Reasons to Leave Iowa

1. Woke up on April 26th to snow on the roof and porch.

2. Went to have dinner at Chandler's and couldn't get in because of the prom crowd there with high heels with those little lights in them like in little kid's tennis shoes....

3. Ate at Perkins and sat across from a guy who was picking up his pork chop and eating it without a fork or knife---no kidding. And it wasn't like he was just gnawing on the bone after he got the meat off of it---just picking it all up...

4. Overhead the guys at the next table talking about the guard shack and what sounded suspiously like prison life.....

Good Weather breeds Better Manners

So I made a discovery today....people are much nicer when the weather is nice. Amazing but true and I didn't spend any government money on this discovery! The weather today was warm and breezy---high 50's maybe even in the 60's and sunny. I ventured out to Staples and Target and the attitudes of folks were totally different than they were when it was cold out! People actually talked to me and greeted me and were nice!!! I can't say that I have experienced that for quite some time!!! Just thought I would pass my findings along....:-)

Happy April Fool's Day!

Friends with Benefits....

What else can you say??


Look close and you can see the stinger nets in the beach picture.

Scary picture of us---windblown and hot!!!




The missing suitcase is found!!!







Woke up this morning to SNOW!!!! And it

is really coming down. Blah! Pretty hard to go from 88 degree sunny wonderful weather to this in a matter of a day! But it is Iowa in April.

I was going to do one last Australian blog yesterday but I succumbed to the couch in the afternoon. I think the flight from Sydney to LA did me in. I couldn't sleep on it--there were tons of kids on the flight and they were up and down the aisles all night so I just couldn't settle in. Then I got cold and I couldn't reach the air thingy without waking Chris up so I stayed cold even though I had a blanket!

Some thoughts on some things that I didn't comment on. ....

*Australians are pretty cool people. They really do say "no worries" all the time but it seems natural and not fake at all. From the waiters to the hotel staff to the German lady in the souvenir shop--they all say it, all the time.

*True Aussies may not have a great opinion of Americans. They think we are loud and brash--imagine that! We met a couple from Melbourne in the souvenir shop we were in and they struck up a conversation with us. Chris says it is my gift that people talk to me and just tell me everything right off the bat. Oh if I could only make money doing that!!! This couple had a daughter going to school in Canada and they were on holiday in Townsville over Easter and had a lot to say. They were shopping for somethng for their teenage son and she pulled a jar of Vegamite off the shelf and told me that I needed to take that with me. I told her that I had tried it and just couldn't like it. She looked at me with all seriousness and said "learn to like it". And that was that!

*International travel is not always easy or smooth.....probably the worst airport was LA. After deplaning we had to walk miles (or so it seemed to Chris' blistered feet) to get through customs. Seriously---it was a long way. Through a construction site and finally we got there. Customs is not a huge deal but what is a huge deal is going through all the million of security checkpoints! Every place is different and the overseas ones don't seem to be as concerned about the liquids and stuff as the ones in US (obviously) but still you have to go through several places where they scan you and your luggage and all that rigamarole. I had it down to a science and when we went through at LA the people around me just could not get it through their heads that they had to take their laptops out and put them ALONE in a bin to send them through. The guy at the Xray machine kept saying "look at this lady--she has it right" so I was the poster child!!! I must say that the folks in LA were nice----I have found that if you just are nice to them and engage them in conversation they USUALLY respond positively. Usually.

*Flight attendants on Northwest airlines are not nearly as nice as the ones on Qantas. The ones on Qantas were extremely nice and helpful---always there if you needed them but not hovering and obnoxious. My experience lately with NW flight attendants has been less than stellar---they don't have the time of day and in several cases are downright rude to customers.

*Stay away from scary passengers....on the way from LA to Minneapolis the lady next to me had some "issues". First of all she wanted 4 bottles of wine which the flight attendant would not give her. Ended up having 3......and drank them all. Now granted they are the baby bottles but still it is not that long of a flight. She rustled around the entire flight flipping magazine pages on me (Chris was at the window and I was the middle seat) and then she got out this sheepskin thingy and stroked and fingered it the entire time. Can you say FREAKY??? Well I am not sure if she had a fear of flying or what but I was glad to leave her behind!!!

*Chris was amazed at all the stuff that Lorrae talked to me about--things that her husband would probably not have appreciated her telling me. Like I said, I have a gift.

*Another discovery is that dirty laundry does indeed weigh more than clean clothes....suitcases mysteriously weigh more coming home than they did going. Why is that? And I had Chris pack most of the souvenirs in his bag. MY bag always had the HEAVY tags on it!!! His didn't! Why is that???? Not fair.

I guess that is all I can think of at this moment. I think we have a lot of praying to do about this.....you all could pray with us!!! That would be GREAT!!!!

Our LAST day in Australia!

