30 Things for Ann's 30th Birthday

Ann and Mary August 2010

You may not know this.. but one of my childhood BEST Friends shares her Birthday with me! Her name is Ann, we meet during the last day of 5th grade in Boise Idaho.. at Horizon Elementary School. 

This week Ann and I turn 30. We have been friends for 17 years.. gee... a long time now..

So I am dedicating this blog post to her these 30 things are items I would like to buy Ann if I had unlimited funds.. or if I had time to make them myself. 

Although we live thousands of miles apart, you are always in my heart! Happy Birthday! I miss you!

1. A trip to Fiji for you and me and all the girls.

2. A grand piano

3. A dog who can play the piano for you, and one who does not get into the trash.

4. Money to make and market your own fragrance... lol..

5.  10 Snowmobiles plus a place to store them.

6. A lake called "Ann's Old Swimming Hole" complete with a little cottage.

7. Season tickets to the 2012 BSU games.

8. Matching diamond bracelets for us both.. 

9. A life supply of your Mom's hot chocolate mix.

10. A beach party with the live act of your choice.. and a bon fire! 

11. Glitter shoes... with diamonds the soles. 

12. A no kill animal shelter named in your honor 

13. A new camera

14. A sky dive experience

15. Oh a week with the tornado chasers.. for me and you. Then I can face my fears and I will stop having nightmares about you and tornados. Don't worry they always end well..

16.  A new car!! But you know the kind of car you would never buy yourself.. like a Range Rover or Ferrari. 

17. A 3 week African Safari for you and who ever you want to go with. 

18. A night in a old jail.. You, Me, Kris, April, and Lindy.. that would be so funny and scary.. 

19. Your very own tilt-a-whirl ride for the back yard! 

20. Your own Island. Somewhere near me...

21. A million dollars to spend however you want.

22. A six pack of Dr. Pepper

23. A bird rehabilitation centre named in your honor. 

24. A Karaoke Machine.. the cool kind.. not the crappy kind. With a Juke Box, full of your favorites!

25. 1 brand new raft to use on the Boise River.

26. A tent that is leak proof, complete with separate rooms.. and kitchen area. 

27. A state of the art Motor Home.. guess you won't be needing that tent.. with a unlimited life time gas voucher from the oil industry.

28. Tickets to every concert touring to Boise in 2012.

29. A ski chalet in the Alps. Plus your own jet to get you and your loved ones there! 

30. A brand new Basket Ball!!

I hope you enjoyed the list.. unfortunately all I can afford to get Ann for her Birthday are items #22, #25, and #30.

Wish I was there to celebrate with you Anners! Thanks for loving me, and looking after me all these years! 

Your best friend down under!!
XOXOXO
Mary

Watch Out November

Hi Again,


I thought I would just do a general update. Things have been extremely busy for me and Graham. October flew by and now we are well into November!


Graham has made it through his 4th year of medicine unharmed (at least on the outside). He finished his last exams for the year last week and is having a great time being a house husband at the moment. This week he has played squash, golf and lawn bowls, he fixed our home desktop computer, did the laundry, made dinners, and did half of the dishes most of the week. He does not like to do the silverware and leaves them for me to do.. so kind of him. He is a free man from now until mid January, and I have to say its nice to just have his full attention. Wives of medical school students don't get a lot of "extra" attention, they are busy and need to spend tons of time studying... so its great to just come home and have a chat with Graham instead of saving up all the things I want to tell him over the course of a few days, and then unleash it on him in one big 40 minute long "update" session.


I have been busy with work, as well as outside of work commitments. I have been working as assistant director on a show at the Old Mill Theatre in South Perth. The show is directed by my friend Sue Lynch and is called Daisy Pulls it Off . The cast is made of up young people (under 17) and adults. Its an english school girls (boarding school) comedy. Its set in the 1930s and is full of gags and lots of sillyness. Its been a fun project for me, and has kept me busy while Graham was studying.  Some images for the show below. Daisy Pulls it Off opens on November 25th and runs into December.

