Saturday, March 29, 2008

The Final Countdown

We’re leaving on a jet plane… don’t know when we’ll be back again. That’s right… we’re departing our beloved Sydney for a move back to the US. It all happened way too fast and a lot sooner than we thought but that’s life for you. In a way, it's sort of sad yet good at the same time.

We love Sydney, we love Australia, and we will surely miss all of it dearly. The quality of life is amazing, the lifestyle is superb and really, in some aspects, life in the US just can’t compete with what Australia has going for it. Yes, Australia has its draw backs and it isn’t quite up on the latest technologies and all the modern conveniences, but in a way some of that is part of the charm. Sydney has just so much green space for being a major urban city and we have found that living in Australia, there's plenty of time to enjoy the little things and always time to travel. Life is just more relaxed and carefree and I love having four weeks of annual leave from work! I call it the no worries mentality, if you will.

Moving back to the US, Paul and I have sworn that we will not get back in to the same rat race we were in before moving overseas. We’re all about adjusting our lives to be fairly on par with how we have lived in Sydney. We pledge to use ALL of our leave time from work, try to live relatively stress-free, be more active and involved, enjoy our days and weekends, explore our surroundings, and really travel our own country. Not that we didn’t do those things before, it's just that we now have a different perspective about everything. I know there are places in the US that are similar to Australia and the US has its own beauty and a lot to offer... we just have to seek it out. It’s pretty obvious that LA isn’t going to cut it.

So yes, we’ll get back in to the American way of life, but we hope to live it up with a bit of an Aussie flare. We look forward to what's in store for us back in the US and of course we're thrilled to be reunited with our families and friends. Hopefully we'll at least return to Australia for a few trips here and there so stay tuned for more. I'll write a few more posts about our upcoming adventures. xx

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Our Crazy Australian Easter Extravaganza

Over the Easter break, Paul and I decided to pack in as much travelling around Australia as we possibly could in to six days. Since Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays in Australia, Paul and I also took Thursday and Tuesday to stretch out the break. Now, being that Australia is so massive many thought our travel itinerary was a bit of a crazy undertaking but we would not be deterred from our plans!

We left Sydney very early Thursday morning and flew to Brisbane, Queensland, where we met up with our friend, Dana. We then travelled south to Byron Bay, New South Wales, where we chilled all day at the Blues and Roots Festival, which is a five day music festival that happens every Easter in Byron. Thursday had acts such as Keb Mo’, Xavier Rudd, Keith Urban and John Butler. All of them were outstanding.







On Friday, we checked out Byron Bay seeing as though it was our first time visiting the area. We went to the beach, did some shopping and checked out the famous lighthouse. Byron is such a great cruisey, hippy-chic beach town. It was a really lovely charming little town and such a nice place to skip away to for a weekend.







Friday night we drove back to Brisbane and boarded a plane to Darwin, Northern Territory… next up: Kakadu National Park. Kakadu is a world heritage listed park for it Aboriginal culture and its environment. The park covers an area of almost 4.9 million acres of land… it’s just so massive and so unusual… I don’t think there’s anything else quite like it. The name Kakadu comes from the mispronunciation of ‘Gagudju’ which is the name of an Aboriginal language spoken in the northern part of the Park. The Aboriginal people, which are the traditional land owners, have occupied Kakadu for at least 40,000 years and the park is chockers full of Aboriginal culture, ancient drawing sites, natural wonders and of course, those beastly crocs! We went on a 2 day camping safari during the ‘wet season’ which means most of Kakadu is flooded and the usual site like Ubirr and Twin Fall and Jim Jim Falls are in accessible. I saw them all before with my sister so it was actually quite nice to see Kakdu during the wet season b/c I was able to see different areas of the park that aren’t normally the main attractions. We did visit the cultural centers, Nourlangie Rock, Gunlom falls and went for a dip in one of the swimming pools. At night we camped in a permanent tent so we weren’t exactly roughing it but it was still an adventure. We got serenaded all night by dingos in our camp. There was also a massive, vibrant thunderstorm at night which was quite cool but we also managed to get wet through our tent… all part of the fun.











Sunday night we returned to Darwin, checked out a few of the bars and restaurants, and caught our flight back to Brisbane. Monday we traveled yet again to Byron Bay to take in the musical festival. Acts such as Rodrigo Y Gabriela, KT Tunstall, the Black Crows, and John Fogerty rocked out on stage all night. It was such a great festival… good music, great new and old talent and a really chill, groovin’ atmosphere.









The next day, we drove back up to Brisbane and spent the day on Stradbroke Island. What a gorgeous place- so much natural wild life. We saw dolphins having a bit of a surf, and heaps of sea turtles and manta rays just cruising along the seas.





