Sydney: Round 2

Took the 3 hour drive north to attend the (LDS) temple in Sydney and had a spectacular time, yet again. We stayed an extra day and visited Oceanworld at Manly, Sydney Acquarium, Sydney Wildlife World and some gorgeous Manly beaches for some much appreciated fun in the sun. As luck would have it, our trip coincided with a fabulous Lego display at some of the sites, and the weather was a dream. Added bonus: downtown parking (right off Darling Harbor) for a mere $10 as opposed to the regular rate of $75/day. Score! Subtract the outrageous web of toll-roads that cost almost as much as our accommodations, and it was another great visit. I do miss having a temple 10 minutes away, but the drive's not so hard to swallow when the destination is freakin' Sydney, Australia :)

Had to document one of the four times in her life this lady has actually accepted a bottle. I'll tell ya what though  - I love a quick weekend getaway for that priceless concentrated family time.

I've never seen koalas do anything but sleep, until now. Whoa, nelly, they were all over the place eating, climbing, walking, I even saw one jump from one tree to another. Totally fell in love.

Leave it to McD's to snag prime downtown real estate.

Ever since visiting LegoLand in CA, I often wonder how it would feel being a professional Lego artist. Check out that wall sized lego mural - impressively artistic and very cool.

the sign reads "Manatees: the original mermaids" - wicked cool

Look closely - those are "water dragons" not seaweed

See those specks? People started dropping from the sky on our way home - now THAT'S the way to end a day: skydiving mid-sunset. That one's going on my bucket list.

About Your Bacon Number

Darren here. How many degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon are you? Well, if you know Ivey, your Bacon number is at least 3--not bad for a non actor. And, interestingly enough, your Elvis number is at least 4, thanks to Ivey's appearance in a few films over the years. Her last hurrah before leaving Utah was an LDSfilms movie called 17 Miracles about the Willie and Martin Handcart Company. It's out now so if you are missing her pretty face and live near one of these theaters, check it out with the fam in the spirit of Pioneer Day. My mom and brother saw it. Apparently, it is pretty good. While most of Ivey's acting genius unfortunately got left on the cutting room floor, they tell me she did get a nice close up in the opening scenes. Oh yeah, and see if you can spot Will, Kenna or Annie as sad, dusty travelers. Ivey managed to get them in as extras.

Fourth 'O July: Aussie-style

We started the weekend off with a grand-ole camping adventure in the back yard. Then enjoyed some serious festivities at the U.S. Embassy for an Independence Day done right. It was a treat!

 We ended up joining two bunks and zipping our sleeping bags together for one giant cozy bed - body heat being essential. In fact, Dare and I both had sick days this week from sleeping outside in the cold, heavy winds, and rain (thrice.)

But games, phones, flashlights, candy and cocoa... the kids were in heaven (as long as one of us was braving it out there with them.) They brought out toothbrushes and school clothes for the mornings - while I couldn't even endure one night in its entirety!

Oh, to be a kid again...

 We had a nice history review and rousing reading of Paul Revere's Ride followed by sparklers and <sort of pathetic attempts at> patriotic treats on the actual night, then were hosted by the Embassy the next day for the big shebang.

The U.S. Govt knows how to party right when celebrating Independence Day overseas, I'll tell you what.

Bouncy castles, dress-ups, raffle prizes (think leather jacket, chocolate bar the size of a card table, an honest-to-goodness golden Oscar, etc.), catered goodies, full brass band, vintage memorabilia, batting/pitching cages, parting gifts, and more.

I unabashedly admit to having, count 'em, FOUR cotton candys myself, so... you could say we enjoyed ourselves.

 Never had to suit up in parkas to watch fireworks before, but it didn't make a difference.

I felt a momentary surge of homesickness being so far away from my homeland during its biggest holiday. Surprisingly reminiscent of my (late) Dad's boundless patriotism, I felt a stirring in my soul and wept as the Anthem was sung.

I am truly proud to be an American. What an honored privileged to enjoy the rich history of hard-won freedom so many have sacrificed to afford us. Happy 4th of July to the good 'ole USofA!

Three Things I Didn't Expect

Darren here. One of the great things about being in a foreign country is getting smacked with the unexpected. Here are three mildly humorous encounters.

Love Boat reruns. When jet lagged you can watch Mork & Mindy at 2:30 (that show was not funny) and Love Boat at 3:00 am. These shows at this hour in this country can be completely disorienting. 

My first haircut in Australia was at justcuts. The lady at the counter explained gently, "We have a policy that you have to have washed your hair within the last 24 hours." She tilts her head slant ways, studying my hair. I'm silent. "Have you washed your hair in the last 24 hours, sir?" she asks. "Yes," I reply stoically. She pauses, giving me a chance to reconsider my answer. I'm silent. "Okay then," she states cheerfully, "right this way." My self esteem has plummeted.

The El Camino. They've been making these Holden (Chevy) Utes in Australia since 2000. Ford makes a Falcon Ute that is similar. It's like seeing extinct species reemerge, evolved. While U.S. customers may not have selected the El Camino to survive, the Aussies love them. Consider the Holden SS Redline Ute for a cool $50,000.

New Look

Like the new look? I've been searching unsuccessfully for a non-obnoxious "kangaroo-type" blog template until I remembered not everyone has the privilege of an in-house artist to draw from....

The background is an up close portion of Darren's rendition of our favorite spot on Fraser Island in Queensland. We snagged a spot under one of only a handful of these beautiful trees on the shores of Lake McKensie and it holds a special fondness of our memorable trip there.

Milestones

 We don't hit restaurants very often.

(Dad's a bit sensitive about causing a "scene" with our rowdy ones.)

But we thought we'd give it a whirl for Kenna's birthday dinner. After a nice pep talk in the car about "public places" and "manners" we walked in - cool as cucumbers. However, this irresistible water window called out like a siren beyond our table, so you can see how successful the exercise was...

 Great birthday celebrations though.  Kenna had an ART PARTY - very fitting. Drawing, coloring, painting, ironing beads, Pictionary, chalking the circle (which got a little out of hand, resulting in me out there the next day with a bucket and a broom) but a good time had by all. (HIGHLIGHT: one gal tromped a glob of paint all over the living room while mom had a heart attack, shouting "Sit down! Everyone, sit down and show me your feet!!" Nothing like blue & yellow footprints on the carpet of your rental...)

Happy 7th, special little light of my life!

I feel like our whole family's growing up. We all officially play instruments now. Well, minus Summer, of course, unless spitting into the harmonica counts...

Another milestone: Angel's picked up running.

Hmmmm.

Not sure I'm liking that.

She's also entered that awwwwwwesome stage that allows us to go on mini-treasure hunts every day! Our recent finds:

socks in the toilet

remote control in the trash

slippers in the (full) bathtub

homework in the shower

shoes in a kitchen drawer

You get the drift- it's delightful. 

(Particularly all the empty tp rolls and tissue boxes.)

Lastly, Annie's a big girl now! Another round of training wheels all packed away (sniff, sniff)

This girl falls more than anyone I've ever met (except maybe her cousin Katie - wink) so there's always a variety of gruesome scabs, bruised lumps and bandages decorating her appendages. Fortunately she's super tough, 'cause she trips on air and is a magnet for corners. (She's a regular at the school's sick bay, most recently for literally running into a pole.)

So, I'm sure there are serious wipeouts in our future, but for now, she's feeling pretty proud of herself. :)

check out that little grin