Good Grief

I really must be tired because I just posted something to my running blog that was meant to be posted on this one. And now I'm just too exhausted to even think about trying to figure out a way to switch it over. Too much copying and pasting and waiting again for videos to load so instead you'll just have to mosey on over to my other blog to read it.

I made it easy for you, click below:

http://justbobingalong.blogspot.com/

Last Day in Brisbane

The day Matt and I packed up to leave my parents apartment I went out to do one last run to the park with my mom. Only I didn't run. Not even one bit. My mom kept trying to motivate me to get to it since she knew I needed to train, but I just wasn't feelin' it that morning. Perhaps because I knew I needed to conserve my energy for our upcoming time in Sydney which would consist of endless walking. 

My dad had wanted to take Sawyer to this park the whole time we were there, but when we had gone before he was asleep in the stroller so my dad and I had all the fun on the train cars without him. The morning we were getting ready to leave, my dad had already left on a business trip, but we decided we needed to show Sawyer the track since my dad didn't get to.  This time he was awake and he definitely liked it!

I can't get over the expression on his face here. It's like he finds something to be completely and utterly ridiculous. Maybe it was something I said!

If you watch this video you'll notice the train is very slow moving compared to the video of my dad and I on one earlier. Now you'll understand why I didn't feel like running, I could barely get my legs to do anything! 

When we got back to the apartment we finished packing up our bags and then took a taxi to the Brisbane airport where we had a flight at noon to Sydney. From there we took a taxi to the Ibis hotel in Darling Harbour and then unloaded our luggage into the world's smallest hotel room. I'm not kidding, it barely had enough room for the pack n play and the stroller and it was an upgrade from what we originally had paid for. They must have upgraded us when they saw our Bob stroller and laughed thinking these fools think they can fit in their room with all that STUFF?! I wish I would have taken a photo of it just to show how teensy our 'upgraded' room really was, which leads me to believe our original room must have been the size of a closet. Ultimately it didn't matter because all we needed the room for was a bed to sleep in and Ibis hotels are known for having small rooms, but are inexpensive. 

After we checked in we set out in search of the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and some much needed food....

More to follow. 

Mums & Bubs Day

One particular day on our vacation Matt, Sawyer and I took the ferry over to South Bank where the manmade beach was. There was a little cafe right nearby that was brand new when my cousin Sarah was visiting right before we went over. She and my mom had found it and said we had to take Sawyer there! It was a cafe made especially for parents to take their babies to called Mums & Bubs. 

Babies are referred to as Bubs in Australia. Sawyer got called that a few times as well as:

 Cheeky little fellow

Cute little Vegemite

and

Little darling

At Mums and Bubs Matt and I shared a steak sandwich and S. would have gotten to nibble on some of our fries if he had been awake. I had been so excited to take him to this place and what did he do the whole time we were there? He slept! Finally after we had finished eating and he still was sound asleep I decided to wake him up. I refused to leave there without him taking advantage of the kids toy area! That was the whole reason we went there in first place. 

Once he woke up he was happy to play with all the fun things they had. Lots of books, lots of toys and thankfully no other kids at that exact moment. Previously Sawyer had left quite an impression on another little baby girl who he chased after. He tried to poke her in the eyeballs and pull on her hair all while making this very disturbing shrieking sound. I'm not sure if he was afraid of her, but she was definitely afraid of him after that! I'm hoping he warms up to other babies soon. I've noticed every time we pick him up from the nursery at our church back home one of the caretakers is holding him. Could it be because he tries to bulldoze over the other babies in there? I'm not sure and no one has said anything yet, but let's hope it's just a phase. No one wants a bully baby!

After we ate we checked out the beach for the first time, but it was too cold to go in the water that day. 

We walked around for most of the day exploring and taking photos. This is me attempting to take a photo of us while setting the timer on my camera. Only I accidentally took a short video of us. We are nerds. Well maybe just I am. 

No this photo below proves Matt is a nerd too. Just zoom in on his expression if you don't believe me. 

These are a few of my favorite things

Our top favorite things about Australia. And the things we will miss.

