Remembering Grandma.

Today I would like to remember my Grandma B. It is her birthday today! She is dearly missed, but never forgotten. She was a wonderful, loving, caring and gracious woman. She always saw the good in everybody and everything!

These were the last pictures I took of her and Zech before she passed. I LOVE them and she was so happy to have everyone around. I am also posting a picture of Zech wearing the little outfit that she bought him for his Baby Shower. Aunty Elaine went shopping for her and she was so happy with what Aunty Elaine picked out. I remember her telling me that she just didn't have the energy to go shopping herself (she would have loved to), but she was so pleased with what Aunty Elaine picked out. I do feel so blessed that she got to meet Zech.

Happy Birthday MOM!!

Just want to send out Birthday wishes to my MOM. I hope you had a wonderful day MOM!! Big hugs and kisses from us all, especially slobbery ones from Zech. We Miss YOU!!

A Wonderful Day!

Today we had a really great day. We went to church and after church we went to the Hahn's place for lunch. Rob and Kirrily Hahn have three kids, Jasmine (8), Blake (4) and Ambur (2 days older than Zech). We met the Hahn's one of the first times we went to church and Kirrily and I quickly discovered that we have a lot of the same interests. She is huge into scrapbooking and I have been dying to get some done, plus her husband Rob runs all of the Rabbit Photo's in Australia.

Rabbit Photo was just bought by Fuji, but it is basically like a Black's, only better. The target audience is scrapbooking mothers. The prices are great (especially if you become a Gold Member), the quality is really good and they are flexible (which is great for us scrapbookers, wanting all sorts of poses and different sizes of photos). Plus their booths in the store are super mom/kid friendly. Underneath each kiosk there is a little TV and a bench like seat so the kids can watch cartoons while Mom is busy picking out pictures and placing an order. This was Rob's idea, and I think it is a wonderful idea!

Anyways, I have went to some classes with Kirrily and we have had some scrapbooking dates at her place. Yesterday we had lunch and after lunch we put all of the kids to bed and then us gals scrapbooked and the boys did some gaming. Rob and John get on really great too and share a common interest in games! It was great!

When the kids woke up, Zech was really in his glory playing with everyone. Blake and him were really good buds! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and Kirrily's camera's batteries died right when we were going to get some great photos. I will have to get some of them, this family has been a real blessing in our lives. It is people like the Hahn's who have made things so much easier and who will make it hard to leave.

I did finally finish a layout from a class that we took. I really like how it turned out and I learned SO MUCH!!! It may be hard to see the colours, but the background is a dark chocolate brown and I should give credit, but I have no idea what company the stuff came from. Also the photos are not fuzzy like they appear. I had to take a picture of the layout and I think because of the flash, it left a bit of a fuzzy reflection.

MY FAVOURITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH IS....

Yes you guessed it.....my sweet little boy Zechariah.

We have kept him couped up inside for a while now due to the high winds and torrential rains, but yesterday the sun was out and we spent most of the afternoon outside. A perfect chance for me to experiment with my camera and work on angles (following Heather's advice here at

Pick of the Patch).

It was so funny to watch Zech, he was so excited to be outside. You could tell that he hadn't been out in a while!

So here are a few photos of my favourite subject:

Giving speaches and he loves to use that finger!

Just taking a break.

My favourite picture. I love the angle, the black and white and of course just how cute he looks!

Just inspecting the car to make sure it is working properly!

What child can resist water!

After a long, hard day of play, bedtime was a happy time. He loves sleeping with his puppy and I just had to get a picture of him. I have never seen him sleep like this before, the puppy is usually beside him--not under him!

I WANT MY DUMMY

These pictures were taken right after Christmas, but I just had to share them. I don't think that Zech is ready quite yet to give up his Dummy (australian for soother). In fact when he is teething it is the only thing that will soothe him and help his sore little mouth. This is a scrapbook layout for sure and I think it will have to come out at his wedding (many, many years down the road)! :o)

A little break.....

We needed to take a little break, so Tuesday morning we spontaneously decided to head to Fraser Island. We had heard a lot about this Island and on the weekend John's cousins even suggested we check it out.

So off we went. Before we left we checked the weather. It has been raining here like crazy. Tuesday and today (Wednesday) were supposed to be the only good days this week and the rest of the week we were to brace for more Monsoon rains and a possible Cyclone.

