Keys Down Under

What I Learned While Living in Australia

2013-06-15T15:07:00.000+10:00

What I learned while living in Australia (along with how to knit/surf/sail/substitute teach/blog/speak Australian lingo/etc.):

America is not the best at everything.

Growing up in the United States, I had a very insulated view of our country and how it compared to others in the world. I think the general consensus among American citizens is that the USA is the greatest country in the world, and nowhere else can compete. While that may be true in some respects, I think we could learn a lot from the way other countries do certain things (and not just Australia). I don’t really want to get into the specifics of this point, but it was definitely eye-opening to realize that America is not “perfect.”

Making “couple friends” is like dating.

When Zack and I met and started dating in Denver, he became friends with some of the friends I had made when I had moved to that city and started a soccer team. Though we met a few couples over the next couple of years, we never really had to make any new friends together until we got to Australia. I had never realized how much like dating it would be. You all go out to dinner together or something on your first “date,” and try to present your best self and avoid uncomfortable topics of conversation. The girl has to like the other girl a lot, and the guy has to like the other guy a lot, and the girls and guys have to like each other too (but not too much!). As time progresses, you get more comfortable with each other and discuss more serious topics, hang out more informally, and do things together more spontaneously. It’s a lot of work, but totally worth it for the great friendships you can create.

Traveling is not that big of a deal.

When I lived in the United States, a three-hour flight from one part of the country to another was a huge deal. That would constitute a major trip, and I wouldn’t do it too often. Now (if the price isn’t too ridiculous!), I’d hop on a flight for a weekend trip without even batting an eye. I think a lot of Americans make a huge deal out of leaving the country, or even their own state or city! After living abroad, I find traveling so much easier and wonder why I didn’t do it more often much earlier.

Anyway, those are the three major revelations I had while living abroad, along with hundreds of other little ones. Can you tell this blog is nearing an end?

This was the first American flag I saw upon landing in the United States.

Tattoo Time

2013-06-13T15:44:00.000+10:00

Before going in-does he look nervous?

For several months before leaving Australia, Zack was talking about wanting a tattoo. Now, neither of us had/have any tattoos, and I didn't think he (or I) would ever get one. I wasn't against the idea of him getting one, provided the location was inconspicuous and the design was personal and meaningful. I just didn't want him to do something he'd regret later. After much research, many vetoed ideas ("A koi fish sleeve, really dear?"), and several drafted designs, Zack had a good plan, and I accompanied him to the tattoo parlor about a week before we left the country.

Are you ready for this, Zack?!

When we first arrived, the guy tried to draw the design Zack was asking for and kept getting it wrong. Finally, another girl took over and drew exactly what he was looking for. After sticking the temporary tattoo drawing on his upper right back so she could trace the lines, he was ready to go. Zack said the process was really only painful at the beginning and then again at the end when the girl went back over some lines. He put in some headphones and listened to hard rock music the whole time she was working; it took about half an hour.

I actually expected the whole process to be a lot bloodier. It was more like an oozy sore, such as when you skin your knee. The girl would do a small portion of the line or shading in either black or gray ink and then wipe away the blood and extra ink smears with the rag. The tattoo gun sounded kind of like a dental drill or an electric hair clipper. It was fascinating to watch her work.

Red because it was newly finished.

The design Zack chose was the New Zealand koru symbol. This spiral shape is based on the unfurling fern frond, and it symbolizes new life, growth, strength, and peace. Our trip to New Zealand was his favorite from our time abroad, and this seemed like a good way to remember our two years in the Southern Hemisphere as well as look forward to our "new life" back in the United States. I think he made a good choice! And if I wasn't a chicken, I might have gotten a tiny little outline of Australia on my inner ankle. But I was (am) too scared of the pain!

Happily, Zack still likes his tattoo (and so do I). It's a happy reminder of the great time we had down under!

A Farewell Concert

2013-06-11T13:51:00.000+10:00

Zack LOVES Guns N' Roses. Loves them. Like Slash was sort of his idol. So when he saw that they were coming to Melbourne (unfortunately without Slash), he just had to go. So he bought the tickets as soon as they went on sale, and we had to plan our Australian leave date around this concert. But it was a fun show, and we had a good time listening to the classic songs.

