the places i go, the things i see...

OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT.

after christmas, hamish, ian and i went to the movies.

except in belgrave, they have an outdoor movie every few days!

i loved it.

bring your blankets and snacks, pick up your chair and headphones once you hand in your ticket and pick a spot on the lawn.

watching sherlock holmes under the stars was a good night.

THE WALL.

a walk from monbulk to olinda, up a thing called the wall to the view from the arboretum.

no joke...it's like walking up a steep wall.

a word to the wise, it's a killer if you're not used to it...lol.

but after the 2.5 hour trip to and from it did feel good.

i have a feeling i'll be doing it again before i leave...

the photo for this was priceless.

i finally made it up the wall and ian

took this while saying "you're halfway done!"

my face just says it all. =)

PORT PHILLIP BAY.

the other day, i went with hamish down to edithvale and spent the afternoon at the bay with a few of his friends.

enjoying the sun, clear warm water, and beautiful sunset.

this time i remembered to wear sunscreen...lol.

we got dinner at this little place called bayside pizza and ordered something called the secret pizza.

it's like a hawaiian with lasagna folded over into a calzone.

sounds strange, but it was actually quite good.

i ended up bringing the rest back to ian and his friend james because i couldn't finish it all!

i couldn't put just one photo up of spending the afternoon here...it was just so beautiful.

it's new year's eve here...

warm, sunny and windy.

a think we'll venture out to watch the fireworks at burkes lookout tonight and then tomorrow we're going to leigh's house for a new year's day barbeque.

so be watching for more photos and stories to come....

love to you all.

hello christmas.

here are some photos of christmas and making the biscuit houses to start off this lovely entry...

candy (aka: lollies)? check.

frosting (aka: royal icing)? check.

cookies (aka: biscuits)? check.

welcome to the translated world of making biscuit houses.

a wonderful tradition i learned from ian on christmas eve.

he and his sister sarah learned it from their nanny when they young and have continued the tradition ever since.

i was honored to learn the tricks of the trade.

we made a five and handed them out yesterday for christmas.

two for friends, one for the aunt, and two for the macphees.

i celebrated christmas with michelsons on the 24th.

then did more celebrating with ian's mother elspeth's side on the 25th.

it was a crazy fun filled day of playful yelling, laughing, playing games and trying more desserts than i thought possible.

ian and i then headed to the macphees for more desserts and i again tried more there.

i swear i try about three or four new kinds of sweets a day.

i secretly love it. =)

here are some photos of making the biscuit houses and then christmas.

i hope everyone in the states is having a wonderful time with their families.

i send my love and hellos from the land of oz to all of you.

the ada tree.

this is the ada tree.

hamish and i went on a hike through the forest to make a visit here.

beautiful.

the hike in reminded me of a part of the northwest and it was beautiful - green every where i looked.

actually every where i look it's green and there are trees.

go figure right, monbulk is nestled in the dandenongs.

update central.

bah...here i am the queen of communication and updates and i have neglected it for almost a week!

i have seen so many things, and been to a few places and i've only been here a week!

christmas is in a couple of days so things are starting to get busy, but a good busy.

i've spending time with the michelsons and macphees - it helps that they only live 5 minutes from each other.

it's great being able to spend time with just about everyone because each person has a different place to show me.

every day is a new adventure, and i learn something new.

so let the updates begin and enjoy the photos.

love natalee.

aborteum.

this is my second visit to the aboretum.

i couldn't resist taking photos.

one center shot just wouldn't do so i took about eight or nine and complied them together to get this.

because if you're going to view this photo right, this is the way to do it.

welcome to the aboretum.

welcome to australia mate!

technically, i'm a couple of days late starting this but i've finally got some time to sit down and begin sharing the life of australia.

i woke up at 5:30 am on december 15 and arrived at 8:50 am on december 17.

yes, it does that long to get here and yes, i time travelled to the future.

for most of you who will check this, i am 17 hours ahead.

so it being 7:44 am saturday, it is 12:44 pm friday.

somehow it's easier to count forwards than backwards....go figure.

well, anyway back to my flight.

a beautiful 16 hours on VAustralia.

best flight of my life thus far.

the seats had a teal design on them!

i knew instantly that it was going to be a good trip.

i slept for most of it, as i was told that was the best thing to do.

i was awakened though, about 4.5 hours before we arrived by the most beautiful, i mean

BEAUTIFUL sunrise i have ever seen.

after waking up to this, i didn't want to miss anything else.

so i stayed awake and watched movies until we landed.

the the routine, go through customs, wait for my baggage, have it checked again, and then head to the exit.

there were so many people there...the best way i know how to describe it is like from the movie love actually.

when it starts out and there are all the people meeting and finding each other...kind of like absolute beautiful chaos.

imagine that, and you have the arrival section in melbourne airport.

it only took me a couple of minutes to find ian, and we were out of the airport in no time because of the craziness factor.

drove by the city, over a massive bridge, and in between some cool sculptural art pieces and headed to hamish's house.

