And just like that 2025 is well underway. Another school year has commenced and we look forward to what the new year will bring. We have been absolutely blessed with a marvellous summer here in Melbourne. Plenty of stunning summer days to fill our cups.
December marked the end of the school year in Australia and we spent no time fluffing around before hopping on a plane to Hawaii just two days later. It was an even ten hours from Melbourne to Honolulu which wasn’t too terrible in terms of long haul flights. It’s definitely preferable to the ~13 hrs to L.A. We’d recommend this flight pattern and probably do it again.
We laid over in Honolulu for four nights, allowing us to stretch our legs and celebrate my birthday; island style. We had gorgeous weather of 28 and sunny every day which was perfection. We used our days to explore Oahu, heading up to the North Shore and driving the entire loop around the island. We were impressed by the number of roosters (definitely gave Hei Hei vibes). The waters were crystal clear and a prefect temperature for swimming and snorkelling. We hiked, swam, ate fresh poke, tried Hawaiian shaved ice, enjoyed sunsets and tried to embrace the Aloha lifestyle 🤙 .
We were delayed leaving Hawaii and got in to Vancouver late, but the flight to Winnipeg was also delayed so it all worked out in the end. Another 10 hours of travel got us back to Canada safe and sound. And in classic Winnipeg fashion, we were greeted with a proper winter temperature of -25.
We got our fill of all the best things while back in Winnipeg. So much coveted family time, visiting friends, meeting babies, Christmas traditions, watching hockey games and reconnecting with all things Canadian that we’ve been missing.
We did the same flight pattern back through Honolulu to Melbourne. We laid over for NYE and rang in 2025 on the shores of Waikiki.
Once we landed back in Aus we were able to enjoy all the best of January in the city. This is mainly the Australian Open which is always a highlight in the new year!
We also headed over to Sydney for a few days to enjoy the east coast. We had great food and drinks, got some fantastic weather and soaked up the sun.
We rounded out January with the Kesha concert, a visit from my cousin Hollie and her husband Allen, a fabulous exhibit at the NGV, a movie at the outdoor cinema and explored the CBD.
There were too many good, great and wonderful things and I’m trying to store them all in a back up battery for when I need a boost of happy later on this year.
It was back to school this week and I look ahead to another school year with a new role presenting different challenges and exciting opportunities. We also have our eyes on Japan which is only 9 weeks away!
As always, we love you and encourage you to take the plunge to come visit and see why we love this city as much as we do. Promise it won’t disappoint!
With love,
Alex & Michael
