m i double s i, double s i, double p i.

Mississippi... yep... that's how you spell it. was a lovely walk, although most of it was dark. but it gave me a chance to see some great Christmas lights. I wanted to eat one house with how decorated it was.

I'm excited about tomorrow night, it will

be fondue and games with the Langenfeld clan... I'll have to crank out my fondue set when I return home. yew!!

well, I was inspired to write and now I'm not... sorry! but hope you all had an awesome Christmas and boxing day!!! all the best for the end of the year!

xx

Hastings, Minnesota.

well, here I am in Hastings. it's Christmas day here and boxing day in Australia. I wonder what the weather is like in sydney today. it's cold here, but sunny. still haven't gotten that white Christmas that I've longed for... maybe in a few years. haha. it has been so much fun staying with Andy and Mandy. and to meet Noah. wow, he is just so big!!! almost 11 months... he had a new baby cousin born yesterday and apparently he looks real big compared to her. it's

funny to think how small he looks and how much smaller he would have been a year ago.

I'm going to go for a walk now, to the Mississippi river... ha. the only reason I know how to spell that is because of Annie. haha.

I'm gunna go before it gets too dark. I'll write more when I get back from my walk... maybe. haha.

love you all,

merry Christmas, joyeux Noel, Feliz navidad.

xx

i'm going skiing

i'm going skiing... i'm going skiing...

and that is all...

xx

I'm going to NZ tomorrow!!!!!! woohoooooo

pigeons anyone??

'you are always away'... yep!!!! and i'm very excited!!! i'm going to windy wellington tomorrow morning (well this morning if you want to get technical...)

just thought i'd put that up here... but first... some lovely photos from work the other day... yes, i went to luna park... just for fun, just for work. yay!!!

enjoy my beautiful city!

xx

back to the grind.

my beautiful country!!! woohoo!!!!


ok... so, i'm back to school and they've just dropped me to 1 3/4 days. haha. so now i'm gunna figure out what on earth to do with my life... take it easy, chill, think, rest in God and just see what happens. or actively seek out a few things. I've been having some great conversations with people and meeting some interesting people of late, so i'm going to try and spend a bit of time seeing what I can learn. Bring on the learning!!! woohoo!!!!

so... what have i been up to?? camping was fantastic! I went to melbourne with michelle garratt for conference called "surrender" and then decided to sign up for a week down in melb living in a share house of people helping to run a soup kitchen. I went to Radelaide twice and just bummed around being me.

here are some lovely photos for you to enjoy!
=)

holidays...

it's hard to believe that it has been 11 school weeks since i have updated this thing.. wow... must be going through a very lazy time at the moment... I have thought often about updating this, but haven't gotten around to it. I do have a few exciting things (for me at least) going on in my life at the moment...

i'm off camping with my flatmates and a few friends over the easter weekend... I'm really looking forward to that. I had a few girls around for a Johnny Deppathon the other evening, where i cooked the dinner from scratch... it was awesome!!! hummous, dips, falafel, zucchini fritters... yummy.... haha.

righty-oh... i'm trying to watch the curious case of benjamin button... so i might get back to that.

woohoo!!!
hope you are all well.
=)

xx

And now home

I sit at the airport about to come home from my trip away. My time away has seemed so long and so short all at once. So many of the kids on the community go to school in Melbourne, Darwin, Lismore, sydney, it's really interesting. I wonder how/why they choose the schools they do. 

Wow... I have had such a good week. Not knowing what to expect, just hanging around with the kids, helping the sport and rec centre to do what they do and get to know some of the kids. The community we were in was pretty small... 600 or so people I think... A different world, but a great one. Has made me think about life and what I do and why I do it (once again). 

I am so excited about this year and who I spend time with, learn from, what I learn, how my mindset is influenced by the people around me. This year is going to be a great year in my life's journey. I can't wait til the end of the year and I can reflect on the year that was.  

Australia day tomorrow and I can't wait to celebrate how lucky I am to be Australian, but also to remember the past of my country and the repercussions of that now. 

Anyways, that's all from me for the moment and I'll put some photos up when I get back. And try to remember some stories to put up here!

Hope you are all well. 
:)
Xx

The train, the rock, Alice and Darwin.

My pack towel does really well as a blanket on the train from Alice to Darwin, the Ghan. I am also surprised at how many times I can get pins and needles in one nights sleep and just how many ways I can sleep in a single chair on a train... And the shower... I don't think I ever thought unwound have a shower on a train... Haha. But I have. The whole thing is really quite fascinating. I can tell you about it one day! 

