Gold Coast

G'day mates!

Sorry this blog is so long overdue. We have not forgotten you, we just haven't taken the time to write a new blog. So here is a good one to make up for it.
We took a week off of work last week to take a holiday to visit the Gold Coast, a.k.a. the beach! Starting bright and early monday morning we boarded JetStar along with our bags and their FANTASTIC music for our listening pleasure, the same six songs on repeat. Nice.
We were welcomed by two of our delightful hosts, Angus Glenn and his son Jake. They welcomed us with a cheery sign and balloons and took us back to their lovely abode where we met wife Kaylene and their youngest son Callum. It was raining on our arrival, so what better to do than to take a walk through the rainforest. Incredibly misty, as you can see from our photos, we saw lots of beautiful foliage, a waterfall, and one turkey that showed up at the last minute. After some scones and coffee we headed out for a kangaroo chase in a buggy, also known as a golfcart. Driven by the "florist" or is it "floorist?", Angus we madly ran down dozens of wallabies who were chilling out on the golfcourse. This was a blast! Lots of laughs and puddles and splashes.
Tuesday morning, we decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and go out on the river in Angus and Kaylene's motorboat. We zipped around on the water, swam, ate some lunch on the beach, made some sandcastles, and strolled around on the island. On the return journey, Carling, 1st time driver, took the wheel and steered us right into the bank, just kidding.
Wednesday we journeyed up to the city of Brisbane with Gaye Heldon to tour around and see the sights. Here we stopped in at three museums, two were art, and gaily frolicked through a flowered walkway with purple flowers. Though we didn't spend too long in Brisbane, we were happy to have the chance to explore it and see another of Australia's big cities up close and personal.
Most Australians don't celebrate Halloween, so we had figured we would just be skipping Halloween 2007. But we were dead wrong. Angus and Kaylene planned a get together with some of their friends to meet for a sausage sizzle and then golfcart around with their kids and trick-or-treat around the neighbourhood. The night was a success. Everyone got tons of candy and went to bed on a sugarhigh.
Thursday was the day of waiting for busses and going to Surfer's Paradise. Sufer's Paradise reminded us a lot of Florida and was filled with shops and surfers. It was too chilly to swim in the sea, but we still had some quality beach time reading books and enjoying the view.
Friday morning, we said goodbye to the Glenns and thanked them for the great visit. We were both very impressed by how quickly we felt comfortable in their home due mainly to their amazing hospitality.
Our days here are now numbered. Time is running out until we head back to the States. We are beginning to face the reality of coming back and finishing up our duties here. We are feeling sad to go, mainly because of the great friends we have made here, but know that our time here has been well spent and are looking forward to seeing our families and friends.

Shoutouts:
#1 Kaylene's shrimp dinner.
#2 Callum turning three years old.
#3 Kevin Bacon's Footloose moves.

See you in a week,
Carling and Sarah