New Horizons

Twenty years ago I found my faith in God. I attended a 3 day retreat for teenagers and young adults called Chrysalis. It was a weekend of talks, discussions, praise and worship. It was here, surrounded by many friends, both new and old, that I found Christ and began my journey as a Christian. After that weekend I became rather involved in my church as well as both the Chrysalis and Emmaus communities. I sat on the board of the Chrysalis community for a good 3 years. During this time I was able to help prepare for each Chrysalis weekend, and I even was selected to be a team member on one of those weekends. It was also as a team member that I was further selected to deliver one of the talks. So, there I was, still relatively green as a Christian standing in front of over 40 people and delivering a speech. Not just any speech mind you, but one of only 2 out of 15 delivered over the 3 day period that had a Q & A session afterwards. It was a real test for me and one that while I thought it was delivered poorly at best; I did get a lot of positive feedback from those that were going through the weekend.
12 months later and things started to wane. I became involved with a girl who would lead me away from my walk with Christ and enter into a 10 year relationship that saw me the subject of her abuse, humiliation and her mind games. During this time I also enlisted into the Australian Regular Army, something that I had wanted to do ever since I was a child. Even though it was in a job that I loved, my relationship with Christ began to suffer as my relationship with this girl started to go sour. My self-esteem by the time I left the Army was non-existent and, sadly, so was my faith.
After going through a messy break up I moved back home with my parents. It was there that I began to heal both mentally and physically. I started to see a psychologist to help me through my depression, I found some full time work but most of all I met some one that was able to complete my soul and, unbeknownst to me at the time, to help me heal spiritually and to come back to the path that God had set before me all those years ago.  Sharon has been my great healer. If I hadn’t met her I don’t know what sort of person I would be like right now
Why am I telling you all of this I hear you ask? Well, I feel that some backstory was needed. You see, I had an epiphany of sorts. I have been getting a sense over the last few weeks as to how the Lord has been moving in my life. He never abandoned me I realised, even though for a time there I turned and walked away from him. I could see how over the last few years that He has been gently guiding me through others to where He wants me to be. Then 2 weeks ago, I really felt his presence in my life.
It started when Sharon and I found out that at 8 weeks and 1 day we had lost our baby. It was as if our world had tipped on its side. On the Saturday I was sitting in the lounge room by myself, alone with my thoughts. I was fighting back the tears when I felt a feeling of being unburdened.  My grief was still there but there was a calm that was placed on my heart. I knew that the Lord was working in me. He was giving me the strength I needed to help my family get through the grief and loss of the baby as well.
Since that time over the last few weeks I have felt a calling placed in my heart. What it is I don’t yet know. I do know that it is part of the plan that God has for me and that I will be taking on a more active role in spreading God’s word. I do know the first step towards what God has planned for me is though. That is I will no longer hide my faith from others. For over 10 years I had hidden my faith from others, putting it aside like an old memory. I guess that is why I have so many old memories of my time and involvement in the Chrysalis and Emmaus movements. Perhaps that is the role I am to play, to become involved in them once more. Or maybe it’s to assist with the youth. Perhaps I’m to take on a more active role within our church. I’ll be honest with you, whatever it is that He has in store for me, has me both scared and excited at the same time.

More to follow…

Our Honeymoon Day 01 – 11 Nov 2012 Leaving Home and Arriving in Sydney

Today was a pretty hard start to our honeymoon. This morning we left home with the girls and Laura, who, along with my parents, will be looking after the girls for the next week and a half, and we headed into the Coffs Harbour airport. Sharon and I, while both being excited about the trip, felt really sad about leaving our 2 beautiful girls behind. There were tears when w said our goodbyes, surprisingly enough there were none from Molly. Sharon and I had a hard time holding it together though, especially for Maddi who wasn’t keen at all for us to go. I really wanted to just bring the girls with us there and then, but we needed this. We needed to have time together as a newly married couple, with no children, to recharge before getting back into being parents. Being rested and relaxed will really help both Sharon and I to be the best parents that we can be.

