Laura and Peter Down Under: 2016 Plans and Random Things

I've been solely posting about our New Zealand trip lately, so I think it's time for some updates! I actually only have one or two more posts from our trip, which I'll complete this weekend. It's taken me awhile to get all of the New Zealand posts done mainly because Peter is working in the US this month, and I generally blog from his work computer, which he obviously took with him. I've been doing most of my blogging from my phone and our old computer, which has a large crack down the center that obstructs about an inch of screen (super annoying) and is pretty slow. My 2016 resolution is to buy a new laptop. This would have been an extremely attainable goal had Peter won the Powerball yesterday, but sadly, he did not. Shocking, I know. The odds were heavily in his favor. Alright, so here's a random collection of things that have been going on around here lately!

This Month So Far...

Peter left for Minneapolis on January 1st and got to spend a couple of days with family before heading to a meeting in Iowa. He then drove back up to Minneapolis for the weekend and got to attend the devastating Vikings game before flying down to Kansas City this week. He will be working there for the rest of January and should be home around February 1st, although I don't think his ticket has actually been purchased yet.

It's been a little weird being alone for this long, but I've kept busy with friends (thanks for basically adopting me, Lauren and Matt!!) and my sister and her roommate are coming to visit next week, so that will be eventful! They'll spend a week in Melbourne with me and then they're heading up to the Great Barrier Reef before ending their trip with a couple days in Sydney. I might meet back up with them in Sydney at the end of the month, but that's still TBD.

February and March Plans

We have a pretty packed schedule of visitors for the next few months, which is super exciting! Peter's parents are coming for three weeks in February and we are tagging along with them down the Great Ocean Road and then to Sydney. Then my family arrives in mid-March for a couple of weeks Down Under! We love showing visitors around Melbourne and it will be good to see everyone since we weren't home for Christmas.

Travel

We don't have a lot of travel planned yet this year, but we have booked to go to Japan at the end of April. We are really excited for this trip, as neither Peter nor I have been to Asia. Plus, everything I've ever heard about Japan is positive, so I've got high expectations. We fly in and out of Tokyo, and stay ten nights total, so suggestions for what to do there/other cities to visit would be appreciated if anyone has done a similar trip!

The only other travel I have planned is a trip home to Minneapolis for a couple of weeks in May/June. Peter will sadly have to work during that time, so I'll be doing the dreaded Melbourne-LAX flight alone again. Luckily, I've got a couple of really fun events to look forward to, so the flight will definitely be worth it! My brother's girlfriend is pregnant, and due to have the baby around May 18, and then I am in one of my very best friend's wedding the first weekend of June. I am so excited and can't wait to be home during such a fun and exciting time for both my family and friends!

2016 Plans

We haven't booked many trips this year because, frankly, we have no idea what we're doing. Our visas are set to expire in August (boo), but there has been some talk of an extension through the rest of the school year, which would probably be sometime in November. I'm hoping we get to stay as long as possible, and when we inevitably have to leave, we're planning to make a stop in Fiji or Hawaii on the way home to make it all a bit less painful ;).

The Apocalypse

So the world almost ended the other day. We've been having an extremely hot summer, like at least two days a week over 100F hot. I am not a warm-weather person and it's made infinitely more miserable by the utter lack of air-conditioned buildings in Australia. I've probably ranted about this multiple times on the blog, but I just can't deal. Even the places that are allegedly air-conditioned feel like a sauna. There's no relief! Anyway, two days ago was the hottest day in a couple of years, and my phone read 111F at one point, which basically means the world is ending in my book.

I have to admit, I didn't leave the apartment that day, except to head onto the balcony when a huge dust storm rolled in. I'm not kidding; the winds were insane and the visibility was awful. Lauren sent me this picture via Snapchat from her side of the building: