Happy Tuesday, friends!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Crossing things off the list...
You know I love a good list. Mainly because I like crossing things OFF lists. SO I've been marking things off my 27 Things I Want to Do birthday list.
3. Listen to more podcasts
It takes us about 45 minutes to get to and from work (train then bus) so I've been using that time to listen to This American Life. It's really great. Based out of Chicago and has lots of good "real people" stories. Loving it and love hearing a Chicago accent!
5. Snorkel at The Great Barrier Reef
How could you forget these pictures...
11. Try kangaroo
John has had kangaroo a few times--in "steak" form and also on pizza. I have tried both of those and I did not enjoy it. A little...twangy. and chewy. no thanks. I didn't take a picture, but here is one before he was eaten. RIP.
16. Do an open water swim race (in Australia)
So I did a few sprint triathlons back in Nashville with my mom. I wanted to train and do some sort of race here.. but I didn't bring my bike and I don't LOVE running..so I thought, hey! I'll do a swim race! The races in Nashville were in open water.. but a lake, not the ocean. I didn't think it would be that different. So I trained in the pool in our apartment building and never actually did an ocean swim prior to the race this morning. That was a mistake. It was also longer than any of the races I've done-- 750 meters (a little less than 1/2 mile).
So I trained for the past few weeks and headed to the race in Dee Why... looking GOOD in my cap, goggles, and one-piece. Swimming is a very attractive sport, especially for me.
It was a warm, beautiful day (although the water was pretty nippy) and I had my supporters cheering me on from the sidelines!
Let's just say that my first thought after getting pounded by a wave straight in the face was "I'm never (bad word) doing this again"
The ocean is a harsh mistress, I tell you. I definitely underestimated the power of the waves and current. I miraculously made my goal time (20 minutes).. however it felt like I was in the water for aaaaaabout 4 hours. I honestly thought I was going to have to get the lifeguards to pick me up. I'm surprised my body hasn't shut down due to high sodium levels after how much salt water I swallowed.
A friend from work did the 1.5k race, which is something I do not ever want to do.
Anyway, I did it. I did not perish. I did not get eaten by a shark. The end.
In other news... we went out with some new friends Friday night in Manly.
We met them at the expat kickball game, although 3 are Australian and 1 is Canadian. Super fun! You know, I didn't want to come on TOO STRONG but we have hung out TWICE and I don't want to jinx it.. but I think we'll hang out some more! Making new friends in like dating. On the way home, John and I were like.. "do you think they liked us? Did I say anything weird? Do you think they want to hang out again??" We went to hear one of their fav country singers play. It was so funny- they kept preparing me for this bar--- "its kind of sketchy...it's a little seedy... you go down some creepy stairs to get there"... and turns out, it was like every single honky tonk on Broadway in Nashville! We felt right at home.
John has been watching some important basketball tournament (???) so I've been catching up on my Real Housewives of NYC. Aviva... what a B!
Also, we JUST found out that "doodle" is Aussie slang for "penis".... Which explains the strange looks we got from people when we told them Rudy's breed. We had been telling people he was a Golden Penis. Poor fella. They call them Groodles here. Noted... noted.
It takes us about 45 minutes to get to and from work (train then bus) so I've been using that time to listen to This American Life. It's really great. Based out of Chicago and has lots of good "real people" stories. Loving it and love hearing a Chicago accent!
How could you forget these pictures...
John has had kangaroo a few times--in "steak" form and also on pizza. I have tried both of those and I did not enjoy it. A little...twangy. and chewy. no thanks. I didn't take a picture, but here is one before he was eaten. RIP.
So I did a few sprint triathlons back in Nashville with my mom. I wanted to train and do some sort of race here.. but I didn't bring my bike and I don't LOVE running..so I thought, hey! I'll do a swim race! The races in Nashville were in open water.. but a lake, not the ocean. I didn't think it would be that different. So I trained in the pool in our apartment building and never actually did an ocean swim prior to the race this morning. That was a mistake. It was also longer than any of the races I've done-- 750 meters (a little less than 1/2 mile).
So I trained for the past few weeks and headed to the race in Dee Why... looking GOOD in my cap, goggles, and one-piece. Swimming is a very attractive sport, especially for me.
