My new years resolution is to learn how to take a complement… I am not normally one for new years resolutions but that seems like a good one so I will do my best.

I am at the end of my East Coast adventure and am a mixture of happy and sad. I am happy because I get to go back to Brisbane and see my friends for a couple of days before I head to New Zealand for a couple of weeks with my mom and my aunt. I am sad because it has been an incredible trip. It seems like one thing after another is amazing and different and ridiculously fun.

I am exhausted after my last couple of days in Cairns. It has been a lot of early mornings and late nights and it is starting to catch up to me… I think New Zealand will be more relaxing…aside from driving on a different side of the road…

A couple of days ago I went white water rafting for my first time down the Tully River, rated one of the best rafting rivers in the world. It was amazing (as I seem to say about all things…but they really are!) I think white water rafting is something I could seriously get into, I am already looking up rafting trips in New Zealand. It was a five hour trip down the river with six people in our boat, two hilarious Irish guys that kept acting like they were gay even though they weren’t a sweet couple from Hong Kong and a girl from Germany. It was an excellent group of people, couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my trip. It is up there with my outback experience as one of my top days of the trip.

I also went on another sailing trip at the top of the Great Barrier Reef and got to see a Nemo in its proper colour. Sadly no sea turtles this time but we got to see the reef through a glass bottom boat and that was pretty neat. I have decided I am not much of a sailing person. As much as I love activities that are water based I think I only prefer things where I am the source of momentum…like swimming, kayaking, rafting or rowing. I just get sleepy and bored on boats and I wasn’t built to lie in the sun for long periods of time…

Finally, one of the other highlights of the last couple of days was visiting a crocodile farm. I got to hold a python…which was pretty crazy. I HATE snakes so it took a bit of courage to do, but not being one to back down from things I even let them wrap it around my neck a couple of times… I really have had no idea what I was going to get myself into on each day of this trip. I hope New Zealand is as exciting :)

Year in Review...

The past year has gone by extremely quickly, it feels like just yesterday I was chilling out in my reindeer PJ’s prepping to go to Jill’s New Years party. This year I find myself in shorts and a tube top prepping to go to a beach party… Sometimes it feels like I am in another world.

I am exceptionally grateful for the past year; I have had some amazing experiences and am greatly looking forward to the year ahead. Some highlights of my past year are:
-Travel: Montreal for the Ultimate tournament, Vegas with Terry for the event planning conference, Fiji and everything I have done in Australia
-Work: CACUSS National Conference went amazing, was super happy to be a part of that, giving my department a new look and feel and having one of my projects win a national award
-Personal: Had an amazing relationship with a guy in Australia, that didn’t pan out because of timing but still a positive experience. Also, meeting so many new friends and acquaintances over the past couple of months
-Other: Helping start the women’s Frisbee league, playing Nationals for Frisbee in Australia, having the nerve to move half way across the world and having the most amazing friends home and away

I have to say I am a very lucky person! There have been many ups and downs but I figure as long as the positive is what you focus on things work out for the best.

Happy New Years everyone! I wish you all the best in the upcoming year.

My own little finding Nemo...

I spent three days and nights on the Anaconda III visiting the Whitsundays... beautiful beaches, diving and snorkeling. I have never been so hot in my life but another amazing trip. I tried scuba diving for the first time and got to do a dive at the great barrier reef, sadly I didn't see any sharks. However when I was snorkeling I got to see black and blue versions of Nemo, a sea annemiy and a giant sea turtle eatting jelly fish. The sea turtle was by far the highlight of the trip. Finding Nemo is my "make me happy" movie, whenever I am grumpy I watch it because I can't help but feel better...so this may be why the sea turtle was my favorite.

We also got to visit Whitehaven beach the second best beach in the world... it was pretty good but nothing spectacular. I think I had my hopes up, but it does have the finest sand in the world. The Great Barrier Reef was pretty amazing and I am looking forward to seeing it again in Cairns. Another highly entertaining point of the trip was when one of the crew caught a huge fish (check out the picture).

