Friday, December 30, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Home Trip 2011 - Chapter 2
Chapter 2, Part 1 - Pen-sac-o-la!!
So once Jamie and I got back to Pensacola after our Clemson trip we had 2 weeks to hang out and relax. Well, that's how it was suppose to go anyway! I think I've mentioned it before, but just in case I haven't this semester Jamie went back to school for his MBA. He's only taking 2 classes this term but he has discussion boards, questions and quizzes most weeks as well as some other stuff including 2 research papers. During the time that we were home Jamie had to write a 20 page paper and unfortunately it took longer than expected. Most of his time was spent out in his parents RV trying to finish the paper which meant there wasn't a lot of time to hang out at the beach like we had planned. We did get to spend some time with family though and of course take advantage of being able to watch live football games. That's right people, I said 'games'. As in, more than 1 at a time! Jamie was in heaven, I'm actually surprised that he was willing to come back to Oz! Weekends were pretty much spent doing just that and of course the Clemson game not missed!
Aside from lots of football we spent time hanging out with my dad. Kylie enjoyed watching the horses and hanging out with Paw Paw and her Great Grandma and Grandpa Hunter.
So once Jamie and I got back to Pensacola after our Clemson trip we had 2 weeks to hang out and relax. Well, that's how it was suppose to go anyway! I think I've mentioned it before, but just in case I haven't this semester Jamie went back to school for his MBA. He's only taking 2 classes this term but he has discussion boards, questions and quizzes most weeks as well as some other stuff including 2 research papers. During the time that we were home Jamie had to write a 20 page paper and unfortunately it took longer than expected. Most of his time was spent out in his parents RV trying to finish the paper which meant there wasn't a lot of time to hang out at the beach like we had planned. We did get to spend some time with family though and of course take advantage of being able to watch live football games. That's right people, I said 'games'. As in, more than 1 at a time! Jamie was in heaven, I'm actually surprised that he was willing to come back to Oz! Weekends were pretty much spent doing just that and of course the Clemson game not missed!
My little cheerleader
Watching the game, I'm sure this was taken during a commercial break!
Aside from lots of football we spent time hanging out with my dad. Kylie enjoyed watching the horses and hanging out with Paw Paw and her Great Grandma and Grandpa Hunter.
Telling Daddy all about the horses!
My Dad and Kylie having a very important conversation I'm sure!
4 generations of 'Hunter's'.
This was the best photo we managed to take!
If you listen closely you can here Kylie telling you what the horse says at the very beginning of this video
We also had a family BBQ at my mom's house where Kylie was able to play with her cousins and was introduced to the newest members of the family!
Kylie and Papa John, the cook!
Hanging out with Aunt Crystal
As well has her cousins Bella and Morgan
The newest baby of the family, Brooklyn. Along with her Daddy (my brother Richard) and her Mommy (Heather, Richards fiance).
In addition to visiting with my family we had some very special visitors from Jamie’s side while we were home. Aunt Jenny, Uncle Sheldon and Grandma Hughes came to visit and meet Kylie toward the end of our visit. It was wonderful to get to see them and now Kylie has officially met all 4 of her great grandmothers. It was a great way to end our trip!
Dinner on the bay. Cheese!
4 generations of 'Hughes' + Pops and myself
So part 2 of our home leave trip was complete and from Pensacola we travelled on to Brisbane, our soon to be home. The plan was to start seeing some houses and narrowing down the areas of town we would be interested in living in. Our apartment was right in the city with some gorgeous views of the Storey Bridge and the Botanic Gardens. During the times that Jamie had meetings or functions Kylie and I took walks around the city and chased the birds and lizards in the gardens. Well, Kylie did the chasing and I took photos!
Our view, gotta love this weather!
Kylie chasing the birds...
and trying to pet the ducks
Yes, she attempted to chase this as well!
In the end we didn’t find a house but we were successful in determining the areas we would focus on. A short week later it was back to Perth where the real fun was waiting. The McMillan Home Trip of 2011 was complete. Even though it wasn’t as relaxing as we had planned it was a good trip and just what we needed before the chaos of the move took over!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Home Trip 2011 - Chapter 1
Our home trip has come and gone and of course I've been too busy to tell you about it! The weeks leading up to the trip as well as the weeks after our return have been busy ones. Hopefully things will calm down a bit once we complete the move to Brisbane but until then our crazy life continues. Now onto the details of our trip.
