Aussie-isms

So living in Oz is so similar and sooo different. We speak the same language and yet we use such different vocabulary. I am just now starting to understand the accent on the phone without having to have the other person repeat themselves five times. Oh the joys of learning. I think my brain has made more new connections coming here than I have in the years combined since going to college (and that's been a while).

So some fun phrases and terms they use.....

- they do say g'day and often but not teamed up with mate like Americans always think.

-they don't say throw another shrimp on the barbie, although I do think they say barbie (I don't know if I am spelling that right).

-they shorten nearly everything they can in speech even though sometimes is just doesn't make since to Lindsay and me. Sometimes the word will still have the same amount of syllables. For example Brisbane is sometimes referred to as Brissy...same amount of syllables so technically not really shortened.

-they do however write out a ton of syllables in some words and pronounce them much differently. For example a couple suburbs over (basically a neighborhood is the closest things I can use to describe that) is named Indooroopilly. As americans when we got here we pronounced it phonetically (In-door-roo-pill-y), at church when I mentioned this suburb the woman I was talking with laughed at loud and had me say it over a few times because she thought it was funny. I humored her and then asked her to teach me the correct way (In-dra-pilly or In-drip-lee) Still not sure of the correct way as I have now heard Aussies say it both ways. But had she not taught me I don't even think I would have known what someone said if they mentioned it. Another is Mt. Omaney (I see that as said exactly as spelled Mt. Om-a-knee. Nope it's Mt. Om-knee.

-In a casual everyday setting most people say "ta" instead of thank you or thanks. That one blew by me until it was pointed out. I didnt even notice the word probably because it didn't register as a word in my mind until pointed out.

-McDonald's is called Macca's (not sure on that spelling either)

-Breakfast is brekky (just like in cars the movie)

-rubbish = trash, garbage

-op shop = thrift shop, although people will know what you mean if you say thrift shop

-fringe = bangs

- cheers = good bye

-nappie = diaper

-dummy = pacifier, binky

-morning or afternoon tea = morning or afternoon snack

- they tend to use this saying "____ as" like "big as" when they are describing some cool or really big, really cheap...."cheap as" they will put any description in. And the funny thing about this saying is still lindsay and I always do a double take because with the Aussie accent to us in sounds like swearing. So when the missionaries come over or something as use it I always chuckle to myself because it is a slang term I am still getting used to. But let me be clear, it's not swearing, it would be like saying "cheap as dirt" they just leave off the end, because they shorten everything.

-no worries is a common saying

-instead of saying "your welcome" they say "that's ok" most often although I have heard "no worries" as well. At first it threw me off because if I say thank you and you say that's ok it seemed like I was putting someone out a bit. But it's becoming more comfortable now and I realize it's a cultural thing.

The list is endless and I am sure I will think of a billion more as time goes on but for now, another glimpse into Oz

Hi everyone, all I have to give for not updating more is excuses so I will spare you other than to say that time is flying and it seems there are never enough minutes in the day lately. Busy bees we are and that is how we love it but it makes it hard for me to take the time to blog. I constantly have ideas in my head I just need to sit down and do it. Our house finally is starting to feel like a home. And after asking many other apartment dwellers here how they deal with storage issues I have come to realize that we really dont have way more stuff than other people we just actually have it all at our house. Everyone else I know stores stuff at parents houses, left stuff back in the states, etc. So basically our being self sufficient just leads to being more creative with storage. We will be using every nook and cranny we can I will tell you that. And we will also probably have a few clutter spots because of it. Yuck! RIght now we have precious space above our kitchen cabinets holding lots of stuff and it looks so bad. I hate it but not sure how to conceal it. I thought about a curtain on a tension rod but don't think they make a tension rod long enough for what I would need (around 10 feet). But we actually have a couch to sit on and have purged quite a few unnessary things. It feels great. Now I have to figure out how to decorate and make everything look cute. Hard part is my style is very unique and not the same as many people's let alone Lindsay's so finding a balance is throwing me for a complete loop. If anyone has any websites they like to visit for inspiration throw them at me! Also creative storage solutions is appreciated. We have a large wire shelving unit on our balcony but it looks cluttered too.


