Gone on a Lucky Country

We started looking at apartments today...  We saw three and the experience was slightly disheartening.  The first was quite lovely; but had the downsides of being a short term lease and being pet-unfriendly.  The second one had an absolutely breathtaking view of the entire skyline and harbour; but had the downsides of being smelly, water damaged and dated inside.  The third was just awful - just completely awful.

So.....  We have about 30 or 40 more places that we are going to try to see in the the next few days.  It's hard to schedule them when you have to rely on public transit and walk to get to them.  I think we might rent a car all day Thursday and try to see a whole ton that day.

So far I am amazed by the prices people will pay for something.  I get the high rent prices - I am totally ok with paying them; but I am amazed that some of these apartments are even considered inhabitable.

We went to the Telstra store tonight to get our mobile phone situation sorted.  Turns out we need many more points of ID than we had with us.  I have to print out a copy of our membership card for our private health cover and we will be opening a bank account in the morning and that should get us to where we need to be.  Getting your new life set up here is just a series of small irritations and annoyances.  Someone tells you that you need a birth certificate and then later you find out that it doesn't count because it's not from the right country!  Ah!  I can't wait till things are a little more stable...

I'm sad that Joe starts working on Monday; but I'm kinda glad - we need some paychecks to start rolling in or else we won't have anything to open a bank account with!  This city is so very expensive.  Actually, I don't think it is nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be - it's just expensive to start a new life in a whole new place.  Every 5 minutes we are realizing that we need something that we forgot or running across some crazy fee or charge.

The Internet service in our apartment is $70.00 a week!  The saddest part about that is that the service is absolutely horrible. You can re-load a page over and over before it finally loads properly.  Our apartment had very basic sample packs in it so we had to run to the grocery for dish soap, laundry soap, hangers etc...

Thankfully we did not have to go out today and buy Joe a whole new work wardrobe as we located his garment bag at the airport!  Joe decided to call the airport just in case the garment bag never made it into the taxi and there it was!  So, on our way back from the outlets in Homebush I took the train into the city and he went on to the airport and collected it.  I love the trains!  They just make sense and they are so clean.  I had to change trains at the Wynyard station today and as I was sitting on a bench listening to my Ipod someone came up to me and asked me for directions!!  The best part was that I actually was able to tell this poor lost woman from Melbourne what train she needed to be on...  It felt good to realize that, only a few days in, I am really trying to learn this city.

Our days are so full - not just busy; but also full of the tiny little things that are so different in every day life.  I have about a million things I want to blog about every day.  I've been writing them down and I guess I'll get to each of them as I have time.  The sense of humor, the groceries, the food, the restaurants, the people... It's fascinating!

I don't feel like a tourist....

Maybe it's because we aren't doing touristy type things?  I thought this first week would be like a little mini holiday; but, in reality, it is ending up to be a fair bit of work.  Sometimes, I am so preoccupied with the goal I am working towards (getting dinner, lugging the groceries home, buying extra hangers) that I forget where I am.  A couple things happened today that made me catch my breath.

I came home from getting groceries so sweaty from carrying them home - I immediately pulled off my sweater and went into the bedroom where there was a window open.  I felt like a needed a ton of cold air so instead of just standing in front of it, I stuck my head out it.  I was looking around  and realized that to my left was a direct view into the blue, gorgeous harbour.  I hadn't even noticed it! 

We were walking to get dinner tonight when I turned back to glance at something...  Looming up beyond our building was the Harbour Bridge - Huge and black against the dusk sky.  I've been looking at this for months in pictures and here we are walking right under it without really noticing it!

Well, Saturday was a ton of fun.  Our new friends Scott and Tracy came and picked us up at our apartment and took us back out to Manly to meet a friend of theirs and to see his apartment.  We got a good idea of what Manly real estate was like and we definitely decided to expand our search out there. We had lunch at a little cafe where I asked for an ice water with lemon.  Apparently that is a very foreign concept there - I caused some confusion!  The waitress kept asking me, "You want a plain water with ice and a slice of lemon in it?  You want the lemon right in the water?"  Oh boy....

Joe and I love Manly - the beach is really breathtaking.  When we got back to their house, Tracy and I spent some time looking on-line for apartments in Manly and we found some really great ones.  Joe has really taken the proverbial real estate bull by the horns and has been scheduling viewings left and right.  We saw a very very horrifying apartment downtown today.  Ugh - hopefully the ones in the suburbs will be nicer.

We ended up staying at Scott and Tracy's for dinner (yummy steaks) and overnight (heaven to sleep in a bed that didn't feel like a sack of rocks).  We went to their son's ice hockey game early the next morning and then headed off to Hillsong for worship.  What an incredible church!  Joe and I loved it and we will definitely be going back.

