Almost there!!!

So our latest update on the Work Permit and Visa situation is that, after all the loops we've gone through applying for the second time, we got a call on Saturday saying everything looks fine they just needed to know an entry date into the UK and they would send out passports and paperwork back to us on Monday. So we are hoping to get it all taken care of in the next week. Who knows when we will actually leave. I'm guessing between 1-2 weeks. Thanks to everyone for baring with us, housing us, cheering us up through all of this. Hopefully just a few more weeks and we'll be London bound. So start looking into trips to see us!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Well we had a nice snow on Sunday after Thanksgiving. We escaped the 18 inches in Monument since we made it back to Castle Rock on Saturday night. (We spend Thanksgiving weekend in Monument Colorado). We bundled up in our finest old school snow gear and took the dog sledding. I almost got in a fight with some stupid snowboarding kids who decided to build a ramp in the middle of my sledding lane. It snowed all day Sunday but this week it is going to be about 60 so it will all melt.

Amsterdam, Switzerland, Germany, Oklahoma, Colorado, OH MY!

I've made it back from Switzerland and Germany. I just had one day flying in and out of Dusseldorf and a direct cab to and from Essen. I didn't see much and there were no real photo opportunities. I made it back to Oklahoma and am now in Denver. I'm seeing my first snow of the year and it is gorgeous. Connor and I will be here through Thanksgiving. Still working on the work permit issues we'll see how it progresses over the next few weeks. Here is a picture of what is going on currently just south of Denver.

Switzerland

This is my co-worker in London, Dawn. We are at a conference in Geneva and this is a trader party one night at "Club Bypass". Above that is my train ride from Geneva to Zurich. These mountains, outside Luasanne, were so close and big it seemed like I could have reached out and touched them. They looked like they were floating on a cloud/the water (it all blended together). I am staying with Gretchen and Greg in Zurich now. We had a good time this weekend doing some baby shopping for Baby Smith and Greg and I enjoyed way too many bottles of wine while poor Gretchen just had to watch. I'm off to Dusseldorf/Essen Germany tomorrow. In and out in one day, quick trip we'll see if I remember to take pictures!

Amsterdam

I, Sarah, was in Amsterdam for the past week for business. I had a few meetings and then also attended a conference. Connor and I have been to Amsterdam before but it was a fast 1 1/2 day trip in Feb. about 5 years ago. It was nice to see it again in some warmer weather! My next visit to Europe will be in 2 weeks when I head off to Geneva.

Colorado Wine Fest in Grand Junction

We drove out here for the weekend with Heather, Doug, and Darren (Doug's cousin). We had a good time and had A LOT of wine.

Monument Rock

Again, more hiking. This is close to where Heather and Doug live.

Garden of the Gods

Here we are hiking around Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

Stonehenge postponed

Well we were going to go down to Stonehenge but extenuating circumstances made us delay that trip. Our observations of British TV is that The Weakest Link really is kind of entertaining. Also Friends might be the most played show on TV, which I like very much. Although, there was the same episode of Friends that was played at least twice on two different channels. White Chicks has been on every day for the past few days, weird but now we are both actually fans of the movie. Connor has disowned Indian Food. We had a really great Thai dinner a few nights ago. Connor got taken out to a nice meal over by Tower Bridge where he had the 'Best Oysters' he's ever had. I had lunch with James, Theresa's brother, who is here with the NYC Philharmonic. It was nice to see a familiar face. Please everyone feel free to come visit, once we actually have a place. Kelly save your money for shopping because there is some great stuff here! We are getting our bearings on everything and (sarah) would like to live in Marylebone which doesn't give you as much space for your $$$$$$. Man everything is expensive here. When your salary gets cut in half based on the exchange rate it really hurts and makes you really think how do we want to spend our money. We want a decent amount of space but at the same time will want to travel. Hmmm....decisions decisions.

London visit

I am waiving to the Queen and Connor is showing that his head is as big as the clock on Big Ben. (Insert Gretchen joke here).
We have had a great time so far. We went to Harrods and played with the massive kids toys on the top floor. We had an excuse for being there for a few hours. We were with our new friends from Australia who are working up here for a few months. They have a 9 month old so we had to test out the toys for him. We had a good night with a home cooked meal at their place. We didn't go to the Notting Hill Carnival, which is probably good since there were a few knife fights. London is known for stabbings, watch out! We are thinking of getting a place in Marylebone which is a really cool area just north of Oxford Circus (major shopping strip, worse than michigan ave). There are two large parks within walking distance and the area is filled with great little restaurants and wine and cheese shops! It is a really cute area, but our money will be stretched if we get a 2 bedroom. We'll see what we find.

