It's been a few weeks now since I last posted. Truth be told, I haven't much had the stomach for blogging. I've been too busy, too stressed, or too tired. We are finally in our house and have gotten the good news that our shipment is at port and should be released later this week. We are expecting delivery this Friday, July 2nd, with a chance that it will be over the weekend or at the latest Monday, July 5th. What a day of independence for us! It is so very much time to stop living out of suitcases and go back to having things like cheese shredders, trash cans, hangers, extra blankets and familiar towels at our disposal. It's been a solid two months now since we last saw most of our possessions and it's definitely been a lesson in patience. It's also been eye opening about what we can really live without!
The kids have been troopers. Considering everything we've been through to transition to this new adventurous life, they have come through with flying colors...and a couple of tantrums. I think all three could have been handed an award for most creative, worst timing melt downs over the past few weeks, but generally speaking they have handled everything well.
Cory is enjoying his job and gearing up for the onslaught of work that is landing on his desk. The company has been amazingly flexible in allowing him to focus on his personal business first and get his family settled, which has been a huge blessing. That said, his purpose here is to work, and it's time to get geared up.
I promise to myself and anyone following that very soon there will be more to look at and hear about as we finish the last of our to-do list in getting settled: move belongings in, buy car, get kids in school.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Would You Cuddle a Koala?
Well...we did! Last weekend we packed up the Heitzmann gang and went to check out the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. It's a little zoo-type place right here in Brisbane, in an area called Fig Tree Pocket, where you can get up close and personal with the little critters and other native Australian wild life. We found it difficult to start a phrase with the word "lone" and not say "star" afterwards! Anyway, we walked right in and spotted these guys right away.
The word koala is aboriginal for "no drink" because koalas hardly ever need to drink any water since their main diet of Eucalyptus leaves is 50% water already.
They even had koala mommies and their babies.
Then we decided to join the ranks of Taylor Swift, Eric Clapton, The Queen of England, etc., and have our photo taken with a furry marsupial. Here we are giving "Bentley" a cuddle. You can tell the kids weren't as interested in taking the photo as we thought they would be.
Even more fun than meeting Bentley, however, was the sanctuary's kangaroo reserve. You walk through a gate to 5 acres of open fields and, yes, kangaroos. They have over 130 roos and wallabies just hanging out waiting to be fed and pet. It was an amazing experience and the kids had a blast.
They also had Tasmanian Devils, dingos, wombats, crocodiles, and lots more to look at. I snapped these shots of some of the common birds here. The Lorikeets are awesome - they are as prevalent here as Mockingbirds are in Texas. I still get excited when I see one, which I'm sure is ridiculous to locals.
I've only seen a couple of Kookaburras so far, but they have the wildest laugh. It sounds a bit like a howler monkey, in case you've had the privilege of hearing them. Loud and haunting. A fun little tidbit about Kookaburras is that they mate for life, so once they find "the one" the settle down and raise a family. Reminds me of the Friends episode about Lobsters...I digress.
So that's our latest adventure. I would highly recommend this stop to anyone new or visiting Australia. You hear about the koalas and kangaroos as epic symbols of this country, so it's a must to experience them in such a personal setting.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Happy Birthday to Daddy!
Cory celebrated his thirty-something birthday (yes I know which one it was) on May 27th. We had already agreed that it wouldn't be a spectacular birthday in terms of "things", but special nonetheless.
And so our family's only spring birthday is over and we have to wait until September to eat more cake :(
The kids and I went to a bakery nearby and picked out a birthday cake. Marin, the big girl, carried it home all by herself.
Then they each worked on a birthday card for daddy during the afternoon.
We had everything set up for him when he got home from work.
The kids couldn't wait to give him their personalized cards...
...or to blow out the candles.
And so our family's only spring birthday is over and we have to wait until September to eat more cake :(
A Surfer's Paradise
A few weekends ago we were dying to get out of town, so we headed in the obvious direction of a place on the Gold Coast called Surfer's Paradise. And yes, it does look a bit like paradise, only with high rises. We arrived in the middle of the day and were surprised how much it DIDN'T feel like winter when we got to the beach. Unfortunately we came dressed like city folk and were not prepared at all for the kids to play on the beach. Here are the few pics we got before Hallie was drenched in saltwater and covered in sand and we had to head out. That said, we will definitely be back with our swimsuits and shovels!
