Tearful goodbyes

Sorry I haven't posted about the remaining days of Callie and Margaret's time with us. Unfortunately, I was I out of commission with a flu bug. Michelle did a great job summarizing the last few days with them. Check out her blog at michellesadventuresinlife.blogspot.com.


Last Friday was a difficult morning, filled with lots of hugs and tears as we said our goodbyes to Callie and Margaret and got them safely on board their flight to America. We all agree its been an unforgettable 3 weeks, yet knew it had to come to an end. But as we turn our attention to our own move back home in 6-1/2 weeks (can that really be?!) we feel like we're right on the heels of the McKenzie girls--we'll be there in no time! We hope to spend the remainder of our time getting away to as many new places as possible on the weekends, sorting through all our 'stuff' and weeding out alot, and just enjoying the beautiful city of Brisbane. Michelle has her hands full with 3 upcoming exams: SAT on May 5th, AP English and Composition exam on May 15th, and SAT US History exam on June 2nd. Then we'll board the plane the following day, Sunday, June 3rd (on Madeline's 8th birthday!), for our flight back home. And this chapter of our lives will come to an end as we begin a new one in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

We had the Adam children for the weekend to allow Ramsis and Cecilia to finish up travel plans for their amazing journey home. They leave Brisbane on the 31st of May and, unlike us, head west instead of east. First stop on their 5 week trip is Hong Kong, then on to Rome, then to London. From London they fly to Washington DC, then to Chicago, then to Indiana (for a 4th of July family reunion) and finally home to Maple Valley--whew!! Even though we're thrilled they have the opportunity to do this once in a lifetime trip, we're glad we're not doing it. :-) Its just not the right time for us. If Marina was older, we'd do it in a heartbeat!

Gracie, Madeline, and Hannah having some dress-up fun!

Here's some pics of our time with Noah, Hannah and Gracie at Roma Street Parklands, the world's largest urban subtropical garden. The gardens are located in the heart of Brisbane CBD (they refer their downtown as the City Business District). As this is Autumn, it's probably not the best time of year in terms of plants blooming, but it was still striking. Our tour guide took us through distinct zones: from arid climate succulents to rainforest ferns, and from coastal wetland varieties to a spectacular, ever-changing display of annuals aptly named the Spectacle Garden.

A well-deserved treat after our afternoon at Roma Street Parklands

We've all enjoyed settling back into our school routine this week. We'll see how long we can keep this up before we need to take a break for our big move home.

Marce