Denver..... that mysterious allure

Denver International Airport

What is it about this town? Even before I moved to the USA 7 years ago the town had a place in my mind of somewhere I'd like to be. I am not really sure why.

Maybe it has something to do with the "wild frontier" or maybe it has something to do with fantastic ski slopes around the area, or maybe it is just the incredible magnificence of the mountains rising out of the plains.

Whatever IT is, Denver seems to be a special place in my mind. This time before leaving Australia, I felt a strong draw to the place.... stronger than in the past but decided first to try Boise, ID and then figured that, seeing how we were being re-routed to Kansas City we would try there too.

Now, 3 weeks later than expected but no doubt on God's timetable we have arrived at the destination of choice.....

Having been here for a week now we have had one interview and several interested parties so I am hopeful for a job very soon. Of course,.... God willing in all this, we will make Denver our home for the next while

How long is a "while" one may ask? Well, once again it all depends on God and his plan for us as a family. I personally would like to be here for at least 5 years to get some experience in my field behind me, from that point I'd like to make the world my oyster.

Take Two.....

After about 3 weeks at Kansas City and not much hope of a paid position in my field we decided to pack up the camp and move again to the original destination.... Denver.

We came with good intentions and high hopes to Kansas City.

Arriving in the weeks before Sandy's passing, we temporarily set-up shop at Danny and Sharons house and started applying for work in the Kansas City area. Initially we came up with a couple of really good leads and looked like one especially was really gonna take off and give us a great opportunity at a company called Ellerbe Beckett.

In terms of career, this office would have been superb. In 5 years, I could have gained the experience here to take me anywhere. Unfortunately, due to the tussle between head office and the local office it was not to be. Head office would not cough up the funds to employee the newbie (ie. me). As it stands the local office is still trying to get funding but being resisted so we had to look at other options.

Out of the many, many applications I sent in the Kansas City area I only had the one tete-a-tete interview. everything else was either a no response or a quick phone call in response to the email.

We thank Dee's brother Danny and sister-in-law Sharon for their hospitality and sharing their house for the time we were with them and hope to reciprocate that one day soon when we finally get settled with our own place again.

A beautiful Sunday in Idaho

In the midst, of all the effort and turmoil of life right now with job searching and family crises we had a nice little outing to Sheila's folks place in the Owyhee Mountains. We hope you enjoy the pictures we took that day......

Emergency detour......

Unfortunately as many of you are already aware, Dee's sister Sandy is very ill with cancer. After I made the last post we got the call to come visit Sandy, ASAP.

So we hired a van and loaded our stuff (which surprisingly fit...thankyou God) and hit the road. Mapquest, google and yahoo maps estimated the trip to be 18 hrs and about 20 mins...... 26 hours later we rolled into Quentin and Sandy's.

The road across Kansas was the worst and to boot I had to fight a cross wind the entire drive across Kansas. Simply put, the amount of petrol we used to get across Kansas was outrageous b/c of the wind.

Sandy was in good spirits but nonetheless is in very poor health and we are just praying that God reaches down and brings a miracle to his glory.

When you think of them, pray for Sandy, Quentin and their 5 children going through this valley of the shadow. All your prayers are gladly received and appreciated.

Next Stop ....... Denver

As the sun broke on another glorious Idaho day we made the decision to move on to Denver where it seems the jobs are in more abundance.

While still in Australia, there seemed to be some good jobs on offer here in Boise but on arrival the job market changed and while jobs are plentiful there don't seem to be the Drafting jobs we had hoped for. Short of actually going door to door with resume in hand and hoping to fall into someone's good graces, I have applied to as many jobs as I could find here.

Having now applied to positions all over the USA, inclusive of Casper WY, Hobe Sound FL, Portland OR, Vancouver WA and several places in Colorado. It seems the job market in the USA is very much about being in the locale of the job. In Australia, it doesn't matter so much. By applying for a job out of state or further away, it automatically indicates that you're prepared to move or relocate.

