Tales from Down Under

We found a house!

2010-01-13T10:06:00.000+10:00

We are not going to be homeless in Australia, hooray!!!! We found a house and our application got approved last weekend. Evidently there was another couple that had an application on it as well and it took the owners a couple days to decide who to approve. A huge weight is now lifted off of our shoulders. We sign the final paperwork today so I will send out the new address soon. The location of the house will cut back the commute time for Wes to work and back by 20-30 minutes each way. I think this house will feel more like a home to us than the one we are in now. I say that because the new house is more like something we would actually buy ourselves. The backyard is much bigger so Tanner and Jackson will have more room to run around. Downfall is that we have to rent a fridge, washer, dryer and vacuum. We will have to catch a bus to the grocery, etc but it will only be a short ride. No more walking to and from the store everyday. I will kinda miss that considering it was good exercise. Overall, we are pleased with the house and just thankful to have found one that we actually will enjoy living in.

More to come...

2010-01-06T00:24:00.001+10:00

More posts to come soon I promise! I know wedding pictures are wanted and I will get those on here soon. We have been busy looking at houses since we have been back from Hawaii. Our lease is up on January 21 and the owners of the house are moving back from the UK so moving time for us. We have looked at many places but nothing permanent yet. We are looking at a house tomorrow that looks great online but we will see. I really hope that it is great because we are getting down to the wire to find somewhere to live. Many places here do not accept pets unless they are small and as most of you are aware our two are not in that category. So look for a new address from us hopefully in the next week or so to begin January 21, 2010.
Other than that, not much else going on in the Jower's household Down Under. Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Hanauma Bay on Oahu

2010-01-05T23:55:00.000+10:00

We all went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and got to see many fish, lots of coral and even a couple HUGE sea turtles.

Another night out in Hawaii, fun times!!!

2010-01-05T23:47:00.000+10:00

270 lb Blue Marlin

2010-01-05T23:43:00.000+10:00

Gerald caught a 270 lb Blue Marlin while in Hawaii! Look at the size of that thing, it is 9 feet long!!! It is being mounted and more than likely finding its home at the beachhouse. Mahi Mahi were also caught on the trip. If you go to http://www.maggiejoe.com/blog/categories/gallery/ and scroll down you will see that the guys made it onto the websites page as well.

Pearl Harbor

2010-01-05T23:34:00.000+10:00

We went to Pearl Harbor on December 3, not too many days before the anniversary. In our group just so happened to be one of the 18 remaining survivors. What a true American hero! Beth pictured with him below.
Louis A Conter, USN one of the last remaining survivors of the USS Arizona from December 7, 1941. http://www.hawaiinavynews.com/node/950

Kani Ka Pila Grill

2010-01-05T23:20:00.001+10:00

This picture was taken at the Kani Ka Pila Grill on Oahu.
It was at dinner on Monday before the wedding and it was something to remember! It was pouring rain and we were seated outside underneath umbrellas that did not connect. Chairs were wet and eventually we had a down pour on the table. Notice the silver bucket on the table? That was not for drinks, it was to catch the water falling from the umbrellas. Overall, it was great fun, a great laugh and we did eventually move to a covered area..after it stopped raining of course ;)

Lunch at Buzz's

2010-01-05T23:13:00.000+10:00

This was our first day in Hawaii at lunch.

The Blow Hole & Rabbit Island

2010-01-05T23:09:00.001+10:00

The Halona Blow Hole on Oahu

Manana Island aka Rabbit Island on Oahu

We made it to Hawaii, Aloha!

2010-01-05T23:03:00.000+10:00

The Jowers Clan

2010-01-05T23:01:00.000+10:00

The Jowers clan minus Addie, Henley and Jeff

Silly Girls

2010-01-05T23:00:00.000+10:00

Me and my cousin Beth acting our age :)

Sunset Beach on The North Shore

2010-01-05T22:57:00.000+10:00

Moana Surfrider in Wakiki December 1, 2009

2010-01-05T22:53:00.000+10:00

All the ladies having some lunch while the men are off deep sea fishing

All the ladies in front of the gorgeous Christmas tree at the Moana

You ask how expensive is it...

2009-11-29T13:23:00.000+10:00

I went over to the DFO (Direct Factory Outlets) and there was a Nine West. So I took a picture of a shoe and its price tag. Again, this is at an outlet!

