Australia: Wednesday, May 28th

So, the next morning as we were waking up, the nasty biatch of a roommate woke up. She slammed her cupboard door, she slammed the bathroom door, she slammed the cupboards again and then slammed the door on the way out... which I thought was funny cuz both Pat and myself were already awake!! So if she was trying to piss us off, cuz we had some light in the room while we got our stuff out last night, it didn't work... and it prolly just made her more angry. LOL!! So pathetic, she was.

So we woke up and did not want to deal with her again, since she was soooo rude. So we went to the reception desk and spoke to Jodi about what happened. She said that she shouldn't have acted like that and if she didn't want roommates she should have a private room. And she said we shouldn't have to put with that. So she switched our room and we went to take our stuff upstairs. We met Joss and Michelle, our new roommates. *damn* just realized I forgot to take a picture of the 4 of us and a pic of our room... stupid! Shoot. They are both from the UK. Very fun, we hung out, chatted and ended up having dinner together later that night. Joss actually reminded me of an ex boyfriend... wow! I just kept staring because it was such a close resemblance!!

We were only going to spend Wednesday and Thursday and of course it rained... argh. I was going to take a surfing lesson with Pat, but due to it being sooo cold, we decided not too, plus the surf wasn't very good either. So went to the beach, picking up a Kebab on the way... They are burrito/gyro type foods... very good. I've had 3 since I've been here.

So yummy. So we chilled on the beach, got some souvenirs, and wandered back toward the hostel. We spent about an hour playing in the arcade... it was so fun. They had a open wheel racing game where the chairs actually shook and turned and sung around while you raced.... it was awesome!! Pat did some skate boarding game Pat and I also played a crazy version of pool... I will have to get the pictures ready cuz there is so much to share... Pictures coming soon!!! Ok, they are here!

We went back upstairs and spent some more time chatting with the roommates. They are so cool and have been traveling for months... I will rant about that in another post. I promise that too. We showered and went to get a couple of drinks... Joss and Michelle said they were gonna lay low for the night, so we said good night and went on... well, 10 minutes later, here comes Joss and Michelle, for a drink and some dinner. They are so great. We have all exchanged info and maybe someday I will make it to the UK to visit.

It rained most of the end of the day... from about 4 pm on... About 1230am, Joss said he was hungry, so Pat, Joss and I wandered out to get some food. Well, the choices were limited: Macca's (McDonald's), or a kebab... but it wasn't a good one.. prolly my least favorite one I've had. But it was food. We went and watched a bit of cricket on tv and then decided to go to sleep. It had been a long, fun, relaxing day in a beach town!

Australia: Tuesday, May 27th

So pictures will have to wait, cuz I am freezing and don't have the patience right now. We left for Surfer's Paradise today. It's about an hour and a half from where Pat goes to Uni(college). The scenery was beautiful. I was driving which was an experience. Everyone drives on the left, which didn't bother me because I lived in the Caribbean and they drove on the left there... but what threw me off is driving from the right seat!!! It was awesome!! I will post a picture a bit later. We got to overlook Byron Bay and kept on truckin'. We got up there in the evening, checked into the Hostel(my first time in one of those), and caught a bus down to the casino. We got in a bit late, so the beach was out of the picture for the night.

The casino reminded me a bit of Vegas, so that was awesome. Spent a few hours playing pokies(slot machines) and some Jupiter 21... sort of like black jack, but with some special rules!! It was really fun. I ended up breaking even and Pat lost a bit, but nothing too bad. he had won a bunch earlier in the week, so he was doing ok.

We left there and went to catch the bus. The bus wasn't going to be by for 30 minutes, so we decided to walk. It was about 5k(3 miles) and took about 45 minutes. We stopped at a Petty station(gas station) and got some water and a meat pie... A meat pie is kind of like a pot pie, but with a nice crispy crust and pretty much just meat and maybe some cheese inside... one of the things Pat said I had to eat before I left... it was yummy.

