Acclimation

We have now been in Sydney for 5 days.  Those 5 days seems sooo long now.  It feels as though we have been here for weeks on end.  I am finally getting over my mini-anxiety attacks.  But, I am very much getting tired of the traffic.  We are currently living in a very busy part of the city.  We are using public transport constantly.  I am tired of not being able to just going out for a leisurely stroll.  We have to constantly watch the kids around all the traffic on city streets.  Aubrey is getting a little self-confident in these areas.  That can be good in some ways, but as a mom, I am constantly concerned she will lose her balance at the top of an escalator or run out into a street a little early.  Speaking of all the traffic, we even saw a man hit by a car a couple of days ago.  I think he was okay, but he probably is pretty bruised up right now.  I am hoping that we can move out of this busy, busy area when we find a more permanent residence.  

Now that I have gotten my venting out, I can move onto some more positive points.  The kids are loving being here.  We see and do so much everyday.  Bedtime has never been so easy in my entire parenting history.  Even if there is a meltdown at bedtime, if I can just talk the child (usually Aubrey) into laying down it is over in a minute or two.  I am actually trying to get them to stay up a little longer.  However, I could not talk Carter into staying up beyond 7:45 tonight.  He was tired and he was going to bed no matter what.   

We met with our "relocation experts" at Relocations Australia yesterday.  I was so excited to get going on looking at potential houses/apartments.  But, we are not going out for another week.  I am just so ready to get settled, even though our stuff will not be here for another month (at least).  We decided to go check out a property today ourselves that was open for inspection in Mosman, a close suburb to Sydney on the North Shore.  We really like Mosman, and we think we probably will settle there if everything works out right.  Everyone talks about how family friendly it is while still being close to the city.  The apartment was okay, the location was awesome for convenience, but I am thinking the area around the apartment is too busy.  It is so hard to know what we want.  I guess that is why the "relocation experts" thought we needed another week prior to looking for the longterm.  I guess there may be some method to their madness.....

There is so much to think about.  Yet, I cannot help but be a little jealous of Sean that he has a job to go to next week.  I do not have a job, thus I have no distraction from the goal of getting the family settled.  I guess that is why I am so focused on this house/apartment hunt.  I forget how much of a goal-oriented person I am until my "usual" goals are taken away.  We are all in a big period of adjustment.  Aubrey has really done the best; I guess we should all follow her lead.  Just chill, act like you know what you are doing, and it will all work out. 

We are in Australia!!

Sorry that it has been so long since I have written.  It really has been kind of a whirlwind.  I meant to post one more time prior to leaving for Sydney, but it felt like every moment of every day was filled up.  We did manage to do a couple of fun things.  We got to celebrate Carter’s birthday a little early with Sean’s parents by going to Science City at Union Station.  We all had a good time and we had to pull the kids away after 3 hours (the adults were all tired).

Carter and Aubrey playing music at Science City.

Carter and Aubrey "flying" a helicopter at Science City.

The rest of the week was spent packing and cleaning and saying goodbye to friends and family.  It definitely had its hard moments, but everyone’s well wishes helped to calm our anxieties. 

We were jamming things into stuffed suitcases right up until it was time to leave.  Of course, things never go exactly the way you plan, especially with kids around.  We thought the kids could color while we were finishing up the packing. Things got a bit out of hand and this is what Aubrey looked like about 30 minutes prior to when we were supposed to leave for the airport.

Carter said Aubrey got "blue bombed" by a permanent marker.

Aubrey and Carter ready to leave for airport (after Aubrey got cleaned up).

Then, we had the trip……I looked forward to the flight about as much as having my wisdom teeth out.  I knew it was just something we had to get through.  We originally thought we had a direct flight to LAX.  Then, we found out we had to land in Denver, but we thought "no big deal" because we got to stay on the same plane.  When we got to Denver we realized that once again we were wrong.  Not only did we need to switch planes, but it was going to be a mad dash across the airport to catch the flight to LAX.  (Not sure how we missed that.) Luckily, it all worked out fine, but there were a couple of stressful moments. Aubrey slept a little on the flight to LAX.  When we got to LAX, we found out the rumors are true, it is NOT a nice airport at all.  It is very antiquated with few signs and nothing to do but eat dinner.  I will admit that I had high hopes for such a large airport with cool shops since we had a 6 hour layover. Thankfully, the 6 hours actually passed quicker than I thought it would.  The Qantas flight left at 10:20 West Coast time (12:20 Central Time).  Carter did finally give in and fall asleep within 30 minutes of getting on the Qantas flight.  I think he slept walked onto the plane. 

Getting ready to get onto the Qantas flight out of LAX.