The trip home was a great one. It wasn't as relaxing as we would have liked (or expected) it to be, but we were able to visit with lots of family and some really great friends. We were excited to try out the new Sydney - Dallas flight, as it meant that our trip was cut by 1 layover and about 5-6 hours. The great thing about it was that on the way back it stops in Brisbane and then continues on to Sydney, so for us that was it. We went Pensacola to Dallas (1hour) had a 3 hour lay over and then Dallas to Brisbane (15 hours) and we were done! We'll get to that part later though. So, our flights from Australia to the US were our biggest concern. Not so much the Perth to Sydney or the Dallas to Pensacola since they were relatively short (5 hours and 1 hour) but the most concerning flight was Sydney to Dallas. It was scheduled to be 16 hours and I had no clue how I was going to entertain an 18 month old for that long! The flight also left at 11:05 Perth time, so for Kylie it was middle of the day. We didn't land until 11ish Dallas time so I needed to get her to sleep at the right time to help with the jet lag. Of course the flight was a disaster! Not only did I not get an infant seat beltt, I didn't get a kids meal or a kids activity pack. Thank goodness I planned ahead and brought tons of food, coloring books and toys. Hell, not 1 crew member even acknowledged that we had a kid, not 1!! It was the WORST service we've ever received on a flight, no joking. The other problem we had was being given the bassinet row.
Now, had Kylie been a year younger or lets say, half her height the bassinet wouldn't have been an issue. Seeing as though she isn't either of those things though it did us no good. We paid for a seat for Kylie even though by age she could have been a lap baby for free. We felt it was worth it not only for the extra space but for comfort as well so that Kylie could lay across the seats to sleep. And it would have been, if the damn arm rest would have lifted up like they do on regular rows. Because we were in the bassinet row they didn't. This resulted in Kylie only sleeping in my arms because she couldn't stretch out in the seat and she's not really old enough to explain to her how she should lay to get comfortable. After a few attempts of getting her to sleep and putting her down failed I gave up. I did eventually get her to sleep for 6 hours, but I had to hold her the entire time which meant no sleep for me. Every time she would try to move I would have to maneuver her as well as the pillows and stuff around her head and legs so she wouldn't wake up. AGHHH! Of course she wouldn't have anything to do with Jamie during this time so I was on my own. When we made it to Dallas I was so relieved to be off that f*&%ing plane I could have kissed the immigration and customs people, seriously! The flight from Dallas to Pensacola was very uneventful and we were extremely happy to be treated to Mexican food on the way to Jamie's parents house, yum!
The first few days were basically spent getting settled, finalizing our will and trust account for Kylie and getting ready for our big trip to Clemson. We were sooo looking forward to this trip not only because we were going to meet up with some great friends that we haven't seen in a few years, but it was also going to be our first 'adults trip' without Kylie and it was much needed! I hated to leave her, but I had lots of surprises planned along with some really fun stuff for the guys and was really excited for it all to begin.
Last year all of the guys turned 30. Since we weren't able to get together then I wanted to make this trip not only a reunion, but a birthday celebration as well. For the guys I had golf balls inscribed with a message and tiger paw, hand painted beer and shot glasses and engraved paperweights. For the girls I had monogrammed tote bags, hand carved coasters and hand painted wine glasses. To top it all off I also got a bottle of Dom Perignon, a bottle of Cristal and arranged for us to have access to the stadium for photos with Howard's Rock. Oh, I almost forgot my cupcake arrangement with the tiger paw on it! Jamie didn't even know about all the stuff I had and I was dying keeping it all in!
All of the goodies were a success and we had a great weekend golfing, shopping, checking out the campus and tailgating the day of the game. Being back there made me realize how much I miss that little town and I know it always makes Jamie a little home sick. We hated that the trip had to come to an end, but we've got loads of great memories and hopefully some new 'reunion trip traditions' to look forward to for next time! I now leave you to enjoy some photos of the Clemson Reunion Trip and Birthday Bash of 2011!