The perception I am getting here in the US is that, even if you tell people that you are prepared to move they would still prefer to hire someone in the locale area even if the out-of-towner is more experienced, b/c it becomes a hassle to relocate the individual or wait for them to relocate.

Anyhow, we are on the move again.

During our stay here in the Nampa / Boise area, I have met many good folks and Dee has caught up with many folk that she has not seen in many years. We have enjoyed the bible study group we got involved in and the ministry that we received at BOISE FIRST church.

Duane and Sheila Taylor kindly opened up their home to us for the 2 1/2 weeks we have been here. Ashley their eldest daughter, gave up her room so that we had a place to all bunk down for the night. We fully appreciate the kindness we have been shown by the Taylors and everyone else too, inviting us to visit or eat with them.

I went to my first college football game between Boise State and the New Mexico Aggies. I was a complete stomping by BSU at 57 - 0. After having been to the game I think I came away with a better understanding of American Football but I still prefer Aussie rules because it moves faster and the game has more potential of a higher score, more action, thrills and spills. Besides this I would rate soccer over American football too.

Also I was lucky enough to be in town when the christian music group, Casting Crowns were performing. Duane, Terry, Mark, myself and several others went and had a really good, blessed time. As one of the others mentioned, their songs are sermons in and of themselves and I think that's why so many people like their music. They are to the point and don't pull any punches but at the same time they don't point the finger, they simply highlight the issue and then let the Spirit work on your heart via the music.

Travel all over the countryside....

Well, the time has arrived and so have we.

On October 5 in the late afternoon we boarded a plane for the USA. Once on board and in the air we settled down for the lohg haul to Honolulu (10hr 20min). Owen fell asleep during take-off but woke to eat as soon as we laid him in the bassinet. Once fed, he then went back to sleep for 5 hours.

Chloe hopped from seat to seat b/c there were several around us that were empty which was nice. Still, b/c we had the bulkhead seats, the arms didn't fold away which made it difficult for Chloe to spread out to sleep. She finally managed to get about 2 hours but this wasn't nearly enough.

After arriving in Hawaii, we had to collect all 7 cargo bags, add them to our 6 carry-ons and transfer to the Hawaiian airline terminal. this in and of itself was not a problem but with this much luggage and a stroller to boot, we found a helping hand which was most welcome.

We waited in the queue to check-in at Hawaiian only to get to the front and be told we had to send our bags through the "Agricultural scanner". So through a crowded terminal I am pushing 2 heavily loaded carts to the BACK of the line over to the "Agri-scan" area, where I have to off-load and then reload the bags. I get back to the front of the line and AGAIN have to offload and reload the bags after weighing in. Then push the carts to the "other area" for security screening. I think for the course of the trip to Boise I lifted about 1500lb.

It was a lot of work but definitely worth it. Even with the extra bag fees and overweight fees that we paid, we still ended up saving over $1000 dollar by purchasing our tickets independently, for each leg of the trip.

Staying at Portland, OR overnight was a big help for all of us and we felt more refreshed the next day for our final leg to Boise, ID. At the Boise airport we were met by Duane and Sheila Taylor and their kids Ashley, Alex and Nicki. The Taylors have kindly put us up for the next few weeks while we try to get settled and find work.

So far, I've had one interview with good potential and applied for several jobs which I am waiting to hear back from. So we do ask that you pray for us and that God leads us to the place we should be and the work I should be doing for him.

Weather has been nice so far but cool today. Jobs are plentiful is most of the US but there are several places I'd rather not go and that is mostly out east and south. We are doing well and have pretty much flipped over to the right time zone now.

Now we're ready for the next step.

GO CATS!!!

Today was the grand final of the Australian Rules Football season and the Geelong team (CATS) were the premiership winners. It has been 44 years since the Cats won a title and there have been several near misses over the last couple of years.

They managed to win the game in fine style with the largest winning FINALS margin in the history of the game and the game has been played since about 1852.

Owen was born in a premiership year and I am proud to announce that he watched the game enthused. We are all very pleased that it has finally happened and we can celebrate instead of commiserate.

Destined for foreign shores....

