New Zealand: Sweet As

{Warning: The following are pictures from New Zealand and may cause severe jealousy.}

Hiking Abel Tasman National Park, Nelson

Standing over a crevice on Franz Joseph Glacier

How gorgeous is New Zealand

Bungy Jumping off Kawarau River Bridge, Queenstown

Queenstown at dark

Panaromic view of Lake Tekapo

For more pictures, click here. Seriously New Zealand is gorgeous. If you love the outdoors, this is the country to go to.

 

Cheers for now,

Kim

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad

So today is April 29th, 2011, the 22nd anniversary of my wonderful parents Phil and Karen.

Apparently this day seemed worthy of a royal anniversary as well. I'm currently watching the preshow for the Royal Wedding. It's convenient that it is showing at a normal hour in Australia (8 p.m.) and not 6 a.m. like back home. I hope everyone enjoys the wedding. I can't wait to see Kate's dress; she is gorgeous. 

And just remember there is always Prince Harry!

Cheers for now,

Kim

On Top of the World {or Glacier}

Friday:

Back on the bus, this time for 8 hours, heading down the West Coast to Franz Joseph. Another beautiful day drive. The highway goes along the coastline with the Southern Alps on one side and the Tasman Sea on the other. The drive also had a lot of one way bridges which was kind of crazy. Today's main pit stop is in Punakaiki, famous for the Pancake Rocks. These limestone rocks center around a blowhole which during high tide puts on quite a show. Unfortunately it was low tide but this is what it would look like.

The most random thing happened though when we were at the Pancake Rocks. First we ran into two Dutch boys we had met our first night in Nelson. Thirty seconds later, a fellow American Evatter and her parents showed up. It was the craziest thing ever. We had plans to meet up in Queenstown but that fell through.

Next stop is the main street of Franz Joseph or more like a street with a petrol station on it. We checked in, did a grocery run and watch the first Lord of the Rings movie before bed. Yes another 10 p.m. bedtime.

Saturday:
I just chilled a glacier! How many people can say that? The day started off rainy and continued up until the actual ice. Franz Joseph gets an average of 6 meters of rainfall a year. According to the guide, the glacier (or glay-see-eer as he said) is better when it rains because the dirt is washed away exposing the blue ice. The views on top of the glacier definitiely made up for the fact that my Vera Bradley backpack was soaking wet within ten minutes. The Franz Joseph Glacier Hike Company provided all of our cold weather clothing; we got water proof jackets, trousers, boots, wool socks, gloves, hats and crampons. Crampons are spikes that go on the boots to grip the ice. I'm extremely graceful so they were very helpful when scaling down the slick surface.

Due to numbers, Katie, Bekah and I got put into group #1, the extreme adventure group. We were the first ones on the glacier. Our guide, who looked like Carrot Top, really knew his stuff. At points on the trail, he had to pick away at the ice to maintain the path. I even got a few swings in though it was quickly taken back before I hurt myself. City girl. These little minute breaks allowed me to get some amazing pictures.

Hiking up Franz Joseph Glacier

There were three Danish boys in our group who we hung out with after the hike. As part of the hike, we got free admission into the Glacier Hot Pools. I was expecting mineral pools but they were really glorified hot tubs. After dinner, the six of us went on a local hike to see glow worms. The worms glow blue at night. The hike was kind of spooky so I'm glad we had some protection. The boys were so sweet and we ended up running into them in Queenstown. One way or another, we've run into everyone we've met and I love it!

Cheers for now,
Kim

{Hostel Review: In Franz Joseph, we stayed at Metrose. It was a cozy accomadation with FREE internet and movie rentals. The rooms were basic and there were only two bathrooms upstairs. Also we found out about the glow worm tour through the hostel.}

Nelson & Abel Tasman

{Live* from New Zealand}

* Change of plans. The Internet is more accessible than I was expecting and with long bus rides I've been able to write all my posts. Plus this way you don't have to read two posts that are pretty much the same thing :)

Thursday:

Ah I can't believe I'm 3 days into my NZ adventure! Nelson was a charming little town at the top of the South Island. Although Katie, Bekah and I were only there for 2 days, we made a lot of memories and a few friends.

