On Facebook - yes
2006
Hey everybody. I live with my husband Neil and two sons Heath(13) and Ian(10) in Birmingham, all who are very entertaining and a joy. We have been here for 18 years after leaving Huntsville. Neil won't be able to make the reunion since he will be visiting his homeland Australia with our oldest son. He and Tiger will probably pass each other in the air. We get back there every few years to visit family and friends and consider it our second home. Meanwhile life in Bham is good with few complaints. I look forward to catching up with you all. Talk soon, Jane
August 21, 2007 Update
We have moved to the Sunshine Coast of Queensland Australia. We can be contacted via this e-mail address and will not have a house address for a few months. It was bittersweet leaving. We were excited about being back at Neil's home and close to his family, but sad to leave our family and friends in Alabama. Neil and I both will continue our work in our prospective fields while living at the Sunshine Coast just north of Neil's hometown of Brisbane. Brisbane is 600 miles north of Sydney.
1-9-08 Update
Jane moved back to Birmingham in December.
7-15-08
Yes we are back in Alabama. Our timing was off with moving to Australia. With the devaluation of the U.S. dollar, the rising Australian dollar and our real estate not selling proved to be too much of a financial burden and not in the game plan. We also witnessed the state of Queensland’s real estate increase 32% in the last quarter of 2007. That was pretty frightening so we decided to come back to more familiar territory, our home in Birmingham.
All in all it was a great adventure that we now look back on as our “Working Holiday”. Neil, Heath and Ian were able to learn how to surf. We all were able to experience the Australian lifestyle. The boys attended school and wore those great uniforms with hats. I was able to learn the metric system with work and drive on the left side of the road. We were all able to live near Neil’s family for a short while which will always be a treasure.
Like all major changes in life, this was a true growth experience when we learned what is important to us. We learned how great a sense of community we had built over the years and what it was like to leave that for something new. The heartbreak of leaving a place we love and the thrill of something new and only to turn around and do it again. Neil and I will always be saying good-by to someone in our lives. We learn to celebrate the hellos. The good news is we are in an age of emails and skype, which helps us keep in touch with our loved ones across the world. Our new motto is “Live in Birmingham, travel the world.” Hey Tiger, sorry we did not call this last trip, maybe next time.
P.S. The container arrived late in Australia with our belongings. It docked in port the day after we decided to come back. It was not meant for us to stay, but we did need to go. Eight months of living out of a suitcase has made us minimalists, which is a way of life we enjoy.
6-15-24 update
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jane@janereedrossla.com
rossnjhi@mac.com
501 Kenilworth Dr
Birmingham, AL 35209
(205) 871-7964 home
205 223-7481 cell