ZZ Top was the opening act, so that was pretty fun as well. I didn't realize how many songs I actually knew by them ("Legs," "Sharp Dressed Man,""Gimme All Your Lovin'," etc.).

So Zack finally got to fulfill his dream of seeing Guns N' Roses in concert, only days before we left Australia. I think the smile on his face shows that it was worth staying for!

Happy husband living out a childhood dream.

Guns N' Roses put on a great show. Axl Rose was still quite the rock star for being over fifty years old.

Sayonara to Surfing in Australia

2013-06-09T12:59:00.000+10:00

Before we left Australia, we went surfing one last time with our friends Klem and Vesna. We went to Torquay Beach, which was where we first learned to surf. The rain held off until we had our fill, and we had some decent beginner-sized waves that were good for us to practice on.

Learning to surf was one of my favorite parts of living in Australia. I never got very good at it, but I just had fun being in the water and riding the little waves.

After our final surf, we enjoyed Vesna's famous chocolate cake (with strawberries and whipped cream!) in the "comfort" of our almost-moved-out-of house in South Melbourne. Nothing like sitting on an air mattress and camp chairs!

First Impressions of the United States

2013-06-07T12:39:00.001+10:00

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago, but it's all still pretty accurate. These are my three main first impressions upon arriving back in the United States. Keep in mind, these were made after traveling throughout Asia for a few months, so they are not necessarily solely in comparison to life in Australia, but they do apply in some ways.

Indian airline ad for flight attendants

(Some) employees treat customers like incompetent children.

First of all, it has to be said that the physical attribute qualifications for flight attendants in Asia differ dramatically from those in the United States. Check out this ad I found for flight attendants on an Indian airline. Make of this what you will, but I noticed a marked difference the minute I got on the United Airlines flight from Mumbai to Newark. Anyway, the way that some of the American flight attendants, along with the immigration desk, ticket counter, and luggage handler workers talked to the customers (especially those who weren’t American) was condescending, abrupt, and borderline rude. I know not every employee is this way, but it was something that stood out quite obviously after eight weeks of traveling in Asia.

Life with our Molly is good!

The amount of choice is overwhelming.

On our drive between Michigan and St. Louis, we stopped at Panera Bread for lunch. It was one of probably ten choices for food at one exit (which is amazing by itself). I was absolutely overwhelmed. The restaurant was huge and crowded, the menu was gigantic, and I could barely give the lady my order without having a nervous breakdown! After finally making up my mind about what I wanted to order, she asked what I wanted for a side. Then she asked if I wanted a drink. And through it all I felt rushed, as there was a crowd in line behind me. I guess I’m so used to either having hardly any choices, or choices already having been made for me (preset meals), or having plenty of time to figure it out without time-crazed Americans standing in line behind me! I think my first trip to a grocery store is going to be pretty wild. Oh, and portion sizes are HUGE here!

Visiting my sister Morgan in Santa Cruz!

Roads are clean, empty, straight paths full of people in their “bubbles.”

While traveling in Asia, one of my favorite things was driving (being driven) through the cities and countryside. Though the “roads” were often in terrible shape and the safety of them and/or our vehicle was questionable at times, this was where I saw the heart of the country. Everyone seems to live near the road, and people gather outside to sell things, play games, wash clothes or dishes, sit with friends, or just watch the world go by. Besides the people, the sides of the road are full of colorful trash, animals, and signs of life.

In stark contrast, the roads in the United States are long stretches of perfect cement paths with pristine green grass along the sides. When there are houses within view, no human is to be seen. Instead of open-air modes of transportation like scooters, tractors, motorcycles, rickshaws, or tuk tuks, everyone in America is in his or her own enclosed car. Nobody interacts with anyone else, and driving just seems kind of lifeless and sterile.

Reading back over these, I realize that they sound a bit negative. I don't mean for them to sound that way; these things just stood out the most. A few more entries to come!

This was our home in Colorado before moving to Australia. We stopped by while driving through!

What I'll Miss About Living in Australia

2013-06-03T14:05:00.000+10:00

So I've got a few more entries to add to this blog before it's finished. I'll get them all posted before the end of June. Here's the first one summing up our experience abroad:

What I'll miss about living in Australia...

Being special

In Australia, I was unique. My accent was a conversation starter, my name was unheard of, and people wanted to know about my life in America and how I ended up in the Land Down Under. While substitute teaching, I had a built-in time killer just by letting the kids ask questions about my home country! In the United States, I’m just another everyday citizen with the same story as everyone else.

