CAMP SOMERSET

Camp Somerset is located on the Colo River, just over an hour North West of Sydney.  It was the destination for Grace's Year 8 Camp at school   It was three days of camping which Grace's has grown to enjoy since living in Australia.  The 3 day camp included a hike, a canoe expedition punctuated with high ropes/abseiling and their infamous Wombat Hole.

One of the activities that we really like about school here in Australia is the fact that the children go to camp with their classmates each year.  The destination and activities at camp vary depending on the actual camp but, it is such a fantastic experience.  The children learn how to bond together as a class through team building activities and just being around each other 24/7.  My girls are loving this part of school and look forward to each camp.  Thanks so much teachers and principals for all time time and effort you put into planning camp each year.

Before Camp and ready for some fun!

Canoe anyone?

Grace is looking pretty DIRTY after her adventure through the "Wombat Hole"
 -- Underground maze through concrete pipes on your belly!

BRIDGE CLIMB

Part 2 of Claire's Birthday celebration included the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb.  One of the most beautiful structures in Sydney is the Harbour Bridge (Tom would say it is his girlfriend - the Opera House).  To be able to climb it with Claire was a wonderful dream come true for me.  I don't know what it is about bridges maybe the civil engineer in me but, I happen to LOVE them.  They are beautiful!

The weather was cooperative on Monday.  It happened to be a wonderful blue sky day however, it was a bit windy - about 40km/hr.  So you can imagine it was quite gusty at the summit of the arch.  


It addition to the 3 hour climb, our guide taught us so much history about the Harbour Bridge.  It was fascinating as Jacqui (our guide) shared with us such interesting facts and stories while we traversed this LARGE structure with its surrounding views.

• It was built during the Great Depression and it employed about 1500 people each day.
• It took 8 years to complete.
• There are 6 million rivets holding the bridge together.
• It is the LONGEST single span bridge in the world.
• During the construction, only 16 people died while working on the it.
• It is made of many equilateral triangles which gives it unbelievable STRENGTH! 

It was truly a memorable experience and one I will never forget.  I highly recommend it! 

SIXTEEN CANDLES

 

This beautiful girl turned 16 on April 22nd.  We cannot believe that she is 16 and we wonder where all of the time has gone.  She is our "first" and because of this, every milestone seems so HUGE.  

If we were living in the USA she would be getting her drivers license, however we are not so her sixteenth birthday evolved into a different affair.  You are not able to have your official driver's license in Australia until you are 17.  Once you are seventeen, there are many restrictions that come with it and those restrictions don't go away for approximately 3 years.  

Tom and I have yet to decide if we are going to let her venture into the side of driving while living "down under" because all of the skills she would learn may become confusing for her when she is back living in the States.  Driving on the opposite side of the road is challenging for anyone at first and I think it would be difficult to flop back especially as a NEW driver.  I have struggles flip flopping back and forth despite the fact that I have been driving since Henry Ford invented the first car. :) 

Since the usual sixteen year-old events are not achievable while living down under, we thought we would try to celebrate with Miss Claire in style while making memories.  The weather on her birthday was less than cooperative, we were in the middle of a cyclone.  It rained like 340 mm in 3 days.  There were flash floods, trees down and it was not a GREAT idea to be outside.  Most of the things we had planned for her special day involved being in the sunshine so we had to postpone our plans for a bit until the weather cleared up.  

However, once the storm passed we were able to celebrate her birth with some fun "FIRSTS."  She went for her first official High Tea.  We spent the day in a beautiful spot overlooking the harbour and enjoyed all that High Tea has to offer.  Claire is quite the FOODIE.  She loves great tasting food, beautiful food and miniature food.   She might just be a Masterchef in the making.  

She was in heaven sitting on a beautiful balcony, sipping tea, tasting beautiful food with her best friend(me).  We had a chance to catch up and chat about her hopes and dreams.  I am so proud of this girl.  She truly strives to be the BEST she can be both inside and out.   It is bittersweet that I ONLY have 2 more years with this wonderful young lady until she is off to college.  I wish I could freeze time. :)  As for now, I will savor every MOMENT!

In addition to High Tea, we went to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb - see my next post.  

