Home Sickness and Bad News!

Tuesday August 4th

I woke up when I received some texts from Justin. I felt soo much better! I knew he had been in Saskatchewan all weekend with his boys, and that he didn’t have very much reception. What I didn’t remember, was that it was August long weekend there!! This would explain why he wasn’t at work when I was trying to contact him!! I knew there had to be a reason! He told me a story about how he showed his boys a picture of me and asked them who I was. They replied by saying “ that’s your pretty friend Dad!” hahaha very cute! For those who don’t know, his little men are 4 and 3.

I spent the day cleaning my room- finally unpacked a bunch, and I also went to uni with Rachel and Adog to buy text books. Soo freaking expensive! Im glad the three of us are sharing texts! We also had to buy shirts for our placements! Ugly red shirts! Boo! I also went over to the post office and mailed Justin the pictures from the Jim Beam girls! He doesn’t know they are coming, so I cannot wait until he gets them!

I went to the gym with Adog. We missed the spin class and made it for abs class, then did our own thing. We are starting off slow and working our way up again. I was doing about 40 min of cardio before I left, and now it is about 15-20. I need to build it up! Yikes! Went home and showered.
After I showered, I spent some time catching up with Shonleigh. We talked about the diet I was going to do, and how she and Pom were un-officially dating and how her and Brock had a major tif! I made a stirfry and went on the computer for a bit. I then watched a movie with Adog, talked to Justin briefly and hit the hay.

Wednesday August 5th

I went to my first lecture. It was boring. It was good to catch up with some friends though. After class, I saw Amy who had been to Thailand over the break. She was telling us about a ping pong show where they have things like birds come out! I never knew it was that crazy, I knew they could smoke… but birds??? Wowza! Talk about disease! Now we know where the bird flu came from!

Adog and I went to the gym. We did the circuit training which was really good. We go around to different stations doing a repetitive exercise for about 5 minutes and then switch. After class we were pretty shaky, but we wanted to also try the body pump class. This was a weight lifting class. At times during this class, my arms were sooo shaky, that I didn’t know if I was going to be able to lift the bar at all! At one point, I took off even more weight- even though I had less then everyone in the class! Hahah Adog was in the same boat! No more double classes like these!!! :P We sat in the sauna for a while after. It feels good to sweat balls, after sweating balls! Hahahaha

It was pretty late when I got home and showered. I made some din din, talked briefly to Justin via email, and went to bed!

Thursday August 6th

Woke up early to go and exchange my red shirt for placement as I had been rushed the first time and bought two sizes too big. Shon came with me as we both had class. I went to my tutorial. It was… a class. Yay. I ate a sandwhich quickly and went to my next class. It was in the room right beside my last one. I didn’t know anyone and so I sat with two girls I had just met outside. Adog, Rachel, and Amanda all came in also. Wow! All four of us Canadians in one class! Amanda sat next to me, and the other two in the front in the only two spots left.

After class I came home and Yates was watching Gilmore girls with Shonleigh. He was also reading the Twilight series, but was on book two. I gave him book one, which he was very happy about. I didn’t really like the book at all, and the movie was not much better. Shon and I talked about flights to Airlie beach for September break. We were going to go to her Grammas farm up there and then the Whitsunday Islands for our September break. We were getting anxious to plan it as well. Adog was going to join us as well.

Adog was called into work. Amanda and I went to the gym. We sat in the sauna for a while talking. Her and I don’t know much about each other and it was good to get to know her a little bit. I learned that she too has a man back in Canada. His name is Royce. We walked home and I quickly got ready. Kurtis was here. He wanted to meet all of Shonleighs good guy friends because she is always talking them up. We had a BBQ outside by the pool. Then we all ate inside our place. I did the dishes, and everyone went out for Uni night. I was disinterested. I think I actually might be growing up! What a weird feeling!

I eventually snuk off and went to bed. I heard some of them come back late, but they didn’t stay up. Thank god! J It was an alright night, but I was feeling a bit blue.

Firday August 7th

I woke up and went to class. Firdays are good because I don’t have class til noon and I can sleep in. In class we did injectables. Very boring for me, who has done them a million times. I helped Sarah, who is my un-official lab partner. After class, we went to our last class. Adog showed up! It was nice that the two of us are in a class together with out the others. Not that I don’t like them, it is just nice to have Adog- who I have grown close to, in a class to myself! Hahaha

On the way home, Adog was talking about how she missed John. I wasn’t much in the mood for talking and so I just listened. When I got home, Yates and Shon were on the couches. I made some quick grub and went upstairs. I finished eating and logged onto facebook. I had a message from mom. I wa already feeling quite blue. Just home sick. I read the first couple lines of her message- it had to do with my Gramma who is not doing well. I didn’t even finish a third of the message when I burst into tears and balled like a 6 yr old girl! I locked my door and had a good cry for about two hours. I eventually read the rest of the message, and then saw another one from Mom. I read that one too- bad news saying I still owe a bunch of money for having my taxes done late. Great! Owing money always cheers me up! L I cried more! I was missing my family, I hadn’t talked to Justin all day yesterday or today, I was getting my period, feeling fat- not fitting my clothes, and now this! It was the first time I had actually been homesick since being here in Australia!

Yates came upstairs to see me, but I didn’t let him in. He later told everyone that I was pleasuring myself! Thanks Yates! :P Adog called asking when we were going to the gym. Informed her I was not going to go. Instead, her and I went over to Kirstennes house. She just moved into the village. I met her in lab class last semester. She is friends with Zach who also lives here and is in nursing. We went over there and they were drinking. Amy was also there with a couple others. It was actually a good time. We talked non stop pretty much and then after a while, they left to go see a band play. Adog and I went back to my place.

Shonleigh and her tiny little friend Abby were over. They had made chilli con carne and accidently burned rice on the bottom of Miss Cloes new pot. I had some food and we all watched a movie together. It was pretty good. I was feeling a tad better, but only because I was distracted.

I went upstairs and was relieved to hear from Justin online. Unfortunately he was busy at work and could not talk for long. I found out that his phone was still not working and it was broken for good. This is why he had not been texting me. I felt slightly better, but was still very blue. I went to bed being emo.

Gold Coast Getaway Goodbye's

Friday July 31st

Up for my lab class. I got a call from Scotty on the Gold Coast. He wanted to know if we wanted to go down there this weekend instead of the next. Turns out he is moving to Canada for 18 months. He is absolutely in love with Canada. I asked him if he would ever move there permanently, and he considered it, but said Australia was home. I know the feeling.

Adog and I hopped on a bus after packing my bags from my still packed bags. We bused it to the train station at Landsborough and caught the next one. We were to get off at Bowen hills. It took about an hour and a half and we almost missed our stop. Eventually we made it to Beenleigh where Scotty had asked us to get off. He called asking when we were going tobe there and was shocked we were there already. He said he would be 15 mintues and told us to be safe since it was a shady area! Haha Great! We found a Woolworths and went inside before it closed. Bought some carrot cake and ate the whole thing between the two of us- scraping off most of the icing first since it was heaps sweet!

Finally they arrived. First thing I noticed was that Scotty chopped off all of his fro! He used to have a full thick blonde curly surfer dude due! It wasn’t too short now, but definitely different. The four of us cramped into his tiny ute. I was the smallest and had to sit on John Micheal. This did not feel good with my neck, but I made it work. My legs across everyone else. They took us to a drive in movie. We had missed the first showing, and it was still going. We decided to go grab a drink at a pub near by and come back for the second movie.

The food area was closed already. Adog and I were hungry and this made us sad. We all had a quick drink and piled back in the ute. This time, I was laying upside down like on a pillow, with my legs wrapped around Adogs head. Don’t worry, this is not habbit. We were only in the next lot over from the drive in.

