Sydney

Sydney was our last stop and definitely lived up to its reputation as one of the World's Best Cities. We spent almost 6 days there and had pretty leisurely days enjoying the sights, shops, and restaurants of the city but also had some sort of adventuresome activity each afternoon. Our time in Sydney included New Year's Eve and we were able to enjoy the absolutely incredible celebration that has made the city such a famous location for bringing in the new year. That night was definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

The famous Sydney Harbor Bridge (photo taken from our hotel room!)

A glimpse of the phenomenal view from our hotel room. There are no words to express how incredible the view was and how awesome it was to be in such a great location... especially for the fireworks show on New Year's Eve.

The kids in front of the Harbor Bridge

Kolby and I in front of the famous Sydney Opera House

The fam after a really fascinating tour of the Opera House

Our family during the Bridgeclimb that led us up to the summit of the Harbor Bridge. We had to wear those lovely suits to prevent anything (stuff in pockets, etc.) from falling down to the BUSY street below and also to blend in and not distract drivers. The headsets allowed us to hear our guide since it was so windy up there and the belts were to attach us to the railing so we wouldn't fall. It was a pretty exerting climb but wasn't scary, although it would be terrifying if you were afraid of heights and walking along a catwalk 440' in the air would bother you. It was fun and the 360 degree view of Sydney Harbor was beautiful. One evening we went sailing all throughout the different harbors, which was really neat. This is one of my favorite pictures, mainly because its just casual... like our family.
Kolby and I getting a better view of the CRAZY mansions along the coast and picking out our favorites
The whole family
Kolby and I, with the Opera House and Harbor Bridge
Kolby doing what he does best... climbing something. This is him in a huge eucalyptus tree at Watson's Bay, where we had dinner after sailing.

Mom and Dad at Watson's Bay

Kolby enjoying a mondo scoop of rainbow ice cream
Another one of my favorite pictures... my family trying to get things together for a group shot and laughing too hard to get anything accomplished... pretty typical

The end result: a family picture at sunset

The beautiful sunset at Watson's Bay, with the Sydney skyline in the background
We all learned how to surf on New Year's Eve at the famous Bondi Beach. Russell was by far the best at it (a good complementary skill to go along with his bizarre knack for the pogo stick) and it was fun to do as a family. Mom and Dad even stayed with it long enough to call it a success! Also, Paris Hilton was in town and took a little publicity stroll along the beach and walked right across our surfboards! It was a pretty cool day for sure! The boys after surfing
Posing with Big Wave Dave, our surf instructor
The Sydney Opera House on New Year's Eve. You can see the crowds forming to watch the MASSIVE fireworks show. Over 1.5 million people crowd around the Sydney harbor every New Year's Eve! This and the next several pictures were all taken from our hotel room... we were VERY LUCKY to have such an awesome view of all that was going on!

The harbor just after sunset
The city of Sydney spends over $5 million on the fireworks show! The picture below is of the "family show" that takes place at 9 pm and allows families to celebrate and then take shelter before the city gets too crazy.

Here is a quick video clip of the first fireworks show. Hopefully it will help you to grasp how crazy it was... I had never seen anything like it! (You may want to turn your speakers off for the videos to spare yourself the Webb commentary).

In between the family show and the big-time show at midnight there is a boat parade with tons of boats with Christmas lights strung on them to light them up or to form shapes like whales, sharks, etc. It was very entertaining.
Here is a picture of the Harbor Bridge during the midnight fireworks show. For this show there were three huge firework displays within our sight (there were seven total throughout the city), the bridge was the center and then there was one over the Opera House and a matching one on the opposite side of the bridge. SO COOL!

Below is a video of the bridge during the grand finale. Check out the fireworks waterfall coming down from the bridge. I didn't think I was a huge fan of fireworks, but I don't know how anyone couldn't be totally enthralled by a show like that. What a great way to celebrate the new year!

We kicked 2009 off to a crazy start by going skydiving on New Year's Day. That's right, ALL SEVEN of us jumped out of an airplane at 14,000 feet. We did tandem dives where we were strapped to a certified diver and received about 5 minutes of briefing before being loaded into a tiny plane where we sat on the ground in two rows, everyone crammed together (read straddling the complete stranger in front of us). The flight was horribly shaky so by the time we reached the right altitude we were ready to get out of that rickety plane. One-by-one (or I guess two-by-two) we tumbled head first out the side of the plane, were in a total free-fall for almost a minute, and then parachuted down the last 4,000 feet. The free-fall was 10,000 feet, and our average speed was 181 feet per second --- so it would be like falling from an 18-story building and hitting the ground a second later! It was FAST! We all survived, although when I finally reached the ground I wasn't sure if I wanted to cry or needed to throw up, and it was a good thing to start this year of uncertainty (i.e. Kolby and I not knowing where we'll be living or what we'll be doing after this school year) with a reminder that we can handle a lot more than we think we can.

