Adventures Down Under!

This is it...

2010-05-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

Olivia: Knock, knock

SC: Who's there?

Olivia: It's Olivia

SC: Olivia who?

Olivia: Olivia Jackson,

I'M IN SOUTH CAROLINA!!!

Yes, it's official... I am home! I'm just a tad early but it was time. I have loved every second of being overseas. I can't imagine the detail in which it has changed me and shaped who I will continue to become. What I have been taught I could not have learned at any university, by either parent, or by my closest and wisest friend. There are some things that are only learned by new experiences, a globalized outlook, and stepping wayyyyyy out of the box. The people I met taught me more about my own country than I ever knew, in addition to the rest of the world! From New Zealand to Sweden, we've talked about politics, lifestyles, healthcare and habits.

The non-Australians and I learned to drive on the wrong ;) or left side of the road together, what kebabs are, what it means to be crook, to hate mozzies, to go to the op shop, to conversationally use the word reckon, what pashing is, who Poms are, and what it means to receive a prezzy, all in the land of Oz. I remember, I spent my first month staring at the Aussie's like they were speaking a different language! Hah! But I learned in due time, thanks to Maca, Cat and my boys.

To you Aussies, and Kiwis, THANK YOU! Thank you for teaching me, being patient with me, and putting up with me when I asked "Y'all don't have that here??" I can't imagine how annoying that was ;) You guys are my family and I hope that I have taught you a few things as well... we Americans aren't alllll bad!

I have no doubt I will be back before you know it. I can't wait to see y'all again, you have impacted my life in more ways than you can imagine. Please come up to South Carolina! I promise we will treat you right and give you an experience of a lifetime as well - each of you have an open invitation for life.

Opening pressies :)

Thanks Mags and Rhian! I love you so much!

Last glass of (legal) wine...

Going away bbq - some of the most

amazing people I will ever meet

Saying goodbye to my home from

July 2009 - May 2010

Mooloolaba, QLD, Australia

Miss you Rhian :(

VARSITY 66 ROOMIES!!!

Closest I have ever gotten to

having brothers - I will miss it

Alrighty. USA, here I come

Flight 007 anyone??

Fortunately there was no James Bond action

"This Is It"

Tribute, Michael Jackson

Two girls I will never ever forget

Let's do it!

I LOVE VAustralia - best airline ever

Buhbye Brisbane! See you soon!

Last picture of Australia -

North Stradbrooke Island

Isn't it incredible..?

And airplane food... awesome ;)

Nighty night, time to get on LA time

Hello Cali, it's been awhile

Gate 66... Varsity 66... already missing you!

MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who didn't know I was coming home, don't feel too left out because this was only planned two weeks ago. I just decided it was time, talked to the parentals and booked my plane tickets. Sooooo because it was semi spur-of-the-moment... I decided to surprise a few people :)

Surprise Jessi!

Jessi and me at Carolina!!! :D

And Jordi!!! :D:D

And Lauren!!! :D:D:D

KREE!!!:D:D:D:D

Wait, didn't I see you everyday in Belgium??

Oh wait... skype!

I love you so much!

Missed you Jonathan!

Timing was pretty much unbeatable for coming home... the weekend before was Maca's unbelievable birthday weekend and the weekend after arrival was Bethany's Clemson Graduation. Not only is the graduation itself very exciting, it meant the family was down to visit!!!! YAY! Aaand Mother's Day!

SISTA - LAUREL!

Hadn't seen each other since Feb '09

So many reunions!

Mama #2 :)

ETHAN!!

YUMM

Congratulations Bethany!

First Mother's Day in a decade with all

three girls - love you mama!

Well... seeing as this is the end of my Australia trip, I guess this is the end of my blog. I may post one or two more but time will tell. I hope you have all enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed writing. It hasn't been easy but I will always be thankful for a weekly record of the year of my life abroad. I am sure this summer will be jam-packed, as it has already begun so but I can't wait to see my South Carolinians as time goes. Now that I'm back in the country, it shouldn't be quite as difficult. As far as my Aussies, Kiwis, Sweds, Finns, Austrians, and Turks go... Thank you thank you thank you for changing my life forever. I can't wait to meet again :)

If you ever want to catch up write me on facebook or email me at jacksonolivia2@gmail.com

Happy 21st Maca!!!!!!!

2010-05-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

This week was so busy, which in my world means, SO GOOD! Everything from start to finish was awesome.

Last Monday, my good friend Cat (#1 female boxer in QLD ;) ) took me to her work… this was super exciting because she works for the government with the police!! She answers 000 (911) calls and controls the radio to direct the police cars. How cool is that??? Com co.? This was way cool for me – thank you so much for an awesome visit Kitty!

FOUR screens at once!

SO legit ;)

I took full advantage of the beach during the week. The weather is getting cooler so not too much longer will I be able to lie on the sand and bask in the sun. I will certainly miss it… I also spent Tuesday packing my 20kg (44lb) sea mail package. It’ll take three months to get home – perfect timing.

Have fun Sailing!!!

Wednesday morning, Mags and I headed to the Eumundi Markets. She had never been but you may remember Maca and I going in August – they are one of the best markets I have ever been to. We shopped around a bit but purchased little. They had lots of free samples – my FAV!

It was all about Macaela from Thursday to Saturday when the birthday celebrations began. Because her birthday was coming up, she got four free tickets to the Comedy Club in Brisbane! It was Maca, Simon, Mags and I and we had a great time! Maca’s bday was Friday the 30^th of April so we popped some bubbly at midnight :D

Yes, I brought my own toast.

Not weird.

The group :)

He swallowed the balloon whole...

and then my a very inappropriate joke about

his sister to all the guys in the club...

Two and two anyone?

YAY MAC!

Working their "magic poses" haha

Bubbly!

When we got back to the coast on Friday, set up began. “When I get an idea of what I want, I don’t stop until I get there,” Macaela French. And that is a fact – she had the perfect picture of how she wanted her birthday to look like and go down, and we didn’t stop until it got there. We took over Simon’s house and tennis courts and had the whole family together setting up tables, chairs, lanterns, fairy lights, etc. And it was stunning. The party was Saturday night and everything turned out perfectly! There were around 60 people there and we mingled, ate, and drank the night away. There was not a single drama, everything from the place cards to guests fell right into place.

The official maid of honor/PA :)

Yes, I took Mac to Subway for her bday

lunch... it was by request!

Rockin' 21

And setting up begins!!!

Not as easy as it appears

Lanterns!

Getting ready :)

My hair stayed like this for

about 5 minutes...

Complete :)

My two favorite Aussie boys on the planet

Roomies!

The bday girl and me :D

I LOVE YOU MAC!

The hardest project of my life!

Everything was stunning

Mac and Sim cutting the cake :)

Parties ova!

Opening pressies:

21 scratchies!!!

Too much helium

Macaela (Maca) has meant so much to me in my time in Australia - she has been with me through thick and thin, excitement and illness. She is incredibly understanding and patient. She loves doing things for others and teaching us how to do things :) She has taught me SO much in my time here - she is truly irreplaceable. I am so thankful for such an incredible life-long friendship. I love you Mac!

We had a BLAST celebrating her birth! It came flawlessly together, for which we were all thankful!

Just because I can't get enough :)

Not much more to announce here – still missing you all terribly… hope to talk soon! Love you love you love you

The beginning of the end/ANZAC Day

2010-04-23T05:25:00.000-07:00

With ten months down and two to go, I reckon this is certainly "the beginning of the end".

Aussie fact: "reckon" is a completely normal term in Oz. It sounds exactly the same in Aussie ears as say "I believe" "I think" etc. Whereas for us, we classify "reckon" as a bogan (hillbilly) term... I guess I'll be a little hick for a while!

These lasts consist of locational, personal and legal ;) things... better make 'em good!

This week was great: spent quality time with my Aussie bros, had some girl time with Mags and Rhian, Maca got New Moon :):), epic pasta night, and so so much more!

Watched Lion King with Ben

Truly a classic, hey Video Ezy guy??

Girl time in Caloundra

Rhian's amazing bday camera!!

Yes, there's a couch on the coffee rocks

at Moffat Beach... sweet photoshoot

My first OIAJ!!!

For all you non-food blog readers:

Oats In A Jar :)

Pasta night and 1 ginger ale vodka, thanks!

We live in walking distance, no worries

Love you girls

My brotha's from motha's down unda!

I hope this never changes :)

Picture removal!!! I almost posted a picture of

Mags and me doing super secretive bday pressie execution!

Good thing I caught that one!

Yes, that is a Greek Menu!

I love Greek food!

A few of my gang

BWS for now but not for long!

(Beer Wine Spirits)

Three Twilovers and the newest movie=

AMAZING NIGHT!!!

Double fisting it?

Strictly in celebration of New Moon ;)

Uh oh..

More breakfast eats:

Egg white oaty pancake! Yumm

Happy Anzac Day!!! Anzac stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps - this day would be the equivalent of our Memorial Day yet much more patriotic. A normal Anzac Day consists of a dawn memorial service, morning nap, big breaky, start drinking before noon, head to your local RSL Club (Returned and Services League) and play 2-up until you've lost all your money. Wahoo!! We took parts in bits and pieces :) We had a few girls spend the night, went to the 4:15 am -yes that's AM people- service to support our Army bro, Tate, went home and napped for a few hours, had an amazing breaky, then the girls headed to the RSL where they won 2-up every round!! I, on the other hand, opted for a relaxing day at the beach with Cat and then saw "Date Night" that night - sooo funny! I love Aussie holidays!

4am - arrive at dawn service

I thought the sun was supposed to rise at dawn?

My Aussie roomies for life - love

these four more than I can explain...

they are my family

Oh theeeeeere's the sun

Memorials

Can you find me? Peek-a-boo!

We got home around 6 and slept.....

After waking from our nap, breaky time!

Fruit, yogurt, ham (triple smoked), cheese,

toast, croissants, jam = YUM!

The girls headed up to the RSL and I did some Mooloolaba relaxing on the sand. The weather is amazing right now - thank goodness! Absolutely loving it and soaking it up :)

Can you spot the sailboats and plane?

There were fighter jets in honor of the day

And helicopters to keep the

sharks away, thank you!

Phew, exhausting week but very good! Trying to keep myself busy but miss you guys terribly - can't even explain! I'm so thankful for the time that I have had here and trying to take advantage of the couple months left. BIG weekend coming up - Maca's 21st! Till then, love you!!!

Happy 21st Rhian!!!

