2 weeks left

I realize that it has been a while since I have posted anything and for that I apologize. Life has been pretty busy since we got back from Sydney. It has been a good couple of weeks and it is hard to believe that I only have less than 2 more left. My heart is so torn. I am so thankful to God that He has blessed me with all that I have been able to experience here and these people have been so awesome. I will be very very sad to leave my friends and it is really difficult because I know that for some I will probably never see them again. I know that that is all in God's hands but it is still going to be very difficult to say goodbye. At the same time....I cannot wait to see all of you back home!!!! I am so glad that I will be home for the holidays. I have missed everyone greatly and can't wait to come back and share stories and everything. So pray for my strength that I will be able to get through these next 2 weeks fully enjoying them and looking forward to all of the things that God still has planned for this next year and my time here.
On a lighter note, I said that I have been pretty busy...I am still working at the church and finally finished the really big project that I had started on but had to take a break from to decorate the church a couple of times, hehe. So that is amazing...it felt really good to have accomplished something that I know will help the church. Other than that I have been busy hanging out with people, going shopping, attending birthday parties and having so much fun! Last Friday I attended my first Ballet! It was so incredibly beautiful! It was outside at this big amphitheater thing that they have at the Botannical Gardens in Melbourne. A bunch of us took blankets and food and had a picnic there while waiting for it to start. It was so cool. I was very glad that they give you a program that tells a little bit of the story otherwise I would have been totally lost, haha. Then last night I attended one of Melbourne's Carols services. There were tons of people there and my friends and I had a blast listening to the singers and watching the dancers and just singing along and hanging out. The church's Carols service is next week, my last Sunday :(.
Well it is Sunday morning here so I should go and finish getting ready for church. Love and miss you all and can't wait to see you!

