Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Life Goes On

Until this week, I haven't been in contact with anyone back home since my visit in May.  A little mental hiatus (and sister time and Fiji fun) if you will.  I'm becoming more comfortable with the realization that "life goes on".  

As much as I love to catch up with friends and the grandmas for a mid week pick me up, its nice to know that we can also do our own thing and that doesn't mean we don't think about one another often.  With that being said, keeping in touch is oh so important when living afar and usually takes plenty of coordinating on both ends! (i.e. Tuesday night at 9 pm your time/ Wednesday at noon my time work?!) Successful relationships are hard work my friends.  I guess they're pretty rewarding too.  

Old archives of the past month...
Plenty of packing and unpacking lately which leads to lots of laundry duty for me.  R has been traveling a lot more frequently for work these days. 
Rain and fog…lots of it!  The winter blues have hit and the weather doesn't seem to be backing down anytime soon.
Which is why I don't feel guilty for picking up a little piece of Paris at Laduree.  
And since I have been alone a lot, I don't mind being the third wheel at brunch with these two...
…or these two.  Anne and Teddy have a sweet relationship and she always seems to take care of us when R is away.  On this particular night, she made a thai curry.  The best part is that she always brings out the china and fancy tablecloth for me.  It's all about the special touches.  
Last month was all about Vivid, a light festival that lit up the city skyline and projected creative colors and images on the opera house and cruise ships in port.  We were lucky enough to have a front row view from our house.  
Instagram happenings @kscherwin...
Thanks to my girlfriends for getting me back in the game (apparently I missed the memo a long time ago that it's now more of a social media site for sharing instead of keeping to yourself).
Any excuse to drive Teddy around town is a treat even if it's for a trip to the vet.
Anne took me to see an impressive private art collection and then to her favorite bookstore where we chatted over cappuccino. 
We enjoyed a yummy Italian meal with the soon to be parents before the show. This is my friend at 7 months pregnant…be jealous because I am.  We can't wait to welcome their little one into the world soon!  
We couldn't turn down their invite to see Chris Tucker perform amidst a packed house.  The night was full of laughs and his impersonations, especially of Michael Jackson, were spot on! 
The next day, Steph put me to work!  I love helping her on clothing shoots and it's a nice change of pace.  After getting out early, she treated me to a lovely lunch over Darling Harbour and then showed me the Sydney Fish Market for the first time.  I can't believe it took me a year to get here!  Living on the coast is such an added bonus knowing that you can get the freshest of seafood..and much cheaper to do so!  I was happy with the beautiful salmon I picked out for dinner.
 I met R in the city after work at a retro pizzeria called Frankie's (the man would be happy eating pizza every day) and then we finally saw The Great Gatsby, which was filmed entirely in Sydney.  
R also had the great joy of being invited to the World Cup qualifying game against Iraq.  He has really enjoyed getting to know and watch other sports and had no problem cheering on the Socceroos as his own.  The city was abuzz after Australia's win and I'm glad R was able to be a part of it!
The tales of Teddy…caught wearing a sweater, using folded laundry as a pillow, falling asleep sitting up, and getting love from our neighbor.
Saturday date night at the theatre.  The production of War Horse was spectacular and quite emotional!  On stage, the horses were of life sized puppets (that sounds so lame but it wasn't like that at all) that were so believable you almost forgot their life sized movements and sound effects were being manipulated by humans.  
Before the show, we treated ourselves to some sweets…at a dessert train!  How cool is this concept?!  Think your classic sushi train, but filled with sugary confections.  Um, yes please.  While the atmosphere was modern and bright, we were unimpressed by the overpriced desserts themselves.  O well, all for the experience and fun!

The weekend of non-stop rain was making us stir crazy, so we took to the streets on Sunday!  I always have this fantasy of being one of those fit couples who jogs (and holds hands, smiling and talking all the while) side by side as an activity to do together.  I'm not making this stuff up…I see these acts being committed all the time so I know it's feasible.  The conclusion is that our afternoon run across the bridge was confirmation that after many failed attempts at jogging together, it just ain't our thang.  I don't care how much training it takes, but these little legs of mine will never be able to keep up.  I'll have to move onto bigger dreams for us now...
I have also come to the conclusion that my husband is a bad influence on me…in the form of a delicious hot dog and crispy fries.  Once we ditched the high intensity/romantic workout, the next most logical thing would be to indulge in this greasy goodness.  Neither of us complained.  And that is why I love our rendezvous...you never know what you're going to get.

Until next time...

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Let's Just Go...

 Hello followers, it's McKenzie here!
Kelsey has set the bar high with her writing and entertainment on this blog, so I apologize in advanced if this does not live up to "Two + Teddy" standards! ;) I am HONORED to be a guest blogger, and appreciate Kelsey for trusting me with this precious website. 
As many of you know, I visited Kelsey and Ronnie in December. I completely fell in love with the city and knew that I just HAD to take my boyfriend, Junior, to experience it with him as well. I knew that he would love the atmosphere, change of pace, and food that Australia so beautifully presents! Well, when we finally figured out our "real world plans", the idea of going to Australia became more and more of a reality. We booked our trip the day after graduation and then two weeks later were off to Australia! We had the "Let's Just Go" attitude and didn't want to look back. Talk about a whirlwind of graduation, moving, Junior starting work, and packing for Australia! I swear we aren't crazy.... well, maybe I take that back. Here is some of our trip....Enjoy!

