Christmas 2014
9 years ago
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Day 11 or 12…not sure: Halloween
The girls both have field trips and head to school like champs. Dave is off to work and Mom stays home to tackle all the laundry and hug on the boys.
We have a quick dinner and throw on the costumes. This year we have the classic ghost (Hannah), Alice in Wonderland holding the Cheshire cat (Tate), a pirate (Jack) and Baby Yoda (Carter). Carter hates his costume until we plug a sucker into his mouth. Then he’s a messy, yet happy little Yoda.
We trick or treat the neighborhood and Carter shows his affinity for chocolate. His Jedi coats are covered. Jack climbs a wall and falls on his chin, which drastically alters his mood. We hit a few more houses and head over to Poppa and Jana’s and then Julie’s house. When we pull into the garage, 3 out of 4 kids are out. Hannah is actually snoring. Tate sits in the middle with a huge smile on her face. She wanted to be home in time for this and she’s eating as much candy as possible.
Happy Halloween!
We have a quick dinner and throw on the costumes. This year we have the classic ghost (Hannah), Alice in Wonderland holding the Cheshire cat (Tate), a pirate (Jack) and Baby Yoda (Carter). Carter hates his costume until we plug a sucker into his mouth. Then he’s a messy, yet happy little Yoda.
We trick or treat the neighborhood and Carter shows his affinity for chocolate. His Jedi coats are covered. Jack climbs a wall and falls on his chin, which drastically alters his mood. We hit a few more houses and head over to Poppa and Jana’s and then Julie’s house. When we pull into the garage, 3 out of 4 kids are out. Hannah is actually snoring. Tate sits in the middle with a huge smile on her face. She wanted to be home in time for this and she’s eating as much candy as possible.
Happy Halloween!
Days 9, 10 and 11: A Blur
It’s travel day. We’re heading home. We’re on the bus to the Melbourne airport by 7:30 in the morning. We spend an hour and a half checking in to get our seat assignments. Then there’s customs, followed by security. Oh, and your flight is delayed until 2:30 pm. We eat and shop. Now the flight will leave at 4:30 pm. I’ve never been so anxious to get on a 14 hour flight in my life!
The flight is relatively painless. We arrive in L.A. at 11 a.m. Out of customs by noon. So we miss our flight home. The next flight they can get us home on is at 4:30 pm. Urgh! There’s nothing like spending that long waiting to get on a one hour flight so close to home. We’re done. We’re all completely irritated with one another. There is little spoken. We eat, which helps…a little. There’s only one cure. Home.
When Aunt Julie pulls up in the suburban with Jack, we’re thrilled! We throw in the bags and get home ASAP. Jack is smiling ear to ear! I sprint into the house to be the first to get my hands on Carter. I expect him to be bitter and not look at me. He turns to see me, begins to whimper for me to pick him up and says, “Mama!”. Of course, now he calls Grandma, Jana, Julie, Alma, Daddy and probably the UPS guy “Mama”, so I guess I shouldn’t feel so special…but I do!
Dave and I wake up at 2 a.m., completely amped, but manage to fall back asleep.
The flight is relatively painless. We arrive in L.A. at 11 a.m. Out of customs by noon. So we miss our flight home. The next flight they can get us home on is at 4:30 pm. Urgh! There’s nothing like spending that long waiting to get on a one hour flight so close to home. We’re done. We’re all completely irritated with one another. There is little spoken. We eat, which helps…a little. There’s only one cure. Home.
When Aunt Julie pulls up in the suburban with Jack, we’re thrilled! We throw in the bags and get home ASAP. Jack is smiling ear to ear! I sprint into the house to be the first to get my hands on Carter. I expect him to be bitter and not look at me. He turns to see me, begins to whimper for me to pick him up and says, “Mama!”. Of course, now he calls Grandma, Jana, Julie, Alma, Daddy and probably the UPS guy “Mama”, so I guess I shouldn’t feel so special…but I do!
Dave and I wake up at 2 a.m., completely amped, but manage to fall back asleep.
Day 9: Slip Sliding Away
The days have gone by so fast! It’s hard to believe this is our last full day in Oz! I’m officially missing the boys big time. We’ve called them every other day, but Jack is starting to sound a bit fed up with us being gone. We’re ready to come home.
Dave wakes up and heads out for a run. I realize that could fit a run in too, since Poppa and Michael are here too. I head out and run along the river. It is fun to wonder where everyone is headed, peek into the cafes with locals sipping their “flat blacks” and dodging cute little children out for a walk. Tour boats with glass windows creep along the water way. I head under a bridge and see the boathouses. One has a banner congratulating their Beijing gold medalists. Many are still out rowing.
