When I think of Homecoming, I think of the big, traditional, American homecoming festivities. The high school dance, big football game with the weakest team in the conference so you can guarantee a win, basically a big rigamarole. Is that what I expected when I landed back on American soil?! I'm not going to answer that. But...maybe.
The last few weeks before I was coming home I joked with Chris to make sure he made all of the proper arrangements at O'Hare - wind machine, all employees and passersby briefed on moving in slow motion when he and I first see each other, you know - the usual.
There was no wind machine and apparently the airport employees are busy screening people and doing their jobs instead of starting a slow clap, but it was still an unforgettable moment. My vocabulary is not nearly vast enough to explain the emotions I felt coming down the escalator and seeing my husband for the first time in weeks... and knowing I'd get to see him every day until forever. Priceless.
The first few days back were a whirlwind. Not only did I get to come back to my hubby, but my awesome hubby closed on our house while I was still in Australia and bought me a new car. Life is good!!! I gorged myself on all things Americana - Mexican food (obvs), good chocolate, pop culture (what's going on with Blair and Serena?!), and lots and lots of college basketball. I also started to mentally prepare myself for all of the questions I'd get in the office:
"Did you see any kangaroos?" - No.
"Did you get an accent?" - I'm not Madonna. You don't lose an accent in six months.
"G'day mate!" - Yeah, that's original and not annoying at all
"Put another shrimp on the barbie!" - Again original, and they call them prawns, by the way
"Did you go to the Outback?" - No. Noone goes there but tourists - everything there can kill you
It was such an interesting situation. All things were shiny and new in my personal life - coming back to my new hubby, new house and new car; and yet I was going back to the same office and the same desk I've sat at for the past seven years. Granted, I barely recognized any of the faces in the office, and it had quite a different feel from when I was last working there, but my desk was still my same old desk.
This is it. I'm back home.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
The Longest Flight Ever - Part 2... The Return
I thought it was a long flight six months ago when I was on my way over to Australia. Oh my naivete! A long flight is when you're going home... for good... to finally see your husband. Wow.
My flight left Sydney at 12 noon on Tuesday, March 1st. And I landed in Chicago at 2:30pm on Tuesday, March 1st. Wouldn't it be nice if was only a 2.5 hour flight!! A girl can dream... unless she can't sleep on a 16 hour flight. Yeah. Fun.
So, I may have been a little excited (just a fuzz), and it didn't help that my flight left in the middle of the day so I wasn't tired at all. Let's just say that 3 movies, and several episodes of Glee, Modern Family and 30 Rock later, we still weren't beginning our initial descent into LAX. Sigh. I felt like that episode of Seinfeld where Putty and Elaine are flying back from Europe and Putty just stares at the back of the seat in front of him.
Despite all of the odds, I somehow make it through, land in LA and get on my last leg from LAX to ORD. I got excited that the seat next to me would be empty for that leg when at the last minute this ridiculously beautiful woman sits next to me (yes, she is a model and yes, I'll tell you who it was).
There was a lot of drama with finding space for her bag and I got stuck standing in the aisle for a while, but she was really nice and we starting chatting. I told her that I was coming back from Sydney and how I was there for work, away from my husband. She tells me how much she likes Sydney and how she couldn't imagine being away from her boyfriend for that long. Her boyfriend lives in LA and she lives in the midwest but they still manage to see each other every 3 days or so.
While we're chatting, I'm racking my brain as to where I may have seen her before. I couldn't figure out if she was an actress or a model... or I guess both. I was petrified that I was going to flip the page in the Elle magazine I was reading and see her picture - wouldn't that be akward. We continue chatting and she asks me what I do for a living and if I work in fashion. Are you kidding me?!!!! That is literally the best compliment ever, miss stranger super model person! Thank you!!
We land in O'Hare, she tells me welcome home again and we wish each other safe travels. In my drive home with Chris I mention, "I think I sat next to a Victoria Secret supermodel on my way here". We get home start googling to try and figure out who she is. I can't find any pictures of her, and then I remember.
"Oh! I think I saw her last name on the luggage tag.... it was Mellencamp."
How I didn't think of that earlier I don't know. It's not exactly like Mellencamp is a really common name. Yep, I sat next to Elaine Mellencamp. John Cougar Mellencamp's soon to be ex-wife (hopefully, given the boyfriend conversation). Ummm... that's pretty cool. I really would have appreciated her keeping me company on my long leg from Sydney to LAX, but she made it really interesting from LAX to ORD. Thanks, Elaine! Hey, and if you happen to read this - I thought you were really nice. We should be besties. Call me!
My flight left Sydney at 12 noon on Tuesday, March 1st. And I landed in Chicago at 2:30pm on Tuesday, March 1st. Wouldn't it be nice if was only a 2.5 hour flight!! A girl can dream... unless she can't sleep on a 16 hour flight. Yeah. Fun.
