Letters from Oz

I haven't had much leisure time while I've been here in Australia, but I've been able to send emails to my family and friends. So I decided to post them here to have a record of some of the events that happened to me and Aunt Barbara.


Saturday, Sept 23rd

Hi all!

We (Aunt Barbara and myself) have arrived in Sydney on
time. We had a good trip overall although 14 hours on one plane with
358 other people makes a very LONG trip. Thankfully there were no
screaming children on board. But! The next time I do this, I think I
will spend the money for a first class seat. No kidding.
We got a taxi to the hotel and I have to admit to cringing a little on the ride
over. Because the streets are all backwards! And everytime he'd
make a turn, I thought oncoming traffic was going to hit us! Not to
mention the fact that he went very fast and ran yellow lights
frequently. I had to laugh because all I could think about that I was
going to have to drive once we get to Brisbane.
Yikes! I think we got gypped, too. Because the cost of the drive
from the airport was $75.00 AU when it suppposed to be $40.00AU. I didn't
tip him.

We are in the hotel but we are not in a room yet because they don't have one ready for us. They were full last night due to the Aussie Rules futbol tournemount and we are waiting for someone to check out. We are sitting in the hotel restaurant drinking a $5.00 cup of
coffee.

So--Day One.. we are tired. We are grimy. We are not hungry, however, because Quantas Air fed us very well! Just imagine a British butler and you know who served the whole trip! They
were wonderful! I don't know what we will end up doing today, but we may take the City Tour to get ourselves oriented to Sydney.

More to come later...

Lisa

Sunday, Sept. 24th

Hello all!

After sleeping from 2pm yesterday until 4 am this morning (with a three hour supper break last night) we got up and went out to see what we could see. We are resting now. It's 3:30pm and we have spent the morning walking around the Sydney Opera House and the Rocks (which is the first place the convicts landed when they came here) market. It is unseasonably warm here, unfortunately. Whew! Hot, hot, and dry! I (Lisa) am still dehydrated from the plane trip and walking around in the sun baking didn't help me. We also climbed at least 250 steps today -- my body (Lisa) hasn't seen that much exercise in a while. So we are resting now, before our dinner cruise this evening.

We had a chinese banquet lunch where they bring the food to the table and put it on a lazy susan and we serve ourselves. I think Aunt Barbara is impressed with my new company and my new co-workers. She says "They are not stupid people. So it makes it fun!" It's made me laugh when I introduce her as my aunt, two people have immediately said something to the effect of -- so, she's your chaperone?

The cost of things here are expensive--the chinese banquet we had cost $26 AU just for lunch. That's not much less than the breakfast buffet in the restaurant. We've had room service twice now, once last night and then this morning--what a treat! Aunt Barbara said she's never done room service before and that I am a bad influence on her, but she liked it!

The flies are terrible. They go for your mouth and nose--someone asked if we had learned the aussie salute yet...waving your arms around at the flies.

Hope everyone is well at home. I'm not missing you...yet!

Love!

Lisa

Tuesday, Sept 26th

Hello all!

We are still perking along-- Aunt Barbara went to the Chinese Gardens yesterday and had a good time! I am thankful that Labware is picking up the food tab while we are here, at least for me. The food here is so expensive, even outside of the hotel. Yesterday morning Aunt Barbara had the leftover pastries from our room service breakfast on Sunday and I ate pastries provided to us before the meeting. They provided me with lunch and supper as well as stuff for our tea breaks. I "stole" food from our tea breaks and hid it in my bag to take to Aunt Barbara. So she had muffins that I lifted from the meeting for breakfast this morning. I've already taken three more this morning for her to have tomorrow! LOL! She gave me one of her ziplock bags and I'm going to try and get some of the fruit for her this afternoon... She had McDonald's for lunch and we both had a mediterranean dinner last night. It was a nice restaurant situated on the wharf of Darling Harbor--beautiful evening outside! Labware is really treating us well as far as the dinner meals are concerned. I tasted barrimundi (fish) for the first time. Seafood, as you can imagine, is a big deal here. I've had calamari and squid--liked the calamari, didn't care for the squid much. The shrimp is to die for though--Jeannie, you would love it! They serve it with the head still attached. Amazing how squeamish some people are about that stuff, they've made me laugh.

