Sunday, October 31st

Today we went to Pancakes on the Rocks for breakfast, which was fantastic.  I got a Bavarian Apple Pancake, so good.  It was right on the harbor so we were able to look out the window at the Harbor where there were boat races going on.  It was a big event (not sure what it was but there were tons of people).  Then we went to Oxford Street and walked around and shopped a little then went home and took naps before we made stir fry for dinner.  It was very yummy.  After dinner Sarah, Steph and I went for a walk around Darling Harbor and now we are watching X Factor to see how the contestants sing because we are going again tomorrow to watch the result show.  Hopefully someone good is singing tomorrow.  Relaxing night again tonight, hopefully I will start to wake up a little this week when my parents are here!

Saturday, October 30th

Today we got up early and went to the coffee shop.  I was able to skype with my parents, where they were packing and getting ready to come visit.  I also skyped with Jessica, it was so great to talk to someone from home and we were able to catch up.  After coffee we walked around Darling Harbor and switched in our boat tour tickets to get a High Tea Cruise.  So at 2:30 we went for High Tea on a boat.  It was a lot of fun.  Lots of food, tea, and champagne while cruising the harbor.  It was a nice scenic ride.  After the cruise Sarah and I went to Hillsong for church, then we went out to the Irish Pub down the street to hang out with the girls.  I feel like the days are getting shorter and shorter. :(

Friday, October 29th

Last day in housekeeping today, FINALLY!  It was an easy day, I just followed another girl around all day and helped her clean her rooms. I got off early, once again (I wish I was in housekeeping when my parents are here so I could get off early).  One good thing about today was that one of the guests left 4 bottles of wine in the room so I got a bottle of 2008 Shiraz as a tip today.  After work I went to the coffee shop for some internet, even though I didnt have much to look up today, so it was a quick trip.  Then I went home and took a nap until Sarah and Katherine got home from work (Stephanie worked late tonight, 3-11).  Sarah and I met Katherine at a cupcake shop where I got a red velvet cupcake and a cappuccino. So good. Then we went to Nando's for dinner (2nd time this week) and it was amazing.  After dinner we decided we needed to get some exercise so we walked to Darling Harbor, then walked to the Opera House and Bay Bridge and watched the fireworks and then walked back to Darling Harbor for some gelato.  We walked around for about 3 1/2 hours.  It was such a nice night and we really needed the exercise after the way we have been eating!

Thursday, October 28th

Back to housekeeping today :( only one more day of it tomorrow and then I get to work with Adrian, the concierge, and hopefully my job will be a little more exciting.  As of now I am thinking of what career path I want to try next because this one does not seem like the one as of now.  Oh well I will just have to keep trying until I find it...im thinking realtor next :) lol
I got out of work early today (the good thing about working with housekeeping) and am now at the Coffee Pitt.  They now know me and I get a welcoming greeting every time I come in now.  Its such a beautiful day here and they have the whole place opened up.  The one thing I like about Sydney is a lot of their coffee shops and restaurants are open to outside, its so nice, especially on warm, sunny days like today.
We went to the movies to see "Life As We Know It" tonight.  It was really good.  Such a cute movie.  After the movie we walked around a little to try and find something for dinner but since we couldnt make up out minds as to what we wanted to eat we got gelato instead :)  It was so delicious, I got a macadamia, caramel, and coffee shake, yummy.  Great way to end the night.

Wednesday, October 27th

Today I got to work at the new hotel (Park 8).  They are opening next week and still dont have really anything put together.  I ironed curtains, helped carry the delivery of refrigerators to the rooms (elevators dont work in the hotel yet :/ ), we got the delivery of blow dryers, kettles, and irons so we had to make sure there was one of each in every room.  It was a long day of running up and down about 8 flights of steps, lifting heavy boxes, and doing a lot of cleaning.  The day went by really fast which was nice, even though i had to stay a full day.  The day ended with everyone hanging out in one of the rooms drinking beer and champagne, nice relaxing way to end a busy work day.
I met the girls for dinner at this Portuguese restaurant across from our apartment (which was amazing) and then we walked around a bit before heading back home to watch some tv, dye Nicola's hair purple (it is currently multicolored from a failed attempt last night) and just relax.  Another great day in Australia :)

