Quick Trip

So I'm online looking for plane tickets to Texas for Kevin & Monique's wedding when ding! travelocity sent me a message that tickets to Louisville are on sale right now. I click just to check it out...thinking perhaps for Thanksgiving. Phooey, you have to travel before November. Hang on, Christi has a birthday coming up...so I call....Tracy. We decide that it should be a surprise. And what a surprise it was--she was COMPLETELY and TOTALLY shocked! It was sooo much fun. I think the best part was talking to her on the phone while walking in the terminal looking for Tracy and having her put me on hold because Tracy was calling....well, that and Christi gave me lots of clothes and rounded up all the stuff I had left this summer [so many, in fact, that I had to borrow a suitcase to get it all back!].

Since I arrived back in NYC at 9pm, I opted for the shuttle bus back to Port Authority to catch a NJ bus back to the hotel [or actually the hotel next to the one I was staying in, as it was booked this week--jury's still out if we'll stay in this one or move back on Friday] rather than carting my two suitcases and two carry-ons through Queens at night. So I'm waiting on the bus platform at P.A. with my two suitcases and two carry-ons when apparently I caught the eye of the bus driver. He asked if I would mind putting my bags under the bus [no because I certainly did NOT want to lug them up onto the bus with me]. He asked where I was going and I told him the name of the hotel [which is about a block from the nearest bus stop]...he informs me that he will--instead of dropping me off at the bus stop--drop me off in front of my hotel. How sweet is that?!? And he did...in fact, at the bus stop he turned to me and reminded me to NOT get off the bus, that he was dropping me off at the hotel. Chivalry is not dead...even in metro NYC. :P

:ISHEZ

The Bluegrass State....

Okay, so for those of you unaware, Christi has moved to Kentucky. Elizabethtown [yes, like the movie]....my visit out there was sooooo fun!! I did----NOTHING!! it was great, it was fabulous, i loved every minute. Although a bit of advice for those of you wanting to visit friends/family who have just moved and want to do tourist-y things....give them a bit of acclamation time to find the best spots. Our best spots were the Jim Beam and Makers Mark distilleries, both about 20minutes from Christi and Tracy's house. Of course, just a travel advisory for visiting Kentucky in September--it rains....a lot! Especially when you want to tour [outdoors] a bourbon distillery. So needless to say, I'll have to save those tours for my next trip out. We did find a restaurant [Tumbleweeds] that serves Shiner Bock and the movie theater is a barn. Seriously, you laugh...but it was a barn!! They live right by a little lake [I probably would call it a pond, but anyone from Minnesota would definitely call it a lake! HA!]. Shockingly, they live in a DRY COUNTY. Can you believe it, C&T moved willingly to a DRY COUNTY?!?!?!? Fortunately, the drive to the county line [and thus alcohol] didn't take long and is beautiful.

Kentucky is a BEAUTIFUL state! It was hilly and green and gorgeous! And I have to admit there were more people that wore shoes and didn't drink moonshine than expected....although, I was informed that you have to go further east to experience that! Louisville--properly pronounce ONLY if you are either a native Kentuckian OR if you have marbles in your mouth--was a quaint and quiet big city. I enjoyed it, even though we didn't spend a lot of time there. There is, however, a waitress there that will never forget us, as Christi hit her with Tracy's spunky monkey. It's a toy from The Spunky Monkey Store here in Fredericksburg, which is a monkey sling shot that screams as it's flying through the air! I bought it for Tracy and gave it to him at the sports bar & grill we stopped in to watch some FOOTBALL. Christi, while checking it out, accidentally let it go and bam! hits the waitress, scaring the crap out of her. Of course, Christi immediately melts under the table, leaving Tracy and I to explain!

Thanks guys for a wonderful vacation!! I LOVED IT!!

:)shez

Best of Both Worlds...

I love this groomswoman stuff!! I got all the fun of hanging with the boys....and all the perks of hanging with the girls! The next day [although not too early the next day] I got my rental car and then headed down to a luxury spa for manicures and pedicures with all the girls in the wedding party. It was sooooo much fun. You sit back and relax and have both done at once....which was a new experience for me. Everyone around me was getting french manicures and neutral colors, so I felt it my duty to get Big Apple Red! I mean afterall, my dress was black and subtlety was never my strong point, so why the hell not?!?!?

I checked in with Matt before heading to the spa--he wasn't so bueno, but was at least up and moving and saying "thank god we didn't have it the night before the wedding." well, duh! like we would have let him do that, knowing full well that at some point in the night, taking shots would be involved!!

I finished with my mani/pedi just in time to go back to the hotel, change, and head over to the venue for rehearsal dinner. It was short, it was sweet, and that's a great thing because dinner was next and I was starving! The rehearsal dinner was held at a Chinese restaurant--we sat at two round tables with a turntable in the middle and dishes magically appeared and we all shared everything. I need to get me one of those "food magically appearing" turntables!! Dinner ended fairly early and everyone pretty much wanted to head back "home." Fortunately Simon & I think alike and after getting back to the hotel headed to the bar for a couple of drinks before turning in early. OKAY here's another bad idea: you should never let a Texan and an Aussie go to the hotel bar for a few drinks. really, we were just going to stay for two. really. i promise. however, along came Juan. and Juan bought us drinks. Yes, us....both of us. So there we were sitting with two new beers....what to do, what to do??? Of course we accept them and spent the next 45 minutes [he sent over another round] debating/arguing about who he was actually buying the drinks for--me or Simon. [just FYI, the jury is still out!] Finally, we decide to go talk to them and the drinks kept flowing and flowing and flowing and somehow Juan managed to get us each 3 rounds of beer to go when the bar closed--so we went out to the patio [there were about 6 of us] and the next thing you know, it's 4am and breakfast with Matt is looking like it might just have to be lunch!

