Christmas Came Early

We're back from New Zealand! It was the trip of a lifetime, and I've got thousands (literally) of pictures to sort through and organize. There will be tons of blog entries to come about our trip, but I'll start with a post about the little Christmas celebration Zack and I had before we left.







On Wednesday, December 19, we went out for dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant and then came home to exchange gifts with each other. Zack had wrapped up several presents for me, and I had no idea what any of them were! He got me all sorts of awesome stuff...a puffy black vest (which I wore tons in New Zealand), spoke beads for my bike (since mine were lost when my first bike got stolen), two movies that remind me of some good times in Australia (Red Dog and Rock of Ages), some earrings from Bali (he's been saving them since our trip), a mug for my tea, and strawberry wine from the Mornington Peninsula (which he secretly bought when we were there a few weekends ago). I am so spoiled!

Merry Christmas to me!

Then it was time for Zack's surprise...I had it covered in our Molly blanket on the couch. He lifted up the blanket to find...a guitar! I scored a pretty sweet deal on a Gibson Les Paul 1959 Historic Reissue guitar. It's the one he's been wanting for a long time, and he's been playing it nonstop since he got it (minus the time we were in New Zealand of course). Zack had been spending hours playing the acoustic guitar he brought to Australia (his electric guitar-a Stratocaster for those who care-is back in the States). He's even been teaching himself music theory and taking lessons at a nearby store, so I figured he deserved his dream guitar. Plus, I knew he would go buy it himself if I didn't get it for him for Christmas (and I'm better at finding deals!). :) Thankfully, I advised my parents that a good gift to get Zack for Christmas would be the amplifier headphones to go along with the guitar, so I don't have to hear his nonstop playing. As much as I love Zack's guitar playing, sometimes I like to sleep or hear myself think! Anyway, it was a nice little Christmas celebration before we left the next evening for our New Zealand trip. Lots on that to come!

Merry Christmas to Zack!

December 1 Down Under

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How does one spend a Saturday in Australia? Well, here's a little glimpse of how we spent our Saturday, December 1st, which is the first day of summer.

First, Zack and I walked to a nearby restaurant for brunch. Afterward, I stopped by the South Melbourne Market for some fresh fruits, vegetables, and our favorite Tasmanian salmon.

On the walk home, I checked out the monthly Bank Street Market, where I found these colorful flowers.

The weather was perfect, so Zack and I biked down to the beach and drank some ciders on the sand.

Zack jammed on his guitar for awhile, and at one point, he even had a little girl on the path above us accompanying him on the "drums." She was actually quite good at keeping the beat!




















I enjoyed catching up on some reading...

...and found the people watching to be quite interesting. I have no idea why this guy was collecting all these sticks. And you should be glad I spared you the front view. Did I ever mention that Speedos are called budgie smugglers in Australia? I will not elaborate on the reasons!










We met up with our friends Todd and Alena for dinner at a Turkish restaurant near the market. After a huge, authentic meal (Zack's Turkish coffee and gross Turkish delight are pictured here), we headed to a local bar for a drink and to play some cards to end the night. It's nice to have friends from Chicago who know how to play euchre!

So I'd say that was a pretty good start to our summer, eh?