begin again...

New Year, New Career

2009-01-21T14:48:00.008+10:00

It's been over a year since my last post and too much has happened to give you all the details so I'll hit the high points.

I moved to Dallas.

Went to work at a little cupcake bakery that is all the rage, maybe you've heard of it, Sprinkles Cupcakes.
Decided to go back to school and become a nurse.
Decided, against my better judgment to get a second job at the Gap.
Went to Boston with my Family.
Quit my job at the Gap (I lasted less than two weeks with a trip to Boston in the middle of that).
Started working at a hole in the wall mexican food restaurant called the Blue Goose Cantina
Decided I wanted to forget school and become a flight attendant.
Quit my job at Sprinkles to travel the West coast with two friends for two and a half weeks (Crater Lake in Southern Oregon is FANTASTIC, the Redwood forest is pretty awesome as well).
When I got home from my trip I decided that I wanted to teach middle school social studies (when I say I decided please read: God afforded me so much clarity that I can't think of anything else I would rather do).
I enrolled in community college and started taking classes that would help me get my teacher certification.
I discovered how much I love Geography.
I became an Aunt to Mason Alan Wright. He's a pretty cute kid.
My parents hooked me up with my sisters old car, a 2002 VW Jetta, and I said goodbye to the Taurus. Man, I miss that car. Good times.
I went home to Kansas for the first time in a year. Did I ever mention how cold it is there?
I passed my content test for Texas Social Studies grades 4-8, which means I can start applying for jobs. Yea!!

That pretty much sums up that last year of my life. 2008 was definitely an interesting year of change and discovery in my life. Maybe I'll do a better job with updates in 2009...

The way Home

2007-12-11T11:22:00.000+10:00

I've been putting off posting a blog for the last week but I figure that it's time for an update. The following blog is what I wrote on the airplane from LA to Houston, Monday, December 3.
**It's really long--sorry.**

It’s 4:20 in the morning Texas Time and I can’t sleep. I’ve been traveling for that last 36 hours. You’d think I’d be exhausted but I’m not…yet. So instead of sleeping like everyone else on the airplane I decided to be that one pretentious person who leaves on the overhead light and busts out the laptop while every one else is sleeping. I left Brisbane, the city that I love, at 8:30 Sunday morning (QLD, Australia time). It was unexpected. Saturday afternoon I got the call that I feared. It was my sister. My Grandma has been fighting Ovarian Cancer for the last 3 years. Just before Thanksgiving she decided to stop taking the Chemo that seemed to only be poisoning her body further. I had been getting periodic updates from my parents and sister as to how she was doing, nervously answering the phone. This update was different. I could hear in my sister’s voice that I couldn’t put off coming home anymore.

For the past several weeks I had just been buying time, putting off the inevitable. Carisse and I were getting ready to go say our goodbyes to our work friends. I was already emotional. I was still unsure when I hung up the phone but in a matter of minutes spent in reflection I knew what I had to do. There was what I wanted to do and what I knew was the right thing. I made my mind up to go home. We said our goodbyes over and over. I was doing alright and then there was Maurice. When I gave him a hug I lost it. He told me to "quit my whining." Carisse and I walked all the way to the train station arm in arm. I cried, and she was there. When I got on the train I just put my head in my hands and sobbed. I wish I could better explain my emotions.

When we got back to the Apartment we went straight to work looking up flights to get me home. I had purchased a ticket by 6:30 pm and was on the plane 14 hours later. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to all of my friends from church. Andrea drove me, Carisse and Hudson to the airport. I had a hard time saying goodbye to Andrea. She so awesome to be around, so encouraging. Then I had to say goodbye to Carisse. You should understand that we haven’t been apart for the last 4 months. As in we eat most of our meals together, run together, work together, travel together, laugh together, everything together. We have slept in the same room every night since we left Dallas. I really had a hard time leaving her. I’ve been going crazy since I left because I’m so used to sharing everything from food to thoughts to clothes. At my layover in New Zealand I just wondered around and spent money because I felt so lost with out my friend. I miss you bestie! Anyway.

Then my flight out of Auckland, NZ got delayed 12 hours. We were meant to leave at 7:15pm on Sunday night and they changed our flight to 7:15 am on Monday. This means that everyone, including me, missed their original connecting flights. The Airline provided hotels for everyone but that meant that we had to go pick up our luggage and go through customs. Which was a hassle especially since they misplace my bag that had all my toiletries in it. The upside to all of this is that I did wind up getting that New Zealand stamp in my passport after all. So we finally left New Zealand at almost 9 am this morning. Twelve glorious hours of recycled air later and we landed at LAX at 11:30pm on Sunday Night. Basically I traveled back in time. I lived Sunday twice (or was it Monday, I get confused).

When I stepped off the plane I had exactly 1 hour and 20 minutes to go through immigration, collect my bags, get through customs, find the continental check-in, re-check my bags and get through security. It was insane. By the time I got on the plane I was all sweaty and gross. People were pointing and staring. Frankly, it was embarrassing. But I made the flight and that’s all that matters. So as I type all this I’m on my way to Houston and then to Midland where my parents will pick me up and take me to Seminole, where my grandparents live.