Tuesday, October 26th

Work this morning was good.  I worked with Pat, who I never worked with before, and we got done so early.  We were done with all her rooms before 1pm.  I, unfortunately, asked if there was anything else I could do so my supervisor sent me to help another guy with his rooms.  It only took us 45 mins to finish, so I went home early.  I was meeting the girls after work at the coffee shop but that wasnt for another 3 hours so I went home and played some tetris (Jil beat me 3 times and knocked me down a ranking) then I took a nap.  By the time I woke up from my nap it was time to meet the girls so off to the coffee pitt for some free wifi and to plan our future trips we want to take while in Sydney.
For the rest of the night were thinking .. food shopping, watch a movie, and order in pizza.  Sounds like a good night to me :)

Monday, October 25th

Back to work today.  It was a little rough getting up this morning.  Once at work it was another boring day,  helping Michael clean his rooms.  I got out early again, 3pm and then walked around a little because I had to go back at 4:45 to meet up with Stephanie because we had to get going to The X-Factor.  It was about a 45 minute walk to Fox Studios from work.  We found Sarah wondering on the way and we got lost a little too but we eventually found the studio and had to then wait in line another hour and a half until we got into the building.  The people were oddly nice.  I feel like if we were to do to American Idol the workers would not be as nice as these people were, offering people to get out of line to get water, use the bathroom, get a snack.  It was a little strange to us but really nice.  Once finally in our seats (last row but still could see everything) there was a comedian who was pretty funny entertaining us and then the host came out and started promo's where we had to do a lot of screaming (for people we had no idea who they were).  Once the show started it was a lot of fun.  2 Australian artists sang and then the 2 contestants in the bottom sang as well.  They were pretty good.  It was a lot like American Idol, yet a lot more laid back.  After the show we had an hour walk home so half way home we stopped at a Mexican Restaurant and I got a burrito (which was AMAZING). By the time we arrived home it was almost 11pm so it was time for bed.  A busy day of walking but a lot of fun!

Sunday, October 24

So far today Sarah and I went to the Coffee Pitt to get wifi and  I skyped with my mom, Kristi, Aunt Karen, and Uncle Donald (my mom and Kristi are in Virginia).  It was so great to be able to talk to them and see them.  I wish I could be there for Abby's birthday but I'm glad mom and Kristi were able to go.  I miss them all so much.  After skyping with all of them I skyped with my Dad and we discussed details of what he wants to do when him and my mom get here and where they will stay and a bunch of other things that got me really excited about them coming in a week.
We have been at the coffee shop for about 2 hours now and I have been looking for flights home, jobs in Colorado, things to do in Australia, and flights to Oregon to visit Lindsay.  It has been a successful free wifi morning so far.
After our Wifi morning we went home, had lunch at Nicola and Katherines.  Nicola brought food home from work, turkey, cheese, bread, onions, lettuce, tomato...all kinds of good stuff to make sandwiches.  Sarah, Katherine, and I stopped at the grocery store and got chips and salsa, and mac n cheese to go with the sandwiches.  After lunch we went to the Irish Pub to see if we can see some race Katherine wanted to watch but it wasnt on.  After the unsuccessful outing to the pub we went to Krispy Cremes from donuts (YUM) and went back to the apartment to watch, Letters to Juliet (really cute movie).  It was an early night of us .. back to work tomorrow :(

Saturday, October 23

Today Stephanie and I went to a coworkers birthday party.  It started at a park (which took us an hour and a half to walk too) and they had a bbq and drinks and a picnic thing going on.  It was a lot of fun, but then it started to rain...hard.  We all got soaked and then moved the party to a room at the hotel.  Stephanie and I didnt last long at the hotel, I was so wet I just wanted to go home and change.  They were all going to Karaoke next but I didnt go to that.  I met up with Sarah, Katherine, and Nicola at Katherine and Nicola's apartment and we had some wine and then we went out to an Irish Pub.  We met some Irish guys there (Irish guys at an Irish pub in Australia .. who would have guessed) and they were soo funny.  I dont think I have laughed so hard in my life.  Then we went to another bar place and just hung out.  It was such a funny night.  Definitely the best night since I have been here.  I am so glad that I was able to make such good friends with these girls, they are amazing!

