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!

Beach Time

I know it has been a while since my last post and wanted to let the void of people out there that read this blog know I am still alive!  I am currently residing in a wonderful beach home in Cape San Blas with my family and one of my roomies – Elizabeth.  We arrived late on Sunday night and have been thoroughly enjoying the sand and sun.  Watching the maturing/disciplining process of my niece and three nephews has been entertaining and draining.  However I can’t complain in the least about my littlest nephew…he is a precious cooing gem!  (See pic below)  I received a call from Ole Miss Law School yesterday and have now been accepted into their program this fall.  Now comes the decision of where to go!  Please pray that God’s guidance will be the foremost thought on my mind as I decide.  I will have one day in Jackson when we return from the beach on this coming Sunday.  Tara and I will fly out for Australia on Monday night!!!!  From now on my posts will be updates of our travels from around that glorious nation!  Pray that we do not get into harm’s way and that Christ’s presence will be always with us and around us. 

Old homes

I LOVE my new house at 1120 Quinn in Jackson, but living in an older home that sits on Yazoo clay can be interesting at times.  Case in point – the dishwasher.  Now the fact that I even have a dishwasher is fantastic, however it does have one flaw.  When you open the door to the dishwasher it only opens about 20% of the way.  You have to forcefully push down on it in order to access the bottom shelf.  The hysterical part…and this actually scared the ever living daylights out of me the first time…is that when you push down on the door, the right-hand under-the-sink cabinet door pops open!  It’s like a large version pop-up book.  I died out laughing.  As soon as I can get pictures of the house loaded on here, I will show the world the amazing “Pop-out Dishwasher/Door Combo!”

KFC

For those of you who are not aware: I am moving to a new home over the weekend and thus have had little time for sleep, exercise or anything non-moving related.  Last night was no exception.  I got off work around 6:00 (four secretaries were out and that is just NOT acceptable for our attorneys) and changed into my grubbies to begin another evening of assisting my new roomies in moving out of their respective dwelling abodes.  After ascending and descending several flights of stairs toting a kitchen table, dresser, t.v. stand, the HEAVIEST coffee table in the world, odds and ends boxes, lamps, oriental rugs, and a partridge in a pear tree – I needed food!  Elizabeth, new roomy #1, asked if I was dying of hunger or just slightly hungry because there was more moving to be done.  I replied that I wasn’t at the point of death as of yet, but was entering the panic zone of hunger pains.  We all decided to head for KFC, the nearest cheap meat and potatoes place to us at the moment. 

On the way over there we had all decided what to order so we could get in and out of the drive-through quickly.  Imagine my frustration, shock and immediate anger to have the scratchy little voice on the other side of the order box tell me “Um, yeah, it’ll be 18 minute wait on all chicken orders.”  WHAT IN THE WORLD!!!  18 minute wait on chicken at KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN????  Unfortunately for KFC my carpool headed to McDonalds.  Not as satisfying, but quick.  Maybe we should call and reserve our chicken before going to KFC!

The good citizen

When we were all in elementary school, there was an award for good citizenship. An award that was given to students who thought of and helped others. In the adult commercial world, one just doesn’t see the good citizens like they used to. I have indisputable evidence, however, that they do exist.

Every day during my lunch hour I drive 10 minutes to my home to eat a cheap and fast lunch while watching the second half of Law and Order. Tuesday of this week was no exception. I left work at 1:00, drove to my house, fixed lunch, watched the show, cleaned up, set the alarm, grabbed my phone and locked the door. As I took the three steps from the door to my car I realized that in my hands where a pink phone and keys were to be, there only resided the gleaming hot pink phone…alone…no keys. Yes, if you scan the list of deeds in the above sentence, you will find that getting the keys from the key rack was not included.

So I took inventory. The alarm was set. The door was locked. I have no spare keys for the house nor the car. I am in 4 inch heels and a dress. I begin to think of all openings in the house that I might be able to slip through, but all of the windows are set high on the walls of the house and I would definately need a boost to reach them. I remembered that I had opened my bedroom window last night (my roommate can only survive if it’s at least 75 to 80 degrees at night!). I walk to the front of the house where my bedroom window faces and pushed open one side. Good, now for a stool. Ladies and gentlemen, I walked my happy self over to the very full trash cans, dumped all the trash on the yard, toted the empty can to the window, kicked off my heels, turned the garbage can over and proceeded to stand on it in order to crawl through the window.

I had succeeded in getting my head and one leg through the window (yes, I am flashing the entire neighborhood) when a mocha colored Crown Victoria approaches my house. I hear an elderly woman’s voice screaming at me…”we are going to call the police if you don’t get out of there!” Yes, I was being chastized for “breaking into” my own home. I stuck my head out the window and leaned back to see the car and screamed back, “it’s my house, I’m not breaking in!” The woman’s response was “oh! we didn’t think you looked like a robber, but you never know!” I smiled and waved as they drove off.

I did make it into the house, although it ended up being more of a climb, drop, fall process into my bedroom. I ran down the hall and turned off the alarm while it was still in the warning beeping sequence.

There are still good citizens out there, it just takes acts of uncommon and blatant ridiculousness to pull them out.

Small quiet places

Today I received a small devotion book from my mother which she surprised me with by sending to my work. The book is entitled “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young. I have only read the devotion for today and yet a yearning has arisen to find the small quiet places in my day where, like the spinning ballerina referenced in the devotion, I can look to Christ as my spotting image. Looking at our own struggles, issues and complicated lives can dizzy the mind of any Christian. My prayer today is to look to my constant spotter when the day becomes a blur.

Psalm 102: 27 – “But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”

Hebrews 12: 2 – “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and protector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Turtles

In the past few days I have done two things that I never thought I would do.  On the way to work on Thursday or Friday of last week I am enjoying a chat with my sister over the phone when I pull onto the road my firm is on and spot, horrors of all horrors, an abandoned, helpless, HUGE turtle.  Now to my sister all I had to say was, “I’m on Charlie rescue here, hang on.”  For those of you unfamiliar with ‘Charlie rescues’ let me enlighten you.  When we were growing up in Anniston, AL, Jennifer had a fetish for catching turtles and naming them Charlie.  I believe we were up to Charlie 17 at last count before we moved.  Anywho – I am on the rescue so I pull the car over, turn on my hazards and in a pink skirt suit and 3 inch heels I bend down to pick up my endangered reptilian friend when he promptly shoots at least two quarts worth of turtle pee onto my legs and shoes.  First reaction – chunk this horrible peeing creature!  Unfortunately I followed my first reaction and may have cracked the poor thing’s shell.  BUT HE PEED….ON ME!!!!!  A word to the animal lovers of us all – there will be some that do not want to be loved or helped.  Note to self (when rescuing HUGE turtles expect HUGE amounts of urine!)  But according to my eldest sister – Ur-ine-ice girl!  (get it your a nice girl?!)

First posting!

Ok, so now that there are too many balls in the air and not enough phone minutes to farm them out, I decided to create my own blog.  There will be more to come, but I wanted to get something posted before I go to my Kentucky Derby planning party this evening.  While you’re waiting for me to post again (you know you don’t have anything better to do…check out my sister’s postings: mixonitup.wordpress.com !  Enjoy.