Tuesday, January 27, 2009

We got away!!!!


Bruce and I just recently went on a 5 day get-away to Hamilton Island which is on The Great Barrier Reef. We had an absolutely wonderful time!! Some great friends of ours watched Haylee and Grace, so we really were in paradise!!! We took a helicopter ride out to the middle of nowhere to snorkle on the reef. It was so fantastic! Enjoy all the pictures....


ahhhh, no kids.....



view right outside our hotel

some of the fish we swam with on the great barrier reef







this fish was just hanging out next to the diving pontoon out on the reef! the instructors told us the fish is about 9 feet long!


on the diving pontoon out on the great barrier reef


the helicopter platform we landed on in the middle of nowhere on the reef !


a shot of the heli platform we landed on and the diving pontoon


our super sexy diving suits



i'm pretty sure this suit was used on one of the austin powers movies.....



on the helicopter over the great barrier reef. 'heart reef' is over my shoulder


'heart reef'



the great barrier reef






amazing views!!!









'toucan tango' cafe



view of our hotel and the island from 'one tree hill'










view from our hotel glass elevator




wild cockatoos were everywhere!








yes, bruce is in fact wearing his swim trunks...










bruce at hamilton island harbor




reading....it was heaven!!!









Wednesday, January 21, 2009

the worst post office trip EVER

Okay, I went to the post office today and it was officially the worst experience of my life as a mom. I'm actually pretty sure that I'd be banned from this particular post office if they could do that sort of thing. Here's how it went.....

Thinking to myself: "I'll just carry Haylee & the packages and let Grace walk. I don't need to put them in the stroller." (big mistake)

We get into the post office and the line is forever long. Oh well. We'll just wait.

Grace runs over to the card rack and starts throwing cards everywhere. The lady in front of me turns and says, "Do you see your child?" (in a VERY sarcastic tone) and I just look at her and go pick up all the cards, drag a screaming Grace back in line with me, and pull Haylee and the packages back into my arms.

Grace is screaming and finally wiggles her way out of my hand hold. She goes over to the magazine rack and starts pulling magazines onto the floor. (Haylee is now crying because she wants to crawl around on the nasy post office floor and I won't let her.) I go over to pick up the magazines and pull Grace back in line with me. But, oh wait!!! In the mean time, the three people behind me decide to move up and not give me my place in line back!!!!! A man looks at me and says, "Sorry, but you moved out of line."

So we go to the back of the line.

I now have 2 screaming kids and 3 packages that I still need to mail.

As we wait in line, Grace calms down and I let go of her hand. She walks over to where they have the Christmas wrapping paper on display (isn't it almost February? Just checking...) and pulls a tube of wrapping paper out. As she turns around with this long tube, she knocks over a display of stuffed animals dressed as postal workers (who would buy that??). Holy cow! Really?!?!?!

At this point, I'm to the front of the line. I say outloud, but to myself, "I'll pick up all of the stupid stuffed animals after I mail the packages."

By the way, there are probably 12 people in the post office and not one of them has offered any help. In fact, they are all glaring at me and my children.

So, the potal worker says to me, "I don't like that your daughter knocked the stuffed animals on the floor." I say, "Sorry. I'll pick them up as soon as I'm done here with these packages." He glares at me and walks out from behind the counter, picks up all the dumb postal teddy bears, comes back and gives me another glare.

I ignore his glare and say, 'Thanks for doing that, That really helped me out."
He says,"I wasn't trying to help you out. I didn't want the stuffed animals on the ground"
How nice.

Haylee is still screaming to get down on the nasty floor.

My total comes to $9. I pull out my debit card to pay. The postal worker tells me there is a $10 limit to be able to use a card. Really??? I say to him, "Really? I can't use my card? But my total is $9." He answers back to me and says, "Well, $9 isn't $10, is it?"

I buy a book of stamps to make the total over $10 and I hear the woman behind me say to her husband, "She really should have better control over her children." I turn around and say, "You're right. I should. But wouldn't it be nice for someone like you to help when you can obviously see help is needed?"

As we leave, I'm having to preactically drag Grace out by the arm screaming and a woman stops me and says, "You really should not treat your child like that."

So, here's to you Australia Post. Cheers.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Thank-You!!

I just wanted to say THANKS so much for the wonderful Christmas cards and pictures! It really meant so much to Bruce and I to get them. We were really missing our family and friends over the holiday season. I know you had to go out of your way to take it to the post office and put additional postage on it just for US!! They were very much loved and appreciated!! So, thanks :)