Crazy About Cairns and Chris

Obviously I haven’t written in awhile, and I’ve done some really amazing things over the last year that I haven’t shared. But this last trip to Cairns in August is a “must blog” event; Chris and I got engaged there, after all!

The whole reason for the trip was that my Aussie friends Amanda and Jason were getting married there, so it had been in the works for quite some time. I had been to Queensland (briefly) before, on an epic family driving journey from Sydney to Cairns way back in 1998. Honestly, I didn’t remember much of Cairns from that trip -- but to be fair, it was at the end of a very long three weeks trapped in a car with my mom, dad, sister, and grandmother. All my 19 year old self cared about was checking my grades from my very first semester at the University of Wisconsin (of course this was back when you had to call on a "landline" phone and listen to the automated robot voice! And FYI, it was all As and one AB…..GPA of 3.8…..not too shabby for a girl from a small town public school).

Chris and I flew out on the Thursday and the wedding was on Friday, which was absolutely beautiful. We stayed in Palm Cove (the location of the wedding) for two nights, and then stayed the following week in downtown Cairns. We stayed at the Jack and Newell apartments; they get excellent reviews on Trip Advisor and we really enjoyed it there. We had a beautiful apartment overlooking the inlet and harbour with rainforest mountains in the background. 

View from our apartment

Palm Cove Beach

I really can’t recommend northern Queensland enough – affectionately known as FNQ (...effin Q....I find it amusing). There’s tons to do, it’s easy to get around, there’s good service despite (or due to) being a backpackers town, and there’s beautiful scenery….beaches, tropical rainforest, mountains, winding switchback roads that will make you sick, the Great Barrier Reef, tons of animals to see, waterfalls, hiking, gorges, massive strangling fig trees….it pretty much has it all. Chris and I snorkelled the GBR, did some day drives (I had to add to my Australia map of course!). We took the Skyrail over the Daintree Rainforest to Kuranda where we went to a butterfly sanctuary, a bird sanctuary, and I got to hold a koala at the animal park! We then took the train back which winds through the beautiful rainforest. We had several nice meals, and Chris golfed one day while I had a massage and facial. We also spent a day finding gorges and waterfalls, and had lunch and laid on the beach in Port Douglas (I definitely want to spend more time here next time).

And, on the last night of an already fabulous holiday, Chris proposed and I said “of course!”

Butterfly Sanctuary....they were everywhere

Lazy koala in Kuranda

It was so amazing when they handed him to me and
he crawled over, snuggled in and just hung on like I was a tree!

Waterfalls in the Daintree Rainforest

Snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef

A massive strangling fig (The Cathedral Fig), near Atherton

Winter Wonderland - I'll Be Home for Christmas (2013)

Well I can hardly believe that we've been back from the US for almost three months now. Not that I need excuses for not writing my blog, but since I've been back it's been a lot of work stuff and not much else! We've got a few fun trips coming up this year though so I'll be telling you all about them in due course.

My first week after leaving Perth was quite hectic...and it was a lot of fun! I flew Perth - Sydney - Dallas (that flight doesn't get any easier) and was greeted at the airport by Gram, Mom, Tracey, and Jackson (Grant was sick). Tracey made Jack give me a hug which was quite hilarious considering he didn't know who I was (I saw him last when he was about 15 months old).....he just knew his mom said he was supposed to be excited to see me. The boys both warmed up pretty quickly though since I was the newest person in the house....my mom didn't like the fact that I was their new favourite person :). Grant even sat outside the bathroom when I took showers. 

Tracey, "buddy, now Auntie Trisha is going to want a little privacy when she takes a shower."
Grant, "why?"
Tracey, "Well she's not used to having little people follow her everywhere."
Grant, "But me love her! And she loves me!"

Geez that'll melt your heart!
 

I spent 2 nights in Dallas and then flew to Minneapolis, where my dad and Robin picked me up at the airport and drove to Rice Lake, Wisconsin. I was so excited to cross the state line and finally be on my homeland! I jokingly asked Dad to honk the horn when we crossed the state line (a tradition for me on all those drives between Chicago and Crandon) - he just laughed (not knowing I was serious...he would have if I had really tried!) Even though I haven't lived in Wisconsin for over 10 years, I still consider it my home. I had a great 2 days / nights in Rice Lake with Dad and Robin, and then on my 35th birthday (yikes!), I drove from Rice Lake to Crandon (about a 3.5 hour drive). My dad kindly let me drive his Lincoln Navigator again the whole time I was home, which saved a ton of money on a rental vehicle! And this year I didn't even put a scratch on it, not like last time in Chicago in Kiley's parking garage (gulp). 

Finally! In C-town!! But not for long. I spent 2 nights, and had a great Thanksgiving with Mom and Nick, and then we got up early Friday morning and set out for Madison (about a 4 hour drive) in order to go to the last Badger football home game of the season. They lost a shocker of a horrible game to Penn State, but it was still fun and I got to see old friends at the Great Dane, had a great time tailgating, and saw the band do the Wisconsin Finale which still gives me chills thinking back to when performed on that field for nearly 80,000 people every football Saturday for 4 years. 