I look ahead and see a familiar figure. Dave is jogging toward me, so I pop up and say hello! He’s in his own zone and just about jumps out of his skin. I guess you wouldn’t expect that in a foreign city when you think your wife is back at the hotel. We jog back to the hotel, I head up and he continues on. I have a chocolate croissant in hand by the time he joins up with us. As Missy says…Isn’t this why we work out?!
We head out into the city with Michael and Poppa. They are heading out on the Sports Tour of local fields, but are joining us for lunch. We find, of all things, an Irish pub. After a hearty lunch, we decide to explore the city one last time. We walk along the river, but the girls aren’t interested in the ferry ride to the science museum. They’re ready for home, I think. We buy an extra piece of luggage to insure we aren’t over weight and head back to the hotel to pack before the big gala farewell dinner.
All fancy, the girls are beautiful in their chocolate brown dresses. They roam around the dining room with their new found pool friend. World Wide RV won a dealer award, so we get to sit at a table up front and rub elbows with the Jayco execs. They describe next year’s incentive trip, which is a cruise down the Danube River. It sounds fabulous. We all chuckle amongst ourselves, wondering who’s actually going to qualify in this market?!
There are hugs all around- to old and new friends. It is a unique experience- getting away from reality with the same group of dealer friends each year (for the past 10 years). We’ve watched children grow up and management change. We’ve been in the front of the room at the gala dinner…and in the back, the very back. We’ve seen people experience great joy and great loss- just like in real life. It feels a little more amplified tonight as we see long time friends dealing with the ravages of cancer. Each day is a blessing and I want to get home and hug my babies.
Dave wakes up and heads out for a run. I realize that could fit a run in too, since Poppa and Michael are here too. I head out and run along the river. It is fun to wonder where everyone is headed, peek into the cafes with locals sipping their “flat blacks” and dodging cute little children out for a walk. Tour boats with glass windows creep along the water way. I head under a bridge and see the boathouses. One has a banner congratulating their Beijing gold medalists. Many are still out rowing.
I look ahead and see a familiar figure. Dave is jogging toward me, so I pop up and say hello! He’s in his own zone and just about jumps out of his skin. I guess you wouldn’t expect that in a foreign city when you think your wife is back at the hotel. We jog back to the hotel, I head up and he continues on. I have a chocolate croissant in hand by the time he joins up with us. As Missy says…Isn’t this why we work out?!
We head out into the city with Michael and Poppa. They are heading out on the Sports Tour of local fields, but are joining us for lunch. We find, of all things, an Irish pub. After a hearty lunch, we decide to explore the city one last time. We walk along the river, but the girls aren’t interested in the ferry ride to the science museum. They’re ready for home, I think. We buy an extra piece of luggage to insure we aren’t over weight and head back to the hotel to pack before the big gala farewell dinner.
All fancy, the girls are beautiful in their chocolate brown dresses. They roam around the dining room with their new found pool friend. World Wide RV won a dealer award, so we get to sit at a table up front and rub elbows with the Jayco execs. They describe next year’s incentive trip, which is a cruise down the Danube River. It sounds fabulous. We all chuckle amongst ourselves, wondering who’s actually going to qualify in this market?!
There are hugs all around- to old and new friends. It is a unique experience- getting away from reality with the same group of dealer friends each year (for the past 10 years). We’ve watched children grow up and management change. We’ve been in the front of the room at the gala dinner…and in the back, the very back. We’ve seen people experience great joy and great loss- just like in real life. It feels a little more amplified tonight as we see long time friends dealing with the ravages of cancer. Each day is a blessing and I want to get home and hug my babies.
Day 8: Takin it to the Streets…
We totally sleep through breakfast, which ends at 9. It is rumored that few actually make breakfast. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the previous night. We have a healthy round of pastries and are ready to hit the town. We forget our map, so we really have no clue where we are going. We walk along the river, past the train station and do some people watching. Melbourne has a different “feel” than Sydney- actually more metropolitan. We’re downtown during the weekday though, whereas we were in Sydney over the weekend. There are countless joggers and cyclists at all times of the day. We wonder when they find time to work?
We happen upon some fun souvenir shops and stock up on the necessities- boomerangs and stuffed kangaroos. It’s 1:30 and we haven’t eaten yet. The options seem to all be fast food. There are countless KFC’s, Subways and Happy Jacks (with a logo curiously similar to Burger King- which does nothing to peak our interests any further), but nothing sit down yummy. Then we turn down an alley with little shops and discover a tiny little Italian restaurant, no bigger than our family room. They have gnocchi on the menu, so in we go! The girls both each two orders of pasta with cheesy cream sauce. The waiter is so kind- he brings coloring books for the girls, explains where the science museum is and brings us maps.
