More trip pics - Blue Mountains and 'roo overload!

Again, I've lost the will to cut down on all of my photos, so you'll have to skim through them yourself - so sorry.  I'm sure you can forgive me, my 2012 kicked our butts :)  Moving on - who wants some fuzzy kangaroo therapy?  I do, I do!!!

After Sydney, we rented a car and drove to the "nearby" mountains - called the Blue Mountains due to the Blue Mist that rolls in from the Eucalyptus leaves.  And by nearby, the locals mean "the traffic is horrendous and you will sit in bumper to bumper traffic but because you're driving on the wrong side of the road you'll be grateful you're going only 10 kph".  Rob was such a rockstar driving a car on the other side of the road AND managing the crazy streets of Sydney - it was a white knuckle ride for a while, fo' sure.

Anyhoo, on the way up to the Blue Mountains, we had read that there is a great place to see wild kangaroos just off the beaten path and so we ventured out and I'm soooo glad we did - we hit the kangaroo jackpot!!!  Rob and I hiked to a clearing, it was so quiet, all you could hear were the sounds of the forest and then we saw all these beautiful kangaroos including a mama and her adorable joey!!!  It was heavenly - we stayed for over an hour just watching them.

This is by far one of my favorite pics of the trip, I mean, couldn't you just die of cute overload?

Here's Mama and her baby showing off their bouncing skills...

And the joey had some crazy zooms just like a cat or dog does - so dang funny!

It was hysterical, as we were going "awwwwww" over the Mom and baby, we noticed that a total fight had broken out between two of the dudes - it was so dang funny to watch because (1) they totally didn't seem serious and (2) they fought like girls.  Like trashy girls straight out of the Jersey Shore or something.  You'll see what I mean.  The fascinating thing was watching them hold themselves up on their back tails - they could support their whole weight!!!  In the 2nd video, it's hysterical, they take a time out mid-fight.  It's exhausting being so bitchy.

Anyhoo.  After all the oogling of 'roos, we kept driving and it was crazy how the thick fog hit so quickly - by the time we arrived at our hotel, we could barely see 30 feet - thank God for GPS (we nicknamed our GPS chic Deila for Dumb Dumb Shiela, she sure did take us some funny places over the trip).  We had chosen our hotel because it within walking distance of Echo Point, the scenic overlook of the famous 3 Sisters rock formation, but the fog was so super duper thick, there was no way to see anything!  

 We were bummed, but rallied with an awesome dinner in the adorable quaint town - and it was the coolest - in the morning, the fog slowly burned off while we were at breakfast and then TA-DA!!!  There they were - glorious!!!

After a gorgeous brief hike to a waterfall, we took a terrifying cablecar (thank goodness for my vertigo meds, eh?) to the bottom of the valley and walked around the ancient ferns, it was glorious.

Here's a link to all of our pics - you can either watch them via slideshow from our blog or click on them to go straight to our Picassa Blue Mountains album.

Finally, trip pics!!! First up: Sydney

I know, I know, we've been home for over a month now, but what a 6 weeks it's been.  Floodageddon happened.  The ear infection to end all ear infections happened and will not be discussed.  And in all of that, I lost the will to post our Australia trip pics on our blog.  Lame-o, I know, but there it is.  There's just simply too many, we were there for 3 weeks, we took about 2000 pics, and now I'm over it.  So I'm going to be totally lazy and at least post the links to the picassa albums so you can look at our pics if you're interested - I'll be nice and break them down by area...so you're not overwhelmed.

These ones in Sydney will be the worst, I promise, because we were there 5 days and took TONS of pics!  So, feel free to scan them quickly and enjoy...I'll give you a few days to digest before I hit you with the next area.

It's hard to describe Sydney in just a few sentences, but we absolutely loved it.  We hit up tons of delicious restaurants, saw beautiful scenery, met such wonderful and friendly people and just generally fell in love with the city.  I hope you can see why by looking through our pics, it's an amazing place!

Highlights of Sydney include meeting our Croatian family - Nick, Senka and Steve,  staying at our amazing hotel with views of the opera house and bridge, spending a rainy day at the amazing and intimate zoo, walking around the beach areas and enjoying the opera house (and a great Ben Harper concert there!).

Here's a video of us on the gorgeous Harbour Bridge, check out that view:

 And here's a windy video I took of Rob when we were at Bondi Beach - absolutely gorgeous.  That sun is freakin' intense there!!!

