(Her) A Cool Giveaway

One of the things I love about the bloggy community is how generous everyone is. There are quite a few going on right now, but over at E-Z Class they are having a cool New Zealand giveaway. Very interesting and cool products that cannot be gotten here in the States. Head over to their blog so you can join in the fun! 

Happy Giveaways,

His and Her Weekend Shenanigans

Hello from the US everyone! We were away from home for 31 days. That is a looooong vacation. It was absolutely incredible and we had so much fun but it is good to be home. Since it is Monday, we are linking up with Sami to talk about our weekend shenanigans.

Friday was a long day of flights for us. We flew from Las Vegas (where we spent two days) to Nashville. Then from Nashville to home. It was a crazy morning in Las Vegas for us though. Sean's phone fell out of his pocket and we couldn't figure out where we lost it. We called our hotel and they sent someone to the room and it wasn't there so we figured it was in the cab. Problem - we did not know the name of the cab company so there was no way to contact them. The only thing we could do was suspend the service on the phone and hope for the best. Before we did that though, Amanda texted the phone and asked that whoever found it call her cell. Then we called T-Mobile and suspended the service.

While we were flying from Vegas to Nashville, Amanda got a voice mail from our cab driver. He found Sean's phone and his company will mail it back to us as soon as we fax them a prepaid label. Thank goodness for good people who do the right thing!!!

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Saturday we did some primping and preening. Amanda got her nails done and we both got haircuts. Then we went to Amanda's parents house to hang out with them for a few hours and to pick up our puppy. He was so happy to see us and we were so happy to see him. We missed our little fur-baby!

We were hoping that Sunday was going to be a relaxing and recharging day but we had so much to do that it didn't turn out that way. Laundry had piled up while we were away on our trip so that had to be started. Sean had some work around the house - weeding and tending to the yard - and he went grocery shopping. School starts for Amanda on Thursday so there was things she needed to do. *sigh* We have certainly crashed back to Earth after the high of being on vacation.

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So that was our weekend. Nothing too fun or exciting. How was your weekend? Link up with Sami or leave a comment to let us know what shenanigans you got up to.

Happy Monday,

His and Her Day that Never Ends

Well, the day we have been dreading is here. Today is the day we leave Australia and travel back to the U.S. Though there are things we have missed (Amanda's parents, our doggie Alex, Chick-Fil-A, driving on the correct side of the road ;) , etc), there are so many things about Australia that are painful to leave. *sigh* 

---To avoid any more tears today we will move on to something weird and different ---

If you recall at the beginning of our trip, we wrote about our day that doesn't exist thanks to the International Date Line. You can check out the post here. We mentioned in the post that we will get that day back and today is the day. 

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Our flight to San Francisco leaves Sydney at 2:45pm and after 14+ hours in the air we land in California at 11am, almost 4 hours before we departed Sydney. It's weird enough when you lose a day coming to Australia (you are on the aircraft for so long it feels like you have been on there for a day and a half) but landing hours before you left after being on a trans-Pacific flight for so long is unsettling. It's almost like being in one of the Back to The Future movies. It would be even weirder going to Honolulu and landing the night before we left!

We will be spending two days in Las Vegas before heading home to Virginia. Which casinos do we need to make sure we visit? 

Happy Travels,

His and Her Australia Review

Today is our last full day in Australia. We have had an incredible month and we are incredibly sorry to see it end. We have done and seen some awesome things so we are going to recap our vacation. Rather than just make a list of all the things we did, we thought a Q&A would be more fun. Here goes ---


What were the three favorite foods you ate while in Australia?
Amanda - 
1. Cupcake Espresso Cupcakes
These cupcakes are the ones Shellie and Tim had at the wedding and we have had them three times since. They are so delicious and I have not had anything as good in VA. They are moist cupcakes with a delicious filling and a creamy, smooth icing. I cannot stand the idea of going several years without a Cupcake Espresso cupcake. I wonder how well it would ship?? 

2. Mr. Schnitzel Mr. Mexican Roll
We found this lunch spot after yarn shopping. It is a breaded and fried chicken breast, placed into a pita with the toppings of your choice. Shellie and Tim like the Mr. Hawaiian roll with ham and pineapple but I loved the Mr. Mexican roll with avocado, salsa, cheese, lettuce, and carrots. One roll will fill you up for hours and it tastes so, so good. Sean and I have been talking about how we can recreate these at home.

