Sunday, June 15, 2008- Thursday, June 19, 2008

Mine and Wendy’s talks went well and that was pretty much the most eventful thing till Tuesday. Tuesday night Jayne and Wendy came to meet me at lunch and then I ended up closing up the last hour or so by myself so they happened to still be close to my work so they came and "helped" me finish up! That night we wanted to do something exciting, so after deciding not to go to a movie, the next most exciting thing was....you guessed it, Tin Foil Dinners! We actually were so excited for them we went to Coles to get all the stuff and I’ll tell you what, they tasted great! Especially because we were finally getting some meat in our diet. We are definitely a bit too frugal.

(We just too this pic in memory of actually befriending Jack Black, aka Jung Fu Panda)

(One of our favorite things to do is check the deals on the bread isle at the local grocery store! Really, we love it!)

(Here is us about to enjoy our amazing tin foil dinners!)

Thursday we went to our first Thai restaurant which is the official food of Australia. We found one at Bondi Junction that was super good and cheap, so pretty much win-win! I am sure we will be back. Then we went home to watch Moulin Rouge together, which was made by and Australian director, so pretty much we just wanted to celebrate the fact that we were in Australia today!

(For some reason this picture makes it look like the plates are like falling off our table, but they all are sittin gon the same angle, so I am super confused! Don't worry, that is a common feeling in my head!)

Saturday, June 14, 2008

We woke up a bit later than we hoped to, to no surprise, but the plan for the day was to go to Manly, which is like a 30 minute ferry ride from Circular Quay. Unfortunately the weather was looking pretty dreary, but we figured it would be an adventure either way. The ferry ride was great because we got to see the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge from a different viewpoint, but we had to stay inside because it was too cold to survive out. By the time we got to Manly it was like 2:00, and pretty rainy so we went to the information center to see what there was to do.


We discovered that there wasn’t much on a cold day, so we just went exploring. We went to the Manly Art Museum to get our art fix for the day. Then we walked along the beach and took a few pics. After we decided we needed to eat but couldn’t decide where to eat, which happened to be good cause we discovered that on the other side of manly was a super amazing beach. We found this cute little restaurant looking out along the beach and ate dinner. It was so awesome watching the surfers and a rainbow even came up cause there had just been a rainstorm. As we finished I went out towards the beach to get some pictures as the sunset, and as I stood there alone I felt something splash on my head and shirt. Don’t worry, I know what you might be thinking, but the answer to that is, "Yes, a bird did just crap on me."

(I couldn't believe the sunset, it was so pretty!)

Now, I felt super awkward cause I was standing by myself and didn’t really know how bad it was in my hair or on my back, so I made my way back to the restaurant and told Jayne and Wendy who thought it was pretty funny. We got some napkins from a waitress and she told us that apparently it is good luck when that happens. Honestly, I don’t see the good luck in it! Nothing amazing happened to me after the fact, so I am pretty sure that it is just a crappy situation, (if you know what I mean.)

(Just made sure to stop at my hotel before leaving Manly)

(Wendy and I didn't even realize till looking at this picture that we were awkwardly dressed the same. Please don't judge.)

Then we walked around the shops for a while, and went inside a sports bar for a bit because the New Zealand vs, England rugby game was on and we wanted to be part of the excitement. Eventually we made our way home, but all in all I had a really good time in Manly. It seems like it is a pretty happening place during the summer, but even in the winter it had a pretty great vibe!

(Harbour Bridge at night)

(I know this pic is cheesy, we took so many normal ones, but this is the only one that turned out!)

Then we made our way home because Wendy and I had a long night ahead of us because we had been asked to give talks in Sacrament the next day, and surprise, surprise, I hadn’t even started!

(Oh ya, forgot to mention that I am like a pro surfer, just saw this shot in a magazine that someone must've taken while I was ripin' a curl, and thought I would share it with my friends and fam.)

