Agnes Water/ 1770

Over the first several weekends that Jason and I were here together, we decided to visit alot of the near by beaches on short-day trips. We wanted to see which ones we liked best and that would be worth going back to visit. Well, much to our surprise we loved them all! There are some absolutely beautiful beaches only within a couple hours of where we live. Agnes Water and 1770 are two beaches about 10 minutes apart, and I must say they are my favorite so far!!! :)

Its hard to see in this picture but those little specs of white are people fishing! Jason has officially found his new fishing spot! Not too bad of a view for me to watch him fish either!

1770 has a restaurant called "The Tree" this is the view we had while having lunch!

"Kangarooy"

Meet Stanley! A guy that Jason works with introduced us to a couple that lives out by the Boyne River and when we went in the house, we were pleasantly surprised by this little fella that was hopping around. I was a little disappointed that we hadn't seen one since being here but this exceeded all my expectations of seeing one in the wild.  Stanley was separated from his Mum and they are taking care of him until he is old enough to go back to the wild.

I had sent these pictures of Jason and I to our friends in Lexington for our two favorite little boys to see. They thought that the kangaroo was SO COOL! So I decided to send them each a kangaroo to have to remind them of us and Stanley.

They named their Kangaroos both Kangarooy! :) Jason and I have been fortunate enough to watch these two little boys grow up over the last few years! We met Sawyer when he was only 7 months old! And a year or so later he was the one that announced to us that there was a baby in his Mommy's tummy! Baby Luke was the first baby Jason has ever held! Even though I feel a strong connection with the boys, I know deep down that Jason is their favorite and then maybe even Bucky! :)

Elizabeth has sent me some pictures over the past couple weeks of the boys with Kangarooy! They bring them everywhere! This is Sawyer feeding him and Caty "blue grass" nothing better than "blue grass" in Kentucky!

Luke and Kangarooy going on a road trip!

Where is Kangarooy? Oh wait...under Sawyers arm... on the way to school!

Even Kangarooy on the Potty!! :)

Happy Birthday Bucky-Boo!

 

Our new friend Katie has inspired me with some of her wonderful videos that she has made. This one doesn't even compare to hers but it was a good start for me. I figured I might as well start with one for our baby boy on his birthday! (November 1) Jason and I went to the Busby Marou concert on Oct 19. Its a band that is originally from Gladstone. They played this song, Biding Time, and it made me tear up thinking about how Bucky is waiting for us to come home. You all know how much Bucky means to Jason and I and we miss him SOOO much! Our nights after work just aren't the same without our walks around the neighborhood, trips to the park or hide-and-go-seek (we hide and he seeks!). Lately, we have been filling the void of Bucky with Tim Tams and ice cream! (Jason wants to invent the Tim Tam blizzard when we get home.)

Mt Larcom

Sundays are the only full day Jason and I have together, so we always try to make the most of it by traveling to near by beaches or exploring the area. On October 14, we decided to spend our Sunday hiking to the top of this mountain. Mt Larcom is only about 20 minutes from where we live. Its such a beautiful view from the bottom of the mountain we just knew that the view would be even better from the top!

 

This is a view of the mountian about half way of our hike! At this point in time, I had probably contemplated turning around about 5 times but my hiking coach kept pushing me on! :)

2 hours later we made it to the top and were so happy to be able to enjoy this beautiful view! This is a view of the island that Jason works on everyday, Curtis Island.

Another amazing view

I was so excited and proud of myself that I made it to the top!

Jason was thrilled that we made it to the top so that we could rest for a few minutes and he wouldnt have to hear me complain! haha

Holding on for dear life! Didnt realize I was so afraid of heights! A little too late now...only one way down and it took us 1.5 hours to hike back to the car.

Enjoying the beautiful view!

Fraser Island

With the work schedule that Jason has of six days a week and 12 hour days, it is extremely nice when he can finally get a long weekend off! After working 3 months and only having one day off a week, Jason was overdue for some time off to relax. Over the weekend of October 5-8, we figured what a better way to spend our time away than at a luxurious resort on Fraser Island. After only a 3.5 hour drive we arrived at the Ferry that took us over to the Island where we stayed for two nights at Kingfisher Bay Resort.

