Journey to Australia

Well I officially packed everything I own into three very large bags/suitcases!!!! Okay so maybe I didn't do the packing...I had a little help from my Angel of a Mother.

Lubbock International Airport:
First freak out at approx. 7:10am...I went to check in my bags and they told me I could only take ONE bag! I had 2 checked bags and two carry-ons. After about ten of the longest minutes of my life the guy fixed it. Then he told me he couldn't find my Visa....stressful check-in at Lubbock international airport! Thankfully my Mom was there to hold my hand and calm me down... Saying goodbye will be extra hard this morning! Went through security and got randomly selected for an extra frisk and got swabbed for explosives....pretty sweet day so far! 

Denver International Airport:

Arrived around 8:30am (9:30am Texas time). Next flight @ 6:10pm!

LOOOONGEST layover of my life!! Thankfully I have plans for Johnny to pick me up for lunch in Denver!!! Apparently I didn't take a photo of Johnny during our lunch so here is an old picture of him. It's one of my favorites!

Lunch with Johnny was amazing at Toby Keith's very American restaurant.

 We walked around a cute shopping area  and even went To Outdoor world! 

It was really awesome! We reminisced about the ship and all our crazy adventures. There are so many people that I fell in love with onboard Disney Magic and it is especially nice to get to reunite with them whenever I can even if it's for short periods of time. 

I set up camp in a deserted part of DIA for 4 & 1/2 hours before my next flight. I found plugs and charged all my electronics...played on my baby Ipad and downloaded loads Apps to keep me entertained. Also I looked up conspiracy theories of DIA as advised by Johnny...it was really interesting! Look it up for a daily dose of crazy!

I sat by the nicest people on flight to LAX! After not talking to anyone for about 4 hours I was getting pretty desperate for conversation. I sat next to an emerging Producer who was a lively character. He noticed that during the moment of bumpy air I could barely breath....I close my eyes and hold my breath to be exact!  He tried extra hard to distract me by asking me several questions about my life. My favorite was when I said I was moving to Australia and he asked when? ....TODAY like right now! I still can't believe it even when I say it out loud! He was pretty amazed and told me lots of really wonderful things that I needed to hear at that moment! It was an incredible blessing...little did I know that I needed to be lifted up because I was about to face another rough patch of my travels....

LAX arrival time 7:30pm (9:30pm Texas time)

Once I got into LAX, I immediately began to panic. I think it finally hit me that I am about to fly across the world...Traveling alone is really hard for me. I need someone to remind me when things don't go according to my plan that everything will be okay. So...my second travel freak out began at approximately 7:45pm (9:45pm Texas time) when I couldn't find the international part of LAX. Every time I asked for directions,the person would point off into the distance and say five minute walk that way....I have a big European backpack on that weights about 30ish pound on my back and I have been traveling for about 18 hours at this point. I finally find the international airport  but can't for the life of me find Air Pacific Airlines. I ask three different people and they all point in a different direction....I am getting really frustrated at this point and my eyes are full of tears ready to burst! When I find the right airline, they aren't very nice... they were awful! They made me check my backpack with all my overnight stuff in it and charged me 175 dollars! I get my next two boarding passes and begin my search for the security line (for the third time today)....the international security check is different from a normal one because most people around me spoke a different language..if you ever want to feel alone in the world, add a language barrier. So overwhelmed!!!! Tears are flooding my eyes at this point. I make it through the security line, find my terminal....and get a much needed BEER!  Hopefully I will get some sleep on my next flight because I am losing my patience and am super grumpy....my flight is 10 hours and crosses the international dateline so when I wake up it will be Thursday! 

Next stop:Fiji!

By the time I boarded my Fiji flight I could barely keep my eyes open! As soon as I got settled into my seat, I had fallen asleep. I woke up about an hour later frozen and uncomfortable! Whoever invented airport blankets should be kicked in the shin! They are worthless for keeping warm! Sleeping sitting up in a cramped area next to the aisle is not great even for an exhausted traveler. I tossed and moved every way I could all night. I finally gave up at 9:56am Texas time....I have absolutely no idea what time it is in Australia right now but I still have 2 hours left of this plane ride.  I did get served breakfast and it was super delicious! 

Today is a new day! I am ready for my flight to Australia!

Nadi,Fiji Airport

Landing time: 5am on Thursday April 26th or Wednesday 12pm Texas time! Fiji was beautiful....from what I could see from the airport! The people there are very peaceful and kind. They greeted us as we exited the plane with a greeting in their language. They also had a band playing at 5:00am!

 I went through security for a fourth time! Weeeee Aussie land here I come!

