Rain won't dampen our spirits!

Monday morning I woke to rain hitting the window. I had just finished my 13 hour nap and was ready to go! I knew we had bridge-climbing on the agenda and I couldn't wait! My friend Jill told me that it was something I had to do while I was in Sydney. Mackey actually didn't know anything about the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He'd only heard about the Opera House. That's where we'll be for New Year's Eve :) Unfortunately, Gavin wasn't feeling the greatest and decided that climbing a bridge in the rain probably wasn't the best idea. In case you're wondering why you don't see him in these next few pictures, well now you know!

Just before taking this photo:

Our climb leader: "So are you guys on your honeymoon?"

Mackey: "I certainly hope not!"

So yes, as well all know, BROTHER AND SISTER CONQUERED THE SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE! It really was amazing (thanks Jill!) and I recommend it to anyone visiting Sydney! It's wild to be so far up... not too fond of heights but I did it! You're attached to the bridge at all times so really nothing can go wrong. At least I hope not! We definitely had a blast!

One funny thing about the bridge... underneath there's this park that is no longer public, fenced off and all... Well a few years ago some rabbits started living there (no one knows where they came from) and the rabbits did what rabbits do. Now there are tons of rabbits living in this old park! Even in the rain we saw a bunch of them as we walked overhead! Funny...

After the climb we were a bit hungry, so yes, I had my first taste of mashed potatoes from Down Under :) Oh my goodness gracious SO YUMMY!

From food it was on to the Aquarium! Man was this aquarium crowded! I did manage to get some pretty good shots though :) There are times when I'm really proud of my old camera. Today marked one of those times! Hope you enjoy a few of my marine life pics! I won't post them all, but here are some good ones:

Shake your tailfeather!!!

This guy was just ruler of the world or something... no tailfeather shaking there!

A "I'm proud of my camera" moment:

Another one:

This guy was just having a blast! Look at that smile!

This guy was having a blast too! Look at that smile! hahah Hi Gavin :)

Reason why I don't like triathlons with ocean swims... Yes I'm silly... In the words of U2, "The right to be ridiculous is something I hold dear." Is Rhode Island 70.3 an ocean water swim? I can't remember...

And Gavin checking out the fishies one last time...

Next up on the menu, a bus tour of Sydney! That may sound dull, but we'll also be stopping at the beaches... major YAY :) I can tell that I'm getting tired right now, my writing is slipping, ideas of funny things to say are leaving my mind... OH I JUST REMEMBERED ONE THING! So they drive on the other side of the road than we're used to right? Well while we were on the bridge I noticed a 50meter outdoor pool (I have a love/hate relationship with those pools) and even in the rain there were people swimming. Not only that, these people were swimming opposite of what I'm used to! So not only would I crash on the roads if I drove here, I'd also crash in the pool... Just thought I'd share that interesting tidbit with you!

Smiles all around :)

So yes, we made it to Sydney! That hop skip and jump ended up being a lot longer than I originally thought... We left Newport News at 7am on December 25th and arrived in Sydney at 4:30pm (VA time) the following day. 33 hours of traveling... The funny thing is we never got to live any part of December 26th. Totally missed Boxing Day. Totally missed the Caps kicking some major Devil booty (hope you had a blast Sonny!!!) Toadilly... We arrived at 8:30am December 27th. However, we do get to January 9ths. Hopefully that's a sweet day!

The longest stretch we had was a 12 hour plane ride from San Francisco to Auckland. Super cool thing though... We had our own seats which turned into our own beds and each came with our own TVs! Look at how shocked Gavin looks lol!

When I sat down our flight attendant asked if I wanted a glass of champagne. I soooooooooo felt like Adam Sandler in Wedding Singer lol! When we boarded the plane it was 10pm VA time and I had the bright idea that if I stayed up as late as I could, it would help me get used to the time-change when we reached Sydney. That plan kinda back-fired but I'll explain later. Look how happy my feet look :)

By watching The Full Monty (love that movie!) and Big (Tom Hanks is such a cutie in that one!) I managed to stay up until almost 3am. Unfortunately, I was woken up at 8am by "Hot towel?" Again, Wedding Singer lol! Gavin continued to sleep...

A delicious breakfast kept me stay awake through to Auckland and then pure excitement kept me going until we got to Sydney. Here's a pic of my delicious breakfast. Just say "I love crepes."

When we got off the flight they gave us what yes was leftover Christmas candy but still very yummy! The wrapper said: a superly dooperly smileciously deliciously planetful bag of Christmas FUN! I like Sydney already!

Oh my bag did make it by the way!

We didn't plan anything the first day because we didn't know how we'd be feeling. Instead we just walked a bit and took a few pictures...

Mackey and I both took pictures of Gavin and then I turned and took one right in Mackey's face :) Hey what are sisters for?

Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House! Looking forward to climbing that bridge...

Anyhooo, remember when I talked about my plan backfiring? When we got back from the gym it was about 5pm Sydney time and there was no way I could last any longer. I konked out and woke up at 6am this morning. I'm going to have to work on that so I can make it until midnight on New Years!

Natalie and Adele, I thought you'd like to know that Max (that's what I've decided to name him) has also made it to Sydney ;)

Next up, it's the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb and then exploring the aquarium! The forecast calls for rain but that won't dampen our spirits!

Smiles all around :)

Merry Christmas from some travelers!

Let the good times roll! I'm going to say what everyone says in the beginning, I've never done a blog before! I'd be more stoked about this but I'm a lil exhausted. Right now I'm sitting in the San Francisco Airport with my two brothers. In a few hours I'll be leaving the country for the FIRST TIME EVER!!! FINALLY!!! Nothing against you USA, it's just about time I had a change of scenery. And yeah like I said, I'm pretty pooped. I should have slept on this last flight but I was sidetracked. I'm apologizing in advance in case I ramble on more than usual ;)

So yes, we are heading to Sydney, Australia! Here are my brothers, my traveling companions:

Here's another pic... choose your own caption... can you guess who's older?

We got massages at the Atlanta Airport's XpresSpa this morning (yes we are super cool that way) and a worker there thought I was the youngest. She guessed 21. I'll take it :) At least it wasn't in the teens like last time! I had to make a lil purchase for myself at the spa:

Couldn't help it! Now all three piggies have their own travel pillows!

I so wanted to get Becca a dolphin travel pillow but then I had an image of her dog Owen just tearing into it. I'll spare Becca from having to clean up a gazillion foam beads! Here's a pic of Owie and I sharing a moment lol!

After the massages we had to book it to our next flight. I was looking forward to it because it was another Delta flight which meant another Delta cookie!

Oh my goodness those have to be the best cookies EVER... I wonder if I can get them anywhere else...

And here is why I didn't sleep at all on this flight:

I love the mountains

This last one is my favorite:

Another reason I didn't sleep was because FX was doing a Night at the Museum movie marathon. I switched back and forth between that and Scrubs while Gavin watched Inglorious Bastards and Mackey slelpt. Good times!

Want to know what isn't good times? When we were checking our bags for our flight to Auckland Mackey pointed out that my bag had been damaged. I didn't get a picture beforehand but hopefully I'll see it INTACT overseas and get a picture then. The very kind lady at check-in taped it shut with orange tape. I have this strange feeling that it would make my dad proud to see this bag... Those of you who know my father well will understand this!

Mon papa, pretty wicked tennis player:

So anyhoo, I think this wraps up my first ever blog. Next stop Auckland, and then a hop skip and a jump to Sydney!

Smiles all around :)