2010-04-17T00:24:00.000-07:00

Falling in love with Autumn ;)

Fact: "Fall" is a strictly American term. All other English speaking countries only refer to the season as "Autumn". No one ever questions which country I'm from! I just try to make that a good thing :)

Boys and Girls, it has been cold here!!! Okay, maybe not cold but certainly chilly. Chilly enough that I thought to wear Ugg Boots on a walk with Mags the other night. (Wait, OJ has UGG's?? I know I know, how hypocritical but I'm loving them!) Well, found out halfway through the walk that it is definitely not Ugg whether yet... I was hot! Hah but we took the beach-side home so our shoes came off anyway. Woah - what a walk! We walked up to the canal, along the Warf, to the path up towards The Spit, and then took way to the sand walking back. Everything about it was stunning... the clean cool breeze, the glassy ocean water, even Mooloolaba seemed to have gone on Holiday. There was a saxophonist playing in the streets - now you won't see that twice in our town! It was just one of those nights :)

Playing with nature

Gorgeous marina behind the warf

Hi Mags :)

This is where the big bucks are...

I love Mooloolaba Beach so much

Looking towards Point Cartwright

Glass...

Mags and me, M'ba in the background

Breathtakingly beautiful

The saxophonist!

Excitement of the weekend:

RHIAN TURNED 21!!!

And her birthday festivities were a blast! (Rhian is Maggies boss at Kikki.K for those of you who've missed a few posts ;) ) She and her mom got their makeup done at the plaza in the afternoon and picked us up from there. We went to her house where she and the fam finished getting ready, had some live entertainment, and headed to the venue. The bar was called Forty Five 51 and it was perfect! There was a lounge area and a dance floor - one of Rhian's brothers is a DJ so he kept the party hopping :) (Along with a generous bar tab!) Everyone had a great time - it was definitely a birthday to remember

Getting myself ready...

Tara getting Rhian ready :)

Luke (Rhian's younger brother) entertaining

us with the didgeridoo <-- read about it

Listen to it

Mags, me, bday girl Rhian, Tara (Rhian's friend)

Rhian's older brother, Adam, showing us how it's done

Oh and you know... I do a little DJing here and there ;)

Sweet Mags and me

Happy Birthday!!!

YUMMY cupcakes

Friend, James, from summer classes was there!

Small world...

Boredom on the bus ride home

Perfect conclusion to an awesome night :P

Of course I love a good party but if there is one thing I like more, it is cooking! And, let me just say, I have been a cooking FOOL lately! Just a few things: numerous oatmeal creations, salmon patties, oatmeal/egg white pancakes, and (featured below) homemade soy sauce and french toast breaky!

Soy Sauce ingredients:

Bals. vinegar, olive oil, white ground pepper, beef bouillon,

ground ginger, garlic and chili powder, chinese 5 spice

Prepared!!

Critique: Very good but not terribly soy sauce-y.

Excellent on my brown rice and veggies though :)

Hands down, best creation of my lifetime!!!!!!!!!

Homemade French Toast

Tada! Let's see, we have:

French Toast: Egg whites, tonsss of cinnamon, ground ginger, vanilla extract

Topped with...

Fruit: Apples sauteed in cinnamon and butter :) then nuked with bananas for 20 seconds

Sauce: 1/2 Justin's Almond Butter Pack, milk, maple syrup --> nuked 20 seconds, whipped

I cannot wait to come home and make my creations for my family :D Now, I can't take all credit. Most meals that I make are generally one or a combination of recipes with some OJ modifications. Mmm but I sure do love putting them together.

So I think that's it? We're on to uni week seven out of 13... more than halfway done! Once again, proud to announce that I'm still ahead of the game and feeling pretty good - got a few good grades back already too! Yahoo! Just need to start exam studying before the time slips away from me. And, if you can believe it, 11 weeks until I'm HOME! That seems so short after nine and a half months have passed. My oh my and what a wild ride it's been. I can't imagine all that I've learned but I guess time will tell for that one.

I love each and every one of you dearly and think of you daily. Thank you for remaining involved in my life when I'm more than a lifetime away :)

Monkeying Around

2010-04-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

This week was, once again, filled with friends, food and fun! And some studies too ;) I got TWO assignments DONE this week - phew what a relief!

I also got the sweetest/funniest letter from my grandfather on mom's side. He had his 95th birthday on March 27th and had a big party. I was really sad to miss it... I'll just have to go next year! In his letter he told me how he saved a ladies life just the week before - he said she was choking and he remembered reading about the heimlich maneuver and went for it! Good thing he was there, she spit that puppy right up and told him "John, don't you ever tell me again that you've outlived your usefulness!" HAH how hilarious is that! Go Grandpa!

I also sent my daddy a little something for his 56th birthday next week. He better not open it early!!!

The weekend started Friday arvo (afternoon ;D ) when Mags had two friends come up from the Gold Coast, Leah and Vanessa. The three of them worked on the yachts in France together for six months in the Fall of '08. What a tough life... ;) We had such an awesome time - sweet sweet girls! We'll have to make it down there next for a fun weekend in Goldie.

Do you remember the guys that I lived with last semester at Varsity Apartments? Well they moved into an awesome house with a few other guys and had a Jungle themed house-warming party Saturday night. It was AMAZING!!! They went all out - we were incredibly impressed!

Yet again, a week to remember!

Fun yum food:

Scrambled eggs in the microwave with cheese and S&P

Roasted veggies

Zucchini baked with S&P, chili powder and honey = delish!

So, it may be fall but the grass doesn't look like this....

It looks like THIS!

I don't remember if the grass browns here...

I'll have to wait to find out!

Getting friendly with the animals

HOLD YOUR THUMBS!

We get wayyy too into "So You Think You Can Dance"

Obviously a successful elimination :)

Congratulations Natalie on graduating!!!!

Beautiful Gold Coast girls after dinner

Mags, Leah, Vanessa and me

Ness and Mags :)

Me and Leah!

At Fridays

I know... DIRTY mirror Everyone had to dress up in 'jungle' attire - was a cheetah rawr! Cheetah hair clips, scarf, skirt, and shoes... I own quite a bit of animal print :))

Guys playing silly American games...

But lookin' FINE!

The roomies and me!

Cheetah/me, Zebra/Maca, Leopard/Mags

The Jungle Tunnel!

I love fire!!!

Fire Goddess!

YAY! Terri and Steve Irwin showed up!

Amy, Ben and me

Started with food, ending with food:

Most delicious oatmeal EVER!

I may add more jungle pictures to the next entry if I can snag them from Maca...

So, as you can see, another amazing week in the Land of Oz. Next up for me, uni starts back this week - we've got two jam-packed months until exams! I'm buckling up for this one... so glad I'm already ahead :)

Homie happenings: My dad is currently in San Diego, CA with his two best friends - one from elementary school and their friend from college. Dad flew there for $10!!! Thank you frequent flier points! I'm sure those three are having an absolute blast - can't wait to hear about it!

'Till next time...... love y'all!

Funny bunny, Easter Sunday!

2010-04-04T02:34:00.000-07:00

BLOG OVERLOAD!!! Because life is amazing :)

Starting with last week... Mags and I got home late Monday night from Airlie, chilled/recovered Tuesday and went to a free movie Wednesday night! I'll breakdown the 'free movie' in a series of events: 1.) A woman Macaela works with won two free movie passes but couldn't go and gave the tickets to Macaela (Maca is a cinema ADICT!) 2a.) Maca just so happened to be leaving for New Zealand in the morning for a cousins wedding... 2b.) Probably would have gone but her little bro and sis were staying over at the apartment that night. 2c.) Probably STILL would have gone but the movie wasn't appropriate for her little sis. 3.) Soooo Mags and I got a free movie night. Don't ya love it when stuff like that happens?! We saw "She's Out of My League" and it was hilarious!!! I never laugh out loud in the theater and we were literally rocking in our chairs! Fo free... oh yeah :)

The Sunshine Plaza at night

On to Friday - we woke up and Mags wanted adventure and I wanted beach. We compromised on an adventurous beach day! Who da thunk it? We called up Rhian, Mags manager --> awesome girl, who lives in Caloundra and had a lovely picnic in Moffat Beach. We had pasta salad, hummus, light philadelphia/mango sweet chili with carrot, celery, and cucumber sticks for dipping! And Rhian made lemon coconut cupcakes... key to my heart!

Picnic time!

a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

Oooh Newspaper photographer!

Maybe we'll be in the paper ;)

You better enjoy that cupcake little ant...

it's Donna Hay! (the Ozzie Martha Stewart)

Moffat Beach lookout

We spent the rest of the day cleaning the house and preparing for guests. Wait, guests?? Oh yes - One of the English couples that we met on the boat was heading down this way and could squeeze a stop in Mooloolaba into their travel plans - we had the best time! Seriously, I love everything about being a host... the cleaning, preparation and planning, tour-guiding, chatting, picture-taking and drinking good wine. What's not to love!

Ade and Kate got in at 11am on Saturday... welcomed them to our home, got them settled in and sent them off to a surfing lesson. While they were surfing, Mags headed to work for a few hours and I prepared Easter Dinner (you're going to DROOL when we get there!) After discussing travels and looking at pictures, everyone showered and we headed down to the beach for an Easter barbeque. For dinner we indulged on brown rice cooked in fat free chicken broth, light sour cream sauce with garlic powder, S&P, rosemary and parsley, and... Lemon herb chicken and veggie shishkebabs!! Okay guys, I don't mean to toot my own horn but everything was unbelievable!!!!! (Shout out to Mags for the awesome sauce!) After tons of amazing food, drinks and conversation - we took our party to Vibes for an M'ba night out. We didn't stay out too late though... I was already pumped about breakfast in the morning hehehe

Oooh colorful... what could it be??

Only chicken, red green yellow and orange

capsicums (peppers), onion and zucchini shishkebabs!

Master Chef 2010

Us with Kate!

HAH Ade didn't accidently shut his eyes

he was, quite literally, sleep walking to Vibes!!

Dance, dance

Yay! The Easter Bunny came

And pumped for a reason. Breaky = hmm any more adjectives for fan-freaking-tastic food? We had poached eggs (thanks Kate!), bacon, hashbrowns, toast, coffee and tea. After transferring pictures, Kate and Ade packed up and we went on one last adventure before departure. We took them down to Point Cartwright where we watched surfers for a bit and took our last pictures. Afterwards we took to the bus stop and said our farewells... Always sad leaving friends but I'm sure we'll me again :)

Kawana side of Point Cartwright

My favvv trees! I love the vegetation :D:D

Self-timered pic on the coffee rocks!

HOLD THE PHONE!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!

In my opinion today is the most important Christian holiday - it's the day that Jesus rose from the dead and, more than faith alone, proved him as the son of God. An amazing day - and it was :)

After our UK friends left, Mags and I laid on blankets in the sun and read about the importance of the resurrection in the bible. We read from Acts through 2 Corinthians and skimmed along from there. It was so odd not going to church today but Mags helped me stick to my roots nonetheless :) Sun, Jesus, loved ones, food and relaxation created an amazing Easter Sunday.

Funny bunnies and Easter pressies ;)

Heavenly? Yes.

Announcement: Today was the first

day is was chilly enough to wear sweatpants!

And I love my sweatpants :D

Thanks Ade and Kate for the yummy bunnies!

Mine lost an ear...

Floppy-eared funny bunny

I know the sailing trip was so last week but I got a few pics from Ade I thought y'all would like to see:

Oh yeah - girls rocking it

Charlie's Angels style ;)

My favorite fish: zebra print!

