My apologies for the lengthy and delayed blog. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks.

Words.
You would think that after living in Australia for a year I would have heard all of the sayings. Learned heaps this week.

Pass the dead horse = pass the tomato sauce
The hugs & kisses = the mrs.
Trouble & strife = wife
Dog & bone = telephone
Pat Malone = on your own
Mutt & Jeff = deaf
I’ll shout = I’m buying
Ginnels = cobblestones alleyways used by night men to collect the pots of poo
Melbourne Laneway = little alleys between buildings, often filled with shops
B&S Balls = country girls & guys that create a crazy party in the middle of a paddock
Terrace House = typical Melbourne house architecture – so cute!

Art.
Ty has been getting ready for the Christmas program at school so he has Santa on his brain. Santa, reindeer, and Ty in the sleigh.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Hamiltons!
The Hamiltons arrived on Thursday, 13 November. Jessi, Mark, Johnny and Alice all were willing and able to make the long haul journey down under. Jay and I took the day off to drive drive them to our house from the airport and get them settled. Our 5-star accommodations come complete with towel origami.

They came bearing gifts. I don’t thing Ranch dressing had ever been packed more securely. 🙂

Antipasti.
We went to lunch at the marina and Johnny ordered a seafood sampler platter. There were some crazy things on there – sardines and octopus topped the list. Jay and Jessi ate some of the octopus – after Jay snapped a quick photo.

Surfers.
On Friday Jay and I had to go back to work. Mark braved the roads and drove the gang down to Sanctuary Cove and Surfers Paradise. The G20 Summit was in Brisbane and the Saudi Arabian King and his fleet of staff were staying at Sanctuary Cove. The security was intense, understandably so. They did a little shopping before heading down to Surfers. Mark picked up a little souvenir…

Tipplers.
On Saturday we took Ty to swim lessons and then went out for a boat ride. We went to Couran Cove, but upon arrival realized there was something happening. There were security guards and police officers and buff dudes and beautiful girls in skimpy clothes everywhere. Jay checked the boat in and found out that there was a pool party over the weekend. Nobody under 18 was allowed to go to the pool area or restaurant. And they weren’t running the tram over to the surf side of the island. Well crud. So we got back on the boat and went up to Tipplers. We had a good lunch, and then Jessi and I were the only ones up for the walk over to the surf side. The Hamiltons relaxed and Jay took the kids out to the water. Ty made a friend.

When Jessi and I got to the beach, there were only 2 other people there. Jessi was floored. A.maz.ing.

Even though it was Mark’s 50th birthday, we postponed the cake and ice cream because everyone was pretty tuckered when we got home.

Koalas.
Sunday was hot. I mean really stoning hot. 42 degrees Celsius. 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot. But since we only had the one weekend together, we had to power through the heat. Since Currumbin was under so many renovations, we decided to try a new place – Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. It was quite small, but it had all of the things the Hamiltons wanted to see. Jessi got to hold a koala!! Check!

And they all got to pet a kangaroo. Check!

Mark and Johnny and Ty would have been happy to hang with the sheep all day.

Trampoline.
Mark and Jessi channeled their inner child and jumped on the trampoline with Ty.

Birthday party.
We were past due to celebrate Marks birthday, and we needed to cool off. So we went home and had cake and ice cream. Yum! Happy birthday Mark!!

On Monday the Hamiltons wanted to drive inland a bit, so they went towards Toowoomba. They came back bearing gifts for Ty. 2 Cowboys practicing their roping skills.

Tambourine.
On Tuesday the Hamiltons took a tour of Tambourine Mountain. They had a great time! An unexpected surprise – feeding the birds!

Swim.
Jessi is trying to convince Mark that they need a pool. I agree. So many laughs – so much fun!

Whoa.
Mark says “whoa” about almost everything. He sees something new and interesting… “Whoa”. He tells a funny story… “Whoa.” He probably even says it in his sleep. Ty now says it, and Lily is working on it. Whoa.

