When Michael is away, the girls play.

Michael is away in Coolangatta for the Beach Nationals tournament, which means it's just us girls here this weekend. We met up with some friends and their son at a big playground in Five Dock yesterday, and today we just went to the cafe and the playground and are just hanging out in the neighborhood. 

Every couple has different amounts of time that they are okay with their partner spending away from them. Some of the moms in my moms group tell their husbands they absolutely can't leave for a weekend away with the guys, or I have a friend who tells her husband that he can't be away more than one evening during the week while their son is young, because she needs help with him. I've known other people who don't say anything to their partner, but then say they feel like a "widow" to (insert extracurricular activity here). 

Michael and I have no such rules, and I am no widow. I actually think I am out more nights on a regular basis with friends than he is, and but then he goes away for more frisbee tournaments than I do. To each their own. I, personally, don't like to tell other grown adults what their limits are because I don't want them to tell me what mine should be. I'm sure other people don't see it like that, if they have agreements with their partners, and that's fine for them.

Penelope and I could have traveled with Michael, but I decided it wasn't worth the hassle this year. It's extra money, but we also have some visitors and travels coming up in the next two months, and I think those are enough. She is, as usual, very active and learning new words every day. Her latest "thing" is trying to escape from her sleep sack while she is napping or sleeping, and she always ends up with one arm out of the same hole as her head, or both arms through the same arm hole, or one stuck inside, etc. I never know what I'm going to walk into now. Pen also likes to say "row row" so that I'll sing "Row Row Row Your Boat", or "Num num num" when she thinks something tastes good. She enjoys picking out books to read from her shelf, which mostly ends up with seven books on the floor that produce a booby trap that she slips on when she's walking over them later. 

The weather has been perfect lately - cool at night and mild during the day. It hasn't rained much in several weeks, which is mostly good (but I'm sure the plants and waterways in the area are always happy for a sprinkle).

Now that we have a time frame forming for moving back to the states, every event we partake in here in Sydney might be the last one of it's kind before we go. There's always the chance we will come back for a visit, either because of Michael's work, or a special event like a wedding, etc. And, there's even the chance we could move back after several years back in the states, depending on how things are going. 

I am spending Penelope's naptime today re-setting up my watch. It stopped working properly under warranty, so now I have to redo all the same settings and it's taking forever. I suppose that's alright because I have nowhere else I need to be. Happy weekend, everyone! 

GOT Finale, Catch-22, Photos, and Citizenship Update

Mild spoilers...


We watched the Game of Thrones finale along with the rest of the world. There were mixed feelings, but overall, I suppose it was a quietly paced episode that had some nice farewell moments. My favorite moment had to be when Sansa told her uncle to sit down, and he awkwardly banged and fumbled with his sword while doing so. The second was probably between Jon and Ghost. Also, seeing John wear a cotton shirt in jail instead of his furs and stuff? Weird. There are still some loose ends, but I'll take it. I'll say it didn't reach the high bar that Breaking Bad set, and it didn't reach the low bar that Dexter ended on. It was middle-of-the-road in my book.

Now... on to finding the next big show. I'll still be following Walking Dead, but that one feels like it's descending towards it's end. We are also watching the mini series of Catch-22 on Hulu, which is surprisingly well-done and enjoyable. The few big names in the show: George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, and the guy who played Coach on Friday Night Lights, well cast. Yossarian, although played by an actor I had never seen before, is also really great. It's hard to portray a story like that, one that is is very tongue-in-cheek in its written descriptions and situational humor. Being three episodes in, I think they've pulled it off.


We got our family photos back from the photographer ("Iggy and Bonn") within a week. We are happy with them, and would definitely recommend her. The first time, I really had to convince Michael and promise we would never do them again if they didn't turn out well. I think he's been surprised at how glad he is that we have taken them, in order to preserve these moments in time when Penelope is still so small.

And the biggest news lately is that we have officially passed our citizenship tests and have a date set for our citizenship ceremony next month. It's a weight off my shoulders to know that it will be complete soon and we can move on with whatever plans we end up making in the next several months. 

I think inevitably, all blogs eventually start to slow and posts become less regular. That's certainly happened since Penelope arrived, but I still find the time every now and then. Thanks for continuing to check in!

