Here I sit in my empty room... my bags are packed.. I never thought this moment would come where I would have to say goodbye to the strangers who welcomed me into their home and quickly became my family.
My last day was a wonderful one. Brad was working so Lynda and I brought the boys to Kings Beach.. although it was very rainy and dreary out.. it was absolutely breathtaking. The waves were monstrous and the bare beaches were were beautiful.
We stopped and had hot chips, fries, for lunch at an under cover park. It was so great- the place was like a lone desert..no one was around. We splashed around in the waves and rain on various beaches taking the the sound of the waves one last time.. wishing I could just bottle it up forever.
On the way home we stopped at Lorraine's for some afternoon tea. Lorraine is just wonderful, she gave me some lollies to bring home to my family. We had a great time chatting with her and when she hugged me goodbye saying such sweet words and to tell my family hi for her I lost it...
The car ride was quiet for a bit.. no one knowing what to say.. I was trying to hold it together in front of the boys. So we stopped at the bottle shop for some moscato.
When we got home I got a few more things together and messaged Leah back and fourth a bit because she was coming to say goodbye! Brad, Lynda and I had tea together in the formal dining room.. my favorite place to eat tea. Soon, Leah showed up with her unmistakable smile. She jumped right into our conversation, had a glass of wine with us.. then we made "aussie" s'mores ... they do not have graham crackers here so we used honeycomb timtams and roasted marshmallows in the fireplace! So much fun.. the boys had a blast as well!
We kept talking for hours, laughing, and reminiscing on this experience and other trips and crazy people we have all met in our lifetime journeys. I kept putting off checking in online for my flight tomorrow because I thought I would just do it in the morning.. I was sure my flight was at 1:00pm or something like that...... but I had a feeling I should double check my memory from the last time I took notice of my flight information. Well, I could not find it anywhere.. so I looked online and found it thank goodness and HELLO my flight is at 10:25am!!! I was NOT expecting that.... good thing I double checked.....! Or I would be staying in Oz a bit later than expected...hmmm...
Leah stayed until about 11pm tonight talking with Lynda and I. Sadly, it was time for her to leave and me to finish packing. *sigh* Leah has the most beautiful and kind heart you can ever imagine.. she gave up a friend's birthday party to come hang out with the Coogan's tonight. She would do anything for anyone and I am so blessed to have her as an international friend.
So tonight I am done packing. Re-set my alarm to coordinate with my flight and I am...ready to go home. NOT ready to say goodbye. It will be such a hard morning.. but I have such wonderful family and friends I am going home to. I cannot wait for graduation, summer, Chelsea's baby, Brie's wedding, etc etc etc! I know I will see the Coogan's again. I hope they know how much they have touched my heart and I will always hold a very special place for them. Words cannot describe how much I appreciate what they have done for me here. I hope someday I can pay it forward.
I look forward to seeing you all soon! Thank you to everyone who has been following my blogs..It feels so nice not writing to cyber space! :) This experience has been unforgettable, I wish you could all experience what I have been so lucky to have been living for the past six weeks.
Next step: graduation! Cannot wait to celebrate with family and friends!
love always
Mel xoxo
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Who Knew Miley Cyrus Could Say It So Well...?
As I finally laid down to blog a bit before bed my itunes shuffled to this song and it made me think of my whole experience here in Australia and how I have just packed up my entire room to go home already...
Here we are now
Everything is about to change
We face tomorrow as we say goodbye to yesterday
A chapter ending but the stories only just begun
A page is turning for everyone
So I’m moving on
Letting go
Holding on to tomorrow
I’ve always got the memories while I’m finding out who I’m gonna be
We might be apart but I hope you always know
You’ll be with me wherever I go
Wherever I go
Its time to show the world we’ve got something to say
A song to sing out loud we’ll never fade away
I know I’ll miss you but we’ll meet again someday
We’ll never fade away
So I’m moving on
Letting go
Holding on to tomorrow
I’ve always got the memories while I’m finding out who I’m gonna be
We might be apart but I hope you always know
You’ll be with me wherever I go
Okay Hannah Montana... I have to let go of my new Aussie family and memories here and go back home to reality. As excited I am to see my family and friends, graduate, celebrate Ashley's 21st, welcome Chelsea's baby girl, watch my best friend get MARRIED..it makes my heart ache to leave this new place I have called home. I know I will see these wonderful people again and we will keep in touch. I have been in such denial that I have been leaving that it is beginning to hit me like a ton of bricks..
Yesterday beginning at afternoon tea during school, about 1:30, the MSU students gathered in the conference room to meet with Jenny from Qut to give our presentations about our experience. There was some tears, many laughs, and unbreakable smiles reflecting on this amazing trip, realizing just how LUCKY we have all been to be here and have an opportunity that many will never have in their lifetime. After our presentations, our cooperating teachers were waiting for us in the library for a farewell gathering with cake, fruit, certificates, and children's books for us! It was a very nice little shin-dig before our last day!
I got home around 5pm and corrected maths tests.. my teacher said she would be more than happy to correct them but I insisted since I had taught the whole maths unit on integers, I was curious to see if the student had actually learned anything. ;) I am happy to say the students did GREAT and my teacher was even impressed at their scores!
We had lasagna and veggie salad for dinner and then Brad, Lynda and I started our assembly line for sandwiches the next day! Funny, but this time is one of my favorite parts of the day. I guess it takes very little to keep me happy..!
Brad brought me to the shopping center while he dropped Corey off at guitar lessons. It was weird because he just left me at the door, I had no phone, or anyone with me.... just an old fashion plan that I would meet him at the door in exactly an hour. It was weird going to the shops by myself.. usually I am with them... or Mak at home! :) It was actually really nice and relaxing though just walking around.. I noticed how different it was here than at home too. The shops here all close by 4pm everyday besides Thursday, they close at 9pm.. so last night the shops were "the place to be"!
Lynda and I had about 4 laugh attacks last night, I think Brad might be counting down the hours I leave...the house is getting a little TOO girly... sorry Brad! :) Lynda had asked if I wanted some crackle, as in the nail polish, while I was doing my nails, Brad yelled from the couch that he would love some too... dead serious. We rolled in laughter realizing he thought we were talking about some sort of biscuit, or cookie! The rest of the evening was ours, laughing at anything and everything Brad did or said...
