baking day

Every year for over 10 years I have said "one day, I am going to take a day off and do all of my holiday baking." Well, this year, I finally did it. I took a Friday off, dusted off a few favourite recipes, as well as a few new ones, and spent a whole day baking. In reality, it ended up taking the better part of 3 days to get it all done, but everything sure turned out pretty.

The final tally... three days, 12 eggs, 1 kilo of butter, 2 bags of flour, 5 pounds of chocolate, over 350 cookies, 4 batches of icing, and 12 gift boxes of goodies. Oh, and a very, very sore back. Ugh.

But, how beautiful are these? Bet you are wishing you are on my Christmas list this year, aren't you?

green

Just had two minutes this morning before rushing off to work, and wanted to share some of the photos I took yesterday. The Husband and I took a walk through the city, all decked out in it's Christmas fancies. One upside to all the rain we have been getting is that the city is so green. All the flowers and blossoms are lovely, but I was so thankful for a sunny day - finally!

We had a nice afternoon at the Art Gallery of NSW with some friends, and then a long dinner on the patio at Pinos. It finally felt like summer. Love it.

looking backward to move forward

Aren't you always amazed at how fast time flies? One minute you are a child and the very next minute, you are all grown up, with adult worries and responsibilities. It's crazy how fast life just passes you by.

I admit, I have been wishing my life away lately. I am always waiting for it to be the weekend, or for it to be the holidays, or for it to be lunchtime, for that matter. It's not a healthy way to live life, but it seems that most of us are always looking forward to the next big thing, instead of appreciating the little things that are right now.

I was telling The Husband this week that I'd like to write a book about growing up in my family and all the little things that I remember. Trouble is, those little things come to mind when I am lying awake in the middle of the night, or when I am washing dishes... and I never take the time to sit in front of a notebook and write them down. It's hard to grasp onto those little things - they can zip by so quickly.

I have been looking back at old photos this week. After a recent hard drive failure, I am feeling a little more vulnerable about back ups and losing memories. My biggest regret is not taking the time to take more photos. I think I always felt like I had plenty of time to take more photos later. But the sun goes down and people move away and kids grow so fast and... suddenly the opportunity has passed.

I think my resolution for the coming year is going to be two fold. First, I am going to start carrying around a notebook to capture the little things. And secondly, I am going to take more photos. It's time to start making the effort; I know someday I'll be thankful that I did.

food coma

Thanksgiving was a massive success. Food, friends, laughs, and a total food hangover. Two days later and I think I am still suffering the effects. Totally worth it though... I could eat pumpkin pie every single day and never tire of it. While I missed my family, the friends we shared the day with were a perfect substitute. (Read more about the day here.) Many thanks to them for sharing their day with us!

Now that Thanksgiving is over with, it's officially summer here in Oz. In fact, this week marks the official first day of summer. I am looking forward to getting out on that beautiful big blue ocean and going kayaking, snorkeling, and swimming. So glad it's beach season - I have a ton of books to read! I am trying to focus on the positives and not think about the fact that "back home" they got their first dusting of snow this week. Strangely, I am feeling a little jealous. Feel free to mail me some!

thanks giving

Even though we won't be home for Thanksgiving this year, we are still going to be observing the day. While we will be trudging off to the office on the actual day, we'll be sharing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with some good friends on Saturday. The turkey, whom we have affectionately named Kyle, is already cooling his heels in the fridge. I'm not convinced the 15 pound guy is going to fit in the oven, but we'll see.

I thought it would be appropriate, given the season, to take a moment and give thanks for the good things in our lives. It's a Thanksgiving tradition in my family to go around the table and name something you are thankful for. Given the size of my family, this can sometimes take a while. But it's a good reminder for all of us as to all of the things we really have been blessed with.

This year, if I were sitting around that table, I would first say that I am thankful for my husband. He is the best man I have ever known. Kind, smart, thoughtful, good, loving, patient, calm, and so much fun to be with. I am truly the luckiest woman in the world to have both him and his daughter as my family.

I am also so thankful for the health my entire family has been blessed with. One of my biggest worries when coming here was that something might happen back home and I wouldn't be able to be there. There have been some scares, but for the most part, I am so thankful that everyone is happy and healthy.

I am thankful for friends. The good kind - the ones who show me grace when I screw up and those who offer a shoulder when I need one. The ones who make me laugh and even those who have taught me tough lessons.

Lastly, this year I am thankful for peace. The kind that comes from knowing that I am doing the right thing, even when it's not popular. The kind that comes from knowing I have done my best, and that is good enough. The kind that comes from realising that not everyone is going to approve of my choices, and that's ok! That doesn't make them bad choices. That kind of peace is such a blessing.

To those who we hold dearest - may you have a blessed and peaceful Thanksgiving this year. We have plenty of turkey to spare - feel free to stop by!

summer saturday

After what has seemed like weeks of rain, we had one gorgeous, hot, sunny day last weekend. We spent that day at the Red Bull Flugtag in Sydney's botanic gardens. A whole day, sitting in the sun, enjoying the view and the company of friends. Which led to me getting perhaps the worst sunburn I can ever remember, except for that one I had in Italy years ago... Anyway, this sunburn was so bad, in fact, that I neglected to wear shoes at the office for four days last week - simply due to the fact that I couldn't get them on my poor feet. I may have even claimed at one point that said sunburn was more painful than childbirth. I may have been crying when I said that. You get the idea. It was a bad sunburn. The moral of this story is that THIS weekend, when they predicted hot, sunny weather, and The Husband wanted to get out and enjoy it - I finally did what any responsible person would do: I went out and bought sunblock. Three cheers for me.

