christmas ski day

This year we did something a little different on Christmas Day - we spent it out in the snow! With Christmas Day falling on a Thursday, it was the perfect opportunity for us to use our "custom season pass" at Solitude Mountain Resort, which allows us to ski/snowboard every Thursday. (Much cheaper than a full season pass). Mark's brother Ben joined us for the day. Here he is with Santa, who was handing out candy on the slopes!

It snowed pretty much the whole day, so we had to get the snowblower out to clear the driveway when we got home so we could get the car back in the garage.

christmas eve

No sooner had we arrived home from Australia than Christmas was upon us! Heather managed to get a real Christmas tree for only $5 from Lowes. (One advantage to waiting until the last minute!). After all the celebrations in Australia, there were few presents left to be had under the tree.

We did however enjoy a nice Christmas dinner with Mark's Dad, Norzela and brother Ben.

welcome home

Our return from Australia didn't go as smoothly as we'd hoped. Our Qantas 747 developed a water leak, and half way over the Pacific had run out of all water for drinking and toilets, so we had to stop in Honolulu, to fix the leak and take on more water. Now a brief stopover in Honolulu might sound like a nice idea, except we arrived at 2am local time, and had to sit on the plane on the tarmac while the problem was resolved. Where's the fun in that? This little detour made us 3 hours late getting into LA and so we missed our connection to Salt Lake. Unfortunately, bad weather across the US had put the regular airline services into chaos, and due to the backlog of other already delayed passengers, we weren't able to get another flight until the following day. So as well as an unscheduled stop in Hawaii, we got to spend a night in LA at an airport hotel. When we finally arrived home, we were greeted by falling snow. It was quite a shock after the Summer heat of Australia. Thanks go to our dear neighbors, Shaina & Edwin, for clearing our driveway of snow so we could get in!

downunder 08 - kate's graduation

Finally, on December 20th, it was time for Kate's graduation ceremony - the primary purpose of our visit to Australia. After 5 years of hard work and study, one switch of major and a great internship at Elanora Primary School, Kate was graduating from Griffith University with a Bachelor of Education.

Sixteen family members showed up to support her. We made quite a loud cheer as she crossed the stage.

Of course she couldn't pass up the opportunity to rib her twin brother Ben about the fact that she had graduated BEFORE him!

It was great that her proud Nanna, at 88, had made it to the graduation too.

Afterwards we went to Mario's restaurant in Broadbeach for a celbratory lunch.

downunder 08 - congratulations kate & troy

Kate & Troy have been dating for about 2 years, and recently Troy asked Kate to marry him. We celebrated their engagement with champagne toasts and gifts while we were all gathered together. They have set a wedding date of May 1st 2010, so looks like we'll be making a few more trips back across the ocean. Congratulations Kate & Troy, we wish you a very happy and successful life together!

downunder 08 - family christmas

Unfortunately, due to Mark's work schedule, we had to return to the U.S. before Christmas, so this evening many of Heather's family gathered at her brother's house on the Gold Coast for an early "family Christmas". There were 13 of us, which made for rather a lot of presents under the tree! Per family tradition, all the presents were handed out, and then we took it in turns to open the gifts, starting with the "youngest" (Jasmine) and working our way to the eldest (Nanna).



















Something got Nanna going, and she just couldn't stop laughing!




The table was beautifully set with fine china and "goodie bags". We dined on prawns (shrimp), roast turkey, ham, stuffing and assorted vegetables, rounded off with plum pudding and custard for dessert. It was a fun evening. Thank you Ian & Maureen. You were great hosts.

downuder 08 - the road south

With Kate's graduation only two days away, it was time to head back to the Gold Coast. With Heather's mother in tow, we travelled south, stopping in Nambour to visit Heather's ex-sister-in-law Maria & her husband John. We then continued via the scenic route via Montville in the mountains behind the Sunshine Coast (where we spent our honeymoon).

We enjoyed a tasty lunch in Montville, a quick visit to our favorite wood-working store, and then got back on the road...

passing pineapple fields...