So, I may have been a little excited (just a fuzz), and it didn't help that my flight left in the middle of the day so I wasn't tired at all. Let's just say that 3 movies, and several episodes of Glee, Modern Family and 30 Rock later, we still weren't beginning our initial descent into LAX. Sigh. I felt like that episode of Seinfeld where Putty and Elaine are flying back from Europe and Putty just stares at the back of the seat in front of him.
Despite all of the odds, I somehow make it through, land in LA and get on my last leg from LAX to ORD. I got excited that the seat next to me would be empty for that leg when at the last minute this ridiculously beautiful woman sits next to me (yes, she is a model and yes, I'll tell you who it was).
There was a lot of drama with finding space for her bag and I got stuck standing in the aisle for a while, but she was really nice and we starting chatting. I told her that I was coming back from Sydney and how I was there for work, away from my husband. She tells me how much she likes Sydney and how she couldn't imagine being away from her boyfriend for that long. Her boyfriend lives in LA and she lives in the midwest but they still manage to see each other every 3 days or so.
While we're chatting, I'm racking my brain as to where I may have seen her before. I couldn't figure out if she was an actress or a model... or I guess both. I was petrified that I was going to flip the page in the Elle magazine I was reading and see her picture - wouldn't that be akward. We continue chatting and she asks me what I do for a living and if I work in fashion. Are you kidding me?!!!! That is literally the best compliment ever, miss stranger super model person! Thank you!!
We land in O'Hare, she tells me welcome home again and we wish each other safe travels. In my drive home with Chris I mention, "I think I sat next to a Victoria Secret supermodel on my way here". We get home start googling to try and figure out who she is. I can't find any pictures of her, and then I remember.
"Oh! I think I saw her last name on the luggage tag.... it was Mellencamp."
How I didn't think of that earlier I don't know. It's not exactly like Mellencamp is a really common name. Yep, I sat next to Elaine Mellencamp. John Cougar Mellencamp's soon to be ex-wife (hopefully, given the boyfriend conversation). Ummm... that's pretty cool. I really would have appreciated her keeping me company on my long leg from Sydney to LAX, but she made it really interesting from LAX to ORD. Thanks, Elaine! Hey, and if you happen to read this - I thought you were really nice. We should be besties. Call me!
This could be the end
It seemed like it would never come, but this is it. This is really it. I'm going home! Now that it's all over it seems like it went really fast. While I was in it felt fast and slow all at the same time. In the end it turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Not everyone picks up and moves across the world (literally... man, is Australia far!) - especially after just getting married.
So, was it worth it?? Hmm... I guess it doesn't really matter now, does it?! Let's just say this:
So, was it worth it?? Hmm... I guess it doesn't really matter now, does it?! Let's just say this:
- I got to live in downtown Sydney, Australia.... in the spring and summertime
- I missed 'Snowmaggedon 2011' in Chicago while I was basking in the Sydney sunshine
- I spent Christmas in Fiji. Yeah, top that.
- While I didn't see it all, I saw some beautiful places in an amazing country - South Australia - the Barossa Valley, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Melbourne, all of the breathtaking beaches in Sydney....
So maybe the question is weather or not I would do it again. And honestly, I really don't know. There are things I loved about Australia and there are things I absolutely hated. Ultimately, I'll never be able to recreate the amazing six months I spent here and the relationships I made along the way. So, no, I don't think I'd do it again. But I'll definitely be back.... but just for a visit next time.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
I have the coolest Mom on the planet
I'm sure everyone says this...well, I'm sure every girl that gets along with her mom says this, but in my case it's totally true. My parents have always been really supportive of everything I've done and my mom has always been with me every step of the way. I remember her getting directions to Pittsburgh for my first visit up to Pitt. She drove with me all the way from Virginia to Ohio, when I moved to Cincinnati for my first job out of college. And of course, there have been countless visits to Chicago, although I think those may have partially for a chance at an Oprah siting. So when I moved to Australia for six months of course, I hoped that she would be able to come out to visit, but given the cost and the distance and such a relatively short period of time to come, I wasn't sure if she would make. As always, Mama P didn't disappoint.
Not only is my mom the coolest, but she has some of the coolest girlfriends ever. One of her friends that I think I've known all of my life is a flight attendant, and was able to get my mom a buddy pass from Newport News, Virginia to Sydney, Australia. Now that's a friend! The caveat with buddy passes is that you have to fly standby. We didn't think there would be any issue with that, as mom was flying in the middle of the week. What we didn't count on was the Oprah effect (man, she's come up twice already in the post... damn, that Oprah). She had just done her shows in Australia and clearly it hit home back stateside, because everyone and there brother was on there way to Sydney. Mom ended up getting stuck in LA for an extra 4 or 5 days, but eventually she made it.