Friday, October 22

So far today I had work and I had to go to an "induction" they call it but its like a workshop for the front desk.  They are opening a new hotel and their employees as well as Steph and I (like yesterday) had to go.  It was from 9-2 and it was amazing.  I really learned a lot about how to properly answer the phones, take reservations, and treat the guests.  It was a nice overview of the position before I am trained in it, eventually.  After that Sophie (my boss) let us go home early :)  It was amazing, starting my weekend early.  I am not sitting at the Coffee Pitt (our favorite wifi spot) right now getting my fill of the internet and getting all the research done for the day.  I will be meeting everyone at the Food Festival (Noodle Market) again for dinner after everyone gets off of work as well as meeting some of the employees from Park 8 (the new hotel) there.  The noodle festival was soooo crowded tonight.  It was the last night so everyone came out.  It was still really fun and delicious.  After spending about 2 hours there we went back to our apartment and watched 500 Days of Summer.  It was really good.  I had seen it before but it was a lot better the second time.  It is another early night for us but is definitely needed.

Thursday, October 21

Work was just another boring day again today.  I worked with the houseman today, basically I followed him around while he cleaned and fixed things when needed.  Then after lunch I was told I had to go to an induction thing.  It was a lot of fun.  It basically was for all the new employees at my hotel as well as the new hotel that they are opening up in about a month.  It really taught me a lot about the hotels and the way they expect us to act and how to treat the guests.  I have never worked in the hospitality industry so it was great to learn all about it.  This clinic type thing took up the rest of the workday (which was great).  Stephanie and I went back home and relaxed before we had a group dinner with Margeux at Cargobar for pizza.  Yummmyyy!  It was great getting together with the whole group.  I finally met everyone.  One girl was in Fiji for the past week (lucky) so I met her for the first time. We have not all hung out as a group (all 10 of us) yet since I have been here so it was nice to hear about everyones jobs and get to know them a bit. After dinner Sarah, Katherine, and Nicola came back to my apartment and we had ice cream and watched some tv.  Another great day in Sydney!

Wednesday, October 20

Today I had my second day of work.  It was pretty boring following people around and just getting used to the hotel.  I did get out early again and was able to go home and relax a little even though the whole night was going to be relaxation.  I waited for the rest of the girls to get out of work.  Sarah picked up a movie on her way home then we all went to the grocery store and picked up dinner.  We made lasagna and garlic bread for dinner and got popcorn and ice cream for dessert to go with the movie.  We watched Nine and it was a pretty good movie, we were all so tired so it took a lot of explaining for all of us but in the end it was a nice relaxing night together that we really needed after the first few days of work.

Tuesday, October 19th

Today was my first day of work!! I started at 9am and am doing housekeeping.  I was a little nervous to do housekeeping thinking it was going to be horrible but it actually wasn't that bad, except for the fact that my feet were killing me from my extremely uncomfortable shoes.  (I bought new ones so hopefully tomorrow will be better).  I helped clean about 15 rooms today.  The guy I was working with did not want to be at work so we made a deal, I will do the beds and he will do the bathrooms and we would get out early.  It worked because we were done at 2 when I was supposed to work til 5.  It was nice to get out early.  I was able to get some laundry done and cleaned the apartment a little before I met the girls at the International Food Festival at the park.  The festival was amazing.  So much Chinese food.  I got some sort of noodle, vegetable, chicken combo thing, it was really delicious. We ate so much that we took the long way home so we could walk off some of the food.  Now I am at the Coffee Pit (our new favorite coffee shop with wireless internet) with Sarah and Katherine getting our daily coffee and internet fix.  I have a feeling it is going to be an early night tonight!

