Diary of a Dingo: December 2008

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Its over....(sniff!)

Hmmm..I think she is thinking what I'm thinking.....

its over...I'm back home....

have been back for nearly 3 days....

going through the post vacation blues.

My lovely friend Michelle asked me when she can expect some sunny vacation pictures to appear on my blog! Well ..I have to say I am still in denial that my vacation is over.

I look back over the last 3 weeks and we really had such a fantastic time.

We caught up with our crazy family and friends

We ate all the food that we have not been able to get here in the States

My youngest son learned to swim

He lost his first tooth on Christmas day

My older son learned to surf.

I got tan....I even wore a bikini!

My daughter got to spend precious time with the cousins she calls her sisters

Even Paloma had an many exciting adventures that will be the subject of a future post.

...and I took over 1500 photos..(yikes...am seriously putting off going through them because it seems a little overwhelming at this point.) You will see them featured on the blog over the next few weeks.

It's sad that it has come to an end. We traveled over 19,000 miles and took 8 different flights...and here we are...back where we started.

....and this is what we have come back to. Record snowfalls for December..from one extreme to the other!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Friday, December 12, 2008

In the Arms of the Angel

In the arms of the Angel
Fly away from here

From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness you fear

You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie

Your in the arms of the angel...
May you find some comfort here.

(lyrics Sarah McLachlan)

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=BDkcJ-62uuY&feature=related

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Friends

Have you ever had friends that you can say you have known for a lifetime???
Throughout my life people have come and gone. That seems to be a natural part of things. I've met new people , lost track of others. The departure of some people have left me grief stricken....some others I have been quite glad to see the back of. And yet with all the ups and downs, the changes in life there are some people that I cannot imagine life without.
Last night we met up with these friends...people we really have known for a lifetime. They have been part of my life since elementary school days or before. And they never seem to change....Isn't it wonderful in an ever changing world...that some things remain the same!

Monday, December 8, 2008

Meet Paloma

I'd like you to meet Paloma.
She will be joining us on vacation this Christmas.
She is a little like a phoenix...emerging from a pile of fabric scraps I have been using to make toys for the Toy Society Christmas Drop.
She is just so sweet ...... we just couldn't leave her behind so she was packed into our suitcases for the long journey to Australia.
Over the next few weeks you will see pictures of Paloma in all sorts of different places...leaving her mark on Australia...(hopefully in a good way!)

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Going...going......

We are headed out today for our long anticipated trip back to Australia. The children are full of excitement and nervous energy..(they have obviously forgotten what 15 hours on an airplane feels like!)
Packing is inevitably the worst part for me. I always overpack ...trying to prepare for every contingency. And as a result our bags weigh a ton. This time is no better....because not only do we have to pack all our clothes I have a bag full of Christmas presents too!
My ever patient husband packs his bag in about 30 seconds throwing in a few t-shirts, shorts and some underwear - DONE! I on the other hand hav spent days assembling all the childrens clothing, checking and rechecking to make sure we have everything. In the end there is always something I have forgotten....but as long its not my husband or the children it should be OK.