Our time in Australia is fast drawing to a close. We arrived here with plans and dreams for grandiose things and were praying and hoping for God's blessing upon all of it. While our stay here in Australia has not been what we had entirely hoped it, has been a successful venture in many ways.

As expected, Dee and I have gone through trials that come when we walk the roads lesser travelled. It is the kind of thing that either draws you closer or drives a wedge between AND really brings out the base emotions, feelings and attitudes. You can't hide, there is no veil that goes between to cover the little differences.

In regard to our marriage and relationship it has been a tremendous success. Dee and I have had several deep discussions that reach into the heart and make one look at motive, love and desire.

In regard to my working life and where I feel I should be I have come closer to discovering my ultimate goal in life. I have learned that there is still the possibility to "learn on the job" and that some folks are still willing to give "a fair go".

I have learned a new computer program that I may have otherwise not had a chance to learn and advance my drafting skills and design knowledge. While I had the fundatmentals of how a building fit togather I have now learned why "this is that way" and "that, is this way". I know the measures of what things should be and how and where they should be placed in relation to other things.

On October 5, we will be headed back to the USA. Our first stop will be Hawaii, we need to collect our bags and transfer them to the Hawaiian airlines terminal ourselves. This is a result of having booked our fares independently of each other but this also saved us a great deal of money. Next stop is Portland, OR where we have hotel for the night and catch a flight next afternoon to our Boise, ID destination.

It would have been nice to stay for a full Summer here in Australia because there is a lot more that goes on here during that part of the year, including the Australian Tennis Open, the Cricket, all kinds of concerts and performances at a variety of venues, some free, some not. There is always a huge variety of places to eat including (but not limited to), Mediterranean, Lebanese, Italian, Nepalese, Greek, Chinese, Indian, French and of course, Australian has now developed its own distinctive style.

A meal at an Australian restaurant might include, an entree of a dozen fresh oysters or 6 Morton bay bugs followed by a main meal of seared kangaroo over garlic fried grated potato or fillet of Barramundi grilled and served with a tantalising sauce. For the final dessert course, you are likely to find a pavlova serving for one, an unimaginably large souffle with a berry coulis or if you are very lucky you will find Peach Melba. Done right this dessert will defy anything you ever thought it could be.

The other day Dee and I ate lunch at Angelucci's on Chapel. (For those uneducated in the Australian way, when something becomes well known, we no longer use "Street, Drive or any other designation cos' everyone just knows what you're talking about). All we had were panini's but they were delicious. Mine consisted of a lightly toasted 8" bun, with sliced lamb (about 1/8" thick) drizzled with Tzatiki and topped with thinly sliced and grilled eggplant and olives. A side of hot chips and small salad. The filled bun was then cut in 3 sections, skewered and served with the rest.

We went and surveyed some of my stone cutting handiwork in the Jam factory cinema complex. Many years ago I worked as a stone cutter and I cut the stone for the steps leading upto the cinemas in the Jam Factory..... Pink "stone" that had a "jam" look about it, I guess. (not my choice, I just cut it).

There are several places to visit in Melbourne if one is looking for great food and shopping, these are Chapel Street, Toorak Road, Lygon Street, Collins Street among others. Deanna spotted a "boulangerie/pattiserie" in Toorak road that she has visited twice now for "divine" pastries. I also introduced Dee to a small cafe, in Geelong down a side street that if you blinked you'd miss but has some of the best food in town.... very classy.... one of her fav places to go.

To say the least, we have enjoyed our stay here but now it is time to move on and find new pastures. We hope to find the place we will call "home" for many years to come but of course, that all boils down to God's will and where he leads, we will follow.

The newest spark.....

It has been a while since I visited here. That is how life goes sometimes. We get dragged away to attend lifes little necessary moments and before we know it those little moments have accumulated into a whole bunch of time gone by and we wonder how we could have missed it.

Our little family has been busy with the addition of our latest little spark and we're trying to organise the last things here in Australia before skating back to the USA for a change of scenery.

