Capricorn Caves

On Friday of last week, David and I took a little day trip to Rockhampton- a town about an hour and a half north of Gladstone.  Yes, I live in a town small enough that it sometimes requires driving 1.5 hours to get some closer to semi-decent shopping.  And even then, it's still questionable.  At any rate, we also took a couple hours to visit Capricorn Caves (about 15 minutes from Rockhampton). 

This was a really neat little place to visit.  As part of your entrance fee, you get a one hour guided tour of the caves.  It was really interesting to hear their history.  It's almost unbeliveable to think that they were formed waaaaayyyy back when Australia was still beneath the ocean. Because of this, the caves themselves have lots of marine and coral reef fossils in them.  One of the reasons we had been wanting to visit the caves is because if you visit during December or January (summer here) and go on the 11:00 AM tour on a sunny, clear day, there is a part of the cave that allows the Summer Solstice sunlight through tiny openings to supposedly create what looks like an amazing light show.  It was sunny when we left for our trip, but as we drove, it became overcase.  So unfortunately, we didn't get to see the Summer Solstice light show.  You can see pictures of what we missed here.  Maybe next December/January...

Entrance to the caves.  In the photo on the right, you can see what look like long ropes.  These are actually tree roots!  It was crazy, because the roots can be hundreds of feet long and go through the rock (you can see them coming through the ceilings in many parts of the caves). 

 

 

 

 

After walking through this narrow part of the cave, we arrived at a really neat "room" in the caves that they have made into a church-like setting that they call the Cathedral Cave. 

 

This photo I got of the Cathedral Cave is not very good, but you can see more pictures of it here.  It really is beautiful. 

 

Supposedly the acoustics here are better than the Sydney Opera House.  They even have Opera performances down here throughout the year.  Oh, and you can get married in the Cathedral Cave!  At this point in the tour, the guide talks about how this part of the cave has absolutely zero access to light from above.  The guide makes sure know one will have a freak out attack if she shuts off all the lights and candles.  It is seriously creepy how dark it is. You can wave your hand in front of your face and see nothing.  No matter how long you tried to let your eyes adjust, you still would not be able to detect any light.  Luckily that didn't last for long. :-)

 

This fun bridge was the way out of the caves. 



A Christmas Story: Megan on a Stick

Let me just begin this by saying that I have the best family in the world.  No, really.  Because I was literally across the world this Christmas, my cousin Lee Anne, had the hilarious/amazing/genius idea to create a "Megan-on-a-Stick," so that I could be a part of the family Christmas celebrations from afar.  I can't tell you how much this made me laugh, smile, even tear up sometimes.  I loved getting all of the picture texts and Instagrams of what I was doing at that moment in Phoenix.  Thanks, Lee Lee for making me feel like I could be in two places at once this Christmas!  I miss you!

In the days leading up to Christmas, I got to hang out with some of my favorite people: little cousin Connor, sweet G-ma (we had a great visit), and the lovely lady behind this little project herself!

I also got to go on some errands around town- which of course included a Dr. Pepper run (and a new hat?).

On Christmas Eve, I enjoyed a lovely dinner, but apparently I drank too much wine and wasn't able to make it to church :-) Or so I'm told...

While they were gone, I watched over the presents and ate Santa's cookies.  Oops.  (And, knowing me, I probably had some more wine)

 

On Christmas morning, I got to wake up bright and early with the members of the family crazy brave enough to take part in the annual Christmas morning sunrise family hike up Camelback Mountain.  It sure was early (and cold!), but we had a great time- and the sunrise from the top was beautiful!  I love that each year somebody (not in our family!) hauls a Christmas tree all the way up there!  I wish I always looked this good after a workout..

 



Thanks again family for helping me feel a little closer to home this Christmas!  I had a great time being in two places at once! 

Christmas Day Recap

Our first Australian Christmas shaped up pretty well!  We slept late on Christmas morning and when we woke up, we were excited to see that Santa had found us in Oz! 

 

 

We spent the first couple hours of our morning talking on the phone and video-chatting with each of our families.  I've said it a million times, but thank goodness for technology- I love that we can feel so much closer to our friends and family, especially on holidays like Christmas.  By the time we had talked with everyone, it was time for brunch.  We had a yummy egg casserole and pumpkin spice pancakes that I of course forgot to photograph. 

Then, we were finally ready to open our stockings and presents.  We were so grateful for our families who were generous enough to send gifts all the way across the world!  We are very lucky!  Being just the two of us, it was a little less eventful than the usual Christmas day present opening chaos/excitement that I'm used to from celebrating Christmas with a large family, but it was still fun. 

We had planned on trying to make it to the beach on Christmas day, but by the time we had talked to all of our family members, eaten, and opened presents, it was a little too late to do that.  We changed plans quickly and decided to take a walk around the marina and Spinnaker Park.  It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time just wandering around. I really need to go down there more often- it is such a nice park, and so nice to just be near the water and cooler ocean air.  

For Christmas dinner, I made my very first roasted chicken (Pimenton Roasted Chicken).  It turned out AMAZING.  You MUST try this recipe that I found on Pinterest, via my friend Anne.  It is so simple, and it turns out great!  The potatoes (and I added carrots too) that cook underneath the chicken are to. die. for.  I would almost make the chicken just to eat the potatoes.  Seriously- try it.  You won't regret it!  Not so sure how excited David was about it, but I was super excited that after dinner, I found one of my all time favorite movies on TV- "You've Got Mail."  I know it's not specifically a Christmas movie, but it still felt somewhat Christmas-y, and it was a fun way to end our evening. 