After a long day of traveling from Christchurch, we arrived in Nelson. We had a dinner of cheese and crackers accompanied by a local Sauvignon Blanc. The Marlborough area which includes Nelson is known for its wineries. During the harvest season, you can walk down the street and sample wine at the restaurant's cellar door.

We were in bed by 9 p.m.-so exhausted plus we had an early morning departure to Abel Tasman National Park. Named after the Dutch explorer who first came to this area, Abel Tasman is the second most visited national park even though it is the smallest. The park is known for its turquoise water, golden sand and rain forest habitat. 

For our tour, we were transported to Motueka, a small town at the base of the national park. From there we took an hour long water taxi ride to Bark Bay. One of the highlights was Split Apple Rock. When Captain James Cook came to this area, he shot off one of his cannons. The cannonball hit this perfectly round rock. The rock being made of granite (extremely brittle) split in half, leaving what I saw today. Another interesting thing I learned from our boat driver was that the ocean tidal differences along the Abel Tasman coast are among the biggest in the country. There is about a 4.8 meter difference between high and low tide! During low tide you could walk out to Split Apple Rock and during high tide you could kayak through the split.

It was cloudy and I was freezing in my Nike shorts. Luckily it soon turned into a lovely, blue-sky weather. Plus I warmed up on our six hour hike back to Motueka, a total of 24 km or 14.1 miles. The hike was gorgeous. The 2 hour hike from Bark Bay to Torrent Bay was my favorite because it offered the most variety in scenery. I came up with three distinct "ecosystems" at Abel Tasman:

1. Leaves- rain forest, large canopy trees, brooks, GREEN

2. Sticks- tall, slender trees with few leaves, transition ecosystem to the

3. Beach- bush and sandy coves, right on the turquoise water

In Torrent Bay, we found a picnic table and had lunch overlooking the water. The hike back to base was predominantly rain forest. It took four hours though the signs said five. We were starting to freak out because the last bus left at 5 p.m. and we couldn't stay overnight. The signs ended up being wrong and we arrived an hour early. The last 3 km took us probably an hour because we were so tired.

Another early night and leaving for Franz Joseph in the morning.

Cheers for now,

Kim

{Hostel Review: An old boarding house, we stayed at Paradiso and were absolutely spoiled. They provided free wireless, breakfast, and a soup dinner which was perfect when it got cold at night. Really comfortable beds. Residential area so it was quiet. Hot tub and sauna. Reading lights and hooks in the room. $22 a night.}

Kia Ora!

{Live* from New Zealand}

* Change of plans. The Internet is more accessible than I was expecting and with long bus rides I've been able to write all my posts. Plus this way you don't have to read two posts that are pretty much the same thing :)

Kia Ora is an native Kiwi greeting literally translated as 'be well' or 'be healthy.'

Wednesday:

After two (!) attempted landings, I've finally touched down in Christchurch, New Zealand! It's 1 a.m. and our bus doesn't leave till 7. Katie, Bekah and I are camping out at the airport, reading travel brochures. Now I've finally found time to read Water for Elephants. I was planning on making the book last the whole trip but it's such a quick read. I kept waiting for the book to live up to the hype. The ending was exciting but that's all I'll say for those who have yet to read it. Overall a good book and I'm keen to see what the movie reviews say.

Walking to the bus was an enchanting moment; to my left was a dark blue sky and full moon and to my right was the rising Sun's ray turning the sky pink and light blue. The sights only get better. NZ really is as beautiful as people say. It's autumn in the Southern Hampshire and you can tell. The nights are colder and the leaves are falling-perfect cardigan and Sperrys weather.

This bus ride is gorgeous. We are passing farms, rolling hills and a lot of sheep. Fun fact: NZ's population is 4.4 million people while sheep population is about 40 million. That's about ten sheep for every one person! A great but unexpected perk is the bus stops a lot for breaks in highlight towns along the route. We stopped at Kaikoura, marine wildlife hot spot, for a walk along the rocky beach. Whale watching is the main attraction with 15 different species having been seen off the shore along with dolphins and seals. Large seal colonies were lying on the rocks as we drove pass. We also stopped at Blenheim in the wine country. Now we are continuing on to Nelson. 

