The Sydney Bridge

A couple of weeks ago we awoke to the most glorious sunny winter day in Sydney...  The sky was magnificent and the air was crisp... energized by the beauty we donned our walking shoes and headed to embark on a family adventure... crossing the Sydney Bridge by foot!

It felt invigorating to explore the object we have driven over many a day... by bus, train, taxi, car...we have also gazed under it's mass from the view of a ferry boat taxing us to and fro.  It is the main bridge that connects the city center of Sydney with the North Side of  residential Sydney and beyond.  A hub of traffic and an Icon of  historic Sydney.

The bridge was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long and Co Ltd of Middlesbrough and opened in 1932.  Interestingly, the bridge's design was influenced by the Hell Gate Bridge in New York.^[5] According to the Guinness World Records, it is the world's widest long-span bridge.^[6] It is also the fifth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world, and it is the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 metres (440 ft) from top to water level.

 

As I was walking across the bridge, I thought to myself... "why have we not done this before?"  What came to mind next was the thought... "oh yes... it's because we are not tourists in this Sydney... Sydney... is our home..." At that moment, I actually felt so special to live in such an amazing place...I said a prayer of thanks giving and drunk in the goodness of that moment...looking over at the Harbor... the beauty...the masses of people and just life in a vibrant city filled with character and charm.

Bridges are transitions... they span the gap of the unknown and take us another side... a different perspective.  They tie two places together and they open the opportunity to journey further beyond the comfort to horizons beyond to explore.

The bridge is central to an old Historic area known as "the Rocks"...

 it is a very charming area full of history to explore....

When one crosses a bridge, we often don't even think about what is on the other side... yet, for some a purposeful moment might make a difference between how we respond to what the lies on the other side of the bridge... sometimes the path leads to a very tentative and confusing place...have you ever found yourself on the wrong side of the tracks?  What do you do then?   We often flee... in hopes of getting to a safe place. 

 A night out with my hubby... we enjoyed a lovely dinner and a romantic walk under our bridge...dreaming together...

Later this same week, our family learned that I have stage IV breast cancer.  The bridge we crossed that day seemed to be the wrong side of the tracks!  Everything seemed to come to a complete halt and we sat for  a moment stunned.

Sometimes, the first thing you need to do is stop and be still... not flee.

I sat alone in a hospital bed, sharing my heart with my Lord and Savior... and, He ministered to me in such a powerful way... He promised me He would never leave me nor forsake me and He gave me peace... to Journey on... in hope and in Joy...




If you are reading my heart words right now... I just want to share with you that this is not the beginning of  my Journey.  Several years ago, I began to wrestle in my soul over what true Christian Joy was and if I even had it... God brought me through an amazing and difficult journey... and through it... I gained wisdom and strength through deep personal trial and pain.  IT was not fun...yet it was refining and changed my outlook on life forever.

The vision statement I committed myself to when I created this little blog?  Let me reiterate it right here "Joy is found in RESTING in God's Sovereignty".  Not in our circumstances... not in safety... not in people..not in our children... not in things... and certainly not in living in perfection or in perfect health.  It's all about bringing Glory to God through our lives... and all that God brings us through... the good and the bad... draws us close to him in a powerful life transforming way.  Comfort and pain join in unison when we seek to look beyond ourselves and REST in God's will for our lives.  I have been seeking this for many years... a closeness with God that when the sea of life churns with all it's force... it is still well with my soul.

I want to share with all who want to listen that God is pouring His love and tenderness out of my soul and through my circumstances and I have seen His work and His miracles and His Power more in the last 10 days of my life than ever before.   It is energizing and powerful!  I feel so Joy filled I can't contain myself!  I feel sadness too...I am struggling with lots and lots of real raw emotions... it's a roller coaster... but the peace I feel when I rest it at the feet of Jesus... it is pure and real.




This bridge was not in the plan...our plan... but God has brought it and it must be good... and so we Journey on in Joy... knowing that ALL things work together for good for them that love God and are called according to His purposes... (Romans 8:28)

My Journey is just begun...walking hand and hand with my Savior... I have so much more to share...I can't wait to write the story!

