Fingers crossed!

I could manage loving this.
http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris

Dress Up

It was that time again. Ball time. A chance to get a new pretty dress :)...and a new tie. Well, not really, B already had the tie. And of course, I didn't find a dress until the day before. *kicking myself for not buying that gorgeous yellow vintage dress about a year ago* One may think,"Oh, this would be a perfect excuse to get a mani/pedi, get the hair did, maybe a salt scrub." Yeeeaaah. None of that happened. My hair got thrown up in the last 2 minutes before walking out the door. Anyway, here are a few pics of us all gussied up for the E&Y ball.

South Australia Holiday....Adelaide edition

South Australia Holiday....Kangaroo Island edition

South Australia Holiday....McLaren Vale edition

South Australia Holiday....Barossa Valley edition

Winery and Roos

This was from a trip we took out to Kooroombah winery with some friends one weekend. It's about an hour away. Gorgeous views. They also had a lavender farm next to the vineyard.

These were out in the field next to the vineyard...just a reminder of where we are in the world!

New Zealand Part 2

And here's part 2...about time, hey? ;) The captions tell the story of our adventures.

New Zealand Part 1

Little taste of NZ

Here's a teaser to hold you over until I get through the editing down of over 1,200 photos from the trip. :O These are some highlights of our bungy adventure in Queenstown, New Zealand. We're jumping off the Kawarau Bridge over the Kawarau River. A historical site...this was where commercial bungy began. The water was an amazing color...glacier water. Loved it so much we had to do it twice. Little chilly, but our adrenaline kept us warm ;)

Race of the Roach

Australia Day - January 26. Meat pies, bbq lamb chops and the Day of the Roach...well, at least in Brisbane at the Story Bridge Hotel. Unfortunately Dale Squirmhart and Shoe Be Gone did not cross the line, not even sure they made it across the line before a sole was their demise. This racing of the cockroaches is a tradition apparently started back in 1981.

"As the story goes the Story Bridge Hotel Cockroach Races were started when two old punters sat in the bar arguing over which suburb had the biggest and fastest roaches. They decided to race some roaches the next day and history was made. The races have now been held at the Story Bridge Hotel for 28 years."

There are ten races, one every half hour. About 40 "entries" in each race. You have to enter your roach under a name (which is a game in and of itself) and their number is drawn on its back. Your lucky if your steed even makes it through the race...once they let them all out there's a lot of screaming and stomping of feet as they scatter over the mat and into the crowd. At one point a roach was even thrown into my purse. Disgusting! Some of the Hall of Famers are: Sir Roachalot, Cocky Balboa, Cow Cocky and my personal favorite and 2003 winner - Lord of the Drains.

Here's a taste of the fun:


For the history of Australia Day: http://www.australiaday.com.au/studentresources/history.aspx

Hunter, Wine and Bob

Our first trip of '09. Hunter Valley, New South Wales. Wine region. B&B. The photos tell some of the tale. 

The unknown world of cricket

So much to catch up on...that's what I get for not keeping up with this, hey? (btw - "hey?" added onto the end of a sentence is a huge Australian thing...we've somewhat adopted it :) 

I'll start at the cricket. Now this is a game that neither of us could follow for awhile. So many rules, foreign rules. Different types of games played. Strategies. I guess I always just thought of it as a croquetish type game played by white vest-clad, white zinc-lipped gentlemen with large brimmed hats. Ahh, it is so much more than that, my friend. One of our good Australia friends, Brooke, had the patience to help these feeble minded Yanks understand the game and how important it is to this nation of Australia and many other countries. Let me start by saying it is a big deal. Like baseball to the U.S. We've had the chance to go to a couple of 20/20 games, these are the shortest version of the professional game...about 3 hours. They tend to be a little more exciting as well, more fast-paced than the traditional test match cricket which sometimes takes 5 days!!!! Yes, days.... about 7 hours per day!!!! ugh. That of course includes a break for tea. :) I feel like our sports are so barbarian - if only we would allot a tea time during a football game, automatically more refined. Anyway, we've come to appreciate the game to the point of playing it ourselves. We already taken part in cricket in the park as well as beach cricket. Maybe we'll bring a set back to share in the joy of this new found sport in our lives. 

Dog and Keys Show

New Year's weekend we spent a couple days down in Cooloogatta, on the Gold Coast, to see a Dr. Dog and The Black Keys show. Good show. Beautiful beach town. 

