The Harts

Home Sweet Home

2012-02-05T18:25:00.005+10:00

Welcome to our new home in Acacia Ridge, Queensland! It is an older house but I like to say it has character. The rooms and kitchen are newly painted and we are so happy to be in our own place!

We have a cute little garden on the side of our house and with all the rain we've been having in the last couple weeks, these little beauties just popped right up!
The is our lounge room and the first room you walk into when you enter the house.
Heath's sister, Renae, was moving at the same time and getting rid of some furniture, which included the book shelves! We have minimal furniture so we were happy to take these for free!
This is the dining room
And the kitchen, which is right of the dining room. We finally have a kitchen with a dishwasher which surprisingly enough we still don't use! I guess when it's just 2 people living here, it's just easier to wash them by hand then waste water and wash a few dishes. Maybe I've just been washing dishes by hand for too long!
Back door to our...
Backyard! In the left hand corner you will see a clothes line, which is standard in a Queensland house, as most people do not have dryers. Lucky for us, I found a bargain at a yard sale and scored us one for $30! No more hanging the clothes on the line.
Newly renovated bathroom.
Our favorite room by far...the Theatre Room.

And last but not least, our bedroom. The white box on the wall is our air-conditioning unit. Air-conditioning was a prerequisite while we were house shopping and all the rooms have air-conditioning units (thank goodness!) which, again, is not a standard in a Queensland house. I don't know how people build houses here and not have ducted air-conditioning! Guess the Aussies are really "green" here.
And here is our old TV, which Heath said we couldn't get rid of when we upgraded so it ended up in our room. Now, the cricket is on 24/7...Joy!
We also have one other room but I have not posted pictures because it has become the "I don't know where to put this" room. We have a spare bed, couches, clothes, shoes, vacuum, picture frames, etc. so I might post pictures at a later date when it actually looks like a room.

Heath and I lived in a tiny unit when we first got married (and when I say tiny, I mean it consisted of a bed room, which flowed into another room crammed with couches and a sink for a kitchen). We lived in this unit for 8 months in which after we moved to his sister's house, Jade, to save money while he finished school. We have been living at that house for almost 2 years. Although we had our own space in the downstairs part of the house, there is nothing like being in your own place!

So proud of this guy

2011-12-20T20:37:00.003+10:00

Well done babe! You did it!

Cousins

Christmas Tree, Thanksgiving, Couples Retreat, Tennis, Summer!!

2011-12-01T18:25:00.007+10:00

I feel like I never have anything to blog about and then I realized I actually took pictures of some stuff we've been up to!

Well let's start with Christmas Tree. Heath's family tradition is to put it up November 1st but my family tradition is after Thanksgiving. So we decided to meet in the middle and do it Nov 12th. Why not enjoy the tree longer???

I had to work on Thanksgiving so I put Heath in charge of the turkey. I told him he would ruin Thanksgiving if he ruins the turkey...
He did a beautiful job! (he was so proud of himself) And you can't have Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie! Only paid $6.99 for the canned pumpkin (crazy, I know)
We made this little purchase just before Thanksgiving...on sale for $25!!
Starting from me going left: Courtney, David, Carol (David's mom), Jordan (friend who's family lives in America), Cody, Ben (American bro-in-law), and Hope
The day after Thanksgiving, we made plans to go to the Sunshine Coast for our annual Couples Retreat! We didn't do anything last year but the year before we went camping at Stradbroke Island. Heath and I planned this year and decided to stay in apartments at Marcoola beach.

View from our room!

Couldn't go a day at the beach without playing beach cricket! (David below)

Courtney playing in the outfield!

Brad

James "bowling" (the pitcher)

And lastly, Heath and Travis (bro-in-law) had their tennis tournament last night and won!! I think Heath is ready for the Brisbane International.

Just thought I'd throw this last picture in....this is a tree in front of our house that just all of a sudden blossomed with bright orange flowers!! (this photo does not do the colors justice) I love living in a tropical climate! I'm definitely ready for summer!

Trinity, Trinity, Trinity...

2011-11-01T20:02:00.004+10:00

I have lost my camera so that's why there are not more pictures from our Halloween Party this weekend! But here are the winners for best costumes...

Best female: Melissa! (with her husband Richard as her victim) Look at her freaky eyes!

Best male: James as Hellboy (he's been the Hulk, Avatar, Hellboy...what color will he do next year?)
And best dressed couple... the Pitmans! Paige was Bellatrix Lestrange and Travis was a Death Eater. The best part of their costume was the "Dark Mark" tattoo they had!
And this is Heath and I! Heath couldn't stop saying "Trinity" all night long. It was a fun party but I'm ready for someone else to host next year!

Festivities!

2011-10-26T19:00:00.003+10:00

I love this time of year! It really makes me miss home and all the fun things we do to get ready for the fall season. I put my big bowl of candy and other Halloween decorations out the first week of October and Heath was wondering why I was putting it out already, and I kept telling him "It's for the FESTIVITIES!" I love getting in the Halloween spirit!