It was a warm, beautiful day (although the water was pretty nippy) and I had my supporters cheering me on from the sidelines!
Let's just say that my first thought after getting pounded by a wave straight in the face was "I'm never (bad word) doing this again"
The ocean is a harsh mistress, I tell you. I definitely underestimated the power of the waves and current. I miraculously made my goal time (20 minutes).. however it felt like I was in the water for aaaaaabout 4 hours. I honestly thought I was going to have to get the lifeguards to pick me up. I'm surprised my body hasn't shut down due to high sodium levels after how much salt water I swallowed.
A friend from work did the 1.5k race, which is something I do not ever want to do.
Anyway, I did it. I did not perish. I did not get eaten by a shark. The end.
In other news... we went out with some new friends Friday night in Manly.
We met them at the expat kickball game, although 3 are Australian and 1 is Canadian. Super fun! You know, I didn't want to come on TOO STRONG but we have hung out TWICE and I don't want to jinx it.. but I think we'll hang out some more! Making new friends in like dating. On the way home, John and I were like.. "do you think they liked us? Did I say anything weird? Do you think they want to hang out again??" We went to hear one of their fav country singers play. It was so funny- they kept preparing me for this bar--- "its kind of sketchy...it's a little seedy... you go down some creepy stairs to get there"... and turns out, it was like every single honky tonk on Broadway in Nashville! We felt right at home.
John has been watching some important basketball tournament (???) so I've been catching up on my Real Housewives of NYC. Aviva... what a B!
Also, we JUST found out that "doodle" is Aussie slang for "penis".... Which explains the strange looks we got from people when we told them Rudy's breed. We had been telling people he was a Golden Penis. Poor fella. They call them Groodles here. Noted... noted.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Ahh, March. The beginning of autumn..
Weird, right?? The days are slowly getting cooler..We haven't felt cold weather since last march? April? So I'm thinkin even the warmest cold will be a shock to us. They say it gets to about 45 degrees in the winter. Which, compared to our Chicago days...seems like a beach day!
We have been busy busy busy at work. Michael Dell said "hey, if anyone wants to leave- go ahead. We will pay you a month for every year you've been at Dell"--so, rightfully so, quite a few people left. But their work has stayed! And has been dispersed between everyone still standing..which meansssss...lots of extra work. Our lives are very full and our days are packed but it is very fun! And exactly how it should be.
We got a dog walker for mr Rudy a few days a week during they day...he loves it and they send us cute pictures like this!
We've been doing our weekly trivia where John and Tom show off their muscles...
We've been exploring some new dog parks in the hood...
We played in an expat kickball game...
We got thai massages... and it was a GAME CHANGER! Tiny little asian ladies crawling all over you. We played the fun game of "which body part is she digging into me nowwww?"
We tried out a new restaurant near our place- Delicado. Yummy Spanish wine and tapas!
And we shared a few jugs aka pitchers with friends...
Next up...crossing somethings off my "27" to-do list!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Just another piece of the puzzle
My parents came over from the US for a quick but action-packed visit and we had so much fun!
Jet lag is NO joke but they were troopers and hit the ground running when they got off the plane. We hung around Sydney...visiting the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House...Manly...Darling Harbour, The Fish Market, The Maritime Museum...
'
We then made the trip north to Cairns (pronounced Cans, of course) for a few days... We visited the Cairns Tropical Zoo to get up close and personal with some kangaroos and koalas...
Took a tour through the Daintree Rainforest and saw the beautiful Queensland coast...
We spent a day diving/snorkeling on The Great Barrier Reef which was prettyyyy amazing. So many colors and fishes and turtles and clams and OCEAN! These pictures...are... hilarious. It is impossible to look good/normal with those goggles on.
We then headed back to Sydney in time for a rugby game at Olympic Stadium-- the NSW Waratahs vs. the QLD Reds. The 'Tahs won!
It was so nice to have a little bit of home all the way in Australia. We FaceTime or text with our families almost daily so there wasn't too much to catch up on but it was fun to show them our new life over here. My mom said she had a flashback of being a little girl and putting together a big world map puzzle. At that time, Australia was just a little piece in her hand.. but coming here and actually visiting this huge, beautiful land made it become full-circle for her. I guess the more you travel and the more of the world you see, the more things "come together" and the smaller the world feels!
Miss them already!
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