We're getting ready to have another one - Brian finally bought a surfboard! I only told him I would buy him one for his last birthday, which is the end of April. We're heading to the beach shortly!Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-71697057130336472952012-12-27T20:01:00.000-08:002012-12-27T20:01:30.745-08:00Snorkelling Boys<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ugukHVWMRwc/UNzRuXLlNBI/AAAAAAAABOA/u09BUTTpG70/s1600/12111_4983597548880_1801042977_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ugukHVWMRwc/UNzRuXLlNBI/AAAAAAAABOA/u09BUTTpG70/s400/12111_4983597548880_1801042977_n.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Beach</td></tr>
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We had Nathan and Will write letters to Santa this year. As usual, they were very cute - even though they put three different gaming systems on them! One of the big things they both wanted was snorkel equipment so they would be confident when we go to the Great Barrier Reef. Since I was concerned with room in my bags, I suggested to Brian's family that they get us a gift card to a local sports store in Australia and we would pick up the snorkels here. Everyone was amenable, so the plan commenced. <br />
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We told the boys we were headed into Newcastle to do some shopping and they immediately began to whinge. Shopping's boring to little boys, I suppose. However, when as soon as we walked into Rebel Sports, they began talking about how they really wanted snorkel gear. When we let them know that was why we were there they suddenly loved shopping!<br />
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We found a sales person and began to fit them. We wanted to make sure they had quality equipment, because if there were leaking issues there was no way Nathan would keep trying. Lucky for us, the good stuff was on a decent sale! We talked about how to breathe and walk, but Will immediately freaked out. As a claustrophobic person myself, I understand that feeling. We were able to talk him down and explain that practice would help that feeling would go away.<br />
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We wrapped up the shopping trip with afternoon tea at Max Brenner's, a chocolate place, for a fun treat. The boys ordered their snacks and were later surprised when a worker brought them an extra pot of melted chocolate because they weren't sure who ordered it! We had wound up children on the drive home, to say the least.<br />
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Brian and I decided to have them practice breathing in the bathtub. While this was hilarious, pictures were inappropriate for the internet, so you'll have to imagine for yourself! Will was happy to try, but became very frustrated when his mask kept leaking. We finally figured out the problem - his massive smile! The kid very rarely isn't smiling, and when he does the skin crinkles underneath his mask, letting water inside. Nothing like telling your kid to quit smiling so much!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R4KNR500Qbw/UN0XU15Vq2I/AAAAAAAABRM/RFJUokfE0mM/s1600/DSC09705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R4KNR500Qbw/UN0XU15Vq2I/AAAAAAAABRM/RFJUokfE0mM/s400/DSC09705.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the crinkles on the side of the mask?</td></tr>
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After a few practices, we were off to try snorkeling in the bay. We decided to head to Little Beach, which is very calm and has crystal clear water. The kids were very keen and it was a very successful trip. We started out having them stick their heads in the water while standing. Nathan was quickly over that and ready to swim. I swear, now that he can breathe under water, we will never get his head back up! The boys snorkeled until they were shivering, and still we had to pull them out of the water.<br />
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The boys bought me snorkel gear for my Christmas present. Now we need to get Brian some and we'll be ready to go out to Fly Point. It's still in the bay, and is supposed to have incredible marine life there. We have heard many sightings of sea turtles, beautiful fish, and other things we won't mention so my mom won't worry about us!<br />
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Enjoy the pictures of their first snorkeling adventure!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N4u2OeKaCmc/UNzSyQjd6RI/AAAAAAAABOM/wRdBl8s3_yg/s1600/DSC09690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="323" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N4u2OeKaCmc/UNzSyQjd6RI/AAAAAAAABOM/wRdBl8s3_yg/s400/DSC09690.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's fun to watch someone walk in flippers!<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zhAw3AZCgss/UN0X_gQ8znI/AAAAAAAABRU/v5lSWzax1wk/s1600/DSC09706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zhAw3AZCgss/UN0X_gQ8znI/AAAAAAAABRU/v5lSWzax1wk/s400/DSC09706.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's not amused with the laughter.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Success!<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9x2weGDCKhw/UN0ZH-1AjZI/AAAAAAAABRk/CRbG7RMP-RU/s1600/DSC09702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9x2weGDCKhw/UN0ZH-1AjZI/AAAAAAAABRk/CRbG7RMP-RU/s400/DSC09702.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the kids who wouldn't swim in salt water a few weeks ago!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-69187790438630376512012-12-26T00:39:00.000-08:002012-12-26T00:39:23.676-08:00Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere...is frankly more to my taste than the Northern Hemisphere! Obviously, this is not including spending time with family. I'm not a snow person, so despite the Christmas season feeling a bit odd, I loved it!<br />