As we entered the lot, there was no worker in the booth. We drove right through. As we drove looking for our friends, we ( they- I was upside down), saw a flash light chasing us. Scotty kept dodging it and we parked by our friends. Then the flashlight found us. She came to the window and was not happy she had to chase us. She informed us that we had to go pay. I thought that we would go and pay, however, Scotty blurted out that we had already paid. Obviously we all knew that we had not. She then did the obvious and asked to see our tickets. Scotty said “sure!” and looked at all of us. We were a bit puzzled and began to search our purses and pockets. Really Scotty?? Haha Geez! She told us that if we didn’t find our tickets, we would have to leave. So we left.

We drove out of the lot, and looped right back in again! Haha Oh dear god! We then drove around again, and then again were chased by a flash light. We stopped at the Candy bar. The flash light caught up with us again. This time we had piled out. She was furious. I don’t blame her. She asked to see our tickets. Amanda even pretended to have found one in her purse- oh but it was a bus transfer. Darn, she really thought that was it. It was in there some where! Aahhaha Scotty paid the lady, and I am sure she charged us more then the actual price. Scotty paid. He wouldn’t let us pay! He said it was his treat and we were his guests. I would have charged us more too!

We watched Ice Age 3? in the back of the ute on a mattress with pillows and a blanket. How cozy! Adog seen about 6 shooting stars. I hadn’t seen any. I was getting pretty jealous and then- sigh- there was one. What!?!?! No one saw that one? They all thought I lied because I wanted to see one so badly! I promise you, I saw it!

After the movie, we went back to John Micheals parents house. We went to sleep after talking for a couple of hours-all four of us in two rooms.

Saturday August 1st

We woke up and readied. Went to the Harbor mall and bought some Boost Juice and banana bread for breaky. At about noon, we went for some drinks with Scotty to meet his friend Justin, who goes by Robo, and his other friend Jayden. Robo is who Scotty is coming to Canada with. We must have spent hours there. We went back to JM’s place so the boys could book their tickets. Us girls got ready for the night. When I was ready, we were waiting for the boys. This took some time and I began to read a book. It was about all these fruits and vegetables and theirs nutritious values. It was soo interesting.

After getting Mr. Add himself finally showered and in the car, we made our way to a small town that I cannot recall the name of. We ate at this restaurant and had some drinks. Scotty was passing me a coaster and when he tossed it, it hit me square in the eye. Then Adog was applying ketchup on her fries and it squirted on my jacket! Hmmm great start to the night! :P

We made our way to this bogen bar where a tribute band was playing. We only had three tickets as we didn’t know the other two boys were going to come with us. We couldn’t get in at first. Then all the sudden, the female butch bouncer recognized Scotty from somewhere. He made it seem like he knew her and she let the other guys in after paying some fee. When we got it, he informed us that he had no idea who she was! Hahaha

As we made our way in, we realized we were in a bogen bar. There were all sorts of people here. I took some pictures of them secretly with Adogs camera. I had her pretend to take a picture of me, but really take a picture of some bogens behind me. A guy was on to us and gave us the finger- its actually a pretty funny picture! Lol

We joined the crowd just in time for the end of the Doors. The lead singer of the tribute band started freaking out and yelling “ Now is for the time of the show, the moment I know you guys have all been waiting for! “ and he started to undo his tight leather pants! I couldn’t believe it! I was shocked. I turned to Adog and asked if that was real, then the man on stage informed us not to believe everything as these performers were merely acting the way the real band had. Very exciting and thrilling! Too bad he was dragged off stage!! Lol JK! EWW!

There was an intermission. The next band to come on was Guns and Roses. While they were starting, I noticed some promotion girls going around and taking pictures of people who were drinking Jim Beams and giving them a prize and the Polaroid. I sneaked Scotty’s Jim Beam and wondered over to them. They were dressed in little out fits. I asked them to take a naughty picture with me so I could send it to my bf back home. They thought this was the sweetest thing and even signed the Polaroid for me. Actually, there were two Polaroid pictures that I had gotten! They also gave me a couple prizes. Adog got a ipod speaker the size of a piece of large lego! It works really well too! It is the coolest thing.

We went back to enjoy the show. It was pretty good. Adog and I were not drinking. I think the night was just getting to Adog. Everything was catching up to her and she was missing home. She too had gone to Canada over the break. I kept asking if she was ok, and at one point she went into the bathroom. I followed. Here she broke down and cried. She was homesick and missed her family and John. She was having an alright time, but could not snap out of it. I think she was PMSing. I tried comforting her and we went back out. We danced a little and finally, some time after Deep Purple and ACDC we left.

Robo drove us there and was driving us back. We had the music going and were having a pretty good time when all the sudden there were flashing lights behind us. We thought we would be fine as Robo had not been drinking much- and he is a big big boy, so the amount he did drink would not have affected him at all. Robo was panicked for some reason. We found out soon that he did not have any registration on his car because he barely drove it and didn’t renew it since he was leaving in two weeks for Canada.

The police came to the window and gave him a breath test. It was fine. They still had to take his plates from him. They wouldn’t let us drive anywhere. Robo got his court date placed early the next week so as to not conflict with his moving to Canada. While all this was going on, I got outside to stretch my legs. I went over to the cop car and started chatting with the other cop. He seemed to be a really nice cop, and the other seemed to be more stern. We talked about snowboarding, how cold it is in Canada, and this and that. I think he would have come around to letting me sit in the back of the cruiser, but I think the other cop would have given him sh*t!

Eventually, the cops left. We were waiting on a cab and a toe truck. The toe truck came first. He was a super nice guy. The toe truck was not like the ones we have back home. It was a huge truck that lowered its back side and we drove up. Then it lifted even. He took some pics of us inside too! We were pretty high off the ground. He let Adog, Robo and I stay inside while all this happened. He even let us stay inside until we got to the convience store where we were to wait for a cab. I had Robo listening to some country music on the way. No body likes country music in Aus. This is disappointing. I told Robo that this is what he would become used to in Edmonton. Haha he didn’t seem to mind it too much.

We got to our stop and we got out thanking the driver. Robo went with the toe man all the way to Brisbane. This was not before he took off the socks on his feet and the shoes and passed them to Scotty. They belonged to John Micheal’s dad and he had promised to give them back! He wouldn’t have had to borrow them, but no flip flops allowed to the clubs! Hahaha How brutal!

We then went into the store to get some snacks. He kicked us out because he had to do some work in the back room. It was cold and I was not pleased by this. We then watched Scotty running after taxi’s in the near by intersection. It was kind of funny ! lol They were not stopping for him, so I went with him. Two were coming. One of them stopped and we got in. Then we picked up the other two. We got back to JM’s and went to bed! What a crazy night!

Sunday August 2nd

I was very sleepy. We got up and ready and met some of Scott’s new friends who were also Canadian. Graham and Cheryl, who just moved here for Uni. They are from Toronto. We went for lunch at a near by country club sort of thing. There were sharks swimming in the tank. They were the size of a two year old! How cool! The place was actually called Sharks.

