Christmas and New Year's Down Under and Homeward Bound

Coolum Beach is a quaint beach town on the Sunshine Coast, south of the much busier and touristy Noosa.  It was perfectly our pace and with the beach a short walk from our condo, it was heaven!  Christmas was a little different for us.  Don't get us wrong, we loved it, but Christmas in a hot place is very unusual for us.  We are used to the snow, skating, sledding, smell of a hot turkey and holopchi baking, and sitting by the fire with family.  We loved the beach and loved our seafood dinner, but part of us was missing home on Christmas Day.

While at Coolum, we were able to make it to the Eumundi markets which are famous in this area, for a bit of shopping, and of course, to Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo.  For the kids' Christmas gifts, I had booked an animal encounter with an animal of their choosing.  Jaden chose the echidna, Kalan, the wombat, and Asha, the koala.  We spent the whole day wandering around this amazing zoo and watching the kids experience an Aussie animal up close and personal.  The best part for me, was seeing them enter the kangaroo enclosure and walk over to a kangaroo, hesitating, unsure if they could touch it, and then when they gave them a pat on the head, the big smile that came across their face.  Leaving the enclosure, Kalan said "I'm good, I could go home now, I touched a kangaroo."  :)  On the way back to Coolum we even stopped for a beverage at the crazy Ettamogah Pub.  The Sunshine Coast was a definite hit, but we had to move on, even further North, to Hervey Bay and Fraser Island.

Hervey Bay is famous for the whales that migrate through there.  It has clearly grown up from a small beach town/fishing village into a popular tourist destination and a jumping off point for Fraser Island.  We stayed at a resort out of the main town and wow, this place was incredible!!  When I was booking these places, using www.booking.com I had no idea what I was getting.  The pictures look nice and you hope for the best, but you don't want to let everyone down and you're never quite sure until you get there.  Well, this place was definitely our favorite place on the whole trip - a large open concept condo with a balcony overlooking the resort pools and the ocean - spectacular!

The real reason we came to Hervey Bay was to head to Fraser Island.  This would be my 3rd visit here and it is a place that never ceases to amaze me!  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the largest sand island in the world, at 75 miles long!  We booked with Fraser Free and hired a driver and SUV for the day - we got more than we could have ever expected with Troy (our driver and guide) and Goomblar (our Aboriginal guide).  These guys drove us around almost the entire island for the day, teaching us about the history, and sharing many, many laughs along the way.  If you are ever up that way, look them up at www.uniquefraser.com.  Our day really was perfect - we swam in Mackenzie Lake, saw dingoes while having our morning tea, got to listen to Goomblar's musical and storytelling talents, saw incredible beauty, swam in Eli Creek (I even got football tackled in Eli Creek, but you'll need to ask Jaden about that one!!), had lunch on the beach, and swam in the Champagne Pools.  I could keep going on and on, but there's still another coast....  A huge thank you to everyone at Unique Tours!

From Hervey Bay, it was time to start heading South... to the Gold Coast!  Everyone thought I was crazy to book a place on the Gold Coast at New Year's, and I was pretty worried too.  But, I tried to choose somewhere a bit quieter than Surfer's Paradise and hoped things wouldn't be too crazy at Burleigh Heads.   The Gold Coast is known for being party central, tourists everywhere, and shopping, shopping, shopping.  This wasn't why I wanted to go there, it was because of the beaches and the surf for the kids!

Byron Bay was our first stop, on New Year's Eve, and while festivities and craziness were starting to get into a bit of a swing, we enjoyed a quieter time further down the beach, watching the kids learn to surf.  They were naturals and took to it quiet easily.  The day was spent in the sun, sand and water of Byron Bay and this was by far, our favorite ocean spot for the water.  The water was warm and the waves weren't too crazy so you could actually swim and surf.  A spectacular day, which lead to a quieter evening back in Burleigh, welcoming in 2013 just a little bit earlier than midnight  :)

