Camp Somerset

I had the opportunity to take in a true summer event at the end of February and join my church for their annual family camp at Somerset Dam. It was a relaxing weekend and the perfect way to end the summer before diving into my studies again. They made a video of the weekend and I thought I would share it with you so you could catch a glimpse of what it was like.

The first night of camp, we had a competition between parents/kids. I would like to point out that it is our Lead Pastor that is doing "The Worm" and made me laugh so hard I may have peed a little. Unfortunately, our team did not make it onto the video with our ballet routine. But you can imagine.

Virgin Blue

Once again, it's time to catch up on this blog. I have gone from having heaps of time in December/January...to the point of restlessness and boredom at moments...to being so busy, I didn't even know what day it was...or time of day for that matter. Funny how things can change. I think life has settled down enough for a few moments to fill in the gaps of the past month or so...


January 24th began my journey with Virgin Blue, an Australian airline that has a Guest Contact Centre in Brisbane. Richard Branson has yet to appear on the premises outside of the photo shrine around the office, but I'll let you know if it happens. I completed 6 weeks of training -- learning all about the booking system, fare rules, how to book special services like unaccompanied minors and wheelchairs, changes and cancellations, etc. So basically now I sit at a desk and answer the phone, talking to guests who are flying with VB. I really enjoy it! My first day on the phones had me singing "Leaving on a Jet Plane" to a guest who put in his request after asking me what I was doing in Australia. They tell you to bring your "Virgin Flair" to your job...I think that counts.

The Guest Contact Centre in Brisbane

They treat you pretty well at Virgin Blue; training is thorough, complete with a "Famil" trip down to Sydney so we can get familiarized with the airport and all that VB does there. We also get some sweet perks, like Staff Travel, which will definitely help me see a bit more of Australia while I'm here...and perhaps cover my ride across the pond at the end of this journey!

Our Training Group in Sydney Airport

I'm so grateful for this job and it has successfully worked around my Uni schedule as I have now returned to classes. I'll be in school 2 days a week and will be working 3 days/week. On top of that I continue to teach about 8 students as part of my vocal pedagogy studies and have started to lead a worship team every 3 weeks at my church! It's going to be a busy year, but I'm loving every moment of it.

"Welcome to Virgin Blue...this is Julie!"