Heath is enjoying my homemade pumpkins cookies. Australia doesn't have canned pumpkin (unless you go to an American store, then its like $20 for 1 can) so I decided to cook and mash my own pumpkin. The cookies turned out okay, but there's just something about that canned pumpkin that makes the cookies so much better!
Carving pumpkins! Heath didn't not get to carve a pumpkin with me last year, so this was his first time! He really enjoyed it! Next year we will get our own pumpkins to carve.
Ghostface and LORD VOLDEMORT(The Allens pumpkin)!

Can't wait for our Halloween Party this weekend!

Any guesses what Heath and I are going to be this year??? (Hint: we are a couple from a movie)

I have to brag again...

2011-09-28T19:49:00.003+10:00

Heath had his Football Awards night and won 3 awards!

1. Best in Finals

2. Runner-Up Best & Fairest (similar to the MVP award. Heath missed 2 games and the guy that won only won by 4 points, so he was so close to winning!)

3. Named on the Team of the Year (in previous post)

Congrats babe! Now onto the next sport... Tennis!

Heath just entered in a tennis competition and I thought I would join the fun and take some tennis lessons. Maybe I'll do a competition next year....

I love this guy...

2011-09-14T19:40:00.003+10:00

Congrats to my hubby for making the Team of the Year! I am so proud of you!

Just doing a flip after kicking a goal!

Happy Australian Father's Day

2011-09-03T20:39:00.005+10:00

Happy Australian Father's Day to my Aussie dad, Tom! I came across these photos (thanks to Paige) and thought I would share...

True Aussie...loves his cricket!

Proud Father of 8 children! Thanks for all you support us with! We love you!

Forever and always

2011-08-28T15:40:00.004+10:00

Yes, I've been "pinteresting"....and I've come across this quote. This was my favorite book to read with my mom growing up. For my 21st birthday, my mom shipped this book over to me for my birthday present. I don't think I've ever cried so much when I opened the package and saw that book!

I think I've become more sensitive to this book now that I am older and it has become more real to me that I have "grown up" and someday (not for a LONG time) will be taking care of my sweet mother, who spend sleepless nights rocking me back and forth and back and forth and back and forth...even up until I was 20 years old when I moved away from home.

Thank you for always being there for me when I need you, Mom, even when you are half way across the world!

And a special welcome to my new baby nephew Gavin, born on August 27th, 6 lbs 5 oz...you are so handsome!!

Take Me to Paris

2011-08-23T18:00:00.003+10:00

I love leaving love notes for Heath around the house..

I hope he appreciates them so much that I can do this someday!
I hope he gets the hint!

Dad...

2011-08-20T15:48:00.002+10:00

All those times you asked me "Who's gonna make tacos when I'm dead?"

I will! Look at these homemade yummy tacos! The only thing that's missing is your fresh jalapeno mix...

2 Years...

2011-07-29T21:52:00.003+10:00

It was our 2 year anniversary and I feel like it was our 50th!

We kept it pretty low key...we both worked the whole day and then I came home to flowers, chocolate, and a mushy love note. We opened presents the night before because I couldn't wait to give Heath his present...Enrique Igelsias tickets! I know, you're thinking "What the..." but he is a closet Enrique fan. He has only been to one concert in his whole life so I thought this would be really fun! I hid the tickets in a golf ball box so he had no idea!

Back to our anniversary day....I came home to all these lovely things and then we went out to Mexican food (which is now a tradition for us on our anniversary). I picked up a little cake after work and we went to these cliffs that overlook Brisbane river and went on a romantic walk and had cake. We made it an early night (we both had to work early the next day) and went home, watched Harry Potter, and had hot Milos. Even though we sound like a couple of old people, it was the perfect anniversary!

The girls are back together!

2011-07-10T12:13:00.003+10:00

For the last month, I have had my best friend McKenna staying with me! We have had so much fun and I was so sad to see her leave! Here are a FEW (I am horrible at remembering to bring my camera...see The Allens blog for more) photos of her visit.

One of our many adventures was the Glow Worm Caves. These caves are filled with little tiny worms that glow in the dark. I wish I had a better camera that could capture this but all the pictures turned out black. But here is McKenna getting her hair caught in a tree on our hike there!

Buffet breakfast in the Gold Coast for McKenna's 21st!

Burleigh beach with the girls
Thanks for visiting us girlfriend! Please come back again soon!!

Here it is!

2011-05-29T22:51:00.002+10:00

Warning: There is a Part I and Part II to our Thailand Adventure so grab some popcorn to watch it!

Almost there...

2011-05-20T08:11:00.006+10:00

I have been meaning to post pictures of Thailand but we decided to do a whole video of photos and videos and we have almost finished editing it! But here is a sneak preview of what we did....

Phi Phi Island (Pronounced Pee-Pee)

Spicy!!

My favorite part of the trip...the elephants!!

PS- Check out Mrs. Allen's blog for LOTS more photos!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T19:38:00.002+10:00

to the best Mom ever!