Our flight landed in Sydney just after 11:15am and after we collected our baggage we took a 20 minute train ride and a 15 minute tram ride to get to the hotel we were to stay in overnight. The view from our 5^th floor room overlooked the Chinese Garden in Darling Harbour.

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Once we had unpacked and had a bit of a relax we jumped on a free bus and we headed for Circular Quay for a quick lunch before we boarded a cruise boat for an hour long cruise of Sydney Harbour. Our little harbour cruise took us down around past the Opera House and Garden Island, Fort Dennison and down towards Taronga Zoo back up around Mosman and taking in a river view of Admiralty House and Kirribilli House where the Governor General and Prime Minister respectively when they are in Sydney. We then went just west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge up towards Luna Park before turning south back across the river towards “Pier 31”, which is where Maddi’s favourite TV show, Dance Academy was filmed. It is also the Sydney base for Russell Crowe and his family.  From there we headed back into dock at Circular Quay where we disembarked and hopped on a bus and headed back to the hotel.

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For dinner we went for a short walk up into Chinatown, where we found a rather good restaurant. Or I should say one of the restaurant staff stopped us on the street and told us what the prices and deals were for the evening and basically talked us into eating there. We followed her direction and went to the upstairs part of the restaurant where we were shown to a table by the window which allowed us to see a little of the street below and here the buzz of the crowd as it ebbed and flowed by. We ordered up our meal and we were really impressed by what we had. The food there was so full of flavour, I can’t describe it. I do regret not getting the business card, but we now where it is for the future.

After dinner we went for a little walk through Chinatown and then for a longer walk around Darling Harbour for an evening stroll to walk off our awesome dinner. Darling Harbour at night is pretty spectacular. There’s fair sized park for kids of various ages and at night the trees are light up by tiny lights that give it a very romantic feel.

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The building immediately overlooking the park has its wall change both colour and patterns which was pretty cool. We followed the water feature down towards the harbour itself and found our way to the Maritime Museum, and saw the HMAS Vampire, the sister ship to the HMAS Canberra (the Canberra was tragically sunk after a collision with Australia’s only ever aircraft carrier, the HMAS Melbourne), and an old Oberon Class submarine. We are so looking forward to taking the girls to the Maritime Museum on our return to Australia. 

 

More to follow...

The Black Dog

It has been a while since I have sat down to write my thoughts here on my blog. Honestly, I couldn't tell you the timeframe on that. There are only a few things that I can give definite timeframes on: Molly is 18 months old, I get married in a week and a half, and I have officially been unemployed for 7 and a half months. Molly is my greatest treasure, and watching her learn and grow gives me hours of joy. She also frustrates the hell out of me but that is outweighed by her joyful, playful and inquisitive nature. The wedding is fast approaching, and with everything being finalized I am looking forward to marrying the woman I love, the one that I have waited almost 20 years for, with a great deal of anticipation and just a few growing nerves. Then there's Maddi. While she has a tendency to be a surly teenager at times and is starting to push a few boundaries, I couldn't be more proud of her. She entered junior Miss Showgirl at this years annual show, she performed in a performance at church, her group learning four dance routines, one song and a skit in five days. And at scouts she is doing really well having almost achieved her Pioneer level. Sharon and I are so proud of her and everything that she had accomplished this year.

With all that happiness and positive influence in my life, why am I not happy??

As I have mentioned, I have been out of work for around 7 and a half months. At first it was great spending more time at home with Sharon and the girls, helping out more around the house while looking for work and even reskilling. After a while, as the months went on, depression started to creep in. Ever so slightly, I didn't noticed at first. Then finally, today, I had to admit it to myself. I'm suffering from depression.

