Expanding Horizons

Over the past months we've been getting the itch to try a few new things and have decided now is as good of time as any to get started.

To begin, our workouts have been suffering so we decided to mix things up a bit and kick-start our systems with MPT Bootcamp. It has been a shock getting up before the sun and pushing our bodies to do things they have never been subjected to before, but we've managed to make it through the first week with only a *few* sore muscles (should we be concerned that it hurts to sit and to stand?!?)

Much to his parents' surprise, Josh is growing his wine knowledge and refining his palate with WSET courses. In March he achieved his Level 2 Intermediate Certificate in Wines & Spirits in a weekend marathon of tasting and testing, and now is moving on to obtain the Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Wines & Spirits. He attends a two hour class every Monday night for 8 weeks, and is ecstatic to have a reason to leave the office by 6pm and to drink a wide variety of wines - who wouldn't be? Of course he has to force himself to do the homework too ;)

Kristi is also trying her hand at something new - literally - and taking evening and online classes working towards a Certificate IV in Sports Massage Therapy at MIMT. The course started in March and, if all goes well, she will obtain her certificate in December. Lucky Josh, he is benefiting from this course as well!

All these classes should keep things interesting as we head into the winter months!

Alpine Country

Over the ANZAC Day long weekend we decided to get away from the city and visit the Victorian high country. After a short run and watching the ANZAC Day Parade in Melbourne Friday morning, we headed north to the mountains. It's a bit longer drive than we have from Denver to the mountains (it took us about 4 hours), but it was worth the car time to gain a bit of elevation.

Friday afternoon we drove through an area well known for its autumn foliage and felt we had timed our trip well to take in all of the beautiful colors. Then we drove through Mount Buffalo National Park and headed up to The Horn. It was a short walk to the summit for sunset views, but the forest fire smoke that brought an intense sunset also inhibited us from seeing most of the surrounding 'Victorian Alps'.

It was a bit of a rough night in the motor inn (that's what we get for waiting until Thursday to book accommodation for the Friday night of a holiday weekend), but we woke Saturday to another lovely autumn day. We spent the morning wandering through the historic gold mining town of Beechworth and then made our own little foody tour through the region, stopping to taste fabulous olives, mustards, cheeses, and chocolates. Before heading back to Melbourne we decided we had better check out Glenrowan, the town where Ned Kelly made his last stand in June of 1880. Unfortunately, that's about all the town had to offer so our stay was short-lived and after grabbing a bite to eat we headed back to Melbourne in the rain.

It was a quick trip as Josh had to be back to work on Sunday, but it was great to get away. We're hoping to head it back up to the alpine country again this winter to check out the ski scene!

Netball Action

This past weekend we decided it was about time we experienced the largest women's professional sport in Australia - netball. We talked Jeff and Leslie into joining us for a Sunday afternoon game at the Vodafone Arena, Melbourne Vixens verses the Adelaide Thunderbirds.

Before we headed to the game we met for a beautiful Turkish breakfast, and then it was time to cheer! We went in with a vague idea of the game. It seems that most Australians have played the game informally at some point in their youth, but few actually follow it as a professional sport so it is a bit difficult to relay the rules. The basics as we understand them: netball is a passing game, once a player receives the ball and sets their two feet they cannot move further, each position is required to stay within a certain portion of the court so players never get clustered into one spot, it is a non-contact sport and defenders are required to maintain a certain distance between themselves and the offense, and the uniforms consist of cute little skirts. While watching we gathered that: once the shooter has the ball there is apparently no way to stop the shot, if someone tries to stop the shot it results in a whistle and the shooter gets to try the shot again while the defenders step back, at times it is make-it take-it (but only sometimes and we couldn't figure out what determined that), and most importantly the refs wear the cute little skirts too! Most impressive though was how fast the ball could move down the court - it was a basketball teacher's dream with how fast and accurately these ladies could dish the ball around the court. Overall we had a great time and enjoyed our first taste of the biggest, fastest, funnest women's sport in Australia.