You have supported me, cried with me, taught me by example, strengthened my testimony, and encouraged me to be better everyday. I don't know where I would be without you! Thank you for all you do!!

Isn't she so beautiful!!

Beach it

2011-03-30T20:21:00.004+10:00

While the boys were at footy....

Courtney and I decided to go to the mall and the beach! How cute is this little crab!! I was laying down and I felt this little tickle on my leg and I look down and see this little crab trying to crawl up on me! (sorry for the blurry pictures)

Even though I miss my family like crazy, I feel so lucky to live in this beautiful country!! Look at this beach!
And I just love this girl!! She is my family while I'm here and I don't know what I would do without her!

And so it begins...

2011-03-15T18:36:00.006+10:00

Football season!

Heath currently plays Australian football (AFL) so every Saturday I have the opportunity to see him play. I never really enjoyed watching sports like NFL or anything but watching Heath play football is actually a lot of fun and very entertaining! Its kind of hard to explain so here's a video to explain...

Watch out for # 11!

Being crafty

2011-03-09T18:59:00.006+10:00

I have never done a scrapbook in my life. When I married Heath, my mother-in-law passed on the lovely duties of finishing my husband's mission scrapbook. I have to admit that its taken me 1 1/2 years to get started on this baby but I have really enjoyed doing it! It has been fun looking at all of his mission pictures and being able to listen to all of his experiences there, by looking at the photos. It makes me excited to visit Japan in June!!! Here's what I've done so far (sorry for the blurry picture, no sure why it turned out that way).

And now I'm off to cook these!

mmmMMmmm jalapeno poppers!

New Hair Cut and a Birthday...

2011-03-06T21:22:00.003+10:00

Here's some photos of Heath getting his hair cut...about time!

I think my nephew is trying to figure out what Heath's holding...or he's just enjoying picking his nose.

And its all shaved off!!

David's birthday party was originally at a park but it got rained out so I voluneered my house. I wish I took more pictures but he is the one picture of got of David blowing out his birthday candles. The big 27! Courtney and I made the birthday cake. It was pretty good!

Not much else has been going on around Brisbane. 7 weeks till Thailand! I'm already trying to think of what I should pack....

Michael

2011-02-15T19:11:00.004+10:00

Buble! What an entertainer! He is such a talented man and so down to earth! Not only was he fun to watch, and in between songs, he was so interactive with the crowd. I really enjoyed seeing him!Irene, me, Jade, and Renae rockin our Buble shirts

Wish I took more photos but we had awesome seats! We were towards the back of the theater on the floor, but halfway through the show he came out and stood on a little stage RIGHT next to our seats! So fun!

Australia Day and Sea World

2011-02-07T21:13:00.005+10:00

Here are a couple pictures from Australia Day (Jan 26, I know I'm a little late). These are my two nieces Paige and Georgia showing their Aussie Pride!

Heath on the barbie (pronounced "bawbie")

My homemade lamingtons! This is a popular Australian dessert. Its sponge cake covered in chocolate and coconut shavings. Yuuuummmm!

Onto Seaworld..

I love these sea lions!!!

Here is the beach next to Sea World. I love all the beaches in Australia! They are so clean and beautiful, and the water is so clear.

And here's a little video...enjoy!

Besties for Life

2011-01-31T17:13:00.009+10:00

In the last two years, I moved to Australia, married my lovely husband, had my best friend visit, hook her up with Heath's best friend, and then they get married!! Its pretty crazy how it all happened but I am sooo happy that Courtney lives in Australia with me! Whenever we're together, we can remember the good ol' days, make fun of Australians, make mexican food together, and listen to rap music! I don't know what I would do without her here! Its also convenient that our husbands are best friends so we are able to spend a lot of time together.

This week, we had the opportunity to go to the beach twice together (this is rare).

This is Courtney playing beach cricket. I didn't get a good photo of her in action, but here is her waiting by the stumps (to her right), getting ready to run (the t-shirt is for the sunburn from the day before)

Me and hubby...you know your husband's hair is long when he asks you to put it up for him.

Here's a little video of the boys....

Queenslanders

2011-01-16T15:48:00.006+10:00

I have never been part of a natural disaster. I've always seen them on TV and thought "wow, that would be terrible" and move on with life.

This week, I have experienced a flood that has destroyed thousands of homes and businesses just down the street from me in Brisbane, Queensland. Officials have said that this is the biggest clean up since WWII. Our house was fortunate to not be affected directly with flood water but we have been affected by decreased resources, such as water, food, and the means to go to work. I was able to go to the Brisbane River to see some of the damage to the riverside...here are some pictures.

This is along the Brisbane river, I work on the other side near those tall buildings. I was unable to go to work for 2 days because they turned the power off to everything.
The lines you see sticking out of the water are hand rails for side walks that go along the river. I would go running here twice a week with a group of girls. This picture is after the peak of the flood and the water is still 4-5 feet tall.

Here are the steps that go down to the sidewalk.

Here is a dock for ferries that travel across the river. The blue sign used to be standing up. This river must of been flowing pretty viciously to knock that sign over!

