Silver All Around

This past weekend was the Australian Corporate Games in Melbourne and we were happy to participate. Saturday morning started with a 10k run for Josh. It was a cool, overcast morning so he capitalized on the perfect weather and finished with a nice sprint to the line with a time of 47:39.
Then, after a massage at the Accenture marquee, the sun came out in full force and it was time to head to the beach where Kristi joined the Arana beach volleyball team, the 'Go mAbs' (how wrong is this? let's not go there...mAbs stands for monoclonal antibodies...gotta love lab humor!), for a day of fun in the sun. They went in with low expectations after a couple of practice sessions proved that the majority of the team needed some serious work, but apparently the practice paid off as they breezed through the pool play and into the semi-finals with their killer serving. It was neck-and-neck for the semis, but Arana pulled it out in the last serve, scraping by with a 2-point win. Then they were into the finals where, unfortunately, they cracked under the pressure of the Bosch team. Nonetheless, it was a wonderful day and everyone enjoyed a Silver medal celebratory BBQ to top off the festivities.
Sunday we were back at it again. After turning lobster-red from being on the beach all day, we slathered on the sunblock and headed to the softball fields where Josh and the Accenture 'Thunderbunnies' swung for the fences. They dominated their pool from the start, but after four back-to-back wins the troops were getting a bit tired. Luckily the catered lunch was delivered and energy stores were replenished. On they went to the semi-finals where things got tough, but they gave it their best and pulled out a win in a nail-biting game. Onto the finals (is this sounding familiar?) where they faced another mainly American Ex-Pat team from Holden. Those guys were full-on...cleats, batting gloves, a former player of the Australian national team, and a pitcher with some serious backspin. They held on for a while, but in the end couldn't pull it out and decided it was beer o'clock. So a Silver medal to commemorate the day - too much fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Can you believe the holiday season is already upon us? So many things to be thankful for this past year! Obviously Thanksgiving isn't a recognized holiday here in Australia, nor does it feel like that time of year with the warm temps we've been having lately, but we will still celebrate tomorrow night with the American Ex-Pats from Accenture. One of the partners has been kind enough to host all of us at his home, so it should be an enjoyable evening. In the spirit of the holiday Kristi also made pumpkin pie bars to share with her colleagues at morning tea this morning (the ingredients only had to be slightly modified - no pumpkin here so it was a butternut squash pie, but it still tasted great). It was a first time taste for many of the folks and fortunately it was a hit! Although, it might have been the whipped cream in a can that sealed the deal ;)

As the month quickly passes by, Josh's mo continues to develop. Here he is with a few of the 'Mo Bros' from Accenture - they had a lunch this past Tuesday. If you're interested in sponsoring the fuzz on Josh's upper lip, please click here and enter Josh's ID of 164140. Remember that any donation over $2 is tax deductible (at least in Australia) and the money is going to help with research and treatment of prostate cancer and depression - both good causes!

Gatorade Tri #1 - St. Kilda Beach

Kristi reporting here...

So I have decided to mix things up a bit and try my hand at getting into the triathlon spirit this season with the Gatorade Triathlon Series. I can't say I've 'loved' the handful of triathlons I've attempted in the past, but so many friends and family members enjoy the sport that I feel if I hang in there I'll eventually enjoy it too. Well, race one of six is complete and I can't say my perception has changed...yet.

It seems that most tris I enter end up having crap weather on race day, and today was no exception with a morning of gusty winds and rain showers. Nonetheless Josh delayed his workout to come out and cheer me on - the role reversal was great!

I haven't been in peak training mode recently so I figured I wouldn't set the bar too high on my first race...well that was the understatement of the century as I dragged my bum out of the water last in my age group. There's no where else to go but up from here folks! Sadly I have actually been swimming more consistently than I ever have, but what can I say, I swim like a rock. I have only compete in one open water swim and I have never done proper swimming in saltwater, so after swallowing a couple of litres of bay water I have learned where my focus needs to be.

My crackerjack start allowed me to have great fun the remainder of the race catching and passing folks on the bike and run. I was fairly happy with both of those events for the first race of the season, but more time in the saddle and speedwork are in order as the season progresses. My overall finish was 1:29:49 - yeah for finishing. Stay tuned for the next round of race results in December, and wish me luck...looks like I'm gonna need it!

Blairgowrie

This past weekend friends Mel and Andrew invited us to join them for a weekend at their holiday house in Blairgowrie on the Mornington Peninsula. We headed out Friday after work and stopped along the way to enjoy a dinner of fish & chips and watch the sun set.

