The Great Thoe Adventure: Welcome 2013!!

I can't believe how time is flying by. Last year at this time Sean and I were contemplating if we could really make the move to Australia. It seemed so big that we could not even wrap our heads around it. We have now been here for 9 months. The past year has had its fair share of ups and downs. I'm still happy that we stepped off the path of living our "normal" lives. We have learned that you can't completely escape the day-to-day grind when you have two kids and you have to make all the ends meet. We have seen a vast amount of breathtaking beauty and we haven't even traveled within Australia that much yet. I have learned that as much as I have already learned about myself and life, I still have a lot left to learn.

My New Year's resolution is to quit playing it so safe in life. That may sound odd to say the year after we moved half a world away. But, once I got here, I settled into my little niche and got comfortable. I tried really hard at first to branch out and try new things and meet people. I quit trying once I got comfortable. We would still explore some on the weekends. But, I lost that adventuresome spirit otherwise. I cannot do this when Aubrey goes to school at the end of January. I have to decide the next chapter in this adventure for me. Of course, I would be happy to be hotelier/tour guide to anyone willing to come down to see us. Just let me know and we can book it!

I kind of wish my New Year's Eve story involved us going to one of the lookouts early and hanging out there all day in anticipation for the midnight fireworks. That is not our story though. We decided not to deal with the hassle of the crowds, cranky kids, and a late night. So, we had the day free and planned to go to a local street in Mosman to view the 9:00 pm fireworks where we could just show up at 8:30 pm, watch them, and be home by 9:30 pm. This is one example of how we played it safe instead of just biting the bullet and going in for the full experience. It was fine, but after seeing the pictures of the midnight fireworks, I regretted not seeing them in person. The 9:00 fireworks were nothing compared to the midnight show. Thank goodness we will have another chance here in Sydney!

I did do something pretty cool on New Year's Eve though. I finally did the Spit to Manly walk. It is a coastal walk that I have been wanting to do since we moved here, but it just never worked out to do it with anyone else. After being home with the kids for the past week and a half, I was ready for some alone time. So, I decided to do it by myself. Luckily, my wonderful husband offered to take the kids for the day so that I could do this. Actually, it was even longer than just the Spit to Manly walk, because I decided to walk to the Spit instead of taking a bus. So, I walked from our apartment to Manly Beach. It was absolutely amazing. It mainly followed the coastline. It was definitely a challenge. Altogether, I walked almost 9 miles (14 km) with a change of elevation (down, up, then down) of about 350 feet (107 m). It took me 2 hours and 45 minutes. I then treated myself to some well-deserved Ben and Jerry's ice cream and ate it while I watched the waves roll onto the beach. I debated jumping into the water to cool down until I heard a lifeguard come over the loud speaker to warn us that a lot of people were getting stung by bluebottle jellyfish that day. So, I opted to stay out of the water. Sean then even came and picked me up from Manly in the car. It was a great day. Unfortunately though, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep at 11:00 pm, so I couldn't even watch the fireworks on television at midnight.

The map of my bush walk. It started near The Spit Reserve on the left. I crossed the bridge and then followed the coastline by Clontarf, Balgowlah Heights, and Wellings Reserve all the way to Manly Cove.

This little guy was in my path at the beginning of the walk. I took a picture of him and then saw several more. It made me really question if I could do this by myself, but luckily, this was my only run in with "wildlife" during the walk. Thank goodness it wasn't a snake!!

Just one of the amazing views from the trail

There were quite a few secluded rock beaches like this along the path. Quite a few people were out since it was a sunny, warm day. I captured this photo with no people in it, but there were people on either side of my shot swimming or laying out on the rocks.

This shot is looking down at Middle Head and the city beyond.

This is the North Head on the left and Watson's Bay on the right (the opening of the harbour) with the open ocean beyond. It just happened that a ferry was headed across the harbour opening when I took the photo.

My first glimpse of Manly during the walk. Manly has a fairly thin strip of land in the middle separating the harbour from the ocean. In this picture you can see the ocean peeking out on the other side of that strip on the upper left corner.

Manly Wharf

Another view of Manly Cove as I was get closer to the end.

Delwood Beach (almost to Manly), which is the home for the a colony of Little Penguins. There are signs all around that state "Look Out, Penguins About". I tried to look for them, but they were nowhere to be seen. I should have taken a picture of Manly Beach at the end of the walk, but I did not. I really just had Ben and Jerry's on my mind at that point.

Even though I was a party pooper, Sean did stay awake for the midnight fireworks. Since I was asleep on the couch, it was a no brainer who would be at home with the kids. He left the apartment shortly after 11:00 and walked around the streets of Mosman to find a high spot to watch the fireworks and take a few photos. I think he did a pretty good job:-)