The scenery has been diverse from rolling hills to ocean coastlines to mountain valleys. I can't wait to start this journey.

Cheers for now,

Kim  

Nelson, New Zealand // Royal Wedding Wednesday

So Kate Middleton is living my dream and becoming a princess! I am most likely missing this because I will be on a bus heading to the top of the South Island. Oh well, I'll live :)

I arrive into our first destination city of Nelson today. Just hanging around until we head to Abel Tasman National Park. It's a gorgeous day. They don't call Nelson the sunshine capital of New Zealand for nothing! 

Have a great Wednesday!

Cheers for now,

Kim

Kiwi Me!

Ahh today is the day. I'm currently on my way to New Zealand! It's going to be one gorgeous trip. I've wanted to go ever since I found out that's where Lord of the Rings was filmed; major geek moment.

I was a little worried about what I would do for Sratting Down Under while I was gone, but I came up with the perfect solution. It begins with a story. When I was little, my parents would go to Mexico for a week. Grammy would take care of my sisters and me in their absence. To make it feel like we were with them, my Mom would write down their daily activites on a notecard that Grammy read to us at breakfast. It was such a treat to find out what grand adventure my parents had enstore for them each day. Now it's my turn. I've got a line-up of New Zealand adventures just for my sratty readers.

So have you ever wondered why people from New Zealand are called Kiwis? Well the kiwi is a flightless bird only found in NZ. They are in the same animal family as the ostrich and the emu. A fun fact about kiwis is that they lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world. That's impressive for these little guys {or I should say gals}.

How cute! I want one!

There are five species of kiwis. I will be traveling the South Island so I could encouter the Great Spotted Kiwi or Haast/Southern Tokoeka species. Wow, I'm getting so excited!



Via Wikipedia



Also if you want a postcard from New Zealand, regardless of if I actually "know" you or not, send me your address.

Cheers for now,

Kim

{Also I was thinking that if I get a few more followers, I might host a giveaway-possibly a kiwi something from NZ! Spread the word.}

Game Time: Netty

Last night, I got to play a true Australian sport: Netball. This is what Wikipedia had to say about the sport:

Games are played on a rectangular court divided into thirds, with a raised goal at each short end. The object of the game is for teams to score goals, by passing a ball and shooting it into their team's goal ring. Players are assigned "positions" that define their role within the team and restrict their movement on court. During general play, a player with the ball can take no more than one step before passing it, and must pass the ball or shoot for goal within three seconds. Goals can only be scored by the assigned shooting players. Netball games are 60 minutes long, divided into 15-minute quarters, at the end of which the team with the most goals scored wins.

 Let me just say that I got heaps of calls against me. One thing Wikipedia fails to mention is that you can't swat the ball out of someone's hands {which I did} or when the opponent is shooting you have to be an arm's length away {which I wasn't}. For the first half, I was Keeper which meant I just guarded the goal and blocked shots. There wasn't a lot of running which I liked. Second half, I was Wing Defense which meant I could move around more.
My year on the basketball team in 8th grade taught me one thing: how to be aggressive. Netball really isn't a contact sport. I think I'll be a cheerleader for now on, but I'm happy to say I gave it a shot.

I tried to find a good YouTube video but there aren't any. Sorry this is so long but just skip around till you see the players. It has a very different feel than basketball. Australians love this game and usually it's just female players.

What do you think? Could you play this?

Cheers for now,
Kim

Stylish Blogger Award

Hey y'all! I got awarded my first {of hopefully many} blog awards. The lovely Royar at Young Southern Prep linked me with the Stylish Blogger Award. Check out her blog; she is amazing! I love her book recommendations.

Ok so here are the rules:

1. Link back and thank the person who gave it to you. 

2. Share 7 things about yourself. 

3. Award 5 stylish blogs you read. 

4. Contact them and tell them about their award! 

Here are my 7 things:
1. I hate the fact that I can't call my Dad everyday; overseas phone rates are EXPENSIVE!
2. I still haven't gone surfing yet.
3. I'm on Twitter more than I am on Facebook.
4. I love emailing people; should that be a skill on my resume?
5. I'm bringing "y'all" to Australia.
6. I get so so excited when I get a new follower.
7. I'll procrastinate packing for New Zealand until the night before; 3 more days!!

