All things New Jersey Come Down Under

Baseball Diamond at the SCG

Baseball was born in Hoboken New Jersey.  On June 9th, 1846 the first organized baseball game was officially played in Hoboken.  I have loved baseball since I was five.  I remember my very first major league baseball game.  My mom was waitressing and my dad and I dropped my sister off at my aunt’s house and my dad and I were on our way to Philadelphia.  We went to the old Veterans Stadium on the corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue to see the Phillies.  From then on we went to a few games a year.  We also toured the baseball stadiums of the east coast – Fenway, Camden Yards, Yankee Stadium, and Shea Stadium to name a few.  

1993 was a big year for us in baseball.  In the summer we went to Cooperstown, the baseball hall of fame.  And that October the Phillies were in the World Series so I was lucky enough to see them play the Blue Jays in game 3 in Philadelphia.  Another big baseball moment in my life was seeing the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004 in Red Sox Nation ending an 86 year curse.  I was also lucky enough to see a Red Sox vs Yankee game at Yankee Stadium with my good friend Dan which is quite possibly one of the best sports rivalries to watch.  

By moving to Australia I have deprived myself from the classic American game.  I miss seeing games but thanks to friends, family, and espn.com I can keep up to date with the standings.  But in March 2014 Major League Baseball debuted down under and I finally got to see a live game.  

Stars and Stripes - National Anthem at the SCG

They transformed the Sydney Cricket Ground into a baseball diamond and the games played between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks counted towards the 2014 standings.  The game was great – there were homeruns, attempted steals, great catches, and great pitching.  Overall it was a great taste of home since they even sang the National Anthem and Take Me Out to the Ballgame for the 7^th inning stretch.  

Bruce - February 2014 Olympic Stadium in Sydney

Auckland Night 1

Bruce Springsteen is a New Jersey native who continues to grace the Southern Hemisphere with his presence.  In the past 12 months I have seen five of his shows in two countries.  All three Sydney shows and the two Auckland New Zealand were spectacular and unique.  He always switches up the set list so between all five shows I got a variety of 67 different songs.  Some songs were only played once but then there were some classics and fan favorites that made every show.   I would have to say that the first night in Auckland was by far the best show ever – the energy, the song selection, the outdoor venue – it was perfect.  

It’s always nice to have these little tastes of home between visits home to remind a Jersey Girl of her roots. 

Thanksgiving Down Under

Beautiful table setting for Thanksgiving #1

Thanksgiving is typically a day spent with family.  However for expats living abroad your friends become your family.  And to make sure everyone has a great holiday there was not one but two delicious feasts.  Everyone contributes a dish to make each day extra special.  Whether the dishes were family favorites or new kitchen adventures not one dish disappointed.  

Our first Thanksgiving was on the actual day which I think we have all agreed that working on the actual holiday is not fun.  Going to work on Memorial Day or Labor Day isn’t that big of a deal -  but Thanksgiving is a different story which is why we make it a point to have a large dinner after work to celebrate.  Josh hosted the first feast in the eastern suburbs.   The extra long table was decorated with turkey décor but there was still plenty of space for all the dishes.  We had all of the American traditions of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, corn bread, and pumpkin pie.  And to give our feast a twist we had some Australian traditions as well – kangaroo, lamingtons, and pavlova!  It was a fantastic dinner with leftovers for all.  Leftovers were on the menu for lunch at work on Black Friday to make going to work on another day we typically have off just a little easier.  The first feast  was simply delightful :)

Thanksgiving Night

The second feast was at Balmoral Beach on Saturday hosted by Mandy and Eric.  Stunning views, more delicious food, and good fun!  The lunch time feast of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, corn pudding, mac & cheese, apple pie and pumpkin pie continued well into the evening.  Following lunch and lounging in the sun there was beach football and then my favorite- beach cricket! I only wish I learned I was a "lefty" for batting 20 years ago - then I may have actually been a semi-decent softball player!  Rather I struck out pretty much every at bat for countless games!  And now I at least make some contact - who knew I was lefty for sports!

Going to work on the actual holiday is definitely made easier by having two fantastic feasts with friends.  And to make it even better when the final feast ends with a sunset on the beach you realize just how lucky and thankful you are to be in this beautiful country surrounded by special friends who become your family away from America.  

Photos courtesy of Josh and Emily.

"Born to Run"

I pretty much retired my running sneakers in 2001 after four years of high school cross country and spring track.  I traded them in for the love of zumba.  But in September 2012 I started running again.  This was all so I could train to take part in the world’s largest road race.  The Sun Herald City to Surf has 85,000 registered participants to make it the largest race in the entire world.  Committing to race in this 14km race known for its “heart break hill”  meant committing to a rigorous training schedule.  

Run across the Anzac Bridge - Me, Rachel, and Wendy

In the months leading up to this August race the girls and I ran regularly on Saturday’s or Sunday’s.  Our routes ranged from running through the beautiful eastern suburbs, running over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, taking in the stunning Harbour views while running through the Botanical Gardens and around Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, across the Anzac Bridge and running through Hyde Park and down to Circular Quay.  Wendy, Emily, and I also met fairly regularly at 6:15 in the morning before work to run the Walsh Bay Finger Wharfs or run through Darling Harbour to make sure that “there was a little more exercise and a little less e-mails!”  Running through this beautiful city and past beautiful scenery makes me fall more in love with this city everyday.  