The night before we had a dinner cruise on Sydney Harbor and they entertained us with aborigine dancers. We got some great pictures of that. Tonight we will have an "authentic" aussie bbq.

Uncle Joe--Aunt Barbara is going shopping today, she said to tell you she loves you and that she is having a good time! I asked her to buy me some earrings, so I'm looking forward to seeing what she chooses. We are planning on looking for some opals to buy later on this week.

Okay, my conference is about to start! I hope this finds all of you well!

Love!
Lisa

Wednesday, Sept 27th

Hello all!

We're just in from an evening out--It's Wednesday night - 11pm here, Tuesday morning 8:00 am where you are. Aunt B is in the shower and I've been downloading some of my pictures. Thought you'd like to see a couple. I don't have any of me that are worth looking at, so you'll have to look at Aunt Barbara. The picture of her face is when were were in a gondola just going up over the Toranga Zoo this evening. She may look like she is smiling, but she wasn't very happy right then... LOL!

I had one of the most divine desserts I have ever laid lips on tonight... White chocolate mousse with Bailey's creme brulee. Oh... My... Gosh. I ate every bit! I'm not sure if we will have internet access in Brisbane or not... Tomorrow we will be flying out of Sydney to Brisbane in the evening. If we have acess, I'll write again, but if not, this may be it. I'll be able to check my email tomorrow during the day.

Uncle Joe, Aunt Barbara says, "I love you! I'm doing great--Lisa's trying to wear me out!"

I love you all and hope you are doing well!

Love!

Lisa

Thursday, Sept 28th

Hello All!

It is Thursday night, 11:30pm (8:30am your time). We have just gotten settled in the hotel and boy! am I glad to be here. I just want you to know that God is a good God and He looks after us better than we deserve. I was worried about arriving in Brisbane after dark and trying to find the hotel from the airport, driving on the left side etc. But, because it was so late, I didn't have to contend with a lot of traffic. Which was a wonderful thing, because driving on the wrong side of the road was unnerving! And we found a map in the car so that helped us find where we were going because the maps from the internet were sorely lacking. We prayed before we left the parking garage and prayed in thanksgiving when we got to the hotel. Because we actually didn't drive straight to the hotel, we kinda "found" it by accident since it wasn't marked very clearly. Aunt Barbara would say "Lisa, you done good!" but I know grace and mercy when I see it. LOL!

Picture this: Lisa and Aunt Barbara in a Toyota Yaris, the driver side is on the wrong side. The blinker switch is on the wrong side. I said before we left the garage at the airport, this blinker being on the wrong side is going to give me fits. So we set out. We are on the road, and I move over into another lane, making sure to turn on the blinker... and the windshield wiper comes on. "Damn!" I said. Aunt Barbara laughed. I must have said "Damn!" at least ten times on the way to the hotel. Aunt Barbara laughing each time. When I pulled up into the parking place at the hotel, the front bumper scraped the curb. "DAMN!" Aunt Barbara said. We both just fell out laughing. I was definitely a little stressed by that time because we had driven around in circles a few times trying to find the hotel, unknowingly passing it each time we went around.

So.. I have internet access at the new hotel for now.

Chad, Jeannie or Linda--can one of you tell Mama about the email and find out if everything is going alright with her? Uncle Joe--don't fall out when you see the master card bill. *grin*

LOVE to you all!

Lisa and Barbara

Friday, Sept 29th

Dear Uncle Joe, Mama, Jeannie, Chad and Linda;

We have changed hotels because the one we were at was outside of the city and not very....nice. We are now at the Royal Albert hotel and have a deluxe suite with a kitchen, washing maching and dryer for only $20 more than what we were paying for the Dump. We turned in the car, too. I realized we would be much happier without me driving in this city. So, we are both VERY pleased with our new arrangements.

Linda--congrats on the 100! We are proud of you!


