Makeover

I think it's time for a little change so I made a new look for the blog. Let me know if it's too hard to read or too distracting. :)

Brisbane

How you going?
   Daily life progresses here in Brisbane. We wake up to eat Brekky and drink coffee, the kids want to play and constantly show you or tell you something new, William takes a nap at some point, we go to the grocery store, lunch and dinner take their usual place, and once the children have gone to bed, Liz and I resume our stations by the TV with wine and goodies, either watching Downton Abby, a "Home Makeover" type show that is really interesting, Rugby, or simply to talk and enjoy each other's company. Actually, whenever Rugby is on, we usually just talk and occasionally look at the screen to check the score.

   Although we maintain a degree of routine, variety and spontaneity make their daily appearance.
They creep in discreetly through the evolution of made-up games: Instead of being smooshed, or even falling off the table, the "spider game" is now a spider (aka. my hand) crawling up their arms, does a happy dance, and "slips and falls" down the other side. I might take a different route as I go running through the pathways near their house. On Monday, I actually took Liz's phone to use the Nike running app and kept going till I'd run 5km.

More views from running:

   We ate a kangaroo for dinner.

   And yesterday, a trip to Woolworths (grocery store) became driving practice for me! I managed to successfully drive a manual transmission truck on the wrong side of the road, navigating roundabouts, left and right turns, and a car park (parking lot). I've been driving for over 10 years now, but switch a few things around and I felt like a beginner again! Massive concentration and a tight grip on the steering wheel were a few rookie habits that returned.

   Variety and Spontaneity also make their appearance with flashing colours (haha...spell check just corrected that word for me...) and a fanfare of trumpets.
 
   On Sunday, Liz's grandmother turned 90! In celebration, we met up with her grandmother and several family members at a park. I was designated photographer for the family photo, and we enjoyed carrot cake, fruit, and other desserts. After being introduced to a few people, I accompanied Emma and William to the river where we helped their cousins feed the ducks, Noisy Minors (a bird), and a large eel! We also played by the slide and swings and near the end, I enjoyed a conversation with Liz's brother (also named Stephen) and sister-in-law.

   On Tuesday afternoon, we drove to the top of a mountain where a lookout point has been established in order to see all of Brisbane. A windy river slithers about the city and has determined the layout. In one curve of the river, the main portion of Brisbane- or rather downtown Brisbane-makes its abode. As the river continues, suburbs have formed, each taking on a title of being dodgy, well to do, or average.
From here, we drove halfway down the mountain to the trailhead of a small hike. I love hiking with children because an adventure is always to be had. William's stick became a fishing pole and he "caught" three fish! A couple well placed boulders became a throne, and simply throwing a large rock into the river became the coolest thing in the world.

Our Hike

   Yesterday, Wednesday, was quite a day. I'd set my alarm for 4:30AM and kept waking up because I was worried that I would sleep through it. Fortunately I didn't, because I had an interview scheduled for noon in LA and 5AM my time. An opportunity has opened up at my current job and I have absolutely no idea what will happen, but happily I will be content in either position. However, my prayer and desire was to simply have a good interview, especially being so early in the morning, and I believe my prayer was answered. :) After the interview, I tried falling back asleep but my mind was too awake, so I contented myself to resting for a few hours.
   The morning was spent babysitting for Liz so she could get her hair done. We played with trains, watched Play-school, ate morning tea (snack), built dirt sandcastles outside, wrote notes and coloured pictures for Mummy, then while Will slept, Emma and I read a few books.
   Once Liz had returned and Will had awoken, we took a trip to Woolworth (the same trip where I drove!!!) to buy groceries and a SIM card for my iPhone! It was a bit tricky trying to figure out how to get my SIM card out and which size to buy, but we finally managed and now I can text/call in Australia! The immediate purpose for this endeavour (spellcheck again) came as I left Liz and the kids to take a train to Brisbane to meet up with a friend of a friend.
   Last night was also the night of a huge Rugby game that is part of a series called the State of Origins, comparable to our SuperBowl. A mass of (mostly) men in maroon QLD Jerseys (the colour of the local Rugby team) crowded the train as we got closer to the city and thus the stadium where the game was held. At one point, most of the train emptied itself and I disembarked myself two stations later. My phone came in handy as I waited and communicated with Ben and his sister Jess to determine where and when we would meet. Because of the rugby game, there was absolutely no parking so as they approached the station where I'd been waiting, I hopped into the car and we left to find parking. Lest you fall off your chair (mom) in astonishment that I would allow a stranger to pick me up, the situation was well "researched." :)