Tuesday night we boarded our flight to Sydney and arrived home absolutely exhausted. On our trip our sleep was very minimal, and with so much travelling and our sore, sunburned bodies we just crashed when we got home. Looking back on our trip, yes, we were crazy for squeezing in basically half of Australia in to just a few days. Even the Qantas attendants and check-in crew thought we were absolutely mad and couldn’t fathom how we thought doing all of that traveling was a good idea, but in the end, it was definitely worth it to us and we’d do it all over again in a heart beat!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Groovin' in the Park


This weekend, Paul and I went to the Jack Johnson concert. It was a beautiful evening in the Centennial parklands and the perfect place to listen to some great music outdoors. Australia is Jack's first stop on his tour to promote his latest album, Sleep Through the Static. Overall, his new album is a bit mellow and simple yet quite lovely and calming.

We arrived at the park relatively early which was good because it was extremely packed with mobs of people. Luckily we were close to the left side of the stage; however, me being the shorty that I am struggled to see much of the stage as everyone was standing the entire night.

Before Jack opened, Aboriginal dancers from Nowra performed on stage. It was really good and so nice to see and hear such a warm welcome from the audience for the performers. We also heard some great tunes from the supporting lineup which included Will Connor, Matt Costa, and special guest, G Love and Special Sauce.

Overall, the concert was great fun and we were happy to see Jack down unda!


P.S. Happy St. Patty's Day to everyone!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Life After 30

So turning 30 wasn't so bad... although the next day, after the first day of celebrating, I was a bit groggy, tired and sore- proof that my youth is fleeting, ha! My two-day birthday celebration turned in to a five-day extravaganza thanks to Paul. Wednesday and Thursday were local celebrations and on Friday, Paul whisked me away to the Central Coast for a weekend getaway at the beach.

My workmates celebrated my birthday with balloons and a Snickers chocolate nut cheesecake- yum! Paul was sweet and sent me this beautiful arrangement at work.



Later we went to Cafe Pacifico for some rather authentic Mexican food. We were all too excited to actually be eating "real" Mexican food that we stuffed ourselves silly and didn't leave room for dessert! Even the margaritas were delicious and quite potent which is probably why I felt a bit rough the next morning.

Thursday night we went to the outdoor Starlight Cinema and watched American Gangster while we celebrated with cake and a bottle (or two) of champers. I absolutely love the Starlight Cinema- this is one of my favourite things to do in Sydney. What's better than grabbing a rug, some wine, food, and cuddling up under the stars with your loved one to watch a movie on a warm summer's night. I love it!



Friday we hired a car and drove a little ways up the coast of NSW to Terrigal for the weekend. We went to Putty Beach and actually went for a swim for the first time this summer. We dined at our usual jaunts- the Haven for brekkie and The Letterbox, one of our favourites, for a lovely dinner! It was a great weekend.







My present from Paul (besides the weekend away) was a handmade didgeridoo, which is an Aboriginal instrument made out of wood. This particular didg is crafted from gum wood and coated in beeswax. The Aboriginal design is very subtle and natural with just a slight adornment of the trademarked black and orange dot pattern. I love that it's a little piece of Australia that will always have with us and the money spent on it goes back to the local Aboriginal village that crafted the instrument. Now trying to play it is a whole other ballgame and it going to take quite some time and practice.



Wednesday, March 5, 2008

3-OH!

Holy crap. I'm 30.

As I'm writing this I *think* I'm hyperventilating. I'm anxious, flustered, jittery = FREAKING OUT. Why? It's just a number?!?! But seriously, after our 21st or even 25th, do we really need to count anymore? We're getting older every year- do we really need confirmation with an annual tally?

For some unknown reason it’s hard to shut the door on my beloved 20’s. After all, my twenties were some of the greatest times of my life; those crazy college days, parties that lasted all night and well in to the morning, becoming my own person, making lifelong friends, starting my career, falling in love, getting married, moving overseas, travelling… well, you get the point. There were a lot of great things that happened to me in those carefree, youthful days so is it really so bad that I might want to hold on to that a bit longer?

In reality I don't think turning 30 will change my life; however, I do believe entering a new decade will change my lifestyle. My priorities are starting to change and it does feel like it's time to take the next step in life. I’ve enjoyed living overseas, being able to travel on a whim, saving money and all the glory that comes with being young and free from care but I think the time has come to ‘settle down’ in my old age (ha!). Our adventures living abroad will soon end (for now) and life back in the US will resume. Hopefully there will be a few kids in the picture, a home and of course the ugliest three-legged dog we can rescue.

So maybe that’s why I’m freaking out a bit… in a way a chapter in my life is closing but a new one is just starting. I do know that I shouldn't be freaking out about my birthday. Today is a celebration of my life and thirty will surely bring even more happy and amazing times. Perhaps the fun is even just beginning? Life is what you make of it and everything that has happened these past thirty years have made me, me. I have learned a lot, experience much and look forward to what the future holds. I'll continue to find the simple joys that make every day special, live the best possible life that I can lead, be true to myself and my spirit, hopefully make a difference in the world, love my family and friends, and maybe even share some of my wisdom with those Gen Y-ers!

And since Australia is in the "future" from my actual birth place (thanks to the huge time difference) I’m going to celebrate my birthday twice simply because it’s my party and I can if I want to!

So, goodbye 20's and hello 30’s.

Cheers!

XO

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Spiders!

The lovely view from our window