Sydney Trip

I am now living proof that dreams do come true and prayers are answered. Ever since I was young I have wanted to go to Sydney and visit the Opera House and see the Harbor Bridge and now I can officially say that I have. I am so thankful to my father (both earthly and heavenly) for making this possible. We arrived in the city around 7:30 or 8:00 and went straight to our Hostel where we were staying and unpacked, ate and just watched some TV, relaxing after a long days drive. The next day, however, we walked down to the city to buy our public transportation passes and we are just going down this hill when I turn my head and stop dead in my tracks. I jump up and down, squeal, make a complete fool of myself and almost start crying as The Opera House comes into my view. I could not believe that I was actually seeing it in real life. We were still on the other side of the bay from it but it was just so awesome because you just looked to the left a bit more and there was the Harbor Bridge. We took a bunch of photos from that distance and then proceeded on towards The Opera House so that we could climb the stairs and look around (you aren't actually allowed inside unless you pay a bunch of money for a tour). Standing in front of it was more incredible than I could have imagined it. I was filled with smiles and giggles and just complete awe! It was amazing! After that we went on a ferry ride and ate lunch in the park right by it. We ate lunch under a really large tree and I decided after I ate that I wanted to climb it really badly so we did :). That was a lot of fun and we were all pretty crazy. Saturday we went to the Gleeb Market. (Gleeb was the street that our Hostel was on) They have the market every Saturday and it is a really cool set-up where you can find cool clothes and different things for a lot cheaper than in regular stores. After that we got on 3 different buses that we didn't need to and tried to find our way to Bondi Beach, haha. We eventually got there and just relaxed in the sun for a bit. It was beautiful, of course, and it felt so good to lay out under the sun again. The weather was absolutely perfect the whole week that we were there. Sunday we went to the inner-city Hill song church. It wasn't the massive one because that campus is really far from the city and it would have been very difficult and costly for us to try and get out there to the hills. But the City campus service was really good. The people were super nice and we met some really cool girls that made us feel less out of place. After church we went to another street market thing that happens only once a year. It was so cool because we just happened to be there the Sunday that they were putting it on. It, also, was on Gleeb street and there were just tons of booths up and down the street selling clothes, food, jewelry, gifts, they had bands playing and a few bounce houses set up and stuff. It was really fun and so awesome that we were able to be there for that. Monday was absolutely packed. We went to the Aquarium in the morning, visited the Queen Victoria Shopping Center Building in the mid-morning/early afternoon, ate lunch at The spinning Tower Restaurant in the late afternoon, shopped again after that, walked all through the Royal Botanical Gardens in the evening and then ended the day with a fairy ride at night. It was such an awesome day! The aquarium was really fun and we were able to see lots of cool fishies and sea creatures and the restaurant was really nice and the food was delicious (I actually ate Kangaroo)! The shopping part was so much fun and we had a blast being hyper and taking photos and video in the stores and some really funny events happened in the gardens that really us girls would only find funny because we were there but it was great and then the ferry ride was just so relaxing after the long day. Needless to say, we all slept well that night. I was very very happy because on Tuesday we decided to go to the Blue Mountains. I didn't think that we were going to be able to go but everyone seemed to think it would be a good idea and a bit of a different experience than just the city. Plus the Blue Mountains are really popular here and everyone has said that I needed to go there. So I was very glad when we decided to drive out there. They were about and hour and a half to two hours away from the city so we left fairly early so that we would be able to spend the majority of the day there. There are many different sights that you can go to because they are just so big. We chose to go to two of them. The first one that we went to we chose to walk down two different trails. The first trail was one that led to a small but old aboriginal cave like thing where the aboriginals had left hand prints all over the walls of the caves. It was really cool to see some real genuine Australian History. For those of you that don't know, the Aboriginals were the people that were first in Australia before the Europeans. Then the Europeans came to Aussie and tried to "civilize" the people and it didn't and hasn't gone over well. Anyways, the second trail led us to a gorgeous look out where you overlooked a huge river and hills that were filled with tons and tons of trees! It was beautiful! After we were done with that sight we drove farther and went to another sight that was supposed to have some water falls in it's paths. We probably chose the path that was the most difficult one that we could find and hardly ever traveled on and it took us forever to find the water fall but once we did, oh my word, it was so unbelievably amazing!!! There were other people there but they eventually left and Erin, Amy and I went exploring some and took lots and lots of photos. The rocks were, of course, super slippery, haha and so them mixed with my lack of balance ability led to me slipping (quite hilariously) and falling right into a little crevice of water that was in one of the Waterfalls pools that it ran down into. It was probably one of the funniest moments of the trip because I just looked like an idiot and was half soaked, lol. It was great and I loved it. After that I was tempted to just jump in but the water was SO freezing!!! That ended up being the only trail that we took for that stop but that was alright because the hike back up was SO hard! We were so out of breath and our legs were so ready to be done. We would have been a funny sight to see. So that was Tuesday and then Wednesday we had to pack up and head home. I slept for a bit of the drive in the morning because I was just worn out but after about lunch time we all woke up and were just in crazy hyper moods and we had a blast belting out music and dancing to it in the car. It made the trip seem alot shorter coming back. So all in all it was an amazing indescribable trip that was greater than I could ever have imagined. I was very please and VERY thankful to God for his provision and safety through it all.
It is strange to think that if a few hours all of you will be celebrating Thanksgiving. We were going to celebrate it tomorrow as well but we moved it to Saturday because Mrs. Loftis has to work tomorrow so Saturday would just be easier. So I still get a Thanksgiving :)
It is even more strange to think about the fact that I only have one more month here! I can't believe that it has already been over 2 months! That just doesn't seem possible. Well, I am still tired from my trip and my fingers are starting to hurt from typing so much, hehe, so I am going to go to bed now. I love you all! Thanks so much for all of your prayers!

XOXOXO

More Photos

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd19/jmktraveler/

Crazyness

Last weekend was so unbelievably busy and crazy! It was the church's 20th year anniversary and they had a weekend celebration. Friday night we had a big game night at the church where we played soccer, basketball, board games, and just hung out with each other. Saturday we had a big dinner and ball and Sunday we had the regular service in the morning and then a dedication service/afternoon tea later in the day. It all seemed to go really well. Friday was a blast just hanging out with everyone and being able to play some soccer and b-ball with some of the guys was really awesome. After that some of Chris' friends spent the night so we were up pretty late just having fun. Saturday morning I went over and helped set some stuff up at the church for that night and everyone was running around kind of crazy like trying to make sure that it all got done in time. The actual evening was really really fun. All of us girls got ready with one another and JoyLee did most of our hair. It is so much fun to have an opportunity to get all dressed up. I had my mom send my prom dress over so that I would have something to wear. I was super glad that I had another opportunity to wear it and everyone seemed to love it which, of course, made me feel special. The whole night was full of just picture taking, eating, and kind of dancing. It was great. So after the Ball we went over to some friend's house to just hang out for a bit longer and didn't get home till pretty late. Then I had to get up really early Saturday in order to be ready for church on time and everything. The service was great as well as the afternoon tea. After that a bunch of us kids walked home and played some games at the Loftis house. So after all of that I was pretty exhausted and did not want to wake up on Monday. thank goodness I don't normally work on Mondays.
Last night we had a meeting for our Sydney trip just to plan out how we are going to get there and some of the little details. I can't believe that we are leaving Thursday! I am SO excited!!! I probably won't post anything till after so it will be a while before I write again but I will as soon as I can! Pray for our safety and that God's hand will be upon us as we travel and sight see :) Hugs and Kisses!