This morning I was planning on going for a run and Corey wanted to come with me and ride his bike.. however 5:45am came WAY too quickly and it was chilly out this morning so I decided to sleep in .... when I woke up an hour later I went out to find Corey WAITING on a stool in the middle of the hallway in his "workout" clothes...I busted out laughing! Although, I did feel bad because he had been waiting for me since 6:00am! BUT a little piety for me... I have invited the boys to every run for them to ride their bikes but they NEVER got up.. so I didn't think twice about Corey actually waking up to come this morning.. what are the chances... right? Let's just say, Corey cried wolf one too many times!
So I got to school and went to go meet the girls to take a picture at the front gate by the Morayfield East State School sign. Jenny from Qut met us to give out our final papers and say goodbye. She gave me the biggest hug and said the sweetest words to me. I couldn't hold it in anymore and started sobbing... first cry: check! THEN I went to take a picture by the MSU sign in the office and asked Megan to take a picture with me since 4 years ago we started the journey of college together as random roommates and now here we are in Australia together.... who would have thought?! We both started sobbing right there in the office... Cry two..CHECK!
Once the kids arrived at school, I had put myself together a bit. They were sad it was my last day, I was showered with gifts...wine glass, homemade candles, chocolates, lotions, body washes, cards, etc. I could not believe how generous they all were!
I brought the students my USA cupcakes and MSU, Mankato pencils..which they LOVED! The students said they will never use the pencils because they want to remember me forever.. so precious!
We had sport again today so I went with our year 7 students to the fields to play some softball! They played Bribie Island, which IRONICALLY Yasmin, a Qut student who came to MN in December was coaching! So I got a picture with her... so funny! It was nice to run into her before I left.
After school my students came into my class and would not leave! They kept lining up for hugs and would get back in line... so funny and sweet. My cooperating teacher gave me a great big hug and had very touching words to say. I am so lucky to have had this experience, I could not have planned it any better!
After school the boys and I painted canvas that I had bought yesterday. Coleby painted a fruit basket, the pool, a timtam, and a rainbow. Cale painted all the flavors of timtams, and Corey was creative and made a colorful grid! I decided to make a heart with gold swirls and a double c in the middle for all the boys initials.. I am going to leave the painting here for them to hang in "my room," yes.... Brad and Lynda... MINE... not...anyone else's..... HAHA ;)
Finally, after our masterpieces were complete we all freshened up and headed for Montezumas! A mexican restaurant that we have been planning to go to since week one.. and it is already here! WOWZA! It was delish! Lynda and I shared an enchilada plate and some pina coladas... I have never ordered pina coladas before. mmmmm! Then we stopped at the Caboolture Sports Club for the boys to play in the kids club while us adults had coffee. It was so nice relaxing for a bit while the boys were being entertained.
Once we got home we were all too full to move. Brad went to bed shortly after since he works tomorrow. Cale had a rough night and was crying most of the night once we got home... he is sad I am leaving.... breaks my heart right in half! Then I was tucking Coleby in bed and he says to me, "Mel, I am missing you already..." what do I say to that?! HOW do I hold back the tears myself?! No one warned me that leaving would be THIS hard.. I just make myself sick every time I think about saying goodbye.
I have basically packed up my whole room so tomorrow I will just have to do last minute cleaning..Minnesota nice is to leave the room more tidy than when you found it... HA! I know I have so much to look forward to.. and I am so anxious to see everyone when I get back!
Thanks for reading..! ......if you are still awake :) I have loved hearing that many of you are enjoying following my trip!
love always
Mel xoxo
Here we are now
Everything is about to change
We face tomorrow as we say goodbye to yesterday
A chapter ending but the stories only just begun
A page is turning for everyone
So I’m moving on
Letting go
Holding on to tomorrow
I’ve always got the memories while I’m finding out who I’m gonna be
We might be apart but I hope you always know
You’ll be with me wherever I go
Wherever I go
Its time to show the world we’ve got something to say
A song to sing out loud we’ll never fade away
I know I’ll miss you but we’ll meet again someday
We’ll never fade away
So I’m moving on
Letting go
Holding on to tomorrow
I’ve always got the memories while I’m finding out who I’m gonna be
We might be apart but I hope you always know
You’ll be with me wherever I go
Okay Hannah Montana... I have to let go of my new Aussie family and memories here and go back home to reality. As excited I am to see my family and friends, graduate, celebrate Ashley's 21st, welcome Chelsea's baby girl, watch my best friend get MARRIED..it makes my heart ache to leave this new place I have called home. I know I will see these wonderful people again and we will keep in touch. I have been in such denial that I have been leaving that it is beginning to hit me like a ton of bricks..
Yesterday beginning at afternoon tea during school, about 1:30, the MSU students gathered in the conference room to meet with Jenny from Qut to give our presentations about our experience. There was some tears, many laughs, and unbreakable smiles reflecting on this amazing trip, realizing just how LUCKY we have all been to be here and have an opportunity that many will never have in their lifetime. After our presentations, our cooperating teachers were waiting for us in the library for a farewell gathering with cake, fruit, certificates, and children's books for us! It was a very nice little shin-dig before our last day!
I got home around 5pm and corrected maths tests.. my teacher said she would be more than happy to correct them but I insisted since I had taught the whole maths unit on integers, I was curious to see if the student had actually learned anything. ;) I am happy to say the students did GREAT and my teacher was even impressed at their scores!
We had lasagna and veggie salad for dinner and then Brad, Lynda and I started our assembly line for sandwiches the next day! Funny, but this time is one of my favorite parts of the day. I guess it takes very little to keep me happy..!
Brad brought me to the shopping center while he dropped Corey off at guitar lessons. It was weird because he just left me at the door, I had no phone, or anyone with me.... just an old fashion plan that I would meet him at the door in exactly an hour. It was weird going to the shops by myself.. usually I am with them... or Mak at home! :) It was actually really nice and relaxing though just walking around.. I noticed how different it was here than at home too. The shops here all close by 4pm everyday besides Thursday, they close at 9pm.. so last night the shops were "the place to be"!