After breaky or lunch, we went back and grabbed some snorkel gear and surf boards. We all met up at the spit and us girls went snorkeling accompanied by Scotty. The boys all went down to the beach to teach Graham how to surf. We were parked along the rock bed and went in from there. The water was a bit chilly, and it was hard to sneak across all the rocks as they were half submerged and slippery. Finally we got into the water, and I was the only one who was injured from the sharp spots on the rocks. I had cut my fingers in three places. Its funny how I always seem to forget how salty the ocean really is! Gross!!! While we were in the water, Adog had her camera with her. It is one of those water proof cameras. Unfortunatly, for some reason, it was not working. Uh oh! So no pictures were taken. L We were in the water for about 30 minutes or so. It was kind of neat watching the blood flow into the water from my finger. It made me imagine a shark getting a sniff and coming to see more. Luckily, this did not happen! haha Cheryl and Scotty went in a little bit earlier then Adog and I. When we were down there, we saw a school of squid ( yum), and soo many many different kinds of fish. At one point Scotty had even picked up and sea cucumber and made it… spew its white fluid substance all over. Scotty told us a story of how when he was younger, his mate made one … spew all over Scotty’s hair and it had turned into some kind of concrete like mixture. He had to cut his hair off to fix it! How crazy is that?? While we were down there, we also found a lot of hooks. There are many fisher man around. Adog and I have been wanting to go fishing for some time. One of these days we will. Adog was getting cold, and so we decided to head in. While I was getting out, the waves were pushing and pulling me. This made it difficult to climb onto the rocks. I was trying to hover above them when a wave pulled me back and the water level decreased. This brought me right hard into a rock where I cut my hand, and a spot on my knee. I was alright, but it was messy. Im not sure whos towel I was using, and I tried not to get my DNA on it, but could not help it. Sorry! J When I got back up on shore, there was a group of guys walking by. Alex! We stopped them and chatted with them for a bit. Then the other boys came back. I guess Graham did ok, but it was his first time. This probably meant he was not very good at all. Haha It is tough!

Alex and his friends left, and we all went to another part of the spit. We were just by a spot where they happened to be filming a Narnia movie!!! Too bad the camera was not working. The boys took the canoe into the water and they were spear fishing. There was a sign right above where us girls were sitting that said no spear fishing, but Scotty assured us that was for when there were lots of swimmers in the area, which there was not. Besides, we were right across from his island… it was his jurisdiction. As we were sitting and watching, Alex and his friends came by. We chatted for a while and they left. Eventually, the boys came back with one pueny little fish! This I had lots of fun with. Graham took some pictures on his phone of me pretending to kiss it, eat it, and so forth! Its what I do. I find some kind of creature.. I get a a photo pretending to kiss it! It was the same for a crab in Meixco, a frog in Canada, a crae fish in Aus, and much much more! After I was done playing with the fish, I found out the boys were not going to keep it. It was dead, and I felt bad for it. I gave it a new home up on the NO SPEAR FISHING sign! Haha

After this, we went back to Cheryl and Grahams place. It’s a very nice place. We went down and sat in the hot tub for a while, and the sauna as well. It got too hot for me, and so I swam a couple of laps.After some time, we went upstairs. We had showers and Scotty went home to fetch our stuff so we could wear some dry and clean clothes. He returned with pizza and beer. We spent the evening trying to learn how to play yukur and then asshole. It was a pretty fun night, but there were too many of us. Once some of the group went home, Cheryl, Graham, Scotty, Adog and I were left. We put a movie on that no body finished. Adog and I went into the spare bedroom, Cheryl and Graham into their room, and Scotty went home. He said he would be back for us in the morning. It was team Canada left in the apartment. J

Monday August 3rd

Woke up thinking we were the only ones home. We tidied the place up and Scotty came over. He woke up Cheryl and Graham, who we thought had gone to uni. Haha I had even written them a good bye thank you note! We said our thanks and good byes in person and then made our way out for some grub. It was a little later in the day since we were soo tired and slept in a bit. We ate at a sushi train since Adog had never been to one. I apyed for Scotty’s meal to thank him for all his hospitality, but afterwards at the petrol station, he wouldn’t let me not take his money! He said he was old enough to take care of his own bill! He is a very nice and generous guy! Usually he wont even let us pay for our meals!!

After our meals, we went for a short surf. The water was alright when you were in it, but the waves were pretty scary. It has been awhile since I was in waves like this. ( listen to me sounding like a wimp- its only been a month and a half!!! ) I think what was scaring me soo much, was the fact that this beach looked empty and the ocean appeared to be bigger then Mooloolaba- where I was used to going. It felt like you could just be taken soo easily. I was in no mood to gamble in this unknown territory. Scotty said there was no current or and rip tides, and that I would be safe, but I decided to play it safe my way anyways. I sat on the beach and watched. My two attempts were enough.

We went back to JM’s place to collect the rest of our stuff. Scotty also said we could borrow the snorkel gear and a surf board while he was in Canada, this was awesome! This means we have a surf board for the remainder time we are here pretty much! Now we have to make sure we are good by the time he returns in 18 months!

He dropped us off at the train station and said he was going to actually really miss us. We gave hugs and he left. We bought our tickets and waited for our train. While we sat and waited, Adog and I decided that we wanted to become vegans. This meant we would have to finish all the meat and animal products that we just bought on our last grocery shopping trip! This allowed us to ease into it. We wanted to learn all the benefits of other foods, learning the nutritious value of fruits, veggies, nuts, and all sorts of other foods. It was a challenge and exciting. This would also be a good healthy diet for me, since I don’t fit some of my clothes anymore. My trip to Canada made me depart with some excess cargo on my rear! ( I know I don’t look big, but when you get to the point where you cannot wear some- most of your pants- you need to do something about it!!!)

On the way home, we stopped at central station in Brissy. What a cool place. I had never been to a “main” station like this before. It had a Mcdicks and everything. It was a pretty neat place.On our way we continues. We even had had a nap on one of the trains, leaning over the surf board that was on our laps. A girl took a pic on her phone and said she would email it to me.. but I never did receive it. By the time we made it to Landsborough, it had been about 3.5 hours of travel. Before getting off the train, we noticed a smell. It was horrible. The unkempt man besides us moved to the back of the train, where a girl sat alone. She looked young vulnerable and innocent. He was creeping on her in a bad way. Everyone on the train was noticing. She looked extremely uncomfortable. A man from the other side casually moved closer, I think, just in case something happened. After a while, the man stopped talking, and she used the opportunity to move closer to Adog and I. I began chatting with her. She was on her way to her aunties house. Moving away from home. I guess her mom was non compliant with her daughters choice of boyfriend. He was an aboriginal. They decided to move to Perth together to start new. They had been dating for 6 months and she was 17. I’m curious to know how this all turns out for her… hmm.

We got off the train and there were two buses waiting. Neither was our bus. We checked the schedule to see when it came. It said it would be there in 5 minutes. Perfect- it is also the last bus of the day!!! One of the bus drivers saw us and asked what we were doing. I replied and said we were waiting for the 615. He said it was right behind us. I informed him that that bus said 618! He said it was wrong and we had better catch it as it was about to leave. We were shocked and hurried to our bus. When we got on, the driver saw that the other bus driver had noticed something, which made him realize he had the wrong number on. He changed it with a no big deal expression! We could have easily missed our LAST bus, and it was no biggy! Ugh! Sometimes the laid back style of Aussies cause problems. I was on the bus the other day, and he drove straight on by a girl at a bus stop. It was like he forgot entirely that there was a stop there. How does that happen?? Anyways, we got home and it was a nice feeling! I have barely been home since my return from Canada, and my suit cases needed a good un-packing! Haha

I also had not talked to Justin for the last couple of days. I was waiting for tonight, when he would be at work, and we could talk via email. I stay up late for his early morning at work. I wrote an email and got no response. I was a little upset about it and went to bed. I wasn’t sure why he wasn’t responding.

Sleep!

Back To The Grind

Thursday July 30th

I woke up with the stiffest neck I have ever had. I could not turn my head to the left at all, and barley look down at my breasts, or even up in the sky! I think it was a combination of sleeping wrong on my first night without my Justin pillow, and sleeping on the flight. Good grief! I went to my tutorial. Only one today. The other ones do not start til week two. When I got home, Shonleigh and I went to the Chancellor to eat some steak. It was a special for $12! Not very good actually! I came home and had a nap. I was still very tired!

