Episode 50: December 2009
Highlights of the month:
• Trip to Australia;
• Andrea and Chris tie the knot;
• Christmas in Midland;
• Three-day trip to Detroit.
As you may remember from our last posting, in mid-November, I had already taken off for Australia, two weeks ahead of Neal. It was wonderful to be home, catching up with friends, spending time with family, and relaxing under the Australian sun. I spent a lot of one-on-one quality time with my mum and both of my sisters. We did not do too much – dinners, lunches, a little shopping, and generally spending time with each other. I got to meet Carol’s partner, Jo, and Candy’s partner, Sam, both of whom I had heard so much about over the past two years but had not yet met. I also spent time with mum and her boyfriend, Tony, and his kids, Melissa and Joseanne.
Besides family, I also got to catch up with most of my friends individually and in groups, spent a little time in Melbourne city, took care of a few errands (like renewing my working visa for the U.S. with the local consulate), and also did a little work as well. One highlight was that our friends, Tracey and Andrew, hosted a Thanksgiving party to celebrate the birth of their son, Tasman, and show off their renovated digs in a very trendy area of Melbourne, called Brunswick. There were loads of old friends that I worked with at GM there so a great opportunity to catch up with them all. My dear friends Lesley (who lives in Tunisia) and Carina (who just returned from 8 years living in Vancouver and London) were also home, so I had the chance to catch up with them as well. It was refreshing to hear all that they have been up to, their challenges of living away from home, and where life has taken them since we last saw each other in person.
I got to catch up with most of my friends while I was home, met their new additions (boyfriends, babies etc) and caught up on all their adventures since I was last home. Although I keep in touch with my family and friends regularly, nothing beats an in-person catch up – and I made sure to maximize those during the time home.
The festivities continued once Neal arrived in Melbourne in early-December. Neal was only in the country for about 10 days, so we packed our days with plenty of activities. Our friend, Vicki, from Zurich, was also in Melbourne during the same time, and we managed to catch up with her one night over a Greek dinner in South Yarra. Like Neal’s side of the family, many of my family events revolve around food (not a bad thing, eh?!). So, on another night, mum and Tony hosted an early Christmas barbeque in our honor, which gave Neal and I a chance to catch up with my aunts and uncles in one evening.
On another day, my sisters and I took Neal on a touristic adventure that even we had not done before. My dad had organized for the four of us to take a scenic flight over Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay. We boarded a small seaplane in Williamstown (a suburb of Melbourne, very close to where my sisters live). The plane made a water take-off and ascended to about 1,800 feet, flying first over the western side of the bay. The pilot then landed near the mouth of the bay at a fantastic ocean-side town called Sorrento. We landed and literally brought the plane almost onto the beach. In Sorrento, we stopped at a waterside restaurant overlooking the shimmering water. After a great lunch, we boarded the plane, took off, and continued to fly over the east side of the bay and part of downtown Melbourne before landing back at Williamstown. It was so cool to see my hometown from the sky, and I highly recommend the adventure to tourists and locals alike!
After a few days in Melbourne, we were ready for the main event: to celebrate the wedding of Andrea and Chris. I got home early enough to be able to help Andrea with a few of the last minute things she needed done from seating arrangements to picking up the wedding dress and choosing the first dance song. It was so wonderful to share those experiences with her. I was one of the bridesmaids in the wedding, along with our great friend, Natalie, who flew in from San Diego. So, it was a big reunion for Andrea, Nat, and I! Natalie and I hosted a hen’s party for Andrea the day Natalie arrived into the country, which consisted of an afternoon of drinking and crazy games, followed by dinner at a local pub in Port Melbourne. It was a great day and educational for Andrea’s nieces who joined in the games (and had lots of questions about the nature of the prizes that were all R-rated). Nat managed to stay awake the whole time, which was impressive given that she had just come off a 16-hour flight earlier that morning. Naturally, the boys were not invited to the hen’s party, so Neal spent the day bonding with Chris and Dave.
The wedding itself was in Echuca, a town about two hours north of Melbourne, right on the border of New South Wales and Victoria. The town itself personifies country Victoria. It is located on the Murray River, which was an important paddle ship trading route in early Australian history. We headed there a few days before the wedding to enjoy the town and relax with our families (my sisters and mum, and their partners, were all invited, too) and friends. The time there was fabulous – we relaxed, explored the town (and its multiple pubs), and even enjoyed some kayaking along the river.
The wedding itself was gorgeous. Andrea looked like a true princess, Chris looked dapper (and was not surprisingly very emotional on the big day), and Nat fit into her bridesmaid dress (after a brief scare!). After the church ceremony, the bridal party headed around the town for a series of photos, while the guests enjoyed some time floating along the river on an old-fashioned paddle steamer to get a different vantage point of the town. For the reception, we all met up at a restaurant where we danced the night away for the next 6 hours.
The day after the wedding we had a barbeque brunch with the newlyweds before heading back to Melbourne, where we spent the final day with my family before saying our goodbyes and heading back to Michigan. Overall, it was a great trip.
The remainder of the month was taken up mostly with work, a little snowshoeing, and catching up with friends that we had not seen for a few weeks. Christmas day started with present openings, which were placed under our very own Christmas tree. That afternoon, we met our friends, Michelle and Ed, and their foster daughter, Toya, at the movies to see “Up In the Air.” Following that, we all came back to our house to cook up a lavish Christmas dinner together. We all cooked one course of a Moroccan feast, which turned out to be quite good. Overall, it was a wonderful way to spend Christmas day.
The following day, we took advantage of most people being out of the office and headed to Detroit for a three-day getaway. Despite all the problems Detroit has today, there are still many great areas in the city’s suburbs and a lot of history to take in. We spent a day exploring the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. The village is a tribute to inventors in U.S. history, with everything from Henry Ford and Thomas Edison’s family homes to the bicycle store that the Wright Brothers owned at the time they designed and crafted their first plane. The Henry Ford Museum is a sprawling tribute to everything mechanical. Under one roof, we saw hundreds of cars collected over decades, full-sized trains, and replicas of famous planes. The remainder of our trip to Detroit was spent shopping and cashing in on a massage voucher that my sisters had given us for our birthdays earlier in the year.
And with that, we saw the end of another year. It certainly had its share of ups and downs. Professionally, we were faced with a wave of corporate downsizing, economic challenges, and plenty of work. But on the flip side, we continued to do the things that make us happy personally – seeing new places, revisiting some old favorites, and building on our great friendships around the world. We welcomed 2010 at a house party hosted by Ed and Michelle, which was a great beginning to what is sure to be a great year.
We wish all of you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2010. Until the next time, take care!
