On the way to the hotel after the cricket game, I checked our flight status and discovered that we would be delayed 3 hours leaving Sydney and would then miss our connecting flight in Vancouver.  Who knew that snow in eastern Canada would affect us in Sydney, Australia?!?  After spending time on the computer and phone, I left it to Mom and Mary to rebook flights for us and I tried to get some sleep.  Luckily for us, M & M were successful and the rest of our travel plans went as smoothly as we could have hoped for.


We left the hotel at 11:00 am and unloaded our enormous amount of luggage at the airport.  The Bennetts and Fabris' met us there and helped drag our things to the check in.  The Hannagans also met us at the check in.  The 20 of us had enough time to have a drink and a little snack before we headed throught security.

The Hannagan family are Mary's sisters and brother.  Marg and Michaela were the ones who picked us up at the airport last January when we knew no one and they toured us around Sydney.  Michaela even helped us buy our vehicle, register it and she led us to our motorhome and out of the city again when we barely knew how to drive in Australia!  Marg has called, texted and sent cards all year.  She always checked in to make sure we were okay.  After spending such a short amount of time with each of these women, it is amazing that we feel such a strong connection to them.  They are genuine people with huge hearts and we are grateful for both of them. 

When the time finally came to say goodbye to the Fabris' and Bennetts..........well, it was heartbreaking as we had all expected.  It's hard to watch your kids hurting and we were so sad too.  Even the Dads were crying and that's saying a lot.  (Good thing you weren't there, Graham Kelly.  You and I would have been a mess!)  (On a funnier note...while on the plane, Khye said to me, "Dean is so cute when he cries.  He looks like a squirrel!"  Seriously, where does this kid get his ideas from?!)  

Thank you, Jamie, Louise, Dean, Kyle, Mark, Glenn, Tiz, Nicole, Lucas and Reece for a crazy, fun weekend and for coming to the airport to help us and to send us on our way.  Even more though, to the Bennetts, Fabris', Irvins, Patons, Kellys, McKennas, Bellicantas and the Holland/Turner/Cooks, thank you for being our friends and for welcoming us into your hearts and homes.  Each of the 6 of us has special memories from our time spent together.  When planning our year in Australia, we anticipated great holidays, a new culture and an interesting school year but we certainly never planned on you.  You are the reason our year was so successful and we will miss you all.  Goodbye our friends.  Seeing you soon won't be soon enough.  xx

This year has completely flown by and there is so much we haven't gotten a chance to do.  Mary Hannagan said it best when she said, "But we're not done yet"!  Those are the Jackson 6's feelings exactly: we love this place and we're not done yet.....

We left Boongarra on Thursday and drove to Sydney.  You should have seen the look on the concierges' faces when they opened the back of the van!  It took two men with carts and all my boys and I to haul most of the stuff up to our rooms.  

Friday - On Friday, we sold our van back to the dealership where we bought it.  What a great van and lucky situation that turned out to be!

Early Friday afternoon, the Bennett and Fabris families joined us at the hotel.  We packed the 16 of us into 3 rooms and there were kids and mattresses everywhere!  The 10 kids all pair up so well and that's how they slept all weekend: Khye was in heaven sleeping upstairs with Nicole, Reece, Kyle, Tiz and Glenn.  (And thanks Reece....now he thinks he needs an Ipad mini!) 

Because we have spent very little time in Sydney this year, our goal was to see a few of the sights.  We started with a walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Friday afternoon.  There were beautiful sights and I'm sure I wouldn't be brave enough to actually do the climb like some people were doing.  It was super windy!

Saturday - All year, our boys have enjoyed watching the show Bondi Rescue.  It's all about the lifeguards at Bondi Beach.  Although very busy and touristy, it was their goal to make it to Bondi before the end of the year. 

There were large rips and small blue bottles (jelly fish) on Saturday but our boys didn't care.  Some of their Aussie friends thought they were crazy/brave the way they charged into the water with their boards. 

The pictures really tell it all.  We played in the water, buried each other in the sand and played beach cricket.  The boys and their Dads also enjoyed the views.....

We were very tired (and sun burned - LOUISE!) but cleaned up and went out for one last meal of Thai food.  Thanks to Jamie and Louise, it's become a new Jackson family favorite.  The Bennetts and Fabris' surprised Howard and I with gifts after supper.  The girls gave me a beautiful opal that I will make into a ring and they gave Howard an Akubra hat.  What great gifts to remind us of them and our year in Oz. 