You see, I'm the sort of person that has to work. If I'm not out working and earning money, then I feel like I'm not pulling my own weight, that I'm not contributing to the household or to my family's financial security. I have applied for around 60 jobs by my count. Probably about just over a 6th of those I have had a face to face interview with. But nearly in all instances, I get the same knock back. "Thank you for you application but unfortunately we had to give the position to someone more qualified." That's if I even get a response. It's so disheartening to put yourself out there like that only to be set up for disappointment. I have only had one person call me up to tell me personally that I didn't get the job and he told me why I. When I asked him for feedback he was more than happy to give me so advice on how to market myself in the future.

Even when I apply for a traineeship, and express my willingness to accept trainee wages and that I am keen and willing to learn from them the either hire someone that is younger or they give the position to someone with more experience, which to me defeats the purpose of advertising a traineeship.

After a while the rejection and the silence starts to grind a person down. Feelings of inadequacy and failure start to creep in to you every thought. I guess it's why it's called Black Dog. Darkness starts to hound your thoughts, gnawing at your soul like a dog gnawing in a bone until even getting out of bed seems like a chore.

I am lucky, for one I have been here before and I can recognize the signs, but mostly I have three bright stars in my night to hold back the darkness - Sharon, Maddi and Molly. My three girls give me the strength to fight back. Small steps though. Firstly, I'm going to stop looking for work until after we return from the honeymoon and concentrate on getting ready for the wedding. Secondly, get some exercise. It's well known that exercise releases endorphins in the brain to help combat depression. And thirdly, I have to remember to take a little time each day for myself. With all that in mind, we will see what happens in four weeks time.

More to follow...

The Dragon Chinese Restaurant

With Molly at her grandparents for the night, Sharon and I decided that we should take Maddi out for dinner as it had been a while since Maddi had come out with us. As such we decided that this months restaurant pick is the Dragon Chinese Restaurant. The Dragon, quite frankly, is a piece of Coffs Harbour dining history. The Dragon originally opened back in 1975, the year after I was born. That's 37 years that the Dragon has been operating, how many resaurants can proudly boast that. That being said, the original owners sold the Dragon last year and it's doors were closed for 6 months for renovation. That being said, the new owners, Kim and Tony, didn't change the basic style of the restaurant. The dining and bar area remain the same, right down to the colour. The fact that Kim and Tony chose to keep the Dragon as much to it's original design was a great decision. It retains all of it's warm, family oriented atmosphere, which I had missed in the 20 odd years since I last dined at the Dragon. I kid you not, it has been that long. The Dragon is located on the corner the Pacific Highway and Coff St, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450. 

We started the evening off with an entree. Sharon had the mixed entree with sweet and sour sauce, while Maddi and I had a short soup each. The soup was nice, the wantons were house made, and not the store bought frozen kind. Sharon enjoyed the mixed entree, although she gave Maddi and I a curry puff each as she isn't a fan of curry puffs. 

For our main meal we ordered Beef with Cashew Nuts, Braised Chicken with Black Pepper, Boneless Lemon Chicken and a large Special Fried Rice. What can I say about these dishes, they were all amazing.

The Lemon Chicken was tender and the lemon sauce was delicious. The lemon flavour was tangy but not overpowering with just a little sweetness to take the edge of the lemons bitterness. 

The Beef and Cashew Nuts was very full of flavour. The beef was tender and practically melted in your mouth. The vegetables were firm and the sauce had the slightest of creamy texture. All of this was counterpointed by the crunch of the cashew nuts. 

And lastly, but certainly not least was the Braised Chicken and Black Pepper. This was my favourite. Tender and juicy pieces of braised chicken stirfried with asian vegetables with a delicious creamy cracked pepper sauce. There was a definite spicyness to this dish, you could certainly taste the pepper, in fact you could see it too. The pepper wasn't overpowering though, as you could still taste the flavours of the chicken and the vegetables. It had certainly become my new favourite dish. 