This is a traffic light near our house. Heath's football club is just down the street...under water.And in the midst of all the chaos, we welcomed a new baby niece to the world, Lacey! She was born 1/11/11. A drive that would normally take us 20 minutes took us almost an hour to get to the hospital. There were so many flooded streets there. My sister-in-law just barely made it to the hospital before they closed the roads for flooding.

I am so grateful for this gospel and living prophets that teaching us about being prepared. Over the last couple weeks, I have researched food storage and 72 hours kits and how to get started, but I was not prepared for this to happen. We experienced power outages in our neighborhood, risk of water contamination, and stores running out of food! Can you imagine going to the grocery store and seeing no food on the shelves?

As for the title of this post...the clean up for this disaster has been AMAZING! They are turning away volunteers because there is so many! I cannot believe how Australians from all over the state have gone to devastated towns to help clean up. A lot of people have provided free BBQs, shelter, and a shoulder to lean on in these hard times. It is so incredible to see these people put their hands up and help one another out. The "Australian spirit" is very much like the common saying here "no worries, mate"; they put a helping hand out to everyone. It has been so touching to see this in action.

The biggest lesson I have learned is this: Listen to a prophet. They constantly preach to us about being prepared in the last days, and this is one of those things that I wasn't prepared for. I don't think anyone expects something like this to happen to them.

Please keeps the Queenslanders in your prayers!

Summer Lovin

2010-11-14T16:13:00.004+10:00

Just a sneak peak at what we've been doing since summer has come around... Southbank! Our beach sanctuary when we can't get to the real thing.

14 more sleeps till we're in AMERICA!!!

Wake up Australia, its Halloween!!

2010-11-01T18:42:00.004+10:00

Halloween is not a very celebrated holiday in Australia (I had people at work asking when Halloween was?? What the heck??) so Heath and I decided we would throw a party! To start off the Halloween festivities, we had to carve a pumpkin (thanks Renae!). Heath had a sore ear and had just put drops in so he just took notes :)

Next item of business...COSTUMES! My favorite part of Halloween is coming up with costumes. We thought we would do a Batman theme (thanks for the photos Ben).
David and Courtney aka Dwight and Pippy Longstocking

Avatar, Lady Gaga, and Superman!

Bobbing for apples. Go Julie!
Whats a party without some creepy treats! Thanks Jade for providing the bloody fingers!

Here are the decoration for the backyard (after the party)

We also did a mini Haunted House but I am dumb and did not get pictures! We had a great time and thanks everyone for coming!

Travel Bug

2010-10-06T20:19:00.004+10:00

We just recently caught the Travel bug. Here's what we have planned over the next 6 months...

The first stop...AMERICA! Oh America, how I miss your 89 cent, 32 oz fountain drinks, Wal Mart, and MY FAMILY!! This is the trip that I am, by far, looking forward to the most! It has been 1 1/2 since I have been to my homeland and I am so excited to catch up with my family and friends and spend the festive holidays in the cold weather (Queensland is disgustingly hot in December).Next stop, Thailand. This my tour guide aka Hubby. He has been there several times and knows all the great places to go. We are also going with our good friends David and Courtney. We are sooo excited!

And the next place we want to go to...Japan! This is where Heath served his mission. He is currently studying secondary education in Japanese so he continues to speak Japanese fluently.

Till then...54 days till America! I can't wait to see you all!!

Babies!

2010-09-27T19:28:00.005+10:00

All of our young married friends have babies! Matt and Jade have Pacey (4 months), James and Amy have Weston (4 weeks), Brad and Lechae have Peyton (5 weeks), and Angela and Alex have Riley, just yesterday! So, as the single married people (does that make sense?), we are the designated babysitters! We love our friends' babies and are always delighted to babysit! (As long as we can give them back at the end of the night)

Recently we babysat for Matt and Jade so they could go on a date. We had dinner together...

We took lots of photos together...

We played together...
And had a really great night! I hope this makes Kim and Ethan a little jealous of what they're missing out on :) Pacey fills the void of the nieces and nephews I left in America. I can't wait to play with all of you!! And meet the little Miss Ava and Miss Ivy

Remember that 1 year anniversary we had 2 months ago? Well I was going through the camera and this is what I found...Our two person spa bath :)MarketsBeautiful beach

And to top off a great weekend of celebrating our first year, we ate MEXICAN! My hubby knows what I love. Unfortunately, the food didn't compare to the authentic Arizonian mexican food, but it satisfied my cravings till December.

Thanks for a wonderful first year (and two months)!!

Netball Grand Final

2010-09-21T19:11:00.004+10:00

I haven't blogged about the whole netball season but it has been a lot of fun. We have had our ups and downs of wins and losses, good and bad refs, but all in all, it was a great season! Not to mention we won the Grand Final 32-19!! Here are a few pictures from the Grand Final... Me, wing attack (WA) trying to block someone

Heath and Jade Krok passing back and forth to each other like natural basketball players

Cody and his dreads...love it!!

Heath, scoring us some points!!

#1!!

