Rockin Out to Sting and Melbourne Symphony

Gus and Fred Do Time

Gus, contemplating his future life in Australia. Ha. Pic taken by the wonderful, Ludi in Tulsa's fall foliage. 

Fred waiting for a little pre-Thanksgiving nibble. Pic taken by Claire Beasley!

Our dogs, Gus and Fred arrived to Perth in January. Due to Australia animal import regulations, they have to be in quarantine for 180 days. 150 of these days can be spent in the US. So while Ricky and I jetted off to our new life in OZ, we had to leave the kids at their grandmas.  The Beasley family took care of them in November. Then Kim and Mark took care of them in December, and shipped them off in January. Thank you to everyone who has helped in this process! We greatly appreciate you giving Gus and Fred lots of love and attention!

Playing at the pool in Dallas

Making friends at Dog Park Dallas

Making friends at Dog Park Dallas

Brothers playing rough

I get to visit Gussy and my sweet baby Fred 3 times a week for an hour each time. We get to use the exercise yard for an hour week. Although time with them is limited, I enjoy every kiss Fred gives me, playing tug of war with Gus and spoiling them rotten with treats!

Ricky has only visited them once. :( The quarantine facility is located 45 minutes from Perth CBD, so he can't make it on his lunch break most days. Ricky got to play with the boys on his birthday though! What a great present and reunion after 3 months!

Loving on my boys in their jail cell

Running hard in exercise yard

Best birthday gift for Ricky. Reunion with Fred!

Patiently waiting for treats!

Good news ... we're almost done with quarantine process. Two weeks down . Two weeks to go!
They will be released on February 12, Fred's 1st birthday.

Happy Australia Day!

Every year on January 26th, Australians celebrate the day the country was founded by the British in late 1700s. It's very similar to our 4th of July... Filled with family get-togethers, block parties, BBQs, beer, fireworks and AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OI OI OI!!!!

Ricky and I went to our neighborhood block party, played tennis, drank a James Squire pint of beer and watched fireworks over the Swan River. Here are a couple shots that I took that night.

Happy 28th Birthday Ricky!

Celebrating in Perth....  All week long! We visited our dogs in quarantine, devoured homemade french toast, enjoyed Little Creatures beers in Freo with friends, applied and re-applied sunscreen to avoid WA sun and headed to Sting concert at local winery (shhhh it's a surprise!)

Cheers to 28 years!

Sportin Down Unda

Ricky and I are really "sporty" as our 6 year old neighbor calls us. I think its because we're always wearing Lululemon athletic gear, running to the gym to exercise or going to some sort of sporting event. Our neighbor is very observant and very honest ... a typical 6 year old, I presume! (He actually told me I looked lovely when I strolled out on our driveway in my pjs with the trash. Not sure if I had brushed the hair or teeth yet....) But anyways, thought I'd share a few pics of the sporting events we've been to in Perth. Obviously tennis is really common and popular in the states. But horse racing is a major sport here and cricket, well, is really foreign to Americans to say the least!


Tennis
Hopman Cup was hosted in Perth this month. It is one of the tournaments leading up to the Australian Open. Most of the leading players of this tournie head are in Melbourne now. Wish we could have made it this year but in hopes for next. (Melbourne is a 4 hour plane flight from Perth. Perth -west coast Melbourne-east coast

Perth Hopman Cup

Perth Hopman Cup

Horse Races
Horce racing in the Aussie summer is a really hot sport. The race courses are top of the line, the competition of this professional sport is exciting and the betting on the thoroughbred horses and their jockeys is entertaining and sometimes profitable. Besides watching the horses, there are plenty of people to watch, champagne to drink and chips to eat (remember chips are french fries here and in the UK). Women are dressed to the T... much like the Kentucky Derby in the states.... big hats, big hair pieces and frilly dresses.
A day at the races is a huge event... Australians everywhere stop what they're doing to attend or watch the races. Ricky and I attended on New Years Day in Perth with some of Ricky's work friends. We arrived early for a place in the shade and enjoyed the spectacle!

Perth Horse Races New Years Day

Purple Lighting Jockey

Ricky's winning race on video... He paid for our champagne after he collected his winnings!

Cricket 

We're still learning about this interesting, foreign sport. It's hard to watch on TV if you don't know what's going on. Attending a game or match in person helps to (kinda) understand or at least act like you do! Ricky and I went with some mates to this "20/20" cricket match. It's a shortened version of the usual 5 day match. 

Happy MLK Day from OZ!

Come One, Come All

Your Aussie Adventure awaits you!

Qantas, Australian airlines will be flying non-stop from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth beginning in May 2011. Book now to get a great rate! $898!!!

Qantas announces new route - Dallas/Fort Worth