Spring in September?

One of the hardest things to adjust to since moving to Australia is the different seasons in the southern hemisphere.  At Christmas, it's hot.  In July, it's the coldest month.  Wait.  WHAT??  As I have mentioned before, there are many times in our winter (June/July/August) that I would find myself thinking about Christmas gifts, Thanksgiving, etc.  Only to go "waiiittttt a minute.  It's JUNE??".  My birthday (which I have refused to admit having since I turned 29 essentially..haha) is at the end of August.  In the northern hemisphere this is close to the end of summer, and the beginning of a new school year.  Here, it's the end of winter and a tad chilly.  It just feels so weird.  I know it'll never feel the same, so I've convinced myself instead of comparing to what I'm use to, to teach myself THIS is how it is NOW.  And it actually works pretty well.  For the most part. 

 

This weekend was a gorgeous one.  Blue skies.  No clouds.  Slight breeze.  I spent a couple hours late this afternoon at the beach about 5 minutes from our house.  I strolled along a path getting a nice walk in, then sat at a bench and observed, and on the pier and observed.  There is one set of rocks wayyy out in the ocean at this beach that every time I see I think of my dad.   Why?  Because he was joking around on his trip here in February that he wanted to swim out to the rocks...but was scared of sharks....and then suggested I swim ahead of him so if there were sharks, they'd get me first... lol... do ya feel the love???  Its little things like that that I always remember and cherish.

 

Anyways life down under has returned to normal since our trip.  I'm over the flu (thank GOD!) and work is back to giving me the total shits.  Oh well.  Wayne is currently away on his longest trip in months.  And not in a glorious area.  It's a country where apparently cannibalism is still an issue!!!  Last night as he was trying to reassure me on the trip he said "don't worry babe, there is no cannibalism at the airport"  I busted up laughing and said "I bet that's a statement you NEVER thought you would EVER say..."   I always worry about him on his trips, but this one I'm more worried about.  I was fine until him mum and grandfather expressed concern.  I will miss him and HOPE we have some way to talk while he's gone.  The trips with NO way to communicate are the longest ones.  Ever. 

 

Everything else is going pretty well.  We are still busy with a certain thing, and as soon as I can I will go into details on that.   ;) 

 

Come on...everyone loves a cliffhanger??? Right?????

 

Hehehehe.

 

Anyways, I am off to watch some Sunday night t.v. followed by taking up the ENTIRE bed (one of the only benefits of the boy being away.)  Until next time...

Back in the land down under.

Wow, that was a fast four weeks.  What a blast we had!  I have uploaded pics onto facebook so check em out!  These are a FRACTION of the photos I took.. and still need to get some from Wayne (like the para sailing pics).

 

Jet lag kicked our butts last week, and yesterday I was diagnosed with... the flu.  You've GOT to be kidding me?  So, I was sent home from work, and on the way home my car broke down.  What an awesome Monday.  Anyways, so new(er) car shopping is now on deck, along with other stuff (the "secret" stuff, that some of your readers know about.... hehe).

 

Anyways the trip was great.  Wayne's grandfather has always given me wise advise... he said to me in private before we left "if you two can survive this trip together, you can survive anything"  Which at first KINDA made me nervous to be honest..lol.  And while there were times here and there we wanted to kill each other, all in all it was a great trip really.  We had packing the car and checking in and out of hotels down to a science.  Seriously...we could have gotten golden medals for it.  One gentleman even commented after loading the car on my own in less than a minute "I take it you've done this before!"  lol.  I think the trip really made me realise, and appreciate the fact that the biggest foundation of our relationship is that we were friends for so many years.  There were times that we'd be traveling, cutting up, and it seems like you are just on a trip with your best friend.  Lucky for me, my best friend is also the man I fell in love with.  I really enjoyed it.  We could go from cutting and up and giving each other SUCH a hard time, to a nice romantic cute couple that were head over heels in love.  What a combo!

 

Upon arriving back in Perth, I was glad to be home.  That does NOT mean leaving America was easy.  Saying goodbye to my friends and family was hard, as always.  Taking off from Los Angelos I cried the first 30 minutes (or longer) of the flight. Which meant when it was time to sleep, I was OUT (you girls know what I mean... release of estrogen via tears = pure exhaustion!)  The night before we left I had a rough night.  I stayed in and had a chick night in watching Sweet Home Alabama.  Not the greatest movie looking back.  "you can't have roots and wings"  "when I'm there it fits, but when I'm here, it fits too"  totally summed up the trip and I had a lot of tears that night, esp as I made some "goodbye" phone calls.  As soon as we were in Kentucky I felt like I was home.  As soon as we landed in Perth, I also felt like I was at home.  It's simply part of it.  You can't combine both worlds.  Maybe temporary here and there.  But not forever.  But at the end of the day, you gotta follow your heart.  And my heart is here in Perth.  Luckily MOST of my family and friends understand, and respect that. 

