Merry Christmas from Muncie, IN USA!

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Uluru and Sydney

Only a few more days of spring break remaining...  We just returned from our trip to Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Sydney.  Mike was a trooper and repacked for our trip the same day he returned from his U.S. trip.  We left the following morning at 5:45 a.m.  He was a bit jet lagged but we took it easy in Uluru.  We took in the sights and did some hiking with the kiddos.  He also took the boys on a sunrise tour of Ayers Rock, with an Aussie breakfast by the campfire included on our 2nd morning there.  What a landscape!  Very different from all the tropical beach vacations we've taken thus far.  The boys enjoyed the hiking and also learned a lot about the indigenous aboriginal people of that area.  It was definitely a worthwhile trip to the middle of nowhere.  We got a firsthand experience of the outback.  It was a good time of year to go, with very mild weather and esp. not as many flies!  We were there for 3 days and took off for Sydney for 3 days.
Sydney is very much the big city experience.  I was reminded how far removed we are from that lifestyle.  It took me at least a full day to feel comfortable with the crowds, traffic, and being in the middle of a large city with the kids in tow.  We walked everywhere, with the exception of a ferry ride in Sydney Harbour to the opera house.  We hit the Powerhouse museum (great hands on museum for kids, and a special AC/DC exhibit for the big kid), the Maritime museum (we got to get on a retired naval destroyer and a submarine), the Aquarium, and Wildlife World.  Mike and I especially enjoyed all the ethnic food at our doorstep (we had Korean food, awesome Chinese dumplings and noodles, and Italian food).
All went smoothly until we went arrived at the Sydney airport for our 1 hour flight home.  The check-in area for Virgin airlines was packed.  We found out their entire computer system had crashed nationwide and they had to do everything manually.  Needless to say, they had to cancel a lot of flights.  They called out each flight one at a time; which meant we had to sit there and wait to be called.  Luckily, our flight was not canceled and we arrived home 6 hrs later than scheduled.  The kids were great; thanks to their Nintendos and ipod.  As long as they were comfortable, had food to eat, and their games, they couldn't care less that we were stranded in an airport for 6 extra hours.
Naturally, I think we are all adapting more and more things Aussie.  Lucas enjoys his vegemite and both boys took advantage of the beans and toast at the hotel breakfast buffet.  Yesterday, as he was cleaning up, Lucas proclaimed, "Done and dusted (a common Aussie saying).  At the grocery store in Uluru, we ran into an American lady that asked me for some advice on choice of crackers after I told her we had been in Australia for over a year.  She told me I had already picked up some of the cadence of Aussie speech.

"The sun is too bright!"

Us in the red desert

Hiking at "The Olgas"

Sunrise

"Surfing" on the rock

Watering hole at Ayers Rock

Steps of the Opera House (where Oprah will be in Dec)

Yummy Chinese food!

Sydney Harbour bridge in the background

Run, baby, run!

I ran the Bridge to Brisbane 10K this morning.  It was a very different experience from last year.  First of all, I actually knew my way around and felt like it was old hat.  I am no longer the lost, wide-eyed newcomer to Brisbane!  I also got to start with the first wave behind the elites and under 40 min runners-- no running around hundreds of runners, walkers, and prams...  On the flip side though, it made the first 1.1 km uphill climb very painful; and hence painful the rest of the race.  The race went very smoothly until the last curve with about 100m to the finish.  Some idiot decides to sprint to the finish and practically plow me down!  As he pushed me out of the way, I yelled (in typical Sang fashion), "What the F*&^$!!!  I think I said it a little louder than I intended (but I was mad).  I heard a few chuckles behind me.   I did achieve a PR of 44:17 (unofficial watch time)-- an improvement from the 47:19 from last year.  I'm sure the cooler weather, training, and starting in the first wave made the difference.  I'm not sure if I'll run it again next year.  I asked myself why I was running it this year as I rolled out of bed at 4 am and again as I was gasping for air at various times throughout the race.

I am reminded of how far away from home we are as I hear about our friends in the U.S. prepping for "back to school."  I guess I've stopped keeping daily track of all the differences.  Our kids are fast approaching their Spring break in a few weeks.  Jonah has his last basketball game this Friday.  Lucas came back from his overnight 3rd grade camp with rave reviews.  (My baby is growing up...)  Mike will be leaving for the U.S. for 2 weeks for work in about a week.  Of course, he managed to squeeze in time over the weekend to attend a home ND football game while he's there.  He did the same thing last year.   Hmm... Coincidence?  Lucky?

We are looking forward to our family trip to Ayers Rock (Uluru) and Sydney over Spring break.  Then of course, we are really excited to fly back to the U.S. in December for our summer break!

I'm attaching some more pics from our (Mike and my) Mediterranean cruise from 3 months ago.  It seems like it was just a dream...

I'm still here...

