Elsja Down Under

Sick In Sydney February 25, 2010

Back in Sydney, feeling miserable.

My trip to the US was great. I got SO much accomplished for the wedding and now there’s not much more I can do until August. That’s exciting and sad at the same time. The lower stress levels are beneficial, but the fun of planning will be missed. I suppose there are still a few things I can do from Australia, but a majority of it will all come in the last few weeks. Only 6 months to go now!!

My trip to Georgia was awesome as well. I had so much fun spending the weekend in beautiful Roswell with all my friends. It’s rare that we all get together now that we live in 4 different places, so it seems that weddings are the only things that ever bring us all together.

Amanda’s wedding was beautiful! The Clermont lounge was not beautiful. Let me paint a picture for you. The Clermont lounge is where a group of 16 or so of us went on Thursday night. Try to visualize this…a small dive bar, horrible rock band, thick layers of smoke (seriously, get with the times Georgia, why can you still smoke indoors?) and to top it all off… 60 year old strippers! WHAT? Yes, you read that right. There was a complete assortment of strippers from a super skinny tatooed girl to significantly overweight middle-aged girls wearing heinous outfits to a cute little old lady wearing a little red riding hood costume. Weirdest place I’ve ever been. The rest of the weekend was far less weird. The rehearsal cocktail party and wedding were full of much more taste and class (and less smoke), thank GOD!

The only thing that really sucks is that there must have been some funk going around in Atlanta because Shannon, Jen, Alison and I all caught a nasty bug. I haven’t been this sick since well before I met Andrew. I never get sick anymore and I honestly feel like I don’t even know how to respond to this. I feel like the biggest wuss. Will someone please send an un-packing fairy to take care of my luggage that has made it’s home on our living room floor?

Wedding Update January 24, 2010

With just over 7 months to go, I think we are in pretty good shape with the wedding planning. In all reality, I think I’m way ahead of where some people would be at this stage, but I still feel like there is so much to do. Some things I have NO idea about… like transportation, men’s tuxes and how to do my hair but at least I have most of the big stuff under control. Here’s a little recap on all that we’ve (i.e. I’ve) done to date.

Set the date.    Bought the dress.    Picked the venue.    Booked the caterer and rentals.    Booked the DJ.    Booked the photographers.    Bought the bridesmaid dresses.   Started purchasing accessories.  Reserved a florist.    Nearly finished with the invitation design.    Partially completed our wedding website.    Figured out what we’re doing for favors.    Set up a cake tasting appointment.   Nearly finalized the guest list.    Started looking into blocking hotel rooms for out of town guests.   Got the guest book all sorted out.    Designed the centerpieces.    Picked some of the music.   Wrote out a tentative schedule of  the day.

I still am not sick of it all. I still am not stressed.

I want to plan our wedding forever and ever.

Happy Things January 20, 2010

Because I have nothing else to write about, I’m writing about things that make me happy this week.

Picnics by the beach with Andrew on Sunny Sundays.

Wedding planning- how can you NOT like picking colors and music and flowers and all that wonderful stuff?

Farmville on Facebook… yes, I know, I’m pathetic.

Walking down to the park by the ferry and reading a book in the afternoon sun. Summer is wonderful.

Planning to see my family and friends in CA in less than 2 weeks.

Planning to see Kimbo, Stu and lots of wild animals in Africa this March.

Lots of people having babies- as long as they aren’t mine, they make me happy.

Reading endless wedding blogs and hoping that maybe our wedding will be fabulous enough to be displayed on some random blog out there.

Andrew huggles.

Going to bed. Right now. That makes me happy.

I Live Here January 10, 2010

I don’t know about you but I love vacationing in tropical places with beautiful crystal clear water. When planning a trip I scope out pictures of the beaches to try to find the spot that looks the best. I’ve been to places like Cancun, Costa Rica, Maui and Fiji and the gorgeous clear oceans always make me so happy. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that I no longer have to take a vacation to enjoy these fine beaches. They are right in my own back yard!!

Yes… I live HERE:

This discovery took place on Saturday when Andrew, Mike, Hayley,  Ben and I went on the Bondi to Coogee walk (now I’ve completed 2/5 of#7 from my 101 list). It’s a 12km round trip trek with the most amazing views (clearly). I had heard a lot about the walk in the last 2 years that I’ve lived here but never quite made it past Tamarama.