Tiger Woods & Adam Scott

2009-11-23T16:12:00.001+10:00

We went to the Australian Masters Friday while in Melbourne and got the opportunity to see Tiger Woods as well as Adam Scott whom I think is just good looking ;) I believe the pictures here are of Tiger at hole 16 which also backs into hole 2 for a double green.

Adam Scott practicing his putt.

St. Kilda

2009-11-23T16:05:00.001+10:00

This bayside suburb of Melbourne is now one of the main tourist destinations and is renowned for its picturesque bayside setting, close proximity to the city, beaches, music venues, restaurants and cafe lifestyle. Too crowded if you ask me!!!

Witches in Britches

2009-11-23T16:02:00.000+10:00

We ran across this theater restaurant in Melbourne. Just a bit freaky if you ask me!

Our tram (trolley) wreck

2009-11-23T15:59:00.000+10:00

Just another day in Melbourne doing some sightseeing when our tram aka trolley was hit by a car! We did not even feel it happen and everyone was okay.

No damage to the tram.

Drivers of the tram and car filling out paperwork. No police involved.

Melbourne Christmas Tree & Us

2009-11-23T15:54:00.000+10:00

We miss everyone and are thankful for all of our friends and family.

Pre-festivities before lighting of Christmas Tree in Melbourne

2009-11-23T15:48:00.000+10:00

I "smeriously" wish you all could have been there to see this! "Look at her butt, it is so big." Wes and I could not quit laughing at this girl! Every time she turned her butt turned with her ;)

Oh yeah, the Power Puff girls put on a performance!

Even Bart and Homer joined in the fun.

Cool Pictures

2009-11-23T15:41:00.002+10:00

We closed down the entire alley of restaurants this night in Melbourne. Wes is sitting at the table in the background. Thought the picture turned out pretty neat.

I took this picture outside our hotel window one night. Reminds me of Ghostbusters for some reason :)

Odd buildings in Melbourne

2009-11-23T15:32:00.001+10:00

Flinders Street Station

2009-11-23T15:29:00.000+10:00

Flinders Street Station is the main train station in Melbourne.

The Fairies Tree

2009-11-21T20:33:00.002+10:00

From 1931 to May 1934 - Victoria's Centenary Year - Miss Cohn worked on the delightful likenesses of fairies, dwarfs, gnomes, a marvelous jackass, koalas, flying foxes and a host of typical Australian animals and birds. She used all the natural irregularities and curves to transform the tree trunk into a thing of beauty.

Her intentions are best described in the foreword to her book, "The Fairies Tree", inscribed on the tree's plaque : "I have carved in a tree in the Fitzroy Gardens for you, and the fairies, but mostly for the fairies and those who believe in them, for they will understand how necessary it is to have a fairy sanctuary - a place that is sacred and safe as a home should be to all living creatures."

The carvings were done years after the death of the tree and so the problem of the trunk's preservation presented a problem. In 1977, the trunk was extracted from the ground for chemical treatment and the removal of rotted wood, and during the process, a mummified brush tail possum over 40 years old was found perfectly preserved within the trunk. The tree was remounted on a concrete base to prolong its life.

Model Tudor Village

2009-11-21T20:31:00.000+10:00

Read the first picture so that you will know the story behind this model village.
It is located in Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne.

The Regent Theatre

2009-11-21T20:24:00.000+10:00

The day we arrived in Melbourne I noticed outside our hotel window that a line was forming and a section was blocked off with velvet rope. So of course I just had to know what was going on considering our hotel was next to the Regent Theatre. I walk down and Tori Amos is signing autographs.

So far behind

2009-11-21T19:56:00.002+10:00

I guess you all have noticed that there have been no new blogs in quite some time. Honestly, there has not been that much going on here in Brisbane. We have been hanging out at home mostly trying to save up money for our wedding in Hawaii. We did get the opportunity to go to Melbourne last weekend and I will post some pictures from that. One of the highlights of November other than the Melbourne trip has been that Tanner and Jackson finally arrived to our home in Brisbane. I am not sure who was more excited, us or Tanner and Jackson. They seem to be doing well and adjusting just fine. Tanner still wakes up at 5am and Jackson still wants any food you will give him. We are going into summer here and the days are getting more hot and humid and the critters are out and about. Lots of lizards and geckos! We also found out the owners of the house we are renting are moving back. Our lease is up mid-late January and then we will be moving. The move has its pros and cons, hopefully in the long run the pros will out weigh the cons. I believe that is it for now and will post some pics from Melbourne.

