Recent Escapades

As always, the last two weeks have been filled with some creative and exciting adventures. First, Sam and I went our second date outside the house. Most of our dates have been relaxing around the house and spending quality time together but this time we adventured out to do some bush-walking! There were no trails, just Sam, I and our hiking boots! Since we are short on money and therefore fuel, we took the motorbike down some gorgeous roads to get to our final destination! I think date number 2 was a big success!


On one of those long nights where Sam was up late working on homework and I was just putting around the house, there was this gorgeous sunset on the lake right outside our front window. I ran out and had to snap a picture! It is a wonderful reminder of the beautiful creations our Heavenly Father has given us for our enjoyment! He is by far my favorite artist!

Not only did we have a gorgeous sunset, but we had several days of moon-less nights... that means it is the perfect conditions for a little wade in the lake to catch prawns! This last Saturday, Sam's family all gathered at our house at 10 pm to have a giant family prawning night! We split up into pairs, one net per pair, and chased prawns for an hour. Although it was warm and we were having a ton of fun, we finally had to come home since the bucket got so full we couldn't fit anymore in! We kept trying to put a couple more prawns on the top but we finally gave up when there were as many jumping out of the bucket as we were putting in! We will have some good food for awhile! Yum!

And finally......These last two weeks have finally ended with a big celebration...I finally got my visa paperwork in and have a bridging visa. Me and Sam are out almost 3 grand in fees but on the plus side this means that I won't have to go home when my original visitor visa expires on April 8! YEA! It also means we are one step closer to getting my temporary residence visa and with it, the ability to get medical coverage and working rights! Please keep us in your prayers during this crucial time and thanks for all your support thus far!

Sand and Snakes

Since Sam and I live so close to the ocean, it only seems fair that I try out some of the water sports that are specific for all those beautiful waves! Since my first encounter with body surfing ended with me face planting in the sand, I was a little unsure of body boarding. After some convincing from Sam and a couple rounds watching him catch the big waves, I decided to try! It was SO much fun that Sam could barely get me out of the water...I would get washed up all the way to the beach and then would turn around and run back out! It was great exercise and I would highly recommend it next time you are out by the ocean!!!!

Big ride numero uno! I was flying along on that wave...it's so fun! Check out how high I am out of the water!

After I figured out the body surfing, catching an awesome wave.

Washing up on the beach after catching a ride in on the board

This was how big the surf was....

Sam running down the beach after a body board. Total bay watch style. Ha ha

That's my handsome man...checking out the waves

Since Sam has been absolutely slammed with Uni (college), we have had to plan in a designated date night each week. The first was my choice so I decided, since being an adult is so much work sometimes, that we would buy some candy and sparkling juice and enjoy them under a home-made fort while watching a kids movie! We had such a great time being 'kids' in our fort. Date number one was an official success! :)

I bought the sparkling juice with the real cork...not a good idea since we don;t have a corkscrew ("how do you get this off again?")

Our fort

Living out by the lake is always interesting. We are fairly far away from most other people and therefore receive some interesting visitors. So far we have just had kangaroos, wallabys, and goannas (a type of giant lizard that gets up to 6-7 feet long). The local wildlife either comes to munch on our flowers at the front of the house or to sniff out our baby bunny as a mid-day meal. On this particular occasion, our bunny brought in a very rare (and in my opinion, very cool) visitor. Right outside out front door we found a baby diamond python checking out the house. Luckily the bunny was inside with us so we didn't have any confrontations. He was pretty small and sluggish so Sam decided he would catch it...which he did, luckily with no injuries. We released the snake away from the house but 5 minutes later he was right back on the porch. Apparently he thought Sam's bike pump was his.....

Sam with our late night visitor

He climbed back on the bike pump and refused to be caught again...

Even though our encounter was an adrenaline booster, I was very grateful for the opportunity to see such an amazing animal. To see diamond pythons is extremely rare and so it is really amazing that we found one so close to the house. It really made me appreciate the beauty of all Heavenly Father's creatures. It really makes me reflect and appreciate the ingenious creativity of all of God's creations and I feel truly blessed that I was able to experience one of His most amazing creatures up close and personal.

Life on the Sapphire Coast

So here's a brief look at Sam and I's adventures out here on the Sapphire Coast of Australia. Sorry to be posting so much at a time, but I am always behind because of limited internet access. Anyway, This first picture is of the beach that is just a 5 minute bike ride up the road from us! The water is crystal clear blue and gorgeous! Sam has been teaching me to body surf on the waves. My first attempt was disastrous! I ended up getting smashed face first into the sand and stood up to find my entire swimsuit was filled with sand...oh well :) maybe next time!

It's official...we still love each other!

The pictures below are of a BBQ Sam and I were invited to by Sam's long-time friend Jasmine and her husband Joshua. I had briefly met Jasmine and Joshua at Sam's high school reunion but was excited for the opportunity to get to know her better since she is a fellow science lover! We had a great time! We all met at Brogo dam (freshwater!!! YESSSS! I was excited!) and Jasmine and I had a nice swim while Sam and Joshua rock climbed and raced around the lake. I was relieved to finally start making friends and get a day out to somewhere I had never been! The only thing I hadn't expected was all the flies! The flies in Australia are super aggressive and will just land on your face or where ever...they are not easily detered...I even had one fly into my mouth while I was talking! Maybe we should invest in some hats with nets on them???

Jasmine and Joshua firing up the grill after our swim.

Sam eating some chips while we wait for the chicken to cook

The guys looking cool while the girls cook... :)

Me and my new friend Jasmine

So after my disaster body surfing, I decided I needed to try another water sport....wakeboarding anyone? :) Luckily I had tried on 2 previous occasions so I was more confident with that board strapped to my feet (not to mention SAm was driving the boat and I trust him not to do anything crazy) Can I just tell you....wakeboarding is SOOO much easier in salt water! The salt makes you more buoyant and it is much easier to get up initially. I still hate the taste of saltwater so I tried extra hard not to crash and managed to get around the lake once with only 1 crash! I can't wait to go again! Someday I may even be as good as my talented husband!

Friends are Forever

I just had to put these pictures up! These are some of my nearest, dearest, and oldest friends. We met at different times during elementary, middle, and high school...but they have all played a continuous part in my life! Krista, Sandy, and Sarah are beautiful, intelligent, amazing women and my life is forever blessed because their friendship.

These pictures were taken at the Chop House in Estes Park where we all met for a night out to reminisce and catch up before Sam and I flew back to Oz. It was one of the most memorable and fun things we did during vacation. Thanks for everything girls!!!