:) shez

Are You The Entertainment?

Shockingly enough, Delta got into San Jose 45 minutes early. Wow! Twice in one day....I'm quite sure that's never happened before. I call Matt to see how bachelor party is going and let him know that I'm getting my rental car and heading to the hotel. No, no, no.....they're leaving one bar, headed to another, so they'll just come pick me up in the limo. Okay, great. I can handle being picked up at the airport in a limo! I notify the rental car company that I'll be picking up the car in the morning [probably late morning], grab my luggage and head outside to wait. Next to me is this nice man who asked if I'd like him to hail a taxi for me. I thank him, but say that I actually have a limo coming to pick me up. "Ahhh....hotel?" he asks. "Nope. Bachelor party." He suddenly gets very quiet and then with a smile he asks "Are you the entertainment?" HA HA HA HA....giggle....I laugh because at this point--after this day--really that's all I can do. It wasn't long and the limo pulls up and out jumps Matthew--who is well on his way to having a smashing time!

We head to a local English pub and out come the pitchers of beer....in addition to Matt & Me, there is Paul [brother-in-law], Kevin [neighbor and groomsman], and Jackie [sister and wife of Paul], who was only going to stay for a bit, but she & I got on like a house on fire and she decided to stay on and party with the rest of us! In addition to quickly downing pitchers of beer and a late night snack and a few tunes on the jutebox and several [what is the definition of several?] toasts to Matt and Lil [aka bravewoman!], we were also waiting on Simon [best man] to arrive. Simon finally arrives, joins us for a few more pitchers of beer and then we head off to the next place. A bar--that I can't remember the name of--but one that Matt & Simon had spent a lot of time at in the past. That's when it got ugly....and the shots of tequila came out....with beer chasers of course! I'm not sure whoooooooo started this trend, but somehow [batting of the eyes] I got blamed! [ALRIGHT FINE, IT WAS ME, BUT I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR ONLY THE FIRST ROUND!!] The rest of the night was a bit of a blur, however, I do remember not being able to remember what hotel I was staying in, so Jackie kept calling Jack to get names and addresses and driving directions, as the limo driver wasn't able to locate it. All I have to say about the rest of the evening--in addition to the incrimating photos I have of both Matt & Kevin passed out in the limo--was that I'm thankful Simon was the best man and in charge of getting Matt back home to Lil!

:) shez

Bier Bitch

Travelling with me is never dull or boring. And this trip was no exception! I was headed to San Jose, California--where Matt & Lily [aka Groom & Bride] live and in honor of their upcoming nuptials--in which I was a groomswoman. Delta Airlines--in the true spirit of service decided that the quickest/shortest/best route to San Jose from San Antonio is via Salt Lake City. Utah. I have a 3.5 hour layover [again, thanks Delta] and so I get on a few websites to see if there's anything close by the airport--that's worth a taxi/train ride to kill a bit of time. I'm not exactly sure of what there was because on the SLC WEBSITE there is a link about "our [Utah's] liquor laws." great. NOTHING good can come of clicking on this link, but intruiged, I have to click. 3.2 beer. are you kidding me? this wouldn't be bad if the beer was cheaper--but it's not going to be because--hello--it's an airport! well, I was rather distraught by this and forgot about checking into local must-see things close to the airport.

As I'm boarding the plane, I remember that I never figured out what I was going to do while at SLC airport--oh well, I guess I'll drink a few 3.2 beers and catch up on my reading. The flight up was fine...until about 30 minutes outside of SLC, when it started raining [head to Texas dear rain, head to Texas!] then the plane rocked and dipped and dropped and every person on the plane was bracing the seat in front of them as we wobbled towards the runway. When we landed, the entire plane broke out in clapping and the flight attendant announced "whew! we made it!" The clapping stopped shortly after when we realized that it was raining quite hard on the ground and being in a baby plane--we would deplane on the tarmac and have to walk [in the rain] to the terminal. joy. FINALLY reach the terminal--not quite soaked, but wet enough to be freezing while in the terminal! now....where's 3.2 beer?!?!?!?