Yes, I admit I've been remiss with my postings.  Mike threatened to post some derogatory things about me but, lucky for him, he did not.  He's been bugging me to keep our blog updated, and when I didn't follow through... hence, his posting.
I think my lack of motivation was derived from a combination of things.  Firstly, I've been very busy.  Secondly, and probably most telling, the honeymoon is over!  After the first 6 months, it slowly felt like we were home with our normal routines.  Mike's been traveling, the boys are busy with their activities, and Zoe with her school and speech therapy.  Before I knew it, I was no longer acutely aware of being the foreigner, or American, in the bunch.  In fact, when we were in Cairns and was asked by a waiter where we were from (based on our accent), I quickly replied, "From Brisbane."  He looked perplexed by my answer and Mike jumped in to explain that we were in fact from the U.S.  So there you have it, I believe I am turning Aussie!
The last posting was a synopsis of the last 6 months.  I will try harder to post significant events, but no promises.
Yesterday, 21 August, was election day here in Australia.  I am slowly learning about the Australian government and their politics.  For example, I learned it is compulsory for Australian citizens to vote-- they are fined if they don't.  Mike and I wondered if that law came to pass to ensure every citizens vote is counted and represented, or to ensure that the citizens get off their bums to vote.  Either way, it is interesting.  I have yet to figure out all the political parties but it appears the 2 main ones are the Labor party and the Liberal party.  Julia Gillard of the Labor party is currently the Prime Minister of Australia.
Mike and I attended a Dinner Dance fund raiser for the boys' school last night.  Many of the attendees were checking the vote count throughout the evening.  The theme was Las Vegas night or BrisVegas.  Most people just dressed in nice evening attire but some got dressed up in Elvis costumes, card dealers, go-go dancers, gangsters, etc.  I think some people just need an excuse to get silly and dress in costume.  It's true to say that Australians are quite familiar with all the American pop culture.  We had a fun night out, had some laughs, socialized with other parents, had good food, had a few too many drinks (Mike), and cut a little rug (not Mike).  We didn't win anything in the live or silent auction but our table won a draw for a cash prize of $50/person!   We got home very late and spent today trying to recover. 
Coming up this week:  Lucas goes to 3rd grade overnight camp for 2 days and 1 night.  I run the Bridge to Brisbane 10K race again this year.  (This was the 1st race I did here last year, when I was very frustrated by the crowds at the start of the race.)  Luckily this year, I have a qualifying time and am in the 2nd wave.  This will be the last run race I do before I try some triathlons starting in October.

Time to catch up...

Sang's been busy...

Well, it's been 8 months since Sang has signed on and I threatened to post something if she didn't get back online...so here I am. We've all been very busy since January. They boys have been 'full-on' at school: swimming, science club, school projects, camp, rugby, basketball, tennis and Zoe keeps Sang busy as well. Rugby (Union - there are different 'codes' of Rugby) was fun once Jonah (and I) learned the rules. Jonah scored the team's first 'try' of the season - he was in the right place at the right time and we were proud of how he played his first season. Sang kept asking him if he wanted to wear any headgear for protection after noting a few scratches/bruises. But Jonah declined, saying the mouthguard was enough protection for him (making me proud). For those of you who are wondering if the boys will take up cricket - probably not. I've tried to have the game explained to me many times, but still don't get it. I'll need to see one live before I pass judgment on the sport. I made a trip to the US (where it was frigid cold and everyone's accent sounded funny to me) in February and Jim and Jenn visited in March. They also made a trip to Fiji and it was good to have Uncle Jim and Aunt Jenn around! Sang's sister, Vicky visited in April. Sang worked with Vicky and her running and they also got to spend some 'sister' time together in Sydney. Vicky noted that Australia seemed much cleaner than LA, especially the beaches. We agree! Sang decided to run the Gold Coast Marathon in July, so her training started after Vicky left, which added more activity to Sang's already busy days, playing taxi cab driver for the kids. In the back of our minds, we were wondering if Sang was going to get to accompany me on a Mediterranean cruise. Fortunately it all worked out after we decided to hire some very expensive, but very capable babysitters - we flew Mom and Dad back out to stay with the kids while we enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime work holiday! We prepped M&D with a driving lesson for Dad (on the left side of the road and to only be necessary in case of an emergency) and a play-by-play for each day. There were no emergencies, but Dad did have to pick up Lucas from school because apparently it's not good when kids sneeze snot all over each other. Mom and Dad were great and we're so grateful for their help! Fortunately their visit coincided with Lucas' First Eucharist, which he received at St. John Vianney's Church. After flying through Dubai to Athens where toured the Acropolis, we boarded the Crystal Symphony and embarked on a week-long cruise: Kusadasi, Turkey, Rhodes, Delos, Mykonos, Santorini, Greece, Sorrento and Rome, Italy. It was amazing to tour ruins thousands of years old. One of our evenings was spent dining amongst the ruins at Ephesus - an unforgettable night! After saying good-bye to Mom and Dad, it was July before we knew it and we celebrated 1 year in Oz, but not before Sang completed the Gold Coast Marathon in 3:41:00 - a personal best! There were a lot of Japanese runners (total runners was 8,000 including the half-marathoners) and they looked like they had fun as one newly married couple ran in their wedding gear and another guy ran the whole thing backwards. In addition to Sang's accomplishment, a 60 year old Kiwi-woman ran it in 3 hours, apparently a world record. The whole family cheered her on and was able to catch her 3 times along the route (which followed the coastline on a perfect day). We vacationed up in Cairns (stayed on Trinity Beach, away from all the tourists), snorkeled a portion of the Great Barrier Reef (Frankland Island) and Jonah turned 10 on Aug 1...where has the time gone?!?! Now we're looking forward to our next adventure in September to Uluru and Sydney and our family trip back to the states for Christmas. Oh yeah, the boys would want me to post this: we finally figured out what the weird chirping sound is at night - we have big flying foxes (bats) in the trees around us. They're very common here in Queensland, especially around the mango trees. That's it for me, hopefully you'll hear from Sang next time...

