I've Made Friends!!!!

G'DAY YALL!

I have had a great last couple of days and I wanted to share some experiences I've had!

Friday, Jodie (my host mom) had to go into work for a little bit. So it was technically my first day on the job! Blake and Zoe were home with me and Madd was at her grandmother's house. My first week ended successfully with me getting an Australian bank account, an Australian phone number, and also a "Mykey Card" that lets you access the public transportation. 3 days in and I felt completely settled.

Sidenote: Every morning when I have been waking up, I have been catching up on texts and facetiming with family. Although a 17 hour time difference sounds like a lot, there are a lot of good awake hours that I can talk to everyone!

On Friday afternoon, Jodie called me from work and asked me if I would like to go out that evening with a girl she works with called Jacki and Jacki's friend Leigh. I must admit, I was pretty tired and wasn't feeling too good, but I had vowed that 2015 was going to be the year of YES and so I agreed to go. 

Jodie dropped me off with Jacki around 6pm and we went over to Jack's friend Leigh's house for dinner and to get ready. They were so welcoming to me and I was so excited to get out of the house a bit and have a drink!

Crazy Hair Zoe!

Selfies with my 3 kiddos

Madd loves helping me get ready

1st night out on the town in Melbourne!

Leigh, Jacki, and me! Love new friends!

 We began the night at a pub called Bridie O'Reillys where there was a "Singles Mingles" night going on. Although the crowd seemed to be aged 50 years and higher... we still managed to have a good time! They were playing all the good music that American clubs/bars would play. Fun dance music!! Shortly after arriving there, we decided to move on to another bar in the city... so we hopped into a cab and headed for the city.

Singles Mingle

Jack, Leigh, and Tomi - 3 blokes on the town

My first cab ride!

We popped in and out of a couple bars and then ended up going to Crown - which is a hotel/casino/ with tons of clubs! Word to anyone coming to visit Australia, drinking is so expensive! A vodka/sprite (they call it vodka/lemonade) cost like $12! Another piece of advice is these people party hard! In Texas our bars close at 2AM and I barely could make it to 2AM... these clubs... I don't even know what time they close. At 3:30AM everyone was still going SO hard.... I decided to leave the girls and take a cab home by myself. After about a 15 min cab ride, I was home safely and rushed upstairs to go to bed! I must admit, it felt a bit weird to walk into someone else's house at that late of an hour. But Jodie has insisted, it is my home too and she just wants to know whatever I am doing I am safe.

First night in the city

 Day 2 of going out! Saturday morning I stayed in bed almost all day. It was nice to have the day off and not have to do anything. I had made tentative plans with some other Au Pairs in the area who I met off of the Au Pair Facebook group. It is a great place to connect with people who are doing the same thing you are doing!

I didn't sleep very well because I had just picked up a bad cough and after staying up so late, I didn't think I was going to be up for another big night. I talked to Jodie about my debate and she encouraged me to go out. She said, have it a go and see how you feel! You can always sleep all day tomorrow. Again, due to it being my 2015 resolution to say YES to things, I decided to go.

Around 5pm a South Carolina Au Pair named Bek kindly came to pick me up from my house! Her host family is away at the moment and so she had a nice big house to herself and didn't mind me coming over to get ready. Bek and I immediately clicked and I knew we would be fast friends!! When we got to her house there were two other girls there. Rochelle, an Au Pair from Nebraska, and Maddison, a native Aussie who is Au Pairing and going to school!

We ordered pizza to the house and started getting ready! It felt like a regular old girls night with my friends at a home. I completely connected with them and feel like I have true friends here! Only 1 week in, I feel pretty good!!

We started the night at a bar in town called the Bridge Hotel. It was pretty cool! Low key and more on the quiet side. After getting a drink we decided to move on to the Precinct Hotel, which was right around the corner.

Side note: It is a weird feeling to have no idea where I am going or am at all times. I am trying to understand the directions to places and look at maps, but it is all a bit confusing!