Autumn is in the Air

The hot days of Melbourne summer seem to have passed and we are settling into a lovely autumn. Thus far we've been lucky to have sunny days with mild temps. This past weekend we spent most of our time relaxing and wandering around town enjoying the weather. On one of our walks we made a point to stop by the Australian Government Department of Defense building. Every day on our commute to work we pass this building with beautiful vines that are currently changing colors with the seasons, and we couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a few photos. We were also luck enough to capture a shot of a seagull sitting on the head of the Matthew Flinders statue on Swanston Street. There always seems to be a seagull perched on the statue, but it took us several attempts to actually be quick enough to document it!

The KL Wrap-Up

It's now been a week since our safe return from Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia so it's about time to attempt to tell the rest of the tales of the trip. The training went well with Josh getting to meet lots of new people and make more connections with folks from all over the world including Finland, Germany, Spain, UK, Japan, China and even a few from the US. The training meant long days of lecture and discussion and a few nights of dinners and further discussion.

Kristi got a bit of a surprise after we were settled at the Marriott when a Gillette connection popped into range and made contact. Farah McDill happened to be passing through Kuala Lumpur on her (long) way back home from living and working in New Zealand and Antarctica (yes, you read that correctly - somebody has to live at McMurdo Station to keep the penguins company!) Kristi and Farah were able to meet and ended up exploring the city together, scoping everything out so that we could be efficient on the weekend with the limited time we had. Kristi and Farah had a few successful trips through the markets and gardens and also were able to experience some of the foods and amazing weather that KL had to offer. By the time that Josh was done with class on Friday afternoon a plan had been made to see everything we could before our flight on Saturday night.

The afternoon started after class when we were able to stop for a quick look of the Putrajaya Mosque - just in time for afternoon prayers. It is an amazing creation with multiple minarets and a beautiful courtyard at the entrance. Not wanting to disrupt and having a full plate of sights to see, we took off to get checked into our hotel and drop off the bags. A new Aussie friend from the class decided to join our excursion for the afternoon before his flight Friday night. The four of us (Greg, Farah and us) set off first for food, then for sights. Next stop the central market to pick up lunch and some final souvenirs (success!) and then it was on to see the city from above at Skybar with a stunning view of the Petronas Towers at sunset (another success!). A bit of timing drama to get Greg off to the airport for his flight, some rain and rumbling tummies and already it was dinnertime. We decided it was time to track down some Indian food and enjoyed a great meal of curries and Tiger beer before calling it a night.

Saturday morning we awoke bright and early to visit the Petronas Towers, pick up our viewing tickets and take in the sights. Of course though we were early, a horde of other tourists were earlier and we took our place at the end of the line. The line moved fairly quickly and after an hour or so we were at the front of the line and had our choice of times. Since the early slots had all gone, we decided to come back in mid-afternoon for the tour and start out with some other terrestrial sights first. We visited the central garden in Kuala Lumpur to see the greener part of the concrete jungle. There were weddings throughout the park, with a photo shoot in the orchids and another near the lake. The colors were splendid and even though not everything was in bloom it still seemed to be an eruption of blossoms around every corner of the Orchid Garden. The Butterfly Garden was also a unique place and Josh had a fun adventure tracking down all the beautiful flying creatures (as well as some other non-flying ones). Kristi was a great spotter and it was a tough task to pick only a few photos to share with everyone on Flickr. Before we knew it the time had come to return to the towers for our viewing. For as much as we looked forward to the time it was a bit short and quick with only 10 minutes on the sky bridge to look around. We made the most of it and took as many photos as possible and it is actually worth a visit if you are in the area.

Last but not least was a visit to Chinatown for more shopping and at least a look at some of the wares on offer. Colorful and boisterous does not even come close to describing the controlled mayhem of Petaling Street. Dodging one more rain shower we parted ways with Farah and made our way to the airport. The flight went quickly and we were soon home to laundry, grocery shopping and work to follow. We had a great experience that prepared us for future travels in Asia as well as allowing us to make more friends which is always a treat.