Farewell 2010 - A Look Back at 12 Months of Fun

Early in the year after our annual girls conference, I made a comment to a friend that I would love to have a fun personal weekend every month. Well, apparently the seed was planted because without any really thought or planning, that is exactly what happened:

• January: Three days with the girls at a lake house
• February: A weekend in Boonsboro staying at Nora Robert's Inn and attending her book signing
• March: A weekend and a few extra days in New York attending Broadway plays
• April: Easter weekend in Prague plus two additional weekends there. Thanks volcanic ash.
• May: Weekend in Manchester England and the first weekend at the Beach House in Maine
• June: Weekend at the beach house with my parents
• July: 4th of July in Utah & Christa and Annie came to Maine for a weekend at the beach
• August: One last weekend at the beach, Dad's retirement party in Boise, and a weekend in D.C.
• September: A weekend in New Hampshire with family
• October: Two fabulous weekends in Hawaii and a weekend in Palo Alto for a wedding
• November: A weekend in Norway and a weekend in Amsterdam
• December: Two weekends in Sydney, one in Auckland and one in Cairns

I look back on 2010 and think wow what a year.  I spent a lot of time with friends and family, traveled to 10 countries, spent three months at a beach house in Maine and then more time at the beach in Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand, spent Easter in Prague, Memorial Day in Maine, Halloween in California, my birthday in Oslo, Thanksgiving in Amsterdam and Christmas in Sydney.  It was an amazing once in a life time kind of year and I am grateful for it.  Now on to 2011, where one of my resolutions may be to spend more time at home...  See you in the New Year!

2010 Resolution Recap

At the beginning of the year, I made five resolutions.  In the vein of accountability, here is how I did:

Resolution One: The Weigh We Were
Goal: To weigh less at the end of the year than I do at the beginning
Results: Success.  Not as much success as earlier in the year but success nonetheless.

Resolution Two: What A Way to Make A Living
Goal: To find something each day about my job to be thankful for.
Results: Failure.  Yeah, that one didn't happen.  Maybe this year.

Resolution: Continue 12 in 12
Goal: To set a new goal each month
Results: Failure.  Big whoops on this one as I totally and completely forgot about it!

Resolution Four: Oh The Places You'll Go
Goal: To check off a few more items from the book 1000 Places to see before you die.
Results: Success.  Prague - Castle District, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square; Antwerp - Cathedral of Our Lady; Brussels - La Grand Place; The Netherlands - The Anne Frank Huis, Canal Cruise, Oude Kerk, Pulitzer Hotel, Red-Light District; New Zealand - The Bay of Islands; Hawaii - Oahu; New York - Museum Mile

Resolution Five: Show Me the Money
Goal: To save more money this year than I did last year.
Results: Failure.  Really should have reported on this one BEFORE my trip to Australia and New Zealand :)

The Someday List

In early February, I had an epiphany that today was my "someday", so I set out this year to check as many items as I could off my Someday list.  Here's what I did, the big and the little, in no particular order:

Someday I am going to:

1. Go to a Nora Roberts book signing
2. Stay at the Inn Boonsboro in the Eve and Rourke room
3. Do another Broadway trip - without the complication of emergency foot surgery
4. Vacation in Prague
5. Visit the Terezin Concentration Camp
6. Rent a beach house for the summer in New England
7. Visit Manchester, England, England (not a typo, it's from a song)
8. See the musical Jersey Boys
9. Convert all my CD's to MP3
10. Take Jessica to Australia (or more accurately, I've been telling her when she asks to go "maybe someday")
11. Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge
12. Move to Maine (I am counting my three months there!)
13. Admit I live in Utah.  It now comes naturally now.  Only took me 5 years to stop saying San Francisco.
14. Go back to Hawaii
15. Buy a new cell phone
16. Leave the Amsterdam airport
17. Visit Anne Franks House
18. Make it to Norway
19. Buy my own computer
20. Walk backwards three time around the wishing tree in the Sydney Botanical Gardens...and as an added bonus I conned Jessica into doing it with me ;)
21. Try the chocolate pancakes at Pancakes on the Rock
22. Try something other than the pancakes at Pancakes on the Rock
23. I am going to go darker with my hair.  That lasted all of three weeks.
24. Finish my 2009 Blog book
25. Spend Christmas on the beach

It really has been an adventurous year working through my list.  Of course there are still many items on it such as - someday I am going to buy a kitchen table (that one has been on the list for 14 months now).  Anyone want to help me with that one???

By the way, this is my 200th post.  Certainly didn't have that one on my Someday list...

Happy Christmas from Sydney

Christmas day dawned sunny and bright - what a great Christmas present! Speaking of presents, the first things we did was open the ones that we had brought along to make sure this felt like Christmas in the absence of all the normal Christmas markers like cold, snow and family. Jessica painted me a picture to commemorate our time in Australia - it's too big for the scanner so I scanned as much as I could. Isn't it great!