Trip to Belbrae

It's been a while, I know, but I have been gone and very busy! I CANNOT believe that it is already a week into November!!! Where has the time gone?!?! Anyways...Belbrae was so awesome...We stayed at a place called The Belbrae Country Club. I think I might have given the wrong impression earlier though...this Holiday house wasn't actually at the beach like the last one, it was about 10 minutes from it...but you were back in a woodsy kind of area. It was really cool because where our house was you could look out the living room/kitchen window and see the trees and hills and stuff. It was absolutely beautiful when the sun went down (which isn't till like 8:00). They have some animals there and we were right in front of the fence where they would roam and eat so I was able to go down and feed the horse, 2 mules, and a goat that they had :) it made me very happy. The first couple of days that we were there it was overcast and one day even poured down rain (which was nice because they really need it since Australia is in a huge draught). We didn't do much Saturday, however us kids did go to the indoor pool, spa, and sauna that they had which is ALWAYS heavenly, lol. Sunday, Pastor Tim spoke as a guest speaker at a really small Baptist church. It was pretty nice and he did a very good job speaking on the Sounds of Grace. It was really really interesting. We went to lunch with 2 of their friends from that church at a casual Italian place where I had amazing pizza. Monday, Pastor Tim and Mrs. Loftis had to return for PT to get surgery on his pinkie finger. He broke it (again) playing footy (Aussie rules football) at a Men's Retreat that he spoke at. Chris also went back with them so that he could play in a soccer game. So it was just the 3 girls...me, Saralisa, and Melody. Melody and I went on a hike that took roughly 2 hours which was SO SO SO Amazing!!! We could never get really close to Kangaroos because they would hear us and hop away, lol, but we did see lots of little groups from a distance. Let's see....we went to the pool after that to relax and then came back, ate yummy spaghetti (haha, again Italian) and watched Australian Idol and Tarzan...good old Disney. PT, Mrs. Loftis and Chris returned that night as well. On Tuesday Chad, Erica and Leif (oldest son, wife and baby boy) came out for the day. We watched the Melbourne Cup and had b-b-q hamburgers...it was lots and lots of fun. Leif is absolutely adorable. To explain the Melbourne Cup a bit....it is a horse race that pretty much all of Australia takes part in. It is a huge event, and is even considered a holiday where people are given work and school off for it. It's amazing. They film pretty much all day and have a fashion-at-the-races part and announce a bunch of statistics about the horses and their riders...it was all pretty interesting. Anyways so that is pretty much the basics of what we did....we returned Tuesday night and I went back to work today (Wednesday). It was a crazy kind of a day because the church's 20th year anniversary celebration is this weekend and there is so much that needs to be done and, of course, not enough time to do it all. It will all work out though....these things always do. I'm going shopping with Amy tomorrow (one of the girls going to Sydney with us) so that should be fun....she's really awesome and laid back. One of those girls that is just herself no matter who she is with or what she is doing. I love it. Kk well I'm tired and I still need to get ready for bed so I'll catch ya'll later!

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd19/jmktraveler/?bulkComplete=1194440107918

