So far this week...

...Steve did a great job at his first race of the 2011 series...

...we attended a birthday barbecue and I took peanut blossoms that I made...

...we ate barbecued burgers two days in a row because it seemed like the perfect thing to do in 30 degree heat...

...we ate breakfast for dinner, my favorite!...

...I became addicted to mangoes and have been eating them with everything...

...we went swimming with Jesse at the dog beach...

...and Jesse took a huge bite out of this jelly fish! He really will eat anything!...

...we went back to the night market with friends and I had another long awaited cupcake, this time it was called berry bliss and had fresh raspberries all through it!...

...I had my first peppermint mocha latte of the season in a Christmas cup, from Starbucks and yes, they spelled my name wrong (as always!)...

...and I finished writing and addressing all 50 of my Christmas cards, one of my most favorite Christmas traditions!

Hope you're all having a great week!

Race season has started!

Sunday was the kick off of the Gatorade Triathlon Series. With a turn out of more then 1250 people, it was a great start to the season. Weather conditions were perfect, no wind and decent temps. All up it was an awesome day. The race was a true sprint, 500m swim, 20km ride, 5km run. All this Ironman training has paid off, I managed to drop 20 positions in my age category, going from 55th place to 35th from last year (out of 135, 30-34 male racers) Out of 1250 people in the whole race I finished 320th.
Time break down
Total -1:08:39
Swim - 8:41
Bike - 33:28
Run - 22:38

Hardest part of the race was getting the old wetty on.....

Almost on...lucky number 1122!

My age category had light blue swim caps this time, goes nice with my eyes!

Swim done, off to get my bike..

That's me on the other side of the road.

They close down a 10km loop of beach road in Melbourne so bike leg is smooth and car free. The whole ride is along the waterfront.

The transition area, lots of expensive toys in there.

My biggest fan. I think she might be getting a little tired of going to these races....I hope that changes, its really nice having her there.

Where did I park?

So, Cari and I leave in one week for Perth. I can't believe the Ironman is almost here, 9 months of training has all come down to one race..... Expect a big update in a couple weeks.


Steve (swim, bike, barf) Dickinson

The countdown is on...well soon!

With all this talk of warmer weather and summer goals, there comes of course, Christmas! Yes, I really do live in an upside down world! I broke our usual rule of waiting until December 1st to decorate this year for three reasons;

1. It doesn't exactly feel like Christmas is coming here and I wanted to help myself get in the spirit of the holidays.
2. Living in Australia requires you to prepare everything early (cards, gifts, etc...) in order to post it and be sure it gets to Canada in time and well, that's just more fun in a decorated house.
3. I just really wanted to decorate!

Each year I try to make something new to add to our Christmas decoration collection. This year, I really wanted to make a countdown to Christmas advent calendar thing. What do you call these? I saw them in stores and they were selling for $40. That's way out of our price range this year, but oh so easy to make. So, using stuff I already had, I did just that...made my own, using the ones I saw in the shops for inspiration...

I'm going to fill them with yummy little chocolates and lollies (Aussie word for candy!). I'm not going to tell Steve what kinds I choose, it can be a surprise each day!

The countdown is on...er, well soon! Come on December 1st! :)

Have you started decorating yet?

Summer Goals 2010

With spring in full swing and summer feeling just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to do a summer goals list. I've been waiting for the warmer weather for awhile now and I'm determined to enjoy it to the fullest now that it's finally here! Here goes...

~ See a movie on the rooftop.
~ Have picnics in the parks more regularly.
~ Hit the beaches!
~ Get a body board and use it again.
~ Host a couple of BBQs with friends.
~ Organize a BBQ in the park with friends.
~ Get an outdoor table set.
~ Eat breakfast and dinner outside whenever possible.
~ Plant some pretty flower pots.
~ Visit Portsea.
~ Get take away coffees and enjoy them in the Botanical Gardens.
~ Go thrifting with Ange at that great place she keeps telling me about.
~ Hit the outdoor markets.
~ Go for a drink on hot summer evenings, with my hubby, at the many lovely cafes near our house we keep saying we should try.
~ Mountain bike.
~ Swim twice a week at the pool.
~ Play tennis again.
~ Wear summery dresses as often as possible.
~ Start a new job.
~ Go for random no-real-plan road trips.
~ Go camping!!
~ Take Jesse to the dog beach at least once a week.
~ Watch the sunset on the beach in the evenings after dinner.
~ Visit the night market weekly.
~ Find yummy new BBQ dinner recipes to make.
~ Go out for gelati on warm summer nights.

I think that's it for now. I may add to this as I go but for now, I'm feeling pretty excited about all there is to come in the next few months! I'll be sure to post all about each one as we do it...

Night Market photos...

Here's a few more of the photos we took at the market last night, some with Steve's phone, some with our point and shoot...

We got to the market around 6pm and it was still pretty quiet, so we were able to get a table. I've been told it gets pretty busy and it was filling up quickly by the time we left at 8pm. I guess what I'm saying is, if you're going to go check it out, go early!

This was yummy, if you like seafood. It was a Spanish food stall. Steve really liked it! The plan is to try a different stall each week. Of course, that also means trying a different kind of cupcake each week!

That's a lot of food!

This app on Steve's phone is fun! This stall sold the prettiest fairy lights. I've got my eye on some once I have a job again and extra money to spend! :)

Oh. My. Gosh. The cupcakes! Steve had a double chocolate with cookies and cream icing with Oreo bits in it. I had a vanilla with strawberry butter-cream icing. I'm not joking when I say I have thought about this cupcake all day today! I can't wait to try another kind next week. Just a little advice...word on the street is the cupcakes sell out quickly, so pick yours up early on in the evening!

