Monday, August 15, 2016

American Life

Well, it feels good to get back to our own home. It took a few days to warm up to it, but it feels natural and familiar and our surroundings are fantastic. They say the three most important things in real estate are location, location, and location. We score big on all three of those things. Love it.

When we were getting ready to leave Australia, my friends were all asking, "are you excited to get back home?" My answer was, "eh...yes and no." Honestly I was looking forward to being in familiar territory and being in my own well-stocked home again. But I was also scared.

Scared.

Monday, August 8, 2016

Is this Heaven?



I thought maybe we'd run in the house and spin circles in the living room and breathe a sigh of relief that we were back in familiar surroundings. But, I admit walking into our house was a little underwhelming. First of all, we were locked out.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

What we're looking forward to

Okay people. That's a given. Family. Neighbors. Friends. (But not my brother. He decided to move while we were here and I'm still not over it. The reality hasn't sunk in since I haven't been there to miss him at Sunday dinner.)

I look forward to getting to the gym and going to Zumba and seeing my family. And I am looking forward to a good long run in the sun. I had that here, too, but right now it's winter and I am craving some heat on my skin.

I can't wait to have a homegrown tomato. I really want to see my succulents in my window well and check out my garden. And I'm very nervous and anxious about getting my kids in to see the dentist.

And having Costco just one block away. I'm gonna get a Blend-tec twisty jar and I've got some recipes to make in it!

Henry is WAY happy to get back to Utah. He wants snow. I remembered the daily helicopter flights overhead about a week ago and I really got excited for when we get to hear that again and run outside to see it. (I'm excited for him to have his own room again. Sharing a room with him this year has been hard on my sleep level.)

Karly is excited about some restaurants. Taco Bell. Chipotle. Cafe Rio. 

Leo is excited to drive again. And I'm pretty sure Allen is looking forward to a 10 minute commute instead of a 90 minute train and bus ride.

But we are all filled with a nervous apprehension.

Monday, July 25, 2016

What we'll miss



Last year at this time we shared things we will miss about the U.S. Now we're reflecting on what we'll miss about Australia.

Karly said she was going to miss the

Saturday, July 23, 2016

What we've learned


Things we've learned in the year we've stepped away from normal life in the US:

spending more time together, less busy schedules keeping everyone coming and going

spend more money on experiences, less money on possessions

spend less time cooking, more time eating leftovers

spend more time stepping outside your comfort zone, less normal routine

Busy is a choice. Not-busy is a choice. I've had to safe-guard my time because I can easily just duplicate my same ridiculous busy life here. Didn't move halfway across the world just to do the same thing here! And then spend all my time saying, "Oh, we should go see the Great Ocean Road, but there's never anytime time..." or "wish we could find a day to go see downtown Melbourne." Nope. I'm here for one year and one year only. All those time fillers and expectations from other people are not that important.

And there are people here that are a lot busier and complain a lot less about it. They work 12-14 hours a day and it's normal. They smile when you're together and "ugh, I'm so busy" isn't the first thing they say when you ask how they're "going."

Karly says she's learned so much more from this than she expected. "I think it's good to miss things. To see the world, not in a touristy way."

Our kids have learned to be together, without bickering. They still have their moments, but for the most part I think they've learned to see each other as peers instead of pests.




Saturday, July 16, 2016

A fear I didn't know I had

Every morning I take my kids to early morning seminary (a church-run scripture study class for high school aged youth). I used to always go on a run or to boot camp during that time, but now that it's cold(er) I've opted to just sit in the car and read and do the exercise in the warmer parts of the day.

A few weeks ago I was parked under the street light on the corner so I could read my book. On the street perpendicular to me came a car very slowly. Then it stopped, with its headlights somewhat pointed right at me. I was uncomfortable. I looked to see if they were throwing

Thursday, July 14, 2016

All-Together Playground donations



Millie is raising funds for the All-Together Playground being built in Orem, Utah. It's an amazing playground where children of all needs can play together with their family and friends. I especially love that it gives their tired care-givers and much needed dose of sunshine and time outside of the house. The city has really been great to move forward with this! A $20 donation will get your name on a fence picket for the playground. Please help her meet her goal. She wants to "sell" 35 pickets.