They gave us glass mugs for winning

Congrats to Team Chaos!! I look forward to the next sport....indoor soccer!

One year

2010-07-16T23:58:00.005+10:00

Can you believe its been one year since we were sitting out in 112 degree weather taking wedding photos?!

It has been a wondful first year of marriage! Thank you to my loving husband for remembering to put the toilet seat down, teaching me how to cook and hang clothes up on the line, and loving me unconditionally (even when I'm grumpy). I love you HEAPS!

Something new..

2010-06-29T18:54:00.003+10:00

I am now playing netball!

What is netball you say? Well, netball is like basketball, but a simpiler version, and mostly played by girls. There is no dribbling and no running with the ball, and no backboard on the hoop! I'm not sure on all the details of the game yet, but I will learn! All my sister-in-laws are playing, as well as Heath and Cody (we're playing a mixed team). I'm excited to start exercising and learn a sport I've never played before.

First game is Monday!! More posts to come...

Its your Birthday!

2010-05-24T20:03:00.002+10:00

Happy Birthday to my Hunny! He turned a quarter of a century on Sunday.

He is number 11. He plays for a local AFL (Australian Football League) team, the Yeronga Devils. His team mates call him "Heater" because he can turn on the heat and run really fast!

His birthday treat, complimentary from Lonestar. Yum!

You are talented, smart, handsome, funny, athletic, and fun! I love you heaps and heaps!

Bachelorette Party!

2010-05-17T19:26:00.001+10:00

I decided to throw Courtney a little Bachelorette Party in Brissy before she leaves! It was a pretty eventful night.

The Bride-to-be and Mommy-to-be

All the preggers women...which was most of our guests! haha

Courtney got me a stripper, so I decided to return the favor! (This is our friend Sam that Courtney doesn't know...she really thought it was a stripper)

The partay girls

Garuvas...beautiful restaurant! We had our own private little room and we got to take off our shoes, kick up our feet, and relax!

Courtney and her two new sister-in-laws!

All the pregnant people went home and we stayed out and partied!

Sexy ladies!

I love dancing with my clubbing buddy!!

Happy Bachelorette Party Court! Wish I could come to America for the wedding....but I'm glad you're going to be living in Australia with me for the next couple years!

xoxo

To the most wonderful woman in the world

2010-05-09T14:40:00.000+10:00

Happy Mother's Day! As I have been reflecting about my mother on Mother's Day, I have remembered all the times she has laughed, cried, and given me good advice. I am so grateful for a mother who supports in me in everything I do, even if it is moving half way across the world. She is hardworking, understanding, wise, kind, and full of service. Thank you for being the best mother anyone could ask for!!

How grateful I am to be her daughter!! Hurry up and get to Australia!

Go Broncos!

2010-05-02T22:29:00.000+10:00

Friday night, Heath got free tickets from work to a Rugby game. It is a professional league and the team in Brisbane is called the Broncos. Thanks Heath, for getting the managers to love you and give you free tickets :)

Everytime the Broncos score a try, they have fireworks and a bronco run around the stadium. A try is whenever the team scores (similar to a touchdown I guess). Yay!!

After the game, we caught a train home. (We caught a bus there) This is the first time I've ever caught a train in my life so I was pretty excited!

Brad and Lechae....Brad is not excited because he takes the train everyday. Lechae is happy because she is 6 1/2 months pregant!

Home is Where the Hart Is

2010-05-01T11:08:00.000+10:00

Its been a month since we've moved into our new place and I still haven't posted pictures! So I cleaned up as much as I can so I can show my family where I live!

I'll just preface the house and say that it is a classic example of an "old Queensland house". To the looks on the outside, to the walls, to the tiles (or no tiles) to the old style bathrooms. But we love it and have made it as cozy as possible so we can call it Home.

Welcome to Chateau de Hart/Allen! James and Amy Allen live in the upstairs part of the house. It has its own kitchen, dining, bathroom, lounge, and bedrooms so its separate from the bottom part of the house, where we live.

Front lounge room...

Here is the new kitchen that the boys put in..

Bathroom

See the mirror on the floor? $10 on ebay! We bought that to replace the other tiny mirror.

The is the view from the bathroom window.. Heath and David cleaning up the backyard. He's such a hard worker :)Dining/Theater room

Back yard

The yard and patio have a lot of potential! Its on our list of thing to fix up.

View from the back part of the yard.

Last but not least, the bedroom. It needs SERIOUS attention but we'll get there :)

We do enjoy our big walk in closet, but I'll show pictures another day when we've organized it :)

And that is our home! Lindsay and Lucy, there is plenty of room for you and your families to visit!!

Can't wait for Mom to visit in June :)

Golfing

2010-01-25T17:55:00.000+10:00

On a lazy Saturday, we had to get out of our humid, sticky, hot house so we decided to go to the driving range (believe it or not, its actually nicer outside than in our toaster oven apartment)

I was all over my short game!

Heath was better at driving :)

Just like my own dad, Heath tries to play golf every week. He was thrilled when I asked him to go to the driving range!

On a side note...