The eagle has landed, the eggs are in the basket!!! Mama P is Sydneyside!!! Now, anyone that's seen me and mom my together knows that we're besties, but it was extra special to have her in Sydney as I was nearing the end of my assignment, was totally homesick, and basically just ready to get the heck out of there. Having a little piece of home was exactly what I needed to get through my last three weeks on assignment.
So I've got Mom in tow for our Aussie adventure. And an adventure it was. One of the funniest memories of having here there was picking her up at the airport. I pick her up, we walk to the car, load her bags in the 'boot', then I go to return the cart that her bags were on. I walk back to my car and my mom is seating in the drivers seat... which is the passenger seat in the US.
Me: "Uuhh... you driving home?!"
Mom: "Huh?"
Me: "You're in the driver's seat. You didn't notice the steering wheel?!"
Mom: "Oh!!! Whoops!"
I had to work during the day obviously while my mom was in town, but she made quite the adventures for herself while I was gone all day. Every day I came home it was a new story of a new friend she made at the Chinese Friendship Garden, or the QVB building, or the Opera House. By the time my mom left back for the states she knew all of the door men by name (and their full life stories), she was besties with the coffee shop guy in my building (they exchanged email addresses), and pretty much knew Sydney like the back of her hand.
We had a great time together - the zoo, the free bus (mom LOVES anything that's free), the Australia museum, the Chinese New Year parade, our favorite croissant and the french bakery in The Rocks...
It was just what the doctor ordered.
Thanks again, Mom for being so awesome.
Not only is my mom the coolest, but she has some of the coolest girlfriends ever. One of her friends that I think I've known all of my life is a flight attendant, and was able to get my mom a buddy pass from Newport News, Virginia to Sydney, Australia. Now that's a friend! The caveat with buddy passes is that you have to fly standby. We didn't think there would be any issue with that, as mom was flying in the middle of the week. What we didn't count on was the Oprah effect (man, she's come up twice already in the post... damn, that Oprah). She had just done her shows in Australia and clearly it hit home back stateside, because everyone and there brother was on there way to Sydney. Mom ended up getting stuck in LA for an extra 4 or 5 days, but eventually she made it.
The eagle has landed, the eggs are in the basket!!! Mama P is Sydneyside!!! Now, anyone that's seen me and mom my together knows that we're besties, but it was extra special to have her in Sydney as I was nearing the end of my assignment, was totally homesick, and basically just ready to get the heck out of there. Having a little piece of home was exactly what I needed to get through my last three weeks on assignment.
So I've got Mom in tow for our Aussie adventure. And an adventure it was. One of the funniest memories of having here there was picking her up at the airport. I pick her up, we walk to the car, load her bags in the 'boot', then I go to return the cart that her bags were on. I walk back to my car and my mom is seating in the drivers seat... which is the passenger seat in the US.
Me: "Uuhh... you driving home?!"
Mom: "Huh?"
Me: "You're in the driver's seat. You didn't notice the steering wheel?!"
Mom: "Oh!!! Whoops!"
I had to work during the day obviously while my mom was in town, but she made quite the adventures for herself while I was gone all day. Every day I came home it was a new story of a new friend she made at the Chinese Friendship Garden, or the QVB building, or the Opera House. By the time my mom left back for the states she knew all of the door men by name (and their full life stories), she was besties with the coffee shop guy in my building (they exchanged email addresses), and pretty much knew Sydney like the back of her hand.
We had a great time together - the zoo, the free bus (mom LOVES anything that's free), the Australia museum, the Chinese New Year parade, our favorite croissant and the french bakery in The Rocks...
It was just what the doctor ordered.
Thanks again, Mom for being so awesome.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Australia Day
According to Wikipedia Australia Day is the official national day of Australia and commemorates the arrival of the first fleet in Sydney. I take everything that's on Wikipedia with a grain of salt, but based on my Australia Day experience that seems about right.
Australia Day reminded me a lot of the 4th of July in the US. While it's not their independence day, it was a day full of Australian pride and patriotism, and it's also in the middle of summer. Of course it's a day off of work which is always nice, but it was great to be a part of another country's national day.
I wanted to have an 'authentic' of an Australia Day as possible, so I met up with my two Irish friends.... luckily we have some Aussie friends as well, so we spent the day in a park in Balmain, had a bbq, and soaked up the Australian summer sunshine.
I was even able to try a traditional Aussie treat - lammington. I have no idea if that's how you spell it. It's basically sponge cake covered and chocolate and coconut. Quite tasty actually.
Yet another glorious day in Sydney. And at this point it's the end of January so my time in Oz is quickly coming to an end and my mom is coming to visit soon! I can't believe I've actually made it this far.
Australia Day reminded me a lot of the 4th of July in the US. While it's not their independence day, it was a day full of Australian pride and patriotism, and it's also in the middle of summer. Of course it's a day off of work which is always nice, but it was great to be a part of another country's national day.
