And the Winner Is . . .

Fifteen years from now when the Little Princess completes her first triathlon we will look back and say it all started today.



First, she ran the Mini-Mos 2k this morning with her daddy. The crowds were huge!




While walking home after the race we passed the local bike shop. The Little Princess fell in love with the light blue Mongoose bike so we brought it home. Half an hour later she was riding a two wheel bike for the first time!




As the principal of her school told us when we took the tour, Aussies love sport. I think it's rubbing off on her.

If only it would rub off on me a little.

Tea for Two

Today I had the pleasure of taking my mum to tea. Just the two of us. No crying two year old, no Little Princess jabbering away. Just us grown up women spending some time together.



Having my mum here in Australia has made me realize how much I appreciate her. I am so glad she is healthy and able to travel to the other side of the world to visit us. I marvel at her memory when she shares stories about my childhood or her own. I'm grateful for her helpful hands and kind heart.

And so today it was so nice to take the time to just sit down together and enjoy a cup of tea. The view was beautiful, the finger sandwiches were lovely, but our time together was the best treat of all. Just me and my mum and a cup of tea.

Luminous

How do you make the iconic Sydney Opera House even more breathtaking? Use it as a canvas for a spectacular light display. Luminous, part of the Sydney Vivid Festival, is going on now through June 14th, 6pm-midnight. If you are lucky enough to live in Sydney you should definitely check this out!

Who Would've Thought . . . It Figures

It's been 6 weeks since I became the owner of a shiny new Toyota Kluger and well, she wasn't looking so shiny any more. And, since my mom is coming to Sydney tomorrow (woo-hoo) I figured it was time to try out the local Crystal Car Wash.

$42.75 later ($40 for the car wash and $2.75 for a M&M biscuit that the Little Buddy promptly gnawed the M&Ms off of) I left feeling a little ripped off.

It's not just that the car wash here is nearly 4X the price of a good car wash in SoCal. It's that I didn't even get Armor All on the tyres or that overpowering "new car" scent sprayed inside.

The good news: This is Australia so the guys with the chamois don't expect a tip.

The bad news: Looks like it's gonna rain again.

It figures.

Surfs Up

It's Autumn here (not Fall) and the stormy weather has brought some big waves to Sydney beaches. This weekend we drove out to Manly (our closest ocean beach) and were impressed by the huge surf which closed the beach.

When we returned home we were surprised to see surf at Balmoral (the typically calm harbour beach right in front of our apartment).

Surfers off Rocky Point Island at Balmoral Beach



Sunday we headed out to Bondi for the first time and watched heaps of people surfing the big waves out there as well. Check out this cool ocean pool for lap swimming.



Bondi Beach



I'm sitting on the balcony typing, watching the sunrise and listening to the waves hit the shore while waiting for the Woolies guy to bring my groceries. (I have completely given up going into Aussie grocery stores. It's better this way). Life is good. And, to top it off, this time tomorrow I will be heading to the airport to pick up my mom. No wonder I'm smiling.

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

When we decided to move to Sydney I started reading about culture shock. I wanted to be prepared to deal with the inevitable roller coaster of emotions that most expats describe. Here's what I learned (or learnt if you're Aussie):

There are 5 Stages of Culture Shock

1. The Honeymoon.
Everything is exciting, it feels like you're on vacation.
2. Distress Stage.
Everything is confusing, and you don't have your support system to fall back on.
3. Re-integration Stage.
You feel angry, hostile, and frustrated and idealize life back home. You reject the new culture as inferior.
4. Autonomy Stage.
You start to feel like yourself again, have more confidence, and no longer feel isolated.
5. Independence.
Embracing the new culture and everything in it, you start to feel at home.

I think I am on an extended honeymoon. I love it here. We live in a beautiful place and have met many lovely people. We've found a school for our daughter and a church for our family. And while I miss our dear friends and family members back home, the truth is, I am happy here. There has not been one day when I felt that coming here was a mistake.

I'm not so bold to believe that I am immune to the effects of culture shock. So I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. We've been here for a bit over 2 months. How long can the honeymoon last?

Wish List

Things I Wish They Had in Oz:

-Reeses Peanut Butter cups and Heath Bars
-Mr. Clean Magic Erasers
-My Sissy
-Amazon.com
-Gift Receipts at Toys R Us
-Costco
-Pay at the Pump petrol stations

(There's heaps more, but those are the biggies for me right now).

Things I Wish they Didn't Have in Oz:

-Cartoon Network and Boomerang
-Speed and red light cameras
-Sharks in the harbour
-Dangerous spiders
-Coin operated shopping trolleys with 4WD

Hey, a girl can dream.

On a side note, today I saw a very attractive young woman wearing full-on MC Hammer style harem pants. Can't touch this:



Please, people, tell me these pants are not making a fashion come back.