What to say about that Qantas flight…….The plane itself was very nice, the crew was very nice, we loved the individual tv monitors with the great selection of movies, and overall the kids did great.  Aubrey did amazingly well.  As soon as she was ready to fall asleep she took off her headphones, turned the tv off, and closed her eyes.  I know we are spoiled.  But, even with all these conveniences, that is a LONG flight.  I am very prone to motion sickness.  I did pretty well except for a couple of times when I had to help Aubrey to the bathroom.  The only “episode” we had was when Aubrey threw up after she woke up.  She is her mother’s daughter and she got a little motion sick with an empty stomach.  Luckily, it wasn’t much since she had nothing in her stomach and was fine once she ate something.  Now, we know for next time to get food in her ASAP after she sleeps. The kids slept pretty well.  Sean did okay, he said he got about 6 hours.  I slept about 4-5 interrupted hours.  I watched “The Descendants”, which is a great movie.  I also watched“New Years Eve”, which was not so good, but filled some time.

Sean and Carter posing on the Qantas airplane.

Aubrey sleeping on the plane.  She had a neck pillow on and looked very comfy.

We arrived in Sydney at 7:20 on Saturday morning.  Everything went smoothly at the airport.     All our luggage made it and going through customs was easy.  It was comforting to see our driver standing there as soon as we came out of the secure area.  I got my first glimpse of Sydney on a crisp, sunny Saturday morning.  Sydney is the most naturally beautiful city that I have ever seen.  It is not like a lot of cities in the States where the architecture of the buildings is what makes it so amazing.  Yes, you have the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. But, what makes the city so beautiful is how all the buildings are built into the natural environment.  Even downtown you don't feel like you are in a world of concrete.  There is greenery everywhere you look.

View from the bedroom window in our temporary apartment.

Our temporary apartment in Bondi Junction is very nice.  It has plenty of space for us to stretch out. You can’t really beat the view and, like many buildings in Sydney, it has many large windows and balconies facing the harbour.  Part of what makes this apartment so nice is that it is directly on top of a train station and across from a huge mall.  The mall has EVERYTHING you could want.  One difference from the States is it even has several grocery stores located in the mall.  It is kind of odd to see people walking through the mall with their grocery carts.  We also love that the Apple Store is less than a block from the apartment.  We've had some difficulty getting fully set up with a wireless connection.  The environment in the Apple Store is awesome and I have already used them twice in 3 days for their free wireless.  Considering my husband's addiction to Apple products though, I don't really feel guilty.  Plus, I have a Mac computer, so I blend in.

Kitchen in temporary apartment

Enclosed patio off of living room in temporary apartment

Love all the real trees in the Apple Store!

I do have to take a moment to talk about Target.  I LOVE my Target at home.  I had been warned that Targets in Australia are nothing like Targets in the States.  But, REALLY, it is horrible.  I went in there last night to get a hairdryer, flat iron, and fabric softener. All I got was the flat iron.  They do not even CARRY hairdryers or fabric softener.  I am not sure that I have ever walked out of a Target with only one item before in my life. Like I said, I had been warned, but it one of those things that I had to see with my own eyes to truly believe. 

Anyway, back to Saturday….When we got to the apartment we cleaned up and headed out on the town.  Sean and I got flat whites (similar to a latte) and caught a bus to Bondi Beach.  All I can say is WOW!!!  The only beach I have personally seen to rival it is Kaanapali Beach in Maui.  It was a beautiful 72 degrees Fahrenheit day.  It was very warm in the sun, but a touch chilly in the shade.

Aubrey, Carter, and Sean posing at Bondi Beach (the sun was pretty bright).

Bondi Beach

We just walked around and took in the sights.  The word of the day was "absorption".  We were just trying to absorb everything we could.  Everything here has a slight feeling of familiarity.  We blend in somewhat; I’ve even had people ask me directions in the past couple of days, like I look like I know where I am going.  But yet, reality all feels kind of tweaked.  When I asked for more washcloths at the front desk of the building, one girl looked at another girl for help.  The other girl said “Oh, do you mean for the dishes?”  So, we had to describe what washcloths were used for since in Australia they call them "facecloths".  Thank goodness we all speak English!!! 

The first night we tried to stay up as late as we could to help adjust. The kids made it to 6:30 pm (2:30 am Central Time).  Sean and I made it to 8:00 pm (4:00 am Central Time).  We all got up Sunday morning at 4:30 am Sydney time.  For the first time in my life, I am a morning person!!! I know this is going to be short lived until I am adjusted to Sydney time.  I've always wanted to be a morning person.  But, my internal body clock has not ever really allowed me to be up, fully awake, and happy at sunrise.  There are some advantages to being jet lagged!