I LOVED the Precinct. There was a bar on one part of the room and then a live band on the other side. We quickly got drinks and made our way to the live music. It was a cover band playing great 90's music! With a group of 4 chatty girls, we were quickly and easily meeting people! I just had such a blast. We took a cab back to Bek's house and I didnt go to bed until like 5:30AM.

Side note: The Australian accent NEVER gets old. I met a bunch of guys that night and I just wanted to continue standing there awkwardly and not speak so I could just listen to them talk to me.... I LOVEEEEE IT

Maddison, Rochelle, and me!

Bek and me :)

Thanks for letting me borrow your black dress :)

American Kisses

American Gals take Oz

We met the cutest Harry Styles look alike. This pic does NOT do it justice. He was identical! And not to mention, he had a friend with him name Zayn! We were just missing Niall, Liam, and Louis ;)

Loveee Rochelle

Sunday morning, after a not so restful sleep due to my cough, we woke up and made our way to brunch at a Paleo cafe called Patch. We sat at the bar which was fun and torturous to watch them make all the food - I was so hungry! I ordered Eggs Benedict on Paleo bread and it was amazing!!!

Yummy Menu!

Maddison kindly dropped me back off at home after brunch and I caught up on FaceTime with Ford and the rest of the Hart Family. I caught this picture while Facetiming because Ruthie had asked Ford to come say good bye to me and give me a kiss. He shook his head no and began backing up. He went to his crazy coupe car and put his head down on it to pout. He is very into pouting right now and I just cannot get enough of it. I think it's so cute! It's like he got his feelings hurt for a second! Sweet boy :)

I took a good cat nap and then loaded up in the car with the Quick family for dinner at a Winery/Pizzeria. The Quicks had organized this dinner with 2 other families at a winery/pizzeria about an hour away. After a long drive we arrived and greeted the other families who were already sitting. Due to my late couple of nights I had, I stuck to water... no wine for me. But I did indulge in lots of pizza. Their pizza is different than ours - lots of meats on top, thin bread, more sauce... It was much better than any Domino's or Cici's Pizza I have had! It was a bit windy but a gorgeous evening. I managed to get some pictures with the kiddos!

Maddison (8 years old) and me

Madd and me!

Blake (12yrs), Madd (8 yrs), and Zoe (2yrs)

My kiddos! Xx

Always need to throw in a selfie :)

After we got back from the Pizzeria, I was BEAT! I needed a good rest ASAP. I quickly rushed to bed but was woken up around 2:30AM. My cough had spread to poor Madd and so Jodie called a doctor over in the middle of the night to check us out. Although we thought it was only viral, she wanted to double check before it got worse.

The doctor prescribed us both Amoxicillin and I went back up to sleep. In the morning, Jodie ran to grab our medications and dropped Madd and Blake off at two different play dates. Jodie owns her own travel agency and was going to go inspect a cruse ship that was at port in Melbourne today. Jodie's in laws live on St. Kilda Beach which is right where Jodie needed to go, so Zoe and I went along with and spent the day at "Grandma and Pa's house". At this point I had one dosage of my antibiotics but still was feeling terrible. Luckily, Grandma was taking good care of Zoe and insisted I go lay down. I ended up taking a 3 hour nap! As a gal that never gets sick, I am thinking it is a mixture of exhaustion, new climate, and my 24 hours I spent on an airplane. I am hoping I recover quickly, because this has completely knocked me down.

I must say, I feel completely and entirely blessed and lucky to have met the Quick family. They have made me feel so welcomed and taken care of me from the first second I stepped off the plane. I can see how having a good family here could make or break this experience and I just cannot stop thanking God for sending them into my life! I feel like I have hit the jackpot and have gained a forever family.

I am not sure what the rest of the week holds in store for me, but I know I will try and say YES to as much as I can!

I am still having the time of my life, missing my family and friends but have not been overwhelmed with homesickness. Of course I wish I could cuddle and kiss my Lovey girl and Doodle bug - but I know that I am having the experience of a lifetime and will become a better person for it :)

Hope everyone is well!!

xoxo,
Tomi