ONE DAY AT A TIME

We had a lovely Easter.  It was low key in terms of activity because Tom was still in recovery but, we tried to really embrace our "QUIET" time at home.  We filled our days with Eggstravaganza crafting activities. My girls love to craft and anytime they have the opportunity to do so, their hearts are filled with JOY.

We are also so grateful for the Atonement and our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Easter time is a perfect opportunity to reflect on all of our blessings both spiritually and temporally.  One of our everyday blessings that we sometimes take for granted each day is good health.  Over the last month, good health has been highlighted for us.   What a true blessing it is to be able to awake each day with a fully functioning body and strong mind.

We are so grateful that Thomas is getting better and stronger each day.   He just had his 5 week POST SURGERY check up and was cleared to ditch his crutch.  He feels so liberated that he is finally able to put 100 percent of his weight on his beautiful black walking boot.  He claims that he feels like he is ALMOST normal again - little blessings.  There are a few more  things that need to happen before he is fully recovered (sling on right arm, black boot on left leg and a HUGE shark bite looking scar on his shoulder).  Tom is trying to come up with a really captivating story that he can tell about living down under while receiving such an amazing scar -- stay tuned for his TALL tale.

BEFORE

AFTER!

THOMAS E. MANNING

On March 31, 2015, Thomas E. Manning passed away.  Tom wrote a wonderful tribute to his dad and was sad that he would not be able to make the memorial service on April 4, 2015.  Tom is still recovering from his MASSIVE surgery and was not given the green light to travel.  He has trouble just climbing the stairs.  Sometimes life seems rotten and filled with many trials but, we will make it through despite our tears.  Tom always manages to stay positive and hopeful...

"My dad was a good man. I learned a lot from my father over the years. Some of the most important traits in life to him are punctuality, having great work ethic and standing for what you believe in. My father was also a great outdoors man. He loved hunting, fishing and anything that had to do with shooting. He loved camping and his numerous animals over the years.

Believe it or not I would not become a greatest outdoors man like my father even though he tried to convert me by giving me a gun for the twelfth birthday. I never adopted his love for hunting and fishing. But I did adopt some of the character traits that defined him and made his life worth living. He would often tell me if you're not 30 minutes early for any meeting- then you are late. I adopted that philosophy even to the detriment of my wife and three girls and who don't subscribe to the same point of view. Other areas of my life that were impacted by my father's example are the value of a great work ethic. My dad would instill in me if you commit to something you give it your word -- you must follow through with it. Your word is your bond.

I am proud of what I've been able to learn and glean from my father's example over the years. He was not a perfect man in fact he was quite human but he was a good man that was committed to his values.

Years after my parents divorced, my dad and I didn't spend a lot of time together. However, during the limited time we spent together we would share life experiences and chat about my goals for my family. I often struggled at times to know exactly what to say to my father so when we talked we communicated without saying a lot of words. My dad got to know my girls and they get to know him over the last 10 years. They learned of his life growing up, about his work, his love of the outdoors and his international travels. Grandpa’s foreign adventures were fun to learn about because he lit up as he described in detail this big wide world.

Two years ago, my wife Stephanie and I decided to move to Australia with our three girls. When I called my dad with the news, he could not be happier for us. His excitement was palpable. He was eager to share his experiences of living abroad and the experiences one could have internationally. He chatted to us about all of the learning that could be achieved through an opportunity like this. It meant a lot to my girls to hear that from him and to feel that my dad was excited for me to accomplish one of my dreams. This love of travel and exploring is what has bonded us over the past two years. We communicated probably more over of the past 24 months than the several years prior. You do not need to be in the same zip code to feel the influence and the example of a good man.

A moment of clarity came recently when I was speaking to my dad on the phone. I asked him what his long term outlook was. He said something to the effect that he lived a good life and now may be his time to check out. He did not fear dying but knowing the pain that he was in, I'm sure he welcomed that pending relief. I am happy that he was able to find the relief that he was seeking. We love you dad and thank you for your example -- we will never forget you. I love you Dad, rest in peace. "

Thomas E. Manning was a LOVELY guy who I admired!  You will be missed - Rest in Peace.

ICU

He must love these BLUE Gowns because we are always wearing them....

