Auditor by Day, Footy Player by Night

Jeff decided in his down time from auditing he'd enroll in the most full-contact, violent, pad-less sport available in Brisbane--- Rugby. Yep, that's correct, Jeff joined the KPMG Rugby Team. Fun, painful, and stressful times for both of us. Me, mainly stress. Jeff, mainly pain. The other, bigger teammates, mainly fun. Good news- the KPMG team won! Bad news- two players were carted off the field on stretchers. Good news- neither of them were Jeff. Bad news- one of them was almost me.

Highlights of his first rugby game are below.

The team warming up. Jeff is #10

More warm-up or perhaps gymnastics?!?

Yes, I made him wear a mouth guard. I tried to make him wear a helmet, shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads, and shin guards. Thankfully his mom is in dentistry, therefore I won with the mouthguard.

Snapshots of the brutality... I pray we have daughters

This is not a huddle, this is the precursor to a dog pile

This is the aftermath of the game... and the winning team!

Mr. Manager

Does that handsome young man look familiar? Well, some of you may know him as Jeffrey, but as of October 1st he has taken on a new title... Mr. Manager! Yep that's right, Jeff was officially promoted to Manager! I am so very proud of him, as he has worked very hard for this promotion, and is definitely deserving of it.

Good work Mr. Manager!

Mom S has arrived!

5 months without us is a long time, I agree. Jeff's mom had reached her limit--- so she did what everyone else should do... jumped on a plane and came to see us! We were so excited for her visit and had an absolutely brilliant time! Thank you Mom S for coming to see us. Love you and miss you already. Come back anytime... the spare bedroom is waiting.

Once the search party tracked down Mom S at the airport, we wasted no time and were off to the New Farm Farmers Market. We enjoyed fresh strawberry juice, coffee, and lots of treats! Sadly I forgot my camera (sorry- Mom S arrived really early... she was lucky we were showered!), so I've posted some old pictures of the Farmers Market to help you visualize our morning adventures. I did remember my camera for many of our other excursions... so don't fire me yet.








As promised to all our visitors, we welcomed her with a champagne toast and a box fan for the bedroom. For those who know Jeff's family well, box fans are a must for a good nights rest. Couldn't deprive her of that while in Australia--- fan was assembled and ready before arrival.











Day 2, whale watching. No time for jet lag, that's for the weak. Jeff and his mother tend to get a bit seasick, so they heavily medicated themselves, and talked me into trying it as well. I've never had an issue with seasickness, but then again, I haven't had much experience with the sea. So, we traveled to the coast, sans motion sickness, and boarded a boat for an afternoon of whale siting. Everything started off quite lovely. We surveyed the homes lining the waterfront, spotting helicopters and other domestic necessities. Then, as we entered the sea, just as the fun was about to begin, I welcomed the pleasant feeling of seasickness, and was able to enjoy it the rest of the afternoon. Not fun. So, from what Jeff and Mom S told me, it was an awesome afternoon with lots of whale and dolphin sitings. Good news, I remembered my camera. Bad news, I was sick the whole time, so Jeff did his best to capture the moment.

The Gold Coast

Before the seasickness...


Male Model


Helicopter. We just ordered ours.

More of the Gold Coast

Maybe I should let Jeff have the camera more often...

Sike! Unfortunately we didn't see anything like this...

But we did see lots of whales break the surface of the water...

Jeff and I spent the next week chained to our desks, so Mom S explored Brisbane on her own. She was quite the champion when it came to direction and getting around the city! Didn't get lost once--- I still get lost, sometimes on the way home from work. She made all the necessary stops... Koala Sanctuary, Botanical Gardens, Museums, and Queens Street Mall. Eventually Jeff and I were able to break free from the chains and escaped work for some weekend beach adventures! Very thankful for our Houdini lessons a couple weeks ago.

We traveled to Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast and stayed at a beautiful resort there. Jeff had to work one of the days, so Mom S and I ventured down to the beach together, and ran into a very talkative lifesaver (Aussie term for lifeguard, yummy), Mike. Mike insisted we all take photos together, so we followed orders. Then after a 25 minute summary of his life, and a promise to send him a t-shirt from the US, we left Mike and trekked down the beach...

Mom S at Coolum Beach

Me with Lifesaver Mike

Mom S and lifesaver Mike

Mom S and me at the beach

Jeff joined us after work and the three of us enjoyed a wonderful evening and dinner together.

All good things must come to an end. A week flew by and before we knew it Mom S was on her way back to Texas. I tried to persuade her to stay, but Longivew was calling. We spent our last night together with an intense game of Gin Rummy. Mom S claims she's never played before... but somehow she put Jeff and I to shame. We've been practicing and are ready for a rematch. Love you and miss you Mom S! Thanks for coming to see us.

Birthday Celebration

I had such a wonderful birthday, it's taken me about a month to recover and finally post pictures from the amazing day my family and friends (local and afar) provided for me. THANK YOU to everyone for making my day so special.

The day started with breakfast in bed. Jeff made breakfast tacos and wrote me a very thoughtful card that also included details on the wine tour he has planned for our anniversary in October (hence the wine featured below)! The fun doesn't stop here folks... he also bought me a lovely dress and made dinner reservations at the most amazing French restaurant in Brisbane called Anise. Jeff deserves some extra recognition and appreciation as he did an outstanding job planning a wonderful day for me. Thanks Jeff ;)






I arrived to work and had more surprises in store... my team had decorated my desk and treated me to morning tea and a delicious birthday cake! Another friend from work had flowers delivered. I am really lucky to have met such wonderful people here in such a short amount of time. My friends and co-workers made the day one to remember.

I did my best and tried to wait until my actual birthday to open all the birthday cards that arrived in the mail. Again, thank you so much to everyone for remembering my birthday and sending me a card. I love cards... so I appreciate each and every one. Pictured below are a collection of some of the cards that arrived for my special day.

Special thanks to my sisters, Sara and Kate, and Catherine Wilson for not only sending a card, but an entire birthday spread! Pictured below are some of the wonderful gifts they sent from home. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! It's no small task shipping stuff to Australia, so I sincerely appreciate all that you did to make me feel so loved. Again, thank you!

Temporary tattoos, check. Card making supplies, check. Two copies of Heart of the Matter, check. Anthro cardigan, check. Trader Joe's fruit bars, check. You gals know me and love me. Thank you!

After opening all my birthday cards and gifts, I quickly got dressed and ready for our night out. Jeff met me at home and we shared a glass of wine then headed out for the most amazing dinner ever!

Birthday dress from Jeff!

Anise is a very small restaurant with only 16 seats around the bar. We thought we were in the wrong place when we first got there. We were definitely in the RIGHT place... this restaurant is amazing!

We began with baked oysters. I was a bit hesitant to order oysters, as there were so many delicious options on the menu... but my hesitancy didn't last long, as we ordered a dozen more immediately following our first round. Wow. Wow.

Like I said, Wow.

Onto the entrees. I ordered the sea bass and Jeff got lamb with a side of duck fat truffle roasted chips (potatoes) and vegetables. Wow. Wow. Wow.

For those of you who know me well, I'm not one to pass up dessert. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever said no to dessert. I was so extremely satisfied with my amazing meal, I passed on dessert! Hold on, calm down. I quickly came-to and clearly changed my mind and made Jeff stop at Baskin Robbins for some birthday ice cream! Appropriate conclusion to the most wonderful birthday evening!

One last thank you to everyone for making me feel so loved and special on my birthday! Love and miss everyone.