Things are moving along just great and it is hard to believe that we have been here for so long.  Liz and I took that random road trip I promised you so have fun reading about it.

Friday was a really sad night because it was our last chance to hang out with Scott.  We all grabbed dinner at this crazy restaurant (that we will not be going back to.)  It was like fondue but very unsanitary.  It was all you can eat and drink so there was a huge buffet of raw food.  None of it was labeled so I just threw crap on my plate hoping that I might like it.  We got to choose two bases so we chose a chicken broth and a spicy one because Liz and Scott felt like being bad asses.  We screwed things up right off the bat because we threw everything in at once.  Shrimp tasted like chicken and beef felt like leather…awesome right?  I took a little taste of the spicy base and I knew I was throwing in the towel.  Liz tried a few things but didn’t last long either.  It was so freaking spicy.  Scott however was determined to be a bad ass so we watched his face get really red and sweat profusely throughout dinner.  The all you can drink was a pathetic excuse for beer so as far as I am concerned, I didn’t get much out of the deal.  There were these little fried things on the buffet (the only cooked item) so we continuously went back for more.  After dinner, we hung out at Scott’s for a bit and then gave him big bear hugs and sent him on his way.

Liz and I woke up feeling adventurous on Saturday morning so we packed up the camping gear, made sandwiches, and hit the road.  Our adventure took us about thirty minutes down the road before we realized that we were indeed going in the wrong direction.  A little back tracking never hurt.  We finally reached our destination, Margaret River.  This place is very well known for its wineries…something like 140 of them.  We rolled into town around 3 o’clock in hopes of booking a night tour of one of the vineyards.  That was a negative so we did a little shopping and I went  broke on a singe pair of sunglasses.  I needed a really good pair for work because my cheap ones were constantly falling off of my head into a pile of animal crap.  I was a little hesitant to spend so much on sunglasses because I lose and break them like it’s my job.  I figured if they were expensive I would take care of them.   After shopping, we headed to a campsite on the beach and there we pitched our tent.  It was my first time ever setting up a tent so Liz did most of the work while I admired my new sunnies.  The set up was a complete success and we had our little lawn chairs in front of the tent and we sat for a bit just enjoying the atmosphere.  We got over the relaxation part pretty quickly and headed to the campsite restaurant. 

Liz and I always have a dilemma when it comes to buying a bottle of wine because she likes white and I like red so since neither one of us had to drive we decided to get our own bottles.  The food was great and the wine was better so after a good two hours of drinking and bull shitting we decided it was time to hit the sack.  I thought it was a brilliant idea to race Liz to the tent (keep in mind…a whole bottle of wine) so I took off running down the gravel road.  Before you knew it I was sliding down head first.  My hands were all scraped up but it was cool because it matched Liz’s banged up knee from her attempt to find the bathroom in the total darkness.  To explain our night’s sleep to you I can pretty much sum it up by saying there was none.  Our tent had huge vents so the really cold air blew through the entire night and we were completely freezing.  I was especially cold when Liz took the covers from me!  We were also trying to get comfortable on a twin size blow up mattress.  Needless to say, we were both up by five a.m. so we were fired up and ready to go. 

We had a wine tour booked at 11 o’clock so we had some time to discover other things.  We drove down the road to a town called Dunnsburough.  Since it was so early in the morning there wasn’t much to do.  We followed signs to this really cool cave except we never actually found the cave so there was nothing cool about it.  We did manage to find this beautiful area near Cape Naturliste that had a very beautiful beach.  There were huge masses of rock that the waves just crashed on.  We enjoyed walking around that area and taking some great photos.  It was time for us to catch the bus for the wine tour so we headed back and hopped on the bus with our wonderful tour guide, Chris.  He was spectacular and his knowledge of the area made for a really great day.  We visited three wineries, a deer farm, a cheese factory, the chocolate factory, and ended with a brewery.  It wasn’t long before everyone caught on to our American accents.  We had one guy mocking us the whole time and he pretty much thought he was the funniest person on the planet.  One small winery was owned by this really eccentric guy and it was probably the most entertaining of the stops we made.  He said he would give me his son’s number (who was really cute by the way) so you never know I might marry into the wine industry!

