New Job!!

Yesterday was my last day at Herman Miller!!

I am going to be starting as a business analyst at the Van Andel Institute (www.vai.org) on Monday, August 11th. I am going to be working to support the Program in Translational Medicine (a.k.a. Personalized Medicine) helping them make a change from being a pure research lab to their own cost-neutral or cash generating business. It is going to be a great change from Herman Miller - although I will definitly miss seeing dad most days.

Finally...Pictures from OBX

A bit late in coming up here are some of the pictures from this year's trip to the Outer Banks!

Some great waves for boarding!

Here are Colleen and I waiting for dinner at Awful Arthurs - the 1 hour 45 minute wait....

The Flood!!!

And last but not least a great shot of the Cavalier!

Safe Arrival!

After 28 hours of travel, I have finally arrived safely in Brisbane! Everything went according to plan, beginning with my flight from Detroit to LA, which left at 5:30pm on Monday, June 4th. I arrived in LA at around 7:30 LA time, and waited for my 10:30 flight to Auckland. Conveniently, the Northwest flights from Detroit to LA land in the same terminal as Air New Zealand, and also the same terminal as the $10 per value meal Burger King restaurant (!). I boarded the flight to Auckland, and from what I could tell, it was under 50% full. I ended up with my own row (although the arm rests didn't go up, so I couldn't lay across the three seats like most people--not a big deal), and had a pleasant 12-hour flight. The longest wait seemed to be when I was in Auckland, as it was the home stretch, and I just wanted to get the rest of the way!

Finally, I arrived in Brisbane, went swiftly through customs, and each of my 3 bags arrived on time. After going through the final screening, I purchased phone credit for my Australian cell phone, called Thomas, and was on my way to a taxi. Thomas was in rehearsal, so the landlords let me in the apartment and helped me with my luggage. The taxi cost about $45, which isn't too bad.

Since arriving back to the apartment, we've mostly sat around, and I've shown Thomas some of my new clothes. We're both very excited that I'm back, and adjusting to the fact that we don't have to do any math equations to figure out when we can talk to each other. : ) I took a short nap, but it felt like hours and hours. When I woke up, it was about 5pm, and already getting dark, so my body is VERY confused! I do think the trip was easier this time than last year, but we shall see.

That's all for now. I plan to post regularly on my personal blog: lis-in-oz.blogspot.com, so check that out, as I don't want to take over the family blog with my daily updates...

Love
Lisa

51 Mile Bike Ride!

Brett and I went on a 51 Mile bike ride with his parents and another couple in mid-May. We rode from Harbor Springs (starting at Boyne Highlands) all the way to Mackinaw City. We took a fun lunch break at Leggs Inn and got a great view of Lake Michigan. We were worried about the weather but luckily the forecasters got it wrong - instead of rain and chilly temps we had sun and it was in the upper 50s - perfect biking weather.

Here are some pictures from the ride.


This is Brett pushing hard up the BIG hill!!



Here we are taking a scenic break along Lake Michigan.


Finally relaxing on Mackinaw Island.

Hello from Grandma

This is Lisa helping Grandma learn to use our blog. She's a very savvy lady. She knows how to read the blog, and we're learning to type on it. So, let's see what happens.

Visa Update

Just to let everyone know, and hopefully not have to tell this story over and over....

I have heard about my pending visa application. Today my case officer called and gave me two options. Due to the fact that Thomas and I only lived together for 6 months total, she could either let me withdraw my application, or she would have to reject it. This is extremely frustrating for many reasons, and I can elaborate if anyone would like me to. So, the plan now is that I will return to Brisbane on my June 2nd flight, as originally planned. In six months time, maybe seven, just to be sure, I will reapply for the same visa (New Zealand Family Relationship, temporary residence, valid for 5 years, allows me to work). I can either do this in Australia, or I will have to leave the country to apply, wait in Australia when it is processed, and leave the country when it is granted. This can be done via New Zealand.

So, I will go back on June 2nd, and again be unemployed. Hopefully I will keep myself busy enough to be happy. I may come home again to apply, but if I can avoid it, I will. After all, two round trip tickets to New Zealand is still far cheaper than one round trip between the US and Australia.

xoxo
Lisa

Video Project

There's a link to my Video Project I did for my Film class.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=GgFjwAqfD1s