The wide range of activities

Melbourne has everything…festivals, sporting events, concerts, outdoor activities, great restaurants, markets, theatre performances, celebrity visits, clubs, and more. I realize that this is something that could probably be said about many large cities in the United States, but it’s especially cool when you’re in a different country. For example, I went to cricket and footy games, I saw Cadel Evans and Queen Elizabeth II, I ordered awesome chai lattes and kangaroo fillet at restaurants, and I went surfing on the weekends.

Living in the moment

We knew we were only going to be in Australia for a limited amount of time, so we took advantage of every opportunity we could to make the most of it. When you live in your home country, you often get complacent and don’t even visit the awesome places right around you. Australians often told us that we had seen more of the country than they had. There weren’t many weekends when we sat around the house doing nothing. Not that there’s anything wrong with “doing nothing,” but I loved that our calendar was full of fun times with friends and trips to places near and far.

There are tons of other things I'll miss (great friends we made, the accent, amazing markets, the beach, etc.), but the three above are the ones that really stand out. More to come!

Back in the USA!

2013-05-15T09:37:00.002+10:00

Reunited after two years!

We made it to Michigan today after an amazing eight weeks of travel on our way back from Australia. We're so tired, but we're enjoying my mom's meals and being reunited with our dog Molly. Eventually I'll have some final post about Australia and what our time there meant to us and such, but right now I need to do some laundry and get some sleep!

Australian Animals at Healesville Sanctuary

2013-03-18T18:05:00.000+11:00

This is one last post about my time with my parents and aunt and uncle. When they came back through Melbourne after their time in New Zealand, we had a day to enjoy some Australian sights. Our first stop was Brighton Beach for "morning tea." I bought them various flavored macaroons from the market and brought along some strawberry lemonade.

Speaking of the market, I brought them all to the South Melbourne Market first thing in the morning and made them go pick out and buy their own meat item for lunch. They had fun navigating the crowds, seeing Australian items for sale (lamb and kangaroo), and trying out their knowledge of the metric system and Australian currency!

After morning tea, we drove out near Healesville Sanctuary and I cooked up a BBQ lunch while my family took a short hike in the park. The flies were insane and prevented us from even sitting down while eating, but we made it work. Then it was off to Healesville Sanctuary, where you can see all of the Australian animals in one place.

We started our visit with the bird show. They flew all around our heads while we learned facts about them.

The best part was when this eagle spotted a wild version of itself high up in the sky. Well, the wild one spotted this one too, and ended up swooping down incredibly close. We almost got to witness an attack; you could tell the handler guy was kind of freaking out!

Sleepy dingo.

After the bird show, we walked around the other exhibits, checking out several Australian animals. I've included a few of my favorite pictures for you to enjoy: a dingo, emu, lyrebird, red kangaroo, koala, pelican, colorful bird of some sort, Tasmanian devil, and kookaburra.

It's hard to believe that we won't be living in the land of these animals much longer. The shipping company came today and packed up all our things to send to California. We rented a car and made one trip to the op shop and two trips to the rubbish collection place. We're down to just one large backpack and one daypack for ten weeks of survival. This is getting really real!

White Night Wonders

2013-03-16T22:06:00.000+11:00

A few weekends ago, Melbourne hosted an all-night extravaganza in the CBD called White Night. There were musical performances, art exhibitions, light shows, and all sorts of random cool things going on throughout the night. We went downtown to check it out, and it didn't disappoint.

Flinders Street Station was all lit up and looked awesome. There were various bands and performances taking place in front of the steps. Federation Square was busy too; at one point Zack was even learning to hip-hop dance in the middle of it!

This was one of the art sculptures at the National Gallery of Victoria. It was a tower of cascading suds! Throughout the night, as various portions fell and people swatted at the parts they could reach, this "living" sculpture changed, and that was exactly the point. I wonder what it looked like in the morning!

My favorite part was the lighting they did on the fronts of some of the cool buildings. My least favorite part was the crowd. This was White Night's first year, and I don't think Melbourne anticipated how popular it would be. The streets were literally packed with people; it got to the point where you couldn't even get from one side to the other. After a few hours of exploring some of the things going on and fighting the crowds, we walked home, satisfied that we had gotten a good taste of this neat cultural event. I hope (for the sake of those who live here-since I won't much longer) that Melbourne makes White Night a yearly event!