By the time I woke up, I only had enough time to go grocery shopping. Then I had to shower and get ready. The boys wanted to see us Canadian girls. We went over to brocks house. I carefully hugged them trying not to strain my neck. I had Poms hot water bottle on it. It looked awkward. We were hungry and so Yates took Adog and I to grab some food. We made a stop off at Yates house. He had a shower while we chit chatted with his mom. We talked about how Laura was liking Scotland. She Gave us a glass of red wine each. She even let me use her heated rice bag for my neck. I wrapped my scarf around it to hide it. Much better then the water bottle! We went back to Brocks house for a little while.

It was uni night! Great! I did not want to stay out late! We went to a near by pub. Adog, Shon and I stayed sober while the boys drank. At one point, we somehow managed to convince Pom that I had a daughter back in Canada. This happened after he saw my wallet picture of Julie. Hahaha I even asked him if he had ever noticed my C-section scar! Haha Eventually, after he started asking questions about how she took it when I left, Chakley felt bad for him and let him in on it. He couldn’t believe he was fooled! Hahaha

We drove the boys to the bar and Pom home after making a million paper airplanes. Yay it was about 11pm- time for us to go home! Bed time!

Home Sweet Home Good Bye

Monday July 27th

Back to Australia! I slept most of the day as Justin and I were up late. When we did finally get up, I packed up my mostly packed stuff- again! We did some quick last minute running around. I didnt get everything done, so Justin was left with a list of things to do after I was gone. Poor guy! One thing I had to get was some red plastic drinking cups. They do not sell these small treasures in Australia. I call them treasures because in Aus, everyone is sooo jealous when they see me holding the cups in pictures. They see them on movies all the time. A bit of a novelty I suppose. Shonleigh was going to love them.

When we got to the airport we lined up to check me in. Uh oh the lady said. When did you purchase your ticket? Last night, why is there a problem? Oh No, its just that it takes some time to get into our system and its not here yet. She sent us to the purchasing line just over. We waited in line and were soon standing in front of a very sweet Lady named Kory. Justin mentioned to us that she was the one who Justin purchased my ticket from in the first place for my journey here. She smiled at us and was very helpful. We chit chatted and unexpectedly she gave Justin a gate pass so that he could walk me right to the airplane basically! He was my "translator", as I was having problems with my english! *wink wink*. Kory is the best! I wanted to kiss her!

After this, we went through security and found a place to eat some wings. We were both a little emo ( for you old farts, this means EMOtional...), because I was leaving. Not too much of an appetite. We just picked at them. It was nearing the time I had to leave, and so we crept to a bench and sat at my gate for a little bit. Before we knew it, a lady came on the intercom. "We will be seating passengers at the back of the plane first, rows ( so on and so on) can now board the plane". We couldnt believe it! Of course they want to seat me first! UGH! We let the line go first and gave eachother lots of little kisses and hugs. After there was no line, I slipped a little note in his pocket, gave him a big kiss and hug, and started walking towards the plane. I turned back to see him waiting til he could not see me anymore. My eyes filled with tears. It was 100times harded to leave this time. I knew what to expect in Australia, I knew how much I was going to miss my family, and Justin- things with him and I are getting more serious. Long distance relationships are hard, and the good byes are definitly the most difficult part of them. The count down was started for the next time we would meet.

As I neared the plane, the flight attendant asked how I was- my face ready to explode with stress fluid yet again! Airport workers must experience alot of emotions from people saying good bye. I found my seat and felt soo alone. I was seated next to no one, and was extremely upset. It was not a very good flight. I tried to sleep, but could not help thinking about everything I left.

When I got to Vancouver, I found my gate and had a seat. I was still quite upset. The pay phones were busy. I had about two hours to wait. I began to read my book but could not concentrate on it. Finally, a payphone was free. I called Justin. ( I know, boo for sappiness!!!) We talked for a few minutes about how retarded our situation was and how we both were pretty well full of tears when I walked away from him a couple hours earlier! I was on a payphone and did not talk for long. I felt a bit better, but still sadened. I did some reading and people watching. Then I boarded my plane.

Tuesday July 28th/ 29th

I got on my plane and searched for my seat. I was window seat as I some how manage to usually be. I was next to an older couple who must have been in their mid 60's. Robin and her Husband Peter who moved to Canada from Australia when they were young for work and school. They did not know how long they would stay but ended up living there permanently in Prince George. They recently had moved to Nanaimo to be closer to their grown up offspring and so on. It was pleasant talking with them. I watched a movie and slept most of the way. I was going to look at pictures on my lap top as Justin had lent me his SD cards to upload pictures to my computer. I had not seen all of them yet and was very excited. I went to plug it in and- it didnt work. There is no way my battery would have lasted long enough to upload pictures. I was disapionted and decided to drift off to sleep while I somehow left the hour I had been in July 28th, and flew into July 29th!

As I neared Sydney, I readied myself for the transfer. I realized I did not have a new boarding pass and would have to grab one. I was also informed that I had to “identify” my bags and not have to retrieve them before getting on my next flight. When I got off the plane, this was not the case. Sydney ended up being a night mare- super unorganized! I followed the crowd trying to find where to go. I went through customs no problem- they make me nervous now! Then it was to baggage claim. My bags were there, and I didn’t see anywhere to “identify” them. I grabbed them and tried to figure out which line, from the many to choose from, was my line. I spotted a line that wrapped around the whole baggage area. This was a very long line. I did not want to have to be in that one, so I asked a lady who worked there where I needed to be. Unfortunatly, she pointed me to that line! I walked all the way back with my luggage and slowly made my way to the front.

As I got closer to the front, I realized there was another lady looking at boarding passes and directing people to other lines.I was the next person, when a guy from the middle of my line behind me came up to her and asked her a question. She walked with him to where his family was. She was gone. Where do I go from here?? UGH! I don’t go in the express line- so I must have to go into that other mess of lines that are going every which way! ^*%^#$@$@#$$%&^*- not good! I made my way through some how after some effort. A man was slowly checking passes which I did not have. I passed him my baggage claim passes and what I had. He directed me to the left. I went through security with no checks. It seemed to have been mostly asian people getting checked. I think they usually pack fruits and parishable items like that. Their lack of English does not help.

I finally go to another room, and guess what! MORE LINES! I went into the line that seemed to fit my situation. I did not have over sized luggage, and I was not an express. I lined up. I waited. After some time, I began to get nervous. I didn’t have much time until I was suppose to board my flight. I asked the girl behind me how long she thought the line would take. She said I should go ask what to do, as my flight was more urgent. She watched my luggage and I snuk through to ask a lady. Lucky thing that I did. Turns out that I had to grab my bags and go to the front of the line. I got through and went though some more security. It was go go go until- I had to stop and wait for the bus to take me to domestics. Sun of a gun!

I got on the bus. It was packed full of people and so I was left to stand. Not a big deal since I did not have much carry one and my big bag was checked. Then there was the smell. It was gross. BO mixed with curry! I couldnt breathe through my nose at all. I made a face trying to figure out where it was coming from. Meanwhile, it was taking the driver about 10 minutes to figure out how to close the door. I felt really safe being on a bus that the driver did not understand how to use… what??

Finally we started up. We were on our way. The bus took a corner and a young pretty blonde girl kind of fell into me. She apologized. Then she said sorry for the body oder- she has been traveling for so long and not able to shower. I felt bad immediately. She must have seen me make the face and cover my nose. I replied with, “oh I know. I think everyone smells bad!” I hope she felt better, but really, she smelled like death! OI! I had seen her earlier. She had a huge drum like bag of luggage. I think maybe she was a drummer in a band. How cool is that. Maybe she is on tour!!

I got off the plane and into the next building. I looked at the screen- at my gate- LAST CALL!! OMG! Seriously?? I looked down the corridor. Really? Like REALLY? My gate was the very last one at the very end of the long hall?? Really?