Lynda and I had about 4 laugh attacks last night, I think Brad might be counting down the hours I leave...the house is getting a little TOO girly... sorry Brad! :) Lynda had asked if I wanted some crackle, as in the nail polish, while I was doing my nails, Brad yelled from the couch that he would love some too... dead serious. We rolled in laughter realizing he thought we were talking about some sort of biscuit, or cookie! The rest of the evening was ours, laughing at anything and everything Brad did or said...
This morning I was planning on going for a run and Corey wanted to come with me and ride his bike.. however 5:45am came WAY too quickly and it was chilly out this morning so I decided to sleep in .... when I woke up an hour later I went out to find Corey WAITING on a stool in the middle of the hallway in his "workout" clothes...I busted out laughing! Although, I did feel bad because he had been waiting for me since 6:00am! BUT a little piety for me... I have invited the boys to every run for them to ride their bikes but they NEVER got up.. so I didn't think twice about Corey actually waking up to come this morning.. what are the chances... right? Let's just say, Corey cried wolf one too many times!
So I got to school and went to go meet the girls to take a picture at the front gate by the Morayfield East State School sign. Jenny from Qut met us to give out our final papers and say goodbye. She gave me the biggest hug and said the sweetest words to me. I couldn't hold it in anymore and started sobbing... first cry: check! THEN I went to take a picture by the MSU sign in the office and asked Megan to take a picture with me since 4 years ago we started the journey of college together as random roommates and now here we are in Australia together.... who would have thought?! We both started sobbing right there in the office... Cry two..CHECK!
Once the kids arrived at school, I had put myself together a bit. They were sad it was my last day, I was showered with gifts...wine glass, homemade candles, chocolates, lotions, body washes, cards, etc. I could not believe how generous they all were!
I brought the students my USA cupcakes and MSU, Mankato pencils..which they LOVED! The students said they will never use the pencils because they want to remember me forever.. so precious!
We had sport again today so I went with our year 7 students to the fields to play some softball! They played Bribie Island, which IRONICALLY Yasmin, a Qut student who came to MN in December was coaching! So I got a picture with her... so funny! It was nice to run into her before I left.
After school my students came into my class and would not leave! They kept lining up for hugs and would get back in line... so funny and sweet. My cooperating teacher gave me a great big hug and had very touching words to say. I am so lucky to have had this experience, I could not have planned it any better!
After school the boys and I painted canvas that I had bought yesterday. Coleby painted a fruit basket, the pool, a timtam, and a rainbow. Cale painted all the flavors of timtams, and Corey was creative and made a colorful grid! I decided to make a heart with gold swirls and a double c in the middle for all the boys initials.. I am going to leave the painting here for them to hang in "my room," yes.... Brad and Lynda... MINE... not...anyone else's..... HAHA ;)
Finally, after our masterpieces were complete we all freshened up and headed for Montezumas! A mexican restaurant that we have been planning to go to since week one.. and it is already here! WOWZA! It was delish! Lynda and I shared an enchilada plate and some pina coladas... I have never ordered pina coladas before. mmmmm! Then we stopped at the Caboolture Sports Club for the boys to play in the kids club while us adults had coffee. It was so nice relaxing for a bit while the boys were being entertained.
Once we got home we were all too full to move. Brad went to bed shortly after since he works tomorrow. Cale had a rough night and was crying most of the night once we got home... he is sad I am leaving.... breaks my heart right in half! Then I was tucking Coleby in bed and he says to me, "Mel, I am missing you already..." what do I say to that?! HOW do I hold back the tears myself?! No one warned me that leaving would be THIS hard.. I just make myself sick every time I think about saying goodbye.
I have basically packed up my whole room so tomorrow I will just have to do last minute cleaning..Minnesota nice is to leave the room more tidy than when you found it... HA! I know I have so much to look forward to.. and I am so anxious to see everyone when I get back!
Thanks for reading..! ......if you are still awake :) I have loved hearing that many of you are enjoying following my trip!
love always
Mel xoxo
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Minnesota has mermaids?? No...ROOMMATES!
Hi there! It is ANZAC day today which means much more than no school, but it was a fabulous day off!
I woke up to a rainy morning, not exactly what I had in mind but started off the day with some brekky and then skyped with my long lost Mak! It was so good to catch up with her.. cannot believe we are GRADUATING in a week and a half... AHHH! So excited but so much to focus on....much of it will be planned by the College Town pool! Whoop whoop.
After skyping, and yes, the entire family got to talk to Mak..how lucky! :) I had morning tea and worked on a presentation I will give tomorrow afternoon to the Morayfield East Principal and Qut staff about my trip. I planned on making cupcakes for my students so Lynda and I took advantage of the gloomy weather and started baking. Little did we know this would turn into "My Kitchen Rules," a reality tv cooking show here... and we would be still baking well into the afternoon! First we made the cupcakes with our own frosting and I wrote USA on them in blue frosting.. so cute! Oh, and I added red sprinkles to the cake mix to make my own version of confetti cake! Next, I was explaining how I used to make cakes using Sprite for a "lower calorie" option with my roommates last year. Brad did not believe me so he went and bought more cake mix to try it! Sadly, our first cake we put too much sprite in it so it turned out to be more of a lemon-lime pudding....so we tried a chocolate cake with coke! This turned out much better! We made chocolate frosting and even added sprinkles.
The best part was the neighbor kids across the street were baking with their mum too so they brought cookies shaped in stars and chocolate slice (brownies) to us wrapped all nicely..so Lynda and I as a joke sent the kids over with the "pudding cake" that looked like a slab of pudding with butter frosting... they were so kind and said they loved it! haha so when we made the good chocolate cakes... mini cakes in heart molds... we brought those to them as well. Just a nice neighborhood bake off!
