Newcastle Airport

We're on our way to the Gold Coast/ Surfers Paradise, Queensland. Wyatt has a course on Saturday but apart from that we're just going to relax and enjoy a new place. Monday is a holiday here, so we're renting a car Sunday and driving down the coast to a place called Hat Head(!) to meet some friends and do a night of camping.

Proud Mudders!

After almost 5 hours of mud, sweat, laughter, pain and exhaustion,  For Muds Sake crossed the finishing line of Tough Mudder Sydney as a team!  I think this is the one of the most physically challenging things I've ever done (I'm yet to give birth).  Our team was so good and we all pushed, dragged and pulled each other through.  There is no way I could have completed it without them.  Wyatt was by my side encouring me through the whole race.  The first 10km were fine and despite some tough obstacles like dirty ice baths, it was ok and I was thinking this was all a piece of cake.  How wrong was I? It got tougher and tougher and outside of the obstacles there were plenty of muddy stretches to get through which meant we were all covered in mud 80 percent of the race.  Wyatt's sore toe and ankle got really bad after the first half but he braved it and struggled through the rest of it.

The obstacles on their own weren't too bad, but when you're tired, wet, muddy and covered with bruises and scratches it gets tough. I was definitely pretty scared climbing the obstacle called the "Berlin Wall".  There were two of them, one very high and one high:) We only have pictures of the small one, but you get the idea.  The "Mud Mile" was a stretch of really sticky mud that sucked you in so badly (yes, there are a lot of different mud types!) that it would take a couple of people to pull you out.

I'm not going to bore you by going through all the obstacles, but I have to mention the very last one. To make our sore and tired bodies suffer even more, they made us run through electrical wires for the few meters.  It was painful.  Wyatt caught a bad one and fell with a few meters left...

So, what's the verdict?  The Though Mudder is tough and muddy.  It didn't leave me as physically exhausted as a really long hilly run for example, but was still somehow so much more of a challenge.
I'm incredibly sore and stiff today.  I had mud absolutely everywhere yesterday; in the crack of my 
arse, in my bellybutton, under my cuticles?! (nagelband) etc.  I don't think I would do it again but I'm 
damn proud of myself and our team! 

Tough Mudder

Tomorrow is a big day for us. Months ago Wyatt and I signed up to participate in Tough Mudder, a 20km army designed obstacle course. We had decided not to do it when the suggestion first was made, but we have some very persuasive friends... Those of you who know me well, know that this is completely out of character for me. I'm not the type who enjoy punishing myself by crawling in mud, climbing 4m high walls and run through fire... But I guess it's good to get out of your comfort zone at times and I'm sure it will be a great experience!

So tomorrow at 10.30 For Muds Sake (our team) will be on the starting line terrified but excited!!

Here's a link to the course and it's obstacles if you want to have a look!

http://toughmudder.com.au/events/sydney/sydney-course-map-2012/

Newcastle

I went in to Newcastle yesterday to do a few errands, and felt really nostalgic. Seeing all the places we use to go to and the bustling of a city made me miss the place... Then again, Nelson Bay with its wildlife, stunning beaches and cosy little town centre is not so bad either!

Wyatt came in to Newcastle after work and we had dinner at one of our favourite restaurants, Goldbergs. Beautiful simple dishes with fresh ingredients.

The Weekend

We had our first meal for the season out on the balcony Saturday night. It was a bit too chilly but we braved it:)

Sunday was a nice lazy day. We spent a couple of hours on the beach with friends. Wyatt and Jarvis did some surfing, Wyatts second attempt so far in Australia, while the rest of us relaxed on the beach! Lunch after that at Anna Bay tavern and then some more relaxing but on the balcony this time... Not much work got done, but it doesn't really matter. The yard with all it's dead leaves will still be there next weekend, or the weekend after...

Back to blogging

Hello everyone! Sorry about the long break from blogging.  The last few weeks have been a bit tumultoues.  Wyatt's grandpa Ken passed away a couple of weeks ago at the age of 96.  Despite his age it's still a bit of a shock and very sad of course.  Wyatt spoke to him the day before he passed and we take comfort in the fact that he was in good spirits until the very end and that he passed away peacefully sitting in his chair.  He's hopefully in a better place now with his beloved Vicky.

The weather has finally turned and spring is in the air! The nights aren't quite as cold and we had a spur of hot weather the other day with 26 above! As if to remind us it's still early spring it's now back to a more comfortable 18... We haven't really been up to an awful lot lately. Wyatt have been working quite a lot lately to cover for some odd days off in the next few months.  We had our friends Lauren, Jarvis and their little Jayda over for a games night last weekend. We had a bbq, some drinks and a couple of card games.  Wyatt went to a Christmas in July party (an Aussie thing?) which I unfortunately missed since I was sick with a cold/flu. They did a secret Santa, for those of you not familiar with the concept: everyone gets a person allocated to them who they then have to buy a gift for.  My very suitable gift was a Wedding magazine for some inspiration!  Talking of weddings, we've been doing some planning with the help of my parents, tack mamma och pappa! and will hopefully confirm dates and venue any day now! Exiting and also a weight off our shoulders having the major parts covered.  A lot of fun planning ahead now!