A Tassie Christmas

Do you remember those nights when you were little and could barely sleep because you were so excited about the family adventure that was about to transpire early the next morning? A departure so early in the morning the sun had yet to rise? The alarm set at 4am? Packed in the car with your pj's on and pillow in hand? That was me the night of December 16th... I wish I could've gone to the airport in my pj's like back in the day though, should have just done it. :) We had no idea what to expect out of this trip... but whatever they may have been, they were exceeded. I heart Tassie!!! This may have been the most diverse, naturally beautiful places we've ever visited. Nothing will replace spending Christmas with family, but this definitely helped take our minds off that fact. Truly an amazing little island.

Day #1

We landed in Hobart, Tasmania - the capital of the state and last port on the way to Antarctica-picked up our rental for the week, Suki, and headed to the harbour. We heard the laid back, comfortable, picturesque port has some of the best seafood in Australia so we immediately found Mures, a famous local restaurant on the harbour. Possibly the best fish and chips...ever! Bellies full, we went to find our B&B with Garmin's help (we brought her along and quite glad we did!). Cute, heritage place full of antiques, lush lavendar surrounding the porch and a great view of Mt. Wellington and the water. We decided to venture up to the top of Mt. Wellington before it got dark. The 1271 m (4,170 ft.) mountain rises above the city of Hobart. The view was amazing and the large cloud that was looming at the summit blew away just as we got there. I stayed clear long enough for us get some pics then it returned just as we were leaving. It was a bit of the heavens opening up for us - ah ah ah *Ariel's voice*. Back down the mountain for a nap then to Lurk's, a little whiskey bar Brent spotted on the way into Hobart. We had a drink then headed back to Mures again for dinner - this time it was the upper deck restaurant, oh la la, more formal. Again...amazing seafood. Delicious first day. 

Day #2 

We headed to Port Arthur, a convict settlement about 45 minutes away from Hobart. On the way there we stopped at the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park - sooo glad we did, one of my favorite parts of the trip. The devils look less like the cartoon and more like mini "r.o.u.s's" of Princess Bride. They are quite shy normally, but as we watched them feed on raw meat they resembled the animated version...screaming, chasing and attacking each other for a morsel. We also saw some rare birds of Tas and then.....the roos and wallabies! It was on a Thursday so no one else was around - we had dozens of marsupials to ourselves... I almost peed my pants! They hopped away when we would get close until we found the food and key to our success. Lured in, some would let us pet them while others looked on in curiosity. The wallabies wanted nothing to do with it - must be a size complex. After spending about an hour with them, I had one of those wow moments, "We just freakin hung out with some roos!" It's the little things, honestly. Give me some food pellets and an animal, and I'm content. Onto the convicts.

Port Arthur was actually a beautiful setting, a contrast to the life there. The whole settlement was an experiment in punishment and reform as the goal was "discipline and punishment, religious and moral instruction, classification and separation, training and education." It was a machine that unfortunately had many flaws, some men were beaten until they went insane, some left there with valuable skills. The convicts were repeat offenders, the youngest being 9 years old and sent there from England due to repeatedly stealing boxes of toys. Geez. There was a separate island for boys 17 and under...a sort of juvenile detention centre that probably had harsher conditions than on the mainland. Overall, it had some interesting stories. 

Day #3

Up early, great breaky at the B&B, off to the Tahune Forest Airwalk and the Huon River. The airwalk is basically a metal walkway that was built in the treetops of a forest, 65 ft. off the ground. Part of the walkway included an arm that stretched over the Huon River 160 ft. up and bounced up and down as you walked on it...little unsettling dangling that high over a river, amazing views though. We then did a hike that took us over two swinging bridges, played on those for awhile, then back to the car for a long drive. We drove over to Strahan, on the west coast. About a 5 hr. drive through some of the curviest roads either of us has ever been on...I was breaths away from getting car sick. Aunt Cindy would not have done well on this road...thought of you as I was getting sick :D The drive was so beautiful though - and diverse - steep cliffs with ocean views, sheep-dotted green rolling hills, thick forests through National Parks, barren mining towns. We finally arrived in the small fishing port town of Strahan right before dark, found our nautical-themed bungalow, visited the local pub then headed to bed. Why is traveling in a car so exhausting? 

