AUSTRALIA BLOG 17- Grandma
Every time I write a Blog, my mom prints it out and puts it in an envelope to mail to my grandma. My grandma takes the blogs to the Café where she meets her friends every day for coffee, or for my grandma, Diet Dr Pepper, Caffeine Free, if they have it, and shares it with her dear friends.
Maybe I haven’t told you, but if you really know me, you know that my favorite person in this ENTIRE world is my grandma. So, this one is for you.
My parents divorced when I was fiveish and eventually we moved to the small Texas town of Bertram to be near my grandparents. This is where my childhood memories began, buried in animals and dirt and tree climbing and acres and acres of rocky pasture and animals, animals, animals. I got to spend a lot of time with my Grandma and my Grandpa. My Grandpa is the man who inspired me to love animals and to tell a good story, a part of me which is so much of who I am today. His farm was my petting zoo and I always loved the way he told a story or a joke at the top of his lungs and laughed with tears in his eyes as if it was the first time he’d ever told it. It is hard to know one without the other, to me, they will forever be one in the same.
When I was in grade school, we were assigned a project, to write a book about our favorite person, our hero, and I wrote about my Grandma. I told stories about the time my cousin wouldn’t share his snorkel and goggles in the pool, when I came home to tell my grandma, she took me to the store to buy a pair and to cheer me up, in the car on the way home, she took them out of the package while she was driving and put them on. A kid could not have asked for a better grandma.
Some of my favorite memories where when it was just the two of us, I can remember her letting me bring animals into the house, rocking me in her chair while I held a puppy or a baby goat, taking me upstairs to teach me to sew in her sewing room, she taught me to run a sewing machine, to embroider, to paint and to love shoes. She taught me to be a good listener, to treat others with kindness and to always look out for myself.
She was forever kind, caring, and patient, understanding, smart, strong, all knowing, and always hilarious. This was a family raised on laughter and a great sense of humor. You can imagine the person she would be, she has lived through the Great Depression, breast cancer before people talked about it, grew up on a farm before electricity or running water, raised five kids and seven grandkids who adore her. I strive everyday to be like her in my adult life.
As an adult, one of the most important things my Grandma ever told me was about my Grandpa. She told me that throughout the years, in a marriage that last as long as theirs did, you do not hold on to the exact same love you found in the beginning, but that with time, as life evolves, you discover new love and admiration for different reasons. She loved him for being a hard working man and a good provider, later for being a good father, and even later; for being a good grandpa. I think about that almost every day.
She stayed with me the night before I married Josh and while it seemed like no big deal at the time, it will always be one of my treasures.
To this day, when I need advice in life or love, someone to talk to who I know will listen with an open mind and no judgment, or even random information only she will likely know, I just give her a call. She always answers, “Well, hello little girl!” with a smile, and a thick Southern drawl.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Australia Blog 16- Husband From Snowy River
AUSTRALIA BLOG 16
Saturday, October 9th in Oz, the weather was clear and crisp, the sun was shining and it was a perfect day to be on a horse. Josh and I drove out to the Newton’s to meet Kaylie for a ride. Kaylie and her brother Cyle breed and train outstanding Australian Stock Horses to use for Polo Cross, which are all ideally mares. It was so good to be on a horse, although I’ve become complacent in my riding, in my Western saddle, atop my Quarter Horse gelding who knows better than to think on his own and who I have taught to move in soft collected Pleasure Horse strides on a loose reign, the complete opposite of what makes a good Polo Cross horse. While nothing was familiar, everything was the same. However, the saddles may take a little getting used to. On the way back, we rode past gorgeous fields of yellow canola flowers and grain, when suddenly our horses saw something we did not. Josh was the first to see him, a Brown Snake. Australia’s native Brown Snake is the world’s second most venomous snake, and is considered to be the most deadly due to its highly aggressive nature.
If you know me, you know I am not a fan of snakes, okay, I kind of have a huge phobia, but this day, I was calm. The Brown Snake, which is not so brown at all, passed on the road in front of us and continued on his way.
