Pre-Holiday Post

Gosh, I look at the date and think how quickly the time has passed between my last blog entry and now.  It’s funny that I often think of what I want to write, but never find the time to sit down to put pen to paper.  Here goes.

The Train

I commute to work on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday via the train.  It’s really nice because Sam and I get the pleasure of travelling to work together.  There are some times that I bring Harrison into the city to meet Sam for lunch or we all travel together for a Saturday down in Fremantle.  There have been a couple instances on the train that really stick in my mind:

I was travelling back from the city with Harrison after having a lunch meeting with my boss – Harrison had a nice lunch date with his daddy. We had taken the train into the city on this day because Harrison LOVES to ride the train.  Sometimes you cringe at the smell of some of the people that get on the train.  It’s a mix of people, never know what you are going to get, but for the most part it is usually a nice commute.  However, on our way back home, a man got on the train at Perth Underground, right behind Harrison and me.  He had his hard rock music up loud (not in his ears – but playing aloud on his phone for all to hear), was extremely fidgety (like a drug addict would be), looked to be in his early 40’s, was very dirty, and his smell matched his appearance.  Harrison and I were sitting facing forward and he was sitting in row opposite facing us.  I thought about getting up to move, but the train wasn’t crowded enough in our car and I thought it might look obvious if we got up and moved, so even though I was uncomfortable in his presence, we stayed in our seats.  He kept staring at Harrison and me, making me even more uncomfortable, but I still stayed put.  About half way through our commute, Harrison fell asleep in my lap.  I was rubbing his head and the train lulled him to sleep, as it often does.  As he drifted off, I noticed the man smiling.  He was smiling a peaceful smile and was being very still, as if he was remembering something.  My heart softened towards this man who looked like life wasn’t treating him well.  I began to think maybe he was having a fond memory of his mom or just a time when life wasn’t so complicated and jaded by all the things we allow into our lives.  He turned off his radio, as it seemed he didn’t want to wake Harrison.  He just sat there and watched him sleep.  I smiled at him as I got off the train.  He smiled back.  Not a creepy smile, but a genuine smile.   It was a weird moment. Shame on me for feeling icky toward him.  Perhaps he needed that moment to get him through a tough time, and I needed that reminder not to be so quick to judge.

Twins

You know how they say everyone has a twin.  Well I think it is absolutely true.  Call me crazy, but there are many of you that I have seen in Australia! J  Maybe it is because I miss many of you so much, but I guarantee you have a long lost clone here in Oz.  And if you came to Australia without telling me and that was you...and I find out...you are in trouble! HA!

Thankfully, the ONE person I would not want to see a clone of has not surfaced.  I’m going to chalk that up to God’s grace.  He knows I might lose it if that person shows up here in Oz!  I know it takes all kinds to make the world go round, but Lord help us if there were one more crazy in the world like her. J

Holidays

I know Halloween isn’t really a holiday, but it was a disappointing taste in my mouth of what the holidays might be like for us here.  Halloween isn’t really a big thing here and a series of events on Halloween Day prevented me from giving my kids the kind of fun Halloween I had planned.  I sulked for a few days and got over it.  Optimism has returned.  What good does the alternative do me? LOL

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and it will be the first Thanksgiving I have ever worked in my 34 years on this planet.  It is also the first Thanksgiving I haven’t been with my parents and grandparents.  Since Sam and I have been together we have been going to Thanksgiving at Donna’s house the Sunday before Thanksgiving...and naturally, we missed that too.  Of course it is more than the tradition of going somewhere!  It’s the family that are coupled with the traditions.

Specific things I will miss this holiday season:

·         FAMILY!!!

·         The smell of my gran’s house on Thanksgiving day

·         Saying hello to my grandpa while he sits on his porch by his pot belly stove

·         Kidding around with my brother

·         Eating Donna’s cherry salad

·         Drinking beer with Mike and Pat in the garage

·         How pretty my mom’s house always looks decorated for Christmas

·         Catching glimpses of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on TV

·         Visiting before and after the meal

·         Black Friday shopping with my dear friends (and sometimes my mom when she isn’t at the deer lease)

·         Putting up Christmas lights on our house, decorating the tree and wrapping all the gifts purchased on Black Friday the weekend after Thanksgiving

·         Our church Christmas play

·         Christmas Eve lunch at Grandpa B.’s and Christmas Eve dinner at Gran’s

·         Getting up early so the kids can open their presents and we can get on the road to Alvarado to be with Sam’s family

·         Pat’s Christmas morning breakfast...OMG...my sausage roll!!!

·         Mike’s Birthday on New Years and the stuffed jalapenos, beer and good conversation that come with it
 

This year will be a new experience for us, just as the last 10 months have been.  We will make new beautiful memories this year with the people that mean so much to us here in Australia.  For the first time ever, I will cook most of the Thanksgiving meal along with my friend Alison.  We’ll celebrate on the Sunday after and not on Thanksgiving Day.  I will work Christmas Eve, and we will go to church that night to sing carols.  We will go to beach Christmas morning for a breakfast brunch and we’ll have a dinner celebration at Jane’s that night.  The following day will be Boxing Day here and we’ll do a barbeque and pool party with Rob, Alison and the kids.  New Years...who knows?

This holiday season there are many things I will miss and many wonderful new memories to make.  No one ever said stepping outside your comfort zone was easy.  No one ever said moving to the other side of the world is easy.  And no one could have told us the countless blessings we would experience by moving here.  I must remember to count them, in their abundance, and I encourage you to never take for granted the special people in your life.  Hug them, love them and be thankful for them, and hold your traditions, whatever they may be, near to your heart. 

Happy Holidays,

Wendy

 

 

The Picture Window

We've been here 6 months now and experienced landscapes that could only be the work of God.  Kalabarri National Park was the most beautiful place I've honestly ever been.  It was crisp and quiet day, with the exception of my boisterous children. There were Kangaroos grazing down by the river and spectacular views from all angles. 

It is the memories like these that I need to cling to when I start feeling sad about leaving Texas.  But I would be lying to you all if I said we didn't miss you something terrible.

For tonight, short and sweet.

