Meet Jim

This is Jim, my new car. It is a Mitsubishi Pajero. Not sure why it can't be called a Montero here, but basically that's what it would be in the US. The hub decided that we needed to get an SUV to fit the family. (Really he wanted it so that we could do a bunch of sand driving and off roading.) It is a great car. We named it Jim after the salesman. Who was this old Australian oyster farmer with a lisp and a once broken nose. The car is fine. The problem is that I have to drive it. Driving here is a bit tricky. You drive on the left side of the road from the right side of the car. It is really an odd feeling. Backing up and parallel parking is next to impossible. My US friends have this advice, "Just remember back to when you were 16 in driver's ed what they taught you about parallel parking and then flip it all and do the reverse." I can't even begin to tell you all of the things that are wrong with that statement. Beginning with the fact that I can't remember yesterday or what month it is let alone when I was 16. So basically, I don't parallel park which is a pain because we essentially live in the city. It is full of small roads and on street parking. I never thought I would say this, but I miss Texas and all of its parking lots. Sometimes I take 10 trips around the block just to find a spot I can just pull into. The other problem is that I am fairly unsure where the right side of the car is. Just to be safe I pretty much drive down the middle of the road. So far that has worked pretty well. I just hold my breath when a car passes me headed the other direction. The biggest adjustment has been getting in to the right side of the car to drive. I am embarrassed to admit the amount of times that I gotten in on the passenger side. If there are people around. I feel like I have to do a fake look through the glove compartment as a cover. I am sure that I will get used to it. I am sure that one day I will stop turing on the wipers instead of the turn signal. I am sure I will get to the point that I can parallel park and actually back up with confidence. But I am also sure that when that happens the hub will say to me, time to go back to the US. . .maybe then I can just get a driver. Wouldn't that be nice?

Koalas and Vegemite

You must admit that when you hear Australia you think Koalas and Vegemite. Both of those things are very Aussie. There are actually Koala signs along some of the roads that are similar to the deer signs in the US. I have not seen Kolas in the eucalyptus trees around the city, but supposedly they are there. Instead we went to the Koala Sanctuary to see them. I really had no idea what to expect. I have been to lots of zoos in lots of places, but this was a little different. The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is like walking around a series of tree planters. Each tree has a koala hanging in it. They are literally 6 inches from you and there is no glass, no fence, nothing. The girls held koalas and pet kangaroos. There is a big open field with kangaroos hanging out and you just walk up to them and pet them. Honestly, I expected at any minute for the whole thing to turn into one of those crazy youtube videos of the animals attacking the tourists. The girls had a good time though and reported that koalas are actually quite heavy and their fur is woolly and thick. Not quite as cuddly as they look. So in terms of Australian experiences, hold a koala. . .CHECK!! As for the Vegemite, it is everywhere, but none of can get past the green color or the salty smell.

Happy Valentine's Day

Love and greetings from down under. It has been a crazy 6 weeks, but things are calming so let the blogging begin. I haven't been able to blog because my computer just made it to me. Yes, Australia really is on the other side of the world. We received a notice that our air shipment had arrived into the country, but that it was evacuated because the shipping station where it was being held for inspection and quarantine flooded. The flooding combined with the Christmas back log delayed and delayed and delayed our air shipment. I won't even comment on the delays of the sea shipment. Did you know it will change ships 3 times mid ocean, which is apparently tricky when there is a cyclone. Details. So anyway, got the computer and then the computer decided not to read the photo card. Blah, blah. So the few pics that I do have are from my phone, but some is better than none.

The girls started school a month ago today and so far so good. It is a private Anglican all girl's school called St.Margaret's. Bailey calls it Australian Hogwarts and it definitely has that feel to it. The school sits on a beautiful sprawling hilltop overlooking the city. It is a series of buildings connected by passages and staircases. No they do not move and as of yet none of the photos talk, but you never know. One of the biggest adjustments has been that all of the schools in AU have compulsory uniforms. So every morning the girls dress head to toe in school required clothing. The rules are fairly rigid and specific. For example there: is a correct placement for the collar pins, hair must be back and tied with a ribbon either white, brown or navy. Socks must be folded, not scrunched. Panama or straw hat is to worn to and from school and between classes in Year 7 and up. Play hat to be worn for PE and recess. (Hats are a big deal here.) There are several pluses to the uniform as well. For example you are always dressed right and there is no debate over what to wear. The negatives are it is hot and the skirts are long and made of thick material. I also really have to stay on top of the laundry. There is no, "just wear something else." But the big plus is don't they look spiffy. Can you hear Julie Andrews singing in the background or is it me?

