Calling All Bandies

What a wonderful experience it has been being able to worship at St. John's. I feel like I've found a second home with the congregation and I'm very blessed to be able to sing with the bands. The whole congregation, especially the bands, have really made me feel welcome in my new surroundings. Everyone I have met has been more than happy to help me with anything and I have so many people offering to give me rides wherever I need to go, especially to church! It's awesome! I've felt particularly welcomed by each of the band members. They have taken me under their wing and have let me participate in worship services with them. I was also invited to their yearly "Bandie Barbecue" this past Sunday. It was so much fun! I had prawns with a chili sauce I made and we swam in the pool. Mostly we all just enjoyed each others' company. I felt like I really belonged. This year is going to be spectacular with that church, I can just feel it! I also get to try my hand at being the keyboardist next Sunday. Wish me luck! :)

Today I happened upon a quaint little cafe that I think will become a favorite spot of mine. Little Stove is about a 20 minute walk from the house. The walk there was great. There was finally a cool breeze to the air and it was just so quiet and serene. Very peaceful! I ordered a cappuccino and a monte carlo biscuit. I sat outside and wrote in my journal as I enjoyed my little afternoon treat. Little Stove was a pleasant little surprise and I'm so glad I found it. :) I also happened upon a few little shops on the way to the cafe. One of them I will most likely be visiting every Saturday. "Fancy Pantry" is a little gourmet food/kitchen shop and on Saturdays they offer free tastings. Right up my alley! I think those 2 stops just about made my day!

There came a turning point with the kids and me today. It was a great day with them. Early in the morning we walked to the park with Ruby. Played on the swings and had a little snack. Unfortunately it started to drizzle so we had to cut our fun a little short. By the time we reached the house, there was no more rain. All four of us went on the trampoline and had a blast! The boys were doing flips over me. Well, actually Jensen was flipping over me and Lawson would land right on my legs. I'm lucky I don't have huge bruises! They all wanted to be tickled, so of course I had to oblige and do my part. :) We also went for a swim before lunch and it's amazing how much these kiddos have warmed up to me the past 3 weeks. I feel like I really fit with them. They are absolutely adorable and so much fun to be around. I can't wait to see what the year has in store for us!

Tomorrow starts a new school year for Jensen and Sahmara goes back on Wednesday. I'm excited for them! It will be a great year for learning for all of us. :) I'm off for the evening since I need to go hang up some laundry to dry. Absolutely loving life right now!

Until next time my dear friends throughout the world, miss you all!


~A

God's Glorious Earth

I can't believe how blessed I am to be spending a year in such a beautiful place! My new favorite thing has been cycling along the riverfront. It's an absolutely spectacular view of the city. It amazes me how something as simple as water can be so beautiful. God really knows how to paint a gorgeous picture! The riverfront is scattered with various beaches and rock beds. Boats of various sizes can be seen all over the water. Today I saw hordes of wind-surfers - that was a really spectacular sight! This is certainly one activity I'm going to be keeping as part of my daily routine. :)

Today I spent the majority of my afternoon down in Fremantle. I wandered the streets just seeing what was "out there." I found a lovely secondhand bookshop and picked up a little something for me to read while I visit cafes. There is also constant music flowing through the streets. Street musicians are almost everywhere. There was a wonderful flugel horn and acoustic guitar duet serenading the passersby today. I also found a quaint little cafe called "Break." I definitely needed a break because it was sweltering out today with high humidity. The heat certainly called for an iced coffee. One thing I love about Australia is their iced coffees. They aren't like typical American iced coffees with just coffee, milk, and ice. They top off all of the iced coffees with a scoop of ice cream. How ingenious is that! I hope America catches onto that idea really soon! To top that off Saskia told me about the most delicious dessert - afogado. Afogado is simply a scoop of vanilla ice cream drowned in espresso. How delicious does that sound! I think I'm in coffee heaven here in Perth. :)

In addition to my little coffee adventure today, I started asking locals about things I should do while I'm in Australia. I received all sorts of answers that I hope I can accomplish. Here is the list so far:

King's Park - Perth
Art Gallery and Museum - Perth
Mojo's (or other cafes and pubs that offer live music) - Fremantle
Cottesloe Beach - Cottesloe
Broom, WA
Esperance, WA

I'm sure I can check off the things to do around here, but I hope I can get a little traveling in as well! Speaking of traveling, I bumped into some Americans today at the bus stop on my way out of Fremantle. It was good to hear an American accent that wasn't on tv or in a movie! This couple is from Idaho and they are traveling all over Australia in the next couple weeks because of the husbands job. They were so kind and they talked with me for almost 20 minutes. Even though they weren't from WI or even the Midwest, they still made me miss home a bit.