After church, we had Scott and Tracy drop us at the train station.  I was quite proud of us - we figured out how to buy tickets from the automated machine, how to read the maps and figure out which line and exchange we needed and how to switch trains to get back to Circular Quay (pronounced key....weird...)

We got back safe and sound just in time for some dinner and bed.

Monday (today still) was a boring, horrible but necessary day.  Boring in the sense that we caught up on shopping, Joe scheduled apartment viewings and I did laundry.  Horrible in the sense that we realized that we left Joe's garment bag in the taxi and they said they didnt' have it.  So, we are missing a couple suits, vests, suit pants, sport coats and every tie that Joe owns (many that were brand new that we bought right before we left).  So.... we have to make a big expensive shopping trip this week before he starts work.  Major sad face here people.

I am realizing that homesickness is like grief.  When things are going great it is easy to push aside the sadness to focus on the wonderful things in front of you.  When things get hard, sad or stressful; the sadness bubbles up under everything.  It makes it really difficult to ignore.  I had wine with dinner and that seems to only have compounded the problem.  I'm ok, I'm still excited about being here - just sad tonight...

And of course - can't leave out these classics!

So, we made it off the ferry in one piece and came back to the apartment.  We each took about an hour long shower, took a three hour nap and then ordered Thai food in around 8.  We made it till about 9:30 before just had to drag ourselves back to bed!

Well, I have nothing to compare it to; but I thought that the Quantas leg of our flight was very nice.  The flight was delayed just by about a half hour; but at that point Joe and I didn't really care anymore how long things took!  The boarding process was just fine and we had a whole area in front of us since we were booked into an exit row seat. 

I am wavering back and forth about whether or not it was a good deal.  Joe says for $266.00 it was absolutely worth it to be able to stretch our legs out completely and have a place to stand up if we wanted.  I agree - that part was nice; but there was no seat in front of you to put your purse under and no seatback pocket to toss your stuff in - the result was that I was always holding stuff in my lap - very annoying!  Also, we were right outside the galley so the food smells were strong and the commotion was quite disruptive throughout the whole flight.

They gave us super nice blankets, pillows, headphones and a little bag with an eyemask and some toiletries I think.  Dinner was pretty horrible I must say; but right before they turned the lights out for bed they handed out a cute little baggie with a bottled water, candy, cookies and some mints.  Another nice thing about having the galley right next to us was being able to stick your head through the curtain and ask for pretty much anything.  They were really nice about supplying me with hot tea after I woke up in the middle of the night.
Breakfast was actually super yum!  There was a frittata, mushrooms and fruit.  It was really really good - the coffee was excellent as well.

The flight ended up going about 17 hours as there was fog and they slowed our flight plan down - apparently they also had to divert around quite a bit of weather as well.  There were moments when I felt like crying - I was homesick and squished and squashed and I just wanted to be home in my bed!  Then there were moments when I felt like it was ok and I had plenty of room and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I guess when it was all said and done - it wasn't horrible; but I was awfully glad it was over!

Well, we've arrived - grubby and exhausted but here!

We are sitting in a cafe having flat whites!  The coffee here is really fantastic.  Our cell phones aren't working and we can't get into our apartment until later this afternoon so we will be mostly off the grid - will post again once we get settled!

Well, we are sitting here in a little bar in the LA airport waiting for our flight to Sydney.  It was a very tearful morning saying goodbye to people on the phone and especially saying goodbye to Joe's parents in the airport.  We got to the gate only to find that the first leg of our trip was delayed!!  It ended up being delayed for so long that we would be unable to make our connecting flight in Detroit; and, the desk agent informed us that the next two flights to LA were booked full!!  AGH!!!  So, we continued checking with her (she was so nice) and she finally told us that there were two first class seats available on the 5:15 flight to LA.  She booked us into them and the rest of our travels went without much of a hitch at all.  The first class seats were wonderful and it was nice to have at least one leg of the trip that was super comfy. 

The desk agent at Quantas was so nice - didn't charge us for our one overweight bag and also booked us into exit row seats so that we will have extra room.  We have neck pillows, eye masks, ear plugs, books, movies, ipods, laptops.... oh, and sleeping pills.  So, hopefully the 15 hours will go by pretty quickly!

This whole trip has been an experience in absolute, complete exhaustion.  I can't remember a time when I have ever been this tired.  I haven't been sleeping well for the past week or so anyway and last night I only got a few hours.  So, we have been up since early this morning - it's 1:30 in the morning EST now and we are going to try to stay awake the first 7 hours of the flight so that we can sleep the last 8 and be somewhat on Sydney time when we land at 7 in the morning.  We'll see how that all pans out.  It's feeling a little more real now - there are Australian accents around us everywhere at this gate and I am starting to wrap my brain around the fact that we are not coming back.