No need to wait for the entire photo slideshow, just click on it below and it should take you to our Picassa Sydney album.  Enjoy!!!

ROW the Shittake Mushroom Soup Edition

Ok, clearly after this plague that hit me, I need some immunity boostin' so I tried a new recipe that Dr Oz, Dr Weil and Ming Tsai all swear by. And if those dudes say this soup wards off the bugs, I'm a gonna main line it. Stat.

It actually ended up being delicious and even my anti-tofu soup critic gave it "hey that was pretty good!" Now lets see how often we have to eat it to stay healthy because CRIPES.

The good, the bad and the UUUUUgly.

Like a squinty eyed mole, I emerged from our dusty house yesterday, blinking into the sun and brushing the couch dust off me.  After 3 weeks of this awful ear infection, I finally scraped myself off the couch and went outside and it was HEAVEN hanging out in the 'sac with our neighbors and those crazy little monkey kiddos.  I still have a lot of fluid and ringing in my ears but since my energy is so much better, I'm hoping my ears will come around shortly.  If not, it's to the ENT for me.  Weeee!  For now, I just look like a kooky lady walking around with cotton balls in my ears (anything else hurts too bad, sound is my current mortal enemy)....what else is new.
Here's G and his little girlfriend Sophie enjoying the sun...

Since I haven't been on for so long, here's the update with the house.  First, the good....we finally have our washer and dryer back!!!  After 5 weeks of doing laundry at friends' houses and my lovely neighbor Lindsey shlepping our dirties back and forth to her house (seriously, she wins neighbor of the year award) - we finally were able to get through about 8 loads ourselves.  I will never take my washer and dryer for granted again, they're my favorites.  We got new tile in the laundry room too, it's pretty!

 The other good is we finally got our first floor hardwood put in yesterday (of course, ironically, one day after our cleaning lady came.  We literally had one night of a clean house and then BLAMO the house was covered in dust again.  Sigh) - it's gorgeous!  Amazing how it really extends the space and makes the first level look bigger.  Well, that and that there's no furniture down there too.  :)

 Ignore the free weights at the bottom of that photo, by the way, apparently the flooring guys needed them to help keep a problem area glued down.  No one stub their toe, please.

And now the bad...We're still mid-construction and are eagerly awaiting carpet and baseboards upstairs, so until that happens, everything from the 2 linen closets, bookshelves and spare bedroom have been displaced to other parts of our house.  The piano and couch, for example, can't be brought upstairs to the new "library" room until the carpet is put in and the office furniture is brought downstairs...so for now it hangs in the hallway.  It's a look!

Which leads me to the UGLY.  Still looking like an episode of Hoarders around here.  Let me give you just a taste.  You like what we've done with our spare bathroom tub?  I thought you would.

 To all our future guests, I can't even tell you how eager we are to get this all put away, I promise you won't be showering next to our suitcases and towels.  I swear.  Pinky swear. 

Yah, THAT just happened.

 So, here's what happens when you have construction workers tromping through your house, you come down with a cold/flu thingy and you feel like such poo you want to cry but instead you need a good laugh.

http://www.jibjab.com/view/AWuFJO8ERpmLceLj5CQdOA?utm_campaign=URL+Copy&utm_medium=Share&utm_source=JibJab&cmpid=jj_url

oh, and that.

http://www.jibjab.com/view/-0kqNQj3Tyu3bHjU9K0qWQ?utm_campaign=URL+Copy&utm_medium=Share&utm_source=JibJab&cmpid=jj_url

Probably more update than you're wanting.

Well..I think we need to talk about it.  As much as I don't wanna, it needs to be discussed.  It's only the healthy thing to do. 

Floodageddon happened.  There's been lots of tears from moi.  Lots and lots of tears.  And then lots of Tom Hanks-esque mad laughter while Rob looks on, I'm sure questioning whether or not to run.  But now we're moving forward and thankfully the guys have begun construction today.  In fact, as I type this, I do so to the orchestra of saws, hammers, and other general gnarly dude noises.  It's un-lovely.  Here's some photos of the fallout. 

This is a pic of the hallway with one of the blowers (those were on for a joyless and sucky 8 days of hot loudness where we could feel the moisture being sucked out of our bodies crypt-keeper-style) and our Fluffy Project Superintendent. 

 A view of the Scene Of The Crime AKA the laundry room sink.  Moving along.  (that is now gone and ripped out).  RIP.

