It takes a Father…

We were in Australia for Father’s Day this year…no internet access and only a mobile phone that belonged to someone else…but it didn’t mean we weren’t thinking about the Dad’s in our life!!  As I was gallivanting down under with three kids in tow, I was thinking about families and love and kids and life and jobs and how it all comes together and makes us “us”…

So many people ask us “why”…why are you in Cambodia (because it is a great experience), why did you have twins (because it runs in my family), why do you travel and spend time apart (because someone has to support our family and that person wants us to experience new things), why do you run in the heat (because I like to run and it is hot, so I do it), why do you put your kids to bed at 6:30 (because they wake up at 6 am no matter what time I put them to bed and they like the structure)…I mean, really, people are full of questions…which is fine…but let me tell you something…

Our family is our family…no family is perfect, we all have something that someone else wants…but for me, I have it all…I have a husband who is my best friend, 3 beautiful boys and we are all healthy…and a husband who supports me no matter what I do…if I have an opportunity like the trip to Australia, he never says no…he always says go have fun…

So during this trip on Father’s Day, I was missing the father of my boys…and thinking about all of the wonderful things he is…and it made me realize so much more about what a life is and how family is what you make it and how I am so lucky to have this person in my life who stands next to me, behind me or in front of me…whatever it is I need at that time, he is there…supporting our family with words, actions, money, love…yes, I am able to do a lot of fun things…but it’s because we have a wonderful father in our life…

We have something to look forward to at the end of a trip

We have someone to call and tell about our day

We have someone who is thinking about us and worries about us

We have someone who is concerned when we are sick

We have someone who wants us all to have the best life, so he makes all of the sacrifices…

We have someone who takes the headaches of a crazy boss and makes it work because we have mouths to feed…

We have someone who listens to music with us and wrestles us up in our underwear (this is ACTUAL request by our four year old…not something the mama is just oversharing!)

This mama has a PARTNER…we each have our job…it works for us

We are talking about the man in our family…who loves unconditionally, gives everything and never asks for anything in return…thank you for making our life “our life”…

(and I would like to add…this man reminds me an awful lot of the man I call Dad…I’ve been a pretty lucky girl…)

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO THE MAN WHO MADE ME A MAMA…

Melbourne–Australia, Part II

After our little trip to paradise, we headed to Melbourne where winter is in FULL swing…I thought this Alaska girl would feel right at home…and during the day, I was…but at night, FORGET it…I’ll take my balmy nights any day!!!  This was a great city and so much fun to hang out in “suburbs” again, hit a real shopping mall, and feel like a normal person…like clothes that are size S or M, fit me…not a XXXL that is skin tight…we spent a few days “playing” in the malls, hitting parks, riding scooters, taking river walks AND scoping out the only Starbucks within 100 KM of my person!!!

We stayed with one of my very best friend’s sisters house and the boys and I got to all sleep in the same bed…something we haven’t done since we lived in the states…

…and I can’t talk about travelling to Melbourne without sharing these photos…(there were 25 of us…so don’t think this is just us!)

…and let’s not forget about my tropical babies…who would NOT wear their coats…these are their faces because I had just them on them…

It was a WONDERFUL time…great friends, great people, great country…who knows what our next adventure holds???

Until then…G’day mate!!  (sorry, couldn’t help myself…and just so you know…they REALLY do say that!)

Thoughts on Australia

But during all of this driving and flying…I had some thoughts in my head…

first of all, about Australia…

• In Australia, you say you’re going north for the winter…
• If you are born in November, you are born in the summer…
• Longest day in our hemisphere, is the shortest day in theirs…
• The months are opposite…I know, I said this already, but I can’t wrap my brain around it…July, July, August…WINTER…Hello weirdness!!!
• A “right turn” is the difficult turn like the “left turn” at home…
• I drove there…for a short period…I could barely back out of the drive way…the mirrors were just too odd!!!
• They really advocate breastfeeding…they have family rooms EVERYWHERE…and something fantastic that I would have loved…in the breastfeeding area, they have it gated off with toys, so you can peacefully feed your infant while your toddler plays without an available escape route.
• The malls and EVERYTHING closes at 5 pm…5 pm…what the heck?

and second, about my ability to repatriate myself in the western world…

• When I ordered food at McDonald’s…I sounded something like this:  I.would.like.2.yes.2.sausage.mc.muffins.and.2.extra.hashbrowns….and when they got it, they repeated it and were like, move out of the way lady…why are you talking to me like that?
• Is it OK to change my sons diaper on that park bench?  (it was)
• Is it OK to let my son pee in the bushes over there?  (other people were doing it, but I wouldn’t let mine…)
• WOW…you go to a grocery store and there are several choices of peanut butter…13 different kinds of apples…in a bin…and YOU get to choose the ones you want…not a pre-packaged bunch which may or may not have bruises
• Milk can be purchased for $3 for a gallon…(YAY!)
• You can buy ice cream sandwiches
• My son doesn’t know what a “Happy Meal” is (LOL!)
• There is bread…in a supermarket…and CHOICES!!!
• EVERYONE in the car must be in a some sort of seat belt…sort of forget about that one!!
• Restaurants have high chairs…you don’t need to hold two babies to go out to eat…a $9 bowl of pho…
• You can go thru drive-thrus…

…I’m ready to take on the USA!!!…car seats, seat belts, gallons of milk, choices at Costco, drive thrus, changing tables, expensive Vietnamese food and everything in between…

Gold Coast, Australia…

Now the theme parks are great…but they really don’t do justice to the beauty of the Gold Coast…I mean, you can go the theme parks all over the world…but it’s not very many places that I can say, “This is THE best beach I’ve ever been on…”…Seriously…the sand, the sky, the water, the people…it was perfectly beautiful!!!  The sand was the softest, fluffiest, most luxurious I’ve had touch my toes…and I’ve been to a lot of beaches in the world!!!  Aside from the beach, the entire area was perfect…like in a freakish way…no rubbish lying around, city planning was great, parks everywhere…that boardwalk was BEGGING me to take a run!  I LOVED it there!

Where we stayed…

Our last morning, the boys and I headed to McDonalds, got breakfast and hit the beach…I gotta say, without Starbucks around, I was enjoying the McDonald’s café coffees…not too shabby…or maybe I was just needing my caffeine fix…or maybe it is just the Australian McD’s…???

The boys loved the sand in their toes, chasing birds and the water splashing…a PERFECT morning!

I couldn’t stop taking pictures of this perfect place…it was a mix of Honolulu, San Diego and Santa Barbara…ALL of my favorite places…If it wasn’t so darned expensive, I would suggest that be our new home!!!

…and one of the other things I LOVED about this place…my boys SLEPT…like they’ve NEVER slept…my boys woke up no earlier than 9 am every day…LOVING IT!!