...It's back

Here I was thinking how lucky I was because my throat infection thing went away... for awhile. It's back. =( It's currently almost 4 in the morning and I'm miserable. Luckily thanks to some Ibuprofen and popsicles I'm dealing but I am not looking forward to the next couple days. Last weekend was horrible because I felt like this. I can't even sleep it hurts so bad! Classes start tomorrow and I cannot even express how bummed I am that I'm sick again. =(

The City

On Tuesday... so for most of you on Monday... we went on a tour of the city. We live about 15 miles outside of Sydney so it's not like we can see the Opera house from our windows or anything. We hopped onto this cool double-decker bus and drove through the city while our tour guide told us all she knew about it. Our first stop was a place that I believe is called look out point or something along those lines. Basically it's a really good place to go if you want a good view of the Sydney Harbour with the Opera House and bridge. We got out took photos and walked around. Then we hopped back on the bus and went to one of Australia's most famous beaches, Bondi Beach. There's even a reality show that takes place there and they were doing filming. Zac Efron was even there! It was a beautiful beach with clear turquoise water and nearly white sand. The wind was ridiculous though. Our tour guide who lives around the corner from the beach said she hadn't seen it that windy in many years. Regardless of the wind, it was a nice place to enjoy lunch and some sunshine. After awhile we headed over to a place they call "The Gap." Apparently it's most famous for being the number one place people commit suicide. Just a TAD morbid but it was still a cool place. We were so far above the ocean and the view was gorgeous. I guess there have been a lot of ship wrecks there because when the lighthouse isn't working ships can't see the rocks and crash. They even have an anchor on display from a ship that crashed there years ago. Out of 120+ passengers, only one survived by clinging onto the rocks until some locals found him. Sad huh? After wards we headed to a popular bar in Sydney for a drink. I had a glass of some pretty good white wine. After a long day of touring and that glass of wine I was ready for a nap! And that is exactly what I did when I got home. =)

You're alive and you matter and this pink holiday doesn't get to name you.

This is for my United States loves who are living in February 14th.

The first most.... horrible, fun, painful, exciting, exhausting, wonderful, tear jerking... days.

Okay, so let's start with the flights. We (as in Katie, who goes to OSU as well) flew on a plane from Portland to San Fransisco, where our connection was. It was the tiniest, scariest plane and it was such a crazy bumpy ride. Luckily, it was only an hour and fifteen minutes. So we get to the San Fran airport and we had some stuff to figure out... but don't worry, we had 8 HOURS until our flight left... so we got everything figured out. We spent our time eating and I watched the episodes of The Bachelor, The Biggest Loser, and Lost that I deprived myself of that week. It went by quicker than I imagined it would, though the anticipation was killing me. Our flight finally started boarding at 10:05 p.m. and we stepped onto the biggest plane I've ever seen (except in movies) or been on. We got situated, took off, and fell asleep an hour or so into the flight... consequently missing dinner. So we were starving for quite sometime until they brought some snack packs by. I slept in about 30-45 minute increments probably about 6 or 7 times. So if you can do the math... it wasn't very much sleep, and broken sleep is even worse. I thought I knew how long 15 hours felt like... turns out I had no idea how long that actually was. I remember waking up and feeling like we should be well past half way, only to find out that we had barely made it 1/3 of the way. It took a lot of patience and some distractions to make it through but let me tell you... nothing is better than waking up, opening the window, and seeing this...

I know right?! Gorgeous. I couldn't fall back asleep after I saw that. We flew over Sydney about two and a half hours after this and it was crazy. This place that they call Australia, is in fact real. It's not some pretend place that we just talk about... I saw it. Opera House and everything. Here, I'll show you what I saw from the plane...


You have no idea how exciting this was to see. It's like I've been waiting for this to happen for so long. And it's right there, I can see it, and I'm SO close.

So we got off the plane, went through customs/immigration/etc and found our group. Then we went outside. BIG MISTAKE. I think people on the east coast think they know what humidity is but I've got news for them. When its 100 degrees and the highest possible humidity and you're in a place that has virtually no ozone... you feel like you could just pass out on the side walk and die. I considered doing this but tried to push through. I did get a nice wake-me-up kick in the butt (almost literally) from our bus driver who let go of my 70 lb bag that slammed into my leg scraping and bruising me pretty badly. But... no worries, mate. Can I just say I probably hear "No worries." or "No worries, mate." approximately 30 times a day. It's apparently the cool thing to say and also a substitute for you're welcome.