Much love,

Wendy

Overdue

I am way overdue on a post!  The month of May has been chaotic it seems and time has slipped away from me.  Here is a quick run-down of what this past month has looked like for the Woolard family:

1.  Had a fabulous dinner at Villa d'Este in Perth with Dave and Jane - if I could have picked up my plate and licked it clean, I would have...it was THAT good.
2.  Celebrated Mother's Day and the kids made it extra special for me - celebrating with our first ever afternoon tea. 
3.  Found a new church that we really like - more kid friendly - St. Mark's in Whitfords!  In fact, I've NEVER seen so many families with 2-6 year old children congregating in a church in my life.  Lindsey is also going to a really cool youth program on Friday nights at another church in Wanneroo - she LOVES it! 
4.  We have a been having issues with one of Lindsey's teachers who loves to bash America and the biggest issue for us on this is that it makes Lindsey feel like she has to defend herself to her friends and classmates for being a PROUD American.  We currently have the parent/teacher conference set for next Friday.  Pray that Sam and I find the right words that makes this lady take a long hard look at what she is teaching these kids.  Otherwise, we'll be speaking again to the Head of the Department (again) and Principal if necessary. :-)  If she wants to preach from her soapbox, perhaps she should find a non-public school setting.  Can you tell I'm seething about his woman?
5.  We went on a picnic in Gingin and visited the British Car Show.  It was glorious weather that weekend.  Other than the crazy line of traffic we sat in for well over an hour at a standstill (since the Perth Air Show was the same weekend and near the same place as the car show), it was a great time!
6.  Sam bought a "Texas Smoker" from Barbeques Galore (yes he found out they have that retail chain here after doing some Internet research).  He is determined that we will have Texas barbeque here in Oz.  But I have to tell you, watching him smoke the pork chops while sipping a cup a tea (not a beer) today was hilarious to me.  Lindsey and I got a good laugh at his expense and he doesn't even know it (until he reads this post that is).  This one is going to make Mike (Sam's dad) proud! HA!!!
7.  I got a JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm working at BHP Billiton 3 days a week and LOVING IT!
8.  Lainey came down with fever and coughing her 2nd day at daycare (Wednesday).  It's now Sunday and we are still battling fever, coughing and now ear infection.  My poor baby is a mess and I'm worried sick there is something more to it than just a respiratory infection.  I was just telling Sam how much I miss Dr. Thint!  I don't think there will ever be a doctor that will be able to fill her shoes.
9.  We are anxiously awaiting Pat's (Sam's mom) visit!!!!  July can't come soon enough!!!!!!!!!  We are going to drive North for a couple of days and go whale watching.  We are taking out a private charter to spend a few hours at sea with the docile humpback whales.  They go in to the bay near Kalbarri to have their calves.  We can't wait to see all the babies and their moms!  The kids are going to freak out and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't super excited about our adventure.  We are also going to visit the Pinnacles and take in the beautiful red sand and rock coastline.  Simply can't wait! 
10.  On May 22nd we passed our 4 MONTH mark in Oz. :-)

And while things are happening here in Oz, things are changing in Texas.  We finally closed on our house.  I feel pangs of jealousy about "those people" living in what was our house, but I know that will fade.  I'm hoping they will make great neighbors to our friends on the block.  And my parents also sold their house.  They are off to live their retirement dream and find their piece of earthly heaven in the Texas Hill Country.  I love my parents for being brave and stepping out in faith to live their dream....now if I can just convince them to step out in faith on get on the plane to come see us! ;-) 

Wherever you are in your life, I hope this finds you well, happy and amassing your own long list of happenings for the month of May.  We miss you all so much!

Cheers,
Wendy

Nothing to do on a Tuesday night

It's a quarter till 6 P.M.  The kids are watching Toy Story 3 for the humteenth time (movie of their choosing this evening while I get dinner ready).  I thought I'd blog since all my pre-dinner tasks are done.  We are having Ribeye steaks tonight and well, that's an easy dinner for me because I'm waiting on Sam to get home to do the grilling! :-)  Nothing to do on this Tuesday night and I'm alright with that.

My mom and dad are on a cruise, so jealous! LOL!  They are cruising to Jamaica, Cozumel and Grand Cayman...can you say relaxation?!?  I hope they are relaxing...they should be...as long as mom isn't flying, she's good to go! ;-)  To say that I am missing talking to her would be the understatement of the year!  We talk just about every day via phone or Facetime (can you believe I convinced her to buy an IPad?). :-)  When they get home we will close on our house - FINALLY!  This whole house-selling process has been for the birds!  And no, our realtor has been great - thank you Nancy! We are finally set to close starting this week and should wrap everything up by Monday.  Maybe now I will get some peaceful rest.  The house has been a far greater burden than I imagined and honestly, I think selling our house is cutting that final string.  That really isn't our "home" anymore is it?  I need to put finality on it. 

I'm in job hunt mode and I have to tell you, it's been hard.  I'm getting the impression that employers here want Australian people only.  It's been a very discouraging process thus far, but I'm keeping at it.  Thanks to some wonderful friends forwarding along my information, I have gotten some great feedback from a couple of recruiters that have lifted my spirits!  I just have to find the right fit.  They just have to give me a chance to interview and I'm confident I can bring it home.  I'm praying!!!!!!!  If you want to say a prayer for me too that would be great! ;-)

The kids are still doing great in school.  I've registered Lainey and Harrison to go to a different Primary school because it is a little closer to our house and they have more options in regards to daycare (for when I find the perfect job). Harrison will get to start Kindy in February and he's very excited about that.  I was worried about telling Lainey she is switching schools because of all the changes this year, but she seemed fine with me telling her that she would be going to her friend Jonathan's school in February.  She surprised me and seemed excited!  Whew!  Lindsey is applying for a part-time job at the local pizza shop - they have really good pizza there!  Hopefully she'll hear back from them.  She's excited about earning some spending money and I think it's great she will learn additional responsibility.  Lately we've been falling into "lazy" teenager mode and I'm not a fan.  :-)  This will be good for her.  Yes, in case you are wondering, they can start working at 14 years old here.  They are not allowed to drive until they are 17 though, which I'm thankful for.  Interesting huh?

We had a good weekend.  We went to Bark in the Park with Dave, Jane, her Mum, and Oscar (their lovely Golden Retriever) on Sunday.  We entered Oscar and Lainey in the Best Dressed Owner & Dog competition and they walked away a winner!  Lainey was thrilled!  They dressed as the Princess and the Frog (dog). I'll let you be the judge as to how cute they were!

