Santa Claus is Coming to Town. . .

There are a number of notable differences between Christmas in Australia and Christmas in the US.  Here are a few examples:
1.  Santa Claus doesn't come to town.  Father Christmas does. (but you can still visit him at the mall as you can see from the photo!) 
2.  The most common greeting:  "Happy Christmas"
3.  Christmas pudding and mince pies.  I really didn't want to buy either but could tell that it would upset my MIL if I didn't so I gave in.  I also bought a bottle of brandy as it seems "brandy butter" (homemade, not store bought) is equally essential. 
4.  Weather.  This one is pretty obvious but definitely worth mentioning.  Despite the fact that Sydney is experiencing the coldest and wettest December in 51 years, the kids have been swimming nearly every day and the forecast for Christmas Day is sunny and 23 degrees (that's mid-70s).  Perhaps we'll hit the beach?  Now that's a tradition I could get used to. 
5.  Christmas Eve dinner.  Now I know that every family is different, but mine tends to eat Italian on Christmas Eve (lasagna is popular because it feeds a lot of people!)  But this Christmas Eve we will be eating: meat pie.  A burgundy beef meat pie to be exact.  Pies are very popular here but they are almost always savory.  There is little chance of finding a pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie or, my personal favorite, a chocolate silk pie but you can find meat pies on nearly every street corner (both here and in NZ.)  This is no doubt why Andy loved going to Boomerangs  in Austin. 

Of course there are a lot of things that are universal and key among them are the thoughts of friends and family - near and far.  Thinking of you and wishing you all a very happy christmas!  

Thanksgiving: Lost in Translation?

I have never felt as far away from home as I felt at the grocery store shopping for our Thanksgiving feast.  And I've never felt quite as frustrated by the differences as I did in trying to actually cook some of my most favorite things.    Turns out that a stick of butter is a very American measurement, sugar is not sugar and no one knows what marshmellow creme is.  Here is a photo of what happened when I tried to make "Mississippi Mud" for our Thanksgiving feast.

I must have called my mother-in-law in New Zealand a dozen times (is granulated sugar the same as sugar?  is icing mixture the same as powdered sugar?  can i use karo syrup for corn syrup?) and even she couldn't prevent this nightmare.  My "homemade" marshmellow creme would not set and the icing layer just sunk straight in.  Fortunately, I had enough time to make another layer of icing and hide the evidence.  While it looked terrible on the plate (marshmellow creme oozing out), it still tasted delicious.  Of course, i wouldn't want to venture how many calorires were in each slice. 

Corn Casserole presented a similar problem but I was prepared - or so I thought.  Our family recipe calls for "jiffy corn muffin mix" which, alas, is not sold in Australia.  But a quick google search uncovered a "clone" recipe.  Unfortunately, when I went to grab the cornmeal it was actually cornflour.  Another call to MIL confirmed what my gut and google said - NOT the same thing.  Fortunately, I was able to find a corn casserole recipe online that didn't call for cornmeal or jiffy mix. And then I left Andy to make everything else. . .heck, I even let him clean it all up. 

Zachary with our Aussie neighbors

The good news is that our guests didn't care one bit that the mud was messy or that we had to make some last-minute substitutions to the menu.  And they didn't care that the feast was held on a Sunday afternoon. They were thrilled to be included in such an American tradition and even came looking the part.  What a wonderful reminder of all we have to be thankful for - wonderful friends and family in every corner of the world.

A belated happy thanksgiving to you!

Our First Three Months In Pictures

We just got around to posting the photos we've taken with the "good" camera since moving down under. (And I re-posted a number of my iPhone photos as well.)   As you'll see under the recent pictures section, we just had the most amazing weekend with friends on the South Coast.    http://thelarkfamily.shutterfly.com/

First Day at Nippers! (Junior Lifesaving)

Today was Sophia's first day of Nippers.  She is now a junior member of the North Curl Curl Surf and Lifesaving Club (NCCSLC).  Nippers (aka junior lifesaving) is a real Sydney tradition and pretty much every beach has a program.  We joined North Curl Curl because 1) we have a friend who was able to get us in (we applied at 3 other places with no luck) and 2) it is a real surf beach so Sophia will actually be able to put what she learns to the test.  It was truly one of those experiences that reminds you how far you are from Austin, Texas.  The photos I took probably don't do it justice - but picture a hundred kids from 6 up dressed in green and yellow "rashies and togs" and running drills in the beach and the ocean.  Here is the official description:  "Nippers is about learning, confidence and having fun in a safe beach environment. For Nippers, the beach is the classroom. They gain confidence by passing the ‘tests’ of swimming, body boarding, beach sprints, dolphin-diving, spotting a rip, having fun with new friends and discovering things about themselves."   Parent volunteers run the program and keep everyone safe.  Sophia had a fabulous time, as you can probably see from these photos.  It runs nearly every Sunday from now through February so there are many adventures ahead! 