I'm giving this award to:
Kimberly at Follow Your Heart
Natalie at Sweet Carolina Girl
Maddie at spark.
Portuguese Prepster
Abby at A Picture A Day

Thanks again Royar & I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Cheers for now,
Kim

D Block Love

On Monday night, my block did a room crawl. Omg what a fun night! Our theme was "The Yellow Pages." So the premise of the room crawl was a top floor person was paired with a bottom floor person. Each pair was given a page out of the Yellow pages and had to choose an occupation and make a drink/game that coordinated. Max was my partner and we got building contractors.

D Block Room Crawl: Me, Anna & Caitlyn

Other room themes were Weddings, Camping, Lifesavers {a.k.a. beach patrol} and Vets. Overall we had a great time and continued to bond as a block.

Evatt has a lot of mixers where each block has to dress up. The first week I was here, there was a "When I Grow Up" theme. I chose Daisy Duke because I really wanted to wear my cowboy boots! I went to an op shop and bought a pair of jeans to make into jorts {jean shorts}. It's so funny that in Australia people wear them regularly; I've started to put them in my clothing rotation {more on that later}.

D First all "Grown Up"

Daisy Duke

In March, we had a karaoke party where all the blocks had to dress up as something that started with their block letter. My floor, D First, dressed up as death. It was so much fun putting on all the fake blood.

Look how scary my block looks.

I'm so lucky that I get along with the people in my block. We are becoming such a family and it's going to be really sad leaving at the end of this semester. On a happier note, I can't wait for our next themes party.

Cheers for now,

Kim

{Oh & today is my two month mark of being in Australia}

I'm going to New Zealand in a Week!

I don't think I've made any comments on Sratting Down Under {I know I have on Twitter} but in one week, I will be flying to Christchurch, New Zealand for an 11 day tour around the South Island with Bekah and Katie! Christchurch is still recovering from the 6.3 earthquake that occurred on February 22, 2011, so we will only be flying in and out of that city.

The three of us a.k.a. Katie put together a great itinerary for our Easter Break:

Day One-Fly from Sydney to Christchurch

Day Two-Christchurch to Nelson

Day Three-Nelson: Abel Tasman National Park



New Zealand's sunshine capital, I'll be kayaking & hiking all day



Day Four-Nelson to Franz Josef

Day Five-Franz Josef: Fox Glacier



Climbing the fastest moving glacier in the world



Day Six-Franz Josef to Queenstown {Easter}

Day Seven-Queenstown: Milford Sounds

Day Eight-Queenstown: Lord of the Rings Tour & Bungey Jumping

Day Nine-Queenstown to Tekapo

Day Ten-Tekapo to Christchurch

Day Eleven-Fly from Christchurch to Sydney

I'll be going into more detail for each city later. I just wanted to give a general overview.

Also if anyone would be interested in guest blogging on some of your favorite places to travel, etc., just comment below :)

Cheers for now,

Kim

Oh the Places I've Been

A throwback to the States.

I was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky.

I go to school in Columbia, South Carolina.

I have family in Hawaii, California, Nebraska, Minnesota, Kentucky and New York.

I summer in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

I am extremely blessed to have a mom who is obsessed with traveling 'off the beaten path.' When my sisters and I were younger, we would have Girls Bonding Vacation to Florida. You would think it's a pretty straight forward drive from Kentucky to the beach, but not the way my mom drives. It would take us about three days with all the two-lane highways she drove. Looking back I can't complain. Every trip was an adventure in itself and the three girls would always vie to be The Navigator {a.k.a. sit in the front seat}. This was how it came to be that I've traveled the entire Southeast.

My one time "out West" was for a family reunion camping trip to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Again, Mom packed Andrea, Shelley and I into the car for a week-long drive out to the park. Did I mention that we camped the entire way? The biggest highlight from that trip was setting up camp in the Rocky Mountains. We were in the middle of a storm and set the tent up in record time {and I'm talking about 3 minutes}. As soon as we had zipped up the outside, the storm broke sending hail and rain down onto our poor little shelter. That's how I came to conquer the Wild Wild West.

