Three long weeks

Hello everyone! Please accept our sincerest apologies for this last 3 weeks of no blog posts. Don't worry though; everything is still fine for Veronica and I here in the Land Down Under. However, I will place the blame for the lack of posts on the copious amount of homework that I have plowed through over the past 3 weeks. Thankfully my last assignment was due yesterday, so now that I have turned it in I am feeling like a free man again, or at least until I start my new job this next Monday. Good times, I can’t wait to start working again. Living in Sydney on one income for the past month has placed Veronica and I into a constant state of trying to be ultra-frugal. I think we will both be excited when I finally get a paycheck and we can stop obsessing about spending a little money. J

Veronica continues to be working quite hard. Since our last post she has been out in the field at least 50% of the time. Sometimes the fieldwork is here in Sydney, but the other times she has been going on overnight trips to little country towns to collect samples. Veronica has already been placed onto the top account in her company, which is quite an accomplishment as you are supposed to be at the company for two years before you can work on that particular account. Long story short, Veronica continues to be a superstar.

The weather has turned cold here in Sydney, and along with the cold there have been some massive rain storms. Winter is officially here and Veronica and I have been feeling pretty frigid. Since our flat does not have central air or heat, we were forced to buy a space heater. Yeah, we have posted a picture of our blessed space heater here on the blog because it has really been a lifesaver. It’s warmth has provided us a much more comfortable night of sleep, and getting up in the morning is now bearable since our bedroom no longer feels like a cell block in Siberia. Speaking of cold, surfing has now become a frigid endeavor. During the past two weeks when I go for a surf in the morning my feet have actually become numb before I make it into the water. Luckily the water is still relatively warm, so it actually feels better in the water than out of it, but on the days when the wind is whipping around it can get quite nippy out there. Inevitably I often begin daydreaming about the warm water in Hawaii while I am out surfing here. I know what you are all thinking; Matt is a big girly man. You are indeed correct, I won’t deny that I am a big girly man.

In other big news, my good buddy Mike Schmidtke just moved out to Sydney with his wife Christina and their son Aidan. They arrived about 3 weeks ago and have been living in downtown, close to Mike’s new job. They have been house hunting for places in Manly this past week. The great news is that they just got a place here and will be moving in on Friday. Mike will now be able to get a surf or two in each weekend. More important will be that Christina and Aidan can take nice walks along the beach here in Manly, away from all the traffic in the city.

Well, that about sums up the last 3 weeks. But one last little thing before I let everyone go, Veronica and I have discovered a Chili’s restaurant here in Sydney. No, I am not joking, and yes, it is greatness! Everything pretty much tastes the same, and Veronica and I have already gorged ourselves on the chips and salsa on two separate occasions. The only problem, Chili’s is about an hour and 15-minute drive from Manly. The closest Chili’s is located out in West Sydney, about 30 minutes away from Veronica’s work, so it is definitely going to be on special occasions when we treat ourselves to some delicious Tex-Mex.

Don’t worry, we will back by the end of the weekend with a new posting. No more homework equals no more slacking on the blog. Hope all is well. Cheers.