Our Big Announcement About Leaving Australia

2013-03-15T15:35:00.000+11:00

Yep, this is the post where I actually admit that we are leaving Australia. And not later this year, or next month, or something logical and normal like that. We are flying out on March 20th, which is only five days away. Yes, we are insane! Actually, we've been working on this for about a month now, but all of the actual details are finally getting finalized.

Here is the deal. Zack's official start date back in the United States is June 3. We wanted to do some more traveling before heading back, so he is taking a leave of absence, and we are traveling for eight weeks. Where? Well, after much deliberation and reworking of itineraries several times, here is the final plan:

-Philippines: Boracay (beach time) and Donsol (swim with whale sharks)
-Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Hanoi (including Halong Bay)
-Laos: Luang Prabang
-Cambodia: Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) and Phnom Penh
-Thailand: Bangkok
-India: Golden Triangle-Delhi/Agra/Jaipur
-Nepal: Kathmandu, trek the Himalayas (deciding between Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Circuit)
-India: Goa (beach time with my friend Ameeta)
-United States: Michigan (pick up our dog and Jeep and see my family), St. Louis (see Zack's family), San Francisco (move in)

Yes, we are moving to San Francisco, California! We love Colorado and plan on moving back there in a couple of years to settle long-term, but we're not ready to "settle" quite yet. Zack has always wanted to live in California, and I'm excited about living near my sister in Santa Cruz and exploring a new part of the country. We think it will be an easy transition to move there from Melbourne, and now seems like a good time to give it a try.

So that's our big announcement. I've been pretty bad about keeping up with the blog lately, as life has been crazy with organizing this move and huge trip, but I'll get in a few more entries before we go. I won't be blogging about our travels, mainly because I'm honestly kind of sick of keeping up with this blog and partly because it will be difficult and annoying to find internet access in most locations, but also because I really only started and maintained this blog as a record of our expat time in Australia for ourselves (I was just lucky enough to have readers!). So once we leave, keeping up with "Keys Down Under" won't make much sense. I will, however, take PLENTY of pictures, and those will be on my Shutterfly site when we return.

So, this isn't goodbye quite yet, but it's a warning of an almost-goodbye. Yikes-so much to do! Back to packing...

Colonial Tramcar Restaurant

2013-03-11T20:00:00.000+11:00

After their time in New Zealand, my mom, dad, aunt, and uncle flew back through Melbourne for a couple of days before heading home to Michigan. Zack and I treated them to a night at/on the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant, something we've been wanting to tick off our Melbourne bucket list for awhile.

The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant is exactly what it sounds like. They've refurbished old tramcars and turned them into a fancy, moving restaurant. It's pretty neat. We did the Thursday night late dinner seating, so we had a five course meal with unlimited drinks and got to travel down to St Kilda and through the CBD before ending up back in Southbank after a few hours.

Kangaroo fillet was one of the five courses!

The food was good, but not amazing. It was cool how they served uniquely Australian dishes, like kangaroo and barramundi and panna cotta.

Thumbs up for Frangelico!

Our waiter was hilarious. He was an Italian guy who would break into song randomly while serving us, and he was very eager to keep our wine and drink glasses very full. He even introduced me to Frangelico, a delicious Italian liqueur that tastes like liquid Nutella!

Overall, I'd say the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant is a great touristy thing to do just once, especially if you've got visitors in town and you can all have fun together. It's not cheap, but you can get your money's worth with drinks and realizing that you're paying for food, entertainment, and a tour of the city!

The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant was pretty cool.

My Byron Bay Birthday

2013-03-10T21:30:00.000+11:00

My 34th birthday started the week before January 27, when Zack brought home these beautiful yellow roses for me. Unfortunately, they only lasted a few days, but they were gorgeous while they lived!

In Byron Bay, I awoke on my birthday morning to find my mom had made "Aubree's Dessert," a treat we used to make as kids. I'm not exactly sure why it was named after me, but I remember making it over at Aunt Kathy and Uncle Greg's house one time and it didn't have a name, so I think we started calling it that. Anyway, it made for a good first breakfast, but then we had scrambled eggs and toast outside under the veranda.