Day #4

We booked a river cruise at the suggestion of a few people, normally we hate going on tours, but this was actually a great investment. They took us out into Macquarie Harbour (lots of fish farms here, salmon and ocean trout) and through Hell's Gates (once dangerous entrance into the harbour from the Southern Ocean). Then the next stop was Sarah Island where we got off and toured the ruins of a harsh penal colony, smaller but worse than Port Arthur. Got back on the boat for a posh lunch (lots of smoked salmon, yum!) and traveled down the Gordon River. The river winds through Tasmania's World Heritage Area of cold-climate rainforests and Huon Pines - beautiful. The Huon Pine cannot be found anywhere else in the world and is highly protected as it extremely slow-growing and long-living, they've found several over 3,000 years old. We made a stop along the river to walk through the what seemed like an enchanted rainforest! Had the pleasure of seeing a Tiger snake, one of Australia's deadliest, 5th in the world. Nice. Back on land, and onto another hike to Hogarth Falls, right outside the town and one of the 60 Great Short Walks in Tas - I think we did about 8 of them (some were not so short). We went to a play that evening called The Ship That Never Was. It's the longest running play in Oz and is about some convicts from Sarah Island that highjacked a ship to escape. There were only two actors in it, the rest was all audience participation from an audience of about 20. Pretty funny, I think at one time more people were on stage than in the audience. Both of us were somehow involved in the shananagins. Then it was a dinner of what else? Seafood and oysters. There was a xmas celebration in the middle of the town that night with a local orchestra band, free hot dogs and a decorated pine tree that kind of looked like a maypole, big time for this small town of 650. Another funlicious day.

Day #5

Morning drive over to Cradle Mountain National Park, about an hour northeast of Strahan. There were several different bushwalking paths to choose from in the park. We did about a three hour hike that day around a large lake called Dove Lake, didn't want to push my ankle too far as we were planning on doing the "big" hike tomorrow... had to save it for that. So we took our time this gorgeous day, absorbing thia amazing, rugged place God created and reflecting on how many things we had already seen in just 5 days. We still had four more to experience! On our way back to the cabin we spotted several wild wallabies and minutes later we had our one and only wombat spotting. They look like a cross between a small bear and a koala...so cute! 

Day #6

Probably one of the most physically and mentally challenging days of my life, yet incredibly satisfying for us both! We ventured on a 9.5 hr. hike up to the summit of Cradle Mountain. Didn't really know what to expect on the hike, but we could tell from far below that it would be a challenge to reach our destination. It started quite pleasant, a walk through a prairie full of button grass and into a rainforest with multiple waterfalls. Then it started upwards to a lookout point and our first "rock climb" of the day. This was also the halfway point and I was a bit nervous about my foot managing the climb (the fractured/torn tendon/sprained foot I obtained several weeks prior). Pain is gain, right? Onward to the base of the mountain. Stopped for rest and some food at a shelter hut. Then another debate went through my mind as we looked up at the terrain we had yet to conquer. Can't stop now. Then we hit them...the boulders. Large boulders that had to be ascended quite strategically, and the only way to know where to go was to find the metal poles that were stuck in crevasses of the rock sometimes 100 ft. away from each other - find any way you can to get there. Finally we got to what we thought was the summit only to learn that there was more - deceived! I think at that point was when the mental challenge really began... the cold wind was blowing hard then we started feeling raindrops. ugh. After what was probably the steepest part of the journey and spotting a large patch of snow below us that some guys were sledding down (yes, on a mountainside, did look fun though), we reached the summit. The view was spectacular. We conquered this massive pile of rocks! Amazing sense of accomplishment. Persevered and here we were. 5, 069 ft,. No Everest, but considering the conditions and my condition, pretty satisfying. Then there was the whole...we still had to go down what we just came up. At this point my physical pain was starting to effect my mental status. Praying for hind's feet, we eventually made it to the base. My foot was done...I wasn't. After the base, we still had another 2.5 hrs. to go. Patient Brent was there the whole way helping me hobble down the last treacherous rockface. So glad we did though, even if it set me back several weeks in the healing process. Carpe diem. Might never get that chance at Cradle Mountain again. Back to the cabin for some much needed nourishment and sleep. Crazy, fulfilling, adventurous, painful day!  

Day #7

The next morning we had the cutest surprise out our window - a wallaby scrounging for food by the deck. Love this place! Sad we had to leave. Brent did one last short hike on the Enchanted Walk (yeah, no hiking for me for awhile, not even walking :), then we left for a drive over to the east coast. Another beautiful drive. We stopped in a little town called Scottsdale for lunch - great salad at the cafe btw, if you're ever driving through there. Some more treacherous road curvatures, and we were in St. Helens on the northeast coast of Tas. Small fishing town, not much there and our motel was quite...umm... interestingly retro. There was a waterfall about 20 min. from St. Helens - the tallest in Tas - and Brent took a trip there while I vegged and iced the foot in our room. He brought back some great pics then we found dinner....oysters and seafood. Surprised? Actually Brent had wallaby, the cute little guy that was outside our window that morning :( Tasted like roo.

