Elsja Down Under

Another Quiet Night at Home August 28, 2009

Andrew went out with his friends tonight- I chose to stay home. Last week he went out with friends twice and I chose to stay home. I’m not sure what it is- but I just have no desire to go out and spend lots of money on alcohol these days. Staying up until 1 or 2 just sounds exhausting! Plus, ever since we went snowboarding I’ve had minor health annoyances that keep flaring up. I have this recurring bullshit problem called gastritis and  alcohol increases the problem so I’m on a drinking hiatus. Usually I get bummed if I can’t have wine with dinner every now and then, but this week I really couldn’t care less. I just want to feel better! I’ve also minimized all soda, tea (any caffeine really) and spicy food since they are also culprits in my annoying issue. Soooo… back to my point… I’m staying home.

Here are a few reasons that I’m glad to be having a quiet night at home:

1. I am not going to feel like crap all day tomorrow

2. Andrew just texted  and said 3 long Island Iced Teas are $48 bucks! That would only be about $24 in California!  Staying home prevents me from having to even be annoyed about that. I’ll make my own tropical refreshing iced tea for about 50 cents if I want to. Except I don’t, because I can’t drink tea for awhile.

3. I can sit around in my comfy pjs and Uggs rather than wearing some tight jeans and high heels

4. When I get too tired… I can just walk in the other room and go to bed rather than standing in some bar yawning and wishing we could leave

5. I can enjoy my new favorite hobby… browsing The Knot

6. I don’t have to talk to anyone. For some people this would be horrible, but I had my fix of social chatting earlier when some friends were over- now I can just sit and enjoy the silence

7. I can read more of my book that is taking me FOREVER to finish

8. I can get caught up on some work that I have to do this weekend. Ok… that’s not really a benefit of staying home- but I guess I’m going to have to do it at some point so I might as well start tonight

9. I can write this blog. See, now aren’t YOU all happy I stayed home as well?

Al Mustafa August 22, 2009

Yet another delish restaurant to review! YAY

The other night Andrew and I were meeting a couple of his friends for dinner in Glebe. They said they didn’t want Mexican (Baja Cantina) and asked if we had any other ideas. I quickly suggested Al Mustafa. I had been there once before, but never did a review back then. Even though the first time I went, they took about 20 minutes to bring my chicken kabobs… and by 20 minutes, I mean 20 minutes after everyone else already got their food- it was still so yummy that I’ve always wanted to go back.

This time was even better. We went on a Wednesday so it was a little quieter which was nice. I mean, the atmosphere on a weekend is great because they have music and belly dancers and the who shabang… but on a Wednesday, you don’t really need all that. They didn’t offer alcohol so we had to BYO- and they didn’t even charge us corkage! Woohoo

We ordered the Cushion Lounge banquet and it was sooo damn good. There were only a few little things on the huge banquet menu that I didn’t like, and when I asked to exchange them for chicken, they happily met my request. A HUGE plus for any restaurant in Sydney!!

The food was great. Service was pretty prompt. Overall it was a really good night. My only complaint is that I stuffed myself so much that the next morning I was STILL full and could STILL taste garlic  in my mouth. It was gross and I really felt the need to vomit- but I survived!

So here you go… here’s my super official review…

Decor: 6 – Nothing stands out as being really cute or anything… in fact I can’t even remember the decor much at all but I do  remember these hideous flowery glasses that they put on our table and some of the tablecloths were pretty ugly. So yeah, not the nicest thing I’ve ever seen, but they do have some cool hookahs lying around which add to the atmosphere.

Value:  7- Well, while we did spend $45 each- which is  a lot… we got TONS of food. We could have paid less if we wanted to order less! When we ran out of bread for our dips, they brought us more at no charge. They didn’t charge corkage and they give you free baklava and coffee with the banquet meal. I have to say- for a Sydney restaurant- the value to me was quite good.

Service: 8- There were a few times I would have liked more water, but for the most part, everything came out very quickly and we didn’t need to ask for much. Plus, they let me substitute chicken for lamb- substitutions are pretty unheard of when you order the banquet menus, so I was really appreciative of that!