 The piano room, directly underneath the laundry room.  Said piano is hidden under that lovely tarp to the right, luckily Rob thought to move it before the water cascaded down on to it.  Do you like the lovely half carpet half concrete look we've got going?  It's a look, that's for sure.  G was pissed his lookout (straight ahead) was taken over by blowers and dehumidifiers.

 This is what it looks like now, this is taken from our bedroom, the one room left untouched upstairs - thank goodness we still have a sanctuary of carpet (what's left of it) and quiet.  I like how the plant is hanging on for dear life.

 The garage door AKA dry wall fallout.  We've become THOSE neighbors. 

 With 5 rooms taken out, we look like freakin' hoarders, we have crap EVERYWHERE until the pack out happens for carpet and flooring redo.  This is in our master bedroom, the entire contents of one linen closet stacked up.  (pillows are next to our bed, not seen in this pic and towels are in the loft).  It's a nice look, dontcha think? 

 Here's our washer and dryer in our loft.  Yep, you heard me.  W/D.  In.  Our.  Loft.  We have no laundry for over a month and THANK GOD our friends and neighbors have been amazing!  We've been doing loads of laundry at friends' houses and God bless my neighbor Lindsey - she even took some of my laundry and did it for me!  I cried I was so touched.  But everybody with your own washers and dryers, go kiss them right now.  Having no laundry sucks.  I know, I know, First World Problems - there's people who do their laundry in leech infested rivers and they call it a day, but I'm still whining.

 What the piano room looks like now.  Notice we set up a towel so G has something to sit on to survey the neighborhood like the old man that he is - he's so pampered.  I like to picture him inwardly yelling at the neighborhood kids like an old man "hey!  Keep it down!"

 This photo slays me - the ultimate in hoarding....if you can't see, that's BOOKS, yes books stacked under our spare bathroom counter, the cabinets are FULL of photos, and there's big pictures stacked along the left side.  The counter top is chock-full of stuff (including, apparently, our fire extinguisher, THAT's handy) and the tub is full of stuff.  Why do I feel like Honey Boo-Boo's family suddenly?

And now, the laundry room - cabinet ripped out.  Most of the insulation gone.  You can actually now see down into the garage (which is ceiling-less).  Aren't you jealous?  A convertible garage is all the rage nowadays. 

So, as if you need more updates, a quick health update since so many have been so lovely to ask.  Our trip was AMAZING and I just took my meds regularly (1-2 every day as opposed to 1-2 a week here at home) which helped take the edge off and let me participate in, well, life.  I still was dizzy every day there, unfortunately, but I was still able to go sightseeing, go on walks, etc  and NEVER had to hang back at the hotel.  It certainly helped that we were in paradise and I never wanted to miss out on anything! Funny enough (and it became a trip joke), I fell asleep EVERYWHERE, a ferry, a bus, even a park bench like a homeless woman one time - but we just laughed it off.  The trip was so incredible, though, and I can't wait to have a break from Floodageddon and be able to post some pics (hopefully soon).

Unfortunately we got home and once I stopped my meds, I realized my symptoms were exactly where they were pre-trip, so we're right back to spinny chair treatments (I've been on twice).  I'm trying hard to stay positive and not get crushed by that realization, and the one positive is this time, I at least have meds to take immediately after a chair treatment so that has warded off the 2-4 day symptom worsening rebound that always happens post-spinny chair.  So that's nice!

Onward and upward.  Much love to everybody for all their support and encouragement, as always, during this vertigo crap and now the new home Floodageddon crap.  Enough already for the Warrenskis!  May 2013 bring us health, a clean house and peace!  xoxo

Well, that just about sums it up...

Came home from our amazing vacation (probably won't get around to posting photos for a while, more on that later) - had about 3 or 4 hours of airplane sleep, was a jet-lagged zombie and was multi-tasking and doing laundry while unpacking and puttering around the house, plugged the laundry room sink to do some handwashing and....promptly forgot about it. Went downstairs to eat/watch TV, promptly fell asleep on the couch, Rob found the whole upstairs flooded about an hour or 2 later.  Now house is demolished, somehow I managed to destroyed 5 rooms - 3 upstairs, a hallway, and 2 downstairs including our garage.  It's a talent, I guess.

We were both so exhausted, stressed out and in total shock.  This about sums up my reaction.

On to happier topics soon, I can't wait to post about our trip - it was incredible!!!!!  G'day mates....

xo coming at you live from Floodageddon.