Ahhhh....Salt Lake City. For a bit of fun with the locals, I have discovered it's best to wear one's Auslander Bier Bitch t-shirt. [For those unaware, The Auslander is a restaurant/biergarten in Fredericksburg--directly across from the wine shop...you can check it out at www.theauslander.com]. The SLC locals there aren't sure where to divert their eyes once they've read your shirt...a few will smile--until they realize you're watching them and then a frown and eye diversion quickly follows! It's even better if you head out of the terminal [it had stopped raining by now] and walk through a nice group of people waiting on several Elders to return from missions. This would for most people send them straight to hell....as far as I'm concerned, if I'm not already going to hell, I doubt that this would be the deciding factor. I'm looking around outside, breathing in the mountain [and jetfuel] air when my tummy starts rumbling and I realize it's now 6pm Texas time and I haven't eaten since breakfast. So I head back in and go through the security check. Here's a bit of advice: if you are in the SLC airport and you are wearing your bier bitch t-shirt, and the security guard asks why you left the terminal, "to smell the fresh mountain air, of course" should not be your response. I had to do quite a bit of eyelash batting to keep from getting the "thorough search," although it would have killed a bit more time [did I mention that Delta actually got us there 30 minutes early--thus giving me 4 hours??]

I find a pub to eat at...and Holy Foreign Beer Batman! There's Stella Artois on the list. I order [because surely Stella would never succumb to 3.2 status]. I am informed that it has a high alcohol content. I inform that, no it has a normal alcohol content. She [being the waitress] opens her mouth to argue, notices my t-shirt, closes her mouth and walks away. I am then presented with a cool--not cold--Stella. I ask for a glass. It NEVER appears. I order. The food was the worst I've ever tasted. period. end of discussion. She NEVER asks about it [even though I sent away a full plate of food]. I leave a $1 tip. I have to say that as a waitress, I know there are times that it gets busy and you neglect your table and I've done it--it happens. But it wasn't busy. She wasn't busy and I NEVER GOT MY DAMN GLASS FOR MY STELLA! ahem....of course making it worse was a phone call I received from my father proclaiming that he got married.

SAYWHAT?!?!?!?!? Had I been able to find my waitress, I probably would have ordered 3 more high-alcohol beers, chased with 5 shots of liquor, and after that would have been a little more lax about my crappy service and food and she could have perhaps gotten $5. Needless to say [but I'm saying it anyway] I was shocked. And for the very first time in my life speechless. Yes me. Yes speechless.

Nothing makes time fly like crappy food, non-cold beer, and family drama...so soon I was saying adios! Salt Lake City and hola! San Jose...

:) shez

G'Bye!

The next day, the wedding party, immediate family, and I are invited to Penny's parents' house for lunch. It was a casual event and surprisingly--even though I had only just stopped drinking several hours before, I managed to down a couple of glasses of champagne, chased by a couple of glasses of shiraz.....mmmmmmm....i love champagne and shiraz. Oooohh, sparkling shiraz is also really nice...

ahem, I digress...

after lunch, we load up the cars and I drive back to Sydney with Penny (Michael & Oscar followed in the other car), unload the cars, and pretty much call it a night.

the next day I bid bon voyage to P&M (they were headed to Italy and Spain for the honeymoon!) and I spent the morning walking around Sydney and in the afternoon headed to Cronulla to meet up with Nerida & Geoff. We had coffee along the beach, did a bit of shopping, had a drink (or two) at a local pub, a few more back at Geoff's flat, and then went back into Sydney to dine at Diantha's--which has the BEST fried calamari on the planet....AND the turkish delight's pretty fab as well!!

the next morning my plan was to walk down to the harbour for a few parting shots of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House....but it was raining, so I modified the plan to dropping my luggage at the train station lockers, and taking the train to the harbour for a few parting shots of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. HOWEVER, it turns out there are no longer lockers for rent at the train station....and there was NO way I was going to tote all of my luggage down to the harbour for a few parting shots of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House....so I decided to head on to the airport....thinking I could check in, get rid of my luggage and then head down to the harbour for a few parting shots of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, but the train to the airport, back to the harbour [for a few parting shots, etc, etc], and then back to the airport was going to cost about $32....so I decided to skip out on going down to the harbour for my few parting shots of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House [okay, I PROMISE that's the last time I'm going to say it!!] and just went to the airport.

of course, it's now like 8:30am....my flight doesn't leave until 1pm and after I stand in line for 30 minutes, find out it's too early to check in [all the while getting strange glances from QANTAS staff, probably wondering why I'm there so early...sniff, sniff--I just don't want to miss my flight!!]. So I head to the nearest coffee shop, drink several cups of coffee, read the paper then my book, get bored, do a bit of last minute shopping [because, well, the airport is the ULTIMATE last minute shopping place!], people watch for awhile....and awhile....and ding! finally I can check in!!! Needless to say, I'm the first on my flight to check in [everyone at the Austin International Airport would be proud! If you've never checked in at the AIA, you MUST be there 4 hours early if you even hope to get a decent seat!]....more people watching. Check my email. Send out a few last minute postcards [because, again, the airport is the ULTIMATE in last minute postcard sending!]. Have a coffee, decide I need a beer. Had 2. FINALLY time to head back to the gate. There's a delay [big shocker], more waiting. Am now hungry, but no time to eat, as we're finally boarding....one last good-bye [for now] to AUS, the door shuts and soon we're on our way back to LAX.

and that in a nutshell [and several blogs] was my latest trip down under!

