Australia Day, 26 January, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain.

"On Australia Day we come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian. It's the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation. It's the day for us to re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the future."

Kristin sent me a funny e-mail this morning telling me that she and the kids heard on the radio that it was Australia Day and Olivia said, “Hey—it’s Candyland day!”

I think I like the sound of that ;)

All in All we had a great Australia Day!  Jenni, Harriet, and I enjoyed lunch at Groove Train, shopped a bit on Bridge Road, then went to St. Kilda and devoured some of the yummiest ice cream I have had in a long time!  Jenni and I finished the night the best way I knew how........ with mimosas for dinner.

My much appreciated Christmas present this year

Thank you to Brett for the Christmas present I got this year.......Cat Power tickets at Australia's beautiful Forum venue.  We had such a great time.  She was AmAzInG and the venue was astonishing.  I didn't get any photos because cameras were not allowed.  I did help start the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to her since Friday, the night of her show, was her birthday too!

Jenni and I had dinner at Yak in Melbourne City and discovered our new favorite wine....Innocent Bystander Shiraz :)

The Australian Open 2011

Yesterday Jenni and I went with two friends to the Australian Open which was a walk away from our house.  On our way we stopped at Coles and bought cheese, fruit, and lunch meat and then went to the bakery to buy pull aparts (bread loaves).  

Jo Tsonga after winning against Seppi

I was so excited to go and as an avid sports lover, I have not been exposed enough to tennis to call myself a fan.....Well I did it.....I wore a denim American Flag shirt and became a new fan of tennis all in one day!  Thank you Australian Open!  I asked a French woman next to me what "allez jo" meant, since the entire crowd was chanting it. She said, "go Jo, and you can say it too if you want". We were watching Jo Tsonga (France) vs. Andreas Seppi (Italy). Winner- Tsonga.  


We had a great afternoon in the sun and enjoyed our picnic.  We watched women and men play and the game of tennis is much more fast-paced and interactive then I had expected.  Overall, one of my favorite days down under so far!

Is Oklahoma and Texas in the same state?

I worked the 9 a.m. shift Sunday morning with my good friend Harriet.  After work I ate a Barramundi Fillet with salad and chips and it was scrumptious!  Harriet and I decided we would go for a glass of wine after work because it was the perfect "Flips Patio" kind of day.  

We also had lots of stories to laugh about that derived from two nights previous where we had gotten off work after 12:30 a.m. and went for a glass of wine......which turned into bottles of wine.  We laughed and danced and laughed some more!   

On our way to a pub with a large outdoor beer garden, we decided to stop into a small Asian massage parlor for a neck and back massage.  

After our half hour of relaxation we enjoyed wine and a dips platter on the patios of 2 different pubs.  As Harriet and I were enjoying our chat amongst ourselves a guy plopped right down next to me, startling both of us, and said "Are you from America? I thought I heard an American twang and I had to come over because I love America!"  After fighting back my laughter due to his childish excitement I answered back, "Yes, I am from Oklahoma."  His next response gave me the title to this blog.

Well I figured every blog doesn't have to be for big adventures.  Sometimes days like yesterday are just as worthy of sharing!

Koalas, sheep, and anchors......oh my!

We left our hostel in Port Campbell and began our 3rd day journey.  

My lucky little flower starburst that Jenni noticed.

We drove to the Otway Light House where we saw heaps of Koalas in trees lining the streets.  We also met an unexpected little sheep friend.

Speed limit sign.  100 kilometers per hour = 62.14 miles per hour

On January 15, 1990 the main arch connecting London Bridge to the mainland cracked and fell into the sea.  Two people were rescued hours later by helicopter after shockingly being stranded on the lone arch.
We went back to the London Bridge at night to watch Penguins come out of the sea onto the beach.  It was absolutely beautiful during daylight, dusk, and sunset.

The Grotto was one of my favorite things we saw.  It was absolutely a beautiful sight to see!  

I loved it so much I decided to jump the stone wall to get a better look.......

I made it all the way in without falling on any rocks.

On our way to Warnumbool, the largest city of the Great Ocean Road, we saw a Cheap as Chips store and thought we'd see what it was all about....Well I found a couple of treasures.... I had been on the lookout for a cheap towel and a small bag to hike down to Loch Ard Gorge with.  My only option was an Aussie flag towel for $10 and a $4 duck bag with feet and hands.

