Saturday, October 30, 2010

la-la-luggage!

Morning Ghosts and Goblins!

Happy Halloween!!!! Hope you have a fun-filled day, mine will be spent sitting on the train!



Today is the day that our adventure truly begins! We head out on Amtrak to Seattle, WA! Here are some gorgeous shots of all our luggage! Nice, huh?





(I'm not sure why the computer always wants to flip poor Addi's pictures!) Here she is in her favorite spot: The High Chair, food in hand (and mouth!)

Destiny with her Pa.

Destiny and Sue reading a Christmas classic, Poochy the Christmas Pup! We won't be around for Christmas, we'll have to break out the webcam for an official reading on Christmas Eve.

On the Aussie side: Matt has been busy today planting a garden! He said he bought 20 tomato plants...anyone have any GREAT recipes for me? It sounds like we will have a lovely garden when we arrive! Of course, Dusty is right by his side, helping him with the planting!



Thanks so much for all of the well-wishes and love sent our way in the last couple of days. Good-byes are hard, but we are looking forward to all the Hellos with Aussie accents :)



With all of that said, I am not sure how blogging is going to go these next few days. I will definitely let the blog world know when we have arrived in Oz.



Keep in touch! (you know I will!)


Enjoy today!


BONUS: Aussie Word o' the Day: Vedgies = vegetables (I love how Aussies shorten every word and make it sound so cute with an "e" sound at the end! People already call Matt, Matty!)

Matty planted so many vedgies today! (see I used it, can you?)

Veg out = relax in front of the TV (like a vegetable) I bet Matt will end up vegged out after all the planting he did! (look at that, I used 2 words in one day! Can you?)

How do you say Good-bye?

Hey hey!

I want to be honest and real with you all today. Today has been a tough one. It is so hard to say good-bye to the people I LOVE the most. Whether it's a "see ya later!" or "I'm not sure if I'll see ya later, but I've sure enjoyed our time together", it is HARD to say "good-bye".

I have said over and over on the blog that I am so lucky and blessed to be surrounded by family while I am away from Matt. I love that I can just run across town to visit my Great Auntie, or bump into people I know at the grocery store, or drive 45 minutes and have lunch with my Grandma. I have tried to take advantage of every opportunity to visit with the people I hold dearest.

This week has been filled with good-byeing. I said good-bye to my cousin's wife and baby girl, I received a call from my Uncle John last night, called my Grandma to share a tearful good-bye this morning, and paid a visit to my Great Auntie Mona this morning. I have also said good-bye to many of my mommy friends and the librarians from story time. What a week! It can really take a toll on you to say good-bye so much. And it's not over yet!

We leave on the train tomorrow and head out to Washington to stay with my cousin Lili for a few days. Then we will be in the air on Wednesday...headed to Australia!

Here are some pictures that I got of our good-bye with my Great Auntie Mona!



the girls LOVE Mona's candy stash.

Addi and Mona reading a book.

I wanted to share a special good-bye song that my Great Aunt would appreciate! Enjoy!


Please, don't get me wrong. There is plenty of excitement around here with the move. The girls and I can't wait to see Matt, Dusty and our house in Oz. However, good-byes are HARD and we have been saying them a lot lately!

So, please do keep in touch with us. If you would like our information please contact me on facebook or leave a comment at the end of this blog.

Aussie word o' the day: (a fun one to cheer me up) Trackie Daks -- track suit pants or Trackies = track suit.

Enjoy today!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Follow the yellow brick road

Happy Halloweenie!!

As promised, I posted some pics from our Halloween Adventure this afternoon. We went on the "Trail of Treats" through Williston. Local businesses open their doors and give candy to the kiddos all day long! Destiny and Addi had a BLAST getting candy. By the end Destiny was really good at saying "trick-or-treat" and "thank you". At one point she even said, "I'm tricking you guys, buwahahahaha." Crazy girl!


We rolled out in-style with a Wizard of Oz theme. Addi was the tin man. (sorry the pictures are rotated) Here's your neck stretch of the day:

Destiny made a pretty cute Dorothy!