**It's been a crazy week since I made it back to Texas. I've had all sorts of mixed emotions. I'm sad. I love my Grandma. It's hard to see her decline daily. She doesn't look the same. She's just waiting for Jesus to take her home. When I got here on Monday I got to ask her if she was excited to see Jesus. I'm so excited for her. She is on her way Home.
It has been good for my whole immediate family to be here. It's cool to be a part of a family that's so close. It's been a heavy thing to come home to. It's been hard to be couped up in the house all day. I miss Carisse and from time to time I wonder where she and Hudson are in their travels around New Zealand. But I still know that it was the right thing for me to come home. It's one of those decisions that is simple to make but at the same time so hard.

The First Australian Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T09:35:00.000+10:00

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Maybe because it's a day that revolves around a massive feast or perhaps it's because it's an excuse to get out of work and school. But my favorite memories of Thanksgiving involve people. I remember our first Thanksgiving in Kansas, we were so sad that we weren't able to be with our extended family in Texas and we hadn't yet made any close friends in Kansas. It was great anyway because the four of us were together and well fed. I remember Thanksgivings with the Smith family when we couldn't make it to Texas. They were our Kansas Family. I remember massive meals with the whole Morris clan. And feasts followed by games of Ninja Uno with the Caffeys. I remember our Thanksgiving meals that we had with our College friends, especially the time I made Jessica laugh and she spit a mouthful of mashed potatoes on my face. I have heaps of memories of all the people I love at Thanksgiving and it is the people that I am truly thankful for. When Carisse and I first started planning our trip to Australia we knew that we were going to have to sacrifice spending Thanksgiving with our families. We were sad about it but we knew that coming home was not an option. We had no idea that God would form an amazing family around us in just three short months. We had been planning on having a Thanksgiving meal with a few friends from church since we got here but we had no idea it would turn into a feast for 20 people. We celebrated last night and tried to explain what Thanksgiving is like in America. There was laugher and fun and WAY too much food. Just before dessert we went around the table and said what we were thankful for. It was definitely a memorable Thanksgiving. As I prepare to leave I am increasingly thankful for the way God is good and sovereign. I love that He saw fit to place us with such wonderful, loving people. I love that I now have family in Australia. I am thankful.

The Beating

2007-11-19T18:30:00.000+10:00

So the ocean is really great and beautiful and well, awesome. I love it. The other day we went surfing. It was only my second time out. When you surf the beauty of the ocean turns into a beating. Seriously, if you are in the wrong place when a wave starts breaking it's like getting slapped. At one point I got knocked over and tumbled by a wave and had so much sea water forced up my nose that I'm pretty sure I have salt water in my brain now. I could actually feel it swirling around in there. But did that stop me? No way! So I'm not the world's best surfer, but learning is such a challenge and I love a good challenge. Next surf stop...Stradbroke Island.

Beauty and the Faithfulness of God

2007-10-28T23:11:00.000+10:00

It's late here and there is a beautiful Thunderstorm raging outside. I love it. I have always been fascinated with storms. I think most kids who grow up on the plains are. When I was in high school I would sit out on the front porch that faced the west and watch the big thunderheads roll in. I loved the way the warm cement felt beneath my feet and watching the drops of rain fall and slowly cover the ground. That's one of my favorite memories of growing up. The storms have a way of making you feel awe. And for some reason the storms always made me feel peace. Not just the "oh, everything's gonna be alright" kind of peace. I'm talking the kind of peace that you can just feel in your chest. Maybe the peace comes from knowing I have a safe place to go when the storm closes in or perhaps it is a sense of contentment. Whatever it is, it's beautiful.

Growing up in the flat lands of Kansas, where there is no real naturally beautiful landscape, we always looked to the skies to get our eyeful of beauty. Sunrises, sunsets, storms, and some of the most amazing stars you will ever see are in Southwest Kansas. Things are different here in Queensland, Australia. There are different types of landscapes. From lush, green rolling hills to the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen, this place is full of natural beauty. Though the places are different one thing is the same. Both whisper to me of God. From my front porch in Kansas I see God in the storm and in the stars. Who can calculate the vastness of space? And yet God created it. From the my cozy spot on the beach I can watch the waves come and crash on the shore. They are a reminder of God's persistent faithfulness. The waves keep coming, they never stop. Last time Carisse and I were down at the Gold Coast we went for a run on the beach. The waves seemed to me like God breathing. I don't know if God breathes. But breathing has been a consistent thing in my life. I have to breathe. I am a faithful breather. And for some reason the waves related to me like the breath of God. Always faithful.
Beauty is everywhere. And where we find beauty we find a picture of God.

