From "G'day!" to "Howdy!"

We survived another 24 hours of travel to safely return home this afternoon. It's a bit surreal, like it all happened in the blink of an eye, but we're glad to be home, and Bella and Wesley were especially glad to see us. So far we're feeling pretty good, but we'll see how we progress with our bodies still being 15 hours ahead.

I had to be sure to post one picture to prove that we really were there, that we weren't just typing this all from our couch. :) I promise to post more pictures in the days to come.

Last Day!!

Hard to believe this trip is coming to an end. We've already had a lot of fun reflecting on our adventures. We're enjoying a few low-key days in Sydney. We've visited the aquarium at Darling Harbour that had amazing underwater walkways so we could get very unique views of the seals, sharks, rays, etc. We spent one afternoon at Manly Beach enjoying the sun and the waves. On Wednesday we saw the opera Lamke at the Sydney Opera House. It was so fun to get the real experience and not just a tour. Last night we took a harbour cruise and enjoyed a nice dinner. Today we're off to take in a mueseum or two and tonight we'll toast our successful trip over dinner on the harbour.

Looking forward to catching up with all of you when we get back!
Friday, June 30 10:35 a.m.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Ouch!

Well, we were there to experience Socceroo fever in all it's glory. Unfortunately, the team got cheated in the last seconds and lost. What am I talking about? I'm talking about the World Cup of soccer in Germany and how it's been an absolute madhouse around here since the Australian team made it for the first time in 32 years. Even more, they made it to the round of 16. Gretchen and I thought it might be fun to support the team. So we and 18,000 other screaming and cheering fans crammed Circular Quay in Sydney on Tuesday morning around 1:00 am to watch the match against Italy. Needless to say, we did not last the entire night. We got there 90 minutes prior to kickoff. By the time the match started it had gotten so crowded the police were not letting anyone else in the square and the rest of us who were in the square couldn't move. So we saw the start of the game, then high tailed it back to the apartment to the comfort of a couch and a VB (Victoria Bitter) to watch the rest. The Socceroos (as they are affectionately called) dominated the game but a questionable penalty call in the last seconds of regulation gave Italy a free kick and the only goal of the match. Heartbreaking but still an exciting game. Gretchen made a good point that in the states it's rare to see a gathering to support USA athletics. Where we were wasn't the only gathering either. There were more all over the country. Aussies definitely love their sports.

Friday, 10:25 am

Reflections on Tasmania

Well, Gretchen and I have spent the last four days here in Tassie. It's a fantastic place, very beautiful with lots to see. Our first day in to Hobart we walked around the city centre, found dinner and went to a midwinter film festival. We saw a Norwegian film called 'Kissed By Winter.' Sounds like something you might make up - we were watching a subtitled Norwegian murder mystery in Tasmania.

Day Two was spent at a Tasmania devil park where we saw the real deal. Not much bigger than a terrier, they can be pretty nasty. They can bite harder than any other animal proportional to weight and size. They are carion eaters and we got there just in time for a feeding. There was also a field at the park with kangaroos and we could walk through them like we weren't even there. Then it was on to Port Arthur which was the oldest prison settlement in Australia. Open from 1830-1877, this huge piece of land was beautiful and eerie. We spent five hours here but could easily have spent two days.

One Day Three we decided to make the trek to Cradle Mountain. Located about 4 hours north of Hobart, Cradle Mountain is a National Park with plenty of walking trails to explore. Part of the adventure for me was just getting there. I've gotten used to driving on the left side and the Great Ocean Road was quite a test of those skills. The country and mountain roads here in Tassie were even more so. But we got to CM with no issues. It was raining pretty good when we got to our resort. It was a light rain that swirled around
and seemed to be coming from everywhere. We checked down at the Ranger station for maps and locations of the tracks and planned our walk for the next day.

Day four was spent on the tracks here at CM. We got an early start and made it out by 9:30. While some of the walked were over boardwalks, a lot of it was of pretty challenging rock with loose gravel, steep inclines (and declines) and ice. Grecthen got to be quite the mountaineer and we spent the better part of the trapsing around the lakes and mountains at the north end of the park.

Now it's on to Sydney today for the last part of our trip. So far we have had quite the adventure.

First of all, a moment of silence

to mourn our Mavs' loss.

But that's enough. Now at least we're kind of glad we're overseas so we can almost pretend it didn't happen. :)

We're back in Melbourne after two great days on the Great Ocean Road. It truly lived up to its name. Dave did a great job driving on the left side of the road, and the views were truly amazing. The beaches, the cliffs, the waves, the forest, and even the kangaroos on a golf course! I loved the 12 Apostles and all the other lookouts on the second day, but the drive itself on the first day was unbeatable. We did the entire length of it and spent the night in two different towns.

On our way back into town we stopped at the Melbourne Zoo. It's a great zoo where we got to be up close and personal to a couple emus and wallabies and the lions were really playful and put on quite a show for us. Now it's off to see "Fiddler on the Roof" so better run!

Off to Hobart, Tasmania tomorrow!
Wednesday, June 21, 7:35 p.m.

BOMBERS HIT THE TANK AGAIN; LOSE 11TH STRAIGHT..