Best friends in Coney Island, New York

Trips to see family up in New York and Minnesota pretty much cover the rest of the country minus California and Nevada. These are my most recent adds to the states I've been. Back in January, I was asked by the company I interned for last summer to help with a location scout for a Toyota commercial in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Hell yes! It was such a fun trip and I can't wait to go back for "pleasure."

The next place I want to visit is Texas and Massachusetts. Where have you been? Link up here.

Cheers for now,
Kim

Derby Days

To my lovely readers-

I am teaming up with fellow blogger Jennifer at blue-eyed belle to do a week long series on the Kentucky Derby. This is especially exciting for me because if you don't know, I am from the city where the 'Running for the Roses' takes place every year: Louisville. I feel like even though I am having a fabulous time in Australia about 248,008 miles away {slight exaggeration}, it's still nice to remember the place where I come from.

Jennifer and I have decided on a couple of topics including hosting a fabulous party, fashion and the history of the Derby itself. I've decided on a personal favorite of mine, Derby hats! Also my sratastic Mom will be giving her top tips to making the perfect Mint Julep! I'm also honored that one of my favorite Twitter followers Lauren-Elizabeth will be writing a post for me; I've told her before she needs to start her own blog.

How elegant is this picture?

If you would like to be a part of our series, please email me. I'd love to hear any other suggestions you may have. You don't have to have a blog to be a part of the fun, just a love for all things Derby.

Cheers for now,

Kim

Roll Up the Sleeves, it's Recipe Time

After a long day of op shopping and laying at the beach, the Baking Bunch (Kellee, Bekah, Katie, Emma and I) dove into making the amazing Australian dessert of Lamingtons. I talked about making some about a month ago and have final amassed the baking supplies needed. The process was super quick and super fun to make; all you need is cake mix, icing sugar, cocoa powder and coconut.

You start off with a regular white cake mix and bake the cake as directed. Once cooled, cut the cake into 2 in. by 2 in. squares.

Kellee whipping up the chocolate icing

Next, make a chocolate icing mixture by mixing icing sugar, cocoa powder and hot water together until it's a runny consistency. Dip the cake piece into the mixture, completely covering all the sides. Squeeze the excess chocolate out.

  

Assembly line

Last, coat the cake in coconut. I noticed that the coconut here is a lot finer than coconut from back home. You might have to put it in a food processor to achieve smaller flakes.

The finishing touch

 Kellee, the mastermind behind the Lamingtons, says it's best to leave them overnight so the chocolate seeps through the cake but we could wait that long. They still tasted delicious. I had two :)

The finished product

Emma reckons that I'm starting to become more Australian now that I can make Lamingtons. I'll definitely be bringing this recipe back to the U.S. with me.

The Baking Bunch from left to right: Bekah, Kellee, me, Emma and Katie

Let me know if you make it; I'd love to hear some feedback.

Cheers for now,

Kim

P.S. It's my half birthday ;) 21 & 1/2

The Dreaming Story of Tittalik the Frog

In my Aboriginal Studies class, I am learning about The Dreaming. Dreaming stories tell how certain things came to be, kind of a series of creation myths. The story of Tittalik the Frog is particular to the Awabakal people who lived in the Newcastle area. These stories were passed down from generation to generation to teach valuable lessons.

The story of the formation of Coquon (Hunter River) is a story of selfishness and greed. The story is reinforced by the nature of a small frog named Tittalik, who cared little for others and their feelings.

This was a time in the Dreaming when there were no rivers, lakes or rain. The water bubbled up from within the ground collecting in small pools. This was where all the animals gathered to drink. Tittalik through his greed decided to drink all the water in the pool. He began drinking and did not stop until the pool was completely dry. The frog had grown into enormous size with the consumption of all this water. There was not a drop of water left for any of the other animals.

The animals were in a desperate dilemma and called an immediate meeting to discuss their plight. The large gathering came to the conclusion that if they could get Tittalik's mouth open for long enough, all of the water would rush out and they would be saved. There was much discussion with little progress until someone exclaimed 'Let's make him laugh!'.