we got to hamish's and gave him his much needed hug from not only me, but i swear the entire population of graceland.

spent some time there, and then headed out to see more of the area.

met most people on thursday, the michelsons, a couple of the macphees, leigh, and i know there are more to follow over the next couple of weeks.

i'll post again later today with some photos of the arboretum.

beautiful view....stunning really.

i will try to keep this up daily, but more than likely it will be every couple of days.

but nonetheless, keep watching and waiting for entries!

if you are a friend of mine on facebook, you will be able to find most of my photos there.

love from australia.

color me monday.

another early morning.

another daily check of the websites.

this time i found the website that will make everyone smile.

i guarantee it.

check it.

you know you want to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Crayola_crayon_colors

four.

after an early morning wake up call, i decided against my usual routine.

i did not roll over and go back to sleep, but rather lay there for a few minutes and decide that if i wanted to make the most of my day then i needed to be the one to make it happen.

i did keep one part of my routine - check facebook and the other four sites i check daily.

the sunday vh1 countdown playing in the background as i checked everything.

and then i checked jason mraz's blog.

it has created a new outlook for my day with the post of the words that tell me i can make up whoever i want to be.

Try This:

Close your eyes and imagine being someone else... Feel what it's like inside their body... Listen to a new heartbeat... Hear with new ears... Open your eyes and feel yourself at an unfamiliar height standing upright with a different spine. Look at your hands and admire their operational capacity. Notice parts of the new you that are similar to the old you. Reach out and touch things as this new creature. Be in awe of your transformation. See what your new body and mind are up to.

After you've had a good run with it, consider that you never left your body but simply changed your perspective. This is a game no different than kids play. It's pretend. It's also a form of meditation and self-realization. And we do it through all of life. Only somewhere along the way we stopped admitting with others that we all live in the land of make-believe.

Come on, let's be authentic with each other. Let's be the kids we really are.

Everything we think about ourselves and others is made up. I make up that my constant friend is the most beautiful woman in the Universe. I make up that this blog is important to you. I make up that some people I travel with are bored. I make up that my cat actually thinks about me when I'm gone. I make up that my dreams mean something. I make up that it's too early today to be typing. I make up that with a new age comes a new status. Come on, in the grandness of the galaxy, has my 32 years made a significant sound on its own to stand out or even harmonize with the hum of the earth? I make up that it has, even if I am invisible from space; even if human life is just a fancy form of bacteria spreading on the surface of this life-loving planet. Humans have imagination, choice, and the will to be demonstrative or not.

so as i sit here, drinking my chai tea and contemplate my make believe options, the vh1 countdown now on mute as the vibrant colors catch my eye every now and then.

i want to be four.

my idea of a problem is not being to find the other shoe to match barbie's outfit.

today i am wearing jeans, a pink t-shirt and white ruffled socks.

dad playing his drums as the stereo blares classic rock.

my brother playing with his legos on the floor in the family room.

at some point today i will jump off the brown couch.

i will play with my barbies for a good part of the day.

then i'll find my coloring book and spend some quality time trying to find the perfect color for the character's outfit.

my plastic orange screwdriver is missing, i must go on a hunt around the house to find it.

my day will be filled with play time, hugs, creating an elaborate story line for barbie's current life, searching for toys, running around the house, and nap time for sure.

it will not be filled with homework, planning my future, worry, a runny nose, making a to-do list, or dealing with stupid people.

NO.

today i am my happy, smiling four year old self planning barbie's elaborate dream wedding.

check this link for today's video of beauty:

http://inbflat.net/

31.

life has a way of redirecting your path by:

connecting personalities.

creating memories and writing stories.

necessary laughter.

a breath of fresh air.

persistence.

learning through experiences.

maneuvering through failure.

smiling.

remembering the details.

thinking of the past, present and future.

writing.

drawing.

living through a photograph.

silent conversations.

loving.

being supportive.

a splash of color.

each path is beautiful.

scratches, divots, and rocks only accent your trials of trying and achieving the next step.

take a deep breath...

because the next time you step forward...

will be completely worth it.

handouts.

i find the most difficult advice to take is your own.

i find that our patience will always be tested when it is not convenient to our schedule.

i find that laughter over a youtube video really does put frustration aside for 5 minutes.

i find it worth the effort to look for the beauty and benefit from a problem.

i find that persistence may hold the key to another page of the story.

i find that waiting is merely a way to grow.

northwest established.

this is the color of simplicity.

this is the breath of fresh air.

this is how i know the sky.

a lasting tradition.

919 pies.

1,030 scones.

the clark county fair is not complete without the homemade pies.

and this is the hardworking crew that puts the love into each one.

reinvention.

i do believe this is the third time i have restarted this.

they always say third time's a charm right?

it is my new goal to stick with this better.

if i can be addicted to facebook i can be addicted to this.

piece of cake. ;)

ps - this spark for reinvention is because of a friend living in the east. holla zv.