My Story

I grew up on a dairy farm in northern country Victoria, Australia. I loved growing up on a farm and was very close with my parents and three younger sisters. In 1999, as a very naive nineteen year old, I boarded a plane for the first time and flew to Europe to work on cruise ships. A small girl in a big world, and I was excited to discover it.

During my first day onboard the Holland American Line cruise ship, the MS Statendam, I met a Dutch man. He was completing his apprenticeship onboard as an officer/engineer. We worked hard and played hard. Our first date was in Acapulco, Mexico and our second date was in Maui, Hawaii. Quite soon, we realised that our relationship was serious and that we were very much in love with each other.

We spent several years living and working on cruise ships, then several years living and working in Sydney, Australia. We married in Australia and our two beautiful children were born there*. Then in 2011, we relocated to the Netherlands to start our next adventure.

Relocating from Australia to the Netherlands and adapting to the extreme differences has posed a variety of challenges and has inevitably helped me to grow as a person. I look forward to sharing these stories and my experiences with you on this blog!

*Unfortunately, 9 years after relocating to the Netherlands, my husband and I divorced. But we had 19 happy years together. Now I am discovering a whole new life.. That of a single 40 year old Aussie in Clogland!