Crawling out from under our rock...

So, I know I have been a total slacker and haven't kept up with the blog...but in my defense, nothing really that exciting has been going on...so it's good that I waited until now so you wouldn't be falling asleep reading about how many loads of laundry I've done this week! :)

We do have a couple fun things that have happened just recently...
First, we finally FINALLY got in all my visa paperwork! Now it is just a matter of time before I can work. Cross your fingers... I am ready to get out there (who would of thought I would be anxious to get a job? Weird, huh?) Plus I will finally be able to get health coverage here, which would save everyone a lot of worry.

Second, Sam entered the second mountain bike race in the Bermagui Dirt Surfers Biking Series and won first place! He totally smoked the competition (but really, should we expect anything less?)

Sam on his second lap

Holding his first place ribbon and all his prize booty!

On the way home I made Sam pull over because there were some huge pelicans near a dock.
They are such cool birds...

On a completely different note, while all my American friends are enjoying the coming of spring and summer, we are starting to feel winter's cold presence. Living in the house we are renting has certainly been an adventure for me... the house was originally meant as just a summer vacation house and is therefore lacking many of the luxuries spoiled little me has gotten used to. One of these luxuries is central heating...and I will tell you what...although it doesn't snow here, it gets darn cold when you have zero heat in the house. Sam, being the good sport that he is, has been on constant wood runs to try and keep the fireplace going so we can have a nice toasty house! This requires me to tag along and fill the trailer with cut wood while Sam chainsaws anything we can find. Last wood run was done at night during a rain storm... what can I say? The adventures in Australia never cease! :)

My lack of a visa has seemed to inspire me to pick up random hobbies to occupy my time. My latest hobby is baking and both Sam and I are excited to find out that I am not nearly as bad at it as I originally thought! What a pleasant surprise!

Some homemade chocolate and almond biscotti! Delicious dipped in hot chocolate!

And finally, we are proud to announce that we have a new addition to the family! (No, we aren't pregnant) We got a dog!!!! He is a pure-bred Standard Poodle named Snoopy and is the most hilarious dog I have ever seen! He has impossibly long legs, that are very close together, and therefore trips on everything! (Sam blames Snoopy's short wheel base) :)
Sam and I have never laughed so hard in our lives. He is a great running partner for me and keeps us both entertained! We love him!

This is Snoopy running across the yard right after we got him

This is how ridiculous Snoopy looks after being shaved. Since he had only been a breeding dog before, he had never left the yard... he went crazy when we first adopted him and had so much fun rolling in the dirt and sticks that he got all matted and tangled. As a result we had to shave him...I hope it grows back soon...he was much cuter with hair! ha ha :)