Monday, May 31, 2010
No Such Thing as the Seven Year Itch
Today is the 7th wedding anniversary for Cory and me. On this day in 2003 we were both anxiously awaiting our beautiful ceremony at The Hotel Galvez in Galveston, TX. We met at Texas State University in 1999 and both knew it was a good thing from the start. Eleven years later we're still going strong, living in the land down under. Here are a few of my favorite photos from over the years.
Our first date - Grant & Lyndsey's Wedding (1999)
One of our most fun dates - San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Playoffs (1999)
On our first trip to Europe - Nice, France one of our most
favorite places in the world (1999)
At The Hole in the Wall Pub, Paris, France (1999)
Cory's SWT Graduation (2000)
First New Year's in Houston (2001)
Bike Ride in Houston (2001)
First Trip to Chi Town (2001)
The Night we Got Engaged (2002)
Second Trip to Europe - Rome Colosseum (2002)
Venice (2002)
We're Hitched! (2003)
After Our Wedding Ceremony (2003)
On Our Honeymoon - Grand Cayman Island (2003)
On Lake Travis - one of our other favorite places in the world (2003)
Snowboarding in Breckenridge, CO (2004)
Our Anniversary: One of Our Last Dates Before Kids - Phantom of the Opera (2005)
Photos in The Heights, Houston (2010)
First Week in Brisbane Australia (2010)
I would (and have) traveled to the ends of the Earth with this man. Here's to many more years of adventure and happiness!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
A Second Week of Firsts
Our second week in Brisbane was more bringing in of the new. One of our biggest prayers before arriving in Australia, was that God was preparing friendships that would be ready to be realized upon our arrival. Thankfully, our God is good and that's exactly what has happened!
I didn't get to take as many photos this week because of a nasty sinus infection that chose to catch up with me. I fought it all week long before breaking down to see a doctor on Friday who kindly prescribed me some Augmenton (sp?) that finally took care of the pain. So, Monday I was in bed all day feeling bad and Tuesday I bucked up a little to go over to our new friend's the Strachan's and Browne's house for our first Aussie BBQ.
The Strachans are Cory's parent's friends who have kindly taken us under their wings to show us a bit of the ropes here in Brisbane. Jeanette has been driving us around to show us different areas as I mentioned in last week's post. The Brownes are John & Jeanette's daughter, Louise, and son-in-law, Jacques, who are living with them until they move into their new house close-by. They have two little ones a boy who is almost 2 and a brand new, sweet baby girl.
Here is a photo of Cory and Jacques grilling. You could feel the comfort of home wash over Cory as he stood in front of the grill with a beer in his hand!
Jeanette made this yummy pasta that the kids shoveled up in two helpings each. I have to get the recipe so that I'll have a new stand-by favorite in my Australian kitchen. I'll be sure to share once it's in hand. Here she is in her kitchen being silly!
Hallie had fun meeting their Chocolate Lab and we all felt heartsick missing our favorite Lab, Chessie back home in Texas with Cousin Dan.
We ate out on their beautiful covered deck - which is a standard fixture on almost every house we have seen here. I don't think many people actually eat inside often. The breezes are fantastic, and it's just perfect to sit outdoors and eat with friends on a cool evening. Here is the table they prepared for us - we had sausage (always a hit with the kids) and grilled kangaroo. Yes kangaroo! It was awesome! Just like steak.
Wednesday we met a new friend named Anna. She is the sister-in-law of the family we met in the park last weekend. She's studying real estate now that her youngest child started prep (Kindergarden in The States) and she has a passion for helping people. She came to our apartment and walked us through another round of information on areas in and around Brisbane and other odds and ends she thought would be helpful. She was kind and down-to-earth, and Cory and I both remarked that she was so easy to be around that it was like we were old pals. Such a huge blessing!