So cute

2009-10-26T16:18:00.000+10:00

I think I want a baby koala now :)

Hanging out with Mom

2009-10-26T16:12:00.001+10:00

It's hot and I'm tired

2009-10-26T16:07:00.000+10:00

It is so hot out here guys, lets go find some shade and lie down.

I am so sleepy.......

New Outfit

2009-10-26T16:01:00.000+10:00

I bought a new outfit from this store outside of Sydney. Just kidding!!! Everything in the store is seriously made out of rubber.

Australia loves monkeys too

2009-10-26T15:50:00.000+10:00

I love the Princess Polly store name also. "Spreading love, peace & happiness" is what it says below the name.

First Visitor

2009-10-26T15:40:00.002+10:00

Brian Borders, our first official visitor! Brian came over mid October and stayed 6 days with us. We started in Sydney and then to Brisbane. Picture was taken at Dundee Arms, our watering hole after a long day of sightseeing.

Entertaining Evening

2009-10-20T21:05:00.000+10:00

So...about 5pm today I walk into the bedroom to find this little guy hanging around. I wait for Wes to get home and tell him we have a friend living in the bedroom. Well, we cannot find him. Eeekkkkkk!!!!! All I can think is that there is NO way Iam sleeping in the bed tonight. So we go on a walk, have some dinner and then I go and take a look for "Wally" the gecko. I found "Wally" and shout for Wes to come and help. Long story short, 40 minutes later we finally get "Wally" out of the bedroom and back outside. I can go to bed tonight not thinking that a gecko will make his appearance on my face or in my hair! Have a great day and if you start having a bad one or just need a laugh, just think of me and Wes chasing "Wally" around :)

Bondi Beach

2009-10-20T16:41:00.000+10:00

Bondi (pronounced "BOND-eye") is located about 7 kilometers east of Sydney. Popular for surfing and is home of the world's first surf lifesaving club.

Breast Cancer Awareness

2009-10-20T16:29:00.000+10:00

The lights on the Story Bridge in Brisbane have been changed to pink the entire month of October for Breast Cancer Awareness. The Conrad Treasury building (which is a casino) has also been lit up pink for the month.

Stradbroke Island

2009-10-20T16:21:00.000+10:00

We took a visit to Stradbroke Island which to the locals is called "Straddie."
It is about an hour from Brisbane. We went up to "Point Lookout" which overlooks the Coral Sea and were hoping to see some whales migrating. Luckily as soon as we hit the cliffs we saw a whale, baby whale and dolphins. First picture you can kinda see where the whales are.

Small specs in the water are surfers.

Koala Crossing

2009-10-12T17:15:00.000+10:00

Driving down the road and see this sign. Watch out for koalas!

Riverfire 2009

2009-10-12T16:59:00.000+10:00

Riverfestival, which began in 1998, is a week-long festival held in September each year at South Bank Parklands and surrounding areas (including the Victoria Bridge), to celebrate the Brisbane River. It is the major festival in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. These are just a few pics of the planes that flew by. 2009 is also the last year they had the F-111's do the "dump and burn."

RIP-Crock Pot

2009-10-12T16:47:00.000+10:00

Crock Pot- US plug
Tested- US plug with power adapter, everything worked fine
Meal- Yummy beef stew
20 minutes into cooking- handles melted on crock pot and the insert cracked
Meal- NO beef stew

Dust Storm Shoes

2009-09-23T17:58:00.001+10:00

Wes' shoes after walking home from work

Dust Storm

2009-09-23T15:59:00.000+10:00

Today we had a dust storm, it is Wednesday, September 23, 2009.
Pictures below show the progression of the sky from hazy to just orange.
Sydney got hit much worse. This has to be the strangest thing I have ever witnessed.

St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney

2009-09-23T15:43:00.001+10:00

St Mary's is one of the world's largest English-style Gothic churches.
The original 1833 structure was destroyed by a fire in 1865 and
new construction was started the same year. The twin spires were
only completed in 2000 and they were part of the original plans.
The terrazzo floor (not pictured) in the crypt is based on the Story of
Creation and the Book of Kells; it took 15 years to complete.