I wanted to have an 'authentic' of an Australia Day as possible, so I met up with my two Irish friends.... luckily we have some Aussie friends as well, so we spent the day in a park in Balmain, had a bbq, and soaked up the Australian summer sunshine.
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| I thought this was the coolest thing ever |
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| The Aussie gang |
I was even able to try a traditional Aussie treat - lammington. I have no idea if that's how you spell it. It's basically sponge cake covered and chocolate and coconut. Quite tasty actually.
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| The flags are a nice touch, right?! |
Happy New Year
Okay, so we may or may not be over 7 months into 2011, but I still need to share what I did for New Year's Eve this year. Normally New Year's is a disaster - I feel like this is universal for everyone. There's always a lot of planning, a lot of hubbub, long lines in the snow in Chicago in open toed shoes (so necessary), and an even longer line at the bar once you actually get inside the venue.
Well, I have to tell you this was hands down the best New Years Eve I've ever experienced. For one thing it was summer time - holla! I've shared a bit how strange it was being in Oz during Christmas, and the strangeness just continued through New Years. My New Years preparations typically involved planning the cutest outfit that still provided so at least some level of warmth while waiting for the non-existent cabs on New Years Eve in Chicago. This year was just a little different - just slightly.
My husband and I and two of my great friends in Oz rang in the new year in amazing Sydney style. We took a ferry to Goat Island in Sydney Harbour and had a picnic to watch the fireworks. Now, this sounds amazing on it's own, but it gets better. I've pretty much just droned on about how beautiful Sydney Harbour is, well Goat Island is a part of the parks district island and is just on the other side of the Harbour Bridge - where the fireworks take place. You literally couldn't get a much better view of the show. Apparently this was the first year that the city opened this island for fireworks, and only about 780 tickets were sold so it wasn't over crowded at all.
Sydney is one of the first major cities in the world to ring in the new year, so they always have a spectacular fireworks show. I mean, we've all seen fireworks, and to be honest, I was more excited to just hang outside with my husband and friends on December 31st, but wow.... I don't know the exact number of what the city spent on the fireworks display but it was several millions of dollars.
My vocabulary isn't nearly good enough to describe the evening, but I was able to capture a little bit on video. (Be forewarned, we were a little in awe, so there are a few swear words.... okay more, than a few. If there are young ears around just put it on mute.)
I had so many new and different experiences down under, but this was a once in a lifetime experience. And the cherry on top was that I got to share it with my husband.
The strangest thing of all was after enjoying the New Years Eve festivities, sleeping in and having a lazy New Years Day morning - it was still the middle of the day on December 31st back at home! I sent my friends and family a note from the 'future' and told them all about 2011. Hopefully you all listened and have had a great year so far!
Well, I have to tell you this was hands down the best New Years Eve I've ever experienced. For one thing it was summer time - holla! I've shared a bit how strange it was being in Oz during Christmas, and the strangeness just continued through New Years. My New Years preparations typically involved planning the cutest outfit that still provided so at least some level of warmth while waiting for the non-existent cabs on New Years Eve in Chicago. This year was just a little different - just slightly.
My husband and I and two of my great friends in Oz rang in the new year in amazing Sydney style. We took a ferry to Goat Island in Sydney Harbour and had a picnic to watch the fireworks. Now, this sounds amazing on it's own, but it gets better. I've pretty much just droned on about how beautiful Sydney Harbour is, well Goat Island is a part of the parks district island and is just on the other side of the Harbour Bridge - where the fireworks take place. You literally couldn't get a much better view of the show. Apparently this was the first year that the city opened this island for fireworks, and only about 780 tickets were sold so it wasn't over crowded at all.
Sydney is one of the first major cities in the world to ring in the new year, so they always have a spectacular fireworks show. I mean, we've all seen fireworks, and to be honest, I was more excited to just hang outside with my husband and friends on December 31st, but wow.... I don't know the exact number of what the city spent on the fireworks display but it was several millions of dollars.
I had so many new and different experiences down under, but this was a once in a lifetime experience. And the cherry on top was that I got to share it with my husband.
The strangest thing of all was after enjoying the New Years Eve festivities, sleeping in and having a lazy New Years Day morning - it was still the middle of the day on December 31st back at home! I sent my friends and family a note from the 'future' and told them all about 2011. Hopefully you all listened and have had a great year so far!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Fiji and The Hunter
Sounds so exotic, right?!
Okay, so here's the thing. My vocabulary is well below subpar when it comes to describing Fiji. (I guess I shouldn't plan on quitting my job to be a travel writer anytime soon.) Beautiful, really and truly doesn't do it justice. I don't know what it is about the South Pacific, but it really is an amazing part of the world, and the islands there are just breathtaking.
