March
Dan went back to the US for a meeting that was planned for months. Just prior to leaving for the trip, he was asked to change up his travel plans to detour through Moline to discuss a new position. Now most of you know where this all ended up...so humor us for those that don't. Dan returned to the US, spent a few days with his brothers watching the NCAA tournament, spent Easter in Eastern Iowa and then started his work. He went to Raleigh, North Carolina for a two days of meetings and then travelled to Moline. While in Moline, Dan found out that we were moving back to the Quad Cities for a new position at the World Headquarters for John Deere. The next post will discuss his new position so stay with us. Dan then flew to Kansas City for meetings for a few days, then travelled to Des Moines, and finally to Cedar Rapids for departure back to Australia...however, this time he had 3 travellers with him.
April
Dan, Becky and Phil Fort, and Phil Hoeger departed on the 2nd of April for Australia and they finally arrived on the 4th. The time that we had waited for had finally come...the reuniting of the sisters (oh yeah - and the Phils). After a brief reunion, it was time to start the family vacation. The trip started with Angie, Dan, Becky, Phil, and Phil climbing the Story Bridge in Brisbane (http://www.storybridgeclimb.com.au/). It was a great experience and now Angie can say that she completed 2 of the 3 world's bridge climbs (only Auckland, New Zealand was omitted). The next day was spent exploring downtown via travel on the City Cat as well as a visit to the lookout point over the city. On Sunday, little Phil made his dreaded trip to the ocean at Mooloolaba beach...and he survived without any incidents with sharks. It was a great day with awesome waves for body surfing. Although no sharks, there was plenty of waves pounding our bodies as we tried to time them just right. A perfect end to a nice weekend.
The week started out with Dan returning to work and everyone else spending time in the city as well as a visit to Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. This was an exciting time for the visitors as they were able to see the Kangaroos up close and feed/pet them. A rare spotting of Steve's son (Robert) was made at the Zoo that day. Tuesday ended with some mixed feelings as Dan was asked to fly back to the US within 5 days for a meeting in Moline. However, that didn't stop the fun for the remainder of the week. Dan had prebooked a high rise apartment on the 39th floor at the Gold Coast overlooking the ocean. Unfortunately, it was raining upon arrival and into the first day we were there. Outside of looking around, a family bowling outing happened...in the end the scores were horrible but the fun was outstanding. On Friday, we went to the beach in the morning and spent some more time in the surf. In the afternoon, Angie, Christian, Becky, and the Phils went to The Adverture Park and did a ropes obstacle course while Dan and Paige tried to do Horse Riding but it was booked. After the strenuous course, it was back to the Apartment at the Gold Coast. After checking out on Saturday, we made a trip to the south to Byron Bay which has a beautiful beach and is about as far east as you can get in Australia. Little Phil didn't venture into the water here as there is not a shark net to keep the attackers out and recent shark attacks had caused a young surfer to be attacked and ultimately not make it through the ordeal. Nonetheless, we had another great day in the Australian sun on the beach.
On Sunday, Christian completed his first kids Triatholon consisting of a 100 meter swim, a 3 kilometer bike ride, and a 100 meter run. He loved it and did awesome. Dan departed for America on this day as well and didn't return until after the remainder of the family had departed. On Monday and Tuesday, the day was spent hiking in the rainforest in popular spots where Dan and Christian had explored months earlier. It was a great experience for Becky and the Phils. Additionally, a lunch at Mt. Coot-tha lead to an insight that little Phil wasn't prepared for...Dan had paid for most of his food prior to the departure whenever we went out...however, Angie didn't pick up his tab at this event. He causually leaned to her and said "What would Dan say about this?" It didn't sway one of the most giving women in the world. She let her brother pickup his $30 bill consisting of a nacho lunch with a drink. Welcome to our world Phil. On Wednesday, it was time for Angie and the kids to say goodbye to the visitors knowing full well that it would only be a short time before the reunion happens again.
An additional activity for the April timeframe was Christian's rugby. He is playing Rugby Union in a league for Juniors and he is picking up the game very quickly. After the first official game, Christian commented how all of the opposing kids were much shorter than his team...the words to his dad on the phone were..."They were like a bunch of Grade One-ers." Since he is a Grade Three-er, they towered over them. Additionally, he had his first experience playing against a girl in a competitive contact sport. He said that he was afraid to tackle her and made this comment to his mother. Angie being the competitor that she is said "If her parents let her play and she wants to play, you tackle her just like the others." Amazingly, Dan said the same to Christian when he heard the story. Overall, he loves Rugby and his skills are advancing. Hopefully he will be able to transfer his tackling skills to the gridiron sport of American Football.
May
Angie celebrated her 33rd birthday on May 2nd with little fanfare. On the weekend, we had a Brazilian lunch with some friends from Brazil. If you ever have the chance to eat in this fashion, we would suggest that you fast for atleast 7 days prior. The appetizers, meat, beans, rice, and the after drinks will definitely leaving you feeling more full than you can ever imagine. We also spent time getting housing items in order preparing for our departure back to the US.
On the 7th of May, Dan departed again for Moline for an extended trip to work on job transition items as wells complete important personal objectives like buying Angie a home and a vehicle. Fortunately, he was successful in these objectives. Now I am sure that some of you are wondering if Dan has lost his mind buying a home for Angie without her even putting her eyes on it (except for pictures). However, when you see the home pictures below, you will soon know why he wasn't concerned about the decision. Angie can't wait to utilize the entertaining space in the house and Dan can't wait for Angie to truely put her stamp of approval on the decision. Closing date is scheduled for 27 June and move in will be on 30 June. The new address on that day will be:
607 Slatestone Circle
Le Claire, IA 52753
With respect to the remainder of the transition plan, Dan will arrive back in Australia on Monday 26 May and will spend a couple of weeks in the office prior to our final departure as a family back to the US on Saturday 14 June. The kids are excited and Angie is excited. After what will be just less than a year away from home, everyone but Dan will be looking forward to the flight back as he has become a permanent fixture on the airplane...one could say he was the "Number 1" frequent flyer between March and June...that's what he says anyway.
Looking forward to seeing you all soon.
Dan, Ang, Christian, and Paige
PS - JD (the dog) will be rejoining the family in June if he will have us back. The jury is still out on that one.
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