A place down under and the end of the world…. (as she smiles)

As I am typing this I am 22,000 feet in the air in a Virgin Airline 737. It amuses me that, as I am quickly learning, I really don’t care to fly. Coming from the girl who made it to a second interview for United Airlines to become a Flight Attendant. Funny how things are truly meant to be. I love the hub-bub of flying but the thought of being suspended 22,000 feet above ground with nothing underneath frightens me and with turbulence I am a bundle of white-knuckle joy sitting with a fake smile as to not freak my kids out. Flying will now be a huge part of our lives.

We have been traveling for two weeks "down under" through the Northern and Eastern coasts of Australia. Not only has it been the trip of a lifetime for the four of us but for my parents and mother-in-law.

We first arrived in Cairns, Australia. What a lovely eclectic city. What was most interesting was anxiously awaiting our parents at the airport. It was like being a kid again waiting to open presents on Christmas morning. We finally greeted them after five months when the three of them dropped us off at the airport to partake in our life adventure. Hannah and Mason couldn’t even stand how excited they were. The three of them appeared through the door it was as if my heart was going to explode. I have never been this far away from my parents for this long. I just needed my mom and dad, Mike his mom and the kiddos the grandparents that have always been such a big part of their little lives. We hugged and cried and it was as if we never missed a moment. It was magical.

In Cairns we stayed at a beautiful, spacious and modern style penthouse that had four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a semi-private pool with a view of the coast across the street. “Wow” is all we could say. We spent three days catching up, laughing, playing Uno, sight-seeing, enjoying the early mornings looking out on the ocean and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. Just the most fantastic start to a fabulous trip.

On the fourth day, we joined a Royal Caribbean cruise ship and yes I will gladly say “hello” to, yet another, checkmark on my bucket list. Now this was a whole new experience of glutenous goodness and reward for working so hard- a little (or a lot) spoilage. It was a new dynamic of togetherness where we visited the unique port towns, played roulette, the kids swam, we ate, we swam, we ate, went to a few shows, held some Koala Bears, got to pet some Kangaroos and then ate some more. One night after a show we walked outside on the ship deck and there was a full moon. I got to see firsthand why it was once thought that the earth was flat and the end of the ocean was the end of the world. It was so quiet and surreal to see the waves dancing under the moonlit sky and as far as I could see the world just ended. At that moment everything was alright. I just slowly inhaled the brisk sea air and mentally pressed pause to revel in the moment- I had my hubby, my kiddos, my parents and my mother-in-law all happy, healthy and safe. It was a delightful experience and I will play that moment over and over for years to come.

After the sweet indulgences of the sea we docked in Sydney. Another checkmark, please (and a few for my friends)! We gathered in two lush apartments with the best view in the city- the opera house AND the cruise ship we had just enjoyed. But mostly the opera house! Again we traveled the city, smelled the flowers in the botanic gardens, went to the aquarium and last, but not least, delighted in a musical at the famous Sydney Opera House- to be apropos the musical was South Pacific!! A lovely end to a great trip. Sadly, with tears, we said goodbye and away we went on our way back to a strange country without our comfort.  

We arrived in Bali (Bali High as my kiddos call it now (South Pacific)) and it wasn’t strange. The, once before, timid feeling was now one of assurance and familiarity. Indonesia is now home. The idiosyncrasies of Indonesia are now accepted and giggled upon. We made our way home, several hours later, and topped it off with a gorgeous chopper ride of the vast green mountainside. Cheers to a beautiful holiday and trip of a lifetime!

As always to be continued….      

Kickin' up dust, silly circus and grieving...

The days and weeks in Tembag fly so quickly and are fun-filled. It's a good and bad thing. We love keeping busy but we get exhausted! I love this place and Hannah and Mason are flourishing.
Mike and I were able to kick up some dust at the Redpath Stampede. Like I have said before the parties here are out-of-this-world amazing. The décor was, as always, perfectly western with a Spanish flare. They had great food, a flamenco dancer, live music and even an electric bull. The bull cracks me up because we are hard pressed at times to get just the staples of food that we need but we can get an electric bull. ? Odd. It was a fun evening.
The kiddos are doing well in school and have been blessed to have a small group from Australia who are in a circus has come to teach them. They have been here for almost two weeks and are a fan favorite amongst the kids. They have taught them several balancing tricks and acrobatics. The final show is Wednesday night where they will get to showcase their newly learned talent for us parents. It's a very important and special opportunity for them because there are very little extracurricular activities. It's a shame. But we work with what we have. So silly circus it will be.
We've have checked off another month of survival here. Jokingly of course. But the process of this transition is interesting. I compare it to the process of grieving. I know that, that sounds weird but coming from two people who have barely traveled and have been pretty much isolated throughout our life, it's been a huge emotional experience. For example, for me in particular, I was excited to move and for the tremendous opportunity but the realty has been difficult. Don't get me wrong it's a true blessing but not without it's challenges. Just as the steps of grieving, I have experienced denial, anger, bargaining, depression and I am now at the stage of acceptance. The panicky feeling of needing to go home or extreme feelings of doubt are fading. The validation is being witnessed in my children's' continuous laughter and development, the increase in strength in our marriage and the ever-growing knowledge within Mike's career. We are very lucky to be here and, with all things, accept and acknowledge that there is always good and bad wherever we will be and need to make the best of it.