The Recap

2007-10-28T20:43:00.000+10:00

So, it's been a long time since my last blog and I'd like to say it's because I've been busy doing lots of cool, adventurous stuff...but it's not. Its just mostly been work and home for me over the last few weeks. But I feel I can hit a few highlights that will satisfy the regular blog readers. Let's go back about three weeks...
Sunday--I heard a really great sermon about how God loves Israel/His people and wants to give them a nose ring.
Monday--I went to the Gold Coast and got my nose pierced.
Tuesday-Friday--Pretty much the usual work stuff. Maurice the Head Chef at the Restaurant (See Carisse's blog for a picture) asked me "Why do pretty girls always put s#@! in their faces?"
Sunday--I woke up and decided my bangs we too long and in need of a trim. Carisse has scissors so I cut my own bangs. Bad idea. I know not to pull my bangs down while cutting but I did it anyway so when I let go my bangs were shorter than I wanted and very uneven. Luckily, I came to my senses before trying to make things better by cutting more. Sometimes you just have to put the scissors down and wait for your hair to grow.
Monday--I managed to tame my bangs well enough to look presentable for my first proper High Tea. That's when they bring snacks out on a three tiered plate. Very cool. And surprisingly filling. Later that same day we went rock climbing at Kangaroo Point it was heaps of fun. This is me at the top.
Tuesday-Saturday--Normal work stuff.
Sunday--We hung out with some friends from Church. They took us to feed Opossums in the Brisbane City Botanical Gardens. It was fun. I actually got to pet one (after our friend confirmed that they don't have rabies over here). They are quite soft. Towards the end they started getting feisty and we started running out of food so we knew it was time to go.
Monday--We went down to the Gold Coast again. The highlight was getting to run on the beach. It is soooo beautiful there. However, running in the wind made Carisse sick (Ear/nose/throat sick not puking sick).
Tuesday-Saturday--Work stuff as usual.
Sunday (today)--I brushed my nose ring (well, really it's more of a stud) while drying off my face. It came out and Carisse and I couldn't get it back in (it was a team effort). So I have now come full circle on the whole having a nose piercing. And now I can tell stories about that one time when I had my nose pierced.
Plans for tomorrow--Kayak the Brisbane River and perhaps another short-term piercing...they make for good stories.

Can't Sleep...Must Blog

2007-10-13T23:57:00.000+10:00

It's been a long time since I have actually written anything of substance on here (wait...have I ever written anything of substance on here?). So I figure it's about time. I've resisted writing anything too serious because at some point during last summer I lost the ability to be serious, but I think it's starting to come back now. anywhooo.
It's midnight here and I can't sleep. For some reason my mind just won't shut off tonight. I was just laying in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about why and how I ended up in Brisbane, Australia. Now that I think about it, my pathway here started way before I was ever interested in traveling or Australia. It's almost as if God knew that this was where I needed to be ;) So tonight as I was laying in bed I started thinking about walls. Not physical walls that hold up buildings and houses but the kind of walls that we put up to insulate ourselves from other people, pain and the world in general. After I made the decision to uproot my life and move to Australia I started reflecting on what my life has been made of. It seems to me that from the time I became truly conscious of sin and pain and worldliness (which for me was sometime between my freshman and sophomore year of high school), I've been doing everything in my power to keep away from it. To keep my life as neat and clean as possible. Sure it seems like the Christian thing to do but in order to keep my life neat and clean I had to build some walls and relinquish some friendships. Since I first started working I have never had job where I wasn't surrounded by other Christians or in a Christian environment (the only exception being my short-lived career as a softball umpire...good money, but soooo not worth it). In High School I worked in a Christian gift shop and by the time I reached my senior year I had pretty much severed ties with all my friends that weren't Christians. I couldn't afford to be dragged in to sin by my friends. I had to keep my life clean, they made things messy. I left small town Kansas and headed for the college of my choice and of my dreams, Abilene Christian University. The wholesome goodness is baked right into the name. How could I go wrong at a Christian University studying to become a youth minister. That's about as neat and clean as life can get for an 18 year old. If there were wild parties going on I didn't know about them and I didn't really care to know about them. They didn't really fit into my neat, clean, little world. And after University I went straight to work at a church. It was here that things started getting messed up around me. I really started to dig into the gospels and reading crazy books like Blue Like Jazz and The Irresistible Revolution. I started trying to understand Jesus on a personal level. I was encouraging my teens to be missionaries in their schools, trying to help them learn to love people the way Jesus did. Then I started to realize that Jesus didn't have a neat and clean life. It was messy and full of notorious sinners, freaks and loaners. I guess I always knew that was how Jesus was in my head but that truth had finally started making its was to my heart. Cracks started showing up in my protective sin barrier. I started to realize that perhaps my safe little life looked nothing like the messy, grace-filled adventure that Jesus was offering His disciples. I started asking questions...tough ones. Like...What would happen if I let go and really let Jesus have all of my life? Would my life look different if I practiced what I preached? Am I friends with notorious sinners? Do I really believe that His grace in big enough to cover my mistakes? Do I trust God to give me just enough for today?
I needed to test myself. I needed to let the walls of my neat Christian life fall down. So God brought me to Australia. He plopped me down in a house where a church meets weekly to discuss the greatness of God's glory and mercy. A place where the gospel really is good news because we all know that we can never be good enough. He gave me a job working with amazing people that I love, who have messy lives too. And every time I work with them I get to love them more and show them grace and mercy that Jesus has offered me. And God is teaching me that I don't have to be perfect or say the right thing. In fact, it is my imperfections that make me need Him and love Him more. Praise God for the grace and mercy of Jesus. And if that is the only reason that God brought me to the far side of the planet then that is enough.

