Weekend in Freemantle and updates

Last Saturday we went to Freemantle, ate some Fish n' Chips and went to the beach.

The name of the restaurant has slipped my mind, but it is known for having the best fish n' chips in town.

Ginger beer, my new favorite beverage! It is similar to ginger ale, but it's made from real ginger and has more of a kick to it. (non alcoholic of course)
I love this sign. hahah Mom this one is for you... sorry for the time I ran towards a flock of seagulls, which startled them, causing them to poop on your head.

Freemantle beach

Brandon, sporting his new board shorts I bought him for his b.day. :)

This is my third post today and I'm finally all caught up! Here is just a quick update on some other events that are going on.

1. We had the biggest storm in Perth history on Monday March 22nd. (click on the link to see pictures) The storm hit at about 4:00 pm. An hour before the storm hit it was bright, sunny and humid as ever... the calm before the storm. We didn't even see it coming. I got a text from Brandon saying, "are you alright? I hope the hail doesn't dent the car." Hail literally the size of golf balls came down, lighting, thunder, harsh winds, and rain like you wouldn't believe. I was in class, in the basement of the building when the storm hit and you could hear the thunder and hail outside. All the power in the University went out, and my professor continued to lecture... nothing was going to stop him from finishing his lecture, even if it was the biggest storm in 50 years. All the sirens and alarms were going off on campus. In a way it felt like it was the second coming; people were frantically running for cover, lighting was flashing in the dark sky and the streets were flooded. By the time I made it to my car I was soaked from head to toe. It took me an extra hour on top of my normal commute time to get home. Parts of the freeway were flooded, cars were broken down, and large tree branches were obstructing the road. It was pretty terrifying... especially being a new driver in the city. Driving on the left side of the road was challenge enough, now this! I drove home gripping the steering wheel white knuckled, but I made it safely. Brandon took the bus home and luckily made it home safely as well. We didn't realize the extent of the damage until the next day. We have dents on the roof of our car from the hail, but that is nothing compared to what most people have experienced. A lot of peoples houses were flooded, the hail broke peoples windshields of their cars, and trees smashed into peoples cars and homes. Most eople were out of power for two full days, some still are, and schools were closed the rest of the week due to flooding. We were very blessed!

2. On to a happier note, my mom and sister are coming out in a week! They will be here on April 2nd and will be staying for 8 days! I can't wait. I am so so so so excited. I can hardly stand it. 3. Brandon will be going on a business trip to Papua New Guinea for 10 days or so. He is testing work capabilities and doing fatigue analysis for employees in Papua New Guinea. He will basically be camping out in the middle of the jungle Indiana Jones style. He is really looking forward to it, but I'm going to miss him like crazy.

That's all the news for now.

More pictures

Come take a peak into our new home...

Front Door

Back yard... yes the lawn is a little dry. We have a lemon tree, grapes, strawberries, bell peppers, and a variety of herbs. This telephone wire looking thing is where we hang our clothes out to dry. It is so hot that your clothes dry in 30 minutes or less.

Our little patio set, which is missing one chair.

Computer desk (provided by Executive Step, until our stuff arrives)

The Kitchen

In the living room/dining room looking out towards the front door.

Living room

Dining room

Bedroom

Guest bedroom, which is currently also our junk room for the time being.

(Don't worry mom, it will be clean and ready for you when you arrive)

Okay there is a cute story that explains this vibrant yellow shower curtain. When we first moved in I asked Brandon if he would kindly run to the store and buy a shower curtain. (lesson learned ladies if you ask a man to go out and buy something be prepared for what he will come back with) So he comes back grinning from ear to ear with this steal of a deal he found. It cost him $4.00, the best deal we've come across in Perth, and definitely worth every penny. I couldn't help but slightly cringe when I saw it, but he was so happy I didn't want to let him down. A yellow shower curtain... really? It doesn't really go with the color scheme in the bathroom (which girls are particular about), but Brandon said he liked it because it makes him feel sunny ha. So, if it makes him happy then I'm happy. Now whenever I go in to take a shower I chuckle to myself, and think what a wonderful hubby I have. This yellow shower curtain just might be my favorite thing about the house, because it reminds me what's important in life, which is the people we love... :)

Our little bathroom. You may notice that something is missing... a toilet. In Australia the toilet is in a separate room from the bathroom. In our case it is more of a closet than an actual room. I finally understand the term W.C (water closet) now. I didn't take a picture of the W.C because whatever you are imagining is pretty much it.. toilet + closet and a small window= W.C

Oh and we have a laundry room as well, which I forgot to post, but that's not too exciting, so you're not missing much.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Our home

Home Sweet Home!

Pheww.. It has been ages since I last posted. Apologies! Sorry to keep you all hanging. These past few weeks have been crazy busy. Uni is now taking over my life it's been hard to find time to blog! But enough with the excuses...we are finally all moved into our new place. We spent the first couple weeks cleaning and getting all unpacked. The house was in pretty bad shape, but nothing that some good elbow grease, and a little oust couldn't cure. We are in Dianella, which is about 15 minutes north of the city. As I said before we are renting out a duplex, while a lady from our ward is in the UK for 6 months. This has been such a blessing in our lives. This house has worked out perfect for our situation. We are still waiting for all of our stuff to arrive, so it was nice to move into a house that is partially furnished. (Executive Step provided all the extra odds and ends we were missing, such as a desk, entertainment center, lamp, sheets, cooking supplies etc.) We are in a perfect location. There is a bus stop right outside our house and Brandon takes a twenty minute bus ride into work every morning. Then I take the car to Uni, which takes me about 30 minutes. We have a shopping center, gas station, subway and library a block away from our house, as well as a great park to go running. Best of all, Trigg beach is just about 10 minutes away! We are finally getting in the groove of things, and getting all settled in. It is starting to feel more and more like home everyday.

Cottesloe Beach

Finally pictures of the beach!

We have been to the beach a few times, but I keep forgetting to bring the camera. On Saturday Brandon and I went to Cottesloe beach. It has been SO hot. It has been in the hundreds the past few days, so we were excited about being able to go to the beach to cool off. It was a beautiful day! We made sure to lather on tons of sunscreen. Brandon apparently missed a tiny spot on his ankle, and by the time we got home it was bright red. The sun rays are so much stronger here. Most of the elementary schools in Australia require students to wear hats out to recess, to protect them from the harsh sun rays.

Fish n' chips on the beach! mmmm

It was an awesome day at the beach. I am loving living on the coast, where we can go to the beach whenever we want... but I do miss the Utah mountains.

Update: Brandon and I found a place to live and bought a car! The bishop from the ward we have been attending mentioned that a member of the ward would be moving to the UK for 6 months and was looking for someone to rent her house while she's gone. This worked out perfect for us, since we are still waiting for our stuff to get here, and could be waiting for at least 6 months. She is leaving the house fully furnished for us, and is giving us an incredible deal. We have been so fortunate! She also sold us her 2007 Hyundai Getz. They don't sell Getz in the US. It is a little compact car, and is amazing on gas. They are really popular cars in Australia. We pick up the car on Thursday, and will be moving in on Saturday. I officially started Uni on Monday. I really enjoy my classes so far. Brandon is working hard, and loving his job.

Pictures to come of the new house and car!