On the Move!

Hey Everybody!

Welcome to November! A lot has changed in the last couple of weeks; even just in the last couple of days! This past Friday was Leah's 23rd birthday. To celebrate, we went out for dinner to an Italian restauraunt on Crown Street with our group of friends here in the city which was followed by a few extra celebratory drinks at a pub jus tdown the street. While the night was loads of fun, it was followed by one of the busiest Saturdays we've ever had!

As some of you may know, others may not; Leah and I had been looking for a new and bigger apartment. As luck would have it, we found a perfect place in just a few short weeks of looking. It was newly renovated just 5 years ago and very well kept by the previous owner who is now our landlord. It has a kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom, all of which are in separate rooms! Much better than our little studio apartment. On top of all of our great new features, we are in a quieter area of town, but still in the middle of it all! The train station is still just a 10 minute walk away, the grocery store and markets are still quite close to us and we are right on Crown street which boasts some of the best pubs and cafes in Sydney! To say the least, we are very excited about the new change! We have settled in quite nicely thanks to a lot of help from our friends who made the move go very smoothly. So if you are planning on sending us any mail in the near future, please send it to:

6/121-129 William St.
Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
2010

In other good news, Leah has finished her classes for the semester! Thursday marked her final day of classes and on Friday she had the last session with her clients. All that's left now is her exams, the first of which is on Monday. She and her friends are very excited about reaching the halfway point of their masters degree!

In my world, the end is so near! I am currently in the 3rd week of a 5 week placement! Things are going very well for me. I have learned a lot in these last 2 1/2 weeks thanks to a lot of guidance from my supervising teacher. The kids can be challenging at times, but at the end of the day it's all good. Jackie (my teacher) has been giving me lots of pointers, tips, and most importantly, positive feedback! Also, yesterday the principal of the school came into my classroom to watch me teach a lesson and she also had lots of positive feedback to give! It was a big boost of confidence which is important since in just a couple of weeks I will be fully qualified to teach! It's very exciting as the end of what's been a crazy year is drawing near.

The weather here has been unpredictable lately; most days are sunny and mid to high 20s, but yesterday was sunny and 38!! No time to get used to it though, today and tomorrow are back down to mid-20s with some rain. We are both very excited for the Aussie summer to come back. There's a feeling in the air that many days in the sun followed by many nights at the pub are just around the corner! We are just keeping our heads up for the next few weeks before the summer fun begins!

Trusting all is well at home! Hopefully that blurb about the wonderful weather didn't make you too jealous!

Until next time, take care!
Jeff & Leah

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all aren't too stuffed from all the turkey and pumpkin pies! The Aussies don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but we still feel like giving thanks; so here we go.

First of all, thank you to the Kowalewski family for setting aside time during your Thanksgiving dinner to chat with us! It was really nice to be passed around the dinner table like a bowl of potatoes and having a chance to talk to you all at some point! All of you looked happy and full of energy as usual!

Leah and I would also like to extend our thanks to the rate of which time is going! I have just two measly days of school left! I do have two assignments to hand in tomorrow, one of which is done, the other of which is almost done, and will finish up with a test on Friday. In the mean time, I will be planning lessons for my final placement. Leah will continue to to see her clients, work on assignments and start studying for exams soon!

Our final thanks for today is to my cousin Sandra! Sandra came to Australia to shoot her sister-in-law's wedding which was this past Saturday. Once we got word of this, we asked her if she would be able to spare an afternoon to spend with us to take some engagement photos! It was a beautiful day for photos! Although the Aussie sun wasn't bright and beaming, we still had some really nice scenery for photos! We spent most of our time down near Sydney Harbour to get some shots with the Opera House and bridge in the background and finished in 'The Rocks' which has some gorgeous old buildings from when Sydney was first settled. We then headed back for a few shots in Hyde Park with the breath taking St. Mary's Cathedral and to meet up with Sandra's tour guides! ... Head to http://sandraregier.com/blog/ for a sneak peak!

Trusting all is well at home! Don't let the cold weather get to ya!!

Will talk to you all soon hopefully!

