"THEIR ENGAGED!"

YES! YES! YES!

We are shouting it from the roof tops - Cory and Tara are engaged!

We are so thrilled.

We love Tara and think she is the perfect match for Cory!

They got engaged on a chair lift us at Sundace Ski Resort - so Cory, isn't it?

We love them both!

The Waterfront Area Where We Live -

Tom, enjoying a Gelato down on the waterfront! We just can't get enough of them!

This is the view from our bedroom window. At night it is beautiful - all the city lights reflecting off the water. Then in the morning as the sun comes up I can lay in bed and watch the city come alive - boats coming in and out and sounds of the city waking up. Way off in the distance you can see the ocean and at times you can see the "Spirit of Tasmania' ship coming and going.

There are lots of nice restaurants along the waterfront here, which is just below our apartment that is in the rounded edge building in the middle of the picture.

The food is amazing here - anything you would like and especially Indian, Asian and Greek cuisine. Haven't really found any Mexican food like a good old Taco Bell!

There are just some amazing boats that pull into the harbor and dock right in front of our place.
We don't know who owns this rig but we would really like to get to know them!

Wishing for a new rental car ?

There are bikers and bike paths everywhere around town. Right below our building is a place you can rent these bikes for $2.50 a day. If the weather would ever get nice we will give it a try.

More fun terms used by the wonderful Australians here. They just crack me up!
Of course you have to imagine them saying these words with their fun accents!

a rasher of bacon = a slice of bacon

fair dinkum? = really? no kidding?

ta = thank you

nappies = diapers

doona = blanket or quilt

a dog's breakfast = eating leftovers

Mackas = McDonalds

We were driving along the freeway yesterday and had to pull over and take a picture of acres and acres of some type of brillant yellow flower. The smell was really strong - sort of like a lillac smell but not really. It was a field of Canola flowers!

Tom wishes this was our rental car!

For those of you who are like me and it just looks like a red car, it is Ferrari.
It is parked in our building every night. I like our "sporty" little Ford Fiesta just fine.

Actually I drove for the first time yesterday. Yikes! It is not easy to reverse your thinking when signaling and turning corners, going around on round-a-bouts, and getting into the fast line on the right side of the freeway (and you all know I have to drive in the fast lane, Ferrari or not!)

Not to mention that the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. Well, I did ok but Tom, I could tell was not relaxing while I was driving, not in the least bit!

We did make it home safe and sound.

Now and Then - Missionaries in Australia

November 1975, Sydney Australia Mission

Elder Grant Tayrien(left), Elder Tom Hawke(middle), Elder Malcolm Jose(right)

How cute are they?????

We had a great time last Sunday! We were able to meet up with Tom's favorite missionary companion, Elder Malcolm Jose. They haven't seen each other since the mission - 34 years ago.

It was so great to see them meet and talk together.

We also were able to meet his darling wife, Anne. What a great couple. We had to cut our visit short because they were preparing to leave for their daughters wedding the next day and then were leaving straight away for the their first trip to the states!
They will be gone for a whole month but I am sure we will be able to see them when they get back and enjoy some more time with them. They are such sweet people - I loved them immediately. How blessed we are to be able to have this experience!

Melbourne Equestrian Center

This was my favorite day so far. Tom surprised me today and took me to this equestrian center not far from town and just our luck they were having a big event going on. Probably hundreds of horses and riders competing and the weird thing was there was hardly a soul there watching!

I was in heaven!

Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to ride in an English saddle and show jump

and especially ride in the dressage competition.

I think it is so beautiful that I always get emotional and cry when I watch it!

The show jumping was fabulous and we watched for several hours.


My favorite was the dressage' competition and I was so enthralled with it that we didn't get any pictures - so sad about that!
The weirdest thing - we were the only ones in the whole arena watching - they had judges and everything, so I am sure it wasn't just a practice.
Again, this is what my heaven would be!

Victorian Market

You have to be a serious meat eater to want to buy a whole goat!

But for $8.99/kg why not give it a try?

The Victorian Market is one of my favorite places! Only about 1 mile from our place and you can buy anything here - there are over 3000 kiosks of food and merchandise! It is really amazing and so fun to see what you can find. I have just highlighted a few food items!

Why not pick up a couple of Ox tongue for Sunday dinner?


Or, who wouldn't want a Pork Trotter? They are on sale, so why not?

The cheese and bread that is available is beyond imagination. Most of the kinds of cheese I have never heard of but so delicious. I didn't get a picture of all the breads available for they have amazing sourdough breads of all kinds, all baked fresh that morning.

Some places just sold gourmet olives. Unbelieveable - rows and rows of different olives. I am not an olive fan but Tom went nuts! I think we spent $20 on olives alone.

"Grilled Baby Octopus"

Wow, I never thought of serving that for dinner, but maybe I should!

The Old Melbourne Gaol

The Erickson Family

Jordan(dad), Meagan(mom), Dottie(left), Emma(middle), and Cooper(right)

They are a fun family and we are glad they are here with us!

Here I am sitting outside "The Old Melbourne Gaol" with our friends, Dottie and Emma.

We were able to go through a mock arrest at this jail. I was assigned to be Edith Bostock, arrested for stalking and Tom was Michael Cramer arrest for drunk driving!



Now, yesterday, Saturday, was not a good day for sight seeing. It was cold, windy and rainy. So, Tom had an idea of going to tour the Old Melbourn Gaol (Jail). His idea of a good time. As you can see he went a little crazy and we had to put him in a padded cell! Always the entertainer - you all know that about him!

I have been meaning to put this picture up since I arrived. This is where we live - The Palladio apartments in "The Docklands Quay" in Melbourne. The "quay" is pronounced key. We live on the 16th floor of the second building from the right - the rounded one. There are lots of beautiful boats that dock here and many great restaurants right on the waterway, not to mention my favorite Gelato stop! We are just a few blocks away from being right smack downtown.

Australian Terms I have learned!

I am going home to read a good book wrapped in my "doona." A cute little gal at Costco told us this. It means she is going to wrap up in a quilt or a blanket.

The local YMCA charges $42 dollars a "fortnight," for a membership. I went home and looked it up on the internet - it is an old English word - means fourteen days. It seems so much easier just to say $84 a month!

This is the best so far. I went to the grocery store and noticed all the grocery carts were locked up. I asked the clerk if I could have a cart - simple request, right? She said to me "I will have to go and get my manager." Hmmm... is it that big of a deal? I am thinking to myself. She comes back with her manager and another lady, so the three of them are looking at me like I am nuts when I ask again for a cart. Apparently they all thought I had said that I had lost my coat! AND they are not called shopping carts they are called, "trolley's!" not carts. They cost one dollar and then when you put them back you get your dollar back!