Not in that “everyone’s a snowflake” kind of way. She’s truly unique.
Because of a wonky chromosome, each cell in Anna’s little body is different from every other cell in the world. There is no one else like her.
At birth, she was given less than a week to live – she surpassed it.
At three months, she was in so much pain from simply trying to digest nourishment that my brother and sister-in-law had to make the unbearable decision to have Anna undergo a surgery that she most likely wouldn’t survive – but she did.
Since that first surgery, she has had at least a dozen more. I can’t begin to imagine the pain she has endured simply to live, but somehow she has.
We were told she’d never live past six months, a year, then every subsequent year since – but she has.
We were told she would never eat without a feeding tube, but she does.
We were told she would never walk, but she does (and climbs and dances and shoots hoops).
We were told she’d never be able to communicate, but she does.
She’s developed her own special sign language, yet still shows her love to us mere mortals in ways we can understand. With a quick hug or a pat on the head.
Anna is determination embodied.
Since the day she was born, I’ve learned from Anna.
She has a grace that I will never have. No challenge in my life will ever come close to what she has taken on.
And through it all, she has maintained a wicked sense of humor. When we want to hear her beautiful laugh, all we have to do is rap a knuckle, trip over a toy, or get bonked with a rubber ball.
Life with Anna is like a Three Stooges movie (my sister-in-law vows to never allow her to see an actual Three Stooges movie, she’s sure Anna would literally die laughing. I should add that S-I-L is the best mom I know).
Anna has done what I could never do – flip pain over and spank it on the rear.
David and I wrote a lot about what a great time we had in St. Louis, but nothing could compare to the joy we had celebrating Anna’s 20th birthday on our visit.
Yep, 20th birthday.
Thinking long and hard about how to celebrate this blessed occasion, we decided to take Anna on her first bumper boating adventure.
What could be more fun than bashing into unsuspecting strangers in a rubber boat?
Happily, our suspicions were confirmed.
Still, having never bumper boated ourselves, we didn’t realize how perfectly equipped they were for pure Anna pleasure.
Yes, there was bumping (double Anna-laughter points for bashing into her older brother and dad!), but there were fountains to splash ourselves under and, best of all, a trigger to push that launched a super-soaker stream for long-range drenching.
Trust me, there aren’t many things greater than being able to push a button and watch your Uncle David get annihilated by a high powered stream of water (not gonna lie, I found pleasure in that aspect too!).
Anna has taught me to live in the moment and find joy in the unexpected.
To laugh when things aren’t going my way.
She tells me that every day is a blessing, Aunt Roni, so quit yer whining.
And that it really is funny when Uncle David forgets to duck and hits his head when climbing into BAMF.
Some of the most readily recognizable Australian icons are animals, and we found more than a double dose of them in Queensland at The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary outside Brisbane.
As the name suggests, we got up close and personal with koalas, but we also got to feed kangaroos right from our hands… CONTINUE READING >>
Some of the most readily recognizable Australian icons are animals, and we found more than a double dose of them in Queensland at The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary outside Brisbane.
As the name suggests, we got up close and personal with koalas, but we also got to feed kangaroos right from our hands.
The downtown beach on the Brisbane River at The South Bank ParklandsThe Wheel of Brisbane
We began our trek with an easy stroll from our downtown hotel, over the Victoria Bridge, to The South Bank Parklands.
The park stretches about half a mile along the the Brisbane River with trails, pools, beaches, shops, and cafes.
But the highlight of the park is the ginormous Wheel of Brisbane towering two hundred feet above it all.
At the dock just below the wheel we caught the Mirimar Koala and River Cruise and were really on our way.
The sights along the river, beginning with the city’s towering, modern skyline, then winding through swanky suburbs, made for a thoroughly enjoyable morning.
For seventy years The Mirimar and Mirima II have been making this run and we can’t imagine a better way to see the city, but knowing that the opportunity to cuddle a koala awaited at the end had us eagerly anticipating our arrival upstream.
Lone Pine is the world’s oldest and largest koala sanctuary. It has steadily grown since 1927 when the first pair, Jack and Jill, arrived.
Now over one hundred and thirty of the fuzzy fellows are living safely and happily on site.
It is also one of the few places in the world where visitors are allowed to hold koalas.
Click the pic for a quick introduction to Bec the Koala!