So the day turned out to endless cake baking...and way too much taste testing! Lynda and I took a rest from the kitchen out by the pool where Brad was hard at work painting the fence around the pool. We kept him entertained.. or should I say his lack of hearing kept US entertained. I was talking about my roommates (all good things girls.. I promise) and he said, "Minnesota has mermaids?!" .... laughing hysterically we responded, "NO! ROOMMATES" Oh my gosh, ok, maybe you had to be there but trust me.. it was hilarious!
Finally, Lynda and I decided it was time for a walk around the block... which was about 5k. It was great for just us girls to go out on a powerwalk and continue our day long chats about who knows what!
We had a delicious dinner.. as always! For dessert we taste tested our chocolate hearts and had a glass of coke and hazelnut rum... when is Oz, right?!
Tomorrow is back to school... two more days. It makes me sick thinking of leaving here. Although, I have a lot to look forward to when I get back. I am very blessed.
love always
Mel xoxo
I woke up to a rainy morning, not exactly what I had in mind but started off the day with some brekky and then skyped with my long lost Mak! It was so good to catch up with her.. cannot believe we are GRADUATING in a week and a half... AHHH! So excited but so much to focus on....much of it will be planned by the College Town pool! Whoop whoop.
After skyping, and yes, the entire family got to talk to Mak..how lucky! :) I had morning tea and worked on a presentation I will give tomorrow afternoon to the Morayfield East Principal and Qut staff about my trip. I planned on making cupcakes for my students so Lynda and I took advantage of the gloomy weather and started baking. Little did we know this would turn into "My Kitchen Rules," a reality tv cooking show here... and we would be still baking well into the afternoon! First we made the cupcakes with our own frosting and I wrote USA on them in blue frosting.. so cute! Oh, and I added red sprinkles to the cake mix to make my own version of confetti cake! Next, I was explaining how I used to make cakes using Sprite for a "lower calorie" option with my roommates last year. Brad did not believe me so he went and bought more cake mix to try it! Sadly, our first cake we put too much sprite in it so it turned out to be more of a lemon-lime pudding....so we tried a chocolate cake with coke! This turned out much better! We made chocolate frosting and even added sprinkles.
The best part was the neighbor kids across the street were baking with their mum too so they brought cookies shaped in stars and chocolate slice (brownies) to us wrapped all nicely..so Lynda and I as a joke sent the kids over with the "pudding cake" that looked like a slab of pudding with butter frosting... they were so kind and said they loved it! haha so when we made the good chocolate cakes... mini cakes in heart molds... we brought those to them as well. Just a nice neighborhood bake off!
So the day turned out to endless cake baking...and way too much taste testing! Lynda and I took a rest from the kitchen out by the pool where Brad was hard at work painting the fence around the pool. We kept him entertained.. or should I say his lack of hearing kept US entertained. I was talking about my roommates (all good things girls.. I promise) and he said, "Minnesota has mermaids?!" .... laughing hysterically we responded, "NO! ROOMMATES" Oh my gosh, ok, maybe you had to be there but trust me.. it was hilarious!
Finally, Lynda and I decided it was time for a walk around the block... which was about 5k. It was great for just us girls to go out on a powerwalk and continue our day long chats about who knows what!
We had a delicious dinner.. as always! For dessert we taste tested our chocolate hearts and had a glass of coke and hazelnut rum... when is Oz, right?!
Tomorrow is back to school... two more days. It makes me sick thinking of leaving here. Although, I have a lot to look forward to when I get back. I am very blessed.
love always
Mel xoxo
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Will You Marry Me?
G'day mates! I have been learning so much during my last week in Oz.
Today at school we honored ANZAC Day which stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. ANZAC day is probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. We had a whole school parade and each class decorated wreaths. Our class wreath was filled with poppies which are the flower that bloomed after the bloodiest war, many said it was showing re-birth of the field of blood.
I have been teaching a lot..which is wonderful! My teacher has been great working with me. Today Mrs. Knight had hot maths, an enriched math class that I usually go to with her but instead I stayed back to teach our class maths. Tara, an experienced reading interventions teacher was our sub and gave me some great feedback...7 pages worth! She was fabulous and we had a great discussion afterwards, she made me feel so important and I appreciated her feedback so much!
I received my first "goodbye gift" today! One of the girls thought it was my last day today...when I told her it was not my last day she had a huge smile on her face and said, "Really?! YAY!" I said she could wait to give me the gift on Friday, my official last day but she wanted me to have it straight away. At the end of the day she asked if she could watch me open the gift and I am so glad she did! First of all, she made me a beautiful card that I would love to frame it is so gorgeous. She said I was the best teacher in the world and wishes I could teach her forever. HA! Then I opened the gift and it was a hand painted wine glass! There is a cute little teacher on it and then on the opposite side in glitter letters it says, " MS ANDERSON YOU ROCKED IT DOWN UNDER IN 2012." I LOVE IT. I almost cried... her mom made it for me! I cannot believe how generous these families are. Now, I am hoping I can get it home in one piece...I would be devastated if it broke.
Now a little story..Saturday while Lynda and I were sun bathing and reading the latest fashion magazines I had to laugh at my horoscope because it said I was to go on a blind date on the 21st.... well, on my way out of school...one of the teachers came into my room and said she has been dying to know how old I was....22...and if I had a boyfriend....no. Turns out she has a 22 year old son that I would be "perfect" for and she is kicking herself for not asking me before so we would have had a chance to actually go on a date. She even asked for my cell phone number.. which the only phone I have here is my pre-paid that coincidentally ran out of minutes on Monday. Anyway, the point of the story is how funny it was that Lynda and I just read my horoscope and then something like that almost* came true. I would be a little hesitant to go on a blind date in Australia...and Brad would probably scare the poor guy at the door ;)
I made my family tater tot hotdish tonight... famous MN meal! They would call it potato gem hotdish here... but everyone loved it! I was happy to make them a meal that they have never tried before.
While sitting at the lounge tonight with the family Coleby decided to propose to me. He said he loved me and no longer wants to be just sister and brother.. or as he would say it, "sista and brudda." Cale was not going to let this happen and grabbed my hand and asked me for my hand in marriage as well. These boys are way too precious. Can I please bottle them up and bring them back to Minnesota with me..? (A blind date and two proposals...where did this come from!?)
