Press PLAY! We are resurrecting the blog.
As life down under became the norm rather than the novelty, school also became writing intensive. School was soon replaced by real jobs…and we dropped the ‘blog’ ball. Hopefully we can pick-it up again – starting with our 2013 Christmas post! Brace yourself, settle in and maybe grab a cuppa – we are making up for an entire year.
If you prefer to "view" the year vs "reading" it – view our Year in Photos album
As I write this, we’re heading into our third Christmas in Oz and it still feels a bit surreal to celebrate the holidays in the midst of summer. In an effort to get into the spirit of the season, we made our home into a winter wonderland, complete with a live (reminds us of home) Christmas tree, if it wasn't so hot, we’d even light the fireplace! So, while it may be time to break out the BBQ and sunnies, we are doing so with Christmas carols and holiday cheer! And…the stockings were hung while wearing flip flops.
Looking back, it’s pretty amazing to see where you’ll find yourself when you say ‘yes’ to new opportunities. When we first started on this journey it was a temporary chance to ‘press pause’ on real life, real jobs and explore another country while getting our Masters degree. It wasn't until last New Year’s Eve, with student visas running out and plane tickets home in hand, that another chance to say ‘yes’ came through. A job offer, complete with visa sponsorship for both of us, and the chance to live in Sydney!
Due to the last minute change in plans and the fact that Sydney essentially shuts down for the holidays, it was a whirlwind move. We flew down mid-Jan to do the house hunt (the good, bad and truly ugly tour…) and signed a lease within 2 days. Packed and moved within 2 weeks and lived in our new Sydney place for about 4 days before heading home to the US for a month long holiday.
The US (and Whistler, Canada) trip was a much needed visit home and a chance to let our friends and family know we weren't headed back to the states this year, and instead we would be setting up life in Sydney. The trip found us visiting friends/family, hitting the slopes, celebrating my nephew, Hunter’s birthday and even a side-trip to San Fran & LA.
The hardest part of living overseas is missing our friends and family. In an effort to try and see everyone during our short stint home, we came to fully appreciate just how many awesome people we have around us – it is not physically possible to see everyone enough, even over several weeks! We were sad to leave and at the same time anxious to see what life in Sydney would bring.
David launched head first into his new role at the Intellectual Ventures Sydney office; while I learned very quickly that I don’t do unemployment well. I think I practically pounced on the poor guy the minute he came home each day! It did, however give me (and Mr Eko) the chance to explore our fantastic neighborhood, parks and beaches. Fortunately, unemployment was short-lived and after a temporary job as a secretary in a family law office (interesting), I was hired by St Vincent’s College (a private Catholic girls' day and boarding school) to be their Marketing and Community Development Director. It feels like I've come full circle in my career to re-enter education, albeit in a much different role.
Our first Sydney visitors actually arrived while we were on vacation in Coffs Harbour (with our GC friends, Scott & Tash and Mr. Eko’s BFF Zeus). Our friend Drew’s parents, aunt and uncle came down and were able to explore the city using our place as home base. On the heels of that visit, Kate arrived – a young lady (now graduated from College and in the midst of her Masters) whom I used to nanny for back in the day! At the time I was still unemployed which provided an excellent opportunity to play tour guide and explore the city myself.
Following Kate’s visit, Drew and Erica made their way from the GC down to visit us. We killed them at “Buck Hunter” (ok maybe Drew owned us on that one), spent some time stuck on a boat in the rain for Sydney’s Vivid Festival and enjoyed some hang out time with our other Aussie transplants (now we are forever hooked on Settler’s of Catan).
Being new to the city and eager to make friends, we joined an Outdoor Group via Meetup for some bush walking, networking Meetups (where I met my dear friend Kavita) and spent some time exploring our city on bike/foot/train/bus/ferry.
We were also we set up on some ‘Blind Friend Dates’ with friends of friends (thanks Tash – we love Leanne and the boys) and inherited some ‘outdoor friends’ at Michael and Heather’s going away party – just when we thought we’d be their neighbours, Mike and Heather, moved to Seattle.
But not to worry - we picked up Brett and Michelle! Loving the visits to Bundeena and Royal National Park for paddle boarding and Michelle showed some true patience as we “taught” Mr Eko how to board. We've also brought co-workers from our respective work places into our lives. David’s boss, Paul, generously took us out to sea, providing water tours of Sydney Harbour. Several trips later, we are still in love with the cityscape from the sea.
In August, my parents arrived for an action packed trip. We explored the far reaches of Sydney – Blue Mountains, Wildlife Parks, the Harbour, the beaches, the parks, the birds and then took a week long trip north to Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef (a first Scuba for mom – way to go), Port Douglas Tropical Botanic Gardens and the Daintree Rainforest – the entire trip was incredible. As my mom was fond of saying, “I’m in nirvana…it takes my breath away” (yeah, I inherited the dorkisms).
To celebrate David’s birthday, we took a trip to New Zealand’s beautiful south island. Starting in Christchurch where we saw the effects of the devastating earthquake and simultaneously fell in love with the “container mall” concept being used to revitalize the city.
We drove down to Queenstown, which was our home base for about a week and explored the town, the mountains and famous Milford Sound.
We traveled in a converted mini-van camper which gave us flexibility to camp whenever sightseeing took longer than planned. From Queenstown, we headed to Dunedin for some penguin, seal and sea lion encounters and then back to Christchurch and home.
November brought the Sculptures by the Sea event, Melbourne Cup, David’s birthday and a visit from Dan and Lauren. My brother Darrol helped create a “race game” for the Melbourne Cup festivities at my school and I manage to surprise David with a birthday dinner party and a new BBQ.
