Dear Aussies....

Throw your rubbish in the bin!

You have a beautiful country, wonderful and charming citizens...we just need one little more thing from you. If you could just please, please, pick up your rubbish and throw it in the bin...you just may have the perfect country.  It's gross to go and find rubbish on every table because you just couldn't bring yourself to trash it on your way out the door. You are a good lot and I love you heaps, if you work on this I promise I will love you forever. 

X0X0, 

Sho 

.How to waste 3 hours at McDonalds.

With a rainy day and no place else to go,

 it was off to McDonalds to use their FREE WiFi

 and pass away time during our 8 hours before the train. 

This is how we spent some of our time:

.January Books.

This year I have a goal to read 50 books.  

Here are the books I read in the month of January. 

No Country for Old Men: Cormac McCarthy- Have you seen this movie? It was great, if you liked the movie than you NEED to read the book! The book was easy to follow and while reading it I could easily see the movie playing in my head. As soon as I was done, I handed the book to my dad for him to read!

The Ten Year Nap: Meg Wolitzer - Good book about motherhood and women. It makes you ask what does it mean to be a stay at home mom, what are our perceptions, etc? I could see this being a great Book Club book with lots of discussion. I recommend it to other women to read!

Of Bees and Mist: Erick Setiawan - This is a magical book for adults. You follow the life of one girl as she grows, becomes a strong woman, and deals with her mother in-law and mother. I have never read a book as an adult that had magic and other aspects however Erick does it so well. I loved getting caught up in another world. 

Deadly Decisions: Kathy Reichs - Are you obsessed with BONES as much as I am? It's sooo good, right? Kathy Reichs is behind the creation of BONES and Dr. Temperance Brennan.  I think I aspected Dr. Brennan to be the same as the show, but she wasn't the awkward woman we all love in the book. The book grabs you and sucks you in, you don't put the book down because you want to know what is going to happen next and solve the murder! I think I read this book in only 2 or 3 days!

Aussie Tunes: Reece Mastin

So, here we are with another X-factor music video for y'all.  Did you like the Guy Sebastien one? I hope so! This here is Reece Mastin, he won this years Australian X-factor. If you haven't seen the X-factor, contestants are paired with judges as coaches and they all battle it out each week. Guy Sebastien was Reece's coach and was the only coach to have 2 contestants in the top 3.  I have never been into American Idol but when Down Under Dave and I watched the whole season of X-factor and by far Reece was our favorite the whole time. This kid, I say kid because he is only 16 years old, has talent...pure natural talent. He has the voice, the look, the swag, and the drive to really make it big.  I cross my fingers that he makes it to the states and blows everyone's socks off!

Reece Mastin: Good Night

If you like this song, check out YouTube for a video of him and Kylie Minogue performing on X-factor! He is singing with an Aussie legend and holds his own! 

Cheers

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.