Really far from home

Howdy folks,

It is the close of Friday here in Oz, another beautiful Autumn day. High around 62 and low around high 40s/low 50s F and sunny most the day. We spent much of the morning running errands and picking up odds and ends that you don't really think about until you need it. For instance, my husband needed an Allen wrench...not something we thought to bring with us and with the way we packed, we probably wouldn't have had room in our luggage even for that small of an item! So, we went to Bunnings, the Aussie version of Home Depot with a fairly similar feel and layout except they are blue and red instead of orange. Then we went to Best and Less and picked up some items for my son's winter uniform at school, nothing too exciting but things that needed to be done.

There are things that remind me often of just how far away from home I am. For instance, my university at home, good old Texas A&M University, had locked me out of my account so I needed to get my password reset. However, you had to call in to to do that so I emailed them and asked if there was any other way since I was overseas. They said no problem, we can call you or we can skype, just tell us when to call between 8am-6pm Central daylight time. So, I figured that we would have to do it early in the morning, so they called me at 7:00 am my time which was 4:00pm their time. We are 17 hours ahead of Texas time and when I think about that, it seems really far away. It is weird to be living in the future. When it is not daylight savings, we are only 15 hours away because daylight savings and seasons are opposite here. So, in April when Texas "Springs forward", in May in Australia they "Fall back". To me, that 2 hour difference between 15 and 17 hours makes a difference, because now I need to call home before 1pm so I don't wake people up, but during the other part of the year, I have until 3pm.

Also, when you look at the airfare costs, you quickly realize how far away we really are from home. I haven't found a flight that is cheaper than $1,400 per person for the days we need to travel, and when there are 3 of you, that adds up really fast. Plus, we typically buy trip insurance for really big trips, so that is another $200 at least. So, basically we are looking at close to $4,000 for a trip home...yikes! That is steep! So, we have sadly decided to postpone our trip home in July and try to go later in the year. That is a bummer.

It is also hard to be away from family and friends and miss big events. I have missed birthdays and other things that I normally would always be at and that is a bit sad. However, I don't want you to think that I am depressed or homesick. Honestly, we really love living here and we have made some really good friends. Back home, to be honest, I didn't feel like I had that many close friends. I have lots of friends, but only a small number of really close friends. The reason is because I always had wonderful family members around to love me and take care of me whenever I needed it...I was spoiled! I didn't really need friends as much because I had my family. Now that I am away from them, we have made some really close friends here that we love and it has been great to branch out in that way and to meet new people from all over the world. I was probably a little too self centered at home too, here I try to be friendly and look for small ways that I can assist people and be their friend because I need my friends here...they are my family! I think in Texas I was a really lazy friend and probably neglected my friends some because I had other people to keep me busy. Sorry Texas friends! I have learned a lot since I have been here and I feel like I am a better person for it...at least I hope so.

We have had our struggles with moving here and still trying to sell our house and getting settled and getting Aaron a job, etc., etc, etc...and we are still struggling in many ways HOWEVER...I feel very blessed to be here and we are really glad we are here. We feel we were led here through much prayer and thinking and that this is where we need to be and we are just holding to our faith that it will all work out. And I know that it will somehow, it may not be the way we had intended, but it will probably work out better in many ways and maybe not what we expected in others...but overall, we are still really glad to be here and really happy here.

You know how sometimes you just get in a rut? I think we were in a rut in our lives and just weren't really motivated to get out of it, but moving to Australia has changed that. We are more adventuresome, we eat healthier here because it costs the same as eating junk food, and we are leading more active lifestyles in general. Aaron has lost somewhere between 40-50 pounds since we have arrived and I feel like I have lost some as well. Aaron weighed himself the other day but the scale was in stones, so he doesn't know the exact weight he has lost. One stone is equal to about 14 pounds, so if the scale was correct, he has lost 50 pounds, which is great! We also lead less stressful lives in general. Australia just doesn't have the hustle and bustle stress that I always felt in the US. In fact, full time work is 36 hours a week, so they tend to work less as well and I honestly think they seem happier in general. It is a good life here in Australia and we hope you will come visit! It truly is an amazing place!

With love from way over here....

Heather