The process is very well supervised, with the care of the animals being of utmost importance.
Each koala is never handled more than half an hour a day, and the keepers are never more than a step or two away.
Holding one of these adorable animals was nothing less than an amazing experience. Koalas are generally lethargic, and often sleep up to twenty hours a day, due to the lack of energy in the eucalyptus leaves that make up their diet.
So they seemed perfectly happy to sit on our arms and take a little rest up against us.
That extraordinary feeling has drawn celebrities and world leaders from every corner of the globe. While we ate lunch we looked over the dozens and dozens of photos of those famous faces.
Over the years Queen Elizabeth, Cher, L.B.J., John Travolta, Eric Clapton, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pavarotti, and even Pope John Paul II couldn’t resist the allure of the koala.
Unfortunately, with human encroachment on their habitat, the number of koalas in the wild has dropped drastically in recent years, due mostly to cars and attacks by house pets.
So the work that sanctuaries like Lone Pine are doing is imperative to the endangered little guys’ survival, otherwise captivity might be the only place left to see them.
As cute and cuddly as the koalas were, there was still much more to see. After all, no trip to Australia would be complete without a kangaroo sighting, and we were about to go one-up on that and feed them.
Armed with nothing but a small bag of roo chow, we entered the enclosure.
Click the pic to see this guy come to life!
We have to admit we were a bit wary at first, some of these guys were big!
A few of the roos didn’t seem to want anything to do with us, but before long several were literally eating out of our hands. As powerful as some of these specimens were, they have a gentle quality about them.
Some would even rest their front paws on our hands while they ate, perhaps the ultimate Australian experience.
There was one more uniquely Australian animal we were hoping to get a look at.
A critter so strange that when the first specimen was sent back to England scientists were fairly certain it must have been a prank.
Aboriginal legend holds that it was created when a duck mated with a water-rat. The offspring hatched with its mother’s bill and webbed feet, and the father’s legs and brown fur. That could only describe a platypus.
A REAL Tasmanian Devil! Don’t think this guy spins. 😉
These peculiar egg laying mammals are nocturnal and spend most of their time under water, so they are hard to get a good look at.
But in 2010 Lone Pine built a special million-dollar platypus house where night and day have been reversed, so we had a pretty good chance of spotting them. And spot them we did!
WATCH: Our wonderful experience frolicking with the animals – including platypus footage!
Click the pic for some over-the-top cute mama and
baby koala action!
At that point we were feeling like we had pretty much seen it all, until right outside the platypus house we found a couple mama koalas… and their babies. Like all marsupial offspring, these little guys start off life in their mother’s pouch, and go by the name joey.
Once they get too big for the pouch, many marsupial young will climb onto mama’s back. At this point they are known as back joeys, and we would be hard pressed to think of any more adorable critter than a koala joey taking a little ride on mom.
Now we knew we were finished, there was no way to top that.
Back in Brisbane we were getting that growly feeling in our bellies, and by all accounts the place to remedy that situation is Gambaro.
Since opening a simple fish & chips shop back in 1953, three generations of Gambaros have been serving up Queensland‘s finest fresh catches, and earning a well deserved reputation as one of the city’s enduring institutions.
Click the pic to set John’s Prawns aflame! Fantastic!
The tradition was properly on display as our “John’s Prawns” were prepared tableside, fully flaming.
Absolutely phenomenal with garlic, butter, cream, and just enough chilies to give it a kick.
Farm-to-table goodness: Squash stuffed with tomato, parm, olives and parsley
Already famous for seafood, Gambaro has taken on the world of beef with the opening of Black Hide Steakhouse right across the street.
After our shrimp we crossed over to feast on some prime cuts from 100% Queensland Stanbroke cattle. Rather than limit ourselves to trying just one each, we decided to share a sample of both Angus and Wagyu steaks.
We were not familiar with the term Wagyu, but learned that it is the breed of cattle best known for Kobe beef.
Tender and delicious, the only thing tough about these steaks was missing them when they were gone. Served with potato and asparagus, this was a meal to satisfy even the hungriest koala cuddlers and kangaroo wranglers.
A fulfilling finale to a day we will long look back on as our incredible introduction to Australia, Queensland, and marsupials.
Join us as we cuddle with koalas and hand feed kangaroos at a the amazing Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbine, Queensland, Australia! There’s nothing cuter than a baby joey riding on his mother’s back… Find out about all the extreme cuteness here!>>
When the hungries hit in Brisbane, the place to remedy the situation is Gambaro.