Next we headed out to our favorite restaurant for pancakes and then we were off to the beach. We caught the ferry and headed to Manly.  We found our spot among the rest of the holiday revelers, staked our claim,  and sat back and relaxed for several hours of just soaking in the sun.

We rounded out the day with a dinner at Circular Quay with a great view of the bridge, took some final shots of the Opera House and the bridge and then that was it. Christmas was over and so was our grand adventure.

 

It has been an amazing couple of weeks.  I have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know my niece as an adult, to show someone I love my favorite place in the world, and let's not forget the much needed break from work.  Priceless. 

 

Views from the Rooms

We stayed in four different rooms this trip and had great views in three of them. In Sydney both our room overlooked the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and the Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful sight during the day and at night. This might be my favorite view from any room I have ever stayed in (and I stay in a lot of hotel rooms). In Auckland the view wasn't the best. You could see some water in the distance but mostly we just saw buildings. In Cairns we were across the street from the water and had a great view of the water and palm trees for a great tropical feel. I loved waking up, opening my eyes, and seeing that I was in paradise.

Views from the Giant Ferris Wheel

On Christmas Eve we were in Darling Harbour and I just couldn't resist dragging Jessica on to the giant Ferris wheel. It was a great day with beautiful views from the top...which we saw again, and again, and again, and again, and again. We just kept going round and round. I guess that's what happens when no one else wants to get on!

Jersey Boys

Christmas Eve Eve we headed to the the Theatre Royal to see a production of Jersey Boys.  This musical has been on my Someday List for awhile so I was excited just to be able to check it off and then this ended up being my favorite event of the entire trip. I have been singing the songs every since and even bought the soundtrack. The Australian production was well done - the actors were excellent, the music was fun to listen to and time flew by.  Two thumbs up from me.

Jessica on our way to the theatre

Bondi Beach

We took these when we first arrived at Bondi and then the weather just got better and better and taking more pictures didn't even occur to us as we were too busy soaking in the rays :).

More Pictures from Sydney



Darling Habour and Circular Quay







Mamu, Millaa Millaa, and Paronella

Our tour today took us into the tablelands, the rainforest, and ended up at the Spanish Castle Paronella. It started out bright and beautiful. We took a water tour on the Lake Barrine and then headed for a walk through the Mamu Rainforest Canopy and then on to Millaa Millaa for pictures by the waterfall.

We then went on a Rainforest Walk and this is when the weather changed on us. By the time we got to the start of the walk the clouds were looking ominous and many of us bought ponchos just in case it began to rain. Rain can't even begin to describe the torrential down pour that then ensued. When you through in the humidity and the plastic poncho it was like being encased in a sauna.

From there we headed down to the Spanish Castle Paronella. I had done this tour last year in much better weather so I sent Jessica on her way while I sat in the cafe eating hot chocolate and ice cream - really a perfect combination. The week after we left Australia this area experienced massive flooding. My thoughts and prayers go out to those who were devastated by the flood.

Jessica goes Scuba Diving...I do not

We headed out of Cairns to the Great Barrier Reef for a day of snorkeling and scuba diving. The weather was great and it looked like we had a great day ahead of us. As it turned out, one of us had a great day ahead. The other person not so much. First up we had to fill out all the medical wavers. I mention this only because it gave us a chance to meet 40 and 41. We were all assigned safety numbers for the head counts (I was 59 and Jess was 60). We meet this really nice couple whose names we think might have been Devon and Dean, or at least two names that start with D, but as we no longer remember we just refer to them as 40 and 41. Out of all the people we met on this trip, they were our favorite friends for the day.

Anyway, as we were filling out the forms I checked the box that said I had sinus issues so they came to talk to me about it and warned me that coming back up could be extremely painful. I was going to give it a go anyway until I went snorkeling and had sinus pain issues so I bowed out of my already paid for dive. Bummer. Then to add insult to injury...or actually injury to insult...as I was getting ready to hop off the boat for some snorkeling, one of the scuba divers set his full tank down on my foot incapacitating two toes and making it impossible for me to snorkel. Instead, I got to sit on a boat for hours and hours icing my foot, working on my tan, and chatting with 40 and 41. I am just grateful that this was my fourth trip to the reef or I might have been really unhappy. 

So that was my worst day of the trip...which also happened to be Jessica's best day of the trip. She really enjoyed both the Scuba Diving and the Snorkeling. She was a natural at both and it was really fun to watch her just totally enjoying herself and living in the moment. I am glad that the day worked out well for at least one of us!