(Using the button above is to make it easy for you, but we found out that PayPal charges us 88 cents every time. We thought it was free for donations but we were wrong! Mom is happy to pay the 88 cents as part of her support for this project, but if it's all the same to you and you want ALL of your money going to the playground and not PayPal, just send $20 to minigingerbreadhouse@gmail.com. Choose "Send money to friends and family" and then be sure to specify what name you want on the picket, maximum 23 characters.)

These are our friends, Mindy Gleason, and her daughters, Presley and Charlotte (and Dad inside). Presley's family has been instrumental in making this playground become reality. We LOVE THEM and want to help!





Monday, July 11, 2016

Having a kitchen table

I had no idea how important a kitchen table was. When we arrived I was being practical and minimalistic and thought we'd just do without. But having a place to sit and eat together, do homework, work on projects, type on the laptop, sit and chat--so important. It's really the center of a home. I'm so glad to have one and to have learned this lesson. And for Yolanda for seeing our need and offering a table to us.

And it provided the opportunity for this little gem:

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary





We bought a Zoo membership when we first arrived. It got us entry into three different zoos in the area, and since it only took three visits to justify the expense (one to each zoo), it was a no-brainer to join.

See more below!

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Australian Weather patterns and predictions

Last year I started watching the weather forecasts for Melbourne before we arrived so I'd know what to expect. I thought I was getting inaccurate information because I'd see a day of 100F/40C, and then the next day was 62F/16C. I thought that couldn't possibly be correct. And if it was, I thought it wasn't likely normal.

It is.

Everywhere I've lived I've heard people say, "If you don't like the weather, just wait ten minutes."

None of these people have lived in Melbourne.

So here's the deal:

Australian butter baking hack

Karly loves to bake. And as you know, most recipes call for butter in increments of 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, 1 cup. In America, butter is sold in "sticks" which all equal 1/2 cup. It makes getting your ingredients correct easy. But in Australia, butter here is sold by the gram. One cup of butter equals 227 grams.

Here's the problem:

Friday, June 24, 2016

Our homemade toy collection








We made dinosaurs from toilet paper tubes. Not only that, but he actually PLAYS with them now. 

We didn't bring a lot of toys from the U.S. for space and weight reasons. And we've tried to minimize what we accumulate here because we can't take it back. We have bought things at the thrift store so Henry is not lacking for things to play with, but we've also come up with some pretty good games and toys made from things we have on hand.

Monday, June 20, 2016

My favorite Australian Accent



I know all of my friends in the States are enamored by the Australian accent I'm hearing on a regular basis. The truth is I rarely talk to people with that accent because most people where I live are from other countries. But I do LOVE the Aussie accent. Every time I drop Allen at the train station, I turn on this radio station in hopes of hearing my favorite Aussie voice. Chrissie has a great rich voice and a strong accent. Glad I can get a dose of it even when I get home. Maybe you'll enjoy listening, too. (Warning: Sometimes I don't care much for the topic of conversation. Aussies can be a little crude!)

Click on the Chrissie, Sam and Browny show. You'll love Browny, too!
https://www.novafm.com.au/shows/chrissie-sam-browny/

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Cooking Classes

Millie's school has started a cooking class every other week (every fortnight) for parents. I decided to make myself go for the purpose of meeting new people and perhaps expanding my exposure to other cuisines.

I have met some very nice people. None of them are born in Australia. Which is SO TYPICAL for the area we live in. It's fantastic. India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, South America, England. It's so great.

This week we made baked ricotta and pear salad with roasted walnuts. 
And we always get to sit and eat it, too! With no kids around!