Our house is close enough to school that we walk in mornings. There are just 2 problems with that: the amount of stuff we have to carry and the HILL. The girls are required to dress for HPE (they add a health to the traditional PE and then for fun say with this a really hard "ch" so it sounds like Haych PE). I am not really sure where that came from either. Anyway, the girls have to carry gym clothes and right now they are swimming so that means swim suit, goggles, cap, rash guard, and towel PLUS the required sunscreen and brush. So they load all of this in their school issue sports bag and then add to it their backpacks aka rucksack loaded with typical and not so typical school gear. It takes us several few minutes to pick the bags up and get balanced. I am learning that before we are halfway to school I will be carrying at least 3 bags. So once loaded we head off to school which is straight up the hill. You Texans remember what those look like, right? Picture climbing up beltway 8, it is steep. But we make it, slowly, but surely we get there and the girls taught me that if you walk backward up the hill you get an amazing view of the city and river. Not a bad way to start off the day. . .

The Advent

I feel down right frantic. Packers come on Tuesday. Christmas is 18 days away. The list really does keep getting longer and longer. I think that the reality is sinking in, we really are moving to Australia. Honestly, it seems a little crazy. BUT some how in the midst of it all the girls seem to be fine. With a great deal of help from a few friends, I put together our traditional Christmas advent. I even have a plan so we can keep counting down when we are between houses. We have cut out snowflakes for the Church party, made a gingergread village, watched a Christmas movie, eaten Christams cookies, read stories, etc. It is amazing how pausing for just a few minutes and celebrating Christmas as family each day has really settled the girls.

The List

It is has been a crazy month, but really isn't November always busy? I have been working and working to get everything arranged for the move. I feel like I wake up every morning and work all day and most of the night and yet it doesn't seem like I am making much progress. The problem is everyday things get added. So far this month I have checked off:

• doctor (3 visits each, company dr., private doc, and follow up)
• dentist
• hair cuts
• inventory the entire house with replacement values (almost, just my room left)
• get on Facebook
• find house in Australia (found one, room for all of us, dog ok, close to school and good commute for Adam. It is in the Ascot/Hamilton area of Brisbane)
• teach class, still have 2 more class periods and finals
• arrangements for Olive, thankyou a MILLION to our friends who are helping us with that and have volunteered to keep her for a few months
• sort and organize house, some stores, some ships, some goes air
• start Christmas advent for girls (I can't give up all traditions just because we are moving this holiday season)
• shop for Christmas
• buy clothing and household items for next few years because Australia is expensive and I refuse to pay $35 for mascara that I can buy here for $5
• figure out how to furnish and outfit house that is 1/3 the size
• sell cars/boat/appliances
• complete literally HOURS of paperwork, I have signed so many things that my signature is totally unrecognizable now
• keep house SPOTLESS for showings

AND believe it or not I still have things on my list. Two weeks from today, we will move out of our Cypress house. GULP!!

Olive

This is is Olive. With some serious help from friends, I gave her to the girls and the hub for Christmas last year. She has quickly become a big part of our family. Weighing in at just shy of 7 pounds she is one tiny bundle of love. She loves to run out in the back yard and chase the squirrels. They tease her like crazy, climbing just low enough that they are just out of reach. She also loves to bound up the stairs in the morning and wake up the girls. She knows the routine. We wake CB up and then half hour later the other two. Sometimes she likes to sneak up the stairs and get them early. But my favorite thing about Ollie is her bell. When she has to go out, she just rings her little bell on the back door and waits. It makes me so happy. I never thought she would do it, but she is very smart and quick and teachable. . .

AND now she has become a bit of an obstacle. Australia is very strict about what you can bring into their country. I won't go into the possible items for quarentine list. Let's just saw it covers everything in my whole house.

Today I talked with the pet transport people and learned that Australia requires Olive to stay out of their country for 180 days after she gets a "clean" blood test. UM. . . .that's 5 months and we are leaving in 6 weeks. How is this going to work? Not to mention the fact that I was counting on Olive to be part of the girl's support structure. I won't even metion the cost to get her there. First you wouldn't believe me and second you would think I was crazy. BUT you would do the same. She is part of our family and we love her and I don't regret her for one minute. Ok well when she was a puppy and she cried and peed, I regretted it some, but now she is ours, just look at her. . .and if you think she's cute now, you should see her giving loves to my girls. It makes my heart melt.

People

I always thought it would be great to have people. You know, people who work for you and make your life easier. People who follow you around and tell you just what you want to hear. I used to joke that my kids were my people. I knew at the time that I was really theirs, but it was funny. It made me feel important-ish. Well now I have people and it really is not all that I thought it would be. The hub and I have 8 different advisers who are helping us with this move. We have a door-to-door person, a tax person, a house person (actually 2 of those here and there), a group of doctors, and some more who file passports and visa documents. I have a stuff person who is in charge of all of my household goods. I actually have 3 of those the one in charge of the survey, the one in charge of the storage and the one in charge of the container that we are shipping. Are you confused? I am. Every day I open my email to about 20 emails from the people who work for the people. I spend hours on the phone trying to give the right info to the right people. I haven't even mentioned the school people or the pet carrier people. Basically, I have decided I am done with people. I just want 1 person to do this whole move across the world for me. Any takers?