This is why the Great Barrier Reef is famous :)

I love this picture! Silhouette of the boat

and tendor with the sun...

Till next time Condor...

Sorry for being so blog-chatty lately! There is just so much to tell and we all know how long my story-telling goes on for in person... good thing I've got a blog and limited internet! Hah! Missed each of you on this holiday but oh so thankful for these experiences I've been given.

Love

Airlie Beach x TWO!

2010-03-30T23:16:00.000-07:00

"Two" being the number of people on the trip (Mags and me) and the number of times I've been :)

Airlie was filled with adventure, so let's dive on in!

The trip started with a bang! I long, slow, boring bang, that is... Mags and I saved money (& the environment) and wasted time by going the public transit route to Brisbane Airport. Driving takes an hour and public transport takes four... so we found out. Nonetheless, we were in Airlie Beach by 6:30p - success!

Thanks to Maggie working at Kikki.K, her boss being Rhian, who once worked in Airlie Beach, and lived with a Finnish girl name Aino... we had free accommodation through amazingly twisted connections. HOLLA! Finn's and I really get along, hey?

Packed and ready to go

Waiting for train # 8000

Yes! An airplane = the best form

of public transport

Up, up...

And awayyyy

Prosperpine Airport

Hilarious - it is a literal hut. You can see

straight through to the other side

Success! FINALLY arrived at our destination

Sailing Day 1: Got up i the morning feeling like P. Did... Whoops, sorry Kesh! Feeling ready to rock and roll! We got a tip for the best, and least expensive, breaky place around - Harry's Corner Cafe. So yum! Had my FIRST BAGEL in nine months!! Believe it or not, bagels do not exist on the Sunshine Coast... that is for real people. Anyway, after bagel heaven graced us with it's presence, we checked in to the sailing agent. We then had a few hours before departure and spent it wisely - preparing our bodies for three days of relentless Aussie sun. Oh, preparation was laying out, or 'baking' as they say here - eww!

We finally boarded the boat and headed off! It was amazing... the people = amazing, the food = amazing, the crew = amazing, no sea-sickness = amazing, the sailing = AMAZING!

Good Morning Airlie :D

Spending our time wisely

before hopping on the boat

Cyclone Ului Destruction

On the boat and sailing the Whitsunday's

Nara's Inlet for the night

Oh yeah...

Sailing Day 2: Everyone was up by 6:00a and welcomed into the day with a glorious breakfast spread... I do love the simple things in life :) While we were filling our tummies, the boat was headed to Whitsunday Island for the morning. We got there and it was just as amazing as the last time. Climbed up to the lookout, took some amazing pictures and headed straight to the beach. We were so fortunate to have such awesome people on our boat - it makes the trip so much more memorable. We all played together in the water in our 'Stinger Suits' (better to be safe than sorry, it's stinger season people!) and took funny pictures. Once we were finally dragged back to the boat and had a good lunch, it was time to go snorkeling! Did some more sailing and, much to my excitement, the night ended with steaks on the barbie :D

Kate, me and Mags

Love Maxi-sailing

Landed: Whitsunday Island National Park

Hello wonderful!

Loving Airlie x TWO

PEACE

Taken through my sunnies

Sweet pic, hey??

Looking hot in our

'stinger suits'

Off land and back to sea

Silly snorkeling!

Blurry and beautiful

Decky 1, Will, grilling steaks

Decky 2, Brian, making snacks

Sailing Day 3: Off to an early start again - breaky, snorkeling, then headed back :( Got some amazing sailing in though - best I've ever had! I LOVE when the boat goes on a 45* angle - we all have to sit on the High Side, not the Suic(S)ide!!! Freaking sweet!

My boating loves!

Hoist that mast, boys!

And she's up

Pirate ship ahead - Ahoy!

Stay on the 'High Side'

Not the 'Suic(S)ide'!!!

The crew and me before docking

Such an amazing three days! Mags and I were so concerned with the weather before we left but it worked out perfectly! The wind was strong and amazing for Maxi-Sailing. (Maxi simply refers to the largest sailing boat manufacturable - ours holds 32 people.) Rain only came at night and did not affect us at all. The only complaint would be the churned water. It was pretty murky for snorkeling but not too bad :)

After returning to land, everyone headed off to shower and get ready for the night. We met up with our co-sailers and had an awesome night.

My two fav English couples :)

Mags, me, and Aino

-thanks so much for the home Aino!

Mags and Brian breaking

it down in Mama Africa's

Airlie Beach Day 4: Aino told Mags and me about this waterfall/lagoon nearby that you can swim in and that it would be awesome to do after sailing. We were super pumped but needed a car to get there... fortunately connections are amazing! Aino introduced us to her good friend Norman who just so happened to have the morning off work, and just so happened to have a car, and just so happened to really want to take us to the falls! WOOHOO! Gotta love when the cards deal in your favor :) It was so awesome, gorgeous, exhilarating, freezing, thrilling, hilarious and more! We somehow survived climbing up the side of the falls - terrifying but so worth it! (No worries M&D. Not where the water is shooting out - over to the trees on the right. That is, until we got half way... but no need for details.)

The water was FREEZING but

look at that waterfall we beasted :D

WARNING: NUDITY AHEAD

There are some very odd people out there - we climbed half way up this water fall and this man was showering down, minding his own business... totally fine. Until he proceeded to the next small fall and did it again and again, and then finally went swimming naked upstream. Very very odd. Oh, he did have clothes in a towel... just didn't use them. Some people have very peculiar fetishes.

The girls

Oh just a cascading waterfall shower ;)

Thank you Norman!!!

We got back to town in time for Norman to get to work and Mags and I chilled by the lagoon. We were so exhausted...

Palmetto Tree!

Airlie Beach Day 5: That night and the next day we just relaxed... so needed. No stress, no hurry, no worry. How amazing does that sound?!? We then headed to the airport for a much less eventful ride to home sweet home.

Thanks a million Royce!

Have a great life ;)

The terminal..

outdoors.. hehe

Fly fly away

Mags loves prepackaged Almond Butter too :)

A-freaking-mazing!

Sooo blessed! There is nothing more to say - loved every second of this relaxing/jam-packed holiday. Got to do so much in such a short amount of time and ended it all with that incredible, God-given sunset above. Shesh people! Isn't it unbelievable??

Random: Hoping to do an intro dive lesson soon! It's so inexpensive here and I reallyyyyy want to see if I can handle it! Unfortunately inexpensive is still expensive for me right now so we'll see

Still missing everyone in the Northern Hemisphere - including Kreekree in Belgium who sent me a gorgeous postcard from Parii! Thank you so much boo!!

Love you all so much - it only strengthens with time and distance

"A friend who is far away is sometimes much nearer than one who is at hand. Is not the mountain far more awe-inspiring and more clearly visible to one passing through the valley than to those who inhabit the mountain?"

Kahlil Gibran

BrisVegas!

2010-03-22T23:50:00.001-07:00

YES! I can officially say I've been out in Vegas! Oh crap... BrisVegas is just a nickname...

YES! I can officially say I've been out in Brisbane! :D

I've been to Brissy a couple of times: airport, Queen Street Mall, touring with rents.. but I had never been out on the town. Until now :)

Macaela's boyfriend, Simon, goes to University of Queensland (UQ) and lives in Brisbane. Because I had never experienced Brissy's nightlife, Maca invited me to come down with her last weekend - so sweet! We headed out after Maca got home from work on Friday and arrived at Simon's shortly thereafter - it's only about an hour and a half drive. We played some fun games ;) got ready and went out on the town!

Club hopping as follows: Embassy, Empire, Family, and the Bank. We had so much fun at each place.. all unique and known for different things.

Packed and ready

to head out the door

Golden sunshine

Playing games and getting ready

Whoop whoop

Ready to hit the town!

Being silly in the taxi

Aight... let's hit this city!

Family

Dance, dance

Work it girrrrl!

After party party partyin', we came home and went straight too sleep - big day in the morning! We got up, I had my economically-friendly breakfast, and we went to amazing Fortitude Valley Markets. Seriously the best markets I have ever been to - such great quality and kiosks! So we toured around for a bit, I SOMEHOW restrained my self from buying anything, and we headed down to Southbank.

Breaky on a budget :D

Sweet markets in the valley

Yes, I brought my own Almond

Butter individual packet!

It was perfect with my raisin toast

and coffee :)

Southbank is a gorgeous part of Brisbane - There is a man-made beach overlooking the river, beautiful paths lined with sweet metal structures and gardens, Chinese gardens and a pagoda (Buddhist temple), cafes, and more markets! The weather was perfect for strolling... Feeling good, had a piece of sushi, and uh oh... not feeling good! I was sick sick sick... How rude of that sushi roll! Not only was I supposed to be having a wonderful time in Brissy, sushi is my favorite and it turned on me! Not cool.

Absolutely awesome!

Manmade beach, atop river, atop buildings

Love this one

Hehe Maca and I being silly

at the Pagoda! Sacrilegious of us??

Sorry Buddha!!!

Sweet Southbank

Can't talk about it...

I've seen this piece of sushi one t(w)o many times

RANDOM ALERT: So Maca and I are casually flipping through a magazine when "Holy $*.. err Moly!" This is the son of the family that I stayed with over Christmas in Berry! Whawhawhat??? It's a small world people
Sunday: Got up a little earlier and headed back in town. Oh yeah, we attempted to see 'Bounty Hunter' Saturday.. paid and everything but my sushi made us leave.. before the movie started.. yet after we could get a refund.. But, success on Sunday :D Afterwards we went on a tour of UQ (University of Queensland) It was gorgeous - I loved it!

Attempt #2!

University of Queensland

Posing in The Great Courts

reminded me of the Horseshoe :)

Bamboo Gardens!

Took this for you pop -

Simon's an Engineer too!

Maca and Sim turtle watching

Peering

RANDOM ALERT #2: So I've had this can of Apricots in my pantry for quite awhile, just waiting to become Apricot Chicken. Yum, right?? Well, excitement erupted Monday morning when I decided it was officially Apricot Chicken day! Woohoo! So 6pm rolls around, I open my pantry, and HOLD UP I don't have a can of Apricots... I have a can of MANGOS!!! I know I know... what's the big deal, Mango Chicken sounds amazing as well but it was seriously the shock of a lifetime. I think I scared Maggie with my distress but, c'mon guys... you know what my food means to me!

And yes, my Mango Chicken

was amazing!

Mags, her boss Rhian, and me at

our 'spot' Ziraffas! This coffee trip my have

ended with a Reese's - thank you American chocolate!

Just when I thought my week couldn't get any better - the best thing in the entire planet universe occurred. I got an email from Kreekree with her... ITINERARY TO AUSTRALIA!!!!!!!! Yes yes yes Kristen Rose Mayer is arriving in Oz on June 13, visiting Nick then visiting ME before we fly to LAX on July 3! And she'll be here for my birthday :D:D:D Omgomgomg I was literally jumping around my house screaming like a small child with pure excitement! Maca thought someone had died haha Yayayayay I am so incredibly blessed and have the most amazing friends on the PLANET!