I also got a morning "Happy Birthday" serenade from my mom and Aunt Kathy. This video absolutely cracks me up every time I watch it, and this was the second version, because I didn't have my camera ready the first time they did it (they are completely sober by the way-this is just how crazy they are!).

It was a rainy day (of course), but we managed to get out and walk around town. Zack scheduled a surprise massage for me, so I got to relax for an hour. For dinner, we all went out to a nice Italian dinner near the water. It was a wet, windy adventure to get there, but the food was good (and the martinis were delicious!).

When we finally managed to escape wet and windy Byron Bay a few days later, I arrived home in Melbourne to more beautiful flowers courtesy of Adam and Emily. I may not have gotten the beach birthday I was hoping for, but I'd say it was a pretty decent day anyway!

Byron Bay was a Bust

2013-03-09T21:19:00.000+11:00

This weather forecast might give you an idea of our time in Byron Bay. Now this is in Celsius, so it actually was pretty warm, but it rained. A lot. And the wind blew. Hard. We were getting the remnants of a cyclone occurring in Northern Queensland.

We still managed to get out and walk around the city (mostly because there was nothing else to do), but we wore our raincoats all day long and waded through puddles everywhere we went.

Australia Day, a day meant for BBQs and playing cricket games on the beach, was basically rained out. The beach was closed, parades and events were cancelled, and everyone huddled in restaurants and shops looking depressed.

The streets and yards of Byron Bay were a mess. These were just a few of the branches on the ground in the backyard of our rental house.

We watched a lot of the Australian Open to pass the time, played some cards, and ate at various restaurants around town. There wasn't much else we could do. Our kayaking with the dolphins was cancelled. Our snorkeling trip to Julian Rocks was cancelled. Even our flight out of Byron Bay was cancelled, and we had to stay an extra night (the last thing on earth we wanted to do!). And then the power went out! So we ate and played some cards by candlelight for a few hours before it went back on. My poor parents and aunt and uncle had to miss the first day of their New Zealand trip.

My family finally did get out of Byron Bay the next day, but they had to take a shuttle bus to the Gold Coast airport and catch a connecting flight before they could go to New Zealand. On the way, they took a few pictures of the streets that were flooded. Meanwhile, Zack and I went to the beach one last time before heading back to Melbourne (of course it started raining while we were there), and we got a few pictures of some of the damage done to the big trees in the area.

So Byron Bay was definitely not the place for the glorious beach vacation I had envisioned for Australia Day weekend. We managed to make the best of it, eat some good food, and have some laughs, but overall, I'd say Byron Bay was a bust!

P.S. We did watch the movie The Impossible while we were there. It's about the tsunami that happened in Thailand a few years ago. That kind of put things in perspective!

Byron Bay Lighthouse

2013-03-06T18:59:00.000+11:00

On Saturday, we headed out in the cloudy, gray weather of Byron Bay to walk to the lighthouse at the end of the peninsula. The hike took us through the woods, along the water, past some beautiful overlooks, and finally to the big white lighthouse. The intermittent rain and constant strong wind didn't stop us from enjoying the views and getting some pictures. We even saw a large Eastern water dragon. Enjoy!

The most Easterly point in Australia!

The weather only got worse from here on out, so get ready for cyclone-related posts coming soon!

Beginning of Byron Bay

2013-03-05T21:22:00.000+11:00

On Friday, we arrived to a cloudy Byron Bay. After avoiding the lizard in the window and checking into our house (aptly named "Shirley Blue"), we walked around and explored the funky, little town.

We ate at the Railway Bar, where a mix of locals and tourists enjoyed fish and chips, local beer, and live music.

Then we stopped by the market, where my dad got a song played for him by giving a dollar to this man dressed in gold.

We picked up some groceries for the house and then headed down to the beach to enjoy the sunset. It was a pretty good start to the weekend, and we would have soaked up the dry weather a bit more if we had known what was to come!

A Day with the the Dills (and Padleys)

2013-03-04T20:16:00.005+11:00

Catching up with my mom and dad.

As you probably gathered from earlier posts, my mom, dad, aunt, and uncle came from Michigan through Melbourne on their way to New Zealand at the end of January. We spent a long weekend in Byron Bay, but more about that later. Before leaving for our disastrous "beach" weekend, we had one day (a Thursday) in Melbourne, and we tried to make the most of it.