We turned Fiji into our second honeymoon in addition to our Christmas break, so the hotel had a bottle of champers (Aussie for champagne) and a nice note ready for us when we checked into the room. Bonus!
We stayed at the Hilton resort on Denaru Island in Nadi, Fiji. Denaru Island is a small island just a few kilometers from Nadi where all of the resorts, hotels, and golf courses are. The people are insanely friendly and warm. 'Bula!' is the word/phrase that we heard incessantly throughout our visit. It means hello/goodbye/thank you - sort of a catch all.
The resort was gorgeous - seven pools, two restaurants, a cafe, and a few bars. We enjoyed several lazy days lounging by the pool, sipping cocktails, and just catching up on all of the little things that you can't fully capture in a weekly skype date.
It was purely perfect.
There actually isn't really a ton to do in Fiji. Besides laying by the pool, walking on the beach, and snorkeling...well, yeah, that's about it. It was perfect for us since we hadn't seen each other since Thanksgiving, so we were happy to just laze, graze and catch up. And how many other people get to say they spent Christmas in Fiji?!
After a few blissful days in Fiji, we jetted back to Sydney for a day then hopped in a car for a road trip up to the Hunter Valley. The Hunter Valley is a wine region in New South Wales a few hours north of Sydney. My husband, who his friends say was raised by wolves, was happy to get out of the city for a few days and see another side of Australia.
I must admit that we were hoping to see some Aussie wildlife once we were out of the city.... and of course by we I mean my husband. You know how I feel about animals - we should both be scared of each other. I'm just sayin'. So my hubby's eyes were peeled on the drive up for some kangaroos or wombats or something interesting and Aussie.
The drive up to the Hunter winds through the hills, forested areas, and lots of water. It's a beautiful, relaxing drive, especially after driving only in Sydney traffic for so many months.
We stayed at a really quaint bed and breakfast type hotel called The Carriages.
It had sort of a carriage house with about eight rooms/suites. We checked in, dropped our things off, and set off to explore the different wineries in the region. A few tastings and some dinner later, we head back to the hotel to find the front porch full of people. Including people sitting right in front of our room. Hmmm....
Well it turns out that there was a wedding and they thought they had booked all of the rooms... all except one I guess! They were a great couple and it was fun meeting some new people and hearing about their wedding.
My favorite thing about The Carriages was that each day they would leave a little basket in front of your door for breakfast each morning! Tell me, that's not the cutest thing you've ever seen!
I think we really enjoyed exploring the area and driving around just as much as the actual wineries and tastings. It was a great change of pace and interesting to see more of Oz. And fortunately for me - no run ins with wild life. Whew!
Okay, so here's the thing. My vocabulary is well below subpar when it comes to describing Fiji. (I guess I shouldn't plan on quitting my job to be a travel writer anytime soon.) Beautiful, really and truly doesn't do it justice. I don't know what it is about the South Pacific, but it really is an amazing part of the world, and the islands there are just breathtaking.
We turned Fiji into our second honeymoon in addition to our Christmas break, so the hotel had a bottle of champers (Aussie for champagne) and a nice note ready for us when we checked into the room. Bonus!
We stayed at the Hilton resort on Denaru Island in Nadi, Fiji. Denaru Island is a small island just a few kilometers from Nadi where all of the resorts, hotels, and golf courses are. The people are insanely friendly and warm. 'Bula!' is the word/phrase that we heard incessantly throughout our visit. It means hello/goodbye/thank you - sort of a catch all.
The resort was gorgeous - seven pools, two restaurants, a cafe, and a few bars. We enjoyed several lazy days lounging by the pool, sipping cocktails, and just catching up on all of the little things that you can't fully capture in a weekly skype date.
It was purely perfect.
There actually isn't really a ton to do in Fiji. Besides laying by the pool, walking on the beach, and snorkeling...well, yeah, that's about it. It was perfect for us since we hadn't seen each other since Thanksgiving, so we were happy to just laze, graze and catch up. And how many other people get to say they spent Christmas in Fiji?!
After a few blissful days in Fiji, we jetted back to Sydney for a day then hopped in a car for a road trip up to the Hunter Valley. The Hunter Valley is a wine region in New South Wales a few hours north of Sydney. My husband, who his friends say was raised by wolves, was happy to get out of the city for a few days and see another side of Australia.
I must admit that we were hoping to see some Aussie wildlife once we were out of the city.... and of course by we I mean my husband. You know how I feel about animals - we should both be scared of each other. I'm just sayin'. So my hubby's eyes were peeled on the drive up for some kangaroos or wombats or something interesting and Aussie.
The drive up to the Hunter winds through the hills, forested areas, and lots of water. It's a beautiful, relaxing drive, especially after driving only in Sydney traffic for so many months.
We stayed at a really quaint bed and breakfast type hotel called The Carriages.
