Long Island Resort & Spa, Queensland

Well, our holiday's come and gone :( We had such an amazing time! One of our best I'd say. We flew from Melbourne to Hamilton Island and then took a ferry from Hamilton to Long Island which is where we stayed for the week. Absolutely gorgeous water was the first thing I noticed! It was like the color of our glacier waters in Canada, except it was like bath water, not freezing cold. We had gorgeous weather the entire time, blue skies, high 20's low 30's. Beach weather :) The first couple of days we spent on Long Island just chilling out, swimming, sun baking, eating, drinking, sleeping, played some mini golf, hard life really :P

The third day we decided resort food was of little choice and expensive, so we took a ferry over to Airlie Beach which is on the mainland, took a gander around the area and picked up some food and booze. Another beautiful place surrounded by the beach. A bit touristy/backpacker filled but it's definitely more of a laid back life style up there then it is down here in Melbourne, which is what I'm more used to.

Day four was our 5 year anniversary so we decided that it would be a good day to explore the Great Berrier Reef. It was a 2 hour boat ride out to the platoon that's permanently anchored around part of the reef. Did you know the Great Berrier Reef is the size of Japan??!! Amazing! The platoon had a water slide, which was good fun! An underwater viewing area which was cool, they hung a bucket down with fish food in front of the glass, so lots of pretty fish swimming around for everyone to watch (and one big one!). We also went out on their two different boats, one was a semi-submersible boat and the other glass bottom. They both went over the reef and a guide would explain the different kinds of coral and fish which was interesting. There were lots of different activities you could do for the day ie: scuba diving, helicopter ride, massage. We really wanted to scuba dive but unfortunately because I'm asthmatic they wouldn't let me do it without a doctors certificate, which I didn't have :( Quite disappointed! But not meant to be I suppose. We did snorkel around though, for around 2 hours!! It was absolutely amazing all of the different life under there, it's like a hole other world under the water!! All in all it was a fantastic day, very tired by the end of it, but well worth it!!

Day five and six were spent going more of a lot of nothing more. A lot like day one and two :) We did manage to fit some kayaking in to our busy schedule ;) Met some great people, a couple who were on their honeymoon and a few girls having a girls holiday. Enjoyed theme nights ie; quiz night, open mic night, live music. All in all, had a great time, enjoyed the company and being able to sit back and relax. Here's a few picies for you. Took heaps but takes WAY to long to upload them to my blog so here's a few of the good ones. If you want to look at more, there on my facebook page :) Miss you all always!! xxx

Watching the sunset on our last night

The view from our balcony

Say chheeeeessseee! :D

Bootifull!

Spot the reef behind us

That was one big fish!

On the semi-submersible boat over the reef

Airlie Beach

What you looken' at?!

Just hanging around

They were really hungry! Beautiful colors!

The locals

It's starting to feel like summer! :)

Well, it's been a pretty busy October, busier then other months.

Junior had to get the 'snip snip' the other week poor thing. In order to register him in the council that we currently live in, all cats and dogs have to be desexed. It was a hard decision as he is a full breed and we were tossing around the idea of breeding him when he's older, but he had to be registered by about 6 months old. We couldn't really see a way around it unless we wanted to pay for a breeders registration (which is heaps more $) and then a breeder's license etc etc. So off to the vet he went :( I felt like a horrible mother dropping him off especially when he gave me those big puppy dough eyes when I left him there. But he perked up pretty much from the moment we picked him up. He was very happy to see us, a bit dopy that night, slept a lot and then was his normal self the next day. Never fussed, licked or scratched, real easy going dog we have. So we were really happy about that. He's now at the 15kg mark, half way there to the average weight of an Aussie Bulldog. Oh dear, he's going to be a big boy!!

