Birthday Boy!

Wednesday was a very special day in the Osl house... 8 years ago we welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the family!

What a busy day we had! Swimming at 8:00am followed by breakfast at a great little "greasy spoon", a brief stop at home before heading back out to have some fun at the library. Daddy made it home for a family dinner out with Auntie Tara, Uncle Dave & Shenna then back home for cake and presents.

Lego is a huge favourite right now so he was delighted to get a 3-in-1 set where he can create a spider (see above), snake, and dragonfly. He also got a couple DS games (which I have been enjoying the past couple of days, myself!)

All in all, it was a fabulous day! The birthday boy felt very special and was approached by many well-wishers due to the fact that he was wearing a "birthday boy" pin on the front of his shirt!

The personalized name mugs from Nana & Papa are used EVERY single day! Grandma Stevens sent a lovely card that arrived with perfect timing via Canada Post. Oma and Opa spent today with the (now) 8-yr-old at their home in Langley and took him to the park and shopping for his gift... yup, more Lego! A very cool Naval war ship! I think Grandpa would like to see that when we visit him in early August.

Stevens' Landed

Hello from the Land of Oz,

July 6 we had a shuttle take us from Abbotsford to Vancouver International Airport. We knew our luggage was a bit overweight so we added a piece from Tom's mom's stash but it was still manageable. As it turned out, the flight we were on was overbooked so they bumped us up to Executive (First) Class! Wow, talk about having a cushy flight. . . we were wined, dined and reclined in comfort at the pointy end of the plane . The chairs were totally adjustable and converted into a bed, the movie was current and the attendants were awesome! Armed with loaded iPods, a digital camera and a 250 GB external drive containing our past several years of history, we were ready to start our new adventure.


Six hours later we touched down in Honolulu and collected our luggage, shuttled to the Pacific Beach Hotel and officially started our new lifestyle. Our first day there, we rented a car and drove around the entire island of Oahu, including driving into Diamond Head crater. It was nice to be able to stop when and where we wanted to. The next day was a visit to the Arizona memorial. The Americans really do an impressive job of honoring their fallen, that's been our experience in every State we've visited over the years.


July 10 we boarded our flight for Sydney/Brisbane, crossing the International Date Line and losing a day. The 10 hour flight was uneventful and much more comfortable since we had rested up in Hawaii and were more prepared for that length of sitting time. My special neck pillow and scrap booked pages of family and friends were a bittersweet comfort. Upon our approach into Sydney I was having a deja vu moment as the red tiled roofs came into focus.


After changing planes and catching a 1 1/2 hour flight to Brisbane, we were met by Aaron and Jen, Noelle and Glenn, Sarah & Paul and Miss Olivia (2 weeks old). I was presented with a beautiful bouquet of lillies and after collecting all of our luggage (nothing missing) we were driven to Noelle and Glenn's home. A feast had been prepared and gifts were presented to get us started. I was thoughtfully given a hair dryer, we got a coffee pot to make regular coffee, not the cappucinos and lattes that everyone has here. We take it everywhere we stay now. We also were given a set of dishes for 4 and a gift certificate for golf clubs, and tickets for a show.


As I write this, we have been here for 14 days. We have already purchased a vehicle, a 2004 Ford ute (tray backed), have taken out a membership each in the Maroochydore Lifesavers Club, have our Medical Cards, Queensland Drivers Licenses and RACQ membership ( same as BCAA and actually affiliated so we are credited with the same number of years of membership which entitles us to all the discounts of 20 years plus). My application for getting our Tax File Number (equivalent to the Social Insurance Number) was accepted but Tom had to supply official documents since they couldn't find him in their system. Interestingly, we had some things notorized today by a group of Judiciary People (lawyers, judges, notaries) who volunteer their time every week at the shopping centre for 4 hours each Friday. And that was free! By the end of this week, we need to have all of our major business taken care of, as we will be moving up to Sarah and Paul's on the Sunshine Coast for the next little while. Tom has mapped out the schools he will apply at and will distribute resumes and business cards that he had printed last week.


Having my Permanent Resident Visa has made getting all of the above very smooth for me. The plan is to apply for Citizenship, which I understand only requires living here for 2 years (changed from 5 years) and will need to be confirmed. Next week Tom hits the proverbial pavement and I start researching employment options.