We get to our apartment complex and I am given the keys to my place. I walk in and basically just burst into tears. It is absolutely trashed. And although I know I am quite the exaggerator, I kid you not, this is the most disgusting and smelly place I'd ever seen. I'm talking rotting food everywhere, flies, maggots, trash, used... personal items, piled dishes, and everything else awful you can think of. Turns out... they never cleaned it out after the summer residents. I was pretty mad but didn't want it to ruin my first day. As of today, I have a clean apartment so much has improved in that category. I'll post photos of my room in my next blog entry.

We decided to walk to the mall which we thought was a ten minute walk. Well, it's not. It's more like 30 minutes. I know that's not long but again, 100 degree weather and that humidity makes it feel like hours. So we do some shopping, oh by the way everything here is so ridiculously priced. The US$ and the AUD$ are close to being equal so it does not make up for it. For example, one towel, $40. My $5 face wash from home... $17. Movie tickets...$18. Let's just say I am NOT regretting stuffing my two giant suitcases so full that they barely qualified to make it on the plane. Anyways... at this point my strep throat thing (which I didn't mention before but I was pretty sure and still kind of am sure that I have strep considering I get it often, know what it's like, and have some nice pustules in the back of my throat) is killing me. I can't even swallow my own saliva. I am so incredibly dehydrated and exhausted that I get the worse migraine I've ever had in my life. I tried to tough it out... but I honestly couldn't see straight anymore. My vision was blurry and I couldn't walk straight. I lost it. I could not stop crying. I ripped open the toilet paper I bought and bawled my eyes out. A guy came up to me and allegedly asked "Are you okay?" but all I could hear over and over was "Are you cut?" Katie ran all around asking everyone she saw to try to figure out what we could do. We ended up taking a taxi home, I took some migraine medicine, and napped. It took the migraine away but not the throat stuff. I managed to make it through the rest of the evening... and I also managed to blow up my hair dryer. It literally caught on fire when I plugged it in. I learned the hard way that most US hair dryers can't handle 240 volts. At least it wasn't my lap top! Which I did bravely plug in today (two days after the hair dryer incident) and it worked! I went to bed at 9:00, because in Oregon time it was really 2 in the morning.

So day two... I barely slept the night before because I kept waking up in pain. Katie and I went to get some groceries and some other stuff and I loaded up on popsicles and yogurt. I'm super thankful I did that because that's all I ate for the next 24 hours. But, unfortunately for me... I wasn't eating enough and apparently taking too much ibuprofen for how little I was eating, so I spent my sleepless night vomiting every hour or so. And let me just tell you how good stomach acid feels on a sore throat!

So I took a shower and decided to be up for the day, which just happens to be today, and it is also Valentines Day. Which took me awhile to realize and I think I might have cared for about 3 seconds and quickly got over it. So today... today was good. I miraculously started feeling a little better. Still got the pus going on, still taking the IB, but I am eating solids, and enjoying myself. I got an awesome Aussie roommate today names Heidi and I really like her a lot. I'm getting to know some people here and I'm really looking forward to everything that is to come. I'm learning to adjust and realizing (Which they would spell "realising") that not everyday is going to be wonderful. You've got to take the bad with the good. But I'm thinking there's going to be a lot more good going on down here than bad.

P.S.

THINGS I'VE LEARNED:

• elevators=lifts

• jello=jelly

• jelly=jam

• they don't do peanut butter and jelly here... they think it's a gross combo?!

• granola bars= musely bars

• diapers=nappies

• shopping carts=trolleys

• lines=ques as in "are you in que?"

• Vegemite=sick nasty

• Vegemite cheesy bite=even worse

• for here or to go=eat in or take away (sounds like "aiden or tegway?")

• kilojoules are about 4.19 the amount of calories... so take a calculator with you to the grocery store

• check voltages before plugging things in

• be careful when crossing the street... cars come from a direction you're not used to

• don't try to get on the bus on the right side... there's no door

• don't carry big backpacks on your back in small stores... or domino effects of shelf products are a common occurrence
  

• if you look like an fool, just start talking and they'll understand... because you're American... and you don't get it

All my love from Sydney! Have a good Valentine's Day tomorrow!

2 weeks.

I can't even believe I leave in two weeks. My flight leaves Portland at 1 o'clock on February 10th. That is ridiculously soon! My mind has been very distracted the last few days due to my mom being extremely ill with meningitis and in the hospital. I'm pretty behind on packing and getting the things I need, but life happens and family is a priority. I'm so thankful for all the people who have been praying for my mom. I am a strong believer that prayer can be very powerful and I am so blessed with people in my life who are so willing to pray for my family. I think it made a big difference.

