Not much going on..

Hey guys..
Just thought I'd give an update on things even though there isnt much going on lately. I have a lot more school work coming up like papers and such before our break starting mid April. We get two weeks off and right before that Luke is coming to visit. :) I have just been doing the normal stuff like hanging out with friends and going to class. It was rainy for awhile so the beach wasnt quite as nice but I got to go a couple times this past week when the sun and warmth came back. I am sad it gets colder than I thought it would in Australia. We are at the bottom of the continent so that is why though.
If you could just pray that I continue to enjoy my time here and make the most of it even during this time of less going on. That is the thing with living here for a semester, though I love it a ton, it is easy to just start getting into a daily routine and miss the excitment of being here. :) Pray that I also get time to talk to friends and family more back home since it has been in spurts that I have been able to. I also have yet to find a job around here. I figured out that I can be okay without getting one but part of me really still wants one for just a few shifts a week. Pray that I am okay with the outcome whether that be I am supposed to just enjoy my free time and not work or that I find something soon before it's too late. Also pray that I get more time with God since I have not been desiring that as much as I wish I did when so many other things are distracting me. My time with God helps me to focus on what is important and will really help me to enjoy my time here more than I realize.
You guys are such a blessing to my life and I am so thankful that you all care for me so much to read my blog, send me emails, and make time to say hi out of your busy schedules. I have felt so loved while being here from people back home and I just want to say thank you! :D

**This is me in front of the Twelve Apostles along the Great Ocean Road in Australia. :)


So I am sorry I havent written in awhile. I have been quite busy with starting school, hanging out and meeting people, and this weekend (for my birthday weekend) a group of us went out to Melbourne which is another big city in Australia. Classes are going well. I am taking a music class, a development class, and a social sciences class. It is nice to be able to take only 3 classes yet there is still a lot to do for class seeing that most of the time I would rather be enjoying Australia and exploring. This is my second week of class and the good thing is I really have minimal in-class time so I have a lot of time to spare outside unless I am doing work. For example, today I only have one class at 1pm so after that I made a huge pot roast dinner for all my friends to enjoy. I am really getting along with everyone out here and I feel like I have made some really great friends. Tomorrow we are all going out to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate my birthday since I was not in town on Monday for the actual day. Cool thing about having my birthday on March 9th was that in Adelaide it is a public holiday because it is the annual Adelaide Cup Day which means they have horse races all day and give us the day off. :D

So this past weekend I went on a trip with my friend Jaci (from U of I), Lisa (she is from Washington D.C.), and Jeff and Dan who are from Canada. We had a lot of fun doing touristy things and just enjoying our time off although by the end of the trip we were definitely ready to come back to relax and catch up on stuff back in Adelaide. One of the days we went on a tour of the Great Ocean Road which was amazing. Our tour guide kept everything interesting and we made some great stops at a rainforest, some beautiful views, and some famous sites like the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge. (Much of this stuff you will have to look up on google or something if you want to know what they are.) We also went on a trip to Phillips Island on Sunday which was a little less exciting but at the end of the day we did get to see penguins march onto the beach from being in the water all day. They were definitely a site to see since there were so many and it was crazy to see that they all go to the same area at night to get food and such. On that trip we also stopped at another wildlife park where we got to see kangaroos, koalas, walabis, emus, and tazmanian devils. During the trip we also enjoyed the casino, tons of restaurants, the city, and the beach while we were in Melbourne. All in all, it was a great trip. :)

This upcoming Saturday I am going on a trip to the ocean with people from the place I am living at to try surfing. I am quite nervous seeing that I dont like failing at new sports and I am pretty sure the chances of that are pretty high but I am excited to try it once. :) I have also been planning a couple other trips I will be doing while I am here including Kangaroo Island (I am going when Luke comes to visit with him for two days) and Cairns where the Great Barrier Reef is. I am going to Cairns with my housemate Emily so we can go to the Rainforest and the Reef. I am still trying to figure out what I will be doing for the 1st week of my break since the 2nd week I will be doing that. I would love to go to the outback but most of the planned trips you can book there are quite expensive and I would rather go with people I know and just rent a car or something.

Something that has really been on my mind lately is what I am doing with my life next year. Since I did not get into U of I for grad school, I have a whole variety of options and it is hard to decide what I want to do. I am sure it will come to me but if you have time, pray that I have some more guidance. At the moment I'm pretty sure traveling the world sounds like the best option...but that requires money. So we will see. I definitely have decided I want to visit all of my family and friends and travel to that extent at least next year since I've realized how important that is. That means trips to Ireland, the UK and France to visit people I met here, Arizona, Washington D.C. & Virginia area, Mississippi, Kentucky, and of course all around the midwest. The more I think about it, the more I realize how much I love to travel! :) and visit the people I love... :)

Anyways, thats that. I am doing great. I love it here still and I have been really thankful for skype which has allowed me to see some of my siblings and my little kitten max and Luke. If anyone else has skype and wants to chat, add me on your friends list! We can try to figure out a time that works to talk for a few minutes or so. :D

P.S. I cant believe I am 22 already. I'm glad I am doing this traveling now...