October 2023

The first of October was our last full day on Hamilton Island. I got up and finished the blog so I could post it. We then waited around for our chartered boat for the day. 

The ride out to the reef was very calm and beautiful. The weather turned a bit, but we were still able to snorkel, which was fun. 

Millie was not keen once we were out in the water. She did sit in the dingy and looked through the view finder to see marine life, but she didn't get in the water. The water wasn't as clear as it would have been had the sun been out, but we were still able to see some big fish. 

The kids had fun, as did the adults. 

The best days are typically had with the Telfords. 

A dingy took the boys and kids to a sandbar that gets exposed as the tide comes in and out. 

The kids went on the second trip. 

They played cricket for a bit. We dropped the kids off at the Marina and picked up some others for a sunset cruise. It was beautiful. 

Monday morning we were up and tidying the place. We got packed and sat around the villa until 10 am. We flew to Sydney, got our rental car and drove to Lou and James'. We couldn't crack the code to their house to get in the house. Finally, we found a key to the side door. We got in the house and started laundry. Stuart and I went to get some groceries. Trying to get up James and Lou's drive was a scary experience. Their driveway is almost 45 degrees. It is frightening for sure. 

Lou and the kids got home around 8 pm. Stuart had barbecued chicken and we had roasted potatoes with some tomatoes and avocados. It was delightful. We sat around and chatted for a while and then we're off to bed at a reasonable time. 

I was up on Tuesday morning around 8 am. Stuart was up earlier. The kids were up and around as well. We had coffee and then the kids headed off to the Howard's for a swim. This is the family who traveled with Louise this summer when we were all in California. The kids were so excited. Zoe was off to a play date. So Lou, Stuart and I went to lunch. Matt met us at the pub and we played the pokies for a bit. Lou won a great deal of money, but the rest of us lost. 

When we left the sailing club, we stopped at the grocery store and got some food for the evening. Giles and Barnes, Stuart's step brothers were supposed to have flown back to Sydney on Monday as well, but got bumped off of their flight. So James stayed with them on Hamilton Island and they were all due to come back to Sydney on Tuesday evening. I napped and Lou went and got the kids. She and Stuart made dinner and I cleaned up. Then we all waited for the brothers to come home. 

Millie and Zoe made sat on the dock, made tick toks, jumped on the trampoline, and did tricks on Zoe's bar, while the boys went on a Pokémon event. 

Wednesday we did a walk from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach, had a snack at Bondi Beach, then got an Uber back to Coogee Beach for a later lunch. 

This was when everyone was still in good spirits, before the stairs. 

She was faking a smile here because she was complaining about all the flies.  She wasn't wrong, there were a million flies. 

Finally we made it to Bondi beach. Whew!

The best seafood I have ever had is in Australia, so I always order seafood when I am here. At Coogee Beach I got a tuna poke bowl, which was delightful! We shopped a bit so Barnes could get his girls some Aussie treats. We then came back to Lou and James' for the evening. Barnes showered and was off for the UK. James made us pizza and then we had some time in their spa. It rained, but was delightful. Lou's lower back was giving her trouble, so she really needed the spa. 

Thursday morning we packed up and went to Hunter Valley, which is Australia's version of Napa Valley. The car we had rented continued to struggle to get up the driveway. This time it was particularly bad and Stuart ended up reversing it up, which was still a struggle, but worked. It was declared that we would walk down the drive from that moment forward, and the car would stay up on the road. 

We stopped to eat lunch at a lovely winery. We arrived at the Airbnb around 2:30 pm. 

There were about 12 kangaroo just outside our back garden. 

Look at this little jewel! Sweet little joey eating while it's mama ate as well. 

A game of chess for the young ones. Grandpa was coaching both of them. We had dinner of spaghetti bolognese and called it a night. 

Friday morning we were up and off to aqua golf. 

There were buckets with prizes. If you hit the bucket, you got a prize. The kids loved it. 

We left the kids and had a beautiful lunch at another winery. We were happy we hadn't taken the kids as it was definitely a place of solace. 

Afterwards we went for a wine tasting. 

This place we ate was called Circa 1876. 

The scenery around the winery was stunning. 

Dinner and dancing was the evening event. This was a pub in the middle of town. 

