Missing New Year's - Part 3 of 3

Best for last! Our first day in Sydney, we went to church, where we met the most amazing family and cutest kids EVER. When we think of this trip, they come to mind first; they made it special. You'll soon see why.

January 2, 2011

We enjoyed the ward, full of Australian accents and multi-cultural backgrounds. Only one American family in the bunch, the Swintons were quick to introduce themselves. They went to BYU and were glad to see us. It was so nice of them to invite us over for dinner. We were both famished and happy to accept a home-cooked meal. The three Swinton kids were so adorable, we were sad to say goodbye. Stan drove us to our hostel and offered for us to stay with them this weekend. How NICE!!

We did stay with them, and they were godsends as our hosts, friends and tour guides. Their generosity and kindness still amaze us - they treated us like family.

They took us to Featherdale Park, where we got to pet/feed kangaroos and koala bears (I was flipping out, I was so excited).

They also took us on a day trip to the Blue Mountains, a national park. Although quite foggy that day, we really enjoyed the company of the Stan and the darling Swinton girls. (Ryan couldn't help but hold their hands and give them shoulder rides...he's a sucker for cute little kids.)

With their insiders expertise on Sydney, they took us to a little-known beach, a lovely place with a magical little bridge leading to an island. We played in the sand until it got dark, wishing we lived within babysitting distance of our rad new friends.

They showed us around the Sydney Aquatic Centre, now a family fun water park, where the Olympic events were held in 2000. Ryan, naturally, did his swimmer thing and swam lengths. I got in a length, just to say I did it.

We want the Swintons to know we feel so blessed we met you and still talk about memories with you. We hope to have a rad family like yours someday. You really were the best part of Australia, and totally made it worth missing New Year's Eve. Stan and Eish - you're such great parents. Kiddos - we miss you guys. Happy New Year!

Missing New Year's - Part 2 of 3

As you can see below with us and the Sydney Opera House: rivalry knows no bounds. Even on the other side of the world, you can see our BYU v. Utah feud..but that will be another post.

This one's for Ryan, since I already raved the city running scene: the architecture in Sydney is incredible. Sydney Opera House aside, wondrous varieties of shapes and styles grace the cityscape. As a Construction Management major, Ryan can't help but constantly notice (and point out) structures, materials, the overall look and feel of buildings - he was in heaven there. Below are some sweet sights for you building lovers out there...Tami, this means you!

Ryan declared the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre to be his very favorite in Sydney. He's a swimmer, which probably helped in the decision, but it's really hard not to admire the sleek lines and ingenious "diving board" that's part of the building itself:

I must admit, I was pretty pleased to capture this shot in sunset:

Photography All Rights Reserved Crystalee Beck

Missing New Year's | Part 1 of 3

Got your detective hat on? Here's clues to our Missing New Year's Mystery:

One young couple, one flight, and one New Year skipped completely.

December 31, 2010 10:30 p.m. - we boarded a plane in LAX

January 2, 2011 9 a.m. - we arrived to our destination

New Year's never happened...how could this be?

The giveaway: As I wrote in my journal after gleefully boarding the plane: "Sometime between 2010 and 2011, somewhere between the USA and Australia...For us, New Year's isn't technicallyhappening this year. As we clink our sparkling ciders above the Pacific Ocean, we're totally okay with that."

You got it! We "started" the year in SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA! So much happened that week and a half, it really deserves more than one post...here's the first of three. My journal snippets are indicated in italics:

January 3, 2011

We woke up early today. I'm still on Utah time, and feel thrown off still with the sun

patterns. We went on an exploration run - past Hyde Park, down Macquerie Road, towards the looming white sails I'd be dying to see - the SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE came into view. It's a bit smaller in real life than it looks in pictures, but still magnificently unique. We scanned the perimeter, early enough in the day to beat the tourists. It was our own personal time with the world-renowned structure. As I told Ryan, when I run somewhere it makes me feel as though I "own" it in a small way. There's no understanding this sentiment until you try it yourself. He agreed later when we returned to the crowded Opera House grounds (the picture was taken when we returned later) that our quiet private time this morning with the great building make him feel a sense of "owning" it too. There's just something about running.

We made our way back to our hostel through the streets of Sydney, still decorated with Christmas themes. It's odd to have summertime mixed with Santa Claus, which Australia inevitably does, since they're on opposite weather schedules of us Northern hemisphere folks. We explored a lot today!

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January 4, 2011

We did SO much today! What a great quarter-century birthday!

I'm too tired to write it all, here's a list:

* We topped the SYDNEY TOWER, a famous high spot on the skyline. (If you look at the far right of the pic, you can see a little white triangle, which is the Opera House).

* Saw the Hyde Park barracks and St. Mary's Cathedral

* Went in the Australian Museum, we loved learning about Aborigines and the native culture

* Free birthday Starbucks Strawberry Cremes while watching the giant game of chess in Hyde Park and people-watching

* Visited Circular Quay

(pronounced "key") and The Rocks

* Walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge at night, with view of Opera House:

Back and exhausted by 9:30pm (We feel like we've walked 20 miles. Our feet are killing us and even the hard, pokey surface of our hostel bed invites a restful sleep). Goodnight.