Sunday - We were all tired and emotional today and didn't really know what to do with ourselves.  We finally decided just to head to a park where we promptly ditched the men and boys so the Moms and Nicole could go shopping....actually, that was a really good plan!  The boys played cricket for a while and then they tired out too.  We all met back at the hotel for lunch and a rest.  Maybe it was only me who needed the rest...I was really feeling overwhelmed today.  :(

On Christmas Day, we had said goodbye to the Irvin family but they surprised us by also showing up in Sydney today!  The Canadian Judo team was back

together again and we took our four families to the 20/20 Big Bash cricket game.  The Sydney Sixers played against the Sydney Thunder.  The 20/20 games are like an NHL game or a baseball game complete with flashy uniforms, fireworks and music.  The kids were right into the action and most cheered for the Thunder.  After the game, the boys spent (what felt like) forever getting little bats signed by the players from both teams.  And, just as we were leaving, Louise found Sean Abbott!  He is a young player that had come to Griffith earlier this year to work with the 'D Grade' players and then he spent time at GEPS promoting cricket.  He remembered our kids and the Canadian accents.  The Moms offered to hold him across our arms for our picture but he kindly declined....and then quickly ran away!

The 20/20 bash was an excellent way to spend our last evening in Australia.  It was such an Aussie thing to do and we loved spending it with our friends.  After another teary goodbye with the Irvins, we loaded the vehicles and headed back to the hotel for a short and restless sleep.

Why do weekends always go so quickly........?

The world may not have ended on December 21 but a bomb certainly did go off!  You should have seen our home!  The end of the school year always brings countless bags of school supplies, gifts, and random junk.  We also had dirty laundry, clean laundry and a donation pile.  There were 11 suitcases and 8 carry ons laying around.  Add to that Christmas baking, presents to wrap and four boys.......you can imagine what our house has looked like for the past week! 

Today was our last day at Boongarra Farm.  We were able to finish washing the bedding, load the van, do the last bits of cleaning and hit the road by early afternoon.  Pretty amazing, actually! 

Even more amazing is Howard's packing...I thought he did a great job in January but didn't have a camera to prove it.  He really out did himself this time.  The KIA mini van held:  11 suitcases, 8 carry ons, 2 packing tubes, 3 pillows, 1 tent, 4 boogie boards, 1 cooler, 1 bag of towels and life jackets and sand toys.  We were driving a lowrider all the way to Sydney!

Saying goodbye to Boongarra Farm wasn't as sad as I thought it would be because we have an exciting weekend ahead of us.  We also feel like we'll be back to visit at some point in the future.  We have loved our Australian home and will miss the space it had for our large and active family. 

Goodbye Boongarra........and hello Sydney!

Ok, now the end is near.....Boxing day is our official packing and cleaning day and the boys spent this last day at their friends homes.  We ate Christmas leftovers with the Bennetts and exchanged 'goodbye gifts' with Patons, Bennetts and Fabris'.  We have made so many wonderful friends here in Griffith; that's been our favorite part of the whole experience!

It was very sad driving away from the Bennett's home.  It was our home away from home away from home.  Kent spent almost more time there than at Boongarra Farm!  He even hugged the house when we left.  We took one last drive around Griffith snapping pictures of some of our favorite places.  Our last picture was at the Griffith sign.  It also seemed fitting that the bottom of our shoes became covered with bindies and then littered the freshly vacuumed van!  Poor Howard....what a waste of time that was!

Thank you to our coworkers and friends who have welcomed us into their homes and lives this year.  You were our favourite part of Griffith!  xx

When planning our year in Australia, we were determined to stay and experience a hot Christmas.  The end of the school year, Kent's birthday, packing and Christmas have all run together again this year and, with the hot weather, it was easy to forget that Christmas was even on the way. 

There are a few houses around Griffith with Christmas lights on display.  It's been hard to stay up late enough to view them because the sun stays up so late but it's certainly worth it!  Our principal and one of Khye's classmates, Jaxon, have the best and brightest displays around.  They do look different without snow to cover the yards, cords and frost the lights but I'm sure they're much easier to hang when your fingers aren't frozen solid!

There was no Christmas concert at school but we did have two huge end of year presentations days at the Regional Theatre.  You can find photos of the concerts under the GEPS heading.  Santa also made an appearance at the K-2 disco on the second last day of school.  He brought ice blocks (Freezies) for all the kids.  With our busy sports schedule, we never did make it to see the Santa at the mall.

Our Christmas eve was spent mostly at home.  We dashed to town in the morning to finish our last minute errands and to close Aussie bank accounts, etc.  By the time we arrived home after lunch, the temperature had reached 39C.  Even with our air conditioning, it was too hot to pack!  The boys laid around watching Christmas movies and the adults had a nap.  By 4:00 pm, it was time to start packing!  That was ok for a few hours but then we had to get ready for Santa.  The stockings were hung and cookies and milk were set out for Santa.  

Christmas Day was the normal early morning chaos mixed with phone calls from home.  The temperature was a comfortable 30C.  We spent the first half of our afternoon with our friends Cass, Cook, Ruth, Ardy and the boys.  Cass and Ruth prepared a delicious traditional Christmas meal and then the boys played cricket in their garden.  Not the ususal Christmas day activities but very fun, all the same!

We popped by the Irvins to drop off some gifts and to say our goodbyes.  Their boys got a slug gun for Christmas so our boys all had a go too.  Then there were more sad goodbyes.  

