Going From Down Under to Down South (sort of)

Our time in Australia came to an end. We spent 22 wonderful months there. We loved the expereiences we had, the sights we got to see, the friends we made, and the lessons we learned. It was often quite a roller coaster ride, but it was worth every minute! We do miss it, but it is soooooo nice to be home!!!! We have traded in the down under for the down south. We now live in North Carolina and so far we love it. It has great people, great weather, and great activities. I am bummed out about living through two winters in a row this year, but really neither one was bad. I actually really enjoyed having a little snow this year and would love to see a little more before winter is done. I have missed the Australian summer and the beautiful beaches. Hopefully we can make it back there someday soon! One of these days I hope to finish some blogs I never posted about some of our adventures, especially New Zealand.

Was the move there worth it? Absolutely!
Would you have done it again? Absolutely!
Was it an easy process? Absolutely Not!!! =)
Would you move internationally again? I would never say never, but hopefully not for a long time. I'm ready to be grounded for a while.

Australia Day 2010

Yesterday was Australia Day and it was a much better one than last year! The morning started out cloudy, so we had our doubts. We headed out to a place called Stanwell Park to meet up with some friends anyway. A few minutes after we got there the sun was shining bright and it was a beautiful day. Annabelle and I played on the playground while the others set up camp. We had grabbed the last somewhat shady spot we could find. The park was packed! They even closed the Royal National Park nearby because it was too full!

After we got settled in we headed to the beach. The sand was sooooo hot!! We had to go sit on the wet sand so we wouldn't get burned. The beach was beautiful, but not really child-friendly. It was surrounded by beautiful cliffs covered in green trees and bushes. The waves were powerful and there was a steep drop-off into the water. Annabelle played in the sand with her friend Alan. We made them a little pool to play in. Dave came and watched Annabelle so I could go for a swim. There was a strong rip current, but the water was beautiful. It was clear and warm! I loved swimming. After a few minutes I looked back to shore to see Dave and Annabelle heading back towards the park. As I swam back toward shore (not an easy task with a rip current), everyone started waving me in. When I got there they told me a big wave had hit Annabelle. She got flipped over and was completely covered in sand. Thankfully she was okay (I knew those swim lessons would pay off ;)); she was just sandy. So I went to find Dave and Annabelle. By the time I got up there Dave had showered most of the sand off of her. She was happy as a clam, no harm done.

We had lunch and then headed home. Alan and Annabelle both slept the whole car ride home and then some. We had dinner, went to the play land, and then headed over to the carnival here in Miranda. It was pretty busy. Annabelle got to pet some animals, which she liked. We found a spot on the grass and Annabelle played. She was having so much fun dancing and running around. She would spin in circles until she fell over. We met up with a bunch of friends and she loved having so many people to play with. As we sat there awaiting the fireworks, there were hundreds of bats flying overhead. I don't think I've ever seen so many bats in all my life! Annabelle was fascinated by them. The fireworks started late, but they were good. Annabelle didn't like the noise, but loved looking at them. Every time one went off she would cry or whimper, but she wanted to watch them. As soon as they were over she kept pointing to the sky and asking for more. We headed home and she fell asleep right away! This year sure beat the rainy, yucky day we had last year!!