We Made It!

Well it's been a very long time coming, but we finally made it down to Australia!

It managed to snow for us before we left Canada which was great! Threw a few snowballs and frolicked round in it. :) But I have to say that I'm glad to be in the warmer weather now and not having to wear so many layers. The flight over was a VERY long haul! It all went smoothly which made it a pleasant transfer, as pleasant as that long of a flight can be. I was completely exhausted when I got here, Dan not so much, I think he was just so excited to be home and see his parents! So not much got done the first day we arrived as you can guess.

Since then we have managed to; set up all the fun stuff ie; bank accounts, my medicare, tax file number etc, do a bit of shopping, had a dinner with one of Dan's brothers (Andrew) and family last night. I am going through an interview process at the moment with flight centre, it's pretty vigorous, so we will see. I have also started applying for a few other jobs just in case this one doesn't work out. Hopefully I will find something soon and get some income. Dan may end up back at his old job at Springvale Botanical Cemetery as a memorials installer, it's not the same position as he left, but same place. He finds out officially this Tuesday if he got the position or not, so hopefully he does fingers crossed!

I have driven our new Gemini a couple of times so far. Driving on the wrong side of the road isn't as horrible as I thought it would be, but it's still very awkward/weird. So a bit more practicing and then I may be able to drive without Dan in the car. It just feels so wrong! Our car also runs like a gem! Although it does leak when it's raining out (you need to wear gumboots when it rains b/c your driving foot gets soaked), Dan's going to try and fix that, but other than that, she's in great condition!! More than great actually!

Lots of visiting, shopping, finding a job, touring and getting settled in over the next little while for us. It's all been great so far! We've been staying at his parents place (which is out in the boonies, but very pretty and green) so far, we'll be moving into his brother(Paul) and families place next week sometime and will be there until we find our own place after we get jobs. We are both REALLY looking forward to getting our own place and space, settling in, having all of our stuff in one place, not three and making a home for ourselves!! It's going to be like Christmas when we start unpacking all of our stuff, I forgot how much stuff I actually brought!

Lots of crazy heavy rain on and off over the past few days here with some thunderstorms. I suppose it helps green things up a bit, but sucks b/c it makes all the flowers bloom that much quicker and bad hay fever! It's been nice and warm though so far, not crazy hot yet which is good and will allow me to climatize a bit before we get into the hotter weather! Lots of beautiful colorful parrots around the parents place. Got a few shots(below) of them for you as well as their beautiful garden. I can't wait to see more wildlife! So many new things to experience and get used too! So excited! I hope that all of you are doing well. Thinking of all of my wonderful family and close friends often. If you need my contact details, just let me know.

That's it for now, I'll update again when I have some more fun news and time. Miss you all already! Looking forward to moving forward with our lives and settling into/making a home. Keep in touch!

Brenna xxx

The Bell's beauty backyard!

The local wildlife. They come right up to you! It's amazing!

The snow just before we left Canada. brrrr.

This one is for my close friends & beautiful family.

A quote for my family and my good friends:

~“Even though we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change between us.”~

I have come to realize through the process of this past year how important family and good friends really are. After flying off to England to say my final goodbye to someone very close and special to me this past spring, I realized then that life is too short to not keep in touch, too short to hold grudges, for making excuses and not truly enjoying those special moments together.

It has been very hard having a family that is split so much by the physical distance between us all, but so heartwarming knowing how close we all are in our own hearts. Realizing my new life is becoming a reality, it has made me reflect on who I will truly miss when I'm gone and who are already gone that I have missed so much already. In your hearts you all know who you are and I love you. :)

I have managed to say my "hello's" and "see you later's" to everyone that is close to me this past year, which is a first to see them all, all in one year! And am so thankful that I have had this opportunity. This is not the end of this life, not at all! Just the beginning of a new adventure, a new chapter in the life of Brenna. :) I have been a wave of emotions; happy, sad, anxious, stressed, nervous and excited, with all of the changes that this past couple of years has brought in my life and I want to thank my very special boyfriend for all of his wonderful support!

My future aspirations include; getting back into my favorite hobbies such as sailing & piano. I have realized that I need to do things that make me happy, something more than just working everyday. I am eager to try a new job avenue and hope to figure out a career path soon, no more working minimum wage! I also hope to travel more, actually I hope to travel for the rest of my life. There is not a place on this planet that I would not love the opportunity to see! And in the future, when the time is right, I would love to have a family of my own. So many more plans & goals that swim around this busy little mind of mine, I just hope that I will get the chance to do most if not all of them.

I hope you all know if you ever come to the world down under that there will always be a spare bed for you. And I hope to see you all come a visit! :) Not all at once though. :P Wish us luck on our new adventures. Make sure to keep in touch! I will keep my blog up to date with photos and blurbs so make sure to check it every once in awhile.

This should give you an idea of where we'll be. :)

For those of you who don't know, we'll be living in Melbourne, Victoria.

FINALLY!

It's been a very long time coming, but it's finally official!! Dan and I received my Partner Migration Visa today!! YEE HAA!! I cannot believe how stressful it all was, but I think it was all worth it for the final outcome:) We're both so relieved and very excited for the next step! Although I will be very sad to say goodbye to friends, family and the valley, I am so very excited to move forward with my/our live(s)! We fly out on November 21st which is a week and half away. Today will be my last day of work and it will be nice to finally have some time to relax, catch out breaths and gear up to fly out! :D Wish us luck in our future endeavors. And I hope that you all keep in touch!!! If you need contact details, just let me know. I'm thinking my next post will be when we're on the other side of the world. Chow for now :)