Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving - November 2006

Obviously, Australians do not celebrate the wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving. Well, we decided that we couldn't let the season pass without celebrating, so we held our own Thanksgiving down here. It turned out to be a great time for all for all of the Americans down here and we were able to get all of the traditional fixings that make Thanksgiving a feast to remember. Over the past years, I've always celebrated Thanksgiving with Lari and Amos and, while it was sad not to be with them this year, we made the best of it. Ryland even came to visit, so we had a little slice of our Seattle life with us!

And with the passing of Thanksgiving, it means that we're also one step closer to Christmas! In fact, Eric and I will be flying home in a little more than two weeks! I guess that means we should get shopping for some gifts. I must say, I'm very excited to come back to the States and see both of our families and some of our friends. We're disappointed not to be able to make it back to Seattle, but such is life sometimes. We'll be back soon enough!

Melbourne Cup

Melbourne Cup - November 2006

Yes, we know this post has been a long time coming! In any case, we are now happy to show you all these wonderful pictures from the Melbourne Cup. It was very fun, though I only saw two races. Everyone dressed up and we all drank champagne. The only down side to the whole day was that it was very cold. Luckily for me, I had my bobblicious shawl (and Eric) to keep me warm.

Other than that, we are planning on having a belated Thanksgiving next weekend, so at least we won't totally miss out on the feast. In more holiday news, Eric and I have booked our flights home for Christmas and unfortunately will not make it back to Seattle for the holidays. We'll get to see our families and some of our friends, so it'll still be a great trip, but sorry Seattle friends, it looks like we'll have to wait until April or so to get together again!

Zoo

We went to the zoo a while back and just finally put up some pictures. Hopefully we can get out and see a few these in the wild.

Trip to Auckland

Here are some pictures from our short trip to Auckland. Click on the picture for the album.

18 vs 28

When I was 18, freshman in college, I became interested in feminist studies. I was very aware of not being oppressed by the hetero-patriarchary. I wanted to have a power career and the idea of cooking dinner for my man and doing laundry seemed an abomination. Now at 28, I do part time office work and get really happy when I make a good dinner for Eric and I. I'm not so sure what 18 year old me would say to 28 year old me...

But, then I think about Eric and how much I love him and love to take care of him and that just doesn't seem to matter. Actually, I'm happier to cook dinner, do the laundry, clean the house, pack for our trips, and work part time with Eric that I ever was before him.

So, 18 year old me can stuff it. Besides, what the hell does an 18 year old know anyway?!

Awesome Idea!!!

Hey, I think you should stop whatever busy and important thing you're doing right now and go take a picture of yourself. Why, you may ask. So you can send it to me. Or post it. Or both. You see, if you're reading this, then it means that either Eric or I (and most cases both of us) miss seeing you guys and it would make us ever so happy to see your smiling faces!

To get it started, here's the coolest picture of Eric and I have taken of ourselves since we've been here:

Summer is coming!

Summer is finally coming! The seasons being reversed has really been an interesting experience. This is the first time in my life that I had a cold, partially cloudy, 45 degree, with sprinkles birthday. It was still a nice day - Eric and I took a boat ride in the Yarra River, which was pretty. And it's hard to imagine Halloween, let alone Thanksgiving (which I am totally making) when it's going to be in at least the 80's pretty much every day.

Which brings me to two other things:

1. Weather - According to every meteorologist on the evening news has only four descriptors for the weather - fine, mostly fine, windy, or showers. That's it! Fine is so nondescript and vague, but mostly fine? It's like they put the two least descriptive words in the entire world together! Yet, it still manages to give me a sense of the weather that day.

2. the Metric System - I'll admit it, before moving here, I only the smallest sense of the metric system. I mean, I knew I had some point learned about meters and liters and grams at some point in school, but I just didn't hold on to in. But, now I've got it down. Well, I'm still a bit shaky on ounce to grams and don't know kph versus mph, but I've gotten good at everything else. Actually, I've come to learn all of this through cooking and baking moreso than anything else. But, all that's to say I'm glad I've gotten a handle on the metric system.

So, do you see how this all comes back to summer coming?!

To: My Girlfriends

Last week I had my first bout with really missing my friends. Eric was working a lot and, of course, I got a bit lonely. During that time, I realized that not since high school have I had a great group of girlfriends like I now have in Seattle. Of course, Lari has been a mainstay for a long time and my sister has always been, well, my sister, but for a long time I was lacking in a solid group of girlfriends. I didn't realize it until last week, but not having that support system of great women around you can really make you feel like you've missed out on a lot! Having found that through all of the truly awesome ladies I've met since moving to Seattle, I now realize how important those relationships are and consequently miss them more than ever!!! Of course, I still have Eric and I still think he's just as dreamy as ever, but even having him is not the same as having a good girlfriend to go out to dinner with, to sit and knit with, to have some drinks with, to just hang out and do nothing with...to talk about things that only other women would understand.

So, to all my lady friends, I love you and miss you tons!

Foiled!