I started to book it! I wasn’t alone. There were two people in front of me also running. After a couple minutes of sprinting, we finally made it. The young girl went in before me, and as they glanced at her passport, they asked why she was late. She shrugged and walked through. It was my turn and his question annoyed me! I stated that this was the most unorganized airport ever- but in a calm and collected way. He replied by saying that it was completely organized. I wondered what drugs he was taking. Definitely not a smart pill! Moron!

I was on my last flight. Right snug in the very middle of the plane between two ladies. I was soo tired! I used the head pillow to squeeze my head in and keep it from moving. I was out like a light! I did not wake until we began our decent. They were picking up garbage. I realized that I had missed out on snack! BOO! I was hungry too. When the flight attendant came by, I asked for some food. She gave me a package of two cookies, and a bottle of juice that was too sweet. Gross!

I got off the plane and grabbed my luggage. I was going to use a trolley, but in Brisbane, you have to pay for them. Forget that! I made my way to a train station ticket purchaser. Bought a ticket to get me to Woombye as that is where Shonleigh said she would pick me up. Although, she doesn’t know I am coming today. I inquired about getting credit for my phone. They said something about going all the way upstairs and across and blah blah blah. By that time I would miss my train.

I used the escalator with all my bags. I heard some people waiting for the elevator say “ she took the escalator!!” Why yes I did, because I had a very long travel and did not feel like WAITING for the elevator! Escalator worked great! I went to the train purchaser by the station to ask a question about my route. She looked puzzled and told me to go a different, more direct and faster route. Thank god I asked a question! UGH! I sat down on the train.

The train took me to Bowen Hills in Brisbane. I got off and switched trains to another one that went to Sunny Coast. I eventually got off at Woombye after an hour and a half! What a journey! So here I was at my destination. How to get a hold of Shon. I looked around the tain station. No pay phone. I looked up the street. Hmm theres one at the top of the hill. How nice. I hauled all my luggage to the pay phone up the street. I plugged a 50 cent piece in and tried to work it. No luck. It was not right. I had never used a payphone in Aus before. I cannot seem to work them. I walked into a near by coffee shop with my luggage. There was an asian lady working. I asked her where I could buy credit. She was confused, and eventually I asked if I could use her phone to call a local number. I gave her Shonleighs mobile number and the lady claimed it was weird. She began to dial and I informed her it was a mobile and that is why it didn’t start with 54. Then she hung up stating she cannot call mobiles with her phone. I didn’t believe her but was too exhausted to argue. She said she would watch my bags for my while I ran up the street some more to buy some credit.

I bought some credit and immediately, Chakley texted me asking how my trip was. I called him asking where he was as he lived close by. He said he had to pick his little brother Jake up, and would see if Shonleigh could grab me. My phone was dying! He called back saying Shon was unable to grab me and that he would but I would have to wait 25 minutes. I was relieved. While I was waiting, Justin texted me asking if I had arrived alright. Then he called. We chatted until Chakley arrived. I guess my phone had enough juice in it. J Mat and his brother helped me with my luggage. They are both soo adorable. Mat has a baby face and his brother is a mini him! I said my good byes to them as they had to leave. Miss Cloe was home- but Shonleigh was not. I took my bags upstairs.

I went on the internet right away. I had to pay my rent, as the money did not transfer quick enough and my rent did not go through. Banking is stressful when living in two different countries!

Shon came home, and Adog came over. It was sooo good to see them. We caught up on all of our stories. Adog did not have any problems with her Roo Poo either. YAY!! Shon went to work and Adog and I spent the night chatting. I was sleepy and so I went to bed early! SIGH!!!!

Canada- Winter/Summer Getaway!

June 20th- July 25th

I have decided not to write about my adventures in Canada during my semester break. I will dedicate this blog completely to my Aus adventure… and what ever foreign land I leave my footprints on. Canada is home, and therefore a whole book in itself.

Canada consisted of many things. Some highlights included surprising my Nieces on Kelsey’s 15th birthday. I dropped Justin off at work and continued to drive to Lamont where I met Kelsey and Julie on Mandy’s bus. I was talking with Mandy on my mobile walking towards the bus when they ran off and hugged me with tears in their eyes.

I also had the pleasure of getting to hang out with Julie quite a lot. This 10yr old escorted me to the Kenny Chesney- Taylor Swift concert where she told off a 24 yr old guy. He was cocky and deserved it, leaving him confused and silent. Young Julie also accompanied me to Capital X. It was Justin, Mark Kremzar, Julie and I. We ate caramel apples, climbed rock walls, had virgin margaritas, watched a horse race, went crazy on rides, and ate CORN DOGS!! Julie was also introduced to mini doughnuts which I am sad to admit, she is now addicted to. Thanks Kremzar!! We watched the boys play some games, and lose. Julie even turned out to be braver then I on the drop of fear! There are even pictures to prove it. Justin was shocked at how much I was screaming on the way up! Julie just laughed at me. We concluded the night by riding home in the car with all the windows down, blasting country music. We would pull up to other cars with their windows down, and the people would look at us and chuckle. All four of us were singing all the words- screaming all the words, all the way home! Then we played cards, Julie showing us that we are assholes- while she is president. Julie made us laugh at how good she was at drawing bumholes when we lost. The Julie fun didn’t end then. In the morning, we had a steam shower and went go carting! She had never been go carting before and loved it! She was let out first and was quite a bit ahead of me. I had to catch up. This wasn’t hard. What was hard was getting past all the cars that were held up by my mini race car driver! There were probably about 6 of them between us. I made my way to her and we raced along together. At one point she even hit the pile of tires on the side because she was looking at me! It was sad to take her back to Mark at the end of our fun.

I enjoyed a spontaneous Thursday night trip out to Jasper with my man, and all because he just had to go and buy this jacket he had seen there a while back. We had been in West Edmonton Mall shopping for a jacket, not able to find the perfect one, when he offered the idea. Instead of going home- 5 minutes away- Justin bought us clothes for the next day and off we went. We spent the night in a hotel and the next day walked in the town of Jasper. After doing a bit more shopping, buying a beach towel, shorts, jackets, and playing cards, we enjoyed some bud light limes on the balcony at Earls. Then we packed up and drove to a small beach on the side of the highway. We played cards, listened to music, ate spitz, and had some beer. Just so you know, I kicked his butt at rummy, as per usual! On the way home, we stopped here and there to explore and take pictures. We even went under the Pembina bridge which was super cool and scary! Very high up! We finished the night out at a friends parents place, swimming in the pool and playing cards.

I was able to visit the girls at work which was a treat. I was very excited to see everyone and tell them of our adventures. I showed them my smuggled products- roo poo excepted. I showed up bearing gifts of tiny koala’s and pictures. It was nice to see familiar faces and to be in my former place of work. I do miss my job. Unit 42 is kick ass! Pegasus and I are enjoying Aus- but cannot wait to come back and pick up where we left off- with some minor changes.

