It's been a while!

I can't believe I haven't wrote anything since we've arrived. It is even harder to believe we've been here for nearly 6 weeks! How time has flown, and yet it feels like an age since we left home.

We left our city apartment and moved into our current one three weeks ago. I say "we" but it was only Nicola who moved in. I was sent up to work in Brisbane for two and a bit weeks - which is a story in itself. Poor Nic had to endure a strange environment, with no home comforts other than a bed and a couch. I really feel for her, I don't know how she managed to stick it out. I would have really struggled.

Our apartment is... well... I am trying to adjust to it =) It is always warm, and even though it is a one-bedroom place, it stills feels rather empty. We are in a great place, surrounded by everything we need (I've counted two bakers, two cake shops and a cheesecake shop already). It is pretty good for getting into the city centre too. We do, however, have an interesting neighbour who insists on sharing his music with us every so often.

Nicola is enjoying her work, even though she finds things a little backward. She says the people are very friendly and is currently working her first night shift since she started. Which means I'm home alone, aww =) It still feels about 20C outside, so if I was brave I'd go exploring. But I did say "if".

I got back from Brisbane a few days ago. It IS an experience I won't easily forget. I met some great people, did quite a bit of work, had many a squeaky-bum time but... ah, I can't believe I was away from Nic that long. It is the longest time we've spent apart since we've dated. That's over 10 years! It was great, but I don't think I'd be too keen on spending so long away again.

We are really looking forward to the next few months, now that we have most things settled. Personally I'm looking forward to the cooler weather =) I'm going to attempt my first outdoor jog since I arrived tomorrow so I hope the sun isn't out too early in the morning! It is hard not to make snap decisions on what our long-term future is. Its far to easy to be tempted by home. We're really looking forward to 6 months down the line so we have a clearer idea of what we want from this move. Until then, its good to enjoy what we have, and enjoy this wee adventure for what it is =)

Five Days to Go!

I think it is beginning to hit me. Everything feels incomplete, nothing feels settled. I don't know why I am surprised, I should have been expecting this!

I think we're finally prepared to go. All bills have been cancelled, all relevant parties have been notified, and plans are in place to visit our nearest and dearest one last time. I can't help wishing we had one more week, just to make sure. But that is maybe just delaying the inevitable.

I've not felt like this for a long time. Perhaps the only thing that comes close is how I felt before an all day interview - knowing that it would be over before I knew it, but needing to make sure to come up for air - to take stock of what is going on.

It's our last Friday night, and we're spending it with our old friend Julie =) (she's actually younger than me but I've known her forever!). The rest of the weekend is reserved for more visiting, with our remaining days next week being spent with family. It will no doubt be teary, and I know I've got lots of things I want to convey, but I think we are just now really looking forward to Wednesday afternoon - knowing that the initial hard part is done, and our wee adventure awaits =)

The Day After the Party

Wow that was one fun party! I think we eventually got to bed around 2.30am. If you know us, you'll will be as shocked as we are hah! But time really flew past at the party. We were so blown away by the turn out - I was particularly pleased that my old uni friends came along (although they aren't old of course!)

To finish off the evening, we had a couple of my friends from work stay over. There were a number of innuendos about the inflatable animals being left in the living room but Stuart managed to behave himself =)

Anyway, we've recorded a little clip about the party so please have a look =) (If you are reading this on FB, you'll need to click the "View Original Post" link to see the video.

The Day Before the Party

So we've decided to try keep a video record of the important days left in the UK, as well as our initial days in Oz. Half because we'd like to share a little part of our journey, and the other half because Nicola got a new flip camera video that she likes to show off =)

So this will be our first little clip. Its our leaving party tomorrow, so this is a little clip about how we are feeling about it all. Cheese, yes. But still, its a lot of fun =)

First New Year's Resolution

I'm usually awash with resolutions and yet it has been hard to think of any this year. Maybe it is because so much has changed. This time last year I think my main resolutions were to finish my PhD and lose weight - two things that I tended to struggle with. I managed to complete them both =) Weyhey...

