Steph's Adventures Near and Far: The Weavers Arrive Down Under

Let me first clarify and say that most of the Weavers arrived on December 14 into Sydney. Todd joined us later in Brisbane..

So, there I was bawling and running through people as soon as I saw Heather and the kids. I'm not going to lie or even pretend that it's not true... I was embarrassing I'm sure :) But, I didn't care! I was just so excited to see them after almost an entire year and I couldn't contain it!

I was so eager to share everything with them and a weekend in Sydney was a perfect way to start. Throughout my year, I spent a bit of time in Sydney and I couldn't get enough of the Opera House, the Harbour, the beaches, the food and so much more. That first weekend was a very full weekend encompassing all of the things I love about Sydney - my cousin Mikey and his girlfriend, Dawn, Sydney beaches and scenery, cruising around on the ferry, delicious gelato, and the eclectic sights, sounds and people that make Sydney as entertaining as it is! The Weavers were exhausted between jet lag and the full days, but we had to fit as much as we could in a short time.

We made our way over the Blue Mountains, stopping to enjoy the incredible scenery that this area is famous for, making a few stops on the way home to Dubbo to take photos of trees and windmills, and enjoy some incredible gelato in Molong and the crazy emus that are painted by Peter Browne and his wife. Eventually, we arrived in Dubbo where we got out of the car and the country heat hit us like a ton of bricks! I was pretty used to it but the kids couldn't get over the heat and asked me how I had managed it?

The next few days were truly a whirlwind of sharing my friends with my family, my students with my family and my lovely country city of Dubbo. We had dinners at friends' houses, had people over, and even got to enjoy the school's year end pool party! We drove out of Dubbo, pointing our rental van North to Lightning Ridge!

Each of the kids had to say the one thing they wanted to do the most while they were in Australia... Jaden wanted to see the outback, Kalan to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef and Asha, to hold a koala. The outback one was posing the most difficulty but we worked in and headed for an area known for opal mining and an eclectic mix of people... Lightning Ridge, Population?? No joke!! The heat there was unbelievable, hitting 43C when we arrived and we headed for the pool! The scenery was amazing and we got to see lots of kangaroos, and on the drive from there to Brisbane we saw emus, lizards, and goannas!

Arriving in Brisbane, it was wonderful to see Auntie Susan, Uncle Dennis, Mikey and Dawn again! We settled into the routine of pool and eat and drink, repeat, very easily and enjoyed much time visiting and relaxing. Todd arrived there on December 23 and we were North bound again, this time to the Sunshine Coast where we would spend Christmas.