Trams and Car Parks

the city is full of trams, and on the roads through the city, the trams have the right of way.  i remembered this after i cut one off.  not my finest driving moment.

speaking of driving, the car park (parking deck) in our apartment building is the size of a sardine can.  and we have a small SUV.  i yelled out several times the first time we took the car out because I was either afraid that Jeff was going to run into the wall, or because another car was preparing to hit us head on.

oh, and remember, we’re driving on the opposite side of the road.  fun times.

Should you forget...here's a reminder.

HELLO Melbourne, Australia!

well, we made it...this past week has been full of getting settled, hanging out with joyel, and trying to get acclimated to the 14 hour time difference.

we’ll be updating with several posts to tell you a little about our week...enjoy!

Farewell Atlanta...until we meet again

today is our last day in the States.  we leave this afternoon on a 5:30pm flight out to LAX, then onto Australia.  this is a bittersweet time for us, as we're leaving behind our friends, family, and Poofie-Cat, but we're really excited about the opportunity and adventure that will greet us in Oz.

please keep in touch with us...we'd love to hear from you.  and we'll do our best to update the blog a couple of times a week or so.

xo,
laura and jeff

Drain the Bar

several weeks ago we hosted a "drain the bar" party...unfortunately, I forgot to take any pictures.  I had both cameras sitting out, and didn't take one picture.

regardless, it was a fun-filled weekend, full of friends, food, laughter, and booze.  just what the doctor ordered with all of the craziness that has been our lives lately.

for those that came to the shin-dig, we had a great time, for those that missed us...we missed you, too.  hopefully all will be able to stop by for the "stock the bar" party on our arrival back in the US!

Carless. Not careless...Carless.

we are officially car-less.  talk about a weird feeling.  i think that this is the first time since the first semester of my freshman year of college that i don't have a car.  i mean, we have rental cars because we still have to work, but we don't own any cars.  we're moving out of the country in two weeks, of course we have to work {insert sarcasm here}.

when we went to sell them last night, we sure got a weird look from the dealer when we said, "we'd like to sell both of our cars today.  and, can you please arrange for someone to take us to the rental car place after we're done?"

goodbye, pilot.  it's likely not the last time i'll see you.  you've been good to us, and i'll probably want one of your siblings around when we come back.

goodbye, rsx.  i know jeff loved you, but i didn't.  i'm not so sad to see you go, and i hope we don't cross paths again.  love, me.

Paperwork...holy cow.

So, I like to think that we are pretty organized.  We keep track of all of our bills, we always know where our important papers are, and generally we have a good handle on things.

We were WRONG.  And, not even a little wrong.  We were A LOT WRONG.

This whole move has been eye-opening to the amount of paperwork and information we don't have at our fingertips.  We have spent countless hours gathering, scanning, and organizing our lives, and it is exhausting.  This picture is a great illustration of how we are living right now...I don't go anywhere without that blue folder.  God knows what would happen if I lost it...actually I think we wouldn't be allowed in Australia if I lost that folder.  Oh, and on top of it all, that folder and countless other "originals" have to be carried on to the plane with us (like I don't have enough stuff that I'm trying to jam into my luggage, now I have take a gigantic blue folder?).

The movers came last Thursday to assess the amount of "stuff" we want to bring, and his response was, "oh, that's not very much."  That was it.  That, and the "be sure to scrub your shoes to get any dirt and grass off of them, then dip them in bleach.  if not they may quarantine your belongings and try to charge you $250 PER PAIR to clean them."  So, Jeff and I sat in the driveway one night and scrubbed our shoes - I'm not sure his golf shoes have ever been so clean.  The neighbors probably think we're bonkers.

Someone wants to go to Australia with us...

We have luggage and random items hanging out all over our house...it is getting a bit annoying.  This is what our bedroom looks like right now, and I'm fairly certain that it will look like this until the moment we leave...ugh.

Luggage everywhere...

Next weekend we're looking forward to the Drain the Bar party and saying good-bye to our ATL friends...

Maryland Visit

Last weekend my parents were so sweet and threw us a going away party.  It was great to get up to Westminster and see everyone before we take off...

We got in late Friday night, and surprised my parents with their very own iPad2, so that they could Skype and Facetime with us in Australia.  My mom was a little hesitant at first, but we had a couple iPad lessons each day, and she is getting the hang of it.  It was so cool when she sent me an email this past week, asking what time we wanted to Skype :)

On Saturday, we got ready for everyone to come over, and the party was really nice.  We got to see folks that we hadn't seen in quite some time, eat great food, and just catch-up.  We had a great time!

Jeff and Will.i.am

Uncle Boobby and Jeff

The Claassen's

Uncle Eddie, Mom, Jimmy, and Dad

We met my mom's best friend (and my second mom) for breakfast on Sunday, since she wasn't able to come to the party on Saturday.  It was nice to see her and tell her all about Australia.

Laura, Jeff, Mom, Ms. Pat, Dad

Thanks so much for our party!  We love you guys and will see you soon (on Skype!)...

Jeff, Laura, Dad, Will.i.am, Mom