The one where we meet the animals

Since we arrived in Perth, we have heard of a couple places, that aren't the zoo, where you can get up close and personal with animals!  I, of course, was totally up for the adventure!  Jaret was too :)  So this weekend we had a free day and decided to try one of the places out!
We drove about 40 minutes (more like an hour & 15 min, but that's because we went the wrong way at first, oops!) to the Cohunu Koala Park.
It's a big plot of land that is fenced in and most animals are just roaming around.  But first on the agenda, I got to cuddle with a Koala!! It was so cool!

 

 

 

As you can see in the picture above...there were a bunch of koala's behind us...and Jaret loved the fact they were just hangin' around and sleeping like nothing was going on around them.



 

 

There was even a little baby koala!

 

Once we were done with the koalas...we went out into the park to play with the rest of the animals.

But first we had to pass these creepy things...



 

Then we saw a peacock out for a stroll...with some babies!

 

Now it was time to play & feed some kangaroos, wallabies & a couple of deer (yeah, we thought it was a little random for the deer)



 

 

And yes...we were sold popcorn to feed the animals.

 

 

 

 

The little guy Jaret is feeding above had the prettiest eyelashes :)



 

Right by the kangaroos were the ostrichs...thank goodness they were fenced up because they were a tad scary.

 



 

 

These emus were roaming about and also made us a bit nervous...something about birds.

 

These mini horses were actually not free roaming... it said they were in the "Diet Ranch"...I guess some of the animals indulge in a bit too much popcorn :)

 

 

And then we played with the llamas for a bit and called them Tina, thank you "Napoleon Dynamite"

 



 

Last we saw the Dingo <<insert "Seinfeld" quote here>>...and he was caged, but he was so pathetic and really cute!  He kinda reminded me of my niece-dog, Penny!



 

We had a great time playing with all the animals (despite the heat)...but it was fun to see some of Australia's animals :)

 

And I will leave you with one more picture of me with my new koala friend!

The one where Kelly becomes an artist...not really

Over the last week, I have been able to go out with the girls a couple nights and do some painting!
The first stop was "Make your Mark" pottery painting. We picked out what we wanted to paint, and got to work.  I picked a plate and since I have no creativity at all or artistic skills...I went the easy route and painted the Texas flag.  Afterall, you can take the girl out of Texas but you can't take Texas out of the girl :)  hehe.
Here is was it looked like when I finished...

 

And this is what it looked like a week later when it was fired in the kiln! So much fun!

 

 

 

Then a week later, we went back out and took part in a class at "Cabernet & Canvas".  They have these places all over Houston, "Pinot & Picasso" is one of the big ones...in fact, the lady who runs the company here is from Houston!

We were set to paint the Perth skyline...which we thought would always be a good keepsake!



Here we are getting ready for our first instructions....

 

 

 

The first step was to draw the skyline...with very specific instructions of course, or mine would not have turned out like this...

 

Next, was to start painting the colors in the sunset...again with specific instructions.

 



 

Here's Jenny, Garriann, and Jo hard at work on their masterpieces!

 

 

 

Then it was time to paint the buildings and add some details and ta-da! I had painted the Perth skyline!

 





 

 

 

It was a fun night out and we came away with beautiful artwork!



The one with football & fajitas

Anyone who meets Jaret, knows within the first 10 minutes that he is a die-hard Aggie.  And as most everyone knows, the Aggies had one heck of a football season this year and earned themselves a spot in the Cotton Bowl.  So, of course, Jaret was going to be watching.  Our friend Joanne is also an Aggie, so it was settled....we would have a Cotton Bowl Watch party!! 
There were also several of us whose colleges are in the SEC, so we have to support our fellow conference teams!
Here's most of the group...

Since we were watching REAL football (not the football they talk about here)...we all decided we wanted some good food that reminded us of home, so we thought fajitas were a great idea!  Jaret & Rob were in charge of cooking the meat...and boy were those fajitas yummy!!

 

So we stuffed our faces with good food and watched a great football game, which was another Aggie victory...they beat OU 41-13!

And what is an Aggie victory without a "Whoop" from the alums?!?

The one where we ring in 2013

Even though it flew by...2012 was almost over and it was time to usher in a new year!
And even though people say 'don't look back focus on the future'...2012 was a year I won't soon forget.  It started off by me having to say good-bye to my Grandmother.  She was a one-of-a-kind woman and I miss her dearly.  It was the first time I have really had to deal with a death of someone very close to me.  But I know she is looking down on me all the time and I hope I make her proud.  My family and I traveled to Pennsylvania in April to bury her and we had one of the best family trips ever, and I know that's the way Grandma would have wanted it.  Then in June I married the most wonderful guy and we started things off in Scotland on our honeymoon with an amazing trip!  And after a couple months of delays we are finally embarking on the adventure of a lifetime here in Australia!

So now that we have looked back it is time to look at the possibilities of 2013!  And that meant it was time to party!
We, along with our friends, went to the New Years party on the Forshore.  It was right on the Swan River which made for a beautiful view of fireworks.
Here is the crew...

We are very blessed to have such wonderful people to share this adventure with!

 

 

After some drinks, food and laughter...we counted down to 2013 and then the fireworks started!  We could see the barge on the river where they were setting them off from and they were beautiful!

 

 

 

 

We had a great night and we wish everyone a happy & healthy new year! Life is precious, live everyday to the fullest!!

 



The one where we move to our new apartment

After 4 and a half weeks it was FINALLY time to move into our new apartment!!  Jaret and I had been on Australia's real estate website for a couple weeks looking for furnished apartments.  A couple of weeks ago, we saw one we liked and went to meet a realtor to show us the place.  Jaret and I fell in love with the place and said yes, we wanted to move in!  It was the 1st and only place we looked at!  So we signed the contract got our move-in date for the 28th of December...but first we had to say goodbye to our hotel room that was our first home in Perth.

While living in a hotel for that long is not totally ideal...we certainly got stuck in a GREAT place.  And anyone who comes to Perth (and we happen to not be here, because friends and family stay with us) stay at the Crown Metropol...wonderful staff, beautiful hotel!

But it was time to move on and we moved a whole 1/4 of a mile down the road to our new place!! (yes we can see the hotel from our balcony!)  We have a beautiful 3 bedroom/2 bath/2 living area apartment that we are in love with!

This is what you see when you walk in the front door.

 

Then immediatly to the right is the hallway to what I call the office/guest wing.

 

This is the office/guest room #2...with a balcony.

And right across the hall from the office is the guest bathroom.

 

Then around the corner is the laundry room...and Australians have a lot to learn about how to laundry.  The loads have to be super tiny...but oh well.

 

 



 Right next to the laundry room is guest bedroom #1..its has a beautiful view of the mountains.

 

Now for a point of reference...we are coming back to the front door :)

 



 

Down to the right...we have the little living room...and for now it's the tv room...it also has a balcony.

 

Just off that living area is the master suite... where there is our bathroom, closet, and bedroom.

 

Now looking the other way from the little tv room is the dining room.

 

 



 And in the dining room there is some random "American art".

 

The dining room is just off the kitchen...

 

And the kitchen open into the main living area...which we are going to re-arrange a bit and get another tv. 

 

 

Of course the main reason we fell in love with the place is the view from the main living area...could just sit & stare all day.

 

 

We are so happy to finally have a place we can call home and settle into while we are here!

 

And of course...any family and friends who make the trip to Perth have a FREE place to stay!!