I'm off to get some rest before singing in church again tomorrow. I also have my "Bandie Barbecue" tomorrow evening. Should be a fun time and maybe I'll meet some more people too! :) I can't help but wonder what else God has in store for me while I'm here! I'm sure it will be great things!

Missing you, America!


~A

A Gluten Free Endeavor

Today was my first ever gluten-free baking adventure. I had received a few gluten-free cookbooks for Christmas, so I was very anxious to use them once I got here. I've been looking through the recipes with kids for the past few days and everything looks so yummy! Today Jensen decided he wanted to make Chocolate Chip Cookies. Of course, who can resist those?! I obliged and off we went! I had to do a little experimenting as we did not have all of the specified ingredients, but the cookies (or biscuits!) were delicious. I now have to work on the presentation aspect of gluten-free baking. The cookies didn't come out quite how I know cookies to appear, but they were still yummy. :) I think I also need to work on creating a gluten-free German Pancake recipe since that was a favorite meal for me as a kid. It would be great to be able to share some of my favorites with these kiddos!

This week has been great and sure has flown by. I can't believe tomorrow is already Friday!! Thank goodness because I'm definitely needing the weekend. I'm certainly a little tired because the kids keep me on my toes, but they are a definite joy to be around. I'm so lucky to be able to spend this year with such a great family. :) Yesterday I celebrated Australia Day with my host family. It was a lovely day! I went for a great bike ride along the riverfront - awesome views of the city! In the afternoon we headed to the grandparents' house for a barbecue. The view from their house was spectacular! We had some good food followed by a delicious pavlova. Yum! And as we drove home on the freeway, we saw some of the Perth fireworks over the waterfront. Kind of wish I could have seen all of them!

I went to the post office to mail some postcards back to the states - cost me $18 for only 13 postcards! I can't believe how much it costs to send things to the U.S. I guess I won't be shipping too many things back home at the end of the year. I'm also very glad to have the internet because having snail-mail pen-pals could pretty pricey!

Oh and for all of you Packer fans out there - unfortunately I was not able to see the game on Sunday due to some confusion about internet access at the house. However, my mom was kind enough to update me regularly on the happenings of the game. So happy with the turnout! And thanks to the internet I was able to see some great game highlights. Now on to the Super Bowl!! I will for sure be watching that game! I just wish I would have brought some Packer gear with me. Even without the gear, I can bleed green and gold! Go Pack Go!

Mandurah and more

It was an eventful first week of being an au pair, making it a great start to the year ahead. On Friday I spent the day with the two boys. We went to library and picked out some great books. Then we spent the next hour at the skate park and jungle gym. I can't believe how much these kids enjoy being outside! :) I spent a good portion of the afternoon at the mall and found some great deals on new clothes. Never thought I would fancy myself as a dress type of girl! After the mall I tried to get back to the house, but unfortunately got a bit lost. Luckily I found the bus stop in not too long. :) I also had my first taste of "American" food in Australia with the family as we watched Tom & Jerry. We had Domino's pizza for dinner and let me tell you, it is certainly different than the Domino's or Pizza Hut in the U.S. The pizzas are much thinner (even the regular crust) and smaller, there are more options for toppings, and they even offer gluten free pizza - not so much like typical American pizza!

Saturday I spent the day in Mandurah wandering about and even got lost for a bit. I started the adventure with Bill and the two boys at Dome. Exceptional coffee! I then started off by myself around the waterfront. I had a great time walking around the marina and finding little shops. I stopped at a lovely little cafe for a bit to eat and I had a delicious meal - bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato on whole grain toast with an iced coffee (ice cream in espresso topped with whipped cream and cinnamon). Yum!! In my wanderings I also happened upon a little bookstore where I spent a good half hour talking with the shop keeper and her friends. It's always fun talking with people who actually know a little bit about where you are from! While I spent my day exploring, the kiddos were busy fishing and crabbing with their grandmother. And lucky me, we got to have the fresh crabs for dinner! I love living in a place where you can get such fresh seafood, even straight from your backyard! Unfortunately the day was not all fun because I got sunburned pretty badly. Hopefully it goes away soon. :)

I realized after a long day out that I had no ride for church this morning. Luckily I sent out an email to all of my bandie buds soon enough that I was able to get a ride! I made it to church for my first time as being part of the band. Today's service was in celebration of the upcoming Australia Day on the 26th. The church was decorated accordingly with flags and beautiful flowers. I also had to quickly learn the Australian National Anthem, Advance Australia Fair. After the service I was invited out for coffee with a few of the band members. We went to a little place called Milk and Honey. I had a scrumptious mushroom, spinach, and egg tartlet with my new favorite - cappuccino! :) Delicious start to the day!

