Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Part 2 - Vanuatu
Hi family and friends
This is some of what has been happening in Vanuatu so far.
This is some of what has been happening in Vanuatu so far.
Stand by for more action soon.
Love Stay and Mike
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The adventure begins - Part 1. Tasmania
Sorry its been a while since I've blogged. I've had a busy month turning 28 and planning our 6 week adventure. Yeah.
As lots of you may know our original plan was to travel around Australia in a caravan. As it came closer to our planned departure it became clear that this was most definitely not a good idea due to my increased movement challenges.
So plan B. Travel where we want, when we want. First stop Tasmania.
We headed off to Tasmania on February 13th with our good friends Jennine and Harry. Harry is an old frisbee friend of Mikes and as I told Harry when he said his girlfriend Jennine was coming over from Canada "we are going to be best friends", I was right.
Thankfully Harry organised the entire trip for us including car hire, excellent bed and breakfast style accommodation and the occasional tourist activity.
Highlights of the trip included: The delicious meal we had at the Grand Chancellor in Hobart. Sea food extravaganza including "monster crayfish". This was followed shortly after by a wharf side proposal by Harry to Jennine.
We had a nice drive up to Launceston, where we met Harrys uncle Jack, Aunt Becky and family. We had an excellent lunch with the Tasmanian branch of the Birrell family including our first bottle of French Champagne to celebrate Jennine joining the family.
The jewel in Launceston's crown is cataract gorge which sits right on the west side of town.
The next 3 days were spent in a sleepy little town in the middle of Tassie. We stayed at the charming Tin Dragon cottages which featured an outdoor spa bath to watch the milky way go by, a delicious organic BBQ basket and exceptional service. I did however get spit on by a disgruntled alpaca.
We also spent some time at Bicheno on the Bay. The highlight of my trip was the delicious fresh oysters for dinner and the penguin walk night tour which was full of penguin action.
Final stop on the trip was Port Arthur convict settlement. This was a nice look into Australia's brutal history and although we didn't go on the night ghost tour I was on the look out as we toured the grounds.
We spent our final night in a old restored convict era building called Convict Station. This building had an air of the spooky about it which was enhanced by my bed being positioned directly under the man hole to the attic. The convict attic.
All up our trip to Tasmania was an absolute pleasure. I stuffed myself with seafood, had fantastic company, beautiful scenery and a rockin' good time. Thanks to everyone who made this trip possible through their kind contributions.
Next stop Vanuatu, hoot. I'll leave you with a few pictures from the Tassie trip. Enjoy!
As lots of you may know our original plan was to travel around Australia in a caravan. As it came closer to our planned departure it became clear that this was most definitely not a good idea due to my increased movement challenges.
So plan B. Travel where we want, when we want. First stop Tasmania.
We headed off to Tasmania on February 13th with our good friends Jennine and Harry. Harry is an old frisbee friend of Mikes and as I told Harry when he said his girlfriend Jennine was coming over from Canada "we are going to be best friends", I was right.
Thankfully Harry organised the entire trip for us including car hire, excellent bed and breakfast style accommodation and the occasional tourist activity.
Highlights of the trip included: The delicious meal we had at the Grand Chancellor in Hobart. Sea food extravaganza including "monster crayfish". This was followed shortly after by a wharf side proposal by Harry to Jennine.
We had a nice drive up to Launceston, where we met Harrys uncle Jack, Aunt Becky and family. We had an excellent lunch with the Tasmanian branch of the Birrell family including our first bottle of French Champagne to celebrate Jennine joining the family.
The jewel in Launceston's crown is cataract gorge which sits right on the west side of town.
The next 3 days were spent in a sleepy little town in the middle of Tassie. We stayed at the charming Tin Dragon cottages which featured an outdoor spa bath to watch the milky way go by, a delicious organic BBQ basket and exceptional service. I did however get spit on by a disgruntled alpaca.
We also spent some time at Bicheno on the Bay. The highlight of my trip was the delicious fresh oysters for dinner and the penguin walk night tour which was full of penguin action.