I always knew Australia had beautiful beaches but come on… these are amazing! Look at that water! Why haven’t you all come to visit me yet? We could actually go to these beaches!

Unfortunately I did not get to go in the water since the purpose of our visit to paradise was to go on this long ass walk. So instead of a bikini, I was wearing tennis shoes and a sports bra. I think this beach is calling me back though… anyone up for a day in the sun in the next few weeks?

Check out a few more pictures if you want to see what else you are missing while you are all sitting in the cold US winter.

2009 Review January 5, 2010

Looking back on 2009, I’m filled with happiness and sadness. For a lot of people, 2009 was one of the toughest years they’ve had in a long time. I had to watch a lot of people around me suffer and struggle so I feel VERY fortunate that Andrew and I actually had a good year even through all the chaos of the world. We did a lot of fun things and reached some really big milestones in our life and for that I am truly grateful.

Let’s look back on some of the great things that happened in 2009.

***

Andrew got promoted to captain

My parents came to visit and we had an amazing time

Amanda and Stephen came to visit

Andrew and I visited California

We went snowboarding

We got engaged!!

We bought an apartment

Andrew and I both turned 29

A few of my best friends got engaged

I was able to be back in California for Thanksgiving

Andrew and I went to Perth for Christmas

Of course there were a bunch of little great things that happened as well, but I thought I’d just reflect on the major ones. 2009 was a big year for us and I hope that 2010 will be even better! Best wishes to you all for a happy new year!

The Greatest Show on Earth January 1, 2010

No, I’m not talking about the circus. I’m talking about the Sydney Harbour fireworks on New Year’s Eve. I do believe that Sydney is probably the most amazing place to be to ring in the new year. Watch the video below and I’m sure you will find it hard to disagree. I recommend viewing in full screen mode. It’s a bit long but well worth it. Grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine and check out the view I had last night.

 I hope you all had a wonderful New year’s Eve and happy 2010 to you all!!

A Cross-Country Christmas December 28, 2009

I think 2009 was a really tough year for so many people. Between the economy, illnesses and injuries, relationship challenges, lost jobs and all the other unfortunate things that happened to family and friends, it feels like it will be good to have 2009 over and done with. So it seems only fitting that we should all end the year on a good note with my favorite holiday, Christmas. I think Christmas should make us all happy and put us in the right mood to start the new year off fresh and positive. Maybe we spent a little too much or ate a little too much, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without a few less pennies and a few more pounds, right?

Our Christmas was spent on two sides of a continent, literally. First we started off with a really nice Christmas Eve at Andrew’s cousin’s house. We had a wonderful BBQ and then enjoyed a fun Secret Santa/Kris Kringle gift exchange. We played the version where you can steal other people’s presents and so it made the game super exciting even though we had a $10 limit (it’s pretty hard to find decent gifts for $10). We headed home that night and Andrew and I had our own little Christmas together. We sat in front of our glittering tree and opened all of our presents for each other and also the ones that my parents gave us. It was a bit sad because it’s the first time in my life that I’ve had to open family presents without my family actually watching.  It’s something I’ll get used to eventually but I’m sure it will take some time.

On Christmas morning we woke up bright and early and headed to Andrew’s dad’s house. Each year everyone gets together for a breakfast BBQ to chow down on bacon and tomato rolls. I’m lucky and I got a very special (and delicious) omelette since I don’t eat bacon. After we all cleaned up we sat down to have our annual Christmas Kris Kringle gift exchange. Veronica was my secret Santa and she got me a set of appetizer plates which I had asked for. Yay, thanks VK! 

After a busy morning, Christmas was still just getting started.  Once Kris Kringle was finished Andrew, his mum and I headed toward the airport and jumped on a flight across the country to Perth. We arrived just in time to enjoy a delicious traditional Christmas dinner at Andrew’s aunt and uncle’s house. Dinner was followed by a family game of trivial pursuit and then we made our way to Andrew’s Nana’s house where we all spent the night. The rest of the quick weekend getaway included Andrew waking up at 4:50am to go for a run (even with the time difference he’s still nuts), lunch in Fremantle, a warm evening BBQ, a morning at the beach and finally a flight back to Sydney. The trip was short but sweet.

