Well, not a whole lot has happened this last week, but I think it was probably the best week I've had in a while. Firstly, because I've started going to the gym with Jamie's cousin, Kirsten. She's expecting her first baby in January so she's been going to the gym so she can swim in the heated pool; I'm going so I can drown in my own sweat. I didn't realized until I got on the treadmill how important it is that I should know by now how to convert kilometers into miles. I had no idea how far or how fast I was going. I did realize that after I had run an entire kilometer in less than five minutes that it was definitely gone less than a mile. Just so everyone is clear, one mile is 2.6 kilometers. My next realization was that after being in Australia for eight months I really need to figure out how many pounds a kilo is. I felt like every eye in the room was staring at me as I tried to pick up the 22 kilo dumbbells in each hand. Who knew 22 kilos was close to 50 pounds?! You can only imagine me dropping one and having to use both hands to pick it up and replace it on the shelf. I did have a pretty intense work-out and felt pretty good about myself as I hobbled around the house for the next two days.
On the plus side, day two at the gym was much more exciting. For the first 45 minutes I was probably the only person in the room under 50. It was a nice feeling that all the pain I was going through from my last work-out was paying off as I ran next to a man who was walking at 1.8 miles an hour. Just so you can picture how slow that is, I googled the speed of an average turtle and the first number I saw was 1.0mph. As if that didn't make me feel like a spartan, a lady from Portugal came up and asked if I was a dancer. Keep in mind that the show on the overhead TV was "Dancing With the Stars." I literally laughed out loud and she proceeded to tell me about the free couples dancing classes she's been taking with her husband, and it was a great place to make new friends. Who needs couples dancing when you can meet complete strangers in a gym?
Secondly, I've started weeding my garden. Jamie was able to get the brush cutter(weed eater) working and I hacked away at the jungle in my back yard. In case you've forgotten from my very first blog, the entire yard is called your garden and you have a separate vegetable garden. The lady next door was spraying the microscopic weeds in her yard and since I was having such an energetic week it inspired me to start bulldozing through our weeds. I've put a lovely dent in all the work and then hand weeded the flower beds. Applause is appropriate at this point :). Thank you...
Thirdly, after it rained for almost a week straight, I've finished the laundry. I know it might not sound like a big deal, but we don't use the dryer in the laundry room. Everything gets to hang out on the line, and because Jamie informed me that he was running low on even his "famine" underwear, it was imperative that I get his clothes clean and DRY. When I woke up to the sun pouring through the window at 6:15 yesterday morning, I knew it was laundry day. It's officially folded and put away now so I'll be fine if it rains again starting tomorrow.
I hope this next week will be just as lovely. I've got fairly big plans and goals so with a good attitude I should be able to check everything off my list. Hopefully, your week will be as fulfilling and relaxing as mine was. For those of you who may have just finished a really lousy week, keep your chin up; the rain will clear up soon!
Side note: Jamie and I finally found a video game we can play together!!!!! SingStar Abba! Thanks, Dad, for teaching me what good music is all about.
Saturday 24 September 2011
Thursday 15 September 2011
Back Roads and Beaches
Upon my return from my trip to the states, Jamie decided we needed to take a vacation. He's been working so hard and with my being gone he had extra duties around the house that I'm sure were a bit overwhelming. So even though I had technically been on vacation for just under two months, I unpacked and re-packed for a trip to Augusta.
Augusta is the most south-westerly tip of Australia. I heard a tour guide say that it was the closest we would get to Antarctica from this side of the country which I found pretty cool. I know what you're thinking though; it must be cold since it's winter over here. The weather was fantastic and other than a bit of rain here and there it was pretty ideal for a vacation. We were on the coast obviously so it was still a bit too cool to actually play in the water, but as surprising as it may seem the Southern Ocean is pretty warm year round. That statement might be a bit contradictory; I guess what I'm trying to say is even at it's coldest the Southern Ocean is not as cold as the Pacific in the middle of July.
On a side note, we stayed in the Best Western. I thought it was kinda funny that we were staying in an American chain hotel, but then again hotels are a lot different over here. Yes, there are typical three story or sky rise hotels, but mostly when you show up for the weekend, a hotel is more of a motel. It's more like a small apartment really instead of the typical American, Best Western, complete with continental breakfast. By the way, free continental breakfasts are just that, continental. You have to pay for everything in Australia, and while you don't have to tip anyone, it's added into the outrageous prices. I can't complain too much though since I noticed that the economy here is doing much better than what I saw back home.