We did have one funny surprise Sunday morning.  Sean and I thought it was odd that our 3 bedroom apartment only had one toilet and one shower (in 2 different rooms).  But, we just went with it.  So, after we had been in the apartment 24 hours, I closed the master bedroom door for the first time to change clothes.  When I did that, I looked over expecting to see the wall. Instead, I saw another bathtub! There was an entire bathroom (complete with toilet, tub, and shower) off of the master bedroom that we had no clue of! It was just hidden behind the door when it was swung open. We felt so silly that we had not noticed that before.

What doorway looked like with our master room door swung open.

What I saw when I closed our master bedroom door.

There's a whole bathroom in there!!

Sunday we went to downtown Sydney and found a Starbucks so Sean could get some drip coffee.  We took a train to the Circular Quay and then hopped on a ferry to Manly Beach. Finally, the kids got their feet wet in the ocean.  Carter ended up getting more than his feet wet, but luckily he had shorts on that would dry quickly.  We hung out at Manly Beach for the rest of the morning and had lunch at the Whale Ale Brewery overlooking the beach.  The fish and chips were very, very good.  I loved the décor of the restaurant. 

Carter and Sean at Starbucks

Waiting to take a train to Circular Quay

Pics of the Opera House from the ferry to Manly

Aubrey and Carter showing off their new hats (Aubrey's hat sports a kangaroo and Carter's shows the Australian flag).

Carter getting his feet wet at Manly Beach

Sean at the Whale Ale Brewery at Manly Beach

The view from inside the Whale Ale Brewery (it was open to the air overlooking Manly Beach)

It took us quite awhile Sunday afternoon to travel back to our apartment using the bus system.  We were all getting pretty tired and cranky.  The downside of jet lag was setting in.  We definitely felt like weary travelers when we finally made it back to the apartment. Our evenings are passed with eating snacks and fighting fatigue while trying to get ourselves and the kids ready for bed.  The kids are so tired at night; they don’t even fight bedtime. They just go in and fall asleep.  I went to bed Sunday night watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  I usually don’t watch much of the Housewives, but it is nice to see something familiar.  Especially when you are exhausted and a little part of you just wants to be home, in your own bed, watching some trashy, brainless tv. 

Last Friday night in the Big Town

We are now down to less than one week before our departure flight.  Yikes!!  Carter had his last day of school today.  He was so excited for the day.  He came home from school with a backpack full of school supplies and school projects from the year.  One of the first things he took out was a stack of letters his classmates had given him.  His teacher had each child in his class write him a page length letter.  Carter was so proud of the things his classmates said about him.  But, as the night progressed he got very moody.  Then, finally, after his shower he broke down.  He loves everything about his school and he is really going to miss his friends.  This was one of the first moments of many when one of my children is legitimately sad about all being left behind here in the States.  I know these times will come and there will be worse breakdowns in the future.  But, we all still believe this trip is going to be great.  We will make many more good memories that will outshine our feelings of homesickness.  After all, Carter does still have his birthday on the beach to look forward to!

Tonight was also our last Friday pizza night (a family tradition).  Usually there is a movie involved too.  But, the weather was too perfect to stay indoors.  Did I mention that I love spring in Kansas City?  I will include a few pictures from our week.  

 Aubrey scowling at me because she does not want her picture taken.  Please note the tiny bike she is on (because we shipped her normal bike) and her brother's soccer shoes from last year that she now wears pretty much everywhere.

Our daffodils!!

I will go ahead and include a few pictures from my run at English Landing Park in Parkville today.  As you can see, it still has a long way to go to recover from the flood last year.  There is already quite a bit of grass seed down, thus all the barriers.  This is my favorite park in the area, so I am hoping it looks MUCH different when we make it back to KC.

More Carter writings....

Carter has gotten pretty excited about writing for the blog.  The past 2 nights he has skipped reading time before bed so that he could write.  I will go ahead and include some more of his writings:


I'm going to miss some of my
stuffed animals! I will miss Kansas city! But remember I love adventures! I will miss my really really really best best best really best friend Ashton! And Ashton
is my only friend! I will really really
really really really really really
really miss Ashton! Me and Ashton
play secret spy's.  Me and Ashton
love playing secret spy's! My teachers name is Mrs. Southard.
I will miss all of these people!
I love adventures!


Now we our going to talk about the beach's and sea's. I know something! My birthday is at the
beach! I can't wait till my birthday at the beach! We are going to be at Australia for two years! 
I have a joke:


Knock, knock
who's there
Irish
Irish who 
Irish you a happy st. Patrick's day! 


I did the joke because my birthday is March 29th 2005!

Original writing by Carter Thoe

Making a website is a little weird
to me! But... making a poem is not
weird to me. 


