Imperfect

If it wasn't for me being a zillion miles away from home, I would have probably already deleted my Facebook by now. There have been way too many negative and hateful posts lately regarding different subjects and it makes me sad.  It also makes me wonder how much longer God is going to put up with us.  Matthew 7:1 has always been one of my favorite verses and I have really been trying to better myself and put it into practice.  I found this on Pinterest the other day and have decided to share, I can't seem to quit thinking about it and so maybe it will have the same effect on you :) 

2012 Olympics

I love watching the Olympics !!! I think that from now on the entire world should be able to take a paid holiday to watch and support their country! Wouldn't that be cool ??! This year I have the honor of rooting for 2 countries, USA & Australia :D Of course the USA comes first but I can't help but want the Aussie's to succeed as well.  I have to say they have some awesome swimmers.

One of my fitness instructors daughter has made the Australian water polo team, she is no. 9 .  The first match airs tonight against Italy and I have to admit I am a little nervous and really excited to be able to cheer on some one I have ties too.

**check this link out http://london2012.olympics.com.au/athlete/glencora-ralph

One of my favorite memories is watching the 1996 USA girls gymnastics team aka The Magnificent Seven ! I still get chill bumps when I think about Kerri Strug sticking her landing after hurting her ankle and bringing us home the gold!! I also remember watching Dominique Moceanu's floor routine to Devil Went Down to Georgia and thinking Dominique Dawes was soo pretty lol




image found on google

Sunday Funday

Our typical Sundays consist of grocery shopping and laundry! So fun I know, don't be jealous :)

 On this particular Sunday we had a flood ! Our washing machine drains into a large sink in the bathroom and the drain in the sink got clogged.  I was able to find a little humor in the situation but Luke not so much lol  At least the floor has a giant drain in the middle of it so clean up was easy! 

Applicators Rule

This post is going to be about tampons.  If that makes you uncomfortable here is your warning :) 

As we all know, hopefully, I am a woman and that means once a month I get a visit from Aunt Flow.  

At the grocery store, I grab a box of tampons not knowing there is a specific kind I should be looking for and remember thinking to myself, wow that is a tiny box to fit 32 tampons in, must be the discreet kind and chunk them in the shopping cart.  Once I get home I open the package and realize there are 4 small boxes put together, containing 8 tampons each, and at this point I'm still not thinking much of it.  

BTW at this point in time while I am making this discovery, Luke has so kindly run outside to grab what I think is a pair of my panties I dropped while bringing in the laundry... thankfully it was just a sports bra LOL

 Anyways, I open the box and see some cute, colorful, teeny tiny, tampons and think oh haha they look like fat little markers how cute! I proceed to take one out of the box and start to slightly panic... this doesn't look right... I twist off the wrapping and find cotton... just cotton, no applicator to be found. As any wife would do, I show it to my husband and ask how's this going to work LOL He looks at me like I'm crazy and says just put it up there !! I decide I can handle this, go into the bathroom, decide to give it a go, and well let's just say things don't go "smoothly".  I walk out of the bathroom and start crying (really overly dramatic, I know) thinking I have to endure 4 more months of this torture and wondering what in the world I am going to do.  Thankfully, Luke, knowing how I was going to react if things went wrong, had already gotten on google and informed me Australia does sell tampons with applicators, you just have to go to specific stores and look for them and that I was not the only girl asking these same questions :) Good times, good times !  Pictures for your entertainment haha

Wine Cruise

On Saturday the 21st, Atlas (Luke's employer), organized a wine cruise and we were invited to tag along. Luke didn't have any details about the cruise so we both assumed it would be taking place in the evening...ya know because it's a wine tasting cruise... who starts drinking wine at 10am... Well, at 7:30 am, I was informed that we needed to be at the ferry station by 9 and me being not so speedy at getting ready had to get a move on!

We made it to the station in time, paid for 4 hrs of parking because that is all you are allowed park for at this particular place, got on the ferry, and then was informed this is an all day event lasting till 530.  Not a big deal except for the parking.  We just paid our $100 dollar parking ticket the day before and don't really want to get multiple ones for parking in a 4 hr spot for a little over 8hrs.  Thinking we could make it back in time before the boat leaves, we hop on the ferry go back across the river and hope to find some free parking close by.  Unfortunately, Mike, Luke's co-worker, calls us and lets us know they are leaving without us :(

Feeling a little defeated we decide to head home and figure out something else to do.  Then we get another call from Mike and he informs us we can meet them at the first stop !! We immediately call a cab and plan on meeting up with everyone! Right as I decide to go to the bathroom, the cab comes, honks once, and then leaves... wth!! Definitely not our morning.  Thankfully Luke is able to call the cab company and he circles back to get us and we finally arrive at our destination... thank goodness there is plenty of wine because at this point we are in need :)

Our day turned out to be quite nice, met lots of interesting people, tasted good wine, had an amazing lunch, and was very entertained by all the hammered Aussies.  The captain even had to make an ambulance stop because a girl was beyond drunk and possibly had a seizure... The wine cruise should be renamed to booze cruise.

