Australia - 3/25/08

We woke up early Tuesday morning, hoping to make it down to "The Rocks" at Sydney Harbour to watch the sunrise. We made the brisk 30 minute walk through Hyde Park and downtown, making it there just in time for the sunrise. This was our first view of the Opera House, and it was so surreal. It was hard to believe we were really there. I think I even turned to my Dad and told him to pinch me.

It was a little bit overcast, but it was still so beautiful!















I don't know if you can tell, but this photo is a shot of the Opera House from behind:


On the walk back to the flat, we walked through the Sydney Botanical Gardens. There were so many different kinds of trees and flowers. But, the most amazing thing we saw was the huge number of bats hanging from the trees. It was really kind of gross to watch... I guess I'm not super comfortable with bats.


This is a statue in Hyde Park of Captain Cook, the guy that discovered Australia:


And, a beautiful fountain in Hyde Park:


Tuesday Evening we met up with a friend of Marc's that lives in Sydney. On our way to the restaurant for dinner, Nik showed us this car shop with all these really cool cars.


We had to walk across the Harbour Bridge to get to where we needed to go, so this is a view of the Opera House from the Harbour Bridge:






We had a delicious meal and enjoyed Nik's company! It was really great!

Australia - 3/24/08

We were up really early Monday morning. While my parents had Zone Conference to attend, they decided to send us on a day trip to the Blue Mountains. We rushed to the train station together... in the rain. We barely caught the train just before it was about to leave. By the time we arrived in Katoomba, two hours later, we were all dried off and the weather had cleared up beautifully for our day of hiking.

We took so many pictures. It's so hard to choose just a few that could even begin to capture the incredible views and sights of this place. It was beautiful beyond description. We were just in awe the entire time.



















These two are at the train station in Leura. I guess the contrast of hiking in these majestic blue mountains for the entire day and then coming back to this was a little bit of a shock. Plus, I would bet that most of you haven't ever seen a picture of a garbage can overflowing in Australia.

Australia - 3/23/08

Easter Sunday 2008 was spent in Sydney, Australia! We attended Church on the third floor of a building in downtown, just around the block from my parents' flat. We captured some fun pictures on the walk home, here are just a few:









That afternoon we had a delicious Easter dinner with Sunny and Simon, who are two of my parents' English class students. They are both from China. It was really interesting to hear about their background and family life.

Then, as dinner was wrapping up, my parents came out with a birthday cake and ice cream for Marc and me. Since our birthdays are coming up they wanted to celebrate with us while we were there, which came as a complete surprise. My curiosity had almost ruined their surprise a couple of different times, but I finally clued in that they had something up their sleeve. It was so thoughtful and so wonderful! They are always three steps ahead with things like this.

Mom and Dad, thank you for the birthday surprises!! We loved celebrating with you!

Where in the world? - 3/22/08

This is the view from the airplane, flying from New Zealand to Australia. It was so beautiful that morning!! The colors were amazing!!



And, this photo is of Darling Harbour in Sydney Australia. We arrived in Sydney at 8:30am, where my parents met us at the airport. We went directly to their flat, on the 9th floor of a high-rise building in downtown Sydney. It was so amazing to be there with them, seeing all these places that we've only heard about in their emails.

We took showers and then Marc laid down for a little nap while I went to the grocery store with my Dad. My Mom was excited to get back into her crocheting with the new yarn we brought with us. When my Dad and I returned, we ate lunch and then walked down to Darling Harbour and around the general area, just completely enjoying every sight, smell, and sound. It was hard to believe we were really there!

Later that evening my parents took us to a section of Sydney, just down the street from them, called "Little Italy." We found a really cute Italian restaurant, called "Trovato"... which ironically means "found" in Italian. I have to admit that I'm a food snob when it comes to eating Italian food... but, this place was awesome! It has been a long time since I've eaten Italian food like this. We all were really pleased with what we ordered, and the atmosphere of the place made it even more amazing. It was quiet and quaint and just perfect. So, if you're ever in Sydney and craving Italian food, this is the place to go!

Happy First Day of Spring!

This is a shot Marc took of the plum tree in the backyard. I love looking at it and thinking of childhood days of laying on the grass, looking up at the sky from just about this same angle. Mmmm... memories...