The Saskatchewan camping trip was poorly planned but ended up being loads of fun. Justin and I borrowed Mark and Mandy’s motor home and stayed on Cody’s familys lake lot on Jack Fish Lake. I met a lot of Justin’s boys family; really good group of people who know how to party. I drank Pilsner. When in Rome.,, We spent a lot of time on the boat. Justin attempted to wake surf, but was failing miserably. I was laughing- and trying to be supportive- but it was just too funny. He was a mess! He must have tried for about half an hour, then I gave it a go! I was up on the first try, and the second, third, and fourth time and so on. Justin immediately thought it was a silly sport. Ahah I showed up my bf!! It was fantastic! For those of you who don’t know, wake surfing is surfing behind the boat. There are no boots for your feet. You don’t need to hold the rope if you are in the right spot, unfortunately, every time I attempted this spot, I would fall. I could get up, but not be rope less. The next day, Keagan was wake surfing, and holding a beer. He was hilarious. He was using the rope to whip the pretend bull he was riding. If only you could have seen it! This big baheamith of a guy- soo silly on the water. Even when he fell it was comedy. During the nights, we would drink by the fire. Drinking margaritas from the specialized high end margarita maker! We also enjoyed fireworks. I met the infamous Uncle Archie. When I finally went to bed, he called me back to the fire. I was unsure what he wanted. I stood there waiting. Then he said “I just wanted to see you walk that way again!” and everyone chuckled. Uncle Archie! A short cowboy who’s hat is oddly tall. He wears a country dress shirt with the sleeves ripped off. Cowboys to finish ‘er off. Always seen with at least two drinks in his hand and a smoke out of his mouth. He is old school, but wont use anything that doesn’t have a motor! A show can be made featuring this man alone! He is country like I have never seen before. His wife Lana, this small little tough chick! Archie is a trucker. One night, he went on for almost an hour chanting all these old trucker tunes! They are amazing! I hope one day to learn them all! I would love a recording at least! I was very impressed. It was a very eventful and fun weekend. It brought Justin and I closer together as I met a new side of him. J

A nature hike with Mandy and Julie. One day, we decided to go for a hike in Elk Island Park. Kelsey was going to come with, but ditched out to see her bf! UGH! Teenagers! I only live on the exact opposite side of the country! What ever happened to my sweet little girl?? At least I still have two other nieces to enslave! We walked a loop on our hike, pointing out the various different poo’s we found, and being goofy, changing shirts, finding frogs, sword fighting with sticks, slicing plants in half, and slapping flies away like crazy! Yes changing shirts. For some reason, Julie and I changed shirts- realized it was a bad idea- and traded back! We continued on until we reached a fork in the road. I suggested right- Mandy insisted left. She said her Indian instincts were telling her to go in that direction. Not having these senses myself, I followed. We were starting to get a bit tired, and Julie’s feet were hurting when I noticed a sign. I asked Mandy to search her camera as I was sure we had already passed it, and sure enough we had! It was the sign that I made the joke “the beach is dat way”, in my best German accent I could muster. We had been looping around in circles. Julies was completely disappointed. We doubled our desired length of track! I thought it was a lot of fun. We were able to see all of the poo’s one more time!! YAY for us!

Justin came out to the farm for the weekend, No one planned it, but it ended up being a mini reunion. Melissa, Adam and the kids. Mandy, Mark and the kids- when Kelsey wasn’t ignoring us for her two bf’s. Other appearances were made by Kevin, Mim, Janice, Doug, Debbie, and even David- who I hadn’t seen in years. I also found out that he was a Arby blog follower some of the time. This made me smile! We spent the weekend playing with the kids, eating good food, playing cards, and drinking… of course! I was even there for Kelsey’s first tequila shot! ( that we know of…) Ethan clobbered my boyfriend, repeating over and over again “boy with a neck o lace, boy with a neck o lace” while picking at his necklace. It was soo funny! I was also the lucky Auntie. I was chosen to give our little barbarian baby Ryleigh her very first haircut. She now looked like a sweet little angel once again. Don’t let it fool you! She is still a little silly monster! Our weekend at the farm was cut short when I had the opportunity to meet my Dad’s wife Palm. Melissa, Adam, Justin, the kids and I hopped into our cars and made our way to the acreage. It had been years since I had been here, and was a little excited to show it to Justin! I even showed him the clawed foot bath tub which I was conceived in! Maybe one day I will inherit it…. *wink wink*. Once at the acreage, we- I mean I, made dinner. Dad bought a big roast. Justin helped Adam with some gardening. After, we all chit chatted and then I played ninja’s with Ethan swinging sticks around. Justin and I also wrestled chasing eachother around like sappy little love birds. It was like a triple date. We got to talk to Palm a bit, and I was happy to hear how well she spoke English. She was very pleasant and Dad seemed very happy. We spent the whole evening there and eventually dragged our butts home.

Spending the day with Stacey is always a good time. Going for breaky and then grabbing a blanket and some rockstars before hitting up a movie- My Sister’s Keeper- which made us cry like babies! Doing all my girly stuff with Stacey, like getting our makeup done for free and wearing fake eyelashes. We also had Julie who also had her makeup done- tastefully. I saw Stacey a couple times, and was able to briefly meet her bf too. He seems like a pretty good guy, and he makes her really happy. Hopefully he can continue to fill the void I left while I am gone. ;)

The Stampede. Justin and I hit up Calgary. We stayed in a hotel right across from the restaurant that we randomly met up at in September, before we were an item. Our plan was to go floating down the Bow River, but the weather was not permitting. Just a bit too chilly. We headed down to the grounds with Scott and Alisha after having dinner with a couple of friends who’s names escape me. While at the Stampede, Justin treated me to the skyscreamer ride. I was soo scared and the worst part was sitting at the top waiting for them to load people at the bottom. We went and had some drinks with some new friends that I met and eventually retired back to our room. It was a fun and quick trip.

I spent the summer catching up with good friends- Stacey, Dalida, Wade, Melissa, all the Spruce crew, including Marty, and many more. I was able to get to know Justin’s family a bit more as well, and celebrate Kelti’s birthday. I got to see my sisters and family a whole lot too, having many days hanging out at the farm with Mandy. It was good to see my mom and Kevin, Dad and Palm. It was incredibly sad to have to leave them all as well. I wish I would have had time to see my grand parents and many other friends. I had soo many other things that I wish I had tome to mention. As the end of my trip grew closer, my heart sunk lower and lower. It was a hundred times harder to say good bye this time around. As awesome as Australia is, Canada is home, where my heart is.

If you remember anything that seemed to be an adventure while I was there, please remind me and I can always update my footprints to include it. I know there are many many more times, but perhaps they have slipped my mind for the time being.

Longest Day In June

Saturday June 20th

Jason had me at the airport by 545. He drove off and I began my journey- the longest June 20th I have ever had! On my first plane ride, I sat alone. I had a nap and I read. I was full of anxiety still! On our decent, I was able to see the Sydney Opera house and the infamous Harbour Bridge. It was spectacular! I was very excited. Im glad I was by myself, as I am sure I looked goofy getting all excited over something still far away. Something that I could not truly appreciate from this distance! The Sydney airport is a bit strange. They have this bus that takes you from domestic to international. I waited to board the bus and 10 minutes later, I was in the international section of the airport. There was a long line at my gate, so I stopped to grab some vegimite and wine. I boarded my flight. My seat was actually a very good one, it was at the very front of the economy class. Window seat to boot! I sat beside a young Aussie bloke named Eric. Bright red hair and freckles to match. He is 19 and is taking nursing in Brisbane. Also a second year student. We had a nice chat here and there for the long flight. He was going to a family reunion- last minute. Our seats were nice because we could stretch our lags as much as we wanted. There was plenty room infront of us. I watched some movies and slept quite a bit, trying to adjust to the time difference. Traveling always makes me super sleepy!

I arrived in Vancouver after being on the plane for 14 hours. Thats right, I was on my way home for my semester break! Justin wanted to see me and bought me a ticket home as soon as he found out I had a break! Lucky girl I am! I just had one more plane ride to go. I had an hour to pick up my bags, go through customs, re-check my bags, and then freshen up and change. I wanted to look good for my man after all! Boarding was at 0815. While waiting for my bags, a young customs gaurd came up to me and asked for my customs pass. I gave it to him and he wrote stuf down on it with a blue highlighter while asking me questions. Where I live, why Im in Canada, and why I am living in Aus... those types of things. I thought nothing of it. Routine random check. He left. I kept waiting and was getting pretty nervous as my bags still had not come up. They did not come until 0820!!! I quickly went to the line to go through customs. I gave them my customs pass and they said " this way ma'am." Pointing to a door. No one else was going that way. I became nervous. I said that I really had to rush and catch my plane as it was already boarding. he said that if it was boarding, it was already too late. With this, I started my walk to go through the doorway. My heart sank into my stomach. I was missing my flight! I wasnt sure what was going to happen.

