Great Barrier Reef - Hayman

We just returned from another fabulous holiday. I highly recommend a vacation to Hayman Island. It was wonderful, from the yacht that picked us up in Hamilton Island at the airport (and offered champagne when we boarded! Fancy!) to our arrival at the resort (we never saw or touched our bags from the flight to our rooms and there is no check in needed - just straight to the room). It was cool but warm for winter. We enjoyed snorkeling on the reef, seeing gorgeous sea life and coral. Truly a once in a lifetime experience. Oh, and if you go to Hayman, we loved the Pool rooms. Every room has its own steps leading into the pool. Watch out for the birds. They are crazy and will fight whoever they can to get your food.

Leaving Soon

I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since we got to Sydney. So much has happened – Avery has grown up from a tiny infant to a toddler, we made a new baby while we were here (due Nov 22), we have traveled to New Zealand, Fiji, and other parts of Australia, and we have made many friends that we will be sad to leave. Our last day here will be July 30. There are many people, places and things that I miss about America and have made me homesick while we have been here, but there are also many things about Oz that I will try my best to take with me or won’t be able to because they just don’t exist in USA. By the way, I have had this written for nearly a week, but our internet has been down. Cannot wait to have Wifi again!!!

Here are a few:

The word “breaky” for breakfast

The Coffee

The way it’s much more socially accepted to bring your baby wherever you go, whether it’s out to dinner, wine tasting, etc.

Taking advantage of nice weather and spending lots of time outside, but always remembering hats and sunscreen (they are very conscious of the sun here because it’s so strong)

Family as all-important: this POV is apparent through the 1 year+ maternity leave, the gov’t mandated policy that employers must be flexible with work schedules with parents once they return to work after baby, the beautiful parents rooms with flat-screen TVs, and the playgrounds that are everywhere and very inventive, just to name a few. I also see parents playing with their children everywhere.

Mother’s Groups: organized by the government, they are determined by your suburb and baby’s birth date. Since Mat Leave is a year, I had great friends to do things with while I took a year off.

The gorgeous beach we live next to that I have tried not to take for granted. During the Summer, I took Avery to the grass right behind the beach and played almost every day. During the Autumn, I have been walking in the early mornings with my friend Kiera and our bubs.

The luxury Australia afforded me of being able to stay home with my daughter for her first year of life

And here are a few things I have missed about the US:
Family and Friends
Swedish fish (couldn’t believe IKEA didn’t have them)

Everything’s cheaper and there’s more to choose from

Central Air and Heat

I will have a car again

Normal shopping carts that don’t have crazy wheels that are hard to control

Mexican Food

In N Out Burger

Root Beer (well these last two are pregnancy cravings and they’re not available here)

A nice “home” – where we lived in Oz was the most wonderful location, but never felt like home without our dog, family nearby and our “stuff” that has been in storage. It felt very temporary.

High Speed Internet (Hallelujah!)

Cable TV!

Celebrity gossip mags (they don’t mean much when you don’t know the celebs)

Cheap pedicures

Christmas and Thanksgiving in Fall & Winter

NC Beaches

No commercials for the Ah Bra (hopefully) – these are on nonstop in Australia