Let's time travel, 7 months in one post...
Once again, I am sorry for the delay in
updating you on our Australian life. We have been so busy doing what
we do best, traveling, adventuring and enjoying life in Australia! I am sorry for leaving you all out of the
loop.
Now if you had asked me a year ago when I
would be coming home I would have said Christmas 2012. I did go home, however, I went home for
a visit rather than for good. Australia has captured my heart. It would be too hard to leave our home sweet
home in Manly, as well as the amazing adventures we always seem to be embarking
on.
Tommy and I both enjoyed Christmas with our
families, on separate coasts. I was lucky to be a part of the Semester at Sea Young Alumni
Council and enjoyed a reunion voyage with my dad where I was fortunate enough
to meet THE Archbishop Desmond Tutu. What a neat and special experience.
It was very hard coming back to Sydney after
three great weeks back home, but starting a new job gave me something to look
forward to. Of course we were
back into our Manly life right away.
Over the past seven months, we have explored
more of Australia and taken on new challenges.
Over Easter Break, we flew across the country
to Western Australia to explore Perth, Fremantle and Rottenest Island. What a spectacular part of Australia we
encountered! The highlight of
the trip was definitely taking the ferry across to Rottenest Island where we
biked for hours to small exclusive beaches with crystal clear turquoise
water. I must admit it
was the toughest biking I have ever done, and I was sore for about a week
after…
At the end of March we competed in the Tough
Mudder held in Sydney. This is a 20k course with many challenging obstacles along the
way. Tommy struggled
in the ice bath as he quickly dunked under and came up panting for air, and I
was attacked in the electric eel in which I was continuously shocked with my
body convulsing. We were
quite the site to be seen, caked in mud with big pearly white smiles enjoying
every minute of it!
In April, Tommy spoiled me for my birthday
taking me on an amazing trip up North to Byron Bay. This hippie beach town was the perfect
romantic escape filled with delicious meals and beautiful hikes. The highlight was the hike up to the
lighthouse. When we made it
to the top, we looked over the cliff into the crystal clear waters only to see
20+ sea turtles scattered throughout the water and a few hungry great white
sharks lurking. We decided then and there that any swimming would consist of a
quick dip!
June was the ultimate highlight of the past 7
months. For two weeks we escaped
to the Big Island of Hawaii where our families awaited. Unfortunately my two sisters were
not able to come; however, I was able to enjoy life as an only child. As a 24 year old, I had no problem
snuggling in between my mom and dad every night for some cuddles that had been
long missed. It was so nice
reuniting with Tommy’s entire family, and sharing an incredible group family
vacation together. A special part
of the vacation included jumping into 300ft of water to swim with a massive pod
of dolphins. Incredible. The holiday brought back many memories
from my childhood being back at the place where I learned to walk, talk, swim, and
most importantly catch geckos!
Aloha.
We have been to concerts and events, we
received our divers certification, I was promoted within my new company, we
enjoyed a weekend back in Melbourne, we climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and finally this brings me up to date after
a whirlwind catch up of our past 7 months…
My sister, Molly,
is studying abroad at the University of Sydney, and arrived in Sydney last
week. So, for the next 4 months, I have my little sister here with
me. What a treat!
