Mona Vale Homestead


We're still not sure--something about koalas--

Our little reception at
Mona Vale Homestead

Husband and Wife--just taking it all in!!!




Daddy hugging us good-bye
He had flown in only hours before just to give me away and then literally left from the gardens back to the airport...what an amazing father!!!

I think I laughed the whole day--the happiest day of my life! My mom was just too beautiful!

Mom's Pictures--our real photographer

Mom sewing my dress two hours before the ceremony...she saved my life!

Wedding Help!
The night before Ladd and I were running around Christchurch looking for shoes, accessories, and I decided to get my make-up done at MAC...this guy also saved my life!

Disclaimer (from Ladd): The 4 post below are slideshows of some of the wedding pictures. I am not a very good "picture picker outer," so another round is forthcoming from Danielle. We are getting an opportunity to do so since our wedding that I felt it was necessary to continue posting to keep up with our activities.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Akaroa Harbor. We took a day trip about 1 1/2 hours East of Christchurch to this harbor, which was formed by a huge volcano erupting out into the Pacific. We took the pass out to the open water and got to swim with Hector dolphins (smallest and rarest dolphins in the world). Unfortunately my camera died as I was trying to get pictures of us with the dolphins. Scenic drive back from Akaroa Harbor

No, this is not the camera creating a rainbow. On our way to Akaroa we saw this rainbow, but more importantly we saw where the end of the rainbow touched down in this valley surrounded by mountains covered with more shades of green than the large box of crayons ever conceived. Definitely a first for me.

Disregard the wings ready for take off -- the end of the rainbow is the important point.

New Zealand

Arriving to New Zealand!!
This is just ridiculous (and we actually shipped bags home). I'm pretty sure Danielle brought her Frodo costume just in case.View outside of our flat in Christchurch (I need a better pictures because the view is actually pretty spectacular). We are living in a separate apartment above a Scottish family's house about 2 miles south of Christchurch's city center.
Our first meal in the Sunny Somerfield apartment

Packing up the night before leaving Melbourne (refer to subsequent pictures of our light packing)

My roommate George Halencamp and I leaving our home of 8 weeks in Hawthorne (a suburb of Melbourne).

Australian Football

Danielle and I went to an AFL (Australia football) game at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne. AFL looks like a combination of rugby and soccer, but much more intense. If someone gets knocked out on the field, the game keeps playing and they bring a stretcher on the field to carry the player off. It basically makes American football look like patty cake.

Celebrating with friends the night before we left Australia for New Zealand.

Scarborough Beach
We saw the most breathtaking sunsets and sunrises in Perth. Above, this meal had to be captured by photo. It was the most incredible meal I'd ever eaten, literally, ever, Ladd spent most of his dinner sitting and staring at me in awe of how quickly I consumed it--it was definitely something to be remembered.



Ladd making friends with the rodent-like creatures on Rottnest Island.
These little guys are a mix between a kangaroo and a glorified rat, purposely, Ladd waited until we got on the island to tell me they originally called the island Rat's Nest, because the explorer thought these fellas were rats, if you ask me, they are!

Our bike rentals in Rottnest Island, Ladd laughed for a good five minutes when he saw me with my helmet, sunglasses and jean shorts.

One of the hostels we stayed in --Emperor's Crown