Monday, March 28, 2011
Learning How to Play the French Horn
This afternoon, when it was just Lawson and me at the house, he convinced me to play the horn for him. Of course after seeing me play, he wanted to give it a go. At first he was quite frustrated that he could not buzz his lips, but after a while he got the hang of it and above is the finished product of our practice time. For being only 2 years old, he's got some pretty good chops, maybe even the makings of a brass player! ;-) Enjoy!!
~A
P.S. I think it's amusing that Lawson calls my horn "The French." :)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Better Late than Never
After two weeks of no contact, I figured it was time I let you all know how life in Oz is going. Needless to say it's been a great two weeks filled with lots of fun, so that's probably why it's taken me so long to update.
I've been having a great time getting to know my new friend from Canada. She is also a first time au pair so with that right there, we have a lot in common. It also helps that she nannies for my host family's best friends. She's a great girl and we've already had some great times together. We spent an afternoon at the beach last Friday (unfortunately we got burned!) and then spent the evening in with another friend watching chick flicks and drinking wine. We also had our first taste of the Aussie nightlife which is quite the adventure in itself. Great fun though and we even met a group of Irish guys! :) To finish off this week, we spent some time shopping this afternoon and will be headed out for some sun and sand tomorrow. Let the good times roll! :)
This past weekend was also filled with some great music making. The women's choir I am a member of had a special pool party rehearsal on Saturday. It was awesome making some beautiful music and in the process getting to know all of these choir girls a little bit better.
In addition to music, my weekend was filled with the adventure of driving on the opposite side of the road. My host mom trusted me enough to let me use her car while the family was away for the weekend. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this driving on the left side of the road thing. :) It was also nice to be able to go where I wanted, when I wanted without having to rely on public transportation. However, I have noticed that I tend not to rush so much anymore because I have had to get used to waiting for the bus or train if I want to get somewhere. Planning ahead has definitely become a very good friend of mine!
I must send out a special "Happy Birthday" shout-out to my favorite niece in the whole world, Sophie!!! She turned 1 this past Sunday and I was lucky enough to make it to the party via Skype. Technology is such a wonderful thing and I am so thankful that we have so much available to us. I am also so thankful to have such a wonderful family that would make an extra special effort to make sure I am at the party. :) I was also invited to another birthday party via Skype this week, however this one was with my South Dakota family. It's been almost 4 months since I have seen any of my family from out West and it was awesome being able to see all of their smiling faces. My mom has also set up a special Skype date with my Grandpa tomorrow. I can't wait to see his face when he sees me on the computer! I hope I don't cry. :)
Living in Australia for 2 months has done wonders for me already. I definitely think I am more outgoing than I was when I left the U.S. I am also way more relaxed and easy-going about most things. It certainly isn't worth my time to worry over little things especially while I'm in such an awesome place as this and meeting such wonderful people. Hopefully this same attitude will carry back into my life when I move back to the states - if I move back that is! ;-) Sorry, Mom, had to put that one in! hehe
Here are a couple great one liners from Sahmara and Lawson this week. They certainly made me giggle a bit.
*Sahmara to me: "You're different from us because you have big lips." And surprisingly enough, this is not the first time she has said this to me. :)
*Lawson to me: "Your hands are yummy! I could eat your fingers!" Got to love this kid! He also showed me some killer dance moves today, including his best break-dancing. :)
Well that's it from me on this side of the world. I will certainly do my best to not take so long for my next update. Two weeks is far too long to remember things that I have done!! I hear the weather is getting much nicer over in the states, let's hope it stays that way! It still doesn't quite feel like it should be moving into Fall yet, especially since it's still been stinking hot for the past couple days. Send the cooler weather this way please!!! Lots of love from Down Under!!
~A
I've been having a great time getting to know my new friend from Canada. She is also a first time au pair so with that right there, we have a lot in common. It also helps that she nannies for my host family's best friends. She's a great girl and we've already had some great times together. We spent an afternoon at the beach last Friday (unfortunately we got burned!) and then spent the evening in with another friend watching chick flicks and drinking wine. We also had our first taste of the Aussie nightlife which is quite the adventure in itself. Great fun though and we even met a group of Irish guys! :) To finish off this week, we spent some time shopping this afternoon and will be headed out for some sun and sand tomorrow. Let the good times roll! :)
This past weekend was also filled with some great music making. The women's choir I am a member of had a special pool party rehearsal on Saturday. It was awesome making some beautiful music and in the process getting to know all of these choir girls a little bit better.