 

Anyways, there are tons of things to blog about, but I'm just beat from Mr. FLU bug.  I've been up for four hours today and dont anticipate much longer.  32 is kicking my ass.   Yeah, turned 32 on Sunday, woke up Sunday morning with my back hurting, and Monday with the flu.  Sooo should've skipped this bday!

 

Until next time....

I'm "home"

It's been ages since I have blogged...we are now in America!

This is our first visit to my folks new home, and I love it.  I'm so happy to see them happy and enjoying their new home.  I walked into "my room"....and it SMELT like my room.  And there were so many things up that reminded me that it truly was my room!  Really awesome.

We had a 36'ish hour ride to get here.... luckily we had the middle seat empty, so we had lots of spare space. Not to mention first class lounge access which included free food, alcohol, andddddd a massage. Just an average day ;) hehe

Today we went to Clearwater and had an amazing time.  Wayne and I went Para sailing (photos to follow!!), then we went and had drinks (aka.. BUCKETS)  (we =me and mom..lol)

I'm having a blast.  I'm happy to see the folks happy and I love their house.

Tongiht Is my BFF's bachelorette party and I hate that I'm missing it.  She asked if I would drink for her, and therefore, I'm drinking!! lol.

It's so weird... as soon as I'm here, I feel like this is home.  America.  It is so awesome to see the places I am use to.. Taco Bell.. Wendys... Arbys.... Dunkin Donughts...... Texas Roadhouse.. All the weight I have lost up until now...well, I just may gain.

It's just hard to be here and feel like this is where I belong, but yet think about Australia and think that is where I belong.  Tonight after the boys went to bed, "Undercover Boss" came on.. and guess what?  It was "Undercover Boss Australia"  and it was IGA and Leanards.  Instantly, I felt like that was home.

I guess home is where the heart is.  And although my family and closest friends are here.  I can safely say my heart is in Australia.  It has become my home.  I even feel freaked out driving on the "wrong" side of the road!!  Crazy!

Oh, and can I mention, mom and I went wedding dress shopping??  Let's just say we can check THAT off the list.  :D

So much to be happy about!

FIRST off.....We leave for America in 10 days.  Up until tonight, as I have blogged, I haven't been overly excited.  Don't get me wrong, I'm so thrilled to see my friends and family that I just can't stand it.   Just a few fears I had.  However, tonight we had dinner with my very dear friend, Mary and her hubby Graham.  Mary is an American married to an Aussie.  She is from Indiana.  We get along very well and I reallllly enjoy her company.  Her hubby is just as awesome.  I wish we actually got to get together more than we do, but life is crazy.  However, I think we will just have to make it happen more often.  ANYWHO, tonight we had dinner at Tony Romas (yum) and she said some things that really made me feel better about the trip and so now I'm becoming excited!!!!!  We are getting to see my folks and their new home in Florida.  All my friends and BEST FRIENDS in Lexington... more friends, more weddings, then a week out west in Vegas and California.  I've never had a vacation this long, and this is actually our first vacation AWAY together!  In the past our vacations have been going to visit the other person.  We get to travel together, and did I mention 1st class lounge access????  The lounge is Sydney includes a massage parlor!! (note to self... book that tomorrow!)

Secondly, there are some possible changes at work coming up.  I won't go into it all here, but that's mostly because so much of it are details that *I* don't even know yet.  OH!!! AND.....My visa came through a week ago!!!  So I'm now a resident of Australia.  How.  Freakin.  Cool.  Nearly 2 years ago I sat in tears talking to my Aussie about how in the HELL we would be able to make this distance thing work.  I attempted some online visa research, which only seemed like I was reading a foreign language and made me even more overwhelmed and stressed.  To look back at all of that and see where I am now (oh, and actually doing Immigration for newer coworkers for my office.. lol) it's just such a good feeling. 

Thirdly... well, I can't really go into, but for my own purposes (since I look back on this from time to time) I wanted to mention that some things are in progress.. basically, I HAVE A SECRET!!!  (and, no, I'm not pregnant!!)  I'm so excited about what the future holds.  Once I can post further, I will! 

Gotta love suspense, right??? hehehe

So I sit here tonight, fixing to head to bed to begin a very long and busy week.  Wayne is home all this week, so he won't be away with work until after we return from our trip.  It's one of those evenings where I just feel so loved,  I just can't imagine my life any different.  And what is amazing is to think that the all the changes and plans we have for the future are only going to enhance this awesome life.  I love ya babe!

And America.. brace yourselves!!  lol

Until next time...

Nerves! (short but sweet!)

In 3 weeks from now we will be sitting in Perth airport..about to head to America.

I am starting to have more nerves than I realized possible... why?

Let me break it down.

1.  I am scared that with all the go go go, as soon as we get to America, I will want to come home.  Home as in Perth.

2.  I am scared that once we DO come home, I will be extremely home sick. 

3.  I am scared of running into the ex.  My mom has said if he tried anything he'd be dead (between her, my dad, Wayne, and our friends).  But, that fear is still there.  Not sure how to escape it?

Suggestions??????