It had sort of a carriage house with about eight rooms/suites. We checked in, dropped our things off, and set off to explore the different wineries in the region. A few tastings and some dinner later, we head back to the hotel to find the front porch full of people. Including people sitting right in front of our room. Hmmm....
Well it turns out that there was a wedding and they thought they had booked all of the rooms... all except one I guess! They were a great couple and it was fun meeting some new people and hearing about their wedding.
My favorite thing about The Carriages was that each day they would leave a little basket in front of your door for breakfast each morning! Tell me, that's not the cutest thing you've ever seen!
I think we really enjoyed exploring the area and driving around just as much as the actual wineries and tastings. It was a great change of pace and interesting to see more of Oz. And fortunately for me - no run ins with wild life. Whew!
It's Been Longer Than I Thought
I logged on tonight, expecting to do a quick blurb about how I've been SO busy the past 3 months. Then I saw that my last post was in January... whoops. Yowsa! Okay, so I've been really busy....
Don't sweat my pets, I'm planning to blog about it all! I think with finishing up my time in Oz, spending time with my mom while she was out in Oz, then finally getting back stateside, I've been busy... well, living life and not writing about it.
Not to say that things have slowed down at all, but I'm trying to make it a priority to start writing again and writing on a more frequent basis. That and I have the insane idea about starting another blog... but that's for another day.
The point is, sit tight, stay tuned, we'll be back in two and two. Promise!
Don't sweat my pets, I'm planning to blog about it all! I think with finishing up my time in Oz, spending time with my mom while she was out in Oz, then finally getting back stateside, I've been busy... well, living life and not writing about it.
Not to say that things have slowed down at all, but I'm trying to make it a priority to start writing again and writing on a more frequent basis. That and I have the insane idea about starting another blog... but that's for another day.
The point is, sit tight, stay tuned, we'll be back in two and two. Promise!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Operation Hubby Drop 2010
In case you can't tell I've been missing my hubby just a bit since I've landed here in Sydney. I've had a great time but it's always more special when you have someone to share it with. Even though I had my quick trip back to the states for Thanksgiving I was still pretty anxious to get Olson back over to Sydney for a few weeks.
It always annoyed me those people that are like "my husband is SO amazing! blah, blah, blah.." Well, SPOILER ALERT! I have become one of those people. Because (you guessed it) my husband is SO amazing! Annoying but true. He took 2.5 weeks of of work so we could spend Christmas and New Years together. Awesome.
Part of the reason I was so excited for Olson to get here was obviously I wanted to see him, but now that I've been in Sydney for a while I wanted show off my new city. When he was last here we had no idea what we were doing or where we were going, so I was excited to show him all of my favorite haunts and spots throughout the city.
One of the first big things to share was my amazing driving skills. Laugh all you want, but you try driving on the opposite side of the road. It goes against literally everything you've ever learned in your entire life. And to top it all off, in Australia, the turn signal and the windshield wipers are switched so you're constantly turning on your wipers instead of your turn signal. So having been here for a while I was quite excited to show off my vastly improved driving skills. I can even do roundabouts! The piece de resistance was my parking job. The carpark (Aussie for parking garage) in my building is super tight so to make it easier, I reverse into my parking spot. What up! Who is this girl?! I don't even back into a spot in America. If there's one thing I've learned in Australia that's it. Nice work, Pam. Nice work.
Anyway, I had a ton of stuff planned for the trip which I'll write about in a separate post, but I had one big surprise for Chris when he arrived: a sailing trip in Sydney Harbour. Anyone that knows my husband knows that he is obsessed with all things boats. We have a powerboat at home on the river, but a sailboat in the harbour isn't too shabby.
I planned a 'Morning Adventure Cruise' for us with the same sailing company we used for my work team outing. We headed over to Rushcutter's Bay checked in and waited anxiously to meet our skipper.
While we're waiting for our skipper to get the boat ready for us, my husband is literally floating through the marina as he starts spouting off marina and boat facts like some sort of marine Rain Man. This is going to be a great day.
Our skipper was Nick. He was this cool older guy who clearly just did the skipper thing for fun because he likes sailing. The day started with clear blue skies and a slight breeze so once we got out of the slip, he let Chris drive the boat. I don't think I've ever seen him that happy... except for maybe our wedding day.
The wind really picked up and it actually got to a point where it wasn't safe for us to have the sails up, so we just kept the motor on and motored throughout the harbour checking out all of the sites - the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, Fort Denison, and all of the beautiful coves and beaches. Nick, our skipper, knew quite abit about the real estate market and gave all of the inside scoop on some of the huge waterfront homes in the harbour. We got all the dirt on the well to do Sydneysiders!
The cruise was for two hours and it went fast and slow all at the same time. It was fun to just sit back and watch Chris drive the boat and soak up all the marine-ness that he could, asking about all of the marinas and boats and sailboats and races. He was in hog-heaven. The only problem was that this was only his second day in Sydney. Uh-oh... how I am going to top this?? Luckily, we were heading to Fiji the next day....
