25 days and counting

Besides it being official because my visa was approved....now its really official because i've booked a ticket! I will be leaving on August 24th. I decided to change the trip up a little this time...lets just say, traveling for 25 hours is pretty brutal. I'll be flying to LA earlier so I get to spend 12 hours there with my Auntie Amy. I'm super excited! Amy actually lives in San Diego but she's gotten the day off to come up and meet me at the airport so we can do some tourist things for the day before my flight that night. I haven't been to LA (other than the airport) for more than 10 years, so it should be a fun day. Then i'll fly all night, skip a day and land in Sydney early Thursday morning.

Since the countdown has begun I have a ton of things to do and people to see! I'll be in Colorado next weekend to visit my best friend from high school. Then to Little Rock to finish moving out of my classroom. Then to the lake for one more weekend with friends. Then my best friend growing up will be in town from Nashville! And somewhere in all of this i've got a super long to do list to be working on. I'm not worried...it will all get done, one way or another :-)

its official!

Well, its official...I got an email today that my Australian work visa was approved!! I honestly can't believe how quickly and easily everything has happened. I've only been home for about 3 and a half weeks. And applied for my visa just 3 weeks ago. I cannot believe it went through so fast! The whole process was much easier than I thought it would be. Its all online and through emails. The only thing I really had to do for it was get a chest x-ray to make sure I didn't have TB. So, I must be healthy because they are letting me in the country!

Its been an overwhelming and exciting day! I officially resigned from my job at Chicot today. I knew I wasn't going back but I wanted to wait to make sure my visa went through before I resigned. As excited as I am, it was still harder than I thought to write that resignation letter. I spent 3 years at Chicot, working with some of the most amazing people and kids i've ever met. Those 3 years taught me so much about myself and as excited as I am about starting a new chapter in my life I am really going to miss everyone at Chicot and Little Rock for that matter!

So, I guess the next thing is to set a travel date. I'm thinking i'll leave at the end of August but we'll see. Of course I have a million things to do before I leave. And yes, the teacher in me has made a long to do list. I'm so excited! Its been hard sitting and waiting but I knew it was only a matter of time. Now that its official I can get excited, and have something to look forward to. There is so much to look forward to!

I love this place

This is one of my favorite places. I'm lucky enough to be at the lake house with all of my Little Rock friends for the weekend. There is nothing better than this view from your living room, having a bond fire in the middle of summer, and playing on the lake all day. I'm going to miss being at this place with these people!

I think i'll move to Australia...

I had every intention of keeping my blog updated while I was in Australia but i'll be honest, I was enjoying myself to much to even think about it. I just got home last week from spending 3 and a half weeks in New South Whales, Australia. Everyone has asked, "How did you like your trip? What all did you do?"

Where do I even begin?! The trip was amazing! I was lucky enough to get to experience many different parts to Australia. A friend from college went with me and we were able to be tourist and see all the sights, but since I was visiting my cousins I was able to kind of live their life, meet their friends, go to their church etc. It was such a blessing to get to know my cousins better. My cousin Zach from my dads side of the family moved there almost 5 years ago and married Elisha who is from Australia. Zach and Elisha live on the Central Coast area which is about a hour north of Sydney by train. To spare you the hours I could spend talking, writing, and showing you hundreds of pictures about my trip I will narrow them down to 10 highlights from the trip (in no particular order). If you want to hear the entire saga and see all the pictures, come find me :-)

1. Touring the Sydney Opera House and getting to see the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Practice.
2. Going to the Blue Mountains with Zach/
3. Discovering pancakes with ice cream on top is super yummy at Pancakes on the Rocks.
4. Meeting and getting to know Elisha's amazing family!
5. Horseback riding at Glenworth Valley.
6. Learning how to use the train system...my favorite stop is Circular Quay because of the amazing views of the Sydney Harbor bridge and Opera House as soon as you get off.
7. Visiting some of the most beautiful beaches i've ever seen.
8. Going to Zach and Elisha's church and getting to know so many of their wonderful friends!
9. Dinner at the top of Centerpoint tower with some of the most amazing views of Sydney.
10. Getting to experience an Aussie winter.

So, I suppose talking about the trip is only a part of this blog update. For months i've been talking about my plan to move to Texas this summer after my trip. Well I should know better than to make a plan...the plan always seems to change. With lots of talking, praying, thinking etc. I've decided i'm still moving, but instead of Texas i'm moving to Australia. Yes...you read that correctly :-) Living overseas is something i've always wanted to do but never really thought I would or could do. I also never really found a place that I could see myself living, until I went to Australia. For so many months I've been praying for something different, ready for a big change and I feel like this is an answer to my prayers. I've been trying to get things in order since April to move to Dallas and search for a job but nothing has really happened and i've been very discouraged but now i'm thinking God shuts some doors but opens others. This could not happen at a more perfect time since i've decided to leave my job in Little Rock, moved out of my house, put everything I own in storage. I realize that to some of you this will seem completely insane, trust me i've had that same thought but it also feels so right. Life is about taking risks and i've never been a huge risk taker but sometime the scariest things end up being the most worthwhile. I know living there will not be exactly what its like when I was on vacation and there will be some days when I'm homesick. But, all in all, what is the worst that can happen? If it doesn't work out then I get on a plane and come home. I don't want to live with any regrets.

Of course making the decision was actually the easy part. Now I've got to figure out all the details. I'm in the process right now of applying for a visa and working on the job search. Please pray for me as I figure out all the details and work through everything. As much as i'm in a hurry to get there, I need to take this time to spend with my family and friends and work out everything here before I go. I'm going with the intentions of staying at least a year, but who knows the year could turn into longer. I'm so thankful to have a supportive family and friends who have made every step of this decision that much more exciting. Start saving so you can come visit me! Its a long trip, but worth every second!