Steve's first Melbourne Fun Run

This past Sunday, Steve did his first Melbourne run. It was a 15 km race and he ran with his new running buddy from work, Nathan. It was a nippy morning! It was only 9 degrees (yup, single digits already! We're not in Brisbane anymore!) with a forecast for rain and high winds. Luckily, the rain held off until after the run.

Steve in his lucky shark pants. Man, these have to be banned to the house only! I'm sure Clo didn't think they'd get so much outside wear when she made them for Steve!

Support crew with a hot tea! I broke out the gloves not long after this! It was nice, Nathan's wife and 2 kids came along, so I had some company while I watched the race.

On your marks...

Get set...

Go! There's Steve and Nathan just behind him...

The guys, just after coming in over the finish line. They ran the race in 1 hour, 15 minutes and 48 seconds. Steve was very happy with that. Well done guys!

And the finishers! You can tell it was windy, look at Steve's shorts! Brrrr.

Out and About (I say in a thick Canadian accent!)

We've spent most of our first month here just bumming around the city and getting to know our way around. Here's a few snaps from here and there...
Check out the beak of the pigeon above!

Steve waiting patiently for the tram...

Is that the one?
I have to admit, I was a little scared of taking the tram by myself at first. I'm always a little scared of public transport until I know what I'm doing. Anyhoo, now that I am figuring it all out, I can't believe how easy and convenient it is! We hardly use the car anymore...it's great!

This is how I entertain myself while waiting for the tram...

Poor Steve;)

We've both been way more active since we moved here. We're walking everywhere and I started doing Bakram yoga, which is yoga in a super hot room. It's kind of like doing a 90 minute workout in a sauna and it's a workout all right! I talked Steve into trying it, because it is such a good detox and great exercise and now he's hooked too. I have to admit that after my first class, I was wondering if I would stick with it, but after 3 classes, I'm really starting to like it and I'm already getting used to the heat. Tomorrow will be my 4th class and it's only supposed to get easier. I have never sweat that much in my entire life! I could literally ring out my tank top and shorts at the end of class...yuck!

We are also trying to get out on our bikes more. The temps are just so much more exercise friendly here than in Brisbane. A couple of weekends ago, we went on a 20 km ride, starting at our house and all along the Yarra river. Like Brizzy, there are paths all along the river for runners and cyclists and people who just want to go for a nice stroll...

I even made some new friends on the ride...

Someone told us that they think these are some of the horses that pull people around the city (you always see them downtown). I'm usually a little scared of horses, but these ones were so kind and gentle and really enjoyed the grass we fed them! Next time, we're going to take some surprise sugar cubes in our pockets (Steve said horses like that!)

Hello Baby Horsie...

There were some cool climbing walls along the path...

Steve giving it a go.

We're both trying to lose some weight. We both gained a little in those last few months in Brisbane. I think the stress of everything and our routine being all out of wack once Steve stopped working didn't help. Anyway, there's a little friendly competition going on between Steve and I. The person who gets to their goal weight in 12 weeks gets $250 to spend. If we both do, then we split the money. If either of us lose more than our goal, then we get an extra $125. I think it'll help keep us both motivated! Weigh in day was yesterday, so, let the game begin!:)

Our neighborhood

Okay, I have to just say...I freakin' LOVE our location! We pay a bit more in rent to be here, but Steve and I both agree, it's wayyyy worth it! We're in the heart of everything, only a 25 minute walk or 7 minute tram ride right to downtown. There are pubs, restaurants and awesome outlet shopping only a 3 minute walk away, sports arenas right beside us, trams and trains only a 2 minute walk away AND an off lead dog park RIGHT across the street. Perfect. Love it. Just right for our first year in a new city!

We haven't walked Jesse off lead since we lived in Canada. There were no parks in Brisbane where we could do it and I had forgotten how great it is! It's one of my favorite things to do and I have been doing a lot of it since we got here and I'm not yet working. I had also forgotten how beautiful Jesse looks in Autumn colors:)

The park wraps around the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Grounds, where all the footie games are held). They use some of the park as a parking lot when games are on. See Jeddy in the corner? He is in heaven now that he gets to stroll around off lead! He gets so excited when we go out!

The MCG.

This is where the Australian Open is held (tennis) and that's the MCG behind it.

Olympic Stadium.