A very "happy to be alive" smile from everyone after we reached ground Here's Russell at the drop zone. This, after all, was his trip. To fit his wild personality my mom planned some wild stuff, but everyone faced their fears and participated and we're all better off for doing so! The trip was more than any of us could have possibly fathomed and we are all very much aware of how blessed we are to have had such a wonderful adventure as a family. We each signed four releases of liability, wore four different types of suits (stingsuit for scuba, climbsuit for the bridge, wetsuit for surfing, and jumpsuit for skydiving), and came home with four certificates of accomplishment! How many family trips can boast such a statistic?

Thank you, thank you, thank you Mom & Dad! I LOVE BEING A WEBB!

And We're Off!

Our family is about to leave for our two week vacation to Australia to celebrate Russell's high school graduation! And yes, we are ALL be sporting t-shirts to the airport that have the above graphic on the front and an even sillier one on the back. What did I do this year to delay studying for finals?... Draw each family member as a cartoon kangaroo and design a kickin' t-shirt for this trip, of course!

Merry Christmas!

The Icing on the Cake

On Monday (our actual FIRST anniversary) we thawed the top of our wedding cake and enjoyed sharing a slice of what used to be a delectable masterpiece. It actually tasted OK, but it was the mental notion that we were eating cake that was a year old that put a damper on the enjoyment. It's tradition, though--- and we were glad to keep it alive.

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Also, we want to say THANK YOU to everyone who celebrated with us on our wedding day and everyone who continues to support and encourage us in our life together. We are truly blessed!

1st Anniversary Weekend

In honor of our first anniversary, we hosted our parents for a nostalgic celebration of the wonderful wedding weekend that they had blessed us with now one year ago. We are so grateful to them not only for that most beautiful and perfect time of celebrating our marriage with our family and friends, but for continuing to shower us with love and support. We had the wedding of our dreams -- so far beyond what I ever could have imagined -- and we are so fortunate to have begun our life together in such a special way. Thank you, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts :)

They arrived on Friday evening just in time for the most delicious (if I do say so myself) gourmet dinner where we used all of the fancy tableware that has been in boxes since our wedding. We showed them our new wedding album and we watched the video of our wedding ceremony and a photo slideshow that Kolby and I had put together. We made caramel apples for dessert and then just chatted, reminiscing about the wedding and how much fun it all was. Kolby cooked oatmeal with fresh fruit for breakfast on Saturday morning and we played dominoes and just hung out until we took them to lunch at a cafe downtown. We all had a great time and I hope that in some small way were able to express to them our love and gratitude.

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After our parents left, Kolby and I packed a bag and headed to Fort Worth to celebrate our anniversary together. We went to dinner at the famous Joe T. Garcia's restaurant and then strolled around Sundance Square (downtown) which was beautifully lit up for Christmas and it somehow was 70 degrees outside so we could actually spend time outside enjoying it. We stayed at a nice hotel downtown and spent Sunday morning at the Fort Worth Zoo (duh!) and then went to lunch at a restaurant near the stock yards.

I had actually never been to Fort Worth before... who knew there were so many fun things to do?!? The weather was beautiful again on Sunday which made everything even more perfect. We had a wonderful time together and look forward to the many many more anniversaries to come!

Marley & Me

Just after we were married, Kolby and I took up the pastime of reading books together. We started with The Princess Bride and then moved on to a couple books from The Chronicles of Narnia. We read in bed at night and Kolby reads the book aloud until I fall asleep. Lately we've been on a reading hiatus as things have gotten busy and we haven't been able to agree on what book to read next. Then last week the book Marley & Me came to mind and I remembered hearing really good things about it from Kolby's mom and some of my friends.

We thought about bringing it to read together on our trip to Australia but given the fact that it's a sweet story about an owner and his dog, we decided not to read it while we were parted from Maya so as to not repeat the emotional breakdown that took place when we made the mistake of watching the movie Eight Below on a portable DVD player a couple weeks into our time in Ghana this summer.

So, we started reading the book last week and I am so happy to be back in the night-reading routine. Kolby is really really good at reading out loud. I had taken it for granted until the other night when for some crazy reason I volunteered to read. Big mistake. I seriously sounded like a 1st grader practicing reading to her dad at bedtime. "Though his very helplessness, --- oh wait, I mean --- Through his very helplessness, ...". It was bad. The following conversation occurred after one page:

K: "Here, I'll go back to reading. I don't mind."

