I am getting ready for another trip and brought out the dusty travel journal. This triggered my memory that I had not posted to the blog in a "while". I never understood growing up when adults would talk about how fast time flies..... until now. I have been compiling a scrapbook over the past few weeks but it does not do the same without a few words to remind me of the memories that go along with it. This is when I decided I will try my hardest to keep up a bit with the blog. For those of you who keep up with me through my family, and tardy emails, I apologise how poor I have been with keeping up as of late. I do not expect anyone to read this whole recap of my last year (except maybe you Mom and Dad), this is mainly for my own sake to look back and reminisce on my time here. I suppose I do take after Dad in more ways than one with the "Growing Up with the Scarbrough Girls" book. I to enjoy having a written transcript of memories. I'll just stick with the technology of the internet to avoid having to sort through he 3" floppy disks and painful publication process.....
I am going to do a quick recap of the last crazy, busy, and amazing year of my life. The last post in about October 2010, referenced a temp job. This was a 3 day job. Lucky for me, I talk to nearly everyone. What happened from here is the girl I spoke with that day was was sent over from the US on a few months stent to higher someone for a Business Development Job... one thing lead to another and 1 week before Anne and my return flight in December 2010 I received a job offer. Well as you all know from my never returning to the country of what I decided to do. I was given 1 1/2 weeks until my start date. During this time, I had a 3 day trip back to Columbus to do as good of a job as I could of packing all of my stuff up and trading out the hiking clothes and backpack for a briefcase and suit and an early Christmas celebration.
At the completion of packing up everything, I returned to Sydney to find a house and start my job. The next few weeks I was busy settling in. I experienced my 1st beach BBQ Christmas and moved from the beach into the city in Surry Hills to the house that I still reside in.
Following Christmas was my first Sydney New Year experience. We got to the Botanical Gardens about noon to stake out our spot for the fireworks show. The fireworks were impressive although I was not able to capture any picture perfect moments.... lucky for me I would have yet another chance.
"We open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first Chapter is New Year's Day." - Edith Lovejoy Pierce
2011 got off to a great start. 2 weeks into January I was sent to Vegas for a week long work conference followed by 2 weeks Bozeman Montana allowing my parents to come visit and me to enjoy some great skiing at Big Sky!
February was spent mostly enjoying settling into a routine and for the 1st time in several months enjoying feeling like I had actually accomplished something on a professional level. At this point I was house searching. About this time, two people I lived with moved out and brought 2 more in. Well, turns out the 2 new flatmates turned the house around, I never left and these happen to be the 2 people I am going on holiday with next week, over a year later... but more on that later. February brought the return of Cathie as well. Cathie was my friend from Ireland who I met on the Whitsundays several months earlier. She had been away from Sydney and home for several month but moved back around this same time.
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| New Zealand countryside |
March and April brought some fun into my life. Mom and Dad could not stay away and came over for nearly 2 1/2 weeks. The 1st week I met them in NZ and we explored the North Island. This is the 1st time in my life I believe Dad has turned over the wheel to me. You know he is uncomfortable driving on the "wrong" side of the road when he prefers to ride with me driving than drive himself :).
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| In between Cairns and Port Doulgas |
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| Dad and I at a stop off on Kuranda Scenic Railway |
After we left NZ we went up north in Australia to Port Douglas, QLD followed by a week in Sydney showing them around town....
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| Eastern Coastal Walk... although there was a lot of sitting and not so much walking! |
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| Sydney! |
May - July - July 2011
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| Day as a "tourist" with the flatmates - Botanical Gardens |
Through most of the winter months, not too much occurred. I settled into Sydney nicely, spending most week days in a routing... Monday night "family" dinners, Tuesday and Thursday Lily and my Zumba dance classes... guilty, Wednesday night Trivia at the local pub and weekend exploring in and around Sydney.
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| Hunter Valley weekend get-a-way at the Vineyards! - with Cathie and Lily |
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| Ski Dive the Beach - Wollongong, NSW |
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| Cathie's bday! | |
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Birthday seasons! Cathie's birthday.. celebrated with my attempt at a Gluten Free cake... that tasted awful!
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| Rebecca and my walk south of Coogee |
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| Dan's B-day |
Spit to Manly Walk
August 2011
August brought a well needed trip home! Anna was getting married, and I could not bring myself to miss the wedding. It worked grand as I needed to be sent back to the states for work. I managed to coordinate the wedding and work where I only had to take 3 days leave to go home for the wedding/ family time and then worked out of the San Mateo office for a week. This 9 days back to the US was PACKED. I arrived in Memphis and what better way to be greeted than to be picked up by Johnny and Matthew and driven straight to get some real Mexican!! I did some visiting and then we met my parents and went to Oxford for the remainder of my stay.