Taste: 9- This food is pretty damn good. The hummus and tzatziki dips are a little too good which usually leads to filling up on those before the “real” food comes out. They had these coriander/cilantro potatoes that I tried for the first time back in CA- and they are wonderful. The chicken kabobs were great, these interesting green beans were pretty good and I even liked the falafel, which I usually am not a huge fan of. The fact that I woke up the next morning and I was STILL full really says something about how appetizing this place is.

I think we are planning to go back in September for a celebratory engagement dinner with Andrew’s family. I can’t wait!

A Few Updates August 18, 2009

My life has suddenly become so exciting, and yet so boring at the same time. Exciting because I have all this wedding stuff swimming around in my brain and it’s exciting to plan and organize and browse websites looking for ideas. It’s boring, because other than that- I fee like I have hardly anything else to discuss!! So… I’ll just give a tiny brief wedding update and then I’ll try to find something else to talk about

• We’re 95% set on the location- just need to figure out a few logistics, but hopefully we’ll know for sure by Wednesday
• This means we’re also 95% sure on the date… if all goes well it will be 8.28.10
• I decided on a color scheme and hopefully bridesmaids dresses as well
• We’re pretty set on our guest list

Now on to other news…

This weekend was spectacular in terms of weather! Here’s what we did on Sunday:

Andrew, our friend Ben and I went down to Balmoral and had an impromptu picnic. It was such nice weather- we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sit in the sun for a bit. The beach was packed and we didn’t feel like getting sandy so we sat on the grass and ate our little picnic lunch. Sinead met us down there as well and it was great to catch up. Not bad for a winter’s day!!

Lastly I decided to finally update my 101 list seeing as how I haven’t updated it in FOREVER. Here are a few things I’ve accomplished over the last few weeks:

#20- Get engaged… YAY!!

#11- Got 5 people to create a 101 list

Here are a few of them but I apologize that I cannot remember them all – Daisy , Laura, Natasha (no more blog?), Ruthann and there’s one more… someone please remind me who you are

#76- create a signature cocktail… remember my Grapelberry Fizz? That counts, right?

#93- get renter’s insurance- FINALLY! Only took us nearly 2 years of living here!!

I’m well on my way with a few other tasks as well… so hopefully I should have a few more to cross off in the coming months!

My Dreams Have Come True August 9, 2009

“My dreams have come true” were the exact words I used when I called my best friend in the middle of the night to tell her that Andrew and I got engaged. It just spilled out of my mouth and it couldn’t be more true.

When I was younger (like teenager young) I used to lay in bed at night and pray for a boyfriend or at least for a boy to like me. Pathetic I know. Not many boys ever did, but I did have a few boyfriends. Of course none of them were right for me. Several of them were great people, but they were just meant to be with someone else. I was meant to be with someone else. I was meant to be with Andrew. I should point out that I do not believe in soul mates. I think it’s a bunch of BS… but I do have to believe there WAS something special that brought Andrew and I together. There were just too many obstacles that COULD have gotten in our way- but luckily they didn’t. Even the Pacific Ocean couldn’t keep us apart!

So on Friday, August 7th- Andrew proposed and I am SO happy. It was the best feeling ever- I only wish I wasn’t so shocked so maybe I would remember it more clearly!! I know several of you have asked for a story- so here it goes.

I had been sitting around in my grungy clothes and nappy greasy hair all day while I worked. In the late afternoon, Andrew asked if I wanted to go for a walk. It was beautiful weather outside and I was feeling quite lazy and knew I should get off my butt, so I said ok. I put on some workout clothes, put back my greasy hair and did NOT bother to put makeup on. I looked horrendous.

We walked down to middle head (a place we do walk to from time to time). It was starting to get a bit windy as we got down there and Andrew seemed to be in a rush to get to somewhere. He blamed it on the impending bad weather. My thoughts were “if it’s going to rain, why don’t we just go back?” But I followed him anyways.

We got to this little secluded point that overlooks the entrance to Sydney Harbour and I sat down. A few seconds later he asked me to stand up. That was my first hint that something was up. Why was he asking me to stand? Then he took both my hands in his, that was my second clue that this was not just a normal walk. I can’t remember word for word what he said due to my shock, but it did include “I love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Then he got on one knee, pulled a box out of his pocket, opened it and said “will you marry me?”

