yummy thai curry....

paul and i went out for lunch as usual, but walked to subway b/c it is close.  it was raining again and the rain drops were cold.  we had a late lunch so i did some laundry when we got back.  yes, i still know how to do it for those who are thinking some funny remarks about having an adjumonie.  :)  it was actually quite fun to do it.  i really like doing the laundry....nothing is better than warm, clean clothes out of the dryer.  :)  mmmmmmm..................

at dinner we took the tram to chapel st.  it is a fun street with lots of shops and restaurants that is about 15 minutes on the tram away.  we walked and walked and walked and walked.....did i mention we walked some more?  we finally found this really simple, plain thai place.  the waiter guy who also might be the owner was really friendly greeted us.  paul and i each had a thai curry which was yummy.  i thoroughly enjoyed mine.  it was pretty chilly yesterday so the warm, mild curry hit the spot.  

after dinner, we walked into a few stores.  one was jb hi-fi which is similar to best buy, kind of.  we looked at CDs, DVDs, and other electronic like things.  we are looking at photo printers to purchase so i can print out some of my pics i take and we also need a scanner.  so we looked and found a couple.  we will go back next week.........

then we went to cole's which is a grocery store.  we did not look that much b/c we were both kind of tired and cold.  we did get some candy treats from cadbury.  it was a mix box with lots of different kinds.  

we walked back to the video store to rent more DVDs of the west wing and then came home.  we ended up watching LOTS of west wing and finished season four which ended wonderfully with a lovely cliffhanger that makes you shout "ugh!" at the top of your lungs when the credits roll.  it was great.  we are going back to get season five.  :)

rain, rain, and more rain...

it has been raining lots here in melbourne.  folks are saying that it has not rained like this in some five years.  lucky us i guess.  they do need the rain b/c there is a drought here.  so paul and i have spent more time at home these last few days b/c of the weather.  

yesterday we went out for lunch around the corner from the house at a little place called "iSushi".  i thought it was good although paul thought it was just ok.  he is the official foodie of the family, so his opinion is valid.  then we went across the street for coffee at gloria jean's which is a chain here.  we do have one in seoul and it is at the airport.  i usually get one when i go to pick up folks or drop them off.  i had a flat white latte again which was quite tasty.  paul went back to the house and i went down toorak road to the video store to rent more west wing.  it rained and i was quite wet on the walk home.  i did take the tram most of the way home, but got off and still had to walk to the house.  i was damp when i got home and chilly too.  we spent the afternoon watching episodes of west wing while paul worked and i laid on the couch.  i did take a short nap before dinner.  i think i am pretty rested at this point as i am not napping as often.  this is a good thing, but i hate that i have to wait until holiday to catch up.  i am a girl who loves to sleep though.  :)  for dinner we ventured out to a nearby neighborhood called carlton.  it is really quaint.  there is a a street there called lygon street which has many italian restaurants.  it was raining so the decision for dinner was made quickly rather than walking around a lot beforehand.  we ate at a place called TiAmo.  we had pasta and it was good.  my favorite part was the bread was "free flowing", good, and already buttered.  yum!  i had ravioli and paul had tortellini.  after dinner we went to a couple shops---one being the oldest grocery store in melbourne (per paul) and the other a book store.  the grocery shop had LOTS of wine and cheese and other little knick knacky foods.  the book store was cool, but expensive.  then we walked the street and got some gelato for dessert.  he had hazelnut and i had a flavor called christmas candy.  both were yummy.  when we got home we finished watching the two discs of west wing i rented yesterday which totals eight episodes.  we went to bed quite late.  we are at a point in the show though that things are really good and exciting so it makes it hard to stop watching.  

i have not taken that many pics yet since we have spent much time at home.  i have a few so far and do plan to take more.  i just want to upload a group at once.  please be patient.  i am sure you all don't want to see a pic of the couch i have been laying on a lot since arriving down under.  :)

more clever title---R & R

Instead of saying that I ate and slept all day I am going to call it "Resting and Relaxing".  We ate lunch at a little Indian place that was a total dive down the road.  I was really leery at first, but the food was ok.  We had already walked past many places that I would and could have eaten at, but Paul was not satisfied with any of them.  :)  His lovely travel trait!  I really do love him lots.  He was really happy with the lunch choice.  We had a coffee at this little place on a side street which was really cool.  I had a Flat White which is a latte with less cream on top.  It was quite tasty.  It was called Zuccherro.  Nice place!  I took a long nap this afternoon while it rained like cats and dogs outside which is the perfect napping weather.  Wow it was great!  Dinner was at the little Asian place near the house called "@rice".  It was yummy and perfect.  The rainy afternoon brought cooler weather in the evening.  We made our trip to the local 7-11 for some treats and I got a good lemon drink I found earlier in the day called Solo.  We watched four episodes of West Wing and then I began research on what we should make sure to do while we are here.  We have two more weeks tomorrow and so I wanted to sort of come up with a plan.  The planning went well and we should be able to get everything in.  We have to work around Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day which are all holidays here.  Most things will be closed on those days.  

Gosh I love being on holiday!!!  

Eat and Sleep....

This pretty sums up my part of the day on Tuesday.  I slept in and then Paul and I walked down the road for some lunch at this little posh place called Bacash 175.  Crazy sophisticated.  I had some fried fish with potato croquettes or something.  Paul had a fancy filet with potatoes shaped like a pie.  It was nice and good, but a little fancy for me in the mid day.  Then we came back to the house so Paul could work.  I conveniently napped on the couch until Paul woke me for dinner.  We did watch some West Wing mid-afternoon, but not that much as I was napping for most of it.  We ate dinner on Toorak Road at a little place called Ecco---a little Italian place.  It was ok.  I had some seafood ravioli in lobster bisque and Paul had gnocchi.  It was tasty.  After dinner we rented some DVDs and got some treats at a convenient shop on the way home.  We did watch some more West Wing when we got home, but I fell asleep in the middle of the second episode.  Crazy me!  All I have to say is that I am on holiday no matter what country I am in.  Holiday does mean I can nap and rest as much as I want.  