E: "I'm sorry. I don't think I'm a very good reader."

K, gently: "No... you're not great at it."

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In other news, on my last day of classes I had to give a presentation with a fat lip. A fat lip that I got from falling down the stairs in our apartment. We were trying to get out the door to church and just as I was about to start down the stairs, I accidentally stepped into the cuff at the bottom of my pants leg with my opposite heel (as in the tiny stiletto heel to my dress shoes). So, that foot got hung up and was therefore not free to take the first step down the stairs like my already forward-leaning body was needing it to. An incredibly awkward, loud, and painful face-first fiasco ensued and I'm still finding bruises on my body.

Crunch Time for Final Exams

She's tough, but fair.

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving break with Kolby's family in the Texas hill country. We had a great time relaxing, watching plenty of college football, eating WAY too much Thanksgiving food, playing games, and spending time with family. The house we stayed at was on a few acres of fenced property and Maya was in doggie heaven getting to roam around and explore things off-leash.

We looked forward to this vacation for quite awhile and are sad that it has come and gone so quickly. But, just a few more weeks of school (albeit a miserable few weeks) then we're off on our next adventure!

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Kolby and I have so much to be thankful for this year. God has blessed us in countless ways this year and we are daily reminded of His provision in our lives. This Thanksgiving we are especially thankful for our family, our simple and happy life here in Waco, our little Maya (I'm slightly embarrassed to say that at church last week we were given index cards to write a few things we are thankful for and Maya had a prime spot on both our lists), our quaint apartment, and most of all-- that our unknown future is in the Lord's hands and not our own.

First Application is In!

For those of you who don't know this already, Kolby is in the process of applying to creative writing graduate programs. Writing was something he really took an interest in while he was at Wheaton (college) and he got his undergraduate degree in English: Writing. There are four programs that he is applying to --- University of Missouri, University of Texas, Seattle Pacific University and Vanderbilt. They are all very different from each other and some have Masters programs and some have Masters/PhD programs. Unfortunately, the acceptance rates for these particular programs are VERY low... as low as 2% and only as high as about 13%. So the odds of getting into any of the four are stacked against him, but we figured it was worth a shot. Depending on which program he were to get into/choose, his future "career path" could be continuing to teach high school English and writing as a side career, teaching English/Writing at a collegiate level, or pursuing some other option that peaks his interest. He is quite content continuing to teach high school for the near future so if he were to not get into any of the programs he'll do that and possibly re-apply later on or start considering other types of graduate programs.

Kolby submitted his application to UT today and the others will soon follow, but it won't be until late Spring that we will hear back from all of the schools. So, our future as of June 2009 is one huge question mark but we're somehow OK with that. But- we would certainly appreciate your prayers as we navigate this next phase in our lives together. It is NOT a good time for me (or anyone) to be entering the job market, especially since I don't even know what state to be looking in. It'll all work out though..... right?!?!

Ramblings

I found out last week that my (in-progress) thesis paper was selected for Baylor's graduate scholarship forum and I ended up with an unexpected $100 in my pocket. I decided that I would of course deposit it into our savings account. Then, a few days ago I was taking a shower and accidentally squeezed a little too much shaving cream into my hand. I immediately started thinking about how I could go about saving the extra so that I could use it next time... I mean, shaving cream isn't free. This incident brought to my attention what a ridiculous level my frugal tendencies have reached. I later committed to frivolously spending the $100 "scholarship" money in order to restore some balance to my spending habits.

Today I went to Old Navy and spent the entire $100 on winter clothes for Kolby and I. I bought 4 sweaters for him and 3 for me (How? I still kept to the sales tables... baby steps, right?). At the front of the store I found two sweaters that I thought were surprisingly stylish, tried them on and loved them, and later returned to the table of sweaters only to notice that the mannequin modeling one of the sweaters was a man and that it was in fact a table of Men's sweaters. That explained the funny look the saleswoman in the dressing room gave me when I asked for a smaller size, and my short-lived self-esteem boost of needing the smaller size in the first place. This confirmed (once again) that I should never go shopping by myself.

In other news, we spent a wonderful weekend in Arkadelphia, AR visiting our friends Tyler & Erin. We had so much fun catching up, chatting about their upcoming wedding, introducing them to the glory of Arrested Development, and playing several rousing games of Blokus. Once again Kolby and I were reminded of how blessed we are to have such great friends in our lives.

We're now in the home stretch until Thanksgiving break, and then in one month we'll be on a plane headed to Australia for Christmas!!!