Saturday morning we went to the go kart track. I just watched, but the others enjoyed their time in the cars. 

Stuart, Nicole, Matt and Jack ready to race. 

Millie was loving it!

Jack was raring to go, as competitive as ever. 

In the afternoon we went wine tasting at Brokenwood. We had dinner at Nineteen, a pub just up from our Airbnb connected to the golf club. There was a guy playing his guitar and singing. It was delightful. 

Another wine tasting Sunday morning at Piggs Peake before we left to go back to Sydney. 

This was Nic's favorite winery, so since we hadn't bought them a wedding gift, we bought her the signature winery wine glasses. They were beautiful. 

We got back to Sydney and unloaded some things and then had a late pub lunch with pokies! I won $150, but I can only assume I will lose it before we leave! Ha!

On Monday we took our kids and Zoe to Symbio Wildlife Park on Monday. Billie had to go to school, but Zoe wasn't due back to school until Tuesday. 

The koalas were out and more active than I have ever seen. 

Millie was so pleased that this little guy was holding her hand as she fed him. 

The kids enjoyed feeding the kangaroos, emus and farm animals. 

Tuesday we went to Miranda, which is a shopping center not far from James and Louise's. We shopped for a bit. Jack got his hair cut. Stuart took the kids home while I continued to shop. Lou and I took her mom to her house then went to pick up Zoe. 

The evening came and we had a bbq at James and Lou's. Their friends, who have kind of become our friends, came over for a while. It was lovely. There were about 20 people there. 

Wednesday morning we were up, packing and cleaning the bedroom, getting it ready for Karen and Barry, who would use it for the rest of their stay in Australia. We left around 9 am to head to Matt's for a night. We went to Castle Towers to shop and eat lunch. 

Jack ordered octopus and calamari. He wasn't too sure about the octopus. I think he thought it would be fried. We got back to Matt and Nic's. We decided to have a gin party and then got in the hot tub. We had burgers for dinner and then were off for sleep. 

Thursday morning we walked to a cafe for breakfast. Nic came by for a few minutes, and then we all went back to the house to pack up and go into the city. Karen and Barry came with us. Louise had gotten a special at The Crown, the most luxurious hotel in Sydney, so we decided that was where we would end our Australia stay. We were there and checked in just before noon. Stuart turned in our rental car early as we felt it would be easier and cheaper to do so. 

This was our room view. It doesn't get much better than being able to stare at the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge from your hotel window. 

We spent the afternoon at the pool. 

Striking a pose. 

We had dinner at 5:45 and then went to see Miss Saigon at the Sydney Opera House. 

What a life we are living! We were back in the room by 10:30 pm and cracked open our free bottle of champagne. We sat up and talked for a bit, and were in bed by midnight. 

Lou and I got up and had a bit of time in the spa around 6:30 am. It was chilly outside but toasty in the spa. We ordered some coffees and James brought a robe down for me because I am not used to fancy pants hotels and forgot I could bring the plush robe down with me. 

Once we were out of the spa, we headed to breakfast. We then took the kids to Luna Park.

We spent a few hours there and then headed back to the hotel so the boys could play tennis. I went shopping for some cheap Australia stuff for our friends and then met the boys at the pub for a drink and the pokies! We had dinner at the steak restaurant and then said our goodbyes in case no one wanted to get up the following morning. 

Saturday morning we were up and said goodbyes again. It turns out everyone wanted to get up. The flight to LA seemed quick even though it was 14 hours. We rushed to the domestic flight because it only took us 30 minutes from the time our flight from Sydney landed to the time we went through customs and got our bags. We put my name and Jack's name on a standby list for the 8:10 am flight, hoping he could be picked up and taken to his volleyball tournament. Grammie and Pop were going to pick us up. Well, it turned out that only Jack got on the flight, so this was a big boy step for sure, flying on his own. Grammie and Pop met him at the curb and took him to Legacy. 

Saturday evening we just chilled. I didn't go to bed until 1 am and woke up on Sunday at 11 am. Wow! I got up and finished up the laundry. Stuart and I went shopping. Stuart then made dinner for us and my mom and dad. Stuart decided to stay until early Monday morning. 

