Hello from the Land Down Under!

Hello all!  Greetings from chilly, rainy Sydney!  I arrived safely on Friday after a relatively uneventful trip… 36 hours door to door (and an extra 24 hours for my suitcase), save the two extra hours it took to take off from LAX due to an incident that removed two people from our flight.  The delayed arrival in Auckland allowed me the chance to watch the sunrise in New Zealand before I headed to Sydney.

I was greeted at the airport by my brother-in-law and a running hug from my two-year-old nephew that lasted until we arrived at the car.  Since then, I’ve been busy catching up with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephews and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed meeting and subsequently snuggling with my newest nieces who are almost three months old now.  I would forget that I’m in Australia if it wasn’t for the Opera House sighting on the drive from the airport and the kookaburras who’ve enjoyed laughing outside my window in the morning (they sound like monkeys, so I wake up thinking I’m in the jungle).  I’ve also had some great treats including lots and lots of tea, sticky fig pudding, and the chance to chat with my sister’s friends, allowing me the fun of noticing differences in pronunciation and word usage.  I’m keeping busy holding babies and playing with nephews, which is just what I’ve been wanting to do as I anticipated this trip.  I’m sure there are many more adventures to come, but I did want to check in and share a few pics from my time so far in the southern hemisphere.  Plus I have no idea when I’ll have time again to post some photos, though I’ll do my best.  🙂

The sunrise over Auckland, New Zealand

My adorable nephews and nieces… all six of them!

A present left outside my door from my nephews.

First attempt (and probably the last) at a pic of the girls and me.

How I spend much of my day… it’s pretty great. 🙂

Something to prove I’m in Australia- kookaburras hanging out by the house.