Back at the hotel, we head to the huge indoor pool. Dave swims for over an hour like the energizer bunny. I do a few laps until I backstroke my head into the wall. Granted, there aren’t any lane lines and the cavernous ceiling has no markers…but I’m all out of the mood after that. I notice a little girl (with her parents on the Jayco trip too) about Tate’s age and drag the girls over kicking and pleading no! to meet her. They act all shy, but are soon playing Marco Polo up until she has to leave. Afterwards, the girls practice doing backwards flips while Dad swims and Mom reads. I hear a scream and look up at Tatum holding her head. She did a lovely back flip and whacked her head on the pool steps. She has a bleeding gash between her eyebrows, so I ask the pool attendant for some ice. He, of course, out of protocol has to call the medic. She’s fine, I say, but they still have to call them. This huge burly medic/ bouncer (I’m embellishing here, but his nametag did say security) shows up and looks her over. She’s so intimidated that she can’t answer, so he starts using this squirrelly little girl voice with her, which cracks me up more than her! Turns out that she will indeed survive and even basks in the glow of all the attention.
At dinner, we go to a restaurant called the Waterfront. Their specialty is fish, but there are huge prime aged ribeyes hanging in the case. The girls share a bento box of sushi, miso soup and soba noodles. Michael bets Tate gelato if she eats the ball of wasabi. We watch in horror as she stuffs the whole thing in her mouth. She spits something out, but it’s only the lettuce it was sitting on. She smiles with pleasure and tells Michael he owes her. This is the same kid who freaked out over Vegemite! Needless to say, she did get her gelato. Three flavors to be exact. Each well deserved.
We happen upon some fun souvenir shops and stock up on the necessities- boomerangs and stuffed kangaroos. It’s 1:30 and we haven’t eaten yet. The options seem to all be fast food. There are countless KFC’s, Subways and Happy Jacks (with a logo curiously similar to Burger King- which does nothing to peak our interests any further), but nothing sit down yummy. Then we turn down an alley with little shops and discover a tiny little Italian restaurant, no bigger than our family room. They have gnocchi on the menu, so in we go! The girls both each two orders of pasta with cheesy cream sauce. The waiter is so kind- he brings coloring books for the girls, explains where the science museum is and brings us maps.
Back at the hotel, we head to the huge indoor pool. Dave swims for over an hour like the energizer bunny. I do a few laps until I backstroke my head into the wall. Granted, there aren’t any lane lines and the cavernous ceiling has no markers…but I’m all out of the mood after that. I notice a little girl (with her parents on the Jayco trip too) about Tate’s age and drag the girls over kicking and pleading no! to meet her. They act all shy, but are soon playing Marco Polo up until she has to leave. Afterwards, the girls practice doing backwards flips while Dad swims and Mom reads. I hear a scream and look up at Tatum holding her head. She did a lovely back flip and whacked her head on the pool steps. She has a bleeding gash between her eyebrows, so I ask the pool attendant for some ice. He, of course, out of protocol has to call the medic. She’s fine, I say, but they still have to call them. This huge burly medic/ bouncer (I’m embellishing here, but his nametag did say security) shows up and looks her over. She’s so intimidated that she can’t answer, so he starts using this squirrelly little girl voice with her, which cracks me up more than her! Turns out that she will indeed survive and even basks in the glow of all the attention.
At dinner, we go to a restaurant called the Waterfront. Their specialty is fish, but there are huge prime aged ribeyes hanging in the case. The girls share a bento box of sushi, miso soup and soba noodles. Michael bets Tate gelato if she eats the ball of wasabi. We watch in horror as she stuffs the whole thing in her mouth. She spits something out, but it’s only the lettuce it was sitting on. She smiles with pleasure and tells Michael he owes her. This is the same kid who freaked out over Vegemite! Needless to say, she did get her gelato. Three flavors to be exact. Each well deserved.
Day 7: Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes
Today we say good bye to Sydney and head for Melbourne. We’re game to discover a new locale, but vibrant Sydney is hard to leave. Our flight is an easy hour and half. Turns out Melbourne has an intense rivalry with Sydney in sports and beyond. Melbourne describes itself as “sports mad”. The Melbourne Cup is Nov. 2 and apparently they celebrate it for the full 3 weeks prior. On the big day (horserace in case you were unaware, like myself) ladies get decked out in beautiful spring dresses (remember the seasons are backwards here) and fabulous hats. It sounds a lot like the Kentucky Derby, but instead of drinking mint juleps, they eat chicken and drink champagne. Sounds like a dangerous combination to me!