Harrison saw Spider Man and thought that was so cool!  Jane got a kick out of Spider Man saying "Hi kids" followed by "Oh Hi to Mommy too" in a pimped out Spidy voice.  Seriously? LOL!  Oh please! :-)

Even though it was rainy on Sunday, we still had fun. We enjoyed dinner that evening at Dave & Jane's - she made a yummy Paella and Trifle for dessert! Again - YUM!!! We just adore them and would be so lost without their friendship.

Great Nana (Sam's Mom's mom) turned 90 this past weekend and they had a huge party at Mike and Pat's (Sam's parents for those of you who might not know them by name).  We REALLY hated to miss out!  All his family came from New York to take part in the party and we would have loved to been a part of it.  Great Nana looked lovely in her princess crown and seemed to be having a wonderful time!  We were able to sing her Happy Birthday via Skype, but it's just not the same because we weren't there in person to hug her and tell her how much we love her!  <sign>.  I'm just thankful that our family is so supportive and understanding of us not being there.  We love each and every one of you!

All in all it's been a good week. I'm feeling better, the weather has been nice (we actually got some rain - which had made for good sleeping a couple of nights) and life is carrying on as it should.

Love to you all,
Wendy

Middle of the day

Ok, so yeah, it's been more than a day or two since my last post.  And yes, that is about how long it's taken me to get in the right frame of mind to update the blog.  And plus, updating this thing when it's late isn't maybe the best time.  Yes it's much more quiet in the house, but I'm also completely exhausted, which could equal a more emotional state maybe?  LOL!  So it's the middle of the day here and I'm giving it a shot.  ;-)  At least I'm starting this one with the best of intentions on NOT boo-hooing before I even get to the end!

One extremely big bright spot since April 16th was celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary.  I've really been thinking about our relationship lately.  The thought that remains front and center for me is how very lucky I am.  Before we met, Sam was unlucky in love, having dealt with women (2 in particular) who now proudly have nicknames from very memorable South Park episodes. And me, well the guys weren't bad guys and lucky for me, none were worthy of nicknames from South Park, rather they just weren't right for me or I wasn't right for them...however you choose to look at it. Whatever master plan God was working out for us, I'm thankful.  Some have told me they think Sam and I are an odd pairing, as we are complete opposites.  But I will tell you, we agree on the things that matter.  Sam is a man who changed baby diapers in the middle of the night, fed the babies when he was able, changed a poo diaper without whining first, gives the kids a bath (to this day), hangs out with them, reads to them, holds the kids when they're up in the middle of the night with a bad cough, and above all else encourages them.  I know these sound like things for the kids, but I appreciate them as if they were for me.  A helping husband equals a happy wife.  He's my confidant and best friend in the whole world.  There is not another man that I could ever picture myself loving more than this man.  I only wish I had met him sooner than I did, as it would have been another day, another month, another year loving him.  I'll take comfort in the fact that God will hopefully grant me another 60 years to be a part of this marriage.

The weekend of our anniversary we had a nice dinner at Panorama overlooking the ocean - it was lovely!  We saw a movie, which haven't done in more than a year, and we came home early to tuck our kids in bed.  We spent Sunday at church and then getting ready to host some friends to help us celebrate with a nice dinner.  Dave, Jane and her mother Marjorie gave us a lovely Sangria set, recipe and all!  There is one thing I love here in Oz and that is Jane's Sangria!  I'm excited to try my hand at it.  :-)

My friend Alison (who is Australian) told me today about a woman who is from Boston that she's met a couple of times in the last few months.  They've chatted at Rob's work functions.  Alison asked this woman how she was getting on and the woman's reply was simply that she was merely tolerating being here.  She told Alison that she hasn't met anyone that she sees herself having "meaningful relationships" with and she really just wants to move home to Boston and "put down roots."  First of all, you all should know, Alison is one of the kindest sweetest souls I've ever met.  She's a fabulous mom and friend.  I feel incredibly lucky that God brought the two of us together months ago.  How sad for this lady from Boston that she couldn't see past her own...crap...or whatever you want to call it, to see a meaningful relationship standing in front of her, asking her how she was getting on.  One thing is for sure, I am not and do not want to be that person.  However homesick I may be, I am not "emotionally shut down for business."  For me, the people that I have befriended here are what make it all worth it.  I'm meeting people from many different cultures and backgrounds, and I'm embracing it.  I see this as one of God's many gifts to me.  It's a pretty amazing thing when you can set down at a table in the park with 3 other women, all from different countries. There are so many things that you find you have in common....things that transcend all cultural boundaries.  Even better is to see all the children playing together as if they have been best friends their whole lives!  It's really amazing!

Hmm, yes, I think I'll post in the middle of the day again.  I'm smiling and not teary at all.  The sun is shining and my heart is full.  It's a good day.

Love to you all,
Wendy

Type - Delete - Start Over

I think I've sat down at least 3 times to try to update you in the last couple of weeks, but weirdly enough, I'm not sure how far I want to go in what I say.  I think it's because I feel really fragile right now.  Sounds corny telling you that, but it's absolutely true.  I'm happy one minute and a complete mess the next.  Ladies and gentlemen, the rollercoaster has hit new highs and new lows. I really do need to find a new metaphor for the emotion of all this, but geez, it's all I can think of to describe the "process." 

All the things I want to talk about via this blog seem to come to me at night when I lay my head on the pillow, turn out the lights and close my eyes.  I wouldn't quite call it "creative juices," but more like inner ramblings and wanderings.  My brain goes in so many different directions.  And the thing is, when you know you have all these blessings around you, it's hard to sit down and type something that sounds so unbelievabley negative.  Things aren't bad here, they just aren't home.  That's to be expected.  <self realization moment>   I HAVE to quite talking about this place like it isn't my home now.  It is my home...for at least the next 33 months.  I owe it to myself and my family to make this our home.  So maybe I'll leave it at that tonight. 

A very dear person to me always used to say, "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Until then, I'll suck it up (thanks mom - I do love you for that piece of advice this morning) and come back in a day or two with more positive words.  I'm going to allow God to continue to work on me.