Queenstown

After only one night in Franz Josef, we were headed south toward Queenstown (about a 5 hr drive). Some of the best scenery was to be had on this leg. It may have been my personal favorite. The huge lakes with the mountains surrounding were breathtaking. The windy and hilly roads made the driving a bit challenging, esp. when driving a 12-seater diesel engine van. But the 5 hours went by quickly as we admired all the landscape.

We stayed in Queenstown for 3 nights (the longest we stayed in one place). The apartment/hotel we got was right on Lake Wakatipu and as soon as we walked in the door, we were met with a wall of windows that led out to the deck and looked out onto the lake with The Remarkables in the background. We all gasped at the sight. It almost didn't look real. Mike and I were lucky enough to go running along the lake path one morning-- the easiest 5 miles I've ever run!

I took a chance and booked our whole family (all 3 generations of us) on a rafting trip the first morning after arrival. We woke up to some wet and foggy weather, but didn't let that deter us despite some doubts. We took a 45 min bus ride along a mountainside into Skippers Canyon on a one lane road (unpaved) to get to the river site where we changed into our gear. We started our rafting trip on the Shotover River at the point where a scene from "Lord of the Rings" was shot ("The Ford of Bruinen" where Frodo escapes the Black riders in the river with the help of the elf princess). Our party of 7 got our own raft. It was a pretty mellow ride with grade 2 rapids but we all had a ball. We stopped to jump off a rock into the river and take a quick swim. Brrrr, the water was freezing! It didn't stop Lucas from doing it 5 times and Jonah 4. Mike and I opted for the 1 time for the photo op. The hour and 15 min on the water went by in a blink. Even the weather cleared beautifully. As a matter of fact, we were very lucky with the weather throughout our whole trip. They informed us in FJ that the glacier hikes were cancelled the week prior due to a lot rain.

The next morning we took it easy and spent the morning in the apartment enjoying the view. In the afternoon, we went to the Kiwi-House and rode the gondola up to the top of a mountain overlooking Queenstown. At the top, we watched a Maori Haka show and had dinner. BTW, the Kiwis we went to see were not a sort of fruit or native New Zealanders... they're of the bird sort. They are funky looking, flightless, nocturnal birds that are endangered and only found in NZ.

The next morning we sadly said good-bye to the beautiful view and headed out to Milford Sound. Queenstown was a very cool town; a ski town in the winter, reminiscent of Vail in Colorado.

Franz Josef Glacier

Here are some pictures from Franz Josef. The drive there was beautiful but we were in for a treat once we came upon the glacier. We learned that Franz Josef glacier is one of only 3 in the world where a glacier meets a rainforest. The others being Fox glacier (right next to Franz Josef), and another in Argentina. The whole family walked through the 15 min. trail through the rainforest to come upon the view of the glacier. Everyone but Zoe got a chance to walk the rest of the way to the base of the glacier (about 2 kms). It's an awesome sight to see a glacier set between 2 mountainsides with waterfalls flowing down its sides and a rainforest surrounding the mountains.

Mike, Jonah, and I were fortunate enough to go on a guided hike on the glacier itself to view the blue ice up close and actually touch and taste it (we got to drink from pools of melted ice)! It was breathtaking to be walking through a crevasse about a foot and half in width and be completely surrounded with the blue ice. It was definitely an experience to remember. Jonah stayed right behind the guide and did great! The hike on the glacier lasted about an hour and a half, but we walked a total of about 4.5 miles if you included the walk to and from the glacier. Some parts of the glacier were very steep! I was very proud of our growing boy. Enjoy the pics.