On the whole we were very pleased with the night. So much so that we have booked our wedding rehearsal dinner there for the 2nd of November, just under 3 weeks away. The dining area is of a fair size and on the southern side is a raised dining area that gives those dining up there a little intimacy. The Dragon is also fully licenced and there is also a little bar area near the front of the restaurant with tables and seating for a quiet drink. High chairs are available for those with infants and toddlers. I have known Kim and Tony personally for several years from there other restaurant, The Manor in Bellingen, and they offer not only great food but great service as well. Their staff are warm and friendly and do what they can to make sure that you have the best and most enjoyable dining experience. If you ever get the chance to go to the Dragon, tell Kim and Tony that I sent you. 

Our rating: 5 out of 5 stars - honestly we really couldn't fault this one. 

 

The Rustic Table

With Maddi off on another Scout camp, this one down in Sydney, and Molly out at her grandparents for the weekend, it was time for us to have another date night. On a recommendation from one of Sharon's workmates we decided to try The Rustic Table in Woolgoolga. The Rustic Table is a Greek style restaurant located at 54 Bech St in Woolgoolga, about 15 - 20 minutes drive north of Coffs Harbour. 

When we arrived the restaurant wan't very busy at all and we were offered the table directly in front of the open door, and you could feel the cold breeze. When I questioned the waitress as to why she was giving us the table in the doorway in the cold, her response was condescending stating that she was about to shut the door to keep the cold out. 

The menu itself was only one page and one would assume that it changed on a regular basis. For our entree we ordered the crushed garlic and rosemary bread and the red chilli and mozarella bread. both of these arrived on wooden cheesboard. The garlic and rosemary bread was really full of flavour and the red chilli and mozzarella had a delicious bite to it. 

For our main course I ordered the black angus sirloin, well done, with roasted vegetables, crushed chat potatoes and a garlic aioli sauce, and Sharon had the king prawns with lemon basil pesto and olive oil spaghetti. My steak was cooked to perfection, even if id did start to be a little under done at one end I didn't really worry about that too much. It was a nice thick peice of sirloin, about an inch thick. The vegetables were oven roasted in olive oil and tasted fantastic. 

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Sharons meal was just as good. The king prawns were huge and there were at least half a dozen of them on the plate. The spghetti was perfectly cooked and you could taste the lemon and the basil as well as another flavour that we just couldn't place. It is possible that the pasta is freshly made at the restaurant. 

While our meals were fantastic at The Rustic Table, and it makes me sad to say this, but it was let down by it's wait staff and the service that they provided. Now I understand and am well aware that in the hour that we were there the restaurant went from only having a few guests to being full to almost capacity. But we were put off by our waitress from the start as she was very condescnding towards us and when she came to take our plates away after we finished our main meal, she never even asked if we wanted any desserts or tea or coffeee. we waited for a full 15 minutes and still no offer of a dessert menu. Not one of the wait staff even looked in our direction after our table was cleared. It felt as though that since we were done eating we had to leave straight away, that we were no longer welcome. And when I was paying the bill the waitress aked how our evening there was. Sharon replied that it would have been nice if we had been offered some tea and the waitress thought that we hadn't received our main meal. 

In conclusion, while the food at the Rustic Table was excellent, our complete dining experience there was let down by the wait staff and their attitude. 

 

Our rating: 2 and a half stars. 

The Crying Tiger Asian Eating House & Cooking School.

Tonight Sharon and I decided on going out for Thai for our date night. The restaraunt of choice this evening was The Crying Tiger Asian Eating House & Cooking School. The Crying Tiger is located at 382 Harbour Dr, Coffs Harbour Jetty NSW 2450. The Jetty Strip as it is known to locals is a very popular restaraunt and cafe strip and the Crying Tiger is nestled neatly in the middle. If you ever decide to go to the Jetty Strip for dinner, Saturday night probably isn't going to be the best night of the week if you want to have a quiet meal. 

