A day of relaxation and catch ups. I know I have said this over and over but this is truly one of the many reasons why we love long term travel...we don't have to rush out the door everyday to see everything we like to see at a new destination.  We love down days where we can just do "boring" things.

An educational trip with an incredible guide. We learned a lot about the marine life in the Sydney Harbor and also found out that a lot of what you see in Finding Nemo is actually not a correct representation of the world under these waters. 

A beautiful day at the wonderful Taronga Zoo in Sydney Australia. If you are in Sydney with Children, we would recommend checking out the zoo. Our animal loving kids really enjoyed themselves! 

Surry Hills is our new home for our last 10 days in Australia. Come check out our new digs!

Camel safari in Australia? Yes I expected to see koalas, kangaroos, and Tasmanian devils but a camel just seems so ordinary and yet still quite strange for the down under! Especially at the beach!

"Smell the sea, and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly." -Van Morrison
Life is definitely better at the beach!! We had a blast visiting and spending a good part of our day at Rainbow Bay Beach on the beautiful Gold Coast. 

Our Gold Coast vacation is off to a great start! Swimming, srilling, and spending time with good company. What could be better?! 

Gold Coast, here we come!!

Going to the New Year's Eve Fireworks in Sydney was an incredible experience that we are sure to remember! We are typically not the types of people who would brave crazy crowds and wait for hours upon hours to see fireworks but this was different....and it was totally worth it!

When you hear the word 'last', what comes to your mind.  Do you think it in a negative or positive way? I personally mostly prefer firsts to lasts, except when it comes to my kids because I love the first AND the last more than it is imaginable.  There are only a few, perhaps even a handful other scenarios where I think the "last" of something can actually be a good thing.  

"For centuries, the Persian People have looked upon food from different points of view - the artistic, the philosophical, and the medicinal." I am not sure where I stand regarding any and all of these 3 different views, but all I knew was that I hadn't had Persian food in too long and my craving needed to be satisfied.

We met a lot of new and great people on our adventure around the world.  One of those amazing people is Maya!  Not only is she funny and fun to hang out with, she is also great with kids, and is an awesome cook...Ask Hannah, she'd tell you how much she loved her Indian Curry. 

Today was the day that almost never happened...  Ok, well it had always happened, but it almost never made the blog.  Read the post to find out why!

Today we checked off a very crucial item on any Sydney vacation check list: Take pictures with the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge!

After having spent Thanksgiving eating at a Korean restaurant in Thailand, we were so glad to be spending Christmas in a house with friends and lots of kids.  Christmas certainly is much warmer in the down under, but there is no place on our big adventure I would have rather spent our holiday!  Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve, the last and only chance we'll have for checking out some of the Christmas themed activities here in Sydney.  So in instead of having a lazy Christmas Eve at home, we spent the day traveling around Sydney, meeting Santa Claus, catching some spectacular light shows, checking out the city's Christmas decorations, and finally watching a fireworks show before getting home and waiting for Santa to come!

Two days before Christmas and not a single gift in hand... Yikes!  Being on the move for so long and having no room in our travel bags has put us in quite the pickle!  No worries, at least we're in a country with lots of big shopping malls! 

Now that we're in Australia, it's time to be like the locals and slow down the pace.  Our mission for the day: Relax and soak in some sun