I had a little cry in bed last night and then saying goodbye today - I'm only sad about saying goodbye to people I love, I am not regretting the move.  At least for now.....

Today was full of lasts:

Last Pedicure at V-Spa nails - went with my Mother-in-law, got polka dots, fun for all...

Last shopping trip to Kroger - Quick, sad...

Last American money spent - at Kroger, a buck fifty from the bottom of my purse.  Now all I have left is Aussie money.

Last day of occupancy in my home house - sweaty, exhausting and not as sad as I thought it would be.

Last time driving a car on the right side of the road (or at all since we aren't planning to buy one in Australia) - freeing... worried about the whole relying on public transit thing.

Last time I made payments on some bills - making the final payment on stuff is the best feeling in the world!

Last prescription filled in the states (without insurance) - very expensive!!

Last dinner sitting around with Mom and Dad - Yummy wild turkey tenders, bittersweet.

Last trip to Graeter's  - Sweet, funny.

Well, the clothes are laid out, the suitcases are packed and I don't think I could be any more prepared if I had another week.  I'm not sure if we are ready; but we certainly are prepared!  Please pray for safe travels for us over the next three days (that even sounds insane doesn't it?) and hopefully I'll have an update once we land!

It's one in the morning here in Kentucky so technically I am writing this on Tuesday.  That means that we leave for Australia tomorrow. 

It's hard to describe how I feel about this whole thing.  "Unreal" might be a good word?  There is a numbness that is protecting me from the intense emotions that a move this big must have attached to it.  It probably helps that we have been so incredibly busy getting ready for the move.  We start early and roll into bed late, exhausted.  The reality of this move is all around me - we are staying at my in laws, I give the keys to the our renters today, there are 5 very large suitcases by the front door, we have an actual address in Sydney, we have 2 actual phone numbers in Sydney and we leave tomorrow.

It feels a little like going on a very long vacation and I don't know how long it is going to take once we are there before the reality of the move will hit me...

This is the last night in our home
This is the last night in our home
This is the last night in our home
This is the last night in our home
This is the last night in our home

Unfortunately, saying it over and over doesn't make it feel any more real...

Of all the things about moving to another continent, another country – the thing that is bothering me the most right now is leaving my house. I love the transformation that takes place as you live somewhere. You begin by needing to try every light switch before you find the right one, waking up to all the creaks and noises a house makes when it settles down for the night and feeling like a stranger inside of the unfamiliar walls. There is always a moment (invariably in the middle of the night) when you realize that you have just gone to the bathroom, gotten a new roll of toilet paper from the linen closet, let the dog out, got a drink in the kitchen and straightened all the cushions in the living room all completely in the dark. You know this place – every creak on every stair, every oddly shaped shadow… You have a moment where you acknowledge that your house just became your home.

I’ve lived in many places throughout my life. I lived in a dining room with curtains for door, I slept in an armchair for a couple weeks and I have even slept in my car. Even though I’ve moved a dozen times and had multiple apartments/living arrangements, I have only ever had two “homes”. My childhood home held a million happy memories – even the trees in the woods had special stories and memories attached to them. After Mom died and we had to sell the house, I was able to visit it for one last time. It was completely empty and it had been repainted. I felt very little sadness walking through each room… It was just a shell - just a house. Once you took my parents and their things out of that house it ceased to be a home.

I was immediately on a mission to recreate that feeling of history, that feeling of roots dug deep. I was only 24 when I closed on my house. I walked into that conference room with a fresh pen and proceeded to sign my name over and over on what felt like hundreds of papers. It was the most important thing I had done in my life up to that point. (Soon to be eclipsed by getting married) This home was filled with a mix of mine, his, my parents, his parents and mostly ours. It’s been very very hard seeing our things sold, packed and given away. The rooms are eerily empty and I am starting to not recognize my home anymore.

It’s equally hard (if not harder) to imagine other people’s things in places where mine always were. What I have always referred to as the “back bedroom” was always meant for a nursery. Every time I walked into that room I pictured a crib, a rocker, a baby… Someone else is turning that room into a nursery for their little baby now and when I walk in I feel an absolute sadness.

Maybe it’s time to just start thinking of it as just a house again… instead of My Home…

Well, our Visas were approved on Monday night.  We happened to be out to dinner, discussing all the things that led up to this crazy decision and worrying about when we would actually be able to leave when Joe's phone chirped. He glanced at it and then started reading in earnest...

"You're never going to believe this", he said.

So, we had some wine to celebrate and then we came home to three hours of finding the best airfare with a little more than a weeks notice.  All in all, we didn't do too badly.  We are booked on Quantas out of LA on Wednesday the 23rd.  I booked economy class; but I'm hoping we can pay for an upgrade or something!