Another Day, Another trip to the ER

I don't know what's going on but I just can't seem to stay well!  My "bacterial tonsillitis," which I thought had been cleared up, has now turned into something called "Quinsy."  Evidently, Quinsy is a peritonsillar abscess and is most common in TEENS.  Crazy that I would have it, particularly since I've never had any issues with my tonsils.  I went to the doctor yesterday morning and they sent me to the ER, where I spent 7 hours getting antibiotics and steroids pumped into my system.  I'm told I will most likely need a "procedure" to have my left tonsil drained in the next 24-36 hours.  I can hardly wait.  But I am feeling a bit better (and am able to eat) so I'm hopeful that it won't come to that. Surely yesterday's drugs combined with the 3 oral antibiotics I'm on will do the trick.
Oh, and remember how I've been complaining about parking?  Well, the hospital is no different.  I actually had to leave the ET (emergency triage) in between IVs to move my car (parked 3/4 mile away and the closest one i could find) to avoid a $500 ticket.
But, aside from my health and driving issues, I really do love it here.  More on that next time...
(PS - the All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup - hurray!  Perhaps Andy will now be home a bit more. . .)

Mama Grizzly Take 2

Andy and I were watching TV last Friday night when I saw a large spider scurry across the floor.  After a brief panic, we leaped up, turned on the light and tried to find it to no avail.  That spider has been in the back of my mind ever since, prompting me to ask our agent about pest control and installing some weather stripping under the door that leads from the garage to our house (which I'm 99.9% sure is how the spider got into our house.)  But its been over a week since the sighting so I'd almost forgotten about the whole thing. Until a few minutes ago when it crawled right back into my consciousness. . .
Well, there was no way I was going to let that spider stay in my house another day.  I gathered what I felt were essential supplies - my iphone (in case it bit me and we needed to ID it), the largest tupperware container and lid i could find (guess i was thinking of letting it live at this point), a metal spatula (needed the distance and a way to kill it if necessary), a copy of the FT (you never know) and a colander (no idea.)  Oh, and I opened the front door, too.

Here is the end result: 

And, yes, this story is eerily similar to the time in Austin when the snake crawled into our house.  (Another time when Andy just happened to be out of town.)   And both stories just go to show you that there is nothing more powerful than a mother's instinct to protect her young. The spider put up a good fight (sorry about the collateral damage to your office, andy) but it was no match for me and my spatula. 

So, to all you venomous spiders and snakes lurking in the wilds of Australia:   Don't Mess with Mom! 

The Best Zoo Ever

destination360.com

I started a post yesterday about how much I hate my GPS but it is a beautiful Spring day and so instead I'm going to do a commercial for the Taronga Zoo, which in my completely unqualified and biased opinion is the best zoo in the world.  It has amazing views of Sydney Harbor, is too big and full of animals to see everything in one day and is immaculately maintained.  Almost everyone who visits Sydney visits the zoo (it is a 12 minute ferry ride from downtown) so I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks it is awesome.  But now that I live here, I love it even more.  And it is only 10 minutes from our house.  I've been there several times but this was Sophia and Zachary's first visit and it was so fun to see it through their eyes.  Zachary's favorite part of the zoo was the giraffes and Sophia's favorite part was riding on the train and seeing the bears.  I have no doubt that we'll be getting our money's worth out of our membership!  Sophia brought her camera and took about 200 pictures. . .the one featured here is not one of them.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend.  Big rugby game tonight - Go All Blacks!

French Lessons

Sophia has daily french lessons at her new school.  (Clearly, we aren't in Texas anymore. . .)  Before bed last night, she did a little performance for us.  Enjoy!