Since it's been cloudy most of the day (very unusual for Perth!), I've spent a relaxing day at the house. I'm still deciding if I really want to wake up at 4am to watch the Packer game. I'm pretty sure I'll suffer through the early morning because of the great game ahead! Go Pack Go!!!!!

That's it for now from this corner of the world! Stay warm my American comrades!


~A

Warning: American Driver

I had my first taste of driving on the "wrong" side of the road today. After coming back from the mall with the kiddos, my host mom drove to park with the kids and me and asked me to take the car home. Granted the drive would only be a few blocks, it was still a little unnerving having to drive on the opposite side of the car and road. However, as worried as I was about driving when preparing to leave for Australia, it's actually quite fun. I didn't have to drive through any traffic at all, so it was a good practice run for getting used to the differences.

For those of you who have not driven on the left side of the road or in a car with the driver on the right side, here are some of the similarities and differences:

1. The pedals are all the same and ordered the same way, but they are just on the right side of the car instead of the left. Easy to figure out the gas pedal and break!
2. The mirrors are all the same. However, it is a little strange having to view the left hand mirror as the driver on the right side.
3. Turn-signals and windshield wiper controls are flip-flopped (at least from what I'm used to.) The turn signal is on the right while the windshield wiper control is on the left.
4. Shifting is done with the left hand. Even though the car I drove was automatic, it still felt extremely weird having to put the car in drive or park with my left hand.

I hope I have the chance to drive a bit more while I'm here. Hopefully I won't get too used to the differences so much that I have troubles with driving once I'm back in the states! :)


Besides driving today, I haven't had much else to report that has been very exciting. I've been hanging out with the kiddos and doing housework while trying to get some business stuff taken care of. It's interesting trying to figure out tax information for a different country when I don't even understand tax stuff for the U.S. I'm also working on opening an Australian checking account to help reduce issues with purchasing and such. I feel like I actually live here now! :)

The other day while doing some research on banking, I found a yummy bakery just up the road from the house. Of course I had to check it out!! The Miami Bakehouse was calling my name with scrumptious baked goods and espresso. I had a delicious Passion Fruit Slice that was composed of a flaky pastry bottom layered with vanilla custard, chantilly cream, and passion fruit glaze. Yum! I also had a cappuccino to accompany my treat. I love how every coffee that I have had in Australia all comes with cocoa sprinkled on a top. And it's not just regular cocoa like bittersweet baking cocoa, but it's more like sprinkling a hot cocoa mix on top of the coffee. Delicious! My goal for my stay in Australia is to find as many bakeries or cafes as I possibly can. I sure hope I find some great ones!

My eyes are getting very sleeping so I think it's time to hit the hay. Tomorrow morning I'm hoping to wake up early enough to hit a little cafe for a bit of breakfast! Wish me luck!


~A

Luther in Aussie-land

Over the past couple days I've been having some grand adventures, especially those involving public transportation. I've certainly used public transportation when I visited other countries. However I was never by myself, so this was a very new experience for me! Luckily I had some great help from my host mom and most Aussies are so helpful if you just ask.

When I first decided to come to Australia, I wanted to make sure I found a home congregation while I was here. Within the first few days of searching, I found St. John's in Northbridge (a part of Perth) and thanks to the help of one of my pastors, the church knew I would be arriving within the next few months. It was an interesting experience trying to find St. John's on Sunday morning. I had to take one bus for about 30min into the city. I then I had to walk about 20min to get to the church since the free bus transport doesn't run until later in the morning. Lucky me! Although, I did get some good exercise with those hills. :)

St. John's is a quaint little church. It only houses about 30 pews max with a very small balcony. The congregation is so friendly and very welcoming. I have already been introduced to probably over half of the congregation and was even offered a ride home within minutes of arriving. I also have been invited to join the praise band and also attend the "Bandie Barbecue" in a couple weeks. I'm already starting to feel quite at home. A few members of the band have already exchanged phone numbers with me and are willing to show me around Perth this week. I'm very excited to be able to get out of the house for a while! :)

After a restful few days of getting acquainted with the time difference and Australian life, I started my first real day as an au pair. I'm sure today was one of the easier days I will be having, but I'm excited for the upcoming year. My kiddos are wonderful and I love that they are already giving me hugs and telling me they love me! :)

It's been a long day and as I think about it now, I can't believe I've already been gone for a week! It feels like I was just in the snow and cold yesterday. I'm sure that day when I'm back in the cold will come soon enough, but I'm very happy that I have been given this opportunity even if it is just for year. :)

The sky is clear and the moon is shining bright. That is definitely my cue to head to bed for some very restful sleep. Until next time - I miss you, my American friends and family!