Brisbane International Australia:

I landed in Brisbane, Australia around 10:00am Aussie time (7pm Texas time)..the runway was so close to the ocean that it looked like we were going to land on the water! After safely exiting the plane, we were shuffled to a fork in the road called customs. They had a fast line for Australian passport and a sloooooooow line for all OTHER passport holders.....after standing in line for about 40 minutes I approached a very handsome Australian customs officer that question my motives for entering his country. He was very charming and not as scary as I assumed he would be. I forgot to write down Ji's contact information and the officer gave me a hard time about it...I then was allowed to collect my bags which I was praying made it all the way here! After I collected all three of my bags, I had to stand in another line. This time I was chosen for a "special line" called K-9 line. I had to stand in a specific area and a dog sniffed all my stuff. You are free to go after that! I walked through a door and immediately saw Catherine! She laughed at how much luggage I came with! 

Her baggage didn't make it from Ireland! Ji walked in about 10 minutes later and we drove an hour to the Gold Coast to my new home! 

I AM LOVING EVERY SECOND I CAN STAY AWAKE OF AUSTRALIA SO FAR!!!!!!!

FEARLESS

“To me, Fearless is not the absense of fear. It's not being completely unafraid. To me, Fearless is having fears. Fearless is having doubts. Lots of them. To me, Fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you to death.” 
― Taylor Swift


Less than a week until I leave and I could not be MORE full of fear. I am not really sure what I am afraid of...in fact I am kind of afraid of EVERYTHING!!! The point is I could spend the rest of my time worrying about all things that could possible go wrong OR I could enjoy the time I have left and love the people I get to spend time with! I can't wait until I get to Australia! I know that I am in good hands and I have faith that all my needs will be met. Change is something that is really hard for me. I HATE it but need it in my life. I will miss so many things and people in America but thanks to SKYPE, Email, and Facebook I will never be out of touch.


On the other hand, I feel incredibly blessed to know that I am conquering one of my dreams. I am MOVING to another country and traveling for a year (or two). It has been a very interesting journey to this point. I have had endless conversations with people about my future. Some are very confused about why I am not going to graduate school, getting married (or dating anyone), wanting to settle down and get serious about life, but so many are so inspired by my courage. I would never describe myself as courageous so its really amazing how much I have learned about myself through others. I never want to wonder what if.....I can get comfortable with this life or I can continue to find ways to learn and grow outside of my comfort zone. I would much rather look back on my life and think WOW I can't believe I did that...

So here is my Mantra for my life:

Australia one month count down!!!!

Well I have survived living in Lubbock for the last 5 months and it hasn't been sooooo bad... I really love spending so much time with my Mom and Dad and I know that I will miss them most when I leave. I have fully thrown myself into my TWO jobs: substitute teaching and working for Women's Protective Services. I haven't had much free time but when I do I enjoy being in my bed.....Lubbock makes me feel about 85 years old!!

My new adventure begins on April 24th when I fly to Brisbane, Australia and then drive an hour to the Gold Coast!!! I leave out of LA and fly 10 hours across the Pacific ocean crossing the National dateline....I arrive on April 26th! Funny side note: I don't really exist on April 25th...WEIRD!!!

I am meeting Catherine Jones at the airport (she is flying from Ireland)!! She is who I will travel with later on in our trip. She is amazing and I am super excited to be on this journey with her!!

We will be picked up by our good friend Ji Fenton who is the resident AUSSIE!!!
ACTION SHOT!! haha

He has generously opened his home to me and Catherine while we are getting on our feet in Oz. He lives in the Gold Coast, Queensland in a beautiful little house. He is a brave soul to allow so many visitors in his home at once!!! 


Many people have asked me why I wanted to go so far away?? Honestly, my answer is simple. I am YOUNG and ready to live outside my comfort zone and experience the world for exactly what it is...an never ending ADVENTURE!!! So I bought a one way ticket and will just play it by ear. If I find a wonderful job that wants to sponsor me for a professional VISA then I will stay for up to 2 years. I don' t want to put a time limit on figuring out where the wind will blow me next. It sounds crazy but I am so excited to live free from a timeline. Society has such a "what's next" mindset and for once I want to live free from that idea. I will take it day by day and truly enjoy the journey along the way!!!


Catherine and I plan on finding "real Jobs" in the North Territory in a town called Darwin. It is the art and music district and not as populated as Sydney or Melbourne. I am looking into Children's protection or working with Homeless Youth. I am really excited to experience new parts of the social services and hopefully it will give me some direction with what I want to do with the rest of my life.


I have lots to do to prepare for this journey and this month is going to fly by!! I am excited and nervous and in awww of the joy this change brings to my heart.