November Update!

Despite my efforts, I have yet again fallen behind in keeping up with my blog. Not that there is much to update on, but I really need to try harder!

I have had a couple visits since my last posting: my parents came for a few days and though it was a quick visit, it was fun. They were in Australia for quite a few weeks, but I was sick for the first few so didn’t make it up to Sydney to see them. Luckily we were able to match up some dates! My Dad brought me all sorts of goodies ranging from enchilada sauce mix to Rescee’s to pop tarts. Most of it has been used up by now, so another visit is in order!

My friend Liz also came to visit a few weeks later and it was so much fun to have her here. It was her first time to Australia and though she only came for a week, we tried to fit in as much as possible. We spent a couple days in Sydney where we took a ferry across the harbour to Manly Bay, walked around the opera house, dined at Darling Harbour and hugged koalas and kangaroos at the local sanctuary.

In Canberra, we hit up the fantastic War Memorial, the massive wildlife preserve where literally hundreds of kangaroos bound all around you, the NASA deep space station (where the first images of the moon landing were broadcast from) and hit up a few of the many great wineries in the area. It was a ton of fun and I can’t wait for her to visit again – eventually!

I am almost done with my first year here at Veterans Affairs and I have loved it. I have been able to work in some great areas and am currently working up at the Parliament House for the Minister of Veterans Affairs (a cabinet member). It is has been so interesting to be here and all the craziness that comes with working at the center of politics. It has been a great way for me to combine my interests in politics and the service delivery side of things from within the Department. I take all the phone calls that come in, mostly from angry veterans. It can be quite rough and emotionally draining at times, but I always get a big boost when I am able to really help someone.

As I joined the Department as part of a “grad program” that ends this week, I now have a lot of opportunities ahead of me. I have applied for a range of positions within the Department and am looking forward to wherever I will end up on a permanent basis. I will be sure to keep updated on here – hopefully in a timely manner!

Brent is currently working for a company that sells steel kit homes. It has given Brent a chance to look into a new industry and learn a lot, but as it is a commission only job, he is still on the look-out for a more stable income job. This job has at least kept him busy though so he isn’t sitting at home bored out of his mind and messing with the cat.

The weather has turned incredibly hot and there was no nice interim time from the cold winter days. The other day it was almost 100F, which for only Spring is incredibly hot and it is predicted to be a very bad summer. Unfortunately, we live in an old apartment that has no A/C as was not designed in any kind of way that promotes air flow. So pretty much it is a heat trap and we have not been able to get it any cooler than 86F even with two fans and an evaporative cooler and generally some cool wind at night. Our place just refuses to cool down! Our lease is until February, so looks like we will have to try and survive the summer in there.

So that is pretty much the update from this end of the world. Not too much exciting, but we are getting by. I miss everyone a lot and always welcome visitors – hint, hint.

PS – I will try to get some photos up soon.