Animals Around Town in Australia

It is really cool some of the animals you just happen to see around town or on our little day trips over the weekends. I usually see them while Jeremy is driving and then have to do a triple take because it catches me off guard.

All of the above animals we have actually seen just out and about living in their own natural habitat here. Isn't that cool? 

I normally don't think birds are that cool, but the birds here are really exotic and pretty. And it's not like you just see one or two in a rare moment, you see tons of them all of the time. I actually took some of the pictures of the birds above. We have those really pretty parrots come into our yard everyday and eat the seeds from the dandelions. But you see pretty much all of the birds all around all of the time.

The Ibis birds are walking all around in Sydney. They are weird looking little birds. I still hate the cockatoos noises, but am starting not to notice it as much. I heard the ravens more in the city it seemed when we lived there. And the pelicans... Wow! They are pretty cool! I happened to catch a glimpse of of two of them on our day trip to Bateman's Bay and they were HUGE! I don't think I've actually seen a pelican before and if I have, I don't remember them being that big.

I have only seen one kookaburra here not counting the ones we have of course seen at the zoo. You will go through areas on the road where there are signs to be careful for crossing wombats or kangaroos. But you can see kangaroos pretty much anywhere there is a big field and just head over there at dusk. We also ate lunch with some kangaroos and wallaby's at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. There was a picnic table there and a group of about 20 kangaroos and wallaby's resting about 10 feet away. It was pretty cool! I have also had to wait for and echidna cross the road before.

One night when we were at Costco I saw a dingo running around in the parking lot and then I saw another wandering through the streets in our neighborhood. It made me remember of that story back in the 80's of a dingo eating a lady's baby and I made a mental note never to leave the doors of our car open if I run inside to grab something. (Even though I love the "Dingo Ate Your Baby" Seinfeld episode.)

Remember that post a few months ago that Jeremy and I saw some "thing" that we didn’t know what it was and it kind of freaked me out? Well, it was a possum! I described it as much bigger than it says they ever get... but, I SWEAR it really was that big.

Christmas in July

Those of you that know me are probably not surprised to see this. However, I've found that it's actually pretty common to have "Christmas in July" here in Australia. It just makes more sense since it's winter time right now. AND, it's just so cold and there's nothing else to look forward to during the winter here, so I had to do something to look forward to myself.

It's been really fun though. We've had a lot of little activities that are Christmas related. We've cute out snowflakes (which you can see on the window behind the tree), we've made cookies, and done all sorts of Green/Red crafts with the kids, had hot chocolate nights and have been breaking out the Karen Carpenter Christmas music. The other day I made a big poster-size paper tree and paper ornaments and presents and let the kids decorate it on the wall along with a sticker garland. I just have to remind myself that it's OK if it's not perfect because I can get too caught up on it being "just so". The picture of the tree above is not even fully decorated yet like it is now, but I had to hurry and take a picture before things started getting ripped off. Tate had just woken up from his nap and I didn't want to chance it. lol

Teagan was really cute about decorating the tree. He was so excited that he could hardly stand it when we decided to start putting up decorations. We did the tree the week before Tate's birthday and so when Tate woke up from his nap, Teagan said, "Tatey, we have a very good surprise for you... SURPRISE! We made you a Christmas Birthday Tree!"

Happy Birthday Tate #2

Tate turned two on June 21st. He is getting so big and is so smart and still hasn't stopped talking since he came out of the womb. All in all he is just a funny little man.

We had originally invited some people over for Tate's birthday and then told everyone not to come because Teagan got sick with a fever. Then of course we've all had the same sickness over the course of the last week. I'm not going to lie though, it was nice that Teagan just wanted to rest and watch movies all day of Tate's birthday. It made the day seem relaxing. :)

We all had fun putting up crepe paper and blowing up balloons. We even played "balloon baseball" with a wrapping paper roller where all the wrapping paper was out.