The Work Christmas Party
When I think of Christmas the first things that come to mind are Christmas trees, carols, snow, Santa... you get the idea. So as the work Christmas party approached, that's what I had in mind, minus the snow of course. Well they do things a little differently down under. Apparently when they think of Christmas the first thing that comes to mind is costume party. In America we call that Halloween, but hey, who am I to judge?
Each year for the work Christmas party there is a theme and people go all out for it. This years theme was 'Nautical'. Brilliant! That's right up my alley. The funny thing is, last Halloween me and my girlfriend Nicole dressed up as sailors for Halloween. Unfortunately that costume is currently buried somewhere in my storage unit.
Now, what does nautical have to do with Christmas, you ask? That is a very good question. The answer is, absolutely nothing. But hey, it's Sydney, it's summertime and it's hot, so you just go with it.
Since Halloween isn't really a big deal here (I had no idea that Halloween was such an 'American' thing until I moved here) I was pretty excited to get a costume for a costume/Christmas party. The party was right after I got back from the states for Thanksgiving so I didn't really have much time to pull a creative costume together. And by not much time I mean I bought an outfit the morning of the party. It all came together at the end and I was sailor/captain of sorts.
The party was in Sydney CBD at a bar with a large outdoor space so a majority of the party was outside. The weather was great and it started in the evening so it wasn't too hot. It was so much fun seeing everybody I worked with in all of their creative outfits. The theme 'nautical' is pretty loose so there was everything from pirates, sailors, mermaids, Captain Jack Sparrow, and even Sponge Bob.
At this point I've been in Sydney for about four months. It was amazing to see how many people I really have connected with from both offices and how I've really made this my temporary home. It was a great party, in true Pam fashion I buzzed about and chatted the night away. The company had an after party planned for us at another bar so we all flowed over there to dance, dance, dance!
The night went by in a blink, and I enjoyed every minute of it! Just the beginning of my Aussie Christmas experience.
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| My two favorite Irishmen gearing up for the party |
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| We salute you! |
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| Happy Halloween! Oh wait... I mean Merry Christmas! |
Friday, January 7, 2011
The Best Thanksgiving Ever
My husband and I grossly underestimated how hard it would be to be apart for six months. We've never lived together and mostly just saw each other on the weekends, so we figured it wouldn't be that hard. WRONG! Not only am I 10,000 miles away, I'm also 17 hours ahead so there's never really a great time to talk and we're barely ever even in the same day.
I also never realized what a big deal Thanksgiving was in the states until I was in another country without my family. I've spent several Thanksgivings overseas but with my family and lots of other Americans. It's totally our 'kick off' into the holiday season. I think I also like Thanksgiving because everyone across the country celebrates Thanksgiving. It's not like Christmas which is a religious holiday. So I was desparately missing my husband, as well as missing the festive holiday spirit of Thanksgiving, (I'm sorry, but it's just wrong to be 85 degrees in November) so I bit the bullet and bought a ticket home to spend Thanksgiving with my husband.
I hadn't planned on coming home and didn't have a ton of vacation left so I only actually ended up being home for about six days when you take into account the travel time. The jet lag was pretty tough, but it was totally worth every minute.
Chris and I have sort of started a mini tradition to spend Thanksgiving together in the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. His parents have a condo there and it's really relaxing in the off season. We're always on the go so it's one of the few places that actually helps us both to relax. I left Sydney the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, so with the time difference I landed on Wednesday at O'Hare. I actually missed my connection at LAX, but they had already booked me on the next flight which left an hour later so I only landed about an hour or so later than I had planned. I was so nervous about potential weather delays that I had about 15 backup plans for getting to Illinois or Missouri.
I've never in my life been so excited about flying to Chicago O'Hare! It was like a movie - a dramatic embrace at baggage claim! 24 hours of flight time and over 10 weeks since I had last seen my husband and I was here!
We hopped in the car and I proceeded to tell Chris every single detail of my life over the past 10 weeks. What can I say - I missed him! And I like to talk.
We had a quick and very fruitful 'stopover' in Lexington, IL where we looked at a house and put in an offer, but more on that later.
It was about an eight hour drive down to the Ozarks, so we chatted, caught up on life, talked about our potential new house and just enjoyed finally getting to talk in person.
I've mentioned before how everyone's been asking me what I miss and I didn't think I've missed much, but being home I realized how much I have been missing. It's not really one thing in particular, just all of the little things that are so American that you don't really think about. Chris was fully prepared for my visit and had lots of fun things planned so I could soak up as much Americana as possible in my short visit. The best of course was our Thanksgiving dinner. It was a perfect Pam and Olson turkey dinner and my husband even surprised me by bringing 2 sets of our china that we had gotten for wedding presents. Keeper!