:) shez

ps--on the way back LAX was faaaaaaaaaaaaar less eventful that when I was going down. In fact, the only thing that happened was a few baggage handlers--apparently UCLA fans, aka not USC fans--commented on my tattoo "GO TEXAS LONGHORNS!" ahhh....I LOVE TEXAS!! :)

Pardon Me Sir, What's Under Your Skirt?

As was previously mentioned, the wedding was formal. This meant that boys were in tuxedos, formal military attire, and then there was Ross & Hamish....who were in kilts. [and looked mighty dashing I might add!!] Hamish--being the true Scottsman--was wearing his traditionally [i.e. nada underneath!]. Ross, proclaiming it was "bloody freezing," chose to be a bit more, uh, protected from the cold--which in hindsight was not a bad idea, as while we were celebrating on at the pub, a very inebriated lass kept peaking under Ross's kilt!!

While thought by many today to the national dress [no pun intended] of Scotland, that wasn't always the case. So here's a history of the kilt exposed [and we're not going to mention how I found out what Hamish & Ross were or weren't wearing underneath!]:

There are a lot of webistes out there on the history of the kilt--just google history of kilt and you'll come up with about 1,210,000 hits. For the interest of time, I only checked out a few. Basically, there is some discussion about a)when the kilt was first seen in Scotland and b)if it originally came from Ireland. Being NOT an aficiando of the kilt or Irish or Scottish history, I won't comment on either, except to tell you that insofar as Scottish history is concerned, the kilt was not originally seen everywhere, only in the highlands. Apparently the Lowlanders considered it barbaric. It was both easy [supposedly...I, personally think skirts aren't the way to go, but both Hamish & Ross commented that it was very liberating] and versitile as many used the material as not only a garment, but also a blanket.

To quote one website (http://members.aol.com/sconemac/kilt.html): "The kilt itself in its original form was a very basic garment which required neither the trouble of tailoring nor the frequent replacement which a pair of breeches needed. The tartan cloth forming a piece of material some 2 yards in width by 4 or 6 yards in length. This was known variously as the Breacan, the Feileadh Bhreacain and the Feileadh Mor - the big kilt, usually referrred to in English as the belted plaid. The belted plaid had many advantages in the Highland climate and terrain. It allowed freedom of movement, it was warm, the upper half could provide a voluminous cloak against the weather, it dried out quickly and with much less discomfort than trousers and if required it could, by the mere undoing of the belt, provide a very adequate overnight blanketing. The tightly woven wool proved almost completely waterproof...For ordinary wear the kilt may be made of tartan or tweed and may be box-pleated or knife-pleated (as are most); for dress wear it should be of the dress tartan of the Clan. If the Clan posses one. The kilt should be worn with the lower edges reaching not lower than the centre of the knee-cap."

Accessories [because whether they admit or not, men too have to accessorize!] for kilts include: sporrans [aka a purse, or if you're a Seinfield worshipper, man-bag]--with at least one for day and one for evening wear. Hose--white or oatmeal for day and tartan colored for evening--with garters and--this is very important--a sgian-dubh [small dagger] to be carried in the right hand stocking at all times. A dirk [another dagger] may also be worn, carried on the belt--but it's not necessary [yeah, like any man's going to turn down carrying another dagger!]. Buckled shoes complete the outfit.

NOTE: kilts are NOT to be worn by women. so, perhaps I should find me a Scot to marry--that way at least one of us will be wearing a skirt!!

ahem, anyway....so I hope this has shed some light on kilts and the manly men that wear them [as it is claimed that a man who wears a kilt is a man and a half]...so when you're out and about and see a kilted man, smile and remember, as dear Hamish says "real Scots" are liberated underneath!

cheers! :) shez

Here Comes the Bride!

Where was I? Ahh yes, The Wedding....

IT WAS SPECTACULAR!!

It truly looked like a fairy tale wedding. First of all, Penny looked like a princess in her gown. It was a dark gold/bronze color and required 2 layers of petticoats and someone [or two or three someones] to dress her! It was stunning!! Michael, aka the groom, was dressed in military dress uniforms--as were the groomsmen--except for Michael's brother, who was in a tux. Being a fall wedding, the colors were brown and orange. The bridesmaids wore mocha colored dresses--all the same material, but varying on design. The ceremony was short and sweet and I think I had the longest part--reading The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde. We had to do some liberal editing to get it short enough not to encourage snoozing, but I think we [i.e. Penny] did a great job of keeping the basics and allowing it to still be very poignant. It's Penny's favorite story and I did my best not to cry [or look at Penny, which would have ensured crying] while reading. I found it interesting that the readings/sermon were given after Penny & Michael took their vows, exchanged rings, signed the marriage licence, kissed, and were announced. The only technical difficulty arose as the couple were walking back down the aisle and realized that with there was no room for Michael to walk beside Penny, as her skirt took up the entire aisle [now THAT'S what I call a dress!!]

As the couple exited the church they were greeted not only by the guests, but by the guard, who presented their swords for Penny & Michael to walk beneath. Of course, as they reached each set of swords, the swords were lowered until the newlyweds kissed and only then would they be allowed to pass! :)

A bus was graciously provided to take us to the reception, which was held about 10 miles outside of Yass....so we [being NOT the wedding party] headed to the local pub to wait for the bus. After a drink [or two] a very nice soldier offered Jen Craig [a friend from football] and I a lift to the bus, so as not to have to walk 4 blocks in heals. Who says chivarly is dead?!?!?