I am also busy planning my 30th birthday party on November 18th with Graham. It has a Thanksgiving theme, but I think the only Thanksgiving themed item at the party will be my and the poor turkey. This being said I plan to soon write a blog about all the different ways one can purchase turkey in Australia.. I am blown away folks. Let me just say that there will be a 5 kilo turkey "log" at my party... yes.. your read that correctly. A TURKEY LOG.


I have also been spending time improving my running. I am running a short 7.5km run on November 27th. But I want to do this run well and in good time. I really enjoy doing my evening runs, the weather this Australian spring has been great for running, even if its been a little rainy. I am not sure if I am going to be able to continue my running during my American winter visit home.. but I might try.. (yeah after 2 burritos and a plate of wings, I am sure I am going to feel like running in the freezing air) But you can let me dream!


Well that about raps it up. More soon I promise..
PS. I am growing tomato plants for the first time in Australia at the moment, and ate my first one last night. It was delicious. 

Winter visit

So I am going home this North American winter to visit my parents and friends back in the USA. I am so excited!!!


But the only problem is that I picture my Indiana home in a perpetual summer state. I have not experienced real winter since 2007. So I have had a few years to push out memories of snow drifts and icy sidewalks from my mind. This means I need to force out of my mind all the things I usually enjoy when I go home (in the summer). So to do this I thought I might list a few things you can't do when you go home to Indiana in December. You know... just to keep it real, and not be shocked when the plane touches down and freezing temperatures greet me home again

Things you can't do during an Indiana winter: 

1. You can't pick the yummiest tomato from your Moms garden and eat it with out washing it. The best tomatoes are the ones that never make it inside the house.

2. You can't wash the dog with a hose in the front yard. Well.. you could try.. but it would not be pleasant. Nor should you wash your Dad's car..

3. You can't admire the summer foliage.

4. There is no Indiana State Fair to be enjoyed during the winter.

5. You can't successfully fish for bass. But you could try.. you might get lucky.. maybe..

6.  Frosty Boy isn't open. (this is a drive through ice cream and lunch eatery, only open in the summer)

7. No big thunderstorms will happen (most likely), so Mom and I can't get all excited about them as we normally do.

8. Hot dog eating contests will not be a news item during my visit.

9. There will be no fireflies out to be caught.

10. You would not want to go for a ride in your friend's convertible.. although I might give this a try if it is offered, and I can bundle up accordingly.

11. NO CAMPING OUT. This is more for Graham's information... not really a list item.

12. I won't get a chance to mow the lawn.. or rather how I prefer to say "cut the grass".


All this aside I do get to partake in a few winter activities that I have not been able to do in a few years.


Things you can do during an Indiana winter:

1. Hang Christmas lights with my Dad

2. Cook winter meals with my Mom, hear we come pot roast!

3. Watch Graham snow board down my parents front yard, that is if there is snow.

4. Listen to Christmas carols and not feel out of place... its kind of weird listening to "chestnuts roasting over an open fire" while sitting in front of your air conditioner running on full speed because its 110 outside and inside..

5. Wear a real winter coat.. with gloves.

6. See Christmas lights all over town, something Australians have yet to master.

7. Cuddle up with my family inside as the snow is falling outside.

8. Snow balls

9. Hockey games, Indianapolis Ice.

10. The smell of real Christmas trees.

Now that I have given myself a reality check.. I can hardly wait to board that plane!!! 

Views on the run!

I have to say.. I am extremely blessed. I live in a beautiful city, and just minutes from a beautiful river.

The Swan River in Perth.

 Last night on my run along the river and around my area of South Perth I had to stop and admire the view and thank god for allowing me experience this unique corner of the world. Not many Indiana girls get to call Perth home, even for a short period of time. The views I take in on my evening run are truly amazing and very Australian. I thought I might share a few images with you. These are taken from the internet I must say.. but they are a great representation of what I see.

This is the bridge and jetty I run past, sometimes I run up the bridge, sometimes down it. 