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We started out having Christmas Eve dinner with friends on the beach. The kids ran around and swam while the adults watched and chatted. Dinner was excellent - pork stuffed with figs, roasted sweet potatoes and leek, strawberry and mandarin salad, coleslaw, and Christmas pudding for dessert. All of this was capped off with two of the local dolphins swimming incredibly close to the shore. No big deal, just another day in paradise!<br />
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In the US, the trend seems to be going to church on Christmas Eve. Here in Oz, everyone goes to church on Christmas morning. So, we let the boys open their stockings and one present from my parents, handing them the ones that I knew had nice new polo shirts to wear to church. They looked quite handsome, if I do say so myself! Although keen to open the rest of the presents, they were also excited to head to church and see lots of their friends for Christmas. It was a lovely service and we were wished a Happy Christmas more often then a Merry one!<br />
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Bri and I also opened our presents from the kids, but alas no pictures were taken. The boys got Bri propeller cuff links that actually spin. I got snorkeling gear as well, which I'll explain in another post. Will was still working on a present for me, which we'll get to later.<br />
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Santa put harmonicas in the stockings. Possibly not the smartest thing he's ever done, but they have had so much fun that it's worth it!<br />
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The boys also received UK shirts, because even though Santa wears red, we all know his favorite colors are blue and white, baby!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and back</td></tr>
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After we got back from church I pulled out the tripod and made everyone pose for a family picture in front of the tree. Here is the first take:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What do you mean I have to wait to open more presents?</td></tr>
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The next one was much better!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I will keep taking picture until everyone smiles!</td></tr>
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And then it was on to prezzies!</div>
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The kids big present from us was a Wii. It was quite an ordeal buying this. I went back to the US about a month ago and knew I would be bringing presents back from our family. Bri and I finally decided to buy a Wii from the US and use our US tv and stepdown boxes to make it work. While this will be a bit of a pain buying new games (their regionally coded), at least we will be able to use it in the US as well. So I got to lug back a Wii system from the US. I had enough stuff, plus added weight, that I had to borrow another suitcase from my parents. Luckily I was upgraded from plain old Skymile status to silver on my way to the US, so the extra bag was free. Everything was well worth it, as you can see from their reaction! What we do for our children. Also, Christmas day was rainy, so we spent lots of time trying out our new games from family members. At least those were easy (and light) presents to bring back!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks, Aunt Elaine!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-74Y2awhXXmY/UNquSK3LVzI/AAAAAAAABHo/-QG5mWQGwm8/s1600/DSC09763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-74Y2awhXXmY/UNquSK3LVzI/AAAAAAAABHo/-QG5mWQGwm8/s400/DSC09763.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is actually his concentrating face.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oI7tcI3Yow4/UNqwGVoKFEI/AAAAAAAABIs/9lL-L4N32KU/s1600/DSC09757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oI7tcI3Yow4/UNqwGVoKFEI/AAAAAAAABIs/9lL-L4N32KU/s400/DSC09757.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bowling<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWR78yjp-zQ/UNq16rTVAkI/AAAAAAAABL4/tQIJmWHzbEE/s1600/DSC09765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWR78yjp-zQ/UNq16rTVAkI/AAAAAAAABL4/tQIJmWHzbEE/s400/DSC09765.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will playing Just Dance</td></tr>
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This is the first year we had the kids "buy" presents for each other. The both actually put a lot of thought into the selection - Bri and I were very pleased with both of them. Will received Trash Packs and Nathan got a Nerf gun. Here is another perfectly captured moment:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rituyNlsRlA/UNqxIsluVEI/AAAAAAAABI4/A0zrm2bYF1U/s1600/DSC09736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rituyNlsRlA/UNqxIsluVEI/AAAAAAAABI4/A0zrm2bYF1U/s400/DSC09736.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They really do love each other<br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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I won't bore you with a ton more pictures of presents, I'll put those on my Facebook so they can be looked through without being forced.</div>
