Winter Holiday Trip (Part 4 of 4)

Our last day of vacation was one of my favorites.  Papa Echo had been told to 'make sure you drive up through the tablelands'.  We had seen little brochures about things to do on this drive so we stopped at a store for lunch items and headed out for yet another drive.  We showed the kidlets a brochure with "The Crystal Caves" shown and one of the kidlets (I won't say which one...) said it looked like it was just a rock store. We conceded that yes it was probably just a store.


The kids were less than enthused.  Big sigh...  we pulled the 'parent card' and said we were going anyway.

The drive was lovely and we came into the little town called Atherton.  The kids knew there was no reason to complain, we were going to go to the rock shop.  And frankly?  They always enjoy themselves once we go in.  The shop looked like any other rock shop.  Lots and lots of pretty stones...  geodes to crack open...  jewelry that I like but won't spend money on...  same old, same old shop.  As we were looking around, I knew that the 'crystal caves portion' was in the basement and I thought that I would just send Papa Echo in with the kids and I would wait upstairs. (I wanted to save the $25 adult admission price.)  But, as we went towards the back of the store, I saw that it wasn't just a boring stairwell going downstairs.   It was decorated to look like an actual cave. I was intrigued and decided to pay the money and take a look.

We were given hard hats with lamps to wear and told to enjoy and touch everything and take lots of pictures.   As we walked down the winding walkway into a man made cave with real gemstones placed in the faux rock wall, we realized we were seeing something incredible.  The kids were THRILLED!!  You felt like you were discovering these gems for the first time and the kids were encouraged to touch all the beautiful rocks.  The cave system was HUGE with over 600 crystal formations.

 

Towards the end of the tour, we came upon "The Empress of Uruguay" which is the worlds' biggest amethyst geode.

 Impressive, right?

So, here's the thing.  Finding amazing wonderful things to do in the middle of nowhere is happening all the time here.  We looked at and touched the world's largest amethyst geode in a tiny town 1-2 hours west of a smallish tourist town called Cairns. And the only way we knew about it was from little blips in some of the tourist pamphlets.  If this attraction was in the U.S.,  it would be located in a big city and admission would be higher.  Nobody would be able to touch the geode and to get your picture by it would be extra.  This entire cave was designed just as well if not better than anything I've seen at Disneyland.  And for anyone that knows me, knows that 'that' statement is saying a lot. 

The kids admitted that they were glad we went for the drive.  We ate a picnic lunch (in the car because it was starting to rain) and went to find some waterfalls.

We found our way back to Cairns with plenty of time to catch our flight back home to Brisbane.  I'm so glad that we chose to drive north and fly south.  It was a wonderful adventure to drive but flying home was a good way to end the vacation.

And speaking of flying?  Does anyone remember what it was like flying in the states before 9-11?  Because if you don't, come to Australia.  When we got to the airport, the kids were getting nervous and worrying about what was in their carry on bags (like lotion bottles and a lack of ziploc bags).  We told the kids that they didn't need to worry about that.  They also didn't need to take off their shoes.  And, if for some reason they set off the metal detector, they wouldn't get an invasive pat-down.  They would just go back, take off their belt and try again.

It made me get a little teary because I know that the security system in the states will NEVER go back.  And it makes me sad because we have lost so many rights because of the TSA and I don't think we are any safer.  It's really sad.

I'll get off my soap box now.  Thank you Australia for reminding me of what once was.

Winter Holiday Trip (Part 2 of 4)

We made it to Airlie Beach and our day cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef.  Papa Echo found us a really nice hotel.

Here I am updating my facebook post from our balcony.

The following morning we were up bright and early for our cruise.  You know the boat ride will be rough when the crew begs everyone to take 'motion sickness pills' before they even get on the boat.

We followed their advice.

 We are ready for the cruise to begin!!

 Don't we look calm and happy?  This is before the boat began to move.

Just before we left for the three hour trip out to Hardy Reef on FantaSea, the captain said that the waves were high and that hopefully we could make it there.  After an hour and a half of bumpy waves and people getting sick all around us, the captain turned the boat around and our reef tour was called off for the day.  Our kids were so sad until we told them that we would reschedule instead of getting a refund.  Sometimes it's good to not have a strict schedule while on vacation. 

The next day we were back on the boat.  We had all taken our motion sickness pills, ate a light breakfast and were prepared for another bumpy ride.  Our second day our family made it without anyone getting sick.  The other passengers were not as fortunate.  A three hour boat ride is a LONG time.

 Passing by one of the many islands on our way to Hardy Reef.

 Here's a little section of where we were snorkeling and scuba diving.

I have never been snorkeling before so I was pretty nervous. (In fact, I haven't gone into the ocean once since we've been here...  until this trip...) I've also been really nervous about all the jelly fish.  We picked this time of year to go specifically because it's NOT stinger season.  (We still wore the stinger suits.)  And these jellyfish don't just sting and hurt...  these are the ones that will kill you.  There are signs all over the beaches warning about jellyfish.  Big sigh...  Let's just say I was nervous.