Monday, October 18th

Today everyone else started work and I was able to sleep in and enjoy another day before starting work.  I was lucky that my roommate, Stephanie, did not have to go to work until 3 so we were able to hang out all morning.  I was also able to skype with my family!  It was nice to finally talk to them and tell them all about what was going on!  It was weird because as I ate my toast and cereal for breakfast, my mom was running up and down the stairs checking on dinner.  Still not used to the whole time difference thing yet.

Stephanie and I went to the sydney sky tower.  It is one of those really high towers where you can walk around and see the whole city from the sky! lol It was really cool.  Then we went to the Maritime Museum.  That was very interesting looking at Sydney history of the navy and of the country itself.  We then went for lunch at Darling Harbor before heading home to get ready for work.  I walked with her to work so that I knew where I was going for my first day.  Stephanie had been taking the train to work and I told her I wanted to walk because I am cheap so we walked and it was only a half hour walk.  So now she is walking with me :) After Stephanie showed me around the hotel a little I went back home and watched some tv waiting for everyone else to get off of work.  I met Sarah at our coffee shop hang out, Gloria Genes, then met up with Katherine and Nicola for dinner.  We went food shopping and then just hung out the rest of the night and ate junk food.  Sarah and I have figured we can eat whatever we want because we walk atleast 6 miles a day.  Well see after 8 weeks how smart our thought process was.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Today I woke up so early because of the fact that I was in bed at 8pm due to jet-lag.  Once I was able to function and actually get out of bed and eat breakfast I met Sarah and Katherine (who had just arrived) to get internet and to show Katherine the area.  We had orientation at 12:45 and we went to the Harbor and got coffee and sandwiches before we were supposed to get a cruise around the harbor.  We got on the boat and it took us to the next stop and then they told us that the cruise we wanted to go on was not running for the next 2 weekends because of some Island Hoping thing they are doing so we didnt get to finish the cruise but we get to go on it again at the end of the month.  We got ice cream and walked thru Darling Harbor a little more and then went back to find a coffee shop where we could get free wi-fi.  After a few hours of getting back into communication with the world, Sarah and I went to Hillsong Church.  It was an hour walk from our apartment but it was so worth the walk.  The church was HUGE and in like a warehouse type building.  The music was amazing and the pastor was so funny and despite a little dig about American accents it was a great service.  We got the bus back to the Central train station in China town and walked home from there.  It was another long day but a fantastic 2nd day in Sydney.

Australia

Thursday, October 14, I left LA at 10:30pm for my long 15 hour flight to Australia.   The flight was not that bad.  It was a huge plane (2 stories) and we were fed a lot, which I liked.  For dinner we had prime rib with mashed potatoes and veggies, then we had a snack before bedtime which was popcorn then I slept for about 8 hours.  I started to watch Sex in the City 2 but fell asleep halfway thru and woke up for the ending then I went back to sleep after watching 3 episodes of How I Met Your Mother and then woke up at about 4am (Australia time) and watched Marmaduke and fell asleep half way thru that.  I did not get to watch a full movie but I did get a lot of sleep.  I also was able to play tetris on the tv, which if you didn’t know I am now addicted to it on Facebook and the fact that I couldn’t play it for the past 30 hours is killing me. 

Once I arrived in Australia, a representative for the program, Margeux, picked Sara and me up at the airport and brought us to our apartment complex.  We dropped our stuff of and went exploring.  It was about 930am here and we went to see the Opera House, the Bridge, we walked thru the botanical gardens, and just explored the city until almost 2pm.  We found our way back to the apartments, I moved into my apartment and got settled before we went out to explore some more and get an early dinner at Darling Harbor.  After walking around and getting familiar with the area we went food shopping (which was so much fun and expensive).  Australia is very expensive, it was almost $6 for a box of cereal, crazyy!  Once we got back to the apartment Sara, Stephanie (my roommate) and I watched some tv and I was in bed by 8pm.  I was so exhausted from all the excitement of the first day! I still cant believe I’m in Australia J