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*Total side note - Brian just remeasured the boys height. In the past 3 weeks, Will grew 1/2cm and Nath grew 1cm. Slow down, boys!*</div>
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We ended our day with a yummy dinner. Plans were originally to barbecue, but the weather prevented that from happening. We adapted, and cooked our Jerk Chicken on the stove instead. It was a nice dinner, but the topper was my Pavlova - yummo! </div>
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A Pavlova is a traditional Australian Christmas dessert named after the ballerina Anna Pavlova. Their is a bit of disagreement on whether it was created in Australia or New Zealand, but we'll go with creation in Australia. It's a bit like a meringue, with the addition of Corn Starch. Apparently that gives it a crunchier texture on the outside and marshmallowy on the inside, but also makes it more finicky to make. It was very clearly stated to let it cool inside the oven, which I did. You serve it with whipped cream on top and garnish with whatever fruit you want - but they usually have passion fruit as one of the toppings. The boys have decided that they want Pavlova for all special occasions now. I wish I would've taken a picture of mine, but it was eaten fairly quickly.</div>
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We all crashed into bed later in the evening. Today has been fairly lazy, since it's Boxing Day and we don't have to do anything. I did make the mistake of going to the shops for a few things - big mistake! I'd say it's the equivalent to Black Friday in the US, lots of sales plus rain equals a crowded shopping centre! We spent the rest of the day playing on the Wii and other Christmas presents. </div>
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Will finished up my Christmas present, proving once again how sweet of a boy he is:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a9Xo-2x2yWA/UNq0y8SYg8I/AAAAAAAABK0/KxYo-JL_V5Q/s1600/DSC09768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a9Xo-2x2yWA/UNq0y8SYg8I/AAAAAAAABK0/KxYo-JL_V5Q/s400/DSC09768.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seal Rocks Sunset</td></tr>
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My sweet boy painted a beautiful picture of our family at a beach nearby Port Stephens. He knows one of my favourite things is sunset at the beach. He painted us each in our favourite colours. He even mixed colours to make sure they were exactly what he wanted. I especially love the two dolphins in the background. I'm currenty looking for a frame, but it will be going up in our house soon!</div>
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Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-45517882718289910362012-11-02T01:31:00.000-07:002012-11-02T01:31:18.906-07:00Jazz in the Vines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Knowing that our family enjoyed music, our friends Emi and Gavin invited us to join them for Jazz in the Vines last weekend. On Friday we drove to the Hunter Valley and stayed in a family cabin in Pokolbin, picking up Thai food on the way in and enjoying our combined four children chasing a herd of kangaroos (what do you call a group of kangaroos?). We put the kiddos to bed and sat around chatting and enjoying a peaceful desert before we were off the next morning.<br />
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Jazz in the Vines is an annual event held at Tyrell Winery in the Hunter Valley. It is a day long concert, with musical acts varying from a Dixieland group from England - which amused me to no end, although Woody Allen enjoys them - to a swing band, the man from Snowy River, and the runner-up on Australia's The Voice. There are several local wineries and restaurants represented, although you are encouraged to bring your own picnic lunch, which we did. Now, my idea of a picnic meal is a cheese plate, sandwiches, chips, and a fair amount of fruit. I have to say, Emi put me to shame with her Egg & Bacon pie and Barbecue Chicken. At least our kids can be bought with ice cream!<br />
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We weren't entirely sure how the kidlets would do, but having four children the same age makes a parent's life easier. We made sure to bring books, a footy, and - most importantly - we had phones and iPads on which to play games! What did we do before technology? <br />
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We were able to stay the entire length of the day - 7 hours in total - with no real issues from the kids. Even better, the adults were able to relax and spend "adult" time just being together. I had no idea we'd be in for such a relaxing time! We even went down to the stage with the kids and danced together, and Nathan didn't even cover up his ears! He does have one particular spin he likes, so I can usually bribe him with that.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-37WMWck3OE0/UJNsl3K3BoI/AAAAAAAAA9s/u1saadnO_XY/s1600/DSC09466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-37WMWck3OE0/UJNsl3K3BoI/AAAAAAAAA9s/u1saadnO_XY/s640/DSC09466.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peeping around the umbrella<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-laWyXr03sTw/UJNtL4rrvsI/AAAAAAAAA94/kb3QBL868zg/s1600/DSC09469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-laWyXr03sTw/UJNtL4rrvsI/AAAAAAAAA94/kb3QBL868zg/s640/DSC09469.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keira is much cuter under her parasol!