This post is going to be very short, because I have a lot of things to do tonight (and it's 8:05 pm). The real estate agent that rents out our apartment is coming to inspect it tomorrow, so we have to clean it. When I say that she is coming to inspect it, I mean that she is coming to see if it's clean. She does this every few months, and it's a complete pain. I mean, would you want some stranger walking around your personal space when you're not there? Not me. And since Al has the same reaction at the mention of cleaning as a cat when you approach it with nail clippers, I have a busy night ahead of me. Our place is moderately clean right now, but it needs to look much better for the inspection.

Before I go, I'll show you what I had for dinner last night. I made sweet potato fries.

They were so good. I just cut them into fry shapes, sprinkled on some olive oil and sea salt and put them in the oven at 200 degrees (celcius) for about 30 minutes. I also added some garlic powder when I took them out. I'm having them again for dinner tonight with some roasted brussel sprouts. It's a very healthy dinner!

Check out what I had for lunch today. I've been eating canned soup every weekday for several months, so I decided that it was time to "summer-ize" my lunches. I figure that I'll pick a theme for my salads every week. This week, for example, I picked a Mexican theme. I went to the grocery store on Sunday and bought mixed lettuce, red capsicum (translation: red pepper), avocado, corn, black beans and a massive chicken. I also added on a spoonfull of salsa at the top, which I already had at home. I brought the ingedients to work on Monday so that I have stuff to use for lunch every day. Friday is always the exception, because that's when we get sushi. This week, however, we're getting sushi tomorrow and then doing something different on Friday. I'll get to that on another day.

I also experienced a massive cuture clash while grocery shopping. I searched all over the beans/legumes area for black beans. Finally, I managed to find one product. There are a gazillion varieties of chickpeas, whitebeans and so on, but I could only find ONE kind of black beans. They were also organic and more expensive than anything else around there. When I brought them to work yesterday, nobody knew what they were. They stared at my salad and asked what the black things were. They probably think I'm weird.  It's a sad, sad life without Mexican food.

Now, onto the OUCH! I found this article while browsing the news this morning. If you live in Australia and are planning to have a wedding this Saturday, it sounds like you might be in trouble. Since the Grand Final is happening all over again this weekend, it seems that some people would rather miss out on a friend's wedding than miss the game. Again, OUCH!
One of my coworkers has a wedding to go to this Saturday, so they're hoping that they keep the ceremony short and sweet so that they can go watch the game right after. The bride and groom are footy fans, too.

If you are sick and tired of my Aussie Rules Footy posts, I completely understand. I have posted a lot of them in the past week. However, you might enjoy this if you want to know more about the sport. This post won't have many pictures, but it will be full of sport-ilicious facts. As requested by one of my dear friends Meredith, I am lauching my one-time only edition of Australian Rules Football 101: A Tutorial for the Footy-Deprived.
 If my one-time tutorial isn't satisfactory (there may or may not be a second class), please look here for more detailed information.

GOAL: Like many sports, your team wants to score the most points in order to beat the other team. You do this by scoring goals with the football. You do this by kicking the footy through this:

WHAT YOU DO WITH THE BALL: Throw it to other players, kick it, bounce it (hey, it is a beginner class)

PLAYERS: 18 on the field per team at one time, 4 on the bench per team as subs

SCORING: A kick through the middle two posts scores six points. A kick between the first and second or the third and fourth posts score one point.

TIMING: There are four quarters; each one is 20 minutes. They stop the clock for free kicks (penalties), so the quarter effectively lasts around 40 minutes.

UNIFORMS: Short shorts, knee high socks and a sleeveless top. There is no padding or protective gear other than a mouth guard.

POSITIONS: Forwards, defenders and midfielders. You can move around wherever regardless of your position.

HOW TO PLAY: Once the game starts, it's basically just everybody going for possession of the ball. That's all it is; fighting for the ball and trying to score a goal with your team. There is a lot of body contact. You can run with the ball, but you have to bounce it every 15 meters. Otherwise, you get a penalty. It's like running with the ball in basketball but not dribbling.

