Happy Easter!

It's Easter weekend and I am happy to report that Australians get Friday, Monday and Tuesday off work! It doesn't get much better than that!

I kicked off Friday with by shooting down to the beach and enjoying one of those rare and much loved autumn days when you're still able to walk around in your shorts and singlet. I took a stroll with a friend down to Gordons Bay and snapped this picture with my phone. It's not the best photo but it gives you an idea of how lovely Sydney is, and how often I take it for granted!

Today is raining, which is actually good because it will give me a chance to do my house cleaning, and get into some cooking for Easter Sunday. I am so thankful for my crew of friends around the holidays. We always have the best time, and are guaranteed to eat and drink way too much, and often all fall asleep on someone's couch! In that respect, it's really not any different from holidays at home with my real family!

We'll have to try and behave though, because Monday is Anzac Day, which is one of the best days of the year. It's a Veteran's Day, and everyone, young and old, goes to the pubs to play a game called two-up where you bet money on which side a coin will fall on. And then of course, there's the party on Monday night, the last grand hurray before the weekend is officially over. I'll be listening to Mushroom Jazz from American DJ Mark Farina at the Ivy, which should definitely be interesting. I'll keep you posted! Happy Easter everyone!

Wedding Weekend

I don't think most Sydneysiders get the opportunity to go to a wedding at the Opera House, so you can imagine how excited I was to get to see my friend Lisa and her new husband Chris get married last weekend. Lisa and I met in the oddest way. She is an actress and used me as her character for a play called "Reality Bites". We met about a year and a half ago through a mutual friend, and I'm so glad we did.

The wedding was magnificent. Not even the rain could dim everyone's spirits, especially when we arrived at the ceremony at Kincoppal Chapel, which sits at the very top of the hill at Vaucluse, overlooking all of Sydney Harbour, the city, the Opera House and the bridge. It was exquisite.

After the ceremony, we went back to the city and had a sneaky cocktail at the Shangri La before heading to the reception at the Opera Point Marquee of the Opera House. The room was the perfect mix of classic elegance and funk, very much like the bride! The food was divine, the decor was beautiful and the music was the absolute tops - delivered by an amazing soul singer who had the entire place on their feet from beginning to end. I have to say it was probably the best wedding I've ever been to, and I couldn't be more proud, excited and happy for the amazing bride and groom.

The Worst Blogger

I don't even know how months go by so quickly but it's already autumn in Sydney, even though it doesn't feel much like it. We just had the most perfect weekend of 80 degree days, one of those weekends that makes you feel happy just to be able to enjoy them. I snapped this photo of the Sydney Harbour as I was reading the paper this morning. I think that once you've lived in a place for while, you forget its beauty, or at least take it for granted. Today was one of those days that reminded me how darn lucky I am!

I've been busy. The new job has been going really well and keeps me on my toes. I enjoy it - it's a good balance of chaos and pure ridiculousness. It also makes me appreciate my downtime that much more. I am looking forward to some big weekends coming up - including a black tie wedding at the Sydney Opera House on Saturday. I am so excited - I'm sure most Sydneysiders don't get to go to an Opera House wedding, but this expat yankee is flying high! Then of course Easter is coming up, which means a five day weekend here is Australia! As much as the laid back "no worries" attitude often annoys the heck out of me, I relish in it when the holidays come around! And then in the beginning of May, two close friends turn 30 and 40, so we'll be headed up to the Hawkesbury River for a big weekend party.

Which brings me to June, when I'll be scheming for my first week off since I started the new gig. I'd love to come home (my good friend Nicolette is getting married upstate) but the 24 hour journey is a bit much for such little time. Recently I've been hung up on Buenos Aires, Malawi and Vietnam, and I think I'll have to look into the latter purely due to flight times and weather. We'll see - anything can happen!