The reception was held at an art gallery [the Crisp Gallery--check it out at www.petercrisp.com.au], which was beautifully decorated in fall colors and flowers galore [and I'm not just saying that because I helped!!]. Guests were invited to drinks and hors d'vors while waiting for the wedding party to finish with the photos. It was out in the gardens, which were lovely, but as the temperature was dropping, I was very thankful I brought my big coat!! Soon we were invited in and the cold [by now it was nearly 32F or 0C] was soon forgotten and dinner and more drinks flowed.....and flowed....and flowed.

Cake was cut--with a sword [too cool]! It was a chocolate cake, which for those of you not aware, in Australia "typical" wedding cake is fruit cake. bleh. I'm glad they went with chocolate!! The best, though, was the exact sugar replica of Oscar, the brown dog, who sat beside the cake. Even his nose was wet and shiny! It was a great topper--although a bit big to fit on the cake with the "traditional" bride and groom!! After the speeches, given by Mother of the Bride, Best Man, Bride & Groom, out came the band and the dancing commenced! Soon it was time for Bride & Groom to depart, so we bid them fare-thee-well and kept right on partying!!

After grabbing a few [okay like 7 or 8] beers for the road [I was willing to share!], we hopped on a bus and headed back into Yass and like moths to a flame found the ONLY pub still opened and, of course, continued drinking to Penny and Michael's happiness....

until some ungodly hour of the morning (4ish)....

to be continued.....
:) shez

Keep Left!

I'm happy to report that I survived driving in Australia....and more importantly, they survived me!!

There were only a few minor incidents. Actually since I've been back and dearest darling David picked me up at the airport, I been wanting to remind him that he's on the wrong side of the road. DOH! And now most of Fredericksburg is aware that if my windshield wipers are on without it raining, then OBVIOUSLY I'm turning as I've forgotten which side of the wheel is my blinker indicator!! The funniest (although not at the time) incident was as I was driving in Tuggeranong one night and because I was watching for 'roos that might be crossing the road, I didn't realise that the four lane divided road (2 lanes each way), had merged to two lane (1 each way) non-divided road. For those of you who are not Australian or have not driven in Australia, the lines dividing the lanes of on-coming traffic is not yellow, as it is in America, but white and at this particular stage was not a solid white line, but dashed white lines. For you Australians who aren't aware, in America this means that traffic is travelling the same direction. So suffice to say, I was a bit startled at the car coming out of the roundabout and on to (what I thought was) my side of the road. Panic! Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic. left side, yes indeed, I am and should be on the left side. What is this person doing?!?!?!?!??! Ahhhhh. I inch as close to the left side of the road that I could, hoping that they would stay in the right hand lane--which I was still thinking is on my side of the 4 lane road. They pass without incident and as I'm heading into the roundabout am noticing that ooops...the road was no longer divided and the other driver wasn't a lunatic, drunk, or oblivious, but were exactly where they needed to be. oops. note to self: whilst looking for kangaroos be sure to also pay attention to road signs.

:) shez

Gone Walkabout!

Okay, I dropped off the planet (really, just the internet) for awhile! Geez, do you even remember a time before cell phones and internet??? Dial-up is probably archaic for some of you!! ahem, I digress...although for the record, I find it scary when April is agreeing with Matthew. Okay, really it's scary when ANYONE agrees with Matthew! (*evil grin)

So the last week FLEW by and was filled with wedding stuff, finalizing last minute details, the hens party, THE WEDDING, recovering from the wedding, and then packing/shoving everything into bags and coming back home. whew!

just for the record: I LOVE MY BED!! oh and THANKS DAVID for coming to pick me up at the airport and THANKS GRETCHEN for dinner :)

I eased my way into work again--working a whole hour today. Don't want to overdo it, you know? But I've stocked my fridge and am trying desperately to fight sleeping durning the middle of the day, although I think nap time is coming up soon!!!!!!! I turned in 8 rolls of film to be developed, so HOPEFULLY I can download a few that correspond with the next few posts recounting my last 10 days Down Under (including interesting facts regarding kilts...and men who wear them!)

must go snooze!! :) shez

Last Week in Canberra....

Well, I only have a few more days left in Canberra before I head back to Sydney! My time, while fairly booked up, does allow for a bit of r&r time for me--as after all, I am on holidays! Not that having late lunches and meeting for afternoon tea is "rough," but I'm also trying to take in a few sights not seen or at least not seen in awhile! For example--thank you Rod & Norma--I'm catching up on a bit of Aussie Rules Football, which is nice that I can watch it in the middle of the day rather than having to stay up really late at night to catch the occassional game at home.

The first wave of postcards have been sent out and I am hoping that at least some of them will arrive before I do!!

Alright, must dash--halftime's nearly over in the Freemantle v. Carlton game! I LOVE FOOTY!!

:) shez

Working Holiday!

Okay, just so you don't think I'm being lazy on my holiday...