But the kids weren't nervous at all, so I kept quiet and just tried to keep up with them.

Jonathan wanted to go scuba diving, but he needed to be 12 years old to do that.  So he and I went snorkeling and went on the special tour with the marine biologist.  The tour guide pointed out so many things to see.  It was hard to catch everything he was talking about because of the amount of animals that were there.  It was a magical experience to see the huge amounts of fish.  After about an hour we were pretty cold (it's winter here) and so we got out to warm up and went on the glass bottom boat ride.

Jonathan and I snorkeling.

Do you like our 'teletubby looking' stinger suits under the wetsuits?  The stinger suits cover everything but the face.

Papa Echo and the girls took the quick scuba class for beginners and went scuba diving for the first time ever.  They LOVED it!! The girls are looking forward to going again.

Papa Echo

 Alyssa

 Jessica

 It was wonderful and I'm so glad we were able to mark this off our bucket list.

 

In the captain's chair.

6 months??? Really???

The past 6 months have just flown by for us. Here is a recap... yikes!!

• Refinanced our mortgage in Jan!! Yippee!! Gotta love a reduced monthly payment.
• Trip to Disneyland in February.
• Jonathan's 8th Birthday in February.
• Alyssa's 11th Birthday in March.
• I decide to 're-caulk' the master bath shower in March. That project turns into a major remodel which included demo of the master bath and ceiling of the garage and downstairs bath.
• Jonathan was baptized in March.
• Soccer season starts in April and goes through May for Alyssa and Jonathan.
• A trip to Florida to see the space shuttle Endeavor happens at the end of April. While we didn't see it launch, we did see it sitting on the launch pad. NO we didn't go to Walt Disney World, but the Kennedy Space Center was so much fun I don't think the kids cared.
• Math club, Conditioning Club, Spanish Club, Cub Scouts and church activities kept us busy in May.
• I walked/ran in my first 5k for a benefit for SIDS research, called Ryan's Run in May.
• School ended for all three kids on June 3rd.
• Jonathan had Cub Scout Day Camp on the 6th and 7th of June.
• On June 8th, we (the kidlets and I) drove to Hinton, Canada to see where Papa Echo is working.
• While there we walked up to a glacier and toured the sights of Western Canada.
• On June 13th, we (the kidlets and I) drove down to Salt Lake and got to meet my new little nephew.
• On June 15th, we then drove to Reno and picked up Papa Echo and continued the drive to San Francisco.
• Played in the bay area for 36 hours and ate pizza at the BEST PLACE ON EARTH, Zach's pizza.
• Drove to Sacramento on June 18th for Papa Echo's cousin's wedding. It was so much fun!!
• On June 19th, we left Papa Echo at the airport in Sacramento and then drove home to Montana.

I'd post pictures, but it would take too long and I probably wouldn't do it until 2012. 2011 is treating us well, and we look forward to the next six months.

I'll post more often.... and with pictures...

Weekend Plans

This weekend I'm joining Papa Echo at his annual company retreat. (For the North American team.) They pick a different place every year. And this year? We are going to .... drum roll please....

Montana?

Really?

Okay then.

I guess that's cool if you DON'T ALREADY LIVE HERE.

But seriously, it's north of Missoula and will be gorgeous and wonderful and it's an expense paid weekend with my spouse. I'm pretty excited.

I'm also nervous. While I want to be a "social person" that visits and talks with everyone, I'm actually pretty shy and have a lot of anxiety about situations like this. (There will be about 30+ new people to meet.) I also don't have a clue as to what I'm going to wear. I've been shopping lots and lots and I'm still questioning my choices. I can't imagine anyone will care what I'm wearing, so it's a lot of anxiety for nothing. But, still.

I'm also frantically trying to clean my house. My wonderful mother in law is coming to watch the kids so I can go. Again, while I'm sure she won't care what the house looks like, I'm cleaning it as though she will walk through with white gloves. Really? Did I really need to spend the time cleaning out my closet? I'm insane. What I need to do is go clean the shower... because... she actually will see that. And I probably should vacuum again because I have two dogs that can't hold on to any of their fur.

Deep breath. I have a lot to still do. Maybe I should go shopping again.

Days 16-21 of 21

Papa Echo joined me and the kids at Stimey's house Friday night and then Saturday we drove across Washington DC to Papa Echo's Dad's house in Virginia. After a day of visiting and eating Dim sum, Papa Echo, Jessica, Jonathan, Grandpa, and Grandma Patty went on another sightseeing tour of DC at night.

at the WWII memorial

On Sunday, Papa Echo had to fly back to Canada and we were on our way home. Before dropping PE off at the airport, we stopped at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum next to Dulles International Airport.

The space shuttle!! How cool is that!!

Jonathan was thrilled to be here!!