Despite the craziness that has been going on this week I have so much to be thankful for, especially financially. I was so concerned about money the beginning of December. No matter how I calculated it I kept coming up really short for the trip. I was so worried I wouldn't have enough money so I started working 60 hour weeks to try to make up the difference. But alas, God started pulling some strings and providing for me. The school in Australia (who refused to allow me to pay tuition in two payments) randomly sent me an email allowing me to do so, my scholarship pushed some money forward so I wouldn't arrive in Australia empty handed, and a couple amazingly generous people have surprised me with contributions to my trip. This just makes me realize how much I need to trust God and stop relying solely on myself. God won't necessarily provide for you directly, but he sure will indirectly, through other people.

Well, I'll be moving out of my apartment this weekend and then I have three more days left at work. I really like working at Fran's but it will be nice to move on. It's very bittersweet. I think I will miss the regular customers the most. I've worked there for two years and I've grown to love quite a few customers there. It'll be hard not seeing Craig and Janet on Monday nights, Cheryl most every night, talking to Bill while I make his ridiculously hot latte, seeing the cute couples that come in regularly, and all the other familiar, friendly faces that made working long shifts so much easier. I will also miss my girls so much. My co-worker, and good friend Eva is throwing me a going away party this Sunday which will be really fun. It'll be nice to have one last day with all the girls. I feel like time is running out so quickly and I have so many people I want to spend time with before I leave! I really hope I get to see everyone I want to see!

I love. I hate.

Just in case you were wondering...

I love:

-reading other people's blogs
-acoustic versions of songs that I already love
-Willamette Valley Riesling/Oregon Blossom
-being surprised
-getting mail
-Jim Halpert
-cute product packaging
-being crafty and doing small art projects
-sewing
-talking for hours on the phone with someone without awkward silences
-getting my hair cut
-white chocolate mochas
-inspirational/love quotes
-speaking Spanish
-fresh pineapple
-everything about weddings
-decorating on a low budget
-sleeping in
-massages
-peacock feathers
-basset hounds
-simplicity
-down comforters
-Tilamook cheese
-my future husband who has yet to walk into my life
-freshly laundered bedding
-showering
-when my house smells good
-chick flicks
-newborn babies
-rain in the summer
-Jordan almonds
-fireplaces
-cuddling
-cooking delicious and of course unhealthy food
-big purses that carry everything I need
-buying gifts for other people
-my mac
-really long, strong hugs
-water bottles
-making lists
-games (board, card, strategy, etc.)
-candles
-buying t-shirt to support good causes
-watching movies while laying in bed
-my mole on my cheek
-throw blankets
-reading self-help books
-getting a big paycheck and knowing the I earned all of it myself
-cheesecake
-flip flops
-that I'm going to living in Australia in a month

I hate:

-unloading the dishwasher
-wet socks
-pancakes
-being so accident/illness prone
-having sticky skin
-self-centered people
-olives
-weak handshakes
-being interrupted (though I know I interrupt a lot)
-watching what I eat
-being cold
-slow walkers/drivers
-canned pineapple
-when people chew with their mouth open
-being in class longer than an hour
-when artists try to cover an already perfect song
-what Christmas trees do to my nose
-guys who control their girlfriends
-licorice
-exercising
-chihuahuas
-canker sores
-going out of the house without a shower
-painting my own nails
-being wrong
-anything with wings (including butterflies!)
-rude people
-washing my face before I go to bed
-when I lose my train of thought
-when people don't tell the whole truth and think that it's not lying
-that I can't seem to quit biting my poor nails

No turning back

It's official: I purchased my plane ticket to Australia. It was $1500 and non refundable... so there's NO turning back. But, I don't think I could be any more excited than I am right now. I don't think this trip could come at a better time. I am in desperate need from a break from life here and a chance to move on from a lot of my past. 2009 was a year filled with disappointment and serious heartbreak so I'm glad I get to (basically) start 2010 in a new place. New people, new school, new surroundings, new beginnings. I'm so ridiculously excited. I realized the other day that I'm surprisingly not nervous. Which is strange for me because I'm usually a nervous wreck. My boss asked me if I was nervous and it took me a second to respond and after thinking about it I said "Actually no, I'm not." I think that I'm just too excited to be nervous. I'll probably be nervous on the 15 hour flight from San Fransisco to Sydney! But other than that, I couldn't be more thrilled!

I leave February 10th... a month from this Sunday. I can't believe how much I have to do by then! I have so much to get organized, appointments to make, an apartment to pack up, and things to buy. Not to mention, I'm working a ton... which is wonderful but doesn't leave a ton of time for me to accomplish everything I need to. I'm not too worried though, I know I'll get everything done.

P.S. I'm going to be going from this freezing. rainy Oregon weather to ridiculously sunny, 90 degree weather!