Party crashers

Saturday night/Sunday morning about 12:30 I heard so much helicopter activity in the air, I had to get out of bed to see what was going on. There was a helicopter hovering in the air nearby. I assumed there was a criminal situation of some kind and went back to bed.

Leo had the whole scoop of the story before breakfast via twitter and Facebook. Some of the kids involved go to his school.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/facebook-party-brawl-four-people-injured-in-wild-melee-in-point-cook-20160521-gp0r9l.html

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Appliances

We are living in a rental property. Of course, this means that the landlord isn't interested in providing the best appliances or most aesthetic detailing. We can't complain. But I do complain about the dishwasher. I have hated it since we came here. There are no tines in the upper rack so everything falls over unless it's fully loaded. The tines in the lower rack are oddly spaced. And it pretends to have a "dry" cycle, but there is no vent on the door so there is absolutely nowhere for the water to go when it's finished. I have to open the door as soon as it's done and then slide the racks out to dry. It's not a huge kitchen either so it's annoying having to step around it while the dishes air dry.

What is bitterly ironic is that last month our dishwasher at our home in Utah stopped working. So I had to shop for a replacement online and arrange for installation. I was salivating over all the ball-bearing sliding racks and quick-wash options. And bestill my heart--HEATED DRYING! After much comparison and deliberation, I settled on a KitchenAid 46 decibel dishwasher in Black Stainless Steel with a THIRD RACK for all those odd size utensils and small snack cups for lunch packing. The handle even doubles as a towel rack which is perfectly placed in my kitchen. I LOVE IT! But it will still be three months before I can meet it.

Look at the cute red circles in the handle!

There are some other odd quirks about our rental house that we've had to get used to.

Monday, May 16, 2016

I'm definitely going to miss this

With a combination of less Zumba, no gym membership, and more time in my schedule (that gives me more time to bake and EAT), I am face-to-face with my over-40-ness, and having to reduce my sugar consumption. Sugar increases my craving for more sugar, so I've tried to break my addiction. I was depressed about this at first. But I've made it nearly 4 weeks with ALMOST no sugar and I do notice a distinct reduction in cravings. However sometimes I just want to keep my mouth busy with something besides cucumbers.

You know my favorite treat ever is cookie dough. It isn't just about the sweetness. It's a total package of texture, and sweetness, and coolness, and density, and... I could eat it non-stop. Sometimes I do. Go back to start.

But, Lo and Behold, verily, I have found a very good substitute for cookie dough. And it is available in abundance in Australia.

You won't believe me when I tell you. But it has made all the difference for me over the past few weeks. And I've finally perfected it enough to share with you.

Friday, May 13, 2016

Recycling

There are a few things we can learn from the reduce, reuse, recycle efforts here.

First off. The recycling bin is larger than the trash bin. Hooray. Promoting the right behavior and making the other less-easy.


More people use reusable shopping bags. The cashiers often ask if you want a receipt or need a bag.

If you do end up with a lot of plastic shopping bags, the irony is that you CAN'T put them in the recycling bin. You have to either take them to a specific recycling location (at our library) or put them in the garbage bin (rubbish). I suppose the person below just got sick of keeping these around with good intentions of taking them in to be recycled.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Driving on the Left


No doubt, one of the biggest differences we faced when getting settled in Australia was learning to drive on the left side of the road. It was incredibly unsettling. You don't realize how instinctive your traffic checking habits are. You know where the opposing traffic is coming from and you guard that side of your car. But when the traffic is coming from the other way, you are constantly checking in ALL directions, even the places where traffic won't be. For weeks I kept looking over my right shoulder when I would cross traffic (to turn *right*), because I thought I was going to get T-boned--and DIE. I'm so used to cars driving on that side of the road I couldn't trust there wasn't a car over there. Then other times when entering the road, I would forget to actually check the traffic on the right side. I'm still alive and have not caused any accidents! Phew!

I had Leo hold the camera for a couple of our car trips so you could experience what it is like to drive from the left side:

Friday, April 22, 2016

Little Red Corolla (foreshadowing worse news to come for Thursday)

Don't worry. I didn't cause it.

