This is what one year looks like...

Arrival as a family of three

Last year there was no September 28. Maybe for most of the world's population there was, but not for us. Those of you who have flown across the International Date Line, you know what I'm talking about. It's that weird scenario where you literally time travel and lose a day of your life. Most people get that day back a week or a month later when they fly back east across the Pacific. But not us, we are still here, having been shorted one day out of our 2015. But let's just say, we're not crying over it. The decision to have one day less has been a pretty good one as I sit back and reflect over the past year.

This is the look. Yes, the look that says we've been in transit for about 20 hours and there's still
6 more to go?! How many more times can I watch Cinderella?!

So, SO much has happened. You know, we moved across the world and had a baby, just the typical year. When I meet new people I often get a look of "wow, you moved across the world pregnant." And then I tell them I did it once before too. And then that's when they look at me like I am actually crazy, especially if they've never done anything like it. And then I look at them and say, actually both times it's been one of the best experiences of my life. Has it been easy? Absolutely not. Has it been worth it? So worth it, and then some.

Any expat knows this feeling in the airport too well...

If I could use one word to describe the past twelve months, it would have to be blessed. I have, for what I would say the most part "successfully" played the part of my family's relocation agent with significant help from my husband (I mean, I might have been the one to pack the 30 boxes and 6 suitcases, but someone had to lift them into the car and unload them at the Fedex office for the pregnant lady... among a small fraction of other things that had to be done to get us here). I left a more than full time office job to tackle a more than full time stay at home job with Emma and then a few months later added Morgan to my daily responsibilities (albeit no pay increase). Most days I simply try to take a minute to realize how lucky I am to watch my little Swiss Miss and my little Aussie grow up right before my very eyes. And before my very eyes I observe and wonder if it is possible that their personalities are a direct reflection of which country they were born in too?!

Great friends back in St. Louis wished us well in our new country!

I have made more new friends here than I could have ever imagined. And not just casual acquaintances, but seriously people I can talk to like I have known my entire life. Emma has friends of so many different nationalities, yet she doesn't even think twice about it as she lists off which countries they are from. She loves her new preschool, but still remembers her old one fondly too.

New friendships, new traditions!

Emma is one lucky and very loved girl here too!

Steve once again has plentiful public transit options to get to work (even the ferry sometimes) and is happy to at least not have to drive in rush hour traffic himself. We can drive 10 minutes to one of Sydney's best beaches, possible the best beach for families with young children. And while I like to complain about the fact that we don't have air conditioning or heat, the even better fact is that we live somewhere with such a temperate, beautiful climate that many days, just like today, there is absolutely no need to have either one. In the same manner while my friends back in the Midwest sometimes wonder how we could possibly be living in a two bedroom apartment, it really isn't that big of deal. Sure, would it be nice to have a little more space? Absolutely. But is it a necessary part of life (even with two young children)? Absolutely not. Instead, we get outside, we explore, meet people and experience life.

Sunrise at Balmoral

Looking back on the city from Cremorne Point

But do you know what one of the best parts of the past year has been? Finding a church and community that is better than we could have ever asked for. People that welcomed us, even when we opened our mouths and out came that Yankee accent. People that brought us dinner for two weeks straight after Morgan was born. People that have pushed and encouraged our faith to grow in so many ways. I can say now without a doubt that last July when were weighing the pros and cons nonstop of Steve taking a job here versus two different options, God had a plan in us coming here. While we had been waiting and wanting for awhile to have a second child, we might not have opted to move internationally again if Morgan had come along two years ago instead of seven months ago. God is good and he has a plan for all of us, it can just be so hard to be patient and wait for an answer.

Some of my church family at a night out together

It's hard to say what's ahead of us in the year to come. We are certainly looking forward to being able to travel a bit more and a trip back to the U.S. very soon. And I can't wait to see Emma learn and understand more about living in Australia. We'll keep training her to become as Australian as she can in the meantime - eating lots of fish and chips, calamari, avocado, and maybe we'll add sushi to her repertoire this year. And if all goes according to plan, but to Steve's dismay, I will do everything I can to encourage Morgan to develop the cutest little Aussie accent possible.

Here's a look back at some of my favorite memories in the last few months before we left the U.S. that never made the blog...

Last visit to Minnesota and being goofy with cousins Tabitha and Jake

Bike riding lessons from Grandpa Souders

Saturday morning south city donut traditions

Fanciest (anniversary) dinner ever before we left St. Louis!

Some of the best co-workers and one of the best St. Louis skyline views

We love the zoo no matter what country we're in and often we're more entertained by things other than animals...

Last visit with Grandma and Grandpa Jones - don't ask about Emma's sunglasses/goggle look here

Emma saying goodbye to "Marvin" the giraffe. We had to explain that giraffes can't fly on airplanes.

Last day in our south city house, classic dinner (Chipotle) on the floor of a nearly empty house
(side note... I wonder how many times is safe to eat Chipotle while back in the U.S. for two weeks?)

So I'm thankful today that I'm not sitting in an empty house or "losing" a day of my year or packing and unpacking my possessions that were deemed worthy of making the trip across the Pacific. I'm looking forward to what's ahead and wondering how we got so lucky.

Thankful to be here as a family of four...

...and the views are pretty good too.