Pass the Vitamin C, Please

Our  immunity systems are in no way prepared for the onslaught of Aussie germs and viruses that seem to be assaulting us at every turn. Zachary was the last to fall ill but he has not only been hit the hardest, he has taken me with him.  We are now very acquainted with the nearby medical center and I love that you can set appointments up online in the middle of the night for the following morning.  We took Sophia to school and then headed straight to the doctor, where they eventually realized that they'd better find a room for us as we were scaring people in the waiting area - Zachary was screaming that he wanted to go home and "didn't want to have his equipment checked" (no idea where that came from) and i was just rocking him as I shook with fever. 
We have both been diagnosed with bacterial tonsillitis and are on antibiotics.  I can't remember the last time I was this sick. Fortunately, Andy is on his way home from work and a friend from Sophia's school is going to help with pick-up. . .Z and I are going back to sleep. . . 

Pirates, Pikelets & Playgrounds

We headed down the street to the Kirribilli markets this morning.  We had breakfast at a little cafe and then wandered through the artisan stalls.  We made a few purchases - some local olive oil, fresh bread, a pirate's costume and a floral headpiece.  Then we stopped to play for awhile at a local park.  The photo
probably doesn't do the view justice, but here is Sophia with the Harbor Bridge directly behind her.  We are loving all of the local parks - seems like there is one on nearly every corner and they are all beautifully maintained.  And the views aren't half-bad either. Ha!
We are nearing the end of "spring break" - Sophia heads back to school on Tuesday.  It has been raining off and on for the past two weeks - but the sun always seems to show up at some point and rain is still a bit of a novelty given the drought conditions we've had in Texas for the past several years. 
The Rugby World Cup continues to dominate our weekends but Andy decided to watch the quarter-finals from home so at least he is in town.  (And he has made huge progress on setting up the office and family room so that makes me very happy.)    New Zealand is playing Argentina tonight.  If the All Blacks win, Andy will be in NZ for the semis and the finals.  Australia is still in the tournament, too, so if they both win tonight they will play each other next weekend. . .
Will end this post with a photo of our grouchy pirate, who is digging a giant hole in the backyard as I write.  Had better go save the garden.

Home Sweet Home

It is a rainy Wednesday afternoon in Sydney and I am sitting in our new living room with my left foot propped up on a pillow. It is the Australian equivalent of "Spring Break" so Sophia and Zachary are both at home.  But for the moment, all is quiet and I thought I'd finally get around to updating everyone on the latest developments down under!
The most exciting news is that we have  moved into our house.  It is as fabulous as I hoped it would be and it already feels like home.  In what can only be described as a miracle, nearly all of our furniture fits perfectly and even looks like it was bought with this house in mind.  The only furniture that we aren't using are the kids' dressers and that is only because their rooms have such spacious built-in wardrobes.  (Ok - i did have a major furniture sale before we left Austin - thanks to all of you who bought things! - so that is the real reason everything fits.) 
Despite all of the drama when we moved out, everything arrived in one piece.  Having chatted with some other "ex-pats," I've come to realize how lucky we are that our sea freight made it here so fast.  Nearly everyone I've spoken with has told horror stories of it taking +12 weeks and then having to wash everything because of a strange "stench."  I'm so glad we didn't have those problems!

The settling in part is taking a bit longer than I hoped because I have managed to injure myself.  Zachary had come up to our bedroom for his 6 am visit.  In a desperate bid for a few more minutes of sleep, I agreed to carry him back downstairs to play quietly in his room.  Unfortunately, I miscalculated where I was on the steps, missed my footing and ended up on the landing with a large thud.  Zachary was not hurt but I ended up going to the emergency room because I couldn't move my foot or put any weight on it.  Turned out that I fractured my "fifth phalanges," compacted it into the bone below and badly bruised everything else.  While I still can't move any of my toes, I am able to flex my ankle and put some weight on it.  I am now hobbling around on crutches and have been told it could take up 6 months for the swelling to go down and my foot to heal.  Oh, and my toe is probably going to stay sticking out.  For. Ever. So much for those super-cute sandals I bought last week.  I toyed with taking a picture of my purple and blue foot but then thought better of it.  Here's a diagram instead. 