<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1U6xtMYi-EY/UJNvCUbJHCI/AAAAAAAAA-A/Y1Qnu-VetI0/s1600/DSC09471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1U6xtMYi-EY/UJNvCUbJHCI/AAAAAAAAA-A/Y1Qnu-VetI0/s640/DSC09471.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emi and Keira</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ncBqyg5J1os/UJN6i_lkpcI/AAAAAAAAA_A/9b-zHgyKXIo/s1600/DSC09472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ncBqyg5J1os/UJN6i_lkpcI/AAAAAAAAA_A/9b-zHgyKXIo/s640/DSC09472.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nath doing what he does best</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GDxmzq69hno/UJN7Pt3PhfI/AAAAAAAAA_M/9UrI7fkKO7A/s1600/DSC09476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GDxmzq69hno/UJN7Pt3PhfI/AAAAAAAAA_M/9UrI7fkKO7A/s640/DSC09476.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will making a mess with his Wizz Fizz<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cXmZ3C65zr4/UJN8UAvRMnI/AAAAAAAAA_U/wAm1X4fYKhg/s1600/DSC09478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cXmZ3C65zr4/UJN8UAvRMnI/AAAAAAAAA_U/wAm1X4fYKhg/s640/DSC09478.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anique and Nath reading</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0abn6IBZqvY/UJN80T81slI/AAAAAAAAA_c/moHi6NU4SY4/s1600/DSC09490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="571" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0abn6IBZqvY/UJN80T81slI/AAAAAAAAA_c/moHi6NU4SY4/s640/DSC09490.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What can I say - my boys like Aussie girls!</td></tr>
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We headed back to the cabin and collapsed. It's amazing what a day out in the hot sun doing nothing but listening to music and hanging out with friends can take out of you! We bathed the kids, barbecued, and put the kids to bed. Sadly, we weren't that far behind them!<br />
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Possible even better then the concert was the next morning - the kids actually slept in for a bit! We had a late breakfast that Brian made, consisting of bacon and French Toast with fruit. Yum!<br />
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Nobody had anything pressing, so we wandered around the Hunter Valley. Here is what happens when the kids (and boys) get tired of waiting for the coffee to arrive:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EIIzlfi1HNU/UJN-LkOV1XI/AAAAAAAAA_k/8EDirX52lM4/s1600/DSC09496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EIIzlfi1HNU/UJN-LkOV1XI/AAAAAAAAA_k/8EDirX52lM4/s640/DSC09496.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't worry, Gavin doesn't hit my son with his daughter!<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qPQSxQtJbKQ/UJN_vJYX7WI/AAAAAAAABAA/pOin7b0HH8U/s1600/DSC09494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qPQSxQtJbKQ/UJN_vJYX7WI/AAAAAAAABAA/pOin7b0HH8U/s640/DSC09494.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Possibly my favourite picture of Will ever!</td></tr>
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Luckily for everyone involved, a helicopter landed in the open field where they were playing. This pulled the kids through until the coffees and hot chocolates arrived.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FY-KuDpYiiw/UJN-4zLu-LI/AAAAAAAAA_s/-HmVmW4OJbQ/s1600/DSC09504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FY-KuDpYiiw/UJN-4zLu-LI/AAAAAAAAA_s/-HmVmW4OJbQ/s640/DSC09504.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JWOHwN-ctaw/UJN_Kiw_ssI/AAAAAAAAA_0/gAeeXVS9JaQ/s1600/DSC09505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JWOHwN-ctaw/UJN_Kiw_ssI/AAAAAAAAA_0/gAeeXVS9JaQ/s640/DSC09505.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really love this picture of the dads with their kids. Two pretty good fathers, I believe!</td></tr>
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And here's what happens when Gavin catches you trying to take pictures of the group stealthily:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eFGXzGMDCh8/UJOAOIajI1I/AAAAAAAABAI/pm_efWB_Zzk/s1600/DSC09510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="364" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eFGXzGMDCh8/UJOAOIajI1I/AAAAAAAABAI/pm_efWB_Zzk/s640/DSC09510.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love that Nath is completely oblivious<br /><br /></td></tr>
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We also were able to have a lovely long, late lunch. We ate outside, basically in a courtyard, so the kids once again had green space. They also had their parent's iPads...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KSGForPgRGY/UJOBD2siImI/AAAAAAAABAQ/KM0ZfAAN9lQ/s1600/DSC09522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KSGForPgRGY/UJOBD2siImI/AAAAAAAABAQ/KM0ZfAAN9lQ/s640/DSC09522.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank you, Mr. Jobs</td></tr>
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And just so there are no complaints that I'm not in any pictures -<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_0DgSrxmkE8/UJOBl5_n5RI/AAAAAAAABAY/dStwo4sIod8/s1600/DSC09525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_0DgSrxmkE8/UJOBl5_n5RI/AAAAAAAABAY/dStwo4sIod8/s640/DSC09525.jpg" width="524" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi there!</td></tr>