Somewhere, over the rainbow...
Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh my!
We represent the lollipop guild, the lollipop guild, the lollipop guild. And in the name ooooof the lollipop guild, we welcome you to Munchkin Land.
"Just try and stay out of my way, just try. I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too."
"Oh, but anyway, Toto, we're home. Home! And this is my room, and you're all here. And I'm not gonna leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all, and - oh, Auntie Em - there's no place like home!"
We had a lovely time trick-or-treating. I hope your Halloween festivities are as fun and safe as ours were!
Aussie word o' the day: Lolli = sweets or candy
How appropriate! The girls got plenty of lollies today. In fact, they probably have enough to last them an entire year!
Enjoy today!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Deja Vu

Good morning, my sweet family and friends!

Here is a deja vu album of Vegas. These are the pictures from before my camera disappeared. Thank goodness it got into the right hands. A great guy from Boston returned my camera to me in exchange for some "good karma"!

Lili and I at Minus 5. It's an bar that everything is made out of ice. cups, chairs, tables, decorations...EVERYTHING!

Me putting on my heavy winter coat at minus 5.
flowers from my loving husband for my birthday! It's 24, right lili?
Me with my room service table from Matt! What a nice guy!
The Luxor in all it's Majesty. It was a fun place to stay!
Paris! So beautiful!
A fall display inside a shopping center. They do it up BIG in Vegas!
New York New York! ....aka...the New Yorker
Me, walking around Vegas, awaiting the arrival of my cousin.
Inside Luxor.
A cute pic of Destiny from before I left on Vacation.
I'll be back at you later today with a post on our Halloweeny adventure today!
Enjoy today!

happiness in a small bundle

Good evening!

It's been a crazy, busy day! Business=goodness! It makes the "Waiting Place" seem a bit easier to handle. Here is a mumble jumble of pictures from the last couple of days. Hope you enjoy!

The girlies sitting together and playing so nicely!
peek-a-boo! Mr. Pumpkin peeking through the snow!

Destiny dressed herself and told me she was ready to go outside and play in the snow. *note her shirt is backwards and her pants are pulled up to at least 3 inches above her belly button!
yes, those are bunny ears.
We went outside for a few minutes while Addi munched her brekkie.
Destiny hopped around like a bunny until she got "cold and wet".
Talk about happiness in a small bundle: Here's one of the cutest bundles I have EVER seen. My cousin's baby, Miss Kayleigh! I was blessed with the opportunity to babysit (hang out) with her before I head out to Oz.
She slept...and slept....and slept
Perfection in a basket!
the "cousins"!
priceless...a picture is worth a thousand words...we'll leave it at that.
Here is my Happiness in a Small Bundle! I got my camera back that I had lost in Vegas. woot woot! Thanks to a Mr. Nick! What a great guy for sending it back to me! There will definitely be another Vegas post tomorrow with pictures from my small camera! Look forward to it because I am!
At library story time, the girlies received happiness in a small pumpkin bundle. Thanks to some sweet library friends each kid got a pumpkin to celebrate Halloween. I'm going to miss our friends at the library here; such wonderful women and children!
We have been blessed with our friends here in North Dakota and we sure will miss them.
Australian slang word o' the day: We are going to continue with all of the "bush" words. Yesterday we learned that the bush is the hinterland, Outback, or anywhere that isn't in town.
Bush telly: Campfire
Bushie: Someone who lives in the bush
Bushranger: highwayman, outlaw
The next ones are a little disgusting:
Bush oyster: nasal mucus
Bushman's hanky: emitting nasal mucus by placing one index finger on the outside of the nose and blowing.
(gross, but important to know, in case some one decides to use these terms around me!)
Try one of those out today!
Enjoy today!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Waiting

Good {snowy} morning to you all!

If you are in North Dakota, I am sure you are just as surprised as I am at the amount of snow sparkling on our lawns. Hello, Blizzard, and I don't mean the Dairy Queen kind! heh-heh!

