Thanksgiving 2008

Our Thanksgiving dinner was a little different this year, as it's not a holiday that's celebrated in Australia (duh). With no family around, it could have been depressing, but our Aussie friends came to the rescue. We fried up a couple of turkeys and had a buffet style spread that turned out fabulous. The fried turkey, an unknown way to cook turkey in OZ, was a big hit (no Tank attack). We tried to keep some traditional aspects to the event by having people say what they were thankful for. The video clip below is a peak of our friends celebrating a wonderful Thanksgiving day with us. More pics at the bottom of the blog page.


CLICK ON VIDEO

Kevin's 16th Birthday Party

Kevin turned 16 this year on October 29th. He had some friends (James, Chris, Jared and Casey) over for a video game party. They played all night, with two XBOX 360 consoles in spearate rooms. Jay and I played cooks and servers and were pretty much banned to the outside porch. But Kev had a great time as did all his mates.

Grand Final Day - 4 Oct 2008

On October 4th, we went out to JP's for a party to watch the Grand Final. According Wikipedia,

"The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions. The game has become significant to Australian culture, spawning a number of traditions and surrounding activities which have grown in popularity since the VFL/AFL went national in the 1980s. In 2006, the Sweeney Sports Report concluded that the AFL Grand Final became Australia's most important sporting event,[1] with the largest attendance, metropolitan television audience and overall interest of any annual Australian sporting event."

Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFL_Grand_Final

Basically, it equivalent to our Super Bowl. Now, following the JP's Outback Playhouse post, JP is also a bit of a MacGyver as you'll see in this video clip. Also, there are pics at the bottom of the blog page:

CLICK ON THE CLIP

Tank & the Turkey

So, we were going to fry a Turkey this week to test out before Thanksgiving next week (much anticipated by our Aussie friends). And we had the turkey thawing out on the countertop....got a phone call from Kev while at work...TANK ATE THE TURKEY!!!!

Great. $65 dollar turkey down the tank (they are expensive here)....so, Tankbutt lives up to his name. He's been in the dog house all week. But was forgiven tonight....jerk.

Australia's Got Talent!!!!

Starring Zoe-lee & Lochlin Laws, their dad Matt and Uncle Rawdy (and a few guest appearances by Billy Badass). Hope I didn't mess up on the spelling of the names too bad, but these kids are adorable. Fun night at Daryl's house, having a couple 'quiet' beers, good food and DANCING!!! Good on ya, mates!

Cox River Camping Trip (Sept. 25-26, 2008)

We went on another camping adventure with Russ and his mates. This time to Cox River, near Jenolan Caves. Great camp site right on the river and an adventure walking across Bowtells Bridge, a chainlink peditrian bridge across the river. SCARY>>>>>
More pics below.

Jay's 41st B-Day (a little be-lated)

Ok, so I've been dropping the ball lately keeping the blog updated. Jay celebrated his 41st b-day on June 27 this year over at Daryl's house. Fun time. See more pics below.

First Day of Spring 2008

Kevin got to enjoy the first warm day this spring at the beach, fishing, with his mate Aaron. He had a blast. Pics below.

JP's Outback Playhouse

We want to introduce you to our 'mate' JP. His real name is Paul and there's a story behind his nickname, as there is all Aussie nicknames, but I won't go into that. Anyway, JP is about as Aussie as you can get. Take a look at his home, his dog named Aussie (who is a Kelpi) and listen to his story about a bush fire. Official transcripts are available upon request for those who have no clue what he's saying. Pics of his place are down below.

Wisemans Ferry and Windsor, May 17-18, 2008

Our friend Paul, whom we call Rawdy, took us on a tour of his old stomping grounds in Wisemans Ferry and Windsor. Rawdy took us along the River Road, which was about the size of a bike path - one-way road with shear sandstone cliffs on one side and the Hawsberry River on the other - a bit scary. And we experienced a ferry ride across the Hawkesbury River at Sackville on our way to Windsor, where spent the nght. We frenqueted the self proclaimed "Oldest Hotel" in NSW, opened in 1815 in Windsor. It is beautiful country. More pics below.

Waton's Bay and the Gap

Yesterday, we went to Watson's Bay for the afternoon and enjoyed seafood and beautiful scenery. Watson's Bay is an upscale neighborhood near the entrance to Sydney Harbor. Our Friend Mark Draga was kind enough to take us there. Nearby is a lookout called the Gap. Unfortunately, it is known as the place were some teens committed suicide, which kind of put a damper on the place. But it was a breath taking view nonetheless. See more pics below.