Other than the big proposal(s) it has been a pretty relaxing evening. Tomorrow is a public holiday (yes, we are just returning from a two week holiday..so what?!) so there is NO SCHOOL! Lynda and I are planning on it being nice out so we can have another day at the pool.
Hope everyone who was at the Hepola wedding made it back to their destinations safe and sound! I am dying to see pictures and hear stories!! I see Cory, Camille, and Doug busted out the air guitars...love it!
Have a good day everyone! Excited to catch up with everyone at home! I bought TIMTAMS to share :)
Cheers
Mel xoxo
Today at school we honored ANZAC Day which stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. ANZAC day is probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. We had a whole school parade and each class decorated wreaths. Our class wreath was filled with poppies which are the flower that bloomed after the bloodiest war, many said it was showing re-birth of the field of blood.
I have been teaching a lot..which is wonderful! My teacher has been great working with me. Today Mrs. Knight had hot maths, an enriched math class that I usually go to with her but instead I stayed back to teach our class maths. Tara, an experienced reading interventions teacher was our sub and gave me some great feedback...7 pages worth! She was fabulous and we had a great discussion afterwards, she made me feel so important and I appreciated her feedback so much!
I received my first "goodbye gift" today! One of the girls thought it was my last day today...when I told her it was not my last day she had a huge smile on her face and said, "Really?! YAY!" I said she could wait to give me the gift on Friday, my official last day but she wanted me to have it straight away. At the end of the day she asked if she could watch me open the gift and I am so glad she did! First of all, she made me a beautiful card that I would love to frame it is so gorgeous. She said I was the best teacher in the world and wishes I could teach her forever. HA! Then I opened the gift and it was a hand painted wine glass! There is a cute little teacher on it and then on the opposite side in glitter letters it says, " MS ANDERSON YOU ROCKED IT DOWN UNDER IN 2012." I LOVE IT. I almost cried... her mom made it for me! I cannot believe how generous these families are. Now, I am hoping I can get it home in one piece...I would be devastated if it broke.
Now a little story..Saturday while Lynda and I were sun bathing and reading the latest fashion magazines I had to laugh at my horoscope because it said I was to go on a blind date on the 21st.... well, on my way out of school...one of the teachers came into my room and said she has been dying to know how old I was....22...and if I had a boyfriend....no. Turns out she has a 22 year old son that I would be "perfect" for and she is kicking herself for not asking me before so we would have had a chance to actually go on a date. She even asked for my cell phone number.. which the only phone I have here is my pre-paid that coincidentally ran out of minutes on Monday. Anyway, the point of the story is how funny it was that Lynda and I just read my horoscope and then something like that almost* came true. I would be a little hesitant to go on a blind date in Australia...and Brad would probably scare the poor guy at the door ;)
I made my family tater tot hotdish tonight... famous MN meal! They would call it potato gem hotdish here... but everyone loved it! I was happy to make them a meal that they have never tried before.
While sitting at the lounge tonight with the family Coleby decided to propose to me. He said he loved me and no longer wants to be just sister and brother.. or as he would say it, "sista and brudda." Cale was not going to let this happen and grabbed my hand and asked me for my hand in marriage as well. These boys are way too precious. Can I please bottle them up and bring them back to Minnesota with me..? (A blind date and two proposals...where did this come from!?)
Other than the big proposal(s) it has been a pretty relaxing evening. Tomorrow is a public holiday (yes, we are just returning from a two week holiday..so what?!) so there is NO SCHOOL! Lynda and I are planning on it being nice out so we can have another day at the pool.
Hope everyone who was at the Hepola wedding made it back to their destinations safe and sound! I am dying to see pictures and hear stories!! I see Cory, Camille, and Doug busted out the air guitars...love it!
Have a good day everyone! Excited to catch up with everyone at home! I bought TIMTAMS to share :)
Cheers
Mel xoxo
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Sunday Funday - ONE MORE WEEK. :(
Hi there!
This morning after about 4 hours of a rough night's sleep.. and my alarm did not even go off..grr! No worries though.. I had a fabulous day with the Coogans!
I woke up and went to the Petrie Markets with my family. We picked up from fruits and veggies and walked around a bit making a pit stop for morning tea. On the way home we swung by North Lakes Shopping Center. It was a really nice "mall" that was fun to look around! BUT the boys were getting hungry and hungry boys means....cranky boys! So we headed home to make salad sandwiches for lunch..seriously..my favorite! Brad, Lynda and I ate out on the Bali Hut. It was so beautiful out it was challenging for Lynda and I to sit too long in the shade so finally we gave in and went out to enjoy some sun! The boys were begging us all day to hop in the pool..after awhile of some quality time with the sun I jumped in the salty pool! The water felt great and I had a great time swimming with the boys..even though I flipped off the pint size tubes a time of two.
After pool time Lynda and I relaxed on our sun bathing chairs for another hour or so chatting up a storm. Before we knew it we were completely shaded and it was almost 3:30. We decided to head to the grocery store to pick up some necessities for dinner and...chocolate chip cookies! They do not make them often here so I thought I would introduce them to the fam! ...You know because I am quite positive I have already put on 10 kilos during my stay so why not really just indulge....oof! When we got home we have scones and tea with Brad and then I started baking! It is amazing how different even baking is here. The ingredients are so foreign to me sometimes, so although I used a similar recipe the cookies still turned out a little goofy...TASTY...but goofy.
Brad is on night shift tonight so it is the boys, mum, and me tonight! We made meatballs from a food magazine and they were DELISH. We also prepared a fresh veggie salad and then topped off the meal with some chocolate chip cookies.
I had to prepare a maths lesson for tomorrow and since we were so incredibly busy enjoying the outdoor weather this weekend...Lynda forgot to wash the boys' uniforms! So she is rushing to get that done tonight..oops! The voice is on and also a documentary on the miners that were trapped underground for 2 weeks, 5 years ago. I am crossing my fingers for a good night's rest tonight... I am also anxiously waiting for pictures of the big Hepola Wedding...come on family! :)
Hope everyone has a great Sunday! Everyone in Florida, safe travels back to MN! As for me, Sunday night tele and then off to bed!
love always
Mel xoxo
This morning after about 4 hours of a rough night's sleep.. and my alarm did not even go off..grr! No worries though.. I had a fabulous day with the Coogans!