I hear it's super rainy in Washington too. Let's cross our fingers for a nice Halloween day so we can trick-or-treat in style (minus the snow pants or sweats).

I took this picture in the late afternoon yesterday. I thought this would be all the snow would amount to...boy was I wrong!
Story time with Grandma Sue.
This is what we woke up to this morning! The snow is about half way up the fence in the back yard! The girls want to go out and play in it. I'll have to round up some snow pants for some out door play time!
Something I've been thinking about the last couple days:
I feel like I'm just sitting here waiting for something spectacular to happen. I am all packed, ready to move. I have visited the people I wanted to visit. I am ready to go, but my ticket says I can't leave until Sunday. I feel like I'm stuck in "The Waiting Place" from one of my favorite books "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss. Here's an excerpt from the book:
"...You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...
...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
No!
That's not for you!
Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing."


I felt this way in Vegas too. I arrived at about 10 in the morning. My cousin didn't arrive until 3 in the afternoon. I sat in the hotel lobby just waiting...waiting for something spectacular. I knew the weekend in Vegas would be fabulous and there I just sat, waiting for the fabulousness to come.
I can't say that I'm bored, I just feel like I'm stuck. My life is on hold until I can get to where I'm supposed to be. Do you think there will be Boom Bands in Canberra? I hope so! :)
Thank goodness I have the daily chores and my little monkeys that keep me busy or I would go crazy! Especially on a day like today, where the snow is piled high and I have no intentions of leaving the house until the streets are cleaned!
Have you ever felt like you were just waiting for something to happen?
What did you do to make the time pass?
Here is a video that one of my friends on facebook posted. I am so excited to share it with you. It speaks the truth on Halloween candy! Enjoy!






Aussie word o' the day: Bush = the hinterland, the Outback, anywhere that isn't in town
Bush Bash = long competitive running or motorcar race through the bush
*you have to say bush bash out loud to get the full effect! :)
Maybe I found a new goal?!?! To compete in a BUSH BASH while I'm in Australia. I better look in to that!
Enjoy today!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Cloudy with a chance of...

You guessed it! SNOW!!! I cannot believe it is snowing. I knew in the back of my mind, when I first came to North Dakota (in July) that the girls and I would see snow before we headed off to Australia. It is still a shocker to see it falling to the ground! Right now it's just kind of blowing around and not accumulating at all. The girls were interested in it for 2 seconds and then moved on to playing with their toys!
I'm glad I got up a little bit early and got my run in. I wore my beanie and gloves to keep myself warm. The wind was harsh, but I lasted for at least a mile and that is always the goal!
After weather like this, I am sure looking forward to moving to Canberra! Matt says he sees balloons on his way to work almost every morning! What a magical sight, each day!
This picture sneaked in the bloggy. I miss this chick! Lurve! See you in a few days, my lili!
Dad and Mom arrived back home from Vegas last night! The girls were ecstatic to see them! They were like long lost best friends being reunited! So many hugs and kisses! Addi had to climb the "Pa" mountain!
Destiny snuggled up with "Sue"!
Today, I have wrestled with a squash! He wins the award for being "The hardest squash to cut open and de-seed".
Vacuumed up a full bottle of glitter that my 3 year old decorated the living room with!
Planned out some meals for the rest of our stay here.

Exercised a bit.
Now Destiny and I are working on some "projects". Addi will be up from her nap soon and we'll be off to the pet store to buy Dusty some dog toys. In the process of being in quarantine they threw away the toys we sent with her. bummer! Then we will head to the Coffee Post to visit Auntie Bekki and get some yummy warm drinks! If you are in Williston and want some yummy coffee (or tea) stop on by!
Our pumpkins are getting scarier by the day! haha! I can't believe Halloween is just around the corner! What are you dressing up as? I'm dressing up as a mom who is losing her mind! I'll be riding on the train with two toddlers :) The girls costumes are a surprise...there will be pictures!
Aussie word o' the day: Bonzer = great, ripper (great, fantastic)
Halloween is gonna be bonzer!! Try that one out today :)
Enjoy today!