We had a fabulous last full day in Australia!!! The best part was that Chris had the day totally free from CSR stuff so we could do whatever we wanted to do!!! We started out the day by walking down to Flinders Street and finding a coffee shop that I had scoped out earlier in the week---had great strong coffee and muffins and enjoyed the open air and watched customers which is always fun. It was kind of a scroungy place but i am going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they were renovating...

We walked down to a couple of shops and picked up some things to take back for little gifts including a small digeradoo for Aaron---his request---and it is tucked into my duffle bag. I KNEW we got those long duffle bags for a reason and now I know why! It fit perfectly! Now if they only do not lose my luggage on the return trip!!! We loaded down with stuff and Chris got a great hat which he is wishing he has had all his life!!! And he looks very nice it it to boot!!! So our shopping was complete!

Then we headed to the Reef Museum which was as cool today as it was yesterday. I think Chris enjoyed it as much as I did---there is just so much in the sea that is amazing!!! And the colors are marvelous. I took pictures but they do not do it justice, that is for sure and I know it is not exactly like the Great Barrier Reef but at least it is kind of a simulation.

We headed back to the hotel and rearranged out plans since it looked like it was going to pour down rain all day. Ended up chilling by the pool, having lunch poolside and hit the spa for a bit before we came back upstairs to nap!!! Chris is pretty exhausted---it has not been the relaxing week that I have had since he has had to be "on " and "nice" so much! LOL Not easy for him to behave himself that is for sure!

After naps we walked down to The Strand again---the big beach area. Lots of families picnicking and partying and a few folks swimming in the netted areas but not many. The box jellyfish are really bad from November to May so you can not swim in areas other than where they have stinger nets set up. They have little canisters all over the beach with vinegar in them which is what you put on your stinger bites if you should get them. I think the best advice is to just stay out of the water!!!

We ate at the same place that we ate at on Sunday and had some yummy prawn eggrolls and Queensland smoked tuna with ginger along with these huge salads. If we had known they were going to be that big we would have shared one! And they were not the main so we thought we would be just fine since we weren't that hungry but we left a lot of food on our plates.

We enjoyed a leisurely walk back and Chris is watching a movie while I am doing this. I am basically all packed up but why do dirty clothes not fit in like clean clothes??? I guess you spend more time folding clean clothes and putting them in just so! I am a firm believer now in the little bags that you can pack in and squish down. They worked great on this trip and kept things really wrinkle free and nice. Okay, my commercial is done!!!

So are we sad to leave tomorrow??? Yes. And who will know what this trip will end with--maybe a job offer and maybe not but in any case we had a fabulous week and were able to see some of this beautiful country on someone else's dime!! Can't say life gets much better than that!! We are blessed that is for sure!

Our flight leaves at 8:50 am or so tomorrow (Sunday) morning and we should get back to Minneapolis if all goes as planned by 9:30 pm Sunday night and then have the 2 hour drive back to Mason City. Chris will have to go to work the next day so he will have to be in good shape. We did really well with the jet lag coming over---didn't feel fuzzy or bad at all after we got here Saturday night so I hope if we do the same thing on the way home we will do as well. I miss my kitties and they will probably be crazed by the time we get home!!!

Will add a few pictures from today---I think they end up at the top of the blog so you will have already seen them!!! That is it from Down Under!!!

Is it REALLY Day Six?

Wow--I can not believe it has been 6 days already!!! I had a great day and Chris had a good day too so we are chilling tonight. Got room service and he had prawns and scallops (makes me sick to just type the word scallop) and I had lemon herbed chicken with pear salad which was delicious. Micah likes pictures of food so I took some for him! And we had creme brulee for dessert--I don't think I have ever had it before and I liked it!!!

So my day started at 10 when Lorrae picked me up and took me to the Reef Museum which was very neat. It is basically a replica of what kind of fishies you can see at the Great Barrier Reef without diving! It was incredible and so peaceful. I could have stayed and watched a long time. I think Chris and I are going to go back tomorrow as I want him to see it. I didn't take pictures but will tomorrow. We also went to a museum with indigenous artwork which was pretty neat. After that Lorrae asked me if I liked tea!!! What a question! She has a favorite place she goes for tea and they make it properly in a pot (no teabags) so we went there and shared a pot of tea and a slice of this luscious orange cake. YUM! I have eaten some good food here that is for sure. We talked and talked and then she offered to show me their home which I was hoping she would show me!!! It is beautiful with the most wonderful view of Townsville and the water. Guess Mark always wanted to live in this area and this 30 year old house went on the market and they were able to get it. But not without a lot of work and renovations!!! And they are still going on ! I told her I thought she won the wife of the century award because she told me all that they have gone through to get it to the point it is at now and it still is not done. But it is wonderful. The thing that strikes me here is that Australians don't have the clutter that we Americans have! Very little "things" sitting around. Very clean and uncluttered. Makes me want to go home and start throwing stuff out!!!