 

 

My favorite brewery in Wisco!

Finally, after 8 days of constant travelling, I made it back to Crandon for a relaxing few weeks. I hung out with Mom, Nick, Grandma and Bill....finished Christmas shopping.....wrapped gifts.....got myself acclimated to the freezing cold weather again.....saw friends......ran on the treadmill a bit knowing the next few weeks were going to be ALL about food......had one big night out with Joanne followed by one of my famous day-long horrible hangovers (I hid shamefully in the basement).......and then I WAITED very impatiently for the guest of honor to arrive - CHRIS!!! I was so excited for him to get there I could barely stand it. Let me just say that I won't willingly do 3 weeks apart again. I know, pathetic. I just threw up a little. And if you think I was impatient and excited to see him, you should have seen my mother! She could barely contain herself and she was VERY disappointed with me that I chose to pick up Chris in Chicago and then stay in Chicago for several days before bringing him north.

I really enjoyed showing Chris my favourite city....the City of Big Shoulders, the Second City, the City that Works...whatever you choose to call it, it is a great place and I loved living there for my 7 years. There were reasons for me to move away of course, but it was great to share it with Chris as a tourist. I actually drove down the day before he flew in and stayed with my friend Missey before checking into the Westin (and thanks Kiley for the gift of a night there!) While in Chicago I was able to share some of my favourite places to eat, took a trolley tour, went to a Blackhawks game, did an inspection and fixed a few things at my condo, went to see the Christmas lights at the Zoo, ice skating, checked out the view from the Top of the Hancock Building, saw a few friends and co-workers (Rickie! Keely! Missey! Ted!), and enjoyed the blues at Kingston Mines. Oh and did I mention we stimulated the US economy by doing tons of shopping? I don’t think Americans will ever realise (unless they live outside the US for awhile), how much cheaper the US is than almost every other developed country in the world. So we took advantage of that! Also Chris really enjoyed the snow and was taking all sorts of pictures that I found hilarious (snow on a bush, snow on a light, snow on a tree….) We also bought him a big North Face jacket so he wouldn’t freeze to death when he finally got up to the northwoods (it just takes “cold” to another level).

A few days before Christmas, Chris and I made the drive from Chicago to Crandon (I did the driving since I was used to the change already to the other side of the road). It was great to introduce him to my mom and Nick. In Australia, for a greeting people will do this “air kiss” and sort of give a little pat. Not an embrace. I had forewarned Chris that in Crandon, we HUG. Like a real hug. We don’t do it all the time…like if I just saw you recently, I probably wouldn’t hug you or even touch you at all (where in Oz, they do the air kiss like every time they see each other but it can feel a bit empty to me….it’s just something I’ve gotten used to now but it was hard when I first moved here)….but if I haven’t seen you in awhile, or I’m saying goodbye, we give each other BIG HEARTFELT EMBRACES. I miss that. Anyway, the point is, that Chris was forewarned and he got lots of hugs when meeting my family :)

Chris walking on a frozen lake for the first time (Lake Metonga)

The very next morning we got up early and drove to the Frozen Tundra......Titletown.....the home of the Green Bay Packers for Chris’ first NFL experience! It was a freezing cold day and pretty much snowed the whole game. We enjoyed a few cold beverages prior to the game, listened to a band in a beer tent and generally had a good day (although the Packers lost to the Steelers).

Chris and I at the Packers game...he has zero choice in what team to follow

Upon returning to Crandon, we were greeted by my sister and the family who had just arrived from Texas – finally my mom had us all together in one house!! This was really special to my mom…the poor thing has 2 children and 2 grandkids (soon to be 3)….3 are in Texas and the crazy one lives in Australia. I really hope we can all be together again in the future. It was great to spend those 5 days together – and “Uncle Chris” was a big hit with the little boys. It was a blast watching the boys who are at that great age for Christmas, but I think the grown-ups had the most fun on Christmas eve while preparing their remote-controlled helicopters. I can’t believe the boys actually slept through the racket we were making with their toys! Also can't forget to mention that Chris fired a gun for the first time! Guns are illegal in Australia (generally)....not looking for any discussion on gun control here....but let's just say we had fun with my Uncle Fred showing Chris and Craig what to do.

