We are a family who caught the travel bug early..... and now we often have wonderlust dreams that take us all over the globe. We LOVE exploring new places, discovering new food and culture, meeting interesting people and living like locals, for a short time at least...... We love where we live, but we also love exploring the world as well. Please join us on our journey of discovery.....
February was the month of snow, more snow, and a visit from our wonderful friends Mim, Scott & Alex Wiggers de Vries (who came all the way from Australia, only to be snowed in to our apartment for most of their stay). Steve & Nikki also celebrated their 20th Wedding Anniversary on the 1st of February with an overnight stay in Washington DC (the girls got to stay back in Annapolis).
Jacqui in the spa in Ohio, outside, whilst it was snowing
Before the Wiggers arrived in Annapolis, Jacqui headed off to New York to spend a few days with them (so she could get out of Annapolis before the big storm hit), on her way to Ohio for a homeschooling "convention" at an indoor water park. She went with a bunch of friends from New York, and met up with some friends from Chicago and had a great time. Because of the snow storms that continued in Annapolis, she was stuck in Ohio for an extra day (her flight home was canceled) but eventually got home - handling all the travel arrangements & delays in her stride.
Whilst Jacqui was in Ohio we had a really big dump of snow over a few days, totaling around 90cm. This winter we've had a total of 210cm of snow - Thredbo would have loved it!
Hannah in waist high snow
local kids snowboarding on the hill behind our house
after the snow was plowed, it had to go somewhere - into the parking spots
pretty (but scary) icicles hanging off the roof, right above the front door - but 4 stories up
Even though we were all snowed in, we had a fabulous time with the Wiggers staying with us - it felt just like being at home, and really raised up our spirits. They actually left New York a day early, as all buses and trains were about to be cancelled to Annapolis, and they didn't want to get stuck up in NY (although it sounded like they had a good time there) - so we got to have more time with them!
Steve, Hannah, Scott, Alex & Mim - all of us using our laptops (and when Jacqui got back from Ohio, there was one more).
The snow gave us lots of time to play games
Scott & Hannah (only the Aussies went outside in the blizzard - we had cabin fever, and wanted to explore)
Alex, Mim, Hannah, Nikki & Scott on our front stoop
When it stopped snowing we were able to venture out a bit more (although it took a few days until the roads were plowed enough to be safe to drive on). The best part about having 20 y.o.'s staying with us - they helped us dig out the car! (Thanks Scott & Alex)
Jacqui on the slippery dip
We finally got into DC for some sightseeing, and it was a "winter wonderland" - here you can see people walking on the ice on the reflecting pond (not very safe). All the rivers around our house were frozen over (which is impressive because they are mainly brackish (salt and fresh water) rivers).
This is what the local roads looked like after the big storm - not very safe to drive on. The highways were plowed first, and then the emergency snow routes (this is one of those). Because most of the snow was dumped on the weekend, the local authorities didn't plow fully until the Monday (so they didn't have to pay overtime - the financial crisis has hit here hard), making the roads unsafe to drive on (we found this out the hard way - the roads on base were properly plowed and salted so we assumed it was safe to go for a drive, only to discover this main road around the corner from our house - don't worry, we turned around and went home without any major drama's).
This post is about January - but first a bit of December .... On Christmas eve we celebrated Christmas with our neighbors - just about everyone from the Navy Housing went home to their extended families for Christmas, so those of us that were left behind had a traditional family Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, which was a lot of fun (especially since there were kids running around every where getting excited about Santa - and watching it on the iphone santa tracker app. Christmas was a bit bitter-sweet for us. We LOVED having a white Christmas (and making a snowman on Christmas day), but were all feeling a bit homesick and wanting to be back in Australia. Thankfully we left for Australia very soon after Christmas. JANUARY We were so excited to be invited to Nikki's Brother's wedding, and that we could all come back to Australia for it (at one point it looked like Steve would have to stay behind). The wedding was WONDERFUL. Anastasia was a beautiful radiant bride, and Steve (Nikki's brother) looked pretty sharp too. It was great to be able to catch up with family that we haven't seen for years. Anastasia is Russian and so the ceremony had lots of Russian parts to it, which we really enjoyed. At one point they threw glasses (in chiffon bags) over their shoulder for good luck.