^"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  James 1:2-4

Nine Years Old

This morning Thomas awoke and dawdled out of his room... after a big Birthday hug, the first words out of his mouth were said with a hint of disappointment, "Mommy, my voice has not changed...".  I guess he thought he would become a bit more manly today, after all, he is officially 9 years old.  I told him he needed to wait a few more years...

A Birthday Pancake!

A Birthday Cake... and good friends to share it with.

Opening gifts with the Grandma Linda and Pop Pop Jake via Skype chat... 

A wonderful way to keep close while we are so far away...

A Very Happy Birthday! 

Back in Sydney

We are back home in Sydney!

We finished up our trip by taking the coastal route...south out of  Surfer's Paradise... through Byron Bay... the eastern most corner of Australia...down to Coffs Harbor.  It was a very rainy day, but we still found snippets of calm in the midst of the storm....

 Byron Bay out on the Cape

 We saw lots of banana plantations as we drove...

Coffs Harbor is where we found the "Big Banana"...quiet an interesting sight!  

 Apparently, this area along the coast is a large banana producing region. 

 
Our final day of driving we headed a bit more inland with a straight shot to Sydney!  Very beautiful countryside... filled with farms and lush green coastal forests.



Home is always sweet when you have been away for a while... and we are certainly thankful for all the opportunities we have enjoyed over the past few days!

4th of July in Surfer's Paradise

Brisbane is an hour away... we never made it there... the kids and I.  Hubby has gone into Brisbane every day this week to work...there was no room anywhere in Brisbane to stay as there was a huge Rugby game going on this week.  (Australians love their sport.) So, we decided to stay a bit further out...and although hubby spent a majority of his time commuting and working...we three just could not pull ourselves away from the beach.

 We have spent every morning and evening walking the beach... 

 

 Thomas warming up after a swim in the ocean!

 The Rising Full Moon...

 

 

The Moon has been brilliantly full the past few nights...

 Tomorrow we head back toward Sydney.

Driving in the Outback

We have been driving a lot of hours on our trip... many of which have not been spent on highways.  Highways are only near large cities in Australia... the "Outback" is filled with two lane roads.

 Somewhere in Central North New South Wales...

The winding back roads of the "Outback" have taken us through fields and fields of sheep and cattle...farm after farm... small sleepy town after small sleepy town.  The mountains and hills are filled with lush vegetation and Eucalyptus trees and the valleys are dry, grassy and windswept.

What has been so surprising to us is the lack of people out in the bush.

 It seems absolutely wild and lonely.

 Yet, if you look closely, you see the bush is filled with life...

 

 Wallabies munching on a farmer's fresh green grass...

 Emus curious why we stopped to photo them... 

Onward to Brisbane!

Dubbo, A Day at the Zoo

This weekend, we made our way North out of  Melbourne through the State of Victoria toward Dubbo.  Dubbo is a town located right in the middle of the State of New South Wales.

The Countryside Surrounding Dubbo

It is a farming and ranching town.  It reminded us a lot of Idaho...  We decided to stop here for a day to enjoy the Taranga Western Plains Zoo.

It is a rather large zoo that allows you to drive through a six kilometer circuit... with lots of walking trails and paths to explore the happy animals living there.  We really liked this particular Zoo because the animals seemed content and had lots of natural like habitat to live in.

The Lion was so considerate to smile for my photo!

A Dingo... I sure do miss my Lucky Boy...

An Azure Kingfisher "Kookaburra"

Sarah has Wallabies eating out of her hand now!

Superb Fairy Wren 

One of our favorite exhibits was the Siamangs, a type of Gibbon... they were quite a spectacle with their athletic swinging and climbing... they also were busy taking care of their new born baby... which you could see dangling from mum's chest.

Look closely on Mum's chest... 
there is a sweet two week old Siamang holding on tightly.

When feeding time came, they put on a loud display of territorial yelling of sorts... it was fascinating to see their throats puff up like balloons...amplifying the noise coming out.

Siamangs defending their territory... their song can be heard up to 4 Kilometers away!

Crested Pigeon

 

Another highlight for the children was the Giraffe Feeding.

The giraffe wraps it tongue around the carrot to take it inside it's mouth...

The Zoo was a day well spent... we really enjoyed our time, learned heaps about all the different animals, and enjoyed a day spent in the great out doors!