The trip home was a great one. It wasn't as relaxing as we would have liked (or expected) it to be, but we were able to visit with lots of family and some really great friends. We were excited to try out the new Sydney - Dallas flight, as it meant that our trip was cut by 1 layover and about 5-6 hours. The great thing about it was that on the way back it stops in Brisbane and then continues on to Sydney, so for us that was it. We went Pensacola to Dallas (1hour) had a 3 hour lay over and then Dallas to Brisbane (15 hours) and we were done! We'll get to that part later though. So, our flights from Australia to the US were our biggest concern. Not so much the Perth to Sydney or the Dallas to Pensacola since they were relatively short (5 hours and 1 hour) but the most concerning flight was Sydney to Dallas. It was scheduled to be 16 hours and I had no clue how I was going to entertain an 18 month old for that long! The flight also left at 11:05 Perth time, so for Kylie it was middle of the day. We didn't land until 11ish Dallas time so I needed to get her to sleep at the right time to help with the jet lag. Of course the flight was a disaster! Not only did I not get an infant seat beltt, I didn't get a kids meal or a kids activity pack. Thank goodness I planned ahead and brought tons of food, coloring books and toys. Hell, not 1 crew member even acknowledged that we had a kid, not 1!! It was the WORST service we've ever received on a flight, no joking. The other problem we had was being given the bassinet row.
Now, had Kylie been a year younger or lets say, half her height the bassinet wouldn't have been an issue. Seeing as though she isn't either of those things though it did us no good. We paid for a seat for Kylie even though by age she could have been a lap baby for free. We felt it was worth it not only for the extra space but for comfort as well so that Kylie could lay across the seats to sleep. And it would have been, if the damn arm rest would have lifted up like they do on regular rows. Because we were in the bassinet row they didn't. This resulted in Kylie only sleeping in my arms because she couldn't stretch out in the seat and she's not really old enough to explain to her how she should lay to get comfortable. After a few attempts of getting her to sleep and putting her down failed I gave up. I did eventually get her to sleep for 6 hours, but I had to hold her the entire time which meant no sleep for me. Every time she would try to move I would have to maneuver her as well as the pillows and stuff around her head and legs so she wouldn't wake up. AGHHH! Of course she wouldn't have anything to do with Jamie during this time so I was on my own. When we made it to Dallas I was so relieved to be off that f*&%ing plane I could have kissed the immigration and customs people, seriously! The flight from Dallas to Pensacola was very uneventful and we were extremely happy to be treated to Mexican food on the way to Jamie's parents house, yum!
The first few days were basically spent getting settled, finalizing our will and trust account for Kylie and getting ready for our big trip to Clemson. We were sooo looking forward to this trip not only because we were going to meet up with some great friends that we haven't seen in a few years, but it was also going to be our first 'adults trip' without Kylie and it was much needed! I hated to leave her, but I had lots of surprises planned along with some really fun stuff for the guys and was really excited for it all to begin.
Last year all of the guys turned 30. Since we weren't able to get together then I wanted to make this trip not only a reunion, but a birthday celebration as well. For the guys I had golf balls inscribed with a message and tiger paw, hand painted beer and shot glasses and engraved paperweights. For the girls I had monogrammed tote bags, hand carved coasters and hand painted wine glasses. To top it all off I also got a bottle of Dom Perignon, a bottle of Cristal and arranged for us to have access to the stadium for photos with Howard's Rock. Oh, I almost forgot my cupcake arrangement with the tiger paw on it! Jamie didn't even know about all the stuff I had and I was dying keeping it all in!
All of the goodies were a success and we had a great weekend golfing, shopping, checking out the campus and tailgating the day of the game. Being back there made me realize how much I miss that little town and I know it always makes Jamie a little home sick. We hated that the trip had to come to an end, but we've got loads of great memories and hopefully some new 'reunion trip traditions' to look forward to for next time! I now leave you to enjoy some photos of the Clemson Reunion Trip and Birthday Bash of 2011!
Welcome Home!
Our yearly Betty Webber cake! I'm sure I've talked about it before, but this lady really does make the BEST cakes in the world!!
Our yearly Betty Webber cake! I'm sure I've talked about it before, but this lady really does make the BEST cakes in the world!!
Our beautiful lake house and view
Trying to re-live their youth with some OE! Thankfully some things have changed!
Golfing at the Walker Course. The 3 amigos
Goodie bags and cupcakes for everyone, yay!
