Our Very Own Wildlife Adventure

In August our family set out on yet another day trip, and this time we headed to the Australia Zoo...Home of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. We had heard great things about the zoo, and were in for a treat...it was everything they said it was and more. The best part about it was that by visiting in August, we received Adventure Passes to return for free for the remainder of 2010!

One of the best things about Australia, is that the population here, appx. 20 million, is roughly the same as the population of Texas.  This means that even on a random Saturday, the zoo, which would be packed to the gills in Houston, was only moderately populated and there was plenty of room to move around and see the sights at our leisure.  No crowds = no pressure. Nice.

Steve Irwin really put this zoo on the map. As a matter of fact, he and his wife Terrie own it.  If you're familiar with him at all, you know about his love for conservation, wildlife and critters of all sizes.  They pay tribute to him in several places at the zoo, but we couldn't pass up the photo opp at this bronze statue in the front.

This wasn't the only stop where we couldn't help ourselves...we took several photos with Steve...here are just a few...

One of the most memorable parts of the zoo (for the adults at least) was the incredible hall that spells out the highlights of Steve's life.  They include photos, articles, and a large number of heartfelt tributes that were sent from around the world when Steve died.  

Of course there was much more to see...

Believe it or not, this is a life-size replica of a "salty" or saltwater croc. Don't think I'll be doing much swimming in their turf.

We saw the usual - roos, koalas, birds, snakes and lizards.  And a few notables:

This is Acco, a 75 year old, 16-foot crocodile.

Here is one cute little devil...a Tasmanian Devil that is.  I'm surprised they don't call them Tazzies here.

We also enjoyed seeing the red pandas they have at the zoo.  This is Yoda.  Trust me, the name was not lost on our 5 year old Star Wars aficionado.

One of the highlights of the zoo experience is feeding the Asian Elephants. We all took a few turns giving fruit and veggies to this little beauty, who got our hands really dirty!

The other highlight is their Wildlife Warriors Show, which previously was performed by Steve himself!  Watching the crocs getting fed was amazing!

After we left the zoo, which is just to the north of Brisbane by about an hour, we took a little side jaunt to the Glasshouse Mountains.  The girls were asleep in the car so we jumped out for a few minutes to take in the views and snap a few photos.

Zooped.

Another family day trip to remember! Thanks Irwin family for making such an impact on us.  We had a great time learning about Aussie wildlife and can't wait to return again!

Absence...Does it Make the Heart Grow Fonder?

I have been absent.  VERY absent from this blog.  To anyone who might actually be following along, my apologies.  I'd love to say there is this great reason that I haven't been blogging much, but honestly, there isn't.  My mind, my heart and my energy have simply been directed towards other things recently, and well, the computer has wonderfully lost some of its hold over me.  I say wonderfully, because truth-be-told, there have been days in the recent past where I have probably neglected my household and motherly duties for a few extra minutes at the laptop.  "What kids, you need to eat?...Okay, after I finish this next Facebook post!" Well, that might be extreme, but I'm sure my family could recite some examples for you.

It's been interesting here in Oz, to have time to reflect on how I live my life, how I spend my time, and what truly makes me happy.  Back in the hustle and bustle of my life in Houston, Texas, I was so busy "blowing and going" between activities and commitments, that I never took the time to wonder if I was truly doing things for the right reasons.  Did they make me happy?  Did they bring glory to God?  Probably some did, but for the most part, a lot of my life there was spent doing things because I thought it was what I was supposed to be doing...because it would make someone else happy.  I got sucked into all the consumer-driven ways of American life, and forgot that quality really means more than quantity in almost all cases.

I realized I "liked" things because other people liked them and not because I derived any joy from them myself.  I lost my own perspective if you will.  Some people call this phenomenon "keeping up with the Joneses", but in my case, it was more like "wanting to be the Joneses."

Right now I am trying to take quiet, introspective time to regain my own spirit and style.  Will this be a quick and easy process...I hope not.  I'm enjoying myself too much.  It's really fun when you run into your self again after realizing you've been away too long.

This might not be making any sense to many of you, but that's okay.  I just wanted to explain why I haven't been as quick on the uptake with blog posts as you might have expected.  So, does the absence really make the heart grow fonder?  In the case of my blog, no.  In the case of myself, absolutely!