Final stop on the trip was Port Arthur convict settlement. This was a nice look into Australia's brutal history and although we didn't go on the night ghost tour I was on the look out as we toured the grounds.
We spent our final night in a old restored convict era building called Convict Station. This building had an air of the spooky about it which was enhanced by my bed being positioned directly under the man hole to the attic. The convict attic.
All up our trip to Tasmania was an absolute pleasure. I stuffed myself with seafood, had fantastic company, beautiful scenery and a rockin' good time. Thanks to everyone who made this trip possible through their kind contributions.
Next stop Vanuatu, hoot. I'll leave you with a few pictures from the Tassie trip. Enjoy!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Trust
Church billboards, you’ve gotta love them. Mike and I pass a few different ones on a daily basis. I always look to see if God has left me a message. Sometimes they are ridiculous, but every once in awhile one really talks to me, which is what happened this week. As we passed I read a sign which read “You can’t trust and worry at the same time.” Yes you can I thought, but on further reflection I came to the conclusion that the sign was right, again.
All this time I’ve been worrying about MND, my symptoms, my life changes, the future, my timeline, ect. At the same time I’ve been saying, “Maybe I’ll get a miracle, maybe God will make me better?” I think I just say it but don’t fully trust that it could happen? This silly sign opened up my eyes.
I asked Mike how I am meant to “trust” that I will get better and not “worry” about my ever increasing symptoms. My very wise husband said “You’re not meant to trust you will get better, but trust that each day you are given you will make the most of. Trust that although this is hard you are here now and you can affect people’s lives in a positive way and trust that no matter what happens we can make it through.”
It took me awhile to let that sink in but I think he’s right. No one knows their timeline, some of us have been told ours but as my friend Tawn says, “No one has a crystal ball.” I guess all we can do is trust that today is another day we have been blessed with and try our hardest not to waste our time worrying about things we have no control over.
Like that speech song says, “Worrying is like trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.”
Thanks for the sign~
All this time I’ve been worrying about MND, my symptoms, my life changes, the future, my timeline, ect. At the same time I’ve been saying, “Maybe I’ll get a miracle, maybe God will make me better?” I think I just say it but don’t fully trust that it could happen? This silly sign opened up my eyes.
I asked Mike how I am meant to “trust” that I will get better and not “worry” about my ever increasing symptoms. My very wise husband said “You’re not meant to trust you will get better, but trust that each day you are given you will make the most of. Trust that although this is hard you are here now and you can affect people’s lives in a positive way and trust that no matter what happens we can make it through.”
It took me awhile to let that sink in but I think he’s right. No one knows their timeline, some of us have been told ours but as my friend Tawn says, “No one has a crystal ball.” I guess all we can do is trust that today is another day we have been blessed with and try our hardest not to waste our time worrying about things we have no control over.
Like that speech song says, “Worrying is like trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.”
Thanks for the sign~
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Thought for the day~
"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass,
It's about dancing in the rain."(Unknown Author)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
I'm back~
Have you mssed me? What a year! I was looking back on my posts from a year ago and finding it ironic that I was excited about the adventures ahead. Little did I know what type of adventure I would be embarking on. This year Mike and I were given all kinds of challenges, and I can honestly say I think we faced most of them head on.
I am a different person now than I was last year, I see the world and our time on it in a whole new light. I've learned that nothing in this life is guaranteed, something I used to take for granted. I've learned that the love I have in my life is abundant, unconditional and beyond measure and that I get it from every direction I turn. I'm learning that who you are is not dictated by what you can do rather by how you treat others and the way in which you choose to live your life.
Although 2010 has started out on the back of the hardest year of my life, I have hope that it can only get better from here. My symptoms have progressed into my legs which makes it hard to get around and surprisingly easy to fall. Lately I have been telling myself this is only temporary and that helps. I still have faith that I may be granted a miracle. Like I said to Mike my odds of getting MND were the same as getting a miracle. If I have learned anything it is that anything is possible.
