land down under.

We have had a few of our people, okay like the 4 of you that read this years {can I say that already?} ago, ask if we were thinking about blogging while we are on our Australian adventure this summer. My confident answer was a "ummm, well, we will see". Usually excelling at maintaining commitments, our blog was the first to go when a combination of elementary school, graduate school, new marriage, and all sorts of adjustments ensued. In life, I think that it needs to be done well, or not at all. As you can see, it wasn't done at all. Ooops. What I can promise is that during this month or so that we are here, I will have some time to update the 4 of you on our adventures, pretty things we find, and our story.  Currently it is 5:55 in the morning. I've been up since 3:43. Taking the term "morning person" to an entire new level. I blame it on the jet-lag that gets me to sleep by 8pm. Things are still dark here with the exception of ship lights on the harbor. Our apartment is in Fremantle, which is right outside of Perth. It is right on the coast and overlooks a shipyard with miles of coast on each side. Every now and again we hear the whistling of the train or a ship horn. For some strange reason, it makes it feel more like home. We have had lots of adventures and good eats since we have been here.    We have enjoyed runs along the coast for the past few mornings. Since it takes 21 days to form a habit, maybe since we will be here for more than 21 days the habit will stick?! (Bear with me - I'm just trying to convince my sore legs from hill running yesterday morning that this IS a good thing..)
 

Partially to blame for the need to be diligent about running each day is the incredible spread of food we are offered daily. We went to the market to get some lunch staples, but breakfast and dinner are meals that we feel it is imperative to eat and explore. A few of our favorite spots..
 

Wild Poppy   yoghurt and muesli   poached eggs on avocado toast
 

Blue Duck   fish and chips   gnocchi with roasted pumpkin, tomatoes, sage, and pine nuts
 

Greenhouse   in-house pasta with bacon, mushrooms, spinach, and a creamy sauce   ancho-chile spiced fava bean soup with mixed leaves {salad}   We have also enjoyed some exploration fun. Walking shoes are a plus.
 

A few notes to self:  Lights off - switch UP, lights on - switch DOWN (wash, rinse, and repeat, repeat, repeat...) When crossing the street, look left, look right, look right again (maybe even again to be safe). Traffic goes in the opposite direction...  Don't wait for your check at a restaurant. Go find the register. (Thankful husband has been here a few times and knows these things. Otherwise we would be sitting at our table for quite some time.) 
 We are also excited to celebrate our third anniversary a little ahead of American times. We were just so excited that we couldn't wait, so we came to Australia. Not exactly, but it is a plus. Excited for another day of anniversary exploration and fun.    Now, for that run...