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The food was good - nothing fancy, but nicer then just boring food. For example, Emi and Gav had a Pork Belly pizza that was heavenly! Nathan also enjoyed his salad, but only because it had Vinaigrette dressing!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2RY9DnosRcQ/UJOCXGs9IFI/AAAAAAAABAg/Bczu9Ii-qeg/s1600/DSC09516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2RY9DnosRcQ/UJOCXGs9IFI/AAAAAAAABAg/Bczu9Ii-qeg/s640/DSC09516.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He had no idea why we were all laughing</td></tr>
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And not to be outdone...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tSLs_7Atmj4/UJOCwQRLfuI/AAAAAAAABAo/T4KgLd__MYM/s1600/DSC09518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tSLs_7Atmj4/UJOCwQRLfuI/AAAAAAAABAo/T4KgLd__MYM/s640/DSC09518.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a good thing he's cute</td></tr>
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When we went into the weekend, we weren't entirely sure how it was going to be. I mean, we enjoy music and love the DeVries, but honestly, with kids anything can - and usually does - happen. We were all pleasantly surprised with how amazing the all of the kids were the entire weekend and came home completely relaxed. We look forward to making this an annual event. Will even cried on the way home because he wanted to spend more time with Anique and Keira, which is silly since we see them several times a week, but at the same time very sweet. Thanks for inviting us, Emi and Gav!Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-91603632222421833192012-11-01T00:12:00.002-07:002012-11-01T00:12:56.676-07:00Trick? I Think a Treat, MostlyHalloween is not a big deal here in Australia, especially in comparison to the US. That said, it would be difficult for two American boys to not do trick or treating, so we decided to go out with another family like last year. Nathan's friend Claire had lived in the US and was keen to go out as well, so her mother asked if we would like to go with them. We met them in their neighbourhood, where notes and streamers had been placed into mail boxes. If a house was choosing to pass out candy, they simply tied the streamers to their mailbox. That way we didn't bother anyone who had no interest. There were several more houses participating this year, so the boys ended up with plenty of candy. Once again, not nearly as much as they would've gotten in Kentucky, but that is certainly ok!<br />
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Now that the boring part of the post is out of the way, on to the more interesting - costuming. I was hoping that they would wear the costumes that they wore for their book parade at school. Nathan was Peter from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Will was Willy Wonka from, well, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Alas, they had no interest in making my life easy! But Nathan likes to dream big...<br />
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Nath liked the idea of The Chronicles of Narnia, so he decided to be Aslan. Thanks kid, that's an easy costume! Not to mention it's way to hot to wear a full body suit, so we decided to go simple. I had him wear a pair of brown pants, a yellow-orange shirt with a "tummy patch" (patented term), and I made him a mane and tail. I also bought face paint. For those of you familiar with my abilities, I'm only good with simple makeup on my own face and certainly do not have any drawing abilities! So I looked up some pictures on Google - where else - and found something I thought I could replicate. I'm not saying that we're winning any contests, but in my opinion it worked pretty well! And again, dear American readers, this is about as good as costumes get here, so no judging!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So it's not The Lion King quality....<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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Nathan clearly had a theme, and I was able to convince Will to be Peter. At least that costume was mostly made, although the original Aslan on the tunic had come off and I had to redo that. Also, the boys couldn't remember what they had done with the original sword made, so I Alfoiled a sword we had on hand.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty cute little guy<br /><br /></td></tr>
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And for whatever reason, Nathan decided that I should dress up as well. It's been a long time since I've dressed up, like since university long - Em, if you have evidence, feel free to keep it to yourself! But Nath was really keen on the idea. So, who did he want me to be - Susan, Lucy, Mrs. Badger...<br />
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Nope, I got to battle it out with Aslan as Jadis, the White Witch. I guess I know what my kidlets think of me! Oh well, it's always fun to play a character your nothing like, right? And for authenticity...<br />
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...would you like a Turkish Delight?<br />
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It paid off, Nathan told me I was prettier than the witch in the movie. Take that, Tilda Swinton!Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-1646185921962206052012-09-03T04:13:00.000-07:002012-09-03T04:13:20.685-07:00Having a Ball in Brisbane<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a terrible move - blog to come - I was happy to get away to Brisbane for a 24 hour vacation with no children. As I said in the previous blog, we had been invited to the Defence Charity Ball. Proceeds benefit<a href="http://www.legacy.com.au/" target="_blank">Legacy</a>, an organization that provides support to families of military personnel that have been wounded or killed in action - quite a worthy cause. This is an annual ball that is put on by a high ranking member of one of the branches of the armed forces and sponsored by several groups, including one business that Brian works with on a daily basis. We were looking forward not only to supporting the organization, but just having a fun night dressed to the nines.<br />