Down Time

2007-10-10T22:20:00.000+10:00

So you are all probably wondering what Carisse and I do in our down time. Well let me tell you. we go parasailing...
and Jet Skiing...
And watch the Gilmore Girls.
The End.

A Few Observations

2007-09-29T22:58:00.000+10:00

1. Men here are not afraid to wear short shorts...and they do...frequently. Frankly, it's shocking.
2. Couples here are not afraid to display their great affection for each other openly in public places. Where I working in South Bank it's rare to not see a couple making out on a daily basis.
3. The culture as a whole has a greater appreciation for alcoholic beverages. For instance, the drinking age here is 18. Also, I work in a Crepe shop, that's breakfast food, right? We sell beer in the crepe shop.
4. The serving sizes here are tiny! I'm not talking about meals. The meals here are actually well proportioned. I'm talking about their water and coffee glasses. Today, Carisse and I were having lunch with our friend Victoria. When we got to the cafe they brought us glasses and a pitcher of water. The glasses were tiny. And that's how it is everywhere. They give you a glass of water and expect you to make it last for a meal when really the glass is a glorified communion cup. Two gulps at best. Coffee's the same. The tall from Starbucks' in America is a Large here.

I'm sure I will think of more

The DR stands for Divine Refreshment

2007-09-22T09:34:00.000+10:00

This past week we past a milestone in our time here, we have been in Australia for a month. For some reason this milestone led me to contemplate my time here. Last Sunday our friend Andrew Gray from Sydney (see August post "no worries") was here to visit his Fiancee, Beth. I was visiting with him about our time in Brisbane and Australia when I realized that in the month we have been here we have not paid for a single nights stay. It then occurred to me in the middle of the night at one point this week that this is exactly what we asked God for. We wanted to go to Australia trusting that He was big enough to provide food and rest for us, and He has in a most beautiful way, through the most beautiful people. It's funny to me that I feel so close to the people I have met here. I feel like I have known them much longer than a month.
Something else that occurred to me this week was that it had been one whole month since I had tasted the sweet refreshment that is Dr. Pepper. That made me quite homesick. I even considered having my parents ship me a couple of bottles. But then I decided that I was being unreasonable and there is no need for that. Then Thursday night Carisse and I walked down to Blockbuster to rent a movie. As I turned down one of the aisles in the shop I saw it there in the drink fridge. The source of Divine Refreshment that I had been so longing for over the last month...there was a can of Dr. Pepper. It was like the sky was ripped open and light from heaven shown down on it. Heavenly choruses of Angels were singing and I'm not even kidding you...I teared up.

The Joys of Public Transportation

2007-09-19T16:09:00.000+10:00

One of the most exciting things to me about living in the city is that you don't really need a car. Life would definitely be more convenient with a car but they are not necessary to get around. In case I haven't mentioned it, God has blessed Carisse and I with an amazing place to live. One of the reasons it is so great is because it is a three minute walk from our door to the train station. From there if we are heading to work we only have a five minute train ride and then another three minute walk to work. It's really nice to be so close.
The only down side is occasionally I get off work and make it to the train platform just in time to see my train pulling away from the station which means I have to wait as long as 30 minutes for the next one. That's no fun. And occasionally the train will be really full of students or Rugby players who just finished practice so it doesn't always smell good. I have also had a couple encounters with people who were highly intoxicated on the train. One night while Carisse, Holly and I were waiting for the train a drunk guy walked up and set on the bench behind us. He was my age or younger and he looked super sick. He just kept fidgeting till he couldn't hold it in anymore and puked all over the path just behind us. We sat there for a second and I thought, "maybe the smell won't carry over here." I was wrong. The stench hit us all at once and sent us and every one sitting near us running for fresh air. It was really gross. And it was actually quite funny. Maybe not when it happened, when it happened I was gagging. But now for some reason it seems really funny.
All jokes...and drunks aside I really enjoy taking the train. It's crazy that even though we have only been here a month we have actually bumped into people we know on the train. It's a small world after all.