We were really impressed when it came to the bridal waltz, as they really did an amazing dance and put on a great show (we didn't know Steve could dance!!). Whilst we were in Australia we were able to catch up with a few friends, which really boosted our spirits (we are very sorry if we missed you when we were here, we are looking forward to catching up with people when we get home to Australia for longer than 8 days). As well as catching up with friends we were excited to be in Canberra for New Years Eve (a huge thanks to the Guy family for letting us invade their house for New Years Eve), as well as catch up with our animals (especially the dog Fifi), and Hannah & Jacqui learnt to bake bread from Alan Dearn (which is very useful because we can't get bread without sugar over here, so we've been baking our own bread every day since we got back to Annapolis). Hannah & Jacqui were also lucky enough to be "home" just in time for their good friend Connor's birthday party.One other big highlight was to be able to meet Nikki's new neice Chloe, who was born after we left Australia. It was also fun to spend some time with Olivia (her big sister), as well as Nikki's sister Belinda & Nikki's mum, Louise.Jacqui, Hannah, Belinda, Olivia, Chloe, Louise, Nikki
1. Aunty Belinda sent TIM TAMS & Violet Crumble - the girls were VERY excited
2. Jacqui eating "snow" icecream
3. high tea at the Tiffany's dining room
4. Hannah's new wheelchair
5. Jacqui & Hannah with their little blue Tiffany's boxes
6. making a gingerbread house on Christmas Day
7. the snow at the gate to the Naval Academy (across the road from our house), was REALLY deep
8. yes, this guy is skiing down the road
9. us out in the snow on the 19th of December
On the 19th of December (Steve's Birthday) we had a HUGE dump of snow (55cm), which hung around until Christmas - which meant we got to have a white Christmas!! Thanks Mum, the scarf and hat were perfect presents for my (Nikki's) birthday!!
We enjoyed going sledging, making snowmen, making "snow" ice cream (we've put the recipe below for when you next get snow near you), and of course having lots of snow ball fights. We also learnt how to dig out the car. Thankfully the navy sends in people to clear the footpaths and most of the roads (although that does mean the snow gets piled up higher against the car!).
Annapolis closed down for 2 days because of the snow - although Steve, Hannah & Jacqui went for a walk to the deli where Jacqui works, and saw a guy skiing down the street (probably safer than driving the car, as that road hadn't been cleared).
On the way to driving up for our Dr's appointments in up state NY, we spent the afternoon in New York City. We trudged 25 blocks through the snow to get to Tiffany's. Hannah & Jacqui didn't know it, but each of them had decided to give the other a combined christmas/16th birthday present from Tiffany's - so Jacqui thought we were going for Hannah, and Hannah thought we were going for Jacqui. After much deliberation (and being pushed around due to the last minute Christmas shopping crush), they actually ended up choosing exactly the same thing (this is the first freaky twin thing they have done in a long while). They both chose a heart charm necklace by the designer Elsa Peretti - you can see it here
Whilst we were there we also bought a wedding present for Nikki's brother Steve and his new wife Anastasia, which was a lot of fun too.
Because there was an exhibition of Elsa Peretti's work we got to see how she worked on her designs from sketch books through to wax mock ups and the finished product. We were very very lucky to be invited by the manager of the Elsa Peretti exhibition to the "service point" for a hot chocolate, which turned out to be the General Managers Private Dining room. We were the only ones in there except for the General Manager and his guest - and the tuxedoed waiters, who served us high tea on Tiffany's silverware and plates. It was a real thrill, and we were so greatful for the opportunity.
We celebrated Christmas Day with some neighbors, and we loved having a white Christmas, but it didn't feel like Christmas without the heat and the swimming!
Hannah has been very sick with Lyme Disease during December, and has continued to use a wheelchair. We bought one for her (which was actually very hard to find one in her size, most American wheelchairs are MUCH larger). The wheelchair gives her more freedom to get outside the house, & she & Jacqui have decorated it. It has helped her a lot. Since she has started the more heavy duty phase of the treatment she has improved slightly, which gives us great hope for the future. Thank you so much to the people who sent cards, parcels, flowers & emails to Hannah & Jacqui - it's been a hard time for both of them.
Jacqui has finished her heavy duty treatment phase for Lyme Disease and is now on a herbal protocol that lasts about 6 months - we are hoping at the end of this she will be declared in remission (fingers crossed). She has also been working at a local deli, and really enjoying it, as well as joining the swim conditioning club - where she gets to swim LOTS of laps of the pool twice a week.
Steve has been busy working, but developed an allergic reaction to some of the Lyme Disease drugs, and so has been off work sick for 2 weeks, which has slowed him down a lot.
Nikki is slowly but surely getting better, which is very exciting.