I love you all soooooooooooooo much!

Update: Sailing away tomorrow - islands are fine after the cyclone and the boats are good to go! Yeehaw!! Get ready for some reefy pictures next week :D

Kiss me, I'm Irish!!!

2010-03-18T00:59:00.000-07:00

Such an awesome week so far - the SUN appeared today! Hello Vitamin D - I certainly needed it :)

This week was uni and ST. PATTY'S DAY! I have to admit, I was shocked by the lack of commitment from the Aussies - I had to force a 'wear green' pact with my roomies... tsk tsk and then when I got to uni, the only people wearing green were my American friends!!! Simply couldn't believe it. Fortunately the Irish bar, O'Malleys, celebrated in style :D 5 Points better treat me right in 2011! Mags and I had a great time out - hung out with some new friends and met a few as well... Couldn't stay out too late - uni at 8a but an awesome Aussie-St. Patrick's Day 2010, nonetheless :)

I pinched Mags for not wearing green...

Luck o the Irish!

Thank you O'Malleys!!!

Our... interesting friend, Mark

After uni, I came home to a sleepy Maggie but the sun was out so we had too as well. Got yummy smoothies and lunch from Koast and took a walk to the beach. We have the best conversations together. I think the beach encourages DNMs (deep and meaningfuls)... so good.

Lovely lunch :)

Nearly there M'ba

FOOD TIME:

Maca! Pots are for cooking,

not serving ;)

Clemson colored balloons!!!

Tigers... did you come to Aus & not tell me??

Something new, like I mentioned above, I have American friends this semester! Crazy huh? Not just Sweds, Fins, Kiwis and Aussies! Getting out of my comfort zone... On a weather note: beautiful today but storms are supposed to start Saturday. They need to c'mon down and get it over and done with! Clear by Wednesday?? I hope so!

Have an amazing weekend everyone - Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! Love you

Oh, and I'm going to Brissy this weekend... party party party ;)

Tribute to KathEats

2010-03-14T17:13:00.001-07:00

Oh.my.goodness, I got so excited about my AMAZING breaky that I had to do an immediate post! But let's get through the week first :)

Between Cat's boxing event and Thursday, uni happened. Sounds so daunting! But actually, uni has been great so far! I am really enjoying my classes and my professors... and it can be tough to like both. I already have assignments due this week, quizzes to study for and reports to get started on!

If you remember I lived in uni accommodation, Varsity Apartments, last semester. Had a great time but was ready to move to the beach :) Anyway, we still have some friends living there so we kicked off Uni Night at Varsity hanging out with old friends and meeting new ones

Eating dindin at Magnus's

My sweet Mags!

We had a great time - took the free bus to M'ba when Mags and I thought it would be a good idea to run home and grab a few things. Hmm not such a good idea... got DRENCHED as we sprinted in the storm home. HAH So we decided while we were there waiting for the rain to let up, we'd have a little dessert: Champagne! Not much, no worries... the rain only comes in 10 minute intervals ;)

Had a pretty good time at our first 2010 Uni Night but made the unanimous decision to just stay in M'ba next time instead of running back and forth... I guess we'll have to bring the party here!

As you all know, I have been desperately trying to loose some Aussie-caused pounds. Things have been going great and Mags and I thought we deserved to be rewarded... Thank you Hog's Breath Cafe!!! Saturday night we indulged in warm mud pie, chocolate sauce and ice cream... well earned :D Side note: we split the one so, I mean, it barely counts. Wish the body thought so!

Hog's Breath would be the equivalent of Outback Steakhouse. But actually IN the Outback ;)

Sorry I didn't get a pic of the cake

it was gone a little too quickly!

The remainder of the weekend consisted of some running around town and catching up with a few of my homegirls! Perfect perfect weekend! Last night I was doing a little blog searching and stumbled upon one I used to religiously read. Needless to say, I've been a little too preoccupied to blog read the past few months but Kath has always been one of my favorites. The thing I love the most is her oatmeal creations!!! Unfortunately Kath uses quite a few ingredients that I don't have readily available so I decided to take it to Quaker for further inspiration. I could think of a few add-ins that would be delish but took a look anyway. Quite the list!

Kath's oatmeal and mine :)

Here we go.. my mix:

1/2 cup Whole rolled oats, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup water, light drizzle of maple syrup, small dollop of raspberry jam, blueberries and pretzels!

And it was soooo good! The 'pretzel' add-in was inspired by Quaker... lots of the recipes combined various fruits/sweets with bacon. For a healthier approach, while achieving the crunchy texture and salty taste, i figured why not pretzels?? And it was perfect :) The wheels have been churning all day for tomorrows breakfast!

But that's not all breakfast consisted of! I go through phases between tea and coffee. Normally it's coffee coffee then coffee headaches... eck. So then, like a rehab patient, ween off coffee, and drink lots of tea... Mmm but coffee is back in black! Well... not quite. Because coffee is so expensive Mags and I thought we would do some at home experiments. Last night = coffee, skim milk, 1 sugar-free sweetener, cinnamon and nutmeg YUMMY! It was Christmas in a cup! So... this morning was coffee, skim milk, 1 sugar-free sweetener, cinnamon and ginger powder YUMMY #2 :D

Swirling around

Haha I'm sorry you guys have to be the victims

of my picture happy self - it was blurry so I overly

sharpened/reduced noise for fun and played with

colors and matte :) but yum, right?!

After breakfast, I skyped with Jordan Gleaton and got to hear all about her Spring Break 2010 CRUISE she just returned from - so jealous!!! I then did an hour of Zumba, vacuumed the house, rearranged my room, finished an assignment and finished my blog :)

WARNING: Please pray for Cyclone Ului to stay away until AFTER next weekend - Mags and I are going sailing! News read:

"Severe Tropical Cyclone Ului lies over the northeastern Coral Sea to the south of the Solomon Islands. Severe Tropical Cyclone Ului is expected to continue moving slowly west during the next 36 hours before adopting a more southerly track."

- http://www.bom.gov.au

It's a category 4 now so lets hope it moves south asap!

That's a wrap - time to study some history! I love you all so much, missing you dearly

Boxing Day in March!

2010-03-07T03:40:00.001-08:00

FAVORITE BLOG OF THE YEAR!!! So far :)

The weekend started with a bang - Maca and I went to a friends birthday party. I got home from work and was informed that we were going to a party and leaving in 20 min - HAH talk about preparation! We had a great time - started at a friend, Barnes', house... Sang out hearts out on Singstar... Taxi'd our way to the bank to get cash out and went to Fridays at The Wharf. We had a great time... dance dance danced, went to Simon's (Maca's boyfriend) for a swim and went to sleep. Great success :)

Singstar!!!

This was either Disney or Rock

Dylan (bday boy), Hash, Simon, Barnes, Johno

Maca and me in the taxi :D

Work it Maca!!

This week was feel with lots to do and lots to look forward too. Uni has been kick started, I already have assignments on the way! I am going to need to study more than ever this semester. I don't just have tough classes, most of them are completely foreign to me... like History and International Business. With so much work, a girls GOT to have a little play... right?? We'll get to that later ;) Excitement began on Monday with a postcard from Madrid! Sweet Kreekree knows my love for Spain and sent me a beautiful postcard filling me in on her trip. She is currently studying in Brussels, Belgium for the semester and she has been conquering Europe! London, Amsterdam, Spain, Canary Islands, Paris and so much more! Get it girl!!!

Beautiful postcard- THANKS KREE :)

Next is meal planning... because the funds are getting scarily low I have been very aware of where my money is going. Yes yes... aside from bills its all going to FOOD! A girls gotta eat ;) So this weeks meal consisted of Chicken Pasta Salad (CPS)! For those of you who have not indulged in the simple, cheap yet to-die-for meal, you are certainly missing out! All CPS consists of is diced chicken, spiral pasta, colorful capsicums (peppers), cucumbers, green onions, and frozen peas :) A near tragedy occurred this week regarding CPS... I got home and realized I forgot the FROZEN PEAS! Seeing as they are vital to the completion of this glorious meal, I trudged through the pouring rain to the Night Owl just for these peas :) Trust me, it was worth it.

Peas please!

Just an example of the

monsoon I've been talking about...

Next order of business.. I got home from Uni to an urgent phone call from Cat. Apparently her horses paddock was completely flooded and Willow (her horse) was up to her tum in water! So horse rescue it was. Seeing as Cat didn't have much option, Willow became a backyard pet for the night! Hah - she did warn the neighbors first, don't worry! By the end we were all soaked to the bone!

Gorgeous Willow

Cat with the float in the storm

Not quite beach weather...

Friday night = Mary Kay Party!

Amy, me, Maria (MK Specialist), Maca (host), Rhian and Mags

Saturday Morning = proper breaky :)

Bacon, sausages, hash brown, pancakes, berries and veggies

It was amazing but I ended up saving half for dinner

Flowers from Cat :)

Okay this is where the fun comes in... My good friend, Cat, volunteered for a charity boxing match: Police vs. Firies. The charity was called Toe 2 Toe, building ramps for residents who aren't able to climb stairs. They had a few of the people in need at the match, announcing each round. Great charity and awesome event! It was organized by weight class, least first... and the least were 7 year old boys. I did NOT like that! I felt so uncomfortable watching children punching each other but as they got older, I enjoyed the event much much more :)

Mags, me and Mac waiting for the start

Cat before the match!!

Go Kitty go!

Our epic signs :)

The wayyy too young boys

Yes, the forensic crime scene photographer

was the photographer for the event!

Bigger boys... feeling much more as ease.

I think the rest of the ladies in the crowd would agree ;)

RESULTS: After three months of intense, daily training CAT WON!!!! We were all incredibly proud - she definitely deserved it :)

Her trophy and the sign

I've been desperately trying to upload the video of the match I took but youtube has been very uncooperative. As soon as I have a link, I will copy it to the blog - you have to watch it! I've got to buckle down and start my assignments... lots to do! Lots of love!

The WRITE time to get in GEAR

2010-02-24T16:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, this week consisted of uni and driving excursions (and work injuries but I couldn’t figure out a clever way to incorporate it into the header…).

The first week of uni is strictly lectures. If you remember, classes here are broken into two parts – one lecture and one tutorial per class. With the lecture the entire class is in a lecture theater for, usually, two hours. The tutorials are separate, hands-on time with between 15-25 students in a tutorial room. Things went well this week – lots and lots of work ahead though! This semester I really want to focus on staying on top of my courses… gotta keep that scholarship!!!

We had heard that there are 3,000 more students enrolled this year and, let me tell you, it is PACKED OUT! Parking is a mess, library is way over-crowed and the lecture theaters are packed to capacity… it’s amazing what a difference it is from last semester. So that has certainly been a challenge but it is great for the uni. Always an upside J

On Tuesday Mags and I headed out to Caloundra to get her car serviced… it turned into much more than a simple trip to Caloundra and back!