Love to you all,
Wendy

Blah

It's a nice Saturday afternoon here.  Not a single cloud in this bright blue sky and a crisp 72 degrees.  Harrison is napping, Lainey is watching a Barbie movie, Lindsey is on her computer in her room, Sam is off to his first "footie" game with Rob (new friends) and because of this invite is hanging out in the BHP corporate suite at the stadium in Fremantle.  And I'm chatting here with you.

I asked myself if it was a good idea to sit down and type this post because I've actually already cried a couple of times today.  I sometimes get emotional at the end of the post, but I don't usually start off too terribly bad.  Today is a bit backwards.  We got word on our house that the appraisal came in much lower than the negotiated price and because the people buying our home are using FHA, our worst nightmare about botched appraisals is coming true.  I think the words to our realtor, Sam and my parents were GUT-PUNCHED.  It's very difficult to "give your house away."  I'm fearful of the market, that it won't turn around in the next year, and in fact, it may be worse.  We can't rent it - too difficult to be a landlord that lives on the other side of the world and couldn't get enough in rent to cover the costs having someone manage it for us.  So we take that deep breath in and just go forward.

I posted on Facebook and many of you took a moment from your day to encourage me with scripture, prayer, thoughts and kind words.  I love you for that.  Thank you.

Monday the container is coming!!!  To get away from the thoughts in my head today, we went to Ikea and picked up a few inexpensive storage items for our closets because the closet in our (purple) Master bedroom is very small.  I'm going to have to get creative on how to make it all fit.  The kids were behaved today - they must have known I needed good behavior out of them.  With items bought,we were able to fit it all in the car - including me. LOL!  I have to say, the car ride home, uncomfortable as it was, got a good chuckle out of Sam and I both (and probably all those standing on the loading dock watching us trying to get it all in - just that no one was bold enough to laugh out loud).  It's always nice when you catch that needed emotional break from all the things that are horribly wrong at the moment.

But I guess that's it isn't it?  It's just a moment, just a day, just another few weeks until we close on the house and put this behind us.  And then the pangs of guilt.  I am not fighting a battle with cancer, like my friend Karen is, I am not homeless, don't feel forgotten by this world and I am healthy with 3 extremly loving and beautiful children.  I have a strong loving husband at my side.  And hey, let's face it, I can cook pretty darn well and I have FOOD in the pantry to cook...we are not starving.  So there's my silver lining isn't it?  God is good.  Stay focused.  Love each other.  Make the best of each day.  Live the adventure.  Pay it forward.

(Oh yeah...and stop crying!)

Love you all,
Wendy

2 Months - Surviving?

So are we surviving?  Of course we are surviving, so maybe the question is...are we thriving?  By Webster's definition - to do well or prosper - the short answer is an enthusiastic YES! 

We have a great house, live in an amazing suburb (every time we drive to our house, we come over a hill and the Indian Ocean, in all it's turquoise wonder, is laid out before us), have made two new sets of friends that both have kids Lainey & Harrison's age (so that is 4 new friends for Lainey & Harrison as well), Lindsey and Lainey are doing fantastic in school, Sam works with wonderful people, I'm learning my way around and how to effectively shop and we've found a church home.  As we pass the 2 month mark, I'm feeling extremely blessed and proud of Sam and I for staying positive in this process and  loving and encouraging each other. The homesickness is always with you, but it's a bit like a roller coaster.  Some days are really good days, and then some days are really bad days.  I have to say that I've tried really hard to not get too far down and depressed.  What good does it do to allow myself to go there anyway?  We are here, and we are tasked with making the best of this adventure.  And as a parent, it's my job to never let the kids see me sad.  Their need to see me be strong about the move has really made it easier for me to stay strong.

So what have we been up to this last month (since I've clearly been too busy to blog since March 1st)?  I'll touch on the highlights.  We've been to the beach - Yanchep (the lagoon).  Yes, it is the same beach that the showed the shark frenzy at a couple of weeks ago.  I have several of you mention they showed that on the news.  Keep in mind they were not Great White Sharks, but yes, sharks nonetheless.  All I can say is that we don't typically get very far in, never go out past the sand bar (which you can see in the picture below - where the water is breaking in the distance), and thank goodness for the air & land patrols that keep a look-out for the dark shadows in the sea. 

Here are a few pics from that adventure - like always you'll find more on Facebook.

We also went to Lansdale Farm with some of our new friends and their kids.  We had a fantastic Sunday afternoon!  The farm is large with a petting area at least 2 acres.  They have chickens (actually enjoy letting the kids touch them), cows, sheep & goats that wander around freely and also like to be pet, pigs, ponies and fish.  They grow fresh vegetables and Lainey loved this part - said this was like Grandpa B.'s garden in Needville.  (Forgot to take my camera with me - so no pictures of this little adventure.) :-(

I've been having the kids do activities here at home.  We made sun catchers to send back to some of our family (we just mailed them Wednesday - so they are on the way).  Lainey has been working on writing her name and I must say she has nailed it, except her N is backwards, but hey she's doing great!  She's already adding numbers...I think she's going to be a little math whiz - like her daddy.  That would be just fine with me!  I didn't think we had a Build-A-Bear here (but I have since been told we actually do) so I made the kids sock animals - Charlie the monkey for Harrison & Alice the rabbit for Lainey.  They love them and sleep with them every night.  Today we made Easter hats for the Easter Parade that she will be participating in at school.  Naturally I made Harrison one too.  I figured he can wear his when we go watch Lainey's parade.  Here are pictures of the creations (Lainey dictated the placement of every single item on both hats and you KNOW the hats had to be glittery):

I've been cooking a lot and loving it, as always.  I made homemade cinnamon rolls yesterday and oh my....SO GOOD!  The dough was absolutely perfect!  Yum just yum!  It's funny the things that remind you of home.  They don't have cinnamon rolls here, which is one of the MANY things I'm finding they don't have.  I've order a few things we wanted from the USA Foods store in Melbourne, but they were out of a lot of stock, so I was limited on what I can buy.  Besides that, it is very expensive to buy from there...so I had to stick with buying a few treats - like Bisquick! :-) 