I spent most of Friday morning helping Geoff change the tires on his new car [apparently the tires on his old car where better--they didn't look all that much different, but whatever]. Oh and for those of you who don't know, Geoff is Nerida's oldest son [with Graham--aka--Crackers being the youngest]. Just wanted to clarify that he isn't some dodgy bloke I picked up in a pub the other night.

After that I tagged along while he got the new car registered and got new license plates and fun things like that! We ended the morning having lunch with Nerida and went back to the house, where I promptly CRASHED hard on the couch and it finally hit me--JETLAG!

Nothing like a nap to make you groggy and what helps that? Why, beer of course! When down to the pub with Geoff and a few friends while waiting on Nerida (who was having a massage and then picking me up for a girls night in!). Mmmmm...Aussie beer! I am sad to report that this was the first Aussie beer that I've had since I got here...however, it means that I've been a good girl, as I've been driving pretty much the entire time until Friday!

see, there ARE drawbacks to having a hire car!

Ned picked me up several hours later, we went home for a light dinner and more drinks....well, okay one--as I proceeded to fall asleep on the couch and at about 9:30 she woke me up and sent me off to bed!

JETLAG! (boo-hiss!) and sadly I thought since I had made it two full days without feeling groggy, I wasn't going to have a problem....doh!

:) shez

The Friendly Skies!

Hello and greetings from Australia!!

It's so surreal being back and in a way doesn't even feel like I've left [like when I left the airport in Sydney and without much thought or consulting a map navigated my way to Canberra!]

The trip down is worth about 23 bloggers, but being short on time, I will try to get it all into one:

Dad took me to Austin (thanks Daddy!). After getting checked in and waiting in an eternal line to go through security, the lovely lady at the checkpoint (checking id's and tickets)--exasperated that my id was a passport and I didn't want to dig out my driver's license--told me that I could only have 2 carry-on items. Well, I had three--my purse, a bag of books & toiletries, and a bag of wine. I explained that "Actually, ma'am, I'm flying internationally and am allow 3 carry-on items" Where upon I was informed that actually she had been working there a long time and NEVER had any flights EVER allowed three carry-on items and so I could either consolidate or check one of my bags. Fine. So I dropped my bags at her feet and proceeded to pull everything out of my book bag--shoving things in both my puse and my wine bag, then placing my purse into the book bag and shoving the rest of my items around the purse so that in the end--rather than having THREE SMALL, LIGHT, NEATLY packed bags, I had TWO HEAVY, OVERSTUFFED AND OVERFLOWING bags. Upon standing up, I showed her my "two" bags and she wished me a nice flight. The kicker is that I get to the sercurity check point and get behind a lady who had a wheeled bag, on top of which was another smaller bag and a purse. Somebody freaking shoot me. Of course, I promptly pulled out my purse and rearranged my THREE SMALL, LIGHT, NOT-QUITE-SO-NEATLY packed bags for travel.

The flight to LA was uneventful, barring an 35 minute delay. Get to LA--land in Terminal 4, gate 47 [this is important information for later!]. Follow the signs to the International Terminal, which if you're in LAX and have to leave the terminal you're in, you have to go outside and upon entering the new terminal ( I think there are 5 total) you have check back through security (great--just what I want to do again!). Am about to leave Terminal 4 and I see a couple of Qantas counters, but since American & Qantas are part of the OneWorld Alliance, didn't think much about it--until I walk all the way to the International Terminal and am nocticing my flight to Sydney is not listed. It leaves in about 2 hours, so SURELY it's gotta be listed. Because SURELY if it was cancelled or changed, they would have informed me. So I walk over to the Qantas counter and ask about my flight. "Oh" she says "That flight leaves out of Terminal 4!" smile. try not to cry. "Just go to Terminal 4 and use the business class line to get a new boarding pass" Okay, business class line--not as long as Economy, so not so bad (I'm hoping). Go up to Business class line and am issued a new boarding pass--and am informed that the gate has changed. Okay, since I thought the gate was in the International Terminal to me OBVIOUSLY the gate had changed. Walked up the checkpoint person [with my THREE SMALL NOT-SO-NEATLY PACKED bags], whereupon, she....wishes me a nice flight and a good evening! Get through security actually FASTER than in Austin (there's something wrong with that, but I wasn't complaining), look down at my "new" gate--it's number 48B. oh. funny I know EXACTLY where that gate is!! After a bit of a wait (and a burger & beer at the terminal)the plane is boarded and we head off over the wild blue Pacific!

We're supposed to land at 6am. But thanks to strong head winds the ENTIRE flight, we actually land at 7am. Immigration didn't take long at all to get through. I was excited. It should have been a clue that Customs wasn't going to be as fast! I have 6 bottles of Texas wine to give out as gifts, did I know I was over the limit? Yes. Did I declare this? Yes. (I DECLARE I HAVE A LOT OF WINE!) ahem, sorry. So I was sent to see the lady behind the counter (and trust me you don't want to have to see the lady behind the counter--it means that you have to pay....) Luckily, after explaining that the bottles were gifts, she okay'd my wine without having to pay taxes on it, but explained that next time, keep it to 3 bottles. Yes, ma'am.