Christmas in Crandon

After Christmas and Tracey went back to Texas, Chris and I drove over to my dad’s for a few days. Chris had his first snowmobiling experience thanks to my step-sister Brenna and hubbie Jason, and also went on the Leinie’s Brewery Tour on one of the coldest days I’ve ever experienced in my life. We also took a tour of my dad’s mill, which was great for me to see all the progress as well, had a few drinks and a bit of Blackberry Brandy (a Wisconsin tradition). It went something like this:

Dad, “Chris you want a shot of blackberry brandy?” (along with about 4 other men)
Chris, “No I’m alright.”
Trisha, “Yeah of course he’ll have one!” (somehow I escaped having one though haha)

Anyway, back in Crandon for New Year’s Eve, and we spent the evening playing dominoes with Mom and Nick. This may sound boring to some of you younger folks out there, but it was one of my favourite nights of the whole trip. I had about 10 margaritas and everyone was very merry.  New Year's Day, the Badgers played in a Bowl game and mom and Nick had a viewing party. Chris got to experience the party that happens when the Badgers score, including jello shots and a whole bottle of blackberry brandy being passed around. And he got to meet some great people as well! Having him in Crandon really made his accent stand out to me. He just sounds normal to me now for the most part (I'm the one with the accent in Australia!), but having him in the US (and Crandon especially) really made his Aussie accent noticeable. After the game everyone stood outside and watched the Australian make his first snow angel! (others said they would do it too but then we all just stood there and watched him....hahahahaha)

Finally the time came for us to go back to Chicago for our flight back to Australia (with a few days in Hong Kong). Mom and Nick were so generous and drove us all the way to Chicago and drove back all in the same day (thanks so much guys). It was so hard saying goodbye to my mom. Being away from family – you get used to it – but that doesn’t mean it’s ever easy. I guess that’s all I can say about that.

We did some last minute shopping and spent our last night in the US at a Chicago Bulls game. The next morning we awoke to a “winter wonderland” which is wonderful most of the time unless you are supposed to fly. After barely making it to the airport with our five (FIVE!!) bags on horrible roads, our flight managed to still leave (albeit delayed several hours). This meant we had to make an unscheduled stop in South Korea to switch over the crew, en route to Hong Kong. The stopover in Hong Kong was quite good – we were already over jet lag by the time we got back to Perth (same time zone), and it helped me have a few days to separate emotionally from my family before coming back to work and life. We mostly just went sightseeing, shopping, eating, and generally relaxed. It was a nice end to my whirlwind 6.5 week vacation!!!

After being off work for 7 weeks, it was hard to adjust that first week. But it’s funny (and sad) how quickly you get back into the routine and after a few weeks, the trip home seemed like a lifetime ago. We’re already planning a few smaller trips for this year (Kalgoorlie, Esperance, Rottnest Island, and Cairns) and then hopefully will get to travel back home again in 2016 in the (US) summer. Can’t wait.

In search of a good title for Canberra.....where the suburbs are in search of a city

Recently I made a trip to Canberra (said like CAN-Bra) for a training course. I was registered in Perth for the course, but it was postponed to December, during which time I would already be in the US for the holidays (yay!!). So I was able to pick from Canberra or Melbourne. Since I’ve already been to Melbourne a few times and never to the capital of Australia, I chose Canberra. I only explain this because even Canberrans were like “WHY did you choose to come to Canberra?!” - that might give you some indication of what Canberra might be like. 

Canberra is actually quite unique. In the early 1900s when Australia federated, Sydney and Melbourne were rival cities and the country argued endlessly over which city would get the honour of being the capital. Finally, a compromise was made where a “new city” would be purpose-built as the capital, so long as it was at least 100 miles away from Sydney. The site was selected in 1908, followed by an international contest for the city’s design. Plans were selected from Chicago architects (get that!), Walter Burley Griffin and his wife Marion. Finally, the city was named and construction commenced in 1913. All that activity in only 15 years. Progress was slow; partially due to the Great Depression and the two World Wars – and partially disputes and ineffective governance. Finally, Parliament House was opened in 1927 and the capital was officially moved from Melbourne to Canberra. Unfortunately, there continued to be very slow progress until the 1950s when the PM (Menzies) really championed the development of the city.  

Now it is a small city of 360,000 comprised of several suburbs with many parks and trees. The city, compared to other Aussie cities, is highly mobile, well-educated, safe, and young (median age is 34!). The single largest employer is the federal government. It’s criticised quite often as being boring, too spread out, and not a “real” city (“suburbs in search of a city”). However, it is quite beautiful, leafy, and set on a plateau amongst a low-lying mountain range.  

View of Canberra from Mount Ainslie

Needless to say, most of my company’s work in Canberra is also with the government. Almost the entire course was filled with people from our Canberra office, so I was definitely the odd man out. I also felt a bit like a party favour. They seemed almost desperate for information from the outside world and how we do projects in “the private sector”. Lots of lovely people though. 

Most of the week was like any other workday. However I was staying close to the training, which was a bit in the middle of nowhere (not near the city), and I didn’t have a car. I did find a great laksa one night in the area of Dickson, kind of the Chinatown of Canberra. Hilariously, the next night I was taken to the same restaurant by some of the girls. Only in Canberra would that happen! (I didn’t have the heart to tell them). 