I walked in through the door to this massive room. They had people's suitcases layed out and were searching through them, not excluding underwear and sneaky places like the backs of camera's. My heart started beating faster from its new home in my stomach. What will happen when they find my Roo poo, eucalyptus leaves, and my red earth!?!?! I did not declare any of these items. I know that these items are not allowed. I began to over heat. A strange sensation that I have never felt, being a person who is forced to mooch heat from other people as I do not produce any myself. I have often seen people with this problem. They deal with it by taking off layers. I decided to see if it works. I took my sweater off and waiting in the line up. Things were going slowly. This made me nervous still, anticipating the moment when I would have to come up with some kind of story for each item. The roo poo, I was going to play the dumb blond card, " I thought it would be ok since the stomach acid eats away at things..." The red dirt, " people bring home sand from other countries all the time..." The leaves, " oh! How did those get in there?? I didnt realize I had packed those!" I had the leaves inside a fabric grocery bag, folded flat. I could have easily missed them. I knew my stories were weak, but I didnt know what else to do. It was getting nearer my turn. This one Customs officer was questioning this Asian man. Something was going on. She was being harsh- and scared the living day light out of me! She was a big lady too. I briefly wondered what her girlfriends name was. I wasnt quite sure what this man was trying to get away with, but it seemed I was also in for this treatment! I was hoping not to be questioned by her. She was saying things like " Im suppose to believe," and " your story doesnt make sense". I was now at the front of the line. Sweaty and trembling, my eyes full of stress fluid, my skin hot and red! I looked extremely suspicious! Then something happened. Two new officers came off of break. The young handsome officer came over and asked for my customs pass and led me to a table. I gave him my boarding pass. "OH!" he said. " Yup, I know. I missed my plane because of this." I couldnt keep it in any longer. The stress fluid spread over my face and took control. He looked up and his expression changed. I could see the panic in his facial structures. I was lucky he was young, and probably not used to women crying around him. I could tell he was uncomfortable. The fluid was not ceasing. It kept pouring from my vision holes. My sleeves wet from wiping at my face. He asked me a couple of questions. The same old ones, where I live, why Im living in Aus, what Im coming home for, how long. Then he asked what was in my bags. "Clothes and some gifts for my nieces." He cut me off, asking if I had food. " Just some,' sniff,' vegimite and a bottle of wine for my," sniff sniff * blows into kleenix and breathing deeply, " boooyyyfrrriend." At this he passed me back my boarding pass and informed me that I would be put on the next flight to Edmonton as there are lots back and forth all day. He pointed me out through a door and I thanked him. I instantly felt some of the heat rise away- feeling a little bit more like myself. The stress fluid was slowing as well. I was the only person who's bags were not checked! As I walked away, I could not help but to smile a sneaky little grin!
I kept walking with all my bags, slightly struggling. I made my way to the other side of the airport. Checked my bags and discovered I had plenty of time to freshen up! This worked out to my advantage. I brushed my teeth, changed completly, did my hair how Justin likes it, and put some makeup on after a quick wash here and there- the main spots! A few squirts of perfume and I was off to find a phone. I didnt have have Canadian money and so I had to use my credit card. I left Justin a message telling him that I was stopped in customs and that I would be on the later flight. I then read my book and waited for boarding. My last plane ride seemed the longest. I was eager to see Justin. I sat next to an older man, maybe in his seventies. He was bitter! At who? Im not certain. I was soo hungry having not eaten in hours. So when the snacks came by, I must have looked extremely pleased to get mine. The male flight attendant asked if I wanted more and gave me three. I was eating them when the old fart said I could have his and that I should be careful as they are bad for me and full of salt and that they would kill me. I told him I would be fine and gobbled them up! Only after reading the ingredients and acknowledging the fact that this small snack would be powerful enough to kill my boyfriend! Sesame seeds= bad!! The lady came by offering newspapers, and I said no when she looked at us. She walked by and the old fart was outraged! he made a huge fuss and the poor lady apologized. He recieved his paper and mumbled to himself. I couldnt be happier to get off that plane!

We landed and I walked downstairs. No sign of Justin yet. I know he got my messages. I went to the baggage claim and retrieved my bags. I then waited. I tried reading my books but was too excited to really read, so I pretended, and stole glances to see if He was there yet. Finally after 10 minutes, I called the bugger! He was just parking and would be right in! He had gotten stuck in traffic! UGH! lol When I finally saw him, I ran up to give him a hug and kiss. He looked good despite the fact that he had cut all his hair off. He now had a buzz cut! I wasnt used to it, but didnt mind it. It grew on me. He helped me with my luggage and we hopped into his truck. I looked in the back seat and it was full of bags from Hollister, HighGrade, and shoe stores and other places. He said he was going to wait and give me one present everyday, but instead started dishing them out to me! He said he couldnt wait!! I called him a crack head since it was his Birthday the day before and that he really didnt need to buy me any gifts! I ended up loving all of it! he bought us matching shoes too! hahaha

We went straight to Chilli's on Whyte Ave. Some friends were there having drinks and snacks. I was hungry too! I met Geordy, and Cody, Justins kids Uncles from Saskatchewan. Brett, Mark, and Rory were also there. Later on I met Whitey. I forget his first name, so it is now Whitey. lol We went back to Spruce Grove to Kelti's house. ( Justin's sister). I helped Justin pack the rest of his stuff up- a few bags of slothes and papers. We went to BP's for a function his friend was putting on. I had maybe three drinks the whole evening. I was talking and conversing and carrying on. I dont remember much, but Justin says one minute I would be talking and laughing, and the next, I was looking like I was completly hammered and passing out. I hit a wall! He took me back to Kelti's place and we went to bed. We woke up again at about midnight and went back to go pick Geordy, Cody, and Rory. We found Rory staggering back on one of the main roads, and the other two had taken a cab. I was still so exhausted. We went back to bed right away! I was sooo excited to be in bed after the longest day in June I have ever been through!

Axious Examinations

Wednesday June 17th

I got up and did some study. This last month is not the most interesting to write about, however, Im not about to start to skip a day due to borringness. I will attempt to make it some what interesting, or short if all else fails.

Anxiety, and lots of it. From what... this will be revealed in entrys to come.

Met up with Adog by the pool. I wrote a rough draft of my paper for my patho exam. It flowed well. Now to critique and add tid bits. Hmm, well, maybe I will enjoy the sun just a bit longer! Adog eventually went in. I stayed out longer, even switching to the other side of the pool to catch the sun at its greatest angle. I listened to my ipod for a long while, thinking about what was to come in just a matter of days!! Lots to prepare for. My brain was filled with preparation plans.

I went inside to select some photos that I needed printed, as well as some songs to make a CD with. I was also emailing Justin back and forth. I didnt have any more credit on my phone and so I couldnt text him back and forth. We had a little argument about nothing. It was not a big deal at all, but I was still grumpy about it. Needed a study break, ( even though I was picking pics and songs LOL).

Adog and I went to the gym. It was dark when we came back. It seems like my days are soo short, but compared to back home, they are. The sun goes down incredibly early here. That is one thing I miss. ( and all of you of course!!).