Scenic Mt. Coot-tha

2007-09-19T15:22:00.000+10:00

Sorry it's been so long since my last update. I don't have much to report. Still waking up every morning and eating breakfast and going to work. It's life. Carisse expressed it quite well, you should pop over to her blog for more thoughts on that.
Last Friday Carisse and I did manage a small sort of adventure. We both had the day off and we were both wanting to be outside so we decided to go hiking. There are loads of places to go hiking in the area, the only problem is getting there from our house. We have gotten pretty good at using the train system. It's easy and you always know where you are gonna end up because the train has to stay on the tracks. I like this sort of dependability in my transportation system. The bus however is much more questionable. There is no handy map that plots out each stop and each route, just an incredibly complicated timetable at each stop. Have I mentioned that I really like maps and I really like to know where I am and where I am going, 'cause I do. I've always been that way. And when you step on to a City bus you forfeit all of that. Anyway back to the story...Carisse and I decided to hike Mt. Coot-tha (sounds impressive, right? I'm actually not sure if it's a mountain or a large hill. For those of you reading this in Kansas or in Midland it's a mountain and for anyone who might be reading this in Colorado it's just a hill.) which is not to far from our house, probably about a 15 min. drive. We did some research online to see if we could figure out what trains and buses we needed to take to get to the botanical gardens at the foot of the mountain. I printed out a list of the different buses we needed to take to get there. We were going to have to change buses three times and it should have only taken us about 30 minutes to get there. But we missed our second bus and had to wait 30 minutes for the next one and then at the next bus stop we waited for almost another 30 minutes before we started talking about just calling a cab to just take us to the top. We were really tired of waiting around on buses. After we tried calling a cab the last bus that we needed pulled up so of course we hopped on and were at the Botanical Gardens in less than 15 minutes. Total travel time just to get to the gardens--2 hours. That's right, 2 whole hours riding on and waiting for buses. We were really excited to start our hike. We got directions from a man at the gardens and were a little disappointed to hear that there were no trails from the gardens to the summit. So we decided to walk the road up to the top. The nice man warned us that it was close to an hour long hike. It was okay, we had plenty of motivation to get to the top. We had to prove that our 2 hour long bus adventure was not in vain...and we also knew that there is an ice cream shop at the summit . We made it to the summit in about 30 minutes. It was a nice little hike and we really enjoyed the view from the top and we REALLY enjoyed the ice cream. This picture is of us after reaching the summit. In case you didn't know...we're pretty hard core.

Strawberry Delight=Little Taste of Heaven

2007-09-12T18:08:00.000+10:00

As you may know, Carisse recently quit her terrible job at the infamous Poppy's Bakery to try her hand at the fish and chip shop next to the Crepe Cafe. On her first day there we got off work at the same time so I decided that we needing a celebratory Strawberry Delight Crepe. Yes, it's as good as it sounds. A thin hot crepe with chocolate and fresh strawberries and a scoop of Ice Cream on the side. It's a little taste of heaven.
This is a picture of me making a crepe. I'm getting better at it but I'm still pretty slow. I'm kind of a perfectionist when it comes to food. When I'm eating I like every bite to have equal proportions of meat, cheese, etc. That comes through when I'm making a crepe. I feel like every spot on the crepe should have equal quantities of filling. It really annoys my manager and she likes to make fun of me for it. It's funny to me that I have to cook at my job. I've never considered myself a good cook maybe this will turn things around for me.

Well other that Carisse's new job and my ever improving crepe making skills there's not much to report. We work during the week and enjoy our Sundays off at Church and taking afternoon trips with our friend Victoria. This last week we went out to Wellington Point. It was pretty cool. You can walk out to an island on a sandbar when the tide is down. So we did...and it was cold and windy. Here we are with Holly (the Porter's Daughter) on the Island.
We are also starting to plan our travels for after we quit our jobs. We are going to see the Great Barrier Reef and also to New Zealand. Needless to say...we're getting really excited about that part of our trip. Okay, till next time!

You are my Everest!

2007-09-06T21:23:00.000+10:00

One thing I knew coming over here but didn't quite grasp, was the use of the metric measurement system over that of the English measurement system, which I am accustomed to. Not only has this adjustment hindered my understanding of the weather forecast it also affected my first attempt at baking. Last week when we had our Gionata over for dinner I was just about to pop my world famous burritos into the oven for a light crisping when I realized that the oven only went up to 200 degrees. It's a small apartment size oven so I assumed that it was just not capable of attaining the temperatures of a "full-grown" oven. So I cranked it up as high as it would go and put my burritos in expecting them to take longer to crisp. Well, lucky for me the burritos didn't burn. They were however extra crispy and it didn't occur to me till several days later that the reason my small little stove only went to 200 is because it's 200 degrees Celsius, not Fahrenheit. That's right folks it took my small brain several days to work out that conundrum...did I mention I make my living flipping crepes.

