Downs and Ups

After a 4AM start for 4/5 of us (Thank you Mike, maybe I'll get tomorrow :-)) and a run along the ocean for the one who slept in until sunrise (starting to sense an imbalance...), we headed out to take care of business. Mike mapped out a plan, which began with Target, Bank, Cell Phones and Grocery Shopping. 4 1/2 hours later, which was not in the plan, we sort of had most of those items crossed off the list. It took 4 visits to the bank to complete everything, but the real headache was the the cell phones, for which we only needed SIM cards thanks to the endless generosity of Steven and and Jen, who came before us. Don't ever get the new guy! Mike entertained the kids on the escalators that take grocery carts.

Anyway, Mike needed a bit of time to himself and still had a very long list of errands to do, so he headed into our new offices where saw Jay Pil Choi, a colleague of ours @ MSU and here, who warned him of making a bad first impression by showing up to the office @ 2:30 PM. Jay also advised Mike to buy a fancy new bike and give it to him when we left... Mike found 2 preschools for Charlie and one right next door that will have an opening in 3 weeks. HUGE relief, we just have to figure out which one to choose. I hope he enjoyed his quiet time!

The kids and I wandered back down to Coogee Beach, to the playground Ted and Clara told us about.



We took our "beach" toys, which are not in season because everyone knows it is winter. We improvised with cleaning buckets and garden shovels from KMart.

Here they are savoring some water they managed to capture behind the line they weren't allowed to cross.

Sadly, their mother is a nervous Nellie so they were not allowed to fully enjoy the HUGE waves crashing in on the beach. I really know how to take the fun out of everything... Sorry about the opening scene on this one, I always forget you cannot turn a video from portrait to landscape!