We have lots of black swans on the river. Beautiful birds, and a lot less threatening then their fairer cousins. I have yet to be chased by a black swan. They are a protected species. Don't worry we have lots of the in Perth, their natural habitat is here in West Australia.  

Just had to share this with you.. Its really an amazing place, and I am so grateful!

Things to do at home with a cat

A short list of things to do at home with a cat:

• Nap - this seams to take up the most time
• Chase golf balls across the living room floor (together)
• Eat pre-processed human or cat pellets.
• Have a long drink from the watering hole
• Take a fun photo shoot together 
• Lay in the sun
• Watch for neighborhood cats at the window. When they arrive watch intently.
• Start a window cat fight
• Win (haha you can't get me)
• Refuse to do any amount of house work
• Take another Nap

There you have it. This is what I have been up to while recovering from a little operation this week.

PS. If see Graham tell him the housework will get done one day in the near future. (maybe next week, or whenever the cat decides to stop being so lazy and help out.)
Also I am aware that this month has been a constant stream of cat blog posts.

Cat's Through my Mom a 65th Birthday Party!!!!

My Mom is turning 65 this Saturday!


It being such a special birthday the cats (and some dogs) in my Moms life want to throw her a birthday party. It will be on Saturday at her house, this is what you can expect!


The party is set to start at 7:00pm please be sure you drop off all kitten's to the kittensitter before arriving, this is an adult only cat party. (we know a good kittensitter if you need one)

Please dress up for the party, if not we will decorate you accordingly.

Cake will be eaten and enjoyed!

This will be followed by gift opening (yes you must bring a gift, well... at least a box wrapped in paper and string to the party!) 

This will be followed by a short cat nap session.

After nap time has ended the real party will begin!

Yes we will have entertainment. Marty the famous cat pianist will be on hand to play the hits of the 50's 60's and 70's. He takes requests!!

Dogs will only be allowed in after 11pm. 

 Why you ask??

Dogs can be a bad influence on us cats, and then all kinds of trouble can start. 

For example, cat on dog fights.

Or really embarrassing dog on cat fights... I think this cat lost. 

Sometimes unnatural relationships can start!  

The party will go on late into the night. We do have some activities planned.

Maybe you fancy a game of Cat Scrabble? 

Or for the Tom cats, a strategic game of Cat Risk!

There will also be Cat Poker, watch out for this guy hes a bluffer. 

For the more adventurous we will be offering Cat Wresting in the backyard. 

But stay away from the neighborhood bookie, I hear he is a thief. 

With all this fun you may get a little worn out and need another nap. 

Feel free to stay over, we have lots of mattress space! Or just sleep wherever you like! 

Wishing my Mom a Happy 65th Birthday! Wish I could be there to celebrate with you! I love you and miss you so much!!

PS. Don't tell the cats but maybe you should cancel the party?? 
XOXO

Busy Weekends

Lately the social calendar has been extremely full. Which is a good thing, but often means I am tired when the weekend ends.

Two weeks ago my friend Erin and I went horse ridding. Something we have been saying we would do for a number of months. Guess what we got around to it! It was a lovely day out in the hills of Perth. The weather was cool and sunny, the horses where nice.. expect when mine rapidly tried to scrap my off his back using the closest tree or bush. But I have come to expect this from horses.. and it doesn't bother me, its just a good idea to see the tree coming first before you hit it.

This is Erin and I standing next to my cheeky horse with a mind of his own!

This past week I was in Melbourne for a cultural dance conference. It was hosted by Ausdance Victoria and it was an amazing conference. I had never been to Melbourne before, and I had a good time exploring the city. The first day I arrived I had a late afternoon to kill so I went over and checked out the aquarium, I saw some beautiful fish, and some funny penguins! Australia has amazing aquariums nothing compares to them, Australia is the capital for really interesting sea animals and fish! 

I also went to the National Gallery of Victoria - The International Gallery. This place is worth the trip to Melbourne. The international gallery blew me away. I saw some 15th century works I thought I would never get the chance to see. It was amazing! National Gallery of Victoria Australia

This stained glass ceiling was gigantic at least 100x250 ft

I arrived back in Perth on a Saturday evening to a houseful of guests. Graham had a BBQ when I got home! This made for an exciting arrival home again.

