Well now that Ive pretty much caught up on blogging I will have to do better at keeping up...hmm i smell a new years resolution coming on...

Christmas is only 9 more sleeps which means only 8 more sleeps until we are in Vanuatu!! I cant wait for the relaxing beach time with my love! Just what we’ll need after spending almost a whole week apart!!

Dave went Canoeing with his friend Ryan for 3 days up the Noosa River and now they have moved on to Hervey Bay where they head to Fraser Island tomorrow for 3 more days!






In the mean time I have finished getting ready for Christmas. Its been so simple this year to not have to worry about getting everyone checked off your list and bustin the bank...it makes me realize what’s really important at this time of year. All I want to do is cuddle up with my babe on the beach!...well ...and see my family, but unless they are wrapping themselves up in a big bow and hopping an island flight, i don’t think that’s happenin til January!!

Its as simple as something that nobody knows, that her beauty will follow wherever she goes

I don’t think I could ever tire of listening to Jack Johnson, sitting on a grassy hillside on a warm summer night. He is amazing! We had the most wonderful night at the riverstage. I had a snappy cat nap after work and got dressed up for the show only to remember that we were riding our bikes...so totally unfashionable to plop a helmet on your do, get nice and sweaty on the pedal over and feel less than fabulous upon arrival...not cool. But Dave reminded me that being gorgeously green was more important to mother nature anyways so off we were with the wind in our hair...it was actually an enjoyable ride along the river and we even got a shout out from Jack himself for all the peeps who used bicycles to get to the show ha! Plus I do believe that biking in high heeled boots MUST certainly burn bonus calories! Anyways the we had a great view and loved the tunes. Dave and I both agreed we loved this show even more than when we last saw him in Vancouver. Beautiful night. Jack you totally rocked our world...reminds me, I better keep on practicing my guitar...its not going to play itself!

Birthday wishes

So to be totally honest I was pretty apprehensive about my birthday this year and for the very first time was not really looking forward to it...yes I suppose most people despise turning another year older but that's usually not the case with me and it wasn’t the reason for my lack of enthusiasm this time around either. I love nothing more than celebrating another fabulous trip around the sun, but 25 is a big year for me and I was dreading the fact that we had none of our best friends and family to share it with as we always do. But I did receive some beautiful packages from Canada and of course Dave to the rescue...he was a superstar, and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face the whole weekend!

He made me the most amazing breakfast in bed to kick off birthday week (after coming home from a 5am work shift AND waiting 45mins at the grocery store for it to finally open!!), we celebrated the office Christmas party on Sunday and on Monday he made the most delicious Pad Thai on request from the birthday girl! Umm can you say wonderboy! 

I was spoiled with an amazing new camera, a canon rebel. This is the full meal deal of photography complete with removable lens and strap to complete the profesh look! I cant wait to learn to use it!! Im so thankful for my amazing man who makes turning 25 a fabulous thing!

This is a picture of our evening at Tukka Restaurant in West End...it was a yummy 4 course meal with authentic Aussie flavors...we had wild meats, berries, nuts and gelato...yum!

We are ready for old santy clause too now, our tree is up and cards are filling the empty spaces between the branches! Hope the fat guy knows to find us in Vanuatu!!

Where does the time go?!

Yeowza...Its already been two months since I posted my last blog, and I still remember writing the very first blog thinking ...OMG we made it one whole month in Brisbane!! And now, almost five months on and I haven’t even found the time to write about all of our crazy fun times in the past two months! I will try to catch you up on what we did for the first half of November....

We spent Halloween weekend in Byron Bay, strolling the streets and walking along the beaches, pretty much just chilled out. We did some surfing, big shocker...Dave is a total natural, I gave it a go and decided I made a better photographer than a surfer chick. We had a yummy dinner and decided to call it an early night. So we parked the ‘ol camper van in a parking lot that had a few other vans there and hit the hay only to be woken up by an officer pounding on the door at 5am!?! Apparently the parking lot is closed at night (notice the sign in the picture??...i know, i didnt either!!) and all other vans knew this minor detail and moved the party elsewhere while we were left in the dust and with an $80 ticket! Whoopsies...on a brighter note we haven’t had to pay it yet :)




Oh and apparently Halloween is barely even considered a holiday here, and no one bothers to decorate or dress up or even take the rug rats trick-or-treating...what fun is that?! Lame. 