Sunday Mette and I made the two hour drive over to Melbourne in order to do a little shopping and get out of Shepparton when the opportunity presented its self. Mette came by the house to pick me up but when we were ready to leave, Herby, Mette’s car wouldn’t start. Herby is a pale blue four door sedan, with mismatch paint which has faded in the sun from years of misuse. We sat in the driveway while Mette begged and pleated with Herby in her pleasant Danish accent, calling him by name and asking him please not to do this each time she turned the key, to no avail. Herby is sick, she proclaimed.
In an unsuccessful attempt not to laugh, I suggested we take Ruby. Ruby, while also a piece of shit car, was a luxury sedan compared to Herby. Mette named the 16 year old, maroon, four-door Commodore Holden we paid 38 hundred bucks for; Ruby, it was a perfect name for a ruby red grandma car in mint condition.
When we were finally on our way to Melbourne, Little Roo settled into his place on Ruby’s center console and took a nap in the Sunday sunshine. Mette had directions to the Rip Cirl surf shop, where she wanted to buy sunglasses. She navigated and I drove, we successfully navigated through street trolleys, roundabouts, hook turns, one illegal u-turn and a backwards parking garage. Unfortunately Mette is no help when it comes to driving on the left side of the road because she too is out of her element; Denmark has the same ‘keep right’ driving policy as America. Two blond foreign girls and one small white dog finally arrived safely in downtown Melbourne without incident and also without a dog leash.
The shopping in Melbourne reminded me of shopping in LA, posh outdoor shopping and also dog friendly. Roo was welcome in every store, some of which even had dog water bowls by the door. Mette found sunglasses and luckily, I found a dog leash in an unlikely store, similar to Victoria Secret, hot pink leather or not, it was better than carrying him.
We were then in search of a place along the busy sidewalk to sit in the afternoon sun, enjoy a beverage and people watch, when we came to an open air pub with sidewalk seating and good music. All of the seating on the sidewalk was taken, but little Roo pulled through for us. Two nice guys sitting at a large empty table stopped us to pet Roo and ask what kind of dog he was. I asked if they minded sharing the table with us, they agreed and even offered to mind Roo while we went in to order drinks from the bar. I handed one of them the hot pink leash with the small white dog on the end with a smile, and went to fetch drinks.
James and Michael were from Melbourne and were also out to enjoy the Sunday sun, have a beer and people watch, they were waiting on their friend Justine to join them. We could not have met three nicer people. We had a great time talking about culture, Australia, Melbourne, The US, Denmark, dogs, babies, advertising, surfing, and beaches to name a few. When it was time to head home, we exchanged contact information with our new friends and were once again, on our way.
Josh called earlier in the day, when Mette and I were half way to Melbourne, to let me know he had received an invite to ride in the mountains where Angus McKinnon lives. Angus is the renowned Equine Reproduction veterinarian at Goulburn Valley, he is good friends with Dave Frisbie DVM, who’s high recommendation got Josh the internship there. He lives on several thousand acres in the mountains where Man From Snowy River was filmed. I’ve seen the movie, it’s gorgeous.
It was dark when Josh came through the door, and I could tell he had had a great day. In an attempt to hold back his enthusiasm, trying not to rub it in too much, he told me the ride in the mountains today had made the entire trip worthwhile, that he even got to ride in a Western saddle. They rode along side kangaroos while they were jumping, saw a wallaby, “The wallaby was dead, but still cool”, he added.
Saturday, October 9th in Oz, the weather was clear and crisp, the sun was shining and it was a perfect day to be on a horse. Josh and I drove out to the Newton’s to meet Kaylie for a ride. Kaylie and her brother Cyle breed and train outstanding Australian Stock Horses to use for Polo Cross, which are all ideally mares. It was so good to be on a horse, although I’ve become complacent in my riding, in my Western saddle, atop my Quarter Horse gelding who knows better than to think on his own and who I have taught to move in soft collected Pleasure Horse strides on a loose reign, the complete opposite of what makes a good Polo Cross horse. While nothing was familiar, everything was the same. However, the saddles may take a little getting used to. On the way back, we rode past gorgeous fields of yellow canola flowers and grain, when suddenly our horses saw something we did not. Josh was the first to see him, a Brown Snake. Australia’s native Brown Snake is the world’s second most venomous snake, and is considered to be the most deadly due to its highly aggressive nature.
