.a year has passed.

Hey everyone! Sorry I was totally MIA for the last week. I guess I took birthday week to a whole new level and just didn't do anything at all when I got home from work! Please say you forgive me!

Last Friday was my birthday, I turned the big 2-8....only two more years until 30! Where has the time gone!?! Seriously, how is it that my birthday has already come and gone? It's true the older you become the faster life passes you by.

So, I thought I would great to reflect and see what I have done this last year and try to figure out where the time actually went!!

Went to great concerts such as NKOTBSB (New Kids on the Block & Backstreet Boys), Bright Eyes, Grouplove, The Head and The Heart, Dave Barnes, & Dropkick Murphys,

Went on a great trip to NYC,

Hung out with the horses in Chincoteague, Virginia,

took in the monuments by night via the river,

celebrated THIS wonderful woman's 90th birthday,

showed my uncle the DC sights for his trip to help us move home,

packed up our uhaul and moved all our stuff across country,

hopped on THIS plane and moved across the world to Australia,

moved to this beautiful city; Newcastle, Australia,

hung out with this cutie...and other cute Aussie animals,

spent days hanging out in this great city, Sydney,

went to New Zealand for the World Rugby Cup game USA vs. Australia,

had a whale of a time whale watching,

learned how to surf,

said goodbye to this wonderful woman,

spent tons of time with my dad Down Under for three weeks,

traveled by train  in Australia for 3 1/2 weeks to see places such as: Melbourne, Canberra, Coffs Harbor, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Airlie Beach, and Cairns,

moved back to Minnesota and settled into our new apartment,

and ran my first half marathon!

When looking back on the year, I feel like 27 was waaaaaaayyyyy goood! 

Hopefully, I will be able to keep up the momentum and make 28 just as great 

in its own little way! 

.2011.

Woozah! Can you believe it, another year come and gone! It seems like as you get older the years go by faster and faster. I still can hardly believe that in 24 hours it will be 2012! When you were a kid, didn't you think that in 2012 we would all be in hover cars, flying around in space? I know that I did, I think maybe The Jetsons had to much influence on me!

If asked to describe 2011 in one short sentence I would say: It was the year change began.  2011 was the year we made a HUGE decision to pack up our bags, move them across country, and then move ourselves to Australia. We chose to follow our dreams, go on an adventure, and take a chance on life. It was a year when we celebrated one grandmothers 90th birthday and another's passing.  It was a year when we fell more in love with each other than ever before, pushed each other, and challenged each other. It was the year we grew closer to family even though we were farther apart. It was the year that we lived abroad for almost half of the year (5 months), when we arrived in the country with just our suitcases and backpacks.

When thinking about 2012, I get excited because everything that we have done in 2011 is leading us to a great year in 2012. 2012 is going to be a year of change for us! We will be living back in MN, thinking about starting a family, getting a dog, finding jobs, planting our roots in one place, and living a healthy, active lifestyle. I honestly think that 2011 and 2012 are the two years that are going to be the building blocks of our future.

How was your 2011? 

What are you most excited about looking into the new year? 

Make sure you check out my 2011 pics! I have taken 291/365 days this year, that means 75% of the year has been documented!! That is amazing! I missed only 74 days out of the year, which is okay because as you know life can get crazy at times!!

HAVE A SAFE AND GREAT NEW YEARS!!

Week of Leisure

HEY THERE!

Have you ever had one of those days (in my case week) where you really just don't want to do anything? It has been like that all week here in the apartment de Shoave. I don't think we have really gotten anything to productive done all week! eeepppp!

Well I guess we did get some things done:

We walked to a site of a shipwreck near where we live at sunset...

Got hot chocolate (everyday!), went to the park and read (Dave just runs around with his rugby ball)...

can you find Dave?

Watched The Bachelorette ( I'm addicted!!! Who knew it would be sooooo good!?!?!)...

I'm very engrossed in what will happen in Thailand

Then the excitement of the show pooped me out!

Walked 2 miles to a new park, we couldn't resist the name, Tree of Knowledge Park....

Tree of Knowledge...I felt very enlightened

Head standing will replace planking...just wait for it!

And went to the library (twice) for some good tunes, reads, and movies...

When at the library I spend a good half hour first reading magazines, Dave usually reads them the whole time we are there. Can you figure out who reads what magazines?

We had to go the library twice this week because I finished the book I got only three days earlier. It was a good, fast read titled, " Five Things I Can't Live Without". I finished it under 48 hours...see once again not getting really anything to productive done!

We got the movies the first trip as well as three cds (which I have ripped and returned...oooppps)! We got this stack of books today on our second trip and I can't wait to dive in and start reading them!  

Library Loot:

Movies:  (1) The Calcium Kid (with Orlando Bloom..yum!)

               (2) My Life as A Dog

               (3) The Gods Must Be Crazy (I &II!)

               (4) Taking Woodstock

Books:   (1) How to Give Up Shopping (or at least cut down) by Neradine Tisaj ( I think Dave has happy I picked this one up...cause MAN do I like to shop!)

                   (2) Kabul Girls Soccer Club by Awista Ayub

              (3) If You Have To Cry Go Outside and Other Things Your Mother Never Told You by Kelly Cutrone with Meredith Bryan (Dave started reading this when we got home and surprisingly really likes it!)

                   (4) The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

              (5) Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, Tales of Growing up Groovy and Clueless by Susan Jane Gilman

              (6) Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore

              (7) Twitter Marketing an Hour a Day by Hollis Thomases ( Doing a little research of how this twitter thing works and seeing if I should take the plunge!)

Do you know which ones are Dave's out of the pile? I bet you can tell!!

Speaking of books, Got Any Good Suggestions of books I should check out? I'm always taking suggestions and look for a good read! Plus, I think I will be doing a lot of reading while down here in Australia. One of my favorite things to do is read outside in the sun, with spring just around the corner I have a feeling that I will be doing plenty of reading at the park and beach. It's a hard life..but someone has to live it!!!!!