People actually read this thing!

Holy smokes when we left to Australia and I started writing on this blog, I thought "who has the time to check my senseless meanderings on such important topics as meat pies and running over kangaroos." Turns out people are a little less self centered than I am. Sure I still wrote on the thing but mostly it was for Nikki and I to have a record of our travels and for our folks to keep updated. But hey, I'm glad people are entertained and it helped to not have to tell the same stories over and over again. As for updates, we have cleaned the house and fixed all the crap from the scumbags that rented from us for our first six months and are currently looking for some non-scumbags. So, if you know anyone looking for a rental in Tacoma... let me know.

In other news, we head back down under in 3 days and it is a strange feeling. After spending 2 months being freeloaders among various places it will be nice to get back to "our place" but it also isn't the same as "going home" since it is kind of just a place we hang out while touring various places. It will be great to see our Aussie friends but sad to leave all the great people we've hung out with here at our two different homes. I'm jazzed for our trip to Tasmania in March and am trying to work something out for February (possibly a drive up the east coast Sydney to South Kempsey). I also really want to go back to Adelaide and do some fishing with Michael and eat some of Jane's good cooking. Hopefully we can steer clear of the roos. It will however be tough to go back to our $150 IKEA pile of crap couch. Good thing we don't spend much time in the apartment. It will be nice to throw the old shorts and flip-flops back on and enjoy the weather. I'm also looking forward to learning how to surf and since it'll be hot as hell it should be good timing. Heck, the more I write on this the more excited I get to get back to Australia again. Sure, the American bank account may be shot by the time we get back (thanks to those scum-bag renters)... but what the hell, no economic crisis will be able to take these experiences away.

One final note, although the Bears (Tyler, Abby, Wyatt, and I's favorite football team) may have not made the playoffs, they are just waiting in the wings for me to get back. I'd like to make an early prediction for next year's season and predict a perfect 19-0 season for the Monster's of the Midway. I mean how screwed up is the NFL when he Cardinals make it to the Super Bowl?

No worries...

It's amazing how quickly the sayings that I picked up in Australia have gone away. "No worries" is pretty much the only thing that's stuck with me and I think of Australia every time I say it. In fact, it pretty much sums up my life in Australia. Last week I pulled an ad out of a magazine that says, "It isn't that you have no worries here. It's that you can't remember what they are." How true that is (yet the ad had nothing to do with Australia). Although I've enjoyed my time here, I look forward to getting back to Australia and the life where I don't remember my worries. It's funny that when we first moved we laughed about how much we had digressed, but now it seems to be more of a progression than a digression. We've been able to simplify life to a point where we don't seem to have any worries- how many people ever get to that stage?

God Bless America

First of all, I am missing Australia quite a bit. I'd give $20 for a meat pie. And I'd pay $6.99 for a shot glass size jar of Vegemite. But being back has really made me realize the things in the US of A that I really miss. Wonderful things like family, friends, my sweet dog and glorious American excess. I've been a few places in this world and there is nowhere I have found where you can buy 64 oz of pop for a buck! There really is something magical about that. Microwave burritos are another grand American creation that just can't be found elsewhere. And beer that you don't need to take out a second mortgage to buy.



Above all though, the time with family is irreplaceable. Speaking of family, our exchange student from a few years ago came all the way from Italy just to see us (Nichole first but me too according to her). She is now 18 and a beautiful young woman. Another bonus to the visit was meeting my beautiful little god-daughter Heather Paige Zito. My niece and nephews are growing up fast too. Abby loves the Chicago Bears and tells everyone. Wyatt is now coming around to the Monsters of the Midway too. He says "Go Bears... Packer's stink" all the time. And, bubba's son Tyler is also quickly coming around too. He asked me to buy him a Bears hat before I left and I went home and ordered one right up. My bro's think I'm brainwashing their kids but I think they are just really smart when it comes to picking a team.



As for the weather... I'm digging it. Nikki likes those sissy winters but as far as I am concerned winter should be winter and summer should be summer. It has been freezing cold and snow every day since we've been here just the way winter should be. Sure I'm looking forward to getting back to shorts and flip-flops but right now I'm in winter wonderland.

Like Nikki said posts will be few and far between until we get back down under (Feb. 1st), so until then G'day mate!

Missing Our Life Down Under...

Although we're enjoying our time with friends and family, there are a few things that we miss about our life in Australia. For starters, the mild winters and all of the walking. Since we've been in Montana, we've only had a handful of days with highs above zero, which means the only walking we've been doing is indoors. To think, we left summer for this! Mark is missing the food (he paid $7 for a small jar of Vegemite) and I'm missing all of the activity that comes with city living. Let's just say I'm doing a lot of reading and watching tv these days. Finally, of course, we're missing our Aussie friends (and the Brit). When we left our friends here, we knew we'd see them again soon. But when we leave our Aussie friends in July, we don't know when or if we'll see them again. Another reason to be thankful for the internet I guess.

PS- For my dad and the rest of you following our blog, the posts will continue to be pretty scarce until we get back to Melbourne at the end of January (after all, it's titled "Life Down Under"), so check back then. Cheers!