Thanksgiving

Yesterday my American friends and I celebrated Thanksgiving together and although I missed my friends and family back home, I still must say that it was one of the best Thanksgivings I've ever had.  The day began with an event that I had been looking forward to for a long time. Since meeting our Australian mates Andrew and Rutty, we had talked several times about having an Australia vs. US cricket match. We had scheduled the game, unknowingly, for the same day we had decided to cook our Thanksgiving meal. While this added a bit of time related stress to our Turkey Day plans, I would not give up the cricket morning for all the food I ate later in the day. The American team, comprised of Adam, Andrew, Jon and I had decided that morning that we would need jerseys to represent ourselves on the pitch. What we came up with was four navy blue lax pennies (Andrew shares a high school background in lacrosse with me) which we altered by adding names to the back with tape. We also added some American tats to our arms since we were already showcasing the guns in an attempt to intimidate the Aussies into submission. Needless to say, we looked pretty good. While preparing for the game came as a no-brainer, the game of cricket itself is not as easy as it appears... Team America took time before the Aussies arrived to attempt to bowl (pitch) which by rule, does not allow you to bend your arm at any time.  This proved difficult to the four of us who found this pitching style unorthodox and simply "lame". As the day progressed Andrew had the quote of the day saying, "As I learn more about cricket, the less similarities it has with baseball..." 

As the opposition rolled up to the pitch, I realized that what we were about to undertake was a tradition that was purely Australian. Andrew, Rutty, accompanied by their friends Duruf and Kingsley, came to the field with bats, wickets, balls, and an eski filled with XXXX (Four X Gold) beer. Andrew assured us that when playing a friendly game of cricket, 4X is the ideal beer to bring along due to its "Bogan" (Australian redneck) reputation.  We spent the day trying our best not to make a fool out of ourselves while taking Ken Griffey Jr. style cuts at bouncing leather balls that were (at least for me) exceptionally hard to hit.  We actually played decently well. Even drawing a couple looks of surprise from the other team who were very kind in not smoking us on the rules or pitching too fast. One of the best moments for me was getting two wickets (strike outs made by the batter missing and the ball hitting the wicket) and then giving the ball up to Adam who immediately did the same to the next batter. We all decided that cricket is a lot of fun to play and we came out with a better knowledge of the rules. Hanging out with the Aussies was a ton of fun as always, with them all cracking jokes at each other and us.  The Aussie sense of humor is dry and easy going with a sense that you have to be able to laugh at yourself as well. We all enjoyed talking a lot of trash throughout the game. 

After wrapping up the match, we all took a bus to the Broadbeach area where our friend Connor was letting us use her place to have dinner. We had run late with cricket some when we arrived, the food was already prepared and people were ready to eat.  The food was amazing and by far the best cooked meal I've had since I've been abroad.  The menu was very traditional with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry, and gravy on everything.  It was absolutely delicious and Conner and Fink, Steven and Chris who all helped deserve a huge thanks for making it seem so much like Thanksgiving back home. I was able to contribute upon my arrival by saying an inspiring opening Grace and making sure that everyone around the table said what they were thankful for. I also made it in time to make the two boxes of Kraft Shapes that my lovely mother mailed me. Obviously they were a huge hit depsite throwing off the traditional Thanksgiving vibe. As we all sat in the apartment overlooking all of Broadbeach and Pacific Fair, I realized through the haze of my impending food coma that this was one of the best Thanksgivings I had ever been apart of. In summary, what I am thankful for is the great friends I have made over here and the support of my family back home to make this amazing experience possible. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone back home from us in the Gold Coast! - Jeff 

Rocked by The Reef

Good evening America, the cleaning ladies just kicked me out of my room to make my bed and vacuum sand off my floor so I thought I would take the time to fill you in on my trip to Cairns aka the famous Great Barrier Reef city. This trip concluded my crazy four week odyssey of the extreme with a full day of scuba and snorkeling on the reef with the rest of the weekend pretty much open to explore the town.