New Year's Day we were picked up by our tour guide at 6:30am.  OUCH!  That was an early get up for sure, especially on New Year's Day, but we were all so excited that it was worth it.  We were taken to the Gold Coast airport where we were flown up to the Southern part of the Great Barrier Reef to Lady Elliott Island.  This was our chance to snorkel on the reef and see some of the incredible creatures that live there.  We were in the water with our snorkel gear almost immediately, and the kids were swimming with sea turtles!  They told me where to go and to touch the turtle's back.  This was actually my first time snorkelling and so the whole concept of not diving further down than your snorkel hadn't quite sunk in.  In an effort to dive down and touch the turtle's back, I ended up gagging on salt water and kicking back up to the top immediately.  Oops!  The day continued with a glass bottom boat tour, learning about the reef, and then snorkelling in the current seeing more turtles, fish galore, beautiful coral, starfish and even a reef shark!  This was another one of those days you won't soon forget... snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef - wow!

Too soon it seemed, it was time for our great Aussie Adventure to come to an end.  We returned to Brisbane for one last visit with Uncle Dennis and Auntie Susan before we made our way back home to Canada.  Their hospitality was once again amazing and I'm so thankful for the time I shared with them.  They welcomed me into their home and family throughout the year, and I hope sometime I can repay the same kindness.  Your cooking lessons, family time, pool time, incredible food and wine, and wonderful warm welcome will always be a fond memory for me of my time in Australia.  Thank you so much for everything!

Getting on that plane to head back home was a bit surreal...  there it is, my word for the year.  Everything seemed to have this whole surreal feeling about it, all year!  This Christmas and New Year's vacation was no exception. The fact that I was able to share this incredible experience and country with the Weavers meant so much to me.  You don't often get to make those kind of memories with family, so I know I am blessed.  The places we saw, the things we did, and just being together to enjoy it... wow!  As I'm coming to the end of my blogging, I feel like I've said 'grateful', 'blessed', and 'thankful' so much that people reading these are probably getting sick of them... but here it is....  I am truly, from the bottom of my heart, grateful for this amazing Christmas and New Year's that is on my list for one of the best moments in my life!  :)  Thank you!  Thank you!

The Weavers + Auntie in Coolum Beach



Our "Christmas Tree" on Christmas morning.

Coolum Beach

First kangaroos up close!

 

Jaden with his echidna

Asha and her koala

Kalan and his wombat

Ettamogah Pub

Dingo

Goomblar and the kids

The Maheno Shipwreck

How's that for a lunch spot?

The view from our apartment

The Gold Coast - at Burleigh Beach with Surfer's Paradise in the background

Learning to surf at Byron Bay

Our reef boat

Lady Elliott Island

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.

 

The kids and I with the Harbour Bridge

  

First Aussie Meat Pie from Pie Face

 

Mikey, Dawn and the family at Bondi Beach

 

The dead trees I just couldn't take enough photos of

 

The windmills I just couldn't take enough photos of

 

The first kangaroo the kids saw - driving back from one of my students' houses

 

39C and got an "air conditioned" cart for our tour around the Western Plains Taronga Zoo

An outback sunset over some opal mines

Lightning Ridge is famous for its black opals.  Here we are looking for a big one!!

Goodbye Dubbo and Thank You!

We pulled out of Dubbo on December 19, bound for our great Aussie adventure...  but with that came a farewell that was heavy on my heart.

It was so hard leaving, but when we did it was time to go.  With the support of my wonderful family and best wishes from my wonderful new friends, I said goodbye to my country city, said a quiet prayer of thanks for the many blessings I received this year and shared my sincere gratitude for the people that came into my life this year.  I love you guys and I can't wait to see you in Alberta so I can tour you around, cook for you, and pour you a glass of wine.  This experience was the best thing that could have happened to me, especially at was a very difficult time in my life.  I needed space and time to heal, I needed support and love, and I needed to find my happy again.  All of those things happened in Australia and I will forever be grateful and Australia will always hold a very special place in my heart.  It's not goodbye, it's see you soon...

 

My Aussie home for the year

A World Away

Right now I'm sitting in the Columbia Valley on the western side of the Rockies, staring out at snow covered mountains and huge evergreen trees.  It seems like it's been much longer than 3 months since I left Oz and returned home, to real life  :)  Right now, Australia feels like a whole world away and it's surreal to think that 4 months ago I was spending time with the Parishes, the Manns, and Anne and Jeremy, winding down my year in Oz.  I sit here, humble, grateful, a little sad, but happy at the same time!