Cultural Differences

2007-09-05T16:48:00.000+10:00

Those of you who know me well, (and I assume that if you are reading this you know me) know I have a serious coffee addiction. I don't like that word...let's call it a coffee "habit." You can imagine my frustration the first time I discovered that they do coffee differently in Australia. Carisse and I, exhausted after our 14 hour flight having only slept a couple of hours, had just dropped our luggage off at the youth hostel in Sydney and went in search of a cafe to have breakfast. After walking around a while we stopped at a coffee shop called Gloria Jeans (it's kind of like Starbucks over here, by the way, Starbucks over here....not good). We both ordered pastries and I walked to the counter and said, "Can I just have a regular cup of coffee?" The lady taking my order just stared and me then said, "What do you mean?" "You know, just a cup of drip coffee?" "I'm not sure what you're talking about." "It says on your board you have a coffee of the day. That's what I want. Whatever you've brewed, just a cup of coffee." "Oh, you want a cappuccino." Exasperated I gave in. "Sure I'll have a cappuccino." Turns out I don't really like cappuccino.
The confusion continued. The next day on our way to church I ordered a short black. I assumed that meant a small black coffee. when they handed me the cup I didn't open it until I got on the train. When I took the lid off I was furious to find a half-filled cup of extremely dark coffee. Now that I have a job and have to make such coffees I understand why I was having such trouble. They don't just brew a pot of coffee here. I was talking to my manager about it this afternoon. She wanted me to explain what drip coffee is (She had heard the term drip coffee on The Devil Wears Prada) and for some reason it was hard for me to explain. I always thought drip coffee was common knowledge. Here every shop has an espresso machine that they make all their coffee drinks on. The reason I was disappointed with my short black is because I actually ordered two shots of espresso in a cup.
If you are ever in Australia and find yourself in need of a cup of joe ask for a long black. It's the closest thing to drip coffee. It's a double shot of espresso with hot water on top. It's not bad...but it's no Harvest Caffe Costa Rican Blend Drip Coffee.
Have I mentioned that I really like my job. My manager, who happens to be 19 years old, loves to laugh at the way I say things. One day I asked her how many squirts of Strawberry were in a strawberry shake and she just laughed at me. Now she makes me say squirt every time I make a shake. Things like Banana and Tomato Sauce...well here I just sound like a hick. Australians say most things with tall a's and Americans have funny sounding vowels and hard consonant sounds. And for some reason I'm having a hard time shaking "Y'all" from my vocabulary. This is another word that is very funny to Aussies and it gives me away as an American/Texan every time.

God bless the world

2007-09-03T20:43:00.000+10:00

Carisse and I have been up to a lot of really great and fun things over the last several days. We saw fireworks and went to a beach and today we even held a koala and fed kangaroos. I have included a link for you to follow so that you can see my pictures from these different things.
Kangas and Koalas
Bribie Island
But now for something more important...
Carisse and i just finished watching a movie called Rabbit Proof Fence. It is the story of 3 aboriginal girls who are taken from their family and moved 1500 miles across Australia to be trained how to be domestic servants. The movie follows their story and is based on true events that happened in the 1930s. The Aborigines refer to the generations of children that were taken from their families as the "Stolen Generation." A few people we go to church with have been going to the poor part of town on Friday nights to get to know the people there and share a meal with them. Most of the homeless people they meet are aborigines. The guys that go say that the aboriginals are still dealing with the injustices that are in their history. I was shocked to learn that the Government of Australia didn't even acknowledge that there were natives in Australia when it was discovered until 1992. 92. I remember 1992. It just makes me sad for these people. I've been asked several times since I've been here about Native Americans in the U.S. I wish I knew more of that history but it seems to run pretty parallel with that of the Aborigines in Australia. It's so hard for me to understand how people could ever be so cruel and condescending. I hope you will watch Rabbit Proof Fence. And I hope that it will lead you to pray for the people who are being oppressed all over the world, even in the new millenium.
Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.

The Grand Tour

2007-08-31T16:05:00.000+10:00

Every one has been asking what the rest of our flat looks like so I thought I'd take the day off of work and give y'all the grand tour of where I will be living for the next couple of months. Here is the front of the Porter house. If you follow the path down the right of the house you will find the door that opens into our flat (which, by the way is how they say apartment over here). First stop...the kitchen. The yellow thing in the distance is a little God-send I like to call the Coffee Pot. And the Large machine on the right there is not a bread machine. It's actually a color copier. Occasionally one of the Porters needs to come down and use the computer in our living room.
And here you will Carisse in our bathroom getting ready for work. Here in Australia they don't usually say bathroom, they mostly say toilet. Which is funny to me because in America it's not really polite to say "TOILET" for some reason. Features I would like to point out in the bathroom are the 4-minute timer in the shower and the half flush on the toilet. Both of these features are in place due to the current drought in Australia. In the very right of the picture you can see the fridge which is not close to the kitchen but is conveniently located by the toilet. hmm.
Here is a view of our living room . As you can see we have loads of bookshelves just teeming the theological reading material...and I was worried about leaving my books at home. Andrea even has a copy of Pride and Prejudice which I am hoping to borrow just in time to read during the spring here. The open door in the background leads into our bedroom which I have already posted a picture of. Hopefully that gives you a better idea of where we are living. We are so completely blessed to be living here with the Porters. God is good and faithful.

Whistle while you work...

2007-08-29T16:17:00.000+10:00

Today I completed my work "trial." Over here they like to make sure you have some common sense before they actually give you a job. I learned how to enter orders and work the register, how to make milkshakes and got a crash course on the espresso machine (crepe making comes later). I officially got the job, which means I'll have a paycheck. Yea!! You might be wondering what I'm most excited about with my new job...well let me tell you what a 24 year old world travel gets excited about---I GET TO WEAR AN APRON TO WORK!!! Sounds silly, I know. But I have always wanted to work some where that had a uniform and apron. What can I say, small things excite me.
Tonight we are having our Italian friend Gionata over for dinner. He made us pasta and bruschetta a couple nights ago so we thought we would return the favor. So what American feast are we going to set before him...meat, bean and cheese, a Caffey Family specialty. I love pseudo mexican food. I'm actually really excited about making it. I could use a taste of home, I got a little home sick yesterday evening. Some of the church members meet in our flat on Tuesday nights and while it was great to have company over and have deep discussions about Jesus it made me really miss my GCR family and my kids. I love you guys (they make fun of me here when I say y'all, it's like moving to Kansas all over again, except more exciting)!
Well I better get cooking. Maybe I'll wear my work apron...
Oh, and thanks for all the birthday wishes last week! I felt really loved!