Well, our first experience with Aussie Rules Football was a success even though the team we were routing for (Essendon) got blown out by Melbourne 111-75. It was pretty crazy. The fans can be rather rough with their heckling and the action is nonstop. It was kind of familar, though. We got up on a Sunday morning and went to a football game. It was great and we both had a wonderful time. We're on the Great Ocean Road right now. That's another blog entirely....soon to come.

Tuesday 4:30 pm

So we finally got to watch a Mavs game

and they reward us with a 20+ point loss. What a disappointment, but we were just so happy to find the game at a pub in the city center at 10:00 a.m.

So Rodger, if you can't find us at the airport on July 1, please put Bella and Wesley on the next flight to Perth and we'll take them to our new home in the sea-side community of Cottesloe. We're really enjoying Perth, it's been a nice relaxing couple of days. Yesterday we took the train out to Cottesloe and loved its beach and residential areas. The Indian Ocean is so blue. Then we kept going to Fremantle, an old area of Perth that was fixed up in the 1980s for America's Cup (I think I have that right). We toured the prison there that was built by convicts in 1850 and was in use until 1991. We also toured a shipwreck gallery. Both were truly fascinating, especially as they gave us more insight into how this area was settled. We even caught a movie (The Break Up) and pizza. Then today after the game we headed to another beach for some more R&R.

Off to Melbourne tomorrow where we'll go to an Aussie Rules Football game (Footy) and depart for a couple days on the Great Ocean Road.
Friday, June 16, 7:20 p.m.

Free internet!

Our hotel here in Perth has free internet, yay!

We arrived here this afternoon from Uluru, which of course, was amazing. The rock is huge and so much more intriguing up close. There's so much texture and character to it. Dave and I did the 9km walk around the base on Monday. That night we did an amazing outdoor dinner where we watched the sunset on Uluru while sipping champagne and then watched the full moon rise over dinner. Tuesday morning we took a sunrise camel ride. That afternoon we did the Valley of the Winds hike at Kata Tjuta, another rock formation nearby. It was a little more challenging and interesting than the Uluru walk.

We arrived in Perth this afternoon and already realize we need a lot more time here to see all the sights. But we're looking forward to a couple low key days here before heading off to Melbourne on Saturday.
Wednesday, June 14, 6:45 p.m.

I love scuba diving!

Wasn't sure what I would think about it, but after spending the last two days on the "Reef Encounter" boat on the Great Barrier Reef, I could really get used to this breathing underwater thing. Dave did a total of 6 dives, including a night dive, while I did 4. The coral and fish were beautiful, colorful and amazing. We even saw some sea turtles, rays and sharks (non-threatening, so don't worry). And Susan, be sure to tell Macy that we found Nemo. We have some pictures that I'm hopefully going to be able to post at some time. We're spending today in Cairns and will do some river rafting this afternoon.

After leaving Queenstown on Wednesday, we spent the afternoon in Auckland. We took the ferry across the harbor to Devenport to enjoy the view of the skyline and the neat area. Thursday we flew from Auckland to Sydney where we had a lengthy layover before flying to Cairns. So we took the train into the city for lunch in Circular Quay on Sydney Harbor. I was convinced that after seeing so many pictures of the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House that it wouldn't phase me too much to see them in person, but it was truly breathtaking. We enjoyed sitting outside and soaking up the sun and warmth, and then it was off to Cairns.

So next it's off to Uluru early tomorrow morning for a few days.

Sunday, June 11, noon

Leaving Queenstown

My heart is breaking because we leave Queenstown tomorrow, but it's amazing to think about how many more adventures we have ahead of us in the next 3 1/2 weeks. We've had an amazing time here. This morning we paraglided, which was awesome. We'll have great pictures of that when we get back. Yesterday we flew to Milford Sound for a cruise around it, then took a helicopter ride back to Queenstown, which is definitely the highlight so far. We got so close to the mountains and alpine lakes, and even got to land on a glacier. We've also luged, visited a kiwi bird conservatory, did a great wine tour today and a nice walk around the lake on Sunday. Off to Auckland for a night tomorrow, then off to Cairns for diving the Great Barrier Reef.

And, by the way, while you all are living vicariously through us on our trip, we are going to have to live vicariously through all of you while the Mavs make a run through the NBA Finals. We may be able to catch a couple games, but not sure, so keep the emails coming to us on how it's going! :)
Tuesday, 6 June 8:00 p.m.

Hello from Queenstown

24 hours after leaving our house on Thursday, we arrived at our B&B in Queenstown at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning. It's absolutely beautiful here. We spent our first day exploring the town and taking an amazing jet boat ride on Lake Wakatipu and Shotover River. Enjoyed getting to know some of the other guests at Queenstown House over NZ wine and cheese before a pizza dinner in town. Today we're going on a hike and hope to find the Mavs game at a pub. The rest of our stay here will include helicopter and hot air balloon rides and bungy jumping for Dave and paragliding for Gretchen. We're off to an amazing start. And for the record, our light packing is holding up, even with the cold temps here, we're nice and toasty :)
Sunday, 4 June, 10:00 a.m.

Anniversary

Four years ago today on a beach somewhere south of here with our family and a few stray dogs as witnesses, Dave and I said our vows and became united as man and wife. I thank God every day for blessing me with this man and the many adventures He's given us, especially as we get ready to depart this afternoon for the adventure of a lifetime.
Happy Anniversary Dave! I love you!