A few faves...

Now that some of you have already seen these... lots to choose from but here are some highlights:


(hot!!!)

since you asked...

Here's my hair (since Andrew cut it). And a funny face. :)
(This means we got our engagement photos back! I'll post our favorites soon.)

mad blogger

Everything you ever wanted to know about hair loss and hair replacement... Check out Andrew's blog, where he is posting like a fiend!

(They say the more external links to a website, the higher it ranks on Google. Just doing my part.) :) x

Today I met Betty, the volunteer director of Lavender Lads & Ladies at the Adelaide Royal Hospital in the Oncology ward. The LLL help patients who lack family assistance and support throughout the hospital. In Oncology, they operate a wig borrowing and renting service. They subsist on wig donations to help those who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy. I went to see her to see how we might be able to help their clients with wigs and hair consultations. (And by "we" I mean Transitions.) :) I am learning all I never knew existed about hair loss and restoration. :)

I got a sparkly

How cute is this? I just cut myself right out of the photo. :)
May in Seattle...we'll be the Mr. and Mrs. Apparently I was destined for a multi-continental life! :)

My boyfriend cut my hair.

If you didn't already know, Andrew deals with hair. Hair loss and regrowth and replacement and all of that "re-" stuff that has to do with losing one's hair. For men and women, whether it's from pattern baldness or alopecia or trichotillomania or chemotherapy. He has helped a lot of people. You can look at his website if you want.

Many moons ago, he went to trade school to become a hairdresser. He still does this, though most of his time is taken up with managing, sales, marketing, and consulting. The majority of his clients here in Adelaide are men, while new interstate clients (Sydney and Melbourne) are about 80% female. Still, over the past 16 years, he's cut a lot of men's hair. Not so much women's hair.

When we met, he informed me that he would never cut my hair. He didn't want my hating my hair to ever come between us. Fair enough.

Until tonight! One of his employees has been cutting my hair, but I haven't had time to get in and lately it has been desperately needing a cut. So badly that Andrew can hardly stand to look at me. (Ok, it's not that bad.) "My girlfriend has mushroom hair," he whimpered today. So that was it. We are heading to Sydney tomorrow for work and I guess I could no longer be seen in public that way. He marched me down to the shop tonight for a cut (and color, why not).

He was nervous that he wouldn't like it. I was nervous that I wouldn't like it.

But - he did great. :) I really miss my long hair so it's still a bit too short for me, but it's a really good cut. Yay for both of us - he got good practice with a flat iron and I no longer have mushroom hair. :)

blurbs

Ok, happy February. It's been a busy time, I am completely distracted and excited. But anyway, there are quite a few fun things we have done in the past few weeks. I've got photos of it all, but they're on Andrew's camera and I can't be bothered to upload them. :)

Tour Down Under ... We hung out with Lance Armstrong for a few days a couple weeks ago. We went and saw the opening race (which means we saw hundreds of riders fly past us for approximately 45 seconds and then it was done), and then we went to the final race a week later. Most days they were out riding around South Australia, but the last race was right in the city of Adelaide - a little 4 km circle that they went around and around and around (90 km worth!!). So we got the rush of air and adrenalin from a wall of 130 professional riders blowing past a whole bunch of times. Lance was easy to spot - generally in last place. Or almost. :)

Australia Day ... was January 26. We went with a couple of friends to the Barossa Valley, one of Adelaide's wine regions. Chris and Amy are a fun couple; really enjoyable to hang out with and good companions for a day under the hot sun - at a Sting concert! Mr. Gordon Sumner (AKA Sting) brought his crew and joined the Melbourne orchestra for a great concert under the stars in the Barossa. Fun day and great music!

Bike ride ... we did our own tour down under the other day; I borrowed Andrew's housemate's mountain bike and he rode his (instead of his road bike, to be fair to me) and we had a lovely ride down to the beach. Since we didn't leave until about 6:30pm, and we had dinner and caught the sunset down there, we didn't start to head back until after 9pm. It made for a bit of a long day. 40 km in all; my longest ride in quite some time. By the time we were nearing home again, it was after 10pm and I was a bit tired (and cranky, but who's keeping track). Andrew came up behind me on his bike and began to push me - it was great fun! I was going faster than I had gone all night! Only wish he had thought of that earlier. :)

Glenelg ... is another beach area here. This past weekend we drove (much appreciated this time, vs. riding bikes) down there, had a lovely dinner and walked on the beach. I love summer in January and February! We've had just a few days of unbearable heat, but for the most part it's been really pleasant.

Enjoying my days in Adelaide for who knows how much longer we will have here...

Andrew in America

Lots of cuteness

A couple weeks before we left for the States, Andrew's sister Adele had her first baby, Hunter. We went to visit last night. George, the proud daddy, loves to capture every moment! :)

Twelve Apostles

I have no idea why these rock formations have acquired the name "Twelve Apostles," especially since there were ever only nine, and two have fallen. So there are seven. Yet, I give you, the Twelve Apostles on Australia's southwest coast...

birthday phad thai

Last week, this boy had a birthday. We made some Thai food - green curry and phad thai, yum! - and I made an apple crumble for dessert, his favorite. An odd combination, but sometimes our favorites don't go together. :)

I used some recipes from the cooking class I had in Bangkok last year. Here's the one for Phad Thai (courtesy of the Silom Thai cooking school):

PHAD THAI
(easy and so good! This serves just 1-2, so I quadrupled it, which changes the measurements a bit, but it's very forgiving so just go to taste on most things.)

Ingredients:
100 grams of rice noodles - presoak in warm water until soft, drain
5 medium sized prawns
2 TBS vegetable oil
1/4 cup chive or green onion, cut into small pieces
1 TBS palm sugar or brown sugar
2 tsp fish sauce (or for vegetarian, use soy sauce)
1 egg
1/2 cup raw bean sprouts (or cabbage)
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS minced shallot
1/3 cup extra firm tofu, cut in 1 cm strips
1 TBS tamarind paste (or white vinegar)
1 TBS picked white radish, finely chopped (if you can find it, at an Asian market. Dried also works)
1 TBS ground roasted peanut or cashew
1 pinch red chili powder
1/2 lime

Preparation:
1. In a wok or large sauce pan, heat the oil over low heat, add garlic and shallot and fry until fragrant.
2. Add prawns, tofu, beansprouts, onions/chives, stir until prawns are cooked.
3. Crack the egg straight into the wok, stir rapidly until it becomes cooked and scrambled.
4. Add noodles and season with fish sauce, sugar, tamarind paste and pickled white radish. Mix everything together. Keep frying.
5. When the noodles become softened and translucent, remove from heat.
6. Top with ground peanuts and chili powder. Season to taste. Squeeze the lime over the noodles.
Yum! (Photo from my cooking class)

Victor

Rick and Beth went on holiday last week to a nearby beach town, Victor Harbor. They invited us down, so Andrew and I drove down for a quick 24 hour break this week. Last night his sister, in typical Aussie fashion (shortening every word possible), asked us "How was Victor?" "Who's Victor?" I thought, until I realized what she meant. Victor Harbor is MUCH too long to say in a sentence. What was I thinking?

Anyway, we had a beautiful day down there; it was too cold for swimming (although the past two days here in Adelaide have been scorching hot!), so we wandered around the little town and surrounding areas, had a coffee and a picnic lunch, played on a playground we found (why not), and had another coffee with R & B after their bike ride.