one year on...

today is just like any other monday for us; the homemaker in da house woke up early to get the kids ready for school, i was doing my routine for the day; work followed by a bit of cycling with a friend in the evening, kids have a bit of some outdoor time post-dinner and bed by 9pm.

however, it is actually a momentous day for us as it has been exactly 1 year since we lay our hats here in melbourne. on the balance of things, i am sure my better half would agree that there have been more positives and negatives, in fact very few of the latter. in many ways, we all still miss singapore. loved ones and food top the list. that said, i guess we need to be forward looking and make the best of what is our family lives now.

my personal observation of the changes that took place:
1. wife's a (way) better cook now
2. kids actually look forward to school
3. the sports side of paisley is blossoming
4. shankly is a more assertive boy (in a good way)
5. fagan is more independant; and more talkative
6. we have dinner together almost daily and that probably brings us closer
7. i (actually) take walks
8. kids enjoy the outdoor more

the major milestone here is we bought our own place (though we won't we living there for some time yet)

looking back, we reckon we made the right decision to come here to start afresh. we obviously still have a long way to go, but the last 12 months has been a blessed one for us.

looking forward, we hope to build on the positives and hopefully our kiddos will better shape themselves to be someone closer to what their heart dictates, inching closer to their own callings.

we must also extend our sincerest appreciations to all our relatives, neighbours, present and new friends made here who extend their help, support, prayers, friendship, advice and more that help us come through unscath in the first 12 months.

for the next 12 months, we look forward to:
1. moving into a place we will call home
2. shankly starting his secondary college, a new phase in his student life and,
3. all of us hopefully finding (more) time and space to pursue our personal interests.

thanks for sharing our journey with us so far....