Daintree and Cape Tribulation

Today we headed off to the Daintree Rainforest. We ended up being on a tour with 3 other people - the sweaty boys and Simone. The plus side with a tour this size is that you are in and out of everything quickly and everyone pretty much sticks together. The bad thing is that there is no avoiding anyone as everyone pretty much sticks together. On this tour Jessica once again became someone else's official photographer. What cracks me up is that on yesterdays tour and today's tour is wasn't a simple "will you take my photo" "ok" *snap* "thanks" exchange. The woman yesterday and the one today critiqued the pictures, made adjustments. had her take another, and another, and another. She is much kinder than I am because I am pretty sure I would have handed the camera back after the first critique and told her I was done.

Anyway, back to the tour. Oddly enough we first stopped at a Rainforest Habitat Park. It was a little off since we were actually heading to the a real rainforest park but it was interesting to see the animals. Once we hit the actual rainforest we took a couple of rainforest hikes, walked along cape tribulation, and had lunch at a little, out in the middle of nowhere, outdoor restaurant. It was a hot sticky day.

Kuranda Scenic Train, Skyrail and Tjapukai

For our first full day in Cairns we headed off on a tour of nearby Kuranda that began with a ride on a scenic train up into the mountains.  I learned from my experience last year and asked for front facing seats this time around!  What  a huge difference that made to the experience :).  Here are the train shots - I love the one with me in the train cutout.  Jess took the picture and I look like I am part of the cutout!

We spent some time in the town of Kuranda shopping at the markets and enjoying a fresh mango shake.  It was then time to take the Skyrail back down the mountain.  Here are shots from Skyrail - we had a buddy who was hanging with us that we had to kick off and into their own car for the last of the ride so we could get our Aunt, Niece shot :):

Finally we spent the afternoon at Tjapukai where we got to experience some things like spear throwing and tossing a boomerang.  Jessica and I were spectacular boomerang tossers.  That's our story and we're sticking with it...anyone who can say otherwise is half way around the world!

Snorkeling on Green Island

We flew from Auckland, New Zealand to Cairns, Australia and arrived midday. It was such a gorgeous day we decided to head over to Green Island to go snorkeling. It only took us an hour and three masks to get Jessica up and running but once we did, there was no stopping her. Ask her some time to explain the buddy system to you. This might have been my finest lecture ever :).

New Zealand - Waitomo Glow Worm Caves

Heebie Jeebies. That's what best describes the way I feel when I go into the glow worm caves. This is my second visit here and at the end of the first visit they showed us what the "glow worms" look like. Yuck. Only for my niece would I have ventured back in! The stalactites and stalagmites are beautiful. The caves are fascinating and interesting. The river cruise lit only by the glow worms is spectacular to see - as long as you don't think about what you are in that cave with! This was an excellent way to spend some of our last day in New Zealand.

Agrodome and Whakarewarewa

Our last day in Auckland we headed to Rotorua. Our first stop was the Glow Worm Caves (see next post) and then we stopped at the Agrodome. I do admit having a moment of thinking "I can't believe this is the second time I have been here" and yet there I was. We toured the farm where Jessica fed llama's and various other farm animals while I chose to keep my distance. We then watched a sheep sheering demo which I always find a bit disturbing.

Then we were off to Rotorua and Whakarewarewa and the bubbling mud. By the time we got there the weather had changed and turned a bit rainy. We saw a traditional Maori welcome ceremony as well as some dancing and singing and then toured the thermal reserve which is beautiful but smelly (all that sulfur). With a mad dash through the gift shop (I only kept the bus waiting a few minutes) we were on our way back to Auckland.

The Cinderella Story

Jessica and I were wandering around Auckland when we stumbled upon the Cinderella story as told by marionettes in a store window. It was a fun little treasure to find so I thought I would share it with all of you.

Auckland, New Zealand

We flew from Sydney to New Zealand adding another stamp to Jessica's passport. It was hilarious when the customs agent looked at her passport, then at her, and back again over and over again.  Turns out in real life without makeup she looks about 12 and with full makeup she looks mid-twenties.  He had no problem believing I was me.

We had a day and half not taken up with tours to explore the city.  For our free afternoon we walked around the city taking in all the sights and then decided to go to a movie.  We saw Easy A which was pretty funny.  For our full day there we caught the ferry to Devonport and spent time at the beach, shopping, and hiking around the area.  One of the great things we discovered was Hokey Pokey flavored ice cream.  How can you see that and not give it a try?  We certainly couldn't. It was yummy - a vanilla, toffee blend and apparently a New Zealand specialty.  I definitely liked Auckland better the second time around - perhaps because I got to see more of it.

Cape Bret, Hole in the Rock, Dolphins, and the Bay of Islands

On our second day in Auckland we headed to Cape Bret where we had a cruise scheduled to take us to the Hole in the Rock and around the Bay of Islands.  My mystical dolphin calling abilities were in full force and we saw an abundance of dolphins including a pod that put on a sea world worthy show at the end of the tour - it was so awesome to behold it never even occurred to me to pull out my camera!