Updates on a few logistics - our container is HERE, but not technically HERE.  It has currently cleared customs and is now in quarantine for who knows how long.  We are praying we get it before Easter.  We are waiting on the call from Crown Relocations to tell us a delivery date.  It seems like that is still so far away even though I pray it is any day now.  I know I've said in previous blogs that I've been told it will feel like Christmas when we get our stuff, I'm not so sure.  I mean, I'm DYING to have my bed back, as I've totally over sleeping on Ikea foam, but I am also worried it is going to make me miss home more than I already do.  I don't know...something about seeing all our things...in this house...and not in 2012 Stapleton Drive.  <sigh>  We'll see how I feel when the delivery truck pulls up!  We have a contract on our house in Friendswood and hope to close by mid April.  However, with changes in banking/lender laws since the credit crisis, many appraisals are being botched (coming in way lower than fair market value) and people are having to give their houses away if they want to sell them.  PLEASE pray our appraisal goes through without a hitch and the house appraises for the negotiated price.  We really need to sell the house in order to be at financial peace here.  I am now working with the recruiter to find a job.  I've laid out the hours I want to work, salary requirements, etc.  Now all I have to do is wait to see what's out there.  I am very hesitant about putting the kids in daycare.  I've visited a few and one I liked and the other I didn't.  I walked out of there with tears in my eyes...this particular one just wasn't for my kids.  I didn't feel good about it in my gut.  Please pray the one I have chosen still has openings when the time comes for me to start working.

Thank you all for your kind words of support.  We appreciate you staying connected with us!  We love and miss you all.

Cheers,
Wendy

One Month

We've been in Australia a month and we are trying to find some semblance of a routine, but things are still new and I think we are all still trying to get our bearings.

The kids are doing well in school.  Lindsey's doing great, better than all of us probably.  She's got nice friends, already had a sleepover at a friend's house, and went snorkeling for P.E. today.  Not too shabby.  Lainey loves her school and is looking forward to a Bear Picnic next Friday.  She is VERY excited about this event and can't stop talking about it.  She told her MiMi she wanted to be an astronaut, as we checked out some really cool books from the library - one of which happened to be about an astronaut.  However, today she told me she wants to be a teacher.  :-)  Sounds good to me...I know some really great teachers out there!  Harrison still talks about going home every day.  Some days he likes this house, some days he doesn't.  It seems to be he likes it on the days that we swim in the pool! HA!  Sam is doing alright - he's still adjusting to work and trying to finish up his last 3 classes to get his MBA!  He is thrilled about completing his last class this summer.  He's worked so hard and I'm so proud of him!  I think he'll FINALLY be done with his last degree, as all that would be left is a doctorate!  Me well...

Sleep...it's something I'm having a hard time doing lately.  It's very strange because now that I don't work, I should have less stress = less thoughts running through my head when I'm trying to go to bed right?  Ugh.  No longer do I have to worry about clients, my work to-do list, and making sure I balance my work life with my family life, so that's fine and dandy, so why no sleep?

I suppose I try to keep myself so busy with the kids, keeping house, running errands, and settling in these days, that when I lay my head on the pillow, that's when the thoughts that have been suppressed for the day are ready to surface.  Someone dear to Sam and I is fighting cancer with everything she has and it saddens me that she has to face such a battle at a young age. I've been stopping to pray for her throughout my day, but you realize just how blessed you are as the day closes and you have your health, let alone all the other countless blessings our family has been given.   Next up, Harrison jumped in the pool the other day, with all the confidence that he is the best swimmer in the world, sending me into the pool to snatch him from the water and throw him on the side of the pool.  Granted I was outside, cleaning the pool (while he was supposed to be waiting patiently to get in when I was done) and we have locks on the windows and doors that the kids can't open, but now I'm completely paranoid.  I got up last night, as if they would ever try to go outside at night in the dark by themselves, to check all the locks...not once, but twice.  Closing my eyes equals me replaying him gulping for air as he struggles to "swim" to keep his head above the water.  Yes, swimming lessons are high on the priority list!  Booking flights for Lindsey is proving to an (expensive) challenge, as all the discount flight outlets consider her a minor and will not allow us to book through them, thus costing significantly more money.  Ah, I digress.  I just may have to take a sleeping pill and get over it. LOL!

We did have a good weekend this past weekend, and I am officially a fan of Turkish food!  It was fantastic and I can't wait to go back.  Perhaps it was also the time with Sam...going on a date was nice.  We took the train down to Fremantle (a suburb on the ocean south of Perth).  It's an ecclectic place with a lot of bars and restaurants.  What's great about public transportation is that you can take your own wine, drink the whole bottle if you want, and then hop back on a train.  The train station is about 2 miles from our house.  I really do love the whole (clean) public transport thing they have going on here.  It would be so nice to see more of that in the U.S.

Up on the agenda this weekend is the Perth Zoo.  Then maybe Monday we'll head to the beach.  Monday is a holiday for us here, so we are looking forward to Sam being home to spend the day with us.  I'll hopefully have plenty of pictures to upload, so keep a look out on here and on Facebook.

We've "survived" one month in the midst of spiders, sharks and the other top ten deadly animals.  Not too shabby I guess.

Cheers,
Wendy

Church Thoughts

When I should be concentrating on cooking my Tex-Mex Burrito Bake and Butter Pineapple Cake, I find myself thinking about our new church.  Grace is a special place and has already found a spot in our hearts.  We didn't even consider trying out another church this Sunday.  We like the people and I like the fact that they are in the midst of complete upheaval as they are building a new sanctuary.  Weird I know, but it mirrors our life right now.  And I like the way they continue on and celebrate Christ each Sunday, even if they have a wall that shouldn't have been torn down but was, or a new odd structure to contain the Sacristy and other misc items.   They find humor in burning the palms in the midst of all this (de)construction of the old building - by simply cutting holes in the ceiling tiles to help the smoke filter out.  It's a special place I tell ya, with special people.  We too turned our world upside down for the hope of building something new and exciting. A new life, just like a new building to grow into.

I'm also baffled by the lack of youth that go to church here.  I don't want to say discouraged at this point because I feel like this is some unknown challenge that God is giving us.  When we mentioned SNUG to Father David this morning, his response that "this isn't America and that won't work here."  Perhaps not the exact same thing, but every fiber in me had to bite my tongue and say "why not?" and my mind raced forward with another silent question "have you tried?"  I don't expect everything to be the same and for the same things to work, because while we all speak English here, there are some real cultural differences in the people.  But really does it matter - you love Christ, you want your children to grow in Christ (and not stop going to church as they enter their teen years), and you want to be a part of something special...transformational in some way in your own Christ journey.  It has always been our experience, at least at all our years at Good Shepherd, that ALL ages can find something for them at church.  So again, I'm baffled.  There are a lot of little kids around Lainey's age that go to this church and a little boy, 5 months or so was baptized this morning....so HOW and WHY do the kids stop going with their parents???