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Saturday morning I dropped the boys off with our friends and headed out to the airport to catch my flight. It felt very odd flying by myself. I always at the very least have the kids with me. After a little over an hour flight, we landed, albeit rockily, in Brisbane. Brian met me at the exit and we were off to check into our hotel and have a quick bite for a late lunch on the river.<br />
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After lunch I headed out to get my hair fixed. My hair has gotten significantly longer since we moved here, but not quite long enough for me to put up easily by myself. I had my hairdresser recommend somewhere close to my hotel, so I only had to walk for about five minutes. I explained what my dress and jewelry looked like to the stylist, and off she went. When she finished, it took me a few minutes to decide if I liked it or not. It was fairly curly and for some reason I was assuming it would be straighter. Since there wasn't much I could do about it, I decided to just go with it and it grew on me. I felt like it was big (it was) and possibly 80's-ish (yes, but not in a bad way), but I decided to just rock it. Here are some pictures from the side and the back - <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This view shows off my earrings as well</td></tr>
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We had more time to kill then I thought, since my hair only took about 30 minutes. We decided to order a cheese plate from room service since we were unsure of when dinner was going to be served, but assumed it might be later. That ended up being an excellent choice since our main was served a bit after 9:00. Afterwards, I started getting ready. I haven't fixed myself up that much for awhile, and it was fun to do again. I think the end result was pretty decent!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the hotel room<br />
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At the convention center</td></tr>
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We quickly found our group and were seated. It wasn't too much later and the night was underway. There was an Aussie comedian emceeing, and while I don't remember his name, he did an excellent job. There were many ways you could donate to the cause, including a silent and live auction with some serious items being auctioned off. There was artwork from Australian artists, a guitar signed by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, very cute puppies, and a signed shoe worn by Usain Bolt. <br />
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Since those were worth more than we were able to spend, we chose to participate in the "raffle" to win a gorgeous tennis bracelet. There was a dive tank with one of the Navy divers in it. You could buy submarines that were numbered and toss them in the tank and at the end of the night he would put a blacked out mask on and chose one submarine. Sadly, I do not own 30 more carats of diamonds. Happily, a servicewoman won the bracelet and looked like she could have been knocked over with a feather.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey Suz, how's my form?<br />
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There was lots of entertainment as well. We were able to walk a red carpet and have our pictures taken. You could also chose to have your picture taken in front of a helicopter or Navy speedboat. There were other props to play with as well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even dressed up, I'm still more of a tomboy<br />
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I'm still convinced I could've gotten up in heels, but I'm nothing if not obedient - <br />
at least when a man in uniform is talking to me!<br />
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View from the Light Armored Vehicle, not Tank!</td></tr>
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We had a great time and even stayed out past midnight! There was music provided by the Army and Navy bands, a casino and "funny money" provided, tap dancers, and a quick change act that had been on Australia's Got Talent. We walked back to the hotel tired, but having had lots of fun.<br />
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The next morning we were met by one of Brian's coworkers and his wife for a quick tour of Brisbane before our afternoon flight back home. They picked us up in their convertible and we were off for a lovely time. We headed up to Mt. Coot-tha for a lovely look at the city. That's is where the first picture in this post is from. It is in a lovely national park and the weather was perfect. The sky was a bit hazy as they are having controlled burns to hopefully prevent, or at least limit, bush fires. You could see the Brisbane River curving around and we were given a good explanation of where and why the floods happened recently. They were devastating to the food supply because the floods wiped out the storage for the produce. That explains why bananas were $13.99 a kilo (about $7.00 a pound) when we first arrived! That said, they still average around $4.00 a kilo!<br />
