Valentine's Day in Wollongong

Some of my decorating. (:
Opening the package that Mom sent to Australia with us.
The unbelievable Hummingbird cake that Loretta made!
(Pink and red) "Happy Valentine's Day!"
I"m trying to get Mandy in the spirit of things . . .


We celebrated such a happy Valentine's Day here in Australia with the Robertson family! V-Day doesn't seem to be quite as big here down under as it is in America, so we gave them a little taste of our family's traditions by teaching them that it's fun to wear red or pink on the 14th, and some "love-hearts" around is crucial. (:-D

Loretta made a Hummingbird cake for the special day. It's a moist cake with pineapple and banana, and cream cheese filling and icing. I tell you, it was fabulous. Oh, my. (:

Mom Z had sent a secret package with us to Australia. She hid it in my suitcase and told me NOT to peek until Feb. 14th. I was a little nervous going through customs, not knowing if there was anything in there that I would need to "declare," but no worries. We opened it in the evening before we all watched a movie and inside was good ol' American chocolate and a sweet note to each of us. Aww, thank you, Mom!

To Prove We Are Really In Australia . . .

What do you think? Opera House, surfing, sunshine, giraffes. Yes, we're really here! Our first week was very rainy, but our second week here in Wollongong has seen lots of true, Aussie sunshine and we were able to do some fantastic outdoor things like spending time in the ocean and at the zoo. More on that stuff later, but first, here's some photos to wet your curiousity. =)

A Few Snapshots from Life Down Under

Beach gals. :)

Funny, we've been getting a ton of rain over here!

Would you believe it--this beautiful shot was taken from the front porch!

We never see this in America! Hehe. :)

Jess and I, putting bed-frames together. Aren't we clever? ;)

That's the baby Komodo dragon! (actually a garden lizard.) :)

Me and Mandy--she is the sweetest dog!

Doing the dishes! "cheese"!

Hi everyone!! Well, Annie and I have been here in Australia for a little over a week now, and so far it has been an amazing experience! The pictures are just a sprinkling of shots from some of our everyday life down here. This definitely feels like a different place! The climate is completely different from Michigan. There are palm trees, parrots, mountains, and ocean views. Everyone has that famous Aussie accent, and Annie and I have felt quite like the foreigners we are. Our sweet friends have been so wonderful, really making us feel at home. It has been so exciting, experiencing life on the other side of the world!

~Chlo-chlo

COFFEE WHEN YOU'RE IN AUSTRALIA

HAVING THE HOMEMADE LATTES
OH, YUM!!
THE LOCAL CAFE SERVED OUR COFFEE/SHAKES IN STYLE!
TRYING GLORIA JEANS
HERE IS A PICTURE THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH COFFEE. =D

Hello Fans and Followers! =)

Here's a post about the coffee we've been trying while we're over here. As all of you either know or do not know, we are coffee drinkers. We LIKE coffee. Not for any caffeine high or other such rumor. No, we like the taste, the aroma, and the warmth. Not to mention that cups of coffee promote fellowship and good conversation with others.

In America, coffee brewed at home is wonderful. Here in Australia we've had some of the most delicious homemade coffee ever, made by John Robertson. He has an excellent system of grinding the coffee in an old fashioned Italian grinder, boiling delicious Australian rain water, combining the two and setting them to brew. While that's taking place, he heats full-cream-milk on the stove and whisks it 'til it's foamy. Pour coffee and milk into large mugs and you got the most fantastic, piping-hot latte with froth on top. Oh, my. And if you want you can spoon some cane sugar crystals in, but it's amazing as is.

Budget-allowing, we also enjoy trying the coffee that cafes have to offer. In America some favorites are Starbucks and Tim Hortons. Here in Australia we've tried Gloria Jeans, and a local deli/cafe. (Pictures above) We've found their coffee to be very tasty indeed.

In case you're wondering, we DO like coffee black. But when you're going to spend a chunk of change on something from a cafe, we generally splurge and get a coffee that's full of chocolate and other things. =)

Calories don't count down here. As a wise John Walton once said.

Our Trip and Arrival

ABOUT TO TAKE OFF ON THE QANTAS FLIGHT TO AUSTRALIA


LANDING IN AUSTRALIA NEARLY 14 HRS LATER WITH 4 HRS OF SLEEP



THE LIGHTS OF LOS ANGLES FROM THE SKY!


HMM . . . THIS MUST'VE BEEN THE PLANE FROM TX TO LA





SWEET AUSTRALIA'S IN SIGHT!!




Hello everyone!

Chloe and I left home on Feb. 2nd and we arrived in Australia Feb. 4th. (Feb. 3rd for those in the USA) We are 16 hours ahead of the Michiganders. And I suppose we are a few seasons ahead of ya'll too. It is SUMMER here!

For never having flown overseas before, it went extremely well. We knew lots of people were praying for us and we could see God answering those prayers each step of the way.

When we touched down in Sydney we felt an immediate rush of warmth and humidity. It was glorious. We made our way through customs and quarantine with the greatest of ease (praise the Lord!) and found our luggage on the other side.

Seeing the smiling faces of Loretta and Jessica once again was so lovely. There was lots of hugs and lots of squealing. Meeting their parents, Fay and John Robertson was also wonderful! The whole family has made us feel immensely comfortable and at home!

~Chloe and Annie

Pictures are the things which are worth a thousand words . . . so here's some.

The Purpose of This Blog

Hey Friends and Family!

We (Annie and Chloe) really wanted a way to share with all of you our adventures in Australia. We believe God is at work in our lives and has a huge plan in sending us to the other side of the world! We'll hopefully be sending weekly "newsletter" emails including pictures to many of our close family and friends, but thought that putting these newsy, journal-style articles on a blog would be a great way for the rest of you to see what we're up to as well!

God is so good. We've never taken a trip this big before and we don't know exactly what's in store, but we're so excited. Your prayers really, TRULY would mean so much to us. God hears and God responds! Woo-hoo!

So we're off to Australia. Cool stories to come. =)

Lots of Love in Jesus Christ,

Chloe and Annie Zielinski