The relocation consulting firm that helped us settle into life here hosted a small "catch up" for some of the newbies with young children. I was very close to not going, but at the last minute Keller and I jumped in a cab and headed out to give it a go.
Over the next two hours I became fast friends with Amy (from CHARLOTTE, NC) and Amanda (from Bristol in the UK). As I was recounting the visit with Mike, I described it as love at first sight. Three girls all trying to navigate a new city, build a new life and embrace the wonders and challenges of motherhood. I could not have asked for a better gift! It reminded me of freshman year at UNC when I met people like Cat Gaither and Roxy Bargoz... I think Amy and Amanda will join that list of life long friends.
My parents flew into town Saturday, and despite taking a ridiculously long way to the completely wrong airport, Keller and I finally found them downtown at the Southern Cross train station. Their visit is planned in four parts. They started with a couple of days in Melbourne, then headed to Auckland to explore the north island of New Zealand. We are going down to meet them for a short visit on the south island, and then they will spend a couple more days back in Melbourne on their way back to the States.
Here are a few highlights from their first three days.
We had a big brekky Sunday morning and spent most of the day in Rocket Park. They had kids music for several hours in the afternoon, and Amy, Matt, their two kids (Avery, 3 and Owen, 5 months) and Katarina (a great girl on Mike's study) joined us for a barbecue in the park that evening.
Sunday was the Melbourne Zoo. I had high hopes for the place; sadly (apart from the one month old baby elephant) it left us all wanting more. Keller did get to ride on a Galapogos turtle and we learned some interesting facts about elephants, like that NOT having kids ages a female, babies aren't named until their keepers have a chance to observe their characteristics, and you routinely have to mix up an elephant's caretaker so they don't become too attached. They are brilliant, kind, and highly emotional creatures who can die of a broken heart.
We spent most of Tuesday on the beach down in Brighton. It was overcast and a little chilly, but we still managed to have a magical day.
(Would you believe these little sheds cost upwards of $100K!)
I had packed a bottle of wine with intentions of picking up cups/glasses once we got down to the beach. But when my dad came running up a little dirt path telling us we had to come down and see the view, we decided to improvise.
And when the clouds started to clear and the sun started to show itself once again, we decided Keller should head out on Baywatch duty. I sure do love this little guy.
No, I did not photoshop the pic above, and yes, I did grab him before he plunged face-first into the sand. :)
In terms of everyday life in Melbourne, it reminds me of living in New York. You quickly find your meat guy, your bread guy, and (of course) your wine guy. My wine guy is named Wayne. He is the Australian version of my sister's father-in-law, also named Wayne, and he is awesome. He's given me a couple of great recommendations I thought I'd share with those of you who (as he says) like to "speak vino."
- Aurum, Chardonnay from the Central Otago Valley in NZ
- B, Shiraz Buckshot Vineyard in Heathcote, Australia
- Sagrantino from Gracebrook Vineyards in the King Valley
I miss my little sister and Addie like crazy, but we are certainly having a lot of fun. Still thanking God everyday for my marriage, my baby boy, and this unique opportunity.
A few things I have learned/experienced:
- They call a cooler an "esky"
- The BOB stroller (or pram) is the bomb, but you need something smaller in Melbourne. Our waiter had to fold the thing up and carry it out through the kitchen after breakfast the other day. Ha!
- Degraves Espresso bar has the best cappuccino I've ever tasted in my life.
- People are SOOOOO nice here. We Americans could stand to take a couple notes.