Byron Bay

The beauty of living in Brisbane is that it's situated smack dab in the middle of the best part of Australia.  There is more to do within an hour or two than most people can get to in a lifetime.  We, as temporary residents, plan to cram in as much sight-seeing experiences as we possibly can, which means at least every other weekend we will be heading out of town to see something new.

A few weekends ago we headed to the best spot we've been to yet - Bohemia at it's finest - Byron Bay.  Just on the other side of the Queensland / New South Wales border lies this jewel of a beach town in all its laid back glory.  The town center is bumpin' with hip cafes, shops and pubs and not even a block's walk away is a drop dead gorgeous beach...and it's not the only one!  There are several separate beaches that are part of this area, including this one that we stopped at to play in the sand and have a picnic lunch.

It was still a little chilly on the water, but the kids loved running with the waves. We climbed on the rocks, picked up seashells watched the surfers, and got our toes nice and sandy.

After our time on the beach, we took a "beach-to-bush walk" to check out the surfers riding the Julian Rocks and Cape Byron breaks.  The cape is a special point on the Australia coast (the Easterly most point of the country) where the Coral Sea meets the Tasman Sea.  What this means is that it produces some of the most fantastic and varied sea life in all of Australia.  It is said that over 500 species have been identified there. It's a great place to dive and apparently a great place to surf. Even the dolphins were enjoying the waves while we were there.  Two pods were playing and clearly waiting for the best waves, which they rode along with the surfers.  It was so much fun to watch.

Notice the next series of shots...I'm trying to capture a picture of Cory with Marin and Hallie both looking at the camera.  Obviously in the first two shots Hallie doesn't want to look at me (should have been our first clue), but notice where the water is around the rock in the second photo.

Then look at the water in the next photo.  Classic.  The wave came in and drenched all three of them while mom was trying to have ~sigh~ yet another kodak moment.  Wish I had that part on camera!

Once Cory and the girls dried off a little and we took inventory of wallet, iphone, camera, etc. we continued walking towards the cape.  It was breathtaking looking up and down the Queensland and New South Wales coastlines.

We also went up to visit the famous lighthouse before we headed out of town.

By the time we were finished with all of the above, it was getting late and no-napped kiddos were down for the count.  So, we didn't get to spend any time in the little town that is Byron Bay...and I long to go back and see what all the little shops and cafes are about.  Ah, another adventure in our future.  

Condamine Gorge 4x4 Track

Our first official day trip out of Brisbane was taken on Saturday, July 31st with The Mitchells.  We headed Southwest of the city to an area called The Condamine, which is a river and gorge with a great 4x4 track.  As soon as we got to the area of Boonah, I knew we were in landscape photography heaven.  The rolling hills, mountains in the distance, cliffs, green and gold grasses, sunshine/cloud mixture and heavy dark clouds on the horizon made for some amazing scenery.

This was only the first of many "photo opp stops" that we made.  Luckily Melisa is as much of a shutter bug as I am, so it was par for the course.

No sooner than we were out in the middle of nowhere, civilization showed up in the form of 65+ motorcycles.  Turns out Harley Davidson is a big thing over here too.

The choppers didn't make it on the 4x4 track, so once again we were able to enjoy the peace and quiet.

The first of many "warning" signs we saw during our trip.  40Km/h = 25 mph.

We were in the middle of farmland and there were cows everywhere.  Several times during the day we had to stop and wait for them to clear off the road.  This one seems to wonder what in the heck we are doing on his turf.

After a fairly long drive getting to the start of the official 4x4 track, Cory was ready to go and the kids wanted to see some mud.  As you can tell, that was no problem!

And what else would you expect at your first crossing in the middle of nowhere? That's right a traffic jam.

The Mitchell's car heading through a crossing.

Another scenic shot of the Condamine River we went through 14 times.

Our navigators - Melisa and Jonathan.

One of our stops along the way was Browns Falls.  Unfortunately, the day got foggier and ranier, so the kids didn't get to venture out of the car to see this.  Later on, as we were talking about some of the waterfalls, Marin piped in and asked "what's a waterfall?"  Shoot.  Guess we'll have to go back to show her.  

As we got off the track and started to make our way back to the real world, we were greeted by a beautiful rainbow.  What a great way to end a great day!