1) How active everyone was. Being healthy and fit is huge there! There were both bicycle paths and walking paths side by side all over the the city, both in Brisbane and in Sydney. And not only were they there, but they were being used 24/7, by people of all sorts of shapes and sized. I've never seen so many runners in my life. I was in heaven! I joined the ranks of them a few days while I was there, but should have way more often. My dad and I went out and ran 4-5 miles a couple mornings and one morning I got in a 12 mile run right along the river. When we were in Sydney I was itching to join the mass of runners jogging through the botanical gardens and near the waters edge by the Harbour Bridge. I could see Matt yearning for his road bike every time we went out in Brisbane and saw everyone putting the bike paths to good use. Next time we go we plan to take his bike with us. And a good pair of running shoes for me.

2) Everyone was incredibly nice. We weren't sure if it was just that their accent made them sound nice or if they really indeed were. I think it was a combination of both. You could strike up a conversation with anyone there. Who knew human beings could be so friendly! I'm so used to people here not making eye contact that it was refreshing to have people nod hello or smile at you wherever you went.  We met all sorts of people waiting for the ferry, on the ferry, waiting for the subway, on the subway, in the grocery stores. At the sunshine coast my parents and us all went to get some groceries and in the produce section we asked one of the workers what a Paw Paw tasted like. So she went and cut it up for us to try! And then cut up another strange fruit for us to taste.   Meeting so many genuinely nice people was one of the things that made our trip to enjoyable.

3) All the cafes!  I'll admit it, I love to eat. It's true. And I love coffee shops and cafes. I think they are sophisticated and charming all wrapped up in one. I was in love with all the ones to choose from there! There was a coffee shop within 20 steps any which way you went. I found out the reason why is because Australians have a morning and afternoon tea in between meals which basically means a light snack. I'm more of a 3 meals a day kind of person but have been told I need to eat smaller meals more often because my blood sugar goes up and down. Well the Australians must really know what they are talking about because with all the amount of eating I felt like we were doing both Matt and I lost a little bit of weight!

4) Good restaurants. We didn't really need to eat out since my parents bought groceries, but who could resist with all the fantastic restaurants to choose from! I mentioned before that they have very few chain ones and it's true. Most places are family run and operated and there wasn't a single one we ate at that didn't serve up some of the best food we've ever had. Curry, crepes, sandwiches, pumpkin soup, whatever we got it was all good.

5)One last thing about food and this one was my ultimate favorite. There were gluten free choices everywhere we went! Any bakery we went to I could find some sort of GF deliciousness to eat. I have as yet to find a bakery in the states that has any gluten free choices so I hadn't eaten a baked good in a long time! The best one I had was in Brisbane and it was a slice of GF banana bread with super sweet cream cheese frosting slathered on top. Mmmmm, Mmmmm. Maybe it's best that I can't find a gluten free bakery here, otherwise I would be in trouble!

6) Amazing parks. Like really truly amazing. For example on south bank there were pools surrounded by man made sandy beaches.  There was a deep end pool for adults and swimmers, a shallow water pool for kids and a then a kid/toddler area with all sorts of fountains and toys that sprayed water. And wait for the best part...it was all free! We waited all week for it to warm up so we could go play there. Sawyer by that time had gotten used to what sand felt like and didn't mind sitting on it. I got in the water and took him through the fountains in the kids area and then we walked in the shallow end pool for a little bit. Matt and I were both astonished that something so nice would be made for the public and even more surprised that the public who used it kept it looking so pristine! Just go to the parks in the San Fernando Valley and see how people down here treat them and you'll see what I mean. Do I think it has a lot to do with the type of ethnic groups that live in both areas? Absolutely, but I won't go into that.

7) Mint body wash. You are probably wondering what the heck that has to with Australia, but let me tell you about a wonderful thing they have that you can find in every grocery store. Mint and tea tree body wash...that tingles!  My mom had some already and I couldn't get enough of it. Talk about awakening your senses every morning! That stuff wakes you right up even if you'd only gotten a few hours of sleep (which happened a lot while Sawyer was adjusting to the time change). I bought a bottle to take home with us, but now I'm wishing I had gotten more. I went to Bath & Body Works yesterday and they had a mint body wash and a tea tree spearmint body wash, but according to the sales clerk neither one has a tingling effect. Anyone know where I can get my hands on one that does? I've got about 24 more showers until my current bottle runs out!

