Beginning of the End

just a quick update.

my mom came to visit (so much fun!) we got to go to melbourne and see the great ocean road and bike riding in manly and more fun adventures :)

just chillin on the 12 apostles

i leave for South east asia in 11 days (EKK!) and have fun little things before that to do :). i go to surf camp wednesday to friday 3 hours north of sydney in Seal's Rock (we will see how THAT goes), then going to Mudgee for a 3 day country and wine trip with Rich then off on my trip!

it doesnt feel like i am done with australia, maybe because im not going straight home, but i will miss sydney, i've meet some amazing people and got to see some amazing things, but im excited to be home as well. i get to be a part of whats going to be my favorite friend's wedding!! and i'm already bummed i have missed some of the wedding hooplah and planning so im very pumped about all that as soon as i land! :) and seeing everyone. i miss my lubbock family and my dallas family. miss monday night dinners at the carmacks, bon giorno coffee, mexican food (that cannot be stressed enough), my dogs (which i find annoying at most times until i see them on skype looking cuddly and cute), driving my car and being able to sing along to the radio (bc singing along to my ipod in the streets here is obviously a little odd) and most of all, my family! this summer, i will be able to hang out with not just my parents and brian, but my older brother kyle who will be back from dubai. this year has been so amazing so far and each year keeps getting better :)

p.s. i am looking for overseas volunteer opportunites for when i get back so if anyone has anything that might be up that ally please send it my way! :)

oh and these were my pretty aussie valentine's day flowers :)

i will miss conveyor belts of sushi everywhere

what im going to miss most about australia

Closing Chapter

2010

So this is a bit overdue, but i won't be writing for a while because my mama comes to visit on thursday! So thought i should now :)

2009 went by so fast i cant believe its already 2010! when i think about what all has happened in a years time its unreal. I officially believe that at this point in my life, 2009 has been the best year thus far:

I graduate college,

got to go to dublin for spring break with some great friends,

a good friend went into a coma and beat the odds everyday and survived (amazing story, he is a living miracle) This was on my birthday, i got to see him for the first time since he's woken up

moved to Australia and met some incredible people and have gotten to visit some amazing places while here

(new years eve fireworks over the harbor)

and my best friend from kid days is getting married and i get to be her maid of honor! (still excited, sorry if its mentioned in every post...well, not that sorry!)

2010 is going to be amazing and i am sure it will be even better than the last year. i have learned so much and feel like so much has changed in just a years time. this march i get to go to south east asia with my roommate out here from england named elena, and with my friend from texas (clarice) who is meeting us in bangkok! We are traveling through thailand, laos, vietnam, cambodia, malaysia, and singapore. I.CANT.WAIT!

Joyeux Noël!

Amazing View From Lavender Bay

Merry Christmas to everyone!

It is a little strange going to the beach and being in the heat during december, i'll admit. And Australia definately doesnt celebrate christmas like home. Everywhere you go at home there is christmas music and decorations, but not here. So sad! But we are doing an aussie christmas here with my roommates, and going to a "barbie" then christmas evening having a dinner here. wont be the same!

Well here are some updates here and at home:

This is my new house (the blue one) and my room is the one from the upstairs balcony

This was from Thanksgiving Feast at Rich's

The boys carving the Turkey

This is my french roommate, Margaux, from Paris whom i love!

This is our christmas tree :)

And our "Fairy Lights"

This is from a Christmas Harbour Cruise with the American organization I came over with

Christmas in Oz....

And this is a shirt that Margaux and Elena gave me, it says "you speak french?" i realize that this picture is backwards (i took it with my webcam), so sorry! They gave me this gift because at the moment i am trying to learn french! So far so good, but its getting harder...I have changed my facebook to french and practice daily with Margaux so we'll see :)

and in other news...... LAURA IS ENGAGED TO RYAN MAXWELL! She will be MRS. Maxwell in July of 2010 :) we have talked about our wedding days and what not when we were younger and as we got older and i cant believe her day is finally here! Its hard to believe how fast time goes. She is marrying an amazing man and I am so happy for the two of them. And I have the exciting role of her maid of honor! I cannot express how happy i am for these two love birds and can't wait until july :)

Switching things UP

So its been a crazy couple of weeks lately.

