Oh the places you'll go!!: 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!