Shrimp on the Bah-bie

 In a time-honoured Aussie tradition, we had some barbecued prawn (among other yummies) for lunch on Australia Day last month.  (and in a Kendra-honoured tradition, it's a bit overdue) 

While one might think that prawn and shrimp are the same thing, in my humble opinion, they are quite different.  I am not a fan of shrimp (and never have been), but I have had some prawn here that is quite tasty.  And it's not just the taste either, the texture's different too.  Well, to me anyway. ;-)

 picture-perfect prawn

peeled, seasoned, and grilling to perfection!

 Our dear friend, the barbecue master!

note the cooked snags (sausages) and burgers on the side

mmm..

oh, and a little pan to cook some egg in for the burgers!

Ya gotta love an Aussie burger.

 Shawn having a go at the barbecue.

lookin' good, love!

 That's not good form.

Back away from the prawns.

;-)

Brenna's plate.

inspired by Masterchef, I think.

Darian's plate

it's got a bit of everything (except the snag)

burger w/ egg (on the bottom), prawn, fried rice

lamb, and a tasty salad  with a coke!

What a spread!

Thank you, Tyler family!

The Eve and The Day

After a bit of a delay, here the rest of our Christmas celebrations.

In the States, Christmas Eve was a big family day.  Without family here, we were a bit sad and lost last year, so we opted to start a new tradition...  a family trip to the movies!  We enjoyed that even again this year. 

On Christmas Eve evening, we gathered with some friends for a 'picnic' dinner, carols, and some reflection.  It was a beautiful time.  Wonderfully casual with focus on community and love.

the kids with a friend and some Christmas bush!

a sweet friend brought me this bunch of Christmas bush flowers!

until then, I didn't know they excited

.

S and some mates

B having some fun and silliness

Christmas day, we woke up (I'm still telling the kids a 'wait till' time... of course it used to sound different... wait till 7 is the first number before you get up... now they tell time...) and enjoyed time as a family.  It's nice that some things don't change.  It was beautiful seeing the kids so thoughtful and caring with their gifts. :-)  Then we Skyped with some family.  I am so thankful for Skype!

our little tree

the tree skirt was a 'ham bag' that I got as a gift from work. ;-)

After a bit, we joined some friends at their family Christmas dinner/lunch.  What an amazing meal!!  There were traditional roast meats (but served cold, it was a hot summer day after all), chicken, pork and lamb.  Plus, the very Aussie, fresh, peel-your-own prawn (large shrimp).  But the star of the meal were the numerous salads.  Unbelievable!!  yummy spinach, roast pumpkin and other goodies salad; chicken, walnut and grape salad; green bean, sweet potato salad just to name a few.  Oh my!!

After some visiting, clearing dishes, playing for the kids, the desserts came out!!  Wow!  Traditional pavlova, trifle, and Christmas pudding/cake.  Better than the food though, was sharing the day with several generations of a fabulous family!

enjoying the fellowship and fun

all three desserts

Christmas cake, pavlova, and trifle

Pavlova

my favourite!

And we weren't done yet!!

We stopped home for a bit of a refresher, grab some drinks, and 'goodies', then we were off again... over to our friends, the Tylers.  The invited us to join them for a Christmas barbecue last year and we were welcomed there again.  Looks like another new tradition. The kids got to enjoy a couple of the Tyler Chrissie pressies... a slip-n-slide (I did say it was a hot day), a trampoline, and giant Nurf guns!  We had more good fun with great folks and yummy food.

hangin' out with friends

a repeat crowd from last year! :-)

the Shawns

my Shawn's shirt was a gift from his son

it reads, "Dads Against Daughters Dating"

D getting in on the fun...

he was a bit long for the slide, but enjoyed it anyway!

B after a good ride

she could aim the distance perfectly

even time for a bit of "gridiron"

D's big present this year.

 B enjoying the trampoline

with some squirt guns

.

 the Nurf guns came out

and no one was safe!

Lots of food, friends, and fun.  Plus some family thanks to Skype!

Christmas, Aussie Style

Chapter 1
No, really.  I've got too many pics I want to add for one bit, so I'm doing it in two parts.  I'm all about parts these days, it seems.

We were invited to a couple Christmas parties before the big day.  It was wonderful to share in the celebrations with new friends and learn some Aussie traditions.  Although during two parties, my work one and a fancy dinner, I forgot to get out my camera.  So, I hope you enjoy a couple shots from the other fun gatherings.  

 What do ya do w/ your 'mates' for a Christmas party?

Grill on the barbie' of course!

Shawn's in the dark shirt back by the grill helping cook.

It was sort of like a 'pot luck'...

everyone brought their own meat to grill and a side or dessert to share.

YUM!!!

During a mystery, stealing, gift exchange...

where some fun Australia stuff was in a gift

which made every rise and sing the national anthem,

'Advance Australians Fair'.

 A family style Aussie Christmas dinner...

 A beautifully decorated table!!

serving prawn and baramundi with mango salsa

So delicious!!

 and fresh prawn and smoked salmon 

(you peel the prawns before eating... it's an acquired skill)

(we're not there yet)

Also some fresh cherries, synonymous w/ Christmas.

 a cute shot of the table decor

the silver bit is a 'cracker' or 'bon-bon'.