Jeff & Leah

Our Rustic Getaway

Hello Everyone!

Once the dust settled after the most intense dust storm Sydney has seen in over 70 years, Leah and I headed out of the city for a little rustic getaway. To make this mid-semester adventure more memorable, we decided to rent a car through Avis (sorry Adam, we couldn't find Enterprise down here). Leah returned from her clinic session, then just a few minutes later we packed the trunk and headed out of town with no map, and directions that ended up being useless! Our instincts took us over the Sydney Harbour bridge for a lovely view of the Opera House and the rest of the city. From there, we pretty much just followed the signs to Newcastle where we would eventually drop off the car. The drive to Newcastle had nice views to take in; mountains, waters, and best of all, no skyscrapers!

Once we got to Newcastle, we caught a shuttle bus that would take us up to Anna Bay, a small town in Port Stephens and not far from our YHA Hostel; Samurai Bungalows, which consists of 4 cabins with 2 rooms in each, a pool, fully equipped kitchen, a rec room with pool and tv, and the guard dog a.k.a. my newest friend, Bo. The hosts of this hostel were extremely friendly and helpful when it came to getting us around the area.

We spent Saturday in Anna Bay at the tavern watching the AFL Grand Final, which featured the St. Kilda Saints and the Geelong Cats (two Melbourne suburb teams) with the Cats clawing their way to a 2 goal victory. Sunday, we headed to Nelson Bay; a tiny

little village on the water. We grabbed some lunch, sat in the sun, listened to some live music and looked out onto the water before heading back for a quiet night in our cabin. Monday was a day full of relaxation; I mentioned earlier this place had a pool which is

where Leah and I spent the entire afternoon. It was the first really warm day with no wind, so when we got the opportunity to sit in the sun, we took full advantage. Tuesday was our adventure day; we booked a dolphin tour courtesy of Surprise Cruises. The 90 minute tour featured 6 or 7 dolphins, 3 of which were hanging out together near our boat (and yes Wanda, we got lots of footage) and as we were heading into the docks, we saw a mother and calf side by side leaping out of the water just to say 'hello.' After the tour, we walked to Salamander Bay, and did the one thing that no trip would be complete without; shopping. Leah bought herself and new dress and I cashed in on some end-of-season sales picking up 4 new shirts which will look good on a future teacher! We had hoped to do more of the touristy things in Port Stephens, but the high winds for the duration of our visit prevented us from adventuring through the sand dunes,

going sand boarding and taking camel and horse rides along the beach - guess we'll just have to go back! Today, reality had to kick in again, but both Leah and I feel very refreshed and are both ready to finish off this semester.

As far as school is concerned, we're both over the hump in terms of assignments. I only have 2 weeks of classes left before my final 5 week placement which takes place at Jannali East Primary School. I just talked to my teacher this evening and I will have a 2/3 split class, should be very exciting! Leah has 4 weeks of classes left before exams, and somewhere between the two, she will have her last clinic sessions, which are going very well.

We are very close to the end of year one; tomorrow marks the first day of October! In just under two months, Leah and I will both be finished school for another year (me for good!!!), something we are very excited about. Speaking of excitement, tomorrow is to be yet another day above 30 in this lovely Australian spring we're having. This weekend is calling for some decent weather, but more importantly, marks the Australian daylight savings again meaning we will go from 14 hours ahead to 15 hours ahead; write that down.

That's all that's new for now.

Trusting all is well back home!

Missing you all a bunch!

Waking Up in a Horror Movie Scene...

... or as Jeff put it, on the set of 'Thriller'. Following an incredible thunderstorm last night that followed a string of very humid (30+) days, we awoke to Sydney in the most peculiar red glow this morning. The typical view of the Harbour Bridge that is shown on the news each morning during the weather update was nothing close to normal this morning, but a full screen of orange and red. A dust storm had hit the city, and as the sun rose, this was what it was like on our walk to the train at 6am this morning. If you look really carefully you can almost see the bridge! It was absolutely incredible to see a city just covered in top soil, and with winds up to 100km/h it was quite difficult to breathe and keep our eyes open as we walked down the streets. Thankfully not very much of the dust made it into our apartment but many will spend the next few days cleaning the blanket of red dust that has settled all over the city.