(One of my favorite items! Wine glasses for the girls, check out the bottom of the glasses!!)
A new tradition, Dom Perignon to start the trip off right.
Howard's Rock and campus
Tailgating on game day!!
Another new tradition, Cristal at the tailgate!
What a game, Go Tigers!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Final countdown...for this trip at least!
So, we are less than 10 days away from our departure from Perth to the US. Woo Hoo!! Aside from being terrified about having a 16 month old trapped on a plane for 15 hours I'm really excited for this home trip. 5 days after we arrive in Pensacola Jamie and I will be leaving for our first adult trip. We'll be in Clemson, SC with good friends and NO KIDDOS!!! Scary and exciting all at the same time! I've got lots of fun stuff planned and can't wait to be able to tell everyone about it. The secrets are killing me! Even still, out trip home couldn't be coming at a worse time.
You see, in addition to our upcoming move from Perth to Brisbane, Jamie has also started his MBA. Now he works 6 days a week, 10-14 hours a day and then adds in additional time for studying, quizzes and homework. I am basically a single mom for 6 1/2 days out of a 7 day week. Fun. Add that to the fact that I've had a sick kiddo lately (while being sick myself) and that I'm trying to organize a cross-county move to a place I've never been and you get one run down Erica most of the time.
Everyone keeps telling us that we're going to love Brisbane. They say "it's like Perth, but better". My response to them is usually "yeah, we shall see". It's not I'm not excited about the move, I've just come to the conclusion that this move will not be like any of the other 10 we've encountered thus far. I've got Kylie this time. I'm just not looking forward to all the moving stuff while dealing with an 18 month old. Finding a place to live has become that much harder as well.
Before, all Jamie and I thought about was - Is it nice and does it have a yard for the dogs. Now I have to think - Where are the bedrooms located if it's a 2 storey (which most of them are in Brisbane)? Where would Kylie's room be? Is it near the garage? Is it near the front door? Not making either of those mistakes again!! Where would her play room be? It can't be on a different floor than the kitchen and living area. Where would Jamie's weight room be? That can't be on the same floor as the bedrooms if it can't be closed off. What if Kylie wakes in the night and stumbles into it and hurts herself? It's really not that far off that she'll be out of her cot. Does she have a yard to play in? (I guess that's not a new one but still) Are there good walking spots around and nice parks? How close are the nearest recreation centers and swim centers? Are the good schools in our area? With this new move we can pretty much bet that we'll be in Brisbane when she's old enough for Kindy 3, so that's a valid concern now. I could go on and on!! Oh, another good one. What about daycare?? I LOVE the daycare she's at now even though I pay dearly for it. I never worry about anything and LOVE the girls in the room. What if I can't find that over there? I'm pretty much screwed now that we've found the place she's at currently, I'll compare everything to it!
I also worry about Kylie having a childhood home. I know that she's young and won't remember this stuff now, but I want her to be able to look back at her childhood and say "that's where I grew up" or "that was my home". I can't say that. We moved tons while I was growing up. I can't think on one place that we lived that I would consider being the house I grew up in. Jamie had that, hell his parents still live in the same house they moved into when he was 7. I want Kylie to have that, a place to call home. Not just a home town, which even still wouldn't be the place she grew up because her home town will be in another county! Okay, I'll stop ranting about the move and move onto more about what we've been up to.
Jamie has been working lots the last few months but we've still managed to get out a do a few things. I've been able to have a few girls night out's, which has been a life saver! It's nice to relax and talk about things other than baby every once in a while! A few Friday's ago we went on a Swan River dinner cruise and even though it was a work function for Jamie it was a good time. It's something I've wanted to do since we got to Perth so it was nice to be able to check it off the list before we leave. Jamie also went on his aerial flight of Perth and the coast, which was a gift for Father's day back in June. Here are a few photos of each.
Even though it's winter we've had some really nice weather lately. I've made it a point to get Kylie out, even if it's just down the road to the river near our place. Of course, I had to capture every moment on camera! Here's the cutest video of Kylie chasing a "puppy" at the river!
Here are some from a few of our outings!