A few new pics

Oct. 30th '07

Things still keep getting better and better all the time...Sunday Pastor Tim was speaking at a men's retreat so the associate Pastor spoke and at first it was a bit difficult to follow him but I caught on after a bit. He spoke on Psalm 119...well not all of it cuz that would take a while but anyways it was good and Samantha (Sam) came over afterwards and had lunch with us and we watched movies and then went to another girl's birthday party (Hannah) that lives down a couple of houses, then we came back to watch Australian Idol. That was all alot of fun. Me and Melody had young adults study last night which was great. The leader guy (Rodney) is actually from the U.S. but married an Aussie woman and moved here. Then today, Sam ditched school (her mom's suggestion, lol) and had her mom drop us off at High Point Plaza which is a nicer and bigger mall than the one that is closer to the Loftis house. We had an absolute blast shopping and chatting, you know, what girls do best hehe. Then we went back to her house and had a really good dinner (her mom is a really good cook). Erin is coming over tonight so that we can talk more about the Sydney plans....And umm in case you didn't get the memo, I am REALLY excited!!!!!!! Anyways, not much else to report, it is weird not celebrating Halloween but I actually really don't mind. No one is really huge on it over here and that is ok with me....the family is all goin away this weekend to a holiday house in Belbrae, a cute town fairly close to where we stayed last time. That will be really awesome and really relaxing! Please continue to pray that I will stay strong and grow even more in my desire to deepen my relationship with Christ, my Savior. Thanks! Much love to all!

Having a Blast

I have been having an absolutely amazing time lately. Let's see....well today was church and it was actually a really hot day but that's besides the point...the message was good and after church there was a luncheon and I had a blast with all of the youth that stayed. It also just amazes me, daily, at how much of a serving spirit God has given me throughout this whole trip. So also today I was able to serve some at the church with some of the older ladies and that was really cool. After the luncheon a bunch of the youth went over to Sam's house (she is really really awesome) to go swimming cuz it was so hot. We all had a blast and the guys are absolutely hilarious and reminded me so much of some people back home :). After that we came back to the Loftis house and had some more fun.....it was awesome. Last night the teens that went on a Thailand trip came over and we had a dinner for them and that was awesome as well, we spent the day cooking and preparing; it felt a bit like thanksgiving time, haha. We have also semi-finalized details of the Sydney trip...we will be staying 6 days in a youth hostel (which is like a place that a lot of backpackers stay at when traveling). One of the days we are going to this nice restaurant that towers over all of Sydney and slowing rotates around so you get a full view of Sydney from the sky :) it is going to be so flippin amazing!!! And we are going to visit the Opera House and Hillsong church (hopefully) and some gorgeous botanical gardens that are there....ugh I can't wait!!!! And don't worry I will take LOTS of pictures! Anyways that isn't till mid november, I just can't seem to take my mind off of it, lol.
On a more serious note...when Joylee and I had our awesome talk, she gave me this book that she thought I would like and appreciate and stuff. I've been reading it and today I read a chapter that was just SO moving and SO, I don't even know how to describe it, it just left me with such a Joyful feeling about how much God LOVES me. I don't really want to go into more detail over internet but it was just so unbelievably amazing and I am so thankful that God set up that whole thing so that I could read the book.
I don't think that I go into the office tomorrow but some of my friends are still here so I better go and not be rude. *hugs and kisses to all*

Lovin' Aussie

Things have been awesome lately. Mel and I took the train to a really cute place called Williamstown and then to the city. Williamstown was really cute and we walked along the waterfront that looks out to the big city. It was fun walking around all of the cute homes and neighborhoods. It was GORGEOUS here so it was an absolutely perfect day to do all of this! The city was really cool as well. We walked along the little river that runs through the city Oh and we went into this Cathedral that was really really beautiful. It was called St. Paul's Cathedral. I guess thanks to Andy and all of those year of choir tours...visiting all of the different cathedrals in San Fran and other places made me appreciate them and their beauty so much :). So it is official....me, Melody and two of our friends (Erin and Amy) are road tripping it to Sydney!!! I am SO excited!! We are planning to go about mid-November and hopefully stay with some missionaries that live in the suburbs for about 3 days and then stay right in Sydney in a youth house for about 4 days....hopefully. Nothing is for sure yet except for the fact that we are going! November is actually going to be a pretty busy month for us in the Loftis household. I'm stoked :)
God just continues to amaze me...I've been wanting and praying that I would be able to have a good conversation with JoyLee because she is the only sibling that I haven't really been able to talk to (that live in the house). So this morning I wasn't really sure if I was supposed to go to the office again but I assumed that I was supposed to and so I got up earlier than I normally would have. Well it turns out that Pastor Tim normally takes most of Monday off (at least most of the morning). I wasn't upset or anything but as I was waiting to leave JoyLee comes down and explains all of this to me and we end up having a cup of tea together and talking for quite a bit...it was really really great and our conversation was just awesome. So I've been thanking God for that. He is just awesome. Well I know that I have to go to the office tomorrow so I better go get ready for bed. Please pray that all of the Sydney details will fall into place fairly soon......Love and miss you all!!

