After being away from the US for 3 Thanksgivings, I have a new appreciation for the holiday.  I used to take it for granted – the turkey, the ham, the cranberries, grandma’s mashed potatoes, French silk pie, and most importantly, family.  This year we spent Thanksgiving on the beach at Hamilton Island.  No turkey.  Family photos in the morning, beach, pool, Italian for dinner.  Definitely not traditional, but am thankful for the precious time with my family.  As we wrap up our time in Australia, I have given a lot of thought to things that I am thankful for.    In no particular order…

I am thankful for having had the opportunity to become fully immersed in the Australian culture for 2 years.  Before getting on the Qantas flight back in October 2013, what I knew of Australia I had learned from Crocodile Dundee and one of my most favorite movies – The Man From Snowy River.  And a few children’s books that we had been reading to the kids to mentally prepare them for the change.  I used to think that I could recite all of the lines to the Man from Snowy River, but it turns out that I actually couldn’t understand about 10-15% of the words until I developed an ear for the Aussie dialect.

I am thankful that none of us got killed by all of the spiders, snakes, toads, sharks, stingrays, and other creatures that I read about in those children’s books.

I am thankful that we were able to travel all over this beautiful country – and a few other countries nearby.  In 2 years, we packed in more mini holidays than we ever have.  We made the most of every free moment.  We travelled to South Island, New Zealand, Fiji, the Great Barrier Reef multiple times (Agnes Water, Cairnes, Whitsundays), Hamilton Island, Port Douglas, Bundaberg to watch sea turtles lay their eggs, Sydney, Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road, the Snowy Mountains, the penguin parade on Phillip Island, South Stradbroke island countless times, Fraser Island, Noosa, Coolum, Tambourine Mountain.  What an amazing country – jaw dropping beauty everywhere.

I am thankful for all of our family and friends that made the LONG trip down under to visit.  I have lost count of how many guests we had stay with us.  We loved every second of everyone’s stay.

I am thankful for Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.  Not many people get to pet kangaroos and hold koalas.  When my son Ty was a baby, I took pictures of him every month with his sock monkey so that I could see how much he had grown.  Lily’s version was slightly different – she had her photo taken with a real live koala about 20 times in 2 years.  

I am thankful for Bonny Babes, the daycare that our kids went to when we first moved here.  The staff there was first class – passionate about their jobs.  We have made lifelong friends with a couple of the educators there. We will miss you dearly.

I am thankful for Saint Stephens College.  Ty has learned so much in his first year of school.  He has grown up a lot – maturity, confidence, and personality.  He is developing interests in so many things.  It has been an awesome first year of school.  

I am thankful for Emily.  Lord knows that I would have survived without her, but only just barely.  I could write an entire blog on reasons why I am thankful for her, but will keep it high level.  Lily is an expressive, smart, cheeky little thing.  She is a social butterfly, very active little thing.  She has been allowed to blossom with Emily by her side.  My house is clean, dinner is cooked, laundry is put away, kids are (usually) happy.  Super. Nanny.

I am thankful for my husband.  There are not many people in this world that can handle me and my little bit of crazy.  I cannot imagine going through this wacky life without him by my side.

I am thankful for my children, who are both healthy, smart, beautiful, curious, funny, and talented.  They have made me a better person.  

I am thankful for my manager, Cheryl.  She also understands my little bit of crazy, and lets me (usually) run with it.  I know that she probably felt like she was getting “stuck” with me when we first moved here.  She has taught me unmeasurable amounts of things.  The branch is lucky to have her knowledge, skills, and passion.

I am thankful for my team (current and prior) who all went along for the ride.  I know that I am sometimes a bit full on, that I am relentless in my desire to make things better, and that I drive changes that aren’t always popular or easy.  I am so proud of the work that we all accomplished – together.

I am thankful for Treasury, who once again has come to my rescue and is willing to take me back for another learning opportunity.  I HAVE A JOB!!!!  so happy I don’t have to scrub toilets in Des Moines.  Prior to coming to Australia, the 4 years I spent in the Treasury department were the most mentally rewarding and challenging years of my career – and I LOVED it.  In prior jobs I executed the funding plan.  This time around I get to learn about how the funding plan actually gets created.  I can’t wait!  

I am thankful for our good friends in the Quad Cities who have made sure that our beautiful home remained in excellent shape while we were away.  I know it has been stressful at times, and lots of extra work – your dedication and friendship means more to us than you will ever know.

I am thankful for our families back home, who have supported us on this adventure, have never complained about watching Ty and Lily grow up through countless FaceTime calls and thousands of Facebook pictures, and never once showed doubt in our decision to leave home for 2 years. 

And I am thankful for this blog.  I am sure that everyone who reads this has gotten a little taste of my crazy side, but for me it has been incredibly therapeutic.  I sometimes have a hard time expressing verbally how I am feeling or what I am thinking (because I end up just crying like a baby), but getting everything out of my head and onto “paper” has been a stress reliever.  It will be so fun to print this and read it to with the kids.  Thank you to everyone that has followed along on our adventure!

I know there are so many other things that I am thankful for – but it is time to get up and go to the beach…

G’day mates!