Day #8 - Christmas Eve

The day started with a drive to the Bay of Fires and Binalong Bay. The large rocks along the coast are covered in orange lichen which are great photo subjects. The white beach was gorgeous, the sand was extremely fine and the water was an incredible clear blue. Apparently one of the best beaches in the world and also one of the sites of a very recent shark attack. We headed south to the town of Bicheno after several pics and shell hunting. This was where I heard you could watch the wild Ferry penguins come up out ocean at night...soon found out that was true. We were so coming back there that night. Another natural attraction there was a place called the Blowhole. This was a large formation of lichen-covered boulders along the coast where when waves crashed at just the right time and with enough force, water spewed out of a crevasse in the rocks to form a sometimes 10 ft. tall tower of water. Very entertaining and picturesque place - there were several of those on this trip if you haven't caught on ;). As we had walked up to the area, I noticed a distinct scent - it smelled just like the penguin house at the STL Zoo. This must be where they nest! The next stop: Freycinet winery for a glass of wine and relaxing on the deck next to the vineyards in the sun. This is xmas eve?? We stopped by our hotel in Swansea for a quick change into layers to prepare for the penguin watch later on that night. Then it was back to Freycinet National Park to see Wineglass Bay. We elected out of the three hour hike to the lookout and went to the lighthouse in the park for a view of the bay by the suggestion of a lady at the winery. Turns out it was freezing, cloudy and windy up there and you could barely see the bay off in the distance! Oh well. Back to Bicheno for some dinner (yep, oysters again) and penguins. El cheapos didn't want to pay for the tour to see the penguins so we went by a bottle shop and the lady there told Brent that the Blowhole was our best bet to catch them without going on the tour. I knew it smelled of penguins there! Got there as the sun was setting. You are supposed to camouflage yourself, find a hiding spot and wait till dark to see them come up out of the ocean onto the shore after a long day of fishing and fun. They nest on the shores with their young every night. We found our spot, waited till it was completely dark (about 45 min.) and started to wonder if we chose the wrong area when all of the sudden we spotted about 10-12 white-fronted bodies hobble up onto shore out of the water. Our eyes were adjusting in the dark, at first we thought we were seeing things. A few minutes later and two of the little guys started waddling right towards us! My heart started beating so loud I was sure they could hear it. They passed inches from our feet directly in front of us! One slight movement and they scurried away and into the brush where their nests were. We got up to walk back to the car and on the way there passed about three more 12 in. cuties wandering around. Wild penguins! A xmas eve we'll never forget. 

Day #9 - Christmas Day!

Merry Chrissy! No snow here...we woke up to a sunny 70 degree day and a view of the vibrant Tasman Sea. We packed up and took a drive down the east coast towards Hobart. More sheep along the way, little jealous of the view they get everyday ;) Stopped by an amazing, idyllic beach that looked like it came out of a coffee table book. Did some more shell hunting, tons of unique ones on this beach, then it was back to Hobart to catch our plane home. Even as the plane took off the scenery didn't end. Brent caught some great shots from the plane window. If given the opportunity.... I'd be back here in a heartbeat. Easy decision. Amazing Christmas. 

Moreton Island

I'm just as shocked as you are that I've updated this so soon! Sunday's events deserved it though. We spent the day on Moreton Island - about an hour ferry ride from the Port of Brisbane. It was a work event through E&Y. We left the port at 8am and spent all day there...got back at about 6ish. The place was gorgeous, the weather was amazing. We spent the morning on the western beach and then trekked it in a 4wd through some rough terrain to "the Desert" to do some sandboarding. It's one of the main sand dunes on the island...never thought so much sand could be so lovely. (see pics) Then it was back to the west beach for some lunch and a sunbake. Later we drove over to the eastern beach, drove along the beach and over to the Blue Lagoon where we swam and relaxed the rest of the afternoon - we ran out of time for beach cricket. Next time. The island is known for having whales and dolphins frequently swim by, I was so excited to see some but alas none were found. We are so coming back here to camp one day.  

Spring Fever

So we're at the 2 month mark now. After 8 weeks of events piling up we're a little overwhelmed at where to begin. Maybe shorter updates are more realistic. Hey, we've been busy! ;) So much to tell – I'll try to be concise yet descriptive, brief yet thorough, highlight yet inform. We'll see how long you last. 