Tammy, Nikki, Hannah & Steve at Cocoa Beach, Florida (paddling in the Atlantic!)
Hannah, Flat Mike Foreman, Jacqui & Sara
Scott Altman with Arthur the Tasmanian Devil
Steve, Sara, Nikki, Matt, Anna, Jacqui, Hannah, Zac & Tammy - getting ready to go to the Space Shuttle Launch
The smoke from the rockets engulf the space shuttle (briefly)
Take off!!!!!
With the families and friends of the astronauts, watching a sucessful launch!!!
yes, there is a Disney University - this is where Sara is studying whilst she is in Florida
Sara where she works as a cast member at Walt Disney World - the Tiki Room
Sara & Jacqui (2nd row from the back) on Splash Mountain (they got pretty wet from the splash when they landed)
Sara, Bel, Jacqui (with her mouse ears)
Steve, Nikki, Mickey, Jacqui & Hannah
Steve with Winnie the Pooh at the Crystal Palace
Arthur the Tassie Devil visits Hannah at the Walt Disney World First Aid centre
Our Thanksgiving day lunch at the "chow hall"
Jacqui, Jerry & Steve with half the trailer finished for Little Nellie
We went down to Florida for 10 days, and had a fantastic time.First up we caught up with Steve’s exchange student Sister, Tammy, and her family – Matt, Zac, & Anna.We had great fun catching up, and paddling in the Atlantic, which was a lot colder than we expected for Florida.We also got together with our friend from Canberra, Sara, who is working at Walt Disney World – she was joining us for the shuttle launch.
Tammy had very kindly invited us to view the Space Shuttle launch with Matt’s family, as Matt’s cousin Mike Foreman was one of the astronauts going up in the Space Shuttle Atlantis.We went along to the family party the day before, where we got to take photo’s with “flat mike” (a cardboard cut out of Mike in his full astronaut gear), and we also got to meet Scott Altman a good friend of Mike’s who has had four missions on the Space Shuttle.It was fascinating talking with Scott about his experiences in space.It was also nice to meet some of Matt’s family and other people who had travelled from far and wide (including England) to wish Mike well on his space shuttle launch.
On the Monday we got up REALLY early and headed off to the Kennedy Space Center where we spent several hours wandering around all the displays and watching an IMAX movie on the International Space Station – the Space Center stagers the times that you are allowed to arrive at that the center so as to minimise traffic & we had an early arrival time, which gave us the opportunity to enjoy the centre itself.In the afternoon we were loaded into buses to travel out to the causeway to view the launch.There is a big body of water between you and the launch pad, which gives anice uninterrupted view.The launch was amazing.When the countdown was around 5 seconds the engines in the rockets started up, and huge clouds of smoke engulfed the space shuttle, but then after a few seconds it slowly lifted off the pad and shot up in to the sky. We could feel the rumble of the engines through the ground. The plume of flame behind the space shuttle was very long, and so bright it was sometimes painful to look at.As it soared in to the air everyone was cheering and jumping up and down – it was such a great experience to be a part of.
After the launch they quickly rushed us back on to the bus, as there was a cloud of hydrochloric acid coming our way (which is a by-product of the burning of all the rocket fuel).
The rest of the week was spent exploring Walt Disney World with Sara – the Magic Kingdom (which was our favourite, and where Sara works), Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney Hollywood Studios and Steve, Jacqui & Sara also went to Blizzard Beach water park.Sara is working and studying at Walt Disney World for a year (which is almost up).When she was in Canberra she was Hannah & Jacqui’s Ranger Guide leader, which is how we know her.
The Magic Kingdom is pretty similar to Disneyland in LA, and we had a great time there, especially seeing where Sara works (at the Aladdin ride & the Tiki Room).We also really enjoyed the 3D Mickey’s Philomagic,Space Mountain (Jacqui loved this one), & lots of the rides & attractions.We also had lunch at the Crystal Palace, where all the Winnie the Pooh characters come around and take photo’s with you (Steve was very happy, as he’s always loved Winnie the Pooh).Jacqui bought an autograph book and got many autographs from the characters around Walt Disney World, such as Winnie the Pooh, Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy etc.Hannah & Jacqui’s Ranger Guide unit mascot Arthur also had his photo taken with many of the characters – much to their amusement).