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After some time up on Mt. Coot-tha we headed down to Queensland University and onto a Rivercat to head into the CBD. I love being on the water and enjoyed our time on the boat. The sun was shining and the air was warm, which helped with the cool breeze!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bri thought the white bridge was unfinished the first time he <br />
saw it. I'll let you decide what it looks like!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of bridges together<br />
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We hopped off and walked for a few kilometres, along the river, through the Botanical Gardens, over a bridge, and down the South Bank. The South Bank has lovely weekend markets, a beautiful arbor, lots of good looking restaurants, and either a beach or a lagoon, depending upon who you talk to about it!<br />
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After a quick bite at a Souvlaki stand, we were off to the airport. Our mini-vacation was drawing to a close as we boarded the plane back to Newcastle.<br />
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Once we landed, we picked up the kids from our friends house. Incidentally, they are the parents of Nath's best mate here. They've actually decided they are brothers! The boys had just as much fun as we did and were worn out when we picked them up - good job Amy and Wayne! We feel incredibly blessed to have made lovely friends here - not just Amy and Wayne, but others as well. It was so nice to know that the kids were well looked after and having a great time - we didn't worry a bit about them. Next it's our time to watch your children guys!<br />
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I probably should have put this first, but Brian went to the Bronco's footy game on Friday evening, and apparently had great seats. The group was 6 rows behind Kevin Rudd- the Prime Minister previous to the current PM Julia Gilard. He had a great time and even made a few appearances on tv! All in all, a great weekend by any account!Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371571974122161723.post-57920435091377602572012-08-16T20:03:00.001-07:002012-08-16T20:03:34.097-07:00Sydney - One Year LaterWarning - this post is going to have a few asides and probably be a bit rambling!<br />
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Chris and Melinda headed to Cairns on Wednesday and we planned to meet them in Sydney over the weekend. I wanted to spend a bit of time shopping for a ballgown.<br />
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Aside number one - Brian and I were invited to the <a href="http://www.defencecharityball.com.au/" target="_blank">Defence Charity Ball</a> in Brisbane. I was excited at the idea of going to any ball, but especially one with men in uniform! It will be fun to have an evening out without children - and special thanks to our friends Amy and Wayne for keeping the boys while we're away. Of course, this event calls for a new dress since I don't happen to have any ball gowns hanging in my closet. Melinda helped me find a gown in Newcastle that I love. It's simple - emerald green, strapless, and an empire waist cut that falls to the ground. But since we were spending time in Sydney, I decided to look around. I wish I had taken some pictures of me in the dresses, but I wasn't sure how to do that without looking obvious. I tried on some ridiculously expensive gowns - one Alex Perry that was $2,500 AUD - but settled on the one from Newcastle. I did find one turquoise gown that I completely fell in love with, but it needed taken in at the top and I was afraid if it wasn't done perfectly it would have looked awful. I also tried on a gorgeous pair of Louiboutins, but once again, out of the price range I was willing to spend.<br />
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As we were heading into Sydney on the train, it occurred to us that it was exactly one year ago that we landed in Australia for our adventure. I can't quite believe we've been here that long - amazing! I still can't believe we live a couple of hours away from this incredible city. We were lucky to have booked a room at the Intercontinental Hotel, which is a two minute walk from Circular Quay. To tell you how spoiled we are, we didn't even feel like we needed to book a room with a harbour view, so we were left with a city view. It was terrible, as you can see!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the Royal Botanical Gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the pool on the top floor - not too shabby!</td></tr>
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We caught up with Chris and Melinda for some shopping and lunch before they took a cruise on a sailboat. They had originally scheduled it for when we had left, but that cruise was cancelled. We would've loved to have spent more time with them, but things happen! While they were on the cruise, we headed to see the Sydney Tower, which stands at 309 meters, or almost 1,014 feet. The kids were both excited until it was time to get on the elevator. Nathan began crying, so we grabbed and dragged him into the elevator. Nothing like looking like awesome parents in public! As soon as the elevator started, Nath immediately calmed down and was very impressed with the view when we stepped off the elevator - vindication for us!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love all of the boats docked</td></tr>