If you know me, you know I am not a fan of snakes, okay, I kind of have a huge phobia, but this day, I was calm. The Brown Snake, which is not so brown at all, passed on the road in front of us and continued on his way.
Sunday Mette and I made the two hour drive over to Melbourne in order to do a little shopping and get out of Shepparton when the opportunity presented its self. Mette came by the house to pick me up but when we were ready to leave, Herby, Mette’s car wouldn’t start. Herby is a pale blue four door sedan, with mismatch paint which has faded in the sun from years of misuse. We sat in the driveway while Mette begged and pleated with Herby in her pleasant Danish accent, calling him by name and asking him please not to do this each time she turned the key, to no avail. Herby is sick, she proclaimed.
In an unsuccessful attempt not to laugh, I suggested we take Ruby. Ruby, while also a piece of shit car, was a luxury sedan compared to Herby. Mette named the 16 year old, maroon, four-door Commodore Holden we paid 38 hundred bucks for; Ruby, it was a perfect name for a ruby red grandma car in mint condition.
When we were finally on our way to Melbourne, Little Roo settled into his place on Ruby’s center console and took a nap in the Sunday sunshine. Mette had directions to the Rip Cirl surf shop, where she wanted to buy sunglasses. She navigated and I drove, we successfully navigated through street trolleys, roundabouts, hook turns, one illegal u-turn and a backwards parking garage. Unfortunately Mette is no help when it comes to driving on the left side of the road because she too is out of her element; Denmark has the same ‘keep right’ driving policy as America. Two blond foreign girls and one small white dog finally arrived safely in downtown Melbourne without incident and also without a dog leash.
The shopping in Melbourne reminded me of shopping in LA, posh outdoor shopping and also dog friendly. Roo was welcome in every store, some of which even had dog water bowls by the door. Mette found sunglasses and luckily, I found a dog leash in an unlikely store, similar to Victoria Secret, hot pink leather or not, it was better than carrying him.
We were then in search of a place along the busy sidewalk to sit in the afternoon sun, enjoy a beverage and people watch, when we came to an open air pub with sidewalk seating and good music. All of the seating on the sidewalk was taken, but little Roo pulled through for us. Two nice guys sitting at a large empty table stopped us to pet Roo and ask what kind of dog he was. I asked if they minded sharing the table with us, they agreed and even offered to mind Roo while we went in to order drinks from the bar. I handed one of them the hot pink leash with the small white dog on the end with a smile, and went to fetch drinks.
James and Michael were from Melbourne and were also out to enjoy the Sunday sun, have a beer and people watch, they were waiting on their friend Justine to join them. We could not have met three nicer people. We had a great time talking about culture, Australia, Melbourne, The US, Denmark, dogs, babies, advertising, surfing, and beaches to name a few. When it was time to head home, we exchanged contact information with our new friends and were once again, on our way.
Josh called earlier in the day, when Mette and I were half way to Melbourne, to let me know he had received an invite to ride in the mountains where Angus McKinnon lives. Angus is the renowned Equine Reproduction veterinarian at Goulburn Valley, he is good friends with Dave Frisbie DVM, who’s high recommendation got Josh the internship there. He lives on several thousand acres in the mountains where Man From Snowy River was filmed. I’ve seen the movie, it’s gorgeous.
It was dark when Josh came through the door, and I could tell he had had a great day. In an attempt to hold back his enthusiasm, trying not to rub it in too much, he told me the ride in the mountains today had made the entire trip worthwhile, that he even got to ride in a Western saddle. They rode along side kangaroos while they were jumping, saw a wallaby, “The wallaby was dead, but still cool”, he added.
“The only thing that would have made the ride complete is if I would have been able to pop a whip, like Jim, on Man From Snowy River, but Angus said my horse didn’t like whips. Oh yeah, and if you would have been there, of course.”