 

***Oh, and I bought those sweaters anyways***

Wedded Bliss and an 80th Birthday

This weekend we attended our first wedding since our own. It was at the Arboretum and was absolutely beautiful. Best wishes to my cousin Kyle and his bride Melissa! My little cousins Addi and Jackson were the CUSTEST flower girl and ring bearer and I can't believe it has been almost a year since Addi was my precious flower girl. Jackson was only 8 months old at our wedding, but he made his big wedding party debut at this one and I don't think there is anything in the world more adorable than a handsome 1-year-old in a tuxedo! Here's a short video clip of him tearin' it up on the dance floor:

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This weekend we also got to spend some time with Kolby's whole family and celebrate his grandfather's 80th birthday! We were even able to snap a family photo while everyone was in town for the celebration:

Back: Kason (older brother), Kolby, Kevin (dad)
Front: Sarah (sister-in-law), me, Kassidy (younger sister), Roycee (mom)

Maya as a Puppy

Every now and then when I'm really wanting to bring procrastination to a whole new level, I'll waste a few minutes online looking at pictures of husky mutts to try to find one that looks like Maya because I would love to know what other breed she is mixed with. No luck so far, but I did run across this picture of a husky-labrador puppy that is pretty much the cutest thing ever.

Obviously Maya doen't have any labrador in her, but this puppy has markings that are IDENTICAL to Maya's markings and I'd like to think Maya was as cute as this little girl when she was a puppy. She was full grown when we adopted her so we'll never know what she really looked like, but I think this picture is pretty darn close. So precious.

Baylor Homecoming

This weekend was Baylor's Homecoming and we enjoyed all of the festivities with some of our favorite Baylor alumni. Brad & Remy (my brother and sister-in-law) stayed with us for the weekend and we loved getting to spend so much time with them. Some friends of theirs (and ours) stayed with us too so we had 6 people and 4 dogs for 3 days in our 1 small apartment. It was quite crazy around here but we loved the company and Maya enjoyed having dog friends around, although I think she's glad to have the place to herself again. Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Our family at the Friday night bonfire

At the Saturday morning parade

(sister-in-law Remy, older brother Brad, me, younger brother Russell)Kolby and I at the Baylor football gameChocolate caramel apples that we all made on Saturday night...so delicious!
Enjoying our VERY HAPPY little dog

Such a fun weekend! Sic 'em Bears!

Pumkin Carving

We decided to bring in the fall season by hosting a pumpkin carving extravaganza with some friends. Kolby put the whole impromptu event together to continue his grandmother's annual tradition of pumpkin artistry. The evening was complete with hot apple cider, Monday night football, roasted pumpkin seeds, and awards for pumpkin-carving talent.

Cleaning out the pumpkin goopKolby hogging the Princess Pumpkin-Carving Kit tools that we bought at the grocery storeOur final products at their best: Kolby's pumpkin calling for Batman and my pumpkin just sitting there being the amazing masterpiece that it is. If this isn't a creative display of raw talent then I don't know what is! The whole gangThe pumpkin line-up
We all had a great time and Kolby and I ended the night chatting about how blessed we are with our little life here. We have wonderful friends and have jobs that let us spend time with them often. And our apartment is very old and small but we love it and that night it held 8 people carving pumpkins and smelled like yummy apple cider so what more could we possibly need?

October Twenty-Sixth

Today is the first October 26th in 7 years that we aren't celebrating as our "anniversary" anymore. We have a new one now, and although a wedding anniversary is much more official than a dating anniversary, it is a little bittersweet to be starting over. I don't think an October 26th will ever pass by without thoughts of how our story began. We were sixteen and chatting on my front porch after a school event that we had attended "as friends" when Kolby kissed me. We awkwardly didn't really speak much for a couple days afterwards and then eventually decided that we might as well start dating since we'd already kissed and I suppose that means we both like each other :). He proposed to me on that same front porch almost 6 years later.

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In other news, I presented part of my thesis research on micro-credit yesterday at the Baylor Symposium of Faith and Culture: Bottom-Up Approaches to Global Poverty. I was pretty nervous about it because it was my first time to do a presentation for anyone except other students in my classes so I was quite intimidated by the audience of professors from universities all over the country and ministry practitioners from all over the world. It went really well, though, and now it's time to get back to all of the schoolwork I've been neglecting.

Lil' Two-Five

My brother's t-shirt company has just launched a chilren's line, Lil' Two-Five. Each t-shirt purchased still provides a chicken for a poverty-stricken family in India. So, if you have any kiddos or even know any kiddos --- buy them a cool t-shirt and know you've changed the life of a family in need. Here are a couple of the designs:

Go to http://www.25cloth.com/ to buy a shirt!