This weekend we have a friend from Sydney staying with us, Expat American Drinks and a big party down the street on Saturday night. So another fun filled weekend is awaiting. To bad its only Monday!
Cheers!

You know your from Indiana when

You take March Madness seriously..


Your neighbors leave their extra tomatoes and zucchini on your porch fully knowing you already have to many from your garden..


You know your neighbors.. 


You caught lightning bugs and kept them in a jar over night at least once when you where a kid or you have done this with your kids..


You know what a cookie exchange is...


You have attended a fish fry.. and know what fried Indiana catfish tastes like..


You have had deer in your headlights more then 10 times..


You have walked though a corn or soybean field to get somewhere.. Or just to see what its like to stand in one..


You know Wabash is a place and a river ... and there is a song all about it..


You know what month the Indy 500 is in..


You know who Lady Victory is and where she lives..


You can make at least 5 different kinds of casseroles..


You were a Colts fan when it wasn't cool to be one..


You truly believe with your whole heart that basketball was invented in Indiana.. and not in Massachusetts..


You call yourself a Hoosier and your proud of it..


Back home again in Indiana,
And it seems that I can see
The gleaming candlelight still shining bright
Thru the sycamores for me,
The new-mown hay sends all its fragrance
From the fields I used to roam,
When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash,
Then I long for my Indiana home.
- BALLARD MACDONALD

I love it when Graham cooks for me!

I am a super lucky girl, I know most lady's don't get husbands who cook amazing meals for them. But I am one of the lucky few. Graham spoils me at least 2-3 times a week with a wonderful meal, often from a complicated recipe. He cooks every night of his school holiday breaks. Last year after his last exam he came home and cooked a chicken for 4 hours in a hard brick like dough, the chicken inside the bread brick was so yummy!!

This picture is from last Good Friday this year, Graham's family came to visit and he made this snapper dish. It was melt in your mouth delicious! It was an expensive meal so we have not had it since, but I can't wait till next year, I will request we have this again on Good Friday!

This week I came home from a meeting and Graham was baking ginger bread men.. in August.. they where good, although they felt rather Christmasy to me..

My favorite Grazy meals are:
Lasagna
Bread (he bakes all our bread, we don't buy store bread)
Home made Pizza's (from scratch)
Grilled Snapper
Chile Mussels
Crispy Chicken Tacos

Thanks husband for being amazing, your a medical student, but you still find time to cook me yummy things! I love you!

Heavy Things

So life has been a  bit heavy for Graham and myself at the moment.


I am not normally a complainer.. I hate being a complainer and burdening people with my problems... I only have a handful of friends I burden them on.. and for the most part I just really like to support my friends and listen to them complain.. Is there something wrong with that??


Graham is pretty tired and worn out at the moment with school. Doing a medical degree is intense, most days he gets up before 7am and is at the hospital until 5pm and then studies at home until 9pm (when I start to yell at him to come out of his office already). But all his hard work pays off and he is a great student and an even better student doctor. If I was ever in the hospital with some unknown illness I would want Graham as my doctor.. he would figure it out.


I was recently told I better hurry up and have babies or I won't be having any.... I was also told that I might have problems having them on my own.. So next month I am having a surgery to work out what I am going to do. Thank goodness I live in Australia where my medical treatments are paid for by the government (if you like the sound of that America, start voting for a national health care system).


I also recently lost my Grandma.. She had a long and amazing life, and its been a real honor to have her as my Grandma.. She always made me feel loved and special. We had a lot in common where it counts. My family traveled to Connecticut for the funeral and I was unable to go to America to grieve with them. Luckily I have some of my Grandmother's family in Perth, her Sister in Law and Niece, so I did spend time with them. But it has been hard being way out here when all I wanted to do was go home...


