aussie aussie aussie

I had so much fun visiting Sam in Sydney. He was such a wonderful host and tour guide and showed us nearly every inch of the city. I'm so happy I got to see his life there - from his internship to his apartment to meeting his roommates. I feel so lucky to be able to envision him going about his day now.

The only bummer of the trip was that we didn't realize it was the wet season for the Great Barrier Reef, so we had to cancel our overnight trip, because they don't run snorkel and rain forrest excursions in the rain. However, instead we got to go to the Blue Mountains, which were really awesome, too.

Dukie at the bottom of a waterfall...

A gorgeous lookout...

Two of my favorite parts of the week were taking surf camp with Duke and going on a St. Patrick's night cruise with Sam, Duke and Ricky.

The beautiful Bondi Beach, where we took our lessons...

Waiting to get on the ship...

Although the food was less than classy, the drinks were in plastic cups, and the attire was slightly ridiculous, the Sydney skyline was spectacular. We saw unbelievable views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. I'm still dreaming of them. 

We also saw lots of cool Didjeridoo players around the city. 

And Duke and Sam in the Botanical Gardens, climbing a tree just like the old days. Aren't they the best!?

Thanks for being a great host Sammy!

Oh, P.S. We played a game where you flipped over four random cards, and the person next to me and I had identical cards, in the same order! I took a picture because I was so amazed, and all the boys said no one would believe it. But I knew you guys would...

...and we're back

Home sweet home! I'm back from Australia and have lots of lovely pictures to share. I had an amazing time with Duke and Sam and feel so lucky to have taken the trip with them. However, today, I am beyond jet lagged, so this is just a teaser for down under posts to come...

Have a lovely week!


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And we're off!

The time has come! Australia for this girl. See you soon, mates.

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you've got mail

My heart skips a beat when I get real mail (sans bills), so I can't imagine picking it up in one of these fancy mailboxes.

The design firm is located in Australia. Here's to hoping I'll see lots of them in action when I'm there!

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i leave for australia really soon!

and I can't believe it!

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à paris, anyone?

I'm sad to admit that this lovely little video almost covers the extent of French I remember from the eight years I took.

It also makes me yearn to go, like yesterday. Do you think the pilot would detour on our way back from Australia? It would only be a tiny bit off course.

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take me there

Later this spring my siblings and I will be venturing to Australia to visit Sam. He's already been sending us descriptions of the warm sun, his instant base-tan, and the ocean that's just two blocks away. I was excited to begin with, but now I'm beyond antsy. Would it be inappropriate to start packing now?

Although the plane ticket hurt upon purchase, it didn't take long for me to begin wondering if I'll need a new wardrobe for the trip. For some reason the beach bums he's been describing don't strike me as preppy, cardi-wearing types. I'm dreaming of a wavy hair and sandal-clad week, sans straightener.

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