Lovely Expats Before City to Surf in Hyde Park

August 11^th finally came and it was a picture perfect day for City to Surf.  The race started adjacent to Hyde Park in the City racing up towards the Coke Sign in Kings Cross.  The race hugged the coast on New South Head Road past Rushcutters Bay, Double Bay, Rose Bay, and Watson’s Bay before continuing on Military Road to end at Bondi Beach.  At about the 6km mark heart break hill began on New South Head Road and for one kilometer the race was straight uphill – the famous landmark of the race!  It was such a fun day and already looking forward to the race next year.

We survived heart break hill and made it to Bondi!

About a month later on September 22^nd was the Blackmores Sydney Harbour Bridge Run. 

Wendy, Aimee, Me,and Emily under the Harbour Bridge before the race

This was a 9km race where the bridge was closed and we could run across it – absolutely stunning.  The race also ran by Hyde Park and through the Botanical Gardens allowing you to catch stunning glimpses of the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge at various points. It was another fabulous day but an extremely hot one!  

I don't think you could ask for a better view at the finish!

Running has become a new regular in my life now and it is probably made easier and more fun because of the support and encouragement of fabulous running buddies.  Now to look forward to our next race in November – the Electric Run!

Photos courtesy of Emily - thanks!

Birthdays Down Under

Giovanni's

EisnerAmper Secondees

My first birthday in Australia was in July 2011.  I had been in Sydney for a mere 17 days for my three month secondment by the time my birthday came around.  I had known my fellow secondees from NYC, Brazil, and Germany for less than three weeks at this point but nonetheless they made sure my 28^th birthday was special.  We went to Giovanni’s for dinner which is an Italian restaurant near Circular Quay.  They also surprised me with a box of cupcakes!  To round out the birthday weekend we went to our first rugby game at the Olympic stadium to see the Qantas Wallabies play a team from South Africa.  

Winery

Sparkle Cupcakery

Who would have thought a year later I would then celebrate my 29^th birthday in Australia-this time because I came back here for a permanent position!  Since this was round two I had some friends from work from my  previous secondment so I organized a small birthday dinner at the Winery in Surry Hills which was delicious and delightful.  However earlier that day I met one of my now closest friends but had no idea at that point that a life long friendship would form on that day.  There is a US Expat website to connect people from the US living in Sydney.  There was this one girl on there that said she just moved to Sydney as an auditor and I was like what a coincidence!  I decided to message her since we were both in the same boat.  It just so happened that the day that worked for us to meet was my birthday but she didn’t know that at the time.  So we met for lunch and when it came out that it was my birthday we went to Sparkle Cupcakery for cupcakes and hot chocolate!    Fast forward one year later to July 2013 – who needs a professional cupcakery for birthday treats when you have a great fellow auditor friend who can make brownies from scratch for you and carry them around Sydney from venue to venue in Tupperware!

Three years ago I had never dreamed there would be even the slightest possibility that I’d spend my 30^th birthday in Australia too – but it is about to happen.  Because of the US Expat website, my friendship with Wendy and all of her connections, and work connections I now have friends from about 9 different US States and 7 different countries (I think I’ve got everyone accounted for but please don’t audit those numbers!)  And because of all of these fantastic people I’ve just had a fantastic birthday weekend.  It started on Friday afternoon after work with a fantastic dinner at a steakhouse followed by breathtaking views of all of Sydney’s sights from the rotating O Bar in Australia Square.  Despite being a little dizzy from the rotating floor – the views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge were as fantastic as ever!  Then on Saturday Wendy, Emily and I had a lovely dinner at Café Sydney taking in more views of iconic Sydney’s Opera House and Harbour Bridge. 

Cafe Sydney with Wendy and Emily

Dinner was followed by a meeting of the United Nations at the Opera Bar.  There was representation from three continents across seven countries!  When I look at this I realize yet again how lucky I am to have this incredible adventure and experience and to have friends who organize such adventures!  When it got too cold to be outside any longer (since my birthday is now in Winter!) our party moved inside to a random place on King Street Wharf near our home.  On Sunday morning Wendy and Emily had me over to blow out my candles on their delicious homemade brownies as it was too windy to do that last night at the Opera Bar, yet Happy Birthday was still sang to me in public on Saturday night!  Truly blessed with fantastic friends here that always make sure everyone gets something special for their special day!

 

 

Mom's work for my 29th birthday at home before I left for Sydney

My mom always makes our favourite dinner and dessert for our birthdays and she always did mine earlier for me the past two years since I wouldn’t be home for my birthday.  So to stick with tradition I made a carbon copy of everything she makes me today so I can eat it for my actual birthday tomorrow.  Chicken pesto pasta over spinach penne followed by a chocolate raspberry tart!  Now for the first time in 30 years I have to go to work on my special day since my birthday now falls in busy season down under so  I just need 7.5 hours of work out in Blacktown to go fast so I can eat my favourite dishes!

I hope this all tastes as good as Mom's!