Being away from  my family and friends on Christmas is never easy, but having so much to do this year and spending it with ALL of Andrew’s family made it much more special. If you’re interested in seeing photos from this year’s Christmas festivities… click here. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Best wishes for a fabulous 2010.

I’m Dreaming of a Humid Christmas December 16, 2009

It may take me some time to get used to combining Christmas with Summer. I’m trying to listen to Christmas music every chance I get since I only have a few more weeks before the holidays are over. So yesterday when work was finished I plugged in my ipod and headed up the hill on my way to the beach. I huffed, I puffed and I sweat in the sun as I listened to “White Christmas” and “Sleigh Ride.” I don’t know about you, but I feel like there’s something really wrong about listening to “Baby it’s Cold Outside” when in fact baby it’s quite hot and humid outside.

I should be drinking pumpkin spice lattes and egg nog. Instead I’m eating watermelon and drinking iced tea.I should be wearing scarves and hoodies and enjoying the scent of burning fireplaces in the cool, crisp winter air.  Instead, I’m putting on my bathing suit and summer dresses and enjoying the scent of the sea salt on muggy summer afternoons.

The only thing that reminds me that Christmas is next week is the colorful Christmas tree standing in our living room. Even that seems out of place when I’m sweating here on my couch in shorts and a t-shirt. I just don’t know if I’ll ever get used to a summer Christmas. In fact you’ll probably see a blog just like this one next year… and the year after.

Since the days of roast turkey dinners and warm spiced cider are pretty much over for me I’ve decided we’ll just have to start some new festive Christmas traditions of our own. I feel like getting married will be a good starting point for us to begin creating these new traditions. I’ve already decided I want to have a Christmas party every year. My parents always had a party every year as far back as I can remember. It is one of my fondest memories from Christmas as a kid. Many times our parties would fall on Christmas Eve and the adults would let us stay up until midnight to see if we could hear the bells of Santa’s sleigh. I figure we can start of with small get togethers and work our way up to larger, more lavish parties once we actually have a decent house and higher incomes. Maybe we can also create some yummy, summery Christmas recipes to enjoy every year. I don’t know what all we will end up doing, but do I know that I need some ideas to help me adapt to this new version of the holiday season.

Any festive Christmas traditions for soon-to-be newlyweds would be greatly appreciated!

The Long Journy Across the Pacific – Part 2 November 8, 2009

As I walked into the lobby of the hotel in Melbourne I noticed 2 things. The first thing was the long line to the desk. Surely this was going to take awhile. The second thing I noticed was John Mayer sitting on a chair to my left. I did a double take and had a momentary “is that really him?” thought run through my head. Then I saw this guy on the right (at least I think it was him) totally decked out in jewelry and sunglasses (indoors at 11:00pm) and thought, yup that guy definitely looks like he’s part of a rock star crew. Once I saw guitar cases I was certain.

I looked around and no one else seemed to recognize him, at least no one was staring. Was I the only one that knew who he was? Maybe everyone else just didn’t care (I’m sure that will be Andrew’s logic), or perhaps everyone else in business class were all too old and stuffy and tired to notice.

After waiting for far less time than I had anticipated, I got to the counter and checked in. As chance would have it, JM’s people finished checking in at the same time and so when I headed towards the elevator he was heading in the same direction. He got there before I did and the doors opened. He was kind enough to tell me to go ahead before him so I crammed in the back of the elevator with my 2 bags and he and two of his peeps entered with their bags. The extent of our dialogue consisted of him asking me what floor I was on, discussing the need to use card keys to actually push the floor buttons and then when I said “it’s been a long day” he sang a little song about the fact that we weren’t dead. It was a funny little tune that went something like this - “at least we didn’t diiiieeee, at least we didn’t diiiiieee.” It actually could have been “at least we’re not deeeead,” I really can’t remember, but you get the gist. Our dialogue ended with saying “have a good night” when his friends and I all exited on floor 6 and he proceeded to head on up to 8.