These cool sports statues are everywhere.

That's the city in the distance.

Our street, which is luckily a dead end, so it's never busy. We do have a busy street beside us though and that took some getting used to. We were worried the traffic would get on our nerves but I don't even notice it anymore.

Autumn leaves!! I am loving experiencing the smells and colors of Fall again! It made me smile the other day when I went for a walk and the leaves were crunching under my feet:)

Even though the leaves are changing, flowers are still blooming. I think that's pretty cool, the best of both worlds! Our neighbor's yard is filled with rose bushes and they smell soooo good! I always take time to stop and smell the roses:)

Easter 2009

We were very lucky to have our awesome friends, Dan and Amy come to visit us from Brisbane for our first holiday in Melbourne. They arrived on Friday afternoon and left on Monday afternoon. We had such a great time with them...I didn't want them to leave!

We went to our first AFL game at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Grounds), which conveniently is just across the street from our house. Carlton was playing Essendon (2 Melbourne teams) and I really enjoyed the game. There were 70 ooo people there! The energy was intense and the game takes a lot of skill, which makes it interesting to watch. Steve and I definitely want to go see another one.

Everything was closed on Easter Sunday, so we hit the dog beach, which is about a 20 minute drive away. It's definitely nice to have the beaches so much closer to the city! Plus, the beaches remind me more of the beaches we have at home. The weather was really sunny and warm the whole weekend, but got chilly and cloudy as soon as Dan and Amy left. I think they brought the sun with them!

The dog beach is in an area called, Brighton and it's awesome! It's huge and completely fenced in. I have a feeling that we'll spend a lot of time there! Another cool thing is that most of the beaches become off lead dog beaches during the winter months. Jes will get lots of swimming in!

Things were going so well until Jesse decided to check out some lady's Easter cake. Um, who pulls out a full cake and lays it on the ground at an off lead dog beach??? I didn't even feel bad. That's just dumb.

Ah, what a cute little family...

We decided to head out when a couple decided to have a picnic with fish and chips. This time, it wasn't just our dog who was interested! Dumb people. Anyway, Jesse was one wet, smelly and sandy dog by the time he went back in the car. Thank goodness for the hatchback!

We stopped for ice cream on the drive home and went for a little walk. I REALLY liked the ice cream, but I controlled myself, I didn't have 2 like Steve did;)

View of the city...

Jesse showing Amy around...

Peek-a-Boo!
Dan and Amy made a traditional English Sunday Roast dinner for us on Easter Sunday, complete with Yorkshire pudding. It was so, so yummy!! I got a cooking lesson on how to make the pudding:)

Wow! Thanks guys!! Yup, it was as good as it looked!

Cheers!

Amy brought me a chocolate bunny...Steve was excited, or maybe a little scared? Hard to tell what that face means...

It does kind of look a little creepy in this photo! Eat me, if you dare!!!! Bahhhhhaaahaa!

Cute...

Awkward.

On Easter Monday, we took a walk into the city to meet Rowan, Margo and their baby, Anara for breakfast at the pancake house. Rowan and Margo are from Pandemic Brisbane and have just moved to Melbourne for work, as well. Rowan works with Steve at EA. The walk into the city from our house is awesome. It only takes about 25 minutes to get to the CBD (central business district) and the path to get there is especially for pedestrians and cyclists, so you don't have to cross streets or worry about cars. Plus, it's just pretty and alive and active!

On top of all that fun, we also went shopping (of course!), ate out (of course!), drank lots of beer and vino (of course!) and just chilled. It was wonderful! Thanks for coming guys! Hope you'll come back and see us soon:)

Side note: Okay...I confess it was me who had 2 ice cream cones. Damn, they were good!!!

We're back!!!

We finally got internet today!!! Steve just got it all hooked up and working but now I'm pooped and on my way to bed. I'll do a big update tomorrow when I'm fresh and focused! So much to say, how will I ever get it all posted??

Still no Internet. It'll be next week now. Don't get me started. Grrr.

We will have Internet on April 23rd, I have lots to share when I finally can! Stay tuned:)

What quota??

I really wanted to post some pictures that I took but apparently, I have reached my quota for uploading photos? Have you ever heard of that with blogger? Anyway, Steve did some quick research and we can buy more space to continue to be able to post pics. We'll have to look into further but hopefully, I can put some pics up before long!