Home is where your heart beats

It has been a long time since I last blogged.  

A lot has happened since then.

We've had our second trip to America.  

We visited Florida and went to Walt Disneyworld, which didn't overly excite us.

Universal Orlando was absolutely brilliant and we plan to go back there on our next trip to see the new part of Harry Potter.

We did another Disney cruise, visiting the Grand Cayman and Mexico, which we loved.

We really love Mexico and its food and people.

At Cozumel we tried Snuba and the kids had a ball.

The Princess developed a blood nose at Margaritaville after snuba that went for over 15 minutes, we assume it was from the equalising under water but she is prone to nosebleeds.

We visited New York City for about five days, five days is not long enough and we plan to return one day for a long visit.

Boo to the low life who stole our DSLR camera at JFK airport though, causing us to lose so many wonderful photos of our trip up to that point.

We spent time in Montana again with family for Christmas and New Years.

We went skiing and exploring.

After Montana we flew to Seattle and spent a few nights at The Camlin, exploring the Wharf area.

I loved Seattle and can't wait to go back!!

It's my second favourite city now, after San Francisco.

We drove the 101 back to Anaheim, the coastal drive took almost a week and the scenery was beautiful.

If you are reading this and you are from anywhere in that region, know that I am so envious of where you live!

Our trip finished up with Little Man and The Groom watching the Supercross at Angel Stadium, The Princess and I braving the MLK Day crowds at Disneyland and me and the kids doing the Neverland 5K with some of our American friends.  

The Groom spent his birthday dinner at Bubba Gumps with us (I chose the location but he wanted to go there too).

Five days at Disneyland is still not enough.

We've had more roosters since Reginald.  

I'm focussing on Dorkings and Light Sussex at the moment, experimenting with crosses of the two for meat purposes.

We've eaten a couple of the roosters but our flock is slowly increasing.

The vegetable garden has been a bit slow to start this year.

The Groom got a few truck loads of dirt and manure from a friend's cattle yard last year so it's been quietly maturing away in the back paddock until a few weeks ago.  

I have planted corn, tomatoes, silverbeet, sweet potato, herbs, capsicum, cucumber and strawberries and a few other things that I can't recall off the top of my head.  

We normally go camping on a cattle property over Easter but we didn't this year.

I'd had a stent put in to a coronary artery a week before after I 'failed' a stress test.

I had my car written off in an accident the month before when a car ran up the back of mine on the highway.

I had whiplash, back spasms and chest pains so the hospital made me do the treadmill stress test.  

I failed.

I got very dizzy and almost passed out.

I had an angiogram the following day and that's when the blockage was discovered.  

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I had a rare reaction to a medication which caused a heart attack.

Yep, a heart attack.

It's not a fun thing to have.

I'll write another post about what I experienced later but I'm doing okay.

It will be a long road to recovery but I will get there.
Sadly, one of our dogs had to be put down the night before I came home from hospital and a friend's sister-in-law died of pancreatic cancer the day I came home.

I have to, I booked another Disney cruise last month for next year and I WILL NOT miss it!

And yes, my cardiologist knows what I've done and he thinks I'm crazy anyway so he's all good with me going :)

And that, my friend, was the end...

Sadly, our wonderful American holiday was coming to an end.

After leaving San Francisco, we headed towards Solvang.

Worldmark didn't have any accommodation available for us in Solvang so we ended up checking in to a Days Inn at a nearby town. 

I can't remember what it was called but it was in a movie called Sideways (which I haven't seen) and opposite the Anderson Pea Soup place.

We didn't eat there but we will next time.

We checked in late to the motel and was up bright and early the next morning to check out the surrounds.

They did not disappoint whatsover!

This feed store was near to where we were staying so we wandered over to have a look.

There were so many things I wanted to take home but couldn't.

Like saddles.

Dog kennels.

Puppies.

Lots of puppies were up for sale through a local animal rescue centre.

We couldn't take a puppy home with us so we had to make the kids settle for passing on a donation to their group.

Solvang was everything I imagined it to be.

It was kitschy, cute and fun.

The Princess loves olives so we bought garlic olive oil, balsamic pomegranate vinegar and she taste tested almost all of the olive oils on offer at the Olive place!

We bought Christmas stuff at the Christmas shop and she got another china doll for her collection.

I bought a great bread knife from the Nordic Knives shop plus some other things here and there.  

There were so many great things to buy that it was hard to walk away.

The Groom has an uncle who lives in Denmark with his Danish wife and they said we should try ebelskievers - I don't know how to spell it so forgive me, I tried.

We wandered about looking for somewhere to eat and settled on the Solvang Restaurant.

The staff were great, the service was great and the food was great.

We just didn't really like the ebelskievers, I'm afraid.  

They were just too sweet for our liking.

We later returned back to our motel with full bellies and ready for our final day once we woke up in the morning.

We had a pizza from a nearby pizza shop, which was so delicious and bigger than anything we get at home.

