G'day, Mate!
Life has been abuzz lately, and I have so many blog posts swirling around in my head with no time to actually write them. Thankfully (or not?), extreme jet lag is giving me hours on end of free time in the middle of the night this week.
Jon and I just returned from a trip to the great land down under, Australia! Our primary purpose for traveling there at this time was to attend the wedding of my Aussie sis, Kristin. I lived with Kristin and family a looong 12 years ago when I visited Australia in high school. Our families have kept in touch over all these years through letters, emails, phone calls, and a couple of visits to the US. It was great to return to Australia and this time also bring my parents and husband along as well!
Beautiful bride, beautiful setting for a wedding:
To start off our trip, we were able to travel to Sydney and Cairns for a few days each. I celebrated the beginning of the end of my youth (otherwise known as my 29th birthday) in beautiful Sydney. From there we headed to Cairns for a day of hiking in the rainforest and a day of snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. 
Then we flew to Brisbane where the Tierney family met us at the airport and took us down to the Gold Coast for the wedding festivities. While there I also had a chance to take my family back to one of my favorite places from my previous visit - Byron Bay (pictured left). We enjoyed lots of breathtaking views and spectacular beaches. Another highlight was fulfilling my childhood dream of holding a Koala - seriously, it was on my "bucket list!" We spent a day at a wildlife sanctuary where we were able to hold "Beck" the koala, walk amongst kangaroos and emus, and observe (from a distance) giganto crocodiles.
My appreciation for Australia was definitely renewed on this trip. For many reasons it's a very easy place to travel. The Australian people are generous, light-hearted, and warm people. We constantly commented on how friendly everyone is regardless of their job (and what a sad wake-up call it was to return to the abrupt airport personnel in US security screening or customs lines). My usual philosophy is that there are too many places in the world to see to travel to any one place twice; however, I'll make an exception in the case of Oz. :)
As you can see, my parents easily adapted to the Aussie lifestyle:
Jon and I just returned from a trip to the great land down under, Australia! Our primary purpose for traveling there at this time was to attend the wedding of my Aussie sis, Kristin. I lived with Kristin and family a looong 12 years ago when I visited Australia in high school. Our families have kept in touch over all these years through letters, emails, phone calls, and a couple of visits to the US. It was great to return to Australia and this time also bring my parents and husband along as well!Beautiful bride, beautiful setting for a wedding:
To start off our trip, we were able to travel to Sydney and Cairns for a few days each. I celebrated the beginning of the end of my youth (otherwise known as my 29th birthday) in beautiful Sydney. From there we headed to Cairns for a day of hiking in the rainforest and a day of snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. 
Then we flew to Brisbane where the Tierney family met us at the airport and took us down to the Gold Coast for the wedding festivities. While there I also had a chance to take my family back to one of my favorite places from my previous visit - Byron Bay (pictured left). We enjoyed lots of breathtaking views and spectacular beaches. Another highlight was fulfilling my childhood dream of holding a Koala - seriously, it was on my "bucket list!" We spent a day at a wildlife sanctuary where we were able to hold "Beck" the koala, walk amongst kangaroos and emus, and observe (from a distance) giganto crocodiles.My appreciation for Australia was definitely renewed on this trip. For many reasons it's a very easy place to travel. The Australian people are generous, light-hearted, and warm people. We constantly commented on how friendly everyone is regardless of their job (and what a sad wake-up call it was to return to the abrupt airport personnel in US security screening or customs lines). My usual philosophy is that there are too many places in the world to see to travel to any one place twice; however, I'll make an exception in the case of Oz. :)
As you can see, my parents easily adapted to the Aussie lifestyle:
posted by Julie at 3:07 AM
3 Comments:
looks like you had a fun time!
great pics! Look forward to hearing more about it:)
Wow, snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef sounds like a dream.
I can't even imagine your bucket list. Seriously. You are so well-traveled, it must be quite the collection of unique to-dos.
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