Currently Employed

2007-08-27T16:30:00.000+10:00

Today Carisse and I went job hunting. We had ask people at church yesterday where they thought the best place to look for jobs would be. Everyone seemed to think that South Bank would be our best bet. We knew the area somewhat because we walked through it on Thursday looking for the library. South Bank is a really neat area of town. It is located right on the Brisbane River and is beautiful. There are several Universities near by and a performing arts center so the area is really artsy. We walked around for a while just taking note of places we might want to work. Right before lunch I walked into the Crepe Cafe on a whim and asked if they were hiring. The owner sat down with me right away, asked me a few questions and then offered me the job. So for the next couple of weeks I will be learning how to make coffees on the espresso machine and learning how to make crepes and omelets. It's really only a trial job. If I don't like it or don't pick it up quickly I will not be working there in two weeks. So lets hope everything works out.

This time last year I definitely had no idea I would be in Australia making crepes to pay the bills especially since I'm not a great cook. But it's been pretty amazing how God has been working things out on this trip...hopefully I will learn a lot at my new job.

The picture to the above is of Brisbane CBD (central business district) and Victoria Bridge taken from South Bank.

In other news...Saturday we got our flat cleaned and set up. We really like it. The Family that lives above us (The Porters) and owns the flat went out and bought us beds and matching covers and completely set everything up for us. Ikea our beds our comfortable (shameless Friends quote).

Sunday after church we went up to Mt. Coot-tha, which over looks Brisbane, with the Porters and some new friends. From there we had a beautiful view of the city. In the Picture from left to right is Carisse, Victoria, Bethany, Me, Holly Porter, Andrea Porter and Mick Porter. This picture was taken from scenic Mt. Coot-tha.

It's just a matter of time till a picture of me in my Crepe Cafe uniform shows up on here...stay posted.

No Worries...

2007-08-24T19:57:00.000+10:00

Here we are safely in Brisbane. We had a great time in Sydney despite the rain. It was amazing how many people we met. So here’s what we’ve been up to…

Saturday afternoon after we got checked into our room at the Hostel we decided to walk the 10 or 15 blocks down to the Harbor and look at the Opera House. It was a really beautiful walk that took us through Hyde Park which was quite impressive. Carisse kept mentioning how much Sydney reminded her of New York City. When we reached the harbor I was so amazed at just how massive the Harbor Bridge actually is. We took lots of pictures and walked all the way around the Opera House. It was really hard to believe that we were actually standing beside the Sydney Opera House. What’s even stranger is that I kept hearing this voice in my head saying “P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney.”

Anyway, while we were at the Harbor we walked around the Botanical Garden there. It was really beautiful. There were loads of really old, great trees. Here is a picture of me hugging a tree (This is for you Ronnie!)

Sunday Morning Carisse and I had plans to meet with one of the church elders at the West Church in Sydney, Peter Gray. We rode the train from Sydney Central north to Hornsby. It was so neat to see Marina and Peter Gray waiting for us when we stepped off the train. They greeted us with hugs so I knew right away that we were really going to love being around them.

Monday I celebrated my 24th Birthday. We didn't do much because it rained most of the day Sunday and Monday. I did however feel the need to celebrate both Monday and Tuesday since Tuesday was my birthday in the US and that is where I was born. So Tuesday on our way back to the Gray's house we stopped and bought some Tim Tams. These are Chocolate Cookies with chocolate cream in the middle then covered in Chocolate. Yeah, they're amazing! So Andrew, the Gray's youngest son taught us how to do a tim tam slam. It's where you bit off the corner of a tim tam and then bite off the opposite end. Then you stick one end in a hot cup of coffee and suck the coffee through the tim tam. The tim tam is melted by the hot coffee leaving gooey chocolate goodness. Don't worry...i'll most likely come home with a suitcase full of tim tams. Even if it means leaving most of my clothes here.

(Picture above:Carisse, Andrew, Marina, Peter and me.)

Wednesday we flew to Brisbane and spent all day Thursday looking for a place to live. It was a long, frustrating day of searching the Internet and walking around Brisbane in the rain. Then after pausing our search for a cup of coffee we spent some time praying about a place to live. A big part of this trip for both of us is learning how to trust God to take care of us. Later that night we got a call from one of the church contacts we had made. Mick and Andrea Porter offered us the self-contained flat under their house. It is a great little space for the two of us. There is sooooo much more to this story but I don't feel I can do it justice in writing. If you want to here the long version you'll have to give me a call!!

Read Carisse's version of how we got our flat...it's much better. click the link at the top of the page.
Cheers!