Our last Christmas destination was the Bennett home.  Jamie and Louise hosted an all day party with a mix of their two families and our friends.  There was a serious game of Bocce ball, swimming in the pool, video games, tennis, trampolining and lots of visiting.  And the food just kept coming!  

So, while the weather and social activities were a bit different this year, the visiting and food were similar.  Spending time with our friends was the best plan too.  Thank you to the Turner/Cook and Bennett families for hosting us for our 1st hot Aussie Christmas!   xx

Camping at the river near Darlington Point is something we have wanted to do with our friends since winter.  Sport dominates our weekends and the year just slipped away without us being able to fit the river in.

As you can imagine, the month of December has been packed with last minute sight seeing, school work, packing and endless goodbyes.  Sunday, December 23 was our last lazy day of the year and we chose to spend it at the river with several families that we have enjoyed being with this year.  It was meant to be our family farewell party but we will actually see all but one of the families again before we leave next week! 

The river was lots of fun (but a bit stressful) with 25 kids and their parents.  We swam, ate, fished and visited all day.  The temperature was 39C but the river kept us cool.  Thank you TB, Jamie and Louise for organizing our great day!  We will miss spending time with all these great families....Fabris, Bennetts, Irvins, Patons, Kellys, Bellicantas and McKennas.  We know we will see you again in Oz or in Canada.  Thanks for a great year! 

The Conlan and Dando families are our Australian family.  The boys call the kids their exchange cousins.  After a year together at the lake, our homes and sporting events, it was time to say goodbye.

After some confusion (soooo glad we saw Peter in town the day before!), we made our way to the Bluff where Bernard, Paul and Mrs. Conlan live.  It was an adventure just getting there!  We met Mary and her children and also enjoyed the company of the rest of the Conlans.  We enjoyed a yummy Christmas lunch and then visiting.  It was 39C but a few kids and adults braved the heat for a game of tennis and cricket.  (Us smarter ones stayed inside and enjoyed the air-conditioning.)  The kids also spent lots of time playing spoons.  That is also a favorite in Canada too.

Thank you Matt, Cathy, Peter, Sheryl and Paul for looking after the Jackson 6 this year.  You have all been so welcoming and caring.  We are sure we will see you in Canada when you come to retreive your daughters!  Until then......xx

Our sweet, beautiful Bubby is 11 today!  And what a cool kid he's becoming.  Bubs is kind, sensitive, cuddly, strong, stubborn, smart, athletic and FUNNY!  And he's 11 already?

The (almost) Christmas baby gets caught in the rush of the season.  For the second year in a row, we've asked him if he would mind having his friends party several months early so it wouldn't interfere with the Christmas/exchange/moving rush.  We held it months ago when we had a big birthday bash for Cody and Colt too.

And so, today is Kent's really birthday.  It is Mom's last day at work, Dad is doing jobs at home and then we both have a Christmas party tonight.  That left very little time for the birthday boy.  Kent insisted that he didn't want another cake but it took very little convincing to have a birthday breakfast!  And so, we all got up a little earlier to cook pancakes and have birthday presents before Mom left for work.

Bubby got another new Ipod because the old one broke.  It's too broken for even Mom to adopt.  (First world problems, eh?!)  So Bubby, Dad and I wish you another wonderful year.  You are a really amazing kid and we love you!

Bags were packed, kid plans arranged and we were off on our girls' weekend.  Echuka was the destination.  It's a cute little town 3 hours away.  We stayed at the spa and had great rooms thanks to a gift Tiz received.  We spent the weekend eating, shopping, and laughing.  That's all I can tell you....what happens at girls' weekend stays at girls' weekend!  That's the code; can't break it.  Definately super company and my favorite weekend in Australia so far.  Love you girls.  Thanks for the laughs!  xx

After turning the page to December last weekend, I had a conversation with 3 of the boys about being on "the last page" of the calendar.  We've finished 11 pages and have only one to go.  Kent, Colt and Khye all decided it was sad but it was Colt who surprised me with a few tears.  I told the boys that it was going to be a month with lots of goodbyes and it's ok to be sad.  Mom's even going to wear her waterproof mascara everyday this month because the tears come so unexpectedly!  Khye, with his 5 year old wisdom told us all, "It's ok to cry because then you feel better after."  Thanks, Khye.  I'll keep that in mind....

Our first goodbyes came this week when we met the Tervets for the last time in Australia.  If you've been following along, we met Steve and Rachel in Sydney way back in February.  They are from England and Rachel is teaching in Albury.  Steve has since been employed at the same school as a teacher's aide.  The Tervets have stayed with us at the farm in March and June.  We all met in Dubbo in September and then in Wagga yesterday to say our goodbyes.  It was a whirlwind trip after school and was just long enough for a picnic and a game of cricket but we're all glad we went.  Steve and Rachel are sporty, down to earth, honest and kind.  I appreciate their involvement with our boys and the way we all just sort of pick up where we left off the last time we met.  It was sad saying our first goodbyes but the Tervets are definately a family I think we will see again in the not so distant future.  Safe travels, our friends. xx