We bought a GPS when we first arrived here (a marriage saver)! It is supposed to find us the quickest route, well the quikest route was 4x4ing on some pretty rough roads. We were on pavement when all of a sudden it ended and it was rough going ahead for a long way. So we turned around and decided it would be best to find an alternate route since we don't own a 4x4 and we really did not want to wreck our car. So back on the road (pavement), we made it to our destination a little later than we expected, but we did get to see some really neat terrain!

Rainbow Beach was our first stop. The sun was shining, the beach was beautiful and we were tired and poor little Zech needed to burn off some energy. So right out of the car and unto the beach. Zech went nuts! He LOVES the water. He really has no fear of it and kept going further and further. The waves would knock him over and even submerge him and he didn't cry, he just wanted to keep on going. The water was unbelievable. It was like we were in a nice hot bath! It was awesome!

Due to the wicked weather we have had, most of the sand on the beach was washed away. This was supposed to be a gradual sloping walk way to the beach. The waves have been so violent, the beaches all up the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast have been closed.

We spent the night in Rainbow Beach and were going to try and head across to Fraser Island the next morning. When we looked the Island up on the net and there seemed to be a lot of things to see on the Island. However, once we got talking to the locals, only 4x4's are allowed on the Island. It is the world's largest Sand Island. So we could either spend a lot of money and take a tour (they are really not cheap and it lasted all day--hard with a baby) or we could rent a 4x4. In the end we chose neither. We drove up to the point (Inskip) and had a wonderful, relaxing time on the quiet, undisturbed beach. It really was beautiful.

Zech's walking stick....

We left just in time. As we started driving, it started pouring. We were going to stop at another favourite place (Noosa Beach) on the way back home, but it did not stop raining. So the Monsoon is back. The weather here has been a little crazy, lots of flooding, fires down South due to the heat, really strange. But here they are suffering from a 10 year drought (so they tell us) and there are some pretty heavy water restrictions in place. We just heard yesterday that one of the dams is now completely full and they want to release some water for fear of flooding. This is good news--we think!

A pit stop on the way home to get a picture of the Ettamogah Pub. It is a famous Pub that appears in a lot of calendars, books, etc. of Australia.

The Announcement

This was the email that my DH sent off this morning. This has not been an easy decision, nor was it an easy decision to move here in the first place. I do hope that people understand a little about the situation we are faced with. The main reason we came to Australia was for John's Schooling and everything has changed. I hope that people can see that we have truly opened our hearts and poured everything out through this email (especially my DH who was so excited to come here and has been so dissappointed that nothing has worked out). We are being open and honest.

We did receive a very harsh response to this email that completely and utterly attacked us and the decisions we made. That is why I am writing this. We are not whining about Australia, we think it is a very beautiful country and would love to come back again for a visit someday, but to live here, it is simply not possible right now,(We have been through a lot of struggles and after having lived in 5 different countries now, I do have an idea as to what to expect, how to prepare, etc., but this completely blindsighted us). I have been in tears most of the morning because of this attack. These people, who we thought were our friends, were ruthless and down right insulting and said a lot of hurtful things. They clearly do not know us that well and nor do they want to. So please read our announcement below with the understanding that we are simply trying to figure out God's will and follow God's plan for our lives. We still maintain that God brought us here for a reason and as John says we have learned some valuable, valuable lessons! We have had to swallow a lot of pride, admit we were wrong in some areas, and put our tail between our legs and head down and come back to Canada.

The email:

From the very first moment we arrived in Australia (whether it was the first arrival into Sydney, or the dark decent into Brisbane later that evening) it's beauty has been tarnished because of the enormous difficulty we have gone through.

When studying about Australia, before we made our move, we along with others agreed that Oz would be the smart move for our young family. The land was cheap, the beaches golden, the outdoor lifestyle to be totally envied and the benefits to the new Australian: manifold. So, with much prayer and consideration, downsizing, selling etc etc etc....we began our preparation for the exodus (not that I am comparing Canada to Egypt).