Once we got back to the hostel, our roommate was already asleep, so we turned the tv on(NO sound) so we could see what we were doing. We found our pj's and set up our beds and started watching the cricket match that was on the tv(still no sound and we weren't talking). About 10 minutes later, she got out of bed, stomped over to the tv, slammed the power button, huffed and puffed, spun on her heel and climbed back into bed!!! tossed around a bit, still huffing and puffing... never said a word, just acted like a complete biatch!! I was so shocked. Pat said that isn't normal and don't let that influence my opinion of Hostels... well, we were tired, so we just went to bed... More info tomorrow!! And hopefully pictures!

Trip To Australia – May 25th and 26th

So we woke up at 10 am Sunday to go watch the Twins, Red Sox and Celtics play their Saturday night game(15 hour time change). So weird to get up the next morning to watch the night before’s game. Ha ha… but it was fun. About 10 of us were down at the Rec Center watching. The internet only works down there, so I am writing my blog as the days go, so they are ready to go on the blog when I get to check my email. Pat and I went up to the Worker’s Club to hang for a few hours. We drank a couple beers, played some Pokies(slot machines) and played some Keno. I came out about even and I think Pat came out ahead a bit. So that was fun.

Jackson came and picked us up and a bunch of people were going out to eat at the Chinese Buffet in town. It was strange because it was one little buffet of like 8 tubs… and then dessert… nothing like in the states where there are tons of choices, but it was surprisingly good! Not very greasy at all. They didn’t really have the greasy stuff, they had the broccoli beef and chicken and veggies and stuff. Then we came back watched some movies and I feel asleep! Lol! I went to bed and I guess the rest watched another movie and then went to bed.

26th - So today we woke up and watched some Nascar… I know, crazy!! But I got to see just the last few laps, which are the good ones anyway. Then we showered, Pat went to class and I went to Open Mic day at the UniBar. Unibar is the University sponsored bar… wish I woulda had one of those in college!! So I hung out with Pat’s mates and drank a few beers until about 530… Then we came back here and made some dinner. Steak, chips(fries), and mashed potatoes… Yum! Tomorrow we are renting a car and going up to Byron Bay(eastern most point of Australia) and Surfer’s Paradise… I’m so excited… Here are some pics from the Open Mic:

Trip to Australia, Day 1, Part 2 - I’m in Sydney, now what?

So it’s 7 am by the time I get through customs… now what? My flight doesn’t leave until noon… hmmm… so I pay $5 to take the airport shuttle to the domestic terminal. I wandered around there a bit and looked at all the shops. I found my gate, which was very close to the centre of the terminal. There was a sushi place in the food court that didn’t open until 9 am, so I had to burn some time. So I found an internet café and bought an hour and 20 min worth of internet time… checked email, sent email, cruised around a bit. It did burn some time, so that was really good. Then I went and wandered through the shops again and got some sushi. It was surprising. I got 4 rolls for $11. Not bad, but the tuna rolls were horrible!! I mean, they didn’t kill me, but it was tuna, from a can and missed with stuff!! They had Salmon!! Why not Tuna!?!? Odd… the salmon rolls are awesome and so were the Californian rolls. Oh well, now I know for next time! So I ate those, I was starving!

I sat around and played games on my phone for a bit… finally my flight was ready. So I wandered down to the gate and boarded a bus to take out to the plane. It was a Saab 340. I have been on those a million times. It was about 80 min up to Ballina, which is about a 40 min drive to Lismore. It was a very pretty flight right along the coast the whole way. I took tons of pics, which will be in the slideshow at the end of this blog. I landed and went to find Pat. He was stuck behind a moving truck going super slow and wasn’t sure where to find the airport… about 15 minutes later, he showed up! I hugged the crap outta him. It was so good to see him and his hair is getting so long! LOL! But we got in the car, We drove up to the beach in town and wandered around for a bit. The beach was so nice and smooth… no shells, just super smooth rocks and fine sand. Then we headed back to Lismore and his college. We went to the square and bought some groceries… we bought Tim Tams!! Someone in one of the groups was talking about them that they got in an exchange and if you read this, let me know… I will bring some back for you. They are so good. Tim Tams are cookies that are only sold in Australia and man are they delicious!! We also bought Crumpets… also super yummy.

