I am not funny, China is funny.

Wednesday, 14 August 2013

What a difference a year makes!

One year ago today Hannah Grace, Ellis, and I boarded a plane to the other side of the world with swollen eyes after saying our good-byes in South Carolina. Over the year, a few more tears were shed, but lots of laughter happened, too. We have been lucky enough to have experienced things that may not have been possible otherwise. We have held koalas, fed the kangaroos, toured the Sydney Opera House, viewed some spectacular scenery, swam the Great Barrier Reef, went whale watching, and who could forget the wonderful swooping of the Magpie’s! Yep, it has been a fabulous year! What I am most grateful for, though, are the friends that have entered our lives. Ellis and Hannah Grace have met some adorable friends that put smiles on both of their faces and who certainly made this move a bit easier. Tony and I are just as lucky to have met people that will forever remain in our hearts! Okay, Tony would say that is a bit sappy. Forgive me. So, here is to another year of making good memories! Cheers, Big Ears! (That one is for you, Amy!)

Tuesday, 13 August 2013

Our second visitors: Mom and Dad

I have spent the last two weeks soaking up every moment. My parents arrived in Australia on July 31^st and I loved every minute of their visit! I had to try very hard to just live in the moment and not worry about how quickly time was passing.

Here is a little piece of our journey:

If you know my family, you know we love food! This picture was taken on the day they arrived at a café on Oxford St.

The kids were so excited to see Papa and Grammy...

and the extra suitcase full of goodies!

Each night, we made it our goal to watch the sunset.

I took them for a ride on the citycat before walking their feet off through the city.

Stradbroke Island: My mom and dad love the Florida Beaches and the Gulf of Mexico. With all of their travels across the globe, Stradbroke has been the only beach they have loved as much as PCB!

Dolphins!

Dad enjoyed barking like a dog to get this kangaroos attention. Dad's lucky he wasn't this kangaroo's lunch!

She couldn't resist touching the water.

Lawn Bowls: I thought for sure that, with Tony on my team, we had this game in the bag! Apparently, I am that bad! Mom and Dad are quite competitive, though!

Winners!

Not the winners :(

After lawn bowls, we headed to New Farm Park for a little tree climbing and...

I am guessing a little sports or political talk.

Mooloolaba: On Monday, we ventured out to Mooloolaba Beach for a little walk and lunch.

Whale Watching at the Gold Coast: The whales were quite active on this day, so we were lucky. We came across four different pods, one of which had four whales in the group. I wasn’t successful catching it on camera, but three different times a whale breached!

My unsuccessful attempt at catching one of the whales breaching.

Here is what it looked like from someone with a little more skill.

Coming up to take a look.

Sydney: We spent the last weekend with my parents in Sydney. I love surprises and thought this was perfect for the kids. We told them we were dropping Mom and Dad off at the airport to spend the weekend in Sydney before heading to the states. We, though, had their bags packed and were ready to jump on the plane with them. To explain the extra luggage, we said that Papa and Grammy were taking stuff back to the states for us. In Australia, you can still go all the way to the gate without a boarding pass. So we waited until it was time to board the plane before letting them in on our little secret. Ellis said it was the biggest surprise I have ever done. He could hardly control his excitement! Hannah Grace was in shock…and glad she decided against wearing her uniform to the airport!

I am not sure what had them so tickled, but I loved it!

Dinner in Darling Harbour: The lighting isn't great, but I love this picture!

The memories we made over the last two weeks put a smile on my face and my heart. I will always cherish this time we had together!

You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you. - Frederick Buechner

Tuesday, 23 July 2013

Wedding Bells Ring

Last month, I received the best birthday present that I could ever imagine! Our family made an extra trip to the states to witness the marriage of my sister to the love of her life, Marty Moore. The anticipation and planning of this wedding had been full on since the day he proposed in December. Missing all of their parties was gut wrenching, but how could I complain? I was getting an extra trip home AND a fabulous brother-in-law!

We landed in Florida less than a week before the ceremony. There was no time for jetlag! We hit the ground running in search of shoes, clothes, and getting my dress altered. Meanwhile, I had a slew of family that I wanted to hug and love on! It was a whirlwind of a week! Heck, it was a whirlwind of 3 weeks! I feel like the celebrations that we had leading up to the wedding filled my void of the months that I had missed.

Years ago (before she even met Marty), Anna Catherine told me about her dream wedding. On June 22^nd, it came to life. I do believe she had the perfect wedding! She married on the beach behind my parents’ house with just immediate family and attendants. We encircled them as they said their vows, sweat a wee bit in the heat, and shed a few tears. It was beautiful! After popping a few bottles of champagne, we headed on to the reception site where friends and family were waiting to greet the new couple. We gathered for a blessing of the marriage before singing and dancing the night away with The Villagers. (For those of you that do not know, The Villagers is a band that my dad was in back in college in which he was the lead singer. They have gotten together for fun the last couple of years. It made my sister’s night to have them there to perform at her reception!) It was a night filled with friendship, love, laughter, and a few drinks! My only wish is that I had more time with each person there! Hugs and love to you all!

Here are a few highlights from the festivities:

On Thursday, the girls gathered for an afternoon of pampering. They kept me in stitches the entire weekend!

On Friday, my precious aunt threw an incredible luncheon at Firefly. The decorations were beautiful, the food was scrumptious, and the fellowship was wonderful! She pulled all of this off just days after my uncle had triple by-pass surgery! He had only been released from the hospital the day before! Amazing!

Laughter and tears, all in one!

Anna Catherine and Cindy

Mom, Anna Catherine, and Marty's Mom

Sweet Cousins

The Girls

Adorable friends from South Carolina

Anna Catherine with our Aunt Linda, Stacy, and Amy

Friday night we had the rehearsal, followed by a shrimp boil at Mike’s Diner. Below is a picture of the bride and groom with my cousin, Michael. He was responsible for the yummy shrimp boil AND the oh-so-delicious red velvet donut groom's cake at the wedding.

As I said, the girls kept me in stitches the entire weekend. Here they are presenting Anna Catherine with her very own nightgown as the theme song to the Golden Girls (Anna Catherine’s favorite show) played in the background. This was followed by the Harlem Shake that everyone was in on, except the bride and groom.

Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia getting their groove on.

The Big Day Is Finally Here!

Hannah Grace and her Papa

I do believe Ellis loved the attention!

Grammy and Hannah Grace

Here we go!

After making it to the beach, we encircled the sweet couple.

Mr. and Mrs. Moore

After the ceremony, we headed to the reception. I don’t have any pictures of the blessing. Hopefully we’ll have plenty from the actual wedding photographer! It was hard not to post hundreds on here, because there were some great ones of people I love!

Ellis and Abby enter the reception area

All eyes on Hannah Grace and Sarah

This crew had a ball!

Representing Tennessee, one of my favorites: Boone Swain!

Friends that may as well be family: Doug and Meredith

I had to post this picture of my great aunt and uncle. Aunt Helon is 85 and is the sister of my Dad’s mom who passed away in 2000. When I asked to take their picture, they stood up and Uncle Mark engulfed Aunt Helon in his arms. It melted my heart! I hope Tony will love me like this when I am 85!