So we've finally found a place to call home! The search was grueling for awhile, but alas, our shack is nice. We ended up with a 2 bedder (Oz talk) in a great suburb called Teneriffe. It's about 4.5km (2.8 miles) from downtown and we're less than one block from the riverfront. There are some "unfurnished" pics in the slideshow to the right. A trip to Ikea and SuperAMart and I think we're pretty much set now. Love Ikea... 

I think we're on 4 trips there so far, Brent even did one on his own. Very proud. I'll get some of the furnished pics up once it's a bit more organized...looks like a tornado hit the place. Which brings me to the exciting event of October 16 (or as we liked to call it, Xmas for us!), it was the day all of the items shipped from the U.S. arrived at our doorstep. I didn't realize how exciting it would be to unwrap our books and games and bikes... a.k.a - xmas presents...except that we already owned them. Mom, Dad, did you ever "regift" my own toys? Maybe a good plan in these economic times, you know, hide them in March and wrap 'em back up for Dec. 25? It just may work ;)

After several weeks of public transportation and power walking, we finally bought a car. Buses, walking, bikes and citycats will still be our daily source of mobility, but for the further ventures this will be nice. One of our first car trips is going to be to the beach...there are amazing beaches about 45 minutes north (Sunshine Coast) and south (Gold Coast) of Brisbane. The new little addition to our family is a Nissan Tiida (not sold in the U.S.) and we just picked it up last weekend. Sweet piece of machinery. Cars are not cheap here...even used cars. They maintain their value much more than in the U.S though, which will be great for us in a couple of years. 

One of the greatest blessings we've received since being here is the exchange rate. When we first arrived, it was about AU$1 to US$0.85. This was a bit disheartening finding out how expensive things were going to be. But in the last month the AU$ has weakened to a 5-year low and is now at about US$.65. It's God's perfect timing as it happened right as we had to make some bigger purchases, ex. furniture, car, apt. fees, etc. Our US$ has been stretched much further than we initially thought, such a blessing!  And Brent was able to enter us into a foreign currency forward contract with the bank which locks us in at the low exchange rate for the next year. So if the rate should rise again, we can still exchange at this current rate. Nice! I love getting a bargain. And I love having an accountant/finance guy for a husband!

Brent has been very busy at work for the past several weeks, but he's really enjoying it so far. Most of his clients are in the mining industry (primarily coal mining), and he has already done a bit of traveling to visit the mine sites. So far, he's primarily toured throughout New South Wales, including Singleton for about a week, followed by Wollongong, and then Newcastle. 

During these trips, he also got to go on several mine tours. When he toured one of the surface mines, he was able to watch them blast a huge section of the pit with dynamite. He also went on two underground tours and was close to a km beneath the surface. This pic makes us both laugh...nice ensemble! ha! 

At the end of Brent's mine trip, I flew down to meet him in Sydney for the weekend. This was our first trip outside of Brissy together (See the slideshow to the right). Saturday we took a day trip to the Blue Mountains - amazingly beautiful! We did some hiking and rode a glass-bottomed gondola across a ravine, came back that night and had a great dinner at Darling Harbour. Sunday we walked around Sydney - the Opera House, Darling Harbour, Harbour Bridge, the aquarium. That afternoon we went to Hillsong Church (a world reknown church) - great service!  So it wasn't a bad anniversary weekend! ;)

Our next big adventure is Christmas in Tassie! We figured since we are really going to be missing spending xmas at home with fam, we needed to do something exciting. We just got finished planning our 8 day roadtrip around the island of Tasmaina. The whole island is about the size of Ireland (so I read) and we're driving to various parts, spending a night or two in each one - hiking through rainforests, laying on secluded beaches and hopefully encountering some wildlife (there's an area of the SE coast where you can watch penguins come on shore from the ocean). So excited!

Now that we've hit all of the highlights of the past couple months, we've had some tough times as well. Let’s just say we’ve definitely taken full advantage of our medical insurance since being here. It started with Brent about 5 weeks ago. He played in the Waterfront Cup rugby tournament, which is the annual rugby competition between the big 4 accounting firms in Brisbane. I know what you’re picturing right now….a bunch of dorky accountants running around with their green visors. It was actually fairly intense and there were several people throughout the night carried off the field on a stretcher. He got hurt in the last game when he made a tackle and a guy landed on top of his hip.  He never actually went to see the doctor (to my dismay) but I’m pretty sure he bruised, crushed or strained his pelvis. He could hardly walk for about a week, but he's now back to close to 100%. 