Mothers' Day Zombie Hunt and New Glasses

Michael has been recently developing an app for a friend's local event business. The app is a fake phone interface, from which the user receives texts, map locations, and other data that are clues to be solved in a sort of scavenger hunt. For Mothers' Day, Michael surprised me with my own zombie-themed scavenger hunt through the app. The event took me to some favorite local cafes and then to a new area nearby that we hadn't explored much up until now. Midday, he took PJ home for a nap while I was sent to another location, which I would find, would be for a relaxing massage. After relaxing, there was a little more go-go-go around Centennial Park. It was a fun day, I just wish I'd had a little more time to enjoy the end before having to rush to our fourth-time-rescheduled family photo shoot in the park. Family photos went well, as far as we know. In a few days, we should get to see them. 

I am officially old, in that I now own my first pair of reading glasses. Michael makes fun of me because he thinks I don't read enough to need them. The truth is, in the last several years, I've kind of unconsciously adapted because my eyes get uncomfortable focusing on something close after a few minutes. So, I have been mostly listening to books on audible, or if I read it's just for five minutes here or 10 minutes there, and then I move on to something else. I also gravitated toward a job where I don't sit and stare at a computer screen very long. I spend a lot of my time teaching in front of a class or working in small groups with people, and I'm only on a computer during the work day to briefly check email or to pull up Powerpoint slides and that kind of thing. The problem with being such an adaptable person is that I didn't notice how something simple, like reading glasses, might make it so I don't need to adapt so much. Anyway, we will see if these new glasses help me to enjoy sitting and reading for longer again. I haven't worn glasses in about 8 1/2 years, and back then they were for distance, so it's a change for me to need them for the opposite reason. Anyway, I knew at some point this would happen after getting lasik surgery.

Terrigal Towel #3

This past weekend, we all had a great time at Terrigal/Wamberal/Avoca, a beach area about an hour and a half north. We stayed in a large Airbnb house with friends, and Penny was the younger of the two little kids in the house. One of our friends who had moved to Melbourne last year was staying in the house, so it was nice to catch up with him. Penelope was fabulous the whole weekend, despite being off her schedule and being forced to deal with sand for two days. She was not a fan at first, probably because she sand felt cold and wet in the morning, but by the end she was happy to sit and play. The weather was mostly good, and the one bad rainstorm coincidentally hit during Penelope's nap on Sunday, where she was completely protected by the tent. If anything, the sound of the rain probably helped her sleep. There were a ton of babies and kids on the sideline, lots familiar faces for us and for Penelope. 

Michael and I played on the same team, and we ended up coincidentally with a lot of friends from the other team I play with on Wednesday nights. Although we lost  the tournament during the semifinals, we still had a great time. 

The tournament party was one for the ages. Since it was the "21st", once of the long-time players offered to host at his house. His house has a pool and hot tub, fire pit, there was a live jazz band playing, then later a DJ, and catered paella. It was a complete 180 from the usual party at the local bowling club with soggy Chinese food, walking in the door and being offered a glass of champagne. Mike and I traded off; I took the early shift at the party, and then came back to do Penelope duty while he enjoyed the second half of the party. 

It was a great weekend and now we are all trying to get back into the swing of things.

Couch Potato Update

After what feels like the longest hiatus ever, we are happy to watch Game of Thrones again. Despite some criticisms of the last episode, I enjoyed the suspense and spectacle of it all. We also watched Cobra Kai (season 2),  and the Big Little Lies, which I was surprised I enjoyed. Yay for all the drama!

Kidulting with a Kid

The new school term has started up after two holiday weekends in a row. Mike and I have both been busy working and trying to keep up with Penelope. She wants to climb on everything, get into everything, and have loud emotions about everything. Her new favorite word is "Up!" as a command. Thankfully, she has also been sleeping better too, so I suppose that provides some balance. Weekly swim lessons have started up again, and it's nice to see the familiar faces again (the kids for PJ and the moms for me).

This weekend, we will all be going to a local hat beach frisbee tournament about an hour north. Penelope is much more active now than she was at the last tournament we brought her to, several months ago. Hopefully, she will have fun playing in the lagoon and in the sand, while Mike and I take turns playing points. And, hopefully having a toddler in a group house full of kidults for the weekend will go alright. We wouldn't take her if we were worried about it. This won't be her first rodeo, and it won't be her last.  

Mike has been working on the other half of Penelope's busy box, which is proving to be an endeavor that grows larger and larger with each new idea. It is an impressive undertaking that continues to take months. With luck, it will be done before she has already outgrown it.