The next morning I had a bunch of time to kill so I sat down in the lobby area while I had some breakfast and tea and read the paper. I saw some of his group down there but he wasn’t around. Finally I went up to get all my luggage so I could check out. As I stood waiting for the elevator, I noticed that one was on floor 4, one was on 5 and one was on 8. Hmm… floor 8. So The one from floor 8 started heading down and when the doors opened, there he was, all alone with his luggage and massive sleeve tattoo.  So this elevator dialogue consisted of me saying “we meet again” and then we both mumbled something about the flight and  when we got off he wished me luck on my flight and I did the same. Then I said, “I guess we’ll have the same luck” and then he told me they decided to take a completely different flight. I guess they didn’t want to get back on the A380 again. I don’t blame them. My thoughts were confirmed when I read  THIS.

Anyways, after 11.5 hours of traveling NOWHERE, it was a nice little experience to have some brief interaction with a pretty cool singer. Andrew… please no snotty comments on how stupid we all are for caring about celebrities. We all know how you feel already. As much as I realize that celebrities are just normal people with fancy careers, I still like seeing them in hotels after I’ve been stuck on a plane for 7 hours.

Up next: Part 3- finally getting there.

Happy Birthday Fiance October 30, 2009

Ok, it’s a little late- but I’ve been busy. Wednesday the 28th was the only day I will every get to say Happy Birthday to my dearest fiance. Next year I’ll be saying it to my wonderful husband. This week Andrew turned 29 years old. That means after a month and a half of being older than him, we are finally the same age once more! We celebrated his birthday last Friday with some of his pilot friends at a restaurant called Waqu. It was a miniature degustation menu filled with all sorts of seafood and beef. Luckily they also had a vegetarian option as well. There were 15 of us in our own private room and everyone brought some wine and good conversation. So then we celebrated again on his ACTUAL birthday at Soprano’s in Mosman. Deeeeelish pizza and good friends (plus Andrew’s brother Paul and girlfriend Veronica) made the night a really good one. We even got Andrew a free piece of cheesecake and a shot of limoncello to celebrate his old age!

I’ve been waiting to post this blog because I wanted to upload pictures to go with it. Yeah, well… I lag. Finally I decided to forget the pics and post my blog anyways. If I keep waiting, you might not have anything new to read for like a month and by then the birthday would be WAY over. That’s no fun.

For Andrew’s birthday I decided to get him tickets to this ghost tour thingy in Manly. So last night we went on the tour of the old Quarantine Station.  It was really quite interesting but unfortunately I did not see or hear anything weird. I’d LOVE to see a freaking ghost. The guide told us all these stories about things they’ve seen or heard on the tours there, but what did we see? Nothing!  What did we hear? Nothing! Pretty bogus. I was hoping to see some freaky crap but unfortunately there was nothing worth noting. Probably a good thing though, Andrew might have freaked if we actually saw something supernatural. There was one time where I definitely saw this shadow moving around off in a building far away. Everyone started looking and we were all super excited until we realize it was just another tour group passing through. Oh well.

Do you want to know what the best part of the whole week was? Well, it was GREAT spending Andrew’s birthday with him (as you will recall, we didn’t always get to see each other on our birthdays due to a little something called the Pacific Ocean) but the most EXCITING part of the week was when I decided to try my ipod out just ONE more time today. I wanted to listen to some tunes while I cleaned the house. Well, I put my ipod on the speaker dock and much to my amazement, the little apple symbol appeared and then so did my music.

It’s a MIRACLE!

My ipod has risen from the dead and I’m so happy. I had a super busy/stressful week at work but Andrew’s birthday and my ipod miracle made it all worthwhile. The bottles of champagne and wine tonight with friends helped as well. But my bitchy ass whore neighbor did put a bit of a damper on the night. I’ll have to vent about her later. Stay tuned  for that one.

Until then, goodnight and happy birthday once again to my wonderful love. XO

More Bad Luck Topped off w/ Some Suave & Sexy October 25, 2009

As if my ipod breaking wasn’t crappy enough after my good deed of helping to put out a fire, on Saturday I was the recipient of even more unfortunate bad luck. While I was simply trying to make some delicious fondue for everyone to enjoy at Yorky’s “Suave and Sexy” party, I had a little mishap.

 My hand caught on fire.