Mags and I sporting our native foods!

Rosehip for Mags & Grits for me

Mags and her ADORABLE tiny

car at the dealership

I had never been to Caloundra but had heard it was the Café Capital of the Sunny Coast. Obviously we had to check it out! We went for a self-walking tour (it’s not very big) and ran into, none other than, CAT! Yay! I love it when stuff like that happens. We chitchatted for a bit and she directed us to the beach. Gorgeous shore – quite, clear and big. We headed back into town and, instead of coffee, indulged in gelato! It was absolutely amazing… yum yum yum! Do we have a gelato shop in Cola??

Beautiful Caloundra

Kitten !

Kings Beach - looking like a day trip

Yummy Italian Gelato

We jumped in the car thinking it was time to go home but, not so much… I was driving and somehow missed the exit (figures!) and were heading towards Noosa. We could have easily turned around but, hey, why not make a day of it?! Mags and I love love love Noosa and had a lovely dinner in Sunshine Beach. Remember Sunshine Beach? Yes, that’s where mom, dad and Jessi got the beach house when they were here! We went for a visit and found out it’s for sale!!! I know where I’m retiring too! I wonder how much a down payment would be…

Oh just driving along...

Whoop, NOOSA??

Anyone recognize this

house on a hill?

The view...

Mooshka = dindin

Finally headed home and prepared for another day of uni. I know the weather is not the most exciting topic but they weren’t lying when they said summer is wet season. Rain rain rain rain…. It, quite literally, has not stopped raining for 48 hours. Hoping for no flooding in Mooloolaba!

Raining on the way home...

Next order of business… work injuries! I’ve gotten my fair share of burns and little cuts but Thursday made things interesting. I shattered a glass and, as it fell, sliced my knee and middle toe pretty badly! Oh goodness, well most of you know about my needle and blood traumas… EMBARRASSING! If you don’t, I dependable pass out and/or throw up if one or the other occurs.

Just to make the story legit, I'll give some details. I didn’t notice that I was bleeding at first - I was walking to the back to get a broom when I felt something dripping down my leg and my flip-flop was getting slippery… and it was all down hill from there. I can’t go into more detail without feeling queasy but I will say, I did not pass out OR throw up – success! I just laid on the ground in the back until my face returned to a normal color… I was telling my dad this story and he goes, “Ah you’re so pathetic!!!” Haha thanks daddy ;) but, yes yes this I know.

Icky icky! And this was hours later - still bleeding!!!

Between shifts, lunch date with

Starbucks and...

the ocean :)

The only type of bird I like -

Bird of Paradise

Well guys, I’m sorry for the delay this week but I was feeling severely blog-blocked! I’ve had the pictures just waiting for the writing for a while but, no worries now, back on track J

Maybe if I had Maggie's Kikki.K/Ikea room

I'd be good to go ;) Isn't it pretty??

I’m sure I’ll have something new and interesting for you soon enough! You can feel encouraged in winter that, even in my summertime, Sunny Coast Australia is cold and rainy… I guess we all can’t win! Love you dearly dearly

Crook...

2010-02-19T01:51:00.000-08:00

For all of you oh so ignorant Americans ;) from the Aussie-slang dictionary, "crook" means sick.

Shout out to Anna Leary for the reference: http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html

I should look into the origin of the word... I can't get where that one came from, but who really understands those Aussies anyway?? And just imagine in a strong Oz accent "Oi, I'm feeling me crook mate!" Very very confusing... Feeling much better now though - let's hope those sinus's stay nice and clear :)

This week consisted of heaps of healthy home cooking starting at Cat's house...

Chili and whole wheat rolls :)

Ick! Cat got a bird!!!!

Hehe you get it... Cat got a bird ;)

Night #2:

Mags wok and my fish taco

Yummy Mags!

Reading fiend!!!!

I'm in the middle of "The Almost Moon"

very interesting - she's the author of "The Lovely Bones"

It was COLD!!!!

Wet season means lots of rain...

This week also consisted of arts and crafts! Maca has been working on her very extensive 21st birthday cards - they are amazing! And, as I last said blog, Mags got a job at a Swedish stationary store, Kikki K and has developed an interest in decorating... her room is slowly becoming Sweden #2! That's a compliment Mags ;) And I made a very special card as well - good thing I had Maca and Mags to help me out!

OBSESSION =

'So You Think You Can Dance?' Australia

and below are my two favs :)

Here it is - my official place of work!

Dinner #3:

MEXICANA salsa/guac &

homemade tortillas with spinach

The rain has severely slowed Mags and my beach excursions but, gasp, all sun today!!! We were very excited and headed right to the ocean this morning :) So here are your well-deserved beach pics... Mooloolaba is as breath taking as always!

Mags getting her tan on...

don't worry, we always wear sunscreen!

Some swimming/surfing/paddle event -

M'ba won!

I'm sailing away...

Gorgeous Point Kartwright!

I'm about due for a picnic

I love a beach town

Very good week - good food, good weather, good paycheck... oh yeah!

Oh and BIG NEWS:: Mags and I booked a sailing trip over Fall break! We'll be Great Barrier Reefing it for five days... whoop whoop! Aaaaaand uni classes start on Monday! I can hardly believe we're going back already... This semester I want to be really focused on staying on top of my classes. Good goal, right?? ;)

Nearly bedtime for me but have a wonderful weekend world - I love you all!!!

Happy Vday 2010!

2010-02-13T18:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Now, before I continue, I must justify my delay... I strongly contemplated blogging on Thursday but I realized that I just didn't have any good pictures yet. And with Valentine's Day just around the corner... well, you know ;)

So anyway, pictures may have been lacking, but events have not! Last week was filled with work work and more work :) YAY! The job is for real tough but I'm really enjoying it... keeping me on my toes. Even when I'm not at work, I'm still writing letters, calling business and I'm currently working on a yearly action plan. So yes very busy... I will have to get pictures from work in asap - the cafe is so cute!

I finally got my Zumba in! Mags, Maca and I have had quite the time learning latino dance moves and breaking a sweat - it is SUCH a good work out. I love it :) Mags and I also went a two hour walk last Friday. We got a few suburbs down when it started pouring. I'm sure it was hilarious watching us run for cover but the rain was much faster than us... but ehh we were sweaty anyway. We called and called the roomies for a ride home but, no luck. It was quite a walk home!

After this "exciting" walking, sweaty, rainy experience I was in the mood for.... a BigMac!!! Those you know me the best know that I have one hamburger a year and it is always a BigMac - this was my fourth annual and it was great! Fulfilled for another year :)

Contemplating my decision...

Random excitement - gecko in the bedroom!! Fortunately Maca took care of it... Thanks Mac :D

Just a baby!

The week ended with Karaoke (very tough word to spell...) Night at O'Malleys! Unfortunately there was no singing from us - we didn't want to show the others up ;) But really, they were quite good! The night ended with a DJ so very good all in all - or so I was told... Hmmm

He was so good!

Sunday Session

Moving on! The week continued with heaps of work and Zumba! Maggie and I go for walks and to the beach quite often and I always intend on bringing my camera but I forget... I will try harder from now on. The beach is so beautiful - you deserve an updated picture.

Valentine's Day was full of excitement! It started off at the Cotton Tree Markets and then skateboarding with Ben - HAHAHA Ben asked if Mags and I wanted a go and, why not? It was so fun! I had no idea I would be so keen on skateboarding - even if I was freaking out the whole time :/ Still, very good experience. Mags and I are basically pros now ;)

Smoothies in Cotton Tree :)

Pro.

Mags needed a little help at first...

Go Maggie go!

Steady now...

WEEE!

Sk8r girls:

ROCKING THE BOARD!

True gangstas of the hood

We went home and chilled for a bit - literally. We were dripping with sweat when we got home, it was unbelievably hot today. In the mid 30's for sure, 90's Fahrenheit. Phewwww! We had a bbq in the evening with a few others. My boss made these $40 Hamper Packs for Vday - it was sooo much for so cheap! 2 x: wraps, sushi, pasta, salad, fruit, yog(h)urt, muesli (oats/granola), muffins and Vitamin Water. Super sweet deal :) The others went out afterwards but Mags and I held back - she's skyping her parents and I had a blog to put up! Keeping my priorities straight ;)

Reptile #2!!! Massive Iguana!

Cute cute Hamper Packs

In the front yard of our lovely unit :)

Beautiful Mooloolaba!

The group

My nearly rescued puppy....

Fortunately it's owner FINALLY

showed up... I selfishly a little sad.

I think that about sums up the past week a half... Mags and I are taking her car to be serviced tomorrow and beaching it. Oh, and I have been reading reading reading! Loving it - I'll post a pic of all my books next :) I'm sure a few more exciting things will come around, but you'll just have to wait for that! I love y'all tons - missing you more than ever

-OJ

P.S. Sorry about the unnecessary underlining... I'm not sure what the deal is

The girl with purple hair

2010-02-03T20:54:00.000-08:00

Still on a roll :)

This week was pleasantly eventful: exams are done, Maggie's home, surprise trip to Byron Bay, GOT A JOB, pasta night at Suave...

I've always had this dream of having purple low-lights underneath my hair but OBVIOUSLY would never do that! So I decided, as a treat to myself for successfully completing exams, I would get wash out hair color - now don't freak out... I didn't dye the whole thing, Maca just helped me with some low-key low-lights... hehehe :) I actually quite like them but they will be gone very soon. However, I would never do anything without consulting my favorite hair dresser, Anna Tingen at Bombshell Beauty Studio in Columbia. Plus my dad would kill me if I ever did anything more than trim my hair ;)

The ruler of all things purple!

The night of the purple hair I had a surprise visit from a few Swedish friends - Magnus, Erik, and Magdalena #2 stopped by and asked me to go to Byron Bay with them the next weekend. I wasn't 100% positive but I figured I had a week to decide, so no worries.

The following day, Cat and I left around 5:00pm to pick up Maggie and Louise (Dannish friend) from the airport. In the car, I got a phone call from Magnus telling me how excited he was that I was coming to Byron... in the morning. Wait.. whaaaat??! In the morning, at 6:00am?! I thought I had a week but, no no I got the info wrong, we were leaving in the morning. So that's why they were being so pushy ;) I'm not quite sure how, but I somehow convinced Maggie to join too, even after 30 hours in the air! Now that's a good friend!

Maggie and Louise looking their best ;)

Byron was really... funny... We arrived at 9:30am and it was raining. So we went to the hostel and lied down after our early morning travels. A few hours later, I'm sorry, 9 hours later - 5:30pm - I woke everyone up! I was hungry!!! Mags and I had awesome Mexican, called Oz Mex. I had been very skeptical in my previous trips to Byron but I got talking to the owner and he's from San Diego! And he knew his Mexican alright, it was awesome! He's hoping to start a business in Mooloolaba so maybe I'll be able to give him a headstart.

Mags and I took a walk on the beach that night and I remembered why I love Byron so much.. It was so beautiful with the moon on the water and the lighthouse in the background. Simply love it

Big boy, little girl

big coffee, little coffee

Moon on the water

Uh oh.. the boys found the stage!