Anyways, back to the beach; we had a lovely time touring all over Augusta, and Jamie took me to see a lighthouse. It's the tallest building in Western Australia and I think someone said it was the first lighthouse on the west coast. Either way, it was pretty cool that it's still standing and used today. We got stuck on a tour with two 70-year-old couples from Melbourne, and while I don't mind be patient for elders, it took us about ten times as long to climb the stairs as it would have normally. It was pretty cute though because the two little old men were carrying the purses for their spouses and very politely pushing their back-sides up the next flight of stairs. Needless to say, Jamie insisted I stop giggling at all their funny antics.
We also got to go on the cave tours. There are over 300 caves on the west coast, and three of them are world-renowned. The first cave we saw, Jewel Cave, has the longest "straw"(pencil-like stalactite) which Jamie took about a million pictures of. (I'm so glad digital cameras have delete buttons.) Then on to Lake Cave and Mammoth Cave. There were are pretty spectacular in their own way, but of the three I've got to say that Lake Cave was the most memorable. We climbed over 300 stairs to get down there, and surprise, you have to climb them all the way back up. Jamie and I decided that rather than pausing at each level with all the middle-aged couples, we would just take it all in one jaunt. Guess who felt like a 90 year-old woman the next day?! All of a sudden the two little women at the lighthouse had a new level of respect in my book. It's funny how it all comes back to bite you in the face.
We took cereal and sandwich goods with us so that we could splurge a little bit for eating out at dinnertime. The first night was Italian which we both love and just to switch things up since we were on vacation I decided to try something new. With all the cooking I've been doing recently, I've been a bit more brave in the things I try to eat knowing that Jamie has been my guinea pig lately. I had seafood risotto for dinner and just as I was explaining how it tasted too fishy I realized there were three squid in my bowl. Explanation: I love calamari; but this was not calamari. They were still purple complete with heads and tentacles. I did not eat anymore seafood risotto and instead finished my water and watched Jamie eat his mouth-watering lamb shank.
I've saved the best story for last. If you've read this far then I know you'll love this. On the second evening of our vacation, we took a stroll down the beach to the point where Margaret River meets the ocean. It was already a pretty awe-inspiring picture with the sun setting and the salty sea breeze when a dolphin jumped out of the water way out on the horizon. Within five minutes there were three dolphins and they were headed in land as if they were herding some fish for dinner. Between my squealing and tugging on his arm like a child, Jamie's first four attempts at a video were hopeless. It really was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. We ran as fast as we could in the direction that the dolphins were herding and by the time we were stopped and out of breath, they were so close we could have touched them. I was still in shock and wonder when we turned to go back to the car and realized our shoes were soaked since we ran straight through the marshes of seaweed. Gross.
Our trip home was lovely. We took the back roads and got to see some of the farms and country towns we live close too. The flowers and forests were in full bloom and made for a perfect ending to our weekend. I can't wait to take all my friends and family to see all these places when they come to visit someday.
Augusta is the most south-westerly tip of Australia. I heard a tour guide say that it was the closest we would get to Antarctica from this side of the country which I found pretty cool. I know what you're thinking though; it must be cold since it's winter over here. The weather was fantastic and other than a bit of rain here and there it was pretty ideal for a vacation. We were on the coast obviously so it was still a bit too cool to actually play in the water, but as surprising as it may seem the Southern Ocean is pretty warm year round. That statement might be a bit contradictory; I guess what I'm trying to say is even at it's coldest the Southern Ocean is not as cold as the Pacific in the middle of July.
On a side note, we stayed in the Best Western. I thought it was kinda funny that we were staying in an American chain hotel, but then again hotels are a lot different over here. Yes, there are typical three story or sky rise hotels, but mostly when you show up for the weekend, a hotel is more of a motel. It's more like a small apartment really instead of the typical American, Best Western, complete with continental breakfast. By the way, free continental breakfasts are just that, continental. You have to pay for everything in Australia, and while you don't have to tip anyone, it's added into the outrageous prices. I can't complain too much though since I noticed that the economy here is doing much better than what I saw back home.