Handing off the Olympic Torch

This was infront of the palace during the celebration of the Olympics being handed over to London. There were about 40,000 people inside there. We thought that was kind of small since The Taste of Chicago draws a crowd of at least a million people. We didn't go inside because you had to get a ticket and they were sold out. We watched just outside on the jumbo screens they had in St. James Park.

Short trip across the pond

We are headed to London Monday, Tuesday for Connor. I'm doing a little introductory work and going to check out some apartments and things. We will be there for about 2 weeks which will be the longest time we've spent in London, I hope we still like it! I have got to remember to charge the camera!

I got nothing

No updates, except that we are in Chicago. Delayed going to London.

This is for Corbett

Bondi Beach....major surfing in Sydney

Sydney, finally!

This is our first day in Sydney! Finally made it to the big city. It was weird after being in such a small beach town going to the big city. I think we forgot what they were like. The picture to the left is of the Harbor Bridge. You can actually walk up the bridge along the very top of the arch but we decided we spent most of our money on skydiving and that was good enough. Then the Opera House is the opposite direction of the bridge. It looks like a giant golf ball that someone cut up into a bunch of different pieces and fanned out. It was a nice day and we ended up taking a harbor cruise around the bay. We also walked through the Botanical Gardens and there is a lovely section full of bats, see picture above. There were thousands of them just wizing by us and hanging from the trees. I tried to get Connor to walk faster but he enjoyed seeing me squirm while we walked through all of them.

We didn't have our camera for a whole day and it just so happens it was when we went to the Zoo. But the Aussie's are always the nicest people and a guy made us pose for a picture while we were petting the koala and he emailed it to us. So nice of him. We also saw some kangaroos mating and also some donkey's. It was a happening day at the zoo. We also got to pet the dingo's who were out for a walk with a trainer.

Sky Diving

Here we are sky diving today. The first three are from my footage and the other three are from Connor's so that is why it is a little out of order. We have video too but it wasn't letting me add it so I'll have to work on it. It was a lot of fun and went way too fast. It really wasn't that scary. I was the last to go so I had to watch Connor jump first, so that was weird but he made it so that's good. :)

Austinmer

So the past week has been Connor's dream come true. He surfs during lunch and they feed him all day from breakfast, snacks, coffees, lunch, more coffee, and beers. They are even having a going away dinner for us on Thursday before we head off to Sydney. He is really excited and happy about his new company. He in trying to make me move here before we even get to London! It was nice the first couple days we were here but it seems that we have brought the cold with us as usual. It is a bit to chilly to try and read on the beach or take leisurely strolls. The beach is about 50 yards from where we are staying and where Connor works. We love the wine and the Tim Tams!! MMM. Our yard is filled with about 10 of these birds (below) from about 2-4pm. I think I have become "the bird lady". We went for a hike, went to a Zoo, a buddist temple, an authentic BBQ (yum), out for beers with the locals, and eaten A LOT!

The Past Week in Austinmer

And We're Off

This is where we will be staying just south of Syndey. It is in a town called Austinmer. We will be here through the 24th and moving on to Sydney on the 25th-30th. The picture of the beach is what you are looking at when you are turned away from the house.
It looks like we are not going to make it out of the south of Australia. We will have to make The Great Barrier Reef a trip for the next time we are down there. We hope to have some more exciting posts for you to enjoy in the next week! We leave Sunday July 13th and do not arrive until Tuesday because of the time difference. Stay tuned....

Small Change

So Connor's company is jerking him around and we are not leaving for Sydney until July 13th now. So that only puts us there for two weeks but two weeks is better than nothing. We can't wait to get the journey started. We've lived the last few months as if we are a yo-yo. One day we're told one thing, the next day it changes. We are trying to keep our spirits up in hopes it will all be worth it soon.

Time Difference

I just added this world time clock so everyone would know what time it is in Sydney. It will be hard to keep in contact other than email or IM. You can call us on IM if we need to talk. London will be a little easier to chat.

Going To Australia

Well, we are off to Australia on July 4th and will be returning July 30th. Connor will be working and getting to know his new company and the people at its headquarters. Sarah will not be working and spending her days waking up late, having a coffee, going to the beach, and walking around town. We hope to make it up to The Great Barrier Reef while we are there, that is our number one goal. There is a lot to do even in three 1/2 weeks. There are a lot of adventure sports so don't be surprised if you see a picture of Skydiving or Paragliding in the near future. We will try to keep the blog updated with our adventures in Australia and our move over to London. Check in periodically and see what we are up to "across the pond".

Cheers!

Sarah and Connor