Stuart went to bed at 9 o'clock and came down again at 11 PM to let me know that he could not sleep. He ended up not sleeping at all. But he also ended up not leaving until 5 AM to go back to Gallup.  I didn't sleep much either, but that's because I had the equivalent of two nights sleep the night before. Because we all know I don't sleep more than five or six hours a night anyway.

I got up Monday morning and Millie got straight up and we went to school a little bit early. Jack stayed at home because Chandler kids weren't starting until the next day. I came home at lunch to get Jack out of bed because he had some science work to do and had to go to volleyball practice at 3:30. When I got home, I discovered that Moose had diarrhea in his cage. So I had to clean that out before I went back to school. After school I took Millie to gymnastics after picking Jack up from the house and delivering him to Owen's house for a lift to volleyball practice. I went home to chill and catch up on my trash television. I returned to collect Jack at Starbucks, bringing him our left over chicken from Sunday afternoon. I brought him home and went right back out to get Millie. I had made her a Pbj at her request. The kids showered and were off to bed at their regular bedtime. I think we were all a bit jet lagged still. 

Tuesday morning I went down to wake Jack up and discovered that Moose had pooped in his cage again. I can't afford for this dog to be sick. Ugh! I cleaned that up and then went back upstairs to wake up Millie. Why on earth do my kids not wake up to Alexa? She is set to wake them up, but they tell her 'off' as soon as they hear her. We were off to school. I took Millie to gymnastics after school. We were supposed to pick up Jack, but since Grammie and Pop are back in town, he messaged Grammie to see if she could pick him up. So I didn't have to make that trip on Tuesday. I went to the grocery store to get some needed items for our science experiment the following day. When I got home I made dinner for Jack and Millie. I put Millie's in a hot pot so I could take it with me when I picked her up from the gym. Jack came out of his cave long enough to eat. He had asked earlier in the day if he could start playing his X-Box during the week. We told him as long as he had straight A's, he could, but the second his grades went below A's it would not be an option until he got his grades up. We shall see how this goes. 

Wednesday was business as usual. Moose seemed like he was feeling better. I had given a Valium to Chloe the previous night because she was going to the vet this day. Last time I took her to the vet I thought she was going to attack the vet. She is a total pain, and I always thought she was the docile one. 

I left school a bit early to pick up a prescription and Stuart's laundry. I also got my flu shot, my Covid shot, and my shingles shot. Millie had gone home with the Hills for the half day and then went down and saw Grammie and Pop for a while. When I got home, I discovered my mom had bought me a really pretty fall plant. I actually discovered this fact before I went home as I could see her on our Ring!

I was so sore on Wednesday night from my vaccinations and woke up Thursday morning with a low-grade fever and could hardly move my left arm. May be a stupid idea to get three vaccines in the middle of the week. I ended up having to ask the math coach to come and teach my six graders on Thursday. During that time, I went into my teammates classroom and took a nap on her sofa. I spent the rest of the day just sitting at my desk, trying to tolerate the pain and the fever. I would've taken a day off, but I had to have a procedure the following Tuesday and I didn't have any sick days.

Friday was much different. The fever broke in the middle of the night Thursday, and all was well on Friday. 

I took Millie to gymnastics on Friday and went to meet up with an old teammate for dinner. Stuart got home around 6 pm from Gallup. When I got home we went to have a beer and then to get Millie. We then sat out back and put the fire pit on. The first fire of the season, finally!

Saturday morning we were up and at the RV storage. We had to replace the battery, but it was free. Battery companies lose their shirts with Arizona residents. We spent the rest of the day running errands. We had lunch after we took Millie to her friend's house for a sleepover. Jack had a sleepover at Owen's the previous night. We went to the Meyn house around 4:30 for the D-back game. Jack came with the Hurleys, so he was back in our care. Sadly, the Dbacks lost that game. Vicki was happy though, because she is a Philly fan. 

Sunday Stuart was home all day. We took the Bronco out after getting home from collecting Millie and eating lunch at Creek Side Taco! We also booked tickets to go to the UK for Christmas. We need to see Hope and Stuart's grandmother. So, I guess we won't be here for Christmas. Sunday evening the Hills came over for dinner. It was a nice evening with a few too many beverages. 

Monday school was as usual. My students were good as gold, as usual. I watched the Dback game after I dropped both kids at their respective places. It was a great game. 