There are more things to cover, but I can't go into too much detail for a group of footy-deprived beginners. Overall, footy is known for being fun and fast-moving. The clock hardly ever stops.

Of course, let me know if you have questions. I (or my fiance sitting over my shoulder and making sure I don't butcher my sports explanation) will answer them. It's an easy sport to understand. If you think this is difficult, try cricket! Stay tuned for that this summer.

**After proofreading, Al said that my post needs 10 more pages. He wants you all to know that my explanation is very, very, very basic.**

I just found a short video that sums up a lot of what I just said, so watch it! It's very good. Before you watch it, Al wants all of you to know that the people in this video are "crap". These are Americans playing AFL (footy) in the US.

This post is a big deal, because I know that people have been asking for pictures for quite a while. Well...now you can see them and hear all about the night I got engaged.

First, I'll give you some background. As you may or may not know, Adelaide has vineyards sprawling out from every direction. The only exception is the west, because you can't grow grapes in the ocean. 

South Australia makes arguably some of the best wine in the world. I've been to the Barossa Valley before, which is a very well-known wine region north of us. There's another wine region north of there called the Clare Valley. I've wanted to go there for a while, because there's a long walking/biking trail called the Riesling Trail. Basically, you can rent bikes and stop off at wineries as you cycle up and down the trail. Plus, I love romantic and cozy getaway weekends.

Now, the story. Alastair's parents gave us a gift voucher to use towards accommodation for lodging of our choice in South Australia. We had to use it up. I begged Al to take me to the Clare. He took me. He asked me to marry him. I said yes. THE END!!!!

Was that satisfactory? Well, why would you want to hear me babble on when I can show you the pictures?? Let me say first that I was not a blogger at the time, and I wasn't so great about taking lots of photos!

Below, Al is standing in front of our cottage. It's a four-person house, but we were the only people in it. It was amazing!

The front of the cottage with a nice patio in front

This is what we saw when we looked across the street. We were literally surrounded by wineries.

The side of our garage and our water tank

This was one of my favorite parts of the house. This was the bathroom with a spa that looked over this Japanese garden.

Even our backyard was a winery

I loved the rustic look on the outside of the house

Here are some more details to our story. We got there on a Friday night, went to dinner and came back here. After relaxing for a bit, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. On this couch. I couldn't think of a better way for it to happen. It was perfect for us.

We got engaged in this room

Annnnd here is the picture of my left hand. All of the pictures I have of my ring look very over-exposed, so I promise I'll post another one soon!

As for the rest of the weekend, we never experienced the Riesling Trail. It poured down with rain the rest of the time that we were there, so we curled up inside with a roaring fireplace and massive selection of DVDs. We talked on the phone with our families and friends. We intended to stop at tons of wineries, but we only made it to one on the way home. Regardless, it didn't matter that our weekend didn't go as planned. As you can imagine, nothing could have made it better. It was the perfect weekend.

It's finally starting to feel like spring! The weather is slowly warming up, and the sun is out a lot more.

Today, Al and I had to run some errands. While driving around, we passed the Penfolds Winery. I've never seen the Penfolds in Adelaide before. The main one is in the Barossa Valley, and we went there when my parents were in town in March. However, this beautiful winery is only 10 minutes away from our apartment. I can't believe I've never seen it!

I didn't take that many pictures. Al drove around slowly, but he didn't stop so that I could get out of the car. There are so many mansions around it, and the hills are right behind it. I'll get more pictures another time!

As I promised, here is my recap of the Royal Adelaide Show. For you Americans, think of it like a county or state fair. Here, the Royal Adelaide Show is in the city. Some of it is like a carnival. There is more fried and greasy food than you can possibly imagine. There are carnival rides. You will also find dozens of different animal judging contests, showbags filled to the brim with chocolates, free food and wine sampling, fashion parades, car displays and stunt shows, clothing markets, baby farm animals and so on. There is a lot there! People come from all over South Australia.

Most of my pictures are from 2009. The one exception is the last video, which is from this year. You must watch it!

Farm equipment up close!