First... back to Dubbo...

Mom and Dad left Sydney on November 3 and honestly, from that point to when Heather and the kids arrived, the time was spent laughing with my students, enjoying time with my friends, and doing "last things". 

With the weather warming, I decided to play hostess a bit more and had Manns, Parishes and Anne and Jeremy over for dinners. With Mom and Dad gone, it was hard to be in the house by myself as it just seemed a little too lonely. So, having friends over and spending time at their homes, really helped the time to pass.  I also felt so incredibly grateful for these wonderful, amazing people who came into my life and I was so happy to be spending some time with them before I had to leave.

Bridget and I spent a weekend in Newcastle with my Aussie brothers and sisters.  Bek had just finished uni and so we had to celebrate!  We had a lovely weekend hanging out by the water, enjoying coffees and walks on the beach, and some time together.  My Aussie family, as they have become, were so welcoming to me and they all embraced me with open arms.  They are already talking about a trip to see their Canadian sister and I really hope that they will.  I would love the chance to show them the same hospitality they did me.  The Manns are truly an incredible family and I feel blessed to be an honorary member  :)

School was so busy at this time with year end events, reports, preparing to move classrooms and so much more!  Chaos reined quite a bit, but then that's something that is a similarity to home - year ends are always crazy busy!!  We had field trips to the zoo and to the city council chambers, year end dance extravaganza, BBQs, and so much more!  Year end with the kids was a lot of fun as we took time to enjoy some Canadian Christmas traditions.... ok, not Canadian traditions, but traditions in my room... and to try some new ones.  We had a Polar Express Day when Santa even made a visit to our classroom! Instead of serving hot chocolate though, as the temps were in the 40s, we had chocolate milkshakes and watched the movie in our shorts and t-shirts.  A bit different from home for sure, but still fun! 

I made my last trip to Orange to say goodbye to Lynda and George, Bridget's sister and brother-in-law.  Lynda and George welcomed me into their home as if I was one of their own.  Again, this family never ceases to amaze me  :)  George was my personal bartender and cocktail mixer whenever I arrived.  Both Lynda and George taught me how to cook a new dish every time I visited and their door was always open and "my room" was always ready for me.  I hope that they too will make the trip to Canada soon :) 

This goodbye actually started a chain reaction of goodbyes and tears from that point on...

The last month was so busy and so full, that I started to feel like I should have filled other months more and spent more time with people.  Honestly though, I looked back in a notebook I had kept and out of 52 weekends, all but 5 had been busy doing something, travelling somewhere.  I kept wishing for a bit more time with my Aussie friends, but at the same time I was so excited for Heather and the kids to come and wanted to time to pass more quickly. 

Anne and Jeremy

Bridget and Geoff

Bek, Vic, Joe, Bridget, Dave, and Kate

Newcastle

The Exchange Year in Review

Well, here I am back in Alberta, and am feeling more settled than when I arrived home 2 months ago.  I arrived back on January 4th with the Weavers, and then we all had to get back to reality on January 7th as it was back to school and back to real life.. the end of the year long holiday  :(  and :)

I have 3 blogs still in my head that I've been trying to get to - the year in Dubbo comes to an end, the Weavers in Australia, and transitioning back to life in Alberta.

I promise I'll get to those as soon as I can... maybe even this weekend, so watch for those!

In the meantime, stay warm and enjoy what is hopefully the last of our winter weather....

18 More Get Ups!!!

It seems like it was only a short time ago that I said goodbye to my family and friends, and set out on this amazing adventure.  But now, here I am... with 18 more get ups until Heather and the kids fly into Sydney and we begin our Aussie Adventure together.  The image of them coming through the gate at Sydney International Airport (hope I get the right one, hey Diana??  ha ha!!), has kept me going for a long time.  I miss them like crazy and can't wait to have them all here!!!!!!!

The year truly has flown by and I honestly can't wrap my head around the vastness and amazing-ness of this experience.