Uncle Greg and Aunt Kathy enjoying Australia.

I met up with them all at their hotel in Southbank, and we walked across the Yarra River to the CBD to meet up with Zack and enjoy lunch at an outdoor cafe on Degraves Street. We had little cupcakes for dessert and wandered down some of the famous alleys and arcades of Melbourne.

We walked down Bourke Street Mall, browsed the souvenir shops on Swanston Street, had the obligatory stop in front of Flinders Street Station for some pictures, walked through Federation Square, and enjoyed the graffiti on Hosier Lane.

I let them rest at their hotel for a few hours before they were invited over to our house in South Melbourne for dinner. I made them Thai food, using fresh ingredients from the South Melbourne Market and recipes we learned at our cooking class in Chiang Mai. We had tom yum soup, green curry with chicken and rice, and mango sticky rice for dessert. The weather was still beautiful, so we carried our dining room table out to our patio and had a little outdoor party. Emily and Adam were staying at our place during this time, so they made a delicious appetizer and helped dinner run smoothly!

After eating, Zack and I performed a few songs we had prepared on the violin and guitar (my mother's request). I had a few silly gifts for my visitors, which I think my mom and aunt enjoyed a little too much (as seen below!). After the food and laughs, they headed back to their hotel to catch up on sleep.

In the morning, we went to St Ali's for brunch before heading to the airport for our flight to Byron Bay. They got to taste some good Melbourne coffee and enjoy the brunch culture of South Melbourne. More to come about our interesting weekend...

Do I look like my mom or dad?

Treats For Me

2013-03-02T14:16:00.000+11:00

Yesterday I got a nice surprise in the mail...a package from my friend Jennifer. She sent me all sorts of American chocolate and treats! And since Zack is currently in the US for work training and can therefore buy his own treats, I don't have to share. Thanks Jennifer!

P.S. The tortilla, lime, and salt chocolate isn't quite as good as enjoying margaritas with you, but it is oddly tasty!

Awesome Australian Open

2013-02-25T21:33:00.000+11:00

Madison Keys on her way to a win!

So this blog post is about a month late, but better late than never I guess. We went to the Australian Open again this year. One day we got a grounds pass and cheered on American Madison Keys (maybe we're distantly related?). We also saw Marcos Baghdatis, a guy from Cyprus who was entertaining because the crowd was full of people singing and cheering in Greek. I can't remember who else we saw, but the weather was warm and the tennis was good!

The next day we bought some day tickets to the Hisense Arena so we could see some higher ranked players. I enjoyed watching Serena Williams again, with nearly front row seats. I just wish I had brought my good camera, because security wasn't checking lens sizes this year, and I could have gotten some awesome shots! Anyway, at one point in the match, Serena twisted her ankle or did something to her foot and went down. It was kind of a scary moment. Trainers and such rushed over to her, and the match was delayed for a bit. But after getting it wrapped up, she was good to go, and she still easily won.

Australian life is consumed with the tennis for the last couple of weeks in January. If you're not at the matches, you're watching them at whatever restaurant or bar you're at, or it's on your television at home.

"Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi"

I really enjoy the Australian Open, though I had never watched tennis before moving here. There were several nights where we stayed up late to see who would win. It also kept us entertained in Byron Bay when there was nothing else to do in the crazy rain. It's so cool that this international event takes place in the city where I live and that I can just decide to go check it out one morning, hop on a tram, and be witnessing top-ranked players play tennis just thirty minutes later!

Bon Voyage Emily and Adam!

2013-02-21T22:20:00.000+11:00

Their taxi driver took this last picture of the four of us before they left!

In many of our blog entries over the last two years, you've probably heard the names Emily and Adam. Though they moved to Australia from Denver (we were nearly neighbors!), we didn't know each other at all until Emily and I met at a book club here in Melbourne about a year and a half ago. Since then, the four of us have done so much in Australia together. We've completed athletic events such as the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon, the Tough Mudder, the City2Sea Race, and the Bay in a Day bike race. We've celebrated holidays like Australia Day, Thanksgiving (twice), Christmas in July, and birthdays. We've gone surfing, camping, rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, running, dancing, and bowling together. We've been to hockey and rugby games, watched the Grand Final of footy, gone to horse races in both the city and the country, and we even went to the circus. And we drank wine together. Oh so much wine!