Owen has been growing like a weed (or maybe even 2 weeds) and lets us know in no uncertain terms that he is in need of something, be it food, a change or just some love and attention. He is six weeks old now and just received his first passport.

These are some of the latest pics of our Owen who many have begged "please post".

And life takes a new turn,..... again.

Well, as Chloe says,... "it took a lot of days for the baby to come out" but it has finally happened. After a day trip to a little country cafe about 1/2 hour from where we live, we made our way slowly back through the countryside past farms and vineyards and little country stores.

Stopping several times along the way, Dee had contrations of varying degrees continually throughout the day and even having to stop to let the pain come and go sometimes. Late afternoon came and the onset seemed a little more regular but still not enough to call the hospital.

After dinner though, Dee had her shower and we got Chloe bathed and in bed. About 9pm the contractions really started in earnest regularity by 9:30pm they were 5 to 7 minutes apart and by 11pm they were 3-5 minutes apart, and I told Dee "I AM calling the hospital".

We got in around 11:30-ish and Dee really started into hard labour, the last stretch of the journey, hardly able to catch a breath or get a sip of water before the start of the next wave of contractions. The water broke in the middle of a contraction at about 1:15am with a pop and a gush and the baby's head was crowning!!! The doctor walked in 5 minutes before the baby was born and guided the final stage to completion.

Baby was born 9lb 2oz, at 1:31am, on August 5th, 2007. We named him "Owen Blake".

Everyone is doing well and Owen has an appetite that could instill fear in a grown man. The nurses told us that, if he ate once in the first 24 hours he was fine but he decided not to lose any time and fed 10 times in the first 24 hours. It's not a wonder that he was born 9lb 2oz when he shows us how he eats now.

Spiritual is as Spiritual does.

Shortly after arriving in Australia, one of the first things on our "to do" list was find a church to attend and feel we could be refreshed at on a weekly basis.

Having looked online for several weeks before leaving one of the places I found was a church called Kardinia Chistian Church (http://www.kardinia.org.au/). We looked at some others too but after checking out the others in person, it really felt right at KCC.

Besides that, Chloe also let us know that KCC was her favourite also. After attending one of our other picks on a different Sunday, as we got back in the car, Chloe asked...... "Where is "our" BLUE church? Are we going to go back to "our" blue church?? I hadn't even realised that the outside of the church which could be described as a BLUE CONCRETE box, was indeed blue.

OUR BLUE CHURCH!!! THIS IS PASTOR RICK!!

We assured her that we liked that church too and it has been our spiritual sanctuary since having arrived.

In the last couple of weeks we have missed some Sundays due to the fact that Dee has been in too much discomfort with the baby being so low and having multiple contractions when she wakes in the morning. Needless to say though, we thoroughly enjoy going to hear the music and the messages and will miss the church when we go back to the USA.

The little detours of life...

Yes, we all have those moments of deja-vu and today I experienced yet another. Six years ago, Deanna was visiting me and my family for the first time in Australia. I had taken her to most the places we could go and her trip was coming to an end. On the night I proposed to her, I took her down to the Geelong waterfront, to a place where you can see the city lights and out across Corio Bay... there on the steps leading to the Beach House restaurant we got engaged. ((Photo's to be posted soon)) Twice during her first visit I tried to book a romantic evening at the Beach House but unfortunately both those nights were on a Monday and then, as now, the restaurant is closed on Monday's. Tonight though (Friday), on the eve of our 6th wedding anniversary I finally got to take her to experience the ambience and the view of the "The Beach House". Mind you we had a child in tow and one on the way but it was good food and wonderful service that made for a pleasant evening. Although Chloe was tired and a little restless, (after several comments of "how many 'seconds' does it take to get some ice-cream") we managed to make it through the evening without any fuss. Her good manners were rewarded with a dessert of a big bowl of ice-cream that also had 2 chocolate frogs, chocolate topping (syrup) and 2 candy snakes. Dee (Salmon ravioli in seafood broth) and I (char-grilled pork chops with veggie stack) enjoyed our meal immensely and the young lady that served us was pleasant, gracious and prompt. This restaurant comes highly recommended by me and any who have a chance to visit Geelong should without doubt make every effort to spend a pleasant evening.