When the tour was over, we headed home for an early night since Liz had a job interview the next day.  I was fortunate enough to have Monday off as well so I did a little bike riding around the river and played on some fitness toys that they have along the bike paths.  Before I knew it, Tuesday morning came and I was biking my happy ass to work.  This week made for another exciting one and I still absolutely love it.  It involves a lot of hard work and strenuous labor but I enjoy being so active throughout the day and every day is different.  I have been released to give short tours by myself after a practice run with my supervisor and I also get to look after the koala enclosure by myself.  That just basically means that I monitor the visitors when they are feeling the koala and blab on and on about all of the koala information I know. 

I am starting to fall into my place at work so things are feeling pretty comfortable.  I am making progress with Big Bubs, the 57 lb wombat.  We had a minor set back earlier in the week and her teeth may have found their way to my shoulder.  All is good though and I am learning how to make sure she feels comfortable when we are around large groups of people.  I also tried to make friends with the Gang Gang cockatoos and one just about murdered my fingers.  You aren’t supposed to show fear when handling the birds so I was trying to act like a bad ass.  It wasn’t until after about the twelfth brutal bite wound, that I decided to ask for help getting them out and to the display show.  I obviously still have a little bit of work to do but I am getting there.  I was really fortunate to bike to work in the rain today (I am sure you can since my sarcasm from way over here) but in all honesty it really wasn’t bad.  The best part about it was that the magpie that dive bombs me every morning wasn’t out.  The little bugger has gotten so brave it actually whacks my helmet when it swoops down.  Thank God for safety gear.  It should be a nice quiet weekend for Liz and I before I have to return to work on Monday.  Man the real world is harsh!  I miss you all very much and I can’t wait for one of you to decide to come and visit us!

 

*Not funny but amazing story of the week:  So remember those sunglasses I told you about?  Well I got to the train station early one morning so I hopped on an earlier train to Guildford (the station I bike from.)  To put it in a nut shell a lot happened on the train that morning and after getting distracted I left my sunglasses on the train.  By the time I noticed they were long gone and I had fallen into a deep state of depression.  It took me an extra ten minutes to get to work that day because I had lost all my spunk.  I sent Liz a text so she called the train station.  We heard nothing back so I moved on with my life.  The next morning I made it to the train station and debated whether or not to get on the earlier train again.  I decided I would and so I sat down and situated my bike.  I was jamming to the music when this older gentleman approached me.  I removed my earphones and looked at him with a puzzled look on my face.  He held at my sunglasses and said, “You left these on the seat yesterday.”  I was in absolute shock!  I wanted to jump up and hug him but the intense thank yous sufficed.  I was so excited in fact that I missed my train station by two stops and had to back track a bit.  I was amazed to know that such wonderful people do still exist in this world.

 

 

 

G’day

 

Lindsay Ezell

LC

Snook

Ez-E

 

I survived my first full week of work and it was one hell of a ride!  I have a fun four day weekend ahead of me so hopefully the rainy weather won’t ruin that.  Things have been pretty uneventful since I left you last but there are a few exciting stories to share.

This past weekend was pretty fun and on Friday Scott was nice enough to take us to dinner.  We went to a little town nearby had some grub, hung out in a coffee shop, and then hit up the Burswood Casino.  In Liz’s travel guide book it says that Burswood is Perth’s tackiest attraction but I didn’t get that vibe.  Scott had gotten a little ahead of himself the few times he had visited the casino before so I was in charge of holding the money that he couldn’t spend.  I opted out of the gambling for once in my life because I am pretty sure that I am a borderline addict.  We met up with this guy named Jeremy that Scott had met the weekend before and we all hung out at this bar and listened to a live band.  It was just a fun night all together.  I swore that I saw my soul mate while I was there but we never actually spoke to each other so I may have been over reacting just a little.

