Back in the US of A

As avid readers of our blog I'm sure have noticed, its been a little quiet on www.tracyandcarl.com for a while. We arrived back in San Francisco in early April and its been non stop ever since. Between moving, doing some remodelling, setting up the nursery, Tracy's growing belly and Carl getting started on his new company there hasn't been a lot of time for pictures and blogging. However we found some time this weekend to get all caught up on the last few months of our Australia stay and some of what we've been up to since we've been back in Noe.

We're looking forward to seeing people we haven't seen yet, and are currently in count-down mode for the new arrival. Next time we post here, there will be three of us!

Love,

Tracy and Carl

40 Year Old Marriage

My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this year and it happened to be on Mother's Day so it made for a fun and eventful weekend up in Tahoe at their newly built house. The entire family had an amazing dinner at The West Shore Cafe on the lake and then the next morning we all cooked brunch for the moms and soon-to-be mom. The main attraction of the brunch were the ricotta pancakes from the Bill's Sydney cookbook. Yum Yum! Enjoy the pictures of the happy couple and also check out my ever growing basketball bump.

Leaving Oz

I guess all good things must come to an end. Saying goodbye is always hard but we made so many wonderful friends that we will see again so it was really just bye for now when we left Sydney. We had farwell drinks at a pub in Paddington prior to leaving and Carl had a going away dim sum (or as they say in Australia, yum cha) lunch with his co-workers. All the pictures are below as well as some additional ones from Chantal from our going away drinks that can be viewed here

We Made it to the Great Barrier Reef

Carl and I with our friend Michael spent our last week in Australia up in the great barrier reef on Hamilton island. It was an area of Australia we really wanted to see before we left, and Carl and Michael were excited to put their newly minted dive certifications to work while I snorkled (on the hunt for Nemo!). We also had the chance to hold koalas and go on a plane ride over the great barrier reef and to Whitehaven beach which is only accessible by boat or plane -- its the whitest sand we've ever seen. It was a very relaxing week before the chaos of the move, and a great conclusion to our Aussie adventure.

On A Different West Coast

Over Easter, we took a long weekend to travel to Australia's west coast and spent some time with friends in Perth and then spent a few days in the Margaret River -- one of Australia's well known wine regions. The scenery was fantastic with waves meeting the rolling vineyards along the coast, and Carl enjoyed having a designated driver so he could taste all the great wines.

Beach Baby BBQ

What better way to celebrate the upcoming birth of two babies than having a party at the beach. Our good friends Peter and Chantal were also pregnant and together we thought we'd throw a beach baby BBQ with lots of yummy food, beach games and friends. The weather was perfect for a mid March day and we had a fun time taking photos to capture the festivities. Our pictures are included here, and you'll find Chantal's masterful photos here.

Jane and Angus' Wedding Bells

On March 1, 2008 our good friends Jane and Angus tied the knot in Sydney. It was a glorious day with lots and lots of merriment, laughter and celebration. The speeches/toasts were among some of the best we have ever heard at a wedding. It was so much fun to be a part of their special day! Congrats again to Jane and Angus.