The group of my mates Adam, Jon, Chris, Fink, Steven, Ryan, and yours truly all took a train to Brisbane on Thursday night in order to fly to Cairns, arriving around midnight. We touched down in Cairns and were immediately bused to our hostel. Gilligans, or "Gillys"as the locals called it, was definitely the best hostel I have stayed in during my semester here. It was 5 stories tall, built over an enormous fruit market, and had a really cool outdoor pool/bar area, along with its own nightclub. When we pulled up to Gillys there was a line out the door to get into the club. We walked past the line, checked into our room that would house only us, and had a full bathroom (both extremely clutch). Since it was already late, we decided to just explore the streets close to the hostel in order to have a better idea of where to eat and explore the next day. When we woke up the next day, a couple of us decided to walk around Cairns in the pouring rain. We explored the town, walking into countless gift shops (which all sell the same 10 items including boomerangs, didgeridoos, croc hunter hats, and other stereotypical Aussie gifts.) We also found a cool sports bar where we ate lunch and watched the Ashes Cricket Test between England and Australia. Afterwards, we went to the huge market under our hostel which was stuffed with shops selling mangoes, papayas, and crazy local fruits. My buddy Fink and I decided to be adventurous and try some fruits we couldn't just pick up fresh at Kroger. We were recommended to a fruit that was known for tasting like chocolate pudding but we decided on a dragonfruit and some good looking passionfruit. While the passionfruit was a familiar and sweet taste, I would suggest that although there is a dragonfruit flavored Vitamin Water, it is not the best fruit to just chop up and eat... That night we went around town exploring the nightlife, with the thought of our 6am boat ride in the back of our heads.

The next day, we reluctantly crawled out of bed and walked to the marina to get on our boat taking us around the Great Barrier Reef. The trip out to the reef was rough. I have never been one to get seasick, (at least not on the Licking River or Lake Waynoka) and my night on Sydney Harbor was one without problems, but this was a completely different story. With the waves tossing our boat, I had to step out of our scuba instructional talk to return the free morning tea we were provided with. It was a worldly moment when I walked out of the room, was handed a bag from a sickly Spanish man and sat down next to a green German and queasy Queenslander. I was in good company as many other people were looking quite unhealthy all around me. Fortunately, the perfect cure for my seasickness was right around us. Minutes later, I grabbed a stinger suit to save my life from deadly jellyfish, donned my snorkel and flippers and jumped into the Coral Sea. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most beautiful and amazing things I have ever seen. We stopped at two separate reefs and I snorkeled for what seemed like hours, often completely away from other people, just in shock from all the coral formations and fish that were colors that don't even have names. Some highlights were seeing clown fish, angel fish, sea cucumbers, parrotfish, and a barracuda that was bigger than me. Diving deep with the snorkel gear was one of the most enjoyable experiences due to the more rare animals down lower. At one point I dove down to see a giant clam and found a purple sea urchin hidden in a crevasse. After a while we were called to go scuba diving. Now honestly, I was more worried before diving than I was falling out of the plane weeks ago. (Must have been something about the relying on a tank of oxygen and how when you skydive all you have to worry about is falling.) The dive was incredible and definitely something I want to do again in the future. At one point, I was so focused on the reef and breathing that the instructor tapped me on the shoulder to remind me to kick my feet. I was just floating around, turning my head and breathing. Once I got used to the regulator, I got to see some great reef life including a giant clam that would open and close when you put your hand in it. All in all, snorkeling and diving the reef was one of the coolest things I have done Down Under and in my entire life.

In our last day in Cairns, we swam in the Lagoon, which is a famous infinity pool and sunbathing area in Cairns and went to a wildlife center where I finally got to hold a koala! We had not expected for this to be an option but we all jumped at the opportunity to hold this cutest of Australian bears. After attaining this final Australian goal, I realized that it was a fitting end to an epic trip that concluded my four crazy weeks. Monday morning we flew back to Brisbane, rode the train to Gold Coast, took the bus to Bond Uni and got back into the flow of "real-fake life". For now, I will be getting ready for finals and hitting the beaches around Gold Coast with Christmas in Cincinnati on my mind. I miss you all very much and look forward to seeing you back stateside in the future!
- Jeff

A Rare Update

I have been bad to you, dear readers.  I haven't posted on the blog in an embarrassingly long time. This is not for lack of things to say mind you. In actuality, I have not only been extremely busy with traveling, working and living, but also been intimidated by the sheer thought of transcribing the last few weeks of adventures into coherent stories. I am in the midst of the four greatest weeks of my life (which time period really requires a cool title that I have not decided upon yet) and I am very upset with myself for not being able to fill you in sooner.  This behemoth of a period in my life has contained weekend trips of boating in Sydney, skydiving in Byron Bay, snorkeling shipwrecks on Moreton Island, and coming this weekend, my trip to the Great Barrier Reef aka Cairns. As I sit in my dorm room sunburnt and hungry, I will attempt to describe these three indescribable weekends justly while inadvertently creating the longest blog post in Internet history. I told my mate and fellow blogger Jon about my intent to group this all together and he just laughed. I will break it down into trips so you have the option to read a chapter each night before you go to bed... And away we go.

