This picture was taken from the cable car at the zoo. But anyways, let me fill you in on Brisbane. I got in on Wednesday night. Erin and I split some delicious Mexican food (oh how I have missed it). She is the only other person I have found who dislikes vegetables in food as much as me. Onions are gross. But our dish came full of onions, so we ended up getting a free taco and a 10% discount. Not bad. That night we went out to this place called the Regatta and the RE. Both very fun and very Australian places. The next morning Erin and I explored the city. It was beautiful. We watched some rock climbers, crossed bridges, played in fountains, walked around gardens. We were everywhere. That night though, we decided to stay in and get a pizza and rent sex and the city. We got up early the next morning to meet the rest of the housemates at the gold coast. It was beautifully tacky. The sun felt so nice though. We headed back to town and got ready for the night. We did a little bit of bar hopping, and the night was successful to say the least. The next morning we awoke to Souf joining the crew. We packed up and headed to Lone Pine. It is a koala sanctuary, and I definitely have a new found love for koalas. They are such interesting and funny creatures. I even got to hold one. We saw a sheep dog show, and fed kangaroos. We also saw a platypus (my favorite animal now) attacking a shrimp to eat. Later that day, we headed back out to enjoy the city, and eventually ended up eating in Chinatown. We went out again that night to a place called the Valley. It was an interesting night to say the least, between the people and the places we went. There was this really beautiful bar we went into it. Very magical feeling with swings and such in the bar. We got up the next morning to head to Brisbane National Forest Park. The exhausted crew took a hike around the reservoir. Note to self: next time take a car to the park. That afternoon we headed to Coles and grabbed stuff for grilling in the park. We came unprepared, and this nice couple let us use their grilling tools. The food was delicious though. We stayed in the rest of the night to catch our early flight the next morning. Brisbane was a good weekend. Thank you Erin for letting us come and hang out! Next time: Whitsundays and Melbourne.

So I had an exciting week this past week. On Wednesday, the horse races were free! So a couple of the housemates and I headed over there. We went to 3 races, betting a dollar on 2 horses a race. I picked the winning horse twice, walking away $15 dollars richer (I know its not much but it is still more than expected). Then on Thursday, I headed to the beach with Lieke and Anna and my surfboard, only to find there were no waves :( Literally, no waves, flat ocean. It was pretty sad. Friday night, I went to Lieke's place to cook and hang out. Saturday night, the gang headed out to an Australian Football League game (AFL). No, it is not football as in soccer. Basically it is a bunch of men with shaved legs and short shorts running around with a smaller version of a rugby ball. They can run with it, kick it, pass it, bounce it. They can get tackled. It is a circular ring, and at each end there are 4 posts. If the player kicks it in between the middle posts (whether in the air or by rolling), they get 6 points. If it goes between the outer posts, it is 1 point. It was alot of fun, but not nearly as much fun or enthusiastic as a Texas football game. Sunday was a lazy day, just doing homework and laundry. I have got class on Monday and Tuesday and then I head out to Brisbane on Wenesday. So next time I post, I will fill you in on all the fun I had in Brisbane. See you then :)

I have had a great but busy week. Wednesday night Erin came into town with all of her friends. We went to Bondi Junction to a place called Eastern. It was fun. The next day was unfortunately spent all day working on a group project for Marketing, but we finally finished it. Thursday night we went out to Darling Harbour to this place called Unipackers. It was fun but the views of the city at night were amazing. On Friday I went to the observation deck of the Sydney Tower and took some amazing pics. Unfortunately my camera died :(. On Friday night we went to the Empire Hotel for $10 bottle champagne to celebrate our housemates Anna's birthday. She had a very good time as did the rest of us. On Saturday, we went to the Taronga Zoo. It was amazing. I felt like a little kid again. The weather was so nice too. Not too hot but not too cold. A perfect spring day. You have to take a ferry to get to the zoo. It is so cool looking out at the animals and seeing the Sydney skyline, and opera house, and bridge in the background. I went to the beach with Erin on Sunday until it started raining. That night I booked my flight to New Zealand. I leave on Sept. 29 and come back Oct. 11. I am so excited. So many fun things ahead in the future.

Hey guys! So I have officially booked a weekend trip to Brisbane at the end of August. Now everyone is coming. I am really excited. It will be good to get out of Sydney and do some exploring. Unfortunately for this week I have been bogged down with nasty school work. No fun. But it was an English exchange student's birthday last night. He turned 21 last night. Conveniently it was on $5 dollar steak night. Everyone convened at our place after to hang out which was a pretty good way to break up this busy week. Everyone that comes into our house is so jealous. That's because our house is made up of the best people. I am really excited about all of the opportunities ahead of me. I am planning a week in New Zealand the first week of October with some friends. Spring Break is still undecided. Now its between a week in Melbourne and the Blue Mountains (a famous bushland area with hiking and kangaroos and such). This will probably be the better option because it is cheaper for everyone. Cairns is still an option, and I would love to spend a week on the Great Barrier Reef, but thankfully I will be able to see it with my parents (as long as my exams work out the way I want them too). Happy 30th anniversary to my parents. Have fun in Georgia!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I will probably be posting only once a week now unless I go traveling in which I will post more then. Life has been good in Australia. I have made some amazing friends. The picture to the left is when we went to the aquarium. Mostly I have just been hanging out, surfing or shopping. We went to this market this weekend in Paddington. It was really cool but once again, it was pretty expensive. On Monday, a couple of us went to this little Irish bar that had a live Reggae band in the back room. Then on Friday we went to this place called the Gaff. On Saturday, our friends from the Netherlands through a house party. Yesterday, Aug. 1, (I can't believe it is already August and that I've been here a month!), was my french housemate, July's, birthday. She is vegetarian and gluten free, so we cooked her a delicious dinner and ate together as a house. My friend from Texas is coming to Sydney in 2 weeks. She is studying in Brisbane so hopefully I will be able to visit her there soon. Right now, everyone is worried about where to go for Spring Break. Possibly Fiji or New Zealand or Bali or the Gold Coast. Who knows! I want to go everywhere and unfortunately thats not possible. I have got class the next 2 days, but it is supposed to be a beautiful sunny week this week. Anyways, hope all is well in the U.S.