I have fallen in love with Alice springs and want to move back there to teach. I met an older guy in the pub that told me an hours worth of reasons for why I shouldn't move there, but then said when I do move back, I need to buy him a drink, as I'm going to hate it there... His was of saying 'I told you so'.  Anyways, this year is a sydney year, so I'll have to just holiday for now  and see how life pans out.

I met a few travellers on the train and we're going to hire a car together and see where we end up. There is one English, French, swiss, Swedish and Chilean... Pretty good cultural pot! That's a good thing about long train journeys.. You meet some cool people (like Oscar when I caught the train from kiruna to Stockholm).

Wow. So you pay a small fortune for a morning breakfast tour of Uluru and find out when you jump on the bus you need to pay more money for the national park pass... I'll have to check the fine print on the brochure... I'm sure it didn't say extra cost. Ahhhh, they'll get you for everything. 

I'm also amazed at how many people are awake at 4:30am for trips such as mine. My bus was the 7th bus to my lodge in the morning before 5am... Craziness.

Anyway, WOW! so I love pretty much everywhere, so it doesn't seem to count, but this place really is something else... I need to come back here to explore more... Nature will never cease to amaze me.

Oh, and the stars... There was a huge lightning storm the other night all around the resort.  Such a great sight from the lookout. Lightning all around, then stars above.  Saw so many shooting stars and satellites. And I've been pretty lucky with the weather, not too hot at all.


Ok. This does not read well, but i've just  been jotting down notes for putting on my blog through my phone, and this is how it goes... 

Sorry! 
Good luck making sense of it! 
Xx

Let's see if this is possible from my phone...

So... I'm at a big rock... In the middle of Australia. I found accommodation here for a reasonable price. I'm glad the backpackersnhad space. I didn't do my research before I came and didn't know just how close the olgas are and that they look phenomenal... I'm a just going to have to come back here... June methinks... Anyone keen??? :)

Just relaxed yesterday and today, going for breakfast at the rock tomorrow before going on a bus to Alice... Wow. It's so green... Apparently they've had 4 years worth if rain in 1 month or something. Not really the red centre at the Moment.

Went for a nap this arvo because it was so hot... Woke up and it is raining... Good for relaxing and reading a bit. It's good to have some 'me' time. I don't do that enough in sydney... Maybe that's something to focus on this year. Anywyas, I'm going to get back to my book. Just thought I'd see if I can post from my phone (wonders of modern technology!!) if this posts... Then it's worked. Yay.

Enjoy today!
Xx

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

so... it's the 2nd of Jan. I'm going to the moonlight cinema tonight, because i have lived so close to it for over a year now and haven't gone since i've lived here. tonight is the night. oh yeah! (except it has just gone from a sunny day to looking like it will rain... oh no!!!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I can't believe it's 2011 already. I've been back in australia for over 2 years now. WOW. how quickly time flies. I still feel like things are going pretty well. I have quit my job at one of my schools, but i have left the recorder group in capable hands. haha. and at my other school (if they can have me), i will start a new recorder group. fun fun fun. I took my recorder away for new years and was playing at peats ridge. who knows, next year i might be one of the acts in the chai tent. except hopefully next christmas i will be overseas.

I never do new years resolutions, although this year I decided to. I'm going to focus on good relationships and look after my well being a bit better. in the last 6 months i have discovered some amazing people who i really enjoy spending time with and they bring out the best in me. So i'm looking forward to how that plays itself out in my life this year. BRING ON 2011 and all the growth it will give.

I had my first peats ridge festival. it was so nice to be camping again. and i'm looking forward to more camping in 2011. last year i did a few weekends away, and so i'm sure this year i can get away a bit more.

on friday, i leave for the northern territory. i've got 2 weeks exploring from Uluru north by myself. I'm looking forward to reading and discovering and just being. After that, i have a remote area kids holiday program and 4 days of travelling with a friend. I can't wait.

Right. I downloaded some photos today, so here they are...

=)

most of the group for new years

haha... me and kay at the lights that luke was excited about

west african dance anyone?? it was pretty fun

me and my lovely bro at christmas, don't know where his crown was though... oh well...

HAPPY NEW YEAR,

i'll try and update this thing from the NT.

xx