It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas! No, wait...Summer...no, wait...I'm confused! Sydney has definitely started decorating for the Christmas season and it is very fun to see the decorations around town. However, today was also the hottest day since I have been here and that means that Summer is almost here. So confusing!

I started off my Saturday morning with what I thought would be a nice jog around the bay. It was nice, but was very warm and took probably 30 minutes after I got back to my apartment for my beet red face to cool down! At one point after I had showered, I looked at the temp on my computer...90 degrees, yikes.

Since my shopping adventure last weekend was so bad, I really wanted to do some shopping this weekend, so I hopped on the train into the city to head to the gorgeous Queen Victoria Building. It is an ornate Romanesque building that was initially built in 1898 as one of Sydney's first produce markets. It is now a gorgeous, city-block long shopping mall, with a chrome dome in the center and vaulted glass ceilings on the interior and gorgeous tile floors.

There was a gorgeous Swarovski crystal decorated Christmas tree that was in the domed center that started on the lowest level and went all the way to the top of the 4th level. It was beautiful! Here is the bottom...

And these gorgeous flowers were right outside the center dome on the lowest level...seriously, Christmas or Summer...so confusing!

And here is the top of the tree...and see the beautiful and ornate walls and dome? So pretty!

I was totally planning on getting a lot of Christmas shopping done...but, unfortunately, I only left the QVB with one gift for someone else...and about 4 gifts for me! Oops, ha ha! Oh well, I really haven't bought myself anything here so far and I was in the mood to go shopping...so it was fun!

When I got back to my apartment, I sat outside on my balcony with my book and a glass of wine. The weather can change on a dime here and it was down to about 78 and a storm was blowing in. It was very relaxing...until I heard the noisest birds ever. They were seriously so loud, so I knew they had to be close. I walked out to the edge of my balcony and saw these on my neighbors balcony...

They were so beautiful and I was glad that I had just happened to have my camera out there with me! Still amazes me that they just fly around town...

Anyway, great day, but will be a little strange to experience the holiday season in such warm weather. More shopping in my future, since I didn't really get any Christmas shopping done today!

Care packages, new friends and upcoming business trip...

It has been a good week in Sydney...well, despite a few more days of rain. I have to say a big THANK YOU to friends and family for the cards and care packages that I have been getting!!! You all have no idea what it means to get sweet notes, funny cards and comforts from home...

Right before Halloween, I got a hilarious card, some cute pictures and some candy corn from my dear friend, Katie! It has been fun to have that Fall staple candy to enjoy at work! Last week, my sister sent a care package with Grace's birth announcement, a cute pumpkin that Luke made at school, some other cards and my FAVORITE holiday lotions and hand sanitizers from Bath and Body. I have loved decorating my work area with the cards and now the holiday season can truly begin since I have my favorite lotions! This week, Katie really surprised me again and sent me two of my favorite things from the Junior League Holiday Mart...flavored coffee and chocolate covered cherries! I always love shopping and volunteering at Holiday Mart, so I was sad to miss it this year...was so fun to get a little taste of it!

I also got a cute and sweet card from my wonderful Aunt Peggy last week, but it made me a little sad. Peggy and Carl are getting married this weekend and I will be very sad to miss this special day in Peggy and Carl's life and I will miss celebrating with my whole family. I will be sending my best wishes to them from Sydney to Lawrence this weekend and will be so excited to see pictures and hear all about it at Christmas!

Thank you again so much for all of the cards, notes and care packages...I am so lucky! Here is a picture of my little shrine to Luke and Grace and some of my goodies and cards at work...

I have also had a great week because I finally feel somewhat back to normal and like I have a social life! Like I mentioned in my last post, several other Americans have started working in the Sydney office recently and it is so wonderful to have other fun people to hang out with! All of the locals in the office are very nice and fun to talk with at work, but they have their normal lives here and don't really want to do the touristy things.