On a happier note, we are heading to Port Stephens for 5 days on Friday for a wonderfully relaxing mid-semester break! So we will update you when we get back!

Trusting all is well,

Leah & Jeff

Almost Half-way Through the Semester!

Hello Everybody!

A lot has been happening in the last month which is probably why it has been so long since we've last updated you all!

Already half way through the spring semester, we've both already gone through a lot of work. I'm finding this semester a little more enjoyable than the last mainly because we are learning about Art, Social Studies and Gym as opposed to Math, English and Science. Because I am enjoying the subjects more, the large number of presentations and assignments due are a little easier to work through.

Leah on the other hand has been buried in work! If an ordinary semester in a master's degree isn't difficult enough with all of the assignments and tests, seeing two clients (both of which are 4 years old) just adds to the already chaotic schedule. So there have been some late nights and early mornings for Leah with all of the planning and preparation, but we're hoping it will all be worth it in the end.

Hard to say that the countdown is already on for this semester. We both have a lot of assignments due, but the good news is there are only about 6 more weeks of classes before I move into placement. Speaking of good news, it was just a few weeks ago that we got the news of a couple more visitors that will be making the trek down south. My Mom and Dad have booked their flights and will be joining us this coming January; while that still is about 5 months away, it's never too early to start getting excited about company!

We've both been talking to people about home and have heard lots about the crummy summer weather ... if it helps, you can live vicariously through the wonderful weather we're starting to see. Highs of 21-25 on a regular basis with lots of sunshine, it really feels like that wonderful summer sun isn't all that far away!

Other than school, it's been pretty normal around here lately but we're still enjoying our trip despite having to stick to the books!

Trusting all is well back home! We miss all of you!

Jeff & Leah

Visitors & Holiday Fun!

Hi again everybody!!

Hard to believe that July has come to an end which means back to the books for both of us!

The last three weeks since our last update have been amazing! Brent and Wanda flew in on the 12th for what would be a very busy and extremely fun holiday. The first day they arrived was spent lazing around but that wouldn't stop Leah and Wanda from doing a little bit of shopping; shocking I know! Monday morning we got down to business. We flew up to Brisbane early in the morning, wandered around downtown for some lunch before we caught our flight up to Proserpine, which would eventually get us to our final destination of Airlie Beach.

The first day in Airlie Beach was spent walking along the boardwalk

along the edge of the ocean and soaking in the 25 degrees and sunshine, which hasn't been seen here in Sydney since late March. The next day we hopped on a cruise boat and toured around the Whitsunday islands. We went to Whitehaven Beach for a couple hours of sand-lounging on one of the top 10 ranked beaches in the world... just beautiful! We ventured over to Hook Island for some snorkeling and a view of the inner coral reef and the trip ended with margaritas on Daydream Island at sunset.

We headed down to Brisbane for the weekend. Of course, we made a stop at the Queen St. mall.. Brent and I checked out the sports stores then grabbed a schooner while the girls did the loop. We wasted no time and the next day we travelled down the Brisbane river and headed out to the

Pacific Ocean for some whale watching as they migrated north. We saw two for sure, maybe three, each blowing water 10 feet in the air and showing off their fins for all the gazing viewers. The next day, we were back on the Brisbane river, only this time we headed the other direction to the Lone Pine Koala sanctuary. What a scene this was! Kangaroos just lying around waiting to be pet and fed, all the birds you can imagine and koala's were everywhere! Leah and I got our picture taken with one as I held it which was very cool!