Thursday was another first as Cory and I set out to conquer driving on the wrong side of the road. We got a rental car and, WATCH OUT AUSTRALIA, started driving ourselves around. This is Cory getting behind the wheel for the first time. It should be noted that he did a great job getting us where we needed to be and braved the winding streets of Brisbane without so much as one complaint. And, he only hit the curb twice!
I'm sorry I didn't get my own picture of us driving our first car. It was green as green gets and a wagon! Our friends the Ecob's said it looked like Kermit the Frog. You get the idea. Here is a photo from carguide.com.au. Haha!
Thursday night, Grandma Pat treated us to one last night of babysitting so that Cory and I could go out for dinner to celebrate our upcoming 7th anniversary. Cory chose to book reservations on the Kookaburra Queen riverboat, which is a dinner cruise that spans up and down the Brisbane River at night. It was such a beautiful ride, with breathtaking sights of the city at night. Too bad the food was the worst I've had yet. I truly ended up eating rice with butter. Even dessert was terrible. Please tell me how you can screw up dessert? I think a do-over is in our future!
Here are some shots I took before and while we were on the boat.
Friday was another bad day for me, as I clearly was not getting over my sinus infection. I broke down and went to my first AU doctor - thankfully there is GP office in our apartment building so it was easy to figure out. They do 10 minute consultations here, with absolutely no regulations on what doctors can charge. I paid $65 for a 10 minute consultation, which I hear is pretty reasonable for the city as some have said they have seen doctors charge $155. Of course we will be reimbursed by our health cover here, but I thought it would be an interesting tidbit to include.
By Saturday morning the antibiotic had already started taking effect so we headed out as a family to see some new areas of Brisbane and look at more houses. It was a great day for many reasons, not the least of which was that we saw this as we were driving...
Yep, that's right, our first Mexican experience in Australia! It wasn't half bad, even though it paled in comparison to the Tex-Mex we have back home. Of course, I had to try the queso...small, different, but better than no queso! I do believe we'll be back when we're feeling a bit homesick.
Everyone's all smiles!
Sunday we headed South, about halfway to the Gold Coast, to meet some friends who were introduced to us by our old Champions neighbors Glen & Sharyn. Tracey and Matt Ecob used to stay with Glen & Sharyn when they came to The States for Matt to play as a pro in the Championship Golf Tours. When we told Glen & Sharyn we were moving here they introduced us by e-mail to the Ecobs and they were a huge help in getting us information while we were still in Houston. They invited us out to their house for another Sunday BBQ and the kids were in heaven getting to know Mackenzie (9) and Lauchlin (sp?) (5). It was clear that Caden had been in desperate need of some rough and tumble boy time as the two didn't stop the entire time we were there! As we pulled out that night, the two boys would not stop yelling "Bye! I love you!" until we rolled out of their driveway.
Here is a photo of me and Tracey.
And, while the Ecob's drove us around to see some of the Gold Coast neighborhoods we had our first officially random Kangaroo sighting. Just like deer on the side of the road in Texas, these roos (actually Wallabies) were just grazing away. We were the only cars that stopped to look, it's just a normal thing around here apparently. Note to self - need a better zoom lens for this sort of thing.
And so our second week in Brisbane drew to a close and we got ready for Cory to start his new work at URS. I must say after all the kiddo crazies these past few weeks, I'm a little envious of his new purpose! More about week three to come soon!
I didn't get to take as many photos this week because of a nasty sinus infection that chose to catch up with me. I fought it all week long before breaking down to see a doctor on Friday who kindly prescribed me some Augmenton (sp?) that finally took care of the pain. So, Monday I was in bed all day feeling bad and Tuesday I bucked up a little to go over to our new friend's the Strachan's and Browne's house for our first Aussie BBQ.
The Strachans are Cory's parent's friends who have kindly taken us under their wings to show us a bit of the ropes here in Brisbane. Jeanette has been driving us around to show us different areas as I mentioned in last week's post. The Brownes are John & Jeanette's daughter, Louise, and son-in-law, Jacques, who are living with them until they move into their new house close-by. They have two little ones a boy who is almost 2 and a brand new, sweet baby girl.