My name is Carter, I
am six. I'm going to be seven in two weeks.  
I'm going to take the
pictures. I will like making a blog!
What your going to learn about
is Australia! I love adventures!

Final days in KC

I absolutely love springtime in Kansas City.  I am so thankful that we are getting to experience some gorgeous Spring weather before we leave.  I am so happy that I got the opportunity to see my daffodils bloom.  It is a little bittersweet though to see my tulips just starting to break ground.....

In addition to the things we SHOULD be doing, we are taking some time to just enjoy Kansas City.  We are trying to get out and see some things we have been meaning to see the past few years, as well as participating in some of our springtime traditions.  Last weekend we went to the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum.  This was a hit with Carter.  He loves artwork and is always saying "look at all the details".  Carter was trying out his new iPod touch to take pictures and video of pretty much everything he saw.  Aubrey, on the other hand, was not so thrilled.  She repeatedly asked when we were going back home. 

                 

Carter and Sean in the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum

This past weekend was incredibly busy.   I'll just mention just a few things we did.  Bright and early we went to City Market.  There aren't many vendors there yet, but we wanted one last trip for nostalgia.

Carter and Sean in City Market Coffeehouse

From there, we met our friends, Neha and Eddie, at the Snake Saturday parade in North Kansas City.  It was so beautiful and warm in the sun.  Unfortunately, we are all still a little pink in the face from our first exposure to sun in quite a while.

Aubrey when she realized her green lemonade matched her shirt.

Carter and Aubrey waving at Snoopy

             

       Sunday morning we headed to the Auto Show at Bartle Hall.  We all love to dream a little bit.

Carter and Aubrey taking a "ride" in a Corvette

Carter and Aubrey posing with Slugger

This only covers part of our activities for the weekend.  We also had dinner out with our friends, Mike and Dana, Saturday night while the kids played at Kids Night Out at the YMCA.  And, my brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Connie, came up to visit Sunday afternoon.  We have had a busy, busy weekend.  We really could have used that extra hour we lost.  However, the kids had no problem going to bed "early" tonight.  This week we will have to buckle down and get even more things checked off the to-do list.

The first one....

Okay, so I am going to do this.  Writing a blog seemed like a pretty daunting task at first, but hey, so is moving to Australia.  Right now I am using it as a procrastination technique to avoid the many, many other things I should be doing.  I did not think at first I would like to blog.  But, the more I thought about it, it just makes sense.  It will be a great way to journal our trip, it will give me something to focus on, to share feelings as I am trying to deal with whatever chaos is going on during the relocation, and it will give my friends and family a one-stop-shop to see what we are doing.  Carter is so excited to help with the blog.  He may even have some writings of his own in the future.

Right now we are gearing up for the trip.  The best way I can describe my current stress is to compare it to going through a bout of insomnia (which I occasionally suffer from).  I feel like it is 1:00 in the morning and I know I have a full day of work ahead of me.  But, I cannot fall asleep.  I am getting nowhere.  I can feel the minutes ticking away causing me to become even more panicked about the lack of sleep.  But yet, I lay there and CANNOT sleep.  The clock becomes my enemy.  I focus on how unprepared I will be for the next day and how I wish I could go back in time.  

This is how I feel preparing for this trip right now.  Time is slipping away from me.  I am not working anymore, Carter goes to school every day, and Aubrey goes to daycare 2 days a week.  I should be getting so much done, right?  I get up and do the necessary things to keep the household running, getting errands done, having final goodbyes with friends and family, and then focusing on tasks to get done for the trip.  Yet, I feel like I am treading water.  I feel as though I am not getting crucial things done.  The funny thing is, I am not even really sure what those crucial things are, but I am sure I am not doing them.  I know I am going to hit a brick wall where I am going to think "what have I been doing with all of my time!?!"  I am going to be feeling tired, beat up, and completely unprepared for our trip.  Then, I am going to have to get on that plane and hope for the best.

Last week, my feeling were completely different.  All I felt was excitement.  On my last day of work people asked, "Are you nervous?".  I said "No, I just can't wait for the trip to begin".  However, things got real once I stopped working and my sole purpose became to prepare for the trip.  We got an official leave date.  We are now setting up our temporary housing.  I still am very excited, but a few more feelings have snuck in.  I am starting to get nervous and scared.  The unknown awaits me.  I know NO ONE in Sydney other than the 3 people I am taking with me.  Yet, not for a moment do I regret this decision.  I truly believe God has led us to this juncture and this is our destiny, good or bad.  I tend to think it will be good though.

This post goes into my feelings a little more than future posts probably will.  I just have a lot on my mind right now.  I love my family.  I will get everything done on my list.  I am going to cherish my last moments with everyone I can't take with me.  Then, I just need to hold on tight and enjoy the ride.