Friday, we finished in the afternoon and I decided to hit my main attraction for the entire trip, the Australian War Memorial. This is, without a doubt, the best museum to which I have ever been. There an enormous amount of information from every single conflict in which Australia has been involved, dating all the way back to Sudan and the Second Boer War in South Africa when Australia was called up to fight with the British (as they were required to as a colony). The WWI section was under renovation, but it didn’t matter as I didn’t even get all the way through WWII. I took a 90 minute guided tour from a retired serviceman which was amazing. There are also cool aircraft and “stuff”, and the entire museum is laid out and presented extremely well. There was even a movie by Peter Jackson (LOTR) showing an aerial battle during WWI that had me on the edge of my seat! It’s in a beautiful spot just below Mount Ainslie, in direct line of sight from Parliament. It was designed this way so Parliament would look out the windows and be reminded that there are implications of their decisions.  Something the US government would do well to remember.

Pool of Remembrance at the War Memorial

WWII Casualties with poppies at the War Memorial

Friday night I was able to catch up with some girls that I met when I participated in the Jawun program, where we worked with Aboriginal organisations in the Kimberley. Therese was my roommate in Broome and Judy was posted in the remote town of Warnum. They both live in Canberra and work for….wait for it…..the federal government. We went to an Ethiopian restaurant, my first time! It was great to catch up on all their adventures over the last year. 

Saturday I had a full day planned as it was my last day (I stayed the weekend so I could do some sightseeing instead of just work stuff). I went to Floriade, a flower festival to celebrate spring; then to the Parliament House to see the House and Senate. I also squeezed in a short visit to the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. 

The "new" (current) Parliament House

View from Parliament House - down to the Old Parliament House and War Memorial

There is plenty to take in for a weekend visit, and I’m glad I went to see the capital city of the nation where I am now officially a Permanent Resident (and maybe someday a dual citizen?). However, the best part of Canberra was leaving it to come back to the beautiful Perth. 

Sydneyside Up

Earlier this year, I finally got to take my trip to Sydney! Chris and I had planned a trip for October last year, but then my project in South Africa came up and required us to postpone until later. We were able to turn the WA Day long weekend into a longer weekend and had a great 5 days in Sydney. (Is it ironic that we celebrated “WA Day” by leaving WA?)

Sydney is the capital of New South Wales, and the most populous city in all of Australia (4.6 million metro area). Sydney is also essentially the birthplace of (European) Australia. The First Fleet landed here in 1788 to establish a penal colony away from England. They first landed in Botany Bay, but kept looking for a better place slightly north and ended up at Port Jackson, which is modern day Sydney, on January 26. This date is now celebrated as Australia Day each year. I can just imagine what the beautiful landscape looked like when the English rolled up in their 11 ships laden with prisoners, officers and their wives - approx 1,500 people - after a journey of 250+ days. Captain Phillip called the port "the finest harbour in the world" and named the area after a British Lord. It sounds romantic in a "whole new world" kind of way, but the reality is that these people (the ones that made it) had a horrible journey, then almost starved to death in those first few years. Life was not easy, definitely not for the convicts and not for the officers either. (And especially not for the Aboriginal people, whose lives were never to be the same again...but that's a bigger issue than my simple blog can cover). 


But I digress. Chris and I arrived on a Thursday and had a leisurely lunch and a long sightseeing walk all the way from Chinatown into the Harbour to get a beautiful view of the Bridge and Opera House. There was no time for relaxing before our celebratory dinner at Rockpool - we were celebrating the end of Chris’ apprenticeship, my Permanent Residency, and our upcoming 1 year anniversary.…really just life in general! We were sufficiently stuffed and walked all the way back to our hotel so at least we burned off a few of those calories!

Some of the world's most famous landmarks

Friday was the much anticipated Harbour Bridge Climb! I’ve been wanting to do this for ages...and just quietly, especially since Oprah did it right before I moved to Oz. I was disappointed to find out from the Bridge Climb guide that she took the elevator for the most difficult bit! Come on Oprah. It was an awesome experience, a beautiful day and a great view! Luckily we had great weather because the rest of the weekend turned a bit rainy and windy.

 

We made it! Top of the Harbour Bridge! (and no, we are not wearing
matching outfits on purpose...that's the required uniform for the climb
so they know we're not out there to jump off the bridge)

We were also able to check out the Vivid Festival and all the different light installations around the Harbour, where lights / images are projected onto the buildings and structures. The coolest had to be the awesome displays on the Opera House. Also during the Festival there are some really good artists and concerts. I was able to get tickets to a show called "Sounds of the South," finally seeing a concert inside the famous Opera House! Major bonus was that it included Justin Vernon, my fellow Wisconsinite (aka Bon Iver).

 

 

A few of the cool projections from the Vivid Festival 2013

And of course, when in Sydney, one must check out what's happening at Manly and Bondi Beaches! It would be rude not to! They were rainy and windy days, but I can just imagine what the beaches look like in summertime. I didn't manage to see my crush the Bondi Vet, unfortunately (he has his own Aussie TV show). Imagine Gerard Butler saving puppies.

It truly is near the top of my list for one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I don't think much could beat the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in that harbour on a sunny day. Well done Sydney! I left saying, "I could live there"...don't know how Chris felt about that! Hopefully one year I'll at least fulfill my goal of seeing the New Year's Eve fireworks display.