The Pioneer Woman

I have a girl crush.  Well, it's not really a girl crush as much as a blog crush.  I've been blog-stalking The Pioneer Woman lately and I can't get enough!  Many of you who are old school blog followers know her well, I'm sure.  She's Ree Drummond and she is a goddess in blog world.  I'm still spending several spare minutes a day trying to figure out how she does what she does, but that's beside the point.  If you like to cook or do photography or even if you homeschool your kids, she's an amazing inspiration and a great source for recipes and photo tips.  She also has a collection of FREE Photoshop actions that will change your life.  Click here to learn more if you're a photoshop junkie like me!

Here are a few of the highlights that I've been reading lately from her blog.
The Hip Trick

Pasta with Pancetta and Leeks

A Glimpse into Hyacinth’s Future

hyacinth4 by Holly Mathis Interiors on Polyvore.com

Wounded Warrior

On Friday, July 23rd I had my first ruthlessly true test of how I would react, as a mommy, in the case of a major emergency.  My middle child, or "Monkey Marin", as I lovingly called her because she climbs so much, fell out of a tree at a park while we were playing with friends. She landed with full brunt force on her forehead, which split wide open all the way down to her skull. It was a gruesome laceration and she needed emergency attention right away.

They say you either go into shock/panic mode or shoot straight into supermom mode when something like this happens to one of your babies, and I can assure you, there was no supermom here. It was nothing but

100%. Pure. Panic.

We made it to the ER by the grace of God and the shockingly good-samaritanism (forgive the made up term) of an innocent bystander who graciously carried Marin to the car and drove us to the hospital. Cory met us there just as they took us back to triage. There we waited for the plastic surgeon for what seemed like days, but was more like 6 hours. Luckily we had an amazing doctor, "Doctor Katie", who took care of us from start to finish in the ER.  She was brilliant, and knew exactly how to handle Marin, speak to her, wait for her to get comfortable with an idea before pushing it on her, and helped mommy stay calm too.  It was such a God-send to have this woman be our caretaker at such a scary time.  Very reassuring.

Here we are shortly after our first bandage was applied, and only one dose of pain meds administered. Can you believe we even got a smile out of her here? She was so brave.  Such a trooper.

When the surgeon finally rolled in, he assured us that it was not wise to try to put such a laceration back together on a toddler (much less the face of a girl) under "twilight" anesthesia, and that we would need to wait until the following day for full anesthesia surgery.  So they got her as cleaned up as possible and sent us home for the night. 

Here she is with an ice block, her third (or maybe fourth) bandage, and three doses of pain meds administered.  Sweet thing, she really did seem perfectly normal by this point...it was mommy and daddy that were still completely shaken to our core.

We had to pick Caden and Hallie up from The Purnell's house.  My friend Clare, who had been at the park with us and her three kids, took Caden and Hallie home with her, fed them, put them in PJ's and cared for them until almost midnight.  She even sent dinner home with us.  What an incredible angel she was! 

The following day we had to come back in the morning to check in for a mid-day surgery.  Sidenote, they call it "theatre" here. She was in good spirits and enjoyed playing with the toys at the children's' hospital while she was waiting for theatre. 

Playing away.

Once again we were assigned a fantastic nurse, nurse Libby, who seemed to take special interest in us and actually became an amazing advocate for me, arguing with the theatre staff in order for me to escort Marin all the way into the operating room and hold her hand as they put her under.  AMAZING!  This would never happen in The States!

Mom getting ready for surgery entry.

She came through the quick 35-minute surgery with flying colors, and awoke cranky, but fell back asleep for three hours and then awoke again cheerful and seemingly fine. The anesthesiologist had been given her history of rough transition from anesthesia after her ear tubes surgery and gave her something additional as he administered the anesthesia, which he said helped "ease her out of it."

Her first food of choice? Chocolate chip cookies and chocolate milk.  Atta girl!

With daddy (and her chocolate milk).

Twenty-five outer layer stitches, and 5 inner layer stitches, and we had our little girl all put back together again.  Praise the Lord!

Just this past week, we went back to see our plastic surgeon to get a check up and make sure everything was healing well.  She got two thumbs up!  

Here she is with Dr. Broadhurst, who Cory and I joked looks more like Vin Diesel than the surgeon we were expecting :)  He did a great job, and I couldn't have been more comfortable with my daughter being in his care.  Sidenote - we also joked that only in Oz would you have a surgeon who looks like Vin Diesel, and leaves directly after surgery to go surfing in Indonesia! (seriously)