Wood chopping

Baby farm animals!

A baby 'roo

The set-up for the equestrian competitions

Rabbit judging

More baby animals

Here is something I bet you never knew existed: pig diving!

This is my favorite video. Yes, it's real!

Time to get ready for another week. It's back to work tomorrow! G'nite!!

Today was very unpredictable. Anybody who followed or cared about the Grand Final expected an outcome. Around 5:30 pm eastern time, we were supposed to know the winner. However, we never got our winner. The teams tied, and the Grand Final will happen all over again next week. WHAT?!?!?! Has anybody heard of overtime?!?! Check out the last seconds of the game below. The reactions at the end are priceless.

For me and Al, our day was also unpredictable. We were supposed to watch the game at one of his friend's houses, but they cancelled their party first thing this morning. We still had a fantastic "backup". I put that in quotes, because it was my first choice anyway!

We met up with some of our friends at the Highway pub. It's a good place to watch the game, because the beer garden has an amazing setup. It's the perfect setting to sit outside with a beer and watch the game with 100 of your closest friends.

The game didn't start until 2. Our friend Claire got there at about 11:30 to get a good table, but the beer garden was full by that time! We still got a good table inside, though.

We arrived at Highway soon after. Since we had plenty of time to kill before the game, we ordered lunch. It was insanely crowded, and I had wait in line for about ten minutes to order food. It was well worth it, though. I ordered the Tradional Pizza with ham, cheese and pineapple. I ate almost all of it. I also drank a Pure Blonde, which is a popular low carb beer.

Unfortunately, we only stayed at the pub for the first quarter of the game. By the time Claire's boyfriend Duncan and our friend Andrew arrived, there were no more seats. They didn't want to stand the whole time, so we all went back to Duncan's house to watch the rest of the game. I had to snap a picture of the beer garden before I left. That's only a little part of it.

The pub was also at capacity when we left, so there was a winding line outside. It was one in-one out.

I still can't believe the outcome of the game. Now, we have to figure out what we're going to do next Saturday!

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, everybody!

Have I mentioned before that I like dogs? In case you didn't know, you know now. I have four of them in my house in Chicago. I've never lived a day in my life without owning a dog! 

I am obsessed with my dogs back home, and I always go through puppy withdrawal when I'm not there. So when Alastair's brother Nick and his girlfriend Anna brought home a golden retriever puppy, you can only imagine how excited I was!

Do you like my green socks?

To make this little ball of fur even more special to me, they gave him the same name as one my dogs back home. By coincidence, he became a Cody! The warthog (above) was a gift from me and Al. Cody fell in love with it and dragged it around, even though they were about the same size.

Some of the photos below are blurry but so cute! Puppies look like stuffed animals.

Sleeping puppy

Six months later, I could not be happier that we bought the warthog. It has some wear and tear, but I think it's pretty durable for a doggie toy!

We had so much fun playing wth Cody tonight. He still loves his warthog.

Cody loves to sit on the couch with his dad....

and play with towels....

and make puppy faces when he wants to come inside.

What a great night! I can't believe how much Cody grows every time that we see him.

Well, I told you guys that I wouldn't be able to blog today. Instead, I whipped up two posts. Not bad on my part!

I'm going to sleep now. I can't wait for the footy tomorrow. Don't forget that you can watch it!!! GOODNIGHT!!!

Everybody likes to show support of their teams differently. Two days before the Grand Final, my boss Michael hung up Collingwood signs all over the office. He is a massive supporter.

In true fashion, the St. Kilda fans (basically the rest of the office) showed our support today by waiting until Michael left the office for a little while. Then, we put up our decorations. He returned later in the afternoon to find St Kilda signs on his car (below left), the entrance to the office and hanging from the ceiling.

We printed many signs and put them up in his office. There's usually a signed and framed Collingwood jersey where it says "Go Saints", but that was removed from the wall and hidden in somebody's cubicle. The crumbled up papers used to be Collingwood signs. A little evil, maybe? Nahhhh

Needless to say, our decorations didn't last very long once Michael came back. It was defintely entertainment for everybody, though. As you can probably tell, I work with fun people.