Dan and I went to Dave and Gill's wedding (Dan's cousin Dave) last weekend. We lived with them the last time I was in Australia, so it was really nice when we got the invite. I got to get all dolled up which was fun, hair, nails, the outfit, I have to say I think I looked pretty good :) And of course Dan looked very dashing in his slacks, shirt and tie, and he managed to get a haircut too ;) It was a really simple wedding set at The National Art Gallery in Melbourne City. Right in the middle of the gardens. Absolutely gorgeous. Like I side, pretty simple, low key wedding, but still good fun and always exciting to see another couple step into the marriage commitment. Although they have been together for 10 yrs already, guess they finally decided it was time :P

When I was getting my hair done the week before the wedding, well it took a bit longer then we expected and me being from a small town where the parking is free and all day parking didn't really think about whether I should move my car or not. I ended up getting my first ticket ever in Australia, my first parking ticket. Darn. Oh well, I suppose there's a first for everything, let's just hope not for any more tickets!! Another first, I ended up sleeping in 1.5 hrs past my alarm last week. Let's just say I woke up in a panic and hope to never do it again! Not a good way to start your day.

11 days until our holiday! SUPER excited! Looking forward to not working, relaxing, basking in the sun, a different scenery and of course snorkeling the reef!!! Will be nice to have a break and spend some time together enjoying ourselves. Will be our 5 year anniversary!! I can't believe how quick it's all coming around. I can't believe how quick this hole year has gone!! A few more weeks and I've been here for a year! Craziness!!! And Christmas is coming up very quickly too!! OMG! Does time always go this quickly?? Let's hope it slows down on the real good parts. Need to remind myself to stop and smell the roses more often.

Summer is well on it's way here (which is weird for me with Christmas on the way too, not sure I'll ever get used to it). So far, I've survived, it's been mid-high 20's at it's warmest, I think I'll be ok until we get into mid-high 30's and low 40's, then I may feel like I'm melting away!! But enjoy it all while I can. Gotta get me a nice tan! :) I had to (really, I did really have to) go on a shopping spree a couple weeks back. My wardrobe was looking pretty sad, filled mostly with the clothes I brought over from Canada nearly a year ago, and mostly warmer clothes. So I was in desperate need of some summer clothes and ones that weren't falling apart. Felt really nice to just go on my own, take my time and not have to worry too much about my budget (thank goodness my parents taught me how to save!:) I just need to learn to get a few bits here and there more often so it doesn't come to desperate.

I need to say a very, VERY BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Aunty Barb, Clarissa, Grandma Purdy & my Mum this month!! I'm sorry I was a bit late on a couple of yours, but it's the thought that counts right?? :D

And of course HAPPY HALLOWEEN to my family and friends across the globe. Not a big holiday down here. I've seen a few decorations here and there but nothing major and no pumpkins :( My favorite part, carving the pumpkins, oh and the candy. hehe.

Well, best get going, have a few other things to get done today before I head for my girls night tonight. Miss you all and I have to say that I'm already SUPER excited for my visit home in the new year. Still thinking it will be around May (which I know is still far away, but still excited!), too far to book yet, but as I miss everyone daily you can guess I'm looking forward to seeing those of you in Canada. Love xxx

A bit warm?

Our first native flower in the garden (we got two of them:) They're called Kangaroo Paw. Pretty cool looking plants and this is their flowers, the other one is more of a ruby color.

Was funny trying to get this photo as Dan couldn't figure out how to make the timer on the camera longer, he had to run into place. Photo looks a bit awkward, but still good :)

Just a little bit warm I think?! He walked a few steps in the door after his walk and this is how he ended up.

Little mischief

It's been a good week :)

So now that the grand opening of the store has kind of died off a bit, it's now school holiday's, so craziness again, not as crazy, but still busy. It will be nice for normality to kick in after school holiday's. I've also managed to pick up nearly full time hours (one shift shy of) as they are a little understaffed and were happy to give the extra hours to me. Win win. Starting to get into a bit of a routine now though which is nice.

