{"id":2223,"date":"2018-06-17T19:13:50","date_gmt":"2018-06-17T09:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/?p=2223"},"modified":"2018-06-17T19:13:50","modified_gmt":"2018-06-17T09:13:50","slug":"goings-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/?p=2223","title":{"rendered":"Goings on"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Yeesh, we&#8217;ve been slacking on the blogging lately. Since our last post, there have been a few adventures.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fiji<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>Sara&#8217;s company was celebrating it&#8217;s 20th anniversary and to do so in style, they took the whole company (including families) to Fiji for Easter weekend.\u00a0 It&#8217;s was a short (3.5 hours) direct flight for us from Brisbane, woo.\u00a0 All expenses were paid, so there was much eating and drinking!\u00a0 Our room was a ocean view Bure (Fijian style villa) and it was wonderful.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2235\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2235\" style=\"width: 2140px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/fiji.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2235 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/fiji.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2140\" height=\"1442\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2235\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Relaxing in Fiji<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There was a bit of stress with a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2018-04-02\/tropical-cyclone-josie-hits-fiji\/9610000\">category one cyclone<\/a> passing near us on the second night.\u00a0 It was very windy and quite loud, not an experience I&#8217;d like to repeat.\u00a0 The next morning, we awoke to a lot of standing water and quite a bit of debris that washed ashore.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2234\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2234\" style=\"width: 2736px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/?attachment_id=2234\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2234 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/debris.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2736\" height=\"1464\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2234\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A bit of debris on the beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>So that was a bit more excitement than we bargained for, but the rest of our time there was quite enjoyable and relaxing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sports<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>In the summer we made it to a NBL basketball game and a T20 cricket match. Now that the seasons have changed, there were some different sports on offer &#8211; including a quadrennial competition, so it was time for more!<\/p>\n<p>First, the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Commonwealth_Games\">Commonwealth Games<\/a> were coming to the Gold Coast.\u00a0 We decided the best option would be to pick a sport that we would otherwise never see live and then make a day out of a trip to the Gold Coast (which is about 1.5 hours away, but the event ticket includes free train travel).\u00a0 After narrowing down our options to Squash, Weightlifting or Badminton &#8211; we decided on Badminton!\u00a0 But first, time for beers!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2232\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2232\" style=\"width: 1376px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/beer1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2232 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/beer1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1376\" height=\"1887\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2232\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Beachside beers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2233\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2233\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/beer2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2233 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/beer2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1761\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2233\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">BEER!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2231\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2231\" style=\"width: 2448px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/badminton.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2231 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/badminton.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2448\" height=\"1281\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2231\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Badminton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We live just down the road from Suncorp stadium, which is the rectangular stadium used for rugby and soccer.\u00a0 We chose to go see the Brisbane Broncos play &#8211; they are a rugby league team.\u00a0 When we were in Melbourne went to a rugby union game.\u00a0 Don&#8217;t ask me what the rule differences are, because I have enough trouble following the game.\u00a0 I think rugby league is meant to be the more exciting of the two.\u00a0 It certainly has a much larger professional league in Australia.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the Broncos lost.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2227\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2227\" style=\"width: 1853px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/nrl.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2227 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/nrl.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1853\" height=\"1154\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2227\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Very rectangular<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Brisbane Lions are the local Aussie rules football team.\u00a0 They play at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, otherwise know as the Gabba (it is in the suburb of Woolloongabba). They&#8217;ve been pretty terrible the last few years and are doing about the same this year (currently 17th out of 18 teams).\u00a0 Unsurprisingly, the Lions lost.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2230\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2230\" style=\"width: 2085px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/afl.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2230 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/afl.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2085\" height=\"1564\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2230\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Worst picture ever?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>USA Trip<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>As I&#8217;m always up for an excuse to travel across the world, I decided I&#8217;d join my mates for the annual golf trip to North Carolina again this year.\u00a0 This year we were treated to glorious weather with the courses all in great condition.\u00a0 Our golf skills remain as mediocre as ever.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2238\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2238\" style=\"width: 2065px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/golf.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2238 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/golf.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2065\" height=\"1433\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2238\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chris, Erik, Chad, Jon, Drew<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I combined the golf trip with a stopover in California to see my mom and brother both coming and going.\u00a0 Jeff and I even managed to sneak in a round of golf.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2228\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2228\" style=\"width: 3557px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/tahoe.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2228 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/tahoe.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3557\" height=\"2455\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2228\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">On the shores of Lake Tahoe with Mom and Jeff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2236\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2236\" style=\"width: 2386px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/jeff.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2236 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/jeff.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2386\" height=\"1406\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2236\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeff rocking the CA socks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I also stopped in to see my friend Mike in SC. \u00a0 Shockingly there is no photo evidence of the time I spent with Mike in South Carolina.\u00a0 We played golf and ping pong,\u00a0 ate tacos, grilled steaks, drank beer and sat in disbelief as the Caps actually beat the Penguins in the NHL Playoffs.\u00a0 It was a good time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Brisbane<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>We are still loving the Brisbane weather.\u00a0 The autumn \/ winter here has been pretty great.\u00a0 Still shorts weather and days full of sunshine.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2229\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2229\" style=\"width: 364px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/winter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2229\" src=\"http:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/winter.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"364\" height=\"544\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2229\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Winter is nice for walks on the beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I&#8217;m still golfing with my Australian mates as well.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2237\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2237\" style=\"width: 1869px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/mates.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2237 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/mates.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1869\" height=\"863\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2237\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">G&#8217;day<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yeesh, we&#8217;ve been slacking on the blogging lately. Since our last post, there have been a few adventures. Fiji: Sara&#8217;s company was celebrating it&#8217;s 20th anniversary and to do so in style, they took the whole company (including families) to Fiji for Easter weekend.\u00a0 It&#8217;s was a short (3.5 hours) direct flight for us from &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/?p=2223\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Goings on<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rm","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2223"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2245,"href":"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2223\/revisions\/2245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handelblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}