Oh maybe that is it, maybe I've lost the things that I used to define myself. I was the guy doing a PhD, I was the guy without a job, I was the guy thinking about moving to Australia. And now, I'm no longer defined by those things. Am I a Joe Everybody now? Maybe I no longer feel unique. Maybe I need to. Maybe I need to stop waiting for things to "settle down" before I step out.

D'oh, my mind wandered a bit there. Or maybe it just needed written down to be real. Heh. I think this has went a little off topic. Onto my first New Year Resolution. I'm on the verge of a major change in life. In two months time, we may be living in our new home in Australia. Thats a short amount of time and yet far enough away for the thought to be pushed to the back of my mind.

My first resolution is to make as much of that time count, to fill it with as many memories as I can, to find myself changed by something or someone so I'm different then than I am now.

I have a cheesy thought in my head when I write that. Imagine time passing being like a bucket of sand being poured out. We can stick our hand rigidly into the falling sand and tell ourselves we are in the moment, we are involved. And yet, the sand doesn't care we are there, it is largely unmoved. It finds a new way to reach the ground and once it is all gone, our hand has little trace of all the grains that passed. The only way we can retain the passing sand is to change shape, to cup our hand to that we can catch the sand. That way, when the bucket is empty, we can show we were there.

We have sand in our hand. We own sand. I want to own memories. I need to change shape.

So this is Christmas

It's nearly gone already - isn't that so terrifying! Such a huge build up and yet, I struggle to remember a Christmas that ever lived up to the hype. Don't get me wrong, each Christmas has always been excellent, but when the day is over there always seems to be a surreal feeling as if to say "was that it?".

We are just back from dinner at the in-laws. Oh what fun =) I love the fact that I get on well with Nic's parents. I love the fact that they are just such honest people that I'm no longer hidden from the Miller family craziness =)

This year will be one to remember for a long time. It started off innocently enough, with the opening of presents, the repeated cry of "oh, they shouldn't have" and giggling at Keira (their Jack Russell) as she tore into her presents, destroying the contents within seconds. And then there was dinner.

I don't know if was the wine, or perhaps the excitement of a long day but Bronwen decided to tell me I looked like "a ninja. A ninja turtle. Leonardo turtle". It seems wearing the paper crown out of the cracker brought on a new dimension of my personality. I have quietly folded the crown away in case I ever do need to look like a ninja.

Next Keria, who had been hopping all over the place due to all the food around, precedeed to consume 8 mini sausages.. which were unfortunatley brought back up. Now, I can't do sick. It really turns me something terrible. You can imagine my horror as the dog insisted on sharing with us continually... on the floor, on the carpet.. eww.. I can barely even think about it.

In all the fuss that followed, Bronwen decided to try out her new phone Jim bought her for Christmas. In sending a "happy Christmas" text to one individual, we later discovered she had sent it to everyone in her phone book. So, Nic, Vic, me, her bingo buddies. But it didnt stop there, she had also sent a happy Christmas message (complete with kisses) to the police, her dentist, Jim's boss, the Vet and the local chinese takeaway. Some things you cannot make up.

We finished the night with some friendly Mario Kart on the Wii. Well, it was meant to be friendly but Brownen has such a competative side to her that things soon turned ugly. Such language I have never heard. Even Father Jack himself would have blushed. The dog ran to her bed, tail between her legs. I think the rest of us wanted to do the same =)

So ended another great Christmas memory - these things may never live up to the hype but there is no way I would ever want to do without them. I love Christmas =)

Outcomes

Well, as it turns out I am not going to be working abroad in January. I'm not quite sure whether to be feel sad or happy about that =) More time at home before March vs a month long adventure, out in the big bad world by myself! I'm glad I didn't have the final say =)

Its getting so agonisingly close to Christmas - its so unfair I have to work all the way up to the 24th, hehe. It will be my first Christmas off where I haven't go uni work, or indeed any work, to do over the festive period. It is going to be a weird feeling to sit on the couch, knowing I have nothing pressing on me. Ah.. I've dreamed of that moment for so long... =)

We had a bit of a sugar overload within my team at work yesterday. It might have something to do with the two packs of Haribo I took in, or the chocolate cookies and MnMs that have been floating about. Or maybe we all just really like Christmas! Still, it really can't come quick enough - I really hope is snows!