I'm not really feeling the Halloween vibe this year. Maybe it's all of the craziness that has been my life over the past month and a half. I haven't even decorated my house for fall... and you know what? I may not do it at all this year... I think I just heard Brandon give a sigh of relief!
I LOVE to decorate for the different seasons. I have all of my seasonal boxes full of decorations all color labeled and stored away in the attic. I have my fall boxes. My Christmas boxes. My Valentine's day boxes. I have one box with St. Patrick's day and Easter decor... it's hard to decorate for those two holidays for some reason. MAYBE because I'm NOT Irish... and at Easter time I'm so overwhelmed with the Easter program at church... maybe. :)
I would like to make a few notes... *This year I will NOT be rolling Chandler's hair... You'll see why when I post the pictures from Trunk or Treat tonight. *Riley will probably STILL be eating grass in our photos! :) *We are ONLY going to Trunk or Treat tonight... I don't think I can handle the mall crowd again this year! *Riley's costume this year is probably the most precious thing I've ever seen her wear... mainly because it shows off her potbelly! *Chandler has already asked me if JoJo will be there tonight *She also reminded me that I did not dress up in a real costume last year. UGH!
I got this from my friend, Hope. Unfortunately, it was sent several months ago to an e-mail account that a NEVER use... oops!
I thought it looked fun...
(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
( ) Been to Canada
( ) Worked on a ship
(x) Been to Mexico
( ) Been on a hot air balloon
( ) Been in a plane crash
(x) Been lost
( ) Worked in another country
(x) Had a black eye
(x) Gone to Washington, DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Pretended you were someone else
(x) Recently colored with crayons
(x) Changed a tire
(x) Sang Karaoke
( ) Eaten dirt
(x) Loved someone who never knew it
(x) Burped out loud in public
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only?
(x) Done something you told yourself you never would
( ) Made prank phone calls
(x) Laughed until food or beverage came out of your nose
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) Danced in the rain
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Lost something very special to you (x) Flunked a class (with an F) (x ) Wished you were dead (x) Prayed for something monetary ( ) Slept outside all night unprepared (x) Been kissed under the mistletoe (x) Shared a hammock (x) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about (x) Blown bubbles (x) Gone ice skating ( ) Ridden a horse on a beach (x)Run out of gas ( ) Eaten a bug on purpose (x) Written a letter you wish you hadn't
1. Any nickname? Jen, Jen Miles, Jen Smoot 2. Mother's name? Diane 3. Favorite drink? Sweet Tea, Coke, Dr. Pepper. 4. Tattoos? No, but I'm considering one. :) 5. Body piercing? 5 all in my ears 6. How much do you love your job? I love it... but it has it's moment of insanity! 8. Favorite vacation spot? Australia! 9. Ever been to Africa? No 10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Yes 11. Been on TV? Yes 12. Ever steal any traffic sign? No, but I had one stolen FOR me! :) 13. Ever been in a car accident? Yes 14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4, but I'm really wanting a sporty little 5 speed! 15. Favorite salad dressing? ranch 16. Favorite Pie? not a big "pie person" 17. Favorite number? hummm.... 11? 18. Favorite movie? Currently, Penelope... I'm sure in November it will be TWILIGHT! 19. Favorite holiday? Christmas 20. Favorite dessert? Mint Chocolate Chip Icecream 21. Favorite food? Homemade Mashed Potatoes with Extra Butter and Extra Salt! 22. Favorite day of the week? Friday 23. Favorite brand of body wash? I don't have a favorite 24. Favorite tooth paste? Crest with whitening. 25. Favorite smell? Fall! 26. What do you do to relax? surf the internet 27. How do you see yourself in 10 years? OLD! lol 28. How many siblings do you have? 1 29. Where is the farthest place you will send this message? Well I have Australian readers... so probably Australia! :) 30. Who will respond to this the fastest? Who knows?
So, WAY back in June, I won 2 UGA football tickets on Ebay. The day before I left for Australia, Brandon and I took a road trip to Athens, Georgia to watch the Dawgs whip up on Central Michigan. The dawgs did not disappoint! :)
This trip to Athens was a first for me and for Brandon.
I'm pretty sure Athens is the ONLY place you will find a concrete bulldog wearing a toga!
We parked at The Varsity and had a quick lunch. Now, I've eaten at the downtown Atlanta location MANY times in my 28 years and I have always LOVED the chaos of eating there (anywhere else chaos would drive me crazy, but it's all part of the experience at The Varsity!), but I have to say, it was nice to eat at the Athens location. It's WAY smaller, but just as noisey! :)
I can't remember what Brandon ordered, but here's mine...
Two Chili Burgers and Onion Rings! YUM!
But here's what makes me the MOST excited about a trip to The Varsity...