Galah Cockatoos

Here are some pics of Galah Cockatoos, also known as Rose-breasted Cockatoos, eating from our feeder. They are larger than Lorikeets and they actually stole the whole feeder...flew off with it. Now we have to go get another feeder and figure out how to secure it...the Lorikeets are quite upset.

Billy Bad-ass

Please forgive the curse word, but when you read this story, you see that it is suitable. Last week, Jay and I met Daryl and Lee-Ann at the local Ingleburn RSL Club(http://www.ingleburnrsl.com.au/). RSL stands for Returned and Services League of Australia. It's basically a club with snooker, pool, pokies (slot machines) and TAB (http://www.tab.com.au/Racing/Default.aspx?State=2), drinks, food, and footy that also honors the men and women of all armed forces from all countries.

Daryl invited us over for a barbi last weekend and we all sat out back by the fire. We also met Billy, Daryl's little pit-bull dog. See more pics of Billy at the bottom of the blog.

Billy is a very sweet little dog, but like any pit breed, is one big muscle attached to her jaws. She is very friendly and took to Jay, laying in his lap all night.

This Saturday night was no different, we were invited back over for another barbi, and at the end of the evening, Daryl walked with us back to our house, with Billy on a lead. Daryl warned us that while Billy loves people, she doesn't like other animals at all. Jay being Jay, begged to differ with Daryl, because EVERYONE loves Tankbutt....and Jay let Tankbutt out of the house to meet Billy.

Well, Billy apparently had no warm and fuzzies about this Yank Tank running up to her, and immediately clamped onto Tank. It was a pretty scary scene, with Daryl and Jay trying to pry Billy off Tankbutt, but in the end, the only one bleeding was Daryl. He got a nip from Billy on the hand, but Tanks fat and fur saved him from injury. Billy was spitting hairballs, but nothing else. WHEW. Note to self - no play dates for Tank and Billy.

So for a little dog, she whooped a big ol’ Yank Tank, and hence her name is now Billy Bad-ass.

March 29, 2008 - Drive Along the Ocean

Our friend, Russ, and his son, David, took us on the most awesome Sunday drive EVER! We started the day off with a game of 10 pin. Then Kevin and his buddy, Mitch, decided they would rather play video games than go for a drive. And boy did Kevin miss out! He's learned his lesson after seeing the pictures and videos.

We started in Ingleburn and stopped at the Sublime Outlook, before driving down the Illawarra Escarpment to Austinmer where we had lunch. We ate at a place called the Headlands Hotel. Lot's of bikers and people out for a lovely Sunday afternoon. We ate lunch on the grass, overlooking the beach.

Austinmer Beach is the coolest beach Jay and I have ever seen, and we have barely ventured an hour from our house in Inglenurn! The rock escarpments reaching out to the sea were amazing. Oh, and there was a topless chick on the beach which the guys really liked.

We continued north, crossing the Sea Cliff Bridge (http://seacliffbridge.com/), which the Aussies are quite proud of, to Coalcliff, where there is a beach pool, literally carved into the rock formation on the beach. It is a salt water pool, obviously.

We drove back up the Illawrra Escarpment to Bald Hill Lookout near Otford, NSW. There were three monks sitting in the grass and we all joined them, while eating an ice cream. The view was spectacular. You could sea really far south to the Sea Cliff Bridge, and a long way off to the north along the coast.

We drove through the Royal National Park (http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/NSWRoyalNationalPark.shtml) to our last stop, Wattamolla Beach, where there was a really big waterfall cascading into the eastuary below, heading out to sea. Again, very cool beach to take kids and to camp. On our way back to Ingleburn, we drove over the Audley Weir, which is along the Hacking River. It's the furthest that boats can travel upriver from the ocean.

The whole trip took about 3 hours drive time, but we were gone for about 4 hours. Round trip was 148 km (or 92 miles). Very close to home, and awesome day out anytime. See more pics below.

Saturday, March 29, 2008 - Bush Bashing

We decided to go bush bashing last Saturday, so we hiked down to the Georges River where Kevin likes to hang out. And now Jay and I know why he likes it so much. It's really peaceful, if you ignore the huge spider webs and associated HUGE spiders hanging around. More pics below.

Circular Quay, Opera House, Harbour Bridge and The Rocks

Yesterday, Kevin and I (Tam) took a train ride to Circular Quay (pronounced 'key') while Jay stayed home and rested. We ate fish and chips on the waterfront, walked all around the Opera House, checked out the Harbour Bridge and walked around some of the region called The Rocks.

The Opera House is truly amazing http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/. Interestingly enough, the big 'sails' are made out of concrete. The Harbour Bridge is awesome in size and structure. The Rocks is the oldest part of Sydney and is known for it's night life entertainment http://www.therocks.com/. It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed ourselves. See all the pics at the bottom of the page.