I have been a barrel of fun. A few weeks ago I had a bike accident that sent me in an ambo to the er (my first time!) After some x-rays, an ultra sound, and some butterflies I went home with a gash in my right ankle and several sore scrapes and brusies. While hobbling along two days later, I somehow managed to roll my left ankle and in doing so tore some tendons and suffered a minor fracture to the top of my foot. I mean, really? Never have I been so accident prone! So both of us probably look like 90 year olds walking down the street. ha! 

Oh and some new words:

hamper = gift basket

fillet is pronounced "fill it"

car park = garage (actually makes more sense)

chook = chicken

Till next time. Love and miss you all!

B&K

The Yanks have landed

We're here! 22 hours of travel, 4 in-flight movies and several naps later. Worth it though. And we made it through our first week of "new" moments including words, lifestyle and foods... yes, roo was for dinner last night. ;) After a few nights of falling asleep at 8pm, out cold, we are finally adjusted in this city of fine weather and friendly mates.

                                   

We started our week getting applications for drivers licenses, which do NOT require a test...I'm still trying to figure out if that's advantageous for us or not. We also had our visas evidenced, bought some phones (expensive here, along with coffee, clothes and rent!) and started the apt. hunt throughout the city. Rent for a decent place averages $400 - $600/week!!! But the search has given us a great tour of the areas around the city and with the lack of a vehicle, exercise has been prevalent. So far we've eaten Thai, Middle Eastern, Portuguese, English, Chinese, Japanese, Australian and Italian food. There's a lot of diversity here...not only in the cuisine. They sell kangaroo meat at the grocery store, but no mustard to Brent's dismay. Coffee has been an interesting adventure as well. As some of you know, Brent has an iced coffee concoction routine from Starbucks. Starbucks is here, but the iced coffee has been a little bit of a struggle for him. So far he's received hazelnut flavored espresso with ice and milk, and one as a coffee/ice cream float with whipped cream and cinnamon on top. Ha! He's a bit out of his element in that realm. Thank goodness chai is the same across the globe ;) 

Some translations we've had to learn to use: sunnies = sunglasses, energy = calories (sounds so much better!), hamper = gift basket, Hungry Jack = Burger King, lift = elevator, trolleys = grocery carts, take away = to go, no worries = applies to everything. 

The weather has been absolutely amazing. We keep the doors on our balcony open all day and night. Great breeze all the time,which has made our exploring quite pleasant. I think it's brought some wildlife as well. This is one of the Water Dragons we met on our stroll along the riverwalk. The thing was about 2.5 feet long, a bit larger than Missouri's native lizards.

So apparently there are not many Americans down here because everyone keeps asking us if we're from Canada. Eh? Kind of comical. We made it to our first pro rugby league game. 

The Brisbane Broncos vs. the Melbourne Storm in a playoff game. The stadium was huge, it was a sold out game - 50,000 people that came to watch some guys slam into each other and throw around an egg shaped ball. Brent was in heaven, and he can't wait to get on a team! It was actually pretty fun -  hardcore, animated fans that are entertaining themselves :D Unfortunately they lost with 25 seconds left in the game. Good times anyway. I'm sure there will many games to see in the near future since the rugby union starts sometime soon. Rugby League half the year, Rugby Union the other half (similar, but some different rules for each). So yes, rugby is huge here and is on tv just about 24/7. 

Last night we ate kangaroo for dinner. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about doing that, but it was actually really good. I cooked it in a red wine reduction with broccolini and potatoes. Salivating yet?? It's very similar to beef steak, but almost fat free. They sell it in the grocery stores right next to the beef and chicken. Most are protected from hunting by law, but there are certain species that have large numbers and commercial licensed hunters are allowed to hunt a specific amount for population control issues. Similar to a hunting tag in the States for certain wildlife. Next on the "weird things to eat" list: Vegemite! 

So that's a bit of what we've been up to our first days here. We miss you all and love you. Write back soon!

Cheers,

Brent & Kristin

Email:

brent.papek@gmail.com

kristin.papek@gmail.com

Keepin' in contact!

So I finally started one of these things due to the fact that we'll be on the other side of the globe trying to stay in contact with you guys on a regular basis so we aren't forgotten. :D Hopefully pics and blogs will be updated frequently so we can share adventures (and challenges). So you should write comments back....pretty please. Blog on!