Yeah I didn’t spill something on a brand new dress or slip on a puddle causing my shoe to break or anything like that. I literally caught on fire. Note to self: After spilling methylated spirits on your hand while trying to fill a fondue pot burner, make sure to use soap to wash it off. Evidently when you simply wash it with water and then go to re-light the burner, a fireball will erupt burning your hand, the table and anything else surrounding the fondue pot.  Then you will have MORE bad luck and the brie won’t even melt properly and the fondue will be a disaster and look like a disgusting clumpy mess (although it will still taste alright).

Luckily I was able allow my hand to sit under cold running water for about 10 minutes and then I put ice on for another 15. I really think it helped because it’s just red now and I haven’t had any blister pop, unlike the burn on my arm from 2 weeks ago… yes, another burn… which left blisters and a scar.

What is with me and fire and burning body parts lately? 

Even with all the fire drama the night was still really fun! Everyone looked very suave and sexy… see:

There was tons of great finger food and loads of alcohol and fruit so everyone spent the night frequenting the blender to create fancy, tropical concoctions to sip on… or gulp down.

And oh what an awesome view we had:

Such a fun night, even if I did almost burn my hand off! Thanks to Alex, Kristin and Brendan for hosting a great party. And a special thanks to Brendan and whoever else helped put out the fire on the table while I was trying to put out the flames on my hand!

Big Day Out October 19, 2009

Saturday I had a big day out. This “big day” consisted of seeing a movie and going to a bakery. Yes, that’s all… a movie and some pie. It was one of those days where you walk in the door and you just want to take a shower, curl up on the couch and stare at the TV for the rest of the night. Even dinner plans were too much for me to think about. You see, I don’t have my own car and many of my friends don’t either so when we all want to meet up, we have to venture out on public transport. Sometimes this just means a quick bus ride here or a ferry there but not on Saturday. Saturday I used every possible method of public transport there is in Sydney. Well, except for the monorail.

Care to view the details of my journey?

• Leave house at 12:30 pm
• 7-10 minute walk to ferry
• 20 minute ferry ride to Circular Quay
• 10 minute train ride to Central
• 10 minute walk and bus ride to Broadway

* Watch movie – We saw “An Education” – I thought this was some random low budget Australian film. I was totally wrong. It was set in England and did have a few moderate to big name actors. I did not know what to expect since I had literally read once sentence about the movie on IMDB and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The plot revolves around a high school girl who falls for an older man. That’s all you need to know. That’s all I knew and I still went and really enjoyed it. *

• 35-40  minute walk to Newtown
• On the way, witness a chick fight between two burly girls outside of a bank
• Wait 1 minute for the fight to stop so we can continue down the sidewalk without getting our hair pulled out by one of the beasts

*Arrive at Buppa’s Bakehouse, eat delicious key lime pie and chat with friends*

• 5 minute walk to St. Peter’s train station
• 10 minute train to Circular Quay
• 20 minute ferry ride to Mosman
• 2 minute bus back up the hill (so over walking at this point)
• Walk in the door at 6:15 pm

Now, one might say that is WAY too much travel just to see a movie and eat some pie. I totally agree. A simple movie and slice of pie felt like a huge day for me because I was gone for nearly 6 hours; however, I don’t get to catch up with friends very often so every now and again all the trains, buses, ferries and walking can definitely be worthwhile. Overall, I think we all had a really good time. It was a beautiful day and it was good to get out of the house and catch up with friends. On the other hand, days like Saturday really make me miss having a car and a 2 minute drive to my BFF’s house.

Two Years September 26, 2009

Two years ago today I arrived in Australia for good. I packed up, shed a few tears and got on that plane so I could head over the ocean to be with the boy that I love so dearly. TWO WHOLE YEARS! It really has flown by.

So what better way to celebrate my 2 year anniversary than to partake in a popular Aussie tradition… I headed to the races. I’ve always wanted to go to the races but in 2 years, I still had never been. I must say a BIG BIG THANK YOU to Audra who was fabulous enough to make it possible for me to attend. What girl doesn’t love getting dressed up and spending the day in the sun drinking champagne? Ok, I’m sure plenty of girls don’t- but I do! I even put one of those fancy schmancy fascinators in my hair- although it took me awhile to figure out how I was even supposed to put it on.

Yeah… so anyways… I’ve never gambled on horses. And guess what happend today when I did?

I WON!