I've been busy cooking new recipes from 4 new recipes books that I got for Christmas and my birthday. Thanks James and Amy for my muffin makers and measuring cups!

LONG Overdue...

2010-01-05T17:35:00.000+10:00

My blog. It has been so long since I've written anything. It has been a very fun, exciting, and eventful few months! This month, I will be married for 6 months. 6 months! It has been so fun and I love Heath more and more everyday. There have been a lot of firsts in our first few months in our marriage and that includes our first Christmas together. We bought a little $15 tree and some decorations.

I learned something funny about Heath...he is very particular about the star! It had to be perfectly straight. It was pretty hard to balance a star that was as heavy as our tree.

At the end of November, we went on a trip to Stradebroke Island. We went fishing on this pier where there were dolphins swimming right next to it! We tried to get pictures but they wouldn't stick around because we had no food. I love this picture of Heath because he looks like a young version of his dad! :)

Heath's cousin Brad, and his wife Lechae

James and Amy! They are the couple that we do everything with...we dated at the same time, married at the same time, and now they are pregnant! We will not be doing that anytime soon...

The young and lovely couple, Courtney and Dave. Come back to Australia!

My bestie

Amy using a homemade fishing rod (or wheel)

There is a long walk you can take along these cliffs and we decided to jump over the fence and climb down to this secluded cove.

While visiting Stradebroke Island, we decided to visit the spot Heath proposed to me at. Since no one in my family has been to this place or have seen pictures, I'm excited to share these!

We were lucky to have my parents come visit in December. We drove down to Sydney to reunite with them. We went sailing on the harbor, celebrated Christmas early, shopped, played tennis...it was a blast! (See mine or my mom's Facebook for photos)

On the way home, we stopped by the Big Banana and got a banana shake, Heath's favorite

Now skipping to Christmas day. We spent the night at his mum's place and woke up in the morning with all the grandkids. It was a lot of fun but it made me miss my own family. This is a picture of Heath and I when we woke up.

Heath surprised me completely by buying me a budgie for Christmas! His name is Sammy

Can you see whats hiding in our tree?

There he is! (Thanks for the cute ornament Mom)

After Christmas, Kim and Ethan came to Queensland to visit us! I was so happy that they came, even though it had only been a couple weeks since we'd seen them.

Me and Atticus-I love this baby!

Kim and Ethan also got to stay for my birthday party. Since I was turning 21, I decided to have a Vegas Party. Everyone had to dress up in nice evening apparel or Vegas apparel and we set up tables to play poker, blackjack, and roulette (we played with just chips, no money)

Finalists in the Poker Tournament

I was so happy that Kim came to my party. It was nice to have someone there from my family.

Thanks Barb for making my cake! Yum!

My sister-in-law Irene....she is about to pop!

We gave out prizes to chips leaders in Poker and Blackjack, and also best dressed. Guess who got best dressed.....Mrs. Vegas Beauty and Thunder Down Under Hottie!

And that is the last 3 months summed up! I hope 2010 is as great as 2009 was!

Night Out

2009-09-18T18:30:00.001+10:00

Last weekend, Heath and I went to the River Fire. What it is is they have a massive firework show all along the Brisbane River and then at the end they have these F11's (I think thats what they are) fly over with big flames on the back. It was pretty awesome! We got a few pictures of the firework show and a little video of the planes. It was a fun little date night for us! We also met up with our friends James and Amy, who are getting married September 25!

The Little Things

2009-08-18T18:37:00.000+10:00

I come home from work and I see this... with a note that says "Happy 1 month Anniversary!"

I have the best husband! Thanks babe! I love you!

First Apartment

2009-08-17T20:36:00.000+10:00

I figured a video is more fun to watch then look at pictures, so enjoy the tour of our new place!

We are living in Brisbane, which is about an hour flight north of Sydney. Even though I am far away from my sister Kim, we still talk on the phone often and try to see each other as often as we can.

Our new place is a little small, but it is perfect for the two of us! It is in a great location because its close to Heath's school, and its close to the city where I work. We have enjoyed getting new things to decorate the place and making it feel like home!

Our Wedding Day

2009-07-24T04:35:00.000+10:00

Here are just a few photos of our perfect day! We got married at the Mesa, Arizona temple July 18th at 10:30am. Heath's parents, 2 brothers and 1 older sister flew over for the occasion. Kim, Ethan and Thurston also flew over from Australia. We had our reception at Highland Stake Center and HEAPS of family and friends came along. We stayed 1 night at the Arizona Grand Hotel compliments of Ginger (family friend) and then flew to Las Vegas for 5 nights then onto California for 3 nights before we head back home to Brisbane, Australia.

The Ring

2009-06-14T14:49:00.001+10:00

Here is my new engagement ring! It is a good upgrade from the dollar ring Heath bought in Japan.

It is two weeks til we leave to America, and five weeks until we get married! Time if flying by so fast! I can't wait to get home to see my family and friends. I know my mom won't believe this when she reads it, but I am really missing home and am really anxious to get there! 1 week and 6 days counting....