Then we went back to the college and brought all the stuff upstairs. All the flatmates were at a pub crawl, so we just hung out for a few hours. They all got back and I met all the neighbors, friends, roommates, etc. They were all getting some food and heading out for a Saturday night. I was exhausted, so I bailed… I know, I know, pretty sad. But about an hour later, I started feeling really bad. So it was a good thing I stayed in. I needed to catch up on sleep anyway. I got up for a few hours when they got back from the pub and hung out.

First Day Slideshow

Trip to Australia: Day 1 - Can I get there??

So the day started off hectic. I managed to get in my Week 5, Day 1!! But I got the airport a little later then I planned and ran to my gate. I barely made the flight to Phoenix that would connect me to Los Angeles. It was a long 4 hour flight. I got to Phoenix and there were people everywhere. Of all places I thought would have delays for weather, Phoenix was on the bottom of my list. But there were tons of delays. I missed flights to LA. I was stressing… ok, I always stress when I have to make connections, but I have never done the international jump seat thing, so I was even more stressed then usual. Finally I got on the last flight that would, barely, get me there in time to catch my flight to Sydney. I got to LA at 835pm… flight leaves at 1026 pm from a different terminal. There was another plane at our gate, so we waited…. And waited…. And waited… didn’t get to the gate until 905pm. I ran to catch the shuttle to Terminal 7 and United. I got there about 915pm. This whole time, Pat is calling from Australia wanting to know if I made the flight… poor guy had to keep calling me back until I knew…

So I run up to pay my fee’s and taxes and such, as I have been told to do on International flights. The woman said I had to go to customer service at the other end… so I run… I get there and realize the other woman still had my credit card!!! Ran back… got my card… ran back again. Whew! Guess I didn’t need to do my running earlier in the day! Haha… Anyway, the second woman just told me I needed to go to the gate and they would handle me there. So I take off for gate 77. I run up the escalator to the security checkpoint. I am in uniform, so I get to skip to the front which is awesome! So I blaze through there and head for my gate. I check in with the nice woman and she checks my visa, which my friend, SC, was nice enough to tell me about. And she tells me it will be a few minutes before she knows. Ok… now I wait. Hurry, wait, hurry, wait! Story of my life, ha ha… Finally Pat calls again(there were a few more calls from him in there too) and as we are talking she pages my name… and gives me a seat!!!!!!!!! Awesome!!! Whew! I told Pat I was on my way! He found me a super cheap flight up to see him, so I didn’t have to take the train,(which I ended up missing anyway because of customs) and he booked that for me… alright, now the trip is on.

So I get on the airplane, and chat with all the flight attendants. I haven’t been on a 747 since I was 16 and going to Spain. So I tell them my seat and they said it was a Business class seat. What!?!?!? REALLY!?!?! Wow!! But I went to check in with the captains(there are 2 full crews for a 14 hour, 44 min flight.) They were all very nice, made sure I had a good seat and told me I could change into street clothes for the flight. Now that is AWESOME!! Sweet! So I said goodbye and went back downstairs. I grabbed some clothes and changed in the bathroom… no small feat on an airplane! I felt like a magician! I settled into my seat, met my seat mate, Jose. He was moving to Sydney for work and was super excited like me! I got some water, and a snack and away we went!!

They give you a menu of your choices for food, pillow, blanket, a headset and a bag of goodies(eye cover, lotion, mints, toothbrush and paste, earplugs, and socks to stay warm). We chatted and had dinner and then it was time for some sleep. The seats laid waaaay back and I got comfy. I slept for about 5 hours… I would wake up and my glass of water would be full, so I’d drink it. Mom told me one of the reasons people get so jet lagged is because they are dehydrated, so I drank up. I would go back to sleep, and when I woke up, there would be more water. So I drank it again… this went on for the whole flight… they were awesome!! I woke up, had a snack from the snack cart and then slept again. I spent most of the flight sleeping. I knew it would be early in the morning when I got there, so I figured I better sleep while I can! I arrived in Sydney at 610 am and had to clear customs and immigration. Then it was time to change terminals and find my flight to Ballina/Byron Bay… more in the next post…

My greeting after customs!! HOORAY!!!