SYDNEY:

Sydney is the most beautiful city I have ever been in. The buildings were amazing, the beaches scenic, the roads, shops and bars busy. Upon arrival our travel group wandered around an area called Kings Cross which has a reputation for being a dangerous and overall sketchy area although we seemed to have no troubles. Our hostel was a crazy, worldly epicenter full of backpacking strangers who bunked together. I seem to always run into traveling Germans who allow me to attempt to speak to them in German at least long enough to amuse me in the hostels I have been to.  In Sydney, we shared a room with at least 5 randoms whom were usually out after us and up before us so we did not see much of them. The roof of the hostel was the coolest because it was an area for everyone to hang out and watch the sunset over the Sydney skyline. At the time, this was the best hostel I had stayed in. The next day was arguably the best (certainly one of the best) days of my life. On Saturday our entire group woke up early and went to The Spit (a famous launch area into Sydney Harbor) and boarded a 70 ft. sailboat. The weather was absolutely perfect. On board were my friends from Bond and our friend Jon's golf mates (fellow Bondies) and the captain, Mike. Capt. Mike took us around the harbor en route to some magnificent sites and great photo ops of the opera house from the water. We spent the day having a few drinks, talking, barbecuing and just living the dream. Most of us agreed that the highlight of the day was jumping off the top of the boat into the harbor for a quick swim. Around dinner time most of the group was sent back to the hostel while my friends Jon, Adam, Steven and I stayed on to spend the night along with the Aussies Andrew, James and Ben along with Mike. We had an amazing time that night just hanging out, telling stories and making new friends. We have been meeting up with Andrew and James around campus more frequently and it has been great to become better mates with such quality Aussies. That night,  Mike had those of us who had never been on the sailboat before undergo an initiation. I'm not at liberty to describe this secret rite but I will divulge that when we sat down to the table we were looking at 8 tomatoes, a fire extinguisher, a knife, Tim Tams (Oz cookies) a bowl, an assortment of crazy hats and a bottle of Australian rum. Now not all of these were included but needless to say we were baffled and more than a little apprehensive before the process began. Anyway, it was an amazing weekend and it was so much fun just even to be on the boat helping put up the netting or cleaning the dishes. It was a trip I will never forget.

From here I will talk about my trip to Byron Bay to hike to the cape and jump out of a plane. This might be a good time to get up, stretch and get a snack before continuing.

BYRON BAY:

Byron Bay is arguably the coolest area I have been to in Australia. It is a quaint little beach town filled with hippies filtered in from the nearby Australian Amsterdam equivalent known as Nimbin.  Apart from having an unbelievably beautiful coastline and wave break, Byron is full of small little shops selling Aboriginal art and surf/hippie style apparel.  The food options around were excellent as well. We ate at several small cafes while there and had some of the best food I've had Down Under. Byron Bay is also home to the most easterly point of mainland Oz which we spent a day hiking to up steep cliffs and through temperate coastal rainforest. The sights were breathtaking from the top where we stood silently for a long time just watching the water crash onto the rocks below. Deep in the forest, we were pleased to see a Kookaburra fly right past us and perch on a nearby tree for an ideal photo shoot. As we walked back down the trail from the top of Cape Byron next to the famous lighthouse there, we all were tired but already anxious to skydive the next day. Before we could sleep though we had plans to go to the local club across the street from our hostel, the famous Cheeky Monkeys. We had been staying in an apt. style hostel for the weekend and on our second night we shared with a group from Brazil. We had a great time that night partying with the Brazilians who included some very outgoing and funny guys and absolutely intimidatingly beautiful girls. We all made it out to the bar which is famous for the eclectic backpacker crowd they get every night. People all dance on tables to a fusion of Australian House/Techno and local reggae. I have now been there three times and must admit that Cheeky's never disappoints. On Sunday the airborne craziness began. We had tried (and been denied by the weather) to skydive for what seemed like ages and we were all hoping that today would be the day. The brave crew of us included my friends Marisa, Libby, Allie, Adam, some of the Bentley guys, and myself. Steven was also in attendance but since he had already jumped was there for photos and moral support both of which he did exceptionally well. As we waited for our plane we went outside to see a Koala just walking around in the parking lot which to all of us, was embarrassingly exciting. Someone pointed out that it was"much dirtier than the ones in the zoo" which I found to be accurate and humorous simultaneously. Finally, the clouds broke and we suited up and got into the small plane. The views of the coast from the plane were fantastic. I have never seen such an awe inspiring sight.  I had not really been worried until my instructor announced that we had reached 14,000 ft. and were about to dive. Then, quickly, someone threw the door open and several instructors who were there to take pictures of divers jumped out immediately. I was 2nd to go and moving into position at the edge of the plane was one of the most adrenaline pumping moments of my 20 years despite me being maybe 2 feet from the door. The fall itself was the craziest feeling I have ever had. It was a 60 second free fall that will live with me for the rest of my life. I absolutely loved it and was thinking of when my next time might be while the instructor pulled the cord and we floated back to earth. Down on the ground, my adrenaline high would stay with me for a long time as I watched my friends touch down and throw their hands in the air in sheer joy in the field. All in all, it was an epic weekend.