Here is a photo of Cory and Jacques grilling. You could feel the comfort of home wash over Cory as he stood in front of the grill with a beer in his hand!
Jeanette made this yummy pasta that the kids shoveled up in two helpings each. I have to get the recipe so that I'll have a new stand-by favorite in my Australian kitchen. I'll be sure to share once it's in hand. Here she is in her kitchen being silly!
Hallie had fun meeting their Chocolate Lab and we all felt heartsick missing our favorite Lab, Chessie back home in Texas with Cousin Dan.
We ate out on their beautiful covered deck - which is a standard fixture on almost every house we have seen here. I don't think many people actually eat inside often. The breezes are fantastic, and it's just perfect to sit outdoors and eat with friends on a cool evening. Here is the table they prepared for us - we had sausage (always a hit with the kids) and grilled kangaroo. Yes kangaroo! It was awesome! Just like steak.
Wednesday we met a new friend named Anna. She is the sister-in-law of the family we met in the park last weekend. She's studying real estate now that her youngest child started prep (Kindergarden in The States) and she has a passion for helping people. She came to our apartment and walked us through another round of information on areas in and around Brisbane and other odds and ends she thought would be helpful. She was kind and down-to-earth, and Cory and I both remarked that she was so easy to be around that it was like we were old pals. Such a huge blessing!
Thursday was another first as Cory and I set out to conquer driving on the wrong side of the road. We got a rental car and, WATCH OUT AUSTRALIA, started driving ourselves around. This is Cory getting behind the wheel for the first time. It should be noted that he did a great job getting us where we needed to be and braved the winding streets of Brisbane without so much as one complaint. And, he only hit the curb twice!
I'm sorry I didn't get my own picture of us driving our first car. It was green as green gets and a wagon! Our friends the Ecob's said it looked like Kermit the Frog. You get the idea. Here is a photo from carguide.com.au. Haha!
Here are some shots I took before and while we were on the boat.
Friday was another bad day for me, as I clearly was not getting over my sinus infection. I broke down and went to my first AU doctor - thankfully there is GP office in our apartment building so it was easy to figure out. They do 10 minute consultations here, with absolutely no regulations on what doctors can charge. I paid $65 for a 10 minute consultation, which I hear is pretty reasonable for the city as some have said they have seen doctors charge $155. Of course we will be reimbursed by our health cover here, but I thought it would be an interesting tidbit to include.
By Saturday morning the antibiotic had already started taking effect so we headed out as a family to see some new areas of Brisbane and look at more houses. It was a great day for many reasons, not the least of which was that we saw this as we were driving...
Yep, that's right, our first Mexican experience in Australia! It wasn't half bad, even though it paled in comparison to the Tex-Mex we have back home. Of course, I had to try the queso...small, different, but better than no queso! I do believe we'll be back when we're feeling a bit homesick.
Everyone's all smiles!
Sunday we headed South, about halfway to the Gold Coast, to meet some friends who were introduced to us by our old Champions neighbors Glen & Sharyn. Tracey and Matt Ecob used to stay with Glen & Sharyn when they came to The States for Matt to play as a pro in the Championship Golf Tours. When we told Glen & Sharyn we were moving here they introduced us by e-mail to the Ecobs and they were a huge help in getting us information while we were still in Houston. They invited us out to their house for another Sunday BBQ and the kids were in heaven getting to know Mackenzie (9) and Lauchlin (sp?) (5). It was clear that Caden had been in desperate need of some rough and tumble boy time as the two didn't stop the entire time we were there! As we pulled out that night, the two boys would not stop yelling "Bye! I love you!" until we rolled out of their driveway.
Here is a photo of me and Tracey.
And, while the Ecob's drove us around to see some of the Gold Coast neighborhoods we had our first officially random Kangaroo sighting. Just like deer on the side of the road in Texas, these roos (actually Wallabies) were just grazing away. We were the only cars that stopped to look, it's just a normal thing around here apparently. Note to self - need a better zoom lens for this sort of thing.
And so our second week in Brisbane drew to a close and we got ready for Cory to start his new work at URS. I must say after all the kiddo crazies these past few weeks, I'm a little envious of his new purpose! More about week three to come soon!
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