Oh, I LOVE Springtime! This has been the blame for much of our absence over the last few weeks. When life slows down enough to relax, our activities of preference have been anything outside - going on walks, hiking around the lake, sprucing up the yard, even pulling weeds. It doesn't matter what lures us out there, just the fact that it's warm and beautiful is pure blissfulness. I feel so lucky and blessed for all that life has given me. We truly are so blessed.

Easter is just around the corner. I was reminiscing the other day with a friend, talking about family traditions at Easter. It was fun for both of us to remember the new, pretty Easter dresses we got to wear on Easter Sunday, the excitement of putting on those brand new white sandals, and on top of that there was the excitement of Easter baskets and Easter eggs.

The last two years Marc and I have started a tradition of preparing a typical passover meal of foods like lamb, unleavened bread, nuts, fruit, and bitter herbs. Okay, the bitter herbs part probably doesn't sound too appetizing, but it really has been a fun tradition to start. If anyone is interested, I would be happy to post or send you recipes of the foods we make.

But, with that said, I'm looking for some new traditions we can add to our Easter celebrations. What do you do at this time of year to celebrate Spring and Easter? I would love to hear even simple things you do... it's often those little details that make a lasting impression.

So, tell me what you do... oh, and ENJOY this beautiful First Day of Spring!

Exhaustion

This is our kitten, Watson. (Isn't he just the cutest kitty ever?!)

This is how I've felt for the last couple of weeks.

Everything from school, to work, to Church, to family, to daily chores, to enjoying the beauty of Springtime... life has been full of so many good things lately. And, every time I think about catching up on the blog, I feel overwhelmed because there is just too much to catch up on. And, actually I don't even have time right now to catch you up on what's been going on, but I did want to let you know, at least, that we are alive and happy and doing really well. And, stay tuned for some catch up posts in the next few days... and hopefully I can deliver on that! :)

My very talented husband

It has been an insanely busy week so far, and it's only Wednesday... well, almost Thursday! BUT, I really had to point out that the new layout of our blog was the incredible creative handiwork of Marc. I like to think that I help in the brainstorming sessions we have, but the design and execution of all of it is ALL him. He is so amazingly talented. I love him to pieces and continue to find things about him that totally amaze me. I don't know how I got so lucky!

Grandma's 25th Birthday

My maternal grandparents (circa 1970, maybe)

My very sweet Grandma Hedy was born February 29, 1908. She actually passed away in February 1999, but it was wonderful today to think of her on her birthday - especially since it only comes once every four years. Today would have been Grandma's 25th Birthday. The fact that she was born on Leap Year is just one of the many things that makes my Grandma the coolest Grandma in the world!

I was really blessed with some incredible ancestors... I mean, there are some really unbelievable stories that stir all kinds of emotions when I think of them. But, let me just tell you a little bit about my Grandma Hedy. She was born in Germany, where she joined the Church with her family. In 1930, when she was 22, she left Germany and most of her family to come to the United States, arriving just before immigration closed. Her younger sister, Paula, came with her and they settled in Vernal, Utah. The two of them ended up meeting and marrying two handsome men who were brothers. The two couples, Hedy & Harlend and Paula & Aubra, lived across the street from each other for the rest of their lives in little ol' Vernal, Utah. It's no wonder I've always had dreams of living across the street from my own sisters.

We spent every Christmas of my childhood in Vernal, with the exception of one or two. Grandma Hedy was a crack up - she wasn't afraid to say it like it was. I loved that about her. She was warm and generous, and 110% authentic.

She spent her last couple of months living in California with my parents, since she had gotten to the point of needing a little extra help. I came home for a weekend visit from BYU just about a week before she passed away. I have very tender memories of just sitting and talking with her that weekend. I was sending in my mission papers and was feeling a little nervous about everything. We came to the agreement that if she were to die while I was on my mission, then she would watch over me. And, that, she did.

About a week later I was back in Provo... I woke up really early one morning, startled with an overwhelming feeling of love. Within an hour I got a phone call letting me know that Grandma Hedy had passed away. I like to think that warm feeling I felt was Grandma Hedy saying good-bye. It was just like her to be thoughtful like that. Always taking the time to be with us individually. She was such a wonderful woman. If she were still alive today I would buy her this shirt:



Happy Birthday, Grandma! Your legacy lives on in our hearts. You will never be forgotten.