We had these Thomas the Train and Lightening McQueen cupcakes made for Tater Bug and they were supposed to be $18 for 24 of them with some deal I got on Groupon Australia and then for some reason the guy said I ordered something out of the ordinary and then charged me an additional $46 when I picked them up. (Um, really? Thomas and McQueen are "UN-ordinary" for boys birthday parties?) Anyway, for almost $3/cupcake I'm glad to say that both Jeremy and I thought they were the best cupcakes ever made... And am not proud to say that it didn't matter that no one came to the party because they were all eaten - - - And no, not all in the same night. We got chocolate, vanilla and passion fruit and the passion fruit one was to die for! All of the stuff made here has a lot less sugar and salt in it, so it "feels" like you can always eat more of it. (wink:wink)

Annnnyyywhoooo - - enough about food. We had a really fun night. The boys always love having little parties, even if it's just for our own family. I think it's a comfort to all of us as it reminds all of us of being home when we would have big get-togethers with our family all the time. The boys look forward to preparing for it all through the day. We put party bags together and had stickers and sparklers and hats and masks and little poppers to pull. We made chicken noodle soup for dinner since it was cold and the boys snacked on carrots and apples and cheese and crackers until daddy got home from work. I've decided that our family should have special little parties for no reason more often because it brings our family closer together.

Day Trips

We try to go do something fun that is with in driving distance from our house 1-2 times a month. A few weeks ago we went with the Swift's to Gibraltar Falls for a little hike and then over to the Thredbo Bobsled rides. It was freezing cold that day, especially up in the mountains, but it was really fun.

 

Bo, Jasmin & Fae

Here are some pic's of the boys that we took at Wildlife Sydney a few weeks ago when we went on a Saturday. The boys were asleep the first time we saw the Koala's and got pics with them, so we told them we would take them again. We have an annual pass there along with about 10 other attractions that comes with it in the package we got... so, it makes for a cheap day trip to Sydney whenever we want to go and do something (and also since we don't pay for fuel, otherwise it wouldn't be that awesome).

It of course rained the whole day we were in Sydney there and the lady that took our pics said her camera was getting ruined because of the rain which is why they aren't the best pics. But the best part of the trip was just having that time to chat with Jeremy and listen to music while the kids napped there and on the way back. We don't get to do stuff like that very often because we are always in high demand. :)

Here is a picture of Jeremy's work (Symantec building) in Sydney. We took these pictures from Darling Harbor in February when we were on one of the water taxi's.

Here is a pic of my mom being 'oh so cool' at the Hard Rock Cafe in Sydney back in February. This is also at Darling Harbor. It was the first place I ate that tasted totally "all American" - - - Except the waiter there said tortilla and pronounced it "tor-till-uh" lol.

To My Beloved Friend...

Jalynn Elizabeth Meng

Jalynn Elizabeth Meng passed away on June 14, 2012 in Prescott Valley, Ariz. She was born on April 4, 1981 to Paul and Carol Meng in Lake Arrowhead, Calif.

 

Growing up in Lake Arrowhead, she enjoyed boating, bowling, sports, the outdoors and being with her family. Jalynn loved music and played the piano wonderfully. She was a tough, strong, supporting, loving, and caring woman, who had the ability to understand and give empathy. Jalynn graduated from Rim of the World High School in 1999 and then graduated from Dental Assistant School and went on to pursue a career in the dental and medical fields.
Jalynn is survived by her father, Paul Meng (Melanie); mother, Carol Meng; sisters, Kari Reilly (Ryan) and Erin Peterson (Butch); and brothers, Jacob Meng (De’dy), Luke Meng, and Mark Meng; and five nieces and five nephews who truly loved her.

A family and friend gathering will be held from 10:00 – 11:00 AM on June 22, 2012 followed by the memorial services at 11:30 AM at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1160 Golden Rule Lane, Lake Arrowhead, CA.

***
Jalynn,
I was so saddened to hear of this terrible loss. I hope you know what a great friend you were to me. We had many great times together and I will never forget your wonderful, infectious laugh. I've been thinking about all of our fun times and telling my husband of all of our adventures this week. You were a big part of my life and I'm grateful for the time we spent together. My favorite memory is when we were driving back from Springville at 2am and you told me to yell at the biker on the side of the road. :) When I "screamed" out the window at him and scared him half to death, you started laughing hysterically and told me that you "meant" that you wanted me to whistle at him. We both laughed so hard that I puked on the side of your car and you had to pull your little golden Honda Accord over to the side of the road because you couldn't see from crying/laughing. We went to the car wash and cleaned your car off and then to one of your favorite places, "Del Taco" (where you incessantly stole hot sauce from).

