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Christmas weekend was fantastic. Friday we kicked off the weekend with Mark’s birthday, an afternoon at the beach and good ole KFC for dinner! On your birthday in Mark’s family you get to choose what you want for dinner, Mark craving the US cooking opted for Fried Chicken from KFC! Although Mark did get some flack for being so old we had a great celebration with his family.
Saturday was a scorcher, it was over 100 degrees, no breeze and I was sweating just standing still. Mark and I went to Christmas Eve mass at the Catholic church a few blocks away from our new house. In a first for me, the mass was outdoors, we sat in the grass on our picnic blanket. Although much of the service seemed similar to Christmas Eve mass in Seattle, the entire service from start to finish (with about 400 people getting communion) lasted only 45 min. This was the church service of my childhood dreams! The beachy feel of our Northern Beaches community was apparent in the casual atmosphere of the church service and the flip flops and board shorts most people wore to church.
Sunday we exchanged gifts with each other and Marks family and headed up to the central coast to my future brother in-law (Clay) parent’s house. We were treated to a wonderful Christmas lunch, chatted and enjoyed the warm weather. Above is a picture of Mark’s mom and I at Tuggerah lakes on the central coast near Clay’s parents home.
Monday morning we were up early to call the US and wish everyone a Happy Chrissy (Aussie for Merry Christmas). We then took a hike to Barenjoey Lighthouse near Palm Beach. This is a picture of Mark and I at the top of the hike with the Pacific Ocean on the left and Pittwater Inlet on the right. The weather was great and we headed straight to the beach after our hike. Mark taught me some body bashing (Aussie for body surfing) techniques, I was officially the dorkiest girl on the beach in my bikini and swim goggles but I was also having the best time!
Tuesday we walked across the Harbor Bridge and took in all the beautiful sights
of Sydney Harbor. We ate lunch at the historic Australian Hotel (Mark’s Great Uncle used to own the Hotel) where we had saltwater crocodile pizza (it wasn’t very good, the meat was super chewy but now I can say I’ve tried it) Here is a picture of Mark outside the Australian Hotel.
We had a wonderful Chrissy weekend filled with good food, family and friends. We miss everyone and wish you all Happy Holidays and all the best in the New Year. -kel
It is the season for many things and one of those things is “Top 10” lists. Getting toward the end of the year all the newspapers and TV news programs have them – the top 10 new authors of the year, the top 10 leading news stories of the year, the top 10 local Seattle music releases and The Stranger even had a top 10 places to meet “swingers” in their year end issue for 2004.
So in homage to the city of Seattle, which showed me such a good time and introduced me to many great friends in the years I was there I will introduce you to my top 10 things I miss about Seattle now that I have been gone for a quarter year. A caveat before I start, I miss all of my friends very much and equally and “missing friends” would definitely be #1 on the list – so aside from that here we go ….
1. (Three way tie) Midnight Cuban Sandwich @ Paseo, Blue Cheese and Bacon Burger @ Red Mill and the Dybwad @ Other Coast Café
4. Snowboarding – I know the PNW is having a great snow season and after the disaster of ‘04/’05 I am jealous of having such easy access to good snow
5. Pacifco cerveza – usually a 12 pack for $10 on special at Fred’s every other week. I’m almost ashamed to say it but my days of drinking heavy beers in quantity are behind me, Pacifico and a lime made me feel like I was on a sunny beach in Mexico even if I was actually sitting on the couch in a house with no heat in Wallingford. You can get Carona here but it is a gourmet beer and fifty-odd bucks for a 24 pack – no thanks. Australian beer is good, don’t get me wrong, but after experiencing my first chunder for five or six years just last Thursday I’m a little gun shy right now.
6. My stuff – I mean nearly everything I owned at 3618, clothes, coke bottles, pick axe, Arkie… everything – since it was packed the day before we left we haven’t seen a thing. The good news we received this week was that it has landed in Australia, the bad news was that customs have chosen to inspect every item because of suspicious items included on the packing list – could they have mistaken four boxes of “coke” as meaning something else?
7. Hatties – sometimes just for a beer at the counter and sometimes for chicken fried chicken (with garlic mash potatoes and sweet corn for the “two sides with main”). Some fun times there right through to the end when Kelly and I had a front row seat to see the Radio Nationals do an acoustic set and they used our table to rest their beers on.
8. Mojito’s at El Camino’s – the best cocktail in the city hands down.
9. Rainier on the drive to work – this time of year you don’t get to see it much but when I did I was never any less amazed at how awesome it looked and how crazy it is to be living in a big city with that as a backdrop. A similar feeling was driving home in winter when I was at Amazon in Beacon Hill coming down the hill and seeing the snow capped Olympics – Seattle is beautiful.
10. If this was a “what I most miss about the U.S.” list, #1 would be Popeyes Chicken. A major beef I have against the city of Seattle is that there are no Popeye’s, but I made the drive to Tacoma twice a year and often in winter to have my fill of Popeyes – can’t drive to T-town from here.
Just missing the list was living in a city where half the locals wear purple and puke around in winter (not) – although I’m sure this eyesore does not start until later in winter as U dub is now a basketball school. (We celebrated Apple Cup in the Kelly-Mark household this year so I didn’t miss that momentous event).
We do miss all of our friends and wish everybody a great time over the holidays and all the best for the new year. A year I am looking forward to very much.