You see, in addition to our upcoming move from Perth to Brisbane, Jamie has also started his MBA. Now he works 6 days a week, 10-14 hours a day and then adds in additional time for studying, quizzes and homework. I am basically a single mom for 6 1/2 days out of a 7 day week. Fun. Add that to the fact that I've had a sick kiddo lately (while being sick myself) and that I'm trying to organize a cross-county move to a place I've never been and you get one run down Erica most of the time.
Everyone keeps telling us that we're going to love Brisbane. They say "it's like Perth, but better". My response to them is usually "yeah, we shall see". It's not I'm not excited about the move, I've just come to the conclusion that this move will not be like any of the other 10 we've encountered thus far. I've got Kylie this time. I'm just not looking forward to all the moving stuff while dealing with an 18 month old. Finding a place to live has become that much harder as well.
Before, all Jamie and I thought about was - Is it nice and does it have a yard for the dogs. Now I have to think - Where are the bedrooms located if it's a 2 storey (which most of them are in Brisbane)? Where would Kylie's room be? Is it near the garage? Is it near the front door? Not making either of those mistakes again!! Where would her play room be? It can't be on a different floor than the kitchen and living area. Where would Jamie's weight room be? That can't be on the same floor as the bedrooms if it can't be closed off. What if Kylie wakes in the night and stumbles into it and hurts herself? It's really not that far off that she'll be out of her cot. Does she have a yard to play in? (I guess that's not a new one but still) Are there good walking spots around and nice parks? How close are the nearest recreation centers and swim centers? Are the good schools in our area? With this new move we can pretty much bet that we'll be in Brisbane when she's old enough for Kindy 3, so that's a valid concern now. I could go on and on!! Oh, another good one. What about daycare?? I LOVE the daycare she's at now even though I pay dearly for it. I never worry about anything and LOVE the girls in the room. What if I can't find that over there? I'm pretty much screwed now that we've found the place she's at currently, I'll compare everything to it!
I also worry about Kylie having a childhood home. I know that she's young and won't remember this stuff now, but I want her to be able to look back at her childhood and say "that's where I grew up" or "that was my home". I can't say that. We moved tons while I was growing up. I can't think on one place that we lived that I would consider being the house I grew up in. Jamie had that, hell his parents still live in the same house they moved into when he was 7. I want Kylie to have that, a place to call home. Not just a home town, which even still wouldn't be the place she grew up because her home town will be in another county! Okay, I'll stop ranting about the move and move onto more about what we've been up to.
Jamie has been working lots the last few months but we've still managed to get out a do a few things. I've been able to have a few girls night out's, which has been a life saver! It's nice to relax and talk about things other than baby every once in a while! A few Friday's ago we went on a Swan River dinner cruise and even though it was a work function for Jamie it was a good time. It's something I've wanted to do since we got to Perth so it was nice to be able to check it off the list before we leave. Jamie also went on his aerial flight of Perth and the coast, which was a gift for Father's day back in June. Here are a few photos of each.
This was our ride for the night. Jamie referred to it as 'The Cube'.
Perth skyline
View of Kings Park from the Swan River
Perth CBD
Fremantle, WA
Rottnest Island, WA (in the distance)
Here are some from a few of our outings!
Our favorite spot!
Hanging at the river under the rainbows
Playing in the bush
Kings Park (not really sure what she was doing in the second one!)
She was in love with those birds!
Kylie and her hometown!
I hope to return with her years from now when she is all grown up and retake this photo!
Will be interesting to see how much it changes.
That's it for now. Wish us luck on the trip home, can't wait to tell y'all all about it!!
Monday, August 8, 2011
11 and counting...
Some of you asked why this photo appeared on our facebook status.
You might also be asking yourself why the theme song from The Jefferson's is playing as you read this. Well, if you haven't guessed by the photo and the title of this post '11 and counting...' the McMillan's are moving... again! Unfortunately I can't say it's anywhere in the US. But it is one 5 hour flight closer!! The McMillan's are moving to Brisbane, hence "moving to the east side". The decision was made a few weeks ago, but we waited until the families were informed before putting it out there for everyone else. The beautiful skyline photos you see at the start of this post and below will be our newest home!
This will be our 11th move in 8 1/2 years. As of April 5th of this year, living in Perth is the 2nd longest we have been anywhere. But alas, the fun in this location must come to an end. We still haven't ironed out an official date of departure, but it will most likely be at the end of October when we return from our trip to the US. Will post more details later.
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