All that said, today we got out on the water for the first kayak of the summer. We joined a 7:30am Saturday kayak fitness class and it was fabulous. The water was calm and quiet, the sun was coming up and it was still cool enough to be comfortable. While the fitness part of it was a little annoying (says the professional couch potato), the kayaking was gorgeous and I can't wait to get back out there. I think we are going to make it a Saturday tradition from now on. It was a good workout and so much fun.


Since the kayak place is just around the corner from my office, I took the opportunity to take some photos of a couple of the things I drive past every day on the way to work. I see them each day and have been wanting to stop and take pictures. I think these are the kinds of things I'll miss the most one day when Australia is no longer home.



To me, November is the most beautiful time of the year in Sydney.

october

Just a nod to the time of year I love the most in North America. Autumn leaves, the smell of cinnamon, the taste of freshly made pumpkin doughnuts. The urge to start nesting for the long winter months. Baking pies, wearing sweaters, planting mums. Looking forward to doing that all again someday.

three years

Today is the 3 year anniversary of the date The Husband arrived in Sydney. It seems like just the other day I was starting this blog and looking forward to this move with such excitement. I can't believe how quickly the past 3 years have gone. Faster than I could have ever imagined.

Over the past 3 years, this city has gone from being a strange, scary place to being home. I've learned to find my way around. I can drive on the "wrong" side of the road without giving it a second thought. I know where to go to buy shoes and macarons and contact solution. I say things like "easy as" and "I reckon" and "get stuffed." I have learned to look forward to springtime in September and summer in January. Things that once were foreign are now familiar.

Someday I will look back on our time here and there are so many things, people and places that I will miss so much. For now, I am focused on trying to enjoy those things all the more because I know that I won't have them forever.

The Husband and I have been loving the warmer weather lately. It's well and truly the early days of summer now, and the longer afternoons are so welcome. We've recently spent a day at the horse races and caught a Sydney Kings basketball game. Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending two lovely weddings while The Husband travelled to the Gold Coast for a work/play weekend.

This weekend I am determined to start my Christmas shopping and choose recipes for some holiday goodie boxes. It will be the end of the year before you know it!

business or pleasure?

I went to Queensland for work last week. Raise your hand if you think travelling for work is fun? Guess what? You are wrong. It may seem fun, but it is so not. Unless said "work" includes sitting on the beach or getting a massage... there is nothing fun about it. Case in point, my trip to Queensland last week. I went to Noosa, a town that is known for it's beautiful beaches, lovely shops, nice restaurants, and tropical feel. Want to see what it looked like? Like this:



Only it was darker. With more rain. In fact, with about 400mm more rain, to be precise. That is SIXTEEN inches, for those of you in the Imperial world. Say it with me folks - holy crap!

While I had a lovely time training our fine folks in the Noosa office, the fun really started once I went to the airport to try and go home. On a Friday night. On the last flight out of town. (And for some fun irony, it was the Sunshine Coast airport. Snort.)

Apparently the runway at the Sunshine Coast airport is too short, causing real problems in rainy weather. And boy oh boy, was it ever raining! Like a bloody monsoon, I tell you. So - about 3 hours after we were supposed to leave, they announced that we would not in fact, be leaving on a plane that evening. But - never fear - they kindly offered to bus all 160 of us to Brisbane that evening, allowing us to try and get a flight home the next day. However, the buses would not arrive until nearly 10:30pm, and they couldn't exactly guarantee we would get a flight the next day. But - the alternative was sleeping on the floor in the airport, so we all got on the bus.

I'd like to go on record and truly thank Jetstar for that lovely experience. Taking a 2 hour bus ride in the middle of the night while getting soaked by leaky windows and kicked repeatedly by some annoying kid next to me was totally on my bucket list. And now I can happily cross it off.

After about 5 hours sleep at a (thankfully) fairly decent hotel, we were herded back onto the bus and returned to the Brisbane airport... where we waited for a plane. I arrived home about 22 hours after originally getting to the airport. Losing most of my weekend in the process.

I am truly looking forward to flying back to Brisbane next week. I think they are calling for rain.

daylight savings

Last weekend was Labour Day weekend here; officially the first long weekend of summer. With it came daylight savings, The Husband's birthday, and 3 days of rain. Why does it always seem to rain on the long weekends? Regardless, we had a nice couple of days off work, spent time with friends, and lunched at Sushi Train. Yum.

The days are longer now, and while it royally stinks to have to get up at what feels like 5:30am, it sure is nice to leave the office when it's still daylight. Feels like summer... which totally makes me miss having a bbq in the backyard. I also miss having a backyard, for that matter. But I am looking forward to some beach weekends very soon.

Work has been going well - nothing too exciting though. I am heading back to Brissy for part of this week. I thought I would love to travel for work. The Husband would travel every day and be happy as a dog with two tails, but I don't enjoy it all that much. I don't enjoy flying by myself, airports make me tense. And I don't enjoy staying in hotels by myself, I never know where to get dinner. But - it's not too terrible to have to fly to tropical Queensland, even if it is for work. I should really take my camera and try to take some photos this time. Alternately, I could learn how to get the photos off my iphone and onto my computer, eh?

This month marks the 3 year anniversary of when The Husband first landed on this continent. I cannot believe that it has been 3 years already. Where has the time gone?

Sorry for such a random post, I can't think of anything to say lately. The past few months have been tough for me and I struggle to know how much I should put out into the blogosphere these days. I find myself wanting to be more private and hold my loved ones and our memories a little closer. I am sure some of you understand.