A Long Weekend

2009-05-19T20:12:00.000+10:00

Heath and I went to Adelaide this weekend for one of his best friend's wedding. We got there Thursday night and stayed at his aunt and uncle's house. Then on Friday, we drove around and visited some of the places Heath used to hang out at and also drove by his old house.

Then on Friday night, Heath went out with the boys for the Buck's night and I went out with two of Heath's cousins. We shopped around the city and had dinner and then went out dancing! The funniest part of the night was when Lechae (married to Heath's cousin) and I got asked if we were single and we both said no...she's married and I'm engaged! It was classic to see their reaction because they were so shocked that we were so young and already committed to marriage. It was the first time a stranger had asked me if I was single and I was proud to say that I was engaged :)

In Australia, it is tradition to have an engagement party. We decided since we were already in Adelaide and Heath has a lot of family there, we decided to have an engagement party there, as well as in Brisbane. Heath's aunt and uncle, Lynise and Lindsay, helped us put together a beautiful party. We were thinking about doing a simple Sunday afternoon BBQ, with sausages, chops, salads and maybe a cake. Well, Lynise made sure that we had tons of food and variety! She made 4 different salads, veggie platter, fruit platter, 3 different desserts, and she even made us an engagement cake! They did a wonderful job and we really appreciated all the work that they did for us. They are Heath's second parents!
Engagement party cake
Lindsay, Heath's uncle
Cutting the cake

When we got back from Adelaide, I had the day off on Monday so we decided to go golfing. The course we went to had heaps of kangaroos running around the course !
Nice shot, Heath!
This was at the 7th hole and my ball had landed close to this big male kangaroo. He was standing on his two hind legs and it looked like he was flexing his pecks! He was pretty intimidating so I was hurrying to hit the ball!

So things are well down unda. We are counting the days till we are back in Arizona with my family and married in the Mesa Temple. 8 weeks and 4 days till Heath and I are sealed for time and eternity! Can't wait!

ENGAGED!

2009-04-30T23:09:00.000+10:00

If you haven't read my mom's,Lucy's, or Valerie's blog yet, I am proud to say that Heath and I are engaged! We went camping to Stradbroke Island with his family a couple weeks ago and that is where he did it. He woke me up early one morning and asked me to go watch the sunrise with him. Initially, I was thinking "oh this is some kind of tradition that he does with his family or something" so I went along with it. We went up on the rocks and watched the sunrise and then I got up to start walking back and go to bed and when I turned around, he was on one knee! Then he asked me and I said yes! We will be married in the Mesa, Arizona Temple July 18. We will honeymoon in America and then head back to Australia a week later.

We took photos for our engagement party and reception announcements last Sunday with Heath's brother-in-law near the city and the Brisbane river. Here are some photos! :)

Sea World

2009-04-13T12:59:00.000+10:00

We had a fun filled day at Sea World last week. The only thing I was disappointed about was they didn't have Shamu! But they did have lots of sharks and cute little baby penguins!

Other than that, we saw a dolphin show, a sea lion show, and rode a few rides. They had a new ride that just opened called the Jetski Rollercoaster. You were strapped into jetskis and then the ride took off really fast. It really felt like you were on a jetski!

New Hair Cuts

2009-04-06T19:26:00.000+10:00

Its almost as long as mine!
Bringing back the undercut
Squire
Lloyd Christmas (Dumb and Dumber)
Comb over
Mohawk

Final result...Heath's not very happy losing his hair, which took 15 months to grow!

2009-03-15T20:37:00.000+10:00

Here are the updates! There's not very many, just having fun and getting into normal life. Heath is going to Queensland University of Technology and I just got a job at Rebel Sport, which is a sporting goods store. I work in clothing, so I am learning all the Rugby and Australian Football teams! They also sell Lakers jerseys, which is a nice little piece of home in the store (even though I hate the Lakers).

Here is us bowling a few weeks ago with Chad and Irene (Heath's brother and his wife) and Miki, a Japanese student staying with Chad and Irene.
Celebrating David's 25th birthday at the drive-in movies.
This is David and my good friend Courtney who came to visit me in Australia! She has been here for two weeks and leaves tomorrow. I am so sad! It has been so fun having her here. We are on our way to the city for a night out on the town!
Aww..I love him!
On the bus on the way to the first rugby game of the season...also, mine and Courtney's first rugby game ever!
In the stands at the game....it was pretty eventful. There was a proposal at the beginning of the game; the Broncos (the team we're going for) beat the Cowboys (rival team) by 1 point; and then with a couple minutes left of the game, there was a man streaking across the field! It was pretty funny.

And for Courtney's last day, we went to church and then had a picnic at the botanical gardens in the city. I am going to miss Courtney when she leaves!

Cruise

2009-02-15T21:16:00.001+10:00

I have never been on a cruise before and a couple weeks ago we had the opportunity to go on one! One of Heath's friends works for a cruise line they were able to get a ridiculously cheap deal...$200 for 7 days, so we couldn't pass it up! There were tons of Heath's friends there as well so it was a lot of fun!