Dan and I went to the Melbourne Show last weekend, heaps of fun! Went on a bunch of rides and got our brains rattled pretty good, petted the cute little baby farm animals, bought some show bags, ate fairy floss, looked at a bunch of show dogs. Like big kids :) Can never go wrong being a big kid :P

I got a little excited after our first shop at the new store last weekend and decided to move the house around. The spare room is now the office and the office is now the spare room. The spare room is Dan's domain and the office is mine, they're not so confused anymore, yeah, so I'm happy :) And Dan gets a boys room :P

Been a pretty mellow week, I was on my old normal roster which were short 4, 5, 6 hr shifts and then not doing much after work, now I'm on more hours though I won't have as much time to lounge around, darn. But the paychecks will be better :)

As I'm sure you've all guessed, Junior's like our little child. He is a kid and loves getting into mischief which most of the time is entertaining. Luckily we leave the camera lying around the house, so here's some evidence for you all to have a chuckle over.

He really didn't want to get up, too early for him, typical kid.

He thought he'd help me catch up on some emails yesterday.

Love's helping with the gardening. Except he's a bit slack.

Decided to take a snooze on the couch, the couch he's not supposed to be up on.

And for some reason, he loves to sit like this?! HAHA, I still laugh every time I see him do it!

Craziness!

Well it's been an absolutely crazy week at work!! We opened our store to the public this past Thursday and on the first day we had 22,000 people shop at IKEA! Same on Friday, probably around 30,000 on Saturday and Sunday and then same again during this week. UNBELIEVABLE!! If you want to look at it this way as I find quite amusing, the population of the Comox Valley is roughly 65,000, so, over the first 3-4 days of IKEA Springvale being open we've had the entire Comox Valley shop in our store. NUTS! You think that there would have been a bit of a lull between meal times, well I thought wrong, it was a constant craziness! None stop. You could barely move, I felt like I was pushing my way through a packed night club, but instead of music there was screaming kids. haha. I just can't get over it. I've had the last couple of days off and apparently it's still the same, so back into the marathon tomorrow. Not to mention I've picked up a cold/virus thing, probably from one of those screaming kids, so let's hope I get completely better between now and tomorrow so I can run around like a chicken with it's head cut off for the rest of the week. I was looking forward to being busy, but this is way more than that, let's just hope it dies down a bit soon, for the sanity of all of the IKEA co-workers.

Here's a couple new photos for you. Dan also finally had his last sitting on is tattoo, I think he's happy it's done. Here's the photos.

Last sitting.

Dan did a bit of laundry the other day, can't turn you back on this pup for two seconds, caught red handed! He thought he'd take a little snooze on the nice warm towels and how could you tell that adorable face off?!

Too funny! And too cute!

A Visual Update :)

Well I thought it was time to give you all some new photos. We've been working hard and spending harder.

Dan finally got a new addition, a new tattoo. He's been dyeing to get a half sleeve done for years and always wanted a koi, so, thanks to a big tax cheque, he's managed to do it, in drips and drabs. I wasn't too keen on it at first, but once the coloring started to go in, it started to take shape and it looks great. He's done three sittings of 1hr-2hrs on it and has about one or two more left. The tattoo artist is truly an artist and I'm pretty sure Dan's very happy with the way it's turning out. Too late if he aint I suppose :P

3 more days and our new IKEA store opens up. It's going to be a big change for everyone as the real job will start, so hopefully I still like it :P If not, I guess I can always go to another department. Should be good though, busy busy, make my shifts go quick. Dan's still enjoying his work. He's working a 90 hr week this week thanks to some overtime and picking up an extra shift. So I'm sure he'll be ready for the weekend when it comes. But he seems quite content there and no complaints about it, so I'm really happy for him.

Junior got his last puppy vaccination last weekend. So I guess you could say he's a big boy now :P We weighed him while we were at the vet as well, 10 kg!! He was 2.5 kg when we first got him! I can't believe how big he's gotten so quick! A little terror at the moment, chewing heaps, anything he can get his mouth around and tonz of energy, but I still love him to bits. Just have to take him for big walks everyday to get rid of some of that energy. We went to the beach a couple of days ago just Junior and I, enjoyed watching the sunset along the water. Absolutely gorgeous! We went to a family bbq a couple of days ago and enjoyed chasing the kids around and vise versa, good to see he's kid friendly, he just needs to learn not to jump on them. Too cute though.

We went and saw Horrible Bosses the other night, hilarious! Definitely recommend if you haven't seen it yet.