Hey Elsja, can you tell me the best way to get an upgrade on Quantas?!?

Friday was my last day at work...  It was weird - I actually did a lot of work, got called into an impromtu meeting for an hour (all though, really, it wasn't surprising) and did a lot more work after that.  My manager got me a beautiful engraved clock with my initials and my last day of work on it.  I only cried a very little and I was very proud of myself for not bawling like a baby the whole time.  I had to rush out of work though, to make it to Eden Park in time to meet my family for round 3? 4? (I've lost track!) of saying goodbye.


What a beatiful view!  I am going to miss Kentucky so very much...




My sister Annmarie (she of the collapsible basket and photo frame noteriety) was in town for a wedding so she and her family planned a lovely picnic afternoon for us and also my sister Theresa and brother Andrew.  I'm not sure why I'm the only one wearing sunglasses in this picture - I ended up looking like the odd man out!

Last Thursday Joe and I headed over to my brother Matt's house to visit with his family and also to see my sister Theresa and my brother Andrew.  We just sat on the couch, drank beers and talked; but we had so much fun that we didn't leave until close to midnight.  I was sad to go; but we made plans to do dinner this Saturday.  The highlight of the evening was Lilia, reading the same book over and over - talking to it, petting it, kissing it.....  Completely Adorable!!

I took this photo on Sunday night before the movers came.  I thought it might be fun to point out ten random things that we are taking to Sydney:

1.) The super fab collapsible basket that my sister Annmarie got for me (it is going to be my "going to market" basket)
2.) A whole laundry basket filled with dryer sheets and Bath & Body Works stuff!
3.) 8 Yankee Candles (Hey, I have to have the necessities of life right?)
4.) My Kitchen Aid Mixer
5.) My mom's sewing box
6.) A beautiful photo frame that my sister Annmarie made for me (Wow Annie! you are rockin' this post!)
7.) The horrifying but sentimental vase that we did our wedding sand ceremony in
8.) A whole rolling case full of scrap booking stuff (evil laugh - and you all wonder what I will do with my time there...)
9.) Hydrogen Perioxide
10.)  Joe's two enormous computer monitors

I know I've been tantalizing you with this whole surprise thing; but I assure you there was no one more curious than me!  Well, my surprise was a lovely farewell dinner/girls night out that my friend Amanda planned for me.  It was completely wonderful seeing everyone all in one place - the margaritas were pretty awesome too!




Thanks again guys - It was really so fabulous to see you all!!


I'll miss all of you to absolute bunches!

Well, my super secret surprise that I posted about here has been changed from Saturday to tonight...  I have to leave work at 5:30, run home to get ready and then Joe needs to have me back up in Florence by 7.  I was told not to eat dinner.  I'm taking my camera so I can document whatever the heck this thing is!  Wish  me luck!

When I started looking for Australia travel books I was determined to avoid the quintessential book by Bill Bryson. I figured that anything so hyped-up was probably completely overrated and full of hot air. I was on Amazon a couple weeks ago purchasing other travel type books and I happened to pull it up and use the “Look Inside” feature of Amazon’s (which is completely brilliant). I read the first two pages and I was hooked! I ordered the book and I have had it sitting next to my bed like a shiny tempting treat for at least a week. I was promising myself that it would be my special “plane book” – the one that I would read when we were 10 hours into the flight and I needed something spectacular to distract myself from how completely awful flying in coach for 18 hours truly is…. Those of you, who know me well, know that I have no self-control when it comes to a few things – shoes, chocolate and books.

We were invited to hang out with some friends at the pool on Sunday so I threw it in my bag “just in case” I needed something to read next to the pool. Well, I’m already halfway through the book and I am completely in love! It is the type of book that makes you laugh out loud… a lot… loudly… uncontrollably. It is also the type of book that makes you want to read portions of it aloud every 10 minutes to your long-suffering husband. You know books are never as wonderful, great and funny unless you are reading them yourself so I am putting it on his bedside table when I am through.

I am still taking it on the plane – I think I will enjoy it even more the second time through….

...Until the movers arrive!  I think I am officially starting to have some mini-freak-outs.  My newest fear is that we won't be able to fit all of our stuff into the space we were quoted on; and we will either have to leave mass quantities behind or we will end up paying thousands more than we have budgeted.

I've stocked up in everything that is advised on all of the ex-pat forums and I feel like we have enough stuff to get us up and running pretty easily.  We'll have quite a bit of furniture to buy once we get there, so I'll have my work cut out for me as far as shopping/bargain hunting is concerned.  We are eating off of paper plates and plastic utensils - the house is getting so barren that I can hear an echo when I talk...  This whole process is so surreal!