They are going on another ride this Sunday, but I had already planned to go surfing with Mette, decisions, decisions.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Australia Blog 15- Spring Time In Oz
AUSTRALIA BLOG 15- Spring Time In Oz…
Today is Wednesday, October 06, 2010. I have not blogged in a couple weeks so I will catch you up! The rainy season seems to be over and it is warming up as Australia comes into Spring.
I took the RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) class on Thursday and followed up in person with the GV Hotel about securing the bartending job. The manager told me they would give me a call.
Saturday night just before we went out to meet the other interns for dinner, I got a call. They wanted me to come in and work the midnight to close shift for someone who had called in sick. I agreed to do so and asked what time the shift ended. The manager on the phone told me the shift ended at 5am.
Josh and I arrived at the sushi restaurant downtown and claimed our reservation of a table for ten. I was so happy to have sushi for the first time since we left The States. The food and the company were excellent and we all decided to make our way down to the GV in order to prolong the Saturday night celebration. When we arrived at the GV, I checked in with the manager on duty about my midnight shift and explained to her that I had not yet been trained or had any kind of instruction but that I was willing to jump right in. It was a Saturday night, the restaurant bar was packed and had transformed into a night club. She was puzzled by the blunder and arranged for me to start on Monday night instead. This was great news; I joined our friends on the other side of the bar and ordered a drink in an attempt to catch up. After a great night out of live music, dancing, and laughing, we walked home, joined by Kristie and Mike who were not quite ready to call it a night.
When we arrived our house, Josh turned on some Zac Brown Band, if you are wondering how we have Texas Country Music in Australia, you didn’t think I would leave without my docking station and ipod?! Have to plug it into a converter but it works! Mike and Kristie loved the new music but Mike wanted to show us some music from his home country, Scotland, so he proceeded to take off his shirt, climb onto the kitchen counter and sing and dance a little Scottish jig. It was probably the funniest things I’ve ever witnessed.
Monday I worked my first shift at the GV. When I got there, they gave me a shirt and an apron, and I was suddenly taken back six years, to my college days, to the days I thought I had put behind me. The day I walked across the stage at graduation, I swore to myself that I would never wait tables or bartend ever, ever, ever again. For all of you, most of you, out there who have never bartended or waited tables a day in your life, you are an ass hole! Your ranch dressing is not all that important! Okay, I’m kidding, I know my grandma is reading this, and I also know she has a great since of humor.
Tuesday night I worked my second shift at the GV on a very sore heel injury which resulted in Saturday night’s festivities at our house. When I arrived, I was paired up to work with a 19 year old girl with a bad attitude; I put on my happy face and ran every plate of food all night as she pulled it off the line and bused every table in the restaurant. And why they don’t use trays to carry more than three plates at a time is beyond me!
I walked to work that day because it’s only two blocks from the house, but Josh had agreed to pick me up so that I wouldn’t have to walk home in the dark in a shady part of downtown. Unfortunately, my prepaid sim card had run out of minutes and I was unable to call him so I walked home in the dark at the end of my shift. By the time I walked in the door, I was in tears. I sat down on the couch beside Josh and cried, “I didn’t go to school for four and a half years to be a bus boy!” “I want to go home!” “I miss MY job!” “I want to go home………”
Being that Josh is eternally calm, cool and collected, he just hugged me and said, “Okay, if that’s what you want.” He let me finish crying and just held me.
That was my last shift at the GV and I spent the rest of that week being very homesick and unwilling to Blog and share my lack of enthusiasm with anyone.
Last weekend, things started to turn around, my friend Mette and I got out of town Saturday and drove three hours up to the beach at Tourquay so that she could buy a surfboard. Mette is a vet who works with Josh, she is a very cool girl from Denmark whose first language is Danish. We plan to hit the beach this coming weekend and she is going to teach me to surf. We visited all the surf shops and had a great time buying a new surfboard. It’s amazing how helpful the surfboard salesmen are to a tall, blond, blue-eyed Danish girl with an accent. A huge discount and $700 later, she got a beautiful new surfboard that we plan on painting, as soon as we can choose on a design and buy the paint pens. Something I learned about surf boards is that the serious surfers paint designs their boards, or pay to have someone paint them. We’ve founds tons of impressive designs online, we’re looking forward to tackling the new project and hitting the beach!