If you don't engage the youth, then why would they come?  We all know these are the years when you have to compete for their attention, but to seem like you are not even trying?  Those of you who know us know that we like to dig in and be a part of our parish.  It's how we grow in our relationship with God and with each other.  I'm glad we found a place we want to call our church home while we are in Australia, but we sure have to figure out a way to roll out the proverbial Welcome Mat to the youth in this place.  God has an answer, I know he does, so I guess I'll sit back and listen for the answer.  Who knew this move would be all about patience? :-)  Or maybe it reiterates to me that Good Shepherd truly is a remarkable place that really is a sanctuary for ALL!

Please pray for us.

Cheers,
Wendy

Saturday Adventure

Started the weekend off last night with dinner in the park, the company was wonderful and yes I had more than one glass of wine.  (Side note - beer is super expensive here...a case of Dos Equis Amber is $42!) And no, the kids didn't sleep until 7.  We only made it to 6:30, but that's alright, Saturday started off right with pancakes!  We haven't had pancakes for breakfast in ages.  Believe it or not, they are not a big deal here.  To get them, you have to buy this mix, that normally is expensive that happened to be on sale this week at Woolworth's for 1/2 off.  They really have like 2 options for syrup as well and they don't even have frozen pancakes or waffles...no Leggo's here.   I need to come up with my own mix.  I'll let you know how this experiment turns out. :-)

This afternoon we headed to Yanchep National Park to finally see kangaroos and koalas!  It was so exciting and the kangaroos were everywhere!  And even though this park is only about 25 minutes from our house, we got more of a sense that we were in the "bush."  The park sits on a lake, but the lake had little water in it, but it is a very beautiful place.  We took a nature walk and the kids were too funny about it.  Harrison liked it, Lainey did not.  We saw grasshoppers, which Lainey freaked out about, spiders, and ants...really big ants.  Lainey didn't like these either and smooshed one with her shoe.  Not sure Lainey is going to be the outdoor type...she much prefers shopping, dance class and playgrounds...probably as outdoorsy as she is going to get. Ha!  Lindsey enjoyed the park too and we all decided that is definitely a place that Nawna will like too. We can't wait for her to come visit in July!  Koalas are just as cute as you think they would be and you just want to snuggle one.  Though looking at the size of their fingernails, perhaps a safe distance is good.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!  We are off to church tomorrow and maybe the beach.  Enjoy the pictures (and as usual, there are more on Facebook). 

Happy Friday

We are finishing out our 3rd official week here in Australia and it doesn't seem like we've been here that long.  It's been unbelievably busy!  I think being busy when you are living in a new place is good.  Doesn't give you time to get too homesick. :-)

Today was Lainey's first day of school at Ocean Reef Pre-Primary.  They start kindergarten (affectionately known as "Kindy" here) at age 4.  She will go two days a week...Tues & Fri.  Not Mon & Fri like I think I previously posted somewhere.  She is very excited and thinks her new teacher is "very sweet."  They have a 1/2 day the first 3 weeks of school to get the kids acclimated and then they will go from 8:30 to 3:00 P.M.  Today she painted with "bear claws" - "no flat hands allowed in the paint" she said.  She said she listened for the "sirens" to tell her when it was time to go play outside and eat a snack.  And she's right...I heard the sirens today...they definitely are not bell sounds. LOL!  She really hates loud noises, so I'm glad she tolerated these sirens without throwing a fit about them.

While she and Lindsey were at school today, Harrison had a rough day.  He was VERY upset that he didn't get to go to school with Lainey.  I did feel sorry for him.  He looked like a whipped puppy.  I thought spending time with two doting ladies (Jane's friends - Bernie & Mrs. Maurene) would be alright while Jane took me along to water aerobics at the gym.  I got a great work out in, but Harrison wasn't having any of it.  I thought to cheer him up we would do something special (feed the ducks) before we picked up Lainey, but when we got home to get the stuff he screamed and fussed and then wet his pants.  So that nixed that idea.  It was a rough start for Little Man today.  Things got better this afternoon when we picked up Lindsey from school and came home to swim.  He loves the water and so does Lainey!  We then decided to feed the ducks, which turned out to be a huge fiasco.  Those ducks are CRAZY!  It's not the little ones that are bad, but the big white looking geese things...with red beards, and sharp claws at the back of their webbed feet.  I had to divert those big birds away from the kids and they came after me!!!!  No matter how much bread I threw, they kept coming...flapping their wings.  I was running and screaming for the kids to head for the playground.  Mean ass birds!  OMG...traumatic!  Finally after turning around and flinging my arms around and kicking at them did they realize I was out of bread and leave me alone.  I'm sure, no I know, that the people in the park this afternoon had a GREAT Friday chuckle, as I'm sure you are right now.  Hey, that's what I'm here for! LOL!  I told you that I'm sure we'd have some adventures to laugh at.  Won't be feeding the ducks again...at least not when I see those big white geese things! 

 Lord help me!

 We LOVE to swim!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Cheers,

Wendy

Busy "First" Week

Well, we are in the new house (16 Shoalwater Parkway, Iluka, WA 6028) for those of you who are interested.  Moving in this weekend was a relief of sorts.  Speaking for myself and the rest of the Woolards, we really needed to be in a house that was ours.  It's hard staying in what feels like a "hotel" for 2 weeks...even if it was MUCH bigger than a hotel room.  We have enough items, thanks to Ikea, to get by until our shipping container gets her in mid-March.  I'm told it will feel like Christmas! HA!

Lindsey started school yesterday - had a GREAT first day and made new friends.  Imagine that! :-) I have to give that girl kuddos...she is the best teenager I have ever known.  She's got a wonderful sense of adventure and the independent spirit she has become over the last 6 years amazes me.  I like to think I had something to do with that! LOL! :-)  She's just a smart beautiful girl and she makes me proud every single day.  I hope that in the years to come, she has nothing but fond memories of this adventure we are on.

