Morning commute surrounded by beauty

There is still goodness in the world

What's amazing about this is that this person took the time to pick up the lost item from the sidewalk, go to their office to type up and print off copies of this sign, and then return to the street corner the same morning to tape it up in several spots.

Today's love letter from Abbey

Thanks sweet pea :)

Sometimes I forget how beautiful it is here...

... but then something as simple as an after-work jog reminds me very quickly. I've become desensitized to the constant views and lush natural environment from being surrounded by it every day. Now that our time here is short, I need to make sure to appreciate it while we have it!

Happy Birthday Abbey!!

It's déjà vu from Hannah's birthday party complete with 15 sweaty kids and one rainbow cake that took all of my patience and artistic skill. 6 years old! Where does the time go? :(

Last NYE in Sydney

The "last" of everything has been going on for a while now, but it really hit us on NYE that our time here is coming to an end. We'll be watching the fireworks over the Sydney Harbour Bridge on TV at 8:00am on Jan 31 next year instead of live from the patio of our friends' house while sipping champagne on a balmy night.

Watching the Sydney to Hobart Race from our usual spot on the beach

Nice way to spend Boxing Day

New Whiting Family Tradition

Christmas Cricket. Third year in a row (which makes it three times more than most of our Australian friends have been to a cricket match). As with most things, it's really more about the outfits (pink!!) and face/hair paint than the actual sport being played, but still fun.

Perfect day for the surf beach

We've left our beloved Balmoral for a day in the waves. Complete with Yum Cha by the sea. That's Hannah on the bright pink boogie board heading out into the "lineup".

It's a Christmas miracle!

Sun on Christmas Day! We've waited 3 years to swim and drink champagne on the beach and we finally made it. I think we would have had to stay another year if it hadn't happened today. Now I can check that off my Australian bucket list! Of course, there's supposed to be a crazy thunderstorm later today, but we are enjoying it while we can.

Last Day of School

Jumping off the jetty with the principal of the school to celebrate the last day of school for the year.  What a great tradition at Beauty Point!

Tough Mudders

After months of training and many hours spent cajoling one particularly reluctant teammate to add running to his workout routine in order to prepare, Pete and his friends completed a Tough Mudder here in Sydney.  They came home scraped, electrocuted, and of course muddy after 20km of craziness.  Pete actually fell asleep AT the dinner table that night so that might give you an indication of how exhausting it was.  Despite all of that, they're ready to do it again next year!

And one perfect beach buddy for Daddy too

They're off on an adventure while Abbey and I lounge in the sun.

My kind of beach bum

Happy as can be with a bag of chips, comfy chair, and a diet coke. Abbey is my perfect beach companion.

The perfect way to end the day

Picnic dinner on the jetty, pre-bedtime swim with friends, and a race up the beach to be first to dessert. When did Hannah turn into that grown up, athletic specimen by the way?

A tragic addition to our usually cheery blog

By now you will all have probably heard of the nightmare here in Sydney on Monday. Thankfully we and all of our friends here are safe and sound. It was a scary morning watching it all unfold from my office windows as our building is right across from the street from the Lindt cafe where the hostages were held. We were evacuated reasonably quickly however and made it home without any trouble.

It was a somber scene here in the city this morning as I finally made my way back to the office after 2 days working from home. It's a sea of flowers at Martin Place with a touching outpouring of emotion and support for the families on cards and letters left there.

Such a sad day for such a wonderful place.

More overpriced Aussie ridiculousness

I haven't posted about the price of things here for a while as I think I have become desensitized over the last 2 years and somehow have started to think things are a normal price. But a spin around this specialty store carrying imported treats brought me back to reality. No, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is a box of Twinkies for $20. And I've never even seen those brands of "American" soda so why are they $24 for a 12-pack? You can buy PopTarts in Australia for less than shown here (still overpriced, but in a less insane fashion) but these ones are the "American" version and therefore imported and therefore completely nuts. Will the pricing lunacy never end? I could have photographed dozens of other insultingly priced items, but the shopkeepers were started to glare at me for making the other shoppers (who were actually BUYING things) question their choices. At least the exchange rate is going in our favor recently but that still does not excuse this behavior. I'll miss a LOT of things about Australia but the constant sticker shock will not be one of them. I'm ready to leave a grocery store without feeling like I've been violated.

End of Year Concert

Beauty Point Public School never disappoints when it comes to elaborate productions of singing, dancing and general craziness. Links to YouTube videos of both girls below. Abbey is front row center in hers (looks for the glasses) and Hannah is second row center (two long pigtails).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHRkXyaDuNw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDIkzXPQIdE

It's Christmas in Sydney

First some Christmas tree decorating and then a dip at the beach. Almost the same as the season in New England :)

Public transport with a view

On my way out to dinner and enjoying this scene on my way. Thankfully the storm is passing over my head right now and I'm traveling towards the sun. These 10 minute end-of-the-world storms are definitely going to be one of the things I'll miss.