The Haynes 'Happenings': Goodbye Brisbane / Melbourne, Hello Provo

Well for those who haven't heard I finished with Optus this week after 12 years and we leave next weekend to move to the USA while I complete my MBA full time at the Marriott School of Management. Needless to say it is very busy but exciting as we pack up our house and get ready to go.

We are so grateful for the many people who have wished us well and especially for this great cake (looked good and was very delicious) that we had when were at the Rogers family for dinner recently. There is no substitute for family and we will miss everyone.

It was a little sad for me leaving Melbourne for the last time (for a while) this week. I have traveled there almost every week for the last 12 months+ and the Stamford Hotel has been a home away from home. It is a great city & if you haven't visited there I strongly recommend it, and living there is great too (we did for two years).

What will be great though is not having to be away from home each week and having more chance to be a better Dad and husband.

(Good old Brisbane Town....)

Of course, we will miss Brisbane, the weather (not in middle of summer), the people, our house (sold last week - we will miss it very much so here is one last glimpse for us...),

and most of all we will miss our friends and family. It has been such a blessing to be able to live so close to our parents/grandparents/great-grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins and sisters/brothers-in-law, nieces/nephews et al. It can't always be that way so we appreciate what a blessing that has been.

We know this is the right thing for us though and have been very fortunate to have this opportunity available to us. We will have a new country, climate and culture to deal with (as well as going back to full-time study) but I know it will be a great adventure for our family.

Please stay tuned for updates on our 'happenings' and stay in touch. For now, here is some scenery of the place we will call home for the next two years...

(View of Provo Mountains looking west, the campus and our apartment are just at the base of the mountain on the right of the gap. The city is about 4,000 feet above sea level)

(Looking North - Aerial photo of Campus and surrounds)

(View of Provo from the mountain, looking east back towards Provo Lake, we are living right across the road from the lighted Temple you can see in the foreground)