Cricket.
The game of cricket (or “The Cricket” as they say) is apparently a really big deal here. I don’t know anything about the sport, but there is a game going on now that dates back to the 1800’s and is a match between Australia and England. Something about how Australia beat England and burned something from the game and put the ashes in an urn… The match is now referred to as The Ashes. I have a hard time taking it seriously because it seems like a froo-froo sport, and when the guys here talk in their accents about The Cricket it just doesn’t sound that exciting to me. I should probably attend a game and get a proper lesson before I form a solid opinion, though. Anyhoo, my observation is that it is just an excuse for guys (mostly) to get drunk, dress up in crazy outfits (including Australian flags), and act like fools. Sounds a lot like a typical Saturday tailgate to me…

Thankful.
Even though we will be working on Thursday and Friday and not actually celebrating Thanksgiving, I wanted to take a minute to jot down some things I am thankful for.

Things I am thankful for now.
A loving, thoughtful husband, a son who adores his dad, and the happiest baby girl on the planet. I am thankful for the quality time that I get to spend with my family, and so appreciative of the opportunity to spend a couple years in paradise learning about a different part of the business.

Things I will be thankful for when we go back to the US.
Everything. I hope that I won’t take things for granted. Hugging my parents and siblings. Snuggling with Bandit. Drive through, quick, family and budget friendly restaurants. Seeing my kids’ faces light up around their extended family. Giving my mom a call on my drive home from work just to chat about nothing in particular (really starting to miss this). Clothes that feel clean and soft. Dry cleaning. ICE. My Keurig coffee maker, I think I could go on for hours.

Music.
Enough of the sappy stuff. Let’s talk music. I can’t make up the kind of things I hear on the radio on my drive in to work. First of all, the Brad Paisley/BB King song is the single most requested song here. The Aussies LOVE it. The other stuff they play…well, it is different. I have tried on multiple occasions to find songs on the internet that I heard on the radio to share with all of you, but most of the time nothing comes up on Google. Hard to believe since Google knows everything. One song basically repeated “I rub my baby with choco pieces so they don’t take you away.” Really wanted to find out the background on that song. Another “I’ve got a stubby in my shorts and ants in my pants for you.” Then there is my daily dose of Meet the Abbots which is an attempt at poking fun at the leader of their country. I have yet to laugh… But my favorite part is that one would think that everyone who calls in to request a song is the dj’s best friend. They will chat for several minutes. It’s great, totally Aussie. :).

Aboriginals.
Another thing that is played on the radio quite a bit are advertisements to break myths about the aboriginal people. My early observations is that their is a lot of tension between the different cultures, somewhat similar to American Indians. I definitely need to find out more on this topic.

Month end.
This week is Jay’s month end, so while it has been a little hectic at home, we are managing Ok. I do wonder though why we didn’t wait to be sent to some country where maids/chefs/nannies are cheap. Jay is working through the “fun” of learning all of the processes, and in my opinion is doing a great job, despite some frustrations and set backs. He has been home in time to help get Ty bathed and in bed, but unfortunately has then put in some late nights working from the kitchen table. I think he will be able to make quite a few improvements while we are here. I am really looking forward to next week and a normal routine.