We couldn't eat it all and it had to go in the bin the next morning.  

We packed up the car in the morning and headed for the bright lights of LA.

After seeing this sign I told the kids that Father Christmas WAS real and they wouldn't name a road after him if he was pretend!

Somehow, the song stuck in my head for the rest of the drive...

We wound our way along the coast and admired the scenery, sad to be getting closer to our final destination - LAX.

Before stopping at the car rental place to drop off the car we decided to hit a Walmart and another Outlet store for last minute shopping (and a couple of duffel bags to check it all in at the airport).

Our car hire return was uneventful and quick with Enterprise and we had a lovely shuttle driver who took us all back to the airport in a timely manner.

I must say, though, the VA departure area leaves a lot to be desired. 

There was very little in the way of shopping or dining.

We managed to eat at Burger King and then take our seats at the gate with what seemed like hundreds of other travellers.

Unfortunately, The Princess lost her Nerd Minnie stuffed doll and it was never to be seen again.

The flight home was great and it was lovely to be home.

But our feet soon became itchy...

It's Snowing!!!

Okay, back on track.

After Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Legoland, Universal Studios and Hollywood, it was time to wind down the pace back to 'normal' for us and head for the snow and time with family.

We flew from L.A airport to Montana via Salt Lake City.

If you are a non- U.S citizen and are travelling internally on a plane DO NOT assume photographic identification constitutes a driver's licence.

We were going through security after having guzzled all of the water out of our souvenir water bottles (ggrrrr) when we were asked to show i.d.

I pulled out our wallets and showed them our driver's licences.

Big mistake.

We were asked if we were U.S citizens (no) and where we were travelling to (Montana) and could we please step aside and wait for someone to escort us to an interview room, (um, but why?).

The whole thing came down to me not presenting our passports!

Luckily, after plonking myself down on the ground and pulling out almost everything in my carry on bag and the backpacks, I finally found my passports and showed them.

After that, no interview room and interrogation was required and we were free to carry on.

I was in such a fluster I don't know if anyone looked at us like we were criminals, but I did talk to some other people along the way who said it is 'normal'.  

Good grief!

After that, we made sure our passports were in the holder around our necks anytime we went near an airport!

We flew with Delta and I noticed they boarded families with small children early - in this instance we didn't qualify. 

I really hate travelling at times because of the amount of carry on baggage people bring onboard with them to avoid paying for luggage.

I hate it when you go to take your seat and the overhead locker above the three seats on one side you have booked and paid for is taken up with little suitcases, suit bags, laptop bags and shopping bags.  

The Groom just ended up removing some of the stuff from above his seat and the flight attendant moved it elsewhere so he could make room for his bag.  

I made the kids shove their backpacks under the seat in front of them and put my carry on bag in the overhead the locker. 

The flight to SLC was uneventful but the scenery from my seat was beautiful.

I loved the airport at SLC and we had some soup and crackers for a snack at a Quiznos before boarding the next plane to Montana.

Luckily, this time around, we were lucky to be allowed to board with the children before everyone else, so no searching the aisles for overhead locker space.

We got into Montana in the late afternoon and were met with hugs and smiles from The Groom's aunty and uncle.

We rugged up as we were met with a brisk Montanan winter before heading off to a local bar for a quick introduction to new-found friends then we were off to our first game of college basketball.

But enough about that.

I want to get to the best part of all.

Waking up in the morning and seeing snow from the bedroom window!

I've been to the snow once before, as a child, on a day trip with my family.

That was nothing compared with what was to come for the next two-and-a-half weeks.

The Princess promptly came down with a cold the day after arriving so the men-folk and Little Man took the opportunity to go skiing, while us ladies pottered about the house and relaxing. 

Aunty J and I had lots of gossip to catch up on, too.

Eventually, The Princess felt well enough to get out and about so we went and did some Christmas shopping for gifts that we didn't bring from home, and make our first trip to Costco for last minute Christmas groceries and wine.

Lordy, lordy, lordy.

What an experience Costco is and I loved it!

I could easily spend all day there, but we were there on a mission and we were in and out as soon as practical (but not before sampling almost everything that was on offer).

We don't usually spend Christmas with anyone but the four of us in our little family, so this was a special Christmas and one to remember.

The children made a family of snow-people, complete with pets, but Montana was experiencing a warm winter, so in the morning much of them had melted away.

It was so lovely just spending time with Aunty J, Cousin-in-Law J and The Princess preparing our Christmas meal and chatting away in the warm house.

Christmas Eve was lovely but we skipped going to church due to both kids having been sick by now.

Christmas breakfast was Aunty J, Uncle B, Cousin N, C-I-L J and the four of us, lunch was Aunty and Uncle plus us and dinner included some old friends of J and B.  

It was a Christmas full of laughter and love and full tummies.

We drove out of town in the days following for fireworks for New Years, then let most of them off not long after that, necessitating another trip out for even more fireworks.