Melbourne Cup came and went in a frenzy. November 2 marked the day that a race (a horse race that is) stops an entire nation...literally. For the big day we up-ed the festivities at work. All of us ladies got frocked up and we had a yummy potluck lunch...everyone placed their bets and gathered around the tv in the boardroom to watch the Melbourne Cup at precisely 2:00. My pony was pretty much left in the dust, but what an exciting race, none the less!!
The pic is of my outfit, complete with fascinator (any big hair piece/hat will do...the bigger the better, also the more it resembles a bird, the better...i stuck to a totally unimaginative giant red flower) oh, and 7 layer mexican dip for lunch!

Check out these amazing views of Purlingbrook Falls! We did a mini hike (I was a trouper in uber flat gladiator sandals) through the rain forest to a gorgeous waterfall with some friends from work. I love the lush green rain forests so much that I’ve booked my parents and Dave and I a night to spend in the Hinterlands when they get here...hurry up, we cant wait for you to get to this tropical paradise!

The summer sun is beating down on us now, and I can’t help but love basking in it all weekend long! We have been lying low the past few weekends, which has been so relaxing. Our days are filled with wandering from market to market stopping only for an ice cream at the cold rock creamery or to see whats showing at the gallery. One of our favorite things to do lately is stop for a latte when we hear the locals playing live music on the street or at a cafe. You can find groovin tunes on nearly every corner you pass, its brilliant!

The Jacaranda trees are in full bloom for the months of October and November and they are bursting with bright purple flowers. I have taken so many pictures, they are gorgeous. Now that is beach weather we are planning a trip to Byron Bay next weekend...to find a new adventure and hopefully catch some waves!!

The Queen Grandma arrives in Brissy!

 So last Monday happened to be the day of celebration for the Queen's Birthday in Western Australia...but we had our very own celebration with a different Queen this week when my Grandma and Great Aunt spent the day in Brissy! We had such a beautiful day together. I couldn't even try to contain my joy, I took off running down the street when I first saw the pair and gave them the biggest hug and smootch. We had cappuccinos at a local cafe and drove out to scenic Mt. Cootha which overlooks all of the city. Then we walked around Southbank Parklands and  shared a scrumptious lunch at Grill'd...our new top fav! As Dave drove us around the city, they told us some hilarious stories about growing up in Australia...and now I see where ALL of her divine Aussie quirks come from! The rest of the day was spent cuddling up on our couch listening to the stories of their 17 day cruise thus far from Perth to Broome to Darwin to Carins and now to Brisbane. We had high tea and ate homemade vanilla bean cupcakes as they told us about other adventures they'd been on whist trotting the globe. What amazing world travelers they are...such an inspiration for me.  It was such a wonderful day, not only did I get to see two familiar faces...I got to see two of my most favorite faces on the planet!! At the end of the day, we dropped them off, blew a kiss and waved them farewell...and they were off to Sydney! So long Queen Grandma, it's been a slice!

So its somewhat ironic that it takes us coming all the way across the big pond to Brisbane to see Tim McGraw for the first time. The concert was just what we expected... amazing! Some good classic country music. A fun night to celebrate too, since it was Nikki's 19th birthday that night!

The rest of our weekend was filled with marketing in West End and snuggling up with a movie night on Saturday... spent the evening with Thelma & Louise...

An Island Getaway.

If you want to see the most amazing colors fill the sky at sunset, you HAVE TO go to Moreton Island in September!  We took the one hour ferry trip from HOLT St Wharf (how appropriate!) to Moreton a few weeks ago and it was a fabulous getaway for the day. We took in a whale watching tour on board a catamaran, and saw over 12 different humpback whales frolicking in the sea. It was amazing! They were quite the show-offs when they knew there was an audience watching. When we reached the shore Dave & I took a stroll on the beach and had a picnic. The sunset was unreal, the sky turned from bright, fiery oranges and reds to brilliant pinks and blues. I guess what they say is true, red sky at night, sailor’s delight! Of course I took advantage of the lighting...so many gorgeous photos, they almost looked profesh!