On the bright side, I now know where the emergency room is and also got my first up-close look at Australia's public healthcare system.  Andy was out of town so i took a taxi to and from the hospital.  (Am I turning into a "city girl" or what?)   A special thanks to the nice cabbie who got a wheelchair for me and wheeled me to admissions.  Don't know what I would have done if Nanna hadn't been here to take care of the kids for the 4+ hours I was gone.  But I guess I'm about to find out how we survive on our own as she is heading home on Saturday.  Things are bound to get a lot more challenging - and the quality of meals, laundry and childcare is definitely going to decline.  So, I guess I'd better enjoy another day or two here on the couch because reality is going to set in before much longer.  Here's hoping I am back on my foot soon as my to do list is growing by the minute.  In the meantime, think I'll see if someone will bring me some bon-bons. . .

What has surprised me about life in Sydney. . .

A lot of people have been asking what has surprised me most (so far) about living in Australia.  I haven’t come up with a good answer.   I wouldn’t say that I’ve been surprised or shocked by anything.  But I have certainly found that things that I would have never given a second thought to before present challenges here.  Some because we are now living in an urban area where space is at a premium and others because we have no history here. 

Here are a few examples:

Getting a mobile phone – With no permanent address and no credit history, Telstra isn’t too keen on having me as a customer.  I am currently on a prepaid plan and I get texts if I need to “top up” my account. This same issue extends to things like arranging utilities, car registration, etc.   We definitely have an advantage given that Andy works at a bank – it would be 100x harder if we didn’t already have local bank accounts and credit/debit cards and people to call if we run into a problem.  To get a driver’s license here without taking the driving test, we will have to get Texas to sign a form confirming when we were issued our driver’s license.  (The RTA - Australian equivalent to the DMV - doesn't accept that it is 10 years prior to the expiration date on our current license.)  And since that is only going to establish 4 years of driving history, it may not be worth the considerable effort likely to be required.  Which leads me to. . .

Driving – I knew this would be a challenge but I didn’t expect to feel like a 15-year-old with a learner’s permit.   Every day I am getting more and more comfortable.  (Although my confidence took a nosedive with the, uh, “incident” that I prefer not to talk about.)  Who knows, maybe I’ll even be able to turn on the radio someday soon.  For the moment, I am a very focused, patient and defensive driver.  I drive under the speed limit and am never in a hurry.   Let’s hope I never get “too comfortable” driving here – I suspect the roads would be much safer if everyone maintained the laser-like focus of a new driver.  I honestly can’t believe the “multi-tasking” that I used to do when I was driving around Austin.   No way am I talking on the phone while I drive. 

Parking -  This is somewhat connected to the above, but I think it warrants its own category.  I’m sure my friends who live in San Fran can relate, but I’ve never been so aware of parking – or the lack thereof. Picking up Sophia at school requires significant pre-planning (and often a very long walk) and I find myself selecting grocery stores, dry cleaners, etc. based on the parking options.  A huge selling point for Zachary’s preschool is the fact that they have 5 parking spaces.  You may have to fight 100 people for those 5 spaces, but at least they are there.   Sophia’s has 0 and you must park and come in.  I have never been a huge fan of parallel parking but I have no choice but to do so daily.

The Metric System – I am going to have to find an online tutorial or class because I can no longer fake it.  It means nothing to me when someone says something is “200 centimeters” or weighs “50 kilos.”  Same goes for temperature.  I have my iPhone weather set for Fahrenheit but that is just a crutch.   I have long depended on my mother’s rule that we could wear shorts to school if it was 75 degrees. . .guess I’ll have to change that to 24C for my kids.   

On the flip side, there have been just as many things (if not more) that have been much easier than I expected, including:

Making friends – We have definitely been welcomed with open arms.  From Sophia’s school to Andy’s work to “friends of friends,” we have been surrounded by new “mates.”  Add those to the few people we already knew and loved, and we already have a personal network that is sure to grow over time. 

Finding good food, coffee, wine – Everywhere you go, there are fabulous cafes, shops and more.  The food is so fresh and so delicious – thank goodness I’ve already found a gym to fight off the extra kilos!

Skyping with Home – It has been great to be able to not only talk to but see my mom and dad.  Same goes for friends.  And I can’t wait to meet my new niece and nephew over the computer.  Even Sophia has had a few “skype playdates.”  I’ve found that the best time for us is first thing in the morning (between 6 and 7 am), which is mid to late afternoon in the US.  Would love to connect with more of you – my skype handle is kris10lark. . .