8) Beautiful Beaches. Every beach we went to was breathtaking. Blame it on the turquoise color of the water or the super fine grain sand, but every single one was gorgeous. If it had been warmer while we were there (notice how I'm wearing the same jacket in practically every photo? yeah it was a bit chilly) I would have been going to the beach just about every day. So what if it took an hour to get there on the train, it would have been worth it!

9) Quick and easy transportation. Now perhaps Matt and I noticed this because we are a one car family and Matt used to take the train, but we were fascinated by their modes of transportation. It was genius. You buy what is called a GO card and put as much money on it as you want. We did about $40 for the week and that was plenty. Then you take it with you wherever you go and use it to go on the ferry, the subway, and all the buses. Simple. Easy. And did I mention that all the public transportation ran on time? Right on the minute it was scheduled to show up, there it was. Brilliant.

10) No tipping. I'm aware I mentioned this before, but it was so nice not to have to tip. You don't need to tip the cab drivers or the waiters or whomever you would normally give a tip to in the states. The cost of food was high there which meant when eating out the prices on the menus were greater than what we were accustomed to; however, if you figured once a trip is factored into your bill at an America restaurant then the prices were almost the same. I loved not having to tip. Does that make me a cheapskate? Perhaps, but I think tipping is weird any way. Why should someone be entitled to getting a few extra bucks just for doing their job? I never got tips for doing my job as a medical receptionist. But I would have welcomed some!

Those are our top 10. You might be thinking, sheesh Kristen if you liked Australia so much why don't you marry it? Well seeing as how I'm already married that won't happen, but would I ever move there? You bet. The one and only thing that could possibly make me think twice about living down under is the living amongst these guys:

Click on it and you can see them a little better. Two giant spiders that hung out in a massive web linked between the tree tops and the power lines across the street from my parents apartment. This picture doesn't do them justice, but I'm telling you without exaggerating, they were really really really BIG. We made a pact that I would not bother them if they didn't bother me. You can bet your bottom dollar that every time I walked outside I made sure they were still safely in their web high up away from me. All was good until one day after it rained, when they disappeared. Yes, I remained on the other side of the street the rest of our time there. Sorry big guys, but you are the one thing that I will not miss.

Moolalaba

The following morning at the Sunshine Coast we went exploring. First we went to a sandy beach to play in the water. 

And play in the sand. 

Matt and I went exploring down the beach, 

while my parents watched Sawyer nap. 

When we came back we found this makeshift tent my dad had constructed for him with a stick and my nursing cover so he wouldn't get sunburnt. Pays to have a dad whose a boy scout and an engineer!

After swimming we drove to Moolalaba, a small town with lots of shops and the perfect beach to look for seashells. My mom and I had fun with Matt's camera while exploring. Sawyer discovered a  tasty piece of coral that turned out to be a great teether. 

Mmmm, salty. 

I tried to be sneaky and take some of  Matt searching for shells. 

BUSTED! 

We found all sorts of cool ones that now sit in a jar on our bathroom counter. 

And took lots of family photos with the beautiful coastline behind us. 

After about an hour or two Sawyer started being a crabby patty and made it very apparent that he was DONE. 

We wrapped up our beach day by having fish and chips for dinner at fun outdoor place where we ate on the roof. 

If only everyday could be spent combing an Australian beach for shells, I would be the happiest girl in the world! 

We're Back!

Last Wednesday we boarded the plane for another 12+ hour flight back to San Francisco and then back home to Los Angeles. Sawyer was such a champ and slept 11 out of the 12 hours and that was without us even giving him a single dose of Benadryl. Amazing. He must have been wore out from vacation. 

I still have a bunch of our days spent down under to blog about, but there's not a chance I will remember them in the order they happened so pretty much be prepared to read about our vacation adventures in no particular order as I try to catch up. 

This one is about our day at the:

The second weekend we were there my parents rented a car and we went away for the weekend to The Sunshine Coast to celebrate all of our birthdays. My dad drove us all the way there on the left side of the road. Good job Pops on getting us there alive! I was so disoriented with even being a passenger in the car on wrong side on of the road let alone being the person driving!