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful, mostly just watching a ton of TV (oh, American TV how I've missed you!), movies, and drinking crappy American light beer - delicious!
It went way too fast, but I soaked up every waking second. And to top it all off we got a call from our realtor on Thanksgiving day that our offer was accepted on the house! Best Thanksgiving Ever.
I also never realized what a big deal Thanksgiving was in the states until I was in another country without my family. I've spent several Thanksgivings overseas but with my family and lots of other Americans. It's totally our 'kick off' into the holiday season. I think I also like Thanksgiving because everyone across the country celebrates Thanksgiving. It's not like Christmas which is a religious holiday. So I was desparately missing my husband, as well as missing the festive holiday spirit of Thanksgiving, (I'm sorry, but it's just wrong to be 85 degrees in November) so I bit the bullet and bought a ticket home to spend Thanksgiving with my husband.
I hadn't planned on coming home and didn't have a ton of vacation left so I only actually ended up being home for about six days when you take into account the travel time. The jet lag was pretty tough, but it was totally worth every minute.
Chris and I have sort of started a mini tradition to spend Thanksgiving together in the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. His parents have a condo there and it's really relaxing in the off season. We're always on the go so it's one of the few places that actually helps us both to relax. I left Sydney the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, so with the time difference I landed on Wednesday at O'Hare. I actually missed my connection at LAX, but they had already booked me on the next flight which left an hour later so I only landed about an hour or so later than I had planned. I was so nervous about potential weather delays that I had about 15 backup plans for getting to Illinois or Missouri.
I've never in my life been so excited about flying to Chicago O'Hare! It was like a movie - a dramatic embrace at baggage claim! 24 hours of flight time and over 10 weeks since I had last seen my husband and I was here!
We hopped in the car and I proceeded to tell Chris every single detail of my life over the past 10 weeks. What can I say - I missed him! And I like to talk.
We had a quick and very fruitful 'stopover' in Lexington, IL where we looked at a house and put in an offer, but more on that later.
It was about an eight hour drive down to the Ozarks, so we chatted, caught up on life, talked about our potential new house and just enjoyed finally getting to talk in person.
I've mentioned before how everyone's been asking me what I miss and I didn't think I've missed much, but being home I realized how much I have been missing. It's not really one thing in particular, just all of the little things that are so American that you don't really think about. Chris was fully prepared for my visit and had lots of fun things planned so I could soak up as much Americana as possible in my short visit. The best of course was our Thanksgiving dinner. It was a perfect Pam and Olson turkey dinner and my husband even surprised me by bringing 2 sets of our china that we had gotten for wedding presents. Keeper!
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| Now that's how you do Thanksgiving! |
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful, mostly just watching a ton of TV (oh, American TV how I've missed you!), movies, and drinking crappy American light beer - delicious!
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| Mmmm....Coors Light! |
It went way too fast, but I soaked up every waking second. And to top it all off we got a call from our realtor on Thanksgiving day that our offer was accepted on the house! Best Thanksgiving Ever.
Movember
I would be remiss if I didn't mention "Movember".... that, and I should probably explain all of the creepy mustaches in my pictures.
Every November all across the country Aussies participate in Movember. There are 'Mo Bros' and not to be left out 'Mo Sistas'. So what is Movember you ask?! It's pretty self explanatory, but basically men around the country grow a mustache for the entire month. While it initially sounds just kind of gross and silly (I'm thinking Hawks playoff beards... you know who you are), it's actually for charity. Movember is meant to raise awareness about men's health and prostate cancer in particular. So each year, thousands of Aussies grow out their mo's and raise money in the process.
It's a great cause and a really fun way to participate, but by the end of the month it pretty much feels like the office has turned into either A) 1976 or B) a porno movie filmed in 1976. It's amazing how much a mo can change someone's look... and not necessarily for the better. So unless you're over the age of 60, my dad, or Tom Selleck, you should not have a mustache. I'm just sayin'.
At least it's for charity, right?!
Every November all across the country Aussies participate in Movember. There are 'Mo Bros' and not to be left out 'Mo Sistas'. So what is Movember you ask?! It's pretty self explanatory, but basically men around the country grow a mustache for the entire month. While it initially sounds just kind of gross and silly (I'm thinking Hawks playoff beards... you know who you are), it's actually for charity. Movember is meant to raise awareness about men's health and prostate cancer in particular. So each year, thousands of Aussies grow out their mo's and raise money in the process.
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| Fitzy and Marc... Look at those mo's! |
It's a great cause and a really fun way to participate, but by the end of the month it pretty much feels like the office has turned into either A) 1976 or B) a porno movie filmed in 1976. It's amazing how much a mo can change someone's look... and not necessarily for the better. So unless you're over the age of 60, my dad, or Tom Selleck, you should not have a mustache. I'm just sayin'.
At least it's for charity, right?!
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