Of course we missed our families like crazy, but we ended up having a nice, quiet Christmas. No doubt I prefer the craziness and chaos of our big-family Christmas celebrations, but we made the most of our situation this year.  Hope everyone had a great Christmas! 

Christmas Countdown

We're closing out Christmas Eve here in Australia- a day ahead of most of you.  Here's a quick look back at how I spent the last few days leading up to Christmas day!

I spent most of Saturday and Sunday baking up a storm.  I love baking in general, but this time of year, I feel particularly compelled to bake.  Many of the people we know here in Gladstone are out of town for the holidays, but I wanted to put together some Christmas treats for those who were still in Gladstone for the holidays. Solidarity, right? :-) 

I made:
-My mom/grandma's famous Hungarian Crumb Coffee Cakes
-New pinterest find: Buckeye Bark
-New Pinerest find: Snowball Cookies/Russian Teacakes

It was fun delivering these treats!  I'd really been having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year, but this really helped!

Probably one of the best Christmas presents I'm getting this year is that my husband who has to work 6 day work weeks every week has two. full. weeks. off!  It's so nice to have him around more than just a couple hours a day!  On Sunday night, we shared a bottle of wine and watched Elf.  LOVE that movie! 

On Christmas Eve, I went to mass at this cute little church in Gladstone.  It was quite small, and by the time I got there it was standing room only.  This church has ZERO A/C, but luckily, it had been a cooler day because of rain that morning, so it wasn't too hot (remember, it is the middle of summer here).  I remember feeling this way when I went to church while studying abroad in Spain too, but it truly is so comforting to be able to go into a church (regardless of the language and regardless of where you are in the world) and have such a feeling of familiarity and predictability as far as traditions go.  I loved that I was literally on the other side of the world, but still was singing the same songs and listening to the same readings as I have every Christmas since I can remember.  

After mass, I drove by this pretty tree covered in Christmas lights in "downtown" (if you could call it that) Gladstone. 

For Christmas Eve dinner, we had quite a feast.  And believe it or not, all of these recipes were from Skinnytaste-one of my favorite websites for healthy recipes.  We had:
-Garlic Mashed Potatoes
-Roasted Parmesan Green Beans
-Spinach, Prosciutto, Mozarella, and Sundried Tomatoes Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Honestly, I really do not consider myself all that talented in the kitchen.  I follow a recipe pretty well, and that's about it.  But I do have to say that this dinner turned out AWESOME!  I especially loved the pork tenderloin- and it really wasn't all that difficult. 

Off to bed now!  I hope Santa finds us in Australia tonight :-)  Happy Christmas Eve to all you US folks! 

Longing

Gladstone is a small town. 

With only a couple main streets that you have to frequent to get just about anywhere. 

One of those main streets takes you right by the airport- the very small airport with only a few flights in and out each day. 

So it is rare that I happen to be driving by while a plane is departing or arriving.

I have to confess though, that when it does happen that a plane is taking off as I pass, I feel an overwhelming sense of longing. 

For a short moment, I wish that I was on that plane-wherever it was going. 

Because most likely it is headed somewhere closer to the things and people that I love.

It's almost like I'm jealous of the strangers crammed onto that plane and for a moment wish it were me.

It's not that I'm unhappy here, or sad all the time, or terribly homesick.

Because I'm not.  In fact I really do like it here. 
I know what an amazing (and temporary) opportunity this is, and for the most part am really loving this time.

I guess it's just a momentary reminder of how far away I really am. 

It's not that I necessarily wish I was somewhere else, because I know that is no way to live.

I think it's more that I wish I could be in more than one place at once. 

 

2 Years

Two years ago today- December 18, 2010, I got to marry my best friend.  It was a day that I will remember forever.  A day full of love, family, friends, fun, and dancing.  It was the perfect day, and I wouldn't have changed anything about it.  It was is also (still to this day), the first and ONLY time I have ever seen my husband cry. :-)

I don't think either of us imagined that we would be celebrating two years of marriage in Australia, but here we are!  And I wouldn't want to share this adventure with anyone else.  Happy Anniversary, David!  Here's to the next 2, 10, 20, and many many more... wherever in the world we may be celebrating!

 

And of course, I can't resist sharing just a few photos of that special day! :-) 

 

 

 

 

Ok, fine- I couldn't pick just a few, so here's a slideshow our photographer made of some of the highlights of the day.  Enjoy!

 

http://animoto.com/play/0xgeJ3o0XSpfaz1RaQsmTw

 

 

Deck the Halls!

Christmas has always been one of my favorite holidays.  I love the music, decorations, anticipation, shopping for gifts, and general good moods that seem to take over.  This year though, between knowing that I will be away from family and friends and the strange experience of having to celebrate Christmas during summertime,  it would be very easy for me to get all "scrooge-y" this holiday season.  BUT, I am determined not to.  I've been making every effort to get in the Christmas spirit this year, and one of the things that has helped the most is decorating our house!  And I've got to admit- for as few decorations as I was able to bring with us in our move, I think I did a pretty darn good job!  It definitely feels a little more Christmas-y around here! 

 

 

I started the Christmas-ification with this Pinterest-inspired take on a wreath.  Go here for the original link.

 

 

And what's Christmas without a fake tree?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before and After: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So that's what Christmas looks like at our house this year.  Merry Christmas, everyone!