A day in the life...

12 Years and Counting

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 08:24:58 +1000

oday marks our 12th year together in wedded bliss. Well, maybe 5th year (non-consecutive) of bliss and 7th year of "other". Whatever the number, the point is that we are still going strong. And we celebrated in style.

The day started with a water taxi to Rose Bay followed by a seaplane to Cottage Point on the Hawkesbury River. Great food, perfect weather and amazing scenery around Sydney made for a fantastic day out.

Happy 12th anniversary to us.

Run Girls, Run

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:17:51 +1000

On Sunday, 15 June, Rob, Allison and Amanda all participated in the mini-mosmarathon - a local foot race consisting of a 2k, 5k and 10k run. The girls entered the 2k and Rob entered the 10k. For more on how Rob went, see Rob's Blog.

The week leading up to the race, the girls decided it was time to begin training so they went on a couple of runs with dad around the neighbourhood. The first night of intense training, Amanda, Allison and Rob braved the rain and the cold wind for 2k before Allison decided she was ready for the big race and peeled off to return home. Amanda and Rob continued for another 2k, coming in at about 31 minutes.

On the Friday before the race, Allison was confident she had done enough preparation so she stayed with mum and Georgia next to the heater inside the house while Amanda and Rob took another 2k jog around Mosman.

Sunday arrived and the girls were nervous but ready. The starting gun sent them shooting past Mosman Public school in a 2k loop towards Military Road and back around the backside of the school. As 9 minutes 30 seconds approached, Amanda became visible amidst the crowd as she barrelled towards the finish. She crossed the line at 10:01, setting a personal record.

Moments later, Allison rounded the bend onto the home stretch and gave it all she had to cross the line at 13:27, also setting a personal record.

Needless to say, we were beaming with pride. They may not have come in first place, but they were certainly winners in our eyes.

Dining for Djarragun

Wed, 4 Jun 2008 07:49:57 +1000

I, along with more than 30 other members of KPMG across Australia, are raising funds (more than $5,500 per person) to support Djarragun College, an educational establishment in Far North Queensland for indigenous youth. The indigenous students at Djarragun are often of poor health and from dysfunctional families with a wide range of social, emotional, health and behavioural challenges. Djarragun has a very strong track record with these students but some fall by the wayside because of the huge adjustment required to transition from their communities to a more structured school environment.

As part of my fundraising efforts, Kelly and I hosted a "Dining for Djarragun" night at our house. Several of our friends came over for a casual dinner at our house and donated $50 per person, which goes directly to the college. The money will go towards providing essential additional facilities at the adventure based learning campus for these disadvantaged students who will be able to take control of their destiny by allowing them to participate more fully in school life.

We had a wonderful time and all felt good about the difference we were making for the citizens of Australia.

In case you're interested in how my training and fundraising efforts are coming along, just click on Rob's Blog.

Goldbergs On TV

Mon, 19 May 2008 19:10:00 +1000

We weren't the stars of the show, but we did manage to catch some air time before and after commercial breaks.

We were the lucky winners of a raffle at the Mosman Public School 80s night fundraiser which scored us 4 tickets to a backstage tour of Australia's Funniest Home Videos, a brief visit with the host - Shelley Craft - and seats in the studio audience.

The girls had a blast seeing how the show was made and being a part of it. Just another day in the life of the Goldberg family.

Easter Feis

Sun, 4 May 2008 21:09:22 +1000

Ok, so it's well after Easter. But the girls had an Irish dancing competition today called the Easter Feis anyway. They both danced their hearts out and both did well, taking home more trophies for the mantle. Well done, girls!

Gameshow Ben

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:36:58 +1000

We have a budding gameshow host in the house. When Ben doesn't like something or doesn't want to do something, he has a unique way of letting us know.

Allison Turns Eleven

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:49:36 +1000

Technically, Allison doesn't turn 11 until 10 days from now, however that didn't stop us from celebrating her double-one birthday a little early.

We celebrated this year's birthday High School Musical style - complete with High School Musical cupcakes, napkins, watching the movie and going to see High School Musical - The Ice Tour.

Everyone had a great time and even as I type, Allison is still on a sugar high from the overload of sweets consumed by all.

Benjamin Gets A Haircut

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:53:23 +1000

Not to be outdone by his brother, it was time for Benjamin to visit the barber. With a few snips here and there, his lizard-like tail was gone from the back of his head and he was transformed once again into a handsome little man. Well done, Benjamin!

Allison Goes To Canberra

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 07:02:54 +1000

The Year 6 classes of Mosman Public School went on their annual trip to Canberra - Australia’s capital. Allison left early Monday morning along with 60 of her closest mates to learn more about Australia’s government and have fun visiting some of the interactive museums.

Allison visited some of Australia’s best museums and historic sites including:
Parliament House
Old Parliament House
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)
The National Portrait Gallery
The Australian War Memorial
Questacon
The Australian Institute of Sport
The Governor General’s House
The National Museum of Australia

Allison stayed at the Canberra Motor Village (although as Allison says, there were no cars or motors there) in a room with five other girls and no adults (they stayed nearby). A certain recipe for disaster. Without adult supervision, the girls allegedly: flushed 5 cents down the toilet, melted ice in the microwave and froze shoes in the freezer.

Eastering in Gerroa

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:08:28 +1100

For Easter weekend this year, we headed south of Sydney to a rented apartment in Gerroa, NSW. With picturesque views of the NSW coast from our place, we spent a lovely weekend away, experiencing the local sights.

Our four day weekend included visits to Berry, Gerringong, Kiama, Jamberoo, Seven Mile Beach and more. Some of the more notable sights were browsing the shops in Berry, the Berry Museum, the Hampden Bridge, Kangaroo Valley, Jamberoo Action Park - Where you control the Action! (and they control the prices), Seven Mile Beach and the Kiama Blowhole.

Luckily, the Easter Bunny found us on Sunday morning and left plenty of tooth decay-inducing treats for us to enjoy.