this is happening

who has her last week of work this week?  i do.

who can't believe she is leaving a job in this economy to take a huge risk with a man she loves?  i can't.

who has wanted to do something like this her whole life?  i have.

who is missing her boyfriend terribly while he is a whole world and a day away from her?  i am.

who can't believe that same boyfriend got her flowers for her last week of work?  i can't.

who thinks these are the most beautiful flowers ever?  i do.

days left until departure:  10.

who is so excited to see what God has in store for her future?  i am.

updates from the land down under

sorry my posts have been less frequent than i had hoped.  I have been a little busy getting everything in order for the new trip and spending time with loved ones before i leave.  however, when i get to australia, i hope to be updating the blog every few days with whatever adventures or stories come my way so bear with me until then. 

for those of you who don't know, jim already left for the land down under last friday.  we have been communicating every day as much as we can between the time changes.  it has pretty much worked like this: 

i wake up at 5am to talk to him before he goes to bed (around 9:30pm in australia).
then, around lunchtime i hear from jim again when he is waking up (around 4:30 - 6:00am in australia)
then, we will reconnect when i am going to bed around 9 - 10pm (around 1 - 2pm in australia)

It is weird!  Needless to say, we are looking forward to being in the same time zone, again.

ANYWAY, i wanted to share with you a few of the updates i have received from the land down under jim. 

yesterday, jim went to the mall which i understand is literally two blocks from the apartment (this could be baaaaaaad for me).  apparently, while everything else is three times as expensive in australia, clothing prices are not (again, this could be baaaaaaad for me).

and the stuff looks CUTE!  (see how this could be baaaaaad for me??)

and to pay for the many items i am sure i will buy at this mall we have...... MONOPOLY MONEY!

yup.  that's australian currency.  very colorful AND a little more expensive for us americans... the exchange rate right now is 1 USD = .96 AUD. 

and to show you some real life pictures from our apartment, here is the view from the front balcony which is the smaller of the two balconies.

and here is the view from the larger of the two balconies on the pioneer river side....

the pioneer river is a tidal river so when the tide from the ocean is up; the river is up.  when the tide from the ocean is down; the river is down (that is what you are seeing here). 

jim's report is that i am going to absolutely love it there.  so far, he is enjoying it very much, but we are both anxious to start this journey TOGETHER!  T minus 16 days!!!

our humble abode

in october, jim was able to visit our new hometown: mackay, queensland. during his visit the relocation agent took him around to various options available to us when we move. she primarily wanted to get an idea of what part of town we wanted to stay in based on things we like to do, age, personality, etc.

we were choosing between living right on the beach but not as close to the central business district (CBD - aka. downtown) versus living in the CBD where there would be lots to do with lots of people our age.

if you know me at all you know i was pushing for downtown even though the alternative was definitely just as appealing. in the end, though, the CBD prevailed for many reasons:

• easy access to the attractions and younger crowd the cbd offers - shopping mall, target, restaurants, etc.
• most likely close to where i will find a job
• still 10 minutes from the beach so it's not like it's far away

now onto the apartment we chose. i cannot tell a lie when i say this excursion will truly feel like a 10 month vacay, especially when you see our new living quarters. three bedrooms in case anyone wants to visit!

floor plan:

kitchen and dining area:

family room:

master bedroom:

master bath:

balcony that spans the family room and master bed:

And now you know why the blog title... 'aroo with a view.

check it out... i started a blog!

wow.... this is EXHILARATING, doing something you have always wanted to do but never took the time to do it! After typing that sentence I realize the previous statement is true on two accounts:

1) starting a blog.

2) the main reason i am starting a blog.......

i am starting this blog to share a new adventure my boyfriend, jim, and i are about to begin. jim's company has given him a 'you-cannot-pass-it-up' opportunity to gain some international engineering experience in a land far, far away.... you may have heard of it - australia!!! i just happen to be dating the very right guy at the very right time; so, i am joining him!

i will include several more details in upcoming posts like when we are leaving, where we are staying, what we are doing, etc. you know, stuff you may or may not be interested in hearing. but i really hope you do because i want take you all on the adventure with me - via this blog, of course.

happy reading.