Needless to say, when Emily and Adam headed back to Denver a few weeks ago, it was kind of sad. We were glad they stayed at our place for their last few weeks in Oz (because their lease was up), so we could make a few more good memories (including watching several episodes of How I Met Your Mother).

Here Emily and I are destroying the everlasting birthday balloon. I had gotten it for Emily way back in September for her birthday, and it lasted fairly well all the way until the end of January for my birthday. But we decided it could be put to rest after that! Also notice the plate of delicious chocolate chip cookies on the table. Emily is famous among our Melbourne friends for those, and warm ones were waiting for Zack and I upon our return from Byron Bay!

Here's Adam all packed and ready to go. He and Emily are currently traveling around Japan and Southeast Asia before heading back to Denver, so they had to fit everything into their backpacks. I'm not quite sure how they did it! You can read about their travels on their blog here. You'll notice there aren't a lot of Australian entries...they always joked that they would tell their family and friends to come and read our blog, since they were probably with us and doing whatever we were doing anyway. So hello to any Adam/Emily visitors...this blog post is full of links you might like!

When we leave Australia, which may be sooner rather than later, so many of our memories will include good times spent with Emily and Adam. They were/are great friends, and we hope to be reunited with them back in Colorado. Adam and Emily, if you're reading this somewhere in the middle of Cambodia, we miss you!!!

"A big yellow taxi took our friends away!"

Luna Park at Last

2013-02-18T15:48:00.000+11:00

A few weeks ago, I finally went to Luna Park! We used to have a view over this Melbourne area icon when we lived in St Kilda, but we had never been inside or rode any of the rides. It was time to change that, so we met up with Kristy and Nigel on a nice Friday night and finally went inside Luna Park.

Kristy and I got the unlimited rides pass (not cheap at $45 apiece!), and the boys got single ride passes and then played a few games. Here's Zack trying to get tennis balls into the jugs. He got one in and won the awesome blow-up bat pictured below. Nigel did the same, and the boys had fun hitting each other (and us) all night with them.

After a bit, the boys headed off to the bar, and Kristy and I stuck around to get our money's worth by riding every ride possible.

Some rides were surprisingly fun; others were kind of lame. I did enjoy the sunset view from atop the ferris wheel; we couldn't have timed that ride more perfectly!

The Great Scenic Railway, which is the 100-year-old wooden roller coaster that goes around the outside of the park, was the one ride we just HAD to try. They were closing it on and off throughout the night due to high winds, but it finally seemed open and we waited in line for our turn. We finally got to ride it, and it was TERRIBLE. I mean seriously awful. If you're American and have been to Cedar Point, you know how rickety some of those old wooden roller coasters can be. Well, multiply that times 100. It honestly hurt, and I wanted off almost as soon as it started. It jostled you and banged you and shook you beyond belief. I would never never never ride it again, though I'm glad I can say I did it once. Anyway, we can cross Luna Park off of our bucket list, which is a good thing, because we may not be in Australia much longer! More about that in a future post...

Random Summer Happenings Post

2013-02-13T18:01:00.000+11:00

Because I still haven't sorted through my pictures from our time in Byron Bay, or when my parents and aunt and uncle were here, or the Australian Open, today you get a random blog post with some phone photos of things we've been doing this summer. In no particular order, here's some of what we've been up to in January and February...

I met up with Zack one day in the city for a run and lunch on Degraves Street afterward. These camera-wielding dogs are in Federation Square. I'm not sure why they're there, but I thought I'd better get a picture with them.

We have salmon for dinner nearly every week, because it's so delicious fresh from the market. Here's one of my salmon creations...pan fried salmon with homemade pesto sauce atop quinoa. Yum!

We watched the National Championship Game for college football at our friends' place. While we enjoyed cuddling their dog Roo, we didn't enjoy Notre Dame's performance in the game and the resulting score. Let's not talk about it!

I had a celebrity sighting at the South Melbourne Market. The girl with the skirt in the back is Ellie from MasterChef 2011. You may recall that this was the show we watched religiously when we first moved here, and Ellie was one of our favorites. I just had to snap this stalker phone photo to show Zack while pretending I was looking at potatoes!