~A

No Shrimp on the Barbie Here

That's right friends, this phrase "let's put shrimp on the barbie" is entirely incorrect. I learned today that Australians do not refer to our little crustacean friends as shrimp but rather prawns. I always think of prawns as being the really big shrimp or "jumbo shrimp," if you will. However, to our Australian brethren that is not the case. Shrimp to them are the very small ones used for salads and such. Well whatever the case, I love the little buggers and they made for a great dinner.

I'm learning some great colloquialisms while I'm here. I've listed a few new ones below.

U.S.                         Australia
Swimming suit           Bather
Underwear               Knickers
"have a turn"             "have a go"
"good for you"           "good on ya"
Diapers                     Nappies
Tough guy                 Yobo
"take a nap"              "have a sleep"
Gum                         Chewing gum or minty
Breakfast                  Brekky
Afternoon                  Arvo

As you all can probably tell, I'm having a great time in Perth even though I've only been here for a few days. The family is absolutely great and I could not have asked for a better family to work with. They've been so helpful in getting me adjusted to the time difference and the slight differences in Australian life.

I had quite the day. It was so very different from a typical day in the Midwest. I woke up and was greeted with an offer to go to the beach and of course I said "yes." I lathered on the sunscreen and off we went. The weather was gorgeous and the water was a little cold at first, but it definitely warmed up. I had a fun time jumping through waves with Sahmara after I got used to being in the ocean again. Unfortunately I had to get bowled over by a huge wave to get me back into the swing of things. :)

After returning from the beach, I made my way to the river. It was quite a lovely bike ride! I certainly think I will be making that ride a regular occurrence for me. I found a nice perch by the beach and read for a little while and had a nice chat with my mom. It was great to hear her voice. :) I had a yummy roasted veg and goat cheese panini with apple & guava juice for a little snack.

Later in the afternoon I went to Little Creatures Brewery in Fremantle with the family. I met two of their friends and we enjoyed some good beers before dinner. For dinner we had chips (french fries) and a completely gluten free meal of nachos, prosciutto wrapped prawns, and chicken. Very yummy! We walked along the pier for a bit and had some gelato.

After a long day out in the sun, it's time for a little sleep. It was a great day but certainly very tiring. I did get sunburned today, however it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Sunscreen is an amazing thing! :)

Now it's time to decide if I want to make it to church tomorrow or try watching the Packer game. Oh the choices! :)


~A

An American in Perth

After hours and hours of flying, I'm finally in Perth! It's so exciting to actually be here and it's absolutely gorgeous. I'm having a blast already and I haven't even been here for 24 hours. :) My flights went smoothly and I had no trouble with transfers or taxis. So great to finally be on the ground!

I'm having a very relaxed first day in Perth as I am trying to get acquainted with the time difference (14 hours) and seasonal difference. It's a little strange to be wearing shorts and eating a Popsicle, or "icy pole" if you will, in the middle of January, but I think I'll get used to it. :) I still have yet to finish unpacking and finding a place for everything in my room. It's probably because I've been having too great of a time getting to know the family!

The weather is so great here - warm breezes, blue skies, and tons of sunshine! I think I could easily get used to this. I hope I don't get too sunburned though! Ouch! I also better find me an awesome hat soon. :)

I was able to have a quick tour of places near the house - i.e. shopping, restaurants, bus stops, the river, and the OCEAN! I think I'm going to like living so close to the beach. :) It's also still a little strange to be riding in a car on the opposite side of the road, but some crazy drivers made me feel right at home!

I think it's time I start unpacking and making this my room. Never thought I would have a pink room in my life though. I think I can handle it. :) I also think I need to find some postcards soon and start my mailing spree!

~A


P.S. Sleep well, America!! :)

Cheers!

I'm currently in London trying to kill time while I wait for my flight. Unfortunately, I still have to wait another 8 hours before I can even find out what gate I will be flying out of. Oh well! Luckily I have Starbucks nearby to keep me company while I wait. :) I think that will be my last cup of Starbucks coffee for a very long time...bittersweet.