In addition to music, my weekend was filled with the adventure of driving on the opposite side of the road. My host mom trusted me enough to let me use her car while the family was away for the weekend. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this driving on the left side of the road thing. :) It was also nice to be able to go where I wanted, when I wanted without having to rely on public transportation. However, I have noticed that I tend not to rush so much anymore because I have had to get used to waiting for the bus or train if I want to get somewhere. Planning ahead has definitely become a very good friend of mine!
I must send out a special "Happy Birthday" shout-out to my favorite niece in the whole world, Sophie!!! She turned 1 this past Sunday and I was lucky enough to make it to the party via Skype. Technology is such a wonderful thing and I am so thankful that we have so much available to us. I am also so thankful to have such a wonderful family that would make an extra special effort to make sure I am at the party. :) I was also invited to another birthday party via Skype this week, however this one was with my South Dakota family. It's been almost 4 months since I have seen any of my family from out West and it was awesome being able to see all of their smiling faces. My mom has also set up a special Skype date with my Grandpa tomorrow. I can't wait to see his face when he sees me on the computer! I hope I don't cry. :)
Living in Australia for 2 months has done wonders for me already. I definitely think I am more outgoing than I was when I left the U.S. I am also way more relaxed and easy-going about most things. It certainly isn't worth my time to worry over little things especially while I'm in such an awesome place as this and meeting such wonderful people. Hopefully this same attitude will carry back into my life when I move back to the states - if I move back that is! ;-) Sorry, Mom, had to put that one in! hehe
Here are a couple great one liners from Sahmara and Lawson this week. They certainly made me giggle a bit.
*Sahmara to me: "You're different from us because you have big lips." And surprisingly enough, this is not the first time she has said this to me. :)
*Lawson to me: "Your hands are yummy! I could eat your fingers!" Got to love this kid! He also showed me some killer dance moves today, including his best break-dancing. :)
Well that's it from me on this side of the world. I will certainly do my best to not take so long for my next update. Two weeks is far too long to remember things that I have done!! I hear the weather is getting much nicer over in the states, let's hope it stays that way! It still doesn't quite feel like it should be moving into Fall yet, especially since it's still been stinking hot for the past couple days. Send the cooler weather this way please!!! Lots of love from Down Under!!
~A
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
60+ and Still Loving It!
Sunday, March 13 marked 2 months. I can't believe I've been away from the U.S. for so long! It really just seems like last week I was flying out of Chicago in a snowstorm only to wake up to crazy hot days and sunshine. It's been quite the whirlwind experience these last 2 months. I've met so many people, been to quite a few Perth sites, had some really good coffees, and learned tons of new words! It's also been a blast getting to know my host family better.
Moving in with a family that I really knew nothing about was quite a change from what I was used to, but they are absolutely phenomenal. I had a little "check-in" with my host mom just to see how things were going and such since I've been here for 2 months already. It was a great talk and definitely helped me with a few things. Although, I think the best thing to come out of our conversation was to know that I actually fit. I feel like I'm the extra puzzle piece that goes on the puzzle, but you don't have to try very hard to get it to fit. It's such a great feeling to get those hugs, see the smiles, and hear the "I love you"s from the kiddos. I'm definitely not saying my days aren't filled with some trials and tribulations, but any issues just seem minute when I hear Jensen joking around with me or Sahmara asking me to do her hair or having Lawson giggling up a storm. :)
I've also been blessed with some great new friends since I arrived in Perth. During the past couple of weeks I've been hanging out with a girl from South Australia. She has come to Perth to study at one of the universities here and I happened to meet her at church. We get along great and we've already had some awesome adventures! I can also add another au pair to my friends list. A Canadian girl just started working for my host family's friends. She is awesome and so much fun. I think I'm going to like hanging out with these girls!
Bring on the next 60 days! Let's see what they have in store for me. :) I miss you and love you all, my dear friends back home! And don't worry, that warm weather you've all been hoping for will be coming soon!! :)
~A
Moving in with a family that I really knew nothing about was quite a change from what I was used to, but they are absolutely phenomenal. I had a little "check-in" with my host mom just to see how things were going and such since I've been here for 2 months already. It was a great talk and definitely helped me with a few things. Although, I think the best thing to come out of our conversation was to know that I actually fit. I feel like I'm the extra puzzle piece that goes on the puzzle, but you don't have to try very hard to get it to fit. It's such a great feeling to get those hugs, see the smiles, and hear the "I love you"s from the kiddos. I'm definitely not saying my days aren't filled with some trials and tribulations, but any issues just seem minute when I hear Jensen joking around with me or Sahmara asking me to do her hair or having Lawson giggling up a storm. :)
I've also been blessed with some great new friends since I arrived in Perth. During the past couple of weeks I've been hanging out with a girl from South Australia. She has come to Perth to study at one of the universities here and I happened to meet her at church. We get along great and we've already had some awesome adventures! I can also add another au pair to my friends list. A Canadian girl just started working for my host family's friends. She is awesome and so much fun. I think I'm going to like hanging out with these girls!