We would like to know how everyone is doing---Uncle Joe, AB (Aunt Barbara) wants to know what you are doing and why you haven't emailed us in awhile. Ha ha! Jeannie, Chad or Linda--I would like to know how Mama is doing at the house. Is everything going smoothly for her? How is the house stuff (carpet, painting, etc?) going?

We love you all!
Lisa and Barbara

Traveling to Down Under

Traveling to Australia was a mixture of good things and not so enjoyable things... But nothing terrible thank goodness! We were able to check our baggage straight from the Jackson airport to Sydney, meaning we didn't have to do a baggage claim in Los Angeles before we checked into Quantas Air. That was SUCH a good thing! We left from Jackson on a delayed flight to Houston. Got to Houston in time to walk on the connecting flight to Los Angeles. Walk, walk, walk, walk through the airports. By the time we got onto the Quantas plane, my legs and feet were already swollen from sitting so much, making me dread the 14 hour flight to Sydney a little more.

Most of the stewards on the Quantas flight were men--and the service was excellent! Made me think of British butlers serving us. They were great! But, the quarters were tight! Economy seats are made for small people, not even comfortable for average sized one and certainly uncomfortable for me. And the bathrooms! Don't even go there.

We arrived and got through customs quickly enough. We got a taxi right off and he was a speed demon. Ran yellow lights and I was cringing before it was over because the roads being opposite was a little disorienting at first. It felt like oncoming traffic was going to hit us because they "were on the wrong side of the road"! I'm sure I'll get used to is soon enough. Once at the hotel we had to wait for a room because we were there so early in the morning and no one had checked out yet. Once in our room, I took a shower and went to sleep, hence the fact that I was up at 4 am. I think I did pretty good, though. LOL!

Well, I'm here... I'm waiting for time to pass so I can order breakfast. We may go to church or we may go to a tour. Not sure yet. LOL!

Surprised by love

It's surprising to me that I actually love my sister. I know that sounds funny, but for so long I haven't felt close to my family as though my love for them has been on more of an intellectual level. I knew I loved them, but that wasn't the same as feeling love for them. Last week someone hurt her so deeply she cried in my arms. She never does that and I cried with her. I cried for her that night after the lights were turned off. She stopped crying but I didn't. I think she was surprised that I wept for her, too. It seems to have made a difference in how she acted toward me this weekend, wanting to be around me, wanting to run errands with me. I hate that she was hurt, but I'm thankful to have experienced that with her.

My brother-in-law's father died last week and it brought the idea of dying to the forefront of my mind, especially the aspect of eternity. I am not God and I don't know if he was a believer or not, but if I could say from my own limited understanding whether he was or not, I'd say 'Not'. The funeral was a very interesting experience--both of the pastors spoke of how he wasn't suffering anymore, that he was in a better place and so on. All I could think about was how I doubted it and he was probably twisting and turning in the everlasting torment of hell wishing he was back in this life. It was frustrating to me to hear the pastor speak about that horrid, little man as though he were a good man. When they mentioned the Benny Hinn conference in reference to him, I had to cover my mouth to smother my laughter. Linda asked the pastor later... "Is this a charismatic Presbyterian church?" Poor man, he stammered and turned beet red. None of us sisters have any mercy when it comes to lying from the pulpit or using scripture ineptly. What I realized from the funeral was how much the community loves my brother-in-law and his mother. They all know how the father was but they came for his family. That was a wonderful thing.

One fun thing happened with Linda while I was in north Mississippi... We visited the Tishomingo State Park, which has a swinging, suspension bridge over a little river. I watched Linda walk out onto the bridge and freeze about halfway across because it was moving under her. Her whole body froze, she hunched over, held her arms out from her body as though she were about to lose her balance... and I ... I started running for the bridge! She saw me coming and started squealing, trying to get off of the bridge before I got there, but she was too scared to walk fast. So I blocked her from getting off the bridge and started jumping up and down on the it while she was still on it, making it undulate like a wave. It was the most fun I've had in a long time! She squealed and screamed and cussed and froze like a rabbit. I loved it.