I had a good flight from Chicago to London and even met some very friendly people. Even before boarding in Chicago, a nice British lady gave me her magazine (I'm pretty sure she thought I needed something to do or what not.) On the plane I ended up sitting next to a very nice man from Macedonia. His name was Cvetan...try figuring out how to say that! :) The funniest thing though was the fact that he thought I was only 15 or 16 years old. I guess I need to work on looking older or something! haha

Well my time is almost up on this computer, so I better sign off before I have to pay anymore £!


See you in Perth!!

~ A


P.S. I love this keyboard just for the fact that it has £ for a key and a bunch of other fun stuff I'm not used to! Gotta love Europe! :)

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Today is the day! So begins my adventure to the land down under...

It's been the quite the ride just getting to this point. This past week has certainly been the craziest of it all, but it is finally here! I'm filled with so many emotions as I write this last post before I land in Australia. I'm sad to leave all my friends and family, but I'm so thankful that I have all of their love and support going with me. I'm quite anxious about the new adventure that awaits me in Australia, but I'm so excited that I have even been given this opportunity!

As I watch the snowflakes fall outside my window, I realize this is the perfect start of my adventure. I'm leaving in the weather that will most remind me of home. However, I don't think I'll miss the white stuff too much! :)

I'm all packed and ready to fly. I have books and music to keep me occupied. I have my laptop for movies and journals for writing. I even have pictures and cards from friends and family to remind of the wonderful people who are waiting for my return. So much is going to change over the year, but I can't wait!

I've listed my flight plan below for those of you who might be interested in knowing where in the world I am. :)


Monday, January 10 - Depart Chicago at 8:40pm

Tuesday, January 11 - Arrive London at 10:10am
                                   Depart London at 9:10pm

Wednesday, January 12 - Arrive Singapore 5:45pm
                                        Depart Singapore 7:45pm

Thursday, January 13 - Arrive Perth 12:55am


*Keep in mind all of these times are local to the area, so I'm going through plenty of time changes! By the time I arrive in Perth, I will be 14 hours ahead of Wisconsin.



And for your listening/viewing pleasure here's a little video :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzVdEyHicz8&feature=related



Thank you all for your continued love and support! I will see you in a year, America!

~A

So, you got me!

What an eventful night yesterday! My mom and sister-in-law are extremely sneaky, but I love them so much for it.

I had a day full of packing and then headed to Saturday night church. Little did I know, though, that 40+ of my closest friends and family were patiently waiting for my arrival at a Bon Voyage party for me. To say the least I was surprised. I was overwhelmed with the love and support shown by all of these wonderful people. I ended up doing a double-take as I walked in the room expecting to help my mom with something. I guess that was all a lie! :) So many people came to wish me well in my year-long adventure abroad. I am so blessed to have such a loving family to surprise me with this great going-away gift and I am blessed with so many friends that wanted to share the evening with me. It was a great evening and I still can't get over how many people were in on the surprise. And...I had absolutely no idea it was even coming!

To top it all off, I was even tricked by my mom and a good family friend to make my own cheesecakes for the party! So many lies, but they were all for a great reason! :)

I am truly thankful for all of the wonderful people in my life. I now feel more prepared than ever to start this adventure. With so much support and love, there's no way this could be a bad thing! Thank you to everyone who made it out last night and those who could not make it but sent their well wishes. You all made it a night that I will forever remember!

~A


P.S. I leave tomorrow!! :)

Through the Snow

Just thought I would take a little mental break from writing the last of my papers for this academic term. Only 4 more papers to go! :)

How can it be that I only have a week left before I leave? It's crazy to me. I'm in my last preparations before I'm completely ready to go. I'm done working and almost done with school. I definitely need to start packing though. However, I'm not quite ready to tackle that beast yet. I have a feeling I'll be fighting through tears and possibly even fighting my suitcases a bit too. :)

This past weekend was filled with love and smiles, but it was quite bittersweet. I started my final goodbyes for the year. Crazy to think I start off the new year with saying goodbye. I had a lot of time to think this weekend as I drove for miles and miles. I wonder what this new year will bring and how much I will grow and change. I did have a little reminder that everything would be alright though. I was driving through white-out conditions getting to my aunt and uncle's home when there was a break and only sunlight shown through. It revealed a simple rainbow. I've never seen a rainbow in a snowstorm before, but it is something I will always remember. God sent me a great reminded that I would be just fine and I couldn't help but smile when I saw the rainbow. It will be fine and it will be a great adventure.

I'm so excited!

~A


*7 days*