Anyways, back to the beach; we had a lovely time touring all over Augusta, and Jamie took me to see a lighthouse. It's the tallest building in Western Australia and I think someone said it was the first lighthouse on the west coast. Either way, it was pretty cool that it's still standing and used today. We got stuck on a tour with two 70-year-old couples from Melbourne, and while I don't mind be patient for elders, it took us about ten times as long to climb the stairs as it would have normally. It was pretty cute though because the two little old men were carrying the purses for their spouses and very politely pushing their back-sides up the next flight of stairs. Needless to say, Jamie insisted I stop giggling at all their funny antics.
We also got to go on the cave tours. There are over 300 caves on the west coast, and three of them are world-renowned. The first cave we saw, Jewel Cave, has the longest "straw"(pencil-like stalactite) which Jamie took about a million pictures of. (I'm so glad digital cameras have delete buttons.) Then on to Lake Cave and Mammoth Cave. There were are pretty spectacular in their own way, but of the three I've got to say that Lake Cave was the most memorable. We climbed over 300 stairs to get down there, and surprise, you have to climb them all the way back up. Jamie and I decided that rather than pausing at each level with all the middle-aged couples, we would just take it all in one jaunt. Guess who felt like a 90 year-old woman the next day?! All of a sudden the two little women at the lighthouse had a new level of respect in my book. It's funny how it all comes back to bite you in the face.
We took cereal and sandwich goods with us so that we could splurge a little bit for eating out at dinnertime. The first night was Italian which we both love and just to switch things up since we were on vacation I decided to try something new. With all the cooking I've been doing recently, I've been a bit more brave in the things I try to eat knowing that Jamie has been my guinea pig lately. I had seafood risotto for dinner and just as I was explaining how it tasted too fishy I realized there were three squid in my bowl. Explanation: I love calamari; but this was not calamari. They were still purple complete with heads and tentacles. I did not eat anymore seafood risotto and instead finished my water and watched Jamie eat his mouth-watering lamb shank.
I've saved the best story for last. If you've read this far then I know you'll love this. On the second evening of our vacation, we took a stroll down the beach to the point where Margaret River meets the ocean. It was already a pretty awe-inspiring picture with the sun setting and the salty sea breeze when a dolphin jumped out of the water way out on the horizon. Within five minutes there were three dolphins and they were headed in land as if they were herding some fish for dinner. Between my squealing and tugging on his arm like a child, Jamie's first four attempts at a video were hopeless. It really was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. We ran as fast as we could in the direction that the dolphins were herding and by the time we were stopped and out of breath, they were so close we could have touched them. I was still in shock and wonder when we turned to go back to the car and realized our shoes were soaked since we ran straight through the marshes of seaweed. Gross.
Our trip home was lovely. We took the back roads and got to see some of the farms and country towns we live close too. The flowers and forests were in full bloom and made for a perfect ending to our weekend. I can't wait to take all my friends and family to see all these places when they come to visit someday.
Tuesday 13 September 2011
Life as We Know It
It's been a while...I know...let's skip this bit and say it was just yesterday. A lot has happened in the last few months; I'm sure everyone can say that. I'll not bore you with the horrendous details about the plane trip, but I just had a lovely trip back home to see my parents and family. It really was a fantastic trip and it was great to finally meet baby Isaiah. He's such a cutie and I didn't even mind waking up every two hours to his tiny infant screams, and I actually enjoyed him sleeping on my tummy at 5:30 a.m. after his poor mommy was exhausted. Jodie is a beautiful mother and it was such a blessing to spend time with them even if I bawled worse than Isaiah when it was time to leave.
I also got to spend a bit of time with Aaron even though Mom and I had to suck up the tears and send him off to college. I think his roomates thought we were a bit too attached, but they had forgotten all about me apparently because the next time they saw me I was mistaken for Aaron's girlfriend. It had never occured to me that only girls check for other girls wedding rings.
This blog would get way too long if I went into detail about everyone I visited while I was in the states. I think everyone that saw me could tell how happy I was to be back and see Mom and Dad and Papa and Mema. Before I forget, I did get to spend some time in Nathan and Savannah's sweet new house, and just so everyone's clear, Nathan's completely immune to the side-effects of anesthesea. Other than mild rage issues directed at the car he insisted I bulldoze over, our trip home from getting his wisdom teeth removed was ridiculously uneventful. Also, I liked driving his truck. It had been a while since I had driven a good ole American, Ford.
Anyways, it's back to the land down under. I had lots of people remind me that I had a blog and that I needed to keep up with it better. Consider this my reinstatement, and forgive my tardiness.