In Warnambool we enjoyed a cheese and fruit platter while watching a local band outside of the city museum where they have an old fashioned city set up for tourists to visit.  

The passenger drinking wine.....

The driver drinking coffee.

We decided to go to the Warnambool gift shop on our way out......I entertained myself.

Australia floods hit Australia's 3rd largest city

A quick break in between Great Ocean Road blogs to bring awareness to "Australia's Katrina".  

I am safe and far from the floods, but many are not.  The flooded Brisbane River floods into residential areas as it reaches its peak on January 13, 2011.  Please keep all of the people of Queensland in your prayers.  There have been 15 deaths already, several missing, over 20,000 homes without power, and tens of thousands of homes and businesses damaged by the floods.  One of my roommates is from Brisbane and my heart goes out to her family and friends along with all the other people affected by this natural disaster.

Day 2 of Great Ocean Road

We stayed at the Apollo Bay Backpackers Hostel for Monday and Tuesday night.  

The hostel.  Very quaint little place.

My bed was bottom left and Jenni's was top left

We made many stops while driving day 1 and 2 including the Split Point Lighthouse (built in 1891), Bells Beach (a famous surfer's beach), several rivers leading into the ocean, among many other famous landmarks.......

 .................and a hitch-hiker.

Day 2 was the most amazing day!  We woke up and headed to the Otway Tree Top Walk which is 3 steel canopy bridges, 600 meter long walkways, built 25 meters above the forest floor.  Keep in mind throughout reading the day's events....I am a bit afraid of heights :)

"Don't get a shock....the walk is meant to rock."

Just has we thought the day couldn't get any better we decided to take a helicopter over the 12 Apostles.This was one of the most adventurous experiences giving me the opportunity to see one of the world's most beautiful natural features from above.  Jenni and I had permanent smiles on our faces the entire time and for a long time after we landed!

We got the only helicopter that could go lower than any of the others!

Right before take-off

The Twelve Apostles have been created by constant erosion of the limestone cliffs of the mainland that began 10–20 million years ago. The stormy Southern Ocean and blasting winds gradually eroded the softer limestone, forming caves in the cliffs. The caves eventually became arches and when they collapsed rock stacks up to 45 metres high were left isolated from the shore (greatoceanrd.org.au)....

Check back to this post for the video I took from up in the helicopter.  You will see a seahorse shaped island, the blowhole, the Loch Ard Gorge, and the 12 Apostles.  It is a bit shaky, but it is a way for me to share the experience with you all!  I will download it when I get a better internet connection.

Apollo Bay Hostel $50, Otway Treetop Walk $20.00, Helicopter ride $115.00, experience of a lifetime.......Priceless!

Great Ocean Road

From January 3 through January 8 Jenni and I are traveling Great Ocean Road which is one of the top 10 scenic roads in the WorLd!  

Day 1 of GOR (Great Ocean Road) has come to an end and we are SAFE and sound at the Apollo Bay Backpackers Hostel! 

Our friend Petey loaned us his GPS and some maps
and we found this surprise hidden in the map....funny guy!

We took a taxi to pick up our rental car in Melbourne City at 9:30 this morning.  We are driving an automatic mid-sized car on the WrOnG side of the road! haha. Our motto for the trip is "Think Left".  Jenni is the driver because I am about 4 weeks too young and she did an excellent job today.  She laughs because I grip things in the car often, but it is not her driving that makes me nervous, but the fact that I am the closest to the ocean and there is a BiG drop-off on the edge of the very winding roads!  

This is by far the most beautiful drive I will probably EvEr drive!  The entire time we're driving we are surrounded by ocean on one side and hills/mountains with the most amazing trees on the other side!  The trees in Australia are so exotic looking and absolutely lovely. It is a very humbling experience to see the beauty of this country and feel so free to drive and stop and see as we please.  We probably stopped 10 or more times throughout the day's drive to see surf beaches, National Parks, a Lighthouse, beach towns, shops, etc..  We have ended our day here in Apollo Bay and will begin a new adventure tomorrow.

Our first view of the ocean and the beginning of
Great Ocean Road

Cheers, Candy