For lunch, we had a typical Aussie barbie for the Grand Final. The boys are grilling up a storm outside.

Aussie steaks and chicken on skewers. Plus one beer

 A delicious spread of Aussie food. Beer, Greek salad, bread, sausages, ketchup (you're better off calling it tomato sauce, because nobody calls it ketchup) and chicken. It's a good thing I'm not a vegetarian.

My plate included a sausage, chicken, salad, tomato sauce and a glass of white wine on the side. This photo doesn't include my second helping of salad and a half piece of sausage.

I don't know what it is about sausage in Australia, but it is amazing. I hate it in the US, but I could eat it almost every day here. It's a real staple to the Australian barbeque. Most people wrap it in a piece of white bread with tomato sauce. DELISH!!!!

Our lunch ended with our footy tipping presentation. Footy tipping is when everybody in the office puts in a certain amount of money, like $20, and they choose which teams they think will win every weekend. The person who gets the most correct WINS! Our first place winner got $180. Not bad, right??

Also, as requested by one of my friends, I will provide a post that describes footy in more detail. It's a fantastic sport!

It's SAINT KILDA VS COLLINGWOOD in the AFL Grand Final.

Basically, it's like our Superbowl but for Australian Rules Football. Here are some fun facts about AFL.

St. Kilda and Collingwood are Melbourne teams. I want Collingwood to lose. I haven't liked them since they beat the Crows in the finals last year. Plus, their mascot is a magpie. Since I've been hit in the head multiple times by magpies, I just can't support a bunch of guys in black and white jerseys. So for your entertainment, I would like to share some jokes-all in good fun- from an e-mail I got at work today. People like to consider the Collingwood fans as feral people (e.g. urinating on opposing fans- it has happened before), although I know some classier ones.

Q: Why did the Collingwood supporter cross the road?
A: To start a fight with a complete stranger, for no reason whatsoever
Q: What do you call a female Collingwood supporter in a white tracksuit?
A: The bride
Q: If you see a Collingwood supporter on a bike, why should you not try to hit him?
A: It might be your bike

I'm so excited that tomorrow is Friday! We're having a Grand Final barbeque at lunch tomorrow and will probably make fun of the Collingwood supporters. It seems that most of us are Saints fans.

Alastair and I are either going to somebody's house to watch the game, or we'll watch it at a pub with friends. Should be FUN!!! GO SAINTS!

I should also mention that St. Kilda is a gorgeous suburb of Melbourne. Al and I had a blast walking around the beach and shopping while we were there. Ok...actually only one of us had a blast shopping .

Expect some good words on St. Kilda when I post my Melbourne recap.

If I don't get the chance to post tomorrow, happy Friday to everybody!

Also, if you want to see what footy is all about, you can watch the game on Friday night! When Al and I were in Chicago together, we watched it at Timothy O'Toole's. Do a search for pubs that are playing the Grand Final. You'll find some. You'll like it- it's a very easy sport to get into! 

Before I start my post, I want to thank everybody who has been reading! Since I moved to Weebly on Saturday, I've had over 96 page views. I was expecting something like 5, so this higher number makes me very happy! Please continue reading my blog, and feel free to comment or ask me questions.

In other news, I have heard two separate traffic reports in the past week about kangaroos hopping around the roads and blocking morning traffic for commuters. I love Australia.

This morning, I found a most welcomed visitor in our apartment (it wasn't a kangaroo, sadly). I noticed it as I walked towards the closed bathroom door and thought to myself I swear I turned off the bathroom light last night! As a matter of fact, it wasn't the light but actual sunlight beaming through the window. Absolutely shocking! Most of August and September have been cold (highs of about 55 degrees during the day, which is cold here), dark and rainy. The rainfall here has broken records. There was a two week period where it poured down non-stop, all day and all night. For Adelaide, that is unheard of. The climate here is arid and dry, so it usually just sprinkles a little bit when it rains. We're all ready for it to be hot and sunny- as it should be in Australia!