Two people pull the ends....
for a big "crack" (like a pop-gun) and some goodies
that usually include a crown and a corny joke

D in his crown.
(I didn't make him take a 'nice' pic after making the face for this one, so it's what ya get)

B wearing her crown and a smile!

S and I :-)
We had an amazing dinner and visit with friends.

Catching Up (Part 1) - Thanksgiving

In 2010, we had our second Thanksgiving in Australia!
(and I'm just a bit behind in posting, I know... but I'm trying)

It was a blessing to gather with friends and reflect on things we're thankful for.  I think some of the adults thought we were a bit corny and some of the kids' friends figured we're just weird, either way, I enjoyed the moment of sharing.  The past year had been quite rocky and sharing some of the positives was a beautiful moment.

Here are some of the highlights in picture.  Sadly, we didn't get a group shot this year.  But we did have a delightful group to share in our day.

 

The meal changed a bit this year, since last Thanksgiving was such a HOT spring day, we opted not to do all the hot foods.  And we were very lucky that our neighbors offered us the use of their house/oven since they'd be out during the day.  So, we cooked our turkey there, since it was going to be another HOT day!  We asked our guests to bring something that's a family favourite.  So, 'rice paper rolls' and mangos joined the meal, making the day a little more Aussie.

Moving the turkey was a group effort!

The lovely flowers in the front, right corner of the pic were brought to me by one of D's friends.  A very sweet gesture and my first ever Thanksgiving flowers.

Some of the girls waiting for 'dinner' playing a game.

On the table are the place cards that Brenna made.

Some of the boys wait to eat... playing a game of their own.

(and putting up with me taking pics!)

Carving the turkey.

It was the very largest one we could find, and I was quite sad that it wasn't near my 'normal' 20+ pound bird... until I realized it wouldn't have fit in the oven if it was any bigger.

Sitting down to eat.

Not as good as a group pic as a couple folks are not in the shot and you can't see everyone's faces, but it's the best I've got.

One of my favourite pics!!

Two of our Aussie friends trying pumpkin pie.

It wasn't bad... but it wasn't quite right.

Pumpkin here is eaten as a vegetable, usually roasted, or in casseroles or soups.

It was a good effort, but the sweetness of the pie lost in the end.

We were so blessed to share the day with some wonderful new friends making new memories, but we all missed the family that we've shared so many Thanksgivings with in the past. 

Wordless Wednesday - Kids & Kebabs

Quick Review of a Speedy Trip

We enjoyed a quick trip back to the states for my little sister's wedding.  :-)  We hadn't planned on making it back, but just couldn't miss being there to support and celebrate.  And I can't say how very thankful I am that we made the trip.  :-)

Here are a few highlights of our whirlwind trip...

Getting to know a new cousin

...it didn't take long

 Mr and Mrs Morgan

:-)

.

My little sis and me

Enjoying some family fun after the wedding.

Visiting with Dad after his heart surgery and the wedding.

He's looking pretty good here and doing great now.

.

Mr and Mrs Morgan bonding with the nieces and nephew.

Don't they look so happy together! ;-)

.

We enjoyed a visit with Grandma Grace

on the beginning of our road trip south.

Thankful for the flexibility of friends, we stopped for

a late lunch with some ones just outside Cinci.

Chatting with some of the Carpe Libris (book club) girls

at a lovely dinner.  Thanks to all who came and cooked!

Our gracious Jackson hosts opened up their home

for a Memphis invasion.  :-)  

Wish I had room for pics of everyone.

Saturday night, we spent time at Pringles Park 

to cheer on the local team in America's pastime.

The boys are sporting their 'rally caps' in the last inning.

After the game... one week married!  :-)

We got to see some fireworks here too!

Thanks to my fabulous cousin who welcomed us for dinner

(oh-so-yummy grilled chicken and brats!) on our journey north.

The kids loved visiting w/ their cousins and having time out of the car!

We saw more fireworks as we drove north on the 4th. 

The big rush north was to celebrate D's 16th birthday with family!

It was a fabulous gathering of family and fun

on a very warm PA day!

Can't spend time at Nunu and Pappy's without

hanging out in the pool. 

It was nice to visit summer for a few weeks during our winter.

A day at Pittsburgh's own amusement park...

Kennywood!

Thanks, Griffiths.  We all had a BLAST!

Dinner with three generations.

Ah, hoagies.

Summertime's complete with a tasty s'more!

Mmm...

and some lovingly made Mountain Pies!

Back in MI again.
Enjoyed lunch at Big Boy's with my family
just before walking into the airport to head home. :-)

It was a whirlwind trip, but I was so blessed to be able to share in the joy of my sister's wedding and see so many friends and family who took time out of their busy schedules to visit us on a this trip.  Thanks.

(disclaimer: Please forgive any missing important events or people.  While I'd love to be able to have everyone we saw in this post, it would make the post crazy long.  I appreciate and love each of you who came to see us and even those we didn't get a chance to see.  Hopefully next time)