Giant Chess Board

2009-09-23T15:33:00.000+10:00

This giant chess board is in Sydney's Hyde park

Fashion Smashion 1.3

2009-09-23T15:28:00.000+10:00

Only one picture for this edition of Fashion Smashion is needed.
Yeppers, she is preggers!

Sooooo thirsty

2009-09-23T15:24:00.000+10:00

These little guys needed water fast, no time to fly the short distance to the harbour.

Holy bats Batman!

2009-09-23T15:19:00.000+10:00

These guys are living in The Royal Botanic Gardens.
EEEEkkkkkkkkk!!!!!

Government House

2009-09-23T15:12:00.000+10:00

Government House was the official residence and remains the official reception space of the Governor of New South Wales, Australia.

Front View

Side view

Luna Park

2009-09-23T15:05:00.000+10:00

Luna Park is based on New York's Coney Island.
The laughing clown faces have overlooked the harbour since 1935.

Abo in Circular Quay

2009-09-23T14:57:00.002+10:00

Being Silly

2009-09-23T14:54:00.000+10:00

Manly Beach

2009-09-23T14:51:00.001+10:00

Manly Beach is about a 30 minute ferry ride from Sydney.
Very popular with surfers.There is a great walk along the
beach that takes you to Cabbage Tree Bay where there is
a rockpool called Fairy Bower and then you run into Shelly Beach.

Manly Beach

Cabbage Tree Bay and the Fairy Bower rockpool

Shelly Beach

Sailboats in Sydney Harbour

2009-09-23T14:40:00.000+10:00

These pictures were taken on a Saturday in Sydney.
Again, pictures do not do this justice,there were SO
many sailboats out in the harbour

Queen Victoria Building

2009-09-23T14:35:00.000+10:00

The Queen Victoria Building has been described by Pierre Cardin
as "the most beautiful shopping centre in the world."

Pictures still do it no justice, the inside is absolutely amazing and
not just for the shopping!

Woman & Giraffe

2009-09-23T14:25:00.000+10:00

I just got such a kick out of watching this as I was walking down the street in Sydney.
Everyone else on the streets did as well. Look at the two guys looking at her and laughing
as they walk by.

Ben Folds & Aimee Mann at Sydney Opera House

2009-09-23T14:07:00.003+10:00

More Opera House

2009-09-23T14:03:00.000+10:00

This is the restaurant at the Opera House.

Pictures of the concert hall. We were both disappointed with the inside of this hall.
Expectations were high since it is The Sydney Opera House.
We felt as if we needed notebooks, #2 pencils and we were waiting for someone to start handing out a syllabus.

Sydney Opera House

2009-09-23T13:39:00.001+10:00

Wes had to go to Sydney to work for a week at the end of August and luckily I got to tag along. What a beautiful place! There is so much to do and see there, far more than Brisbane. Many museums, gorgeous parks, the architecture is amazing and so much more. I have over 400 pictures and will share a few. The first being The Sydney Opera House. It really is an amazing sight from all angles.

Mt. Coot-tha Walking Trail

2009-09-23T13:22:00.001+10:00

Just a few pictures from our walk/hike.

Mt. Coot-tha

2009-09-23T13:10:00.001+10:00

Views of Brisbane from Mt. Coot-tha, a popular tourist destination and favorite of the locals. There is also a walking trail that we tackled. There is suppose to be a great waterfall however due to the drought, there was NO water so NO falls.

A Happy Man

2009-08-25T17:09:00.000+10:00

Before boxes were unpacked, the grill was put together and yes we grilled that evening. We had this lovely Weber packed up with the items shipped from Birmingham . Good thing because the same exact one here is over $200.

Lawn Bowling

2009-08-25T17:04:00.000+10:00

Lawn bowling is a very popular sport here in Australia. The object of the game is to see whose team can get closest to the jack (the small white ball Wes is throwing in picture 1) Each team then bowls four 4.5 lb balls to see who will win the game!

Wes bowling the jack.

My form looks awful!!!

A double rainbow after a very brief and rare rain shower.

Store/Restaurant Names

2009-08-25T16:48:00.001+10:00

LOVE the name ")

The wok has little legs so he can "wok on inn" to!