"Tour de Trisha" - Part 2 of my US trip (Rice Lake, Chicago and Madison!)

A few months back I posted about the Crandon part of my trip home, and left a large chunk out thinking I would get to it soon. “Soon” is now. Since then, I’ve recently had my dad and stepmom over in Perth visiting, so it’s fitting that my first stop after leaving Crandon (where I grew up) was Rice Lake, WI to visit my dad! 

Rice Lake
I was lucky enough to hitch a ride from Crandon with my grandma and her husband Bill. Actually, I don’t know if it’s “hitching a ride” when you drive their car? When we walked in the door 4 hours later, Brenna and Macy were there waiting for us! (my oldest stepsister and her daughter). Macy had made a picture for me that remained on my Perth refrigerator for awhile.

I got to see all my favourite people from dad’s side – Brenna and Jason, Kristin (my youngest step-sister)….(didn’t get to see Amy this time), Tom and Cathy, Donna and Misty, the Crotteaus, Andy and Kathy. I also got to eat at some of my favourite Rice Lake / northwoods places – Drag’s for pizza, Foxxy’s in Spooner for an awesome prime rib, and special DAD-made venison, biscuits and gravy (yummmm!!!). We also spent a really fun, REALLY hot & humid day 4-wheeling on one of dad’s pieces of land. 

Robin tearing it up on the 4-wheeler

On my last night in Rice Lake, we had a little party at dad’s and it was so great to see everyone and have a few drinks! Not too many though – I had a long 7-hour drive to Chicago the next morning.

Chicago
My dad was awesome enough to lend me an extra car of his…well it’s actually more like a beast. A Lincoln Navigator. Probably the biggest vehicle I have ever driven. But it was great to not have to rent a car for 2 weeks! When I left, I joked “I'll try not to wreck it!” My first glimpse of my favourite city brought a huge smile to my cheeks. I loved spending time in Crandon and Rice Lake, doing outdoorsy things and being a country girl, but I was ready to get back to the city lifestyle. As excited as I was, another strange phenomena happened – the closer I got to Chicago, the more tense I became and the more I started thinking about work. I even dreamt about work the first night. That really says something about my lifestyle for the 6 years I lived there. 

After finally getting to Chicago, I was hungry so I stopped in at Whole Foods since they have free wifi, awesome food, and a bar (I MISS YOU WHOLE FOODS!!) and Kiley wasn’t home yet from yoga (I was staying with Kiley & Winnie in Chicago - thank you!). I just “checked-in” on Facebook, when I hear over the PA “Trisha Hageny to Customer Service” and I double-checked my purse, phones, keys etc and definitely had everything with me. I get to Customer Service and there is my friend Melissa standing there!!! She saw my post on Facebook and paged me….gotta love technology!! After catching up with her, I headed to the apple store with my list of things to buy (cheaper in the US). 

It was time to head to Lakeview to see my awesome friend Kiley!! Kiley has an awesome apartment right on Lake Michigan; unfortunately, the Navigator didn’t exactly make it into the tiny parking garage unscathed. I felt like a teenager again having to call my dad and tell him about the dent. 

The big day was finally here, the day of the Kenny Chesney / Tim McGraw concert at Soldier Field! My aussie friends don’t understand country music, they just don’t have it in Australia. But I love it and I doubt that will ever change. It was a busy day – took Kiley’s Bikram class, went to Melissa’s BBQ, and then headed to meet Kiley at Scout for drinks before the show. What an awesome night! We had a blast on the redline home, making new friends and generally being disgraceful. 

Kiley and me at the Tim/Kenny concert

I was able to catch up with Jeremy at my favourite brunch place (Orange on Clark / Fullerton); we went for a walk around my old neighbourhood which is looking pretty good! Some of the shops that were empty when I left are now in business and I am hopeful that it keeps improving. There is a residential high-rise almost complete that was literally a hole in the ground when I left. Progress. Jeremy dropped me off at Kiley’s and I began the scary process of getting the Navigator out of the garage so I could drive to the burbs to see Wendy, who was scheduled to MOVE AWAY all the way to New Orleans in just a few short days!! Luckily our time overlapped so I was able to see her and her little girl, CiCi. She was barely showing when I left and now here was her cute baby! It’s so weird….and normal…..to have everything keep changing. Even if I moved back to Chicago now, everything will be different. Some of my dearest friends aren’t even living there anymore.

However I do still have some great friends living there, and I spent a week catching up with them, eating at all my favourite places (don’t judge: Chipotle, Orange, Jimmy Johns, Hannah’s Bretzel, Pasta Bowl, random Mexican places) and LOTS of shopping. I went to a concert with Rickie in Millennium Park and then drinks at the terrace of Tavern on the Park, got to have lunch with my new favourite librarian and entertainer Keely, and got to see some of my old co-workers, other professional friends, and ex-boss Jeff at my Happy Hour at the Gage. That night, Kate and I continued on drinking at The Wit and I got home late, rudely waking Kiley up giggling and laughing about her rug (“Feels like I’m walking on cotton balls!!!”). Needless to say, I felt like shit the next day. Perhaps it was the menthol cigarettes I bummed off Kate (I don’t really smoke…..ever). 