The memorial I waited by:

   Anyways, we eventually found parking, walked to a restaurant to eat dinner, and since he is studying politics, I learned all about the Australian government/history and even about the current possibility that Australia would have a new prime minister that night! The Labor Party is currently in power and they did end up changing Prime Ministers last night!! (So I was here to experience a little history in the making.) Elections are coming up in September. Even though their chances are slim, the Labor Party is trying to gain more favour with the voters.
   I made it home safely and partly watched/mostly talked to Liz during the State of Origin game. The QLD (Queensland) team crushed their opponents (New South Whales) so it wasn't much of a match anyway.

My train ride back home

I hope you're all doing well!

Who's Wally?

Umm...don't you mean Where's Waldo?? :) this threw me off a little. Or rather, it threw the kids off when I kept asking "Where's Waldo?" They would return with blank stares until Liz told me that here his name is Wally.

Today we drove into downtown Brisbane because every Saturday, there is an outside market along a particular street. I remembered coming to the market three years ago, so we decided to go take a look. The market caters to both tourists and locals as they sell clothes, jewelry, purses (or handbags as they call them here), and the occasional variety of soaps, paintings, or one stall only sold signs.

Being a "seasoned" (or at least, I am on my way to being) traveler, I don't like buying trinkets as souvenirs but rather jewelry or something I can actually wear or use. In keeping with this train of thought, I decided to buy some opal earrings because, as I learned today, 97% of opals are mined in Australia. America receives exports of mostly light (white or milky colored) opals, but there are also dark opals rich in color. I chose the darker opals of a blue/green color. :)

We also bought churros for a snack and ate them by the "beach." This is a section of town with part sand/part steps that lead into a pool of water. In the summer, the pool is usually filled with people since it gets very hot and humid here. But being winter, the lifeguards had it very easy since no one was swimming.

We also saw several people from England, or people who cheer for the London rugby team, milling about, waiting for the rugby game tonight. It was the Australian Wallabies vs. the London Lions. After dinner, Liz and I actually sat and watched the game a little before turning on a movie. Whoever says rugby is like football is very mistaken. I've become a bit more familiar with rugby and it is a very different game. :)

All the red jerseys are rooting for England.

This is part of the Rugby game:

Wallabies ended up losing by 2 points!! Must've been a good game. :)

Also here is a picture from the backyard

Good night!

Bush Turkeys and Bubble Tea

Thursday, June 20:

Yesterday morning, Liz and I began a DIY project of decoupaging their dining table. So we washed the outside table to bring in, and moved the heavy, dining room table outside. But then changed our minds and decided to decoupage the outside table instead. Sooo....we moved the big, heavy table back inside the house and called it our "arm workout" for the day. To continue my "workout," I decided to go for a run. Well, more like a leisurely jog since I was trying not to get lost. Fortunately, I found a bike and pedestrian trail and stuck with that.

That afternoon, we walked down to the park. 

And then came the Bush Turkey. They are quite the pest around here...and very persistent!! One came up to the park and both the kids would go running and screaming to their mom (or mum as they say), pointing at the bush turkey coming their way. He would even go up to a pram (stroller) and start pulling out a bag! We would run it off, but a couple minutes later, the pesky bird would return to try again. They are also very destructive to gardens, always digging and scratching away the dirt. Apparently, there is really nothing you can do to the bird because they are protected, but if you come across their nest (a pile of dirt and sticks), you are allowed to get rid of the nest. 

Last night, Liz's friend from church came over and we spent a few hours chatting, praying, and sharing testimonies. I absolutely love hearing stories, and testimonies are the best kind. :)

Friday, June 21:

This morning, my cute alarm clock came in again. We've begun a routine of William coming in, followed shortly by Emma. One of them usually has a book, we all squish into bed, and I read them a few stories before we get ready for brekkie and then the day. 