There are a few new pics
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd19/jmktraveler/

Sorry it's been a couple of days. I started working at the church on Tuesday and I am really enjoying it. Cathy, the Administrative Assistant, is super nice and fun to talk to. The work, so far, hasn't been too difficult it just takes a while to accomplish and therefore makes it hard for anyone to have the time to do it. So that is where I come in handy :) I have just loved being able to help out. I also went to my first Good News Gang last night. That is what all of the younger youth have on Wednesday nights. I worked with the little little ones (ages 3-7). They were SO adorable with their little Aussie accents and everything!!!! There were about 9 in attendance last night but I am assuming that there are more that usually come it was just a bit lower last night because it was the first night back coming off of holiday. Anyways I loved it and it didn't take long for the kids to be comfortable with me. Pretty soon they were tickling me and sitting in my lap. Oh my goodness they were adorable. It made me miss my kids however from the pre-school. It was so hard to leave them (and the staff).
Well, the sleepover went REALLY well also. The girls and I had so much fun and they loved the Pazookies (I mean, who wouldnt?) We stayed up till like 4:30 in the morning and watched movies, talked about boys and different stories, ate pizza and the pazookies and felt really gross afterwards :) so basically a normal sleepover. It was a blast. So I know this wasn't a very long entry but I have to get up and work tomorrow :) so I gotta go. Love you all!

Oh by the way, if you have an AIM screen name I just made one for myself so here it is in case any of you do and wanna chat sometime: jenrbunyprincess

Laterz!

Ya I have no idea what days im on :)

Last night (my Saturday) we went to a wedding shower and it was actually really fun. I REALLY began to feel like I was fitting in and being myself with some the youth that are at the church. I am able to branch away from the family and be on my own with some of the other teens which is really cool. Things are going really well. I should be starting to work some at the church pretty soon so that will be nice. I met the Administrative Assistant who works there as well and she is so sweet and so nice. It will be great working with her.
Church today was really good. I enjoyed hearing Pastor Tim speak on Psalm 68 with Leviticus. Tonight the 2 younger sisters, me, and another friend (Erin) are having a little sleep over at another girl, Sam's house where we are going to be watching Australian Idol and chick flicks AND I am introducing them to Pazookies because, believe it or not, they have never heard of them!!!
We had a big family lunch today after church with EVERYONE in the family....to give you names: there is Chad the oldest and he is married to Erica (who is American) and they have a little boy named Leif (he is adorable and LOVES balls which totally reminded me of Jackson Haney)...then there is Todd who is married to Julie, Joylee, Melody (19), Chris (16), and lastly Saralisa (15)...plus Pastor Tim and Mrs. Loftis and then me :). It was pretty crazy but really fun.
I miss everyone; my church, my family, my youth group, my friends, my dogs :) but I am enjoying being stretched in areas where I wouldn't have normally been stretched and loving being in Australia. Continued prayers and thoughts are always welcomed and appreciated :). Love and miss you all!

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd19/jmktraveler/

Pics!

ok so the internet isn't letting me put pics up, it's not just the blogger. The page always gets messed up. So, if you go to this website you can see some of the pics I have posted.

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd19/jmktraveler/

Visit to the Aussie Coast

We just got back from Ayres Inlet today. That was the name of the little town that we stayed in. I had SO much fun and it was absolutely beautiful! The house that we stayed in was really great; it was 2 stories and you walk in and think "o wow this is a nice house" but then you go up the winding staircase (I love those) and it is even better! The living room window looked out towards the water and you could see the ocean and the plants in front and it was so beautiful. It reminded me of Crystal Cove...the house was across the way from a path that lead down the cliff and to the beach. The path was covered with plants and trees....it was called the "cliff walk" and it has points where you could look down at the beach and points that jutted out so that you could see the whole coastline in both directions! It was so pretty! O O O O AND there was a lighthouse!!! That made me very happy and instantly made me think of mommy and daddy and how they would have loved it. It's called Split Point Light Station and it was just about a 10-15 minute walk up the road from where we were. And right before you came to the lighthouse there was a cute little tea and coffee shop where you could go and have morning or afternoon tea. We went there on Wednesday afternoon and it was really cute! ( I was able to get a latte ;) ) Monday we didn't do too much but I was able to run along the cliff's paths and that was really cool. Tuesday was an absolutely gorgeous day and I was able to run and then actually go down to the beach and go in the water...It was freezing but that's not surprising considering that the next piece of land that you come too is the Antarctic. So that was really awesome; I was able to lay out some and the family came down and we just hung out down there for a bit. Tuesday night me and Melody were kinda hyper and the kids didn't want to go to bed so we all stayed up pretty late and just talked and had fun and that was really cool. Bonding more little by little :). Ummm lets see what else....well, I was able to read a lot and that was really cool....I don't know if many people have heard of the Mark of the Lion series but it is a 3 book series by Francine Rivers that is absolutely amazing. I have already read the books like 2 or 3 times and I meant to bring them with me but I forgot. Well when I got here I saw that they also had the books and loved them as well and so anyways, I was able to bring those with me and do a bunch of reading which was awesome because I love to read; especially Francine Rivers...she is amazing. So the trip went really well, sorry it's been so long since my last blog. There was no Internet there so I was forced to wait. O ya I saw my first Kangaroos!!!! They were awesome :) Love you all! Thanks for reading and posting! :)