Sharks.
So yeah. Jay’s wedding ring slipped off his finger into the bull shark infested canals when he was throwing a crab back in the water. And there is nothing I can do about it. I tried to find someone crazy enough to jump in, but after hearing from one expert that “it’s just too dangerous mate” I cannot send anyone in the water after it. So yeah. Am I sick over it? Yes. Is it going to drive me crazy to know that it is literally “right there” and I can’t get it? Yes. Is it worth someone’s limb or life? No. So we are on the lookout for a new ring for Jay. Damn.

Hamilton.
The Hamiltons caught a flight to Hamilton Island (because they couldn’t come here and NOT go). Once again…floored. I need to catch up with Jessi about some of the details of their trip. All I know is that she said she could snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef all day every day. And that she didn’t want to leave. Sounds like a recurring theme with that place.

Melbourne.
I had to fly to Melbourne on Friday morning to help work at our display at Equitana. Equitana is a major equine event held at the Melbourne show grounds. I learned so much about our products – which equipment suits which type of customer, which attachments go on different machines. I spoke with heaps of potential and current customers, and although exhausting, it was such a great experience. We had some dealers assisting us throughout the show, so it was nice to have a chance to get to know them, as well. So much fun!

Dans.
John Deere has a relationship with Double Dans Horsemanship. Before the show I didn’t know what that was all about, but I’ve learned a bit over the past few days. Two mates, both named Dan, are excellent horsemen. They were on Australia’s Got Talent and Mustang Millionaire. They have built up a great business, one Dan based out of the US and one based out of Australia. They brought one of their miniature horses, Please, who had been a wild Brumby and now does tricks, over to the JD booth every day for an hour. It was my job to hand out postcards of the boys with Please in a Gator to the hundreds of star-struck ladies so they could get autographs and photos. They were super nice guys – had a good time with that side job.

Wow.
As tuckered as we were on Friday night, it was our only chance to see a bit of Melbourne. I think we walked 20 miles (in the same cowboy boots I had on since 5:00 AM). I was over-stimulated and overwhelmed by all of the hubbub in the CBD. All sorts of people, architecture, sights, sounds, smells. Heaps of great shopping (that I didn’t have time to do) and restaurants. We are at a little Italian restaurant that is owned by a celebrity chef – Guy Rossi. Finally!! A proper (and amazing) italian meal. We had an adorable little Italian waiter that we joked would be Hannah’s future husband (“very nice!”), some tasty wine, and great laughs. Pretty sure this was Guy’s Ferrari. And we found one that Ty and Lily should probably have, as well.

But don’t worry – we followed the rules.

Meyer.
Probably the coolest thing we saw was the Christmas display in the Meyer shopping center’s windows. They had an automated story of Santa and the Three Bears across several windows. The sets changed, the Bears were animatronics, lights, storyteller, and music. Fascinating!

Random Melbourne.

Holiday Party.
Since the 4 of us from the Brisbane office had to miss our work holiday party, we were invited to attended the party for our Melbourne employees. We had a nice dinner at a restaurant in The Docks area. I got to meet several of the employees, which was really great. The best part about the evening, however, was the retirement presentation and subsequent unprepared speech by Wayne. I have never met Wayne, but after hearing about his 41 year career, I am inspired. Wayne was the janitor for the warehouse for 41 years. He took so much pride in his work. He put in long hours to make sure the facility was in tip top shape. He observed things that others did not and passed his observations onto the appropriate people. He cared. He nearly cried during his heartfelt speech, thanking everyone there for always making him feel like part of the John Deere family. I nearly cried, as well. And, the best part was that he received a standing ovation at the end of his speech. Inspired.

Plane.
After a long and exhausting few days, I am happy to be heading home to my hubby and kids, and to spend just one more night hanging with my cousin. I am certain I forgot heaps of details, but this is a good start (and I’m tired). I will catch up next time if I think of anything else. G’day mates.