Public Transportation – I know I’ve mentioned this before, but we are loving public transportation.  It is an excellent solution to both the driving and parking challenges.  I’ve taken Sophia to school on the bus and we all took the bus to her school fair last weekend.  I’ve even taken the bus home for the grocery store.  And the ferry down the end of the street makes it so easy to say yes when Zachary asks “is it a boat day?” 

I know many of you have moved to a new place in the not so distant past.  Whether it was across town, the other side of the country or around the world, what has surprised YOU about your new hometown?

Breaking My Own Rules

I'll admit it.  I've had to break a few of my own rules to make this time of "transition" a little easier on all of us.  Ok, if I'm being honest, i've broken my own rules to make things easier on me.  I'm not proud of it and I know it will be difficult to reinstate a few of them, but a moms gotta do what a moms gotta do. 

1.  One hour of TV a Day.   I'm finding this one impossible to stick with.  Our temporary apartment has one living space (includes kitchen/dining/family) and the only way i can keep my sanity is to let the TV be on far more than I would like.  I can't wait until we have more space and a backyard where I can send the kids when they need to release some energy or I simply need a break from being a human jungle gym. 
2.  No Sponge Bob Squarepants.  Ever.   Well, maybe just once.  Many of you know I have a major, probably irrational dislike for this program.  But I actually put it on for the kids last week when they couldn't stop antagonizing each other. It worked like a charm. This leads me to another broken rule. .
3.  No rewarding bad behavior.  I think the above illustrates how this rule is broken far too regularly. 
4.  Everyone sleeps in their own bed.  I have always been maniacal about this rule.  If Sophia appears in our bedroom in the middle of the night, I walk her back to her room.  And if that doesn't work, I make a pallet on the floor for her.  And I've held pretty tough with Zachary, even in the face of his seemingly endless sleeping challenges.  But no more.  I don't know how many nights I've fallen asleep with him in the past few weeks.  And when he wakes up in the night, 9 times out of 10 I wake up in his room.  Perhaps I can chalk this up to exhaustion?  I simply can't keep myself awake long enough to "sneak" out.  Of course, I shoudn't be sneaking out at all.  He should be going to sleep on his own.  But I can't risk a full-scale tantrum - the neighbors are sympathetic but no one wants to listen to a 3 year old scream bloody murder at 4 am.  If there is one thing Zachary can do, it is scream until he gets what he wants.   Here's hoping that the arrival of his beloved race car bed - which thank goodness is a twin! - will help me remedy this situation.
5.  No more than one sweet treat a day aka food is not a reward.  Its amazing what a distraction (and incentive) a cookie can be.  And I've been using that to its full advantage.  It has allowed me to sit quietly at a cafe, to have a peaceful 3 minutes in the afternoon and pass time on a rainy afternoon. 
If nothing else, I hope all of this illustrates how excited and happy I will be to move out of our apartment and into our house.  But that's not to say that everything about apartment life is terrible. The location couldn't be better.  It beats a serviced apartment in the city by a mile (or should I say a kilometer!)  And then there is a view.  Hard to complain about my 5:30 am wake up call when I get to watch the sun rise over the water.  I shall leave you with a photo from our living area (it is cloudy this AM so it really doesn't do it justice but. . .)

The Wheels on the Bus. . .

One of the kids' favorite discoveries thus far has been public transportation.  They absolutely love it - Zachary in particular.  And it doesn't hurt that the drivers/conductors/captains have been so indulgent, giving him the best seat, letting him ride longer than our tickets should allow and even letting him sit in the driver's seat. 

Today, we rode two ferries, two trains and two buses.  And that was all before noon.  It has been wonderful to be within walking distance to the ferry and to have the option of hopping on the bus  if we don't want to walk back up to our apartment when we get back to the wharf.  We can also see all the comings and goings in the harbor from our living room window, which has provided hours of entertainment for Zachary.  He has decided that "Alexander" is his favorite ferry (it is the biggest!) and he loves to watch for it to go by on its way to Manly.  He even spied a container ship coming into the harbor on Monday and insisted that it was carrying his race car bed on it.  And would you believe that we got an email that day saying our sea freight had just arrived in port?  Now if only our things could sail through customs/quarantine and we could move into our long-term rental sooner than expected (9/23).  But I guess I should just enjoy this time in limbo - when our possessions are minimal, our "to do" list is short and a world of new possibilities is just outside our window. . .

