Saturday in Brisbane

Our Saturday adventure started off a little rough-- or rather cold. It was a beautiful day and we were set to have another fun adventure. The sun was out with a high expected to be 69 deg. F. It was not the weather that was cold; it was our water! As I waited to jump into the shower, I was thinking of all that I had planned for the day--a train ride into the city from our suburb to the Queensland Museum, a ride on the "Wheel of Brisbane" (a ferris wheel), and a ride on the City Cat on the Brisbane river. My thoughts were cut short when I noticed that the water was not warming up. That led to a call to the realty agency, and then to a plumber, waiting for the plumber to come out, and then a succession of calls to the gas company after we found out we were just out of propane gas that is stored in tanks outside our house and the gas company refills. Our service was supposed to be set up before our arrival and we assumed as much-- but apparently not. Then to top it all off, all the utility companies are closed on the weekends! After a cold shower and an hour behind our original schedule, we set out anyway. Despite the setback and Mike's foul mood, we managed to have a great day.
It was a 40 min. train ride to our stop, and a quick 5 min. walk to the museum. The museum was a hit with the kids, esp. the hands on activities in the Science Centre portion. We walked down to the South Bank area for some ice cream, the Wheel ride, and a City Cat ride. South Bank is a cool area with a lot of cafes, outdoor markets, and restaurants right on the river. There was a lot of people-watching to be had as well. It's hard not to notice the concentration of tourists (esp. Asians) in the city. We topped off our day with dinner at a Chinese restaurant before heading back home on the train. I was not too impressed with the restaurant btw.
Sunday was a relaxing day at home except for our first Church visit in the morning. We picked the closest Catholic Church to our house. We don't know if we'll be going back to this particular church. The number of parishoners was sparse-- we're not sure if it's this particular parish or Australians in general. One lady I met there said there is quite a large number of parishoners on paper but they don't come every Sunday. There was only a handful of young families. Mike did not warm to the parish right away. It didn't help when he finally got to the front of the communion line and he noticed the eucharistic minister had a five-o'clock shadow under a thick layer of women's make-up. I think we'll be trying another Church next Sunday.
We have another busy week ahead. We hope to have the gas back on tomorrow. We made good use of the hot pot (pot for boiling water for tea and coffee) for baths for the kids, and the grill for cooking dinner Sunday night. We're also lucky that it doesn't get too cold in the evening.

Few tidbits: There is no yellow cheese in AU; they are all white, not even cheddar. Cilantro is coriander. (When I asked the lady at the produce stand if she had cilantro, she paused and asked, "Where are you from?" She looked it up in a Food book and found it was the same as coriander.) Arugula is called rocket, and bell peppers are called capsicum. I was able to find the jalapenos, btw. I learn something new everyday!

Changes

I knew this day would come sooner or later, but not this soon. Jonah refuses to kiss me at school drop off now. It was very sudden and startling for me. What happened to that eager boy that would readily throw his arms around me and give me a smooch?! He says he is now too big for that. Thank goodness he still gives me a kiss in the privacy of our home. When will that stop?
We have started with the activities outside of school. They have joined the Science Club at school that meets every other week. The boys enjoyed making crystals and growing a crystal garden. They can't wait for the next meeting. (As a side note, Jonah is very excited about the 3rd grade camp out next month.) Today, after school we went to the Brisbane Aquatic Center for the boys to be evaluated for the competitive swim team there. They didn't quite make it. They are serious about their swimming here. Jonah has to improve his conditioning (he hasn't swum for the past 5 months) by swimming with a non-competitive prep group there for a couple months. I think the youngest on the team is 8. They practice in a 50 meter pool (Olympic size). Lucas has some work to do with his strokes and is 2 levels under Jonah. I watched the lessons and the instructors are actually in the pool in each lane helping the kids with their strokes. I think this will be very good for Lucas. It will lend to faster improvement. I was impressed. We start tomorrow.
I still need to look into some other sports teams for the boys and a triathlon training group for me. I am itching to get back on my bike, esp. seeing the multitude of riders whenever I go for a run. It will be at least another month and a half before we get our household goods though.
On a positive note, we did receive our air shipment today. It was made up of a few boxes, but even that makes a difference. The boys finally got some legos to play with, and we got some of our own linens and towels. I missed my extra pillow!
As for our little princess, Zoe, she is adjusting very well to her new routine at school. She is sitting better and participating appropriately. She is very popular at school, as she is new and the youngest. It doesn't hurt that she likes to give all the teachers a "lean-in hug" every once in a while. She is staying until 1:30 this week. She seemed very energetic Mon. and Tues., but fell asleep in the car today.
I hope you enjoy the pictures I've included. They are from our visit to the Koala sanctuary and the one of Zoe is from Underwater world. Thanks for reading.

"How ya' going?"