The highlight was meeting their cat---Phoenix who is a Bengal cat which is a domestic cat bred with an Asian leopard cat. It is AWESOME! Aaron would love him!!

http://wilderside.homemail.com.au/aboutbengalcats.htm

I fell in love with him!!!! He was simply beautiful!!! And very vocal!!! We shared cat stories and found out that he has been more costly than Buddy and his string incident because he has some bowel thing that they have to treat him for!!! So I guess we got lucky!!!

anyway, she dropped me back off at the motel and I read almost an entire book while I waited and waited for Chris to come back. That has been the hardest thing with not having my cell phone---we can't text or keep each other up to date on where we are or what we are doing!!! He finally made it back around 5:30---I was on the balcony and he had been banging on the door because his key didn't work! And I didn't hear a thing so he had to go to the desk and get them to redo his card. Well the tables turned because I left to go get ice and then MY key didn't work and I was banging!!! I heard him flush the toilet so I just waited a bit and he came to let me in then!!! Not quite sure what happened to our key cards but something! OH and they were testing the emergency system this morning which was a bit annoying after the 15th time!!!

So his day was long but good and he is feeling better about things. Spent some time with the CFO and got the real story about what is going on-----he will have to tell about that but I think he thinks there will most likely be an offer coming. But then we have to figure it out....pray about it....see if it makes sense....etc. So start praying about that if the offer does come. Nothing will move quickly though---it takes up to 2 months to get the visa and then he would give a month's notice so we are looking at a good bit down the pike if and when it would happen. I again, am taking it one day at a time and just going to pray that it is really really clear to us!

Tomorrow he is finally free!! YEA! We are going to sleep in, (yea, right) and then hit the Reef museum and then hopefully make a trip to Magnetic Island which has all kinds of great hiking trails and wildlife and something crazy like 160 species of birds! That should top off our trip. We have yet to buy souvenirs--there just has not been time for that so we will see if we can scrape anything up to bring back.

So that is the end of our Friday---hope this finds you all well!!! Final installment of the actual trip tomorrow.....

Various Pictures

Various shots----man playing a didigeridoo, Chris exhausted, shot from the place Chris stayed in southern part of Australia on Wednesday night and Chris' new favorite breakfast food!!!

Day Five in Townsville

I am a little late in posting this but I was waiting for Chris to come back last night --he got back to the hotel around 8:30 pm and the first words out of his mouth were "I am about Aussied out". It was a long two days! This must be the world's longest interview period ever!!! And he is already off this morning (it is now Friday morning here around 7:30 am) to go to the CSR offices and meet with the CFO and some others. Gut feeling at this point.....not sure. He says the mills are pretty messed up because they have not put much money into them for a years and years and not sure if they would be able to put the money in to make the differences that need to be made.

He went to a long meeting yesterday with the cane growers and said that it was pretty bad because they really got all over the CEO and it was a little embarrassing to be a guest there while he got raked over the coals. I think he was just so tired last night that he is not very positive about anything at this point so I am not going to hold my breath about moving here. He was told yesterday that there were 2 others they were considering for the job (Australians) but they had not even done the assessments (testing) on them so he isn't really sure if that is the case or not but at this point he cares! He hopes that today he will be able to come back at lunch but we will see!

Yesterday I slathered on the sunscreen and read by the pool for a bit and then walked down to the Flinders Market and shopped a bit. I found a couple stores that had some neat stuff that I want to take Chris back to if we can but we are running out of time. The shops don't stay open past 5 so if he is tied up tomorrow will be our last chance!!! I found a little place to eat and once again.....service is slow. That would take a bit of getting used to. And I had to figure out how to pay the bill by watching everyone else---they just filed it at the cash register and you told them what table you were at. Of course the waiter did not tell me a thing but I muddled through! But first I had to make sure they took credit as Chris had taken all the money we had exchanged with him and there is no need to exchange more. It is better with the dollar being what it is to charge things --less money.

I did find a bargain on a cute little white shirt and some t shirts for all you bargain shoppers out there!!! And I found a pharmacy and got some more bandaids as we are going through our stash now that Chris has a huge blister! What a mess we are! Mine are much much better.

Today I am going to go with Lorrae to the Reef Museum at 10 am which looks like a neat place to go since we won't actually be able to go to the Great Barrier Reef itself. And she said that if Chris and I wanted to go later it would still be a neat thing to see twice so that may be what we do. I think he is ready for some non business stuff about now. Let's face it---he has seen Mark every single day since we have been here and basically will have spent 4 days straight with him so I think he is about tired out!!! Poor guy! He is not as excited as I thought he would be but I think there is a lot to contribute to that---the condition of the mills being the primary thing and trying to understand the Australian culture and how they do things. It has definitely been a learning experience!!!

So I am off to hit the shower and will tell you more tonight what our day was like!!! Sorry if this is boring you to death!!! Will post a couple of pictures also so you can see some more sights!!!