Caversham Wildlife Park

Caversham Park was so much fun and it was only 30 minutes from our apartment.  Thanks to our down stairs neighbor Bob, who brings us tourist magazines, we found this place! It wasn't too crowed and only cost $23.00 a person, one of the cheapest things we have done ! There were so many cute kangaroos and wallabies to pet and feed, I was soo excited :) All the animals were so tame and laid back, I'm pretty sure by the time we got there they were all in a food coma ! After the kangaroos we headed straight for the Koala's and luckily a few of them were awake.  Koala's typically sleep 20 hours a day! We weren't aloud to hold them but we did get to take pictures and pet them! They weren't as soft as the kangaroos, which I was surprised by, but they were still pretty soft and would make the perfect snuggle buddy.  After the Koalas we went to the wombat and friends show were we met Big Bubs! Big Bubs is a 60 pound wombat and he was adorable as well !  After that we walked around and visited the farm and I have now decided I want a goat farm !!!! I love them so much, they were so fun to play with and cute as well. I think I found my calling ;)

Pinterest Recipes

Lately I have been making good use of my pinterest recipes and up until now things have turned out pretty good.  Tonight I made the Chicken Tex-Mex bake and I do not recommend it... at all LOL.  I think the problem was the enchilada sauce, I used the Old El Paso stuff and it was yuck.  The recipe MIGHT be saved if you can find an alternative sauce, but sadly I give this a two thumbs down.  Mine didn't even turn out like the picture... Oh well, Ritz crackers and cheese saved the day haha

The Healthified Chicken Tortilla Casserole, which is similar to this, wasn't too bad.  I can't find green chilies here so I had to omit those and since I don't like bell pepper I skipped out on those as well.  We also poured some hot sauce over it to give it some more flavor... I'll give it a thumb up.


One that we did love is the Two Timin' Pasta Bake .  This stuff was amazing and I have made it twice now.  The first time I made it, I didn't get enough marinara sauce so basically it was half marinara and half alfredo and I actually prefer it this way ! I also recommend eating it the next day cold :) Definitely two thumbs up.  Next on the list Sun-dried Tomato Chicken !!

Aussie Slang

Aussie word of the day...
Fair Dinkum:  Fact or true


Person A  : I met Britney Spears today!!
Person B:  Fair Dinkum ??
Person A: yea!!

One Month In !

We have official been here a little over a month and time seems to be going by relatively quick!  So far everything is going well, I would say I definitely have a love/hate relationship with Australia.  I love and am so incredibly thankful for this opportunity but I also very much miss my family and friends.  There are many things I could complain about but I am very aware this is a once in a lifetime deal therefore I will not... you will just have to wait till I get home to hear me rant ; ) .  Well, I take that back, I will complain about the GIANT cockroach in the bathroom.  That thing was nasty and I hope his family doesn't make an appearance .

Here is a little peek into my daily routine

I usually wake up anywhere between 730 and 8, have some brekkie, and then head to the gym.  If weather permits I will go to Sir James Mitchell Park and do some walking and exploring. When I get home I typically catch an episode of Sex and the City and Housewives of Beverly Hills, eat some lunch, shower and then walk to the grocery store.  The grocery store is not quite a mile from the apt so it's a nice relaxing walk .  Luke has been getting home around 3 which is very nice! I am enjoying seeing him on a daily basis :) I have also been cooking dinner 4 nights a week! I am becoming a top chef... jk but "knock of wood" no disasters yet and I really enjoy it ! Since we have been here, we started watching Bones and love it! I can't wait to start from the beginning .

Shockingly I thought I would miss and crave Tex-Mex like crazy but it's not so bad.  The thing I find myself missing and wanting is Sonic ! I want it all the time and as of right now, it is the first thing I will have when I get home : D

Here is a random interesting fact... Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended in Australia about 3 years ago, 2003 in the US and I still watch it everyday even here in Aussie Land !

"Normal"

Made my daily walk to the local IGA (mini grocery store) and ran into a lady I work out with.  Made me feel somewhat "normal" running into someone I actually new :)

Sorrento Beach

I just realized I didn't post about this beach!! Sorrento was lovely! The waves were the largest we have seen them and there were lots of people surfing and paddle boarding, I still don't see how they get in the water, it is freezing!!

I decided to take a stroll along the beach and as I'm walking back I see Luke waving his arms around and pointing at the ocean like a crazy person.  I finally get close enough to understand what he is saying and he was trying to tell me to look at the dolphins :) There were 3 of them and they were so close to the shore.  We kept trying and trying to get a good shot of them but every time we looked away or put the camera down they came up to the surface lol We watched them for a long time! It was so unexpected and so neat to see them, I can't wait to go back.

 Tiny blob in the middle is the dolphin :)

Rockingham and Palm Beach

Saturday we set out on our beach hunt, we ended up at the incredible Rockingham beach that was connected to Palm Beach, only 40 minutes from Perth! This so far has been my favorite and when you see the pictures you will know why!  The water was gorgeous, it was so clear,  and an amazing turquoise color, not to mention the weather was perfect :) Ice-cream shops and parks surrounded the area and all the buildings were a fun bright color! I can't wait to go back!!

Seriously...

Got our first parking ticket yesterday... when the sign says 30 minute parking, they mean 30 minutes not 45... womp womp : / 

Wanna go to the movies here is Aussie land, that will set ya back 18 bucks a ticket... can I get another womp womp...