Angela in Australia!

It's always fun when you're somewhere and you see a friend from home! This is Angela. She's from Vancouver and was in Australia for a friend's wedding. At the end of her trip she came to visit us for a couple of days and see the Northern Beaches. We spent a sunny, hot day together fishing in the lagoon that Kim's house backs onto.

- The first picture shows us enjoying a beer on the beach and having a cheers with the rock pool in the background.

- The next one shows Angela and Kim pumping nippers. Nippers are little shrimp like crustations that live in little burrows on the bottom of the lagoon. You put the pump over a burrow, pull the plunger out (it's not as easy as it looks) and push the plunger back down emptying the contents into the black inner tube which is a sieve. If you're lucky enough to have gotten one you put it into the grey bucket with some water and presto, you've got live bait!

- We didn't have much luck that day but the third picture shows me and Ang trying our luck at the entrance to the Lagoon. That's Kim's little boat, or tinny as they call it here! Later that afternoon as the sun was getting ready to set i finally caught the first fish of the day. It was a little Brim and i cried while i was reeling it in. I'm new to the whole fishing thing and, as a vegetarian who just started eating fish a few years ago, i struggle with the actual act of catching anything. I'm probably the only fisherman in the whole entire world who actually hopes they don't catch a fish!

Where Kim's From!

There's a little piece of heaven on earth and it's called Narrabeen. Narrabeen is a little seaside community on the Nothern Beaches of Sydney and it's where Kim's from. The house that he grew up in, where his parents still live, is nestled between a gorgeous little lagoon and the blue green waters of the Pacific. Over the years his parents have created their own private oasis filled with beautiful eucalip trees and tropical plants. It's a place where birds sing all day long and the breeze can be heard rustling through the leaves. How lucky was i to marry into this family?!

I've included two pictures from my absolute favorite spot in Narrabeen. The rock pool! It's a natural, salt water swimming pool located in the most perfect of spots. When the surf is big, like it was yesterday, the waves crash up over the rocks and enter the pool bringing with them fish, kelp and and other amazing things from the sea. It's an amazing place to swim and every time i go there i feel incredibly blessed. Did i mention that it's only a ten minute walk from Kim's house! The first picture shows the view looking North while the second shows the view to the South. The surf break known as North Narrabeen, where Kim surfs most days, is just out of view in the second photo. We've yet to get a good photo of the surf break but stay tuned because that's definitely Kim's favorite spot and it will be showcased!

We Made It!

Kim always wanted to see what Vancouver looked like covered in snow and it seems the snow gods were eager to grant him his wish! In all my life i can't remember so much snow ever falling that close to Christmas. Any other year and i would have been jumping with joy at the thought of a white Christmas spent building snowmen and frollicking in the fluffy white stuff. But, when said white stuff keeps planes from taking off and turns Vancouver airport into complete chaos it is another story all together!

After two long days spent at the airport, standing in lines as far as the eye could see, waiting eagerly to board planes that were cancelled at the last minute and spending hours on the phone waiting on hold to re-book tickets for flights we were told were fully booked until after Christmas we were in luck. We somehow managed to get on a flight that would get us into Sydney on the afternoon of the 24th.

Thank you cosmic powers and thank you to everyone who drove us to the airport, picked us up, drove us back again, picked us up yet again and drove us one last time! You know who you are and we love you!

Chrissy in Oz!

My first "summer" Christmas spent with Kim and the rest of my new Australian family was incredible. For someone who has spent every Christmas of her life in a cold climate, opening presents while bundled up in fleece pajamas and slippers it was a surreal feeling to be sitting around the tree in shorts and a t-shirt! As for Kim, he was back in the environment he grew up in and was loving every minute of it. Sitting around the tree with his parents, wearing board shorts and nothing else, he was home!

We spent a relaxing morning opening presents while feasting on a delicious breakfast of cold lobster, oysters and fruit while sipping champagne and orange juice. (A bit of a Boundy tradition!) Kim and i were spolied rotten and i am happy to say that Santa found me even though i was in a different hemisphere!

The aunties, uncles and cousins arrived after breakfast and we opened more pressies (I'll try to write in both Canadian & Australian!), drank more champagne and ate an incredible lunch all while sitting outside, enjoying the warm weather and the company. Who says Christmas has to be white to be magical?!