That's right...I'm in Australia!!!

2007-08-18T10:57:00.000+10:00

Thursday night at 10:30 pacific time Carisse and I boarded Quantas flight 12 non-stop from LA to Sydney. We arrived 14 hours and 30 mins. later in Sydney at 6:05am. So basically August 17 didn't happen for me. Weird.
We didn't really know what to expect since neither of us had ever flown that far. We were both anticipating a grueling 14 hours of being surrounded by screaming babies and strange people who fall asleep on your shoulder and drool on you. Instead we found the flight to be quite pleasant. As we got to our seats we found a pillow, blanket, courtesy kit (including sleeping mask, socks, a travel toothbrush and toothpaste) and headphones. We also found that we were sitting next to a very nice man named Greg. Greg is a nursing professor from the University of Missouri and a believer. It was neat to hear stories about him and his wife (who is also a nurse) traveling all over the place using their skill every where they go. I think Carisse and I are both even more interested in nursing now. We also got to talk to Greg about ministry. His oldest son is interested in doing Youth Ministry so it was cool to get to talk with him about that aspect of my life. Towards the end of our flight he asked for our first and last names so that he could pray for us along our journey. I love they way God works things out!
Once we got here we started looking for a place to eat breakfast. We wound up at a coffee shop not far from our hostel. There we met Rodney, a local, who was able to point out all the great sights that are in walking distace. This afternoon Carisse and I are going to walk down to the Opera House and around the Botanical Gardens. Both are about a 10 minute walk from where we are staying. Hopefully we will post some pictures from our walk tomorrow!

Since I last left you...

2007-08-15T10:20:00.000+10:00

A lot has happened since my last post. Sunday morning I went to church with my parents in Ulysses then after a quick lunch at Garcia's I headed for Durant, OK. As most of you know, my sister and her husband moved to Durant at the beginning of the summer. Durant is an interesting town filled with strange and wonderful sights. For those of you who have ever heard Tim Hawkins, you might remember him talking about Durant being the home of the Oklahoma Shakespeare festival. Yes, it's true. I have seen the billboard and Oklahoma does in fact have a Shakespeare the home of the worlds largest peanut. Here is a picture of me holding a bag of peanut brittle festival every year (sorry...I didn't get a chance to take a picture). Also, Durant is next to the world's largest peanut.

Monday afternoon Jess and I headed to Dallas. There I had a chance to hang out with almost all my girls. It was great for us to all be together before Carisse and I head out for Australia.

Carisse and I made it to LA around 2:00 pm today. While we were waiting at baggage claim we saw the guy that played Greg in the TV show "Dharma and Greg." We didn't say anything or take any pictures but it was pretty cool. I love that show. Anyway...

For the next two nights we will be spending the night with our friends Toby and Jane. They live in Hermosa Beach. Here is the view from their front patio. Yeah, that shiny blue stuff in the picture is the Pacific Ocean. woohoo...

Love you all!!

Hometown Tour

2007-08-10T06:09:00.000+10:00

Well I promised more and here it is. I thought while I was here in Ulysses I would take all of you on a little tour of the sights. To the right you will see the house I grew up in. I don't remember it ever being quite this green. The front porch is a great place to sit in the evenings and watch thunderstorms roll in.

On your left is the Ulysses Church of Christ. The church I grew up going to. It's just about a block and a half from my house.

Ulysses High School...Home of the fighting Tigers! Whoo hoo!

and this is the movie theater in Ulysses. One movie a week and Tuesday is half price night. You can't see it in this picture but this week's movie is Live Free or Die Hard.

This is El Ranchito. This is where I get together with friends when I'm Home. We call it "Chito" for short. My favorite meal here is the Small Ranchito Special. mmmmm.

I told you Southwest Kansas was flat. I took this picture just East of my house.

Well I hope that you have enjoyed seeing a bit of my home town.

Ulysses, Kansas

2007-08-09T01:21:00.000+10:00

After about 8 hours of traveling I finally made it to Kansas. Joelie and I made it about 10 minutes out of Midland before I realized that I must have lost my cell phone somewhere between my last trip to the bank and my breakfast stop at chick-fil-a. So I sped back to Wells Fargo and ran inside...no luck. I was starting to get a little frantic as I headed out of the bank back to my car. When I got to my car I saw my phone just laying there on my car seat. I guess I was sitting on it. I'm pretty much the biggest dork I know.
Anyway.
It was a good trip. I haven't been home to Kansas since Christmas. I love driving through Southwest Kansas. It's so flat you really can see everything. I'm really looking forward to my time here. I'll try to post some pictures of my hometown later this week. More to come soon!

My first post...

2007-08-03T07:34:00.000+10:00

Hello everyone!!
Welcome to my blog. I hope to keep everyone up to date on my latest adventures. I am currently finishing up my last adventure here in Midland. Packing up my apartment and saying good-bye to lots of people that I love has not been fun. Over the past two years I have become part of the family at Golf Course Road Church, I'm going to miss everyone so much.
I hope that this blog will serve as a sort of life line between me and my GCR family while I am in Australia. Until next time...
Shasta