Tuesday I had to take the day off for an endoscopy. It seems that my little incident a few months ago was of concern for my doctor so she thought it would be best if I was checked out. I may have stressed over this procedure more than any other one I have ever had. It was the weirdest thing. My mom came and picked me up and my dad made sure they kids got to school. The procedure was so short and easy. There was really nothing to worry about. My mom drove me to her house to have coffee with her and my dad. I then went home to rest, although I felt fine. In the afternoon I went with my mom to Ross and got my 10% off for the first time because I am now 55 years old. My mom bought me some things as well. It was actually a really good day. 

Tuesday afternoon, Jack and Blake attempted to put on the tires for the golf cart. It turns out they couldn't do it, but I did ask Jack to break down the boxes the tires came in. Below you will see his version of breaking down a box.

 It isn't exactly what I wanted, as you would guess. 

Oh, of course I had to get the scissors in order to cut all the tape off and break down the boxes properly.

Wednesday I went to school and it was a half day. My kids were great the previous day. The was a bit of a kerfuffle with the six grade classes, so the regular six grade classes were required to sit on the wall during their lunch recess and write out reasons why they should be kind and how they could be kind. My 6th graders were spared this task. 

Thursday I got up and went to school. It was a normal day. After school I took Millie to gymnastics and Jack stayed at school for some girls' volleyball matches. I ended up going to Susan's house for a happy hour with my old bunco gang. That was a great time. I then picked Millie up from gymnastics and got her McDonald's and we came home. Jack was brought home by another parent. Once we were all home and showered, it was bed time.  I had been going to bed around 10:30 the last few evenings as I have been so tired. This is very out of the norm for me, as anyone would know. 

On Friday morning I got up and got to school. I was called into the principal's office to talk about the game that was being played at our school by the sixth graders. She asked me what I knew about it. I told her that I actually did know and I had intended to tell her on Monday, but that it slipped my mind because I was preoccupied with having to have an endoscopy on Tuesday. She said that the word had gotten back to her that I was questioning her integrity by allowing  this game to be played. I love the fact that she takes the rumor mill and allows it to be truth. I told her there was no way that I had questioned her authority or her integrity, and whoever said that to her misinterpreted or misunderstood anything that I said. I have come to realize that I talk to two people on my campus and one of them is a rat fink. So I have stopped sharing information with her or even taking to her.  

After school on Friday, Millie and I had to stop at the house because I forgot to refill medication for Millie. Jack was discouraged because he made less on his Geometry test than he thought he would. It was still a B, but he was not happy with it. 

Friday evening we went to Santan Flat to eat dinner with my mom and dad, as well as some friends that my parents used to know from Missouri. They actually lived on the same street as we did. I played with their youngest son. But I haven't seen them in almost 45 years. So, I went just because my mom and dad asked me to. Jack went because I made him. We picked Millie up after gymnastics and headed home. We dropped Jack and I took Millie down to meet Ken and Jan. We only stayed for about 30 minutes. When we got home, Millie and Jack took a shower. Jack got ready for his tournament that would be in Prescott the next morning. Millie laid on the sofa and watched television. Elise came over and we sat out by the fire pit in the back. Once she left, I got all the things I needed to get ready for the tournament. 

Saturday Jack had a tournament in Prescott. The fact that his normal volleyball venue has gone bankrupt has really put a wrench in the tournaments as they have to rent out whatever gyms they can. Unluckily, we got stuck with Prescott that Saturday. Jack had a great day and his team came in second, so would move up a division. Chris, Vicki, myself and our boys rode in the same car, which made it easier. However, we didn't get home until around 10 pm. That was a bummer. 

Stuart had worked in Gallup all day and let me know he was on his way home around 2:30 pm. Millie was home all day by herself, with my neighbor being available should Millie need her. The neighborhood had a fall festival in the evening and Weston, our neighbor, and Millie went as a gorilla and banana. Elise sent me this photo. They are so cute! They got to trick or treat and Millie said she had a great time. 

When Jack and I got home, Jack took a shower and I sat and talked with Stuart for a while. The kids went to bed and so did Stuart. I was still a bit wound from the day so sat down and watched some television before calling it a night. On to another month of adventures.