I have a good feeling about this year. I have a lot to be thankful for and this is what I will choose to focus on. Let's see where this crazy road takes us.
I am a different person now than I was last year, I see the world and our time on it in a whole new light. I've learned that nothing in this life is guaranteed, something I used to take for granted. I've learned that the love I have in my life is abundant, unconditional and beyond measure and that I get it from every direction I turn. I'm learning that who you are is not dictated by what you can do rather by how you treat others and the way in which you choose to live your life.
Although 2010 has started out on the back of the hardest year of my life, I have hope that it can only get better from here. My symptoms have progressed into my legs which makes it hard to get around and surprisingly easy to fall. Lately I have been telling myself this is only temporary and that helps. I still have faith that I may be granted a miracle. Like I said to Mike my odds of getting MND were the same as getting a miracle. If I have learned anything it is that anything is possible.
I have a good feeling about this year. I have a lot to be thankful for and this is what I will choose to focus on. Let's see where this crazy road takes us.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Mike's ski trip to Showdown
I think it is the top quality US television programming that is keeping Stacy away from the Blog at the moment.
What not to wear, Hoarders and Say yes to the Dress make such compelling watching that I'm firing up the majority of the blog posts currently.
That, and the fact that I went skiing with the video camera this week. I say I went skiing with the camera, what I mean is that I brought the camera to the car park of the mountain. After 6 years out of the skiing game I was pretty concerned that I would damage the new video camera if I took it up the mountain.
As it turns out it would have been sweet to bring the camera up as I only had a couple of stacks. I unclipped a ski only twice on the day, and one of those was because I hit a tree branch that was concealed below the powder when I was being trick and skiing off track through the trees.
It was a rocking day and I am very thankful to my mate Brad Gillchrist for getting my up there and into the action.
Snow skiing is the best recreational activity that I have ever been involved in. It was a top day.
In general news Stacy and I are doing well. After a couple of warmer days (25 - 38 degrees) it has dropped off again and has been snowing all day today.
The visitors from New York (Liz and Shannon) and Seattle (Kelly) have headed back home. It was a lot of fun to spend some time with them. It is really great to see Stacy laughing and carrying on with these special friends.
This week we are spending a lot of time with Stacy's family, Debi, Dave and Steph. As well as visits with Tawnya, Brad and baby Audrey.
We are heading home in a few days now. It will be very sad and also quite nice.
We hope all is well with you all. I'm sure Stacy will fire up some more posting soon - until then its just me and my dodgy Montana commentary.
Cheers
Mike
What not to wear, Hoarders and Say yes to the Dress make such compelling watching that I'm firing up the majority of the blog posts currently.
That, and the fact that I went skiing with the video camera this week. I say I went skiing with the camera, what I mean is that I brought the camera to the car park of the mountain. After 6 years out of the skiing game I was pretty concerned that I would damage the new video camera if I took it up the mountain.
As it turns out it would have been sweet to bring the camera up as I only had a couple of stacks. I unclipped a ski only twice on the day, and one of those was because I hit a tree branch that was concealed below the powder when I was being trick and skiing off track through the trees.
It was a rocking day and I am very thankful to my mate Brad Gillchrist for getting my up there and into the action.
Snow skiing is the best recreational activity that I have ever been involved in. It was a top day.
In general news Stacy and I are doing well. After a couple of warmer days (25 - 38 degrees) it has dropped off again and has been snowing all day today.
The visitors from New York (Liz and Shannon) and Seattle (Kelly) have headed back home. It was a lot of fun to spend some time with them. It is really great to see Stacy laughing and carrying on with these special friends.
This week we are spending a lot of time with Stacy's family, Debi, Dave and Steph. As well as visits with Tawnya, Brad and baby Audrey.
We are heading home in a few days now. It will be very sad and also quite nice.
We hope all is well with you all. I'm sure Stacy will fire up some more posting soon - until then its just me and my dodgy Montana commentary.
Cheers
Mike
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