Hello, 2012

*Melissa*

Goodbye, 2011. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!! Don’t get me wrong – I think I have grown more on a personal level during 2011 than I ever have in any other given year before. But seriously – what a tough year!!

It’s impressive to think that merely 12 months ago, Chad and I were hunting ghosts in Portland’s downtown streets for my Birthday, wondering if we the Department of Justice was EVER going to get around to approving our Australia endeavor. And yet, now I find myself typing my blog posting while sitting on the most uncomfortable futon couch ever built by man, in our living room, in some other man’s home, 3 blocks from Brighton Beach, in Adelaide, South Australia. How time seems to fly.

After our entire day of calling home to family in the states for their Christmas, our minds switched over to the following week – my Birthday week – which Chad had been planning “surprises” for for months. But first we had to make the crossover into 2012.

We had big plans. After all, every other New Years has been rather dull. Sitting in Klamath Falls, freezing our tushes off. This year we were hoping to at least get in on the outskirts of the celebrations – maybe witness the fireworks spectacular from the sandy beach. The next day we had amazing plans to go see some platypuses – Platypi? - In the wild. Something I was overjoyed to do, and something even most Australians cannot claim to have seen!

The morning of the 31^st, however, I awoke with a groggy head, and rolled over to kiss a sick boyfriend good morning. Chad was miserable, with a chesty cough, sore throat, and a stuffy head. As the sun went down, it became clear that neither of us were in any shape to go anywhere, and to our dismay, we spent the New Year’s Celebration watching “PostMaster” on our AppleTV. I had hoped to feel better and still see my platypuses, but even the next day, we were hopelessly unwell.

As my Birthday stealthily approached, I nervously wished Chad better. After months of planning, and trying to keep every detail a surprise, it would be nothing short of a disaster to see it all ruined, and have to admit defeat to the common cold.