At the Animal Kingdom we went on a Safari and got to see Giraffes running around chasing each other, elephants, white rhino’s, black rhino’s, hippo’s, & many more animals & birds.We also got to see a show called “The Festival of the Lion King” which was amazing – there was singing and dancing, as well as acrobatics, gymnastics, & some amazing aerial and trampoline circus tricks
At Epcot the park is split almost in two with a “ride” area, which we enjoyed, and an “international” area where we explored Mexico, China, Italy, Morocco & Japan – each country has set up shops, restaurants and cultural displays in each of the “lands” which are staffed by young people from those countries. The architecture in each of the “lands” is very unique and authentic. We especially enjoyed Japan where we had dinner (yum, Sushi) and loved shopping in the Mistukoshi department store (Nikki bought chopsticks, Hannah bought pj’s & Steve bought origami paper).
We didn’t see a lot of Disney Hollywood Studio’s as it was the day we went to the Animal Kingdom as well – but we got to be in the audience for Fastasmic, which is a show with live action, images projected on screens of water spray and fireworks – it was amazing.
Unfortunately Hannah has been sick for a while and was very sick when we were at Walt Disney World.We decided to push her around in a wheelchair in order for her to be able to enjoy the theme parks, as she is having trouble walking distances.Even though we did this, she still collapsed one day when we were at Epcot – they actually had to close the ride and get in paramedics with a stretcher.After a lot of deliberation we decided not to take her to hospital (as this seems to be a problem she is having from time to time as a result of the Lyme Disease, and being in hospital won’t help the situation) – after about an hour lying down in the First Aid center she was well enough to be wheeled around the park and watch Jacqui & Steve go on rides.We will have to be careful of not pushing Hannah too hard in the future, because it scared us all having her collapse & we want to avoid it happening again.We were very lucky in that whilst we were waiting for the paramedics to arrive, a gentleman walking by was a NY paramedic, & he stayed with her for about 15 mins to make sure she was ok.It turned out he was a 9/11 rescuer who had a building fall on him, and he survived.We were very grateful to him for taking the time to look after Hannah on his holiday.
We were very sad to leave Sara behind.We had initially thought we would only see her for a day or two, but ended up spending most days with her (she was able to rearrange shifts, and we visited her when she was working as well.We really enjoyed sharing our holiday with Sara – she was so enthusiastic about Walt Disney World & really made the place come alive for us, sharing it’s history and insider information (did you know Walt Disney World has a series of tunnels and buildings underneath it for the staff – known as “cast members” to get around in, so they don’t ruin the ambiance for the guests?).
When we left Annapolis the weather was wet, windy, freezing cold and miserable.When we came home from sunny Florida the weather was again wet, windy, freezing cold and miserable.This weekend the sun has come back and cheered us all up.
Thursday was Thanksgiving and we spent it with some new friends who invited us to the “chow hall” to take part in a traditional Thanksgiving dinner (which was HUGE).It wasn’t the traditional family thanksgiving we had been hoping for (we were disappointed we couldn’t spend Thanksgiving with Tammy), but it was fun anyway.
We spent this weekend with our friends Jerry & Phil at their holiday house in Mill Creek on the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay.Jerry recently bought an ultra light float plane (Little Nellie), and Jacqui & Steve worked hard with Jerry to fit out the trailer to make it easier to take the plane around to the launching ramp.It is incredibly peaceful and beautiful at Mill Creek, and we all enjoyed our time there.
We hope this all finds you well.Christmas is coming fast – although we aren’t sure what we will be doing for Christmas yet.Nikki, Hannah & Jacqui are travelling back to Australia for Nikki’s brother’s wedding in early January.Unfortunately Steve has to stay behind and work, which is a real shame.We will be spending some time in Canberra checking on the house and catching up with friends and in Sydney, attending the wedding and doing some shopping to bring back to the USA (mainly medications to get us through the next 6 months, as well as Tim Tams and Milo).
Hannah and Jacqui and their new Girl Scout troop - just after making their promise (being invested) into the Girl Scouts of America
We haven't been so busy over the past few weeks. Mainly we have been finding where everything is in Annapolis (we still haven't figured out everything yet), but we've still had some fun.
We had our first real Halloween. Hannah and Jacqui carved pumpkins which we lit up with candles. One is of a bat, and the other the classic "Jack-o-lantern" shape. On the back of the bat they carved a southern cross, to bring a bit of home to Halloween. Jacqui and Hannah actually celebrated Halloween at Lake Peekskill, New York, with their friends from the NBTSC camp, and had a great time trick or treating. Nikki & Steve were at home in Annapolis, looking after the neigbourhood kids who came trick or treating - which was a lot of fun.