A Frosted Orange! (an F.O... for those of you who "speak Varsity"!)
After lunch we made the LONG walk to the stadium. We didn't do a very good job at judging how long it would take us to get to Athens... our directions were a little odd... or how long it would take us to find a parking spot WITHOUT paying $20 to park!
Once we made it to our seats we were just in awe of everything!
Us Pregame!
The Readcoat Marching band.
I never marched on the collegiate level because the college I attended doesn't even have a football team, but seeing the band in the stands REALLY made me miss marching band!
There's not many things that I REALLY miss about high school... and I was pretty sure that marching band was out of my system for good, but seeing these guys at halftime... *sigh*
AND... this really made me laugh... the last name of one of the drummajors was SMOOT! Those of you whom I know in "real life" will find that funny as well. Smoot is my maiden name. :)
Every Friday night during marching season for 3 years the announcer guy would say, "...the Belleview High School band under the field direction of drummajor, Jennifer Smoot." Ah! Good Memories!
The band playing before the game... the stands filled up pretty quick after I shot this video! **Note: The UGA fight song is the ring tone on my cellphone. :)
Our seats were GREAT! We were in the Alumni Section on the "shady side" of the stadium! Thank goodness for that!
We were in a good spot to see some pretty amazing plays... like this play by #24, Knowshon Moreno...
The fans went CRAZY! I texted my friend, Dawn, who is probably the biggest UGA fan I know, and she said she was screaming so loud the neighbor's were probably wondering what was going on! :)
This guy that sat in front of me drove me a little crazy...
not only did he have his own running commentary, but...
this was how much room I had for my legs!
Just before halftime... the dawgs drivin' it towards the endzone!
TOUCHDOWN GEORGIA!
Ok, by halfway through the 3rd quarter I was beginning to lose focus! :) It was HOT and I was TIRED!
I perked back up after Moreno's amazing hurdle at the end of the 3rd quarter!!
The Dawgs played a great game! I'm so glad we were able to go to a game this season... hopefully we can make it to one next year!
So, the Australia post was.... long. I'll admit it, but you wanted the details, right?
Anyway... in my attempt to condense it... yes, I did condense it... I forgot a few things.
My hotel...
Rydges Bankstown I would just like to note that this was the MOST comfortable bed I've EVER slept in! You know how at most hotels you get 2 pillows and they are either completely flat or so over stuffed that your neck hurts from sleeping on it? I think I had 6 actual pillows... not including decorative ones... and they were all perfect! I just saw that I can purchase one of these beds online... do I dare look to see how much it is?? $2000 for the entire bed... base, mattress, everything... however, they do not deliver to the states. Bummer.
Huh? I have an accent? OH! You mean that's what that obnoxious southern twang is? So Jackie, you should enjoy these next 2 videos!
The Seals at the Aquarium...
Ok. This last video is of my walk from Target back to the hotel. Please forgive the quality since I was walking while filming. I shot this video because it felt so odd to be walking down the side of the road and the cars to be coming from the opposite direction that they would be in the states... **Note that a random NSW bird flies out of nowhere and directly across my path at the 17 second mark!
Australia has been on my list of places to visit for as long as I can remember.
So, back a few months ago I started having, what I called, an "Almost 30 crisis". I won't be 30 until January 2010, but that's close enough.
I started thinking back to high school and all of the things I used to enjoy. I was a band geek. I was in the string orchestra. I saw in the chorus. I was a Thespian (yes, Thespian... an actress!). I spent the summer after graduation performing at a local community theatre in a production of "Annie Get Your Gun".
I was 18 and I had big plans!
Those plans seemed to kind of disappear over the course of my college education... funny thing is, I don't remember my specific plans, but I do remember that I had some!
Anyway... maybe all of this reflection started happening as a result of my 10 year high school reunion back in June. I'm sure lots of people begin reflecting back on life as a result of these reunions.
So, I told Brandon about all of my reflection (and frustrations) and we discussed that maybe I should get away by myself for a week... of course when he mentioned it he was thinking I would go to Florida. :)
Totally thinking he would say "NO!", I asked if I could go to Australia! :)
LONG story short... He said yes, I got approved for an online visa in less than 2 minutes, I bought my tickets a day later, and a week later I was on a plane to Sydney!
**The day before I left, Brandon and I went to the UGA vs. Central Michigan game! My next blog will be all about that adventure!
I left on Sunday, September 7th and didn't arrive in Sydney until Tuesday, Sept. 9th at 6am... of course that was 4pm on Monday the 8th here in TN.
Saying goodbye at the Atlanta Airport
Me and my cousin, Brett.
Brett went with us to the airport. He works in the airport so he's handy to have around.