Saturday morning came all too quickly so after a short recovery period Scott, Liz, and I all hit up this festival called Spring in the Valley.  We weren’t really sure what it was but it involved the wineries so we were game.  Since Liz was still a little sick she decided to drive us and we headed to Swan Valley about 15 minutes down the road.  When we arrived, the place was packed full of tour busses and swarms of people.  It was quite a shock to see everyone there.  The first few wineries we passed were full and not letting any more people in so we decided we would start off slow and head to the Margaret River Chocolate Factory.  BEST CHOCOLATE EVER!  I am not even exaggerating.  While Liz and I shopped around, Scott hung out by the free samples until we were ready to go.   He escaped with a pocket full of chocolates.

Our next stop was the winery across the street and I was geeked about touring the vineyard.  We paid ten bucks to get in and man were we surprised at the sites we saw.  People traveled in large groups and the groups were all dressed alike.  I don’t know that I actually ever understood what the point was but it was interesting to say the least.  One group was dress like super heroes and another was in throw back tennis gear.  It reminded me of Mardi Gras minus the parades and beads…everyone was piss drunk and acting a fool by 11 am.  We stuck out like a sore thumb in that place.  I never thought a group of people could make me look like a mellow person but the three of us just sat there looking at everyone.  Basically we paid for a souvenir glass and one free tasting.  There was no tour at all so I was a little disappointed.  We moved on down the road and thought that it would be a great idea to stop at this Brewery.  We fought through the traffic, parked the car, got out, and walked a few feet all before noticing that the line to get into this place was painfully long.  We turned our bums right around and headed further down the road. 

For such a crazy festival we sure did manage to find the calmest of places because our next stop was at an Aboriginal art gallery.  We bought some nice things but the best part was the food that they were handing out.  We tried this jam tart with cream on top and I was in heaven.  I would have stayed there for the rest of the day eating jam tarts but I knew we had to move on.  We decided to escape all the craziness and head to Fremantle for our favorite fish and chips.  After a late lunch, we stopped by this man who was selling jewelry and did a little shopping.  I really liked the rings he had and so I knelt down and was trying a few on.  One in particular caught my eye and I thought it would make a good thumb ring.  Well I tried it on and in the midst of trying to get it over my big knuckle it broke!!!  Luckily the guy was distracted by Scott who was telling surf stories so he didn’t even notice.  I just hid the pieces and went about my business.  I did buy two pieces of jewelry so I did my part to apologize.

The rest of the weekend was pretty laid back and Liz continued to be sick.  I was full of energy Sunday night because Monday was my first big day of work.  I felt like a kid getting ready for the first day of school.  I had my clothes laid out and my bags all packed.  Five am came before I knew it and I was on my way to the train station.  I arrived on time and headed off with Debbie to get all of the paper work out of the way.  She left me in a room to read this big binder of information and after about two hours of reading I was finished and on my way to signing all sorts of things.  I was given my lovely uniform and I felt so awkward when I put it on. They were out of small polos so I am in a frumpy looking medium until the new ones come in.  I am pretty sure we wear men’s pants and there is always the lovely hat that we are required to wear.  It took some getting used to but considering the work we do it is exactly what we need. 

Things are going just great and I really enjoyed my first week.  I have learned to run the Koala enclosure and Debbie has approved me to do so by myself.  I am learning how to hold the 50 lb wombat for the wombat and friend’s show and I have also learned how to give the roos their breakfast.  They are all waiting at the gate when I get there and I take my little wheel barrow right through their enclosure screaming, "Come on guys get your breakfast, come on guys, BREAKFAST."  I felt silly at first but I am getting pretty good at it.  I am soaking up the information like a sponge!  I am so official at this point I have a name badge, key, and my own CB radio.   I work with a lot of cool people and although the days are long and I am physically drained by the end of the day I am still ready to do it all over again the next. 