The entire group of animals agreed that this was a good idea. The emu was the first to step forward and try to make the frog burst into laughter, he sadly failed. He was followed by the kangaroo; who tried every way he could to make the frog laugh, but he also failed. Every animal in the group tried, but none could make the stubborn frog laugh.

The animals were resigned to the fact that they were now facing certain death through thirst. At this very moment the platypus arrived on the scene. He had always been ridiculed and looked upon with a sense of mirth by all of the animals. The platypus, who was also very thirsty, started to climb the hill towards Tittalik the frog. The platypus stumbled over a rock and fell over, and he rolled all the way back down the hill.

The platypus refused to give up, and he pulled himself up and once again began to climb the hill towards the frog. Again the platypus lost his footing and down to the bottom of the hill he rolled. Once more much to the delight of all the animals he again pulled himself upright and began the long climb to the summit of the hill.

The kookaburra could not contain his laughter any longer at the misfortune of the poor platypus. The kookaburra began to laugh hysterically. One by one all of the animals joined the kookaburra and their laughter was infectious. The platypus looked so funny tumbling down the incline. The frog, try as he might, could not contain himself any longer and he slowly began to chuckle.

Tittalik's chuckle turned to laughter, the frog laughed and laughed. The water he had drank burst from his mouth in great torrents and roared from his mouth and cascaded down the hill. The sheer power and torrent of water gouged a deep furrow across the landscape.

When the water finally came to a halt and subsided it had formed a deep gully filled with the running water, which became know to the Awabakal people as Coquon, now known as the Hunter River. This story was passed down by the Awabakal people as a firm lesson in highlighting the evil of greed and selfishness. Tittalik the frog was turned to stone to remind all of those that followed his mistake. He still sits today on the top of a hill near Wollombi.

Rabbit, Rabbit

(Tittalik ngartun kako-ai Coquon bugkulliko kakilliko reproduced from the Awabakal Word Finder and Dreaming Stories Companion, 2004 - edited by John Maynard)

I hope you enjoyed this story that my professor shared with us. It's fun to hear a story that is from the area of Australia that I'm studying in. Really connects me to this whole study abroad experience.

Cheers for now,

Kim

Cabs are here!

One thing I'm getting good at here in Newcastle is taking public transport. Maybe not what you were expecting but when you don't have a car (and they drive on the opposite side of the road so that's tricky), you have to improvise. Luckily for me, I've made friends with people who have cars so if I ever need to make a grocery run to Woolys or go to the beach, I can just hitch a ride. 

But for travelling beyond Uni, mastering the train system is vital. It's only a quick 15 minute ride into downtown Newcastle for times when the Evatt gang is going out. Or a 2.5 hour ride down to Sydney. I've been using that one a lot, especially when the train takes you right to the airport.

Unfortunately, I don't have the student travel concession sticker which would make traveling half off. Only Australian students are eligible, but at $3 I can't really complain.

Another great Aussie travel treat is the maxi taxi. Find up to 11 of your closest Evatt friends and you can head to anywhere for $5. Perfect for coming back from a night out when the train only runs every hour.

No matter where you are in Australia, there is some kind of transportation option that will get you from adventure A to adventure B or just home.

Cheers for now,

Kim

All Smiles at Coogee Beach

Wow this week has been hectic, but thankfully it's Wednesday which means it's over. I had THREE papers Tuesday and Monday; one of which was a personal essay I had critiqued by my classmates! Ahh it's nerve-wrecking to have someone give you feedback on your writing. So after the heaps of work I had to do this week, I can finally tell you about my weekend. I decided to give myself a little R&R and head to the beach. I know my life is rough, right?

The cliffs of Coogee Beach

So Saturday morning, Katie and I boarded a train heading south to Sydney. We arrived at the beautiful Coogee Beach (prounced Could-GEE not COO-GEE like I was saying) around noon. My roommate Brad's brother was in town and their step dad had bought us a few hotel rooms right on the beach. How nice was that! It was overcast by the time we met up with the boys, so we headed to the cliffs that are right along the water. Sounds scary but these are baby rocks. The view was gorgeous; Brad told me there was a wedding the day before.