When we were planning this trip, and looking for a route home, Alyssa asked, "Can we go to Kentucky?" I asked, "Why? What's in Kentucky?" And she says, "I just like the way 'Kentucky' sounds and think it would be fun to go there." So, I look at the map and figured it would only be an extra 4-5 hours of driving and after going so far anyway....

We drove through, Virginia and stopped for the night. Then drove through West Virginia and then into....

We proudly present our very quick trip through Kentucky.

Even the lizards were glad we stopped by.

What do you do in Kentucky when you only have a couple of hours and then need to be on the road again? What if the kids are tired of museums? What would be something to do that would also represent the state?

Let's see, Kentucky = Kentucky Derby = horse racing = horses = horseback riding.

Yes!! The kids want to go horseback riding!! We have a winning idea!

Our guide did not understand that I needed to take pictures for scrapbooking documentation, and put me on a horse after Jonathan, so please forgive the "not so close-up" photos...

And then we kept on driving... and driving... through Kentucky, up into Ohio for a few miles and then to Indiana.... stopping for the night there.

And then we kept on driving... and driving... through Indiana, and through Illinois... and then into Iowa... stopping for the night there.

And then we kept on driving... and driving... through Iowa and into South Dakota and stopped for the night.

And then we drove through South Dakota, into Wyoming briefly, into Montana and we were HOME!!! We did it!!

One last photo op, though... At some point between Indiana and South Dakota... (I can't remember where) I was pretty tired of driving and needed to stop for a nap. We pulled into this neat rest area.

Good thing the kids took my camera to document me sleeping...

I absolutely LOVE my kids and am so glad we went on this wonderful adventure.

Days 13-15 of 21

We made the LONG drive through New York and Pennsylvania to Stimey's house!! On Wednesday, she drove us into Washington DC. The only thing we had to remember was where we parked and to go pick up her boys from day camp by 2:00. Done and Done.

I refrained from saying ALL the things I wanted to say in front of the White House.

Before I continue with our sight-seeing around our Nation's Capital... I would like to just say that where I come from, a mall is something that you go to and buy clothes, lotion, jewelry, and cheap/greasy food. With that in mind, Stimey asked me what I would like to see. And I say, "The Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial... things like that." She says, "Great, the mall is just over there." I say, "Okay? Um.... and maybe the Washington Memorial, and the Reflecting Pool? You know?" And she says, " Yeah, we just go down this way and we'll be at the mall". And I say, (still not catching on because I'm quick like that) " basically all the stuff you should see your first visit to DC....?" And then figuring that she is going to have us walk through Bath and Body Works on the way, I just followed her lead... Not sure at what point I finally asked the obvious, which was, "Oh.... the National Mall is not like a mall/mall.... okay...." Luckily I had a VERY patient tour guide in Stimey.

So, onto the National Mall walk/run. (We had to hurry because of the time constraint and all...)

The Washington Monument

Our fearless leader and tour guide, Stimey!!

Korean War Memorial (my favorite one there because it had the most emotional impact for me and the kids.)

My little troopers. They were good sports with the fast paced walk.

Lincoln Memorial

Vietnam Memorial

One thing to know about staying at Stimey's? She is a bad influence on kidlets. How can I compete with a mouse in a ball? The kids could have stayed watching and playing with the mice all day long!! And NO! WE ARE NOT GETTING ANY MICE!! I don't care what Stimey says...

Nature Center so close to where Stimey lives... one of the benefits of living in a real city.

Jonathan and Jack

Jonathan helping Jack put on a beekeepers outfit.

Quinn and Jessica watching frogs, I think...

While in Canada at the Discovery Center, we watched a movie called "Forces of Nature". It was about the "deadly effects of volcanoes, tornadoes and earthquakes."
About 5:00 am, I woke up thinking I had heard a big 'ol truck going past the house. Then I realized that it wasn't a truck, but an earthquake. And then it stopped. Jessica came hurrying into the room and said, "Mama, Mama, I think that was an earthquake." And I said, "yep, I think you're right". She says, "what should we do?". And I say, "Well, it's over now, so go back to bed." What are the odds of having a tornado in Billings in June and then an earthquake in Maryland in July?

Friday we went to the National Zoo. Once we got there though, Jessica became really pale and felt really sick. (She has a very sensitive stomach with traveling and if she isn't hydrated, it can turn ugly quick.) I stayed in the van with her while Stimey took Alyssa, Jonathan and Quinn into the zoo. After about an hour, I could see that Jessica wasn't going to feel well enough for the zoo and took her back to Stimey's.
Hero Stimey to the rescue!! Thanks so much for taking my kidlets into the zoo on the hottest day of the year and taking pictures so I can appropriately scrapbook our adventure!!

How can panda's be so stinkin' cute!!

Stimey distracting the kids with cotton candy from the heat.

GRRRR..... Alligators

I love the look of terror on Alyssa's face. She is a great little actress. And I should point out that only Stimey can get people to "pose" for pictures like this. It's a power that not many possess.

It was a quick trip to Stimey's, but we sure did have fun. Stimey was a WONDERFUL hostess and I hope we can return soon.