Aussie Tunes: Guy Sebastian

Right now I cannot get this song out of my head. I love this song and have since Guy performed it on the X-Factor finals. I only wish I could find it on itunes to download it, but no go yet! So join me in singing along and getting this little diddy stuck in your head!

Guy Sebastian - Don't Worry Be Happy

Hunter Vally Wine Tour

The Hunter Valley Wine Region in New South Wales is one of Australia's first wine regions, planted in the early 19th century, and it also one of Australia's best known wine regions. The area is home to over 150 wineries, ranging from small to large.  During our tour we visited 4 wineries, two large large and two small. We tasted famous wines, saw beautiful countryside, tasted different cheeses, and even picked a few grapes.

Winners of the 2009 & 2011 Best International Wine 

At lunch we stopped off at a Lolly Shop with free tastings!

This church was built by a father for his daughters wedding.
It was such a cute little church.

At the oldest winery in the Valley.

Drinking wine from the grapes grown right in front of us.

Cheers!

The Hunter Vally Wine Tour didn't turn any of us into wine drinkers, we still prefer our beer and spirits, but we still had a great time. We left the day with smiles on our face, our bellies full, and feeling a little bit happy due to all the wine consumption. Not to bad of a Tuesday, if you ask me!

Adventures with Dad [Part 2]

6) NYE Celebrations: New Years felt like Fourth of July with picnics with friends, fireworks, and cute little kids with sparklers. This was the first NYE I have spent with my pops!

7) Blue Mountains, Katoomba: Dave and I loved the area so much we H.A.D. to take my dad to see the beautiful wonder! We did some hiking, eating, and marveled at how awe inspiring nature is. 

Sitting with Pops and enjoying the view

8) Sydney: We took  my dad to explore the Sydney Opera House, Harbor Bridge, Royal Botanical Gardens, and Manly Beach. He must have really liked Sydney because our first night there he shaved off his mustache, which was older than me!!

9) Hunter Valley Wine Tour: My dad made a statement that he liked wine, so Dave and I took him on a wine tour for his birthday.  We found out that really he only likes cheap wine and Dave and I really don't like wine at all. However, we had a great day out in the beautiful country and tasted some of the best wines in the world...or so I'm told.

10) Taking Silly Pictures: My dad HATES when I take silly pictures of us, he just doesn't understand how excellent they truly are! So during his whole time here, I of course had to document our adventures with at least a few silly pictures. 

All in all the time and adventures with my dad flew by super duper fast! I feel really lucky and loved that he was able to come and be with Dave and I.  I know that this was a once and a life time experience for him and I'm happy I could be a part of it. I know that my mom is smiling away up their in heaven while watching us when we were together in Australia.

Last night in Newcastle, Australia at Newcastle Beach.

        

Adventures with Dad [Part 1]

As you all probably know, my dad came for a visit Down Under.  This was something I truly didn't think would happen, I thought something would come up or happen and he would not be able to come. BUT, he did! He applied and received his first passport ever, saved up the money, and boarded the longest flight in his whole life, and first flight in over 10 years. He did all of this just to see me...well, and to see Australia too!

My dad was here for 3 whole weeks....3 weeks! It was the longest time we have ever been around each other, even when I was a little kid I don't think we had 3 weeks together. I was nervous before he arrived wondering what will we do this whole time and hoping that we didn't kill each other by the end of it! In truth the 3 weeks went by in a flash, my pops and I didn't fight, and now while traveling Dave and I always find things that we think he would be interested in!

Here are some things we did with my dad, the midwestern country boy, while he was down in Australia visiting:

1) Lots of swimming in the Ocean. Dave and I only lived a mile away from the ocean, so a lot of time was spent at the beach when my dad visited. I would read, read, read, and the boys would swim, swim, swim.

My dad diving right into the wave!

2) Koalas and Kangaroos: You can't come Down Under without seeing a koala or kangaroo, it is just unheard of! We took the pops to Blackbutt Reserve, to see some of Australia's wildlife and nature.

3) Evening Walks on the Beach: One of my favorite parts of the day is when the sun slowly starts going down. The best place to watch this is on the beach, you can watch the waves roll in while the sky slowly turns from blue to pink to purple to dark.

This was not planned...we just stood like this naturally and Dave captured it!

4) Fort Scratchley: Went to the Newcastle Fort which used to protect the Newcastle Harbor from invasion. The view from the Fort was beautiful, giving you a clear view of Newcastle and Nobby's Head. 

5) Nobby's Head: After seeing Nobby's Head from above it was time to walk it! Being out on the breakwater with the harbor at one side and the ocean on the other is wonderful. The waves crash upon the rocks with such force that sometimes you may even get wet from the splash! Yep...that happened to me!

stay tuned...

.hello. 

oh my! I know it has been SUPER DUPER LONG TIME since I last posted....and I don't feel good about it either. Things have been cr-azy here in Shoave Town! The past month has been filled with working, packing, entertaining the pops, planning a crazy journey, and traveling.

Currently, I am sitting in a YHA (youth hostel) lounge with a strange boy next me journaling (..aahhh) in Canberra, Australia while the movie 4 Brothers (Marky Mark and Andre 3000) blasts from the tv room.  Oh the joy of hostels! To be honest with you, the hostels with YHA are great! Dave and I stayed in them a lot while traveling and we love them. They even have some in the USA so we might have to check them out next time when we take trips in the states. Tomorrow we are off to Sydney for the night before we head up the east coast of Australia.

Due to the crazy travel schedule and the lack of funds to pay for constant internet...posts may be few for the next few weeks. However, it will all be worth the wait..I promise! I have GREAT ideas for the blog and future posts! I'm super excited to write them and I wish I could do it all right now..but this lady is getting older and tires way easier than in her younger years.

Stay posted and I will make sure it is worth your wait!

.Grouplovin'.

My head and heart are getting ready for some grouplovin' in Sydney on Tuesday night! 

Yep, that is right! Dave and I will be heading to our first concert of 2012 on Jan. 3rd and it will be an AMAZING one! The Head and The Heart will be opening up for Grouplove at the Factory Theatre here in Sydney and we are going!!! EEEEPPPP! This is an amazing Chrissy pressie from Dave! I have been getting ready all weekend by playing their albums and dancing around. The two albums are very different but each great in their own way! 

I've made a little playlist of 5 of my favorite songs from each group. This way you can enjoy a little concert by yourself, jam along with me, or just listen to some great music! Oh, I hope you like it as much as I do! 

What do you think? 

Which song do you keep playing on repeat?