...and Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo, on our way back south.

downunder 08 - more family time

We hit the road again, heading north east another 165km (102 miles) to the city of Gympie, where Heather's mother, and Heather's sister Margaret & her husband Deryck live. Margaret & Deryck retired to the quieter pace of Gympie after many years living on the Gold Coast and then travelling around the world and around Australia. They have since been very busy renovating and adding personal touches to their charming old house.

After picking Heather's mother up from her unit at a nearby retirement village, we spent the afternoon on the verandah, chatting, reminiscing and looking over the scrapbooks that Heather had made for Ben & Kate.

In the evening, Heather's niece Brenda and her husband Vince joined us for a wonderful "Christmas Dinner" of turkey, cranberry sauce and all the trimmings. (No we're not drunk in this picture, just having fun popping our traditional Christmas Crackers!)

downunder 08 - on the road again

Today we hit the road again, heading 284km (176 miles) north from the Gold Coast through Brisbane and on inland to visit our friends Cathy & Tony who, a couple of years ago, decided on a lifestyle change and had moved from the city to several acres in the country near the town of Kingaroy.


We met Cathy & Tony in the town of Yarraman, and did a bit of local site-seeing first, taking in the local historical museum and then a visit to Pottique Lavender Farm. Apart from the rows and rows of lavender, the farm has some lovely gardens and a large gift shop selling every kind of lavender product imagineable, not just soaps and oils, but also prints, bears, painted furniture and pottery.

We took a break sitting on the terrace and enjoyed a homemade Devonshire Tea (an English tradition that is popular in Australia for a morning or afternoon "snack" comprising a pot of tea served with scones and cream & jam).

We were very excited to see Cathy & Tony's new place, a charming old farmhouse with lovely hardwood floors, nice views and so much land! After meeting the animals, we sat on the verandah enjoying the cool breezes, Tony's homemade margarita's, cheese & crackers and talked for hours.

Here's Cathy & Heather taking a walk around the gardens with the dogs.

After dark, we enjoyed a wonderful roast "Christmas Dinner" with our dear friends. While we were cleaning up, Heather was excited to see a whole host of green tree frogs gathering on the verandah railings. These frogs are common in Queensland with it's moist climate. They hide in tree hollows and under plants during the day, and come out at night to feed on bugs, beetles and insects. They love to hang out around houses, because the lights shining through windows at night attract a feast!

downunder 08 - lunch with work colleagues

We caught up with Heather's former co-workers (workmates in Aus speak) at the Clear Software office in Robina. We were surprised to see how much more development had grown up around the office buildings and shops at Robina Town Centre in the 4 years since we had left. After checking out the old office and chatting with everyone, a group of us then headed over to a nearby Indian Restaurant for lunch. It was great to see everyone again. Wish we'd had more time to spend with you.

downunder 08 - i miss the beach

This morning was the first chance that Mark & I had to head to the beach. We met Kate and her cute dog Emma at our old haunt - Currumbin Estuary. There is a wide lagoon here where Currumbin Creek meets the ocean, that is popular for swimming, kayaking and other watersports sheltered from the wind and the surf. A short walk takes you across the dunes to the surf beach.


It was a beautiful blue sky morning, perfect for a walk and a swim. Emma is a very energetic spoodle (cross between a spaniel and a poodle), and really seemed to enjoy the extra company.

This is the view looking north towards Burleigh Headland (a small national park) and the high rise of Surfers Paradise in the distance. Unfortunately there wasn't much surf to talk of, but seeing the sparkling water, hearing the waves and smelling the ocean - it really felt like home!

downunder 08 - meet the parents

This evening was our first chance to meet Kate's boyfriend of 2 years - Troy. He joined us after work and we all went out to dinner at Lonestar Steakhouse (yes even in Australia there's a Texas steakhouse!) Afterwards we worked off our big meal at the nearby Putt Putt (mini golf). It was a fun way to get to know each other better.

Troy (who manages a sporting goods store and is keen on sports) came out the winner, narrowly beating Mark. Jasmine & I brought up the rear.