We drove straight to the Australia zoo and headed to the Crocoseum to see a show on crocodiles and other wild animals. Sawyer was really into the birds that were trained to circle over the bleachers and land in the seats.

Here the trainer was feeding a Crocodile and we all gasped when the Croc lunged for his hand and he dropped the meat. But who knows, that could have all been part of the show! 

I thought is was interesting that the majority of Australians didn't really like or appreciate the work Steve Irwin did until after he died. When Matt and I told the hotel worker in Sydney that we had visited the zoo he replied that's right you Americans love the Crocodile Hunter. Apparently they all thought he was kind of over the top and get annoyed that Americans now expect Aussies to say "Crikey" all the time. Come to think of it, I never heard one of them use that phrase! Must have been a Steve Irwin original. 

My mom and I had both read her book called My Steve that was written by his wife Terri. He was an incredible human being with a huge heart who did a lot of amazing things for wildlife conservation. We kept teasing my mom that she had a crush on him because she paid to get this photo taken: 

But she swears she just likes him because he reminds her of my dad. Sure mom ;) Just kidding it's true Dad is all about adventure too, only not the wrestling alligators kind thank goodness. 

We bought a bag of "farm animal food" to feed the sheep, goats and pigs that were in the kiddie area. Turns out all that meant was a bag full of straw! They sure liked it though! At one point one of the sheep ripped the whole bag right out of my bag and they all had a "hay"day scarfing it down. 

We managed to get to feed a few of them before the sheep thieved it all away. 

 

They let one of the Crocs out unbeknownst to us. I simply bent over to tie my shoe and almost really became "glute"nfree. 

Sawyer got the best ride through the park and pointed out all the next exhibits to go to. 

He insisted we go feed one of the elephants a banana. Which we did. 

Then he wanted to see the coolest bird ever, the Kookaburra that is native to Australia. If you've never heard them sing, google it. It sounds like they are laughing. You might remember this song as a kid that talks about them and their crazy laugh:

Kookaburra Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree
Merry merry king of the bush is he
Laugh Kookaburra, laugh Kookaburra
Gay your life must be

Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree
Eating all the gumdrops he can see
Stop Kookaburra, stop Kookaburra
Leave some gums for me

Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree
Counting all the monkeys he can see
Stop Kookaburra, stop Kookaburra
That's no monkey, that's ME!!!

We also visited the tigers, snakes and many other strange animals. 

One of the best parts was getting to feed the kangaroos. We got another bag of food, only it was some sort of pellets this time that they nibbled right out of your hand. You could pet them or in Sawyer's case grab a hold of their ears.

 Gentle, Sawyer, gentle. 

You could really get up close and personal with them as you can see. 

My other favorite part of the day was getting to pet the Koalas. You could walk right up to all the trees they were sleeping in and take as many photos as you wanted. And did we ever!  I think we have at least 100 photos of purely Koalas. 

This momma koala and I sympathized with each other over how being a mom really means you never get a moment alone. We completely understood each other.

By the end of the day we were famished and hit the road to find a place to eat on the way back. The GPS was of no help on finding somewhere so my dad suggested we go back to the motel and eat at their restaurant. The place we were staying at would be comparable to a Best Western which made me assume the restaurant would be comparable to a Denny's. No thanks! I wanted to some real food for dinner not a greasy denny dish. Finally after driving around for awhile, out of desperation and hunger we agreed to give a try. 

Note to self: Trust my dad.

That dinner was by far the BEST I have ever had! Flemings or Ruth Chris had nothing it. Out of the whole place only 3 tables were taken one of which was taken by us. My dad and Matt had rack of lamb with mashed potatoes that they said was delicious. I had a stuffed chicken breast that was described on the menu as being filled with "sinful avocado and Camembert cheese" Sinful was very accurate. It was melt in your mouth good. We sat there enjoying our dinner for an hour or so and then while my mom took Sawyer back to the room to put him to bed the three of us indulged in sharing some dessert. I had a passion fruit custard that was insanely good and my dad had berry filled crepes. My mouth is watering just remembering how scrumdillyumptious that whole meal was. 

We had a great day at the zoo topped off with the best dinner of my life and then a whole next day of beach fun to look forward! 

To be continued.....