On our way back, we noticed an amblulance pass us by. We thought nothing of it untill we saw that it was parked up ahead by the round about, accompanied by two giant tow trucks. When we passed, we thought that someone had broke into a home or something. There was a paramedic going into a house followed by women and children wearing house coats. She was saying " well he sure seemed to make himself at home!". We were confused. It wasnt clear until we rounded the corner to find the brick wall centre piece of the round-about inhabited by a company Ute. ( Ute's are the small little Alcamino type trucks they have here. None of the big Alberta trucks that I soo froth over!). The ute seemed to have come from the direction of the out going traffic of the round-about. It must have passed through then gardened median, taking with it a large heavy duty steel sign- this I know because there was a great hole where it had used to be, and it was now under his back right tire. The brick was all over, the wall now only half erect. He must have gotten some air as he was roaring around the round-about from the wrong direction, as he was quite a distance from the actual road. Drunk off his tree no doubt! The humor of the situation- the words on the side door of this company Ute were ' People Taking Care of Property'- obviously not very well!! hahaha

We took photos and continued on our way and were home in 5 minutes. I had a shower and made a bite to eat. I then went on FB and was able to catch Mom online. We talked for a little while and I continued to do some studying. After a while, I went to bed. Tossing and turning all night.

Thursday June 18th

Justin called me a 0200. We talked for awhile, dissolving our little issue. He let me get back to my dreaming, and I slept in until 1100!!! Later in the day, I learned that I must have accidentally changed my clock in the middle of the night, because it was actually 1000 when I awoke! The whole day I spent thinking it was one hour later! I was happy to find that I actually had one more hour of my day!!

I spent the day doing running around for Justin’s Birthday. The plan was to get him 30 items for his 30th Birthday! Most of these items were going to be inside jokes and such. If you don’t know us well, the little doll George, a child’s toy train, a tampon, some authentic red dirt from Aus, a toy utility truck like in Aus that looks like an Alcamino, and a picture of Joey Moss will not make much sense to you. I asure you, these are all items worth being on the list. On the list also included things such as a bandaid- to fix his boo boo’s when his nurse is too far, a coin- so he never goes poor, and a tissue- for his many many issues. Some of my favorite items are as follows: a pen with a piece of paper taped on it containing the word “epinephrine” hopefully he doesn’t think it’s the real thing and I am held responsible for his death!! , an authentic Kangaroo scrotum- this is fashioned to be a change purse I believe, I gave it to him to hold his saggy… sac :P, and a belly ring for his piercing! Not all gifts were useless! I also bought him a pair of shorts, a pair of shoes, made him two CD’s with a sum of 30 songs, and I printed him 30 pics of us. Corning, but the deed will not go unappreciated! Some things were inside jokes, but simple. Gum, hugs and kisses- not actually a joke, but speaks for itself. A mini Koala . A beer snuggy. Deck of Cards. A Rockstar with vodka beverage, ect… I also brought back with me a bottle of our favorite Aussie wine. The stuff we drank when he was here.

These were all good gifts, but none of these were the instigators of fear to me. I had one gift that I wanted to get to Canada that may not be allowed into the country! I wanted to send Justin some Kangaroo Poo, because he is the SHIT!! This would be a tricky one!

So on this particular day, I still had not gotten all of my gifts. Cammy B came over to help me make some CD’s. Graham came over later to take me back to the shops to pick up a couple more items. I even bought some Bond undies for myself and Julie and Kelsey. These are the Aussie brand, and I thought it would be nice for them to advertise on the other side of the planet. Graham drove me home.

Adog made some muffins and gave me one. Ebony, Shon, Yates, and Brock were over. I didn’t stay long to chat. I headed to the gym alone instead. Adog did not accompany me because she was studying. One exam to go!

I came home and tried to study. Graham got off work and came over. He picked up the pictures from the plaza for me. I don’t know what it was, but Graham and I began talking, and the next thing I know, I was telling stories after stories after stories. Some about Justin, most about Justin, and some about this and that. I forget sometimes that I have a lot more experiences then these youngins! Makes me feel old when I say that. Hmmm…. Boo! By the end of the night, he was wishing that he would have been able to meet Justin. Graham and I did not really meet until Justin had left already. It was getting late, Eb and Shon came home. Eb was pretty drunk. It was after all Uni night. They came into my room and the four of us talked briefly. Graham left and the other two went to bed.

Went to bed… not too much studying was accomplished. I felt pretty good about it, but did not sleep well due to the anxiety! Not just from the test I was about to write either!!

Friday June 19th

JUSTIN’S BIRTHDAY!!!!!

I was up early! I went and wrote my exam. I had to write a whole essay paper about diabetes and the effects on the body. I also had 60 multiple choice to complete. I completed the paper first. It actually turned out well. Had I more time, it would have been perfected, but this was not the case. I started on the multiple choice. I ended up having to guess the last 10 questions without reading them due to the time constraint! Shitty!!

I talked with friends after the exam. I didn’t want to talk about the exam too much. I was just happy to be done! I was free!! Holiday time! Woot Woot!

I told Amy my plan to pick up the Roo poo. She laughed! On our way walking to the library, I got out my plastic baggy and scooped up a fine specimen! I could see in the distance Amy and our friends laughing at me! Ahhaha

I went into the library and printed off some information. Quickly went on FB and then home. Ebony was waiting for me. I packed up some stuff and she gave me a ride to Brisbane. She is an interesting character. I really like her. I can understand why a lot of ppl do not like her initially, or at all for that fact. She is taking her education degree and one day hopes to teach children in poverty in Africa. She genuinely wants to make a difference. This is something she said she does not like telling people. We had a pretty good time on the way in. She dropped me off at Jason Whitings place. He wasn’t home, but his room mate Cas was. Eb left and I chatted with Cas for a bit. I then had a nap since I was up late and didn’t sleep well. I got up and chatted with Cas some more until Jason got home.

He came from Melbourne. He had some work there in the south and brought home with him some very cool Australian artifacts. I want to buy some of the wine racks he had. They only hold one bottle of wine, but are so neat in their design. It’s a curved piece of wood with Aboriginal designs all over it. It balances with a bottle of wine in it. Very cool!

Frank, their friend came over. He was the one who came up with Jason that one random night. It is always kind of funny hanging out with Jason and his crew. They seem to be very anti- Aussie. This always strikes me as a bit odd. I see their point about some things, but I feel the same way about some Canadians as well!! I don’t understand why someone would live in a country for however long if they did not like the people who lived in it!! When you go to Jason’s, you usually find little treasures like kraft dinner, or other imported goods. Jason and Frank love their Copenhagen! Gross! Good luck with your ulcers! Frank was over to collect, as Cas and her bf had just come back from Canada. Cas and Frank were both tired and did not join us to a friends party.

We drove across town to Jason’s old work buddy’s 30th Birthday also on this day. He was from Fiji, and when we walked in, he was giving a speech. The room was filled with Oriental’s and Fijian’s. As soon as he saw Jason, he stopped his speech to say a few words about Jason. He joked around and everyone laughed! Some people came in behind us and didn’t receive a greeting by anyone. This was a very interesting party indeed. It is not all that common for a home grown Saskatchewan boy to have soo many non- white friends. Harsh but true! We mingled throughout the night and Jason had one beer that seemed to last the entire night. I was fine with this fore he was my ride. His one friend kept trying to make us drink more and more. While I was protecting Jason by saying I had just gotten him a new bottle, he was doing the opposite to me! I ended up doing a couple of tequila shots and some mystery shots- that were surprisingly delicious! I didn’t get drunk- thank god, and we left the party.

When we got back to Jason’s house, he went straight to bed. I made myself a bed on the couch and Justin called. It sounded like he was having a good time with his friends from Saskatchewan that had traveled up to Etown for Justin’s Birthday. We talked for a short while and I went to bed.

I woke up at about 4am to have a shower. I got ready and Jason and I left…..