.....and the cassions go rolling along.

The weekend came and the weekend has gone but unfortunately we have still not been able to shake the youngest member of our family from his tree. He continues to push and shove, indicating to us that he is getting very cramped in his tiny world but obviously he isn't using those newly formed nails of his to scatch his way out.

What we do know about this chunk (estimated weight at 4 weeks to due date is 7-8lb) is that he loves to eat. Every time we go get an ultrasound, he is swallowing fluid continually. Dee and I have been doing all we know to do to get the young blighter to swing on his vine out of the tree. This includes long walks, foot and ankle rubbing, and gentle verbal coaxing (directing him in what he is supposed to do... all to no avail.

Dee is at the point of ....."just bring on the labour, already". Apart from this she is in good health and looking forward to the eventual birth. At least my boy had the consideration of hanging off until I was done with my REVIT training.

New tricks for the old dog

Well, it has been an interesting week here in Oz.

Dee and I thought that the baby was gonna come early on Monday night with him making his presence felt in more ways than can be told. In any case, Dee is still in "one piece" and now 3 days later we the little fella is still letting mum know that he really wants out.

I spent Monday at work and then 3 days doing REVIT training (CAD) in Melbourne which was a nice break from the office but I had to sacrifice the pillow an hour earlier than I like to so as to get to Melbourne on time for class. I really enjoyed the class and a think it has put alot of things together for me which I knew piece of and how they operated but not how they interacted with each other. I am now inspired to go and start drawing things for myself and who knows,... once I get some more speed up I may even be able to do freelance work on the side.

One part of the course I really liked was the concept modelling and the designer aspect of the program which is really very amazing. Soon (apparently) Autodesk is going to replace the "Accu-render" rendering engine with 3ds max which shouild vastly improve the rendering quality and also the time it takes. Mind you, the computer needed to run such a program will need to be stronger too and no doubt Autodesk will increase the price of their programs for the better product they are creating.

If you are interested in seeing what the REVIT program can do, go to

http://www.revitcity.com/ (or take a look at the demo on the Auto desk website) and look at the "gallery" section located along the top of the home page. Some of the pictures have an almost animation quality but many have a very real photographic quality that could, in some instances, be mistaken for real photos.

My bet is that I will be a father to a boy by the weekend but of course, as always, it is all in Gods time.

Givin' it a fair-dinkum Aussie go

Shortly after our arrival in Australia. We started making efforts to get settled and make a go of things. We left the USA having sold our house and put all of our worldly possessions into a 10x20 storage shed. Let me tell you 10x20 doesn't sound like much but it sure is a far cry from the 9 boxes that I came to the USA with 7 years ago. Still it gives me comfort that I obviously have not become too materialistic if I can fit everything our little family owns in a 10x20 space. As I began to explain in the last post....us humans with our grandiose plans for our own lives don't always fall in line with that which God has planned for us, I did pray for wisdom and guidance about our move here AND I asked the Lord to make it difficult for us if this was not mean't to be. To that end I have to say, it hasn't been impossible but it surely hasn't been the garden stroll it appeared that it might be. As we prepared for the move, I looked at the work availability in the AutoCAD drafting field in Australia and the jobs seemed to be profuse. Far outnumbering the people available to fill them and so I felt confident that I could land work quickly and get us off to a flying start. Well that weren't so. I took me a full 4 months to find work. In Australia, I have been able to claim unemployment even though I haven't lived here for the last 7 years, so that at least was a little help coming in as our savings dwindled to nothing. I also got some "family assistance" to help with Chloe because she is an Australian Citizen through me. (Dee never qualified due to her not bing citizen or we would have got a little more). I started working in Melbourne at a firm called SmithMadden group (http://www.smithmadden.com.au/). These guys are an interior design firm and were great. I started doing some unpaid work experience for these guys and they gave me a start on the newest Autodesk program called REVIT. In short, it is a 3D modelling program, so whatever you do as a 2D plan will instantly appear in 3D when required. Being in Melbourne, made for long days. Starting at 6am, on the train at 6:50am, arrive in Melbourne at 8am, walk up the street and start work at 8:30am. Reversing the process at the end of the day and getting home at 6:15pm. Needless to say, it was tiring to say the least but a concern also b/c if Dee went into labour while I was in Melbourne it could've taken upto 2 hours for me to get home. So I started looking for work locally in Geelong. After a short search, I found a residential home builder (http://www.pepperjackhomes.com.au/) that was willing to take me on with my limited experience in the REVIT program and "gimme a go". It has been 4 weeks now and things are on the improve. My learning curve has been almost vertical but that is okay. Problem is that flying vertical, occasionally you will stall out and go into freefall.... done that too. Every day is a new day and every day I thank God for the job I have that can teach me more about a program I need to know and will hopefully make a career turning-point on. On the 10th, 11th & 12th of July I will be attending a 3 day intensive course on the program and hope that I recieve the benefit out of it that is expected. Having made it this far, we are now planning to turn our faces back into the breeze and head back to the USA.