Can you believe 11 more weeks and I've been Australia for a year already??!!! I can't!!!! It's unbelievable how the year went so quickly!!!!! I honestly don't know where the time went. But that means that our holiday is coming up soon too, also Christmas and off to a wedding end of October as well. Lots to look forward too. It's been gorgeous warm/sunny weather out for a couple of weeks now, I have a feeling it's going to be a hot summer and a scorching Christmas!

Our new home is starting to look like our home. It started feeling like our home a while back, but now that we've slowly furnished/ing it, it's starting to look like it's being lived in. Still lots to be done/want to do ie; Dining room needs to be started, office needs to be finished, walls are looking a bit bare etc etc, but all in time. I've added some photos from the first week we moved in which was back in mid-March and some photos from today. What a big difference now that I've put them together and looked at them. I can't believe the change, love it! :) Give's you all an idea of our home since none of you have seen it before. Enjoy. xxx

P.S. Don't forget that you can click on the photos to enlarge them if you need to. :)

Dan's arm before with his first tattoo on it.

First sitting, the outline.

Second sitting, bye bye old tattoo.

Third sitting.

The front of our home the first week we moved in back mid-March.

Our front yard now.

Dan's bonsai collection.

Backyard/patio the first week we moved in.

Backyard/patio now.

Backyard the first week we moved in and our gorgeous boy Tonka. Miss you always xxx

Backyard now, the back part of it we've gated/fenced off for Junior.

Our bedroom the first week we moved in.

Our bedroom now.

Spare bedroom the first week we moved in.

Spare bedroom now.

Office the first week we moved in.

Office/Junior's bedroom now.

Bathroom the first week we moved in.

Bathroom now.

Kitchen and dining the first week we moved in.

Kitchen and dining now.

Our living room the first week we moved in.

Our living room now.

Our little man the first weekend that we had him, 2.5 kg and 8 weeks old. So adorable and tiny!

Junior at 19 weeks old and now a whopping 10kg. He's gotten so big so fast! And still so adorable.

His favorite spot! Right over the heater and gets to watch the world go by.

Not much...

Well let's see....what's been going on the past couple of weeks....

Junior's gotten bigger again, of course, he's a puppy so he's constantly growing and still chewing everything. Hopefully only a couple of months left of it!! We bought him a new collar this past weekend, looks wicked on him, it's black with white studs on it and the studs glow in the dark. He's a mean looken' little man! :)

I managed to give myself a small hernia in my abdominal area a couple weeks ago. I was lifting a heavier item at work and just the way I was trying to move it put a little extra strain on my abs and pop. Oh well, Doc says it's too small to have surgery to get it fixed, but she reckons at some point in my life I will need to have the surgery, it all depends on how much strain I put on it and how often.

I've become an enthusiast gardener. I used to despise gardening and nurseries but for some reason now, now that it's my own home (sort of), I enjoy making it look nice and learning about it. It helps when you're boyfriends a horticulturist too, he's a good teacher :) The weather's starting to get a bit nicer slowly too, so it's nice to enjoy the sunshine when it's out. Spring is coming! :)

Dan and I have booked our holiday's finally! The beginning of November we go for 6 nights to Long Island Resort & Spa in the Whitsunday Islands. For those of you not familiar where the Whitsunday's are, it's right around the Great Berrier Reef, you've probably heard of that one! So we are definitely planning to check that out too, maybe a day cruise/snorkel. We'll have to check out the possibilities when we get there. It's going to be a great time to go weather wise too, high 20's low 30's, perfect, hopefully! Not much on Long Island except the resort, so it will be a nice relaxing holiday on the beach (ground level, beach front room!:). Take advantage of the spa, trails, paddle boards etc. As you can probably guess, super excited!!

Not too much else at the moment, been kind of boring around here lately. Everyday life stuff. It's nice to just chill out though! Work's the same. Opening day is going to be absolutely nuts! They're expecting at least 3000 people the first day, probably more, 15000 the first 4 days. So we'll see, I'll make sure I've got my running shoes on :) 2.5 weeks to go.

That's it for now, chow :) xxx