Finally (it's now like 8am Sydney time--no clue what time in USA it is!), I manage to get out and find the car rental place....only to be told that the car is not ready. But thanking me for my patience, they have decided to give me the next size larger car--if I wouldn't mind waiting a few more minutes. Not minding the bigger car and the chance to stretch my legs, I walked around the terminal for a few minutes. Less than 10 minutes later, I was in the car (it's red!!!!!!!!!) and headed to Canberra (and manged to stay on the correct--aka left--hand side of the road!)

Well, I guess that's about it for now! I'm meeting Nerida for coffee and Cathy for lunch and not quite sure what the arvo brings--but it'll be great and relaxing for sure!!

g'day! :) shez

T-minus 24 Hours

Well, it's nearly that time! I still have a lot to do, but it's easier getting up earlier [and staying up later] knowing I only have about 24 hours left. Actually, it's more like 27 hours until Dad & I depart for Austin....tomato, to-mah-to.

The most important stuff is done (i.e. I know where my tickets and passport are!)--the rest, as they say, is details!

I really don't have a lot to report right now. I'm a bit groggy from "springing forward" this morning (don't forget to set your clocks!) FYI, as of right now, Sprint hasn't sprung forward, so don't trust the time on your cell phone! Which (on a postitive note), allowed me an extra hour of sleep, but made me late for breakfast with Mom. Fortunately, breakfast was at home this morning, so being a bit late wasn't that big of a deal.

bye for now! post you on wednesday from Australia!!

:) shez

Insane Last Minutes...

So today begins my last hurrah--working both jobs until Monday morning...at which time, I finish last minute packing, go to Rotary, say my farewells, head to Austin, and (hopefully) sleep all the waaaaaaaaay to Sydney!!

yippee!

Thank you Daddy! He's taking me to the airport and who will no doubt be cursing me on the way home, as he'll drop me off at 4pm and then hit afternoon rush hour traffic, which will put him back in Frederickburg around 10ish (for those of you who aren't aware, it's--without traffic--about 1.5 hour drive from Fredericksburg to the airport in Austin). Okay, well maybe he'll get back a little before then (at least I hope so otherwise I'll have to find someone else to take me the next time I decide to depart!)

I am--for sheer orneriness--rearranging all of the wines at the wine shop. he he he. can't resist! Actually, it started out as cleaning--um, yeah-yeah, that's it!--and then I decided to move a few things here, a few things there and then next thing you know Anna (new girl) and I have spent all day rearranging/dusting/and cleaning. Now the store sparkles, which should please Tom greatly....at least until he starts searching for a particular wine. Tomorrow I shall spend the entire day pricing and labelling, so as to still have my job when I return from the land of Aus.

Well, must depart as it's time to close up shop and head to Cuvee!

Bye for now!
:) shez

Holy Rush Service Batman!

WOW! The tech just called--my glasses are in!! Not bad for ordering them yesterday morning. Now that's what I call a rush job!! :)

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

Only one week to go!!

Oh, for those of you COMPLETELY confused as to what's happening in a week--I'm headed back down under!! I fly out of Austin at 6pm Monday, April 03rd and land in Sydney at 6am Wednesday, April 05th....where my schedule will be chock-full of things to do and people to see, especially my dearest darling Penny, whose wedding on the 22nd is what brings me back to Australia.

I'm so excited, excited, excited!! In fact, I'm nearly ready to go (Christi--you'd be soooo proud, I'm almost done packing!). Tickets & travel visas are purchased and the countdown is on! I will attempt to post everyday with updates (of course, skipping next Tuesday, as thanks to a 16-hour flight and crossing the international date line, Tuesday will be lost forever!).

A HUGE thanks to Tom & Carol and everyone at Cuvee, who will be covering for me when I'm gone--but not to fear, I will be bringing back goodies--like TimTams, vino, and cerveza--yum! to ease the pain and suffering! If you'd like a postcard, be sure to email me with your address! I'm sure you'll get it weeks after I return, but still....

Alright, must go--the clock marches on--tick tock, tick tock!

bye for now!

:) shez

Land of 10,000 Lakes

On my final full day of my trip, I truly learned why Minnesota is referred to as the Land of 10,000 Lakes! I don't think we ever drove (and we drove a lot that day!) more than 15 minutes without seeing a lake! We awoke early on a mission and our first stop was to see Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox in his "birthplace", Bainerd. Ignoring warnings by April's mother that the statue of the famous Minnesotans had moved (because, well, we DID look it up on the internet the night before!), we arrived to find that they didn't quite move, but the property had been purchased by a bowling alley and were now shamelessly using Paul & Babe to advertise the alley. Gone was Paul's axe and in it's place a bowling ball. Babe at first glance looked rabid, but upon closer inspection, found him to be holding bowling pins in his mouth. Dejected and wanting proof of this austrocity, we snapped a few pics and aimlessly drove around hoping to find a more accurate Paul & Babe (as I don't ever remember reading "Paul Bunyon & Babe the Blue Ox Go Bowling"). Alas, we found nothing, so we headed southeast for our next stop: Mille Lacs Lake.