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There is also a revolving restaurant there, which must be amazing at sunset. I wonder if the food is any good?</div>
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Afterwards we caught the monorail to Darling Harbour, which is where we were meeting Chris and Melinda after their cruise, which thrilled the boys to no end.</div>
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Aside number two - when asked what their favorite part of the weekend trip was, it was the train ride from Newcastle into Sydney. I think it's hysterical how much they love public transport. To both boys, getting on a plane is no big deal, but put them on a train or a bus and they are in heaven. Will was so excited about his first excursion (what we call a field trip) because he would finally get to ride a bus! Never mind that he's flown half way around the world...</div>
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We wandered around Darling Harbour, enjoying the little shops and cafes. I would have liked to have shopped more, but didn't think the boys would go for it. Instead we found an anchor for them to play on before we met our friends.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of fun<br />
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We wandered over to the dock that Christ and Melinda were arriving at, stopping to get me a Flat White on the way. The boys were very excited to see the sailboat coming, jumping up and down, waving and yelling at Chris and Melinda. Once they got off the boat, our boys took their hands to walk over to the Opera House for our guided tour. Bri and I even joked about sending the boys back to the US with them!</div>
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I was excited about the Opera House tour. We had been a little hesitant about taking the tour with the boys, concerned that they would get bored and begin to act out. We shouldn't have worried - Nathan listened to the tour guide with rapt attention. He followed the tour guide around - nearly attached to his hip - without any regard to where Bri and I were. Of course, we followed Nathan closely, giggling all the way.</div>
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Aside number three - we shouldn't have been quite as surprised as we were, as Nathan loves to read non-fiction books. His last library trip included books about how the brain works, how and why to save energy, poisonous animals, and what ancient Rome was like. I love watching his thirst for knowledge and can't wait to see where his career path goes. He's even taking French after school because he's read about Paris and wants to make sure people understand him when he gets there!</div>
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The tour was absolutely fascinating and I would recommend it to anyone visiting. We were booked for the 5pm tour, which included the benefit of a beautiful sunset and great photo opportunities. I had a lot of fun playing and (trying) to be artsy!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harbour Bridge at sunset<br />
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Close up of the Opera House at sunset<br />
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Sailboats on the Harbour<br />
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View of one of the buildings from inside the other one<br />
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View of the city from inside the Opera House<br />
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After a quick bite for dinner and goodbye hugs, we hopped back on the train to Newcastle. We got in decently late, but it was well worth it. We loved hosting and are looking forward to our next visitors - my parents. They will be in Australia soon - with the benefit of a guest room, which leads to..</div>
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Aside number four - we have to move soon. Which is frustrating, even though it does have it's upsides. When we rented this house, we felt like we were lead to believe that it would be a long term rental. The agency knew what we wanted, but alas it was quickly obvious that the owner really didn't want to rent in the first place. Without going into any major details, the owner wants to move in himself now. I gave myself a few days to be not happy, and then went with the "there must be something better suited for us" approach. One of the things about this move is God has clearly been teaching me how to trust Him better - even in the little things. It's not a surprise to most of you that I like control. Well, I basically have control over nothing in the whole house scenario, for reasons I don't want to go into on a public forum. Suffice it to say, what our hopes were for a house were not only met, but ridiculously exceeded. Not only do we have a guest room now - which is good since people are fairly consistently coming to visit now - but the landlord was happy to sign a longer term contract! Not to mention the many friends that have offered their help, be it by watching the kids while we move, helping us unpack, offering us beds to sleep in if the move takes longer than expected, and meals. It's such a reminder of how incredibly blessed we have been in this move.</div>
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Wow, that was a lot of info in one post! I promise to post pictures from the ball and our house as soon as they both happen!</div>
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Kristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994397621907491790noreply@blogger.com0