Plus, we kinda like him! :)
The flight was LONG! The first leg was from Atlanta to LA. I sat by a guy (can't remember his name now) who had tons of tatoos... I hate the take off and landing part of the trip so I thought I might distract myself by chatting with him about his tatoos. :)
He was very nice. He told me all about his tatoos and his job in the motorcycle industry that takes him all over the world. He was currently traveling home (LA) from Germany.
The leg from LA to Sydney... even LONGER! I was hoping to sit by some Australians so I could get the inside scoop on Sydney... no such luck. Instead I got 2 ladies from Minnesota (I think) who were going to Australia and New Zealand.
Flying in to Sydney at 6:00 am
My friend Evan met me at the airport... I met Evan online... I know, I know... save me the lectures on the dangers of meeting people from the internet. We had been in frequent contact for a while before I planned my trip... you know how you just "click" with some people? Well Evan and I "clicked". He's a great guy!
The 1st day we took the train from the airport and then another train to...
It was a chilly day... Australia is in the southern hemisphere so even though it was the end of summer in Tennessee, it was the end of winter in Sydney. When the wind wasn't blowing, I was comfortable in my sweater coat.
I really enjoyed the zoo. The animals seemed so much closer than they are here in the states.
A friend of Evan's told him that we HAD to see the bird show so we made sure we caught it. Unfortunately, it was VERY hard to get pictures of the birds... they were VERY fast.
So begins my fear of birds... not all birds, but Australian birds... more specifically, birds from New South Wales (nsw). I don't think they like me very much. They must be able to sense my "American-ness". Every bird in the show swooped right down over my head. Even Evan started to get a little nervous... he moved a few feet away from me just so he wouldn't get taken out by a random eagle, hawk or owl!
*I have video to prove this point... just wait and see!
Pygmy Hippo Yes, this is a picture of a picture of a pygmy hippo. I saw him, but he wouldn't come close enough for a shot. Evan told me that no one would believe that this was actually the animal we saw... little did he know, my sister is just precious. :) She sent me a Facebook comment asking if he was really this close to me or if I had a really good zoom on my camera!
Sorry Erin! I just had to tell!
Koala!
I was dying to see koalas... I really wanted to pet one and I made sure Evan knew that that was on my agenda. So, the first koalas we see... MANY MANY MANY meters (yep.. not feet. meters!) up in a tree! This was taken with a good zoom, Erin. :)
A wallaby with her joey
She literally hopped right past our feet. I was so excited! I probably looked like a stupid American, but I was so excited I didn't care!
Emu This emu also walked pretty close to us. I tried to get Evan to walk over and touch it... I think he was scared! :)
The view of Manly from the zoo.
I thought I was getting a picture of the Sydney coast, but Evan corrected me.
After the zoo, we took a train back to Bankstown. We had dinner at Subway where Evan and the "Sandwich Artist" laughed at me for asking for American Cheese!
I had to explain to them that there IS such a thing as American Cheese.
After dinner we ran over to the Cinema (not movie theatre) and saw "In Bruges". I do not recommed this movie! Violent and Vulgar! I actually fell asleep... who can blame me? I had been awake for 2 DAYS!
THAT WAS ALL THE VERY FIRST DAY I ARRIVED!
I crashed hard that night!
DAY TWO:
Evan had classes at the university (uni). He took me to get lunch at this "shoppe"...
The best I can describe it is like a small store front shoppe. You can basically walk in and order and walk out. We had chicken chili burgers... they are like a chili seasoned chicken breast on a hamburger bun. It was spicy and actually quite good.
After lunch I wanted to buy a book to read so he dropped me off at the local shopping plaza, Bass Hill Plaza...
Jack Pot! Target!
I wandered around the plaza and found this...
Yes, that is raw meat. No, I am not in a grocery store... I am just walking down the hallway in the plaza. Right there between a clothing store and some sort of fast food place is a "raw meat shoppe".
Evan had to head off to uni so I walked back to the hotel to drop off my purchases... It wasn't far. I could see the hotel from the parking lot.
On the way I passed...
No, not Burger King... Hungry Jack's.
I told Evan it looked like Burger King. I think he said it used to be a Burger King. :)
I'm standing across from my hotel... McDonald's was next door to the hotel. Just down the street we have a Midas and a Dominos! I felt so at home!
Here's something I found interesting...
The McDonald's cartons have a map of where they get the beef for their burgers! :)
I spent the rest of the day exploring Bankstown and the surrounding area. Sydney has LOTS of suburbs so I don't know where all I may have been that day, but I covered a LOT of ground!
**Camera died... sorry no pictures!
After Evan got back from uni, he picked me up and we went out for Chinese. At first I found it odd to be eating Chinese in Australia, but they I remembered back to 7th grade World Geography and it suddenly made very good sense to me!
