A Dee-luxe Apartment in the Sky (that's for you Trey)

We made it here! Our internet access was not working well so we’ve been slow to update.

The flight from LA to Sydney was supposed to leave at 10:20 Pacific time which is 1:20 AM Eastern time. So, we were all really tired by the time the flight should have left. We boarded and the kids were thrilled with their seats, which reclined fully, the entertainment set-up complete with their own remote and headphones, and the amount of space. We settled in, taxied out part of the way to the runway and stopped - for almost an hour. The lights kept flickering and we were told that we had to return to the gate to see if they could solve a light issue and to get some more fuel (no complaints about that but did we really use that much sitting for an hour?). We spent another hour at the gate while they tried to reload software to get the lights at the back of the plane to turn off. Sam fell asleep and stayed that way for 5-6 hours. We took off two hours late at 3:15 AM Eastern time. Sam, Chris and Mia were completely reclined and asleep for take off. Our seats faced backwards which made for a unique takeoff experience, at least for me, the only person awake enough to experience it.
We flew United in Business class and I would definitely recommend it. Plenty of space, seats that go fully flat, decent food, good (enough) entertainment. The kids were amazing!! They slept, let us sleep, watched TV and movies, and really didn’t complain at all. Can’t ask for more than that. We arrived in Sydney later than planned, around 9:30 AM. Our trip through customs was quick and uneventful, just a bit tricky to negotiate 12 bags with two tired kids. Should we really let Mia drive a cart full of suitcases? Our prearranged taxi (minivan) with luggage trailer was waiting. The kids found it highly amusing for Chris to sit where he usually sits but not be driving!

For the next several weeks we will stay in a furnished apartment until we find a place to live. Check this place out on the 77^th floor! You know how wild your kids go when you get to a hotel room? You can imagine…



Chris's new office as seen from the apartment building.



　
Our plan for the rest of the day was to keep the kids awake so that they’d sleep at bedtime. Not so easy but we did manage without any meltdowns. We had some lunch, spent some time at the bank getting accounts worked out, then walked over to Circular Quay to see the Harbor, Harbor Bridge and Opera House.
　

After a taxi ride back to the apartment (no more walking for tired kids), we grabbed a few groceries, had dinner and they slept easily for the next 10 hours. A great first day.
Next up - we go house/apartment hunting.