Starbucks? c'mon I can live w/o it :)

omg guys come on I'm not THAT bad.....:) and No I didn't buy one thank you very much...I have only had ONE, I repeat, ONE cup of coffee since I have been here! o wait I did have a latte from borders at the plaza so make that 2. I must say that I really did want one though...But I have had about 2 or three cups of tea per day :). Doc, you absolutely crack me up....but the bullet building was actually in the big plaza not the market....the market was more like a swap meet thing so no there are no carts, lol. And as far as pictures go...I've tried many times but it isnt letting me...ill keep trying though....I haven't had too many things to take pictures of though. We leave for the coast on Sunday so i'll be sure to take lots of pics then!! I'm SUPER excited about that!!

This is the bullet building (it finally worked)

Days 6 and 7

Well not much happened yesterday. We did go and see Hairspray and that was AMAZING again :). I love that movie :). Today we went into the city and that was really really cool. Melbourne is an awesome city. First we went to the market...it's kind of like a swap meet but much nicer. It's outside but covered as well. Different people set up their stations and sell clothes, souvenirs, shoes, watches, paintings, fruits, vegetables, and many other things! It was really cool to see all the different items and all of the different cultures that were there. After that we went and ate lunch in a park that was close by...they have some really pretty parks in Melbourne and there were guys playing football and people having parties and kids on the play equipment, it was really fun. After lunch we went to the big mall that is in the city. It's cool because the whole mall is built around this tall thin building that was used to make bullets for the army during the wars and the builders wanted to tear it down to build the mall in it's place but the historical society wouldn't let them so that built it around it instead and it's good because it makes the mall so much cooler. Oh, and inside the mall they have this big clock that opens up at the bottom every hour. It was pretty intriguing :). The mall was pretty big and had a lot of similar stores that we do...o o o I saw my first Starbucks yesterday, that just came to my mind...anyways so today I really felt like I was in Australia. I mean I have always felt something like that because I am actually in Australia, ya know, but today I just really felt it. It was awesome! :)

Days 4 and 5

Well it's definitely been a more eventful 2 days...yesterday was the ever so exciting High School Musical 2 Premier party and we spent pretty much all day getting hyped up and ready for it. We went to the grocery store and bought snacks and drinks and then went to the party store where we bought red and white balloons and streamers (the Wildcat colors). So that was a new experience...I found out that our lemonade is not the same as theirs. Here it is more like a Sprite or 7-up. O and the trunk of the car is called the boot...although I think I kind of new that one but I'm not really sure :). People started to get to the house about 6:00ish because it started at 6:30 so I met some of their friends. They were all nice and a few were really funny...I met a girl named Sam who was super nice to me and I instantly liked her...she's only 16 but she seems older. Anyways, they all stayed over after the movie and I tried to stay up I just couldn't last after a while...still not over the jet lag fully...unfortunately. So today was my first day at their church. I actually really enjoyed it and I really enjoyed Pastor Tim's message. He spoke from Psalms 8 on God's Glory; specifically how creation reflects His glory, how man reflects His glory and how grace reflects His glory. I came to find out that I really like the word "majestic". I just think that that is a really cool word....o o o and I discovered that I think if I could go back in time, I would definitely go to the beginning where God created everything...I just think that would be sooooo awesome! Anyways, random thought :). So after church I met a bunch more people and talked a bit with some of them. When we came home I got to chat with Melody some more and get even more comfortable with her then Saralisa wanted to put on HSM2 again, lol. After a bit we went to a prayer meeting for the team that is in Thailand for 2 weeks and that was really cool. After it finished the kids just stayed and waited for what they call "idol party" to start...it is where a bunch of teens go to one house to watch Australian Idol. And believe me, it was nothing compared to American Idol. Not only were our singers better but our judges were way better...I must say though that they do have a cuter announcer :). So now it's late and I eagerly await tomorrow because me and Melody and her mom and I believe another girl, Erin, are going to see Hairspray again! :)