And it didn't even involve my car. Phew.

I was taking Allen to the train station early Thursday morning. While we were waiting to turn right (across traffic), a car in the lane next to us rear-ended the van she was following. The traffic ahead of the van was backed up even though the light was green. So the gal in the little red Corolla (I miss Prince already) thought it was all clear to keep going. She hit them pretty firmly. She slowly got out of her car because the airbags had deployed. Allen stepped out to help her while I continued through the light to park at the gas station on the corner.

So thankfully everyone was able to move around and conscious and had no major injuries. At this point, we figured we'd call the police and they would send the appropriate vehicles to clear the non-drivable vehicle, provide medical evaluation, take a report, and maybe even issue a citation if necessary.

No.

The Irish van driver called the police and I heard them give a full report. One of the questions I heard the operator ask, "Is there any violence between the drivers?"

Friday, April 15, 2016

Garden fail

Back in September I planted a garden. The soil was mostly clay, so I was cautiously hopeful that my minor soil amendments would merit a steady supply of tomatoes and lettuce.

Eh...

The first disappointment was that the 8 Lebanese cucumber plants turned out to be English cucumbers and Australian cucumbers (also the standard cucumber in America).

The birds (I'm still hoping it was birds and not rats) ate the handful of Black Russian tomatoes produced before the entire plant died.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Live Like You Were Dying


You know that Tim McGraw song, "Live Like You Were Dying"? It's about the joy you can experience when you let go of all that has held you back before and you take a "now or never" approach to all those things you've wanted to do. I feel like that is what we are doing here. We know our time in Australia will come to an end and we've got to enjoy it NOW. No postponing. No wasting moments. We are taking every opportunity that we possibly can.



Sunday, April 10, 2016

First time for everything

We are living simple, but experiencing a lot of "first time" things and it can really be draining. You know the first time you make a new recipe it always takes longer. Everything we are doing here takes longer to figure out. Where to shop. How to deal with the quirks of a new house. How to register the car. How to ride the train. How to register for school. Where to find medicine. Or which medicines will work when you can't find what you usually buy. What do you use in a recipe that calls for corn syrup because you can't find corn syrup. How to deal with filing taxes in the US from all the way here. Opening a bank account here. Transferring money here. Transferring money there. Paying bills from a distance.

and

OH

MY

GOSH

Dealing with Verizon Wireless on a REPEATED basis trying to just keep my phone numbers alive so I can still have them when I get back. And then Verizon FAILED ME and gave two of our numbers to someone else without telling me. I found out from Facebook. Yes, FACEBOOK.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Our trip to Bali

I can’t believe I haven’t loaded my own account of our epic trip here. But my daughter wrote her own account and did a great job. 

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Dr. Suess must have visited Australia

I am COMPLETELY smitten by the trees here. They have so much character. They just look so interesting. They are smooth and tall and majestic. They are twisted and oddly shaped. I will miss seeing their silhouettes in front of the sunset.

My family knows that everything must stop if I see a picture worthy tree. Which is most every day. I often turn the car around to catch a tree. I'm never going to see them again. I have an entire photo album dedicated to the trees. I want to be able to flip through it whenever I miss them.

I have seen every tree from Dr. Suess's books here. I think he must have visited Australia and taken inspiration for his books. And I have spent 30 minutes googling this connection and can't believe I'm the first person to notice this.

Check out these examples.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Tasmania!

If you want the quick version, here's a video!


When we first found out we were going to Australia for a year, I decided I wanted to visit Tasmania just because it sounded so cool. I wanted my passport stamped with "Tasmania." Well, I felt pretty silly when I learned that Tasmania was a state of Australia, not a separate country, so I wouldn't get the stamp on my passport. But, as time as passed,

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Phillip Island

Phillip Island is on the other side of the bay. We have to drive up and around Melbourne and then down the east side to mouth of the bay. The smallest penguins in the world come home there every evening. And there is a Grand Prix Racing track. Something for everyone. 

