Day 4 | ROCKINGHAM & GOLDEN BAY– This was one of the most freeing days, as this was the first time we were trusted enough with the family car to not drive on the wrong side of the road. We dropped Isaac’s Dad off early to the “Rock Club” (unsure of it’s proper name), and met his wonderful fellow jewelry makers. Though marginally awkward being introduced as Isaac’s fiance (anyone who spends enough time with us, know we avoid this topic like the plague), we were welcomed and even invited to their upcoming Christmas party the following Wednesday!

Since Isaac’s Dad spent most of his day working, Isaac and I were freed up to take a trip to the Rocko Shopping Center, got my Australian number (thank goodness my Samsung Galaxy S3 is global & unlocked straight from the manufacturer!), and finished up walking around the Fore Shore. Took lots of pictures there of the different water sculptures, water, and my handsome guy. After picking Isaac’s Dad up from the Rock Club, & his Mom up from the Train Station, we headed to his brother’s house to celebrate his nephew’s first birthday (Big Birthday Party to follow on Saturday). Seton (His Brother Purri’s Son), loved his little handmade sock puppet Isaac and I engineered! I’ll post the video of the cuteness as soon as I can!

Day 5 | WARNBRO– My cashmere yarn arrived and I quickly got started crocheting Isaac’s scarf (a sort of Christmas Present I’m just hoping to finish by the time we land back in the states). Did you know that Cashmere comes from a goat? In general, today was rather uneventful; mainly a work/lazy day.

Day 6 | WARNBRO– Walked to Penguin Island today! We didn’t see any little penguins but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t bummed I didn’t have my camera! We saw plenty of ugly starfish, bright orange crabs, seagulls, pelicans, and even a sea lion! Also, I know it’s weird to say that we walked to an Island, but the Island is connected to land by a giant sandbar. Takes about 20 minutes to cross and is a fantastic leg workout! Purri & Steph (Isaac’s brother & wife) treated us to a couple flat whites, and we managed to get a sneak peak at a raw chocolate baking class! Definitely worth checking into!

After some time around the house, by evening the introvert in me had quieted down a bit so we gladly accepted an invite out! Have you ever heard of “Lawn Bowling’? Isaac and I were carted by one of his best mates Daniel & Daniel’s brother in law Alex over at a local Lawn Bowling club(?). I’ve honestly never seen anything like it. Its a mix of pool, bowling, and maybe corn hole? The balls are weighted so that one side is heavier than the other and must roll closest to the ball as possible. People play on teams of four, and honestly it was amazing fun! I had a little beginner’s luck but Isaac actually got better as he went along! I told him we should practice and play in the next tourney! See what I mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwNjbmj1Ja8

Day 7 | GOLDEN BAY– SETON IS ONE!!! I haven’t been to many little kids birthdays (everyone here my age seems to have kids, none of my friends are having kids in the states), but Seton’s had the BEST cake! Not to mention, all the kids actually got along, despite them all being different ages! I don’t think I’ve eaten so much candy before! By the end of the night I got a little overwhelmed from meeting everyone, not to mention the realization of coming to a new country for the next 2.5 months, and the stress from the events this week finally got the best of me. Even though I just wanted to crawl up and go to bed early, Isaac convinced me to go out and go regular bowling/”10 pin bowling” with his brothers & their significant others. It was honestly a lot of fun, and am glad we got to go out, but I would have had an equally amusing time introverting at home. 🙂

Day 8 | ROCKINGHAM– Best Chinese food I’ve had yet, and rekindling with our inner kids at Timezone (arcade) was tons of fun with Daniel & his wife Rhiannon! We ended up hanging with them all day, but in contrast to the rest of the week, it was nice not to be on the run. Daniel gave me a ride in his Dad’s deceptively fast car/truck thing. I don’t think I’ve mentioned but besides Daniel being a wicked mechanic (Isaac’s choice words), he is something of a race car driver. Needless to say, I’m not sure if this was part of a test, or just Isaac hoping to exact a little revenge on a previous offense I made, but I sure hope it gave them both some satisfaction. Him and his lovely wife have got serious guts and Ella (their little girl) is no exception!

Day 9 | MIDDLE OF NOWHERE & WARNBRO– Christmas tree hunting with Isaac, Purri & Steph, and Seton! I never thought that would be quite so fun! I am not sure what I expected but it was an incredibly weird experience to be picking out a Christmas tree in the blazing heat surrounded by sand, overly friendly flies, and palm trees… We even managed to get Isaac’s parents a live tree too! At least the nostalgic smell of pine will be around this holiday if not snow. We also made our delicious Chicken Quinoa Bowls last night. Thanks to Rhiannon for telling me that Cilantro is equivalent to Coriander here; our recipe was complete!