First off, I got a second job for a company called Pinnacle. Its a Hospitality and Tourism company, basically a second job for most that work there. So they are the company that is hired for functions or concerts or events. So its a here and there kind of work, you just pick up whatever work you want when you're available, so perfect! I should start this week :)

Second, I am moving into a cute terrace house! :) You can take a look here

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

My good friend Elena (who used to live in my apartment) moved to perth and last minute decided to come back! So she booked a flight that day and the next day she arrived and we found a place! very last minute. It has a cute balcony on the second floor from our room! :)

So in less than two weeks, elena victoria and I will be sharing a house with 4 other people. And here is my new address for anyone who wants to send anything! :)

69 Rose Street

Chippendale, NSW 2008

Australia

Also, there is a really cool movie that my church here has released and its going to be playing world wide, its a documentary on poverty, and everyone should go see it! I saw it will be playing at the tinsletown in grapevine so go! go! heres the site if anyone wants to read up on it

http://www.i-heart.org/index.php

I hope everyone is having a great time at home and everywhere else and i'm missing everyone this christmas season! ta ta for now!

Blurb

This entry is soley devoted to the lingo I have noticed here.

You can be in an english speaking country and sometimes have NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE SAYING.

But you catch on, and some sticks :)

1. No worries.....this is seriously somehow in every conversation i have with someone out here.

2. Avro ..meaning afternoon such as "i'll see you tomorrow arvo"

3. Lets have a barbie! bring your eskie with stubbies....AKA lets have a barbeque and bring your cooler of beer

4. Bottle'o...meaning liquor store

5. "off his face" meaning very drunk

6. Goon...meaning box wine (not recommended)

7. Notes = paper money

8. fair dinkum = the real deal

9. HEAPS!...or bunches

10. "i reckon" ...which im surprised i hear it more here than in texas

11. Brekkie = breakfast

12. tomato sauce.... NOT ketchup here...and certainly doesnt taste as good

13. "out in the bush"...out in the boondocks

14. cotton candy here is Fairy floss?!

15. you call people from New Zealand a KIWI...still havent figured that one out

16. Prawns are Shrimp

17. Thongs are flip flops

18. and tim tams are the best cookie desert EVER. (not lingo but it MUST be said)

19. "how ya going?"...aka whats up, how are you

20.and one of my least favorite analogies.... "taking the piss out of you"...aka making fun of you or just messin with you

thats all. so to be continued!

BULA!

Hello All!

Well i just got back from Fiji last week and I am definately thinking that its the coolest place i have been to so far. Victoria (my roommate) and I went on an island hopping packing and got to go to a different island every day. It was so cool we got to stay at places a little more humbling, and then also got to stay at some of the nicer resort types. Most places we stayed did not have hot showers, and some places only have electricity for a few hours on a day.

We got to go snorking, scuba diving, parasailing, take kava with locals (a drink that is a tradition there, its made from pepper root), went to the blue lagoon, was taken into the village by locals, and just had an amazing time. one of the best trips ever!

One thing that was a little sad was the trip into the village. We were shown around a boarding school which was a very nice one compared to other islands, and their beds were old rusty hospital beds donated from new zealand, the classes happened to be cancelled that day because of no running water. And most every islander we had met had never made it out of fiji. their primary source of income and life is through tourism and the resorts. The first place we stayed at was family run (as most are) and we were the only two guests besides one other guy. They made us feel as though we were family and visiting them, not like we were paying guests. If i ever had a chance to go back i would definately take it!

Where we slept the first night. our own little bungalo

The boarding school near wayalailai

parasailing with victoria!

The first night we stayed on Nacula island and took a 20 minute boat ride to the blue lagoon for the day, But Lulu forgot to get gas and we were stranded inbetween two islands in cold winds and waves and it was getting dark soon! eek!

dont worry a boat load of students going to boarding school came by and helped us out :)

snorkling in the blue lagoon

the bluest water ive ever seen.

Also, some exciting news...my mom is coming to australia to visit! horray!

and anyone else who would like to visit, definately should :)