I am finally getting used to my bike and I would have to say that most of what could go wrong did go wrong this week.  As soon as I enter the park, there is a magpie (crow like bird) that just starts dive bombing me.  It gets so close to my head that I can feel the wind from its wings.  The little bugger follows me for about a minute and then flies off. It does it to me every morning for the same distance.  The second day that I was on my way into the park I stood up on my pedals to pedal hard up a hill and the next thing I know I am slipping off and my knee is brushing up against the tire.  I looked real cool walking into work that day with huge black marks and a few scratches running up my leg.  On the third day, I was on my way home and the bugs were so bad that I felt like a car windshield.  I am pretty sure one went up my nose and into my throat but I try not to think about that.  I woke up for my last day of work for the week and when I got my bike out, it had a flat tire.  No biggie, I just pumped it up and took off.  Well about half way through my 10 k bike ride it went flat again.  I was about to die by the time I reached the park.  My legs were so fatigued I wasn’t even sure that I could stand up without holding on to something.

 A few minor problems throughout the first week but it was everything I hoped it would be.  I am really enjoying work and still loving every minute of being in Australia.  Liz and I are planning to take a trip soon so hopefully you will get to hear about another part of the world.  Miss you all very, very much.

 

*Funny Story of the Week:  I was working in the Koala enclosure and two ladies walked in.  I greeted them and got no response from either one so I assumed they didn’t speak English.  I directed them towards a Koala and began speaking reall slow and being very dramatic with my hand motions so they knew what to do… ttthhiiss iiisss aaaa KKKoooaalla, pllleasseee beee verrry genttttle.  Next thing I know they are just chatting away in their Australian accents so I felt like an idiot.  I am sure that they thought I was an idiot speaking to them like that.  We were able to carry on a great conversation once we all started using our “big words”.  Lesson learned and I will quit assuming things.

 

 

G’DAY

Lindsay Ezell

LC

Snook

Ez-E

Happy one month anniversary to me!  I have survived a whole month without my father’s credit card, oh and I have been in Australia for a month which I guess is an even bigger deal (you be the judge!)  Things just couldn’t get better.  We are really blending right in with the rest of Perth’s population (well until we go out drinking and then the American in us shines right through.) A lot has happened in the past week so put on your reading pants and enjoy.

Uncle Joe was kind enough to invite Liz and me to dinner with his boss last Thursday.  We went to a fantastic seafood restaurant and had some great conversations.  His boss’s name was Angus and he was a very interesting man.  Liz and I got some great tips about surviving the professional world.  Angus also told us that if we were fishing then we better go where the fish are.  Meaning that if we are looking for a bloke while we are here then Perth is not the place.  It’s a good thing that since my arrival in Australia my intentions have changed a bit.  I am no longer looking to get knocked up so I don’t have to be as picky…just joking of course.  It seems that the younger generations in Perth don’t seem to care for it much but from our perspectives it is freaking perfect!

On Friday, Liz was kind enough to drive me out to Caversham Wildlife Park where my job interview was.  It was a pretty laid back interview but they asked the question I hate most, “so tell us about your self.”  Everyone knows I love to talk about myself so it is very hard to sum up my life.  I think I did a pretty good job of keeping it short and sweet but man did I say some random stuff!  Everything went well and after my interview Liz and I visited the park and got to see some pretty cool stuff.  The biggest problem with this job is that my transportation involves a 20 minute train ride followed by a 10 k bike ride…one way!  Debbie, the director, and I decided that we would schedule a trial run just to make sure I could survive the trek after a long day of working.  Once we left the park, we decided to head home and enjoy a quite evening with Uncle Joe.