3. Kebabs
A kebab is a pita filled with shaved, rotisserie meat (usually chicken, beef, or lamb) combined with sauce (ketchup, barbecue, or sweet chili), hummus, tubuli, lettuce, cheese, tomato, and onion. When we were in the Manly part of Sydney, we had kebabs while sitting next to the ocean. So very yummy!!

Sean -  
1. Ham and Cheese Pineapple Rolls from Woolworths
These are a yeast roll that is topped with melted cheese and cubed ham and pineapple. I used to eat them on a fairly regular basis when I worked at Big W but have been unable to find a similar product in America so it was nice to be able to eat them again.

2. Mr. Schnitzel Mr. Champion Roll
The Mr Champion is the wrap with the lot. Inside the pita wrap was breaded chicken, ham, pineapple, beet(root), carrots, fried eggs, lettuce and tomato. It was a challenge to eat it all but it was so so tasty!

3. Australian Alcohol Beverages
Australian beer is much more flavourful and stronger than American beer so I have been enjoying quite a few beers since landing here 4 weeks ago. I have also been enjoying a number of rum drinks as I prefer it to American rum.


What were the three best days you spent in Australia?
Both
1. Shellie and Tim's Wedding Day

This was the reason for our trip. They were sweet enough to plan the wedding at a time when we could attend and we were both so grateful that we could. Being there to hear them exchange vows and make that promise to each other was so special. The reception was so much fun with a great menu and an awesome DJ. Everyone who attended had a blast, including us. Thank goodness we could be there.

Amanda -  
2. My Birthday at White Water World and Dream World

 Dream World is the biggest amusement park in Australia and White Water World is attached. Inside Dream World is a Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda section with cute rides and lots of photo ops. They also have some of the best thrill rides in the world and some fun simple rides. White Water World is the best water park I have been to because they have so many fun and different rides. They have a water coaster, a tornado waterslide, a toilet waterslide, an 8 lane racer, and several fun slides. The lines were super short at both parks since it is the middle of winter and there are no school holidays. We could walk onto all the rides at White Water World and at most we waited 15 minutes for the rides at Dream World. All-in-all, I had a great Australian birthday!

3. Birthday Bonfire

The Saturday before my birthday we traveled to Sean's dad's (Bob) and his wife's (Liz) house for a bonfire. Shellie meant for the bonfire to be a surprise, however six different people who will remain nameless let the cat out of the bag so that part wasn't a surprise. It was a complete surprise that this was a birthday celebration for myself and one of Liz's daughters. Liz made some incredibly tasty food and I had way too much of it sitting next to the warm fire. The kids set off some sparkler bombs and conversation flowed easily. When the cakes - sponge with whipped cream, topped with strawberries and passion fruit - were brought out, everyone sang and we blew out our candles. Both went quickly because they were so tasty. It was a magical night, sitting next to the fire, talking with friends and family. 

Sean -  
2. City 2 Surf
I wrote about this in yesterday's post but the City2Surf running race was one of my favourite activities during my stay. It was by far my favourite running events ever and I hope that I get to run it again sometime in the future.

3. Footy (NRL) Game

I had never been to an NRL game (the rugby equivalent to the NFL) so when we had the chance to see a game in Newcastle we jumped at the chance. Unlike American football the play rarely stopped and was far more interesting. There was plenty of scoring and the home team came from behind to tie up the game. It was one of the best games I have ever watched and was well worth the price of admission.


What was the favorite item you bought while in the country?
Amanda - I absolutely love the new coffee mug I bought while in the Gold Coast. It is hand made, hand painted pottery in a beautiful purple color. I cannot wait to drink the Aussie Breakfast tea I bought in Newcastle out of my new mug.

Sean -  City 2 Surf shirt
I treasure all of my event t-shirts and wear them as a badge of honour but this one will hold a special place in my closet. I look forward to training and running in events in the U.S while wearing my City2Surf shirt. 


What will you miss most about Australia?
Amanda - No question it is Sean's family that I will miss most. I love them more than words can say! I am so grateful for everything they did for us while we were here - driving us everywhere, planning trips for us, and opening their homes. I hate leaving them!! :(

Sean - All the good tucker. There have been so many things that I can't get in America so its been a four week eating extravaganza! Meat Pies, sausage rolls, kebabs, lollies, ham and pineapple cheese rolls, chicken schnitzel and the list goes on. I am glad to report most of the food has not changed for the worse and was just as good as I remember. ---------- Oh, and I will miss my family too! ;)

Are there any questions about our Australia trip that we did not answer here that you would like answered? Comment below or on Facebook and we will happily answer for you.

