Melbourne - Last Days

It's hard to believe that we leave Melbourne this Saturday to fly back to Canada. Only 4 more sleeps! We've been doing lots of organizing, sorting, selling, packing, cleaning, booking, but most importantly, we've been doing lots of enjoying. Here's a few little snapshots of what we've been doing during our last couple of weeks in Melbourne, as captured on my trusty (very cracked!) iPhone...

Pedicure dates, coffee dates, breakfast dates, lunch dates, dinner dates, drink dates, walking dates, and let's not forget just plain ole relaxing in the park dates. It's been really, really nice. We truly have such wonderful friends!

Also, here's a little slideshow one of the girls I worked with made for me...

Click here!

It made me cry the first time I watched it. So sweet. I miss those ladies already!

Ah, goodbyes are tough but I'm looking forward to being settled in a new routine and new surroundings in Montreal. I'm a routine kind of girl and it sure will be nice to have things a little normal again. You know, things like having a refrigerator again and not having to store our milk in a cooler! :)

Borassa Valley - South Australia

We recently visited Adelaide and it's stunning surrounding areas, which just so happen to be Australia's most famous wine region. It was one trip I really wanted to do before we left Australia, and so we set out on a 5 day road trip adventure. The time that we spent in the Borassa Valley was magical. Steve had booked the most amazing cottage for us to stay the night in. It was truly an enchanted place with beautiful gardens and a pathway of roses leading to our front door...

Inside was just as pretty and came complete with our own private outdoor courtyard (where we sipped wine and chatted while snuggled up in the coziest blankets ever!) and a luxurious spa bathtub...

It truly felt like our own private little oasis. We had such a blissful stay, which felt like just what the doctor ordered after a few weeks of uncertainty and change! I'd truly recommend Jacob's Creek Retreat to anyone wanting a romantic getaway in the Borassa Valley. Well done to my hubby for finding and surprising me with such a lovely place. You're the bestest!

After dinner on the evening of our stay, we took a walk through the gardens, along the creek named Jacob's Creek, around the property and through a nearby vineyard...

It was absolutely gorgeous and oh, so peaceful. The sun was setting and there wasn't another soul in site. The highlight of the walk though was by far the cat that joined us just outside the gate of the retreat's property, followed us on our entire walk (even waiting for us while we stopped to soak it all in), and all the way back to the gate of our cottage. Once we were safely inside, the cat laid down and relaxed by the gate. It was incredible!

It was such a loving kitty and really took to Steve. This is the third random cat that has come into my life in the last year (remember this and this?), which kind of got me thinking...what does a cat symbolize? This was pretty interesting to read. :)

The next morning, we visited Jacob's Creek winery. I've wanted to go to this winery since we first moved to Australia. It's a wine I used to drink in Canada and have always thought it would be cool to see it in Australia. We did a winery tour, which ended up being only me, Steve and the wine expert guy. We had 2 hours of one-on-one wine lessons from a guy that knew his wine! It was awesome. We learned so much!

We even got a private wine tasting and learned lots about matching wine with food. It was all so interesting! I had endless questions!

We bought 6 bottles of wine that are exclusive to the winery and are sending them back to Canada. We even had one bottle labelled, "Cari and Steve's Borassa Valley Adventure 2011". Yup, we're lame like that and love it! :)

We had the best time in the Borassa Valley. It will always be a special memory and hold a special place in my heart. As someone said to me, the best way to describe that area is a "gentle place" and I couldn't agree more!

More road trip photos to come! xoxo

Are you for real?

Things are slowly starting to disappear around our house, like today, the wardrobes went to a new home and our clothes are currently living on our bed. We spent the weekend seeing friends and saying lots of goodbyes. It's Sunday night and I don't have to pack a lunch, iron an outfit or prepare anything at all for work tomorrow (I finished work last week....photos to come!). One might think we were moving, yet somehow I don't think it's actually hit me yet. WE ARE MOVING TO CANADA in less than 2 weeks (Nov. 26)!! Seriously, when is it actually going to feel real? It's all a bit strange!

Upside-down and inside-out...

...that's sort of how my life feels at the moment. Just take a look at our spare room. Yikes. Here's a closer look, just so you can really see the...work in progress...? Yes, let's call it that.

Random Cari Fact: I don't actually cope that well with change. You'd think I would be pretty good at it by now. This is going to be our third big move in just 5 years but I always find it tough. I usually get my head around things after awhile but there's always lots of ups and downs to get there. I'm an emotional person, what can I say! According to my naturopath, it's my blood type, I lead with emotions, it's in my biology! :)

The last few months have definitely been a roller-coaster but slowly, day by day, more and more things get checked off the to-do-list and my poor head gets a little bit more quiet. Yesterday, we washed Jesse's crate. It's been stored in our outdoor shed for the last couple years and definitely needed a good clean.

You may remember this picture from 2006? Funny how so much changes, yet so much stays the same! Also funny that having this crate clean and set-up for Jesse to get comfortable being in again totally helped to settle at least a few of the many thoughts running through my busy head. As Steve kindly put it today, I'm a mental monkey at times. I won't deny it!

In the middle of all this change and upside-down craziness, I feel more grateful than ever for a few little things...
...my amazing co-workers (you know who you are!) who make me laugh out loud several times a day (I'm gonna miss them!)...the sunny warm weather that's offering us a little taste of summer in the middle of what's going to be a very long winter...all the hard work Steve has been doing to organize oh so many things...a chiropractor who keeps my headaches at bay and my emotions in check...last little catch ups with extra special people...my new face wash that leaves my skin feeling super soft and my spirits lifted (it really is the little things! It smells good too!)...a half price sale on plane tickets that meant booking my trip home to Nova Scotia from Montreal for Christmas and a niece who thought to inform me of the deal...coming home yesterday to find Jesse sleeping happily in his crate (he likes it!) and lots of kind emails, facebook messages and texts from friends who make me feel very loved.

Even if things do get a little crazy at times, I'm one lucky girl! xoxo

A day at the beach.

It was an absolutely beautiful day yesterday, so we hit the beach! The weather in Melbourne can be quite fickle, as Melburnians say, it's not uncommon to have 4 seasons in one day. Yesterday was fabulous from start to finish, however and we enjoyed every beautiful moment.

There was lots of relaxing on the beach, soaking up the sunshine, laughing at playful puppies frolicking on the beach, a delicious lunch with a cool glass of wine, ice cream and even enough time for a late afternoon nap. It was blissful...

...and just the sort of day we are currently making a point of taking full advantage of before we move back to Canada (just in time for winter!).

Oh, did I neglect to mention that on the blog? I'm sorry! Yup, we're heading back to Canada, Montreal to be exact in just 3 more weeks. It's a busy time for us but exciting all the same. I'll be back soon with a few more details about our move.
Until then, hope you are all happy and well! xoxo