Welcome Home

My friends threw a surprise welcome home party for me. I wasn't expecting it all all! Some people didn't think I'd ever come back...here I am!

Belated Birthday Celebrations

We normally celebrate my parents' birthdays together since they're just a day apart. This year the soirée took place at Morton's Steakhouse downtown. Presents consisted of many traditional Australian artifacts :)

The Long Voyage Home Sept 8–9

My trip home began around 4am on Sept. 8 (Happy Birthday Dad!) and didn't end until 11am or so on the 9th. As I mentioned earlier, James and I took a shuttle from Noosa to Brisbane, met his parents in Sydney and I continued on to Nadi, Fiji. It was so hot and humid in Fiji, it reminded me of being back in India or the Philippines. I slept most of the way arriving in LA the afternoon of the 8th and had a 9 HOUR layover at LAX. Luckily my friend and savior, Amy, picked me up from the airport and we cruised around different beaches around LA for the day. I can't even imagine what I'd do in the airport for 9 hours. I then flew past Ohio and landed in Philadelphia the next morning! I finally made it to Dayton where my dad was kind enough to pick me up and take me home. It was so nice to be able to go home, shower, and sleep in a fully reclined position in a soft comfy bed.

Sunday, September 7

Today marks the beginning of my LONG journey home. I was hoping to get home for my parents' birthdays, but I'll be a day late. James rode with me to the Brisbane airport. We got picked up at 4:30am to make it to our 8:45am flight. As we were riding the shuttle to Brisbane I got a call from Qantas saying our flight to Sydney was canceled. I started to freak out a little bit considering I had a connecting flight in Sydney that I had to make. Turns out we were able to get on the next available flight, which left earlier than our original, so I was in Sydney with plenty of time. James' mom and stepdad met us in Sydney to say goodbye and to take James home with them for a few weeks.

Saturday, September 6 Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my last full day in Noosa. James and I decided to take the boat out for our last fishing excursion. I caught my biggest fish today a baby Estuary Cod. It was such a warm and beautiful day. We walked around Gympie Terrace that night and got some italian food for dinner. It was a perfect day.

Friday, September 5

Another day of fishing. It wasn't very successful, but it was beautiful out.

Friday, September 5

There's a little shack of a place I'd always pass claiming to have the best Calamari in the world. I've always been curious, but a little scared at the same time. This afternoon James and I decided to get fish and chips from this place and eat along the Noosa River. The calamari was AMAZING and the fish and chips were quite good as well. Another place we just discovered a little to late. The 2nd photo is shows how Australia always charges A LOT for sauce. It's so annoying.