Other observations on Chicago: I miss it terribly yet I know my life is better now, away from that lifestyle of constant travel and constant work. Some things have changed (new buildings, people moving away) and some have stayed the same. I still had a black guy compliment my booty walking down the street. I saw a homeless guy with an iPhone. It's weird seeing so many homeless people again, you just don’t see it much in Australia. I guess I was used to it before, which makes me sad. Who knows if I will ever end up back in Chicago, sometimes I think yes and sometimes I think no. Either way, I can’t wait for my next visit in December, and Chris will be with me!! During the last trip almost a year ago, Chris and I had only went on 2 dates and were getting to know each other through Face Book messages. Oh how things have changed!

One of many glorious streets in Chicago

Madison
The final leg of “Tour de Trisha” was to stop by in Madison – the capital of Wisconsin and home of the University of Wisconsin (where I went to college, got my first professional(ish) job, #38 on the best universities in the world index, one of ESPN’s best college sports towns, one of the most highly educated cities in America, and one of the most liveable cities in the country). It’s not a bad place! 

After getting a meeting with my financial planner out of the way, I could move onto more fun things. I gave myself a tour of this city that holds more memories than I can count, not all of them good. I drove all around campus, saw Grainger Hall (the business school where I spent so many hours studying), Sellery Hall (the dorm where Tricia and I lived for 2 years), the band practice field (where I spent many hours marching holes in the ground and now has artificial turf!), Camp Randall, the Capitol Building, Monona Terrace, the first house I bought, where I first worked. A lot of things happened to me in Madison, and I can’t believe that it’s now been over 8 years since I moved away. 

That night, I had organised a group to go to the Madison Mallards game in the duck blind and had a great time (how can one go wrong with all you can drink and eat for $33?). These are some of my great friends from college (and band!) who were smart enough to stay in Madison – why change perfection? The only disturbing part of the night was the after-game entertainment – and this says something about Madison – was Midget Wrestling. Just wrong.  You have to see it to believe it.

Some of the crew at the Madison Mallard's game
(minus Abby and Molly!)

After some shopping the next day, I met a group down at the Union Terrace for beers and sun – one of the best things about Madison (and the University). It makes me sad that Australians don’t get to experience college the way Americans do. I will definitely push my kids to go to college in the US (……Madison!?!?!). We had a fun afternoon, finishing up with burgers at the Gritty, drinks at the Old Sugar Distillery, and a walk around the Capitol Building. Thanks to my friends Janie and Starz, who always have “room at the inn” for me (we all love Chez Starz!). I can’t wait to visit again in a few short months, this time in winter!

The Terrace

State capital of Wisconsin

I can’t say enough about my entire trip home. I also can’t believe how much I fit into 4 weeks. After finally getting back to Australia, I was exhausted from all my travels!

The apple doesn't fall far - first family visit to Perth

My dad and Robin were just here! I was so excited for my first visitors to Perth in over 2 years. I had only been living with Chris for about 7 weeks but he graciously wanted them to stay with us. I was nervous and excited for them all to meet. Chris wasn’t even nervous; of course, he didn’t know the stories about how all the boys in Crandon used to be scared of “Big Mike”. He also didn’t know that my dad hasn’t met anyone I’ve dated for a really REALLY long time. I’m not saying I’ve purposely kept my boyfriends away (yes I am)…..but he only gets to meet the important ones. He usually asks me “are you seeing anyone?” and then “should I meet this one?”. I usually say….nahhhh and then we laugh at my bachelorette antics. This time I said “you should meet this one” and he booked a ticket to Australia! If only I’d have known earlier that’s all it took, I would have just made up a boyfriend that I conveniently broke up with by the time he got here!

They arrived on Good Friday, and luckily I was able to take the entire 2 weeks off to spend with them. Chris and I met them at their gate with my Welcome sign and of course I started tearing up a little when I saw my dad! He said, “You really have to want to see someone to come this far!” They were pretty tired; but after a little rest, shower, and tour of Chris’ house, we were off for a little walk to a scenic outlook at Reabold Hill and then dinner at Clancy’s Fish Bar at City Beach so they could see what I had to “put up with” living here. I told them I wouldn’t allow them to sleep until at least 8pm, and that they would thank me for it later.

The two weeks were filled with fun things such as a river cruise up the Swan from Freo to Perth, Easter up in Kalamunda at Chris’ auntie’s beautiful home in the hills, seeing the koalas up in Yanchep, a day at Cottesloe Beach, several dinners with Chris’ parents, a bus tour of Perth, lunch in the Swan Valley (a wine region), Burswood, shopping, sailing from the Royal Perth Yacht Club with my friend Anna, out to dinner a few nights in Fremantle, and a trip down to Margaret River for a few days. Plus we spent a lot of time just visiting and talking. We fit a lot in over 2 weeks!