Saturday and Sunday mornings were all business for Josh as he completed some of his longest training sessions yet...but he did get a very good feel for the area as he biked 5 1/2 hours on Saturday and 3 hours on Sunday followed by 2 hours of running. Meanwhile the rest of us enjoyed walks on the back beach, short jogs/bike rides, wandering through the Rosebud market, and cooking beautiful meals. Mel is an amazing cook and has a very gourmet flare. Her diet is a bit restricted at the moment as she and Andrew are expecting their first child in late January, but she does wonderful things with the foods she can eat! She also gave Kristi some great pointers for Australian foods that can be substituted for American foods that we can't get here - the perfect resource going into the holiday baking season!

Saturday afternoon we visited Point Nepean National Park at the very tip of the peninsula. We had great views of the heads of Port Phillip Bay and were able to tour parts of the military fort that was located there during WWI and WWII to protect the bay. As part of the ride out to the end of the point we even saw the memorial to Harold Holt, the Prime Minister of Australia in 1962 who "went missing" while going for a swim from a beach on Point Nepean. You'll notice that Josh didn't do any swimming over the weekend - rips are not to be taken lightly, not even by Prime Ministers! We then enjoyed coffee and window shopping in Sorento (the Vail Village of Mornington Peninsula). On Sunday afternoon we drove up to Arthur's Seat for wonderful views of the bay before heading home.

It was an absolutely lovely weekend - we were so lucky to have such nice weather and be in such great company! However, since the Mornington Peninsula is well known for its wonderful wineries and it's world class golf courses, we'll have to twist our arms and plan yet another get-away weekend to do some more exploration ;)

PS - As I'm writing this blog the Meyer Christmas Parade (the first of the season) is underway. I guess this is what happens when you don't have a Thanksgiving!

Evicted

So Monday morning we were greeted with a letter from our leasing agency informing us that our landlord wants to move into the property and therefore we must vacate the premises by February 1, 2008 (the end of our one-year lease). Subsequently we have learned that we will likely be moving somewhere that is already being leased by Accenture (so whoever was occupying the apartment has since rolled off the project and the apartment is empty). This is not looking good for us to stay in Port Melbourne, which really saddens us, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that it will all work out. For all of you coming to visit, we'll do our best to end up in another 2 bedroom/2 bathroom unit so you have somewhere to sleep :) Poor Ed and Myra are coming in February - they just can't seem to miss any of our moves!

The Race That Stops A Nation

Today is Melbourne Cup Day - a Victorian public holiday devoted to horse racing. Many people put on their best attire, complete with the matching hats, and head out to Flemington Racecourse to spend the day placing their bets and celebrating their wins (or losses).

We had a beautifully sunny day to take part in the festivities and, although we didn't have proper hats, we still managed to get a bit dressy for the occasion. In the spirit of the event we also tested our luck at the betting tables. Josh's first bet of the day sent us home with a couple extra dollars as Volcado took first in his race. Unfortunately we didn't have as much luck on the Melbourne Cup Race, but we had fun cheering on our horses nonetheless (Bluetigeroo and Zipping). Efficient pulled through for the win...we should have known ;)

It was really amazing to see the horses going so fast so close by - the sound of their hooves on the track was such a gentle throbbing that their speed as they passed was a surprise. We had a great vantage point to watch both the races and the people, and with the champagne flowing sometimes the people were just as entertaining as the horses!

Clean Cut Aussie

The summer is fast approaching and it is time to clean up, shape up and get a move on. With Ironman training underway the shaping up and moving hasn't been a problem, but not having a haircut since before the trip to Germany the 'clean up' was lacking. The motivation presented itself this week with a new fundraising campaign for men's health issues: Movember. This annual event started in Australia and has now raised over $8.5million dollars towards prostate cancer research and awareness. The concept is simple, start the month off with a clean shave and then see how the mo goes while gaining sponsors to support the habit. Any form of upper lip adornment is allowed, though you can't leave any hair on the chin. At the end of the month, there are parties all over Australia to determine who has the best mo and generally to celebrate the end of dodgy-looking characters being found in the bathroom mirror in the morning.

To go with the clean shave, I got a cut as well "just a little off the top" means something different in Australia apparently. I'm sure we'll have more pictures leading up to the Ironman - the big decision is if I end up with a good mo, do I race with it or shave it off?! My goal personally is to go for the Magnum PI / Booney look - big, bushy and proud. We'll see if a month is enough time, or if I get picked up in some police line-up before we find out. For now, Kristi and I have realised more than ever that Tim and I are quite clearly related - amazing that all it takes is me losing a few kilos and a goatee for the magic to happen. :-)