Yes, I am still alive in Oz!

Hey everyone!

I arise from the dead. Wow! How has it already been an entire month... that's outrageous! I apologize... and just for keeping you waiting, I will make sure to fully update you all about every second of everyday. Put on your reading glasses. It's business time. 

Since my last post, I have been keeping busy with end of the semester Uni work and Derek's visit to Sydney! After the play, I had a little over one week to write three long papers and finish up research on a group presentation. I wanted to get everything done before Derek came, and somehow I managed to pull it off!? Don't ask me how, but I honestly amazed myself at how productive I can be when I force myself to sign off of iChat and Facebook :) Facebook... so time consuming... and yet such a nice distraction from school work... how terribly great.

It was such a relief to get everything out of the way before he arrived. Even though it was more of his vacation, it was honestly a vacation for both of us! We had 2 amazing weeks of relaxation, touring Sydney, and spending a weekend up to Cairns. 

Considering it's about 2 a.m. I'm just going to skip right into it :)

Wednesday-- Getting the typical touristy couple picture in front of the Harbour Bridge after walking around Circular Quay and getting lunch at the 24-hour diner "City Extra"! We told ourselves we'd walk across one of the days... but... it never happened. Blame it on the overcast weather :) It's still pretty just to look at!

Friday-- A little windblown on our date day/evening in Sydney! We walked around Darling Harbour, watched some awkward American street performer play with fire, and ate the biggest and most filling meal of our lives at "Hurricane's" right on the water. 

Friday-- The "Lighting of the Sails". Later on Friday, we got all dolled up and head back to the Opera House for the "Tribute to Louis Armstrong" concert! Luckily, Derek visited during the most BEAUTIFUL time and saw a few of the designs projected onto the Opera House during the early "winter" months. 

Friday-- Being the female (& male) versions of Vanna White and bragging about what we just saw. It was honestly an amazing concert! So so so wonderful. Derek is a good date-planner :) Kudos, boyfriend.

Saturday, we basically got lost going... well, ANYWHERE. We headed into the city trying to find our way to Paddy's Market. Paddy's Market has all the best Australian souvenirs for half price... however, we ended up in the place that we THOUGHT was Paddy's market and bought a few over-priced souvenirs for family and friends. The best part was walking outside to it raining and seeing the signs to the famous Paddy's Markets just a few more steps down the street... ooops? When we told people, they were more than slightly surprised we couldn't find it... I think they even felt a little bad for us (missing a few brain cells!?) hahaha, it was for sure my blonde moment of the day...

Afterwards, we managed to walk in circles until we finally made our way to the famous, Harry's Pie Cart on Wheels! We stopped our faces outside in the rain before jumping on a bus back to Macquarie in order to make it to Anna's play. Definitely an interesting play (a story about a bunch of sperm) but pretty entertaining, plus I'm glad I got to show Derek what Australian theatre and humor is all about :)

Sunday-- Tour to the Blue Mountains. First stop: Featherdale Wildlife Park! So... I was just a little freaked out about this picture. After getting warnings from Derek's mom about dangerous koalas, I was slightly afraid the koala was going to claw my face off. They look sweet and all but check out those devil red eyes this one has........ Fun fact: I'm not even petting the koala in this picture. Hahaha, I'm terrible, I know!

Sunday--Derek had a little trouble with his first sugar cone of 'roo feed. Turns out, in 1 hungry kangaroo vs. human, the 'roo will always get the food. One little swat of that paw and his food went flying, hahaha. Sucker. I am totally the superior kangaroo feeder. 

Sunday-- Except, turns out I don't like to get too ridiculously close to these things after the articles my Mom and friend from Butler has sent me about kangaroo attacks. Gah. Australia=worlds scariest continent.

Sunday--As Jocelyn said, "This is so Post-Apocalypse". We finally got to the Blue Mountains, and this was the view we had of the park. Haha, not too great, but luckily it cleared up enough after lunch where we could just see the Three Sisters! Still a great, and funny, day :)

Sunday-- You can just see the Three Sisters to the right! Legend has it that the stone formation was created when the father of three tribal daughters used his wizard power to protect them from a demon monster chasing after them. You think a wizard may have more options... but okay, FINE. Such a sweet father. Changing his three daughters to ROCK was probably the BEST and most fun option................

Sunday-- Traveling on the steepest incline railway in the world! It has an incline of 54 degrees! Crazy crazy crazy... it was like a roller coaster! 

Sunday-- A classic rock diving picture for Paula Thornberry :) 

Sunday-- Third & Final stop: Sydney Olympic park! These blue pillars have all the names of the Olympic game volunteers.