Once I arrived in Oxford, it was off to the seamstress to see how quick they could alter my bridesmaid dress! Lucky for me Blair and Anna Rogers also came in town so Thursday night was busy catching up. Blairy, Anna Rogers, and Anna Mc were all staying at the condo so it was a great treat! Unfortunately Blair's wedding was in November and it was planned after Anna's and not feasible to get back in town for both so I was busy getting the details on all that had been happening!
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| Blairy and Anna R in town for a night! |
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| Anna, Kathleen and I at Anna's rehearsal dinner. It has been FAR to long since we had been together! |
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| Mrs. Wise and I before the wedding! |
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| This photo makes me far to happy! |
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| The fam |
Following the wedding festivities and family time, I was off to San
Francisco for a week of work. The nights were followed up with catching
up with Parker Brown (High school friend), Brady (grad school friend),
and Maggie (used to live in Sydney) so there was very little time for
rest! But a wonderful quick trip home!
September 2011
September was fairly uneventful. The pic below was at Mr. Fox's for Lily's bday followed by a night at Tones one of the most fun places in Surry Hills that unfortunately closed!
October 2012
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| Lisa, Dan, and I watching the sun rise at the Opera House over looking Sydney Harbour |
October got off to a good start. Cathie and I took a holiday to Byron Bay. This is about a 9 hour drive (few hour flight) North of Sydney. It was an amazing time!! Very laid back city and met some fun people while we were up there.
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| Byron Bay with Cathie |
Mid way through October, I received a promotion from Business Development to an Account Manager. This was one of the benefits of the job when I took it. I went to work for a large organisation that was growing rapidly; especially in this region. In the interim however, until my replacement was found I was going to be doing 2 jobs..... About a week after I received this exciting news we also received some more big news. Our company was being acquired. This brought some interesting times, but overall was exciting because we were now supported by an even larger US based company therefore my plan was still in place. The next few months were a very interesting time. It was a good deal of uncertainty and stress :). I support what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger right??? To go ahead and tell you future.... this uncertain stressful time went on for a few months longer than expected. I am happy to say all is well now and there is light at the end of the tunnel... but more on that later. On to the fun stuff. My birthday!
With a birthday on Halloween you aren't given much options on how to celebrate... so we got dressed up and headed to the Argyle in the city.
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| My birthday dinner... and what better to eat than MEXICAN! |
About this same time Jenny who knew a girl I went to grad school with and moved to Sydney. She introduced me to a whole heap of American crew here in Sydney.... and once you meet one American person you find out where all have then been hiding!
November 2011
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| Gold Coast- work conference | |
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| At Versace ball with co workers |
November got off to a start at the Gold Coast with a work conference. While it was a nice to get an expense paid trip to the Gold Coast it was exhausting and full of entertaining!A perk was we got to go to one of 2 Versace Hotels in the world! Our gala dinner masquerade ball was hosted there.
A week after getting back from the Gold Coast I was off on another holiday. The group of American girls I referenced above were heading to Bali, where I had wanted to go for some time and never made the trek so decided to tag along! It was a fun, action packed trip. We rode elephants, sat my the pool in our private villa :), saw volcanoes, rice terraces, tasted the "worlds best coffee", had our fortune told by Kutut the medicine man and much more. I may have to recap this one at a later day as it was a packed week!
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| ..... oh and did I forget... get attacked by monkeys |
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| And hold big snakes |
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| Rice Terraces |
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| And enjoying our private villa. |
Thanksgiving!
Following the Bali trip was Thanksgiving! Lucky for me I have an understanding boss. I explained to him how I had to cook the turkey and it was an all day event. I was able to work from home that Thursday as he said it was not necessary for me to carry the crock pot to work where I could keep an eye on it :).
December 2012
December brought the arrival of a wet summer! It rained far more this season than it had the last. Summer also brought the arrival of music festivals.
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| Stereosonic Music festival |
Carols in the Domain Dec. 18, 2011
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| Lucy, Cynthia, and I singing Christmas Carols in the domain |
Christmas baking
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| SUGGGGGGAR!!!!!! |
Christmas Eve boat trip on the Harbour
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| Cathie, Christopher (Cathie's Brother) and I on a harbour cruise - Christmas Eve |
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| Off the plane and directly to the Eastern Coastal walk! |
Christmas morning Santa brought Shelley to me. The next 3 weeks were PACKED with tourist activities! This will be a high level of the highlights although there is far to much to cover all of this off.
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| Before a show at the Opera house.... |
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| New Years 2012! |
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| Happy 2012! |
More on the New Year and the rest of Shell's trip at another time....