Hannah and Jacqui ran an "Australian Girl Guides" workshop for 130 girls & parents near Washington DC - this was partly for their Queen's Guide Award back home, but mainly to start spending some time with some Girl Scouts. Unfortunately there were no Girl Scouts their age (the oldest was about 12), but they had a great time, and did a great job.
After many months of negotiations with the Girl Scouts of America (Central Maryland) Jacqui and Hannah finally have a Girl Scout troop to call home when they are here. They seem like a nice bunch of girls, very similar to their unit back home. They took part in an investiture ceremony, where they made their promise as Girl Scouts.
We are heading off to Florida next weekend to spend some time with Steve's exchange student sister Tammy & her family, going to Walt Disney World (to see our friend Sara from Australia who is working there), and most excitingly of all, to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle, with the families of the astronauts (thanks to Tammy).
We promise to put up some photo's from Florida as soon as we get back.
We hope you are all well. We are having some challenges with our health (see the post below this for an update on that), which we hope will resolve over time, with the right treatment.
This is our new weekly medicine routine - maybe for the next 18 months Normally we post here about all the fun exciting things we’ve been up to and spare you the boring or not so pleasant things. We will get back to the fun and exciting again after this post, but thought this was a good way to let everyone know what was going on for us…..
Nikki is continuing the treatment for Lyme Disease (LD) that she started in January, and has had some slow improvement (very slow - it is a bit of a long hard slog). We are hoping that will continue with her now seeing one of the world’s experts in Lyme Disease in Hyde Park New York.
During her consultation in September with the LD specialist, he was very concerned about Hannah, Jacqui and Steve possibly also having acquired Lyme Disease, so they had the testing. They all came back positive, and have all been diagnosed as having Lyme Disease, and are starting similar treatment to Nikki. Hannah & Jacqui got it from Nikki transplacentally, and Steve got it sometime during the 20 years they’ve been married.
It explains Jacqui & Steve’s strange health problems over the past few years, and we have suspected that Hannah has had Lyme Disease for a while now, as she has been getting much sicker (almost as sick as Nikki, with many of the same symptoms making our trip in Europe very hard for her). We are hopeful that now we have a diagnosis and we start treatment for everyone, that we will begin to get better, and possibly even recover completely (there isn’t a cure for Lyme Disease, you always live with it, you can keep it under control with antibiotics, supplements and herbs).
We just want to stress that Lyme Disease isn’t normally contagious, except from a mother to a baby in the womb, and sometimes sexually transmitted, so there is no chance that our friends and family can get it from us.
So the summary is that Jacqui & Steve have Lyme Disease mildly, and Hannah & Nikki have it severely. The treatment will be large doses of antibiotics, supplements and herbs, as well as injections for Hannah. We don’t know how long the treatment will last, but a few months for Steve & Jacqui (maybe) and a minimum of 18 months for Nikki & Hannah (& maybe much longer).
We will post here soon about our Halloween experience, and our upcoming trip to Florida (where we will be watching a Space Shuttle launch (with the family of one of the astronaut’s being blasted off into space), catching up with old friends and going to Walt Disney World). We are missing all our family and friends, and think of you often, & hope you are all well back home, and enjoying the warmer weather.
Jacqui in the spa in Ohio, outside, whilst it was snowing
Hannah in waist high snow
local kids snowboarding on the hill behind our house
after the snow was plowed, it had to go somewhere - into the parking spots
pretty (but scary) icicles hanging off the roof, right above the front door - but 4 stories up
Steve, Hannah, Scott, Alex & Mim - all of us using our laptops (and when Jacqui got back from Ohio, there was one more).
The snow gave us lots of time to play games
Steve, Hannah, Scott, Alex & Mim - all of us using our laptops (and when Jacqui got back from Ohio, there was one more).
The snow gave us lots of time to play games
Scott & Hannah (only the Aussies went outside in the blizzard - we had cabin fever, and wanted to explore)
Alex, Mim, Hannah, Nikki & Scott on our front stoop
Jacqui on the slippery dip
This is what the local roads looked like after the big storm - not very safe to drive on. The highways were plowed first, and then the emergency snow routes (this is one of those). Because most of the snow was dumped on the weekend, the local authorities didn't plow fully until the Monday (so they didn't have to pay overtime - the financial crisis has hit here hard), making the roads unsafe to drive on (we found this out the hard way - the roads on base were properly plowed and salted so we assumed it was safe to go for a drive, only to discover this main road around the corner from our house - don't worry, we turned around and went home without any major drama's).
This is our new weekly medicine routine - maybe for the next 18 months