Golf

Okay so for those of you who do not know…I have dabbled (emphasis on dabbled) in the realm of golf for about 3 or so years.  Do not be deceived by the length of time because in that period I believe I have only played – serious full length games – maybe 10 times.  So please feel free to join me as I laugh my head off at the following scenario.  I was informed about a month ago that I had been placed on the Wells Marble and Hurst team for a Jackson Young Lawyers Association golf tournament!  Yeppers folks, today at 1:00 I will be teeing off (lets pray I can remember how to do that since the past year I have been working simply on my swing at the driving range).  I am under the impression that the others in my crew are not so steller themselves.  Should be a good time, but I am having flashes of Happy Gilmore run through my brain this morning.  (Please don’t let the dude from Price is Right show up…I really just might go ballistic!)

Australia – Brisbane and home

By now most of you will know that Tara and I have made it safely home from Oz.  Brisbane was fantastic, although we spent our only day there trying to figure out the public transport system and then successfully were transported to the Koala Sanctuary where we cuddled koalas and kangaroos!  We flew out of Brisbane at 11:30 on Sunday the 15th and arrived in L.A. at 7:30 am on Sunday the 15th!  After a hilarious and frustrating run to catch our plane to Phoenix we arrived safely in Jackson at 5:30 last night.  I am posting some pictures now but have so many more to show if you are interested.  Thank you all for your prayers and comments on the postings…we loved them!  This weekend I am heading to my best friend’s wedding in Missouri and am sure to have great pictures and stories from that as well.

Sweet pic taken at the Koala Sanctuary

Australia – Day 8 (Cairns)

Today we traveled on a 90 min. gondola ride to the small mountain/rainforest town on Kuranda.  After 3 or 4 hours shopping around the markets and dodging rain clouds, we traveled back down to Cairns on a train that twisted through the mountain terrain.  The views were absolutely beautiful!   We rested for about 2 or 3 min. and then began to plan our next day here in Cairns…unfortunately (or fortunately) we found out that we are leaving on a 10:00 a.m. flight for Brisbane in the morning!!  We died out laughing when this hit us!  So, we are going to fly to Brisbane tomorrow and then catch a train to Surfers Paradise…yes that is the name of the town on the Gold Coast.  We will stay there for one night and hopefully take some surfing lessons before heading back into Brisbane to our bed and breakfast for the rest of our time!  I’ll post tomorrow if I can. 

Oh yeah and tonight we went to a Tjabuquia aboriginal dinner theater thing! Absolutely fantastic!

Australia – Day 7 (Cairns)

Today was fantastic!!!  We were transported to the marina at 7:00 this morning and caught a tour boat of only 20 people out to the Great Barrier Reef.  The water was a little choppy, but we made it to two different dive/snorkel sites with a buffet lunch included.  Tara went for her first dive at the second location in the outer reef.  I stuck to snorkeling and was rewarded with two views of a reef shark, several beautiful fish, and one really cute sea turtle!  I was able to view Tara from above and she looked like she was having fun playing on the sea floor with a giant clam!   Oh the stories we have.  We made it back to shore about 4:30 and proceeded to dinner at an Irish restaurant (YUM!)  Tomorrow we will head up to Kurunda to the rainforest via skyrail and the return trip on a train!!  Yeepie skippie!  I will hopefully post tomorrow with more news!  Cross your fingers that the pictures from our underwater camera turn out ok!  Stories to come include…sea pineapples, and Tara’s mermaid adventures

Australia – (day 4-6) Ayers Rock

Alright, alright, so I know that you all think we have been captured by Aboriginal peoples, but I assure you that we are doing great!  Its just that I refused to pay the $2 per 10 min for Internet in the middle of the outback.  We know you are all dying to hear about our adventures but we decided that you should all wait to hear it first hand when we get back (to save time and money )  I will tell you that it was hot, the rocks were big, we discussed the social habits of Michael Jackson with mates from Australia, we ate kangaroo, and now are preparing for a fun-filled few days in Cairns where the weather is warm.  Here we come Great Barrier Reef and the Karunda Rainforest!  Love to you all.  If I can post cheaply in the future, I will.  Next city is Brisbane.

Christina and Tara

Australia – Sydney (Day Three)

Okay so I am going to apologize for what I know will be an extremely short post, but tonight I am so tired that I can barely keep my fingers moving on the keyboard.  This morning we went to the Avis rental place to pick up our car and after all papers had been signed and the navigation system issued, we find out that we are getting a standard transmission vehicle.  So Tara looked at me and said “You’re driving.”  Tara is great at driving a standard, but hasn’t had as much experience as I have so I nervously took the drivers seat. 