Randomness.... galore!

So I'm noticing a trend.. when Wayne is away, I feel more in the blogging mood.  I guess because when he's home, I enjoy spending our time together.  Also, I have someone at home to talk to, so the need to "vent" isn't really there, because I can tell him (and to his frustration, probably, DO) tell him everything.  That's the best part of being in love and in a relationship with one of your BEST friends.  For years I always deemed him my "BEST guy friend in the WORLD"  Now he's my best friend and partner.  What a great combo!

Anyways, I got home this evening and my mind is going a million miles a minute.  Work has been chaos for the past two days.  I actually left on time today, but could have EASILY stayed over night and STILL be behind.  The good thing is this makes the days just fly by!  Today I found out that our company doesn't do over time... anything above contracted hours is "hours in leu".  Yeah, I have no motivation to kill myself in return for time in leu.  Nope!  No thank you.  It's amazing somedays.... how much my work life has changed.  I have gone from bed pans, cardiac arrest, passing medications, over seeing a unit, saving lives, etc.... to a desk.  With radio.  UNBLOCKED internet (which I actually don't abuse...only because, well, I don't have TIME!), and so many other "tasks".  MOST are truly medical.... wound care, sutures, in office procedures/surgeries.... some aren't.  Scheduling plumbers.  Fixing computers.  Scheduling printer repairs..... Reminds me of one of my favorite Kenny Chesney songs "the woman with you"... I can't resist.. I gotta post lyrics!  And these lyrics mean a lot to me... because of the fact that no matter how my day is, I LOVE coming home to my Aussie....  (blog continues after lyrics!)

"The woman with you"  Kenny Chesney

"She hit the door 6:55 sack full of groceries split down the side.
Can goods scattered all the way to the curb.
Look on her face saying don't say a word.
So, it's me and her and a can of beans sitting there on the front porch swing.
Western sky all turning red.
Head on my shoulder she sighed and said:

Been gopherin, chauffeuring, company chairman.
Coffee maker, Copy repairman.
Anymore there ain't nothing I swear man that I don't do.
Been juggling, struggling, closing big deals.
Dancing backwards in high heels.
Just when it feels like i can't make it through.
She said it sure is nice to just be the woman with you

She said the girl I was with the business degree probably wouldn't recognize me.
I was gonna run the bank.
I was gonna run the math.
Now all I want to run is a bubble bath.
Back then you know I had this plan.
Before all of this reality set in.
Here comes life boy ready or not.
Hey I wanted it all and that's what I got.
Cause I'm gopherin, chauffeuring, company chairman.
Coffee maker, Copy repairman.
Anymore there ain't nothing I swear man that
I don't do.
Been juggling, struggling, closing big deals.
Dancing backwards in high heels.
Just when it feels like I can't make it through.
She said it sure is nice to just be the woman with you.

She said I'm gopherin,chauffeuring, company chairman.
Coffee maker, Copy repairman.
Anymore there ain't nothing I swear man that I don't do.
Been juggling, struggling, closing big deals.
Dancing backwards in high heels.
Just when it feels like I can't make it through.
She said it sure is nice to just be the woman the woman with you.

La, la, la, la, la, la

The woman with you"

Don't get me wrong.  I love my job.  But these lyrics just mean a lot to me.. I've highlighted some key parts for me... as you can probably tell....  lol.

ANYWAYS.....  what got me to blog today?  As I got home, and hit the pj's, my warm Ugg boots (that my honey bought me last week... how I lived without them?? I have no clue!!!) I started on some chili (hey, it's winter down here, yo! lol) and on the TV had  "How I met your mother" playing.  The thing I LOVE about this show is that, a lot like "One Tree Hill", the show is big on voice over's that aren't just blah blah blah... here is what tonight's show (which I think was the first episode!) had to say....

"But that's the thing about destiny. It happens whether you plan it or not. I mean I never though I'd see that girl again, But it turns out, I was just too close to the puzzle to see the picture that was forming."

So tonight, I challenge you to think about destiny. Think of the jobs you didn't get, the relationships that fell apart, the pain you endured.... where did it take you? Would you trade any of it knowing that it might not get you EXACTLY where you are now? I know for me, I wouldn't trade a thing.  EVERYTHING I endured..has brought me here..change a single thing in the past..where would I be?  Without Wayne, I'd be lost.  Period.  I love my life.  I love our life.

On that note..... 

Good night blogger world... or if you are in the USA.... good morning.

Love never fails - Brandon Heath (lyrics)

Just returned to work after a wonderful weekend down south. Amazing. I have some pics on Facebook and will post more pics and a trip update soon. For now I'm posting lyrics. On the way home I was reading a people magazine from America that was a country music issue. A Q&A session with Carrie Underwood revealed this is one of her FAVORITE romantic songs. I have yet to hear it but found the lyrics and thought I'd share. I liked em :)

Love Never Fails lyrics

Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most

Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside

Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you

Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time

Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don't

Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you

When my heart won't make a sound
When I can't turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this

Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life

Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you