It was raining today so we had a lazy morning, then went to the shops (mall) to run a few errands and grab lunch. For dessert I bought a drink from Tea Bar. Being so close to Asia, there is a big Asian population here and plenty of Asian food. I ordered a "bubble" drink which is really just a Boba drink. Same thing, different name.

I'm not sure whether it was the gloomy weather, the constant stimulation of being somewhere new, chasing toddlers all day, still recovering from jet lag, or a combination of all, but I came home really tired so I read awhile and fell asleep to the sound of rain. I felt SO much better after my nap! The kids and I played Kangaroo and hopped around trying to find food and punching away the Lions. It was so funny because last night we made up this Kangaroo scenario. To make things exciting, I pretended to growl and said there were Lions coming so we had to hide! As soon as I growled again, Will's eyes got really big, he ran over and grabbed me tight, and started crying! I reassured him that there was no real Lion and had him listen as I growled. I asked him, "Is that a Lion or is that Jill?" He got a big smile on his face, giggled, and said, "Jill!" But sure enough, as soon as we started playing again, I would growl and he'd freak out! So one time, I "kicked" the "Lion" and had him punch it as well. By today, he is now the only one allowed to punch them and he yells at me anytime I try to do it. :) I think we conquered his fear of the imaginary lion. 

After a dinner of sausages and veggies, I washed the dishes while Liz washed the kids (our new routine), said goodnight to the kids, and watched another episode of Downton. Since Lyle is gone for the week, we're getting in all our chick flicks. :)

More Australian lingo:

Rubbish bin = trash can

Boot = trunk

Winge = whine

Loo and Toilet = bathroom

I'm pretty used to these but as a teacher, this one always throws me off: Zed = Z. So one of the kids will be singing the alphabet song and end it with t-u-v,w-x,y-and-zed (what?! Oh...) 

Also they pronounce zebra with a short e-vowel sound. :)

It's so fun to hear their accents all day long.

Lone Pine Sanctuary

Today we visited the Lone Pine Sanctuary. This particular zoo in Brisbane has been here for almost 100 years! It's not very large, but its one of the last zoos to allow people to hold and take a picture with a koala. I held a Koala last trip so decided to skip out this time, however, we did see a sheep-hearding show, sheep sheering show, fed some kangaroos, and saw several different Australian animals. It's interesting how many different animals you encounter in a different country. Whenever I read to the kids, I find myself introduced to unknown animals and checking with Liz to see if I'm pronouncing it right! The kids probably think I don't know much by now. :) 

Animals we saw today include Larakeets, Sheep, a Guinea Pig, Chicks, a Goat, Emus, Kangaroos, Tasmanian Devils, Koalas, Dingos, several snakes, lizards, and turtles, a Crocodile, a Wombat, Platypus, Cockatoos, Kookaburras (probably in a gum tree...for those who know the song), other parrots, and wild Bush Turkeys which run wild everywhere in Brisbane. 

Larakeets

        

                                                            Happy Emma!!

The zoo is very hands-on and let's you touch several of the animals.

                                     

                          These sheepdogs are incredibly obedient and amazing to watch in action

Sheering a sheep. This guy was really entertaining and funny.

I thought this was cute

Touching the sheep that just got sheered! Very oily...

Koala "Action" Shot!!! (Yawning)

They are so docile and relaxed...especially when they've been fed (the kangaroo that is...)

My willing model to show the height scale of a red kangaroo which can grow over 6 feet!!!

Lunch break = photo op

          

                                       Weird American...Photo credit to William Wetherston.

                                      

                                                      Kookaburra

This kid cracks me up

Beautiful walkway into/out of the zoo

                                      

After dinner and the kids were in bed, Liz and I had a girls night since Lyle is away for a week. Downton Abby, wine, and Cheezels (like cheese puffs but better)/Tim Tams. Mmmm...so healthy. ;)

One of these days, I'll get a few quotes down. So many quotable moments and I keep forgetting to write them...

Its late so G'night :)