Friday, June 13, 2008



Friday the 13th, destined for bad luck. Work was going to be exciting because I got to go to the house of one of the clients I had been working on. Greg picked me up and we made our way across the city, He didn’t know where we needed to go so for some reason he trusted me with a map, even though I had never driven in the city. I looked up the address he gave me and directed Greg to the location. As we pulled into the street Greg said that something didn’t look right. He realized that I had taken him to the right street name but in the wrong suburb and we were already late. To make matters worse the builders, and seamstress, and glassier, were waiting for us at the clients house.



We finally figured out where we needed to go, and made our journey back to the right location. (We really had gone so far out of the way). Then I got to sit in on a client meeting with Stewart and Greg. It was one of the first meetings with this client, so it was fun to see the process that they go through. Then Stewart and I went to a few showrooms and then it was back to the office. Not too bad for a Friday the 13th at work, only a few minor set backs.

(Before we left Wendy found a cockroach in our sink, so Jayne and I had to find a way to get it out because it was too big to send down the drain. Honestly it creeped me out)

That night Wendy, Jayne, and I went to meet up with Sean, (Sean’s cousin is one of Jayne’s old coaches) at a bar by his work called Le Chifley. We had to take a taxi to get there and our taxi driver was 1, super stinky, and 2, super creepy. When I went to pay him he grabbed my hand and held it, and then did the same to Jayne when he handed her back the change. And to make matters worse, the spot where he dropped us off was super sketchy.


We called Sean’s number and it would just go straight to his answering machine so luckily we found the bar and awkwardly walked in. Now the problem was that we had no idea who we were looking for, but we went in and just didn’t know what to do because it wasn’t a normal bar, there was only a few people and we weren’t really going to drink, so what do 3 mormon girls do in a bar when they don’t know anyone and they don’t drink. I’ll tell you. They stand around awkwardly asking each other what they should do.


It wasn’t long till some guys walked up to us and wondered how three american girls found this bar in the middle of nowhere. These guys were old and creepy as well, so it made for a very interesting night. (And by old I mean like late 40's) We just didn’t know if we were supposed to keep waiting or if we should just go home. It was pretty hilarious telling these guys that we didn’t drink. Luckily, like 30 minutes later I got a call from Sean and apparently he had been there the whole time, somehow we just hadn’t seen him. We were glad we were freed from the creepy old men.


It turned out really fun! The group we were meeting were really nice, but still it was funny to try to convince them that we didn’t drink. They just couldn’t believe that it was even an option. It wasn’t until Jayne told them that we were recovering alcoholics that they stopped offering us drinks. Apparently that made more sense to them.


One of the girls there was obsessed with Jason Mraz and I found out she is going to the concert Wendy and I are going to. Apparently the last time he came to Australia she actually met him, got a picture and everything so we had a lot of fun talking about him. I was secretly really jealous that she has met him. And that was the end of my Friday the 13th, not too shabby.

Wednesday June 11- Thursday June 12, 2008

(This is our flat mates, Jorge and Ely, I just haven't blogged pictures of both of them yet!)

Nothing really too exciting on Wednesday... wait let me take that back. Some of our most adventurous moments take place in the preparing and eating of our dinner meal. Really, we prepare huge meals together almost every night. It is almost cute, but then we realize it is somewhat pathetic.

We love shopping for bread deals at Coles, the grocery store we visit more than necessary every week. (And by every week, sometimes I even mean every day) We picked up a baguette and made a mean dish of pasta.

(I wish you could see how good this really was.)

Funny story: One time Jayne mentioned the fact that there were so many of these adult book stores all over Sydney and Wendy replied, "I know, I went in one and was in there for hours, but I usually only go when I am not with Brighton." It wasn't until Jayne looked at her worried that Wendy realized what she had said, apparently she had meant a regular book store, but we are still watching out for any bad signs.

(Us at the noodle house. When we go out to eat we order three different meals and then rotate them around until they are gone. Its like we have to share everything!)

Thursday I met up with Wendy and Jayne so we could go to China Town. On Thursdays everything stays open later, so we ate at an asian noodle shop, and then just went to see what china town was like. In one of the shops the boy at the counter knew all about the Utah Jazz because he was a major Yao Ming fan and unfortunately for him, the Jazz had defeated the Rockets in the playoffs the last two years. He seemed pretty let down but Wendy loved that he knew all about the Jazz.