Coming from a place where these things are illegal, The Groom made the most of his chance to release his inner pyromaniac and buy up as much as we could.

On New Year's Eve we had the same guests as we had on Christmas Day plus a friend of Cousin N's.  

It was a bit of an oddity to be standing around a campfire in the snow with our drinks, wrapped up in down jackets, snow boots, gloves, scarfs, beanies and our red noses, waiting for midnight to come around to let off the fireworks.

Leading up to midnight the sounds of fireworks reverberated through the valley, but I think we had the best lot of all if I may say so myself.

A couple of days later we packed up the car and headed to Yellowstone for a couple of nights.

It is such a beautiful place and we stayed at West Yellowstone opposite the Grizzly and Wolf centre.

We hired a snow coach to ourselves for the day and our driver took us wherever we wanted to go and see what we wanted to see.

J and B had been to Yellowstone before but never in winter so we made sure the main focus of our trip was to see Old Faithful.

We saw deer, bison, coyotes, foxes, eagles but no moose.

And no snow shoed rabbits!

(I'm still not convinced they're a real animal and are up there with drop bears and bunyips)

We spent time in Montana just being homebodies and skiing and ice skating.

J and B had to work some days so we would take their car and tour around the area, but never wandering too far.

Little Man and The Princess were happy enough playing in the snow in the yard, or inside playing on the keyboard or just reading and playing with the dog.

It was a wonderful way to relax in the middle of a fast-paced holiday.

Would we go back to Montana?  In a heartbeat.

The people were so lovely and in this part of Montana we were in they don't get many tourists so we were a bit of a novelty to some.

We liked trying to get people to say "g'day" or "mate" or "sheila" and they just wanted to hear us talk as our accents "were beautiful" (or so they said, maybe they were just too polite).

We have decided that we will go back again next year if we can manage it and do some more skiing.

Actually, let me clarify that.

The Groom and Little Man want to go back and do some more skiing.

The less said about my attempts and ability to ski the better.

I was better suited to the ski lodge I think.

After the slow, natural pace of rural Montana, it was time to brace ourselves for the spectacle that is...

Las Vegas!

I'm Back!

Can you tell where I went?

I went to Disneyland.

And did a Disney cruise from L.A to Mexico.

It was so cool!!!!

We were away for a very long 7 and a bit weeks.

But it's so good to be home.

I missed my dogs so much.

School goes back next week and I've got gazillions of photos on the memory cards (5 full cards) to sort through.

Next week I hope to have some pictures to share and stories of my travels.

Be prepared to be bored silly - or entertained!

I'm delighted to know that Deb from A Clothesline Out The Back got my postcard and I promise I'll post your presents soon.

In other news, it's The Groom's birthday today (or really yesterday now it's past midnight)so we had a barbecue with friends and bored them silly with our travel tales (you can tell we don't go away anywhere exciting very often) and gave out our gifts for their children.

It's so good to be home!

It's not ALL for me!

I promise!

And they're not for Halloween, either.

They're for family and for gifts when we go to America.

That's what I told the lady at the checkout when I bought 12 multi packs today (I got a bit of a look like "gee, you must really like chocolate").

Now I've got to put them under lock and key so I don't eat them before we leave.

And I can't forget to leave without saying a big THANKYOU!!!! to Deb from A Clothesline Out the Back and her lovely family for their visit yesterday.

She knitted Little Man a beautiful beanie for his birthday and I've been eyeing it off since she left...

She is one very talented lady.

Fare-thee-well

My dear friend, Deb, from A Clothesline Out The Back, lost her darling father recently to cancer.

I did send her a message via her blog but I noticed today it disappeared into the Web-i-verse somewhere.

This is my public message to Deb.

You and your dad, and your lovely family, are in my thoughts and prayers.

I can only imagine how you are feeling right now.

Take care.

Thank you.

I've been a bit down recently over a spate of bad news.

Firstly, I had two deaths in the family in quick succession.

One was on The Groom's side, the other on mine.

My great-uncle's death really saddened me more, obviously.


Uncle Peter was my model of what a farmer ought to be.


I have fond memories of my great-uncle and great-aunty's house and farm and visiting as a child.


Milking the cows, riding in the tractor, pushing hay off the trailer, sitting in the smokey kitchen in front of the wood fire with my sock covered feet aimed toward the warmth.  Laughing at my sister getting zapped by the electric fence when I told her with the straightest of faces it wasn't turned on!

Secondly, my beloved dad has early-onset dementia and has been in a nursing home for a couple of years now.

His health is never going to get better and there is no cure.

He has moved into a next stage of the disease and I have another stage of grieving for him to go through.

Once a daddy's girl always a daddy's girl.

But it was the most recent event that has left me reeling.

For her support and shoulder to cry on, I want to publicly thank

Deb

from A Clothesline Out The Back.

And who says online friends can't become real life friends!

Thank you!!!

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