Speaking of potatoes, these potato swirls, which are found at the Queen Victoria Suzuki Night Market, are delicious. The sangria is tasty too. This night market runs every Wednesday night during the summer, and it's a great place to go to try all sorts of delicious food (I even got an American pulled pork sandwich one night) and listen to some fun live music. We've gone a couple of times, and it's been a great way to spend a summer evening.

And last but not least, I decorated our house a little bit for Australia Day (which was January 26). I'm not sure if you can even see the little flags strung across the top, but they are there. Yes, even though I'm American, I've got some Australian spirit!

Anyway, that's a little glimpse into our summer so far. The weather has been incredible (which is rare for Melbourne), so we've been soaking up the sun and making the most of it while we can. That's probably why I've been slacking on keeping up with the blog!

Jackpot of American Food

2013-02-10T23:49:00.000+11:00

Remember this post, in which I listed food suggestions for an American store in Melbourne? Well, my aunt went out and bought EVERY SINGLE ONE of those items in Michigan and brought an entire suitcase full of goodies for us when my family came at the end of January. How awesome is that?! I can't believe she made it through customs (she didn't declare a single item-don't tell border patrol!).

Zack and I have each gained at least five pounds since opening this suitcase of fun. For breakfast we've enjoyed Bisquick pancakes with real maple syrup and lots of sugary American cereals. For lunch, we've had Velveeta Shells & Cheese three times. For dinner, we've had chili atop Fritos, and tomorrow I'll make black bean enchiladas. I've made pumpkin bread and muffins with chocolate chips and Rice Krispie treats (with Cinnamon Toast Crunch instead of Rice Krispies), and it was all scarfed down in just over a day. The candy and cookies are long gone, and we finished off the Wheat Thins (me) and Funyuns (Zack) today. But we've got plenty of pumpkin, black beans, and some ingredients for main dishes that should last us awhile. Anyway, thanks Aunt Kathy-what an incredible surprise-you are awesome!

Our amazing stash-with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Greg.

Super Surfing Saturday

2013-02-08T18:40:00.000+11:00

A few weeks ago, Zack and I rented a car on a random Saturday and went surfing in Torquay. The nice part about our trip was that we didn't rush or cram in the surf time. Often when we go surfing, we aim to get up very early in the morning in order to get down to the ocean while the waves are at their best, we practice our surfing nonstop for a couple of hours, and we immediately head back to Melbourne because it's either cold or rainy at the beach.

This Saturday was different. We slept in, went out for brunch, then headed down to the beach and surfed at a leisurely pace. We'd hit the waves for awhile, come out and enjoy the sunshine, then go back in, then come out and read a book, etc. It was great! The surfing conditions weren't the greatest, but we didn't care. It was nice just to be in the semi-warm water and enjoying the summer weather. We plan on doing it again soon!

Pie and Chocolate with the Fam

2013-02-07T18:32:00.000+11:00

My mom, dad, aunt, and uncle are back in town after their amazing time in New Zealand. Today I took them to Pie Face for lunch, one of my favorite Australian chain restaurants where you can get sweet and savoury pies of all types. I got my usual chunky steak pie with mashed potatoes and gravy on top. Now, these pies are nowhere near as good as the ones Zack and I found the other day at a place a short walk from our house called Pure Pie (which we highly recommend-it's in Port Melbourne), but Pie Face has several locations in the city and is a great place to take tourists for a quick, easy lunch.

To continue our touristy expedition, we went souvenir shopping, and my Aunt Kathy got some awesome purple Uggs (her favorite color!). Then we headed to Chokolait, a chocolate place I've read about and been wanting to try for awhile now. The picture below is of the mud cake, which was delicious, but the chocolate pavlova was incredible. I'm going to have to go back for another one of those! Tonight we're dining at/on the Tramcar Restaurant, so they'll be a blog entry about that coming soon. Off to get ready...

Sweet As Trip of a Lifetime

2013-02-06T13:29:00.000+11:00

We flew out of Christchurch on the evening of Saturday, January 5. Zack and I both agreed that this was truly the trip of a lifetime and New Zealand is an incredible place. We were treated to a beautiful sunset over the mountains as we flew away from our dream holiday.

Here we are sporting our new shirts and jade necklaces on the flight home. "Sweet As" is a saying in New Zealand that basically means "awesome." For example, our trip around the South Island was sweet as and there will never be another vacation like that one!