Tuesday June 10, 2008

Jayne arrived! Wendy and Jorge went to pick her up from the airport and then after Jayne had the chance to take a nap her and Wendy came to visit me at work. We went to lunch at a café by my work.

Just a side note, Australians love pumpkin in everything. Maybe that’s not weird but it really is like a staple food here. I ordered a pumpkin wrap thing that was fabulous, just a weird concept to me. I have just always thought of pumpkin as a thanksgiving food, but apparently I have been misinformed. Anywho...

It is way great that Jayne is here! Partay everyday now for sure! Minus the part where I still have to go to work.

Monday, June 9, 2008

(This is as close as they will ever get to snow!)

I didn’t have to work today because Australia was celebrating the Queens Birthday so it was a national holiday. Wendy and I hadn’t been to Darling Harbour yet so although it was very rainy we decided to see what there was over there.

(Darling Harbour)

When we got there we found out that there was a jazz festival going on so there were a lot of people there. They had 4 different stages set up around the harbour that made the vibe really cool. We walked around for a while, and then went to some shops. I found some skinny jeans for $20 which is steal here. We also had heard there was good shopping at Pitt Street Mall, but by the time we got there a lot of the stores were shutting down. (Remember this was probably around 5, I still can’t get used to the fact that everything closes so early here).

(I love that there are palm trees everywhere.)

As we were walking through the mall we noticed a big group of people gathering for something that seemed important, equipped with TV cameras and the such. When we asked what was going on someone told us that it was the Australian premiere for Kung Fu Panda and that it was rumored Jack Black was going to show up. We were one of the first that started lining up along the opposite side of the road. They had a red carpet set up and everything. They even had some real kung fu artists put on a show, with drums and everything. Then came the big panda, and then no one other than Jack Black!

(Jack Black in the flesh)

Not too long after getting out of his car he crossed the street to the side with the fans and got close enough for me to touch his jacket. I know that seems minuscule, but I know that he felt something great as I graced his sparkling gold ensemble. It may have just been the connection that us americans feel when we meet in a foreign land, but there was an instant feeling of companionship that is only felt between old friends.


Quite an adventure, but we went home feeling like celebrities, (Or at least as if we had just met one), looking forward to the part where we got to tell everyone!

Saturday, June 7, 2008

We of course slept in because we were exhausted from our night of travels, but we woke up to a very pleasant surprise because we had gotten a text that morning saying that Jess, one of the cute girls from our ward and her boyfriend John would drive us to Campbelltown for day number 2 of the conference. What a relief!

I don't think I mentioned before but we had been practicing for a while this little skit and dance routine for the convention. Every stake does one and then there is a little competition. So we arrived early to go over the dances and there was a boy there from our stake that was giving us advice and telling us what to improve on. He even mentioned in our dress rehearsal that everyone needed to dance like the american girls. (That fact will apply later in the story)

Prior to coming to this convention, we had learned that the boy that got 4th place in the Australian So you think you can dance was lds and was going to be at the convention. Wendy and I couldn’t be more excited. I haven’t mentioned it yet because it has been really hard to deal with, but I haven’t been able to watch the american so you think you can dance at all this season because our internet is limited and so we cant really watch things on you tube or download anything. This was something I had to learn to cope with before I even got out to Australia, it was a major factor in the con side of coming to Australia so you can imagine our excitement when anything somewhat related to our love for the show takes place in Australia. All we really knew was that this boys name was Graeme.

(This is us with Grame!)

When the skits started, we noticed our new friend that had given us advice was sitting at the judges table. It didn’t take long to realize that he was Graeme. We had been talking to him all along and even more, he had said the american girls were good dancers. We loved it!
The night was really good, and we made sure to get a picture with Graeme before we left. The ride home was a lot less adventurous than the night before, but I was more than grateful for that!

(This is one of the boys that had gotten us to the bus the night before)