Bring on the next 60 days! Let's see what they have in store for me. :) I miss you and love you all, my dear friends back home! And don't worry, that warm weather you've all been hoping for will be coming soon!! :)
~A
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
To "Tri" or Not To "Tri"...That is the Question
I had a four day weekend without any kids and what did I decide to do? That's right, compete in my first ever triathlon and it was awesome!!! I can't say that I really much enjoyed the whole getting up at 4:30am to get to the event, but it was certainly worth it. The whole event was just such a great experience and it was spectacular to see so many women involved in the race. Over 1,500 women participated in four different triathlons with ages ranging from 7 to 60+. It was simply awe inspiring!
My triathlon, the Casa Dairy Mini-Triathlon, had over 150 competitors most of which were first-timers. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who hadn't ever done this before! And I certainly wasn't the only one freaking out a bit. :) The swim ended up not being as terrible as I had anticipated, but it still remains my least favorite portion of the day. The cycling portion ended up not starting so well with my bike chain coming off with the first hundred feet out of the gate. Luckily I was able to compose myself and get the chain back on quickly. I even made up some time! The running portion was nice because I knew I was almost done. Although it probably would've been a bit more enjoyable had my hip not started hurting. :) I guess this just means I need to really train for my next race so I don't encounter any of these obstacles! :)
The mini-tri consisted of three different legs with transitions between them. I was in the second wave of mini-tri competitors to start the 150m swim which was a rectangular open water swim right off the beach. This was followed by a run up the sand to the bike rack (definitely the hardest part). The cycling portion was a 5k ride (easy as pie!) up the highway and back and the race finished with a 1.5k run on the trails. The transition area was crazy! Everyone had a specific place for their bike and other essentials for the race, but it was still quite hectic. It was also required that your bike and all gear be racked before you could continue on to the running leg. Let's just say you did not want to get in the way of any of those women. :)
Below I've listed my race results as well as a short video of the event. I certainly do not regret my decision to take on the race and I'm pretty sure I'm motivated to do more triathlons or biathlons in the future. Anyone want to race with me?! :)
Mini-Tri Results
Event Video
It was a great weekend filled with awesome memories! Get on those bikes, lace up those running shoes, and don't forget your goggles, we've got some racing to do!! :)
~A
My triathlon, the Casa Dairy Mini-Triathlon, had over 150 competitors most of which were first-timers. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who hadn't ever done this before! And I certainly wasn't the only one freaking out a bit. :) The swim ended up not being as terrible as I had anticipated, but it still remains my least favorite portion of the day. The cycling portion ended up not starting so well with my bike chain coming off with the first hundred feet out of the gate. Luckily I was able to compose myself and get the chain back on quickly. I even made up some time! The running portion was nice because I knew I was almost done. Although it probably would've been a bit more enjoyable had my hip not started hurting. :) I guess this just means I need to really train for my next race so I don't encounter any of these obstacles! :)
The mini-tri consisted of three different legs with transitions between them. I was in the second wave of mini-tri competitors to start the 150m swim which was a rectangular open water swim right off the beach. This was followed by a run up the sand to the bike rack (definitely the hardest part). The cycling portion was a 5k ride (easy as pie!) up the highway and back and the race finished with a 1.5k run on the trails. The transition area was crazy! Everyone had a specific place for their bike and other essentials for the race, but it was still quite hectic. It was also required that your bike and all gear be racked before you could continue on to the running leg. Let's just say you did not want to get in the way of any of those women. :)
Below I've listed my race results as well as a short video of the event. I certainly do not regret my decision to take on the race and I'm pretty sure I'm motivated to do more triathlons or biathlons in the future. Anyone want to race with me?! :)
Mini-Tri Results
Event Video
It was a great weekend filled with awesome memories! Get on those bikes, lace up those running shoes, and don't forget your goggles, we've got some racing to do!! :)
~A
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