At this point in time, even I had to stop and take a break from writing because this post is absurd as it is and it still requires the weekend most fresh in my mind...

MORETON ISLAND / BRISBANE:

Yesterday I returned from an intense weekend in Brisbane and the nearby Moreton Island. Moreton Island is only the third largest entirely sand island in the world so needless to say, we were not excited at all. We took a ferry to the island on Saturday morning and were immediately thrown into one hardcore SUV for some extreme four wheeling in the sand up the island hills, through the dense forest. There is no concrete on the island. There is one road (read as sand path) on the island. It is one way. We made it to the top in a clearing and we were treated to a view of immense sand dunes on all sides. Our guide Gaz then welcomed us to an area known only as "The Desert". Quite literally, all we could see on all sides was sand hills and more sand hills. I immediately felt like I was Paul Atreides from Dune (nerdy reference +1)  Jon, Adam, Chris, Andrew, Joe and I, from then on known to the guides as "Team America" were then handed long flexible sheets of sanded down wood with which we were going to sandboard down the dunes on. As we began our trek to the dune our guide stopped us to show us pieces of rock in the sand that had only appeared due to lightning striking. He then dug down and found some dark covered sandy substance known as coffee rock which he proceeded to tell us tasted like coffee due to some natural occurrence and then laughed at us because he had made us eat plain old sand. Dumb, gullible Americans. As we approached the top of the massive dune he assured us that we would be eating much more sand in a minute.  We then went on to shoot down the hot sand at high speeds on a small piece of wood waxed down like a surf board. I am positive that I will never be that sandy again in my life. It was heaps of fun and as we sped back down the sand road towards the beach we were very happy to be snorkeling after sandboarding instead of before.  After a quick lunch and some time to chill we were issued snorkels, fins, gloves and 5mm thick wetsuits. I cannot say enough about how cool these wetsuits were. They were completely buoyant and warm. I already have plans for purchasing one back home because to say they are ideal for Lake Waynoka morning ski sessions would be an understatement. We took some time to get used to the flippers and snorkel masks before being led on a crazy snorkel trip around several sunken ships that have created reefs full of tropical fish. We went from wreck to wreck seeing coral, a puffer fish, jellyfish, a stingray, a ginormous lion shark and the entire cast of Finding Nemo. At one point when we swam through a school of fish Gaz threw us a few pieces of bread and I watched as dozens of fish ate right out of my hands. I had never been snorkeling before so it was an unforgettable experience and a great warm-up for next weekend at the Great Barrier Reef. That night we celebrated Adam's 21ist birthday by first eating at a great Thai place and then bar hopping around Brisbane led by our Aussie mate Andrew who grew up there. It is weird to think about how he and his friends have been able to find the best bars around since their 18th birthdays since the drinking age is obviously lower here. It was a great nightcap to an awesome weekend. Back at Bond on Sunday we all went to the beach and then went out to a sushi place to celebrate the weekends proceedings. Today when I was taking the bus to the beach again I realized I had been on a beach the last 4 days in a row. I love my life!