Had Christmas turkey... :)

I had a surprisingly great Christmas Day. It started off really sad just thinking of all the people that I miss at home, however luckily that was remedied when I got through to my brothers. The boys were at Nay’s new house having a couple of drinks; just hearing from them really brightened my day.

After that my friend Gayle that I met in Brisbane brought me to her house to spend Christmas day and night with her family. It was really sweet, they have five children in the family and their excitement about Christmas really made it a great day. I really think that children make Christmas. I enjoy the party aspect as well, but Christmas day is really the best with that bit of extra excitement. They took me in like I was a part of the family and really that is what I needed. If I was going to be away from home I think that is a great way to spend the day. Oh and I can’t forget I got turkey :)

Today is Boxing Day, I spent the day playing with the kids, giving them piggy backs, play catch and all the things you do with children between the ages of 3-8. We also went for a walk on the beach which was really nice. Tonight I am getting on a sailing boat to the Whitsundays. I should get to do a lot of snorkeling and will get to see part of the Great Barrier Reef. I am sure I will update again in a couple of days.

Missing everyone at home very much.

I may have found a new calling...

A couple of days ago I had a highly interesting and entertaining day in the outback. I have to say it was one of the best things that I have done in Australia so far. We visited Kroombit Cattle Station, an active farm, and got to participate in the farming duties. It was really unique. Turns out I am a natural. Throughout the day I mustered goats, lassoed a goat, shot my first gun (a shotgun – I got 3/5 clay pigeons), cracked a whip, and got on a mechanical bull. I have to admit that the only part I seriously lacked was staying on the mechanical bull for long. If it wasn't for that I would have had to seriously consider moving to the outback... sadly I guess I am destined to be city foke.

I am currently in Arlie Beach for Christmas until I get on a tour of the Whitsundays on the 26th. After that I head to Magnetic Island for a Full Moon New Years Party.

Merry Christmas everyone! Really missing the snow and everyone at home! x

Sand is the enemy...

I am just back from Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world. I went on a self drive tour (don’t worry I didn’t drive) with ten other people… we were randomly selected, given a 4x4, food, tents, and a map and send to the island. There were no showers for two days, one day we didn’t even find a fresh water pond, I will be picking sand out of my belongings for weeks, but it was by far one of my best trips in Australia so far.

We got to see one of the top ranked lakes in the works, Lake McKenzie. See a lake that won’t exist in ten years because a sand dune will eventually overtake it, sleep in front of a ship wreck (even though we weren’t suppose to), drink more goon then any group of people really should, and all around just have an amazing time. The group I was with was made up of four Canadians including myself, two girls from Hong Kong, and five from Germany. Couldn’t have asked for a better group of people, everyone was really laid back and fun. If I had to go again I would still want to go with that group of people.

At this point I am ridiculously tired and slightly disoriented. The shower after this trip was probably the best of my life. The start to this East Coast adventure has been pretty awesome. Next is a trip to the outback in a couple of days… not sure what to expect there… riding a mechanical bull… shooting a gun…who knows.

Farewell my sweet, well the time now has come and the road has begun to move beneath my feet – Amos Lee

As most of my friends are decorating their trees, singing Christmas carols, wrapping presents and drinking festive drinks I prepare for a tropical adventure. It is currently 35 degrees in Brisbane and it is only going to get hotter up the coast. Christmas will be spent on a beach, Boxing Day I will leave to go on a three day cruise of the Great Barrier Reef and New years will be spent on a tropical island. I am pretty sure this years plans couldn’t get much more different than lasts years… even regarding friends. I am traveling alone for this little stint of the trip, whereas in the past Christmas has been all about friends and family.

I am ridiculously excited and can’t wait to start moving again. Once I have seen the East Coast I head back to Brisbane for three days and then onto New Zealand to explore as much of the country as I can in three or four weeks. My Mom and Aunt are coming down for this portion of the adventure. This will be the fancy part of my year, as I will be staying in hotels and not hostels and renting a car and not taking the bus.

The dates of travel are December 15th to Feb 5th (at least). I will do my best to post often, take lots of pictures, and keep up with my emails (however I feel this last one might be a tad ambitious).