Long story short is that we got lost in Sydney (WITH THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM) for an hour, but we finally made it onto the freeway and started our 2 1/2 hour drive into the Hunter Valley.  The drive was great and we actually saw some sunlight for  the first time since we have been here!  We pulled inot the bike shop at a little after 11:45 and started our touring by eating lunch at a cafe by one of the vineyards.  Then it was off to three others where we were educated on the finer points of the wines and what to look for in each.  The biking was great, but our hinies are tremendously sore

We drove back into Sydney successfully and dropped the car off at the Airport (it stayed open later) and then caught the train back into town.  I know that you all would love more details about the driving experience, and believe me there are TONS, but I am just too tired to put them all into words.  Tomorrow we fly to Ayers Rock (pronounced Airs Rock) and will be there for two days.  Right now I need to repack my luggage and get some much needed sleep (I only got 3.5 hours last night and with all the pressure, nerves and excitement of driving in Sydney and in the Valley, I am exhausted).

Tune in tomorrow for more tales from the Outback!

Australia (Day Two – Sydney)

Hello all.  Today started with some bumps and twists and a headache, but all went well in the end.  Tara and I decided to go to the vineyards today in Hunter Valley and were outside at 10:30 awaiting our ride.  Around 10:45 Tara called to see if our driver had left yet and found out that the driver had thought we were staying in a different hostel in a town much closer to the valley.  The trip into the valley from Sydney is around 2 1/2 hours!  So we had to regroup.  We decided to go to the Blue Mountains instead, since we could quickly arrange transportation. 

We left at 12:30 p.m. on a train bound for Katoomba for a grand total of 11.00 AUD.  We arrived 2 1/2 hours later and navigated our way to the visitor information hut around 2:30.  After looking at several different hikes we chose a 2 hour one that included SEVERAL stairs down into the rain forest and back up!  The hike was wonderful and the vistas – INCREDIBLE!  (Pictures do not do justice)  Through the mist and rain we saw a few waterfalls and really unique trees and foliage.  Around 5:00 the sun began to set and we were deep in the forest.  Ok, use your imaginations here…deep in the rain forest…setting sun…a little more than 1/2 way done with the hike.  Yeppers folks, we hiked the remaining time with flashlights and moderate rain!  Oh the stories to tell.  We did arrive safely back at the starting point around 6:00. 

We walked back into Katoomba and ate a relaxing meal at quaint cafe near the train station.  After spending an hour or two sipping tea, hot chocolate, and a glass of red wine (we really needed to defrost..did I mention that it was about 48 to 50 degrees when we got there??) we caught the 8:24 train back into Sydney.  What a wonderful day.

Trying to make plans on the public transportation system for our journey to Hunter Valley tomorrow (or today, since it is 12:30 a.m. right now) proved to be quiet difficult and so we decided to rent a car and drive the 2 1/2 hours into the valley.  People…WE NEED PRAYER!  Neither of us has driven a European styled car (wrong side of car, wrong side of road) but we are going to attempt it!  We will pick up the car at 7:30 tomorrow morning and start our adventure!  We are renting a navigation system with the car to help lessen the confusion.  Pictures still proving to be a problem to post, but they will come!  Love to you all and I will post tomorrow!

Australia – Day One (Sydney)

Hello all!  After several hours of flying through domestic and international time zones, Tara and I have arrived in Sydney!  The 14 hour flight wasn’t as bad as I was thinking it would be, but Tara did say that I took up most of the room in the row that we had to ourselves!    We arrived at the Sydney airport at 6:00 a.m. local time and proceeded through customs and quarantine (declaration of perishable items) with no complications.  After purchasing two train tickets for the next couple of days in Sydney and the surrounding area, we unloaded our luggage at the Sydney Central Youth Hostel.  Unfortunately the weather has been really rainy and cool with gusty winds, but that did not stop us from all the sightseeing we had planned.  Below are a few shots we captured today when visiting the Sydney Opera House (where we took a tour), the Harbour Bridge, and the Botanical Gardens.  We are adjusting well to the time difference, but I am finding myself REALLY awake at various times in the afternoon…I am awaiting the almost certain crash this evening.  Tomorrow we will either head to the Blue Mountains for some bush-walking (hiking for you non Aussie people!) or to Hunter Valley for a bike tour of the vineyards and wine tastings…no worries, there will be a support bus following!   Enjoy the pics and continue to pray for our safety and for my common sense to kick in at some time (I actually stared at the wrong side of the escalator at the airport wondering why I couldn’t get on…the police gently mentioned to me that I needed to go to the other side.  Oh the joys of being a blond, but of course, Tara was and will be there to bring me back into reality. )  Love to you all!  More stories and tales to follow.

Okay so I am having some technical difficulties with uploading the pictures, but I promise that as soon as I figure it out, there will be pictorial documentation of our adventures!  Cheers!