First Day of School

Today was a big day - both Sophia and Zachary had their first day at school.  I can't get over how grown up Sophia looks in her uniform!  (Nanna actually had tears in her eyes when she came out of her room fully dressed.)  She was all smiles getting ready and was so excited to meet her new friends.  When we arrived on campus, kids were coming up and saying "Hi, Sophia!" which made her feel even more welcome. We have certainly picked a good week to start - they had a celebration for the opening of the new wing of the school (complete with a band and a "sausage sizzle") and they are going on a field trip to an art museum on Friday. 

Zachary had a great first day of school, too.  We planned it so that I could drop him off while they were playing on the playground, which worked so well that I think I'll continue doing just that.  Here is a photo of him ready to go outside - all school children in AUS are required to wear hats when they go outside (even in winter).

I hesitate to put this in writing (but perhaps that is not the same as saying it out loud?) but Zachary actually slept until 6:30 am this morning.  That is exactly 15 days after we arrived which is significant only in that the time difference between Sydney and Austin is 15 hours. . .
Here's hoping that the full night of sleep wasn't a fluke and that we get another full night tonight! 

Schools, Sharks and Stupidity

Have had so much to report this week that I haven't really reported anything.  And I think the real reason for that is that I haven't wanted to admit that I wrecked the car.  Yes, it's true.  I made what can only be classified as a "stupid American" move and ended up getting the entire left side of the car smashed in.  I bet Andy is really wishing he'd listened when I told him I wanted to LEASE a WELL USED car.  Well, the car is definetly going to be valued as a well used car from here on out. . .
On a far more positive and confidence-building note, we have made lots of progress on just about every other front.  Sophia and I had an amazing orientation visit to her new school and she couldn't be more excited to start on Monday.  The facility is just amazing - in fact, the official "opening" of their new campus is this week - and the teachers and administration were so loving and enthusiastic.  Having only attended public schools, I am completely intrigued with the whole uniform thing.  Here's a preview of some of the gear you'll see featured in Sophia's first day of school photo:

It also looks like they have a space available next year (starts end of January) for Zachary in their "transition" class, which is the Australian version of pre-K.  In the meantime, I've found a great pre-school for Zachary to attend.  We had our orientation visit today and he will start going on Mondays and Fridays next week. 
We finalized everything on our house this week, too.  Well, everything but the move in date.  Looks like we will be able to move in sometime the week of Sept 20.  While the apartment we are in has been great, I am already counting the minutes to when we'll be in our place and have our own things.  (and hopefully to when we'll be getting a bit more sleep. . .)
We also found the time to enjoy the beautiful weather we've had this week.  We went to the aquarium yesterday - which involved 2 ferries and a train, which Z might have enjoyed more than the sharks - and today we went to Balmoral Beach.  It is hard to believe that we are less than 10 minutes to such an amazing spot!  More soon. 

 

Sleepless in Sydney

It is hard to believe that we have been here a week!  And a busy week it has been.  First, we've found a place to live.  It is in an area called Neutral Bay and is less than 10 minutes from just about everything - Sophia's school, Andy's office, etc.  And we will have plenty of room for guests!  We hope to move in some time in mid- to late September.  Will post pictures when I can.
We had a great weekend - we went to the beach in Manly on Saturday and played at the park and wandered around the shops in Mosman on Sunday.  The only thing that would have made it better was more sleep!  Zachary still hasn't adjusted to the time - this morning he was up at 4 am for the day.  The longest he has slept since we got here is 8 hours, which has been a bit rough on both of us.  It took a group effort, but we did not let him nap today.  Hopefully, that will force him to sleep a bit longer tonight.  Fingers crossed.
I have my third driving lesson tomorrow and am steadily improving - in confidence and skill.  Of course, I still haven't driven anywhere on my own so I guess that will be the big test.  Sophia has her school orientation and tour on Wednesday and I'm hoping to visit some potential preschools for Zachary this week, too.   Here's a photo of us taking a ride on the train at the Royal Botanic Gardens, which is adjacent to the Opera House.  The grounds are gorgeous and the views to the harbor spectacular.  More soon.  In the meantime, send good sleep vibes.