Peace and love. - Mark
It's official we've bought a house! It's a total fixer upper, just down the road from the beach (about 1/4 mile) on a quiet street with a great yard, space for a pool and a cabana. Over the next few months we will be re-modeling hoping to move in before June if possible! In March when everyone comes to visit for the wedding we will be hosting a brunch at our new house so many of you will get to see the work in progress first hand. Look for lot's of before and after photos coming soon as we take on our first renovators delight! -kel
Today is my second and final day in Korea. We are on the red-eye back to Sydney tonight. Today I had my first Latte since I left Seattle, it was so yummy and it was from Starbucks. The team here in Seoul loves Starbucks, as a thank you for all of their help, I treated them to coffee at Starbucks this afternoon. It was totally crazy, outside, inside right down to the cups and napkins, it looked just like one of the 1000's of Starbucks in Seattle. Even the light fixtures were the same. Since I left Seattle 9 weeks ago, nothing has seemed more like home to me. I am not a big Starbucks person, and I usually prefer to frequent the smaller local coffee shops, but this was one Seattle icon that I just couldn't pass up.
Last night we went to dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant, the food was excellent. I really have no idea (other than some of the beef) what we ate (to be honest I don't think I want to know either). All the food was cooked on a plate in front of us, the rice wine was being poured constantly and I woke up hang-over free.
Seoul has been fun, a quick trip with really no time to see much or do anything but work. One quick trip for coffee, dinner out and one 20 min. cab ride has pretty much been all I have seen and unfortunately all I will get to see on this trip. It is freezing cold here, -3 degrees, everyone is bundled up, there is snow on the ground and the Christmas decorations have made Seoul look like a winter wonderland.
I am looking forward to getting back to Sydney and even caught myself today saying I was looking forward to getting home... -kel
Today is Day 1 in Seoul Korea. I am here on business at the Microsoft Korea office. Although I haven’t seen much other than the office, the hotel and the walk in between, it has been interesting. Those of you who remember my first trip to India a few years ago, will recall my many attempts to learn to flush the toilet in the office, again…here in Korea I met a toilet I had trouble flushing. The good news is the seats are heated, yes heated! It was the best toilet ever, totally clean, warm and full of fancy buttons, if I had a camera, I would have taken a picture! After pushing many buttons (when I say many I really mean every single one), slight panic began to set in when none of them were actually flushing, then I realized on the other side of the fancy buttons was a good old fashioned flusher just like at home. Disaster avoided and new found respect for Korean toilets still intact.
It’s very cold here, about 32 degrees, snow and ice on the ground. Mark and I have yet to receive our container from America, so I had to borrow a jacket from Mark’s sister so I didn’t freeze. The city is very crowded, it’s the 5th largest city in the world (10.3 million people living in 36sq KM), all of the people I have met have been very hospitable, warm and friendly. We have a very full schedule for the two days we are here, unfortunately I don’t think I will have much time to get out and see the city or do any shopping. Maybe on my next visit… -kel
“ Been a long time gone, no I ain't hoed a row since I don't know when”
I’ve never actually hoed a row or rode … (good time to stop that thought) – but I have been gone from this fair city for a good while. While I’m overjoyed to be back in Sydney town with Kel and the city has dolled itself up and put on a good smile for us it still has taken some retribution for my lack of attention to it over the past ten years.
Case in point #1:
Having packed all our worldly possessions in a 20 ft container and jumping a plane with a single suitcase I thought I had a slight reprieve because I still had some clothing here in Sydney. 10 years is a long time and you know you get a bit lazy, eat a few too many Dick’s Deluxes and those old pants and your favourite Speedo don’t hide as much as they used to. Just in case denial got the better of me Kelly has taken the initiative and cut up most of my old getups telling me that she is going to make a quilt out of them – which is a nice way for her to tell me that she would rather stay in and watch cricket on the tele than go out in public with me wearing those old clothes.
Case in point #2:
Not too many things are tougher on a bloke than the voice that wafts over from the passenger seat from your fiancée (sub: wife/girlfriend) telling you that you need to go this way or you are going the wrong way. When you grew up in a city and your S.O. has been here for all of two mins. taking those directions is even harder. So when Kelly tells me I am trying to cross the Harbour Bridge in a lane that is reserved for “electronic tag” holders I laughed her off knowing there was no such thing – WRONG and that will be $80 to the state govt. thank you. Sorry Kel.
Case in point #3:
No silly little stories to tell in illustrating this point – but if this is retribution for leaving I may never leave the County of Cumberland again for fear of what might happen. On one of our little jaunts around the city I went to show Kelly my favourite pub – The Harold Park Hotel – well it used to be Harold in any case, it’s now a vegetarian restaurant with a housing development above it. It was there for 100 odd years, I duck out for a couple of years and they do this - R.I.P. Harold.
We live in a land down under where women glow and men thunder.
Cheers.
Although the mighty Huskies lost to the Cougs, last week was my Birthday weekend and I had a great time. The weather did not cooperate, it was a cold and rainy spring day here in Sydney, so I'll have to wait until next year for a warm weather birthday. Mark and I took the ferry into the city, did some shopping and exploring. Here are a few pictures from our trip, the Christmas decorations are up and Sydney looks beautiful. All and all it was a fabulous birthday weekend!
Christmas weekend was fantastic. Friday we kicked off the weekend with Mark’s birthday, an afternoon at the beach and good ole KFC for dinner! On your birthday in Mark’s family you get to choose what you want for dinner, Mark craving the US cooking opted for Fried Chicken from KFC! Although Mark did get some flack for being so old we had a great celebration with his family.
of Sydney Harbor. We ate lunch at the historic Australian Hotel (Mark’s Great Uncle used to own the Hotel) where we had saltwater crocodile pizza (it wasn’t very good, the meat was super chewy but now I can say I’ve tried it) Here is a picture of Mark outside the Australian Hotel.
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