We completed our first week of school for the kids, and a full week of work for Mike. I am trying to get used to packing three lunches and morning teas (snacks), the kids' drop off, and shopping for family meals. The boys seemed to have gotten along pretty well in school with no problems. Their books and supplies for school just arrived in the mail. We had to order them through a separate company that mails all the school supplies, to include all their workbooks and texts, to the home. Some unusual items include a sunscreen roll-on, all sorts of art supplies, and reams of copy paper. They had to share books with their neighbors the first week. Lucas said he was the "student of the week" for his class, and Jonah got entered in the "walk of fame" for exceptional handwriting. He also got to earn 40 extra points for his home team-- House Flynn (so very Harry Potter). Jonah also played a few soccer games against the other house teams. They seem to enjoy school. Jonah's biggest complaint is having to wear a uniform.
We celebrated our first real weekend by driving to the Sunshine Coast (about 1.5 hr north of us) and visiting Underwater World. The Australia Zoo is also here (that's Steve Irwin's zoo). The beach pics were taken on the Sunshine Coast on our way home. The kids enjoyed themselves at the aquarium, but I think they would have had just as much fun just hanging out at the beach all day. It was rather warm on the beach. The waves were mellow. I saw 3 people swimming in the ocean with their wet suits on. We also saw many jet skis out as well. The sand was warm on our feet but the water was a bit cold. The boys were slowly going further and further into the tide. Their shorts were halfway wet by the time we stopped them and we had to leave. We asked them if they wanted to swim, and we got a resounding, "Yes!" Too bad we didn't take our suits.
What is a chook? That's what I asked when I saw the word on Lucas' spelling list this week. We had to look it up. It's a chicken; sometimes used in a derogatory form to refer to an older woman. We're learning something new everyday. For example, all the grocery stores close at 5 o'clock on Saturdays. We wanted to pick something up to grill on the way home from our outing only to find the store closed. Also, one day in front of the grocery store, I had to ask a passing lady how to get the grocery cart unchained. You had to put a $1 or $2 coin in to demagnetize the chain and then return the cart to release the coin out of the slot holder.
Favorite Aussie phrase of the week: "No worries."

First Days of School

The boys started school on Monday and Zoe on Tuesday. The mornings are back to the frenetic pace of getting the kids off to school. It no longer feels much like a vacation.
Lucas was very excited for the first day of school... Jonah not so much. Mike and I both went to drop them off and meet their teachers. A couple of their classmates were sent to the office to meet them from each of their classes. They were quite outgoing and friendly. Lucas said, "hello there," as soon as they introduced themselves, in his typical way. Jonah just replied with a shy, "hi." They walked them to class and we left after briefly meeting their teachers. With each day, Jonah has become more and more excited about school. Today I saw him running up after school with a couple of his "mates" with a big smile on his face. Lucas continues to be his happy self.
I attended Zoe's first day of school with her yesterday. Everyone seemed to know her name and knew she was coming. They all came over and said, "hello" to her. I think she was a bit overwhelmed even though she was a trooper in saying "hi" back to everyone. She had a hard time sitting and waiting with each of the activities. It was obvious she was not used to her new surroundings and the new routine. We stayed the whole school day until 2:30 even though she started to fade around 1 pm. As soon as we got in the car, she crashed and started snoring. Today I stayed for only about 45 min. and picked her up around 1pm. Again, she quickly fell asleep in the car. She will probably have a curtailed schedule until she gets used to her new routine. It just means more driving back and forth for me.
A few phrases we are getting used to hearing everyone say: "G'day," "How ya' goin'?" and "Good on ya! (means Good job or Good for you.)" The first day of school, Jonah's teacher said "Good on ya!" to him when he did something well. He had no idea what was said or what she meant. I had to explain it to him when we got home.
Some firsts for me this week: putting gas in the car (you have to go inside to pay and it's in litres; btw, it's probably over $4/gal here); shopping at a vegetable stand/shop; buying meat at the butcher's (I asked for breakfast sausage and they thought I was from Mars. They just said, this is pork sausage and you can eat it for brekky.) I could find all kinds of diff't vegetables here but hot peppers (no jalapenos).
We finally got cable at the house, but still waiting on internet connection at home. I am on Mike's computer w/ remote connection. I am still figuring out the photo posting. I will post more later. Thanks for reading.