The group at dinner

'Cheeky Monkeys'

Shout out to Sini

Miss you!!!!

The standing water was crazy because of the storms...

They dug a trench to drain the water

and kids were sliding down like water rapids

When the clouds dispersed, there was a

perfect ring of rainbow - unfortunately

I didn't have my camera at the time :(

The Sweds in IKEA - How appropriate!

No no, I have not obtained a love for hot dogs

The picture was taken because my face matched the dog

I was a little burnt...

Home again! I finally sucked up the courage to put my resume in at another restaurant. I don't know why the applying process is so daunting but it was certainly worth it! The one place I really wanted a job is a cafe called Koast. It's right up the street and defines what I strive for. One of there tag-line's say they are about "healthy living, healthy lifestyle, and healthy food" how perfect?! And, even more perfect, I got the job :D So I was originally just hoping for a waitressing job but I got a little bit more...

It just so happens that they were looking for someone to do their Marketing - they have a lot of ideas that they want to push but needed someone to direct. So... I'm now helping with their Marketing!!! How cool is that? For those of you who don't know, my degree includes Nutrition and Marketing - everyone always says that it seems random but what I'll be doing at Koast is exactly what I hope to be doing when I graduate! I'm pretty nervous about starting but more excited than ever :) Wish me luck!

Moving on, the remainder of the week consisted of getting Mags readjusted, resolving our terrible terrible ant problem, googling 'how to barista', and pasta night!

Pinwheels!

The girls are together again :)

At pasta night with Erik

So I'm off for now - wish me luck for my first shift! I can't wait to update y'all :) Love each of you very very much

Happy Australia Day!

2010-01-28T03:06:00.000-08:00

What an improvement!!!!!!!!

Like I predicted, such an amazing weekend :) Simon graciously took Maca and me Four Wheel Driving at Rainbow Beach and it was soooooo fun! He even let me drive! Let me just say 4WD is like nothing I've ever done before, it was seriously wild... I must admit, I was slightly freaking out and making lots of odd noises but certainly having blast. I came to the conclusion that driving on sand is like steering an arcade car - basically you're never e.v.e.r. in control. However, once I (sort if) figured out how to handle the car, I felt like we were all much safer :) We met up with some of Maca and Simon's friends from high school at a campsite on the beach - the beach was packed with people preparing for Australia Day. We spent all day on the sand and in the water. The water is awesome everyday but it was absolutely perfect on Sunday... it was the water you see on surfing competitions - clear straight through every wave. Fortunately there weren't any surprises on the other side!

On the road again...

Stay in the tracks!

Ehhh here we goooo!

Avoid oncoming traffic!

Oh yeah... I got this!

Maca's turn!!!

It doesn't get better than this!

Or this :)

We ended up leaving a little later than expected and were concerned about making the barge - which would mean stuck in Rainbow Beach overnight. Normally I would not complain about such an opportunity but Maca had work and I had class in the morning... In order to compensate for time, we took a "short cut" Well, what would have been a short cut if the tide weren't quite so high. Mom, Dad, Jessi - do you remember that jeep submerged in the tree debris?? Yeah, that was nearly us... But it wasn't! :) Simon and "The Paj" had it under control! Simon has a (nearly) indestructible Mitsubishi Pajero. The Paj was known as indestructible, never bogging (getting stuck in the sand) once! Unfortunately it had it's first bog just as we were crossing our last dune to the barge. Poor Paj... it's ego was definitely hurt... But, no worries, another car (with rope) drove past just in time! And we even made the barge! I think it was a close call...

Crossing through the wild -

It's just like Jurassic Park!

The "indestructable" Paj!!!

Reppin' ;)

We made it before dark!!!

Poor poor Paj...

Back to safety!

Happy Australia Day!!!! We had such a great day! Simon had some people over at his dad's house - pool, tennis courts, hot tub, sauna, pool table, rock band... he had it all! We got there in time for a lunch barbeque. Simon's dad, Peter, fixed sausages and hamburgers but I brought my own steak, pasta, and salad - I like to be prepared :D We chilled all day in the pool, ran around the tennis courts, watched a movie = perfect day

I LOVE AUSTRALIA!!!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie... Oi oi oi!!!

PRAWN on the barbie, mate?

Now that's skill...

the flag was in her hair!

Loving the pride :p

Ohhhh puppy!!!!!!!!!

Her name is Yucky :)

How many Aussie tatoo's

(STICKON) can you find?

Hehe note the flags in my hair

Simon's sister, Laura,

coaching me in tennis

In action!

Thank the good Lord for an awesome beginning of the week because the last half consisted of studying for exams for my two summer classes. Both exams were on the same day - it was a nightmare studying for but sooo nice to get them over with!

I'm still actively job-hunting... it is not easy! But I have a whole month completely free until uni semester starts so I'll need something to keep me busy (and my account from echoing)!

Tomorrow we'll all be preparing for Maggie's arrival! She gets in from Sweden at 19:35 so Cat and I are headed down a few hours early to spend the day in Brisbane. I can't wait to see her!!! The house will be a little crammed for a bit - if you remember, Tate and Ben (roommates from Varsity) moved into Maggie's room (both with separate mattresses!) to pay the rent while she was away and they were finding a new unit. It has been great to still have them here but it looks like Mags will be in my room for just a little bit longer until they get a new place. Haha it'll be quite the experience with 5 of us in a 3 person flat... good thing I love my friends!!!

Who knows what's in store this week - talk to y'all soon! Send my love to each of you...

Don't make promises you can't keep!

2010-01-19T06:37:00.000-08:00

So in an attempt to keep my word, it's about time for blog #2 of the new year...

Well this is the problem loves... nothing has happened. And you get to hear me complain :)

Honestly, for the past week, I have been working on an assignment... I think I've been to the store once to stock up on food - I may be on a diet but I certainly can't starve!!! Oh, and I've been to the beach a few times... alone. I could end the blog here but that just wouldn't suffice!

DISCLAIMER:: For those of you who don't read my blogs, just look at the pictures... this is not the blog for you!

My major concern at the moment is the earthquake in Haiti. Whenever a tragedy like this occurs, I feel this overwhelming need to be with those people. It is NOW that matters, not next month or even next week... And since I can't do too much for them at the moment, I have just spent my free time becoming aware. I think it's equally as important to know what's going on because that way I can inform some else of the severity and maybe they would fulfill what I'm not able to. If you can handle it, watch this link. It is unfathomable need.

Big excitement - I'm going Four-Wheel-Driving (FWD) this weekend!!! Now, this is not the FWD us Americans think of... in Australia, a FWD is what we call an SUV... and "to go FWD" means to drive on the beach! There are literally Highways on certain beaches in Australia and Simon (Maca's boyfriend, Simon, who has the FWD) is going to let me drive - woohoo! I should definitely have some interesting pictures to post next week :)

So my extreme dislike for running has resulted in me purchasing Zumba! For those of you who don't know, Zumba is an intense dance work out program - and I LOVE dancing! I'm so exciting to get dancing :D It should be arriving any day now...

This will be me in no time baby ;)

America, guess what this Tuesday is?? Australia Day!!! Australia Day is known for two things:

One is it's aka Foundation Day. On January 26, 1788 the first British Fleet came to Aus by Captain Arthur Phillip. It was the first time that the British held residence in Aus.

It's also known for the separation of the states and territories in 1935 - amazingly young, huh?!

I'm so excited to see how the Aussies celebrate this national holiday!

Thankfully I've got all my summer assignments out of the way now - the only thing left is exams... please be thinking and praying for my brain to be on super speed while studying!!! Both course exams are on Thursday the 28th... I'm a little nervous but I always seem to pull through :)

Last, but not least, I want to give a very special shout out to my friend Graham! I got to talk to him tonight for the first time in forever via Skype - so glad he's keeping SC in check for me :) For those of you who have Skype, my name is under jacksono2 - add me, we should be friends!

Hopefully I'll be keeping up my posts once a week - it's pretty amazing that when I get home, I will have permanently logged an entire year of my life! How cool is that?! I love you all dearly - thinking about you more than ever!

The start of something new...

2010-01-14T02:26:00.000-08:00

So now that it's a new year I'm trying to get into the swing of things. I'm getting ahead in my summer classes, joined a gym, looking for a job, and going to update my blog every week :) Hopefully this trend will follow through for the rest of my stay. I guess I'm technically on the countdown here - 5 1/2 months left. I have lots to do!

Some small things in planning - Wet & Wild Water park, a few camping trips (much to Macaela's dismay), the markets, and horseback riding!

Today was quite eventful - worked on an assignment and went with Cat to pick up her horse! Maybe I'll get some experience in this semester :)

Cat, her horse, and her purple Ute. Anyone who

knows Cat knows how perfect this picture is!

Her Great-Uncle's amazing property

Winter Willow and me!

Maca and I have been doing lots of cooking lately...

Maca's first, from scratch meal-

I'm so proud of her :)

Yummy - Chicken bake,

brussels sprouts, and onions!!

Saw Avatar 3-D and it was amazing!

Things are pretty relaxed around here - Tate left for Army training for the month and Ben and Maca work full-time. However... our last roomie Maggie will be home from Sweden in two weeks - I'm so excited to see her! I think she's ready to get out of the cold and come back to hot hot Australia.

Missing everyone so much - thank you all for you packages and letters. Mail is SO exciting when it's not a bill! I love y'all so much - keep in touch :)

Summer Christmas!

2010-01-07T05:21:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope yours was as incredible as mine :)

Diving right in... I'm currently in the middle of summer school and searching for a job but life was interrupted for a few weeks by some traveling! Sini and I took a trip through Southeast Australia and, once again, it was once in a lifetime.

Brief itinerary:

15 Dec: Flew to Melbourne

15-16 Dec: Traveled the Great Ocean Road

17-21 Dec: Explored Melbourne

21-23 Dec: Visited the capital, Canberra

23-28 Dec: Stayed with a lovely family for Christmas in Berry

28-30 Dec: Climbed the Blue Mountains

30 Dec - 1 Jan: New Years in Sydney :)

We flew into Melbourne on the 15th of December early in the morning and were picked up by two German girls to begin our drive along the world famous Great Ocean Road.

The Great Ocean Road stretches for 5 hours with continuous breath-taking stops. We started in Torquay where the international Billabong surfing competition is held every year at Bells Beach. There were no big waves for us but it was beautiful all the same. We then stopped in Lorne to pick up supplies for the next two days and toured the town.

We hit the Twelve Apostles at sunset - it couldn't have been more perfect timing! There is something funny about seeing something in person that you've seen on T.V., internet, and heard about for so long... It's like a little piece of yourself has been completed, satisfied. Seeing the Twelve Apostles was like that for me - simply indescribable. I felt so small next to these giant, natural rock formations. Unfortunately, there are no longer twelve because of erosion; only 6 or 7 left. The earth naturally created them and the ocean is naturally destroying them. I'm just thankful I got to see them while they are still here!

