Traveling Journal

A month ago, I was boarding the plane to what feels like my third home. (My first being heaven, my second being the South, USA.) It's still in the south--as a good friend said, you can't get much souther than Melbourne...

I went to Australia to visit my good friend, Alysa, in what was their (very mild) winter-- beautiful, green, and crisp. And I found so many things to love--so many that I'm afraid I can't still name them all. I'm afraid, however, that if I don't try, I'll forget what I do remember. So here's my go of it: let's hope I don't miss anything.

• "Let me just pop that in there for you... " I love the English influence in Australia; so much more than in the U.S. Their politeness defies expectations. It's expected that you small-talk with a cashier--not something I claim to be particularly good at. After one such exchange, I asked Alysa, "Do you know her?" Of course, she didn't.
• The beach. The ocean. The shore. It's incredibly beautiful, no matter where you go and no matter what you call it.
• Fish and chips on the shore. Yes, "chips" aren't very different than French Fries in the States--but they're still better. Five Guys comes close, but not quite.
  
• The people--not only because I have such a very good friend that lives there. But also because of the other amazing folks I met--people that made it feel as if I've known them much longer than I have.
  
• Good coffee. Everywhere.
• Small towns, and the small town mindset. People bring their dogs to town and wear Wellies as if it were the most natural footwear in the world. In Australia, dogs seem to be a family-oriented sort of animal to own, even more so in the U.S.
  
• Natural-feeling heating/AC-- I doubt people are prone to freeze themselves in the summer, as they didn't roast themselves in the winter.
  (My dad's favorite seasonal words are get acclimatised, so I appreciated it.)
  
• The local, small-town shops. Every town seems to have a vast selection of family-owned, beautifully kept shops, not invaded by chains, and willing to special-order for you. The bigger towns and suburbs are the ones with the chains.
• Wool shops. And wool. and tea shops. and tea.
  
• Amazing views. Beautiful countryside.
  
• Staying with Alysa and her family--and her mum allowing me to invade her kitchen. :)
• Jokes galore. That wingey-wongey sound... :)
  
• Realizing that cooking in Australia isn't much different than cooking at home, as long as you cook from scratch.
• Aussie grocery stores... I spent some lovely time comparing U. S. to Aussie ingredients. :)
• Local open-air markets.
• Amazing meetings. Christ-centered prayer. Holy Spirit Power and Presence. The peace of God that passes all understanding. Blessings that last through the return trip to my U.S. home.
  

I didn't have enough time-- next time I go, I'll stay longer. If real, practical life were the same as my trip, I could live in Australia in a heartbeat. That is, if I could move everyone I love over with me. :)

What to Write About

I'm here to write. I've not figured out what about yet-- I've just got the urge to be here, and to to write about life. (Does this only happen to me, or does it happen to others? )

I could write about my exciting, exhausting Holiday from school, where I took two successive trips and sandwiched in Christmas at home--barely. About what an awesome and wonderful time I had hanging out with my good friend, Alyssa from Australia, and making two cheesecakes for/with those great folks from Indiana, learning I wasn't a hopeless ice skater, visiting the Creation Museum where I found the perfect gift for Noelle, and playing Message Trivia with good friends. (Alyssa ransacked us all.)

I could talk of the journey home-- the gorgeous icy drive through the mountains, stopping by the Walmart on a snowy afternoon and the successive snowball "fight"--The trip to downtown Greenville for great Thai food, my talkative and hilarious sister, Rebecca who made Alyssa and me laugh. I could mention running back up to Asheville the next day to visit Heather, then spending the evening at home making the best pizza I've ever put in my mouth. (I need to make it again.)

I could talk of Rebecca's birthday breakfast--the slow and relaxing day at home, in which we only went out to see the (flooded) church, and came home to tea and more relaxing and knitting--and not-so-relaxed packing.

I could talk of getting up the next morning at 4AM, driving to fly, flying to drive, and arriving at a camp where I knew but one other person. I could write of meeting others, meeting the Lord Jesus Christ, playing and playing and playing the piano, loving the interchange between instruments, chatting music, and playing--all for the glory of God. I could talk of how doctrinal differences don't ruin the Holy Spirit's flow--as long as I don't get in the way.

I could write about coming home--how, for the first time, a commercial plane felt slightly more like my grandad's--how my heart was glad to see the mountains--how the feeling of homeward-bound-ness and going to church that night was euphoric. I could talk of the next couple of days, where I was a couch potato, and then discovered school was looming right around the corner.

And now? I could talk of the goodness of the Lord. The strength for the days the Lord has given me, both in sickness and health, stress or not. How it's good to see my students again--even the ones that drive me a little crazy. How I admire my family, and think they're just about the best people around. How I'm thankful for the new ideas, the beautiful thoughts and the crafty stuff that collected on my Google Reader while I was absent.

Perhaps that's what I should write about.

I didn't realize just how close to home I was when I snapped this outside my plane window.

Hmm....

I'm really tired, so this will be really short. However, if you wish to find out about how my lovely thanksgiving went, all you have to do is go to Sharon's Blog--lol!

The good newses-- I baked my first turkey this Thanksgiving! Actually--I basically did what Momma usually does, and she did what I usually do--She did the last-minute cleaning, while I did the cooking! It was fun to be in the kitchen.

The turkey was marvelous, which is why I'm gonna leave you with the recipe--Definately worth a try! We did the dressing that goes with the turkey as well, but I prefer a cornbread dressing--I'll probably merge two recipes next year--or just do Slave Dressing with apples and sage. (Yup--that's the name of my family's fabulous recipe. PC it's not... )
I wasn't too keen on the sausage this time. I don't know why.

Has anyone else tried this?
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/yankeetest.html

It's great fun--and just for the info, I'm 76% Dixie. My dad--who says Say-ruh when he's pronouncing the name Sarah--scored lower than ME!
Oh well--some mysteries will never be solved.... lol!

Going Home, I'll meet you in the Rapture, Going, home, I'll meet you in the Air. And you are never too young to think about it; I cannot wait --To be Going Home....