Confidence

Yesterday was a bad day that turned into a good night. I needed a dress for the New Years Eve party I was attending and much to my dismay... none of my dresses fit anymore. I guess you don't really realize weight gain that's very gradual but I could definitely tell yesterday. I made a trip to Ross to find an inexpensive dress and was nothing but disappointed. Nothing seemed to fit right and the dresses that did fit, didn't flatter me at all. I just felt like an overweight glob of grease. I popped into Maurices to see if I could find anything and I did find a dress that unfortunately was $44. I somehow justified buying it and made my way home. My mom called me and asked how I was and I just started crying. I told her how terrible I felt about my body and how mad I was at myself for letting myself gain weight. She reminded me that it's been a hard year for me and although it is quite the uphill battle, I can lose the weight. I felt a little better but still did not feel very great until I went to the party. I forgot about what had happened earlier and just had a good time. I was having a side conversation with a friend and I had mentioned my weight gain and how unhappy I was with my body. She proceeded to tell me that she didn't (nor did anyone else) even notice I gained weight because I was so confident with who I was. Although I don't feel very confident on the inside I know that I act like it on the outside. I guess it just got me thinking that confidence really is everything. Whether you act like you're just as good or not as good as every other person in that room, people truely believe it.

I found this quote and realized how true it is for me and so many people I know...

"Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are." -Malcolm S. Forbes

So... NEW YEARS RESOLUTION: To stop overvaluing what I'm not and stop undervaluing what I am.

It's December already?!

I cannot believe we're already a week into December. I don't know if it's just me but I swear November and December slip away much faster than the other months. It's like Halloween happens, then you wake up a few days later and you're eating Turkey on Thanksgiving, and then all of a sudden you're rushing around doing Christmasy things. What a crazy, chaotic, wonderful time of year.

These last two weeks have been ridiculously chaotic. Dead week and finals week have not been treating me very well but come this Friday it will all be over. And I am happy to say that I will not be attending school in the States until next fall.

I leave to study abroad at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia on February 10th. Words cannot express the excitement that I feel. I know it's only two short months away but I am getting so eager! I want it to be so much sooner than it is! But all good things are worth waiting for. I come home sometime around June 27th. So it will be quite the long adventure! I am excited to do a sort of travel blog while I'm gone.

Aside from listening to Christmas music 97% of the time, I have become mildly obsessed with Phil Wickham. I never really listened to him much until last February when my roommate and I went to go see JJ Heller in concert. Phil was the second act and I have never been so in awe of a musician before. First of all, his voice is unreal. I've never heard anyone with the kind of range that he has. His music is unbelievable. A new album came out a few weeks ago and I am loving it just as much as his other stuff. There are some of his songs that I can just put on repeat and not get sick of. The song that plays on my blog is called "You're Beautiful" and it honestly brings tears to my eyes everytime I hear it. It is such a beautiful song with such an beautiful meaning. Everything about God is so beautiful and this song expresses that. Ahh... I am just in love... with him and his music. Oh, and I am going to his concert in Portland on New Years Eve! I can't wait!

And if you forgot how ridiculously awesome and beautiful God is...

Random Thoughts

Found this in someone else's blog... thought I'd pass it on. Hilarious and True.

1. I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.
2. More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.
3. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.
4. I don’t understand the purpose of the line, “I don’t need to drink to have fun.” Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they’ve invented the lighter?
5. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you’re going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you’re crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
6. That’s enough, Nickelback.
7. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.
8. Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the “people you may know” feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?
9. Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ’s. We just figured it out. Today’s kids are soft.
10. There is a great need for sarcasm font.
11. Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.
12. I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I’ll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone’s laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I’m still the only one who really, really gets it.
13. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
14. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
15. I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
16. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.
17. A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.
18. Was learning cursive really necessary?
19. Lol has gone from meaning, “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say”.
20. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
21. Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
22. My brother’s Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, “Cuz we beat you, and you hate us.” Classy, bro.
23. Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart”, all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart”.
24. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?
25. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
26. Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)..ummm…Goonies”
27. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
28. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it…thanks Mario Kart.
29. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
30. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
31. I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
32. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
33. I would like to officially coin the phrase ‘catching the swine flu’ to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: “Dave caught the swine flu last night.”
34. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.
35. Bad decisions make good stories
36. Whenever I’m Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don’t mind if I do!
37. Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
38. If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
39. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from, this shouldn’t be a problem….
40. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you’ve made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
41. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.
42. There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
43. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
44. “Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this ever.
45. I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV.. There’s so much pressure. ‘I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?’
46. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?
47. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
48. When I meet a new girl, I’m terrified of mentioning something she hasn’t already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
49. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
50. Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles…
51. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
52. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
53. It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
54. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
55. Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn’t know what do to with it.
56. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time…
57. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day “Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?” How the hell do I respond to that?
58. It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.
59. I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
60. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
61. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.
62. The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There’s nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner