Strangers to friends

   My favorite thing about traveling is meeting new people. And my favorite thing about meeting new people is the way they impact your life. 

 Life is so much different traveling, I can practically walk up to anyone and make a friend. At home I'm pretty sure I'd be ignored, taken advantage of, or looked at as crazy. 

 Truth is you make the best of friends when you travel. Yes, I've only been in Australia for 1 week but I have made a few good friends here. 

  One friend I met last Tuesday at spot X and then met up with her in Byron bay, and I got teary eyed when I said seeya soon to her last night.  She is so cool and I love how her and I instantly connected to eachother.   We now want to plan to visit eachother and then plan to volunteer somewhere together. 

  In addition to Julie, I've also made friends with Swiss aka Remo, James, Krisstie, Dom, Lucas, Laura and so many more.  

 It isn't just Australia I made heaps of friends in. I made good friends with everyone who went to Thailand! I had only known them for 1 week when I got sick and I missed them so much as they did me! I still keep in touch with most of them, especially my group. 

I know many of my Friends back home worry about me talking to "strangers" and hanging out with new friends. I understand their concern of not wanting me to be in danger or be harmed. And that's why I love them, they care about me and love me so much. They are all really true friends. But the only reason that we became friends was because we were once strangers. I also don't think they understand how different and chill the places I have been are. :) but that's okay...

WARNING this post is pretty boring!

   Well we finally made it on the flight to Sydney. Friday was one of the longest days ever!!! Both Elizabeth and I woke up around 7am (10am Jersey time). Neither of us really could sleep any longer. So we got up and explored the hotel a bit.  After we reorganized ourselves a bit and took showers. 

   Around quater to noon. We checked out of the crown plaza and stored our luggage with them as we explored this adorable little town. Then around 1:15 we headed back to the hotel, but decided to keep walking along the bay. It was a beautiful day, so we soaked up all the fresh air and sunshine we could get. Around 3:30 we headedback to SFO airport. 

  We checked our luggage as soon as we got to the airport and got on the air train. Every once in a while we got off at different terminals and explored them. The best was Terminal 2, the one with Virgin airlines.  The Chairs were extreamly comfy, and they had some nice music going on.  We then found a little place to eat. Upon finishing eating we headed back Outside to have our final breath of fresh air until landing in Sydney! 

  We got through security with a minimal wait and ventured off to our gate. After learning that there wasno good  food in our section we walk what felt like miles to a different food court

 Elizabeth and I were both shocked with the little amount of variety in the food and lack of restaurants. I've never seen an airport so big with such little to eat.   

Anyhow, after eating we went back to our gate. We meet a bunch of adorable kids who are now on our flight, and a family willing to show us around their area of Australia. 

Both elizabeth and I slept about 85% of the plane ride, so like the past two days, the flight has been pretty uneventful. 

(I'll share pictures later!) 

1st Day at surfing!

Well to night was my first time being at a party scene. I drank a little bit, but not enough to give me any danger or rvn any effects. I made some great new friends tonight. I already have plans to meet back up with one, Julie, sometime between friday and monday. 

Surfing was a bit easier than expected. And just wicked fun. I'm so proud of myself for not nose diving at all. I even got up on my first lesson. It's actually wicked difficult to get your pop-up right. But i'll continue to work on it as the week progresses. 

     Also. Today I loaded up on the sunscreen and hit the beach, and got fried in the middle of Dcember!! My bum is so burnt it hurts to sit. My armpits (who even knew you could get burnt there?)  are so red and hurt and I have a nice 7cm tan line above the top of my bathing suit line and then everything is just white the rest of the way up. I learned that I need to use sunscreen like every 45 minutes. 

San Fran!

Yesterday (Thursday December 12th), I headed to Newark airport for the fourth time in one year! This time it was with just Elizabeth. We had a 5:30 flight to san Fran to meet our 10:35 plane to Sydney.  Our flight to San Fran was delayed about an hour and 15 minutes leaving us 20 minutes to get to our flight to Sydney. 

 Both my sister and I were prepared to run upon getting off the plane. However United was NOT operating in our favor and we were stuck taxing because a different (United) plane was still at our gate. This caused our UNITED flight to Sydney to leave without us and about 20 other people. We got off the plane at 10:33. We would have had enough time to RUN to the other gate to catch our flight to Sydney that ended up ,leaving  the gate at 10:45.  Elizabeth and I were the (and still are) stuck in San Fran until tonight (friday night) at 10:30. Untied was kind enough to put us up in a semi-okay hotel, and gave us each $21 in food vouchers.  

 The good part is that we got to shower and sleep and charge our phones/ipodsThe bad is that we really wanted to see Aussie and go to our Santa Pub Crawl. But it's what you get when you travel, so i'm taking it all with grace. 

I'm so happy that all my hours of babysitting, dog walks, and dog sits are finally getting rewarded with a nice little adventure down under.

Bella Abby Hillman

Dear Bella Abby,
  Today marks the 9 year anniversary of when we finalized your adoption at St. Hubert's and brought you home. I remember that day so vividly. I got to skip school that day. Partly because we were bringing you home and then partly because we had to go to Janet's funeral. It was a "happy day and a sad day" as I explained it to everyone I knew. Nine years later I look at that day as the turning point in my life.  It's the day you came into my life and changed everything I ever wanted to do.
   I'll never forget letting you loose in the house for the very first time. You went nuts! You ran and ran and ran around the house running into every wall! I then taught you your first "trick", I taught you to jump up on me to get a treat.  Then I walked you around the yard and taught you to go potty in the side yard. And that first night? I set your crate up perfectly for you. I put you in your bed then I set up camp to sleep on the floor right beside your crate. It was one of the first times I knowingly stayed up "late"  (10:30ish) on a school night.
  The joy of bringing you home never fades. I wish I could be that little girl again all excited to bring home my NEW puppy! Molly wasn't the same. She was born at our house. I never got to "bring her home". And no puppy I ever bring home will be the same as you!
  Bella I miss you so much! There isn't a day I go without thinking of you! I miss everything about you, the good, the bad, and everything in between. I miss playing with chasing you in the snow, and watching you dig your holes,or laying with you.
  You Bella, you always knew when I needed you. You hated being cuddled, however when I needed you you always came to me, I never had to come to you. And in the end, I hope I came to you when you needed me the most. I hate that you are gone but I'm happy you aren't in pain. I wish you could come back as a puppy and that I would know who you were! I just miss you so much!
  Today would have been your 9th Birthday. We would celebrate as always with a trip to petmart, begginstrips,  chicken and rice for dinner, and lactate free ice cream for your birthday dessert! So in honor of you today I will have some ice cream for dessert and chicken for dinner!

I love you Bella Abby! I will never forget you! I hope you'll having a ball in heaven!!!!

Love Brigette!

The morning before we got our foster dogs.