So, our plans have been officially foiled. Eric and I were planning to go to Fiji in mid-October, which we were both super excited about. After checking with his bosses, however, they realized that they need Eric (clearly because he is so awesome) and he cannot afford to have that much time off of work. Instead, Eric and I will probably just go to Auckland for a few days. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about a trip to Auckland! I'm sure there's tons of stuff to do there and Eric and I will still have a great time...it's just not Fiji. Eric and I both hope we'll still be able to make it there before we head back to the states though. So for now, I'm just thinking of it as a trip that's been delayed.

Love to you all,

~S

Great Ocean Road-Trip

Here are some overdue pictures from our trip down the Great Ocean Road to the West of Melbourne. We took the quicker inland route out to the Otway forest where we did a tree top walk and a little hike to a waterfall. From there we took a dirt road "shortcut" towards the coast and made our first and only kangaroo sighting. After a bit of abuse for the little Yaris we arrived at the Twelve Apostles. We did a bit more sightseeing at the Loch Ard Gorge before heading to Port Campbell for the night. The next day we headed back along the coast stopping at a some beaches and lighthouses. Click on the picture to see the slideshow and then come visit to see it for yourself.

-eric

Aussie Slang

How you going? = How are you doing?
G'day = Hello
Good on ya = Good for you! (Pronounced as one word)
She'll be right = It'll/I'll/She'll/He'll be all right
Barraking = cheering, as in, "I barrack for St. Kilda"
Root = to have sex with (you do not root for any sports teams!!!!)
Nappies = diapers
Diapers = depends
Serviettes = napkins
Napkins = maxi pads
Lemonade = sprite
Long Black = black coffee/americano
Short White = espresso with milk (no sugar)
Slab = 24 pack of beer
Pot = small glass of beer
Jug = pitcher of beer
Abbo = aboriginal Australians
the bush = the outback

Souviners

This is Victoria, my super cute niece. For her 3rd birthday, I got her the very stylish koala backpack you see her modeling in this picture. Maybe, if your birthday passes, and we're still in Australia, you could also get something equally cute and stylish. Of course, you'd have to let me know when your birthday comes round (and allow 1-3 weeks for delivery).

Possums, Black Swans, and Penguins

The possums in the park near our house are very cute and cuddly. They are also very friendly, as tons of people feed them. There was even one guy (crazy in my opinion) who let the possums sit on his arms and shoulders while he walked around the park and fed them. Needless to say, they do not run away to hide or prepare for battle, as possums in the States do. Instead, they'll wander up to you with idle curiosity, looking for food. Now, while these possums may be cute, and cuddly, and even friendly, this in no way means that they aren't dirty and full of diseases that I don't want to get. Walking through the park one night after dinner, our friend Tony decided to see how truly friendly the possums were. While he tried to bribe them off the tree trunks they hang out on with a $5 bill and Eric snapped photos, Gina (Tony's wife) and I stayed squarely on the path through the park in the hopes of avoiding any rodent diseases. Because Eric and especially Tony were so friendly, however, the possums starting approaching Gina and I. Being no fan of disease-spreading, wild animals (cute or not), Gina and I opted to walk on and leave Tony and Eric to play with the possums. The possums, thankfully, were not interested in Tony's $5, as they soon realized it was not eatible. Thus, the possums when on their way and Tony and Eric followed not to far behind Gina and I.

Which leads me directly in to an observation I've had about the swans here. First of all, the swans here are black with pinkish-red bills. They are quite pretty. This, however, in no way makes me want to feed them. On more than one instance, Eric and I have seen people feeding the swans and the swans have proven themselves quite ballsy. They will hound the feeder by getting out of the water to get closer as well as by following and squawking at the feeder. Now, don't get me wrong, the swans are cute and they have adorable babies that live on their backs (under their wings), whom pop their little fuzzball heads out from time to time, but they are mean, sometimes vicious, and unrelenting when it comes to free food.

There are also apparently penguins at the pier near our house. The sign at the pier says that if you come out at sunset, you should be able to see them amongst the rocks. We've only attempted to see them once, but were clearly too late by the time we got there. But, I was very surprised to find out they had penguins here. After all, Melbourne is on the same latitude south as San Francisco is north, where I don't know there to be penguins, but hey, what the hell do I know?! So, if we do ever get a chance to see the penguins, I'll be sure to take some pictures and post them.

Work Hard, Play Hard

This is the motto that Aussies seem to truly live by. As you will notice in this photo, Rowdy is chugging two bottles of beer at the same time. And yes, he did completely chug them both. Let me tell you, it was damn impressive to see. He's also the hardest worker at EI Australia and has the BEST manners of any guy I've ever met.

This picture was taken last weekend at a party the company had for it's employees. There were approximately 15 people there and 10 cases of beer and nine bottles of wine were purchased. When all was said and done, there were less than three cases of beer and five bottles of wine left. I'll let you do the math, but there was a hell of a lot of drinking going on! Everyone had a really great time and there was a bit of a dance party to boot!

Work hard, play hard...it's the Aussie way.