Melbourne is right near the ocean, but it’s heart is around a river. Our hotel, the Crown Tower sits right on the river. We walk into the three story lobby, which is covered in sparkling black granite- the walls, floors and fountains. Above us is a ceiling of crystal in an undulating pattern of stalactites. It is totally dark, except for the light show bouncing off every surface to the beat of emotionally charged music. The fountains keep time with the music, shooting sprays of water across the black surfaces. Picture Phantom of the Opera times ten. Our jaws drop. The experience is so intense, that it is almost a relief to walk away.
We go up the elevator to our room and we are greeted with the overwhelming stench of cigarette smoke. Everything is beautiful, yet I picture some hidden away drug deal as we pass by a cloister of 4 open doors full of shirtless men smoking. A man crosses the hall in his bathrobe. Just keep walking, I think as we usher the girls past. We head down for a light snack and the guys head down to the front desk to grumble. After our nosh, we head up to our new room. Let’s just say it pays to be the squeaky wheel sometimes! We waltz into our suite- there’s an entry leading to a living room with curved windows overlooking the city. There’s a separate dining room and two bedrooms. The bathrooms are absolute luxury, including a huge jetted tub with its own tv. I take pictures, because I don’t want to forget what a treat this is!
We freshen up and dress up for our fancy dinner, called “Meet the Aussies”. Jayco Motorhomes has a factory in Melbourne and all the Aussie dealers have joined up with us. The Aussies have put together the most amazing fete for us. We arrive at a plain looking metal warehouse on a wharf. We are feeling a little under whelmed. Where are we, we think. We wait outside, as waiters serve up mini meat pies and beef carpaccio. The girls slam about 2 sodas each as mom grimaces. When we walk into the warehouse, the whole place is pitch black- except for a spotlight on each table. Huge sprays of flowers fall over the tables, held up by candelabras wrapped in tree bark. Dinner is amazing and you can’t take a sip of wine without the waiter filling your glass. A famous (in Australia) country band of sisters comes out and wows us. The whole room is loving the group. They sing a few well know country songs toward the end and we all sing along (probably the endless flow of wine helped that). It’s already late when they serve dessert and the comedian takes the stage. He’s hilarious, but I’m glad the reverberation is a bit bad and am hoping the girls don’t catch all the jokes.
It was a stellar evening. We can barely keep the girls awake on the bus ride back to the hotel. We crash at our fabulous pad.
Melbourne is right near the ocean, but it’s heart is around a river. Our hotel, the Crown Tower sits right on the river. We walk into the three story lobby, which is covered in sparkling black granite- the walls, floors and fountains. Above us is a ceiling of crystal in an undulating pattern of stalactites. It is totally dark, except for the light show bouncing off every surface to the beat of emotionally charged music. The fountains keep time with the music, shooting sprays of water across the black surfaces. Picture Phantom of the Opera times ten. Our jaws drop. The experience is so intense, that it is almost a relief to walk away.
We go up the elevator to our room and we are greeted with the overwhelming stench of cigarette smoke. Everything is beautiful, yet I picture some hidden away drug deal as we pass by a cloister of 4 open doors full of shirtless men smoking. A man crosses the hall in his bathrobe. Just keep walking, I think as we usher the girls past. We head down for a light snack and the guys head down to the front desk to grumble. After our nosh, we head up to our new room. Let’s just say it pays to be the squeaky wheel sometimes! We waltz into our suite- there’s an entry leading to a living room with curved windows overlooking the city. There’s a separate dining room and two bedrooms. The bathrooms are absolute luxury, including a huge jetted tub with its own tv. I take pictures, because I don’t want to forget what a treat this is!
We freshen up and dress up for our fancy dinner, called “Meet the Aussies”. Jayco Motorhomes has a factory in Melbourne and all the Aussie dealers have joined up with us. The Aussies have put together the most amazing fete for us. We arrive at a plain looking metal warehouse on a wharf. We are feeling a little under whelmed. Where are we, we think. We wait outside, as waiters serve up mini meat pies and beef carpaccio. The girls slam about 2 sodas each as mom grimaces. When we walk into the warehouse, the whole place is pitch black- except for a spotlight on each table. Huge sprays of flowers fall over the tables, held up by candelabras wrapped in tree bark. Dinner is amazing and you can’t take a sip of wine without the waiter filling your glass. A famous (in Australia) country band of sisters comes out and wows us. The whole room is loving the group. They sing a few well know country songs toward the end and we all sing along (probably the endless flow of wine helped that). It’s already late when they serve dessert and the comedian takes the stage. He’s hilarious, but I’m glad the reverberation is a bit bad and am hoping the girls don’t catch all the jokes.
It was a stellar evening. We can barely keep the girls awake on the bus ride back to the hotel. We crash at our fabulous pad.
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