On Saturday morning we were up pretty early expecting Uncle Joe to knock on our door and wake us up at any moment.  We thought he was planning some great expedition for the weekend since he was leaving for Brazil on Monday but to our surprise he just wanted to hang around the house.  He had a lot to do to prepare for his trip so Liz and I decided we would get out of the house and do some exploring.  After trying to plan an adventure, we gave up and headed to the movies.  We saw House Bunny (my second time seeing it) and then after, we headed to our favorite coffee shop and hung out for a while.  Liz and I decided we were really craving Japanese cuisine so we called our friend Scott and invited him to dinner. It was the start of a really fun night.  The food was great and after exchanging some funny stories we dropped off our car and the three of us walked to The Windsor Hotel, a.k.a. the local pub.  There were a few shots here and there and some interesting drinks to make for an all in all interesting night.  We met a friend from India who I taught how to play quarters and it was pretty funny.  He enjoyed his newly found game and I am pretty sure he plans to take it back with him to his country.

Most of us would enjoy a late morning after a night of drinking but unfortunately that was not the case for us.  Uncle Joe woke us up bright and early around 7 am and informed us that we were eating breakfast with his friends in Fremantle.  It was a dreadful morning and I am pretty sure that I was still in no state to socialize.  We sucked it up and headed to Fremantle.  Uncle Joe introduced us to his friends, Frank and Marilyn, both of which are fabulous people and as nice as can be.  Breakfast was really enjoyable and once you got past the smell of alcohol on my breath I think I made great company.  Frank and Marilyn said that they would be around if we ever need anything and best of all they have a boat! They said that they would invite us along when they go to some of the nearby islands and they know all of the cool places to go so we are definitely looking forward to that trip.  Before we headed home from Fremantle, Uncle Joe stopped and got some fresh fish and then we walked along the beach.  There were a lot of dogs running around and I just about started crying because I missed Martini soooo much!  She may not look adventurous but I think she would love it here.  After our walk, we headed home and enjoyed some baked fish for dinner.

Liz and I decided to do some shopping on Monday and we had a lot of fun.  We found an outlet mall and a few other cool places.  I kind of jumped the gun and bought a good bike for the job that I might get at the wildlife park.  I made sure I was equipped with everything…a rack for my stuff, a bell, lights for the night time, and a bright and shiny new helmet.  Monday night was really sad because we brought Uncle Joe to the airport.  He is going to be gone for two months.  He has been so hospitable and made sure that there were plenty of people we could contact if there were ever an emergency.  We are really going to miss him (except for his early morning wake up calls!)  Now we have the place to ourselves; scary, I know.  Aunt Donna will return in early November so until then we are being extra careful and keeping the place spotless.  We are going to do our best not to throw wild and crazy parties.

Liz and I considered Tuesday to be our last day of freedom because depending on how things went with my trial run at the wildlife park, our vacay would be over.  We spent the day shopping again and we went to this another bike shop to look at bikes for Liz.  If I could take back this decision I would because the sales guy kept us there for thirty minutes explaining to us that all bums are different and how the anatomy of a woman should be supported on a bike.  I almost had to run out of the store because I was close to bursting into laughter.  He made some really good points but was just a bit extreme.  Liz did not leave with a bike but her brave soul is planning on going back to test ride a few.  After the bike shop, we drove around for a while looking for this shopping center that was right under our noses.  We hit up Target and then the grocery store.  It was no easier finding our way home and I know if we had to get there again, we couldn’t.  We had our favorite meal for dinner (fish sticks of course!) and then went to bed.

I was extremely restless the whole night with so much anticipation for the next day.  Five am came pretty early and before you knew it, my lunch was packed and I was biking to the train station.  Of course I bought the wrong ticket and then waited at the wrong platform before I was smart enough to ask for help.  This worker walked me all the way to the other end of the station and showed me where I needed to be.  I felt so awkward on the train because there are certain bike rules but I didn’t know any of them.  I expected to see a fellow biker and just mimic them but that was not the case.  I did the best I could to get my bike out of the way but I felt everyone staring at me…AWKWARD!  I arrived at the Guilford train station and then hit the road on my bike.  It took me about 40 minutes to get there and I arrived with some time to spare.  Debbie met me outside and before I knew it she had me meeting the crew and cleaning up koala poop! 