Pictures of getting settled

Getting Settled

The boys start school tomorrow at the Boys' College. They have mixed feelings about that. We went and purchased all their uniforms on Friday (about $1000 worth, U.S.). I think they are excited to meet other Australian kids and their new teachers, but they feel like they got cheated out of their summer vacation. I tried to explain to them that they will get more breaks throughout the year. Jonah will start mid 3rd grade and Lucas will start mid 2nd grade. Jonah will actually be in a class that's half 3rd and half 4th graders. By age, he fits in the 4th grade. This will be good in that he will be challenged in some academic areas.
Zoe will start on Tuesday. I will probably go with her the first day and stay to observe. I'm a bit more nervous for her because of all the changes for her. It will be good to start as soon as possible though.
I'm starting to get much more comfortable driving on the LHS of the road and with all the roundabouts. Thank goodness for the GPS! I drove to IKEA by myself today (about a 25 min drive), as well as to the shopping center. The shopping centers are interesting here. I went to a Big W (like a Walmart) and then pushed my cart across to the other side of the mall to the Woolworth's (a grocery store) and then finished my shopping there all in the same cart. There is also other stores, restaurants, a food court, some vendors, and a separate butcher's shop. I can't forget the movie theatres either. I think I've gotten everything I need for the house until our household shipment arrives. Our air shipment should arrive sometime at the end of the coming week. I'm beginning to miss all the household items that I took for granted.
Mike took the kids down to the park by the ocean again today. It was high tide this time and the boys tested out the water with their feet. It was cold! They are itching to jump into our pool at home.
We wanted to do one fun thing this weekend before school started. We took a day trip to the Koala Sanctuary yesterday. Good times were had by all! Jonah and Lucas got to hold a baby koala and get their photos taken. We also got to roam around with kangaroos and get close enough to feed or pet them. The babies were the crowd favorites. My favorite was seeing the Mama koalas with their babies hanging on their backs. They were so cute! The boys also enjoyed seeing a huge lizard on a rock near where we were eating lunch. It was definitely a memorable experience to get so close to the koalas and learning so much about them. We will be going back again.

We've Arrived!

We arrived safely in Brisbane on Tuesday, July 7th. It was a day later than planned but we are, nevertheless, so happy to be in Australia! We are busy getting settled and preparing for school for the kids, but let me start from the beginning of our saga to get here.

Saturday: We left home around 12:30 pm, with the help of the Prusts who drove the rest of our luggage that didn't fit into our rented minivan. We got to the airport and checked in and through security by 1:30 pm. Our flight to Dallas was to leave at 3:15 pm. We got to the gate and waited, and waited... The flight was first delayed an hour because it was late getting in, and then an undetermined amount of time due to mechanical issues. We were scheduled to catch a connecting flight to LA out of Dallas at 6:30 pm. Needless to say, we didn't make that flight. We finally left Des Moines around 5 pm and got into Dallas around 6:30 pm. The later flight to LA were booked and we didn't make it on that either. We had to leave the airport and catch a shuttle to the Marriott, after we spend some time trying to get rerouted with an agent. We got to the hotel around 9 pm and we ate dinner in the hotel lobby. By this point, Mike has lost all patience, and we're all tired. We went upstairs after that and went to bed. Of course, we couldn't go to bed without some more drama. Lucas realizes he no longer has his case for his Nintendo with all his games and charger in it. We try to call the airport where we were sitting with no luck. We don't find it the next morning when we go back either.

Sunday: We get to the Dallas airport around 9:15 am for our flight to Tokyo, Japan at noon. Yes, Japan... It's a 13 hour flight there. Then we have a 6 hour layover, then another 9 hour flight to Brisbane. It's a long-ass 28 hours! This route added about 4 to 5 hours of flying time to our original plan.

Tuesday: We arrived in Brisbane at 7:00 am. Yes, there was no Monday for us. Just when we thought nothing else could go wrong, we can't find our luggage... and by "we," I mean us and the airline folks. So we had to leave the airport with just our carry-ons and the dirty clothes on our backs. (Luckily we had one change of clothes and was able to change in Dallas.)

All in all, the kids traveled great considering all the drama. They slept a total of about 6 hours during that 28 hour period. They stayed up until 7:30 pm on Tues. night and woke up around 5am on Wed. Wed, they went to bed around 8 pm and got up around 5:30. Last night they went to bed around 8 and got up this morning at 6:30. They are now just about on track.

It was nice to be able to drive straight to the house when we arrived. The rental furniture was already delivered, as well as the stuff Mike brought over on his previous trips. When we got out of the cab in our driveway, the first thing that Jonah noticed was the lorikeets chirping in the tree. We walked into the house and opened the sliding doors and looked out at the view and finally relaxed. We were home.

The countdown has begun and the realization of all the changes to come has set in. We are in temporary housing at the Residence Inn, just a few blocks from the house. The house is completely empty and cleaned. We will hopefully be able to sell the house in the coming weeks in this market.
Mike's parents have just left this morning and that was hard. Their help was invaluable the last 3 weeks in helping us with the transition. They had plenty of time and opportunities to spend quality time with the kids. They had initially come out to watch the kids while Mike and I went to Australia (AU) for a week to find a house and schools for the kids.
That trip was successful. We were able to find schools for the kids, find a house to rent pretty close to the schools, purchase a car, get a driving lesson (to get used to the driving rules and driving on the left side), and check out the area. We will be living in Thornside, which is on the coast about 25 min. from Brisbane. The kids' schools are in Manly, which is about 10 minutes north of our house. The best part of the house is having an ocean view from our deck and kitchen. The pool will also get good use during the summer! I will attach photos when we get there.
Today will be spent wrapping up loose ends, making some last minute purchases, and going by the house one last time. We will be in the air tomorrow afternoon. Maybe we'll see fireworks from the plane! Happy 4th of July to our fellow Americans!