Happy Travels,

  

His: City to Surf

A map of the City2 Surf Course

        After months of training and preparation race day was finally here! 

The City2Surf is one of the world's largest running races with approximately 85,000 entrants. The 14km/9 mile course weaves its way from downtown Sydney through the suburbs, near the harbour then meanders up Heartbreak Hill. After climbing this hill you hit the half way point. The course then heads towards Bondi Beach passing through residential areas and finally the course dips down to near sea level and finishes near the iconic Bondi Beach.

The Start of the race near Hyde Park

        The race started at 8:05am but I got there nice and early at 6:20am as I had to travel into the city and wanted to avoid the crowds. Getting there early allowed me to wander around and soak in the atmosphere. I lined up in my starting corral (which held about 5000 people) and was able to get a spot right at the front. The starting corrals started to fill up a little after 7am so I was glad I got there early for a good spot. I started talking to a guy who was standing next to me who had run the race five times before and was originally from New York. Talking to him helped pass the time. Not long before the race started one of the newspaper reporters came over and interviewed me and asked where I had come from and why I had chosen to run in the City2Surf. I'm hoping that my story will be in the paper but even if I don't it was nice to be interviewed.

Running through the William Street Tunnel

           At 8:05am the gun went off and we were underway. I had never run with so many people before but everyone was respectful of each other and I was able to keep up a good pace without having to weave and dodge others. The course started downhill but very quickly headed uphill and through a tunnel which I really enjoyed as we are not able to run in tunnels near home. The hills continued and my leg calf started to cramp so I walked a little bit to see if that would stop the cramps. Walking didn't make the cramps any better so I continued to jog and hoped it would work itself out and go away. Thankfully a few minutes later it went away and I had no further issues with cramps or joint pains.

Rose Bay (just before Heartbreak Hill)

   The atmosphere of the event was electric as there were people lined up all along the route to cheer on their family members, friends, or whoever ran past. Others were hanging out on balconies having a great time, playing music and supporting those who ran by. There were bands every so often so there was plenty to keep you entertained and motivated even if you didn't bring an MP3 player along with you. There were even a few locals who brought out their garden hoses to spray down passing runners as it was fairly warm. It really did feel like a community event as everyone came out to see the runners and support them. The volunteers and police also cheered us on and that made the event even better.

Looking down Heartbreak Hill with the city skyline behind it.

After 5km/3.1 miles the course flattened out and ran along the harbour. It was a welcome break after all of the hills and gave me a chance to recover, drink a few cups of Gatorade and get ready for the long climb ahead. Heartbreak Hill is tough as it climbs 80m/250ft in about a kilometre/0.6 miles but thankfully wasn't as bad as I expected. I just took it easy and walked on some of the steeper sections so I wouldn't over exert myself. I passed a bunch of people on the hill so I must have done something right. Not bad for someone who trained on flat ground and wasn't able to train on hills like this.

View of Sydney Harbour from the 10km mark

     
The top of Heartbreak Hill rewarded me with wonderful views of the harbour beside me, the Pacific Ocean in front of me and the city skyline behind me. Seeing the skyline in the distance gave me a real indication of how far I had already traveled and gave me a real sense of accomplishment even though I had only completed half of the distance. The next part of the course went through residential areas and I was able to get glimpses of the ocean and the city skyline as I headed towards Bondi Beach. At one point near one of the drink areas there was a fantastic view of the city skyline and I took a few moments to grab a couple of photos. The finish line was at the bottom of a large hill so I wasn't able to see it until I was about 2km/1.2 miles away.

Descending into Bondi, just a couple of kms to go!

After 12kms of rolling hills, wonderful scenery and  wonderful supporters it was bittersweet to see Bondi. It was nice to be near the end as I was starting to get pretty worn out but it was a little sad as this wonderful experience was quickly drawing to a close. I had planned to soak in every ounce of the experience and I had succeeded in doing so but even so I wished it had lasted a little longer. I had waited for this day for so long and was worried that I would be disappointed as I had hyped myself up so much but the event was so much better than I had ever hoped for.

  

Finally getting ready to cross the finish line!