We started our evening off with an entree. Sharon had the Thai fishcakes with peanut and sweet chilli dipping sauce (Tod Mun Pla), while I had the moneybags, a crispy fries Thai pastry filled with pork, prawns and nuts with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. 

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We had a bit of a wait between our entree and our main course, but this place was pumping. from our table we could hear sounds of a celebration from the function room down the back. When our mains did arrive, they were worth the wait. Sharons meal was chicken and cashew stir fry with chilli jam (Cashew Gai). This was a very tasty dish that was complemented by the flavour of the sweet chilli jam. My main course was the Jungle Curry with chicken. This meal was a hot dish, I mean fiery. I like hot food and I swear I thought I could feel steam coming out of my ears. It was still full of flavour, even through the heat of the curry, and came complete with 2 sprigs of green peppercorns, straight from the plant. 

On the whole we were quite please with our dining experieence at The Crying Tiger. The staff were friendly, the meals flavoursome and the atmosphere warm and friendly. They also accommodate for families with babies as they supply high chairs for those that need them. 

Another thing that I hsould mention before signing off that I feel separates The Crying Tiger from most other restaraunts is that they offer a cooking school for those wishing to learn about cooking authentic Thai cuisine. The class is hands on and you are under the instruction of the Tiger's master chef. During the class you learn how to prepare an entree and 3 main meals. Once the class is copleted you have the choice of taking your meals home or sharing them as part of the group. You also get to take home a copy of the recipes for each of the dishes that you prepare.  The cost of the class is $110 and there are only 4 spaces available. I will at some stage in the future be enrolling in the class so keep an eye out for my review on it as well. 

So, in conclusion, if you are a lover of Thai cuisine, or are looking to try it for the first time, I highly recommend The Crying Tiger Asian Eating House & Cooking School. 

Our Rating - 4 out of 5 stars. 

Family Road Trip01

What an awesome Sunday we had today. Sharon and I got to have another sleep in today as Molly was at her grandparents at Thora for the second night in a row. Mum and Dad love having Molly stay over, she has truly stolen their hearts.
Our road trip today started around 10am when we took a quick drive to Woolgoolga. We checked out a local cafe there as a potential for breakfast but deciced that, even though it was a great setting, it was just a little too expensive. So, we climbed back into the car and headed into Coffs Harbour for breakfast at the Clog Barn. Sharon and Maddy had pancakes, which are huge by the way. I don't think most people could eat more than one.I had scrambled eggs on toast which was the best scrambled eggs I had ever gotten from a cafe. From there we did some shopping at Toormina then drove out to Bellingen for lunch with Mum and Dad, my sister Patsy-ann and her youngest son, Jonothan, and of course our Miss Molly. It was so good to see her again after her 2 night stay with Gran and Pa.
After lunch we headed out to Mum and Dad's to pick up Molly's stuff and for me to sort some stuff out with Mum's computer. When it was time to go we decided to take the long way home. That is up the mountain and through Dorrigo and taking the Coramba Road out through Megan and Ulong and back into Coffs Harbour through Coramba. Along the way we stopped off at a couple of spots along the way for photos. Molly was tired and didn't even make it half way up the Dorrigo mountain poor thing.
We had a great drive through some really beautiful scenery. It was great to get out and to just drive around and find spots that you can just pull up and take photos. I have really missed the joy of just going out with my girls and just driving around with no real plan. Yeah, sure, I had a route in mind but that was about it. All the stops were mostly unplanned and we got to see parts of the local area that none of us had ever seen before. It was really gorgeous up there on the back roads, everything was so clean, and so it should after all the rain we have had over the last 2 weeks. The creeks and the waterfalls were all flowing really well.
I really needed today. I really needed to get out and just go, with my family, and just explore. I found it rather relaxing. Next time we are going to have to pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it.
That's enough of me rambling, enjoy the photos and let me know what you think.

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