I loved singing at the top of our lungs on road trips and playing the piano with you. You will be my good friend forever! I love you Jay! You will be missed... Until we meet again my lovely friend.

xoxo
Tara

Here is the last picture I have with you. I'm so glad that you were able to make it to my wedding and wish we could've kept in touch better. I wish I had some of our pic's from the "good ol' days", but they are all in a box in Utah, back when we didn't have all the digital stuff we have now.

All About Money

The topic of money and the cost of living is always discussed here. People talk about it with each other and it is on the news a lot. Someone told us on the plane ride here that they wish they could see our face when we went shopping for the first time here to see what we thought of the prices. Well the other day I was looking and found the official “2012’s Top 100 Most Expensive Cities To Live In, In The World”. Here is the list below. Take special notice of #23.

The world's most expensive big cities in 2012
(The index is based on cost of living expressed in US dollars. Therefore, if the dollar weakens against the local currency of a city, the city becomes more expensive and moves up the index, even if prices expressed in local currency remain the same or go down.)

Rank 2012	Rank 2011	City	Country
1	2	Tokyo	Japan
2	1	Luanda	Angola
3	6	Osaka	Japan
4	4	Moscow	Russia
5	5	Geneva	Switzerland
6	7	Zurich	Switzerland
6	8	Singapore	Singapore
8	3	N'Djamena	Chad
9	9	Hong Kong	Hong Kong
10	11	Nagoya	Japan
11	14	Sydney	Australia
12	10	São Paulo	Brazil
13	12	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil
14	16	Bern	Switzerland
15	21	Melbourne	Australia
16	21	Shanghai	China
17	20	Beijing	China
18	15	Oslo	Norway
19	30	Perth	Australia
20	12	Libreville	Gabon
21	17	Copenhagen	Denmark
22	19	Seoul	South Korea
23	34	Canberra	Australia
24	31	Brisbane	Australia
25	18	London	UK
26	44	Khartoum	Sudan
27	46	Adelaide	Australia
28	29	St. Petersburg	Russia
29	51	Caracas	Venezuela
30	43	Shenzhen	China
31	24	Tel Aviv	Israel
31	38	Guangzhou	China
33	32	New York City	USA
34	23	Niamey	Niger
35	70	Yangon	Myanmar
36	61	Kinshasa	Congo (Dem. Rep.)
37	27	Paris	France
38	25	Milan	Italy
39	41	Lagos	Nigeria
39	63	Bamako	Mali
41	67	Abidjan	Ivory Coast
42	34	Rome	Italy
43	55	Brazzaville	Congo
44	39	Djibouti	Djibouti
45	33	Brasilia	Brazil
46	39	Stockholm	Sweden
47	37	Nouméa	New Caledonia
48	36	Vienna	Austria
49	48	Baku	Azerbaijan
50	25	Victoria	Seychelles
50	44	Dakar	Senegal
52	91	Lomé	Togo
53	56	Douala	Cameroun
53	63	Bogota	Colombia
53	155	Conakry	Guinea
56	118	Auckland	New Zealand
57	50	Amsterdam	Netherlands
58	49	Bangui	Central African Rep.
58	52	Taipei	Taiwan
60	83	Yaoundé	Cameroun
61	59	Toronto	Canada
61	69	Jakarta	Indonesia
63	65	Vancouver	Canada
64	82	Abuja	Nigeria
65	42	Helsinki	Finland
66	101	Qingdao	China
67	75	Beirut	Lebanon
68	77	Los Angeles	USA
69	47	Prague	Czech Republic
70	74	Cotonou	Benin
71	62	Brussels	Belgium
72	58	Dublin	Ireland
72	104	Tianjin	China
74	75	Santiago	Chile
74	136	Wellington	New Zealand
76	67	Abu Dhabi	United Arab Emirates
77	53	Athens	Greece
78	60	Madrid	Spain
79	57	Bratislava	Slovakia
79	70	Istanbul	Turkey
81	80	Almaty	Kazakhstan
81	88	Bangkok	Thailand
83	93	Bandar Seri Begawan	Brunei
84	72	Luxembourg	Luxemburg
85	66	Barcelona	Spain
85	122	Shenyang	China
87	79	Montreal	Canada
88	73	Frankfurt	Germany
89	98	Pointe-à-Pitre	Guadeloupe
90	78	Munich	Germany
90	106	San Francisco CA	United States
92	96	Calgary	Canada
93	171	Maputo	Mozambique
94	81	Dubai	United Arab Emirates
94	115	Nanjing	China
94	124	Chengdu	China
97	88	Riga	Latvia
98	99	White Plains NY	United States
99	53	Havana	Cuba
99	86	Accra	Ghana