Dominoes Through Melbourne

After our weekend on Phillip Island, we stopped in to see a whimsical activity going on through downtown Melbourne. Someone got the great idea to set up huge concrete dominoes running 2 kilometers through the city. It started at the town hall, wound through various buildings, and ended at the art museum. It was purely for the sake of fun. And knocking things down. It speaks to the little kid in all of us.

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Uluru and Kata Tjuta, FULL experience

This is day three from leaving home. Read Day One in Adelaide here. Read Day Two in Alice Springs here. (And if you prefer a shortened version than this lengthy post, find it here.)

Before dawn we check out of our room and wait outside for our bus to pick us up. It's not one of the fancy big buses. It's smaller and only seats 22 people. Comfortable enough, but still looks rugged. Perfect.

Uluru and Kata Tjuta, speed trip version

This is day three from leaving home. Read Day One in Adelaide here. Read Day Two in Alice Springs here. (And this is the shortened version of my post about this. Read the Full Experience here if you like.)

Here is some scenery along our way from Alice Springs to Uluru.


We got to stop at a service station for 15 minutes and we enjoyed the emu while we waited. 

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Alice Springs

After our crazy night and day in Adelaide, we boarded the plane to Alice Springs, right in the middle of Australia. The flight crew chief is tall, bald, and wearing a black suit and red tie. A bit intimidating. But if I can handle the outback, I can handle him. 

I was excited to see the Red Center terrain. The books and movies make it sound so harsh and unlivable. This was the view from the plane.

This is now the screen saver on my computer. It got even better from here. 

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Bonus trip: Adelaide!

Because we didn't want to take Henry to the intense heat of Uluru, we sent Allen and the girls first, and then Leo and I went two weeks later. Leo and I were more interested in a full "outback" experience with camping. I booked a tour that would drive us to the sights, and we'd get to campout under the stars.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Melbourne Star

The Melbourne Star is a 120 meter high observation ferris wheel. It has 21 pods that are completely enclosed. Henry has been wanting to ride in it for awhile. It is normally about $39 per person, but I scored a coupon for $15 per person.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Feeling grateful

I've got a lot to do and we are very busy and it's going to take some time to finish all the posts I've started. But I have just felt so grateful for all of these experiences. 


Saturday, January 16, 2016

Saturday is a special day--at the Fitzroy Gardens and Altona Beach

Allen went in to work on Saturday to make up for lost days while he was in Uluru. We decided to meet at the Fitzroy Gardens afterward to see Cook's Cottage and walk around the park a bit.

Boat Cruise

This week was Daddy/Daughter Mumma/Bubba week. Allen took the girls to Uluru, and Shelly stayed home with the boys. It was only three days so we tried to enjoy the unique time together while we could.


After taking Allen's crew to the airport, Leo and Henry and I suited up for the local beach in Altona. I prefer that beach because (a) it's only 15 minutes away instead of an hour, and (b) it has far-reaching shallow sandbars that means Henry can walk all over it without making me super nervous for his safety, and (c) the shallow bay water is a lot warmer than the Southern Ocean water. 

Friday, January 1, 2016

Happy New Year!

There was a dance held at church to celebrate New Year's Eve. I was in charge of helping get it decorated and planned.

Suffice it to say that by the time I was done with that obligation I was not in a mood to also stay at said dance for 5 hours, and then clean it up. And none of the kids except Leo were interested in going into the city to see the fireworks.

So...

Allen took the girls to the dance for a little while with the promise they didn't have to stay the whole time (they were just there for the food).

Leo and I ended up taking a train to Williamstown to watch the Melbourne Fireworks. We watched from across the bay at the end of a long pier where there are lots of sailboats and yachts. It was still quite a distance but we could hear that the sound must be deafening if you were right under them. They shoot them from the tops of the buildings. Each explosion is the same on each building and they go off EXACTLY in unison. It was pretty cool.