Today was much more productive.  Again, Paul let me sleep in.  Gosh, I love him!  Then we headed into the city---aka Central Melbourne.  We found some lunch after walking about for a bit (Paul's signature traveling trait).  We ate at a place called Food Inc.  I had a panini sandwich that was quite good.  Yum!  I washed it down with a latte and piece of cheesecake before going shopping.  Paul stayed at the cafe to work while I advetured out.  I had to do some Christmas shopping as well as scope out a few places I really wanted to visit.  The first must was the Crumpler bag store.  OH MY....I was in heaven and did find my next bag purchase.  It is a lovely brown messenger bag with an orange stripe.  The folks working there were great too.  Crumpler bags rock!  Then I went looking for the Birkenstock Boutique shop that I had found online.  It was wonderful too.  I tried on a few and asked some questions.  I did find some wares I would like, but will most likely wait until we are back in America this summer to purchase.  It would most likely be cheaper there than here.  I love Birks!  My definite top choice for shoes.  Then I wandered about into many little shops here and there making purchases.  I met back up with Paul to go over to Queen Victoria Market which on Wednesdays in the summer there is a night market from 5:30-10pm.  WOW!  It was incredible.  Lots of shops and artsy things.  It was really fun and I loved much of the items there.  I did make some more purchases and I think Paul might say that I am "finished" in Melbourne with shopping.  It was really a great experience.  A bit muggy and warm, but the vibe of the place was wicked cool.  I would totally recommend it to anyone.  After the market we started "looking" for somewhere to eat for dinner....we walked for blocks and blocks and nothing quite suited Paul.  We decided to make our way back to the house via tram and go to a Thai place nearby.  When we finally arrived home Paul realized it was almost 10pm, so we went back to Cafe Rosco instead.  We had pizza and then walked home.  It was raining on our way home....just a light rain.  Once we got here it poured down like mad.  We have been watching a few more West Wing while Paul worked and I crocheted.  I finished my projects I have been working on.  

Hope all is well for each of you!!!  xo

G'day Mates!

Melbourne is great!  The weather is awesome, the food is good, and the people are nice.  We arrived yesterday about 9:40 in the morning and Michelle's dad picked us up at the airport to bring us to the house.  We took a nap and then ventured out to see the neighborhood.  We found some dinner at a little pizza cafe called Cafe Rosco.  We had an "Aussie" pizza which was really good.  After dinner we walked down a main street near the house called Toorak Road and there are lots of cute shops and eateries.  We came home and watched a few episodes of West Wing before turning in the for the night.  

Today we slept in, at least I did.  Gosh I love my husband!  Then we bought tram tickets to get to the city.  The area where we are staying is a suburb area called South Yarra (y-air-ra) and it takes about ten minutes or so by tram to get into the city.  It was super easy.  The lady at the convenient store figured out it was cheaper to buy weekly tickets.  On the tram we were able to see the sights a bit before getting off.  We got off the tram early to walk a bit and see what was in the area.  For those who have not traveled with Paul yet please note that he loves to walk around and see stuff.  We walked up and down the major streets in the area hunting for free wi-fi which we have not found yet.  We were also looking for our lunch destination--Wagamama.  It is a Japanese noodle place that I ate at in London five years ago while in Europe.  It took us a while to find, but did manage to locate it eventually.  My lunch was really yummy---a chicken curry dish.  Paul had some noodles.  After lunch Paul worked there since they did have free wi-fi and I walked around the area.  I went to Target and Big W (basically Wal-Mart) and to Myer which is a big department store.  I peeked in a few stores, but nothing of major interest to note.  They have many shopping arcades that are inside of breezeways in larger buildings.  I made my way back to Paul and we went for a fancy hot chocolate at a place called Max Brenner's Chocolate Bar.  I had dark hot chocolate and Paul had dark orange hot chocolate.  We shared a chocolate dip which was a small dish of pure melted chocolate with strawberries for dipping.  It was delicious.  We got back on the tram to head back to the house where we both napped before dinner.  Then we took the tram to  Chapel Street.  This street is a popular place for shopping and small restaurants.  After walking up and back on the street looking at menus and such (Paul factor again) we settled on a place called Cafe Greco.  It was ok.  It was Greek and we both had souvlakis.  We are back at home to relax for the evening and probably watch some West Wing.  I know that Paul has to do some more work and I will probably work on crochet projects.  

Tomorrow I think we might take it easy and hang out near the house.  I am going to do some research and planning on what we will do while we are here other than eat and walk.  :)  

Did I mention the weather is gorgeous???  My birks and I are loving getting to know one another again.  :)

the holiday has arrived....

yeah the holidays are officially here and we are headed down under for the break. melbourne bound! we leave today and will be there until january 4th. i hope it will a fun time as well as relaxing and restful.

school was rough the last few weeks b/c the kids are hyped up and ready for the holiday as much as the teachers are. lots of interruptions in the schedule and lots of holiday parties and such. crazy. i made it and that is all that matters. we had our class party on wednesday which was lots of fun and then had a polar express day on friday. the kids in my class wore their pajamas to school just like the kids in the book. it was good fun! i love that book.

paul and i are ready for our trip and it is not even time to leave yet which is great. :) we usually wait until the last minute. i plan to blog often while in melbourne so stay tuned for updates. :)

merry christmas and a happy new year to all of you!!! (in case we don't get to chat before)