We headed out after sunset and stayed the night at the final town called Warrnambool. Slept well, got up early, and headed back on the road to hit the rest of the stops.

We went to see the amazing naturally formed rock formations in the middle of the water called London Bridge and Island Arch. Took the Gibson Steps and dipped our toes in the water. Swimming in this part of the Pacific is not illegal just highly discouraged because of the rip currents, rocks, and animals... no thank you!

London Bridge

Island Arch

A dying seal :(

Gibson Steps

We climbed the Otway Lighthouse (with free admission ;) ) and were awed by how much the landscape varied as we travelled across the country.

On the way out of Cape Otway we were driving past Eucalyptus Trees and saw Koalas galore!!! In Queensland one rarely sees a Koala in the wild so this was quite a luxury. In fact, as we were driving one was running across the street and we nearly ran over it! It climbed a fence and was hiding in a tree at eye-level, it was so close we could have touched it! But I don't think that's recommended... Just another amazing thing about Australia is the birds! Now, as most of you know, I am NOT a fan of birds but growing up with a sister who was obsessed I know a good bit about them. It is insane to me that Cockatoos fly wild here and they cost $3,000 in the states!

I wanted to take him home!

Our last couple of stops were Teddy's Lookout (Sini nearly cried it was so beautiful) and Erskine Falls. I love waterfalls! By this time it was getting dark and we still had to get back to Melbourne! We said goodbye to our German friends, found our hostel, and got some rest.

Fern Gully

Melbourne is amazing!!! My favorite favorite favorite city in Australia so far :) Except for the weather... It was 39*C one day and 18*C the next - That's a 40* drop in Fahrenheit! But on to the good stuff:

Sini and I had quite a lot of business to attend to when we first got there so we spent a lot of time at the Library! Fortunately it had free internet :) We both may have left extending our visas to the last minute... But we were both good to go!

Afterwards we jumped straight in and found a place to get half price tickets to events in the city. We went to a Dracula Cabaret one night and Christmas Caroling Comedy another. The Cabaret was amazing but the "comedy" ... not so much. It was four ladies not singing Christmas Carols, just random songs that they liked! Haha you never know what you're going to get until you get there.

We visited the Museum of Modern Art and met a good friend, Samuel, who we stayed with on New Years Eve. He's actually the film producer of a Mexican Film Festival that travels around Aus and is coming to LA in May!

In Melbourne, every street has something cool and between the streets are even better! It's so important to know a local because the awesome places in Melbourne are pretty discrete. The great thing is that you end up meeting the locals instead of strictly backpackers, like in most cities.

There's a famous bar back here?!?!

Different areas of Melbourne are called different things and are unique in there own ways. There's Fitzroy, Federation Square, Queen Victoria Markets, Botanical Gardens, China Town, St Kilda, and so much more!

Queen Victoria Markets

I may have bought a few things...

Federation Square

Amazing architecture

Just by being friendly and having funny accents we got into two kitchens and ate and chatted with the chefs - how cool?!

Yummy dinner on the floor of our hostel :)

On our last night, Sini and I went up the Eureka Tower (tallest building in Melbourne) and viewed the city from above. We went just before sunset and got to see the entire city in daylight and in citylights. We could have spent another two weeks in the city but in the morning it was time to move on.

We hopped on a plane and flew to Canberra - the countries capital! Apparently, the city was inspired by Washington D.C. and has a lot of similarities. We stayed with a family friend, Tim, and had an awesome time! He took us to a lookout were we could see all of Canberra then hoped in the car and visited the old and new Parliament Houses. We also stopped by the Museum of Modern Art, which had really good ice cream :) If we had more time we would have done more touring but we still had one more thing we had to do before leaving...

Bake Gingerbread Men! It's hard to get into the Christmas spirit when you're in you bikini lying on the beach... It was certainly the perfect solution :) And they were great gifts for our host homes.

Tim, Sini, and myself

The old and new Parliament Houses are

at the end of the strip on the left

Old Parliament House in front, new behind

Tim being Ned Kelly at the museum

So our connection with the family in Berry is quite complex but it worked out perfectly! The extended family all traveled to Berry - one of these travelers being a man that Sini's father's cousin studied in Switzerland with a few years back... got it? ;) One of the cousins lives in Canberra and drove us to the teeny tiny beautiful town of Berry. Being with a family was just what Sini and I needed. We are both big family people, always talking about our parents and how much we miss them. So spending Christmas with a big bustling family was a fabulous distraction - and we got the real Aussie experience! The weather was not quite so Aussie though... it poured and was sweater worthy on Christmas Day!!! But we made the most of it and swam in the FREEEZING Southern Pacific Ocean with the parents, in the rain! HAH! We had a blast :)

The princess house and garden :)

Thanks Mandy!

Merry Christmas :)

We headed out the 28th with even more stuff and headed on the 7 hour train to the Blue Mountains. Being Sini and myself, we talked nonstop and the trip was over before it began. We even planned my 21st birthday where we're planning on conquering the US of A! Welcome aboard Sini!!!

We got to the Blue Mountains and met yet another friend who showed us around to the hidden spots of the mountains - what a treat! The first stop was called Aboriginal Rock where the aboriginals used to believe was the center of the world - and I could see why! Standing on top, you're surrounded by continuous valleys... it was beautiful! We climbed underneath the rock into a cave that a man supposedly lived in for 7 years to avoided being drafted for the war. That's dedication!

Aboriginal Rock

We then went to Wentworth Falls and did some hiking and then to the Three Sisters at Echo Point. There are several versions of the legend but the main ones say that three sisters fell in love with three men from a neighbouring tribe, but marriage was forbidden by tribal law. Battle ensued, and the sisters were turned to stone by an elder to protect them, but he was killed in the fighting and no one else could turn them back.

The Three Sisters

That night Sini and I went out for dinner and chatted with the man playing guitar at a coffee shop - so many interesting people in this world. In the morning, we packed up and made it to the train station with a minute and a half to spare! Phew! We got to Sydney we started getting ready for New Years Eve! In Sydney you have a couple different options to see the fireworks. You can spend a couple of thousand dollars and see them from the islands, $160 to get the various points on the Harbor between 5 and 8, OR you can wait 14 hours in the park and get in for free... that what we did :)

There were already 10,000 people let in at this

point... I don't think all of these people are getting in!

You can faintly see the Opera House and bridge

behind. Miraculously the sky cleared before

the fireworks!

They only let 20,000 people into Macqueries Point, the point closest to the bridge, Opera House, and on the harbour. Apparently there are 1 million EXTRA people in Sydney for New Years! Wow! And we were part of that stat :) We got in line at 10am... waited two and half hours in line before even getting into the park and the next 12 hours for the fireworks to start... it was so fun!!! The time seemed to fly by - it was incredible! Speaking of incredible... the fireworks were more than worth the wait. I heard a rumor that they showed the Sydney Fireworks on your TV too!

Opera House and bridge :)

Frida, Magnus, Sini, and me

The night was perfect! Well, nearly perfect... To say the least, Sydney is absolutely insane on NYE. Cops everywhere, people everywhere, just crowds crowds crowds. I was debating whether or not I should post this but I think y'all can handle it: Sini and I were waiting to cross the street with the rest of the city when these two girls came shoving through - literally pushing people to the ground for absolutely no reason! So I'm staring at this girl wondering what her deal is when I look up and BAM got punched in the face!!!!!!!!! No worries, everything was fine I was just bleeding but man, talk about a surprise! Fortunately we were right near a friend's hostel so we went in, got cleaned up, and headed on our way. HAH so that's something for the books - hopefully a once in a lifetime experience as well ;) New Years is supposed to start with a bang!

Sini and I stayed the night at Samuels, got up at half past 12, and headed to Bondi Beach with two of her Finnish friends. I was mildly unimpressed with Bondi... so many people and lots of seaweed :/ I think I'm a little spoiled by the Sunshine Coast!

My flight left that night. Saying goodbye to Sini was so hard... She's been a huge part of my Australia experience so far. I already miss her so much! But, like I said, we've already made USA plans and seeing that my dad's company is centered in Finland, we are no where near the end :D

This concludes my, once again, my crazy nonstop travels. I'm thinking New Zealand is next but until then I think some settling down would be good for me... but maybe not ;) Only time will tell...

Sending my love and heat your wayyyy

Vistors, Moving, and SUMMER!

2009-12-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

HELLOOOOO ALLLLL! I sincerely apologize for the month and a half drought… to say the least, things have been a little crazy – Birthday parties, Mom Dad and Jessi visiting, exams, Thanksgiving, moving, summer classes, and planning Christmas and New Years. Phew!

Starting wayyyyyy back to October 21st – Maggie’s 21st birthday! Went to a Moroccan restaurant, had some delicious half-baked bday cake and watched a movie :) Then the rents came shortly thereafter. Mom, dad, and Jessica (Winthrop roomie and most incredible girl on the planet) were here for two weeks and we packed it in!

Happy 21st Maggie!!!

Mom and dad arrived in Sydney first and spent a few days touring the Opera House, Darling Harbour, and the vineyards. Meanwhile, Jessi got to recover from jetlag in Mooloolaba and we got some one-on-one time. M&D picked us up and the four of us headed North to a beautiful beach called Noosa. They rented a beach house where we grilled out, had friends come up and stay, dad got his biking in, mom did souvenir shopping, and Jessi and I got a tan! Perfect first few days.

Our gorgeous house in Noosa!

The family :)

Charleston will never look the same again...

The "kids" out on Friday night

Dad's bike paths in Noosa

Next stop, Mooloolaba. I was so excited to show them my side of Australia and everything they've heard me talking about for the last four months in person. I got some really good one-on-one time with both of them - dad in the ocean and mom and I went apartment shopping. I was living in the campus apartments but it's slightly isolated so I recently moved to the beach! Perfect for summer - and a job...

At the wharf in Mooloolaba

Moonlit Dinner

While in Mooloolaba we took a day trip to another beach called Rainbow beach - it's known for its 72 colors of sand, amazing! We went on a kayaking, dolphin watching tour. It was a small group which made it much more interesting - the (attractive) tour guide was able to take us up and down the coast, even though it wasn't on the agenda. There were massive sand cliffs that had layers of pink, yellow, while, orange, and green sand. When we pulled over to put the boats in I was so nervous about paddling through the waves but as soon as we got out there was a pod of four dolphins feeding just a paddle-length away! So worth it!! And mom and I didn't even flip surfing back in :)

Rocks in Rainbow Beach

Amazing colored cliffs

(taken with the water-proof camera)

Uh oh! Someone waited until the

tide was a little too high...

Mom and me conquering the ocean

They then got to experience there first official bush walk with me to the top of the cliffs. The scene is called Carlo Sandblow and it truly blew us away!