Driver's Ed

I had my first "driving lesson" on Monday  Talk about baptismal by fire!  The instructor told me to hop in the driver's seat and pointed me to the busiest road in the area.  I don't think we'd gone more than a kilometer (i'm trying to embrace the metric system) when she announced that I would have already failed the driver's exam!   Don't know if I should be relieved or concerned about the fact that I don't have to take it since I have a valid US license. . .

I found the entire experience overwhelming - this is a congested area, the roads are very narrow and it is very awkward to do everything "backwards."   Just putting the car in drive with your left hand feels odd and I had a very clean windshield as I hit the wipers instead of the turn signal nearly every time. 

The area where we are currently living has "roundabouts" at seemingly every corner (I'm not sure i can properly explain the signaling and right-of-way rules at this point) and parallel parking is the norm.   The instructor did teach me some helpful things but I am very nervous about it all.  It is like starting all over again.  I have another lesson tomorrow and am planning to do it in my new car - which has not moved from where Andy parked it on Sunday afternoon...

Here's hoping that I can gain some confidence in the coming days.  I'm sure it will eventually become second nature but that is hard to imagine at this point!  

The Longest Day (and Night and Following Day. . .)

It is 3 am and I am sitting on the couch with Zachary who is not embracing "GMT +10" as our new time zone.   We are coming up on 24 hours in Sydney.   Lack of sleep notwithstanding, we are loving it so far.  Our temporary apartment has a beautiful view of the harbor, we are 3 minutes from a park and it is a short stroll to the ferry.  What's not to love? 
I'd like to be able to say that the flight wasn't nearly as bad as i thought it would be but that would be a bit of a stretch.  Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it could have been worse.  The good news is that Zachary fell asleep on take-off and landing.  The bad news is that those were the only times he slept on the 15 hour flight from LA to Sydney.  I'm sure everyone in our section will remember with fondness Zachary's belly laugh and ability to sing the "Wild Kratts" theme song at the top of his lungs, oblivious to everyone sleeping around him and the effect of noise cancelling headphones on personal volume control.   I have to say that the Qantas cabin crew was more than understanding - we spent at least 3 hours in their "crew rest area," they made him several snacks and let him sit on my lap (with the proper child restraint, of course) on take-off and landing.  I shall plan to write a future post on Qantas premium economy when I can bear to think of the flight again. 
Sophia continues to be an excellent flier although I think she spoke for everyone in the final 5 minutes when she kept crying out "I can't take it anymore!"  It was very turbulent coming in for landing as there were storms in the area.  In fact, had I not been holding a 38 pound dead weight in my arms I would have been reaching for the paper bag.  Her feelings continued to be mixed on this great adventure.  She broke down in tears as we went through customs:  "I want to go home to our real house in Austin."   But she quickly bounced back and was entranced with the scenery as we drove through town.  Despite only sleeping about 6 hours on the flight, she was in rare form all day.  Had definitely switched into full hyper-drive by afternoon and crashed around 7:00 pm.  Here's hoping we don't see her for quite some time yet today. 
It is going to be a big week.  Our air freight (3 boxes) arrives this morning and I have my first driving orientation/lesson this afternoon; tomorrow I will be going househunting.  Both will no doubt prove interesting so I will be sure to post an update.  Fortunately, Andy's mum is with us now so that is a huge help and will allow me to do all the necessary running around.  And I may even be able to take a nap at some point. . .

Last Look....Goodbye Lovely Home

Leaving Austin

The kids and I finally rolled out of Austin on Friday, July 22 at about 5 pm.  After a hellish two days of overseeing the most disorganized and ineffective packers in my considerable relocation experience, we hit the road for our 12 hour drive.  Mom and Dad drove the rented minivan - loaded down with 10 cases of wine, our christmas tree, the contents of our pantry and  boxes and boxes of miscellaneous items (deemed "of concern" to Australian quarantine).  I drove the kids in our last remaining car (the acura).  We made it as far as Denton before stopping for the night.  Fortunately, we all slept well and had an uneventful drive to Kansas City.  We plan to be here until August 3, when we will head to my sister's house in Minneapolis for a few days before meeting up with the rest of my family (and andy!) to celebrate my parents' 45th anniversary at a lake house in Wisconsin.  We head to Sydney on August 12. . .