Unemployment has risen by 48% in the past year and that is not reassuring for us but we'll just have to be very convincing in our approach. Apparently people of our generation are much more reliable, take little to no sick time and are always are ready to start work and time and rarely, if ever leave early. This work ethic with help us.


A couple of days ago we took a drive south to Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast and lunched in Burleigh Heads with an old friend. It's interesting to see the many parallels with what is homey and familiar. They have many of the American influenced businesses here, such as H&R Block, Myers Stores, Target, The Body Shop, MacDonalds, of course, KFC, and many more. Most differences are fairly subtle . . .Freeways are called Motorways and diapers are nappies, a shopping mall is an outside strip mall and a shopping centre is the collection of shops under one roof. You have to drive on the left side of the road (like driving in a mirror) and there are little differences that make some of the humour a bit of a challenge but for the most part, we're very much alike. Today we had Subway for lunch, even the prices were the same.


I'm starting to recognize landmarks and picking up some of the common expressions and terms like a "doona" is a duvet and a "dunny" is a toilet (slang/crude). You get the idea. I'm sure I will always sound like a foreigner but it helps to use their terms, . . . when in Rome. . .


Our welcome here has been genuine and heartfelt. For me, it's a working holiday, for Tom, a homecoming. I will continue to journalize our experience and perhaps you can benefit vicariously.


Love, hugs and regards,
Marilyn

Safe 'n' Sound

I received an e-mail at 4:55am today (that puts them at about noon). Mom and Tom had arrived safe and sound in Brisbane and were ready to enjoy a BBQ at Noelle & Glenn's.

Here's an exerpt from Mom's latest e-mail:

Had a nice welcome here. Everyone, including Sarah, Paul and Olivia were at the airport to meet and greet. Glen and Noelle hosted a great dinner and it was well after midnight before we fell into bed. It’s actually quite cool here. . . . . 18 deg. C. Aaron’s Jen is a real sweetie and they all made us feel very welcome. The flight was uneventful, only 10 hours from Honolulu after a good sleep, so very do-able.

Oh yeah, we got bumped up to executive (first) class from YVR to HNL. . . Wow! We each had a bed! I’ll elaborate more later. We’re going to the market and will meet the others there as well. It really hasn’t hit home yet. . . . Being on the move this much in such a short time, it just feels like yet another stop. Until we actually get established, my head can’t get past “holiday mode”. I will send photos later in the week.

The neck pillow has been very well used already. . . . It goes with me everywhere and I take my photo album in the Nana bag. . . . Dead giveaway, hey?

Not "goodbye", but "see you soon"...

Looking at their new mini-album "I Love Nana Because... / I Love Papa Because..."

Mom and Tom with just a few of us at their farewell party on July 4th.

We also celebrated Tom's 60th birthday.

(He shares it with Canada and is of Viking descent)

Well, the time has arrived for my mom, Marilyn, and step-dad, Tom, to begin the next chapter in their lives. Onward to Australia! They will be there for about 5 years before they spend their retirement years between Canada and Down Under.

We've done some serious visiting and squeezing in as much quality-time as possible! I, myself, cannot wait to get on an 18 hour flight to see them in the Land of Oz! :D

Although we are extremely sad to see such important and loved family members go, we are very happy for our extended family in Australia to be getting them for a while! "Miss Olivia" is the newest member of the family (she arrived on June 26th) and is anxious to meet her Nana and Papa! All of Tom's (4) kids live in Australia and are also anxiously awaiting their arrival.

I can't say enough wonderful things about my mom and Tom. We are so blessed to have them in our lives.

Even though "Papa" is not blood-related to all of the kids and grandkids here in Canada, you'd certainly never know it. He's been absolutely amazing to Shenna (15), Seth (8.5), Connor (8), Kooper (5), and Mackenzie (3) for the last 15 years... and will continue to be! We have so many wonderful memories of Papa swimming, skating, boating, playing board games, walking to the park, etc.

Our lives are enriched tenfold simply because "Nana" is in them. She is the epitome of kindness, generosity, wisdom, and love. No one gives a better hug than Nana does.

Godspeed Nana & Papa!

xoxoxoxoxoxox