The Resort Lobby

We took a half day tour to Lake Mckenzie and The Rainforest. The lake was absolutely Beautiful and the clearest water we have ever seen. Fraser Island is completely made of sand, which helps filter the water to make it so clean and beautiful.

The road are all sand as well! This was such a fun ride! We were alot luckier than others on the road and didnt get stuck! Jason of course now wants to buy a 4 wheel drive vehicle so he can drive on the sandy roads! :)

Clear, Beautiful Water- Lake Mckenzie

When we reached the Rainforest we had a little friend that wanted to hang out with us! Only, you cant be fooled by his innocent face...Dingos are definitely not friendly! Luckily, we were with a large group and he knew he wouldnt stand a chance against all of us, so we just kepy eye contact and showed our dominance and were able to snap a few pictures at the same time. They say to never turn your back on a dingo, that is when they tend to attack. They also want to show their dominance especially with children, so they say to always keep your children close when out in the wild.

This was one of the few unlucky folks we saw get stuck along the way. As you can see, Jason and the others from the bus gave him a little push.

The beach at Fraser Island

 

Out to dinner on our last night at the Resort. We debated between the Seafood buffet or the Sand Bar for Pizza and Beer. The deciding factor was that the Seafood Buffet was $85 per person and seeing as I am not much of a Seafood fan, we didn'd feel like it would be worth it!! (Even if I was a fan of seafood...dont think that would have happened!)

Our new home

 This is our new home in Gladstone, Australia. Bechtel has provided us with housing over the next 2 years and we couldn't have been happier with what they gave us!  A brandnew, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath townhouse only about 7-10 minutes from the ferry that Jason takes to work every day. Our neighbors right next door are from Michigan/Illinois, we have become fast friends with them and enjoy getting together for dinner dates and game nights! Having Americans right next door help make it feel a little more like home as well!

The Kitchen.

View to the back patio

Living room- We were able to ship some things of our own over and then I did a little shopping to add more decor to make it feel like home!

 

Master Bedroom

One of the Guest Bedrooms

Half Bath- Notice the tiny sink!

Saying Goodbye...

In March 2012, Jason and I made the decision to relocate to Gladstone, Australia. Jason was given an opportunity with Bechtel that was impossible to turn down. We knew that we would eventually be faced with the decision to move but who who have thought it would be to AUSTRALIA! The contract is for 2 years, so we have made the decision to live it up "Down Under" and give any of our family and friends the opportunity to mark Australia off of their Bucket Lists and come visit!!   Over the next couple months we had alot to tie up in Lexington and alot of goodbyes to say. We listed the house in April and was sold in July! It was definitely a bittersweet feeling. We have so many memories that were made in our first home with family, friends and our baby boy, Bucky!

On June 20, 2012, Jason flew out of the Lexington Airport to made his long 30 hour trip to Gladstone! We were apart for 2 months, but in that time it gave Jason time to get settled in Gladstone and find our new home. I stayed back to finish up some loose ends and was fortunate enough to be a part of my Best Friend, Brieann's Wedding on August 11. :)

Grandma Stigall came to see him off!

Last Smith Family photo in front of our house! We are so fortunate to have such a supportive family. We would not have been able to make this all happen without them!

On August 26, 2012 I had to say goodbye to our baby boy. Its amazing how much an adorable little puppy can be such a huge part of our lives!

Although, we were sad to say goodbye to our baby for several months, he is in great hands with his Grandma and Grandpa Smith! We had the van packed full of all Bucky's favorite things!

On August 29, 2012, I said goodbye to my baby brother! Looking foward to his visit in May 2013, when Brian can take advantage of the 18 year old legal drinking age in Australia!

On August 30, 2012 I departed from the Cincinnati Airport. It was a bittersweet day, I had to say goodbye to my amazing family, but was going to finally be with Jason again after 2 months of being apart. I am one lucky girl to have such a close relationship with my Mama! I sure am going to miss our 5 o'clock phone calls! Now they will be 5pm in the US and 7am in AUS.

We are so blessed to have such an amazing Dad and Father-in-law that has always been so encouraging and supportive in the decisions that we make!

Wishing that Nicole would have decided to move with us! It would have been one less goodbye to have to say! Maybe we could get her to stay when she comes to visit in May! :)