We had a VERY long travel day to get to Sydney. 26 hours to be exact. A curfew delay (whatever that is!), layover in LAX, and a delay because of fog in Sydney made for a very rough day. As soon as we got off of the plane, we met up with Kelsey at the apartment. We got to try the famous Harry's and indulged in a meat pie....the true Aussie way. After that we spent the afternoon in the Royal Botanical Gardens overlooking the harbour and enjoying a nice chat...along with some goofy pictures. After a 26 hour travel day, sometimes you just have to be silly with your best friend! Talk about deliriousness at it's finest...
While Kelsey was working at the Red Cross the next day, Junior and I headed off to Manly Beach for a nice picnic and people watching! I fell in love with Manly when I was there in December, and knew that Junior would love it as well. We made a picnic, enjoyed the scenery, ate some AMAZING ice cream, and met up with Kelsey at 4 Pines brewery! A perfect day.
After our visit to Manly, Junior and I kept talking about how much we wanted to go back for another visit. Junior had been wanting to do something adventurous (Surprise! Surprise!) and we thought that there would be no better place to learn how to surf than in Australia! Junior signed up for a surf class at Manly Surf School, and we were off for the day! I stayed back due to my fear of the ocean (I know, I am NOT proud of it) and enjoyed a nice day reading my book, listening to my iPod, and snapping HUNDREDS of pictures of my man! The second picture on the left makes me laugh every time. Junior caught a wave, but then ran into a traffic jam....so he decided to jump on the girl's board next to him for safety. Looks like that turned out well, huh? Junior's surf instructor (and new best friend) kept making fun of his "Texas golf tan" on his feet. Leave it up to Junior to make friends with strangers!
While we were in Sydney, there was a light festival going on called "Vivid". Every night, the city would light up with all different colors, including the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Definitely a sight to see! 
Eats while we were in Australia. I think it's safe to say that we didn't go hungry. Lattes, eggs benedict, corn fritters, smoked salmon breakfasts, sausage dogs, dim sum, and meat pies.. Gym, here we come!
A day at Watson's Bay calls for a trip to Doyle's for some fish and chips! It's a cute little place right off of the wharf with a view of the water and the city. Pretty incredible! Kelsey Junior and I ate our lunch at this picnic table enjoying our view of the city! On the other side of the bay, there is a trail along the coast that is breathtaking. It looks out onto the Tasman Sea and is so peaceful. Definitely one of my new favorites of Sydney. On our ferry ride home, we discovered that a sailboat race was going on! Hundreds of sailboats passed by us...a very neat sight to see.
Another one of my new favorites is The Grounds. It is an amazing brekky place (that's breakfast for all you American folk)! They even have their own hens and piglet named Kevin Bacon! We enjoyed a nice brunch with Kelsey and one of her new friends. I loved getting to know her friends a little bit more....it makes my job of worrying much less when I'm halfway across the world :) Thanks Kait, Jenny, Blake, Steph, and Jackie for meeting up with us on our visit and for taking care of my girl! ;)
 A very touristy day for Junior and I consisted of visiting Featherdale Wildlife Park and the Blue Mountains with a day tour. We got to Featherdale in the morning, just in time for feeding! We found a kangaroo with a joey in it's pouch, (see picture for cuteness) and instantly fell in love. Junior kept going up to the mum saying, "let me see that joey!" We could've spent all day hanging out with our kangaroo and koala friends. We ended our Featherdale visit with seeing two koalas cuddling in the tree together...precious!
All in all, my trip with Junior was amazing. We had a great time and really got to enjoy life in a different light than we are used to. I think the travel bug has hit Junior....and this girl ain't complainin'! But, I do have to say what I loved most was just being with family. I love every opportunity that I get to be with my sister and Ronnie, and it makes it so much more special when all four of us are together. I am incredibly blessed to have all of these people in my life and wouldn't change it for the world.
Kelsey, thank you for being such a great tour guide. We couldn't have seen the city without you, and I am so glad that you were willing to show us around all day! I know that it gets tiring, but we wouldn't have wanted to see the city without you. We have so many new memories and funny stories from spending time with you, and we are so thankful for that. Thank you for being an amazing sister! I love you to the moon and back!
Ronnie, my love for you is infinite and I cannot thank you enough for being my brother. Thank you for always taking one for the team and putting up with us Carroll girls. Seriously though, this man deserves an award. I'm glad that awkward 16 year old boy stuck around :) I love you, R.
And last but not least....my dearest Teddy. I mean, the pictures pretty much say it all. You guys do know that I love my nephew, right? (Presley, if you're reading, mommy loves you too). 
 Thank you all for reading this long post about our trip, I hope you didn't find yourself snoozing away! Love all of our friends, family, and supporters...thanks for sharing this journey with us! I'll leave you with some of my favorite pictures.
Left to right: Ronnie and Junior enjoying an Australian beer after dinner. The sun over the harbour, reflecting off of the water. Junior and his Aussie flag. Junior and I with the 3 sisters at the Blue Mountains. Lovebirds after dinner. J and I in Hyde Park....incredible trees. J and I overlooking the harbour minutes after landing. Bridgeclimb!! Like the outfits?? ;) and last but not least, Junior interrupting 2 Aussie celebrities during dinner for a picture.... Reece Mastin and Rhiannon Fish.


Cheers, Sydney! You've been good to me again.
xoxo,
McKenzie