Some sample things of extra storage things are....our camping gear, backpacking gear, sporting gear, military gear, baby gear (basics in the prayed for event that we have another child), memorabalia, you know all that stuff that usually gets put into a garage. I need ideas for that kind of stuff and please do not suggest a storage unit, it would cost the price of small apartment back home. We have put a lot of thought into every piece of furniture we have bought and have been careful not to buy things on a whim here so that we are making smart purchases. We bought sofa sleeper couch to save space for when guests come and so that Erik can have more room to play in his room once we get him a children's bed (his loft bed is proving handy as storage right now though). This is just a small picture of a recent co-op that I joined and am loving. The picture shows a partial alotment of two full baskets. There is a big marketplace for wholesale produce that is only open to the pulic two mornings a week after the retailers come through. A group of women that I just so happened to join put in $30 every two weeks (Aussies use the term "fortnight") and we all meet at one girls house. Some stay behind to watch kiddos while some go to the markets and buy lots of yummy fresh produce. Then they come back we split among everyone's baskets and voila you have lots of cheap, good produce. One basket is far too much for our little family so we split a basket with someone and it works out perfect. Each time the variety is little different although we usually always get 3 types of fruit and the rest is seasonal veggies. I love it! It's fun. There are usually a thing or two I wouldn't buy but it has pushed me to work on expanding my horizon. And for $15 for my half basket I dont feel too bad if some goes bad or if I have to buy something at the store. It's been a true blessing.

Off the beaten path but interesting is Aussies cook a lot with pumpkin and where in the states we really only see it in the fall and first part of winter and usually in things like pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice in cocoa/coffee, and yummy sweet dishes often paired with cinnamon here it is way different. Here it is a pantry staple, you put in soups, roasts, salads (although salads often go undressed here-another interesting thing), and pastas, pretty much anything. One friend says she would be really scared to try pumpkin pie because it sounds so foreign to her to be a dessert. Interesting huh, you learn something new everyday! I do like pumpkin used as a vegetable now, but was nervous at first!

And oh this little man is growing before my very eyes! Seriously the Aussie air and all the fun activities and parks and play that we get to do here has really let us see Erik blossom. I wouldn't say that Cali stunted him or held him back but I can see developmentally he has learned so much here. His motor skills are so much better due to all the different park equipment, all the walking and jumping off cool ledges, and sand play. It has really opened my eyes as a mother just how important free play is for them. We have really encouraged imaginative play as well and now playgrounds are seen as pirate ships with slide that lets you "splash" into the water and then we "swim" back to the ladder and look out at the top. We sing sea shanties like " yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me" and jack climbs up quite a lot of beanstalks at our house where the giant falls after chasing jack with a golden egg. Maybe it was me being stagnant as a parent and now spending even more one on one time with Erik since we don't live close to friends that has spurred me to be a bit more creative and of course Lindsay is the one who started all the Jack and the beanstalk storytelling. Basically our little family is really thriving here. Erik and Lindsay built a treasure chest a couple of weeks ago and Erik loved every bit of it. We told him he can only work with his tools if he wears safety goggles (mostly because we think he is so stinkin cute in them and to help him get used to wearing them so when we go swimming this summer he will be willing to wear swim goggles).

These two are peas in a pod and his treasure box is perfect for all his so called treasures that he insists on keeping a hold of while out on walks. His favorite place to find them is where "Daddy's game" is played........a rugby field just down the street. There are these weird nut things that fall out of the trees there that he hoards. We are always gathering piles of perfectly chosen pebbles in the bottom of the stroller and sometimes we have to limit to the one in one out rule.

Erik is counting easily to 10 now and recognizes most his shapes. I have really been trying to figure out his learning style since being here so that I can prepare him for school and just give me some focus in our play together. He detests anything in a sitting position, no drawing, worksheets, although he does like books. So we do most our learning out and about. We draw shapes in the sand at the playground, we stand on a chair at the counter and make things out of playdough snakes. We throw the ball five times, anything that is active he will engage and thrive in. It makes me a bit nervous to think about sitting at a desk in school, but as a parent I find comfort in knowing how I can help him learn at home.

Erik loves to have tasks and do things that have a purpose. He is a star helper in the kitchen especially if it involves preparing a meal and gets upset if you dont let him help send the rubbish down the chute or take recycling down to the big bins. He loves to fix things with tools and will do anything for a laugh. Such a sweet boy.

I have learned a lot about myself moving here, realised how just how much I relied on my social network in California, realized I can do things on my own and do it well. I have realized I really have to talk to myself in a positive way otherwise the negative self talk affects my mood and home life too much. It is so true that the Mother sets the tone of the home. I have realized I can quite easily list off many things I am thankful for when I focus on those and not the "I wish..." thoughts. And while I am still sorely missing summer and have homesickness now and again I am happy right where I am. I have a calling in church (visiting teaching supervisor) that is important and yet not as taxing as previous calling. Lindsay is a ward missionary and we love attending gospel principles and meeting with the new members (we had one nearly every week this month). Erik has great little friends, although his heart still belongs to a sweet little girl named Karlee. They better get married one day! Ok I know realistically that may not happen but I can hope and dream. He loves to talk to family on the phone and skype and we can't wait to visit next year.