California

My last and final stop in the United States was Los Angeles, California to visit Kristen and Natasha!! I arrived on Monday night after a great last day in Colorado but sad to say goodbye to the girls.  Natasha and Kristen met me at the airport and we stopped at In'N'Out for french fries and milk shakes, yummm.  Then we went to Natasha's house and hung out and talked and got settled and planned our crazy, fun filled week.
Tuesday morning we got up early and I joined Natasha in her Theology class, which was AMAZING.  She has such an amazing teacher who really enjoys what he does and is very passionate about what he teaches.  Right after class we went to DISNEYLAND!  This was my first trip there and it was awesome.  I had a hard time not comparing it to Disney world (which is a lot bigger) but it was still a blast.  It truly is the most magical place on earth.  We started at Disneys California adventures then after lunch we went to Disneyland.  The castle is so tiny there but still the feeling of happiness when in Disney helped me overlook the size :)  After spending the whole day riding rides and walking around the parks we went home and made delicious pumpkin cupcakes.
Wednesday, Natasha, her friend Chelsea, and I went to HOLLYWOOD.  We got there early and went to Hollywood Blvd. and walked the walk of fame.  We then took a tour bus around the city to see everything.  It took us to Rodeo Drive, Sunset Blvd, by the Hollywood sign, through Beverly Hills and showed us a few celebrity homes.  We saw the homes of Drew Barrymore, Bob Barker, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Dr. Phil, Leonardo DeCaprio, Richard Simmons, Christina Aguilera, and the house that Michael Jackson died in.  After the tour we went to Pinks hot dogs (which is a stand that a lot of celebrities apparently go to) and I got a Nacho Cheese Chili Dog .. DELICIOUS! then we went back to Disneyland and watched the World of Color show.  It was so beautiful.  It was like the fireworks in Disney world but they do a whole presentation with water and lights.  It was awesome.  On our way home we stopped at Berry Cool and got some frozen yogurt and then went to bed.
Thursday (today) Kristen and I went to Laguna Beach and walked up and down the main road and shopped a little and had lunch at Ruby's diner.  It was kind of hazy so we walked along the beach and looked at the HUGE houses on the water and headed back home.  Natasha and I then hung out and I did some packing and last minute email checking and preparing.  We went to Panera for dinner and Kristen picked me up with my 3 bags of luggage and got me to the airport.  I am now sitting at the terminal, freaking out a little because it is actually here.  I have been planning this trip for almost a year and figuring out these predeparture trips for about 4 months now and they are all over and I am on my way to Australia.  WOW a little scary but super exciting.  I cannot wait to get this long flight over with and be in  SYDNEY!  once I get there only 2 weeks until my parents come (which I am so excited to see them)! ahh so crazy how fast time goes.  I will write again once I get to the land down under :)