AHHHH I WON SO MUCH MONEY!

I bet $3 and won $960!! Yes, that’s nearly A THOUSAND dollars from a $3 buck bet!! WOOHHOO

HAHAHAHAH YAYAYAYAY

Today was the best day EVER! 

Happy 2 year anniversary to me! YAY!

Happy Birthday to Me! September 10, 2009

I really wasn’t looking forward to turning 29! I think this is the first birthday I did not care about AT ALL. It just kinda creeped up on me and then bam! there it was, I was 29. I knew Andrew had to work on my birthday as well, so that was even more the reason to not care. BUT… little did I know that Andrew had changed his flight so he could take me to a REALLY nice lunch. He planned it all on his own and it was wonderful. We went down to Wolfie’s in the Rocks. We had a great view of the bridge and the Opera House!  We enjoyed some delicious bread and I had spinach ravioli while Andrew had crab gnocchi. A birthday lunch just wouldn’t be a birthday lunch without a couple of glasses of champagne. It was perfect

Since Andrew had to work that night, our friends Kris, Tess and Alex took me out to dinner at Soprano’s in Mosman. I had yummy pizza, good wine, great company and even had chocolate cake with a sparkler. It was a really nice dinner!

AND THEN… if that wasn’t enough, Andrew’s brother Paul and his girlfriend Veronica stopped by with more wine, a cupcake and some chocolates.

My blah birthday that I wasn’t looking forward to ended up being GREAT! I’m glad to have such good friends here who didn’t want me to spend my birthday night alone.

Al Mustafa August 22, 2009

Yet another delish restaurant to review! YAY

The other night Andrew and I were meeting a couple of his friends for dinner in Glebe. They said they didn’t want Mexican (Baja Cantina) and asked if we had any other ideas. I quickly suggested Al Mustafa. I had been there once before, but never did a review back then. Even though the first time I went, they took about 20 minutes to bring my chicken kabobs… and by 20 minutes, I mean 20 minutes after everyone else already got their food- it was still so yummy that I’ve always wanted to go back.

This time was even better. We went on a Wednesday so it was a little quieter which was nice. I mean, the atmosphere on a weekend is great because they have music and belly dancers and the who shabang… but on a Wednesday, you don’t really need all that. They didn’t offer alcohol so we had to BYO- and they didn’t even charge us corkage! Woohoo

We ordered the Cushion Lounge banquet and it was sooo damn good. There were only a few little things on the huge banquet menu that I didn’t like, and when I asked to exchange them for chicken, they happily met my request. A HUGE plus for any restaurant in Sydney!!

The food was great. Service was pretty prompt. Overall it was a really good night. My only complaint is that I stuffed myself so much that the next morning I was STILL full and could STILL taste garlic  in my mouth. It was gross and I really felt the need to vomit- but I survived!

So here you go… here’s my super official review…

Decor: 6 – Nothing stands out as being really cute or anything… in fact I can’t even remember the decor much at all but I do  remember these hideous flowery glasses that they put on our table and some of the tablecloths were pretty ugly. So yeah, not the nicest thing I’ve ever seen, but they do have some cool hookahs lying around which add to the atmosphere.

Value:  7- Well, while we did spend $45 each- which is  a lot… we got TONS of food. We could have paid less if we wanted to order less! When we ran out of bread for our dips, they brought us more at no charge. They didn’t charge corkage and they give you free baklava and coffee with the banquet meal. I have to say- for a Sydney restaurant- the value to me was quite good.

Service: 8- There were a few times I would have liked more water, but for the most part, everything came out very quickly and we didn’t need to ask for much. Plus, they let me substitute chicken for lamb- substitutions are pretty unheard of when you order the banquet menus, so I was really appreciative of that!

Taste: 9- This food is pretty damn good. The hummus and tzatziki dips are a little too good which usually leads to filling up on those before the “real” food comes out. They had these coriander/cilantro potatoes that I tried for the first time back in CA- and they are wonderful. The chicken kabobs were great, these interesting green beans were pretty good and I even liked the falafel, which I usually am not a huge fan of. The fact that I woke up the next morning and I was STILL full really says something about how appetizing this place is.

I think we are planning to go back in September for a celebratory engagement dinner with Andrew’s family. I can’t wait!