Tom had surgery on Monday the 16th of March.  Almost 20 years ago, he broke his collarbone while playing softball.  Tom decided that the sling was a bit to cumbersome at that time in his life so he decided he did not want to wear it.  His collarbone never came together and bothered him with occasional piercing pain.  Four years ago, when we were living in Cary, some great doctors tried to repair it.  After 3 tries with varying degrees of success we thought it was repaired.  However, it was NOT TO BE.  In January of this year, he started to have some reoccurring issues with his thoracic region and blood flow into his right arm.  After a few trips to the ER, many scans, many consultations it was determined that the metal plate in his collarbone was collapsing on his artery when his arm would raise.  Long-term prognosis was not good and we knew it would need to be fixed.  It was going to require 3 surgeons who were the best in their fields because it was a VERY COMPLEX PUZZLE to solve.

It was to be a 9 hour procedure where they were harvesting his left fibula and artery to his right collarbone.  They were planning on removing the top rib on the right side to make room for the new bone, hardware, scar tissue and artery.  Overall it went well, it was a bit longer…about 11 hours.  The actual procedure went according to plan and the complex puzzle came together beautifully.  However when he was in post operative care, his blood pressure dropped and he went in very critical condition.  Turns out his left lung collapsed because it had been punctured by the anaesthetist (anaesthesiologist) during the operation.  They are not sure how this happened because it was not even near the operative site which was completely on the right side.  It took them 2 hours to get him stable again, lots of tubes and two blood transfusions later but, eventually they made it there.  He was in the ICU for 5 days following. He was finally moved to the ward and now he is convalescing at home.  He is learning how to walk again, improving his respiratory issues and trying desperately per doctors orders to not MOVE his shoulder   

He needs to keep it still for the next four weeks (this is going to be the toughest part of recovery).  Apparently Tom is the first patient in the world to have his fibula and top rib used to make this repair and the doctors are very excited about the possibilities.  

We are so grateful that he is okay.  The girls and I have are so thankful for the prayers, support and kindness of friends and family.  We are very blessed!  I am extremely hopeful that this will be the end of the road for this injury.  Hospitals are not my cup of tea and I hate frequenting them as often as I do with Mr. Tom.

MEMORABLE BIRTHDAYS

YUM, YUM!

Last year I turned 40!  We had a wonderful time celebrating and I thought that my birthday this year would be a little more low key.  My birthday happened to fall on a Monday and Mondays are really busy days for us as a family.  Due to some other arrangements, we decided to celebrate my birthday on Saturday.  

We were scheduled to have our family picture taken that Saturday evening and so we decided that we would celebrate my birthday early in the morning.  Tom knows that I love to go out for brekie and what would be more enjoyable then dining at the beach with the four people I love the most.  We enjoyed some decadent cuisine as we basked in the sunlight listening to the ocean.  It was an amazing way to start my day.  We capped off the day with a family photo shoot and lots of laughter thanks to Wendy from Blue Lily Photography.

I am going to miss celebrating my birthday in late SUMMER when I move away....I love the sunshine!

Monday was my actual birthday.  I was invited by a lovely friend to go on a picnic and bush walk for my birthday.  Three other friends joined us in the national park for this adventure.  We had no idea what an adventure it would turn out to be.  After a beautiful and tasty picnic, we headed out for our bush walk.  

As we got deep into the trail, we came across a NAKED German Hiker (not completely naked I guess, he was wearing a backpack, watch and hat).  It was quite surprising as we were suddenly face to face with him.  I was really grateful to be wearing my new birthday sunnies to hide my surprised eyes.  One of my friends was able to respond with a timely "Guten Tag".  Needless to say, we laughed for much of the remaining bush walk and many more moments afterwards.  I had no idea that I was going to celebrate my 41st birthday with a stranger wearing his BIRTHDAY SUIT!  

One of my friends was convinced that he was a German accountant checking out a new trail for other German hikers that are notorious for hiking in their birthday suits.  How you can determine that a man is an accountant when he is completely naked is still puzzling to me?  I guess I will need to sharpen my observation skills because I cannot even remember if he had shoes on his feet. It was a very MEMORABLE birthday.  

Love these ladies and that they would celebrate with me.  :)

See the Naked Hiker that has been photoshopped into this photo...very cheeky ladies!
 Compliments of Mr. DM.