John's Visit- GREAT WEEK

Where do I begin or how do I describe my week? The image above is probably a good indicator. There are no words to describe the amount of fun I had, heaps of laughter, or unforgettable memories (hallmark I know). I experienced Melbourne in a way that I have yet to experience, through the eyes of someone else. I will not fool you into believing that I am some kind of expert tour guide or trip planner because trust me, we (John and I) both ended up walking down some of the same streets more than 9-10 times (It was intentional though John!) and some days did nothing more than having a relaxing dinner and strolling through the city.

Before I begin on the detailing of this week long journey, I will conclude last week's post with updates from the Tower Dress Up Party and Dinner (11/03/10). It was a grand time and we all had fun eating kebabs together and attempting to choreograph a dance (lots of holding hands, turning circles, and awkward hand jives). Aubray and I stunned the crowd with heaven reaching hair (pictures to follow) and some pretty wild outfits. If you can't really decide if we are zebras, cheetas, or leopards, then you probably aren't alone. All in all, we didn't win the dancing competition but sure had a good time attempting zebra walks and taking tons of pictures in which we utilized and overused our "fierce" look.

Now to the week of 15/03/10-20/03/10. Only one word can describe it. AMAZING. John arrived that Monday and we headed back to school so he could drop off his luggage. I mean how on earth could one boy need 3 whole bags full of things for just 1 week? John, we have to work on your packing skills... haha I mean I only asked him to bring a few things (think it was a pack of bobby pins and a bottle of aleve that I recall). We headed back into the city for dinner and into Chinatown! We looked everywhere for a great Indian restaurant (John's favorite and something I have yet to experience). We ended up at a great Irish Pub called The Elephant and the Wheelbarrow. Close enough to Indian right? We had a fabulous dinner and then headed to the St. Kilda's to see the sites at night and walk along the beach :)

How should you spend your first full day in Australia? On the beach of course! John and I headed to St. Kilda's for the day in our stylish Pike tops not knowing what the day would bring. We were in for some laughs as the day began with John tripping multiple times on the way to the beach (everyone imagine that for a minute-you know I died on the spot) and me falling into the water as I tried to act all "smooth" walking along the beach. I even got my shorts all wet! After our falls and subsequent laughs, we got a great tan and smoothies (of course I got the better one and John tried to switch) and then headed back on the tram home. We stopped in the city and grabbed a few groceries, walked around in our shirts which got a great deal of attention (picture to follow), and just acted like the goobers that we are before we grabbed our final tram back to Bundoora ("I coming from a BUNDOORA"-just for you John). We hopped back on a tram for dinner that night and went to a fabulous restaurant with great food! Ate outside, had good conversation, and contemplated life. Ended the night with returning to La Trash and watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Yes, ladies you would think this night would end with possibly a romantic film but nope... I got Sarah Marshall. Thanks John. heh.

Me Falling in the Water... Of course John caught it on camera.

St. Patty's Day Wednesday!! This day was the most fun of all and began with our trip to our true home... the zoo.

I mean, I thought John fit right in. Was wondering how he got out of his cage. Enough with the jokes (I know everyone is DYING laughing).

The zoo was great and huge! We saw soo many animals from lions, tigers, bears, OH MY!, to kangaroos, koalas, and rhinos. We got some great pictures and had a great lunch :)

After the zoo, we headed back downtown and I had my first Indian experience. John and I, being the spontaneous travelers that we are, decided on a whim to stop at this cute Indian restaurant so he could expose me to a great Indian delicacy known as a samosa. Mom, you have to learn the recipe! It was so wonderful but apparently really hard to make, so may take a few tries (I know you will get it). After our delightful food stop, we headed back to BUNDOORA (for you once again) and got ready for a St. Patrick's Day celebration!!! Everyone was heading to Father Flannagans for some great Irish music and fellowship. We got all dolled up in our dressy outfits and went on our Irish way!

We discovered that Father Flannagan's was packed and we couldn't get in :( John and I didn't let this stop us! We headed down to Brunswick Street to another St. Patrick's get together and went on a great rooftop with a great view, made some great new friends, and had many laughs. Successful St. Patty's day night!

Thursday was a rather relaxing day in the city and we decided to go back to our favorite restaurant spot, The Elephant! We had a great relaxing lunch and stayed and watched some Aussie football and cricket. We went back to school and I showed John the campus. We ended the night with a mini picnic on the picnic tables outside of my residential college in which the 2 of us proved to be sufficient entertainment for each other. Glad John is funny at least:) ha







Friday brought many suprises as we headed off at 8 am to the Queen Victoria Market! We instantly became overwhelmed with all of the selection and the multitudes of offerings! The fruits and veggies building was amazing and had any type fruit/veggie that the mind can fathom! The meat building was even more interesting and they had everything from huge ribs to huge fish on display! After our mouths could water no longer, we decided to head to the general retail buildings. There was so much stuff here to look at too! We managed to stumble across this pretty sweet hoodie that John insisted I try on. Who on earth would actually buy this? I bought John a fluffy stuffed animal koala key chain THAT HE HAS TO ACTUALLY PUT ON HIS KEYS and John bought me a little bug box that I wanted :)After we spent our money wisely on a few other purchases, we headed back to the grocery section to pick up some things for our dinner! We ended up selecting fresh corn, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, chicken rissoles, baby octupus (my choice of course), and mozzarella ham. How delish!

After our market adventure, we headed off to a bottling tour in which we got to go behind the scenes to see where tons of bottled beverages get bottled and also got a taste test. We got to try some of Australia's finest local drinks. They have a particular soda that is my favorite called Solo. To me, it is a mix between Mountain Dew and Lemonade and pretty great!

John and I look Pretty Official in our Outfits

After the tour, we came back to LaTrobe and made a feast! We turned up the music and put on our aprons! Everything turned out just scrumptous and we had a great time preparing it. As fun as this night was, I was very sad because I knew that this would soon come to an end and that John was leaving tomorrow. The night ended with a great movie after dinner and then John was off to the airport :(

Saturday was a sad day and I watched movies most of the day. Got to talk to John a good bit and found out that he landed back in the U.S! Praise be to God that he made each plane and landed safely. Thanks John for such a good week. I had a great time and will miss you dearly! I will have a few cases of water on hand next time you visit :)

This now leaves me to today 21/03/10... You may wonder why I have not talked much about school? Well guys, its only the 2nd week! Nothing major is going on in my classes at the moment. Just lots of reading and discussion. Pretty interesting. I am looking forward to meeting with the head of the law school this week to discuss some possible options for an internship. Let's all pray that I get good news and that something works out.

Hope everyone enjoyed the pictures! I miss you guys so much! Until next time :)