Since opening a simple fish & chips shop back in 1953, three generations of Gambaros have been serving up Queensland’s finest fresh catches, and earning a well deserved reputation as… CONTINUE READING >>
Huge thanks to Tourism and Events Queensland for suggesting and providing this culinary adventure! As always, all opinions are our own.
When the hungries hit in Brisbane, the place to remedy the situation is Gambaro.
Since opening a simple fish & chips shop back in 1953, three generations of Gambaros have been serving up Queensland‘s finest fresh catches, and earning a well deserved reputation as one of the city’s enduring institutions.
A family affair: The Gambaros came out for a chat!
Click the pic to set John’s Prawns aflame! Fantastic!
The tradition was properly on display when we dropped in, as our “John’s Prawns” were prepared tableside, fully flaming.
Absolutely phenomenal with garlic, butter, cream, and just enough chilies to give it a kick.
Become a regular at Black Hide and they’ll store your own steak knife!Farm-to-table goodness: Squash stuffed with tomato, parm, olives and parsley.Already famous for seafood, Gambaro has taken on the world of beef with the opening of Black Hide Steakhouse right across the street.
After our shrimp we crossed over to feast on some prime cuts from 100% Queensland Stanbroke cattle. Rather than limit ourselves to trying just one each, we decided to share a sample of both Angus and Wagyu steaks.
We were not familiar with the term Wagyu, but learned that it is the breed of cattle best known for Kobe beef.
Tender and delicious, the only thing tough about these steaks was missing them when they were gone.
Had so much fun on Fox2Now this morning! We filmed in our tiny RV (it was tight!) – and David gave us quite a scare! Give us a watch and let us know how we did!
Had so much fun on Fox2Now this morning! We filmed in our tiny RV (it was tight!) – and David gave us quite a scare! Give us a watch and let us know how we did!
We don’t know art, but we know what we like.. and we like it weird!
Traipse along with your GypsyNesters as we scour the Louvre for the strangest masterpieces we could find…. CONTINUE READING >>
Looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city, Louis XIV decided to move from Paris to the Palace of Versailles in 1682.
The Louvre did not immediately become a museum though; it was just over one-hundred years later, when the revolution replaced the royals, that the building was opened to show the collection.
Arriving just after midday, we knew it would be impossible to see the entire Louvre in one afternoon, so our plan was to hit the highlights, GypsyNester style.
We were immediately surprised to discover that a spot right near the entrance marked “New Acquisition” had been made ready for Veronica’s napkin masterpiece cover art sketch of Going Gypsy.
From that coveted position we made our way to the sculptures of ancient Greece, many of which we found to be downright bizarre. A few of our favorites included…
Boy Delivering Severe Beat-down to Goose…Man Pulling Guts Out of Animal… Ancient Greek Dude Taking a Selfie…Cupid Riding a Centaur……and Supine Woman With Shocking Surprise on the Front Side (turns out she’s just one of the boys!).Here’s what Venus de Milo sees.
Astonishingly, those were not the actual names. They are all remarkable, masterfully sculpted works of art, and heretofore we shall endeavor to display a modicum of proper decorum.
As if timed perfectly, the sight of Venus de Milo snapped us back to a state of appropriate awe.
Named for the Greek Isle Milos, where it was discovered in 1820, she is Aphrodite, goddess of love.
Sculpted over one-hundred years before the time of Christ, she is considered a classic example of ancient Greek sculpture and, despite her loss of limbs, looks mighty good for her age.
Leaving the marble masterpieces behind, we headed to the gallery of Italian artists on a quest to see Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous work, Mona Lisa.
To our surprise, a great many of the people gathered in front of the portrait had their backs to her.
Perhaps her appearance in the background of countless tourist selfies is what’s keeping her smiling these days.
Climbing out from underneath the famous glass pyramid, we returned to the courtyard of the Louvre and found a perfect view straight down the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, or Elysian Fields, to the Arc de Triomphe.
More strong contenders for the most odd art in the Louvre:
Drink My Wine or Suffer the Consequences.Satyr Splinter RemovalMiddle-aged Baby JesusAngel One Night StandThat Angelic Feeling (sometimes known as Angel Copping a Feel).