I woke up and went to the Petrie Markets with my family. We picked up from fruits and veggies and walked around a bit making a pit stop for morning tea. On the way home we swung by North Lakes Shopping Center. It was a really nice "mall" that was fun to look around! BUT the boys were getting hungry and hungry boys means....cranky boys! So we headed home to make salad sandwiches for lunch..seriously..my favorite! Brad, Lynda and I ate out on the Bali Hut. It was so beautiful out it was challenging for Lynda and I to sit too long in the shade so finally we gave in and went out to enjoy some sun! The boys were begging us all day to hop in the pool..after awhile of some quality time with the sun I jumped in the salty pool! The water felt great and I had a great time swimming with the boys..even though I flipped off the pint size tubes a time of two.
After pool time Lynda and I relaxed on our sun bathing chairs for another hour or so chatting up a storm. Before we knew it we were completely shaded and it was almost 3:30. We decided to head to the grocery store to pick up some necessities for dinner and...chocolate chip cookies! They do not make them often here so I thought I would introduce them to the fam! ...You know because I am quite positive I have already put on 10 kilos during my stay so why not really just indulge....oof! When we got home we have scones and tea with Brad and then I started baking! It is amazing how different even baking is here. The ingredients are so foreign to me sometimes, so although I used a similar recipe the cookies still turned out a little goofy...TASTY...but goofy.
Brad is on night shift tonight so it is the boys, mum, and me tonight! We made meatballs from a food magazine and they were DELISH. We also prepared a fresh veggie salad and then topped off the meal with some chocolate chip cookies.
I had to prepare a maths lesson for tomorrow and since we were so incredibly busy enjoying the outdoor weather this weekend...Lynda forgot to wash the boys' uniforms! So she is rushing to get that done tonight..oops! The voice is on and also a documentary on the miners that were trapped underground for 2 weeks, 5 years ago. I am crossing my fingers for a good night's rest tonight... I am also anxiously waiting for pictures of the big Hepola Wedding...come on family! :)
Hope everyone has a great Sunday! Everyone in Florida, safe travels back to MN! As for me, Sunday night tele and then off to bed!
love always
Mel xoxo
Saturday, April 21, 2012
She says baby it's 3am I must be lonely...
She says baby It's 3 am I must be lonely When she says baby Well I can't help but be scared of it all sometimes Says the rain's gonna wash away I believe it
.... Ok, thank you Matchbox 20 fans who recognize the lyrics..for the rest of you it is really only 2am and I just simply cannot sleep! Tossing and turning for the past ahem* 3 hours.. SO while chatting with the great Ali Johnson I thought I would blog about my Saturday! She gave me some input on how to end my blog so those of you who keep reading will get rewarded with the big reveal of her 2 cents!
I woke up at 8:30 and had some brekky and coffee. The boys were on the bench (counter) playing Garbage, a card game that I taught them yesterday after school! It was GORGEOUS outside so Lynda and I put on our swimsuits/togs/bikinis and held fort poolside all morning catching up on the latest fashion magazines and girl talk. Lynda's mum stopped by for morning tea which was so great. I love spending time and gossiping about her social club over some tea. Lorraine, bless her heart, she brought me a gift, one of the sweetest gifts ever. Wrapped in a snowflake gift bag was a handmade tea towel of the Australian flag that Lorraine made, a wine glass cover that she knitted last night..a purple one since it is my favorite color, so thoughtful! Also, a beautiful Australian surlonge.. (beach wrap? I know that is spelled incorrectly.. I will have to ask Lynda what it is, but hence the time I will wait until morning..please bear with me!) Anyway, it was such a thoughtful and unexpected gift. Lorraine has such a kind heart and I am so lucky to have had the chance to have gotten to know her so well.
After morning tea, Lynda and I decided we could use a little more sun.. mind you, it was GORGEOUS outside..so we did! We sat and chatted until half past two and we still needed to hit the shops! During our chats I had Lynda quiz me on their birthdays.. I hit 3/5 right on the nose! I knew the other 2 months but was unable to remember the dates.. still pretty good! I had some errands I wanted to run, and we had to go to the grocery store, and the bottle shop for some...moscato.
By the time we got home and put on a cuppa, cup of tea, Brad was walking in the door. Our plan for tea (dinner) was to drive to Bribie Island for fish and chips. On the way to Bribie I was bragging about my talents from remembering birthdays so they challenged me to their anniversary date. October 31st, 1998. BINGO! I ROCK.
We stopped at a delicious fish and chips place and put in our family order then headed to the surf side to eat by the ocean under the lights..it was incredible! The sound of the waves, the stars, the sand.. I just want to bottle it up! Lynda and Brad are probably annoyed at home amazed I am at the stars (seriously, 100x better here than at home!) and the ocean.... but I do just love it! It is like I have never seen it before.. HA! After tea we went for a walk along the beach. The boys took turns holding the torch light while we walked. The tide was flirting with us coming in closer and closer..at one point a monstrous wave came in pretty high and we all got drenched! We ran out of the tide laughing, my jeans were soaked and Coleby was almost shark bait if Brad hadn't snagged him running out..but it was so much fun!
There was a sand barge not too far out from where we were walking. It was basically sucking up sand from the bottom of the ocean to repair the beaches! It was very interesting to see so brightly lit and huge!
Once we can home we all put our pajamas on and watched Pirates of the Caribbean 4. (ERDT holla!) Unfortunately, I still had so much sand stuck in the rolled cuffs of my jeans so now I have Bribie Island all over my room....oops! I need a vacuum ASAP.