It's spring here in Australia and as I've heard from the lady next door in about fifty different signals the weeds are really bad this year. I'm not sure if she got the memo that I'm not a professional at this gardening stuff, and she definitely missed the memo that I'm not super-woman and I've been gone for two months. Needless to say, our yard is worse than the Amazon rain forest, and I'm REALLY REALLY embarassed. Jamie and I got up early Saturday morning and we barely had our sleeves rolled up and our hands in the dirt for more than fifteen minutes when I started crying in dispair. The man next door came out to dump something in his compost and asked me how I was doing. I just stood there for about fifteen seconds fighting all the sarcastic things I wanted to say while I was standing in waist high weeds. Let's just move on. (I really hope the man next door doesn't read this what with it being on the world-wide-web and all.)
The dogs are happy I'm home, Jamie is extatic that I'm home, and the house is practically beaming now that I'm back home. I think I'm not over the hill yet, but I think I'm well on my way to settling here in Jarrahdale. Thanks to some encouraging words from my dad and the trip back to the states to check if my family was alright, I can now buckle down and call this home. It is really, and I think a good dose of being a way for a tad bit too long was just the right medicine. I didn't realize just how needed I was here, and while a part of me will always be permantly tied to the places and people in the U.S.A., it's nice to know I can make new ties here. Yes, I miss everything. Yes, I want to come back. Yes, Jamie will have to give me a big box of tissues and then some chocolate every three weeks to cheer me up, but I'm happy. Who knew happiness was a choice?
I'll leave the rest of what's on my mind for next time, but because I miss country music so much, I want to leave you with a song title that means a lot to me :).
"Stand" by Rascall Flatts
I also got to spend a bit of time with Aaron even though Mom and I had to suck up the tears and send him off to college. I think his roomates thought we were a bit too attached, but they had forgotten all about me apparently because the next time they saw me I was mistaken for Aaron's girlfriend. It had never occured to me that only girls check for other girls wedding rings.
This blog would get way too long if I went into detail about everyone I visited while I was in the states. I think everyone that saw me could tell how happy I was to be back and see Mom and Dad and Papa and Mema. Before I forget, I did get to spend some time in Nathan and Savannah's sweet new house, and just so everyone's clear, Nathan's completely immune to the side-effects of anesthesea. Other than mild rage issues directed at the car he insisted I bulldoze over, our trip home from getting his wisdom teeth removed was ridiculously uneventful. Also, I liked driving his truck. It had been a while since I had driven a good ole American, Ford.
Anyways, it's back to the land down under. I had lots of people remind me that I had a blog and that I needed to keep up with it better. Consider this my reinstatement, and forgive my tardiness.
It's spring here in Australia and as I've heard from the lady next door in about fifty different signals the weeds are really bad this year. I'm not sure if she got the memo that I'm not a professional at this gardening stuff, and she definitely missed the memo that I'm not super-woman and I've been gone for two months. Needless to say, our yard is worse than the Amazon rain forest, and I'm REALLY REALLY embarassed. Jamie and I got up early Saturday morning and we barely had our sleeves rolled up and our hands in the dirt for more than fifteen minutes when I started crying in dispair. The man next door came out to dump something in his compost and asked me how I was doing. I just stood there for about fifteen seconds fighting all the sarcastic things I wanted to say while I was standing in waist high weeds. Let's just move on. (I really hope the man next door doesn't read this what with it being on the world-wide-web and all.)
The dogs are happy I'm home, Jamie is extatic that I'm home, and the house is practically beaming now that I'm back home. I think I'm not over the hill yet, but I think I'm well on my way to settling here in Jarrahdale. Thanks to some encouraging words from my dad and the trip back to the states to check if my family was alright, I can now buckle down and call this home. It is really, and I think a good dose of being a way for a tad bit too long was just the right medicine. I didn't realize just how needed I was here, and while a part of me will always be permantly tied to the places and people in the U.S.A., it's nice to know I can make new ties here. Yes, I miss everything. Yes, I want to come back. Yes, Jamie will have to give me a big box of tissues and then some chocolate every three weeks to cheer me up, but I'm happy. Who knew happiness was a choice?
I'll leave the rest of what's on my mind for next time, but because I miss country music so much, I want to leave you with a song title that means a lot to me :).
"Stand" by Rascall Flatts
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