Tram Police, My New Favorite Food, and Movies

Melbourne has an excellent public transportation system, and seeing as Eric and I do not have a car, I've spent some time trying to get to know it. It's a system of buses, trains, and trams that will take you pretty much anywhere in and around the city. I've tried to get around a fair bit and at least learn where everything is. Eric hasn't been around quite as much, but that's to be expected from a working man, no? In any case, I was told when I first got here to make sure I always have my metro ticket on me because there are metro police that will come on and ask you for your ticket. If you don't have one, they'll write you a ticket for something outrageous, like $150 (as opposed to the $6.10 it costs for a day pass on the tram). Well, I recently had my first encounter with the tram police. They got on in a swarm, about four or five of them, dressed all officially in their blue trench coats and matching police hats, announced their presence (as if everyone couldn't tell who they were) and ask everyone to see their tickets. They were quite nice - simply asking to see your tram ticket, making sure it was validated, and then moving on - but it still felt a bit like being in the middle of a swat raid.

Also, I've found my new favorite food down here...potato skins with sweet chili sauce and sour cream - they're amazing. The very first night that Eric and I went there with some people that he works with, but I was so tired, I hardly remembered the deliciousness. But, we went back to that same place for my birthday dinner and I had the potato skins again...oh so yummy!

And one other point of interest, we went to the movies the other night and it's a bit of a different experience here. When you buy tickets, you get an assigned seat! So, no movie free-for-all. Also, you can see the Gold Pass movie, which means that they server you dinner while you're watching the movie. So, it's just interesting how things like that are different.

Well, I'm off to start my day now. I hope you are all well and I miss you guys!

~Sabrina

Mushi

We got our first piece of mail from the states today! Mushi sent us pictures from Sasquatch. As you can see, it was an excellent group and a wonderful time.

It was really exciting to get something in the mail - it's kind of like Christmas. Not only was it mail, but it was something from a friend, and who doesn't like that?! It made me happy for the rest of the day. So, thanks for the sweet magnet, Mushi, it's up on our refridgerator!

We're looking forward to hearing more from your road trip back to MI!

~Sazza & Ezza

Sad News...

My grandpa died on Thursday, July20 at 10:45 PST. He was very sick and had started bleeding internally from his cancer spreading. He went peacefully, in his sleep. Even though I knew it was coming, it's still very tough and very sad. It's a hard time to be away from my family, but I've got Eric's shoulder to cry on.

Papa Joe, I love you and I will miss you.

Address

For all of you that have asked, both before and after we've left, our address is as follows:

1/29 Park Street
St Kilda VIC 3182

Please feel free to send us anything, especially love!!!

We Made It!

So, we made it to Melbourne! It was a bit harrowing at the beginning, as our flight out of Seattle was delayed, so we had to take a different flight on a different airline (and drag what felt like 800 pounds of baggage along with us!). Luckily we had Lari and Amos around to act as our pack mules. But, we finally got that all sorted and then found that we were marked to get "extra special" attention from airport security. But, we made it to our flight on time and we were off and running.

Our flight from SF to Aukland was quite nice. Air New Zealand was super cool, with On Demand movies, TV, and video games in the seatbacks in front of you! On top of that, we were served an excellent dinner. With good food and all that entertainment, the 12 hour plane ride went by quite quickly (and I was even able to sleep a bit too).

Once in Aukland, heavy fog rolled in and our flight to Melbourne got cancelled. We got put on a later flight, but this meant instead of having a 3 hour layover in Aukland, we now had a 10 hour layover. Although they gave us food vouchers, no airport is entertaining for that long.

But, we finally arrived in Melbourne, with all of our luggage. It's winter here, so it's a bit cold (about 50 F) and it rained today, but it's a great city! Today we went to the aquarium, which is the best I've ever been to (more on that in another post) and had a great time.

OK, we're off to bed now. It's late here and we're tired.

We can't wait to hear from you all!!!

~S & E

First Blog

So, I'm not at all sure how this will all work out, but hopefully this will become a tool for Eric and I to keep in contact with our friends and loved ones while we're off in Australia!

We're leaving on Wednesday, July 12 at 6:07 PM PST. First we're going to San Francisco, then to Aukland, and finally to Melbourne. In all, we'll spend roughly more than 22 hours on the plane and will lose a day. Needless to say, I'm so not looking forward to the plane ride. Eric and I have, however, been planning to combat a terminally long plane ride with music (we got a splitter so we can both listen to the same music), cribbage, travel scrabble, and, of course, sleeping. At least we're flying together so we can put the armrests up and try to sleep on each other!

Otherwise, we're both trying to prepare for this adventure - i.e., packing. So, not only do we need to pack for this, but we also need to put the rest of our stuff in storage - ugh. No one thinks packing is fun. But, it seems as though we will be able to fit all of our stuff in a 5 x 10 storage space.

So, it's all starting to come together nicely. Eric and I are both in good spirits and there's no stressing here (can you imagine eric getting stressed out about anything?!?) and now we're just counting down the days and trying to be as prepared as possible without overpacking.

Well, dinner is finished...I'm off to eat. Check back in in about a week or so, when we get to Melbourne and I'm sure we'll have a lot more to say (and pictures!)