The day was wonderful and I got to see some really cool things.  I had lunch with a little joey that was being bottle fed and then I was peed on by a gang-gang cockatoo.  That was just one cockatoo because the other took a big bite out of my finger.  No worries though because I loved every minute of it.  The park was full of people and I followed Debbie for most of the day.  She is extremely good at what she does and it was neat to see how passionate she was about the park. Her parents were the ones who started the park and now it has become a family affair.  This job is the perfect mix of people and animal interaction.  I would be doing things like giving tours, putting on shows, cleaning up, and tending to the animals.  At the end of the day, Debbie offered me the job and told me to get back to her after the ride home.  I wanted to scream that I would take it but I knew it was smart to see how the ride home went.  I am not going to lie, it was rough but I made it.  I screwed up at the train station again and I was almost fined 50 bucks for not buying the right ticket.  I know I sound really dumb but the train system is so confusing.  The guy who fussed at me was foreign and he was kind enough to explain everything to me but to be honest I didn’t understand a word he was saying. The bottom line is that I do plan on taking the job and I am looking forward to having a really nice ass when it is all said and done! (here is the website www.cavershamwildlife.com.au)

Liz is a little under the weather but she is visiting the doctor today so hopefully she is given something good to clear up her sore throat.  If she is feeling better by the weekend we plan on heading to Swan Valley for a big wine tour with Scott.  If this is anything like the last time we hung out you should have some interesting reading next week. 

 

*Funny Story of the week:  Liz and I were chatting with one of Uncle Joe’s friends and she was sweet as can be.  She was an elderly lady and amongst our conversation, I answered her with yes mam.  I believe I pushed a button because she totally corrected me by telling me her name and letting me know that she was not a mam.  I felt extremely awkward but Liz and I had a good laugh after leaving.  I am not in Kansas/Louisiana anymore!  Dang you mom and dad for teaching me manors!

 

 

G’Day,

 

Lindsay Ezell

LC

Snook

Ez-E

We finally saw a kangaroo and it wasn’t a dead one on the side of the road!  I am starting to feel like I am really in Australia now that I saw one.  There has been some good news for all of you who were wondering about our job situation.  I have heard back from a charter boat company and a wildlife park.  Both of which would be exciting work (I thinkJ.)  We have had a pretty exciting adventure since the last time I spoke to you and it all started with a bright and early wake up call from Uncle Joe Saturday morning.

He woke us up and told us he was ready for the sunshine.  See it has been raining for the past week and half in Perth so there hasn’t been much to do.  He said the sunshine was up North so that is where we went.  Uncle Joe said there was no time for planning so we just packed up the car and took off up the coast.  We stopped for some beautiful photo opportunities and passed an alpaca farm that I really wanted to stop at but with a big barbed wire fence we had little hope of getting in.  They were so cute and fuzzy I might have risked a few scrapes and bruises to see them.  We continued on down the road as Uncle Joe showered us with his knowledge of the surroundings.  There were acres and acres of wildflowers and bright green grass followed by rows of grape trees and olive trees.  The vineyards are next on our list of places to visit so you should look forward to hearing about that.

We stopped for lunch in a quaint little town called Gingin.  There was a wedding going on right next to the restaurant where we ate and that was pretty cool to see.  It was a tad bit different from the Aussie wedding I picture for myselfJ.   After a lovely lunch, we were on the road again, driving down the old super slab (that’s for you Sean).  Our next stop was at a place called The Pinnacles.  When we got out of the car, I felt like I had stepped onto a different planet.  You will see what we are talking about when we get the pictures uploaded.  We had fun taking pictures and walking around.  I saw some more pretend creatures and felt like an idiot once again.  I swore that there was a lizard sitting on a pinnacle only to find out that it was a branch.  It happens to the best of us.