And with that, I will finish this unbelievably long post. Next weekend is Cairns. I have a paper due Thursday and then the trip begins! I promise I won't take as long to update you on the conclusion of my epic 4 week quest of awesomeness. Love from Down Under!

- Jeff

The Pre-Sydney Post

Hello readers,

Thanks for visiting the blog, I'm going to keep this one short.  Things are going well here at Bond Uni as midterms are just dying down.  I turned in a paper this morning and was greeted with the great news that my class was cancelled in order to make time for those with exams. I am taking the day to get my things together for my trip to Sydney tomorrow.  I honestly do not know what is in store for me this weekend other than the day on the harbor on some rich guy's boat.  A couple of us have actually been invited to spend the night Saturday on the boat so I will be in a hostel downtown Friday and then again Sunday. My roommate Adam has expressed interest in checking out the mountains near the city which we have been told are fantastic so I believe that has been added to the to-do list. Sydeny also has some famous beaches that I would be happy to check out. In our pop culture class we learned about a surf-gang that protects their territorial beach down in Sydney so I will also be keeping my eye out for any of the "Brah Boys" during my stay. (Not avoiding them, but rather asking them if I can join their "club") Other than that, I plan to take stereotypical pics of myself in front of the opera house and all that good stuff. At that point I will have a pic of a koala, me with a kangaroo and an opera house pic confirming that I am, indeed Down Under. Anyway, it's gonna be a great weekend and I cannot wait to tell you about it. In the meantime I will be doing laundry and charging my camera. Hope you all have a great weekend!

- Jeff

Long Overdue Post

How ya goin friends and family? I have been very bad to you... I haven't posted in weeks. My sincerest apologies. To get back into the swing of things, I have devised another list of small thoughts and talking points about my life in Oz. So as the Aussies say, let's "Get amongst it!" 

1. It has rained like crazy here. This was one of my excuses for not posting. Rain has derailed skydiving, trips to the beach, zoo surfing, and other fun activities with record downpours. Everything has been flooded. I feel like I should be gathering two of every animal. Luckily, the rain is finally letting up this week. Otherwise, my semester in Seattle is going swimmingly. (Do you see what I did there?) 

2. Speaking of surfing, I have purchased a surfboard! It's 6'8'' and beautiful. (still working on a name) My room constantly smells like surf wax and I love it. My mates and I usually wake up early Thursday mornings to go surfing before class. 

3. Taking a 6'8'' surfboard on a public bus gets awkward. 

4. Since my last post, I have taken a boat trip around Surfer's Paradise, a day trip to Byron Bay to go skydiving (too rainy so rescheduled for November) and visited a wildlife sanctuary, where...

5. I got to pet kangaroos! By far the coolest morning of my semester so far. We walked around a field of countless roos feeding them, petting them, and generally just hanging out with one of the coolest animals on the planet. It was an unreal experience I won't soon forget. 

6. I am going to Sydney for Halloween. If you frequent the ol blog then you recall me telling you this. What I did not tell you is where we will be staying and what we will be doing. My mate Jon has a friend from the Bond golf team that knows a bloke with a yacht that he keeps in Sydney harbor. We have been invited to accompany him around the harbor on the yacht to have a barbecue, see the sights, and generally have a great time all free of charge. I'm unbelievably stoked. 

7. I believe (I hope) I have one more big trip that the wallet can handle. This will most likely be to Cairns (pronounced Cans) This is where the Great Barrier Reef is located. A lot of people are hard at work researching cheap scuba or snorkeling and accommodations around the area. I'm cranking out papers weeks early to open up my schedule for this opportunity. 

8. Speaking of school, classes are going well. I like all of my professors and the Aussie system is pretty favorable as a whole. 

9. I got stung by a Blue Bottle Jellyfish while surfing in Byron Bay. I rubbed some sand on it and kept chargin waves braaaah.

10. I played intramural netball last week (in exchange for free pizza) After participation I still could not tell you how to play. It is like basketball with no backboard and Ultimate Frisbee rules...  

11. The Australian supermarkets will deliver food to you for free. You just choose what you want online and it is sent to you that day. Step your game up America. 

12. Other small trips on my to do list include a rainforest visit, a return to Byron Bay (preferably with the sun showing itself this time), and a rock climbing trip to the mountains in Brisbane. 

