Bears Beat Packers vs. Christy's Teacher Registration

Hello, loves! Greetings from Australia~

The battle is under way over here today in regards to which event holds more significance in our lives: the fact that the Bears beat Green Bay or the fact that I received my Victorian Institute of Teaching Registration Approval letter in the mail :)

Cheers to my brother, Steve, for being the first person to call us on our Australian landline phone and leave us a message. It was awesome to talk to you and Michelle today.

We had a fairly eventful weekend. Friday night we took it pretty easy around the apartment as I wasn't feeling very well. Saturday morning we were up and off to take possession of yet another rental vehicle- this time a Thrifty Cargo Van. By late afternoon we had collected quite a load: a couch, 2 chairs, a TV, a small desk, a table and 2 chairs bistro set, a portable heater, a portable evaporative air cooler, & 3 plants. We thoroughly enjoyed sitting comfortably at home on Saturday night, watching a movie and eating microwave popcorn. I've posted a couple of pictures of our now furnished apartment above.

Sunday we returned the van to its rightful owners, ate a leisurely breakfast out, and spent most of the rest of the day wandering the city. We walked up Bridge Road, visited Fitzroy Gardens and St. Patrick's Cathedral, explored and snacked at Queen Victoria Market, and finally made our way to Crown Casino for a beer. A quick stop home, and we were off again with Ash, one of Andy's co-workers, on our way to a bar for dinner and to see a friend of his whose band was playing. Our new friend Julia gave us a ride home after the show - I think it is so funny how great a 15-minute car ride home can seem on a Sunday night at 11:30pm when I really thought we'd be taking the 1-hour tram alternative. Andy and I seriously got out of the car and were saying, "That was great. Our first drop-off at our new home!" :)

I had my first Australian doctor appointment this afternoon- nothing wrong, just establishing myself as a patient. It went well, and he seemed genuinely concerned when he asked if I was feeling well emotionally since our arrival, if I was experiencing a lot of homesickness, etc. For all the rest of you that are wondering as well, Andy and I both think that we've been dealing with this issue quite well. I am getting a little bit bored and I am excited about the prospect of now being able to apply for teaching-related jobs with my registration finalized, but overall we've had quite enough going on to keep us busy and we've actually been enjoying a bit of a quieter life. This is not to say that we don't miss many people and things/routines terribly ~ I just find that it does me absolutely no good to dwell upon these feelings for more than a little while. Technology has helped in this area tremendously as well ~ the opportunity to exchange multiple emails, visit friends' blogs, and chat via Skype has helped in not feeling all that far away. If I start to feel too badly, I just locate and study the most recent Sunday newspaper Travel Section and envision all of the beautiful and amazing places Andy and I are going to get to visit during our time living here. :)

I had a great time visiting that Child Care Center that I went to last Friday. I found it to be so much fun listening to little Aussie accents, and I was approached by and introduced to more humans in 2 hours than I had been in 6 weeks. I absolutely love the way young children interact with such honesty and simplicity.

OK- now I'm starting to go a little overboard. I hope this finds all of you very well. We love and miss you all. Cheers!

Christy