Research by Mercer Consulting.

Isn’t that crazy?! I knew that we were living in a very expensive place, but no clue that it was so high up on the ‘official list’. So to just give you some info on the costs of everything we have come across, here it is...

• We spend about $1,400/month on groceries for our family. We make all of our meals at home and go out to eat about 2-4 times a month to fast food. Fast food is about $40 every time we go and If we went to a restaurant equivalent to Chilli’s (which would be unpleasant with our children), it would probably cost about $125. One advantage is that you never have to tip here for anything but clearly it doesn’t make up for being #23 on “the list”.  
• We purchase most of our stuff at Costco in bulk every 2 weeks and get everything else we need at a grocery store near our home. We have found that is the cheapest way to do it. People here either love Costco or completely hate it. Many people here don’t understand the concept of buying in bulk. However, they are used to going to the store 4-5 times a week, which makes no sense to me.
• To register our two vehicles (years 2008 and 2009), it is about $1,000.
• To send our children to public school: Pre-School- $3,600/year plus the cost of uniforms which are required in the ACT. After they hit kindergarten the price goes up to $9,000 per child. Why don’t I just send them to Harvard?
• 3 Litres of Milk at our nearest grocery store is $6. I saw on the news that this price was cut in half from what it was the year before we came here. People would actually pay $10-12 for that same amount the year before until so many people complained about it.
• We buy eggs in bulk at Costco for $5 for 30 eggs. In the store you would pay $2-3 for a dozen.
• Something nice is that anything that has a price listed, including cars that you purchase, that is the price you will pay when you leave. There are no extra taxes and fees. It’s already built in to the cost. Example: In all of their car advertisements it will say $49,9 drive-away... meaning that you will pay THAT price and nothing more. Not like in the US, you have to figure out all of the extra taxes and fees and junk.
• At one point we were told it was about $15 for one bunch of bananas. Holy cow! I’ve never seen it be that much. We pay about $3-5 for a bunch.
• We just paid $10 for 21 strawberries at Costco and if we would’ve bought it at the grocery store there would've been about 15 strawberries for $8 (Yes, I counted)
• We paid $17 per person to go to a movie here on a Saturday night.
• It’s $30 for a 24 pack of Dr. Pepper here at Costco. Needless to say (and it’s a good thing), but we don’t buy much soda at all anymore.
• I just spent $54 on ONE strand of 450 Christmas lights for the tree. (Christmas in July Baby!)
• They have a store similar to the dollar store, but everything is $2 instead of a dollar and it’s called “Hot Dollar”. 
• Minimum wage paid here is $18/hour. 
• The average income in Australia is (approximately) $45-55k/ year
• The average income in Canberra, ACT is about $75k/year 
• The LEAST expensive home that sold in 2011 in Canberra went for $450,000 AUD 
• Compared to the US, gas/petrol prices are still about $5.60/gallon
• They don't really do couponing here because unlike the US, the population is not as big and there are not as many companies competing with one another to get you to buy 'their' brand.
• We still haven't gotten our first utility bill and I'm VERY curious as to what it is going to be. Will keep you updated...