I was NOT one of those girls that forgets to say yes. I said yes immediately and gave him a big hug. I didn’t cry- I think I was too shocked- plus if you know me, you know I don’t cry easily unless I’m really frustrated or PMSing. I did forget though that he needed to put the ring on. So he told me to put my hand out so he could slip it on. As he did he said “size 6″- it was cute, like he was confirming that he bought the right size. It fit perfectly and I love it!!

Then Andrew surprised me by pulling out 2 mini champagne bottles and some glasses out of his backpack. We sat and enjoyed the moment as the sun was going down and the clouds were rolling in. He called a few people and hearing him tell others that we just got engaged actually made me tear up a bit more. It was so weird to hear it!

Once the weather started looking really bad, we decided to head back. We had quite a trek ahead of us and it started raining on us and the cold front came in so the temperature dropped and we were freezing!! We even started running at one point just to build some body heat. We finally made it home and I got to call and wake up my mom & dad, my sister and my best friend.

They were ALL so happy and so excited!! None of them seemed to mind that I woke them up at 1:30 am I think my favorite reaction of that night was from my niece- because it was just so sweet. I found out the next day that when my sister got off the phone with me, she went and kissed Emma (thinking she was sleeping) and said “I love you.”  Emma said “I love you too.” So Bronwen’s reaction was “you’re awake??” She figured she’d tell her about us so she said “guess what? Pilot Andrew is really going to be your uncle now.” Emma’s reaction… “I love Andrew.”

I love him too Emma!!

Our Snowboarding Weekend August 2, 2009

I went snowboarding this weekend for the first time in over 10 years. The reason I know it has been that long is that I actually still had my last lift pass attached to my snow pants and the date was February 14th, 1999. Crazy! So since I had no internet for nearly 4 whole days, it was impossible to update everyone on the trip. So I thought I’d update you all on the weekend in a facebook/twitter status update-like fashion. This is mostly because I can’t be bothered to type full paragraphs. So pretend you just read these all throughout the weekend

Thursday

Elsja:

• is driving to Jindabyne with Andrew- I just saw wild Emu and I’ve seen tons of wild kangaroos too
• arrived at the apartment- pretty nice place. Now we’re eating pizza, watching a movie and waiting for the others to get here.

Friday

Elsja:

• is on the slopes  for the first time in 10 years… I’m REALLY scared
• is eating shit, this is a bit harder than I remember
• is getting a group snowboard lesson with 3 other girls. Our instructor is great and I’m actually getting the hang of this!
• is using my new knowledge of turning and making it down the bunny slopes without falling.
• had a great first day of snowboarding, now we’re drinking schnapps and beers at the bar on the slopes.
• is making fajitas for dinner and having some wine.
• and Andrew are kicking butt playing the game Articulate with the rest of the group.

Saturday

Elsja:

• woke up sore, but not too sore. I’m ready for more boarding.
• just finished my 2nd group boarding lesson and I was probably one of the best ones in the group of 10. I’m really getting the hang of this.
• decided to go up to the higher lifts, it is WAY colder up here, super windy and a lot steeper- I’ve lost all confidence to practice turns
• has changed her mind, I’m NOT getting the hang of this and have fallen more in the last 3 hours than I did the entire first day.
• is in pain. Lots and lots of pain.
• can’t stand up. I keep falling over and I’m just too tired to even stand anymore.
• is so over snowboarding!!!!
• and the rest of the group are heading to Kris’ friend’s place in Thredbo for a BBQ.
• has seen more roadkill on this trip than I have my entire life.
• enjoyed a great  BBQ dinner and conversation but I got one of my stupid stomach aches.
• took some medicine and laid down, feeling much better now.

Sunday

Elsja:

• woke up in horrible pain. Pretty sure I have whiplash. I do NOT want to snowboard today.
• realized that if I don’t snowboard, I’ll sit alone for the next 6 hours doing nothing so I’ve decided to suck it up and give it another chance.
• just went down Friday Flats (the bunny slopes) again and actually did really well- maybe I haven’t lost my confidence after all!
• ran into a few friends, SO many people are at Thredbo this weekend.
• was just asked “Friday flats AGAIN?” by the guy checking my lift pass. So what if I’m a wuss and can’t go on the bigger runs after yesterday’s experience?
• is getting better and better… so glad I ended up boarding today- I’ll leave on a high note!
• and Andrew just said goodbye to the snowy mountains and we’re on our way home. My body is still in massive pain, but I had a great time!

To see the rest of our pictures- click here!