What I didn't take into consideration is Australia's 'camelion' nature. Years ago I tried to become part of the lucrative business world of exporting American trucks to Australia. Along with another Australian (who eventually doublecrossed me and tried to run with the business by himself after we had fueled each other with info we had collected) we began, well, I began phoning customs Australia, insurrance companies, mechanics, importers....the list goes on. I eventually got to the point where I was ready to start shipping. Within the three months I was getting things together, Australia implemented a number of new regulations that would now prohibit me from supplying the Australian public with the "red-neck-Porches" that were selling for inbetween 80-110 G's. "FLUSH!!!!"

Since then, regulations have changed a number of times...AGAIN. This is our story today. Australia originally supplied it's citizens with free post secondary education (so long as your marks were decent enough to prove you were willing to continue good study habits). This eventually dicipated to a thing called Oz-study (the government would basically pay you some money to take care of bills as long as you were in full time studies). Myself (John) being a duel citizen (Australian/Canadian), was totally qualified to receive Oz Study. Well, once again Australia changed policy and legislated the "residency" clause. To receive any Australian benefits, you must have been in the country for a minimum of 104 weeks, even...if .....you....are..a.....citizen! This new policy has pretty well squashed any hopes of staying in Australia for this sect of Gooches.

Service and the Economy

The economy, in Australia is booming, but there is a total lack of infrastructure. People are generally very friendly, but that's it. To get anything done, or to receive any correct sum of information it takes no less than six sessions with six different people (government institutions are oblivious to their need to know what the "blankety blank" their policies are, and to be able to relay that information to those in need.....it's mind boggling!). Private businesses or institutions just don't care......if you don't buy, someone else will....so buggar off Yank! Which brings me to another problem, our accent. Constantly mistaken for Americans, we have suffered scorn and predjudice. Recently at a store, a young girl asked Vanessa where she was from, V said Canada, and the girl said, good, if you were an American the price would have gone up. This is just one example. This has also made it hard for me to get work. I have applied for numerous jobs in retail and been turned down for the stupidest reasons. On my resume are three examples of Managerial positions I've had, and yet my responses have been (in writing) that I'm over qualified?!

The housing market is ridiculous. Australia was voted (National Australian Newspaper and by the Department of Ausralian Immigration) the most expensive place to live in the world. For us to buy a small house in a decent area means a $3000 mortgage payment per month. For us this would mean , myself working full time and going to school, Vanessa working (once the bungle of her residency paperwork is worked out....who knows when and how!) full time and dropping Zech into a super pricey daycare four to five days a week. Really, it seems our quality of life would completely take a drop if we were to stay here. Family would come last and for the next five to six years we would only pass each other like ships in the night. The list of problems we have faced have been daily.....yes I said daily! We live on the Gold Coast of Australia and yet 'for the life of me' I'm having a hard time enjoying it. Now monsoon season has arrived and we are stuck inside packing. Yes, packing....we are coming back to Canada.

Now "ye of little faith" may say, I thought you said God was leading you there. And I would reply "COME OUT SATAN!" Haha, no I'm just kidding (well maybe some of you). We, to this moment, even after the wasted moving money, the piles of paperwork and the numerous frustrating circumstances......look at this as a blessing. Yes that means we still believe God meant us to come here. I have had this problem, ever since conception, of wanting to be somewhere else. Where I've been, has never been as good as where I could be. If we would not have moved to Australia, I guarantee you that I would be moaning about how much better life in Australia is and we should have moved there and and and.... I think I am finally ready to settle the family down in one spot, cut my lawn, beat my dog and pee in the bushes I planted five years ago (after moving back from Australia) in...my...yard. One of the other reasons we do believe this move was God's will, was numerous untold circumstances in which God completely came through in miraculous ways that in no way could be chalked up as coincidence. You'll hear more about this face to face when we see you next.

Now, when we left, I had written Canada off. I still believe Canada has huuuuuuuge problems, and if it doesn't decide on a national identity (not a barf stew of cultures) for those who claim 'Canadianship'.....then we might as well fly the American flag at our city halls.....'nough said!!!! So hello once again Canada. UBC Okanogan is now my choice of academic institutions as they have agreed to accept 18 courses I had considered wasted from 11 years ago that no other institution in Australia would credit me. Well I could go on about bad and good things, but I guess you can see a bit more into our situation. This move will be the way we will continue to put family first as concerning quality of life for the Gooches.

We will be back this year....could be sooner.....could be later........

Love The Gooches in Australia.