Next up was a cruise to and hopefully through the Hole in the Rock on Cape Bret. It was a foggy day and the closer we got the worse the fog became. Lucky for us though the waters remained calm and we were able to pass through the Hole in the Rock - yea!

 

We concluded with a brief tour of the Bay of Islands.  By that time Jess was on the verge of seasickness so it was a good thing that we were winding to an end.  Of course, the tour was followed by a four hour bus ride back to Auckland which probably didn't help her any!                                                                 

 

Waitangi

Our Bay of Islands tour started in Waitangi at the Treaty House where we learned that New Zealands founding document was signed many years ago and was an agreement between the British and Maori.  We were able to visit a traditional wharenui (literally "big house") which we learned is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand. It was interesting to spend some time learning about the people, history and culture of New Zealand - both Maori and British.

Botanical Gardens, Circular Quay, and Views from the Ferry

Here are some pictures from the Botanical Gardens, around Circular Quay and on the ferry to Manly. Circular Quay is for me at least the hub of Sydney. It connects the bridge, the Opera House, and the botanical garden. It's also where my happiest place on earth is and nothing makes it better that a perfect sunny summer day.

Handel's Messiah at the Opera House

For our last night in Sydney before heading to Auckland we headed to the Sydney Opera House (which was being called the Oprah House at this point) for a production of Handel's Messiah. It was fun to actually go into the Opera House and of course it's always a treat to see anything performed there.  The choirs did an excellent job and it was a great start to the holiday season.

Oprah Down Under

As fate would have it, Oprah headed down to Australia at the same time we did.  We were asked on several occasions when we said we were from the US if we were with "Oprah".  Nope we weren't.  These pictures are as close as we got.  Our room overlooked the botanical garden so we could see Oprah's welcome party in process.  This also gave us a great view of the fireworks at the end of the party and the "O" as it was lit up on the Harbour Bridge.  Our only other "Oprah" moments were finding out from our bridge climb guide that Oprah would be climbing two days later and being blocked off from going in front of the Opera House to take pictures because her stage was being set up there.  We then fled the city for Auckland before the chaos really started.

A Trip to the Blue Mountains

Our first weekend in Sydney we headed to the Blue Mountains. Our first step was a 45 minutes stop in Leura. There was no traffic this particular day so not a whole lot was open in Leura so it was really a long break and we were glad to get back on the road.

Next up was a stop at the three sisters.  My first trip here there was so much fog we couldn't even see the three sisters so I was very happy with the great day that we had this time.

After that we headed to scenic world where we go to take a very steep train down the mountain, a skyrail up the mountain, and a gondola back and forth over a canyon in the mountain.

Finally it we headed to Featherdale Wildlife Park where we got to hang with the animals.  First up we had our picture taken with a koala.  Just as it was Jessica's turn they came and took the Koala away - heart break!  Apparently it was just a shift break for the Koala's and another Koala was soon brought in.  From there we headed off to feed the Kangaroo's and Wallaby's.  We had little ice cream cones full of their food but they were greedy and sneaky and if you took your eyes off the cone, they snatched the whole thing and would scamper out of reach!  We saw Wombats, Kookaburras, Dingos, Alligators, Penguins, and various other forms of wildlife and then ended the tour by watching a Tasmanian Devil being fed.  It was a beautiful day in the mountains.

Someday I am Going to Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge

When I was in Sydney years ago my friends all climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  I unfortunately had recently had foot surgery so wasn't able to do it and every time I have gone back since then I have thought "someday I am going make that climb".  Well, this is my year of checking things off the Someday List so I got Jessica to agree to make the climb with me this year.

We were a little nervous about our fitness level versus the size of the bridge but we were committed and there was no turning back (at least no refundable option of turning back!)

The Views were spectacular and we made it to the top.  Woohoo!

These are all the really nice people we climbed with.  While on our climb we learned that Oprah would be making the climb two days later.  Good to know we paved the way for Oprah :)

Sydney - The Beginning

December 7th finally arrived and after a final day at work and wishing my dad a happy birthday, it was time for our Down Under vacation to begin.  We boarded the plane in Salt Lake where I surprised my niece with a first class upgrade.  Believe me - nothing makes a long travel day better than the ability to recline your seat into a bed :).  We touched down on December 9th and Jessica finally had a stamp in her shiny new passport.

Sticking with tradition, after dropping our bags at the hotel, we headed to Pancakes on the Rocks where Jessica confirmed that these are indeed the best pancakes in the world.  She too approves the Aussie custom of ice cream as a pancake topper :)

We then spent some time sight seeing, taking an 8 hour nap, and doing some more sightseeing.  It was a great first day in Sydney and start to the vacation.