Fashion Smashion 1.2

2009-08-25T16:29:00.004+10:00

2009-08-18T16:48:00.001+10:00

Brumby's is our local bakery on Oxford Street. Yummy, fresh bread!!

Woolworths is our grocery store on Oxford Street.

Fresh produce market on the corner of Oxford Street and Princess.

Vintage Cellars is the place to go for wine, beer, liquor. These items are not sold in Woolworths.

Story Bridge

2009-08-18T16:44:00.000+10:00

Story Bridge connects Fortitude Valley and Kangaroo Point suburbs in Brisbane. We pass under this bridge when we take the City Cat into the city amongst other suburbs. You can also take a guided walk to the very top of the bridge.

City Cat... Oh City Cat...

2009-08-18T16:29:00.000+10:00

Wes takes the City Cat into the city and back everyday for work. I am on the City Cat pretty regular as well. It has many stops along the Brisbane River and they operate from 5.50am until 11.30pm every day. Kinda nice to be able to get on a boat everyday.
.
This is the Bulimba Ferry stop where Wes and I get on and off of the City Cat. It is a short walk from our house.

Fashion Smashion 1.1

2009-08-08T17:52:00.003+10:00

I have mentioned to numerous people that the Australians will wear just about anything. These pictures were taken throughout the past week. Only modifications were zooming in.... Stayed tuned for more Fashion Smashion.

Bulimba House

2009-08-08T17:01:00.001+10:00

This is our home in Bulimba. It will feel much more like home when all of our furniture and belongings arrive on the 14th.

Leaving the 'ham

2009-08-05T07:34:00.003+10:00

I want to say thank you to all of our friends and family that helped us with this move to Australia. Your support and words of encouragement meant the world to both Wes and myself. The month of July was a very busy one as most of you know and we tried to fit ALOT in. Again, many thanks for being there for us.

The long journey began with seven bags to be checked in at the Delta counter in Birmingham. Five of which were overweight and yes, we had to pay extra for those. Good news was we did not have to see those seven bags again until we arrived in Sydney. We then flew from Birmingham to Atlanta, Atlanta to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Sydney and finally Sydney to Brisbane. The flight from Los Angeles to Sydney was full and somehow our seats got messed up and we were not sitting together. The Delta representative at the counter said she would work on this for us. We also mentioned to her that we would use some of our sky miles to upgrade to business if allowed. We got upgraded, hooray!!!! The flight to Sydney is 14 hours and what a difference being in business class makes for this long journey. The down fall to this is now I know what it is like in business class and will want to fly it when we come back to the states. I doubt this happens... We get to Sydney and then have to go to baggage to claim our seven bags. From there, we have to go through customs with the seven bags. One of the seven being Wes' golf bag that he drags behind him. We have nothing to declare except for some of the yummy candy that Meredith gave us for the trip and Wes has to check a box on the form for grass, etc. on his golf shoes. Make note: if you are travelling overseas please clean the bottom of your golf shoes before leaving the states. They took three, yes I said just three of his golf shoes to get cleaned before we could continue our journey. What happened to the fourth shoe, why did it not need to be cleaned?Next we have to get ourselves and our luggage to the other side of the airport to our next flight. We then have to check our luggage in with Quantas and get our boarding passes for Sydney to Brisbane. Finally we arrive in Brisbane, get the car and fill it full of luggage. Twenty minutes later, home sweet home in Bulimba.

Overall, we had a great trip over. Flights were on time, we got upgraded, all the luggage made it and we made it.

We Made It!

2009-08-01T09:09:00.001+10:00

Wes and I finally made it to Brisbane! More posts to come soon :)

A GLIMPSE OF DOWN UNDER

2009-06-28T02:10:00.004+10:00

Just how far is Brisbane.....
In case you cannot remember the metric system, here is a refresher and an easy way to remember it. If you a running a 5K that is 3.2 miles. So New York is about 9,918 miles from the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia.

The beautiful beach at
"Surfer's Paradise"

The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary has over 100 koalas! You can hold one for a small fee. They are very bottom heavy and are not as soft as you would think.

The kangaroos you see here have been hand fed by myself and Wes. It got kinda scary when three were eating out of your hand so the food kinda got dropped on the ground.