Steve and Geoff being...Steve and Geoff.

Deep fried potato on a stick! Yum! I want one of these next week!

I have to say, I've suffered a bit of a food hangover today but it was worth every bite! I might just have to be a wee bit smarter about just how much (read: how much sugar!) I eat next week!

This could get dangerous!

The Night Market opened tonight at Queen Victoria Market. Soooo much food and stalls selling all sorts of handmade and creative things. It's open every Wednesday night for the next 2 months or so and seriously is a food lover's dream. I ate the best cupcake I've ever had! I'm still thinking about it. We went with our friends, Geoff and Ange and had a brilliant time. I'll be back tomorrow with more photos but in the meantime, here's a funny pic Steve snapped with an app on his phone, while I ate my gelato. Yes, I had a cupcake and gelato. Like I said, this could seriously get dangerous!

The beach at sunset...

...as snapped from my trusty phone. By far one of the best things about living in Melbourne is being so close to the ocean. So close in fact that we drove 5 minutes tonight and watched the sunset on yet another beautiful day in the city. It was so warm that even after the sun was long gone, I sat on the beach in just a tank top and skirt. Ah, gotta love that!

I'm feeling very grateful today to live in this beautiful place. It's a summer goal of mine to soak up as many sunsets on the water as possible. It truly helped relieve the stress of job hunting, interviews, life decisions, etc...and it didn't cost a cent! :)

Sunny Melbourne

Melbourne in the sunshine is pretty fantastic! There are people everywhere doing everything from enjoying a BBQ in the park with their family to rollerblading with friends along the ocean or hanging out at fabulous cafes downtown, sipping lattes in sundresses and sandals. The city feels like it's awaken from a long nap and everyone is refreshed and ready to enjoy the months to come. On Saturday Jesse and I decided to do just that, get out and enjoy ourselves!

Steve had a big day of training on Saturday. He went on a 180 km bike ride, followed by a 10 km run. I seriously don't know where he gets his motivation or dedication but I have to say, it's pretty impressive! With only 4 weeks from today until the big Ironman race, he's doing very well! Jesse and I took a walk, hoping to surprise him on his ride with a little encouragement and a pat on the back. Luckily, we saw him along the way and had a quick chat and photo before he continued on his merry ride. He wasn't quite as easy to spot as I thought he would be. I learned that a lot of people wear red and white jerseys and I even saw two other riders with Canadian ones! How on earth will I ever be able to pick him out of 1200 athletes on the day of the race?
Afterward, Jesse and I walked to the dog beach, where we spent lots of time doing nothing but playing in the water and taking photos. Good times...

Jesse really liked it too! As for Steve, he successfully finished his training day and still managed a mountain bike ride with me today in the park. What a guy, eh? :)

Bliss.

It's Saturday morning, the sun is shining brightly in my newly painted kitchen and everything smells like these delicious banana muffins that have just come out of the oven. Life is good. Happy weekending everyone!

Funny how things happen sometimes...

I woke up this morning thinking how I really needed to use up the left over canned pumpkin and cream cheese icing in my fridge. It's been sitting in there since I made the pumpkin spiced cookies for Halloween and seeing as canned pumpkin doesn't exist in Australia, I'm not about to let that special can of pumpkiny goodness go to waste! I started thinking I would love to try making some pumpkin cupcakes, if only I could find a recipe and opened this blog as part of my daily eat breakfast, read blogs routine. To my surprise, I was thrilled to find a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes! I finished breakfast and set to work making them right away. No point in wasting time when the universe is basically telling you to bake something, right? They are super yummy! You should make them, especially if you have canned pumpkin and just enough cream cheese icing to frost 12 cupcakes in your fridge! Thank you universe. I owe ya one! ;)

Warning: Lots of Photos!!

I really, truly enjoyed my recent visit to Canada. It felt much more relaxed than last year when I was there, I had a lot of quality time with family and friends and loved the beautiful autumn weather. I took almost 300 pictures and did my best picking just some my favorites, although even those seemed to add up quickly when posting! Here's a few of my most favorite moments from my time at home...

...seeing frost on everything first thing in the early morning...

...soaking in the smells and colors of a Canadian autumn...

...enjoying my first Thanksgiving dinner with my family in 4 years...

...nice long chats with friends that are more like family over several cups of tea...

...a nice long walk with my Mom in the country...

...spending lots of time with my two fabulous sisters!...

...celebrating my Mom's 75th birthday with her, surprise party and all!...

...seeing my Mom's face when she realized the party was for her...

...being there to celebrate Steve's Mom's birthday and spending an evening playing cards, laughing and chatting with the lovely ladies in his family...

...visiting the house where my grandmother lived...

...hearing my Mom's stories of when she was young and went to school is this one room school house...

...touring the back roads of the south shore...so pretty...

...falling in love with this stray cat that now calls my Mom and Step-Father's house home...

...basking in the sunshine that was surprisingly warm for October!...

...day trips to pretty places...

...remembering that autumn leaves can be that rich in color...wow...so red!...

...laughing until we almost peed our pants trying to get this photo of me, my Mama and my sisters...

...visiting with great friends in Montreal...

...some who I haven't seen since we left Montreal 4 years ago!...

...meeting beautiful babies that were born since we left...

...and seeing how much these kiddies have grown in just 6 months!...

...visiting with my grandmother in the hospital and having a real special goodbye, before she passed away...

...catching up with my family in Ottawa before heading back to Australia...

Ah, yes, it was a wonderful trip! Just what I needed to restore balance and perspective back into my life. I can't think of anything better than family and old treasured friends to help you feel grounded, refreshed and yourself again!

Thanks again to everyone who made my visit so special. Love you all! xo