Days 2 and 3

I went to the Plaza (their name for a mall) yesterday...that was pretty fascinating...It wasn't anything huge but it was so cool to see the different types of styles that people have here. In the U.S. it seems like every person has their "type" of style that society has labeled ...whether it be punk, preppy, hollister/beach bum or emo, whatever it is they are judged by it. Here people dress how they want to dress...sure there are always going to be some labels but it doesn't seem to matter as much. If you like how you look then that's cool...it doesn't really seem like you are forced to want to look or dress a certain way. It;s not so "clean-cut" as Saralisa put it. I don't know if any of that makes sense but it does in my head :). Anyways, so I haven't really done too much for the past couple of days but that has actually been really nice because I can't remember the last time that I actually had a morning to myself to just sit and relax. I have had no set agenda that I have to do yet and that is so refreshing! I mean I'm not just doing nothing all day; I help with dinner and things but it is just all more relaxed. That could just simply be because I'm in Australia for goodness sake but it is nice either way. I watched my first AFU game tonight. It's like Australia's version of football. I had absolutely no idea what that was until tonight. It is quite a fascinating game actually...at times it just looks like a crazy disoriented mess but it actually is very challenging strength wise...You have to be in such good condition to play because you are constantly running. It is played with a football and you are only allowed to pass it by drop kicking it or passing it like you would underhand serve a volleyball...you can't just toss it. You can tackle, like in football, except no one has pads on. There are four posts set up on either side of a huge field and if you drop kick it through the very middle on your opponents side it is 6 points where as if you score through the outside two it is only 1. Well anyways, enough said about that, I just found it very fascinating, lol. You would have to see it to understand. Ummmm let's see...I talked to my folks and brother today :) that was refreshing...it was good to hear their voices again...I got to know Melody a bit more today which was nice because she is more my age. She's 19 and in some ways we are so alike but in others we are so different...It's funny how that works. I also met the 3rd oldest child, Todd, and his wife, Julie, tonight...they came over for dinner. The Loftis' are actually a pretty comical family when they are all together. It makes dinner really fun. Oh man, it's so weird that it is 5:00 a.m. there and 10:00 p.m. here. Jet lag is weird...I'll be tired like normal time but then I'll get up around 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning like my body doesn't want to sleep anymore....gosh is that frustrating, lol. I'm pretty tired right now though, better get my rest...a bunch of teenagers are coming over tomorrow for HSM2 premier :)

1st Day

So, I'm here and safe. My flight went well...I slept off and on. It was 15 hours though and that is a really long time to be sitting on a plane, lol, after about 10 my feet were pretty much mad at me. When we landed I got through customs pretty easily. The people were nice and instructed me where to go...I got my passport stamped :). I had been a little bit nervous about recognizing and finding the family Im staying with once I got here but when I went through the entry thing they were the first people that I saw and they recognized me and smiled at me and it just went really well...I was very pleased. It was crazy windy when we landed...Pastor Tim (the dad) said that it just came in today, that yesterday it was absolutely beautiful and they don't know what happened with today....but ya know I was okay with it being a little bit cooler....I haven't had that kind of weather in a while so it was actually pretty nice. The Loftis' are a really nice family...2 of the girls (Saralisa, a freshman, and Melody, 19) are both really into musicals as well so that is absolutely perfect for me :) High School Musical 2 has not come out yet over here so Saralisa is having a party for it when it comes out, looks like I'll fit right in....I did feel a bit lonely today when I got here....after a nap and a talk with the family I was okay though.
It is strange thinking that I lost a day....this week I never got to have a Tuesday, well maybe for a few hours....that is just so odd to me how that all works...the whole time thing and even the rising and setting of the sun....it all seems so complicated I just don't see how all of it could have just happened or fallen into place over time....It seems sooo obvious that there is a Creator....anyways, that was just a random thought I guess. Im really tired but so far so good.