What a year!

After some big Aussie kangaroo hugs, Chris left for the airport on Monday to officially end our exchange. Hard to believe it's over. We traveled across as much of Australia as possible and enjoyed every inch of it. The trips were a time for us to bond as a family while absorbing and learning about a beautiful country. More importantly, we made some wonderful friends in Australia and will miss them dearly.

A special goodbye to the Betchers! It's strange how we got to know them so well without really being in their presence. We communicated frequently and openly all year long via computer. We saw them on their blog hanging out with our friends and they saw us on our blog hanging out with their friends. Their friends told us stories about them as I'm sure our friends told stories about us. After a year, we feel like we know them as life-long friends. We couldn't have asked for more compatible exchange partners. Thanks Chris, Donna, Alex and Kate - we've had an incredible year!