.home sweet home.

Weee'reeee bbaaaccccckkkkkk!!!! 

Dave and I are officially in the U.S., Minnesota to be exactly. We have been back for a total of a week now and it has been a whirl wind. It just now feels like we are slowly getting on our feet. But, oh how wonderful it feels to be back home, even though it is cold! Within the last week we have taken tests, moved, hung out with amazing friends, shopped, and so on and so on ( you know what it feels like to move and the craziness that goes with it).  We have even been eating all the great (aka fattening) food we didn't have in Aussie...not good. I wouldn't be surprised if I gain 5 lbs this week..eeppp!!

 The other exciting thing is that we finally have internet and I can update you on all the Aussie adventures I still have to share as well as our new home/life in MN. Minneapolis is going to be a great place for us, I can already tell. Dave and I started making life changes in Aussie and I can't wait to continue making them here in Minneapolis. Make sure you stay tuned!

Cheers!

.Coffs Harbor and Byron Bay.

Coffs Harbor: Dave and I stayed over in Coffs Harbor for only 24 hours but we both loved the little city/town. The amazing ocean views, warm water, and little puppies made our time there. I highly recommend if you are ever in the area make sure you make a quick stop!

Eating watermelon on the beach.

Someone has major tan lines!

Byron Bay: This was another quick 24 hours stop for us right after Coffs Harbor. Byron Bay is known as a hippie town that attracts a lot of tourists. I remember going there 10 years ago because it's my grandpa's name and wanted to show Dave around a bit. Really the only thing in Byron Bay is the lighthouse, it's what most everyone comes for. So Dave and I ventured out and spent the day exploring the area, lighthouse, and beaches. Again we would recommend stopping over for a day on your way through the area!

it was a tad bit windy!

Those stairs were brutal!

nice place to kick off our shoes!

Dave and the ocean

Shoave In the City: Sydney Edition

Dave and I have this great travel journal that gives you ideas on how to explore in a way that get you to really know the culture of where you are. I must admit we didn't use it as much as I hoped, but we got this great idea from it.

We took a map of Sydney and we wrote our name, Shoave, throughout the streets and then walked the route. It was so fun to discover a part of Sydney that we wouldn't have done as just a regular tourist. Here is our little journey letter by letter.

'S': 

Chambers St: New South Wales railroad mural

Randell St. Alley: Old ad on building

'H':

Elizabeth Street: Chantilly sign..made me think of Chantilly, VA!

Terry Street: Occupy Wall Street is WorldWide 

Cnr Foveaux St & Bellevue: Delicious Mexican Restaurant

'O':

Wrong Way: Riley Street & Lt. Collin St.: Oh the hippies!

Wrong Way: Riley St & Lt. Collin St: beautiful colors

Right Way: Riley Street: Blue Metal Wall

Friztlay Street: Blue House on the Cnr

Lt. Riley Street: Spanish Influence

Waterloo St: Shoave

'A':

Albion Street: Buddhist Temple

'V':

Crown Street: No shirt, No pants, No problem

Crown St: Holy Kitsch! LOVE this store!!

'E':

Riley Street: Purple and Red

Campbell Street: Red Door

Oxford Street: V for VICTORY!
End of our Shoave walk

I recommend doing this in your own city. 

You might even discover something new!

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