Right now, I'm in report card mode so I'm trying not to think too much about goodbyes or packing, as I just can't believe that I'll be leaving Dubbo in just 24 days. 

Being at the end of my year, people are starting to ask if I would stay longer if I could, am I sad to go, will I be back, did I love it?

My response is a difficult one because I do love Australia and am so grateful for this year that I've had.  But, home is home.  This has been an incredible holiday, but at some point, your thoughts start to return to real life and home.  Canada will always be my home, but the other countries that I have been fortunate enough to live in, Japan and Australia, will always hold a special place in my heart.  The people I met in Japan are friends that I still keep in touch with.  I would love to be able to see them all again!  That will be true for Australia!  I have been so lucky to have made new friends here and there are going to be many tears when I leave.  I truly will be sad to leave each and everyone of them.  But, I look forward to emails, text messages and visits as soon as they possibly can.  My friends here have become friends for life  :)

I will of course have much more to share as my final days get closer and closer, but for now, I must direct my focus back to report cards so that I can finish them and enjoy my last few weeks with amazing friends!

Reflecting on time with Mom and Dad

Well, it's been just over a month since Mom and Dad left hot and sunny Australia and headed back to the snow and cold of Alberta in November.  I actually started this post 3 weeks ago, but just haven't had a chance to sit down and type.  It's report card time, packing time and winding down/up time.  I wanted to take a minute to reflect on the time I had with Mom and Dad and it's got me thinking about just how busy we were when they were here. My whole theme of this year has been "Go BIG or Go Home!!" and that was definitely true with Mom and Dad.

After our incredible 2 week adventure of Southern Australia and the Outback, our adventures didn't stop.  We returned to Dubbo, only to be invited out almost every other day with the wonderful friends who have become my Aussie family. Mom and Dad visited school every couple of days, bringing Rice Krispie Squares or other treats, being good sports as the kids asked every possible question and more.  Dad was a particular hit with the kids as he told stories of hunting, cougars, bears, etc.  Remember, some of these kids are on properties and are kids who love the bush - piggin and roo shooting included.  Many aren't bush kids but those ones that are, couldn't stop asking questions!  Mom and Dad came to enjoy the kids, just as I have, and they were sad to leave and say goodbye to them.  We've since Face Timed a couple of times so that the kids could say hi to Mom and Dad,  and they could see their smiley faces!

No visit to Dubbo is complete without a visit to the Taronga Zoo.  We had a beautiful day, but not too hot for Mom  :) so we spent it touring around this incredible facility.  We enjoyed the morning rhino talk and feed, the giraffes, the Aussie animals (wombat, echidna), tortoises and meerkats. The highlight was definitely the Siamang, probably the loudest of the ape/monkey family.  The zoo has a male and female and now a baby.  They didn't even know she was pregnant because they're so aggressive and territorial, that the keepers can't get close.  On the day we were there, the keepers were feeding the Siamang, so they had taken their little boat out to one of their two islands, dropped the ropes so they couldn't get across, and then was leaving their feed for the day.  The Siamang were not happy with this and so they were going off!!  Their sounds can be heard almost 5 km away in town!

Dubbo is a great location for day trips!  Orange and Mudgee have been my favorite - Orange for food and markets, Mudgee for food and wineries.  Mom and Dad and I took a Sunday drive to Mudgee to enjoy a couple of wineries and lunch.  The first winery was Robert Oatley which I had visited before and where I particularly enjoyed their Gewurtztraminer wine.  They call it Traminer because it's easier to pronounce - ha ha!  Dad of course enjoyed the reds here and enjoyed chatting with the lady about the many wines they had and asking many questions.  There was no one else there so the lady was happy to chat and even told us about her recent  trip to America.

http://www.robertoatley.com.au/home/

The next winery was di Lusso which was recommended for amazing wines, pizza, and atmosphere.  We didn't actually have any wine because I was driving and Dad felt he had tried enough at the winery before.  However, the pizza was amazing!!  Wood fired pizza while sitting on this beautiful patio overlooking the beautiful Australian landscape - a perfect way to spend my last visit to Mudgee and a day with Mom and Dad.

http://www.dilusso.com.au/

On our drive home, Dad and I were of course on the lookout for critters.  We drove around a lizard that was enjoying the heat of the road in the afternoon and then decided we should go back for some photos.  As we started to back up, a vehicle came driving along and drove over the lizard.  We saw him do a flip underneath the truck and thought he was a goner!  Dad walked back to check on him, with the camera in hand, and somehow, that lizard was still alive!!  This is a photo Dad took before shuffling him off the highway to the safety of the bush.