13. I am playing on an intramural sand volleyball team and we are doing really well so far. This week we beat a team with players from both Bond and Australia's National team on their roster. Unreal ya? It's been a lot of fun. 

I think I will stop on lucky number 13 and get back to my homework. I promise I will be better about posting on this blog. Maybe short and sweet posts? I think that will be good for both of us. If you are reading this I'm sure I love and miss you. Cheers! - Jeff 

Titans Game Weekend

G'Day family and friends, it is Monday in Gold Coast and I have a few hours before class (we are watching Crocodile Dundee today) (seriously, i know, right?) and I figured it was time for another post. This weekend was pretty eventful and extremely fun. On Friday, a bunch of us packed up and left Bond for the train station on our way to the Gold Coast Titans semi-final match against the Sydney Roosters. This would be our second time taking the train to Brisbane, which is about an hours travel away so we were pretty sure we knew what we were doing. Just as we expected, things went much smoother the second time around and it was a fun ride. The train was packed with Titans fans and people were giving out free food at the train stations. We got to Brisbane with enough time to walk around a bit and follow the crowd. Once we got into the stadium, I knew we were in for an epic time. The seats were filling up and the place was getting pretty rowdy, especially where we were up in the nosebleeds. With this being said, there was not a bad seat in the house and we had a sick view of the field from our corner in the endzone. The Titans play in the NRL (National Rugby League) which is different from Rugby Union and Australian Rules Football (a rugby league unique to Queensland, where I live) so needless to say, we were a bit shaky on what was about to be played in front of us. Luckily a group of patient New Zealanders helped us out with the rules despite us being both ignorant American students and Titans fans. The Kiwis were cheering for Sydney so they had some fun laughing at us when we would cheer only to realize nothing of merit had transpired.
     Unfortunately, our Gold Coast Titans were pummeled to a 34-6 defeat but nonetheless, it was an amazing game. Rugby is non-stop action, a lot like football, but without the pauses for play calling. You get six runs of the ball to make a try (touchdown) and you can only pitch the ball laterally or backwards. You can, however kick the ball forwards which is often done as a Hail Mary style 6th down play. The most exciting parts are when this is done creating a jump ball in the endzone. A successful try is 4 points and then a player kicks the ball (often from the sideline as a PAT but worth 2 points if made through the uprights.) Confused yet? Anyway, the crowd was crazy and the game was amazing except for the outcome. Definitely worth the ticket and the experience. Saturday we failed once again to see kangaroos and koalas. I don't even have a cute excuse this time, it was just rainy and sad. We hit up the beach since the waves were crazy and honestly, when there is a beach 15 minutes away, there's no excuse good enough to not go. We are still looking into purchasing a couple used surfboards. We have a shop in mind and all we have to do is pay them a visit sometime this week. Hopefully we can find some good prices. Anyway, I think that is all the eventful things that happened this weekend. I will be sure to keep you posted on future adventures! Have a great week! - Jeff

This Weekend and Done Deals

Hello America, I decided that I would make a short post as a trailer for the upcoming events in my life. Coming soon to Jeff's semester:
Expect a weekend summary post sometime Sunday or Monday. I am extremely excited for this weekend for several reasons. First of all, a bunch of the guys and I all were able to snag cheap tickets to the Gold Coast Titans vs. Sydney Roosters NRL Rugby Semi-Finals game on Friday! We were ridiculously stoked to secure these tickets because they are for the playoffs and the winner plays in the championship game. My first rugby match is being played at high stakes. I need to brush up on my rules/players/cheers beforehand so we can fit in. Since I have no class Friday, my roommate and I are planning on going surfing in the morning before the game because the weather looks fantastic. It's gonna be a crazy way to start off the weekend.  On Saturday, we are planning on going to pet koalas and roos since our trip last weekend was derailed by rain. All and all, this is shaping up to be an epic weekend and I cannot wait for it to begin. I am also excited to tell you that many members of our group (myself included) all successfully booked trips to Sydney for Halloween, which we have been told, is a great place to be that weekend. We had a mid-week meeting to discuss all our desired destinations and the places that made the tentative list include, Melbourne, Byron Bay, Fraser Island, and New Zealand. Of course the deciding factor will be money, but on paper it looks like an unbelievable semester ahead! I have two classes today and then I am done for the week. I will blog again after this weekend. Love from Australia! - Jeff