Today is Wednesday, October 06, 2010. I have not blogged in a couple weeks so I will catch you up! The rainy season seems to be over and it is warming up as Australia comes into Spring.
I took the RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) class on Thursday and followed up in person with the GV Hotel about securing the bartending job. The manager told me they would give me a call.
Saturday night just before we went out to meet the other interns for dinner, I got a call. They wanted me to come in and work the midnight to close shift for someone who had called in sick. I agreed to do so and asked what time the shift ended. The manager on the phone told me the shift ended at 5am.
Josh and I arrived at the sushi restaurant downtown and claimed our reservation of a table for ten. I was so happy to have sushi for the first time since we left The States. The food and the company were excellent and we all decided to make our way down to the GV in order to prolong the Saturday night celebration. When we arrived at the GV, I checked in with the manager on duty about my midnight shift and explained to her that I had not yet been trained or had any kind of instruction but that I was willing to jump right in. It was a Saturday night, the restaurant bar was packed and had transformed into a night club. She was puzzled by the blunder and arranged for me to start on Monday night instead. This was great news; I joined our friends on the other side of the bar and ordered a drink in an attempt to catch up. After a great night out of live music, dancing, and laughing, we walked home, joined by Kristie and Mike who were not quite ready to call it a night.
When we arrived our house, Josh turned on some Zac Brown Band, if you are wondering how we have Texas Country Music in Australia, you didn’t think I would leave without my docking station and ipod?! Have to plug it into a converter but it works! Mike and Kristie loved the new music but Mike wanted to show us some music from his home country, Scotland, so he proceeded to take off his shirt, climb onto the kitchen counter and sing and dance a little Scottish jig. It was probably the funniest things I’ve ever witnessed.
Monday I worked my first shift at the GV. When I got there, they gave me a shirt and an apron, and I was suddenly taken back six years, to my college days, to the days I thought I had put behind me. The day I walked across the stage at graduation, I swore to myself that I would never wait tables or bartend ever, ever, ever again. For all of you, most of you, out there who have never bartended or waited tables a day in your life, you are an ass hole! Your ranch dressing is not all that important! Okay, I’m kidding, I know my grandma is reading this, and I also know she has a great since of humor.
Tuesday night I worked my second shift at the GV on a very sore heel injury which resulted in Saturday night’s festivities at our house. When I arrived, I was paired up to work with a 19 year old girl with a bad attitude; I put on my happy face and ran every plate of food all night as she pulled it off the line and bused every table in the restaurant. And why they don’t use trays to carry more than three plates at a time is beyond me!
I walked to work that day because it’s only two blocks from the house, but Josh had agreed to pick me up so that I wouldn’t have to walk home in the dark in a shady part of downtown. Unfortunately, my prepaid sim card had run out of minutes and I was unable to call him so I walked home in the dark at the end of my shift. By the time I walked in the door, I was in tears. I sat down on the couch beside Josh and cried, “I didn’t go to school for four and a half years to be a bus boy!” “I want to go home!” “I miss MY job!” “I want to go home………”
Being that Josh is eternally calm, cool and collected, he just hugged me and said, “Okay, if that’s what you want.” He let me finish crying and just held me.
That was my last shift at the GV and I spent the rest of that week being very homesick and unwilling to Blog and share my lack of enthusiasm with anyone.
Last weekend, things started to turn around, my friend Mette and I got out of town Saturday and drove three hours up to the beach at Tourquay so that she could buy a surfboard. Mette is a vet who works with Josh, she is a very cool girl from Denmark whose first language is Danish. We plan to hit the beach this coming weekend and she is going to teach me to surf. We visited all the surf shops and had a great time buying a new surfboard. It’s amazing how helpful the surfboard salesmen are to a tall, blond, blue-eyed Danish girl with an accent. A huge discount and $700 later, she got a beautiful new surfboard that we plan on painting, as soon as we can choose on a design and buy the paint pens. Something I learned about surf boards is that the serious surfers paint designs their boards, or pay to have someone paint them. We’ve founds tons of impressive designs online, we’re looking forward to tackling the new project and hitting the beach!
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