Work i'm exhausted... W4 D5

Wow, work has so really beat me down the last few days. Working a lot of nights and getting yanked around as far as schedule goes. last night we got paged out at Midnight to go to Tulsa. Got to Tulsa and the freight was late... SHOCKING!! So we went and grabbed food at McDonald's, ick, but it was food. Taxied the plane over to get fuel... taxied back and then was told the trip was canceled... that was at 530am... then they made us sit at the airport for a few hours waiting for a trip. luckily Tulsair had a sleep room, which was pretty dark, so I was able to catch a few hours of sleep. Finally they said we could go to the hotel. A bunch of places were sold out, so this is where we are staying... NICE. Double Tree

I wish we got to stay in places like this more often. Bed is awesome, slept really well. Gym is super cool. Each machine has it's own tv on it! I thought that was awesome! I think I am ready to move onto week 5 of my running program... today was much better... still hard, but much better. Anyway, I'm going to sign off... time to get some much needed sleep. Hugs to all...

Week 4, Day 3

Yea, so I did day 3 and day 2 this week. Both were extremely hard. Both were frustrating. Day 1 was better then both put together. So I will repeat Week 4. Maybe not all 3 days, but at least a couple to catch up my breathing. My legs have finally caught up and I'm not have all kinds of pain in my leg like I did at the beginning... now I need my lungs and heart to keep up. My heart rate has come down quite a bit. It used to race at like 180 bpm when i was done doing my running segments... now it is down to 165 or so, so that is a great improvement, but it needs to come down more... the heart needs some more time to catch up I guess. that is ok. I have been pushing it really hard lately. 6 days a week at the gym. ARGH!

The frustration was that the scale hasn't moved. My clothes have fit better, but the scale is stuck. I bought clothes a size smaller... just waiting to fit. They are close... but the next size up is hanging off my butt. My booty has shrunk... it was getting a bit "bootylicious" which I did not like at all!!! I know I'm building muscle while losing fat, hence the steadfast weight. Well, today i got on the scale... it is down about a pound from 2 weeks ago... at least it is moving in the right direction. I'll take it. I'll keep watching food and I'll keep exercising... i sleep better, am gaining flexibility, and my back feels much better. So i'll keep at it... and keep blogging about it here. Tomorrow will be a rest day or a light walk day or maybe hitting some golf balls day. not too much stress on the legs... they need rest.

Week 4, Day 1

So Sunday was Week 4, Day 1 of my Couch to 5k Adventure. It went much better then I expected. Here is the running schedule:

Run 3 min,
walk 90 seconds,
run 5 min,
walk 2:30 min,
run 5 min.

And I only had to walk twice for 2 seconds each time... So I thought that was pretty cool. Tuesday will be Day 2... I'll blog about that soon...

Oh, and I think my sister will be joining me on this adventure, as well as a few women on Ravelry!! GO team exercise!!!

Great Weekend in photos

So I got to meet Dana, from Loves Many cloths this past weekend. She was in Canton, MI for the World Bowling Championships. It's only like 10 min from my house! SO I went and watched them on Friday and Saturday. Saturday we went to Joann's, Michaels(they have never been to a michael's!!), JC Penny's and then hung out at the hotel. Dana pulled a muscle in her leg on Saturday. So we didn't do too much walking. Dana, I hope you leg is feeling better.



Here is Dana and the Team. Dana is the 3rd from the right. I think the names are as follows, left to right: christina, Dawn, Dana, Roxy, and Julie







Here is a picture of Dana and I!! GO TEAM!!!!










Here is a picture of Dana in action in the team event... GOOooo DANA!!!











Dana in action during the individual bowling event... Pretty in Pink



So it was a great weekend and it was great to meet all those wonderful women.

W3, D3

Ok, so it was Day 3 of me learning to run a 5k!!! It was a rough day. It started out great... my first set was awesome... and then I had a hard time with my right leg during the last 3 min run. It was better then other days, but still very hard. I am moving on to Week 4 and hope it goes well... So I have 2 blog friends having contests...

1. A. Kathy is having her month long contest. All you have to do it read and comment on her blog, easy and very amusing!! Mention that I, Katie, sent ya!!

2. Cass is having a contest also... just answer her 5 questions, or one, it's really up to you and you are entered!!! Plus she is pretty damn funny!!!

Enjoy the contests... They are always fun!!!