As fun as the trip up north was, the reality of school came crawling back. I headed back on the train first thing Monday morning so the Taylor trio did some touring in the city and then hopped on the ferry over to Manly Beach! On Tuesday they all joined me on the train down to Wollongong to check out the small city and a lovely fish and chips dinner on the water. Brent and Wanda were forced to occupy themselves for the next couple of days while Leah and I were both in school but they kept themselves busy visiting Leah's campuses, parts of the city, and the Blue Mountains, and the weekend would be one to remember! Friday we went to the Opera House to watch a Beatles cover band

perform with the Sydney Symphony... what a show! Saturday morning, Brent and I faced our fears as the four of us climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge to take in the best view of the city! We got pictures to prove it too! As if the bridge climb wasn't enough, we punished ourselves furhter by partaking in a 6km hike from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach; the sunset clifftop ocean side view was sensational, and we would eventually end up joining Leah's friend Molly for her birthday celebration. The weekend would be capped off with a trip to the Hunter Valley for some wine tasting and touring around the villages, which was a very relaxing way to finish off an action packed weekend. And as is always the case, all good things come to an end. Brent and Wanda headed back to the airport Monday morning while Leah and I headed back to school to kickstart our second semester down under! Sad to see them go, but glad to get into our routines again and get back to business.

Trusting all is well back home!

Love and miss you all!

Jeff and Leah

Holiday Update

Hi Everyone!

We've been on holidays for two weeks already; hard to believe how quickly it's gone! Seems like not that long ago Leah just wrote her last exam and I had my last day of placement, but our time down under continues to go by so quickly. Our holidays have consisted mostly of some much needed relaxing, which included a fair dose of sleeping in, lazing around and watching movies and tv.

On top of all the relaxing though, we made sure to do some sort of adventure to explore this country. This past Wednesday (July 8th) we signed up for a day tour of the Blue Mountains, which are about 90 minutes west of the city. We caught our OzTrails bus around 8.30 and headed out. Along the way to the mountains, we made a couple of stops at Olympic Park and the Napean River, which is where the kayaking and rowing events took

place during the 2000 summer Olympics.

After a quick stop for some refreshments, we made our way to one of many national Australian Parks; in this park we saw quite a few different animals, but none were more fun to watch than the mob of kangaroos we saw! Altogether there

were 6; 3 females, 2 males, and one joey in the pouch of one of the females. Because they are so used to having vistors stop by, we were able to get pretty close to them and take some great pictures and just really appreciate the view of these wonderful animals!

After the kangaroo visit, we made our way into the mountain village of Leura. Much like Banff, Alberta, Luera is loaded with tourists, shops, cafes and of course that fresh mountain air. In and around Leura, our tour guide (Scott) took us to a few different lookout points to view the mysterious

rock formation in the Blue Mountains known as The 3 Sisters, but unfortunately due to heavy fog we

were not able to get a good view of them that day, which Scott indicated was quite common; part of the reason why they are so mysterious. But that did not ruin the fun and adventure of touring the

Blue Mountains. A stop at Scenic World was worth the trip; upon our arrival we took a gondola ride close to 500 metres down the mountain side into the Temperate Rainforest in the valley. There are several walkways to take you through the rainforest to look at all of the different kinds of trees and

animals and take in all the sounds of nature. After the 15-20 minute walk, we hopped aboard a train that travels only 450 metres, but goes up 250 metres, averaging about a 45 degree angle the whole way making for some good home video!

After leaving Scenic World, it was time to head for another lookout where lies the biggest waterfall in Australia. While the volume of water massively lacks in comparison to Niagra Falls, the 350 metre drop sure is nice to just look at. This stop was the final of the lookout points, but that wasn't the end of the sightseeing. An hour long ride back into the city was spent napping by most of the tourists (including myself) but a day trip would not have been complete without what was next to come! We hopped on a ferry to head back into the port at Circular Quay,

which of course means we got to ride the water underneath the awe inspiring Sydney Harbour Bridge and beside the Opera House, which is even more of an amazing sight to see when all the lights of the city surround it; a really nice way to finish off what was an amazing day.

It's Saturday night here, and Brent and Wanda are currently in the air on

their way to Sydney! Leah and I are both very excited to finally have a piece of home come and enjoy the experience we've been having for the last six months. We're very excited to entertain, see more of this wonderful country and enjoy the rest of our holidays!!

Hoping all is well with everyone back home and looking forward to telling you all about our trip in a few weeks time!

Jeff and Leah