Rest of my trip to Colorado

Thursday Jil and I went for a hike up Mount Sanitas.  It had such an amazing view but it totally kicked our butts.  It was such a great way to see the mountains and get some fresh air and exercise.  After our hike we went into Boulder and had some fantastic salads and while eating our salad outside on the patio we had the most amazing view of the mountains.  I cant get over how amazing Colorado's views are!!  After getting the girls from school Izzy and Josie had soccer practice and Jil and I froze while watching.  It was a great day in the fresh air.
Friday we went to costco, then CHICK - FIL- A.  Jil played tetris and I took a nap then the kids came home, we went shopping for birthday gifts for Josie's friends, worked on Josie's school project, watched some tv, had Salmon for dinner (which was fabulous) then made dessert, CANNOLI'S.  They were delicious.
Saturday was a cold, early morning of soccer games.  Izzy lost but played awesome (she almost had a goal, it hit the cross bar) then Josie had a game and played goalie, midfield, and forward.  Her team won and she scored a goal.  It was so much fun watching them play soccer, it made me want to play soccer again.  After the games Jil, Tilly and I went back to CHICK-FIL-A, I had to get my fix since we dont have them in NJ.  After lunch, we did some hanging around then Jil, Izzy and I went to the Colorado University volleyball game.  I got a tour of the campus and it is gorgeous, Jil showed me where she used to work.  CU lost their game but it was still cool to see a college volleyball game (makes me wish I started playing earlier).
Sunday was a morning for everyone to sleep in (it think we were all up by 8 the latest).  It was kind of a crummy day out so we hung out and watched a little "Cake Boss" then went to a pumpkin patch and picked pumpkins, went through a corn maze, and got caramel apples (which Jil and I ate when the girls went to bed).   After pumpkin picking, Jil and I and two of Jil's friends went to the Rec Center and played Wally-ball (which is volleyball in a racquet ball room).  It was such an entertaining game.  We played for 2 hours and probably laughed more than we hit the ball.  (I am extremely sore today from playing) We had dinner at a neighbors house and watched a movie about the US Womens Soccer Team.   Jil and I ended the night with some (not so friendly) tetris games, while watching tv.  It was a great last day with the girls and makes it really hard to leave them today :(
Today Jil, Tilly and I hung out and went to lunch at Spicy Pickle and got Dairy Queen.  I packed and am waiting to go get the girls from school before I head to the airport! Off the California tonight, very excited to see Natasha and Kristen and get to visit a new place.  Getting closer to Australia!!

It has been such an amazing week in Colorado with the Thomason Family.  Thank you Jil, Chance, Izzy, Josie, and Tilly for making my visit so memorable and entertaining!! I will miss you guys!

First few days in Colorado

Monday night I landed in Denver and Jil picked me up at the airport and the girls met us at the house after soccer practice. The girls had decorate the driveway with welcome drawings in chalk! It was so great to see them again!
Tuesday morning we rode bikes to school to drop off Izzy and Josie and Tilly and I played at the house the rest of the morning. Jil and I then went for a drive to see the beautiful mountains, get me new sneakers and to see downtown Boulder. We got sushi for lunch, we walked around and saw the town then went home and got the girls from school and plAyed and hung out around the house.
Wednesday morning Tilly and I hung out while Jil worked in the library at the kids school! We played all kinds of games. Then Jil and I ran some errands, got lunch, saw downtown Louisville and did some grocery shopping before we picked up the girls. After school Josie and I worked on her homework and a project she has to build and building, so we are making a bakery (called JC's Bakery). Josie and Izzy had soccer practice then Jil and I watched the Yankee game!!!
It has been a fantastic trip so far and we still have tons more planned for the remainder of my time here :)

West Palm Beach-Stop 2

After landing in Fort Lauderdale around 11pm from a half hour flight from Orlando, I was greeted at the airport by Kristin and Joe.  It was so great to see Kristin since it had been like 2 months since the last time I saw her! Once getting back to PBA campus we went to a friends surprise party and hung out and met so many great people until about 1am.  I forget what college life is like, staying up late and partying all night long.  

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to go paintballing (my first time).  On our way to paintball, Joe was driving and got the school van stuck in a muddy ditch and we all had to try and push it out (unsuccessfully).  We ended up having a man in a pick-up truck and a tow rope come and pull us out! We finally got to paintball and played for 3 hours! It was so much fun, painful but fun.  The rest of the day consisted of scraping mud off ourselves, counting our welts, eating CHICK-FIL-A, going to the beach, Cheesecake factory for MJ's birthday and another late night of talking and massages.  It was a very long, fun filled day.

Sunday morning we went to The Assent in City Place for Church and then spent the afternoon on the beach.  It was a beautiful day, sunny with a nice breeze so it wasnt too hot.  We then spent the night in Lake Worth walking around the town, had dinner, did a little shopping and then got Mcflurries :)  Such a great way to end the night.  Kristin and I also got to talk to Jessica (FINALLY) and catch up :) Love you Jess!! Now I am sitting on Alycia's bed thinking about what a fantastic weekend we had.  

Tomorrow (Monday) I am off to Colorado, YAYYY, after another stop at Chick-fil-a for a chicken sandwich adn sweet tea, yummm. Such a great ending to a fantastic weekend with friends.