Sunday-- Darling Harbour by night, after an amazing tour day :)

A Tim-Tam Slam!!!!!! Only the most delicious thing in the entire world... I got him hooked :) I now am required to bring back at least 5 boxes... they might not make it all the way to Chicago on such a long flight... :)

Monday-- Bondi Beach! Along the costal walk are a couple little homeless huts. Pretty crazy, and mostly just amazing.

Another great diving picture for my mom!!! :) I know she loves me!

Taking a break from the costal walk from Bondi to Coogee Beach! It was supposed to storm, and it luckily didn't rain at all until the end of the day... perrrrfect!

Capturing a model shot of Derek... I seemed to do this a lot on his visit... He loved (aka hated) it most of the time :) 

Purty flower still going strong in the winter months

Friday-Sunday, we headed up to Cairns for a little fun in the sun!! It was gorgeous...

Friday--Trinity Beach about 20 minutes north of the main city centre! We hopped off the plane and basically went straight to there, after a trip to this delicious cafe with the most wonderful fruit salad... ughhhhh I could dream about it! Passionfruit=new favorite fruit :) Also, I have to say... cat naps on the beach are twenty times better than laying in bed! We passed out pretty quickly!

What kept Derek and i entertained while we waited for public transportation anywhere we went: Sudoku and magnetic checkers! Turns out Derek is a lot better than me in... well... both of those. 

Oh yeah. Check out that face. He definitely likes me! 

Out to dinner at one of the most ridiculously expensive Mexican restaurants ever. Agh. It wasn't even that great. We complained about the food over a huge cup of ice cream... hahaha, it was delicious, okay!?

Saturday-- Our day snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef!!!! 

Our boat: "Ocean Free"... minus the creep-tastic crew flirting with the significantly younger ladies on the boat, it was a great day! :)

Right before we saw some dolphins!!! Considering it was the start of whale watching season, I was praying for a breaching whale, but I'll settle for a few dolphins.

Taking an hour break from the boat and spending some time at "Green Island"! Basically, we (Derek) skipped a ton of rocks, got burnt, and tormented every single sea creature we could find. 

One of our victims that we tried to start mating with another little guy... 

Ocean model shots in Cairns= necessary! 

Sorry Derek... I win this beauty contest. 

So, I thought this was a really cool picture!!! I actually still think it's a pretty cool picture. Someone (*ahem DEREK ahem*) may disagree, but I will continue to post and print it everywhere I go :)

Sunday-- Gondola and Train Ride to Kuranda, Australia

We went to "Birdworld". Basically, think Alfred Hitchcock's "Birds" except add colors. 

Derek was loving it, and the birds were LOVING him. I was rather content hanging onto the camera while every single bird flocked to his shoulder! One bird flew to Derek about 5 seconds after walking into the place. I was screaming and close to crying while he was laughing... I don't get him. 

Studying abroad is all about trying new things and being brave, right?... So finally, I allowed Derek to put food in my hand a few times to get the whole 'experience'. 

Turns out Derek is a bird freak. 

Australia is so strange. What kind of souvenir is this!? We were confused and just slightly worried.

On the ride back down the mountain :) It was this old fashioned train that took us past waterfalls and some crazy steep hills and under at least 15 tunnels! 

The trip was an absolute blast, and I'm sure there are so many things I'm leaving out, but at the moment it's 3 a.m. and I should probably hit the bed! 

Today was my last final which officially makes me a COLLEGE SENIOR! Woot woot! I made it :) Tonight, Dan Gregory, Kim, and I celebrated over a huge feast at his apartment and this horror tv show episode which basically left Kim and I running home slightly freaked out... until we saw a herd of bunnies, of course. They are ALL over here. They have no fear for people and just go to town on the grass. I think their bunnies are kinda like our squirrels. Except cuter. And my mom doesn't throw ice cream scoopers out the window to get them away from her bird food.

Hahahaha... I'm so glad I just remembered that. "Cheryl, why did I almost mow over the ice cream scooper?" Oh mom, I love you. 

Tomorrow, I head off to Melbourne for a 3-day tour of the Great Ocean Road and ending in Adelaide. I'm flying with a friend and staying at her family friends' place, but doing the tour completely alone. I am actually really pumped for that. It'll be an experience, and I hear it's a really cool way to meet some random strangers. Hopefully nice strangers and no creepy Europeans. Sorry Europeans, but you don't have the best rep. Just sayyying. 

I love you all & hope everyone is doing well back in the States!

Has the weather gotten nicer?

Enough of this rainy business, America! I'm expecting day upon day of crazy sunshine starting June 25th :)

xoxo,

Carly, Car, Car-Car, Lob, Carlotta, Carla, Carl