Can you believe we have lived in Australia for 3 months already! I can't and sometimes Linds and I have to pinch ourselves to believe that we actually live in this amazing part of the world.

I am proud to be an American

We celebrated the 4th of July a little differently this year. Last year we spent the weekend at our towns big festival watching the parade, walking around central park eating yummy food and seeing nothing but red, white, and blue, going to the base to eat more, go on carnival rides and then watch a big firework show while patriotic music filled the air at the air force base. This year we debated about what to do. Obviously it's not a holiday Australia celebrates and so Lindsay had to work and there would be no fireworks. There are two sets of missionary companions in our ward and they had no where to eat so we thought we would invite them over and get us motivated to put on an american shindig to the best of our abilities. Sunday we gathered our ideas and yesterday morning I ran aroudn the city trying to find what I would need.

We wore our Fourth of july tee shirts all day and found sparklers and root beer even. It was a score! I paid an arm and a leg for the root beer only then to have an Aussie friend tell me there are places I could have gotten it cheaper. Good to know for next time we want root beer floats. Only one set of missionaries ended up coming to dinner and neither are American. So it was fun to introduce some of our traditions with them. One is british and the other fijian and they got in the spirit by bringing wigs to wear to bring out some American spirit! I hadn't thought of it but as we asked them about their opinion of our traditions and the flavors of our foods we realized that root beer has a medecine taste to some people. I can see it now that it has been brought to my attention but had never thought of that. Interesting....I am ok with that. Here in Oz they have Ginger beer (sort of like Ginger ale but way different at the same time), I don't think it tastes like medicine but I am not a huge fan either, the ginger in it is very strong and I could see a newcomer to root beer feeling the same about our root beer.

I made chocolate covered strawberries with white chocolate and blue icing (I couldnt find blue sugar where I was shopping).

We used our nice chargers and you can't see it too much but I had small pieces of red vines wrapped with blue curlies. Red vines are my favorite treat and is a treat not sold here either. Luckily my birthday was a couple weeks ago and my mom shipped me some. I did find some at the specialty store here but will be treated as a delicacy along with the root beer.

Just some decor I put up to make the balcony seem festive (that's where our dining room is set up). Overall it was a lot of fun. I will admit I was a bit homesick during the day but it was fun that we got to start our own traditions and share them with others. We had chicken kebabs and baked chicken, pasta salad, corn on the cob, fruit salad (I actually bought the $10 small thing of blueberries for the occassion....yikes I know), and sparkling cider. Dessert was the strawberries and Root Beer Floats............Yumm!

Most of all I am proud to be an American. I am grateful that I come from a free country where I can worship any way I please, where I can raise my family any way I please and have rights. I am soooooo proud of those who fight for our freedom. Being a military wife I know how much social support is being a part of the military and can imagine that it is even more important for those fighting whether near or far that they need fellow American support as well. The military has opened many doors for our family and for that I am grateful but those doors haven't always opened easy and for other military families they don't get off nearly as easy as Lindsay and I have. My brother is just coming off his month long leave from his one year tour in Afghanistan. He had a wife waiting for him at home. The longest I have been apart from Lindsay is 3 months....I can't imagine doing that four times over. My heart goes out to both sides.

As a military wife you find yourself becoming very independant very quickly. You have to transition to being alone once they leave and then transition all over again when they come home and hand over some of the reigns again and adjust your routines. With a child it's a constant explaining knowing they dont have a clue and hoping they will respond warmly once the parent arrives back home. Erik has done well considering but there was one trip that he turned his head away from Lindsay and wouldn't look at him after Lin came home. I think it broke both our hearts. Luckily he warmed up quickly but it takes a toll.

On the flip side experiencing the military our entire marriage I have become much more patriotic than I ever imagined. I tear up often when I hear the national anthem and see videos of soldiers. I wish I could say I did more for our troops, I know they need it. But my heart goes out to them. I think of them often and am so grateful for them and their families.

I hope that as Erik gets older and starts to understand this world that he lives in that he will be as proud of his Dad as I am. Lindsay is already Erik's hero.....he mimicks EVERYTHING that Linds does and chooses him nearly every time over me. I am ok with that, I am proud that I have such an amazing man in my life to set the best example for our child of what it means to honor your country, your family, and your beliefs.

I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN (even when it's not always easy)