Dan and Lauren’s visit took us to the Hunter Valley for the first time on a wine tasting excursion. We stayed on a working horse farm, giving us a rustic “at summer camp” feel.
Being chauffeured to various wineries, cheeseries, and distilleries was a highlight of the trip – that and the mad Settlers of Catan marathon (now these guys are as hooked as we are).
We explored the local bar scene, wildlife parks, and ended their trip with a full-on, 14 person, American Thanksgiving – complete with Pumpkin Pie and a Turkey! But wait, not only did we get an American Thanksgiving, but we got 2!! David’s boss, Paul and his family, threw another Thanksgiving celebration the following week – yeah to Turkey leftovers x2!
Recently we rode our bikes to Tropfest – a short film festival in the park (with free bike valet - cool) and we are looking forward to all the summer outdoor events kicking off in Sydney. My school closed for the “summer holiday” with a beautiful outdoor closing mass – still weird to think Christmas break is actually summer break. Being that I’m in the office and not a teacher, I’m still working. No complaints, as the office (for both David and I) closes from 20 December to 6 January! Wonder why we love it here so much! 4 weeks’ vacation and holiday closure is not a bad way to go!
I think that brings this year to a close! We look forward to a Christmas on the beach and New Year’s watching the famous Sydney Harbour fireworks. My New Year’s Resolution is to take up this blog again, so let’s hope I can stick with it. Maybe I’ll rope David into writing a few posts!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our friends here and afar!!
~David and Alyssa
To see more fun photos view our Year in Photos album!
As life down under became the norm rather than the novelty, school also became writing intensive. School was soon replaced by real jobs…and we dropped the ‘blog’ ball. Hopefully we can pick-it up again – starting with our 2013 Christmas post! Brace yourself, settle in and maybe grab a cuppa – we are making up for an entire year.
If you prefer to "view" the year vs "reading" it – view our Year in Photos album
Looking back, it’s pretty amazing to see where you’ll find yourself when you say ‘yes’ to new opportunities. When we first started on this journey it was a temporary chance to ‘press pause’ on real life, real jobs and explore another country while getting our Masters degree. It wasn't until last New Year’s Eve, with student visas running out and plane tickets home in hand, that another chance to say ‘yes’ came through. A job offer, complete with visa sponsorship for both of us, and the chance to live in Sydney!
Due to the last minute change in plans and the fact that Sydney essentially shuts down for the holidays, it was a whirlwind move. We flew down mid-Jan to do the house hunt (the good, bad and truly ugly tour…) and signed a lease within 2 days. Packed and moved within 2 weeks and lived in our new Sydney place for about 4 days before heading home to the US for a month long holiday.
Our first Sydney visitors actually arrived while we were on vacation in Coffs Harbour (with our GC friends, Scott & Tash and Mr. Eko’s BFF Zeus). Our friend Drew’s parents, aunt and uncle came down and were able to explore the city using our place as home base. On the heels of that visit, Kate arrived – a young lady (now graduated from College and in the midst of her Masters) whom I used to nanny for back in the day! At the time I was still unemployed which provided an excellent opportunity to play tour guide and explore the city myself.
Following Kate’s visit, Drew and Erica made their way from the GC down to visit us. We killed them at “Buck Hunter” (ok maybe Drew owned us on that one), spent some time stuck on a boat in the rain for Sydney’s Vivid Festival and enjoyed some hang out time with our other Aussie transplants (now we are forever hooked on Settler’s of Catan).
Being new to the city and eager to make friends, we joined an Outdoor Group via Meetup for some bush walking, networking Meetups (where I met my dear friend Kavita) and spent some time exploring our city on bike/foot/train/bus/ferry.
In August, my parents arrived for an action packed trip. We explored the far reaches of Sydney – Blue Mountains, Wildlife Parks, the Harbour, the beaches, the parks, the birds and then took a week long trip north to Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef (a first Scuba for mom – way to go), Port Douglas Tropical Botanic Gardens and the Daintree Rainforest – the entire trip was incredible. As my mom was fond of saying, “I’m in nirvana…it takes my breath away” (yeah, I inherited the dorkisms).
To celebrate David’s birthday, we took a trip to New Zealand’s beautiful south island. Starting in Christchurch where we saw the effects of the devastating earthquake and simultaneously fell in love with the “container mall” concept being used to revitalize the city.
November brought the Sculptures by the Sea event, Melbourne Cup, David’s birthday and a visit from Dan and Lauren. My brother Darrol helped create a “race game” for the Melbourne Cup festivities at my school and I manage to surprise David with a birthday dinner party and a new BBQ.
Dan and Lauren’s visit took us to the Hunter Valley for the first time on a wine tasting excursion. We stayed on a working horse farm, giving us a rustic “at summer camp” feel.
Recently we rode our bikes to Tropfest – a short film festival in the park (with free bike valet - cool) and we are looking forward to all the summer outdoor events kicking off in Sydney. My school closed for the “summer holiday” with a beautiful outdoor closing mass – still weird to think Christmas break is actually summer break. Being that I’m in the office and not a teacher, I’m still working. No complaints, as the office (for both David and I) closes from 20 December to 6 January! Wonder why we love it here so much! 4 weeks’ vacation and holiday closure is not a bad way to go!
I think that brings this year to a close! We look forward to a Christmas on the beach and New Year’s watching the famous Sydney Harbour fireworks. My New Year’s Resolution is to take up this blog again, so let’s hope I can stick with it. Maybe I’ll rope David into writing a few posts!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our friends here and afar!!
~David and Alyssa
To see more fun photos view our Year in Photos album!