Lainey and Harrison are doing well...being little stinkers at time, but I'm trying to continue being patient with them as we settle into a routine.  Lainey starts school on Friday and will go two days a week to "kindy."  She has to wear her "unicorn" (yes she's still calling her uniform a unicorn) and she's quite excited about this, but ONLY if she can wear the pink glitter sneakers with it.  Some things never change.  So Monday & Friday will be Harrison's day with mom.  I'm going to try to figure out some fun things for us to do.

We go to the park quite often to play, to eat and to relax.  Again, it's hard to believe that's the lifestyle we are now living.   I haven't met our neighbors yet, but the people next to us appear to have kids the same age as Lainey and Harrison and there are teenagers everywhere.  Something...or someone should I say...for everyone.  The Perth Arts Festival is starting this weekend, so I've planned out a couple of cool things for us to do from now until March.  There are some really neat family events, kids events, international film viewings, and concerts, so I'm excited about that.  We plan on going to the beach this weekend, since we do live just around the corner now. LOL! We are hoping that this weekend won't be quite as hectic as the last. I've bought all the food to take with us, have the beach tent ready (along with the sunscreen), so all we need is Saturday to roll around.

I was messenging with my mom today, and I told her I was feeling a smidge homesick now.  I was expecting it to come, but it's funny because it's almost right on queue with a section in one of Sam's International Management books he used for a class this past fall.  The book says that after 2 weeks in the new location, homesickness sets in, and it goes on to give this whole cycle of emotions folks who relocated tend to feel for the first year.  LOL!  Always happy to know I'm on schedule!  For me, the hardest part is not being able to share my life, in person, with those I love most.  Skyping and typing will have to be the mode of sharing.  That's hard.  <sigh>

However I will not allow myself to wallow in any sadness.  God has put us in the beautiful place to experience it...to breath it all in.  I will lead my children by example and continue to focus on the wonderful blessings all around us and truly enjoy the experience.

Here are some much awaited pictures.  The rest are on Facebook.

 The kids at a Connect Perth event at Cottesloe Beach (this beach is stunning)

 Just in case you thought the water wasn't clear. :-)

Lindsey's 1st day at Ocean Reef High School - sporting her uniform

Love to you all,

Wendy

Saturday Outing

We started out our morning by sleeping the latest by far we have slept all week - SIX THIRTY!!! We all woke and felt well rested for the first time in the last seven days.  We had a great breakfast and headed off to look at a house about 15 minutes north of the city - and about 2 miles from the beach.  The house is an older home with some quirks, but it's hard to complain about it when it has a multi-level limestone patio with fabulous pool, oceanviews, great schools and the whole back of the house is lined with windows that face the ocean/pool.  Mind you, it's not a completely unobstructed view (since we are not millionaires :-)), but it will definitely work.  It's a 2 story home with 3 bedrooms/1 bath & central gameroom type space upstairs, with two family room areas, dining room, Master bedroom/bath, 1/2 bath and kitchen downstairs.  Again it's older on the inside, but what sells the house is the outside.  We have another house to look at on Monday afternoon and then can make a decision.  Given the amount of people that were at the viewing this morning, we then will have to compete with other applicants I'm sure.  However, our realtor assures me that she is confident we are in the best position given we are relocating - as we are "prequalified" if you will.  Such a crazy process to go through just to rent a house! We received word that our container with our belongings should be here sometime around the beginning of March.  I have been told that being reunited with your stuff is like Christmas! Ha!

After the viewing, we headed to Hillarys Marina and Boardwalk, just a short drive away.  We at fish and chips on the boardwalk, bought the kids some new floaties for brunch and swim at Dave and Jane's tomorrow morning and visited the aquarium.  The kids had a great time - well Lainey was a tad fussy and kept complaining her legs were hurting from all the walking we did.  It was a long walk, but ah, got to love the whiny 4 year old. :-)  After wearing the kids out, we headed home, stopped by our local grocer and picked up some ice cream - much needed on this hot day!  Everyone is settling in for an afternoon rest and we'll likely head to the park by the river later. 

I posted more pictures on Facebook, but here are a few from our outing today.  We have some from the beach on Thursday, but we are having a hard time getting those uploaded.  As soon we can fix the issue, I'll post those as well - the water is BEAUTIFUL!  And yes, they do have shark patrol.  They have a tower out on the jetty that lifeguard keeps watch, a patrol boat and patrol by air via helicopter.  If a shark is spotted, they have an alarm they will sound.  We didn't get very far in the water.  ;-)

Love this pic of the kids in front of the Humpback Whale tail!  It's really that big and I can't wait to watch the migration starting in September - going to be amazing!

Sam and Lainey petting a friendly shark - felt like sandpaper

 Area we are looking to rent a house

Lindsey looks happy doesn't she? :-)

I still feel like I need to pinch myself because this just doesn't feel like by life!  I miss everyone dearly, but I am glad we decided to take this leap of faith.  It just goes to show you that you never know what God has in store!