My homesickness is pretty bad at the moment. I go through 3 month cycles of being homesick, then being okay.. then being homesick again. At the moment the homesickness is pretty bad.. about as bad as I had it when I first moved to Australia. I just want to go home and sleep on my Mom's couch and look out the big picture window and stare at the big cotton wood tree across the street. I want to sit on the back porch, I want to lay in the summer grass with Jack my parents dog. I want to listen to my Dad talk to his friends on the ham radio. I want to hide in the basement during a summer storm. I want to laugh with my American friends, drink bad American beer, and eat my Mom's cooking.  I want to go to the fair and look at gigantic pigs, eat a turkey leg and ride on a tractor pulled train. I want to buy a gigantic fountain coke from the gas station with about a ton of crushed ice in it and then drink it all in under an hour and not feel sick or guilty about it cause I'm an American.... I want to go to a "gas station" and not a petrol station.. I want to go for a run past corn fields and soy beans... I want to raft the Boise River with my girlfriends, paint our nails, and talk for hours about nothing and everything and take silly pictures.. I guess sometimes you just want to go home.


To put it mildly... Life is a bit HEAVY for us both... We could really use a vacation and time together... We have not had a vacation together (alone) in over two years.. So I am ready for this year to end and for us to start all over again.


Now.. I hope you don't feel burdened after reading this cause thats the last thing I wanted, or do I want you to feel bad for me.. I just needed to get some things off my chest.
Hugs and Kisses from way over here.....

I love my Dad!

Today is Father's Day in America! I am a lucky girl because I have one of the best Dad's in the world!

Me and my Dad 1994 ish, in Idaho



Now I am not a parent, but I can appreciate how difficult it must be to bring up a child in todays world. And I have to say I gave my parents a  fair run for their money. I was a sweet little girl until I developed an attitude and starting noticing boys, then it all changed. Luckily I have great parents who didn't give up on me, and guided me into a happy and successful adulthood.

My Dad always made me feel special, even over the years we had to spend living apart. My father has always given me excellent advice and has been far more patient with me then most Fathers can stand. Once when I was 18 I backed my car (I had not been driving long) into a stump in our yard, leaving a good size dent in the bumper, and creating a loud thud that everyone on the street could hear. My Uncle Steve was visiting our family at the time, and he saw me hit the stump. I jumped out the car and Uncle Steve said "Mary, is your Dad going to be mad?" before I could answer my Dad opened the front door, looked down at my car and the nice dent in the bumper and said "Ah, don't worry about it" and shut the door. Uncle Steve was more surprised then I was at my Fathers patience and understanding. What can I say I have one cool Dad, always cool as a cucumber!!

I think I will take a moment to list a few of my favorite Dad memories.

• When I was 8 my Dad built me a battery operated Go Cart. He buildt the body and put together the motor, it went pretty fast for a battery operated Go Cart. I would zoom up and down our driveway. It was so much fun. I was a lucky kid!
• Dad use to send me chocolate covered cherrys in the mail. The best surprise a mail man can deliver!
• In 2010 I got to snorkel with my Dad in Fiji. That was pretty fun, and for a Dad with a fused neck, he did a great job and we got to see some cool little reef fish!
• When my Dad met my husband Graham for the first time, he took Graham out to one of his favorite bars in Indianapolis. Dad sure gave Graham a big welcome to the family, both Dad and Graham showed up back at the house 3 sheets to the wind. They had a great time, and it is still the drunkest I have ever seen my husband. HAHA
• When I was 9 the country theatre next to our house had a big community garage sale. At the sale there was some kittens being given away for free. I feel in love with a little black kitten with a long tail and big paws. My Mother told me I could keep the kitten only if Dad said it was okay. I took the kitten over to our house to ask Dad if I could keep him. Dad picked up the kitten gave him a cuddle and said "Yes you can keep him". I was over joyed, and that kitten grew up to be my most loved and favorite cat. Tomas. (I know thats how his name was really spelt) Thanks Dad for letting me have my Tom cat, my bestfriend growing up!
• My Dad use to make my school lunch. It was always the same, but always the best. Peanut butter and jelly, with extra jelly. I loved it!