Probably one of the biggest lakes in MN (at least the 2nd biggest lake that I saw), Mille Lacs is the spring/summer/autumn home of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe (or as we call them Chippewa). We visited the Indian Museum and Trading Post and learned how wild rice is gathered--in canoes guided by the men, while women used knockers (drumstick looking tools) to tap the mature rice into the canoe. After a few purchases at the Trading Post, we headed northeast for the final destination of the day: Duluth and Lake Superior.

It took awhile to drive around Mille Lacs, but soon we were headed for Duluth. As we headed down into Duluth, we immediately noticed two things: the great view of the harbor and the sudden drop in temperature (about 15 degrees!). We wandered up and down the shores of Lake Superior (holy fishing boat batman! it's huge!) for awhile and headed to Red Lobster for lunch (well...it came highly recommended by 4 different Duluthians!) and had a HUGE feast that included some good ol' Minnesotan beer. We checked out a few more places and then drove across a really cool drawbridge and into....Minnesota. Urgh! I just knew Wisconsin was across the lake somewhere! Drove back across the bridge, down a few streets, over another bridge and....welcome to Wisconsin! It was great! It was fabulous! It took like three minutes and then we turned around and came back....sigh....(of course April found it highly amusing!) Anyway, we finished looking around Duluth via car and then headed back to St. Paul to meet Jena for ice cream. I had birthday cake with raspberries and when I tipped them, the ice cream men started singing and looked sad when I asked them to stop....so I asked them to resume--right about the time April slipped out the door, as eveyone was now staring (ahhh....leave it to me to cause a scene!).

Alas, my trip was over (boo-hoo) and April dropped me off at the airport at some ungodly hour the next morning. It was a fabulous trip and visiting Minnesota comes highly recommended :)

cheers! :) shez

You Bet'cha

Okay, so where was I? Oh yes, St. Paul. Charles Schultz is from MN and all over St. Paul are Snoopys, Charlie Browns, Linuses, and Lucys! Whenever I figure out how to post pictures, I post one of Lucy & I outside an Old Fashioned Candy Shoppe. We ended our day in St. Paul by eating at Mickey's, which is a dining streetcar! It was so cool--there were about 25 seats, max, and you had to pay more for sitting in a booth. I figured what the heck, I'm on vacation and April grabbed a booth, some good grub, and finished with a root beer float! I was in heaven (although I'm sure the scales reflected otherwise!)

The next day, we headed to Minneapolis, had a look around the University of Minnesota--which is separated by the Mississippi River--and I discovered the joys (not!) of having class on East Bank and then having 10 minutes to book it to the next class, which was on the West Bank. We did a bit a shopping and then went downtown to have a browse around. We stopped in at the Hard Rock for a few token souveniers and ate some Minnesotan-Mex, which I have to admit is the closest to TexMex that I've been able to find. It could have, of course, been the fact that I was enamored with our waiter, who carded me....nah!!!!!! *grin*

After lunch, we headed back into St. Paul to take a boat ride down the Mighty Mississip. It was very Huck Finn, well, okay, not so much, but it was a historic guided tour (which means that every 15 minutes or so, a Mark Twain-esque announcer described some event that happened on whatever part of the river were we were floating). That evening we picked up Maddie (April's niece) and went to see The Hobbit, which was showing at the Children's Theatre. The play was good and the set design was amazing!

The next morning, we departed rather early for my Mini-Minnesota tour. It all started with a quest to find Paul Bunyon & Babe the Blue Ox and ended up at Lake Superior and crossing over into Wis-cahn-son. But unfortunately, I must dash, so I will have to save it for the next blurp!

have a great day!

:) shez

Minne-soo-tah

Well, I'm back from my vacation....and as is usual, I could've definitely used another week!

Minnesota was great! I had so much fun!! (THANKS APRIL!!!!!!!) It was so beautiful and green and amazing and I know why it's referred to as the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes! However, I definitely couldn't live there in the winter. Yep, I am a wimp. I embrace this!

After a 2 hour delayed layover at DFW, I landed in Minneapolis around 1pm, got my bags and hopped the train to the Mall of America. It was huge. It had roller coasters, a ferris wheel, 4 stories of shopping (Bloomingdales!), a food court that went on and on and on and on, a huge movie theatre, and an aquarium. But the coolest part was Leggo Land!! 4 stories and leggos of every size and color and kits that allowed you to build everything from a life-size Harry Potter to any of the Star Wars characters and most of the ships as well!! I met April there and we spent the rest of the afternoon having a look around and doing a bit of shopping. I splurged and bought a really cool blue goldstone ring made from a Minnesotan Jewelry Commune. I even saw a slice (yes, a slice) of pizza that was--honestly--bigger than Ginger.

The next day was spent having a look around St. Paul. We went to the capitol building and I saw a picture of Jesse Ventura, as proof that it wasn't a bad joke--he indeed had been the Governor. I got to see a lot of St. Paul that day....in a vain attempt to find F. Scott Fitzgerald's house. In the end (without realizing it) we passed several times, finally admitting defeat and decided to move on and see other things namely lakes, the Mississippi River and some Indian Burial Mounds.

Not quite knowing the appropriate blogger etiquette on the length of each entry, I shall end here, but promise to be back soon with more tales of sightseeing, driving, boat rides, a play, and of couse, Paul Bunyon!

bye for now! have a great day!

:) shez