**If you don't understand... check a globe! :)
It was probably the best Chinese I've ever had... Sorry good ole' Kim San... you just didn't compare!
I crashed after dinner!
DAY THREE:
Evan had to go to uni again. I needed to charge Amanda's camera so I tagged along to use the computer lab.
It takes an hour to get to The University of Western Sydney. It's near the Blue Mountains in Richmond.
After we got back from uni, we grabbed some dinner (I can't remember for sure, but it may have been chicken chili burgers again... they were beginning to grow on me!) and we watched a movie that Evan highly recommended... Serenity. It was different... sci-fi isn't normally my thing, but I enjoyed it.
I crashed early that night... I'm glad I did because day four was BUSY!
DAY FOUR:
We grabbed a train to the Town Hall Station...
Evan and me on the train
When we got to the station, we walked around some... this was my first trip into the actual city area...
Before we headed to the top, we did the OzTrek attraction... we laughed a lot! Every single guide we had was either Asian or British! Not an Aussie in the place!
The view from the top of the tower.
Evan commented that...
1. I was not taking enough pictures at this point and
2. I was not in any pictures
so he took over camera duty while we were atop the tower.
So, here I am looking out at the Harbor Bridge
After the tower we headed around the harbor...
We had lunch at Oporto. Check out their official website to get a look at the Bondi Burger. That's what I had for lunch... it's basically the same chicken burger we had at the little shoppe.
Darling Harbor According to Wikipedia, we were very close to Chinatown and the Chinese Gardens... Had I known that at the time I would have insisted on going!
As we walked past the Convention Center, we noticed this water "hole/pit"... I can't really think of a better word.
Evan in the Water Hole...
I am only posting this video of myself so you can hear Evan's accent! :)
(Note: My pants are rolled up... I know they just look like they are too short... I didn't want them to get wet!)
Also note how the bird flies dangerously close to me... this is an example of how every bird in NSW treated me! :)
I don't remember what kind of bird this is, but there were several of them in this big open "bird sanctuary" and they were the only birds NOT to attack me... although I have to admit I was nervous the entire time I was in there!
Me sitting on a wombat! No, he's not real! :)
Evan and a cassowary Apparently it's the world's most deadly bird! (well according to the sign anyway!)
This wallaby made me laugh! Look how he's sitting!!
Then... the highlight of my trip...
Me & Charlie the Koala!
Charlie was born at Wildlife World. He was 18 months old... the same age as Riley. :)
I did get to pet him. He was extremely soft. I almost expected him to be a bit bristly, but he was almost downy soft.
After my photo with Charlie, we headed over to the Sydney Aquarium...
Aren't these tiny little penguins the cutest things you've ever seen!?!? It could probably have stood in my hand!
That massive shadow looking thing in the water... that's a sting ray! You can't really appreciate it's size until you watch the videos below...
I'm sure Evan remembers the name of these crazy fish/shark things (wobbegong... I was right, he knew the name)... I was just impressed with their size... compare them to the size of the exit sign!
There's Nemo... right in the middle of the picture... it's hard to see him because of the anemone.
Bubbles, Dory and Gill are swimming around at the top. :)
As we were walking to the monorail station to take a ride back to the other side of the harbor, I was able to get this shot... I think it's my favorite from the whole trip!
The Australian flag with the Sydney Tower in the background.
I love that the moon is in the picture as well!
Neither one of us was very impressed with the movie!
I did like the theatre! It was huge and very pretty.
When you by your ticket they ask you where you want to sit... front, middle, or back. We asked for the middle... then they assigned us seats!
I thought that was cool.
DAY FIVE:
Evan had to work Saturday early afternoon so I lounged around and took my time repacking everything. I just enjoyed my last lazy morning before heading back to "real life".
That night after Evan got off of work, we went by his house and then headed off to Bondi Beach.
It was a chilly night, but there were tons of people out on the beach.
We walked down the beach side of the road... I tried to get pictures of some of the buildings all lit up at night, but I couldn't get the camera to cooperate. You'll just have to take my word for it... it was very beautiful!
DAY SIX:
Such a sad day... I had to be at the airport about 11:30 am.
Evan helped me load everything into his car that morning and we headed off to the train station.
Here we are on the train on the way to the airport.
I'm gonna admit... it was emotional leaving Sydney. I really LOVED being in Australia and I really enjoyed hanging out with Evan. Getting to know him and meeting his family were both great parts of my trip!
We've decided that we'll stay in close contact... in fact, he's coming to visit us in February! I'm excited to return the hospitality he showed me while I was there!
So, that's it! My Australian Journey!
I hope I get to go back one day... sooner rather than later! There's so much more of Australia that I'd like to see!