Mom and Dad also acted as supervisors on one of my class excursions.  We were studying forms of communication and so did a walking tour of some communication providers in Dubbo. We visited one of our local papers, Photo News, where everybody got their own front page photo printed off for them.  Mom, Dad and I got one of the three of us, with the headline "The Cardinals Take Dubbo By Storm".  Then it was off to the radio station and the post office.  The kids loved having them along and so did I :)

We spent a weekend away, visiting Bridget's family in Orange. We had a feast, as always, at George and Linda's and enjoyed a lovely night with new friends.  The next day, we travelled through Bathurst to the Blue Mountains.  Bathurst is known for Mount Panorama, the race car circuit.  So, I had to take Mom and Dad for a drive around that before making our way into the "mountains".

Next, it was off to the Blue Mountains to see the Australian Three Sisters and the beautiful scenery that is the Blue Mountains National Park.  Funny enough, the Blue Mountains aren't actually "mountains" as Dad found out.  While Dad was reading up on the Blue Mountains, he learned that they are actually dissected sandstone plateaux with gorges of up to 760m.  It is called the Blue Mountains because of the blue haze that the eucalypt trees emit. The Greater Blue Mountains areas were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.  Dad found a reference to the Grand Canyon with regards to the Blue Mountains, whether it was the size or the age... it's too late to call him and ask so next time you chat with him, make sure YOU ask him  :)

We stayed in Katoomba which is where the Three Sisters are found.  It is one of the most popular towns in the Blue Mountains for its spas, restaurants, breathtaking views and so much more.  We decided to visit Scenic World which takes you into the canyon on the world's steepest railway, back up out of the canyon on a cableway, and across the canyon in a gondola.  It was such a cool way to see the area and while it's totally touristy and every tour bus and tourist probably stops there, it was pretty cool!

I of course, was ecstatic to have Mom and Dad with me in Dubbo.  I hadn't had company/roommates since Diana and I loved having someone else in the house.  Mom would wave goodbye in the morning as Dad drove me to work, after she had made me breakfast and organized my lunch.  I was totally spoiled and I loved it!!  When I got home from school, I could debrief about my day and then Dad would make us drinks as we prepared dinner and talked about our busy schedule.  I loved every minute of it.

Mom and Dad really enjoyed Dubbo!  They loved meeting my friends and talking to people they met.  Dad met all of the neighbours and even managed to get invited out to a neighbour's farm to check pig traps.  He was Mr. Social Butterfly, which is ironic for those of you that know my mom  :)  They totally understood why I love Dubbo so much and they said that they were so happy that the exchange had taken me here because of the wonderful city it is.  They too can now say, first hand, just how incredible country hospitality is! 

We met the mayor of Dubbo, Clr Mathew Dickerson, and shared some gifts from Rocky Mountain House.

Sam was getting ready for a petting zoo he was setting up for a special day at school.  Mom and Dad got to feed them after their baths, as they were getting ready for the big day.  Mom and Dad went to Sam's school for the special day also.

That's Merino enjoying dinner!
 

We finished off our time in Sydney, getting to enjoy a day in the city and dinner with my cousin, Michael, and his girlfriend, Dawn.  We saw the sights around Circular Quay and enjoyed the delicious-ness of Pizza E Birra, before we had to say a final goodbye  :(

So, as you can see, it was a very full, very busy, absolutely amazing Aussie Adventure with Mom and Dad.  I'm so grateful that they were able to come and that we had so much time together.  I enjoy travelling with Mom and Dad and having them here, sharing this with them, meant the world to me.

Where to next?? I think Africa is in the books for the 3 of us.... but that's a few years off :)