I came to bed about 10:45 since we are going to the markets in the morning, I thought I would get some rest. Too bad all I have been doing is tossing and turning! I think my body believes I am in Orlando with my family celebrating the marriage of Cory and Camille Hepola! Congrats to the both of you! I hope you have a beautiful day with the people the love you the most (plus me!. I am so proud of you and cannot wait to continue the celebration in New York Mills in July!!! :)
As promised.... I was chatting Ali when I got the idea I could be useful with my lack of tiredness and blog! She gave me the perfect way of how to end it so I leave you with a bit of our conversation...
Me: awww thanks AL! I should blog now about today.
Ali Johnson: you should and then you can end it with the best part of the day was talking to ali at 1:26 in the moring on facebook whiles shes in saturday class hungover haha
HAHA SORRY ALI! GOOD LUCK ON YOUR PRESENTATION!!! xx
.... Ok, thank you Matchbox 20 fans who recognize the lyrics..for the rest of you it is really only 2am and I just simply cannot sleep! Tossing and turning for the past ahem* 3 hours.. SO while chatting with the great Ali Johnson I thought I would blog about my Saturday! She gave me some input on how to end my blog so those of you who keep reading will get rewarded with the big reveal of her 2 cents!
I woke up at 8:30 and had some brekky and coffee. The boys were on the bench (counter) playing Garbage, a card game that I taught them yesterday after school! It was GORGEOUS outside so Lynda and I put on our swimsuits/togs/bikinis and held fort poolside all morning catching up on the latest fashion magazines and girl talk. Lynda's mum stopped by for morning tea which was so great. I love spending time and gossiping about her social club over some tea. Lorraine, bless her heart, she brought me a gift, one of the sweetest gifts ever. Wrapped in a snowflake gift bag was a handmade tea towel of the Australian flag that Lorraine made, a wine glass cover that she knitted last night..a purple one since it is my favorite color, so thoughtful! Also, a beautiful Australian surlonge.. (beach wrap? I know that is spelled incorrectly.. I will have to ask Lynda what it is, but hence the time I will wait until morning..please bear with me!) Anyway, it was such a thoughtful and unexpected gift. Lorraine has such a kind heart and I am so lucky to have had the chance to have gotten to know her so well.
After morning tea, Lynda and I decided we could use a little more sun.. mind you, it was GORGEOUS outside..so we did! We sat and chatted until half past two and we still needed to hit the shops! During our chats I had Lynda quiz me on their birthdays.. I hit 3/5 right on the nose! I knew the other 2 months but was unable to remember the dates.. still pretty good! I had some errands I wanted to run, and we had to go to the grocery store, and the bottle shop for some...moscato.
By the time we got home and put on a cuppa, cup of tea, Brad was walking in the door. Our plan for tea (dinner) was to drive to Bribie Island for fish and chips. On the way to Bribie I was bragging about my talents from remembering birthdays so they challenged me to their anniversary date. October 31st, 1998. BINGO! I ROCK.
We stopped at a delicious fish and chips place and put in our family order then headed to the surf side to eat by the ocean under the lights..it was incredible! The sound of the waves, the stars, the sand.. I just want to bottle it up! Lynda and Brad are probably annoyed at home amazed I am at the stars (seriously, 100x better here than at home!) and the ocean.... but I do just love it! It is like I have never seen it before.. HA! After tea we went for a walk along the beach. The boys took turns holding the torch light while we walked. The tide was flirting with us coming in closer and closer..at one point a monstrous wave came in pretty high and we all got drenched! We ran out of the tide laughing, my jeans were soaked and Coleby was almost shark bait if Brad hadn't snagged him running out..but it was so much fun!
There was a sand barge not too far out from where we were walking. It was basically sucking up sand from the bottom of the ocean to repair the beaches! It was very interesting to see so brightly lit and huge!
Once we can home we all put our pajamas on and watched Pirates of the Caribbean 4. (ERDT holla!) Unfortunately, I still had so much sand stuck in the rolled cuffs of my jeans so now I have Bribie Island all over my room....oops! I need a vacuum ASAP.
I came to bed about 10:45 since we are going to the markets in the morning, I thought I would get some rest. Too bad all I have been doing is tossing and turning! I think my body believes I am in Orlando with my family celebrating the marriage of Cory and Camille Hepola! Congrats to the both of you! I hope you have a beautiful day with the people the love you the most (plus me!. I am so proud of you and cannot wait to continue the celebration in New York Mills in July!!! :)
As promised.... I was chatting Ali when I got the idea I could be useful with my lack of tiredness and blog! She gave me the perfect way of how to end it so I leave you with a bit of our conversation...
Me: awww thanks AL! I should blog now about today.
Ali Johnson: you should and then you can end it with the best part of the day was talking to ali at 1:26 in the moring on facebook whiles shes in saturday class hungover haha
HAHA SORRY ALI! GOOD LUCK ON YOUR PRESENTATION!!! xx
Friday, April 20, 2012
WEEKLY RECAP: I've just been preparing math relays while my cousin prepares to GET MARRIED.
G'day all!
Everything here has been so great, as usual. I am just having the best time. Back to school week has not been so horrible. I have been teaching heaps and loving it! My cooperating teacher has been so helpful and really lets me take full control of the classroom.
On Monday, Janelle from Uni, had asked me if I would be interested in going to Qut Friday morning to talk to the aussie students who are interested in going abroad to Minnesota in December. I was honored she had asked me and replied immediately that I would love to do it! So this morning at 8:15, Janelle picked me up from the Coogan's and we headed to Qut. I loved sitting in the meeting with the students and professors telling them all about my experience here and reflecting back to the pre-departure days I had before the trip. They had tons of questions about Minnesota and where they could travel while in the states. I feel that I was able to prepare them a bit more just like how I would have wanted to be prepared if I were to do the trip all over again. Also, talking to them about the differences within the schools and culture was fun to see their reaction and them trying to wrap their mind around things like SNOW. HAHA
As I said, I have been teaching a lot this week. Today, I prepared a math relay using negative and positive number word problems. The whole game were better than I even expected and my teacher was VERY impressed. I felt pretty good about it. I feel that I have been able to take a lesson and really run with it here, and that feels just great! I also gave my first spelling test. The students are so good at working with my accent it is so nice. I can imagine how difficult it could be to do a spelling test from someone who says words completely different than you!