Out for a sail on the Swan - dad and Robin's first time sailing

Yallingup coastline

I’m happy to report that by the end of the trip (well even the end of the first day) my dad was pretty impressed with Chris. I think dad might like him more than me! (well maybe not that much). But things really could not have gone better. Our families got along well, they really liked Chris, and they really liked Perth. My dad has been to the east coast before but he said he liked it over here more, it’s more his style. I think he’s beginning to understand why I am here. It was also great for Chris to meet my dad, who I am so much like it's not even funny. Mission accomplished!

P.S. After they left, I finally found out that my Permanent Residency was approved!!

My long-awaited trip to USA (the Crandon part) - July 2012

I’ve been thinking a lot about home lately. It’s probably because I’m starting to plan and look at flights for my next trip back (November/December). It’s only been 6 months since I was home, but by the time I get there it will have been a year and a half. But I can’t believe it has already been 6 months and I still haven’t written about it!

After a LONG trip (Perth – Sydney – Dallas – Chicago), Mom and Nick picked me up at O’Hare with a big “Welcome Home Trisha” sign! I saw them first before they saw me. We headed straight out for Crandon (about a 5 hour drive with no traffic), and stopped at the “halfway” point of Manitowoc, WI at an Applebee’s. I really didn’t care where we ate, and you can’t get much more “American” than an Applebee’s I suppose! (Actually, my first meal back in the USA was at a rib joint in DFW airport (my brother in law Craig would be proud-ish)).

The sign my mom and Nick held up at the airport - a nice welcome home!!

We pulled into my home-sweet-home of Crandon, WI at 2am, making my round trip about 35 hours – not too shabby. Of course then I was wide awake and didn’t sleep until 5am. And so begins the hard 3 days of trying to get your body into a new sleep schedule which is exactly opposite to what you’re accustomed (there is a 13-14 hour time difference with Perth depending on the time of year). To spend some active time together, and I think a ploy to keep me awake, Nick, mom, and I played 9 holes at Nicolet (where I spent a summer being a beer girl!). I was still up until 5am that second night as well, but I knew it was just a matter of time before I got straightened out (usually right before coming back and having to adjust all over again)!

I spent the entire first week in Crandon, basically spending time with family and friends, hanging out on the lake on the boat, and of course EATING all my favorite food! This was a theme that ran through the entire month.

 

Lake Metonga, Crandon, Wisconsin

The Fourth of July period is probably my favourite time of year in Crandon – I always made the trip home from Chicago. Terry and Sue have a really cool party at their house on Metonga and shoot off a bunch of fireworks over the lake. Then of course there are the “festivities” on Main Street of Crandon. It’s hard to explain to people not from a small town (Crandon is population 2,000). There’s a parade, and everyone from town lines the street to watch, have a few cocktails (our group takes turns bringing bloody mary’s, and Nick and I just this year switched to margaritas), and the kids try to snatch up all the candy from the floats. There’s a street closed down where they set up a big beer tent, and there are activities for the kids AND adults all morning (a 5K, bed races, a dunk tank, crowning the “Queen” of Crandon, etc.) After the parade, we usually float around on the lake drinking and eating snacks. Then at night there’s a live band in the tent and then the best firework show around at Palmer Park (in my opinion Crandon does better fireworks than just about anywhere!). I absolutely love it. I am Crandon down to my very core. (This usually surprises people since I left when I was 18 and have never lived there since – but it’s more complicated than that. No place will ever be as “home” to me as Crandon).

Main Street in Crandon getting ready for the parade
(still early! the streets will be full very soon!)

I really enjoyed hanging out with friends and family. And just to make Australians jealous – one night I ordered a round of drinks in a bar (of which we have plenty in Crandon - it’s mostly bars and churches). One Bacardi & Coke, one vodka and cranberry, and one Miller Lite (3 drinks)…..for $8!!!!

I was having a great time in Crandon, but I had SO much more to do and people to see! So off I went on a 2 week trip to my dad’s, then Chicago (where I got my MBA and lived/worked for 7 years), then Madison (where I went to undergrad, played in the marching band, and lived for 7 years), before finally coming back to Crandon for my last week. My other destinations deserve another blog – or is it that Crandon really deserves its own? – so I will write a separate one for them.

The hardest part for me when in Crandon is that I get confused about who I want to be. This is part of who I am, WHY I am the way I am, and this is without a doubt, “home.” I want to do the picnics on the lake, take the kids camping or skiing, have Holidays in the snow, and bring my kids to “Gramma Bobbi and Papa Nick’s” for the day. I want to do things like be in golf league (more likely volleyball or softball since I suck at golf!), get involved with the community or the school. I want all those things now. I didn’t understand why I had to be so different than my friends and NOT want them before, but I want them now. But then when I'm in Chicago or now my life in Perth, and that fits too. It’s also part of my life to go to things like the symphony, travel all over the world (for fun and for work), go to networking events and live a “corporate” life. I still like that stuff and better yet, I’m good at it. How I’m going to be able to bring those two things together, I have no idea. Does anyone have it figured out though?