The course designers are a little cruel as you see the finish line well before you get to cross it. You end up running through the town of Bondi, pass the finish line and go another 400m/.25 miles before you perform a u-turn and go to the finish line. As you run along the last part of the course towards the finish line there are people lined up everywhere and the noise from the people screaming and yelling is deafening. I will never be an Olympic athlete but the atmosphere of this area with so many people cheering you on must be almost identical and I felt like a world champion as I ran as fast as I could towards the finish line. After the finish I was able to stop, collect my finisher's medal, and slowly make my way to the bus line that would return me to the city.

      After picking up my finishers medal I had planned to walk the 3km/2 miles to the railway station as I thought the line for the buses would be way too long. However I was able to get on the bus right away and get on the train shortly afterwards with no hassle. The race was very well organized and they made getting back into the city as smooth as silk. I had such a great time and would do it again if I could. It was without doubt the best race I had ever run in and it will take a lot for another race to top this one. If anyone has ever considered participating in the race I strongly encourage you to sign up and run it next year as you will have the time of your life.

His: Throwing Plastic Down Under

You putt to a basket like this in disc golf

       As anyone who has traveled internationally knows, space in your suitcase is extremely limited. After spending a few hours packing enough gear to be away for a month I was happy to see a small pocket of space in my suitcase to store a few discs from my disc golf bag. As regular readers of the blog know, I love to play disc golf whenever I get the chance and being able to play in a new country sounded great.

        For those who don't know, disc golf is played in a similar format to regular golf but you throw discs rather than hitting a golf ball. The length of each hole is shorter (normally under 100m/300ft) and the "hole" is a basket similar to the one shown on the left. It's good for all ages and you can get started with just one $10-15 disc.

Tim teeing off on hole 4.

      I didn't get a chance to hit the local course until 2 weeks into the trip as we weren't close enough to a course. Once my sister and brother-in-law came back from their honeymoon, I took them to Jesmond Park to introduce them to the game. I had taken Amanda to a course near our home in the U.S but it was very wooded and it didn't end well. The course at Jesmond Park was much more open. It was a great place to take beginners as it had enough trees and bushes to punish you for a bad shot but was open enough that you didn't spend half your time looking for your disc in dense brush.

     It took a few holes for us to get warmed up and used to throwing the disc in the direction we wanted. Most of the shots went close to where we wanted them to, except for one that got lodged in a tree (thankfully we got it down with a big stick).  

Note from Amanda: What my sweet husband won't say here is that I was the one that threw the disc that got stuck in the tree. I couldn't believe that happened! 

     None of us looked like pros but we all had smiles on our faces and were enjoying playing the game together. The scores remained close and by the end of the 9 hole round the difference in score was just one throw.The Irelands (my sister and brother-in-law) won. Amanda and I are demanding a rematch.

     We took a bunch of photos of all of us playing. Enjoy!

Amanda throwing towards the basket.

Whoops! Disc got stuck up in the tree.

Shellie throwing the disc and Tim cheering her on

Me showing them how its done.

Tim putting into the basket

Shellie and Tim sizing up their next shot.

Amanda putting on hole 9 (She made it in)

May your drives be straight and your putts go in. Happy Golfing,

Her August Currently

It is the start of a new month which means it is time to see what I am up to - Currently. 

 Here goes --- 

Listening: Sean and Shellie (his sister) have the same silly personality that I love. They are teasing and joking around with each other. Every once in a while one of them will make up a song (currently it is one about pancakes) and make us all laugh.

Loving: Spending time in Australia is amazing in and of itself. The food is incredible and the sights are amazing. The real reason I love coming to Australia though is to spend time with Sean's family - his dad, sister, and brother-in-law. They are so great, welcoming, and loving. 

Thinking: We are half way through our four week vacation in Australia and it is going way, way, way too fast. I cannot stand the idea of leaving. :(

Wanting: We are heading away from the big cities for the weekend so I am hoping to see some more kangaroos. They are so adorable as they hop all around the countryside. While we are in Queensland next week we might get to go to a zoo so we can see more koalas. They are so adorable!!

Needing: We return home on a Friday and I return to school on the following Thursday. I know there will be a lot to deal with during those few days (laundry, organizing, cleaning, etc). I also need to shop for back to school supplies and organize the final things needed for the school year. It is going to be a busy few days.

Back to School Must Haves: I have to have coffee in the morning to help with the 5 a.m. alarm. I love getting new outfits for the school year. I still need to get some supplies like new pens, markers, notebooks, etc for the upcoming year.

So that is what I am Currently doing. Head over to Farley's site to join in the fun and let us all know what you are Currently doing.

Happy August,