Looking out over the rocks

We lazed around the rest of the day with plans of going to King's Cross, Sydney's biggest party area. Of course, we never made it past the bar next door. Plus we had a couple other Evatt people join up with us. After schooling the boys in a few rounds of pool, Katie and I called it a night. 

Just chilling at the Baths

 The next morning was a dream day. We woke up early and made our way to the beach, scoring prime positions near the water. This was my first major beach day since being in Australia and did I take advantage of it. I took a walk along the water and over to the ocean baths. Pretty much every beach has a little ocean pool to play in. After a delicious lunch of burritos and gelato (I was in heaven) and watching the last four minutes of the UK game (such a heartbreaker), us girls bid ado and headed back to Newcastle.

How colorful are the walls in town?

I love the fact that catching the train to Sydney is so easy. It makes going on weekend adventures so conveient. Hope everyone had a great weekend too!

Cheers for now,

Kim 



Thinking of You

Tonight I was facebook chatting with my best guy friend from back home Christopher. He just got back from his fraternity formal at Hilton Head. Last year I was his date and we had such a great time in Charleston. Direct quote from our convo:

oh and my fraternity had so much fun when u were on formal with us 2 btw

they were all like "take kim to formal again since were gonna be passing usc again!! she is so much fun!!" and i was like she's in australia....

umm how sweet are they? Here's a shout out to the fine Southern gentlemen of Phi Tau; I will be seeing you for Formal 2012!

Chris and I at Battery Park, Charleston

Also as if he couldn't be more sweet, Chris let's me know that he has bookmarked mine and Danica's blogs so that he could keep up with his ladies. Plus he showed Sratting Down Under to his mom who is a Kappa alum. How cute :)

Basically our little conversation put me in such a great mood. It's such a great feeling knowing that people are thinking about you, even when you are a whole continent away.

Cheers for now,

Kim

Obsessed!

Umm. . . How ADORABLE is this? I love Lilly and am so upset that I'm missing Cup today :( Prayed for gorgeous weather for all my Carolina lovers. Miss y'all.

Cheers for now,

Kim

Attention: Lilly Lovers

Let me first begin this post by saying that Lilly Pulitzer has THE best customer service on the face of this world. They are fast, responsive and super sweet. No wonder people can't get enough Lilly in their lives!

This brings me to the reason for my post and YOUR IMMEDIATE HELP! I emailed them about my iPhone case because the print was peeling off. Within three hours, I was told to pick a print and that it would be shipped to my house. Too bad I'll have to wait three months to get it but still! I was going to stick with my 'Don't be Koi' pattern until I saw the Spring 2011 patterns. OMG; I must have them all! I'm torn between two patterns but I would love to have my readers input too.

Featuring clockwise from the top petal: Limeade Floaters, Classic White Do the Wave, Hotty Pink Bloomers and Multi You're Flagged

Let me know which iPhone case I should get. Go the Lilly website if you'd like one yourself.

Cheers for now,

Kim

[SDU Note: If I was going to Cup, I'd be wearing the Wyatt Dress Printed. The bright colors with the neutral belt would look perfect with my nude Jack Rogers.]

April Showers & Sydney Beaches

The stigma of April being a rainy month is definitely holding up. It's been raining off and on all day which is making being productive super hard. I have three papers due next week and my Dance Marathon Executive Board application is due today. Good thing there's a 15 hour time difference which gives me a little bit of a cushion for that. I am applying for a position on the external team in Media Coordinator or Dancer Relations. I am going to have to interview over Skype; how crazy is technology these days?

If I can muster up the energy to power through my homework assignments, I will be rewarding myself with a weekend getaway to Sydney. Some friends are staying at a resort in Coogee Beach (right next to the world famous Bondi Beach) for the weekend and have invited Katie and me. Surf, sand and relaxation. Wow that's motivation enough to get off the Internet and down to business, especially when it's going to be 70s, sunny and NO rain!

Wish me luck!

Cheers for now,

Kim

[SDU Note: OMG! I am pretty good with computers but guess what I just found out, that Windows has screen shot capture. I only thought Macs could do that. It's called the Snipping tool. Wow, am I the last one to figure this out?]