Nightfall signals the dolphins for a feeding frenzy! About eight wild dolphins swam into the bay and we were able to feed them right from our hands! They were actually kinda freaky...well just really big, with pointy teeth, but it was still neato to get up close and personal for sure!

 

So, needless to say, I will definitely be getting my relax on...with many more trips to Moreton Island in the near future! Its hard to believe that such a beautiful oasis is only an hour away from home! Now I can get used to that!

17 Buddhist Monks

The funk and flare of Brisbane Festival fills the air! The city is overflowing with fascinating performers, fabulous fashion, and funky music and we have only three weeks to take in all of its magic.

Festival days kicked off with RIVERFIRE...a brilliant half-hour fireworks display that Dave and I watched from the comfort of our living room! The display stretched across the river with massive amounts of fireworks being shot from the tops of bridges, high rises, and the river valley. Since “The Regis” is right on the river, we had to have had the best view in the city, on the 8^thfloor. The night would not be complete without the buzz of an F-111 fighter jet screaming past our window with a “dump-and-burn”. This is where the strike jets release fuel and set it on fire creating a blast of explosion out the back. It took my breath away, it was SO close!

 

On Thursday night we took in our first performance of the festival, the Australian premier of SUTRA, at the Playhouse, QPAC. Based on the rituals and traditions of Buddhist warrior monks, it was a breathtaking athletic and artistic piece perfected by 17 monks of the Shaolin temple in China. The performance celebrated the unwavering skill, strength and spirituality of the group. They included 21 wooden boxes in the performance and did amazing tricks with the props. The monks follow a strict Buddhist doctrine, with Kung-Fu and Tai Chi as an integral part of their daily regime...as such, they made jumping 6ft in the air look effortless. I don’t think I’ll be able to capture the true essence of what we saw...but ill tell you one thing, I plan to do about 10 extra push-ups tonight before bed!

Next performance on the schedule is the dynamic circus premier, Wunderkammer. Loving festival days!

Spring has SPRUNG, we've made it ONE whole month!

Well, it has taken me one month since our arrival in Brisbane to get this blog up and running...but true to my word mamma, here it is!!

 We've definitely had a whirlwind month full of new discoveries, big adventures, and maybe even the odd "what have we done?" Aside from getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road, you must get accustomed to walking on the other side of the sidewalk to avoid collisions or better yet the awkward "cant decide which side to pass you on" dance. You must look the opposite way when crossing the street and you must not ask for toonies or loonies in change or you will get that look that you are infact a looney yourself! All of that aside, you would think moving to a country like Australia, which is quite similar to Canada, would be a pretty smooth transition. But the simple everyday conversations become quite a struggle when you have no idea who is campaigning in the upcoming election, you cant tell the difference between rugby, footy, football, and soccer and when you try to blabber on about the first day of spring, September 1st, the quintessential saying "April showers bring May flowers" is not true anymore! On the other hand, it doesn't matter where you come from or what you know, you can always appreciate a poolside lazy day and we plan to be doing plenty of that on the terrace of the Regis! Check out our fabulous "spa" as they call it here! We love our home at the Regis. Its the epitome of simple living and that's exactly what we love about it. Not to mention the river views are gorgeous and we cant get enough of watching the busy traffic buzz below, knowing we have no where to be.

In our first month in Brisbane, we have visited Mt. Cootha...a lookout point high above the city with beautiful panoramic views of Brisbane. We've met some long lost rellies for a good old fashioned Aussie Barbie and strolled the markets for tons of local goodies! We've met with familiar friends from Canada, experienced our first "RiverFire" and ventured out to Moreton Island...more on that to come! The sun has been shining almost everyday and its easy to tell summer is just around the corner!

Did I really just start a BLOG?...HelloOoOoo World!