Hooters, Australia

We had to check out Hooters in Parramatta, NSW, http://www.hooters-oz.com/locations_01.html. Our adventure took us on a 2 hour train ride for over priced food and a crabby manager, but Kevin had no complaints. And we had fun with our mate Russ goofing around on the train. More pics below.

CityRail

For those that are curious about the train system in Sydney, it is called CityRail http://www.cityrail.info/. We've noticed that a lot of Australians complain about CityRail, but we think it's great. Here's some pics of what the trains look like. Look for more pics down below.

Rare Birds Up Yonder, Common Birds Down Under

Jay bought a bird feeder and the rainbow lorikeets discovered it today. They are quite noisy, but very beautiful. Look for more pictures at the bottom of the blog page.

Ingleburn Alive Festival, March 15, 2008

Today was Ingleburn Alive Festival in downtown Ingleburn, the town where we live. Basically, it was like a small state fair, with rides, performances and vendors lining Oxford Street, which was closed off to traffic. This is an annual event in Ingleburn and everyone seemed to be having fun.
http://www.campbelltown.nsw.gov.au/default.asp?iNavCatID=118&iSubCatID=1430

Kevin the Bushman

Kevin has discovered a very cool get-a-way on the Georges River, right down the street from our house. He took a bunch of pictures and a short video of his 'hut'. This area has a bunch of biking and hiking trails. This type of woods is known as the Bush by the Aussies.

Toni and Jay Goofing Around

Our friend Toni is in a band and he brought over his guitar. He and Jay were rockin' out.

Australia Day, January 26, 2008

We had never heard of Australia Day until we arrived in Sydney just a few weeks before. Many people, including many Aussie I have discovered, think Australia Day marks when Captain James Cook discovered Australia. But in fact, it marks the day when Captain Arthur Phillip discovered Sydney Harbor and anchored where Circular Quay (pronounced Key) now stand and started a city, on January 26, 1788.
How do I know this? I read it in a fabulous book by Bill Bryson, "In a Sunburned County", given to me by my friend Phil at Baker (THANKS PHIL!), which I highly recommend (http://www.randomhouse.com/features/billbryson/bb_title/display.pperl?isbn=9780767903868).

Anyway, we were able to experience this day at Darling Harbor with about 1.4 million other people (no kidding, that's a real statistic!) and I gotta tell you...it was the most spectacular display of fireworks and entertainment we have ever witnessed. The crowd sang the Aussie national anthem, "Advance Australia Fair", and it was soo cool. We made are way across the crowd, which was a huge endeavor, to a nightclub that overlooks the harbor called Cohibar (http://www.cohibar.com.au/index2.html). While staying at the Quest, Jay managed to make some friends at this establishment, including the head of security, James. So we were able to get in for free on Australia Day. We also met up with our friends Mark and Anna, whom we had met a few weeks earlier at the Cohibar.

We had a great time. The crowd was fun, everyone was in good spirits, as well as highly influence by the spirits, and it was quite memorable singing "Land Down Under" by Men at Work at the top of our lungs with about 300 Aussies. The song is practically the unofficial anthem over here, and it now has real meaning to us. What can I say...it was awesome.

Finding a Place to Call Home

Our first week and a half in Sydney, we lived in what was claimed to be a furnished apartment at the Quest on Dixon Darling Harbor (http://www.questondixon.com.au/). It was nice, but it was just a nice hotel room more than an apartment. The location was fabulous, right on Darling Harbor in the CBD of Sydney and within walking distance to PB. It was right next to the Chinese Gardens and at the north end of China Town. Since neither of us worked our first week, it was a great place to be. But after a week and a half of listening to Chinese drummers every night, eating $10/plate meals everyday, and spending $190/night, and all three of us in the same space, we were ready to move on.

We started looking for a rental house immediately, but the real estate business doesn't work the same in Australia as it does in the USA. It is literally a race to be the first person to view a place and make it to real estate office and fill out an application. Then, it can be a bidding war and the landlord can be as picky as he/she likes. Not to mention, almost every place we looked at was a dump and the landlords had no intention of fixing it up or even cleaning it up. Jay and I began to get concerned because we were in a race to find a place to bring our animals’ home. We had two weeks to find a place before they were sprung from quarantine.

In the mean time, we moved to the Travel Lodge (http://www.travelodge.com.au/locations/features.aspx?hid=703) in down town Sydney for 2 days before settling at the Spanish Inn in Homebush for another 2 weeks (http://www.spanishinn.com.au/contact.htm). The Spanish Inn is located not too far from the Olympic Stadium and was much more affordable.