Last Sunday, I hung out with a dating couple that just started over here and we met up with a girl who is here on a 2 week business trip, but is coming here for good in January. We headed across the bridge and shopped around at the Rocks market again. We also went to an awesome place for a late breakfast called Pancakes at the Rocks. This was a concept I had never heard of, but must admit, it was delicious...pancakes with ice cream on them!! I got one called bananarama...2 pancakes, grilled bananas, butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream...WOW! Not exactly a healthy meal, but we did lots of walking that day too! On Monday night, I went to dinner with the same girl who is here on the 2 week business trip. She is feeling lots of the same emotions that I felt when I first decided to do this, so we had lots to talk about. I think I helped calm her nerves and I can't wait for her to be here for good in January! For those of you who know Angie Lucas, good friend of the McBride family...her brother works at Cerner and he and his wife just moved over here for his work. I went out to dinner last night with his wife, Lisa and we had a blast! We have a lot in common and I know that we will hang out a ton! So, it has been a busy social week and I am just so happy to have new friends here to do all of the fun things that Sydney has to offer!

I also got some crazy and fun news at work this week. Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays and I have been pretty worried about how I will handle that week emotionally. While I know I will still get a little sad and will miss being with my family...I think my mind will be spinning and trying to take in everything because I will be going on a business trip that week to...Singapore and Malaysia!!! Wow, 2 places that I never thought I would go in my life, but I am so excited about it! So, more new and exciting adventures to come...

Rain, rain, go away...

This entire week has been a chilly, rainy week and I am starting to get a little sick of the rain. Now, when it quickly turns to the 80's and humid, I may wish for another one of these rainy, chilly days...but for now, I am sick of it!

I ended the week at work by going to Beer Friday, as usual. At one point, those of us that were left looked around and laughed...it was only Americans left! We were saying that everyone else had their families and friends to get home to, but the 9 or so of us Americans obviously had nothing better to do, ha! Several of us headed out to a fun dinner after we closed Beer Friday down. We hopped on the train and headed North...I hadn't been farther north than our office yet, so was fun to see a different area. And, I am starting to become much more comfortable with the public transportation here!

Today it pretty much rained on and off all day. I really wanted to get out though and have really been wanting to explore an area here called Darling Harbour. I headed out mid-afternoon and caught the ferry over to Darling Harbour and I have to admit...this was the first time that I was a bit let down by something here. I feel like I have heard and read so many great things about Darling Harbour, so was really excited to go there. I'm sure the dreary weather had something to do with it, but I just wasn't very impressed. Looks like there are lots of great restaurants there, but again, not the kind of day that you want to grab a table outside for a drink and a nibblie!

Darling Harbour does have some big Sydney attractions, but I wasn't planning on doing those today, as they have parts that are outdoors. Instead, I was mostly excited to go here...

because it is all shops in that lower, front building. And the thing in the middle is one of the most iconic spots of Darling Harbour. I was kind of in the mood for some shopping, but it was all just crappy mall stores in there. So disappointing. Oh well, at least that means I only spent $11.20 on the ferry ride over and back!

There were some cool fountains... (see, I was trying to find the positives!)

Oh well, I suppose everything in Sydney can't be like 'the most amazing thing I have ever done'! I am still very excited to head back to Darling Harbour sometime soon to go to these 2 major attractions, the Sydney Aquarium and the Sydney Wildlife World...but otherwise, I don't think you will find me hanging out in Darling Harbour much!

The race that stops a nation...

Today was Melbourne Cup Day! The Melbourne Cup is a horse race...similar to the Kentucky Derby...and it is literally called 'the race that stops a nation'. The race is held in Melbourne, Victoria and the whole state of Victoria has the first Tuesday of November as a public holiday every year. The rest of the country doesn't get an actual holiday, but everyone does stop what they are doing to watch the race.

It has been fun to watch all of the hype leading up to the race and the sweeps (betting on the race) began at the office around 10 this morning. At 2:30, everyone stopped working and gathered by our big tv's to enjoy some champagne and 'nibblies' (one of my favorite Aussie words).

Just like the Kentucky Derby, the race was over in just a few minutes...but it was fun to see everyone cheering on the horses they had bet on. None of my horses won, but I had a great time drinking champagne and participating in one of Australia's biggest sporting events with my colleagues!