Taking them on their first bush walk

On TOP of the sand cliffs

Called Carlo Sandblow

Good thing Jessi was there ;)

He's still got it ;)

Once back in Mooloolaba, we went to Brisbane where we planned how we were going to make our last few days together as meaningful as possible. We decided to go on a day trip in the morning and headed two hours south to Byron Bay. Mom and I planned a surprise and we off-roaded it to a little village called Nimbin on the way down - hippie town of Australia! It was wild! Everything was brightly colored with rainbows and mushrooms – the rents felt like they'd time warped to the 60's and they loved it! All in good fun - it was definitely memorable!!!

Road trip: which way to go?!

This epitomises Nimbin quite well!
Took dad right back to college ;)

Back on the road we finally made it to Byron Bay, the most Easternly point in all of Australia. Byron Bay is one of my favorite places I traveled to on my Semester break road trip. When the weather is nice, it is simply gorgeous - filled with tourists and locals, you are bound to meet someone interesting. We took the Pacific Coast Hwy through the Gold Coast back to Brisbane. Everywhere we went we wished we could stay longer - there is just so much to see!

Byron Bay

Lighthouse in Byron Bay

Back in Brissy

I somehow got conned into participating
in a street performance. Hmm....

After spending the next day in the CBD of Brisbane, I said bye to the rents for the next eight months and Jessi and I headed off to Sydney. I love Sydney! I haven't been in a big city in so long - it was so nice to see the bustling people, lights, street music, sky scrapers and here in Syd, the harbor! We experienced some nightlife, went to Hillsong United Church, did a seafood-buffet harbor lunch tour, botanical gardens, walked the Sydney Harbor Bridge, largest Imax in the world, Aquarium, Darling Harbour, show in the Opera House, Fish Markets and lastly the Sydney Skytower - phew!! Amazingly enough, it was incredibly stress-free. The way it should be when you're with the ones you love. I'm so thankful that I got to spend a few weeks with my parents and with Jessi - I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Saying bye to the rents
for a long looong time
Our first sight in Sydney
They always say to start with a bang!
Darling Harbour Bridge...

Holding up the Opera House!

Our lovely bed and breakfast
Hillsong United Church!

Aquarium tunnel - so cool

Jessi, if your scared of crocs, snakes, and spiders...

why did you come to Australia?!?! ;)

Gorgeous Darling Harbour at night
after seeing "A Christmas Carol" in IMAX

The next morning, we started with a bridge walk - it's so nice to get a feel for the city on foot instead of in a taxi.

Bridge Walk!

The Rocks is the area of Sydney that we
stayed - location, location, location!
This is why they call it the rocks!

Sydney Opera House from the Darling Habour Bridge

We made it back to the hotel in just enough time to shower and jump on our harbour tour. We had an AMAZING seafood buffet and learned so much about Sydney and it's past.

Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge, me
On the harbour lunch tour
Love her

While waiting for the play at the Opera House, we toured the Botanical Gardens. It was beautiful - so many paths, flowers, and mini castles! How cool!

Flowers of the botanical gardens

-Taken for you mama!
Monkeying around :P

Jessi getting cheeky with

the statues!!!

Sneak Peak (illegal) photo of inside

the Sydney Opera House!

'God of Carnage'

Our last morning we started at the Sydney Fish Market and had some lovely fresh sushi. We were in an area called Pyrmont... I could definitely see myself living there ;) We then wandered over to the Sydney Skytower where you view the city from above. It was simply amazing...

Shadow of the Sydney Skytower

Overlooking the city

Beautiful Darling Harbour

Morning Sydney Markets

Immediately returning to Sunny Coast, I had exams to complete, apartments to find, Thanksgiving to plan, and plane tickets to book! I always say that a busy life is an interesting life!

Oh, in case I forgot to mention - I have decided to stay in Australia another semester!!! It was an even harder decision than coming at all. No holidays, birthdays, graduations, or family time for 12 whole months - scary! The idea was born when I realized there was no way I would be able to see and do the things I was hoping to in just six months. Some things are once-in-a-lifetime... if you don't grab them now the opportunity will be passed forever. I knew it was highly unlikely that I'd ever be able to live in Australia for another year of my life. So if anyone wants to do some traveling between now and July - come on over! I would LOVE to have you :)

SC conquers Australia

2009-10-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

Phew, what a couple of weeks it's been! Still recovering from having my SC girls leave and turned in a massive assignment - exhausting. It's crazy that the semester is wrapping up here, time certainly flies when you're having fun! Speaking of having fun, I cannot explain how wonderful it was having Lauren and Bianca here for the other week - It had been 3+ months since I'd seen either of them so we definitely made their trip worth while...

They arrived Sunday, October 4 and nearly tackled them to the ground at the airport! Here's the three of us in my home sweet home

We just got groceries, bbqed, and relaxed Sunday -

preparing them for their surprise on Monday...

CAMEL RIDING!!!

I wanted to plan fun Australia-only things for us to do for the week

and this was first on the list.

Riding on the beach in Noosa

This guy below has photoshoot practice because he's a movie star!

I can't remember the movie now but when I do, I'll let y'all know

He even smiled for the camera :)

We had SO much fun riding - certainly a once in a lifetime experience.

Noosa is a part of Sunshine Coast but is also filled with it's own suburbs. There's Noosa Heads (most famous), Noosaville, North Shore Noosa... After the Camel Riding was over, we headed to Noosa Heads where the main beach is. We laid out for a while and later decided to visit the Noosa National Park. I had the novel idea to climb Noosa Hill to see if there was a good lookout. Turned out that Noosa Hill was no hill. We ended up climbing a mountain with no lookout! A little disappointing but we had a great time, nonetheless.

Watching the sunset from the rocks in Noosa

::Remember the pyramid-like mountain::

We were worn out by dinner time... We ate and went to bed early, knowing that we had a big day coming. Tuesday, we woke up fairly early and headed to Mooloolaba Beach with the roomies, Ben and Tate. I love Mooloolaba and had a great time showing them around. We headed home around 3 to get ready for our next adventure - climbing Mount Coolum!

We had no idea what we were

getting ourselves into...

This is never a good sign...

DANGER: Serious injury or death could result from walking on or around the edge cliff

Just what you want to see in the start of the ascent...

If it looks steep going up, just think about down!

Ahhh but like always, so worth it :)

Noosa is just to the right ->

Ocean side:

The awesome pyramid-like mountain is just to the

right of this one, it was awesome seeing it from a different angle

Land side:

After descending, we stopped by Uni on the way home

in hopes of the girls seeing their first Kangas.

Fortunately, they were EVERYWHERE!

Lovely USC :)

But, hold on, the day isn't over yet! Every Tuesday is "Cheap Tuesday" = cheap food, drinks, entry, everything - Bianca was done for the day but Lauren and I managed to push through!

Meeting up with Sini for

a fun night out

We did not stay out too late because we knew we had, yet another,

jam-packed amazing day ahead of us...

The Steve Irwin, Australia Zoo!!!

We had the most amazing time! I hadn't made it there yet so it was a new experience for us all. And it was 100% Aussie -

We did everything from

lazing around with Kangaroos...

To holding Koalas!!!

Hilarious :>

Warning sign covering every Crocodile exhibit

Someone wasn't paying attention to the sign!

I don't think I'd get that close...

Thursday = Uni Night

Friday was absolute-relax day. We all slept in, played Monopoly with the roommates and the girls began their packing... However we did have one surprise, somehow I had managed to not try Vegemite since I moved to Australia, so Friday was the day for all of us!

To put it lightly - YUCK!

Funny enough, we weren't posing in the picture - real reactions

Macaela came home from work out 4 and took us to an adorable French-styled town called Montville. It is on top of a mountain, over looking valleys. I'm sure the view is a beautiful but it was very overcast when we were there. Still a good time though :)

Saturday came all too soon and it was time to for the girls to leave... Cat was SO sweet and made us a delectable breakfast before their long trek home. Ben and Tate joined us for the ride and the 5 of us spent sometime in Brissy before taking the girls to the airport.

Varisty saying bye to the girls :(

Last authentic Aussie treat - Meat Pies!!!

As you can tell, we had an unbelievable time together - I had been looking forward to it since I got here and it was even more than I had expected. I love those girls so much and I'm so thankful they were willing to travel across the world to visit me. How does one get so blessed?! Like I said before, I had a massive report due this week - I have two left and I am D-O-N-E! But just because school's going to end, doesn't mean the fun will stop... Mom, Dad, and Jessica (Winthrop roomie/most amazing girl in the world!) will be here the 27 of October - YAY! We have some amazing things planned while they're here and Jessi and I are heading to Sydney at the end of her trip - I haven't been yet so I'm pumped about that as well. So much behind me, so much going on now, and SO much to look forward to!

Thank y'all for going through it all with me - Love you so much!!!!!

Road Trip #2

2009-10-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

Hello all!!!

Needless to say - Lauren, Bianca, and I are having the most AMAZING time together and I can't wait to tell y'all about it BUT I have to finish my intra-semester break travels first...

Back in business:

Below is a map of all of Australia with a zoomed cut-out of Queensland (the state who's east coast we traveled). I live in near Caloundra, we went south first to Brisbane to pick up with cars, drove straight to Cairns (22hr drive from Brisbane, 1,682km) we made it there in a day and a half :) We went from Cairns, north to Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation and back. We drove south from there, starting in Airlie Beach for our sailing trip, then Agnes Water/1770 to camp on the beach, then to Hervey Bay/Fraser Island, then Noosa Heads and home!

I was trying to find a way to further detail where we stopped but, unfortunately, Mac's don't have a drawing program... I figured these were good enough though

The last picture of the previous blog is in Noosa and we headed home that day. It was supposed

to be a relaxing night and morning but it was quite stressful for me, seeing as I had to sort out some school things between three different Uni's and LIFE Scholarship people.

Fortunately, the second have of my adventure was very relaxing. It was strictly a girls trip - Sini, Maggie and I headed south to Byron Bay and Gold Coast.

Took my first Greyhound

First day in Byron, Sini and I got

massages - definitely deserved :)

Gorgeous Byron Bay

The perfect sign!

Headed up to Surfer's Paradise, Gold Coast:

MOTEL!!!! What a luxury after weeks

of hostels and campsites - I was so excited :D

Irish Pub in Surfers -

enjoying some live music

Looking down the beach from Surfers

Explanation: Similarly to the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast is made up of several suburbs (Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads, Mermaid Beach, Miami, Palm Beach, Surfers Paradise...)

Viewing Surfers in the distance from Broadbeach

Looking down Gold Coast

Sooo beautiful - from Mermaid Beach to Surfers

On the train home -

more amazing sunsets

Our time in Byron Bay and Gold Coast was great - Maggie worked with a few people in Europe that live there so we got to spend some time with them as well - very cool :) I'm sure I'll see them again one day. We finally made it back to Uni on Monday, Sept 28 totaling my trip to a whopping 17 days!!!! Wow!

Phew! I hope you enjoyed the most action-packed two weeks of my life - I sure did :) I'm pretty sure I packed as much as I could into the blog but there's still so much to tell... I'm sure each of you will hear even more about it in due time. I love you all so much - get ready for more great updates with my South Carolina girls!!!