Yesterday when I was teaching a lesson on negative and positive integers I was talking about the depth of a pool for an example. That the stairs higher than the water line are positive, the water line is 0 and below are negative. I kept using "feet" for measurements, an innocent mistake forgetting that they do not measure in feet. So I tried to be flexible and use meters, or metres, but that was too deep for a pool so one of the problem students raised his hand and said, "Ms. Anderson, it is ok, we can just use feet." Haha so precious. They are so good to me.
There is one girl in my year six class who is completely intrigued with Minnesota. She asked me what city I live in and said she tried looking it up on google earth!!! LOL. She always asks me to spell things that relate to me or MN so I can only imagine what she is up to... stay tuned!
This afternoon the students had sport. Sport is every Friday, well supposed to be if it is not wet from the rain. The students all "try-out" for school sports such as cricket, basketball, rugby, or softball. They are placed on teams and meet at a central location to play other schools. Mrs. Knight coaches year seven softball so I have been training with those girls the last two days during afternoon tea and then went along to their game today. The girls are so sweet, I love their age, they were so interested in where I come from and told me their entire family history. They will also tell you that you are pretty over and over again so I could get used to that. :) Anyway, I do not know much about softball but I was able to give the girls some tips and at least act like I know what I am talking about..so fun! Oh, did I mention we take the school buses to the games...their school buses are COACH BUSES.. oh just no big deal...being dropped off on a coach bus. Gag me... haha.
After school Brad and Lynda were both working so the boys and I walked home together. It was a great time to spend with them. Corey wanted to take a "short cut" and basically brought us through any field between the school and Pig's Hollow you can imagine.. and it took 15 minutes longer to get home than my way... but that's what I get for letting a boy lead us.... ;) We weren't in any hurry- it was fun! Once we got home the boys changed from their uniforms and put their bags away while I made afternoon tea, and hot milo for the boys. Milo is like nesquick but....better?! I made it "fancy" for them by putting hot water and milk in it like coffee.. they loved it! We sat outside and enjoyed our tea and then I asked if they wanted to go swimming...after saying how cool I was for letting them swim they hopped in and I sat by the pool... what a way to end a busy week!
I hope all is well at home in the states! I am thinking of my family gathering in Orlando for my cousin Cory, and his fiance, Camille's big day on Saturday!! Wishing I could be there with everyone..! Safe travels and congrats to Cory and Camille.. I love you both!
love always
Mel xoxo
Everything here has been so great, as usual. I am just having the best time. Back to school week has not been so horrible. I have been teaching heaps and loving it! My cooperating teacher has been so helpful and really lets me take full control of the classroom.
On Monday, Janelle from Uni, had asked me if I would be interested in going to Qut Friday morning to talk to the aussie students who are interested in going abroad to Minnesota in December. I was honored she had asked me and replied immediately that I would love to do it! So this morning at 8:15, Janelle picked me up from the Coogan's and we headed to Qut. I loved sitting in the meeting with the students and professors telling them all about my experience here and reflecting back to the pre-departure days I had before the trip. They had tons of questions about Minnesota and where they could travel while in the states. I feel that I was able to prepare them a bit more just like how I would have wanted to be prepared if I were to do the trip all over again. Also, talking to them about the differences within the schools and culture was fun to see their reaction and them trying to wrap their mind around things like SNOW. HAHA
As I said, I have been teaching a lot this week. Today, I prepared a math relay using negative and positive number word problems. The whole game were better than I even expected and my teacher was VERY impressed. I felt pretty good about it. I feel that I have been able to take a lesson and really run with it here, and that feels just great! I also gave my first spelling test. The students are so good at working with my accent it is so nice. I can imagine how difficult it could be to do a spelling test from someone who says words completely different than you!
Yesterday when I was teaching a lesson on negative and positive integers I was talking about the depth of a pool for an example. That the stairs higher than the water line are positive, the water line is 0 and below are negative. I kept using "feet" for measurements, an innocent mistake forgetting that they do not measure in feet. So I tried to be flexible and use meters, or metres, but that was too deep for a pool so one of the problem students raised his hand and said, "Ms. Anderson, it is ok, we can just use feet." Haha so precious. They are so good to me.
There is one girl in my year six class who is completely intrigued with Minnesota. She asked me what city I live in and said she tried looking it up on google earth!!! LOL. She always asks me to spell things that relate to me or MN so I can only imagine what she is up to... stay tuned!
This afternoon the students had sport. Sport is every Friday, well supposed to be if it is not wet from the rain. The students all "try-out" for school sports such as cricket, basketball, rugby, or softball. They are placed on teams and meet at a central location to play other schools. Mrs. Knight coaches year seven softball so I have been training with those girls the last two days during afternoon tea and then went along to their game today. The girls are so sweet, I love their age, they were so interested in where I come from and told me their entire family history. They will also tell you that you are pretty over and over again so I could get used to that. :) Anyway, I do not know much about softball but I was able to give the girls some tips and at least act like I know what I am talking about..so fun! Oh, did I mention we take the school buses to the games...their school buses are COACH BUSES.. oh just no big deal...being dropped off on a coach bus. Gag me... haha.
After school Brad and Lynda were both working so the boys and I walked home together. It was a great time to spend with them. Corey wanted to take a "short cut" and basically brought us through any field between the school and Pig's Hollow you can imagine.. and it took 15 minutes longer to get home than my way... but that's what I get for letting a boy lead us.... ;) We weren't in any hurry- it was fun! Once we got home the boys changed from their uniforms and put their bags away while I made afternoon tea, and hot milo for the boys. Milo is like nesquick but....better?! I made it "fancy" for them by putting hot water and milk in it like coffee.. they loved it! We sat outside and enjoyed our tea and then I asked if they wanted to go swimming...after saying how cool I was for letting them swim they hopped in and I sat by the pool... what a way to end a busy week!
I hope all is well at home in the states! I am thinking of my family gathering in Orlando for my cousin Cory, and his fiance, Camille's big day on Saturday!! Wishing I could be there with everyone..! Safe travels and congrats to Cory and Camille.. I love you both!
love always
Mel xoxo
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