The first day couple days, we were just out at sea. The first night, we went to the nightly show and then went to karaoke with all of our friends. I decided to get up and sing Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time". Bad idea!! All I knew was the chorus and the first verse so I was stumbling over words, and then the boat was rocking a lot so it was hard to stand still and I looked drunk! It was a lot of fun and everyone was cheering and laughing. When I finished the song, everyone was clapping and Heath came up and gave me a big kiss in front of everyone! It was a good finish to the song. After that, we all went out to clubbing at Club Oz on the boat, which was a lot of fun.

The next day, we stopped at Whitsundays. That day was also Australia day (similar to our 4th of July) so we got decked out in Australian flag swim suits, tattoos, and hats. We went to a lagoon and played games and hung out there.

The next stop was Cairns, where the Great Barrier Reef is. My only regret is that we planned things better and made a point to go scuba dive and/or snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef but there wasn't that much planning and by the time we figured out what we wanted to do, we didn't have enough time. So we spend the first day at a lagoon laying out and swimming. At night, we went clubbing in Cairns with some of the entertainment crew from the ship. The next day, we rented a motorcycle and drove about 20 minutes to a place called the Crystal Cascades. It was similar to Slide Rock in Sedona; it had lots of natural water falls and water slides. We started at the top and let the current take us along this little creek. We ended up with some scraps and bruises but we ended up being okay. On the way back, we stopped to pet some horses (I wouldn't touch them, as you can see from the pictures) and while I was getting off the motorcycle, I burned my leg on the exhaust pipe! It hurt soooo bad!

We made our way back into town and got back onto the boat, because it was leaving at 5:30pm that night. That night, the boat was rocking a lot, and everyone was feeling kind of sick. We ended up going to bed really early that night. The next day, everyone was feeling really sick and ready to be off the boat.

There were entertainment shows every night, followed by lots of other activities like dancing. During the day, they had Wii Bowling tournaments, table tennis tournaments, golf, etc. The cruise was a lot of fun, but because I was so sick at the end, if I went on another cruise, I would only go for 5 days!

My First Week in Australia

2009-01-22T17:53:00.000+10:00

At the dog park

On our way to the dog park with Heath's nieces and nephew

Burleigh Beach

First tee off!

Golfing at the Gold Coast

Southbank Beach in Brisbane

Heath getting tips from "Males, Nails, and Sample Sales"

My first week in Australia has flown by quickly! We've been golfing, going to movies, beach, and hanging out with Heath's friends and family. Yes, I played 9 holes, Dad! You would be so proud!

Although I miss home, I like living here so far. I'm adapting to their cultural differences, such as their lingo, food, currency, etc. I've also started to follow tennis and cricket!

We've gone to a couple different beaches since I've been here; Burleigh Heads, Broad Beach, and Southbank. They are BEAUTIFUL! The sand is so soft and the beaches are so clean. Next week we'll be at the beach everyday because we're going on a 7 day cruise to the Great Barrier Reef and a few other tropical destinations. There are a lot of Heath's friends from YSA going so it should be a good time!

New Years, Lasik, 20th Birthday, and Last Days in America!

2009-01-09T10:30:00.000+10:00

New Year's Eve was a very eventful evening! I went to a masquerade party with all my girlfriends. It was a blast! We danced, kissed boys at midnight, and then had a party at one of my good friend, Courtney's, house. While everyone was kissing at midnight, I was able to talk to Heath on the phone, so that was a highlight of the evening!

On Friday, I was privileged (my sisters would say spoiled) to get Lasik eye correction! It was a very painful weekend, but well worth it!

Saturday was my birthday, and I pretty much laid around all day, received a nice present from Kim and Ethan, flowers from my parents, and then went to Kona Grill for dinner with my friends that night. By night time, my eyes were VERY sensitive, hence why I'm wearing my sunglasses at night, inside the restaurant!

So, the past few weeks have been kind of sentimental to me because

1. I no longer wear contacts or glasses (which I'm not too sentimental about).

2. I am no longer a teenager.

3. I am moving to another country for 5 months...which brings me to my third point

4. I will be missing out on family and friend events :(

I will miss home, but I am so excited for this opportunity to travel, meet new people, and spend lots of time with Heath!

Trends

2009-01-06T13:52:00.000+10:00

So I decided to be like everyone else and start a blog! Especially since I'll be moving half way around the world, this is an easy way to keep everyone updated on what I am doing!

So, yes, I am moving to Australia (which I'm sure most of you have read my mom's blog to find that out). It was kind of a last minute decision....I became really good friends with a boy who came to stay to visit America with my sister, Kim, and her husband, Ethan. Heath had never been here before and decided to come! Well, we became very good friends and he said I would have a place to stay in Brisbane with him if I wanted to go. Well, I've always wanted to travel and live somewhere for a semester so I thought, what the heck! So we bought the plane tickets and I leave January 14! Although I feel bad for breaking my mother's heart, I know she understands and supports my decision.

Also, these are just a few pictures from his trip to America :)