Happy New Year

Happy New Year! January 1, 2010, I was with my "other family", Bruce & Donna & Julia Thiessen. After a day of cross-country skiing in Banff, a good meal and a soak in the hot tub, we spent time together praying in the new year. My 2 requests were to know God more and to know what the next step would be in terms of vocal education. A week later, I discovered Griffith University online and well, I guess the rest is history!

January 1, 2011 sees me in quite a different place. In this journey, I am so grateful for those who walk with me, who pray with me and for me, and who continue to do life with me even though this distance is great. Thank you. My life is RICH because of you.

This week also marks 6 months in Australia! Day 184 according to my camera. Time is flying by.

The Christmas season has come and gone. I made a good effort to get into it, but I have to admit, I miss the snow and my family and friends back home. A hot Christmas just doesn't feel like Christmas! But I did get to enjoy it with some wonderful people.

(Christmas lunch with the Daisy Hill gang:
Me, Deb, Neil, Bel, Dave, Kruffs)

Christmas in Brissie

• Charlie Brown Christmas tree (well, the tree itself was nice, but the decorations wouldn't last long if my mom were around!)
• Santa hats, reindeer antlers, Santa hat earrings, and a festive dog
• Christmas lunch with the Daisy Hill gang
  

(Dave, Kruffs, Bel, and I)

Christmas in Moree (6 hours southwest of Brisbane)

• Nativity plays by children and adults
• Christmas baking (bringing in some Canadian treats like cinnamon buns, poppycock and lemon tarts)
• multiple Christmas dinners! So full...
  
• Escaping the heat in an air conditioned farmhouse!
• Being spoiled by Kate & Cheryl Boughton
  

(Christmas dinner with the Boughton family)

Christmas Day at Megli's farm

• a place I had heard much about from other Canadian friends have visited/lived there. It was great to have a bit of Canadian representation and we enjoyed good food and company.
• Still, I missed my own family GREATLY. We did have a hilarious Skype chat with on Christmas Day.
• Of all the things I missed this time of year, it was playing games and hanging out with my fam.

(Christmas Day @ the Meglis)

Other holiday adventures

• I got to see a bit of Australian country life
• hiking in a small mountain range
• horseback riding on the farm
• I even saw a brown snake...it was dead, but I saw it nonetheless. This would be my first snake sighting since I arrived in OZ (no pics, sorry...too gross!)

(afternoon ride with Kim Megli)

(Hike @ Mt. Kaputar)

New Years on the coast

• we (Kate, Cheryl & I) drove 6 hours east to Macksville on the coast
• We left the "outback" and drove through foothills, then a mountain range which dropped into a beautiful rain forest with waterfalls and finally to the ocean.
• Fish 'n chips on the beach, hanging out with Kate's relatives, swimming in the ocean, and some touristy shopping.

(Kate & I @ Nambucca Heads)

It's good to be back "home" in Brisbane, ready for 2011 and all that it holds.