Cheers,

Wendy

What an interesting start to the next several years... I have to admit that while I was watching the plane touch down in Perth, the "what the hell are you doing" thought crossed my mind for a second. And the same thought crossed again when our relocation company forgot to schedule a transfer for us from the airport to our temporary apartment.  Luckily, Sam's new boss and wife (Dave & Jane) showed up just as panic was setting in.   On the drive to the apartment, the only thing I could think was how beautiful it is here.  The parks are immaculate and you can tell this is just like everyone, who knew anything about Perth, said it would be - an outdoor family lifestyle. The weather is fabulous and 90 here feels like low 70s at home-guess because of the lack of humidity or the type of humidity produced in Texas! Our temporary apartment is nice - 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, with a large living room and all the normal stuff in the kitchen.  We have a lovely patio and full size washer with a mini dryer and outdoor clothesline (this reminded me of my Gran because she used to dry her clothes on the line).  We have evaporative cooling in this unit, aka swamp cooler, but it works quite well.  However, you have to forget every time you were told to SHUT THE DOOR by your parents because this type of system requires you leave windows and doors open for it to cool your house. I have to say that I really like it, cool in the house while letting all that fresh Aussie air in!  However, the apartment doesn't have Internet, so my posts will likely be less frequent, unless I find a new favorite free wi-fi spot.  This also means we can't use our home phone number. We are going to work on figuring out our communication options.  Not having Internet in the house is hard! A comfort we are definitely missing!  Our realtor took me to the mall today so we can make the things happen, but we are limited on data until we get into our permanent home. We are doing pretty well for our first few days here.  Lainey only had one meltdown because she was so tired from the flight.  Sunday the kids fell asleep at 4:00 pm and there was no waking them, so we let them sleep and  an hour and a half later we joined them.  Come 2:00 am Lainey was standing at the corner of our bed saying she was not sleepy anymore. (sigh) We all were up really EARLy for Sam's first day of work.  He looked great in his formal business attire, which is something new for him.  I fixed his lunch and he was off to catch public transport into the city.  Definitely as different start to the day for both of us. Sam got home from work at a decent hour (had a great first day), I fixed dinner and we topped off the evening with some play time at the park.  I've done grocery shopping twice.  Dave and Jane kindly took us to Cole's, the local neighborhood grocery store, which is about the size of a Dollar General.  It had everything we needed though.  As expected, the average cost is about $1 more per item than in Texas.  There are some things that cost significantly more -like bananas and laundry detergent.  I'm sure that list will be longer.  They don't have regular Cheetos, rather they have Cheetos cheese and bacon balls! LOL! Cheese puffs with bacon flavor.  I haven't tasted them yet...they smell a bit like dog treats but Lindsey says they taste good!  The meats and cheeses are fabulous!  And they have Diet Coke here after all - I'm still going to try to ween myself off of it though.   I went back shopping Monday morning with the kids. We walked - well Lindsey and I did  and the kids rode in the stroller.  We stopped at a small park that was on the way and Harrison found a new toy he liked - a digger in sand! He was in heaven!  It is so cool and pleasant, especially in the shade. We picked up some soap and food storage items and trekked home.  :-) The exercise was good! It has been a good day.  Our rental car arrived today and I managed to get us to the park this evening without driving on the incorrect side of the road.  However, I keep washing the windshield instead of turning on the blinker.  We are also ready to start hunting for a house to rent, which we will start doing on Wednesday morning  I am definitely ready to settle into something that we can call our own and start formulating some sort of a routine.   For now, the dizziness from the long flight is fading, and I can say without a doubt that I am happy to be here.   Peace, Wendy

Count Down

Can someone please let me off this emotional roller coaster? It has been a really difficult week. The to-do list has seemed never-ending, sleep has been hard to come by, custody issues that never seem to cease, and those little snags along the way that you just don't need, much less have time for. Perhaps I'm letting things get the best of me, but I am beyond tired! However, I'm happy to report that the "positive" list is longer! We received a beautiful blessing and send-off from our Good Shepherd family, my family really came though and took great care of the kids so we can get stuff done (so lucky to have fabulous parents) and loaned me their car for all my running around, Sam's parents helped us work out our storage issues, we sold our trailer to some super sweet people, I really enjoyed my last game of LRC with my Friendswood ladies, and I managed to fit all our clothes in the allotted number of suitcases. I find myself trying to write the proper farewell blog and honestly, my mind just can't even formulate the words. Not that I'm ready to leave, but more that I'm ready to move forward and put this "move" behind us and start living the new adventure. I know your thoughts and prayers will be with us as we step on that plane tomorrow. And after that, prayers for peaceful rest would be great! ;-). Peace, Wendy P.s. I'm ready to start sharing some pictures and promise to get on that right away!

One Day Closer

Well, we have 3 things now that we didn't have when I posted last:

• Visa
• Flight itinerary - leave on Friday, January 20th
• Temporary home address - Unit 3, 77 Gardner Street, Como, WA  6152 

It's been a busy last couple of days since receiving this from our relocation folks.  They are coming on Monday to pack the house and Tuesday will take away our things in a 20ft container.  The house is quite empty already or just when I think it is, I find something else to clean out.  If I've learned anything from this process, it's that I want to live a much more simple life in regards to things when we get to Australia.  We by no means are pack-rats, but it really is amazing the things we keep.  Why?  It's absurd.  Speaking of things, we have a buyer for the travel trailer and a potential buyer (who's 99% sure they want it, but will let us know) for the jet ski.  Still no contract on the house, but I believe that right person is out there.  So all in all, things are working out.

Lindsey is spending time with her friends, we are celebrating Harrison's birthday early so the family can enjoy his special day with him and we are going to say "c-ya later" to our Good Shepherd family on Sunday.  Sam got in a full week of work and so did I, as a stay-at-home mom.  Not too shabby!

I wish I had something wonderfully exciting to tell you, but not yet.  I know the best is yet to come.  We are just hanging on at this point and trying to get ourselves to Friday.  Please pray for our family as we tie up our loose ends here and board our flight on Friday.  Also, please pray for Lindsey's mom.  After speaking (or should I say yelling) with her today, she really needs God to soften her heart.  I've been praying for this for years, but it just might be time to enlist the help of others! :-)

Enjoy your weekend,
Wendy

Humor & Provision

The humorous aspect about this move is that everyone has a statistic on the number of deadly animals in Australia or an actual list. In case you might be wondering what some of those are, allow me to enlighten you. We could die from the following (just to name a few):
Box Jellyfish
Red back spider
Funnel web spider
Great White Sharks
Blue Ring Octopus
Brown Snake

And some species of killer snails (name unknown) Some of those (Funnel web spiders for example) do not live in Perth. However, given the recent death of the Houston man back in late October, we all know Perth is home to some rather large Great Whites. How in the world does a population of 1.5 million people manage to survive? :-) Very carefully I suppose! Wish us luck! :-)

On a more serious note, our visa is still pending and we got word it will be around 2 more weeks. They are coming to pack the house on the 16th now instead of the 11th. Sam was supposed to start on the 16th, which now looks like will be a week later. We are both officially unemployed right now. We have money screaming out the door and no paychecks coming in this month. We didn't plan for this delay - how could we have known? We thought we had given ourselves enough leeway. Well we didn't - again circumstances beyond our control with delays on the passport for Lindsey, office closures for the holidays and so on.

Beyond our control - something will work out. God provided.

Today Sam was asked to do some consultant work up until we leave and he starts on Monday. Amazing! To each of you who have called, commented or emailed recently to chat or wish us well, thank you for your support and kind words of encouragement. You are a blessing to us. And to those of you lifting our family up in prayer, thank you and keep praying. Again, we are headed to a country that contains 80% of the world's deadliest animals (or so I was told), so we will need those continued prayers. :-)

Faithfully,
Wendy