We lucked out and found our house here in Ingleburn thanks to the lady, Jodi, who sold us our Mercedes. She just so happened to have a 4-bedroom house for rent and we didn't have to fight for it. WHEW. We still had to wait a week longer than we wanted too, having to board the animals for another week until the house was available. But at least we found a place with relatively modern conveniences and two bathrooms.

We have really good neighbors, Theo and Marg, their daughters, Lisa and Kylie, and Kylie's beau, Toni, and our buddy Russ that have all taken us under their wing. Theo helped get Kevin into St. Gregory's College because he is an "Old Boy" of the school. Without Theo's recommendation, Kevin's chances of being accepted were nil. We are happy here and will probably stay right here until we leave. Ingleburn is a lovely little community in Campbelltown Council (County) http://www.campbelltown.nsw.gov.au/. There's lots of things to do around here and Kevin LOVES it.

Relax. We'll be too High Up for Turbulance..Yeah Right!

Those were my now infamous words to Jay and Kevin before we left out of San Francisco. I mean, after all, I'd flown to England back and forth twice in my life and I don't remember the ride being anything but smooth sailing.

HA. Out of 17 hours, 9 of them were like being on a washboard road with huge dips, driving in an old beat up truck with the stiffest shocks one can own. It was without a doubt the worst flight for turbulence I have ever experienced. Not that the turbulence was extra bumpy, but the non-stop jerking around for hours at a time was quite irritating.

Poor Jay, who hates to fly anyway and was having a near heart attack about even the thought of flying, was in the 'crash, head down-'we're going to die' position for the first 3 hours, cursing and mocking me, 'we'll be too high for turbulence'...whingen and sooking, as the Aussies would say. Kevin was snoring next to me, in a position that I couldn't figure out how he could contort his body into, taking the flight in stride. After trying to console Jay with frequent pats to the leg, reassuring 'no, we're not going down, baby' comments that were obviously no help to him, I just closed my eyes and tried to sleep.

Finally, his terror having been morphed into irritation like the rest of us, Jay sat up, arms crossed the remainder of the flight. I give him great credit that he managed this whole ordeal without a single cigarette or drop of alcohol. One thing good came from the flight, Jay is no longer afraid to fly.

So, for those of you contemplating a trip over here, you have been warned that it maybe 'a death flight', as Jay has termed it.

Don't Dare your Wife....

Well, we need to back up to about June of 2007. That's where the OZ adventure really began. I can't remember what day of the week it was now, but it was a week night, probably Thursday because we were lounging in our recliners, Jay - with Budlight in hand and me - a much more sophisticated beverage of cardboard Chardonnay (or box wine). I wouldn't say we were intoxicated as it was a work night, but a relatively deep conversation had ensued, as they often do when engaging in the spirits, which went something like this:

Tam: "Before I met you, I was going to Australia. But you messed up my plans..." (darn men...always holding the woman back)
Jay: " Well, you go bad ass. I dare you to post your resume on the net." (yeah, right)

OK. Rule number one: Don't dare a woman to do anything, especially when she feels the empowerment of beno coarsing through her veins.

"By golly, don't think I won't!"...I'm not sure I actually said 'by golly', but that was the thought process how I remember it now.

Anyway, we both got up, got on the internet and posted our resumes on some Aussie job boards. SO THERE. Think I'm afraid?? NOT. After that, Jay and I resumed our leisurely night in the reclined position, probably ready to watch TV until we fell asleep.

I'd say no later than 45 minutes after we posted our resumes, the phone rang. And to our amazement and total surprise, a lady named Kay asked to speak with Tamara Norton in a very distinct English accent. Kay is a recruiter for engineering companies in Australia and she had a wonderful opportunity for me.

Long story short, I interviewed with PB a week later and was offered a sponsorship. It all happened so fast, really. And we were moving to Sydney!

Now hold on...I just said it happened so fast. But it took 5 months to process our visas before we could really act on moving. I have to note that while it appears to be relatively easy to enter the United States, that is as long as you can swim and stand the heat or hire a coyote to sneak you in, it is quite a fiasco of paper work, health requirements, and character assesment to even be considered for a work visa in Australia. Starting with just getting a US passport......4 weeks, but we had to pay out the nose. Then the sponsorship paperwork could be completed. But wait, then there's the chest x-rays and health certificates. Finally, the last week of November 2007, our visas were approved and THEN, things began to move very rapidly.

Now that's just handling the humans of the family...we also had Tankbutt and Kitter to sort out. And my goodness, it took just as much paperwork, health certificates, MONEY and time to haul them over here too....and poor baby's had to go to jail for 30 days (quarantine) once they arrived.

We finally made it on January 4, 2008, a beautiful Friday morning. And I'll pick up the story there in my next post. It's getting late and I have to go to work in the am.