We rolled into a town called Dongara for dinner and a place to sleep.  We ended up at a place called The Priory.  It was an old convent so it had a very historic feel once you got passed the loud band and drunken footy fans from the Grand final earlier that day.  Good news…Liz and my team won, the Hawthorn Hawks!  After dinner we joined the drunken crowd for a beer and observed the very interesting Aussie’s around us.  The night sky was extremely beautiful so we decided to do some star gazing.  The Milky Way was clear as day and Uncle Joe told us that instead of the North Star they look for the Southern Cross in Australia.  The Southern Cross is actually the group of stars found on the Australian flag.  It was quite a night so we hit the sack for an early morning adventure.

We woke up and headed to the downtown café for breakfast and then to the water’s edge for a nice little nature walk.  We followed the river down to the ocean and enjoyed the beautiful beaches of Dongara.  It was cool to see a stretch of beach without a high rise or souvenir shop.  We hopped back in the car and headed down the coast.  We made it a few hours down the road before stopping in a town called Lancelin.  Uncle Joe took us to his favorite restaurant that played live music and sat on a hill that overlooked the beautiful waters of the Indian Ocean.  The lawn in front of the restaurant was filled with people and families picnicking.   It was a really cool atmosphere and everyone was laid back as can be just enjoying the beautiful weather.

We continued our journey home and for one last stop we headed to Yanchep National Park.  This is where we got to see koalas and kangaroos (live ones instead of the road kill we had been experiencing).  I couldn’t wait to see the koalas.  They were so cute and sound asleep because that is what they do for twenty hours out of the day (I think I would be a koala if I were an animal!)  Uncle Joe told us it was too early for the kangaroos to be out so I used my kangaroo whispering skills and sure enough they came hopping out of the woods.  Liz and I about peed our pants!  There were three moms with little joeys in their pouches and it was just the cutest thing.  It was the perfect end to our weekend journey.

We took it upon ourselves to sleep in on Monday since we were pretty exhausted from the weekend trip and because it was the Queen’s birthday Uncle Joe was off of work.  He took us to a place called King’s Park and the funny story behind this is that Liz’s aunt told us not to go there at night so we assumed it was some little sketchy park.  Every time we passed a park that looked a little on the sketch side we would jokingly call it King’s Park.  In all actuality, King’s Park probably has the most breath taking views of the city.  It sits on one thousand acres of land and has stunning botanical gardens.  Since it was the Queen’s birthday, the park was packed with people.  There was a wonderful jazz band and it was also the Wildflower Festival so things were in full bloom.  People were dressed up in wildflower costumes and there were camel rides!  It was an amazing place and Liz and I were kicking our selves for not visiting it sooner.

When we got back to the house Liz and I decided that we were going to throw a fiesta for the Queen.  After a quick walk to the grocery and liquor stores we headed back home to prepare dinner.  Our friend Scott was lucky enough to receive and invitation so he joined us along with Uncle Joe for some killer tacos and not so killer margaritas.  There were only three types of tequila to choose from and the mix wasn’t the greatest.  We didn’t let that ruin the fiesta!  It was a lovely dinner on the balcony while the sun set and when we were done with dinner we served a pazookie.  It was our first time making one so there was room for improvement on the next one.  We ended the night with some card games but when Liz started cheating we had to call it a night.

That about wraps up my adventures for the week…hopefully I will be writing to you as an employed Aussie next week.  I really want to thank all of you for reading my blog and a special thanks to those of you that leave comments because it makes my day.  I wake up every morning with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and I am glad that I get to share my experiences with you.  I miss you all!

 

*sorry the funny stories of the week all involve embarrassing moments for Liz so she threatened to hurt me if I posted them

 

Sincerley,

 

Lindsay Ezell

LC

Snook

Ez-E