The Next Step

After the completion of the sale of our beloved house, we moved in with Dee's folks for what we thought would be a few weeks but ended up being about 8 weeks total. Unfortunately, I had figured that the US Immigration department would be prompt with our simple request for Dee's records and they frankly didn't give a "rah-zoo" about our timeline. Finally we got the paperwork we needed and hastily executed our next move.

By this time, our plan had been formulated.... we would either move out West to Idaho or Colorado OR we would go to Australia and see what we could accomplish there. Work (CAD) seemed more profuse in Australia, according to what I could see on the internet so we decided to take the plunge and visit family at the same time.

At the end of January, we arrived in Australia and moved in with my folks for what we again thought would be just a few weeks while we got work and settled in. Not so. A few days after arriving we had a scorcher of a day 100.4° F (38° C). We headed to the beach about 9 miles from home with my sister and her girls. We were not sure how Chloe would respond to the noise of the waves but the waves weren't too wild and with the other girls playing at the waters edge, squealing and having fun. It never took long for her to venture into the water and soon was saying "Dad, I want to go out there, ...where the surfers are!!" Well not even Dad was going out that far, the first time back in the water after 7 years away. I have to say though, getting back into the surf again I felt instantly revitalised... like a dry sponge tossed in the water again.

We had several good days of Summer, and even saw some of the largest waves in recent memory rolling into Torquay Back Beach (as opposed to Front Beach) which is normally very docile because of it's orientation to the Southern Ocean and prevailing winds. On this day though, the waves were reaching between 8 & 10 feet. All I can say is, I had a blast body-surfing for about an hour catching waves that pushed me about 100 yards to the shore.

Now several months later, we are still at my parents house and if I have learned only one thing in all this time, it is this: No matter the age of the female, if she doesn't have a place to call her own she becomes very discontent. Both Chloe and Dee have taught me this lesson many times over.

God works in mysterious ways and it seems to me that while God has let me find work here and do the ministry that he has in line for me, I get the distinct inclination that this is not where we are destined to be. So to that end Dee and I are making plans once more to move back the USA and try to settle ourselves there..... probably in the Boise, ID location.

In the beginning

Had I known this was available to all and any before we left the USA, I would have started blogging way back when. Seeing that I only found out now,... I guess I'll start now.

In March 2006, we decided to sell our beautiful, big, red, double bricked house and pick up stakes for a try at life somewhere else. We weren't sure at that point where the "somewhere else" would be but we had 2 or 3 places in mind.

After the excitement of listing the house and the first flush of prospective buyers we spent the next six months waiting. Finally we changed realtors and the difference was like night and day. We had a buyer even before the new sign went in the yard!! As with all house sales we had some final touch-ups to complete (including WJ getting on the roof of the garage to sweep and shovel snow so two days later we could re-shingle the roof in the dead of winter!!! Yes the neighbours thought I was nuts!)