Anyway, back to Crandon. After an exhausting trip all over Wisconsin and Chicago to see fun people and do fun things, I came back to Crandon for my final week. The BEST part of the last week was that my sister (Tracey), her hubbie (Craig) and my two adorable nephews (Grant (3) and Jackson (1)) flew up from Dallas!! As soon as I arrived, Grant ran out to see me and give me a hug. Now, I hadn’t seen Grant for about 18 months and I knew he didn’t really remember me, and that Tracey and Craig probably bribed him out to hug me. But it was still adorable. And for the first time, I met my 2nd nephew and Godson, Jackson. It makes me sad that I’m not around them more, but let’s face the truth, with me in Chicago and them in Dallas, it wouldn’t be that different. Now I can be the “cool Auntie who lives in Australia”. Within 15 minutes of arriving home, I was already camped inside the “Thomas the Tank” tent with Grant and I had a friend for life (or at least for the next week). We even had some family photos taken while we were all home since it’s a pretty rare occurrence.

The rest of the week I spent some time on the boat, watched the waterski show (I think this must be a Midwestern thing), threw some horseshoes with Nick in his league, ate lots of food and drank lots of beer. I saw several really good friends, and we also took Grant to see “Brave” in 3D (the closest movie theatre is 30 miles away!). He looked SO CUTE in his 3D glasses! My dad and Robin also came over from Rice Lake so they could spend some time with the boys and also with me. I went up to my Gram’s nearly every day for coffee in the morning, it just kind of was “our thing” (plus my mom’s coffee machine sucks since neither of them drink it). And my mom made Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixin’s because I wouldn’t be there for actual Turkey Day!! She’s a sweetheart :)

The day Tracey and Craig left (a few days before I was to leave) was one of the worst goodbyes EVER. I didn’t cry when I left for Australia because I was too excited (even saying goodbye to mom, dad, or anyone else). It was really hard to see them drive away. Mom, Grandma, and I all stood outside and cried. I just kept thinking that Jackson would be Grant’s age the next time I saw them, and I would have missed a whole bunch of stuff. So, I made myself really busy to get over it – I got mom and new laptop and set her all up, helped her with Facebook and Skype, and did the same for my Grandma. Everyone is now on Skype!

One of my last missions before I left was to return my dad’s car to him. He generously lent me his Navigator for my time home so I didn’t have to rent a car (more on this later….I didn’t return it in exactly the same condition). My friend Joanne followed me to meet him and my stepmom Robin halfway between Crandon and Rice Lake, where we all had dinner and then came the time to say another hard goodbye. Leaving my dad was difficult, and I was crying in the car with Joanne on the way back. She gave me a few minutes but then was like “get it together girl!” We got Long Island Iced Teas at Boondock’s on the way home and that made it all….well, fuzzy, if not better.

My last day in Crandon, my grandma made venison, biscuits and gravy for breakfast. My grandma is an excellent cook. This would be my last meal on earth if I had a choice. Then later that night, mom and Nick made me sweet corn and burgers on the grill. Let’s just say that I came back heavier than when I left. Why oh why must I love food so much. We REALLY know how to enjoy our food and beverage in Sconnie!

My mom and Nick drove me all the way back to Chicago for my flight. (I can’t thank them enough). The goodbyes are much harder this time, I think because it isn’t as exciting as it was the first time, and now I know I’m not moving back anytime soon. My flight in Chicago was delayed, and I ended up missing my flight to Brisbane….which left me stranded overnight in…..DALLAS! Where my sister lives!! Craig so kindly picked me up at the airport with very little notice, my sister gave me PJs, and the next day I awoke to the sounds of two little boys laughing, playing and generally bothering their daddy. We spent the hot day playing in the pool and it was really fun. For some reason it made it easier to leave – I had already disconnected from Crandon so the hardest part was over. Then I flew from Dallas to Brisbane to Sydney to Perth (this is a terrible leg that Qantas is running but it’s cheapest). A million hours later when I finally got in the taxi line at Perth airport, there was Julia Gillard (the Prime Minister) on the TV. I’m NOT JOKING, she was talking about the exact same thing as when I left almost 5 weeks prior (the topic was boat people and immigration). And then I truly realised I was back in Australia – and to be honest, I was ready to be back.

I’ve had tons of adventures since my time at home, with going to Broome and then the whole thing in South Africa. And a new person in my life is making it even better – in fact, we are already planning that he will come to the US with me at the end of the year. Exciting times ahead! Hopefully soon I will get around to writing about my time in Rice Lake with my dad, Chicago, and Madison. Those were also adventures in their own right!!

Here’s a link to my album of pictures: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151991544960430.888956.674480429&type=3&l=7d8b194703