Thanks for loving me Dad, and always spoiling me. Thanks for the support you have given me as a girl and as a woman. Your love and kindness means the world to me, and I am so proud to have you as my Dad!

Happy Fathers Day!
- Your Girl

Graham's 30th Birthday Bowls Bash

Well, its happened. Graham is 30.


I know, shocking!  You grow up thinking... gee 30, thats starting to get a little old... and then you hit 25 and you think.. nawww... 30 is just starting to get a little more mature, professional, and confident.. 
And its true.. 30 is a good thing. 


On April 16th we had Graham's 30th Birthday Party at the local Lawn Bowls club. (See an older post for more on Lawn Bowls). It was a great night! 


We had a BBQ and our guests brought side dishes! We even had a Croquembouche cake. Now I did not manage to get a picture of the cake, so bellow is an example of the what a Croquembouche cake is. This is what I ordered from a local cake shop called Fiorentina Patisserie. It was delicious and just the right size for 35 guests! For my American friends, imagine a cake of only chocolate eclairs... all stacked on each other.. and you have the Croquembouche! 

After Dinner we had a Lawn Bowls competition. We played in teams until we finally got to our two best players who won a $25 music store gift card each. They seemed happy about that! The party was attended by many of Graham's medical school classmates and friends, a few friends from the neighborhood, some of the lawn bowls club members, and even our local Butcher came by for a drink (what can I say thats just the kind of place Australia is). 


Graham's real birthday as on April 25th, and we were lucky to have Graham's Mum and Step Dad out for the weekend, celebrating Easter and Graham's birthday with us.  April 25th is also a war memorial day in Australia called Anzac Day, it is a public holiday. So we spent Graham's birthday going to a parade in the city to honor Australia's war veterans. Then we had some lunch with friends and later that night Karen, Graham's Mum made a yummy dinner! Much wine was enjoyed by all! Karen even brought over Graham's birthday cake with her from Sydney, a home made fruit cake. It was huge, and we still have some leftover. But don't worry, it lasts for at least a year.. Its fruit cake.. Graham is still eating birthday cake every night! And its May now!!!  hehe.. 


Below are some picture from the Birthday Bash!
Happy 30th Birthday to my husband and best friend. I love you!

 Friends at the Birthday Bowls Party!

 Rob and his family showing off some lawn bowls.

 Graham and Mary on the bowling green!

Kicking back smoking a pipe on the front porch after the party with Jason!

Some Oldies..

Me and my Dad in one of his old classic sports cars, this one was the Triumph we had in Boise Idaho. I think this photo was taken in 1998. It was a cool little car. But I don't recommend being boxed in on the highway by two semitrailer trucks while driving this model.

This one makes me smile. This is Graham and his Mum Karen in our Kitchen in Perth 2009. Karen always comes to visit for Thanksgiving, and here she was making a yummy hollandaise sauce. You can really see the motherly love coming through in this photo. And Graham is just being a ham.

Happy Easter! Here is Graham the Easter Bunny, well the angry Easter Bunny in this shot. But I had to take a picture! If you are looking to hire a Easter Bunny to hop around you yard and hide eggs Graham is your man!!

 (Easter 2005)

Our Wedding Day (the first time) in the American summer of 2005. This was all the guests we had! From Left, my Dad and Mom, center my friend Janice she was with me when I met Graham in Sydney, Graham's Mum Karen who traveled last minute from Sydney to come for our quite wedding, and Graham and myself. We where married by the then mayor of Greenfield, and had dinner in Carmel (Indiana). It was a beautiful day. This picture was taken on my parents back porch in Greenfield.

Let the campagne flow! My Mum in law is going to kill me for posting this one, but I love it. This photo always makes me laugh. This was right after Graham and I got married back at my parents house. Karen and I had had a few drinks! We seem to be attacking the camera while giggling in this one. Love it!

That's it for the old photos folks!!

Tomorrow is Graham's 30th Birthday party at the Lawn Bowls Club in Como, Western Australia.  So my next update should have some photos of that in it!

Happy Easter!